Oh, Mary Sue

A few days ago, matociquala said that she was "personally opposed to the ongoing overuse of the term to mean 'any female protagonist.'"

The term to which she is referring is "Mary Sue".

I've been contemplating the nature of the Mary Sue, and whether calling every female protagonist a Mary Sue is a good or bad thing and what it might mean.

( Contemplation under the cut, to spare your f-list and your eyeballs, because you may need both later in life. )