Some Facts About The Automata In My World

Some Facts About The Automata in my World

These are just a few points. There are some names and terms mentioned that will be elaborated on in future posts.

Nearly all automatons are built around human skeletons, which gives them their humanoid shape. The spine, fingers and bottom jaw are exposed, and that tells you how old an automaton's model is. Older models will have more bones exposed, their plates and mechanisms built directly on top. Mostly relying on the skeleton to keep the frame in one piece. Newer models will have less showing, and may even be made with a fully mechanical skeleton. No matter how new a model is, the spine is always visible. 

They can come in any shape or size, though most are 6’5 and under. The shortest ones are just below 5’, and are mostly nanny’s or other child care workers. Automatons can be thin, stocky, round or lanky. It all depends on their occupation and the capabilities of their model. Changes may be made if needed, and these procedures are rather expensive. Usually they are only done once an automaton passes (in which the husk will become a host for a new personality), or if a company needs a specific body type for a job.

The automata of Brenning are treated as equals, instead of being seen as the lower class. They can get any job, or live in any financial status just as a human can. It also isn’t uncommon for humans and automata to get married, and is embraced by the city. Once an automaton is married, they will receive golden filigree somewhere upon their body that is visible at all times. The most common place is the face, mostly upon the cheek or chin. Hands are also popular, and you may even see an automaton with a completely golden hand. The human has two choices when it comes to marrying an automaton. They can either get molten gold poured upon the skin in lavish designs, or get a special plate implanted into their arm. This plate allows the human to feel the emotions of their automaton partner, and vice versa.  

There is a race of automata called Gardeners, who are bipedal humanoids with multiple limbs. They tend to Brennings plantlife, and are extremely docile. They are very agile and strong, able to climb up the clock tower with ease. The city has multiple gated tunnels that the gardeners use to traverse the city without bothering the human population, or to escape the rain. Emotionless, thoughtless creatures, the gardeners tend to keep to themselves. The only thing they care about is the well being of the plants within Brennings walls, keeping the city green any way they can. Standing at 7’ when straight, they have a large compartment in their stomachs that they use to house dirt and plants for transport. As long as people steer clear, the gardeners are quiet and diligent.

Another special race is the Watchers, medieval knight like automata who patrol the city streets at night. They are protectors, diligent guards that walk the city streets once the sun falls. They were built to protect the people from night time criminals, and they also keep people from sneaking into the city. The civilians of Brenning created a nightly curfew after a few years, due to a multiple deaths that occured due to people messing with the automata. They are extremely violent when provoked, not letting up until the person they are focused on is either incapacitated or dead. There are a select few who are able to evade the watchers' gaze, and those are the ones who work for the Tower. To the automata, a Tower worker is completely invisible, unless physical contact is made. This same rule applies to members of the Circle, but the Circle is able to control the Watchers whenever it is necessary. Usually, a Watcher will walk a specific pre-programmed path, but a member of the Circle may order it to follow them, or to chase a specific person.

Automatons never truly die, but are just reset. Their programming enters a state called “The Phoenix Code” in which the automaton's skillset is recycled and passed onto a new life, giving the new personality a muscle memory of their past skills, but with no recollection of their past life. A single automaton may have multiple lives within their programming, giving them a wider range of skills to potentially use. For example, My character Jeter is on his 8th phoenix. This means that he has lived seven previous lives, all living more than 80 years each. Each one had a different job, and passed on their skills to the next life. Jeter started off as a guardsman, and has been a baker, a businessman, a mechanic, and is currently a doctor. Everything he has learned has been passed on, but he has no idea who exactly he was in a past life. 

Generation 1 automatons are considered “children”, as they currently have no skills to build their lives off of. The first life of an automaton is mostly spent within the Tower, learning multiple skills that will be passed onto their next life. The teacher is another member of the Circle (I will be going more into the Circle and its members in a different post as well), who spends their days making sure each and every newly forged automaton knows how to survive in the city.

Experimenting with a style to see if it was more fun to use and I actually quite enjoy it?? So I think I have found the style I will use for my comic, as this could potentially create some nice atmosphere. Also, using this style, would allow each character to be identified by their own colors. Jeter would be brown/gold, Henderson is Burgundy/Mahogany, and Zala would be green, etc. Most environments and objects will be in simple black and greys.

These two images are a little muddied, which is something I will practice with as time goes on.

Also, these two panels are not connected, even though it looks like Jeter and Zala have spotted each other across a room. I promise, Zala is too much of a recluse to attend any event that includes strangers.

Three practice panels for my comic, starring Jeter, henderson, and Zala.

In this specific scene, Zala has just returned from studying the stranger that was found on the outskirts of town. Zala conducted multiple tests on the man, and was met with some strange results. It was if the man had died weeks ago, but was still alive somehow. He is able to walk and talk, but he lacks the necessary physical aspects of life. If he has a heartbeat, it is strong enough to be heard, but too weak to be felt when adding pressure to different points of the body. Long, abnormal scars run down his back and shoulders, but they look like they have been healed for years. It's strange, and no one is sure about what may have happened, and how this man is alive.

Zala immediately visits the Nyland household, wanting to talk to the pair of doctors living there. The man may be a scientist, but he wants the input of the only other people he trusts enough to discuss such a strange topic.

Henderson is rather put off about the idea of a "walking corpse", while Jeter is rather intrigued. It's not every day a scientific marvel stumbles into the city.

