Editing Setting Aesthetics (section)

==Sci-Fi==
*'''[[Cyberpunk]]''' - The original "-punk" genre, and the creator of the concept of naming aesthetics by ending in "punk", Atompunk's son (in terms of tech level). If you've ever seen The Matrix, that's pretty much Cyberpunk in a nutshell, although Blade Runner is probably a more classic example.  Dystopian urban environments and highly advanced technology is commonplace, as are dark and brooding heroes wearing black trench coats and sporting unconventional haircuts, and megacorporations which have more power than any government.  '''''High tech, low life.''''' 
** Some modern Cyberpunk is called "post-Cyberpunk" and is not quite as pessimistic, though still pretty grim compared to other settings. In post-Cyberpunk, augmentation and technology is seen as a powerful tool that can be used to control or liberate people, and is used globally in political and economical powerstruggl- Wait, where have I seen this before?

Examples: The Matrix, [[Cyberpunk 2020]], Blade Runner, Shadowrun. Post-cyberpunk examples: Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, most modern shooters with robots and augmentations. And it's "just" a novel, but let's not forget the first cyberpunk, and his creator: William Gibson's Neuromancer. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson is also a high seminal piece of literature for the genre, if one that treats its conventions tongue-in-cheek even as it helps to codify them.

*'''[[Steampunk]]''' - One of the first derivatives of Cyberpunk, at least in name only.  In actuality, the aesthetic draws quite a bit from the works of Jules Verne, which taking place in Victorian times and features more advanced versions of the steam-powered technology of the day.  These kinds of settings can swing between [[noblebright]] and dystopian, since the Victorian Era was a time of wondrous progress, ''and'' huge inequality.

Examples: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, [[Warmachine]], [[Dishonored]]

*'''[[Clockpunk]]''' - Steampunk's father.  Borrowing aesthetics from the Renaissance Era, the Baroque Era, the Ming Dynasty, or the Song Dynasty, Clockpunk focuses on complex mechanisms made from wood or traditional metals, and is generally powered by water wheels, wind mills, draft animals, or slowly falling weights.  This aesthetic is typically found in genres that don't explicitly focus on it, such as Historical Fiction works.  Expect plenty of overlap with historical themes of the time period.

Examples: [[Deadlands]], [[Dragonmech]], [[Mechanus]], [[Mage: The Ascension]], [[Unknown Armies]]

*'''[[Dieselpunk]]''' - Steampunk's son, but typically grittier, inspired by the era between the World Wars.  Tyranny and warfare is commonplace, as are machines capable of deadly efficiency.  Expect Noir cities, petrochemical engines, stamped and riveted metal, and the aesthetic synthesis between traditional rural lifestyles and mechanization.  Typically features [[nazis]] in one way or another, sometimes as the winning side of WW2.

Examples: [[Command and Conquer|Command and Conquer: Red Alert]], Fullmetal Alchemist,  Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Leviathan Series (partially)

*'''[[Decopunk]]''' - A [[noblebright]] version of it's twin dieselpunk. Art deco everywhere, hence the name. Not a particularly common aesthetic however.

Examples: Bioshock, especially before the fall of Rapture

*'''[[Atompunk]]''' - Dieselpunk/Decopunk's son. The name applied to anything inspired by the science fiction of the 1930s to the 1950s and early 1960s. The difference between Atom- and Dieselpunk is that Atompunk is based on the stories told in that era, while Dieselpunk is about the actual technology and zeitgeist of the day. Space exploration is the norm, and technology is mostly based on what was slowly beginning to emerge at the time that we would now take for granted (such as video chat, portable phones, robots capable of walking) or else has proven to be wildly impractical if not impossible (Jetpacks, flying cars, ray guns, robots capable of independent thought). Features a sub-genre named Raypunk or Raygun Gothic, which is similar in most ways but ditches references to nuclear power.

Examples: Buck Rogers, [[Fallout]], [[Star Trek]] The Original Series, too many 1950s movies to count

*'''[[Screampunk]]''' - A weird mishmash of steampunk with horror tropes, especially those associated with [[Gothic Horror]], which it is often conflated with. It is also commonly conflated with [[Dark Fantasy]] and [[Gaslamp Fantasy]] as well, due to being set in the same time period as the latter, and being very similar to the former. A very new genre that has yet to find large popularity.

Examples: [[GURPS]] Screampunk (where the name came from), [[Unhallowed Metropolis]], [[Magic: The Gathering]] (the plane of Innistrad specifically)

*'''[[Casette Futurism]]''' - An aesthetic based on the "futuristic" styles of the 70s and especially the 80s.  This aesthetic also refers to the unique style of "futuristic-looking" devices made during that time. Can overlap with cyberpunk but cybernetics are either non-existent or are given less focus. Expect CRT-screens, fake woodgrain, wedge-cars synthwave music, neon lights, hard-edged plastic shells on all technology, and ''of course'' VHS-tapes and cassettes.

