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The Insidious Mary Sue: Deeper Sueism
I've already babbled at length about Mary Sues in this entry about writing fanfiction, so I won't rehash the basic definition of a MS, as y'all are quite thoroughly familiar with it, I'm certain.
What I've been thinking about a lot recently is Deeper Sueism. I don't mean the really obvious Sues, who run around killing orcs with their Bare Palm Crushing Strike attack, or practice their Unforgiveable Countercurses on the Quidditch pitch.
No, I mean the more Subtle Sues.
Y'know, when I first started reading fanfic, I was unfamiliar with the term author self-insertion. I had no idea what a Mary Sue was, until a friend who was active in the X-files fandom explained it to me. I was on the periphery of the Mummy fandom at the time, and just beginning to think up my first HP fic, which was going to feature an OFC. I had several scenarios in mind before I heard about Mary Sue.
After my friend told me about Sues, I spent several days reading anything I could that was available on the internet about Sues. After I was finished I sat back and thought, well, there goes most of my scenarios. Heh.
As I read more fanfic, I began to see Sue in all her glory. I noticed her in many obvious places. She would be a Special Animagus who could transform into any animal. She would be a Dark Elf who would charm Legolas in moments flat. She was fluent in many languages, had martial arts skills, or a terrific voice. Sometimes she was a Dark Sue, so bitter and with such an angst-filled past that I could actually picture a stormcloud above her head.
It took several more fanfics for me to see the Deeper Sue.
She lurks in many OFC fanfics. She's the kind of character where some people will call "Sue" fairly quickly, and others will not see it at all. Why? Well, she's linked to (and sometimes is the main character) one of the most popular genres in the publishing field: romance novels.
Most Deeper Sue stories have decent to great SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar), are fairly plotty and, in many cases, quite long. They often attract a large contingent of readers and reviewers who compliment the story. The Deeper Sue isn't really the outright gratuitous wish-fulfillment fantasy that most Sue stories are; she's a bit more subtle.
I've been thinking about her, and I've found a few things that seem to accompany her.
Her stories are stuffed, or overstuffed, with the author's own interests. Does the author like wild birds? Well, the Sue will own a bird, one that is special or exclusive, or perhaps mirrors the author's own bird. Is the author heavily involved in a relationship involving submission/domination? That will probably show up as well. Does the author think that bartenders have the coolest job? The Sue will most likely have bartended in the past. If the author is very interested in championing certain causes, those causes (however unrelated to the scenario/plot) will somehow end up in the fic, with the Sue passionately speaking the author's mind.
Just as with a regular Sue, the Deeper Sue is subverting the story to her own personality. The Deeper Sue, in her own way, has warped the plot and the canon characters around her. She might not be wearing a miniskirt and red lipstick and sitting on Snape's desk, egging him on, but she is still doing a disservice to her story. The author would probably say, "But it's my story, to tell as I like!" Well, of course it is. In fact, it could end up being quite popular in its own right. But fandom isn't just about popularity; it's about many other things as well, such as improving your writing skills, engaging in conversations with terrific writers, and trying to communicate something elusive to someone else. The Deeper Sue doesn't communicate, you see. She bludgeons you with her thoughts, but sometimes there isn't much point behind them.
I've noticed some of the same trappings in wildly different HP fanfics, which all happened to showcase Deeper Sues. I remember reading one which involved a lecture by the author in the notes about how awful some D/s relationships can be, and then in that chapter the characters reminisced about horrible relationships that they'd had prior to their current one. But the reminiscing was done so ham-handedly and overbearingly that the point was nearly lost. I've read a story with a character who comes to Hogwarts to teach, but before she begins as an instructor, the author gives us a tremendous expositional block about her past, which involved bartending three days a month at a very popular bar, and how she knew the owner, and was in such demand and made so much money on those three days that she had the rest of each month free, and donated most of the money to charity, because she only needed enough to put gas in her car. I've read stories where the characters have started businesses that are superenlightened, with daycare, one paid day off a week, and fringe benefits that far outweigh logic. I've read stories where the character is pretty much an orphan, but not just in the traditional sense. I mean that they have no meaningful social interaction in their lives, no reason for living...they are marking time until the owl arrives to tell them they're going to teach at Hogwarts. Up until that moment they've been wandering about, apparently with no or few friends, an empty house, almost like zombies.
What brings all of these things together? These situations are patently based in wish-fulfillment.
These aren't the really obvious scenarios like the girl with color-changing mood eyes. There are reviews for all of the fics I just mention, and none of them mention the Sueish nature of the fics. Because, were these to be published under the Harlequin imprint, or as a romance novel, no one would bat an eyelash. They are part of a grand tradition of subtle wish-fulfillment. After all, there are many people who read books to escape, and don't desire realism. It isn't quite as obvious because all of the characters are original characters, and not based on someone else's characters.
