Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24573226-20160623204034/@comment-24236292-20160624184620

85.72.245.203 wrote: I thought a mary sue was a character that could do anything for no reason other than he/she apparently can. Mary Sue is a term that means different things to different people. Some people say it means a character who's too powerful. Some say it's a character who is loved by other characters, no matter what they do. Some say it's a character who goes against the pre-established rules of the RWBYverse. Common traits of Mary Sues are:

- Unexplained powers

- "Special" traits that are impossible in canon

- Unwarranted popularity

- Being portrayed as the good guy no matter what they do

- Strength that's not reasonable, given the character

Although, in my opinion, it is possible to make a good character with some "Mary Sue" traits. Using the example of a Hunter without an aura: I wouldn't mind reading a fanfiction where the main character had no aura, as long as the character wasn't portrayed as a super special snowflake and their lack of aura had drawbacks that actually affected the character. Plus, I would want the character to be relatable. In the end, it's easier to just create a relatively average OC that's only outstanding in one or two fields, and only reasonably so.

TL;DR: Mary Sue is a term that is used to mean a lot of different things, but having no aura is definitely a Mary Sue-like trait.