The Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society (also commonly referred to as the ACMSES) is a small group of authors who are dedicated to rooting out Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus, whose presence pose a very real threat to a certain fandom or storyline.
Mission Statement
“We, the Anti-Cliché and Mary-Sue Elimination Society, do hereby swear to eliminate all beings of the Mary-Sue race and to bring order and peace to the words of fandom and to never abuse the powers that we as authors have been given…”
Overview
The Society began with three members (Tash, Harriet, and Lauren), but has now expanded to include other authors across various fandoms, who bring their own talents into the fold. Members may join out of boredom, or they may be those seeking a challenge, or they may simply have a Sue of their own creation that they have unleashed and are now unable to control. For whatever reason, all agents' efforts are welcomed.
Mary-Sues/Gary-Stus are characters developed by an author who are effortlessly perfect, often having a romantic relationship with canon characters. The Society's duty is to send Self-Inserts, who have a similar power basis to Mary-Sues although with more control, to capture these Sues before they get too out of control.
In order to capture Sues/Stus, it is often necessary to block their powers in order to stand a fighting chance. Once a Sues powers are blocked, their effect of manipulating the fandom and characters in it, also disappears. To block a Sue or Stu’s power, a Prohibitor is the easiest and most effective device. This bracelet like device must be secured onto the wrist of the Sue or Stu, and their powers are immediately cancelled out. If a Prohibitor is not an option, knocking a Sue/Stu unconscious with something large and heavy is the next most effective method. Upon arresting, the target is then held in permanent custody in the Basement of the Library, separate from other Sues/Stus, and unable to escape. Arresting the Sue or Stu is preferable to killing them, and thus death should only be a last resort, if the Sue or Stu is so dangerous that bringing them in alive is impossible.
The Society Headquarters is at the Library Arcanium. The Library Arcanium is a transdimensional space, which exists everywhere and anywhere. It (unsurprisingly) takes the form of a large library, with bookshelves on every wall, and piles of books that threaten to trip the unsuspecting.
Agents
For further information about Agents, see Society Agents.
Society members, as already stated, are for all intents and purposes of their job, Self Inserts (with the exception of Aster and Willie. This is the only clean way to ensure that the fandom is cleared of any Sueish traces, as by this point, a Sue is so immensely powerful that simply writing them out of the story has becoming impossible. To this end, Self Inserts are used to directly enter the fandom and remove the Sue themselves.
Gadgets
- Plothole Generators
- Plot Device
- Prohibitor
- Copyright
- Scene Transition
- Canon Cannon
- Oneshot
- Plot Summary
- Crossover
- Bookmark
Sues
For further information about Mary Sues/Gary Stus, see Mary Sue/Gary Stu.
The creation of Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus can happen in many ways, but a lot of authors agree that their own Sues and Stus were brought about when they were just beginning their journeys as writers. Starting out in any aspect of life means making mistakes, and learning from them, and Mary-Sues are often mistakes that authors make and learn from. It is safe to say that a character who is perfect in every way, loses its appeal after a while, so the lifespan of these Sues and Stus does not generally last long. Depending on the fandom, a Sue or Stu may have a longer lifespan than another, but that does not mean that they may not have the power to corrupt the fandom, if they break free of their author’s grasp.