Install the app
How to install the app on iOS

Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.

Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.

Character × yourself. Does this genre exist in your country too?

yumachan

New member
乙女
Jan 15, 2025
24
48
I'm not fluent in English so I use Google Translate.
Please forgive any small mistakes.


In my country, in the female-oriented genre, there is a coupling of a character × yourself.
yourself = original character based on self-projection.
(or character × original character.)

↑The above characters apply to characters from various works.
*Fan-made works (doujin).

Does this genre exist in your country too?
If so, please tell me how it's written or called in your country.

In my country, this genre is called "yume".
The most common way to write it is "(abbreviation of the title) yume."
↑"(abbreviation of the title) 夢"

Posts on X are often tagged with "(abbreviation of the title in English) plus."
↑"(abbreviation of the title in English) プラス"
Character names are written as English abbreviations or one kanji character or emojis related to the characters.


【Example】
This is all fan fiction. Please search at your own risk.
You must give the following reaction to unlock: Like Love Haha Wow
*The "yume" genre doesn't exist much in otome games.


Unfortunately, I cannot answer the question,
"What keywords should I use when searching for each work or character?"
(I'm not the type to read trendy manga or a lot of manga.)
 
Last edited:
It is also called 'Yume' or, sometimes we call it 'yumeship'. Its common in some fandoms but sometimes is seen in a negative light as they dont like what it could mean to the story.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
I'm not well-versed but I think it's commonly called selfship in the English-speaking sphere. Nowadays I do see yume(ship) used more often though 🤔
 
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
The genre itself is pretty much non-existent in my country if we're talking about things that aren't fanfiction.

The only thing we had back in the day was the localized and fan translated versions of My Candy Love, Re:Alistair and to an extent Starry Sky-- but because even nowadays people tend to have a negative view of self-inserts/yume/self-shipping, nearly everyone ships the heroine as a separate character from the player with the love interests, at least in public. There's also people who do "self-shipping" (or, as a comment already said, "yumeshipping") but not actually with themselves, they use original characters that either have some of their personal traits or are separate characters altogether.

I personally am very much a yume/self-insert player who believes otome game heroine = player first and foremost, and that's the whole reason why I started playing otome games.

When it comes to fanfiction, we call them "reader insert" or "x reader". There are some that never mention any placeholder for the name (the popular fanfiction websites don't have any type of name changing function like japanese ones do if I recall correctly), but many use a variation of "Y/N" (standing for Your/Name) or plainly "(Name)".

In hispanic fanfiction spaces we also have "______" just a blank slate of underlines lol and in the past I think people used to name their works as "(personaje) y tú", though because, again, self-inserts are generally seen in a bad light or as cringey jokes, as well as (in my opinion) some language conventions that make it awkward to talk about our impressions of stories while referring to the main character in first person as "I" or "Me", as well as authors having a tendency to give detailed descriptions of the character instead of leaving it vague, a lot of people talk about the reader insert characters in third person like a separate character. There was a meme trend kinda recently about the "Y/N" character and her "CEO boyfriend" too lmao.

There are a few that claim to be reader inserts but give the reader character a name, which... is just an oc invading the tags, but that's a separate issue altogether lmao. But yes, I think that's about it when it comes to character x you in the spaces I frequent.
 
I've never heard the term "yume" before; I don't think it exists where I live. The closest I ever came to that was when I was a pre-teen and used to read Wattpad fanfics with Y/N lol does that count?
 
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
There are a lot of kind people on this message board.
Thank you everyone for letting me know.

Based on everyone's advice that there are negative views,
I changed the "example" to "hidden" as a reasonable consideration.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be considerate.

It's a minor genre, but I'd be happy if I could share information with people who like it.
I hope this information reaches people who like this niche genre.

*I'm not fluent in English so I use Google Translate.


>>blackflag
It's called "Yumefune".
thank you for teaching me.


>>noch
It's called "selfship".
thank you for teaching me.


>>orionsbestie
Thank you orionsbestie for the detailed explanation.
It must have taken you a long time to write this much.
orionsbestie opinions are full of things I didn't know, and I'm learning a lot from them.


>>Leviathan_01
I'm sorry. I couldn't translate the "Wattpad fanfics" part of your comment properly.
I'll answer based on the general meaning.
I think "Y/N" will be counted.


I would like to once again express my gratitude to all of you for your kindness.
 
yume is pretty common in the spaces i'm in, in my country! i've seen a lot of my friends and other people commissioning artworks as well as getting custom-made stuff such as plushies that match the style of the official merch, and they also dress up to match the characters styles! it looks like so much fun and i've been wanting to dip my toes into the whole yume thing, but i'm a bit intimidated and don't know where to start!
 
