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Automaton - Blog Posts
Hi everyone!
Yes, I know that I haven't posted anything for a long time, but... unfortunately, I failed the test I was studying for, which is why I'm in a stupor now, since I have a little more problems now.(
However, that's not the point. For some time now, I've had an idea to remake one of my characters, namely Vinc, but while I was thinking about how to do it, I realized that his fourth version is so different from the first three that it looks more like another character... (-_- )
And so he appeared... I don't know what to call him... The test name is "Crimson", but I'm not sure, so it may change in the future.
In general, for some reason, he looks like a sparkling of Shockwave and Soundwave... Yeah-yeah, I like WaveWave.)
Perhaps, in the future, he will become their fanchild, but for now, it was decided to make "Crimson" just an automaton.
But if you have any suggestions for a name or any details for "Crimson", feel free to write in the comments.)
And that's it for now... Bye!)
Some after work Instagram browsing brought up an unexpected gem today as it randomly decided to show me some automatons.
I haven't seen any since childhood, where I vaguely recall them featuring on quirky supernatural or spooky shows as creepy curiosities from time to time.
I hadn't realised that they were still made or indeed that they could be made into such beautiful creations. With serenely swimming whales, cantering horses and fluttering birds & insects.
I decided to see if I could make a basic one using bits and bobs from my room. This ended up including black card, scissors, a bamboo skewer from one of my orchids, wire and wire clippers, a thin cylindrical ice cream stick that I saved from a kulfi, and hot glue and my glue gun.
It took a bit of time to wrap my head around the (admittedly very basic) mechanics and the end result is liable to come apart at the seams if I so much as think about turning the mechanism too vigorously. But I am happy with my first attempt.
If I can figure out how to make a less slap dash mechanism then I might make a realistically painted deaths head hawk moth automaton. I am rearing some caterpillars of this species so I am ever so slightly obsessed with them at the moment. You can see the caterpillars at the top of this post and I don't think I am alone in thinking they are absolutely gorgeous little buggers.
Delivery
A short horror story I wrote:)
Word count: 1757
TW: Gore, psychological horror
Click, click, click, thunk!
It could not comprehend what it saw above us.
A scarlet red sky greets us as we finally left the dusty old warehouse.
Dark buildings casted their shadows over the old and empty streets, only letting red light stream into view at specifical parts, showing what I wish not to see, almost like a spotlight on a stage.
To be honest I’m glad that the package I have to deliver can walk by itself. The thing would be way too heavy to carry.
Standing slightly shorter than an adult, this porcelain-looking (I don’t know, I’m not the collector, might be porcelain after all) automaton, is the object I’m meant to deliver.
Since the world has gone to hell, I’ve been doing deliveries for people with money and resources that are too scared to get stuff by themselves.
It’s a dangerous job, but to survive in need of things like food. This, right now, is the most comfortable job.
I point towards one of the dark buildings, only one of the door handles on which can be seen the reflection of the red light.
The automaton turns its head slowly upwards to look at me and then turns its head to the door. I can hear the gears working overtime.
Carefully and slowly we make our way to the door.
At the door I stop and the package does the same.
I swear that is some great tech…
While readying my crossbow, I listen to all the sounds around me.
The trusty sound of my crossbow.
The gentle ticking of the automaton’s gears.
The dripping of water… or blood.
Then I turn my concentration to whatever is behind the heavy doors.
The quickest way to the point of delivery is right through this building, so there isn’t much of a choice. Of course I could walk around it, but the chance of being seen by monsters is too big of a risk and I’m unsure if the little one here can run or not.
It was so strange, well the whole thing.
The guy that wanted me to get the automaton… crazy inventors I guess.
I found the machine inside a coffin shaped box.
I was told that the machine could walk and that I should use that to my advantage, so of course I did.
I can’t carry a whole coffin in my lonesome, no matter how hard I train.
A soft sobbing behind the door takes my attention.
I listen more carefully.
There is a distinct difference between the cries of a monster and that of a human luckily.
So, there might be another survivor in there.
My hand hovers over the doorknob, which looks almost to be glowing thanks to the lighting.
I’m scanning it in a way, trying to sense if there’s any heat coming from it.
But there’s no warmth coming from it and as I finally lower my hand I feel the cold iron entering through my gloved hand.
It might sound bad, like it’s completely frozen, but it isn’t. It’s just clear that it has been a long time since the door was opened last.
As quietly as possible I turn the knob and open the door.
The heavy object lets out a, for my feeling, too loud creaking.
Immediately I feel cold sweat in my neck.
Slowly. Slowly. Slowly. Carefully. Careful. Be careful!
I nod to the automaton that it can enter, but it doesn’t understand.
“Get in!” I whisper to it.
I can hear some of the gears turn, finally it responds entering the darkness without a word or hesitation.
I follow suit and close the door behind me again, terrified that something might have heard it.
Suddenly I sense something moving.
There really is still someone in the building.
Let’s hope that it isn’t one of the insane roaming around.
The constant blood red sky doesn’t help much when it comes to calming folks down.
Exposed too long and one might lose their mind… or so is told. I haven’t had any trouble with it yet.
There’s a shadow moving, well more like trembling in fear, behind the altar.
The red light behind him exposes him to be a priest.
Calmly I walk forward, until I make out his wrinkled face.
The look he shows me is one of pure terror.
I lower my weapon.
