Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Difference between revisions

→‎Web Original: added text
(→‎Web Original: added text)
 
(22 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 2:
[[File:katara not an inuit.jpg|link=Avatar: The Last Airbender|frame| [[Avatar: The Last Airbender|The Water Tribes!]] They're Inuit, but with [[Supernatural Martial Arts]] [[Magical Native American|skills]].]]
 
{{quote|''[[What Is This X You Speak Of?|"What is this 'Japan' you speak of?]] I have never heard of it before."''|'''[[Samurai]] Miko Miyazaki''', ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]''}}
|'''[[Samurai]] Miko Miyazaki''', ''[[The Order of the Stick]]''}}
 
It is difficult to be truly original when creating fiction, and even if one manages to pull it off, one runs the risk of putting off the audience by having one's creation seem ''[[Xenofiction|too]]'' strange. Much safer, then, to make your setting contain human cultures that are take-offs of real ones.
Line 17 ⟶ 18:
 
{{examples}}
== Anime &and Manga ==
* In ''[[One Piece]]'', the island nation of Wa-no-Kuni is very clearly this for feudal Japan, what with its isolationism and its samurai. ("Wa-no-kuni" is in fact an old way to refer to Japan.) The Shandians are pretty clear analogues for disenfranchised and displaced Native American populations, as well.
** Creator Eiichiro Oda has practically made a hobby of assigning Fantasy Counterpart Culture equivalents to characters. Using the main cast alone: Luffy's home is the equivalent of Brazil, Sanji's is France, [[Canada, Eh?|Chopper is Canadian]], [[Sensual Slavs|Robin is Russian]], Nami is Swedish, [[Awesome Aussie|Brock is Australian]], Usopp is African<ref>Oda does not specify a country here</ref>, Zoro is Japanese and Franky is American.
* Roshtaria and the other human lands of ''[[El-Hazard: The Magnificent World]]'' are very clearly fantasy stand-ins for the Middle East of the ''[[Arabian Nights]]''.
* The country of Amestris in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' is based on a combination of European countries. It's ruled by a military dictatorship similar to [[Those Wacky Nazis|Nazi Germany]], but they speak English, and the military ranks are also English based (with the rank of Field Marshall replaced with the rank of Fuhrer). Character names are based on names found in various European nations such as the U.K and France. Also the technology used is the same or are similar to the technology found around [[World War II]].
Line 26 ⟶ 28:
* Many of the nations in ''[[Kyou Kara Maou]]'' are vague approximations of [[Real Life]] nations, with Makoku being Medieval Europe and Konanshia-Subererea being the Middle East, among others. One of the most obvious is the Shildkraut nation. We are originally led to believe it's a parallel to Japanese hot spring towns, but then it's then used for a [[Viva Las Vegas]] episode, right down to the lights being recreated with magical stones.
* In ''[[Mai-Otome]]'', set in the distant future on another planet, there are some more or less evident matches between fictional and real nations, at least judging by the names of known inhabitants. Artai seems to be an Eastern European/Slavic nation, Florince is France, the United Kingdom of Lutesia is a blend of ancient Rome and modern Italy, Aries is the United States, Annam is Vietnam, and Zipang is Japan (in fact, for the last two, [[Istanbul (Not Constantinople)|those are real-world, if ancient, monikers for these countries]]).
* ''[[Strike Witches]]'' is very guilty of this, considering it's set in an alternate version of Earth during [[World War II]]. BasedThe on thecountry names are transparent to anyone with even a basic knowledge of variousworld characters,history theand geography.<ref>In case you don't: The [[wikipedia:Fuso|Fuso]] Empire is Japan, [[wikipedia:Liberty Bell|Liberion]] is the United States, Karlsland is Germany (minus [[Those Wacky Nazis]]), Suomus is Suomen tasavalta, a.k.a. [[Finland]], [[wikipedia:Orussian|Orussia]] is Russia, [[wikipedia:Romagna|Romagna]] is Italy, [[wikipedia:Gallia|Gallia]] is France, and Britannia ([[Code Geasswikipedia:Britannia|no not that oneBritannia]]) goes withoutis sayingBritain.</ref> References are also made to [[Real Life]] locations, such as London, Yokosuka, and the Ural Mountains. Some of the [[Real Life]] currencies also carry over: While stationed in Britannia, the main character is paid in pounds, and Fuso's currency is the yen.
