What exactly makes a story a 'wish fulfillment' story?

[DubstheDuke]

Ok so it seems obvious. A wish fulfillment story is a story in which the characters are trying to fulfill some sort of major goal or wish, but the thing that confuses me about this genre is- what story out there are the main characters not trying to fulfill their goals?

I mean, if there is some story where the mc has literally no goal at all and is just blindly blundering around, would this story even be worth reading? There's gotto be something I'm missing here.

Is it the condition of self insert? Is it that the wish has to be something that the author wants to achieve but cannot because they live in real life, therefore they do it through their story?

 

[GDLiZy]

Wish-fulfilment isn't about the main character chasing their own dream. It's about the main character chasing the author's fantasy. Usually, the character is either perfect or perfectly bland, so the reader/author can easily self-insert and feel the pleasure of being Gary Sue.

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Ok so it seems obvious. A wish fulfillment story is a story in which the characters are trying to fulfill some sort of major goal or wish, but the thing that confuses me about this genre is- what story out there are the main characters not trying to fulfill their goals?

I mean, if there is some story where the mc has literally no goal at all and is just blindly blundering around, would this story even be worth reading? There's gotto be something I'm missing here.

Is it the condition of self insert? Is it that the wish has to be something that the author wants to achieve but cannot because they live in real life, therefore they do it through their story?

Wish fulfilment has nothing to do with the story itself, but primarily with the author.

Authors have the power to create and as such we can build a world according to our desires and wants. Wishfulfilment is exactly that, a more acute form of escapism where the author projects their usually own unfulfilled dreams on their own world where they can play god.

The final product is usually harem, smut, isekai power fantasies, gender bender, etc. As you said, it is self-insert to escape our post heroic age for various reasons.

 

[Shadow_Tempest]

Write what you desire. The end product is your wish fulfilment story

 

[ForestDweller]

Anything with a harem.

 

[JayDirex]

Well Heck, that means my stories are wish fulfillment:

My, MCs: Handsome or Beautiful, money in they pocket, get girls, get laid.. defeat bad guys with cool one liners.

.....yeah, that's not wish fulfillment because I do all this stuff in real life! lying chunni

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

Well Heck, that means my stories are wish fulfillment:

My, MCs: Handsome or Beautiful, money in they pocket, get girls, get laid.. defeat bad guys with cool one liners.

.....yeah, that's not wish fulfillment because I do all this stuff in real life! lying chunni

I wouldn't say so. You just want to make cool stories with strong protagonists .

 

[gaylolis]

Wish fulfilment has nothing to do with the story itself, but primarily with the author.

Authors have the power to create and as such we can build a world according to our desires and wants. Wishfulfilment is exactly that, a more acute form of escapism where the author projects their usually own unfulfilled dreams on their own world where they can play god.

The final product is usually harem, smut, isekai power fantasies, gender bender, etc. As you said, it is self-insert to escape our post heroic age for various reasons.

this feels pretty much like most of the things i wrote.

that's probably why i prefer just posting it on Ao3 since my desires can be a bit peculiar. i don't want to see anyone bombing me with one star or unreasonable, toxic complaints, when i just want to have a good time, sharing what makes me happy.

 

[JayDirex]

But Assur, that gets to the heart of it. Is it a fine line between a solid good protagonist vs Gary Stu? In my mind the Gary/Mary characters I guess are the ones that seem to be able to do stuff that are out of established character and seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh yeah, I am a teenage gamer expert (granted, I can go with that) but yes, of course I can pilot a helicopter, who can't ." when it was never indicated before that this character should have anything to do with Aviation...you get my meaning.

I can get if a character has a particular set of extraordinary skills (Teen-Girls-Assassins- yeah I know, just go with it -_-) but once you start pulling things out of left field (flying a helicopter) is when I think the character jumps-the-shark into Gary/Mary/Wish-fill absurdity. @Assurbanipal_II

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

this feels pretty much like most of the things i wrote.

that's probably why i prefer just posting it on Ao3 since my desires can be a bit peculiar. i don't want to see anyone bombing me with one star or unreasonable, toxic complaints, when i just want to have a good time, sharing what makes me happy.

