#Siegrain is included this time

[yamishika]

Submission for Jellal day (25.06.24):

Split

[fairytailaustories]

The difference between my 1st AU and my 2nd AU

(Spoilers in this)

1st AU is more towards canon. The events go from the beginning of Fairy Tail to the end of the main series. No 100 year quest because, I am no where near there. It focuses on the canon ships (or close canon or mostly looks canon/I ship). This AU has the Next Generation stuff involved. It is what I mostly focus on, anyway.

2nd AU is more towards my bullshit mind. This au has no actual proper direction. I mostly call this 'Trans Mystogan AU' because it does mostly focus on Mystogan (My favourite character). In this AU, I have changed multiple things, including ships.

1st AU Ships:

Bickslow X Lisanna Strauss Happy X Carla Elfman Strauss X Evergeen Gajeel Redfox X Levy McGarden Gray Fullbuster X Juvia Lockser Siegrain/Jellal Fernandes X Erza Scarlet Erik/Cobra X Kinana Leo/Loke X Cana Alberona (I find this ship cute in my head) Lyon Vastia X Meredy Milkovich (I like the idea she has Ultear's surname) Laxus Dreyar X Mirajane Strauss Macbeth/Midnight X Sorano/Angel Natsu/END Dragneel X Lucy Heartfilia. Rogue Cheney X Kagura Mikazuchi Romeo Conbolt X Wendy Marvell Sting Eucliffe X Yukino Agura Doctor/Acnologia X Irene Beleserion Jellal/Mystogan De Edolas X Erza Knightwalker Natsu Dragion X Lucy Ashley Gray Surge X Edo-Juvia

2nd AU Ships:

Gajeel Redfox X Levy McGarden Gray Fullbuster X Leo/Loke Erza Scarlet X Juvia Lockser Siegrain/Jellal Fernandes X Ultear Milkovich Natsu/END Dragneel X Lucy Heartfilia Freed Justine X Mirajane Strauss Laxus Dreyar X Jellal/Mystogan De Edolas. Bickslow X Lisanna Strauss Elfman Strauss X Evergreen Erik/Cobra X Macbeth/Midnight Rogue Cheney X Yukio Agura Sting Eculiffe X Miverna Doctor/Acnologia X Irene Beleserion.

Mostly the ships are the same. The 1st AU mostly focuses on the Next Generation. The 2nd AU mostly focuses on my ideas.

Here are a few examples of how I change things: Mystogan in the 1st AU goes to Edolas and stays in Edolas, Mystogan in the 2nd AU goes to Edolas and returns back to Earthland.

Laxus in the 1st AU tries to overthrows but gets kicked out of the guild, Laxus in the 2nd AU is stopped by Mystogan before he could even try.

Mystogan in the 1st AU doesn't look for Wendy before the Oracion Seis, Mystogan in the 2nd AU finds Wendy and brings her to the guild.

In the 1st AU, the 7 year gap happens but in the 2nd AU, it doesn't happen. I find the whole trapped in time for 7 years silly and it just confuses me. They do meet Mavis but Acnologia doesn't show up. Instead Acnologia is with Irene as she calms him down.

The war with Zeref happens in the 1st AU, in the 2nd AU, it doesn't. As Zeref knows Natsu never died on Tenrou Island (I probably spelt that wrong), Zeref's mind doesn't head down the direction it does.

In the 1st AU, Crime Sorcere exists and Ultear dies. In the 2nd AU, it doesn't. Mystogan had paid for all their bails before they even got arrested. Mystogan had made a deal with the Council to have them be under Fairy Tail's supervision and make them do their sentence by saving and helping people, people similar to those they hurt in the past. Ultear doesn't die

In the 1st AU, Mystogan doesn't interact with the guild and stays hidden. In the 2nd AU, Mystogan interacts with the guild more but he prefers to be in a place where he can relax (such as the S class floor). Sometimes when he's in the mood, he'll be a complete menace.

[evilkitten3]

hi gang! i know it's been,,,,, literally years since i started working on my fairy tail rewrite but i do want to assure anyone still interested that it is still something i'm working on. however, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot has changed since i first started the project, so i wanted to give some updates on things people have expressed interest in in the past:

-i toyed with the idea of aro/ace erza for a while and while i do genuinely love the concept, i ultimately decided that it wouldn't really fit into what i want to do with her character. so tragically i can't fulfill this initial idea. i'm a little disappointed myself tbh but i actually really like what i came up with for her part of the story, so... hope this wasn't what anyone was looking forward to the most.

-when i first mentioned rewriting ft, i said there'd be no fanservice. however, having thought about it for some time, fairy tail is a series where somewhat dirty jokes have been since the start, and i don't think it's entirely fair to get rid of it altogether just bc the last couple of arcs forgot to do anything else. i will however promise that no one is going to be less important than their own boobs.

-the relationship between gajeel and team shadowgear will absolutely still be important, but i don't intend to put gajeel or levy in a relationship with anyone, including each other. this isn't really about whether i like the ships involved or not; it's just that i actually ended up putting a bit more of a spotlight on this little faction than i'd intended to (tbh i'd been pretty sure gajeel and levy would have somewhat more minor roles, but fortunately it looks like they'll stay major supporting characters)

-lucy and her family are going to be marginally more complicated than what we got in canon, and while i don't plan to give away too much too soon, there might be some hints towards what's really going on there significantly before i actually unveil my masterpiece (i am ngl so so SO happy with my version of the heartfilia family. i feel like it's both somewhat original and also fits within the world of fairy tail. idk if anyone else is going to be enjoying keeping up with the heartfilias as much as me but i sure hope so. whoa boy)

-natsu spends a lot more time looking for igneel. not like 100% absolutely dedicated nothing else matters or anything (bc that's just not natsu), but it is his main motivation throughout a good chunk of the story, so i'm hoping to bring that into play a bit more.

-i've been pretty clear on this part since the beginning, but ultear and siegrain are going to play a much bigger role in the early parts of the story. this is both bc i adore their dynamic and bc crime sorcière is unfortunately not going to happen. just getting that part out of the way now. as much as i adore them, it just doesn't work here. i don't intend for them to usurp the story or anything, but they definitely have a much bigger and more direct impact on the plot. also like reasons for doing things and better publicity than most of the rest of the council.

-i simply am not going to have the time to give natsu's parents the screentime they deserve, but i promise to give them as much as i possibly can. unfortunately, they really don't matter all that much in term's of natsu or zeref's parts in the story, but there are a couple of other characters with fairly strong ties to them, so it's not like i'm going to ignore them entirely

-cubellios is and will forever remain a snake. hiss hiss

-none of the other manga side stories (including 100 year quest) are going to be taken into account whatsoever. i simply do not care <3

-zeref and mavis's relationship is deeply, DEEPLY important to the plot, but it absolutely isn't romantic at all, so sorry if you were hoping it would be. also i tried my best to make mavis significantly more interesting (plus yuriy, warrod, and precht. especially precht)

-none of the big 4 ships will happen. this isn't due to me not liking them for the most part (i mean, i don't but tbh that really isn't relevant here; i have no problem with writing for ships i don't ship myself if it works with the story), it's either bc it doesn't fit into these versions of the characters or it just didn't end up happening. i know this is gonna put some people off, but i hope you'll give it a try anyway once it's done; i ended up trying out a few things i'd never thought about before and really enjoying them, so hopefully i won't be alone in that.

