Okay, so, in my notes for this chapter, all I had was:
"Chapter 49: A New World. Shadowhunters rant."
This confused me. I have read the first three Shadowhunter trilogies, and from what I remember, I did enjoy most of it. Sure, Clary used to irritate me because she was straight up harassing and slapping people and being praised for it. And, yes, I definitely started to see a bunch of world-building loopholes that also irritated me. And, oh, most irritating of all was the overwhelming number of books coming out in the series, making me stress about reading them all in time while also reading other books and reviewing stories on this platform. So... I gave up on them.
Anyways, so, I had no idea what I was supposed to vent about.
Luckily, the other day, I had a moment where I sat down and tried to trace my thoughts back to over a year ago, when I wrote that note.
Suddenly, it hit me.
A New World = A character being introduced to a new world.
Shadowhunters = Clary = irritating character.
And then I realised that, all along, I wasn't going to vent about Shadowhunters. I was going to vent about Mary/Gary/Non-Binary Sues!
Because, wow, do I find a lot of them.
So, for those who are unaware of what a Mary Sue is, it is basically a protagonist in a novel. Except, instead of having flaws that land them into trouble, they are simply perfect. In every single way. They are overpowered, they are good at everything, and they usually also have perfect cheekbones. Don't ask me why. I don't make the rules. They just do.
Now, the real issue with this is that... if a character is so perfect, then what even is the story about? How do they grow? And, since they are so perfect, they aren't going to make mistakes that steamroll the conflict. They always make the right decision, they always save the day, and there is no sweat spilt.
Which would make for a great story, sure, if you wanted it to be a ten-word story, like so:
The world broke out into war. Mary Sue stopped it.
However, when people try to stretch it out for more than ten words? Hell, they try to make this perfect character tell a whole story?
Please. Pour vinegar into my eyes and stick some ice cubes in my underwear. Then, watch me jump and scream, because that would be a far more exhilarating story.
I have seen Mary Sues across Wattpad. So many of them! And they are mostly written because the writer really wants to see themselves in their protagonist, but they don't want their flaws to be shown in the story, so they iron it out and create this perfect character who does perfect things and is universally loved by everyone.
Except... guys!
The best part about humans is that we are confusing, messy people who make mistakes, cannot always handle our emotions, and say dumb things that have consequences. That's how we learn! And as someone who has worked with both kids and adults in challenging ways that inspire them to grow as people, there is truly nothing more beautiful than watching a human conquer their fears or demons or dangerous habits, and become someone they are proud of.
So please! Enjoy writing flawed, confused, awkward characters. Enjoy writing characters who don't care enough about the world, or characters who simply care too much, or characters who initially think their self-worth is dependent on their romantic lives. Why? Because it's real.
Now. With that out of the way, please excuse me while I turn into a world-class rat and vent about all things Mary Sue.
I once read this book. It is called Fever, by Dee Shulman. If you want to see my scathing review on it, I will link it to you because... I had a lot to say.
The protagonist was a Mary Sue. And I wanted to strangle her.
First of all, she is expelled from a bunch of schools at the start of the story because she would hack into their system. And I'm like... whoa, this is sick. But then, despite being expelled from a lot of schools, she is accepted with almost no qualms into a very prestigious, expensive, and upper-class school. That is described to look a lot like Hogwarts.
Despite the interviewer knowing about her expulsion record, she gets into this school.
On a scholarship.
Seriously. My friend, who got expelled from our school, wasn't even allowed to help her sister with her lemonade stand. This is wild.
Next up, this girl immediately has multiple guys falling for her. None of them are the love interest, by the way. The love interest is a gladiator who time-travels to the future, and somehow knows modern-day English and calls her babe. But that's a whole other story.
Not only does she have lots of boys crushing on her, but people adore her and want to be her friend. I'm pretty sure even two teachers had a crush on her?
Oh, yes! And this random freaking journalist -- an adult man -- also had his girlfriend break up with him because she noticed he was obsessed with her.
Like. Seriously. Why is every man in this book hornier than all guys on Tinder combined?
(Side note: I'm on a dating app right now, and someone's first message to me that I just received now is: 'You're short lol. Marry me?' and what?)
Anyways. So this Mary Sue is attracting men like she's a magnet and their pant-zippers are made of metal.
Well. Zippers are usually metallic anyways. So. Yeah. She's just a magnet.
Anyways, so seriously, Mary Sues that make people love them so much? It's just not great for the reading experience because it makes us realise that this protagonist is pulling ten guys on a string behind her, while we are single and lonely and then we think our existence is pathetic and hopeless and despairing--
Oh. I'm getting carried away.
But yeah. I wish all young girls (and everyone else) knew that being single is simply amazing and there is no need to feel bad at all if you are single. You are still hot and wonderful, so celebrate having time to yourself!
And use that time to not write Mary Sues.
