@InvaderXan after your thread on art nouveau last night: what *is* solarpunk? The concept seems to make sense intuitively, but does it actually exist? Are there any archetypical solarpunk works you can recommend?
@spinflip Solarpunk is largely a reaction to dystopian visions of the future. Instead of a Bladerunner-esque world of pollution and corporate greed, solarpunk envisions a sustainable non-exploitative future.
Broadly, I'd say the largest underlying theme is a desire for harmony and unity – between technology and nature, and between different people.
There still isn't much literature yet, but a story anthology called Sunvault was recently published... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35235851-sunvault
@InvaderXan @spinflip So what's the conflict?
@Expat1975 @spinflip That's a big question. What kind of conflict can you imagine? There's plenty of scope for conflict which isn't motivated by exploitation, bigotry or oppressive governments.
Solarpunk isn't about perfect utopias where nothing actually happens, but eutopias where things are good but not without flaws. Think Wakanda, not Themyscira.
If anything, not being constrained to an overused set of dystopian tropes should give a lot of scope to imagine something new and original.
@spinflip @Expat1975 An example I like is the Studio Ghibli film, Princess Mononoke.
There are two main conflicting factions, with the protagonist caught in the middle. Neither faction is unambiguously good or evil – both sides have virtues and flaws, and ultimately want the best for their own people. But their goals are fundamentally in conflict with each other. Makes for a very interesting story!
@Expat1975 @InvaderXan it feels like plenty of narratives would still work. A desire for harmony and unity doesn't mean that everyone will be harmonious and unified all the time. Neighbours will still argue, individuals will still want to upend the status quo, environmental issues will still be there. Just all against a background of societal optimism.