In fiction, an Author Avatar is a character that acts as the author's representation in a story or Fanfiction. An avatar is different from a self-insert. A self-insert is meant to be a copy or a stand-in for the author him/herself, but an avatar is merely there to represent the author rather than literally be the author's body. The word 'avatar' comes from the Sanskrit avatara, which was used for Hindu gods and goddesses that manifested on Earth on purpose and had greater powers than normal humans.