* Some of the countries in ''[[Utawarerumono]]'' apparently takes place in real places in Japan. The protagonist's country is based on feudal Ezo (that's Hokkaido) with the people emulating Ainu culture but the most blatant one would be Shikeripetim which looks like a carbon copy of feudal Kyoto!
* ''[[ZeroThe noFamiliar Tsukaimaof Zero]]'' takes place in a suspiciously medieval European setting. Based on the names (which are simply archaic names for the nations they represent), Tristain is Belgium or the Netherlands, Albion is Britain (complete with a rebel leader named Cromwell), Gallia is France, Romalia is Italy, and Germania is (obviously) Germany.
* ''[[Shaman King]]'': Patch and Seminoa sounded a lot like Apache and Seminole. But the similarity is only linguistic. Not to mention the fact that the [[Big Bad]] has the name Hao, which is strangely similar to "How" (the stereotypical greeting used by the natives of North American in fiction).
* There is a major case going on in ''[[Maiden Rose]]'' where half the countries aren't named but are easily culturally identifiable. Klaus comes from a small German state that was conquered by the Western Alliance superstate, also primarily German. This superstate is fighting the Eurotean superstate, which has pre-revolution Russia as the dominant culture. Eurote in turn subdued Taki's country, an unquestionable Japan analogue. If it weren't for the [[Magical Realism]] the story would probably be an outright [[Alternate History]].
Line 36 ⟶ 38:
* The titular state in ''[[Saiunkoku Monogatari]]'' is a fantasy counterpart of Imperial China, especially that of the Tang and Song Dynasties.
* The "Special Region," the alternate world shown in ''[[Gate]]'' is a melange of Medieval and Classical Western elements. [[The Empire]] in particular is pretty much [[Ancient Grome]], complete with togas and even a Senate.
* From what we've seen of it and the people from it, "The Far East" in ''[[Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?]]'' is Sengoku-era Japan in everything but name.
 
== Comics --Comic Books ==
* The ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comic's planet Mobius has long had stand-in cultures for Asia and Australia... but this was finally justified by the revelation that Mobius is actually Earth of the far, far future.
* Boneville in ''[[Bone]]'' is clearly a cartoon version of the United States of America.
 
== Film ==
 
== Films -- Live-Action ==
* ''[[Star Wars]]''
** The forest moon of Endor is, to some extent, an equivalent of [[Darkest Africa]] in a galaxy far, far away. And the Ewoks are very, very similar to African pygmy tribes.
Line 82 ⟶ 84:
** The Easterlings are a mix of people reminiscent of Eastern cultures (who use such tactics as having archers on top of elephants) and much more prevalent generic fantasy barbarians. The Dunlanders are generic fantasy barbarians as well.
*** The Easterlings weren't the guys on the elephants, that was the Harad. Harad is basically a mix of Arabic/Indian cultures. The Easterlings are more Mongol/East Asian/Turkish.
 
 
== Literature ==
Line 109 ⟶ 110:
* [[Diana Wynne Jones]]'s own compendium of [[Fantasy]] tropes and skewering thereof, ''[[The Tough Guide to Fantasyland]],'' makes this point.
* [[Robert Jordan]]'s ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' does this a lot. Cairhien is a mix of France and Japan; Amadicia is modeled after Puritan America; the Seanchan have even more similarities to Japan than the Cairhienin do; Illian is a lot like Venice but its people have Greek-sounding names; Andor is similar to England and parts of the U.S.; the Aiel bear Indian and Native American similarities; Tairens have much in common with Spaniards... and the list goes on.
** ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' is actually pretty good at this. While they have definite elements taken from different cultures they are very rarely actual Fantasy Counterpart Cultures. The Seanchan are as much [[Ottoman Empire]] as they are Japan, and with all sorts of other bits thrown in. [[Word of God]] decided to muddle it even more, when [[Robert Jordan]] said that the Seanchan have a Texan accent, the Illianers a dutch accent, the Aiel a Slavic accent, among [http://www.darkfriends.net/wheel/node/164.html others]{{Dead link}}. Since the world of the [[Wheel of Time]] is meant, in-universe, to be the distant future of our own world, it [[Justified Trope|makes some sense]] that the cultures therein would retain traits recognizable to the reader.
* Most of [[Guy Gavriel Kay]]'s books make heavy use of this trope, and are centered in a counterpart to a specific region of Europe:
** ''[[Tigana]]'': Italy
Line 158 ⟶ 159:
** It's also fun to go through The [[Circle of Magic]] series trying to determine what each culture is based on. For example; Imagine Tris as an English girl. Good luck imagining her habitual snark in anything other than an upper-class British accent.
*** The Yanjing Empire is definitely based on ancient China, and the Namorn Empire is based on Russia. Also, the city-state of Tharios has a government like ancient Rome, while the caste system there is based on Japan, with the yaskedasi (entertainers) similar to the geisha of Japan and the caste system based on the burakumin. The food and weather that Emelan and some of its neighboring countries have is Mediterrean, and Chammur is more Middle Eastern/Arabic.
* Much of ''[[Discworld]]'' is like this, generally using it to satirize the original culture. [[Überwald]] is Transylvania (and Eastern Europe in general), Genua is [[The Big Easy|New Orleans]] (with a bit of Disney World), Brindisi seems to be a mix of Spain and Italy, Klatch is the Middle East and North Africa (while also being a stand-in for any "generically foreign" place or concept), Howondaland is a mix of sub-Saharan Africa and Central/South America, and the Counterweight Continent is part China, part Japan (especially the late Edo period). Llamedos is Wales, Djelibeybi is [[Ancient Egypt]], and Ephebe is Greece. Pseudopolis and Tsort are Athens and Troy. Lancre is rural England with a dash of the Appalachians and a Scottish lean, Quirm seems to borrow a lot from France and Italy, and Ankh-Morpork has been described as a cross between eighteenth-century London, nineteenth-century Seattle, and modern New York. The dust jacket for ''[[Discworld/The Last Continent|The Last Continent]]'' [[Lampshade Hanging|hung a lampshade]] on this; after mentioning the continent of Fourecks, it had a footnote saying "Which has nothing to do with Australia. At all."
** The Empire (of the Counterweight Continent) keeps out foreigners by building a huge wall across the border. (It doesn't work, but then it's ''really'' there to keep the people in, so they don't notice outsiders ''aren't'' invisible vampire ghosts [i.e. Gwai Lo].) By and large, the Agatean Empire's approach to foreign policy was to pretend the rest of the Disc didn't exist. This is pretty close to Imperial China (as well as pre-modern Japan; the Empire is both).
** The paperback edition of ''[[Discworld/The Last Continent|The Last Continent]]'' has it as a foreword, adding that it " just happens to be, here and there, a bit... australian" [{{sic]}}
** And the Nac Mac Feegle are cartoon Celts with permanent woad.
** And the Tezumen in ''[[Eric]]'' are clearly the Aztecs/Mexica.
** Even New Zealand gets a look-in, recast as the Foggy Islands, and to add to the list of British Empire Andand Commonwealth Dominions, there are several vague but cumulatively telling hints here and there in the Discworld canon that point to there being a "South Africa" on the Disc, no doubt turned [[Up to Eleven]] with biltong occupying the dwarf bread culiniary niche and memories of a past war involving Welsh soldiers and a people not completely unlike [[Zulu]]s (A Llamedosian regiment is said to have distinguished itself at a battle of "Lawkes' Drain"...)
