Automaton - Tumblr Posts
On one hand, this is an amazing piece of historical technology. On the other, it’s freaking terrifying.
“Musical Automaton in the form of a female bust created in Paris around 1870. Powered by clockwork she is a harpist playing a Lyre (now missing) and was once dressed in fine silks. Made of papier-mâché with glass eyes and real hair. https://t.co/YrboCmnv88
Day 2: #mindless Yeeeeeee #ink #inktober2019 #octobre #inktober #zombie #mindlessbehavior #human @jakeparker @inktober @inktoberworld2019 #blackandwhite #black #shades #androids #automaton #brainless #scifi #army #robot https://www.instagram.com/p/B3HfQGyCA2r/?igshid=dr6ztx88wxkg
Another design test. Playing with cultural steampunk, and storywise a outfit based on eastern design would make more sense.Loose clothing allows for a heat-powered creature to cool off more efficiently. World building and all that.
It looks fun, but is probably to flamboyant for an assassin. Eh.
I am currently planning my own webcomic, which will take place in a victorian-esque steampunk city. Automatons have as many rights as humans, and are seen as equals. They live amongst the other civilians of Brenning, and can have a job as anything they please.
Jeter Nyland, one of the main characters in my story, is a doctor for the city of Brenning. He is on the wealthier side of things, owning a large mansion outside of the city limits. His name is known by nearly everyone, and he prides himself in that. Showing off his wealth through custome fitted suits and expensive parts, he has money to spare.
Dr. Nyland is a perfectionist, everything must be in its place and accounted for. Intelligent and talented. He has built a smaller building onto the side of the mansion, where he performs surgeries on his clients. This ranges from simple checkups to limb/organ removal and replacement. He has spent decades studying his craft, and it really shows.
When not working, he cares for his ward. A young woman named Emalia Nyland was placed in his care after her parents died to a mysterious disease. He takes this very seriously, and Ema is well cared for and in perfect health. Her wellbeing comes before his own, and he keeps her blissfully ignorant of his scientific/medical studies.
Voice claim: Jon Sprocket (Cog is Dead. Specifically their Hallelujah cover)
The Circle is made up of a small group of ancient automatons, who watch over the city of Brenning. They each have their own job, maintaining every aspect of the city's wellbeing. This ranged from warfare and defence, to simple financial statuses of each family. Nothing was too small of an issue, as they wanted nothing more than to keep Brenning alive. The civilians however, are not aware of the Circle's existence, believing that they are nothing but old wives tales to keep children from misbehaving.
This group used to have over ten members, but the centuries of work caused that number to slowly dwindle. Now only five remain, and the survivors continue to work just as hard as when they were first forged.
One such member, a male identifying automaton by the name of Pierre Romanski, was there since the beginning. He was the first one forged into the Circle, the first son of the Tower. His job is to keep tabs on every Brenning resident, and to keep them in check. He's emotionless, calculating and efficient. His programming causes him to focus solely on his mission, completely ignoring anything that doesn't relate to the task at hand. Standing at 8 feet tall, Pierre is an intimidating being. His body is riddled with scars, dents from bullets, rust and puncture wounds. His clothing matches his ancient plating, being covered in tatters and centuries worth of blood, grime and grease. Within his outer shell sits a millennium old skeleton, the same one that he was built around in order to have his humanoid shape.
Much like a detective, it is Pierre's job to handle murders and dissapearances of high ranking civilians, or when outside forces meddle with the lives of the city. He only travels at night, once Brenning has fallen asleep. There are some, however, that have spotted Pierre during one of his rare hunts. They call him the Reaper, an omen of death and disaster. A dark figure stalking the streets with eyes of blinding gold, the rancid stench of death following him like a shadow. Scary stories have been crafted around Pierre over the years, and the civilians have learned to close their windows and blinds at night. Lest the Reaper adds you to his list.
Voice claim: David Bateson (Agent 47)
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.
