The steampunk community of Second Life never ceases to impress; along with the goth-cyberpunks of dystopian cities like Lost Angels and Midian, the steampunks comprise one of the largest subcultures unique to SL. (Inhabitants of a past that never was, in other words, or a future that can never be.) The Empire of Caledon is the steampunks' cultural capital in Second Life, and unsurprisingly, boasts many Resident blogs written in the 19th century personae of the citizens who live there. Among them is Hibernia on the Skids from Hotspur OToole, a hobo exile. One of his latest adventures showcases the steampunks' eccentric brilliance: a battle between Civil War-era ironclads. He's even created a recruitment video for the Middlesea Navy, for God's sake.
Update, 1:10pm: Zoe Connolly just posted lovely photos of World War I-era dogfighting over Caledon.
Aye, it has reached such proportions that we've needed to sort our maritime flags.
Civilian Caledon vessels are to fly our normal national standard; any Man O War will soon fly the Caledon Jack, be it Frigate, Submersible, or Dirigible of the Line...
Other nations are following suit with us, for clarity's sake. Flying a Man O War flag will carry an implicit 'fire and be fired upon' consent depending upon loyalties, micro-national treaty, or circumstances for just plain fun. We've also got the Bunny Skull and Crossbones for those who can't manage to sort their loyalty.
A few pennants will distinguish fussy details like weapons system type, for the combat-inclined.
A website to show the flags is in the works as we speak; all micronations on the grid are invited to submit civil and naval (consent to combat) flags if they wish. Mind, the flags might be downloaded by both the navylike and scurvy dogs everywhere.
A coordinating individual can be contacted here:
http://sintrenton.blogspot.com/
Sneak preview (Absolutely Unofficial as of now!): http://desmondshang.googlepages.com/home
Warm regards,
Desmond Shang
Independent State of Caledon
Posted by: Desmond Shang | Monday, January 21, 2008 at 01:47 AM
Sigh.. of all the ironclad posts I've made, *this* was the one you found, where the battle was truncated somewhat. Do a search on "Ironclads" sometime. :-D
We are shortly embarking on inter-sim marine combat, which will be quite informal and sociable. Please contact Hotspur Otoole inworld for matters concerning the Middlesea Fleet. http://hiberniaskids.blogspot.com
Yrs,
H.
Posted by: Hotspur O'Toole | Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 04:42 AM