ranguvar33 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ranguvar33) wrote2011-08-29 08:34 pm
ranguvar33) wrote2011-08-29 08:34 pm
Entry tags:
Ten Signs You Have Written A Mary Sue
Top Ten Warning Signs That Your Original Character is a Sue.
Hello, and at long last I have decided to write about that dreaded scourge of fan fiction, the ever changing and elusive species known as the Marisueannoyance, or simply Mary Sue. This infernal creature comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors (usually) and is prevalent in nearly every fandom. They are more rampant in larger fandoms and not so much in the smaller, less known fandoms. But believe me, they exist.
Now, there is a difference between an Original Character and a Sue. Important Note for Bashers: Just because an Original Character has some of the traits I am going to list does not mean that she is a Sue. It is how the traits are used that makes the difference.
Without further ado, let the List Begin!
10. Having an overly long and exotic name. If I'm reading a story where the OC is named Nicole Elizabeth Rachel Selby, then that’s fine. It’s a long name, but it makes sense and is simple enough to remember. However, if I come across a story where the OC is named Sapphire Jewel Emerald Raven Dingdong Dell Pussy’s in the Well Harriet Smythe-Smithe-Jones, then the Warning Bells will go off big time. Of course, I’ve yet to see a character named that, but a general Rule of Thumb is-Unless you have a good reason beyond ‘It sounds cool’; don’t give your OC an exotic name.
9. Having a Tragic Background. Yes, it is possible to write a story where the character’s parents are still alive, where she hasn’t been sold into slavery/kidnapped/tortured/brainwashed/etc…, and where she has a pretty decent childhood. I'm not saying you can’t have tragic moments-no one has a perfect life-but don’t make the tragedy the only thing about your character. This makes her bland and boring, and nobody wants that. This leads to 8:
8. Using angst as an excuse to be a Total Bitch. Good God, the times I’ve read fics with the Sues whining about how deprived they were of everything, how their Uncle/family friend/neighbor hurt them in some horrid way, how they were bullied in school and that gives them the right to act like unrepentant jerkasses makes my teeth hurt. There’s a time and a place for everything, dear writers. I’ll use my tales as an example. My main OC in my Aliceverse, Alannah, was raped as a young woman. I bring it up every now and then, but I don’t dwell on it, and I never had her use it as an excuse for anything. She can be quite bitchy at times, but she is always called out for it.
7. Having an adjective filled appearance. To illustrate-“Sapphire sniffed daintily, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The image that stared back would have made the goddesses envious. A pale, heart shaped face with not a trace of a freckle on its smooth, unblemished surface, a tiny, perfectly formed nose, lips like Cupid’s bow, and eyes that were a deep dark purple and reflected the despair, hope, and knowledge of centuries. Her lustrous ebony locks flowed like a waterfall down to her small, delicately shaped butt, and her skin was white and smooth. A crystalline tear flowed down her perfect face to linger on her luxurious and perfectly formed breasts. ‘Why can’t I find someone to love me?’ she thought.” Newsflash: Readers don’t care about any of this. Yes, a bit of detail is nice, but there’s a difference between detail and Purple Prose.
6. Having Breasts that in the real world would cause extreme pain. I'm sorry, but it is physically impossible to be five foot nothing, weigh one hundred pounds, and have GGG breasts. The character’s back would break. If you’re going to write a character with large breasts, that’s fine. But make it believable!
5. Being a Friend to All Living Things. This is annoying. It’s perfectly acceptable for an OC to have a pet that she loves, or to be fond of animals and want to help them. But if you’ve got a character scratching a shark’s belly without being bit in half, or if cute little rodents are making her clothes and it’s not a Disneyverse fic, then we have a problem.
4. Being Royalty and not knowing it. The basic storyline is this: Mary is a poor misunderstood orphan with no friends and no one to love her, but she knows that she is destined for Greatness! She knows that there is ‘something out there’ for her, and she goes on a Journey to discover what it is! It turns out she’s the last in line for the Throne of Contrivance, and there is much rejoicing in the land and much groaning on the part of the reader.
