icarus_chained | Entries tagged with steampunk

You ever end up rereading bits of things you wrote years ago, and thinking to yourself "You know what? I did good with that!"? I've no idea if I'm making 'progress' as a writer, I think I just go through ups and downs and some projects just turn out better than others, but sometimes I manage gems and I'll never not feel proud of that :)

(I'm rereading bits of The Wind At Midnight, the Bruce/Clark steampunk/space opera AU I wrote 8 years ago, because apparently Francois Schuiten makes me think of steampunk flying cities, and ... I know it's frowned on to enjoy your own work, but damn I did good with that one. Heh. One of the very few genuinely long, plotty fics that I ever finished, and I still think it's pretty darn good).

Current Mood: cheerful

Tags:

I've been reading both the Honor Harrington series by David Weber and the Girl Genius webcomic by the Foglios of late, and it's become increasingly apparent that there are certain character types that inherantly appeal to me.

( To whit: )

I've mostly caught up with Girl Genius (and read an awesome canon-divergent AU where Barry works with Klaus instead of against him back in the early days of the Empire), but I'm missing large chunks of the middle of the HH series. I've read most of the early books, several of the latest ones, and most of the Torch and Talbott subseries, but the middle books of the main series I've still got a catch up on. I've found most of them online, though, Baen free books, so it shouldn't be too much trouble :)

Apparently, summer is for reading, if not necessarily what you thought you would be.

Current Mood: cheerful

Tags:

For, yes, a prompt on

comment_fic. Just a flavour piece, this. Steampunk magitech AU of Norse myth. And, um, to warn you, Odin is kinda the bad guy -_-;

Title: Svadilfari and the Towers of Asgard
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Norse Mythology
Characters/Pairings: Loki, Odin, mention of Freya, Svadilfari and the frost giants
Summary: "In the hall of Valhalla, at the center of the great plateau city of Asgard, a small, fox-faced man stood on the balcony, and looked with trepidation out to the great clouds of steam and the roar of metal at the edges of the city."
Wordcount: 996
Warnings/Notes: Um. Coercion, racism, threats (y'all know the story of Sleipnir's birth, right?). Magitech, biomechanics, alchemy. *shrugs* Mix'n'match, everybody. Heh.
Disclaimer: Very, very not mine

( Svadilfari and the Towers of Asgard )

Current Mood: crazy

Tags:

Um. More an AU concept sketch, really. But I've been reading a lot of movieverse fanfic of late. And I know bugger all about the canon (I've seen the Ironman movies, bits of Thor, bits of Captain America), but then I figured, I'd do what I always do with comics canons. I'd write an AU. Comics-based canons are great for that. Heh. So. Here's a concept sketch for a dark, vaguely Lovecraftian, clockpunk/steampunk movieverse AU:

Title: Order of the Shield - Engines of Light
Rating: PG-13, R?
Fandom: Avengers Movieverse, AU
Characters/Pairings: Captain Steven Rogers, Lord Anthony Stark, mentions of Schmidt, Zola, Howard Stark, Natasha Romanov, Nick Fury
Summary: Awakened from an icy, alchemical sleep, Captain Steven Rogers emerges into an Empire on the brink of war, and only a ragged few, perhaps monstrous all, to defend it. But before they can, he needs to understand his purported teammates, and bring them together. This quest starts with Lord Anthony Stark
Wordcount: 4293
Warnings: A very dark, even vaguely Lovecraftian, origin for the arc-reactor technology. Also, see above regarding my crushing lack of canon knowledge, yes? Feel free to correct that which AU does not excuse
Disclaimer: Not mine
Author's Notes: It may help to understand that the primary inspirations for this were Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy, and Charles Stross' Laundry series -_-;

( Order of the Shield: Engines of Light )

Current Mood: crazy

Tags:

Annotated Version of Chapter XVI (Last Chapter)

( Warning: Not all the coding came through, I think -_-; )

Tags:

Title: Homecoming
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: DC (AU)
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark, Alfred/J'onn
Summary: There are all kinds of wonder in the universe
Continuity: Set in my Steampunk AU, just after "Wind At Midnight"
Wordcount: 378
Notes: for

uknoit863

( Homecoming )

Current Mood: exhausted

Tags:

Okay, so I'm writing a Story Process essay for Monday, over on

superhero_muses . Essay's on Steampunk: The Wind At Midnight. I've got it mostly done (it's in its final draft), but before I count it finished I thought I'd check to see if there's anything in particular that people want me to address?

