Reader-Insert

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Tropes and genres
Synonym(s)Canon X Reader, Canon/Reader Y/N, Character/You
Related tropes/genresY/N, Imagine (genre), Choose Your Own Adventure, Quiz Fic, Personal
See alsoSelf Insertion, Self-Shipping
Related articles on Fanlore.
Not to be confused with Self-Insertion.

Reader-Insert is a type of fanfiction that is typically written in 2nd person Point of View by using you and your pronouns. The protagonist is always the reader, or "you," and is usually paired with one of the canon characters. "Reader-insert" is typically written with a hyphen. It is also sometimes known as Canon X Reader, or CanonXReader. Imagines are also a version of reader-insert, inserting the reader using second person pronouns into short-form "imagine if..." scenarios, and pairing the reader with a canon character or real person.

A comparable type of stories in Japanese-language fandoms is dream shosetsu (ドリーム小説 lit. "dream novel"), also called yumeshosetsu (夢小説) or yume (夢 lit. "dream" or "fantasy") for short. Stories in this genre almost always feature romance between a female protagonist who is assumed to be the reader, and a male canon character. [3]

There is a certain stigma among some content creators and content consumers centered around self-shipping media, with many fans expressing their distaste for the genre (see Criticism and Support). Despite this negativity, reader-inserts continue to be widely created and enjoyed.

History

Reader-inserts can be traced back to at least the early 2000s, where fanfics written in this style were popular on Quizilla and FanFiction.net, however some of the earliest reader insert fanfiction is dated to 1999 on FFN for the Star Trek fandom.[4][5] Then in 2005, Fanfiction.net placed a ban on reader-insert and self-insert fanficion (see 2005 Ban on Choose Your Own Adventure Fic/Self-Insertion Fic/2nd Person Point of View Fic).

As anime and manga fandoms became more popular in general a lot of fans started to create and consume Reader-Insert works. Some of these stories can still be found on archive.org. Other reader-insert stories from FFN persist despite the reader-insert ban, such as the Reader Insert community created in 2012 which hosts mainly anime reader-inserts from between 2010 and 2015.[6] They also had a strong presence on DeviantART, but during the 2010s became less common on DeviantART as the website began culling smut/NSFW works.[7] Their removal from the website may in part have been due to underage authors or underaged characters, which presumably would violate the DeviantART TOS. The Lemontalia DeviantART group, a community for Lemon-rated Hetalia Reader-Insert fics, had many of them, but was shut down.[8]

Imagines, a subgenre of reader-insert works, are believed to originate on Tumblr and there are early appearances of reader-insert imagines in 2010. This genre may have been popularised by 1D fandom during the early 2010s.

"Reader" is not often a choice within the search options of fanfic archives, even when reader-inserts aren't against the TOS of the archive. This may make finding reader-inserts on some websites difficult. AO3 has a Reader-Insert tag, as well as both Reader and You character tags (though these also include canonical characters called "Reader" or "You"). According to toastystats, Reader was amongst the character tags with the most works added in 2021.[9] Relationship tags involving the reader are typically formatted as [canon character]/Reader or [canon character]/You. For example, in the Smile for Me fandom tag on AO3 the second most popular relationship is "Dr. Boris Habit/Reader."[10] Other popular sites for Reader-Insert works include Wattpad (which has numerous dedicated tags for Reader-Insert fics[note 1]), Quotev, and Tumblr.

Literary Conventions

Reader-Insert fic is usually F/M (Female/Male), with the reader assumed to be female. However, they exist across a broad range of genders and personal identities. Details about the reader-protagonist are often either kept vague, or filled in with placeholders. This is to allow the reader to more easily project themself onto the main character of the fic. These placeholders are often single-letter abbreviations for words with a slash between the letters. There are no standard conventions for abbreviations; each author either makes up their own or imitates the ones used in fics they enjoyed. Some works avoid using any abbreviations and only address the reader through pronouns, titles, or nicknames, for example Sundrop/Moondrop/Reader from Five Nights at Freddy's Security Breach nicknaming the reader-insert "Sunshine" or "Starlight" instead of Y/N or M/C. Browser plugins such as InteractiveFics exist to replace these abbreviations with the appropriate name or detail.

