Welcome, disciples!
This chapter aims to teach those of you interested in writing Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy. Please note that this is a short guide as we hope you will use your own writing style to tell the story!
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What is Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy?
Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy is a growing subgenre of fantasy filled with Asia and Pacific Islander-inspired stories. While you don't have to be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander descent to put together an Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy story, it's important you do your due diligence to ensure you have a compelling story and one that pays homage to Asian & Pacific Islander culture in a way that doesn't offend other individuals.
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What are common Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy themes and tropes?
Part of what makes Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy different from western fantasy is that it is a celebration of Asian & Pacific Islander culture. You'll find stories within this subgenre of fantasy contain specific cultural themes that tackle complex issues in the Asian & Pacific Islander community. Our Reading Lists are tailored to featuring stories with common themes and tropes within this fantasy subgenre.
General Fantasy
General Fantasy is a broad term to refer to all Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy works that simply feature Asian and/or Pacific Islander protagonists who are working to solve a problem in another world, a world with magic, or a dystopic, futuristic world. Our profile is dedicated to featuring API Scifi works in addition to Fantasy.
Xianxia
Xianxia is a genre of Chinese fantasy that directly translates to "immortal heroes." It is influenced by Chinese mythology, Taoism, Buddhism, traditional Chinese medicine, etc. The central figure of these works are cultivators who are working towards immortality or higher ranks of immortality/divinity. These novels tend to be quite long because they demonstrate the main character's growth from a low-level immortal to a powerful high immortal. Cultivation arcs require patience and dedication because power is not created overnight. You must be willing to show the character's growth either through frequent meditation, mystic spells, and remembering incantations that have deep roots to Taoism and Buddhism.
Cultivation is the process in which a person is training in martial or mystic arts with the sole purpose of increasing longevity (essentially obtaining immortality) and overall power. They work to build upon their Qi, which is the energy flow of an individual. This is typically the source of the cultivator's energy.
Wuxia
Wuxia is another genre of Chinese fantasy that directly translates to "martial heroes." It is influenced by martial arts, sorcery, and chivalry. Characters live by the code of xia and usually resolve problems through duels. This would be considered "low fantasy."
Xuanhuan
Xuanhuan is the third genre of Chinese fantasy that directly translates to "mysterious fantasy." It is often Chinese mythology and folklore rewritten into a foreign setting. Taoist elements, such as cultivation/immortals and yin/yang, are not usually the main focus of xuanhuan novels.
Although xianxia, wuxia, and xuanhuan are typically classified as Chinese Fantasy, it is possible for it to appear in other regions. For example, Japan has the way of the warrior (Bushidō) for samurai instead of China's code of xia. You can always get creative with it!
Something we missed? Check out this for more info on Chinese Fantasy!
Romantic Fantasy
Romantic Fantasy is a common form in Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy. Romance is the main focus in the story, but the setting is either purely fantastical or scifi. There are several commonly used tropes within this genre:
Reincarnation / Rebirth: Couples may experience misfortune in a past lifetime, but meet again for the final test of the strength of their love in a later lifetime (usually modern times).
Transmigration / Isekai: Couples may be separated from different time periods as the female character time travels from the present to the past or to a completely different world with different rules and regulations. It's uncommon for characters to time travel to a future time period, but that doesn't mean you can't explore it! The female character either becomes a different person or remains the same, but possesses some unique skill that no one else can explain or obtain.
Amnesia: A love interest may lose their memory, so it's up to the other character to restore it. It's possible that the main character may meet someone new and spark up a love triangle!
Harem / Reverse Harem: The main character may be surrounded by a group of men or women vying for their love.
Rich Love Interest / Poor Protagonist: The main character may be poor in the beginning and experience nothing but hardships until they meet the love interest who comes to free them from their situation. These love interests typically take on the form of a billionaire CEO, a person of royalty, or a notorious gang leader.
Revenge: The main character has been killed off in the most brutal way or betrayed and humiliated by their first love. They usually return a few years in the past to prevent the horrible events from happening the same way. Or, they encounter a new love interest who is willing to help her exact her revenge and reclaim her position in society. Characters are usually strong-willed women with martial arts background and high intelligence or a weak-looking woman who learns to stand up for herself. You may see some redemption arcs where rivals or enemies become lovers due to divine intervention in the characters' fates, or the appearance of another male lead.
Historical Fantasy
Historical Fantasy is another common form in Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy. API Historical Fantasies typically revolve around a protagonist who is destined to either end a conflict or cause a conflict. These novels take inspiration from historical events or may involve real figures from history.
