Who Is Mary Sue?
That's exactly what I asked when I first heard about her. I had never really noticed her before and how often she turns up in stories, but now I realize it's amazing how many Mary Sue's are out there. (Hey, I admit it, even I'm guilty of writting Mary Sue's). Everyone who is a regular fan fiction reader has come across Mary Sue, although they might not have known it.
Mary Sue is a name that describes a certain type of fan fiction character. Although there is such thing as a male Mary Sue (often called Harry Stu or Garry Stu), they're usually more often than not female. The character is adored by all regular characters and hated by none. She's often the child, desendent, or lover of the author's favorite character and she's the most beautiful person in the world. She's always saving the day or dies heroically in the attempt in which all other characters go into the deepest mourning the world has ever seen for a year and a day. Mary Sue usually becomes a figure of authority or difies everyone and everything, or sometimes manages to accomplish both at the same time. She's often named after the author and has abilities and skills beyond mere mortals, and has absolutely no flaws. In a nutshell, Mary Sue is what everyone wants to be, and no one actually is.

You want to know if you've created and written a Mary Sue? Take this handy "Mary Sue Litmus Test". This test has been designed to help an aspiring author determine whether his or her character is a Mary Sue, or is simply another addition to the megaverse that is fanfiction. Scoring is simple -- for every question answered "Yes," (even if it's "technically yes, but," still count a yes) add the number of points in brackets to your score. Be honest; you're not helping yourself by saying "But it doesn't really count because ... " The higher your score, the more likely it is the character is a problem, or worse, is a retread of an hundred characters exactly like him/her/it.

This orginal Mary Sue Litmus Test was made by and copyright Melissa "Merlin Missy" Wilson. This test was slightly refigured from it's original form for the world of TLK fiction but I am in no way attempting to take credit for it's creation. 

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Section 1 - The Name Game

Is the character named after you? (This can be your first name, middle name, or the name you go by in chat or irc.) If so, stop now. Put your pencil down and turn in your test. [10]
DO NOT NAME YOUR CHARACTER AFTER YOURSELF.
DO NOT NAME YOURSELF AFTER YOUR CHARACTER.
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR EXCEPTION IS.
Is the character's name an unusual spelling of a more common name or word? [1]
Is the character's name unusual in another way? (Doesn't really count for TLK, since almost everything is in Swahili) [1]

Does the character have a really cool name that you wish you had? [1]
Is the character named after a regular? (Let's say for example, "Scarina", or "Timin") [1]
Is the character a lion originally from Pride Rock who had a name back then? [3]
Does the character have more than one name? (i.e. a nickname or a pseudonym that other you use to refer to the character) [1]
Did you spend more than a day looking for just the right name? [1]
Have you considered naming your pet or child the character's name? [1]
Section 2 - Physical Attributes

Is the character the same gender as you? [1]
Is the character from the same racial group as you? (Again, this doesn't really count for TLK for obvious reasons.) [1]
Is the character a hybrid of two or more species? [3]
Is the character a cross-breed of any other type? (i.e. multi-racial, multi-clan) [1]
Is the character a teenager or in her/his early twenties? (Adolescent to early adult for TLK) [1]
Does the character look like s/he is a teenager or in her/his early twenties for no apparent reason (Adolescent to early adult for TLK) [2]

Is the character the age you would like to be? (Doesn't really count for animal characters) [1]
Is the character beautiful or roguishly handsome? [1]
Does one or more of the regulars find the character highly attractive? [1]
Does the character have an unusual eye color for no apparent reason? [3]
Does the character have an accent which you do not share? [1]
Section 3 - Personal Traits

Is the character the long-lost child or descendent or sibling of a regular or recurring character? [1]

Was the character adopted or did he/she otherwise live with people who were not his/her parents as a child? [1]
Is the character a member or a friend of a hitherto unknown pride of lion/pack of hyenas? [1]
Did the character have a tragic youth? (For this, read abuse, neglect, abandonment, sexual trauma, second or third-class cultural status, slavery, extreme poverty, forced criminality, or being the sole survivor of any calamity.) [3] (Add an extra point for rape or other sexual abuse.)
Does the character suffer from guilt about something terrible that s/he did in the past? [1]
Does the character share your religious beliefs? [1] (Add an extra point if the character is a lion or hyena.)
Did the character have an unusual birth? [1]
Does the character have a twin, a clone, or a sibling of the same gender? [2]
Does the character have a very good singing voice? [2]
Does the character have better taste in music than you do? (For example, does your character own cd's that you think educated people ought to own, even though you've never actually listened to the music yourself?) (Doesn't really count for TLK) [1]
Does the character do what you do for fun or profit? (This includes having the same job you have, or would like to have when you're older, or having a job that sounds like a lot of fun even though you know nothing about it. It can also mean RPing, computer programming, whatever.) (Doesn't really count for TLK) [1]
Is the character destined to rule but doesn't want to? [1]
Does the character make more wisecracks than Timon? [1]
Does everyone end up liking the character (among the regulars you like)? [1]
Section 4 - Super Powers

