Forum - View topicBest World-Building Tournament: Minigame.
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18460 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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For those who may not have participated in our forum tournaments before, they are head-to-head single-elimination tournaments which generally use standard tournament brackets. The first step in setting up a new tournament - deciding on the topic - has already been done, and Best World-Building is the concept that has been chosen by consensus. The next step is to choose a suitable field of 64, 96, or 128 candidates (depending on the number of worthy nominations). That is the purpose of this thread.
Eligibility Standards The focus of this tournament is on the world-building aspects so crucial to the setting of many titles and franchises. Which settings are so richly and thoroughly developed that they stand out in a crowd? Factors that should be considered in deciding whether or not a setting is worthy include the following: 1) "World-building" is meant to be a generic rather than specific term. As such, it could refer to a city, a country, a continent, a world, a galaxy, or a multidimensional setting or computer game. It can even refer to a single building, ship, or school if that's where most of the story takes place. 2) The setting must have some characteristics that are distinctive to it. These can include, but are not limited to, the following: geographical, astronomical, or structural features; geopolitical distribution; style of magic, technology, and/or spiritualism; races present; cultural aspects; architectural aspects; sociological or psychological mindset; religion; historical underpinnings; and tone. 3) The setting must be well-developed within animated content, and only details from the animated content may be considered. Content from supporting omake is allowed. 4) In cases where a title has more than one distinct setting, one must be chosen. Two or more settings from the same title could be nominated separately if they're all sufficiently developed. 5) In cases where an entire franchise uses the same setting, that setting is used for the whole franchise. In cases where different parts of a franchise use timelines distinctly different enough to create clashing intrinsic elements (for instance, Gundam or Tenchi Muyo! titles), each different timeline constitutes a separate nomination. Any non-hentai movie, OVA, or TV series that is available outside Japan in some form (fansub, legal stream, official hard copy release, etc.) is eligible to be considered; in the case of TV series, they must have at least one full cour (i.e., 10-13 episode season) aired by the end of the Spring 2013 season. Special exceptions may be made in cases of TV series that aired less than 10 episodes for their entire run (such as Momo, The Girl God of Death/Ballad of a Shinigami). Nomination Standards/Procedure 1. Any forum member in good standing may nominate and vote for and/or against any number of candidates. 2. Each nomination or vote in favor scores one point. Each vote against scores -1 point. 3. After a certain amount of time (likely 10-14 days), general nominations will end. At that point the top 32 vote-getters (64 if we get enough candidates to justify a field of 128) will automatically advance to the tournament. All remaining nominees will go into a closed run-off for the remaining spots. This step may be skipped if a clear cut-off at or around 64, 96, or 128 can be made. 4. High scores may be used to help determine seeds, so there is still a point to voting for candidates that are already assured of making the cut. 5. A list of active candidates and their scores will be periodically updated on this post. (I'm going to try for at least one update/day, but I give no guarantee on that.) Candidates with a score of 0 on an update will be moved to the Cut List if their scores have not improved by the next update, while candidates who have a negative score on any update are moved to the Cut List immediately. 6. A voter/nominator must state “Nominate,” “Vote For” or “Vote Against” (as appropriate) in bold when taking any of these actions or the vote/nomination will not be counted. Using one of these as a heading before listing multiple votes of the same type is acceptable. 6a. Any vote change must be done both in the original post and in a new notice indicating that a change has been made or the change may not be counted. 7.Every nomination must be accompanied by a write-up (see below) or that nomination is not considered valid. 8. Votes in favor can be justified but don't have to be. Votes against must be justified or they will not be counted. Write-Up Each nominee must have its own Guide write-up for reference during the game. Doing these in advance is a massive time-saver for me and gives other voters a chance to familiarize themselves with settings that they may not know. Each write-up must include the following: 1. The setting's name. (Use "world of <title>" or "setting of <title>" if the setting does not have a specific name, and non-anime sources may be used if necessary to get this name.) 2. The source series or franchise. (If it only involves one arc within the series/franchise, specify which arc and/or episodes are involved.) 3. A brief description of its magic/technological base; examples include (but are not limited to) Near Future, Cyberpunk, Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi, Virtual Reality, High Fantasy (i.e., magic and supernatural elements are omnipresent), Low Fantasy (i.e., magic and supernatural elements are present but rare; Spice and Wolf is a good example here), Modern Day, Historical; “Supernatural” and “Magical Girl” and “With Mecha” designations can be added as needed. 4. A listing of important locations within the setting, if the setting is not just one location. 5. A listing of any important races or groups within the setting. 6. A general description of the setting, limited to 400 words or less. 7. An argument about what makes the setting great. 8. A picture of the setting or link to a site (other than Wikipedia) which provides more extensive information may optionally be provided. Two examples of the format expected, which should also be considered official nominations, are given below. Please adhere as closely as possible to the formatting style shown, including the capitalization and font standards.
