The Hunt Is On For An Aquatic Creature That Can Grant Immortality In The Steampunk Fantasy Short 'The Ningyo'

What if legendary creatures from folklore such as the Loch Ness monster, bigfoot, the chupacabra, and the yeti actually existed?

In the steampunk fantasy The Ningyo: Episode One they do.

Created by Miguel Ortega and Tran Ma, the short is set in Los Angeles in the year 1911. The story centers on the exploits of Professor C. Marlowe (Rodrigo Lopresti), a paleontologist who believes in the existence of ningyo - mermaids from Japanese folklore believed to grant imomortality to any who catch them and eat their flesh.

Marlowe's obsession with the ningyo causes him to fall into disfavor with the scientific community.

Despite the disdain and ridicule from his peers, Professor Marlowe claims he possesses a map which will lead him to the location of the fabled ningyo.

However, his claims about the map come to the attention of mysterious parties who will stop at nothing to acquire it. Forces including a wealthy Japanese aristocrat portrayed by acclaimed actress Tamlyn Tomita (The Karate Kid, Real Artists).

The Ningyo is a lavish production whose steampunk aesthetic seems heavily influnced by authors such as Jules Verne.

Stunning set pieces include a rambling, gilded mansion containing an otherworldly menagerie of cryptid creatures, to an ocean submersible that could be the sister ship to the famed Nautilus from Verne's classic novel 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.

The visual and creatue effects are jawdropping, and defy the popular misconception that independent genre films are inherently B-level and can not compete with bigger-budget mainstream fare.

But don't my word for it, watch this magnificent short here...

There are plans for the story of The Ningyo to be continued in future installments. To discover more about this extraordinary production, visit the short's official page on Facebook.

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Archangel From The Winter's End Chronicles - A Steampunk Adventure Web Series

Archangel From The Winter's End Chronicles is a steampunk web series set in 1893 London.

In this alternate history tale, humanity has harnessed the power of both steam and steel to achieve staggering technological advances.

Exploration of the natural world has reached unparalleled heights. 

Sadly, instead of this being a golden age of enlightenment, a vast criminal network, known as "The League," has corrupted the world's governments, and oppresses its peoples.

Out of this troubled time arises a vigilante who is dedicated to utterly destroying The League. He comes to be publicly known as Archangel.

Archangel is extremely well-produced, with an aesthetic that represents the best of steampunk, including gorgeous clock-work props, detailed costuming, intricate sets, and sepia-tinged cinematography that gives the series a rich, period feel.

The series is produced by Atlanta Cutlery Corp./Museum Replicas Ltd. -  a leading manufacturer of armor, swords, and other edged weapons used to produce collectibles based on many Hollywood properties, such as Game of Thrones.

This explains why the costumes, props, and sets have a verisimilitude often only associated with big-budget period movies.

The cast also rises to the occasion, with the actors turning in fine performances vital in bringing the series to vivid life.

The first episode of Archangel mainly serves as a primer, introducing viewers to this intriguing world and its major players.

You may watch it here ...

The second episode of the series is also available Archangel Episode II.

More episodes  are planned, which will expand the mythology of the series.

Archangel is yet another promising web series in the increasingly popular steampunk genre. With its fascinating premise and exceptional production value, I look forward to seeing more stories set in this imaginative world.

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Progress The Series - Jack The Ripper Is Loose In This Steampunk Cyber-Thriller

In the imaginative steampunk web series Progress, the year is 1888, and the web is all the latest rage.

In this alternate 19th century England, information flows freely through a steam-powered internet.

To the consternation of many, every citizen of the crown has access to this new-fangled form of communication.  

Everyone including a ghastly serial killer terrorizing the Whitechapel district of London.

 In the premiere episode, you are introduced to Oscar Lerwill (Ben Whalen), a bored hacker seeking to pass the time by visiting the seedier parts of the web.

After an aborted encounter with Lila (Rebecca Lynch), a pay-per-view exotic performer, Oscar stumbles upon a disturbing file apparently uploaded to the internet by Jack the Ripper himself.

The siren song of a dark mystery is calling out to Oscar. Will he solve the enigma of the Ripper, or be consumed by it? 

Written by Armando Saldanamora and directed/produced by Nicole Wright, Progress promises to be an engrossing thrill ride.

The series' unique premise is brought to life by means of exceptional production values including:

• gorgeous set, costume, and prop designs

• period dialogue delivered masterfully by the capable cast

• sensational cinematography (make sure to watch the series in HD if at all possible!) 

• a creepy mystery involving one of the most notorious serial killers of all time

• witty spoofs of popular tech and current staples of internet culture 

Travel back in time to a Victorian England that-could-have-been by watching the entire first episode here: 

 Progress is a web series in 10 parts. All future episodes will be available on its YouTube channel: ProgressTheSeriesOnYouTube.

The world of Progress is dark, rich, and enthralling - I can't wait for my next trip back.

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Dirigible Days - An Adventure Where Steampunk Meets Lovecraft

​Image Copyright Day 304 Productions.

Imagine an alternate universe where at the pinnacle of the Victorian age,  debris from a nearby asteroid bombards the Earth. Millions perish, civilization crumbles, and humanity enters a second Dark Age. The Earth itself is transformed by a strange ore within the meteorites that creates new floating continents.  

After almost a thousand years, man has rebuilt a sky-faring civilization complete with elegant air ships, pirates, global Empires, and arcane religions.

Welcome to Dirigible Days, an award-winning, wildly imaginative five-part steampunk web series. The brainchild of creator (and series star) James Bragado, the plot follows the  exploits of  the roguish crew of the S.S. Beatrix.

While seeking their next payday,  the crew find themselves in conflict with the sinister leader of a crazed cult who worships the infernal god Cthulhu from H.P. Lovecraft mythos. 

Dirigible Days was financed via Kickstarter for a modest amount even by independent standards. This makes the resulting product all the more impressive.  The majority of the set, costume, and prop design are highly detailed - quite a feat given the budget the production  had to work with.

Also, the opening credit narration is by Anthony Daniels, C-3PO of Star Wars fame! 

I am still a newbie to the genre, but after seeing Dirigible Days, my interest is definitely piqued. I highly recommend this series for the passion, creativity, and imagination on display throughout.

Below is the first episode:

To watch the complete series, visit its channel on YouTube: Dirigible Days.

While there are no present plans to produce more episodes, the production is planning a comic book spin off.  I think this will be a perfect way to expand the universe.  

 Support the project by visiting its official Kickstarter campaign, and lending your support: 

Dirigible Days Comic Book Kickstarter 

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