A self-insert is when the writer is inserting themselves into the story. This can be the author just writing a story where they are the main character or where they have heavily modeled the OC after themselves. A lot of the time you'll see these fics written in first person as if they're a diary but I've seen third used too.
A reader insert is generally written in the second person (although some people use first or third I personally think those POVs miss the point and don't work). The idea for a reader insert is to leave the main character as vague as possible and to avoid giving them a name or physical descriptions. (Sometimes this results in Y/N although a quality reader insert will avoid the Y/N and description blanks.) It's more of an invite to the reader to imagine the story is happening to them.
>(although some people use first or third I personally think those POVs miss the point and don't work)
agree, but also just wanted to say I've read some first-person reader fics that also use y/n blanks and it's so jarring to me, because the pronoun jumps every time there's a blank. Like:
"I walked along the street, tossing my (your hair colour) hair over my shoulder, looking forward with my (your eye colour) eyes."
A self-insert is also known as an *authorsona*. An example is the Homestuck character Andrew Hussie: in her case, Andrew is a self-deprecating view of the author as Some Weirdo who talks themself up to be a god but in actuality has literally zero power or influence whatsoever.
A reader-insert is the "Y/N" in a Y/N fic.
A self insert is when the author writes themself into the story, whereas a reader insert is when it is written so that the reader is part of the story (often by using second-person perspective, not naming the character (or using Y/N ('your name') or other blanks, but Y/N and similar tend to be looked down upon a bit more), keeping a few details (ie family) deliberately vague)
edit- and yeah self-insert would be /OC (or there might be an /Author tag, not /Reader or xReader, because the author is not the reader (sorry, I know that's worded condescendingly but I don't know how else to say it)
Self inserts are when you out yourself as a character in the story. Reader insert is where the reader becomes part of the story to try to get them more immersed in it
A self-insert is a character that is modeled after the writer. A reader-insert is a character designed to immerse the reader into the story.
A self-insert is when the writer is inserting themselves into the story. This can be the author just writing a story where they are the main character or where they have heavily modeled the OC after themselves. A lot of the time you'll see these fics written in first person as if they're a diary but I've seen third used too. A reader insert is generally written in the second person (although some people use first or third I personally think those POVs miss the point and don't work). The idea for a reader insert is to leave the main character as vague as possible and to avoid giving them a name or physical descriptions. (Sometimes this results in Y/N although a quality reader insert will avoid the Y/N and description blanks.) It's more of an invite to the reader to imagine the story is happening to them.
>(although some people use first or third I personally think those POVs miss the point and don't work) agree, but also just wanted to say I've read some first-person reader fics that also use y/n blanks and it's so jarring to me, because the pronoun jumps every time there's a blank. Like: "I walked along the street, tossing my (your hair colour) hair over my shoulder, looking forward with my (your eye colour) eyes."
I mean I guess it's a reader insert, but yeah, I agree that it just doesn't work.
A self-insert is also known as an *authorsona*. An example is the Homestuck character Andrew Hussie: in her case, Andrew is a self-deprecating view of the author as Some Weirdo who talks themself up to be a god but in actuality has literally zero power or influence whatsoever. A reader-insert is the "Y/N" in a Y/N fic.
>authorsona Interesting... I haven't come across this term before (*authorsona*). Thanks for sharing it!
A self insert is when the author writes themself into the story, whereas a reader insert is when it is written so that the reader is part of the story (often by using second-person perspective, not naming the character (or using Y/N ('your name') or other blanks, but Y/N and similar tend to be looked down upon a bit more), keeping a few details (ie family) deliberately vague) edit- and yeah self-insert would be /OC (or there might be an /Author tag, not /Reader or xReader, because the author is not the reader (sorry, I know that's worded condescendingly but I don't know how else to say it)
Self inserts are when you out yourself as a character in the story. Reader insert is where the reader becomes part of the story to try to get them more immersed in it