I'd thought I'd take a week off from the Holiday saga to inject a bit of steampunk goodness.
First some classic pictures and models.
The three following pictures and words were taken from
Gizmodo.comI strongly recommend you pay the site a visit.
It will have links to these artist responsible for these works and more.
Alex Broeckel's photorealistic rendering—of that all-too-likely scenario that we will soon battle giant robo-octopuses using the power of steam—well, it just made horrifying, paranoia-inducing sense
Judging from his uber-dark, mech'd-out artwork, Kris Kuksi probably had a disturbing childhood (or dropped acid in graveyards). But it doesn't make his pieces any less awesome.
I've had some harsh words for lesser Steampunk mods, and with good reason—it's getting tired, and most examples are massively boring. Not boring: the "Frankenstein Steampunk", an absurdly thorough PC mod built by Dana Mattocks.
This following piece is one of my own stories that appeared on redbubble.com
the sculpture is also my doing.
Displays from the Museum of Modern Science - The Biomechanical head of Lieutenant Hillary Stanton
The head of the late Lieutenant Hillary Stanton from the failed head and brain reanimation surgery attempted by the Her Majesty’s Royal Military Surgeons May 1896.
As stories go this one was one built on tremendous highs but finished in soul crushing lows.
Lieutenant Stanton was first mate on the Airship Prince Albert a front line cruiser in the service of Her Majesty’s Sky Force during the Anglo-Prussian upper atmosphere territorial disputes the preceded the Great War of Europe.
The Prince Albert had received severe damage and was left crippled over the channel due to the German Zeppelin Wilhelm taking out it’s rudders rendering the cavorite power system inert.
This enabled the Wilhelm crew to board the Prince Albert and in the ensuring battle Lieutenant Stanton received serious and life threatening head Injuries whilst stemming the boarding party’s attack.
A truer hero had never been seen in action.
The crew eventually repelled their attackers and Lieutenant Stanton was rushed to the military hospital at Brighton where hopes for his survival were thin.
By coincidence secret biomechanical experiments had been conducted at the laboratories at the base and Lieutenant Stanton’s injuries placed him in a unique position to receive special medical attention.
Medical reports that survived the disaster that resulted from Lieutenant Stanton’s operations reveal that he suffered a large caliber bullet to the left side of his face resulting in the removal of his left eye, cheek , ear and surrounding tissue as well as his skull cap and unidentified sections of grey matter. Hospital staff were shocked that Stanton had actually survived the trip back to the hospital.
As shown here the head was held together with surgical grade copper, brass and gold with treated rivets to hold remaining pieces of bone to metal.
Enhancements were used to help breathing and hearing (resulting in the removal of his right ear as well) and the use of heart driven pressure valves to stimulate areas of thinking and body motor action.
The intense pressure to turn on and off these biological signals caused the iris of Stanton’s eye to turn blood red due to flooding of the capillaries.
The procedure took six operations over three days to complete and during this time Lieutenant Stanton was revived from death twice through the Tesla inspired flapper system – an experimental device that was also lost with all of the records of Stanton’s operation.
Lieutenant Stanton showed signs of recovery almost immediately and witnesses who viewed him during this period said he had control over his extremities and often would have an erection in the early stages of waking. Though his voice box was made redundant due to the breathing apparatus that had the primary action of supplying oxygen for the blood system Nurses said his one eye was capable of supplying Yes and No answers through the system of one blink for one and two blinks for the other.
Survivors of the disaster that followed the day that Lieutenant Stanton was introduced to physical therapy have all concurred on the events that follow.
Confident that Lieutenant Stanton was capable of sustained motor actions and thought via the operation surgeons felt it important for the Lieutenant’s body be exercised and more so by Stanton himself if he was to be functional member of society.
Things were first noticed to go astray when Stanton was helped to stand up for the first time since his injuries.
Theories abound about what exactly went wrong but the most accepted are that the rush of blood due to the shift in equilibrium caused spikes in pressure and drove the brain to do fantastic things.
This coupled with the on going theory supplied by witnessed accounts of Stanton’s actions that he had the last vision as a true man constantly repeated in his head.
In essence to Lieutenant Stanton he was forever on the Prince Albert being attacked while he was in the upright position.
Sadly these variables were unknown to his carers who were unprepared for his actions.
Stanton with exceptional strength brushed aside his carers and proceeded to beat them with what ever he could lay his hands on in the process knocking over and upsetting many of the gas powered lighting system resulting in spot fires all through the hospital halls.
At one stage with nothing to strike people down with Stanton ripped off his own arm and proceeded to beat hospital staff with it.
Causing the optimal amount of damage was Lieutenant Stanton’s primary aim something his peers in the army were enthused to note was not of his character.
With the hospital in flames and quickly burning out of control it would have been a startling backdrop to the scene of him being gunned down by the soldiers of the sixth battalion who were stationed at the complex.
Due to the tragic loss of life and research the Biomechanical division of the Royal Military Surgeons was disbanded until further notice.
NOW FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T GET ENOUGH...
This is another link back to Gizmodo.
Steampunk Gets Officially Murdered with Horrifying Photoshops
