Highlander: The Pixie Predicament Series
Story Or Series Title: Pixie Predicament Series #1 The ROG and the Hacker
Fandom: Highlander
Culprit Author's Name: Dana Woods
Full Name (plus titles if any): Calypso (Caly) Rhiannon Athena Wilde (Her parents were hippies), Pixie, Munchkin, author claims she is the "anti-Mary Sue," I use the word "punk" to excess in my description of her
Full Species(es): Human, mortal
Hair Color (include adjectives): cropped, chestnut colored hair that stuck out every which way
Eye Color (include adjectives): Her eyes were dark green, hunter green, actually
Unusual Markings/Colorations: She wore tattered jeans that were almost white from washings, and had huge holes in both knees ... Her left shoulder sported a tattoo of a gargoyle and her slightly pouting belly housed a belly button ring. ... Her makeup was a bit odd, too. Black kohl outlined her eyes and looked like it had been applied while she was still half-asleep. Her slightly askew mouth was painted to match her hair. The flap of her right ear was pierced, and there was another barbell going through the ear, right next to the ear canal entrance. Her left ear had piercings covering the entire rim of her ear. He (Adam/Methos) counted twelve earrings on that ear.
Special Possessions (if any): A house painted like the sky, with a state-of-the-art security system, and over a dozen high tech computers. Interpol and NSA connections (which show up in the second story).
Annoying Origin: Uncle was a Watcher who decided to check on his Immortal one night. His niece followed him undetected, and saw a Quickening. Refused to be part of the Watchers (told them to "take their secret organization and shove it where the RAM didn't shine").
Annoying Connections To Canon Characters: Has known Joe since she was seven, introduced to Adam Pierson when someone hacked into the Watcher database (after ignoring her advice about their lousy security)
Annoying Special Abilities: Able to hack into apparently anything. Able to go on secret espionage missions and follow people without being caught, despite the frequent mentions of how klutzy she is, and her ability to trip over her own feet at least once in every change of scenery (she managed to break an ankle while meditating)
Other Annoying Traits: Able to brainwash Methos so he is startled out of her "innocent looks" every time she acts like a punk, even though her looks are primarily - punk.
Please include a small sample of the worst of this story:
We first hear of Mary Sue
"Big trouble," he (Joe) said softly. "Someone hacked into the Watcher computer system."
...."You've got to find out who did this, Joe," Adam said, worriedly.
"I know," Joe said quietly. There was only one person who could help, and he knew the organization wouldn't be happy about it. Still, they had told him to use whatever means necessary. "That's what they get for not taking her suggestions in the first place," he muttered. I wonder whose suggestions those could be
"What was that?" Adam asked.
"I know someone who can help," Joe admitted. "Remember Jim Massie?"
"He was a Watcher," Adam nodded. "Died a few years back, massive heart attack."
"His niece is a computer genius. She should be able to help us out."
"Is she a Watcher too?" Adam asked curiously.
Joe laughed. "Thank God, no. We tried to recruit her when she found out about us. She was staying with her uncle when he decided to leave in the middle of the night to check on his Immortal. She followed and saw one mother of a Quickening." Joe smiled, remembering the brash young girl who had told them to take their secret organization and shove it where the RAM didn't shine. Yes, thank God she didn't end up in the Watchers, if only I could say the same for this fanfic
Mary Sue shows up
The door opened, and a small figure launched itself at Joe. "Dawson, I've missed you, man," the figure shouted, and wrapped itself around the mortal.
"I've missed you too, little girl. What? You can't ever come down to the bar and hear me play?" he chided.
The girl stepped out of his arms and grinned, a charmingly crooked grin that favored her left side. Joe had mentioned she was in her mid-twenties, but she looked more like she was seventeen. Maybe it was her height. She couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Her eyes were dark green, hunter green, actually. Her heart shaped face was framed by cropped, chestnut colored hair that stuck out every which way, and despite her small stature, she was very voluptuous. She had an hourglass figure, larger breasts than you would expect for her size, and longer legs than average. Gee, the anti-Mary Sueness is really showing here isn't it?
Her choice of clothing didn't exactly mesh with the area she'd chosen to live in. She wore tattered jeans that were almost white from washings, and had huge holes in both knees. The bottoms were in shreds, the hems unraveled and straggly. Bare feet, glittering with several toe rings, poke out from under the hem. Her green tank top was slightly too big, and her bra peeked through from under her arms. Her left shoulder sported a tattoo of a gargoyle and her slightly pouting belly housed a belly button ring.
