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I realize it's been a few months since my last (and to date ONLY) storygame was published, but I'm about to embark on a new one. I had some personal issues come up which have set me back a bit-- specifically, a redneck repairman at my apartment complex who was supposed to fix the drip in my kitchen faucet but instead decided to take pictures of my messy bedroom and bathroom and get me in trouble with management! Anyway, I was going to do another fantasy, but this one would be more in the Science Fantasy vein. I'm planning on setting it in a kind of 1930's pulp science fiction version of the solar system. People often refer to this type of fiction as "Diesel Punk," but I HATE that stupid term! I shall keep you all posted as to how it's coming along. Hopefully, it won't take an entire year to write... you never know. Anyone who wants to be a Beta Reader for me is more than welcome. I just need to start writing first. Wish me luck!

Oh look, it's the weird dude. Good luck, weird dude, loved your other story.

Well, thank you, Steve. That's ever so kind of you to say. 

I'll refrain from asking just HOW messy it was but it almost sounds like that guy has snooping as part of his job. Taking pictures of someone else's home and snitching is a really bizarre thing to do unprompted unless you're using 'messy' here as a euphemism for several kilos of cocaine and a few severed fingers lying around.

Anyway congrats on not taking any more excuses from your dealer and best of luck with the story, I wasn't aware that 'diesel punk' was the term but it's a genre I find charming as heck. If The Dolls ' Quest is anything to go by at least we know it won't be boring.

My life's not exciting enough for me to have any cocaine, let alone severed human fingers (which I'd store in the freezer if I did that sort of thing). Mostly soap scum and mildew and hard water stains. Guy is just an unprofessional asshole. Didn't even fix the drip in my sink!

Whoever thought of the term "Diesel Punk" was just someone extrapolating from "Steam Punk" and reasoning that since people in the 30's and 40's used diesel engines, that would be a good way to designate this subgenre-- never mind that the characters in 1930's Pulp SF used Atomic energy. Maybe better to say it's set in a Retro Art Deco Buck Rogers universe.

Diesel Punk just makes me think of truck drivers with mohawks tbh.

If it was 50s it gets called “atomic punk.” They add punk to most thing when you’ve got an alternate technology timeline.

Stone Age - stone punk

Ancient world - sandal punk

Renaissance era - Clock punk

Etc.

All of those “punk” genres ripped the off cyberpunk name anyway. 

 

I thought steampunk was first and then cyberpunk and then it got a bit too crazy with all the weird n-punk genres.

Edit:: Wikipedia says cyberpunk too I guess I might've had them mixed due to the popularity of steampunk.

Neuromancer is what a lot of people consider the origin of cyberpunk ( though I assume it was just the first example that got popular) and that was published in 1984. I've heard it claimed the series that inspired the Wild Wild West movie was the origin of steampunk so that would put it in the 60s sometime, but I don't think it was ever recognized as a thing until I woke up one year and the entire internet was suddenly wearing top hats and gluing extraneous cogs to everything.

I think Bruce Sterling invented the term, for what it's worth. But I guess people always liked William Gibson more (maybe because he's a humble man and not a pompous asshole like Sterling is). I always thought the Cyberpunk writers had more in common with the original Industrial Music movement of the 70's than to the Punk movement. I guess "Cyber-Industrial" didn't have quite the same punch. But the Punks were about taking rock music back to its "roots" in the 50's, whereas Cyberpunks were trying to create literary innovations for Hard SF.

Generally speaking cyberpunk is usually supposed to be all about rebels and outcasts trying to survive and/or stick it to “the system” in a crapsack future.

Which is what “punk” part was sort of about.

But then like with most things, time marches on and outcasts usually either die or become part of the system (Much like punk) so “post-cyberpunk” became a thing which dealt more with regular folks trying to get along in their high tech world which is probably less of a dystopia now since when you are actually a contributing member of society rather than a rebellious criminal of the state things are mildly better and hopeful (Even if slim).

In any case, all the punk you ever wanted!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyberpunk_derivatives

That's great! I loved The Doll's Quest, so I'm excited to hear you are writing another storygame.

Also that really sucks about the plumber. Was he the apartment's maintenance guy or something? It's really shitty of him to pull that on you.

I think he's a new guy. Probably trying to impress management by getting tenets in trouble. A lot easier than...I don't know...doing his job! Yeah, but I'm going to start working on the new one soon-- barring any other unforeseen disasters. Thanks for your enthusiasm.