Think of a world so fascinating that, if given the option, you would dive into to explore all its corners and sights.

I ask you, what is that setting?

A world much like our own...

With Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo of course!

I like alternate universes as well.

4043228 I personally try to (as a writer) find a setting that is thematically appropriate to the central idea of my story. That could be at the gates of the pristine Crystal Empire 1,000 years bT, or in the muck and mud of the Everfree Forest present day; even the seedy underbelly of the world is a fine place if the idea that takes us there is right for it.

Similarly, as a reader I try to find stories that the author fully utilizes the setting choices that are viable to them. On FIMFiction, expect most stories you see to be set in the fantasy setting (as the source material is). Generally it boils down to intelligently designed narrative flow with smartly written contrast in the delivery.

I've always been attracted to urban or academic areas and realistic fiction, so I'd have to choose a crime-filled city or a mysterious boarding school of some sort.

4043237 But would you want to explore a world you are already familiar with?

4043241 So the theme or presentation is really what makes the setting interesting?

4043252 I suppose suspense and atmosphere can make any setting, really.

4043292 Narnia, specifically? How come Narnia stands out above the other fantasy worlds?

4043292 I prefer neverland when it comes to fantasy lands, but to each his own.

4043228

The Akamatsuverse, which is what I consider to be the shared universe of Ken Akamatsu's Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima. (Since they are strongly hinted to be either the same world or alternate versions of the same world.)

The mundane Earth resembles the normal world but awesomer, having stuff like superhuman martial artists and people who invent mechas and laser weapons on their spare time. As of Negima there is also a Harry Potter-style hidden magician community.

Just as an example of how larger than life this place is: the first half of Negima takes place in a school where the library takes up an entire island, is full of secret doors and hidden rooms, and you sometimes need spelunking equipment to get around the place. The school library club is less about reading and more about exploring the whole place, because few people know exactly how extensive it is.

Then there's the actual magical world, which is essentially like living inside a JRPG.

Basically, in this world you can easily live a fairly normal life (assuming you're not a weirdness magnet) but there is a ton of awesome adventures to be had if you go out and look for it.

4043487 Well, like the way that Narnia was a place for you in your childhood, Peter Pan was one of the first chapter books I ever read and Neverland always seemed like a beautiful, magical place. I see now that it holds more than one dark secret, but I still love Peter Pan and I love Neverland. I never got into Narnia because I never really got into the books.

4043350 Well they're all pieces of a puzzle and ideally you want all the pieces to fit well together. It's hard to do that when one very obviously doesn't belong.

4043765 The analogy does make sense. However, would it not be interesting to see a setting in which the themes and presentation do not always fit together? Utopia or Arcadia is a place where every feasible aspect harmonizes just the right way; any other world has its own unique contradictions, yes?

4043776 It all depends on your interpretation of Equestria! Canon Equestria has many untouched locations. Fanon Equestria expands to the horizon with numberless ideas for a setting!

A world like Skyrim

4043850 That typically is what I'd attribute to "contrasting an idea with the environment". In my own story I've taken the tranquil calm of the Crystal Empire and turned it into a source of apprehension for one of the main characters for that chapter. In that case the world they live in is not normally a peaceable place, and seeing it's potential as one (and how that came about) upsets the sensibilities of the character without offending the audiences' own.

In either event that set helps contrast the over-arching setting as to better draw attention to the theme which, in turn, accents it.

4043228 I'm drawn mostly to Fantasy, Sci-Fi or Historical inspired stories, of many kinds. But most particularly worlds that are ground mostly in our reality, making it more grounded and feeling more real (with relate-able and well written characters of course), but having a subtle fantasy edge to make the world unique (examples include Game of Thrones, How to Train Your Dragon, Lord of the Rings, Dragon Age, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter). Personally whilst I love the slice of life stories in FIM, i'd love to see more well written adventure stories written in, like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Gravity Falls (I don't want one formula to take over from another! I'd just like to see more of a balance between slice of life and adventure). Hey, perhaps the best of both worlds, have one slice of life episode turn into an adventure episode!

I'm a high-fantasy type of person myself or an urban fantasy type, i.e. our world but creatures like faeries live in it as well. I like to see how these worlds strike a balance between its inhabitants and magic, how different races interact with each other, and I'm gaining an appreciation for the politics of these worlds as well. Hope this adds to the discussion!

4043228 A dungeon.