There's a pretty darn awesome webcomic on the 'net called "El Goonish Shive". I am a fan. Some of its highlights:
-Excellent character writing
-Adorable lesbian couples (don't judge me)
-Some AWESOME callback moments that prove for just how long the strip has been planned in advance
-It's hilarious
-The way in which the art style gradually improves is TREMENDOUS and gives me motivation to draw
-"I'M TOO YOUNG AND TOO MALE TO BE THE MOTHER OF A SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD FEMALE ME!" (Yes, this is an actual thing that was actually said in the comic.)
So... below holds spoilers for those of you who have not read past the twelve-year mark. (Yes, there is a lot of comic for you to catch up on.) YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
I like pretty much all of the characters in the strip, but the one whom I like the most?
Nanase Kitsune.
I think this quote sums her up pretty well:
"She's athletic, smart, trilingual, can kick the *** of anyone who messes with her, is theoretically good-looking enough that most people are nice to her by default (I wouldn't know because she's my cousin)… and when she's not burned out, she's an insanely potent magic user." -Tedd
You get a character like that, who has all that PLUS the longest-running, most stable relationship out of all the teenagers in the entire strip, some truly epic scenes of awesomeness, AND was on the receiving end of an AWESOME Deus Ex Machina moment, and you may think that she's a Mary Sue. (For those of you who don't know, Mary Sues are essentially perfect characters in relation to the story.) But she doesn't have everything going for her.
Nanase has had her share of struggles, what with dealing with her own sexuality, in general, in relation to her mother's more conservative views, and in relation to Ellen; witnessing her girlfriend ALMOST DIE and risking her life for her; that one incident in France (which is one of a number of reasons why I like Susan so much); and the hair issues. (Of course, that's an exaggeration.)
Again, you may see that and think, "She has had lots of angst. She is extremely gifted/lucky/favoured. She's definitely a Mary Sue." She's not. You know why? Her personality.
Nanase is very nice. She's almost always kind to others, no matter the situation. In the incident involving the hair (from which I took the above Tedd quote), Sarah summarises Nanase's reaction as the following: "And then something does go wrong and she's all understanding and awesome about it." Nanase is also calmer than pretty much all of the cast. She's serene and nice and a good person.
But she doesn't have a big head about it.
Nanase, above all else, despite her many talents, is humble.
Believe me, a Mary Sue would not be quite so humble.
Nanase is just a generally likeable character. She's sympathetic and cool and has an excellent personality and is not as perverted as some characters (e.g. Tedd, Ellen).
Last but not least, she's grateful. I think this is a good quote to end with:
"I don't know, but I thanked God all the same."
Nanase is a good little gay Christian wizard girl.
I HAVE to mention girl genius here just cause it is completely my aesthetic and I've been reading it for years. Brilliant and funny steampunk madness with characters that won't allow people to tell them what they can't do