** So far, theThe only distinctly recognisable part of the United States to have made it into Discworld is the Mississipi River (The River Vieux) and the Delta, serving as an all-purpose Deep South/Louisiana, with creole language and cuisine, riverboats, voodoo, and witch-queens overlying a superficially-Disney magic kingdom called Genua. [[Up to Eleven]], naturally.
** While the country of Borogravia, featured prominently in ''[[Monstrous Regiment]]'', is a fairly original creation, there are signs pointing to it being something of a small United States in a world that doesn't have much room for it. Constantly at war for no clear reason, it devotes all of its resources to its military at the expense of domestic standards of living, and the ever-changing commandments of its god Nuggan reach a level of puritanism and fundamentalism that mirrors America's unique approach to Christianity.
* ''[[Tales of MU]]'' is set in the Imperial Republic of Magisteria, which is America mixed with the Roman Empire in a [[Dungeon Punk]] world. The island of Yokan is a version of Japan populated by [[Petting Zoo People]]. Members of [[Alternate Company Equivalent|a totally original race of little people who live in cozy holes in shires]] have a rural English-type culture. The forest-dwelling elves have Ancient Greek names and [[Yaoi Guys|culture]]. The dwarves are basically German.
** Early discussions of the ideas outsiders have of subterranean elves mirror American ideas of the Muslim world. When we see the culture up close, though, there's no resemblance whatever.
Line 253 ⟶ 254:
** Many unofficial GM invented campaign worlds do this, because after a while GMs realize that it is a lot easier to crib off real life history (and even more so [[Theme Park Version]] thereof) for their campaign world then it is to invent everything from scratch, because most GMs are not geniuses and also have other things to do in Real Life.
** The ''World of [[Greyhawk]]'' references a number of cultures with resonance to Gary Gygax's Swiss family, Wisconsin home, and medieval wargames hobby, including "The Concatenated Cantons of Perrenland" (Switzerland), Thillonrian Peninsula cultures (Norse), various "Paynim" (Muslim) cultures in the west, and the vaguely Papal state of Medegia. There are "Native Americans" (Flanae), lake-faring "Gypsies" (Rhennee), and the map features a couple of large, connected freshwater lakes in the middle (Wisconsin again).
** The ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'' setting features a large number of countries that are obviously based on historical ones. Amn is early modern Spain/Portugal, complete with colonies in the equivalent of Central America, and also has some elements from Middle-eastern Crusader states (such as the Kingdom of Jerusalem); Calimshan is vaguely reminiscent of Muslim Spain, with a few Arabic influences; Mulhorand is [[Ancient Egypt|Pharonic Egypt]]; Unther is old Babylon; Chessenta (slightysomewhat Greek-ish, though [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10427&whichpage=85&SearchTerms=Chessenta#243341 originally more northern Italy style] collection of city-states); the Hordelands (blatantly Mongolian, complete with [[Take Over the World]] [[Hollywood History|scare]]); and Chult is sub-Saharan Africa. ''Bedine'' people in Anauroch desert (Arabia ''without'' genies and flying carpets). And ''Rashemen'', descendants of ''Rus'' (old "<s> Russians</s> Ruthenians were descendants of Vikings" anecdote plus grubbed-up Wikkan-friendly fragments plus Slavic folklore). <s>Inuit</s> Ulutiun tribes of Great Glacier... Sub-settings are the continent of Kara-Tur, a [[Far East|mish-mash of Asian countries]] to the point that its book reads more like a travelogue/textbook on real-world Asia than a sourcebook; Aztec-style continent Maztica (removed later), complete with straightforward historical allusions; the continent of Zakhara (home of the ''Al-Qadim'' setting) is based clearly on [[Arabian Nights|mythic Arabia]].
