Hello, everyone! Noctus here! Today, we're going to be discussing whether or not Heather's a Mary Sue? Why? Because I want to.

That, and I'm getting tired of people calling her a Mary Sue. So . . . 

Definition of a Mary Sue:

Warning: This will be a LONG article and discussion. Get snacks and drinks if you want. ;-)

Anyway, here's a definition of what a Mary Sue is, for those who don't know (which is probably none of you because how could you be writers and not know what a Mary Sue is. lol).

 Mary Sues -- or Gary Stus, if they're guys -- are characters who are usually extraordinarily gorgeous, amazingly talented, unusually powerful, and exceedingly attractive to whoever the author has a crush on. They often possess ridiculously fancy and pretentious first names -- Angel, Raven, Jewel, Lorelei Bianca Julia Snape -- and are very, very annoying. (Keep in mind that nowadays Mary Sues with these kinds of names are being less frequent. Now they have normal names, but can still be a Mary Sue even if the name is normal, or if the name doesn't fit the universe, such as a Viking girl being named Alexa or Elizabeth or Mary while the others have names like Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, etc). Often times they are dating a canon character, and oftentimes replace a canon character.  

Finally, Mary Sues (and their male equivalents) often have weird, improbable or impossible bloodlines. A secret half-Elven child of Elrond and a nameless human would be an example of this. Another example would be a sibling of a single child such as Hiccup or Astrid -- but most glaringly so would be if said OC was a sibling of Aragorn or Legolas or, dare say, GANDALF!

There are many more examples that you, the readers, probably know, that I haven't even touched yet, but I'm not going to, because then I would be digressing.

So the best example that I can come up with that I think would be a great example of an OC who doesn't have an impossible bloodline (or at least, that's my opinion; if you think it does, then please tell me. Though, I've been told by several people that it's not a Gary Stu, sooo. . . .)

I have an OC for the HTTYD universe called Noctus Impesius (though I just use Fury), or Night Fury in Latin. I named him due to his lifestyle with the Night Furies. Now, obviously, that's not going to be his name, as that is a Latin name that wouldn't fit with the Norse Viking universe (his real name I'm hiding from the public until I actually write a fanfiction book with him in it). 

I have him distantly descended from Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second and a slave woman whom he had freed and married secretly without Grimbeard knowing as part of his rebellion and was pregnant with Noctus's great-great-great-grandfather. When Hiccup died, she fled with some of the Warriors of the Dragonmark as the City of Tomorrow was attacked by both Furious's dragons AND by Thugheart, Hiccup's treacherous brother who indirectly orchestrated his murder. Hiccup the Second's child was kept a secret in order to protect him from those like Thugheart who would've sought out the baby in order to kill him. Hiccup's son and his descendants would later become leaders of a Tribe who protect and raise Night Furies, while also guarding the Island of Tomorrow until a new King of the Wilderwest can be found. Technically, Noctus could easily become a valid candidate, but he doesn't want to be King of anything; he blames Grimbeard and Thugheart for the death of dragons and of Hiccup the Second as well as going against their ancestors who had loved dragons and disliked slaves (he kinda has the same fear of becoming his ancestor that Aragorn has with Isildur). Even if he DID want to be King, no one would believe that he was a descendant of Grimbeard the Ghastly, much less Hiccup the Second (since Hiccup married in secret). There would've been no proof. But long-story-short, Noctus is Hiccup the Third's third cousin twice removed (or what-have-you) and helps him find the Things and train him up so that he can become the new King of the Wilderwest.

So, I have to ask: Is Noctus being the great-great-great-grandson of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Second an improbable or impossible bloodline? I just want to ask before I set it in stone. A few of my friends think it's totally plausible and fine, but I want to know what you guys think.

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Why Heather IS NOT a Mary Sue:

Anyway, enough about my OC (for a story I may or may not write in the distant future), back to Heather, as this is about her.

