Anti-Cliche and Mary-Sue Elimination Society – A short overview

Introduction

“We, the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society, do hereby swear to eliminate all beings of the Mary-Sue race and to bring order and peace to the words of fandom and to never abuse the powers that we as authors have been given…”

The Anti-Cliche and Mary-Sue Elimination Society are a small group of authors who are dedicated to rooting out Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus, who’s presence poses a very real threat to a certain fandom or storyline.

The Society began as a three woman operation, but has now expanded to include other authors across various fandoms, who bring their own talents into the fold. Members may join out of boredom, or they may be those seeking a challenge, or they may simply have a Sue of their own creation that they have unleashed and are now unable to control. For whatever reason, all agent’s efforts are welcomed.

The creation of Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus can happen in many ways, but a lot of authors agree, that their own Sues and Stus were brought about when they were just beginning their journeys as writers. Starting out in any aspect of life means making mistakes, and learning from them, and Mary-Sues are often mistakes that authors make and learn from. It is safe to say that a character who is perfect in every way, loses its appeal after a while, so the lifespan of these Sues and Stus does not generally last long. Depending on the fandom, a Sue or Stu may have a longer lifespan than another, but that does not mean that they may not have the power to corrupt the fandom, if they break free of their author’s grasp.

It is important to remember however in the world of fanfiction, that a Sue/Stu does not necessarily mean a bad story. However Sues/Stus can become dangerous if left to their own devices, and not kept in check by their governing author. As such, when these characters gain enough power to the point that their author does not have the ability to contain them any longer, the Society steps in. Often this is at the point when the very fabric of reality within that fandom becomes in danger of manipulation to the extent that it is unrecognisable.

In the same way, the presence of a Sue/Stu does not mean a bad author. Everyone can get carried away with their own brilliance, and it is safe to say every writer has done at least once in their lives. We are not here to punish the authors for making mistakes, but to stop the Sues from destroy the worlds that we love so much. Many of the Agents of the Society (myself included) are guilty of creating Sues/Stus themselves at some point in their writing careers, and to condemn one would be to condemn everyone who has ever made a mistake. We are all human at the end of the day.

When a report of a Sue/Stu arrives (either by the author responsible for their creation informing the Society, or a detection of Sueish activity warping a certain fandom) the Society dispatches Agents to bring the Sue/Stu in. Agents may operate solo, or in teams, depending on how dangerous the Sue/Stu is considered to be, and are dispatched by means of Self Insertation into the fandom. As there can sometimes be a very strong link with Self Inserts and Mary-Sues, all Agents powers are monitored closely whilst inside the fandom, and any temptation to abuse their powers is not tolerated.

((Side note: It is important to remember that after a Sue is removed from a realm, all effects of their presence will vanish, ergo any damage or effects left in capture will too. Therefore any agent who may wish to act on their fan urges with certain canon characters may do so once the Sue/Stu is necessarily subdued (though we will admit, most of us have slipped up several times in the past...)))

In order to capture Sues/Stus, it is often necessary to block their powers in order to stand a fighting chance. Once a Sues powers are blocked, their effect of manipulating the fandom and characters in it, also disappears. To block a Sue or Stu’s power, a Prohibitor is the easiest and most effective device. This bracelet like device must be secured onto the wrist of the Sue or Stu, and their powers are immediately cancelled out. If a Prohibitor is not an option, knocking a Sue/Stu unconscious with something large and heavy (we recommend a cricket bat) is the next most effective method. Upon arresting, the target is then held in permanent custody in the Basement of the Library, separate from other Sues/Stus, and unable to escape. Arresting the Sue or Stu is preferable to killing them, and thus death should only be a last resort, if the Sue or Stu is so dangerous that bringing them in alive is impossible. We are police, not assassins.

Any further information can be accessed via the Library Arcanium, or by one of the Society Agents.

OOO

Members

Society members, as already stated, are for all intents and purposes of their job, Self Inserts (anyone who does not know what a Self Insert is clearly hasn’t been in the fanfiction business too long). This is the only clean way to ensure that the fandom is cleared of any Sueish traces, as by this point, a Sue is so immensely powerful that simply writing them out of the story has becoming impossible. To this end, Self Inserts are used to directly enter the fandom and remove the Sue themselves.

