Is Your Original Character A "Mary Sue"? Quiz

I'm not a famous author, but I've read a lot of fiction and have a good grasp on what makes a great character. The Mary Sue is the cardinal sin of female characters, to be avoided at any cost. You'll note that a lot of her characteristics have been seen in well-known and beloved literary characters. The key is, she has to be balanced to capture hearts and minds. Answer these 20 questions about your OC and see if she might need editing, or is awesome as-is.

  • 1
    Is your character named after you?
    Is your character named after you?
  • 2
    Does your character have uncanny abilities that are abnormal to your fandom?
  • 3
    Does one or more of the canon characters fall madly in love with your OC, despite being in a regular canon pairing?
  • 4
    Does your character have no flaws at all? (A flaw being something unappealing about their personality, be it too selfish, naive, etc. NOT something utterly inconsequential like, "She can't play the harmonica," or, "She's so beautiful, it's a fault." Those who do say that will be keelhauled!
  • 5
    Is she/he extremely attractive without having to work at it?
  • 6
    Does your OC have a pet that's not a cat, a dog, or any other common household pet, or that has magical powers?
  • 7
    Does your character save the day or beat the bad guys way more than the canon characters do?
  • 8
    Does your character have a special eye or hair color which cannot be found in the natural universe?
  • 9
    Does your character possess more good qualities than all the canon characters combined? (I.e., is smarter than the smartest, braver than the bravest, AND a better fighter than the best fighter?)
  • 10
    Does your OC never do anything that would make her look bad, or do "bad" things that are endearing? (I.e., tripping and letting her true love catch her, and stuff like that?)
  • 11
    Is your OC uber-powerful, or the best at everything he/she does, be it fighting, magic, etc?
  • 12
    Does your OC pick up skills unusually fast or succeed at almost everything she does?
  • 13
    Is there anything unusual about their past? I.e., bad family/unknown connection to royalty/a runaway/parents died unconventional deaths/victim of a tragedy?
  • 14
    Is your OC well-versed in the Japanese culture? Examples: Does she use Japanese words in conversation, have a Japanese weapon, dress in Japanese clothing, etc., but isn't Japanese?
  • 15
    Is one or more of the canon characters jealous of your OC's abilities, or do they see her as a threat to their romantic relationships because of her beauty/skills?
  • 16
    Does your OC fly (without wings or other apparent means)?
  • 17
    In your story, is she the kick-butt master until her romantic interest comes along, after which she becomes helpless, kidnapped, captured, etc?
  • 18
    Does she have a great singing voice and/or play an instrument especially well? (Pianos, harps, violins, guitars and flutes are popular ones for Mary Sues.)
  • 19
    Does your character share any of your interests/hobbies, have a job you would like, enjoy the same music you do or like a canon character with characteristics you admire?
  • 20
    Did you ever answer dishonestly on this quiz or convince yourself your OC is not a Mary Sue, even though she most likely is?

Comments (140)

autorenew

301 days ago
I got 80%, and i'm happy my OC is like this :D
552 days ago
Orion is the main character in the story I’m writing. There are certain characters in the story who are born with special powers. He is one of them.
Born with powers of Healing(not like broken bones, more like scratches), strength, and invisibility. Pretty common for his kind. His sister is a leader of a powerful group in the story.

Anyway, Orion himself is a perfectionist. He can be hard to get along with, but is very efficient and smart. Pros are basically, easy to talk to
Confident
Takes criticism well
Honors deals and promises

Cons include

Dislikes communicating feelings
Insensitive
Typically arrogant

Anyway, his main de-sueifier (maybe re-sueifier) is that he’s mute, so he doesn’t say anything. He’s also in a world that’s not as advanced as modern-day, so they don’t have any way for him to communicate with others. (They’ve managed to invent one because of him.)
604 days ago
also, I think you should take being an anti-sue into consideration. Some are so obsessed with making their character not a mary sue, they go in the reverse direction and make their character just as bad
604 days ago
thank you! I adjusted the backstory a little bit, now I like it a bit more. It seems less "over the top". Also tweeked the powers a little bit. Got 80% pure. Not going any more pure than that, though. At least not for now.
612 days ago
Name: Blaze
Age: unknown
Gender:male
Bio: hes basically an 😘 and a pyromaniac(means he likes setting things on fire) he is half demon half vampire, he has 2 bright red tails with fire at the tips (they get everywhere as they are long af 170cm) two bright red horns, slightly tanned skin,fudge browm eyes with yellow pupils, messy bedhead afro like banana blond hair which ombreas into a firy orange, rose pink highlights that reaches his shoulder if he brushed it (which he never does) it would reach his waist, wears aestetic round glasses,purple rave style clothes. He's also the prince of fire and most of his pranks include fire as he is to much of a 😘 to know whats danger is, hes from planet venus and has an evil twin who he eventually defeats and kills with the help of his boyfriend (blaze is pansexual) but ends up being prossed by his desead twin untill they kill his soul, he becomes traumatized by his final words but hides it and his pranks become more dangerus.
644 days ago
oh no my biggest flaw was giving my character the ability to play several musical instruments after going to "music school" (??? idk how it's in english)
675 days ago
my girl is from the Newsies fandom. samantha pulitzer - an average 16 year old, daughter of one of the richest men at that time but she's a tomboy who spends her time vandalizing her sworn enemy's house. she's sarcastic, snarky and sometimes selfish. she's also very childish, initially leading her to get into problems with love interest who is charismatic but cocky as well =) they're too similar in many ways to ever get along properly and too different in other ways to ever understand each other too

