"NeuroPunk" as a genre

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So, I was thinking about SteamPunk and CyberPunk and stuff like that, and I was wondering:

If there was a genre (of books or movies or whatever) called NeuroPunk, that was somehow related to the Autism spectrum, what would it be like?

Would it be about Auties and Aspies leaving neurotypical society to make a brand new society just for auties and aspies? (similar to how SteamPunk is about Victorian societies based on steam-power)

Or would it be about the idea of a supervirus that puts everybody on earth on the Autism spectrum, making those who already have Autism or Aspergers super important because they have to teach everybody else how to deal with their new neurology?

Or maybe it would just be a genre that was simply defined by its incorporation of auties and aspies in the plot in some way?

What do you think? Is this sort of a thing that already exists? Are any of you inspired to make something in the genre of NeuroPunk, whatever that may be?

Penny for your thoughts!

I, for my part, would say it would be something like this.

I think this would be another way one could define it.
The supervirus thing makes it sound as if we are a disease, so I hope nobody will use this idea.

Now, where is my penny?
Just kidding.

Neuropunk would be stories (sometimes dark, sometimes inspiring) about misfit aspies triumphing- or atleast being sympathetic protagonists.

Lisbeth, the title character of "the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" springs to mind as a prototype for a hero/heroine of neuropunk.

She is certainly as misfit, and could be an aspie, or atleast an aspie could identify with her.

I like all the ideas that have been suggested for Neuropunk so far (including the idea that The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo could be seen as prototypical Neuropunk). I would like to add that since the "punk" genres typically contain science fiction and/or fantasy elements, maybe Neuropunk should too. It could range from individual characters who are neurologically different (such as Lisbeth Salander) to, as the OP suggested, entire societies full of people who are neurologically different, but something creative would have to be done with the plot and setting to truly make it stand out as its own genre of "punk". Otherwise it'd just be regular stories about people on the spectrum.

I think the book The Chrysalids by John Wyndham could be an early neuro-punk example. I identified with it so much as a teen it is the only book I have read repeatedly.

Here's a wiki summary:

http://www.wikisummaries.org/The_Chrysalids

One does not simply invent a scifi genera...
without actually writing the short stories or novels that define it, at least. Go ahead and write your story.

Maybe we can expand the definition by a lot to include anyone with a neurological disability.

...the nonverbal ones could be telepaths and or also communicate through certain important computer machines to keep things running.

Yet it does sound like if a disease were to hit in such a way, it would send the world into chaos like an apocalyptic disaster of sorts...

The genre could have a world where people with neurological difficulties function around with a futuristic technical, fantasy areas or a rebellion against a unjust alliance that clashes with the society via the internet. (It probably has been done already)

Unless we could add a society based around philisophies and psychology to do with neurological differences, and that's what the ideas I can only come up with just now.

Wouldn't X-Men quality for a bit, at least as a prototype? Weren't the mutants neurologically different?
I was never really interested in it, maybe someone with an interest in it could tell me if I am right or wrong.

I don't think it says enough in the summary I linked about the Chrysalids, but they do communicate telepathically. It is described as "thought shapes". As a I first read the book as a youth, and as I "think in pictures" - and further as I knew I was different - this struck me. I knew I was a "fringe people" - I know the summary doesn't do justice to the book, and it is post-apocalyptic - it speaks of the ignorance of a population towards those who do not conform to the "norm". The youth in this books who communicate in "thought shapes" did not have an outward identifiable feature, and thus they were extra threatening to this backwards and severely judgmental population - though there were good people themselves trapped within it. I won't say the ending in case anyone wants to read it, but it strikes me as similar to discussions on WP - it requires a little thought. I wonder if Wyndham thought in the manner he described in the book ... it is an interesting consideration. How would he know, otherwise? That, I think, is a tough one to just imagine. JMO

Your book brings up a lot of interesting fringe science topics
We have a really cool junkyard here that my NT gf and i have found cool parts for Steampunk art

Imagine if all those of us who are "hummers" we hum or verbal stim were actually humming biorhythms and that of nature or impending future?

Oh, Raven - do you have any pictures of your art you would feel okay showing us? Neat!

What a neat thought re:hummers - do you write? That would be a great story line!

First I think going simply with aspies would almost defeat the point. You need to show the contrast between aspies nt's and those that are in between.

I think the better idea is to talk about the greater pysc community first.

I also think one needs to see examples of possible neuro punk where they already exist.

There are many cyber punk stories where you can almost assume the android that thinks it's a human is really an aspie.

Many star trek characters are essentially aspies, even the ones written as nt.

Talking of nonverbals and such you have the cylons of Battlestargallatica, where the cylons act in many ways like aspies with their strange disconnect from human norms, while the nonverbals take the role of being the main interface with cylon computers.

The movie gattaca itself, is about a guy with ADD obsessed with space travel, willing to hide everything about his genetic code for a chance to goto space.

In the new hobbit movie, it appears that gandalfs brother the brown wizard is aspie, also it's likely judging by the books that the dwarves have very strong aspie traits.

The xmen is essentially about aspies, rogue has sensory issues which dis allow her from human contact, mind powers making people being unable to function in crowded places, wolverine is anti social in ways that only make sense to an aspie, xaviers motor controls issue are compensated by his intellect, beast a genius desperately trying to find a cure. there are people wanting to be seperate from society(magneto), where some mutants can hide it and get along while some never will(the murlocks). Issues like melt downs are paralleled by cyclops wearing glasses. There are even conversations about how having kids for mutants means that there kids will get the xfactor gene. Ignoring all that the fact is according to the marvelverse were in a sense mutants. Even the xmen rating factors attributes the different between omega level mutants like prof x omega(with autistic sevants), while their are many lower levels one like victor creeds son.

Than there's batman, a crime obsessed billionaire who's only and I mean only interest is in fighting criminals(ones that typically have pysch disorders themselves).

The list is long of sci fi's that show aspie traits, or atleast people with different mental states.



I think the first step would be to take existing series and reboot them as aspies stories, as a form of fan fiction.

Thank you, i don't write, i do read a lot sometimes, although not much as of late. I like to draw and do multi media art.
I'll have to look for some pics of the artwork, my gf made some very cool tattoo pedal steampunk ones.
I am not sure how to load pictures on here i don't have the photobucket can i do it anyway?