Let the nominations begin! Nominations List - FINAL (titles with byes are in green) 18th Century Europe, Le Chevalier d'Eon Academy City, A Certain Magical Index franchise Aincard, Sword Art Online Amestris, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Aqua, Aria franchise Bath House of the Gods, Spirited Away Gaea, The Vision of Escaflowne Glie, Haibane Renmei Gold Crown Town, Princess Tutu Gunsmoke, Trigun Humankind Empire Abh, Crest/Banner of the Stars Ikebukuro, Durarara!! Land of the Beast Gods, Princess Mononoke LoGH Milky Way , Legend of the Galactic Heroes Nausicaa's Post-Apoc Earth, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Neo-Verona, Romeo x Juliet New Yogo Empire, Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit Noein Multiverse, Noein Prester, Last Exile Roanapur, Black Lagoon franchise Saiunkoku, The Story of Saiunkoku Solar System, Cowboy Bebop Stern Bild City, Tiger & Bunny Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms World of Beast Player Erin, Beast Player Erin World of Castle in the Sky, Castle in the Sky World of Mushishi, Mushishi World of One Piece, One Piece World of PMMM, Puella Magi Madoka Magica World of Pokemon, Pokemon World of Spice and Wolf, Spice and Wolf World of Wolf's Rain, Wolf's Rain 1648 Testament Era Japan, Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere 1960s Japan, Kids on the Slope 23rd Century Sol System, Geneshaft Abenobashi Shopping Arcade, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Afterlife, Angel Beats! Alfheim Online, Sword Art Online Amberground, Tegami Bachi/Reverse Anno Domini Timeline, Gundam 00 Assiah/Gehenna, Blue Exorcist CLAMP Universe, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles Daikuuriku, Simoun Dustbin, Scrapped Princess Eight City Union, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue France, The Rose of Versailles Future Earth, Now and Then, Here and There Future France, Gankutsuo Future Tokyo, Chobits Gargantia, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Helvetia, Sound of the Sky Holy Britannian Empire, Code Geass franchise Island of Claymore, Claymore Italy, Gunslinger Girl Japan 2030, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Comp Japan 2113, Psycho-Pass Kingdom of Honneamise, RSF: Wings of Honneamise Kingdom of Midland, Berserk TV Little Garden, Problem Children. . . Macross Universe, Macross franchise Mahora Academy, Negima franchise Metropolis, Metropolis Multiverse of Fantastic Child, Fantastic Children Paradigm City, The Big O Prefecture F, Excel Saga Ruined World, Casshern Sins Ryvius, Infinite Ryvius Saubere, Gosick Seikyou Academy, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia Sensha-do Universe, Girls Und Panzer Setting of Blast of Tempest, Blast of Tempest Setting of BTM: Decode, Birdy the Mighty: Decode Setting of FT New World, From the New World Setting of Tears to Tiara, Tears To Tiara Shinobi World, Naruto franchise Soul Society, Bleach franchise The Wired, Serial Experiments Lain Tuskuru, Utawarerumono Universe of Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Muyo OVAs Universe of the Four Gods, Fushigi Yugi Victorian England, Victorian Romance Emma Wall of Fear, Attack on Titan World of Angel's Egg, Angel's Egg World of Arslan, The Heroic Legend of Arslan World of Chrono Crusade, Chrono Crusade World of Ergo Proxy, Ergo Proxy World of Haruhi Suzuimiya, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya World of Inuyasha, Inuyasha World of Kanon, Kanon World of Katanagatari, Katanagatari World of Magi, Magi World of Natsume's BOF, Natsume's Book of Friends World of Pandora Hearts, Pandora Hearts World of Slayers, Slayers franchise World of tsuritama, tsuritama World of Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh! Total: 96 Official Tournament Bracket Click here for an Excel spreadsheet of the final tournament bracket. This bracket can also be used for the minigame. (See here for details on that.) Last edited by Key on Sun Sep 08, 2013 12:29 am; edited 12 times in total |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18460 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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Oh, and this is an approximate list of the recommended voting criteria that will be used in the tournament, in case this affects how anyone does their write-ups:
