You’ve probably heard of a Mary Sue character (or the lesser known male version, Gary Stu). It’s the character who is perfect. They know everything, can do everything, and command everyone’s love and respect (in their fictional world). Anyone who challenges them is, obviously, a villain of the worst kind.
They can be relaxing to read, especially when the author also offers them a plot that miraculously solves their problems.
For example, confronted by a woman-eating carnivorous plant, Mary Sue has just the thing. Out of her purse she whips a spray bottle of non-toxic (to everything but this specific carnivorous plant), instantly effective weedkiller and directs a jet of it to the heart of the plant. Said plant shrivels into a repentant mess, its flowers bowing to the earth to worship Mary Sue, before it rots away into a rose-scented fertiliser which will grow the nicest strawberries next summer.
What I’ve noticed recently about these obnoxiously good characters is that they’re morphing into heroes of a different type. They’re not perfect any longer, other than perfectly self-interested. As long as they pursue a path of pure self-interest, the plot bends to their brilliance.
Litrpg contains some good examples. I’m assuming it’s because when you play a video game (the basis for this subgenre of science fiction and fantasy) you play to win. Therefore, self-interest is the guiding light.
Somewhere along the way that guiding light has turned into the defining feature of this type of hero. Whatever the hero does is right and proper and, most of all, successful because it is done out of self-interest.
However, if a different character acts in their own self-interest they are punished severely. Selfishness is a sin when directed against the hero, but a virtue when wielded by the hero.
It’s a strange twist in storytelling. It used to be that you could craft a villain by giving them a single-minded obsession that they sacrificed everyone and everything, too. Now, that passionate conviction renders them the hero.
Truly, we are writing in interesting times.
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