Why Isekai?

[Elmir_Arch-Ham_of_Omega]

Dante's Inferno-

OMG, the ultimate self-insert power fantasy story. XD

 

[CinnaSloth]

I see now. You don't know how to read. One thing was written down and then you went on a tangent because of the examples instead of the argument.

If you were confused about the topic, or if I was unclear you could ask questions.
But apparently you are easily rage baited, and would rather stay short sighted.

Good job attacking me. I'm very hurt. oh my.

Bro really said "your turn" like he thinks he's the Riddler messing with Batman
Nah man, I'm not going to play with you, go do something more productive than rant pointlessly with strangers

nice to know that's all it took for you to feel overwhelmed. You should probably stay off the internet., you'll get a lot of people that would rather question you than take as you say as gospel, great high and mighty pancake.

Lmao yeah. At this point, it's just trolling. This thread is close to being a ragebait post since it has been answered already.

No it pretty much is. I said page 1. "Call it rage bait, or call it arrogance" on my part. I didn't lie.

It's not that they want to glory in death, it's that they want an alternative to death.

So, to give some kind of faith in something after. (albeit in some kind of story).
okay. that's probably the best answer I've gotten. That's a great answer.
I can't argue about faith. Faith is faith, however, or to whatever it is you want to believe in, that's entirely up to the person who holds it. Solid point.
I have no argument. Though, i highly doubt you care if I say so, but awesome. You win.

 

[DireBadger]

Ayo? That's something new. (Especially to this discussion thread.)
Why didn't you just start off with the story about the wolf spirit?
What was so important to show them as an old person prior? (Not to ask you to spoil the story also which of the four would that title be?)

I did start off the story 'as a spirit wolf'. Flashbacks when the first humans he'd seen in two thousand years arrived.

and he almost immediately 'became human' (spirit animal evolution caused by (plot element involving wuxia magic)) to discover WHY the humans came to his mountain and viciously murdered HIS pack.

Of course, the plot thickens, and he discovers deeper threads, and the entire story becomes a cross between a mystery novel and a bit of a power fantasy, but of course, the 'unbelievably powerful protagonist' is almost immediately thrown into situations where his power level is childlike, because that's what wuxia does.

and then it turns into a romance and civlization-builder with more mystery threads and a hint of superhero.

Because that's what I had fun writing. Haven't posted it yet, but I will.

No publisher sends Queen Latifa to someone's house to 'help them write' anymore. you write what you enjoy and hope it sells.

 

[Maelstrom556]

I can understand getting tired of the trope. It's understandable to put a more directly relatable character from the "real world" into such a fantasy setting because the readers can sorta put themselves in the MC's place. Personally, I'd love to see more stuff where the person going into the other world is something of a badass already. Like if a member of some elite Special Forces unit was already geared up for an operation when they get transported to some high-fantasy world. They have to, like, use their survival training to manage the modern resources they brought with them while trying to find a way back home, likely something they'd have to beat the villain to do.

One should be thankful it's "person from our world into fantasyland" especially if one is complaining about the bad writing. Can you imagine how even more grating it would even be if instead of having a relatable, understandable guy like Ted Jones from Kentucky we need to slog through "Darkness Kiryu Carlton (based on author's real name but let's just ignore that) Xiaxianglion" as the OC and read through character's extreme angsty chuunibyou phonebook of a backstory?

I'll stick with Ted Jones who tripped and hit his head on a quarter that was stuck on the crack of the road, thank you.

A reverse-isekai can actually work well, as can any weird story premise if done well. There's a Webtoon called Slice Of Life, which is basically an anime protagonist dying in her series and being wooshed into some otherwise random watcher's bedroom. A good chunk of the beginning is about her struggling to come to terms with the fact that she's just a (poorly written) anime character and getting a grasp on having actual agency in her life for the first time.

I'd say this is an exception, though.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Dante's Inferno-

I did not think of that one because I never read it. My dad did and talked about it a bit (even owns a copy) but not me.

 

[CinnaSloth]

I did start off the story 'as a spirit wolf'. Flashbacks when the first humans he'd seen in two thousand years arrived.

and he almost immediately 'became human' (spirit animal evolution caused by (plot element involving wuxia magic)) to discover WHY the humans came to his mountain and viciously murdered HIS pack.

