Wings of Steam

I first ran across the always weird Veronique Chevalier at last year’s SteamCon, where I was fortunate enough to catch her rather rousing and brilliantly bizarre rendition of “People are Strange”. Now Mademoiselle Veronique is back, this time with an animated music video dedicated to the pursuit of romance within the realm of the aethernet — internet dating.

I have observed a curious phenomena in the years I’ve been donning my steampunk accouterments especially regarding the reactions of “normal” people on the street; there is a critical mass of costume participation that needs to be reached before the public at large will comment on the costumes.

I have found the minimum number of costumed participants to be three.

I put on my vest and bowler to see 9 in the theater and was largely ignored by passers by, excepting the gentleman who asked if I could direct him to the nearest “pocket teller.”

For my birthday last year, in lieu of my customary road trip, my friend on the left of the photo above organized a trip to Georgetown, Colorado to ride the train.

We were stopped no less than four times in an hour and asked if we were part of a show, or a theatre group.

We were stopped again outside of this brew pub in Idaho Springs after a fifth member joined us, and again asked if we were part of a theatre troupe and where tickets to our show might be purchased.

We smiled politely and laughed softly and we explained no, we are not performers, and yes, we do this for fun sometimes.

This rule is, of course, rendered void at a gathering of nerds, such as sci-fi, comic book, or anime conventions.

There were as many photographers as subjects at the Steampunk photoshoot Saturday morning at Anime Central earlier this month, and I was stopped several times for a photo when walking on my own. An inordinate number of people commented on my beard as well this year. I am on the far left in the group photo above.

To paraphrase the inimitable Arlo Guthrie:
If one person dressed in steampunk gear is walking down the street, they may think he’s crazy. Three steampunks walking down the street and they may think it’s an organization. Can you imagine fifty people a day, dressed in their Victorian finest and adorned with sprockets, cogs, and goggles, walking down the street? Friends, they may think it’s a movement.

-Templeton

New-ish from Airship Entertainment and designed by Cheyenne Wright (colorist for Girl Genius), it’s the ranger badge for the militant scientist in us all: The Tesla Ranger Badge.

Come on, haven’t you always wanted to enforce the laws of Science? (All right, I know, most of you would rather break them, but that’s why we need some trustworthy lawmen ’round these parts.) It even has a space to add your own individual badge number. Mmmm. DIY!

While I cannot attest to the quality of this specific pin, I can assure you that the Airship Entertainment pins, in general, are quality products. I have both a Jägermonster Insignia Pin and a Winged Trilobite Pin and am extraordinarily pleased with them. I wear them proudly on my vest and would recommend the pins to anyone who asked.

-Templeton

The Great Steampunk Debate opened yesterday. Hosted by many of the brightest minds of the steampunk subculture, the website serves as a location to discuss steampunk ideology, ranging from politics to fandom to inspirations to 19th century topics.

As steampunk continues to grow as a subculture, it will clash more and more with various issues relating to politics, ethics and beliefs. Growing from an idea sparked by an event last year, the forum for the Great Debate serves as a location for steampunks to determine just how they feel on a variety of topics.

The debate will continue for two months until the first of July, at which time you can expect to hear many reports  and reactions to the debate summarized by many of the participants.

So if the latest issues of SteamPunk Magazine and the Gatehouse Gazette got you riled up and craving intelligent discourse, come to www.greatsteampunkdebate.com and check out the discussions we have to offer!

Today is International Air Kraken Awareness Day, the day on which steampunks around the world have chosen to inform the public of the menace which awaits in the skies. In order for you to be better informed for this task, we at Wings of Steam have prepared the following informational content for you:

The first recorded sighting of the air kraken was in 1913 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published an account of a run-in with the creature in his short story, “The Horror of the Heights“.

There have been many sightings over the years, and activity seems to be on the rise, especially in the skies over England, where there have been three sightings in the last fourteen months alone:

In January 2009 the air kraken destroyed a wind turbine near the town of Louth. Local resident John Harrison described witnessing the creature:

“It was huge” he said “At first I thought it must have been a hole where the moon was shining through but then I saw the tentacles – it looked just like an octopus.

“It was an incredible site; I have never seen anything like it before. I have no idea what it was, all I can say is what I saw”.

The recent claim that the air kraken sports a form of bioluminescence is supported by another sighting in May 2009, when a family of air krakens were spotted over Burntwood, as reported by Michael Bardsley and several neighbors.

He said the underside of the UFOs were like the underbelly of a jellyfish in appearance. Two neighbours from across the road watched the spectacle with the family. Michael managed to catch the bright lights on his phone camera, but the pictures do not show the craft in detail.

“We could not understand what they were,” Michael told The Post. “We couldn’t hear any engines.”

In June 2009 the air kraken left the above crop circle in a farm field in Oxfordshire. There has been much speculation by many people as to what it means, but as one who has been studying the air kraken, the answer is quite clear: it seems to be a mating display. If true, England’s troubles may just be beginning, as with displays such as these, the number of air krakens is surly soon to rise.

