History Main / CommonMarySueTraits

* She's a FriendToAllLivingThings and an AllLovingHero. Although the other characters are nowhere near as awesome as she is, she will forgive them for all their imperfections. She’s [[MartyrWithoutACause willing to risk her own safety]] to save another person, [[TheDulcineaEffect even people she just met]]. This is such a MarySueClassic trait that authors are starting to catch on, and it's gradually becoming less common.

* She may be flawed, but these are all {{Informed Flaw}}s. This usually happens when the author is actively avoiding these common traits but doesn't know [[GoodFlawsBadFlaws how to do this realistically]]. This usually leads to "flaws" that [[SuetifulAllAlong never actually hinder the character or make her look bad]]. If it's something that makes her DarkerAndEdgier, like [[FunctionalAddict substance abuse]] or [[ExtremeLibido nymphomania]], we never see any of the drawbacks of it. If she's a klutz, that just makes her a CuteClumsyGirl. Sometimes it's a flaw that has no relevance to the story, like being a LethalChef in a story totally unrelated to cooking. And sometimes she will even complain about her [[CursedWithAwesome awesome power]] or [[SoBeautifulItsACurse stunning beauty]] or [[IJustWantToBeNormal special place in the world]] solely because the author realized that the character can't look ''too'' perfect without alienating readers—except the author never writes in circumstances that would actually give the Sue reasonable cause to angst, making her seem like she's whining about nothing.

* She's a FriendToAllLivingThings and an AllLovingHero. Although the other characters are nowhere near as awesome as she is, she will forgive them for all their imperfections. And she's [[MartyrWithoutACause willing to risk her own safety]] to save another person, [[TheDulcineaEffect even people she just met]]. This is such a MarySueClassic trait that authors are starting to catch on, and it's gradually becoming less common.

* She's a FriendToAllLivingThings and AllLovingHero. Although the other characters are nowhere near as awesome as she is, she will forgive them for all their imperfections. And she's [[MartyrWithoutACause willing to risk her own safety]] to save another person, [[TheDulcineaEffect even people she just met]]. This is such a MarySueClassic trait that authors are starting to catch on, and it's gradually becoming less common.

** The non-human bit is often an InhumanlyBeautifulRace, like [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]], which just means she looks even prettier. This allows her to {{Wangst}} about how ugly she is relative to the rest of her race and simultaneously be SoBeautifulItsACurse.

* Occasionally she'll be a [[JerkSue complete asshole]], even when she's ''supposed'' to be all of the above. This can manifest itself in several ways:

* Her love interest will often be dating or married to someone else in canon. This is not a problem for MarySue, whose author can get rid of the other girl in many ways, including [[DieForOurShip killing her off]], derailing her into [[RonTheDeathEater a hateful person]] and thus making her easy to break up with, pretending the relationship never existed, or even letting her step aside or sacrifice herself [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy just so that he can be with Mary Sue]]. Sometimes Mary Sue is introduced as a canon character's NewOldFlame, explaining why he might leave his current girlfriend for her (but raising the question of what led them to [[FridgeLogic break up in the first place if they're]] ''[[FridgeLogic that]]'' [[FridgeLogic great together]]).

* The author has a massive gallery of art exclusively of the character. It's not ''always'' an indicator of a Mary Sue; some artists experiment with a character design to invoke ArtEvolution, respond to requests to show what she looks like, or just like to draw her. But if it's clearly apparent the artist has just built a shrine to Mary Sue with over a hundred illustrations, that's a red flag.

* She is described in hopelessly PurpleProse, often with very {{fetish}}ized language, while no other character (canon or otherwise) gets it. Whereas her love interest extends his hand out to her, she slowly but confidently raises her slim, tender, yet dexterous left hand that has a ring on her index finger to hide a small birthmark, shifting her weight to her front stiletto-adorned foot and causing her long, flowing aquamarine hair done with two front tails to ripple and her [[BuxomBeautyStandard supple yet firm right breast]] to shift ever so slightly, rubbing against her slightly loose but supportive [[BlackBraAndPanties black lace bra]] and causing her heart-shaped face to gain a slight bit of blush underneath her sparkling emerald eyes.

