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So, I'm tryng to figure out if there is a name for a specific sort of genre I've seen around. Well, it's more of a setting oriented subgenre, I suppose (probably of fantasy? though it can have sci fi elements I think it's usually closer to fantasy). I'm currently working on a story with a setting I've seen becoming much more common especially in webcomics (probably because it's fun to draw?). The closest I can get to fitting it into what I know of pre-existing genre labels would be steampunk or post-apocolyptic. However steampunk has some every specific associations (vctorian era tech, steam technology) and post-apocalyptic is generally seen as a bit more devastated and fractured society etc. compared with what I am thinking of.

It often shows up in what would normally be a fantasy setting, but with the twist that there is greater than medieval tech (guns often, cars in some form or another, etc.), often with a bit of the post apocolyptic vibe in that many times people look pretty grunge (think wandering bands of raiders in weird looking dune buggies with rifles and ratty looking cape-scarves... any of this ringing a bell?)

So basically, as I said above I think it's a subgenre of fantasy, since it is usually set in a different world than ours (but it may or may not include many of the other fantasy commons, such as magic or multiple races of people) only with somewhat further along historical/technological setting (kinda steampunk in that the tech may or may not be weird looking or only loosely based on an equivalent from history, but not really actually steampunk in other ways), a similar setting vibe to some kinds of post-apocalyptic (but not necessarily with the apocalypse or extreme circumstances that result.

I apologize if after all that rambling you still have no clue what I'm talking about... it's a bit difficult to describe what I mean. Hopefully this was sufficient that some of you who've seen it around know what I'm referring to? What I want to know is: Is there a name for this, and if so, what is it? Thanks!

Vilya
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  • Hi @Vilya, welcome to Writing SE! Can you please clarify your question a little bit? I only vaguely understand what your setting look like. So far it looks more like "Science Fantasy". – Alexander Oct 07 '20 at 23:53
  • Hi Vilya, welcome to writing.se! Take our [tour] and visit the [help] for more information. As written this question is very difficult to determine what you are actually asking. If you can, [edit] your post to remove unnecessary information and focus on a clearer description of the setting you are looking for a name of and a clearly identified question. – linksassin Oct 08 '20 at 03:30

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The suffix "-punk" has come to mean "uses this level of technology."

A setting with cars probably is either "dieselpunk" -- technology level about that between the two world wars -- or "atompunk" -- technology level from WWII to about the 1970s.

Neither term is as common in usage as cyberpunk or steampunk.

(More types here.)

Mary
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