And this is where it comes to you, dear fellow steampunks. Don’t let your dirigible be caught off guard Go forth and spread awareness of the air kraken! Fly squid-shaped kites in parks! Hand out fliers! Inform the public! And most importantly, don’t end up like these poor souls:

Excuse me while I indulge you with a piece of local interest. Recently, the Colorado Steampunks were in attendance at the Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado. On top of a great photo session, this was also a perfect opportunity to share steampunk with the masses, as the local news channel was there as well:

The Colorado Steampunks Facebook Group was started a year ago as a place to gather and unite various steampunk groups and individuals in Colorado.  Also of interest is the Colorado Chrononauts’ League, where one can find current news of anachronistic happenings in Colorado.

Early in the year there was discussion throughout the community over whether or not steampunk was dead. This was apparently spawned by a lull in the popularity of the word “steampunk” as a search term on Google. However, a look at Google Trends right now shows that steampunk is certainly NOT dead, and is, in fact, more popular than ever. Just as we have done in 2008, here we will take a look back at the last year and see just exactly how we have kept the steampunk community alive.

As with many things in this list, there were far too many steampunk events to mention, but arguably this year’s biggest and best was Steamcon in Seattle. Although not the first con specifically dedicated to steampunk, Steamcon seemed to set a new precedent for all future steampunk conventions. Too much happened to write about here, but there are many reports available on the aethernet.

The steampunk community was delighted when the Museum of the History of Science at Oxford University adknowledged our form of alternate history by running an exhibition of steampunk art and inventions by creators from around the world.

The CGSociety concluded their Steampunk Myths & Legends contest in Februrary. We were treated to beautiful videos and images, and the winning entries can be seen here.

October was declared Steampunk Month on Tor.com. Authors and bloggers from the steampunk community joined up with Tor’s staff to discuss everything steampunk and share short stories.

Two of the most anticipated steampunk novels this year were Leviathan, and Boneshaker. Set in World War I Europe, Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld tells of Alek, an Austro-Hungarian prince on the run as his path crosses with Deryn, a common girl disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service. Boneshaker, by Cherie Priest takes place in the ruins of Civil War-Era Seattle. Briar Wilkes must rescue her son from zombies and airship pirates after he enters the city to clear his father’s name.

This year brought us the addition of two new periodicals. Steampunk Tales is a short-story fiction magazine released specifically for iPhone. Alternatively, exploring the non-fiction side of steampunk, Exhibition Hall made its debut this year as well. On a sad note, due to the depressed economy, The Willows, a magazine devoted to speculative and dark Victorian fiction, went out of business early in the year.

Abney Park was quite busy this year. Dancer and backing vocalist Finn Von Claret left the band, and was replaced by Jody Ellen. After months of delay, the anticipated new album Aether Shanties was finally released on December 1st.

Previously a solo act, Vernian Process spent the last year reinventing itself. With the addition of Martin Irigoyen in late 2008, VP is now a full-sized band, and have released a reworked version of their album, “Behold The Machine“.

Sepiachord released a compilation, “The Sepiachord Companion”, showcasing fifteen of today’s steampunk musical acts. Steampunk bigband Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society released their first album, “Infernal Machines”. Steam Powered Giraffe released their first album, “Album One”. The Clockwork Dolls played their first live show and released their first album, “Dramatis Personae“. Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society released their second album, “Accoutrements and Oddities”, as well as a Christmas EP, “Clockwork Carols”.

In the world of gaming Atlus online released it’s first title, a free steampunk MMORPG called Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent. The biggest flop of the year may have been Damnation, a steampunk shooter released on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Our hopes for a great steampunk game were restored however with the announcement of the forthcoming game, Epic Mickey, along with some apocalyptic-looking concept art. Epic Mickey is expected to be released in September 2010.

A couple of web series made their debut. Riese, a production featuring top actors from the Sci-Fi genre, tells the story of a wandering traveler and her canine companion who are on the run from an evil religious order known as The Sect. Also, the League of S.T.E.A.M., steampunk ghostbusters, already famous for their con appearances, began documenting their comedic travails in “Adventures of the League of S.T.E.A.M.”

For new webcomics this year, check out The Continentals, about a group of special agents battling violent crimes, Sidewise, about a boy lost in time in an alternate Victorian London, and The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage, about Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage teamed together as a crime-fighting duo.

There are scores of new steampunk websites out there, and three of them deserve mention here. Steampunk Empire is a social networking site just for steampunks where one can go to chat, post photos and video, and interact with other steampunks across the globe. Likewise, Dieselpunks.org has been created for the dieselpunks among us and on top of social networking, also features new and interviews in the worlds of both steampunk and dieselpunk. Finally, “Steampunk Events is a forum for advertising steampunk events anywhere in the world. Though currently a bit inactive, the site has much potential, as long as people start using it.

