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What do you think about projecting yourself onto characters in media?

DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
So whenever we consume media, I'm sure that most of us get invest in the series world and characters. As well, I've noticed that people have a tendency to relate to characters and this can result of people projecting themselves onto like their favorite characters. I was wondering, what do you all think of this process? Is it normal to do so? Do you think doing it is a cause of concern for someone as we know there are people who can get way too invested within series as a means of escapism
 
Finale Fireworker

Finale Fireworker

Love each other or die trying.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,710
United States
Personal relation is one of the most natural and strongest ways to connect with something. I think for a lot of people it's intuitive and automatic and a form of empathy. To see yourself in something else, and to connect with that person or thing on a personal level, can be a moving and meaningful experience.

I don't often "self-insert" where I imagine the main character is literally me. But I like media where I can identify traits, values, and experiences that feel comparable or relatable to my own. Even if that point of comparison can see really out there. I know it when I feel it, you know?

I have a lot of feelings playing God of War 2018, for example, because of my own relationship with my father. None of the things that happen in that story literally represent anything I've gone through, but the emotional under-current is present, and I project in to that relationship. I also really love the movie Brick, by Rian Johnson, and the way it portrays a heightened and dramatic story about high school kids and how that perfectly captures how I felt in high school. At that point in my life, I had never experienced anything more adult or stressful than that. So everything at that point felt really severe and scary and dramatic. The story in Brick is totally unlike anything that would ever actually happen in a high school, but I'm able to project myself in to it because I remember what it felt like to take things that seriously.

I think it just comes down to how you relate to the media you consume. I bet a lot of people do it without even thinking about it.
 
Laser Man

Laser Man

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,683
Not sure if you are talking about the calculated written traits of characters that make them sympathetic to us or something else?

If you write a character without those and also devoid of anything else that makes them interesting then you just have a boring character nobody cares for!
 
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DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
Finale Fireworker said:
Personal relation is one of the most natural and strongest ways to connect with something. I think for a lot of people it's intuitive and automatic and a form of empathy. To see yourself in something else, and to connect with that person or thing on a personal level, can be a moving and meaningful experience.

I don't often "self-insert" where I imagine the main character is literally me. But I like media where I can identify traits, values, and experiences that feel comparable or relatable to my own. Even if that point of comparison can see really out there. I know it when I feel it, you know?

I have a lot of feelings playing God of War 2018, for example, because of my own relationship with my father. None of the things that happen in that story literally represent anything I've gone through, but the emotional under-current is present, and I project in to that relationship. I also really love the movie Brick, by Rian Johnson, and the way it portrays a heightened and dramatic story about high school kids and how that perfectly captures how I felt in high school. At that point in my life, I had never experienced anything more adult or stressful than that. So everything at that point felt really severe and scary and dramatic. The story in Brick is totally unlike anything that would ever actually happen in a high school, but I'm able to project myself in to it because I remember what it felt like to take things that seriously.

I think it just comes down to how you relate to the media you consume. I bet a lot of people do it without even thinking about it.
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What is self inserting exactly?
 
Finale Fireworker

Finale Fireworker

Love each other or die trying.
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,710
United States
DragonSJG said:
What is self inserting exactly?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It's one of two things:
1) The main character is meant to represent literally you
2) The main character is under-developed on purpose as to not have any traits or qualities that could clash with the average reader

A lot of anime and video games have main characters like this, but I generally don't like them and don't take to them myself. Some media is made specifically to accommodate this for the viewer.
 
Dennis8K

Dennis8K

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,161
People always talk about "a character being relatable" which is funny to me because I never really relate or see myself as a specific character.

It just isn't a thing for me. I don't have to be a character in a story to find the story engaging and interesting.
 
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DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
Finale Fireworker said:
It's one of two things:
1) The main character is meant to represent literally you
2) The main character is under-developed on purpose as to not have any traits or qualities that could clash with the average reader

A lot of anime and video games have main characters like this, but I generally don't like them and don't take to them myself. Some media is made specifically to accommodate this for the viewer.
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Like what media?
And on the side, is self insert means like the viewer can totally imagine themselves as the MC when they are underdeveloped
second, how about finding complex characters with traits you can relate to or something, or like projecting part of yourself into them? I think you cited god of war as one
 
Moogle

Moogle

Top Mog
Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,768
I think it's normal to relate to characteristics or the situations they find themselves in, and for the most part shows empathy. Problem is when you get say, the people who think Walter White was a triumphant figure and justified in his crimes. I've had conversations with Breaking Bad fans back when it was airing who seemed like they couldn't get over their first impressions of him being this underdog dealt a less than ideal hand in life. They wilfully blinded themselves to all the needless suffering he was directly responsible for, even though the signs of him having anger issues, holding petty grudges, being manipulative, and hurting those close to him were there from the earliest episodes. That's when it crosses over into projection. The old "I relate to aspects of this character, so criticism of them reflects back on me, must defend" mentality.

