Punk Music! STEAM punk music.

As per usual, I was trolling my usual feeds and this guy and here re-invigorated my internal debate as to what constitutes "steampunk music."

There is the obvious, yes, Abney Park, Clockwork Quartet, a few others I've found. These are honest musicians and there is little doubt as that they are unique in their style and are embraced by, if not, seek the embrace of certain communities. Other artists I've come across of note include: Unwoman, Unextraordinary Gentlemen, & Vernian Process. All reside around, or have been in the Norcal Bay area.

Honestly, for me, the music has to take me there. You know who does? Mumford & sons, also other real bands like The dubliners & Bellowhead, as long as the music has that flavor, its there for me. There is something about Mumford & sons' "Little Lion Man" that puts me in a steampunky mood, probably the banjo and the subtle accent to the singers voice. Also, "The Cave" always reminds me of the Parable of The Cave, which we we're reading in my Sci-Fi/Fantasy Class, the same time I had decided to seriously seek out and begin to study Steampunk.
I need to see the people who live and breath the steam, walk the dingy streets with man made cloth clouds overhead. Many "histories" revolve around alternate Earth histories and so I feel many old folk songs fit RIGHT in the worlds. I know a lot of groups push the DIY and sci-fi music to explain more modern instruments and sounds. Many times, for me, these experimentation's fall short and take me out of the world. I'm sure others enjoy them, as I will aknowledge your -thing- is art even though I may or may not enjoy it or get it (speaking in a much broader, general sense). I haven't really come across any "sophisticated" music (as covered in the above article) where "refined" more classical style music that is composed and orchestral.

(I could not find a good recording of this song, but it's one of my faves and always held a mystic yet tangible human element I would jam to.)

I think it needs to come from the aesthetic (Once more, speaking in a sweeping generality, that applies elsewhere) and then is created for it's own sake, and then is amazing. Not something made to fit in a niche that doesn't feel inspired.

And as an added bonus, an online steampunk radio station
http://www.sepiachord.com/
I have not yet opened it wide up for a listen, but when I get cracking on my Steampunk Epic, it will most likely get a mass of play time along side my other inspirations.

What's In a Character Name!? Forsaken

How do you name your characters?

This segment will deal with naming conventions in various gaming situations.

This installment will go over WoW, Forsaken characters specifically.So, over the last sixish years I've named several undead Forsaken characters, as well as "justified" character names for others I know when using them in fan-fic situations.

My main guideline involves, when the corpse re-animates, or gains sentient will, the first utterance from its lips is it's name. Of course there are exceptions to the rule, many Forsaken keep the names they had in life, but many of them never left the lands of their pre-unliving experience, where many "adventuring" undead have much more obscure and unique monikers. EXAMPLES!

Rah'Tin: My Forsaken Forest Troll from the d20 system table-top RPG. Our DM at the time was my buddy Jubblea sand he allowed me to be very creative with this particular creation. My idea was that it would be a nice joke to have his name sound like "rotten" but when the "corpsetenders" dug him up, his lifeless lips breathed the sound and his first friend in unlife agreed "yes, you really are, aren't you?" So the name stuck.

Termenus: my mage main, you might have met him in the past. It comes from a weak push of breath with the tongue pressed to the upper teeth with the air moving the tongue out of the way and the mouth closing "Term." Then air through the nostrils (he was moving his new undead peices about, having been a caster in life, this was his focus) and continuing, produced a hissing sound (vital for many incantations and spells [draconic languages, D&D nerds anyone?] ) which gave him "en" and "oos."

Doohoohoohoom: A warlock name I have saved on a few servers should I ever decide to stack dots & more dots. This one is actually a result of his loss of lower jaw (at least on the original avatar I used) and because he has less verbal control expels more air than necessary when speaking.


You might have also noticed by know, a second, and even more important element of naming Forsaken WoW characters, a cool, dark, multi-level-meaning, name. My friend Jubble's character was named Necrus, an obvious allusion to "necro" or death. Termenus was derived from "terminal" or "terminus" meaning "the end." As well as with Doohoohoohoom, I have often taken a long breath to pronounce DOOOOOOOooooommmmm!!!! upon enemies in other gaming situations. This leads me to another example of names used, perhaps allusions to HOW these characters came into their un-living state.

Bellamuerte: My fiance's mage, obviously a romance language is great for unique and provocative names, but in RP terms, in one of the stories I have not yet confirmed with her (so it's not 'canon' so to speak) is that her character's cousin, Termenus, saw her in her newly returned state and proclaimed, "beautiful death, my cousin." And her freshly re-awakened mind took a liking to it and used an obscure language she knew to keep the moniker.

Gruetouched & Gruette: Warriors, this is an obvious nod to RPG's of old, where wandering about in the dark without a light source meant certain death. And so is the case with this name. The story is that these two were wandering about in the dark and SOMETHING, killed them to allow The Plague to take over OR even affected their change. So when asked of their origins by other undead, they chose to keep the honorific as their identifiers.



Finally: Something I haven't been able to do too much in "normal WoW" that I miss, is the REAL RP. Most Likely in the future I will bore you all with the Most elaborate RP never RP'ed in World of Warcraft. A glimpse of it is actually one Rogue and one Hunter Pet.

BillyBones: my Rogue who is under 40 and GM of my family guild, partly named for the "old Captain" from Treasure Island, but also, in life his name was William Schreckwind, brother to Asthemus (who would die and return as Necrus) and Twin to Maxwell (who would also die and become BlackMax, a rogue that Jubbles rolled).
also,
Blackmax: my hunter Ribeyejack's pet cat (Humar the Pridelord) named after the fore mentioned rogue.


And so, yet another peak into my H47, with RP, WoW, and The Forsaken in mind. I would also say these similar rules might be applied to some DeathKnights, but even as I type, I think there would be other factors to consider, so don't quote me.
as always, see you around Thw Warcrafting World, and Dark Lady Watch Over You!