So Sue Me

[deckardcanine]

In certain circles full of nerds,
You’ll find among the slangy words
A name whose use is rarely due.
The term I mean is “Mary Sue.”

It started with a Star Trek fic,
A parody whose central chick
Was way too good to ring quite true.
That character was Mary Sue.

Since then, the fans have used her name
To designate a type of shame.
Alas, they disagree on who
Should qualify as Mary Sue.

For starters, does it have to be
A heroine or other “she”?
No manly label ever grew
As popular as “Mary Sue.”

A double standard reared its head:
A hero who was male instead
But otherwise was perfect too
Might not be deemed a Mary Sue.

And must it be a fanfic lead?
Does canon count? It’s not decreed,
But many famous figures do
Behave a lot like Mary Sue.

By now, the term’s become too broad,
As someone who is greatly flawed
Or evil or whose tale is blue
Can also be a Mary Sue.

That’s not a wish fulfillment type.
It seems to me the time is ripe
To end this nonsense; now I’m through
With ever using “Mary Sue.”