There’s an extensive discussion of Mary Sues here
This is such a distraction. The real issue is not about getting more (white middle class) girls into magic, but the outrageous under-representation of muggles. And please, don’t tell me it’s all about natural aptitude.
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Yeah, ‘Mary Sue’ is probably too pejorative for what I meant but I can’t seem to find the accepted term for ‘reader avatar’ or something to that effect.
You might be looking for ‘Self Insert’ (SI for short.) However the canon usage is where the narrator is somehow transported into the fictional universe, so that might be too restrictive. (I’m not sure if depicting a writer’s game character and their antics in-world would be self-insert or not.)
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I don’t think it’s hard to find smart strong female characters these days. But what about feminine male characters as leads. I mean real sissy boys. They only show up as freaks or color in stories.
Some of the first “grown-up” books I ever read were E.R. Burroughs and Harry Harrison’s “Stainless Steel Rat” series. I have proudly been a “nerd girl” my whole life. While other girls in school batted their eyes at boys I was happier looking through my dad’s telescope at the rings on Saturn. There isn’t a day that’s gone by that I’ve regretted Towel Day, quoting Norman Mailer or debating the finer points of dilithium crystals. Smart girls rule.
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Well, anime’s certainly got 'em. But you’re right, they are less common in literature, especially modern mainstream literature.
I love it! Of course I’ve been a fan of the Harry Potter series for years. And of course those boys in that math class who said that to her, would have a shock of their lives if they ever found out just how many female mathematicians have existed over the years. Someone should educate them! But then again, you would think that men who use that same argument would have at least taken the time to do some research to see if “ANY” female mathematicians and scientists actually exist; and when they find out just how many there have been throughout history, they would probably crap themselves…
I’m curious to know where the source art came from as it’s uncredited as far as I can tell. Am I overlooking some glaringly obvious attribution somewhere?
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