Welcome to Gaia! ::

It grew out of a childhood love of alternate history, particularly ones where the British Empire was foremost and still a force for good in the world.

Then I forgot about all that and grew up. I became interested in low-tech and its advantages over high-tech, especially so far as endurance in extreme climate is concerned, and its ramifications in a post-apocalyptic scenario (having read 'Z for Zachariah'; and shortly after became interested in renewable energy and environmental campaigns.

So, now we're up to me at 18 (I'm not 21) and I read the 'Mortal Engines' series. Something in those books united low-tech and old-world with the post-apocalyptic, and I emerged as an alternative steampunker.

The consistent relations of the fiction to real issues and current affairs means that my outlook is a little different from most.

I'm not a cosplayer, I hate anime, I don't own any graphic novels. I'm a realist, a young politician, and environmental campaigner, and these things mean that I'm a steampunker who - slightly unconventionally - feels that something akin to certain steampunk incarnations could happen, for real, quite naturally.

Same! I think....

I've always, always, ALWAYS loved the Victorian/Edwardian era - really, anything outside of there seems rather... fake, or clunky, or rather unnecessary... to me. I love reading, and I'll pick up a book by Verne or Dickens before I pick up a modern book (unless I'm familiar with a modern author, but there's so few I like). If I actually could pull off a Steampunk-ish outfit, I'd have a wardrobe of them, odd sideways looks be da... well, anyway. smile As it is, I haunt local antique stores for Victorian accessories and things of that nature. I even picked up a set of period goggles cheap once (a beautiful set, really, early burgandy plastic or bakelite around black metal frames and glass eyepieces) because they appealed to me. smile No outfit is truly complete to me without a watch-chain and fob, wth a shiny watch attached in your pocket to play with when you're bored.

I pull pocketwatches apart for a hobby, and study how they work. I've actually gotten a few to run again, but... well, the ones that didn't work were broken already, and have the prettiest gears in them. I'm honestly happiest when I'm working with gears and all, taking things apart and hopefully getting them back together. I disdain battery-run watches; if they can't run on their own power, then they don't deserve to run at all! But, that's a rant for another day.... smile I even refer to computers as the "modern-day watch," in the way that they're fun to take apart and see how they run... while they are a necessary evil that I quite enjoy using and learning about, they still aren't nearly as interesting as watches. smile I'd love to work on bigger things as well, but watches are readily avaliable. Ah well - perhaps one day I'll get to learn how the machines worked in person...... In short, really anything with gears in it makes me go all drooley and makes me want to take it apart; my sisters have had to physically pull me away from clocks and the like in stores because I wanted to open them up.... *sheepish grin*

As for how I actually got into it, I'm not quite sure. I was first introduced to it by the anime Last Exile, which my sister insisted on watching every night it was on TV. I fell in love with the vanships from there; I'd be in heaven if I could have one of my very own that actually worked. *daydreams about that* *shakes herself awake* Oh, right. Anyway, ever since then I've noticed myself being drawn to anything that combined the styles of th Victorian era with gears, or clocks, or shiny metal pipes, or... well, anything like that, really. smile I hadn't really heard the word "steampunk" untl my sister (same one from before) mentioned her boyfriend was into it, and how I'd get along with him because of "all those watches and things tinker with." And then I found this guild! heart So I'm still new to it, and will probably lurk (mostly to learn, but I'm a bit shy as well). Cheers! smile

I just kind of stumbled on steampunk. I've always liked building and making things (I'm a carpenter), it's in my blood so to speak. I don't like how industrialized and disposable American society has become, and steam engines and whatnot seem a good, fairly logical alternative.

Just recently, I saw that one of my brother's friends dressed steampunk, though I didn't know the name of it at the time. My dad asked why he was wearing goggles, and he explained that he just liked them. I liked the style, so I asked my brother later what he would think if I dressed like that. He shrugged and told me that it was called steampunk, and I've read everything on it I could find since then.

Here I am, minorly obsessed and making feeble attempts to dress steampunk.

It was quite by accident, as seems to be the case with many people here.
I found the Steampunk thread in the forums, and got really interested in it. Did some research, and decided I had to find out more.
Which is why I'm here now! smile

Hmm, it's a combination of influences really.

I think a small part of it came from my childhood. Behind my house was a train track and trains of goods passed by several times a day (Tropicana shipped all their oranges out of Florida about 60 miles/ 100km away).

I have also always been fascinated with the turn-of-the-twentieth-century era and Victorian fashion (top hats and pocket watches and monocles! <3 ) And, yes, I'll admit I loved the Disney movie "Atlantis" as a child. The protagonist guy was so awesome!

I think what helped get into the actual steampunk culture etc was reading The Golden Compass in His Dark Materials and listening to some Abney Park. As well as back in November for NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) finding the name of the genre in which I wanted to write.

I love WWI fighter planes, airships and pilots to NOT be into steampunk...

I would probably say becasue I have always loved History, and the possibillities of the 19th century is great. The Steam, the inventions, the pionering feeling. It was great.

Also the fashion falls into my liking. I always had a thing for Victorian dresses and fashions so... I fell for the more "modern" take on them through the Steampunk fashions.

After I played Arcanum I was fully hooked on Steampunk as a "definition" and it soon followed by the comic Steampunk and all kinds of other things.

Sci-fi, Fantasy, Steampunk, Cyberpunk and such are MUCH to my love... all of it.

So... several years ago.