Yes, my last update was awesome! Thanks for all the reviews, and I'm hoping to get the next chapter in Trespasses done (it's almost finished, but I'm still fighting off writer's block). Anyway, so far I've done chapters on how not to make a Mary Sue, but maybe I'll do a chapter on fixing characters who are already Mary Sues.
Fixing a Mary Sue: FMA Style.
There are a lot of fanfic writers out there, and many of them took a Mary Sue Test for their original character. The worst part of these tests is that they assume that you already have the ending written out, and have the whole story planned before you take the test. So, what happens if your character's a Sue? Does that mean you have to start over completely and toss everything you worked on? I don't think that's fair, and neither should the people who make these tests!
1. Make Sure Your OC's not a Sue First. Before you think out the whole plot of the story, try to make your character reasonable and not "Sue-ish." Also, it's true that a lot of Sue Tests can be unfair with some of the questions, but when they tell you not to convince yourself the results were wrong, it's not entirely off. A lot of times, your character does need some work, and you shouldn't be afraid to admit that.
2. How to Fix a Purity Sue: A Purity Sue is someone who's so sparkly-white pure, they crap rainbows. She doesn't do much action-type stuff, and mostly stands on the sidelines. She'll always be innocent, sweet, and just so immaculately good that everyone around her starts becoming good and sweet and nice like her (even the bad guys!). Why do we hate her? She's totally useless, and effectively derails any character she touches! How do you fix her? Simple: Make her human. Give her a secret 'dark side' that comes out when she's pushed too far. Like, if a bad guy starts bullying her because they think she's helpless, and suddenly, they do something that throws her over the edge (like hurting one of her friends), she'll go all Super-Saiyan on them and freak out everyone who's watching. Or, for another thing, maybe not everyone likes miss Sparkly-Poo-Sunshine, and they find her annoying. Or maybe she's not so pure and innocent...there's too many to list. Just think of a blindingly white linen sheet, that's so bright it's causing blindness. Find some dirt, or blood, or just something to make it dirty or whatever.
3. How to Fix a Jerk Sue: A Jerk Sue is someone who's a total...well, jerk, to everyone around them. She kicks people, swears, loses her temper pretty much all the time, and gets her jollies from making peoples lives miserable. And no one minds it! She gets away with everything! If she disses Ed because he's short, he'll just blow it off and walk away. If she insults someone's friend, they don't even react. It's not the fact that she's a total A-hole to anything with a pulse that makes her a Jerk Sue. That's the jerk part. What makes this character a Sue is the fact that nobody hates her for it - ever! Remember that thing I said about bashing other characters? This type of Sue is an expert at this; she's the one who calls Winry a slut and never gets comeuppance. We hate her because she can get away with everything.
How do you fix her? There's two basic ways: One way is by making her feel the consequences of her actions. Let Ed smack her for calling him a pipsqueak, or have the crap beat out of her by someone she was sure she'd win against. Even better; have her beaten to within an inch of her life! This will make her learn from her mistakes (hopefully). The other option is to make her less of a jerk. Edward Elric is a jerk with a heart of gold, right? Your character can be one too, but just remember the "heart of gold" thing.
4. How to Fix a Villain Sue: A Villain Sue is a Mary Sue that joined the Dark Side. She still has more power than God, still perfect in every way, the only difference now is that she wears a sluttier outfit made of black rubber (since she's most likely a homunculus). And hey, being a homunculus is great! You're basically a god, a supervillain, and Chuck Norris combined! You get to kick puppies (and kitties, MWAHAHAHA!), go on killing sprees, whine about how you just want to be human, and Envy probably thinks you're hot! We hate this Sue because she's like a Jerk Sue with superpowers, pretty much!
How do you fix her? First off, being a homunculus kind of sucks: look at what happened to Wrath in the first anime. Heck, if you really listen to them (second anime too), they're really pretty miserable because (they think) they can only act or feel whatever sin they were named for. Plus, in both versions, they get treated like lifeless tools with no feelings! Granted, you shouldn't go overboard with the angsting here, but show how being a bad guy has it's downsides too. Second of all, she should at least get some kind of bad ending. If not that, at least make her suffer for her wrong doing. It's a lot like the Jerk Sue, but...more evil, I guess.
