Friday Fives: Different Worlds

It’s that time of the week: Friday Fives at Paper Hangover! And this week’s a doozy. Had me thinking for a long time. In case you’re wondering how this “Friday Fives” thing works, the people at Paper Hangover post a question the answer to which involves some kind of list of five things. Each participant then answers the question on their blog and posts a link to their blog on the Paper Hangover site. Everyone then visits each of the blogs to see how they responded. Today’s Friday Five question is: What are the FIVE (book or movie) worlds you would love to live in?

I think we can rule out anything dystopian for a start. I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly want to live in some kind of future corrupt society where I’m either oppressed, fighting for survival, or one of the bad guys running things. Sure, dystopian makes for engaging and thrilling reading, but, like certain places in the world I’m sure you can think of, it’s nice to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there. So where would I choose? Here’s my five:

Harry Potter’s World: Really, now–who wouldn’t? Especially this side of Voldemort’s downfall. It looks to be such fun! But I wouldn’t want to live there as a squib. That seems to me to be the very definition of frustrating. I’m sure squibs get by okay (Filtch, Mrs. Figg…), but it’s not the same.

Doctor Who: To have a TARDIS and be able to travel through time and space would be cool, don’t you think? Though, I think I would prefer to be a companion of the Doctor than to be the Time Lord himself. Not that I’m a “hide under the coat-tails” kind of person, but The Doctor seems to me to be the kind of person I would like to know, not be. Besides, he looks after his companions… sort of… mostly… 90% of the time, well, 85%… well…

Narnia: If you’re a follower of Aslan, where else would you rather be? 🙂

Conan Doyle’s London: There’s a lot about Victorian London that would be very hard for us moderns to like, but if I didn’t know any better, I would think it the center of the universe. This period was alive with invention and discovery, and despite the slums and the abject poverty and misery that existed, it was an exciting time to be alive. Sure, I could visit this era in my TARDIS (see number 2 above), but this is Conan Doyle’s London–which means Sherlock Holmes would be a real person I could perhaps meet!

Jasper Fforde/Thursday Next Series: To give you an idea of what this world is like, let me quote the blurb for the first novel from Amazon: “In Jasper Fforde’s Great Britain, circa 1985, time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously.” Also Wales is an independent state, which appeals to the Welsh blood in me–there’s some there along with that Irish-Scots mix.

That’s my pick. What about you–what are the five literary or cinematic worlds you would like to inhabit? Comment here, or on your own blog and add it to the list on Paper Hangover.