Background country of your stories

[sarrowsmith10]

My comic VSEPR is set in a fictional city "Mega-city" in the US. It's very much like Metropolis, Gotham, or Star-city you see in the DC super hero world. A sort of fantasy version of a city like New York. I lived in NY for many years, so it made sense to have a similar city. You write what you know I guess?

Our fantasy story Goblins of Razard is 100% fantasy location, but has heavy influences from the Italian Renaissance. This is mostly because me and the writer go to the local Ren Faire every year and we work on our costumes the whole year, and it's our big event together that we just love. So even though we aren't from Italy, we love to experience the fantasy play. That said, I've put a ton of research into period clothing and habits, weapons, etc. And the writer spends a lot of time reading dark fairy tales to gain inspiration and mood.

[caelesc]

Like the others have said, no need to set your story in a country you're not familiar with! If you place the story in your everyday environment you can sneak in bits of everyday life that are unique to your country! Don't forget, living in the US may be the norm to you, but there are plenty of people from other parts of the world that find your environment exotic. : )

[mybe1oved]

My story is based on a capital and country in the ancient Middle East, but it's a planet. I made countries more like planets instead. My characters stylization is based on medieval/Victorian clothing and armor with a hint of some other imagery.

[GinnyClyde]

Haha! I grew out of the anime phase. Now I watch k-drama instead

[GinnyClyde]

That sounds logical. And Tapas does have readers from around the world.

[rmdooley]

The comic I write IS a fantasy set in an American city

So heck yeah I would read a comic set in an American city/town

[djwaglmuffin]

My novel is set in the American Old West.

My comic is set in...cyber-future Italy/Egypt and other places.

And then I have a post-apocalyptic America and then one set in OUTER SPACE ...mmm...I don't really have a theme, I guess.

I tend to choose America because I've only been out of the country and few times and am not qualified to tell stories about those countries. Unless, of course, that's the type of story I'm trying to tell.

[Wumbl]

My current comic takes place in a fictional North-American country during the 1980s.

However I have several other stories in the same universe set in urban UK settings, the USA, varying european countries... I share with a co-writer and we like to base our stuff all over the world. Our timeline also stretches from the earliest american colonies to years like 2050.

[utdragongirl]

I think doing a fantasy story in an urban setting would be interesting and fun to read. I think it gives it a fresh look on the fantasy genre. I think it will help your novel standout more as well!

[violin]

I am American but of Asian descent (immigrant parents) and travel to Asia frequently, and this is actually one of my biggest pet peeves. For example, a lot of people loved it but I couldn't finish Cinder by Marissa Meyer because the depiction of futuristic Beijing was so flat and unrealistic to me. There was no Asian culture there. The characters behaved and acted very Western, the author tried to use Chinese pronouns here and there but got them all wrong, everyone was celebrating kimonos and geishas (quintessentially Japanese) in New Beijing, and the whole thing felt like it took place in a semi-American vacuum with some stereotypes of "Asia" slapped on (dumplings! chopsticks!).

I say stick to what you know. Or at least if you want to write about an exotic setting, make sure you do lots and lots of research. Sci-fi can't get away with everything just because "somehow it's the future and things got this way". If you don't explain or at least hint at HOW things got that way then it'll just seem like a cop out for "anything goes".

And just to clarify, I don't think you should feel restricted if you want to write about somewhere else. I believe readers will have tolerance for some mistakes, as long as you made an effort to flesh out the world. Some of Cinder's issues could easily have been fixed just with some primitive googling. It's like... if you get the miao people mixed up with the hui or manchu, I'm already impressed that you went that far, y'know? But not knowing that China, Korea, and Japan have different traditional costumes + history/culture is just lazy.

[bakasama25]

Did the author even bother putting in Filial Piety? It's common in Asia but in China it's very noticeable.

[GinnyClyde]

THIS! I am Asian too! There are so many nuances in cultures around the continent. A lot of Western authors mix it all up. I don't wish to do and write something that is just stereotypical or make a mistake with gestures and commonly used words and phrases.
And even though I am neither Chinese nor Japanese, even I know enough to know that geishas and kimonos belong in Japan! I never got around to read Cinder and I guess I will never now (LOL). I don't think I could stand reading something that mixes up Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures. They are very distinct cultures. And when it comes to China, it has its own culture and history based on the location. I am a big C-drama and K-drama fan I learn a lot from watching them and the animes of course, but I would still be too scared to actually write characters based on stuff from TV.

[MK_Wizard]

Since it is based on Jekyll and Hyde, it's England of course though it's semi-alternate universe so things are a bit different there than they are in our world.

[violin]

To be fair, the premise was that most of Asia merged (?) into the "Eastern Commonwealth," but like, I'm hard pressed to believe that New Beijing just began to use all Japanese accoutrements after that, lol.

This is actually the reason why I'm really scared to write a white character! I had a really hard time deciding the ethnicity of the MC in my latest story, A Tokyo Summer, because I needed her to not look Asian for some story reasons but I just wasn't confident with white American (or African-American, Latina etc) family dynamics. In the end she became half Asian instead. It's also why there's an American visiting Tokyo as opposed to just a story set there to begin with, because while I have some experience with the former, the latter is a whole new can of worms...

[violin]

It's a Cinderella story, so there's the stepmom and stepsisters being mean and all. Not much filial piety that I remember. They also fussed over going to the prince's ball like American teenagers going to prom.

I would have loved to see the step family being mean for very inherently Chinese reasons, like losing the family face or something. And the prince's ball being an undercurrent for families to throw shade at each other and show off their wealth. Now that's a story I would read.

[bakasama25]

I do recall there is an old Chinese Cinderella story. It's more or less the same story as Cinderella but the fairy godmother in the story is a magical fish.

I always found lumping Asian culture together like Geisha in China or using traditional Chinese to represent Japan pretty odd much of the time.

[GinnyClyde]

I think I saw your story Tokyo Summer in the writer's contest!
I will go check it one more time and may be sub ^_^ I am participating too. Mine is titled "Guarded Rose" and is a little towards the bottom LOL
My MC is American though. And the story will take in place in Scotland where I lived while doing uni ^_^

[jarzebiny]

I'm open to any comic set anywhere! In fact, I welcome it. I see a lot set in Asia and I guess that's just the preferred flavor for many since anime/manga is so widely popular. Nothing wrong with that! But variety is the spice of life, as they say.

My own is set in a fictional parallel of Poland (I'm Polish and it's heavily inspired by Slavic myth, history, folklore).

[octafg64]

Mines takes place in a fictional version of Norway "Nørak" a nordic based country.

[eleviken]

Asia is definitely a popular place to set comics, especially since I'm noticing that Tapas is taking more of a Webtoons-style format????? hmmm

My own comic takes place in Shanghai, China, though I wouldn't consider it to be manga-style!