A new Mary Sue test

Updated 9/20; major changes italicized.

Background

A Mary Sue is an unrealistic type of literary character commonly created by inexperienced authors. Although they vary, a typical Mary Sue has an unreasonable number of cool or special traits, especially ones the author wishes he or she had, and they tend to accomplish things too easily, solve problems too neatly, and become the center of attention whether they deserve it or not.

This test aims to help authors evaluate whether their characters are in danger of becoming Mary Sues by drawing attention to potentially problematic traits. However, authors should remember that a Mary Sue is a subjective classification. There is no such thing as a “Mary Sue trait;” any trait can be part of an interesting, well-balanced character. You shouldn't feel bad about checking a few boxes. In fact, if your character scores very close to zero, that may be a sign that he or she could use a little spicing up.

When taking this test, be honest, but keep it in perspective and remember context. We haven't read your story, so we don't know whether something that sounds unrealistic actually makes perfect sense.

Section 1: Author Avatars

There's nothing wrong with using yourself as the basis for a character. After all, you know more about yourself than about anyone else. Nevertheless, many Mary Sues are based on the authors, who insert themselves into the story for the wish fulfillment of being able to do cool things that don't happen in real life.

Unless otherwise noted, score one point for each positive answer in this section.

1. Does your character look a lot like you?

2. Does your character have the same name as you, or a name that is a variant of yours, such as a nickname or different spelling? (Score two points for this question.)

3. Does your character have the same job as you or study the same subject in school?

4. Does your character have a job or skill that you really wish you had?

5. Does your character share strong opinions and beliefs with you?

• a. Does he or she often state these opinions, argue with other characters about them, or try to win them over?

edited 20th Sep '11 10:44:51 PM by jewelleddragon

I think I've seen a Mary Sue test exactly like this one somewhere... I took it, and none of my characters ended up being Sues, thank God.

edited 17th Sep '11 3:00:44 PM by tropetown

That was just the first bit (my internet has been spotty today).

Section 2: Woobies

Since Mary Sues are usually good at everything and get everything they want, authors often give them tragic pasts to make up for it. Of course, bad things happen to excellent characters too. A character starts sounding like a Mary Sue if the tragic past has no consequences and he or she is still perfect despite what happened.

Unless otherwise noted, score two points for each positive answer in this section.

6. Is your character an orphan?

• a. Did he or she not know it?
• b. Were one or both parents killed tragically, especially by the bad guy?
• c. Has your character sworn revenge for their deaths?

7. Was your character raised in an abusive home?

8. Was your character disowned or abandoned by one or both parents?

9. Has your character been raped?

10. Has your character been tortured?

11. Was your character's home destroyed?

• a. Was his or her entire town destroyed?
• b. Was his or her entire country or planet destroyed?

12. Is your character the last of his or her race?

13. Does your character have a mysterious past that he or she conceals from other people?

14. Does your character have amnesia?

15. Has your character lost a close friend, relative, or mentor (not counting parents)?

• a. Was it your character's fault?
• b. Does he or she only think it was his or her fault?
• c. Does everyone else try to convince him or her it wasn't his or her fault?

16. Is your character plagued with guilt about anything else?

• a. Something that wasn't his or her fault?
• b. Does everyone else try to convince him or her that it wasn't his or her fault?

17. Has your character died and come back to life? (Score five points for this question.)

18. Is your character a member of a despised race, class, or culture?

• a. Is your character a good guy from an evil race or culture?

19. Does your character suffer no lasting mental or emotional consequences from any of this, not counting dramatic angst? Skip this question if your character has a truly happy backstory.

edited 19th Oct '11 8:46:15 PM by jewelleddragon

Section 3: Awesomeness

Special characters with cool, unique traits are fun to write and read about, but too many cool traits make a character hard to believe. Remember that there is nothing bad about checking a few things in this section.

Unless otherwise noted, score two points for each positive answer in this section.

20. Is your character part of a race/species that is not the most common for his or her location?

• a. Is your character's race especially rare (less than 1% of the population)?
• b. Is your character's race completely unknown in that place, or previously undiscovered?

21. Is your character a hybrid of two races?

• a. Three or more races?
• b. With the benefits of all of them, but none of the weaknesses? (Score five points for this question.)

