The following is a copy-n-paste from a thread at PokeCharms I thought I'd
share with you all. (original thread:
http://www.pokecharms.com/forums/smf/index.php?topic=3594.0) The original
poster's name is Snapdragon, and I may apply a few changes for the sake of
changing HTML to text.
Don't know what a Mary-Sue is? I think you'd better click here
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue).
Too lazy to do so? Here's a hint: Mary-Sues are "perfect" characters. They
tend to be one-dimensional vessels for their author's wish fulfillment. I'm
sure you've read the fanfics that have Draco Malfoy going goth and falling
in love with Harry Potter's long-lost sister Ravenstar, who happens to be a
winged cat animagus.
Whether they be in stories, comics, or roleplays, they're generally
cringe-worthy and make it much harder for people to sympathize with and/or
like your character.
"Oh no, Snapdragon!" You say. "I do not wish to have an unbelievable
character, nor do I want my Lion King/Naruto/Pokemon crossover fic to make
people roll their eyes! How do I know if my character is a Mary-Sue?"
That's what I'm here for. This is an easy-to-take test (modeled after the
dozens of tests already floating around the internet) that should help you
see how balanced your character is. Or isn't, as the case may be.
Just give yourself one point for each thing that applies, unless it tells
you its worth more.
So without further ado, here is the test:
MY CHARACTER'S NAME IS:
1. The same as mine/a nickname of mine. Changing an e to a y still counts.
>>;
2. A noun, verb, or other word that wouldn't normally be used in a name. I'm
looking at you, Nightfang and Starlight. Again, spelling variations count.
If the word is a color/precious gem or metal, give yourself an extra point.
That has no place in a universe where games are named after colors/precious
gems and metals.
3. Not even a real name, just letters you mashed together to form something
cool-looking.
4. Kind of irrelevant, because he/she just goes by this totally badass
title/nickname all the time. Sir Nightblade the Dragon Master is way cooler
than Horace Aberforth.
5. Now something I use as my username/online handle.
MY CHARACTER LOOKS:
1. Like me!
2. Like me, only prettier!
3. Like I wish I looked. I've always wanted to be Asian/Peurto Rican/half
naked mole rat. =(
4. Like my ideal of the opposite gender. Adrienne Wolfsong has short, dark
hair and blue eyes and is adorably petite and also hispanic and mmmm oh god
I need five minutes excuse me
5. Like a celebrity.
6. More attractive than any other known life form.
7. So cool, because he/she has a scar obtained in a dangerous situation in
their past.
8. Cooler than that, because they have more than one scar.
9. In spite of that, said scars do not detract from their attractiveness;
they never receive any awkward stares from NPCs or passersby because their
ear was chewed off by a rabid Feebas.
10. Did I mention my character's hair color? Because it's neon green/hot
pink/some other color not found in nature, and it's totally not dyed!
11. I lied. It is dyed. Magically enough, even though my
trainer/coordinator/etc. spends their life on the road and camps out most of
the time, you will never see their roots coming in or their dye fading.
12. Also their eyes change color with their mood. Alternatively, they're
bright gold/crimson red/hot pink/some other unnatural color, and it's not
contacts. (The only exception I'll allow is if your character is an albino,
and even then, albino humans tend to have blue eyes. A purplish color is
possible, though. A stretch, but possible.)
13. If female, they're totally skinny and yet somehow in possession of
knockers the size of Electrodes.
14. If they're male, they have a massive six-pack even if they do very
little/no work that would strain their core muscles.
15. Immaculately stylish and well-groomed at all times, despite spending
their life trekking through forests and swamps in the rain/hail/scorching
sun/sandstorms.
16. Totally edgy because they have tattoos on their neck/face/EVERYTHING,
especially if they're technically not old enough to be tattooed. It's hard
to get parental consent when you left home at age 10, but who cares? You can
get inked since you're hxc 4 lyfe, yo.
