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.
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 manyreportsavailableontheaethernet.
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“.
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:
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.
Steam Con
First and foremost, there is the matter of the Steam-Con, to be hosted in Seattle on the weekend of October 23 thru 25th 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.
Infernal Machines? More like Hellishly Good Music.
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.
Lex.
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 seenthetrailer, 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.
It has come to my attention that time has slipped away from us, and there hasn’t been anything new or fascinating posted to entertain you in quite some time. May I be the first to extend my deepest apologies- I assure you, there are good reasons. For one, I am currently caught up in my studies, and have very little time to contribute. Captain Jules, on the other hand, happens to be in a place where the internet is denied to him, except during the times he makes a great journey to gain access. It’s a very sorry state to be in.
At any rate, I can promise that I do have a few articles in the works. A follow-up on my Steampunk Interior Design article, as well as something on Air Kraken Day, which occurred in the not-so-distant past. Also, the convention season will soon be upon us, so I hope you’re all keeping your wardrobes up-to-date. Har har.
Alright, I believe I’m done here, terrible puns and all. I shall post again soon, fates willing.
Sidney Eileen has created a forum for the advertising and planning of upcoming steampunk events. The forum is intended to be a central location for steampunks worldwide to find major events in the community and local events in their area. The forum features divisions for conventions, concerts, nightclubs, meet-ups (split further into regions), and miscellaneous events. Other than these, the site also has discussion boards for arts and crafts, music, literature, and various other topics typical of the other well-knownsteampunkforums out there.
Currently there is less than 50 members and only a small handful of topics, as this forum is only four days old, but it seems promising that this site will grow quite quickly and become a staple of the steampunk community.
