A Guide To Redwall Mary Sue

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If you read fanfiction, you should already know who Mary Sue is. She's been in Middle Earth, she's been to Hogwarts, now she's invading Mossflower. She is the perky fifteen-year-old human girl who appears suddenly one day at Redwall. She is the astonishingly beautiful daughter of the warrior mouse, the much-abused weasel maiden who turns to the side of good for revenge on her tormentors. Whoever she is, she is more beautiful than Rose, of genius IQ, a better swordbeast than Zigu, and usually a great singer. In short, she is the too-perfect fanfiction character whom everybeast loves to hate. Check out the inspiration for this guide, Feana Puddlefoot's Essential Guide to Mary Sue for more information. Hers is for Lord of the Rings, but it's good information on all types of Sue.
Disclaimer: I do not own Redwall or any of its characters, unfortunately. Fortunately, however, neither do I own Mary Sue.

Breeds of Redwall Mary Sue

~Mary Sue Classic~
The most common Sue, and fairly easy to spot. Might have unusual eyes or fur - possibly of a colour not found in nature or maybe just very striking, like Ferahgo's eyes. Definitely very beautiful, sometimes transcending species barriers. May be a descendant or relation of a famous canon character (Martin and Mariel are most used.) Sweet, kind, good, pure etc. Can sometimes persuade an evil villain to become good, just because she is so perfect and everyone loves her. Generally the typical Mary Sue.
Most likely species?:
Mouse, otter or hare.
Tragic past?:
Sometimes, but usually she's led a sheltered life in the Abbey or at Salamandastron.
Will she die?:
Possibly. It will definitely be a tragic death if it happens.

~Warrior Sue.~
Basically a cross between Trisscar Swordmaid and Xena Warrior Princess. She can slay a hundred rats single-pawed, with nary a hair out of place, despite never having had any formal weapons training. Usually there is a Martin visitation instead. She will of course capture the heart of at least one male, but won't surrender to him without a fight. Will he win her love? Of course. This is a Mary Sue we're talking about.
Most likely species?:
Otter or hare, sometimes squirrel.
Tragic past?:
Usually. Often she was a slave and/or saw her parents murdered by such-and-such-a-villain. She will make a long, dramatic speech about how determined she is to kill said villain.
Will she die?:
Sometimes, once she has achieved her goal, or in the process of achieving said goal. Possibly she will die in the paws of aforementioned male, finally realising her love for him (a bit late, don't you think?)

~Canon Sue.~
Some authoresses worship Rose or Mariel to the point of wanting to become them. So, write a story featuring this poor maiden, tweak her to act like the author and/or be even prettier and bang! A Canon Sue is born. This is known as "slaughtering the character". If Rose has been resurrected, or Mariel is angsting to Dandin about her problems, chances are it's a Canon Sue.
Most likely species?:
Mouse, of course, as it's mostly Rose and Mariel who are affected. Sometimes other species, depending on character slaughtered.
Tragic past?:
Not in most cases, but Mariel Sue does. She will angst about the abuse she suffered at the paws of the rats (take a few minutes now to get rid of your obscene mental pictures, I'll wait).
Will she die?:
Rose Sue definitely won't. The others probably won't, but it's not impossible.

~Human Sue.~
A human teenager who just "dropped into" Mossflower. Sometimes she will become an animal in the process, or she may merely become a very small human. Strangely, she is never scared by the fact that she is surrounded by six-foot mice, and the mice are never scared of her. She will sing pop or Disney songs to the Redwallers, picking them carefully or re-wording them to fit the moment, and teach them words like "cool".
Most likely species?:
Were you not reading the summary? H-U-M-A-N. Although she will sometimes morph into the author's favourite species.
Tragic past?:
Not beyond anything which happened to the author. She may have divorced parents, but that's it.
Will she die?:
No. She always finds a way back home, which is good because then the Redwallers don't have to put up with her.

~Reformed Vermin Sue.~
Mary Sue wants so much to be friends with the Redwallers, but alas, they will not accept her because of her species. Cue a lot of overdone angst, as she wishes desperately for a friend. May include prayer. She will eventually be accepted by the woodlanders after she saves somebeast's life or something similar. Usually written by fans of Dingeye and Thura (OK, that includes me), who think the Redwallers are speciesist witchburners and should give the vermin a chance (now that DOESN'T include me). While there's nothing wrong with this way of thinking, writing Mary Sue is never a good way of showing it. I myself almost wrote one of these Sues - thank Mother Nature I spotted and killed it in time.
Most likely species?:
Always vermin, mainly mustelid of some sort, sometimes rat. Occasionally may be un-canon species (mink or some such) and hated because she is weird (although the author says "different" instead of "weird").
Tragic past?:
Yes, and usually a tragic present as well.
Will she die?:
Sometimes, in the attempt to save somebeast's life. Of course, she will then be given a posthumous award and the Redwallers will apologise for treating her like dirt - again, a little late, because she's already dead.

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These are the most common types of Mary Sue. There may be others - tell me if you spot one. I welcome reader contributions. Some may be a mixture of two types, but all are equally evil and must be killed on sight.
Next chapter will be about common plotlines inhabited by Mary Sue. See you later. Drive safe - avoid haycarts full of rats.

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Chapter 2

Back to Writing

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Questions? Comments? Email me at wordsmith101NOSPAM@btopenworld.com (don't forget to delete the NOSPAM first).