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 Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:49 am
[If you're willing to put up with my ramblings]. Basically, lately I've been going through my notes and thoughts for the Anachronism; trying to put things in order and in a presentable form. I've got the actually Anachronism down pat; the actually city, technologies available, architecture, society etc. However, I've been thinking more about the actual time in which the Anachronism takes place. My question is: Which time-setting do you prefer?Victorian Era: My original thinking (and where the Anachronism currently is) is that the Anachronism (as a setting) would be taking place in the latter half of the Victorian era - the major difference being that all scientific and technological knowledge was rapidly developed until it resulted in this here flying city. So, basically, Victorian era with really advance technology. Your 'classic' steampunk, if you will. Crystal Age: However, another notion has occurred to my, and has been something I've devoted a fair amount of thinking to. But supposing technology did not advance quite so rapidly in such a short time; but rather was allowed to keep developing well in the 20th century (such that the time the Anachronism is actually set in is ultimately meaningless, but lets say it was 1951, or the 100th year of the 'Crystal Era' After the completion of Crystal Palace). Queen Victoria has led to a dynasty (or kept alive in a pickle jar, who knows?). More crucial, the development of technology took a very different turn; notably the lack of invention of the internal combustion engine and the perpetuation of direct steam power. Also of note, was the discovery of both aether and phlogiston (which have been used in new applications) and the odd development of electricity (which is more often generated by aether modules, not generators). I will go into whatever setting I choose in more detail later. SummariesOption 1: 'tis set in the Victorian era, leading to a more 'typical' steampunk setting. Option 2: 'tis set in a later, essentially timeless setting - allowing for more freedom with applications of technology and the like. Is still essentially Victorian!IMPORTANT NOTE: The actual technology, as well as the culture (i.e. Victorian) is the same in both settings. Time is the crucial change.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:17 pm
Well, I'm torn between the two... (hence no vote until I figure this out).
A "classic" steampunk setting is something everyone's familiar with, so it'd be very easy to stay within character and within the story.
However... the Crystal Age is something new and exciting, that holds many possibilities. And, let's face it, aether is really spiffy! biggrin
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:29 pm
I'm tempted to go with Crystal as well... but I'm leaning more towards Victorian period.
Steam you can see and could kinda be seen as a 'symbol' of change is you will. Plus I can figure in physics for that stuff... <.< yeah, haven't had physics since senior year in H.S and that was... a long time ago.
With Crystal, we do have freedom to use technology in more innovative ways, but that leads to more explanation of HOW it works instead of seeing why it works with gears and such. Unless Crystal also means shiny buildings and a more 'fantasy' feel...
I'm not as 'up and up' on aether and phlogiston besides knowing aether as an intangible substance. I'm gonna to do more research on the time period that wins in the end... <.<
Either way, we have to work the mindset of the times into the characters as well... which could mean tweaking the profiles. x_o
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:24 pm
Starflyer1 I'm tempted to go with Crystal as well... but I'm leaning more towards Victorian period. Steam you can see and could kinda be seen as a 'symbol' of change is you will. Plus I can figure in physics for that stuff... <.< yeah, haven't had physics since senior year in H.S and that was... a long time ago. With Crystal, we do have freedom to use technology in more innovative ways, but that leads to more explanation of HOW it works instead of seeing why it works with gears and such. Unless Crystal also means shiny buildings and a more 'fantasy' feel... I'm not as 'up and up' on aether and phlogiston besides knowing aether as an intangible substance. I'm gonna to do more research on the time period that wins in the end... <.< Either way, we have to work the mindset of the times into the characters as well... which could mean tweaking the profiles. x_o With regards to your comment on the Crystal Age, I'm sure there'd be many buildings like Crystal Palace; but it would not have a fantasy feel - certainly no more than the Victorian Era. You can still see how most things work (i.e. the mechanical stuff); and both aether and phlogiston will be more-or-less explained. As for your last comment; very few characters I've seen actually follow any sort of common mindset, they're all over the place!
