In this meme titled “Temporal Rift? Again?”, we are introduced to a quintessentially composed Victorian gentleman calmly adjusting his cuffs while a swirling temporal rift looms ominously behind him. The contrast between chaotic time anomalies and his unwavering sense of decorum plays into the humour of steampunk culture — where refinement and absurdity coexist in perfect harmony.
This piece pokes fun at the idea of repeated time-travel emergencies being met not with panic, but with sartorial composure. The caption, “Tidy your cuffs. One cannot time travel with wrinkled sleeves,” satirises the obsession with appearance and etiquette often found in both Victorian society and modern cosplay subcultures. It’s not just a visual gag — it’s a manifesto for the chronologically adventurous: dignity first, even when the timeline collapses.
The underlying joke is a love letter to the steampunk aesthetic, which blends high-stakes sci-fi tropes with genteel manners, impeccable tailoring, and a touch of British absurdity. Whether facing tea shortages or tachyon surges, proper attire is non-negotiable.
This meme sits comfortably within the “Steampunk Composure Protocol” series, where formality always trumps chaos.
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve queued for croissants in the gondola lounge while crossing the Channel at 3,000 feet. Mind the steam pressure.
Thank you, David Bent, for your vision.
Facebook, 9th August 2025.
In an alternate steampunk universe, the skies are not just a realm for clouds but a bustling highway for airships. Our latest meme captures this enchanting reality with an image of a grand, brass-plated dirigible, adorned with the Eurostar logo, gracefully soaring over a sepia-toned London. The caption reads, “The regular dirigible service, London to Paris, flying overhead.” This phrase is delivered with deadpan humour, presenting the spectacle of air travel as an everyday occurrence.
The Charm of Steampunk Travel
Imagine a world where international travel by airship is not only viable but also a standard expectation. In our familiar, fast-paced world, high-speed trains like the Eurostar whisk passengers beneath the English Channel in clinical tunnels. But in this imaginative steampunk London, travel is an affair filled with elegance and nostalgia. The Eurosteam Express floats effortlessly above the channel, offering travellers an experience complete with feather-quilled reservations and charming brass luggage tags.
This whimsical reimagining invites us to reflect on how we perceive travel in our own lives. The immense airship drifting across the skyline isn’t cause for astonishment; in this world, it’s simply another Monday. This notion subtly highlights modern life’s tendency to normalise extraordinary feats of engineering. We often forget to marvel at the wonders of flight as we get lost in the details of our busy routines—like untangling headphones or finding the right boarding gate.
A Nod to Familiarity
The addition of the Eurostar logo on the dirigible plays a cheeky role in this meme. It ties the fantasy of steampunk travel to something recognisable and familiar, creating an eerie yet amusing plausibility. What if the Eurostar were an air cruise line, gliding majestically through the sky? It’s a humorous thought that evokes curiosity and imagination.
In our fast-paced modern society, we tend to overlook the marvels right in front of us. What if this airship were your daily commute? Each journey would be a grand adventure, marked by the gentle hiss of steam and the intricate gears that power your flight.
Conclusion
This playful meme not only serves as an entertaining glimpse into a whimsical world, but it also encourages us to rethink our relationship with travel. Next time you gaze skyward, consider the possibilities that lie beyond the tunnels and tracks we’re accustomed to. In a world where dirigibles float overhead, every day could be an opportunity for adventure.
So, the next time you catch a glimpse of a plane in the sky, remember, it could be an airship on its way to Paris—because in the steampunk world of the Eurosteam Express, that’s just another day in the skies.
Just another perfectly reasonable morning commute through Parallel Steampunk London.
Steam-powered buses hiss down cobbled lanes, conductors look alarmingly composed, and no one can quite remember where the fog ends and the timetable begins.
Fuelled by tea. Guided by fog.
A big thanks to David Radlett for suggesting the bus.
The transport system appears fully operational — if mildly whimsical. Steam-powered buses rumble down cobbled lanes. Conductors maintain an air of severe professionalism. Goggles are issued but not explained. Timetables remain theoretical.
The fog appears sentient.
Meme context:
This image was created in response to a reader comment on the post:
“You wake up in a parallel steampunk London — what’s the first thing you notice?”
Their answer:
“The steam-powered buses with conductors. Possibly goats — maybe even the descendants of our late pet pygmy goats, Patsy, Purdy and Edgar.”
We opted to explore a slightly more conventional version of that reality. Goats may yet arrive.
The slogan “Fuelled by tea. Guided by fog.” nods to two essential British exports: determination and utter confusion. It’s a wry summary of steampunk logistics — where the engine may sputter, but the vibe stays impeccable.
This meme playfully combines steampunk aesthetics with modern digital woes — specifically, losing internet or mobile signal.
In the image, a well-dressed Victorian gentleman sips tea calmly while a pigeon (styled as a stand-in for a raven) perches nearby with a scroll. In the background, a sparking, gear-filled communication contraption has clearly failed. The top text asks, “Lost all communications?”, and the bottom advises: “Post a raven. Sip something restorative.”
The joke hinges on the absurd juxtaposition of 19th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. When your high-tech device fails — a relatable modern frustration — the suggestion is to revert to a whimsical steampunk alternative: sending a message via bird (like a raven or pigeon), and calmly drinking tea.
The accompanying Facebook caption drives the humour further: “When the signal fails, summon the feathered broadband. Reliable, reusable, and never asks for a password.”
This line mocks our dependence on Wi-Fi and passwords, suggesting instead a feathered creature with perfect uptime and zero digital barriers. It pokes fun at both modern connectivity issues and Victorian-era eccentricity — the very essence of steampunk humour.
Submitted without context, yet somehow perfectly understandable.