Is the character at all or part shaman or god? [1]

Does the character have telekinesis or telepathy? [2]
Does the character just "know things" for no apparent reason? [2]
Can the character fly? [1]
Can the character heal with a touch and/or thought? [1]
Do animals (especially fuzzy ones) instinctively like the character? [2] (Take away two points if the only animals that like the character are non-butterfly insects and crawly lizard-types.)
Section 5 - The Love Connection

Does the character fall in love with and/or have sex with another recurring character from the show? [1] (For TLK fiction, add another point if it's Nuka, Timon or Scar)

Does the character fall in love with and/or have sex with another original character? [1]
Does the story end with the character's wedding? [1]
Section 6 - The Real World and Your Character

Would you like to be friends with the character if you met in real life? [1]
Do you think everyone who reads the story should automatically like the character and want to be friends with the character? [1]
If someone tells you he/she doesn't like your character, do you take it as a personal attack on you? [1]
Do you ever pretend, just to yourself, that you are the character, with the same strengths and abilities? [1]
Section 7 - The Fiendish Plot

Do you introduce the character on the first page of the story? [2]
Do you tell the story from the character's point of view, all or mostly? [1]
Does the character meet someone from Pride Rock, and after a few tense pages of plot, become friends with them? [2]
Does the character manage to develop a friendship with an otherwise villainous character, and through this friendship, reform the other character? [2]

Is the character transformed into a another species or into a magical or genetically-altered being? [5]
Does the character save the day and/or another character's life? [3]
Does the character go to the Outlands at the end of the story? [2] (no points if the character came from the Outlands at the beginning of the story)
Does the character end up living at Pride Rock? [2]
Do you plan to write many more stories revolving around this character? [1]


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Possible Points: 115 (assuming some questions obviate the rest) Preliminary testing suggests the following basic scoring scheme:

0 -14 Developed character, unlikely MS.
15 -19 Borderline character. Characters in this range are potential MS's, who can go either way dependent on the author's skill.
20 - 34 Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Proceed with greatest caution.
35+ Reconsider your character and plot. Please.
Okay, so you've taken the test, and the character in question has failed miserably. You're stuck with a conundrum: should you write this wonderful story you have in your head? How can you do it without your character? I can't answer that for you. There are plenty of wonderful stories out there with characters who fit an alarming number of these traits, and still manage to be excellent fiction with interesting characters. The authors in question knew what they were doing when handling a character of this type, and pulled it off well. On the other hand, there are a disturbingly large number of stories in the same places with very painful examples of the above in them. Some of them helped inspire the test. In the end, your own common sense must be the judge.

If you see too many traits in common with your own character, can you change the character accordingly? Does the character have to be, or look, sixteen (adolescent to early adult for TLK)? Can you tell the exact same story with just the regulars? (You'd be amazed how often a little imagination can make this work, sometimes with even better results. Try it.) Does the character have to save the day? Must he/she be such an integral part of the story? Can you use the character instead as a means of examining the reactions of the regulars (to something other than the character's demise)? Can you give the character a major flaw? (Being unable to sing is not a major flaw. Being a lion who refuses to kill other animals for food is a major flaw. Being socially inept can be a major flaw.)

I have one piece of advice to impart. (You knew this was coming.) When creating a new character, no matter of what species, at his or her most basic level, the character will be human, because the author will be human. The audience will also be human, and will relate to the character on those terms. Yes, your character might have wonderful magical powers, and that is fun to fantasize about having for yourself. At the same time, your character also has fears, and wishes, and dreams, and s/he will make mistakes, sometimes painful ones. Not everything your character does can be perfect and good. Humans don't work that way. We say stupid things sometimes, and get wrapped up in ourselves, and we step on the feelings of other people whether we mean to or not, and we laugh at dumb jokes, and we smell bad when we sweat, and we drool on our pillows.

If you really want to make an original character, give him or her bad habits, and good ones, and thoughts you don't necessarily share. Have the relationship not necessarily work out, especially right from the start. First and last of all, be real. The fantasy will make itself.
Some links to other sites with info about Mary Sue: