Steam Culture
Haven't had enough steampunk in your life and want to immerse yourself in entertainment culture? Look below, you might want to read/play/watch more steampunk!
Ariel Kingston
Ironically the first thing that came to my mind was mentioned in prompt number two, Bioshock infinite. Now the game takes place in the early 1900’s and many of creations are powered by internal combustion rather than steam, but I still feel that it at least highly stylized after the steam punk movement. The reason I believe this is while the game is set in the past there are many inventions are that are high tech for its time. We have the Lutece, your average mad scientists, who have made a machine that opens worm holes to other dimensions. There are very stylized machines such as songbird, which we do not know what his internal workings are but, he looks like a brass clockwork creation. Also the entire city is suspended in the sky with airships (and zip lines) being the primary source of transportation. Also Elizabeth’s clothing reminds me of Victorian wear and if you consider she is in Lady Comstock’s dress, it probably was from the very late 1800’s, and the late Victorian period was considered to end at 1900 so very close. Also the game is steeped with politics with the civil war between the Vox populi and the Prophet. Which with the Vox winning it bring an end to the miss treatment of black citizens and would be very progressive compared to our history. Of course adventure! The entire game is an awesome adventure.
Ariella McManus
This one was essentially a 'no-brainer'. I hadn't even finished reading the option when my mind automatically started screaming out "THE DOCTOR, THE DOCTOR!!!". No, silly Cassie, I am not referring to my recent illness; I am speaking, of course, of THE Doctor-Doctor WHO to be exact. The whole show practically screams Steampunk, starting with the time-travelling Tardis that doubles as a Victorian police call box.
While many of the episodes do, admittedly, have a very futuristic bent to them, there are many that are also set in the past, and several stand out in particular to me, as prime examples of steampunk in action. Take, if you will, The Episode "The Unquiet Dead", which has Rose and the Doctor smack dab in the middle of Victorian London joining forces with Charles Dickens to battle off a horde of undead zombies. The army of zombies (which were created, incidentally, by evil aliens who entered through the Rift) are fought with a variety of weapons ranging from an old-fashioned gaslight and matches, to the Doctor's ever handy sonic screwdriver. Of course, the Doctor (with a little help from Rose and ol' Charlie) manages to save the day, and then it's off in the Tardis for another adventure, leaving Dickens to patch things up with his family and continue on with his writing.
One of my personal favorites from Classic Who is "The Evil of the Daleks", set in the fourth season and involving the second incarnation of the Doctor. In this adventure, the Doctor and his companion, Jamie, are kidnapped and sent back to 1866 via a homemade time machine constructed of static electricity and mirrors. The nefarious scheme was meant to coerce the Doctor to isolate the "human factor' by performing tests on Jamie, courtesy of the Daleks, who would use this information to control the human race. Needless to say, the Doctor has other plans and ends up defeating the Daleks, saving Jamie, and gaining a new travelling companion along the way, a young orphaned girl named, appropriately enough, Victoria.
These are, of course, only a few episodes meant to highlight the use of steampunk elements in Doctor Who, which I would ultimately classify as a Science Fiction/Fantasy show. I could go on and on, but the fan girl rambling might get a bit old, yanno.
While many of the episodes do, admittedly, have a very futuristic bent to them, there are many that are also set in the past, and several stand out in particular to me, as prime examples of steampunk in action. Take, if you will, The Episode "The Unquiet Dead", which has Rose and the Doctor smack dab in the middle of Victorian London joining forces with Charles Dickens to battle off a horde of undead zombies. The army of zombies (which were created, incidentally, by evil aliens who entered through the Rift) are fought with a variety of weapons ranging from an old-fashioned gaslight and matches, to the Doctor's ever handy sonic screwdriver. Of course, the Doctor (with a little help from Rose and ol' Charlie) manages to save the day, and then it's off in the Tardis for another adventure, leaving Dickens to patch things up with his family and continue on with his writing.
One of my personal favorites from Classic Who is "The Evil of the Daleks", set in the fourth season and involving the second incarnation of the Doctor. In this adventure, the Doctor and his companion, Jamie, are kidnapped and sent back to 1866 via a homemade time machine constructed of static electricity and mirrors. The nefarious scheme was meant to coerce the Doctor to isolate the "human factor' by performing tests on Jamie, courtesy of the Daleks, who would use this information to control the human race. Needless to say, the Doctor has other plans and ends up defeating the Daleks, saving Jamie, and gaining a new travelling companion along the way, a young orphaned girl named, appropriately enough, Victoria.
These are, of course, only a few episodes meant to highlight the use of steampunk elements in Doctor Who, which I would ultimately classify as a Science Fiction/Fantasy show. I could go on and on, but the fan girl rambling might get a bit old, yanno.
