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This is a peculiar kind of fantasy setting, perhaps not very well suited for books and movies, but frequently used in computer games and (probably leaking from there) in anime series. It’s optimistic and simplified, as if seen through the eyes of children (yes, I am aware that children don’t really see the world like this, but that’s the common belief).
The world is usually a huge green plain, with some seas, some mountain areas and some forests. People live in towns (they are sometimes called “villages” or “cities”, but they are still regular towns). Every town has a supply store, an inn, a temple, and some inhabitants. It doesn’t have any fields or farms around it, though – “farmers” live in town and have one cow or sheep and a garden with pumpkins. Capitals will additionally have a castle with a king or queen.
The rest of the world is mostly inhabited by wandering monsters that attack innocent people and beat them unconscious – but never kill: the victims are eventually found by townspeople and transported to the nearest town.
The population is divided into two groups. The first group contains young single adults of approximately the same age, who are “adventuring”. The second part consists of older adults who “own property” (like shops, smithies or even kingdoms) and little children (who also all happen to be the same age, about 3-6 years old). Occasionally, when the plot requires that, some children or older people can be “promoted” to the first group.
The young adults never have any family – except for brothers and sisters, and maybe cousins. OK, princes and princesses will usually have a king or queen (or even both) as parents, but that’s it. There is a number of professions available for this social group – most of them can be done by any gender: Adventurer, Warrior, Thief, Hunter, Paladin, Sorcerer, Priest (adventuring kind), Traveler, Musician, Pirate, Soldier, etc.
The professions of the other group are on the other hand strictly divided between the two genders; men can be Shopkeepers, Merchants, Kings, Mayors, Clerks, Guards, Workers (general-purpose or specific, like Miners), Sailors, Priests (stationary kind), Barmen, Smiths, Wardens, Sages, Scholars, Teachers, Chefs, Farmers, Generals or just simply Husbands. The women can be Shopkeepers or Farmers too, but also Maids, Nannies, Waitresses, Dancers, Witches, Grannies (general-purpose), Dames or just Housewives. The children have no profession, they just run around arguing about what they saw or heard, constantly lose their pets or toys and give candies to young adults who find them.
There is no economy. All the goods just materialize in hands of the townsfolk, and have to be bought by the young adults in exchange for gold collected from killed monsters. The goods that exist are of very limited variety: usually various equipment and food. There are only few kinds of food: meat, bread, milk, apples, sometimes ale or wine, various snacks. It’s interesting to note that although the farmers grow pumpkins in their gardens, you can’t ever buy a pumpkin as food – not even a pumpkin pie. Food is always pre-made, even when it’s obtained from killed monsters.
Technology is not consistent. On one hand people travel by foot or on horseback, fight with swords and axes, etc. – on the other hand, they wear colorful clothes made of variety of materials, live in modern houses, use advanced tools. Everyone can read and there are even public libraries full of books. Every home has a kitchen with stove and sink, a sleeping room, modern furniture. There are no bathrooms or lavatories though – the people *never* need them, the young women just sometimes bath in a river or lake (but only when young men are peeping).
The wildlife consists mostly of the wandering monsters that are randomly attacking the young adults and are massacred by them. Killed monsters usually don’t leave any corpses, but will instead drop a number of gold coins and sometimes a piece of equipment or pre-made food. At the bottom of every cave or similar dwelling sits a stronger monster, called a “boss” – killing it yields some greater treasures (compared to killing “normal” monsters). Killing the boss may clear the area from wandering monsters. The monsters are highly territorial – the kind of monster you can meet is specific to the area.
The flora is generally uninteresting – except for some berries or flowers that have to be sometimes collected by the young adults in order to heal one of their friends. Plants, even the smallest ones, tend to form indestructible barriers.
There are no seasons (unless they are useful as a plot device), the world is in an eternal spring or summer. Atmospheric events (storms, snow, hail, hurricanes) are completely unpredictable, instant and tightly tied to the plot. Days and nights are also a plot device – unless darkness is required by the plot, the daytime is eternal.
Although earthquakes, hurricanes, volcano explosions, meteor rains and various magical catastrophes are common, they never destroy ancient ruins or castles, and never disturb the wildlife or upset the ecology – only heroic deeds performed by the young adults and evil schemes plotted by their protagonists have any power of changing the world.