1) What the setting has (or doesn't have) that makes it distinct from other settings of its type. 2) How interesting the setting is. 3) How extensively the setting is developed. 4) How smoothly the development is presented. (Info-dumping would not automatically be considered a negative on this, as there are smooth and clumsy ways to handle it.) 5) How effectively the setting establishes and maintains a sense of internal logic. 6) Evaluating world-building based on the overall merits of the series or story being told would be strictly prohibited. For instance, the hate that some people hold for the way events play out in the Fairy Dance arc of SAO should not be held against the fact that Alfheim Online is a very cool and well-developed setting. |
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@
 Posts: 3498 Location: IN your nightmares |
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I want to make a suggestion, the title of this tournament could be particularly misleading because of the nature of the subject being debated. To people new to these tournaments it has a likelihood of confusing readers into thinking that there is a tournament involving world-building itself, or that participants are competing to be best 'world-builders' in some sort of gaming activity.
I would recommend wording the title slightly differently perhaps "Tournament: Best World-Building - Nomination Stage," or something along those lines. |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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Nominate:
The world of Pandora Hearts Franchise: Pandora Hearts Magic/Technological Base: a fictional, fairy-tale-like place that resembles Victorian England Important Locations: Sabrie, Abyss Important Groups: Pandora organization, Vessalius Dukedom, Nightray Dukedom, Rainsworth Dukedom, Barma Dukedom, the Baskervilles Description: This inspired by Alice in the Wonderland place, apart from being reminiscent of Victorian England, has characteristics typical for kingdoms from fairy tales as, despite the Victorian England stylization, it remains nameless and is detached from our own in both space and time. In this fictional world there is a dimension known as the Abyss. As the story unfolds some interesting features of the Abyss are revealed, for example: that the flow of time is twisted there and that it is inhabited by beings called Chains, creatures that at some point had been humans, but were transformed by the power of the Abyss into Chains. Ordinary people are not allowed to have anything to do with them and the Abyss and anything concerning the Abyss is regulated by an organization called Pandora. However, Chains and humans can form a contract which allows a Chain to leave the Abyss, remain in the outside world and the human contractor to use the Chain’s power. Once someone enters into an illegal contract, a clock-like seal appears on their body. The hand of the seal moves like on a clock and marks the use of the Chain’s power by the contractor. When it makes a full turn, both the Chain and the contractor are dragged into the deepest level of the Abyss. What Makes The World-Building Great: While like in many fairy-tale-like worlds some things are not given much attention, the world of Pandora Hearts has a well-developed and meticulously explained connection between the Abyss and the outside world. This provides enormous potential for intriguing twists and developing a fascinating story. Moreover, the existence of beings called Chains and of the Abyss, which is often compared to a broken toy, create interesting, fairy-tale-like, and scary atmosphere. Last edited by Aylinn on Thu Jul 04, 2013 3:20 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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marie-antoinette
 Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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I've got a few write-ups in progress (at the moment, for The Universe of the Four Gods/Fushigi Yuugi, Gunsmoke/Trigun, and France/Rose of Versailles) but only this one is finished atm.
