How to make a webtoon like Omniscient Reader
I had seen Omniscient Reader a few times on webtoon, but only recently decided to read it. By the time I got to chapter three of the webtoon, I was seriously hooked. I couldn’t let go of my phone, although I had work to finish. This made me wonder, what is it about Omniscient Reader that makes it such a great webtoon? And how could someone make a webtoon like Omniscient Reader?
Expectations
A set of expectations are created when readers read a webtoon. These expectations are made as a result of subconscious and conscious factors. One example is the expectations created when reading a romance webtoon. Readers would of course expect to see two characters fall in love. Readers might also expect the second male lead to be intoxicated with the female lead, depending on the story.
On a smaller scale, when readers see a character walking through a dark road alone, the expectation is that they will be attacked or a jump scare will appear.
There are two types of expectations; manufactured and natural. I go through these two types in my blog - How to make a webtoon like The Remarried Empress. But to quickly explain: The experiences and culture of the readers create natural expectations within them. The hints and information a webtoon creator puts in their webtoon create manufactured expectations. Expectations that are manufactured would not exist if not for the storyteller. Both expectations are utilised in the webtoon Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint to invoke certain emotions in readers.
Omniscient Reader either breaks these expectations or goes beyond what readers expected.
Know what your readers want to see
There are expectations and events which readers look forward to seeing in a webtoon. These can be exceeded or broken like the usual expectations. Webtoon creators should know these events to keep readers reading for longer. In Omniscient Reader these are small but numerous. For example, when Han Myungoh abandoned Dokja on the bridge. Readers look forward to Han Myungoh’s reaction when he sees Dokja alive again. This is an example of a natural expectation because readers generally enjoy revenge in stories.
Another example is when Dokja completes the first scenario and wants to get away from the train before “He” appears. “He” is Yoo Joonghyuk, the protagonist of 'Three ways to Survive the Apocalypse'. Dokja set up manufactured expectations through his description, comments, and reaction towards Joonghyuk. Readers become curious and concerned because Dokja is worried about Joonghyuk getting closer. They want to see who this person could be and know why Dokja fears him.
Breaking expectations
Readers must be given enough information in order to manufacture expectations.
In the previous example, the creator manipulates information. Readers are given only what the creator wants them to know. In Omniscient Reader, the information given is normally opposite to what we see. For example, Dokja describes the Dokkaebi as terrifying and sadistic in the first chapters. However, the Dokkaebi looks as cute as a teddy when it first appears. Reader’s expectations are broken. They only discover the truth later on as the monster starts killing characters.
Returning to our first introduction with Yoo Joonghyuk, readers would not have expected him to let Dokja fall off the bridge. Although Dokja described how horrible he is, murder is not a natural expectation. This is especially true because he is the protagonist who Dokja looked up to.
This natural expectation was broken because Yoo Joonghyuk did the opposite of what a normal person would.
Quick tip -
Manufactured expectations are broken when what is said doesn’t align with what readers see.
Natural expectations are broken when characters do the opposite of what is expected or normal.
How to break reader’s expectations
The easiest way to break reader’s expectations is to do the opposite of what is expected.
Dokja fights against a tier 7 demonic species called Warden of The Dark. No one has killed a demon yet, so if Dokja wins, he will be the first. Moreover, Dokja will be rewarded with 7000 gold. The money could be used to improve his skills or buy more items. But after defeating the demon, Dokja does the opposite of what is expected, he doesn’t kill it. He leaves it alone.
Warnings with doing the opposite
There’s a danger of simply disappointing readers and putting them off when doing the opposite of what is expected. Sometimes when readers really want to see something happen it is better to give it to them. Because of this, it can be tricky to know when to do the opposite and when to follow through with expectations. Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint is very good at doing the opposite and still entertaining readers.
I thought about this for a while and I think these are some of the reasons why:
Loss to gain ratio
Webtoon creators need to consider what is lost vs what is gained as a result of doing the opposite. The loss-to-gain ratio relates to readers, the plot, and the characters. What do readers or webtoon creators gain compared to what they lose? What does the character gain or lose? And what does the plot gain or lose out on?
For example, because Yoo Joonghyuk let Dokja fall, there’s an emotional impact –surprise, and the plot takes a different turn. Moreover, Dokja gains more experience as a result when he ends up later defeating a monster. The characters also learn more about each other. In comparison, showing readers a cute Dokkaebi creature doesn’t have as many gains or losses. It mostly carries an emotional impact which is surprise.
Plausibility and reasoning
It is important to consider how believable it is for a character to do the opposite. Is it a natural behavior for that character or is it out of character?
