YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S6 E12 "Flutter Brutter"

• Accidental Aesop: Trying to "express yourself" through art is fine and well, but do take the time to learn the basics before you try to be all original and different.
• Accidental Innuendo:
  • Zephyr accuses Fluttershy of "cracking the whip". One of the Rule 34 fandom characterizations of Fluttershy is as a dominatrix.
  • Zephyr playfully teasing Rainbow for having a crush on him. This is one of the rote "demonstrations of higher value" used by pickup artists. Too bad he never attempted to build rapport first. Also, unfortunately for him, Rainbow is a LOT smarter than he is and can easily see through what he's trying to do (and she's disgusted by him).
• Alternate Character Interpretation: Zephyr losing his sanity after just hours of "roughing it" in the woods. Was Zephyr actually having a breakdown? Or, was he pretending to be crazy and pathetic in hopes that Fluttershy would see him in a state and feel sorry for him and guilty for standing up to him? Or, was he pretending to be pathetic in hopes that some random bystander would feel sorry for him and he could demonize Fluttershy for standing up to him? Either one could be possible given Zephyr's manipulative, whiny, "poor me" attitude (and it is a Truth in Television tactic for real life narcissists, bullies, abusers, and spoiled brats).
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • Zephyr himself. He's a manipulative jerk with crippling fear of failure, sure, and no one's really supposed to like him until the end, but the fandom's a little split over whether he's funny enough to justify it or if he's just an annoyance and spoiled the episode. Considering how true to life his situation was, this likewise made a few fans cringe.
  • Zephyr's debut has also split the Fluttershy fanbase between "Fluttershy was better off as the only child in her family" and "Fluttershy deserves siblings with better character designs/traits".
• Cargo Ship: Angel Bunny and Zephyr's rabbit gnome.
• Ensemble Dark Horse: There was fanart of Fluttershy's mom even before the episode aired.
• Fan Nickname:
  • Fluttermom and Flutterdad for Mr. and Mrs. Shy.
  • Other possible nicknames for Fluttershy's mother are Velma (due to her glasses and hairstyle) and Posey.
  • Before Zephyr Breeze's name was revealed, many fans called him "Brothershy".
• I Knew It!: When the synopsis was released, fans were quick to associate the "GET A JOB" meme with this episode. This turned out to be right on the mark as Fluttershy tells her brother to do just that.
• Jerkass Woobie: Zephyr Breeze. He's a narcissistic prick, sure enough, but he's also masking a mound of insecurities and a crippling fear of failure.
• Memetic Loser: Zephyr immediately caught on shorthand for Casanova Wannabe, difficulty holding down a job, being annoying, and so forth. If a fanfic needs a generic character to humiliate or degrade in some manner, you'll often find Zephyr namedropped.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • GET A JOB. ^ExplanationOne quick-witted individual already saw the possible parallels between this episode and the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Can You Spare A Dime?" and made a picture of Fluttershy offering the "GET A JOB" soup bowl.
  • Jokes about Zephyr Breeze and Flutterdad's hair have also become somewhat common after the preview clip was released, usually joking about the former's noticeable man-bun and the fact that the latter's hair looks like swirly ice cream.
  • Many fansites are already treating "peeved" as if it were a vulgar obscenity.
• Never Live It Down: While Zephyr Breeze isn't shown to be the Audience Surrogate like most feared and instead is just lazy and insecure, some fans still interpret him to be This Loser Is You. In particular, the scene where he casually destroys his father's prized cloud collection and drives him to tears.
• No Yay: Zephyr's advances towards Rainbow Dash and her subsequent horrified disgust. Fans were just as creeped out by it as she was.
• Ron the Death Eater: Zephyr's characterization has been the target of demonizing by critics. Fan works by those who didn't resonate with his role in the episode have flanderized his lazy, manipulative nature. Others play up his Casanova Wannabe tendencies to full sexual harassment.
• Tainted by the Preview: When this episode's synopsis was announced, it created quite a stir. A male pony who is a shut in and fears failure is forced to leave the comforts of the inside on his own? For some, Zephyr Breeze resonated a little too close to home, and fans weren't flattered about the insensitivity. Once shown in action, most of those fears were quelled (though some were still sore about the portrayal).
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character: Considering that this is their first appearance in the series, Fluttershy's parents felt like they were pushed to the sides way too early to pave the way for Zephyr.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • While Fluttershy had Zephyr work for Rarity, Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she didn't have him work for Applejack nor Pinkie Pie.
  • More than a few viewers would've liked to see Zephyr interact with a certain Draconequus acquaintance of Fluttershy's, if only for the comedic potential.
  • Seems the staff have forgot that helping someone find their true purpose was something that the Cutie Mark Crusaders got a job in. Interestingly enough, Zephyr falls into the "cutie mark has very little to do with special interest/talent, solely representing a pony's nature" category of pony — and as Diamond Tiara proved, the CMCs are good at dealing with abstract cases.
  • It would've been interesting if Fluttershy had a sibling who was the main reason she was so shy — that is, a Big Brother Bully or even a Cain and Abel sibling who hated her and constantly mistreated her. But if anything, Zepher Breeze is the exact opposite of that.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: "Fear of failure" doesn't really work as an explanation for Zephyr being so unrealistically and unrelatably narcissistic and callous, not to mention weaseling his way out of tasks as simple as dipping fabric into dye or polishing windows.

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