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A message to Fluttershy's detractors...and supporters.


Wingnut

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Welcome to my humble abode. :D My short time in this community has made me realize that Fluttershy is one of the most polarizing ponies in MLP:FiM. It seems like the majority of people either really like her or greatly dislike her. There aren't too many people in the middle. In fairness, some of them cite inconsistency and the use of her for comic relief. That doesn't reflect on Fluttershy but on the inattentiveness of the writing staff. Unfortunately, those effects are still felt and it's easier to like other ponies more. I also know that some of you genuinely love all six ponies (I'm one such person myself). But, due to the cruel process of elimination that ranking them one through six involves, somepony has to get that undesired number six spot.

 

One thing that makes Fluttershy so divisive is her exceptional cuteness. Some people find it to be very endearing. Others say she is almost an over the top artificial kind of cute. She was deliberately made to ooze cute, after all. In Stare Master, Fluttershy proves to be cuter than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. A grown up that can beat kids in the d'aww department? That shouldn’t be possible. This rubs some people the wrong way. I get it. Even I think it's overdone at times. But as adorable as Fluttershy is, that's not the reason I care about her so much.

 

Ironically, what captivates me about Fluttershy is her most tragic flaw. She has a tremendous amount of heart but her deeply rooted fears prevent it from shining through. I'm grateful that most true fans of the show, even the ones who hate her, understand this. If Fluttershy was in fact gutless, she wouldn't be able to control one of the Elements of Harmony. She wouldn't have stayed with her teammates through all of those dangerous missions together. She would go very reluctantly at times, but she still went. And most of all, she wouldn't have been able to achieve a state of true agape with her five best friends which allowed Twilight Sparkle to complete Star Swirl's spell. Depending on how you look at it, Fluttershy gets one sixth of the credit or one sixth of the blame for Twilight evolving into an alicorn.

 

In a thread titled Why is Fluttershy so Cute, the original line of discussion about how lovely Fluttershy is gave way to a number of complaints that her character is very boring, predictable, and shallow. Here is my response to those allegations:

I find it amusing that a thread presuming to celebrate Fluttershy's cuteness has turned into a debate about how bland and one dimensional her shyness shtick is. As an avid Fluttershy fan, you'll probably expect me to vigorously defend her. I don't know about "vigorously", but I intend to give it my best shot. :) Here are the three main points:

 

1. Fluttershy starts out shy, grows a backbone, and goes back to being shy again. All I can say is that she has suffered from a prolonged lack of confidence since she was a filly. Being treated as a weakling and an outcast by her classmates greatly exacerbated this condition. Just like Pinkie Pie depends on her friends for self-validation and to keep Pinkamena away, Fluttershy needs their support and strength whenever she is forced to go outside her comfort zone. Even with their help, being assertive is still very stressful for her. That's why she often overshoots the mark and is prone to angry outbursts. Although it appears on several occasions she has finally beaten her shyness problem, she can't maintain it because of the inordinate amount of courage this requires. The fact that she has the spirit to do these things at all supports my position that she has a brave soul which is sadly obstructed by a neurotic complex. As another Fluttershy thread has recently stated, her timid nature won't magically go away just because she has stared down a few dragons and minotaurs. She will probably have to cope with this for the rest of her life but thanks to her great friends it is no longer a huge burden for her.

 

 

2. Fluttershy is the mandatory shy character of the series which makes her a big, dumb cliché. At first glance, this is true. When I first started watching MLP:FiM I never disliked Fluttershy but I didn't like her that much either. But as time went on I saw little things here and there which showed her to be a multi-faceted character. Take Fluttershy's knowledge of sewing for instance. Almost everybody we know in real life has at least one solid talent most of the world is unaware of. If the writers were intent on keeping Fluttershy a frightened, quiet pegasus who cares for animals and little else, another one of the Mane 6 would've been given that dress-making know-how. I also think MLP:FiM should get credit for showing a lot of Fluttershy's history. Unlike most cartoon cowards, Fluttershy isn't shy for the sake of being shy. She has valid reasons for being that way.

 

 

3. She suffers from a lack of character development. Of the Mane 6, Fluttershy may well be dead last in this regard. I think the writers were preoccupied with developing Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash and so they left the other three on the back burner. They also gave her inconsistent portrayals. The only other explanation I can think of is that her ongoing fears inhibit her from changing for the better. That doesn't mean she won't, but that it will happen more slowly for her than the rest. Remember that Fluttershy is a late bloomer to begin with. She looked bigger and older than any of the others when she first got her cutie mark. Fluttershy's friends are very patient with her. As fans we should follow their example and allow her to develop at her own pace.

 

 

Here are my two favorite Fluttershy PMVs. The first one focuses on her cuteness and beauty. The second highlights her great inner strength.

 

 

For the record, I don't even like One Direction. I just adore this PMV! :wub: The clip selection matches the lyrics perfectly from start to finish.

 

 

This is another fine PMV inspired by one of our brilliant young minds and made by one of our best resident video editors. I'd say more, but I don't want the compliments to go to their heads. I also want to add that my non-Brony roommate thoroughly enjoyed this video and she can't believe that Fluttershy has some haters out there.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my position. For everybody who has been paying close attention to the cartoon, there is no new information in this blog. But if this caused any of you to suddenly see Fluttershy from a new perspective, then I have accomplished my goal as a writer. If, after carefully weighing what I've said, Fluttershy is still your least favorite Mane 6 pony, I respect and accept your decision. :) It is much better to make a choice with a full knowledge of all the pertinent facts instead of going by knee jerk reactions and poor first impressions. Reactions due to feelings and emotion don't cut it for me. But I will honor any opinion that is based in logic and reason.

