In the beginning, for the older posters.

[Civ]

This question has been haggling me in the back of my mind for awhile now and now, curiousity has gotten the better of me. For the older posters (in terms of how long you've been posting), what was it like for you when you first started posting on TF message boards? I'm talking about first experiences with fanboys/girls, people that made you look twice and warranted you to perform a self-sanity check, your first board, memorable experiences, and that sort of thing.

To clarify a bit on which older posters I'm referring about, I'm talking about the ones that we (okay, more like I) can't imagine them being newcomers/newbies/newbs/whatever. Posters like Denyer, Galvatron91, Sir Auros, Hound, Vin Ghostal, Cliffjumper, Brendocon, StoneCold Skywarp, Reflector, Sociopathic Autobot, and others. Now, that I'm really thinking about this, it's sort of hard to define since I'm not all that familiar with fandom history and how it all started and came to be what it is today. I was going to say pre-vBulletin but I'm not sure if that's even accurate. Erm...damn, I'm kinda stuck on a definition...I guess the closest would be the very well-established ones but even that's vague. I think I'm going to have to go with the hope that my rambling portrays my meaning and any help with a proper definition would be appreciated.

[verytired]

There's a thread like this in the Junkion files I'm sure, let me get the link...

-rummages-

Edit: OOh, there are two!

http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... eadid=5834

http://www.tfarchive.com/community/show ... readid=401

[Civ]

Well, crap. That just about kills this thread unless there's something pre-Archive anyone is willing to share.

**starts reading the two links**

[Denyer]

Things were particularly friendly and buoyant to begin with, as a large number of people had just discovered stable net connections at college or university, coupled with the time to really make use of them talking to people with similar interests.

There was a lot more pseudo-roleplay here and at TransFans, then at Seibertron when that started.

Going back a few years before that, I remember repostings of ATT conversation on websites, fun but not staggeringly well-written (in retrospect) fanfic by people such as Max and Glyph. Optimus's links page at canit.whatever actually worked, stuff like that. ATT was already notable for some fairly heated flame wars.

May make interesting reading:
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... opic=26415 (the bad)
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... opic=26466 (the good)

...and of course the ATT archives are still accessible via Google.

Since most of us are on the unfavourable side of twenty now, it's probably preferable to remember the pleasant memories and leave the rest to be dumpster-dived by other people if they're interested.

[RID Scourge]

I have a much better filter, now (I only say about 10% of the stupid **** I used to say).

Probably didn't help matters that a lot of my English teachers in high school would point out all of the dirty jokes in the works we studied, in such a way that they made all urbane humor looked like it was clever, culminating in my senior English teacher, who would be like "Hehhehheh! You know what that means, right?" Sophmore year at University, my Mythology prof was convinced that everything in mythology had to do with penises and popping shrooms.

Now that I look back, it's no wonder I thought I was a clever, little **** when I made dirty jokes with reckless abandon.

[Sir Auros]

I started posting because some jackass going by the alias Ernesto Correa took my friends' and my $100 and never sent us the TF tapes we ordered from him. I was warning people to not do business with him and someone here offered to sell me a set for much cheaper. They had really nice labels.

[Clay]

Originally posted by Denyer
May make interesting reading:
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... opic=26415 (the bad)
http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.ph ... opic=26466 (the good)

...and of course the ATT archives are still accessible via Google.

Oh, hey... Spengler's avatar is bigger on that forum, and it's clearly a zombie! I always thought it was a dinosaur.

/derail

[Hound]

When I discovered this site had a messege board I remember there was this guy who claimed to be working on a TF computer game and he would post stuff about how it was progressing and everyone would tell him he was full of ****, which he apparently was.

There was also Carly, who I'd guess is probably the first person to be permanently banned from here. I think his thing was spreading false rumours. I forget the specifics.

[Zisteau]

Was that the one you could download a demo of, kind of a crappy rpg where you ran around as Bumblebee or something?

[Halfshell]

Originally posted by Civ
I) can't imagine them being newcomers/newbies/newbs/whatever [...] Sociopathic Autobot

You're having a laugh, right?

[inflatable dalek]

Well, I'd been lurking round here and various other places for ages before joining so I was already fairly familiar with it. Now it's my home away from home...

[Civ]

Originally posted by Brendocon
You're having a laugh, right?

Errr...yes! Yes, I was! And a hearty laugh I had, indeed!

[Sir Auros]

Originally posted by Zisteau
Was that the one you could download a demo of, kind of a crappy rpg where you ran around as Bumblebee or something?

No, it was a platformer IIRC, but I do remember that barely started RPG.

[Jetfire]

Originally posted by Brendocon
You're having a laugh, right?

Indeed. He brings up SC not me. The bastard. I was a mod long before most of those.

[DrSpengler]

.

[Civ]

Originally posted by Jetfire
Indeed. He brings up SC not me. The bastard. I was a mod long before most of those.

And who are you again? By the way, that's Mr. Bastard to you.

EDIT: What is TAB? I saw that several times throughout the Junkion Files links but I didn't come across what it was.

[Hound]

Tipsy Anteater Bot

That ought to do away with any confusion right?

[Civ]

Originally posted by Hound
That ought to do away with any confusion right?

Thankfully, not really. Sir Auros seems to explain it in a nutshell to nmathew:

Originally posted by Sir Auros roughly 5 years ago
I suggested that we create a gestalt like transfans's "Drunken Monkeybot," let me get that straight off the bat. I introduced the idea here first, even though Denyer's generally credited with starting it by suggesting it to some mook. Then there was TAB and TUG. TAB=Tipsy Anteater Bot and TUG=The Ultimate Gestalt. I can't remember who all was involved, because that's where my memory gets fuzzy, but I believe Brend, some insecticons, and King Smug (as RCOSD was called at the time) were involved. They fought and eventually disbanded.

Also, Reflector had waaaaaaaay too much time on his hands if he made this:

[Sades]

Ooh, I remember Echowarrior's fics... not well enough to remember the content, but well enough to know they were horrible and brilliant, all at the same time.

[Keep in mind that my definition of 'brilliant' may not be the same as yours.]

Ah, TAB... I think I was on one of my offline stints when that occured. Either that or it was slightly before me...? either way, I remember it being all anyone talked about for a time. Love those shoes.

[Ravage]

Wow, Sept 2000 frig I am old.