5. How to Fix a Sympathy Sue: A Sympathy Sue has a really sad life. She's been abused, raped, abandoned, forced to live on the streets, and she's got underdeveloped A-cups! Poor kid! She wants you to feel sorry for her, and she constantly whines about her past, making everyone who hears her want to hug her and tell her it's gonna be okay. Awww! But that's not what makes her a Sue (per se). No one gets tired of hearing how her life simply sucks, and everyone unanimously agrees "We must all hug her!" It's not the fact that she's been through hell that makes us hate her; it's her non-stop whining that makes us want to puke!
How do you fix her? Make her suck it up and move on. Maybe she's been through so much that it just doesn't phase her anymore. Ed and Al, for instance: Lost their mom, tried to bring her back, nearly died trying, got some freaky not-human-thing instead, and now Ed's lost an arm and a leg and Al's just a soul stuck in a suit of armor! And they didn't even get therapy! You don't hear them wangsting about it. Heck, Al can't cry if he wanted to and Ed's tear ducts must have fallen out for all we know!
6. How to Fix a Copy Cat Sue: This kind of Sue is probably related to Ed and Al. She's basically Edward with lady parts, and acts like him in every way; alchemy without a circle, freaks out when you call her short, looks (and dresses) just like Ed...bonus points if she's missing her right arm and left leg! If she's not this, she's a perfect mix of Ed and Al's personalities: sure, she's sensitive about her height, but she's got a soft spot for stray kittens too. I know I already mentioned this, but to drive the point home, if she's the second one, then she isn't their sister; she's really their crack-baby! A Copy Cat Sue is what happens when the author wishes that they could be the main character and still live out their fantasies with him. I could be wrong, but I think some writers do this with Mustang too. A lot of Villain Sues are basically Copy Cats of Envy.
How do you fix her? Oh boy, where to begin...it depends on her background. If she's related to the Elrics, then go back and read 'Ed & Al's Sista' in Chapter 1. If she's not, then you seriously need to work on her. If you're doing a gender-flip, never mind. She's fine.
7. How to Fix a Self-Insert Sue: I think it's pretty obvious; you, in FMA. Most people assume that if you write fanfiction, you're apparently ugly, fat, and have no talent outside of writing fanfics (and even then, you suck at that). So if your self-insert is attractive, talented, smart, or has any positive traits to speak of, you gave them to her because you wish you had them! But honestly, if the character's not really "you," how can you call it a self-insert? You can tell your Self-Insert is a Sue when everything goes her way, most (if not all) the canon likes her, and she always steps in to save the day. On top of that, everything is based on how she percieves the situation, and anyone who isn't agreeing with her or happens to be in the way of her goals (whether it's marrying Ed or shanking someone to get even with them) is evil. Sound familiar? I'm lookin' at you, Twilight!
How do you fix her? Make her more like you, flaws and all. If you aren't the most likeable person around, don't make her Miss Congeniality! If you aren't magically witty, brilliant, or always ready with some clever comeback, you shouldn't give it to her! Think of what your faults are; what is it about you that people can't stand? Give those traits to your character! It's not foolproof, but it definitely makes the readers like your character more.
8. How to Fix a God Mode Sue: Mary Sue with more power than God. She's probably an alchemist who can completely ignore the whole Equivalent Exchange deal, or she's a homunculus who can mimic the powers of all the other ones. She might be a living Philosopher's Stone, or a homunculus with five different powers (and one of them could be alchemy). In short, she pwns everyone. Please refer to 'Enough With the Pwnage Powers!' in Chapter 1.
How do I fix her? How many fights has she lost? How many has she won? Was it hard for her to win, or did she dominate without breaking a sweat? Maybe, just maybe, your character's too powerful. Tone it down a little, or at the very least, whack her in the face with Equivalent Exchange. Maybe her powers are awesome, but they quickly drain her of all her energy. She might have some scary-awesome abilities, but they might be seriously painful to use. It should balance out between upsides and downsides, so readers won't roll their eyes.
I hope this helped. By the way, I finally got the next chapter in my story done! Please review my story! XD
I take ideas! If you have any, don't hesitate to let me know. Thx! ^_^