What is Steampunk to you?

A few short months ago, steampunk was a term that nobody had ever really heard the term steampunk, so it was niche and it was cliquey. people started applying it to EVERYTHING. now you can't go into a boutique without seeing something with brown worn leather and brass studs and hearing someone say that is steampunk.

still - what is steampunk to you? How did you come across it, what inspiration do you take, and from where, and what do you want to do with it? More importantly, what kind of steampunk do you want to cosplay? do you go for the suave and dashing sky pirate? the dusty brigand in a boarder town? the greese slicked engineer whos as quick with a quip as he is with a wrench?

for myself, i came to steampunk through the music of bands like Abney Park, so naturally, like the first progenitors of steampunk fashion, i originally took a vaguely gothic bent - lots of black and silver, intermingled with brass and pipes. now, i have a dozen different characters on the go and loads of costumes left to design.

My own persona, though, is Captain Horatio Quicksilver - Finder of Lost Things (and i so have to get that as a buiseness card) i favor military uniforms, mono goggles, and ludicrus amounts of weaponry (as i type, the latex layers are drying on my first Cog Sword - larp safe - for my next con). What about you? give as much background and detail as you like.

Wow I love it, it's great when someone can be so passionate about something, like Applecore is about Sweet Lolita!

Personally, i vaguely knew about Steampunk but it wasn't until i went to the panel at Kitacon that i really understood what it was all about. So I'm still pretty new to Steampunk and what I love about it is that alot of it revolves around creating your character and then bringing them to life, which is such a fantastic concept!

I'm still working on my own character as we speak, so won't start making an outfit until i know that character, don't wanna just make a random generic Steampunk outfit!

Would love to see some pictures of what you have mad, and more on this character Quicksilver!

Perhaps we could start a thread for people to post thier Steampunk Bio's?

now that is a very good idea

Lol, my passion for lolita in general, proven by the fact I first heard of steampunk as a sub-section of lolita! I've never done anything steampunk myself but I love looking at other peoples stuff, it is always so intricate and interesting and I love how everything has a story behind it and people build up entire characters. It's fascinating :3

Thanks for that Captain Quicksliver. Its really awesome that we have someone soooo passionate about steampunk. I have always heard the phase used for victorian scifi novels such as Wells and Pullman but didnt really know about it all till watching anime such as Steamboy.

Once I started getting into cosplay, I started to come across more and more steampunk costumes. Like Shadowbeam, I attended a steampunk lecture at Kitacon and it has inspired me to have a go at creating my own character. I have just have a vague idea of what I would like to do. Really need to sit down and perhaps write out some short fiction and get myself in the frame of mind. Any help with getting the creatitivity goin would be great.

Look forward to reading your bio Quicksliver ^_^

well, at the moment, it's two 35 minute episodes and counting - the problem of loving something and doing a media degree...

anyway - theres plenty of helpful stuff out there, but really it depends on what kind of character you want to portrey - for example, with my own personna, i took inspiration from Firefly, the Shannara series by Terry Brooks, the books of Stephen Hunt, and more than a little WW2 fiction. (not thaqt i'm calling any of that perticularly steampunk, it just helped)

if you want a good place to start though, i'd say take a look at the Newbury and Hobbes novels by George Mann

I never really heard of steampunk until Alcon 2008 when i saw a guy dress in what appeared to be basic steampunk clothing and everyone seemed to flock around him.
Id love to learn more about the style etc espcially after seeing alot of steampunk themed cakes on a website i visit alot for inspiration. Wheres a good place to start?

Akemi wrote:

I never really heard of steampunk until Alcon 2008 when i saw a guy dress in what appeared to be basic steampunk clothing and everyone seemed to flock around him.
Id love to learn more about the style etc espcially after seeing alot of steampunk themed cakes on a website i visit alot for inspiration. Wheres a good place to start?

LOL!!!! Methinks u mean Quciksliver. Was it someone with a jetpack cos if it was I think u have met him.

yep - it was me!! And i'll be back this year

Really oh wow i had no idea. Yeah i think you even spoke to me on the friday night lol
Ah wel ...goes off to find more info on steampunk

haha he was so famous at that con...and totally bought the paws i wanted

Yeah now if i remember rightly he told me he had a jareth costume he wore to a ball? god that hurts my brain to go that far back.
Labrinth = Awesome