-the celestial spirits are currently one of my bigger roadblocks writing-wise bc while they're also very important to the story, they rarely get enough screentime to showcase anything other than their powers and One Quirky Trait. and there are so dang many of them; it's kinda hard to balance. however, i know what i want to do with them in the long run, so it's more a matter of getting them there and not having them effectively turn into lucy's somewhat talkative pokémon. also, the spirits aren't property– they've made a contract with their wielder, and this is very very relevant. they are also not human. you may want to keep those two things in mind.

-if a character dies and you see their body and their body is definitely 100% checked-their-pulse-and-tried-cpr dead, that character is dead. it's a fantasy story, so i'm not going to pretend there's no possible way to un-die, but i will say this: consider whether or not dying a likely-traumatic death and then coming back is a good thing.

-there will be ocs. this is basically unavoidable due to what few changes i've made, but i'm hoping they'll at least be enjoyable ocs. most of them shouldn't be relevant for a while anyway

-there are, and i cannot stress this enough, characters that may for some reason have something to gain from lying to the heroes. or to other villains. or to themselves. characters lie, or twist the truth, or are wrong, or a bajillion other things.

-whoever you're expecting the final badguy to be, you're wrong

-lastly, and this is easily the most important, i have completely changed irene's character design to one of mashima's concept art versions of her. if you've never seen it, here's the piece of that sketch collection i'm talking about:

^that's my irene. love me some unhinged old ladymom

[mjwiththefangs]

Beautifully Deadly (NaLu) #7

Chapter 7

Vampire/Supernatural AU

Rating: M

Summary:  "Supposedly an entire kingdom disappeared when their queen went beyond the borders, remember?" When Natsu Dragneel leaves the kingdom to investigate mysterious disappearances, he finds a much bigger adventure than he was bargaining for, including a beautiful vampire hidden away in an ancient castle. She has little to say about her past, or why she's locked away. Who did this to her? What has she been feeding on? One thing Natsu knows for sure that she is dangerous... Could she have something to do with the disappearances? "I'm sorry, Natsu, but I'm just so thirsty."

Chapters: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7

Read it on: AO3 & FF.net

-

AN: Hello again! So, once again, my update was late. oops. My bad! Im almost moved in with Gary now, just a few more things and we’re good! So, since my work hours are doing crap, i ought to have more time to write :) This one is a bit shorter again (sorry) but i made up for it with fluff. I hope you all enjoy reading, let me know what you think! As always, thank you all for your patience and reviews, and thanks to both my Betas, @mannyegb and @bmarvels !

-

 Review shoutouts! to:  ChaosreigN,  darkvampirekisses,  KatanaNoNeko,  Anna5949,  YunaYue

-

Jellal felt grim. He was following Arlock and a few others down a darkened stairwell. They were taking him to “view their progress”. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he felt it in his gut that it was not a good thing. The Angel could still sense the wariness and suspicion of those around him and he ground his teeth in frustration, he had to remain in power of this situation.

His magic thrummed beneath his skin, as it had during the entirety of his stay here. It flexed and crackled like a live wire, ready to zap any who dared to come too close. He kept it that way, alive and ready to strike. He made sure that those around him could sense it. Heavenly magic was certainly a force to be reckoned with, after all.

Arlock in particular kept his attention on him, Jellal was all too painfully aware. Still, he followed him silently. Jellal narrowed his eyes at the iron door before him. He turned his gaze towards Arlock. Beneath the unusual mask adorning his face, he smirked and side stepped Jellal, gesturing towards the door, 'Siegrain’ he inclined his head.

Jellal felt wary. Hesitating for a fraction of a second, he stepped forward, his hand grasping the cold door knob and opening it.

The Angel had always been an expert at concealing his own feelings, a professional actor. He would later be glad of this skill set, but he was currently struggling to retain his composure.

As an Angel, one of his powers was being empathetic to the emotions of souls. It allowed his kind to assist all manner of creatures and guide them.

However, as soon as he opened that door, he felt assaulted by the anguished cries of suffering souls. It took every fibre of his being to not rush to their aid, to fight his instincts.

The only physical reaction to come from him was a sharp exhale of a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding.

The door opened to a long, white corridor. Either side was lined with cell doors. Moans of pain, distraught sobbing, confused screams… Jellal could hear it all. He stiffly turned to regard Arlock.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he finally registered exactly what Arlock was, and briefly wondered how he hadn't noticed sooner.

Arlock's mask glinted in the light. Saying nothing, he strode past Jellal down the corridor. Jellal followed like a shadow.

They stopped in front of a cell door and he noted that it even had a barred viewing window, through which he saw a trembling figure chained to the wall.

Arlock reached into his cloak, withdrawing a key and unlocking the cell. Jellal, meanwhile, observed carefully, newly aware that Arlock was a Golem. A Golem without a master, apparently.

'Siegrain. I'd like you to assist with it.’ he pointed at the figure in the cell, ‘Take the chains and bring her with us.’

.

The blue cat yowled unhappily and squirmed against Lucy's gentle grip, his sharp claws skittering across the smooth granite surface. She gnawed on her lower lip, careful not to puncture herself with her fangs as she had done many times previous, muttering to the damp cat.

She'd been somewhat successful bathing him, but now she found herself struggling to dry him off with a towel.

‘You can't run off still dripping wet,‘ she scolded softly, ‘you might catch cold!‘ the cat glared at her indignantly. He hissed with vehemence and leapt from the counter, fleeing the washroom in a flash.

Lucy sighed. She wiped her hands dry on the towel and left to pursue the blue feline.

.

Meanwhile, still chained to the wall, locked in the small chamber,  Natsu was growing frustrated. He sat cross-legged on the cot, cupping his palms together. He scowled intensely, concentrating all his magical energy into the empty space between his hands.

A growl rumbled in his chest. He was deeply focused, seeking out the fire in his belly. He exhaled slowly, wisps of smoke pouring from his mouth.  He felt the warmth trickling through his veins, albeit sluggishly, lightning him up from within.

He tried again.

The air between his hands trembled, and finally a small flame sparked to life. His face burst into a grin, elation flooding him. The flame flickered with his lapse in concentration and he swore, his eyes locking onto it again.

It shimmered and danced between his palms. Natsu honestly couldn't remember the last time he had needed this much focus to create a flame. Probably when he was still a hatchling, he mused to himself.

Suddenly, drowsiness washed over him, like having icey water tipped over his head. He swore again, watching how the flame dimmed and was abruptly snuffed out.

The Draconic groaned heavily, slumping back against the wall. He hated it when his magic power dwindled. His mind just couldn't wrap around why his supply was so low.

His hand reached upwards, only to snatch at thin air. He blinked suddenly, bewildered. ‘what…?’

He straightened up again, whipping his head around frantically. He cursed himself for not noticing sooner. Especially when he’d already discovered bandages wrapped around his torn throat.

Had the blonde woman taken it? Maybe it had been strained or torn when she drank from him? His heart clenched at the thought. He whined softly.

Before he could further wonder where he may have lost his beloved scarf, a familiar scent caught his nose. A scent that probably shouldn't be here, Natsu found himself thinking, deciding in that moment that he must be hallucinating.

