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[FARTRON]

Bruce Sterling highlights the Austin Chronicle and brings to my attention this graphic



from an issue with lots of good stuff to read including cyberpunk vs steampunk.

[team_q]

I really like that graphic, its unfortunate the typeface they chose for Steam Punk though, it seems rather inelegant, which is kinda the point of Steam punk. You know, classy-ing up modernesque technology with Victorian ascetic.

Also I worry that Steam Punk is getting overplayed, whereas Cyberpunk is getting underplayed.

[moi]

Vs BRITISH

[William Broom]

I think they are all lacking in 'punk'. It's just semantics, I guess, but I still feel a little pendantic jolt when people slap 'punk' on the end of anything they want to sound cool, producing words like 'dieselpunk'. Originally, there had to be some sort of anti-authoritarian theme or it wasn't cyberpunk.

[Cheater‽]

Clockpunk.

[siiseli]

Steampunk with clocks and loads of cogs.

[Cheater‽]

Steampunk with clocks and loads of cogs.

Clockpunk.

[team_q]

I thought it was clockworkpunk, irregardless. 'Steampunk' is a cooler moniker despite the origins then 'vaguely Victorian modernesque technology'

[dmoonfire]

Brickpunk but I'm biased. I've been working on a steampunk world for quite some time, including writing novels in it. I like it much better than cyberpunk, but I'm still exploring the genre.

[FARTRON]

Bruce Sterling co-wrote The Difference Engine, which essentially launched the genre nearly 20 years ago. He's been writing about the recent resurgence of the phenomena on his blog with the jaded eye of someone who has long since moved on from the idea.

I haven't read the book, but knowing Sterling and Gibson, I'm sure there's a certain degree of anti-authoritarianism involved.

Sterling more recently coined the term "atompunk" to describe a similar transformation of WWII-era technology, which is to me a far more exciting a concept.

[dmoonfire]

I don't think there is anything wrong with moving from a genre. Some people get ideas, enjoy them, then move on. For others, they like to linger a bit longer to explore it. For me, I like the brass and grime that I see as steampunk. I also like the raw exploratory aspect of it, where most of the things you are checking out bite you, blow up in your face, or otherwise require a vast amount of technobabble to explain. Not so much the Victorian aspect it (one of my least favorite eras, actually). But, there is a certain amount of appeal.

Of course, I have a few die-hard cyberpunk friends. We get into grand discussions of the differences, but it really comes down to style. It is almost possible to do anything in anything, but its fun to find out what really fits together. You can make power armor and mecha in a Dungeons and Dragons game, but it doesn't fit most styles of that game. I just happen to do it a lot (Maze Mega Burst Space is what I blame for that).

[Cymon]

There was an anime which was brickpunk and clockwork punk. There was a Japanese wood mecha that was defending against an American mecha and when they fired missles at it they discovered it was brick underneith. The Japanese ended up winning by coordinating all the parts and flipping the American into the ocean. I can't find it now, and I wish I remembered the name because it was awesome.

[dmoonfire]

There was an anime which was brickpunk and clockwork punk. There was a Japanese wood mecha that was defending against an American mecha and when they fired missles at it they discovered it was brick underneith. The Japanese ended up winning by coordinating all the parts and flipping the American into the ocean. I can't find it now, and I wish I remembered the name because it was awesome.

Well, that just added about three things I want to write about. I have a novel outline that uses the couple from my brickpunk story as part of the supporting characters. Having them fight wooden mecha would be just awesome. Now, if I could justify elves...

And if you find the name, I will be so happy. :D

[Xion]

There was an anime which was brickpunk and clockwork punk. There was a Japanese wood mecha that was defending against an American mecha and when they fired missles at it they discovered it was brick underneith. The Japanese ended up winning by coordinating all the parts and flipping the American into the ocean. I can't find it now, and I wish I remembered the name because it was awesome.

I just watched that on youtube like the day before yesterday.
A Tale of Two Robots, from the Robot Carnival animated compilation.


,



Also, I totally love steampunk and cyberpunk. I think I like the former a little bit more though.

[mewse]

Originally, there had to be some sort of anti-authoritarian theme or it wasn't cyberpunk.

...there's a rule that makes it mandatory to be anti-authoritarian?

[Xion]

Yeah, I thought that was one of the biggest premises of being cyberpunk. Money- or power-hungry corporations or government ruling a lower class with a massive social gap between.

[Cymon]

There was an anime which was brickpunk and clockwork punk. There was a Japanese wood mecha that was defending against an American mecha and when they fired missles at it they discovered it was brick underneith. The Japanese ended up winning by coordinating all the parts and flipping the American into the ocean. I can't find it now, and I wish I remembered the name because it was awesome.

I just watched that on youtube like the day before yesterday.
A Tale of Two Robots, from the Robot Carnival animated compilation.


,


Also, I totally love steampunk and cyberpunk. I think I like the former a little bit more though.

There you have it. Yup, that's the one.

I knew this would resurface if I gave and adequate description.

[muku]

Originally, there had to be some sort of anti-authoritarian theme or it wasn't cyberpunk.

...there's a rule that makes it mandatory to be anti-authoritarian?

Oh, the irony.




Also, WTF is "brickpunk"?

[dmoonfire]

Also, WTF is "brickpunk"?

I was on the Kingdom of Loathing chat room and we were having a long discussion of steampunk as a genre. Partially because I'm writing stories in that genre lately. That and I was exploring the various ideas (Victorian verses just steam engines, etc). Someone there decided to be silly and said something about "steampunk was nothing compared to the power of brickpunk". So, that got us on a long conversation about what the hell would be brickpunk and how would it be different. It was a fun little discussion and I ended up writing a short story about it:

  http://moonfire.us/Brickpunk

I liked the couple in there, or at least how they turned out, though I needed to make a few changes here and there. No, I don't take it very seriously, but the idea of building robots out of brick was just a cool idea as was using bricks as ammo. And being obsessed of the type of claw used in said bricks (since the brickmakers I know actually seem to know these things).

EDIT: Technically, the 3 little pigs could also be considered brickpunk. There are a few others if you do a google search for "brickpunk".

[Valter]

Also, WTF is "brickpunk"?

I was on the Kingdom of Loathing chat room and we were having a long discussion of steampunk as a genre. Partially because I'm writing stories in that genre lately. That and I was exploring the various ideas (Victorian verses just steam engines, etc). Someone there decided to be silly and said something about "steampunk was nothing compared to the power of brickpunk". So, that got us on a long conversation about what the hell would be brickpunk and how would it be different. It was a fun little discussion and I ended up writing a short story about it:

  http://moonfire.us/Brickpunk

I liked the couple in there, or at least how they turned out, though I needed to make a few changes here and there. No, I don't take it very seriously, but the idea of building robots out of brick was just a cool idea as was using bricks as ammo. And being obsessed of the type of claw used in said bricks (since the brickmakers I know actually seem to know these things).

EDIT: Technically, the 3 little pigs could also be considered brickpunk. There are a few others if you do a google search for "brickpunk".

This is possibly the most hilarious thing I have ever read.