3. Having a Magical Power that is never explained. The Sue can do all sorts of neat things like teleport, read minds, speak a jillion languages, is telekinetic, or sometimes she just has ‘The Power of….Insert Noun Here.’ However, it’s never explained just how those powers came to be. She just…has them, and is instantly able to control them. Bonus points if they’re powers she has only acquired recently.
2. Falling in love with a Main Character. I know, I know. My OC falls in love with a main character. But here’s the difference-I didn’t break up any previous relationships, the stories don’t center on them making googly eyes at each other, and they each remain their own individual characters. With Sues, the CC (Canon Character) is suddenly only able to identify himself through his relationship to his one true love to the point where all he can do is wax poetic about her. This is especially prevalent in the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom. Jack suddenly forgets that he is a pirate and a scallywag to moon over some big busted gal with blond hair.
And the Number One Sign That Your Character is a Mary Sue:
1. Monopolizing the Story. The Main characters talk about her. The secondary characters talk about her. The villain talks about her. The villain’s henchmen talk about her. Even if she’s nowhere to be seen, they talk about her and how great/marvelous/wonderful/special/dangerous/brave/courageous/ etc… she is. She is the Chosen One. She alone can defeat the Monster/Evil Sorcerer/Rock Lobster/etc. She appears in every chapter, and there is usually paragraphs dedicated to her appearance. If other characters appear, they get one line and maybe a bit of description. But the bulk of it goes to the Sue.
So there you have the Ten Warning Signs of a Sue. If you can think of anymore, feel free to add them.
And if you don’t know what a Mary Sue is, Google is your friend.
Hello, and at long last I have decided to write about that dreaded scourge of fan fiction, the ever changing and elusive species known as the Marisueannoyance, or simply Mary Sue. This infernal creature comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors (usually) and is prevalent in nearly every fandom. They are more rampant in larger fandoms and not so much in the smaller, less known fandoms. But believe me, they exist.
Now, there is a difference between an Original Character and a Sue. Important Note for Bashers: Just because an Original Character has some of the traits I am going to list does not mean that she is a Sue. It is how the traits are used that makes the difference.
Without further ado, let the List Begin!
10. Having an overly long and exotic name. If I'm reading a story where the OC is named Nicole Elizabeth Rachel Selby, then that’s fine. It’s a long name, but it makes sense and is simple enough to remember. However, if I come across a story where the OC is named Sapphire Jewel Emerald Raven Dingdong Dell Pussy’s in the Well Harriet Smythe-Smithe-Jones, then the Warning Bells will go off big time. Of course, I’ve yet to see a character named that, but a general Rule of Thumb is-Unless you have a good reason beyond ‘It sounds cool’; don’t give your OC an exotic name.
9. Having a Tragic Background. Yes, it is possible to write a story where the character’s parents are still alive, where she hasn’t been sold into slavery/kidnapped/tortured/brainwashed/etc…, and where she has a pretty decent childhood. I'm not saying you can’t have tragic moments-no one has a perfect life-but don’t make the tragedy the only thing about your character. This makes her bland and boring, and nobody wants that. This leads to 8:
8. Using angst as an excuse to be a Total Bitch. Good God, the times I’ve read fics with the Sues whining about how deprived they were of everything, how their Uncle/family friend/neighbor hurt them in some horrid way, how they were bullied in school and that gives them the right to act like unrepentant jerkasses makes my teeth hurt. There’s a time and a place for everything, dear writers. I’ll use my tales as an example. My main OC in my Aliceverse, Alannah, was raped as a young woman. I bring it up every now and then, but I don’t dwell on it, and I never had her use it as an excuse for anything. She can be quite bitchy at times, but she is always called out for it.