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:04 pm
Captain Amaranth Starflyer1 I'm tempted to go with Crystal as well... but I'm leaning more towards Victorian period. Steam you can see and could kinda be seen as a 'symbol' of change is you will. Plus I can figure in physics for that stuff... <.< yeah, haven't had physics since senior year in H.S and that was... a long time ago. With Crystal, we do have freedom to use technology in more innovative ways, but that leads to more explanation of HOW it works instead of seeing why it works with gears and such. Unless Crystal also means shiny buildings and a more 'fantasy' feel... I'm not as 'up and up' on aether and phlogiston besides knowing aether as an intangible substance. I'm gonna to do more research on the time period that wins in the end... <.< Either way, we have to work the mindset of the times into the characters as well... which could mean tweaking the profiles. x_o With regards to your comment on the Crystal Age, I'm sure there'd be many buildings like Crystal Palace; but it would not have a fantasy feel. You can also see how things work just as easily (although it depends what it is you're talking about I suppose). As for your last comment; very few characters I've seen actually follow any sort of common mindset, they're all over the place! Everything is so up in the air right now. :p If all that is changing is time line, does it really matter? Now if you want to go farther with technology and change some of the social attitudes, then go with the Crystal Age. If you want the technology to be advanced, but still quite limited and the culture of the people to be strictly Victorian, then you may as well keep it Victorian.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:10 pm
PsychoBunnyFire Captain Amaranth Starflyer1 I'm tempted to go with Crystal as well... but I'm leaning more towards Victorian period. Steam you can see and could kinda be seen as a 'symbol' of change is you will. Plus I can figure in physics for that stuff... <.< yeah, haven't had physics since senior year in H.S and that was... a long time ago. With Crystal, we do have freedom to use technology in more innovative ways, but that leads to more explanation of HOW it works instead of seeing why it works with gears and such. Unless Crystal also means shiny buildings and a more 'fantasy' feel... I'm not as 'up and up' on aether and phlogiston besides knowing aether as an intangible substance. I'm gonna to do more research on the time period that wins in the end... <.< Either way, we have to work the mindset of the times into the characters as well... which could mean tweaking the profiles. x_o With regards to your comment on the Crystal Age, I'm sure there'd be many buildings like Crystal Palace; but it would not have a fantasy feel. You can also see how things work just as easily (although it depends what it is you're talking about I suppose). As for your last comment; very few characters I've seen actually follow any sort of common mindset, they're all over the place! Everything is so up in the air right now. :p If all that is changing is time line, does it really matter? Now if you want to go farther with technology and change some of the social attitudes, then go with the Crystal Age. If you want the technology to be advanced, but still quite limited and the culture of the people to be strictly Victorian, then you may as well keep it Victorian. What exactly do you expect? xD It's not just the time line I'm changing; it's the changing of time that leads to the different 'flavours'. I'm really not sure how to respond to your next bit; it seems to me all you've done is reversed the phrasing of my question. I already know what the implications of each setting are; I'm just not sure which is better/more appropriate or interests people more.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:37 pm
Captain Amaranth What exactly do you expect? xD It's not just the time line I'm changing; it's the changing of time that leads to the different 'flavours'. I'm really not sure how to respond to your next bit; it seems to me all you've done is reversed the phrasing of my question. I already know what the implications of each setting are; I'm just not sure which is better/more appropriate or interests people more. Ha ha! Unintentional pun. XD You said at the end of your first post that the technology and culture would be the same. I, frankly, would be interested in the Crystal Age because you can get away with more. And it would be more open for people of different races and independent women.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:22 pm
Hm... I get the bit about the technologies being a similar look, but I'm still pondering the explination of how they work, and how that may translate to artwork. I mean, we gotta know about our world, right? XD I think too much for my own good about the details.
:: pokes Psycho :: Like how we were trying to make rocks that hold hydrogen so it could ultimately be crystallized and used as fuel, but using a compression method instead of atom removal? (or something like that... o_O... gotta love wiki at 12am...)
Perhaps I should withhold my vote until I know more about each setting, so I can really get a good picture of the world as it might be in either setting?
As for the character thing, I was going on the idea that most people had designed their characters with Victorian Steampunk in mind, and maybe there might be minor tweaks to orient them towards the mindset of the age/(era?). I mean... would either era have a defined 'lingo' or 'accent' as well as thought process? That could be fun... AND quirky.
