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Part I

The Evil That Is The Mary Sue (dun Dun DUUUUN)

First, before we launch into tips and advice, I want to discuss a fatal flaw that will ensure your character unbalanced, flat, boring and probably really annoying as well.

And that flaw is: creating a Mary Sue.

Mary Sues (and their male counterparts--usually called Marty Stus or Gary Stus) are a huge issue in the role playing community. Not only are they sort of disturbingly common but they're really irritating to RP with for "Non-Suers". And it is often extremely difficult for most people to admit a character they love, is in fact, a very dull and annoying Mary Sue. The name itself has gotten to where it has such negative connotations that people get mad just hearing it. But the fact is, Mary Sues need to be addressed because creating one unknowingly is by far the most common mistake people make.

The main issue with a Mary Sue is that this character is entirely self indulgent. The character is not meant to be a tool used in the RP nor are they there to help support the plot or become an integral part of the RP. The character serves almost no purpose than to gratify the personal whims and desires of its creator, usually serving as wish fulfillment and nothing else.

Because of this, the owner very often tries to ingratiate other characters to them or cause unnecessary drama in order to make scenes revolve around their character. If not that, they’re constantly coming up with scenarios to showcase how great their character is (their character always has the answer, always has the right skill at the right moment, always is right, just, good, bad a**, etc). Rather than integrating with the RP, they usually disrupt the RP with the need for their character to always be in the limelight.

Because their owner favors this character and is very emotionally attached to them, said owner tends to get angry when people or characters dislike the Mary Sue. If a character the Mary Sue is pursuing rejects them, the owner gets angry. If other characters openly insult or dislike the Mary Sue, the owner gets angry and suggests that other people ‘don’t get’ their Mary Sue and becomes personally offended (or, conversely that they themselves "don't get" whichever character dislikes their Mary Sue.)

This attitude can cause irritation and drama within an RP group. And is, in large part, why they are to be avoided.

A Mary Sue Litmus test is a good way to see if your character is happily situated in Sue Land—provided you are willing and able to answer the questions honestly (and trust me, if you have a Sue and you claim you’ve taken a test and passed it…no one will believe you. You cannot fool people into not recognizing a Sue for what it is.)

So really, what is a Mary Sue? Well, by definition, Mary Sues are overly idealistic, very often stereotypical and they usually have no notable flaws. So what does it mean to be overly idealistic? Usually it means that your character has far too many ‘romanticized’ qualities. They’re typically very attractive, very wise, very street smart, very witty, very clever, very powerful/strong, very unique or very…a lot of things. They always have the right answers, always figure out the solution, they avoid consequences of their actions, win everyone over with their kindness/generosity/charming smile/and so on.

At the same time, they generally have few real, significant flaws. They might be ‘too trusting’ or ‘too honest’ or (heaven help us) ‘too pretty’ or a host of other things that aren’t viable character flaws. A real flaw is something overtly negative—like being a coward. Or being whiny, bitchy, arrogant or anything that might make someone genuinely dislike the character for reasons other than “jealousy.”

Unlike a good character, which has a balance of positive and negative traits, Mary Sues tend to lean significantly toward the positive. The major problem is that the flaws the character actually does have—usually arrogance, being a know-it-all, being whiny, clingy or helpless—the owner doesn’t acknowledge. Usually because the owner doesn’t have a realistic view of the character and doesn’t realize that the character is any of those things. The owner justifies everything the character does and blames other characters and players when their character does something stupid. I’ve actually seen a Sue owner claim another character was making her Mary Sue look like a hypocrite when the fact was that her Mary Sue was actually making herself look like a hypocrite.

So how to avoid creating a Mary Sue? Well hopefully by following the tips we address later on, you’ll be able to side step most of the pitfalls that lead to Mary Sue creation. If you already have an existing character, the best thing to do is read these posts anyway to see if you’ve made any of the mistakes addressed and take the Mary Sue Litmus test—and be completely honest with your answers.

For now, be aware of why Mary Sues are a problem. They are lifeless, boring, often extremely irritating and lame. And usually they are a source of constant negative drama. People don't like them and don't like RPing with them--so if you RP one, people are generally going to dislike RPing with you.

Part 3

Giving Your Character an Appropriate Name and Age.

