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Doctor Sue
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splash_the_cat was looking for Mary Sue metas, through which I found The Original Mary Sue Litmus Test.The term "Mary Sue" is one that gets me to roll my eyes these days, especially if used to describe a canon character. It's code for "I really cannot stand this character and so I'm justifying it with slapping on the label of Mary Sue." Don't believe me?
This is the Doctor from Doctor Who held up to The Original Mary Sue Litmus Test. (It was originally made for the Gargoyle fandom, so a few questions were tossed that were fandom-specific.)
I'm not trying to say that the Doctor is a Mary Sue. He's obviously not, but I'm saying that you really could slap "Mary Sue" onto just about any canon character. It's a term that in fandom has pretty well lost its meaning now.
I've kept a running total of points whenever it scores.
Section 1 - The Name Game
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 so, stop now. Put your pencil (mouse?) down and turn in your test.[10]
DO NOT NAME YOUR CHARACTER AFTER YOURSELF.
DO NOT NAME YOURSELF AFTER YOUR CHARACTER.
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR EXCEPTION IS.
- Phew. Safe. No points.
Is the character's name an unusual spelling of a more common name or word?[1]
- No.
A female with a male-sounding name?[1]
- Nope.
A name the character chose for him or herself, because s/he "didn't want to forget"?[1]
- Bingo! Well, maybe not the forgetting part, but he did give it to himself. (1 point)
A noun or adjective not normally used for a name (especially for human characters)[1]?
- Uh huh! (2 points)
Does the character have a really cool name that you wish you had?[1]
- Uh...no.
Is the character's name in the title of the story or is the title otherwise a description of the character? (i.e. "The Girl Who Could Fly")[5]
- You'd better believe it, baby! (7 points)
Does the character have more than one name? (i.e. a nickname or a pseudonym that other characters use to refer to the character)[1]
- Yuppers. Theta. Which is NOT his real name - take note ff.net! (8 points)
Did you spend more than a day looking for just the right name?[1]
- No idea.
Have you considered naming your pet or child the character's name?[1]
- I haven't, but I'm sure someone has! (9 points)
Section 2 - Physical Attributes
Is the character the same gender as you?[1]
- Nope. (I'll simplify this one.)
Is the character from the same racial group as you?[1]
- Nope. Not even from this planet.
Is the character a hybrid of two or more species?[3]
- No, but there's an offshoot of him that becomes a hybrid! I'm totally giving points. (12 points)
Is the character a cross-breed of any other type? (i.e. multi-racial, multi-clan)[1]
- I suppose I shouldn't give more points for Ten II, should I?
Is the character not subject to limitations normally put upon someone of this species? [4]
- Hmmm. The Doctor did fly off from the Time Lords, but I'm sort of thinking anyone could ditch them if they wanted. Romana did, after all.
Take away four points if the character does not have the benefits of being part of the race but still has the drawbacks. (Examples: A character who is any part gargoyle who cannot fly, ever, in your entire story series. A character who is part fay who cannot work magic, ever, in your entire story series.) Take away only one point if the character eventually does get the benefit, anywhere in the story series.
- Um, it's complicated. I'm not taking away any points either.
Is the character a teenager or in her/his early twenties?[1]
- Heh. Not by a long shot.
Does the character look like s/he is a teenager or in her/his early twenties for no apparent reason[2]?
- HE WILL! BWAH! But I suppose I can't score for both. See next question.
For a magical or special scientific reason[2]?
- Regeneration = science. (11 points)
That you plan on making a plot point later?[1]
- Oh it will be a plot point again and again and again. (12 points)
Does this sentence or similar appear anywhere in your story? "(Character's name) was the youngest person to ever become (insert job title here)."[5]
- I don't think so. I don't think they even said that about Romana, even though she was a baby in Gallifreyan terms.
Is the character the age you would like to be?[1]
- No.
Is the character beautiful or roguishly handsome?[1]
- In New Who he is. (13 points)
Does one or more of the regulars find the character highly attractive?[1]
- That would be "or more." (14 points)
Do other regulars see him/her as a threat because of this?[1]
- *pets Mickey* (15 points)
Does the character have an unusual eye color for no apparent reason?[3]
- No.
Will this be a plot point later?[1]
- No.
Does the character have really nice hair that you describe more than once, or on the first page?[1]
- *SNORTS* (16 points)
Does the character have an accent which you do not share?[1]
- He does! But...he probably had the same accent as the creators.
