Speaking of Mary Sue

[st-crispins.livejournal.com]

This is the only story I ever wrote that I intentionally considered the character a Mary Sue. No, she's really not modeled on me. But I'd served as the editor of a corporate newsletter once, so I thought it might be fun to write Mary Sue in that position. In the first draft of this story, I even named her Mary Sue. But then, I was afraid it would detract from the story itself, so I renamed her Maryanne.

I like creating and writing women characters and I'm sure they all have a piece of my own self in them. I did write a Mary Sue ---painfully so ---when I was writing MFU at age 14. I still have those handwritten stories somewhere. But since I came back to writing MFU in my 30s, my Mary Sue identity character has always been Solo.

Reaping Mary Sue Or How Reapermum finally got published. Part 1 (Reapermum's Mary Sue challenge)

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Mark Slate waited at the international arrivals at Kennedy airport, looking for his sister Marie Suzette. Her flight from London had arrived and he couldn’t understand what was taking so long.

He spotted her, walking alongside a gurney with a pair of paramedics.

“Marie!” Mark called out her, waving his hand.”

She turned her head, whipping around her full mane of shinging blonde hair, like one of those models on the telly, moving in slow motion.

“Oh Mark luv!” She ran to his arms, and he lifted her in a great bear hug.

“Hey sis, it’s really fab to see you again,” Mark planted a kiss on her cheek. "I swear you're getting more gorgeous every time I see you... say what was that all about with the stretcher?”

“Oh a fellow passenger had a heart attack and I helped with chest compressions and mouth to mouth until the medics arrived.  They said my actions saved the blokes life. And thanks for the compliment, but it's just natural beauty," she laughed softly.

“Ah that’s my little sister,” Mark wrapped his arm around her shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "So how’s work going at the research center?”

“It’s all right. I think I’ll have that cure for cancer sooner than later. My test results are looking good.”

They retrieved her luggage and Mark led her out to a dark sedan parked cub side.

Behind the wheel sat a blond man, and as soon as Marie Slate sat in the front seat of the car beside him, their eyes met.  His were limpid pools of blue in which she could easily lose herself. There was instant attraction, like two magnets being drawn together.

“Hello, my name is Illya Kuryakin,” he smiled at her.

“Yes it is,” Marie sighed, staring at his handsome face.

Reaping Mary Sue Or How Reapermum finally got published.

