#I saw a post somewhere in the main Fairy Tail tag once that went on about Autistic Laxus and I think about it constantly

[emile-hides]

You requesteth Fairy Tail asks? I have arrived to inquire about my favorite, my love, Laxus. Tell me about him.

Shaking you shaking you You ask about Laxus my Grand Son your favorite guy you are obligated to come back and tell me your thoughts on him as well please

My favorite thing about Laxus and the thought I always have first when I think about him is when we first meet him, and really every time we see him, he's wearing Jeans.

I don't know why this stuck with me so hard, maybe it's because it was Season 1 and up until we meet Laxus and see him in full we're very much in a Fantasy Medieval vague Europe kind of setting? There's Taverns and people ride in Carriages and there's talk of Dragons and Monsters like it is very much solid in it's aesthetic spare like. The Gun Magic.

And then Laxus just showed up in skinny jeans and his beats by dre and his pimp coat and we were all just supposed to go along with that break in aesthetic. The Mangaka knew ONE cool guy outfit in 2009 and that's just what Laxius' fashion is now it's too late to back up.

I think Laxus is gay. I think this is something he himself didn't know until Makarov banished him from Fairy Tail and he started traveling. It wasn't the only thing he realized about himself while just kinda vibing around, but it was the one he looked at and went "This seems like a conversation for later." packed up, and then forgot to unpack until he was back in the guild and around Freed a lot.

Not because he liked Freed that way (yet) but just because Freed is an openly gay man and being near him again made Laxus kind of step back and have basically a second awakening, which prompted him to just. Ask Freed what it's like being Gay? Freed, who thought he was doing a stand up job hiding in the closet from Laxus (he was not), immediately choked on his drink and almost died on the spot.

This gets stupid away from canon because sometimes canon deserves it. Here's all my headcanons on how the Lacrima implanted in Laxus works.

Laxus was born with no natural magical energy, a birth defect that almost always results in death of the infant. It's unknown why this happens and is still being researched, but one of the cures, though with just as high a fatality chance as doing nothing at all, is implanting a Lacrima of a pure type (Fire, Water, Ice, Sky/Air, Earth, Thunder/Lighting, Light, or Dark/Shadow) into the baby to artificially give them enough Magic Energy to survive and live, so long as they don't use too much of it.

You see not having a Natural Source of Magic Energy also prevents Laxus from absorbing Magic Energy from the area around him like other humans do, meaning he (and other's with his disability) can't actually replenish their magic energy naturally, what they have in the Lacrima is what they'll have their whole life. In theory.

Studies show a Lacrima's magic can be replenished if it is exposed to the same element. Basically one with a Lacrima as their magic source could replenish their magic by absorbing their element. The easiest to do this with would be water, as all you'd have to do is Drink Water. However this has a draw back as well, one can over charge a Lacrima with power, causing it to shatter. It’s a lot like a heart attack, can be survived but will be majorly crippling.

This is specifically why Ivan went on a Quest for a Dragon Slayer Lacrima, as it'd make it easier to absorb Lighting for Laxus to replenish his magic, and has more strength making it less likely to shatter, allowing him to follow his dream of being a Wizard. Without the Dragon Slayer abilities, Laxus attempting to replenish his magic would most likely bring him pain, as he wouldn't be as immune to electricity as he is now.

[allie-and-her-fandoms]

Waiting For A Storm

Author's Notes: Hey guys, it is time I posted another Fairy Tail fanfiction, starring my other FT OTP, Gruvia. I wrote this fic as a gift for my Internet wife and best friend, @ship-ambrosia, whose birthday is today. Thank you for everything you've done for me, Bree. You're the Juvia to my Gray and let me say that the day I met you was the best day of my life. We became friends thanks to this ship, which also happens to be your OTP, and once again, thank you for everything. Also, I am sorry if you don't like it. Enjoy (or endure)!

Tags: angst, fluff, family

Disclaimer: the events of this fic happen between the timeline of "Four Degrees" and "The Droplet", written by Bree herself. Go check them out on her AO3, shipambrosia_bree.