Supernatural / Paranormal / Horror
This form of Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy explores the land of the dead and/or may revolve around a protagonist with supernatural qualities or abilities (i.e., vampires, werewolves, demons, fox spirits, ghosts, etc.). For a list of creatures from Asian & Pacific Islander folklore, check out this Anthology (linked as an in-line comment here).
A common element in paranormal fantasy include Youkai / Yaoguai which are demons. They may be malicious for the sake of being evil or they might seek something the main character has (divinity/immortality/greater power, an artifact, etc.). Every culture has their own interpretation of demons, so it's up to you to determine which path you decide to go on.
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Steps for Writing Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy
STEP 1: PICK YOUR GENRE
What kind of story do you want to tell? Are you interested in writing an adventurous epic fantasy with many twists and turns, or a romantic fantasy with reincarnated lovers? Like any other genre, Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy can mix with other genres and/or subgenres. The genre you select will affect how your story will play out and who your characters are. It will also determine what your setting will be.
STEP 2: PICK YOUR CHARACTER AND SETTING
Asian & Pacific Islander Fantasy stories are known for featuring Asian and/or Pacific Islander protagonists. Take a moment to think about who your character is, what their goals are, and where the story will take place. How you mold your character will impact their development as your story progresses. You don't have to create a full character chart if that's not your comfort zone, but just think about three things: (1) personality; (2) goals; and (3) obstacles keeping them from achieving their goals.
Your character should have some meaning to you. You want their journey in the story to represent a larger message to the reader. A question you should ask yourselves is whether you will have enough research to write a character and if you have reliable sensitivity readers or beta readers to assist you in preparing the narrative. It's also important to acknowledge that if you're writing about a character with a background different than yours, you may not be the right person to tell the story. However, if you demonstrate your willingness to learn and to take constructive criticism, anything is possible! It shows you respect that culture and you're taking all the steps necessary to ensure you are portraying the culture and its people in an accurate way.
Your setting may be influenced by a real place, or it could be a completely new fantasy world that you've poured your heart into. Setting is important because it can provide context to any events or conflicts that may be happening in the story, or that you plan to happen in the story. Is your story taking place in a fictional place like a fantasy realm you've created from scratch? Is it inspired by an existing place? When you are building a fantasy world from the ground up, consider all the elements needed to make that world real. World building sheets are not required, but recommended because they can get you thinking about how certain scenes should be written and add another layer of depth and complexity to your work. For example, say a character is journeying from one side of the realm to the other. How does the climate shift as they move from location to the next? How do they cope with climate changes? Do they have specific types of clothing or perhaps it's something in their DNA that helps them survive? Don't be afraid to explore all your options.
Another element of setting is when the story takes place. It can help provide context to your world's resources, cultural values, technology, and how knowledge is passed down through the generations. Although you don't need to incorporate all your world building details into the story, you should be layering it in as you write so the reader can learn with your main character. It's always good to have more information than less, so you don't disrupt your writing and have to go back and develop a concept more.
STEP 3: RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!
When you write a story that is influenced by real cultures and people, it's important to do your research to ensure things are accurate and considerate to those cultures. When conducting research, use credible sources. Some ways to ensure you are using viable resources is to check multiple sites to see if they share the same thoughts. Also, check the endings of the domains. You can typically rely on sources with ".org" and ".gov" at the end of a URL. You'll also want to seek out sensitivity readers with knowledge in the particular backgrounds you are researching. Everyone's experience is different, so the more people you can find to provide feedback, the better.
When you are conducting your research, remember there are cultural differences. Asia is a big continent and there are many nations included in Pacific Islander culture, so it's important to not assume all of its countries share the same values, beliefs, and traditions. Each are unique and an adventure to learn about in their own way.
STEP 4: PICK YOUR THEMES
What message do you want your story to send? Understanding this will help you identify potential themes in your story. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of themes in books and films, please check out .
What tropes would you like to include in your story? This can help shape character relationships, and even identify romantic relationships. If you would like to see a comprehensive list of character tropes in books and films, please check out the following links (available as in-inline comments on the side):
✿ Character, Setting, and Plot Tropes
✿ Fantasy-Specific Tropes
✿ Genre Tropes
✿ Narrative Tropes
✿ Topical Tropes
STEP 5: WHAT NOW?
Once you have everything ready, start writing! You may have questions come up as your write, but that's okay! Whether you are a plotter or a planner, you will succeed when you do your best!
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Please let us know if you found this guide helpful! If there's anything you'd like to see us post, please let us know.