Opinion on Mary Sues?

[pikachuiscoolio]

I can get annoyed by them. In extreme cases, it makes me want to punch their creators when they think it's perfectly okay for their character to be a the goddess of rainbows, have fox ears that can hear EVERYTHING(sorry you are not the BFG), nine multicolored-ever changing tails, and angelic wings. Don't forget their one million sidekicks and pets and the fact that everything should be revolving around them(because they're an orphan and they need the love of every person in their story).

Then again, when I first started writing I had this OP af flying cat wizard Mary Sue thingy, heh. I feel that most role players started out with a Mary Sue, and then realized "Oh yeah, my rainbow fairy love gumiho might be a LITTLE OP".

They're still so annoying. As are their creators.

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[Shiny Motley]

I feel like many writers, when they first start making characters, just go for what they think is the coolest thing ever, which is how many Mary Sues are born. And I'm fine with that, as long as the writers are willing to accept criticism and learn from their mistakes. There are ways to write powerful characters with tragic backstories that would not make them sound like a Mary Sue, despite having all the symptoms of one. Perhaps it's the way others interact with them or how they interact with others, or maybe they have a certain flaw that does not make them endearing but actually makes them more of an unloveable jerkass.

tl;dr I don't like Mary Sues myself, and frankly I don't know why people would, but I like to think of them as a way for beginning writers to start learning how to make better, more rounded characters.

 

[AzureEdge]

My best OC is beyond a Mary-Sue, and I can't kill her off. Everyone likes her though, but she's been through too much.
I'm afraid if I make another OC to counter her as a rival, he'll become OP too. It's terrible.

 

[pac_halo]

Pfft... yeah... they're like... SOOOOOOO dumb... *shoves Jerry and Daniel into a closet*

But seriously, I think that Mary Sues can only be used as antagonists and, very rarely, they can be used only by the best of writers. It takes a lot of skill to make a reader connect with what is essentially a god, but it is far from impossible. I mean, look at Harry Potter- An example of a total Mary Sue, yet the audience finds a way to connect, be it his struggles in school, his mischief, bullies, etc.

Mary Sues have their place in literature, for sure. But their place is as the antagonist or an extremely skilled writer's protagonist.

 

[Brendan Savem]

The epitome of a Mary Sue is perfection. They are perfect at everything they do, the whole "anything you can do I can do better". And their personality is spot on too, often with a warm personality, yet no emotional weakness. Described as being tough and rugged, yet always conveniently trusting the right people. And of course, every challenge that comes up, they handle with perfect finesse and are all ready for the next one, unless it's for the usual trope reasons like the antagonist was their long lost brother all along and all that. A flawed personality is why Harry Potter isn't a Mary Sue (Even though the movies easily make him out to be one). In the later books, he's a moody student with an ill temper that flares when he is unable to get his way; and that's just human, especially for a teenager going on seventeen. Now it's easy to say that he's just going through puberty, but Mary Sues are not affected by mediocre things like hormone imbalances.

That's also why it is figuratively impossible for the antagonist to be a Mary Sue. The antagonist is supposed to be bested in some way by the protagonist, and the antagonist needs something that makes the reader/viewer dislike them, to tell the audience who's side they should be on. either of these shatter the core of perfection that makes a Mary Sue what they are. So Mary Sue is really something that can only be applied to a protagonist or supporting cast.

 

[Keleri]

I used to be really militant about Mary Sues/Self Inserts but I've cooled off a lot in recent years especially after noticing how gendered the application of the label can be. What I mean by that is that male characters are given a lot more latitude to be perfect and indulgent of the author's desires in a way that female characters aren't.

Let me tell you about a red-haired, delicately beautiful girl with a latent talent for rare magic and the ability to play and compose incredible music. Her parents and community were brutally murdered by immortal shapeshifters and she lived as a beggar for several years before skilfully negotiating her admission for free to an exclusive university to study that rare magic. Her adventures since then have included escaping a dangerous immortal who declared her to be more skilled in the sexual arts than all her previous lovers, and learning a mysterious and deadly martial art that gave her a major advantage over ordinary thugs and brigands.

