Here’s a thread where we can post/rant about the Mary Sues we’ve come across, maybe wax nostalgic about the Sues we’ve written in the past, share stories with particularly awful sues, and discuss of what exactly we think the definition of a Mary Sue is.

In any case, I’ll start. The wise limyaael defines mary sues as:

Canon Mary Sues I consider those characters whose perceptions are perfectly in accord with objective reality, who are always right, who don’t make mistakes.

This is a narrow definition, which is probably why limyaael uses the term “author’s darling” for characters who have a lot Sueish marks, but aren’t outright infallible. Neither Bella nor Eragon are Sues by this definition, because they both make mistakes. Eragon uses magic inappropriately on urgals and creates Elva. Bella tends towards perfect judgment, but also makes mistakes when the plot demands it (honestly, a five-year-old could have seen through James’s trick).

Go

There should be a definition for sues who get raped and begin to enjoy it mid-way. Rape Sue. Works, I guess.

Dan, you just reminded me of a Kingdom Hearts fanfic where the Disney Princesses were gang-raped by the Heartless (the mooks of the game). Of course, they couldn’t get enough of the rape! Anyway that happens quite often in fanfiction, and it’s just ridiculous.

I have a particular rant to make about Mary Sue, but I’m saving that for later.

I linked to it. You obviously haven’t read the story itself.

She’s permanently vampire’d in Breaking Dawn. XD Sadly, this only serves to turn her into more of a Sue. Just a few of the words used to describe her New Improved Vampire Self, as I recall, are “gorgeous”, “supermodel”, “goddess”, etc. Along with everything else that made the Cullens super sexy and strong.

Oh yeah, that too. That made her a goddess even among vampires. It just doesn’t get better than that.

I’m a masochistic sue.

Which aspect? Mary-Sues or vampire sex?

Of course, they couldn’t get enough of the rape!

I will gleefully quote this out of context. Thank you for the opportunity :D

No, that’s fine. I prefer to keep images of my childhood as innocent as possible, and that includes not reading stories about Disney princesses being raped by creatures that, as far as I know, lack genitalia.

Mistakes only occur to forward the plot and almost never as a hindrance to it.

That could be said for anything though, couldn’t it? How often is an author going to include something that doesn’t advance the plot? But I see what you’re getting at. Ergon creating Elva was a “mistake” that turned out to be beneficial. Bella running off to fight James was clearly plot induced stupidity that had no serious consequences.

Personally, I think the most telling sign of a mary sue is the behavior of those around her. Everyone either lover her or hates her, none of the characters that oppose her will have a sympathetic portrayal, people who she’s just met bend over backwards for her, and so on. The point is that they stop acting like real people in order to reinforce the author’s view of the sue.

MAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

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I weep for Legolas and the pain he must endure. LotR fanfics should be illegal. Except for parodies, like that one with the Valar playing football. Now that one was funny!

Please, don’t give me My Immortal flashbacks.

Most amusing typo ever?

Melanie from Gone with the Wind is a bit of a Mary Sue. There are some parts of the book where Margaret Mitchell writes from her thoughts, only in third person, of course, and they are pretty limited. Like, she makes her thoughts really simplistic. Sure, it’s very pure and goodly and whatnot but it’s not very realistic. (But how realistic is Scarlett, in that case?) Also, the point of Melanie would have been that she = Mary Sue in order to be a key component of the plot/story but I have a problem with unrealistic characters.

And while we discuss unrealistic characters, how about Atticus? (I’ve developed an allergy to him every since my english teacher’s crush on him). He is perfect to the point of, well, perfection. Why is he so aloof from his family? Why is it that he is the same on the streets as he is at home? Because wouldn’t a nice father just loosen up at home whereas ‘on the streets’ he’d be a stricter dad? And there are a lot of things; I will write more later, ok?

Has anyone ever seen this site?

Hilarious, despite the anti-feminism.

@ Elanor Sarralyn,
Holy Fuck. That Twilight fic is the best thing I’ve ever read.

And while we discuss unrealistic characters, how about Atticus? (I’ve developed an allergy to him every since my english teacher’s crush on him). He is perfect to the point of, well, perfection. Why is he so aloof from his family? Why is it that he is the same on the streets as he is at home? Because wouldn’t a nice father just loosen up at home whereas ‘on the streets’ he’d be a stricter dad? And there are a lot of things; I will write more later, ok?

The story would be different if Atticus were a sue. Mayella Ewell wouldn’t have gotten nearly as sympathetic a portrayal, and Atticus would have predicted and prevented the attack on Jem and Scout. Unrealistically aloof and reasonable, maybe, but not infallible and not a sue (I’d call Jesus a sue, but that’d probably get this forum shut down faster than you can say Lazarus). Not to mention, the story is told from the POV of the character’s daughter, who clearly looks up to him.

(I’d call Jesus a sue, but that’d probably get this forum shut down faster than you can say Lazarus).

You know, I once had the same thought but have never really bothered putting it down anywhere less people misunderstand my point. Like, what does it say when a Stu shows up in real life and He gets horribly executed?

Well, if the stu is seen as a hero for getting executed, he is still a stu.

Hey, I just answered the question. If you do not desire a true answer do not ask it.

Nate, as usual you aren’t in the least bit funny.

In any story, when a popular stu an heros and every other character calls him a hero, that would still make him a stu. Is this true or false? If it is false, then we have different idea about what makes a stu. If it is true, why the hell are you asking that question since you already know the answer to this one?

Oh I get it it’s only a good answer if it’s a fake answer. Fail.

O ok

Now let’s say I took your bait and really did speak my mind as to how I felt about Jesus. You would accuse me of stirring up shit. But you’re the one who began posting about it. So in fact you are the one who shat, I am just the one stirring the shit you already shat. Without you there is no me.

So what kind of a topic is this? It’s a topic where we can only say the things that people want to hear. Say anything else and you’re trolling amirite? So I can only stay at the baseline, stating the obvious, not anything insightful or new, because these thoughts would make others bawwww and cause the thread to close.

I don’t give appropriate responses.

If he can’t handle responses to what he posts he shouldn’t post them. Since I can read and think, I can post back what I think I should post. To me it seems an apt response.

The funny thing is, he brought the topic up, but when it didn’t go the way he planned it, he turned it away, as though it’s my fault he can’t stand a real answer to his rhetorical questions.