Mary Sue Litmus Test

[Shandriz]

Okay. Before people go nuts on me-- Shino-sama said it would be okay if I posted this here. It really doesn't fit in Click It or the Quiz section, because it's purpose isn't just mild entertainment. This quiz is a resource for character creation.

Firstly-- What is a Mary Sue?

For those of you who don't know, a Mary Sue is a character (males can be referred to as Gary Stu's, but most people don't bother using the different titles for something like gender) who is, essentially, perfect. Who has no flaws. Who is you, only better and sparklier and shinier and immune to all bad things. They have qualities you want to have, or do have, but are better at it. They get away with everything, they are cliche and stereotypical. They are overly powerful, and even if something bad happens to them, that's okay, because they just angst and get attention for a while and then they get over it and don't have to change or anything.

Mary Sues are generally considered the bane of the fan-writer's existence. This includes roleplaying characters (both online and tabletop) and fanfiction (though there are regular novel-writers who can also experience the Mary Sue virus.)

Here's the test-- http://www.angelfire.com/gundam/otto/grayswandir/mary-sue-test.html

I haven't tested Shandriz or Legend yet, as I don't feel I've fully developed them enough as characters to really go through it.

I will admit I probably have a character or two still in existence that falls into the Mary Sue category, but most of them are from so long ago that I didn't know what one was and I just haven't gotten around to fixing them up. xD. I never had an -extreme- sparkle princess Mary Sue, though, I can feel proud of that.

Enjoy! ^^

Edit: Also, I should mention that this really doesn't apply to PO characters. PO Characters in general -are- supposed to represent fairly well their players. This is more designed for rpgs, fanfiction, and original fiction where the characters are supposed to be original creations. ^^

[Shurikane]

Sounds like fun! Let's give it a shot.

+3 (Named after an unusual spelling of a common word)
+2 (Noun or adjective not normally used as name)
+1 (Name I really really like)
+3 (Highly attractive)
+1 (One character attracted to her)
+1 (Angsts in the present)
+1 (Feels guilty about something that happened in the past)
-2 (Serious personality flaw)
-2 (Flaw gets the character in serious trouble)
-1 (Feels little empathy)
+1 (Is a cop)
+1 (Has powers which are considered normal in the story's universe)
+2 (Requests to draw the character)
+1 (Surprised if someone doesn't like the character)

TOTAL: 12 points (Non-Sue)

[Shandriz]

^_^ Awesome! I might do one for Sana. Though I'm terrified as to what that will turn out.

[Shino]

+1 (Is the character's name foreign, even though the character isn't?)
+2 (Is it an Asian name?)
+1 (Did the character run away from home?)
+3 (Does the character consider her/his beauty/talent/skill/etc. a curse?)
-2 (significant personality flaw)
-2 (these flaws get the character in serious trouble)
+1 (Telekinesis)
+1 (Pyrokinesis)
+1 (Skill in martial arts or hand-to-hand combat)
+2 (Has everyone significant heard of the character?)

8 - Anti-Sue

[Shandriz]

For Sana Silverarrow, Archer of the Silverarrows-- for those of you who don't know, she's the lead character in my someday-I-really-will-finish-it novel, Eternal Dragon

+1 (has a name I really, really like)
+1 (One other character is attracted to her)
+3 (Character has unusually coloured eyes)
+4 (Character is related to royalty)
(I don't have to add the +1 for her fortune, because her position means she can't inherit it. xD)
+1 (Angst in the present)
-2 (Worked with the evil/villain character willingly)
-3 (Losing a battle against a non-rival)
-2 (character flaw)
-1 (flaw persists till the end of the story)
-2 (Flaw gets someone killed.)
+ 2 (Skill at which she is among the best)
+2 (Well known for this skill)
+1 (Shares more than one hobby/interest)
+2 (better at it than I am)
+1 (Excels in a field I wish I exceled in)
+2 (Everyone significant has heard of the character)
-1 (Character's problems continue after the story ends...sort of, but it counts. There is not a happy ending, at least.)
+2 (Dies a romantic death)
+3 (Dies in her beloved's ...well, not arms, but I think it's close enough)
+3 (Beloved dies in her..well, again, not in her arms, but close enough.)
+1 (Someone I'd like to be friends with)
+3 (Mouthpiece for my beliefs. Though, this goes along with the story itself)
+4 (Wish I could be like the character...though, I'd hate to actually -be- her, I wouldn't mind being -like- her in some ways. )

I think that equals to 25 or so. . Which means she's borderline. As it says, this doesn't take into account a lot of things, so it's possible that I'm safe.