Does the character have a scar or a strange marking that is noticed by another character, but does not actually detract from his/her appearance?[1]
- The mole! (17 points)
Is the character deaf, mute, or both?[1]
- Not unless there are other aliens involved.
Is s/he no longer deaf and/or mute by the end of the story/series or else dead? (subtract 1 pt if character is alive and still deaf or mute at the end of the entire series)[3]
- Not unless there are other aliens involved.
Is the character otherwise physically disabled? (anyone who says "She's so pretty that it's like a disability because everyone hates her or wants to have sex with her" will be summarily keelhauled)[subtract 2 pts]
- Nope.
Is the character no longer disabled at the end of the series, or else dead?[1]
- Nope.
Is the character mentally disabled? (read: at the functional level of Forrest Gump or below)[subtract 2]
- Nope.
Does the character have any telekinetic, telepathic, or other psychic powers despite / because of this disability?[3]
- Not related to a disability...
Is the character overweight? (not just "I ate too many Snackwells and now my thighs are HUGE, but honestly overweight)[subtract 2]
- Skinny boy!
Is this remarked upon by another character who is not motivated by jealousy?[subtract 2]
- No.
Is the character no longer overweight by the end of the series?[4]
- No.
Section 3 - Personal Traits
Is the character the long-lost child or descendent or sibling of a regular or recurring character?[1]
- I WISH.
Was the character adopted or did he/she otherwise live with people who were not his/her parents as a child?[1]
- As far as I know, no.
Is the character a member or a friend of a hitherto unknown clan of gargoyles?[1]
- HA! (Had to leave that one in.)
And is the last surviving member of that clan?[1]
- The last of the Time Lords! (18 points)
Add points for each aspect seen somewhere during your character's life:
- abandoned by caregivers[1]
- born or forced into slavery[1]
- born or raised in extreme poverty[1]
- sole survivor of a calamity[2]
- physical abuse[2]
- sexual abuse by a caregiver[3]
- rape[3]
- member of a "despised" class or race[1, 2 if it is a plot point of the "I can make a contribution even thought I'm ... " variety]
- illegitimate birth[2]
- later parent of illegitimate child[1 pt each]
- any other life experience inspired by V.C. Andrews[3]
- Well he later was the parent of Jenny :D Totally a point! Also, he's the sole survivor of a calamity! (21 points)
Does the character suffer from guilt about something terrible that s/he did in the past?[1]
- Hell yes. (22 points)
Do the other characters eventually convince her/him that it was not his/her fault?[1]
- Actually...no. I don't think anyone has.
Does the character share your religious beliefs?[1]
- *thinks to The Satan Pit* No, I don't worship at the Church of Rose.
Did the character have an unusual birth or unusual experience in early infancy? (i.e. abducted, placed in a basket and set afloat, visited by Three Weirdos, etc.)[1]
- LOOMS. Or not.
Does the character have a twin, a clone, or a sibling of the same gender?[2]
- HA! Ten II does get more points!! (24 points)
About whom you plan on writing another story later?[2]
- They'd better! *shakes fist* (26 points)
Does the character have a very good singing voice?[2]
- He's only crooned slightly from what I can remember. Good but not rock star good.
Or play a musical instrument amazingly well?[1]
- Yup! Who knew he had organ playing skills? (27 points)
The guitar or flute, for instance?[2]
- The recorder! (29 points)
Does the character have better taste in music than you do?[1]
(For example, does your character own cd's that you think educated people ought to own, even though you've never actually listened to the music yourself?)
- I'm sure he does. (30 points)
Does the character do what you do for fun or profit?[1]
(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.)
- No.
Is the character royalty of any type?[3]
- King of Belgium! (33 points)
That she/he does not originally know about?[3]
- He did seem rather surprised... (36 points)
Does the character make more wisecracks than Brooklyn?[1]
- No idea who Brooklyn is, but I'm guessing YES. (37 points)
Does everyone end up liking the character (among the regulars you like)?[1]
- Of course! He's the Doctor! (38 points)
Section 4 - Super Powers
Does the character, not being fay, have magical/mutant powers anyway?[2]
- He has powers, but they're related to his species.
