In what fictional place would you gladly live for a full year?

[-Sentinel-]

For the sake of this question, assume that this year must be immediately before, during, or immediately after the events of the work of fiction in which the place is featured.

My first choice would be Deep Space Nine (either during or after the events of the eponymous series). For a start, the Star Trek setting is just generally a nice place to live, thanks to Federation technology and social values. I admit it's not quite utopian, and the series DS9 deconstructs the Federation to some extent, but Star Trek would be a boring story if there were no conflict. I choose the station Deep Space Nine specifically because: 1. I'm more familiar with DS9 than other Star Trek series, and 2. the station is a melting pot of cultures and you get to meet all sorts of interesting people. I would love to just sit on the Promenade or at Quark's bar and watch visitors from all over the galaxy. If things get boring, there are holo-suites, for just about every experience imaginable. Deep Space Nine may be at the nexus of the Dominion War and other trouble, but I really couldn't ask for someone better than Sisko and his crew to protect me and the other civilians.

Also... maybe an unoriginal answer, but Hogwarts seems like a cool place despite its utterly abysmal safety record.

On the video game side, I like Balmora (Morrowind). Beautiful city in a beautiful world. Suran and Caldera seem nice, too.

[comicshorse]

Pretty much anywhere with The Culture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture
Only problem would be getting me to come back

[Lvl 2 Expert]

In a previous thread like this I came out on the Pokémon world. It's adventurous, but safe. Sure, the world gets threatened every few years, but there's always a ten year old nearby to save it and nobody ever needs to die for the saving to happen. Also you become friends with superpowered monsters. It sits in that sweet spot of "stuff for kids" where you have a fun and fully developed world but relatively little drama and cruelty.

Star Trek isn't a bad choice either. Scenery wise I could go for pretty much any place in the Just Cause games, but, you know, oppressive dictatorships and random violent lunatics.

Speaking of games, I think racing/driving/vehicle games in general are pretty good. Large maps, an exciting activity, often nobody trying to kill you. Something like Eurotruck Simulator 2 is basically just Europe to scale, big enough to take a decent vacation.

Thinking like a rules lawyer for a moment, you stated you can spend a year directly prior to the events of the work of fiction. That opens up a lot of possibilities. See cloned dinosaurs grow up in Jurassic Park and leave before they start eating people, basically any space horror works, and historical war movies. Lord of the Rings would be pretty cool. Live in the Shire, adventure around a little bit. Sure, there's trolls and monster spiders and all those things, but no "the end in nigh" stuff yet. Yeah sure, you have to live with the knowledge that all your new friends are going to die, but your stay is going to be pretty pleasant. Maybe a setting in which half the world gets superpowers at the beginning of the story. Set your stay so you leave just after the event, and go around being super in our world.

There are probably more creative answers out there, but I can't really think of them currently.

[-Sentinel-]

I'm talking more about specific locations than settings, though. (Mind, the setting is also part of the location. A beautiful location in a bad setting is not a place where you would want to live.)

[Rodin]

Mine would be Time City, from A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones. Either before or after the events of the book would be good. You get to experience cuisine and culture from all of recorded history, and you can go and visit the stable eras whenever you like. The city itself seems like a pretty cool place to live with their utility belts that have a low-G function and grand architecture everywhere. Only downside would be the fashion, which as I recall tended towards the hideous and garish.

[Kitten Champion]

Neo-Venezia.

It's a faithful reproduction of Venice built in the 24th century on now-terraformed Mars, from the slice-of-life manga/anime series Aria. Aside from being a completely conflict-free and all-around beautiful place to live, the universe of Aqua/Aria is as technologically advanced as you'd ever need or want.

Plus they have cats with human-level intelligence... who, for whatever reason, haven't risen up and enslaved humanity and merely act adorable and lazy.

[Peelee]

I would love to just sit on the Promenade or at Quark's bar and watch visitors from all over the galaxy. If things get boring, there are holo-suites, for just about every experience imaginable.
Quark hates freeloaders. Where you getting your latinum?

See cloned dinosaurs grow up in Jurassic Park and leave before they start eating people
I hate to be the bearer of bad news...

I choose to believe you meant the novel. Which is a bloodbath!

[LibraryOgre]

Haven, in Valdemar, from Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar series. There's a lot of good options for time, though I think during the time of Herald-Spy Mags would be not bad.

Deep Space Nine is a good option, though I also wouldn't mind San Francisco on Earth... Starfleet Headquarters.

[Khedrac]

As a general rule, places where exciting stories are set are not comfortable places to live, however if you choose carefully from their neighbours you can often find a place with the same feel, but fewer "excitements". Generally I would also go for SciFi settings - the basic living conditions are so much more comfortable!

For example, if you like the idea of living in Narnia, then going for Archenland could be a better choice. (Not actually the best example, Archenland gets invaded too, and Narnia under the rule of High King Peter had a quiet period in its history.)

If you like Lois Bujold's Vorkosigan books, don't choose Barrayar, but Beta Colony (or earth) are good choices.
If you like Elizabeth Moon's Serrano Legacy series, the Familias Regnant has far too much internal unrest - but the Guernsi Republic has better tech and seems to be much quieter - so you can watch the fun from a distance.
If you want to live in the Fedaration stay OFF Earth (and DS9) - there are far too many alien invasions for them to be good places to live - their neighbours are probably good though.
If you like David Weber's Honorverse, then I would go for the Anderman Empire or Erewhon - the tech is almost as good, but they get attacked far less often.

For Valdemar, I tend to agree that the time of Mags & his family looks to be about the best you will find (that or the courts of the Haighley Kingdoms).

[Ghostwire]

Hobbiton in Middle Earth, preferably post war of the ring when everything is peaceful again. :smallsmile:

[Rodin]

If you want to live in the Fedaration stay OFF Earth (and DS9) - there are far too many alien invasions for them to be good places to live - their neighbours are probably good though.

Earth's probably okay. TOS era there are a couple of nasty space probes a few years apart from each other (The Motion Picture and Voyage Home), but apart from that Earth doesn't really get messed with. TNG era there are a couple of close calls with the Borg, but the Borg don't actually make it planetside. The worst you would suffer is a week or so of terror as the Borg approach, and then after the cube gets blown up in orbit you're fine. DS9 has the Dominion War, but Earth doesn't get invaded. They have a brief period of martial law and that's it. Never finished Voyager so can't testify to that.

The rule seems to be "don't live in San Francisco", because if any weird stuff happens it's going to be there. Also, I think the Enterprise crashed there once. Living literally anywhere else on the planet gets you all the benefits of living at the heart of the Federation with no downsides.

[hamishspence]

There was the Xindi attack in Enterprise, but that's before the Federation proper is actually established.

The Breen attack in DS9 did some damage to San. Francisco though. There was also a Dominion bombing in Antwerp shortly before that.

[Rodin]

There was the Xindi attack in Enterprise, but that's before the Federation proper is actually established.

The Breen attack in DS9 did some damage to San. Francisco though. There was also a Dominion bombing in Antwerp shortly before that.

Oh right, I forgot about the Breen attack. Mostly because I try to memory hole everything about the Breen as they are terrible.

General rule still holds I think - stay the heck away from San Francisco and your odds of leading a utopian life on Earth are pretty good.

[Fyraltari]

On the video game side, I like Balmora (Morrowind). Beautiful city in a beautiful world. Suran and Caldera seem nice, too.
I'm guessing you would time it to be between the outbreak of plague turning people into ravenous monsters/worshippers of a mad god but and the extinction-level event that killed 99.99% of the population of the island?

Fantasy universes are cool and all but too violent and bereft of modern comforts for my tastes. Meanwhile Sci-fi setting often have something or the other to make you happy you don't live there (plot requires conflict and social commentary is hardly done with utopias after all) but I guess I wouldn't mind living on Aurora from The Robots of dawn.

[Velaryon]

I think I could enjoy some time spent in the Star Wars universe pre-The Phantom Menace. Just so long as I avoid interacting with Hutt minions or Senator Palpatine, and never come within a light year of Tatooine, I think I'd be alright.

And maybe I could swipe some cool tech to bring back with me.

[Traab]

Haven, in Valdemar, from Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar series. There's a lot of good options for time, though I think during the time of Herald-Spy Mags would be not bad.

Deep Space Nine is a good option, though I also wouldn't mind San Francisco on Earth... Starfleet Headquarters.

