Do we really know Fluttershy as a character?

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

A while back I made a topic asking if Fluttershy was the most mysterious of the mane 6. The general consensus seemed to be yes. However, it's not just Fluttershy's background we're in dark about, it's her entire character we're in the dark about. Compared to the other mane 6, Fluttershy almost never says anything personal, rarely voices her opinion, and when she's not trying to get over her social anxiety/fear for the umpteenth time, all of her episodes are about caring for others. In many cases, she might as well be a background pony.

 

But all this would make for a pretty one-dimensional character. But what makes Fluttershy interesting is that she's a sort of enigma, in some cases moreso than Pinkie and Discord. There's a sense of hidden depth to her character that's been hinted at many times in the show. We've seen instances of anger issues, courage, sarcasm, we've seen her being sly and manipulative, and she can be a bit of a Deadpan snarker occasionaly. The stare may be connected to her past, and the fact that Discord had forcefuly flip her means there's something about her she's not telling us.

 

As much as I love this mysterious, enigma aspect to her character, I feel we've been in the dark a bit too long. I'm hoping Season 5 moves away from the whole "time to be less shy" aspect of her episodes and give some much needed revelation about who she really is. Why is she so shy? Where did she learn The Stare? Who is her family? 

[Osiria 142]

Compared to the other mane 6, Fluttershy almost never says anything personal, rarely voices her opinion,

I don't think so. Even she's not my favorite and I don't pay much attention to her, I know she is one year older than Pinkie, wants to be a tree, how she got cuite marks and a lot personal stuff. She voices her opinion as well but they are often ignored by other ponies. 

 

What we don't know yet is simply her family, other than that, I don't think she's more mysterious than the other mane six.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I don't think so. Even she's not my favorite and I don't pay much attention to her, I know she is one year older than Pinkie, wants to be a tree, how she got cuite marks and a lot personal stuff. She voices her opinion as well but they are often ignored by other ponies. 

 

What we don't know yet is simply her family, other than that, I don't think she's more mysterious than the other mane six.

Yay she wants to be a tree, that's one more thing we know about her:XD But seriously, when I say she almost never says anything personal, I mean she almost never says anything about herself other than her shyness and fears.

[Osiria 142]

Yay she wants to be a tree, that's one more thing we know about her:XD But seriously, when I say she almost never says anything personal, I mean she almost never says anything about herself other than her shyness and fears.

Of course she does. We know what she likes, what she hates and what she fears, it's all personal. We know she's the world champion of the game "Shh" , remember?

And the reason why she's so shy is likely because she was a weak flyer and thus had an inferiority complex, or just a part of her nature, it's not hard to see.

 

Flutter is just a shy pony who's not good at expressing herself, if you want to get to know a shy person, you need to pay extra attention, that's all.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

I don't get why people act like every Fluttershy episode is about her overcoming shyness or social anxiety etc.

 

Of the 9 episodes she's been the main focus in, 3 of them have been about this and all focusing on different parts of this (fear of failure, fear of performing, lack of assertiveness).

[sweetolebob18 728]

As to the Flutter Stare, I've seen some comments that she has fairy pony blood (from the G1-G2 series).  Some ponies do have non spell casting magic talents, this could just be one of them (IMO, Dash is an archetypal Pegasus.  Her, I'd swear some unicorn blood)

Still, in the words of an OLD song

...people say she's crazy

And her life's a mystery.

Oh, but love grows

Where my sweet baby goes

And nobody knows like me.

 

She is my 2nd favorite pony (close behind T).  Not liking her would be like not liking kittens.  Yeah, but I could see a fanfic about her in a court ordered Anger Management Class.