Of course, the plot thickens, and he discovers deeper threads, and the entire story becomes a cross between a mystery novel and a bit of a power fantasy, but of course, the 'unbelievably powerful protagonist' is almost immediately thrown into situations where his power level is childlike, because that's what wuxia does.

and then it turns into a romance and civlization-builder with more mystery threads and a hint of superhero.

Because that's what I had fun writing. Haven't posted it yet, but I will.

No publisher sends Queen Latifa to someone's house to 'help them write' anymore. you write what you enjoy and hope it sells.

Sounds incredibly interesting.

I, personally, wouldn't call this an isekai, I'd, personally, call it a "mystery fantasy" for what it is (in my eye), but to each their own.
This is the type of writing, I would say, that surpasses isekai into its own thing.
From the way you explained it (or at least what I got out of it), you had the character remembering past life, not writing about them specifically as a human, then killing them off, THEN continue with wolf spirit sequencing. The story IS the wolf spirit recalling a past life. I think that's more fascinating, and a better written story.

(What book is it if you don't mind sharing the link? From our conversation I would like to add it to my future reading list.)

I did not think of that one because I never read it. My dad did and talked about it a bit (even owns a copy) but not me.

Would you say star wars is an isekai? It seems like every character is constantly grabbed from one planet or another to be dropped directly into a war on some other random planet.

On that note, would you say our Vietnam war veterans got isekai'd into Vietnam, but also managed to find a way out? What about Afghanistan? They are in a sense, "completely different worlds" than the average American city. They are, as they say, "2nd" or "3rd world" countries.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I'm creating brand new isekai stories that hopefully break several rules, offer new original ideas, and unique storylines. I'm sick to death of the usual isekai tropes and want them to branch out into moire unusual, never-before-seen areas, and I hope I succeed. ?

Strange Isekai Stories

The wildest, strangest, unsettling tales of otherworldly transportation, magical summonings, and unusual reincarnations. 'Strange Isekai Stories' takes the usual 'isekai' fodder and tropes, and turns them completely upside down, twisting into dark, romantic, and sometimes hilarious tales for...

www.scribblehub.com

 

[CinnaSloth]

I'm creating brand new isekai stories that hopefully break several rules, offer new original ideas, and unique storylines. I'm sick to death of the usual isekai tropes and want them to branch out into moire unusual, never-before-seen areas, and I hope I succeed. ?

Strange Isekai Stories

The wildest, strangest, unsettling tales of otherworldly transportation, magical summonings, and unusual reincarnations. 'Strange Isekai Stories' takes the usual 'isekai' fodder and tropes, and turns them completely upside down, twisting into dark, romantic, and sometimes hilarious tales for...

www.scribblehub.com

I hope you do too because that sounds awesome. Thank you for the discussion, and good luck in your writing.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I hope you do too because that sounds awesome. Thank you for the discussion, and good luck in your writing.

Thanks! I have in my folder about 20 short story ideas, from reincarnations to summonings. I'm a little nervous how some of them will be accepted, but I like the ideas so I'll run with them. The point is, I'm having fun. ?

 

[Elmir_Arch-Ham_of_Omega]

Personally, I'd love to see more stuff where the person going into the other world is something of a badass already.

"Welcome to your new world, what cheat power do you want?"
"None. I'm Batmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Would you say star wars is an isekai? It seems like every character is constantly grabbed from one planet or another to be dropped directly into a war on some other random planet.

Good question - if you go buy just the "a different world" thing, then yeah, I guess it would be (especially for those who turn out to be Force Sensitive but never knew it before they got dragged into the middle of things, like, oh, Luke).
But Star Wars is really a mongrel story - a Heroes Journey mixed with Cultivation, European fantasy, Wuxia martial arts and advanced technology. Oh, also has espionage and mob story elements to boot.

On that note, would you say our Vietnam war veterans got isekai'd into Vietnam, but also managed to find a way out? What about Afghanistan? They are in a sense, "completely different worlds" than the average American city. They are, as they say, "2nd" or "3rd world" countries.