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The end of March was coming close for the people of Fiore, bringing the joy that Spring always made sure to gift the people with. However, in a rather small city called Magnolia, there was something rather peculiar going on. There was a violent snowstorm raging and slicing through the pathways and abandoned houses of the settlement, the wind whistling and inviting his snowflake comrades to join the tempest. As she sat down and watched the frozen fractals dancing in the air, Juvia’s eyes were glued to the window, waiting for her beloved to return to the place that called their home. She remembered the times they spent together in his apartment, and she was still stunned by Gray’s decision to move with him and not leave the house, under any circumstances; a decision he took a few months ago, due to a certain reason. Soon, the Water Mage’s thoughts were somewhere else.

---

After a dire battle with the Dragon Gods, the White Mage and the Dragon Eaters, Gray had finally decided to do what he had told Juvina; he went and got the woman that loved him unconditionally for years (a manly action, according to Elfman). The moment he finally gave her the answer he had promised that day on the bridge, her heart was beating in a frenzy, as her stomach flipped and her mind flopped. As she finally found out the meaning of her beloved’s words, the bluenette’s eyes were invaded by tears that shortly left to flood the Guild’s backyard, earning a strong reaction from those present, Gray included. The days that followed were blissful for her. She had never expected his touches to feel so… warm.

His caresses, his kisses, his words were warming her from inside out, and it didn’t take them too long to get to the next step of their relationship. Mouth to mouth and chest to chest, they poured all their feelings in their touches and whispered calls, and would always end up falling asleep in each other’s arms, Juvia’s head always finding rest against Gray’s heart. However, one certain night ended up in a different way than expected.

A few weeks later, they found themselves reminiscing the event that had brought them together and strengthened their bond: the day Invel forced them to fight each other, a day that left both emotional and physical scars. Shortly after, Gray found himself getting drowned in Juvia’s affection once more, as she also shared the thought that had been travelling through her mind. An unexpected visit to the ill-tempered Porlyusica had ultimately confirmed her suspicion: under Juvia’s heart, a new life had already begun to bloom.

---

The news of a new member joining them soon had the Guild go on a state of pure joy. All their guildmates were screaming “Congratulations!” from the top of their lungs; even the Master was elated to find out that he would have another great-grandchild. Soon after, a party was thrown to celebrate the joyful event, as the Water Mage found herself bombarded with advice from Levy and Bisca, and the Ice Mage got his own tips from Alzack and Gajeel, with some bonus threats from the Iron Dragon Slayer.

As her pregnancy advanced, Juvia found herself incapable of performing magic the way she used to – she had gotten slower, and her focus wasn’t on the world around her as often – all that mattered was the development of her unborn child. However, little did she know that this might’ve been the nail in the coffin for her.

---

“I’m home!” Gray’s voice interrupted Juvia’s train of thoughts, as she watched her boyfriend take off his shoes. He then went her way, gave her a smile and brushed his lips against hers.

“Welcome home, Gray. How was the job?”

“It went well. It was exhausting, and someone whose name I won’t give,” he muttered “Flame Brain” between his coughs, “almost got the town we were supposed to protect, destroyed. Luckily, we managed to stop him and finish the job. How about you?” Gray asked, pressing his palm on his girlfriend’s growing belly, being rewarded with a small push against his hand.

“The same things that Juvia has done for months; eat, sleep, gestate and repeat,” she chuckled. “Oh, and Levy and the twins paid Juvia a visit.” she beamed; she always loved spending time with the two azure-haired children, and the feeling was mutual. However, the smile on her lips didn’t last long, as a frown adorned on her face, her brows furrowing and her fingers intertwining. “Gray…” she hesitated. She really didn’t want to anger him, but the growing frustration was eating her at the core. “Can Juvia leave our home, even for a few moments, please? She really misses everyone else in the Guild.”

The moment those words came out of Juvia’s mouth, Gray stood up straight in front of her, his fists clenching, a dark gaze sent Juvia’s way. “You know very well what my answer’s gonna be, don’t you?” the words left his mouth on a harsher tone than he intended.

“Juvia knows, but she can’t stay anymore in our home, doing nothing but stay in bed and eat. Juvia wants to see the streets of Magnolia again, and not from a window. She misses the Guild–”

“Juvia, my answer is still no. Please understand that.” Gray muttered, gritting his teeth, and the temperature dropping a few degrees lower. Why couldn’t she see he was doing all of this for their sake, for her and their child’s sake?!

“Gray, please. Juvia knows you just want to keep Juvia and our child safe,” she replied, a hand on her belly “but she doesn’t believe that the way you intend to do this is the best. Juvia is not a little girl, she will be more careful this time around; just trust her – “

“JUVIA!” Gray snapped, pieces of ice appearing and shattering around him just as soon as they were created. The Water Mage’s eyes widened and her breath froze inside her lungs, as she found herself wrapping her arms around her belly. She knew Gray would never hurt her, but her maternal instincts kicked in faster than imagined. When he saw his girlfriend’s scared expression, Gray took deep breaths and tried to compose himself. “You know why you cannot leave. It’s not like I don’t want you to, but… If something like that happened again…” His gaze lowered, his nails digging deeper into the palms of his hands, his teeth biting his tongue, suppresing a sob.

---

He still remembered seeing an injured Juvia being attacked and knocked unconscious by someone sent to kill him, just like other Devil Slayers and their families. As soon as he encased the masked man in ice, he brought her to the infirmary, where Wendy managed to heal her injuries, as she assured that their child was safe, much to their relief. And that was all that mattered in that moment. After the man got interrogated, Gray could hear that man’s wicked laugh, as he told the Ice Mage that he wasn’t working on his own.

That phrase alone made his blood freeze in his veins, as he replayed the moment his beloved fell to the ground, cuts and bruises glaring on her skin. He couldn’t afford losing another loved one, not now that he was going to have his own family. He promised he would become a man who could protect Juvia, and yet, he had broken the promise he made. Then, it hit him. Those people couldn’t harm her, if Juvia were to stay from that moment on at home, where no one could lay a single finger on her, not with all the protection enchantments around their home. He would keep his oath. He would protect Juvia and their child, no matter what.

---

Juvia didn’t want to see him like this, so she stood up the couch as fast as she could and embraced the Ice Mage who washed her rain away, as tight as she could, pools of tears forming in her eyes. She was supposed to ease his pain, not be its main cause; and this made her heart ache for him.

“Juvia is sorry. So, so sorry.” Her arms drew him as close to her as they could, while her aquamarine eyes were searching for his midnight ones. “Juvia will never be as stupid as she was that day, I promise.”

“I can’t go through this again. Not again.” his voice cracked, as he leaned into her embrace. The moment he felt her welcoming warmth, he found himself sobbing in her chest once again.

“You won’t. Juvia promises that she – no, we won’t leave you, no matter what.” Juvia murmured as she raised her hands, so she could caress his hair. Her soothing voice and warm touches always made Gray feel safe, loved, home. “Juvia promises you that she and our little one won’t leave you. We’ll always be by your side.”

As he registered her words, Gray’s sobs slowly subsided and quickly wiped the tears he had just shed, as he straightened his back. “Juvia, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side, just like how you’ve always been by mine. And I promise that I will do my best to be the father he or she deserves.” Gray still didn’t know his child’s gender, as he wanted to keep it as a surprise. He decided that if they had a boy, they would name him Storm, and if they had a girl, they would name her Iris. At the end of the day, the only thing he cares about is his baby’s safety; but he would be lying if he didn’t say he wanted a girl.

“You already are, Gray. You love this child already, even if he or she isn’t born yet.” She then took Gray’s hand and placed it once again on her belly, as their child moved again. “And it looks the little one agrees. Now please, go get some sleep. You just came from a job and you need all the rest you need. Soon, you’ll look for those moments,” she giggled.

Gray couldn’t help but chuckle. This woman… “Okay. Wake me up when dinner is ready.” he waved Juvia’s way, as he headed towards their bedroom, not hearing the Water Mage’s next words.

