anachronauts - by stefan gagne

a web novel series of broomsticks, semiautomatics, and jetpacks.
by stefan gagne

Artwork - Official Design Notes

By and large I like people to 'design' the characters in their own imaginations, providing key details but not hammering everything down. Plus, the characters can wear variants on their outfits... Emily changes her clothes around depending on laundry needs, Scout sometimes has to wear civilian clothes to avoid drawing attention to himself, and Una will freely adapt the local fasions for fun. So, the designs are by definition fluid. What follows is simply their most common, 'natural' garb.

EMILY: Representing high fantasy. She's a witch, 18 years old, and the shortest of the three but not by a huge amount. Red hair, shoulder length, a bit wavy-messy. Because she's got a rural village origin, her clothes are proper if not prim, and don't expose much skin. Notable costuming elements:

A pointy black / dark gray hat, although it's a generational hand-me-down and thus it's seen better days. She's used a sewing kit to repair any rips, add patches, etc. but odds are the top part is slightly bent and/or the brim is bent, depending on what looks best.
A blouse with long sleeves. She might wear a vest or a jacket or something over that, depending on weather. The blouse sleeves extend to her wrists, covering two scars and one tattoo in the shape of an Escape spell square.
- NOTE: Design notes for spells in anachronauts are coming at a later date. For now assume it's a square box filled with a jumble of letters and lines and strange geometric shapes.
Long grey skirt, down to ankle length, likewise roadworn and old as the hat.
A belt with a gunslinger's holster... designed to hold a small but typically arcane looking spellbook. This is for quick-draw spellcasting. Other books are kept in a brown backpack, although she isn't always wearing that. The quick-draw she tries to keep on hand at all times unless it must remain hidden.
A broomstick, usually slung around to her back, either on a backpack holster or some other means. It's not taller than she is, compact and designed as a vehicle more than as a cleaning implement.

SCOUT: Representing modern military and noir. He's somewhere between a wild animal and a dark and handsome prettyboy, and is the tallest of the three... but again, not by much. 19 years old at most. Short black hair, messy. Costume elements:

Military uniform, spec-ops style. Black. It's seen better days, with a few rips and tears and patches where mud or blood dried on it, but don't go overboard on that. The only detail specified is a shoulder patch with a circular crosshairs symbol. His uniform hasto be MOBILE, since he's a stealth specialist, but also has to double decently as daily wear, so no latex wetsuits or anything.
Although he prefers his worn-out uniform, he will switch to civilian war as the situation demands it... typically black clothes, if possible.
Equipment wise, his typical gear includes a holstered silenced pistol in a harness, and combat knife strapped to his boot. That's all he needs, but when traveling in public or trying to keep it low key, he can conceal his weapons instead.

UNA: Representing the rocket age science fiction dreams of the 50s and 60s. Her motif is silver and flawless, where Emily's is grey and earthy, and Scout's is black and functional. She's 18 years old with white hair, short and straight, a bob haircut almost. Blue-tinted lipstick. Costume notes:

A silvery sleeveless jumpsuit/minidress; form fitting but not skintight, ending in a short skirt. Overall her tech and her clothing is very chrome, very graceful and simple, not overly elaborate.
A small "jetpack", double cylinder, ending not in jet exhaust vents but in concentric glowing rings around a cylinder -- very Jetsons-esque. Nothing overly detailed; again, it's an iPod kind of future, all silvery chrome and clean lines. The pack itself is not overly large and would fit between her shoulderblades.
Two silver forearm bracers, very Wonder Woman esque. She generates domed force fields using these. At low power the force fields are invisible, but when ramped up to absorb stronger blows they glow with blue-white energy.
An energy blaster. Your basic buck rogers SPAAACE GUN. Think more adorable than menacing, more shiny wow than military.
Boots of some kind are usually appropriate, but she changes footwear a lot.
When traveling in disguise, she wears a large, concealing brown cloak of ordinary design. She also tends to change into clothing to match the locals, and is willing to leave most of her technology behind to avoid notice, although she prefers to keep the bracers, just in case.

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