“Self-inserts have many of the same abilities as Mary-Sues. We can take advantage of plotholes, blend in instantly to whatever fandom we’re in, and be able to fight as well as we’d like. We also have a slightly less exaggerated ability to attract male characters, but we’re not supposed to use that power unless it’s a dire emergency.”

Though all agents have proved self restraint, all are still monitored for any traces of Sue/Stuish behaviour, and appropriate action is taken should any be present. For this reason, the Society also has a no firing policy, as firing members increases the risk of them becoming Sues/Stus for revenge purposes. Members are free to leave the Society whenever they wish however.

Leaders
There are three Leaders of the Anti-Cliche and Mary-Sue Elimination Society, along with the Chief Librarian, who manage the day to day running of the Society, as well as taking their own missions from time to time. Often the three leaders will form one team together, or join other teams should the situation require. The Librarian tends to take his own missions, though occasionally requests help. All three leaders have Level 2 Security Clearance, while the Chief Librarian alone has Level 3 Security Clearance, due to the nature of their respective jobs.

The current Society Leaders are:-
Harriet (Founder and Leader)
Lauren (Founder and Treasurer)
Tash (Founder and Operations Leader)
Adrian (Chief Librarian)

Agents
‘Agents’ is a blanket term for any Society members who accept missions and set out to various fandoms to capture Sues. Rookie agents must undergo a training mission, and should they pass they are given the status of a fully qualified agent. It is important to bear in mind that ‘pass’ does not necessarily mean capture the Sue. Agents are marked on their abilities and their capability to handle strange situations, rather than on their success. All agents maintain a list of fandoms that they are familiar with in the Society’s database, so that they can be called upon for missions where their knowledge will be most useful.

Current Solo Agents include:-
Michael
Miriku
Blake
Marcus
Sumire
Kyle
Aster
Willie
Jess
Camille (and by extension Doyle)

Teams
In cases where a fandom has been overrun by an immensely powerful Sue, or more than one Sue, a team of agents will often be dispatched to assist with the added danger or strain. Certain agents prefer to operate in teams, however teams may be thrown together for the purpose of a single fandom if needs be.

Current Teams include:-
Valerie, Monika, Danielle, Stacey and Terrie
Emma, Beth and Kate

OOO

Location

The Library Arcanium is a transdimensional space, which exists everywhere and anywhere. It (unsurprisingly) takes the form of a large library, with bookshelves on every wall, and piles of books that threaten to trip the unsuspecting.

The Library’s location is undetectable, as it exists between everywhere and everywhen. It is also guarded by an ancient spell, making tracing the location impossible, and also prevents access to any unauthorised members via Plothole. This ancient spell has a No-Can-Undo spell over the top, which as a triple negative, is every authors worse nightmare and therefore, cannot be undone.

The Library was offered for use as a gateway to the various fandoms, not too long after the Society’s founding. At the same time, Adrian, the current Librarian, joined the Society’s ranks. Aside from the rooms of (sometimes floating) books, the Library also has reading rooms, offices, a kitchen, a weapons room, the ER ward, the basement cells, a locked room of Stuff Man Was Not Meant To Know and the Vault of Abandoned Ideas. The Librarian has sole access to everywhere in the Library, while the Society are limited to certain areas.

Note: Whilst Breaking the Fourth Wall of fandoms is perfectly fine, Breaking the Fourth Wall of reality is extremely dangerous whilst in the Library. Please do not do it.

OOO

Filing

Otherwise known as the hated paperwork. All Society members are requested to submit a field report of every mission they undertake for future reference. This is necessary should information on the Sue/Stu be needed for a future assignment. Technicians must do the same for all their inventions. All Technicians and Leaders are also in charge of their own relevant budgets, to be submitted to the Society Treasurer. The Operations Leader is also required to manage team rotas and maintain the list of active agents.

Note: Paperwork has a tendency to breed (rather like Hati’s collection of shoes) if left unfinished. Please be prompt.

OOO

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of the Library there are certain areas and fandoms that only certain Society members have access to. Security Clearance is defined as below:

Level 0 – Assigned to Rookies: Gives access to the communal areas of the Library.
Level 1 – Assigned to Agents: Gives access to the communal areas of the Library and any non black-listed fandoms.
Level 2 – Assigned to Leaders: Gives access to the communal areas of the Library, any non black-listed fandoms, and the Leaders offices.
Level 3 – Assigned to Chief Librarian: Has access to everywhere in the Library, and access to every fandom.

