I will give you three characters. Two you may know, and one you don't.
She is ordinary and plain in every way possible; even though every boy at her school is fawning over her. She is clumsy and this is one of her great flaws. Two of her possible choices for love interest (i mean besides every XY Chromosome in her school) Are a brooding young man, and a long haired chap both of whom would willingly off the other to be with her. She's a terrible liar, but a good actor. She was conceived as a dream of her author and has gone on to become the most sparkliest of vampires.
Second Character
His humble beginnings are foggy at first. Raised and trained in martial arts by his grandfather he becomes one of the greatest fighters on earth. He fought and killed the man who killed was responsible for his masters death. At time passes he discovers his actual lineage as a member of a race of simian based mercenaries who take over planets. As he grows more powerful he discovers the full powers of his race; and not only becomes one of the most powerful beings in the world; but four galaxies. He has died at least twice' but has come back stronger each time. He isn't the smartest; but is a phenomenal combatant.
Third Character
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Retracted 11-30-2011
Today we talk about Mary Sue and Gary Stu and their effects on popular fiction...well sort of.
So first a definition according to Wikipedia
is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfillment fantasies for their authors or readers. Perhaps the single underlying feature of all characters described as "Mary Sues" is that they are too ostentatious for the audience's taste, or that the author seems to favor the character too highly.(1)
A Mary Sue or male Gary Stu are often anagrams for their authors. They are perfectly flawed to give them a taste of being imperfect. They possess exotic skills beyond that seemingly gives them an edge in comparison to similar characters of age, race, etc. If the story is about fighting; then the character is highly proficient in fighting arts and also has a special attack that no one else can do or stop. Now while this is a common theme in anime; Mary Sue-ism is not. Mary Sue's are a sort of wish fulfillment for the author to place themselves in the story and do all the things that they want to do. In some cases of thinly veiled sueism; the character and the author will have a similar name. I have a friend who has a bad case of Stuism; as his main character is basically his first and last name; and possesses the ability to kill virtually anything. See the wish fulfillment factor. His characters flaw is a bit of insanity, and bad experiences as a child.
And that is the case with most sue's/stu's. They are often lacking any real character strength because of what makes them perfect. Take the case of the first one....we all know who it is... Bella Swan. Bella is a classic Mary Sue for the exact reasons that I mentioned.
I watched the first twilight and the first thing I noticed was how everyone fawned of Bella the moment they saw her. This was a strange phenominon; as unless you are exotically beautiful; which Bella is not; boys only see new meat; and the girls see nothing special at all. And thats just it. There was nothing special about Bella. She's very plain and very boring; but it is from her perspective that we get to view Twilight. Here is Bella's flaws...she's clumsy. Hell so am I when I've had a few too many. I never saw Bella go tumbling down several flights of stairs, or cutting a major vein; because she was cutting an onion. Her flaws never seemed to be a major factor; and instead just seemed to be there to say that she had them. Her mind is private so vampires are unable tor read her. What makes her mind so private that it functions as a shield against telepathy. I'll tell you what because the author says so. Sure there are probably tons of emo kids in Forks or just very private people; but Bella is the only one who can stump a sparkling professor X. I haven't even gotten to the best part. After becoming a vampire herself; she becomes paler, spark-lier, less clumsy, more beautiful and able to resist the urge to feed. I.e. Bella becomes perfect. In the course of three books; Bella never changed. She always remained the same character. Did I mention that Bella was created as a result of a dream of her author.
The problem with Sueism is that they are just too perfect at who they are or what they do; and people have a hard time following that. They never truly fail at anything; and because of the way people perceive them; any attempt at failing anything is seen as an attempt to give the shallow character depth. Now let's take character number two.....he's a real star of screen. Son Goku...yes from Dragon Ball...and no he isn't a stu character.
Goku is a stereotype or more precisely...an anime archetype. He's far from perfect. He's dumb as hell, and can't do many things well. He has a very loose understanding of basic concepts. Hell the idiot thought Marriage was something to eat(2). You could almost say he is special in a way. He is a horrible parent, and possibly abusive to his wife (3). He is however one of the goodguys, and one of the most incredible and powerful fighters known today. Sure he may be the strongest there is...(Sorry Hulk) but he is also a very lovable character who just enjoys a good fight. He isn't bound by the same laws as say a traditional fiction character, and thats why he is so much fun. Goku isn't perfect. Hell he has lost several times, died to heart disease, blowed up, gave up his remaining time on earth when brought back again, and still came back again. That' Goku...about as Gary Stuish as I am.
Sue's are often exotically beautiful or woefully plain; but its usually that element that endears them to people. It's a strange thing really; but one I can personally relate too..lol. Their personalities are complex and yet simple...or seemingly complex but actually just simple. As an author; the appeal to create another version of me; with all the things I want is like a call to the dark side. It's nothing more than an escape. To live the perfect life that you can control like a remote. However unless you are writing for just yourself; Sueism is cheating the audience out of great fiction. Sueism is cheating; because most authors won't truly put their extensions in danger, so that feeling of legitimate threat is absent. they will get the girl; because thats usually how the author would have wanted to in real life. Sueism is the ultimate escape for authors who wish for a better life.
Take the third character.
Well he's mine and his name is Kyle. We will give plusses and minuses for stu-ish traits or lack of stu-ish traits
(+)He has a best friend who is based off of one of my best friends.
(+)He has an awesome though insanely jealous girlfriend.
(+) He has wealth, like Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark type wealth
(+) He is the one of the most talented pilots ever witnessed, with a natural control over his machine
(+) He is super strong and super fast
(+) He has a high rank in his organization.
(+) He is a natural leader, and people rally behind him.
Now I know what you are thinking. A classic Gary Stu character, with only one minus and a ton of pluses. How did you manage to pull that one off, and not just name him after yourself. Well I left out a lot of details
Here is what I left out.
(-) He has a serious multiple personality disorder
(-) He has a desire to help people even at the cost of his own life.
(-) He blames himself for surviving an event that killed millions including his own father and extended family.
(-) He is socially stunted
(-) Doesn't make friends easily
(-) Most people don't like him
(-) Has a lot of more powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to kill him and his friends
(-) Is very humble and doesn't flaunt his wealth (this is a sort of plus, but goes against the wealth)
(-) Prefers to be alone most of the time.
(-) Doesn't really know how to show his emotions
(-) One of the personalities has a tendency for mass destruction.
(-)He's not named after me;
Given the pluses and the minuses Kyle becomes less and less a stu. His motivations are there and they exist within the context of the story. He isn't perfect and I made him this way. Sure there are some wish fulfillment elements in there (being wealthy is a classic example) but he isn't me. He is as far from me as possible. I didn't make him to be me. Kyle is a character all on his own.
When creating a character; you always want them to be special but if you can avoid making them too special. Give them something real to make them unique. Give them flavor to make them standout. Don't fall into the common trap of making them your extension. You know yourself pretty well, and in the process of knowing yourself; you begin to limit what a character does. By giving that character everything you want; you take away from what that character would want. If possible, make a character that is completely unlike you; and try hard at it. You might be surprised of what you find. If that doesn't work you can always go here.
She is ordinary and plain in every way possible; even though every boy at her school is fawning over her. She is clumsy and this is one of her great flaws. Two of her possible choices for love interest (i mean besides every XY Chromosome in her school) Are a brooding young man, and a long haired chap both of whom would willingly off the other to be with her. She's a terrible liar, but a good actor. She was conceived as a dream of her author and has gone on to become the most sparkliest of vampires.
Second Character
His humble beginnings are foggy at first. Raised and trained in martial arts by his grandfather he becomes one of the greatest fighters on earth. He fought and killed the man who killed was responsible for his masters death. At time passes he discovers his actual lineage as a member of a race of simian based mercenaries who take over planets. As he grows more powerful he discovers the full powers of his race; and not only becomes one of the most powerful beings in the world; but four galaxies. He has died at least twice' but has come back stronger each time. He isn't the smartest; but is a phenomenal combatant.
Third Character
Retracted 11-30-2011
Today we talk about Mary Sue and Gary Stu and their effects on popular fiction...well sort of.
So first a definition according to Wikipedia
is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as wish-fulfillment fantasies for their authors or readers. Perhaps the single underlying feature of all characters described as "Mary Sues" is that they are too ostentatious for the audience's taste, or that the author seems to favor the character too highly.(1)
A Mary Sue or male Gary Stu are often anagrams for their authors. They are perfectly flawed to give them a taste of being imperfect. They possess exotic skills beyond that seemingly gives them an edge in comparison to similar characters of age, race, etc. If the story is about fighting; then the character is highly proficient in fighting arts and also has a special attack that no one else can do or stop. Now while this is a common theme in anime; Mary Sue-ism is not. Mary Sue's are a sort of wish fulfillment for the author to place themselves in the story and do all the things that they want to do. In some cases of thinly veiled sueism; the character and the author will have a similar name. I have a friend who has a bad case of Stuism; as his main character is basically his first and last name; and possesses the ability to kill virtually anything. See the wish fulfillment factor. His characters flaw is a bit of insanity, and bad experiences as a child.
And that is the case with most sue's/stu's. They are often lacking any real character strength because of what makes them perfect. Take the case of the first one....we all know who it is... Bella Swan. Bella is a classic Mary Sue for the exact reasons that I mentioned.
I watched the first twilight and the first thing I noticed was how everyone fawned of Bella the moment they saw her. This was a strange phenominon; as unless you are exotically beautiful; which Bella is not; boys only see new meat; and the girls see nothing special at all. And thats just it. There was nothing special about Bella. She's very plain and very boring; but it is from her perspective that we get to view Twilight. Here is Bella's flaws...she's clumsy. Hell so am I when I've had a few too many. I never saw Bella go tumbling down several flights of stairs, or cutting a major vein; because she was cutting an onion. Her flaws never seemed to be a major factor; and instead just seemed to be there to say that she had them. Her mind is private so vampires are unable tor read her. What makes her mind so private that it functions as a shield against telepathy. I'll tell you what because the author says so. Sure there are probably tons of emo kids in Forks or just very private people; but Bella is the only one who can stump a sparkling professor X. I haven't even gotten to the best part. After becoming a vampire herself; she becomes paler, spark-lier, less clumsy, more beautiful and able to resist the urge to feed. I.e. Bella becomes perfect. In the course of three books; Bella never changed. She always remained the same character. Did I mention that Bella was created as a result of a dream of her author.
The problem with Sueism is that they are just too perfect at who they are or what they do; and people have a hard time following that. They never truly fail at anything; and because of the way people perceive them; any attempt at failing anything is seen as an attempt to give the shallow character depth. Now let's take character number two.....he's a real star of screen. Son Goku...yes from Dragon Ball...and no he isn't a stu character.
Goku is a stereotype or more precisely...an anime archetype. He's far from perfect. He's dumb as hell, and can't do many things well. He has a very loose understanding of basic concepts. Hell the idiot thought Marriage was something to eat(2). You could almost say he is special in a way. He is a horrible parent, and possibly abusive to his wife (3). He is however one of the goodguys, and one of the most incredible and powerful fighters known today. Sure he may be the strongest there is...(Sorry Hulk) but he is also a very lovable character who just enjoys a good fight. He isn't bound by the same laws as say a traditional fiction character, and thats why he is so much fun. Goku isn't perfect. Hell he has lost several times, died to heart disease, blowed up, gave up his remaining time on earth when brought back again, and still came back again. That' Goku...about as Gary Stuish as I am.
Sue's are often exotically beautiful or woefully plain; but its usually that element that endears them to people. It's a strange thing really; but one I can personally relate too..lol. Their personalities are complex and yet simple...or seemingly complex but actually just simple. As an author; the appeal to create another version of me; with all the things I want is like a call to the dark side. It's nothing more than an escape. To live the perfect life that you can control like a remote. However unless you are writing for just yourself; Sueism is cheating the audience out of great fiction. Sueism is cheating; because most authors won't truly put their extensions in danger, so that feeling of legitimate threat is absent. they will get the girl; because thats usually how the author would have wanted to in real life. Sueism is the ultimate escape for authors who wish for a better life.
Take the third character.
Well he's mine and his name is Kyle. We will give plusses and minuses for stu-ish traits or lack of stu-ish traits
(+)He has a best friend who is based off of one of my best friends.
(+)He has an awesome though insanely jealous girlfriend.
(+) He has wealth, like Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark type wealth
(+) He is the one of the most talented pilots ever witnessed, with a natural control over his machine
(+) He is super strong and super fast
(+) He has a high rank in his organization.
(+) He is a natural leader, and people rally behind him.
Now I know what you are thinking. A classic Gary Stu character, with only one minus and a ton of pluses. How did you manage to pull that one off, and not just name him after yourself. Well I left out a lot of details
Here is what I left out.
(-) He has a serious multiple personality disorder
(-) He has a desire to help people even at the cost of his own life.
(-) He blames himself for surviving an event that killed millions including his own father and extended family.
(-) He is socially stunted
(-) Doesn't make friends easily
(-) Most people don't like him
(-) Has a lot of more powerful enemies who will stop at nothing to kill him and his friends
(-) Is very humble and doesn't flaunt his wealth (this is a sort of plus, but goes against the wealth)
(-) Prefers to be alone most of the time.
(-) Doesn't really know how to show his emotions
(-) One of the personalities has a tendency for mass destruction.
(-)He's not named after me;
Given the pluses and the minuses Kyle becomes less and less a stu. His motivations are there and they exist within the context of the story. He isn't perfect and I made him this way. Sure there are some wish fulfillment elements in there (being wealthy is a classic example) but he isn't me. He is as far from me as possible. I didn't make him to be me. Kyle is a character all on his own.
When creating a character; you always want them to be special but if you can avoid making them too special. Give them something real to make them unique. Give them flavor to make them standout. Don't fall into the common trap of making them your extension. You know yourself pretty well, and in the process of knowing yourself; you begin to limit what a character does. By giving that character everything you want; you take away from what that character would want. If possible, make a character that is completely unlike you; and try hard at it. You might be surprised of what you find. If that doesn't work you can always go here.
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