*** Altough one of the background concepts for the Realms, namely that it is liberally sprinkled with portals to pretty much anywhere, might explain some of that, by the fact that it is canon that anywhere includes, yes, the Earth on which the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting was published. In the specific cases of Mulhorand and Unther, it is mentioned that their ancestors were ancient Egyptians and Babylonians, taken as slaves by the Imaskari, a civilization very good at the portal-making thing, and after overthrowing their oppressors, they spent the next three thousand years or so ruled by the living incarnations of their deties, which might have caused a bit of social stagnation.
*** Depending on which Realms writer you ask, Calimshan may also be heavy on Ottoman Turkish influence and Persia in general. It's something of a mishmash no matter how you look at it.
Line 274 ⟶ 275:
* Many of the factions in the science-fantasy counterpart ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' are slighty less direct but still obvious take-offs of historical cultures and armies:
** Among the Space Marines, the [[Space Wolf|Space Wolves]] and [[White Scars]] are based on Viking and Mongol stereotypes, respectively, and the Ultramarines smack of blue-armoured Roman Legionaries. The Black Templars are heavily based on Crusaders and Knights Templar ([[Knight Templar|some relation]]). [[The Emperor]] himself is [[Crystal Dragon Jesus|some mix of]] [[King Arthur]] and [[Messianic Archetype|Jesus]], but given that background fluff on the Emperor states he had assumed the guise of many historical figures, he may very well have been ''both'' of them.
** Then there's the [[Imperial Guard]]. Germany and Russia get two apiece: The Valhallan Ice Warriors, despite the Nordic name, are [[Reds with Rockets]] (and in flap-eared hats) ready to defend Emperorgrad from waves of Orks, whereas the Vostroyans are Space Cossacks. Both the [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Armageddon Steel Legion and the Death Korps of Krieg]] are Weltkrieg Germans, a bit of this and that: the Steel Legion conduct Blitzkrieg, but are pretty light-hearted by 40K standards, whereas the Death Korps slog through mud and wire in their gas masks and show [[Grimdark]] fatalism. Then you have the Catachans, who seem to be ''both sides'' of the Vietnam war; the Tallarn Desert Raiders, who appear to be the Arab Revolt with General Monty's equipment; and the [[Bling of War|snappy dressed]], vaguely Prussian [https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Mordian_Iron_Guard Mordians]. The Tanith First and Only are subtly Celtic, and while the Cadians are deliberately generic modern military-types, there name is supposedly a nod to Canada's tremendous and oft-overlooked contribution in the World Wars.
*** Praetorians are [[The British Empire|redcoats]] in pith helmets ([http://www.solegends.com/citcat2004/P0193-00.htm as written] in an old GW catalogue, "Fans of the movie ''[[Zulu]]'' will notice striking resemblance of the Leutenant to the famous English actor who starred in the movie").
*** Planet Armageddon, homeworld of the aforementioned legion, with its whole population constantly at war, and it's extreme pollution, is a twisted mirror of modern Germany. Germany's population is quite pacifist, and extremely environmentalist, so, Armageddon is basically all of their nightmares made manifest.
*** [[Bonnie Scotland|Scotland]]: Luggnum "Sewer Rats" regiments [https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2013/1/10/welcome-to-hervara-soldier/ are described] as carrying clan swords and wearing flak ''kilt''. No bagpipes, however. Ditto for Drook VI (again, note [https://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Drookians.jpg kilt on models]), but a more [[Dung Ages]] version, with constant clan wars, while Luggnum is a mining colony.
*** The homeworld of the Death Korps of Krieg, with its twisted blend of the worst scenes of [[World War I]] and [[After the End|imagery straight out of a nuclear apocalypse]] is a dark mirror of Europe in the 20th Century.
*** The Scintilian Fusiliers meanwhile are basically either pre-[[French Revolution]] nobles or the most decadent aspects of 18th Century Italian nobility. While the Arkhan Confederates are, as their name implies, [[Steampunk]] [[American Civil War|Southerners]] with a dash of [[Turn A Gundam|mecha]].
Line 285 ⟶ 286:
** The [[Our Elves Are Better|Eldar]] were Asianesque first, Japanese in particular. They even have [[Katanas Are Just Better|katanas]], shuriken, and back-banners (especially on the [[Humongous Mecha|Wraithlords]]).