Agreed, the Mags time period was a fairly tranquil set of years for anyone not him. Honestly though? I might prefer to live in a Tayledras vale, preferably one thats within a year or two of moving day so its not as dangerous. Maybe the valdemar vale during the Owlknight timeline.

[Khedrac]

Earth's probably okay. TOS era there are a couple of nasty space probes a few years apart from each other (The Motion Picture and Voyage Home), but apart from that Earth doesn't really get messed with. TNG era there are a couple of close calls with the Borg, but the Borg don't actually make it planetside. The worst you would suffer is a week or so of terror as the Borg approach, and then after the cube gets blown up in orbit you're fine. DS9 has the Dominion War, but Earth doesn't get invaded. They have a brief period of martial law and that's it. Never finished Voyager so can't testify to that.

The rule seems to be "don't live in San Francisco", because if any weird stuff happens it's going to be there. Also, I think the Enterprise crashed there once. Living literally anywhere else on the planet gets you all the benefits of living at the heart of the Federation with no downsides.

Off the top of my head there is the infiltration of the mind controlling bugs from Next Gen and the infiltration of the chanelings/founders during the dominion war. I am sure I have forgotten other attacks on Starfleet HQ - if you must live on earth stay away from Starfleet - it's an invasion magnet!

[DomaDoma]

Milksops. Let me run supplies, armament and/or politically inconvenient people to Hammerfell for a year before the events of Elder Scrolls VI. I recognize that Elder Scrolls VI doesn't actually exist, but as far as I'm concerned, it will take place on the Iliac Bay, with all that entails, or it's just not the game I had in mind.

[Kitten Champion]

The biggest risks to Star Trek's Earth have been from one thing or another manipulating time. Be it the Temporal Cold War, the Borg invasion of First Contact, or all life being erased in its infancy in All Good Things -- and that's just a few examples. That's the issue with picking any year or place in that universe, all of history - past, present, future - are malleable to potentially malevolent forces or the whims of the Janeways of the world who've gotten a time machine and too much time on their hands.

[Lord Torath]

The world where the Goau'ld put nanites in people so they'd only live for 100 days. I'd go right after SG-1 ruined the machine that activated the nanites. It was beautiful, on the beach, and there were no ugly people there at all (until I show up, anyway).

[Ortho]

Assuming we also live by the rules of said fictional universe, I'd choose Minecraft. What? It's fictional.

I could build my own mansion/skyscraper/what have you overlooking some dramatic terrain, zip around on a pair of rocket-propelled wings, swim around in a pile of gold and diamonds, eat steak every day, and go kill a dragon if I'm ever feeling ambitious. Really, it's a good life all around.

And if I die, no big deal. I just go back to where I kicked the bucket and pick up all my stuff.

[Rynjin]

Gonna have to go with, as somebody else mentioned, the Pokemon world. I'm not even that big a Pokemon fan, but the world has the perfect mix of adventure and relative safety that would make it great to live in.

You get to make wonderful new friends (human and Pokemon alike), travel across the land beating people up and taking their lunch money, and just in general living a pretty good life. It has modern comforts at your fingertips, but also unexplored wildernesses around every corner, never tread on by human feet.

It's safe but not TOO safe. Exciting but not TOO exciting. It's like an entire world that's a series of theme park rides.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Gonna go with the Mercy Thompson series. A year is probably just enough time to make it through the application process for becoming a werewolf, and in the mean time I get to live in a snowy place drinking hot chocolate and skiing and snow-shoeing. Sure being a werewolf has downsides, but I weight the Mercy Thompson version as a net positive. EDIT: Actually, scratch that, I'd still need another year or two to learn control before going home. Without that, the plan is a disaster waiting to happen.

Failing that, Earth in the sci-fi series Theirs Not to Reason Why or its prequel series seems like a great place to live.

[druid91]

Probably Shadowrun In about the same area I live now. As long as you don't work for certain companies or deliberately choose to live the life of a criminal black-ops mercenary it's a pretty decent world.

Certainly not without risk, but not all that much more than I face currently.

[Kantaki]

Definitely some region in the Pokémon world.
Not sure which one though. I could travel around I guess.

[AlanBruce]

Raccoon City for me.

Granted, it may not have had the best ending, but for a quiet midwestern town in the 90’s, it had a lot of nice landmarks and state of the art living for its residents.

Plus, it’s ran by a corporation. You know you’re in good hands when corporations are involved.

[Kareeah_Indaga]

In a previous thread like this I came out on the Pokémon world. It's adventurous, but safe. Sure, the world gets threatened every few years, but there's always a ten year old nearby to save it and nobody ever needs to die for the saving to happen. Also you become friends with superpowered monsters. It sits in that sweet spot of "stuff for kids" where you have a fun and fully developed world but relatively little drama and cruelty.

This for...pretty much exactly those reasons. Intelligent, super-powered critters who combine all the best traits of pet and best friend, in addition to being portable? People who are generally friendly? Tech roughly on par with if not superior to what I'm used to? Apparently-low travel restrictions if I want to visit someplace else? Sign me up. :smallcool:

Elder Scrolls is cool, but I'm under no illusions about my ability to survive there for any length of time, even if it weren't during a major disaster like the Oblivion Crisis or the return of the Dragons. And no running water or plumbing unless I live in Cyrodiil or High Rock? :smallfrown: Might be fun for a very hardcore camping trip, but not for the rest of my life.

Likewise it might be fun to visit Marvel New York, but with the non-zero chance of the universe imploding at any given moment, probably not an option I'd want to take long-term. :smalltongue:

[Knaight]

If I'm selective about which year, Babylon 5 is a real option. Sure there's some crime and such, but that's nothing new.

[McNum]

A fun one would be Naboo in Star Wars. During the time of the Empire.

You might think that living under Imperial rule would be awful, and in most cases, you'd be right. But this is Naboo.

If some upstart Imperial starts causing trouble for Naboo, he will get disappeared. Only question is if the Emperor gets him first for going after his home planet, or Vader for going after Padmé's home world. Even the two Sith aren't going to mess with Naboo because of their mutual soft spot for it.

So Naboo is essentially a sanctuary world. Nobody messes with it, and anyone dumb enough to try is going to have to deal with two very angry Sith Lords. It's just not worth the strangulations, lightsaber stabbings, or electrocutions to menace the population of Naboo.

So you can live your life in peace on a beautiful planet with lush green meadows and waterfalls. There are much worse places to spend a year.

[trtl]

The village in animal crossing.

I've already spent a lot of time there so I know it would be a good fit :smallsmile:.

[Fyraltari]

A fun one would be Naboo in Star Wars. During the time of the Empire.

You might think that living under Imperial rule would be awful, and in most cases, you'd be right. But this is Naboo.

If some upstart Imperial starts causing trouble for Naboo, he will get disappeared. Only question is if the Emperor gets him first for going after his home planet, or Vader for going after Padmé's home world. Even the two Sith aren't going to mess with Naboo because of their mutual soft spot for it.

So Naboo is essentially a sanctuary world. Nobody messes with it, and anyone dumb enough to try is going to have to deal with two very angry Sith Lords. It's just not worth the strangulations, lightsaber stabbings, or electrocutions to menace the population of Naboo.

So you can live your life in peace on a beautiful planet with lush green meadows and waterfalls. There are much worse places to spend a year.

The empreor doesn't have a soft spot for Naboo at all. Remember how he organized for a ruthless mega-corp to invade it, even ordering their leaders to "wipe out" le indigenous populations. Did we ever find out wether those camps were real, by the way?
He also canonically organized for it to be levelled after his death.

[Jay R]

Tertius, from Heinlein's Time Enough for Love. High tech, no wars or raiders, very loose laws and non-invasive customs. And rejuvenation technology.

[NotASpiderSwarm]

Likewise it might be fun to visit Marvel New York, but with the non-zero chance of the universe imploding at any given moment, probably not an option I'd want to take long-term. :smalltongue:DC's New York is exactly the same as IRL New York but with Power Girl. Marvel LA before the Runaways take out their parents is probably pretty nice, too.

Problem is, there's a reason "may you live in interesting times" is a curse. Anywhere that's fun to set a story is probably not fun to live. Add in the number of settings that lack indoor plumbing, and even pleasant places (Redwall, Valdemar) lose their appeal.

