That's the real reason I always write in third person. Saying what you mean is hard enough without having to narrate in someone else's voice.
That feel when you have a scene very well thought out and want to write it but also you can't just have it out of context for no fucking reason. Because that's not how drama works. But even though you know the catalyst behind this you don't know it know it and so you are just left annoyed with yourself and the world at large. See also: obsessive compulsive cake and funtimes: the i can't write things out of order edition
Other horrible feel: When you really want to write smut but you're too lazy to do it so you just sadly masturbate instead. Related horrible feel: When you really want to write horrible things that aren't smut to normal people but you're too lazy to do it so you just sadly masturbate instead.
I have one story that switches between first and third person narration, because the first person narrator abruptly starts narrating other people's stories when she doesn't want to talk about herself.
Ahh, see, this is the opposite of what sent me so hard into second person (and first person was my favorite to write before that). When I'm in first or second, it's so much easier for me to get across emotions from the pov character, and that's usually my biggest priority.
That reminds me of The Drowning Girl's style in a way? It's very obvious when Imp is scared or dissociating because she stops referring to herself in the first person and moves to the third person. She'll get it back on track by going through the third person and back into the first. The format of that being: "India Morgan Phelps typed this string of words. She also typed another string. I also typed."
I like first person in select situations- I too was hooked on Animorphs as a kid, and I love the Kingkiller Chronicles, but like others I am VERY picky. (also, Reader/X fics, even nonsexual or fluffy ones send me screaming for the hills instantly, ALWAYS.)
Not a fan of reader-insert fics generally, extra not a fan of ones that have like... placeholders in brackets for Your Name Here. It feels unfinished and sloppy.
I agree, Reader Insert-fics feel really... Weird. Like someone is giving me their fantasies, and for some reason I'm included. I don't want to be involved in your Sans lust. You can just enjoy that bonehead all by your own self.
I only like reader insert if it reads like an oc that was never named, and even then i dont usually read oc fic unless theres nothing else
Mad Libs! That's what it reminds me of! Like the world's most unfunny, not-filled-out Mad Libs, with those friggin' placeholders. I'm pretty sure I've seen one with blanks for the reader's pronouns, too. And with no way to get the words in there instead, it just sits there being unfinished.
oh man those weird me out SO MUCH, it just feels exactly like being told a private fantasy, but in a tone like im supposed to be happy about it? it seems like a modern (and admittedly clever) way to sidestep the issue where people get lots of shit for making self-insert characters. like 'no, no, this isn't ME, it's you!!!' im happy for the people who enjoy it. everyone's got a right to dumb sex fantasies with cartoon characters. but man i will not go anywhere near them, no thanks.
Spoiler: spoilers for OFF Reader insert fics where the pov character does things I wouldn't do are suddenly reminding me so freaking much of OFF. The Batter's goals and methods are ones I don't necessarily want, but the only way for me to interact with the game is to guide him through his mission. The only way to read the parts I do like of a reader insert fic are to at least skim past the parts I don't like, and proceed with a story where they happened.
Ironically, those sort of fics actually make me appreciate self inserts and writers like Kylee Henke more. I don't feel like I'm being forced to participate, and while I don't particularly like the genre, there's sort of a "Shine on, you crazy shipper diamond" feel to it, where it's charming how much someone loves a series that they have to staple themselves inside and run around smooching dudes and playing with magic like a thirsty tourist.
Bring back commedia dell'arte and the stock characters you can use anywhere and everyone gets who they are
An old form of theater taht largely dealt in archetypes/stock characters which is where the harleqin archetype originated from for example.
Yeah, sort of quasi-improv, and there was little need to establish characters because they all came pre-established? Hunched-over guy in red? Oh, that's Pantalone, he's the old miser, he's gonna interfere with the inamorati and get his comeuppance. That guy in military uniform? He's Il Capitano, we already know he's the boastful coward who will be amusingly humbled. And so forth.
I've been kicking around the idea for a while of making a mini-sphere-of-referents story-wise - like, starting with one story and then with a group of friends repeatedly remixing it until we've established a self-contained language of symbols and characters for Cool Allusion Stuff... ... requires me to write another short story to start off with though, lol
