Fictional Places Where You’d Rather Live
So it occurred to us… here we are, discussing these great locations, when it turns out that out of anyplace on Earth, the one place where people really want to live doesn’t even exist. Yep, Pandora. The fictional moon in James Cameron’s “Avatar”. It seems that a noticeable chunk of people are openly depressed (even suicidal) that they’ll never be able to live on Cameron’s fictional world. If it sounds like we’re making fun of these people, well… we are. After all, if you’re going to pine over a fictional world there are a lot of other ones out there. So why all the hang-up over Pandora? Sure, these other worlds might not be in 3D, but they’re still 100% awesome.
Pandora
Hey, if we’re going to start out by discussing “Avatar”, then we might as well begin our list with it. Pandora, the lush moon of the planet Polyphemus. So why all the hub-bub? Simple. Pandora is mind-bogglingly gorgeous. There is no hint of “man” (at least until recently), and the native people live in perfect harmony with nature. In fact, all life on the moon is linked via a neural network. This affinity among all living things brings further peace and contentment to its inhabitants. That may be the heart of why people want to live on Pandora so badly. The inhabitants just seem so gosh darn content with their lives.
Hogwarts
Come on, admit it. Everyone has wished at some point in their life that a giant would smash down their front door and declare, “You’re a wizard, Harry.” (insert your own name in there… obviously… doofus) It’s a theme that has permeated literature and story telling for ages. It’s the idea that you’re special, that you’re meant for something more. Heck, look at Luke Skywalker. He’s bored in his humdrum life, then suddenly this old guy tells him he’s destined to wield a laser sword, battle bad guys, and resist ogling his sister in a slave outfit. It’s that whole, “There’s a magical unseen world just around the corner, you’re meant to be there.
Middle-earth
Hey kids, do you like high fantasy? Well, pretty much all high fantasy these days is a rip-off of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. So, what is Middle-earth? It is a continent. Want to impress your friends who like “Lord of the Rings”? The planet is called “Arda”. It’s all very vague, but you’re pretty safe viewing Tolkien’s world as a mythological prehistoric earth. Now granted, at certain points in Middle-earth’s history, you probably wouldn’t want to live there. But… for the most part, Middle-earth is a beautiful place filled with fantastic places and creatures. And if you’re an elf, you get to be nigh immortal. Take that Pandora.
Azeroth
Speaking of Tolkien rip-offs, here’s one that over 11 million people already practically live in. That’s right, Azeroth, the planet on which “World of WarCraft” takes place. So, why would you want to live here, in a rip-off, instead of the original? Well… Tolkien’s more cut and dry. Monsters = Bad, People = good. On Azeroth, it’s a bit more gray. You could be a heroic orc, or one heck of an evil human. Here’s another way to put it… if you prefer to look “cool” rather than “pretty” Azeroth may be the perfect place for you. It pushes the envelope a bit. What, with undead armies marching right along side inter-dimensional floating fortresses, what did you expect? Good times.
Mythological Ancient Greece
Forget that uber-green harmony with nature. Forget wizards in flashy robes and warriors wielding six-foot long swords with one hand. Give us the age when gods walked among us, when magic existed but was still special… still rare. Monsters? Yep. We’ve got those too. But unlike “high-fantasy” where you’ve got a monster hiding under every bridge, “low-fantasy” settings like mythological ancient Greece hold monsters, heck, hold everything “fantastic” in a much higher regard. If it’s “fantastic”, it’s rare, it’s story worthy, and you’re a hero for even encountering it. Conan the Barbarian’s “Hyborian Age” is another example of low fantasy.
Star Trek Milky Way
A lot of those who pine for the world of Pandora do so because they consider it a utopia. A perfect society. Well, although the franchise tends to glaze over the subject, the fact of the matter is in the time of Star Trek, Earth itself has become a veritable utopia. All problems are external (Klingons, Romulans, The Borg, etc). Life on Earth itself? It’s a paradise. Hunger and disease have been eradicated. The people of Earth spend all of their time pursuing whatever endeavors satisfy them. Some take to the stars, but many more become artisans, scholars, etc, and lead a perfect life. Sounds pretty gosh darn good.
A long time ago in a galaxy far far away…
– Yeah, well… how would you describe the place where Star Wars took place? The location is simply known as “The Galaxy” among fans. And honestly, did you think we’d mention “Star Trek” without mentioning “Star Wars”? So what’s there to say? The Star Wars galaxy is the perfect marriage of fantasy and sci-fi. Where else could you be a knight who flies a space-ship? Now sure, the galaxy is embroiled in war at certain points, and the Jedi Knights have been all but eradicated at times, but that’s a small price to pay in order to use the force.
Post Apocalyptic Earth
What’s that you say? Earth… after a nuclear apocalypse? Well… not necessarily nuclear, but yeah. Wipe out most of humanity and give it a century or two for the dust to settle. Love the middle ages, but don’t like the idea of losing all of our technological progress? A post apocalyptic earth might be the place for you! Cities would retract back to city-states. Communities would be closer knit. Raiders would pray on the weak and destroy or enslave anyone who stood in their way—okay so it’s not all good. But it still has something going for it. After all, the utopian Earth of Star Trek is also a Post Apocalyptic earth, with World War 3 having happened a few centuries before. So there you go. Go watch “Mad Max” if you’re skeptical.
So… Stop sobbing that you can’t live on Pandora. There are plenty of other worlds cry about. And hey, if you’re really that desperate to live on one of these worlds, go cultivate a nice healthy MMORPG addiction. It’s almost as good. God bless the 21st century.
Fictional Places Where You’d Rather Live
