[Data-modeling] Multiple Fictional Universes

[Jeff Prucher]

Isn't a universe just a really, really large place? That contains other
places? 

But the crucial question is, I think: If we were to create a "fictional
space-time continuum" type, what properties would it have that "fictional
setting" doesn't?  It's easy enough to attach it to "fictional universe",
but having done that, what else do we do with it? Or, in other words, how
would we associate other fictional things to a fictional continuum?  And is
the way we would do that any different from the way we do (or should)
associate them with settings?

Jeff

> -----Original Message-----
> From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com 
> [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Faye Harris
> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:13 PM
> To: Freebase data modeling mailing list
> Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Multiple Fictional Universes
> 
> I agree with Chris. "Setting" means "place" to most people.
> 
> If people are conflating two types of things into one Type, 
> then the solution would indeed require creating a new type, 
> so that the two can be separated.
> 
> Is "space-time continuum" potentially too "techy" a type 
> name? It'd dead-on in terms of precision. ;) Or, how about 
> creating a type "fictional world" to represent a "space-time 
> continuum" inside the "fictional universe" type? Settings 
> inside worlds inside universes. For example, DC Comics 
> Multiverse has Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Three as worlds.
> 
> -- Faye
> 
> 
> Christopher R. Maden wrote:
> > Jeff Prucher wrote:
> >   
> >> I just had a thought.  We're using "universe" to mean two 
> different 
> >> things here.  The first, and what the type "fictional universe" is 
> >> currently used for, refers to the entirety of the milieu 
> of a work or 
> >> series, which can include multiple alternate worlds.  The 
> other sense 
> >> refers to a single space-time continuum, any number of 
> which might be 
> >> used in a series.  So my question is: why not just consider these 
> >> other continua as Fictional Settings?  That is, the Star Trek 
> >> Universe includes as a setting the Mirror Universe; the DC Comics 
> >> Multiverse has Earth-One, Earth-Two, Earth-Three etc. as 
> settings, and so on.
> >>     
> >
> > I believe Fictional Settings was in the running or even used at one 
> > point.  The problem is that "fictional setting" more easily 
> brings to 
> > mind Gotham City or the Shire (or New York or San Francisco) than 
> > Middle Earth or the Mirror Universe.
> >
> > ~Chris
> >   
> 
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