They may seem insignificant but these are usually two of the first things on any character profile or work sheet. You would be surprised at how often I see people attempt to use names that are completely inappropriate for a specific setting. I’m sorry but you’re not going to see many Legolases running around Victorian England (thank goodness). Neither are you going to see many girls named D'estiny running around in Middle Earth (hopefully you don’t see many of them running around anywhere but we’ll get to that in a moment.) Make sure the name you choose fits the setting—standing out is not always a good thing. This goes back to understanding your setting. High fantasy names are great in a high fantasy setting. But usually not anywhere else. Medieval fantasy names need to be real or have a realistic sound to them. And trendy modern names (this includes trendy “unique” spellings of names in most cases) do not fit in historical settings at all where in most science fiction settings, you can get away with almost anything name-wise.

If you find yourself giving your character an unusual name (for the setting), ask yourself why. “It looks cool” is usually not a good enough reason to name someone Mykal instead of Michael. Though, it is sometimes okay to give your character a name that stands out though, provided you’ve not given them over 9000 other traits to make them stand out (we’ll be covering this topic of not over doing it again and again). Again, it’s about balance. One or two quirks can add interest. Six or seven ‘quirks’ will make people roll their eyes. More than that and you should probably burn your character. With fire. And possibly gasoline. A unique, special name for a character who is already in the ‘unique snowflake’ realm is not going to make them more unique. It’s going to make them less unique and more cliché and annoying.

A final note on naming—try to avoid giving your character self proclaimed titles. In some cases it can work, such as when it’s an alias for a criminal. But naming your character something like The Lotus Princess or Sparkly Angel Eyes or Lord of Shadow for no reason does not make them special or cool. Try to be cognizant of when a title would be appropriate and when a title is not necessary—for instance, when a person uses an alias to avoid using their real name because they are a spy, criminal or have some other job that would require an alias. Everyone knows The Dread Pirate Roberts sounds a bit better than Captain Bob. But The Lotus Princess is probably never a good idea. Especially not for a random noble who's never done anything important her entire life.

And again, try not to go overboard. Usually if your self-proclaimed title is something about angels, princesses, lords, demons, shadows and so on, it’s probably a bit on the melodramatic side. Titles are usually meant to be a bit fancy, yes, but not that fancy.

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As far as age is concerned, the most important thing to remember is that whatever age you choose for your character, they should look their age (obviously certain cases require special treatment, such as any humanoid creature that doesn’t age naturally) and they should act their age. Playing a six year old is all good and well. But not when the six year old acts twelve and is generally the most articulate, witty, clever, smart, super awesome six year old in the history of under aged characters. Children are children—while they sometimes display uncanny wisdom or maturity, their thought processes are still those of children. Their brains are not fully developed and function differently than adults. This is a fact.

And frankly, the same is true of teenagers as well. The older you get, the more adult you act, however a fifteen year old in your typical setting, should not be running their own successful business, living successfully on their own and getting the best of adults left and right or be the king’s most trusted adviser, scientist, astronomer, body guard, etc. I realize there are exceptions but when every fifteen year old in the role play is an exception, there’s an issue. There are prodigies, yes. And if you’re playing one, you should say so.

And if you’re not playing one, your teenager or child should be immature sometimes and make poor choices slightly more often than an adult. They should be somewhat intimidated by at least some adults around them as well. And if they are cocky, confident and completely sure of themselves—you have to be willing to accept that sometimes that attitude will be entirely unfounded. (Meaning that sometimes they will be confident and FAIL specifically because they are a child.)

I think I’ve ever really seen someone over-age a character one time so I’ll say this—usually by the time someone is in their twenties, they are coming into their own. Unless there are extreme circumstances, they have developed their own personality and achieved some level of autonomy and personal assertiveness and independence (er...unless they’re one of those nerds who lives in their parents’ basement and constantly gets bullied by their mom and older sisters.) Playing them as childlike--unless they have some sort of mental disorder--is going to squash all life and all that is interesting right out of them.

When you select an age for your character, consider whether first of all you really understand the limitations of that age group (and if you don't...choose an age you DO have a grasp on) and secondly, whether you’re willing to impose those limitations on your character and have them look and act whatever age you’ve chosen.

Part 5

Avoid going overboard with the personality.

Hopefully by this point you’re starting to see the trend of idealism vs. realistic. I will out right state that realistic trumps idealistic in every way and is far, far more interesting. However, it can be tricky deciding what a realistic personality is when the RP setting itself isn’t realistic. But it’s always possible to give a character a personality that is realistic for the setting and for the sort of background you give them. And it’s especially important, again, to not overly idealize or demonize their personality traits. You’re not trying to create a walking cliché. You want someone with a unique set of traits that work together to create a unique personality.

