Based on the original Mary Sue Litmus Test by Dr. Merlin.

Last Updated: May 24, 2004 ("A former acquaintance of Dorian Gray's?" is now "A former [...] that he didn't ruin or corrupt?")
Rating: PG-13 (for some slightly naughty content)
Feedback: Yes, please, just e-mail me.
Archive: Sure, but please ask first.
A/N: Many thanks to the lovely League ladies on LiveJournal - almightyhat, vf_weasel, kittydesade, secret_base, wild_huntress, 3pipeproblem, girly_vamp and anyone else I may have forgotten.

Who is Mary Sue? In the "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" fandom (and almost always the movieverse), she is the beautiful and tragic girl in the blossom of womanhood who joins the League as a new member and soon becomes their greatest asset without much of an explanation. Everyone in the League loves Mary Sue and tries to spend every waking moment with her. She's a telepath or a changeling, possibly even both, and she can always be found locking her little rosebud lips with one of the more attractive members, usually Dr. Henry Jekyll. Although she is supposed to be a traditional Victorian gentlewoman, she's got a grrl attitude and treats everyone with a sort of subdued spunkiness. By the end of the story, she's either saved the world with the rest of the League cheering after her, frolicking in bed with Dr. Jekyll or dead with everyone mourning her passing. Mary Sue has a rebellious and moody twin brother known as either Marty or Gary Stu, but he is rare in this fandom since most fanfic writers are female and there are enough male characters as is.

Scoring: To score yourself, give yourself one point for every question you answer yes to. The more often you answer yes, the greater the Mary Sue factor, and there's a scoring key at the end. And please be honest. You're the only one to know your results, so there's no point in lying. And conditional yes' (ie. "technically yes, but....") do count.

Note: This test is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and should not be taken seriously. However, if you do have complaints, please e-mail me. Incoherent flamers will have Chinese poetry written on them in caustic paint be publicly ridiculed. I've got my asbestos corset on.

Now, shall we get on with our enlightening litmus test? :)

SECTION I: A Rose By Any Other Name

• Is your character named after you? Real names, nicknames, middle names, online aliases and secret code names count.

If yes - and you know what's coming - please put down your sparkly purple fountain pen and hand your test in. You've just broken the golden rule of creating an original character, and that's to not name a character after yourself. It's blatant self-insertion.

• Is your character's name a pretty or unusual one?
• An unusual spelling variation of a common name or word?
  • One you wish you had?
• Did she chose the name because she "didn't want to forget" some undoubtedly tragic event?
• Did you add an "O'" to your own last name to give your character a lovely Irish surname (eg. if you're "Kate Gawdisux", your character is "Kate O'Gawdisux")?
• Is your character's name a variation of one of the canon characters' names?
  • Like "Henrietta" or "Mona"?
• Did it take you days and days to find that perfect name?
• Did you use a baby names book or babynames.com?
• Would you give a pet, child or stuffed toy the same name as your character?

SECTION II: The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships

• Is your character the same gender as you?
  • Female?
• Is she a teenager?
  • Because you're one?
  • If she's not a teenager, does she look like one for either a magical or no particular reason?
• Is she extraordinarily beautiful?
  • Yet is there some sort of down-to-earth charm about her beauty?
• Is she tall, slender and elegant?
• With pale milky skin?
• Does she speak in a breathy and wispy soft voice that people don't have trouble hearing?
• Does she have unusual eyes?
  • Are her eyes weird even by Mary Sue standards?
  • Are they bright green?
    • Even moreso than Mina Murray's were in the comics?
  • With red designs decorating them?
  • Even though Mina, while a vampire in the movie with green and sometimes red eyes, never had eyes resembling tacky Hallowe'en contact lenses?
• Do you ever liken your character's eyes to gemstones (eg. rubies, emeralds, sapphires, cubic zirconium, etc.)?
• Do her unusual eyes have anything to do with her special powers?
• Do they change colours occasionally, depending on her mood?
• Do you go into great detail about the dresses your character wears?
  • Despite the fact that you did no research whatsoever on clothing of the era (check here for a good essay on it...and no, saying "But Mina wore leather trenchcoats!" is not a good excuse)?
• Is there at least one entire paragraph dedicated to describing what your character looks like?
• Does her hair sound as if it has a life of its own (eg. "Golden curls like octopus tentacles snaking around her pale moon-like face")?
  • Is her hair referred to constantly throughout the story (and by constantly, we mean stuff like tucking her hair behind her ear ten times during a meeting)?
• Is she hygienic, prim and proper even though she is poor?
• Does your character have perfect teeth that resemble a white-picket fence?
  • Even though people still make jokes today about the British having lousy teeth?
  • Do your character's white picket fence-esque teeth provoke Tom to get all nostalgic and teary-eyed about his childhood in America?

