Festival Events August 8 Opening Concert August 12 Pink Floyd Concert August 14 Fashion Show August 22 Weapons Tournament August 29 Gala Costume Ball
Steampunk/Cyberpunk Festival; The Merging of Two Worlds in One Space They say that great ideas can come from the most unexpected places. We began getting interested in Steampunk after our head photographer Eddi Haskell did a wonderful piece on New Babbage a few issues back. I know that Ariel’s eyes where opened to this wonderful genre and I was excited about it because I, being the chameleon that I am, was already exploring the wonderful fashions of Steam and Cyberpunk. After that one article we decided we would dedicate a whole issue to Steam and Cyberpunk and boy was everyone hooked. That’s when Ariel and I approached our other two partners Nadia and Lush about creating a Steam/Cyberpunk Festival. And behold here we are! This has definitely been an exciting venture and one where we have learned a lot. Nadia can finally say that she knows what steampunk is now! LOL We have come to love and respect the unequivocal creativity that stands behind the steampunk and cyberpunk genre. I personally am awed by the imagination and designs that some of these creators have brought forth. This festival began as simple curiosity but it has now grown into a true love for us. We want to thank all of the wonderful vendors, builders and entertainers that took this journey of wonderment with us. But our greatest thanks go out to all of you, the steampunk and cyberpunk community that have come and shared this space with us. This festival has been a success thanks to all of you. We look forward to inviting you back to our next festival soon! ioleJanana Chajit Editor- VRStyle Magazine Owner- NAILS Productions
UnZipped and Steampowered Nuts I, Tesla Isle (113, 118, 24)
A popular segment of life-style and role-play in SL are the Steampunk and Cyberpunk sub-genre of science fiction. So what are these intriguing aspects of SL life all about? Let’s start with some simple explanations. Steampunk is a fantasy and science fiction genre rooted in the Victorian era but with fantasy steam powered machines giving a speculative interpretation of history, ‘the path not taken’. The term Steampunk was first coined by author K. W. Jeter in his 1979 novel Morlock Night. This is said to By: be what established Steampunk as a genre.
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Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre noted for its focus on ‘high tech and low life’. The term comes from two words ‘cybernetics’ (the mathematical science relating to communication flow between living organisms and machines) and ‘punk’ (unconventional, bizarre). Cyberpunk as a term was first used in 1983 by author Bruce Bethke in his short story ‘Cyberpunk’.
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Just to confuse matters there are a couple of other elements to the science fiction ‘punk’ phenomenon. From these basic genre others have evolved, namely Dieselpunk and Cybergoth But more on that later. The first exposure for many SLers to these genres is the attraction to the fabulous fashions created by the talented and imaginative designers who have focused their creative energy on these niches of SL lifestyle. SL clothing designers like Destany L a v a l , Thom us Keen and Blakopal Shepherd Galicia h a v e masterfully created Steampunk fashions depicting a classic Victorian era feel but with that element of punk that sets it apart from the traditional Victorian fashions creating neoVictorian designs. If you’re in the company of Steampunks, please don’t mention the word ‘Victorian’ lest you be the recipient of indignant stares. More appropriately, they refer to their style as Industrial Steampunk. Their clothing is accessorized with
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such things as oversized or undersized precariously placed top hats and crudely mechanized accouterments as brass goggles, unusual parasols and other odds and ends, often adorned with cogs, moving gears and rivets. In this genre of science fiction, the lifestyle portrays the pseudo-Victorian world envisioned by science fiction authors Jules Vern ad H.G. Wells. This is an environment where modern inventions are redesigned to fit the Victorian/ Industrial period application of steam powered mechanisms thus creating that speculative interpretation of history (Speculative Science Fiction) as seen in such stories portrayed in the H.G. Wells novel ‘Time Machine’, the comic book series, ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’, and the Wild Wild West TV series and movie. The music of the Steampunks is characterized by such bands as Abney Park whose classic Steampunk anthem Airship Pirate can be heard on YouTube http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=-WrPWFn7e2c. Across the Steamlands of SL there are several Steampunk communities, Caledon and New Babbage being two very popular ones. Top notch SL designers like Vasha Martinek and Dysturbed Sin have