Omniscient Reader gives readers reasons and explanations for a character’s odd behavior. Dokja understood and said that Joonghyuk is a dangerous character. Readers also know that murder is one of the only ways to pass the first scenario. Viewers can already understand that Joonghyuk is likely a dangerous character. Moreover, Joonghyuk doesn't trust Dokja. Now readers know why he willingly let Dokja fall. Considering his personality, it makes sense.
Dokja lost out on a good opportunity when he didn’t kill The Warden of The Dark. Readers are later given an explanation when Han Myungoh kills the demon instead. It turns out that the Demon King will curse anyone who kills The Warden of The Dark. The reason is acceptable and believable because it’s a fantasy webtoon. Moreover, it’s understandable for the Demon King to be protective of their subjects/species.
Cost to gain ratio – getting a title and 7000 gold vs getting cursed and hunted by the Demon King.
Quick tip -
Doing the opposite feels unnatural and forced when the losses are higher than the gains and when the reason is not believable.
Challenging Reader’s Assumptions
Challenging reader’s assumptions is another way Omniscient Reader break's expectations. Assumptions are things which reader’s believe to be fact. To challenge an assumption is to argue against readers and question what they know. Of course, this isn’t a literal argument.
Assumption vs expectation
Wikipedia explains that an assumption is "a thing that is accepted as true or as certain to happen, without proof". Meanwhile expectation is defined as "a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future."
They are more or less the same thing. However, I’ll be using the two words individually to try and separate breaking expectations and challenging assumptions. The second reason why I’m using the term ‘assumptions’ is because of the book ‘Ideas on Demand’. The book describes how assumptions can be challenged to get new innovative ideas.
Challenging reader’s assumptions is typically done with manufactured expectations; however, it also works with natural expectations. The manufactured version is done extremely well in Jojo’s Bizaare Adventure’s battles.
Challenging assumptions is not exactly doing the opposite. It’s doing the seemingly impossible.
How do you fight a horde of invisible zombies? How do you defeat someone who can stop time? These are some of the questions character’s in Jojo’s Bizzare Adventure answer.
How to challenge reader’s assumptions
The method is a process of reverse engineering. The simplified way is to think of a goal, list the facts about that goal then list reasons why those facts are wrong. Lastly, you would think of how to make the reverse true. This is one of the many things that are taught in Miliind Harrdas’ book ‘Ideas on Demand’. (I have no affiliation to the creator; I’m just putting a great book out there for others to discover).
The more complex method
Step 1 – Identify the goal
What do you want to achieve? What is the outcome you want for your characters? In Omniscient Reader, the writer wants to get Dokja across the bridge to the next location. The assumption, in this case, is that the bridge is the only way to get to the next location.
Quick tip -
Omniscient Reader gives characters a goal or aim and increases the tension. Getting across the bridge becomes more important because now there is a horde of zombies chasing Dokja.
And he only has about 5 minutes.
Step 2 - Identify the problem
What is stopping the character from achieving the goal? In Omniscient Reader the bridge is broken. There are also zombies he must fight and later on Yoo Joonghyuk.
Step 3 – Identify the methods
What are the different ways you/your character can achieve this goal? Ideas on Demand encourages creatives to think outside the box. This is something Omniscient Reader does well.
For this step, it's better to consider as many methods as possible, even the silly or impossible ones. In the end, it’s the writer’s job to make the impossible possible and believable.
Step 4 – Select the best method
In the list you made, which is the most exciting, creative, and difficult option?
In Omniscient Reader, three options are given for Dokja to escape the bridge. The first is the path that Yoo Sangah’s constellation created. The second is to cross the bridge with Joonghyuk’s help. For example, he could carry Dokja and get him across or he could walk across with Dokja. The third option is to fall off. While there are likely many other options, these are the ones we see in the webtoon.
The creator took the easiest option away from Dokja. After all, it’s the webtoon creator’s job to make the protagonist’s life as difficult as possible.
Step 5 – State reasons against a method
This step is about listing your assumptions and finding reasons why they aren’t true. For example, why can’t Dokja fly over the bridge? Because he doesn’t have wings. If I wanted Dokja to fly over the bridge I would next think of ways to make that happen. However, this wouldn’t be the most exciting way to achieve the goal.
Step 6 – Know your resources
What do you have and who do you have that can help your character achieve their goal? Are there any friends, skills, or items that will help you in the most exciting and creative way?
Dokja has his group, the constellations, his abilities, and his knowledge. If I wanted Dokja to fly over the bridge I would think about what I can use to make this happen. I could make another character throw Dokja over the bridge as an example. It’s not flying but it’s similar.
(Although I’m not the creator of Omniscient Reader, I’m thinking as if I were, to make things clearer.)
Step 7 - Where is your character starting from
Where is your character starting from and what are they lacking? Dokja starts from the other side of the bridge with no way of crossing. He has few abilities, and coins. He also has two people with him.
