Solarpunk as a genre exists in a state of a permanent summer. Both as a genre, and an aesthetic. Solarpunk pictures usually show us worlds that have everything in so many shades of green. Green bushes. Green trees. Green everything. Fields in Solarpunk are always filled with ripe corn and wheat. And trees in Solarpunk are full of ripe fruit.

But if we look into Solarpunk worldbuilding there is also the fact that of course at some point at many places of the world it will become autumn, and winter.

I mean, I am feeling it right now, sitting here in my bed with three blankets and shivering, as the summer has very suddenly ended.

Sure, Solarpunk originated from Brazil. And while I do not know a whole lot about Brazillian climate, I do understand that it is close enough to the equator to be fairly warm yearround.

But I honestly would love to see more stories and artworks set in Solarpunk worlds during the autumn and winter. Especially because it is a very interesting topic when it comes to both the renewable energies and the food systems of Solarpunk worlds.

Now, admittedly, the renewable energy is less interesting to me, but we still should talk about it. In winter and autumn a lot of the renewable energy sources are a bit less viable. The sun has less energy and the further north (or south) you go, the less sun you get during the winter. Wind turbines also often struggle because there is in fact too much wind - and some older turbines do not do too well during harsh winter conditions. Water usually has less of a problem, unless the water energy is created in shallow conditions where the water freezes. But of course, there is nuclear energy to take care of most issues, even if everything else fails - even though some people still do not want to hear about it.

The food aspect is a lot more interesting though, especially from a modern point of view.

Because we people today are very used to eating the same stuff year around. Like potatoes, carrots, bellpeppers, tomatoes, cabbage, oranges, apples, pears, and bananas are usually available in the supermarket no matter when you go there. But of course we also know that those only are there because of the rather destructive ways we use to cultivate food and bring it to us. These things usually are grown somewhere closer to the equator and then are brought to Europe/North America via plane, emitting a lot more CO2.

Of course, this is a fairly new development. For the most of human history, nobody - or only the very richest people - had access to imported food like that. So instead they would only eat was either was available in their own country and their own fields right now, or that they could conserve in some way or form.

And frankly... I think that is something I would like to see some more off in Solarpunk media. In people not needing everything to be available all the time. And people also working to conserve food in one way or another to make it last longer.

Also I do want to bring it up again: There were a lot of well known "winter vegetables" in Europe during most of our history there. Stuff that would get ripe in late autumn and would keep rather well. And a lot of those vegetables have been forgotten.

So... Yeah, I really would see that issue discussed a bit more.

Black culture in Bluefields, Nicaragua! ✊🏿🇳🇮

YAYY I WAS HOPING THE PLATE WOULD GIVE ME A QUESTION LIKE THIS!!!

I've been doing an (honestly unnecessary) deep-dive into the cultures that Terran, Marina, Flint, and Zephira come from, so I'm gonna take this to yap about the food culture in each of their hometowns!! :3

Each of their hometowns are in an area that is strongly associated with an Element. These places are currently unnamed and I gotta work on geography and borders but it's basically Air to the North, Water to the East, Fire to the South, and Earth to the West.

---

Starting with Terran's hometown: a typical meal would be a thick, hearty stew made from hunted game like rabbit or venison, with some corn, potato or carrot, and squash or pumpkin, and seasoned with foraged herbs and spices. They usually have some fresh fruit or berries and rye bread as well.

In Marina's hometown, a common meal would be some sort seafood (often fish) served over rice or pasta with seasoned flatbread with olive oil. Usually there's a good amount of sweet and savory flavors with citrus or tropical fruit mixed with salt and savory herbs. Most meals are served family-style in large dishes/platters.

In Flint's hometown, most meals include smoked or slow-roasted meats with heavy spices. Usually kebabs or served with flatbread and roasted vegetables like peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or nopales. There's these popular cheese-stuffed black bread rolls that are served with almost every meal (and also Flint's favorite food ever).

Then in Zephira's hometown, most meals are made in the community center where everyone just comes and goes and there's almost always something cooking there. It's kinda buffet style where individuals and families can go up and serve themselves or cook something for their family and the community. Most meals include soups or dumplings/wraps with poultry or goat meat, veggies like parsnips and beets, and preserved foods like jams, dried fruit, cheese, and often served with soda bread or brown bread and honey butter.

---

this is the product of needless world building instead of working on character arcs lolllll

i have SO much knowledge about the cultures of the elementals' hometowns that will likely never make it into the main story but oh well

tysm for the ask!! this was fun to finally share! :3

taglist under the cut! If you'd like to be tagged in future works, interact with this post!