Aliens in Cardiff: Difference between revisions
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Looking for a place to set the disaster of the week/alien invasion/supervillain's base/origin of the bad guys etc? Well, you can use the classics: [[Big Applesauce|New York]], [[Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe|Tokyo]], [[Britain Is Only London|London]] or [[Gay Paree|Paris]] for the first three and places like [[Commie Land|Russia]], North Korea or the Middle East for the last. Of course, you may think that's too cliché. Another alternative is having the last three take place in [[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here|a fictional town in the middle of nowhere]] and have the villains come from some equally-fictional [[Ruritania]] or [[Qurac]]. |
Looking for a place to set the disaster of the week/alien invasion/supervillain's base/origin of the bad guys etc? Well, you can use the classics: [[Big Applesauce|New York]], [[Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe|Tokyo]], [[Britain Is Only London|London]] or [[Gay Paree|Paris]] for the first three and places like [[Commie Land|Russia]], North Korea or the Middle East for the last. Of course, you may think that's too cliché. Another alternative is having the last three take place in [[Nothing Exciting Ever Happens Here|a fictional town in the middle of nowhere]] and have the villains come from some equally-fictional [[Ruritania]] or [[Qurac]]. |
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Or you may [[Take a Third Option]]. Have the center of the plot be in an actual place, but some relatively harmless semi-known non-exotic location which makes you ask "Why THERE, of all places?". That is the basis of |
Or you may [[Take a Third Option]]. Have the center of the plot be in an actual place, but some relatively harmless semi-known non-exotic location which makes you ask "Why THERE, of all places?". That is the basis of '''Aliens in Cardiff'''. Are aliens landing in [[Flying Saucer|UFOs]]? They'll land in [[District 9|Johannesburg, South Africa]], or Rosewell, New Mexico. Is there a neighborhood full of world-class martial artists with superhuman powers? It's in Luxembourg. Is there a magical gateway between worlds? It's in [[Cornwall]]. Is a [[Hell Gate|Hellmouth]] opening? It's opening in [[Cleveland]]. [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|One of them]], anyway. Is there a mysterious gigantic cavern hidden just beneath the earth's surface, wherein aliens once upon a time created all life on earth? It's underneath [[Brazil (useful notes)|Sugarloaf Mountain]]. |
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This is sometimes [[Played for Laughs]], though in most cases it rather realistically points out events do happen in the world outside its largest cities. The trope namer is ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and subsequent spin-off ''[[Torchwood]]''. This is [[Creator Provincialism|due to to the fact]] that the revived Doctor Who was produced by BBC Wales. Though Cardiff very often found itself [[Doubling for London]] or New York, Space, the Scottish Highlands for that matter. |
This is sometimes [[Played for Laughs]], though in most cases it rather realistically points out events do happen in the world outside its largest cities. The trope namer is ''[[Doctor Who]]'' and subsequent spin-off ''[[Torchwood]]''. This is [[Creator Provincialism|due to to the fact]] that the revived Doctor Who was produced by BBC Wales. Though Cardiff very often found itself [[Doubling for London]] or New York, Space, the Scottish Highlands for that matter. |
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** This was probably meant to be a [[Shout-Out|reference]] to the book. At one point the Johnny Rico mentions that Buenos Aires had been bombed, but he doesn't care<ref>In the book, Johnny is Filipino, while in the movie he's from Buenos Aires</ref> much about that until he discovers his mother had been vacationing there at the time. |
** This was probably meant to be a [[Shout-Out|reference]] to the book. At one point the Johnny Rico mentions that Buenos Aires had been bombed, but he doesn't care<ref>In the book, Johnny is Filipino, while in the movie he's from Buenos Aires</ref> much about that until he discovers his mother had been vacationing there at the time. |
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* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] and [[Justified Trope]] in ''[[The Faculty]]''. When one character points out the absurdity of aliens secretly invading via a [[High School]] in [[Everytown, America|small town Ohio]], another [[Genre Savvy]] character points out that it'd be easier to secretly invade in somewhere out of the way than try to blow up [[The White House]], which the whole world will notice. |
* [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] and [[Justified Trope]] in ''[[The Faculty]]''. When one character points out the absurdity of aliens secretly invading via a [[High School]] in [[Everytown, America|small town Ohio]], another [[Genre Savvy]] character points out that it'd be easier to secretly invade in somewhere out of the way than try to blow up [[The White House]], which the whole world will notice. |
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* [[Lampshade |
* [[Lampshade]]d in the first ten minutes of ''[[District 9]]'', where the sick, malnourished aliens had the misfortune to make first contact with Johannesburg, and notes when the ship first appears over the city that it wasn't some place like New York, London, or Chicago. [[Fantastic Racism|Cue thinly-veiled apartheid parallels.]] |
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* The remake of ''[[The Stepford Wives]]'' [[ |
* The remake of ''[[The Stepford Wives]]'' [[lampshade]]s this during the antagonist's speech near the end: |