 

Whether you like her or not, please feel free to share your thoughts on Fluttershy. All points of view are welcome.

  • Brohoof 4

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Well said, well said. I'm not much of an essay writer, but Fluttershy is my absolute favorite not only because she is so goshdarn adorable, but because I can relate to her. And something I've noticed is that I'm far from being the only one. Out of the big majority of the bronies I know, most of them can relate to Fluttershy, meaning that she speaks out the most to many bronies

 

That of course doesn't mean that everybody can relate to her, but many certainly can. 

 

Her kindness also made me reflect of what a jerk I've been over the past years and made me realize how important it is to be kind to everybody, no matter opinion, nationality or religion. Just seeing how kind she is has soften my heart and made me a better person, believe it or not (sounded very cheesy, I know)

 

That's my opinion at least

  • Brohoof 4
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She used to be my favorite, but Celestia really grew on me, and she's been my favorite ever since.

 

I still think Fluttershy is adorable.

  • Brohoof 2
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Dang straight sir, although Dashie is (unfortunately) much more polarizing than Flutters :(

Off to raid that Fluttershy thread and post something you might like ;)

  • Brohoof 3
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Fluttershy cute? I don't think so! I just never really cared for her. Mainly since she gets way too much attention, she isn't that cute, she needs more to her than acting like the helpless one, her assertativeness is rarely seen, and finally, she is nothing like me. The reasons I love Dashie so much is we both share traits, she has a great character, she truly is cute, she is fearless, loyal, and awesome, and finally, she has a personality that can fit well with the other characters.

  • Brohoof 2
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Dang straight sir, although Dashie is (unfortunately) much more polarizing than Flutters

 

That's just a matter of perspective.  It always seems like character you love the most is being unfairly persecuted.  We love them so much that we're extra sensitive to the criticism they get.  And thank you for saying that because now I see Fluttershy doesn't have it quite as bad as I once thought she did. 

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Mainly since she gets way too much attention, she isn't that cute, she needs more to her than acting like the helpless one, her assertativeness is rarely seen, and finally, she is nothing like me

 

Thank you for chiming in.  You're one of the reasonable Fluttershy critics.  I disagree with her getting too much attention.  She may have been overexposed in the first two seasons, but she only got one episode to herself in season 3.  And I feel for Rarity fans because she didn't get an episode at all. 

 

The fact that she is "nothing like you" also says a lot.  One of the top reasons for choosing a favorite character is the ability to relate to them on a personal level.  While it's nowhere near as bad as Fluttershy's, I have some social anxiety issues of my own.  I was never in the "in" crowd in school and some of my peers mistreated me.  The Mane 6 pony I relate to the least is Pinkie Pie largely because she is SO outgoing.  I don't identify with that at all.  She is my least favorite but I still cherish her because of everything she does for the team and her endless enthusiasm. 

  • Brohoof 1
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Well written well written. Even though Fluttershy's Already my favorite pony this certainly ignited my love for Fluttershy more :).

 

Good job Wingnut!

  • Brohoof 1
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Fluttershy cute? I don't think so! I just never really cared for her. Mainly since she gets way too much attention, she isn't that cute, she needs more to her than acting like the helpless one, her assertativeness is rarely seen, and finally, she is nothing like me. The reasons I love Dashie so much is we both share traits, she has a great character, she truly is cute, she is fearless, loyal, and awesome, and finally, she has a personality that can fit well with the other characters.

 

This. Most of the traits I share with Fluttershy are ones that I share more closely with Twilight Sparkle (like Boast Busters vs Fluttershy's fears of performing), so I don't have that sort of emotional connection to her that I do with the rest of the Mane 6. In Season 1, she sometimes acted a bit like The Load (*cough cough* DRAGONSHY *cough cough*), which, while I understand as being a part of her character, is still annoying. Just because an action is justified doesn't make it better, it just makes it justified.

 

It's also not a character type that I generally find myself fascinated by. I like characters that respond to issues by toughening up and pretending it's okay, not ones that break down in tears. I jut find them more interesting and relatable, I guess. 

  • Brohoof 1
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Most of the traits I share with Fluttershy are ones that I share more closely with Twilight Sparkle (like Boast Busters vs Fluttershy's fears of performing), so I don't have that sort of emotional connection to her that I do with the rest of the Mane 6

 

You’re also a reasonable critic.  Favorites are usually chosen for two reasons:  They’re either someone we identify with (and you don’t) or someone we want to be like (who aspires to be like Fluttershy with all of her foibles?).  In Dragonshy, she’s actually the load that becomes the ultimate weapon in the end and that gimmick is equally overplayed and boring. At least she doesn’t respond to trouble like a fainting goat any more. 

 

The enduring conflict between Fluttershy’s problems and her strong inner spirit makes her a fascinating character but not a favorite in everyone’s eyes. She's not as interesting to you as someone who responds by getting tough.  I find Pinkie Pie’s personal issues to be somewhat intriguing in a similar way even though I don’t relate to her.  So instead of bugging you to raise Fluttershy in your favorites list, I’m going to follow your example and start showing Pinkie the love she deserves in my future posts.  :)

  • Brohoof 1
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