I find that I am fascinated with these fics. I am always paging through the reviews to see if someone has seen through to the Sueism and has commented on it.
Most of these fics, in the hands of an experienced writer, could easily be salvaged and turned into something enthralling instead of barely entertaining. What is the difference? The story. In nearly all of the examples there is too much plot, and too many details that simply could be dropped without causing the least bit of trouble to the story.
The characterization also changes everything as well. The character must truly exist in the author's mind. The author can't simply make endless charts of the character's blood type and favorite ice cream flavor. In one of the stories I mentioned, the character is just puttering around her deceased parents' home, going through the motions, until the owl comes from Hogwarts. The thing is, she didn't know that the owl was coming! Why would her life have this tremendous feeling of stagnation and waiting? In the rest of the fic she's rather determined and a bit headstrong, yet the reader gets the feeling that she was locked in limbo, waiting for an owl she didn't know was coming. It's illogical, and worse yet, it robs the author of a valuable chance to illustrate what the character is leaving behind. Shouldn't there be a friend? Business colleagues? Someone to say goodbye to? I know that when I left my childhood home, it was with a terrific sense of sadness and relief.
Logic is tremendously important. The main character should be interacting with people in a rational manner. Given that this is fanfic, and that the audience (mostly) knows the canon characters forwards and backwards, the author has a responsibility to pay attention to their characterization as well. Snape is relatively acid-tongued, smooth even under pressure, and more than capable of taking care of himself. If the author is writing him into a romantic relationship with an OFC, then it goes to follow that he is going to be difficult to get to know. He has issues, to put it simply. To think that an OFC could render him speechless with a single puerile insult is not only preposterous, it makes Snape fans pretty angry. And Snape fans are the people who will be reading this fic. Snape must act in a logical manner, and so should the other characters. When the characters do not have separate lives apart from the OFC, then it becomes an even bigger problem. When all of the male characters are smitten with the OFC in the same manner it seems highly unlikely, for example.
A scene needs to be viewed through the eyes of all the characters involved in it. It often seems as if the Deeper Sue writers have the OFC viewpoint down pat, but the other characters wander about like zombies, with the occasional flash of canon verve. If Snape, the OFC, and Hooch are having a conversation about Bludgers, then it needs to be analyzed from all three angles. The author should look at it carefully to make certain that it makes sense from all three characters' viewpoints. Would Snape really be enthused about Hooch's speech about better judging techniques? Maybe not, if he thinks it will impact his Slytherin Quidditch team. Would Hooch care what Snape says? She probably thinks he's a stick in the mud. Or maybe she thinks he's dangerous. Each character is a living, breathing person, with many reasons and rationales for doing things in a certain way, and should be treated as individuals.
I remember the first thoughts I had when I was developing the OFC/SS story. I thought about the OFC, and thought up a scene where she would be watching Quidditch practise, and be challenged to a flying match by Hooch, who remembered her from her student days. And of course the OFC was fantastic in the match, standing on the broom at one point to the delight of those watching. In another scene she brings in a dangerous creature for the DADA class and just barely manages to get it back under control after Draco does something stupid and sets it free. The thing is, these scenes were completely unrealistic. What did the flying match really accomplish? It was nothing more than a "look how cool she is" moment. Just because she is a teacher does not mean that the students have to love her. In fact, they are all characters in their own right. Draco isn't there just so that the OFC can put him down and show her worth to the Gryffindors. In fact, Draco is a dangerous character in many ways, with connections to government and money and Death Eaters, and shutting him down in a nasty way could have repercussions.
Which brings me to another point, which is the continuing nature of the story. If the OFC does something risky like bring in a dangerous creature that she can't quite control, then the other teachers are probably going to have their own thoughts about it. Some of them will voice their concerns, while others will privately say something to the Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress, or even the Daily Prophet. They most likely will not ostracize her for a single event like this, but one or two might speak to her or treat her differently for a little while afterwards, at least. People tend to remember things, and they store up opinions and thoughts. Characters don't always have enough room to be this complex, but they should definitely reflect the events that have happened in the story, at the very least.
I read Deeper Sues, and the accompanying reviews (many of them glowing), and I usually think to myself, the author is writing her way around Hogwarts, doing the things she wants to do at Hogwarts, living a life she wouldn't mind living at all. I want something more from a story, though. Think about it this way. When you are telling a dream you've had to someone else, it's fascinating to you, really amazing and interesting. However, when someone describes a dream they've had, unless it's really unusual, or involving people you know, it's not really that scintillating. Fanfic is the same way.
ETA: To clarify just a bit, I'm not trying to impugn wish-fulfillment. I just think that Mary Sue/Deeper Mary Sue is wish-fulfillment gone wrong, in some ways.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mariannelee and sylvadin point out, correctly, that wish-fulfillment is the basis of fanfic, and that it is the basis of many other stories as well. I think that what is necessary is to take the dream and make it interesting not just for yourself, which is a tough thing to do.