There were a few I narrowly avoided putting on there. Upon second thought, I really would rather avoid alliances of any kind with her love interest, despite designing him to be really fecking awesome. And she does change him to make him more appropriate a partner, but it doesn't actually -work- as it doesn't effect his personality enough to really help her 'get the guy'.

To explain the death thing-- (If you're against spoilers and think that you might possibly remember this if/when you ever read my novel, then don't read this. )
they both die at exactly the same time, killing each other. So, it's technically romantic, and technically they die with each other, though they're sort of, splayed out and not really a romantic-looking scene. xD

[Silvanus]

Lol! I'm going to do my favorite Antagonist the almightly Dark Lord Covaris Wilizori!!!!!!!!!

-Name I like (1)
-Older than they appear(4 if you count being an empathic healer as immortal)
-Unusual eye color (4... red is only natural in albinos which he isn't exactly)
-Unusual hair (4 Silver, although it's really a racial thing.. it's still not normal)
-above average intelligence (2... guilty guilty me creating a evil super genius...)
-illegitimate birth (1 does illegal and accident magic experiment count?)
-language fluency (1... guilty again... my love travels on in my evil antagonist... lol)
-travel (1.. part of the trying to take over the world is that you have to see it)
-lost against non-rival (-3)
-personality flaw (-2 I'd say that obsessive personality is a personality flaw in this instance...)
-Persists after story (-2 continues through all five books, actually)
- telepathy (2)
- healing (4 since I'm combining it with empathy as he's an empathic healer)
-magic (1)
-shrug off slight wounds (1... or inflict them on others... bwhaahahaha!)
-exceptionally powerful (3)


Total: 21 Borderline! LOL... that's funny as he's the opposite gender of me and I'd never want to be anything like him... I just think he's awesome as a bad guy!!!

[Shandriz]

. Take off the crazy hair thing. That's a race thing. I didn't add points to Shandriz for hers, or to my conceptual Forgotten for hers, because it's not unusual for her race. I think they're talking crazy extensive details and having bright orange hair if that's not normal for your race sort of deal.


Here's one for the -original- Shandriz. Not PO-version, which has been PG-ified.

+1 Very attractive, but has to work to maintain it (though she neglects this later)
+3 Unusual eye colour
+1 for dressing in a way I think is cool
+ 1 for being Estranged from her family
+1 Angsty past
+1 ran away from home
+1 for pet
+ 3 though it's a cat, it is a winged cat
-2 for personality flaw
- 2 for the flaw persisting
- 2 for the flaw getting her into serious trouble
-1 for little to no empathy for other people
+1 for healing
+1 for general magic or sorcery
+1 for sharing more than one hobby/interest
+2 for being better at it than I am
+5 for elf
-1 for problems continuing after the end of the story without hope of respite
-2 for willfully murdering
+ 3 for being nursed back to health (though this is debatable, as he was not in reality warm, kind, or loving, and was instead brainwashing him as a part of his Evil Plan..he was -acting- like a warm, kind, loving person. xD)

12 or 15, depending on that last thing. . So, she's a non-sue, but not quite an Anti-Sue. I think her paranoia and fear of contact with any human beings, however, is significant enough that if there were a rating system on personality defect, she'd probably get more points off for it. xDDDDD Ah well!

[K-chan]

Ran my two favorite and longest played rpg characters through it,

Ellisande

+1 Does the character have a nickname or pseudonym?
+1 Does the character have a name or nickname that corresponds to a mythological/literary/historical/etc. figure (e.g. Venus, Faustus, Bonaparte)?
+3 Does the character appear to be much younger than she/he really is? (no win situation, this wasn't intentional but if you want to play an Aes Sedai in Robert Jordan's world this is just a given)
+4 Is the character related to royalty or nobility?
+2 Did the character ever suffer sexual abuse
+1 rape
-3 if the character has ever fairly lost in any kind of duel, fight, or competition against someone of equal or lesser ability, and the winner was not the character's rival.
-2 points if the character has a significant personality flaw
-2 if these flaws get the character in serious trouble
-1 if flaw persists to end of story
-1 She/he has very little or no empathy for other people.
+2 Does the character have any particular skill at which she/he the best or among the best?
+ 2 And is she/he widely knows for this skill
+1 Does the character excel in a field you wish you excelled in?
+1 Does the character have what you consider better or more refined taste than you have in books?
-2 if your character ever willfully commits rape or murder. (murder)
+3 Does the character fall in (reciprocated) love with, or have sex with, a character you would like to fall in love with or have sex with?
+1 Is the character someone you would want to be friends with, assuming she/he would be receptive to friendship with you?
+3 Is the character a mouthpiece for your own beliefs or views?
+4 Do you ever wish you could be like the character?

