How to Avoid Being a Mary Sue

[edward adam guildenstern]

~How to A v o i d Being a Mary-Sue (Or Gary-Stu)~

Warning: If bluntness and gratuitous wikipedia quotations offend you, please continue to read but at your own discretion ;]

Along with godmodding and ooc conflict, this is a huge issue for many RPs. Although it is not prevalent right now, let this serve as a reference for all of you out there to avoid the dangerous character archetype of the Mary Sue.

F i r s t off, what’s a Mary Sue?

Wikipedia has a good definition:

A Mary Sue (sometimes just Sue), in fanfiction, is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader. Perhaps the single underlying feature of all characters described as "Mary Sues" is that they are too ostentatious for the audience's taste, or that the author seems to favor the character too highly. The author may seem to push how exceptional and wonderful the "Mary Sue" character is on his or her audience, sometimes leading the audience to dislike or even resent the character fairly quickly; such a character could be described as an "author's pet".
While the label "Mary Sue" itself originates from a parody of this type of character, most characters labeled "Mary Sues" by readers are not intended by authors as such. Male Mary Sues are often dubbed "Gary Stu", "Larry Stu", "Marty Stu", or similar names.
While the term is generally limited to fan-created characters, and its most common usage today occurs within the fan fiction community or in reference to fan fiction, original characters in role-playing games or literary canon are also sometimes criticized as being "Mary Sues" or "canon Sues," if they dominate the spotlight or are too unrealistic or unlikely in other ways.

TL;DR? An idealized version of the author themselves, a representation of the author themselves or a near-perfect person.

I bet you’re thinking you have to be a goody two shoes to be a Mary Sue!
No.

There are several types, each a unique and special snowflake. Another proboards site lists them:

Angsty Sue:
Probably being on of the most popular types of Sue, in The Outsiders fandom – Angsty Sue has lived such a hard life! Nobody loves her and people always want to abuse her! *blows a raspberry*

Naughty Sue:
As you may have guessed Naughty Sue is a rebel. She’s baaaad to the bone. She drinks more alcohol than Two-Bit, smokes more than Ponyboy and gets into more trouble than Dallas.

Perfect Sue:
As you may have guessed she is perfect. She gets outstanding grades, is a bombshell, has perfect hair, skin, eyes, figure and well yeah – She’s perfect. Someone any girl would hate. But no! In fandom she’s loved by all – All the guys, socs and I bet she could turn girls into lesbians. She’s sweet, quiet but also tough with more fighting skills than Bruce Lee.

For further reading and more types, go here!

So h o w do I know for sure if my character is one?

There are some great litmus tests out there! Be sure to read the instructions carefully. My favourite is here! Skip part 2 and 3, they don’t apply to you guys, but for those with fan fiction out there be sure to take a look!

OMG MY CHARACTER IS A MARY SUE W H A T DO I DO?

Here’s some ideas, feel free to tweak your actions/profile accordingly, or make a plot sequence revolving around it:

-Do you joke about the weaknesses your character has, or use them as plots?
-Has your character, without reason been vain, selfish, lazy or just plain cruel?
-Is your character fat?
-Is your character old?
-Are they ugly?
-Out of shape? Skinnyfat counts here, guys. What’s skinnyfat? They’re thin, but have no muscle mass.
-Does your character have a debilitating disability, such as a wheelchair?
-Do they have a mental disorder that doesn’t always get excused?
-Are they a victim of mental retardation?
-Does your character have a disabling phobia that doesn’t disappear conveniently?
-Are they older than 40? 60? Do they look like it?
-Has your character run away from something just because they were afraid?
-If your character has a bad past, do they end up moving on?
-Does your character admit being wrong, even if it’s not sincere?
-Has your character outright ignored injustice against themselves?
-Is your character awkward, but in a non-cute way?
-Is your character just a tool, rather than a person?

If your character fits into more than a few of these, you’re probably safe.

Further reading interests you? Go here~!