Is Fluttershy the new background pony?

[Cleverclover 1,525]

 

I honestly don't know why the writers don't seem to want to do anything with Fluttershy anymore, but she really hasn't been getting any love lately whatsoever. 

 

What I find truly shocking is that she's been absent for nearly half of season 5. 

 

Seriously, that's no joke. Out of the 20 episodes aired so far, she has failed to appear in nine of them, which is more absences than anyone else in the mane six. What's worse is that she has not had a single focus episode this season (at least not until tomorrow's episode), and she has lacked any significant supporting roles on top of that. And with the exception of her actions in The Cutie Map and Make New Friends but Keep Discord, she really hasn't done anything particularly noteworthy. 

 

Oh, and even Spike has appeared in more episodes than Fluttershy this season. Yes, even Spike. 

 

Seriously, what's up with this? Doesn't anyone like Flutters anymore? 

 

 

 

[Varrack 1,080]

She's the main focus in Scare Master, so that should make up for some of her absence. There's also 5 more episodes after that, including a Discord one (which she may be present in), so I wouldn't be sad about it. She's gotten plenty of episodes in other seasons too.

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

O yeah totally, Fluttershy has faded deep into the background. Appleblooms only appeared in one less episode than Fluttershy this season. I think after the Hiatus Fluttershy didn't even SPEAK until Pinkie Pie knows, though she might of gotten a token line in Canterlot Boutique or something.

 

Anyway I hate to say this but Fluttershy's character is pretty much spent, I started noticing this last season when they kept throwing Gimmicks at her to prop her up. But the big problem is Fluttershy effectively can't develop much because the core flaw she needs to overcome is ALSO the very core of her characterization. If Fluttershy lost too much of her shyness she'd be practically unrecognnizable. This is not the case for characters like Rarity and Rainbow Dash whos flaw's are NOT part of the very core of their archetypes so you can soften Dash up, have Rarity become less vain or whatever and they'll still totally feel like themselves. Sad to say it but the Shy cute girl archetype is a pretty limited one in general.

[Silver Stream. 708]

While I agree that Fluttershy has been absent in most of Season 5, I don't think she is forgotten. And remember, Scare Master is the next aired episode which is considered a Flutter episode itself.

 

In my opinion, aside from a few "mane 2" episodes, there has been a trend going on where the Season is straying away from the mane 6 and focus more on the supporting cast. In the cutie map, notice how they had to depend on others to aave the day and how we got a Discord, Coco, Gilda.... and many more episodes.

 

 

However, even with a few scenes, I think Fluttershy has gotten more development than any other mane character. Which is impressive. For the pony who is looked down upon the most and misunderstood, she has been able to stretch farther than her comrades in just a few small scenes and an episode than the rest put together

Edited October 30, 2015 by Princess Sunset

[M'gann M'orzz 745]

She's the main focus in Scare Master, so that should make up for some of her absence. There's also 5 more episodes after that, including a Discord one (which she may be present in), so I wouldn't be sad about it. She's gotten plenty of episodes in other seasons too.

The Discord episode is NOT co-starring her. It Co stars Twilight. Though all the mane  6 will be interacting with Discord as part of the premise is that he's gotten closer to all of them and Twilight is suspcious of this.

 

 

She is part of the last map episode though with Twilight. still it's undisputable that she's gotten by far the least out of the mane 6 this season.

Edited October 30, 2015 by M'gann M'orzz

[Chronamut 355]

fluttershy will not disappoint in scare master I assure you . I accidently saw the episode last week or the week before

[RarityFan01 2,444]

None of the Mane Six are background ponies. Rarity was the closest in season 3 to a background pony because she had no episodes. Every other Mane Six Pony has an episode every season. 

 

 

Fluttershy has at least two that I know of this season.

 

 

If a character has no episodes and plays no role in episodes, they are a background pony. None of the Mane Six fit those

[Lil Pip 775]

fluttershy will not disappoint in scare master I assure you . I accidently saw the episode last week or the week before

How do you accidentally see an episode hehe

[RarityFan01 2,444]

While I agree that Fluttershy has been absent in most of Season 5, I don't think she is forgotten. And remember, Scare Master is the next aired episode which is considered a Flutter episode itself.