Bearing in mind that it already weighs in around six & a half thousand words. -_-; Turns out the story was somewhat complicated. Huh. You'd think I'd've noticed that at the time, wouldn't you?

Current Mood: curious

Tags:

steampunk,
writing

Right. This is the result of three things, really. 1 - I promised Bradygirl birthday fic. 2 - she expressed interest in seeing Steve and Diana in this world. 3 ... I'm just honestly not over this story yet. But! This is only about a two or three-parter, or so (you know how good I am at those estimates) and the chapters are shorter. Like, half the size. In short, a much ... smaller endeavour. Forgive me.

Also, I am very unfamiliar with Steve. Someone will tell me if I've gotten him terribly wrong, yes?

For

bradygirl_12

Title: Angel of Glory
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Steve/Diana. Arthur, Diana, Steve and Lois this chapter.
Summary: Luthor's gambit has changed the world, his influence still strong. New forces have been brought into play, old ones changed forever. And in the midst of all this, one lost and betrayed soldier tries to cope with a world that has changed since he left it, and find again the woman who brought him back to it. A woman who is fully intent on finding him in return.
Chapter summary: Getting bearings
Wordcount: 2317
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. World very much is.

( Angel of Glory, Part I )

Current Mood: anxious

Tags:

This ... kinda breaks my heart to post, in a way, because it's the last chapter. Making this the first ever long fic I have finished, and perhaps the single proudest moment I've had in a long, long while. To every beginning, an end. But ... to every end, a new beginning. I'll be coming back to this universe. I promise you that.

Very long one, this time, because I included the Epilogue. And that means that as a whole, this thing weighs in at 54, 927 words. *happy burbling* Anyway!

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Lois/Barbara. Bruce, Clark, Dick, Lois, Arthur, Barbara this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Endings and new beginnings.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part XIV )

( The Wind At Midnight: Epilogue )

Current Mood: ecstatic

Tags:

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I know it's too soon after the last chapter, but it was so clear, so vivid in my head ... I had to write it! Forgive me?

This is it, you see. The second-to-last chapter, and the climax. This is the final battle. And I wonder how many of you would believe if I told you that, writing it, I was crying for Luthor?

Anyway! I give you:

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Alfred, Lucius, Dick, Luthor, Lois, Arthur, Mercy, Barbara, Tim ... basically everyone this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: One extraordinarily pissed off Sea King, and Luthor's swansong.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part XIII )

Current Mood: indescribable

Tags:

At 12 chapters, The Wind At Midnight currently weighs in at 46,064 words. This is the longest single fic I have ever written, and it ain't even finished yet! Whoopee!

Current Mood: cheerful

Tags:

me-stuff,
steampunk

Not the most exciting chapter, but it seemed necessary to say where we were.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Alfred, Lucius, Dick, Luthor this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Damage reports, and a saviour?
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part XII )

Current Mood: worried

Tags:

Apologies for the long wait, but this one is basically all battle, and that was a problem for me. Plus, I had to do something ... terrible, at the end. You have been warned.

