San Japan 4TW 2011: SCARS VS. the Order

Image provided by Crunchy Ramen Productions 2011

Where in the world are the new con pictures? Yes, indeed, Steampunk Awareness was in attendance, and highly active at that, during San Japan 4TW this year, held at the Marriot Rivercenter Hotel. This was a momentous time for steampunks as the first steampunk LARP (Live Action Role Play) was marked by the confrontation between SCARS (the South Central Armada of Renegade Steampunks) and the Order. Neutral grounds were announced prior to the con event, and the initial confrontation happened at noon on August 6th, 2011.

...The Order paraded in, flag in hand, as Faust stepped in lead smirking at the crowd of steampunk rebels, pirates, and patrons. A scream came and passed from a frightened steampunker, Amelia Ruth Thompson, who was then comforted

by the crowd after an initial run from the mass of darkness that was approaching. Captain Lazuli Delacru of the Neo Dulcimer stood his ground as Faust and Ilsa VonAuftrag, mistress of propoganda, approached. The Force of Icarus following closely behind as SCARS held its guns at the ready should even one member of the Order break the arranged neutrality agreement. "Traitor!" was shouted at the many who had joined the Order as a discouraged SCARS turned towards friends turned enemies, watching and waiting....

These two opposing factions were created from a simple idea, to gather the airships that had formed across the U.S. into one simple and all-inclusive community-based group. To LARP out the stories and work that these ships had created was a dream shared between two long-time steampunk veterans, David Lee Autunes (Lazuli Delacru of the Neo Dulcimer) and Michael Greyhawk Ford (Cedric Whittaker of the Airship Isabella.) These two captains set out on a new mission: to unite the growing steampunk community and create a new avenue to carve out their histories.

What is SCARS? The South Central Armada of Renegade Steampunks is formed out of the outlaws, the scoundrels,

pirates, and rebels who dot the steampunk spectrum. With different ideals, methods, airships, hobbies, and dimensions, they were brought together with ASI and the Neo Dulcimer across the multiverse plane to fight the destructive and all-powerful force of the Order. They fight for peace, creativity, democracy, and overall, the ability for the individual to decide their fate, their way.

The Order, as ASI described it, was bound to normalcy, structure, and heirarchy. To uphold the exclusionary right to priveledge, their fight for peace commits to a simple order of

non-negotiable terms, "we give you stability, but you give us your freedom." They will do everything in their power to feed their ambitious agenda, including converting those who oppose them with a mysterious device that SCARS has yet to decipher. They are necromancers by nature and have gained a cult-following of many unknown individuals, hidden behind black cloaks and masks, where they may enter amongst us with no detection. Their leader, Faust Horcrust with his minions, hold a power unlike many have seen in their dimension...a power many are willing to fight.

What is peace and what is courage? What is good...and evil? What is taking a stand for something you believe in? And what is an idea?

An idea is a powerful thing, but only if there is a belief that an idea is more than just a thought, but it is an inspiration, a paradigm: a new direction. An idea can inspire an action, and that is exactly what the steampunk community needed: a mission. SCARS and the Order signify the changing realm of steampunk, where we challenge our long-held beliefs and become something we never thought we would.

Whether you choose SCARS or you choose the Order, know one thing: this is the future of steampunk...and an idea is bringing about the beginning of a much larger movement. An idea is changing the world.

Captain Vivienne Eeva Valentina

Airship Constantine