Basil Bellamy
While I find that Tim Burton movies in general often feature steampunk elements, one in particular that comes to mind is Sleepy Hollow. More often categorized as a horror film and dismissed by critics as a "slasher flick", this film features almost all the elements of Coulthart's definition. The main character, Ichabod Crane, is most certainly an inventor-type who uses a wide variety of steampunk-looking tools (like magnifying lens glasses similar to the glassicles of the Parasol Protectorate series) and futuristic forensic methods to aid in his investigations. The fact that his methods are too progressive for the traditionalist police system is the main motivation for his deployment to rural Sleepy Hollow in the first place. The plot, for the most part, is basically a typical horror/mystery plot of "let's track down the killer" but it has major supernatural/fantasy elements that eventually come into play and village politics (such as the hierarchy of most powerful families and land rights) figure heavily into the accusation of suspects and motivation of the person responsible for the murders, so I would argue that it fits the political/adventure plot bit of the definition. The only part of the definition that it doesn't fit is the time period as the film is set at the turn of the 19th century, too early to be considered Victorian though perhaps close enough to be considered pseudo-Victorian. I don't think I would consider this film steampunk in the traditional sense (mostly because of the time period as I feel it has more of an 18th century feel with strong Revolutionary War influences, and also because the plot is more mystery than adventure) but I definitely think it has strong steampunk elements.
Lavinia Rookwood
I chose to focus on one of my favorite video games for this, Guild Wars 2. While it's set in a fantasy world and has quite a bit of magic replacing some of the 'steampower', I would still argue that there are quite a few steampunk elements in it. For one thing, two of the five races you can play, are heavily focused on the inventing and crafting aspects. On one hand, you have the Charr, who focus on mechanics and develop very advance machines and weapons. The Asura are much more magic based but their magic is a branch of science and they invent machines that allow teleportation among other things. Be warned, inventions are some of the most precious things to an Asura. It's even been commented that in divorce/break up of a couple, the fights are worse about who keeps the inventions then the kids. When the two races work together, they come up with air ships, which (especially for me) is an iconic image of steampunk.
Even the other races get into this, to varying degrees, though the human race would have the most recognizable steampunk elements. Their clothing, while not Victorian, decidedly pulls many elements, such as waist coats and corset elements. There is a completely mechanical band that plays in the center of town and there was an event known as the Queen's Jubilee that was not unlike the Great Exhibition of the Victorian era. (Well, up until a deranged criminal known as Scarlet Briar attacked and tried to kidnap the Queen.)
Also, there is a growing foe known as the Aetherblades, who are made of all the various races and are air ship pirates. And I mean, the classic air pirates with the goggles and steam powered weapons and raids on the cities. And if you're sneaky plus lucky, you can find their hidden shelters, which are outfitted with large pipes and cogs. In fact, to get in to some of them, you have to actually use puffs of steam to propel you upwards on to platforms. (I didn't say it was easy to get in there!)
Now granted, it's a fantasy game first and foremost, and steampunk isn't listed as one of it's defining traits, but I would argue that at least one of the game creators has Jules Verne on his shelf at home. Now, before I keep fangirling, let me end it here.
Even the other races get into this, to varying degrees, though the human race would have the most recognizable steampunk elements. Their clothing, while not Victorian, decidedly pulls many elements, such as waist coats and corset elements. There is a completely mechanical band that plays in the center of town and there was an event known as the Queen's Jubilee that was not unlike the Great Exhibition of the Victorian era. (Well, up until a deranged criminal known as Scarlet Briar attacked and tried to kidnap the Queen.)
Also, there is a growing foe known as the Aetherblades, who are made of all the various races and are air ship pirates. And I mean, the classic air pirates with the goggles and steam powered weapons and raids on the cities. And if you're sneaky plus lucky, you can find their hidden shelters, which are outfitted with large pipes and cogs. In fact, to get in to some of them, you have to actually use puffs of steam to propel you upwards on to platforms. (I didn't say it was easy to get in there!)
Now granted, it's a fantasy game first and foremost, and steampunk isn't listed as one of it's defining traits, but I would argue that at least one of the game creators has Jules Verne on his shelf at home. Now, before I keep fangirling, let me end it here.
Siobhan Burke
9 is a full length animated film released on the 9th of September 2009, directed by Shane Acker. The film is based on the Oscar nominated short film 9 by the same director. I was surprised to find that Tim Burton was one of the producers because I really didn't notice many Burtonesque elements in this film. The film is essentially post-apocalyptic science fiction, but there were quite a few steampunk elements present as well.