“Good evening sir.” I greet him, while holding my free hand up in the air to show that I’m not planning to do any harm.
“Y-y-you’re not o-one of t-them?” He asks, still trembling and almost falling over his own words from fear.
“No sir, as you can see I’m not.”
I sense the ticking of gears approaching closer to me and the priest shrieks.
I see him opening his mouth to scream, but I won’t let him. In a flash I rush over to him and cover his mouth with my hand.
“I need to deliver this package in one piece, so please don’t give away our location.” Then I silently add: “That would benefit you too.”
I can feel the thin old body shaking in fear, making me feel bad for scaring him like this.
Slowly he closes his mouth again and falls to his knees.
Quivering he puts his hands together, but just before his two hands touch, he drops them to the floor again.
“We’re just passing through, I don’t have a problem with you praying.” I tell him in a gentle tone.
The old man shakes his head, his state says it all, he’s seen too much.
“I-I don’t think God i-is h-here.” He cries.
I’m not a person of faith, I never was, so I’m not sure what to tell him.
“Do… Do you think I-I’m wrong?” He asks after listening to my silence: “T-that there never t-truly was a G-God?”
I sigh, just what the hell am I supposed to answer to a priest who has lost his faith?
“Sir.” I bow down to him, holding out a hand for him to help him up: “I just deliver packages. I don’t know what is the truth and what isn’t.”
He doesn’t take my hand and instead turns his head to the dusty floor: “Perhaps the teachings were wrong after all…” He mutters more to himself than to me.
I scratch the back of my neck: “Well…” Don’t say it, just don’t: “There’s a place with other survivors I can bring you to, if you want that is.” Only in my head I add ‘You can talk about this stuff with them’.
But he shakes his head.
“Leave! You won’t understand!” His voice is suddenly filled with anger and frustration.
“We’ll be going anyway.” I shrug.
“Leave!” He yells again and I suddenly hear something big climbing over the roof.
I curse and quickly grab the automaton’s arm.
“We gotta go!”
We rush further back.
Back door. Back door.
Where the hell is the back door?!
Part of the ceiling breaks down and a huge, spider like monster drops down, casting the room in even more shadow.
I hear the priest scream.
The monster turns to him.
I can’t see anything, but the next thing I hear confirms my suspicion.
The crushing of bones.
The tearing of flesh.
The dripping of blood.
As I turn back to the machine, it seems almost as if it found the door.
It’s holding it open and looking at me with its normal expressionless face.
“Great job, buddy!” I whisper to him, taking his arm again and rushing back out into the crimson coloured streets.
In order to keep to the shadows, we enter another building.
I believe this was a university at some point, built around the 13th century.
It’s much bigger than the church.
Again I hold my weapon ready.
You never know, it’s because this building is so big, it could be a nest for those things.
“Let’s be quiet.” I whisper to the mechanical being next to me and immediately think about how strange it is to talk to it. It’s a machine, not a human or a pet.
But it’s nice to have something to talk to, even if it’s just a bundle of gears and porcelain. As long as it’s not a hungry monster I’m okay with anything.
While wandering around I sense something moving inside one of the rooms.
I stop in my tracks and as the automaton notices, it too stops.
I remain silent and listen to the soft noise.
There might be another person in that room.
Quietly I walk towards the door and open it.
A person inside is sitting behind a desk that I'm pretty sure used to be a teacher’s.
This person doesn’t look as frightened as the priest from before, or perhaps I’m imagining it.
“Oh… so you’re human?”
I nod: “What did you expect? Or what did you hope for?” I did notice the man’s disappointment even though it was just a slight hint.
He seems to have noticed that I noticed and turns his gaze back to something on the desk: “I used to teach here, you know.”
“I see.”
“Do you have any memories of attending school?”
I shrug: “Nothing that stands out, just a more peaceful life and worries about nothing.”
The man smiles, his face looks red in the light.
“I see, that must be nice.”
I take a step closer.
“What are you reading?” I ask curiously.
“A book of faith.”
“Faith?”
“It’s all true you know.”
“They mention the apocalypse and the end of the world.” As he speaks he loses his composure and starts speaking rapidly in a desperate tone: “It’s all because people went to church less and less. I never did after all and you certainly don’t look like the type that would. Oh God, I should have gone and prayed, but instead I’ve weakened the Lord’s power to protect. This is divine punishment.”
“I see.” I answer: “If you want to, I can take you to where the other survivors are.”
The teacher shakes his head: “Never! We are meant to perish! It’s the only thing that can save this forsaken world!”
Crap that only made him yell even louder.
I notice a strange shadow in the corner of my eye.
Something from outside is trying to climb inside.
Arms that almost look human, but also very far from it.
I warn the man by pointing behind him.
“God is the one who decides my faith! You should join me in it!” He stretches out his arms to grab me, but instead the creature behind him has already taken hold of him.
I don’t want to see what happens next, so I quickly rush out of the classroom, taking the automaton with me.
We rush out, further, out of the city.
Into a forest, here even the leaves are red, but not scarlet like the sky.
As I believe that we’re far enough away from the shadows of the old city, we slow down.
I take a seat on a tree trunk and let my traveling companion sit next to me.
“Don’t mind all those people, buddy, just decide what you want to believe for yourself.”
Slowly I see the automaton’s head go up and down and then up again.
Wait…?!
Is it nodding?!