*** Eldar names and non-visual aspects of their culture are also somewhat influenced by [[Celtic Mythology]], it would seem. Possibly via more generic Elves.
** Also somewhat apparent in the Chaos Space Marines, too. Most notably would be the [http://www.blacklibrary.com/images/large/a-thousand-sons.jpg Thousand Sons]{{Dead link}}, whose armor and accessories are based ancient Egyptian style, with Pharaoh-like crowns on their helms . The [http://www.blacklibrary.com/images/large/prospero-burns.jpg architecture of Prospero]{{Dead link}} further proves this fact with pyramid-shaped architecture. The [[Night Lords]] might also be Slavic- inspired, too, with their whole "terrors in the night" schtick and their Primarch Konrad Curze being a fusion of [[Batman]] and Vlad the Impaler.
** The Necrons have some ancient Egyptian about them, and sometimes Mayan and Mesopotamian too—basically they have influences every pyramid-building culture.
*** Even more so now, with all the new models.
Line 309 ⟶ 310:
== Video Games ==
* ''[[Diablo]]'' does this pretty unabashedly. For example, the Monk's design is a strange mishmash of Russia and China, with some trace elements of India for flavor.
* The ''[[Ace Combat]]'' series takes place in a fictional Earth with fictional geography and nations to avoid [[Mutually Assured Destruction]] rendering combat between modern fighters impossible. Despite this, many nations take significant cues.
* The ''[[Ace Combat]]'' series loves these. At the most blatantly obvious, the Osean Federation is the United States, Emmeria is too [adding a C makes it very obvious], Yuktobania, Erusea and Estovakia are all Russia/the Soviet Union, Belka is Germany (with ''AC0'' Belka, and later [[The Man Behind the Man|the Grey Men]], as Nazi Germany) and Sapin is Spain. Aurelia and Leasath appear to represent the entirety of South America.
** At the most blatantly obvious, the Osean Federation of ''5'' and ''7'' (and an ally in ''Zero'') is a "Federal presidential republic" headed by a President on a continent that shares the name of the country despite not being its sole occupant (Osea). Its army fields soldiers armed with M-16 rifles and M9 pistols while fielding M1 Abrams and M113s, while its air force fields planes like the F-5 and F-15.
** Yuktobania, Erusea and Estovakia are all Russia/the Soviet Union, with MiGs, and Kuznetsov-class aircraft carriers.
** Frequent antagonist Belka is Germany (with ''AC0'' Belka, and later [[The Man Behind the Man|the Grey Men]], as Nazi Germany). It equipment is from ''modern'' Germany, creating odd NATO vs. NATO conflicts.
** Sapin is Spain, with Spanish names for places ("Gran Rugido") and people ("Alberto Lopez").
** In ''[[Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception]]'', the player's country of Aurelia and its antagonist Leasath, both on "South Osea", appear to represent the entirety of South America.
** Emmeria, the player's homeland in ''6'', is, despite the name, a mashup of enough NATO and NATO aligned countries it can't be said to be any single one. It's a former monarchy with British Challenger II tanks, Japanese Type 89 rifles, Cassard-class frigate and various American and European fighters shared with other countries.
** Strangereal's lack of nuclear proliferation gives us a subversion; characters in ''The Belkan War'' and especially ''The Unsung War'' display attitudes about and intentions with nuclear weapons that seem downright bizarre to the player, who has lived in a world with thousands of the things their whole life.
* The building and unit designs for all four nations in the series ''[[Advance Wars]]'' are based on [[World War II]]-era combatants: Orange Star is America, Soviet Russia is Blue Moon, Green Earth is England/Germany, and Yellow Comet is Japan. Interestingly, none of the four nations are villainous. The bad guys, Black Hole, have no earth parallels and are designed to appear off-world or alien.
Line 324 ⟶ 331:
** The City Elves appear to be Jews, complete with the Alienages (Elf ghettos). The Dalish bear more resemblance to [[Roma]].
