what's your poison in a second person POV

[LesserKing]

I've noticed that second person (written in the "YOU" point of view) is incredibly niche and often only found in guides or "choose your own adventure" fiction.
My dumbass actually took on the chore of writing in this style so I wanted to get some opinions on how you would like such a precise dish to be served.

I understand that it's near impossible to connect YOU and the main character as one in the same, unless I were to phyically remove your brain and then copy and paste it into the protagonist of the story and see how it plays out (which would be a recipe for disaster no offense *wink wink*) so I'm more curious in knowing what your relationship is to the protagonist and also what this protagonist is like.

Are they a complete self-insert puppet that you control?

Are they someone with distinct emotions but have no control over your deciding choice of action? (you can make or ruin their life)

Or do they start off as self-insert but begin to develop a personality befitting of the choices you make?

 

[♍VoidTraveler]

what your relationship is to the protagonist

In my case the protagonist is my avatar.
I'd say that half of me becomes them, and the other half always remains myself. 50/50

For example:
*If the protag is a mage/demon king/god/etc, then i will assume that role and play it out while also being myself at the same time.
*I will make decisions that will make sense for the avatar to make, but also make sense for me to make.
*Kind of like having 2 brains in one body, i guess?

So in your poll for me it would be the first and the last choice, both of them. Sadly i can't pick both in your poll.

 

[baloneysammich]

I agree with ♍VoidTraveler

Wait... what did I just say?!?

 

[Cosy Creator]

I'm doing the same thing, though I'm new too so I don't know if I can really offer any advice. My approach is to treat my VN more like a novel than a game, which I realise isn't for everyone, but it allows me to try and make the MC's personality consistent without compromising for player choice, and as long as his motivations are well explained/obvious I think it works even if he isn't a blank self insert. People don't seem to have trouble relating to regular MCs in novels after all, even when they have distinct personalities.

 

[ZephyrCloack]

I've noticed that second person (written in the "YOU" point of view) is incredibly niche and often only found in guides or "choose your own adventure" fiction.
My dumbass actually took on the chore of writing in this style so I wanted to get some opinions on how you would like such a precise dish to be served.

Well it varies, though the best experiences i've had that come to mind, have been in similar RPG like games where we personalize our MC maybe they have amnesia and from there on we control them finding out stuff and making choices as we move along the story (just an example setting).

I understand that it's near impossible to connect YOU and the main character as one in the same, unless I were to phyically remove your brain and then copy and paste it into the protagonist of the story and see how it plays out (which would be a recipe for disaster no offense *wink wink*) so I'm more curious in knowing what your relationship is to the protagonist and also what this protagonist is like.

I tend to be highly adaptive to whatever scene/s portrayed, so as long as you captivate my interest i will enjoy it regardless if MC is an user Avatar, another entity to who i might serve as a conscious of some sort or just a ghostly witness to the story.

Are they a complete self-insert puppet that you control?

Are they someone with distinct emotions but have no control over your deciding choice of action? (you can make or ruin their life)

Or do they start off as self-insert but begin to develop a personality befitting of the choices you make?

My answer to your questions resumes itself to, depends completely on the project narrative.

Though some implementations that strive to allow user to self-insert end up being your 3rd mentioned scenario or pseudo form of it, sometimes due to lack of choice diversity and suitable personality behavior to portray MC choices, other times setting issues or lack of situational description making the experience less relatable hence breaking the immersion.

I have no clue to what scenario you might be exploring, i might not have a preference of any since as long as it's a sound experience i tend to enjoy it.

 

[desmosome]

Although the reader can decide however they want to read it, the narrative POVs have natural slants that fit a particular style.

• Third person - Best fit for omniscient observer/manipulator of the story.
• Second person - Best fit for self-inserting. Can also work for role playing.
• First person - Can work for roleplaying, self inserting, or even observer POV. It's the most versatile, imo.

A related topic would be internal monologue vs narration. If you want the players to self-insert or roleplay, it's better to refrain from excessive internal monologues.

1. 'Oh my god, her ass is hypnotizing. All that yoga seems to be paying off. Shit, I shouldn't be thinking about her this way. She's my mom!'
2. The ass swaying in front of (you/me) is hypnotizing. Her erotic body that's been toned by years of yoga is hard to ignore. A familiar voice finally snaps (you/me) out of the inappropriate trance.

Internal monologues are telling you exactly what the MC is thinking. Narration can suggests the state of mind, but the readers fill in the details themselves.

In fact, internal monologues are way overused in these porn VNs. I don't have anything against the style in principle, but it's essentially being used as a crutch in writing. It's much easier to get your point across if you tell the readers exactly what the characters are thinking, but that takes away from reader engagement. People like to figure things out as they read/watch something. It's like the most basic principle of storytelling.

 

[khumak]

I always self insert if the main character is male, even if their personality is nothing like my own in real life. I imagine what I would do if I was that character instead of myself. If the game is set up so that the choices are never something I would remotely consider doing then I will lose the immersion and have to just think of myself as a puppet master though. For instance if the main character is either a complete psychopath or an absolute doormat. I can't imagine myself in either of those scenarios. Usually the main character is not portrayed as that extreme though.