22. Is your character unusually attractive?

• a. Do other characters comment on it?
• b. Does your character glow or sparkle?

23. Does your character have an unusual birthmark, scar, or similar mark? (Score one point instead of two if this feature makes the character unattractive.)

24. Does your character have a cool weapon?

• a. Does your character use a sword or similar in a setting where more advanced weapons have rendered them impractical?
• b. Is the weapon out of place in that culture (such as a katana in medieval Europe)?
• c. Is it claymore-sized or larger?

25. Does your character have a cool vehicle?

26. Does your character wear all black, all leather, or another cool-looking outfit?

• a. Or is the outfit sexy and revealing?
• b. Is it impractical for the setting?
• c. Do you wish you had your character's outfit?

27. Does your character have an important artifact, magic item, or other plot object? (Skip this question if it's the weapon mentioned above.)

29. Is your character royalty?

• a. A long-lost heir or similar?

28. Does your character have a title or cool nickname (not counting any one that is normal to his or her station)?

• a. One earned by some feat of great renown?

30. Does the character have a wide-ranging reputation (not because of his or her station)?

31. Is your character prom king/queen or equivalent?

• a. Is he or she valedictorian?
• b. Is he or she captain of a sports team? Score just one point if it's a less popular sport in the setting, like cross-country.

32. Is your character an expert at multiple unrelated skills?

• a. Is there no good explanation for why he or she is good at them?

33. Is your character the absolute best at something?

• a. More than one thing?
• b. Without a good explanation?

34. Does your character master new skills exceptionally fast?

• a. Faster than anyone has ever learned that skill?
• b. Does he or she defeat the master who taught him or her those skills? (Skip this question if the mentor is old and infirm or has otherwise lost some of his or her skills.)

35. Does your character accomplish something that no one has ever accomplished, or that no one has accomplished in ages?

edited 19th Oct '11 8:51:27 PM by jewelleddragon

Section 3a: Setting-Specific Uniqueness

Some traits may sound like a Mary Sue, but actually be perfectly common in your world. This section seeks to balance out this problem by taking the setting into account.

Scoring for this section is as follows: -one point if it's not natural in this world (glowing eyes, etc) but normal in the character's world -one point if it's a normal real-world trait but unusual in that setting (ie, a blonde in a race of brunettes) -two points if it's both not a normal real-world trait and unusual for the setting

36. Does your character have an unusual name?

• a. Does it have it contain apostrophes, hyphens, non-English (or whatever language you are writing in) letters, or is it otherwise near-unpronounceable?
• b. Is it a word that isn't usually a name?
• c. Is it a name usually given to the opposite gender (not counting names that work for both genders, like Sam and Jordan)?
• d. More than three names, not counting titles?

37. Is your character a werewolf or vampire?

38. Does your character have an unusual hair color?

39. Does your character have an unusual eye color?

40. Does your character have wings?

41. Does your character have cybernetic implants or other high-tech augmentation?

42. Does your character have animal-like ears, a tail, or other “furry” traits?

43. Does your character have any other unusual physical characteristics?

44. Does your character have a special magical or supernatural attack?

45. Does your character have a healing factor or healing powers?

46. Is your character ageless or immortal?

47. Does your character have magical ability not already mentioned?

48. Does your character have a superpower not already mentioned?

• a. More than one?

49. Does your character have a familiar or animal companion?

• a. More than one?
• b. Is it a mythical or supernatural creature?

50. Does your character have any other highly unique skills or personality traits?

edited 19th Oct '11 8:36:58 PM by jewelleddragon

Section 4: World Warping

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Mary Sues is that they have an undue influence on everything. They virtually always get their way, accomplish things no one else could, and don't give anyone else in the story a chance to shine. While most heroic characters will have one or two of these traits, many more than that is a sign that your character may be bending the world to his or her will too much.

Unless otherwise noted, score three points for each positive answer in this section.

51. Is your character the Chosen One, the only person who can defeat the villain or complete some other task?

52. Are there any other prophecies about your character?

53. Does your character defeat the main villain by him- or herself?

• a. Does he or she defeat every antagonist by him- or herself?
• b. Does your character defeat villains who are much more powerful than him or her?
• c. Does your character win easily without a struggle?

