30.11.2009 by Traveler.

Riese the Series, Episode III - Bind

Things get creepy
This is the most intense of the three episodes so far. There are some seriously evil and abominable things going on which I do not dare hint at, see for yourselves:

And one other question comes up from the dark recesses of my mind: Is Riese a royal princess?

Q&A Session with Christine Chatelain

Ms Christine Chatelain a.k.a. Riese was kind enough recently to answer a few fan questions on the Riese the Series Blog. You can find the whole Q&A session ath this link. Below is just the excerpt containig the questions I asked and the answers Ms Chatelain offered:

Did you have any previous contact with Steampunk material/music/ the subculture before, and if so: where?
CC: Many of my favorite movies have been steampunk/fantasy inspired, but the subculture as a whole is new to me and I am having fun exploring the genre.

How did you hear about Riese the Series or where you approached directly by someone from the staff?
CC: The creators actually contacted my agent to specifically request I read for Riese. And I got it!

Is Fenrir a big cuddler in real life?
CC: Fenrir IS a big cuddler in real life! He loves giving a LOT of kisses, and I learned quickly not to play with him right before a scene because he kept licking off all my make up.

Just what I thought…The big bad wolf is actually a fluffy furball!

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26.11.2009 by Traveler.

There is a song by Abney Park, Airship Pirates and just now, something struck me and I coupled two things together and came up with the following image (it’s a German political pun, so don’t worry if you don’t get it):

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25.11.2009 by Traveler.

Recently I had quite a few emails from readers, so this entry is to thank them all, and I send this flower to all of you, which I found on Craft Juice:

Also, special thanks to Mr. Steven Bloore who was kind enough to point my attention towards the return of the Zeppelin to the Los Angeles skies:

Please enjoy the video and also, get yourself a nice cup of beverage and read the story.

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21.11.2009 by Traveler.

Something has gotten into my mind that I think I can post here, mainly because it has some genuine content and might actually with time develop into an essay.

Whilst the aesthetics of Steampunk, to which I have dedictated a whole section of this website, are fairly clearly defined, there does not seem to be a clearly defined philosophy behind Steampunk. At least, there does not seem to be one when compared to, say, Gothic.

So far, Steampunks strike me as an optimistic, inventive and very well mannered lot, but I wonder if this is due to the nature of Steampunk itself. I guess Victoriana on Absinthe holds very little appeal to brutes and nitwitts, so it is a certin kind of people who gets attracted to Steampunk.

I guess all Steampunks are dreamers to a certain degree, longing for a time when technology was also about looks, the world was still a place with white spots on the map and eccentricity was something acceptable. There are also those who imagine themselves as Jule-Vernian swashbucklers, to whom adventures take on a more gritty and sometimes more bloody form.

But I do not think that there is any real philosophy as such. There is no “goal” to the subculture other than being inoffensively eccentric.

Actually, this is propably a good thing, as so far, I have not seen any antagonism comming from the mainstream against Steampunk. I have encuntered nothing at all. This is a major difference with regards to other highly visible subcultures like Heavy Metal, Gothic, Punk and Hip Hop, which all have been accused of various kinds of misdemeanor, ranging from vandalism to excessive drug use to Satanism.

Nothing of this sort is thrown at Steampunks, and I am quite pleased with that.

Wait a minute: Tinkering, optimism and embracing a certain set of aethetics into ones life is a philosophy in itself, so my initial statement was wrong: There is a philosophy behind Steampunk.

If reading this, you disagree, I welcome your comments.

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18.11.2009 by Traveler.

As I have mentioned in my last entry in this blog, the capital city of Eleysia is called Asgard, OK, so now I am going to piece a few things together and speculate wildely and propably to the immense amusement of the Riese the Series crew.

Two things I have to say as a sort of background info: As a regular follower of this blog may have gathered already, despite the fact that I am blogging in English, I am German (to be honest: I feel East Midlandish, Nottingham is the city I regard as my hometown) and I am also quite knowledgeable when it comes to Norse mythology.

So, what evidence do we have?

First, the capital city of Asgard:

Asgard is, of course, the Hall of Odin/Woden (I am of South Germanic descent, I say Woden) and the place where the bravest warriors go after death (preferably death in battle, but there are other opinions around these days).

Next, our main protagonist, Riese:

“Riese”, although pronounced “rees” in the series, is the German word for giant and the giants are the (evil) adversaries of Woden and the other Aesir.

The wolf at Riese’s side is called Fenrir. Fenrir is the Wolf of Ragnarok who is destined to one day swallow the sun.

So right now we have a situation, where the supposed bad guys dwell in a place which bears the name of the place where the higest gods of Norse mythology live and where heroes go after death (granted, the queen has ursurped this place and is not the rightful resident) and at the same time, the two who are hunted by the henchmen of the evil queen bear the names of adversaries and evil incarnate from the very same mythology.

