Would you be interested in this idea?

[Nim]

I've been tossing an idea in my head over and over, and while I might end up writing it for fun, I thought I'd ask here -

Would you be interested in an Isekai story where the Isekai'd character is not the main focus of a story?
And along with it, would you be interested in a story where it takes place in a single place, via conversations between the main characters?

It'd be a challenge to write a story with both (And still make it compelling the whole way through), but I still wondered what people thought of the ideas.

[Fafnir]

some of my favorite stories takes place in one small location. However, this is hard to pull off. And the ones I can think of are all horror.
So with the premise you've got it might make a good horror. Like, a character gets isekaid, but is trapped with other people awaiting some terrible fate, or theres a monster, or something. I dunno.
You gotta be really good at dialogue tho.

[Nim]

I really was not thinking of horror. Never been a fan. And I've been told by friends that dialogue is often my strong suit in my writing, that's why I was thinking of this.

I was more thinking towards that one character (the Isekai'd character) owns the place and has a history, while the main character visits the place, and through sharing stories between the two, both would experience growth and explore each other's histories.

[darthmongoose]

Would you be interested in an Isekai story where the Isekai'd character is not the main focus of a story? And along with it, would you be interested in a story where it takes place in a single place, via conversations between the main characters?

A story about characters in a world dealing with this strange outsider or suddenly one of their friends seeming to have a complete personality change like they've been replaced with somebody else does sound like an interesting concept, yes!

A story that all takes place in one location is interesting and probably a big challenge to write, but there's no reason it couldn't work. I almost feel like looking at scripts and plays would be good inspiration. Death of a Salesman and Encanto are good examples of works where the whole story is very constrained in location. Murder Mystery stories like Agatha Christie novels are often very tight too.

[CommissarTarkin]

Might be an interesting idea if the whole Isekai premise actually has some effects on the world apart from just the Isekai'd character. For example, the main character might be investigating the source of strange new inventions or ideas, which leads them to the Isekai'd character who then tells them the story of how they got there.
The obvious problem here is that the main character's story works better as a framing device for the Isekai story, rather than standing on its own...

[arxianfall]

Honestly no. I can see where this goes and can picture a number of approaches, From word of mouth stories to a cleanup crew for the isekai hero and none seem interesting unless the world is pretty much amazing and you want to stay in that world instead of chasing the virgin harem enthusiast.

[redfish]

if the isekaid character isn't the main focus, does it even have to be an isekai? It can just be a fantasy story, right? About the people who actually live in that world?

Isekai market seems to still be going strong if you want a swing at it and will enjoy it. Make sure it's something you'll have fun with!

[Nim]

Honestly no. I can see where this goes and can picture a number of approaches, From word of mouth stories to a cleanup crew for the isekai hero and none seem interesting unless the world is pretty much amazing and you want to stay in that world instead of chasing the virgin harem enthusiast.

Actually going far from having a 'harem' or 'hero' Isekai. World doesn't need saving or anything of the sort, and I've never been a big fan of the harem bit anyway. Plus I want to keep the story focused on the two characters and their interactions, maybe one or two other characters at most. Meant to be about the two character interactions, and the world/s explored through them.

if the isekaid character isn't the main focus, does it even have to be an isekai? It can just be a fantasy story, right? About the people who actually live in that world?

Well, the Isekai part is meant to be more of the backstory of the character, so I suppose it is first Fantasy, with a touch of Isekai? Not entirely sure.

Might be an interesting idea if the whole Isekai premise actually has some effects on the world apart from just the Isekai'd character. For example, the main character might be investigating the source of strange new inventions or ideas, which leads them to the Isekai'd character who then tells them the story of how they got there. The obvious problem here is that the main character's story works better as a framing device for the Isekai story, rather than standing on its own...

Yeah, and also not quite what I was thinking of. Still sounds like a story that ends up expanding further than a single place. Though definitely feels like it could be fun as a concept!

A story about characters in a world dealing with this strange outsider or suddenly one of their friends seeming to have a complete personality change like they've been replaced with somebody else does sound like an interesting concept, yes!

A story that all takes place in one location is interesting and probably a big challenge to write, but there's no reason it couldn't work. I almost feel like looking at scripts and plays would be good inspiration. Death of a Salesman and Encanto are good examples of works where the whole story is very constrained in location. Murder Mystery stories like Agatha Christie novels are often very tight too.

Well, I definitely wasn't thinking about those two ideas for the story in regards to the Isekai'd character. Don't think I've ever seen any Isekai where a character ended up taking over the body of someone else to be frank :o
And there was numerous examples for stories that take place in a single spot, yeah. This was more of a 'would people still be interested in stories like that'

[darthmongoose]

Don't think I've ever seen any Isekai where a character ended up taking over the body of someone else to be frank :o

It's actually a really popular subgenre in webnovels and webcomics, particularly ones aimed at a female audience where the protagonist is reborn as the villainess in a novel they've read (even in one case, Cinderella's stepmother).

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Short answer: YES

Long answer: I'm actually currently writing 2 different stories with this premise. ^^

In the first one, the 'isekai' is actually just a simulation meant for humans to experience as entertainment (basically, a virtual reality). Some of its inhabitants realize this and want out, so they enlist the help of a human to change it. This isekai'd character is a major player in the plot, but she's really just a supporting character; the focus stays on the virtual beings.

In the second story, the 'isekai' is a similar kind of simulation, although those of its inhabitants who DO know they are fake accept this as normal. Certain inhabitants can control and modify the lives of others as 'stories', and the 'isekai'd' character enters the world to ask the MC to make her into a story. In a way, this is almost meta-isekai. XD
So anyway, yeah, she's a little closer to being a main character, but still plays second fiddle to the real MC. She's only present for the middle 2/3rds of the story.

In conclusion, I think it's a very interesting idea, with the potential for lots of different creative takes. ^^ Hopefully more creative than the ones I presented.

And along with it, would you be interested in a story where it takes place in a single place, via conversations between the main characters?

...You're right, this would be a challenge. P: But if someone could write it well enough, I would definitely read it. I love good convos; I think lots of authors could benefit from putting their focus on quality dialogue.

[Withe_Reaper]

I think the idea is capable of being

[system]

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