My Mary Sue.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Lets make this clear before I start, I'm a reader not a writer. That's why my posts aren't necessarily the most coherent things you'll read. It also explains why I never progressed beyond the Mary Sue stage of development.

So I thought back to those prepubescent days of my youth when I made up stories to send me to sleep. I had a character who was pure Mary Sue, and everything I wasn't but would have loved to have been (though I bet I would have hated being like that.)

She had long, black hair that fell to her waist (my hair loses condition once it gets towards my collar.) She could sail boats of all sizes (I get sea sick) and climb mountains (I don't climb ladders.) In her late teens she was involved in computer development and designed control systems, which of course meant she owned a company which left her filthy rich and independent. And naturally I inserted her into every book and TV programme I enjoyed, from "Swallows and Amazons" to Doctor Who.

And thinking about her, I'm still stuck at that writing level, but she's grown older with me.

No longer older than me, she's slightly younger and has cut her hair. Somewhere along the line she had a son who's now in his early 20s and assists her by doing the leg work in any adventures she might have. The company is still bringing in the money, but she leaves it in the hands of carefully chosen managers. And having designed the control systems for the deep space probes for NASA all those years ago she still drops into the JPL to monitor progress.

I haven't thought of her for years, it's strange how she's older now, but I still know where she's been.

And I suppose I should admit to the little that I have written, http://www.b7fic.com/viewuser.php?uid=18

Comments

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

You write? Yay, now that you've admitted to it there must be an MFU story in there somewhere. I'm not at all familiar with Blake's 7, although I know a lot of people seem to have followed it into fandom.
I think a little Mary Sue is a good thing ;)

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

No, I don't write. There are a couple of stories, but I can't fit words to them.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Jeep talking as the more I read the more I'll understand this mysterious Mary Sue. Something that has me confused though, Linda, your Mary Sue comes across as a real female success story, and there've been many stories about males who have been equally successful but they don't seem to be labelled like your character would be.

Even though a Mary Sue has some over exaggerated talents and attributes (or at leas this form of MS) why can't she just be looked upon as a genuine success and a heroine ( and not the weak save-me kind)

It feels almost as if any successful/strong female character is being belittled by calling her a MS. Though granted there are some that fit the pre-pubescent view...

Why can't there be strong female characters without dubbing them characterizations of themselves.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

There was a time when any female OC was dismissed as a MS. OCs of any variety were strongly disapproved of. Pick a minor character from canon who only has one line and elaborate as much as you like, that's fine. Have an OC do the same thing and you would have been roundly condemned.

MS, as I understand her to have been was an idealisation of the author, inserted into the story to solve everyone's problems.

We're fortunate that MfU fandom seems to be more mature in its attitudes.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Theres a couple of Mary Sue characters that I've seen in MFU but until MS was brought up and the multitude of definitions as to what constitutes a Mary Sue, I've never heard of the characterization, and definitely by passed her in my stories, thank goodness.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

I read an essay that I can't find now, I think it may be one of st_crispins's, that may explain why MfU doesn't have as much trouble with MS as other fandoms.

Basicly it said that at the time MfU was being developed the format for TV series for adults was to put the emphasis on the guest stars, who changed every episode, and that the regulars were only there to provide continuity and support the guests. Ensemble series were a later development.

So our canon insists on OCs and we have the Innocent which I think trumps the MS.

In many ways I think the MS is someone seen as an unwanted intrusion into an ensemble.

Have you read this essay (http://www.manfromuncle.org/3corner.htm)? You can tell st_crispins is an academic in the field.