Guns for the men.. And women

I had last discussed some helpful information on where to find goggles, and useful information to build from scratch. Today its time to get ready for a steam-powered dull. Wait! You don't have a weapon? Looks like you could use some help there partner. Don't worry, that's why this blog post is here! To inform you on helpful sites that can show you how to make your very own weaponry (props, of course), mod toy guns, and purchase some already fabricated items. What is the best option? Purchasing a toy gun; they are inexpensive, and with your imagination, you can make it look like something far out of this world.. Of course some of us need to get inspired. My favorite place to start is... You guessed it, Google. Do a generic search, in this case "Steampunk Guns", browse through some of the stuff you see, and get a basic feel of what steampunk weapons look like. Now, back to the toy guns. We need to select one! In my opinion the best manufacture is Hasbro; their guns already have a futuristic feel to them. The prices are great too! Purchase one anywhere between $5.00 to $50.00 dolors. Your next step would be to start your modification process.. Thankfully some kind people out on the web listed tutorials of their own doings.. Link; this guy only shows the maverick, but most of the steps apply to the other guns as well.. Also an added suggestion: When taking apart the toy take pictures of where everything goes! There for you'll have a good enough idea on how to close her up (or he, what ever you're into) if you still want it functional.

Online buys! In steampunk its really difficult to find suppliers, for anything really.. But thankfully there are the few. Will warn you in advanced, most of these sites have very expensive guns! For starters you can see what is floating around on eBay! You can find inexpensive items here, also expensive ones as well.. This next site has weaponry looking like it was pulled out of the 1800's! Dress like a Pirate, also has some steampunk wear. Etsy has some steampunk weapons as well, you'll just need to do a bit of looking around on there. 

Of course there are more places on the web, but I am having difficulty finding more... Maybe you can help? Yes! List some sites you know of with helpful information on how to make a steampunk gun, or some sites that we could grab a shopping cart, throw in the guns we want, and be on are way! So do let us and the community know, and till next time, have a wonderful night!

Steampunk Styles Part Three: Post Apocalyptic

Post-Apocalyptic World

"Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization either through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. Post-apocalyptic fiction is set in a world or civilization after such a disaster. The time frame may be immediately after the catastrophe, focusing on the travails or psychology of survivors, or considerably later, often including the theme that the existence of pre-catastrophe civilization has been forgotten (or mythologized). Post-apocalyptic stories often take place in an agrarian, non-technological future world, or a world where only scattered elements of technology remain. There is a considerable degree of blurring between this form of science fiction and that which deals with false utopias or dystrophic societies.

The genres gained in popularity after World War II, when the possibility of global annihilation by nuclear weapons entered the public consciousness. However, recognizable apocalyptic novels existed at least since the first quarter of the 19th century, when Mary Shelley's The Last Man was published. Additionally, the sub genres draw on a body of apocalyptic literature, tropes, and interpretations that are millenia old."

Personally I think one of the best possible examples of Post Apocalyptic is the Fallout game series, specifically the 3rd one. Seriously, if I was thinking of a steampunk post apocalyptic theme of fashion, I'd take it right out of the fallout games. Clothes at this time are mostly out of production, so you wear pretty much whatever you can find. In some cases you would have to take scraps and put them together to make a patchwork coat or pants. Same goes for weapons. Maybe you can't find ammunition, well you just mod your weapon to fire anything from nuts and bolts to teddy bears filled with rocks.

You will probably only own one outfit, so it can get rather dirty and worn out so plan for stains and rips. In some cases there might be radiation poisoning or pockets of hazardous material so gas masks are essential. Any technology that survived probably doesn't work, so take different items and put them together to make new ones.




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"They call you Lucifer's Angel!"

Steampunk Styles Part Two: Dieselpunk

Dieselpunk is "a genre of art and a budding sub-culture that enjoys the aesthetics of the 1920's - 1950's; a time when diesel technology was king. A time filled with pulp heroes, swing kids, super spies, and gum shoes beating the mean streets." In essence, dieselpunk has the same roots as steampunk, however it focuses its theme on an industrial aspect. Apart from steampunk, in which the main form of fuel and power is steam, dieselpunk states that diesel runs the world.

So what would one wear if one chose this style? Dieselpunk reaches more towards the Industrial working class of the late 1920's - 50's rather than the Victorian Nobility/Higher Class which is commonly used in Steampunk. There are no set guidelines to this style, same as the rest of the Steampunk world, making it a lot easier to do your own thing. But if you want to go off of something then try the pilot look. I'm thinking "Sky Captain and the world of tomorrow". Raincoats, Fedoras, zoot suits, they all work. For character work definitely look into the mind set of this time period. Keep in mind the red scare, space race, arms race, suburbia and the rise of nuclear power.