Mad Scientist Inventor, aptly called The Scientist
The Scientist is the narrator of the film. Rather than being eccentric and slightly mad, he is a visionary who tries to correct the mistakes he was forced to make in the past. The Dictator commissions The Scientist to create B.R.A.I.N, a thinking robot, to help progress humanity. This robot is integrated with The Fabrication machine, which is corrupted and wipes out humanity. In a last ditch effort to preserve the spark of life, the scientist creates nine ragdolls and uses alchemy to imbue them with different aspects of his humanity. From the narrative we learn that The Scientist was a very wise man who regretted (unwittingly) playing such a large part in the destruction of mankind.
Inventions
There were two types of inventions in this film, the ones created by the scientist and those created by The Fabrication Machine.
Rag dolls (1-9)
Also known as "Stitchpunks", these homunculus-like dolls were lovingly crafted by The Scientist. Each doll has a single numeral stitched onto its back, indicating the sequence in which the dolls were created. The Scientist used a talisman to imbue each of them with a part of his humanity, so that they embody both his strengths and his flaws. The first doll basically reflected the arrogant, cowardly part of The Scientist's personality. Some of the later dolls were imbued with intelligence, creativity, loyalty, healer instincts, artistic ability, fighting prowess and brutish strength. The final doll was the youngest of the group and was kind, thoughtful and sincere. The Stitchpunks were created to work as a team, but since they were so close to human, this rarely happened.
B.R.A.I.N (Binary Reactive Artificially Intelligent Neurocircuit)
This machine was designed by The Scientist as an Artificial Intelligence unit for use by the Chancellor, but it is quickly integrated with the Fabrication Machine.
The Fabrication Machine
A machine that was enslaved by the Chancellor to control the manufacture of weapons. The machine goes rogue and wipes out humanity, which in turn leads to the events of the film. The Fabrication Machine build a number of other machines:
Plot
The film starts shortly after The Scientist created 9. 9's presence changes things for the Stitchpunks: He is willing to stand up to the tyranny of 1, but his curiosity also gets the group in trouble from the very start. The plot isn't as much an adventure as a fight for survival, though the arrival of 9 does change the group's dynamic considerably.
Mad Scientist Inventor, aptly called The Scientist
The Scientist is the narrator of the film. Rather than being eccentric and slightly mad, he is a visionary who tries to correct the mistakes he was forced to make in the past. The Dictator commissions The Scientist to create B.R.A.I.N, a thinking robot, to help progress humanity. This robot is integrated with The Fabrication machine, which is corrupted and wipes out humanity. In a last ditch effort to preserve the spark of life, the scientist creates nine ragdolls and uses alchemy to imbue them with different aspects of his humanity. From the narrative we learn that The Scientist was a very wise man who regretted (unwittingly) playing such a large part in the destruction of mankind.
Inventions
There were two types of inventions in this film, the ones created by the scientist and those created by The Fabrication Machine.
Rag dolls (1-9)
Also known as "Stitchpunks", these homunculus-like dolls were lovingly crafted by The Scientist. Each doll has a single numeral stitched onto its back, indicating the sequence in which the dolls were created. The Scientist used a talisman to imbue each of them with a part of his humanity, so that they embody both his strengths and his flaws. The first doll basically reflected the arrogant, cowardly part of The Scientist's personality. Some of the later dolls were imbued with intelligence, creativity, loyalty, healer instincts, artistic ability, fighting prowess and brutish strength. The final doll was the youngest of the group and was kind, thoughtful and sincere. The Stitchpunks were created to work as a team, but since they were so close to human, this rarely happened.
B.R.A.I.N (Binary Reactive Artificially Intelligent Neurocircuit)
This machine was designed by The Scientist as an Artificial Intelligence unit for use by the Chancellor, but it is quickly integrated with the Fabrication Machine.
The Fabrication Machine
A machine that was enslaved by the Chancellor to control the manufacture of weapons. The machine goes rogue and wipes out humanity, which in turn leads to the events of the film. The Fabrication Machine build a number of other machines:
- The Winged Beast was built to hunt down other creations. It is bat-like, with a tarp for wings and several human bones integrated into its skeleton.
- Seekers are large hot air balloons with searchlights and alarms which were built for scouting around the factory.
- Spider-bots look like small tarantulas and were built to repopulate the world.
- Steel Behemoths are large, two-legged machines built as autonomous weapons.
- Giant Seamstress is a snake-like robot built to capture The Scientist's other creations. Its spindly metal limbs end in scissors, blades, needles... all the tools associated with a seamstress. I won't be able to describe her much more without spoiling the movie completely, but she really is the creepiest of the inventions and definitely the most formidable warrior among The Fabrication Machine's inventions.
Plot
The film starts shortly after The Scientist created 9. 9's presence changes things for the Stitchpunks: He is willing to stand up to the tyranny of 1, but his curiosity also gets the group in trouble from the very start. The plot isn't as much an adventure as a fight for survival, though the arrival of 9 does change the group's dynamic considerably.