Examples: Alien, Terminator, Stranger Things

*'''[[Biopunk]]''' - An aesthetic which revolves around use of biotechnology and DNA manipulation.  Other than that core conceit, the actual look and feel of the aesthetic isn't set in stone.  Some incarnations might look modern, some might look futuristic, some might look historical. Can be mixed into post-Atompunk tech levels, with possibly early experiments starting in Atompunk era.

Examples: Bioshock, Resident Evil, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Leviathan Series (partially)

*'''[[Nanopunk]]''' - An aesthetic focusing around the use of nanotechnology, Cyberpunk's son.  This aesthetic is still evolving, but typically features organic-looking machines, synthetic meta-materials used create "impossible" things (vantablack clothing, mono-molecular edged blades, synthetic muscles), and transhumanist themes.  Can often share many themes with Cyberpunk, but the use of nanotechnology is what sets it apart.  While a Cyberpunk setting would have cyborgs with cybernetic implants, a Nanopunk setting would instead have people with nanomachines inside them.  Sometimes portrayed as a next step from cyberpunk, where cybernetics are becoming obsolete due to advancements in nanotechnology.

Examples: Crysis, [[Metal Gear|Metal Gear Solid]] (1,2, 4 and ''especially'' [[Meme|Rising: Revengeance]]), Deus Ex (First two games only, rest/the prequels are cyberpunk as aforementioned, in fact the original game has the PC as a prototype nano-aug about to replace your fellow mechanical-aug agents while the sequel -second game- has that replacement being complete)

*'''[[Space Opera]]''' - The grand-daddy of Sci-Fi, Space Opera features a multitude of worlds, races and technology that play loose and fast with the science part for the sake of a wide, bright adventure in SPAAAAACE! Space Operas are filled with larger-than-life characters, space-nations loosely based on different earth societies and great, galaxy-saving adventures, though it can easily be zoomed in to a planet- or even a party-focused story if needed. Can be split into three sub-settings: Hard sci-fi which tries to be as scientifically accurate as possible (which can become obsolete in real life, what [[TVTropes]] terms Science Marches On and Technology Marches On), soft sci-fi where technology works by it's own in-universe rules, somewhere in-between the previous two and science fantasy, which features stuff which is supernatural even by the rules of it's own universe (which can be either hard or soft or in-between, possibly justifying deviance from real life physics/chemistry/biology through the influence of the resident supernatural phenomena).

Examples: [[Star Wars]] for a Neutral one with pretty horrific details but a hopeful story, [[Star Trek]] with full Noblebright with some dark details, [[Warhammer 40000]] for full Grimdark with some bright details, Mass Effect (a textbook example of single point of divergence from real life science), [[Twilight Imperium]], [[Cosmic Encounter]]

*'''[[Solarpunk]]''' - The most [[noblebright]] punk of them all, necessarily more advanced than Atompunk but can slot into any after that.  An utopia for all environmentalists, this aesthetic features a world driven primarily through use of renewable energy and people live harmoniously with nature.  Expect to see windmills, solar panels, individualized replacements for infrastructure (home-sized wastewater treatment, people sewing their own clothing, household battery walls, etc.), farming and large gardens, and ''lots of plants everywhere''.  Settings using this aesthetic are frequently post-apocalyptic.

Examples:  All the Good Futures from Sonic CD

*'''[[NASA-punk]]''' - Term coined by Bethesda for their new IP, Starfield, though not the first to fit the description. Refers to a setting that is far enough into the future for space travel to be commonplace but still has a very functional look to it, or as Bethesda puts it, "advanced but still grounded and relatable". Expect things to look somewhat analog, not much unlike what one might find on modern day spacecraft and space stations.

Examples: Starfield, The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare 

*'''[[20 Minutes into the Future]]''' - An aesthetic that is definitely in the future, but not by much. Things are not too different from how they are today. For someone living in the 80s, the 2000's would be this aesthetic. This is a very hard-to-define aesthetic, because it keeps moving as time goes on.  Most media written with this aesthetic are archetypical science fiction stories, speculating and warning about how present trends will extrapolate. Usually used to insert whatever Macguffin or plot weasel that is used and as a convenient way to dodge contemporary political issues by sidelining them in favor of the new one created in universe without having to go so far into the future that it becomes irrelevant by default at the cost having to worldbuild the background of the setting.