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RaggedWizard 
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 585
Location: USA - NY
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 Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:56 am Post subject: Mary Sue and Gary Stu |
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| A Mary Sue or Gary Stu is a generic term for a flat, two dimensional character often based on their own player but used to make of themselves the ideal of what they want to be. These characters can be very boring or obnoxious. What do you consider to be good ways to avoid playing such a character or what is your worst experience with such a character? |
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Elainiwen
Joined: 28 Dec 2009
Posts: 5999
Location: Finland
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| Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:30 am Post subject: |
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| Wikipedia wrote: | Etymology
The term "Mary Sue" is from the name of a character created by Paula Smith in 1973 for her parody story "A Trekkie's Tale" published in her fanzine Menagerie #2. The story starred Lieutenant Mary Sue ("the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet — only fifteen and a half years old"), and satirized unrealistic and adolescent wish-fantasy characters in Star Trek fan fiction. Such characters were generally original (non-canon) and female adolescents who had romantic liaisons with established canon adult characters, or in some cases were the younger relatives or protégés of those characters.
By 1976 Menagerie's editors stated that they disliked Mary Sue stories—the adventures of the youngest and smartest ever person to graduate from the academy and ever get a commission at such a tender age. Usually characterized by unprecedented skill in everything from art to zoology, including karate and arm-wrestling. This character can also be found burrowing her way into the good graces/heart/mind of one of the Big Three (Kirk, Spock, and McCoy), if not all three at once. She saves the day by her wit and ability, and, if we are lucky, has the good grace to die at the end, being grieved by the entire ship.
Today "Mary Sue" carries a connotation of wish-fulfillment and is commonly associated with self-insertion (the writing of oneself into a fictional story). True self-insertion is a literal and generally undisguised representation of the author; most characters described as "Mary Sues" are not, though they are often called "proxies" for the author. The negative connotation comes from this "wish-fulfillment" implication: the "Mary Sue" is judged a poorly developed character, too perfect and lacking in realism to be interesting. Such proxy characters, critics claim, exist only because authors wish to see themselves as the "special" character in question. |
I think that explains it good enough...
I think it's good to think about the character's weaknesses early enough, and what kind of event does it take for the character to overcome them or for being defeated by them. You also would have to consider when to reveal such keys to your co-player.
If the character overcomes the weaknesses, what will they be replaced with? Is it hunger for vengence or a strong sense to protect a loved one, or perhaps them combined? How does one's cultural background affect it?
Also accept that your characters can't know or can't be always capable of everything, and remember that your character can switch sides due the events, because each light character has a bit of dark and each dark character has a bit of light.
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Suspect
Joined: 24 Nov 2006
Posts: 65
Location: USA - CA
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| Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 7:45 am Post subject: |
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| Back when I first started RPing, I had a Mary Sue Character.. I soon learned that even for me, it wasn't fun.. not for others either. I believe most create Mary Sue's to expel their RL emotions. While this is a good way to relieve stress, you can also do so by creating a character parallel to yourself. |
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CountVladDracula
Joined: 07 Oct 2010
Posts: 8151
Location: USA - NY
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| Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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I think if you're fifteen and an RPer you're probably guilty of having made at least one Mary Sue.
Funny thing about the origin of Mary Sue, there's a comic strip on Deviant Art of the adventures of Enson Sue. And it's all these comical Mary Sue adventures. |
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