I remember that cyberpunk definitely had a message, not just aesthetic. Is solarpunk just libs’ idea of a utopian alternative to the cyberpunk dystopia? In which case, I say we hijack it and improve the solutions while keeping the aesthetic. Confuse them.
I think the only variant that sort of kept the critique is steampunk, due to the always present inclusion of the horrors of 19th century industrialization and worker exploitation. I have literally never seen anything solarpunk that was any diferent from “green society”.
I’ve seen happier steampunk settings that use it purely as an aesthetic. If anything, I’ve only seen dieselpunk as a consistent dystopia, and I think that’s largely because it’s excessively grimy, lol
I remember that cyberpunk definitely had a message, not just aesthetic. Is solarpunk just libs’ idea of a utopian alternative to the cyberpunk dystopia? In which case, I say we hijack it and improve the solutions while keeping the aesthetic. Confuse them.
I think the only variant that sort of kept the critique is steampunk, due to the always present inclusion of the horrors of 19th century industrialization and worker exploitation. I have literally never seen anything solarpunk that was any diferent from “green society”.
I’ve seen happier steampunk settings that use it purely as an aesthetic. If anything, I’ve only seen dieselpunk as a consistent dystopia, and I think that’s largely because it’s excessively grimy, lol