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OK, so you've just run your new custom "Visionaries" character through the Mary Sue test and he (or she as the case may be) came out with a high (meaning a bad) score. What do you do now?
First of all, don't panic! It is possible to write a story with a Mary Sue in it, providing you bear in mind the following points:
1, Flaws - Every well-rounded character needs at least one fault; it's what makes us human. And I don't just mean giving your character a singing voice that sounds like a phylot in pain. Rather, I mean things like having a tendency to be easily influenced by others, especially if this leads the character into dangerous - or even life-threatening - situations. In short, let your character make a few mistakes. He or she won't suffer for it and will be all the more believable as a result.
2, Magic - The whole concept behind "Visionaries" is that Prysmos has entered an Age of Magic. Therefore, there's likely to be a strong temptation to make every character you create a magic-user of some description. But, before you do, stop and ask yourself if the character's powers really add anything to the story. Or are they there purely for show? Remember, while the Visionaries are the main focus of the series, there are plenty of Prysmosians who don't use magic. Among my own non-canon characters, only Cavortra and Zalfora have magical powers - and they're both wizards. None of my mortal characters are magic-users because none of the stories I've written so far called for such a character.
3, Custom Visionaries - On the subject of magic-users, some people have invented their own Visionaries. If you go down this route, try to find a believable reason for the character to join the ranks of the Magical Light - this doesn't include "because so-and-so saved the day" or some other cliched excuse. Also, don't make your custom Visionary uber-powerful as this is a sure-fire way of annoying people; few members of any fandom want to see their favourite characters outclassed by some jumped-up custom character. Instead, try to make sure the character's powers are on a par with those of the canon Visionaries.
4, Romance - By all means have your character fall in love with one of the canon characters, but try to be realistic about this. In real life, few people fall in love at first sight.
5, Saving the day - Don't let the character "save the day" all the time. Give the characters from canon a look in occasionally and remember that everyone has their own skills. If your character doesn't have the skills for something but one of the canon characters does, let the canon character handle things.
6, Need for the character - Do you really need to have this character in your story? Or is he or she there simply to give the canon characters someone to look up to? Try telling the same story without the character and see how you get on - if it still reads well, the character is probably surplus to requirements.
Finally, not all Mary Sues are bad by definition - it's the way such characters hog all the action that annoys people. So try to keep the character's traits in proportion, give him or her a few limitations and let him or her take the back seat from time to time. And don't let the character do everything perfectly the first time he or she does it; having a natural talent is all very well, but some skills take time to master.
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