Scientifics

Not a Sue
Sha Moseley

She's prettier than Fleur, smarter than Hermione, better at Quidditch than Ginny…and the list goes on. Who is she? Not a bird, not a plane, it's just the girl we all hate. Mary Sue, and her male counterpart, Gary Stu, are the most perfect (read: annoying) people on earth. They are the author's avatar, when the author places him/herself in the story as him/herself. This results in something a lot of readers despise. The world revolves around them and their perfection, leaving other characters—whether players in roleplaying forums or the canon characters—eating their dust.

Mary Sues are not difficult to find. They have more than any of the canon characters' traits; more kindness, more wealth, more intelligence, more luck, more charm, more excitement, more courage…She's better than anyone, she's the one everybody loves, everyone wants to either be her or be with her. Even among Hermione, Ginny, and the other almost-Sue characters in Potter fandom, these detestable female characters would stand out.

The big question is…how not to Sue?

What's in a name?

Probably the first thing an author (who is going to project him/herself into a story) wonders about is the name. Whether to name her…Mary or Susan? Or would Marie, or Rashka be more interesting?

Her background would be an important factor in deciding what name to use. Ngoc would be suitable if the character or the character's parents were from Vietnam. Naming a French child Ngoc would be a little out of it, likewise naming a Japanese girl Mathilde. Mr. and Mrs. Smith would probably not have a boy and name him Io, but maybe John or Thomas would work.

Most Sues have predictable names. Serenity, Mary (the obvious one), Moonlight, or names like Evelyn Susan Gisela Adrian Elle Johnson would cause immediate distaste. Wait—who has a name that long, consisting of not two or three but five averagely-common names?

You could, however, pick a name that suits his/her personality. If your character was a Welsh boy who likes Herbology, you could name him Ffionn, which means Foxglove flower in Welsh. The possibilities are endless, so long as you let your imagination soar and use a little common sense.

Quirks and Habits

Everybody has strange quirks and habits. Some people bite their fingernails, others twirl their hair, and some people twiddle their thumbs. A personality would just be a personality without these little details. If you spent over two hours in a waiting room, waiting for something nerve-wrecking to happen, what would you do? You probably would not be sitting, poised, looking at the other people in the room, especially if you've been there that long. Maybe your character paces when she's nervous, or maybe she bites her nails. Would she whistle?

What would she do when she's excited? When she's sad? When she's upset? There are a million combinations you could try out. For example, my character's name is Elara. Elara has this habit of biting her bottom lip, which she does more often than anybody else. She does it when she's nervous, when she's thinking, and when she's sad. Meanwhile Carme is a slight opposite. Carme would start singing under her breath if she's nervous, and when she's angry she turns red. Carme is also a nail-biter.

Everybody is different. Whatever you choose, be consistent.

The exchange from Beauxbatons

Why would a student have to move from Beauxbatons or Salem or Durmstrang to Hogwarts in the middle of her education? The most popular reason is that the parents of the child in question are moving, the same thing that happens when people emigrate out of the US and into London. But would that really cause the child to move schools?

Let's say that all of the above schools are boarding schools, therefore, if the parents were moving, the child would not have to move with them. Sure, a good argument would be that it would be more costly to go to boarding school on another continent, but magic students don't pay for their schooling. Therefore, exchange students are one of the most hated.

When introducing an OC (other character) into a fanfiction, especially when you want him/her to be the same age as the Trio, a good suggestion would be to use a character who has always been there, but has never been noticed. For example, there are two students in Gryffindor in the trio's (Harry, Ron, and Hermione's) year who we never hear about. J. K. Rowling says there are over 4000 students in Hogwarts; that makes it a huge school. Surely out of that 4000 not even Hermione would know everybody?

Because we all know, as a fact, that the three have other things to do than to be looking out for students to meet and befriend. Be creative, use your imagination.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Mary Sue is boring. Why? Because she has no weaknesses or flaws. What makes a person interesting is their flaws. For a regular person with strengths and weaknesses, it is possible to grow. It is possible to, with time, learn to control your temper, or to reduce that arrogance a tad. They can change. What does a Sue have that needs to be changed? It is not fun to watch a pretty person become prettier, or a smart person to become smarter. Change, growth, and obvious difference is much more interesting.

Which works better; "Her glossy auburn hair and twinkling green eyes were just a few of the things that made people love Mary Sue so much", or "Mary Sue learned, from early on, that her brown hair and green eyes were but common features". Isn't the second one more interesting? Both sentences talked about Sue's brown hair and green eyes, but the second one was much more modest. And wasn't that interesting? Modesty works; having everything glossy, shining and twinkling doesn't work most of the time, because what do real people have that is always glossy, shining and twinkling? Not much.

I am not saying that it is wrong to give your character beauty; it is not. However, beauty has to be given in the right proportions to make it realistic and not seem fake. They could have expressive brown eyes, or wavy red hair, maybe a dimple or two, or perfect teeth. Just not all at once. You must even out a character's strengths with their weaknesses, there's no if, buts or ors about it.

Your character is special. It can become and grow even more special without being a Mary Sue, or a Gary Stu. All in all, your character does not need perfection to be different.

