Hey guys, welcome to my ted talk on why “mary sue” and all its subtypes are outdated terms and why you shouldnt use them :D (Very long) Also hmm yes lineless art very tasty Space or click for zoom ins!1!1!1 *So what is a Mary Sue?* Mary Sues, simply put, are female characters who are portrayed as unrealistically perfect, eg having god-like powers, zero flaws at all, are unusually attractive, and everyone in the lore loves them. They often have rainbow hair, are half demon half angel half wolf etc, go look them up. They are also usually made by children with ms paint. *Mary Sue subtypes* - Edgy sues are basically edgelords with scars over their eyes, have dead parents, carry knives and have names like “Ebony Darkness Demetia Raven Way”. They are also very cold and treat people like trash yet everyone loves them (I made so many of these when I was 12 omg) - Copycat sues are carbon copies of Canon characters in media, with only minor details changed. Say someone recoloured princess celestia from mlp, said it was her secret long lost cousin, and was basically princess celestia but way more powerful Those are only two of many, but they are the ones i see the most often. *Why shouldn’t we use the term Mary Sue?* - Firstly, Mary Sues aren’t a thing. It’s a term created by other people who feel better about themselves by putting down other people’s fictional characters. These “mary sue!!” claims are often made with nothing suggesting the OC could be one, aside from maybe rainbow hair. By that logic, rainbow dash from mlp is a Mary Sue, no other context needed. - Also, most people who make these kind of characters are young children on the internet. They think rainbow hair is cool (it is fight me), they give their OC rainbow hair! They think scars over an eye is cool, they give their OC that! - Character design is supposed to be fun. These two characters, Funfetti and Trix, were not designed to be “good, well-designed” characters, quite the opposite in fact. I wanted to see what it was like to make the most overpowered, edgy, and “mary sue” type characters, so I just kinda did whatever i wanted. And that was the most fun ive ever had making two characters :D - In other words, we shouldnt be insulting and labelling other people for having fun. People often want to see themselves represented in media, same with these kids making overpowered half demon half angel characters. So, they create a self-insert OC for that media, so they can see themselves in their favourite fictional world, but they give themselves every power known to man, and a big sword, and theyre the main charcter’s love interest because honestly, who wouldnt want that? TLDR: Mary Sue is a toxic term used to put other people down, especially children, for exploring their creativity. It is not and although badly written characters still exist, it never was a valid form of critism, and has become such a broad statement that every character ever is somehow a Mary Sue. You can’t please everyone, just do your own thing and have fun :D However, if you’re still concerned your OC might be lacking in some areas, dont bother with those “is your OC ok” online quizzes, go do a bit of research (try springhole.net) ask a few friends, or feel free to link in the comments, i love seeing other people’s characters Now that’s all settled, Funfetti and Trix are girlfriends, I would kill for them, yes they are designed after the pan and bi flags, they were designed after the mary sue and edgy sue tropes, and Funfetti is half angel half demon because why not :DD Oki bai thanks for scrolling all the way down, apologies for any typos Art by me :) Characters: Funfetti and Trix Music: Miracle by Caravan Palace
