[SI Quest Interest Survey] Reincarnated as what?

[sunandshadow]

For a quest where the main character is modern human reincarnated into a different world and a non-human body, what would you prefer to be reincarnated into? Vote for all the ones you like. Feel free to post explaining any conditions you'd have. (I'd only enjoy being an X if Y) If you especially want to see two things combined (a cannibal murderhobo digimon!) please say so. For "cannibal" I am using this to mean eating beings smart enough to talk, might not literally be humans.

Also, I am amazed that "reincarnation self insert" is a tag, that's awesome.

 

[ILurk]

lol, playing as a mail-order robot waifu would be hilarious.

 

[Morphic Tide]

A nonhuman shapeshifter like a slime
A cannibal murderhobo who gets stronger by eating slain opponents
A weak young manourished child with an ability that allows munchkining by grinding/training

Yes, all three, at once. It's a Primal Zerg! The Shapeshifting is potentially voluntary, but more likely just taking useful traits from things eaten. Granted, given a few lore details, doing something like eating a dozen of a creature to end up looking like a meaner, greener version of that creature is likely doable.

 

[sunandshadow]

Hmm, so far "pet monster who must choose a human partner" is the least popular option, that surprises me. I'd love to hear what people don't like about this option, since I've in the past encountered a fair amount of enthusiasm about being a dragon, at least. I'm seeing the human partner as either a waifu/husbando or a nakama, and I've also seen people get enthusiastic about courting or recruiting these 2 types of characters in quests. What's subtly different about this version that makes it less appealing?

 

[Pridakarbiter]

Hmm, so far "pet monster who must choose a human partner" is the least popular option, that surprises me. I'd love to hear what people don't like about this option, since I've in the past encountered a fair amount of enthusiasm about being a dragon, at least. I'm seeing the human partner as either a waifu/husbando or a nakama, and I've also seen people get enthusiastic about courting or recruiting these 2 types of characters in quests. What's subtly different about this version that makes it less appealing?

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I think what makes it unappealing is the wording of "must" in the choice. I think people don't want anything that removes a measure of free will. As you mentioned people here love being dragons but they most certainly don't want to be held back by 'needing' to select a human partner. Furthermore, the wording almost seems to imply that if you did not choose a human partner your actions would be significantly restricted.

To be fair I actually don't know much about Pokemon and Digimon but it seems from what I've gathered these choices are entirely or significantly subservant to a human master. It removes free agency.

 

[sunandshadow]

I think what makes it unappealing is the wording of "must" in the choice. I think people don't want anything that removes a measure of free will. As you mentioned people here love being dragons but they most certainly don't want to be held back by 'needing' to select a human partner. Furthermore, the wording almost seems to imply that if you did not choose a human partner your actions would be significantly restricted.

To be fair I actually don't know much about Pokemon and Digimon but it seems from what I've gathered these choices are entirely or significantly subservient to a human master. It removes free agency.

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Thanks for the explanation. Normally I would think that the initial incidents or set-ups of stories are often about limiting the main character's options or otherwise putting pressure on them, which limits their agency as a side affect. Personally I like stories where the main character starts as a captive, or as a military cadet being bossed around by a drill sergeant, or as a member of a society that generally pressures its members into stereotypical roles, etc. But I can also see why this could be undesirable after the story gets going, particularly in a quest as opposed to a plain story.

It's interesting that now being a spaceship or mecha is winning the poll, since I would have thought those were pretty close mechanical substitutes for being a dragon or other partner creature. I wonder if people are thinking the poll choice means Kancolle ship girls, because it really doesn't.

 

[Krazyfan1]

To be fair I actually don't know much about Pokemon and Digimon but it seems from what I've gathered these choices are entirely or significantly subservant to a human master. It removes free agency.

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Plus its like, the Trainer can think of things while the Pokemon thinks of other things, strategies, having multiple eyes on the fight, perspectives, e.t.c

and in that case, as an SI, Tossed into a pokemon body and tossed in a random verse. presumably as

Spoiler

a Ghostly florikinetic owl Archer with unlimited homing trick arrows
...maybe with the ability to, after living as that pokemon for a while, gain the ability to resurrect as another randomized non-overpowered pokemon, before having to wait until it unlocks again

 

[sunandshadow]

So, at this point Mecha/spaceship is winning, slime/shapeshifter is second, then there's a tie between pet monster (even though it was in last place before) and academy student. So let's see, is it possible to combine any of these...?

A mechanical organism that was a shapeshifter would basically be a transformer. Or a nanobot/replicator swarm, but I'm not a big fan of those. But a mecha/spaceship implies a science fiction setting, while a slime/shapeshifter implies a fantasy setting, and a completely different kind of adventures. So combining the two might lose the appealing factors of either or both.

Combining either of the first two with pet monster would be easy, it just requires a reason that the mechas/spaceships/slimes/shapeshifters/whatever are expected to partner with humans.

A school setting would also combine easily - a being which is expected to partner with humans might reasonably be expected to attend an academy parallel to the academy where human cadets are being trained, or after partnering up they might be expected to attend mixed classes.

 

[Krazyfan1]

a reason for the partnership?
symbiosis?

 

[sunandshadow]

a reason for the partnership?
symbiosis?

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Well, specifically what would the weakness or lacking area of the shapeshifter/dragon/whatever be that the human partners would be strong in? As the viewpoint character, they can't be dumb. As a being that can upgrade themselves they are unlikely to be lacking in defense, offense, or speed/agility compared to a human. I was asking a similar question in the HFY thread and one reasonable suggestion is that only humans have magic, while another possibility was that human biology and metabolism, being completely different from these other creatures' physiology, might be faster or otherwise have some advantages that could be borrowed by a symbiote. Also, the 'humans' don't have to be literally human, and the world doesn't have to be the real world, so they might have some other awesome property unique to their species or world; for example if they live inside some internet-like world, the might have a hacker ability that the symbiote creatures don't.

 

[Krazyfan1]

hmm...
The Humans have a separate viewpoint, and may notice/think of things/plans of action the shapeshifters don't?
Perhaps, that all happened ages ago, and as the shapeshifters learned, and grew, the schooling thing turned into basically tradition, or something like that?
like, to show how both species came together and learnt new things and grew?
they don;t really NEED the humans now, as they have gained what the humans had, but they like them, and the humans like them back (plus shapeshifters are hella useful) so things continue onward like this?
their way of life was made possible by this symbiosis, so they honour it with the school?
shapeshifter children and human children learning together, gaining skills and stuff?

 

[Random832]

I think people don't want anything that removes a measure of free will.

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Humans must eat food, must breathe air, must drink water.