This is an issue that has been brought up by a couple of readers a while back, in that what ethnicities are the people in The Agartes Epilogues are, exactly?
Well, the short answer is that it’s there, in the books. They’re Jinsein, or Kags (or Hafed or Baidhan, if you want to be specific), or Zarojo, or Dageian, or Gasparian, or Gorenten, or Shi-uin, or Forrehsi, or Herey…
I didn’t want to “swap” out an ethnicity for an existing one.
I didn’t want to create a culture and say “It’s more or less China.” Or Japan. Or England.
There’s a reason for this, one that goes beyond the simple answer of me finding it fun to worldbuild.
I mean, obviously, I use a lot of Asian elements in my fantasy writing. A lot of Asian myths, culture, and tradition in there. Because that’s me, that’s what I grew up with, and that’s what I’m comfortable expressing myself in.
But…
I also wanted to try to get rid of stereotypes.
That is, to say, that someone who is “Asian” can only do things a certain way, act a certain way, or dress a certain way, all while being confined to a certain “part” of the world.
A beta-reader once remarked on the mixed races and culture in the borders of my world, notably the Kago area and the city of Fuyyu in Jin-Sayeng, but also Kalthekar and Aret-ni in Gaspar. Because Dageis is an Empire built on annexing the local populace, it also consists of a lot of mixed races. And it’s okay for an “Asian” city to serve beef stew. Because in real life, stuff mixes all the time. Vietnamese Banh Mi is essentially a French baguette. Hot dogs is practically a staple in Filipino cuisine. You can Koreanize sushi (Spicy tuna! Gochujang sauce!) or Americanize it (cream cheese and fried, mmm). One of my favourite shawarma stands is in Manila (the other one is in Vancouver). And so on, and so forth.
So the long answer is that I wanted to express the richness and depth of culture as I’ve seen and grown up with. And remember, there’s not just ONE type of Asian. Or five. There’s lots…
The shorter answer is: Asians.
