Understanding Mary-Sue
Understanding Mary Sue
We hate her and you should, too

Who is Mary Sue?

"Mary Sue" is a name given to an original female fanfiction character who is annoyingly perfect. Many beginning authors unintentionally create a Mary Sue character (or their male equivalent, Gary Stu) when attempting to write an original character. These characters are so one-dimensional that they are uninteresting to read and often lead to clichéd and tired stories. Mary Sues are usually beautiful, intelligent, and well-liked. In short, they are the perfect girl. Unfortunately, they are also the worst kind of character. The real problem with creating a Mary Sue is that very few people want to read about them. At the very best, they are boring, and at their worst they are so irritating that they render a story unreadable.

What is Mary Sue Like?


    She's perfect – Mary Sue rarely has any real flaws to speak of. Real people have a multitude of flaws, but Mary Sue only has flaws that make her seem more appealing. If her flaw is that she is shy, then the shyness seems cute and coy. If her flaw is that she has a short temper, then she seems feisty and tough. Some authors try to throw in flaws thinking that it will save their character from becoming a Mary Sue, but the flaws are unrealistic or spun into being a positive. For example, not being able to cook well really isn't a flaw unless your character suddenly has to know how to cook to save her life. The most common attempt at getting around this is to give Mary Sue a dark and tragic past. However, this is more of an annoyance to readers than a true flaw. Read below on types of Mary Sues for more info.

    She's beautiful – Mary Sue is probably the most beautiful girl you've ever met. She has perfect hair, perfect teeth, a stunning complexion, and the body of a goddess. Another interesting thing about Mary Sue is that she often doesn't know she's beautiful and seems oblivious to the fact that boys are falling down at her feet. Realistically, no one is that perfect. Even our beloved Bill has his flaws.

    She has a fabulous wardrobe – Mary Sue has some real fashion sense, and her writers just love to tell people about it. One very common mistake among Mary Sue writers is the tendency to go into too much detail about the character's clothing. When a simple description such as "Sara wore a sleek dress suited for a night at the club" would suffice, the writer chooses to describe every little detail, from the character's makeup down to her shoes. Sometimes, whole paragraphs will be dedicated to how the character is dressed. It's unnecessary and it's boring.

    Everyone loves her (except the meanies) – Mary Sue gets along with just about everyone. Because of her lack of flaws and incredibly beauty, everyone just likes her. Except, of course, the antagonists or villains of the story. Usually the villains hate Mary Sue for no apparent reason, or simply because she is too beautiful and perfect.

    She has a soul-mate – If Mary Sue is hooking up with one of the TH boys, then she is absolutely made for them. She is everything they ever dreamed of and more. Usually, it's love at first sight and there's no question that it's true love. Conflict between Mary Sue and her true love does exist, but even then, it falls short of the realistic conflict that occurs in most relationships. In PWP/Lemon, Mary Sue sometimes simply sleeps with the majority, if not all, of the characters because she is so perfect that everyone wants her.

    She is "unique" - Mary Sue is a "special snowflake". She is usually unique is some obnoxious way. One of the easiest ways to spot a Mary Sue is by their off-the-wall names or unusual spelling, such as Faery, Jennifyr or Viquetoria. Other attempts to make Mary Sue special include strange (natural) hair colors, eye colors, or unrealistic/magical abilities that are out of place in the genre.


Mary Sue's Many Faces!

Mary Sue shows up all over the place and in many different forms. Most of the time, she is the main character in a romantic pairing, but sometimes she shows up as a secondary character or even a villain. There are many types of Sues, but these are the most common Sues seen in Tokio Hotel Fiction. Keep in mind that there can be some overlap in Sues. It's possible to have a Sue that fits every single one of these categories.


    Angry!Sue – A.K.A. "Bitch!Sue," "Punk!Sue," "Goth!Sue." Angry!Sue is written as a non-conformist. She's loud, she's obnoxious, and she has issues. Of course she isn't a bad person; she's just angry because of whatever dark, tragic past the author has cooked up for her. Angry!Sue usually wears whatever nonconformist clothing that the author thinks is cool. In a romantic plot, Angry!Sue plays hard to get, but eventually her true love will soothe away her anger.
    Where do we find Angry!Sue? – Angry!Sue is usually in a romantic pairing. We occasionally see her as a villain. She's commonly seen in drama, romance, angst, rape and abuse stories.
    Why do we hate Angry!Sue? – She's been done to death! An angry girl, with a bad past, having everything fixed by her true love is probably one of the most cliché plot lines in existence. Angry!Sue is often stereotypical and cliché enough to make the reader cringe.
    How do I avoid writing an Angry!Sue? – Focus on realistic flaws. Having a dark, tragic past or punching everyone who makes her angry is not a realistic flaw - it's an obnoxious cliché. Think about realistic motives and reactions.

    Angst!Sue – A.K.A. "Victim!Sue." Angst!Sue spends most of her time crying about her dark, tragic past. Her whole role in the plot seems to be gaining the attention of the Tokio Hotel boys or being victimized by the villains. Poor, little Angst!Sue often has some sort of mental illness, eating disorder, or a self-injury problem.
    Where do we find Angst!Sue? – Angst!Sue is usually at the center of a romantic pairing. She's commonly seen in drama, romance, angst, abuse and rape stories.
    Why do we hate Angst!Sue? – Angst!Sue is the epitome of cliché and teenage angst. Stories about Angst!Sue often trivialize real world problems, insulting those who have actually dealt with them. The girl who cuts herself just so she can feel something has been done to death. The girl who starves herself because she thinks she's ugly, despite being beautiful, has been done to death.
    How do I avoid writing an Angst!Sue? – The answer is, once again, focusing on realistic flaws. Avoid pairings based on sympathy and pity. Even in real life, such relationships rarely work out well. If you are going to write a character with a tragic past or serious problem, do it realistically. Research the disorder or problem you are depicting. Research the effects of abuse or rape, if that's what you are writing about.