What I've been thinking about a lot recently is Deeper Sueism. I don't mean the really obvious Sues, who run around killing orcs with their Bare Palm Crushing Strike attack, or practice their Unforgiveable Countercurses on the Quidditch pitch.
No, I mean the more Subtle Sues.
Y'know, when I first started reading fanfic, I was unfamiliar with the term author self-insertion. I had no idea what a Mary Sue was, until a friend who was active in the X-files fandom explained it to me. I was on the periphery of the Mummy fandom at the time, and just beginning to think up my first HP fic, which was going to feature an OFC. I had several scenarios in mind before I heard about Mary Sue.
After my friend told me about Sues, I spent several days reading anything I could that was available on the internet about Sues. After I was finished I sat back and thought, well, there goes most of my scenarios. Heh.
As I read more fanfic, I began to see Sue in all her glory. I noticed her in many obvious places. She would be a Special Animagus who could transform into any animal. She would be a Dark Elf who would charm Legolas in moments flat. She was fluent in many languages, had martial arts skills, or a terrific voice. Sometimes she was a Dark Sue, so bitter and with such an angst-filled past that I could actually picture a stormcloud above her head.
It took several more fanfics for me to see the Deeper Sue.
She lurks in many OFC fanfics. She's the kind of character where some people will call "Sue" fairly quickly, and others will not see it at all. Why? Well, she's linked to (and sometimes is the main character) one of the most popular genres in the publishing field: romance novels.
Most Deeper Sue stories have decent to great SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar), are fairly plotty and, in many cases, quite long. They often attract a large contingent of readers and reviewers who compliment the story. The Deeper Sue isn't really the outright gratuitous wish-fulfillment fantasy that most Sue stories are; she's a bit more subtle.
I've been thinking about her, and I've found a few things that seem to accompany her.
Her stories are stuffed, or overstuffed, with the author's own interests. Does the author like wild birds? Well, the Sue will own a bird, one that is special or exclusive, or perhaps mirrors the author's own bird. Is the author heavily involved in a relationship involving submission/domination? That will probably show up as well. Does the author think that bartenders have the coolest job? The Sue will most likely have bartended in the past. If the author is very interested in championing certain causes, those causes (however unrelated to the scenario/plot) will somehow end up in the fic, with the Sue passionately speaking the author's mind.
Just as with a regular Sue, the Deeper Sue is subverting the story to her own personality. The Deeper Sue, in her own way, has warped the plot and the canon characters around her. She might not be wearing a miniskirt and red lipstick and sitting on Snape's desk, egging him on, but she is still doing a disservice to her story. The author would probably say, "But it's my story, to tell as I like!" Well, of course it is. In fact, it could end up being quite popular in its own right. But fandom isn't just about popularity; it's about many other things as well, such as improving your writing skills, engaging in conversations with terrific writers, and trying to communicate something elusive to someone else. The Deeper Sue doesn't communicate, you see. She bludgeons you with her thoughts, but sometimes there isn't much point behind them.
I've noticed some of the same trappings in wildly different HP fanfics, which all happened to showcase Deeper Sues. I remember reading one which involved a lecture by the author in the notes about how awful some D/s relationships can be, and then in that chapter the characters reminisced about horrible relationships that they'd had prior to their current one. But the reminiscing was done so ham-handedly and overbearingly that the point was nearly lost. I've read a story with a character who comes to Hogwarts to teach, but before she begins as an instructor, the author gives us a tremendous expositional block about her past, which involved bartending three days a month at a very popular bar, and how she knew the owner, and was in such demand and made so much money on those three days that she had the rest of each month free, and donated most of the money to charity, because she only needed enough to put gas in her car. I've read stories where the characters have started businesses that are superenlightened, with daycare, one paid day off a week, and fringe benefits that far outweigh logic. I've read stories where the character is pretty much an orphan, but not just in the traditional sense. I mean that they have no meaningful social interaction in their lives, no reason for living...they are marking time until the owl arrives to tell them they're going to teach at Hogwarts. Up until that moment they've been wandering about, apparently with no or few friends, an empty house, almost like zombies.
What brings all of these things together? These situations are patently based in wish-fulfillment.
These aren't the really obvious scenarios like the girl with color-changing mood eyes. There are reviews for all of the fics I just mention, and none of them mention the Sueish nature of the fics. Because, were these to be published under the Harlequin imprint, or as a romance novel, no one would bat an eyelash. They are part of a grand tradition of subtle wish-fulfillment. After all, there are many people who read books to escape, and don't desire realism. It isn't quite as obvious because all of the characters are original characters, and not based on someone else's characters.
I find that I am fascinated with these fics. I am always paging through the reviews to see if someone has seen through to the Sueism and has commented on it.