Nominating: Italy Franchise: Gunslinger Girl Technological Base: Near Future Important Groups: the Social Welfare Agency, the Padania Republic Faction Description: Italy is a country of great beauty but also a country divided, as the North seeks independence. This movement had led to the rise of the Padania Republic Faction, a group that often resorts to terrorism, and the creation of government factions, including the Social Welfare Agency, that fight to stop them by almost any means. What Makes The World Great: This franchise draws heavily on the familiar, with the great cities and landmarks of the real Italy making numerous appearances throughout. This makes the world seem even closer to ours then it would just through technology alone, which increases how unsettling it is to see children turned into weapons. It also uses the feel of Italy (or its own version of the feel of Italy) to give the show a distinct character, through little moments like the story of the Spaghetti Prince or the EP of the first season, Dopo Il Sogno, that is in Italian. If anyone thinks a list of Important Locations should be added, I'm definitely game. I know they go to a few different cities but I can't remember with accuracy which ones, other than Rome and Florence. I think it works without the list though. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6585 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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Nominating:
Aqua Franchise: Aria Magic/Technological Base: Science Fiction, early 24th centrury (with numerous magical overtones). Important Locations: Neo Venezia generally, Piazza San Marco, Doge's Palace, The Campanile, Grand Canal, Ukijima. Important Groups: Aria Company, Himeya Company, Orange Planet Company Description: Centuries into the future rising sea levels on Manhome (formerly known as Earth) have seen many cities becoming submerged. This has led humans to terraform Mars as an alternative home. A mistake in the terraforming has meant that Mars has likewise been flooded - hence its new name, Aqua. With the original Venice long underwater, the terraformers have recreated it on Aqua down to the smallest nook and cranny. Not only does Neo Venezia embody the old city but its inhabitants have created their own relaxed and optimistic atmosphere that captures the romance of old Venice, if not its reality. What Makes The World-Building Great: Over three seasons, one OVA and four visitor guidebooks that accompany Nozomi's DVD releases, Neo Venezia is explored down to the most intimate level. The city isn't simply a backdrop for a charming tale of the gondola operators (known as undines) but, through the constant revelations of its many beauties and many secrets, becomes a character in its own right in a way that few creative endeavours have managed, regardless of their origin. As the seasons slowly turn, the magic of Aqua and Neo Venezia casts a spell over viewer and visitor alike. The character of Neo Venezia quietly seeps its way into the story, becoming the story and making the franchise unforgettable. The undines' lives are profoundly affected by their place in this beautifully realised world. Picture Links: 1. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g136/regnans/Ariatourney01_zpsddc6aa0a.jpg 2. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g136/regnans/Ariatourney02_zpsa1527ef7.jpg 3. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g136/regnans/Ariatourney03_zps62e3a403.jpg - preferred picture, Key 4. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g136/regnans/Ariatourney04_zps8dabf755.jpg 5. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g136/regnans/Ariatourney05_zpsa5a63e72.jpg Last edited by Errinundra on Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:05 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Olliff
 Posts: 550 |
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Nominating:
Legend of the Galactic Heroes Future Version of the Milky Way Galaxy Franchise: Legend of the Galactic Heroes Magic/Technological Base: Hard Science Fiction, Distant Future (36th Century) Important Locations: Odin, Heinessen, Fezzan, Earth Important Groups: Galactic Empire, Free Planets Alliance, Dominion of Fezzan, Terranism Cult Description: Set in the distant future in a setting based on our own Galaxy, the LoGH setting finds itself enveloped in a 150 year unending war between its two military superpowers, the Galactic Empire and the Free Planets Alliance. Each power has a distinct aesthetic and cultural flavor that make their own worlds unique and rich in character. The Galactic Empire is aesthetically reminiscent of 19th century Prussia with its nobility and related gaudy attire and architecture still in-tact. The Free Planets Alliance is a cultural melting pot of races and creeds with a minimalist and unassuming architecture reminiscent of modern day government buildings with a slight futuristic twist towards the austere. The differences between these two superpowers extend beyond just appearance and culture. The Free Planet Alliance is a democracy ran by a bureaucratic high council of career politicians and a weak executive branch that are both concerned primarily with a militaristic agenda to liberate the Galactic Empire by spreading democracy and liberty to what they assume are oppressed peoples. Contrasting sharply with their opposing superpower, the Galactic Empire was ran by an oligarchy until a progressive, aspiring military genius transformed this power into a benevolent and meritocratic dictatorship that views all bureaucracy including its own nobility as evil, unnecessary, and oppressive. Naturally, this commander also wishes to unite