Her makeup was a bit odd, too. Black kohl outlined her eyes and looked like it had been applied while she was still half-asleep. Her slightly askew mouth was painted to match her hair. The flap of her right ear was pierced, and there was another barbell going through the ear, right next to the ear canal entrance. Her left ear had piercings covering the entire rim of her ear. He counted twelve earrings on that ear. Take a good look at those last two paragraphs folks. The canon characters seem to completely ignore them, expressing shock whenever she does anything out of character for her "innocent looking" appearance.
We learn her name
"So, who's your friend?" she chirped.
"Adam Pierson, meet Calypso Rhiannon Athena Wilde. Otherwise known as Caly," Joe introduced. This introducing of The Names happens a few more times in the series, generally by Joe, which I assume is a half-hearted effort to have it be a character quirk of Joe, rather than the author's wish to "introduce The Names" again. It doesn't work very well.
Caly shuddered and slapped Joe's arm playfully. "What did I tell you about the names?"
Adam grinned. "Nice to meet you. Very interesting names," he deadpanned.
Caly groaned. "Can we say 'my parents were hippies'?"
"Well, you lucked out. You could have been named Sunshine, or Moonbeam," Joe joked. This would have about the same effect, the author would just have even less wiggle room then before in claiming her "anti-Mary Sue."
"That would be an improvement," Caly said, rolling her eyes. "So, what's wrong, Dawson."
Joe sat on the ugly sofa and ran a tired hand over his face. "We've got a problem," he told her. "Someone hacked into the Watcher database and then emailed us to gloat about it."
"God damn, fucking, son of a bitch," she hissed and slapped her hand against the wall. "I told those ass holes to do something about the lack of security, didn't I?"
Adam hid a grin at her language. You wouldn't guess that such a pixie-like thing could have a mouth like a truck driver.
Err... of course. She's short, which therefore makes her a pixie, because of course Adam/Methos has never met a five-foot short person before in all his five thousand years. Apparently his wariness and refusal to delude himself about people doesn't apply to Miss Sue, whose general appearance all but screams out "I am a punk who swears, smokes, and drinks in excess."
Sue's "shockingly" punky taste in music, and her mysterious past with the NSA
Caly used a remote to turn on some music. God only knew where the stereo was. Adam didn't recognize the song, or the artist, and tilted his head to the side to listen. The song had guitar riffs in the background, and a female voice chanting. He caught a few of the lines and almost choked on the beer. 'I'll fuck you and your minions too'? 'I want to be your blow job queen'? What the hell was she listening to?
Once again the author demonstrates Adam's capacity for self-delusion, and his naivety about what kind of music innocent looking punks listen to.
He shook his head and moved to the next corkboard, which had news articles pinned to it. Was that-- it couldn't be. Joe joined him and Adam pointed to the article.
"Don't tell me that's her," Adam breathed.
Joe laughed and nodded. "That's Caly. Our Federal criminal," he joked.
"She was arrested?" The grainy picture showed a young girl being hauled away by men in suits, obviously government agents, though he couldn't tell which agency. "What did she do?" She was caught as a Mary Sue in the making, and the Feds were hoping to keep her under wraps before her Sueness could affect those around her
"When she was fifteen, Caly," Joe said, pausing for effect, "hacked into the NSA system."
......
"Why did she do that?" Adam wondered.
Joe shrugged. "With Caly you never know. Anyway, they arrested her, charged her with treason and were prepared to send her up river for the rest of her life."
"What happened?" Adam asked, intrigued.
"A forward minded person, in the high ranks of NSA, thought it would be better to use her, rather than send her to prison," Joe remembered.
"Use her for what?" Adam couldn't help but ask.
"She never said," Joe frowned, "but I got the impression, from what she did say, that it wasn't very pretty. She left suddenly, when she was about twenty-two, I think. Never said why or how she got out without being charged again. She started her own computer security business, but sold it a couple of years later," Joe finished. Oh. She has a "Dark Past." All my disgust with the character goes away to wallow in the tragedy that is her life. No, wait, it doesn't.
"I'll be damned," Adam chuckled. "Never would have guessed it, just by looking at her."
"It's her whole elfin looks, they seem so innocent," Joe agreed with a smile. *rolls eyes*
This continues on throughout several more stories, with Adam and Caly - whom he calls "pixie" - having a brother/sister relationship, with Adam/Methos as the doting older brother. The only explanation for his infatuation is a terse statement that Mary Sue reminds him of someone he used to know. Given his delusions where she's concerned, I highly doubt this.
As for the author's statement that she is "the anti-Mary Sue," I disagree (obviously). A real anti-Mary Sue would just be as boring a character as you could make. What she's not is the BeautifulOldImmortal!Sue. Instead she's the ComputerGeniusPunk!Sue.
Same Sue, different vintage.
As a final note: The more extravagant your OC is, the more IC your regulars have to be to avert Suedom. This is a fairly well written fanfic, with a character who might have been able to work if the author had allowed the canon characters to react naturally to her.
