“What IS Steampunk? …the eternal, inevitable panel.”

What IS Steampunk? Is it even possible to have a Steampunk event without a panel that asks what Steampunk is?

Dive headlong into the clanking, whirring soul of steampunk with this Wonderplace Alpha roundtable—a gathering of sharp minds and wild spirits ready to unravel one of the strangest beasts in the genre jungle. This isn’t some dusty lecture or a goggle-polishing tutorial; it’s a full-on, no-holds-barred tussle with the question: What is steampunk, anyway? Picture a table surrounded by tinkerers, dreamers, and rebels—each with their own scars and stories from the steam-powered fray—hashing out the essence of this Victorian-tinged madness. From the grit of brass gears to the glow of gaslit dreams, they’ll peel back the layers of a world that’s equal parts history, fantasy, and outright defiance. Expect sparks, arguments, and maybe a few raised tankards—this is steampunk, raw and unfiltered, served up for Wonderplace Alpha’s curious and chaotic travelers.

Discussion Subjects:

1. The Spark of Origin
   Where does steampunk ignite—those gaslit novels of the 19th century, or a later rebellion against shiny sci-fi? Is it born from the pages of Verne and Wells, or forged in the workshops of modern misfits dreaming of a past that never was?
2. Steam, Style, or Spirit
   Does steampunk demand hissing boilers and copper pipes, or is it deeper—a mood, a philosophy, a way to thumb your nose at sterile futures? Can it thrive without the tech, or is the machinery its beating heart?
3. History’s Mirror or Fantasy’s Playground
   Is steampunk a warped reflection of Victorian reality—corsets, colonialism, and all—or a fantastical escape where airships rule and time bends? How much does it owe to the past, and how much does it rewrite it?
4. The Craft of the Crafters
   What binds steampunk’s soul—scribbling tales of clockwork empires, stitching velvet vests with hidden gears, or welding contraptions that puff and spark? Is it art, engineering, or a bit of both—and who decides what’s “authentic”?
5. The Edges of the Ether
   Where does steampunk blur into other realms—gothic shadows, cyberpunk rust, or high-fantasy whimsy? Are there borders to patrol, or is it a lawless frontier where anything with a whiff of steam can stake a claim?
6. The Tomorrow of Yesterday
   What’s next for steampunk—does it chug into new eras, mash up with diesel or solar, or stay forever locked in its sepia haze? Can it evolve without losing its grit, or is it a relic meant to rust beautifully?