Community Profile

Who is Mary Sue?

A Mary Sue is a character type, found frequently in fanfiction and all too often in published work, but especially annoying in the former capacity because she violates the principles of Canon (i.e. the source material). She is either an Original Character (fanwriter creation) or a Canon Sue (a Canon Character written so Out of Character as to become a Mary Sue).

The worst--and most telling--trait of a Mary Sue is this:

Original characters exist to serve the story. Mary Sues exist to have the story serve them.

This is, really, the crux of the matter. The shimmering hair, the canon connections, the attention-getting tragic past, the scene and line-stealing, the flawless self-insertions...are all symptoms of this fundamental flaw in the character's nature. Though Mary Sue definitions vary widely, those who actually know what they're talking about all define the character type's weakness in this way.
__________________________________

The Fanfiction Glossary The generic name for any new character (usually female) who's an ego-stroke for the writer: she's beautiful, has amazing skills/powers, gets into a love affair with an existing character, or (usually) all of the above.

[Notice how the "new character who's an ego-stroke for the writer" is the problem, and the traits are all symptoms of this problem.]

Protectors of the Plot Continuum: The official definition of a Mary Sue is "an original character that is an extremely idealized and glorified version of the fanfic author." Males of this type are sometimes called Marty Sams. Regardless of gender, Mary Sues have at least some of the following characteristics:

1) Exceptional physical beauty.
2) A phenomenal singing voice and/or a fondness for singing, especially inappropriate songs at inappropriate times.
3) A pronounced and deleterious effect on any and all canonical characters, including, but not limited to:
- a) compelling the writer's favorite character to fall in love with him/her,
- b) compelling apparent spontaneous reformation and/or repentance in any evil or selfish characters,
- c) commanding respect or even deference from canonical authority figures.
4) A marked tendency to upstage canonical characters, e.g. saving the entire Fellowship from certain doom.
5) Supposedly unique abilities that may or not be useful, e.g. prophecy or telepathy.

[Again, the characteristics are the manifestation of the larger problem.]

Mary Sue Official Site: Mary Sue is any original or deeply altered character who represents a slice of his/her creator's own ego; s/he is treasured by his/her creator but only rarely by anyone else. More negatively, a Mary Sue is a primadonna (usually but not always badly-written) who saps life and realism out of every other character around, taking over the plot and bending canon to serve his/her selfish purposes.

Potcsues: A Mary Sue (or Sue) is a fandom/fanfiction term that refers to an Original Character (or OC) who is near-perfect, amazingly beautiful, and multi-talented. She is feared/hated by the Canon Characters the author dislikes (usually as she's replacing them or otherwise embarassing them), she induces awe in and is adored by the Canon Characters that the author likes, and related to and/or in love with the author's favorite Canon Character(s).

If you hadn't guessed, she's a blatant self-insertion so that the author, or Suethor, may live out her fantasy of playing around in the Canon universe. Mary Sue is also well-known for being special in every way (the only one of her kind, of a race/species/etc. that has never before been seen in Canon, has special powers and abilties which may be incongruous to Canon), incredibly angsty (orphaned, raped, abused, suicidal, no memory of who she is, etc.), and existing in fics that are guilty of Canon Rape (which is ignoring, and, especially, perverting Canon whenever it's convenient). Canon Characters usually act extremely Out of Character (or OOC) whenever a Mary Sue is around, and the story (no matter what it is) and the universe as a whole all of a sudden seem to revolve entirely around her.

_________________________________________

You will notice that whatever differences of opinion these definitions have as to the minutiae of Mary Sue's identity, they are all in agreement with the self-serving nature of the character due to the author's close connection with her. The problem with a self-serving character is that in order to serve that character, the fictional reality twists itself so badly that the effects are deleterious to the story. The greater this warping is (or the more numerous the occasions), the more of a Mary Sue it is.

So, if you are a Suethor, and you happen to come across this report...do us a favor and put your reading and movie comprehension skills (however dormant you have shown them to be) to work. Then sit down and think of all of the reasons why the Pirates of the Caribbean story does not, cannot, and will never, ever, EVER need your character.

~Araeph

____________________________________________________

Formula for PotC Sue Reports:

TITLE:
CULPRIT:
SUMMARY:
BEST LINE:

THE VERDICT

1.



2.



3.



4.



5.




NAME:
HAIR:
EYES:
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:
OH SO SPESHUL POSSESSIONS:
OBNOXIOUS AND/OR IMPLAUSIBLE ORIGIN:
OBNOXIOUS AND/OR IMPLAUSIBLE CANON CONNECTIONS/AFFILIATIONS:
SOOPER SPESHUL ABILITIES:
TRAGIC PAST: [optional]

THE "PLOT":

NOTES :

EXCERPT :


Notes are optional. Please only give a few small excerpts of the worst parts of the story and put them behind the Lj-cut.


Posting

Off topic posts are fine in small doses, as long as they relate to Sue-mocking. We are especially fond of good MS parodies. If you’re not doing an actual Sue report, make sure there’s something Sue-related in your post that can amuse us.

Linking to PotC goodfic (including your own stories) is encouraged—we like to think that there’s some hope for humanity, after all—as long as it’s part of a Sue report or other Sue-mocking entertainment. If you wish to add or change something about the community and you want others' opinions, that's okay, too.

We encourage snarky, MST-like comments on the Suefic itself. The more detailed the caustic comments are, the funnier the report tends to be. Just don’t forget to let the Suefic shine out in all of its glittery glory.

Remember not to insult the Suethors, only the Suefic itself. (Unless, of course, the author comes here and rants anonymously.)

If you are a Suethor and feel like unleashing an invective against us, go ahead. We will most likely laugh at you, especially if your flames are poorly written. Be advised that any e-mail that you send to the community address may and probably will be posted here for our amusement.

Feel free to use our version of the “Crucio” countdown:

Walking the Plank (thanks to eternalei)

Three: Tie up the Sue nice and tight. (Gag optional.)

Two: Prod her onto a plank with your choice of weaponry.

One: Stamp hard on the plank.

SPLASH!

________________________________________________________

How to Measure the Badness of a Sue:

Pirates of the Caribbean Mary Sue Litmus Test

---------------------------------------------------------

Members (139):

Watched by (150):