Books, film, games,
do explain why
The west wing
Because that’s the way America should be
Edit: I feel bad for crashing this sincere and good post. Truthfully, I’ve always liked LOTR for the maps. Haven’t read much fiction otherwise. Maps are cool and good
I'm a huge Tolkien fan but unless I was born into the right family at the right time I wouldn't want to live there. There's stuff I'd wanna go look at but most people just kinda farmed.
Wait we have to live wherever we choose? This changed things lol
I don't think it's part of the rules, but it's worth considering. Makes it easier to consider the setting aside from the story that takes place there. I'm re-reading The Silmarillion right now and Arda is a mostly really shitty time anything that gets a bit good is fucking obliterated for the most part. There's a lot of cool stuff to look at though.
Hobbits sit around and eat and smoke all day, if you dont wanna live in the shire idk if i can even relate to you at all
The Shire was WASPy gossipy crap. Also they would have been eaten by orcs long ago if the Dunedaine weren't handling their shit for them
Star Trek, space is the place and people for the most part have their shit together. I actually would like to live there unlike every other fictional setting which is either super dangerous or basically the same as a normal life unless you're a main character.
can you believe we have a charlie kirk emoji but not a captain kirk emote?
Still waiting on :zefram-cochrane:
Gotta be the James Cromwell version.
There's also no magic or whatever involved. We made it happen through a lot of work. There isn't really any fictional world that is designed to be aspirational like that. When doing well it questions the ethics of its own world as well showing that it's aspirational but not utopian.
Wonderfully said. I get confused by ppl who complain Star Trek isn’t a utopia or perfect. It’s aspirational and expands our view of what we could achieve with cooperation.
TNG era stuff with too much oversight from Roddenberry or Berman had an issue with confusing aspirational with utopian. Like Roddenberry saying that people would no long grieve the dead and most of Voyager. DS9 got it right but you do need that idealism of TNG to tee up the deconstruction and even then it wasn't some crass tearing down of the Federation, it just showed it had some deep issues based in it's own conceited enlightenment, not that they were just as bad as we are but that there's still a long road ahead and it takes constant work and vigilance.
While DS9 actively showed flaws to make Starfleet and the Federation seem real instead of an impossibly idealized vision, TNG shows cracks on a rewatch. Like your great point about conceited enlightenment, the flaws humanize the Federation’s detractors, the Ferengi, Klingons, and Romulans weren’t wrong. Weren't there a few episodes where they discussed losing their principles if their material conditions deteriorated?
Reminds me of Zizek’s point that happiness doesn’t come from government and society and that happiness isn’t the goal. We just don’t wanna live in a chaotic system that wastes lives and resources.
Weren’t there a few episodes where they discussed losing their principles if their material conditions deteriorated?
Yep, once on DS9 when they get stuck in the 21st century and they're in the sanctuary district/ghetto:
BASHIR: But it makes you wonder, doesn't it? Are humans really any different than Cardassians or Romulans? If push comes to shove, if something disastrous happens to the Federation, if we are frightened enough, or desperate enough, how would we react? Would we stay true to our ideals or would we just stay up here, right back where we started?
Snow Crash. Nuclear aircraft carrier being used as a private yacht, US government fully atomized and privatized, etc etc. All the classics.
Dishonored was cool. Good blend of magic and gritty steampunkish stuff.
dishonored had really good world building. The bit where youre going along the dam or whatever is pretty cool, getting to see the residential zones and stuff
disco elysium, I was really engrossed by the lore and background world building elements. I remember in my first playthrough I was reading the books in the library and worrying about if i was wasting time that was gonna bite me in the ass bc I didn't know how brutal the paying for the inn mechanic was gonna be but I couldn't stop wanting to read about stuff. The conversations about the pale with the paledriver was really cool too
definitely. haven't played it since my first two play throughs. Actually have been really wanting to pick it up again but just been waiting for the update
haha same, I think they are just trying to sort out simultaneous releases now
Yeah it's still confirmed for March which means at most we're looking at a two week window!
Pokemon. It has free healthcare. Cute monsters. Everyone seems pretty happy.
The closest thing I've ever gotten to that Depression those dudes got over the Avatar Pandora not existing was Pokemon universe not existing. Even the lovely environments look amazing, with picturesque natural phenomenas being synonymous with society pretty consistently. And those animals being affectionate and consistently cared for despite the industrialised cockfighting being maybe the largest economy.
Dark fantasy with mild elements of Eldritch horror, but not jump scares/actual horror. Dark souls is the perfect setting for me: it’s unnerving and spooky, but you can kill everything and protect yourself and you know it. And that light and determination brings you through really spooky areas like the tomb of the giants. Right now another example I’m really enjoying is Darkest dungeon. Nails the vibes and it’s fun so far.
Bas-Lag. I'm a sucker for anything by China Mieville, his world building is amazing. It's a beautifully crafted, Marxist steampunk dystopia which draws you in and doesn't let go.
:geordi-no: Orks
:geordi-yes: Giant interdimensional psychic spiders who enjoys cutting off ears.
Retro-scifi of a space age/cold war era variety. It’s endessly optimistic of the capabilities that contemporary tech had to shape the future. Both Googie and Brutalist architecture are dope as hell. Aliens and UFO’s are the boogie-men, being mysterious and unsettling.
Media: Pre-nukes Fallout (as terrible as it was), Meet the Robinsons, Star Trek
There’s a dearth of this kind of content tho :kitty-cri:
It definitely seems in that vein, with more emphasis on the future aspect. I’m gonna check it out
Hidden, underground societies.
I like the cooperative ones more, like the Morlocks from X-Men in the sewers of NYC or the resistance in Demolition Man.
As a kid I was fascinated by the city of Tronjheim in the second Eragon book and whatever the underground setting was in Artemis Fowl.
edit: forgot to include the amazing Brendan Frasier
10k Leagues Under the Seajourney to the center of the earth, or the D*sney atlantis movie.
