The Lirimaer Litmus Test

By now, many of us have seen the Mary Sue Litmus Test. If you haven't... it's well worth a look.

This quiz here is based on the same model and the same principle, only it's meant to test a different sort of character that frequently pops up in slash fiction. Everyone has seen him in one story or another. He's the one with the tragic past. Chances are, he was raped or abused by his father, a former lover, or slave traders from Gondor. Maybe he was abandoned or kidnapped as a child. Maybe he's lost his memory or the power of speech. Overall, he's younger, smaller, more fragile (both emotionally and physically), and will inevitably be healed through the mystical powers contained in his lover's pants. This character, very different from the Mary Sue hero type but just as recognisable, is what I call a "Lirimaer", after the Grelvish word for "lovely one" that was so often used as a term of affection in the past.

I've noticed the Lirimaer character ever since I started reading slash fiction, and he's still going strong in stories to this day. He appears in multiple fandoms. This quiz, however, is specifically geared toward Tolkien Elf fanfic. Check the boxes below for each "yes" answer that applies to your character.

Thanks to Lenine2 for her excellent help with the coding of this quiz, because my knowledge of PHP is about as extensive as my knowledge of nanosurgery.

Is your story a romance?       Is it also a drama?       Is it also an adventure? Would you call it "angsty" even though that's not what the word "angst" means? Does it contain an orc attack?       More than one?       Is your main character injured or almost injured in that orc attack?            Does he almost die?            Is he saved by his love interest? After being unconscious, does he wake up in a strange place?       Is he there to be nursed back to heath?       Or because somebody has taken him prisoner?            As a sex slave?                 In Gondor? Was he born or kidnapped into slavery or prostitution?       At the hands of Men of Gondor?       At the hands of generic evil Men?       At the hands of Elves?       At the hands of Sauron and/or the forces of evil? Did he suffer any form of cruelty or abuse in the past?       At the hands of his father?            Is his father Thranduil? Did he run away from home? Was he ever raped?       Is the answer to him being able to trust and love again found in his lover's pants? Is he mute?       Does a loving new relationship help him (re)gain the power of speech? Does he have amnesia?       Does a loving relationship help restore his memory? Does he have dreams or nightmares about his past?       Does a loving relationship help put an end to these dreams? Does the character nearly fade, die from grief, or otherwise lose the will to live?       Is he saved by the power of love? Is he the youngest or only child through your choice, not because it's canonically specified? Is all or part of his parentage a mystery?       Does he find out by the end of the story? Are either of his parents dead?       Is he an orphan? Is he an "outsider"? Is he from a completely unknown and mysterious group or tribe?       Is he the last of that line?       Has he been separated from them and is unable to find his way back?       Was his tribe captured by slave traders?            Did he just escape?                 Was he the only one to escape?            Does he speak only a strange, foreign language?            Yet is quickly able to learn to communicate with those who find him? Is he an original character?       Is he the child of a canon character?       Is his name an English adjective or noun?       Did you get the character's name from an automatic Elvish name generator?       Did you get it from the Grey Company Elvish site? Is his name/nickname Lirimaer, or is he ever called Lirimaer? Is he ever called "pen neth"?       Is "pen-neth" hyphenated? Does he go by a cute short form of his name?       Do other characters have cute short-form nicknames, too? (Ro? Hal?) Are your character's eyes in any way remarkable?       Are they violet, pure black, or any other unnatural colour?       Do they change colour, depending on his mood, etc.?       Are they larger than usual?            Making him look like a frightened deer? Is his hair in any way remarkable?       Is it bright red for no good reason? (A good reason would be that he's Maedhros)       Is it pure white, even though he's neither elderly nor an albino?       Is it described as being two or more colours at once?       Does it have a noticeable streak?            Is the streak white or black? Does he have an unusual skin colour (lighter or darker)? Does he have any markings on his skin (either natural or painted/tattooed on)? Is the word "perfect" ever used to describe him or any of his physical attributes?       How about "exotic"?       "Alabaster"? Is he unaware of his natural beauty?       Does he even think he's a bit plain or ugly? Is he very young, but looks older? Is he very old, but looks very young? Is he either the youngest or the oldest main character in the story? Are people surprised when they discover his age? Is he adorably petite? Is he noticeably smaller or more fragile than his lover?       Is he referred to as "the smaller Elf" or some such?            More than once per paragraph? Are his looks based on the way he is described in other fanfic? (eg. Lindir having white hair?) Is his characterisation based on or inspired by another author's story? Do you consider either this characterisation or his appearance to be fanon? Is your character a virgin?       Is losing his virginity a major plot point?       Is he afraid of doing so? Is the sex better than anything he ever expected?       Even though it's his first time?            And his partner's? Is he on the bottom?       Always? Was he in an abusive relationship before?       And is he afraid to love because of this? Did his first or only lover die?       And is he afraid to love because of this? Is he just afraid to love because he's afraid to get hurt?       Because he's seen others get hurt? Is a lover assigned to him, by others, to help him heal and learn to trust?       Is the lover assigned by healers? Does he end up marrying his lover?       Is the word "bonded" used instead of "married"?