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Date Posted: Sat, Apr 17 2004, 18:46:48
Author: Sol 1056
Subject: self insert =/= mary sue
In reply to: gkscotty 's message, "Re: Gotta argue with you there." on Sat, Apr 17 2004, 6:46:48

I've done a few self-inserts, here and there, where I needed to flesh out a character and picked a trait familiar to me. Photography, gardening, mechanics - I know these, so I find the character take on my characteristics when they're dealing with them. So, mild self-insert.

A self-insert isn't necessarily bad, in the hands of a good writer. Joss Whedon's been pretty upfront that Xander is his version of a self-insert; Xander is Joss' interpretation of what he was like in high school...and it's not the most complimentary portrait, either!

"I get it...you're like the *Zeppo*."

A Mary Sue - self-insert or not - is *idealized*. That's the bottom line of a Mary Sue, whether or not s/he is based on the author. The two are not mutually exclusive, however, as it's possible to idealize one's pixel form, moving from basic self-insert to Mary Sue in nothing flat.

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