54. Does your character defeat whole groups of dangerous enemies at once?

• a. Does he or she defeat an entire army by him- or herself?

55. Does your character accomplish everything he or she attempts on the first try?

56. Does your character never lose a fight or competition, even a casual one?

57. Is every major plot point accomplished by your character alone? (Score five points for this question.)

58. Do usually-competent characters end up needing his or her help?

• a. Do skilled characters need his or her help with the things they're supposed to be good at?

59. Do characters otherwise behave differently around him or her for no good reason (such as rebellious characters who immediately obey him or her)?

60. Does the story treat your character's goals and problems as far more important than anyone else's?

• a. As far more important than larger threats?

61. Does your character break any rules of your universe, such as the rules of magic, or do those rules work differently for him or her alone?

• a. Does the world behave differently around him- or her (flowers blooming, the sun coming out, etc)?

62. If the story is not narrated by your character, is he or she in every scene?

• a. Or, when he or she is absent, do the other characters always end up talking about her?

63. Is your character introduced very dramatically?

64. Do you describe your character in particularly florid detail?

edited 19th Oct '11 8:38:04 PM by jewelleddragon

Section 5: Reactions and Consequences

Mary Sues don't suffer the same consequences everyone else does. Other characters usually all like them, except for villains, who will immediately dislike them. They will get away with things that would get other characters in trouble and do chancy things without suffering from the results. Unlike the other sections, this is usually just plain bad writing. Your character should always be treated realistically for who and what he or she is.

Unless otherwise noted, score three points for each positive answer in this section. However, skip any questions that are reasonably justified by the circumstances of the story (for instance, a foreign ambassador avoiding arrest because of diplomatic immunity). The character him- or herself doesn't count as a justification (ie, people like him or her because he or she is really likeable), nor do plot necessities (ie, this needs to happen so the story can move along).

65. Does everyone automatically like your character?

• a. Everyone except villains, who automatically hate him or her?
• b. Do people obsess over him or her (following him or her around, wanting to be just like him or her, etc)?
• c. Even if your character is mean to him or her?

66. If other people dislike your character, is it because they're jealous?

• b. Is it obsessive hate?
• c. Does everyone else in the story hate them for it?
• d. Does something bad happen to people who dislike your character, especially ironically?
• e. Does the person who disliked him or her die (not counting villains)?
• f. Would he or she have died, but your character saves him or her?

67. Do multiple other characters fall in love with your character?

• a. Does your character get to have sex with lots of other characters?
• b. Or could he or she if he or she weren't too virtuous?
• c. Do people of the wrong sexual orientation fall in love with your character?
• d. People who ought to be out of his or her league?
• e. Villains or enemies?

68. Does your character singlehandedly redeem a villain?

• a. Through love and/or sex?

69. Does your character tend to defy authority?

• a. Does he or she not get in trouble for it?
• b. Does he or she convince the authorities that he or she is right?

70. Does your character otherwise avoid getting in trouble in situations where other people would get punished?

• a. Or does he or she get a cool punishment when other people would get a serious punishment?
• b. If he or she does get punished, does the authority figure wish he or she didn't have to punish your character (and only your character)?

71. Alternately, do people go out of their way to get your character in trouble, or does he or she often get punished unfairly?

72. When there are disagreements, is your character always right?

• a. Alternately, are there no disagreements because everyone knows your character is right?
• b. Does something happen that proves him or her right?
• c. Is the person who disagreed with him or her punished, especially ironically (skip this and the following if you already counted it in question 67)?
• d. Does the person who disagreed die?
• e. Would he or she have died, but your character saves him or her?

73. Does your character get listened to, followed, and respected more than his or her age, position, and experience would merit?

74. Do important people make time for your character when they ought to have better things to do?

75. Does your character know things that he or she has no explicable way of finding out?

76. Does your character have modern views that are unusually progressive for that setting? (Skip this entire question if the story is specifically about the conflict between his or her views and the traditional views.)

• a. Does he or she convince other people of his or her views?
• b. Does he or she change the entire culture to his or her views?