* If there is ThemeNaming present in the series, one of two things will happen. The most likely is that she will break the theme because she's special and she gets to. If not, her name will be "the best" of whatever the theme is (e.g. if the other characters are called Steel, Bronze, and Gold, she'll be called Platinum.) Often, this theme name will be incorporated into a longer name, which will likely contain one or more of the above elements (e.g. she's not ''just'' Platinum, she's ''Terra Harmony Nightshade Platinum''.)

* A foreign name, particularly a [[GratuitousJapanese Japanese]] name. The author will often [[ForeignCultureFetish really like the language]] and point out [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord what the name means]] ("I'm Sakura Hinode! That's Japanese for '{{cherry blossom|Girl}} sunrise'!") -- and not always correctly. If it's [[MultiEthnicName combined with an unusual Western name]] (''e.g.'' Hikari Rose Nightshade, Sapphire Morimoto), it's often a telltale sign a dead giveaway that the character is a Mary Sue.

A MarySue almost ''always'' has an unusual name [[OverlyLongName that often with four or more parts]]. It's the first and most obvious sign to the reader that this character is ''special'' in some way, especially if it [[AerithAndBob stands out among canon names]]. That said, there are many ways for a Sue's name to accomplish this:

* That said, if the author likes the canon work, the fic will not change very much of the canon work. The worst Mary Sues of this sort don't have any effect on the canon story; they just watch the plot, correctly guess everything that will happen, and occasionally take over one of the canon characters' accomplishments, resulting in an experience that's like reading the original work with a thirteen-year-old fangirl talking in your ear. Sometimes she'll be a character who wasn't in the original work but was [[HeroOfAnotherStory super important behind the scenes]], usually as a canon character's secret LoveInterest.

* Characters' previously established personalities [[CharacterDerailment change in reaction to her]]. Proud, arrogant gimps suddenly acknowledge her superiority in everything. Reckless youths will listen to all her advice. Responsible leaders will defer to her instead. Villains will obsess with her to the detriment of all else. Extremely competent characters will become stumbling buffoons who require her help to do anything. Sweet, mild-mannered characters whom the author doesn't like [[RonTheDeathEater turn evil and insult her]]. They all become unnaturally focused on her in some way.

* She is described in hopelessly PurpleProse, often with very {{fetish}}ized language, while no other character (canon or otherwise) gets it. Whereas her love interest extends his hand out to her, she slowly but confidently raises her slim, tender, yet dexterous left hand that has a ring on her index finger to hide a small birthmark, shifting her weight to her front stiletto-adorned foot and causing her long, flowing aquamarine hair done with two front tails to ripple and her [[BuxomIsBetter supple yet firm right breast]] to shift ever so slightly, rubbing against her slightly loose but supportive [[BlackBraAndPanties black lace bra]] and causing her heart-shaped face to gain a slight bit of blush underneath her sparkling emerald eyes.

* She is often [[HollywoodThin very underweight]]; if height and weight figures are given, expect them to violate physics unless she's made of Styrofoam. Furthermore, she often does physical activities like sword fighting or hand-to-hand combat which are much harder when you're that thin. This seems almost entirely because the author thinks a supermodel would look more attractive than an [[UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts MMA fighter]], who could more realistically undertake these tasks. Scarily, MarySue may even consider herself overweight (or at least HollywoodPudgy). Despite this, she will almost always [[MostCommonSuperpower be very amply endowed in one particular area]], regardless of how biologically rare that would be.

* She can redeem the villain through her overwhelming goodness and purity. More often than not, though, she does it [[RedemptionEqualsSex by having sex with him]]. As explained above, she will often be a virgin when this happens, which would ordinarily imply that she's sacrificing a VirginPower to redeem the villain -- except the real reason she's a virgin is just to make her [[NotLikeOtherGirls better than the rest of the female cast]]. Her virginity and lack of experience never prevents sex with her from being [[IdealizedSex the most awesome sex ever]]. It's rarely ''written'' as [[IKEAErotica particularly awesome]], though.

A MarySue almost ''always'' has an unusual and OverlyLongName, often with four or more parts. It's the first and most obvious sign to the reader that this character is ''special'' in some way, especially if it [[AerithAndBob stands out among canon names]]. That said, there are many ways for a Sue's name to accomplish this:

* A foreign name, particularly a [[GratuitousJapanese Japanese]] name. The author will often [[ForeignCultureFetish really like the language]] and point out [[YouAreTheTranslatedForeignWord what the name means]] ("I'm Sakura Hinode! That's Japanese for '{{cherry blossom|Girl}} sunrise'!") -- and not always correctly. If it's [[MultiEthnicName combined with an unusual Western name]] (''e.g.'' Hikari Rose Nightshade, Sapphire Morimoto), that's almost a dead giveaway that the character is a Mary Sue.

