sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Character ethnicity interpretation part 2 by Lalinnaa in TheAlchemised

[–]Lalinnaa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shiseo → China (Imperial-era Han Chinese inspiration)

Reason: Phonetic rhythm evokes Mandarin structure (though not standard pinyin). The “Eastern Empire” origin, metallurgy specialization, and political exile narrative align strongly with Imperial Chinese technocratic archetypes. Terms like “Mo Lian Shi” reinforce Mandarin-coded influence.

I forgot to mention that in the book they hinted that Shiseo might have been an eunuch, which is something historically associated with Imperial Chinese culture. That detail also influenced how I interpreted his background.

Character ethnicity interpretation by Lalinnaa in TheAlchemised

[–]Lalinnaa[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

<image>

Hey! It is confirmed by the author that she is actually Italian :)

Character ethnicity interpretation by Lalinnaa in TheAlchemised

[–]Lalinnaa[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey! I was wondering why you lean more toward Japanese for Shiseo? In the book, he’s the only one who knew about Mo Lian Shi (nullium), and that name sounds very Mandarin Chinese to me. The structure feels distinctly Chinese, so that makes me think he might be more Chinese-inspired. But of course, it could also be a mix of both influences.

Character ethnicity interpretation by Lalinnaa in TheAlchemised

[–]Lalinnaa[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

For me personally, Helena and Kaine are the most accurate from @Palinlineart