A/N:
WOW! I'm happy to see that so many people are interested in my guide :D
Bronze Cat: First reviewer :D I agree, there are good Tenth Walkers and I have quite a few in my Favorites.
Certh: Aww, thanks :3 I can actually remember that fic (and it was a mighty good one at that!) but it covers different topics. I am focusing more on helping people with their stories with do's and don'ts rather than how they went and talked about the historical backgrounds and histories of Middle-earth. If you need pure facts, that's a fantastic story to read :)
Guest (1): Um, I don't hate her... O_O
Guest (2): Yes, I was exaggerating the Mary-Sue's charm because I've honestly read where they did worse things to Gandalf (*cough* mouth off to him and get away with it *cough*.
Treadaway: Aww, thanks :D
She Elf of Hidden Lore: Cool penname! Here's another chappy ;D
LUNA GURLZ: Squeee! I remember you! You went and reviewed my other stories! That means you're a faithful reader! Thank you, you're awesome :D
SamCarter121314: If you want me, I can help you with any of your stories if you tell me which one.
Okay, so here's the first topic and I'll accept requests about certain subjects (but I do have a backup plan if nobody sends any). If you ask questions I'll answer them in the following update or maybe even make a chapter on it.
So let's get to it!
Disclaimer:
I do NOT own Lord of the Rings, so don't sue me, please! I only own my OC, Clem, mmkay?
Lord of the Rings Fanfiction Guide
Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus
Eru help us with these horrid creatures. They populate about one out of fanfics that involve Original Female Characters, or OFCs for short. The percentage tends to be even higher when they have a love interest, Legolas being a classic favorite with 'Legomances' populating much of the fandom. I have seen hundreds on this particular archive, all of them different, yet similar.
Okay, so let's start off with what IS a Mary-Sue. In a simple definition and one I tend to go by: a Mary-Sue is a practically flawless woman. The male counterpart is a Gary-Stu, or Marty-Stu but that name is used less, where a man is practically flawless. Gary-Stus aren't as common in Lord of the Rings fanfictions mostly because Suethors (Mary-Sue writers) are more obsessed with the girl getting the guy and aren't big on slash.
What really puzzles me is that Mary-Sues are found in published books and movies. I honestly have no idea why someone would publish such a horrid character(s) or if they just didn't notice it. If you doubt me, I'll tell you all about the Queen of Mary-Sues and King of Gary-Stus who are renown throughout the world, their latest movie coming out just recently.
Isabella Marie Swan-Cullen, otherwise known simply as "Bella", the main character of the Twilight saga, is the most infamous Mary-Sue I've ever encountered. Let's face it; she's too perfect for words. First of all, there's that dreaded love triangle and it seems like every freaking guy she meets falls for her (Mike, Jacob, Edward, etc.) when she's supposed to be a Plain Jane. Oh, let's talk about her special power to shield herself. Meyer states special powers are very uncommon in vampires but Bella had it BEFORE she was even bitten! She had an angsty past, too, the divorce and all. Clumsiness is NOT a flaw, people. I mean some guys think that clumsy girls are adorable! So yes, all hail Bella, the Queen of Mary-Sues.
There's no such thing as a queen without a king, so Edward takes the crown. Yes Edward, the sparkly pedo who snags a seventeen year-old at a hundred years old. I can't be the only one disturbed about that. Anyways, he has special powers, too, being able to read minds. He's apparently super handsome and a tad bit overdramatic in my opinion. The guy had all the girls at school swooning over him but when Bella was supposedly dead he became suicidal. He may be not as bad as Bella, but he's still up there on the scale.
On that note I noticed that the Bella-Edward thing was similar to the Arwen-Aragorn event. Edward and Arwen were older than their counterparts, being immortal as a half-elf and vampire. For Edward and Bella they had the choice of living together forever by turning Bella into a vampire but Arwen had to sacrifice living forever as a full elf to be with Aragorn. Both couples went through mountains of trouble along the way to their official marriages. But the fact that I can relate Twilight to the Lord of the Rings is still queer to me.
