25 | October | 2015 | Kate's Bookshelf

STEAMPUNK by Olga Sova on Fivehundredpx

steam·punk

[ˈstēmˌpəNGk] NOUN

a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology:

“if you like steampunk, this is a great book for you”
- a style of design and fashion that combines historical elements with anachronistic technological features inspired by science fiction:
  
  “the essence of steampunk is homage to vintage fashion with a modern, sassy twist”

Steampunk is a subculture aspect that has taken hold more so in the past few years. From Sherlock Holmes to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it’s slowly working its way into mainstream. Though honestly, just recently I was watching a show where two guys were trying to make something steampunk, had no clue what it was, and failed, in my opinion, miserably. There is a right way, and a very serious wrong way to do steampunk.

I have to say…. I LOVE STEAMPUNK! Whew, did I say that loud enough? I could go on and on about the style, the setting, the fashion, the sexiness of it all….. I am seriously hooked on steampunk.

And while you could say cogs, gears, whistles, brass, copper, and clockworks would be a guy thing, personally I think it’s totally a girl thing. Oh sure, you have all the mechanical aspects that would be a guy thing, but all the shiny aspects of steampunk, scream Woman to me. Tomorrow I will delve into the fashion aspect, but today is broad aspects. You are taking total Victorian era, which is totally girl, and throwing in steam powered items, along with gas and beginning electricity, and gears and cogs, and clockworks. How could you go wrong?

More recently it has been something that has taken a hold of me, partly because of the Finishing School books by Gail Carriger and the Clockwork books by Cassandra Claire. Start talking all that steam and derrigibles and ooh la la I start daydreaming away about how I want to live in a steampunk world.

The corsets, the boots, the hats, the little rayguns to zap your foe…… I want a raygun… I NEED a raygun. I want to build the raygun below. Watch it and try to tell me you don’t think that’s cool.

I think all of Steampunk is a seriously feminine thing. Maybe it’s because it’s actually kind of masculine, so throw a woman into it and she looks decidedly more feminine. Not sure I can explain why. But steampunk enhances a woman. Now this is all coming from someone that loves it, so if you don’t get it, you are not going to get why I say this.

I think these lamps are more girly because of the fact that they are not minimalist. And the cages like a bustle, and the shininess of it all.

Dirigibles and mechanimals (that word being strictly from Gail Garriger’s books). Underwater submarines (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne was one of our first forays into steampunk. He didn’t know how popular that was going to be, I bet.) Steam powered whatsits and whosits and thingamajigs. Heck, in one of the Finishing School books, there is an oddjob….. a machine that spits out data. What is an oddjob?

Ray guns and gasses. Goggles and gears. The culture is so decidedly unique that me rattling on about it can’t encompass all that is Steampunk. Just go to Tumblr, or Pinterest and type in steampunk. Then be prepared to be blown away by the amazing things out there. Go on. Check. I’ll wait…………

Okay, so you didn’t feel like looking that up? Fine, I’ll just load in a gallery right here and you can enjoy.