A Steampunk Short and a Heads Up

Woah! *blows dust off blog*

Life has been nuts and is only getting more so - therefore I won't make the mistake of promising a return to (semi-)regular posting.. but I will be popping in more often with fun things to share!

I've been working on Tweeting more (but not too much) from work so you can catch me @titangrrl if you want to hear random things about working in geek publishing, you know where to go ;)

This little steampunk short popped up on one of the Livejournal communities I follow - and it's so heartbreakingly beautiful that I just had to share it.

Also through a steampunk community, I discovered a movie called The Clockwork Girl - which I had somehow managed to be shamefully unaware of! Originally scheduled for a 2010 release, I'm honestly not sure what is happening with this movie, but I so hope that it does get a release as it looks like so much fun!

Based on a comic book series of the same name, The Clockwork Girl tells the story of Tesla, a robot girl, and the hilarious mutant boy she befriends. Check out the preview on the official website and keep an eye out for it in the future!

Steampunk Thursday #10: Art and Artists

The last and final Steampunk Thursday! You can catch up with all of the previous posts here.

Steampunk being the creative community that it is, artists literally abound!

Jessica Van Hulle's beautiful collection of steampunk and dieselpunk pin-ups are just begging to be on your living room wall! These oil paintings are more than just a little bit different and have a fun, quirky style.

DeviantArt is awash with beautiful steampunk pieces - Steampunk by PReilly being just one such example. Look see what a steampunk search turns up!

io9 have collected an amazing gallery of Sam Van Olffen's work - very much steampunk meats surrealist, his art is very heard to categorise but I would select AWESOME.

Of course art doesn't just live on the screen/canvas and there are some even more fantastic art pieces/furniture/just about anything you can shake a Victorian walking stick at that have been thoroughly steampunked!

This beautiful steampunk book was made by none other than geek with curves' significant other Tim - who is not only a fantastic make up artist but also a skilled prop maker and sculptor - check out his DeviantArt for more quirky creations!

If you've ever Googled 'steampunk' you've probably seen some of Datamancer's custom steampunk computers. As he proclaims himself, he creates heirlooms - and I couldn't agree more!

I hope you've enjoyed this introduction to steampunk. Remember to go to Brass Goggles for friends, Steampunk Jewellery for... well, steampunk jewellery (!) and Livejournal for steamy fashion tips!

Let myself (@jesuisbienseule) or @amy_geek know if you have any thoughts, comments, feedback or suggestions on this blog series and don't forget to follow geek with curves for all the latest geeky awesome!

Steampunk Thursday #5 Steampunk Conventions

This Thursday the ever knowledgeable Amy is talking about steampunk conventions in the US over at geek with curves. If you go to any, you'd better bring back photos to share!

Steampunk Thursday #4: Then and Now - Steampunk in Popular Culture

Steampunk has - both self-consciously and unselfconsciously - been present in literature for over 100 years now! Being, by definition, speculative fiction set in the Victorian era, the Victorians themselves naturally penned some of the best known novels/novellas with a steampunk feel.

The Time Machine by HG Wells is one of the best known examples, with Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth and The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle also featuring strongly. Nothing says steampunk like a sense of adventure and occasionally some bizarre machinery!

Recent years have seen an explosion in steampunk fiction - and a lot of it is pretty awesome! China Miéville's fictional steampunk world of Bas-Lag features in three of his novels; Iron Council, The Scar and Perdido Street Station - all of which have won prestigious awards.

Moving cities have become a prevalent theme, with Philip Reeve's excellent Mortal Engines leading the charge, most recently followed by Richard Harland's Worldshaker.

Many people consider William Gibson's The Difference Engine to be the precursor to the current steampunk movement, and with good reason - it's a fantastic book!

There are innumerable other novels springing up in the genre, both straight steampunk - such as Cherie Priest's Boneshaker and The Affinity Bridge by George Mann - and others which are more borderline, such as Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding. In fact, the author himself affectionately refers to it as bucklepunk. Pirates = awesome. Pirates who raid airships = incredibly awesome.

A lot of movies in recent years have embraced the steampunk style; Wild Wild West (while considerably rubbish in almost every other regard, even though I remember the theme song 11 years later) featured quite a lot of steampunk technology and turn of the century fashion. The Prestige and Sherlock Holmes also had definite steampunk style! The latter made a conscious effort to be so; hence the various modern twists on traditional Victorian style.

Gaming is an even more fun and exciting genre that is starting to make use of steampunk elements. Bioshock is probably the most famous to have done so recently; bathyspheres and Victorian-style diving suits in the form of Big Daddys abound, and the trailer for Bioshock Infinite reveals Colombia; a city in the sky complete with airships and Victoriana galore.

I have become a little bit intrigued by Echo Bazaar; a free online game that links to your Twitter account. It essentially allows you to roleplay your way through a mysterious Victorian London - but there's definitely something amiss, which reveals itself slowly as you play your way through! It got itself straight into my good books from the start by having a non-specified option for gender, in addition to male and female. Steampunk folks is good people, I'm telling you!

Hope you enjoy playing, reading and watching your way further into the steampunk world!

Steampunk Thursday #3: Making Friends!

