Mary Sue, Who Are You?

Meta
Title:	Mary Sue, Who Are You?
Creator:	Merlin Missy
Date(s):	October 2006 or before, then reposted January 7, 2007
Medium:
Fandom:	multifandom
Topic:
External Links:	2006 original post; page one, 2007, page two, 2007 the entire essay, 2007
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Mary Sue, Who Are You? is an essay by Merlin Missy.

Series

This essay is part of a series called Dr. Merlin's Soapbox at Firefox News.

In November 2006, this essay was used as recommended reading for submissions to The Great Mary Sue Contest.

Some Topics Discussed

• what is a mary sue and why to avoid writing one
• fanfiction mary sues, professional fiction mary sues
• example mary sues
• "her role as a post-modern feminist restructuring of a previously boys-only heroic genre"
• "Mary Sues are cuckoos, things put into the nest that don’t belong and end up destroying what they touch, not out of malice, but merely by their nature."

From the Essay

Throughout fanfiction, there is no character so reviled and yet so pervasive as the Mary Sue.

Mary Sue: *walks in combing her long, raven-colored locks and fluttering the pretty lashes of her deep violet eyes* Did someone call me?

Discussions abound regarding the character's origins, her psychological significance, her attributes and features, her role as a post-modern feminist restructuring of a previously boys-only heroic genre.

Mary Sues are a common character type in both professional fiction and fanfiction. They can evidence themselves as author-insertions ("She's like me! And she's hanging out with Frodo and Aragorn!"), wish-fulfillments ("Sharendriel the Fair is beloved of everyone who meets her! Except those mean villains!"), or sometimes as idealized mates who end up in relationships with author inserts ("Krista, an exotic beauty from Kleverston, was unsurpassed in her hand-to-hand combat skills and intelligence, but her heart belonged to Steve, the misunderstood gamer genius.").

There are many physical features common to Mary Sues, as well as certain commonalities to their backstories. Gather more than a few of these in one place, and it's often a sign that an author is spending too much time on one character, and not enough on the actual story.

Some examples: unusual eye color (often violet); long, flowing hair, which is described in detail (really, any character whose hair is mentioned more than twice unless the hair is physically picking up and eating another character, because that would be kind of cool); names that are a takeoff on the author's name, or his/her middle name; an angsty childhood, usually involving the loss of one or both parents and quite often abuse at the hands of the new caregivers; special powers that allow him/her to communicate with animals such as horses or birds; telepathy; a twin, clone, or close sibling of the same gender (especially if the author writes more tales about the twin); a heretofore unknown familial relationship with already-existent characters; a burgeoning romantic relationship with the existing character(s) of the author's preference, despite any already present relationships; special abilities that overshadow similar abilities among existing characters (smarter, faster, stronger, better engineer); a certain "charming" klutziness that results in minor or major disasters but is rectified by the end of the piece; a heroically sacrificial "death" which is often fixed at the end or in the sequel, but fixed or not, the character is mourned by all, even to the point of reforming a villain by this noble gesture. Also, Mary Sues have a habit of being mentioned or described in story titles.

With all those traits in hand, a character can still be written as a reasonably down-to-earth and well-rounded character.

[...]

However, the difficulty in doing so tends to elude inexperienced writers, and even writers who have been at their craft for decades. Mary Sues are poor excuses for characters, but once a niche is located, they sell to people who want to pretend to be those same characters: literature as catharsis and/or escape for the reader.

Despite the constellation of attributes that might or might not make a Mary Sue, the one true hallmark of this character type is his/her ability to warp the nature of the universe around him or herself. The rules change for Mary Sue, or simply don’t apply, because he/she’s Special. Common tipoffs are in the behaviors of other characters: Do they automatically accept this character with open arms, despite a previous history of distrusting strangers? Do they focus all their conversations and thoughts on the character, on his/her actions and romances, if only to say or think how much they dislike him/her? Do they forgive this character’s mistakes easily, even when those errors should by rights earn the character a severe penalty? (Ex: Jail time, court martial, permanent expulsion from the social group) Does it seem like they begin and end with this new character, that couples are unable to realize their true feelings for one another without his/her guidance, that nothing of significance happens or could happen in the story without involving the character? In short, does the world revolve around the character?

