I feel like there are two styles of steampunk. There’s the light and hopeful “fantasy” style of steampunk, or the dark and gritty “industrial revolution” style of steampunk.
I’ve been assuming that most fans of steampunk prefer the optimistic “fantasy” side of the genre but I don’t think the dark and gritty version has a different name. I’m pretty sure it’s all just steampunk.
What do you think of when you picture steampunk?
(Source image: Steampunk City by Kinga Makowska)
I like either one, as long as it was a conscious choice in service of the narrative.
If you want to depict a story where your characters are struggling and need to make every effort count, then a bleak, smoggy coal stained environment adds to that.
If you want to depict a more light-hearted adventure, where your characters are excited about what tomorrow will bring, then having the world be glass and polished copper is a better fit.
I’m far more a fan of the dirty and dank steampunk. In a world powered by coal and steam, a clean face and smogless day are a fantasy too far
yeahhhh gotta be PUNK. or else it’s just brass fantasy
It’s not punk if it’s not about people being exploited somehow. Ideally you should have both
You can still have the optimistic, “fantasy” side of Steampunk in a darker, grittier setting. Or, even have the backdrop be the more dystopian elements while the protagonists are fighting for the bright future they envision.
If you want the aesthetic but not the grit, try searching “Steamcore”. I’ve never been bothered by the “punk” suffix being added even when it’s not a punk theme, but “core” will mostly exclude those results in a search.
Well now that’s interesting. I’m glad we’re finally moving past the -punk suffix essentially meaning “genre” at this point but I didn’t realize it was being replaced with -core as the new suffix. I’ve definitely seen some new -core genres spring up lately but I didn’t know we were getting some that were replacing existing -punk genres. Gotta love humanity’s desperate need to categorize everything…
Yeah, I’m personally not a huge fan of the “core” suffix, only because it musdies the water a bit. I’d much rather “Steampunk aesthetic” when referencing just the look without the “punk”, but it can be convenient.
Dark and industrial by far but I think that’s because I prefer grittier stories
I’m the same way and that’s part of why I’m struggling with coming up with posts for this community. I’ve been trying to help kickstart things here but I assumed most steampunk fans were into the lighter and fantasy aesthetic of it, which I don’t personally care for. It’s fine for those who like it but I struggle to create posts for that audience because it feels inauthentic for me to do it.