Appreciating characters without the need to see yourself in them is also kinda underrated. I don't strongly relate to any of the characters in Persona 4, but it's still one of my favourite games.
 
VaanXSnake

VaanXSnake

Banned
Jul 18, 2018
2,099
Dennis8K said:
People always talk about "a character being relatable" which is funny to me because I never really relate or see myself as a specific character.

It just isn't a thing for me. I don't have to be a character in a story to find the story engaging and interesting.
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And you aren't supposed to, you can develop empathy for a character you really like but projectic ourselves into fictionnal characters is really weird and fucked up in my opinion.
 
Doctor_Thomas

Doctor_Thomas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,650
I think it's worth keeping the terms "self insert" and "relatable" as two separate things.

Self insert is where the character is a blank slate you can fit yourself into the role or, at least, picture yourself in that role
Relatable is where there's traits that ground the character and you can identify with them as a person, even if not yourself. They're usually the character that is "out of their depth" - they ask questions that the rest of the characters can answer (both to the relatable character and, by proxy, the audience)
 
Wackamole

Wackamole

Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,932
I think the relationship that some people have with celebs or characters is prrrretty fucking weird.
We don't have that level of celeb-idolization in our country.

But it's normal to develop some sort of empathy. In the end, it's made by humans for humans.
We can relate to them. Not entirely sure what you mean though.
 

Lothar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,527
Well in role playing games you're supposed to do that. Because they're role playing games. That's why there's so many silent protagonists. You're actually intended to do this.
 
Prax

Prax

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,755
It's normal to relate and feel connection to a character. And to even learn some wisdon-by-proxy through a character taking on challenges or thinking things through.

But some people go far off the edge thinking the characters are real people or "deserve" certain things in a way that tells me the person is unhealthily vicariously living through a character. Often losing their own identity through a character and experiencing existential agnst or emotional turmoil when things don't turn out the way they desire for themselves/their avatar.

Something similar happens to people who experience characters as their soulmate, bestfriend, or "child".

These are the same fans that tend to get really obsessed or nasty (to creators and other fans) about character arcs meant to introduce flaws or plot twists.
 
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wenis

wenis

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,105
I'd say it's fun and dumb, but we see what kind of toxic fandom can emerge from it and infect the rest of the community around a piece of media and eventually reflect upon the creators in both positive and negative lights.

Tread lightly, be your own person.
 
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DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
Doctor_Thomas said:
I think it's worth keeping the terms "self insert" and "relatable" as two separate things.

Self insert is where the character is a blank slate you can fit yourself into the role or, at least, picture yourself in that role
Relatable is where there's traits that ground the character and you can identify with them as a person, even if not yourself. They're usually the character that is "out of their depth" - they ask questions that the rest of the characters can answer (both to the relatable character and, by proxy, the audience)
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Is an OC the same as self insert? What do you mean by picture yourself in the role?
 
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DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
Wackamole said:
I think the relationship that some people have with celebs or characters is prrrretty fucking weird.
We don't have that level of celeb-idolization in our country.

But it's normal to develop some sort of empathy. In the end, it's made by humans for humans.
We can relate to them. Not entirely sure what you mean though.
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Yeah celeb worship is weird as hell

And projecting is a strong word. I wasn't thinking like feeling you are exactly the character, just relating to them or something
 
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Doctor_Thomas

Doctor_Thomas

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,650
DragonSJG said:
Is an OC the same as self insert? What do you mean by picture yourself in the role?
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OC is usually adding yourself to a role, self insert tends to be more about becoming the blank slate protagonist.

When I say picturing yourself in the role, generally it's giving you the scope to become the hero. It's "you" because the character is so generic anyone can apply themselves to it.
 
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DragonSJG

DragonSJG

Banned
Mar 4, 2019
14,338
Doctor_Thomas said:
OC is usually adding yourself to a role, self insert tends to be more about becoming the blank slate protagonist.

When I say picturing yourself in the role, generally it's giving you the scope to become the hero. It's "you" because the character is so generic anyone can apply themselves to it.
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Huh, so an OC is a self insert with a different role then?
But not every OC is based on the creator,
and what's the point of OC's anyway?
 
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