A type of Mary Sue that people would label her as is a  "Warrior!Sue": The Warrior!Sue is usually loud, obnoxious and (of course) an amazing warrior. She'll usually have some tragic past that led her to become a warrior, and she'll overpower all of the Canonical characters with her mad Sueish abilities.

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Before we get further, please watch this video on Rey as a Mary Sue (which she totally is, as the majority of fans agree)

https://youtu.be/O4LXAzuwMA8

Now, she isn't loud and obnoxious, but she's surprisingly a great fighter, despite not having ever used her Force-sensitive powers or used lightsabers before. She's never flown the Millenial Falcon (which is broken down and hasn't flown in decades), yet she's able to fly it better than Han Solo, who's flown it FAR longer than she's been born. And despite having no Jedi training, and no prior use to a lightsaber, she's totally able to kick Rylo Ken's (or is it Kylo Ren's) butt in a lightsaber duel -- who is older and experienced than her and has trained with a lightsaber his whole life. Then she goes to Luke in the next movie, and after having just THREE lessons, Luke kills himself needlessly and despite this, she's able to defeat anything and anyone in her path like she's been a Jedi her WHOLE BLASTED LIFE!

Oh, and another fun thing: Not only does she have all of that, but she's stunning and Finn and quite possibly Po are making googly-eyes at her. 

And not only that, but she has the typically Mary-Sue-brand dark tragic past -- like her parents ABANDONING HER ON A DESERT PLANET!!!! Now, since Disney is in charge of this, I can't say that I'm surprised. Not only that but she literally has no emotional depth. It's like watching a Star-Wars version of Katniss in Hunger Games (speaking of her, I honestly won't be surprised if she's half-Mary Sue). And while there's no mention as to who her parents are, there's talk that she may be a child of either Han Solo or Luke -- which neither makes any sense. But she may or may not have the possibility of having an improbable or impossible bloodline. But I can't say for sure.

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Why Heather IS NOT a Beauty!Sue:

Now, Heather is being called a Beauty!Mary-Sue and a Warrior!Mary-Sue (I'll get to this topic later on). She suddenly develops skills out of the blue (supposedly), she has a tragic past that caused her to become a warrior, and she's beautiful, in a sense (several critics would disagree), and has turned heads and surpasses everyone who is canon.

I don't really think that that's the case. Just because she's an OC, doesn't mean that she's a Mary Sue. After all, half -- if not 2/3s -- of the characters in the Dragons series (Riders of Berk, Defenders of Berk, Race to the Edge, and the upcoming Rescue Riders) are OCs, and I don't really see any of them being Gary Stus or Mary Sues (except possibly the Defenders of the Wing since their culture isn't even remotely Viking; and probably the Wingmaidens because they're fudgin' flying via BABY DRAGONS). 

(FYI, Dagur and Savage are just AWESOME!!! LOVE THEM!!! XD)

She IS beautiful -- there's no denying that. But I really view her to be on equal par with Astrid (though, again, there are many critics who think that some angles make her face look like a 40-year-old). They both have a beauty that's unique and completely their own. Yet it's not to the point where they're turning everyone's head. In "Heather's Report", everyone save for Astrid loves and trusts Heather. She's charismatic. Really, in all honesty, it looks like Snotlout and Fishlegs are the only ones who seem to have it bad for Heather, while Ruff and Tuff like her because she makes great explosions. Hiccup is more giving Heather the benefit of the doubt and just has the issue of thinking the best in people. He didn't really have a crush on her (though many people have disagreed with me on this point). And the reason why Astrid was jealous was probably due to the fact that Hiccup trusted Heather -- whom he literally just met -- over her -- whom he has known for a long time. So she's hurt that Hiccup would not believe her.

Heather's Report is actually loosely inspired by the scene in Book 2 "How to be a Pirate" of the HTTYD book series, where Alvin the Treacherous makes his appearance when the Hooligans find and rescue him in a coffin (he was trapped inside there and thrown to the sea by Meathead Tribesmen) that they brought from the ocean to the Great Hall. He was handsome and very charismatic and everyone liked him tremendously -- including Hiccup. But Toothless warned him that Alvin smells like an Outcast, but Hiccup doesn't believe him and continues to be cordial and friendly towards him. A very similar situation happens in Heather's Report.