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
>>miomiokie
Welcome to the world of "yume"! I'm so happy to meet you!
"yume" has novels, comics, and illustrations. I hope you find your favorite author.
I'm sure you'll become hooked.Have a wonderful time with the person you love.
 
  • Love
Reactions: miomiokie
It exits in my country but it's not common, like if you were to go tell someone that you yume they'd probably look at you weirdly, or they'd just look at you confused lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
Yume has been adapted and now it's used the same way in English. In Chinese they are called 夢女. If u used Chinese apps like Xhs u can see them all over the place. It's common for Chinese and Westerner Yume's to commission art of their OC's and LIs. I heard this is kind of a no-no in Japan.
I didn't realize that プラスIs related to this as well.

英語圏でも「Yume」という言葉が同じような意味で使われるようになっています。中国語圏では「夢女」と呼ばれていて、小紅書(RED)とかのSNSでよく見かけます。海外の夢界隈では夢絵を依頼するのは一般的ですが、日本ではマナー的にあまり良くないと聞いたことがあります。
SNSでよく見るプラスも、こういうと関係があったんですね!教えてくれてありがとうございます!
 
Last edited:
I'm having trouble translating otaku terminology,
so there might be some offensive expressions.
I certainly don't mean to be rude to you.
I want to show respect and become friends.


>>amonholic
In my country, it's rare to come out to real-life friends about liking "yume."
It's more common to come out in social media communities.

I also enjoy BL. "Yume" eems to be treated as a more delicate hobby than BL.
While "yume" is a popular genre in Japan,
it tends to be enjoyed in a more secluded way.
BL is a hobby you can share with others and support couples in,
but "yume" feels more like a hobby enjoyed individually.

There are also Comic Market events, meetups,
and cosplay events specifically for "yume".
Interactions on social media can lead to participation
in these events and even develop into real-life friendships.


>>woodypei
The term "夢女" is sometimes used in Japan.
In Japan, "夢女" doesn't refer to the genre of "yume".
It's used when someone's hobby is "yume."
Example: I am a "夢女."

As you pointed out,
it is considered bad manners to ask an artist
who is not accepting requests to create a piece for you.
Some artists accept requests,
and there is interaction between artists
where they draw each other's Yume characters.

I'm glad I could share the information about "●● Plus" with you!
This tag can be used for illustrations, short stories, and comics,
but images showing message exchanges with characters are also popular.
If you have the chance, try using this tag to find your favorite works.

Thank you for including the Japanese translation.
I really appreciate your thoughtfulness.


It's so much fun sharing information with everyone.
I'm really glad I started this thread.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, it might be a cultural thing. My country is pretty open about stuff like char x oc ship ><. I'm in a char x oc sharing group, and it's honestly really cute seeing everyone talk about theirs ships. There's no official term for it in my country but me and my friends just call it "chả ốc" (based on "char x oc")
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: yumachan
>>Norland
Thank you Norland for the helpful information.
I'll look up "chả ốc" in my favorite artwork.
If you'd like, please use the tags I mentioned to find your own favorite artwork.
I would be happy if I could give you a wonderful time.
*I'm not fluent in English so I use Google Translate.
 
No it doesn't exist in my country and even otome games don't , it's so difficult to find someone to talk to about them
 
In my country called "yume". Ofc I'm a yumejoshi, and I also have a yume account on Twitter.
 
>>Watera
Thank you for your comment.

>>Elviolent
Thank you for your comment.
X is great because you can encounter wonderful "yume" works.
I view some kind of "yume" every day.
 
Since you said 'Y/N' counts, it does exist in my country for a long time already, but I don't think we have a name for it. My country is pretty famous in tw*tter for creating many AUs (alternate universe fanfictions) which include the 'character x reader' ones. On another note, plenty of people also started 'yumeshipping' here recently! I've seen some friends making yume fanarts^^
 
I grew up noticing fan works with OCs that seemed too close to the authors. This gradually just became people making x reader fics instead of making self-insert OCs. I think they've always existed but it's become more acceptable to speak about it and actually say that you ship yourself with a character. I remember just the existence of OCs would make people upset so it's not surprising some people hate x reader fics (I personally don't agree, I think they're fine).
 
Sadly, "yume" would be considered to be "mentally ill" people that need to be treated ASAP (as a danger to society by majority of people) where I live. If there's any you'd never know about them. Same with self-inserts. It's sad.