Mars Engine No.1 "Curiosity," an automaton in the form of a traction engine. Utilizing the brand new electronic devices known as the 'radio transmitter' and 'televisual camera', it can be teleoperated from the landing site for both scientific and infrastructural purposes, with the crew relaxing in the relative safety of the habitat.
The Mars Engine has a number of special attachments that can be fitted. Seen here: a mechanically driven robot arm with scientific instruments at the end, controlled by electromechanical linkages in the base of the arm and powered mechanically by a belt leading from the engine's flywheel.
Other attachments include: Steam powered crane, color filtered film camera, 6-shot revolver, and steamroller wheel.
Unicorn Warriors Eternal, the new fantasy, steampunk superhero show, from Samurai Jack and Primal creator Genndy Tartakovsky, is something else! Very different, and unusual from his from his usual fare, but given his track record with his previous experimental animated series, Mr. Tartakovsky could be onto something great! Really dig the retro Osamu Tezuka/ Max Fletcher style character designs, and it’s steampunk world!
So… yeah! New references for my characters! One of which was done… a year apart from the others (it’s so hard to tell which, I know). But uh- yeah! Time to reintroduce y’all to the world of Ever-turning Cogs!
(Character info under cut!)
In order, we have:
Claire Brightworth (She/They) - A wealthy, sheltered girl who grew up with her grandfather after her parents died in a freak accident during research of a rare and mysterious power source known as Atremium. While a skilled mechanic and engineer, Claire has difficulty deviating from a set plan and struggles to invent or create anything original that actually… works. She was raised blind to the struggles of the general populace (partly due to familial influence and partly due to to her own hesitance to step outside her comfort zone), and, while she has a good heart, unlearning all the harmful views they unknowingly harbored is quite the task. Especially after her grandfather is kidnapped by an unknown assailant, and Claire is left to follow the trail of where he is, first and foremost making her way to her uncle, who lives far upstate.
Gears Brightworth (He/Him) - Gears was the last invention of Claire’s parents. His body was nearly complete, yet never powered on. After the deaths of Claire’s parents, Gears’s body was given to Claire’s aunt, Viola, who blamed inventing and the ceaseless pursuit of “useless” knowledge for her sister’s death, stuffing the incomplete Gears in the attic with everything else. That was, until Claire uncovered him while searching for any leads on the disappearance of her grandfather. At long last, his body was completed and Gears Brightworth was truly born. He’s your typical new soul, naive and ever the curious fellow, believing the world is full of wonders he’s just yet to see. After being given a name, he joins his new sister, Claire, in her journey, as it’s the perfect opportunity to see the world (and help people along the way!). Gears is a kind boy, always looking to lend a helping hand, even if his might come off on occasion! Not exactly helpful when trying to disguise his automatonic nature.
Tia Philips (She/Her) - Tia is a seamstress’s apprentice, though she’s quite the jack of all trades when it comes to the arts. She comes from a working class family and, as such, does what she can to help keep them afloat, and has more than once seen and been on the receiving end of the… less than savory side of the Brightworth family. Upon their first meeting, Tia is the first one to truly give Claire pushback on her family’s beliefs and values. While Tia generally keeps a cool head, she is very firm in her morals, never compromising on them, and that includes indulging the excuses from the heir to the family she’s seen hurt the very workers that make their fortune possible time and time again. Tia does soften to Claire soon enough, seeing the girl is genuinely quite clueless of everything, but putting her best foot forward to learn (though that doesn’t excuse the ignorance). And, while Tia is clear she doesn’t and shouldn’t be expected to teach Claire, Tia does agree to join her journey, knowing the practicalities of the world much more than the two Brightworths.
Lew Walker (They/Them) - The fourth and final member of our merry band of characters! Lew comes from a farm quite the distance from the city, and ends up meeting our unlikely heroes when they require shelter after a particularly tiring leg of the journey and having an encounter with some strange assailants. Lew is the oldest of many siblings, as is common for the time, but they certainly feel the pressure as the oldest child. They’re still trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be as they grow, so, Lew agrees to help the three out with their travels, having a few transportation connections the group could utilize. They also have a metal arm, coincidentally being a prototype by Claire’s grandfather many years ago, though the exact mechanisms that power it are unknown, seeing as it’s seemingly never needed charging or a change of power source.