7. Having an adjective filled appearance. To illustrate-“Sapphire sniffed daintily, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The image that stared back would have made the goddesses envious. A pale, heart shaped face with not a trace of a freckle on its smooth, unblemished surface, a tiny, perfectly formed nose, lips like Cupid’s bow, and eyes that were a deep dark purple and reflected the despair, hope, and knowledge of centuries. Her lustrous ebony locks flowed like a waterfall down to her small, delicately shaped butt, and her skin was white and smooth. A crystalline tear flowed down her perfect face to linger on her luxurious and perfectly formed breasts. ‘Why can’t I find someone to love me?’ she thought.” Newsflash: Readers don’t care about any of this. Yes, a bit of detail is nice, but there’s a difference between detail and Purple Prose.
6. Having Breasts that in the real world would cause extreme pain. I'm sorry, but it is physically impossible to be five foot nothing, weigh one hundred pounds, and have GGG breasts. The character’s back would break. If you’re going to write a character with large breasts, that’s fine. But make it believable!
5. Being a Friend to All Living Things. This is annoying. It’s perfectly acceptable for an OC to have a pet that she loves, or to be fond of animals and want to help them. But if you’ve got a character scratching a shark’s belly without being bit in half, or if cute little rodents are making her clothes and it’s not a Disneyverse fic, then we have a problem.
4. Being Royalty and not knowing it. The basic storyline is this: Mary is a poor misunderstood orphan with no friends and no one to love her, but she knows that she is destined for Greatness! She knows that there is ‘something out there’ for her, and she goes on a Journey to discover what it is! It turns out she’s the last in line for the Throne of Contrivance, and there is much rejoicing in the land and much groaning on the part of the reader.
3. Having a Magical Power that is never explained. The Sue can do all sorts of neat things like teleport, read minds, speak a jillion languages, is telekinetic, or sometimes she just has ‘The Power of….Insert Noun Here.’ However, it’s never explained just how those powers came to be. She just…has them, and is instantly able to control them. Bonus points if they’re powers she has only acquired recently.
2. Falling in love with a Main Character. I know, I know. My OC falls in love with a main character. But here’s the difference-I didn’t break up any previous relationships, the stories don’t center on them making googly eyes at each other, and they each remain their own individual characters. With Sues, the CC (Canon Character) is suddenly only able to identify himself through his relationship to his one true love to the point where all he can do is wax poetic about her. This is especially prevalent in the Pirates of the Caribbean fandom. Jack suddenly forgets that he is a pirate and a scallywag to moon over some big busted gal with blond hair.
And the Number One Sign That Your Character is a Mary Sue:
1. Monopolizing the Story. The Main characters talk about her. The secondary characters talk about her. The villain talks about her. The villain’s henchmen talk about her. Even if she’s nowhere to be seen, they talk about her and how great/marvelous/wonderful/special/dangerous/brave/courageous/ etc… she is. She is the Chosen One. She alone can defeat the Monster/Evil Sorcerer/Rock Lobster/etc. She appears in every chapter, and there is usually paragraphs dedicated to her appearance. If other characters appear, they get one line and maybe a bit of description. But the bulk of it goes to the Sue.
So there you have the Ten Warning Signs of a Sue. If you can think of anymore, feel free to add them.
And if you don’t know what a Mary Sue is, Google is your friend.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
o3o your forgot one trait i keep on seeing XD
Here is how it goes.....
Margarita Emerald Ruby Sakura Lilac Beautiful Gorgeous Rosetta Elizabeth Victoria Isabella Baker Swan the Third smith the second is from the From the Fullmetal Alchemist universe. Despite the fact that alchemy requires a concept of equivalent exchange which is just a summery of all the conservation laws combined for you non fans, she practices an alchemy that bends reality with no sacrifice to her. She tried to bring back her dead mom and lost nothing. On top of that she was successful.
Did i mention she wears modern day cloths in a anime that takes place in a setting that can be dated from 1930-1945 (its a fictional world but still). Not to mention she has naturally rainbow hair and rainbow eyes that are also natural in a universe where it is natural.
Summery =3= completely destroying all the canon rules and bending the rules of that universe.
Re: o3o your forgot one trait i keep on seeing XD