Introduce yourself!

[Ellie Winchester]

Greetings to all,

As you can see, my handle is Ellie Winchester; you may call me Ellie.  I am a student, studying English and history, with a focus on the classical and medieval eras; however, I obviously have interests in other time periods as well.  I enjoy writing, drawing, reading, studying various cultures and folklore, mythology, legends from all over the world, as well as passing the time watching movies and studying their techniques, plot and various other aspects of production.  I'm also a collector of significantly useless knowledge, such as the fact that all the polygons used to create Optimus Prime in the first Transformers live-action movie of recent years could build the Roman Coliseum...twice.  I also enjoy collecting, or memorizing, various movie quotes, both obscure and blatant, such as "they took a sharp, red-hot poker, stuck it up your nose, scrambled things around a bit and ripped it all out through your nostrils" from The Mummy starring Brendan Fraiser and Rachel Weisz.

And now that you know a bit about myself, I should probably explain just what the bloody hell I'm doing here.  Obviously, I have an interest in steampunk, else my presence here would be fundamentally useless.  If I recall correctly, I first came across the concept when TOOLSHED, an online webcomic, was still being written and distributed, around 2005, 2006.  Since then, I've been coming across it repeatedly in art, fashion, literature, etc.  I've recently come to realize I have an interest in Victorian literature, though I absolutely cannot stand Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities.  Honestly, I understand the man was being paid by the word, but come on.  Stevenson's Robinson Crusoe is another that I just don't enjoy, but I digress.

I've been researching the various aspects of steampunk for years, though it wasn't until this year's ACen and my attendance of the Steampunk Mythbusters panel that my interest in it was reignited.  Add to that the fact that it is currently summertime and I'm studying John Keats this summer (yes, he's a Romantic, but he lived during the very beginning of the 1800s, so feh) and we get my current mindset.  I've been lurking this board for the past few days, trying to determine a username that would befit both myself and the group here before finally doing a bit of research into common/popular names of the period.  Ellie was one that struck my fancy while Winchester is a reference to the Winchester brothers of the CW's hit show Supernatural, which is something that I am vehemently fanatic about.  I just couldn't get the name out of my mind whilst beginning to craft my steampunk persona, so I finally just gave in.

Anyway, that's enough about me.  If you've read this far, kudos to you, dear reader.  I didn't intend for this to be as long as it is, but it's turned out that way and it's past 4am here, so I'm disinterested in cutting/clearing bits out.

Salt and Silver,
-Ellie Winchester

P.S. My avatar is one I stumbled up on deviantART today and I found it quite fitting.  It was created by zephyrofgod and I'm obliged to give credit where credit is due.

[Miss Johnny]

Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen.

So, I've been lurking here for a while, and finally decided to join after meeting some very friendly Brass Goggles members at the Steampunk World's Fair last weekend.

I've always loved all things Victorian since I was little, and a few years ago I was introduced to Steampunk via an online roleplay. From then on, I have become more and more fascinated with Steampunk. Living in the cultural wasteland that I do, I thought it would be nice to meet others with similar interests as myself.

Looking forward to being a part of this lovely community,
Miss Johnny.

[Jack_Vaine]

Greetings to one and all,
I'm recently calling myself Jack Vaine, though honestly it is only til something better comes along as I have a fondness for names that suit my mood and character. Since that tends to be ever changing I decided to go with a first name reflecting my initials and a last name that reflected the over all tone of myself in a general sense. This is not to say I am overly vain in regards to myself, merely my work when it is accomplished to my satisfaction (which is rarely is). I have always had a passion for steam punk, my first touch near the genre being tesla; I had and still do admire his work then there is jules verne who I enjoy as well especially the time machine. At any rate I wanted to introduce myself and if you are curious as to the avatar I've used it is simply a place holder until I get something more appropriate to use.
Jack

[Ophiucha]

