Is Your Character a Mary Sue?

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You're probably here because you got a flame (or a very very harsh review) of your story, telling you that your character is a Mary Sue. I'm not here to comfort you. I'm here to tell you that he or she JUST MIGHT BE!

If you do NOT know what a Mary Sue is - a) WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING TAKING THIS QUIZ!? And b) feel free to do research - Wikipedia has a quite nice page on Mary Sues. In short, Mary Sues are some of the most hated literary devices, and this quiz will help to tell you if you've created one!

Created by: Xandra J.

  1. What is your age?
  2. What is your gender?
  1. Is your character named after you?
  2. Is your character in the same general age group as you? (Teenager, Adult, Young adult, etc.)
  3. Is your character a teenager?
  4. Does your character have a tragic past?
  5. Has your character ever been (or thought he/she has been) responsible for the death of a parent/friend/lover?
  6. Do you use overly poetic terms to describe your character? (eg. "Raven locks", "Amber orbs", etc.)
  7. Do you and your character dress alike, or does he/she dress how you wish you could or would be allowed to dress?
  8. Do your character's eyes have any strange, not naturally occurring qualities? (changes colour, flashing, etc.)
  9. Does your character have strangely coloured eyes that do not come from coloured contacts?
  10. Does your character have purple eyes?
  11. If the previous question applies to you, have you ever described said eyes as "Amethyst orbs"? (If you answered no previously, simply answer no to this)
  12. How many main characters fall in love with your character?
  13. Does your character have a remarkable singing voice?
  14. If you previously answered yes, can he/she charm or bewitch people with his/her singing? (If you answered no to the previous question, simply answer no to this one)
  15. Is your character the sole surviving member of some great tragedy, genocide, or the last of a house or species?
  16. If a fanfiction character, does your character have a weapon or trinket similar to another character's previously unique weapon or trinket? (if not a fan character, answer no to the next four questions.)
  17. If a fan character, is your character essentially the female version of your favorite male character, or vice versa?
  18. Is your character the child or close relative of a major Canon character?
  19. Do The Rules of a universe bend or break for your character? (The Rules are the general laws that apply to a fandom - like in an Aladdin story, a genie not attached to a lamp would be breaking the rules.)
  20. Does your character "Just know things" about the fandom that only the canon characters should know? (eg. Luke: "Darth Vader is my father!" Mary Sue: "Oh, I knew that all along!")
  21. Was your character adopted, orphaned, a runaway, stolen at birth or in any other way raised by someone who is not the character's own parents.
  22. Does your character ever die while saving another character, but is restored to life?
  23. Is your character remarkably witty/always has a clever come-back?
  24. Does your character sleep with many other characters? (Or get the chance, but doesn't because he/she "Isn't that kind of person"?)
  25. If your character falls in love, does he/she give up said love for a greater purpose? (If he/she doesn't fall in love, simply answer no.)
  26. Is your character a familiar mythical creature such as a vampire, werewolf, nymph, or an easily recognizable variant?
  27. Does he or she come from another country/world/universe than the other characters in the story?
  28. If a newcomer or fan character, does your character beat up, humiliate, tell off, or in any other way best a character you would personally like to do the same to?
  29. Is your character any sort of nobility or royalty?
  30. When your character makes his/her first appearance, do most/all of the characters in the area notice him/her immediately?
  31. Does your character have strangely coloured hair, or hair that changes throughout the story? (disregard if character is dying hair)
  32. Does your character have some tragic, incurable disease?
  33. Are there prophesies about your character?
  34. Does your character have some kind of mental disorder (such as multiple personality or Anti-Social) to make up for a murder/crime he/she committed, or to explain why he/she is always lurking?
  35. Do you sometimes imagine you ARE your character? (If the only time you do this is when writing, skip this.)
  36. If someone does not like your character do you take it as a personal attack?
  37. Has your character befriended a villain and convinced said villain to reform/change his/her ways?
  38. Is your character generally dislike by many other characters in the story?
  39. DE-SUIFIER: Do you ever make fun of your characters flaws, or use them as plot devices?
  40. DE-SUIFIER: Is your character overweight, and stays that way throughout the entire story? (a little bit of pudginess does NOT count.)
  41. DE-SUIFIER: Is your character out of shape, and stays out of shape throughout the entire story? (I don't mean "Oh, I just don't think I can finish this triathlon!" I mean honestly, hinderingly wimpy.)
  42. DE-SUIFIER: Is your character human, 40+, and looks his/her age?
  43. DE-SUIFIER: Does your character have a debilitating phobia that does NOT disappear at the crucial moment?
  44. DE-SUIFIER: Is your character mentally or physically disabled (paraplegic, retarded, etc.) and has no special powers to make up for this? (To quote Dr. Merlin, anyone who says "She's so pretty that it's like a disability because everyone hates her or wants to have sex with her" will be summarily keelhauled.)
  45. DE-SUIFIER: Has your character ever been petty, selfish, lazy, or pointlessly cruel for no other purpose than that it was convenient for him/her?
  46. DE-SUIFIER: Has your character ever been faced with a situation that he/she had no hope of overcoming on his/her own?
  47. DE-SUIFIER: If your character has a bad past with his/her parents, does he/she reconcile with them in the end?
  48. Do you view your characters more as tools instead of as friends or children?

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Quiz topic: Is my Character a Mary Sue?