 Posted: Sat Dec 15, 2012 1:20 pm
What is a "Mary Sue"?Mary Sue (sometimes shortened simply to Sue) is a pejorative term for a fictional character who is portrayed in an idealized way and who is generally lacking in any truly noteworthy flaws (or having her flaws romanticized, as is sometimes the case with stories about characters with eating disorders, depression, or other psychological conditions). Characters labeled Mary Sues, as well as the stories they appear in, are generally seen as wish fulfillment fantasies on the part of the author.
The term is primarily used in the context of fan fiction, where it first originated. The term usually refers to characters created by the (fan)author of the piece, but can also be used in reference to characters from the original canon source who are characterized in such a way that they are perceived as Sue-like, or characters from original fiction who otherwise fit the definition. Many original characters in play-by-post gaming are also perceived as Mary Sues (or the male equivalent, Gary-Stu).
Mary Sue may be used to describe a character of any gender, but male Mary Sues may also be called "Marty Stus," "Murray Stus," "Harry Stus," "Larry Stus", or "Gary Stus", with variations existing using the spelling Stue instead of Stu, as well as some variations existing with Sam instead of Stu or Stue. "Airy Ooh" is a rarely used unisex variant of the term. Authors of such characters (of either sex) are sometimes referred to as Suethors, a portmanteau of Sue and author.
While characters are generally not intentionally written to be Mary Sues, some authors do deliberately write Mary Sues as a form of parody.How to Prevent it?The following is a link to something known as a [ Mary Sue Litmus Test ]
By taking the extra few minutes needed to complete the form, you can see if your character is ready to go, or if it needs a little more work.
Of course the test isn't 100% accurate and you can completely fail and still have an awesome character.
Though it is helpful to at least see if you could work on some things.
A somewhat shorter method is by looking at certain key attributes about your character.
Personality
A character’s personality will determine their of the world, how they interact with others, and predominantly, how you play the character. A personality can also change over time, as in real life. Often, the character’s history will link into their personality – perhaps being the cause of the personality.
* What is the general attitude of your character? Fun-loving, happy, enthusiastic, serious, stoic, loud, bashful?
* In what way do they view others? Friends, acquaintances, enemies?
* How does your character view the world they are in?
* What standards/morals/principals does your character have?
* Is your character liked by others? Immediately, after getting to know them, not at all?
* What is your character motivated by?
History
A character’s history is one of the keystones in character creation. It is what ties everything together. Much like a real person, a roleplay character will inevitably be moulded by the events in their life. The history of a character can also explain why there are where they are in a roleplay. A few things to consider, when writing a character’s history:
* What was their childhood like?
* What events in their childhood helped to shape them, if any?
* What have they spent their life doing up to this point?
* Are there any influential people they’ve met ‘along the way’?
* What jobs has the character had?
* What trials helped to make the character stronger, weaker, less trusting etc?
* Has your character moved from their home town?
* If so, why?
* If not, why?
Some people like to have a very detailed history, some don’t. The choice is up to you. If you write a history, try to keep at least to the key points in their life that led them to ‘now’.
Abilities and Equipment
A character’s ability and equipment needs to again fit in with the roleplay. Your character wouldn’t have a phaser in a fantasy roleplay, typically. A few things, without going into specifics, should be considered:
* Do the abilities and equipment match the roleplay?
* Are the strength of my character’s abilities too strong? (After all, you don’t want to god mod.)
* Where did the character learn these abilities? Do they match up to the history?
* Do the abilities coincide with other character points? (For example, would a 15 year old really have mastered a technique that takes fifty years to do so?)
* What equipment does my character have?
* For what purpose?
* How many of each item?
* Is it realistic for my character to carry all this equipment?
* How does the equipment assist in my character’s role?
* Are these abilities and equipment necessary, or do I just want an ‘uber character of doom’?
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