enchantedsleeper
(?)Community Member
- Posted: Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:38:42 +0000
Has anyone here heard of Mystic Punk? You probably haven't - it's a new subgenre of Urban Fantasy and at the moment it's virtually unknown. But I'm making this thread for writers to find out about and discuss it, because I think it's really awesome and I bet it would interest a lot of people here. :3
Mystic Punk is a term coined by author L.D. Robwell, a subgenre which features the themes common to his favourite bands, films, comics, TV shows and literature, and which he thinks the Urban Fantasy genre needs to see more of. In his words, it is "a fantasy sub genre with a progressive edge" which rejects the whitewashed, cookie-cutter tendencies of modern Urban Fantasy; it is "a genre for activists", "a subversive genre which attempts to challenge societal constructs, conventions and authorities". It is a genre he hopes to create by putting together an anthology of short stories that classify as Mystic Punk, as well as writing his own Mystic Punk stories and generally spreading the word about it.
So what qualifies a story, film, comic etc. as Mystic Punk? The Mystic Punk genre is made up of six elements:
Mysticism: This is not necessarily religion as such but more an element of the spiritual or supernatural, something magical or divine, which can't be explained by the laws of our world as we know it.
Punk-ness: Anything which challenges the established conventions and expectations of our society, in the spirit of true and original Punk. Stories which are argumentative and make the reader think, incorporating a Punk aesthetic and Punk audacity.
Minorities in Major Roles: Because how many urban societies that you know of are entirely white, neurotypical, cisgender, able-bodied and heterosexual? That's right, none of them. Mystic Punk seeks to diversify Urban Fantasy by making minority characters into more than just tokens. It doesn't necessarily focus on the fact that they are minorities, just that they are real human beings with depth, strengths and flaws.
Ambiguity: Creating situations in which there is no right or wrong answer, where things are not what they seem, or which otherwise leave the reader to debate what is really going on in the story and question the events and situations that take place.
Music: Of all kinds. That is all.
Visual Distortions of the Face: Things like masks, makeup, facepaint or anything that covers or affects the face like shadows, scars... even just an element distorting someone's vision. This is primarily a visual aesthetic.
For a more in-depth explanation of the Mystic Punk genre, you can also read this article, and check out its [********] for related quotes and info.
And there you have it! You might be thinking that Mystic Punk is a hell of a picky genre for having so many requirements, but they all play into different parts of the story. The Mysticism and Punk elements are primarily aspects of setting as well as plot to an extent; Minorities deals with characters, Ambiguity is a plot aspect and Music and Face Distortions are purely aesthetics, like gears and goggles are to Steampunk. They don't always need to be present, but the other four are really important.
Anyway, I've said my piece razz What do you all think of the concept - awesome or utter rubbish? Should it be possible for someone to just up and create a new genre? Do you think it'll be successful or just a flash in the plan? Do you like the idea of revolutionising Urban Fantasy or is it just fine the way it is? TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
Also, that anthology I mentioned earlier? It's still accepting submissions and writers who get accepted will be paid and published. I can't link to it here, but check out my thread in the Promotions subforum to find out more.
Mystic Punk is a term coined by author L.D. Robwell, a subgenre which features the themes common to his favourite bands, films, comics, TV shows and literature, and which he thinks the Urban Fantasy genre needs to see more of. In his words, it is "a fantasy sub genre with a progressive edge" which rejects the whitewashed, cookie-cutter tendencies of modern Urban Fantasy; it is "a genre for activists", "a subversive genre which attempts to challenge societal constructs, conventions and authorities". It is a genre he hopes to create by putting together an anthology of short stories that classify as Mystic Punk, as well as writing his own Mystic Punk stories and generally spreading the word about it.
So what qualifies a story, film, comic etc. as Mystic Punk? The Mystic Punk genre is made up of six elements:
Mysticism: This is not necessarily religion as such but more an element of the spiritual or supernatural, something magical or divine, which can't be explained by the laws of our world as we know it.
Punk-ness: Anything which challenges the established conventions and expectations of our society, in the spirit of true and original Punk. Stories which are argumentative and make the reader think, incorporating a Punk aesthetic and Punk audacity.
Minorities in Major Roles: Because how many urban societies that you know of are entirely white, neurotypical, cisgender, able-bodied and heterosexual? That's right, none of them. Mystic Punk seeks to diversify Urban Fantasy by making minority characters into more than just tokens. It doesn't necessarily focus on the fact that they are minorities, just that they are real human beings with depth, strengths and flaws.
Ambiguity: Creating situations in which there is no right or wrong answer, where things are not what they seem, or which otherwise leave the reader to debate what is really going on in the story and question the events and situations that take place.
Music: Of all kinds. That is all.
Visual Distortions of the Face: Things like masks, makeup, facepaint or anything that covers or affects the face like shadows, scars... even just an element distorting someone's vision. This is primarily a visual aesthetic.
For a more in-depth explanation of the Mystic Punk genre, you can also read this article, and check out its [********] for related quotes and info.
And there you have it! You might be thinking that Mystic Punk is a hell of a picky genre for having so many requirements, but they all play into different parts of the story. The Mysticism and Punk elements are primarily aspects of setting as well as plot to an extent; Minorities deals with characters, Ambiguity is a plot aspect and Music and Face Distortions are purely aesthetics, like gears and goggles are to Steampunk. They don't always need to be present, but the other four are really important.
Anyway, I've said my piece razz What do you all think of the concept - awesome or utter rubbish? Should it be possible for someone to just up and create a new genre? Do you think it'll be successful or just a flash in the plan? Do you like the idea of revolutionising Urban Fantasy or is it just fine the way it is? TELL ME YOUR OPINIONS.
Also, that anthology I mentioned earlier? It's still accepting submissions and writers who get accepted will be paid and published. I can't link to it here, but check out my thread in the Promotions subforum to find out more.