self-insert

English

Etymology

self- +‎ insert

Noun

self-insert (plural self-inserts)

1. (fandom slang) A character in a story who represents the author's own person.
   • 2018 July 13, Kate Gardner, “HBO Greenlights a New Joss Whedon Show, Critics Immediately Groan”, in The Mary Sue‎^[1]:

     [Joss Whedon] loves sexualizing her, like […] making her fall for his self-insert Bruce Banner.

2. (fandom slang) A character in a story who the reader/viewer is meant to identify with.
   • 2015 October 7, Lynzee Loveridge, “The Fall 2015 Anime Preview Guide: Dance with Devils”, in Anime News Network‎^[2]:

     The female character has to be likable. She's a self-insert for the female viewers so she probably won't be unique, but watching her interact with other characters can't be frustrating.

Verb

self-insert (third-person singular simple present self-inserts, present participle self-inserting, simple past and past participle self-inserted)

1. To insert oneself.
   • 2000, Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space:

     For centuries, the commonest forms of implant had either been grown in situ or were designed to self-insert painlessly via existing orifices […]

2. To insert something into one's own body.
   • 2018 October 5, Arielle Pardes, “The Speculum Finally Gets a Modern Redesign”, in Wired‎^[3]:

     In Oregon, a group called Ceek Women's Health has begun clinical trials for a series of new devices—including […] a speculum that patients can self-insert.

3. (fandom slang) To insert one's own person into a story as a character.
   • 2017 June 1, Beth Elderkin, “This Creepy Powerpuff Girls Theory Isn't True, Thank God”, in Gizmodo‎^[4]:

     The character looks like Goldman and is voiced by him, so critics said he was self-inserting himself into a romantic situation with an underage character.