As the scent got nearer, his hallucination got stranger. He could almost hear paw pads pattering along the stone floor. And then there was the long mewling, and claws scraping at the door.

The bewildered Draconic quirked an eyebrow. He shrugged to himself, and summoning what little magic power he had left, he felt the fire inside him bubble and spat a small fireball at the doorknob.

'Now that was pathetic' he mentally scolded himself. His fire had been successful though, the door swinging freely open as the metal latch melted away.

In a flash of blue fur, the cat launched himself into the room and leapt into the man's lap. 'Happy?!' He exclaimed, 'what the hell are you doing here?'

His question was answered with a self-satisfied purr, and then footsteps approaching down the hall at a brisk pace. He recognised her scent immediately, his eyes moving to the ajar door.

Happy meowed expectantly, shaking droplets of water from this fur. Natsu smiled apologetically,  'Sorry little buddy, I'm all outta magic to dry you off' and he truly was, he realised, unable to even summon warmth to his palms now.

There was a creak as the door was tentatively pushed open, the noise snatching the man's attention. He immediately saw the flush on her cheeks and how she quickly averted her eyes from his face. He felt his lips twitch into a smirk. She was definitely amusing. He'd never known anyone as easily flustered as she was.

He didn't want to scare her off again. So he decided to introduce himself. 'My name's Natsu,' he said to her, making sure to keep his voice low and calm, 'I didn't catch yours before.'

Her honey gold orbs slowly moved to regard him- Natsu. She felt herself beginning to relax, but she still hesitated, reluctant to divulge that information to him. She still feared that her new visitor would result in her being found.

Natsu sensed her hesitation. He felt as though he understood something about her already. She was afraid of something, or someone. He wanted to know more about her. So when he felt tiny claws kneading his arm, he tried a new approach.

'I see you've met Happy.' He said, gesturing to the blue cat. She glanced at said feline, the question falling from her lips on impulse, 'His name's Happy?'

Natsu grinned. 'Yep!'

'And he's your cat?'

'Yep!'

'Why is he called Happy?'

'it's 'cause I was happy when he hatched.' Natsu shrugged, as if that explained everything clearly.

Lucy blinked at him. 'He hatched?' She asked, incredulous.

'Well, yea, he's an Exceed.' the man deadpanned. Happy meowed loudly in agreement.

The blonde's expression softened. What an unusual pair. Perhaps she could trust him. After all, how many evil folk would name a cat 'Happy'?

She smiled softly, her decision made. 'My name is Lucy.' She told him. Natsu beamed at her then his expression suddenly turned mischievous, 'Nice to meet'cha Luigi!'

He burst into cackles at her vexed expression and found himself laughing even harder when she pouted at him. Even Happy made small snuffling mewls, that sounded uncannily like giggles.

Natsu's laughter died down to snickers and he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes. He turned his head, still grinning, towards the blonde stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

If he'd had any more magic in his reserves, he would have blown a wisp of flame at her. He was definitely going to have fun teasing her. Now that he was done laughing, he realised her scent was slightly different from before. The scent of lingering magic clung to her skin.

He met her gaze curiously and asked her 'Do you use magic?'

Her eyes widened fractionally, and for a moment he thought she wasn't going to answer him, before she quietly uttered 'I can't anymore.'

'You smell like magic though.' He told her, gesturing with his hand and disturbing the Exceed in his lap, 'did you try a spell?'

She shook her head, golden strands dancing in the light. Her heart was pounding beneath her breast. She surprised herself at how calm her voice came out when she spoke, 'No, nothing like that.' She sighed silently, 'I just had a visit from an old friend. I… don't think I'll be seeing them again though.'

Natsu listened intently, his curiosity burning. His mind was piecing some things together. Sure, Natsu could be a bit obtuse sometimes, but his instincts were sharp. His own magic was still sluggishly recovering since she bit him, barely even there. Now Lucy stood before him, smelling of magic, saying she couldn't use it.

He knew she felt regret for having attacked him. He spoke carefully. 'Lucy,' he began, 'did you drink away my magic?'

She stared at him for a long moment. 'Yes' she thought.

Instead, she began to gnaw on her lip, anxious of what he'd say, if he'd judge her. Natsu kept his gaze on her, taking her silence as the answer. Slowly, he nodded and his frown fell to the ground. His brows drew down into a frown, falling deep in thought.

Lucy, however, bit down worriedly on her lower lip, misreading his expression. She instantly winced, hissing in pain as her sharp fangs pierced the plump flesh. ‘Sthit…’ She muttered, raising her hand to dab at the blood.

The sound of chains pulling taut and a disgruntled yowl from a certain unseated Exceed snapped her attention. Her eyes landed on Natsu, who was glaring at the cuff around his wrist, and Happy, hissing at the man then trotting off.

Natsu tugged at the cuff again, growling when the metal chains clinked together. Oh, how he wished his magic was replenished! Maybe he could ask Lucy to bring him some fire to eat…

He whined in his throat, turning back to the blonde before him. She held one hand beneath her split lip, trying in vain to catch the blood and her tongue darted out to wipe over the cut. She repeated the motion, Natsu’s onyx orbs fascinated with the movement.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he found it amusing that her fangs grew even when it was her own blood, but her eyes remained that stunning honey-gold even as she grimaced at the flavour.

She stepped towards him, reaching for his hand and he stood still as a rock when she mumbled something that he supposed was meant to be ‘Dont move’. Her fingers moved nimbly and quickly unlatched the cuff, Natsu didn’t hide his surprise that it didn’t need a key.

He rubbed at his wrist, relieving the discomfort from having been constrained for so long. He grinned, ‘Thanks, Luce!’

She half-smiled in return, still trying to stop the crimson liquid dribbling down her chin. He clicked his tongue. The scent of her blood was distressing to him. She seemed nice enough, after all, and he definitely had fun teasing her. His instincts screamed at him to hoard her just for her golden hair, and made it very difficult for him to ignore that she was injured.

She watched him questioningly when his hands slowly reached for her face, ‘Nat’thu?’ she whispered his name.

He brought one arm towards his mouth, ripping a length of the shirt sleeve with his teeth, ‘Just hold still, Weirdo… Let me get that for ya’... ‘ He murmured. He rolled up the torn scrap clumsily, then, with a face of pure concentration, he gingerly wiped at her lip. He ignored the way she took a sharp breath, and the way it brought some colour to his cheeks.

She didn’t move a muscle as he tended her, partly so he could work in peace and partly because she was in shock about the gentle treatment, having lived in isolation for so long now. She had missed having the company of others, and she realised then how much she longed for physical touches.

Her thoughts returned to the present, and she stifled laughter at the expression on the Draconic’s face. Especially the way his tongue was sticking out. She burst out in giggles.

‘What’s so funny?’ Natsu grumbled, although the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

‘S-sowwy!’ She giggled, ‘It’th jutht.. Your face!’

‘What’s wrong with my face?’ He almost sounded hurt. Almost.

‘You were thticking your tongue out’

He pouted, but she saw mischief shining in his eyes. With gentle movements, he pulled his hands away from her face. She immediately missed the warmth they radiated.

‘There, stopped bleeding now.’

