How To Avoid Making A Mary Sue / Gary Stu

HOW TO AVOID MAKING A MARY SUE/GARY STU

Hello, all. My name is Urara the Orc and I’m here to explain to you how to avoid creating a Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Mary Sues and Gary Stus are among the most annoying characters to roleplay with. Not to mention that playing a Mary Sue will limit your roleplaying options greatly. I’m here to talk about what a Mary Sue is and how to avoid writing one.


WHAT IS A MARY SUE/GARY STU?

There is no real consensus on what exactly a Mary Sue or Gary Stu is. Mary and Gary take many different forms and, for this reason, they’re a little hard to pin down. As best I can put it, a Mary Sue/Gary Stu is a character who is too “special”. They have a wealth of good traits/special powers and demand to be the center of attention. However, there are breeds of Mary Sue that capitalize on negative traits as well. Mary Sues demand attention, whatever form they take. They do not necessarily beg for attention in character, but their actions, appearances, and traits scream “LOOK AT ME!”

The “classic” Mary Sue is a beacon of purity. She’s beautiful, well mannered, kindhearted, a friend to all living things, rich, and seductive without being trashy. Think “Disney Princess.” The “classic” Gary Stu is a manly man – skilled at fighting, killer body, chick magnet. Usually, both of these characters have a wealth of skills and powers that don’t make sense. Why would a beautiful, delicate flower of a woman know how to handle a sword? Well, she just does because she’s THAT awesome! Gary can build guns in Asulon because he’s a genius as well as a stud! These characters are blatantly unrealistic, pumped up with all the powers and traits that would make them desirable. They may seem awesome in your head, but in practice, they’re annoying to other players and strain the boundaries of belief.

However, as stated above, Mary and Gary take numerous forms. We have the classics, yes, but there are more. Some common varieties include:

The God Mode Sue – a character with extreme, unbelievable, god-like power. Will often make up powers to get her/his way.

The Sympathetic Sue – a character with a HORRIBLE childhood/backstory. She was raped by her parents, then her parents were killed by orcs, then her parents came back as undead and raped her again. This Sue screams “PITY ME!”

The Jerk Sue – A sue with a nasty personality. She will insult, demean, and otherwise belittle everyone she meets. Why? Because negative attention is still attention, dammit! For females, the Jerk Sue capitalizes on the erroneous idea that a woman must be tough to be cool. Jerk Sues will act nasty and still play themselves up as ideal people.

The Anti-Sue – A character who is ugly, stupid, and useless beyond belief. Will exploit her “flaws” endlessly to get attention. “Waaah, I’m so ugly and dumb!” Oddly enough, these flaws will never truly affect her.

The Commander Sue – A sue who is unrealistically skilled in matters of combat and war tactics. She is always, always one step ahead, always smarter than her opponents, always the winner. Even when she loses, she will twist the situation so it looks like she won.

The Dark Sue - Because evil and darkness are extra cool! This type of sue can overlap with many others, most often God Mode Sue and Sympathetic Sue. Usually has a sob story to justify her evil evilness, but no other motivation. If female, the Dark Sue is usually a vamp or a spooky romantic gothic type. If male, he's usually just straight evil with no proper reasoning or justification. And, as per usual among Mary and Gary, they are absolutely perfect at what they do. To them, "evil" is just something that makes them cooler.

I use the female pronoun here, but be aware that all these can be applied to males as well. A sue is, at her core, a character who cries out for attention – whether negative or positive – and will try at every opportunity to become the center of attention. S/he will try to twist every RP situation so that it's about them.


HOW DO I AVOID WRITING A MARY SUE/GARY STU?

For the purposes of this section, I’m going to assume you haven’t been accepted yet. So you’re sitting there, staring at the application, wondering what kind of character you want to be in Asulon. Well…you want people to like you, so you should be nice! And no one wants to be ugly, so you’ll make your character really attractive! Oh, but you want to be skilled in combat too. Let’s make your character a sword master. Hm, it’s fun to be important, right? Let’s make your character a princess too! It’s easy to see how Mary Sue traits can pile up when you’re not looking.

But don’t fret. Even blatant Mary Sues can be rescued. Take a step back and look at your character. Is she beautiful, kind, smart, AND a skilled fighter? Make a list of all your character’s traits. Try trimming her good traits down. Pick ONE good thing. Maybe she’s very smart, but cold and belittling to others. Maybe she’s a skilled fighter, but she’s ugly and not very clever. Most characters have more than one redeeming quality, but these good qualities are almost always balanced out by negative traits. Maybe she’s kind and pretty, but dumb as a stump. Or maybe she’s pretty and smart, but incredibly mean. Characters are a balancing act. Resist piling too many negative or positive qualities on a character. As stated above, a character who is ugly, stupid, and absolutely useless at everything can STILL be a Sue. Be sure not to make your flaws/good qualities too dramatic as well. Rarely is a character as beautiful as an angel, but so stupid they can’t lace their boots. Everything in degrees.