By the strict definition of "a different world" any war story COULD be considered Isekai (unless you're from Detroit in the 1980s or Chicago in the Roaring 20s, or some parts of New York City, I guess), but by the common definition, as it generally involves either a fantasy world or a sudden, forced transition rather than having to go through boot camp and learn tons of stuff, 90% of which you'll have to throw away if you want to survive in the field (the other 10% is absolutely vital, though), and physically travel there.
If the soldiers were teleported there, even if on the same world geographically, you could make a very strong case for it being isekai. With the slow transport, though, probably not so much (unless you add fantasy elements as well - then you've definitely got an Isekai of some sort going on).

 

[hell_yeahMylike]

I started writing the script for this Isekai and fantasy story nine years ago. Back then, that format of Isekai wasn't very popular. I completed the entire storyline but haven't written it into a full novel until now. Currently, the Isekai genre is oversaturated in the market, and most entries tend to be low-quality and prioritize self-gratification over the genuine substance of the actual story.
However,
the advantage of this is that I can review current works and revise the script to make the characters as plausible as possible and create more compelling background events, including the overall plot points and the villains.

The actual script was only completed a few years ago, but I still lack experience in novel writing and frequently misuse words.

 

[CinnaSloth]

I started writing the script for this Isekai and fantasy story nine years ago. Back then, that format of Isekai wasn't very popular. I completed the entire storyline but haven't written it into a full novel until now. Currently, the Isekai genre is oversaturated in the market, and most entries tend to be low-quality and prioritize self-gratification over the genuine substance of the actual story.
However,
the advantage of this is that I can review current works and revise the script to make the characters as plausible as possible and create more compelling background events, including the overall plot points and the villains.

The actual script was only completed a few years ago, but I still lack experience in novel writing and frequently misuse words.

Learning, and mastering the skills necessary to do things well will always be a great thing to do, but don't get so caught into the specifics. Writing is a journey, you'll continue to grow, even when you think there's nothing left to learn. I hope, when you show the world your story, it shows, and receives, the same amount of love you put into it, and much more.
Goodluck.

 

[MFontana]

I'll probably get in trouble by asking this question, call it rage bait, or ignorance, or whatever, but in my personal opinion.. Isekai are dumb, the premise, not the story after, because..

Here's the question:
Why do you need to kill the boring MC just to bring them into another world to suddenly make them fun, and interesting with new abilities, and skills?
Why not just start there? Skip the "OH, I was a lame, stupid, useless accountant, and suddenly crossed a black cat that tripped me into traffic." prologue..
It's a story.. you can start with these powers, start with a good character, and start with whatever personality you want. What's the point?

It's dumb.
Change my mind.


Edit:
And to anyone who is writing or have written Isekai. I'm not talking about anyone specific. I don't hate your story, nor do I dislike the genre.
Like i said, The premise, not the story after, is what i think is dumb. The term Isekai as a genre is dumb, not the stories themselves.

Honestly, as someone writing in the genre, I did completely skip the stupid premise of "Truck-Kun". The Isekai (pulled into another world) premise is just something that I used as part of the setting/multiverse my stories all take place within as a way to say "Cross-Dimensional Travel" is possible, and it has its rules.

That is simply the "why" of my using the genre.
In one series (Duskfall - Not hosted here) the "How" is ingrained as part of the story's underlying mystery.

In Aethara; the character(s) doesn't know how it happened, so I skipped over it completely, and started the story in media res after the fact.

So it is certainly possible to do exactly that.
As for why others don't... well that's up to them to explain, however we are in agreement that the "dying first" part is, as a premise, rather foolish.

 

[CinnaSloth]

Honestly, as someone writing in the genre, I did completely skip the stupid premise of "Truck-Kun". The Isekai (pulled into another world) premise is just something that I used as part of the setting/multiverse my stories all take place within as a way to say "Cross-Dimensional Travel" is possible, and it has its rules.

That is simply the "why" of my using the genre.
In one series (Duskfall - Not hosted here) the "How" is ingrained as part of the story's underlying mystery.

In Aethara; the character(s) doesn't know how it happened, so I skipped over it completely, and started the story in media res after the fact.

So it is certainly possible to do exactly that.
As for why others don't... well that's up to them to explain, however we are in agreement that the "dying first" part is, as a premise, rather foolish.

To turn the isekai'ing part of the isekai into a mystery within the story, is absolutely genius. I applaud you for your imagination on the topic. incredible.
I look forward to checking out your story, simply for that reason alone. Good work!