... is that there are ALOT of Mary Sue characters.

Every series, from Kingdom Hearts to Little Mermaid, has it's own collection of custom/re-colored characters that defy the logic of every rational-thinking human. Most characters are so uncoordinated with their design, viewing them causes the effects of either going blind, or just plain committing suicide! Others are so annoyingly perfect that it makes one wonder why the abyss didn't swallow them upon conception.

You all know what I'm talking about!

Those perfect little characters with the unearthly beauty, gem-colored eyes and a smile that could tame even the most wicked of beings and turn them into harmless puppies. Who are they? Answer this question for yourself: "If you could be someone other then you, who would it be?"

Answer that, and you have your answer for the other question. They are us. Plain and simple. They are the beings we crave so desperately to become. Perfection in a silky gown with the figure of a goddess underneath.

But not all original characters are Mary Sues. Even those characters who have a job/past that would be considered the epitome of story clichés can be worked to appear unique and original. But this rant isn't about them. Nor is it about the traits and sickening god-modding of a Mary Sue.

This rant is about the severe increase in numbers of these horrid beings. No matter where I look, a rainbow-shat thing is saving the day, or a child-version of certain popular characters are being passed off as entirely original and NOT as a complete disregard of copyrights. I will admit that when I made Angel, I naively made her a Mary Sue without even knowing what one was. When I played FF7 at the age of 13, I felt so badly for Sephiroth that I created a character who was as much of a childhood friend to him as Tifa was to Cloud.

Angel was pretty. She wasn't perfect though. Even when I first made her, she still had flaws. Weak and frail with a slightly-above average intelligence, a decent handle on magic that took the form of another healer. First ability that I ever gave her was, "Pearl Rain". She was the childhood friend of Sephiroth who was introduced to him as an infant when he was only 4. Comparing her to my current(albeit final) design of Angel, the old design was pathetic; a mere shadow of the woman who now bares the name.

But Angel, like many others before her, is the good kind of Sue. One that was tweaked and edited so much that she became something entirely new! But I rarely ever see anything like that nowadays. I have seen plenty of artists whose characters are intricate and well thought out. But honestly? They're a dying breed.

Originality is slowly being overtaken by the trend of recolored fan-favorites now plastered all over DA. Popular series like Harry Potter and Naruto have so much artwork of them(as well as their Mary Sues), that I can hardly tell who is a real artist... or who is a trendee(new word, shut up)! Someone who does so much work based upon a pre-made series that one wonders if they can actually draw/do anything else!

I don't have anything against fan artists. I also enjoy seeing cute renditions of favorite characters of mine. But when all I see is a pink-haired Tifa, or a purple-haired Hector, it makes me question the true talent behind the art. Another bad trend is the Sonic re-colors! So far I have seen a yellow, brown, green, red, etc. colored-version of Sonic/Tales/Amy/Shadow... I have also seen some interesting designs for Sonic the Hedgehog too. But only a small(very small) percentage. The rest are just rip-offs.

Come on people! How hard is it to get that tiny mass you call a brain, to start cranking the old gears and come up with something that isn't a blatant rip of copyrighted material? It's not that hard! I mean, a retarded monkey could make something more unique then your "half OC/half child rendition" of a popular game character!

Anyway, I've probably gone offtrack one-too-many times with this rant. So I'll end it before I go off about anything else related to this topic.

Any questions? :3