She blinked, having forgotten why exactly he had been wiping her lip to begin with and moved to graze her fingers over the tender injury. She saw how his pout morphed into a smirk, and he stuck his tongue out at her, deliberately this time, and blew a raspberry in her face.

He grinned, satisfied when she laughed. He gazed around the room, spotting the trail of wet paw prints leading out the door. He nudged her gently, pointing at the floor.

‘Happy’s taken himself for a walk.’ He mused. Lucy opened her mouth to suggest going after him, but Natsu cut her off. ‘Don’t worry,’ He shrugged, ‘He’ll have gone to find some fish.’

The blonde frowned, ‘Fish?...’ She gasped, a realisation hitting her and she groaned, ‘Oh no, He’ll probably go looking for Juvia! And i just got that pond smell out of his fur, too.’

Natsu snickered, ‘He’ll be fine.’

[angryducktimemachine]

About Emilio

― your muse’s name:

Emilio Jonathan Flussläufer

― a favorite picture / faceclaim of your muse:

― two headcanons you have for your muse:

He found Brunhilde in a trash can one day and decided to keep her as company and started to train her to steal stuff, since then they are close friends and you barely see him without her.

He once stole a bag with way more money in it than he expected, in fear, said money could be from a serious case of theft/robbery and that somebody might find him and accuse him of it, as well as the fear of other street kids robbing him, he looked for ways to get rid of it, spending it on his tattoo, a few piercings and kept a little bit for himself. The rest he decided to hide somewhere and not come back for it. (Was it really that much money and a reasonable reaction? Probably not but he is a very anxious boy and easily panics)

― three things that your muse likes doing in their free time:

Training with Brunhilde! He loves her and he loves teaching her new tricks over and over!

He started learning guitar, something he enjoys doing in his free time now!

After looking for a way to give friends gifts, he started making bracelets himself which quickly turned into a little fun hobby of him.

― seven people your muse loves / likes:

Rone, his best friend/boyfriend

Veda, an ex-boyfriend of him he still likes a lot ( both belong to @spacelordextraordinaire)

Siegrain, the first person he startes trusting when joining the Devaron’s Angels

Ziora, his therapist ( both belong to @gloamingchild)

Kabra, a funky friend (belongs to @x-w1ng)

Malak, the leader of his squad and a person he really looks up to

Ryan, a friend that just helps making him feel like a normal young adult, doing normal young adult things (both belong to @rekkingcrew)

― a phobia your muse has:

Not really a phobia but lot of smaller and bigger fears. Emilio is very easily scared and has a lot of years, including loud people or sudden movements as well as arguments. A big fear of him is disappointing authority figures in the fear of them leaving him.

Tagged by: @coconut-orc

Tagging: Everyone who wants to do that, including the people already tagged in this post due to characters being friends with Emilio.

[natsubeatsrock]

Interesting Details from HERO’S

As a big fan of almost all of Mashima’s works, (I’ll get to Monster Hunter Orage), Hero’s was one of the most fun I had all of last year. There were plenty of fun things that I’m not sure a lot of people got. To celebrate Mashima’s 43rd birthday, I wanted to keep my word and talk about some of the more fun connections between HERO’S, the series each character comes from, and a few other works that Mashima’s responsible for.

As a bit of a warning, there are mild spoilers for each of the series. I’ll do my best not to spoil too much crazy stuff from any of the series. However, I absolutely expect you to have read HERO’S before coming into this post as I talk about every chapter in great detail, including the special bonus chapter.

Chapter 1

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. The series is called HERO’S because... Hiro Mashima. Not everyone will be like this.

Gray formed the habit of uncontrollably stripping during his time training to be an Ice Make Wizard. It was help him get over cold temperatures. And yes, this is only a Gray thing.

The necklace around Rebecca’s neck is her B-Cubing device. As a B-Cuber, she wants to do her best not to miss a good video opportunity, as we’ll see in Chapter 10.

Pino is particularly interested in magic abilities. While meeting Fairy Tail mages does much to satisfy that desire here, it’s not as if that thirst isn’t satiated in her own series.

While Mashima has gone on record to say Edens Zero exists in a separate universe from Fairy Tail (pun not intended), this explanation does a great job in showing how the series could have been made to work together.

I, along with others, have made the joke a few times that Homura is the love child of Kagura from the wizard guild Mermaid Heel, and Erza. Glad to see Mashima nodding off Kagura in ths series.

Shiki’s hilariously eager to make friends with people he’s cool with. Natsu’s also fairly amicable, but Shiki’s more interested in making a ton of friends in his series.

The “fireworks“ Lord Mashyre creates bear a resemblance to Nakajima, a house plant in Haru’s house and technical co-star of the extra seiies “Rave 0077″. We later learn there’s a whole island of creatures like him, and even meet his parents.

If the name Musica sounds familiar, it’s because Panther Lily’s sword is called the Musica Sword. (Note the similar note on it and Haru’s base sword.) In Rave Master, Musica learns to do a bit of sword crafting of his own.

Chapter 2

Elie’s pajamas have a similar sign as Erza’s base armor as Heart Kreuz is a company that exist across all three universes. Lucy’s pajamas has the Aquarius mark across the top of the chest. Rebecca’s pajamas have cats across them as she’s a huge fan of cats.

Speaking of cats, the Edens Zero version of Happy, who shows up later, has more than a few similarities and differences between the two of them. A notable one is that EZ’s Happy is only partially a cat.

Similarly, Elsie Crimson looks very similar to Erza. She’s an infamous galactic pirate who is responsible for gifting Shiki and his friends the titular Edens Zero.

In a chapter published after HERO”S, Pino compares herself to a rabbit.

Homura going to the desert is likely a part of her training against heat. This will matter later on.

The prison guards have M’s on their face. Use your best guess as to who that’s for. In Fairy Tail, an evil guild left their prisoners in equal or worse states of dress, depending on your version of Fairy Tail.

Fans of Fairy Tail’s anime will likely remember Rave Master’s Jiggle Butt Gang. In Rave, they were train robbers who made infrequent appearances after becoming less evil.

Haru’s sword, the Ten Commandments, has the ability to change into one of ten different swords. Fans of Fairy Tail may recognize the names and abilities as similar to the spear Erza Knightwalker used.

As a silver claimer, Musica’s able to manipulate the shape of his necklace into a weapon. Silver Ray is a ship Musica was looking to destroy. About halfway through the series, he finds and destroys it. It later becomes his most powerful weapon and unbreakable spear. It means a lot to him.

Griff’s cartography makes him an important member of the Rave Warriors. However, he’s fairly annoying because of his more pervy tendencies. Weird to see a mesh of that in this chapter.

Much of Rave involves the Rave Warriors fighting enemies using Dark Brings. Rave Master gets its in-series name from the five Rave Stones and the Rave Masters are considered wielders of the Holy Stones.

Chapter 3

Most of the other characters on this cover are in this series and I’ve talked about Griff and Nakajima. But Ruby the penguin isn’t. Before joining the Rave Warriors, he was the owner of a casino and tied in unknowingly tied to less than good affairs.

Let and Julia are members of Rave Master’s Dragon Race. Unlike dragon slayers, they’re closer to dragons. At 20, they look like hybrids between dragons and humans. After a year of training, they go through a special ritual. If they suceed, they’ll look more human; if they fail, they’ll look more like dragons.