she's a chaos, i know
723 days ago
(IF YOU DON”T KNOW WHAT IS A TRANSFORMER, IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE TO YOU)

DESIGNATION(Name): AstroLight
SPECIES: Predacon, Celestial(My own creation)
NICKNAME: Asta
GENDER: Femme
AGE: 17
FACTION: Decepticons(Bad guys)
APPEREANCE: AstroLight has black armour(clothing) and purple bio-lights, along with a gold crown-like decoration on her helm(Head), with white dermas(skin-tone) and purple optics(eyes). Black Predacon-like wings sprouts behind her, and a black eye visor covers her optics. Rather thin, and looks out of place, since she comes from somewhere else.
LIKES: Singing, reading, fanfics, computers
DISLIKES: Smokescreen(A canon character), Starscream(Another canon character), herself (Especially her looks and abnormal powers)
SKILLS: With strange powers(To others—It was normal in her homeworld)
TRAITS: Kind, quiet, stubborn, harsh, blunt, generous, mischievous, smart, clueless to feelings and is rather compassionate.

It was hard to take this quiz, since my character is NOT human. And so are the characters in my story...
729 days ago
NAME: Pyro Pelis
NICKNAME: Py, or Py-Pie, but only by her significant other.
GENDER: Female
SEXUALITY: Lesbian
AGE: 24
RACE: Demon
APPEARANCE: Pyro has bright blue hair tied in a ponytail that hasn't been redone in 10 years. She has a scrawny, but fit build, and she has several scars, a couple stab scars in the stomach area, one from where she was shot and one from a dragon attack, and another scar on her chest, where a flying rock punctured her lung. She wears blue harem trousers, a black tank top, and a bright red cloak/cape.
LIKES: Bacon, Movies, Making friends happy, her girlfriend Alia
DISLIKES: Cereal with milk, Arguments, Any/All forms of government, Math
SKILLS: Speaks Htreaoni, Knows how to sing, Life drawing; particularly of machinery, Sword Fighting, Flying
PERSONALITY: Pyro is very impulsive and clueless, but she likes seeing people smile. She is a chaos creator, and has trouble with what's wrong and right.
775 days ago
NAME: Jacqueline Escarra-Larue
NICKNAME: Jackie (she despises this), baixinha (“shorty” in Brazilian Portuguese)
GENDER: Female
SEXUALITY: Asexual
AGE: 8-22 (progresses over the course of the story)
APPEARANCE: 5ft 2in (adult), beige skin tone, dark brown eyes, and buzzed cinnamon-brown hair. Lifestyle has resulted in a compact, athletic build with a few scars (most prominently on her calf and lip). She tends to dress as practically as possible, avoiding anything that hinders movement, presents a fire/chemical hazard, or might get caught on tools/shrubbery. In combat, she wears a fireproof suit and, sometimes, a full-face respirator. Underneath, she wears a bone pendant, carved into a circle containing a flame.
LIKES: Science, her friends, rationality, metallurgy, violin music, sweets, observing animals, campfires, reading, efficiency in work, gardens
DISLIKES: Failure, irrationality, willful ignorance, loss, most people, storms, sex, lying, being seen as incapable/immature, having long hair, being surprised
SKILLS: Advanced chem/biochem knowledge, rudimentary metallurgy, low-tech medicine, tracking, gardening, martial arts
PERSONALITY: Jacqueline is subject to frequent and dramatic changes over the course of the story. However, at her core, exists intense curiosity and loyalty. Possessed of intelligence, passion, and discipline, she respects and aspires to the acquisition and prudent application of knowledge. She is also practical and resilient, able to maintain composure under pressure. Yet a life of frequent loss and contradiction have cultivated a sense of paranoia, moral ambiguity, and social/emotional instability. Once, she was trusting and eager for connection. Subsequent experience proved embittering. After a period of downright belligerence and misanthropy, she settled into a milder detachment and distrust regarding all but a handful of people. Gradually, she has opened and warmed somewhat. However, she still takes little for granted and is fiercely protective of her inner circle. Perhaps her greatest strength and greatest challenge is the ability/pressure to adapt to new, radically different situations. The qualities that empowered her in one scenario often proved useless, even destructive, in another. Furthermore, a combination of upward comparisons, high stakes, and unanticipated (and unwanted) positions of responsibility have left her terrified of failure. She can also hold long grudges and is often the one to make the difficult, painful decisions that others are afraid to make. Instances of peace in the company of close friends elicit the reemergence of that tenderness and humor preserved from childhood.
STRENGTHS: Ingenuity, specific knowledge, decisiveness, exposure to many perspectives, determination, vigilance
WEAKNESSES: Social awkwardness, tendency towards unhealthy obsession, disadvantageous distrust/skepticism, small size (in combat), frequently outnumbered and/or isolated (her own fault, at times)

