Mary Sue - Tumblr Posts
What do you call the male version of a “Mary Sue”?
The protagonist.
Here's a random question that's on my mind (don't ask why):
Is there a non binary name for a Mary Sue? Because, from experience, enbys give themselves some strange names.
What would it be?
The Importance of Mary Sue
When I was in Ninth Grade, I won a thing.
That thing, in particular, was a thirty dollar Barnes & Noble gift certificate. I was still too young for a part-time job, so I didn’t have this kind of spending cash on me, ever. I felt like a god.
Drunk with power, I fancy-stepped my way to my local B&N. I was ready to choose new books based solely on the most important of qualities…BADASS COVER ART. I walked away with a handful of paperbacks, most of which were horrible (I’m looking at you, Man-Kzin Wars III) or simply forgettable.
One book did not disappoint. I fell down the rabbit hole into a series that proved to be as badass as the cover art promised (Again, Man-Kzin Wars III, way to drop the ball on that one). With more than a dozen books in the series, I devoured them. I bought cassette tapes of ballads sung by bards in the stories. And the characters. Oh, the characters. I loved them. Gryphons, mages, but most importantly, lots of women. Different kinds of women. So many amazing women. I looked up to them, wrote bad fiction that lifted entire portions of dialogue and character descriptions, dreamed of writing something that the author would include in an anthology.
This year I decided in a fit of nostalgia to revisit the books I loved so damn much. I wanted to reconnect with my old friends…
…and I found myself facing Mary Sues. Lots of them. Perfect, perfect, perfect. A fantasy world full of Anakin Skywalkers and Nancy Drews and Wesley Crushers. I felt crushed. I had remembered such complex, deep characters and didn’t see those women in front of me at all anymore. Where were those strong women who kept me safe through the worst four years of my life?
Which led me to an important realization as I soldiered on through book after book. That’s why I needed them. Because they were Mary Sues. These books were not written to draw my attention to all the ugly bumps and whiskers of the real world. They were somewhere to hide. I was painfully aware that I was being judged by my peers and adults and found lacking. I was a fuckup. And sometimes a fuckup needs to feel like a Mary Sue. As an adult, these characters felt a little thin because they lacked the real world knowledge I, as an adult, had learned and earned. But that’s the thing…these books weren’t FOR this current version of myself. Who I am now doesn’t need a flawless hero because I’m comfortable with the idea that valuable people are also flawed.
There is a reason that most fanfiction authors, specifically girls, start with a Mary Sue. It’s because girls are taught that they are never enough. You can’t be too loud, too quiet, too smart, too stupid. You can’t ask too many questions or know too many answers. No one is flocking to you for advice. Then something wonderful happens. The girl who was told she’s stupid finds out that she can be a better wizard than Albus Dumbledore. And that is something very important. Terrible at sports? You’re a warrior who does backflips and Legolas thinks you’re THE BEST. No friends? You get a standing ovation from Han Solo and the entire Rebel Alliance when you crash-land safely on Hoth after blowing up the Super Double Death Star. It’s all about you. Everyone in your favorite universe is TOTALLY ALL ABOUT YOU.
I started writing fanfiction the way most girls did, by re-inventing themselves.
Mary Sues exist because children who are told they’re nothing want to be everything.
As a girl, being “selfish” was the worst thing you could be. Now you live in Narnia and Prince Caspian just proposed marriage to you. Why? Your SELF is what saved everyone from that sea serpent. Plus your hair looks totally great braided like that.
In time, hopefully, these hardworking fanfiction authors realize that it’s okay to be somewhere in the middle and their characters adjust to respond to that. As people grow and learn, characters grow and learn. Turns out your Elven Mage is more interesting if he isn’t also the best swordsman in the kingdom. Not everyone needs to be hopelessly in love with your Queen for her to be a great ruler. There are all kinds of ways for people to start owning who they are, and embracing the things that make them so beautifully weird and complicated.
Personally, though, I think it’s a lot more fun learning how to trust yourself and others if you all happen to be riding dragons.
A long time ago I saw this “Mary Sue” test and because I did not know about writing that I know today I wanted to see if my charcters got a high score.
Long story short the test was nonsense, But what sticks with me until this day is that there was a specific point.
“If your character speaks more than one languge add one point for each language.”
And I knew exactly at that moment a white american girl made this test.
I made a yandere simulator OC/DR self, my DR is gonna be genderbend AU and I'm gonna date Ayato (male Ayano). I found all asset's on the fanon wiki page, nothing but the oc belongs to me!!!