 

In my opinion, aside from a few "mane 2" episodes, there has been a trend going on where the Season is straying away from the mane 6 and focus more on the supporting cast. In the cutie map, notice how they had to depend on others to aave the day and how we got a Discord, Coco, Gilda.... and many more episodes.

 

 

However, even with a few scenes, I think Fluttershy has gotten more development than any other mane character. Which is impressive. For the pony who is looked down upon the most and misunderstood, she has been able to stretch farther than her comrades in just a few small scenes and an episode than the rest put together

Now, if it weren't for her anxiety, Fluttershy would be Mary Sue. 

[Silver Stream. 708]

Now, if it weren't for her anxiety, Fluttershy would be Mary Sue.

 

She has more than anxiety which proves why I believe she is misunderstood.

 

But the same could go for the others as well. Had it not been for a few minor details or executions, the others could be Mary sues as well. Only Twilight and Pinkie Pie are far from being Mary sues in my opinion.

 

Rainbowdash, Applejack, Rarity, and Flutters are potentially Mary sues if you out it that way

[RarityFan01 2,444]

She has more than anxiety which proves why I believe she is misunderstood.

 

But the same could go for the others as well. Had it not been for a few minor details or executions, the others could be Mary sues as well. Only Twilight and Pinkie Pie are far from being Mary sues in my opinion.

 

Rainbowdash, Applejack, Rarity, and Flutters are potentially Mary sues if you out it that way

Rarity is full of flaws which is why she's extremely hated by a lot. Applejack has flaws, but they aren't very well known. Rainbow Dash's flaws are excused for whatever reason. Fluttershy had other flaws. She had issues being affirmative. She was extremely shy. Now she's neither. She's also overpowered. If it wasn't for her kindness and not wanting to get into conflicts, she could easily defeat all the princesses without a problem. In fact, we don't need the elements of harmony. She could defeat every villain there is. She wouldn't want to, so the elements of harmony were needed. 

[cmarston1 5,951]

I am definitely disappointed with the lack of Fluttershy this season.

At least she gets two episodes focusing on her.

One of which will air tomorrow.

I hope in season 6 she will get more focus.

[Silver Stream. 708]

Rarity is full of flaws which is why she's extremely hated by a lot. Applejack has flaws, but they aren't very well known. Rainbow Dash's flaws are excused for whatever reason. Fluttershy had other flaws. She had issues being affirmative. She was extremely shy. Now she's neither. She's also overpowered. If it wasn't for her kindness and not wanting to get into conflicts, she could easily defeat all the princesses without a problem. In fact, we don't need the elements of harmony. She could defeat every villain there is. She wouldn't want to, so the elements of harmony were needed.

 

I feel as though Rarity is best pony when it comes.to having flaws and I love her for it. Fluttershy didn't have flaws....more so she struggled with a disorder that isn't so easy to get over.

 

I admire the faith you have in Flutters though...amusing you see that much potential in her to be more powerful than the others. And while I would go as far as saying /that/ I will agree that despite the little we've seen of her, she's the most grounded character by far....even farther than Applejack imo

[Guest]

Whilst Fluttershy has admittedly seen less screen time this season, I wouldn't go so far as to call her a background pony. Her lack of focal episodes is perhaps in part due to other characters getting more screen time than they did in previous seasons (such as Rarity). I think Fluttershy's absence is maybe more apparent due to the exposure she has received in past seasons. I think it's just a case of ebb and flow, I'm sure we'll see more of her soon enough, starting with the next episode!

[green 331]

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Edited December 10, 2015 by green

[Mr. Blue Sky 28]

Well, maybe they've pretty much done everything they could with her character. I mean, we've had very similar lessons in her episodes. 

 

Then again, writing a character like Fluttershy isn't easy. It can be very easy to get her out of character while writing and that problem does pop up on some occasions - although it's been fewer each season. 

 

I also think that if the episodes in Season 5 don't need Fluttershy, then...well, she doesn't need to be in them. If she doesn't have anything important to say in the episode, she doesn't need to talk. You don't need to shoehorn in a character because a lot of people like him/her. Wait...the show already did that. I'm sorry, but I didn't like Slice Of Life. 

 

Anyway, I don't think Fluttershy has become a background pony, it's just that her character hasn't been needed in this season's episodes. 

