Every Story Must Have A Catalyst, Something That Launches The Main Plot Into Action. In Crimson Stained

Every story must have a catalyst, something that launches the main plot into action. In Crimson Stained Copper, the catalyst takes the form of a strange man. Who is he? Where did he come from? What is up with his body? Nobody knows, but there are people searching for answers. Since everything about him is a mystery for now, I will be referring to him as "Catalyst".

He should be dead. At least, that's what Zala said after giving the man a quick look over. Pale skin that was cold to the touch, eyes that didn't react to light, and skin that was either too loose or too tight. The man barely even had a heart beat. For all Zala knew, he was studying a walking corpse.

Catalyst can't remember anything before waking up in a dark alleyway. His thoughts are cloudy, fogged memories that he can't understand. He hears voices, sees blurry faces but nothing fits together. This has lead to his senses to constantly be on high alert, and he has become extremely paranoid. He never sits still, eyes darting around as if searching for something to ground him.

Only politeness comes from Catalyst, no matter who he is speaking to. There is also a layer of fear in his tone, since he has no clue who to trust and who to avoid. His words come quickly, trying to minimize the amount of time he has to spend with people by speeding up the conversation. He stammers, and repeats himself, but that is the least of his worries.

Headcanon voice/actor: TBD

Patience, The Towers "Gentle Giant"

The newly forged automata of Brenning need a teacher, someone to teach them how to become part of society. Everything from etiquette to stocks are placed in multiple courses over the first decade of the new-forged lives. Every class, every individual lesson is taught by one single person. This is a daunting task to most, dealing with the responsibility of making sure every automaton turns out perfect.

This is where Patience comes in. An automaton who houses multiple streams of thought, able to organize and keep track of everything the new-forged would ever need. Patience is an old and wise being, their knowledge being collected over centuries of life. They can answer any question and solve any puzzle with ease, no matter the subject or complexity. Because of this, Patience in in charge of everything pertaining to schooling and the preservation of information/culture.

But, every dime must have a second face. A side that can be called upon and seen if needed, as long as the flip is justified.

Patience stands at 13 feet tall when their body is relaxed, and is indeed a force to be reckoned with. Their mind is sharp and dangerous when called upon by District, carrying out whatever task is needed. Executioner, The Reaper's Scythe, Death's Vulture. Names whispered amongst those who handle any mess left over from Patience's duties.

What exactly does Patience do? No one is certain, but the automaton can be seen standing vigilantly next to District when not happily teaching the new-forged how to fit in. Their dime is usually on its head, showing a cheery and almost maternal side. But if the coin were to flip over to tails, no one wants to be in their way.

"A Summer's Day" ~ 1894

This young woman is Emalia Nyland, Jeter's ward since she was a toddler. Her parents both died to a disease known as "The Rust", and has been under her future husband's care since then.

It's not unusual for sick parents to hand their child over to an automaton, as it provides the kid with an immortal bodyguard. Most, if not all, of these kids end up forming a strong bond with their automatons, and end up marrying them. This is also what will happen with Emalia, since she and Jeter are nearly inseparable. Ever since she was little, she looked up to the automaton and eventually fell in love with him.

Now, this may seem odd, but Jeter is the only loving figure that she has had in her life. (Besides her parents of course. Zala, her cousin, could also be considered a loving figure, but he rarely ever sees her.) Because of this intense bond, Jeter has given himself the golden filigree that you see on his right cheek. (Once an automaton is considered married/ spoken for, they will get filigree somewhere on their face. Most commonly on their cheeks or chin)

Ema spends most of her days at the manor with Jeter, doing her own thing or getting things ready for meals. Her life is pretty routine, but she couldn't be happier about it. The times where she does go to the city, she finds herself sticking to Jeter's side. It's a big place with a bunch of strangers, and Jeter provides a warm feeling of protection. Of course, they sometimes visit Zala at his home a few hours away, but this is only once or twice a month. As he is very busy with his studies, and Ema doesn't want to bother him.

Personality wise, Emalia is very much an introvert. She spends most of her day inside or around the manor, her nose in a book or hands full of ink from drawing. She's extremely creative, constantly writing stories or doodling pictures, anything that pops into her head will be jotted down. Her room is filled with journals and miscellaneous novels, all sorted by date of recieving them. She wishes to become an author one day, or even an explorer like her parents. Anything to gather more fun stories and drawings that will hopefully make it into their own books one day.

Fun fact about Emalia, she is completely colorblind. She sees the world through shades of grey, and this trait is shared with every woman in her bloodline. This doesn't bother her at all, as she has found other ways to enjoy "colors". Instead of seeing colors, she relates them to textures, emotions or even flavours. Dispite not being able to see these colors, Emalia considered a delicate light blue her favourite. Jeter has told her that she reminds him of this color, as she is soft spoken and welcoming.

