Better Late than Never: The June 2006 Lemon Contest

[Wisemon]

And let's not foget that you said you'd mailed yours in ages ago, Nate said resend it, and a few hours later it's in my inbox.

"Amazing!" Watson exclaimed.

Here's the revised section that you rightfully called self-insertion and out of character. It's still self-insertion. In fact, it's more self-insertion than before, but it's no longer out of character.

[Marine]

I can't voice my opnions since I never recieved it. It seems Mr. Nate forgot to attatch the story in his message, so I guess I'll have to wait to render my judgment.

[DragonMasterX]

I'd do, but I'd rather have my eyes pinched with a fork. I kind of forgot to give extensive and more explanatory reviews, which I shall start adding to mine from now on.

[Wisemon]

I can't voice my opnions since I never recieved it. It seems Mr. Nate forgot to attatch the story in his message, so I guess I'll have to wait to render my judgment.

That should be enlightening. I'll submit the story tonight, and you can give it an informal judgment when it's posted. Considering that Crimson Fox's story was Renamon-based, if you had been a judge, I don't think it would've done me any favors. I was going more for characterization, allegory, and parody. Do you detect the latter two in reviewing?

[Nate Hunter]

It was attached to the forwarded copy of the message I sent to all the judges at the same time, though...

And his score did raise the final percentages for "The Break Up" and "May I Take This Dance?"

Also, Knight didn't really do major reviews either, just the scores, but we channted about his reasons a bit, too. Maybe he'll share them when he gets back from his trip.

[Marine]

Considering that Crimson Fox's story was Renamon-based, if you had been a judge, I don't think it would've done me any favors.

1) I'm not biased towards any craft.

2) I'm not here to do you 'favors'. I let your writing speak for itself.

I was going more for characterization, allegory, and parody. Do you detect the latter two in reviewing?

1) You'll find out soon enough won't you?

[Nate Hunter]

Thanks, but you also made a good point about self-insertion here.

Yes it's said for credibility, but when the author is known to be such a person, it weakens the story...

I would argue that if any Season 1 character was likely to become a 23-year-old virgin, it would have to be Jyou.

we have a reliable response from a Wisemon story -- masturbation > uncommitted sex.

A Wisemon story, or the story of my life?

Well given your style, I'd probably say both are true. I won't argue on Jyou's likelihood of being the only one a virgin at 23, but different cultures do breed different attitudes towards sex.

I know the dangers of self-insertion, and that's one reason I too so long to write the latest chapter of Lost Light -- it relies upon my self-insertion character, and I had to make sure I was showing myself within the story as a flawed character who the reader could potentially identify with in some way or another. The next chapter is going to take time because of the different point of view (an eager, rather than hopeless, trainee, beginning his first lessons) as well as making sure I lay things out properly for Blink to appear in later chapters.

I stopped writing Digi-Slutz for two reasons. The first was that Tai was turning away from being Tai and into a self-insertion (granted, I don't have a sister, but he was becoming too much like me for comfort -- which is the last thing I wanted in that story), and the second was that I didn't feel I could do that justice and keep it as a story. It was turning into a pure fetish piece instead of a story, so I stopped writing it. But that story is an example of self-identification going too far.

I'm being careful to leave my role minor in most of the stories I insert myself into. I may bring things about (see "I Wish"), but the story can't afford to be about me or it loses validity. This is one reason I'm holding Genki back during my next big excursion (my Halloween story) and trying to keep the focus where it belongs -- which is the other Ancient Digimon in the story. It's one reason I feel ashamed to keep Mugendai Valentine 2002, as well as the Mimi and Genki chapters of Future Lives. Genki is too much of a self insertion still for me to do him proper justice.

I weakened the stories in those not with the sex, but with the self-insertion. I was careful in Lost Light with my self-insertion, which ended up showing some time after I had created the initial cast list. Daimon was already supposed to be a character there before he was me, and everything that happened to him was planned from the start, not done because he's my self-insertion.

. . . But I'm rambling. And off the topic of the contest.

You strike me as my doppelganger. Or perhaps I'm yours. But which of us is the good and which the evil? Well, if it's true, I'm probably your dark side. You'd be the one who waits for the right girl while I'd be the one who goes with the drunk girl who's ready to score (as long as I'm already interested in her, at least). So I can see where you're coming from with the self-identification, and as I said, I've done it to my shame before.

Once again, thanks for the new song.

[Wisemon]

I know the dangers of self-insertion, and that's one reason I too so long to write the latest chapter of Lost Light -- it relies upon my self-insertion character, and I had to make sure I was showing myself within the story as a flawed character who the reader could potentially identify with in some way or another. The next chapter is going to take time because of the different point of view (an eager, rather than hopeless, trainee, beginning his first lessons) as well as making sure I lay things out properly for Blink to appear in later chapters.

It's also important to not write self-insertion until you're certain that you know yourself.

Genki is too much of a self insertion still for me to do him proper justice.

I don't know about that. Genki seems to be a lot luckier than you.

You strike me as my doppelganger. Or perhaps I'm yours. But which of us is the good and which the evil? Well, if it's true, I'm probably your dark side.

I've heard this before from somebody else, but trust me; you're not my dark side. My dark side is completely asexual. My dark side walked across a public university campus at 11:00 at night and punched every aluminum fence and street sign along the way. My dark side seriously considers kicking elderly people in the head because they take too long in the checkout line. My dark side could destroy the world.

[Nate Hunter]

Thanks for that, Wisemon. I may not be your dark side, but we do still have a heck of a lot in common.

And I'm glad that I've gotten to know myself over the past few years, too. I would feel bad about keeping Hunter in Lost Light if I hadn't.

... What does luck have to do with it? Idealizing self insertions is what tends to hurt them. If he WEREN'T idealized I would've felt better about those stories. But he was made at a younger time in life, and he's grown with me. Hopefully that will show through in October.

And I want to thank you publically, Wisemon, for declining the request. What you said gave me the confidence I needed to get back on Archive's request from 2003. He may have forgotten about it... but I haven't. And it's going to be one of my two big stories for this year.

[Marine]

With all do respect Wisemon, in my view, Crimson's craft would have my better scores. And all do respects Nate and Herr Mullen and DMX for bringing this up after the contest.But I realized my critiques contrast differently than yours. Maybe it's because we have different judging motifs, or something that makes our reviews unique, and am thankful for that (no offense).


->That said, this story has no plot. I can't explain it any better. There's no conflict with the protagonist, just like in the movie, and if there was its transparent. Maybe Wisemon can help point me out in the right direction?