Mary Sues are cuckoos, things put into the nest that don’t belong and end up destroying what they touch, not out of malice, but merely by their nature. Normally rational characters can’t think, leaving Mary Sue to come up with the plan that saves the day. Otherwise confident characters need an ego boost from Mary Sue’s almost database-like knowledge of the character’s strengths, despite having known everyone for such a short time. Sane characters become catty and petty when faced with Mary Sue’s overwhelming charms focused on her object of desire. Plots become contrived beyond belief just so Mary Sue can dazzle everyone and/or die and make everyone who was ever mean to the writer feel bad.

The male version of the Mary Sue usually has many of the same traits as his sister: his skills are better than the other characters’ skills, he’s an expert in really cool things, he has a mysterious and often tragic background, he plays a musical instrument, he sacrifices himself in the end. Gary Stu in his extreme form tends to be more of a maverick. He bucks authority, sneers at whatever paltry efforts the villains throw at him, and beds the most beautiful woman (or women) he can find. If he has a career, it’s either the one wanted by the author or one that the author saw in a movie once and has no idea what’s actually involved. Gary has weapons, lovingly described in detail as much as Mary’s hair and eyes are described in her story (though if you read about a male character with eye color that’s mentioned more than once, start making a checklist).

If his name isn’t a takeoff on his creator’s name, it’s something that wouldn’t be out of place for a male porn star.

Gary Stus are just as prevalent as Mary Sues, but because of their nature, they slide into popular entertainment vehicles more readily, and where an audience might balk at a female character with the sudden backstory and seriously cool powers, they pay the summer box office handsomely to see that same story with a guy. (This has led some authors to try to reclaim female Mary Sues as a feminist statement, to show that women and girls have the same wish-fulfillment needs as males and celebrate these character rather than denigrate them.)

In the end, the only person who knows if a character is an insert or a wish-fulfillment fantasy is the author; ironically, the author is the person least able to stand back and critically judge his or her own work to determine if indeed the label fits or if Mary Sue has developed into a fully-realized original character. Telling an author their beloved OC is just another Mary Sue is one of the fastest ways of getting someone angry with you, and casually pointing someone to a Mary Sue litmus test (there are Many) may or may not get through either. The best advice is not to worry about it and focus on your own work. Develop characters who have their own interests and purposes, and do the same for the rest of the characters you use. Find motivations for actions that ring true to character and don’t just shoehorn a plot together in order for your One True OC to be universally loved.

Or don’t. Sometimes wish-fulfillment is fun too, and sometimes, we all want to be special snowflakes.

Fan Comments

[Moggy]: LOL! This is soooo funny! *goes to print it and take it to her English teacher*

[MK]: Oh man, I laughed so hard! I love this article, especially because it's completely true! *laughs some more and does special snowflake dance*

[Caiti]: xD You speak truth. It's sad that no matter what fandom you're in, you have to deal with these... these THINGS. D:

[Just Another Random Reader]: I've finally found a real and full, mocking description of a Mary Sue! And I've seen the error of my eleven-year-old ways! But I'm out of that stage now. Hurrah!

[katrina]: that was really funny, and explained the whole sue-thing very well. <3

[Scarred Sword Heat]: How can Ayla be a Mary Sue when she's the main character of Clan of the Cave Bear?

[Halie]: Ayla is a HUGE Mary Sue. She can do anything and everything, is perfectly beautiful, had an angsty past, falls in love with Mr. Jondalar Big Penis, etc. The fact that she is the main character does not mean she can't be a Mary Sue, dear.

[Topaz]: Sometimes when I'm bored I'll write a mary sue just to see how perfect I can make her. It's actually pretty fun. You should try it.

