The Mary Sue's same-gender companions are foils by default; no one can measure up to the perfection of Mary Sue. However, because the Mary Sue is by definition unsympathetic, she often becomes the true foil to the flawed, real characters who were meant to be foils to her. Such is the case in Harley V. Palmer's Purity Flame.
The intended foil to Mary-Sue Kie is Aeli, the only other female of the Kinir Elite. She is described as stupid, slutty, and superficial, which means that Kie should be smart, wholesome, and down-to-earth.
All the major characters of Purity Flame look down on Aeli for her alleged stupidity, though the only evidence of this is the one time she speaks out-of-turn in front of Commander Palto. I found this charmingly naive, not purposely disrespectful. Alternately, if she is stupid because she was duped by the traitor, then Derac, Kie, and the rest of the Kinir Elite are stupid, as well. The allegation that Aeli is stupid is inconclusive if not entirely wrong.
Aeli is flirtatious, not slutty. She could cross the line into promiscuity, but never is this documented in the book. In fact, there is more evidence the prove she is not a slut than there is to condemn her as one:
- For the majority of the book, she is exclusively tied to her teammate Jardel.
- She lets the traitor think that she is loyal to him by letting him sleep with her, but she did so to keep her team alive. Selflessness personified.
- After Jardel breaks her heart, Aeli is offered a male escort--no charge--and declines. A slut would not be heartbroken, and she would not decline.
It is suggested that Aeli is admitted to the Kinir Elite solely for her attractiveness, and that her abilities as a warrior are sub-par. Despite Kie's beauty--which tempts every man she comes in contact with--her abilities are not questioned. Kie is paraded around by the author as a workaholic tomboy; Aeli is the flirtatious airhead. As the deuteragonist, Kie is expected to be the female reader's sympathetic character; however, she is damaging to all womankind.
Kie tries to diminish her womanhood by keeping her hair in a braided bun, wearing only the masculine (or at least gender-neutral) Elite uniform, and scoffing at every element of femininity in the book. Since she is given attention, respect, and even praise, she is the character that young women will try to emulate.
Aeli is naive, trusting, flirtatious, outspoken, and courageous, and yet female readers are being told to disregard her. Aeli is disrespected by being called names, dumped by Jardel, basically raped by the traitor, and she's given no comfort or support. She may be flawed, but in a job full of masculine influences, where women are not allowed to make a mistake, and her allies--the "honorable" good guys--consider her stupid, slutty, and superficial, Aeli has the courage to remain true to herself. She doesn't try to hide who she is. She may have been written to resemble Lydia Bennet, but she has all the cunning, vulnerability, and charm of Marilyn Monroe.
