Post by Mintvelour on Mar 29, 2014 20:53:59 GMT
To start out, what is a Mary-Sue or Gary-Stu?
A Mary Sue/Gary Stu is a poorly written character who appears to have little or no flaws. They may have one flaw, but then the rest of the time they are perfect. And no one is perfect with no flaws.
They also rarely sees rational consequences. They aren't reprimanded for their consequences of being rude or rowdy, instead they are given a pat on the back or a cookie. In actuality this person would probably be smacked to say the least.
A Mary Sue/Gary Stu tends to be universally liked (despite rude actions) or universally disliked (despite being a pretty okay person). Well, that isn’t very realistic because no one is liked by every single person they’ve ever met. Neither is anyone disliked by everyone they’ve ever met.
Along with the above mentioned, they tend to describe herself (or himself) as average, but other characters fall all over themselves to get with that character. If the author does not present a reason why these other characters all want the same person, then the story isn’t very well written. The readers should have a reason for why the character is so attractive to these others. The character could actually be pretty, and just have low self esteem. Or the character could be really sweet. There should always be some reason these other characters are interested in the main character.
How to avoid these types of characters:
Know the story.
While this should be fairly obvious, it is not for some. Some people just make their character and don't even bother to make them fit into the world of the role play. They just make someone that they want to and think its alright. if the RP creator is doing their job, they will point this out to the person and not just accept them willy-nilly. Lots of role plays have plots and some sort of lore, even original ones, or ones like Zelda that have a very specific lore that you should follow. Using Zelda as an example, they have no aliens in their lore aside from that one time in Majora's Mask, so making an alien in a Skyward Sword RP would prove your character is asking for special permissions, i.e. being a Mary Sue/Gary Stu.
Don't make relations to another character without their permission
This is especially important in canon universes. While some characters have mysterious and flexible pasts, it is usually just easier to assume they don't have a brother or sister that they had never heard of. Or some mysterious daughter or son. In original universes this can be more flexible, because you can ask for permission from the character creator, but even then, if you are trying to be the dead mother or father of the main character to forcibly be more interesting, you're pushing your luck. The RP is not going to turn around to be about your character.
Give your character some REAL FLAWS
Give your character some flaws that will actually affect them. They should be real flaws that can move the story forward, such as maybe a limp which causes them to not be as fast as the other characters on the adventure or some crazy spending habits that force them to buy out things others need. Have some flaw that will get an actual reaction.
Don't be the center of attention
If they RP has specifically stated it revolves around a certain cast, then be part of the side cast or help the main cast. If you are part of an InuYasha group and your guy is more powerful than InuYasha or you are more evil than Naraku, then you are clearly trying to be a Mary Sue or Gary Stu that is the center of the universe. Others want to participate, especially the main cast, but if you act out and suddenly have taken the center spotlight, then no one wants to RP with you.
Let everyone share the spotlight
Going off of the last comment, remember why everyone is there. You are all working together to make this RP fun and move it forward. Let everyone do their own thing and not have everything constantly about your character.
Make learning hard
Not everything comes easy for a person, learning a new skill or fighting a battle or holding a sword or making a dress come easily to someone right off the bat. It is something that takes time and determination and if you are making everything easy for your character right off the bat then you are doing it WRONG. If your character has to struggle and deal with real problems your readers will start to feel for her/him. If they do everything perfectly with no real adversity, they'll start to hate her/him.
Be careful with romance
This is a major pet peeve! Do not have everyone or one person in love with your character right away. They never met him or her and already want to marry them. That is not realistic and everyone hates love at first sight. It isn't realistic to match up your character with the main character or automatically be in love with them when they already have someone. Not to say love triangles can't occur as time goes on, but that has to do with everyone's personalities.
Take your time
A usual for all RPs. Take your time in writing out your character and don't immediately make things happen with your character. Don't suddenly reveal their deepest darkest secret because you just shook someone's hand or because they ate a meal with you. There is always room to grow. One of the biggest flaws of Mary Sue and Gary Stu characters are that things happen far too quickly. It will probably take a while for your new character to become really close to the canon characters, or be in a position to accomplish lots of amazing things. Go slowly.