TW FLASHING PICS
————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————————
I've been reflecting and I don't think she's my favorite version of strawberry anymore. Comparing her to her other version she's quite bland even compared to the characters in her own series she just boring.
Shut about Mary Sues.
"Any time you complain about a Mary Sue, you are being totally, often irredeemably, annoying. This includes when you get vehemently angry about them. When you dedicate 45+ minute Youtube videos complaining about them. When you try to boycott films and television shows because of them. When you spam “EWW MARY SUE!!!” in the comments sections across any social media outlet. When you dedicate entire blogs to tearing apart the “Sues” you find in fanfiction and fanart. You are annoying. You have been annoying for a very long time now. Fifty years to be exact.This is the sort of behavior I expect from children because at least there’s a chance for them to grow out of it. Any adult who uses “Mary Sue” unironically and dedicates this amount of time and energy into being angry about fictional characters is just looking for an “acceptable” excuse to be an asshole. This is childish, wildly immature, and annoying as fuck."
Everyone should read this!
NEW BLOG ENTRY: Why You Need To Shut Up About Mary Sues
DAY 3!!!!!: COMPLEX FIT
I T00K 4 Y3AR5 M4K1NG TH15 SH1T, 1 LUV 1T!!!!!!
AL50 F34TURING CHR0M4M0N0
Your points are fair. However, in this instance at least, I am experimenting with a different definition of Mary Sue. So I will respectfully agree with your interpretation of your very valid points to a certain extent only. I hope that you won't take offense for I mean none.
I believe that the ultimate nature of stories and narratives would inevitably favor the Main Characters, or the Protagonists. The classic mythologies are a good example of this, where the gods would intervene to assist the Hero in their quest.
An example of this would be Achilles. By the common definition of Mary Sue, Achilles would be a Mary Sue. Invincible, gets help from the gods through the story, and he is ultimately proven right over his rival, Agamemnon through the plot working in Achilles's favor.
There is an overlap between a naturally developing Main Character and Mary Sue which is better differentiated when one looks at the issue of Mary Sue as a narrative trope rather than a character trope.
Going back to the Achilles example. Achilles does not come across as a Mary Sue because Achilles is a part of a larger world that the Illiad builds throughout the narrative. Achilles does not overshadow the stories of the other characters through the Illiad's narrative, which allows the audience to understand Achilles not just as a part of the world, but also as APART from the world. Since he is partly divine due to his birth.
Looking at RWBY, I believe that Ruby Rose is a victim of Ozpin's issues that extends centuries before the start of RWBY proper. Ruby is not allowed to have her own story because she has to solve Ozpin's problems. Which is why Ruby's story gets twisted up not to make her 'always right', but to carry Ozpin's poorly written story onward.
Ruby is the main character, but this is not her story. Which I believe is the fundamental issue of RWBY and can only be addressed when a different definition of 'Mary Sue' is used to identify the true culprit of the poor writing. So to speak.
Is Ruby Rose (RWBY) a Mary Sue?
Definition of Mary Sue;
In an earlier post, I described the 'Mary Sue' as a narrative trope instead of a character archetype. A 'Mary Sue' occurs when a character's story overshadows the stories of the other characters.
Example;
Harry Potter in the last four books is a Mary Sue mostly because everything after book four is somehow tied to Harry, no matter how obscure or far removed. As a result, the story shrinks around Harry and the world of Magic becomes less interesting the more it focuses on Harry and his conflict with Voldemort.
Is Ruby is Mary Sue?
Based on my definition, no. She is just a badly written character. While all Mary Sues are badly written, not all badly written characters are Mary Sues.
Ozpin is more of the Mary Sue in RWBY. This is because most of RWBY's plot centers around Ozpin's mistakes and his relationships. Especially with Salem.
Therefore, Ruby Rose is not a Mary Sue.
Summary:
Mary Sue was a highly unusual girl in many ways. First of all, she was the first transfer student in the history of Hogwarts. Second of all, she was perfect. Third of all, everyone loved her. And I mean it. EVERYONE. LOVED. HER. Unfortunately, Mary quickly learns that being amazing is not always a blessing. Sometimes it's a curse.
honestly, the issue with mary sue's isn't that they're perfect, or that they're self-inserts, or the thousand and one thinly veiled misogynist reasons pop-culture has come up with (as if male mary sues aren't ten times more common), it's that they're interesting, at the expense of every other character. your protagonist with the extreme skillset and beauty and a 5-syllabic name isn't a mary sue in a world where literally every other character is just as fascinating. they are a mary sue in a world where everyone is called jane who have no special skills at all and is completely average looking and constantly bested professionally and academically and romantically by your protagonist portlansia muskgrave the 3rd.
