How do I explain that my park is fictitious?

[mharrington]

I have been pondering a new park for some time now, even created some threads on the matter. I've seen a lot of people here putting up their own threads on their own park ideas, no matter how fictitious. The truth is, even though my ideas are usually as fictitious as any of them, I try to be realistic, but I don't want to come across as being deluded. I usually try and take realities into account before I do anything, but apparently the blue sky process indicates that no logistics (such as physical space, funding, etc.) are not required, only blue sky. But how can explain my ideas are unreal and probably will never happen? Because for me, it's really no fun to come up with ideas if reality is not taken into account.

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

I’m confused on what you’re asking. Are you saying you want to add a sort of disclaimer to your project that it won’t be as “realistic” as your other concepts? If so, I say do exactly that. Add a simple “blue sky” or “unrealistic dream project” disclaimer on the first post.

 

[mharrington]

I’m confused on what you’re asking. Are you saying you want to add a sort of disclaimer to your project that it won’t be as “realistic” as your other concepts? If so, I say do exactly that. Add a simple “blue sky” or “unrealistic dream project” disclaimer on the first post.

How would a disclaimer work?

I think that there has to be some realism to whatever you make. Or else people will not want to post on your thread. They'll say "This person's a fricking loon" and move onto someone else's ideas.

That's just it, my ideas are realistic, but they will probably never happen in reality. And wouldn't people think you're a loon anyway simply because your ideas are only just that: ideas?

 

[Outbound]

Call it:

P U R P L E — S K Y

 

[mharrington]

Call it:

P U R P L E — S K Y

View attachment 612918

What does that even mean anyway?

Also, this a sort of follow-up to an older thread I did years ago, where I asked about the blue sky process was the most important part of all, above constraints: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/blue-sky-vs-all-else-but-mostly-constraints.897813/.

In particular, there is this post on that thread that reads in part:

Is blue sky a part of the process? Yes. Will the real world manage to hit us in the face every step of the way, absolutely! I am currently in College working for a BFA in Filmmaking and boy am I slapped by reality every day. But when we have an opportunity on something like a discussion board where we aren't constrained by land ownership, or cost of building, why not let our imaginations run [wild]? It's the perfect time and place, and frankly I welcome more of it.
Sure some ideas are outlandish and would never ever be built in a disney park in the real world, but isnt that what makes this kind of blue sky thinking and conceptualization beautiful? You don't need to pay for a ticket to take a ride in your imagination. All it takes is a click of the mouse, a few lines of well-written descriptions, and my mind goes racing. I say, continue to Blue-Sky! Even if you have to force yourself to specify at the beginning that this exists in a parallel universe, keep up the practice!

The problem with me is that I like to be realistic as for my ideas to be possible and not just admit that it's all in the imagination, because frankly you can't "see" your imagination. Words on a screen are just that, words. The only real way to "see" your imagination is with pictures, whether something like, say, Planet Coaster or even just drawings on paper, but even they can only do so much.

But anyway, that quoted phrase up there with the "parallel universe" remark is why I did this thread to begin with, because I have a tough time admitting that my ideas do take place in a parallel universe. How would a blue sky disclaimer work with a parallel universe? For one thing, wouldn't you need to explain that parallel universe to others?

 

[MickeyWaffleCo.]

I think you’re overthinking this. By nature of it being on this board, everyone knows it’s not real and is thus in a “parallel universe.” Whether you choose to impose limitations on yourself or not is up to you. No one will judge you for it either way - it’s your creative decision as the designer.

 

[mharrington]

I think you’re overthinking this. By nature of it being on this board, everyone knows it’s not real and is thus in a “parallel universe.” Whether you choose to impose limitations on yourself or not is up to you. No one will judge you for it either way - it’s your creative decision as the designer.

You're absolutely right, I am overthinking this. I can't help it, really. As someone autistic and literal-minded, it's what I do: overthink things. In this case, I've seen these people put their ideas in real places, like Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore and Sweden, just to name a few more recent examples. These places and many others are clearly real places and not those to exist in a "parallel universe". And then there's this thread, which goes into detail on how to build another international resort: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/next-international-resort-analysis.974781/.