Fandom: Highlander
Culprit Author's Name: Dana Woods
Full Name (plus titles if any): Calypso (Caly) Rhiannon Athena Wilde (Her parents were hippies), Pixie, Munchkin, author claims she is the "anti-Mary Sue," I use the word "punk" to excess in my description of her
Full Species(es): Human, mortal
Hair Color (include adjectives): cropped, chestnut colored hair that stuck out every which way
Eye Color (include adjectives): Her eyes were dark green, hunter green, actually
Unusual Markings/Colorations: She wore tattered jeans that were almost white from washings, and had huge holes in both knees ... Her left shoulder sported a tattoo of a gargoyle and her slightly pouting belly housed a belly button ring. ... Her makeup was a bit odd, too. Black kohl outlined her eyes and looked like it had been applied while she was still half-asleep. Her slightly askew mouth was painted to match her hair. The flap of her right ear was pierced, and there was another barbell going through the ear, right next to the ear canal entrance. Her left ear had piercings covering the entire rim of her ear. He (Adam/Methos) counted twelve earrings on that ear.
Special Possessions (if any): A house painted like the sky, with a state-of-the-art security system, and over a dozen high tech computers. Interpol and NSA connections (which show up in the second story).
Annoying Origin: Uncle was a Watcher who decided to check on his Immortal one night. His niece followed him undetected, and saw a Quickening. Refused to be part of the Watchers (told them to "take their secret organization and shove it where the RAM didn't shine").
Annoying Connections To Canon Characters: Has known Joe since she was seven, introduced to Adam Pierson when someone hacked into the Watcher database (after ignoring her advice about their lousy security)
Annoying Special Abilities: Able to hack into apparently anything. Able to go on secret espionage missions and follow people without being caught, despite the frequent mentions of how klutzy she is, and her ability to trip over her own feet at least once in every change of scenery (she managed to break an ankle while meditating)
Other Annoying Traits: Able to brainwash Methos so he is startled out of her "innocent looks" every time she acts like a punk, even though her looks are primarily - punk.
Please include a small sample of the worst of this story:
We first hear of Mary Sue
"Big trouble," he (Joe) said softly. "Someone hacked into the Watcher computer system."
...."You've got to find out who did this, Joe," Adam said, worriedly.
"I know," Joe said quietly. There was only one person who could help, and he knew the organization wouldn't be happy about it. Still, they had told him to use whatever means necessary. "That's what they get for not taking her suggestions in the first place," he muttered. I wonder whose suggestions those could be
"What was that?" Adam asked.
"I know someone who can help," Joe admitted. "Remember Jim Massie?"
"He was a Watcher," Adam nodded. "Died a few years back, massive heart attack."
"His niece is a computer genius. She should be able to help us out."
"Is she a Watcher too?" Adam asked curiously.
Joe laughed. "Thank God, no. We tried to recruit her when she found out about us. She was staying with her uncle when he decided to leave in the middle of the night to check on his Immortal. She followed and saw one mother of a Quickening." Joe smiled, remembering the brash young girl who had told them to take their secret organization and shove it where the RAM didn't shine. Yes, thank God she didn't end up in the Watchers, if only I could say the same for this fanfic
Mary Sue shows up
The door opened, and a small figure launched itself at Joe. "Dawson, I've missed you, man," the figure shouted, and wrapped itself around the mortal.
"I've missed you too, little girl. What? You can't ever come down to the bar and hear me play?" he chided.
The girl stepped out of his arms and grinned, a charmingly crooked grin that favored her left side. Joe had mentioned she was in her mid-twenties, but she looked more like she was seventeen. Maybe it was her height. She couldn't have been more than five feet tall. Her eyes were dark green, hunter green, actually. Her heart shaped face was framed by cropped, chestnut colored hair that stuck out every which way, and despite her small stature, she was very voluptuous. She had an hourglass figure, larger breasts than you would expect for her size, and longer legs than average. Gee, the anti-Mary Sueness is really showing here isn't it?
Her choice of clothing didn't exactly mesh with the area she'd chosen to live in. She wore tattered jeans that were almost white from washings, and had huge holes in both knees. The bottoms were in shreds, the hems unraveled and straggly. Bare feet, glittering with several toe rings, poke out from under the hem. Her green tank top was slightly too big, and her bra peeked through from under her arms. Her left shoulder sported a tattoo of a gargoyle and her slightly pouting belly housed a belly button ring.
Her makeup was a bit odd, too. Black kohl outlined her eyes and looked like it had been applied while she was still half-asleep. Her slightly askew mouth was painted to match her hair. The flap of her right ear was pierced, and there was another barbell going through the ear, right next to the ear canal entrance. Her left ear had piercings covering the entire rim of her ear. He counted twelve earrings on that ear. Take a good look at those last two paragraphs folks. The canon characters seem to completely ignore them, expressing shock whenever she does anything out of character for her "innocent looking" appearance.
