How long before isekaization?

[Iloveshovels]

I just threw planet earth into the shadow dimension

 

[CarburetorThompson]

This is also a big problem with gender bender stories. The longer you take to get to the gender bender part, the more depth you can give it, contrast you can add, impact to reflect on. Consequently the longer you take to get to the gender bender part, the more gender bender fans you lose and give up on the story.

Generally I prefer instant isekais, but I also usually prefer non isekai anyways. The only time a longer intro seems valid is if it’s an isekai story where the pre isekai elements remain important to the story, like Wortenia Senki if you’ve read it

 

[beast_regards]

If you focus on the protagonist's life before the isekai for a notable period of time you either aim to:

A) Establish what the life before being transmigrated was with friends, and family, and coworkers or classmates, and so on.
B) Establish the protagonist relevant proficiencies
C) Establish how the whole transmigration process works
D) All of the above

I suspect at least one is true, isn't it?

Problem is:

A) The dull and endless day of work or school is what the audience wants to escape from. Entire escapism venue is ruined. The family to return to, the life to return to, the wife, children, friends. There is an only way for the story to progress, and that's trying to get back. Even if it fails, it will constantly distract from the shiny and new of the otherworld. Alternatively, a new otherworld would just seem like the pointless torture porn if it is any worse than the previous, making the escapism seeking audience even more depressed. Petty rivalry between classmates and colleagues makes the escape venue just even more tiresome.

B) The desperate attempt to create the protagonist's competence for the wild fantasy world would also create the "genius!engineer!marine!delta force!commando!martial artist!protagonist" which would be either ridiculous, or, if slightly more realistic, burden the story with the real world politics and issues. Now you have rivals because of politics. They might not be petty (though it depends) but they are certainly not fun.

C) A well-established transmigration process means it could be and will be reversed. The escapism would be completely invalidated, world would be the dream to teach the protagonist (and audience) a lesson they didn't want. In best case scenario, it would just alienate them, turning the entire story into the allegory like Narnia, or it would be some variation in the "genie wish logic". In worse case scenario, if mixed with B, would just allow for the real-world issues to bleed over, making it less fantastical...

Considering you mention "isekaiizer" implying the device I suspect you go for the Narnia route ...

Lion Jesus rewards you for your services to send you back to being a starving child in the middle of the Nazi bombing raid.

That...is an option, yes.

What is your target audience for that? On the Scribble Hub?

There are, of course, alternatives, but I don't read you as the GATE fan. But who knows...

 

[Pyrrhic]

Generally, sooner is better. While it's usually better to establish what kind of person is getting iseakied, that shouldn't take more than one chapter. If there are other relevant factors you can write more, but remember that pre-isekai is essentially prologue. Also, you can use flashbacks later if necessary, particularly if it will be some time before the previous world/life becomes relevant.

 

[TaciturnHuman]

Preferably after the epilogue

 

[Elmir_Arch-Ham_of_Omega]

Nobody needs more than one chapter of misery porn to know the MC needs a reboot on his life. That can be done in flashbacks.

 

[laccoff_mawning]

If the pre-isekai part of the story is explaining how your MC is overworked in a company and gets run over by a truck because he's tired, I'd say skip. It adds nothing to the story so it's not needed.

If you choose to write a pre-isekai, it would need to be relevent to the story. What that looks like would depend on the genre of the story.

If you choose not to write a pre-isekai, you can always drip feed any relevent pre-isekai information throughout the course of the novel.

 

[Shiriru_B]

I just want sufficient build up as long as it isn't cliche

 

[Valmond]

I just want sufficient build up as long as it isn't cliche

But the cliche is the sticker.

 

[Daydreamers]

One chapter max. If you care about your readers, most are impatient, even if the character’s real life before being isekai’d is important no one would trust it to matter The focus will be on when the isekai part happens, so why bother
Reveal the past slowly

 

[Thraben]

I don't care, as long as the protagonist has enough attachment to the original world that it actually matters to his characterization aside from checking a box and giving him cheats.

 

[Shiriru_B]

But the cliche is the sticker.

But I've read so many cliches at this point that I get psychic damage from reading them

 

[Valmond]

But I've read so many cliches at this point that I get psychic damage from reading them

Is it a critical hit?

 

[Shiriru_B]

Is it a critical hit?

only when I read cultivation novels, then it's sure fire critical hit

 

[Golden_Hyde]

Not exactly my preference, but you should read Mishima Yomu's works, particularly MobuSeka and Evil Lord. Both isekai-zation was quite instant (as in one chapter only) but there are motives of the protagonist that will do something within that world he transmigrated.

For reference, MobuSeka is just about the protagonist changing the course of the otome game he was reincarnated into, while Evil Lord is about distrust and misunderstanding.