Early ,'Objects In Space'
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
(I mean, personally, I love most steampunk clothes and jewelry. Gears and goggles and parasols and airships make me happy. But I think the being in character all the time thing is creepy and weird, and once you start actually placing your characters in a quasi-historical context, you have, on some level, a responsibility to be honest about what that historical context is.)
Totally this. Gears are awesome. Lots of that stuff is awesome. Purposely ignoring all context, not so awesome.
points and nods up there ^^^ at Jessica's spicy brains
sits with Amy.
Jessica, this is why I love you. Well, one of the reasons why I love you.
Awww, you guys.
(I mean, personally, I love most steampunk clothes and jewelry. Gears and goggles and parasols and airships make me happy. But I think the being in character all the time thing is creepy and weird, and once you start actually placing your characters in a quasi-historical context, you have, on some level, a responsibility to be honest about what that historical context is.)
True. Have y'all seen Silver Goggles? It's a blog that's all about racial issues vis a vis steampunk. [link] The latest entry goes in-depth about some recent and not-so-recent racefails in the subculture:
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that will allow this kind of racism to stand.
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that refuses to discuss openly the myriad ways racism manifests in the subculture.
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that remains silent in the face of open racism.
This is a call-out of the subculture I love and of the community I participate in even though it is ever so alienating every passing year.
How do African American participants in steampunk culture address these issues? I know in NYC, there was quite a growing Steampunk community in Harlem.
Calli, Silver Goggles is one of the blogs I've just started reading, and I really enjoy it.
How do African American participants in steampunk culture address these issues?
I am ashamed to say that I have no clue. The Seattle steampunk scene is ... well, whitebread is putting it gently.
(Shameful disclosure time: when I was in the vampire LARP group, my character was one of the "gypsy" clan of vampires. I am retroactively appalled at myself. I was one of the group that actually researched Roma culture, but that doesn't make it better.)
Jilli, have you read N.K. Jemisin? She has a marvelous femslash steampunk story kicking around, with IIRC a couple of Haitian protagonists; I read it on her website a year or so back and it's also been reprinted in some anthologies.
By which I mean: it's possible to do steampunk without the colonialismYAY attitude.
Jilli, have you read N.K. Jemisin? She has a marvelous femslash steampunk story kicking around, with IIRC a couple of Haitian protagonists;
Ooooh, I haven't! I'll have to check her work out.
I love her books. Love. And her short stories.
I have several toasters for 100k Kingdoms. And am using the Killing Moon as a reward/carrot to egg myself through some edits right now.