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○○○○●○○○○ ❛ JUST 𝑺𝑻𝑶𝑷 YOUR CRYING, IT'S A 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵 OF THE 𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬𝑺. ❜
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stop with the mary sue's!━━ no. 032 ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
WE ALL WANT THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND HEROES TO BE BETTER THAN WE ARE. We want them to be the epitome of good and perfection because we know it's unrealistic to meet that expectation in "real life." That's why so many of us use stories and comics as an escape.
Let's be honest, some of us love to read about larger-than-life and extraordinary characters that go on incredible adventures and perform superhuman acts of heroism. Unlike real life, these characters can't let us down or disappoint us. Not really. They always save the day, always do what's right, always make the right choice, always make the perfect slice of toast, and never burn their pancakes. They do everything perfectly.
But why do we love this facade of perfection so much?
The answer's quite simple, really. It's because it's fun and something we know we won't ever really experience. We like to vicariously like through fictional characters. So, when some people sit down to write a story, they want their protagonist to mirror this model of perfection. They want to create a character that is perfect, flawless, and undefeatable because those are the best characters to write, right?
Nope. Congratulations, you just created a Mary Sue.
For those who may not know what a Mary Sue is, it's a character trope that describes a character who is so competent or perfect that they couldn't possibly be real. Two of my favorite examples of this type of character is Bella Swan and Elena Gilbert.
As much as Twilight and The Vampire Diaries are a part of my adolescence, Bella and Elena were quite literally the most boring characters ever. The only interesting thing about them was the love triangle they couldn't ever seem to escape and the inability to choose which boy they loved more. Now, this is my opinion and you can completely disagree with me!
If the writers had given either of these characters just one tiny flaw that wasn't fixed by plot convenience or other people, they would have been much more interesting. Sure, they were part of a complex, ever-changing world, but they, themselves, didn't actually reflect that. Sure, they faced obstacles, but there wasn't much wrong with them.
Yes, arguments can be made for Elena in concern with her family, experiences with depression (even though the show never really addressed it properly), turning off her humanity, and much more. All in all, though, she was quite boring. She didn't have much going on and was pretty vanilla.
And not all of us like vanilla. Some of us want some chocolate and cookie dough. We want real characters with real issues and real flaws that make them relatable to some degree.
Bottom line: Please, don't create a Mary Sue. Life isn't perfect and neither are people.
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❛ THEY TOLD ME THAT 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑬𝑵𝑫 IS 𝑵𝑬𝑨𝑹, WE GOTTA GET 𝑨𝑾𝑨𝒀 FROM 𝙷𝙴𝚁𝙴. ❜ ○○○○○○○○●
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