 

[ThemeParkPriest]

You're absolutely right, I am overthinking this. I can't help it, really. As someone autistic and literal-minded, it's what I do: overthink things. In this case, I've seen these people put their ideas in real places, like Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Singapore and Sweden, just to name a few more recent examples. These places and many others are clearly real places and not those to exist in a "parallel universe". And then there's this thread, which goes into detail on how to build another international resort: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/next-international-resort-analysis.974781/.

From one autistic person (or "aspie") to another, be free to be yourself! Every one of us is going to have unique ideas; we each have gifts to offer to others and to this community. Last time I checked, there isn't anybody whose salary comes from being an imagineer, so we are all just imagining what things could be like. My Bible World project, for example, might not be legitimate possibility for centuries. You linked to my Next International Resort Analysis--well it's just my attempt to try to quantify the things that Disney or Universal factor when they're looking to build a new resort. I guess just by it's construct, it's going to have data based on real locations. But as they say, "you do you!"

 

[mharrington]

From one autistic person (or "aspie") to another, be free to be yourself! Every one of us is going to have unique ideas; we each have gifts to offer to others and to this community. Last time I checked, there isn't anybody whose salary comes from being an imagineer, so we are all just imagining what things could be like. My Bible World project, for example, might not be legitimate possibility for centuries. You linked to my Next International Resort Analysis--well it's just my attempt to try to quantify the things that Disney or Universal factor when they're looking to build a new resort. I guess just by it's construct, it's going to have data based on real locations. But as they say, "you do you!"

I like to be realistic and literal. It's really no fun coming up with things if you know they may not come to fruition (although you never know). Are you saying that the only way your ideas will be taken seriously is if you are a real Imagineer who comes up with ideas not for fun, but for a living? Is money really the deciding factor?

And no one really answered my question on how to explain that my ideas are set in a parallel universe if the situation arose. Locations like Germany, Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc., are obviously real places. If I were to set my park in, say, Germany or Brazil, how could I explain, in a disclaimer, that this is not real, nor is meant to be real?

I ask all of this in part because I have to admit, @ThemeParkPriest, that you did a lot of good research, which I couldn't begin to take into account on my own.

Also, @Outbound, what did you mean by "purple sky"? I did a Google search and I found nothing in this context.

 

[Outbound]

I like to be realistic and literal. It's really no fun coming up with things if you know they may not come to fruition (although you never know). Are you saying that the only way your ideas will be taken seriously is if you are a real Imagineer who comes up with ideas not for fun, but for a living? Is money really the deciding factor?

And no one really answered my question on how to explain that my ideas are set in a parallel universe if the situation arose. Locations like Germany, Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc., are obviously real places. If I were to set my park in, say, Germany or Brazil, how could I explain, in a disclaimer, that this is not real, nor is meant to be real?

I ask all of this in part because I have to admit, @ThemeParkPriest, that you did a lot of good research, which I couldn't begin to take into account on my own.

Also, @Outbound, what did you mean by "purple sky"? I did a Google search and I found nothing in this context.

I think Priest is saying is that, if our ideas likely aren’t going to happen in the real world anyway, there’s really nothing stopping you from imagining the impossible. That’s not to say you can’t imagine realistically — just that when it’s not in the real world for a job (Imagineering) you can’t be as non realistic as you’d like, which you can’t do when it’s the real world. But you can still be an realistic as you’d like when Imagineering here. What you do is up to you.

Some people like the real-world restrictions, others prefer to think “blue sky” where anything is possible — from non-Disney IPs to alternate universes.

Regarding your question — IMO, I don’t think disclaimers are really necessary as we’re all just here to have fun and will go with whatever rules the original poster sets on the thread. But feel free to make a realism disclaimer if you like. Again, Imagineering is a wide range and all about how you have fun!

PS: Purple Sky is a word play on the phrase Blue Sky. It doesn’t mean anything, I made it up as a joke.

 

[mharrington]

I think Priest is saying if it’s going to not happen in the real world anyway, there’s really nothing stopping you from imagining the impossible. That’s not to say you can’t imagine realistically — just that when it’s not in the real world for a job (Imagineering) you can’t be as non realistic as you’d like, which you can’t do when it’s the real world. But you can still be an realistic as you’d like when Imagineering here.