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{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Claire:'''}} "I asked myself, where would people never notice a town full of robots? *mocking gasp* ''[[Take That|Connecticut!]]''"}} |
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Claire:'''}} "I asked myself, where would people never notice a town full of robots? *mocking gasp* ''[[Take That|Connecticut!]]''"}} |
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* Congratulations, tropers. While [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|you]] were reading this, [[Humongous Mecha|humongous alien mecha]] were [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk devastating Montevideo]. Montevideo, obliterated!!! Nothing can save us now!!! |
* Congratulations, tropers. While [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|you]] were reading this, [[Humongous Mecha|humongous alien mecha]] were [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dadPWhEhVk devastating Montevideo]. Montevideo, obliterated!!! Nothing can save us now!!! |
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* ''[[The Chrysalids]]'' portrays a surviving enclave of civilsation after an implied nuclear holocaust. Naturally it's in Newfoundland (althought New Zealand seems to be doing pretty well too.) |
* ''[[The Chrysalids]]'' portrays a surviving enclave of civilsation after an implied nuclear holocaust. Naturally it's in Newfoundland (althought New Zealand seems to be doing pretty well too.) |
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* ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'' is set in Forks, Washington, a place the residents have barely heard of. Another vampire clan lives in Denali, Alaska. Considering they've been there for a while and how rural, scenic and insular these places are, this may also overlap with [[Lovecraft Country]]. |
* ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'' is set in Forks, Washington, a place the residents have barely heard of. Another vampire clan lives in Denali, Alaska. Considering they've been there for a while and how rural, scenic and insular these places are, this may also overlap with [[Lovecraft Country]]. |
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* In the novels of the ''[[Black Dagger Brotherhood]]'', the largest vampire |
* In the novels of the ''[[Black Dagger Brotherhood]]'', the largest vampire population—and the headquarters of the eponymous secret society—is in Caldwell, NY. Yep. |
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* The [[Mercy Thompson]] series of books, sure people know OF the Tri-Cities in Washington, but few can name all three, and remember this is three cities that take up the same amount of mileage as the ONE city that Washington is known for. |
* The [[Mercy Thompson]] series of books, sure people know OF the Tri-Cities in Washington, but few can name all three, and remember this is three cities that take up the same amount of mileage as the ONE city that Washington is known for. |
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* An entry for the Bulwer-Lytton [[It Was a Dark and Stormy Night|worst-first-sentence contest]] discards the Big City and sets the putative action in a more unlikely venue: |
* An entry for the Bulwer-Lytton [[It Was a Dark and Stormy Night|worst-first-sentence contest]] discards the Big City and sets the putative action in a more unlikely venue: |
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* The Roswell episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' had Nog fabricate a story about alien conquest of earth, randomly pointing to the initial landing site on a map (next to a 'blue blob'). The soldier who is listening to him leans in and exclaims, "Your people are going to invade... Cleveland???" |
* The Roswell episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' had Nog fabricate a story about alien conquest of earth, randomly pointing to the initial landing site on a map (next to a 'blue blob'). The soldier who is listening to him leans in and exclaims, "Your people are going to invade... Cleveland???" |
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* One of the 'unseen' scenes from ''[[Harry Hill's TV Burp|Harry Hills TV Burp]]'' parodies an occurrence of this in some drama or other; a long list of cities scrolls past, from "Lagos", "New York", "Tokyo", and then the map zooms in and the final location affected is revealed: "Norwich". Harry starts to go into a panic: "But where will we go to see puppet dramas without the Norwich Puppet Theatre? And where will we buy our many varieties of mustard when [[Running Gag|The Mustard Shop]] is destroyed? Oh no!" ''([[Aside Glance]])'' "I'm kidding. I love Norwich!" |
* One of the 'unseen' scenes from ''[[Harry Hill's TV Burp|Harry Hills TV Burp]]'' parodies an occurrence of this in some drama or other; a long list of cities scrolls past, from "Lagos", "New York", "Tokyo", and then the map zooms in and the final location affected is revealed: "Norwich". Harry starts to go into a panic: "But where will we go to see puppet dramas without the Norwich Puppet Theatre? And where will we buy our many varieties of mustard when [[Running Gag|The Mustard Shop]] is destroyed? Oh no!" ''([[Aside Glance]])'' "I'm kidding. I love Norwich!" |
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** It's ''[[Eleventh Hour]]''. They were listing cities that would be destroyed by [[Global Warming|rising sea levels]]. The paradox was that they wanted to list a British city for impact but retain scientific accuracy, and that was the [[ |
** It's ''[[Eleventh Hour]]''. They were listing cities that would be destroyed by [[Global Warming|rising sea levels]]. The paradox was that they wanted to list a British city for impact but retain scientific accuracy, and that was the [[narm]]y [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|result]]. |
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* In the pilot of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Star Trek Enterprise]]'', an interplanetary incident is set off when a Klingon crash-lands in... Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Since only very few parts of the world lie close to major urban centers, something falling from space crshing in the middle of nowhere actually makes a lot of sense. |