If you answered yes to the last question, I really hope you're writing a parody fic. Please send me a copy when you're done.

SECTION III: So Tell Me About Your Childhood...

• Is your character the sibling, child, long-lost twice-removed cousin, etc. of an established character?
  • A daughter Allan Quatermain didn't know he had?
  • A former acquaintance of Dorian Gray's that he didn't ruin or corrupt?
  • One of Tom Sawyer's colleagues from the American Secret Service?
  • An old associate of Dr. Jekyll's? Shame on you if you were inspired by watching Mary Reilly starring Julia Roberts.
  • All of the above?
• If your character is a time travel character, has she read all the books the characters are from?
  • Does she know everything there is to know about everyone?
  • And yet, does she still gets loads of facts wrong?
  • Like the fact that Dr. Jekyll is technically old enough to be her father?
• If she's not a time travel character, does she somehow learn about everyone's deep dark secrets within five minutes of meeting them?
  • Through telepathy?
• Or are they just more than willing to tell her because she's so damn gorgeous and lovable?
• And yet, is she strangely not shocked, surprised or disgusted about these secrets?
  • Because her past is even darker?
• Does this dark past involve her being shunned and hated as a child for her extraordinary abilities?
• Despite that fact that her powers are oh-so dark, dangerous and embarrassing, does she constantly them show off?
• Does her past also involve the tragic death of one of her parents?
• Do you ever get the feeling you're reading about an X-Men character when you go over your fanfic?
  • Does your character sound like your favourite female X-Man?
• Is your character surprisingly liberated and independent for a woman of the Victorian era?
  • Even moreso than Mina Murray in the comics?
  • Is she incredibly politically correct for the era?
  • Is everyone surprisingly politically correct (ie. do they easily accept the company of a young lady among a group of men)?
  • Except, perhaps, for their occasional light misogynism (ie. they don't think highly of women)?
  • So that your character can show them up later, change their evil politically incorrect ways and show them what 21st century grrls can do?
• Can your character hear Hyde's voice in Jekyll's head?
• Is Skinner/Griffin's invisibility useless against your character?
  • Because she's telepathic or has heightened senses?
• Does your character speak like a psychology major with a ph.D, know Latin and have a broad knowledge of classical literature?
  • Even though she's supposed to be a humble, simple, poor little farmgirl?
  • And do people find this to be perfectly normal?
  • Or are they in awe, yet don't bother to ask her as to how she became so smart?
• Is her manner of speech extremely haughty and melodramatic (eg. "I tragically lost a strand of my utterly lustrous golden hair. I expect I shall never recover from such a demonic fate.")?
  • Or is it too modern (eg. "Let's kick some butt!")?
• Does your character refer to everyone on a first name basis (eg. she calls Dr. Jekyll "Henry") even though that wouldn't be acceptable at the time, especially since she isn't very familiar with them?
  • And yet do none of the characters mind or notice?
• Does she just "know things"?
  • At very convenient and dramatic moments?
  • Before a major character death?
  • At the end of a chapter?
  • And does she go into a fit of angst and wailing when something happens and she "should have known"?
• Is your character of an ethnicity group that you don't belong to?
  • One that you'd like to be?
• Does your character have parents that are each from a different ethnicity group?
  • Does this become a plot point later on, complete with stereotypes (eg. the short-tempered red-haired Irish, the wandering Romanian gypsy, the butt-kicking Chinese, etc.)?
    • Despite the fact that your character didn't grow up in the appropriate environment for those stereotypes to have rubbed off on her?
• Does your character have an artistic talent (eg. the ability to sing like an angel or play a musical instrument)?
  • That has nothing to do with the plot?
  • If she plays a musical instrument, is it a sexy one like the guitar or violin?
    • If you picked the violin, did your choice have anything to do with Jason Flemyng's character in The Red Violin getting sexy with one?