Nothing is really impossible, just improbable. Also, I'm confused: "When it's not in the real world for a job, you can't be as non-realistic as you'd like, which you can't do in the real world"? It's a bit of a double (maybe triple) negative, and a really confusing one at that.

Some people like the real-world restrictions, others prefer to think “blue sky” where anything is possible — from non-Disney IPs to alternate universes.

A lot of my ideas as of late tend to take place in the real world, usually in the form of attractions or anything being set in parks that already exist. Most of my new ideas tend to be set in WDW's Magic Kingdom, mostly to try to keep it different from Disneyland whenever possible, although I will try and duplicate my ideas for other parks as well, just as Imagineering has been known to do in the real world.

Regarding your question — IMO, I don’t think disclaimers are really necessary as we’re all just here to have fun and will go with whatever rules the original poster sets on the thread. But feel free to make a realism disclaimer if you like. Again, Imagineering is a wide range and all about how you have fun!

As I've said, I try to be realistic, with real-world restrictions, which is what I'm used to. As such, a disclaimer would help any concerns about realism. But as I'm not used to being totally unrealistic and just having fun for fun's sake, I really don't know how to do a disclaimer of this kind, particularly since I don't want to be seen as a loon. What would be some good words to use?

Incidentally, I had read that when they were trying to find locations for what would eventually be Disneyland Paris, they had ruled out Germany as a possibility since it was said that Germans preferred to take vacations elsewhere. Also, it was pointed out that a park in Germany may be popular with tourists, but not so much with locals, not unlike France.

 

[JokersWild]

Nothing is really impossible, just improbable. Also, I'm confused: "When it's not in the real world for a job, you can't be as non-realistic as you'd like, which you can't do in the real world"? It's a bit of a double (maybe triple) negative, and a really confusing one at that.



A lot of my ideas as of late tend to take place in the real world, usually in the form of attractions or anything being set in parks that already exist. Most of my new ideas tend to be set in WDW's Magic Kingdom, mostly to try to keep it different from Disneyland whenever possible, although I will try and duplicate my ideas for other parks as well, just as Imagineering has been known to do in the real world.



As I've said, I try to be realistic, with real-world restrictions, which is what I'm used to. As such, a disclaimer would help any concerns about realism. But as I'm not used to being totally unrealistic and just having fun for fun's sake, I really don't know how to do a disclaimer of this kind, particularly since I don't want to be seen as a loon. What would be some good words to use?

Incidentally, I had read that when they were trying to find locations for what would eventually be Disneyland Paris, they had ruled out Germany as a possibility since it was said that Germans preferred to take vacations elsewhere. Also, it was pointed out that a park in Germany may be popular with tourists, but not so much with locals, not unlike France.

You won't be seen as a loon. It might bother you personally, but most everyone who reads this forum understands that everything here is purely fictional, no matter how close it might sound to a real concept or how bound it is to real world restrictions. The only time I see people get confused is when someone posts an imagineering project in the General Discussion forum, and those usually get moved to here pretty quickly. I'd agree with @Outbound that you don't really need a disclaimer. At the end of the day this is just creative writing and I think everyone here understands that. Tons of fiction writers try to make their stories as plausible as possible despite it being obviously fiction.

 

[mharrington]

You won't be seen as a loon. It might bother you personally, but most everyone who reads this forum understands that everything here is purely fictional, no matter how close it might sound to a real concept or how bound it is to real world restrictions. The only time I see people get confused is when someone posts an imagineering project in the General Discussion forum, and those usually get moved to here pretty quickly. I'd agree with @Outbound that you don't really need a disclaimer. At the end of the day this is just creative writing and I think everyone here understands that. Tons of fiction writers try to make their stories as plausible as possible despite it being obviously fiction.

Yes, it does bother me personally. And if it is fiction, why bother to be realistic at all? That's another reason for me to have a disclaimer.

 

[Shannoninthemagic]

So I stuggled with this too. Way I solved it, put the park/resort in my novel, in order to write it, I have to build it, I operate my ideas based off the au/fansty world I've created for the novel. It's bound by those logistics.

