Mary Sues and How to Avoid Them

I don't think that test is necessarily foolproof. I ran some characters under there, REAL canon characters, not fanfiction ones, and some of them got high numbers. Yet they are some of the most flawed on their respective shows.

I think now it depends on how your character acts, how well you develop his character, and where you're going with his plot.

I dislike lots of female characters though :tehe:

The Way:

I don't think that test is necessarily foolproof. I ran some characters under there, REAL canon characters, not fanfiction ones, and some of them got high numbers. Yet they are some of the most flawed on their respective shows.

I think now it depends on how your character acts, how well you develop his character, and where you're going with his plot.

I dislike lots of female characters though :tehe:

I don't doubt it as, as we kind of touched on already, canon-Sues do exist - and they can be just as irritating and cringe-worthy. (Honestly, that girl from the Twilight books would probably score in the fifties.) Sometimes, it's even more irritating when they exist, because you kind of feel like...I don't know, this person is actually published, and should know better? But then, plenty of writing has been published that isn't that great, so eh...

Jinxeh:

The Way:

I don't think that test is necessarily foolproof. I ran some characters under there, REAL canon characters, not fanfiction ones, and some of them got high numbers. Yet they are some of the most flawed on their respective shows.

I think now it depends on how your character acts, how well you develop his character, and where you're going with his plot.

I dislike lots of female characters though :tehe:

I don't doubt it as, as we kind of touched on already, canon-Sues do exist - and they can be just as irritating and cringe-worthy. (Honestly, that girl from the Twilight books would probably score in the fifties.) Sometimes, it's even more irritating when they exist, because you kind of feel like...I don't know, this person is actually published, and should know better? But then, plenty of writing has been published that isn't that great, so eh...

I didn't mean the UNDENIABLE sues. But I tried lots of characters who are anything but Mary Sues, and they got high numbers. Zuko from Avatar, from instance, and several people from Naruto. And they're far from perfect. They just happen to have a lot Sue-ish traits [based on that test], but what happens to them makes them the opposite.

I wish I can explain this better :XD

Woot, my character Nick got a 3.

Jinxeh:

Even better! Take The Mary-Sue Litmus Test!

It's not always accurate, meaning if you take it for your character and it tells you she is a Sue (or that he is a Stu) you shouldn't automatically flip out. However, it does help you to realize things you can do to improve your character along the way, and so is as least helpful in that aspect.

Oh, Audrey.

I took the test and I am happy to announce that my two main characters from Horrorland are not a Mary-Sue!

Addie got a 12 and the Odd Looking Man got a 20 n_n So we are happy
Thanks Jinxeh for posting up that page!

Okay so I started thinking, ‘Perfection’ is a mary sue trait, but what if she’s a perfectionist and if she’s not good at something she quits I mean to mean those are flaws, what are your opinions on that?

Pandora7:

Okay so I started thinking, ‘Perfection’ is a mary sue trait, but what if she’s a perfectionist and if she’s not good at something she quits I mean to mean those are flaws, what are your opinions on that?

Being "perfect" is different from being a perfectionist. A perfectionist is someone who pays a lot of attention to detail and is obsessed with getting things perfect, in order, correct, whatever you want to call it.

So a character isn't necessarily a mary sue if they are a perfectionist. I think by 'perfect' they mean they are good at everything and does no wrong, which is an unrealistic trait for a human being.

I retook it with Ashley and he got a 3. Yay...

I've also used this test because it's a little more personal, but not very in depth. I just thought it was fun. :)

I just tried myself in the original character test, and I am proud to announce that I am on the precipice of being a Mary Sue. Feels great.

To be honest, I don't even worry about writing Mary-Sue's anymore. I find the usual teen girl very boring, even if she isn't terribly cliche. And plus, I think there are two different types of Mary-Sues. For instance, you have the emo/scene one and then you have the hipster one.

Those are just my observations but they go a little like this-

Emo/Scene Mary-Sue
- Has a traumatizing past
- Is "very gorgeous" but everyone picks on her (mostly because her makeup probably makes her look like a raccoon)
- Her parents hate her
- She ends up with a member of a hardcore band
- She hates "preps"

Hipster Mary-Sue
- Is practically invisible in school
- Usually shows up in original stories
- Probably in love with some artsy guy
- Doesn't have a very hard life
- Depressed, insecure

Does anyone see those things too? Or am I just insane?

Ignore this :c Oops

I think a good way to avoid Mary Sues is to give them flaws that are actually flaws. And have those flaws affect them. Like a girl with a short temper who always ends up single because of it.