Need to know more about Aether! http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408 Ramblejack I have some of the basic ideas about ray-gun Aether technology, Aether cannons, and even powered automatons, but... I'm in over my head here, as I don't have a lot of practice writing steampunk, and I've got some plans to use Aether...but I need to know if there's anything that would make a happy steampunk reader say "Oh, you've got to be KIDDING! That would NEVER happen with Aether!" Now, I realize that's why the whole genre is called Fantasy, but every genre has 'rules' that fans defend like feral rats. In this case, I just don't want to make a mistake along the lines of 'you can't go into the aethersphere like that' or 'Aether energy can't be put in a bucket,' or 'no, you can't eat Aether on your Wheaties...' :::breakfast of automaton champions::: Any Steampunk fans out there that have awesome suggestions on ways to use, or not use Aether? Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:24:19 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_600540 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_600540 HuskersGirlLaura If you want to follow the themes that seem to pop up more often than not, aether is a blue liquid like substance that provides power, (yes it supposedly glows too). How, I'm not sure. Does it need to be replaced ever? Not that I'm aware of. It's kind of like the matter/anti-matter of the star trek universe. However, if you were trying to be more realistic in following actual research, aether is simply a type of purer air. Steampunk = own genre, by the way. There's a thread saying this, by common vote. Sun, 13 Nov 2011 09:43:56 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_673036 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_673036 ADuvall [quote=HuskersGirlLaura] Steampunk = own genre, by the way. There's a thread saying this, by common vote. [/quote] Steampunk is a sub genre of Science Fiction. I do not care what anyone says. The people SP looks to most, Verne, Lovecraft were most notably and inductively science fiction writers, and forerunners. Just because we put a Victorian/ Edwardian spin on the genre does not make it any less Sci-fi. Sorry to but I had to correct you. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 02:26:24 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_683828 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_683828 Ramblejack heh- it's true. Even the names of genres are viciously protected, which is why I don't want to accidently offend folks. I may have to drop the 'k' and just call it SteamFan for steam fantasy. I do agree, ADuvall. Steampunk definitely has solid SciFi roots. Perhaps I should have just said Fiction, rather than Fantasy. And thanks, HuskersGirlLaura- I am probably using the glowing blue goo to power some of my toys. I'm not needing to go as deeply into the workings of the machines as I would in hard core SteamPunk, though I will want to need to justify some mechanics. The aether and its properties will be where some of the "...and then a miracle happened..." part comes in. Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:26:20 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_692855 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_692855 Steampunk avi8or I think of Aether as connecting everything, like the Force in Star Wars. (I have never seen Star Wars, correct me if I'm wrong about the force.) It is also where the souls of the dead go, and the souls can be extracted. I've never heard of the glowing blue liquid thing... Interesting! In The Girl in the Steel Corset, wireless signals such as telegraph signals can be sent through the Aether and are faster if sent through it. Also in this book, your connection to the Aether is stronger if you have runes tattooed on you. Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:19:07 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_758978 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_758978 Amuoralzg Luminiferous aether is not the medium that light travels through. *shrugs* Sun, 20 Nov 2011 08:28:00 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_776756 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_776756 Ramblejack hm...on the limited studies I've done so far, it seems that lumiiferous aether, or 'light-bearing aether' really was described as basically the stuff that light travels through, or perhaps, along with- as the early philosophers and scientists believed that light traveled like waves, but waves could not be generated without some sort of matter, and luminiferous aether had sufficient substance to create these waves. Ah, the joy of fiction- Sun, 20 Nov 2011 18:27:56 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_780504 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_780504 slauderdale The Foglios use the term "Gaslamp Fantasy" for their particular brand of (more fantasy-based) steam stuff. Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:47:34 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_784416 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_784416 Ramblejack [quote=slauderdale] The Foglios use the term "Gaslamp Fantasy" for their particular brand of (more fantasy-based) steam stuff. [/quote] ha! too funny! I used to go to some parties in Chicago with my best friend, who was friends with Phil...though my drawing can't compare to theirs... Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:54:24 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_785216 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_785216 Amuoralzg Oh, I know. My point was that that's what it was supposed to be, but it isn't., because it doesn't exist. *shrugs* Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:06:54 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_826175 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_826175 bobo_the_bard Steampunk if fantasy/SF. Aether can be anything you want it to be, because it doesn't exist. There's really no hard and fast defined substance. It's just a convenient term from the 19th century that is used as a sort of catch-all term for a vast variety of concepts, in order to give the story a steampunk feel. I've seen it used as anything from an all-pervasive substance that is purer than air, to a form of matter/antimatter, to a sort of electric current, etc. I haven't heard of the blue stuff, but that's yet another. Don't worry about 'the' rules...just have 'your' rules, and be consistent with them. As long as you follow and are true to your own laws of physics, readers will accept it. Don't worry about readers pointing out that that's not how it's 'done.' After all, the whole point of SFFS is to push the boundaries of what's been done before, and readers like it when you do that! Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:48:58 +0000 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1167156 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/other-genres/threads/31408?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1167156