Mary Sue Hunter: Difference between revisions

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Usually, these stories are done in a style similar to ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', taking excerpts from some other [[Fanfic]] writer's work and building around it. The tone will usually be [[Deadpan Snarker|cynical and satirical]].
Usually, these stories are done in a style similar to ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'', taking excerpts from some other [[Fanfic]] writer's work and building around it. The tone will usually be [[Deadpan Snarker|cynical and satirical]].


While some works with this sort of character are revered, random examples of this genre are not as accepted as normal [[MST]]s. Writers are expected to ask permission to [[MST]] another fanfic. Mary Sue Hunters will at best humiliate, and more likely kill and humiliate, the Mary Sues hunted; it's hard to get permission for ''that,'' and there is expected to be honor amongst fanfic writers. Thus, these stories tend to get banned from most regular fanfic communities, and [[YMMV|might possibly not be a good idea]].
While some works with this sort of character are revered, random examples of this genre are not as accepted as normal [[MST]]s. Writers are expected to ask permission to [[MST]] another fanfic. Mary Sue Hunters will at best humiliate, and more likely kill and humiliate, the Mary Sues hunted; it's hard (but possible, given the right badfic author) to get permission for ''that,'' and there is expected to be honor amongst fanfic writers. Thus, these stories tend to get banned from most regular fanfic communities.


Mary Sue Hunters are more tolerated if the author also creates the prey—that is, the Sues hunted. These will usually be [[Parody Sue]]s by definition; the stories they appear in probably won't exist outside the Hunter fic, if there.
An alternative that's more respectful than hunting without permission and easier than getting permission is if the author also creates the Sues in their fics. These will usually be [[Parody Sue]]s by definition, or the Sues from the author's old fanfics; the stories they appear in probably won't exist outside the Hunter fic, if there.


The big problem with this sort of character and this sort of sport is [[He Who Fights Monsters]]. The kinds of Mary Sues that most need hunting are the ones who [[Black Hole Sue|warp the reality of their 'verses]] to resist it. The more Mary Sues your Mary Sue Hunter can successfully take down, and the easier the takedowns, the more likely her name could land on some other Mary Sue Hunter's list. Also, not all authors or Hunters can reliably tell if an [[Original Character]] is a Mary Sue, but Hunters are almost always presumed to be able to tell—they don't generally say "[[My God, What Have I Done?]]?" So statistically, they are slightly more likely to be a Mary Sue than an OC without an agenda. Some works in this genre, inc. the [[Trope Codifier]], have recognized this.
The big problem with writing this sort of character and this sort of fic is [[He Who Fights Monsters]]. The kinds of Mary Sues that most need hunting are the ones who [[Black Hole Sue|warp the reality of their 'verses]] to resist it. The more Mary Sues your Mary Sue Hunter can successfully take down, and the easier the takedowns, the more likely her name could land on some other Mary Sue Hunter's list. Also, not all authors or Hunters can reliably tell if an [[Original Character]] is a Mary Sue, but Hunters are almost always presumed to be able to tell—they don't generally [[My God, What Have I Done?|accidentally attack innocent characters]]. So statistically, they are slightly more likely to be a Mary Sue than an OC without an agenda. Some works in this genre, inc. the [[Trope Codifier]], have recognized this.


{{examples}}
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

* In the ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'' fanfic ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4583644/1/Not_the_Usual_Kaiba Not the Usual Kaiba]'', Mokuba seems to be turning into one.
== [[Anime]] ==
* In ''[[Naruto Veangance Revelaitons]]'', an ending that the author's former stepbrother wrote has [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Edfred]] and his boyfriend Muskoka restore the cast to normal, enabling them to kill the hated main character, who easily fell into ''several'' Mary Sue categories.
* In the [[Yu-Gi-Oh!]] fanfic [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4583644/1/Not_the_Usual_Kaiba Not the Usual Kaiba], Mokuba seems to be turning into one.
* In [[Naruto Veangance Revelaitons]], an ending that the author's former stepbrother wrote has [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Edfred]] and his boyfriend Muskoka restore the cast to normal, enabling them to kill the hated main character, who easily fell into ''several'' Mary Sue categories.


== [[Literature]] ==
== [[Literature]] ==
* [[Limyaael's Fantasy Rants|Limyaael]] wrote [http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1518794/1/The_Game_of_the_Gods The Game Of The Gods], a [[Lord of the Rings]] fanfic that has [[Ultimate Evil|Morgoth]] playing a game with Varda where he creates Mary Sues and places them in Middle-Earth while his opponents use logic and the rules of Tolkienian canon to kill them.
* [[Limyaael's Fantasy Rants|Limyaael]] wrote ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1518794/1/The_Game_of_the_Gods The Game Of The Gods]'', a ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' fanfic that has [[Ultimate Evil|Morgoth]] playing a game with Varda where he creates Mary Sues and places them in Middle-Earth while his opponents use logic and the rules of Tolkienian canon to kill them.
* ''[[Redwall]]'' fandom used to have these. It was headed by a [[Deadpan Snarker|weasel named Kelaiah]] and a [[Action Girl|pine marten.]]
* ''[[Redwall]]'' fandom used to have these. It was headed by a [[Deadpan Snarker|weasel named Kelaiah]] and a [[Action Girl|pine marten.]]


