: Re: How can my story take place on Earth without referring to our existing cities and countries? I come from worldbuilding.stackexchange because people suggested I post my question here: My story

@Alves689

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Without the same countries, people, and history, it is simply not our Earth. Even with geographical and technology similarities, it's an entirely different world.

For example, superhero stories often take place on a parallel earth. But Gotham City and Smallville don't feel like they're in our America. They're American themed, sure, and that's the closest to it. There is no Arnold Schwarzenegger, no Donald Trump. Even characters like The Simpsons, which have interaction with real people, don't feel like they're in this world because they don't actually interact with anyone in this world.

But if you're talking about narrative, you can use an audience surrogate to explain things. This might be a curious child who asks questions, or someone new in town.

Another option is to add characters whose purpose is to explain things. It could be a historian trying to take notes, a teacher explaining things, or a character who says really obvious things that everyone knows. Maybe even one who explains things they just found out (children's shows like Peppa Pig are good at this).

If your goal is to really make it feel like an alternate Earth, expect to spend a lot of energy on this, to the point that it's becomes a major part of the story, like Sliders and Black Mirror.

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