That was the issue with sherlock in sherlock BBC. he was so smart and so wacky and so special in a world where every other character existed just to drive in how special he was that he sucked the soul of the story.
in contrast, let's see atla. every character in atla can be considered in mary sue if seen in isolation. the chosen one with the funky tattoos and the dead race and special powers. the beautiful waterbender the hero IMMEDIATELY falls for who literally becomes the strongest waterbender over the course of a summer. the blind 12 year old who invents metalbending in an hour. the scarred yet handsome emo prince with the tragic backstory and daddy issues. the beautiful princess prodigious enough to literally take down the chosen one with a single strike. the non-bending genius who crafts battle plans/invents hot air balloons/masters swordfighting in day/literally has a space sword.
YET none of them feel weird, or out of place, because they exist in the story together. time and attention are distributed, so no single character can overshadow the narrative and every other character. despite being ridiculously OP in every way, all these characters feel grounded and real because they exist in relation to each other.
therefore, in order to fix a mary sue, you don't have to tone them down. you need to give other characters just as much love and attention.
early creepypasta fandom: simultaneously the best and worst moment of my childhood
always an angel, never a god.
quick break from the ow posts to post one of my ocs :3
might make a post about them and the lore but idk cuz im lazee lol
The Importance of Mary Sue
When I was in Ninth Grade, I won a thing.
That thing, in particular, was a thirty dollar Barnes & Noble gift certificate. I was still too young for a part-time job, so I didn’t have this kind of spending cash on me, ever. I felt like a god.
Drunk with power, I fancy-stepped my way to my local B&N. I was ready to choose new books based solely on the most important of qualities…BADASS COVER ART. I walked away with a handful of paperbacks, most of which were horrible (I’m looking at you, Man-Kzin Wars III) or simply forgettable.
One book did not disappoint. I fell down the rabbit hole into a series that proved to be as badass as the cover art promised (Again, Man-Kzin Wars III, way to drop the ball on that one). With more than a dozen books in the series, I devoured them. I bought cassette tapes of ballads sung by bards in the stories. And the characters. Oh, the characters. I loved them. Gryphons, mages, but most importantly, lots of women. Different kinds of women. So many amazing women. I looked up to them, wrote bad fiction that lifted entire portions of dialogue and character descriptions, dreamed of writing something that the author would include in an anthology.
This year I decided in a fit of nostalgia to revisit the books I loved so damn much. I wanted to reconnect with my old friends…
…and I found myself facing Mary Sues. Lots of them. Perfect, perfect, perfect. A fantasy world full of Anakin Skywalkers and Nancy Drews and Wesley Crushers. I felt crushed. I had remembered such complex, deep characters and didn’t see those women in front of me at all anymore. Where were those strong women who kept me safe through the worst four years of my life?
Which led me to an important realization as I soldiered on through book after book. That’s why I needed them. Because they were Mary Sues. These books were not written to draw my attention to all the ugly bumps and whiskers of the real world. They were somewhere to hide. I was painfully aware that I was being judged by my peers and adults and found lacking. I was a fuckup. And sometimes a fuckup needs to feel like a Mary Sue. As an adult, these characters felt a little thin because they lacked the real world knowledge I, as an adult, had learned and earned. But that’s the thing…these books weren’t FOR this current version of myself. Who I am now doesn’t need a flawless hero because I’m comfortable with the idea that valuable people are also flawed.
There is a reason that most fanfiction authors, specifically girls, start with a Mary Sue. It’s because girls are taught that they are never enough. You can’t be too loud, too quiet, too smart, too stupid. You can’t ask too many questions or know too many answers. No one is flocking to you for advice. Then something wonderful happens. The girl who was told she’s stupid finds out that she can be a better wizard than Albus Dumbledore. And that is something very important. Terrible at sports? You’re a warrior who does backflips and Legolas thinks you’re THE BEST. No friends? You get a standing ovation from Han Solo and the entire Rebel Alliance when you crash-land safely on Hoth after blowing up the Super Double Death Star. It’s all about you. Everyone in your favorite universe is TOTALLY ALL ABOUT YOU.
I started writing fanfiction the way most girls did, by re-inventing themselves.
Mary Sues exist because children who are told they’re nothing want to be everything.
As a girl, being “selfish” was the worst thing you could be. Now you live in Narnia and Prince Caspian just proposed marriage to you. Why? Your SELF is what saved everyone from that sea serpent. Plus your hair looks totally great braided like that.