captured the Cyberpunk essence of a rebellious culture living in a dystopian society. Their creations are accessorized with gas masks, gas canister belts, and sometimes armor and weapons giving the impression of a fierce futuristic rebel ready to do battle and reminiscent of such classic cult movies as ‘Blade Runner’, the Matrix trilogy and Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’. It’s not unusual for a cyberpunk to possess a limb, limbs or eyes that are mechanical or robotic in nature Vs organic. A popular SL cyberpunk community can be found at Insilico. Clothing designer Laval says of the sci-fi sub-cultures, “Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fan base and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate movement (though both have considerable influence on each other). Apart from time period and level of technological development, the main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely.” Laval’s designs effectively represent a cross section of fashions spanning the Victorian era (Steampunk) through more futuristic and post- apocalyptic
genres. Dieselpunk, possessing Cyberpunk sensibilities, is an alternate-history post-apocalyptic environment in which the most important aspect of society is diesel fuel, and the machinery that depend upon it. A point of reference would be the fashions and life styles as seen in the Mad Max series of movies. Cybergoth has elements of Cyberpunk as well as Steampunk merged with characteristics of the goth subculture. Born of the melancholy and mystical sound of the gothic rock scene of the early 1980’s it’s imagery is influenced by horror movies and to some extent the BDSM culture. The fashions which can be found at stores like DV8, owned by Martinek and Sin, are most always black in color, accessorized with black hair, black makeup and of course, the chalkiest white skin. While fashion is a big draw toward these genres of science fiction lifestyle and role-play, there are growing numbers of SLers who join SL because of their RL fascination with the music and extensive number of books, movies, art and games available as part of our pop culture. These folks are serious about the lifestyle aspect of Steampunk, Cyberpunk, etc. and
are embracing the opportunity to role-play.
Valorie Knowller, Steampunk Player
Valorie Knoller, discovered the Steampunk sci fi genre when exploring SL, however, she said, “I have read various sci fi books, that explored the basic concepts of alternate technological paths, the what if ....the airplane, internal combustion engine where never invented and the great empires of the 19th century never collapsed.” As far as the RP, she is predominantly a feline at Toxian City and is one of the Toxian Prowlers. She says, “When I’m feeling all dark and mysterious I play a feline demoness.” She says she can totally immerse herself into her role. She feels that, “it’s great to be part of the story, and watching it unfold as we all interact. A lot of thought goes into a good role play scenario. It’s much more than beating the crap out of each other, though that’s fun too!. Role-play is theater; you are the actress, set designer, script writer and become immersed in your role, not to mention the friendships you form with your group. Steampunk fits puuurfectly into the theme of a post apocalyptic future or alternate reality, not to mention the creativity of the designers! Imagination unfolded
and ours to enjoy. Besides its fun riding in a blimp!” Perriwinkle Waves an avid Cyberpunk RPer explains her fascination with the sci fi genre, “I’ve been a fan of cyberpunk since reading my first cyberpunk novel, The Diamond Age: A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson. Reading that book opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about science fiction. No freaky aliens, no tech that we couldn’t imagine yet. Not even real space travel. The things that had normally turned me away from sci-fi weren’t usually present in Cyberpunk, and the few things I did love about scifi (networks, robots, nanotechnology) were always center stage.” Waves discovered a Cyberpunk sim, Nexus Prime, shortly after joining SL and stayed with it until its demise. Now a resident of the popular Insilico sim, she describes her RP, “I play an underground gynoid technoprophet who keeps an above-ground job managing a strip club catering to technofetishists. I’ve danced in clubs around SL and always had bad reactions from the management about wearing my cybernetics onstage. Now I’m the management, and I don’t hire anyone who doesn’t show a little Perriwinkle Waves, Cyberpunk RPer