I'd go with the Scott Westerfield's Pretties universe. Post-revolution seems preferable, to avoid the nonconsensual brain surgery. But a near-future post-scarcity society with high-quality brain surgery to fix mental issues and awesome body mods seems like a lot of fun.

[druid91]

If you really want someplace that's more or less totally safe in the starwars universe. Go to Kuat. Thanks to Kuat Drive yards it isn't until well after the Battle of Yavin that the Imperial navy is weakened enough for rebel troops to attack the place. It was the Hub of the whole star destroyer fleet.

[Clertar]

Either Rivendell in Middle Earth, or Candlekeep in the Forgotten Realms.

[Gnoman]

If you like David Weber's Honorverse, then I would go for the Anderman Empire or Erewhon - the tech is almost as good, but they get attacked far less often.



Given the timescale of the books, a year just about anywhere in the civilized nations would be quite safe during the course of the books.

[EricAlvin]

I feel that my safest bet would be somewhere where my life will not cut short. This opens up options such as:


The cave, during the events of Spelunky - Has a curse that causes you to wind up back at the entrance whenever you would normally die.
The Gungeon during the events of Enter The Gungeon - Every time an adventurer dies, they are seemingly shot back in time, sending them to the lobby of the Gungeon to try again. (However, that's just based on the animation. I don't recall if it's ever explictly stated, so if this isn't the case, it might not be viable).
Pandora during any game in the Borderlands series - If you can get to an active New-U Station before you're attacked by one of the many deadly threats, you can come back to life any time you die for only 7% of your funds (Or free if you have $7 or less).
Utraean Peninsula during the events of Dungeon Siege - This multiplayer campaign area allows you to (Assuming you are able to, as the wiki says that it only applies to those "marked by fire") turn into a ghost when you die and can just run to the nearest resurrection shrine.
Brittania/Sosaria/A Shard during the events of Ultima Online - Much like in Dungeon Siege Multiplayer, when you die, you turn into a ghost, and can just run to the nearest resurrection ankh.


And I'm sure there are others, too. Out of the ones I listed, I feel that The cave would be my safest bet, as I would be automatically subject to the life restoring effect just by being there, and I wouldn't have risks such as losing the thing I need to be resurrected or not qualifying for resurrection.

Another thing to consider, however, is the more long-term benefits of this trip (If you are able to keep things with you from your year of living there). In the worlds of Dungeon Siege and Ultima Online, you can get more long-term methods of coming back to life that you might be able to bring back with you. In the former, you have Resurrection spells, which are surprisingly cheap given their effect. They even come in single-use scroll form, so your buddy can bring you back to life without needing any nature magic skill. In the latter, it gets even better. Sure, you still have a Resurrection spell and a Noble Sacrifice Spell to use on others, or even a Gift Of Life spell you can cast on yourself and/or your pets when you think you'll die in the next few minutes, but those require you to be Skilled enough. With enough skill, you can even learn to resurrect people using bandages! You can acquire some Gems Of Salvation and keep them on you, causing you to resurrect immediately on death (and keep all your items on you, to boot!). However, the best thing to get while your there, should you want to live longer, is levels in the Sacrifice Virtue. This will allow you to resurrect yourself multiple times per week, on an amount equal to your level, effectively making you immortal.

There are a few other places to consider, if I want to try to extend my lifespan:



The Mushroom Kingdom before or after almost any of the Mario games - It's possible that going before or after the events wont lower the risk of getting killed by a denizen of the land (As it's likely that multiple Mario games take place in the same year, or the year before or after each other anyway), but it seems to be the safest bet. I just have to avoid touching any of the enemies or their projectiles until I can find a good place to get one-ups (such as a one-block hole to stick a koopa shell in or the Soda Jungle stages.) Then again, I might not have the athleticism required for all the platforming and running i'd need to do, and it'd be a nightmare if the level timer is there as well.
Various places before or after the events of a game in the Final Fantasy series - In addition to items (most notably Phoenix Down) that can resurrect people, there are also spells that do the same thing. In some games (especially those where you control one character instead of multiple) the spells/items will resurrect the spellcaster/holder of the item instead.


While there are many settings where you can get extra lives, I'll stop at just those two since most of the others will be in the same vein of reasoning as The Mushroom Kingdom anyway.

Despite all of these useful benefits of these places, one important part of the question I feel I have to consider is the "gladly" part. While I could see myself choosing these options, and being amused for awhile, staying there for a full year might be a bit much, especially with all of the danger present in these places (I may have ways to get around death, but it probably still hurts). And while I could see myself choosing these places normally over other, less-useful places to live, it doesn't mean I'd find it as enjoyable. After all, I could easily invest my time right now into working on things for college, which would be much better for me in the long term, but instead I'm posting here because it's more enjoyable. Not only that, but stress is also something to consider. After all, interacting with a bunch of people that I know are fictional but seem real to me at the moment would probably cause me to stress out over it, especially since I know I'll be leaving it all behind in a year. On the other end of the reasons to stress out if the world is from a video game, (like my choices have been so far) and the people act exactly like their NPC counterparts, then things will get into the uncanny valley very fast.

Because of this, I feel that my best option would be a place where I don't need to interact with others, but has a lot to do and is safe. Even then, though, I'll probably overthink things (such as worrying about what's going on back home while I'm gone, wondering if i'll come back at the same time or later, etc.) and still find a way to ruin the fun of being in a fantasy world for myself. Therefore, the best option I can think of would be the Shrine Of Resurrection from the Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, or any other place where I can put myself in stasis for the year. Nothing would change for me, and I'd have little to worry about (unless something went wrong).

Alternatively, if I am able to stop worrying about implications and ethics and the like, and just have fun with it, then it narrows it down to three categories for me: places of near-endless creativity (usually from sandbox games, such as Minecraft or Terraria), places designed around being fun to live in/sink time in (such as those of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, or Harvest Moon), or places where there's a lot of novelty in being there and a lot going on (mainly sci-fi or fantasy locations such as those of Dungeons And Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars, or a source with an overly confusing storyline like Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy).

In the end, I'd probably choose a place from the second category, the Ranch on the Far, Far Range during the events of Slime Rancher. It's peaceful, I get to hang out with kind slime-creatures all day, there's an abundance of food and places to explore, and I can make money while doing so. If I'm ever in a situation that would normally be fatal, i'd just fall unconscious instead and wake up the next day in bed (Assuming we're following the rules of the place). It would also be cool to try and explore the scientific properties of all the materials of the world, and what I could accomplish with them, beyond what the game originally had. If all else fails, I still have a computer to use if things somehow still get boring. Overall, not a bad place to live.

[TeChameleon]

I'll nth the Pokemon universe for obvious reasons, but barring that, the Bookworld from the Thursday Next novels. No worries about stressing about the people around me being fictional- they know that perfectly well and are fine with it. Meeting various characters would be a lot of fun- I could see about joining Harry Dresden's gaming group, visit the Star Wars Legends universe at my convenience, hang out with the Hobbits for Second Breakfast... Plus as a bit of a lit nerd, it'd be fascinating to see the process of writing from the inside, and I could see how recursive it got when I started writing a novel from inside a novel :smalltongue:

All that aside, as long as I'm cautious about where I hang out in the Well of Lost Plots, there's very little danger- inside the books, unless you're a character in the story, you'll be arrested if you mess with the plot, and most of the characters are quite nice if you hang out with them in their downtime (barring Heathcliff... it's doubtful that anyone would try to stop you if you wandered into Wuthering Heights and gave him a swift kick in the **** :smallamused:)- and it's generally speaking a perfectly comfortable place to live.

[DarthArminius]

Risa, the um, "pleasure' planet from Star Trek.

[Giggling Ghast]

Oh, I would have loved to love in the MCU version of Asgard for a year (before it blew up). It looked like such a wonderful place. True, no video games or TV, but there’d be so many wondrous places to see. Plus, lots of parties.

Of course, I have no idea what I’d do for a living. I can’t envision Asgard having a UBI. Maybe sweep floors in a tavern?


Plus, it’s ran by a corporation. You know you’re in good hands when corporations are involved.

It’s not the best choice, it’s Spacer’s Choice!

[No brains]

I would embrace the idea of a place that would kill me every day and go to the plane of Ysgard from D&D cosmology. I'll have fun with something murdering me and learn to deal with it 365 times. It will be novel and it may teach me how to cope with my impending death in this world.