Dia dhuit, my fellow man.
I am Ophiucha or, as I was named at birth, Alexandra Victoria. I am a New Yorker, born and raised, though I've spent much of my time traveling to England due to my father's family, who (mostly) live in Surrey. I am a writer, a chef, a linguist, an art historian, a fan of the oldest of speculative fiction, a newbie blogger, and an appreciator of the arts. I find little interest in dressing up or DIY mechanics - goodness knows I'd cut off my finger with a sewing machine, somehow, and I'd look rather silly in anything of Victorian origin. Though I do wear a corset (beneath my clothes) for the sake of a little trim. I am currently living in Vancouver, BC and I am a student at the University of British Columbia; undeclared, but considering art history, classical studies, romance studies, and medieval studies - my intended language (as it is required I learn one) is Italian, but I may switch to Latin. I've taken classes in Gaelic, German, French, Latin, and Japanese, but the only one I know with any proficiency is Latin. I'm also well read in regards to Scandinavian literature, both the Viking sagas and more recent stuff. After all, biased though it is, there have been an awful lot of Nobel Laureates in Literature who were from the area, so they are certainly worth reading. To summarize my personal tastes in the arts, my favorite composer is Tchaikovsky (though anyone Russian or Romantic is worth listening to, in my opinion), my favorite period of literature and painting is the Romantic period - literature, in particular, had the Gothic subset worth noting, and I find no period more fascinating than Heian Japan. Though I love the Victorians dearly, there is something to be said of the arts and aesthetics of the Heian court.

All the classicism aside, I spend most of my time headbanging at a local metal concert, contemplating what to write without ever actually writing it, and playing RPGs. I have a passing interest in science fiction and fantasy cinema, as well as the old noir and silent films. Some of my favorites include Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Inglourious Basterds, Pan's Labyrinth, Babe, Shadow of the Vampire, and the Dreamworks Animation: Road to El Dorado. Oh, and anything with Jason Isaacs or Alan Rickman is worth watching. I have a passing interest in anime and manga. My favorite series right now is Real Drive, but some persisting favorites of mine are Fullmetal Alchemist, Loveless, Baccano!, and Saiyuki. And anything from Ghibli, obviously. Regarding literature, my interests (unsurprisingly) are mostly old. Lord Dunsany, Jules Verne, E.R. Eddison, William Hope Hodgson, George MacDonald, Kenneth Grahame, William Morris, Edmund Spenser, H.G. Wells, etc. Special shout out to Vonnegut, Heinlein, and Asimov. Music-wise, other than Tchaikovsky, my favorite musicians are Eisbrecher, OOMPH!, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, Hans Zimmer, Igor Stravinsky, Epica, Within Temptation, and Black Sabbath. My favorite artist is - no question - Caspar David Friedrich, and my close followups are Hieronymous Bosch and Giger. I don't watch much TV, so I won't elaborate on that beyond saying I watch the History and Discovery channels.

And now I've written an overly long introduction, and I shall depart. Adieu.

[technomonk13]

Hi there,
I've been lurking here for quite some time, but I've finally decided to step in and register. This seems like a great community and I hope to get to know all of you. I'm a big steampunk/dieselpunk fan, but I don't have much gear yet. Hope to have a set up in time for DragonCon this year.  Anyway, thanks for the great site and forums, look forward to participating!
Heath

[Lails]

Hi, all. New here!

[the Hat]

Well, I am not exactly what one might call "new," but it has been nearly two years since any of you heard from me. So, I thought it only appropriate to introduce myself to the new crop of scalawags that have joined our ranks. My name is The Hat, sometimes known as Scott Coolige (a variation on the name of the famous president, my name sadly has the "d" missing), or simply Scott. I am not much of a tinkerer, but am an affable storyteller and cofounder of Gogglemas.

*tips hat to the aethernets*

[Zeronos]

Hello all. I've been intrigued by steampunk for as long as I can remember, and have every intention of rushing headlong into the subculture once I have a means of support. Call me Zeronos, or Alex if you prefer.

[proteus]

This thread is nearly 150 pages long -- not terribly useful for a single thread anymore. I'm locking it and starting a new thread for this purpose.

Since it's f historical interest, I'm also moving this version of the thread to the Historical Society to save it from reaping.