At 12:45 AM 7/20/98 EDT, Maercutio@aol.com wrote:

 ! SELF INSERTION - The author becomes a character in the series,
   usually as the hero of the day with interesting powers.  Usually
   involves 'dimensional travel' and awareness of Slayers as an
   anime series.
     WHY IT'S BAD : Lessens the other characters.  Looks like a wild
                    ego trip.  Ranma fanfic community burned badly
                    by really horrible fic in this genre, because it's
                    considered very obnoxious... even when well written,
                    with the author downplayed, the stigma attached is
                    nasty.

I personally agree with you, but sometimes, somehow, through an extraordinary
bit of luck, someone writes an SI that becomes popular, well-liked, and

dare I

say it, even a classic. "Sauce" comes to mind, as does "Bubblegum Zone,"
(although I still wonder how many goats Bert had to offer up as sacrifice to
make THAT piece of schlock accepted) and a couple others. Mark me,

there'll be

a Slayers SI sometime soon that'll be considered a good piece of work.

	Mercutio, didn't it occur to you that this is a rather insulting comment 
about Zone? As Bert himself noted, the word 'schlock' has a certain specific 
meaning, a rather harsh meaning at that.

	As he himself said in a recent email to me..

I looked up the definition of 'schlock', and this is what I found:

schlock also shlock (shl�k) Slang. noun
Something, such as merchandise or literature, that is inferior or shoddy.

adjective
Of inferior quality; cheap or shoddy.

So what's supposed to be so funny about having my writing called 'inferior
or shoddy'?

I'm now quite thoroughly pissed about it actually. I can understand that
people don't necessarily like Zone, or the premise it's based on, but I
hardly think that's reason for insults. I'll have to think about how to
respond to that.

	Bert is QUITE correct, and your use of the term was QUITE insulting now 
that I think about it. Despite how you feel about SI fics, the sheer _craft_ 
and skill, the time and effort that Bert put into this fic makes it of high 
quality. Self-insert it may be, but it is NOT of inferior quality, nor is it 
shoddily done. Good Gods, man, I wish I could write with HALF his skill! I'd 
be making money hand over fist if I could write something as masterfully 
crafted as Bubblegum Zone.

	Schlock is NOT a word appropriate for Zone. Bert himself has publically 
admitted that Zone #1 wasn't his best work, but it was still a skilled piece 
of fanfic. Especially when you consider it was his first ever fic. And he's 
done nothing but improve as he goes along. Each succeeding chapter is better 
than before.

	We're _WRITERS_, people.. if WE don't learn to use words correctly and 
properly, who the hell WILL? You want an accurate example of schlock? Go 
read something by the net's resident cat-loving hermaphroditic pervert, 
Oscar. Or take a spin through some of Dr. Thinker's efforts.

	But not Zone, Mercutio.

	That's my admittedly arrogant opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

	Ed Becerra


	"Dreamers may die, but the Dream is eternal.."