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New Poll: Which fictional milieu would you most like to have access to?
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{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
Nobody should probably be surprised at this, but I was the first vote for Narnia.
Middle Earth… Though this earth is technically Middle Earth in a later age.
I thought about Narnia and Middle Earth, but there are some pretty scary things there. So I picked the Wizarding World. Hmm, some pretty scary things there too. Can I make it post Deathly Hallows so Voldemort and the dementors are mostly taken care of? Yeah, that would be good.
Pat
Don’t know enough (or even anything) about some of them (Buffyverse, Warhammer, The ‘Verse, Space Above and Beyond, The Forgotten World) to have an opinion.
Wouldn’t want to fool around with Triffids. And isn’t the Matrix the place where the world we know is a virtual reality / computer program while the actual people float around in liquid in capsules? And mere mortals don’t seem too significant in Twilight.
Wouldn’t want to live in Arthurian times: no antibiotics, no dentists, no indoor plumbing, washing machines, central heating etc. Life was way too short and brutish. And that also applies to Middle Earth, whose creator obviously wasn’t too concerned about the modern conveniences.
Narnia has all the disadvantages of Arthurian times / Middle Earth, plus the additional one about having to be accountable for one’s eternal soul. I read fantasy to get away from that kind of stuff.
Wouldn’t want to mess with Cthulhu or his worshippers, or the weird fish people, or frog people or what have you. Way too murderous.
Star Wars had good bio-medical technology – they could put Anakin back together again although it always astounded me that they couldn’t figure out Padme was carrying twins – but that whole universe seems fairly sterile to me. Just lacks that lived in look which would make it a bit more credible. Ditto Star Trek, especially the original series where even the rocks looked fake.
Marvel/DC heroes is not so bad, seeing as how it’s our world, except with heroes. But critters like Galactus and Dark Phoenix who are capable of swallowing the world in one gulp make me nervous. Plus, I’m not too crazy about all those alternate reality story lines. I figure if I break my heart over the suicide of Jean Grey, then the least she can do is stay dead.
Which leaves the Wizarding World. But wouldn’t you know it, once again, there’s that accountability thing again. There’s a war going on, good against evil. If you’re a wizard, you stand a good chance of getting AK’d. And if you’re a Muggle, you’re just road kill.
Bottom line, none of these worlds are a walk in the park. They all feature fairly deadly battles between the good guys and the bad. And many of them are darned uncomfortable places to live in. But if I had to choose, this is how I’d choose:
I’d share a cigarette with Legolas and Gimli. I’d go drinking with Han Solo. I’d have Hemione Granger in my study group. I’d take Picard as my leader any day. I’d fight along Sirius Black. And I’d make my last stand with Harry.
Yes. When I was making the list I was asking myself would I want the perils that are present in those imaginary worlds or what if I was some Bree-land peasant or a worker is some half-baked Ferderation colony near the Romulan Neutral Zone. Not so much fun.
But in LOTR I think Merry said to Haldir something to the effect of that if had known what the world outside the Shire was like he wouldn’t have left. Haldir replied something like- not even to see Lothlorien? The world is full of peril and darkness but there is still much that is fair but it’s all mingled with sadness and grief.
Red Rocker,
You need access to the Wood between the Worlds!
I just have a fascination for vampires, can’t help it…
Oh, this is a tough one. There are a few I’m not familiar with.
It comes down to a four-way tie between the WW, Narnia, Middle Earth, and Arthurian. Had you included the two planets to which Ransom traveled, it’s likely all four of those who have taken a back seat.
I’ve decided on Narnia, because it’s the most removed from the present world, and Tolkien’s complaint aside, it seems other magical beings from other worlds keep wandering into Narnia, which means that one’s time there might give one a flavor for many different worlds.
I voted for Middle Earth — the beauty that is described there (like korg said earlier, w/ the exchange between Merry and Haldir), is just too tempting to pass up. I think if Lewis had a penchant for poetic description like Tolkien did, it might be a tougher call. But in some ways, this difference between them makes Lewis easier to read and escape into the action with. But if we’re talking pure setting, my vote goes to Middle Earth.
Thus sayeth the lurker…
I have always always wanted to go to Narnia. I didn’t really even think about what the options were. As soon as I saw the question it got my vote. Even if I don’t get to meet, Aslan, though really that’s almost the whole point of going. I think I once gave Aslan the distinction of my favorite character in all of literature.