“Your daddy already loves you so much, and so does momma, Storm.”

BONUS – April 13th

The moment Gray held his son for the first time, he remembered the words Ur once told him about her daughter; how her tears wouldn’t stop and how she truly felt alive the day Ultear was born. At that time, he didn’t understand those words, but now he did. He felt tears making their way on his cheeks and a brand-new feeling: love for his newborn. As tears hit the little boy’s face, he started to whimper, and looked his way with his big midnight eyes. While holding the young Storm in his arms for the unkempt time, the Ice Mage made himself another oath. “Storm, I will do my best to keep you away from darkness. And if you ever encounter it, I’ll seal it away for you.”

---

“Juvia still cannot believe he is here!” she whispered, her eyes gleaming and full of love for the new life that stood between her and Gray in their bed. She then placed her hand on Storm’s tiny chest, feeling it rise and fall with every breath he took.

“Yeah… Me neither.” he admitted, as he failed to keep his eyes from his cobalt-haired son, his right hand underneath his raven locks. “Thank you, Juvia.”

“What are you thanking Juvia for, Gray?” she asked, her gaze away from her son and fixed on her boyfriend.

“For everything.” The Ice Mage smiled her way, cupping her cheek with his other hand.

“No; thank you, Gray. For giving Juvia the best life she could have.” She smiled back, leaning into Gray’s touch. Their waiting for a storm was finally over, and they couldn’t be happier, as their son brought the sunshine into their lives after that fateful day.

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Thank you once again for reading. Hope you enjoyed😊

[ejm513]

UNDERSTANDING JUVIA

It is no secret that I am a gruvia fan, in fact gruvia is my OTP and Juvia is one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters. So it always saddens me when I am perusing the gruvia tag (as I do daily) and I see hate not only for the ship but for Juvia. Now I am in no way saying you must like the ship or Juvia-far from it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and everyone has their own taste when it comes to what ships and what characters’ appeal to them, and I respect that. Not only that but I love open and constructive conversations about why we like or dislike a certain character or ships. Some of these negative posts are simply nasty and cruel. I understand this is the internet and people can be very vicious, I’m not that naïve. This post is not about chastising those who have a different opinion from me, because I think there’s enough of that.

Instead I’m going to try and look deeper into my favorite character, Juvia, to try and get a better understanding why she behaves the way she does. This is not to excuse some of her behavior (because I agree it can sometimes go too far), but trying to understand why she’s the way she is. Please note that I am not a profession psychologist, nor have I studied it beyond a class in high school and personal curiosity. This is just my view on Juvia’s character and is pure speculation. This was written just for fun (and to wake up my brain after I took a nap so I can continue reading a novel in German).

Okay, are we ready? Let’s do this!!

The best place to start is from the beginning. This is tricky, as there is not much known about Juvia’s past (at least that I’m aware of). However there are a few things we can infer. Like many of the main characters of Fairy Tail, she probably has a dead parent, no parents or absentee parents. I’m leaning more towards having no parents, as I remember in a manga spin off about Gray’s journey to Fairy Tail, she was heading to a relative (I think it was her Uncle). We know for certain that she did not have friends growing up and was bullied and excluded because of her powers. This means she had limited interactions with children her age, and that interaction was negative.

This did not give her a chance to socialize properly, and this is where I think the biggest problem stems from.

There are certain people I know who for one reason or another did not get a lot of socialization with children growing up, and they’re… well they’re a little different. I don’t mean that in a cruel or mean way it’s just true. They’re not as skilled in reading other people’s body language and emotions or just being socially aware. What I mean by that is they’re not completely mindful of how their actions are perceived by others. This can result in people not being as aware of other people’s emotions and being blunt and rude.

So how does this idea effect Juvia? Most of the time she is not rude, so that part does not apply to her. Everything else does. Juvia is very blunt about her feelings towards Gray, to the point of being a nuisance at times (note that I said at times because there are times where Gray enjoys her presence and is comfortable with her). Juvia is also not aware of how her actions effect Gray and others until someone out right tells her or her well-meaning intentions blow up in her face. This can best be seen in the episode 413 Days. Yes-one of my favorite episodes that also happens to have one of the worst Juvia moments (washing herself with Gray soap…. just…. just why?).

