Rings-Thing

What do you think of "Mary Sue" type fanfiction? Is it possible to write a good one, theoretically? Have you ever *read* a good one? Have you ever written one (good or bad)? What do you think about original characters in general?

You know, I've never been terribly conflicted about Mary Sue's. Don't read them, don't write them, don't condone them. Not that I don't *understand* them, mind you. I have fantasies myself, including ones in which I interact with the characters (or the actors). But I try to keep these in my head, or occasionally share them with my friends as the daydreams or fantasies they are--I don't write them up as fanfic to share with a wider audience. And I don't appreciate it when other people *do*. The closest I've come to a "Mary Sue" myself was a piece of fanfic in which I very strongly identified with one of my two protagonists--but I don't believe I changed the character because of that, or that my writing suffered. In fact, it's the best work I've ever done. I think identifying with a canon character can be a valid way of "putting oneself into the story" if handled correctly. Of course, if the reader doesn't see the character the way you do, you may still be charged with turning him or her into a Mary Sue. (But then, you knew the job was dangerous when you took it.)

When I read fan fiction, it's almost always to see authors explore the characters I love (or even sometimes those I don't), in situations or relationships that either didn't exist in the canon, or weren't developed, or were handled (as defined by fans) "badly." In general, I'm not interested in original characters, even if they help flesh out a side of a canon character that might not have been developed any other way. I know that's a flaw in my nature, and I totally understand it when people tell me that's what their OC is for, and I generally *believe* most of them when they tell me that. But I'm just not usually interested (OK, if I love your writing otherwise, I might give it a chance. Briefly.). I don't go to concerts to hear the audience sing, and I don't read fanfic to learn about characters *other* than canon ones.

So, can a Mary Sue fanfic be good? I suppose theoretically, anything is possible. But I haven't seen one. Even the funny ones are all takes on the same old joke, and that was old (for me) 25 years ago. Can a fanfic with an OC be good? Of course. I just (generally) choose not to read them -- and that's MY problem and not the author's.