BurningNebula wrote:Been guilty of it myself.
Everyone has, to some degree. What was interesting was doing the "Mary Sue Test" with various characters. For instance, my main TERA character, Vhen, scored a realtively low 21:
Vhen is only a little like you. He may be popular, or he may not, but no matter what he's impossible to ignore; he stands out... just the way you always wanted to. There's never been anything special about him that he could see; boy, is he in for a surprise. He's got no emotional scars to speak of. And he's gotten no slack from you.
In general, you care deeply about Vhen, but you're smart enough to let him stand on his own, without burdening him with your personal fantasies or propping him up with idealization and over-dramatization. Vhen is a healthy character with a promising career ahead of him.
Score Breakdown
I Love Him, I Let Him Go 7
Yo! 13
Plain Joe 0
Healthy as a Horse 0
Momma HATES Him! 1
Total: 21
I made Vhen has "light" in background on purpose, so that he could be more of a "reactive" character, living in the world of Arborea.
Kethron, on the other hand, scores a much higher 54:
Kethron isn't a character: he's you, or you as you'd like to be. He isn't really very cool: he blends into crowds, he hangs out on the fringes at parties, and wearing shades after dark makes him run into things. He may have sometimes thought that he was special, or destined for greater things, but probably dismissed the idea as a fantasy. He's had more than his fair share of hard knocks, and probably spends more time than he ought moaning about it. And he's gotten no slack from you.
You may have let yourself get a little too close to Kethron. Maybe he's you as you wish you were, or maybe you're just afraid no one will like him and are trying to give him a free ride. Have some confidence in your writing! Kethron is a good character. Give him room to be himself before you stifle him.
Score Breakdown
Mirror, Mirror 24
You Mean Plaid Is Out? 8
I'm Destined For What? 6
Angst R Us 13
Momma HATES Him! 3
Total: 54