Nightscrawlers

Who here knows what a Mary-Sue Litmus Test is?

Did you know that most fandoms have one specifically for their own universe, and yet the only X-Men Mary-Sue Litmus Test to be found on the internet is for Evolution?

So I thought it might be fun for the fanfiction writers here at Nightscrawlers to make up our own Mary Sue/Gary Stu Litmus Test!

Here are the rules....

Anybody can add one CONSTRUCTIVE question for a Mary Sue test for Nightscrawlers folk.

If you're taking the test, add one point for every yes. If you go over 20, you've got yourself a Mary Sue.

My first question: Does your Mary-Sue/Gary Stu look like Nightcrawler? i.e. blue/furry/tail/yellow pupiless eyes.

[Edited on 9/27/09 by Dedicatedfollower467]

There is a very good Litmus test right here: http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html

It's the best one I've seen and it's totally universal. And it's not too harsh unlike other tests.

Q: Do they have powers that are considerably more advanced/dangerous than the other characters?

I took the MarySue test for my potential web-comic character and this is what I got:

Elfgal isn't a character: she's you, or you as you'd like to be. She may be popular, or she may not, but no matter what she's impossible to ignore; she stands out... just the way you always wanted to. There's never been anything special about her that she could see; boy, is she in for a surprise. She's got no emotional scars to speak of. And you've been sparing with the free handouts: whatever she gains, she's worked for. You may have let yourself get a little too close to Elfgal. Maybe she's you as you wish you were, or maybe you're just afraid no one will like her and are trying to give her a free ride. Have some confidence in your writing! Elfgal is a good character. Give her room to be herself before you stifle her. Score Breakdown Mirror, Mirror 50 Yo! 16 Plain Jane 0 Healthy as a Horse 0 Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child 8 Total: 74

Cool! I guess my character is pretty good. I should get started on that web-comic.

My result:

Elise is suspiciously similar to you as you'd like to be. She isn't really very cool: she blends into crowds, she hangs out on the fringes at parties, and wearing shades after dark makes her run into things. There's never been anything special about her that she could see; boy, is she in for a surprise. She's come in for her share of hurt, but gotten off with minor damage. And you've been sparing with the free handouts: whatever she gains, she's worked for.

In general, you care deeply about Elise, but you're smart enough to let her stand on her own, without burdening her with your personal fantasies or propping her up with idealization and over-dramatization. Elise is a healthy character with a promising career ahead of her.



Score Breakdown
She's Got My Nose 16
You Mean Plaid Is Out? 6
Plain Jane 0
Can't Complain 5
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child 9
Total: 36

Yeah, well, I never *pretended* she was anything other than wish-fulfillment. If I could be good-looking (not standout, though, more girl-next-door-in-overalls-with-hidden-knives) and handy with tools and seriously Catholic, that would be great. She has many of my faults and a few unique to her.

One funny thing is that I find her language seeping into my everyday talk. And my family and friends almost treat her as a distant relative (along with my characters Junior and Gammy).

I got this for the last fanfic character I created.

Ellen Somerville is nothing like you. She isn't really very cool: she blends into crowds, she hangs out on the fringes at parties, and wearing shades after dark makes her run into things. She may have sometimes thought that she was special, or destined for greater things, but probably dismissed the idea as a fantasy. She's come in for her share of hurt, but gotten off with minor damage. And she's gotten no slack from you.

In general, you care deeply about Ellen Somerville, but you're smart enough to let her stand on her own, without burdening her with your personal fantasies or propping her up with idealization and over-dramatization. Ellen Somerville is a healthy character with a promising career ahead of her.

And yet she still gets the guy at the end.

Yeah, well, Elfy and Ang both got the good guy in real life ...

My result for an OC in a story I haven't written yet?

Meggie is only a little like you. She is not at all cool; in fact, she thinks cool is a temperature reading, and when she says "Oh, I just put on whatever old thing's lying around," she means "on the floor, where I threw it last night - but I turned the underwear inside out first." She may have sometimes thought that she was special, or destined for greater things, but probably dismissed the idea as a fantasy. She's come in for her share of hurt, but gotten off with minor damage. And she's gotten no slack from you.

In general, you care deeply about Meggie, but you're smart enough to let her stand on her own, without burdening her with your personal fantasies or propping her up with idealization and over-dramatization. Meggie is a healthy character with a promising career ahead of her.

Score Breakdown
I Love Her, I Let Her Go 5
She's The Anti-Cool 0
I'm Destined For What? 3
Can't Complain 7
Momma HATES Her! 3
Total: 18

I think the only reason she doesn't get closer is because she's *ahem* six years old.

Well...I tried out my children's book character, just to see, and this is what I got:

Svnale is suspiciously similar to you as you'd like to be. She isn't really very cool: she blends into crowds, she hangs out on the fringes at parties, and wearing shades after dark makes her run into things. There's never been anything special about her that she could see; boy, is she in for a surprise. She's got no emotional scars to speak of. And you've been sparing with the free handouts: whatever she gains, she's worked for. In general, you care deeply about Svnale, but you're smart enough to let her stand on her own, without burdening her with your personal fantasies or propping her up with idealization and over-dramatization. Svnale is a healthy character with a promising career ahead of her. Score Breakdown She's Got My Nose 12 You Mean Plaid Is Out? 9 Plain Jane 1 Healthy as a Horse 0 Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child 5 Total: 27

Not quite as good as my webcomic character. Maybe I need to work on her some more.

I got this about a character I'm working on for an original thing.
Phae is only a little like you. He may be popular, or he may not, but no matter what he's impossible to ignore; he stands out... just the way you always wanted to. He may have sometimes thought that he was special, or destined for greater things, but probably dismissed the idea as a fantasy. He's had a rough life - to say the least! Angst? Histronics? His speciality. And you've been sparing with the free handouts: whatever he gains, he's worked for.

You may have let yourself get a little too close to Phae. Maybe he's you as you wish you were, or maybe you're just afraid no one will like him and are trying to give him a free ride. Have some confidence in your writing! Phae is a good character. Give him room to be himself before you stifle him.



Score Breakdown
I Love Him, I Let Him Go 4
Yo! 15
I'm Destined For What? 10
Valium Poster Child 24
Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child 4
Total: 57




Hm. Interesting =)

hey, one thing to say....Jean grey must have been a seriose marysue to someone, how many times has she came back from the dead?