* MarySue is introduced with an incredibly detailed description of her every physical feature. It reads as though the author has a very fixed idea of ''exactly'' what her character looks like and considers it vitally important that the reader shares this image of the character. The worst cases will do this repeatedly and even have ''appendices'' on every little detail. It also completely torpedoes the excuse of Mary Sue being an EscapistCharacter, as such characters are usually described very minimally to allow the readers to easily insert themselves into the character's position.

* The author takes personal offense at any criticism of the character or story, no matter how well-meaning or justified it is. Bonus points for displaying an [[SmallNameBigEgo overblown ego]] in the process.

* The author has a massive gallery of art exclusively of the character. It's not ''always'' an indicator of a Mary Sue; some artists experiment with a character design to invoke ArtEvolution, respond to requests to show what she looks like, or just like to draw her. But if the artist has clearly just built a shrine to Mary Sue with over a hundred illustrations, that's a red flag.

* Speaking of children, she might have a child. She might get pregnant from her [[SexGoddess mind-blowing dalliance with her love interest]]. But there's an interestingly common alternative -- she takes care of a very young child that ''isn't'' her own, often (but not necessarily) a family member. This allows the author to ''(a)'' skip over the aforementioned {{squick}}y parts of parenthood; ''(b)'' avoid the stigma of a TeenPregnancy; ''(c)'' focus on the [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic circumstances]] that killed or incapacitated the baby's real parents; ''(d)'' make the Sue look like an even ''better'' person for caring for this child despite having no legal obligation to do so; and ''(e)'' avoid the tendency of [[BabiesEverAfter stories to end after the main couple has a child]]. The story will never get far enough to show the child actually growing up; such children are not characters in their own right and exist as nothing more than a cute LivingProp or a motherhood fantasy. Accordingly, the baby will be beautiful and [[CutenessProximity weapons-grade cute]], hardly ever cry, and generally be impossibly well-behaved. The baby will also be never ''quite'' as cool, beautiful, and powerful as Mary Sue herself -- indeed, as if to ensure this, [[LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics 80%]] of such children will be male.

* She's a perfect judge of character, and she'll be right about everyone. If everyone suspects an ally is really a backstabber, she'll be the only one to trust him. If everyone believes the villain is really a good guy, she'll be the one to suspect him. It's particularly obvious when she's inserted midway into a canon story and knows ''exactly'' how everything will play out; this allows her to play FixerSue and do things like preventing a canon FaceHeelTurn.

* She will be related to a canon character in some way. This (marginally) helps explain such phenomena as her being a CopyCatSue and other characters accepting her so easily. She will often be [[LukeYouAreMyFather a canon character's offspring]] -- perhaps even the villain's for added {{Wangst}} -- but this tends to raise further questions, like the character being too young for a child (occasionally resolved with a KidFromTheFuture) or being gay or UsefulNotes/{{asexual|ity}} (occasionally resolved with IfItsYouItsOkay or a MisterSeahorse scenario -- this is FanFic, after all). She may even be related to more than one character, or she may a character's clone (but better).

* Her love interest will often be dating or married to someone else in canon. This is not a problem for MarySue, whose author can get rid of the other girl in many ways, including [[DieForOurShip killing her off]], derailing her into [[RonTheDeathEater a hateful person]] and thus easy to break up with, pretending the relationship never existed, or even letting her step aside or sacrifice herself [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy just so that he can be with Mary Sue]]. Sometimes Mary Sue is introduced as a canon character's NewOldFlame, explaining why he might leave his current girlfriend for her (but raising the question of what led them to [[FridgeLogic break up in the first place if they're]] ''[[FridgeLogic that]]'' [[FridgeLogic great together]]).

* Disturbingly, when the author wants to go the DracoInLeatherPants work for their favorite villain (and ship them with their Sue), the Mary Sue often agrees with some of the most problematic parts of the villain's philosophy. A worrying number of Mary Sues have bought into FantasticRacism (usually after discovering something outside canon that makes the race in question AlwaysChaoticEvil). These authors don't seem to grasp that fantastic villainy is often a metaphor for real-world evils (or worse, have no problems with said real-world evils).

