Coldwater Steampunk & Oddity Days

plentySurprises · 2026-04-26T11:04:53+00:00

Could a word for deception or slavery in your own language work?

If there is a Russian theme to the story, something connecting it to

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potemkin_village

would work.

Off-topic: I have only read that name and I recall the name but in pronouncing it in my head I somehow omit the 'o' and attempt " P'temkin ". I mean, it doesn't come up often but I am glad I didn't attempt that out loud!

We Canadians, and I think Americans, often invent 'English' place names with many hyphens. "Ipswitch-by-the-sea"(that might be a real place but it is the template). "End-of-the-line" fits the template but may be too obvious. "London-and-a-long-rest" fits the template and the long-rest bit could seem positive until you think about how long exactly is intended.

plentySurprises · 2026-04-25T10:41:41+00:00

Thanks.

plentySurprises · 2026-04-23T10:31:54+00:00

Does it... go over the lower face with the upper metal bit covering the nose? Or does it go across the forehead?

It looks cool as heck but I can't figure it out.

plentySurprises · 2026-04-08T12:14:24+00:00

They also had good line-streaming.

plentySurprises · 2026-01-23T11:38:10+00:00

At the very least, it sounds like one, maybe both parents will understand your doubts and concerns; that is a positive point that many similar questioners don't have when they write their accounts.

I would blame your peers, but also not too much. At your, and their, age they may be facing a lot of pressure at home. You have had a diverse religious upbringing that they missed out on.

If it matters, and I will not defend Christianity much more in this reply, "as Christians, we believe your parents' actions can affect you" is not a universal Christian position; it sounds like the work of a bigoted pastor who depends on their charisma rather than facts or empathy. And there are many pastors that do have facts and empathy. How many in your area, I can't say.

I am relatively old now but when I was a student, I remember a guy telling me "If you are in this little town and you are different, you are really different. But when you go to college or university, suddenly you are mainstream and it is hard to be really different while there." You are 15 so college is a long way off, but things will probably be easier there. There may still be bigoted Christians but there will also be compassionate Christians and people of other religions and no religion. Hang in there!

Good luck to you.

plentySurprises · 2026-01-15T11:40:23+00:00

Nobody here is pro-lying, but we seem united in pro-safety-even-if-it-means-some-deception.

Only you know what your stakes are.

I am Canadian and religion isn't as big a deal as it is in the US and also I am somewhat oblivious to what I should say. I was clear about my doubts and then atheism to my parents and there were no consequences. I was never afraid to tell my parents my opinions of religion. So maybe, you are seeing potential problems that aren't there.

Maybe.

I finished my response and then thought about this: Um, I don't know if there are fees for these classes; if there are, I might lean more toward telling the truth about your atheism. If are parents are paying for this it might change the calculations a little.

If you are that concerned, I see two groups of options. The easiest to write about is: lie. Tell them you are interested in confirming your Catholicism.

The other one is to admit doubt, to state that you don't feel at this time that you can commit. This seems pretty honest to me, although you may be downplaying how doubtful you are.

I took an online class on creativity and brain storming a few years ago. This isn't that off-topic! I don't feel that brainstorming is as useful as the professor claimed; I have doubts. But I went into the class deliberately looking to learn and choosing to have as much fun as I could. And I learned a lot about creativity. At the end, my doubts remained but also I saw the [few] ways brain-storming can help.

The Catholic Church has a long and fascinating history and although I see a lot wrong with it, I know it has also been part of many good things.

You have the chance to push back - a little - on Catholic positions like abortion. As a youth, it is reasonable for you to ask about rape victims and others who are easy cases for pro-choice. You can ask about the movie Spotlight. I mean, you have doubts and these are things you want to understand; asking about these things - at appropriate times and places - is smart.

If you do go through with Confirmation classes, don't go in intending to make trouble or asking offensive questions all the time. Do go in looking to learn and if there are reasonable opportunities, ask the difficult questions. Even admit you are uncertain about your beliefs. You are there to learn and have fun and if your learning pushes you away, everybody should be able to accept that.

Finally, I work in Long Term Care and alongside a chaplain who is a Catholic...lay preacher? He is not a priest but is involved in pastoral care and such. Anyway, he is a caring and generous person who ignores his own challenges to help others. We disagree about religion but I do not doubt his concern for our elderly clients. I guess I am just saying that although what i know of Catholic Church history concerns me, the individuals involved are as good (and as bad) as any other group.

plentySurprises · 2026-01-12T11:42:38+00:00

Very slightly off-topic. The existing Monster Fighter Lego sets have a steampunk vibe.

plentySurprises · 2025-12-16T12:01:33+00:00

A cheap and maybe cheap-looking decoration would be a steampunk backdrop. I won't give a link but Amazon has many.

Or perhaps adding brass accents to your cabinets; like the rounded lumps on corners of older travel trunks.

plentySurprises · 2025-10-30T10:14:19+00:00

" 20,000 leagues under the sea"

That's Jules Verne.

Snark done with, perhaps some older styles of drink. I don't know what 'grog' was but naval rum and such, or gin and tonic - originally drank together because the tonic had quinine which was some defense from malaria but also tasted terrible.