On a slightly brighter note, though ... y'all remember the Lexwing from the Batman/Superman animated movie? Well, not to brag or anything, but Steampunk Luthor has much better taste.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Tim, Luthor this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: You realise, of course, that this means war? Really.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part XI )

Current Mood: accomplished

Tags:

I've caught myself up. I'm too dead to write the next chapter, so I'm just posting this one anyway. But the end is in sight. Two to three more, I think, and this baby crosses the finish line. And this is me, crossing my fingers ;)

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, John Corben this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Gotham's past, and you didn't really think he was dead, didya?
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part X )

Current Mood: tired

Tags:

I'm only online for a minute, because this cold is killing me and I gotta go crash. But here's chapter 9:

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Luthor's forces this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Aerial battles and snuggling and does anyone who hasn't already guessed want to know where Gotham's been these past two decades?
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part IX )

Current Mood: sick

Tags:

I'm not quite finished chapter 9, but I should be by tomorrow morning, so I thought I'd give ye this one now. Warning: the next couple of chapters are more action-y, and I'm not sure action is exactly my strong suit. So you might want to be prepared for a drop in quality.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, MADF this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: In the Ramparts, the action heats up. In more ways than one.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

A/N: Anyone who hasn't seen Rai_daydreamer's awesome, awesome illustrations for this story needs to go look. Now. I'm in absolute awe of her talent, and amazed that I managed to write something she considered worthy of it. Here:
http://rai-daydreamer.livejournal.com/40966.html?#cutid1

( The Wind At Midnight, Part VIII )

Current Mood: happy

Tags:

This thing is becoming ridiculously long, you know that? But it's still so much fun! To write, that is. Can't garauntee the same for reading.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Will be Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Lois, Jimmy this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Demons and secrets and migraines.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part VII )

Current Mood: satisfied

Tags:

Okay, I haven't actually got part 8 started, let alone written, because I'm still dead from work. I'm not used to this whole getting up in the morning crack, and the insomnia isn't helping. But you've all been so patient, I thought I'd give you this one anyway, and run one chapter ahead instead of two. Not the best of chapters so far, though.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Will be Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Barbara, Lois this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Our two heros and the dataqueens plot. And flirt. Just a little, though. Business before pleasure, after all.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part VI )

Current Mood: tired

Tags:

Enjoy!

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Will be Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, Lois, Barbara, Jimmy this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Clark finds out why he feels so light in the air, Bruce meets Lois, and Clark gets introduced to the Spider.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part V )

Current Mood: satisfied

Tags:

Little late with this one, but here you go.

Title: The Wind At Midnight
Rating: PG-13 overall, I think.
Characters/Pairings: Will be Bruce/Clark. Bruce, Clark, John Corben, Luthor, Mercy, Dick this chapter.
Summary: Almost a quarter of a century ago, the cities of Earth were torn from the earth by some mystic upheaval and set flying, before threatening to fall back. To prevent the incredible loss of life if they fell, structures known as Ramparts were rapidly constructed, containing the material apparently most susceptible to the new mystical gravities of earth: silver. A new world order was built, as the deserts created on the surface during the Upheaval denied cultivation, based on Cities and flightpaths and park-grown food, a world in tentative political and physical balance. And now that balance is threatened.
Chapter summary: Escaping Palaces 101: don't end up near Lord Luthor's quarters, or alone with MCDF's homocidal commander.
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. Conceit inspired by James Blish's 'Cities in Flight'. Rest is mine.

( The Wind At Midnight, Part IV )

Current Mood: content

Tags:

For all you shatter is our seeming, And in breaking we are free

Random Self-Pride

Military SF and Steampunk Mad Science

Norse Myth Steampunk AU

Avengers (movieverse) AU fanfic

Meme Result - Steampunk: The Wind At Midnight

ABC meme - Steampunk

Query

Steampunk II - the Steve/Diana story - Part I

Steampunk: Part XIV and Epilogue

Steampunk Part XIII

Me burbling

Steampunk Part XII

Steampunk Part XI

Steampunk Part X

Steampunk Part IX

Steampunk Part VIII

Steampunk Part VII

Steampunk Part VI

Steampunk Part V

Steampunk Part IV

Profile

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags