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My brother and I were calling her MaRey Sue before the end of The Force Awakens. That's the last chance I gave modern movies and TV, and every strong female character since is basically the same tier of bad as her
You know... A few of these Mary Sue personality traits are better suited for a villain: not owning up to their mistakes, putting down others, taking credit for success they had little to no part in. That's not my idea of a hero. It sounds more like a high school bully.
is there a "maru sue" version fo villians?, i feel plain and flawless villians are also boring imo, now days we want complex characters, we all know 100% goodness and 100% evilness is not a thing, so i think it goes both ways
It’s honesty kind of an interesting paradox that a character that’s liked by everyone (or at least every ‘good’ person) in the story is generally hated by the audience.
The funny thing is, I am currently writing a character that I intended to be a complete wreck. I was trying to write her as a teenager full of selfconsciousness and anxt. She's bad at academics, too timid to get things done, keeps making dumb mistakes... And now I was just in the middle of writing my 7th chapter in the story and I realized something. Way too many of these flaws I've layered onto her, and way too many of the problems in her life, are so identifiable with for the audience that I think I've just discovered the opposite of your statement is true as well. The more messed up the character is, the more they are given a disserved hard time by the characters in the story, the more the audience will love them.
To paraphrase what a better writer than me once explained: much like a tyrannical dictator that demands laws of civility and governance be rewritten to reinforce their own authority at the expense of the people's rights, a flawless/Mary-Sue character demands that the limitations of storytelling and suspensions of disbelief be redefined to reinforce their own literary importance at the expense of the readers' intelligence.
Oh my goodness, number 6 is the exact epitome of the new Velma. She’s not conventionally attractive, she doesn’t take care of her own body, she constantly insults others, she believes she’s better than everyone, and she literally eats from the garbage despite living in a middle class home. Yet for some reason, several characters crush on her when there’s literally no redeeming qualities about her. Original Velma was the nerdy character, but you could still tell how people found her attractive despite Daphne being “the hot girl.” She was smart, she was funny, she was cute, *and she wasn’t an a-hole to everyone.* To literally quote Fred from the Scooby-Doo movie, “dorky chicks like you turn me on too.”
Then the producers be like: The audience haaates female/black/hbtq+/strong characters... *whines* It's amazingly weird to watch. Just make good, likable characters. XD
I think Jenna Ortegas wednesday is also one of the best examples of an infuriating MS ( although the fact they make her very conventionally attractive despite her not caring about such frivolity 🙄🤣 is even more obnoxious)
I really loved original Velma and scoobydoo. The new velma leaves a sour aftertaste. The could have created a new original character instead of changing an already well known and loved character
one of my friends actually fits the description you gave of velma very well, other than the eating garbage, yet according to her many people have crushes on her and even fight over her. Its not delusional though, she's shown me proof of this
@@KLD-es6ftbs, wednesday is a well written character, she acts cold because AGAIN she doesn't enjoy companion and had made it clear, several people in the show just had an i can fix her mentality, and even then she STILL tolerate them
It's so interesting how "damsels in distress" and "strong female characters" are both in this "Mary Sue" trope. I think people don't realize how alike they actually are.
"Mary Sue" basically boils down to "lead female character existing." All this bitching is just misogyny. No one ever complains about "strong male lead who's good at everything." Those dudes carried the Marvel franchise for what? 20 years? I don't think Disney's crying over it. Sorry, I don't consume media to watch some girl who's as dumb and incompetent as I am flail and fail. I want to watch her conquer everything with ease and snappy quips. "Damsel in distress" is boring AF. Give me Mary Sues all day. I don't want to watch a woman do her womanly duty and beg some stupid man for help.
I have an idea for the damsel- have her be a political hosta*e or something and she has to pretend to be meal and submissive to survive but she’s actually really smart
Good observation! Because both are passive characters, they're always the victim of what's happening, whether they muscle their way though opposition or let someone else come to their rescue.
Thank you for showing clips from the Mulan live action remake. That Mulan was born with "chi" (or is it "qi"?) and is amazing from birth. The 90s cartoon, Mulan had to struggle and earn her skills, and was successful for using her brains and whit over braun and fighting ability. The fact the producers and writers didn't realize this was such a major flaw that resulted in a super boring remake baffles me.
I haven't seen the live one, but I don't plan on it. What's so interesting about a character who never has to fight for what they want/need, or find another way around a problem???
The very original fables of Fa Mulan did have her utilize some type of wind based magic, but she had to sacrifice a lot and take time to learn it. And she was always at risk of being discovered as a woman. I feel like Disney wanted to keep the "wind power' aspect of Mulan but failed at everything else.
Exactly!! I grew up watching the 90s version of Mulan (the only true version, in my opinion) and I was always inspired by the themes of quiet strength; how Mulan had to use her wit and quick thinking to succeed and help others. That's true character strength, right there! 💪 Don't even get me started on the ridiculous misuse of the concept of "qi" 🙄 like you said, the remake was bafflingly boring. 2 hours of my life I wish I could get back lol
Right? They could make it a character development (like the one Iron man had). They think they are unstoppable and "main character has no flaws" and they learn how that is not true and get better as the story develops.
@@alessandram.3289 Exactly!! Iron Man is one of my all time fav characters, and he was sooo bad in the beginning. Failed, arrogant, cocky, and privileged. But he becomes such a good person in the end.
Okay, please, give me a break. Let's use just the MCU examples. Ironman supposedly is a lot better than Captain Marvel, at least according to some of the commenter's. He was arrogant and other things, but he grew. Really? Did he? In some ways yes, but let's take stock. His major issue right from the beginning was creating technology others abused and used to hurt people. His mission from then one was to fix the damage his ignorance wrought. Yet, he helped build the Insight Carriers thar nearly handed the world over to Hydra. He played a significant role in creating Ultron. He pushed for the signing of the Sokovia accords which made half the Avengers and his friends criminals. He likely helped design and build the prison a number of them were held in. He failed? At what? He made technological advances an armybof engineers would have taken decades in a matter of years. He broke time travel in a matter of hours in his downtime after putting his adorable kid to bed. Then there is Captain Marvel. A character, pre-powers who was a female fighter pilot rated for experimental test flights of highly classified planes in the 80s and 90s. I don't know if you know what the military was like for women back them, but it was nearly impossible. So, right off, her character is a mix of Top Gun and GI Jane. How was Tom Cruises character in Top Gun again? Cocky, capable of the impossible, or at least he thinks he is, and never shows weakness, or rarely. How about GI Jane? Back in the 80s, a women doing certain jobs was viewed as society as trying to do a man's job. As such everyone would be extremely harsh to them. Look at almost any powerful woman from the time and you would see a very contained person. A woman striving to work in a so called man's field couldn't show emotion, positive or negative. They couldn't cry, they couldn't show pain, they couldn't be exuberant or too happy. Any slight emotional outburst would typically be used as evidence against them that they were too emotional as women to do the job right. So while Tom Cruizes character could be wild and reckless, a women in his position couldn't or it would have been used as an attack on her. That is accurate for the time. Then, with Capain Marvel, she effectively gets amnesia and is gaslighted into being a soldier for one of the most arrogant armies in the galaxy. Just look at every soldier in her group. They all act a lot like her, yet her character gets singled out for complaint as unrealistic. She doesn't have flaws? The story may have not given the right focus, but her childhood is montaged several times where she is constantly failing. Constantly being told she isn't good enough. Quite frankly, I think the better comparison is between her and Captain America. How many flaws did he have? He is very similar to her. He grew up failing all the time. Got powers from an outside source. How often did he get super emotional? Yet, she's a bad character. Let's face facts. The traits of this so called Mary Sue is the ones integral to almost any action movie main character. Anyone see Lethal Weapon, Total Recall, Demolition Man, Tango and Cash ,etc, etc. Yet, when a women plays the part, even when her backstory fully explains her way of managing emotions and decisions, people feel the need to make it out to be a big thing. It's funny how things don't really change that much. Wasn't it not thst long ago when a woman being called GI Jane as a joke was seen as a horrible insult? With this whole Mary Sue business, I think you really need to see just how much of this is because women have played the part men have been playing for forever and being successful at.
@@haddow777 You are the reason this video exists. Trying to excuse poor writing by calling it sexism. Iron Man really isn't self-less until Endgame. No one is saying he became perfect. But he does grow. Does he make similar mistakes throughout the series? Yes, because that's what humans do. We have strengths AND weaknesses, and though we grow, we tend to make the same kinds of mistakes, just hopefully in smaller ways or less consistently. How does Captain Marvel grow?
@@Pomeranian690 I don't know if shes a Mary Sue, but she's definitely underdeveloped. She does struggle with the entire premise of the show, as nobody believes her ideas and her trust that others can change will do any good. She messes up a LOT because shes too enthusiastic and sometimes only thinks of herself, like with the Angel situation in episode 4. But I can see why someone would think she's a Mary Sue, as she hasn't had to push herself too much when it comes to actually helping people, and almost everyone comes around to liking her eventually. So she's the worst character imo.
To me, it's always been that Mary Sue characters can be arrogant, but no one ever tells them they're wrong. They never have to face the consequences of their actions, and no one ever calls them out because even though what they do is bad, others perceive it as good. I feel like I'm being manipulated (even gaslighted).
And in cases where's there's a glimmer of awareness in the creator and others call them out, they're quickly beaten down by the football team of people who worship the Mary Sue. How DARE you hold her accountable????
The Last Airbender was great at writing characters. Despite his Avatar powers, Aang was still a kid prone to do stupid things here and there, Katara was a superb role model, Toph still had limits to her impressive self taught earthbending powers, etc
you truly think people would be more upset at Toph doing that today? @@shawnamiller191 Toph immediately from the getgo shows herself as very strong, but still a kid and violent both physically, but also emotionally, feeling tied down. Mary Sue's would never get that
@@10thletter40 if you don't think certain mindless idiots would still freak out over a disabled girl pwning The Boulder so easily you're lying to yourself
I mean… to be fair, being a workaholic can be a legitimate flaw if written correctly. Have them be sleep deprived and have a poor work-life balance. :p
@@Veridia4romantasy is huge on booktok. Fourth Wing, Lightlark, SJM's entire gallery, Vampire Academy, Zodiac Academy, House of Night Not all of these succeed from start to finish, but the fact that these books have come so far despite being so mediocre is absolutely saying something, both about the readers and the authors Also i will say, I haven't read Throne of Glass, HOWEVER, I've gotten quite far into Fourth Wing and while the MC has a disability, its such a non-factor outside of character interactions that it only feeds into the idea that Violet is a self insert because the author has the same disability
@@arkkon2740 oh thanks for the clarification! I’ve also read fourth wing and I agree that every 5 seconds somebody mentions something about how short violet is or how week she is.
Yes, haha, don't we all want to feel better about ourselves by finding flaws in everyone else, which is little better than a "Mary Sue" whose parents cared and tried to raise her the best way they could, with multiple sacrifices along the way. We love the characters who throw this care away and find flaws with the care and reasons to be an ungrateful slob. I think the trick is to give the role-model-for-children character a natural humility, great goals, geek aspects like shyness, misunderstanding of the world based on inexperience, and love for others. Hmmm
@@brandic89I think you misunderstood the video. It's not like you can't make a character that doesn't have a healthy lifestyle- I get what you're trying to say, but the point is that your characters shouldn't be perfect. No human is perfect, and if you want to make your character more relatable and sympathetic, you should add a few flaws to do so. Also, even if the character has kind and appreciative parents, they can still have flaws. I don't know how to explain this but, "Whose parents cared and tried to raise her the best way they could, with multiple sacrifices along the way" isn't really a Mary Sue trait. And just because people don't want your/their character to be a Mary Sue, doesn't mean that they want the character to be an ungrateful slob. (Sorry if i have bad grammar or anything. Also, I'm not trying to insult your comment)
It would be fun if the character who was a "mary sue" realises the absurdity of it all and is very quickly loosing their mind cause the plot wont let them die, fail, or live as a "normal girl, with a normal life". TLDR: Everyone around me is a certified idiot, and I'm slowly loosing my mind.
This is the exact plot of the anime, "One Punch Man." A character the defeats all his enemies with one punch. It's worth the watch if you're into that sort of stuff.
There is a type of Mary Sue that wouldn't fall into those categories, the type that is such a good, amazing person who cares so much that she takes blame and responsibility for everything and everyone and magically manages to fix every situation and become a guardian angel to every other character. Granted, I see this more in fanfics than legitimate books, but I see it so much I thought it deserves at least an honorable mention.
That seemed like a controlling behavior to me. Taking responsibility of others means that they are taking away people's challenges from them. No one should make decisions for others, you can guide them, but you shouldn't do it for them.
Could easily make that a flaw, though. Coming from a former people pleaser, it becomes exhausting putting your own needs on the backburner to be there for people who usually don't reciprocate. Often forms toxic and/or abusive situations, so for sure, being the "I need to help everyone" is more of a struggle than it is good.
You are all misunderstanding what I'm saying. I mean the kind of character who takes on the responsibility to fix everything, everyone etc and succeeds every time because they are just so amazing and a flawless blessing to the world
I lowkey feel like this fits to the character of Perrito from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, he's this type of guardian angel, helps everyone, is a perfect role model and it can be a bit annoying how there's really no weakness he needs to overcome throughout the whole story
I think Sherlok is a great example of how you can be perfect at what you do but still incredibly flawed because he is smart but struggles with opening up and connecting with others and we love him because we see his growth through his friendship with Watson.
His friendship with Watson is a fairly natural extension of his working relationship with Watson. I've hardly see any depictions of his character that made his character flaws seem anything other than trivial. Like his drug use is usually quirky.
@@AshePBlack Sherlock was a prick, but he wasn't evil. At best he was neutral. However, if he completely didn't care he wouldn't have taken so many cases. Another example is Poirot - he is arrogant, but he is a great detective and he does not lack empathy and does form friendship with Hastings.
The number 4 hits hard.Because just because someone had insecurities it doesn't mean they don't have confidence..You can be both insecure and still be confident...Real positivity isn't about denying negativity, it's about accepting what you feel
there's an old saying that REALLY needs to be remembered when writing: Bravery is not about lacking fear. Bravery is being afraid and doing it anyways.
@@cynxmangamy main heroine had the short end of the stick in a good chunk of her life, but at the end of the day she still tries to help people even if it's big or small. As a wise person once said "Being bad is easy. Being good is a challenge."
What tickles me when I see Mary sue stories is when you can really tell what kind of person the writer is. Someone who needs to interact with people and understand how the real world works a lot more
True but from what I observe (experience from friends who writes stories when we were younger) It also stem from massive bullying by other and insecurity from the author who are usually teens..in this case teen girls .
@@wriothesley_cakefactory interesting, I agree. Writing could be agreat way to cope with trauma like that. I guess if you're writing to heal your soul, you can do whatever you want. But if you want to sell copies and be a regarded acclaimed, gotta work on the amateurish signs and naive worldview. I think reading more from other genres and nonfiction and interacting with people casually could really help writers improve writing better stories
@@wriothesley_cakefactory Mary Sues are especially dNgerous for people who were bullied because they are a fantasy of "you dont have to do anything, people will love you just so and everyone who hates you is wrong, always". You can be bullied but that doesnt automatically make you a person who's justified in everything they do and who never will make a single mistake. If you end up escaping into mary sues, and believe them, that's when they work against you and your recovery. Especially considering that bullies tend to have been bullying victims in the past, it can be a slippery slope the older you get and the more mistakes you make.
Or they’re writing what they think the audience wants to see in a strong independent woman - it didn’t hit me until watching this video how bland Captain Marvel is because she has no flaws and is so passive. Yes her powers are incredible and she undergoes an amazing journey to recover her lost memories and makes a selfless decision - but she’s not as interesting as Black Widow or Scarlet Witch who both have deep flaws to overcome.
@@louisefarrar6037 yeah... I tried not to say it but the new wave feminism was what I was talking about. Starking examples would be she hulk, velma, the acolyte, we could go on and on. Delusional writers make dumb stories people can't enjoy
@@aralornwolf3140 Written by the co-owners of the fanzine, as a send-up of the kind of original fiction they were so often sent for submission! It's online somewhere, and it;'s very entertaining... but my heart twinged a bit at the illustration that went with it. Of a girl of about 14 or 15, conventionally, boringly dressed, bobbed hair in an alice band... the kind of girl brought up to 'be good', do as she's told, get married and become a trad-wife, the property of her husband. No wonder she dreamed of adventure, male respect and admiration, and the intellectual and physical superiority that made it possible for her to be that dream. Heartbreaking really.
Paula Smith wrote 'A Trekkie's Tale', which introduced Lt. Mary Sue. Since then Ms Smith has said that it was not her intention for the term 'Mary Sue' to be used to denigrate ALL female characters who are depicted as competent or aspirational.
@@pollyparrot9447 I know, I ws just commenting on the motivation to write that kind of fanfic in the first place. And whether she intended the term to be offensive (I don't see it as such myself), she and her colleague were certainly getting enugh of them to want to lampoon them.
You forgot the classic 90's and early 2000's trope of a woman being so frumpy and unattractive to the characters in a film. But the moment she takes her glasses off, fixes her hair, and IDK wears things that show off her body more....she's automatically so much more attractive to everyone in the movie. This has got to be one of the funniest tropes that movies clung onto for way too long.
That was basically she's all that, and then it was in not another teen movie. Only one I can think of, and it only worked because it was Rachel Leigh Cook.
A co-worker once told me that she hated a certain author because her characters were either completely good or completely bad. Id never thought about it, but she was so right. Any character who is perfect is boring. As are characters that are completely imperfect.
It depends on the quantity of the characters, when all can be put in one of those categories, that's bad. But when the main antagonist of a novel is this unstoppable evil, like a force of nature, it can be interesting. Sauron for example is this epitome of evil (at least in the Tolkien versions) which can create a compelling story, if done right.
Mary Sues also tend to warp the world and characters around them to behaving in ways that are not consistent with their own established character traits. The brooding male counterpart who hates everybody and never gives anyone an inch of leeway suddenly bends over backward for the Mary Sue for no reason, etc.
@@ExtremeMadnessX He's not her romantic partner at the time , how does she even get there to begin with , she just shows up and boom he loves more than his own mother , more than everyone he's ever loved befor
No one talking about the radical far left who have absolutely took over all things creative. It's more political stances now than raw talent. Quite sad to watch just how bad it's gone.
Remember how Mulan the disney cartoon version was a crappy fighter and weak but practiced and never gave up to get better. Everyone remembers her. Remember how live action Mulan was so incredible ly good at fighting because magic or something. Of course nobody remembers, it was a forgettable movie.
I (F) won't forgive 2009 Mulan for excluding Mushu to "make it more realistic". Then inserting an effing witch who shape shifts into an eagle. And let's not forget adding in a culturally insensitive use of the phoenix. But yeah. Mushu too unrealistic. Oh yeah and her character was perfect in every way and just needed to "find herself". It was the same damn trope that made me hate Captain Marvel
A Mary Sue CAN be fun to write... especilly if they are self aware of the situation. Mary Sue shows up. faces off with a big bad monster, oneshots it without a trouble... the villages come running out to praise the main charcter... who pokes the body a few times... "Who are you?" "Umm, after that hit? call me Mary Sue..." Not getting the joke or reference... all the villages do start calling her Mary Sue. then she finds out once a week monsters attack and can she stay and keep defeating them? "every week? honestly thats going to get old.. fast..." where she decides to make a magic item to let the vilagers fight the mosters... "What kind of item?" "I don't know, some kind of mcguffin of power..." Yep, its Mary Sue and the Mcguffin of power.
About point 1: I was really struggling with how to add "character flaws" in practice. I didn't want to just mark a checklist, because sometimes it made no sense to add a "random negative" quality to a character. Then, some time ago, under another video, a commenter said: difference between "character strength" and "character weakness" is situational. Just give characters attributes and then figure out in which situations and how would these attributes cause conflicts. Which completely flipped this "character flaws" thing on its head and it makes sense! For example: you have two characters, the first one trusts other people, the second one doesn't. Which one of those attributes is a character flaw? Well, that depends on who the character is dealing with. If they're dealing with someone who genuinely wants to help them, the second one causes conflict. But if they're dealing with an asshole, who plans to betray them, the first one causes conflict later on. Real life example - me at work. My biggest strength and weakness is "attention to detail". Why it's strength? I often notice details that others miss. Why it's a weakness? I might get stuck on details and miss the big picture. So, if you're stuggling with the "character flaws" too, ignore "flaws". Go for "attributes" and make those attributes cause "conflict".
That's a great concept. I have a character that's a lone wolf. He's learned to be self sufficient, even as a child, and he sticks to himself in his "pack." He's prideful and hubristic. I'm currently working through a subplot where he needs help, but he fears being weak, a burden, or casted out. It's interesting writing someone trying to help him, but it is fundamentally against his character to accept it.
You can also look from societal point of view. My character can't cook and she is a girl in a country where women are expected to cook well. She is stubborn - in a society where it isn't seen well. And she has difficulty of letting of the past.
Also, most virtues can easily turn into character flaws, so you can make a character have to walk a tightrope between the two. For example, confidence can easily turn into arrogance, bravery can become foolhardiness, compassion could lead to either naiveté or cause your character to feel the need to set themselves on fire to keep someone else warm
Not sure where this fits into the 7 above (1 or 2 maybe?), but another sign of a Mary-sue for me is a constant cycle of affirmation, whether to their face when they're "struggling" or when they're absent and others are gushing over how great they are; they'll immediately pull themselves together until the story demands more angst & then the cycle will repeat. Having repeated bouts of "self-doubt" that are immediately resolved with a pep-talk really irks me.
So true, I wonder if this mirrors their childhood and youth if every set back they got a saccharine pepe talk and then ignored or on the an over anxious adult helping out vs the adults in their life letting them fail and try again and showing confidence in them that theyll figure it out in the normal part of life learning without freaking out they fell down.🤔
@@marikothecheetah9342 Sort of, I think it's just a cheap way to give them a flaw. They'll win every battle, everyone loves them & then they'll get all angsty (for half a chapter) and get their importance affirmed or how great they are validated; then it's right back to not struggling or having problems.
I have a character that is almost the opposite: weak, crappy at most things and her life is riddled with struggles. It's great to have that character grow through all the adversity.
Those characters can be hard to swallow, too. They are negative and struggle constantly. You want someone to root for, but if they never improve and constantly spin their tires or need someone to save them... they become tiring to read or watch. You start rooting for them to be killed off. 😅
Oh, you have Sadness as your character. Nice! Did anyone like her? I certainly didn't. If Inside Out 3 become reality, Pixar, please please kick her (almost) worthless butt out of Riley immediately at the beginning of the film. She served her purpose in part 1. No more.
That is a version. Zoey Redbird from the House of Night series is an objectively awful person. She's extremely judgemental, shallow, misogynistic, hypocritical and extremely stupid. Hell she once blew two men into traffic to let them get hit by a car. In universe though? A literal Goddess chose her as her avatar because she is so "kind, compassionate, wise and forward thinking" and all the characters constantly praise her for making the most baby brained decisions, and if they don't they are evil and wrong.
@@nightmarefanatic1819 you must have not read the parts where she gets punished for things she did in one book she's in jail. She is a good person that part with the man actually is when she wasnt herself get into the context clues she went mad with power.
They lack authenticity, something the audience can feel identified with the character, like flaws, struggles, conflicts, a thing which shows that an average person can overcome things, thats a hero in my book.
When I was producing a monthly podcast on bad movies years ago, my co-host and I would tie Mary Sue characters into a trope we simply termed "The Center of the Universe." These characters are the most important people in the universe, everyone loves them or wants to use them for their own ends. They have no flaws. They are usually gorgeous, desired by everyone of the opposite sex (and many of the same sex.) They are the worst characters ever.
@@RobKristjansson Tranquil Tirades. Half the fun, and a unique aspect of our show, was our accompanying Wiki website where we made pages for all of the movies we covered, all the major characters, and our entire in-universe of tropes we invented, among tons of other pages. I can't post the link on YT, but just search for Tranquil Tirades Wiki on Google. It's a blast to just waste time clicking on 'Random Page' for an hour. 😂
@@RobKristjansson My first comment didn't post for some reason, but my show was "Tranquil Tirades." We have an accompanying wiki website where we made pages for all our episodes, the movie characters, etc.
@@RobKristjansson Thanks! If you listen to the show, the best episodes were from Episode 20 on. We had a third host who we kicked to the curb after about the first 13 episodes because he was insufferable.
IMPORTANT: Don't just give your character flaws, make them having flaws important for the plot. Doesn't matter if she's struggeling in training if she can do it in a real fight. It doesn't mattzer if everyone always makes fun of a character being "clumsy" (because this is extremely common for some reason) when it's just a joke all the time and never important. Like, this is the most pick me kinda thing. Especially when it's the "Oh no she's bullied for being different and she's so innocent and clumsy" BUT AT THE SAME TIME SHE'S A FUCKING ATHLETE IN SECRET AND BEAT UP EVERYONE WITHOUT TRIPPING ONCE. (This is fine if it's adressed like if she only was ever clumsy because of her insecurities and it stopps as she becomes more aware of who she is and what she's good at because then it's actual character development and also an actual flaw)
Yeah, a flaw is only a flaw if it causes them to behave in a flawed and counterproductive manner, or causes them other problems relevant to the plot. If it doesn't, it's just cosmetic at best.
"Her only flaw is clumsiness" is probably pretty common with Mary Sues because it superficially makes her appear flawed and relatable without requiring her to take any moral strikes or requiring any great effort to write passably. For added Mary Sue-ness, there's a pretty good chance that this 'flaw' of clumsiness will only impact the story when she needs to trigger a 'meet cute' by tripping in the school hallway, causing her to bury her face in the chest of Hunky McStudson, quarterback of the football team.
My character can't cook for her life and in one scenes she is told by the other character she needs to cook for him (he is injured and can't do it himself, admittedly). That other character described her dinner as: the best and the worst: she really did her best, but the meal tasted awful :P She can't cook, no matter the circumstances. However - she does great statistics for her team and is even told by her ex-coach to do the scorer exam when she is eligible. With clumsy but super Usagi Tsukino comes to mind. I watched Sailor Moon because there was nothing else to watch at that time but honestly - Usagi is a huge Mary Sue. :/
Great video! Thanks for sharing. As I was watching it, some examples of "Mary Sue" popped in my head: EVERY ONE of the main characters on Charmed, and Maggie of The Walking Dead.
@@Axxidous Yes, they are very flawed. They are treated as though they walk on water by others. Everything is somebody else's fault, even when they are in the wrong. Perhaps that's a Mary Sue characteristic?
@@GhostyGhouli Very true. But she is treated by others as though she walks on water. Even when she is in the wrong. Perhaps that is a Mary Sue characteristic?
I think the 8th point could be that the plot caters exactly to their needs. Like even mistakes play out as victories because the plot develops in the direction making them being right in the end. Like the counter part to Mary Sues get shoved around by the plot. They are the plot.
Yup, yup. When making a character it's important to ask what they want vs what they need. My character Eleven is a demigod and wants to fit in somewhere, but what he needs is through a journey find the people who will accept him for who he is. It's writing 101
Love your content, Abbie. As an author myself, I love to watch other writers and author content to really hone my abilities. Like you said in this video, nobody is perfect at everything, even the things we are already passionate about. There is always more to learn and we will all make mistakes. I really tried to avoid all the clichés and stereotypes in my novel, and I feel I did pretty decently at that. The more I watch your content, the more I feel confident in some of my decisions for characters and stories. Please never stop posting your advice and tips for writing. You're one of the best ones to watch for this.
Well, it doesn't always done on purpose. It's a common problem for authors, who try to create a strong/nice/handsome person, someone, who will be loved by people... and go too far. This authors just don't wanna let their heroes be "ugly" or "weak" even if they understand, that they must have weaknesses. Because, these authors can't let the readers or people, who will watch their movie, feel shame for their beloved character.
@@nastjafisunova7258 It's sad, because you can have characters who are beloved by the people and want to do right by them, and still give them flaws. Look at Liu Bei in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was such a virtuous person that his benevolence actually worked against him sometimes.
A lot of comes from the typical wish fulfillment stories. Your typical bodice ripper romance, for example, has the rich arrogant guy fall for the outcast girl who has strangely modern sensibilities. If you take that same story, but now have it written by a relatively passive individual doing a self insert, you wind up with a Mary Sue a lot of the time. Then factor in that "modern sensibilities" is a bit less inclined toward "damsel", you potentially get a character that is physically capable as well. And then you have other stories that are crafted with a relatively blank slate main character so the audience can project themselves into it. The more personality the main character has, the harder it is for the intended audience to project themselves into the character, so... And note that this wish fulfillment exists in terms of "manly" stories as well. These, though, differ because, well, men. Hero is typically passive at the start, but once pushed too far, will become proactive or extremely reactive. He's not liked by everyone, but a bunch of women, or at least one, will fall for him. He'll also be an overpowered bad ass. It'll either be a variation of the hero's journey, with blank slate "farm boy" (aka generic every man) becomes the hero, the "retired bad-ass trying to live the quiet life" trope common to action movies, or else, as is common these days in anime/manwa/manga, the bullied nobody who becomes OP and the focus of everything in another world or otherwise goes on a murder spree against laughably evil types. Either way, though, the nobody special (at least not special in a good way) becomes powerful/relevant. Basically, take your two standard genres (romance for women, action/adventure for men), and now have them written by someone who lacks life experience who either wants to be the focal point hero or is writing for those that do.
@@MandieTerrier I didn't know that but I actually liked Fanny Price. She was consistently undervalued and bullied but she held her own against her Uncle. I don't necessarily want to be Fanny but I admire her inner strength.
@@flowermeerkat6827 I also love Fanny Price. She has a lot of flaws, she isn't good in stuff (not playing music, not actually talented), introverted and shy, totally in co flict between what is proper and her feelings (love for Edmund, not loving mr Crawford), she may seem dull and is perceived as "dull nothing", only Edmund and William truly appreciate her, others either use her or neglect her or even bully her as mrs Norris did... Where is the said perfection, no idea. I have a great heart for her as I was a bit alike with my own shyness, social awkwardness, passion for reading (when normal young people preferred parties)...
One character who isn’t a Mary Sue I just love is Katara from ATLA. She wasn’t a master, wasn’t perfect and certainly had flaws. But she trained and trained for literally years and became a master. She could be crude or mean and she could be kind or loving. Definitely a favorite.
What you overlooked here is that it isn’t just the traits of the individual character that makes it a Mary Sue, but also the reaction of the world the character inhabits to said character - even if the Mary Sue does things that are glaring and obvious mistakes, the other characters in that world will pretend otherwise: they will invent any justification for their actions - no matter how unlikely or ridiculous it is! You can have a character that never admits to a mistake and still avoids Mary Sue status so long as the other characters in that world recognize that it’s the character’s fault that things are going badly - for instance, one can create a prodigiously talented fighter that only just barely won a battle because that character failed to properly scout the terrain before the engagement: the character takes credit and bathed in the glory of victory, completely convinced that success was never in doubt, while other fighters that were on the battlefield comment quietly among themselves that this victory was way too close for comfort and that one more misstep by the prodigy among them could mean the death of everyone. Of course, they don’t share that information with anyone outside their close circle because they don’t want anyone to know just how precarious their situation really is and are instead hatching a plan to fix this problem (either by instructing the prodigy among them or getting rid of the prodigy somehow as the risk of keeping them around is too great).
A character who is always doing terrible things, while getting called out for it, but is ultimately right, is an infinitely worse character than the one you first described, because by the principle of "show don't tell" lip service is paid to the questionability or amorality of the character's actions while their behavior is sanctified by the divine right of the "word of God."
@@ExtremeMadnessXNo actually, I mean a character who is always 100% right regardless of how many times they are told they're wrong. This can include themselves. They can admit wrongdoing, but it's just to posture to the audience, to signal that they're such a good guy they're making the "tough calls."
This is why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the furthest things from a Mary Sue. She really is a nearly perfect hero, but she makes mistakes and owns up to them, and you better believe that everyone around her blames her when she messes up.
YES! I literally use Bella Swan and Rey as examples how not to make any of my characters. And the pitiful excuse of a relationship with Edward & Bella is the example list: What not to do. It is not any kind of relationship to aim for. I see that relationship as ownership; they are making decisions for her like she cannot make it on her own. Plus Edward & Jacob sound like the seagulls from Finding Nemo to Bella. “Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!” Thank you for making this video about Mary Sue & Gary Sue. It’ll help even further to explain why I aim for all of my characters to be there for a reason, purpose and their backstory to why they are there and what they follow and preach. Love your channel! Thanks for uploading. PS - Is there a way to do a video about certain characters such as Daemon Targaryen from House of the Dragon? I would love your thoughts on particular characters like him. He is very complex, chaotic in a way that makes the audience interested, love or defend his actions most if not all the time, etc, I hope you can. Have a good one. ❤❤❤❤
I 100% agree about the Twilight characters. I barely made it through book one as a favor to a friend. Havent read or seen the rest. Bella was just too annoying. HOWEVER: The "mine, mine, mine" obsessive trait is a GREAT flaw to cause conflict, especially when its not a rivalry thing, so much as just a flaw of obsessiveness trait. (If that makes sense.)
Oddly enough, in the show, the writers completely removed any agency for Daemon, Rhaenyra and Alicent. They are all pretty much passive and indecisive in season 2 compared to season 1. Especially for Rhaenyra and Alicent, it’s like as if the writers couldn’t write them as selfish (and almost evil) women with an agenda like in the books. They wrote them as “good” people who will be inevitably victims of their surroundings and NOT because of their decisions (I guess they went with the tired trope of not wanting to put women in a bad light because of modern sensibilities). And for Daemon? A once wild card with a punkrock attitude doing what he wanted has been reduced to being a carpet, being pushed over at Harrenhal to finally kneel again (for the second time) to Rhaenyra. He was really boring in season 2. I really hope they bring back all those 3 characters complexities in season 3.
@@lisapoe888 it is more of the relationship between Edward & Bella. It felt more like ownership than a relationship. He kept making choices for her, not caring what she wanted to do. For Example in Eclipse, she wanted to go see Jacob but he messed up her truck so she couldn’t go see Jacob. Making a choice for her rather she liked it or not. And that is definitely not alright. Massive red flag. No matter the treaty between the Cullens & Wolves. Bella was allowed to go see Jacob.
@@TheRealDeal92 It is a massive obsessiveness issue, most definitely a flaw. Not Mary Sue-ness. The only thing that makes her somewhat of a Mary Sue is in the last Book when she turns Vampire and gets everything handed to her. This could have been handled much better. Aside from that i really don't see the Mary Sue here.
I feel like an easy fix is to make said character THINK that they're perfect and that said character THINKS that everybody loves them but it turns out they're actually just arrogant. 😅
I have an idea,you could make them seem like a Mary sue and after a while,the flaws of the character start to appear and the character can’t hide them anymore,so now everyone knows their perfect appearance was fake all along.
Another thing about the Mary Sue is how only the villains hate her. Only a truly evil person could be blind to the Mary Sue's awesomeness, or jealous and intimidated by that awesomeness.
Exactly. It's reflected in how the creators react any time someone criticizes their creator's-pet character: "Well, anyone who doesn't like my Mary Sue is just a [___]ist!"
Why do people fall in love with characters (mostly men) who are mean and uncaring, etc? #1 In the words of Taylor Swift: I can fix him, no really, I can. #2 A lot of people like the idea of chasing what they cannot have in order to prove they can. See #1 for why.
I don't think they like the characters themselves inherently; they know if he's being presented that way, there will eventually be a "I can't help but fall in love with you in spite of how mean I used to be" arc, so it's a vicarious wish fulfillment scenario that makes them feel better about guys who did or currently do treat them similarly. I think it can be natural to, if someone mistreats you, want to change the scenario rather than just kick them to the curb, to sort of prove to yourself that the problem wasn't you (even though we all know there's no shortage of unkind people and you usually are just better off moving on to someone else).
For whatever reason there's appeal to the narcissistic personality. I don't know why, because that personality has never held any appeal to me. The Christian God is one of the oldest Mary Sues and you still have lots of people that desperately pursue his love. And you don't have to go far to see narcissist people with cult-like followings in real life.
"I do not understand this obsession with characters who have no likeable quality, but everybody falls in love with them." Sums up most of the thoughts I had in high school...
Make her have a phobia (say heights) and have several occasions where her phobia lose the fight because it. and at the climax she confronts her fears and saves the day
As someone who has legit fear of heights, no you don't just get over it and it isn't a character flaw, but it can be disruptive if you don't appropriately deal with it. And thus it can be the basis for a story. For example, I had the goal of riding the largest roller coaster in the world. Yes, stupid, but hear me out. How do you do that when you're terrified of heights? Now you're on a journey which makes the story. You have the failures (like chickening out because I was scared) and the triumphs (standing on a ladder to change a lightbulb). It can lead to getting angry at people who are gently reminding you that you have a goal and not to give up, because you want to give up. Most of all, guilt when you couldn't do something that needed to be done because you were afraid.
@@schizuki A character flaw is anything that gets in the way of a character's goals. So yes, if a phobia negatively impacts a character's journey it is a flaw. Just not a moral one.
Hi, Abbie. I'm a 30-year-old blind woman and I want to thank you with all my heart and soul for having described so well a blind character in your novel 100 Days of Sunlight! I was born premature and my blindness is a consequence of that. Tesa is such a loving character, she is sweet and caring and she loves writing and she is a bit of a loner, like me, and she has friends online, like me. She also loves children, like me (I loved when she interacted with Henry, Noah and Aidan), and I would love to read a sequel set in the future in which she and Weston, another character I absolutely love, are parents. I also read The Otherworld and I loved it. Adam is such a great and mature character, Orca is weet and innocent and she learns a lot, and Jack is fun and friendly (not when he is angry with Adam, obvously). Orca's Dad loves her so much, and I adored Lucius. I hated her Mom and how she behaved. She didn't care about Orca at all. She didn't deserve to have such a beautiful daughter like her. And, speaking of Moms, I loved the conflict between Tessa and her Mom and, in the end, everything went well. Weston is so good with Tessa, and your stories have so much value with all the research you make. I do too, for my original stories and my fanfictions. I adore your books, I adore your voice, I adore what you teach us and your passion for reading, writing and teaching. The Live Trainings are so incredible! And your voice is so sweet. I suffer from depression, anxiety and panic attacks, and when I listen to your voice, it helps me to calm down and I smile a little. You help me smile, sometimes. This means so much to me, Abbie! Your sister's meditation for writers are amazing, too, and even your podcast together. I have many friends who write, and we do it with fanfiction mainly, and my family doesn't understand why I write fanfiction from when I was twenty-two (I started writing short stories when I was ten and attempted with two novels at sixteen and nineteen, but they were horrible). From 2016, I post my stories online on an Italian website where you can post fanfiction, poetry and original stories. I wrote original stories and poems, too. Anyway, even if my famiy doesn't understand this, they don't tell me I should not write or things like that. I have doubts, lack of motivation, I have to take breaks, even for my mental health and, now, for some issues with my physical health. I take my meds and I have a few therapists who help me, and my Mom, my Dad and my brother, and my three, adorable, flyffy cats: Furia (almost nine-years-old), Red (four-years-old), and Alba (almost two-years-old). I love my cats, and they inspire me so much. Even your writing sprints help me to focus and enjoy my writing more. I concentrate, I immerse myself in my stories and I am with my characters, or I feel like I am my characters, and I write. Not always Live, most of the time I have to do it on replay, but it's wonderful to write with so many other writers. Could you do them twice a month, if possible for you? Or three times? Also, could you do more writing sessions with fantasy music? Not always dark fantasy. I love writing with those, too. So thank you, Abbie. Thank you so much!
Oh my goodness, I am so touched by your sweet message!! Thank you so much for sharing your story with me and for being here on my channel. I can't tell you how happy I am to know that 100 Days of Sunlight inspired you so much and that it made you feel represented 💖🥹 that means THE WORLD to me. I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed The Otherworld too!! And it's so good to know that my voice soothes your anxiety, I couldn't ask for a sweeter gift than that. 🙏🏼 I understand what it can be like to have voices of doubt and discouragement around you as a writer, but I hope you will take heart from this vibrant community of writers just like you who have committed to their creativity, no matter the opposition! You can do this too! I believe in you and your writing. Keep writing fanfiction and original works and anything that makes you passionate to be creative! All of it is so important. You are bringing light into the world with every word you write and we need your unique voice 🙌 keep writing and rock on!
I ... I'm not the kind of person who says personal things online, but Abbie, I think, and I feel, I want to, at least for some things. Not because I want pity from you or the community, but ecause I would like you to understand my situation. But first, oh, Abbie, oh, my goodnesss, you replied! I didn'@@AbbieEmmonsOh, my Goodness, Abbie, uou replied! I didn't expect you to reply to my comment. You inspire me so much. You are an amazing writer and I... You told me that my world needs my stories. This means THE WORLD to me. You are in my heart. I love you, even if I unfortunately, don't know you in person. I felt represented by Tessa een because, at the beginning of the novel, she feels depressed, a handicap, and she asks why it happened to her. I am blind, and I live my disability with a little of pain. Of sorrow. There's a little part of me who asks to The Lord why. Why did it happen to me, to my family, why my parents had to suffer so much risking to see me dying in the first two years of my life. Why? I will never have an answer. And I had many writer's blocks. They are real. I had my first when my best friend committed suicide when I was twenty and she was nineteen. That was tragic and changed my life forever. I didn't write for a year and a half. I was in therapy for other reasons, and I was diagnosed with major depression, anxiety and panic attacks the next year, so I started taking pills and I still have to do that. But I had promised to myself: "I won't stop writing." So, when I felt ready, I started again, with fanfiction this time, in 2015, when I started outlining my first one. Then, in 2017, my Mom was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and she has it still now. She was operated twice, and sometimes she doesn't feel well (headacjes, head spinning, she doesn't know where she is ...). It breaks my heart to feel so powerless, to know that I can stay with her, hold her, comfort her, help her, but that, as doctors said, she probably will never heal. I didn't write for seven months from when we found out she was sick. And I started again. In 2020 my cat, Stella, died at five-years-old. She was hit by a car, and the rain damage was so severe she was in a coma, and we had to put her down. It was, another time, devastating. All of these things were devastating for me and my family. I didn't write for another year, I just wrote some poetry dedicated to her. I have her brother with me, er twin, Furia, and other two cats: Red, and we found him abandoned on a street and saved him, and we adopted Alba in 2022, a beautiful, fluffy, black cat whic was found abandoned on a street by a person my Mom knows. I love my cats, and I know you love pets too, Abbie. You have a dog, right? And because of my anxiety, and because my friends are in other regions (like Tessa, I know them online, but unlike her, I met one of them in person twice, one last year and one this one) I stay mostly at home, but thanks to my therapists I am starting to go out again, to enjoy things agaBut it's hard. It's still hard. So hard, every single day. in. The psychological pain is still here, even for other personal things I won't get into. Last year I had another writer's block because of an ended friendship, a block of almost eight months. But this year, despite the pain, despite my problems of mental health and physical health, too, because I'm not well at the moment and I will have to do some neurological tests to understand why I have such terrible headaches since December, headaches which mean that I have no choice but to stay in bed for hours even during the day, I finished a fanfiction,the first part of a duology, and now, as I'm outlining the second book, I'm writing another fanfiction. I will follow your writing sessions you did, Abbie, I just followed session 1, to go on and write that. I want to read other novels of you and the non-fiction project you are working on now. And you helped me through hard times since 2022, when I discovered this channel, with your voice and your sweetness, and your encouragement, and te fact you understand doubts and fears of us writers. Thank you for being the wonderful person you are. I would love to be similar to you, to be as positive as you. I love you so much! And I want to thank people in this community because they helped Abbie see my previous comment and for supporting me during a Livestream where I was feeling so depressed. You are amazing, guys. If some of you suffer from depression, anxiety and panic attacks, I understand you, I can imagine your struggles, how difficult it is to battle all of this every day. I'm with you. Snd all of you, with your stories, your novels, your writing of any kind, matter. The world needs your stories, too. But when you feel down, or locked, or you don't have the strength to write because you feel mentally or physically sick, take a break. Don't force yourselves, because you will hurt yourselves and the story, too. I'm so sick this week I jad to stop writing and outlining. I will try to start tomorrow, I jope it will et better.
I have a male character who at first glance appears like a Gary Stew. He was a child prodigy, he's a scientist, a world traveling adventurer, experienced pilot, scion of a mega rich family. But, he's lived a sheltered life. He is childlike, naive. He tends to believe the best in everyone. He gets tunnel vision on whatever new challenge or discovery he's making. His experiments frequently fail. He risks his own life and his friends with a nonchalance that is dumbfounding to the female lead. She frequently has to save him from his blind spots with her brains and cynicism. But he in turn, saves her from becoming too jaded by life. They compliment one another.
I think Red from Overly Sarcastic Productions had the best way of explaining a Mary Sue. Mary Sues are people who warp the logic of the world around them in ways that don't make sense. If a normal person is arrogant and refuses to apologize for anything (and there are people like that), that person will be disliked. If a Mary Sue is the same way, everyone will live him/her anyway, even though it makes no sense.
reminds me of my villain character HAHHAHAAA IM GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WOOOOOOORLD! and then he gets blown up by his own creation its more of a comic relief from a particularly gruesome main plot
To expand on point one, when you give them a flaw it has to be a *real* flaw. It has to actually cause them trouble. Don't go with some cosmetic 'it's actually endearing' flaw (like "has a bad temper" == gets to sarcastically put everyone else down with zinging one liners, or "too much of a perfectionist" == you get to see them brooding about how doing something perfectly isn't good enough). You need a flaw that causes the character to actually create their own setbacks (like being so overconfident that they get themselves and their friends into trouble that they cannot get everyone out of OR lacking confidence to the point where they hold back from doing something they really need to do).
Yes, or perhaps, being so naive that she walks into trap after trap, everyone using her and taking her gifts without gratitude, then taking her friends as well, ostracizing her through lying, exaggerated gossip.
I used to work with a Mary Sue, wanted to correct my pronunciation of a name without even looking up that exception on Google just to double check. Nope! She already knew it all! No American exceptions (even though we heard the lady and her close friend pronouncing her name the same way I did), no exceptions in her perfect, narcissistic world!
@@brandic89on paper this sounds cool, then you take a step back and its just Isla from lightlark She's extremely naive, acts like a high school kid despite being a ruler of an entire country, is to a degree self-centered, and only seems to care about the people close to her while everyone else is invisible And with all of that in mind, she's never called out for it. There's even a case where she killed like a dozen people, and absolutely no one knew it outside of the love interest because he tried that hard to keep it away from the world
YES!! Reminds me of Percy Jackson where his fatal flaw is “loyalty: he’d give up the world to save his friends.” Like. Ummm. Not a flaw. If it was reframed as *selfishness*, as in “he’d let the world burn as long as those he cared about stayed alive”, sure. It would have been fine. Another not-flaw, in my opinion, is being cold and closed off. It’s just becoming shorthand for being “cool”
@arkkon2740 Wow! That is intense, and a lot of people would love reading that! I personally prefer more internal conflict and modern problems of at least halfway decent people, lol. To me, I'd rather read internal, emotional conflict (like coming-of-age stories, always so difficult) than killing and spice, which are way too heavy for my teen-angsty taste, lol.
Hey guys, tip: make your characters a dnd sheet. Idc if dnd has nothing to do with it, the point buy system could be so helpful with balancing a Mary sue.
Desperately need a "7 Ways Your Character is a Pick Me" (This video says everything I've been feeling the past year reading The Infernal Devices, I'm sobbing)
Steven Seagal? You mean almost every Isekai anime main male character. The most extreme example I can think of is "I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, Too". The main character literally becomes better at fighting than everyone else, everyone thinks he's the best guy ever, all the women want him and he's also better at other even simple skills like cooking.
Mirabel is arguably a Lin-Manuel musical character and not a Disney character. She raps like a Hamilton character, she honors her legacy and goes forward like a Lin-Manuel protagonist, she is Colombian reflecting Lin-Manuel’s focus on Hispanic narratives. If Mirabel is not a Mary Sue that is because Encanto is his and his team’s brainchild, not Disney’s, and Disney just trusts him after Moana. Furthermore, even given the hewing to traditional Disney narratives Moana is also not a Mary Sue in any manner. If anything Maui is trying to pass himself off as a Gary Stu and fails.
It's ŵhy Muriel in Muriel's Wedding was so popular. She was flawed and therefore relatable. She was selfish and shallow but also a victim of the cruel people around her. She committed fraud so she get away to Sydney where she started to thrive as she achieved her dreams. By getting what she wanted, she soon found what she needed instead, which was friendship not marriage. She was the opposite of a Mary Sue character.
Fantastic! We deserve much better women characters! Can you do an analysis of complex famous male characters (like Gandalf) and how they don’t have these 7 warning signs. And some examples of non-Mary sue women characters.
About point number 2: On the other hand, you can make a character that is naturally better than everyone at something. Perhaps the thing you should do to compensate is to make them terrible or not as good as others at other things. A certain, purple-haired someone I know can fight really well… but can’t cook, for instance.
My friend and me wrote Fanfiction with 'our own characters' into this roll play world. I hated her character, She was an unmatched beauty of a queen, who struggled with everything from uncurable illnesses she ignored, because hey, she had to reign a planet/solarsystem to being the perfect mother even when her goregously handsome husband abused her, oddly enough she never showed any signs of those abuses ... (not that I wanted a detailed descripton). One of the worst Mary Sues I have ever read, but I did not know the term back then.
I was so scared that my main character was a Mary Sue, thank you. She has flaw and weaknesses, she not perfect at everything she tries especially on the first try, she makes active decisions, she has both things she’s proud of and things she dislikes about herself, she always follows her beliefs, and I hope that she has good traits.
Thank you so much for your tips, Abbie. My WIP has two viewpoint characters, and I'll use these points to flesh them out more, and give them notable flaws.
hey Abbie! I always had a problem in understanding how to full fledgedly apply your advice to my writing and make it phenomenal. I recently read your book, and my god, did it help with that! Like, I can see all the advice you give applied so beautifully in your book! I have annotated the whole thing to the extent that now I'm slightly embarrassed to lend it to anyone!
Does Princess Peach from the Mario movie count? Irritatingly perfectly at everything, boring, just can't fail at anything. I mean, to be fair, she isn't rude or cruel unnecessarily, and she isn't stoic or without heart. It's just frustrating that even when she has that moment where she needs to be rescued from a forced marriage, she still saves herself, crashes her own wedding, which she agreed to in order to save her people.
I wouldn’t say she’s not rude. They cranked up her snark considerably, to the point that her first conversation with Mario largely consists of it, and while she’s not entirely stoic, she’s still scrubbed of her goofier aspects from the games to play her as a mostly serious character, aside from some Asha-level “quirkiness.” She’s certainly still nice, but she doesn’t go much further from the bare minimum of compassion and human decency, a far cry from her game counterpart.
uuuuhhhhhh . . . let's see. Point 1 "No flaws/weaknesses": She's physically weaker than Bowser, and she cares for her Toads to the point that she'll give up. That doesn't really count as a flaw, and while it does count as a weakness, I don't feel like it's as good as a weakness as kryptonite, which is my idea of a perfect weakness, something that balances out the character. Point 2 "Naturally Better than everyone": She does the practice course perfectly, on the journey to Kong Country she does things rather easy while Mario struggles, and (I haven't seen the movie in a while but) I think that's it. When she tries to convince Cranky Kong to help them she fails, and Mario has to be the one to encourage him to make the bet, she tries crashing the wedding on her own thinking that Mario is dead, and while she does do good, it's only temporary, she gets hurt and loses her power, and Mario & DK have to save the prisoners. I'm not including the Rainbow Road scene because I feel like she was as good as everyone else. Point 3 "Decisions only made for plot": It's hard to explain but I think so. She only does things that connect with the plot, the scene where they argue what to do about Bowser, training Mario, going on a journey, going to Kong Country, driving on Rainbow Road, alerting the Toads, agreeing to marry Bowser, marrying Bowser, the failed rescue attempt, and kicking the power star to Mario in Brooklyn. Other than that, what was she there for? It's always good to have a character participate and not do nothing for the plot, but it's never good when your character doesn't have character. None of the stuff she does for the plot feels personal, I feel like if they made her with a crush on Mario, they could have made her slightly more interesting, even if it did come with a few cringy scenes. (Just remembered that her motivating Mario after the failed training was something that she did for the plot while still something I thought had some personal connection to it) Point 4 "They think their ugly": No, not once is she concerned about her beauty or looks, or how others may perceive her. She never belittles herself so that other characters can complement her and make her feel better or special. This one's an easy no. Point 5 "All talk no walk": I mean, I don't think so. Through the different plot points of the movie, she starts with "I'm going to Kong Country for reinforcements!" and she does that. After that it's "We're going to defeat Bowser!" and while it doesn't happen, we see her try in the Rainbow Road fight. After that it's "I won't let you win, Bowser!" and we see her threatening to attack him with an axe, and while that doesn't work, we see her try again by crashing the wedding and she *actually* almost does it. This is also a point for her not being perfect, she tries and almost succeeds, but fails anyway, we see her struggle. Point 6 "Liked despite unlikable": I guess this is a more opinionated thing but I liked her. The other guy said that she can be pretty snarky and not compassionate enough, but I saw her as good hearted, caring, and determined, which, in my opinion, are likable and admirable traits. I'm not gonna use examples here because analyzing every part of her behavior would take up a majority of what already is a huge comment. Point 7 "Never admits mistake": I don't think she ever says "I was wrong" but I don't think she was ever in the wrong, which is bad because you *want* the character to make mistakes to learn from them. I guess she sorta promised that she was gonna get the Kongs to help and that the Toads would be safe but then she had to go back and tell the Toads that Mario is dead, Bowser is coming, and the Kongs were no help. And while she never takes responsibility for this, it objectively wasn't really her fault, she got close to her goal and almost did it. Ok, so: She checks off Point 1 (debatably), Point 3, and Point 7 (also debatably). As for points 2, 4, 5, and 6, she passed those pretty well I'd say. In conclusion she (debatably) scores a 3/7 for being a Mary Sue, which I consider to be a passing grade! TL;DR: She's not a Mary Sue.
She's an experienced princess that lived in the mushroom kingdom since the begginin', I mean, she doesn't need character development, the only one who does is Mario.
@@toadynamite8141 forgot about that scene, and while I definitely agree that that was rude, I'm gonna defend her anyway and say that Mario was the first human she ever saw besides herself so she was curious and was asking questions *that were rude* but also unintentional and understandable from her perspective.
Flat characters aren't necessarily Mary Sues. Main characters can't be entirely flat though, their arc may just be subtle, and they change things around them.
I usually prefer the term steadfast character arc over flat character arc, because it implies the character being challenged and remaining steadfast in her beliefs. It is important that they face real challenges with as high stakes and difficulties as growing characters do.
Tip: The Mary Sue trope is basically Steven Seagal's character in most of his movies, which seems to be written for the sole purpose of boosting his ego. Watch "On Deadly Ground", and if you can get through it without passing out from cringe, make sure your character is nothing like Forrest Taft.
Thank you so much! You’ve helped me realize how much my main characters are kind of Mary Sues and how I can make them more humane. I never realized how some of them don’t even have real motives and some don’t have many personality traits besides pushing the plot forward. Now they feel like realistic characters who I can relate to and care about. You are so awesome! Keep up the amazing work and I hope any future stories you write are just as amazing as you are! ❤️
Kate from Lost kinda gives me Mary Sue vibes. Same with Rory Gilmore. Also, I hate in teen shows when the main girl always graduates valedictorian. Why can't she ever be normal or dumb?
The only addendum I would make is: If you're starting out and getting into writing, and you're developing your writing style and getting used to how to craft a story, don't worry about Mary Sue characters. In such a case, they can be a stepping stone, they can be your rough draft, they can be your exploration of learning what you like or don't like to write, what you enjoy or find uninteresting, and what you should or should not do when creating characters. Mary Sues can belong in amateur writing, but not in any published media.
Hyper-competent characters whose only personality trait is arrogance about their abilities drive me crazy. Characters being extremely skilled is great, even if they earned their skills before the story began, but nobody is good at everything, and nobody is undefeated forever. Give them a rival. Give them other aspects of their life that suffer through their devotion to their craft. Give them the insecurity that they won't be able to maintain their level of proficiency forever. Give them a crippling fear of failure that drives them to excel. All of these things allow them to still be awesome at something or even multiple things, but make them more interesting because their abilities stem from something other than the plot demanding they be good at the thing.
As a counter-example, I love when Black Widow gets spooked by Bruce Banner in an early scene of the original Avengers movie. Especially since it follows a scene where she dispatched her Russian captors without breaking a sweat. And it builds from there.
After 25 years of war, I never reflected on the horrors of it. I never once morned my fallen comrades. But it all changed the day I met Mary Sue. Her sword sliced through the orc army so elegantly as I was missing every arrow that I shot on this windy day. But then Ben, Mary Sue's most trusted companion, got hit by an axe while she was simultaneously chopping the head of the great 3 veteran generals. At which cost did we win this battle? As the victory chears were the only thing that we would hear, I heard a scream that I could never forget. Mary Sue (Ben!!!) At this moment, we all realised the horror of war while Mary Sue was wrapping her thorn robe around Ben's wound. We were all solemnly watching as Ben's life was hanging to a thread. What a tainted victory, who would have known that the war that the Empire led against the 3 southern kingdom would scratch a member of Mary Sue's entourage. I thought to myself that I did not do enough! If I had thrown myself at the axe, I could have prevented Ben's wound. On that day vowed to become better, faster, and stronger, so our only beacon of light Mary Sue could save us. If only I could have screamed, "Watch out, Ben! " and rushed to Ben's help...Maybe Mary Sue could have seen me, and my destiny would have changed. My life would have significance perhaps. Perhaps Mary Sue could have said, "Thanks. What is your name, by the way? "
Great video! Watching was a relief for me as I realised that I haven’t written a Mary Sue, but there were still a few very useful pointers that gave me some good ideas. Thank you!
I think Rey is my favorite example, because of my fascination with just how the writing process might have played out with the Disney Star Wars films. How do you write a protagonist with no flaws, but then take a legacy character (Luke) who had attained iconic hero status and give him shoe-horned, character breaking flaws instead? Man, I wish someone would do a deep-dive documentary about how that all went down.
Well the short answer is probably that Rey was Kathleen Kennedy’s OC, she looks just like KK as a young woman and she seems to exist to show up every other character.
Always remember, when it comes to the two Star Wars continuities: It's called "Legends" because it's legendary. It's called "Canon" because it's fodder.
I was very sad about the Mulan live action TwT Mulan is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE Disney Princesses and all the things I loced about her was gone in the live action!! Now I know whyyy
Sad thing is there was so much put into the plot that they left out key details like better fleshing Mulan out and building her relationships with Shang and the trio guys. It was disappointing since I Love Mulan as well and was looking forward to the film and wven bought the DVD. I feel like they focused too much on her and the witch's interaction more and let everything else fall on the wayside (we've seen the hyper use of feminism in disney). I wish they kept the deleted scene where she and her sister were doing domestic duties and she proved to not be good at it and despite trying to make up for it wirhher other skills, folk saw her too brute and masculine. Thst would've been good to work with. And maybe they could've then created a scene later on where they're camping and Shang proves to be able to do the things she lacks. If disney wanted to push gender roles they could've gone about it that way instead of the cardboard plot they gave us with this hyper focus on the special force Mulan and the witch had.
Right in the cartoon movie she had flaws but over came them and was the first one to climb the pillar before all the mighty men and we all were so happy for her. She didn’t walk in and just climb the pillar like it’s just another Tuesday evening.
What you said about feeling left out in 10:30, I do seem to feel it more the older I grow. I have read stories in which the villain was much more fleshed out and relatable or tolerable than the protagonist😅.
2:37 (haven’t watched the full vid) I feel like if they have a cute flaw like being clumsy or younger then it’s still annoying unless they’re just so clumsy it’s just stupid
That’s why I love Ridley. She was able to be a perfect person because she went through so much, lost too many people, lost herself for a while had an existential crisis before finding peace.
What is really kind of crazy/interesting, is that these type of characters are extremely popular despite the fact that they very annoying to writers and critics. Like everyone you find talking about stories hate them, but they are used so often because they are so popular.
In the first version of my book, the main character’s friends were Mary sheds.They had not much of a personality, and even though they had no friends they were smart.
I think a big reason why arrogance is shown as a good trait in movies is because it can be seen and interpreted as confidence. Is it actual confidence? Of course not! But constantly telling everyone how better than them you are at everything is an act to seem like you have self-worth. It's why people irl do it, after all. And it's why movies do too. It's the movie trying to scream at your face, "Look at how much she knows her worth! She's confident and believes in herself, and we want to make sure you know that!" But it's completely counter productive because by having her herself telling us how awesome she is she does not at all have the positive confidence they want her to have. Actual confident people do not need to tell you how great they are, because all that matters is they just know that they're great, and they don't care if you don't believe in them, confidence comes from within after all.
I think another Mary Sue trait is the opposite of the last one: being too apologetic. They are so depressed and “woe is me” that everyone is surrounding them going “it’s not your fault, it never was” and the people saying that are right because Mary Sue is sad.
I think creators are making characters like Mary Sue on purpose to make them "cool and epic" for audience, but it doesn't work at all. Who btw likes "idealized, perfect, without any weaknesses, strong and independent" characters
It's been a long time since i read the last book, so i could remember wrong. I remember him messing up quite a bit, and a lot of his accomplishments were mostly lucky. That's kind of what the book was about. The stories about the MC vs. the reality.
@@Eric4real4321 Same experience. A lot of his problems aren't him being pushed around by the plot, but rather him willfully making stupid decisions he needs to either amend, face or flee the consequences of.
You could make a Mary Sue character, and make her into an insufferable antagonist I remember an anime that actually had an antagonist character literally named Mary Sue
@unicorntomboy9736 😭 But why Mary Sue? How could you give our location to the Imperials. 😁🍿 For me, the sweetest part of betrayals is not the vengeance but the villains speech.
How to know if your character is a Mary Sue; Do they resemble a Disney or MCU character of the current era? Then yes they are a Mary Sue. Now go fix them. Honestly Disney needs all new writers.
Remember: these negative traits can be good WHEN THEY ACTUALLY HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THEIR ACTIONS! When someone does negative things but doesn't get what they "deserve", it can be really annoying and frustrating to the audience!
The Mary Sue that definitely annoys me the most is Rey Skywalker, Star Wars characters were so good before the sequels! Then they killed off most of the good characters... I can actually feel more of a connection to Kylo Ren than Rey which I find quite comical XD
I was so excited for Finn but he lost spotlight right after meeting Rey and never ever did anything extraordinary after, except when he grabbed Kylo's lightsaber but NOBODY acknowledged that either!
Now I know how to write the character I want everyone to hate. Honestly though, your tips and advice are incredibly helpful for me. Thank you so much for making content like this.
