death or glory. it's just another story.
mood: 
creative
creativemusic: Clash - Clampdown
Which will be tricky, because it's not a dystopia, really, but I'm sure I can make parts of it look dystopian to a teenager.
This is professional
Hey, futures are expensive. Why build a new one when you have one lying around that's still fun to play with and will do quite nicely.
1) Reality goes off track. Think of the poor writers who had the Soviet Union lasting centuries and millennia into the future! (Jack Chalker had an easy fix; he had Nathan Brazil push the universe's reset button, and the new version of the universe was ours.)
2) Personal tastes. Some writers get bored with old futures. And some love designing new futures.
That still works for me; I enjoy the occasional alternate history.
I think that's the height of efficiency. I'm always a bit sad when I read a book set in a fascinating world and only get to see one little bit of it. It's a bit like visiting France and never setting foot outside Paris. I always hope for a sequel.
And oh, Timothy Dalton was a beautiful young man...
*Anything* can be made dystopian to a teenager. Including giving them everything they want -- as in "my life sucks! I've got nothing to rebel against"
Lots of places can be pretty idyllic for most, but dystopian if you're unfortunate enough to belong to the wrong minority.
(sorry, work brainwash)