77. Is your character allowed to do something that his or her age, gender, race, or class is not usually allowed to do (practicing in secret doesn't count)?

• a. Something that no one is allowed to do?

78. Does your character not work or have any other source of income, and yet always has plenty of money?

• a. If your character does have a job, is he or she never seen actually doing it?
• b. If your character is in school, is he or she never seen studying, but always gets good grades?

79. If your character is royalty or any other kind of leader, does he or she never have any actual responsibilities?

80. Does your character have informed flaws (flaws that never actually negatively affect him or her)?

• a. Are his or her only personality flaws stubbornness, impulsiveness, or a bad temper?
• b. Are these always justified (he or she only impulsively does the right thing)?

81. Does your character consider a cool trait to be a curse, even though it doesn't have any actual negative effects?

• a. Does he or she consider his or her popularity to be a curse?
• b. How about his or her exceptional talents?

82. If your character is injured, is he or she fine in the next scene?

83. If your character has a vice like a drug addiction, does he or she never suffer any consequences from it?

84. Does your character die heroically?

• a. Does your character come back from the dead because the world needs him or her so badly? (Score five points for this question.)

edited 20th Sep '11 10:34:10 PM by jewelleddragon

Section 6: De-Suifiers

Some traits are particularly unlikely to show up in a Mary Sue. Just as the traits from the previous sections are not bad in and of themselves, these traits are not good in and of themselves, nor can you necessarily fix a Mary Sue just by adding more of these traits. You should always think first and foremost about the role your character fills in the story and how you can make it more believable.

Unless otherwise noted, subtract one point for each positive answer in this section. However, skip any question where the trait is actually a good thing in context (such as helping the villains, but secretly being a double agent).

85. Is your character of a different gender from you?

• a. A different (real) ethnicity?
• b. A different sexual orientation?

86. Is your character middle-aged or older (40+ or the equivalent for his or her race)?

• a. Is he or she a senior (65+ or the equivalent)?

87. Is your character overweight?

88. Is your character ugly, both in-story and in the real world?

• a. Is he or she disfigured in a way that is not cool or sexy?

89. Does your character have a physical handicap that interferes with his or her life? (If your character has a physical handicap that doesn't interfere in any way, add one point instead of subtracting one.)

90. Does your character have a mental illness that interferes with his or her life (not counting amnesia, multiple personality disorder, nymphomania, or anything else cool)?

91. Does your character fail at something important?

• a. Are there significant negative consequences?
• b. Does he or she ever lose a fight against someone of the same or lesser skill level?
• c. Does your character ever ignore a problem hoping it will go away (but it doesn't), or give up on something without trying?

92. Does your character need another character's help with something important?

• a. Does your character get rescued by someone who isn't a love interest?

93. Is your character ever wrong and admits that he or she is wrong?

• a. Does a wrong choice ever lead to negative consequences?

94. Does your character struggle with doubts about the morality of his or her actions, and are these doubts never fully resolved?

95. Does your character ever get ignored, snubbed, or overlooked by characters who aren't villains?

96. Does your character mistreat another person who isn't a villain?

• a. Do other characters call him or her out on it?
• b. Does he or she admit that he or she shouldn't have done it and tries to change?

97. If your character is not a villain, does he or she ever do something outright villainous, and not in a cool or romantic way?

98. Are there other characters who consistently outthink your character?

99. Does your character end the story single?

• a. Alternately, is your character in a committed relationship for the whole story with no significant romantic rivals?

100. Does your character have other problems that don't go away by the end of the story?

edited 19th Oct '11 2:34:47 PM by jewelleddragon

Scoring

-28-0: Your character may be an antihero. This character never gets a break: he or she doesn't have special skills, rarely gets anything done without help, and is not well-liked by others. His or her personal flaws, which outweigh his positive traits, are another struggle. This character may work well in a dark setting, but readers may also be alienated by his or her lack of likeable qualities.

0-10: Your character is understated. For every talent, he or she has a flaw, and for every accomplishment, he or she has a failure. Perhaps he or she is just a subtle character with a muted personality. Particularly if your setting is understated, this character may fit right in, but don't be afraid to spruce him or her up with some more special traits or to let him or her take charge of the plot more often.