It perfectly shows how unaware Juvia is of her actions and how they affect Gray. Now to be fair Juvia did not know that day was the anniversary of Ul using ice shield. However, when we see Gray, it was clear that he was suffering and grieving. Juvia either didn’t or could not read his body language and there for fell upon him with a tsunami of joy and happiness. This results in Gray snapping at her, but it brings Juvia back to reality and she does apologize in the end. The point is though it took Gray snapping at her to bring her back to her senses, to get her to admit that she was a selfish fool. In my opinion that is very positive, as she is learning that she is not as mindful of other people’s body language and emotions as she should be, and that this can have consequences. But you know she tries to thrust a body pillow at Gray so… there’s that.

Baby steps people… baby steps.

So now that we covered a possible reason why Juvia is so oblivious and blunt, let’s try and examine what many people see as not only Juvia’s biggest flaw but one of the biggest flaws in Gruvia, and that’s Juvia’s obsession and attachment to Gray.

I think if we want to even begin to understand her obsession and attachment, we need to look at her past relationships people.

As I mentioned before the manga and anime shows that Juvia was bullied in her childhood and most likely didn’t have a stable home life. Not only that the one romantic relationship shown ended with the jerk brushing her off because of the rain. That kind of treatment can scar a person. I myself was a victim of bullying from childhood until my mid-teens and it affected me. I was confident, outgoing child who would smile even when she got beaten up (that actually happened). By the time I entered middle school I put myself in a shell and it took me until high school to come out. I’m going to be twenty-two in about two months, so I’ve pretty much put what happened behind me.

However, I cannot pretend it hasn’t shaped me into the shy, reserved person I am today. I also had a lot of help to overcoming the bullying. I have a good family support system, and I went to a childhood therapist a saw a school consoler once a week from six grade until I graduated high school.

Juvia did not have that kind of help and support. So when someone showed her just a little bit of kindness she latched on to that person. Add to the fact that she is naturally an emotional and imaginative person, and that she was not socialized properly, Juvia does not know how to act properly when she likes someone. She also does not know how to handle her overwhelming emotions and imagination (which even she admit was getting out of hand), so in the end you get someone who gets way to attached and is more than a little obsessive.

All right, I guess there’s only one other point to touch on.

Knowing that Juvia has all these issues (and lord knows Gray has his own host of issues) why do I still ship Gruvia so much?

Well there are a few things I like to keep in mind:

1-All of the major ships have something off or disturbing about them. Gajeel attacked Levy and seriously hurt her and her team mates. Jelall tried to and came close to killing Erza. Natsu is constantly entering Lucy’s apartment without her permission and gives her no privacy (I can’t keep track of how many times he’s seen her nude). I don’t dislike these ships any less for these issues (particularly Nalu… dear god I love Nalu). Gruvia’s biggest issues are Juvia’s attachment to Gray and Gray being somewhat emotionally closed off. Remember, Erza mentioned that there’s more to than underneath that “cool guy” persona, and what’s underneath is a lot of grief and pain. The point of the matter is none of the relationships are perfectly normal or healthy, but we still love and ship them anyway. That is probably the number one reason I get annoyed when people say Gruvia is unhealthy, because even though I don’t think they are entirely wrong, the other ships also have major issues that would never be acceptable in the real world.

2-Fairy Tail has been around for quiet some time and has well over 200 episodes and over 500 manga chapters. This means there is a lot of time for the characters to grow and develop, and Gray and Juvia are no exceptions. People always claim that Juvia has no character outside of wanting Gray, and while I could understand why they would think that I would have to politely disagree. When we first meet Juvia she was cold and emotionless until she got angry. Despite claiming Phantom Lord gave her a home and understood her, you could tell she wasn’t happy. In fact I would say she seemed down right miserable. It took her some time, because in the Tower of Heaven arc she was still a little cold and haughty. It is when she joins Fairy Tail that we see development. She becomes happy and much more open and loving. Yes I said loving and not just to Gray. She has shown that she cares not just about other guild members but the guild itself. Remember when she willingly got struck by lightning so Cana could fight and to keep the guild safe? That’s insanely dangerous for a normal person, but I imagine having a body made completely of water makes it even more dangerous.