Abbreviations can include:

  • Y/N for "your name,"[11] or _______ or [Name] for the reader's name
  • (F/n) for "first name"
  • (L/n) for "last name": more common in Japanese fandoms [12]
  • MC or M/C for "Main Character," less common than Y/N.[13]
  • (h/c) and (e/c) for "hair color" and "eye color"

Writing to avoid describing the reader-protagonist's physical attributes requires careful attention to language. For example, describing the reader as 'turning red' may not be applicable for readers with different skin tones. Reader-insert fics of explicit nature may also take measures to avoid describing the genitalia of the reader, particularly when writing penetrative sex.

On quiz sites such as Quotev, a popular format for Reader-Insert fics is Seven Minutes in Heaven (or twenty, or an hour, or seven minutes in Hell, etc.), where the "results" of the fic are a short reader-insert fic.[14] Other formats include "what (fandom) characters think of you" quizzes, and "which character is your boyfriend" or "your (fandom) life" quizzes.

Criticism and Support

Like Mary Sue and self insert fic, some fans consider reader-insert fics immature and ill-conceived, especially when they follow the plot "you meet (sexy hero) and he falls in love with you." Even people who enjoy the genre sometimes express that they wish there were less of a focus on sex.[15]

Many readers do not like second person POV, because it feels "intrusive"[16], or because they're being asked to identify with things they'd never do. [17][18]

Yeah, stories with the conceit "You, the reader, are literally having this adventure" don't work for me. Either because the protagonist does something that I wouldn't actually do in that situation (even in Choose Your Own Adventure stories, sometimes what I want to do just isn't given as an option)—or because the author goes out of their way to avoid alienating the reader, and winds up with a super-bland character who gets yanked around by the plot rather than doing anything.[19]

Other fans find reader-inserts "unobtrusive and less annoying than first person to read"[20] or easier to relate to than OCs. One fan explains:

I'm usually not a big fan of OCs, especially as a main character, but it turns out that, if that OC is me, I really like it. I prefer, in Reader-insert fics, the second-person-perspective. So yeah, I like it, and, if I had the talent, I would like to write some fics in this genre.[21]

Other comments:

I would like them better if more of them followed the narrative style of Choose Your Own Adventure books, referring to the protagonist as "you" without attempting a description. Nearly every reader-insert fic I've ever seen is loaded with brackets instructing the reader to fill in their own name, hair color, eye color, etc. It's awkward enough when any story, fanfic or otherwise, obsesses that hard over the main character's physical traits; the brackets make these things effectively unreadable.[22]

I find them really stimulating, emotionally speaking—provided I can ignore the inevitable spelling and grammatical errors. I wish the reader-insert genre were more highly regarded so that better authors would want to get in on the action.[15]

It ISN'T one-size-fits-all. It's all-squeezed-into-one-size. Nor is it wish fulfullment for anyone except the author. Forcing the reader to have the same wishes as the author doesn't work.[23]

I've enjoyed some reader inserts. Y/N is distracting, true, but I think a lot of people use Ponify or other similar extensions to change Y/N to something else (their name, usually, but I've known people to change it to the name of another character too).[24]

Reader Inserts have their audience as well, though it is a lot more limited. I've both written and read reader inserts, but they aren't my first choice. Writing it was fun, since I was writing it for a friend of mine, but I wouldn't have been able to carry it through a longer narrative. For the same reasons that you mentioned: Background and character development.[25]

I personally think it’s a great way of story telling, and a way to pull viewers in when it’s done correctly. Also, anything that involves immersing the reader in, is considered good in my book, even if we’re going the whole enchilada, like with “X Reader” fanfictions.[26]

I read them all the time because I like the feeling that I’m in the universe. It all really depends on your preferences. If everyone thought it was bad, there wouldn’t be nearly as many out there.[27]

There has also been criticism that reader-inserts that are supposed to be universally relatable often make unconscious assumptions about the reader being white, which can alienate readers of colour.

Most readers are coded to be white, or written in a way that only light skinned people with certain features can read themselves into. Black and brown readers – especially ones with curlier, thicker hair or darker skin – aren’t able to visualize themselves in place of the reader because the blank slate is a little too beige.[28]

Example Fandoms

These fandoms contain a great deal of Reader insert fic:

Example Fanfiction

  • After the First Death -- Star Trek, no pairing, Apr 30, 1999. One of the first reader-insert fanfics that remain archived on the FFN community "The Archive for Self Inserts and Original Characters."[4]
  • Fix Your Attitude -- Star Wars, Kylo Ren/Reader, Sept 5, 2016. This fic saw a resurgence in popularity in 2020, 2-3 years after the fics completion. This engagement came from a (presumably) new generation of fans who had discovered the story through Tik Tok.
  • 7 Minutes -- Attack on Titan, Eren/Reader, undated. Originally on AO3, 7 Minutes was deleted by the author due to the backlash that accompanied its popularity. Fans can be seen asking for copies of it on Reddit,[29] where a Reddit user credits the author as attackonfic.