the universe under its own banner. A third economic and opportunistic power, Fezzan sits in the middle profiting greatly from the exchange and hoping for mutual destruction of the two powers. Fezzan is an extremely affluent planet with giant structures brimming with the influence of industry and unfettered capitalism. Curiously, Fezzan finds itself involved in a cult rumored to know of and worship on the world that is the origin of all humanity, Earth. Earth has devolved into a barbaric, fundamentalist world covered with temples, overgrown with vegetation and populated by underground bunkers where the seedy agenda and atrocities of the Terranism cult can go unperturbed. What Makes The World-Building Great: The strength of the LoGH setting is attributed to its diversity in its richly developed, varied, and ever changing settings. Each world is distinctly different and has a strong aesthetic identity that adds value and credibility to the history that this series chronicles. No world is a generic fantasy world, but a part of larger cultural and nationalistic identity that makes it more interesting. Lastly, no world is static; the series takes place over several decades and the setting adjusts accordingly whether towards greatness, devastation/decay or in some other completely unexpected direction. Feel free to PM me improvements, additions, corrections or other suggestions that would make this guide entry stronger. Unrelated to this guide entry, I am somewhat opposed to the idea of multiple nominations from the same series with few exceptions with jarringly separate settings, such as in Sword Art Online. That being said, if anyone feels that this entry should be split into multiple nominations, discuss it here. |
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DuskyPredator
 Posts: 15576 Location: Brisbane, Australia |
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I am not sure if it is good enough, but something is tell me to nominate it.
Nominate: Alternate universe with Sensha-dō Franchise: Girls Und Panzer Magic/Technological Base: An odd case of using historical tanks and equipment, with some modern technology, with apparent high-tech for safety. Important Locations: Ōarai Girl's High School, Ōarai Girl's High School (ship), various ports which I have sadly failed to remember. Important Groups: Ōarai Girl's High School, St. Gloriana Girls Academy, Saunders University High School, Pravda High School, Anzio High School, Kuromorimine Girls High School. Description: Set in an alternate universe where all schools take place on large ships, there exists a sport known as Sensha-dō ("Way of the tank", tankery, whatever) where young girls do war games inside of tanks. A relatively small school suddenly decides to revive the sport, the team they make is made up of various other teams with their own personalities, and they take on other schools that have their own style matching various countries. What Makes The World-Building Great: At first the setting may come across as so crazy that it is best not to try and understand why things are the way they are. But the series is quite sly and practically everything has an explanation, and the series does a good job of dripping information, in a way it may sound like they do big explanations, but these rarely actually get boring. Some information is only given in specials, and while the existence of these specials and summaries might owe itself partially to production issues, I for one found myself very captured by why the tanks did what they did. In truth you are just as likely to learn some military history about our own world as something only in theirs. And while an after series OVA might sound like a poor way to world build, the one they did had some very interesting facts about things you might have spotted within the show. For something that was often stating facts to build itself, it never felt boring with how it explained itself. |
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rheiders
 Posts: 1137 Location: Colorful Colorado :) |
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Currently revising 12K nomination (that is a really hard world to sum up in just a paragraph or two xD), but these two are done:
Nominating: World of Wolf’s Rain Series: Wolf’s Rain Magic/Technological Base: Post-Apocalyptic High Fantasy Important Locations: City of Scars, Jaguara’s Keep, Darcia Castle, Forest of Death, Garden of Eternity, etc. Important Groups/Races: Wolves, Nobles (esp. the Darcia family), Humans Description: This series takes place in a decaying hellscape very near the end of the world. Plants and animals are dying, technology is falling apart, people are becoming infertile, and the moon is turning a deadly shade of red, all according to a banned religious text called “The Book of the Moon.” The wolves, divine creatures aiming to open the gate to Paradise, have long since been hunted into extinction, believed to be part of an old heretic superstition. Except that they haven’t, really. There are still some left. They hide among the humans, letting them see only what they want to see. Meanwhile, as the wolves continue their tireless search in secret, the Nobles run this world from their extravagant castles, involved only in their own private squabbles, distant and unknowable to the little people below. What Makes the World Great: This is a fascinating and well-fleshed-out world with a complex and layered mythology that manages to be so without indulging in any obvious infodump. The characters act as though they have been born and raised in this desolate world and only subtle hints are revealed as to the details of the place they are from. However, it can be puzzled out if