Being corrupted by evil desires turns a man who wants to use the powers of creativity for himself into a lookalike of one of Mashima’s most copied off characters. Touche.

For those who don’t know, Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Edens Zero all have characters who bear a resemblance to Sieghart. Though we’ll get to that soon enough.

Chapter 4

Before releasing HERO’S, Mashima tweeted out a rough sketch of the cover picture with Weisz, Musica, and Gray.

Rebecca uses a few different types of guns. However, Edens Zero Happy is able to transform into a pair of blasters. As he’s currently on the Edens Zero, we get this line.

Part of Rebecca’s B-Cubing life revolves around playing video games. Tome Rider would no doubt be one of them.

Ichiya does break into his more muscular form every now and then in Fairy Tail.

Mosco was also held as a prisoner in Edens Zero, though he was held under much better conditions than he likely was here. Unfortunately, he didn’t get the best introduction to the EZ Crew.

“Greck” is a curse used in Rave Master. Depending on how you read Rave, you’ll see other curse words used...

Haru and Elie have a closest relationship than the hero and heroine couples of the three series. We get a glimpse of that in this chapter, calling back to a number of moments in Rave.

Note the “HK” on the arrow sling. These are Erza’s weapons and she has a bit of a contract with Heart Kreuz.

Pino does have the ability to disable electronic devices. While this is particularly helpful throughout Edens Zero, it’s of no use against these monsters.

If it wasn’t clear already, Natsu and Shiki not recognizing each other confirms that this works outside of a similar crossover Mashima did between Fairy Tail and Rave Master.

Chapter 5

Mashima does have an Aki and a Fuyu. Aki is a member of the Black Airs in Mashima’s Monster Soul and Mafuyu is the main character of Mashima’s one shot Combo Squad Mixture.

Incidentally, Mashima has two Shiki's. Before Edens Zero, he gave the name Shiki to the main character of Monster Hunter Orage. He’s also mentioned naming a character named Seison, which is French for seasons in an interview.

Plue exists across Mashima’s various universes in different forms, as early as Mashima’s first one-shot. In Fairy Tail, he’s one of Lucy’s minor spirits. In Edens Zero, Nikora is a species of dog that serve food at a restaurant. Mashima’s even joked about one being his own personal pet.

In Rave Master, Sieghart was a powerful magician that was important in understanding Elie’s abilites and backstories. He was one of Mashima’s favorite characters and he wasn’t happy with how he ended up in the series. He said that me might show up in another series.

Enter Jellal. He became a part of Fairy Tail’s magic council under the alias Siegrain. He went from villain to vigilante across the span of the series, even now as the sequel is running.

While they haven’t met, Shiki is likely aware of a character in his own universe named Justice who is part of the Interstellar Union Army. One of his prime targets is Elsie.

This chapter represents one of the missed opportunities of the Fairy Tail x Rave OVA. Let and Julia don’t know that Wendy and Natsu received their Dragon Slaying powers from actual dragons. They’re less apt to kill real dragons than others might be.

Chapter 6

Speaking of Dragon Slayers, Gajeel the Iron Dragon Slayer is shown playing chess. He’s accompanied by Levy McGarden and Panther Lily. Note the chess pieces have Plue icons on them and that Gajeel seems to be winning.

This is the clearest example of something I’ve said a number of times before: Mashima’s series aren’t interchangable. Haru’s goal is destroying the Dark Bring. Natsu’s goal is beating a powerful enemy. Shiki’s goal is finding his friend. Each of these goals makes sense given their characters and respective series universe.

As contentious as this was at the time it was released, it’s hard to say that Lucy is stronger than Wendy past the halfway point of the series. I wouldn’t compare her to Natsu, Gray, or especially Erza.

Elie has lower INT points than Mashima’s later female leads.

Gray and Musica’s meeting represents the most disappointing omission from the OVA for Fairy Tail x Rave. In that meeting, Musica notes the similarity between Gray’s necklace and one of the Rave stones. This was a nod to a plan Mashima had to make Gray a Rave Master in Fairy Tail.

As an Exceed, Carla has the ability to transform into a more human form. Of the Exceeds in the Fairy Tail guild, Happy is the only one unable to do this.

The Fairy Tail guild is used to fights in their guild hall. On a couple of occasions, the enemies have come to their guild hall for the fight.

I don’t want to talk about the many guild members in Fairy Tail in too much detail, but I’ll list the ones I’ve yet to talk about. 

Panel 1: Max Alors, Warren Rocko, Nab Lazaro

Panel 2: Mirajane, Lisanna, and Elfman Strauss

Panel 3: Juvia Lockser and Cana Alberona

Panel 4: Including the trio from the cover, Jet and Droy

Panel 5: Laki Olietta, Wakaba Mine, Romeo and Macao Conbolt, Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine, Bickslow, Evergreen, Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka Connel, Reedus Jonah

Panel 6: Makarov Dreyar

Fairy Tail’s Eighth Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar’s appearance suggests that this series takes place closer to the end of the series.

Shuda and Belnika are characters that join the Rave Warriors past the halfway point of the series. Shuda started out as a member of Rave Master’s Oracion Six, but later reforms and joins the Rave Warriors. Belnika is a mage who has the ability to use healing magic.

Chapter 7

Belnika and Wendy share a cover with Hermit from Rave Master. While Mashima has drawn a Twitter sketch of Hermit and Wendy together, the more interesting connection is between Wendy and Belnika. In addition to both being primarily support mages, Wendy buys a Belnika doll in the Fairy Tail x Rave OVA.

Elie learns to shoot magic bullets out her tonfa blasters very late in the series.

Fact: this isn’t the first time Natsu’s used his hands to cover Lucy’s naked boobs. Unfortunately, this wasn’t his last.

Shiki is deathly afraid of bugs. It gets bad at times.

Elie has been shown to be an especially skilled dancer, even winning an in-series dance contest. Though, it’s hard to call her a “nude dancer”.

While I’ve mentioned the out-of-series reason for the series name. In-series, it’s worth recognizing that HEROS allows all three series protagonists reach their goals.

This broadcast is coming from the Edens Zero. On board, we see Edens Zero’s version of Happy along with three of the Demon King’s Four Shining Stars: Hermit, “the Mind of Edens”, Witch, “the Shield of Edens”, and Sister Irvy, “the Life of Edens”.

Witch calls Shiki the Demon King. He inherited the title from his adoptive grandfather, along with his Ether Gear powers.

Chapter 8

This is an interesting cover with series baddies. Lucia Raregroove ended up being the final villain of Rave Master. Zeref is responsible for much of the mischief in Fairy Tail. Ziggy is the former Demon King from Edens Zero. We haven’t seen enough of Ziggy for me to say that he truly belongs in the same company as these guys, but I doubt “Demon King” was a nice title.

Remember what I said about Elie’s INT points? When Let joined the Rave Warriors, she called him “Mr. Alligator” as he was in his half-dragonized form.

Natsu’s a much bigger fan of fighting people than Shiki or Haru. His personal preference is tests of skill as opposed to battles to the death.

Weisz is fairly pervy in his own right. It wouldn’t be wrong to say he is like Griff in those regards.