We learn her name
"So, who's your friend?" she chirped.
"Adam Pierson, meet Calypso Rhiannon Athena Wilde. Otherwise known as Caly," Joe introduced. This introducing of The Names happens a few more times in the series, generally by Joe, which I assume is a half-hearted effort to have it be a character quirk of Joe, rather than the author's wish to "introduce The Names" again. It doesn't work very well.
Caly shuddered and slapped Joe's arm playfully. "What did I tell you about the names?"
Adam grinned. "Nice to meet you. Very interesting names," he deadpanned.
Caly groaned. "Can we say 'my parents were hippies'?"
"Well, you lucked out. You could have been named Sunshine, or Moonbeam," Joe joked. This would have about the same effect, the author would just have even less wiggle room then before in claiming her "anti-Mary Sue."
"That would be an improvement," Caly said, rolling her eyes. "So, what's wrong, Dawson."
Joe sat on the ugly sofa and ran a tired hand over his face. "We've got a problem," he told her. "Someone hacked into the Watcher database and then emailed us to gloat about it."
"God damn, fucking, son of a bitch," she hissed and slapped her hand against the wall. "I told those ass holes to do something about the lack of security, didn't I?"
Adam hid a grin at her language. You wouldn't guess that such a pixie-like thing could have a mouth like a truck driver.
Err... of course. She's short, which therefore makes her a pixie, because of course Adam/Methos has never met a five-foot short person before in all his five thousand years. Apparently his wariness and refusal to delude himself about people doesn't apply to Miss Sue, whose general appearance all but screams out "I am a punk who swears, smokes, and drinks in excess."
Sue's "shockingly" punky taste in music, and her mysterious past with the NSA
Caly used a remote to turn on some music. God only knew where the stereo was. Adam didn't recognize the song, or the artist, and tilted his head to the side to listen. The song had guitar riffs in the background, and a female voice chanting. He caught a few of the lines and almost choked on the beer. 'I'll fuck you and your minions too'? 'I want to be your blow job queen'? What the hell was she listening to?
Once again the author demonstrates Adam's capacity for self-delusion, and his naivety about what kind of music innocent looking punks listen to.
He shook his head and moved to the next corkboard, which had news articles pinned to it. Was that-- it couldn't be. Joe joined him and Adam pointed to the article.
"Don't tell me that's her," Adam breathed.
Joe laughed and nodded. "That's Caly. Our Federal criminal," he joked.
"She was arrested?" The grainy picture showed a young girl being hauled away by men in suits, obviously government agents, though he couldn't tell which agency. "What did she do?" She was caught as a Mary Sue in the making, and the Feds were hoping to keep her under wraps before her Sueness could affect those around her
"When she was fifteen, Caly," Joe said, pausing for effect, "hacked into the NSA system."
......
"Why did she do that?" Adam wondered.
Joe shrugged. "With Caly you never know. Anyway, they arrested her, charged her with treason and were prepared to send her up river for the rest of her life."
"What happened?" Adam asked, intrigued.
"A forward minded person, in the high ranks of NSA, thought it would be better to use her, rather than send her to prison," Joe remembered.
"Use her for what?" Adam couldn't help but ask.
"She never said," Joe frowned, "but I got the impression, from what she did say, that it wasn't very pretty. She left suddenly, when she was about twenty-two, I think. Never said why or how she got out without being charged again. She started her own computer security business, but sold it a couple of years later," Joe finished. Oh. She has a "Dark Past." All my disgust with the character goes away to wallow in the tragedy that is her life. No, wait, it doesn't.
"I'll be damned," Adam chuckled. "Never would have guessed it, just by looking at her."
"It's her whole elfin looks, they seem so innocent," Joe agreed with a smile. *rolls eyes*
This continues on throughout several more stories, with Adam and Caly - whom he calls "pixie" - having a brother/sister relationship, with Adam/Methos as the doting older brother. The only explanation for his infatuation is a terse statement that Mary Sue reminds him of someone he used to know. Given his delusions where she's concerned, I highly doubt this.
As for the author's statement that she is "the anti-Mary Sue," I disagree (obviously). A real anti-Mary Sue would just be as boring a character as you could make. What she's not is the BeautifulOldImmortal!Sue. Instead she's the ComputerGeniusPunk!Sue.
Same Sue, different vintage.
As a final note: The more extravagant your OC is, the more IC your regulars have to be to avert Suedom. This is a fairly well written fanfic, with a character who might have been able to work if the author had allowed the canon characters to react naturally to her.