For examples of "dieselpunk" read the books "The War in the Air" and "War of the Worlds" both written by H.G. Wells. More examples would be the ever famous game "Bioshock". An anime that has been attributed to this style would be "Full Metal Alchemist". For dieselpunk influenced music, try listening to Rammstein who's main theme was inspired by the Post WW2/Cold War era. Or, of course, the music styling of Dr. Steel, who's very name screams dieselpunk.

For an interesting interview with the famed Dr. Steel, check out this Dieselpunk website:

http://www.dieselpunks.org/forum/topics/interview-doctor-steel

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"Superstition, Fear, and Jealousy"

S.P.A Group Hits 100th member!

We finally hit our 100th member! Its really pleasing to know that people out there want to learn more about the culture of Steampunk and the things that make it tic. Steampunk Awareness started off simply as an idea, but it is growing into something even more! An actual organization of people that want to know and of people that want to aware others. Sure we don't have many admins, but we are still growing. Today we adopted are newest admin, Starra-Neely Blade. Congratulations to you my dear! Moving on; Being a facebook group is simply the beginning. Later in the year we plan on expanding to the world wide web. That's correct, we'll make a website along with a forum containing even more content. Again, this is just another idea at the moment, but remember what this group was several months ago. We hope to continue growing as a group on facebook, and hope you all stick with us and see us grow into something more. Before I go, do leave comments and your opinions of what you would like to see in the future from this group.

~ Jon

Steampunk Styles Part One

Okay so, we know what steampunk is, at least I hope you do. So now lets explore the many aspects of my personal favorite part of the theme: the fashion. In future posts I will talk about specific themes of steampunk, but for now lets focus on the basic elements of steampunk fashion.




Goggles - The trademark of a steampunk adventurer, goggles are essential to the steampunk look. I'm not talking about sportsmen styled goggles here, they need to be big and fancy. Of course you can go with a simple approach. Spray painted and modified welder's goggles are perfect for this.



Boots - Boots are a common item, but not necessary. Heavy boots for men, or possibly Calvary ridding styled are optimal. Ladylike numbers, laced work well for women.


Victorian Clothing - Looking at period costumes is an easy way to get the right idea. You want to use a Victorian outfit as the base costume for your character and add on from there. Long coats, trousers, boots or dress shoes, waist coats, cravats and britches work well for men. Corsets, dresses, bustles and petticoats are great for women. Of course you are not limited to gender, any woman can go for the tomboy/pirate look if she wants. And I suppose if a man wanted to put on a dress, petticoat and corset, I wouldn't be there to stop him. Let's just hope he has a good reason for doing so.


Accessories - Canes, weapons, parasols, fob watches, fans, pipes, etc. Anything someone of that time period might be carrying is the perfect accessory. But, again, you are not limited to this. Use your imagination! Make some strange invention out of items laying around and use it as a prop.


Fabric - Argyle, Floral and pinstripes are great, however solid colors tend to be more common.

This is a picture of me. I just threw together a quick costume for a small steampunk get together. It took me 5 minutes to do. It consists of a white dress shirt with the collar popped and un-tucked. A pair of long khaki cargo pants with pockets on the side. A black/grey stripped vest with a pocket watch. Cavalry riding boots and a skull head cane I picked up from "Spencer's" one day at the mall. And finally: the black welder's goggles. In this case I felt that the goggles looked pretty good for the basic outfit so I haven't modified them yet. I pushed back my hair and put on some "guy-liner" and there you go! A simple outfit that portrays the essence of steampunk.

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"I'm the dandy highwayman so sick of easy fashion!"

San Japan

San Japan, LLC, formed in Fall 2005, is an organization tasked with operating a yearly Japanese Culture and Anime Convention to provide high-quality education and entertainment for our attendees in a safe and fun environment, and to promote the acceptance and appreciation of the anime fandom in the Mid-South and throughout the country as a whole. The inaugural convention was held in San Antonio, Texas on August 8th, 2008 through August 10th, 2008。

So why do we care? Well it's a great place to cultivate a steampunk culture. This is a place where people dress up in odd outfits to look like odd people from odd shows...odd...RANDOM EVEN!!!!!

I have attended the past 2 gatherings of this particular convention. Jon joined me at the 2009 convention. From then on, we knew this would be a great place to walk around steampunked. That is exactly what we plan to do. So we'll be gathering the crew of the A.S. Eden Falls and hopefully have epic pictures from all the fun! We also want to create SPA posters/pamphlets that we will be handing out to everyone we can find. Well, that is the point of Steampunk AWARENESS.