Dual Explosions is part of a techinque where Haru combines the abilities of his swords together. Here, the properties of Blue Crimson and Explosion are combined.

It’s worth recognizing that Genesis is obviously corrupted by magic and coming up with spells that come from other series. Sema is one of Jellal’s spells.

Elie doesn’t have as much qualms about being “the weak one“ as Lucy and Rebecca do. In fact, one big issue she has with her friends is that they seem to want to protect her, as opposed to wanting her to help them.

Chapter 9

Very funny, Mashima. Here’s the order: top left is Genesis, top right is Jellal Fernandez from Fairy Tail, bottom left is Sieghart Caesar from Rave, and bottom right is Justice from Edens Zero.

A bit of perspective is worth recognizing. Rebecca is from x492 and the guild she’s apart of is 50 years old. Fairy Tail ends at x793 and a good amount of the set up for the series events takes place about 400 years before the series starts. The Rave Master timeline starts with the birth of a character named Resha Valentine who was born about 70 years before the series starts.

I’ll admit I didn’t know this on my own. The gods refer to other mangakas in Monthly Shonen Magazine. George Morikawa writes Hajime no Ippo, Yuuji Terajima writes Ace of Diamond, Seo Kouji writes Fuuka, and Kei Sagusa writes Domestic Girlfriend.

Note the difference in the descriptions of stories: Rave’s focus is on finding the Rave Stones, Fairy Tail’s focus is on the guild, and Edens Zero’s is on the journey through space.

Being a mangaka is notoriously difficult work. We see that manifested in a bit of Lord Mashmyre’s history.

Much of Elie’s personal quest in Rave Master is regaining her own memories. That’s all I’m going to say on that.

It’s worth mentioning that the Edens Zero’s secret weapon is called Etherion. Unfortunately, they can’t use it now as there are only three of the Four Shining Stars currently on the Edens Zero.

We’ll get to Rave Master’s Etherion, but in Fairy Tail, Etherion was a special weapon used by the Magic Council capable of destroying entire countries.

“Ducky” is another series specific saying, this time from Rebecca. She’s the only one that says it.

My favorite moment of the series is Plue being thrown to destroy Oasis. In Rave Master, Plue’s nose is well known for destroying Dark Bring.

While Lucy and Elie are both adept magic users, Rebecca is just starting to get the hang of her Ether Gear power. However, Ether Gear works very similar to magic in other series, hence her ability to help in this situation.

Grand Chariot is a spell shared by both Siegrain and Jellal.

Chapter 10

Shuda has a bit of personal interest in the safety of Haru, as the person responsible for his changing to the light. Among other reasons...

As I’ve previously mentioned, Haru and Elie are the only one of the main duos to become an official couple, as of the time I’m writing this. (Fans of Fairy Tail may notice my self-restraint.)

I should mention that Let and Julia are also lovers in Rave Master.

Juvia’s had a number of perceived threats to a romantic relationship with Gray starting the same chapter they first met. While Pino might seem like a weird rival, she’s also considered another Exceed named Frosch to be a love rival.

Erza’s bunny costume makes yet another appearance in a crossover between Fairy Tail and Rave. Yeah, this was a thing there as well.

Speaking of that crossover, Elie considered Happy to be a bug when she first saw him then. In her defense, she also thought Plue was a bug the first time she saw him. Wait...

Gray’s master is Ur Milkovich, one of the strongest Ice Wizards. Homura’s master is Valkyrie Yura, a member of the Demon King’s Shining Stars, the Sword of Edens.

Weisz is a fan of bunny girl outfits. As part of a wager, he got Homura to wear a bunny girl outfit.

I’ve yet to talk about the various types of swords that the Ten Commandments turns into in this series.

Eisenmeteor - base sword.

Explosion - sword that causes explosions

Silfarion - speed-enhancing sword

Runsave - sword that cuts through intangible objects

Melforce - pushes enemies away

Blue Crimson -fire sword and ice sword

Gravity Core - sword with gravity abilites

Shiki’s quite an ugly crier. He has plenty good reason to cry about friends, given his own series.

Note how Mashymre’s final words correpsond with the series: talk of worlds for Edens Zero, talk of people for Fairy Tail, and talk of tasks for Rave Master.

Lucy is also an author. Fans of Edens Zero might have noticed her breakout hit novel “Iris Adventure” as an easter egg in a chapter.

Bonus Chapter

Along with Symphonia in the last chapter, Song Continent displays how the names in Rave Master were based around music theme

Weirdly enough, both the time Lucy and Elie were naked are tied to spoilery events. Suffice it to say, these actually happened and neither case was of their own will.

Remember when I said heat training would matter later? Homura sees being in the spa as “part of her training”.

Etherion is Elie’s special magic in Rave Master. Incidentally, the number 3173 is important to understanding both. Even as it’s not the Etherion Hermit or Irvy know, it’s likely as potent.

Lucy joins the ranks of Edens Zero Happy and Homura as people who have completed the “Mind Numbing Torture and Pleasure Massage” and live.

Lucy has poor luck when it comes to setting traps for people in Fairy Tail.

Rebecca is shown to be as big of an eater as Shiki in Edens Zero. Being drawn by the smell of food makes sense for her.

This wouldn’t be the first time Elie has been accidentally seen bathing by Haru.

The shot of Haru and Elie holding hands is a call back to a moment in the manga where they fall asleep holding hands. Mashima also drew a similar moment with Natsu and Lucy as part of a cover, but without the hand holding.

Xiaomei serves as the narrator for Edens Zero and Mavis Vermillion was the first guild master for Fairy Tail.

While we’ve seen most of the men in this final page, Lazenby the White Demon makes an appearance from Rave Master. He also appeared in the OVA version of Fairy Tail x Rave.

This was supposed to be only 43 fun details to celebrate his birthday. I got carried away.

Hopefully I can talk about HERO’S more in the future. I talk a lot about Fairy Tail on this blog and have done chapter reviews of Edens Zero on charlierejouis. I do plan on talking about Rave in the future, as I’m currently collecting the physical volumes of the series (against my better judgement).

Mashima’s managed to make a number of amazing worlds across his career as a mangaka and I’m excited to see what he does next. Here’s to more years of health and happines!

[kyogre-blue]

Anonymous said: So I know you're really not into Fairy Tail rn, but I'm sort of testing the waters in this garbage fire fandom and all I can find fic-wise is romance stuff. Can you rec any plotty/worldbuilding type fics that are mostly gen? Thanks ahead of time, and sorry if this bugs you. I have no idea who else I could ask.

That was basically my FT experience too. I might have been gentler on the series as a whole if it had good fic to distract me from canon.

Admittedly, I only looked at things that 1) focused on Gray (not a particularly popular or interesting character) and 2) didn’t include much Juvia (because I didn’t want to even risk being reminded of the hell pairing). If I had been looking at stuff focused on Natsu or Lucy or Erza, I might have had more luck. (But no, The Fave is Gray. sigh) 

I can’t really think of anything either? Here’s some odds and ends from stuff I put in favorites on FFN, but take them with a grain of salt.

EXNativo‘s two stories, Melting Hours and Swords, Scales & Spooky Spirits, are pretty long and fairly plotty. The humor was kind of a miss for me (not my style), but it’s worth giving it a shot.

