Yet Another (Small) Fluttershy Rework

[Lightbuster30]

Simple ability addition for Fluttershy of Equestria Girls. Animal Manipulation. She has shown she can call them to her and has had them obey her requests several times, ranging from digging escape tunnels to grabbing and setting up for a party. All of these tasks being performed by said animals with perfect accuracy, like they were trained by her for years to do things they've never done before.

This goes well beyond the mere ability to talk with them, as they would never listen or come to her and would likely maul her otherwise if talking to them was the best her power could do. She's clearly manipulating them with her power when she talks to them.

 

[Coolboy6]

Simple enough, agreed.

 

[Peppersalt43]

I mean, it can also be Social Influencing. Otherwise she wouldn't emphasize on the talking part

 

[Lightbuster30]

Social influencing doesn't give you the power to call randoms to you and have them obey your tasks to a "T", flawlessly. The power is clearly rooted in Fluttershy's natural connection with animals. Much like Rainbow Dash's geode is rooted in Pony Dashes speed, and Applejack's strength. Animal Manipulation makes far more sense and has more going for it.

Summary​

Manipulation of animals - the ability to allow to summon, manage, and if necessary, to withdraw back different animals.

Both of these things she's displayed, and given the trend of the geodes seem to follow when giving out powers, AM again, makes more sense.

 

[Peppersalt43]

Doesn't animal manip kinda imply that she's mind-controlling these animals? I don't think she'd do that in-character, especially since mind control is usually a villain gimmick

Social influencing doesn't give you the power to call randoms to you and have them obey your tasks to a "T", flawlessly

Social Influencing can be pretty broken. Characters who are particularly good at it can essentially use it as mind control to bypass resistances. I remember some of the best feats include convincing people to kill themselves, betray their team, sell their soul, and stuff of the like. Getting people to come over and do things isn't really that hard of a feat of this ability as long as the person being talked to gets it

 

[Lightbuster30]

Social influencing gives off the impression of being akin to supernatural charisma.

Doesn't animal manip kinda imply that she's mind-controlling these animals? I don't think she'd do that in-character, especially since mind control is usually a villain gimmick

Cad Bane vs three Jedi, and arguing in character doesn't change what happens on-screen. She summoned and prevented a bear from attacking her. A wild animal. The animals gain proficiency at performing tasks they've never performed in their lives. Hell, she outright hypnotized hamsters through music right in the profile. She clearly doesn't have an issue with mentally influencing animals be it through magic or otherwise.

Getting people to come over and do things isn't really that hard of a feat of this ability as long as the person being talked to gets it

Read what I'm saying closer. Social influencing doesn't give the person being influenced magical skills at a task they're being convinced to do. I've pointed this out only multiple times. It also doesn't just let you straight up summon them from literally out of nowhere. Not from what I've seen.

 

[Peppersalt43]

Social influencing gives off the impression of being akin to supernatural charisma.

It can also be done by always knowing exactly what to say. And assuming Flutters is really knowledgeable with these animals, that's a possibility

She summoned and prevented a bear from attacking her

Honestly your other feats helped make your points clear better than this one. Social Influencing can be used to calm people down and stop them from attacking.

She clearly doesn't have an issue with mentally influencing animals be it through magic or otherwise.

I hate these implications. But I guess you're right

Social influencing doesn't give the person being influenced magical skills at a task they're being convinced to do

The feat you showed in the OP was a few seconds of a birds hanging a number of lights. She could be teaching them to do these things on the spot and the cut means the timeline is possibly unknown? But yeah I guess teaching animals to do stuff even when not instantaneous can be pretty hard. Also digging tunnels is a common skill for animals

 

[Lightbuster30]

It can also be done by always knowing exactly what to say.

Right, so again, supernatural charisma.

And assuming Flutters is really knowledgeable with these animals, that's a possibility

Except for how it's blatant the geode is doing the work as opposed to her just having some animal know-how. We don't even know how knowledgeable she is, to begin with, and there's certainly zero evidence it's to this extent.

Honestly your other feats helped make your points clear better than this one. Social Influencing can be used to calm people down and stop them from attacking.

Yeah, but not by existing. That's called mind control.

The feat you showed in the OP was a few seconds of a birds hanging a number of lights. She could be teaching them to do these things on the spot and the cut means the timeline is possibly unknown? But yeah I guess teaching animals to do stuff even when not instantaneous can be pretty hard. Also digging tunnels is a common skill for animals

First: Teaching a single bird, let alone a small group of them at once, would take weeks of practice. I don't think the average person understands how hard it would be to train wild animals to flawlessly grab wire lights with their feat, then wrap it around objects exactly as told. You'd be lucky if you got them to wrap the wire lights in random patterns on random objects.

Second: Yeah, over the course of a couple of hours maybe, not digging a human-sized tunnel in around a minute

 

[Peppersalt43]

First: Teaching a single bird, let alone a small group of them at once, would take weeks of practice. I don't think the average person understands how hard it would be to train wild animals to flawlessly grab wire lights with their feat, then wrap it around objects exactly as told. You'd be lucky if you got them to wrap the wire lights in random patterns on random objects.

It could be the communication issue. I mean, it's not easy to teach someone do to something with a different language

Second: Yeah, over the course of a couple of hours maybe, not digging a human-sized tunnel in around a minute

Convincing something to get past their limit can also be done via Social Influencing. Certain situations can cause that and she simply needs to convince them they're in that situation

Yeah, but not by existing. That's called mind control.

You have a point there.

 

[Lightbuster30]

It could be the communication issue. I mean, it's not easy to teach someone do to something with a different language

It's a wild animal. It doesn't matter if it can comprehend what you're saying, its brain is wired differently. It's not going to magically know how to do things just because it understands you. That's why training exists.

Convincing something to get past their limit can also be done via Social Influencing. Certain situations can cause that and she simply needs to convince them they're in that situation

Not an application of the ability. It doesn't magically give you weeks of training just because someone with the power asked you to do it. If there's evidence, then show it. Then show that it's the rule instead of an exception.

 

[Peppersalt43]

You know what, fine

I agree

 

[Lightbuster30]

Bump

 

[Antvasima]

This seems uncontroversial to add. Feel free to do so.

 

[Shmooply]

Genuinely surprised this wasn't on her profile before. Agree.

 

[Lightbuster30]

Done

 

[Antvasima]

Thank you for helping out. I will close this thread then.