Is My OC a Mary-Sue?

A common but unappealing writing trope seen especially in fanfiction is the Mary-Sue. Mary-Sues often exist in romantic fanfiction and are characterized by extremes in attractiveness, skill, intelligence, bravery, athleticism, and other traits. This character trope is often unappealing because of the lack of room for character growth (because they are practically perfect.

There is no exact science for pinpointing whether your character is a Mary-Sue, but this quiz can clue you in so you can decide whether to make improvements or not. This quiz exists for fanfiction OCs in which the OC in question is a romantic interest to a canon character.

Created by: Davina

These questions may seem invasive, but I can't see your responses, so be as honest and accurate as possible. No one's judging you.
- This answer has no affect on your percent score.
- Neither does this one.
Is your OC being written into a fanfiction? This answer has no affect on your percent score.
- If they are, please proceed.
- If not, this quiz is not for you and will not give you accurate results.
How many romantic interests does your character have?
- None.
- One.
- Two
- Three or more.
Finding someone attractive doesn't make them a real love interest. How many canon characters in total have found your OC attractive and made note of it?
- Only one: the canon love interest.
- Two
- Three
- Four or more.
- A group or roomful of people.
Does your character's age align with the main characters' ages?
- Yes, my OC's age is within two years of the canon characters' ages
- My OC's age is within five years of the canon characters' ages
- No, my character's age is not close to the canon characters' ages.
Is your OC human? (Does their species align with the species of the main character(s)of the show/movie/book into which they're being written?)
- Yes, they are human in a world full of humans.
- Yes, they align with the common species of the media I'm writing them into.
- No, they do not align with the common species of the media I'm writing them into
- No, they do not align with the common species, but their species does exist in the canon.
The following questions are about appearance. In simplest terms, what is your character's hair color?
- Brown
- Black
- Blond
- Ginger
- It varies because my OC's hair changes color.
- A natural but strange color (purple, blue, silver, etc,)
- It changes because my OC dyes their hair.
- My OC does not have hair.
If your OC's hair is black, why?
- Because my hair is also black.
- Because of their species/ethnicity.
- To reflect their character (they're sad and dark, so their hair is dark).
- None of these.
- My OC's hair is not black.
Is your OC's hair white/grey/silver because they are old?
- Yes.
- No.
- My OC's hair is not white/grey/silver
What is your OC's eye color?
- Brown
- Green
- Blue
- Purple
- White
- None of these, but an unnatural color.
- Varies based upon mood or other factors
How conventionally attractive is your character?
- Extremely attractive. Show-stopping, deity-like.
- Moderately attractive. They meet conventional standards but are not my type.
- Moderately attractive. They meet my personal standards.
- Averagely attractive. They have many physical flaws.
- Not attractive.
- They are very attractive and do not meet conventional/societal standards.
What is your OC's body type?
- Thin, lacking any fat.
- Relatively thin; perhaps athletic but not profoundly.
- Moderately chubby.
- Fat.
- Curvy.
- Extremely curvy.
- Athletic.
How does your character dress?
- Practically so they can do their job efficiently.
- Practically but with attractive flare.
- Attractively because they work in entertainment.
- Casually despite the canon characters not dressing casually.
- Fashionably out of interest in fashion.
- In any fashion that I wish I could wear.
- The way I already dress.
- Casually, like the canon characters.
Does your character have scars or burns?
- Large scars on their face or body.
- Large burns on their face or body.
- Minor scarring from combat; nothing predominant or defining.
- Both scars and burns on their body.
- No scars or burns.
The following questions are about your character's history and mentality. Who raised your OC?
- Two people of average financial or social standing.
- Only one parent; the other was absent or dead.
- My OC had no parent or guardian.
- Two divorced parents.
- Someone who is not related to my OC (and this is not culturally normal).
- Someone who is not related to my OC (and this is a cultural norm).
Which of the following best describes your character?
- Having a balanced mix of confidence and humility; being sure they can complete a task but knowing when a task is beyond their ability.
- Imposter syndrome; 'an individual doubts their skills, talents or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a 'fraud.'"
- Superiority complex: "an [outward] attitude of superiority which conceals actual feelings of inferiority and failure."
- Inferiority complex: characterized by an individual's "intense feelings of inadequacy, often resulting the belief that one is in some way deficient, or inferior, to others.
- God complex: An unshakable belief characterized by inflated arrogance causing a person to deny the possibility of their own failure or error, even in the face of impossible tasks.
- No task is ever beyond my character and they know it.
- None of these.
If your OC was lacking a guardian as a child, why?
- A parent was totally absent.
- A parent was emotionally absent because of work.
- A parent died before or shortly after my OC was born.
- My OC killed their parent(s).
- My OC witnessed their parent(s) dying/being killed.
- My OC was not lacking a guardian as a child.
Does your OC have a friend or supporting character (that is not a canon character) at the start of the fanfiction?
- Yes, a good, long-standing friend.
- Yes, but only a minor friend whom they do not see often.
- They have many acquaintances, but no close friends.
- They have no friends or well-liked acquaintances.
- All of their friends are canon characters.
Is your character often praised for a trait?
- Yes; attractiveness.
- Yes: intelligence.
- Yes: athleticism or combat skill.
- No, they receive no praise.
- Yes, but not often.
Did your character spend parts of their childhood in isolation of some sort?
- Yes; they lived alone in the woods/an abandoned landscape.
- Yes; they were forced into prison or some form of solitary confinement.
- No, they did not live in isolation.
- Yes, but none of the examples given.
Was your OC ever involved with someone abusive?
- Yes: a parent or guardian.
- Yes: a romantic partner.
- Yes: a friend or coworker.
- No.
In simplest terms, how is your OC introduced to the main characters.
- My OC defends the canon character from harm (an attack, a fall, bullying, etc.)
- The canon character defends my OC from harm.
- My OC and the canon character already know each other.
- My OC beats the canon character at something.
- A canon character is intrigued by my OC after seeing them do something impressive or attractive.
- A canon character is introduced to my OC through a friend.
- None of these.
This is a trigger warning. The following three questions mention sexual assault. Your answer below will not affect your score.
- Dogs are better.
- Cats are better
- I'm allergic to both.
Has your character faced sexual assault before the setting of the story?
- Yes, multiple times.
- Yes, once.
- No.
Does your character face sexual assault during the course of the story?
- Yes, more than once.
- Yes, once.
- No.
If your OC faced sexual assault, how has it affected them?
- Not at all; they were completely unfazed.
- They were shocked at first, but the recovery took no more than a few hours.
- They had a good deal of traumatic response but were not completely devastated.
- They were completely devastated and could be described as 'numb.'
- My OC did not face a sexual assault.
Does your OC have a mental illness?
- Yes; a mental illness with which I have been diagnosed.
- Yes; a mental illness with which I have not been diagnosed.
- No.
Does your character grow or heal at all from their mental illness?
- Yes; they learn to handle or control it.
- Yes; they come to terms with it.
- No; it does not inhibit any aspect of their life so there is no need to grow from it.
- Yes; only with the help of a significant other.
- My character does not have a mental illness.
Does your OC die at any point in the work?
- No.
- Yes; at the end.
- Yes; once in the middle and is then resuscitated.
- Yes; multiple times and is resuscitated.
- No; my OC is immortal.
Does your OC have a significant phobia or fear which they cannot overcome?
- Yes.
- No; they overcome it at a crucial moment.
- No; they overcome it over time.
- No; my OC does not have any significant fears.
Does your OC have a prophecy based around them?
- Yes.
- No.
Does your OC have magical powers in a world where magical powers do not exist? (Eg.: ability to turn into a fox in the real world; ability to bend wood in the Avatar world; ability to use alchemy in the Hunter x Hunter world, etc.)
- Yes.
- No.
- No; these powers exist, but they are rare.
- No; these powers exist, but were supposedly mythological.
Think of the most powerful canon character; could your OC beat them in a fight? If combat is not a part of your plot, choose 'Not Evaluated.'
- Yes, with much effort or outside help.
- Yes, with little/no effort.
- No.
- Not Evaluated.
Is your OC intelligent? How did they gain this intelligence?
- Incredibly intelligent. They have a natural intellect and require little study.
- Incredibly intelligent. They have endured years of study/intense training.
- Averagely intelligent.
- Not intelligent at all.
- Incredibly intelligent in only a few select subjects or concepts.
How does your OC feel about their interests?
- They are smarter than others for their interests.
- Other people are boring for not being interested in my OC's interests
- Both of these.
- None of these.
Does your OC listen to music when other characters usually do not?
- Yes.
- No.
Does your OC have a goal or a pursuit outside of romance?
- No.
- Yes; revenge upon someone who has wronged them.
- Yes; career-related goal.
- Yes; emotional health goal.
Is your character physically or mentally disabled? (Eg.: amputee, blind/deaf, autistic, etc.)
- Yes, and I am also disabled.
- Yes, and I am not disabled.
- No.
Is your character famous?
- Yes.
- Moderately.
- No.
Does your character go by a nicnkname that many people in their career or social circle recognize?
- Yes.
- No.
Is your OC a quick learner with new skills?
- Yes; they gain new skills effortlessly.
- Yes; they are faster than average.
- No; they are a slow learner.
- There is nothing my OC does not know how to do to some extent.
How well-liked is your OC by other characters?
- Incredibly; no one dislikes them besides the villain(s).
- Moderately; excluding villains, most people love my OC.
- Somewhat; most people do not like my OC.
- Not at all; no one likes them.
How does your OC feel about other women?
- They are all threats.
- Most of them are threats except for the ones romantically interested in other characters.
- They have no opinion until they get to know the other women.
- There are no other women in the story.
How do you feel about the other female characters?
- I do not like any of them and portray them as evil or fake.
- I do not like any of them but do not portray them differently than my OC.
- I love them and portray them in different ways.
- I have no other female characters.
Do you think you and your OC are similar?
- Yes; we are identical.
- Yes; in appearance.
- Yes; in minor ways such as hobbies.
- Yes; in fashion sense.
- More than one of these.
- No.
Does your OC make a villain good?
- Yes.
- No.
- Multiple villains.
Finally, the more personal questions. How often do you find it difficult to write because you don't know what your OC would say or do in response to something?
- Very often.
- Often
- Sometimes.
- Rarely.
- Very Rarely.
How often do you draw experiences from your own life while you write.
- Very often.
- Often.
- Sometimes.
- Rarely.
- Very Rarely.
If you could meet your OC, what would be your relationship?
- Best friends.
- Friends.
- Acquaintances.
- Enemies.
Think of your favorite food? Is it the same as your OC's?
- Yes.
- No, but it's in the same category/family/ethnic range.
- No; I had to research different foods choose.
Is your OC a romantic interest of your favorite character?
- Yes.
- No.
The Mary-Sue trope's popularity exists because of ingrained misogyny, racism, heteronormativity, ableism, and/or fatphobia.
- I completely agree with this statement.
- I somewhat agree with this statement.
- I am neutral on this statement.
- I somewhat disagree with this statement.
- I completely disagree with this statement.
- I do not understand these prejudices well enough to respond.
Do you think a large part of writing romance fanfiction involves self-insertion or projecting yourself on your OCs? This answer does affect your percent score.
- Yes, absolutely.
- Definitely not.

Is My OC a Mary-Sue?

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