The Dothraki are often said to be Mongol hordes but fantasy-coded. No it’s not historically accurate: that’s the point. They have design elements that are redolent of something real, while deviating as much as the author likes.
Many such cases! High fantasy is redolent of mediæval Europe. Na’vi are redolent of Native Americans
So what would a fantasy realm look like if it’s [definitely-not-the-USA-but-also-clearly-the-USA]?
I’m having a harder time than expected doing this.
By ‘fantasy’ I mean specifically the sort that seems mediæval – no electricity, no steam-engine. But if you want to go off in the comments imagining sci-fi or another genre I can’t stop you.
- Overconfident vulgarity. Talk too loud.
- individualist rhetoric
- they deeply believe they are free, but have a particular meaning of ‘freedom’ that excludes financial stability and emphasises individualism. They blame the poor for their own poverty.
- evangelical monotheistic religion
- take big lacquered wagons everywhere when other nations walk
- obsessed with big crossbows
- generally, everything is oversized
- core myth “we are a union of free states, who defend liberty and our way of life, and spread freedom to others”
- invaded their land 200 years ago and wiped out the indigenous
- other countries talk about how bad their food is
- obesity
- large wealth inequality and it is racialised. Hospitals, schools are privately owned at extortionate prices (contrasting with other realms in the world)
- roads have tolls (not particularly the case in the modern USA, but it hammers home the private-ownership point)
- They view other prosperous nations as weak if they help the poor, or as barbarian if they’re poor
- their gladiatorial games are scripted and tacky
- Militarily, they favour artillery bombardment and aerial bombardment from eagles or rocs or whatever the world has. Bombardment of civilian areas. The war crime of using Agent Orange war is one note that is easy to directly transfer
That seems like a long list but I don’t find it very satisfying. I wish I could think of a handful of elements that could signify the USA. The use of red+white+blue and the big wagons are the closest I have so far.
Interested in hearing suggestions for the ruler’s name and the country’s name too.
Have you read Malazan: Book of the Fallen? The Lether Empire is only introduced in the 5th book but it’s capitalist to its bones and expands by incorporating and “civilizing” tribal neighbors for the sake of profit. They favor opening bombardments of artillery like magic. Highly recommend the whole series, world building alone is great.
Edit: for your world, you also want some oil analogue too. Also straight up plantation slavery. Probably also design it as a loose confederation of kingdoms/lordships with geographic diversity but only surface level cultural distinctions. I really like the eagle bombardment idea, make sure they are extravagantly expensive to breed and maintain. Maybe show some peasants losing their land for an eagle habitat. Roads and bridges should be massive but crumbling in the current era because lords refuse to pay taxes to maintain them.
astonishingly I have not 😛
I’ll look into it tho
I added some ideas into my edit. Also have your priestly caste be speculative investors.
This is easy because eagles/dragons eat meat, and a peasants wealth is measured in livestock. Could have the eagles/dragons eating the common folks goats and cattle and they’re forbidden from objecting.