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Self Inserts pt. 2
Oct. 25th, 2021 11:30 amStill going strong with the weird self inserts, though really, when is something a self insert?
In my stories, the self inserts are more like OC's that aren't meant to be scrutinised, because hey - that's kind of what happens to Self Inserts anyway. Nobody cares about the 'self' part of a self-insert - they care about the story and how it changes with the presence of a character that knows more about the world than they should.
And since the 'self' doesn't really matter, I end up giving them traits that are useful for the story, rather than traits that are directly copied off of me and who I think I am.
My most recent foray into self inserts involves Michael Myers from the Halloween series ( and Dead by Daylight ). Self inserts, reader inserts, and 'you' inserts are very common in the slasher genre, and the same goes for the E-rating. There's a common theme of wanting to be special in some way, or wanting to change and save someone who is by all appearances incapable of or unwilling to change. It is kind of a power fantasy - to be the one holding the leash of an untameable monster.
I decided to make my 'self-insert' character a voice inside of Michael's head. She will still be the one saving him, but it won't be because she is inherently special - moreso because she holds an inherently special place as one of the voices in Michael's head. Through this, she can know him better than anyone, and she can make her own choices in how to proceed - but ANYONE in that position would be special, and I think that adds a little more to it.
I'm rambling, but I really wish that I'd found out about the interesting side of self-inserts earlier. It's not for everyone, and most of it is pure indulgence for the author, but there's something there, and I recommend giving at least some of them a try.
In my stories, the self inserts are more like OC's that aren't meant to be scrutinised, because hey - that's kind of what happens to Self Inserts anyway. Nobody cares about the 'self' part of a self-insert - they care about the story and how it changes with the presence of a character that knows more about the world than they should.
And since the 'self' doesn't really matter, I end up giving them traits that are useful for the story, rather than traits that are directly copied off of me and who I think I am.
My most recent foray into self inserts involves Michael Myers from the Halloween series ( and Dead by Daylight ). Self inserts, reader inserts, and 'you' inserts are very common in the slasher genre, and the same goes for the E-rating. There's a common theme of wanting to be special in some way, or wanting to change and save someone who is by all appearances incapable of or unwilling to change. It is kind of a power fantasy - to be the one holding the leash of an untameable monster.
I decided to make my 'self-insert' character a voice inside of Michael's head. She will still be the one saving him, but it won't be because she is inherently special - moreso because she holds an inherently special place as one of the voices in Michael's head. Through this, she can know him better than anyone, and she can make her own choices in how to proceed - but ANYONE in that position would be special, and I think that adds a little more to it.
I'm rambling, but I really wish that I'd found out about the interesting side of self-inserts earlier. It's not for everyone, and most of it is pure indulgence for the author, but there's something there, and I recommend giving at least some of them a try.
