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Mistress Saigon (![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} mistresssaigon) wrote in ![[info]](http://www.journalfen.net/img/community.gif){kind=small} fandom_wank,@ 2003-08-23 11:35:00 |
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Oh me. Oh my. I've been accused of writing a Mary-Sue.
Someone has seen fit to email me in great detail to explain WHY my character is so damned awful.
She sure spent a lot of time on it as well...
Still, I will say this. It's one of the politest accusations of being a hypocrite I've come across.
Hiya, Oo
I don't know how to leave reviews on aff.net or if it's even possible to leave reviews there. I'm not that familiar with it. I don't know if you've ever received an e-mail like this before, but I can't help but point this out myself.
I've spent the evening reading your story, "The Corruption and Degradation of Mary Sue." While I did find the story hilarious and very fun to read, I couldn't help but notice something....
Kalina is a Mary Sue.
Normally, a well written Mary Sue wouldn't bother me, and I must admit, Kallina is one of the better ones. However, she also annoyed me because of the story's title. You made two characters... Celebelen, who is the cliched, blatant, and annoying Mary Sue. You can spot her as being a Mary Sue right from the start. After all, any character that falls from the modern world into that of their favorite anime/book/TV show/etc. will be a Mary Sue. It's an unwritten law. Then there is Kallina. She has a bad temper, a bitchy disposition, no angsty past, and she doesn't have any annoying delusions about finding her true love. However... Kalina does have some typical Mary Sue traits:
1. She's beautiful. Of course, all elves are beautiful, but her beauty is elaborated upon a few times.
2. Every man in the story save her father wants her. What annoys me most about a lot of LOTR stories is how the Mary Sue will always somehow manage to make Legolas realize his twu wuv for her. Well, in this story, Legolas does not proclaim his eternal love for her. However, Kalina practically has him on a leash. He seems to be completely devoted to her, and even gets jealous when she shows interest in other men. Basically, Kalina snags Legolas. And Aragorn wants her too, despite being in a relationship with who Tolkien described as the most beautiful elf ever, her being Tinuviel incarnate and all... Did I spell that right? Probably not.
3. Everybody seems to adore her. Even Celebelen, who is constantly tormented by Kalina, wants to be her friend, even if it was only for the drugs. Even Arwen, who in the beginning despised her it seemed, came to feel a sisterly affection for her. While usually it wouldn't be necessary to have someone dislike Kalina, it might have helped. You know, to balance out nearly every man in the story wanting to fuck her brains out.
4. Kalina seems to have been put into the story to torture the Mary Sue. But besides the vile things she drives Celebelen to do, Kalina never seems to do anything really wrong, and even if she's doing something she knows her father wouldn't approve of, she never gets caught by him. She really doesn't seem to have any real flaws save for her violent nature. She's attractive, witty, intelligent, and must be good with weapons.
As I said, these things wouldn't bother me, because Kalina is a character that does seem to grow on you, but it's the hypocrisy of the whole story that gets to me. If you're going to write a parody in which you torment a Mary Sue, don't sub consciously make another one and insert her as a heroine. By all means, you should continue writing the story, because it is entertaining to read. It's a well written story. But really... Don't write a story meant to bash Mary Sues, when you write them yourself.
Someone has seen fit to email me in great detail to explain WHY my character is so damned awful.
She sure spent a lot of time on it as well...
Still, I will say this. It's one of the politest accusations of being a hypocrite I've come across.
Hiya, Oo
I don't know how to leave reviews on aff.net or if it's even possible to leave reviews there. I'm not that familiar with it. I don't know if you've ever received an e-mail like this before, but I can't help but point this out myself.
I've spent the evening reading your story, "The Corruption and Degradation of Mary Sue." While I did find the story hilarious and very fun to read, I couldn't help but notice something....
Kalina is a Mary Sue.
Normally, a well written Mary Sue wouldn't bother me, and I must admit, Kallina is one of the better ones. However, she also annoyed me because of the story's title. You made two characters... Celebelen, who is the cliched, blatant, and annoying Mary Sue. You can spot her as being a Mary Sue right from the start. After all, any character that falls from the modern world into that of their favorite anime/book/TV show/etc. will be a Mary Sue. It's an unwritten law. Then there is Kallina. She has a bad temper, a bitchy disposition, no angsty past, and she doesn't have any annoying delusions about finding her true love. However... Kalina does have some typical Mary Sue traits:
1. She's beautiful. Of course, all elves are beautiful, but her beauty is elaborated upon a few times.
2. Every man in the story save her father wants her. What annoys me most about a lot of LOTR stories is how the Mary Sue will always somehow manage to make Legolas realize his twu wuv for her. Well, in this story, Legolas does not proclaim his eternal love for her. However, Kalina practically has him on a leash. He seems to be completely devoted to her, and even gets jealous when she shows interest in other men. Basically, Kalina snags Legolas. And Aragorn wants her too, despite being in a relationship with who Tolkien described as the most beautiful elf ever, her being Tinuviel incarnate and all... Did I spell that right? Probably not.
3. Everybody seems to adore her. Even Celebelen, who is constantly tormented by Kalina, wants to be her friend, even if it was only for the drugs. Even Arwen, who in the beginning despised her it seemed, came to feel a sisterly affection for her. While usually it wouldn't be necessary to have someone dislike Kalina, it might have helped. You know, to balance out nearly every man in the story wanting to fuck her brains out.
4. Kalina seems to have been put into the story to torture the Mary Sue. But besides the vile things she drives Celebelen to do, Kalina never seems to do anything really wrong, and even if she's doing something she knows her father wouldn't approve of, she never gets caught by him. She really doesn't seem to have any real flaws save for her violent nature. She's attractive, witty, intelligent, and must be good with weapons.
As I said, these things wouldn't bother me, because Kalina is a character that does seem to grow on you, but it's the hypocrisy of the whole story that gets to me. If you're going to write a parody in which you torment a Mary Sue, don't sub consciously make another one and insert her as a heroine. By all means, you should continue writing the story, because it is entertaining to read. It's a well written story. But really... Don't write a story meant to bash Mary Sues, when you write them yourself.
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