* And occasionally she'll be a [[JerkSue complete asshole]], even when she's ''supposed'' to be all of the above. This can manifest itself in several ways:

* She has a DarkAndTroubledPast, which she deals with in two ways: either she turns up the {{Wangst}} (and thus gets lots of attention), or she remains [[AngstWhatAngst unreasonably cheerful and optimistic]] in spite of it and becomes a full-on GenkiGirl. There is no middle ground here, although she may occasionally alternate.

** Guns, particularly RareGuns. If she's [[GunNut particularly into guns]], she'll have ''all'' the rare guns, described [[GunPorn as lavishly as her outfits]] (but with no explanation of where she got them). Sometimes she uses large guns, in spite of a thin, waifish girl being unlikely to be able to actually carry and fire one properly. If she uses small guns, much like with katanas, it's a dead giveaway if she [[GunsAkimbo uses two]]. She might use a gun even if the setting doesn't usually have them, in which case she can get away with a more elegant [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]]... or a [[GatlingGood minigun]].

* If she has a pet, it will be [[CoolPet exotic or fantastic]]. Wolves are very popular, as are [[PantheraAwesome big cats]], despite these being undomesticated and illegal to own in most countries. {{Unicorn}}s and [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]] are common as well. If most characters canonically have a pet or familiar, she might have a menagerie. These animals will rarely be mentioned after their initial appearance, and the story will never bother explaining how she cares for them.

* She doesn't have normal sex; she has [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex the most mind-blowingly divine sex ever]]. Interestingly, she's often also a [[NatureAdoresAVirgin virgin]] at the start of the story, and not for any plot reason, but rather to [[NotLikeOtherGirls differentiate her from the other girls]] in the story. Her lack of experience never diminishes the quality of the sex; nor does [[AnatomicallyImpossibleSex anatomical impossibility]] (which usually betrays the ''author's'' lack of experience). Her lover is often a DracoInLeatherPants, an enemy who can be [[SexFaceTurn redeemed by her vagina]].

* Speaking of children, she might have a child. She might get pregnant from her [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex mind-blowing dalliance with her love interest]]. But there's an interestingly common alternative -- she takes care of a very young child that ''isn't'' her own, often (but not necessarily) a family member. This allows the author to ''(a)'' skip over the aforementioned {{squick}}y parts of parenthood; ''(b)'' avoid the stigma of a TeenPregnancy; ''(c)'' focus on the [[DarkAndTroubledPast tragic circumstances]] that killed or incapacitated the baby's real parents; ''(d)'' make the Sue look like an even ''better'' person for caring for this child despite having no legal obligation to do so; and ''(e)'' avoid the tendency of [[BabiesEverAfter stories to end after the main couple has a child]]. The story will never get far enough to show the child actually growing up; such children are not characters in their own right and exist as nothing more than a cute LivingProp or a motherhood fantasy. Accordingly, the baby will be beautiful and [[CutenessProximity weapons-grade cute]], hardly ever cry, and generally be impossibly well-behaved. The baby will also be never ''quite'' as cool, beautiful, and powerful as Mary Sue herself -- indeed, as if to ensure this, [[LiesDamnedLiesAndStatistics 80%]] of such children will be male.

* She may be flawed, but these are all {{Informed Flaw}}s. This usually happens when the author is actively avoiding these common traits but doesn't know [[GoodFlawsBadFlaws how to do this realistically]]. This usually leads to "flaws" that [[SuetifulAllAlong never actually hinder the character or make her look bad]]. If it's something that makes her DarkerAndEdgier, like [[FunctionalAddict substance abuse]] or [[ExtremeLibido nymphomania]], we never see any of the drawbacks of it. If she's a klutz, that just makes her a CuteClumsyGirl. Sometimes it's a flaw that has no relevance to the story, like being a LethalChef in a story totally unrelated to cooking. And sometimes she will even complain about her [[CursedWithAwesome awesome power]] or [[SoBeautifulItsACurse stunning beauty]] or [[IJustWantToBeNormal special place in the world]], for no reason other than author realizing that the character can't look ''too'' perfect -- except she usually forgets to write in circumstances that would ''actually'' cause someone to react that way.