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Bandom, I think it's time we had a talk.
No doubt by now you've seen the music video for Panic's new song "The Ballad of Mona Lisa". If you haven't, please go do so here. I'll wait.
Okay, you back with me? I know that was strange for some of you. I know you're not quite sure what to do with all those bits and bobs. I'm here to tell you that it's fine to feel that way. Perfectly normal! And now that we've come to terms with that, we can move on to the important part of this post, which is: THE LEAGUE OF STEAM.
You may have noted that the extras in the video are all dressed a little strangely. (Well, you may have noted that if you could pull your eyes away from Brendon's stupid muppet face. That's okay, I had to watch it four times before I got over his make-up. I was late to work and everything.) Anyway, that's because all of the extras in the video are dressed in the steampunk style. I know those of you who are on my flist have been listening to me ramble about steampunk for YEARS now, but most of bandom is probably a little confused right now so I'm going to ease you into it by explaining some of the extras that appeared in the video andmy massive geek crush on them all their affiliation with the steampunk movement. So, down the rabbit hole we go...
The League are something like the steampunk Ghostbusters. They're a cosplay and performance troupe that is based in California somewheres, but they go to a lot of conventions and get up to general steampunk shenanigating which they then share on the internet.We won't go into how giddy I got seeing them around Dragon*Con. I just want to be best friends with all steampunk peoples, you guys. Too bad I'm incredibly awkward and live in Florida where NOTHING HAPPENS. So, on to the members!
This is Crackitus Potts, and he's the first person I noticed in the video that wasn't Brendon.

Crackitus is co-founder of The League of STEAM, and he acts as their Ghoul Containment Specialist. He specializes in non-lethal weapons and equipment, such as the net cannon that is used at the end of the video.
Then there is JayAre, also co-founder and Ectoplasmic Auditory Tracking Specialist.

JayAre has had a recent falling out with Edison Industries and specializes in tracking for the team.
After that we have Baron von Fogel, who is the Aerial Tactical Specialist.

The good Baron has a short-range jump pack (jetpack) which he uses to go after supernatural beings from above.
Next is Sir Conrad Wright III, Vampire Elimination Specialist.

His title says it all, really. Don't you wish Patrick had known about him back during the Little Less Sixteen Candles fiasco?
And if you have a vampire specialist, you have to have Jasper Mooney, Lycanthrope Disposal Specialist to balance it out.

He's pretty much the best at what he does.
And adding a bit of color and sense to any situation is Lady Ameliorette Potts, Co-founder and Tactical Coordination Specialist.

