Brass Balls
I really like the steampunk aesthetic. This morning I was looking at images of steampunk penguins*, and I started thinking about what exactly would constitute a steampunk scene** beyond just a use of appropriate costuming*** and brass-age toys and equipment.
Since steampunk is such a diverse genre, I decided that any pseduo-theatrical plot based scene could work as long as you had… appropriate costuming and brass-age toys and equipment. I suppose creating random paraphernalia is impractical for anything other than actual performance art, but its so tempting. Especially since I have at least one play partner who is just as much of a costuming geek as I am, and know someone else who makes steampunk toys just for fun.
Can I just say how much I love having talented nerdy friends? Because even though I will almost certainly not act on this idea (besides possibly giving in and putting together a clockwork corset at some point when I’m feeling flush with money, creativity, and free time) it’s awfully satisfying to know that (given a bunch of time and cash) I probably could.
And, since I just had one of those bolt of lightning moments, I leave you with an idea that is so completely and utterly wrong (and yet insanely hot) that when it appeared in my thoughts I was momentarily gobsmacked…
Steampunk fucking machines.
With big brass gears, plasma globes, and intimidating ratcheting noises.
Oooh. And you’d have to incorporate vacuum/suction devices, because they’re so genre appropriate.
I’m going to stop typing now because my brain is getting entirely out of hand imagining suspension bondage from an airship that hangs people like puppets from brass gears and chains and forces them to perform aerial Punch and Judy shows for the leering masses.
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*The internet is a marvelous, whacky, and amusing place.
**Not penguins. Penguins in and of themselves do not make a scene steampunk. Live penguins, if anything, make the scene stinky, and presumably cold. Cute, but stinky and cold. Plush penguins do not make the scene either stinky or cold, but do not usually have high steampunk street-cred. Anyone who proves me wrong about that last statement might cause me to fall instantly in love with them, or at least inspire all my clothing to suddenly fall off.
***Not to deride appropriate costuming. Victorian punk is at least as sexy as period military (and just as infrequently found on straight men.)
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