Good 'morrow, young folk of the internets! Sorry; I've been reading gothic novels again... how do you think people with lisps fared in the middle ages? Everything was thee, thou or thine... nightmare!

I digress!

So, if you've stayed with us this long, you're hopefully feeling a little more curious about steampunk and maybe thinking about testing the water...

Feeling a bit nervous about doing so? Can't quite afford a pair of goggles or a corset just yet? The internet remains the easiest and most convenient way to lurk and learn, or to jump right in there and get to know people. Without a doubt, Brass Goggles is the best place to do either or both! Brass Goggles is an international forum and the most interesting, friendly and funny steampunk community I've found online! There are different areas for costumes, books, movies and tv, arranging meet-ups and just plain talking nonsense! Introduce yourself and get to know some awesome gentlefolk!

In terms of costuming, there are several fantastic communities on Livejournal; the three main ones being steamy_stitches, budget_steam and steamfashion. Follow these on a regular basis and you will definitely learn a lot - members frequently post about the entire costuming process, from concept sketches right through to pictures of the finished product; which is not only inspiring, but fantastic for picking up tips and ideas.

For those of you based in the UK (don't worry; Amy's got a post in the works for US folks!), the Victorian Steampunk Society are the very able and wonderful people behind most of the major UK steampunk events. They hosted 2 panels at MCM Expo in London in May and are planning to return in the future - check out any cons you plan to attend and see whether they have a steampunk panel/stand that you can visit. The Expo panel was definitely what pulled me in; steampunk can seem intimidating from the outside but everyone was so friendly and down to earth that I couldn't help but be drawn to it...

Weekend at the Asylum is the biggest steampunk event of the year. Held in the lovely, historic city of Lincoln, the Asylum is a wonderful mishmash of workshops, live music, author and artist events, competitons, a steampunk market and, of course, an ongoing parade of incredible costumes! It's all steam, all the time and a fantastic way to meet some new people and get a feel for the steampunk lifestyle.

There are a couple of steampunk bands that frequently play around the UK - The Men That will Not Be Blamed For Nothing (clever Jack the Ripper reference, anyone?) - being a prime example - and you can keep an eye on upcoming gigs either on their Facebook page or on Brass Goggles.

Definitely let me know if I've missed out on anything, or if you have any experiences to share!

Until next time, good steamfolk and steamwonderers...

Steampunk Thursday: #1 What is Steampunk?

Steampunk, you say?

I've lost count of the amount of times I've tried to explain it to housemates, friends, relatives, co-workers... sometimes with visual aids, others with gestures and mention of goggles and cogs. It took me quite a while to get a feel for steampunk in the beginning, so what the amazing Amy (aka geek with curves) and I will be attempting over the next few weeks is to provide you lovely people with a no-nonsense Introduction to Steampunk for the Slightly Perplexed.

We'll be covering some key areas, such as books and film, steampunk communities in various countries and a guide to the various elements of going steampunk; costume, jewellery and the all important rite of passage - goggles!

Hopefully by the end you'll have a clearer idea of what steampunk is and means, and if you're interested in knowing more, you'll have picked up a few tips, met some people and have plenty of links to check out for more information!

Onwards, good folk!

So what is all this 'punk' business about anyway?

Steampunk is many different things to many different people, but the original term derived from the cyberpunk movement, with which steampunk shares some similarities.

To put it simply; steampunk is Victorian science fiction. The basis is the Victorian look and the idea of the steam powered era - but really this is just a springboard for almost any kind of speculative fiction and so many different styles from around the world - from Gotham to geisha - have been adapted to create a steampunk look that it is the ideal playground for the creative. In terms of appearance, the look is incredibly flexible. Steampunks often add a modern twist to traditional Victorian fashion, with much shorter skirts and modified corsets than would have been around at the time. Diverse is definitely the word to apply to both the steampunk look and attitude and you'll be hard put to find a day when people aren't producing new and awesome twists on the genre.

In terms of lifestyle, the steampunk community is a wonderfully varied one; combining those who chose to live and dress as such all the time, and those that do so only on occasion. Many steampunks create a character for themselves, such as an airship captain or an explorer, to which they then tailor their costume and name accordingly. Here is a fun Steampunk Name Generator so that you can discover your own!

Victorian values are definitely at the forefront on many online communities and polite language is a must! The community also brings together a fantastic diversity of people; young and old and from literally all walks of life.

The universal invariant in the steampunk community is the warmth, friendliness and enthusiasm shared by everyone. There is a genuine creative spirit that brings people together, and all are more than happy to share tips, ideas and helpful insights, whether you are crafting your first pair of goggles or just trying to find a shop that will sell you some old watch cogs!

Steampunk is a creative outlet, a way to meet some fantastic people, and genuinely a hell of a lot of fun! Most importantly; it is accessible. So much more than you might think. You don't need to have a lot of money, you don't even need to live in a big city. Both on and offline, there is a thriving and growing steampunk community involved in a massive variety of activities and events and there is always an opportunity to get involved.

So welcome to Steampunk Thursday! I hope you'll be joining us over the next few weeks! We'll both be on Twitter, and you can use the #SteamThursday hashtag to fire some questions our way or to share the steamy joy!

Wishing you well,

Captain Mary Frances Pott

Images from TyrusFlynn.com