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.
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.
A couple WIPs of comic panels
I had the urge to draw some unrelated panels from random scene ideas.
The panels will rarely overlap, or take a different shape unless an action scene is taking place. I was inspired by Ava's Demon with this kind of panelling, since I personally find it less confusing to follow. (And I want to make my comic read more like a detailed storyboard for a movie.)
I try to make each character have their own color for the sketches, so that it is easy to identify them, even from a distance. These colors will also be used in their text when they speak, to make things easier when a character is speaking off screen. Each character will also get their own font as well. (Except for Odin, who will be borrowing different fonts while speaking, to show that he is indeed using recorded audio to converse.)
An alcoholic and a strict doctor, a relationship that contains more arguments than agreements. Despite their mutual annoyance for each other, Jeter is always willing to spend money to bail Henderson out of jail. A blessing and a curse, as what comes afterwards is a long and stern talking to from the automaton. These talks can last mere minutes, or hours, depending on how Henderson behaves.
~ "Spare me the lecture." Henderson grunted, bringing a hand up to his temple. Maybe it was the extreme hangover, or the multiple wounds on the back of his head. Either way, he couldn't think straight.
Jeter sighed at the other's tone, steam escaping from the vents in his cheeks. He kept his hands folded, tapping the right index finger against the left knuckle. A small tick, but Henderson immediately picked up on it and continued.
"If you're waiting for an explanation, I ain't got one. Last night s'all one fogged up blur." The man stated in annoyance, receiving no response from the automaton sitting across the table. "All I know is, that bastard swung first. I was defendin' myself, but... I admit, I may have gone overboard."
"No surprise there." The doctor replied after a moment of thought. "I suppose I should put you under a more strict ruleset, I prefer my students to be in one piece while under my care." ~
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.
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.
Art Trade
my part of an art trade with @milk-teeths !
This is their OC Danny, a custom made automaton! What a fancy boy, I love him so much.
Meet Jeter Lancaster, the love interest/supporting character to Emalia. (used to be Jeter Nyland, but thanks to some plot arrangements, he has a different name. The two were never related, of course, but he took her name in order to become "part of the house".) Some little facts about Jeter; ~ A well know doctor, one of the best in his field. He can be titled as an Orthopedic surgeon, as well as an infectious disease specialist. ~ As an automaton, Jeter's sense of sight and his memory are better than a humans. This is perfect for his line of work, able to spot problems way faster than someone else would. ~ Level-headed, precise and charismatic, it is rather easy for Jeter to gain the trust of others. He's loyal and confident, all around a people person. ~ Trained in self-defense. Extremely skilled with a pistol, but only ever uses it to keep himself safe. He is rarely ever the person to draw first, unless the attacker is clearly going to wound someone. ~ Became a teacher to Henderson Balgraven, teaching the young man everything he knows about Healthcare. Found Balgraven right after the young man returned from war, and offered him a personal mentorship. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci2W0MqO7w_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
The Perfect Daughter by CaffeineHeart
Argyros, a monument to the divine 👁️👾✨
Another secret satan mini-piece! This time for @leidensygdom !! Argy has the absolute coolest design and I was dying to draw her!!
(also decided to open commissions Friday specifically for those who are interested!!)
Twinky got another redesign because I felt it was needed- I forget this place exists sometimes! I'll attach some voice claims for her just so people know what the pretty robo-tiger lady likely sounds like. :3 (I know they're different people but I feel they all fit her in some way, and it's hard for me to choose just one)
Ethel Colette is an Automaton Nanny with porcelain skin, cracked and faded with time and from mistreatment of her previous family. She lives and assists with a funeral home director, and has taken up a bit of a side job of adventuring around her home city with a small group of people she is learning to call “Friends” I care a lot about her. She is very dense (in multiple ways)
Fembot (rough sketch and color exercise) on Flickr.
Screenshot of a technique study.