[Buck Testa 5,505]

I have this satirical head canon that she is meekly plotting to take over Equestria, but she is too shy and scared of her own shadow to actually carry it out. Think about it

 

She has mastered the ability to control powerful monsters (except for dragons, clearly she had some bad run ins trying to use the stare on dragons)

 

She has the MASTER OF EFFING CHAOS wrapped around her little hoof 

 

Cerberus is familiar with her (The Gargantuan guard dog of the underworld is a bit to friendly with flutters for it NOT to of met her before, hell she may even of caused the whole lapse in time when Tirek got out) 

 

She does not really care for being around ponies much beyond the mane six, and from putting your hoof down she clearly has some less than friendly thoughts about them

 

She has the evil laugh down pat, but is to cute to really pull of evil doer for more than a few seconds

 

She is a secret vampire bat pony still (bet discord would like the flutterbat look)

 

The opposite of kindness is stuff like Cruelty, let that sink in for a sec

 

She stared down a Cockatrice and intimidated it (when its whole shtick is that it can turn ponies to stone with a glance...that's like Chuck Norris grade stuff)

 

I just effing love the idea that if you read her mind it could end up being like an episode of Pinkie and the brain...

"I am trying to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! ...you know...if that's okay with you...eep" 

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

A while back I made a topic asking if Fluttershy was the most mysterious of the mane 6. The general consensus seemed to be yes. However, it's not just Fluttershy's background we're in dark about, it's her entire character we're in the dark about. Compared to the other mane 6, Fluttershy almost never says anything personal, rarely voices her opinion, and when she's not trying to get over her social anxiety/fear for the umpteenth time, all of her episodes are about caring for others. In many cases, she might as well be a background pony.

 

But all this would make for a pretty one-dimensional character. But what makes Fluttershy interesting is that she's a sort of enigma, in some cases moreso than Pinkie and Discord. There's a sense of hidden depth to her character that's been hinted at many times in the show. We've seen instances of anger issues, courage, sarcasm, we've seen her being sly and manipulative, and she can be a bit of a Deadpan snarker occasionaly. The stare may be connected to her past, and the fact that Discord had forcefuly flip her means there's something about her she's not telling us.

 

As much as I love this mysterious, enigma aspect to her character, I feel we've been in the dark a bit too long. I'm hoping Season 5 moves away from the whole "time to be less shy" aspect of her episodes and give some much needed revelation about who she really is. Why is she so shy? Where did she learn The Stare? Who is her family? 

 

I know Fluttershy as a character. She is just like me. I don't voice my opinions. I am shy. I am trying to get over my social anxiety. Those Fluttershy moments in the show are really important to me and I can say that there is a reason behind all this but it is hard to say if you don't know how it feels to be like her.

 

I feel this connection to her it is much deeper than it is to other characters  and I wouldn't want that they change her in season 5

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I don't get why people act like every Fluttershy episode is about her overcoming shyness or social anxiety etc.

 

Of the 9 episodes she's been the main focus in, 3 of them have been about this and all focusing on different parts of this (fear of failure, fear of performing, lack of assertiveness).

When she's not doing that, her episode are about her caring for someone else. I'd like to see an episode where she has a curse of bad luck and has to get rid of it or something. What I'm trying to say is that they need to give her episodes more variety.

[Vemillia Nightshade 2,247]

I have this satirical head canon that she is meekly plotting to take over Equestria, but she is too shy and scared of her own shadow to actually carry it out. Think about it

 

She has mastered the ability to control powerful monsters (except for dragons, clearly she had some bad run ins trying to use the stare on dragons)

 

She has the MASTER OF EFFING CHAOS wrapped around her little hoof 

 

Cerberus is familiar with her (The Gargantuan guard dog of the underworld is a bit to friendly with flutters for it NOT to of met her before, hell she may even of caused the whole lapse in time when Tirek got out) 

 

She does not really care for being around ponies much beyond the mane six, and from putting your hoof down she clearly has some less than friendly thoughts about them

 

She has the evil laugh down pat, but is to cute to really pull of evil doer for more than a few seconds

 

She is a secret vampire bat pony still (bet discord would like the flutterbat look)

 

The opposite of kindness is stuff like Cruelty, let that sink in for a sec

 

She stared down a Cockatrice and intimidated it (when its whole shtick is that it can turn ponies to stone with a glance...that's like Chuck Norris grade stuff)

 

I just effing love the idea that if you read her mind it could end up being like an episode of Pinkie and the brain...

