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#Post#: 421--------------------------------------------------
a guide on mary-sues/gary-stus [ wip ]
By: dreamie Date: October 31, 2013, 7:51 am
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[center][font=georgia][size=6]a guide on mary-sues / gary-stus.
[/center]First off, in this guide, I'll be using a few terms and
they'll be explained in the spoiler below. [spoiler=terms]Xe:
he/she
Xir: him/her/his
XS: Mary Sue/Gary Stu[/spoiler]
What are Mary Sues/Gary Stus?
The most simple way I can phrase this is that Mary Sues/Gary
Stus are [i]perfect characters. We've all seen them at one time
or another. Maybe it's the kit that receives a prophecy at birth
and single-handedly saves everyone, or perhaps it's the cat
that's kind, caring, loyal and brave at the same time, with no
weaknesses—or maybe xir only weakness is being too brave or too
kind. Or, for humans, it's the sweet, quite girl who doesn't
talk much, loves reading, is sensitive, kind and pretty without
knowing it. [spoiler=example][quote]Examplepaw is an extremely
beautiful cat with bright and luminous sky blue eyes flecked
with gold, silky voluminous fur and a slim build. She has an
elegant and slender build which aids her in hunting and
fighting.
Examplepaw is extremely kind-hearted, caring and tolerant. She
never loses her temper no matter how bad a situation is and
always does her best to make people happy. She is very selfless
and has a heart of pure gold. Many toms have fallen for her not
just because of her charming appearance, but also due to her
amazing personality. She never hesitates to hep someone in need
and is undyingly loyal and courageous. When she was born, the
medicine cat immediately saw that she would be a cat that would
bring ExampleClan to glory.[/quote]or maybe:[quote]Whateverstar
is a handsome and muscular tabby tom with a confident smile and
a charismatic gaze. He is the leader of the flourishing
SomethingClan and this is he he grew up.
Born on a stormy night, everyone immediately knew that
Whateverkit would grow up to be someone great and important. As
a kit, he never baby-talked or did anything inappropriate. He
was always doing the right thing and helping others out whenever
he could.
Whateverkit became an apprentice when he was only five moons
old, because everyone could see that he was already smarter and
faster and stronger than many apprentices. He trained diligently
and never slacked. He soon outdid many senior warriors with his
excellent hunting skills and outstanding battle reflexes, as
well as his fast-as-wind speed. When he was barely ten moons
old, he was made a full warrior—Whatevername. At eleven moons,
he took an apprentice and trained his apprentice very well.
Everyone was utterly impressed. Finally, when he was thirteen
moons old, he was promoted to deputy and soon after when his
leader died, he became the leader of SomethingClan. He led it to
glory and success.
[/quote]or for humans: [quote]Whatsherface has waist-length
chocolate brown hair and doe-like soft blue eyes. Her skin is a
pale olive and she is quite slim. She is pretty but doesn't know
it. Whatsherface is shy, quiet and quiet endearing. She is very
sweet and caring, kind to everyone around her and also very
sensitive to others' feelings. Extremely selfless, she never
hesitates to help someone, even at her own expense. Many guys
like her but she is very oblivious to this, just like how she
doesn't know that she is beautiful.
Whatsherface loves reading and writing. She also loves music and
listens to it all the time. She finds solace in writing and
music, where she feels she can escape into a better universe.
[/quote][/spoiler]Whatever it is, these characters annoy people.
On the other hand ...
This isn't good either.
[spoiler=example][quote]Blahkit was born to abusive parents.
They saw her as a curse because she looked like the deceased
leader, Randomstar (and it was later found out that she was the
reincarnation of Randomstar, destined for greatness). She had a
stunning sleek black pelt that had a certain glossiness to it,
resembling the darkest depths of the ocean. She had piercing
emerald almond eyes, slanted and exotic. She had hard-packed
muscles under her lean and lithe build, long legs and a slim
build. She was dark. She was beautiful.