* In the pilot of ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise|Star Trek Enterprise]]'', an interplanetary incident is set off when a Klingon crash-lands in... Broken Bow, Oklahoma. Since only very few parts of the world lie close to major urban centers, something falling from space crshing in the middle of nowhere actually makes a lot of sense. |
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* The state of Ohio in general seems to be awfully prone to this. Midway through season 7 of ''[[24]]'', Colonel Dubaku targets a pesticide plant just outside Kidron, Ohio (pop. 30,000), for his next terrorist attack. |
* The state of Ohio in general seems to be awfully prone to this. Midway through season 7 of ''[[24]]'', Colonel Dubaku targets a pesticide plant just outside Kidron, Ohio (pop. 30,000), for his next terrorist attack. |
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{{quote|{{spoiler|Mitchell}}: It can't happen like this! Not here! Not in ''WALES''!}} |
{{quote|{{spoiler|Mitchell}}: It can't happen like this! Not here! Not in ''WALES''!}} |
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* Charlie Jade takes place in three alternate universe versions - one dystopian, one ecotopian and one normal - of ''Cape Town, South Africa''. |
* Charlie Jade takes place in three alternate universe versions - one dystopian, one ecotopian and one normal - of ''Cape Town, South Africa''. |
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* Other than the occasional Hollywood haunting, all of the action in ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' takes place in small- to mid-size towns, mostly in [[Flyover Country|flyover country.]] [[Big Bad |
* Other than the occasional Hollywood haunting, all of the action in ''[[Supernatural (TV series)|Supernatural]]'' takes place in small- to mid-size towns, mostly in [[Flyover Country|flyover country.]] [[Big Bad]]s have been vanquished in [http://www.tv.com/supernatural/devils-trap/episode/677588/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap Jefferson City, MO;] [http://www.tv.com/supernatural/all-hell-breaks-loose-1/episode/1003161/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap South Dakota]/[http://www.tv.com/supernatural/all-hell-breaks-loose-2/episode/1003162/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap Wyoming;] [http://www.tv.com/supernatural/no-rest-for-the-wicked/episode/1199072/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap New Harmony, IN;] and [http://www.tv.com/supernatural/lucifer-rising/episode/1267467/recap.html?tag=episode_header;recap Ilchester, MD.] Funny how all of the above (including Hollywood) seem to have the same general [[Stargate City|climate...]] |
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* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' goes all over the place. The most prominent cities are major population centers (New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles), but plenty of other locations are visited. Claire Bennet (and one of Primatech's major facilities) is in Odessa, TX. The Volume Three finale is set in Hartdale, NY and Fort Lee, NJ. The plane carrying all the heroes at the start of Volume Four crashed in Oklahoma. |
* ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' goes all over the place. The most prominent cities are major population centers (New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles), but plenty of other locations are visited. Claire Bennet (and one of Primatech's major facilities) is in Odessa, TX. The Volume Three finale is set in Hartdale, NY and Fort Lee, NJ. The plane carrying all the heroes at the start of Volume Four crashed in Oklahoma. |
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* ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' is set in Rutherford, Ohio. The place is fictional, but it's obviously meant to be a typical Midwestern town. |
* ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' is set in Rutherford, Ohio. The place is fictional, but it's obviously meant to be a typical Midwestern town. |
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* A season of ''[[24]]'' features a significant plotline involving terrorists in Palmdale, California, a mid-sized city several hours outside of the greater LA area. It's justified by the fact that the terrorists are hiding out and ''intend'' to target major cities when they're ready. {{spoiler|It's also small enough to get nuked without completely changing the world in which ''24'' takes place}}. |
* A season of ''[[24]]'' features a significant plotline involving terrorists in Palmdale, California, a mid-sized city several hours outside of the greater LA area. It's justified by the fact that the terrorists are hiding out and ''intend'' to target major cities when they're ready. {{spoiler|It's also small enough to get nuked without completely changing the world in which ''24'' takes place}}. |
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* ''[[True Blood]]'', and ''[[The Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries]]'' the show is based on, are set in Bon Temps, a fictional suburb of Shreveport, Louisiana. Most of the action is split between the two locations. The characters have also traveled to Dallas, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Nevada. |
* ''[[True Blood]]'', and ''[[The Sookie Stackhouse Mysteries]]'' the show is based on, are set in Bon Temps, a fictional suburb of Shreveport, Louisiana. Most of the action is split between the two locations. The characters have also traveled to Dallas, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Nevada. |
