Summary: Steampunk!  Get your steampunk here! Mystery Challenge fic remains a mystery, even to me — but there shall be balloons, top hats, pirates, and mechanical monsters!

Written for the 2021 Mystery-Fic-Along Event. 
Beta and Sensitivity Readers: None
Artists: None
Categories: Season 4, Alternate Reality, Challenge Response
Characters: Ensemble, Original Characters
Genres: Fluffy/Comedy, Horror, Under Magical Influence
Warnings: Adult Language, Violence
Event: Mystery Fic-a-Thon 2021
Completed: Yes Chapters: 5
Word count: 6,884 Hit Count: 2,009 ePub Downloads: 36
Published: July 09, 2021 Updated: August 08, 2021


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Story Notes:

This story is for Girlytek, whose Secret Santa gift-fic made me start thinking about my WIP Something Old again.  I don’t know where this story is going, or that it will ever officially end up in Something Old, or even that it is quite congruent with that story, but it is at least playing around in the same steampunk sandbox.  Background in brief: technology is regressing to the Victorian era (including the Initiative and all their works); magic is erratic and failing (apparently trapping Buffy in Will-Be-Done-land); and Giles and Travers were last seen sailing back across the Atlantic in the company of teenage girl pirates, captained by a thoughtful and lovely vampiress. 
 

Many thanks to Dusty, for the splendiferous banner!!

1. Inside a Broken Clock by yellowb - Likes: 22 Comments: 17 Word Count: 1,477 Hit Count: 701 Published: July 09, 2021

I may add to this chapter before the final deadline -- I just couldn't resist showing off Dusty's lovely banner!

2. It Was All Ripe for Dreaming by yellowb - Likes: 15 Comments: 11 Word Count: 1,330 Hit Count: 354 Published: July 17, 2021

Where is this going?  I have no idea!  I have, however, realized that this story has some inconsistencies with Something Old proper, so I've felt free to throw in some gratuitous steampunky details. write

Many thanks to Cosmic Tuesdays, Twinkles, Szmattycat, and bewildered for the betaing!

3. We Swallowed the Night by yellowb - Likes: 12 Comments: 11 Word Count: 889 Hit Count: 339 Published: July 25, 2021

Okay, if you haven’t read Something Old you are about to be very lost, and I apologize… this week’s prompt just forced me — forced! — to rejoin Giles.  But I didn't write very much, so you should be fine.

Thanks to bewildered and Twinkles for their insta-beta-ing!  Also, in memory of Maggie, my own tiny, fine, and devilish calico.

4. Aboard a Shipwreck Train by yellowb - Likes: 15 Comments: 12 Word Count: 1,027 Hit Count: 313 Published: August 01, 2021

This short, short chapter is going up unbeta'd, because I need to gobble down my dinner and go see the Green Knight!  Woo-hoo!

5. We’ve Always Been Out of Our Minds by yellowb - Likes: 16 Comments: 13 Word Count: 2,161 Hit Count: 302 Published: August 08, 2021

Many thanks to Twinkles, Sigyn,  and sandy_s for the quick beta reads, and to Sigyn for her advice on pirate ships and lingo!

This chapter firmly establishes that this story is merely Something Old-adjacent.  No inference that Something Old shall end in the same manner should be drawn. 
(Can you tell that I'm a lawyer?)