I've always been fascinated by steampunk. The intricate workings of the machinery, and the concept of using heavy mechanics rather than printed circuits make it seem like a more honest, more accessible kind of technology to me. And, I must admit, the sheer beauty of the old materials makes me want to touch them and run my hands along smooth metal and shiny glass surfaces.
So, being an erotic romance writer, I thought I'd try my hand at writing an erotic romance story with steampunk elements. The writing is going more or less smoothly. I've got a plot, a couple of characters and they are ready to experiment. One of them is a collector of steampunk machinery. Of course his extensive collection includes a steampunk fucking machine. My female character is turned on by the sight of it. The raw power of the thing, the idea of being fucked mechanically while being watched by her lover makes her go all hot and bothered. Things get steamy quickly (pun intended). They decide to try out the fucking machine and …
BANG CLANK CLANK CLANK BANG CLANK CLANK CLANK BANG CLANK!!!!
Do you see my problem?
Any kind of steampunk machinery would be loud! Very loud! The steam engine would make clanking and puffing noises and the cogs and wheels and push rods and whatever other metal parts would make a lot of noise too. There would also be steam, but that could be dealt with by installing chimneys. But what to do about the noise? I don't know about you, but I would probably be turned off by the noise. Like a bad vibrator turning you off as soon as you turn it on, you know?
So, what to do now? I'm contemplating several ways out of this fix at the moment and you'll certainly hear more about them in the near future. But I'd love to hear your ideas on the subject. So, please leave comments!