one takes the time. All the pieces are there without having to dig too deep. The result is a world that feels both entirely novel and interesting, while also feeling very natural and real. The different races are also very well fleshed out, especially the wolves, who, unlike another series which might humanize them too much, act very much unlike humans. The Nobles, too, have a fascinating and disturbing culture fitting their ruling status over the material world. Picture Link: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Ikebukuro Series/Franchise: Durarara!! Magic/Technological Base: Modern World/Magical Realism Important Groups/Races: Dollars, Yellow Scarves, Blue Squares, Yagiri Pharmaceuticals, Saika Description: The setting is Ikebukuro, a downtown district of Tokyo, Japan. The buildings are sky-high and the streets are constantly bustling with masses of unimportant bystanders, each one blending into the next. But there’s more to this seemingly normal district than is first apparent. Residing deep within Ikebukuro’s underground are the color gangs—gangs who wear a certain color to represent their affiliation. Recently, a new color gang has made its way up the ranks with its website sending invites to everyone in the city—a transparent color gang known as the Dollars. And that’s only the beginning of the weirdness. Though on the streets these are only rumors, there are shady human experiments, a headless Dullahan, and an insane killer called the Slasher running around the dark alleys. What Makes The World Great: This series does a fantastic job of turning the city of Ikebukuro into an active character, perhaps even the true main character, within the story. Ikebukuro lives and breathes and moves like a living organism, made up of a million people living their own separate lives and bumping into each other at random. The inclusion of supernatural elements like the Black Rider and Saika feel very natural because everyone is just living each day, minding their own business. The magic and mystery are just another day in this city where strange things are commonplace. The series also makes great use of modern technology, bringing the story into the 21st century by having many important conversations take place anonymously in the Dollars’ chatroom. Picture Link: [1] [2] Will also throw in a Vote For: Humankind Empire Abh, Crest/Banner of the Stars (haven't seen it, but sounds really cool) Aqua, Aria |
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One-Eye
 Posts: 2267 |
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Just out of curiosity but was that an actual language that was developed like say Klingon or was that just gibberish posing as language? I must say that the prologues were my least favorite part of the series and sounded a little corny to my ears--they may have actually developed some vocabulary for all I know, but it still came off as fake to me. That is not to say that there weren't other worthy things about the show, but its just that part didn't work well for me. |
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zawa113
 Posts: 7358 |
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Gold Crown Town
Series: Princess Tutu Base: European fairy tale town Important Locations: Gold Crown Academy, Charon's house, the four town gates Important races: random animal people tend to appear Description: Gold Crown Town is a self contained town where the fairy tale world of Princess Tutu takes place. At the center of the story are the four ballet students and the academy they attend. Both humans and talking animals inhabit the town, many of whom might come from fairy tales and not even know it. In addition, it's impossible to leave the town through the four gates, it simply leads back into the town. What makes the world-building great: Gold Crown Town starts off as a somewhat strange fairy tale town, where there's a giant talking cat as a ballet instructor, and no one finds this the slightest bit odd. We see random bits of the town where the fairy tale of the episode setting takes place, but it's mostly the school. In the second half, we're introduced to Charon, Fakir's adoptive father, and his house, which becomes important. The second half is where the world really builds as we find out that all the magical things everyone takes for granted aren't so normal after all as spoiler[the town itself was written into existence and only exists in its fairy tale world]. The very state of the town itself is what drives much of the second half of the plot and explains why it's impossible to leave town. As the second half continues up to the finale, the very town itself has practically become a character in its own right in resolving the story. Overall town, Gold Crown Academy I need to put that spoiler there just in case, but if anyone else can come up with a spoiler-free alt for that sentence, be my guest. Seconding Future Milky Way (Legend of the Galactic Heroes) Though I'd add Iserlohn as an important location, Yang and co do spend an awful lot of time there, especially by season 4 where spoiler[they're entirely based out of there], not to mention they have a lot of battles for that corridor where that's the main prize. And for your question on splitting up, I wouldn't for this series. The star system as a whole is just too interconnected for me to see it as separate elements. A single planet might work, but I think they spend so much more time in space anyway that it seems pointless. |
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getchman
 He started itPosts: 9134 Location: New Hampshire |
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Edited the entry so the description is less of a backstory.
