Suggested by: AmySirenWriter606

This might be a long one, I have... a lot of things to say about this topic.

All of the things I talk about in here are not the only way to do these, what's written here are mainly suggestions/ how I would do it. If you see something that I did not put in, feel free to add it in the comments!

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Now when people think of Mary-Sues, they usually think of the perfect, has every power one could want, as well as all the affection one could want and just overall the best character ever in the whole universe.

While that's a category of what a Mary Sue is, that's not the only way one could make a Mary Sue. In this section, I'll go into all the sub-categories of a what is, and what makes a Mary Sue, and solutions to these problems.

Sub-category 1- The Overpowered Sue

The Overpowered Sue, also known as the OP sue, is one of the more well known sues. As most of you can guess, this sue is the one that has tons of superpowers/ superhuman abilities.

When people write fanfics, they want their character to be super cool, and how do you do that? Well, you give your character bad ass powers. While this can be cool to write, your readers will eventually get bored that your character seems to have a power to solve every problem.

Your character shouldn't be stronger than the strongest hero-unless there's a good reason.

Now, I'm going to give some examples on how to do powers right. (Or, how to make sure they're not too Mary-sue)

1) Try giving your character only one power. I know some might think is boring, but there's actually a lot you can do even if there's only one power.
Ex; In my fic, A Dream of Light, the main character has the ability to manipulate light. With this power, she can generate light beams for offensive attacks, manipulate fire to some degree, create illusions, and turn invisible. While these seem like three different things, they're all rooted from the same power. Light beams because well, she manipulates light, fire is a type of light/ light source (she is unable to generate it herself), and for both the illusions and turning invisible— humans/ creatures perceive things by the light bouncing off of them, not the actual object/ being. By manipulating the light, she is able to make others see— or not see— something that is there.
She might have one main ability, but she can do many things with it.

2) Explain why exactly they might have more than one power, if they do. Giving your character multiple powers Isn't that bad in a general sense. There are many shows that have the main character have multiple powers, but the main issue is when they have multiple powers for no reason. The main fix, e x p l a i n why.
    Ex; I don't have a fic for this example, but I can still think one up. A good example is something along the BnHA lines. Think Todoroki. His quirk is fire and ice. Now, without an explanation, that would seem overpowered in the slightest. But, it was explained that Todoroki's dad *cough*flamingtrashcan *cough* has a fire ability, and his mother *cough* purebean *cough* has an ice ability. This explains why Todoroki's quirk is as it is. Your character can have multiple powers. Just explain how they have those multiple powers.

3) Give their power a weakness. When someone has a power, it can't be completely invincible. It should have at least one or two weaknesses. A weakness is one of the main factors of making sure your character isn't a sue.
Ex: If a character has the ability to manipulate water, make them weak against ice. If they have ice, make them weak against fire. What normally helps me thing of weaknesses for powers is thinking about pokemon typings. Sure, It might be extremely nerdy, but it really does help with figuring that type of stuff out.

Sub Category 2- The Sibling Sue
Now, this sue is mostly seen with fanfics. The OC being a sibling to one of the main characters. This isn't always bad, but it can get quite boring and annoying after a while of the same repeated trope. Just like the pervious category, there are ways of getting this trope right. And here they are!

1) Don't make them a copy of  the charter they are the sibling of. No two humans are exactly alike. Not even identical twins. Each person has their own personality, their own way of doing things. Though, when doing this, don't make them the complete opposite of their sibling. That can get boring and annoying as well.
Ex; If your character is the sibling of Haruhi (OHSHC) don't make them blunt and unamused by the host club. Maybe make them be more like a Tamaki. (Perfect shipping fuel tbh), and have them ecstatic and really into what the club has to offer. Make them being the one who forces Haruhi to do stuff with the club, make them be the ones who get Haruhi to be more social.

2) If they were away from the family/ sibling, make the reason a valid one. People tend to write their sues as if they were gone for a couple years and they were going back to finish up school, or to surprise their family. I've seen a lot of going to school abroad, which is fine, but why did they go abroad for school? Experiencing a different culture? The school offers something the OC is interested in? (Arts <dance, drawing, painting, digital design, ect.>) i don't really have an example, but the main thing is to explain reasons as to w h y they were away.

Sub Category 3- The Perfect Sue
This is the main Mary Sue that people think of when this topic is mentioned. This sue is the absolute perfect being of all! Talented, Attractive, Amazing personality, perfect at everything. A term I have for this character is: A Cardboard Cutout. They have a bland personality that's boring to read about, and pretty much as interesting as a blank cardboard cutout. There's really just one way to fix this. (Feel free to add more if you know em!)

