Actually, I read one of the better SI fics I've ever seen during the
past week.  I forget the name and the author (as my memory's wont,
sorry), but it dealt with the Ranma cast being vampires.  The person
knew they were in the Ranma universe, and personally I don't think you
can say a person will be shocked out of their minds by being displaced
into another world simply as a generality.  Everyone would react
differently.  Myself, for example, would welcome it with open arms, as I
would just love a change of reality (I get rather sick of the real world
at times).  There are quite a few SI fics out there that are great...
probably the oldest and most famous is Brett Handy's "Oh My God!".  I
remember reading that over a year ago now, and loved every minute of it.
The more recent "Oh My Brother!" by Christopher Angel has received some
well deserved laurels as well.  Seems AMS has a fair amount of
self-insertion following, but it's easy to make a believable plot when
there are Gods and wishes already involved in the base story.  SI is an
interesting form of writing.  Personally, I believe it's an easier way
to make a main character.  There's no displacing of ones self to create
a person... you simply write it from the heart.  For a lot of people
this makes a better character.  Anyway, there are many instances where a
person writing an original story will use themselves as the template for
their main character.  Is this self-insertion?  Not technically, but
that's just because no one probably knows it was based on the author to
begin with.  I think it's a little narrow minded to attack an entire
genre of writing simply on one or two examples.  Not all SI's are
egotistical... in fact, many nowadays involve the author ending up worse
off than they already are, once in a while dead by the end (such as the
fic I first mentioned).  This started out as a personal reply, but
figured I'd post it publically because I ended up putting too much
thought into it for just one reader.  
PMasters  

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
/ E-mail at:  PhilMasters@webtv.net /
Web page pending use of a computer!
"...has anyone ever used something alive for a coat of arms?" - The
Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea (Mishima Yukio, 1965) / 
"You see, what you call a cat, we use as armor." - Rune (El-Hazard,
1994)