I must have pissed off Nickelodeon when I was a kid, because they timed it so that even if I ran 1/4 of a mile uphill from the bus stop to our house, there was still only fifteen minutes left of airship explorer anime, and then the television was commandeered for the next six hours by shows about dumb talking animals who hit each other with mallets. (Seriously, network execs! Just because someone forced you to watch tripe doesn't mean you have to torture the next generation with it.)

It was my first exposure to steampunk, and if I could find that anime, I'd buy a boxed set. Unfortunately, this is all I remember: a little girl, a hot teenage boy, a sexy, pragmatic female in her twenties and a portly, piratey middle-aged feller in a bomber jacket. They had an airship and there were bad guys.

...Yeah, I know.

Anyway, I didn't know the name for that nostalgic genre until after I was in college, so I never knew how to track down more of it. Now I'm aware that I'm too lazy to have more of it. If you didn't make your steampunk-themed accessories/ clothing/ furniture/ clockwork pet all on your own, it's not really valid. Part of the allure of steampunk is the idea that people can and will meddle in things they don't understand because they have rudimentary science at their fingertips.

When I finish any of my various steampunk projects, I promise to take photos.

For now, check out Lost Horizons, the Continuing Adventures of Abney Park. AP was one of my favorite bands when I was fifteen, and over a decade later, they've kept pace with me. Moody, faerie-like goth tunes gave way to ethereal, piratey,* steampunk-themed music that's sometimes epic, sometimes delicate, and always perfect for a writing soundtrack.

* Some of the more piratical aspects might be the influence of my supersoulmate Eliza (you might know her as Magdalene Veen), who joined the band a couple years ago and has smeared some of her salty-roguishness onto their previously honest presentation. But you can do anything you want when you're that talented and mind-numbingly attractive.