1) Give your character flaws or little quirks. People relate more to characters that have flaws and quirks. Give them a habit of scratching their arm when they're nervous. Or maybe some scars on their face that make their looks more interesting— or freckles. Freckles are freaking adorable. Flaws make a character more Relatable, they make them more human.

Sub Category 4- The Tragic Sue
<This one might get kinds touchy feely, so, sorry about that>
The tragic Sue... oh man. This one is used a ton in the fanfic community. While a little tragedy isn't bad (pleasegivemeangst.) A lot can lead to the perfect tragic sue. With this Sue, their life is all tragedy. It's like a Shakespeare play. These sues are depressed and cut every day— until that one person comes into their life. (I'm not dissing on cutting or, that's a serious issue and whoever does it needs all the love and support they can get)

The main thing with this category is the backstories. When people create a character, they have to give them a backstory. Though, when people give a backstory, ends up tragic. You guys know the type. Parent(s) die in an accident, character thingks they're the reason for it, so on so fourth. Now, I'm normally a s l u t for tragic backstories, but when done wrong, they get annoying.

1) Don't kill off a parent. Not all tragic backstories have to deal with a parent dying. Kill a little sibling, or a family pet that the character cherished. Sure, it's not as impactful as a parent death, but by this time, an orphaned character is overused beyond hell.

2) Abusive Relationships. Holy s h i t. This topic. This topic is absolutely overused— and in the wrong way. Some people write this in a way that makes it not a big deal. When someone gets physically or emotionally abused, it's not just like "Oh, yeah, that happens." No. The character will be traumatized, and the littlest of things can trigger something within them. A raising of a hand for a high five can cause the character to think that person much be moving to strike a blow at them, a simple word could trigger memories. Abusive relationships are not something people should be brushing off as something that happens. It's a serious issue that needs to be dealt with. Don't use it as a pity card trope.

Oh, right, the pity card. Some people might not know what that is. Let me explain. When someone pulled a pity card, it's to make the reader/ listener feel bad for them and start rooting for them. The pity card is a cheap way to get sympathy. Writers use it on their characters to get the reader to feel a bit more sympathy for them. Ah— I should add that the pity card— if used the right way— can work well for the plot. As long as it's not written as a cheap way to get sympathy, you're good. (I described that awfully. If you want some clarification, feel free to ask, I'll try to clear it up)

Sub category 5- The Mental Sue <This one will also get touchy... Since I kinda of had some personal experience with mental stuff myself... Anyways- onto the advice> This sue has an abundance of mental disorders just because. Mental disorders are not something that's meant to be portrayed in fics. It's not supposed to be a trend.

Here's my advice for this one.

1) If your character has a mental disorder, please do research. Portraying a mental disorder incorrectly can cause some severe consequences for some readers. Do your research when looking up effects each disorder has on a character.
    Ex; If a character has depression, they'll be feeling a loss if interest in activities they previously like, they might experience anxiety, mood swings, hopelessness, insomnia, excessive crying, fatigue, social isolation, weight gain or loss, and/ or thoughts of suicide. That's only to name a few symptoms. While thoughts of suicide and excessive are part of the depressive disorder, they're not the only things that a person can experience when they're depressed. Do your research, present mental disorders properly.

2) Keep the disorder throughout the whole fic. I've read so many fics where the disorder is just... miraculously gone temporarily. That doesn't happen in really life. Sure, you might feel better but the disorder will still always be there, lurking in the corners of the mind. It's like a dark cloud that always follows you, no matter where you go, no matter what you do. It will always be there. Please keep the mental disorder through the entire fic.

Sub Category 6- The Self Insert Sue
This sue is very common in the fanfic community, but if done right, it's not always a bad thing. I totally understand wanting to write yourself into a show and meeting the characters, I would. Though there are a few things I gotta say about that.

1) Make the character slightly different than your own being. Don't just write yourself. Sure, you're writing a Self insert character, but they don't have to be exactly you.
Ex: In my two Rose books, the main character Himiko is heavily based off of myself. Mainly in personality (Terrible puns, teasing friends, all that fun stuff) but with her looks, I took some liberties. I'm not as pretty as I write Himiko. Sure, I might not be ugly, but I'm not as pretty as I write Himiko. She's technically my Self insert character, though people wouldn't know unless I pointed it out. (Or if they knew me in real life...) but in that way, I can tell some separation between myself and my character.

And, that's all I can think of for now. If anyone wants to add anything, feel free to suggest it in the comments below. I've also made a tumblr for this! I'll be posted on my Bio in the next hour or so. Pretty much, you guys can submit characters (specifically their descriptions) and I'll review them, give advice here and there, and pretty much try to help you guys with improving you characters. Of course, everything is in my opinion and you won't have to change everything I suggest. It's only advice! Also, I will not be judging artistic skill/ styles (unless asked to), my main focus will be on the character itself.

Thanks Sinners for reading!