My character would be a Vulcan/Betazoid hybrid who serves as the
ship's Morale Officer, an entertainer, and a Counselor. Someone who
doesn't have a lot of education, but can pick up the things he's
taught pretty quickly.
That's "Mary Sue" to the nth degree for many. I don't personally think
so, but I'm partial to him! :p
On 4/3/12, jeandeschanel <jeandeschanel@gmail.com> wrote:
> All I would say to that is that not all Mary Sues are created equal. Just
> throwing together a character with an unusual number of talents is nothing
> to surprise anybody, certainly, but some people go way, way overboard to the
> point where just calling it a pet peeve doesn't quite cover the problem.
>
> For example, in our ST simm we have a 24-year-old character who in addition
> to being a gorgeous multi-hyphenate genius is a senior lieutenant and Chief
> of Science. She speaks half a dozen languages, her Ph.D thesis was a
> mathematical proof describing the probability of God's existence (which of
> course she can't describe) and her sole 'weakness' is that she has limited
> social skills, which of course makes her so much more relatable.
>
> It all might be forgiven if the player knew much about science, wrote
> exceptionally well or even posted often. Instead many of us spend a lot of
> time writing around the character. Considering that our ship is intended to
> be a science vessel, it isn't especially enjoyable. If there weren't several
> good writers around to make up for him, the simm probably wouldn't be worth
> the trouble.
>
> But this is what most people would call a classic Mary Sue. It isn't just
> about multi-colored eyes or a pet unicorn. There are certain personality
> characteristics such players seem to possess in common - born out of what I
> assume is egocentrism or narcissism - that eventually lead to frustration,
> resentment and misunderstandings. They don't want to share a plausible
> reality; they need a reality that accomodates an implausible conception.
> Sorry, but I can't blame any GM for regarding that as a red flag.
>
>
>
>> On 4/2/12, Taryn Noelle <miss_taryn_noelle@...> wrote:
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > My name is Taryn and I've been lurking here for a while watching the ads
>> > go
>> > by. I realize I am late to this discussion, but after reading the *many*
>> > posts about it I wanted to say a few things.
>> >
>> > I've been writing in the role-play universe for over a decade as both
>> > list
>> > owner and member. I know grammar, I know how to spell, and I feel that
>> > the
>> > characters I have created and written in the universes I have played in
>> > (sci-fi, sci-fi erotic, medieval Master/slave scenarios, one on one
>> > romance)
>> > are interesting to read and play off of. But after reading all of the
>> > things
>> > that annoy people I must say that I would be reticent to join *any* list
>> > at
>> > this point because I am certain I have done some of the things that
>> > annoy
>> > people. I'm sure that any neophyte players must be petrified by now.
>> >
>> > That being said I would like to say that there is a difference between
>> > "red
>> > flags" and "pet peeves". Red flags are things that can be a detriment to
>> > all
>> > players and thus, the story and finally, the list group as a whole.
>> >
>> > The biggest red flag in a world where people are writing is, people who
>> > can't write. I've seen a lot of ads come through here asking for
>> > experienced
>> > writers and demanding writing samples by people who themselves have
>> > misspelled the ad! That tells me (as an experienced writer), the level
>> > of
>> > experience and expertise on that list. Yes, we all make typos, but when
>> > I
>> > see the same word misspelled over and over in an ad, that is someone who
>> > can't spell and neglected to go over things with a spell checker.
>> >
>> > Another thing is characters who vanish, either with or without extensive
>> > bios. Unfortunately a list owner won't know a player is a flake until
>> > this
>> > happens. It has happened on a few of my lists. All I could do is refuse
>> > to
>> > take back said player.
>> >
>> > Everything else I've seen in the messages I've read (I haven't read them
>> > all) is pet peeves of individual list owners:
>> >
>> > Characters who have odd name spellings / characters who have mythical
>> > creature companions / characters who are invincible / characters who
>> > are
>> > Mary-Sue / characters whose character name and handle are the same /
>> > characters whose skill-set and history don't match / characters with
>> > sappy
>> > backstories / characters with vague backstories / crossover characters /
>> > characters with dual-colored eyes / the list goes on.
>> >
>> > These are NOT red flags. I mean, dual-colored eyes. Really??? If you can
>> > SPELL and write an engaging story I couldn't care less what color your
>> > eyes
>> > are.
>> >
>> > I agree that invincible/too powerful/all powerful characters are no fun
>> > to
>> > play off unless everyone is like that, but again, that is just my own
>> > personal preference.
>> >
>> > Me, I've used the same character name and handle - doesn't mean I'm
>> > stuck on
>> > myself. It just means I like the damn name. RP *is* wish-fulfillment to
>> > much
>> > extent. For some it's ability. For others it's an eye color. For me it's
>> > a
>> > name. We're all Mary-Sues too. Some people are more MS than others.
>> > Again it
>> > comes under wish-fulfillment which is what much of RP is.
>> >
>> > In my own experience, lists made up of 10 or less people are the most
>> > successful, especially if all the writers were friends in the first
>> > place
>> > because they are generally all into the same genre/fandom and they all
>> > have
>> > the same goals.
>> >
>> > I think these ads are wonderful, but courting strangers is the reason
>> > all
>> > these pet peeves are coming out because when someone creates a list,
>> > that is
>> > their universe and they have specific ideas of what they want to happen
>> > in
>> > their universe. Most strangers can never live up to what the list owner
>> > desires.
>> >
>> > My advice, for what it's worth and you can all take it with a grain of
>> > salt:
>> > look at the writing quality first, reliability second. Everything else
>> > can
>> > be worked out. Good writers are worth their weight in gold in the RP
>> > world.
>> > If you get a good one, keep them :)
>> >
>> > Taryn
>> > :)
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>
>
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