I'm talking about Kvothe from The Kingkiller Chronicle, who is actually a male character. That series was almost universally hailed as a breakthrough and paragon of the fantasy genre. Yeah.

So you know what, I don't have a lot of hate left for teenagers who want to write about their cool OC hooking up with a hot dude/girl/person or catching legendaries or doing wandless magic or whatever. I think it's good for kids, especially young women, to write fiction that makes them feel powerful and to provide escapism.

I do think that Sues are a juvenile form of character creation: they're overdescribed with excessive detail about their appearance, special tattoos, jewelery, etc. but have little thought put into their personality or goals. Compelling characters are interesting because of their weaknesses and how they grow as people, not because they're Super Kewlies. Sues' achievements are just for points that don't matter or for wow-moments that get people talking (HARRY DRESDEN RODE A T-REX SKELETON THROUGH A CITY!). However, it's not the purpose of Sues to actually be compelling characters for anyone but their author-- and I think that's okay. They're training wheels for better writing.

And the fact is, people friggin' eat up some Sues. (Kingkiller Chronicle, Twilight, etc.)

 

[Panstyx]

Mary sues though. I did this elemental powers rp on a different site, where each of us has ONE power, but this girl came along and said she could control anything. I told her she couldn't and she reported me...... she was really annoying...... and she apparently was an orphan who had a crush on me. She ruined the RP by trying to completely CHANGE the plot and everyone left. Thanks a lot. So I really don't like them.

 

[sunflore]

I HATE Mary Sues. In fact, I once made two OCs--a romantic couple-- named Mary Sue and Gary Stu. They were total mockery of all perfect OCs. And I quote (from an old fanfic of mine):
All of a sudden, light flooded the room and out of the distance, two beautiful figures walked through the doors. . .
As soon as anyone caught a glimpse of the two amazing people, they fell in love with them.
The female was the first to speak. "Hello! I'm Mary-Sue Gotta."
"…And I'm Gary-Stu Loveus!" the male piped in.
"They're so perfect…" Pip said dreamily.
"I can't look away!"
And so on. Ironically, Mary Sue ended up not being a Mary-Sue at all, as she became a total Regina George that everyone besides she and two other OCs ended up hating. I admit, making non-Mary Sue OCs is hard, but it can be done.

 

[Takinas]

I'm more against self-inserts than I am Mary-Sues to be honest. Usually, these self inserts put themselves in a place where they really shouldn't. Mary Sues aren't that much better. OCs for existing stories are always iffy for me in story and RP, because I have to go hunt down everything I can about that character before I even consider RPing with one. I generally am open to OC characters and some Self inserts who aren't affecting the plot of canon too much, but when I RP a character and they say they are the spouse of that character or a original relation...Nope. For Stories it is different, because they alone are the one writing the story. But when you get an OC thrown in with a canon character who is being written by another person, more than one complication is liable to arise.

Yes my answer is flawed and may not make sense, but that is a true example of imperfect human behavior.

 

[The iFlare]

Honestly... I don't think Mary-Sues are interesting to read or write about... Half of the fun in a good OC is seeing how they deal with their own flaws and how they can overcome their inhibitions and problems to develop as characters. There's no room for development in a Mary-Sue, and therefore they just become boring and redundant...

 

[peachyeggprincess]

It really depends on the type of story the creator is trying to write. Sometimes Mary Sues are annoying and sometimes they're funny as hell. If I have to watch another anime about a boy who is completely perfect at everything and has a harem of one dimensional women I'm gonna scream. Yet, the manga One Punch Man is incredibly funny, and the main character is so OP that he destroys everything with one punch.

But you seem to be talking more about the use of Mary Sues in fanfiction rather than their use in media, to which I have the same reply. It all depends. If the story is expected to be taken seriously, then of course I don't like it. But if the story is comedic, and the character is not supposed to be taken seriously in the slightest, then I'll eat it up.

 

[Crazy-ass Bat]

It really depends on the type of story the creator is trying to write. Sometimes Mary Sues are annoying and sometimes they're funny as hell. If I have to watch another anime about a boy who is completely perfect at everything and has a harem of one dimensional women I'm gonna scream. Yet, the manga One Punch Man is incredibly funny, and the main character is so OP that he destroys everything with one punch.

