I think Canon Sue is like a Willow Sue or Xander Stu -- taking a real character from the show's 'verse and making him/her a perfect avatar for the author.
That's what I thought when I heard the term. I've seen it in fandoms ranging from Sailor Moon to C.S.I., and it is a truly vile phenomenon. In my experience, Canon Sues:
- Have some wonderful talent or ability that they have--for no good reason--kept hidden from the rest of the show's characters, and presumably the show's writers as well.
- Are able to keep other secrets equally well, including but not limited to: a spouse and four sprogs that none of the other characters know exist, not even after five seasons; doctorate degrees in obscure subjects; painful pasts that make "Flowers in the Attic" look like "The Waltons" by comparison; and second jobs that can range from nightclub singer to astronaut.
- Will, if secondary characters, emit strange rays that somehow turn the title characters into raging, irrational, one-dimensional assholes.
- Tend to invade crossovers with other fandoms, so that the characters from the other fandom can appreciate, love, and respect the Canon Sue in ways that the characters from the original series never could.
- Manage to lose all psychopathic, anti-social, and annoying behaviors that they have exhibited on the show. In the interest of maintaining parity, however, these traits will be assigned to other characters in direct proportion to the author's disdain for said characters.
- Often sustain horrible, horrible physical and psychological trauma, so that the other characters will finally realize just how much the Canon Sue means to them. In extreme cases, the Canon Sue will actually commit suicide, but there is a fair to middling chance that a convenient resurrection will take place.
- Like to have badly written sex with the author's second-favorite character, or better yet, with an original Mary Sue/Marty Stu.
I've never done that, have I? Cause with some of these people, it would be easy-peasy, huh?(Yes, I was thinking about Kay Howard...how could you tell? Or Timmy.) My Munchkin is not sweet enough for such treatment...which makes him the most like me, actually. Some people whitewash him a lot(all of his exes=heartless bitches)
I've never done that, have I?
Far from it! Your Kay very much remains Kay all throughout your story.
When Tim came to, he found himself being smacked around by the two male vampires, while the female watched. Despite her apparent glee, Bayliss felt sure she was meant for better things.Spike looked into Tim's face and said "You know, you're bloody useless, but kind of fun to play with. I can see why my girl likes you."
Maybe this guy was giving Frank motivational tips. Tim tasted blood from a cut above his lip, and pondered what to say next. "Um, thank you?"
"No sweat, mate. And you really get under Angelus' skin...I have to let you live. Brass him off royally, that will. But if he gets to you first, you're dead. I don't protect people."
"Sometimes it's not that great," Tim admitted.
Drusilla began to whine like a homicidal puppy. "Ok, one lick, but no kissing."
Her cold tongue was surprisingly appealing. OK, Bayliss, he told himself, that's one you take to the grave.
Jeffrey Dahmer:
Thanks, Anne. Otherwise she'd be Mary Kay, huh? Nice pink Cavalier... Cause sometimes we've got opinions in common...but seriously, Bayliss Canon Sues dominate something chronic(I kind of understand...I want to look out for Timmy too, but Jeez.)..My least fave Bayliss fic thing bar none is when people write about the abuse as child!Timmy, which isn't really relevant to this discussion, but child voices are hard and most people can't do it(from what I've seen)
Lyra, that was a good breakdown, I think.
erika, the concept of Spike letting Bayliss live to annoy Angel is a thing of beauty. True to that season's Spike.
So, now, does vampMunch come in and smack Dru and liberate Timmy?
I think it's more like it's in one of my other AUs. Frank'll be along in a while...cleaning up the new guy's mess.(That should be a real fun Cavalier ride.) I've still got to figure out Vamp!Munchkin...he keeps derailing me to talk about his sex life or his social theories...I guess he's in character then...and the whole thing where he's treating Dru like his Kaybot kind of surprised me...
One place where Vamp!Munch would fit in is Spike's line about how he likes the world(um, without Manchester United, natch.)