In time, hopefully, these hardworking fanfiction authors realize that it’s okay to be somewhere in the middle and their characters adjust to respond to that. As people grow and learn, characters grow and learn. Turns out your Elven Mage is more interesting if he isn’t also the best swordsman in the kingdom. Not everyone needs to be hopelessly in love with your Queen for her to be a great ruler. There are all kinds of ways for people to start owning who they are, and embracing the things that make them so beautifully weird and complicated.
Personally, though, I think it’s a lot more fun learning how to trust yourself and others if you all happen to be riding dragons.
Youjo Senki Ideas/Head Canon
So asides from FNAF, another series I’m into is Youjo Senki or the Saga of Tanya the Evil. I like the idea of magic, WW1 and WW2 combined into one setting and feel like its a unique take. However I will confess I’m not a fan of Tanya but feel more sympathy for Mary Sioux instead given I feel as if she’s a victim really in this fight between a reincarnated business man and a deity he managed to tick off. So here is some of my headcanons related to a project/story I have on hiatus on AO3. 1. Tanya is stuck in a time loop. I feel like that despite her best efforts and all the stuff she does to go against the deity called Being X/God, Tanya doesn’t get off freely like she does at the end of the web comic. Instead, when Tanya dies of a natural death far into her life after all that fighting against Being X, she just starts back at the beginning with only her and Being X aware of the time loops. This keeps happening as Tanya slowly becomes more crazy and unhinged with every loop until she finally becomes the true embodiment of ‘evil’ and ‘insanity’. The only way she will ever break the cycle is by dying in the war which so far she refuses to do as an attempt to spite Being X, ironically trapping herself in the loops.
2. Mary does not end up with the US Army or the volunteer mages overseas from the movie or books. Truth be told, I feel like it would be much more difficult for nations to justify sending young children to the frontlines or willingly even if they are mages. While the Empire can use the excuse of Tanya being an orphan and willingly volunteer, many other nations would likely be hesitant to do the same unless the children volunteer willingly and are orphans. For Mary’s case (and in the story), her mother would refuse to send her daughter overseas after she just lost her husband to the war. That and an argument prevented Mary from being able to enlist on time with the US Army or the International Volunteers as seen in the show/movie. This is actually a bit of a connection with the time loops as there is slight variations that happen with each timeline. However, this event is not the end of Mary’s military career...
3. Mary ends up enlisting with the US Marine Corps. While the Army and Volunteers are out of question, one of the more unique and iconic branches of the Unified States Armed Forces (Unified States is the Youjo Senki’s version of United States of America) was recruiting at the same time to establish a new mage unit that will not be involved with the war overseas (initially). While there is still resistance with her mother involving military service, she does give parental consent in the end by her mother (partially thanks to Being X in some ways) to enlist where she ends up being sent to the iconic Parris Island and trained more rigorous both in basic training and when assigned to the new mage unit which has to be trained up by mage veterans of the ongoing conflicts in the Central Americas and Caribbean. This means instead of being trained in camp and then rushed to the frontlines in both the show and movies, she’s given way more time to be trained up and develop more.
4. Mary is fifteen years old. I actually don’t know what Mary’s age in the show was and given how she changed between the anime and movie, I cannot tell for sure. For the sake of this, I figured aging her up (unless I guessed her actual age right) would give her more chances to develop.
I will post more when I get the chance and maybe I will pick up on the story again. I will share the link to the story for those who wish to read it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/37812625
Write a short story where the protagonist clearly knows they have a plot shield. And they abuse it to the fullest.
https://www.tumblr.com/real-total-drama-takes/757700428089720832/priya-sky-and-zoey-really-arent-that-similar
This! Priya in particular is SUPER different from Zoey or Sky like she’s way more intense, competitive, socially inept, and prone to anger than either of them ever were. Even at their angriest, it was nothing compared to Priya’s rage 😭, and she has a more distinct backstory & motivation as well (training her whole life for the show)
Really all three of them are different flavors of the “main athletic girl with a season long romance plot” (Hell Skave even subverted expectations and DIDN’T turn out to be the endgame lovey dovey couple) so the “Zoey/Sky clone” claims come across as very shallow IMO.
Caleb is honestly more similar to Zoey and Sky ngl. Even tempered, ideal understanding love interest to high strung Priya like Zoey was to Mike or what Sky initially appeared to be for Dave, but also being a bit naive (Zoey) and not the best communicator (Sky)