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Cool topic!

A couple of worlds come to mind, but one is very obvious (Tolkiens world in LotR). So instead I’m going to talk about the world in the series Avatar: The Last Airbender (tv).

The premise of the story is that there are these four “bending” powers from four nations (air, water, earth, and fire) and the Avatar can use all four. The fire nation has begun to take over all the other nations, and the Avatar has to stop the Firelord before he can.

I love how the world is rich with culture and history that all aids in your understanding of the story and its central plot. There would be no Avatar without the world around it and the philosophies of each nation. They use the central idea of the powers undergirding each world to develop a culture, but within each nation is still many diverse places and cultures. The series also delves into the history and lore around many of the sites, and the history impacts all the characters in a real way.

So, as you said, one of the strong points of the world is that it advances and deepens the plot, rather than distracting from it or merely being “a place that characters live”.

I can’t wait to hear more responses!