 

[mharrington]

So I stuggled with this too. Way I solved it, put the park/resort in my novel, in order to write it, I have to build it, I operate my ideas based off the au/fansty world I've created for the novel. It's bound by those logistics.

What novel? Also, it's tough enough to create a park without also having to create a made-up world to go with it.

 

[Shannoninthemagic]

What novel? Also, it's tough enough to create a park without also having to create a made-up world to go with it.

A novel that I'm writing, It's a slice of life fanasty soulmate au and I needed a setting for the characters to play around in that was varied enough ( It's kinda like disney world in that you wouldn't have to leave the bubble to do anything) I had already prebuilt the world, through earlier stories,and for my new venture I wanted them to play in Disney world, but then I was like, if I want this published I need to build my own.

 

[mharrington]

A novel that I'm writing, It's a slice of life fanasty soulmate au and I needed a setting for the characters to play around in that was varied enough ( It's kinda like disney world in that you wouldn't have to leave the bubble to do anything) I had already prebuilt the world, through earlier stories,and for my new venture I wanted them to play in Disney world, but then I was like, if I want this published I need to build my own.

I would prefer to try to have my ideas conform to something preexisting, rather than build a whole world from scratch around those ideas.

I need a disclaimer to help assure its unrealism, mainly because I'm more of a Dr. Channing type (i.e., controlling the imagination) than a Dreamfinder type (i.e., letting the imagination run wild).

 

[mharrington]

What words could I say to use in my disclaimer to ensure the fictitious nature of my park? Because I want to be realistic, and if it's too unrealistic, then there's no need to be beholden to the technology of reality, is there?

Unlike a lot of people here, I like to control my imagination instead of letting it run wild.

 

[mharrington]

So I stuggled with this too. Way I solved it, put the park/resort in my novel, in order to write it, I have to build it, I operate my ideas based off the au/fansty world I've created for the novel. It's bound by those logistics.

Are you saying that I should engage in world-building? Because it's hard enough to build a park without also building a whole new world to go with it, as if that world exists just for the benefit of the park.

At one point, I tried to figure out how to do my park in both Germany and Brazil by combining both into a made-up city called Berlisilia (something like San Fransokyo), but that would require describing this city, where it's located (likely Brazil), its history, etc. It seems totally unnecessary when all I want to do is just do the park.

That's another reason for the disclaimer, particularly since I'm not used to admitting that these ideas are just those: ideas, and probably will never see the light of day. Why do you think so many movies have that "this is a work of fiction" disclaimer at the end (or beginning, in the early days of movies)?

 

[JokersWild]

Are you saying that I should engage in world-building? Because it's hard enough to build a park without also building a whole new world to go with it, as if that world exists just for the benefit of the park.

At one point, I tried to figure out how to do my park in both Germany and Brazil by combining both into a made-up city called Berlisilia (something like San Fransokyo), but that would require describing this city, where it's located (likely Brazil), its history, etc. It seems totaly unnecessary when all I want to do is just do the park.

That's another reason for the disclaimer, particularly since I'm not used to admitting that these ideas are just those: ideas, and probably will never see the light of day. Why do you think so many movies have that "this is a work of fiction" disclaimer at the end (or beginning, in the early days of movies)?

I think you’re overthinking. You don’t need to completely flesh out a fictional city for your park. You could literally just say “Berisilia is a fictional city combining cultural elements from both Brazil and Germany” and we’d all be pretty satisfied. I mean, even San Fransokyo has barely any world-building other than some minimal architectural stuff.

I’ve fallen into the same traps before - I’ve spent months looking for the perfect unpopulated coastline in Northern California for a park I’d like to work on. But at some point you just need to try to make concessions and learn when to move past those minute details that no one else will ever notice.

In terms of film disclaimers, those are put into films mainly to avoid possible litigation from people trying to claim that the events of the movie happened to them or their family. Sounds crazy, but it has happened, I think. All you’d really need for a disclaimer is a sentence explaining that your park is a work of fiction that doesn’t reflect the real world, if you even need anything at all.