Narnia and the North! Even during the reign of the White Witch or Miraz, there’s people like the Beavers, Tumnus, Trumpkin, and Reepicheep. Time out-of-doors. Interesting places: the Dancing Lawn, all of the islands, lands of giants and of marshwiggles. Not to mention Aslan.
Further up and further in…
Despite pulls toward a few of these, I voted for Narnia. It was the first magical place I ever visited as a child, and the lure it placed on my heart then is with me still. Aslan’s roar echoes deep in my heart.
Although I have moments I would dearly love to rest in Lothlorien or hear the elves singing in Rivendell.
I picked Star Wars because it was the first universe to engage my imagination. How can you not like a place with planets named Dantooine, Mantooine, Tatooine, Handooine, and Klatooine?
Also, other places although I wouldn’t get to go to the cultural center of the ‘verse, their own paradise lost, Alderaan. Although it was hard to pick it over the WW, ME, and Narnia.
I want to live a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away! And, I want a robot and a laser blaster. I’ve always wanted a storm trooper costume. Learning martial arts and how to movie things with my mind from a green muppet would be cool, too.
But, the creme-de-la-creme… If only I had an Imperial Walker…
I want to have tea with Mr. Tumnus and listen to his hypnotic sleeper-putter. And yeah, I also want my very own Imperial Walker: I’m not convinced those things can move too far without losing their balance and I want to test the hypothesis. I want to spend a few hours with a Penseive. See Appendix A for list of memories I’d like to take a look at. I want to ride a hippogriff and touch my fingers to the water as he skims low over the surface of the loch. I want to go to King’s Cross and watch the people getting on the train on their way to Wherever.
Middle Earth got my vote. It’s the one I can see most clearly. I want to see a dragon. And a Balrog from a safe distance. It would be cool to patronise Hobbits by scruffling their hair and saying how cute they are with those big fluffy feet.
An Imperial walker would be good, that’s for sure. But everyone talks so lame. And I couldn’t stand being in the same universe as Jar Jar Binks. And I can hear Luke’s whining from here.
I would love to be able to fly to and see with my own eyes the things Hubble takes photos of.
I’d be interested to see how a Christian fares in the Buffyverse, but I reckon Buffy would ask some very tough questions.
When I was a teenager reading Day of the Triffids I thought it would be fun driving any car I wanted that was left abandoned on the road. But I also thought I would die a grisly death from starvation because I have no idea how to live off the land.
On a very faintly related tangent, we saw Coraline today. For those of you who haven’t read the story, Coraline is an 11 year old girl who goes through a door in the wall and emerges in a place that’s a lot like her own apartment, with some differences. Replacing her parents are Other Mother and Other Father, who are much friendlier and entertaining. Other Mother cooks, which her real mother doesn’t have time for. Other Father sings and plays the piano – and gardens – which her real parents don’t have time for. The other main difference is their eyes: buttons instead of real eyes. Many other people Coraline knows in her own world have Other World replicas – all save Cat, who walks between the two worlds. Coraline is tempted to stay forever in Other World, except for the price: to allow her eyes to be replaced by buttons. It’s a thinly disguised metaphor for selling your soul for earthly happiness, of course.
Wasn’t looking for similarities to Potter, but there they were, not in the specifics but the way the movie/book referenced and borrowed froom other myths and tales: Other Mother is known to the denizens of Other World as beldam (as in, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, who in Keats’ poem takes knights to her otherworldly grotto). The fairy ring of myth and literature which in the movie surrounds a deep well that plays a crucial role in the plot. The idea of souls residing in objects and which can only be freed by – you get the idea.
Good stuff, and well worth seeing, but definitely not for younger kids.
Speaking of the real world for a moment, Korg & Black Angus, thoughts & prayers go out to those affected by the terrible fires in Australia. Hope you & yours are safe.
I didn’t know if the fires had hit Tasmania, so I Googled it. Seems Tasmania is sending firefighters and equipment to Victoria, so it sounds like things are ok back home. So our guys should be ok. Unless they go over for some reason. Sounds totally dreadful. Hope there’s no more loss of life.
Coraline sounds like a nightmare version of Plato
There’s another character that Beldam reminded me of, but that was Tolkien, not Keats. I won’t give it away because it’s kind of the thread that ties the whole story together.
BTW, Travis, Coraline may not look like a traditional fairy tale, but it definitely is.