Be sure also to keep the lore in mind when creating a character. I know that it’s hard to just sit there and read the lore when you’re itching to create a character and get in the world. Still, violating pre-established lore or (heaven forbid) making up your own lore is the calling card of a Mary Sue character. You read that humans were the only race condemned to die by old age. Well, that sounds annoying, so you’re going to make a human who was so pure, she wasn’t affected by the curse. Or say you want to be an orc, but you don’t want to be ugly. Well, your orc wasn’t affected by Iblees’s curse – you’re still pretty and pale skinned. NO. JUST NO. When you enter Asulon, you must obey the rules of Asulon. Also avoid making a royal character or a character with innate magical ability. Power in Asulon must be earned. If we handed political power and magical ability to every schmuck who asked for it, we’d have a crapton of demigods and kings running around. Not everyone gets to be a King/Queen. Sorry.

Your character is entering Asulon as a regular person – not a royal, not a demigod, not an aengel or daemon. If you want power, glory, and attention, you must work for it. Roleplay with your racial leaders. Get involved in your race’s community. If you play well with others and show yourself to be an asset to the community, you’ll get promoted. One of the most fun things about Asulon is watching your character develop. You may never become a King or a Princess, but, trust me, you’ll feel proud when your character gets that sought-after promotion. If you play REALLY well and get your name out there, you might even get those godlike powers you hunger for. But at the beginning, you’re just another joe on the street. Accept it. Embrace it. Believe it or not, the average joe can be a pretty awesome character.


HOW DO I AVOID PLAYING A MARY SUE/GARY STU?

So you’ve been accepted. Good job. That means your character isn’t a complete Mary Sue. You have some negative aspects, but they’re balanced out with positive ones too. No person is completely negative or positive. You’ve crafted a character, but you can’t forget who the character is upon entering the game. You were accepted because you were a homely, but humble and intelligent farm girl. You can’t suddenly turn into a knockout seductress with demon powers.

To avoid becoming a Mary Sue/Gary Stu in game, you must be constantly aware of how you present yourself to other characters. There are two facets to consider here – appearance and attitude.

1 - APPEARANCE

-Just like in real life, your appearance is your first impression. So you must choose a skin that reflects your character. Because Minecraft skins are lacking in detail, we rely a lot on visual shorthand to decide what a character looks like. For instance – big, anime-style eyes mean a character is cute or pretty. So if you’re wearing a skin has eyes that are two pixels tall, we’re inclined to think “Oh, this character must be attractive.” If a person with big eyes told me “Oh, but I’m so homely,” I would think “Yeah, right.” It’s hard to call you homely when you’re gazing at me with those massive, shimmering eyes. So always be sure to choose a skin that accurately portrays your character’s appearance. A farm girl wouldn’t have perfect hair or dress in silk. True, it’s hard to be genuinely ugly in Minecraft – since everyone is an adorable block person – but at least pick a skin that can translate into your “actual” appearance. Be aware of the visual cues for Minecraft skins as well. If your character isn’t cute, don’t pick a cute skin.

2 – ATTITUDE

-You must keep your flaws and limitations in mind when roleplaying. Let’s stay with our farm girl character. She’s never picked up a sword in her life. Say she’s delivering wheat to a farmer’s market in Renatus when she’s suddenly stopped on the road by a pair of bandits. As they start demanding money, she whips out a diamond sword and starts kicking butt.

Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

Yes. The farm girl just gave herself a skill that she would realistically not possess. You can’t just roleplay having new powers and skills out of the blue, especially skills your character would probably not have. It’s not realistic and it’s a quality of a Mary Sue. In a normal situation, the farm girl would have gotten mugged. Maybe this spurs her to seek out a knight and request training, but she would not realistically just pick up a sword and know how to use it. And what kind of farm girl carries around a diamond sword anyway, especially if she has no training? It doesn’t make sense.

If you said on your app that you are a farm girl with no combat training, STICK to it. You can’t make up new powers and abilities. If you put on your app that you are humble and homely, don’t start seducing every man who walks your way. I know that sometimes this is difficult. You cannot control the behavior of other characters. It’s hard to play an ugly girl if men keep throwing themselves at your feet. Still, the way you present yourself is part of how people perceive you. If you’ve chosen a suitably homely skin and act like a rough country girl, people will perceive you as such.

Avoid making up skills and abilities your character would not have. Avoid acting in a way your character would realistically not behave. I know that sometimes it’s hard. When confronted with bandits, we really just want to whip out our diamond blade and stab them in the face. However, sometimes it’s better if your character gets mugged and humiliated. You aren’t perfect and these situations provide a chance for character growth. As stated above, maybe getting mugged encourages our farm girl to join the army and learn to defend herself. That’s a realistic bit of character growth right there – our farm girl isn’t just suddenly a combat master out of nowhere. However, with discipline and time, she may become a skilled swordsman in the future.

It’s also tempting as your character changes to make them different. You may look at your homely character and think “Well…she’s not THAT plain. Maybe just a little cute. Or really cute. Okay, she’s gorgeous.” You end up emphasizing those character traits you like. It’s easy to forget your flaws too when it’s convenient. Your character is dumb, but you’re in a situation where it would benefit you to be clever. So you start acting clever. Soon, you completely forget that you were supposed to be dumb and all of a sudden, you’re a genius. You cannot forget or overlook your flaws. Flaws stay with you all your life. You CAN overcome certain flaws, like ignorance or weakness, but others, like ugliness and true idiocy, will dog you your entire life. In fact, it’s often more fun if you DON’T overcome your flaws. Truly debilitating weaknesses spice up RP.


HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHARACTER IS A MARY SUE/GARY STU?

It’s often hard to tell if you’re playing a Mary Sue or Gary Stu. In your mind, your character is truly awesome and deserving of attention, but does it read that way to everyone else? Other roleplayers are less inclined to play with you if you act perfect and awesome all the time. Failure and conflict are the essence of story. A character who is perfect, no matter how awesome s/he seems to you, is boring to everyone else. A good start is to ask other people if your character comes off as Mary Sueish.

Even so, spotting a Mary Sue requires some self awareness. It’s possible to play a Mary Sue that everyone on the server loves. For instance, I once ran a small RP forum for some friends. My character on this forum was OBSCENELY wealthy, handsome, clever, elegant, witty, well mannered, and intelligent. He was the biggest Gary Stu I have ever created, but all of my friends adored him. It took some time, but I finally recognized what a Gary Stu he was and toned him down. My friends and I loved him even more once he had realistic shortcomings and weaknesses. It’s possible for anyone to create a Gary Stu or Mary Sue. It’s even possible for everyone to love your Gary or Mary. However, as a good roleplayer, it’s your job to spot when you’ve crossed the line and pull back. You can’t be so swept up in your love for your character that you lose sight of him or her as a person. You have a duty to your fellow roleplayers to create good characters for them to play with.

So how do you recognize a Mary Sue/Gary Stu? There are plenty of handy litmus tests that can help you.

-The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test
-The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test

Keep in mind that while litmus tests are good markers, your litmus test score may not be completely accurate. It is partially up to you to look at your character and decide whether or not s/he is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu. This requires a lot of honesty. It’s hard to admit your character isn’t as good as you thought. However, as they say, admitting to having a problem is the first step to recovery. Once you realize you have a Sue, you can begin working on making your character more realistic.

If you're still uncertain, see the list below.

COMMON MARY SUE/GARY STU TRAITS

-Claiming to be "the best" at anything. The best warrior. The best farmer. The best builder. No, you're not the best. You can be "good" at something, but you are not the best at anything.

-Improbable Backstory. Oh, so you fought Iblees alongside Krug? But the fires of Iblees didn't affect you because you're so awesome? And Krug was so impressed, he made you his first lieutenant? All before you turned ten years old? No. You didn't do any of those things.

-Good at too many things. So you're good at cooking, sewing, building, farming, dancing, singing, fighting, and lovemaking? Look at yourself in real life. YOU aren't good at everything. Neither is your character. Your character fails at certain things just like you do.

-Incredibly Attractive. It's true that very few people WANT to be ugly. But not everyone has a killer supermodel body with a face worthy of an Italian Renaissance painting. Being a little plain is good.

-Random Magical Powers. So you can fly, read minds, talk to animals, and breathe underwater? No. While there is magic in Asulon, it's not innate and must be taught to people by mages and such. Also, don't give yourself random magical abilities that your character can't have learned. This leads to powergaming. If your character is a novice magician, I doubt he or she could summon an earthquake or a Kraken.

-Absurd Physical Capability. Your character can sprint like an Olympic athlete, swim like a pro, and beat men ten times her size in a wrestling match? Even though she's just a slender sixteen year old girl? No. A sixteen year old would not realistically have that ability.

-No Debilitating Weaknesses or Flaws. If your flaw does not affect your RP, it isn't much of a flaw. And DON'T pick flaws that are cute or endearing, like "clumsiness". And small visual flaws like a cool scar on your face aren't real flaws either. If it could be read as "cute" or "cool", it's not a true flaw. Your flaws must weaken or harm you in some way.

-Being "The Chosen One." No. You're not the "Chosen One". You weren't chosen for anything.

-Claiming to be of royal descent. No, you're not King Godfrey's long lost daughter. No, you're not some duke's illegitimate half-orc son. You enter Asulon as an average person. IF YOU ROLEPLAY WELL ENOUGH, you may be promoted to royalty. BUT ONLY THEN.

-Claiming unearned status or power. Ooooh, so your character is the Knight Commander of the Renatus Guard? Uh, no. If you want to be powerful, you apply as a footsoldier and work for a promotion. Just like in real life.

-Personality? What personality? Avoid shallow, vague descriptions like "nice" or "kind". You need to give your character a vivid personality with bad traits as well as good.

-Claiming to be a special race. Oh, so you're the last member of a race of bird people who died out before Asulon began? No. Unless you have special GM permission, you MUST play one of the approved races (orc, human, dwarf, all flavors of elf, and Kharajyr). You can be a half breed if you like, but that's the extent of it. You are NOT a pixie, a mermaid, a dryad, a wolfman, a nature spirit, a vampire, a dragon, a half dragon, or a shapeshifter. You can ONLY be a unique race if you have permission.