-Have you ever read (or watched) a story with various fantastic species, and suspended your disbelief for some more than others?

“Okay they’re teaming up with the elves….to negotiate with the goblins, and then…hey wait, there’s unicorns in this world? Why??”

-Have you ever been at odds with the various theories and workings of magic described?

“Since when do tears bring anybody back to life?? It would be much more interesting if she bought a DIY necromancy kit, or traveled to the celestial plane to bargain for his soul.”

-Or maybe your ideal fantasy world is more like the real world than a fantasy world, except for a few shy, ancient beings who dabble in minor nature magic.

I’m still in the process of discovering what my ideal world would be. My jewelry designs help with that a lot. (Or does my vague idea of what I like best in fantasy help me design jewelry better??) Some of my jewelry designs interest me more than others, or I’ll feel more connected with one backstory than another. I even think there are more kinds of worlds I like than just one. These designs are the closest to the style of the one I would call ideal:

In fantasy worlds, I like advanced technology just short of gunpowder. Magic is advanced, and has clear rules.
Races would definitely include elves and dwarves, though I’m kind of neutral on the specifics of the guttural race of savage humanoids that’s always supposed to be making trouble. It’s more interesting when the details of their culture are developed enough that you can root for them or at least respect their side.  (Dragon Age did this really well with the Qunari.)
Speaking of dragons, I can’t decide whether I prefer them to be friendly or evil. I guess I just don’t like the extremes. Not singing with children and puppies, but not brutal animals either.

No anthropomorphic animals, and as you might have guessed by my earlier examples, I like unicorns, pixies, and fairies to be shy and rare. (And by “rare” I mean hard to find, not cooked medium-rare!!)

Slightly off-topic, but I’m not a fan of insect-based races in sci-fi….although I haven’t experienced Mass Effect, Starcraft, or any of the Ender’s Game sequels. (I only read the Ender’s Shadow series.)

What elements make up your ideal fantasy world?