Yes... I think too much.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 7:27 pm
the crystal era for sure. It allows more freedom and more opportunity for creativity and such. For example, say the world was impacted my a meteor in 2012, it might cause a sociological collapse, resulting in a "new world" thats pretty steampunky, it would also allow for "old world technology" to be found and modified. Another such example might be a deity of some sort destroyed technology to save humanity or to punish us for misusing it. So we resorted to using steam and clockwork to keep it happy. Those are just suggestions, of course.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:14 pm
PsychoBunnyFire Captain Amaranth What exactly do you expect? xD It's not just the time line I'm changing; it's the changing of time that leads to the different 'flavours'. I'm really not sure how to respond to your next bit; it seems to me all you've done is reversed the phrasing of my question. I already know what the implications of each setting are; I'm just not sure which is better/more appropriate or interests people more. Ha ha! Unintentional pun. XD You said at the end of your first post that the technology and culture would be the same. I, frankly, would be interested in the Crystal Age because you can get away with more. And it would be more open for people of different races and independent women. Alright fair point; it'll be mostly the same. (Oh yes, delicious vagueries). That was also my thinking. Generally, I was veering towards the Crystal Age due to the increased freedom for me and the writers, but was still clinging onto the Victorian Era out of loyalty.
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Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 11:19 pm
Starflyer1 Hm... I get the bit about the technologies being a similar look, but I'm still pondering the explination of how they work, and how that may translate to artwork. I mean, we gotta know about our world, right? XD I think too much for my own good about the details. :: pokes Psycho :: Like how we were trying to make rocks that hold hydrogen so it could ultimately be crystallized and used as fuel, but using a compression method instead of atom removal? (or something like that... o_O... gotta love wiki at 12am...) Perhaps I should withhold my vote until I know more about each setting, so I can really get a good picture of the world as it might be in either setting? As for the character thing, I was going on the idea that most people had designed their characters with Victorian Steampunk in mind, and maybe there might be minor tweaks to orient them towards the mindset of the age/(era?). I mean... would either era have a defined 'lingo' or 'accent' as well as thought process? That could be fun... AND quirky. Yes... I think too much. Most technology in the Crystal Age will work in the same way as in the Victorian Era. It'll still be mostly steam power, pistons, and cogwork mechanisms. The only times it'll get weird are for aether, which will be contained to applications like rayguns. Interesting rocks. I'll see if I can't come up with something quickish. Well, it seemed some had; but it'll only take very minor adjustments (if any) to bring such characters up to the Crystal Era. If anything, it should offer characters more freedom. The mindset will still be largely the same (although with notably less racial and gender prejudice). The Crystal Age will have comparable 'lingo' to the Victorian Era (the only adjustments being to incorporate stuff like aether). Characters are free to work in their own; there are bound to be accents and colloquialisms. Thinking is good.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:45 am
Alright, I've tentatively cast my vote for the Crystal Age, simply because I'm really interested in seeing where things go with that technology-wise, and what our innovative thinkers will come up with.
Plus... the classical steampunk setting is around in other various forms, so I can easily go find something to read if I wish to be in that setting. 3nodding
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:02 am
Lily Darling Alright, I've tentatively cast my vote for the Crystal Age, simply because I'm really interested in seeing where things go with that technology-wise, and what our innovative thinkers will come up with.
Plus... the classical steampunk setting is around in other various forms, so I can easily go find something to read if I wish to be in that setting. 3nodding Yeah, it just gives everyone more freedom, and is a little 'different'. And yes, it is not like we are snubbing the real Victorian Era, after all.
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:27 am
Captain Amaranth Yeah, it just gives everyone more freedom, and is a little 'different'. And yes, it is not like we are snubbing the real Victorian Era, after all.
True. And this is an alternate universe anyway (like classical steampunk), so there's no harm in changing things or shaking things up a little. (^_Q)
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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 3:42 am
Lily Darling Captain Amaranth Yeah, it just gives everyone more freedom, and is a little 'different'. And yes, it is not like we are snubbing the real Victorian Era, after all. True. And this is an alternate universe anyway (like classical steampunk), so there's no harm in changing things or shaking things up a little. (^_Q) I prefer the term 'alternate history'. Given 'Crystal Age' seems to be getting a lot of support, does anyone object to me placing the Anachronism there (and writing out the setting properly to that effect).
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