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

The original plot summary is here.  The first chapter by mrua7 is here
If you write a chapter please use the title Reaping Mary Sue, and insert the tags mary sue, reapermum and round robin.  Also make certain that you're writing in sequence to the previous post.
Thanks and have fun.
~~~~~:

That first fateful meeting between the stunning blonde couple produced a week of romantic nights that included dining in New York's finest restaurants and taking in Broadway shows.  Marie was conversant in so many subjects that even the supremely well educated Russian, Kuryakin, felt slightly intimidated in her presence.  Marie shared her travels throughout Europe and the Orient, demonstrating her talent by describing each city in  whatever language was spoken there.  Illya was completely and hopelessly infatuated with the beautiful Londoner, and not in the least embarrassed to admit that he had finally met someone of superior intellect and untainted ethics.

It was at the end of this week of extraordinary companionship and exemplary self control that Illya found himself narrating his own story of abuse and lack while a child in Russia.  The ethos of his account as well as the saint like reception by Marie Suzette created an ethereal atmosphere as the two contemplated how his suffering had led to a life devoted to helping others.  Marie noted with satisfaction that her own work was of the same altruistic nature, something else that helped to strengthen this new bond she had with the handsome agent.

Napoleon thought the beautiful sister of his equally important friend Mark Slate to be somehow less attractive than everyone else.  It was, perhaps, his lack of interest in someone so much like his partner.  One charismatic and over accomplished blond was quite enough for the handsome American.  He'd leave this one alone and give his monk like friend a break for once.  It was the least he could, and besides he had a date for every night this month.  He could only stretch himself so far.  Napoleon had to laugh at his own little joke.

On the last night of the magical week that had been, Illya desired more than a passionate kiss from the beautiful Marie.  And of course her kisses were passionate in spite of her ladylike decorum, and should have been enough considering they were more satisfying than sex with most women he'd known.  Illya wondered about that, although he didn't dwell for long.  Just holding Marie's hand was enough to send him home happy and content.

On their last night together, Marie noticed a gold chain and medallion around Illya's neck.  Instead of his usual turtleneck sweater the blond had worn a silk crew neck tee shirt atop his usual black jeans.  Marie, being an astute fashionista in her own right, had been impressed by his choice of clothing before her eyes landed on the mysterious medallion.  She held a picture of it in her eidetic memory as she flew home to England, a seed of intrigue now sown into her spirit of goodwill, as well as a parting offer from Mr. Waverly to join his organization.  She was, after all, the prototype of all that he envisioned for the Command.

Reaping Mary Sue Or How Reapermum finally got published - Part III

[avirra.livejournal.com]

Original Plot Summary (reapermum) - http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/240285.html
Part  I (mrua7) - http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/240765.html
Part II (glennagirl) -  http://section7mfu.livejournal.com/241142.html

Part III

The flight back to London had passed quickly. One of the top designers of Paris' most renown haute couture lines had spotted Marie coming aboard and immediately offered to upgrade her to the first class section so that he could have a chance to talk to her about building a new line around her.

She was, of course, flattered, but explained to him in her perfectly accented French that she couldn't possibly abandon her research when she was so close to eradicating the threat of cancer. He was so impressed by her obvious intellect and determination that he immediately offered to sponsor her research with a donation large enough to fund the research center she worked from for a year. She accepted the generous offer and agreed to consider the idea of the fashion line again once her cure was fully tested and vetted.

There was a bit of a delay at the airport as Marie was mistaken for a Princess that was supposed to be visiting Buckingham Palace as a potential match for Prince Charles. Marie was gracious (it was the third time she'd run into a similar problem this year) and the photographers present were disappointed as she was so much more photogenic than the actual Princess proved to be.

Finally free of the airport, Marie headed directly to the research center to look up one of her fellow researchers there, Doctor Haylan Kullberg. Her flawless memory had recalled that Haylan always wore a medallion, but she had never gotten a clear look at it as it had always been half-hidden by the shirts he wore.

"Doctor Kullberg? Could I have a moment of your time?"

As he turned to face her, his blue eyes reminded her strongly of Illya's. Or of how Illya's would be without the lingering shadows that seemed to haunt their blue depths.

"I have all the time for you that you need, Miss Slate. How can I be of assistance?"

"I know that this is an odd question, but that medallion you're always wearing intrigues me. Could you tell me something about it?"

"Why, of course. My mother bought it for me along with matching ones for my sister Marta and my baby brother Niklas."

"You introduced me to your sister at the Christmas party last year. She's the one that's a nuclear physicist, isn't she?"

"Yes - took her beauty and brilliance from our mother. Not that our father isn't a genius in his own right. When he left the diplomatic corps, he went back to teaching and Cambridge was thrilled to be able to snap him up as a professor."

"Your brother wasn't able to make it to the party?"

Haylan's handsome face fell into an expression of grief.

"My brother was lost to us when he was only two."

Marie's tender heart hated to press for any further details from the stricken man but consoled herself with the thought of what it would mean to the family if her suspicions were proven to be correct.

Reaping Mary Sue, prologue. A Mary Sue plot summary.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

mrua7 and I were chatting to sort out ideas about Mary Sue, and where you draw the line between a MS and a useful Original Character. The way I see the difference is that a MS is an intrusive character, who takes over a story drawing attention from the main characters and doing the things that they should do to move the plot along.

And though I can't write stories I can sometimes come up with a plot summary. So here's what I came up with as a MS plot. You'll have to add the pretty words yourselves.

Mark's sister, Mary Sue, comes over to NY for a visit. She is a ravishing beauty and fiendishly intelligent. Illya falls for her (Napoleon makes a peripheral appearance in the story to decide she's too good for him and leaves her to Illya) and takes her out to dinner and the theatre. But nothing beyond hand holding and gentle kissing because she's a respectable girl.

Illya tells her about his childhood in a Russian orphanage, which he has not confided to anyone else before, and shows her the medallion which is the only memento he has of his lost family. She then returns to her work in Europe as her holiday is over. Illya is heart broken but realises it has to be. Mr Waverley would like to ask her to join UNCLE but knows that her work is more important than theirs (she's going to eliminate world poverty or find a cure for cancer).

Mary Sue thought she had seen a medallion like Illya's before, but doesn't say anything to him about it. She wants to confirm her suspicions first, before she says anything. Back in Europe she goes to see her colleague who has a similar medallion and gets him to talk about his family. When he was small his family were on a diplomatic mission to Russia, but were caught up in one of Stalin's purges. The family managed to flee the country back to their native Sweden but in the chaos the baby was lost and left behind. They never managed to find the baby or learn what had happened to him, and their mother still mourned his loss.

Mary Sue arranges for the family to go to NY where she reunites them all. "Oh, Mary Sue, how can we ever thank you." Illya now becomes Swedish (a much better nationality than Russian, cos nobody likes Russians)