[dps]

My answer off the top of my head would be Amber, from Roger Zelazny's The Chronicle of Amber. I haven't re-read it since college, but IIRC it was a pretty nice place as long as you weren't part of the royal family.

[Jay R]

I’d like to spend a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years to learn to play the piano, speak French, carve ice sculpture, and waking up to “I Got You, Babe”.

[druid91]

I would embrace the idea of a place that would kill me every day and go to the plane of Ysgard from D&D cosmology. I'll have fun with something murdering me and learn to deal with it 365 times. It will be novel and it may teach me how to cope with my impending death in this world.


Actually. With this response, I think I'll have to change my mind as it brings to mind something else.

I would spend a year in Aspis Space Station in the Asteroid belt, in the Eclipse Phase setting. Training with cyborg warrior monks for a year, without fear of death because I can just get brought back via cortical stack. Plus medical tech that could fix pretty much everything, up to and including loss of head.

Even if I don't keep any of the crazy future tech, (Which I'm assuming was the case.) Just the experience would probably be a valuable one.

[DarthArminius]

I’d like to spend a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years to learn to play the piano, speak French, carve ice sculpture, and waking up to “I Got You, Babe”.

I wonder what the LGBT quotient is in Punxsutawney

[dps]

I’d like to spend a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years to learn to play the piano, speak French, carve ice sculpture, and waking up to “I Got You, Babe”.

Punxsutawney is a real place, not a fictional one.

[Giggling Ghast]

I’d like to spend a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years to learn to play the piano, speak French, carve ice sculpture, and waking up to “I Got You, Babe”.

The thing is, not everyone who went there experienced the Groundhog Day effect. The universe singled out Phil Connors and forced him to relive the same day over and over, presumably because it really wanted the cute producer, Rita Hanson, to have a boyfriend.

So you’d likely just end up spending a year in a boring town unless you were able to convince Andie MacDowell to also go there at the same time and were willing to go steady with her.

[McStabbington]

For the sake of this question, assume that this year must be immediately before, during, or immediately after the events of the work of fiction in which the place is featured.



. . .Castle Anthrax.

*whistles innocently*

[Jay R]

Punxsutawney is a real place, not a fictional one.

We've already had the DC New York City, the Marvel Los Angeles, and the Star Trek Earth, and nobody complained. So fictional versions of real places are clearly within the rules. I specified, "a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years...". That doesn't happen in the real Punxsutawney , so I clearly specified the fictional one of Groundhog Day.


The thing is, not everyone who went there experienced the Groundhog Day effect. The universe singled out Phil Connors and forced him to relive the same day over and over, presumably because it really wanted the cute producer, Rita Hanson, to have a boyfriend.

So you’d likely just end up spending a year in a boring town unless you were able to convince Andie MacDowell to also go there at the same time and were willing to go steady with her.

Yup. That's why I didn't just say, "the Punxsutawney of Groundhog Day", but instead specified "a single day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania getting 1,000 years...".

-----


. . .Castle Anthrax.

*whistles innocently*

Game over; we have a winner.

[But I suspect that Sir Lancelot would hustle you out as quickly as he did Galahad.]

[Lord Torath]

Gonna go with the Mercy Thompson series. A year is probably just enough time to make it through the application process for becoming a werewolf, and in the mean time I get to live in a snowy place drinking hot chocolate and skiing and snow-shoeing. Sure being a werewolf has downsides, but I weight the Mercy Thompson version as a net positive. EDIT: Actually, scratch that, I'd still need another year or two to learn control before going home. Without that, the plan is a disaster waiting to happen.If it takes more than a year to learn to control your wolf, you're not going home. :smallfrown:


. . .Castle Anthrax.No. Too perilous. :smalltongue:

[Rodin]

I don't know that I would want to spend 1000 years reliving the same day. Living 1000 years is already getting into "Who Wants To Live Forever" territory. Doing so in a static environment? Brrrrr.

You learn more about the people, but every day you have to introduce yourself like you've never met before. You have as much money as you could need, but you have to go through the same process of acquiring it each day. Not to mention that outside of a comedy movie a robbery like that would cause a huge manhunt.

There's no new TV. No new books. Nobody in the town ever has new experiences other than yourself. You can learn the piano, but only up to the level of a small town piano teacher. Want more than that? Too bad, you've got most of 1000 years ahead of you before you can get more advanced instruction.

You come out of the 1000 years with a bunch of new skills, but you've spent more time alive in a living hell than anyone else on the planet.

I don't think even Andie McDowell is worth that.

[LibraryOgre]

That doesn't happen in the real Punxsutawney ,

I think a year in the real Punxsutawney would be close to seeming like a thousand years.

[Peelee]

Imean, I thought that movie was just life as normal in PA.

[Fyraltari]

Punxsutawney is a real place, not a fictional one.
Are you sure because that name could have fooled me.

Also I could probably spend a year in Bielefeld. It sounds like a nice place.

[Traab]

I wonder what the LGBT quotient is in Punxsutawney

With a thousand years to figure out everyone buttons id imagine the list of those not totally straight would be a lot higher than totally straight. :smallbiggrin:

[gomipile]

I think a year in the real Punxsutawney would be close to seeming like a thousand years.

It isn't that bad. I do know a few problems Punxsy has, but they're easy to avoid once you find out about them. Unfortunately, saying what those problems are would be very much against the board's rules.

And, like most places I'm familiar with in rural Pennsylvania and Ohio, it's got a nice social atmosphere generally. Anyone who is polite themselves could get along fine there for a year.

Granted, it wouldn't be my first choice for where to spend a year in PA, but it wouldn't be at the bottom of the list, either.

[Peelee]

It isn't that bad. I do know a few problems Punxsy has, but they're easy to avoid once you find out about them.

That no way to talk about Ned Ryerson!

[Giggling Ghast]

. . .Castle Anthrax.

*whistles innocently*

At least my suggestion was better visually!

[DarthArminius]

With a thousand years to figure out everyone buttons id imagine the list of those not totally straight would be a lot higher than totally straight. :smallbiggrin:

In a small town like that it may take 1000 deaths to figure it out.

[The Fury]

The village in animal crossing.

I've already spent a lot of time there so I know it would be a good fit :smallsmile:.

Heh. Yeah, that's a good one. Pretty much any Animal Crossing village is a comfortable place.

This is kind of a hard question because most places in most fiction that I like wouldn't be a nice place to live if I were not a main character or someone on that level, (ie, living in pretty much any superhero setting while not being super would probably suck.)

That said, I think I might like to live in one of the Dragon Quest settings. I'd probably die horribly, but I can at least appreciate the punny names and overall goofiness up until that point.

[Traab]

Heh. Yeah, that's a good one. Pretty much any Animal Crossing village is a comfortable place.

This is kind of a hard question because most places in most fiction that I like wouldn't be a nice place to live if I were not a main character or someone on that level, (ie, living in pretty much any superhero setting while not being super would probably suck.)

That said, I think I might like to live in one of the Dragon Quest settings. I'd probably die horribly, but I can at least appreciate the punny names and overall goofiness up until that point.

Theres an idea. Living in the second town of any rpg. Why second? Because the first town, the town of the main character, is often the one that gets destroyed right off the bat. The second town has monsters sure, but its monsters that rusty knives and wooden shields can protect you from. I mean yeah, some rpgs are best avoided, legend of legia basically has every town taken over by mind controlling monsters with a few scattered survivors at best but a lot of the others have towns that are fairly quiet places. Now if you want to risk it by living in a town surrounded by monsters that require mithril and diamond swords to kill, that also means you can scrounge up some high end gear to maybe take back with you, but you know what? Even the second town in most settings tends to have stuff that would be pretty awesome like basic magic and misc items the hero rarely uses but might be handy in our world. Sure the rusty knife gear wont be that nice but the rest should be good. :p

[DarthArminius]

Theres an idea. Living in the second town of any rpg. Why second? Because the first town, the town of the main character, is often the one that gets destroyed right off the bat. The second town has monsters sure, but its monsters that rusty knives and wooden shields can protect you from. I mean yeah, some rpgs are best avoided, legend of legia basically has every town taken over by mind controlling monsters with a few scattered survivors at best but a lot of the others have towns that are fairly quiet places. Now if you want to risk it by living in a town surrounded by monsters that require mithril and diamond swords to kill, that also means you can scrounge up some high end gear to maybe take back with you, but you know what? Even the second town in most settings tends to have stuff that would be pretty awesome like basic magic and misc items the hero rarely uses but might be handy in our world. Sure the rusty knife gear wont be that nice but the rest should be good. :p

Mysidia. . . After the invasion of Baron, of course. (The wizard town from Final Fantasy IV).