Now that you’re caught up on what’s been happening in steampunk, here’s a glimpse of what’s to come:

• Perpetual Steam Punk, a web series set in San Francisco.
• Steampunk Quarterly, a new fiction e-zine.
• A steampunk version of Hamlet, performed by the Butterfield 8 Theater Company in May.
• A miniseries version of Neal Stephenson’s “The Diamond Age“.
• A movie version of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, starring Natalie Portman.

We here at Wings of Steam hope everyone had a great year and will have an even better next year!

Merry midsummer to you, readers!

I certainly hope you have all been keeping yourselves in good health. I sadly confess that my planned articles have not exactly panned out- my excuses are numerous and satisfactory, but the truth of the matter is that newer and shinier things have caught my attention, and I have decided to share my findings. Consider this a hodge-podge post of several things steampunk, packed full of delicious and distracting topics.

First and foremost, there is the matter of the Steam-Con, to be hosted in Seattle on the weekend of October 23 thru 25^th of this year. A plethora of activities awaits the attendees, from the traditional con staples of a dealer room and art gallery to an exciting Uhallowed Metropolis LARP. (If you are unfamiliar with Unhallowed Metropolis, I highly recommend you go seek information as soon as you are able.) The important guests and speakers are numerous and quite prestigious- Tim Powers, one of the earliest writers in the steampunk genre, Paul Guinan, an artist with a thousand mediums whose History of Robots in the Victorian Era is both entertaining and educational. Then, of course, there is the esteemed Abney Park, who need no description.

Now, I know we at Wings of Steam pay a rather large amount of lip service to Abney Park, so I thought that I would share with you another delightful musical group that I have been enjoying lately. My significant other-half introduced me to Secret Society by asking the question, “Do you like Jazz music?” They are described as “an 18-piece steampunk bigband that envisions an alternative musical history, one in which the dance orchestras that ruled the Swing Era never went extinct, but continued to evolve with the times, remaining a vital part of the musical landscape straight through the present day.” That elaborate description illuminates Secret Society’s style more than any words I might have used. It’s a mix of swing band, ambient music, and just general awesomeness. The best part being, these fine individuals (and I do mean fine- their website’s bio section is worth a look) stream their most recently released album on their website for free. Of course, I encourage you to buy their music so you can enjoy their wonderful tunes offline. Honestly, readers. Do yourself a favor and seek them out, give them a listen, and revel in their greatness.

Remember my Steam-Powered Gaming article? I have an addition to add to it. No, I’m not talking about Damnation (though that is worth a glance, should you find yourself wanting more games in your life), I am talking about Edge of Twilight. Look at the picture above again. Now, tell me you don’t want to play that character. His name is Lex, a half-breed who has the ability to go between the realms of Night and Day, with two different forms for each realm. Any of you who have a passing interest in all things fae should be equally entertained- this game looks as though it mixes steampunk with just enough fantasy to create a rather unique experience. If you have not seen the trailer, I do not know why you are still reading this. The environments shown are beautiful and the camera angles dynamic. Those of you who like a little blood with their morning tea will find that there is a pleasing amount of hack and slash to the game to slake their bloodlust.

I daresay I’ve rambled enough. May the summer continue to treat you well, and not maim or disfigure you in any way. I hear the sun tries to do that, now and again.

Always Passing Strange,

Oddessa Gooding

Abney Park’s upcoming album, Æther Shanties, was announced four days ago by Captain Robert. The album does not have a set release date but is expected to be out sometime this summer. Included with the announcement of the album was the following list of 12 tracks:

1. Under the Radar
2. Wanderlust
   
3. Building Steam
   
4. Until The Day I Die
   
5. My Life
   
6. The Derelict
   
7. Throw Them Overboard
   
8. Victoria
   
9. Aether Shanty
   
10. The Clock Yard
    
11. Everything That Came Before Is Ending
    
12. To Far To Turn Back

Readers!

I drag myself from the unspeakable, horrific depths of term papers and finals to share something with you. I was meandering around a certain corner of the internet when I happened upon an article about a video game. You’ll never guess what it’s about.

In September of this year, North America will be exposed to the wonderful world of Nostalgia. That’s right, we’re getting a steampunk video game for the Nintendo DS. From the creators of Fatal Frame, Dragon Quest V, Final Fantasy III and IV, Grandia, and Thousand arms, the creation of an original steampunk RPG for your favorite hand-held system has occured. Nostalgia will take place in an alternate, 19th-century setting, where you will play as a character named Eddie and gather a group of eccentric companions, flying about the world in a zeppelin.

I would greatly enjoy enlightening you more, but my duties call. However, you can gather more information for your own entertainment here and here.

The game has already been released in Japan, of course. I look forward to playing this game- there are airship battles.
Always Passing Strange,

Oddessa Gooding