Shining City: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:shining-
{{quote|''"Behold!" Oscagne intoned quite formally. "Behold the seat of beauty and truth! Behold the home of wisdom and power! Behold fire-domed Matherion, the centre of the world!"''|'''[[David Eddings]]''', '''''Domes Of Fire'''''}}
No matter what age it's built in ([[Sword and Sandal|bronze]], [[The Middle Ages|middle]], modern or [[Crystal Spires and Togas|crystal]]) the Shining City is awesome, perhaps the best city to live in anywhere on the world. The Shining City is usually [[Space Brasilia|purpose built from the word "Go"]], not a disorderly [[Mega City]] that grew out of a settlement over hundreds of years. From the air, neat geometric patterns will be visible (not just grids, but circles, triangles, or fantastic symbols that create powerful [[Geometric Magic]]), and on the ground each and every building integrates seamlessly into a greater overall style. Above all, the Shining City is ''bright.'' On approach, expect it to be shown with lots and ''lots'' of artful shafts of sunlight that gleam off the [[Ascetic Aesthetic|simple yet elegant white buildings]]; at night it will [[Scenery Porn|shine like a neon angel]]. It will have lots of soaring towers, citizens of the
The Shining City is usually the [[Capital City|capital]] to [[The Federation]], has the headquarters [[Heroes Unlimited]], or is home the heroes' favorite [[Reasonable Authority Figure]]. Because of its size it likely won't have the [[Eccentric Townsfolk|cooky and cozy feel of a small town]], or the [[Arcadia|the gentle pace of the countryside]], but the inhabitants will at least be polite if not friendly, full of energy, and usually pursuing activities "of high culture and art". If that [[Cultural Posturing|sounds a bit snobby]], then you've guessed right, the inhabitants (and often times the rulers) of the Shining City are culturally arrogant and perhaps [[Hidden Elf Village|unhealthily insular.]]
Thematically, it will serve as an urban [[Light Is Good|beacon of hope]] for what [[Rousseau Was Right|mankind can build]] when it [[The Power of Friendship|works together.]] And for these reasons it tends to make viewers feel at home there and [[Video Game Caring Potential|players feel protective.]] However, [[Hobbes Was Right|for those]] [[Humans Are
Not surprisingly, the bad guys want to destroy or conquer it. Reasons can be simple ambition or [[Slobs Versus Snobs]] brand jealousy, this one is common when the bad guys operate out of the Shining City's antithesis, the [[City Noir]]. Depending on the story, it may survive intact, get random but repairable property damage, or [[Doomed Hometown|be doomed]] to [[Watching Troy Burn|burn like Troy.]] For extra fun, the bad guys' forces will be represented as an evil dark cloud on the horizon, threatening to both literally and figuratively darken the Shining City. Boiled down to basics, it's the urban equivalent of having a villain say "[[I Have You Now, My Pretty]]!" to a city.
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* ''[[Doraemon]]'' portrays Tokyo and other metropolis in the world being this way in the future. Calculating from the age of the daddy Nobita, it should have been within the 2000s...
* [[Slayers]] the city of Seiran is a huge pentagram city layout.
* In ''[[Saint Beast]]'', Zeus' shrine has a white-and-gold neo-classical aesthetic and sits on top of a giant plateau which is only accessible by an extremely long, steep staircase, setting it off from the surrounding scenery.
== Comics ==
* Asgard in Marvel's ''[[The Mighty Thor]]'' if often referred to as the Shining City or Golden Realm. This is usually accompanied by a number of grandiose claims like being the jewel of the nine worlds. Artistic portrayals usually have it be a city that is or looks like it is made of gold or a glowing, highly advanced city.
* Metropolis in ''[[Superman]]'' is frequently portrayed like this, especially in contrast to the [[Wretched Hive]] [[City Noir]] that [[Batman]] lives in. Ironically, while Superman has a lot to do with the average Metropolitan's attitude, what makes it ''look'' like a
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* Asgard in ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]''.
* Syracuse in ''[[Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas]]''; filled with gleaming white, gold domed buildings and spires, built upon and amoung impossibly high [[Ghibli Hills]], which are all connected by elegant walkways. There is even an elevated canal for ships, linking the seas with the Royal Palace. Its a shame that we only see it for a few minutes of the movie though.
* ''[[Star Wars]]'': Theed City and Coruscant certainly qualify, as does the capital of Alderaan.
== Literature ==
* In ''[[The Lord of the Rings]],'' Minas Tirith is the setting's
** This is slightly subverted by the fact Minas Tirith was actually a fortress of what was the original Trope city: Osgiliath, which fell into ruin because Gondor couldn't populate it anymore.