SECTION IV: There's a Plot?/All You Need is Love!

• Is your character introduced on the first page or chapter?
  • The first sentence even?
• Is the entire first page/chapter/sentence dedicated to her super-secret, dark and angsty origin?
• Yet when she runs into the League members, does she proceed to recount her not-really-super-secret-anymore, but still dark and angsty origin to them?
  • Because they're genuinely curious and have nothing better to do than to listen to some teenage girl's mad ramblings and life story?
  • Do you consider that to be good in-depth character development?
• Do the other League members take a surprisingly quick liking to her?
  • Even though she's a strange woman who's most likely more powerful than them?
  • And they're now a tightly knit group having some complete stranger thrust onto them (interpret "thrust onto" however you'd like)?
  • And that they'd probably have trust issues, considering that M turned out to be the Fantom?
• Do you not bother to explain why the League is suddenly recruiting teenage girls for their League when they're perfectly fine as is, as if they were a Girl Guides troop instead of a special operatives intelligence team?
• Does your favourite character fall in love with your character?
  • Is it Dr. Jekyll and/or Tom and/or Dorian?
  • All three?
  • Do they all get in bed at the same time?

If yes, please throw in Skinner as well and send me a copy of your fic.

• Do(es) the (multiple) love interest(s) of your story court your character in ways that would be considered unconventional at the time (eg. they're very touchy-feely: offering the lady your arm is okay, but snogging her brains out after a day is a no-no)?
• Is your character a changeling?
  • Is her alternate form some kind of wild dog?
• Does being a changeling help her get into Dr. Jekyll's trousers?
• Is her transformation into her other form extremely painful?
  • Do you describe the angst! and pain! of the transformation in wonderfully flowery detail?
• Does Jekyll go from being even more nervous than he was in the film to being the protective, confident, approachable and adorably charming boyfriend?
  • Because he's cuter and more snoggable that way?
• Do Jekyll and Hyde's mental arguments go from the whole good/evil or "They need me, not you" dynamic to "You're too femmy to get laid!"/"No I'm not!"?
• Actually, does Hyde seem to disappear altogether except for these occasional "You'll always live in your mother's basement and never have a girlfriend" snarks?
  • Because Hyde is, like, so totally ugly and not cute at all?
• Does the all-consuming power of her twoo wuv give Jekyll the confidence to stand up to Hyde (when he's around, of course)?
• Does Jekyll spout out philosophical stuff to your character about "not giving in to your dark side" and whatnot as if he were in a Star Wars movie?
• Does your character find a sense of kinship in Tom?
  • Because both him and your character are young and beautiful?
• Do you give Tom and your character a more youthful personality by making them speak modernly (eg. "I realized at that moment that we were totally screwed")?
• Is Tom's southern accent unusually thick and difficult to comprehend?
• Is Dorian Gray miraculously alive?
  • So that you your character can get in bed with Stuart Townsend him?
• And is his resurrection rather stretched?
• And afterwards, does he promise to renounce his evil ways, settle down and produce immortal brats with your character and thus plaguing the world with the overpopulation of foppish dandies?
• Are Nemo and Quatermain almost completely neglected or one-dimensional?
  • Because they weren't hot (in your opinion)?