Thanks everyone for your concern re the fires. I’m in Sydney and we have been spared from any major fires so far this summer. Bushfires are a terrible fact of life in Australia, even in major cities. And our country towns tend to be quite small. Some of those towns in Victoria have been totally wiped out. For such a small country (in population) spread out over such a wide space we can be especially vulnerable. The whole country grieves at times like this so thank you for your kind words.
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.
I moved from Sydney about 5 years ago and the threat of bush fires and the smoke over the city each Summer is something I don’t miss at all. All throughout Australia there’s a constant battle between authorities and environmentalists regarding fuel reduction burns. The aboriginies here used fire as a land management tool for thousands of years but it’s now harder to do. Because much of the Australian bush is made up of eucalypt trees the fire danger is increased. They give off a flammable gas and they also require fire to reproduce.
Now there’s a rush by politicians to find something to blame for the situation. But even with the best planning and precautions natural forces of this magnitude cannot be controlled by the bureaucracy. I bet that makes them sting. A string of very hot temperatures mixed with high wind, lightning and some arson.
First sympathies and prayers to Australia.
Second, RR and Black Angus–John Wyndham fans! I’ve never known anyone else who has read him (true of several favorite authors). Very apocalyptic and Wellsian. I have Wyndham’s novels and short story collections, gathered over the years in used bookstores. And no, I’d not want to be in the Triffid world; I thought the book quite prophetic about satellite weaponry. So we might have a Triffid world yet.
No one has mentioned this fictional world, but I might be highly entertained visiting the Island world of Lost. Just “when” and “where” it would be is the question, heh heh. It might be scary, but it wouldn’t be boring.
Just joking….Dharma food doesn’t look too appetizing.
LOST and Harry Potter…
LOST Parody #3- Harry Potter?!
Those of you who are both Harry Potter and Lost fans, check out this great laugh using action figures at http://www.funnyordie.com:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6d7d67c436/lost-parody-3-harry-potter-from-fine-brothers
There are a about four, some, incorporating “Others” from other fantasy worlds, such as Star Wars.
Arabella,
I love John Wyndam’s work. I always found his writing to be so thought provoking.
I included his works on the poll because some people, I thought, might be interested in the rebuilding of a culture/society after some holocaust. There is some excitement in that idea for me. It would really be meaningful work that so many of us don’t have in our regular lives.
Another take on rebuilding civilization after a holocaust is Stephen King’s The Stand The rebuilding is actually secondary to a struggle between the forces of good and evil following the decimation of most of humanity by a plague (I think it was a man-made superbug influenza). The dark side is led by Randall Flagg, also known as the Walkin’ Dude and the Dark Man. He is not entirely human, and appears at times to be posessed by a greater evil. He appears in other stories by King. The good side congregates around Mother Abigail, a 103 year old woman with distinct Christ-like experiences.
I haven’t read it in years, so I just Googled it. Interestingly, King thought of it as his verion of Lord of the Rings, his “American fantasy epic”. The two things I remember most about the book are King’s chilling depiction of Flagg – a villain amongst villains, compared to whom Voldemort is a pussy cat – and the practical things the survivors had to do to survive. Yes, they could jump into the nearest abandoned car, but they also knew that they had to start growing their own food, because the stuff in the supermarkets wouldn’t last forever (with the possible exception of the Twinkies).
So here’s a suggestion for another poll, Korg: a vote on the best supervillain (fictional) of all time. I nominate Randall Flagg.
Sorry – forgot to turn off the italics in the last comment.
As much as I love astronomy, Day of the Triffids kept me from looking at meteor showers for years… just in case. And only an Englishman could call something so terrifying a Triffid. And get away with it.
That’s what most people remember of the The Day of the Triffids, but it’s wrong. In the story the Triffids were were already being farmed for oil but a stolen box of seed was being smuggled on a plane and the plane was shot down and the seeds spread on the four winds.
It was malfunctioning orbital weapon systems that led to the mass blindness and the time of the triffids. A triffid being a better survivor that a blind human no matter how intelligent.
Absolutely right, korg20000bc. The revelation that a malfunctioning orbital weapon caused such havoc is the great twist at the end, but it’s effect is the stone in the story pond. This story has even more applicability today because it works on so many levels.
And I might add, the Triffids were genetically-tinkered plants. So you have satellite weaponry, genetic tinkering, holocaust plague and societal adaptation. No uber-evil characters; just ordinary, human, mundane, “for the greater good” evil bringing disaster and human solutions. Seems more contemporary than ever.