There was a Jack Sparrow there. He was REALLY good. I swear it probably was Jonny Depp and he just didn't tell anyone.

Goggles

Its quite obvious what this blog will be about today. World, the most must have necessity to your steampunk attire is no doubtably the goggles. For some its more of an accessory, never the less its still something all of us desire. The question a lot of the amateurs have is: "Where can one get some goggles?" It is rather difficult to find vintage goggles at a antique shop, also finding goggles in general at any kind of store. So whats the next best option? Oh yes, the world wide web; it is something the steampunk community has grown rather fond of. It helps us in some many ways, but don't let me get carried away with it (maybe for anther time). Places that you'd be able to find vintage goggles: eBay being one that you'd be able to find maybe what you are looking for. Some sellers even have cheap plastic ones that you can purchase and mod on your own. Another excellent source of goggles is SteamBaby. A bit pricey, but you don't really have to make any modifications to them. Speaking of modifying, there are plenty of DIY tutorials on how to mod or even make your on goggles out of easy to find materials or cheap ones. Some places you could find help is YouTube, Instructables, IndyMogul, and more if you google around. So everyone do enjoy these helpful tips on how to find goggles. Also do let us know if you have any advise or know of any good places to find advice.

~ Jon

My Introduction

I dream of a future thats like the past, a world that will run on steam. This world is cosmetically beautiful and aged in time. In this world the fashion sense is amazing! Women wearing corsets and men dressed properly (on like in todays time). Now, what if this 1800 world were to combine with some of our modern technology from today? Thats the world of tomorrow, the one I dream of. Flying airships in the sky, and a crew with a quest of ruling the skies. Inventing crazy devices that can alter reality, and make life more interesting. A world that is free from religion (except for the Wilk) and from this overly governed land... Then again, this is only a dream; to never be anymore then just this. My readers, do let me know what your dreams are! As wild as they may be, I would love to here some of you'lls creativity.

~ Jon

SPA Ranking system for members amusement

Well so I've been thinking to meself that I could use a good title. This title would have no purpose, I just like the idea of one. Of course the title will take into place the amount of time a person has committed to the organization and how much that person has done. Plus the titles could have little bonuses to them. Such as once someone obtains the rank of Captain they receive an airship! They get to name said airship, any specifics of the ship itself will be settled later when I've put more thought into it.

I originally got the idea last night while watching "Star Trek: Nemesis". I decided to look up the rankings of Starfleet and decided that I would love to have a ranking system of our own. The Starfleet ranks went as follows: Ensign, Lieutenant, Lieutenant Commander, Commander, Captain, Rear Admiral, Admiral, Admiral of the Fleet. (The ranks vary depending on the year, but that was the general theme)

Well of course Starfleet ranks does not apply to a steampunk atmosphere. So here's what I was thinking: any new member is "Expendable Crew", followed by "Valued Crew", "Midshipmen", "Lieutenant", "First mate", "Captain", "Commodore", "Admiral".

The special stuff that comes with the ranks will come later when I have had time to think about them.

A new beginning...

What is SPA one might ask.

It is an organization dedicated to spreading the word about a wonderful theme of life known as “Steampunk”. Next question then is what is steampunk? Well that’s the point of this organization!

Steampunk

A fantasy/fiction world that is set in an era where steam power is most commonly used. Commonly none as the 19th century and Victorian era. Those aren't the only style's of it; another prime example would be 'alternate history', or 'post-apocalypse'.

The origin:
The term "steampunk" was originally a tongue in cheek variant of "cyberpunk". The prototypical "steampunk" stories were essentially cyberpunk tales that were set in the past, using steam-era technology rather than the ubiquitous cybernetics of cyberpunk but maintaining those stories' "punkish" attitudes towards authority figures and human nature. Originally, like cyberpunk, steampunk was typically dystopian, often with noir and pulp fiction themes, as it was a variant of cyberpunk. As the genre developed, it came to adopt more of the broadly appealing utopian sensibilities of Victorian scientific romances.
Steampunk fiction focuses more intently on real, theoretical or cinematic Victorian-era technology, including steam engines, clockwork devices, and difference engines. While much of steampunk is set in Victorian-era settings, the genre has expanded into medieval settings and often delves into the realms of horror and fantasy. Various secret societies and conspiracy theories are often featured, and some steampunk includes significant fantasy elements. There are frequently Lovecraftian, occult and Gothic horror influences as well.

A Steampunk musician known as Captain Robert once said:

“Steampunk is an adventure from a time that never was, but one we wished had been. Steampunk is taking modern technology and adding a Victorian esthetic, an esthetic from back when people really knew how to make things beautiful, make things last. Steampunk is escaping from your beige, plastic world.”