Meta & Further Reading

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Some of the tags used include Reader-Insert, Readerinsert, readerxcharacter, Reader, xreader and x-reader.

References

  1. ^ フォレストページ - Wikipedia (Accessed 1/24/2022)
  2. ^ "pixivが"夢小説"機能を正式リリース　登場人物を好きな名前に変換しよう". KAI-YOU.net (in 日本語). 2021-04-27. Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  3. ^ Yume shosetsu uses JavaScript and other software gimmicks that allow individual readers to replace the name of the protagonist with a name of their choice. Forest Page, an easy-to-use web hosting service, has had this feature since early 2000's, among other similar services.[1] Pixiv announced the same feature in 2021.[2]
  4. ^ a b The Archive for Self Inserts and Original Characters, Fanfiction.net. Oct 27, 2014 (Accessed 1/22/2022)
  5. ^ After the First Death, Fanfiction.net. Apr 30, 1999 (Accessed 1/22/2022)
  6. ^ If you enjoy reader insert fanfictions this is the right place to you! Reader Insert community, Fanfiction.net. Aug 6, 2012 (Accessed 1/22/2022)
  7. ^ Armin X Reader - I'd never do that part 5 by ExtraStatus at AO3
  8. ^ Both Lemontalia groups are GONE? by BTT-DA-ACCT, Dec 27, 2012 at DeviantArt
  9. ^ See: Biggest fandoms, ships, and characters on AO3 (2022), Archived version by toastystats (destinationtoast)
  10. ^ Smile For Me (Video Game), Archive of Our own. (Accessed 1/21/2022)
  11. ^ Two by timeladyofletters: Sam Winchester/Reader at AO3
  12. ^ Reader x Yuki: Achluophobia by xReaderBuddyz at FF.net
  13. ^ Reader-insert fanfiction readers/writers, what does MC stand for? Reddit. Jun 17, 2020 (Accessed 4/15/2022)
  14. ^ Search results for "Seven Minutes in Heaven" on Quotev
  15. ^ a b ThriceCharming, Reader-Insert fics: yea or nay? Posted 19 Nov 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  16. ^ Kelekona, Does anyone really like self-inserts? Posted 28 Feb 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  17. ^ tkannelid, Does anyone really like self-inserts? Posted 28 Feb 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  18. ^ PPPSSC, Reader-Insert fics: yea or nay? Posted 20 Nov 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  19. ^ MetaFour, Reader-Insert fics: yea or nay? Posted 20 Nov 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  20. ^ LadyRimouski, Does anyone really like self-inserts? Posted 28 Feb 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  21. ^ SuiGenerisUsername, Does anyone really like self-inserts? Posted 28 Feb 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  22. ^ Karalora, Reader-Insert fics: yea or nay? Posted 20 Nov 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  23. ^ willyolio, Reader-Insert fics: yea or nay? Posted 21 Nov 2016. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  24. ^ djinnequip, Reader Insert or OC, First or Third Person - What to do! Posted 04 Feb 2017. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  25. ^ tafferling, Reader Insert or OC, First or Third Person - What to do! Posted 04 Feb 2017. (Accessed 17 July 2018.)
  26. ^ Answer by Bee Cried, Is it bad to read X Reader fanfictions?, Quora. Published October 9, 2018 (Accessed April 17, 2022).
  27. ^ Answer by Damone Rhods, Is it bad to read X Reader fanfictions?, Quora. Published February 2, 2019 (Accessed April 17, 2022).
  28. ^ Stitch, On “Y/N,” Reader-Insert Fanfiction & Writing Yourself Into the Story Posted November 10, 2021. (Accessed 16 December 2021.)
  29. ^ Hey! Can someone tell me where I could read “7 minutes” (the eren fanfic)?? Reddit. Jan 18, 2021 (Accessed 1/22/2022)
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