Now, next thing that I can't stand about Mary Sues is that they are just good at everything. Like, oh, what's this? You can sing, dance, juggle, and braid a lion's mane? All at the exact same time? What?
This is like those examples where, while all the other fairies only have one elemental speciality, the Mary Sue can magically control every single element -- and probably even some other element nobody even knew existed, like the element of chocolate mousse. They are the master of everything.
Worse yet? When they do learn a knew skill, they learn it infuriatingly quick.
Long division? Down in three seconds.
Telekinesis? Learnt it in a heartbeat.
Braiding a chihuahua's fur despite them having very, very short fur that is probably unbraidable? Yep. For the Mary Sue, this is a slice of cake.
Did someone say cake? Did I mention that the Mary Sue makes the best cakes in the whole world, so amazing that the queen has asked for a slice?
Irritating.
It can be so frustrating to see them learn things straight away, with no difficulties whatsoever. Like, seriously. It took me two whole weeks to learn how to tie shoelaces when I was a child. It took me even longer to learn how to double-knot said shoelaces.
And seriously, don't get me started on the conflicting personality traits.
They are a badass, kickass machine -- unafraid of pissing off people, know how to handle a blade, and are masters of wit and sarcasm. Fearless. Daring. Brave.
And there is no backstory to explain it.
Like, they grew up in a normal and loving household, have never experienced any form of discrimination or danger in their life, but suddenly they are super resilient and ruthless and cold? Just because the story needs them to be? Nuh uh. Make it make sense.
Your protagonist is allowed to make mistakes. Your protagonist is allowed to be scared of situations.
Your protagonist is allowed to be an actual person.
Mind you, you're allowed to have an amazing character with huge strengths. You're allowed to have characters who are 'The Chosen One' and such. However, you need to ensure they feel real and complex, and you do this by ensuring they have flaws and weaknesses.
So, what exactly does a Mary Sue look like?
Well, let's draw one up.
Name: Savvannahh Goldenlight Ivorelia Smith.
Age: Sixteen. But she has the wisdom of a sixty year old in her eyes. She has the heart of a very loving toddler. She has the soft, rosy skin of a newborn babe.
Hair: The colour of the sunset. Golden, with streaks of red and purple and pink naturally waltzing throughout it. It looks silver and magical in the sunlight.
Eyes: It changes colour every five seconds. Sapphire blue, emerald green, topaz, amber, and even red. Not just any red. Ruby red.
Species: Half human, half angel, half demon, half nephilim, half dragon, half fairy, half phoenix, half goddess, half witch, and a quarter mermaid.
Mother: Dead lol. Died in a tragic accident. She was a goddess, though. The goddess of the sun and stars and daydreams.
Father: A murderer lol. Killed the mother. He is a god, though. The god of the moon and galaxy and nightmares.
Hobbies: Painting, writing, pottery, poetry, dancing, mathematics, architecture, spelling, cooking, cleaning, baking, making people fall in love with her, magic, running, swimming, boxing, archery, sword-fighting, ice skating, fishing, jumping, rock climbing, diving, snorkelling, acting, modelling, seeing the future, hiking, interior designing, tying shoelaces, sailing, fixing things, being a lawyer, building bridges, hunting, hopscotch, shooting, hunting rabbits, promoting animal safety, plumbing, blacksmithing, dress making, horseback riding, surgery, graphic design, singing, firefighting, making jewellery, being a detective, assassinating, bookkeeping, flying planes, farming, mining, gymnastics, knitting, whistling, juggling, lying, computer hacking, palm reading, and origami.
Sports: [give me a second to look up every sport in the Olympics]
3x3 basketball, acrobatics gymnastics, alpine skiing, archery, artistic gymnastics, artistic swimming, athletics, badminton, baseball, softball, basketball, beach handball, beach volleyball, biathlon, bobsleigh, boxing, break dancing, canoeing, cross-country skiing, curling, cycling... [list continues]
Grades: A+ in every subject.
Secret Power: Dear god, this is going to take me forever-- casting spells, controlling electricity, seeing in the dark, talking to animals, casting wizard spells, turning into a dragon, pyro-stuff, super strength, the ability to fly, walking through walls, bringing things back to life, controlling natural disasters including earthquakes and tsunamis, changing the weather, detecting poison, telekinesis, breathing underwater, and healing abilities.
Weaknesses: She has a freckle on her shoulder that's actually a birthmark that shows she is the descendant of a dragon.
Can you see the issue with this character? Like, first of all, who the heck would play badminton and actually enjoy it--
Kidding! Badminton is great.
But you get the idea.
Don't do this! Make your characters feel real, feel human, and have complexities that make them more interesting to the reader.
Rant over!
In the next chapter, we're going to talk about World Building for real. How to do world-building well, and all that jazz. If you have any questions, let me know!