[The Fury]

Theres an idea. Living in the second town of any rpg. Why second? Because the first town, the town of the main character, is often the one that gets destroyed right off the bat. The second town has monsters sure, but its monsters that rusty knives and wooden shields can protect you from. I mean yeah, some rpgs are best avoided, legend of legia basically has every town taken over by mind controlling monsters with a few scattered survivors at best but a lot of the others have towns that are fairly quiet places. Now if you want to risk it by living in a town surrounded by monsters that require mithril and diamond swords to kill, that also means you can scrounge up some high end gear to maybe take back with you, but you know what? Even the second town in most settings tends to have stuff that would be pretty awesome like basic magic and misc items the hero rarely uses but might be handy in our world. Sure the rusty knife gear wont be that nice but the rest should be good. :p

Hey, yeah Legend of Legia! It's always cool when someone remembers that one. Especially since I got a lot of laughs out of it when a friend did a playthrough. But yeah, there are some RPGs where your chances of survival are not good.

Dragon Quest is sort of hedging my bets.
Best case scenario? I end up being recruited into the Hero's party and end up being awesome.

Worst case scenario? I'm some rando that gets offed when a cackling main baddie blows up my village along with everyone and everything I've ever known or cared about. In my last thoughts I'll remember a monster with a silly name and die slightly amused.

[Traab]

Hey, yeah Legend of Legia! It's always cool when someone remembers that one. Especially since I got a lot of laughs out of it when a friend did a playthrough. But yeah, there are some RPGs where your chances of survival are not good.

Dragon Quest is sort of hedging my bets.
Best case scenario? I end up being recruited into the Hero's party and end up being awesome.

Worst case scenario? I'm some rando that gets offed when a cackling main baddie blows up my village along with everyone and everything I've ever known or cared about. In my last thoughts I'll remember a monster with a silly name and die slightly amused.

Its honestly one of my favorite rpgs outside of the ff franchise. I still have it in fact. Now if you want good odds of being recruited, live in a suikoden universe. Considering the sheer size of the character pool I think you have a 1 in 10 shot of being a party member just going by the general population figures. :smalltongue: Just look for the guy making an army and ask to join, im sure he will say yes! Breath of Fire seems to have a fairly solid chance of towns not being blown up by bad guys. Watch out for the mute kid who keeps inexplicably vanishing just before a dragon arrives.

[DarthArminius]

If I DID live in the Breath of Fire universe I would like to live in Tunlan.

[Kantaki]

Heh. Yeah, that's a good one. Pretty much any Animal Crossing village is a comfortable place.

True enough, could get a bit boring though.
Still, it probably would be my second choice.
As long as they don't force a job on me.:smallbiggrin:

[The Fury]

Its honestly one of my favorite rpgs outside of the ff franchise. I still have it in fact. Now if you want good odds of being recruited, live in a suikoden universe. Considering the sheer size of the character pool I think you have a 1 in 10 shot of being a party member just going by the general population figures. :smalltongue: Just look for the guy making an army and ask to join, im sure he will say yes! Breath of Fire seems to have a fairly solid chance of towns not being blown up by bad guys. Watch out for the mute kid who keeps inexplicably vanishing just before a dragon arrives.

If I all I wanted was a good chance of being recruited into the player party, I might go with Final Fantasy Tactics. I mean, my chances of being recruited seem pretty good since generic characters make up the majority of most team loadouts and the character roster is pretty expansive. As much as I love the game though, that game's version of Ivalice seems like a pretty miserable place to live.

[russdm]

I would go with either:

A Jedi Knight serving during the hey day of the Republic and before the period leading up to the Clone Wars // Phantom Menace. You get a Lightsaber and Force Powers, get some pretty easy cushy type jobs to perform, like working as a guard at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and you don't have to worry about anything bad happening.

A member of the Empire, like a Stormtrooper or a TIE fighter Pilot, nowhere near where the Rebellion events are happening, so maybe the core worlds or Coruscant. You get a nice job, steady pay, and aside from being a part of "Tyrannical" government, it doesn't look that bad. (I am presuming that someone in the Empire would be properly mentally prepared to believe that teh Empire is the best thing to be a part of, and so they wouldn't really question anything)

What i wouldn't want:

A jedi knight during the events around Phantom Menace or Clone Wars; Why: because you are likely to die.

A member of any rebel cell in star wars. Aside from the main characters, I would presume that there is a very big chance of dying in a year as a rebel. That seems to be the basic function really of the Rebellion other non main characters, to show how bad or dangerous the Empire is.

[dps]

Are you sure because that name could have fooled me.


Yep, quite sure. It's a real place.

[tyckspoon]

A member of the Empire, like a Stormtrooper or a TIE fighter Pilot, nowhere near where the Rebellion events are happening, so maybe the core worlds or Coruscant. You get a nice job, steady pay, and aside from being a part of "Tyrannical" government, it doesn't look that bad. (I am presuming that someone in the Empire would be properly mentally prepared to believe that teh Empire is the best thing to be a part of, and so they wouldn't really question anything)


Be a clerk or other administrative functionary/bureaucrat somewhere. Preferably not on a combat ship or giant superweapon. Being in an active fighting position dramatically increases the odds that you'll wind up in a situation that can get you killed even if your normal posting isn't anywhere near active combat. You can still enjoy the benefits of being in the developed core while piloting a desk processing moisture farm yield reports. (Although if you want something that won't drive you out of your skull with tedious repetition I can understand that.)

[druid91]

Honestly, if you're capable of it, probably some sort of engineering or mechanical trade could be no end of interest in the star wars universe.

[Clertar]

Honestly, if you're capable of it, probably some sort of engineering or mechanical trade could be no end of interest in the star wars universe.

That would be a great alternative: take one of those Silicon Valley programming bootcamps and go become the absolute technological superstar of the Republic or the Empire.

[Ranxerox]

I would like to live in the Galactic Commons of Becky Chamber's Wayfarer series. For those unfamiliar with series, I would describe the Galactic Commons as similar to the Federation of Planets but not as aggressively Utopian and also with fewer galactic wars and planet destroying menaces.

[PopeLinus1]

Shangri-la

[BisectedBrioche]

The problem with most fictional words is that they exist purely to be the setting for some sort of conflict.

...that said, the Pokemon world seems pretty chill. Even when the mafia or terrorists are stirring up trouble before a roaming pre-teen puts an end to it.

[Raimun]

One of those superhero MMOs.

I'm sure a dimensional traveler would gain superpowers there.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

It's interesting to see that there's basically two different motivations for going to a fictional place:

1st, this place seems like a fun place to live.

2nd, if I spend a year in this place, I have good odds of gaining super powers or otherwise profiting from the experience.

[Lemmy]

It's interesting to see that there's basically two different motivations for going to a fictional place:

1st, this place seems like a fun place to live.

2nd, if I spend a year in this place, I have good odds of gaining super powers or otherwise profiting from the experience.
I'm sure it's possible to find one of those shameless wish-fulfillment series and satisfy both conditions.

[Clertar]

I'm sure it's possible to find one of those shameless wish-fulfillment series and satisfy both conditions.

For the more audacious there's also the opposite option with neither condition, like in the Carnival Row world or in Kirkwall from Dragon Age 2.

[comicshorse]

I'm sure it's possible to find one of those shameless wish-fulfillment series and satisfy both conditions.

The Culture are pretty keen on implanting custom organs/glands to improve their citizens lives

[Themrys]

Tricky. Most fictional places are hit by catastrophes.

Hobbiton at any time other than when it was invaded. Rivendell, same conditions.

Hogwarts, if Peeves was somehow removed. (I don't know about you, but he's getting on my nerves a LOT in Hogwarts Mystery) And of course, not during a time with Voldemort in power.

Really, the only fictional place I can think of where I would want to live any year whatsoever is Herland, from the novel of the same name.

[False God]

It's interesting to see that there's basically two different motivations for going to a fictional place:

1st, this place seems like a fun place to live.

2nd, if I spend a year in this place, I have good odds of gaining super powers or otherwise profiting from the experience.