First of all, it’s important to balance traits you perceive as “good” traits with genuinely “bad” traits. I’m using this wording because I realize that the traits we perceive as desirable aren’t always commonly thought of as “good.” Generally it’s not good to have a quick temper but these kinds of characters are popular because they’re fun to play (hey, you get to tell off anyone and everyone at the drop of the hat—what’s not to love?) so this might be a trait you perceive as being “good”—which means it needs to be balanced by something you perceive as negative. People with quick tempers tend to get mad over unreasonable things—not all their anger is justified or directed the right person. That flaw is what makes them Human. It gives them a personal struggle as they have to cope with sometimes having to admit they’re wrong. You can’t have a quick tempered person whose anger is always justified and who always wins the argument. It doesn’t make sense with what it realistically means to be quick tempered.

However, just because a characters a mix of “good” and “bad” traits, it doesn’t mean they’re balanced. Usually these traits have to be related to one another to work. A kind, compassionate soul who only wants to help and serve others for the good of mankind (all positive) isn’t necessarily balanced out by a deep rooted melancholy that cannot be cured with time or love. This is mostly because of the reason I stated above. Even though one might ordinarily list depression as a bad quality, if it’s a quality you desire your character to have, it may not necessarily be a “negative” trait. Not if you intend to play it up in a way to make the character likeable and pitiable by others. A bad trait is usually something that is not meant to make your character look good somehow.

Second of all, it’s important to avoid melodrama. If you’re not sure what this term really means, it means that the ‘drama’ isn’t logical or is just there for the sake of being dramatic but serves no other purpose. It means the person is acting in a way that is too extreme for the situation at the expense of characterization. An example of this would be someone getting overly self righteous and angry at something pretty small—one character is careless and causes Person A to trip and fall. So Person B completely flips out because Person A was due to someone’s negligence and demands righteous punishment to befall anyone selfish enough to accidentally cause them injury.

Melodrama also tends to present as a traumatic situation or past experience to which your character does not seem to be reacting realistically given their personality. This can manifest in so very many ways. I’ve seen many, many people fall into obvious traps with this sort of thing. A young woman who endured a tragic past with men who kidnapped, raped her and held her prisoner for years but was completely well adjusted, trusting and interested in romance upon her escape.

No.

While characters who have a traumatic past do not have to angst all the time about it all the time, their past WILL impact their ability to trust and often to form long lasting relationships. But at the same time, if your character endured, say, an abusive situation, you can’t have them sadly and quietly weeping all the time. The main thing is to ask what the motivation is for the drama (side note here: sometimes, even if you have a decent motivation, execution can make drama fail horribly and ruin your character. But that’s more about writing skills and I’m not going there. Just be aware of that).

If you have a real reason for putting the drama there, it’s less likely that the character will seem melodramatic. For example—let’s say you wish to play a character that is gloomy, pessimistic and cynical. Usually the people are this way because they’ve led an unhappy life and it’s led them to a point where they rarely expect good things and are generally negative people (not *mopey*…negative. It’s different). Past trauma, therefore, is a good way to explain such a personality. So explaining (not excusing or justifying—just explaining) someone’s personality is a good reason for past drama. As long as their personality seems like it could reasonably have developed from their situation.

Past trauma does not always result in negative personalities. While it can lead to melancholy, cynicism and all those sorts of things, trauma can also cause a person to become very strong. Determination, perseverance, nurturing, forgiving—these are also examples of things that can come from trauma. As far as Druid Saga goes compare Rue and Sethrian (I’m using these two because as of posting this, they are interacting so they make a good comparison. Sethrian’s past has led him to become cynical and pessimistic and he often broods about how other people dislike him. He’s a very negative person in general and this is something Trevyn has been trying to help him overcome. Rue, on the other hand, has also dealt with the same prejudice and difficult past. She is optimistic, patient and tolerant. These are all traits she developed because she had to learn to deal with intolerance but refused to let that trait develop in herself. They’re an example of how a similar past can really lead to two very different people.

The point is that a character's personality is demonstrated by their reactions to their environment and the emotions they typically feel in response to things. And these specific personality traits and reactions always have motivations which are typically revealed by the character’s history, setting, age, appearance, as the events in our lives are what shape who we are an these events are determined by our environment (setting) and filtered through things like how our age affects how we perceive things.

All of these things work together to form a unique and interesting personality.