@FamusJamus  
,,May the best pet win’’ is Dashie episode. But Fluttershy was too in that. Is true.

@FamusJamus  
Fluttershy leans in.

@Background Pony #46FB  
Key word was “if”, there’s no need to get hostile. And that wasn’t my point anyway.
 
If we take your Applejack example: she’s had a lot of “family” episodes, but also plenty where her stubbornness gets the better of her. The writers play with both aspects of her character, whereas they seem to lean more in one direction for Fluttershy. That’s my point.
 
I’m doing this off the top of my head though. Someone would have to simplify all the mane six’s episode themes and stick them on a bar chart FOR SCIENCE if we want to be sure.

@FamusJamus  
If you wannna go that low, im pretty sure all characters of MLP can be summed up in two words. For example:
 
Rarity: Fragile, Fashion  
Applejack: Family, Stubbornness

If Fluttershy can be summed up in two words, they’d be “shyness” and “animals”.
 
We get very few “animals” episodes (A Bird in the Hoof, May the Best Pet win, possibly It Ain’t Easy Being Breezies?). In fact, we still don’t know how her job actually works, yet we’ve gotten to the point where she’s grown enough of a spine to yell at a stranger. It’s a bit lopsided.
 
I hope A Health Of Information tries something new, but they need to let her get excited about some animulz, dammit!

@Ihhh  
They all “approach her shyness from a different angle.”  
They’re all about her shyness.

@BigBadSeed
 
@MrSeyker  

@Beau Skunky  
You keep talking about Fluttershy’s characterization, but I keep saying that’s not what I have a problem with. I wouldn’t have minded if she stayed a total shut in for the entire series. What bothered me was that every Fluttershy episode was the same.

@Zyr87  
Yeah, I think people who don’t have shyness, or social anxiety don’t know what it’s like, and just assume it can be easily fixed.
 
@BigBadSeed  

 
But we’ve never really had those in MLP. (And frankly, SW has had lots of “boring” exposition scenes even before they started doing that. That’s why I didn’t really like the original movies as a kid, but I don’t mind them nowadays.)
 
I think that’s rather close-minded, no offense. A li’l realism can actually be a good thing, and give a character depth. If Fluttershy was a perfect, fully-social character now, then she’d be boring, and wouldn’t be Fluttershy anymore. They’ve shown other sides to her, and have her learn different lessons too, like when she helped her moocher brother, and such. Only time I felt she was “Flanderized” was in “Scare Master,” which kinda made her into a craven coward again. (Being scared of candy was a bit much.)

@BigBadSeed  
To you ,maybe, but having her suddenly (or rapidly) switch would seriously diminish her character IMO, never mind that it would send the message that shyness is something that you just have to work at a bit to overcome, an idea that I find patently ridiculous and offensive. (remember, the show is aimed at little girls, and gives life lessons targeted at them, which, I suspect, is part of the reason for Fluttershy’s continuing shyness, to say it’s okay to struggle with shyness, and it takes time to overcome. Don’t think it will go away all at once)
 
Plus, the fact that her shyness only slowly goes away makes her the most relatable character in the show for me, bar none. I know what her struggle is like, and I can relate to her, which, for me, makes her best pony. Your opinion that she should quickly grow out of it seems ridiculous for that reason.

@FlutterButterButt  
100%

@BigBadSeed  
Completely agree. At least now its over. For me she went from number six of the mane cast to number 1 after about season 5-6, when she ACTUALLY showed the character growth instead of repeating the process

People argue that Fluttershy’s “slow” “development” is realistic, and maybe it is, but the simple fact of the matter is that watching her learn the same lesson over and over got really boring really fast.  
Fluttershy is not a real person. She is a fictional character designed to entertain. Realism should never come at the cost of entertainment. When you do that, you get the senate scenes from the Star Wars prequels.

As someone who has lived with severe social anxiety since childhood, and continues to do so (due to childhood bullying), Fluttershy’s “slow burn” in becoming more assertive is highly accurate. It’s hard to get over old habits and old worried, no matter how sure you are that they’re unreasonable. They’re that deeply ingrained.
 
Someone, like Fluttershy, who has suffered from anxiety for years can’t just wake up one day, lesson or no, and declare themselves anxiety free. Expecting her to do so is ridiculously unrealistic.

@MrSeyker  
“Anyone…invested in Fluttershy’s development.”  
That’s called confirmation bias.

@BigBadSeed
 
It did happen gradually, though. Ask anybody that’s the least bit invested in Fluttershy’s development.
 
Maybe the character just wasn’t meant to appeal yo you.
 
She certainly caught my eye, and I’m very happy with her growth.

@ArrJaySketch  
I don’t buy the slow burn argument. Her confidence in season six was jarring. If it had been happening gradually all along, no one would have noticed. Sure she’s shown momentary touches of confidence from time to time, but I consider those the exceptions, not the rule.  
Anyway, that’s not even my problem with Fluttershy. @MrSeyker  
You basically just proved my point. All her episodes revolved around an internal confidence about her lack of confidence.

@MrSeyker  
I remember someone saying during Season 1 that “that Fluttershy girl has issues”. I remember telling them they were absolutely correct—that’s why she’s shy.
 
It’s a deep, complex problem to overcome, and there are a lot of facets to it. As a formerly very shy person, I can recognize all the little things Fluttershy has to fight for to overcome her issues. This is why I think the show is important for kids; shy kids will definitely recognize and identify with all the problems Fluttershy has faced. What’s more, even after learning a lot about overcoming shyness and social anxiety, some days are way better than others.

@BigBadSeed
 
Every Fluttershy episode approaches her shyness in a different angle. Sometimes is about her acepting herself, other times is about coming out or her comtort zone, sometimes she has to assert herself for her own benefit, sometimes for others.
 
Saying its the exact same lesson every time is reducing everything in those episodes to the most basic premise (Fluttershy learns assertiveness) and ignoring the larger context.
 
Someone that has as many issues as Fluttershy might be battling them all their life.
 
You win some, you lose some.

@MrSeyker  
My problem has never been with her apparent lack of development. It’s just what the characters in the episode said. Every Fluttershy episode was the same. The first couple Fluttershy episodes were great, but eventually it got boring. I don’t mind when a character’s growth becomes stagnant (for God’s sake, my favorite pony is Applejack), as long as they manage to stay interesting.  
It’s just my personal taste. Sorry for the novel.

@BigBadSeed
 
Not true. She has been taking steps ever since season 2, it’s only just recently that it has become really noticeable.

@Ihhh  
Ok. Fine.
 
BP 1362 loves Fluttermac too much that he might be afraid that Big Mac would be scared of her in the show because of her anger (which it won’t happen) and compares her anger to ship wars and canon ships. Also he compares it to TDWT because of how a character got hated for being aggressive to innocent people.
 
But as Beau Skunky said, even she has breaking points even if she is considered kindhearted. And an addition, you were right about what you said about ponies going against their elements.
 
Not everyone will be nice all the time, no matter what.
 
Is it bad to dislike Cheerimac or SugarMac?

@Background Pony #1362  
Calm the fuck down and stop taking everything so goddamn personally.
 
@Beau Skunky  
Well that’s just silly
 
@Hollowfox the Stallion  
getting angry at someone does not mean you hate them. It’s not black and white. Stop thinking it is.

@Beau Skunky  
Well, Ihhh is hating the poor guy for being like that when it comes to what makes a ship canon, so… I wish he would forgive him.

@Ihhh  
I think they’re afraid of you.