My thoughts as well. I took this thread as more of "You're you, but now you're in XYZ place."

In which case any post-scarcity society with interstellar travel would be acceptable. I'm not picky. I mean, even the mentions of Pokemon regions is a good choice since "wandering weirdo who throws balls at strange creatures" seems to be a widely accepted life choice. As long as I don't need to hold down a 9-5 or am under regular/imminent threat of unimaginably horrible death, I'm good.

To the second similar...but with the acceptance that you're rolling the dice on getting some kind of super-power (a good one mind you, not like, I can sense the emotions of forks) in exchange for a higher level of danger. And then the real question is really just how well the dice roll in your favor. You could be Superman....or you could be *insert random mutant who has powers noone cares about*.

[comicshorse]

My thoughts as well. I took this thread as more of "You're you, but now you're in XYZ place."

In which case any post-scarcity society with interstellar travel would be acceptable. I'm not picky. I mean, even the mentions of Pokemon regions is a good choice since "wandering weirdo who throws balls at strange creatures" seems to be a widely accepted life choice. As long as I don't need to hold down a 9-5 or am under regular/imminent threat of unimaginably horrible death, I'm good.

To the second similar...but with the acceptance that you're rolling the dice on getting some kind of super-power (a good one mind you, not like, I can sense the emotions of forks) in exchange for a higher level of danger. And then the real question is really just how well the dice roll in your favor. You could be Superman....or you could be *insert random mutant who has powers noone cares about*.

Marrow ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrow_(comics)

[FaerieGodfather]

I would hate like hell to spend the rest of my life in either place, but before I could consider spending a year in any world I'd want to live in, I'd need to spend a year (or more) in the UFP or the Culture to address some serious health concerns that would either kill me in a year if left untreated or otherwise seriously inhibit my ability to function in worlds without advanced medical care.

Unless one assumes some form of PC translation or the services of an 11th level Cleric, I don't get to take my first choices first.

My first choices first? I don't just want a world with superpowers, because I might not get them; I want a world that explicitly has Charles Atlas Superpowers, preferably of the magical variety. That means, in practical terms, either a D&D world or a fighting game world-- and most fighting game worlds are just slightly (Street Fighter, Dead or Alive) to severely (Tekken, Mortal Kombat) worse versions of the world I'm escaping.

Likewise, modern D&D worlds like XCrawl and Urban Arcana tend to be explicitly worse about all the reasons I want to leave Earth, even if the latter at least has all of the creature comforts I am accustomed to.

My favorite D&D setting is Spelljammer; it has everything I want in terms of supernatural powers, freedom, and variety. I'm not coming back.

If offered the choice of "X setting or stay here", there are a number of other settings I'd consider if I were promised a healthy body and access to powers: Marvel 616 or MCU, Dresden Files, Mushroom Kingdom... honestly, leaving Earth is not a hard sell for me, as long as it's not "leave Earth for a horrible ignoble death".

[RossN]

I play a lot of Star Wars the Old Republic and Coruscant or Alderaan look quite nice. Maybe even Anchorhead which would carry a lot of flavour of Original Trilogy era Mos Eisley without being nearly as dangerous.

Cymril, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms from Talislanta might also be a lot of fun - a lot of magic and a cosmopolitan and tolerant culture that likes to party.

[Telonius]

Pre-modern fantasy settings are out. Magic is cool and all, but I am not down with losing indoor plumbing for a whole year.

So are high-collateral-damage settings. I am steering clear from anything Whovian, most superhero settings, anime settings, etc. Running away from wars or reality-warping extra-dimensional weirdos are not my idea of fun.

On the other hand, it can't be too similar to the current world, or what's the point? Springfield or Danville (Tri-State Area) would be hospitable but boring. (And for Danville, I'd miss all the cool stuff since I'm an adult).

So put all that together? I think I'd have to go with ... Ponyville. I think they have indoor plumbing (enough to have a spa, anyway). Magic (and pony-filled) enough to be different. Low collateral damage, so I'd likely survive. Resident reality-warping weirdo is cool. Friendly (for the most part) locals, interesting background cast. Lots to do and explore.

[Tvtyrant]

Unless the setting changes me dramatically it wouldn't mean much to move to another world. If I was up for living my best life/excitement I would be doing it here.

Star Trek on Earth would probably be the best one. Little ever gets that far, just live in a post-scarcity utopia where I'm free to live my middling life but with better doctors and holodecks.

[Traab]

Pre-modern fantasy settings are out. Magic is cool and all, but I am not down with losing indoor plumbing for a whole year.

So are high-collateral-damage settings. I am steering clear from anything Whovian, most superhero settings, anime settings, etc. Running away from wars or reality-warping extra-dimensional weirdos are not my idea of fun.

On the other hand, it can't be too similar to the current world, or what's the point? Springfield or Danville (Tri-State Area) would be hospitable but boring. (And for Danville, I'd miss all the cool stuff since I'm an adult).

So put all that together? I think I'd have to go with ... Ponyville. I think they have indoor plumbing (enough to have a spa, anyway). Magic (and pony-filled) enough to be different. Low collateral damage, so I'd likely survive. Resident reality-warping weirdo is cool. Friendly (for the most part) locals, interesting background cast. Lots to do and explore.

Hey at least a lot of final fantasy worlds has electricity and plumbing. FF6, 7, 8, and 9 all have tech mixed with magic. So do the later ones but I havent played any of them since 10 so im flimsy on knowledge. And unless its right in mid catastrophe most of the towns are pretty safe places to live. In fact, they tend to be the sort of "peaceful for a thousand years, dangerous for like... 10" worlds where your odds of spending a year in safety are really dang good.

[FaerieGodfather]

Pre-modern fantasy settings are out. Magic is cool and all, but I am not down with losing indoor plumbing for a whole year.

Well, not trying to Rowling the thread or anything... but how long do you think it would take you to learn prestidigitation?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I think I might pick the village from Twilight.

There are these people with incredible and infectious superpowers. Several of them are idiots or otherwise easy to trick into attacking and infecting you. Ones you have the powers it doesn't really matter that you still have to live in that town for a year, because you can superspeed run halfway across the US to presumably exact replica's of present day cities, go about your business there and be back in time for dinner and/or breakfast.

Yeah, you'd sparkle, but only a glass half empty kind of person would mope about sparkling when it's the main drawback of frigging superpowers.

[The Fury]

The problem with most fictional words is that they exist purely to be the setting for some sort of conflict.

That's an issue I keep running into. Though I started thinking about if the advantages/disadvantages might balance out when compared to the real world?

Take your typical entry in Final Fantasy-- there is definitely always a looming worldwide catastrophe, because it's Final Fantasy. The world probably going to be destroyed for reasons that aren't adequately explained or even questioned. You're also just out of luck if you're one of the nameless NPCs that die when some broody pretty boy drops an asteroid on your town.

On the plus side, it's possible to come back from having reality wrecked because of... reasons. Most injuries and illnesses can be cured with a good night's sleep and even then, there's cheap, reliable treatments widely available. There's usually at least one reality-defying setpiece to visit and you can probably learn how to ride a giant chicken.

[Traab]

That's an issue I keep running into. Though I started thinking about if the advantages/disadvantages might balance out when compared to the real world?

Take your typical entry in Final Fantasy-- there is definitely always a looming worldwide catastrophe, because it's Final Fantasy. The world probably going to be destroyed for reasons that aren't adequately explained or even questioned. You're also just out of luck if you're one of the nameless NPCs that die when some broody pretty boy drops an asteroid on your town.

On the plus side, it's possible to come back from having reality wrecked because of... reasons. Most injuries and illnesses can be cured with a good night's sleep and even then, there's cheap, reliable treatments widely available. There's usually at least one reality-defying setpiece to visit and you can probably learn how to ride a giant chicken.

