Hi Star!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and take on the MC. I was hoping that the player had enough choices to self-insert without feeling too frustrated so I'm really glad to hear it worked for you. I'm not sure why there seems to be a slight stigma around "self-insert" in some circles? but I actually find it really whimsical and endearing to think of someone being able to directly immerse themselves into a story as I think most people read stories/play games to escape reality a bit. Maybe the whole premise of isekai has a stigma for being too self indulgent, with certain themes being somewhat over reiterated in some animes/manga/light novels as of late. However, I remember 'isekai' stories before I even knew the term for it (like Escaflowne, Fushigi Yuugi, Peter Pan) and I just think there's something really fascinating about the premise. Perhaps as a transracial adoptee, who has always felt a bit out of place and thrown into this world, it connects with me on a deep, subconscious level.
My copy editor sometimes makes notes in the margins that I sometimes give options to "kick" the companions (I think of it more like being blunt, opinionated or teasing? LOL) Like maybe no one would take those options (I'm a recovering people pleaser myself) because they don't want to read a potentially upset response from the character, but I wanted to make sure there were options that weren't all centered around telling the characters what the player would think they'd like to hear. I think it also opens up to revealing more about the character when you can listen to their disgruntled side or coping sides as well. Also I don't want to condition people (even if it's just a game) into thinking you need to agree with people all the time or they won't love or like you LOL.
I'm actually someone who tends to over empathize with characters to the point of 'dreaming' of hovering over other people's shoulders and observing them rather than being the 'main character', so if I were to try and self-insert, I'd probably make an OC instead. I hope I'm not being too noisy, but I'm very curious, do you prefer to self insert over a defined protagonist when possible? What are your opinions on the isekai genre in general?
Best wishes and sincerely,
Jen