Section 1 - What is in a Name? Lots!
Is the character named after you? (This can be your first name, middle name, or the name you go by in cyberspace.)
If so, stop now. Put your pencil down and turn in your test. However, creating a nick based on your character's name after his/her creation does NOT count as a "yes".
Does the character have a really cool name that you wish you had?
Like Scarlet? Or Hunter? Or Taylor? Or Krystal?
Is the character's name your name, mixed with a rock/fire/ice/plant or body term?
Like Jenite? Rose?
Is the character's name a rock/fire/ice/plant or body term?
Does the character have more than one name? (i.e. a nickname or a pseudonym--but shortened versions of the character's real name do not.)
Did you spend more than a day looking for just the right name?
Have you named or considered naming your pet or child the character's name?
Section 2 - "Mirror, Mirror in my hand. Am I a self-inserted fan?"
Is the character the same gender as you?
Is the character from the same racial group as you? (Note: if the character is an mutant, cyborg, or some other "super-human", answer yes to this question.)
Is the character a hybrid of two or more species?
Is the character's hybrid nature the result of some trauma?
A trauma you secretly think is cool?
Is the character too young to legally drink alcohol (below 19)?
Does s/he drink anyway?
Does the character *look* like s/he is younger than 19?
For a particular reason?
That you plan on making a plot point later?
Is your character a precocious child?
Who can't understand why people treat her like a child?
Who does things much better than all the adults do?
Who is without adult supervision most of the time?
Does the character *look* like s/he is a teenager or in her/his early twenties for no apparent reason?
Does s/he stay this age for no appatent reason?
Is the character the age you would like to be?
Is the character drop-dead gorgeous or roguishly handsome?
Does one or more of the regulars find the character highly attractive?
Do other regulars see him/her as a threat because of this?
Do you write Jade as immediately jealous upon meeting your female character?
Is Graveheart jealous when meeting your male character?
Does Femur make a move on your character?
Does the character have an unusual hair and/or eye color for no apparent reason? Given that all Shadow Raider/War Planets characters are colourful, this means, does your character have a feature that the other characters consider unusual? (Peroxide and contacts do not count.)
Will this be a plot point later?
Does the character have an accent which you do not share?
Does your character dress in a fashion that you'd never wear but you wish you could?
In leather?
In a trenchcoat?
Black armour?
Heavily armed? (Gun belt, etc.)
In an outfit (jumpsuit, whatever) decorated with your favourite colours?
Does your character wear unusual jewelry?
That you wish really existed?
With special powers?
Will the item of jewelry become a plot point later on?
Does the character do any one thing better than any of the regulars?
(We're talking fighting skills, technological abilities, etc.)
Does the character do MORE than one thing better?
Does your character out-hack Cyros?
Out-plot Graveheart?
Out-fight Jade?
Section 3 - What's the Backstory?
Is the character the long-lost child or descendent or sibling of a regular or recurring character?
Of Jade and/or Graveheart?
Of Pyrus or Zera?
Of Cryos or Femur?
Of Lord Mantel or Tekla?
If your character is related to a regular character, do they:
Have the same job as the regular character?
Out-perform the regular character at whatever is it that person does best?
Is the character a member or a friend of a hitherto unknown special operations team in the:
Rock's Qurriors?
Glacial Troopers?
Sternum Warrior?
Igneous Knights?
Any other planet's troops?
And is the last surviving member of that team?
Did the character have an unusual birth?
Does the character have a twin (male or female), a clone, or a sibling of the same gender?
About whom you plan on writing another story later?
Does the character have a very good singing voice?
Do you wish you could sing really well?
Does the character play a musical instrument really well?
The piano, for instance?
The guitar?
Do you wish you could play an instrument really well?
Does the character have better taste in music than you do? (For example, does your character own CDs that you think cool people ought to own, even though you've never actually listened to the music yourself?)
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.)
Is your character from an unknown planet?
Does your character insist they know things about the Beast Planet that nobody else in the Alliance could possibly know? Not even Tekla?
Is your character a hacker?
Is your character a hacker because you don't hack, or even understand it, but you think it's really cool?
Does the character insult the regulars constantly and/or show a blatant disregard for authority?
Does s/he get away with this stuff?
Does your character especially insult or show up the girlfriend/boyfriend of a regular character you have a crush on? (Be honest!)
Does everyone end up liking the character (among the regulars you like)?
In spite of his/her bad attitude?
Has your character suffered emotional traumas you have not experienced but sound really cool to you?
Dead parents?
Dead lover?
Dead sibling?
Were these people murdered?
Does your character feel guilty even though they are not responsible, and in fact, may have acted admirably in the situation?
Does your character not reveal the trauma until a moment when it would have the most impact?
Does your character lose it and scream at regular characters?
And is immediately forgiven?
Has your character been raped?
Do you think rape or assault gives your character emotional depth?
Do you not care about the regular characters' emotional traumas?
Do you think your character has a much worse history?
Do you think that makes him/her cool?
Do you think the regular characters should care about your character because of the past traumas?
Does your character insult a regular character for "not understanding" their terrible history?
Does that regular character immediately apologize and/or suck up to your character?
Section 4 - The Right Stuff!
The Bad Guys:
Is the character a previously unheard of Beast Drone?
A Beast Minion from the Beast Planet?
Does the character work for the "most evil/powerful follower" in the Beast Planet's troops?
Work for Lamprey?
Blokk?