[Reagan]: It doesn't matter your fandom, you have to deal with these ... irritatingly, aggravatingly perfect CREATURES know as Mary Sues.

[MewxRet]: Whoas. That was awesome. ^^ I want to do the special snowflake dance. XD "Or don't. Sometimes wish-fulfillment is fun too, and sometimes, we all want to be special snowflakes." xDDD That is AWESOME. Yes, I want to be one.

[Nenilein]: Great... my Yami is a Mary-Sue... The good thing is, nobody ever made a commet about this and everybody likes the story, so I think, I rounded her up well enough! ^^ By the way, great essay!^^

[Jennifer]: The only complaint I have is this: Ray Steele and Cameron Williams are totally NOT Gary Stus. Not ALL the women fall for them, and they have plenty of faults which get them in trouble. I found them to be very well-rounded, believeable characters. Lana Lang, however- Yeah, she's a Mary Sue. No wonder she makes me wanna vomit.

[L]: All I could think of while reading this was River from Firefly. I think she counts as one of the ones you describe at the end there, though - she brings things out in the other characters. Good article! :)

[Shonaiula]: This really explains the Mary Sue concept really well! And I agree about the last part. It really changed my perspective, because the people on the RP i'm playing in are accusing one character of being a Gary Stu and all it has done is trigger bad feelings...

[the unsure writer]: yeah, this is all true. But I think the fact is that there are differents from making a plot point character, and making a mary sue. Of course, that could just be me comforting myself. I wrote a naruto fanfiction, and the story is that a twelve year old ,which is considered the age that most people START being a 'ninja', she has reached one of the highest ranks. The story is about her earning the respects of three people older then her, who have been assigned as her students.

[your sadly mistaken]: Luke Skywalker is NOT a Gary Stu; if he were he would excel at EVERYTHING and make NO wrong moves along the way. But he makes many mistakes along the way. So your theory on Mary Sue's and Gary Stu's is a little bit flawed.

[Oh my god I have mary sue plague...]: Could Harry Potter be considered a Mary Sue?

[FurikoMaru]: That was my first thought, too! I didn't notice it in the first couple of books ('cause I read them at just the right age to be making up Sues myself), but rereading them, it's so obvious: they make a big deal about how he has his mother's green eyes; there's a team sport at his school in which he excels *because* he's a skinny shrimp; his foster family used to treat him like crap but are now openly afraid of him; he subverts the authority of the adults around him but hardly ever gets seriously punished unless it's a chance to remind the reader that Slytherins hate him (in case we forgot); he masters the Patronus charm insanely quickly for someone his age; no one besides the 'shifty' or downright evil characters hate him for the entirety of the series; and anytime a bunch of people start distrusting him it's just a chance for him to show his inner strength and faith in himself as he waits to be exonerated. True, he's usually a fairly good guy, but when he's ass anyone who tries to make him cop to it is ignored unless it's Ron or Hermione or Dumbledore, and he ends up married to a girl who's had a huge crush on him her whole life because their love is *perfect* and in no way unrealistic and creepy (Seriously? Marrying your junior high obsession? Oh, Ginny, sweetheart, no...) I might be a bit uncharitable - after all, the main character has to be slightly rule-proof or the reader won't accept them as the 'real' main character. But being a rule-proof, girl-magnet, significantly green-eyed, Dark Magic-fighting teenager with a righteous and resolute world-view that's entirely justified by the world of the series? Yeah, just a bit much. Maybe that's why the whole Draco-In-Leather-Pants thing has such a following; between having a dark past that never gets mentioned in-canon and having a dark past that no one can shut up about, which inspires more sympathy?

[KP]: Good article!! I think HP is for sure a Gary Stu, but I think he's written well enough not to be irritating. Stephenie Meyer has got to be the biggest Sue-creator of all time, though. I cannot think of one character in Twilight that isn't a Sue. Except maybe Charlie. Anyone agree?

