zompist bboard

In the settings of some science fiction anime and JRPGs, the setting is called Earth with humans living in there but the geography is completely rewritten. Some examples are:
- Dragon Ball (all cultures in the east, and west (West City, cowboys) are mashed together)
- Pokemon (the regions. The culture is assumed to be Japan-like or America-like depending on localization)
- Mega Man BN and SF (Electopia is Japan, Netopia is America, Sharo is Russia)

The closest thing I found is Star Wars, where humans live in the "Galaxy Far, Far Away" and assuming humans in Star Wars are not from Earth. Are there any science fiction works created in English taking place on Earth with a fictional geography? Should they be called "alternate geological history science fiction"?

I think these three science fiction worlds are not created to predict the future, but why don't western science fiction do this? Superheroes like Superman fought in American cities like New York, not an Earth conworld.

How about Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings?

SHiNKiROU wrote:Should they be called "alternate geological history science fiction"?

no they should definitely not, as the main idea behind the works you use as examples is neither history nor geology
it'd give a very skewed picture of what the point was

It would be nice to have a word for this kind of thing but I don't think it's that big a deal.

(by the way this is the approach I took to my own conworlding: it's earth, the people are human, all the biota are of our world -- but every culture is fictitious. it shares exactly zero human history with the real earth)

Kereb wrote:(by the way this is the approach I took to my own conworlding: it's earth, the people are human, all the biota are of our world -- but every culture is fictitious. it shares exactly zero human history with the real earth)

I guess that a lot of fictional worlds start out with earth as a template, and then a few things regular things are swapped out for invented ones at the whim of the creator, with individuals, nations and geography as most likely to be changed/invented, and languages, flora and fauna and the existence of some sort of magic next. Anything after that is more than likely the same as earth in most fantasy worlds (though clearly not all), such as physics (aside from magic), political structures, lifestyles, human nature (power struggles, love), etc.

Concerning geology and geography my conworld is just that, an alternate Earth. The evolution of life is somewhat different too. But I'm not creating it in English, I'm afraid.

clawgrip wrote:How about Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings?

Technically speaking, Middle Earth is actually Europe in an alternate mythic past. This is found all over JRR Tokien's other writings, as well as in the conceit that he had somehow found the Red Book that Bilbo, Frodo, and Samwise had written (containing the stories There and Back Again and Nine-Fingered Frodo and the Lord of the Rings) and translated it.

SHiNKiROU wrote: I think these three science fiction worlds are not created to predict the future, but why don't western science fiction do this? Superheroes like Superman fought in American cities like New York, not an Earth conworld.

Surprised I'm the first to mention this: but no. Superman was based in the city of Metropolis, Batman in Gotham City, Green Arrow in Star City. Aquaman rules Atlantis.

Salmoneus wrote:

SHiNKiROU wrote: I think these three science fiction worlds are not created to predict the future, but why don't western science fiction do this? Superheroes like Superman fought in American cities like New York, not an Earth conworld.

Surprised I'm the first to mention this: but no. Superman was based in the city of Metropolis, Batman in Gotham City, Green Arrow in Star City. Aquaman rules Atlantis.

AIUI, Metropolis is DC's version of Chicago, Gotham is New York City, and Star City is Los Angeles.

But they aren't actually those places. [And I don't think it's so clear cut, either. Eg Gotham's political corruption seems more of a nod toward Chicago, though its Italian mobsters do seem NYish]

SHiNKiROU wrote:Are there any science fiction works created in English taking place on Earth with a fictional geography? Should they be called "alternate geological history science fiction"?

If TV series are allowed here, then I suggest Fringe. Basically continental geography is the same as ours, although some parts of California are flooded (maybe due to earthquakes), but is local geography what differs the most.

Among literary works, the world of Conan the Barbarian.

Salmoneus wrote:But they aren't actually those places. [And I don't think it's so clear cut, either. Eg Gotham's political corruption seems more of a nod toward Chicago, though its Italian mobsters do seem NYish]

I looked up some maps, and apparently Gotham is in New Jersey, and I could not find Metropolis at all. So, I was basically wrong.

Not sci-fi, but the setting of A Series of Unfortunate Events has both similarities to our world (e.g. Brazil is a real place, there's a religion called Buddhism, William Shakespeare existed) and strong differences (e.g. there's a Duchess of Winnipeg and a King of Arizona, and none of the places the characters actually visit seem to exist in real life).

EDIT: Also the settings of His Dark Materials (most obviously Lyra's world), although this is with the complication that in the second book it turns out our world does exist and it's all a matter of parallel universes. I suppose most works which have parallel worlds probably fall in this category to some extent.

EDIT EDIT: Actually my own conworld is technically like this, as it is an alternative reality where Mars and Venus are inhabitable (and inhabited), which has some political and social consequences for Earth post-1850 (e.g. there were Venusian colonies in Africa and Austronesia, with knock-on effects in the present) - also space travel is much more available. However, my work on the world has concentrated itself almost entirely on Venus, and a little bit on Mars, and I've never really thought through the consequences for Earth in any significant detail.

SHiNKiROU wrote: - Pokemon (the regions. The culture is assumed to be Japan-like or America-like depending on localization)

The consensus for Pokemon, as per Word of God, is that the first four regions correspond to Japan where the 5th region (the current one) is based off New York and the 6th one (the upcoming games) are based off Paris.

I guess to better illustrate I'd better illustrate:

Kantou: Japanese Kantou Region with the Western half of Chubu
Johto: Kansai (Kinki) with the Eastern half of Chubu
Hoenn: Kyushu & Okinawa
Shinou (Sinnoh): Hokkaido rotated 180° and the Southern half of Sakhalin
Isshu (Unova): New York and parts of Northern New Jersey

The Adventures of Tintin: Syldavia, Borduria, San Theodoros, Nuevo Rico, Khemed, Pilchardania, Tetaragua, Sondonesia...