** The Qunari are an amalgamation of historical Islamic societies—they command gaatlok, or gunpowder and cannon, with which they blast down city walls as the Ottoman Turks did Constantinople; they offer to conquered peoples three options (conversion, labor, or death) as did the early Islamic Arabs in their conquests (theirs was conversion, ''taxes'', or death); and those who do accept the Qun are instantly known as citizens, "Qunari", worth protecting, regardless of their race or history - the original Qunari, the kossith, don't consider themselves any different from non-kossith Qunari, which bears a few similarities to the historical relationship of Arab ethnic identity with Muslim religious identity. Their language and the Qun appear to be closely intertwined, paralleling the Qu'ran and Arabic (Besides, Qun? Qu'ran?) For added flavor, the guy who founded the Qunari religion seems to have been a cross between [[Buddhism|Siddhartha Gautama]] and the Prophet Muhammad. They have a very strict honor code and abide by it in all regards. And their philosophy is basically Confucianism with grenades.
* The [[Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game|MMORPG]] ''Granado Espada'' is entirely based around fantasy counterparts of Old World cultures and their role in the New World.
* ''[[Freelancer]]'' contains four different "Houses": Liberty (United States), Bretonia (United Kingdom), Kusari (Japan) and Rheinland (Germany). And on top of that, their places are [[Theme Naming|named after actual places]] (such as "Planet Los Angeles"). However, this styling is intentional as the four houses are themed as the descendents of colonists from the four countries.
** There was also a fifth ship, the Hispania, that was broke down. They became pirates working for various factions.
Line 456 ⟶ 463:
* In ''[[Dishonored]]'', Dunwall is clearly based on London at the time of the Great Fire of 1666 mixed with [[Victorian London]] and a dash of [[Half-Life 2|City 17]] for good measure. The Empire of the Isles is also evidently modelled on [[The British Empire]], complete with its own Parliament (with the isle of Morley basically an ersatz blend of Ireland and Scotland) and attempts at imperialism, though some of the constituent islands are based on various European countries.
* While the universe of [[From Software]]'s ''[[Dark Souls]]'' series is evidently based on [[Medieval European Fantasy]], ''Bloodborne'' clearly takes a lot of cues from [[Victorian Britain]].
* Most civilizations present in ''Path of Exile'' are based on actual ancient civilizations:
** Oriath is based on Renaissance Christian Europe, with a very similar architecture and clothing style (most strikingly for the rich and nobles) and a powerful monotheistic church. Not to mention the Templar Courts, basically the Inquisition by another name.
** the Ngamakanui archipelago, land of the Karui, is mostly based on Oceania mixed with Africa. The Karui live in tribes with a strong warrior culture, a polytheistic cult of both nature and war and a fondness for carving totems. Also got enslaved by Oriathian conquerors.
** the Eternal Empire is based on ancient Rome judging by the ruins it left behind, and many of its historical figures have Roman-sounding names (Chitus, Icius Perandus, Victario, Izaro...). Also fell to internal political conflicts and ultimately got crushed by the Karui.
** the Vaal, first civilization of Wreaclast, are based on Mayincatec for the most part, with nearly the same architecture and clothing style, a cult revolving around flesh and blood, and human sacrifices. The Vaal very likely destroyed themselves in a failed ritual that tainted their homeland and turned it into the [[Death World]] it is in the game.
* Possibly the dwarves in ''[[Raid: Shadow Legends]]'' are Swedish or Norweigan counterparts, given Maulie's accent in [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATPW03Sthgc&list=PLDpZdP4i5RSD4U4SCHnHWcJoMU3NmFX0a&index=19 this commercial.]