Also, keep in mind that while she is beautiful, according to the standards of historical Viking culture, she wouldn't be nearly as attractive as Astrid, or even Ruffnut (yes, I said it). 

According to Viking culture, their definition of beauty for both genders are this:

1) Height -- the taller, the better!

2) Fit and lean -- not buff like most Vikings in the Archipelago. Ironically, Vikings didn't really consider that attractive. Sorry, Snotlout. lol XD

For women, having a rounder face was also considered very attractive (like in Astrid's case).

3) Fine hips -- The finer, the better, as it indicated how "fertile" a woman and man were. They couldn't be too thin or too wide. But wider hips were considered very beautiful in Viking culture.

4) Blond/Blonde hair -- this was considered to be very important because blond hair was considered to be very fashionable and attractive as a Viking. The next best thing was being a red-head. If you weren't blonde, then you use various methods to become one. But being a brunette wasn't considered attractive back then. Again, sorry, Snotlout. lol XD

5) Simple makeup and/or constant baths and grooming -- It's very hard to be attractive if you're smelling like 3-month old haddock stuffed with pickled onions and rotten eggs (book reference).

Heather, according to a historical Viking definition of beauty, would be averagely beautiful, compared to Astrid. Like Astrid, Heather is fit and lean, tall, has nice hips, and has great hygiene. And added bonus, she sings well and is an amazing cook. However, according to Viking standards, her face is not round enough (she has an oval head) and her hair is black and her eyes green (not considered as attractive as blonde hair and blue eyes), which gives her no favors. 

Why Heather IS NOT a Warrior!Sue (and Possible Theories as to How She Might've Become a Warrior):

As to her abilities, nothing sends up red flags: She's a good actress, which isn't really a Mary Sue  (or Gary Stu) trait. Because most Mary Sues are too honest to be a great actress and deceive people. She's also a great fighter, being able to take on Astrid and Hiccup in an equal fight, and maaaybe Dagur, but not Viggo and Ryker and Krogan. Or Johann, for that matter. If she was a Mary Sue, she would've been able to defeat everyone. 

Also, she didn't become a superb fighter overnight. She says that Dagur "attacked her village and killed everyone." It's obvious that she's been alone for quite a long time. Keep in mind, dear readers, that we have not seen Heather at all since "Heather Report" in the middle of the Riders of Berk season. She didn't show up at all in Defenders of Berk, and we don't see her again until episode 11 of season 1 of Race to the Edge, known as "Have Dragon, Will Travel Part 1", so it may be entirely plausible that she has been learning to fight since then, not wanting to end up in another situation like what had happened with Alvin. Keep in mind that her village is a Viking village -- probably not to the par of the Berkians or the Berserkers, but still, they know how to fight. 

However it could be that they were caught by surprise and were vastly outnumbered, which would've led to their untimely demise. 

Even if this wasn't the case that Heather had been practicing since we've last seen her, and that she ended up learning after Dagur's attack sometime after his escape from the Outcast Dungeons, it still would've been anywhere from a few to several months where she would've had constant practice and might've had someone train her for a time. Which is realistic. Keep in mind that she says that "she has had made many enemies," due to her vigilante missions, and it's quite possible that she constantly fights, keeping her in shape and practicing. As the famous saying goes: "Practice Makes Perfect!"

However, there seems to be solid proof that the first theory may be more correct, and she may have been on her own sometime between her leaving Berk after "Heather Report" and before Dagur suffers his final defeat and gets thrown into the Outcast Dungeons. For she tells Hiccup in "Have Dragon, Will Travel", "Look, I've been living on my own out here for years and I made more than a few enemies." 

Years. Not weeks or months -- YEARS!!! 