[FlootahBabby 265]

As Princess Sunset said, this season is focusing on other characters than the mane six. I actually feel like Twilight has appeared less than Fluttershy screen time wise.

Funny you say that. Applejack has appeared in more episodes than anyone of the mane 6.

Edited October 30, 2015 by FlootahBaby

[Chronamut 355]

How do you accidentally see an episode hehe

 

I watch all the episodes on youtube after they came out - that episode had already apparently been uploaded by someone and so I wrongly assumed it was already out.. even though I couldn't find ep. 20 anywhere.. so I watched ep. 21, and then 20 a week after hehe..

[UnknownFry 169]

Not really, and it is rather premature to be having this discussion when there are still six episodes left to air (two of them confirmed to have some focus around Fluttershy.)

 

The lack of screen time or episodes is not a sign that the writers hate a character, and anyone who has actually read comments about the process behind making the show would know this. The staff tells the stories they want to tell and they choose to use the characters that best serve their narrative purposes.

 

Once again total character appearance or screen time does not equate into character focus. Total episode appearance count does not amount to much in the long run too as it does not account for the quality of appearance while counting the quantity.

 

Quality over quantity.

 

She played a major role in The Cutie Map, Make New Friends But Keep Discord, was the main focus in Scare-Master, and is set to co-star with Twilight in The Hooffields and The McColts. So it sounds like Fluttershy is going to wind up with about the same amount of attention as the other five,

Edited October 31, 2015 by UnknownFry

[Princess Book Horse 350]

In Season 3, Rarity had no episodes and almost no significant roles during the season. Meanwhile, in Season 2, both of The "AppleJack episodes" we're focused more on the rest of the Mane 6 and she was extremely scarce throughout S2. However, Fluttershy has had an episode focused on her in S5 (and there's another one coming up,) not to mention her roles in "The Cutie Map Part 2," "Tanks for the Memories" and "Make new friends but keep Discord."

 

Overrall, she's the least important out of the Mane 6 in Season 5, but I wouldn't go so far as to revive the old "background pony" jokes for another pony.

[sweetolebob18 724]

I go w Blizzard Breeze.  If any pony is being reduced to a Background Pony, it is Twilight.  However, season 5 is different from the previous seasons.  At least in my memory most of the previous seasons were ensemble episodes, but season 5 focuses on them 2 at a time.  Pinkie & Dash have gotten by far the most attention + Apple Bloom of the CMCs.

 

The one I miss the most is Zecora.  IIRC, she hasn't had so much as a cameo this season & even missed the wedding.

[Unlikeable Pony 2,698]

Problem is, fluttershy's got the least ambition or goals in life of the others. There's really not much direction to develop her in, and she doesn't even really have a business or anything like AJ or rarity. She's not working towards becoming a wonderbolt, opening a shop and becoming a respected fashionista, or anything like that.

There's her friendship with discord, but for some reason the Staff seem to want to push Twilight's relationship with Discord at every opportunity and not worry about fluttershy so much (See how discord got Three's a crowd with twilight last season, both two parters with twilight, What about discord this season...).

 

So, she's a bit of a trickier character to use in that she has less external things to work towards, only emotional areas to grow. Unless they want to try and push the envelope a little like with how she contacted the society for the preservation of magical creatures and make her become more important in that circle to help out more animals, she's really just got her own emotional state to develop.

They could have really made her shine by having her be Discord's kind of personal parole officer on friendship and made episodes focusing on her being tasked by celestia with teaching discord, but they've handed that over to twilight it seems, so....

[Cleverclover 1,525]

Today's episode proved that season 5 still isn't quite finished giving Fluttershy the shaft. 

 

She certainly deserves another friendship mission, this time one with someone who won't utterly steamroll her and will actually remember that she's there.

 

Damn, I feel sorry for her.  

[Pinkiebow 47]

Eh, I never liked her anyways, so it's fine with me. I'd rather have apple horse than yellow horse.

[Celli 4,332]

@@Cleverclover, Too bad they're done with the map this season, unless they use it next season as well, but that's up in the air at this point.
Also, I think a more seasoned writer might have done a better job, and this is only their second episode, or third if you count Rarity Investigates.

And yeah, I agree Fluttershy is in the most need of some love, and not a few moments in a couple episodes.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Celli