For those who have not met this leather-and-brass-clad femme fatale, this is Lady Clankington, as she has become known in Steampunk circles,
adventuress and purveyor of carnal curiosities. The above image is actually one that has been submitted to various places, and it has at the very least started conversations about whether the garb in the photo is "actually steampunk or not." I believe it certainly is, but to each their own opinions. (Others object to the word "suddenly" in reference to the popularity of steampunk.)
The other effect it had was to introduce many to (and sell all of)
her Infernal Devices, as she and others have called them, created for those who really,
really enjoy their steampunk. This collection of hypoallergenic, customized gadgets such as the
Little Death Ray would be best perused by mature audiences, and not while at most places of employ (read: probably NSFW, depending on where you work!). If you want something for the steampunk aficionado who has everything... and each one is numbered for collector value. There have been 100 of each series so far.
It seems that all of the ray guns are sold out at this time*, but the shop page promises that more will reach the market soon. In the meantime, you can see that in 2010 at San Diego ComiCon,
Lady Clankington gave an interview revealing why she has embraced the role of icon of steampunk-inspired gadgets.
*NOTE: At Anachrocon, I spoke with Lord Featherstone, the gentleman from Brute Force Studios who makes the "guns", says that the Mark III Little Death Ray infernal devices are NOW for sale.
(At the Brute Force booth at Anachrocon 2012, I took the below photo of the device engraved as #001. Lord Featherstone was very proud of the craftsmanship he had invested in the example he had with him. He also confided in me that both items #069 and #007 usually result in a bidding war, so buy early and bid very early if you want those serial numbers on your Little Death Ray.)