Total: 18

Respectable, Elli was the second character I ever created so I was a little angst happy and going through a rough year in highschool when I actively played her. ^_^; Isha though I am uber proud of.

Isha

+ 1 Does the character's name describe her/his personality? (e.g. Tristan means sad, Darcy means dark, Charity means charity, etc.)
+1 Are one or more other characters attracted to her/him?
+2 was the character abandoned by his caregivers?
-3 if the character has ever fairly lost in any kind of duel, fight, or competition against someone of equal or lesser ability, and the winner was not the character's rival.
+1 Was the character born/raised in extreme poverty?
-2 the character is a protagonist but ever freely, willingly, and knowingly worked for the villain/evil regime.
-2 if the character has a significant personality flaw (e.g. she/he is a spoiled brat, is horribly judgmental or biased, is irrationally violent, is naive and easily manipulated, etc.)
-2 if these flaws get the character in serious trouble
-1 he does not learn from major mistakes
-1 he is selfishly manipulative or sadistic (e.g. threatens self-harm, lies, blackmails, etc. in order to get her/his way).]
+2 A thief or pickpocket?
-3 if his beliefs are radically different from yours for the full duration of the story.
-2 if your character ever willfully commits rape or murder.
-2 if the character goes to prison for the crime.
-2 if your character ever willfully commits rape or murder. (murder)
+1 Would you be very surprised if someone did not like the character?

total: -12

[Nogrick]

I took the check box one, so I don't really remember what all I picked, but I got a 36 on my RP Nog. Although I was a little iffy on some of the ones I did check. Like the nursed back to health one, because it was also tied to a love interest, which in Nog's case wasn't, unless he has a crush on a dwarven man. Also with the questions about the name, since it is a made up word, I didn't know how to answer all those questions properly, so maybe that went against me a little bit.

Then again, this said it wasn't entirely accurate. I kinda like the way I built him. But I'll never really know too much. I'll go through it again though and leave out some of the questionables.

REDUX:

Does the character have a name you really, really like? [1 point]
Are one or more other characters attracted to her/him? [1 point]
[Subtract 3 points if the character is over 20 and appears much older than she/he really is.]
Is the character related to royalty or nobility? [4 points]
Was the character ever estranged from her/his family/tribe/country/etc.? [1 points]
Did the character run away from home? [1 point]
Does the character feel guilty about something terrible that happened in the past? [1 point]
[Subtract 2 points if the character is a protagonist but ever freely, willingly, and knowingly worked for the villain/evil regime.]
Is the character fluent in more than two languages? [1 point]
Has the character traveled extensively? [1 point]
[Subtract 3 points if the character has ever fairly lost in any kind of duel, fight, or competition against someone of equal or lesser ability, and the winner was not the character's rival.]

[Subtract 2 points if the character has a significant personality flaw (e.g. she/he is a spoiled brat, is horribly judgmental or biased, is irrationally violent, is naive and easily manipulated, etc.)]
[Subtract 1 She/he does not learn from major mistakes.]
Does the character have any particular skill at which she/he the best or among the best? [2 points]
Does the character share more than one of your hobbies or interests? [1 point]
[Subtract 3 points if her/his beliefs are radically different from yours for the full duration of the story.]
[Subtract 2 points if your character ever willfully commits rape or murder.]

[Subtract another 2 points if the character goes to prison for the crime.]
Is the character someone you would want to be friends with, assuming she/he would be receptive to friendship with you? [1 point]
Do you ever wish you could be like the character? [4 points]

This time I came out with a 4. I guess seeing the checkbox one kinda made me flip out about some answers. I also took away most of the name ones, and being nursed back to health along with a few others I thought to be debatable. So I guess Nog isn't that bad after all.

[Shandriz]

Yeah, I wanted to mention-- this really doesn't apply to PO at all, as most characters on PO are -supposed- to represent their players. This is for fanfictions, original fictions, and rpgs where the point is to create believable, original characters. ^^