Most of these fics, in the hands of an experienced writer, could easily be salvaged and turned into something enthralling instead of barely entertaining. What is the difference? The story. In nearly all of the examples there is too much plot, and too many details that simply could be dropped without causing the least bit of trouble to the story.
The characterization also changes everything as well. The character must truly exist in the author's mind. The author can't simply make endless charts of the character's blood type and favorite ice cream flavor. In one of the stories I mentioned, the character is just puttering around her deceased parents' home, going through the motions, until the owl comes from Hogwarts. The thing is, she didn't know that the owl was coming! Why would her life have this tremendous feeling of stagnation and waiting? In the rest of the fic she's rather determined and a bit headstrong, yet the reader gets the feeling that she was locked in limbo, waiting for an owl she didn't know was coming. It's illogical, and worse yet, it robs the author of a valuable chance to illustrate what the character is leaving behind. Shouldn't there be a friend? Business colleagues? Someone to say goodbye to? I know that when I left my childhood home, it was with a terrific sense of sadness and relief.
Logic is tremendously important. The main character should be interacting with people in a rational manner. Given that this is fanfic, and that the audience (mostly) knows the canon characters forwards and backwards, the author has a responsibility to pay attention to their characterization as well. Snape is relatively acid-tongued, smooth even under pressure, and more than capable of taking care of himself. If the author is writing him into a romantic relationship with an OFC, then it goes to follow that he is going to be difficult to get to know. He has issues, to put it simply. To think that an OFC could render him speechless with a single puerile insult is not only preposterous, it makes Snape fans pretty angry. And Snape fans are the people who will be reading this fic. Snape must act in a logical manner, and so should the other characters. When the characters do not have separate lives apart from the OFC, then it becomes an even bigger problem. When all of the male characters are smitten with the OFC in the same manner it seems highly unlikely, for example.
A scene needs to be viewed through the eyes of all the characters involved in it. It often seems as if the Deeper Sue writers have the OFC viewpoint down pat, but the other characters wander about like zombies, with the occasional flash of canon verve. If Snape, the OFC, and Hooch are having a conversation about Bludgers, then it needs to be analyzed from all three angles. The author should look at it carefully to make certain that it makes sense from all three characters' viewpoints. Would Snape really be enthused about Hooch's speech about better judging techniques? Maybe not, if he thinks it will impact his Slytherin Quidditch team. Would Hooch care what Snape says? She probably thinks he's a stick in the mud. Or maybe she thinks he's dangerous. Each character is a living, breathing person, with many reasons and rationales for doing things in a certain way, and should be treated as individuals.
I remember the first thoughts I had when I was developing the OFC/SS story. I thought about the OFC, and thought up a scene where she would be watching Quidditch practise, and be challenged to a flying match by Hooch, who remembered her from her student days. And of course the OFC was fantastic in the match, standing on the broom at one point to the delight of those watching. In another scene she brings in a dangerous creature for the DADA class and just barely manages to get it back under control after Draco does something stupid and sets it free. The thing is, these scenes were completely unrealistic. What did the flying match really accomplish? It was nothing more than a "look how cool she is" moment. Just because she is a teacher does not mean that the students have to love her. In fact, they are all characters in their own right. Draco isn't there just so that the OFC can put him down and show her worth to the Gryffindors. In fact, Draco is a dangerous character in many ways, with connections to government and money and Death Eaters, and shutting him down in a nasty way could have repercussions.
Which brings me to another point, which is the continuing nature of the story. If the OFC does something risky like bring in a dangerous creature that she can't quite control, then the other teachers are probably going to have their own thoughts about it. Some of them will voice their concerns, while others will privately say something to the Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress, or even the Daily Prophet. They most likely will not ostracize her for a single event like this, but one or two might speak to her or treat her differently for a little while afterwards, at least. People tend to remember things, and they store up opinions and thoughts. Characters don't always have enough room to be this complex, but they should definitely reflect the events that have happened in the story, at the very least.
I read Deeper Sues, and the accompanying reviews (many of them glowing), and I usually think to myself, the author is writing her way around Hogwarts, doing the things she wants to do at Hogwarts, living a life she wouldn't mind living at all. I want something more from a story, though. Think about it this way. When you are telling a dream you've had to someone else, it's fascinating to you, really amazing and interesting. However, when someone describes a dream they've had, unless it's really unusual, or involving people you know, it's not really that scintillating. Fanfic is the same way.
ETA: To clarify just a bit, I'm not trying to impugn wish-fulfillment. I just think that Mary Sue/Deeper Mary Sue is wish-fulfillment gone wrong, in some ways.
mariannelee and sylvadin point out, correctly, that wish-fulfillment is the basis of fanfic, and that it is the basis of many other stories as well. I think that what is necessary is to take the dream and make it interesting not just for yourself, which is a tough thing to do.