OOO

Gadgets

To combat Sues and Stus, the Society technicians work hard to provide devices that make Agent’s jobs easier.

Plothole Generators

“Every fandom is nothing but plotholes, at least in its earliest conception. It’s up to writers and occasionally, fanfiction authors to close them as the story grows, but sometimes there are still a few left. It just takes an experienced eye to actually see them. Unfortunately there are some fanfiction authors who take horrible advantage of these plotholes and use them to sneak Mary-Sues and Self-Inserts into a fandom. And once a Sue is well into a fandom, she’s pretty hard to get out.”

While Plotholes exist on their own (often throughout fandoms and very bad fanfiction), the Society along with some powerful Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus, have the ability to generate their own. Sues and Stus do this by their own canon bending willpower, however the Society requires the ability to generate their own in order to be able to enter or exit the fandom. For this reason, Plothole Generators were created. They function as a small ray-like gun, which upon firing, generate a temporary and controlled (therefore harmless) rip in the fabric of space and time though which people and objects may pass.

Communicators

Each agent is issued with a communicator to keep in touch with other agents and the Library. The communicators function as audio and video devices, and work on a frequency unique to the Society so that no outside parties may eavesdrop on the conversations. Link up and projection to screens in the Library is possible.

Plot Device

Only available to authors who are currently writing fanfictions, Plot Devices are fickle items, but can prove useful from time to time (when these times are we have yet to see). They act by inserting a plotline to the fandom in order to fix part of the corrupt storyline. They can detect Sueish behaviour and attempt to correct it, however they sometimes can promote Sueishness by accident.

Prohibitor

As already stated, Prohibitors are small, bracelet/handcuff like devices, which when attached to Sues or Stus, cancels out all their powers, including their fighting ability, their inexplicable charm, and the lure of their good looks (note it doesn’t cancel the looks themselves, just the attractiveness that they would normally exhibit). Once attached, it is very difficult to remove a Prohibitor.

Copyright

A Copyright is a round, black sticker, with a large “C” on the front, that upon attachment to a canon object, will render it unaffected by a Sue or Stu’s powers. Once attached, it is almost impossible to remove a Copyright by force. Copyrights can be used outside fandoms on other objects (as Claire has proved several times by Copyrighting Michael), however the Society encourages sensible use of these devices.

Scene Transition

Scene transitions when activated will cause a brief warp in the fandom allowing the user to jump forwards through time, thus escaping from danger. Upon time resolving, the transition fills in the blanks in the users mind on what happened during the jump.

Note: Scene Transitions may not be used when Crossovers are in effect.

Canon Cannon

The Canon Cannon is a large Napoleonic cannon that has the ability to freeze canon in its place, leaving everything non-canon (Sues and Society members for example) able to move with no disturbances. To fire, the fuse at the top must be lit, and an explosion followed by a shockwave will follow, which causing time and space in the fandom to freeze. The Canon Cannon is registered only to Hati, and is currently undergoing remodelling as it has a tendency to blast its way across the room if not fixed down. Also if the user is not wearing a beret when firing, the cannon can be very destructive to things that are not canon.

Oneshot

Oneshots are small, magic-based pills, which temporarily grant the user a power from the specific fandom that they are in. Due to the very real possibility of abuse by agents who are borderline Sue/Stuish already, Agents are only issued one Oneshot at a time, and upon leaving the fandom, the Oneshot must be returned if not taken. Because they are one hundred percent magic based, Oneshots are one of the few gadgets that will function in the Harry Potter world, where muggle devices are unable to.

Note: Side effects may include, a runny nose, hypertension, uncontrollable giggling and the paranoid delusion that you are Swedish.

Plot Summary

A Plot Summary is a handheld, scanning device that is used to summarise the status of a fandom and any changes that may have been made, such as the insertation of Yaoi/Yuri pairings, M-Preg, or Darkfic plots. Due to the complex nature of summarising the status of a whole world, only one Plot Summary currently exists, and remains in Tash’s possession, though others are in production. The Society computers in the Library give a far complex and detailed readout of a fandom’s status, and thus most Agents use these.