Both Jeter and Zala are interested in learning more about this stranger, but at the same time, they are worried about other people learning about the event. If the city were to hear about the walking dead, there would be widespread paranoia.

Some (Non-spoiler) facts about Pierre:

~ He is able to flatten and fold his body in order to fit into most crevices. His body is extremely flexible, as his inner mechanisms can easily shift and collapse into whatever size is needed. As long as his head can fit through the entrance, his whole body can follow.

~His eyes are a large ring with a circle in the center. This is a model specific trait, and means that the automaton has the ability to record whatever they see. This model of automata have insanely good photographic memories, and is perfect for Pierre’s job.

~Despite his age and appearance, Pierre can hit some pretty high speeds when running. Able to easily outrun a horse when needed, which isn’t a very common scenario. Fences and walls barely slow him down, as he can easily climb/jump over most blockades in Brenning.

~He has yet to change his metal plating, despite it being rusted, scratched and broken. This is because it has yet to hinder his ability to work, and so there is no need to upgrade his body. Unlike more “modern” automata, Pierre’s plating is unable to be penetrated by bullets of any kind. Dented by, yes, but the bullet will not pierce through. This does not mean he is invincible though, as he does have multiple open wounds on his head and body.

~His model is able to record and play back anything he has heard before, and has extremely good hearing. If standing completely still and no one is speaking, Pierre can actually pick up the heart beats of any humans in the room. This comes at a price however, as very loud noises may startle and stun Pierre for a few moments while his programming adjust to the sudden input.

~The voice Pierre uses for himself is actually that of the man who created the plans for his body, and later helped calibrate him. This man, who Pierre never learned the name of, spent hours talking to him in order to have a large library of words to use. A millennium later, and Pierre still uses that same voice. For new names or words, he stiches together syllables of different words and is able to shift their tone. This makes it less jarring and sound more natural.

~Rarely ever uses weapons of his own, finding it easier to take people out using his speed and strength. Pierre is agile and can react suddenly, incapacitating an enemy within seconds. He tries not to kill his opponent, relying on non-lethal take-downs the majority of the time. He does possess a pair of twin pistols, and is equipped with bullets that can take out any automata with ease. (These bullets are only provided to those who work as security for the Tower)

~Pierre’s creator programmed him to “smoke”, despite not having lungs. The creator assumed that having an automaton that shows human habits might be easier to trust, and so Pierre never goes anywhere without a pack of cigarettes in his coat. This “human habit” rule also applies to his attire, since it isn’t really needed for his job. But, his creator liked the aesthetic, and so Pierre dresses like a classic detective.

I am finally opening commissions!

IMPORTANT EDIT: I WILL ATTEMPT FURRY CHARACTERS, NOTHING TOO COMPLEX. SAME WITH WEAPONS

Just in case it isn't known, robots/automatons fall under Humanoids in my eyes. So if you have a vaguely human shaped robot character, I will happily draw them!

Any extra characters will be 50% off, and simple backgrounds will be an added 5$.

Feel free to DM me for commissions

Crimson Stained Copper

If I were to describe my story with a genre, it would be cyber/steampunk. This is because there are aspects of my story that seem futuristic, but everything has a steampunk/victorian aesthetic.

The plot:

The story mostly takes place within the city of Brenning, where humans and automata live side by side. It's a city that prides itself in its security and progress, but things have been happening these last few years. People have been disappearing during the night, with the kidnapper leaving no trace behind. There are rarely ever signs of a struggle, and the scene of the crime is always set up to seem like the person had packed up and left. There has been no leads on what could possibly be happening, until someone stumbles their way back to their home.

A detective, a doctor, and a scientist. All three are trying to figure out where the stranger had gone, and why he was the only one to reappear. Something is off about the man however, he was changed somehow, his memory fogged to the point of disorientation. He only remembers his name, but everything else is a mystery. Scars he can't recall, voices he can't decipher, he's taken in by the detective in order to piece together the accident and who may be behind it.

The characters:

Jeter Nyland: A famous automaton doctor in Brenning, skilled in nearly every type of surgery. He is patient and diligent, not resting until his client is healthy once more. Emalia's guardian, Henderson's teacher. (Headcanon voice/actor: Jon Sprocket from Death of The Cog)

Emalia Nyland: A young woman who was orphaned at a young age, and later taken in by Jeter. She is soft-spoken and creative, keeping all of her thoughts in a journal she constantly carries. Jeter's ward, Zala's cousin. (Headcanon voice: Melanie Leishman. Headcanon actor: Phillipa Soo)

Henderson Balgraven: A slummer turned prosthetist, thanks to necessity and Jeter's teachings. He's grumpy and aggressive, but still enjoys helping people with his skills. Jeter's student. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: Peter Keleghan)

Zala Nyland: A scientist who isolates himself in his manor in the woods, alongside his automatonic "siblings". Extremely nervous and intelligent, he loves to study life and death. Emalia's cousin and Jeter's confidente. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: David Michael Bennett)

Pierre Romanski: A detective who works directly under the overseer of the city, tasked with finding out who the stranger is and why he returned. Diligent and cold, he always finds his answers. Son of District. (Headcanon Voice Andre Keith Braugher)

Catalyst: A paranoid man who returned after seemingly vanishing into thin air, unfortunetly he can't recall a thing. He's confused but polite, trying his best to help Pierre solve the mystery of his past. (Headcanon Voice/Actor: TBD)