10-25: Your character is well-balanced. He or she has enough distinctive traits to stand out, but he or she also has some flaws. Although he or she has won some victories and accomplished some goals, the world doesn't bend to his or her will, and other characters treat him or her realistically. You probably don't need to worry about this character at all.

25-40: Your character shows some Mary Sue tendencies. Maybe he or she has a few too many special traits to be plausible, maybe he or she accomplishes things too easily, or maybe the other characters are too focused on him or her. You should probably think of ways to tone down this character a little to make him or her more realistic. Then again, if your setting tends to be over-the-top, he or she may fit right in.

40-100: Your character is definitely in Mary Sue territory. He or she may have a tragic past that gets a little too much focus. In addition to having a lot of cool traits that may not always make sense, he or she often gets special treatment. The story revolves around him or her, rarely letting other characters do anything important, and other people love him or her and let him or her get away with things that other characters couldn't. This character needs a significant overhaul to make him or her more believable.

100-403: Your character is an extreme Mary Sue. He or she has every cool trait in the book. Even though he or she has a tragic past, he or she still manages to be the best at all kinds of things and to accomplish everything he or she tries. Rules don't apply to him or her. The other characters in the story are only there to praise your character and make him or her look good by comparison; anyone who dislikes your character is treated as an obvious villain. There isn't much hope for this character. You may as well scrap him or her and start over.

edited 20th Oct '11 10:21:28 AM by jewelleddragon

I think, once you've worked out any little issues (I can't see any, personally), you should get that posted on a website. It's really good.

I just don't like having to do all the calculations by hand.

edited 17th Sep '11 4:37:10 PM by tropetown

I scored 16 with Mark Wess (the character I created that other thread for). I'm actually surprised. Though he is very powerful, attractive and smart, he scored very little in World Warping and got de-Suified more than I expected.

edited 17th Sep '11 6:41:18 PM by Teraus

"You cannot judge a system if your judgement is determined by the system."

I'll grant that you improved it a bit, but you should at least cite your sources.

edited 17th Sep '11 4:39:37 PM by feotakahari

That's Feo . . . He's a disgusting, mysoginistic, paedophilic asshat who moonlights as a shitty writer—Something Awful

I think you might need to clarify what differentiates lasting mental/emotional consequences from dramatic angst. "Becomes a self-pitying twat who angsts a lot" kinda counts as a lasting consequence, right?

I always have trouble with questions like these. I think all tests need to have some sort of extra clause for missing eyes, because I've seen them portrayed as awesome and manly.

edited 17th Sep '11 5:02:41 PM by Merlo

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am...

I got 14 with a character who I was a little worried was showing some Sueness... luckily, he's balanced out by his enormous flaws, and by having smarter, better planners around that outthink him, so that wasn't an issue.

I tested this for one of my characters and got almost negative digits. But that's mostly because he's a fuck up with lots of issues to sort out over the course of the novel.

feo: I will; it also draws from this one, this one, and Common Mary Sue Traits. (Incidentally, the katfeete one pretty clearly draws from the springhole one; the ponyland one dates back to 1997, so perhaps that's the original?)

Okay... I tried the test again with Blacklawn. Quoting from another thread:

I scored 4. Blacklawn is not a plain character in any aspect, at least, not in my opinion. In fact, he has one of the most dramatic pasts in the story (which is not saying much. Most of my characters had normal childhoods). I now think that your test is a bit too forgiving. Perhaps you should nerf the de-Suifiers? Subtract one point for each instead of two, maybe? (or weigh them differently). I think it's a good test, but probably needs a small change in this aspect.

edited 17th Sep '11 6:41:31 PM by Teraus

"You cannot judge a system if your judgement is determined by the system."

Got negative digits for my co-protagonist too, since he's very flawed. But even without the detractors, I get about three or so, since he's very weak compared with other psychics in the story. I'm not going to test out Bryan (the narrator and protagonist) because he's more mundane and he doesn't drive the story in a Sue-ish way (I'm planning to make things go wrong with him in my current draft).

Incidently, the Ponyland one is based on this one, so it looks like all the major litmus tests are connected in a family tree of sorts.

edited 17th Sep '11 5:08:07 PM by chihuahua0

Got a 10 for AB!Beowulf. I actually expected a lot more due to his being incredibly out of place in a Migration Period Germanic society, but the fact that this is an important part of his character development may have helped.

Banned entirely for telling FE that he was being rude and not contributing to the discussion. I shall watch down from the goon heavens.

So should the de-Suifiers be worth 1 point instead of 2, or should there be fewer of them? I can also rephrase the scoring and take out the less than 10 category (or make it, say, a less than 0 category).

edited 17th Sep '11 5:50:53 PM by jewelleddragon

Have them be worth 1 point, but have more of them in total so it balances out.

Put in some mary - sue like, but not Mary Sue canon characters (with de-suifiers @ 2pts each):

• Henrietta from Gunslinger Girl: Universal 39, Writer's 43, this test 30 before de-suifiers, 18 after.
• Liriel from Drowtales: Universal 33, Writer's 39, this 56 before de-suifiers, 28 after (!)

My own D&D characters

• the Arbiter of Planes (NPC deity character, leader of a wing of the Celestial Bureaucracy), got 60 before de-suifiers, 32 after (!)
• Lura Bogmort (1/4 Orc 1/4 Succubus rogue): 35 before, 21 after.
• Nekssa the Insane Marilith, Minion with an F in Evil: 55 before, 29 after.
• Torrin Nalsarkoth: (nerdy Dark elf scholar): 14 before, 4 after.

edited 17th Sep '11 6:03:24 PM by FrodoGoofballCoTV

I would add:

• When your character is not in a scene, are the other characters always talking about them amongst each other, especially if the subject is brought up out of the blue and not a result of the natural flow of the conversation?

SPATULA, Supporters of Page Altering To Urgently Lead to Amelioration (supports not going through TRS for tweaks and minor improvements.)

It looks like a pretty good test so far, I especially like "If he or she does get punished, does the authority figure wish he or she didn't have to punish your character (and only your character)?"

My Fantasy Kitchen Sink werewolf came up with 12, not factoring in de-suifiers (as the book is not complete it's hard to answer that section but there are quite a number of them that are very much possible depending on how the story progresses and quite a few that would have already happened in his backstory)

The de-suifiers may want to be toned down a bit (like maybe only one point each) - my Author Avatar Werewolf is in grave danger of having negative points.

Section 1: Author Avatars - 3

Section 2: Woobies - 2

Section 3: Awesomeness - 4

Section 3a: Setting-Specific Uniqueness - 3 (just your common garden-variety werewolf )

Section 4: World Warping - 0

Section 5: Reactions and Consequences - 0

Section 6: De-Suifiers - potentially 26

91. Does your character fail at something important?

Has done in the past, likely to do so again.

• a. Are there significant negative consequences?

Very likely.

• b. Does he or she ever lose a fight against someone of the same or lesser skill level?

Everyone has their off days and a fair fight is always a crap-shoot.

• c. Does your character ever ignore a problem hoping it will go away (but it doesn't), or give up on something without trying?

Depends on the problem and how important he thinks it is at the time - could later come back and bite him in the arse.

92. Does your character need another character's help with something important?

All the time. Can't be everywhere at once.

• a. Does your character get rescued by someone who isn't a love interest?

Quite possibly.

93. Is your character ever wrong and admits that he or she is wrong?

Frequently and culturally is not likely to change.

• a. Does a wrong choice ever lead to negative consequences?

Definitely - could be quite serious depending on the choice and consequences.

94. Does your character struggle with doubts about the morality of his or her actions, and are these doubts never fully resolved?

Plenty of potential for that.

95. Does your character ever get ignored, snubbed, or overlooked by characters who aren't villains?

Doesn't everyone?

98. Are there other characters who consistently outthink your character?

There's bound to be.

99.

• a. Alternately, is your character in a committed relationship for the whole story with no significant romantic rivals?

A grey one as he's "committed but available".

100. Does your character have other problems that don't go away by the end of the story?

Without a doubt.

Edit: Seriously Ninja'd on the De-Suifiers.

Even at one point each, my character could wind up -1

edited 17th Sep '11 6:19:19 PM by Wolf1066