
Steampunk Historical Fantasy, Satirical Illustration Style, Cinematic Lighting. A bizarre, anachronistic scene inside a drafty medieval castle great hall (Camelot). A group of noblewomen, dressed in elaborate 6th-century velvet gowns, wimples, and tall pointed hennin hats with veils, are seated on rough wooden stools. They are furiously working a massive, makeshift telephone switchboard operator station. The Technology: The switchboard is constructed from rough-hewn oak timbers, gleaming brass gears, porcelain insulators, and hundreds of thick, chaotic copper wires that are strung haphazardly across ancient tapestries and stone walls, disappearing out narrow arrow-slit windows. The Action: The ladies hold bulky, antique Victorian-era earpieces and large brass mouthpieces, plugging heavy cables with oversized jacks into the board with expressions of intense concentration and mild confusion. Knights in armor walk past in the background, looking bewildered. Sunlight streams through gothic windows, illuminating the dust and the clash of eras.