Her parents hated her because of it. Her siblings were jealous
of her. They hurt her verbally and physically. But Blahkit never
complained, never made a sound. She silently accepted all the
abuse, quietly plotting revenge. As an apprentice, Blahpaw
trained harder than everyone else. She was determined and
strong-minded. When she was made a warrior, Blahpaw—now
Blahblah—was ready. Blahblah murdered her family, leaving no
survivors. She poisoned every cat of her clan, causing an
epidemic of whateverdisease. By now, Blahblah had own to a
beautiful, dark feline. Many cats saw her power and decided to
follow her lead. This is how the dark, evil Blahblah became
Blahstar and created the fierce, fear-inducing, powerful
BlahClan. [/quote][/spoiler]
Okay, maybe that was a gross, overdone exaggeration. But
still—we've seen enough of the psychotic killing cat that's dark
and beautiful at the same time. And about 95% of the time, xir
was abused in the past or tortured in some way! turning xir into
who xe is today.
It's perfectly fine to have an evil character. It can even be
refreshing to play someone 'bad'. In my opinion, though, it's
best to develop the character more fully. Don't just make the
character evil and stop at that. Develop the character. Xe could
have been evil because xe just had really bad judgment. Or it
could be that xe wanted something too badly, being too
determined and everyone else just not agreeing, gradually
turning this disagreement into a full war. The possibilities are
endless.
How do we avoid it?
The easiest way to avoid having a XS is to get your character
some weaknesses, but it isn't always easy.
For example, sometimes flawed characters are also can also be a
XS. Think about the fiery and sarcastic feminist who is
intelligent and quick-witted, the one who always seems to have a
clever retort to whatever you say. Or how about the quiet and
kind-hearted one who is too kind and gives too much to others?
Those can be XS too.
- - - - - - - > Have a real fault. Yes, too much of a good thing
is bad, but not as bad as having a bad thing. As such, being
selfish is more of a fault than being overly selfless. Being too
kind, too caring, too nice or being too (insert good quality
here) shouldn't be considered a real weakness.
- - - - - - - > Steer clear of clichés. Instead of a noble and
righteous cat, how about one who sometimes questions xir
loyalties due to some event in xir past? Or maybe an intelligent
one who knows what xe is doing, but often messes up due to
carelessness or clumsiness? It's always fun to add little twists
to a character to make xir more interesting.
- - - - - - - > Quirks and bad habits aren't bad ideas. The
habit of hoarding little things like a pebble or an autumn leaf
can help to build a character, and xe does not necessarily have
to be a stingy jerk. It can just be a little hobby, or a
collection of a lot of random things.
- - - - - - - > Balance. Balance out good and bad traits, and
roleplay them. If you include in the form that your character is
insensitive, then roleplay xir like that. Don't end up
roleplaying xir as someone who can even come across as somewhat
sensitive. Stick to the faults and strengths of your character,
and roleplay them as such.
- - - - - - - > Be normal. Ordinary characters aren't
necessarily boring. Your character doesn't need to be able to
tell the future and fly in the sky to be interesting. We're all
ordinary people, and we're all interesting and unique. That says
something about how characters can be. In fact, your character
can even be so ordinary that xe is extraordinarily ordinary! c:
[hr][hr]
#Post#: 494--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Guide on Mary Sues/Gary Stus (WIP)
By: Truth Date: November 1, 2013, 4:13 pm
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Very nice, dreamie c: I have had one or two characters like
this, but eventually I got bored with them.
Now almost all of them are clumsy, sarcastic and are always
falling out of trees or drowning or completely messing up in
battle or training.
Now that makes things fun cx.
#Post#: 1127--------------------------------------------------
Re: A Guide on Mary Sues/Gary Stus (WIP)
By: Wolfey Date: May 11, 2014, 4:02 pm
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I am still awed by your writing. ^^
#Post#: 1157--------------------------------------------------
Re: a guide on mary-sues/gary-stus [ wip ]
By: dreamie Date: June 4, 2014, 6:58 am
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[quote author=Truth link=topic=73.msg494#msg494 date=1383340427]
Very nice, dreamie c: I have had one or two characters like
this, but eventually I got bored with them.
Now almost all of them are clumsy, sarcastic and are always
falling out of trees or drowning or completely messing up in
battle or training.
Now that makes things fun cx.
[/quote]
oooooh that certainly does c:
[quote author=Wolfey link=topic=73.msg1127#msg1127
date=1399842149]
I am still awed by your writing. ^^
[/quote]
sAYS THE FANTABULOUSLY FABULOUS WOLFEY
who is the king of writing herself
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