Let me guess, lolis?

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

But Assur, that gets to the heart of it. Is it a fine line between a solid good protagonist vs Gary Stu? In my mind the Gary/Mary characters I guess are the ones that seem to be able to do stuff that are out of established character and seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh yeah, I am a teenage gamer expert (granted, I can go with that) but yes, of course I can pilot a helicopter, who can't ." when it was never indicated before that this character should have anything to do with Aviation...you get my meaning.

I can get if a character has a particular set of extraordinary skills (Teen-Girls-Assassins- yeah I know, just go with it -_-) but once you start pulling things out of left field (flying a helicopter) is when I think the character jumps-the-shark into Gary/Mary/Wish-fill absurdity. @Assurbanipal_II

Granted, this is why I used "usually". It wasn't an exhaustive list, but merely a list of examples. But you have to decide case by case, which elements are prevalent.

But you are right, as long as you can sell me what you write, I will buy it. If the character lives by what is set by the author, I will accept it. That is also why I hate skill/game systems so much as they skip the entire learning process.

Use your "charisma" skills and your character doesn't even need to sound convincing.

 

[The_Long_Serpent]

But Assur, that gets to the heart of it. Is it a fine line between a solid good protagonist vs Gary Stu? In my mind the Gary/Mary characters I guess are the ones that seem to be able to do stuff that are out of established character and seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh yeah, I am a teenage gamer expert (granted, I can go with that) but yes, of course I can pilot a helicopter, who can't ." when it was never indicated before that this character should have anything to do with Aviation...you get my meaning.

I can get if a character has a particular set of extraordinary skills (Teen-Girls-Assassins- yeah I know, just go with it -_-) but once you start pulling things out of left field (flying a helicopter) is when I think the character jumps-the-shark into Gary/Mary/Wish-fill absurdity. @Assurbanipal_II

I personally define Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters as "glorified" in some manner. They can do everything, everyone loves them except the bad guys, and they're always in the right, at least according to the story. If you don't see yourself in that character, you'll find them intolerable.

 

[JayDirex]

use your "charisma" skills and your character doesn't even need to sound convincing

I NEED this skill!

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

I personally define Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters as "glorified" in some manner. They can do everything, everyone loves them except the bad guys, and they're always in the right, at least according to the story. If you don't see yourself in that character, you'll find them intolerable.

Interestingly, someone called my MC a Mary Sue despite her being a little sadistic amoral mass murderer. Nobody likes her because of her arrogance and her pride, but apparently she is still a Mary Sue. XD

 

[JayDirex]

I personally define Mary Sue/Gary Stu characters as "glorified" in some manner. They can do everything, everyone loves them except the bad guys, and they're always in the right, at least according to the story. If you don't see yourself in that character, you'll find them intolerable.

Hahaha! Yes! What you wrote is Gospel. But here's the worst... I KNOW THIS ^ yet...I violate this rule regularly (the crowds adore my heroes, people want to sleep with them) but in my defense, the heroes are not infallible (they're human). they have insecurities and weakness and can and DO GET BEAT UP BY THE BAD GUYS (i don't play that indestructible BS. I will put my in MC in the hospital in a heartbeat).

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

I NEED this skill!

Everyone wants the persuasion skill.

Re: How I was reborn with lv.100 persuasion skill and persuaded the Demon Lord to turn friendly. Adventures of the persuasion hero.

 

[gaylolis]

Let me guess, lolis?

it's just one of them

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

it's just one of them

Gay lolis?

 

[gaylolis]

Gay lolis?

now that's just my name

but i have to admit none of the lolis i wrote are straight or even bi iirc

 

[Assurbanipal_II]

now that's just my name

Yuri lolis?