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* The flourishing gay community in the American ''[[Queer as Folk]]'' is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city otherwise almost never seen on American |
* The flourishing gay community in the American ''[[Queer as Folk]]'' is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a city otherwise almost never seen on American television—unlike the locale of its UK source material, Manchester, which [[Oop North|surfaces regularly]] on British TV. Pittsburgh was picked as a blue collar steel town with similarities to Manchester's industrial roots—not that you see a lot of blue collar types in the American ''QAF''. |
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** And Pittsburgh is doubled by Toronto |
** And Pittsburgh is doubled by Toronto anyway—lampshaded when the main characters visit Toronto for a gay wedding. |
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== [[Tabletop Games]] == |
== [[Tabletop Games]] == |
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'''Die Fledermaus''': ''[showing his arm in a cast]'' YOU CALL THIS NEUTRAL? }} |
'''Die Fledermaus''': ''[showing his arm in a cast]'' YOU CALL THIS NEUTRAL? }} |
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* Vlad from ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He's a Green Bay Packers nut. |
* Vlad from ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' lives in Madison, Wisconsin. He's a Green Bay Packers nut. |
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* Partial example: While most of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' takes place in [[Motor City|Detroit]], Megatron's disembodied head landed on the farm Isaac Sumdac grew up in near [[wikipedia:Paw Paw |
* Partial example: While most of ''[[Transformers Animated]]'' takes place in [[Motor City|Detroit]], Megatron's disembodied head landed on the farm Isaac Sumdac grew up in near [[wikipedia:Paw Paw, Michigan|Paw Paw]], a village with a population of about 3,300. It's also [[Creator Provincialism|where the art director/lead character designer is from]]. |
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* In ''[[Megas XLR]]'' every alien, monster, giant robot, or other assorted anime parodies all for varying reasons all attack Jersey City. |
* In ''[[Megas XLR]]'' every alien, monster, giant robot, or other assorted anime parodies all for varying reasons all attack Jersey City. |
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** Actually, [[Weirdness Magnet|Coop]] [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|is responsible for most of them]]. |
** Actually, [[Weirdness Magnet|Coop]] [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|is responsible for most of them]]. |
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* ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]'' has the epicenter of alien activity on Earth in |
* ''[[Lilo and Stitch]]'' has the epicenter of alien activity on Earth in Hawaii—it's not even on the biggest island, but Kauai. The fact that there weren't any major cities on the island was a plot point: Stitch [[Super Drowning Skills|can't swim]] so he wasn't able to immediately commence with the mass destruction he was built for. |
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** Apparently the original idea was for Stitch to crash-land into a very rural area of Kansas. Possibly, they changed it to cover the aforementioned issue of why he couldn't just walk to another city. |
** Apparently the original idea was for Stitch to crash-land into a very rural area of Kansas. Possibly, they changed it to cover the aforementioned issue of why he couldn't just walk to another city. |
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* Alien invasions were the order of the day in Terlawk, New Jersey on ''[[Earthworm Jim (animation)|Earthworm Jim]]''. |
* Alien invasions were the order of the day in Terlawk, New Jersey on ''[[Earthworm Jim (animation)|Earthworm Jim]]''. |
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** It is also worth noting that Roswell is where Robert H. Goddard, a founding father of modern rocketry developed and tested rockets in the 1930s. A local high school is named in his honor. |
** It is also worth noting that Roswell is where Robert H. Goddard, a founding father of modern rocketry developed and tested rockets in the 1930s. A local high school is named in his honor. |
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** Given that it was a facility for rocket testing, locating it as far away as possible from anything was most probably intentional. |
** Given that it was a facility for rocket testing, locating it as far away as possible from anything was most probably intentional. |
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** That Roswell's planes are well positioned to visit China |
** That Roswell's planes are well positioned to visit China Lake—the largest bombing area on earth, which we even invite Russia over to use—the conspiracy theories have great legs; it's probable that non-US planes visit there and add more fuel to the fire. |
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* Bonnybridge in Scotland has an average of three-hundred U.F.O. sightings per annum, earning it the nickname "U.F.O. Capital of the World" despite the fact it's a fairly obscure town (even in Scotland). |
* Bonnybridge in Scotland has an average of three-hundred U.F.O. sightings per annum, earning it the nickname "U.F.O. Capital of the World" despite the fact it's a fairly obscure town (even in Scotland). |
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* The Flatwoods monster/alien that was seen in Flatwoods, West Virginia, in 1952. The town has a population of 348. |
* The Flatwoods monster/alien that was seen in Flatwoods, West Virginia, in 1952. The town has a population of 348. |
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