Step 8 – Chronological order
The final step is to glue everything together in chronological order. Character starts from somewhere, goes to a certain place, or acquires a certain someone, then they eventually achieve their goal.
Dokja starts at one end of the bridge with the rest of the group. He needs to get to his next location, but the bridge collapses. A dangerous person who Dokja wants to avoid is catching up behind them. Zombies are chasing him.
An opportunity arises when Yoo Sangah’s constellation creates a bridge. However, there’s another problem. Only an even number of people can cross the bridge, but Dokja’s group has an odd number. Someone will have to be left behind.
Han Myungoh Carries Sangah and hurries across the bridge. In the end, Dokja is abandoned. Fortunately, there’s still hope. Dokja can cross with the person he was trying to avoid. Yoo Joonghyuk. But Joonghyuk is untrusting and reluctant to help him across, not so surprisingly to Dokja. In the end, Dokja makes a bet and is dropped from the edge of the bridge.
Dokja ends up in the belly of a monster but manages to survive and arrive at his destination.
Quick tip -
Events in a story pull the protagonist closer to or further from their goal. The same is true for arcs and scenes. When trying to get to the next location, things happen to Dokja that either help him succeed or fail. - The conflict becomes complicated and more tense.
Exceeding expectations
Exceeding reader’s expectations is to give them more than they expected. Characters in Omniscient Reader sometimes go further than normal. A good example is when Yoo Joongyuk potentially let Dokja die. This goes beyond expectations regardless of how scary he was portrayed as.
[Spoilers below from chapters 108 to 109]
In chapter 108 The Catastrophe of Floods – Shin Yoosung is defeated and dies. Her death saddens readers as much as the characters. The dokkaebi that indirectly caused her death is arrested. He is also demoted for interfering too much with the scenario. This moment satisfied many readers. It was revenge for Yoosung’s future self – The Catastrophe of Floods. However, expectations for revenge are exceeded when Dokja personally spends his money to beat the Dokkaebi. It was more satisfying than the Dokkaebi just getting arrested.
Kim Dokja
One of the things that makes Omniscient Reader a great webtoon is the protagonist Kim Dokja.
Unlike most overpowered characters, Dokja’s strength comes from his knowledge. Due to being a reader of ‘Three Ways to Survive The Apocalypse’ Dokja is a walking encyclopedia. He knows a lot about the world he has been thrown into, who is in that world and how to stay alive in it. Despite his knowledge, Dokja doesn’t share everything with readers of the webtoon. Readers are only told what they need to know, the rest is a mystery. This creates curiosity.
Moreover, Dokja’s methods are unexpected and abnormal, which makes readers wonder what he will do next. He creates many backup plans in case things go terribly wrong. His intelligence is one of his strengths as a character.
Dokja’s other likable character trait is being sassy. He is not afraid to challenge authority, even those with godly levels of power. His confidence and ability to surprise other characters make him a favorite character. He’s also known for easily provoking other characters and making enemies.
For some readers, Dokja’s rejection of authority is a reflection of how they want to be. We project ourselves onto a character when we read, . Dokja provides a place of control and independence for readers who feel they lack it in their lives. It is an admirable trait. It's also fun to see how else and who else he will provoke.
Mysterious past
I remember once reading a comment about how main characters are usually boring because readers know too much about them. There’s no mystery left. Secondary characters are normally people’s favorites because of this.
Omniscient Reader doesn’t give us Dokja’s full story. Readers get a brief overview of Dokja’s life at the start of the webtoon. The webtoon explains to readers that Dokja was bullied. He tells us that the webnovel he had been reading for 10 years is what helped him get through everything. However, the webtoon has been hinting that there is a deep, hidden trauma in Dokja’s past. Something more severe than the bullying he faced. This mystery makes Dokja a more interesting character. There is more to learn about him.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
I find the abilities characters have in Omniscient Reader interesting, Kim Dokja in particular. Most stories give characters fire powers, ice powers, invisibility, etc. (There’s no problem with this). However, Omniscient Reader is unique with the abilities characters are given. This is another similarity between the webtoon and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
In Jojo's Bizzare Adventure some stands can turn a character into a magnet or age a character backward. In Omniscient Reader, there are abilities like communicating with insects, judgment, naval warfare, wifi/internet powers, etc.
Dokja’s abilities are centered around the fact that he is a reader. So he fights like a reader. And he constantly reminds himself of this. The times he forgets are the times he nearly loses. This offers a new perspective on battles and opens new options for fight scenes in the webtoon.
Giving characters unique powers
In Omniscient Reader, most of the character's powers come from their hobbies and previous job. Dokja’s skills all relate to being a reader. The exceptions are skills he acquires from quests.
