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By Strange Music
Who is s/he...? Mary Sue. She is perfect and she is wonderful. She is everything you every imagined to be and more. Okay...most times it is not that bad. But often it is. In Digimon Case a Mary Sue, for example, is: He is a big showstar and everybody loves him/her (I stay with "he" for this one) but he is surprisingly normal, still level-headed, and is often the one that the whole band looks up to. Even though he doesn't know why and wishes they wouldn't. They all know he had a tragic past. When he was growing up, his parents beat him and killed his sister when he was young, so they are amazed how he is still such a great guy. Also, he had once been hurt by a mugger while bravely saving a young mother and her child. He still bears the scars of it but carries them with pride although they still pain him (often then mentioned throughout the story to get characters to help him). Now he is in Tokia and not only has he discovered that he is a Digidestined, he also discovers that his sister is not really dead but had been adopted by a nice couple, making him the brother of Kari/Sora/Mimi/Yolei. He is smarter than Izzy...and more broody than Matt...tells Tai which way to go when he doesn't know...saves Sora only discover a birthmark that only his sister carries. One of the kids says that he is wrong. But the others hold to him. And in the end he is always right. People tend to see this as a MS, and many people tend not to read Mary Sue... There are a lot of tests for Mary Sue on the Net. Yet I haven't found any for Digimon yet. So that's what I am doing here. The test is simple. For every yes you add 1+ or 2+ points to your score. And bear in mind that just because you answer one or more answers with "yes" it doesn't yet make a character a Mary Sue. It is the end sum that counts. A lot of these questions are from the above-mentioned test. Be truthful.. I can't check the answers...but the only one you cheat on is yourself. Okay...for a start:
Section 1: What's In A Name? 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 yes, sorry but you have a Mary Sue...but still make the test to see if maybe s/he might still be a likeable one at least. [1] Does the character have a really cool name that you wish you had? [1] Did you spend more than a day looking for just the right name? [1] Is the character's name unusual in another way? [1] A name the character chose for him or herself, because s/he "didn't want to forget"? [1] A noun or adjective not normally used for a name (especially for human characters)[1]? Is the character named Hunter? [1] Does it sound similar to any of the characters that you like in another show? [1] (If the name has been chosen because of the meaning, it doesn't count.)
Section 2: Something In The Way S/He Looks... Look in the mirror... Is the character the same gender as you? [1] Is the character from the same racial group as you? (Note: If the character is a digimon, or another magical/mystical/genetically-altered being, answer yes to this question.) [1] Is the character a hybrid of two or more species? [1] Is the character a crossbreed of any other type? (i.e. multi-racial, multi-clan) [1] Is the character a teenager or in her/his early twenties? [1]
Does the character look like s/he is a teenager or in her/his early twenties for no apparent reason[1]? Is the character the age you would like to be? [1]
Is the character beautiful or roguishly handsome? [1]
Does the character have an unusual eye color for no apparent reason? [1]
Has a tasteful or mysterious tattoo? [1] Has skin which is dramatically pale, dusky or golden? [1]
Is stunningly handsome/beautiful? [1]
Does the character have really nice hair that you describe more than once, or on the first page? [1] Does the character have an catchy accents that makes her even more interessting? [1]
Section 3: S/He Didn't Start The Fire: Glancing Through Her History
Is the character the long-lost child or descendent or sibling of a regular or recurring character? [1]
Is the character a member or a friend of a group of people that in any way are special? [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? [1] Came from the lost city of Atlantis or other mysterious lost civilization? [1] Is on the run from the law after being falsely accused of something? [1]
Does the character suffer from guilt about something terrible that s/he did in the past? [2] Did the character have an unusual birth? [1]
Does the character have a very good singing voice? [2] 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.)[1]
Is s/he the best pal/schoolfriend of any of the Digidestined? [1]
Do they admire him/her for any of her abilities? [1]
Is s/he just amazing at the job s/he holds? [1] Had been a member of a secret organization that s/he is now on the run from because she found terrible secrets? [1]
S/he is a better Hacker than Izzy/Yolei? [1] Everybody knows him/her even if she was never mentioned on the show? [2]
Does everyone end up liking the character (among the regulars you like)? [1]
Section 4: She's Got The Powers... Is s/he able to accomplish something single-handedly that the entire Digidestined have not been able to accomplish together, or has only been able to accomplish at great cost? [3] (If you say yes here, consider that people especially tend to scream "Mary Sue" when it makes them wonder why the hell the other characters are any use.) Is immediately accepted into Digidestinedgroup without question? [2] Is unusually accomplished for her age? [2]
Is the character at all or part magical? [1] Is the character banished from Digiworld for some reason? [2]
Is the character allowed to go as he/she pleases to the Digiworld? [2]
Has strange psychic powers? [1]
Has an almost empathic connection with one or more major characters? [1]
Do all Digimon instinctively like the character? [2]
Can the character heal with a touch and/or thought? [1]
Has a mysterious connection with earth spirits? [1] Can change shape? [1]
Possesses a mysterious artifact that may reveal forgotten truths about major characters' origins/parenthood/mysterious powers etc? [1]
Section 5: Is This Love I Smell?...Or Rather MS?
