Steampunk Genres

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Okay I am a big fan of Steampunk, so I made this chapter, for anybody out there who might be interested in writing a steampunk stories... so...

PUNK GENRES

Atomicpunk: Optimistic retro science fiction based on the Space Age. Think The Jetsons.

Biopunk: This genre is about altering genetics and DNA. These stories often take place in the near-future in which humans have been altered or in which human experimentation is common.

Candlepunk: Similar to clockpunk, but darker and with less technology.

Clockpunk: Think Da Vinci’s inventions, but more advanced while. This genre follows the aesthetics and technology of Western civilization during the mid to late middle ages, though sometimes it’s set in the Victorian era.

Cyberpunk: Has advanced technology and often focuses on artificial intelligence and the cyber world. The setting is often near-future rather than far-future. Blade Runner is an example.

Dieselpunk: Based on aesthetics and technology between World War I and World War II, sometimes up until the Cold War.

Decopunk: Ranges from the aesthetics of the 1920’s to the 1950’s. Decopunk aesthetic is heavily based on modernism. Less gritty than dieselpunk.

Elfpunk: Basically urban fantasy, but with common high or epic fantasy creatures put in an urban setting rather than vampires and werewolves.

Nanopunk: Similar to biopunk, but biotechnology is less available and nanotechnology is common.

Sandalpunk: Set in ancient worlds, such as Rome, but with advanced technology.

Splatterpunk: Extremely graphic and contains a lot of gore.

Steampunk: This genre gets its name from the heavy steam-powered technology involved. Aesthetics are based on the Victorian and industrial eras of the Western world, though other cultural elements may be used.

Western Steampunk: Similar to steampunk, but with Western (as in Wild West) aesthetics and settings.

Just for the extra:

Steampunk Weapons and Gadgets

Aether

Aether is a classical element.  In ancient times it was thought to be the forces beyond control. In the late 19th century, the term luminiferous aether was used to describe a medium for the propagation of light.  There’s a lot of room to use this mysterious element in everything from a power source to a scapegoat for natural disasters.  In Katie MacAlister’s Steamed, rayguns shoot superheated aether.

Analog Systems

In analog technology, a wave is recorded or used in its original form, where in digital technology  the analog wave is sampled at some interval, and then turned into numbers that are stored in the digital device.  What if we continued as an analog society instead of a digital one?

Automatons

An automaton is a self-operating machine (an autonomous robot).  They could be anything from elaborate clockwork singing birds (or killer ladybugs like inBlameless) to robot servants (like in Android Karenina).   They could be lifelike or stylized, maybe they even have a windup key in their back.

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