MY CHARACTER IS:
1. The champion of a region's Pokemon League. Six points.
2. The champion of multiple regions' Pokemon Leagues. Ten points per region.
3. A gym leader. Two points.
4. A Frontier brain/tycoon/whatever the hell. Ten points.
5. A relative of any of the above. Adoption, foster parents, and in-laws
count. Two points.
6. A relative of Nurse Joy/Officer Jenny. Three points.
7. A relative of Ash Ketchum/Professor Rowan/any anime or game character. If
it's a main character, seven points. If it's a minor one, four points.
8. In a relationship with any of the above. Crushes count. Two points.
9. Bitter rivals with any of the above. Gary? Who's Gary? Ash has been
competing against Kaiyoshimiyuko since they were both orphaned in that
tragic Snorlax incident.
10. Childhood friends with any of the above. Two points.
11. Still hanging out with any of the above. Two points.
12. Highly valued by any of the above for their superior skills. The Joys
need Sapphire Lightheart to perform a Batista on a Gyarados because they're
not as skilled at surgery as her and the Jennies never could have caught
that dastardly Pokemon thief if it weren't for the brilliant sleuthing
powers of a ten-year-old boy, for example. Five points.
13. Part Pokemon or any species other than human. This doesn't count if your
RP allows anthros or Pokemorphs or whatever.
14. Able to understand and communicate with Pokemon. Exceptions include
things with telepathy and things that can canonically speak, like TR's
Meowth or Slowkings. A telepathic trainer counts, since that's as outside
the norm for humans as talking is for Oddishes.
15. Otherwise capable of things that normal humans/teenagers shouldn't be
capable of. I'm not so sure that a 13-year-old can have a tenth level black
belt in twelve different marital arts or summon fireballs out of their left
nostril. Telepathy/telekinesis/pyrokinesis count here, too. If your trainer
somehow manages to befriend every Pokemon they meet, no matter how hostile,
go ahead and give yourself a point for this, too. One point per special
ability.
16. From a different world/dimension/time than everyone else in the Pokemon
universe.
17. A canon character from another fandom. HEY GUYS NARUTO GOT A PIKACHU
AWESOME.
18. Was brought to the Pokemon universe by a legendary Pokemon.
19. My ideal boyfriend/girlfriend, if they happen to be the gender that I'm
attracted to. (Thanks RX)
20. Surrounded by a swarm of fangirls/boys/trannies.
21. Able to drive, despite being too busy training Pokemon since age 10 to
bother attending Driver's Ed. If faced with an immensely complex piece of
machinery that they have no experience piloting, they'll be able to drive it
anyway. You can pilot a 747 in your sleep, y'know.
22. A vampire/selkie/werepachirisu.
23. THE CHOSEN ONE. 50 points.
MY CHARACTER HAS:
1. A dark and terrible past involving the deaths of their family
members/friends. Two points per family member.
2. A dark and terrible past, which they cannot remember due to amnesia.
3. A dark and terrible past, which they will remember at a convenient time
and reveal to their love interest/everyone in a ten-mile radius.
4. A dark and terrible past, which will trigger buttloads of angst because
THEY killed their friends/family members/breakfast.
5. A dark and terrible past, which will trigger buttloads of angst because
they blame themselves for the deaths of their friends/family members even
though they are clearly not at fault.
6. A dark and terrible past, which features their lives being saved by a
passing legendary Pokemon. Yeah, guys, I was almost hit by a car the other
day but luckily a pegasus swooped in and saved me.
7. A weapon that's extremely out-of-place in the setting/universe they
belong to. A modern-day trainer carrying a katana, a crossbow and a
battleaxe is going to get some very strange looks.
8. A pendant or some other trinket that is the only momento of their dead
momma/great-grandpappy/goldfish.
9. Also that pendant is magical. THAT'S WHY TOURMALINE KETCHUM TALKS TO
POKEMON.
10. An incredible singing voice. We're talking outsinging Altarias and
charming Primeapes out of the trees.
11. Buttloads of talent as a dancer/musician. If they weren't a trainer,
they'd be a rock star or something.