If you paired up your character with one of them in a romantic sense, then please excuse yourself from this test, send me a copy of your fic and hang your head in shame for such a gross age difference and what is most likely poor characterization of those generally unromantic two.

• In relation to the last question, do the League members act as if Allan never died and came back from the dead (and not as a brain-eating zombie too)?
• Is Mina unusually bitchy?
  • Even moreso than she is in the comics?
  • Because you didn't like how all the male characters liked her?
• Is her bitching generally directed towards your character?
• And does your character go into dramatic bouts of depression afterwards?
• Only to be comforted later by one of the many male League members?
  • Is it either Jekyll (because he "knows what it's like") or Tom (because he's the League's cheerleader)?
• Or is Mina like a surrogate mother to your character (nevermind the fact that she was incredibly sexual and bloodthirsty in the film)?
• Does Skinner have Griffin's laugh (eg. "Aheheh")?
• Does Skinner call your character "luv" all the time?
• Do you try to incorporate Cockney slang in Skinner's dialogue without having decently researched it?
  • Or is the extent of your research the Cockney dictionary on the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels DVD?
  • And do you overdo it to the point where it's impossible to understand what he's saying and could be speaking Swahili for all we cared?
• Does your character quickly befriend Skinner even though she knows he's the kind of person she was warned not to associate with?
• Do you try to fit in some of the classic undercover espionage from the comics?
  • As an excuse to get your character and your man of choice alone together to have a heart-to-heart twoo wuv moment?
• And speaking of excuses, does the fact that Dr. Jekyll is a medical doctor ever lead to some intimate touchy-feely moments between him and your character?
• Does your character save the day or the life of one or more League members?
  • Even if under normal circumstances, they'd be perfectly fine on their own?
• Is the League member then in eternal wallowing gratitude for it?
• And does the person repay your character with some sweet anachronistic Victorian lovin'?
• Or does your character die heroically, with all the characters mourning such a tragic loss to not just the League, but the entire British Empire?
  • Did Captain Nemo, of all characters, cry?
  • Did your tearful ending even make you cry?

SECTION V: The Elements of Style

• Is the story narrated in the present tense?
• Do you try to incorporate references from other literary works of the time?
  • Even though you haven't actually read any of them?
  • Do you end up making mistakes like putting certain characters in the wrong time period?
  • And do you end up flaming people who pointed out mistakes you made with comments like "Well, it's my fic and I can do anything I like!"?
• Do any of the following spelling errors occur?:
  • "Jeckyll" or "Jeckyl" instead of "Jekyll".
  • "Quartermain", "Quartermaine" or "Quatermaine" instead of "Quatermain".
    • Or do you keep switching back and forth?
    • Because you really can't tell the difference?
  • Any variation of Mina (eg. Nina).
• Do you try to fit in "punny" jokes like having Skinner go skinny-dipping (you know, his name and he has to be naked to be invisible...oh, nevermind)?
• Are your descriptions either full of cliches (eg. ""His features were cut like a fine marble statue") or incredibly ridiculous?
• Did you take certain descriptions right out of the Kevin J. Anderson's novelization of the film?
• Do you also take quotes right out of the movie?
• When you were done writing your chapter or story, did you go "Woohoo! I'm going to upload it right away on ff.net and get lots and lots of reviews without reading over the story or getting a meanie beta-reader to read it over!"?
• Does your story occasionally read like a mythology encyclopaedia (eg. entire chapters dedicated to your character ranting about everything there is to know about vampires or werewolves)?
  • With your own takes on the mythos?
• Do you end your chapters with cliffhangers to make sure your readers come back for more?
• Or do you end them soap opera-style (eg. "Will Mina recover from her amnesia? Will Dorian ever get his Oxford Thigh-Master to work? Tune in next chapter!")?

SECTION VI: The Real World, Your Character and You

• Would you ever want to meet your character?
• Did you re-watch the movie or re-read the comics and try to imagine what your character would have been doing during a certain scene?
• Have you ever considered introducing your character into a League RP?
  • Or have you already done so?
  • Even though the charm of the League fandom is that it's the ultimate crossover fandom and most, if not all, of the characters are ones everyone is familiar with?
• Do you expect everyone to love your character as much as you do?

SECTION VII: Based on the Comic Book Graphic Novel

• Did you have no idea the comics even existed before watching the film version?
• Are you surprised even now to hear that the film was based on a comic book graphic novel?
• And have you never read the comics before?
• If you have read them, did you find them to be terribly boring?
  • Because there were no hot guys?
  • And there was no Dorian Gray aside from a really ugly portrait?
  • And all we saw of Tom Sawyer was a picture of a really creepy old man?

SECTION VIII: My Reviews Count Represents My Bust Size In Inches

• Does your username have anything to do with a love for a certain character (eg. "Mrs. Gray-Jekyll-Sawyer-Skinner-Quatermain")?
• Do you deny that certain characters are canonically gay or bisexual?
• Do you ever refer to Dr. Jekyll as "Jekkie" or "Jekyllicious"? Author's Notes and reviews count.
• Do you ever declare your love for a particular character yet, alas, they do not belong to you, in your disclaimer?
• Do you love gushy reviews so much that you try to put subtle hints into the Author's Notes (eg. "THANK YOU FOR THE LOVELY REVIEWS! I LOVE YOU GUYS!" or "I don't have any reviews. I'm sad, I worked so hard on this and no one is paying attention")?
• Do most of your reviews read as follows: "Oh my God! I love your portrayal of [usually Jekyll/Jekkie]! He's so cute, I wanna be in [your character]'s place! Writer m0re!!111"
• Do you accuse people who don't like your character or fic as being wanky nerds who do nothing but sit at home and spend hours reading and analyzing Victorian literature?
  • And that they're ugly and need boyfriends?
  • But do you consider watching Queen of the Damned, A Walk to Remember and/or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (take your pick) as going out with your boyfriend?
  • If you said yes to the above, then maybe you're ugly and need a (real) boyfriend?

And lastly...

• Did you find this Mary Sue Litmus Test to be offensive on an emotional, psychological and personal level?

Scoring Key:

0-14: Your character actually seems to well-developed with a good balance between talents and faults. Good job, and keep up the great work.
15-20: You're treading a thin line here with a potential Mary Sue. Depending on your skill as a writer, your character could either be a well-developed one or a Mary Sue.
21-35: Unfortunately, the test is going to have to diagnose you with a Mary Sue. Please be very careful as to how you go about writing your fanfic. Maybe try toning down your character a notch or two.
35+: You've got an uber-Sue. At this stage, please reconsider your character and plot or someone's going to set Mr. Hyde on you.

I think the highest possible score you can get on this test is 200 or thereabouts, but you'd have to be writing a really really far-out parody fic to get that. I hope. Anyway, so you've taken the test and you've answered yes to more questions than you would've liked. What should you do? Try checking out one or two of the informative links below.

Mary Sues Resources:

Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fanfic
Who is Mary Sue?
Self-Insertion and Mary-Sueism
The Mary Sue Society
Mary Sue! @ Writer's University

And now, for your amusement and pleasure...

League MS Parodies:

Divine Pleasures - The Sues make Jekyll need therapy (Rating: G)
Mary Who? - The League meets its newest member. Not what you think! :-) (Rating: G)
JUST THE BEST MARY SUE, EVER! - The Mary Sue Litmus Test taken to the extreme. F words. Mild slash. (Rating: PG-13)
What type of LXG Sue are you? - A fun meme!

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