The Trials & Tribulations of Mary Sue
Ugh! The dreaded Mary Sue! For anyone not in the know, Mary Sue (and her male counterpart, Gary Stu) is the epitome of perfection! Her skin is flawless, and she has the best fashion sense. Everyone loves her, not only for her darn good looks, but also because of her stunning personality. She's the most charismatic and friendly person you've ever met. Never does she cause a conflict, and if one presents itself, the issue seems to simply disappear without reason. If this weren't enough, she's incredibly athletic, handy with a sword (even though she's never held one) and able to cast the most powerful magic (even though she's never seen the spell). If this weren't enough, she's fluent in five different languages! Seven, if you count sign-language and the musical notes she most elegantly plays (again, without ever having touched a keyboard before).
But not all is well in the life of Mary Sue. Her parents and siblings were killed in a horrific murder when she was but a child. Because of this, she was left in the care of her negligent great aunt, who beat and verbally abused her every day of her existence. She was forced into child labor to sweep chimneys and sell shoes. Never given any money, she was forced to wear rags all-the-day. Despite these mounting odds against her, Mary Sue was able to rise up and become the most well-known author of our time!
THERE! Do you see how absolutely annoying Mary Sue is?! Now, imagine having to roleplay with her...I thought as much. Not very fun, which is why you should avoid Mary Sue at all costs. As standard practice, avoid literary clichés (damsel in distress, prince charming, the geeky kid that rises above the bullying, etc.). Also, while it's okay to give your character some misfortune in their past, don't be a sadist. Serial killings, rape, and orphanage do not make for good character traits; they're just annoying. Finally, chances are you weren't born with perfect looks and the ability to hit a home run while simultaneously playing Beethoven's third symphony, so why should your character be? Believe me, I'm doing this for your own good. Mary Sues are stale characters to role play as, and even more boring to role play with. So, let's do our part in cleaning the streets of Mary Sue forever!
created by And-Who? of the RPG-D
Ugh! The dreaded Mary Sue! For anyone not in the know, Mary Sue (and her male counterpart, Gary Stu) is the epitome of perfection! Her skin is flawless, and she has the best fashion sense. Everyone loves her, not only for her darn good looks, but also because of her stunning personality. She's the most charismatic and friendly person you've ever met. Never does she cause a conflict, and if one presents itself, the issue seems to simply disappear without reason. If this weren't enough, she's incredibly athletic, handy with a sword (even though she's never held one) and able to cast the most powerful magic (even though she's never seen the spell). If this weren't enough, she's fluent in five different languages! Seven, if you count sign-language and the musical notes she most elegantly plays (again, without ever having touched a keyboard before).
But not all is well in the life of Mary Sue. Her parents and siblings were killed in a horrific murder when she was but a child. Because of this, she was left in the care of her negligent great aunt, who beat and verbally abused her every day of her existence. She was forced into child labor to sweep chimneys and sell shoes. Never given any money, she was forced to wear rags all-the-day. Despite these mounting odds against her, Mary Sue was able to rise up and become the most well-known author of our time!
THERE! Do you see how absolutely annoying Mary Sue is?! Now, imagine having to roleplay with her...I thought as much. Not very fun, which is why you should avoid Mary Sue at all costs. As standard practice, avoid literary clichés (damsel in distress, prince charming, the geeky kid that rises above the bullying, etc.). Also, while it's okay to give your character some misfortune in their past, don't be a sadist. Serial killings, rape, and orphanage do not make for good character traits; they're just annoying. Finally, chances are you weren't born with perfect looks and the ability to hit a home run while simultaneously playing Beethoven's third symphony, so why should your character be? Believe me, I'm doing this for your own good. Mary Sues are stale characters to role play as, and even more boring to role play with. So, let's do our part in cleaning the streets of Mary Sue forever!
created by And-Who? of the RPG-D
Last edited by Lash on Sat Jul 03, 2010 4:04 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Fixed formatting issues)