    Helpful!Sue – A.K.A. "Hero!Sue." Helpful!Sue is here to save the day! She solves all characters' problems, often because she is conveniently an expert in whatever it is they are having a problem with. Helpful!Sue gives our Tokio boys a shoulder to cry on and a compassionate ear to listen to them. Everyone loves Helpful!Sue. Her bubbly personality and shinning smile just seem to make everyone melt.
    Where do we find Helpful!Sue? – Often a secondary character who shows up to save the day. Sometimes found in romantic pairings. Helpful!Sue can show up in just about ever genre.
    Why do we hate Helpful!Sue? – Like most Sues, the real problem is that Helpful!Sue is just not believable or realistic. She is too nice, too sweet, and too skilled. Basically, she is too convenient.
    How do I avoid writing a Helpful!Sue? – Double-check to make sure that Helpful!Sue's appearance in the plot isn't too convenient. Be sure you aren't using her as a plot device by having her show up, just in the nick of time. Be sure to balance realistic flaws and moods.

    Soul-mate!Sue – Soul-mate!Sue and Bill/Tom/Georg/Gustav were just meant to be together! They have everything in common. They love all the same things and they never, ever, ever fight. Common Soul-mate!Sue plots involve someone standing between Soul-mate!Sue and her true love, but, of course, they eventually overcome all their obstacles and live happily-ever-after because they are meant for each other. Alternatively, they can be tragically torn apart and one, or both of them, end up dead in some horrible mockery of Romeo and Juliet.
    Where do we find Soul-Mate!Sue? – Romance and fluff of course!
    Why do we hate Soul-Mate!Sue? – No matter how much two people love each other, or how perfect they are for each other, people still have fights. Things are not perfect all the time. No one has exactly everything in common with their partner. Disney princess plots are great when you're five, but they don't make the best fanfiction.
    How do I avoid writing a Soul-mate!Sue? – Add some realistic conflicts and differences. No, disagreeing about favorite flavors of ice cream does not count. Avoid instant relationships and love at first sight. Most people do not instantly fall in love, and very few actually declare their love right away. Avoid cliché concepts and flowery language. Romance and fluff are wonderful in small doses, like a teaspoon of sugar in your tea. A whole story full of talk about how they are meant to be together and fell in love instantly is a bit like eating a whole cereal bowl full of sugar.

    Self-insert!Sue – Self-insert!Sue is probably the worst kind of Sue to have. Self-insert!Sue is a character based upon the author, or based upon who the author wishes she was. Self-insert!Sue is often a perfect version of the author, since the author doesn't want to focus on her own flaws. Self-insert!Sue has an uncanny resemblance to the author in the form of having the same likes and dislikes or general world view and opinions. However, Self-insert!Sue has the typical characteristics of a Sue in that she is unrealistically beautiful, lovable, or talented. Self-insert!Sue is incredibly common in fiction because self-insert fic is easy to write. It doesn't require much thought because the author already knows what motivates the character and how they would act. It requires no actual character creation. Self-insert!Sue is also incredibly appealing because it gives the author the opportunity to stroke their own ego and write out their fantasies about being with one of the members of Tokio Hotel.
    Where do we find Self-insert!Sue? – EVERYWHERE! Self-insert!Sue seems to be lurking around every corner, but she particularly likes hanging out in romance and het pwp/lemon.
    Why do we hate Self-insert!Sue? – Most people don't want to read your fantasy about being in love with or having sex with Tom, Georg or Gustav either. We just don't. Self-insert!Sue is usually blatantly obvious to the reader and it makes most of us cringe.
    How do I avoid writing a Self-insert!Sue? – Be completely honest with yourself. Does your OFC have just a little bit too much in common with yourself? Do you have the same opinions about the world? Do you have the same likes and dislikes? Take this test. When your OFC has to make an important decision compare how you would react to how your OFC would react. Are your answers similar? If they are, you are writing a Self-insert!Sue and it's time to completely rethink your character.

    Tokio!Stu – Sadly, not even the boys of Tokio Hotel are immune to being turned into Sues/Stus. Tokio!Stu is a sad phenomenon where Bill, Tom, Georg or Gustav actually turn into a Stu themselves. This happens when an author forgets that they are a real person and morphs them into this unrealistic caricature that suites their plot. The real personalities, behaviors, and flaws of the boys are completely ignored in favor of this flat and unrealistic version. The author might latch onto a single personality trait of the character and forget about all the others, such as writing Bill always being bubbly and cheerful.
    Where do we find Tokio!– Tokio!Stu is thankfully not very common, but he could be lurking just about anywhere.
    Why do we hate Tokio!Stu? – Tokio!Stu is an insult to the person he is based on and definitely enough to make any true Tokio Hotel fan cringe and hit their Back button.
    How do I avoid writing a Tokio!Stu? – Be an obsessive fangirl and know absolutely everything about the boys, of course. Okay, that isn't really necessary. You don't have to live and breathe Tokio Hotel to know how to write them well, although it might help. Just try to write the boys with a realistic balance of flaws and range of emotions. Remember that they probably are a little different off-camera. For all we know, Gustav might never shut up when the cameras are off.