Genius Loci: Difference between revisions

[[File:Egoimage.jpg|link=Marvel Universe|frame|Ego, the Living Planet]]

 

 

Some people are places. A Genius Loci is a location with a mind. A sentient planet, country, island, city, or street. Theoretically, there's no limit to size, as an entire galaxy or even alternate dimension can be considered a place. Obviously, this is more common in science fiction and fantasy, though [[Magical Realism|a certain amount of animism in otherwise realistic series]] isn't unknown, and it may be [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane|only suggested]].

* The nation-tans of ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' might qualify.

* Laputa from ''[[Laputa: Castle in the Sky|Castle in The Sky]]''. The castle itself {{spoiler|responds to Laputian royalty who own the crystal and the garden / tree's roots keep the kids safe while Muska dies. Subtle example, but several character comment on it.}}

 

== Comic Books ==

* Like the ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]]'' example above, the underground base from ''[[Resident Evil (film)|Resident Evil]]'' qualify, since it's completely run by a highly intelligent AI named The Red Queen.

* The Hotel from ''[[The Shining]]'' which slowly drives Jack mad and torments Danny. Well it's at least one of the theories.

 

== Literature ==

* In [[Graham McNeill]]'s ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'' [[Horus Heresy]] novel ''Fulgrim'', the Laer temple makes Julius think that it's alive.

* In [[Terry Pratchett]]'s ''[[The Dark Side of the Sun]]'', the First Sirian Bank is a sentient planet (naturally occurring) who happens to be the godfather of one of the main characters. There's also a sentient ocean and a living sun. They're looking for an intelligent gas cloud to round out the elements. Maybe they could get that one from ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]''?

** Unseen University itself, which has a personality likened to that of [[Big Friendly Dog|a large, overenthusiastic shaggy dog]]. If it could get away with it, it'd roll over on its roof to have its foundations scratched.

* In a more serious tone than Mount Sorrow above, the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] has the rogue planet [[New Jedi Order|Zonama Sekot]]. Zonama refers to the world itself, while Sekot refers to its [[Hive Mind|self-aware, Force-sensitive biosphere]]. It grows living matter around mechanical components to produce intelligent [[Living Ship]]s, and has also built enormous hyperdrive engines into its crust, transforming itself into a world-sized [[Living Ship]] and earning the "Rogue Planet" appellation.

** The Galaxy of Fear series also includes [[Punny Name|D'vouran]] a planet {{spoiler|which is in fact a [[I'm a Humanitarian|carnivorous]] bioweapon.}}

* In [[Gene Stratton Porter]]'s ''[[Freckles]]'', Freckles half-seriously describes Angel as this.

{{quote|''"There's nothing you could be but the Swamp Angel." ''}}

 

* ''[[Eureka]]'': Carter's smart house, S.A.R.A.H., is ''so'' smart it has opinions. And a Twitter account!

* The warehouse in ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' is sentient. To what degree is uncertain, but it is alive.

* Destiny from ''[[Stargate Universe]]'', [[Mind Screw|maybe.]]

* ''[[Power Rangers Turbo]]'' had one episode where the local forest had a genius loci in the form of a child.

 

== Music ==

* "Man-House lives inside himself with thoughtful human brains" in [[They Might Be Giants (band)|Bee Of The Bird Of The Moth.]]

 

 

* Many Native American religions/cultures are based on Animism, the belief that every object has a spirit.

* Ditto for the Japanese Shinto. The spirits of the mountains are especially significant.

* Many tools and artifacts. Ships and weapons famously. Also computers.

* Nations are often given allegorical representations and personalities.

 

== [[Radio Drama]] / Audio Drama ==

* The [[Big Finish]] ''[[Doctor Who]]'' audio play ''The Chimes of Midnight''. "{{spoiler|Edward Grove is alive.}}"

 

== Tabletop Games ==

 

== Toys ==

 

== Video Games ==

* One of ''[[Demigod]]'''s Heroes is a walking castle.

* In ''[[Metroid Prime]] 3'', Phazon is implied at numerous points to be a sentient lifeform; in the first two games, it was assumed to be just a material. Phaaze, the planet that is the source of all the Phazon, is not only living, it spreads Phazon to other planets by ''giving birth''. (Some [[Epileptic Trees]] differ, but the point is that Phazon is living and Phaaze is made of Phazon, ergo Phaaze is living.)

* Gaia in ''[[Tsukihime]]''. All the other planets are essentially alive as well, though nothing happens there. In [[Fate/stay night]] this is expanded on to include Akasha, which exists alongside Gaia in some form or another. People have tied their existences to such things and made themselves nearly indestructible.

* ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'' features an interesting variation with New Mombasa, a city run by an artificial intelligence called the Superintendent, or "Virgil." Its influence is limited during the game itself, during which it sends you a map of the city through a videophone, unlocks supply caches marked with its "face," and sends audio files that tell the story of a girl trying to rescue her father, who works with the Superintendent; in the audio files, the Superintendent's full ability, ranging from controlling garbage trucks to stoplights, is shown.

* In ''[[Homestuck]]'', Skaia is pretty much the closest thing to God, due to being a benevolent omniscient force that {{spoiler|perpetuates the creation of new universes and shapes the players of any given session to become heroes}}. It however doesn't seem to be sentient in the traditional sense and isn't anywhere near omnipotent.

* ''[[Vexxarr]]'' has [http://www.vexxarr.com/archive.php?seldate=082806 the mother rock].

 

== Web Original ==

* In the ''[[Green Lantern]]'' animated movie ''[[Green Lantern: Emerald Knights|Green Lantern Emerald Knights]]'', one of the five stories that Hal Jordan tells to his new recruit is the tale of Bofunga the Unrelenting and the day he finally.... er.... '''relented'''. He was on a quest to become the mightiest warrior in the galaxy, and the only being left in the cosmos that he had yet to vanquish was a mysterious being known as "Mogo". This being was allegedly not only exponentially more powerful than Bofunga, but was also a Green Lantern to boot. Bofunga traveled to Mogo's last known coordinates and attempted to challenge him, but even after months of searching his quarry was nowhere to be found. Refusing to give up, Bofunga began setting explosive charges all around the planet in an attempt to force Mogo out of his hiding place and goad him into a duel, {{spoiler|but after detonating all of the charges and doing NO DAMAGE WHATSOEVER, he realized--too late--that "Mogo" was THE PLANET ITSELF... '''[[Oh Crap|and he had just made it VERY angry.]]''' The ensuing "battle" ended with predictable swiftness, as Mogo crushed his antagonist with a well-placed gravity well.}}

** In the original comics, Bofunga fled after spending years searching for Mogo {{spoiler|when he looked at the map he had made while exploring the planet and realized that the foliage on Mogo formed a ''Green Lantern symbol''.}}

 

== Real Life ==