Worldbuilding: Raygun Gothic Edition. The future must've been disappointing.

Ah, Raygun Gothic. It's one of the less familiar ones to my knowledge, so I've done some additional research to ensure I don't compromise the quality of this week's science fiction subgenre resource. But, I find this to be a particularly interesting genre to delve into - personally, it makes me feel quite isolated, somehow. I'm sure there's a reason for that, which I'd encourage you to delve into if you're going to write about it.

The future. Back in the eighties, we dreamt of the future like little children dreaming of a better life where perhaps their parents would invest in that dog they so wanted. And that's essentially what this genre is: that image we held on so dearly for back in the eighties, when we had no idea what the future was really going to look like. Think flying cars and post-modern designs. Jet packs and those fancy space clothes that look a little like you're preparing for your astronaut career. Brightly coloured beeping lights like Pulp comics in weirdly shaped architectures. Very much original Star Trek.

But, as much as it preached its progressiveness in everything from social structure to technology, it's more like the past than it ever could be today. The whole genre is based on the traditional American values of nuclear families and suburbanism. It's almost exactly the same western culture of the time, just with added colour and hover gear. I think it's quite difficult to attempt writing in this genre, because it relies on a heavy foundation of the past that we've since been working to let go. Even with the flying cars, it's difficult to take a step back. Especially amid the optimism that this genre requires. However, I think its companion, Atompunk, is an extremely important subgenre of science fiction, and you can't attempt to truly understand it without delving into the past's hopes for the future. Especially as Raygun Gothic is an example of exactly what it would look like if nothing could go wrong.

I think that there's a creepy, isolating horror to the futurism featured in its stories. Partly, I assume, because this hope was built in a time where technology gave people a reason to be scared. There was an unnerving sense to the speed of new developments, and it was only natural that it would leak into the American image of the future. But as I said, it's difficult to write this genre. Only one in a hundred times can I write a successful plot - the difficulty lies in preventing yourself from falling into Atompunk, which is essentially Raygun Gothic, but cynical. The mood of the time you live in is very easy into fall into your image of what other times might've looked like. We're all a victim to it.

But, I hope if you want to write for this, that this resource somehow helps. If successfully written, it can be a wonderous piece of fiction with so much vibracy. Like the original Willy Wonka movie. I would encourage anyone who looks for vibrant colours in their writing to explore the world of Raygun Gothic, or at least take the positive aspects of it and apply it to your own stories.

On with the questions. Next week, I'll be delving into Atompunk - cynicism is my specialty, so you're in luck!

Raygun Gothic - Questions

energy & tech

1. Raygun gothic mostly uses nuclear power as a form of energy – are there any other prevalent forms of energy? Are they sustainable?

2. Can you describe the basic energy history of your Raygun world?

3. This genre demands high-tech futurism in the future that the 80s predicted. How has the energy been sourced to indulge this? Has there been any consequences?

4. How has technology impacted people?

5. What are the ten most common buildings in your world? Geometric art institutions, flying car mechanics, etc.

6. How technologically advanced in your world? Can you think of any good examples to demonstrate it?

healthcare & children

7. How are children born? Are they made organically?

8. If made organically, what’s the severity of the risk that carrying a child brings?

9. Is raising children common?

10. What do people do if they need healthcare?

11. What healthcare system is in place? Does it benefit anyone? Does it disadvantage anyone?

12. Are there any prevalent health issues?

13. What are the more common illnesses?

14. Are fatal illnesses easily cured?

15. Are there any illnesses that come as a result of the world you have created? E.g., new, or more prevalent, cancers.

16. Has the demands of high-tech impacted health services in a positive way? E.g. improved machinery to detect cancers.

17. Has technology infiltrated our biological systems? E.g. brain chips that may impact the way we process information.

a. If so, how has this impacted healthcare?

environment & travel

18. Are there any weird environmental occurrences?

19. What is the weather like?

20. Are people impacted by the weather? How much of your cities or public areas outdoors?

21. How do people use the environment to their benefit? If there are rich soils, do people grow their own food?

22. If people grow/make their own food, how much of it belongs to the one who made it?

23. Any accessible natural resources?

24. What about animals?

25. What are the most common animals?

26. What do people eat?

27. Is water accessible?

28. Is animal meat a common part of meals? If so, where does it come from?

29. What is the most accessible type of food?

30. How do people travel? What systems and forms of travel are in place? What are some of the more accessible forms of travel? E.g. does everyone have access to flying cars? Or faster train services due to technological upgrades? Light-travel?

31. How does this impact the environment?

society & economics

32. The vision of the future from the 80s perspective is the premise of this genre. We pictured modern design and high technology in a time where technology was frightening due to privacy issues, etc…

a. How does this impact the mental health of those within a society like this?

b. Would the lack of privacy have any consequences, for example?

33. What is the most common form of currency?

34. What kind of society is your world defined by? Capitalism? Socialism?

35. What are the most valuable resources?

36. What’s the easiest way for someone to make money?

37. Is education accessible?

38. Does education bring any promise of wealth?

39. Are the arts valued equally to labour and sciences?

40. Is fashion highly valued? How does clothing range from class-to-class.

41. Is fashion a typical symbol of status?

42. How practical is clothing?

43. Does it differentiate between genders?

44. What’s the day-to-day life of an average low-class citizen look like? Walk through, hour by hour.

45. What’s the day-to-day life of an average high-class citizen look like? Walk through, hour by hour.

46. Are there any prominent benefits that come with being a specific class? E.g., better healthcare, access to certain areas….

47. What about the gender divide?

48. Is gender able to be a fluid factor in identity, or socially static?

49. How prominent is the class divide?

50. How do these classes interact within shared spaces?

51. Is it easy to float between classes?

52. Are there any phrases/actions that would be considered rude/endearing to different people?

53. Who are the most important people to society?

54. What are the most notable forms of systemic inequality? Race? Class?

55. Is the most common form of travel accessible to lower classes? What class dominates it?

56. Are there any common forms of religion?