** ''[[The Silmarillion]]'' has the [[Hidden Elf Village|Hidden City]] of Gondolin, the last free nation of the Noldor in Middle Earth and the fairest city ever constructed by the Elves in exile. Naturally, Morgoth gets it in the end.
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* The eponymous city of [[Brandon Sanderson]]'s ''[[Elantris]]'' is literally a shining city. Even its inhabitants shine. Of course, do to a few complications, it serves as more of a [[Our Zombies Are Different|zombified]] [[Advanced Ancient Acropolis]] through the course of the story.
* The city of Tar Valon in the ''[[Wheel of Time]]'' series, which surrounds the White Tower and is surrounded by the Shining Walls. All the buildings were built ahead of time by master stonemasons in pretty shapes reminiscent of waves and seashells and such, and the White Tower in the middle is housing for the powerful Aes Sedai, an order of magic-users with great political influence. Also fits the snobbishness bit, since the Aes Sedai are rather arrogant.
** Most Ogierbuilt cities count as well, though the most prominent ones are the aforementioned Tar Valon and Caemlyn.
* [[Edmond Hamilton]] rather goes in for these. The capital of the Mid-Galactic Empire is especially memorable being built of glass upon shining silica cliffs above a silver sea. With a hot white sun like Canopus overhead the citizenry must have to wear shades.
* Capitol in ''[[The Hunger Games (novel)|The Hunger Games]]'' certainly looks the part, even though its actually a [[Wretched Hive]] filled with decadent hedonists who take from the poor Districts without giving anything back and expect annual entertainment in the form of the titular games (i.e. gladiatorial battles to the death). The [[The Hunger Games (film)|film]] makes it look even more spectacular, a sharp contrast to the poverty-stricken District 12.
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** Yu-Shan does also have areas of urban sprawl (typically the enormous slums populated by destitute gods whose domains have been lost or rendered largely irrelevent, or who have otherwise fallen from grace).
** The city of Mera, capital of the Old Realm, also qualifies. The Imperial City is its closest counterpart during the Second Age.
* The 4th Edition of ''[[Dungeons
* The city-plane of Axis in ''[[Pathfinder]]'' is a megalopolis bigger than most material planets. It is the archetype on which all civilization is modeled and the physical embodiment of the [[Lawful Neutral]] alignment. Like Hestavar, it is the home of several gods, including Abadar, the god of civilization, and the deceased Aroden, god of humans. Its builders and main inhabitants, the axiomites, are living mathematical concepts who pushed back the primal chaos of the Maelstrom and practically invented culture. It does have a seedy underside,
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== Video Games ==
* The city of Trodel Stadt in ''Endless Frontier'', city sitting along in a world full of blast craters and crashed battleships.
* The Citadel Station in ''[[Mass Effect]]'', capital of the [[The Federation|Citadel Council]], definitely qualifies, even though it's got [[Unwitting Pawn|a little]] [[Vicious Cycle|secret]]...
** Nos Astra on Illium and Milgrom on Bekenstein in ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'' are these for the [[Green-Skinned Space Babe|asari]] and humans respectively, but in typical [[BioWare]] fashion they have dark undersides as well.
** Based on the Prothean ruins, one can assume that their cities were like this as well. Of course, as revealed in the third game, they weren't nearly as glorious and enlightened as Liara had always assumed, forging an interstellar [[The Empire|Empire]] out of subject races and forcing them to adopt their doctrine.
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** Ancient China: ''Emperor - Rise of the Middle Kingdom''.
** [[Banana Republic]]: ''[[Tropico]]''.
** Modern: ''[[
** Some ''[[Civilization]]'' games allow a "Cultural" victory condition, where your entire civilization is so full of shining cities that everyone else can't help but feel awed.
* What little we see of Upper Heng Sha in ''[[Deus Ex: Human Revolution|Deus Ex Human Revolution]]'' fits this. It is impeccably built in a [[Crystal Spires and Togas|futuristic style]] and is a major hub of China's augmentation industry. It is also the ''only'' location ''all three [[Deus Ex]]'' games that we see [[Always Night|in broad daylight]]. Shiny? Oh yes!
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== Webcomics ==
* In ''[[Drowtales]]'', the [[Meaningful Name|name]] "[https://web.archive.org/web/20180403151025/http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?id=1203 Chel'el'Sussoloth]" literally translates to "city of light within darkness".
* Kethenecia in ''[[Looking for Group]]'', which was depopulated but has since become repopulated by [[The Alliance]].
* [[The Dreamland Chronicles]]: the elves live in a stunning city
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[[Category:Settings]]
[[Category:The City]]
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