Hello, no point in introductions, as this is simply a memo. Never mind that it is written on the good parchment and contains a wealth of pictures – as that has much to do with a certain “person” devouring an entire carton of memo paper, and the desk which contained it.
I won’t name names, however, I suspect the certain someone who ate all of the good linen napkins and tried to cover his tracks by setting the table with recycled “goods” from the restroom wastebasket. On that note, sanitary napkins are only sanitary once, and have no place on the dining table, or anyplace in this establishment for that matter save for the women’s room bin.
Needless to say, I feel a major rite of banishing coming on again, and will not be held accountable for anything happens to any archive pets with names that end in “Horror”.
As for other things that need your immediate attention, I feel that we are in need of a handful more relics for the archive, for purely scientific purposes mind you – things which I recently learned of through some sort of magical hole in my newspaper, a hole about the size and shape of a crossword puzzle.
When I happened upon the SteamTeam section, I just knew that these objects were far too important to fall into nefarious hands other than those of the archive staff; I have collected a list of them, and their makers. Please secure these items immediately.
Earth Fire Studios has in incredible amount of interesting wearable artifacts, rings, cuff links, and the like- but what really grabbed my attention is this brilliant and colorful painting, which at $1,000 for this level of work, leads me to suspect dark magick in the works. My office wall, of course, would be the best place for regular monitoring of this artifact. http://www.etsy.com/listing/38655519/original-mermaid-painting-the
NewIndustries Light Passenger SteamPunk Airship brooch pin: We must have this. Natural hands do not sculpt metal with such steady hand and attention to detail; Procure it – preferably before this Saturday night’s Advanced Metaphysics Gala. http://www.etsy.com/listing/38329795/newindustries-light-passenger-steampunk
Jolly Roger Skirtlifters by BoilerGoth
I don’t know if these really do what the name implies, but if they have any such magical ability it would be best if I had them in my posession, to protect the honor of the fairer sex. Apparently they come in sets of *two*. I shudder to imagine the sort of perversion that would would need to use this magic on two targets at a time. I must have them, preferably before this Saturday night’s Advanced Metaphysics Gala. http://www.etsy.com/listing/52926145/jolly-roger-skirtlifters
Azathoth Messenger Bag
A long time ago, Azathoth was like “Hey everybody! Sign in blood the Yearbook of Azathoth! I want something to remember you by!”, but when I went to sign his stupid book he said “No, sorry, there is no more room”. I *know* Keziah wrote something about me in there, I just have no idea what. Fetch me this splendid messenger bag, just make sure the yearbook is still in there. http://www.etsy.com/listing/48731287/azathoth-messenger-bag, or (her off-Etsy site) http://store.raygunrobyn.com/
GOLD BEETLE MECHANIQUE Steampunk Ring - Vintage Gold Watch Clockwork Scarab - Original Steampunk Jewelry by 19 Moons
I believe I saw this item in one of those moving pictures shown at the Purely Scientific Expo of Arcane and Dangerous Things several years back, I believe its sting might gift a person with the ability to self-reanimate. If this is the case, well, I’m the only one of who has not yet achieved some form of augmented longevity, and I think it is only fair that I get *my* turn at not dying. http://www.etsy.com/listing/53280084/gold-beetle-mechanique-steampunk-ring.
Eerily Beautiful and Haunting
Adornments for Tarts has in their possession a number of quality and well-fashioned items for men, in addition to all of these wonderfully made women’s items, but take a close look at the photographs in particular… they are not only perfect, but something somehow beyond only “perfect”. I am left not only to wonder at the incredible and unnatural photographic skills of the photographers, but the degree of supernatural influence this Choklit character must wield to get not just the best photographers available, but several of the very best photographers available.
…Oh, and grab me a catalogue; This beautiful collection of images is in need of closer inspection.
Sirene Cuffs (Pair) by Adornments for Tarts - Photo by Lex Machina
Toiling away till the wee hours of the night under bright lights and magnifying apparatus in her tiny hilltop studio in the Antipodes, she fashions a range of robots, pocket watch inspired lockets and all manner of hitherto undiscovered creepy crawly, flying and swimming creatures.
She begins in two dimensions with drawings, and uses wood, wax and metals to carve and turn these objects of her mind-musings into the 3rd dimension, and perhaps a little more…
“Jewels” Vine is a skilled artificer working on a miniature scale, working mostly in Silver, bronze and gold with a mix of glass, ebony, titanium and stainless steel and sundry exotic accents; She has over three decades of experience in crafting these charm-sized talismans, many of which with moving parts and amazing detail.
Amphora Drop
ThingBot in Bronze
BABY TADFISH sterling silver on 60cm silver vermeil chain
Toiling away till the wee hours of the night under bright lights and magnifying apparatus in her tiny hilltop studio in the Antipodes, she fashions a range of robots, pocket watch inspired lockets and all manner of hitherto undiscovered creepy crawly, flying and swimming creatures.
L’Oracle du Mort: One of many amazing clockwork pieces by Thomas Kuntz to be featured here in the Archive.
Thomas Kuntz, a professional artist for over 20 years, began as a sculptor of Commercial Toys, but later gained notoriety circa ’89-98 as a pioneer in the making of model kits based on old silent films like Nosferatu, The Man Who Laughs, Vampira, and others.
After a period of time Kuntz found that merely sculpting his dark creations was not nearly enough for him, and that he wanted to give life to his creations through mechanical, perhaps supernatural means… This change in method resulted in some of the darkest and most interesting automations known to man, and not nearly as many fatalities and disappearances as may be rumored.