Not only that Juvia’s more… eccentric tendencies have calmed down. It is important to keep in mind that the anime took the stalking gag and ran with it. In the manga the gag only lasted for an arc or two. I also think she is coming out of her own little world more and more. I remember reading a post somewhere about how selfish Juvia was when she told Gray about killing Silver, because she said she didn’t have the right to love him and was more focused on her relationship with him than him. Once again I can understand why someone would think that, but I must politely disagree. Yes I believe she was concerned for her relationship with him, but I don’t think it came from a selfish place. She knew how much losing his father a second-time hurt Gray, and that it was her who killed Sliver. I can’t begin to imagine how guilty she must of have felt. In fact, she felt so guilty that she was willing to let him go because of how much pain she caused him.

Now what about Gray? How has he changed?

The biggest way I would say he changed was becoming more open and slowly by slowly dropping the “cool guy” persona. The first moment we really see this is when Juvia is telling him about Silver. In the beginning of the show, during the Galuna Isalnd arc, when Gray started to cry in front of Natsu and Lucy he quickly stopped the moment they saw and claimed he wasn’t. He kept most of the pain and loss he suffered to himself, at least until a situation forced him to talk about it. If I remember correctly, on the anniversary of his masters demise he drank his pain away (which… I don’t even want to think about that it’s too sad). Basically he was one closed off, stubborn little tsundere.

That changed after that conversation with Juvia.

Gray balled his eyes out to Juvia, something he would have never done before. That was the breaking moment in my opinion. After that we see a Gray who is willing to cuddle and Exceed and gush about how cute he is. We see a Gray who’s more open with his emotions and more content with himself (you know… when they’re not fighting for their lives and trying to save the world). It seems like he’s becoming less and less of a tsudere, and more in tune and at peace with himself.

Again when the world isn’t crumbling apart and in peril. Poor baby is probably going to have a whole new batch of trauma to get over, like the rest of the guild.

3: Recently, I read a post critiquing Gruvia shipper’s argument that because Gray accepts Juvia’s feelings that makes the ship okay and healthy, and said that the ship is still unhealthy. On some level I agree with it, two people can love each other and be in an unhealthy relationship. Again I understand that there are some elements of an unhealthy relationship in the ship, and a big part of it was that Gray was a little bothered by Juvia’s attention in the beginning and rightfully so. I would say if Juvia had not calmed down and grown, and had Gray continued to show his discomfort I would not ship them.

However the fact of the matter is Juvia has calmed down, and Gray has started to reciprocate Juvia’s feelings. Again that does not necessarily make a healthy relationship, but if you look deeper you will see that it is. For me the biggest clue is in the year time skip after the Tartaros Arc. Gray and Juvia lived together for six months, and there was no indication that there was anything unhealthy about that situation. In fact it seems like they lived a very normal life. They shared their meals together and trained together, and created what seemed like a very calm and peaceful environment.

Now I understand Juvia is “persistent” for lack of a better word, and there have been times when Gray has said no to her and she hasn’t listened. I’m not denying that or saying it’s okay. On the other hand, Gray has shown he’s not afraid to tell her no and show his displeasure at her actions. If he was really bothered by her presence he wouldn’t have lived with her for six months. Now I don’t know if they mutually decided to live together or if she just showed up and didn’t leave-but judging by what we know about their time together I’m leaning more towards the former than the later.

I hope you all liked the post, and please remember that I am not criticizing those who are not fans of Juvia or Gruvia. This was simply an exploration as to why Juvia is the way she is and why I love Gruvia. It was just written for fun and I hope you’ll take it that way.

Now time to watch more anime and pretend that I don’t have half a novel in German to read by Monday.

Ah the blissful joys of procrastination.