User blog:TheSlicer/BIONICLE Mary Sue Test

Alright. It's come to my attention that a few people, me included, have become concerned that their characters are, well, Mary Sues. Not all of us are wrong, either--the old version of Nightwatcher was a Mary Sue to a ridiculous level, and Leviathos is also clearly in Mary Sue territory. And that's just the Gigas Magna storyline.

Therefore, to judge once and for all whether people's characters are Mary Sues, I have created my own Mary Sue litmus test based on these two, and have included several questions oriented more toward BIONICLE. Keep in mind, as always, that this test is far from perfect--there's a good chance that it is very wrong.

Note--this test does not apply to antagonists, and it may not work very well for anti-heroes or villain protagonists either. If your character is either of these, proceed at your own discretion.

Ready to take the test? Then here it is:

The test

 * 1) Does your character succeed at virtually everything she/he tries? [4]
 * 2) *Do her/his initial plans, strategies, ideas, etc. always (or nearly always) work? [3]
 * 3) Is your character a crossbreed/hybrid of any kind? [2]
 * 4) Does anyone ever become instantly attracted to the character? [2]
 * 5) Does the character ever become instantly attracted to anyone else? [1]
 * 6) Does the character have an unusual, non-negative physical trait that sets him apart from others (i.e., unusually-colored eyes)? [2]
 * 7) *Is this trait important to the plot? [2]
 * 8) Do animals instinctively like your character without a plot-related explanation? [1]
 * 9) Does the character “just know things?” [3]
 * 10) Is your character treated differently from others? (This includes everything from being punished unnecessarily, being effectively worshiped, and everything in between.) [2]
 * 11) Does the character habitually share profound wisdom or knowledge? [1]
 * 12) Does your character save the day far more often than any of the other main characters? [3]
 * 13) *Even when there's no good reason why another character wouldn't have been just as capable? [2]
 * 14) Does your character die heroically? (Any nasty irreversible thing, like becoming brain-dead, counts too.) [3]
 * 15) *Does everyone mourn the death of your character? [1]
 * 16) *Is she/he revived by the end of the story? [4]
 * 17) Does your character come close to dying heroically, yet not die? [2]
 * 18) Do the antagonists ever take advantage of the character's weaknesses? [-1]
 * 19) *Successfully? [-1]
 * 20) Is your character ever spared by an otherwise-ruthless villain? [2]
 * 21) *Despite the fact that he/she has already done massive harm to the villain or the villain's forces? [2]
 * 22) *Because the villain is attracted to your character? [2]
 * 23) Do all the main characters end up at least grudgingly impressed, astonished, and/or envious of your character's skills and/or virtues? (Does not count if they are easily impressed due to their own inexperience.) [3]
 * 24) *Are the only ones who hate the character antagonists, or otherwise cruel or mean? [1]
 * 25) *Does your character modestly dismiss or deflect well-earned compliments regarding these? [1]
 * 26) Is the character unusually accomplished for her/his group/species/age/place/social status, etc.? [1]
 * 27) *Is she/he widely known for this? [1]
 * 28) *Is she/he the first or only one to achieve said accomplishment(s)? [2]
 * 29) *Is she/he accomplished in more than one area? [2]
 * 30) Has the character ever experienced amnesia? [1]
 * 31) *If/when your character discovers his/her past, will he/she not like it? [2]
 * 32) *If/when your character discovers his/her past, will she/he learn that she/he is actually someone of great importance? [2]
 * 33) Does the character have eyes that reflect her/his personality traits? [2]
 * 34) Is the character the last surviving member of a race/group/family, etc., or does she/he believe she/he is? [2]
 * 35) Has the character been estranged from her/his race/group/family, etc.? [1]
 * 36) *Has she/he been forcibly banished? [2]
 * 37) Has the character ever been the sole survivor of a calamity? [3]
 * 38) Does the character often angst about something she/he did in the past? [1]
