Hello again folks:

Well here I go again. Hope you have the patience to follow my ramblings tonight. I got into a discussion with my father in law the other day and we started to discuss creativity and the lack of it in today’s society.

I should say the creativity and ability to use your own hands to build something or the words to express an idea that others can follow, the plain old down to earth imagination that each of us was born with that our modern day culture has beaten out of us. It didn’t take long before we were in the shop and talking about steampunk and what the heck it really is, and I found myself at a bit of a loss at first to get my thoughts across so he understood my idea. Once we were in the shop and started building something it all came together in nothing flat and I think I have created a convert.

But that night it got me thinking about Steampunk in general.  How many different types  could I identify? So I started to do some homework on the subject and what I’ve come up with so far is amazing, and leaves me very hopeful in ways I did not even imagine. I’ll take this moment to apologize if I’m starting to sound like an infomercial, I’m not really that used to writing my thoughts like this.

Back to my research, to most people who are just getting started in the steam theme and most commercial entities who just want to make a buck, Steampunk is any  older thing  that someone has glued a gear on and calls retro or some such. But, to the people who are actually interested, it has branched out in so many fascinating directions it’s a little boggling.

This is a short list and not complete in any stretch of the imagination, if you have something to add to it please feel free to do so in the comments:

A) Steam Punk – Alternative history starting in the Victorian Era, Pretty basic. Think 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the Disney Version) or The Lost City or any one of a hundred great old movies that you just can’t find any more. Think creative people doing their best with the tech of the day and stepping out way beyond the box.

B) Steam Punk Goth- a rather surprising group who are growing by leaps and bounds. I personalty don’t understand Goth, but I have to admit they have some pretty slick ideas going on.

C) Steam Punk Future- where the world has grown too far and then slipped backward and the ability to re-task anything and everything is king. I think of it as Cyber Punk in a  bus crash with the Victorian Era. Some of it is really out there.

D) Steam Punk meets the Space Opera — Have you ever watched Fire Fly? Too cool.

E) Then there is the Fashion industry and the cosmetics and the Jewelry industry all making long strides toward something and everyone buying things then taking them apart and adding their own little twist so they can call it their own. Many groups of enthusiasts are all having fun together making their costumes and creating their own unique personas and back histories as a collective.

F) We also have to look at Wild West Steampunk, Mountain Man SteamPunk , SteamPunk Aviation and Naval variations, Music and literature. Many of the musicians, artists, makers and writers out there today are fantastic and they bring the Steam Punk world to life.

You would not believe the resurgence of the gentlemanly art of fencing and cane or walking stick fighting for self defense.  I guarantee that I will treat the little old man with the walking stick with my best manors after watching a demonstration of what he could do with a cane. What his granddaughter did with a parasol left an indelible memory on several young gentlemen that they will never live down. I can’t wait to start my daughter in her training.

You would not believe the resurgence of the gentlemanly art of fencing and cane or walking stick fighting for self defense.  I guarantee that I will treat the little old man with the walking stick with my best manors after watching a demonstration of what he could do with a cane. What his granddaughter did with a parasol left an indelible memory on several young gentlemen that they will never live down. I can’t wait to start my daughter in her training.

This is where I’m going to finish my list for now, because I just don’t think you can really label it all. What it all comes down to is what can you do with what you have and make it into something that is original so you can enjoy it and have fun with an amazing group of people that are called a sub-culture. For now anyway. I think someday soon they might have to rethink that title.

Anyway thanks for taking the time to read my tirade and as I said, if you’ve got something to add don’t hesitate because there is so much out there that I know I don’t know.

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