Real-World Inspirations
What are the real-world places that inspire The Guardian?
Image by Richard Mcall from Pixabay
In The Guardian, Iliya travels around the world and visits future versions of many different locales. Here are some of the real-world inspirations.
One important location in the book is Pan-C, a spoke town of the Pan epicenter inspired by Amritsar, India. A futuristic chemical plant has been built where the beautiful and meaningful Golden Temple of Amritsar currently sits. This horrific act of corporate avarice threatens the health of the entire surrounding community -- and Iliya is determined to stop it.
Image by shalender kumar from Pixabay.
A good chunk of The Guardian takes place in a boarding school in Pan, an epicenter inspired by New Delhi. I enjoyed doing the background research and strategizing what the culture would be like in a corporatized future: food, movies, music, clothing, language, youth subcultures, architecture, family dynamics, social status, jobs, and more.
Image by abdullah binmassam on Pixabay.
Another major epicenter in The Guardian, Toyosoni, is inspired by Tokyo. I had the chance to visit Tokyo in 2013 and was blown away by the food, culture, and sites. I made sure to infuse my experiences into the text (along with additional research.) While there, Iliya grapples with corporate executives and falls in love despite the corporate chaos.
Picture I took at Kikunoi Honten, a restaurant in Kyoto, Japan
I especially enjoyed imagining the food in Toyosoni. Iliya eats a fancy corporate-sponsored kaiseki meal, and I had so much fun designing each course. Would the fish be genetically-engineered? Would they still use seasonal ingredients? How would the food be plated? What would it taste like? This is the fun part of worldbuilding!
Image by kariwil from Pixabay
In a future ravaged by global warming, where coastal cities have been flooded, the cultural and governmental center of future USA is inspired by Dallas, Texas. While there, characters in The Guardian eat ribeye steak, fries, salad, and beer. Not only was it fun trying to imagine what food might be like in the future, but it was also fun to describe US food from a foreigner’s perspective.
Image by Urik Amador from Pixabay
One of the last places Iliya visits is inspired by Oaxaca. I was also fascinated by Salzburg -- a city built around a mountain. Combining these real-world inspirations, I created a mountain town with a central church bell tower, Oaxacan-style cuisine, handmade crafts, and a diverse village of hardworking, friendly, resilient, and moral people.
What real-world places inspire you?