Nominate 1648 Testament Era, Japan Franchise: Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere Magic/Technological Base: An earth set in a distant, Post-Apocalyptic future with a strong presence of high fantasy and science fiction Important Locations: The Far East: The Musashi and Mikawa, Tres Espana, England Important Groups: Musashi Ariadust Academy: Class 3-Plum, K.P.A. Italia's Pope President and Representative for the Testament Union: Innocentius, England and Tres Espana's Student Councils as well as Tres Espana's army Description: In the distant future, Japan, renamed the Divine States, is the only place left on Earth that can support life due to previous global conflicts. Seeking a way to return to “The Heavens” but not knowing how, humanity decided to retrace their steps by reenacting Earth’s History. A mirror image of the Divine States, the Harmonic Divine States, used to exist in a pocket dimension where European history was reenacted but an accident destroyed it. It is currently 1648 Testament Era and the Divine States are now home to a very unique power balance. Instead of the Divine States being used solely for Japanese historical reenactment, Japan is split between the various major European nations of the 17th century. The remaining lands that were left unclaimed were given to the original occupants and renamed The Far East. Having been blamed for accident, The Far East is under provisional rule by The Testament Union, an organization overseeing the history recreation, and has lost much of its sovereignty. Because of the small size of The Far East, a portion of the population resides on the Musashi, a 5 mile long city ship that traverses the skies of the Divine States. After the incident, every country’s military and government was replaced by an academy, with students becoming responsible for all governing and fighting. People remain students for the rest of their lives, except for The Far East. The students of their school, located on the Musashi, are forced by the Testament Union to graduate once they turn 18. Another problem has recently arisen. The Testament, the history book guiding the recreation of history, stopped updating itself. Unsure of how to proceed once the last recorded event happens, fear of an apocalypse is starting to spread. Meanwhile, on the Musashi, the student council president plans to regain the power The Far East once held and maybe save the world in the process What Makes The Setting Great. While the date may say 1648, the middle of the 17th century, anyone unaware of the situation would think other wise. Humans aren't the only inhabitants. The Earth in Horizon is home to a number of other non-human sentient races, such as Archdemons, werewolves, elves, half-elves, winged humans, an incubus, and many others. Despite living on a post-apocalyptic planet, technology has greatly advanced. Most evident would be the Musashi, a 5 mile long city ship equipped with a stealth drive and capable of staying mostly self sufficient. It also floats in the air. By utilizing the abundant source of ether found in the planet, vessels can sail the skies of The Divine States. The ether is also what allows people to use what is essentially magic. By acting as a source of fuel, an individual could sprint a thousand time faster than normal or a naval gun can fire an energy beam provided they have enough ether stored to do so. this makes duels between individuals or large scale battle reenactments rather flashy, and highly inventive as the Testament only states who won a conflict and not how. Last edited by getchman on Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:58 am; edited 3 times in total |
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marie-antoinette
Posts: 4136 Location: Ottawa, Canada |
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Finally, some things I can second!