Webtoon creators should consider the abilities they give characters when making a webtoon like Omniscient Reader. Webtoon creators can think about how their characters fight: Do they hide behind troops? Do they fight alone? Are they close combat? Do they fight with grace and flexibility? Consider the character's skill set: Dokja has bookmark, the fourth wall, mind reading, etc. What types of powers already exist in the webtoon? How do the powers work?
Character Development
In Omniscient Reader character development is tied to the system. As characters grow, they unlock their full potential. For example, Lee Hyunsung’s lack of confidence was holding him back. But he was able to overcome this and grow stronger, with reassurance from Dokja.
[Spoilers below from chapter 70 to 84]
Dokja experiences character development as he progresses in the apocalypse. One example is when Dokja must learn the skill ‘the way of the wind’ to defeat the Catastrophe of Questions. However, he is struggling. Although Dokja knows more about the skill than anyone and understands the concept, he can’t access the power. He later remembers to fight in his own way instead of trying to mimic others. He bookmarks The Prince of Imyuntar which allows him to acquire the skill instantly.
In chapter 70, Dokja encounters his school bully. This provides him with the opportunity to overcome his trauma from being bullied. Dokja also learns more about his abilities and how the fourth wall works.
The system
The system in Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint works like a game. There’s a level up system, skills, magical items, achievements, quests with rewards and dungeons. The main difference is that there are spectators who watch the events taking place.
These spectators are active participants in the story. They can give characters money similar to how streamers receive money from fans. The spectators, or constellations, can also give a character their skills, offer help, and possess a character, in addition to creating quests.
Similar webtoons to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint
Return to Player
Many webtoons like Omniscient Reader have one or more of the things listed above. Return To player is a webtoon about a man who becomes the only human left after the world has been turned into a game. He goes back in time with the goal of changing things. There are also spectators who watch characters struggle and can support them. There are magical items, quests, special skills, a level up system and a protagonist with knowledge that no one else has.
Solo Levelling
In comparison, Solo Levelling doesn’t have spectators. And levelling is a rare occurrence in the webtoon. The story is about Jinwoo Sung who becomes the only person capable of levelling up. He has infinite potential for growth.
Dokja Kim relies more on items than Jinwoo Sung. Because of this we don’t explore the item shop as much in Solo Levelling. There are also monsters and dungeons and the two characters share a similar rebellious personality.
Doom Breaker
Doom Breaker follows Zephyr, humanity’s strongest warrior. Tartarus, God of Destruction, destroys Zephyr’s world. Zephyr fought to stop him and became the only human left, however in the end he was killed. The Gods give him a second chance and send him 10 years back to the past.
The webtoon’s world has some similarities with Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. The Gods in Zephyr’s world are passive spectators. They gave Zephyr some skills but have no intention of getting involved with his fight. They are also less chatty compared to the constellations. Doom Breaker has skills, magic and special items that Zephyr makes use of. Although most of the items in Doom Breaker are poisonous. Zephyr also has knowledge that other characters don’t due to the fact he is from the future.
In those examples the protagonist has a cheat code that helps them go against the system. The main characters are also rebellious and bold like Dokja. Zephyr in particular.
Quick tip -
A webtoon like Omniscient Reader will have a protagonist that cheats the system. The cheat comes from the fact that they have knowledge that few have. Dokja has his book, Kim Sehan from Return to Player has time travel. Another example is Sung Jinwoo from Solo Levelling. He has memories that aren’t his and a system that is in his favour.
The Apocalyptic world in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint
The importance of world-building has been highlighted in many blogs and how-to videos. Things like culture, climate, race, and more have been massive aspects of world-building. The world-building in Omniscient Reader is complex and so full of mystery. There is always something new to learn.
Omniscient Reader's world building pulls its readers into the setting. , we see locations from another perspective even though they are familiar places.
Omniscient Reader benefits from being based on real life. Interestingly, this only makes it more exciting. The webtoon creator transforms modern-day Korea into something unrecognizable. Monsters roam the seas, land, skies and underground. There are now hidden dungeons and special items. Readers enjoy watching the characters travel around, explore and rediscover the country.
In Omniscient Reader the dungeons don’t look like typical fantasy game dungeons. They are hidden in regular places like the cinema or near a train station. The monsters and magical items each have their own history and story. The webtoon has beings called 'constellations' who also have their own story and personalities. It's as if the author asked themselves “what would happen if you brought a fantasy game into modern-day Korea?”
It's clear from binge-reading Omniscient Reader that the author knows a lot about how to entertain readers. They don’t take the easy way out. Instead, I'm assuming they plan the outcomes ahead of time. Their ideas are unique and interesting. Characters are forced through difficult paths which make them grow. And every page has something unexpected. Every panel I read hooks me to the story. I look forward to finding out what happens next.
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