"I am trying to TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!! ...you know...if that's okay with you...eep" 

 

You know, this is quite a well thought out answer to why we don't know much about her aside from what is hinted. People always ask why some bronies or pegasisters will portray her as dark or evil. It's rather simple, the most innocent ones tend to be the darkest. I've oddly always like the darker side of her, whether it was in fan form or on the occasions that she acts out in the show. Her as Flutterbat, made her an excellent antagonist for it's episode. Her fit of rage at the Grand Galloping Gala. Who's to say Princess Celestia didn't plan that. Maybe she knows more about Fluttershy than us all.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

From my headcanon perspective, she might be an incarnated goddess of love/nature. I do hope they make something big out of this, instead of some random "normality"

"Normality" is so repetitive and predictable.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

When she's not doing that, her episode are about her caring for someone else. I'd like to see an episode where she has a curse of bad luck and has to get rid of it or something. What I'm trying to say is that they need to give her episodes more variety.

What about Green Isn't Your Color, Bats! and Keep Calm and Flutter On? Those episodes aren't about her caring for anyone or social anxiety/shyness/fear.

Edited December 13, 2014 by LZRD WZRD

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

What about Green Isn't Your Color, Bats! and Keep Calm and Flutter On? Those episodes aren't about her caring for anyone or social anxiety/shyness/fear.

2 of those are about helping someone else, one of them was about her fear of Dragons, and one of them was about her shyness of public attention.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

2 of those are about helping someone else, one of them was about her fear of Dragons, and one of them was about her shyness of public attention.

I removed Dragonshy (I initially included it because fear of dragons isn't really a social anxiety, but then I realized you included fear in general in your original post so I removed it )

 

Green Isn't Your Color includes Fluttershy being shy of public attention, but it has nothing to do with. It's about her not wanting to disappoint Rarity.

 

The other two are not about her helping someone....one, she attempts to reform Discord, the other one she stands up for her beliefs against her friends.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I removed Dragonshy (I initially included it because fear of dragons isn't really a social anxiety, but then I realized you included fear in general in your original post so I removed it )

 

Green Isn't Your Color includes Fluttershy being shy of public attention, but it has nothing to do with. It's about her not wanting to disappoint Rarity.

 

The other two are not about her helping someone....one, she attempts to reform Discord, the other one she stands up for her beliefs against her friends.

Reforming Discord basically just means helping him learn about friendship. And Fluttershy's belief in Bats! was to help the fuit bats have a safe habitat. See what I'm talking about? If its not being shy or cowardly, her episodes are about her concern for others.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

Reforming Discord basically just means helping him learn about friendship. And Fluttershy's belief in Bats! was to help the fuit bats have a safe habitat. See what I'm talking about? If its not being shy or cowardly, her episodes are about her concern for others.

Bats! IMO is clearly about standing up to Applejack (as reinforced by the moral). KCAFO is not really caring about Discord, and more about the general conflict of reforming him (I can give you this episode though, since this is more up to interpretation. I just feel the conflict was more emphasized than the moral/resolution).

 

Anyway, sure, a lot of Fluttershy's episodes contain similar themes. I just think it's unfair to act like she is a one-trick pony so to speak. But I would like to see a little more given to her character next season. The singing talent was a nice touch last season, so I hope they bring that back in some way. But I think we can both agree she needs more to do in season 5

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Anyway, sure, a lot of Fluttershy's episodes contain similar themes. I just think it's unfair to act like she is a one-trick pony so to speak. But I would like to see a little more given to her character next season. The singing talent was a nice touch last season, so I hope they bring that back in some way. But I think we can both agree she needs more to do in season 5

The thing with Fluttershy is that she's sort of an enigma. The instances where we do know more about her are just subtle brief hints at a character much deeper. As I said, its as if there's something about her the writers aren't telling us, and that's what makes Fluttershy interesting. She's a character you want to know more about, but her shy nature leads to a lot of speculation.

[Jammo 986]

Fluttershy's weaknesses effect everything she says and does. The only reason think she's "simple" is her social anxiety keeps her from opening up to others. People seem to want Fluttershy to "get over" her problem. If you've ever met someone like Flutters you'll know it's an issue highly ingrained in their character so it can only be coped with, not fixed after learning a few things.