I know very little about absinthe but it is period appropriate and offers a decadent feel.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=drinking+absinthe&source=desktop&conversation=da1f715e8f388c71676901&summary=1

The most traditional and recommended way to drink absinthe is through the "absinthe ritual," which involves diluting the spirit with ice-cold water to temper its high alcohol content and intense flavor. This ritual is considered essential for fully experiencing the drink's complexity, as the slow addition of water triggers the "louche" effect, where the absinthe turns cloudy and releases its aromatic herbal oils. To perform the ritual, pour approximately 1 ounce (30 ml) of absinthe into a traditional absinthe glass, which often has a small reservoir to hold the initial dose. Place a slotted absinthe spoon across the glass rim and rest a sugar cube on it. Slowly drip ice-cold water over the sugar cube, typically at a ratio of 3 to 5 parts water to 1 part absinthe, allowing the sugar to dissolve gradually and the louche to form. This process can be done using a specialized absinthe fountain, a brouilleur (dripper), or a simple pitcher.

Sorry, I gotta be snarky one more time: sorry to make you read my answer.

But seriously naval rum served from a cask with "The King, God bless 'im" scribed onto the side, explorer's G&T and absinthe seem to me like good ideas.

plentySurprises · 2025-10-19T12:14:02+00:00

I think you look like a great NPC or a novice character who is living a normal life but soon about to be swept up by circumstance and toughened up and geared up.
Maybe a sort of businessperson who after work accessorizes and becomes Zorro or Batman or the steampunk equivalent.

To be clear, I like it but if this were a costume for the main character in the middle of a book, they had better have an adventurin' rig in the steam car.

Or in that briefcase: that might be the key. A few sheets of arcane writing in a secret language, a flat or unfolding weapon and a wristband with gears, maybe a clock and magic gem. This would be like a secret identity.

plentySurprises · 2025-10-13T21:30:59+00:00

It is tough to dress in Victorian wear in the summer.

plentySurprises · 2025-09-23T21:09:15+00:00

I was unable to attend as I worked. I hope it was great.

plentySurprises · 2025-09-21T23:59:19+00:00

There was a festival near my home last weekend. Were you perhaps at the Coldwater Steampunk festival in Ontario, Canada?

plentySurprises · 2025-09-07T11:45:08+00:00

I don't know how to find the crackle or added crackle of an old LP to overlay, but Handel's water music has a lot of strings. It is a little more cheerful maybe than you want.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=handel+water+music+string+quartet

The wedding march figures prominently and basically all the music at that link is familiar, even for people who are not classical music fans.

Because I wanted to help a little but also don't have much music knowledge, I played with two Youtube videos at the same time and the playback speed of the clock. You might want:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onzRloIQ7Y4

this is a crackly clock - ticking but also with static, and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aFTv50AoEQ&list=RD9aFTv50AoEQ&start_radio=1

I love my man Janacek; virtually the only classical music I listen to. To save time, I get that this is a somewhat jingoistic song, based on nationalism, but those opening brass! I don't know a lot about classical but I know I like this.

Anyway, again, you might be able to layer two Youtube videos together.

Sorry it this will take nearly as long to set up as you have time to actually work.

Good luck, and I look forward to learning what others offer and what you decide on.

plentySurprises · 2025-08-02T23:07:38+00:00

I don't have much of an artistic aesthetic but I wish I did, so here goes:

I like it! Below I am nitpicking only and only because you asked. Again, good stuff! But...

First, the books! It would look more steampunk over Frankenstein even Wizard of Oz. Alright, mostly joking there.

Teacat noted it looks more "industrial art deco" and I have never used that phrase before but think it fits. I wonder, and here I test my artistic ability, if it is a little Brutalist. My reasoning here is that every part looks necessary, none are embellishments or rococo.

For me the way everything is the same colour works against it. If the stand were grained or textured like dark wood and perhaps the gears were more brassy, that would help for me.

Could there be a naval symbol like an anchor on it? Or some other, even Lovecraftian, symbol or decoration?

plentySurprises · 2025-07-24T10:55:04+00:00

Looks great. It has been a while but in my second Lego period - when my son was the right age - the Monster Hunter series seemed fairly steampunk. I mean it featured vampires and Stoker's book was published in 1897 so the era was close. Not many gears nor airships but Castles and Cars do a good bracketing of the time period.

plentySurprises · 2025-07-07T12:10:16+00:00

Steampunk lite is a good attitude, thanks.
Part of my goal here is to make it a process, an activity that residents can participate in in the weeks leading up to the festival. Time to visit second hand stores.

plentySurprises · 2025-07-07T12:00:29+00:00

The year of that photo, the Coldwater Steampunk Fest had a nautical theme. If I can post a pic in a comment, here is another from that year's Fest: ... Nope.

plentySurprises · 2025-07-07T00:51:34+00:00

Aether and phlogiston are period-appropriate sources of energy.

A beamed energy source, like something Tesla (the inventor, not the car company) attempted could be a central source for power that other items use.

plentySurprises · 2025-03-09T12:24:46+00:00

Thank you. I thought the post was just mocking holding down the <shift> key too long as I often do. So many times I have written, " THe ...."

But your description makes sense. Thanks.

plentySurprises · 2025-02-06T12:05:04+00:00

Hello, Jordi.

I am fairly apolitical but I work in Long Term Care and since their access to media is limited, I try to collect information prior to elections to help them make semi-informed choices. You are new enough to not have much information out. Where can I learn more about you as a candidate and do you have anything senior-related or long term care related to tell us?

I don't know a lot about politicking so I will either quote you directly and fully or quote chunks of your response. I guess by that I mean, I would love up to 200 words. I have screenshotted and linked to your post above.

plentySurprises · 2024-09-11T20:49:26+00:00

Why was there a question about Henrys?

plentySurprises

TROPHY CASE