Just checking to see if there is any consensus on the idea of renaming the Harley District to a more appropriate Gobrassian sounding name or should we leave it as is.
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Just checking to see if there is any consensus on the idea of renaming the Harley District to a more appropriate Gobrassian sounding name or should we leave it as is.
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Discussion
Comment from isleño on 4 August 2014 at 21:39
OK, so here’s my thinking about Gobrassanya. Let me know if it makes sense:
I think the most realistic explanation for the huge mix of different European names in Gobrassanya is that it must have been colonized by various European-like groups (English, Spanish, French, German, Irish, etc). I think all these groups must have migrated to Gobrassanya, because it’s hard to imagine that they all originated there.
Then there are a lot of non-European names, which I imagine came from the original inhabitants. In the wiki I’ve labeled these people “Gobrasi” and to explain the fact that many of their names sound totally different from one another, I wrote in the wiki that the Gobrasi are made up of a large number of different cultures (Maranese/Gorrawa, Pohalanese, Yanti, Colquit, etc). I imagine these native cultures as vaguely Asian-like, in order to provide some continuity with Khaiwoon, which is also somewhat Asian-inspired (though colonized by English speakers).
So in order to smooth the transition from Gobrassanya into Khaiwoon, I wanted to be sure that the southeastern part of Gobrassanya still had a significant Gobrasi flavor, which is why I changed Strassen/Carlsberg to Sutarasa/Kalabag. But in central and western Gobrassanya (where Harley is located) you could imagine a different story, one where the Gobrasi were forced out of the area, or barred from speaking their native languages, or something… and so it’s possible that European names could dominate there.
So really, whatever story you want to create for that area would probably work there, maybe something that fits with whatever you have in mind next door in Alora…?
Comment from thilo on 6 August 2014 at 19:11
The somewhat “natural” explanation: during the 19th century the Aloran empire went through a period of decline, which allowed the european (???) powers to seize parts of it to develop trading posts in strategically avantageos locations. Later, when the usual 99-year leases where running out and the colonies where to be returned to Alora, their inhabitants mutinied and declared their independence (thereby uniting out of necessity to strengthen their position).
Alternative theory: Gobrassanya is the holy land, and the “europeans” are descendants of medieval crusaders.
Comment from isleño on 7 August 2014 at 05:27
Intriguing ideas…
(Although if Gobrassanya was a “holy land” then I’d expect to see a lot more ancient stuff there. To me it seems pretty modern for the most part.)
In any case it appears that both Alora and Gobrassanya are mainly inhabited by the descendants of the “Europeans” so it might be fun to imagine what sort of dynamic would play out, where the colonies as well as the non-colonized state both undergo “European” settlement and then the colonies are slated to be returned. Interesting idea, I like how it creates some tension.
(Btw in the wiki, I used the word “white” instead of “European” because it doesn’t imply the existence of Europe, but it feels a little weird to be using it… Perhaps we should consider replacement terms for things like “European” “English” “Christian” etc. so that we’re not constantly mentioning geography and history which is nonexistent in this world. Maybe using a pattern that’s easy to remember and expand upon, for example, “European” –> “Europic”… “English” –> “Englandic”… “Christian” –> “Christic”… or maybe I’m the only one who’s irked by these Earth words, haha.)
Comment from thilo on 7 August 2014 at 20:13
Copied this discussion to the wiki talk page, where I think it belongs.