To deepen the mystery, on the web, a person named Seigfried (very likely a play on Siegfried, the Dragonslayer) has appeared who appears to be in posession of inside knowledge regarding The Sect. However, this person is very enigmatic, little is known about him. Actually, we know less about him than we know about Riese. We do not even know his face.

So, we have two main protagonists carrying the names of antagonists of the mythos they derive their names from and an enigmatic third person, Seigfried, who carries a bastardized name of a popular hero of the same myth.

The place where the gods dwell, Asgard, is taken over by evil and there is a lot going on which we do not know yet. Are the names any hint at all as to who the true evil is? Is this all hint towards  connections to our reality? So many questions, so many speculations.

And another hint: Take a look at the names of the ranking-system in the official forums and cross-reference the titles assigned to certain numbers of the post-count within the forum to the Edda, you will be amazed.

Everything is somehow connected to Norse or general Germanic mythology, but some names do not fit.

We can only speculate… Maybe the names were chosen simply becaue they sound nice and seemed to suit the characters, maybe there is a deeper mystery and maybe it is all a wild goose chase.

One thing is clear: I will only get answers if I continue to watch… and it is still so long until the next episode is released.

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16.11.2009 by Traveler.

What a joyful day… I can actually bring on two items worthy of note today and I shall present them in order of discovery:

1. Steampunk Holiday - 100 years ago today Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft was founded

Ah, the glorious days of available and affordable Zeppelin travel had their official beginning with the founding of this company.

It was the DLAG which brought the majestic steampunk and dieselpunk icon, the Zeppelin, to prominence and it was also the DLAG which built the magnificent Hindenburg.
Unfortunately, the time of the DLAG is passed, and no huge majestic Zeppelins are around anymore. In recent years, however, the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei is once again operating Zeppelins.
Unfortunately, they are rather small and are only used for local tourism, no longer for long-range travel. But who knows, with rising fuel prices, the Zeppelin might once again take to the sky again, in its original size… We can still dream.

And now for the second part:

2. Riese the Series - Episode II

After two terribly long weeks of waiting the Second Episode of Riese the Series was released today. My word. A tense, claustrophobic and rather haunted first half in a hospital, with certain signs that things are not all that right and strange things are afoot, followed by a brief visit to the queen and one cliffhanger end that does not bode well at all.

In two words: Watch it!

Also: We get a glimpse of two proper dirigibles in this episode, moored in the distance:

One point of contention, though: According to the map shown, the capital, or at least seat of Queen Amara is called Asgard, that’s a bit unimaginative… But who knows, there may be a steampunk Thor waiting somewhere.

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14.11.2009 by Traveler.

I participated in a demonstration against certain undesireable elements in our society today. They pretend to remember the fallen heroes of our country, like I do, but in reality, they glorify fascist cruelty and idiocy and I have nothing more to say.

Let the image speak:

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7.11.2009 by Traveler.

I took little time and had a detailed look at the Riese the Series Channel on Youtube (see last entry). I also had a look at the websites of Riese the Series and The Sect.

The Good:

Costumes, setting, everything about the videos conveys a very convincing post-apocalyptic steampunk feel. I am especially fond of Herrick. My speculation is, he might be something like a clockwork cyborg or a clockwork terminator. Of course I can be completely wrong here but it is nice to speculate.

The first episode raises a lot of interesting questions which are only fueled by the trailers and the hints dropped by the interviews of the cast and crew… I am positively itching for the next episode to appear on Youtube.

Questions include:

- What secret/information does Riese posess that makes her so hunted/valueable?

- What is the motivation of The Sect, who or what is the true power at its core and why is its influence so corrupting?

- Who or what is Herrick?

- Why is this world so primitive, almost medieval in some respects and so advanced in others?

These are just a few questions which are on my mind right now. I am really looking foreward to the next episode.

The Bad:

Apparently there will not be a single Zeppelin in the whole series… The airship drawing shown in one of the interviews is an actual ship with hot air ballons attached to it for lift. So no, thus far there is no sign of a Zeppelin.

But: This world is big and you do not know what hides behind the horizon.

The Ugly:

The Sect, oh my, what a thing it is. Thus far I think it is the Universal Brotherhood (of Shadowrun fame) gone Steampunk. My prefered speculation is, however, that it is a cult surrounding a steampunked horror of Lovecraftian proportions.

What also really strikes me is that the website of the Series does not have a steampunk feel to it but is rather comic book like in design. Perhaps this break from the aestheics of Steampunk, which are evident on the homepage of Riese the Series are a hint at an alien influence behind the sect… Yet more speculation.

We shall see. I definitely will.

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6.11.2009 by Traveler.

Well, well…Just a little note before I go to bed:I just found a most remarkable little Steampunk Jewel on Youtube:

I am pretty sure that this is not the last time I mention this series here… There will be at least one review. I shall follow this series very closely from no on.What a happy day for a Steampunk this is, to find such a jewel.And now, please enjoy the first episode:

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5.11.2009 by Traveler.

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