She's been on her own for years, so it happened either: 

1) During the Second Berkian-Berserker War in Defenders of Berk (I said "Second" because, according to the comics, Berkians fought with the Berserkers the first time under Osvald before he became "Osvald the Very Agreeable", and before Stoick and Valka met), when Dagur declared war on Berk -- after all, there were a lot of absences in between episodes, so it's possible he could've done it around this time;

2) Somewhere between Heather's farewell in "Heather Report Part 2" and "Twinsanity" four episodes later when Dagur makes his first appearance;

Or 3) it happened sometime between "Twinsanity" and "The Night and the Fury", the third episode of Defenders of Berk, when Dagur reunites with Hiccup after a long absence.

What do you guys think? What are your theories as to when this happened to Heather and her adopted home? Personally, I can't choose one, because they ALL sound plausible.

Heather's Other Skills (and Why They're Not Mary-Sue Traits):

Another skill that she has is Dragon Training and Riding. Now we haven't really seen her train any dragon other than Windshear. She seems to pick it up quickly and might possibly have a photographic memory since she hasn't read the book for very long nor has been around dragons a lot (to our knowledge, of course, since we don't know her history at all after she sails back to her adopted home.) 

She says to the Dragon Riders in "Have Dragon, Will Travel" that: "When I found her, she'd been hurt in a fight with a Typhoomerang. Windshear held her own. Didn't you, girl? But she needed to be nursed back to health. Then when she was better, I used the training you guys taught me on Berk. We've become the perfect team. We're unstoppable. I mean, look at her! No one can take us down. And if they try, they'll be sorry for it."

She also tells Atali later on in "Snotlout's Angels" in season 5 that: "Windshear was so little when I found her, but she bonded with me right away."

Judging by what she says, and by seeing Windshear full-grown by the time Heather reunites with the Dragon Riders 3-to-3 1/2 years later, she could've quite possibly befriended Windshear during the "Defenders of Berk" season. Or quite possibly long before Dagur escaped the Outcast Dungeons (which is unlikely, but it's an educated guess). It would've had to have been quite a while before Windshear would've been able to become full-grown like the others. 

However, we know nothing about the timespan that it takes Razorwhips to mature into adults. It may be that none of the dragons that the Riders ride (including Heather) are even full-fledged adults yet in dragon-standards. We simply don't know. So I can't say this with conviction. It could just as easily be that Heather found Windshear after she escaped from her village's destruction -- which might've given Windshear anywhere between a few months to several months time before she and Heather reunite with the Riders for the first time (and that's assuming that the theory of her village being attack after Dagur's escape in the pilot episode of RTTE was even correct).

And since Windshear was maybe a baby Razorwhip, or an adolescent since baby Razorwhips would be blind until they mature, and due to the fact that Heather was a female, it would've been easy for Windshear to accept Heather as her protector and bond-sister, according to the Wingmaidens. 

As to her intelligence, it seems to also be on par with Astrid, and maybe even Hiccup. She's able to come up with strong lies to fool people (hence why she's a good actress), and she's able to think on her feet and find ways to escape from a situation (like her plan with escaping from the Berk prison in Heather Report). And in "Gold Rush" in Race to the Edge, she was able to defeat Fishlegs in Maces and Talons 3-0, which isn't surprising considering she's royalty. 

When it comes to crafting, she's very good. She's able to give advice and help Hiccup with making a more aerodynamic rod for the tailfin, so she might have some basic blacksmithing knowledge. She also was able to fashion her outfit and her double-ax weapon using the scales and spikes of Windshear. She might've made her saddle as well.

Another trait is that she is a Berserker. When she was younger, Heather didn't display any tendencies. These traits began to appear after Dagur's attack. She seemed to enjoy fighting more than before. This and the loss of her family have also made Heather a bit unstable, though not dangerously so (like, say, a mental breakdown). Heather admitted to Astrid she was afraid that she had the same Berserker insanity as her brother, but Astrid assured her she was nothing like Dagur in "To Heather or Not To Heather".