But you seem to be talking more about the use of Mary Sues in fanfiction rather than their use in media, to which I have the same reply. It all depends. If the story is expected to be taken seriously, then of course I don't like it. But if the story is comedic, and the character is not supposed to be taken seriously in the slightest, then I'll eat it up.

I couldn't agree more. A Mary Sue character can be great in a story in order to add a comical dimension. One Punch Man is the perfect example: the main character is completely OP, yet the manga and anime is one of the best I've seen these past few years, it's amazingly funny and well-written. Another one of my favorite manga/anime is Hellsing/Hellsing Ultimate, and the main character is also OP and impossible to kill. Yet, it is very funny (if a bit gory, don't watch if you're afraid of blood), and one of the few anime I would watch over and over again. Medaka and Kumagawa from Medaka Box, Neuro from Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, or even Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler are all OP characters but the fact that they seem invincible or perfect is essential to the plot, it's an important part of who they are. Sometimes you discover they weren't as strong as you thought they were, and sometimes you discover they were even stronger. It all depends on the plot, and the fact that they are OP doesn't make the story less enjoyable, on the contrary.

So yeah, it depends on the author and how they write their story. I don't have issues with Mary Sues if it's in a comic purpose. If it's written by a bad author because they want their character to be the best or because they were too lazy to develop a good character with flaws, then no thanks.

 

[Kawaii Unicorn]

I don't mind them, I mean everyone says my favorite warrior cat is a Mary Sue. I kind of hate them though, like seriously, "I'm an orphaned child that needs love from everyone, and has big wings, and amazing sight, and ears, and can run super duper fast like a crazy person." I heard that one time on somewhere else. So yeah I guess I hate Mary Sues.

 

[Javelin]

While it can be done well, the majority of the time it isn't and comes off as either unintentionally bad or just plain masturbatory. Sometimes it's clearly one or the other, sometimes it's hard to tell.

Hate is way too strong a word for such an overall non-issue but they sure make me roll my eyes and find something else to read.

 

[Sylvious]

Mary Sues can be fine for me, as long as there is such weakness or reason on how they got that OP. I feel like Kirito from Sword Art Online (Anime) can be a good example of a good Mary Sue (But an anime not a story). Kirito is powerful as hell but he has been through a tragic backstory, and because he was a beta-tester, making him stronger than other players. Through SAO, he became more experienced with fighting. That is how he got so strong at the end of the Mothers Rosario Arc.

BTW If you don't know Sword Art Online go watch it and you'll know what I'm talking about.

When I first started writing, I thought Mary Sues can be absolutely badass at times. But through years of writing, I feel like a story get's boring when (Example) this guy defeats everybody in one swipe with no reason at all why he is so strong.

I have to say that if Mary Sues have to do with the plot, (Like @Crazy-ass Bat 's post) and if the plot makes everything makes sense, you got a 10/10 Mary Sue right there. I actually learned that some anime can be a PERFECT example of a Mary Sue. One-Punch Man, too OP for his own good. But why the anime/manga is awesome? It has a (Close to) perfect explanation and it's a part of the anime/manga to turn it into... The anime/manga! He is the main focus of the story, and he actually has a weakness! He wants to find a foe that doesn't die in one punch. Although by the end of the first season (In the anime), he has completed his goal. The Alien King was stronger than anything Saitama had faced.

In conclusion, Mary Sues can be very badass, comical, and a key to the plot if they are made correctly.

 

[Steel Seth]

I am fine with them, but they can get just a liiiittle annoying at times.

For example One Punch Man (I Don't watch it but) people say he is SOOOOO OVERPOWERED and I see there point. it legitly takes.... you guessed it ONE PUNCH! for him to finish off his Foes. but as long as there is a Overpowered Foe that the Hero must face and it makes the Hero struggle

as for my OC's they are not THAT overpowered they have there downsides...

 

[lil_lady_mew]

I do not do it often but it can be fun to have a character who is so self absorbed that she feels the world revolves around herself. It can also be a good story mechanic when she learns it does not.