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Notes The Alte Sententiam is Ravenclaw's running newspaper. Alte Sententiam means 'Higher Thoughts' and its current co-editors-in-chief are Chloe Fairchilde and Cassandra Lobiesk. Articles Malicious Spoilerism Dark Wizards Can't Swim Luna's Expeditions Scientifics To Run or Not to Run Alchemy and Harry Potter Past that Created the Present Not a Sue Reviews Wicked: Wickedly Popular! Puzzles Broomsticks Incantations Info FAQ Staff The Roost HOL	Scientifics Not a Sue Sha Moseley She's prettier than Fleur, smarter than Hermione, better at Quidditch than Ginny…and the list goes on. Who is she? Not a bird, not a plane, it's just the girl we all hate. Mary Sue, and her male counterpart, Gary Stu, are the most perfect (read: annoying) people on earth. They are the author's avatar, when the author places him/herself in the story as him/herself. This results in something a lot of readers despise. The world revolves around them and their perfection, leaving other characters—whether players in roleplaying forums or the canon characters—eating their dust. Mary Sues are not difficult to find. They have more than any of the canon characters' traits; more kindness, more wealth, more intelligence, more luck, more charm, more excitement, more courage…She's better than anyone, she's the one everybody loves, everyone wants to either be her or be with her. Even among Hermione, Ginny, and the other almost-Sue characters in Potter fandom, these detestable female characters would stand out. The big question is…how not to Sue? What's in a name? Probably the first thing an author (who is going to project him/herself into a story) wonders about is the name. Whether to name her…Mary or Susan? Or would Marie, or Rashka be more interesting? Her background would be an important factor in deciding what name to use. Ngoc would be suitable if the character or the character's parents were from Vietnam. Naming a French child Ngoc would be a little out of it, likewise naming a Japanese girl Mathilde. Mr. and Mrs. Smith would probably not have a boy and name him Io, but maybe John or Thomas would work. Most Sues have predictable names. Serenity, Mary (the obvious one), Moonlight, or names like Evelyn Susan Gisela Adrian Elle Johnson would cause immediate distaste. Wait—who has a name that long, consisting of not two or three but five averagely-common names? You could, however, pick a name that suits his/her personality. If your character was a Welsh boy who likes Herbology, you could name him Ffionn, which means Foxglove flower in Welsh. The possibilities are endless, so long as you let your imagination soar and use a little common sense. Quirks and Habits Everybody has strange quirks and habits. Some people bite their fingernails, others twirl their hair, and some people twiddle their thumbs. A personality would just be a personality without these little details. If you spent over two hours in a waiting room, waiting for something nerve-wrecking to happen, what would you do? You probably would not be sitting, poised, looking at the other people in the room, especially if you've been there that long. Maybe your character paces when she's nervous, or maybe she bites her nails. Would she whistle? What would she do when she's excited? When she's sad? When she's upset? There are a million combinations you could try out. For example, my character's name is Elara. Elara has this habit of biting her bottom lip, which she does more often than anybody else. She does it when she's nervous, when she's thinking, and when she's sad. Meanwhile Carme is a slight opposite. Carme would start singing under her breath if she's nervous, and when she's angry she turns red. Carme is also a nail-biter. Everybody is different. Whatever you choose, be consistent. The exchange from Beauxbatons Why would a student have to move from Beauxbatons or Salem or Durmstrang to Hogwarts in the middle of her education? The most popular reason is that the parents of the child in question are moving, the same thing that happens when people emigrate out of the US and into London. But would that really cause the child to move schools? Let's say that all of the above schools are boarding schools, therefore, if the parents were moving, the child would not have to move with them. Sure, a good argument would be that it would be more costly to go to boarding school on another continent, but magic students don't pay for their schooling. Therefore, exchange students are one of the most hated. When introducing an OC (other character) into a fanfiction, especially when you want him/her to be the same age as the Trio, a good suggestion would be to use a character who has always been there, but has never been noticed. For example, there are two students in Gryffindor in the trio's (Harry, Ron, and Hermione's) year who we never hear about. J. K. Rowling says there are over 4000 students in Hogwarts; that makes it a huge school. Surely out of that 4000 not even Hermione would know everybody? Because we all know, as a fact, that the three have other things to do than to be looking out for students to meet and befriend. Be creative, use your imagination. Strengths and Weaknesses Mary Sue is boring. Why? Because she has no weaknesses or flaws. What makes a person interesting is their flaws. For a regular person with strengths and weaknesses, it is possible to grow. It is possible to, with time, learn to control your temper, or to reduce that arrogance a tad. They can change. What does a Sue have that needs to be changed? It is not fun to watch a pretty person become prettier, or a smart person to become smarter. Change, growth, and obvious difference is much more interesting. Which works better; "Her glossy auburn hair and twinkling green eyes were just a few of the things that made people love Mary Sue so much", or "Mary Sue learned, from early on, that her brown hair and green eyes were but common features". Isn't the second one more interesting? Both sentences talked about Sue's brown hair and green eyes, but the second one was much more modest. And wasn't that interesting? Modesty works; having everything glossy, shining and twinkling doesn't work most of the time, because what do real people have that is always glossy, shining and twinkling? Not much. I am not saying that it is wrong to give your character beauty; it is not. However, beauty has to be given in the right proportions to make it realistic and not seem fake. They could have expressive brown eyes, or wavy red hair, maybe a dimple or two, or perfect teeth. Just not all at once. You must even out a character's strengths with their weaknesses, there's no if, buts or ors about it. Your character is special. It can become and grow even more special without being a Mary Sue, or a Gary Stu. All in all, your character does not need perfection to be different. [ Return to Top ]