Crossover

A Crossover is a small cross-shaped device that temporarily merges a twenty square mile radius of one fandom, with a twenty square mile radius of another. The merger is not permanent, and lasts only as long as the fandom crossing is believable (for example, merging YuGiOh and YuGiOh GX would last longer than merging Pokemon and Harry Potter). The time left on a Crossover is displayed on the top of the device. Once a Crossover ends, the fandoms return to their normal states, and any events that occurred during Crossover are erased from the canon characters minds. A Crossover can be ended manually if required.

Note: Scene Transitions are not to be used while Crossovers are in effect.

Each Agent is issued with:-
Plothole Generator x1
Communicators x1
Prohibitor x2
Copyright x2
Scene Transition x1

Level 2 or 3 Security Clearance is required for the following:-
Oneshots
Crossovers

Still in testing:-
Canon Cannon

OOO

Known Sues/Stus

Since the Society began operating, the number of Sues and Stus growing out of control has shot up dramatically, as more wish for the honour of saying that they escaped from us (which sadly enough, does happen).

Sues fall into different levels when they are first identified in fanfiction.

Level 1: Barely a threat.
Level 2: Some Sueish tendencies.
Level 3: Borderline Sue – needs monitoring.
Level 4: Full Sue – needs constant checks for any sign of escaping author control.
Level 5: Outside author control. Requires extraction.
Level 6: Outside author control and bending fandom to will. Immediate action.
Level 7: Dangerous, threatening the whole of time and space.
Level 8: Time and space collapse – we’re really screwed now.

As our records stand presently, this is a list of all the Sues/Stus known so far, and their current status.

Alive, Unprohibited and still roaming Fandoms:-

- Willowe Diamond Allisonette Ravenne Hyacinth Aurelia Sakurelle Dewdrop Arwennia Heliotrope Sandriline Delilah Aphrodite Bob Yuffiana Swainsona Vipertooth Foxblade the Third (Level 8).
- Russell (Level 5)
- Xavier Nathaniel Zenith Peacemaker (Level 6)
- Alastor Everworthy Percival Francisco Kiang the Eighth (Level 6)
- Flare (Level 5)
- Chi (Level 6)
- Usagi Ami Rei Makoto Minako Chibiusa Haruka Michiru Setsuna Hotaru Mash (Level 5)
- The Elemantals – Cascade, Flare, Sol, Luna, Gust, Volt and Flora (Level 7)
- Runoa (Level 7)
- Ashley Hikari Rain Patchouli Foxblade (Level 6)
- Aspen Yami Sun Sandalwood Foxblade (Level 6)
- Palm Tree Foxblade (Level 1)

Deceased:-

- Zachary Emerald Atemu Powerhouse Bell
- Rando Sam Haru Adam Hikaru Yami Mish
- Hikaru Umi Fuu Sakura Naru Ceres Juno Vesta Pallas Nehellenia
- Alexander Santino Gram Franchetti the Third

Captured and in the Library Basement:-

- Silver
- Spirit
- Harold Alexander Belloe Something Or Other
- Ailianna Flamewing
- Mary-Ann Francesca Amber Holiday Twilight Yana the Third (and ½)
- Holly Geraldine Ruby Jacaranda Ophelia Foxblade
- Juniper Skye Broadband Topaz Veronica Esme Foxblade
- Muhammed Sanjay Gheet Nazz Nepasuk-Smith
- Amanda Beatrice Connie Deniece Emily Fantasia Gertrude Holly Isabella Jacky Kali Lisa Marrion Nelly Ophelia Patty Quinn Rosa Silvia Terry Urd Valerie Wendy Xena Yvette Zerlina
- Heather Amanda Kira Fireheart Illumina Starbright Angelus

OOO

End Note

This report is submitted for use by all Anti-Cliche and Mary-Sue Elimination Society members, and any interested fanfiction authors. By reading you agree to comply with the Society Secrecy Policy which prevents Sues and Stus from reading or hearing about this information.

For more information on the Society, please visit our C2 archive on fanfiction.net. If you wish to write a story of your own, please contact myself before you begin. To prevent authors copying ideas off one another, unless special circumstances apply, fandoms are limited to one author each, and are claimed on a first come first serve basis.

Happy hunting!

Report filed on May 15th 2009

Filed and written by Tash, with quotes taken from Adrian and Valerie. Edited by Harriet.