[Eloquence 2,076]

Fluttershy is not an 'enigma' in my opinion. I get her, because she's a lot like me, and because those who think she's a bad character tend to think that because they don't understand her. In fact, the things these people say and feel about her are the same as what they say and feel about me. They say "oh, she doesn't have any opinions", "oh, she's just a goody-goody pushover", "oh, she's so quiet, and that's all I know about her", "oh, she should just get over it and speak up". Flutters and I are both shy, and both suffer from anxiety disorders (this is not explicitly stated in the show, but it is very very clear). People assume a lot of things about us, that we're bland or mysterious or hiding things, just because we don't wear the fullness of our personalities on our sleeves. You have to look deeper to understand us, you have to choose to listen because we will not force you to do so.

 

 

When she's not doing that, her episode are about her caring for someone else. I'd like to see an episode where she has a curse of bad luck and has to get rid of it or something. What I'm trying to say is that they need to give her episodes more variety.

 

I also think this isn't all that fair of a point. Fluttershy's episodes will always include elements of her being shy and caring on some level, because those are parts of her personality. That's like saying Twilight's episodes lack variety because they're all about her being studious. Those things color how the characters interact with the world, it wouldn't make sense not to include them.

[Dark Horse 12,961]

Ive dealt with people with severe cases of social anxiety and it's really just another part of their character, I wouldn't say it masks other parts of their personality, it just tends to be the more jarringly obvious aspect to them, what everyone immediately notices. These people don't just open up and blab about themselves to anybody, but quite a lot of people will be too afraid or awkward to approach them and try to get them to talk. So I guess thats the reason why they might be thought of as 'mysterious'.

 

But I can't say that applies to Fluttershy, she's had plenty of character development, we know lots about her personality, what she wants and what her favorite things are. The shyness part is again just her most obvious feature (Duh.) She'd make a pretty poor member of the Six if she had lots of hidden and unclear characterization.

[Nulln 755]

I think we've seen a lot of her character, just not so much of her background.  

 

She is shy, but she opens up around animals.  She is kind, but she is stern when she needs to be.  She doesn't always trust everyone, but she almost always gives everyone a chance.  She loves to sing.  She's not always kind, as she's been shown to blow her top more than once.

 

Definitely not a one-dimensional character.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I think we've seen a lot of her character, just not so much of her background.  

 

She is shy, but she opens up around animals.  She is kind, but she is stern when she needs to be.  She doesn't always trust everyone, but she almost always gives everyone a chance.  She loves to sing.  She's not always kind, as she's been shown to blow her top more than once.

 

Definitely not a one-dimensional character.

I never said she's one-dimensional, she just has a lot of depth that's just is as explained as some of the other mane 6. We've seen extra traits of her before, but they're just kind of glanced over. That's the point I'm making, her dark side, her background, her stare, and her other talents are only given brief hints. 

[Zekromic 1,054]

I think we know her enough as a character, what we don't really know about her is her background

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

I think we know her enough as a character, what we don't really know about her is her background

True, there are things we know about her. But like Pinkie and Discord, Fluttershy still has a lot of unanswered questions. Many traits and quirks of Fluttershyjust briefly pop up, or are just kind of glanced over. Granted, her shy nature does prevent her from really opening up. But I'm willing to bet there's something the writers are foreshadowing about her.

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

She has to be a dragon. A golden dragon, in pony form. Protector of nature and life... She likes dragons, at least tiny ones. She's linked with life. She has mysterious capability of staring creatures into submission, too.

Make something legendary out of this. There's so much potential for an epic story, on Fluttershy's mysterious past

Oh, I can imagine the epicness already. Probably related with season finale. It would be so amazing. Turning into a majestic dragon in the last moment.

No, I haven't been playing too much DAI!

C'mon, you made her a vampire, just for the sake of the fandom, on a really mediocre episode. It's time to have something relevant, something epic!

 

There's so much potential!

 

 

This is is why I'm not much into headcanon. Most of the times, I end up disappointed because of so much expectation :okiedokielokie: