Cenonn's How to Holofic and Writing in General

A familiar place.... With a twist!

In the past two chapters, I talked about creating fictional worlds like fantasy and sci-fi. This chapter, I'll talk about creating semi-fictional worlds. What are semi-fictional worlds?

Semi-fictional worlds are worlds based on a real location but there are a few twists. You could write about modern Japan but have supernatural creatures living in it. You could write about the USA but the president is a cute anime girl who knows her way around politics. Go wild.

A lot of Holofics take place in semi-fictional worlds. We got Phanzuru's Holonatural Occurrences, lightningstormtc's Kiara Fried Phoenix: A Hololive Story, Vtuberislife's Manager-san is Trying to Stay Sane Today, and even naru_esmeralda's [Hololive | Tokoyami Towa] 本当に悪魔ですか？ | Are You Really A Devil?

Now then... I'll teach ya how to write these semi-fictional worlds. And I got one really important tip for you which is just one word. That one word happens to be my favorite word too.

You got that right! RESEARCH!

I cannot stress how important it is to research about what you are going to write. I know most of the Holofics are set in a semi-fictional world that takes place in modern Japan. That's normal. Hololive is a Japanese agency. They have Japanese names. It's normal if you want to set the stage of your Holofic to be in Japan.

HOWEVER!

Here's a catch: You gotta research about it.

No. I'm not telling you to go to the place itself and write what you can see there (although if you got the cash, you can do so. There are authors who take business trips to famous cities like Rome and Paris to do their research).

And when I say research, I don't mean just going to Google. I want you to make more effort. You can research the history of the place. You can watch documentaries. You can read other books that involve that place (bonus points if that book is written by an inhabitant).

I'm just telling you to know enough to accurately depict the place. For example, you are writing about Japan so that means you have to know about Japanese culture. In case you didn't know, Japanese people don't give kisses as greetings unlike European countries. Japanese people are pretty respectful. And whatever tidbits you can find out about Japanese people.

Also, try to figure out the architecture of the city you are basing in. Does it have traditional homes? Does it have skyscrapers? Are the buildings there colorful?

Then, find out what sort of transportation is available in that city. Are there public buses? Are there train stations? Is there an airport in that city? Is the city near the ocean hence it has docks?

Of course, you can't forget about the people there. What is their culture? I cannot stress how important it is to research about their culture. For example, Japanese people don't give tips to their waiters in a restaurant unlike in Western countries. That's one of the many major differences in Japanese culture.

I mean... Imagine this: what if you're a guy from a country named Eldesia? You then stumble upon a fanfic that takes place in your country. However, when you read it, you found out that it's not an accurate representation of your country. Heck, it might be so wrong that it became insulting. See? Feels bad, right?

However, if the fanfic was written accurately, you might grow to like it. You might even become a loyal reader just because your country is accurately shown. Ya see where I'm getting at?

Of course... Sometimes, you'll be creating an entirely new city in Japan since you don't want to feel the pressure of writing about Tokyo or Kyoto. That's totally fine. However, you still have to research things in order for the readers to feel that it's an authentic Japanese city.

Like in the previous chapters, the steps are more or less the same in creating an entirely new place in an existing country.

First and foremost, you have to take note of what country you are writing the fic in. Try to learn as much as you can about the country's culture and other trivia because you would want to make your Holofic as accurate as possible.

After that, check the races of the inhabitants. Since this is a Holofic, there will be beastmen and other races as well. Learn your way around them. Are they integrated in society? Or is their existence a secret from the majority?

When you're done with that, learn the government system. Unlike in sci-fi and fantasy, you don't get to decide what kind of government the place should have unless this is an alternate universe (AU). Learn how the country's central government and local government works. It's a huge amount of research.

Then you decide on international relationships. Depending on your plot, the relationships of the country the fic takes place in would be different. Is it an AU where Japan didn't surrender in WW2 and ended up colonizing most of East Asia? Go wild.

Of course... You have to learn about the history of the place. I'm not telling you to memorize all of Japan's presidents and stuff. Just make sure you know the important events that happened in their history. Also, you can add and erase any events you want. Just make sure it's reasonable though.

Then you decide on the technology. Depending on the events of your Holofic, technology may be advanced or delayed. Heck... If you're going to add magic to your semi-fictional world, then you have to know its impact on the world's technology.

And you then research about the standards of living. Learn the literacy rate of the country and then find out the daily expenses of living in that area. You should know what is "normal" and what is "abnormal" for the residents of your city.

You also learn about religion. Research about the common religions in the country you are placing the fic and the influence of it. You can even create your own religion and stuff but make sure that whatever you're going to do, it would be reasonable.

And lastly, the social hierarchy. Find out if the residents are a bit racist or have social statuses that give them benefits. I know... Racism is a tough subject but depending on your execution, you can make it work.

Now then... Semi-fictional worlds are like the real world but there are a few twists. Since you are creating a Holofic, you will end up adding nonhuman characters. There are other twists as well.

Like for example, there could be magic like in Holonatural Occurrences (by: Phanzuru) in a modern world.

Or have a group of anti-supernatural creatures like Magical International Liberation Foundation or MILF in lightningstormtc's Kiara Fried Phoenix: A Hololive Story.

You can even have alternate universes like what if Japan was a powerful country that almost conquered the world and etc. Go wild.

The only rule in writing semi-fictional worlds is that you are using an existing place's name in your setting.

Now that I'm done talking about settings, I'll hop right over to the next part which is the plot. If you're still here, I hope you are learning from whatever I'm trying to teach.