In the season finale of the final season of RTTE, Heather agrees with Dagur when he says: "those are our people down there!" when they're getting attacked by the Dragon Hunters, and she tells Hiccup that she and Dagur would rather "die and fight with honor rather than hide in shame" -- a classic Berserker response.

Heather is also an excellent cook. In fact, she's possibly better than all of the Riders combined, as she seems to have taken over as the Head Cook for the group as of "To Heather or Not To Heather" (much to their relief). According to Dagur, being a great cook is a trait that passed down in their family (probably the female members of their family, assumedly). 

A great head-canon that I'm beginning to love very much is that Heather gave Astrid some cooking lessons to help prepare her for her future wedlock to Hiccup, since a wife is expected to be able to cook food for her husband. It might explain why Hiccup is "filling out" in HTTYD 2 and HTTYD 3.

Lastly, Heather is a great singer. She also seemed to be the only one to calm down Garff the Hatchling Deathsong with her voice. That's not to say that everyone's singing was bad. Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout also seem to sing well, but Garff just didn't like them (no idea why. ;-) ) Hiccup's singing is . . . average. Not terrible, but not great either. Ruffnut's voice is harsh and grating as we see in the episode and also in the episode in "Scaldy" in Defenders of Berk when she sings to Scauldy the Scauldron. The little that we hear Astrid sing near the end of the episode of "Death Tone", it seems that her voice is a bit shrilly (sorry, Astrid, but this has to be said; we can't all be in Broadway LOL). It's definitely out of tune. Trust me, I've been carefully listening to their voices. I've watched that episode several times just for this article.

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Conclusion:

So, in conclusion, Heather is NOT a Mary Sue. She isn't stunningly beautiful (especially by Viking standards), she doesn't have a fancy or foreign or out-of-place name, she's not perfect, she has several realistic flaws, she doesn't overpower every other character with her skills, she doesn't outshine the leading characters, and she needs help from others when she ends up getting into trouble -- while Warrior Mary Sues are able to take on anything and everyone.

And concerning her name, "Heather" is a name you normally see Anglo-Saxons or Scots have. That being said, due to her possibly having Anglo-Saxon ancestry, it's plausible. But it's not just restricted to those cultures. The Dutch, Germans, and Scandinavian cultures also use the name "Heather", so Heather's name isn't really out-of-place.

And while she has a hidden, troubled past (Dagur setting her adrift, causing her to end up becoming the daughter of adoptive parents, then Dagur destroying her village, finding out that Dagur is her brother, not knowing her parents, etc), and while it sounds a bit Mary-Sue-ish, it's not. In the end, she and Dagur discover what happened to their father, they found each other and live better lives because of it, and they both co-rule the Berserker Tribe together. That, and Dagur gets married to Mala, giving Heather another adoptive sister.

Also, if she was a Mary Sue, she would've went all gung-ho on pursuing Hiccup and getting him to quickly and unrealistically fall madly in love with her, which neither ever do. In fact, Heather ends up trying to get the pair of them (Hiccup and Astrid) to get together and is one of their greatest supporters. She's one of the -- if not THE -- the biggest Hiccstrid supporters in the franchise.

Besides, this is Dreamworks we're talking about here! Not Disney! Dreamworks doesn't do anything or make characters unless they have a meaning and are relevant to the plot. Why do you think we love HTTYD so much? It's not just because of the Dragons. I personally would've never loved HTTYD (the movie franchise at least) if the human characters were terrible.

So what do you guys think? Do you agree that she's not a Mary Sue? Or do you think differently? Please let me know in the comments. ^_^

Is there anything you'd like to add about Heather, or to subtract, concerning this article that I may have missed?

Let me know that you guys think! Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to reading this and writing your opinion. This really means a lot. Forgive me for this being long-winded. That tends to happen on topics that I love. I hope that you've enjoyed it in spite of it.

Please let me know what other topics, whether HTTYD, LOTR, Narnia, Zootopia, or others that you'd like me to discuss! ^_^

Long Live the Night!

- Noctus Fury

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Word Count: 4,000 words

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Date Published: 08/08/18