Definition of Mary Sue

[Crystal Sparkle 344]

I can see the frustration, for me it's hard to create OCs because while I really want them to stand out and have their own quirks and special abilities (Such as my ponysona Sparkling Crystal's horn glow can change colors depending on her mood.) But at the same time you try not to make them have any Mary Sue personalities. Sometimes it's hard to try and find the perfect balance, I've manage though, but it's still pretty hard, at least for me.

[Evilshy 5,090]

Something I haven't seen mentioned yet (possibly due to poor reading) is that even with plenty of flaws or weaknesses, a character can still be a Mary Sue if they always have a way to deal with them.

 

Also, a main character never getting very hurt despite being in near-death situations is more main-character-plot-shield than being a Mary Sue (unless it was because of the characters extreme skill or random, unexplained powerup). You can't just go killing off main characters, and sometimes a deus ex machina is needed. They can be done well, it's just difficult.

[Midnight Gaze 131]

A lot of people called Twilight a Mary Sue when she became an Alicorn, and people on websites like Deviantart are always accusing characters of being a Mary Sue. It seems like there are several definitions of a Mary Sue and what makes a character one. So, what do you consider a Mary Sue? Is it based on character appearance, or the characters abilities? It it based on how many characters like them or if they seem to be "perfect?" How often the show is "all about them"?  Etc...

Edited July 24, 2014 by Midnight Gaze

[Shanks 10,816]

I consider a Mary Sue to either be a character that is so perfect that they are boring, so unjustifiably overpowered that it makes zero sense or a character that is wish fulfillment gone horribly wrong. Some characters even some really good ones like Twilight Sparkle for example have some characteristics of Mary Sues but are still not. There is also the reverse Mary Sue which is just as bad where a character is deliberately made so imperfect that it is unrealistic.

[Invincible 2,091]

Hmm. A character which has no flaws, undergoes no development, is loved by everyone, is unrivaled by all standards. These are all traits i would consider of a Mary sue.

 

I think a good character is supposed to have flaws; they should be measured by how they overcome challenges and their own shortcomings. A Mary sue does not.

[TenorSounds 832]

Personally, I think it's a term that's been so obfuscated by over-use that I hesitate to utilize it much anymore. If someone's character concept is bad, I'll just tell them that and why I think so. The only time I ever use Mary Sue is if a character actually has ZERO flaws, since there is no getting around that. Just being "overpowered" isn't necessarily a Mary Sue to me, though.

 

All Mary Sues are badly written characters, but not all badly written characters are Mary Sues.

Edited July 24, 2014 by TenorSounds

[Sceethe 704]

look at superman(not the "man of steel" version)

he is the definition of a mary sue;

other than that, pretty much what EarthbendingProdigy and Terminus said.

pretty much a character with no flaws whatsoever

[~Chaotic Eddie~ 479]

My idea of a Mary Sue is a character that is unrealistically perfect, i.e. no real weaknesses, or just plain unrealistic, for instance a half-angel-half-demon-half-mermaid.

[NightGuard 251]

Mary Sue (Definitions from The Nightly Guard)

 

 

1. A character so loved (within their show, game or book) that her character becomes bland and un-appealing (They may so be bland from the start.)

Ex: Most Sonic OCs.

 

2. A character so overpowered and so unbeatable that it's baffling that it's possible.

Ex: Goku, Superman.

 

3. A character known for Deus ex Machina, and defeats almost any problem with it.

Ex: Kirito, Twilight Sparkle.

 

Edited July 24, 2014 by NightGuard

[Zekromic 1,054]

I would think that a Mary Sue is a flawless character who's always the center of attention of everyone. Everyone comments every freaking time of his good attributes, befriends everyone, he comes with the plan which solves everything, etc, etc, etc. Twily is far from Mary Sue BTW 

[Khaoios 1,970]

Well, imo, I would define a Mary-Sue character as a character that is so perfect and invincible.  Sometimes I tend to describe Mary-Sue as "Jesus Christ", b/c he was a perfectionist.  So if any character fits the "perfectionist" profile, I say "Jesus Christ" instead of Mary-Sue. 

[Snow Frostflame 3,568]

I consider a Mary Sue to be over powered I mostly see this with Alicorn OC's as for twilight she acts pretty much the same before she had her wings so I don't see her as one

[Cosmonaut 76]

A Mary Sue is a character who is sooooo perfect that his/her personality is boring, she is a one-dimensional character, and is somehow involved with everything important for no reason whatsoever.

[crazitaco 596]

Simply put, a Mary Sue is a character who lacks substantial flaws. When I say flaws, I mean traits that emotionally, morally and physically limit the character. Take spider man for example. He's not a Gary Stu, because he has both physical limits (while he can take a punch, he's not invulnerable), moral limits (he's a good-hearted character, but displayed a desire for revenge in the movies) and emotional limits (suffers chronic heartbreak and endured emotionally hard things)
Early superman had little to none of these traits. He was a Gary Stu.
Now Mary Sues are not well written characters, but if the rest of the story they are in is good most people wont mind. That's why characters like Superman and Goku are still so popular despite being rather bland. It all depends on the story itself.

Anyway, I personally think that Twilight could use more moral limitations but I'm not gonna start that argument again....

Edited July 25, 2014 by crazitaco

[Simon 4,557]

@@Midnight Gaze,there is already a similar thread so I am going to combine yours with it. In the future please be sure to run a search on your topic before posting it to see if there is already a similar topic made.

[kingfan 4]

a mary sue is a character or oc that has no flaws no personality perfect at eveything they do and never makes mistakes   

https://youtu.be/NHtlm5lXtZk

[Ruthborn 55]

The problem with the definition of "Mary Sue" is that it is an "opinion category".

 

Some people will look at a character (say Superman, since he has been mentioned previously) and take a brief look at him and categorise them as a Mary Sue. However, someone else might look at that same character and see different things that the previous person overlooked or missed due to either their life perspective or simply lack of ability in observations.

 

Example; people see Superman as a Mary Sue largely because of his immense power, however, if you look at his stories (not just his character) you will find that he encounters numerous problems and issues caused both by himself and others that sometimes he can't solve. While other times he can. This makes him not a Mary Sue because he is not infallible. Same with Goku (although, I think Goku is closer to being a Mary Sue than Superman is....)

As it was mentioned earlier, a Mary Sue rises mainly through poor character story execution, not in the character themselves. It's a story trope, not a character trope.

 

But people neglect this; much in how they will classify something as "without personality" for the same reasons as I just mentioned. They need to look deeper.

Edited August 21, 2016 by Ruthborn