Allura: What do you mean I'm a canon Mary Sue? I'm the last surviving monarch in my family's line, after they all died tragically. My beauty is so captivating, I literally sparkle. I've driven the son of my arch enemy to distraction with said beauty. I faint or get hurt, and everyone fawns over me. Oh, and I became a member of the elite fighting team that will save my planet, people, and the universe. What do you mean, I'm a canon Sue??
Who the heck is Mary Sue, you ask? The way I understand it, Mary Sue is a generic moniker bestowed on certain, and often stereotypical, original characters inserted into fan fictions. Mary Sues occur across every genre of fiction, and are at their most unbearable when they are a simple matter of the author inserting themselves into the adventure and living vicariously through their character. This style of writing usually leads to the horribly cliched plots, hokey dialogue, and predictable outcomes that doom the fic and mark it to be reviled by followers of the fandom forever. Not exactly the fame most authors seek, but surprisingly, many indulge themselves in Mary Suism.
While it can be said that Mary Sue types abound in the original story -- for instance, in many ways Allura possesses many Mary Sue qualities -- it's generally regarded as far worse when an author takes an existing universe like Voltron, and tosses in their own Mary Sue. Readers are then left with not only the original Mary Sue, Allura, to deal with but now they have to contend with an author created character trying to out-Mary Sue *her*!
I must say, I have read some excellently written stories that include a Mary Sue character. Basically, if the author is careful to portray their Mary Sue believably within a well thought out plot, the story is a good read. This page, however, is going to have fun with the "bad" fics that star those indestructable, captivatingly beautiful, Mary Sues.
The Mary Sue Drinking Game: Have you read some fiction featuring terribly written Mary Sues? Next time you go surfing for Voltron fic, get something out of it. Get drunk!
The Cheeze Whiz Chronicles: As if writing a blantant Mary Sue takes much imagination, I've made the task even *simpler* for you aspiring melodrama queens. Customize your very own Mary Sue character and the adventure in which she stars.
Mary Sue Litmus Test: Worried your character is a Sue? Take a test and see where they land on a scale from ok to meh.