MY CHARACTER'S POKEMON TEAM:
1. Includes a Pikachu that stays a Pikachu.
2. Includes an Eevee that stays an Eevee.
3. Includes a Mew. Fifty points for this.
4. Includes Arceus. One hundred points for this.
5. Includes another legendary of some kind. Twenty-five points.
6. Contains multiple legendaries. Thirty points per legendary.
7. Has at least one shiny Pokemon.
8. Has at least one shiny legendary. Ten points each.
9. Has a Pokemon that can somehow use a move that it shouldn't be capable of
using. That includes an Abra using Blast Burn as well as a Typhlosion using
Hydro Pump. I'm a stickler, so I say a Magby using Eruption counts too, even
if it's a fire-type using a fire type move. Don't like it? Write your own
test. =p
10. Has a Pokemon that can talk, when it shouldn't be capable of doing so.
Telepathic Plusles. Non-TR Meowths casually commenting on the weather. So on
and so forth. I see no reason why ghosts or Absols should have telepathy,
but I can understand psychic-types and to a lesser extent, Lucario.
11. Has a Pokemon that has one-of-a-kind markings or colors. Acceptable if
they aren't natural; your Minun wearing a pink ribbon or your Vulpix having
a black tail due to temporary dye is entirely plausible. Also note: I'm not
referring to things like a Buneary from the snowiest part of the continent
being a paler shade of brown, or having a Totodile that's a slightly darker
shade of blue. >>; I'm referring to things like a Pidgey with
rainbow-colored feathers and glow-in-the-dark eyeballs. Yes, having an
Umbreon with purple rings counts. Yes, having a Persian with a black
forehead gem counts. Yes, having a Pikachu with heart-shaped cheek patches
counts. If you have to question whether or not it counts, count it anyway.
>_>;; Ten points.
12. Has a Pokemon that somehow has a different typing than other members of
its species. I don't care if it was in the game, there's no such thing as a
ghost/ground/dark Marowak. Fifteen points.
13. Has a Pokemon that has one-of-a-kind
markings/colors/typings/movesets/all of the above for no explained reason.
"My mom gave it to me" is NOT an explained reason. Twenty points.
14. Includes a Pokemon that's a clone from the Mewtwo movies. Five points.
15. Contains a Pokemon that is otherwise stronger/faster/superior to other
members of its species.
16. Contains a Pokemon that is otherwise stronger/fast/superior to other
members of its species because it has a unique coloration/typing/etc. Two
points.
17. Contains a Pokemon that is a crossbreed of two different species. I
don't mean breeding a Gardevoir with a Ditto to get a Ralts, I mean an
Arcanine with the tails of a Ninetales and the wings of a Charizard.
18. Contains a Fakemon. Five points.
19. Contains a Shadow Pokemon. Three points.
20. Includes a Pokemon that follows them because they nursed it back to
health when it was injured/sick/abused.
21. Includes a Pokemon that was once famous for being a vicious wild
beast/an uncatchable thief/whatever, but gave up their life of infamy
because your character showed them kindness.
22. Includes a Pokemon that doesn't even have a pokeball, but it doesn't
matter because it's so loyal to them.
23. Is made up of several Pokemon that all have the exact same personality.
Or lack thereof.
SCORES:
0-11: Congratulations, your character is not a Mary-Sue. Depending on how
low your score was, you may be able to pull off embellishing your character
a little bit.
12-20: You're straying dangerously into Mary-Sue territory. You might want
to tone your character down a little, especially if they're for use in
roleplay instead of fanfiction. If you're here because you have a legendary,
ditch it now. That's against the rules in the RP forum anyway.
21-50: This here is an official Mary-Sue. You have some work ahead of you.
You can still save this character with some heavy tweaking, but simply
starting over is also an option at this stage.
50+: My god... kill it. Kill it with fire.
Please note! The scores may be in for some changing if they're immensely
out-of-whack. Also... don't take it personally if your character gets a high
score. This isn't a judgment of you, but of your character. Hopefully
there's still a distinct line between the two. >>; At any rate, everyone
commits a few of these things at least once in their lives. I'm guilty of a
few of the things in there myself.
-Snapdragon
--Chet Weaver
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