Note- this character and her world are incredibly bloody neither are intended to glorify violence- quite the opposite, in fact. The portrayal of violence is an exploration and condemnation.
776 days ago
my oc:
vanessa chandler
is a dream demon (can basicly do what bill dose)
her parents sent her to the human world to keep her safe she grew up believing she was human
she is blonde with blue eyes and light skin
hight: 5'4
age: 11
persinality: overprotective and calm but if you mess with her friends and family she will hate you she is nice to those she cares about
.
..
...
....
You have 5 points for 20 questions. You are for 75% pure!
794 days ago
In the series I'm writing, I have multiple MC's so this was a little hard, but I got 100% pure.
806 days ago
Sorry, accidentally sent. Here's rest of description. Her mom was a witch from Slytherin so everyone expected her too marry a wizard so her children would be pure-blood. But she fell in love with a muggle, and even though she married a wizard and had kids afterwards, the muggle raised the girl. The girl (Ashlynn) didn't know that her mom was a witch and thought her step-mom was her real mom.
Siblings: Half siblings from her mom's side: Rose and Liana. Half siblings from her dad's side: Tom and Toby.
806 days ago
Hi, doing another. She's from harry potter.
Name: Ashlynn
Age: 11
Appearance: Dark blond/gold-ish hair, hazel eyes, jade and gold pendant.
House: Ravenclaw
Species: Witch
Height; 4'10
Personality: Snarky, sarcastic, witty, sassy.
Backstory: Her mom was a witch from Slytherin so everyone expected her
818 days ago
ohhhh my oc is 80% pure!not a mary sue!(she's in my own series)
820 days ago
Also, KC loves singer, her friends say she's really good and she can play like two notes on the guitar. Yeah she's basically the version of me I want to be
820 days ago
Name : Alyx (Last name unknown)
Player name : Kyon candy
Nicknames : KC, Kyon, candy, Kyon-kyon, kitty (as a miraculous ladybug joke), ender (one of her original name ideas)
Gender : genderfluid so you never really know
Sexuality : Pansexual (it's just ironic she's non-binary)
Likes : the weird team, shadow_blue, cats, endermen, anime, sweets
Dislikes : Mobs, herobrine, hoglins, water
Species : neko (in game), human (irl)
Age : 11 progressing as she plays her real life body doesn't change for she was sucked into the game with other players to defeat herobrine.
Teams : The weird team (leader), villagetown (warrior), team danger kitty (warrior)
Appearance : IRL she's A korean girl who's 5 feet tall, has pink glasses, brown eyes, long black hair, who wears an anime hoodie half the time. In game she's dressed like her anime oc except she has one purple eye and cat ears. Her anime oc has the purple eye covered with her blue-gray hair (she also has a scar under that hair) and she wears a dark gray hoodie, light gray shorts, and red sneakers.
Personality : she's basically half n half, one minute she'll be yelling at her friends because they insulted cats or smth and the next she'll be eating her cookies or just completely space out. She also loves writing in her journal about things she has noticed.
Weapon of choice : enchanted netherite axe (She had to trade so much for an enchantment book)
871 days ago
I'm making a second one since I have all night!
871 days ago
Info of OC #1
Name: Julie Afton
Gender: Non Binary
Species: Demon-Wolf
Age In Wolf-Demon Years: 300
Age: 18
Siblings: Jade, Jessica, Jeremy, Dakota etc.
First Appearance Chapter: The Quad Start
Last Appearance Chapter: N/A
Parents: William, Clara (Adopted parents) Lucifer, Addison (real parents*
Death: Chapter 2 Aka "this isn't the end tho is it"
Family Status: Deceased
Nicknames: Ashlynn (disguise name)
School: Seabrook High
Enemies: Gabriel, Fritz (not long), Demons
Allies: Cassidy, Emma, Warrior (Nephew), Brianna
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Red
Clothing Type: Tomboy
Fave color: Purple, Black


This took awhile to write so plz Read :>
874 days ago
Here's some info:

Name: Ashley L. Daven
Gender: Female
Age: Progresses over her ages starting from 11.
Siblings: N/A
Flaws: Stubborn, Too Kind, Can't say no, Narrow-minded, Can lose touch with the world
Strengths: Kind, Smart, Loyal
Appearance: She has brown eyes and brown hair, a ribbon given to her by her mother, who is present during her life, however she also has a scarf given to her before her father disappeared.
Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Drawing
Other: Loves animals and has a pet cat called Nyx.