TimePunk/PunkPunk: The Textening
Been largely absent from this blog this year, so of course I figured I’d make it up to you with two extremely long text posts two days in a row. Love you all!
This is the Timepunk/Punk Punk post from 2015 updated for 2018, in a format you can copy/paste, and accessible to screen readers. Added a few more *punks and clarified a few more definitions. (Feel free to message me if you know of a *punk not on the list.)
Timepunk: Advanced technologies develop in a historical (or future) period, which changes the associated society, fashion, and magic. TVTropes explanation: Either exchanges the basic technology for that of another historical period or mixes in another genre.
These are not definitions or in-depth in any way. I describe each with associations and imagery, as I’ve found these to be useful shorthand for explaining to strangers and newbies. I tried to make sure each punk had more than one discussion or labeled work online (otherwise the list would expand to include every silly discussion thread on the internet).
Note: none of these have much to do with 1960s-70s Punk music culture, other than some possible overlapping anti-authoritarian themes. These genres are derivatives of steampunk, which arose from cyberpunk.
stonepunk: Prehistoric, Neolithic, Stone Age
bronzepunk: Bronze Age, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Mediterranean
sandalpunk, classicpunk, ironpunk, togapunk: Iron Age, Classical antiquity, Greece, Roman Empire, Atlantis, Antikythera mechanism
biblepunk: Biblical Middle East, emphasizes adventure over morality
middlepunk, dungeonpunk, candlepunk, plaguepunk, castlepunk: Medieval European, medieval fantasy, Black Death
dragonpunk, vikingpunk, wizardpunk: high fantasy, medieval fantasy, Tolkien, wizards, Vikings
clockpunk: Renaissance, early Baroque, Leonardo Da Vinci, Galileo
bardpunk: Shakespeare sci-fi
rococopunk, lacepunk: Baroque, Rococo, Colonial, Marie Antoinette, American Revolution, New Romantics
rococoa: rococopunk based on black history, Assassin’s Creed Liberation
piratepunk: Golden Age of Piracy, Age of Sail, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag
steampunk: Regency, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, Industrial Revolution, Jules Verne, HG Wells
steampulp, gaslamp fantasy: steampunk focused on fantasy/adventure/romance over science fiction
steamfunk: steampunk based on black history, sometimes combined with 1970s funk aesthetics
steamgoth, dreadpunk: period gothic, supernatural, horror, Penny Dreadful
dustpunk, cattlepunk, Weird West: North American cowboy, American Indian, Wild West
Amishpunk: giant wooden robots?
gauchopunk: South American cowboy
slavicpunk: Eastern Europe, rural/pagan/mystical themes
teslapunk: steampunk focused on electricity, free energy, Nikola Tesla
nerfpunk: steampunk in bright Nerf gun colors
stitchpunk: rag doll steampunk
fairypunk: steampunk fairy tales
decopunk, flapperpunk: Roaring Twenties, Jazz Age, Art Deco, Prohibition, flappers, gangsters
dieselpunk: World War I & II, London Blitz, tank/sub warfare, bomber planes, military, noir
dieselfunk: dieselpunk based on black history
Blitzpunk, Nazipunk: dieselpunk focused on Nazis as super-villains, alternate Nazi-ruled history
atompunk: Atomic Age, Space Age, pulp, raygun gothic, Fallout
transistorpunk, psychedelipunk, weedpunk: Cold War, Vietnam War, psychedelic drugs, disco, Space Race, James Bond, Philip K. Dick
spacepunk: space opera, space exploration, sword and space, futuristic utopia, Ziggy Stardust, Star Trek
Cassette Futurism, formicapunk: late 20th century analog technology, VHS, cassettes, primitive digital, 8-bit, no internet or cellphones, The Fifth Element, Max Headroom
gothicpunk, cybernoir: post-modern, dystopian, goth and punk fusion, old World of Darkness, The Crow
cyberpunk: cyberspace, cyborgs, dystopia, Blade Runner, Neuromancer, the street finds its uses for technology
postcyberpunk, cyberprep: cyberpunk without the assumption of dystopia, Ghost in the Shell
biopunk: cyberpunk focused on genetic engineering and organic technology
nanopunk: cyberpunk focused on nanites and nanotechnology
bugpunk: cyberpunk/biopunk starring bugs
solarpunk: near-future, solar tech, environmentally-friendly tech, neo-Art Nouveau & African, Asian art
post-apocalyptic, apunkalypse, wasteland: survivalist, Mad Max, Burning Man, Fallout, west coast tribal
junkpunk: post-apocalyptic using trash and repurposed scrap for material
Geographic punk: These punks are also about advanced technologies developing in a historical society, but are based on geography and culture rather than time. So the time period and technology can range anywhere from bronzepunk to cyberpunk, though steampunk is often the springboard.
silkpunk: Silk Road, classical Chinese antiquity, Ken Liu
bamboopunk, ricepunk: East and South Asia
jadepunk: East Asia, wuxia, mystical jade tech (sometimes mystical aether tech)
SEAsteampunk: Southeast Asia
Environment punk: Advanced technologies in an environment rather than time period. Technology can range from stonepunk to cyberpunk.
desertpunk, sandpunk: survival in a very harsh environment, often post-apocalyptic, neo-Bedouins
oceanpunk: mostly watery/oceanic world, often piratical, One Piece, Water World
skypunk: sister to oceanpunk, the sky is an ocean
Falls outside the timepunk umbrella, but still has punk in the name. Mostly literary and musical:
seapunk: oceanic, aqua, spacey dance music, “Venice Beach Acid Rave 1995”
wizardpunk: wizard rock, Harry and the Potters
splatterpunk: extreme horror, graphic violence, nihilistic
carniepunk: urban fantasy and horror set in carnivals
mannerpunk: fantasy focusing on elaborate social structure plots
elfpunk: fairies and elves in modern-day settings
mythpunk: myths and folklore through postmodern urban fantasy or science fiction
arcanepunk: fantasy where both magic and science exist
capepunk: superhero fiction deconstructing (or reconstructing) superheroism in a “realistic” manner
feltpunk: humans and muppets live side by side (in a dystopia?), Greg the Bunny, The Muppet Show
dreampunk: overarching meta-punk examining or rewriting history to address oppression, human rights, and environmental issues, or creating new myths to address the same. Employs dream logic. Draws on other *punk genres for material and influence.
nowpunk: contemporary literature. Yes, it was coined as a joke.