Gwen was Mrs. Munch v.1.0. Will have to fix in my fic.
The next few hours were tough on Bayliss. At first, he thought Drusilla was being brutalized, but finally moans and "Don't stop, Spike!" convinced him otherwise. Could it be Stockholm Syndrome? Angelus smacked around so much that his consciousness was kind of in and out.
"Bayliss!" Frank said. "Let's go."
"No, no, you're not here. They trick me, send me what I want most."
"Bayliss, use your head. If this was your fantasy, why would they send me...unless there's something you want to tell me, of course".
"Good point, Frank. Wait...what about Drusilla?"
Frank, mentally halfway out of the factory, fidgeted and shot his partner one of his famous "And the problem here is?" looks. "What about her? Can you walk?"
"Yeah, I should be fine, Frank. It only hurts when I laugh. She could be a prisoner."
"And what, the gasping is her tunnelling for freedom? That's crap, Tim. Romantic crap."
"What about Patti Hearst?"
"No fangs. That we know of. You can only help people when they want help, Bayliss. And sometimes not even then."
So this little thing I wrote because it's Friday night and I am at home, terribly bored and needing to amuse myself. I also realized that most of my fic is about boys, so I decided to write some girls. Girls are hard, but fun.
Way Station
"This is disappointing. Hell isn't nearly as horrifying as I thought."
"What were you expecting?"
"Fire. Brimstone. Eternal Torment. One time, I had to go to a mini-mall in Sheboygan to turn this guy into a Fluger Demon, and that was much more terrifying than this."
"Anya, you do realize that you're not actually in Hell yet?” asked Lilah. “ This is just a way station, only petty torments here. Like having everything you ever wanted, power, success, maybe even love, snatched away from you and being replaced by some pop tart because Angel has a blonde fixation."
"Bitter much? Hello. You work for the most evil law firm in the universe. That's what they do."
"Worked. And you're in no position to talk, Cordelia."
"Hey, I'm the only one in here who's not dead! I'm just temporarily unable to occupy my body. But once I get it back, after I fix my hair and burn a few outfits, I'm gonna put my size 8 Manolo's in a certain demon's ass."
"Right, because it was perfectly logical to trust the word of an evil looking demon whose last job was keeping a man trapped in a box of fire."
"I could have told you Skip was a big fat liar.” Anya walked over and put her hand on Cordelia’s shoulder. “ And he cheats at cards."
"That's not the point. The point is, what did I do to deserve getting trapped in Hell's waiting room with you two losers?"
"Hmm, turned evil, brought Satan to Earth, birthed a Power that took over the world and used it as her personal buffet" Lilah ticked off each point, “and I am not a loser.” Anya could only manage an injured, "Hey!"
"Ok, I know that sounds bad. But I was tricked, and then possessed. . .and even if I might deserve to be here just the tiniest bit, you are sooo losers. You," Cordy pointed at Lilah, "had to dress up like Fred to get Wesley to sleep with you. And you got left at the altar by Xander Harris."
"And you did so much better?” Lilah smirked. “ If you can't nail the boss, I guess the son is the next best thing."
"Cradle robber. And he had a bowl cut. But I bet he was really great in the sack. When Xander was 19, he could go all night long. That was the year I broke my coccyx.”
“That is it! I am getting out of here.” Cordy looked up to the sky. “Listen to me, you PTB. You might be able to keep a nymphomaniac ex-demon with an identity crisis and a lawyer with self-esteem issues cooped up down here, but I am nobody’s . . .What’s that? Do you feel that?”
“Of course we feel it.” said Lilah exasperatedly.
“What’s going on?”
Anya sighed. “The same thing that happens every day. The ground trembles; a gigantic chasm opens at our feet; we feel ourselves being pulled inexorably down into the depths of a fiery pit and then. . .”
“Lather, rinse, repeat.” finished Lilah.
"This is disappointing. Hell isn't nearly as horrifying as I thought."
Just saw the Homicide movie.
Someone remind me what writing a name down in blue meant?
