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[Fish-and-Chips-Yum]

Sorry if there's a thread for this, but my friend brings it up sometimes and I am SO confused. What is Steampunk? Can someone explain it in great detail for me? XD I'm really curious to know.

[BlondieSundae]

Steampunk is a mixture of victorian fashion and scifi/fantasy. Steam was the power method used by victorian era people so it's basically a "what if" and making EVERY thing in the steampunk universe run on steam. It's really hard to explain fully since even I find the concept hard to describe but easier to show. Maybe Mehdia will pop in an explain better.... or Volnixshin.

[Mehdia]

It is a hard genre to describe verbally. The general essence is what Spaz said. It's a sort of science fiction version of the Victorian era where everything developed using steam power instead of transitioning to electricity and thus you get all the engines and goggles and gears. Not that those need to be prevalent in a steampunk design, but they are the most recognizable.

For some people, wearing the clothing isn't a costume, but a way of life. They wear it no matter what, not just for cons. I know a few people that do, and while they might go a little more over the top for cons and meet-ups, they still hold the aesthetic in everyday life.

Check out these forums for more in depth stuff. The people there are very into the genre.

[Fish-and-Chips-Yum]

I see, thank you both for the explanantions. I sort of understand it better now.

[Mehdia]

The meaning of steampunk certainly varies from person to person, but that was definitely the general idea of the genre. Some people are much more in depth than others, and some just like it from an aesthetic point of view.

[BlondieSundae]

Originally Posted by Mehdia

The meaning of steampunk certainly varies from person to person, but that was definitely the general idea of the genre. Some people are much more in depth than others, and some just like it from an aesthetic point of view.

Hallelujah praise the lord! My prayer was answered!

And to add to that there are variations of steampunk. Diesel punk is basically 20's to 40's era clothing with "diesel" technology, and Atom punk is Cold war era with that technology, and Cyberpunk is anything past like... the 80's and future I spose with cyber tech. Don't quote me on cyberpunk... it's a little weirder.

[Mehdia]

Originally Posted by SpazItUp

Hallelujah praise the lord! My prayer was answered!

And to add to that there are variations of steampunk. Diesel punk is basically 20's to 40's era clothing with "diesel" technology, and Atom punk is Cold war era with that technology, and Cyberpunk is anything past like... the 80's and future I spose with cyber tech. Don't quote me on cyberpunk... it's a little weirder.

I've never been an answer to a prayer...I feel kind of special!

But yes, all those variants are definitely unique as well. Out of them, the one I know the most about is the diesel punk, and it's pretty interesting. The "punk" genres are definitely all open to interpretation and can produce some really awesome, interesting results.

[wisetaner]

Originally Posted by J_Otaku

Sorry if there's a thread for this, but my friend brings it up sometimes and I am SO confused. What is Steampunk? Can someone explain it in great detail for me? XD I'm really curious to know.

I've been rather curious about this myself and seeing this thread I decided to look at wikipedia. I don't know if this will help at all but here you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

[BlondieSundae]

Originally Posted by Mehdia

I've never been an answer to a prayer...I feel kind of special!

.

YOU ARE SPECIAL DEAL WITH IT!

[Mehdia]

Originally Posted by SpazItUp

YOU ARE SPECIAL DEAL WITH IT!

And...dealt with!

[Ororo Monroe]

Several will say that SteamPunk has two origins. The first is the scifi wave that really got started during the Victorian Era. Which lets face it, the Victorian Era, is about 100 years in our society where technology provided more lesuire time for a greater number of people then in the past. Murder mysteries, sci-fi, children's stories...all came into their own during that time. Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, even Mark Twain all wrote with a science fiction twist.

Take that into the modern area, as early as the 1920's and 1930's when the silver screen presented these stories and the later golden area of scifi after world war 2 with Assimov and other greats. All of that influenced what finally was coined "Steampunk" by a writer who was writting a letter to a magazine some 25 years ago. Which several site as the origin of Steampunk. The first time it was actually named. It's fashion, it's writting style, and for some it's a way of life.

[arkham71]

Personally my take on the entire steampunk aesthetic is more of incorporating Victorian elements into my everyday life. As a result I consider my style neo-Victorian more than anything. As a result I do my best to blend modern technology with items which have a Victorian aesthetic.

For instance the primary computer in my home has a wooden keyboard and mouse with brass accents that I made myself. The monitor has been painted brass and mounted onto am old brass lamp filled with buckshot to help steady it. My router was made from 3 old mantle clocks, is also a working clock, and houses my DSL modem and USB hub. The speakers are made of old –style radio music boxes. Then the CPU itself is built into an old cathedral style burl walnut clock case with brass hinges and a copper cooling fan for the main chip itself. All of it sits on a reproduction wooden desk with a leather and wooden executive style computer chair.

However my efforts are quite amateurish compared to Datamancer and The Steampunk Workshop. Those two can be found via the following links: http://www.datamancer.net/ and http://steampunkworkshop.com/

[Volnixshin]

In a genre many times defined by multiverse type scenarios, each definition is different to each person, and thus on the whole, doesn't have an exact definition


Something I find wise to keep in mind to any -punk

[Alice MacLeod]

almost everything i have and do is steampunk. It is basically what they said but unlike historically accurate groups like the sca you dont have to be bound by historically accurate rules. It is Victorian and somewhat Edwardian but with fantasy thrown in. Some are time travellers, some are sky pirates and airship captains. You are what you want to be. Not everything is powered by steam like some think. Remember Tesla was in the 1800's to early 1900's so we did have electricity then. Heck I carry around a big honking rail cannon I made myself lol That is an electric magnetic cannon basically. Not everyone wears goggles or have to have cogs on their clothing. Thats actually becoming a stereotype now. Everyone assumes to be steampunk you have to have goggles and gears, sprockets or cogs.. Some are adventurers kinda like indiana jones. Personally I am a geologist. The evil mad scientists need to get their metals to build robots and the likes from somewhere lol. You make it what you want to be. The idea is to have fun doing it

[Alice MacLeod]

Actually the steampunk toronto group im a member of had a big meeting today but I could not attend sadly. They say some 30 or so showed up too it was a really fun day.. Pitty I missed out