We need an expert here, how many ff games have the general townsfolk not really effected by events? Like, in ff7 everyone can SEE the incoming meteor, so they are kinda panicky, but in ff1 a lot of the towns really arent having any issues except for the heroes breaking in and looting pots and such. They arent aware of what the big bad is up to. FF9 is another good example, while some of the capitol cities might be aware of big goings on, only a few towns face destruction or otherwise have major issues. In ff6 a number of cities and towns have issues early on, then of course the world breaks and a mad god clown is nuking them with lasers from the sky at random. Of course, as outsiders we can be less than terrified of the approaching doom because we know its getting fixed, so giant meteors arent an issue for us. Just try to avoid the parts of midgar that get nailed by various attacks. Costa del sol is pretty safe and a resort town. So was Kalm.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Hey at least a lot of final fantasy worlds has electricity and plumbing. FF6, 7, 8, and 9 all have tech mixed with magic. So do the later ones but I havent played any of them since 10 so im flimsy on knowledge. And unless its right in mid catastrophe most of the towns are pretty safe places to live. In fact, they tend to be the sort of "peaceful for a thousand years, dangerous for like... 10" worlds where your odds of spending a year in safety are really dang good.

Yeah but the electrical company is literally villainous, and might send Sephiroth (or just the rest of their private army) to your door if you miss a payment...

[Kitten Champion]

We need an expert here, how many ff games have the general townsfolk not really effected by events? Like, in ff7 everyone can SEE the incoming meteor, so they are kinda panicky, but in ff1 a lot of the towns really arent having any issues except for the heroes breaking in and looting pots and such. They arent aware of what the big bad is up to. FF9 is another good example, while some of the capitol cities might be aware of big goings on, only a few towns face destruction or otherwise have major issues. In ff6 a number of cities and towns have issues early on, then of course the world breaks and a mad god clown is nuking them with lasers from the sky at random. Of course, as outsiders we can be less than terrified of the approaching doom because we know its getting fixed, so giant meteors arent an issue for us. Just try to avoid the parts of midgar that get nailed by various attacks. Costa del sol is pretty safe and a resort town. So was Kalm.

Starting with the first one

Final Fantasy - There really isn't an overarching threat to the world in Final Fantasy. It's more of a D&D-style series of adventures aimed at the protagonist party rather than Dragon Quest-esque the world is facing a demon king kind of thing. Still, pirates take over one town and the Dark Elves screw over another kingdom, so no where is particularly safe-safe.

Final Fantasy II - a super-duper Evil god-emperor is raining destruction upon the land as he conquers the world with hell-beasts and dark magic, probably best to avoid. Also, FFII has some horrendously inconsistent distribution of monsters on the world map, so it's easy to get one-shot by random mobs if you wander a wee-bit too far away.

Final Fantasy III - due to cosmic shifts between Light and Dark, darkness is now ascending. Monsters, war, and natural disasters are coming in its wake. Not the best of times. It's also one of the more "there are mountains blocking travel absolutely everywhere" of the FF world maps, which makes everywhere cut off from everywhere else. You also don't want to sail anywhere, because monsters.

Final Fantasy IV - An evil moon wizard who wants to wipe out the world's population so his moon people can colonize the planet. He manipulated individuals throughout the world, spreading war and devastation with his proxies, all to acquire the special crystals so that he can open a pathway to get his giant mecha mega-weapon to the planet. There are some quiet places in the world - especially after you get the airship - but all the major powers are embroiled in some degree of existential conflict.

Final Fantasy V - The world's environment is facing ruination by an evil extra-dimensional tree, isn't it ironic?

Final Fantasy VI - Kefka.

Final Fantasy VII - Shinra, then Sephiroth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2C5GaQPP0o&ab_channel=JackBrown).

Final Fantasy VIII - Ultimecia... Though from the perspective of "you're only going to be there a year" and "you don't have to be there at the crux of the conflict" living in Esthar, Balamb, or Fisherman's Horizons prior to the events of the game would be pretty comfortable. Unlike most of the FF settings FFVIII has reasonable transportation networks and a comfortable standard of living even in the less sophisticated areas, and unlike FFVI/VII the evil empire/corporation isn't nearly as much of an omnipresent threat. You just want to avoid Galbadia and Sorceresses, which is doable.

Final Fantasy IX - There's a millennia-old plan to assimilate the planet Gaia by an evil alien Android. Ya'know the mist that covers the world map is the souls of the damned. I'm inclined to say it isn't ideal.

Final Fantasy X - Living in Zanarkand prior to the Machina War that would indirectly doom the planet to endless cycles of mass destruction by a lovecraftian horror would be pretty awesome. It was a magitech paradise of sorts, and much of Spira is beautiful objectively speaking.

Final Fantasy XII - Constant war between two superpowers and little states being conquered under foot, and they develop super weapons. Though if you come at the tail end of the game where the world is moving towards peace Ivalice is one of the more interesting places to visit in terms of FF universes.

Final Fantasy XIII - If you come before the events of the game, Cacoon is a magitech Eden - even the capital is literally called Eden - in a hollow moon. With beautiful beaches, theme parks, and every necessity provided to humanity through god-like beings who maintain it. You don't want to stay there though, because like every Star Trek episode those god-like beings are actually huge ***** and are running what amounts to a human farm to sacrifice your species so they can generate the soul power necessary to meet their long-absent Maker. There's also Gran Pulse, which is pretty rough.

Final Fantasy XV - have you seen the cars they get there?

https://squareportal.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ffxv_car.png?w=600&h=289

10/10, awesome place to live.

[The Fury]

Final Fantasy XV - have you seen the cars they get there?

https://squareportal.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ffxv_car.png?w=600&h=289

10/10, awesome place to live.

If I were there for a year, could I have the FF equivalent of clapped-out old muscle car? Double points if it has a musical horn that plays the Victory Fanfare.

[Kitten Champion]

If I were there for a year, could I have the FF equivalent of clapped-out old muscle car? Double points if it has a musical horn that plays the Victory Fanfare.

Probably, Eos has a pretty expansive car and customization industry. Though most FFXV automobiles are actually lightly concealed mid 20th century British/American designs, I'm sure you can get what you want.

[The Fury]

Probably, Eos has a pretty expansive car and customization industry. Though most FFXV automobiles are actually lightly concealed mid 20th century British/American designs, I'm sure you can get what you want.

In this hypothetical, I wonder if I could get a job there...

[Kitten Champion]

In FFXV you can low-risk gamble in the Colosseum and then manipulate the game's economy to farm near-endless gil without any real physical danger to yourself. All you'd need to do is scrounge around a bit to get some of the random items littered around the world so you can sell them off and get a bit of a bank to begin with. Then it's just Colosseum-merchant-Colosseum-merchant... and so on.

It's not exactly the Cotton Robe trick in FFIX, but still, chances are you won't have to actually work.

[Timeras]

how long do you think it would take you to learn prestidigitation?

Probably much longer than the year this thread is about. It usually takes years before someone is actually able to cast a single spell. That assumes you find someone able and willing to teach you. Probably in exchange for a significant amount of money in a currency you don't have. You also need money for food, clothes and shelter during all that time (and afterwards, because prestidigitation does not provide any of these things).

[Anteros]

In FFXV you can low-risk gamble in the Colosseum and then manipulate the game's economy to farm near-endless gil without any real physical danger to yourself. All you'd need to do is scrounge around a bit to get some of the random items littered around the world so you can sell them off and get a bit of a bank to begin with. Then it's just Colosseum-merchant-Colosseum-merchant... and so on.

It's not exactly the Cotton Robe trick in FFIX, but still, chances are you won't have to actually work.

You're sorta forgetting that most of these items seem to be surrounded by literal monsters. Also, every meal seems to cost hundreds if not thousands of gil. Their economy is screwy.

[Kitten Champion]

You're sorta forgetting that most of these items seem to be surrounded by literal monsters. Also, every meal seems to cost hundreds if not thousands of gil. Their economy is screwy.

Not in cities or towns. JRPGs always have loot laying around in those safe zones to give some justification to explore them, it's why walking into people's houses and smashing all their pots is a time-honoured tradition.

[Anteros]

Not in cities or towns. JRPGs always have loot laying around in those safe zones to give some justification to explore them, it's why walking into people's houses and smashing all their pots is a time-honoured tradition.

I mean, yeah. You can steal in just about any universe. :smallbiggrin: I'm also not sure how sustainable it is to scrounge for potions to sell for 25 gil each when a piece of salmon costs 1,400. You could get lucky and find a phoenix down...those sell for about 500. So basically one non-expensive meal is equivalent to raising the dead 3 times.

Seems like your best bet in the FFXV universe is just to open a restaurant.

[The Fury]

In FFXV you can low-risk gamble in the Colosseum and then manipulate the game's economy to farm near-endless gil without any real physical danger to yourself. All you'd need to do is scrounge around a bit to get some of the random items littered around the world so you can sell them off and get a bit of a bank to begin with. Then it's just Colosseum-merchant-Colosseum-merchant... and so on.