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== Multi-Fandom ==
== Multi-Fandom ==
* ''[http://indiemadnesse.sandwich.net/extract/extract.html Self-Extraction]'' is a story about a [[Badass Normal]] former [[BattleTech]] Pilot who joined the Agency to stop the intrusion of the Dream Maker, a person who lets people live out their fantasies in other dimensions which have in some way caused trouble. Sues range from [[God Mode Sue|crushing the toughest folks in]] [[Street Fighter]], [[Sugar Apocalypse|attempting to kill]] [[Barney and Friends|Barney the Dinosaur]] and [[Eldritch Abomination|becoming an all-powerful demon god just because the person wants to create a CrapsackWorld with several worlds completely empty]].
* ''[http://indiemadnesse.sandwich.net/extract/extract.html Self-Extraction]'' is a story about a [[Badass Normal]] former [[BattleTech]] Pilot who joined the Agency to stop the intrusion of the Dream Maker, a person who lets people live out their fantasies in other dimensions which have in some way caused trouble. Sues range from [[God Mode Sue|crushing the toughest folks in]] [[Street Fighter]], [[Sugar Apocalypse|attempting to kill]] [[Barney and Friends|Barney the Dinosaur]] and [[Eldritch Abomination|becoming an all-powerful demon god just because the person wants to create a CrapsackWorld with several worlds completely empty]].
* The webcomic [http://www.drunkduck.com/Mary_Sue_Academy Mary Sue Academy] has a group of Mary Sue Hunters as villains (sort of).
* The webcomic [https://web.archive.org/web/20120620214428/http://www.drunkduck.com/Mary_Sue_Academy/ Mary Sue Academy] has a group of Mary Sue Hunters as villains (sort of).
* ''[[Lynching ITP]]'' is a set of [[Play-By-Post Games]] which combine this with [[Mega Crossover]], usually directed at the worlds of ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'' or ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'', though it has a tendency to turn into an [[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]] with the Sues in the background.
* ''[[Lynching ITP]]'' is a set of [[Play-By-Post Games]] which combine this with [[Mega Crossover]], usually directed at the worlds of ''[[Twilight (novel)|Twilight]]'' or ''[[The Inheritance Cycle]]'', though it has a tendency to turn into an [[Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny]] with the Sues in the background.



Latest revision as of 01:56, 21 October 2022

A character who hunts Mary Sues in other Fanfic stories to get rid of them. Also, the format of story the Hunter appears in. This genre appears in sheltered corners of many fanfic communities and more openly in some places.

The genre did not exist before The Nineties, that being when the oldest Mary Sue Litmus Tests started circulating.

The hunter will use a definition of Mary Sue most often based on Common Mary Sue Traits, or perhaps just select Original Characters who really annoy her. The Original Character (or more rarely, a retrofit a canon character) will kill, maim, injure, arrest, expose, discredit, "purify", or otherwise remove another Original Character and their influence from an established canon. Think Revenge Fic, but for Mary Sue.

Usually, these stories are done in a style similar to Mystery Science Theater 3000, taking excerpts from some other Fanfic writer's work and building around it. The tone will usually be cynical and satirical.

While some works with this sort of character are revered, random examples of this genre are not as accepted as normal MSTs. Writers are expected to ask permission to MST another fanfic. Mary Sue Hunters will at best humiliate, and more likely kill and humiliate, the Mary Sues hunted; it's hard (but possible, given the right badfic author) to get permission for that, and there is expected to be honor amongst fanfic writers. Thus, these stories tend to get banned from most regular fanfic communities.

An alternative that's more respectful than hunting without permission and easier than getting permission is if the author also creates the Sues in their fics. These will usually be Parody Sues by definition, or the Sues from the author's old fanfics; the stories they appear in probably won't exist outside the Hunter fic, if there.

The big problem with writing this sort of character and this sort of fic is He Who Fights Monsters. The kinds of Mary Sues that most need hunting are the ones who warp the reality of their 'verses to resist it. The more Mary Sues your Mary Sue Hunter can successfully take down, and the easier the takedowns, the more likely her name could land on some other Mary Sue Hunter's list. Also, not all authors or Hunters can reliably tell if an Original Character is a Mary Sue, but Hunters are almost always presumed to be able to tell—they don't generally accidentally attack innocent characters. So statistically, they are slightly more likely to be a Mary Sue than an OC without an agenda. Some works in this genre, inc. the Trope Codifier, have recognized this.

Examples of Mary Sue Hunter include:

Anime and Manga

  • In the Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfic Not the Usual Kaiba, Mokuba seems to be turning into one.
  • In Naruto Veangance Revelaitons, an ending that the author's former stepbrother wrote has Edfred and his boyfriend Muskoka restore the cast to normal, enabling them to kill the hated main character, who easily fell into several Mary Sue categories.

Literature

Live-Action TV

Multi-Fandom

Web Original