It is arguable that Legolas is a Gary-Stu and my opinion goes either way. He is rather perfect in the movies thanks to Orlando Bloom since they gave him a lot of face-time. In the books, however, he is just simply there. Don't get me wrong, he was very important on the quest but honestly, they could've sent Glorfindel in his place for the amount of good he did. I know he had to go because of the Gollum incident but it's not like he went and sacrificed his life or anything that dramatic. I can remember him crying out in fear of the Balrog in Moria and bursting into song, but they didn't show his flaws in the movie. So depending which way you look at the subject, it is rather debatable.
Okay, so here are the three common mistakes that lead to Mary-Sues in this fandom:
―Elf: I understand that elves don't seem as they have as many flaws as men but that doesn't mean they're perfect. They do have flaws but some people see them like they don't. Therefore Suethors seize that opportunity for a flawless character, arguing that "She's an elf!"
―Sister/Daughter: There are many fanfictions in which the OFC is related to a member in the Fellowship or someone else close to the storyline. And because of that, they are thrust into the War of the Ring for whatever reason to protect a family member or whatnot.
―Self-Insert: Who wouldn't want to be on a journey to save the world with a whole bunch of hot guys? Well, I certainly wouldn't considering all of the danger that's lurking behind every corner. A Suethor will often picture herself as the Mary-Sue but with fewer flaws so she can be everything that the Suethor is not.
So usually Mary-Sues are one out of the three:
―Warrior: Great at fighting, hunting, horse-riding, and all of those activities meant for men back then. Sometimes I'll accept this factor but it's highly unlikely you would place a woman in the Rohirrim to fight in a man's place. I'm not being sexist but during this certain time period women were supposed to be doing housework and raising children, keeping their beds warm for their husbands who fight the battles for them. That explains why the women in Helm's Deep didn't fight but rather the elderly and children – may I recall they were boys, not to confuse you – had to instead.
―Simply a "Natural": If the OFC doesn't already know how to kick butt they often learn quickly with practically no practice but their skill matches up to an ellyn of the Galadrim who has had decades', maybe even centuries', worth of experience.
―Pitiful: This is a trait that people usually overlook but it's used often where someone takes pity on an OFC and ends up caring for her. This is often how a girl, who may not have skills with weapons, is sucked in for the journey. Honestly, I think dragging around a girl with no uses is rather worthless.
A Pet Peeve of mine is when the 'warrior' Mary-Sue goes and defeats on of the other Fellowship members in a spar. I know it's not a big thing to some people, but seeing Boromir, a fantastic warrior might I add, be defeated by a tiny-waist beach-blonde with rainbow eyes is annoying. I could also say it's insulting.
If you're starting to see similarities to the traits listed before to your character, there is a way to stop your character from becoming a Sue or Stu. The key is to give them flaws. Make them a liar, a thief, greedy, or maybe she may be weak-minded and open to corruption for the Ring like Boromir.
If you want to test your character if they're a Mary-Sue just go look up a Mary-Sue litmus test on Google or if you PM me I'll send you a PM of the universal test that works the best in my opinion.
*Random Story Time*
Clem's eye twitched. After just getting rid of Mary-Sue in Moria she was already faced with an 'ellyth' twirling her hair around her finger, giggling with Legolas. The 'ellyth' was dressed in an unnecessarily fancy pink dress with her bright red hair tied up with a ribbon, her rainbow-colored eyes twinkling. Yes, they were literally twinkling, like there were miniature lights in her eyes blinking on and off.
The Fellowship were supposed to be grieving for Eru's sake! But nooo, instead they were all flirting with unnaturally colored ellyths that were appearing out of nowhere. They began singing their ballad for Gandalf, enchanting the eight members and making Clem bang her head on a nearby silver-barked tree.
You have to be kidding me, she thought bitterly.
She waited for what seemed like forever until the ellyths left. A devilish smile grew on her face as she grabbed her Sue-Slaying axe and she followed them. Soon they were all asleep and Clem cackled like a mad woman before beheading all of them and soon enough they were all dissolved into mid-air.
Clem chuckled darkly before slipping out of the room and into the shadows.
So please review, favorite, alert and whatnot ;D
Also, I'm accepting requets for topics I should cover