You may have seen Thomas’ twisted creations in many places, though you may not have been aware of the crafter behind them, or the astounding degrees of meticulous craftsmanship responsible for their being. Mr. Kuntz’ creations have served in the armies and arsenals of many noteworthy people, interesting types such as Kevin Ogilvie, a.k.a. Nivek Ogre, frontman of theatrical post-punk industrial band “Skinny Puppy”. Thomas has made mechanical props for the band, and for Nivek alone, with pieces for use on stage, and for use in video.
In his workshop, Thomas Kuntz controls an army of clockmaking lathes from 1880-present, and each piece he creates is more said to be more exquisite than the last. There are only a handful of builders in the world who make automata, and no one does it like Mr. Kuntz. (more…)
These films (found through the wonderful Emily Beighley) are shades of things to come for the coming Miskatonic Archive exhibit on Automata, featuring another (soon to be named) artist who, like the Amazingly Brilliant Keith Newstead, embodies the very spirit of steampunk ingenuity and craftsmanship.
Please enjoy the videos below, and if you would like to see more of Keith’s wondrous works, visit him at his aetherweb home Keith Newstead Automata – and be sure to check this space again next week, we have more amazing things to show!
In response to the discovery of lost Metropolis footage, issue #7 is dedicated to this 1927 classic of silent film and the metropolis in general.
Of course there is a review of the original Metropolis, by Mr Marcius Rauchfuß, as well as an article about the 2001 anime of the same name, by Mr Sigurjón Njálsson. For the latest about what is going on in that other fine city, the Old Smoke called Londontown, we introduce Brigadier Sir Arthur Weirdy-Beardy of The Steampunk Club, while Mr David Townsend is off to farther realms once again, traveling by the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney, Australia.
We are also extremely glad to present an exclusive preview of Mr Toby Frost’s upcoming Space Captain Smith novel, Wrath of the Lemming Men!
And it almost goes without saying that this issue features all the columns and features that you might have come to expect from us: Ms Hilde Heyvaert writes her “Steampunk Wardrobe” about ethnic steampunk; Mr Craig B. Daniel dedicates his “Liquor Cabinet” to a story about beer, and Mr Guy Dampier is back with a Quatermass review. More reviews come from Hilde (Unhallowed Necropolis), Mr Trubetskoy (The Court of the Air and Outcry) and Toby Frost (Gormenghast).
Myke Amend has spent the last day moving his store into the Archive’s Reliquiary, as his store sometime this coming week, for an uncertain amount of time will have a bad fail infestation as he seeks to redesign and re-arrange his domain.
There are many, many new items here now, some even that he had forgotten to put in his regular store, some new exclusives to us.
There will also be many additions in the coming days by Bethalynne Bajema
Myke will also be putting up many many more originals here in the Archive over the next day or two as well, for those who like to collect original pieces – aside from what is already here, there will be a number of additional engravings of all sizes and themes, as well as some small scuptures and perhaps even some wood and brass works.
So, please do take a look, everything is one sale right now. I don’t think there is a thing in the store that has not been at least somewhat reduced. This week will be the very best time to acquire some original art, and a very good time to purchase prints and other merchandise as well.
The Rain-Maker
by Phillip Challis
Published with permission May 18th, 2009
Morgan Booth looked up at a stretch of wide blue sky and waited for the miracle to happen. With the winds kicking up, little dust devils tumbled across the plains and scoured the land. Standing on the edge of town, Booth found himself surrounded by a sizable crowd of townsfolk. Their mood struck him as electric, like the static carried on dry winds that sometimes threw blue sparks off wire fences at night. That’s how it was with the people. They had an excited air about them. He could see a few had even gone so far as to throw coarse blankets down on the bare ground. Families tucked into their picnic dinners and children played in what used to be fertile soil now gone to lifeless powder.
This town was just the latest in a string of used up little communities he’d wandered into and out of again over the past few months. The past few summers had seen withered crops and wasted stock across much of the rolling countryside out west of the Big Muddy. In his gut Booth knew a lot of places wouldn’t make it past another winter. Even at the tender age of nineteen those towns tended to rattle him. They were too full of empty houses and empty fields that had dried up. Wheat, corn, cattle, and sometimes even the people went to dust and blew away. The town, he decided, felt like death and he avoided them whenever he could.
Today though, Booth saw the crowd of townsfolk out milling around and it raised his curiosity. Arriving on the coach an hour earlier, he’d made a point of finding what few stores lined the main street. There wasn’t much to see, and his hopes of finding work weren’t great. He walked from one end of the street to the other in the space of five minutes and that’s when he saw all the people. Ambling over, he quickly learned the reason for all the fuss. It was a man standing atop a wagon the likes of which Booth had never quite seen before.
The handbill pasted across the wagon’s side proclaimed the man to be a rain-maker. The crazy looking collection of kettles, copper drums, and India-rubber tubes in his wagon was apparently a ‘patented gas generator’. Dressed as he was in dusty spats, a powder white frock coat, and matching white top hat of the old John Bull variety, he looked to be an eastern dandy, a snake oil man, or both. (more…)
Whilst browsing catalogues, searching for new acquisitions for our fine collection, I came across these fine finds crafted by an artificer I had not heard of previously who is known only as “Naodi” …or as “Sheryl Westleigh” to others
I was so amazed and so incredibly impressed, that my first thought was to keep this find a secret, until after the time we could acquire at least a few all of these for ourselves.
But, in the spirit of fairness, which stems from a silly rule disallowing staff, even important staff such as myself from the wearing of artifacts from the archives, something to do with Ms. Etta Diem and the Magickal Bloomers of Azathoth.
In the spirit of giving, I, instead of hoarding them all for myself, have decided to ever so graciously share these great finds with you:
I am going to close this entry in the archive with the reminder that my birthday is in only 10 months, and that the only people I admire more than prompt people, are the early kind…