Is the character the child of Lamprey, Blokk, or (even) Voyd?
But doesn't find out until the middle or end of the story, or find out in a future story you already have planned?
Is the character currently being actively hunted by Lamprey?
Does Lamprey consider your character the person most dangerous to her continued survival?
Is the character actually a double agent for the Alliance?
The Rest:
Does the character, not being a Alliance member, have special fighting skills anyway?
Is s/he more skilled than Graveheart?
Than Jade?
Do you write a scene in which your character's superior skills are made evident?
Did you write that scene just to show up a regular character?
Is your character trained as a Quarrior/Knight/Warrior/Trooper?
Was your character kicked out of the training facility?
For "trouble dealing with authority"?
Because some other character saw your character's special abilities as a threat?
Does the character have any psionic abilities (telepathy, telekinesis, empathy, precognition, etc.?), even if only with a sibling or lover?
Does the character just "know things" for no apparent reason?
Can the character fly?
Without the aid of a ship?
Does your character use a Arrowhead/Inferno/Ice Mite expertly even though s/he is just introduced to it?
Can the character heal with a touch and/or thought?
Do animals instinctively like the character? (If the character has animal empathy, answer "Yes".)
When your character argues with the regular characters does he or she always win?
Was s/he in the right?
Were the regular characters written as unreasonably 'in the wrong' just so your character could have the moral upper-hand?
Do you write the regular character you like the least as at odds with your new character?
Does your character demonstrate how much more honourable and upstanding s/he is as compared to that character? (Be honest!)
Is a regular character acting out of character just so that s/he can give your character a hard time, thus garnering sympathy for your new character? (Be honest!)
Does Jade go postal on your character for no real reason? (This is more than 'feeling jealous')
Does everybody in the Alliance side with your new character?
Feel sorry for him/her?
Section 5 - "It's the Love Boat!"
Does the character fall in love with and/or have sex with a regular character?
Like Jade?
Like Graveheart?
With another re-ocurring character from the show?
Like Matnel (ewww)?
Feldspar?
With whom *you* would like to fall in love with and/or have sex?
With another original character?
Is this original character your idea of a "dream mate"? (Be honest!)
With whom *you* would like to fall in love with and/or have sex?
Does the story end with the character's wedding?
Does everyone in the Alliance attend?
Does the story end with the character getting pregnant or getting another character pregnant?
Does your character have twins?
Do your character's children have the same "special powers" as your original character?
Section 6 - Meanwhile, Back to Reality...
Would you like to be friends with the character if you met in real life?
Do you think everyone who reads the story should automatically like the character and want to be friends with the character?
If someone tells you s/he doesn't like your character, do you take it as a personal attack on you? (Be honest!)
Do you ever pretend, just to yourself, that you *are* the character, with the same strengths and abilities? (Role-playing games do not count; story plotting sessions do not count; private fantasies of you being the character in THIS reality do.)
Section 7 - The Action of the Plot
Do you introduce the character on the first page of the story?
Before any of the regulars appear?
Do you tell the story primarily from the character's point of view?
Do the regular characters' thoughts and opinions not matter to you? (Be honest!)
Do you look for ways to write the regular characters out of the scene so that you can continue writing about your new character?
Does the character meet the Alliance, and after a few tense pages of plot, become friends with them?
Does the character figure out right away what the Alliance characters are?
Without any prior knowledge?
Does your character fight a battle shortly after arriving on a planet?
Does your character immediately understand what the battle is even if they have not been introduced to it?
Does your character save a main character while the regular characters stand around and watch or are injured?
Does your character defeat the last Beast Drone?
Would the battle have been lost without your character?
Have you contrived to get your character in the battle against direct orders?
Without any other Shadow Raider characters?
Do you neglect to explain why Graveheart doesn't show up?
Does your character win, regardless?
Does the character manage to develop a friendship with an otherwise villainous character, and through this friendship, reform the other character?
Is the villain in question Lamprey or Blokk?
Does the villain become evil again after the character dies, but retain some last vestige of goodness from his/her interaction with the character, evidenced in one selfless action at the end of the story?
A "special type" of Qurrior/Knight/Warrior/Trooper not seen in the series before?
Does the character become a Qurrior/Knight/Warrior/Trooper during the course of the story?
A "special type" of Qurrior/Knight/Warrior/Trooper?
Gets a weapon? (eg. sonic cannon etc)
Does s/he become leader of one of the many planets?
Does the character save the day and/or another character's life?
Does the character have to save *everybody's* life?
Through use of their superior fighting skills/firepower?
Through dying?
Does everyone go into mourning?
Does s/he return miraculously from the dead by the end of the story? In the sequel?
Does the character's love interest die in the course of the battle?
Does the character become embittered by the experience?
Does the character end up living with one of the other regulars?
On a permanent basis?
Do the regular characters go out of their way to accomodate your character and make him or her comfortable?
Do you plan on basing all your future stories around this particular character?
In your series, are you phasing out the regular characters to concentrate on the family of your new character?
Now compare your total score to the list below:
0-15: What a stunner! Here's a well-developed character. Good job.
15-30: Borderline case. I will give you a very hard time. If poorly or inobjectively written, your character could be branded a Mary Sue. I'll be one of those people doing the branding. Be careful!
30+: Full-fledged Mary Sue. Danger, Will Robinson, this one's a Supercharacter.
35+: Give serious thought to axing your character and/or plot. Please. In the name of Humanity.