Supporting: Gold Crown Town, Princess Tutu World of Wolf’s Rain, Wolf's Rain Also, I agree that multiple nominations from the same series should be an exception. I can't really think of any series I've seen off-hand who would warrant two of them. |
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Vaisaga
 Posts: 13240 |
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Voting for: The World of Pandora Hearts.
Nominating: The World of A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun Series/Franchise: A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun Magic/Technological Base: Modern day with high technology, ESP, magic, and divine elements Important Locations: Academy City Important Groups/Races: ESPers, Magicians Description: Academy City is the land of science with technology 20 to 30 years ahead of everywhere else. Most of the population are students who have undergone a curriculum that may or may not have granted them psychic powers. But unknown to them and the rest of the public there are secret organizations of magic users. When science and magic cross paths, the story begins. What Makes The World Great: I didn’t limit this nomination to just Academy City because the story reaches beyond that. Academy City certainly gets a lot of characterization on its own, what with the show delving pretty deeply into how everything works and the darkness within the city being brought to light during Touma and Mikoto’s adventures. But then there’s also the World of Magic and all its inner conflicts, wide range of magic disciplines, and no small amount of resentment towards the science side. With each new mess Touma finds himself in we learn more and more about both sides along with him, and sometimes even touch the realm of God. There might be a lot to process, but that just goes to show just how extensive this world is. --- The World of Kurokami Series/Franchise: Kurokami: The Animation Magic/Technological Base: Modern day with fantasy elements Important Locations: Tokyo, Okinawa, The Pure Place Important Groups/Races: Humans, Tera Guardians Description: In this world the balance of life force, called tera, is maintained by beings called Tera Guardians. Humans go about their normal lives, unaware that their fate is governed by something called the Doppeliner System. Under this system there are 3 versions of a person living in the world: two subs and one root. If a sub should ever meet their other selves they are marked for death and their tera will go into the root. Some try to take advantage of this system for their own ends while others wish to see it destroyed. What Makes The World Great: Sometimes world building is done with subtlety, but sometimes it hits you like a speeding truck. That’s what Kurokami does in its first episode alone. The final moments drive home just how horrible a world governed by a system that causes that sort of thing is. It does go further into the culture of the Tera Guardians and the origin of the system, but it’s hard to forget the impact of how it was established. |
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rosebrook11
 Posts: 1181 |
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I'm not the best writer, but I tried my best.
Sternbild City (The world of Tiger and Bunny) Franchise: Tiger and Bunny Magic/Technological Base: Re-imagined version of New York city (NC 1978) Important Locations: Justice Tower, Apollon Media Important Groups: Heroes, NEXT, Ouroboros, Apollon Media Description: Tiger and Bunny takes place in a world where forty-five years prior, certain individuals, known as NEXT, began to develop superpowers. Some of these NEXT become superheroes and work with the government to take down criminals. Their efforts to help the city are publizised by Hero TV, a live television program that gives each hero points for their heroic actions in certain categories. The heroes are all owned by private companies, which is shown by these companies logos appearing on the suits of the heroes that they wear when on the air. The central location of the show is Sternbild City where a flood in the past caused the structure of the city to undergo renovation. The current structure is a three tier construction where each layer is held in place and supported by a group of columns. The Justice Tower, basically the headquarters for the heroes, is located at the center of the city and is surrounded by the buildings for the seven major companies. What Makes The World-Building Great: The series does an amazing job at fleshing out this world, which has many similarities to our modern world, by giving a realistic depiction for how a supernatural element can be adapted into a world not so different from our own. The viewer is able to understand the nature of the setting without needing a giant info-dump at the start of the first episode. The series has many scenes that show the heroes in their daily lives when they are not fighting crime, and their interactions with the world around them are depicted in a very natural manner so the viewer is able to understand subtle aspects of this world (the uses of technology being one) further via the characters. The world-building is not conducted only on matters relating to the plot but extends to the entire reach of the series. Sternbild City Supporting Roanapur-Black Lagoon World of Pandora Hearts World of Wolf’s Rain Gold Crown Town-Princess Tutu Last edited by rosebrook11 on Fri Jun 28, 2013 11:47 am; edited 2 times in total |
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