It's not exactly the Cotton Robe trick in FFIX, but still, chances are you won't have to actually work.

I only bring up getting a job because I actually am a car mechanic. Though judging by the screwyness of the economy, if I could make flat rate and bill a decent amount of hours for a year, I might be able to afford a pizza.

[Rynjin]

You're sorta forgetting that most of these items seem to be surrounded by literal monsters. Also, every meal seems to cost hundreds if not thousands of gil. Their economy is screwy.

I'm pretty sure gil is equivalent in value to yen. 1000 gil is only $10.

[Kitten Champion]

I mean, yeah. You can steal in just about any universe. :smallbiggrin: I'm also not sure how sustainable it is to scrounge for potions to sell for 25 gil each when a piece of salmon costs 1,400. You could get lucky and find a phoenix down...those sell for about 500. So basically one non-expensive meal is equivalent to raising the dead 3 times.

Seems like your best bet in the FFXV universe is just to open a restaurant.

It's not theft if they happen to leave potions in a box in the middle of an abandoned alley or whatever, it's like selling aluminum cans to recycle places.

As I said, you only need a tiny bit of money to start to gamble in the Colosseum. Unlike real-world gambling designed to screw you over, Final Fantasy XV gambling mechanics are actually fairly easy to figure out and once you have enough base capital you can just start slapping 9999 down every time without worry.

It's not that useful in the game itself because it happens rather late into it and Noctis and co can get money through other means,


I only bring up getting a job because I actually am a car mechanic. Though judging by the screwyness of the economy, if I could make flat rate and bill a decent amount of hours for a year, I might be able to afford a pizza.

Nah, as Rynjin said, just think of it as the Japanese yen. Particularly in FFXV where things are actually relatively inexpensive.

Like, the holy sword Durandal costs 10000 gil. If you farm carrots at the ranch - which grow in the span of a single day - you can sell each carrot for 500 gil. That's 20 carrots per Durandal, Or you could trade 2 carrots for an Ulwaat Berry which nets you 2000 gil if you want to go to the trouble of selling them.

Yes, the economy is screwy, but it's screwy to your benefit as opposed to the real world where it's screwy just to screw you.

[Wardog]

For example, if you like the idea of living in Narnia, then going for Archenland could be a better choice. (Not actually the best example, Archenland gets invaded too, and Narnia under the rule of High King Peter had a quiet period in its history.)

If I remember right, Narnia should really be fine any time outside the reign of the White Witch, the occupation by the Telmarines before Caspian became king, or the events of the Last Battle. In all the other stories, Narina itself was fine. All the trouble was happening in neighbouring lands (or out at sea).

[Silver Swift]

I think I might pick the village from Twilight.

There are these people with incredible and infectious superpowers. Several of them are idiots or otherwise easy to trick into attacking and infecting you. Ones you have the powers it doesn't really matter that you still have to live in that town for a year, because you can superspeed run halfway across the US to presumably exact replica's of present day cities, go about your business there and be back in time for dinner and/or breakfast.

Yeah, you'd sparkle, but only a glass half empty kind of person would mope about sparkling when it's the main drawback of frigging superpowers.

This. Exactly this. There are very few universes where you can easily get downside-free superpowers (for good reason, I imagine).

Another option, if you really don't like Twilight, is either the end of Methods of Rationality or the start of Significant Digits. You don't get actual superpowers out of it, but you get a complete physical healing, which includes the removal of all detrimental effects of ageing you've acumulated so far (ie. you get to add your age to your life expectancy). This assumes you can find/reach Hogwarts and convince Harry you're not a threat to the world, but that shouldn't be too difficult.

Edit: And I suppose you could try talking Harry into fusing some magical creatures with you (Troll would be a good one). Probably not going to work, but it's worth a shot.

[Edreyn]

Many people will laugh, but I'd pick the world of Moomins franchise. The most kind and hospitable world in the literature.

[Traab]

Heh heh heh, hahaha, MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Im gonna do it, im going to be utterly absurd and go for it. Bear with me on this. I have recently been reading the Overlord light novels. For those who dont know, the main character is stuck in an odd offshoot of his video game world where he is a stupidly overpowered max level mmorpg character in a world where the legendary hero warrior of an empire is so low level he literally CANT hurt him in a fight. There may be high level stuff that could put up a fight against him somewhere, (im still fairly early on in the series but have read of a few legends so far that might still exist) but like 95% of this world so far seems to be powerless against him. I would go to the games "new world" contact Ainz, give him some in universe knowledge of the setting he is stuck in, in exchange for some of his trash gear thats still absurdly powerful considering the setting its in. Then hang out in some safe location living a decent life for a year, maybe pick up some basic skills if possible that would translate well in the real world, and go home rich and powerful.

Yeah it is risky because lots of bad stuff happens in the setting, but with Ainz backing me up, as im fairly certain he would be willing to do with the sort of info I could give him, especially if I show up at the start when he has no idea about the setting and how it works, im pretty sure I could convince him to not let Demiurge take me to his happy fun time farm full of bipedal sheep. Plus he might even be entertained by the notion of finding out if a normal person, not a character, dragged into the setting could actually learn the skills involved. Be some interesting research on how things work. And considering he is a person stuck in a video game universe, im fairly sure he would accept my own story with the proof I could offer.

[GloatingSwine]

Starting with the first one

Final Fantasy - There really isn't an overarching threat to the world in Final Fantasy. It's more of a D&D-style series of adventures aimed at the protagonist party rather than Dragon Quest-esque the world is facing a demon king kind of thing. Still, pirates take over one town and the Dark Elves screw over another kingdom, so no where is particularly safe-safe.


I mean the world is decaying, natural processes are falling to entropy, and monsters are everywhere but at least they aren't allowed in the towns.


Final Fantasy XV - have you seen the cars they get there?

https://squareportal.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/ffxv_car.png?w=600&h=289

10/10, awesome place to live.

I'll raise you the fictional version of Australia in Forza Horizon 3. You can still have that car, but everyone's indestructible and so are all the cars and you can drive like a maniac wherever and whenever you want.

And you can tell it's fictional because your car isn't eaten by a spider the size of a small bus when you park it, unlike the real Australia.

[Traab]

I mean the world is decaying, natural processes are falling to entropy, and monsters are everywhere but at least they aren't allowed in the towns.



I'll raise you the fictional version of Australia in Forza Horizon 3. You can still have that car, but everyone's indestructible and so are all the cars and you can drive like a maniac wherever and whenever you want.

And you can tell it's fictional because your car isn't eaten by a spider the size of a small bus when you park it, unlike the real Australia.

Thats just australian valet parking, no need to worry about it.

[dancrilis]

The world of Demolition Man for the year before John Spartan and Simon Phoenix were released.

You can do anything you like and no one has any clue how to oppose even if they disagree with you doing it all while enjoying a great quality of living and at the end of it you could (possibly) take back knowledge of technological marvels which would set you up for a long successful life once you get back.

And while I actually didn't know this at the time I started this post apparently a sequel has just been announced - so we can see if society survived John Spartan's entry (and as such if it would be able to handle me or you spending a year there).

[Kitten Champion]

I mean the world is decaying, natural processes are falling to entropy, and monsters are everywhere but at least they aren't allowed in the towns.

Ya'know I forget that - or rather thought I was confusing it FFV since it's the same thing - but it does say something like that in the opening crawl. All I remembered was orbs of light and having to restore them because why not?

[Lvl 2 Expert]

The world of Demolition Man for the year before John Spartan and Simon Phoenix were released.

You can do anything you like and no one has any clue how to oppose even if they disagree with you doing it all while enjoying a great quality of living and at the end of it you could (possibly) take back knowledge of technological marvels which would set you up for a long successful life once you get back.

And while I actually didn't know this at the time I started this post apparently a sequel has just been announced - so we can see if society survived John Spartan's entry (and as such if it would be able to handle me or you spending a year there).

Not bad. That might actually be worth the hassle with the three shells two times a day.

[Bohandas]

Three Four places that spring to mind for me are:

1.) Big Rock Candy Mountain from the song Big Rock Candy Mountain

2.) The Land of Cockaigne of medieval ballad

3.) The spaceship from Wall-E

4.) Cloudcuckooland/Unikingdom from The Lego Movie and its spinoffs