* ''[[Shantae]]'' is a franchise that takes place in a [[Denser and Wackier]] version of Turkey, according to [[Word of God]]
 
== Web Comics ==
Line 465 ⟶ 479:
* '''[[A Loonatics Tale]]'' has an assortment; Nigota for Britain, and ''both'' Mercia and Mysteel for America (the trick is that they're versions of America from different time periods, and different attitudes; Mercia is the more peaceable colonial America, while Mysteel is a caricaturized version of modern America and our tendency towards ultra-patriotism, gun-nuttery, and warmongerdom).
* The Erogenians in ''[[The Challenges of Zona]]'' are somewhat idealized Celts while Kivallia seems to be Plantagenet era England.
* Niyam and the Fae in ''[[Even in Arcadia]]'' are counterparts to 19th century China. Seen further when it [https://web.archive.org/web/20120206152651/http://epidigm.net/arcadia/2011/06/22/the-sojourner-page-20/ becomes apparent] that the Gaians are trading with them in drugs much like the British did before the Opium Wars.
* In ''[[Harkovast]]'', almost all the races are fantasy counterparts to real world ancient cultures, such as the medieval European [https://web.archive.org/web/20140404194848/http://www.harkovast.com/index.php?id=22 Darsai] or the feudal Japanese [https://web.archive.org/web/20140405093652/http://www.harkovast.com/index.php?id=3 Tsung-Dao.]
* ''[[Snow By Night]]'' takes place in a world that resembles the real one during Colonial Era, with Japethe corresponding to Europe, Everique corresponding to North America, Saronne corresponding to France, and Aradie corresponding to Quebec / Canada.
* Parodied in ''[[Homestuck]]'' by [[Love Freak|Gamzee]] [[Monster Clown|Makara]], who comes from a sort of fantastical, [[Interfaith Smoothie]] religion that [[Juggalo|worships the]] [[Insane Clown Posse]]. Except [[It Makes Sense in Context|due to shenanigans]], his religion actually inspired Insane Clown Posse, not the other way around. {{spoiler|Gamzee's religion was actually inspired by an [[Eldritch Abomination]].}}
Line 472 ⟶ 486:
** The trolls in general share many cultural practices with the Spartans, but it's uncertain if this was intentional.
* The Sahtan in [[Vattu]] come off as Rome by another name.
* Parodied in ''Champions and Heroes'' "[https://web.archive.org/web/20201228110016/https://www.smackjeeves.com/discover/detail?titleNo=98261&articleNo=397 From Down Underdark]": the drow have a very different dialect of Elvish due to being long separated… so many spiders… [[Land Down Under|land below]]…
 
 
== Web Original ==
Line 478 ⟶ 492:
* ''[[Open Blue]]'' has the Axifloan Coalition, [[The Federation|a loose alliance]] of colonial powers consisting of everything from a [[Wooden Ships and Iron Men|17th Century]] [[Nazi Germany]] (Sirene), to Imperial Spain (Avelia), to the Dutch colonial powers (Remillia), to the Russian Empire (Yaman)... [[My Friends and Zoidberg|to Switzerland]] (Axiflos).
* Vulpines in the ''[[Darwin's Soldiers]]'' universe are analogues of modern-day Native Americans. Unfortunately, their depiction is [[Unfortunate Implications|not flattering]].
* The Empire of Soleil from the [[Reincarnation Fantasy|Isekai]] web novel ''[[Tori Transmigrated]]'' is a melting pot composed of quite a few Fantasy Counterpart Cultures, with even more represented elsewhere in the world. Main character Tori is native to the March of Sur, which is vaguely Spanish; other Marches include French-, German- and Nordic-flavored zones, and she is aware of a barony that is basically [[Jane Austen]]-era England, and another which is generic Eastern European/Russian. Soleil is adjacent to Persian and Hindu/Indian-flavored nations, and further away are even more recognizable cultures; Tori, who has been inserted from our world, even tends to think of them inside her head as "Fantasy China", "Fantasy Japan", "Fantasy South America" and so on.
 
 
== Western Animation ==
Line 509 ⟶ 523:
[[Category:Fictional Culture and Nation Tropes]]
[[Category:Tropes of Hats]]
[[Category:This Index Is Copypasted]]