TVTropes Now available in the app store!
Open

Follow TV Tropes

Following

How Accurate Should A Fantasy Counterpart Culture Be?

Go To

NarniaRanger Narnia Ranger from The Moors Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Narnia Ranger
#1: Feb 27th 2011 at 12:39:30 AM

I've been doing some Worldbuilding for a while, and figured that it would be best to base the various nations after Real World cultures, mostly those from Asia. However, I've been constantly wondering how accurate each country should be to its Real Life counterpart. Should I make it entirely accurate, or add in some of my own ideas into it? Any suggestions are welcome. :)

"RPM! Get in Gear!"
MattII Since: Sep, 2009
#2: Feb 27th 2011 at 2:12:27 AM

How accurate you want it is up to you, but since culture (if a race has a primary one at all) is based on a specific set of circumstances and attitudes, I'd say, not too accurate.

AirofMystery Since: Jan, 2001
#3: Feb 27th 2011 at 5:35:05 AM

Hey, me too! East Asia, South Asia? West Asia?

Anyway, I've found that it's best to be mostly accurate to the cultures whose counterparts you're depicting, but don't be afraid to go off on tangents that they wouldn't have. My fantasy China equivalent has some ideas taken from Westerns, for example. (I guess that would make it an Eastern.)

JHM Apparition in the Woods from Niemandswasser Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: Hounds of love are hunting
RTaco Since: Jul, 2009
#5: Feb 27th 2011 at 7:03:49 PM

Honestly, try to make them as different as possible. Fantasy Counterpart Culture is just a shortcut for creating original cultures.

NarniaRanger Narnia Ranger from The Moors Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Narnia Ranger
#6: Feb 27th 2011 at 11:53:15 PM

These are all pretty good suggestions, I'll have to figure out what I want to do sometime. Thanks. :)

@Airof Mystery: It's mostly East and Southeast Asia that I'm modeling after. I should probably get back to working on it when I'm not busy studying.

"RPM! Get in Gear!"
Drakyndra Her with the hat from Somewhere Since: Jan, 2001
Her with the hat
#7: Feb 28th 2011 at 1:21:47 AM

My only advice is that if your culture is recognisably a Fantasy Counterpart Culture, try not to make it too stereotypically offensive of the real world equivalent. You don't want to end up with Unfortunate Implications.

But a bit of creativity is always welcome.

The owner of this account is temporarily unavailable. Please leave your number and call again later.
NarniaRanger Narnia Ranger from The Moors Since: Feb, 2011 Relationship Status: In love with love
Narnia Ranger
#8: Feb 28th 2011 at 1:54:59 PM

Yeah, my main concern is trying to avoid the Far East trope as much as possible, as well as any other Unfortunate Implications.

edited 28th Feb '11 1:55:11 PM by NarniaRanger

"RPM! Get in Gear!"
Gvzbgul from Middle Earth Since: Jul, 2010
#9: Mar 1st 2011 at 12:02:47 AM

Well you can always have them act that way but look nothing like them. So the culture is the same but superficially they are different. Although I'm not quite sure how easy it would be to convey that in words.

Add Post

Total posts: 9
Top