When stupid boys get into trouble, she's the one to sort it.
The League are an adventurous bunch and fly right for the face of danger rather than running away from it. Whether it's Invisible Monkeys:
Vampire Adversaries:
Or their live in Gentleman's Gentleman Zombie, Zed:
They're the guys (and lady!) you want to have around in any sort of supernatural pinch.
In my head, The League of STEAM were at Brendon's wake because someone (possibly Brendon in ghost form) knew there had been foul play and called on them to sort it out. Someone write me THAT FIC. In the meantime, please feel free roll around in steampunk glee like I've been doing since last night. So, was it as good for you as it was for me?
* I'm leaving this unlocked, in case you want to share it.
** All information/pictures taken from The League of STEAM's website and various Youtube videos they've posted. Please go there and learn more about them.
*** If you want more steampunk resources please let me know, since I've been doing pretty much nothing but following and collecting this amazingness since 2008.
Okay, you back with me? I know that was strange for some of you. I know you're not quite sure what to do with all those bits and bobs. I'm here to tell you that it's fine to feel that way. Perfectly normal! And now that we've come to terms with that, we can move on to the important part of this post, which is: THE LEAGUE OF STEAM.
You may have noted that the extras in the video are all dressed a little strangely. (Well, you may have noted that if you could pull your eyes away from Brendon's stupid muppet face. That's okay, I had to watch it four times before I got over his make-up. I was late to work and everything.) Anyway, that's because all of the extras in the video are dressed in the steampunk style. I know those of you who are on my flist have been listening to me ramble about steampunk for YEARS now, but most of bandom is probably a little confused right now so I'm going to ease you into it by explaining some of the extras that appeared in the video and
The League are something like the steampunk Ghostbusters. They're a cosplay and performance troupe that is based in California somewheres, but they go to a lot of conventions and get up to general steampunk shenanigating which they then share on the internet.
This is Crackitus Potts, and he's the first person I noticed in the video that wasn't Brendon.
Crackitus is co-founder of The League of STEAM, and he acts as their Ghoul Containment Specialist. He specializes in non-lethal weapons and equipment, such as the net cannon that is used at the end of the video.
Then there is JayAre, also co-founder and Ectoplasmic Auditory Tracking Specialist.
JayAre has had a recent falling out with Edison Industries and specializes in tracking for the team.
After that we have Baron von Fogel, who is the Aerial Tactical Specialist.
The good Baron has a short-range jump pack (jetpack) which he uses to go after supernatural beings from above.
Next is Sir Conrad Wright III, Vampire Elimination Specialist.
His title says it all, really. Don't you wish Patrick had known about him back during the Little Less Sixteen Candles fiasco?
And if you have a vampire specialist, you have to have Jasper Mooney, Lycanthrope Disposal Specialist to balance it out.
He's pretty much the best at what he does.
And adding a bit of color and sense to any situation is Lady Ameliorette Potts, Co-founder and Tactical Coordination Specialist.
When stupid boys get into trouble, she's the one to sort it.
The League are an adventurous bunch and fly right for the face of danger rather than running away from it. Whether it's Invisible Monkeys:
Vampire Adversaries:
Or their live in Gentleman's Gentleman Zombie, Zed:
They're the guys (and lady!) you want to have around in any sort of supernatural pinch.
In my head, The League of STEAM were at Brendon's wake because someone (possibly Brendon in ghost form) knew there had been foul play and called on them to sort it out. Someone write me THAT FIC. In the meantime, please feel free roll around in steampunk glee like I've been doing since last night. So, was it as good for you as it was for me?
* I'm leaving this unlocked, in case you want to share it.
** All information/pictures taken from The League of STEAM's website and various Youtube videos they've posted. Please go there and learn more about them.
*** If you want more steampunk resources please let me know, since I've been doing pretty much nothing but following and collecting this amazingness since 2008.
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* This is a write up I did (http://momebie.livejournal.com/530744.html) shortly after Dragon*Con in 2008 about why I love steampunk.
* This is the message board where they held The Great Steampunk Debate (http://www.greatsteampunkdebate.com/forum/) last year. Lots of discussion of the politics of it, the scene, and literature surrounding it.
* This is The Steampunk Workshop (http://steampunkworkshop.com/), a place for machinists, inventors, and tinkerers. (And those of us who just likes staring at those things.)
* This is Sepiachord.com (http://www.sepiachord.com/), a site that collects and curates steampunk music. I own several of the albums they've released and every one of them makes me giddy.
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*ahem* No, I'm not impatient to see this or anything, what? XD I'll go hunt down a link that works for THE REST OF THE WORLD TOO UGH UGH MTV I HATE YOU SO MUCH.
*cough* xD;
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2. Why did I not know about this early enough to arrange getting off?
3. That video must've made you happy in your pantaloons.
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Ah...I forget that videos don't like to show up in my comments. I need to figure that out. The commercial is here (http://www.youtube.com/embed/OvUNlQuQgxU) at any rate.
My pantaloons are near ecstatic. We may have to bear them to the fainting couch forthwith.
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Also, showing I know nothing about bandom...I thought Panic! broke up? I love their music, though, so I am not complaining about this surprise song.
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B. Brendon looks so much like a muppet. I just. I think it's in the mouth somewhere. (He's a hot muppet though, which is what I can't quite figure out.)
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I think my social circles have drawstrings.
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And dude, my world gets smaller every freaking day. Randomly, at dinner tonight Lisa suggested that Panic! should take a steampunk band on tour with them and I was all 'TELL ASH. MAKE THEM BRING THE CONTRAPTIONS.' Because, you know, that would be entirely too amusing.
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We're so proud to have been part of this project... it was really fun to work with such a talented group of performers and filmmakers in this kind of collaboration. I'm so happy that the finished product reflects all of that creativity and hard work from everyone involved.
We're working on getting the entire League out to Dragon*Con this year, so perhaps we'll see you there! Yeah, you heard me right... the entire League. Hopefully that works out.
Thanks again!
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I do hope you guys can work out getting everyone to Dragon*Con. That would be fun! It's been really cool watching the way the Alt History track has evolved over the last couple of years, and as the quiet kid who sits in the corner, I can't help but feel that the more sorts of events that are held and people involved the better. I live pretty far away from the dedicated steampunk cons, so I'm generally excited about any sort of steampunk goodness I can participate in at D*C.
So no, THANK YOU.
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I'm still undecided about this track, I should through it on my mp3 player for wandering around and it'll grow on me more and I have to admit that I'm curious about their choice to steampunk it up. MCR's killjoys makes sense - they're gamer geeks, they're comic geeks and they've been watching dystopic stuff since they were in diapers for sure, but panic and steam is a little more off for me and I love Pete Wentz but he's shrewd. On the other hand: yay for more steam punk in the media and people getting paid work, right?
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You know what I honestly see it as? A return to Fever. Sure it's not straight up circus stunts any more, but it's a similar feel and a sense of story that things off Pretty. Odd. didn't carry with them. At least, in my opinion. I'm not sure why they decided to work it into a steampunk motif, but I feel like it works with the story of the video, as rules for the dead aren't something that are widely respected these days (I don't believe) so you have to throw it back a bit. Would I have enjoyed it just as much if they'd gone realistically period with it? Yes. But I don't hold them wanting to have fun and explore this element of style against them. Of course, I am always happy when people in my favorite little sub-culture get more exposure and paid to do awesome work. Do I expect Panic to keep up with the theme? No. But I'll be amused if they do.
The track I've been singing to myself for weeks.
As for Pete, he is shrewd. The video for 'A Club Called Heaven' was kind of ridiculously inspired, when you take the feel of the song and current internet trends into account. One of the steampunk DJs spins it in his sets, and I didn't hesitate to post it to Retrofuturistique, because it DOES have that retro-futuristic feel to it.
I do agree that MCR's fling with dystopia feels a little more genuine, but any time the Universe wants to take two of my interests and mash them together (as it has done with each of the bands/songs I've mentioned here) I'll be stoked about it.
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thank you for this! will be spreading it because people need to know more :D:D
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LEAGUE! DRAGON*CON! THIS IS MY YEAR TO STOP LURKING AND DIVE INTO STEAMPUNK!! (OH GOD, I HAVE NEWS, I SHOULD EMAIL YOU...)
Oh, and considering I've liked Panic for a while, how did I not realize the drummer was so cute?
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E-MAIL ME NEWS.
Spencer's adorable. But then, they're all pretty adorable.
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