This latest entry features a tabby cat in full steampunk attire (waistcoat and goggles, naturally) staging what appears to be a mid-air mutiny against an anxious goat at the helm. A raven provides enthusiastic aerial support. It’s unclear what caused the feline-led rebellion, but judging by the goat’s expression, this was not on the flight plan.
The phrase “Mutiny Most Fowl” was suggested by a regular follower who imagined the chaos of a raven and a cat teaming up to overthrow a goat pilot. Naturally, we obliged.
No actual animals were harmed. The goat probably had it coming.
The Raven-Cat Mutiny (also known informally as “A Mutiny Most Fowl”) refers to a widely circulated steampunk meme depicting a feline-led insurrection aboard a dirigible. Accounts vary, but most versions involve a waistcoated tabby cat, a helpful raven, and a bewildered goat attempting to retain control of the airship’s helm. While traditionally viewed as a lighthearted affair, some historians have argued that the incident marks a turning point in airborne animal diplomacy. Interpretations differ as to whether the event constitutes an actual mutiny or simply an aggressive redistribution of navigational responsibility. The event is now commemorated annually aboard some airships with ceremonial squawking, theatrical paw-pointing, and biscuits withheld without explanation.
The illustration features a black-and-white, hand-drawn style reminiscent of Victorian-era etchings or woodcuts, set against a sepia-toned background. The central figure is a man with a moustache and spectacles, wearing a suit, a bow tie, and a high-collared shirt. He is holding an unfolded map, looking at it with a calm, slightly amused expression.
The background is a dramatic scene. A large volcano is erupting, spewing smoke, rocks, and an array of gears and cogs into the air. Several small dirigibles are flying nearby, one of which is positioned close to the volcano’s peak. To the right of the man’s head, there is a small, mechanical device with pipes and a pressure gauge.
The text at the top, in a large, capitalised font, reads “MAP INACCURATE BY 300 MILES”. The text at the bottom, in the same bold, capitalised font, reads “SPLENDID. MORE ADVENTURE THAN EXPECTED”.
The meaning of the meme is to reframe a difficult or challenging situation as a positive opportunity. The man’s calm and enthusiastic reaction to the realisation that his map is wildly inaccurate and he is in a dangerous, volcanic area is a humorous subversion of what would be a stressful moment for most people. The meme suggests an attitude of embracing unexpected problems as exciting adventures, rather than obstacles, and is often used to convey a sense of unflappable optimism or a love for chaotic situations.
The illustration features a black-and-white, hand-drawn style reminiscent of Victorian-era etchings or woodcuts, set against a sepia-toned background. The central figure is a stern-looking man with a large, handlebar moustache, dressed in a long, high-collared coat cinched with a belt. He has a complex, steampunk-style mechanical arm, complete with gears and articulated fingers, on his left side. He is wearing large, industrial-looking headphones connected by a series of pipes and wires that run down his back. A circular mechanical device with a gear and a pressure gauge is attached to the front of his coat.
The background is a chaotic and industrialised cityscape with numerous factory smokestacks and a thick plume of smoke filling the sky. There are also flames and smoke rising from a few buildings, giving the impression of a disaster or a very polluted atmosphere.
The text at the bottom, in a bold, capitalised font, reads “REALITY CALLED. I PUT IT ON HOLD.”
The meaning of the meme is to humorously express a refusal to deal with the problems or responsibilities of daily life. The steampunk aesthetic and the man’s stoic demeanour contrast with the chaotic background, suggesting that he is deliberately ignoring or shutting out the messy, overwhelming reality around him. The addition of the post caption “Your call is important to us. Please hold while we reroute your reality through several unstable dimensions” further emphasises this idea, treating the concept of “reality” like an unwanted phone call that is being deliberately delayed and complicated.
The image is a digitally rendered steampunk-style composition that mimics a real-world object. It features a chaotic, industrial background of dark metal pipes, valves, and gauges, suggesting a complex, old-fashioned machine.
In the foreground, there is an ornate, retro-futuristic steampunk device. It consists of a large, glowing Edison-style light bulb housed in a metal cage on top of a boxy mechanism with brass gears, knobs, and switches. Below this, there is a digital clock display made of glowing, orange Nixie tubes that shows the time “02:38”.
Mounted on the wall behind the device is a plaque with text that adds to the humorous, meme-like nature of the image. The text reads:
The meaning of the meme is to set up a humorous, impending event. The serious, dramatic tone of “COMMENCE CHAOTIC TIME-ANOMALY” is undercut by the playful and absurd outcome of “UNEXPECTED VICTORIAN HIJINKS.” The image is a lighthearted joke about the genre of steampunk itself, taking its dramatic, intricate machinery and applying it to a trivial, funny outcome. The fact that the Nixie tube clock is a real, available product on Etsy adds another layer of a real-world object being transformed into a meme, blurring the lines between a product, a piece of art, and a joke.
The image is a digital illustration in a steampunk style, showing a man with glasses and a jacket walking away from a chaotic scene of cogs, gears, and a pressure gauge. Sparks and glowing embers fill the air behind him, suggesting a recent mechanical failure or explosion.
The text at the top of the image reads “I DIDN’T LOSE CONTROL. I JUST…” and the text at the bottom reads “…SWITCHED NARRATIVES.”
The meme’s meaning is a humorous way of reframing a situation where one has clearly lost control. Instead of admitting failure, the person in the meme presents their loss of control as a deliberate and strategic choice to change the direction of events. It’s a way of jokingly rationalising a bad outcome or a mistake as a planned, intentional act, often used in contexts where things have gone spectacularly wrong. The man’s calm demeanour while walking away from the mechanical disaster reinforces the humour of his statement.