Mnemosyne's Elegy writes a lot of gen and fair amount of plot, although it’s very... angsty? It’s kind of, hm, cerebral? There’s a lot of hurt/comfort and angst, but there’s also a lot of fic too, so a lot to choose from.

I liked the idea behind Astrum by PantherLydi. It’s actually about Lucy getting targeted by Angel before she leaves to join FT and getting pulled into the Magical Council (as an assistant) as a result of catching such a wanted criminal. And then there’s Siegrain hijinks. It’s actually still romance, but it’s interesting.

One With The Ice by Steampunkd7 is Gray and Lyon gen set after the anime Dragonoid arc. It doesn’t account for Gray’s Tartaros backstory, being old.

Aaand that’s about all I have. tbh the longest, most involved FT fics I read were Gratsu smut :/

Can anyone else rec stuff? (esp for characters who aren’t Gray, hahaha)

[thenightofcups]

On the subject of Jellal’s arc

I've seen some Jellal commentary lately that's kinda raised my eyebrows. There's several points I want to make here and to avoid a tangental rant I'm going to address the biggest three issues I have.

Redemption. What does this mean in Fairy Tail as a manga and what does it mean for Jellal specifically?

Jellal vs. Siegrain. Is this a versus or are they both pieces of the same whole?

Moving forward. Where can Jellal go from here?

REDEMPTION

One of the overlying themes of Fairy Tail as a manga is friendship and forgiveness. Depending on who you ask these things may or may not be executed well.

There's a handful of notable redemption arcs in FT. Laxus and Gajeel have perhaps the most important arcs when it comes to main and secondary characters. Less important, quaternary redemption arcs, like Minerva and my girl Brandish, stand out, as well. Then there's Jellal.

In my opinion, Jellal can be classified as secondary or tertiary, depending on the arc. His relevance usually has something to do with Erza, and he packs a mighty punch. For a character that's secondary on his very Best Day Ever, Jellal has one of the largest and most developed redemption arcs in the series. We've seen him as a charismatic child slave, an obnoxiously arrogant tool of Hades, a kind hearted amnesiac, a self loathing penitent anti-hero, and whatever he is now (I'd classify current!Jellal as on the cusp of completion).

The crimes associated with him are many and include the manipulation of a government body into firing a weapon of mass destruction. There's a lot of debate surrounding these activities and honestly it's super exhausting. Remember, though! Jellal is the only character with a redemption arc (besides perhaps Zeref) who was magically manipulated on a neurological level to commit his crimes. Laxus was abused by his asshole dad. Gajeel was an angry youth who was given an improper outlet. Minerva was also terribly abused by an ain't shit dad. None of these other kids were actual slaves nor were they violated by a magic taught to yet another victim expressly for the purpose of brainwashing (this term is also widely debated and I'll touch on that later).

What's a guy – who's agency was quite literally stripped from him for more than half his life – have to do to earn redemption? According to many in the FT fandom, nothing will ever be enough. I've seen folks say he's heinously unforgivable and can only bring Erza sadness despite canon evidence to the contrary. More than once we've seen Erza state how much she cares about and for Jellal, show appreciation for his efforts, and actual concern for his lack of care in keeping himself hidden from prying eyes.

Why is it so easy for fans to forgive Laxus and Gajeel, but not Jellal? I sure don't know the answer. He has been instrumental in assisting (and saving the life of) the protagonist [Natsu] in a plot relevant battle.

He has saved Erza's life and wreaked havoc in the wake of her injuries...

Time...

And time...

Again.

He has provided crucial assistance to the Magic Council when necessary and followed their rules.

He has been weighed and judged by Mavis and found to have a heart worthy of Fairy Tail.

He not only saves Kagura's life...

...but she later saves his!

What more do you people want? Is this not enough? He has earned the trust and approval of the characters that matter. This is redemption over the course of hundreds of chapters. This is forgiveness. He has earned both. I don't think it's been done poorly. Remember the real-time time line of FT is about two years. I don't think his story has fallen flat at all. In fact, Jellal and Erza are a really good example of love and understanding when it comes to mental illness, trauma recovery, and boundaries.

Jellal does not expect Erza to fix him. He's taken it upon himself to handle his own shit – to right his wrongs as best he can. He's not forcing her into that emotional labor. And like... wow. What a guy. Can actual men take note of this please? Because damn. Erza understands his problems and she loves him (and cares about his well being) so much she has waited for him.

I can't understand the opinion that Jerza is somehow toxic. Are we reading the same manga?

JELLAL vs. SIEGRAIN

When we first meet Jellal as Siegrain, he's an arrogant asshole. He and Ultear display the kind of casual supremacy that only a young person with position and ability – that they likely don't deserve – can pull off. He shows a weird kind of amused affection for Fairy Tail and stops the council from punishing them more harshly for the destruction they regularly cause.

Siegrain's first interaction with Erza is super creepy but foreshadows what happens later with Jellal in his corporeal form at the Tower of Heaven. It's a hint that Erza has a nasty backstory she's keeping secret and that it has something to do with Siegrain. He is very much in her personal space here and the argument can be made that even under Ultear’s control, Jellal is still drawn to Erza. The full story doesn't come until later, though.

In the flashbacks during the ToH arc we see a young Jellal. He is kind. He is friendly. He is charismatic, and in the recent past, he convinced a group of terrified child slaves that they absolutely could escape to freedom – because he genuinely believed they could. He cares deeply for his friends, especially Erza, and when she is tortured to the point of losing an eye, it is Jellal who comes for her and finds her in horrible shape. In the background of the panel below it's pretty clear what Jellal has done to get to her.

These are children approximately 10-12 in age who are living a nightmare that, even by FT's standards, is pretty damn horrible. Jellal is well liked and trusted. Erza cares enough about him to seek him out in return – only to find he's a different person. Between chapters 80-83 Jellal changes utterly. He goes from what Erza describes as her ideal –

To something... else.

While Erza is finding her claws, Jellal is tied up and tortured. He's whipped and beaten and is forced to endure the retelling of what these same guards had done to Erza.

This kind of bleak horror would drive anyone's soul to it's knees. Jellal is about 12 here. He is a child slave on a fucking rock in the middle of the ocean. He tried to rescue a friend he loves only to find her bloodied and missing an eye. For this crime of compassion, he's tortured by the very same people. He. Is. Twelve.

How could a grown person resist the sweet call of revenge by a specter who appears before them claiming to be the ghost of a god, much less a distraught child? Of course he hates the world. Why shouldn't he? I know I hate the world and for so many less valid reasons!

The anime shows the scene where Ultear possesses Jellal very differently than the manga so for the sake of continuity I'm sticking with the manga. By the time Erza finds him, the Jellal she knew has been warped.

Whatever magic Ultear used on Jellal is never explained in detail. In chapter 95, Ultear is speaking with Hades and she thanks him for teaching her a brainwashing technique. The Oxford definition of brainwashing is: “the activity of forcing somebody to accept your ideas or beliefs, for example by repeating the same thing many times or by preventing the person from thinking clearly.” I'm not sure if that meaning entirely defines what happened to Jellal. Ultear appeared to him at a time when Jellal was at his weakest. He was in pain, his heart was broken, his spirit was broken. She offered him an outlet for his rage – but she also lied.

