Lilydusk
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MPL Ep 34 - Sneak Preview + Behind-The-Scenes Chat
🕑 Added 2020-05-27 09:52:53 +0000 UTCEarly sneak preview because Tora and our rubbish-tattoo boy Gyu are in uniform, and I can't wait a day longer to see everyone's response 😂🥵
(Cross posted on FP and non-FP tier)
And also, because I've been asked (with increasing frequency) what country MPL is set in, and what races the characters are, I thought I'd talk a bit about this today. I've mentioned this briefly in an old Author's Q&A I did on Webtoon, and somewhere in the comments before, but I'll post my response here with more elaboration so it's clearer for everyone.
For those who aren't aware, MPL is set in a fictional country called "Narin" (the city they're currently residing in is "Narin City", which probably makes it confusing and doesn't make much sense, and I'm sorry lol). Basically, the entire country of Narin is a melting pot of many different races/ethnicities, with a fusion of different cultural practices, beliefs, mannerisms, etc., all of which co-exist together.
To me, MPL is a story with a strong element of 'fantasy' in it, and I often like to think of it as an 'Urban Fairytale'. Sometimes, parts of the plot might border on being 'surreal' and maybe even 'otherworldly'. In-line with this, many real-world details are kept intentionally vague. Partly to add on to MPL's whimsical, fantasy-like story setting, and partly to keep readers focused on the story and character development.
MPL is also primarily a story about love, romance, and the relationships people have with each other. Which, I think, is an entire web of complexities on its own. And the MPL characters, to me, are really just people being people. I do have an idea in mind on what their races are, but at this point, it is of little relevance to the story. So I'd prefer to leave this to the readers' own interpretation <33 In short, there are no right or wrong answers to what 'race' they are, because that's not what this story is about. It's really an 'anything-goes' kind of story, basically.
As a final note, I though I'd add on that while I know the topic of 'race' is an important one to have, it's something that has been (and will be) covered beautifully, and intelligently, by authors who are much more well-versed, and better-equipped with knowledge and experience in this topic, than I am. Instead, I'd like the focus in MPL to be on everything to do with romance, love and relationships (and of course, gangs, crime, mystery, etc.) <33
Anyway I hope this clears things up for those who have been asking. And as always, thanks for reading!
Comments
I think you sell yourself short. Your stories are amazing, and I'm totally invested. I'm here, up to date, and I finished AB IN FOUR DAYS. Asura' Bride, MPL, and the Lore Olympus series are seriously the only reason I'm here. You've got perfect fucking content, and I hope after you rest, it rolls again. Makes my heart happy. The secret garden, though? Fucking dynamite.👏👏👏
Ravenhall
I love how you've described Narin City. I'd been wondering about the location as well and one of the things I've enjoyed about this story is that it felt really familiar in different ways! And not just the City -- the characters too! Parts of Narin City remind me of streets I've walked in Boston or NYC, and the train scene could have been taken from a rural platform in England or Germany. Poppy reminds me so much of a Swedish friend who taught in Japan <3 I relate *so much* with Poppy's flat, because living in Scotland the mold life ALWAYS chooses you :P but sometimes the view is too good to pass up. I appreciate how relatable this story is, and I love the context of an "Urban Fairytale" that mimics the world we recognize but in a hazy sort of way so we can really focus on the character development. I came to Paton for the smut; I stayed for the content. <3