Headcanon voice/actor: Phillipa Soo

Charlie Whitcomb Longhurst, one of the people living within my steampunk world. He may not make an official appearance in my story, but he does play a minor role in both a character's backstory as well as the lore of the city. (I've also been developing him on the side with a good friend, and he has won my heart.)

Charlie is one of the two humans to ever become a part of Brennings constabulary, as positions of the law are usually given to automata. Instead of being looked down upon by the other officers, Charlie was proudly welcomed into the ranks. Having shown an extreme level of dedication and enthusiasm, the constabulary inspector accepted him after a few tests.

He quickly took on the title of the stations "baby brother", being decades younger than the others. Charlie has never felt that it was insulting, and is rather happy with being seen as a brother. To him, he sees that as a way to say that he was officially a part of the constabulary "family".

Charlie is a sweet mean, albeit a bit dense sometimes. He trusts his gut instinct over logistics most of the time, and is hands down the most emotional constable out of the lot. This has only ever added to the love he has gained from his fellow officers, as they find that he brings some fun into the otherwise strict constabulary. Charles is also the first person people go to when dealing with handling emotional witness, victims, or even suspects. He has a scatterbrained charisma about him, and people find it easy to trust him. Automaton programming can only go so far, and sometimes a case needs a human touch.

One huge downside though, is that Charlie is deathly afraid of horses, alive or mechanical. Even paintings of the animal set him on edge, and he will avoid rooms where horse pictures are present. His fear stemmed from an accident that happened the first year he joined the constabulary, which involved a runaway carriage. Both of Charlie's legs were trampled and had to be amputated, and then later he received prosthetics. (From Henderson, as he knew Charlie as a kid.)

He never lost his smile, and he right back to work as soon as he was able to stand on his feet again.

Headcanon Voice actor: Ross O'Donovan. (Game Grumps)

First art trade!

My half of an art-trade with a radical new friend @airatherobot ! This is their adorable SPG OC named Aira, and can I just say, I love her.

The color scheme, the simple yet wonderful design, it's all very good.

Check them out if you're into SPG or robots in general!

An attempt at writing

Here is a practice segment of my story. I had a good time writing this, so I may just end up writing more passages in the future. I might do one regarding Pierre, because he may or may not be my favorite character.

~“Mechanical hooves tore up the earth as it trotted through the dense forest, easily traversing uneven terrain. Steam shot out from its nostrils into the cool air, head bobbing slightly with each step. On its back sat a sturdy harness, stitched with gold and laced with metal. Clamps around the horse's chest kept the harness in place, barely shifting during the trip. It was pulling an expensive carriage, one that would rarely be seen outside of Brenning’s richer residences. Its polished wood was trimmed with golden filigree, forming waves of leaves and flowers that stood out from the darkened body. It was sturdy and well crafted, creating a rather smooth ride for its passengers.

A sharply dressed automaton sat in the carriage's driver seat, back straight and leather reins in hand. Their eyes remained forward, focused on the road ahead. Even as they turned their head to speak, bright eyes never drifted from the path. 

"Dr. Nyland, sir." They started, pausing for a second as the carriage passed over a rough patch, jostling slightly. "We should be arriving within the hour, apologies for the long trip. Old Mara is doing her best, but this terrain isn't as friendly as the city streets." The driver glanced back at the passengers before sitting back up, gently shaking the reins in their hand. The horse snorted and picked up it’s pace a little, gears clicking with each step.

Inside the carriage, the doctor glanced up from his book to look out the window. Jeter’s eyes were the only source of light, which were staring back through his reflection.

“No need to apologize, we are in no rush.” He replied, slowly looking back down at his book. Emalia slept soundly at his side, leaning against him as soft breaths escaped her. She was undisturbed by the rocking of the cart, or by the loud snoring coming from the third passenger. Jeter took a deep artificial breath as he tried to focus on the words in front of him, shutting out all sounds once more. 

Henderson insisted on coming along, despite previously complaining about the potential company. “Only going for the dognose, nothin’ more.” The man had stated as the three headed towards the city earlier that day, and it was the truth. He didn’t do much other than down as many glasses of wine he could get his hands on, using the party as an opportunity to get drunk before being forced to go sober for another few weeks. Near the end of the event, Henderson had gotten into an argument with another one of the guests, which later became physical.

The other patrons at the event had become nervous once the shouting started, and Jeter felt his patience immediately snap. He wasted no time in weaving through the humans and automata, finding his student with a fistful of another man's suit. Before any punches could land, the doctor pulled Henderson away and told a nearby butler to collect Emalia.

Everything had calmed down by the time the horse passed through the city’s gated entrance, as if the forest created a sense of drowsiness to pass over whoever entered. Henderson had fallen asleep as soon as the lamplight died down, and Emalia followed not long after. Jeter enjoyed these moments of bliss, where he could shut out the outside world and focus on his studies. Of course, he was still fully aware of his ward’s body pressed up against his arm, but nothing else mattered.”~