 * 39) *Despite evidence that it wasn't her/his fault? [2]
 * 40) Does the character constantly consider any or all of her/his talents/abilities curses? [4]
 * 41) *Simply because it creates enemies for her/him? [-1]
 * 42) Does the character have an unusual animal familiar that plays a role in the plot? [2]
 * 43) Is the character consistently irreverent or radical, without repercussions? [2]
 * 44) Does the character have one or more significant personality flaws? [-2]
 * 45) *That get her/him into trouble? [-2]
 * 46) Does the character ever easily learn a difficult skill? [3]
 * 47) Does the character have a clone or duplicate? [3]
 * 48) *Is the duplicate a rival of the main character? [2]
 * 49) *Is your character neither the original nor above-average in prowess? [-3]
 * 50) Is the character of above-average intelligence? [1]
 * 51) *Is she/he a genius? [1]
 * 52) Is the character the sole or one of the last practitioners of a particular field of any sort? [3]
 * 53) *Do one or more of the other practitioners die through the course of the story? [1]
 * 54) Does the character have a powerful Kanohi or weapon that has solved problems for him? [3]
 * 55) *Does its power have notable downsides? [-1]
 * 56) Does the character discover new abilities when in need of them? [4]
 * 57) Do any of the antagonists have an obsession with finding/killing the character? [2]
 * 58) *For no apparent reason? [2]
 * 59) Does the character control powers unusual for her/his species without the aid of any Kanohi, tools, etc., or powers sufficient to destroy entire armies (Makuta power level or higher)? [4]
 * 60) *Is her/his power significantly limited by any means, and does it have notable downsides? [-1]
 * 61) *Are some or all of these powers ever taken from her/him permanently? [-1]
 * 62) *Does she/he control prophecy or any legendary powers (life, time, creation, and their main derivatives)? [3]
 * 63) **Are there others with these abilities? [-1]
 * 64) If/when your character receives new power, is she/he happier this way? [2]
 * 65) Is the character sometimes or often selfishly manipulative? [-1]
 * 66) Is the character repeatedly rivaled by the same person? [2]
 * 67) Does the character reform a villainous character? [3]
 * 68) Does the character die in her/his beloved's arms? [3]
 * 69) Does the character's beloved die in her/his arms? [3]
 * 70) Has the character ever fairly lost in any kind of duel, fight, or competition against someone of equal or lesser ability, where the winner was not the character's rival? [-3]
 * 71) Is the character named after you (this includes your first, middle, and last names, and any nicknames)? [2]
 * 72) Does the character hold beliefs or ideals you agree with, which are repeatedly stated in the plot? [2]
 * 73) *Does the character ever convince others of the truth of these? [1]
 * 74) Do you often wish you could be in the position of your character? [2]
 * 75) Ideally, would you always have the character win? [3]
 * 76) Do you feel insulted, attacked, or defensive when someone does not like your character? [2]
 * 77) *If people don't like your character, do you believe it's just because they don't "get" her/him? [1]
 * 78) *Do you feel that this test has insulted or attacked you or your character? [1]

Scores
0-10: Unless you did your math wrong, you have created an Anti-Sue, Miss Sue's evil twin. This character will probably need to be spiced up a little to maintain readers' interest.

11-20: The Non-Sue, a healthy, balanced, original character. Congratulations!

21-29: Borderline Sue. You should be careful, lest you slip into the fiendish realm of Sueishness. Still, you're doing well. Good work.

30-45: Probably a Mary Sue. There's still a chance you can save this character, but be ver-ry careful. It may bite.

46-60: Uber-Sue. You should consider a major makeover. Like, seriously.

61-100: Irredeemable Sue. KILL IT WITH FIRE!

101-200: Sue Nui. I hope this is a parody character. If not, it needs to go. Incredibly badly.

201+: Either you're very bad at math or you have created an ULTIMATE SUE. Beware: creating this character is likely to result in complete insanity and/or head asplosions. If you've somehow managed to do this unintentionally, then please—Stop. Writing. Now.