metal. I also see patterns and shapes in grand flow of data through the city’s network, and am desperately trying to find a way to use this information to bring InSilico’s residents to salvation.” She goes on to say, “A lot of talk goes on in InSilico about the nature of a human soul, love, sentience, and so on. We aren’t a combat sim, nor a sex sim, and I think that keeps our RP fairly intellectual in nature. I’ve enjoyed the philosophical debates in the Blue Ant bar as much as the grinding gynoid dancers in my own club, if not more. The storylines on our community website are rich with accurate technological references and our city’s more public romances are all steeped in deep spiritual questioning.” She highly recommends RP to others saying, “I think there’s a role for everyone, and probably a cyberpunk sim for everyone, too. Some people like tentacles, some are into spaceships. Personally, I dig robots. Bless the builders for bringing them all to life here.” Coredump Writer, also a resident of Insilico, discovered Cyperpunk in literature. She explains, “It started mostly with a couple of seminal works in the early 80s... Neuromancer by W. Gibson and Hardwired by W.J. Williams. It was right when the “punk movement” was dying. I personally was a huge fan of cyberpunk at that time... I read a lot of novels, consumed a lot of media around it, even played pen and paper games, wrote articles... mostly for specialized magazines and web sites.” She initially joined SL for business purposes in 2007 exploring the possibilities for marketing campaigns in SL.” While the business angle didn’t work out, something else did, she said, “Somehow, something caught me, and that was related to role-playing games precisely. SL was providing a unique experience in this regard, and I think it captured the player in me.” She talked about the theme of the cyborg (man blending with machine) as a presence in Cyberpunk RP but also said that some RP being just plain humans. Explaining this further she says, “Basically, there is the full rainbow of shades between pure-strain human to a fully synthetic being. In reference to the movie Blade Runner... The underlying question remains “What defines being human?”. That has been actually a new trend in the cyberpunk movement, developed a bit later, with the coming of the transhumanism thesis.” In her RP at Insilico she plays a “synthetic” which she describes as “a synthetic body hosting the remains of
Coredump Writer (left) with fellow RPer BangBang Kimono (right)
a human mind. You can think of Ghost in the Shell as inspiration, struggling to figure out if she’s human or not, trying to belong and trying to find out what she is. I knew Core would be a synthetic... and would be a combat model with some psychological issue. The rest I built backward as the story unfolded.” Writer recommends taking a look at the Insilico ning for insight into the storylines, http:// insilico.ning.com. Of RP she feels, “it’s like a permanent collective creation, between Improvisation Theater and just plain game. It’s very fulfilling for the mind. Role-playing isn’t a passive process like watching a movie.” When asked if she’d recommend RP to others she said, “Heck yes. I’ve tried a lot of things in Second Life, but I think roleplaying is actually what it’s best for.”
Steam/Cyber Punk Festival Fashion Show 2009
By Nadia Felwitch
Photogrphy by:Pam Astonia The 1st Annual steampunk and cyberpunk festival fashion show was held on Aug 14 2009 at 7pmslt; brought to you by N.A.I.L productions and VR Style Magazine and in part by SilverStar Modeling Agency. Our participating designers in the 1st Annual Steampunk and Cyberpunk Festival were: Destany Laval of Unzipped, Thomus Keen of Steam Powered Nuts, Teaa Demina of M’Lady, Blakopal Galicia of Blak Opal Designs and Alessandra Markova of Dark Goddess Designs. Stepping out on the runway in some of the hottest and most fascinating steam punk designs provided by these designers were our models: Wanderson Inglewood, Lanzer Cleanslate, SparktimusTaurog, Snake Kytori, Iolejanana Chajit, Nadia Felwitch, Kimmie Rayna, and Glitter Bolissima. This event was definitely worth its weight in gold showcasing these truly remarkable designs from some of the most talented and genius Steampunk and Cyberpunk designers in second life. If you missed this event I highly suggest you tp on over to their stores and check them out for yourself you will not be disappointed!
Model : Iolejanana Chajit Clothes : Tesla Flux II from Unzipped Accessories: Steam Powered Nuts
Model : Glitter Bolissima Clothes : Crimson Night from Unzipped Accessories: Steam Powered Nuts
Model : Iolejanana Chajit Clothes : Lady Rogue from M’Lady
Model : Snake Kytori Clothes : Lord Jorge from M’Lady
Model : Iolejanana Chajit Clothes : Mechanique Steampunk Outfit and Animated Gears Wings from Blak Opal Designs
Model : Glitter Bolissima Clothes : Lovelace Gown from Black Opal Designs
Model : Alessandra Markova Clothes : Dark Goddess Designs
Model : Alessandra Markova Clothes : Dark Goddess Designs
Steampunks, Cyberpunks and other guests were entertained by the awesome rock band Pink Floyd on August 12th at the STEAMPUNK and CYBERPUNK FESTIVAL. Pink Floyd is just one of the tribute bands offered by the Rockshoppe to entertain the SL community. Guests were mesmerized by the classic Pink Floyd repertoire of musical numbers and the amazing rock star performance of each member of the band. Party goes rocked til they dropped still wanting more at the end of the night!
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