Does s/he fall in love with any of the Digidestined? [1]
Does the story end with the character's wedding? [1]
Section 6: And Now To Our Reporter In The Real World... 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] In writing, when trying to decide how your character'd react to a situation, do you think "What would I do?" more than "What would she/he do?"? [1]
Section 7: Mary Sue As S/He Is Plotting ;) Do you introduce the character on the first page of the story? [1] Do you tell the story from the character's point of view, all or mostly? [1] Does the character meet the Digidestined, 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 Digimon or into a magical or genetically-altered being? [2]
Is the character happier in her/his new form? [1] Do you wish you could be transformed because of these neat powers? [1]
Does the character save the day and/or another character's life? [3]
Does the character become an Digidestined at the end of the story? [1] Vanishing as mysteriously as he/she came? [1] If you're honest, would you say that there is actually no compelling reason in your plot why whatever your new character does couldn't have been done by one of the original characters? [3]
Now compare your total score to the list below: 0-19 No, this is definitely not a Mary Sue...well done! (If people call this a Mary Sue..they are just picky...don't mind them.) 20-31 Borderline case. Borderline Case. You have to be very careful writing on that one. Or people might consider her/him Mary Sue material. 32+ Mary Sue alert...this is will have people (if not in the reviews then in their mind) call it Mary Sue. 42+ It might be a good idea to put this character through the building stage again. Less abilities and more faults might be a good idea. This one is not only Mary Sue but might not hold people to read longer than the first few lines. Which would be bad as you might have a great idea. So make her more human and then sent her through the test again.
If your character not only turned out to be a Mary Sue but also a bad case: you could still write the story and leave the character as it is. No one will stop you. But people will see your character as a Mary Sue, that will be sure. So what can you do to change that?: Give them flaws...real ones. Not all of us are models with perfect bodies and perfect voices. For example, make him/her tone-deaf like the Digimon at the end of the movie. He/she doesn't have to be the perfect sportsman. There is not a single soul alive that is perfect. Like one of the other Mary Sue test says: "Flaws like 'she has a tragic past' or 'he cares too much about his friends' won't cut it either. Maybe your character's tone-deaf but THINKS she sings like a bird, or maybe he couldn't shoot straight to save his life, or maybe she's got a bad temper (and SUFFERS THE CONSEQUENCES FOR IT!). If you're going to give the character something they can't do, make sure it's something they wish they COULD do. Not being able to fight effectively could seriously hamper your character. Not being able to tap-dance and whistle simultaneously is totally irrelevant." Also, it's not a good choice to make it love at first sight with any of the Digidestined. Let it run a long time. Throughout the course of the story would be the best. Have them fight, have them curse, have them suspicious... You are the writer -- make it harder for them. Real life isn't easy either. And at least but not least: don't expect the reader to love your character because you do. Mary Sues are characters that their writers identify with. Yet as we are not all equal, it tends to be a problem. Your readers won't identify with the character as much as you do. It may feel as it the character is taking away time rather than making them feel for him/her. You dream of dating Matt/Sora? If your Mary Sue does this, your reader might feel as if you stole them from them. For example think of Jun...many people people hate her just for the fact that she is stalking Matt. Now imagine what the same people would say if not only was she hovering for Matt's feelings, but if he returned them and adored her for all her special abilities. That is all I can think of at this time...might add more later. I have added a chapter in which I will answer any question that you still have left after this. Put them in the reviews like some others already did and I will then update with answers. :)
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