Does the character have telekinesis or telepathy? (Twins count.)[2]
- Check. (40 points)
Does the character just "know things" for no apparent reason?[2]
- All. The. Time. (42 points)
Can the character fly?[1]
- YES! (43 points)
Without the aid of wings?[2]
- And he GLOWS. Take that! (45 points)
Can the character heal with a touch and/or thought?[1]
- Errrrrn...I can't remember any outright healing, but he put Chloe under with just a touch. And he's put SJ under with a touch. That counts. (46 points)
Do animals (especially fuzzy ones) instinctively like the character?[2]
(Subtract two points if the only animals that like the character are non-butterfly insects and crawly lizard-types.)
- Kittehs! (48 points)
Section 5 - The Love Connection
Does the character fall in love with and/or have sex with another recurring character from the show?[1]
- Yes. Yes he does. (49 points)
With whom you would like to fall in love and/or have sex?[1]
- She's not my type. Can't speak for TPTB.
Does the character fall in love with and/or have sex with another original character?[1]
- I'm of the belief that the Doctor has loved before, and so yes. (48 points)
With whom you would like to fall in love and/or have sex?[1]
- Erm no. Can't speak for TPTB.
Does the story end with the character's wedding?[2]
- No, but there's practically a beach proposal by his other self. Eh, I'll let this one go.
Section 6 - The Real World and Your Character
Would you like to be friends with the character if you met in real life?[1]
- Sure! (51 points)
Do you think everyone who reads the story should automatically like the character and want to be friends with the character?[1]
- Sure! (52 points)
If someone tells you he/she doesn't like your character, do you take it as a personal attack on you?[1]
- Not really. Unless they then go that one step further, feeling the need to comment on the fans of the character to justify their dislike.
Do you ever pretend, just to yourself, that you are the character, with the same strengths and abilities?[1]
- It would be hysterical, but no. Although I am now tempted to get a sonic screwdriver toy just so I can. HOWEVER, I can almost guarantee that TPTB have pretended to be the Doctor at different times, if only to act out a scene. (53 points)
If someone calls your character a Mary Sue, do you immediately assume they're jealous of you?[3]
- Damn straight! (Okay, no.)
Section 7 - The Fiendish Plot
Do you introduce the character on the first page of the story?[2]
- Actually, in both Classic and New Who, the Doctor's initial entrance is a bit into the story.
In the first sentence?[1]
- No.
Do you tell the story from the character's point of view, all or mostly?[1]
- I'd say that while there are exceptions, it's mostly from his POV. (54 points)
Does the character manage to develop a friendship with an otherwise villainous character, and through this friendship, reform the other character?[2]
- Oh, it's happened a time or two. :D Shame about the Master though. (56 points)
Is the character transformed into a gargoyle or into a magical or genetically-altered being?[5]
- Well, he is continually transformed into a new body. (61 points)
Is the character happier in her/his new form?[1]
- He generally does think that his current body is the most awesome body ever and completely superior to everything that's come before or will come later. So yes. :D (62 points)
Do people like the character better in her/his new form?[1]
- Eh, it's mixed.
Do you wish you could be transformed because of the neat powers?[1]
- Not really.
Does the character save the day and/or another character's life?[3]
- Why are there only 3 points with this?? (65 points)
Through magical/mystical intervention?[1]
- You know, I can't really think of anything off the top of my head. It's usually all science stuff. Even things like TARDIS!Rose I'd consider to be more science than magic.
Through dying? (Turning to stone "forever" counts.)[3]
- Totally! (68 points)
Through almost dying?[2]
- Totally! (70 points)
Does everyone go into mourning?[1]
- Usually. (71 points)
Does s/he get not-dead by the end of the story?[4]
- Always! (75 points)
Will s/he get not-dead in the sequel?[4]
- You betcha! (79 points)
Do you plan to write many more stories revolving around this character?[2]
- There will always be DW stories. (81 points)
Do you plan to write one or more stories featuring this character's child(ren)?[2]
- It wouldn't surprise me if Jenny would come back sometime. (83 points)
0-14 Developed character, unlikely MS.
15-20 Borderline character. Characters in this range are potential MS's, who can go either way dependent on the author's skill.
21+ Mary Sue/Gary Stu. Proceed with greatest caution.
35+ Reconsider your character and plot. Please.
- Total: 83 points. Oh crap.
ETA: I revised the scoring since I missed "sole survivor of a calamity[2]" first time around.
ETA2:
principia_coh did this for Rose, Martha and Donna, based on the POV of RTD. Her results:Rose: 38 points
Martha: 35 points
Donna: 36 points
Funny how they're all about the same. Well not "funny" so much as "they're companions of the Doctor and so are supposed to be special."
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