[Freckle]: Love the article. I think the arguments for HP being a Stu are perfectly valid, merely that Rowling did a good enough job with him. And in his defense, his popularity with the ladies fluctuated as often as his fame did. He certainly wasnt any kind of popular outside his group of friends and the DA during the 5th book. I also think that Sues and Stus as main characters can be let off a little more easily. Even in a perfectly 'ordinary' main character, they're the main character for the reason that the author has made them interesting in some way and wants to tell a story about it. Smeyer craps out sues like nobody's business. I thought Leah, Jacob, and Jasper had some potential. What a waste.

[Kamaria31]: *Finishes dancing* You are my new hero. Just the dance was enough, but the article was AMAZING! I think part of the reason HP is so popular is because of how Rowling worked around the Stu aspect of him, Freckle is right about the 5th book as well. I also freely admit to being a devout Potterfan, even with the Stu-ness.

[Mel]: Harry Potter is a Sue, but he's the very best kind. We still love him, just like the characters in the books. Twilight's Bella could be considered a Sue, when she wasn't a blank canvas to paint ourselves on to. However, she did have that crystal thing going on, that reflected facets on to a lot of characters. I thought Jacob different, the only complaint would be that he was made to shift easily, and be the rightful alpha, and he didn't know. Nice job, Stephenie. :/

[QueenOfKhaosity]: About Harry Potter being a Sue/Stu - is it just me, or don't you think he's kind of a whiner who needs to "man" up and get on with it? Just sayin'...

[Sarah]: Awesome! haha a few days ago I was reading a book but then the main character was described as 'inhumanly beautiful, with lush berry lips and violet eyes'. I just put it on the table and walked away. Though, I suppose if Twilight can get published, with Bella being the biggest mary-sue of all time, I guess anything can.

[a.twisted.darkly.dream]: I loved it, a great combination of hilarity and information. It made me see my own characters, in terms of abilities, were a bit Mary Sue and it was time I melted these snowflakes a little.

[a person]: wow, great text^^ a wonderful consolidation of humor and information, it really helped me to keep my characters in check, and to identify when one was crossing over to snowflake land

[Elouai]: There is one MarySue that I seem to be alone on: Alanna of Trebond, "The Lioness" from the "Song of the Lioness" quartet by Tamora Pierce. Fans see her as a symbol of girl power. She pretends to be a boy so for 8 years so she can become a knight. Her unique combo of violet eyes and flaming red hair are often mentioned. She's so darn cute and sassy she makes a lot of friends, except for the main powerful villain. She struggles because she's short, but then she gets a magic sword. Did I mention she has magic powers as well? Gods come down from heaven to speak to her personally. By the time she's 20 she's a legendary knight as well as a powerful sorceress. And her lovers are none less than the handsome crown prince, the "King of Thieves", or "The Dragon" warrior. I love a kick-ass warrior girl, but not one that can do everything!

[GeezerWench]: Quite an informative and enlightening article. You explained Mary Sue very well. And had me laughing while you were doing it. Guess I'd better go edit those mad Ninja skills out of MY Mary Sue.

[IronicMSHater]: I found this article a tad ridiculous, but then I find the entire concept of Mary-Sueism ridiculous. By the way it was defined here (as well as most other places), it seems there cannot be a character in the history of literature who is not a Mary Sue. There are severely underdeveloped characters, conveniently perfect characters, and characters marred by numerous clichés, but to blanket every one of them with the term "Mary Sue" is a lazy critical tactic. I can't fault you for creating the Mary Sue, but I can fault you for catering so readily to its easy dispensation.

[Amra]: James Bond. Clearest Gary Stu in all literature. Ticks nearly every box on the checklist. Strongly disagree about Luke Skywalker; he screws up often and tends to pay for it, plus has no romantic relations (aside from two, creepy-once-truth-is-revealed kisses from Leia). Wesley Crusher is a maybe, but annoyed everyone and was dropped.