@ImYourToxicCat's post on Artfol
Any artist out there who were also scared of making OC's because they might become Mary Sue's? I remember having mini anxiety attacks making my first OC because of the fear of them becoming a Mary SueAug 2, 2022
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Honestly, I say if you're worried about your characters seeming like Mary sues ... You're probably already past that stage.
Mary sues are, largely, wish fulfilment characters. People who daydream their favourite characters would swoon over someone THEY control. Or being the most specialist person in an existing IP.
By the time you think those things are bad, you've probably started to move away from those kind of characters.
Here's the thing though - many of the things that make sues SUES are... Perfectly fine things for a character. Writing oc x canon might be cringe, but not necessarily badly written - and it doesn't hurt anyone, so don't care if anyone has a neg opinion. Your bestest at a certain thing character isn't a problem in original fiction - MANY stories have their protags be the best at something. It's only an issue when you make your fan character better than the main cast, or don't make them work for their power, or there's no downsides to it.
Really the biggest difference between good chara and sue is... Do they suffer consequences? Is it wish fulfilment Vs a fleshed out person?? Do they have negatives to their personality?? That kinda stuff.
Mary sues are, largely, wish fulfilment characters. People who daydream their favourite characters would swoon over someone THEY control. Or being the most specialist person in an existing IP.
By the time you think those things are bad, you've probably started to move away from those kind of characters.
Here's the thing though - many of the things that make sues SUES are... Perfectly fine things for a character. Writing oc x canon might be cringe, but not necessarily badly written - and it doesn't hurt anyone, so don't care if anyone has a neg opinion. Your bestest at a certain thing character isn't a problem in original fiction - MANY stories have their protags be the best at something. It's only an issue when you make your fan character better than the main cast, or don't make them work for their power, or there's no downsides to it.
Really the biggest difference between good chara and sue is... Do they suffer consequences? Is it wish fulfilment Vs a fleshed out person?? Do they have negatives to their personality?? That kinda stuff.
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If you make a lot of different characters your chances of creating a mary sue are pretty low, otherwise they wouldn't be different. So nah, I'm not really scared that they are, and if one of them is, well it adds to the variety, right? 
Apart from that it's became such a buzzword that was attached to all sorts of characters so it doesen't even really mean anything anymore.
Apart from that it's became such a buzzword that was attached to all sorts of characters so it doesen't even really mean anything anymore.•
No bc I don't care.
Who cares?
I make characters I like and if someone else doesn't like it then who are they even? Do I know them? I don't. So I don't care.
Who cares?
I make characters I like and if someone else doesn't like it then who are they even? Do I know them? I don't. So I don't care.
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Is this because of what I wrote on another post jk jk tbh I think Mary sue characters do exist but it doesn't really matter. Imo the only time it would matter is in role-playing with someone else or if said OC is the reason literally zero progress happens in a story you want to be gripping. Otherwise, it's none of anyone's business to care or judge em.
jk jk tbh I think Mary sue characters do exist but it doesn't really matter. Imo the only time it would matter is in role-playing with someone else or if said OC is the reason literally zero progress happens in a story you want to be gripping. Otherwise, it's none of anyone's business to care or judge em.•
Not really. I don't care tbh. Just make the characters you want to make.
Gosh, kinda sad how much people overthink stuff now instead of just having fun. :(
Gosh, kinda sad how much people overthink stuff now instead of just having fun. :(
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•Avoiding Mary Sues (or as I prefer to call them, "vacuum protagonists") is actually pretty simple. Just make the character relatable. That means they need to have flaws that affect their lore and character arc, and their relationships with other characters should make sense (don't make a jerky hero that everyone loves for no reason lol)
The lizard protag in Rango does an excellent job of summing it up in that movie's first scene: A hero is undefined in a vaccum [a story without conflict]. "What a story needs is an ironic, unexpected event that will propel the hero into conflict!"
OP character? No problem, just make their adversity suitably OP so they experience conflict and struggle.
Self-insert? Not a problem. Just don't be afraid to insert yourself into some adversity. A lot of self-insert OCs have Sue potential bc people usually create those for escapism and don't like imagining themselves in hardship. But imagine yourself ultimately triumphing after a struggle. Good power fantasy.
You get a better sense for avoiding a vaccum protag the more you write OCs and compare/contrast them with what you like/don't like to see in your favorite characters of other works. So you gotta do stuff to get better.
The lizard protag in Rango does an excellent job of summing it up in that movie's first scene: A hero is undefined in a vaccum [a story without conflict]. "What a story needs is an ironic, unexpected event that will propel the hero into conflict!"
OP character? No problem, just make their adversity suitably OP so they experience conflict and struggle.
Self-insert? Not a problem. Just don't be afraid to insert yourself into some adversity. A lot of self-insert OCs have Sue potential bc people usually create those for escapism and don't like imagining themselves in hardship. But imagine yourself ultimately triumphing after a struggle. Good power fantasy.
You get a better sense for avoiding a vaccum protag the more you write OCs and compare/contrast them with what you like/don't like to see in your favorite characters of other works. So you gotta do stuff to get better.
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It wasn’t really a widely used term when I was first making characters? So I didn’t really care. Also it’s the first stepping stone in making a character. You can edit/change a Mary Sue if you want to but you can’t edit something that doesn’t exist yet.
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•Homie, go watch this video, it will solve all of your problems immediately:
https://youtu.be/XMBEK-PPOsI
It’s a really good video talking about the history of the “Mary sue” and how its not really something you should be worried about.
This is everything I’d like to say on the topic in one video
https://youtu.be/XMBEK-PPOsI
It’s a really good video talking about the history of the “Mary sue” and how its not really something you should be worried about.
This is everything I’d like to say on the topic in one video
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For those who still have this feeling, think of it like this; Superman, one of the most beloved superheroes in history is literally the epitome of a Mary Sue. Majority of superheroes are at some point lul. So don't worry about bubs (:
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