Would Jellal have let her in if he'd been in any other circumstance? Probably not. And it wouldn't matter anyway because Ultear lied. She wasn't Zeref. Nor did she even have a grasp of who Zeref truly was. In fact, Ultear was also a tool much like Jellal – but without the brainwashing magic. She's a product of good old fashioned grooming. He could not possibly have known her true intent of manipulating him for nearly a decade, and hurting a lot of people Jellal previously cared about in the process. If given the full scope of things, would he have let her in? No.

This is basic consent. Jellal was a slave. Slaves cannot give consent. Not ever. They are property. They do not have choices. Jellal could not give Ultear – a person who was not a slave – permission to enter his body or mind and change his goals and decision making processes. For argument's sake, let's take away the slavery element. Jellal is in a random basement dungeon. Still tied up. Still thinking his friends are dead. Still tortured and hating the world. Ultear pops in, lies, and slips in his head. This is still not consent. Her intentions are not made clear to him. He lets her in under completely false pretenses. Any and all arguments that Jellal is somehow to blame for Ultear manipulating him are invalid and should be burned to the ground immediately. Salt that bullshit earth!

All that aside, Ultear is now in his head. Siegrain is born. Is Siegrain really all that different from Jellal? Mmm... not really. Jellal and Siegrain are both parts of the same whole. Siegrain is just as charismatic as Jellal. He's very good at getting what he wants from the council. He is a toxic cocktail of Ultear's desires, and qualities we know Jellal had already. Heroes and villains are shockingly alike when picked apart. Both have ambition and drive. Well written heroes have a darker side, and a well written villain has a core of humanity. Siegrain is a manipulation of Jellal. It only takes a few tweaks to turn a full bodied hero into a nasty villain. Ultear found the right spots, and squeezed.

I have no doubts that if he'd been allowed to grow up without Ultear's and Hades's intervention, Jellal would've developed the same anti-hero tendencies we see from him in the most current arcs. In chapter 416, Jellal tells Erza she'll survive because she has seen the best and worst parts of humanity and understands them. He encourages her to continue her walk in the light.

Even as he says this, he takes his place in the shadows. He knows he is needed there.

Jellal is the kind of guy who will take a bullet for the team. It's just who he is as a person and even before he was brainwashed by Ultear he was struggling to take Erza's bullets.

The line between good and evil is pretty thin. Characteristics alone don't make a person a hero or villain. When boiled down, Siegrain and Jellal are the same person. Intent doesn't always equal result, but result doesn't always have to define a person. Jellal struggles with what defines him. He's made some questionable decisions since regaining control of himself but he is well aware that he toes the line.

I've said before that Jellal is an idealist. He's romanticized his goals and ambitions on a ridiculously impractical scale. This isn't too different than a possessed Jellal. He was positively heretical and had wildly romanticized the idea of Zeref's magic. Idealism on steroids.

MOVING FORWARD

Jellal's stated goal has always been to take down Zeref. He's hellbent on it. The reason for this is pretty clear. He associates Zeref and the zealotry his followers display with everything that went wrong in his life and the lives of the people he loves. I said in a [previous post] that this aspect of Jellal's arc is a bit of a plot hole. Zeref didn't create this dark magic. He was cursed for dabbling in it. We haven't seen too much of pre-curse Zeref but the things he did aren't much different than other characters in other stories (EG: Edward and Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist). As I said before, a well written villain has a root in humanity that is somewhat relatable to the audience. That's what makes them scary!

I digress. Crime Sorciere cannot possibly take out all dark magic practitioners any more than a single police department can take out crime in any given city. It's just not plausible. I'm repeating myself here but August addressed this in chapter 509. He scoffs at Jellal's light vs. dark conundrum.

August is right. Jellal can't save the entire world. What he can do is find redemption in love. This is Jellal's crux. He's earned forgiveness from relevant parties – but he's not really expressed whether or not he's forgiven himself. He has done more than anyone could possibly ask of him in order to atone for what was done in his name. Even Kagura has decided his life has worth!

I believe Mashima has set Jellal up to have a happy ending with Erza. When I started reading FT the Avatar arc had just ended. There's a gap between the interpretations of those who binge and those who've read serially for years. Serial consumers have time to stew and get hung up on things that are sometimes hard to let go of. I binged so I was able to consume the meatiest bits of Jellal's story all at once. I don't think it's been poorly executed. I don't think any of it has fallen flat. There is absolutely no point to Kagura saving Jellal's life on her own, without prompting, if Mashima did not intend to wrap up Jellal's arc in a positive way. We even have a canon confession of love.

He implicitly says he has finally found the light in his heart. He's found light. Inside of himself. Jellal loves Erza and has vowed to protect her – and has! Against Acnologia no less! Jellal has all the materials necessary to complete his arc. I have absolute faith this will happen.

I mean...

[procellasdracon]

Here's an AU drabble for you - instead of Siegrain pushing for Erza's arrest for the Eisenwald/Lullaby debacle, Ultear manipulates him into suggesting to make Natsu the scapegoat instead. I'll pretty much let you have free reign from there. Could be a flirty NatUl drabble; you could have Erza get suspicious/jealous of Ultear's interaction with the Dragon Slayer (and subsequently act rashly, to 'save' him from her clutches); could even turn into a harem. Whatever you want it to be. ^__^

“Everyone stay where you are~ I am an emissary from the Magic Council~” The messenger glanced briefly at the red-headed armored mage then to the pink-haired youth. **That must be him.** “For 11 crimes committed during the recent Eisenwald Incident, including the destruction of public property, Natsu Dragneel, you are hereby under arrest!”

“What!?”

“…I guess they finally had enough of him,” one mage whispered.

“Yeah, he’s definitely going to the slammer,” another whispered back.

“We tried to tell him…”

Natsu looked ready to fight but Erza placed a hand on his shoulder. “Erza…!”

“Don’t you worry Natsu,” she gave a reassuring smile. “I shall come along as well.”

“Um, you can’t come along, this is official Council business,” the messenger tried to say but all they got was a decidedly evil stare from the red-head.

“I. Am. Coming. Along,” she bit out each word, punctuated by a finger jab to the poor creature. When she stood straight again, she saw Master Makarov waving her over. “Yes Master?”

“You think something is fishy about this as well,” he kept his eyes on Natsu, who was yelling at Gray. His prized mage nodded in agreement.

“With all the damage that Natsu has been responsible for in the past, it doesn’t make sense to single him out for this one, especially in light of the deeds he performed in protecting the Guild Masters.”

“Aye,” Makarov grunted. “Be sure to keep an eye on him and don’t let him get into any more trouble up there.”

“Yes Master,” she bowed and walked back over to Natsu. “Come on, we have a long carriage ride ahead of us.”

“Ca-carriage…? Oh man, that is enough punishment right there…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll do the usual to you. The ride will be over before you know it.”

“I don’t get it,” Gray called to her, “Why are you going Erza? If you’re going, Lucy and I should also be going too. For once it wasn’t just Flamebrain on this one.”

“He’s right,” Lucy spoke up. “We all should be arrested.

“It’s okay you two,” Master Makarov interjected. “You two don’t have anything to worry about. And if Natsu behaves, neither will he.”

“Grandpa, what do you mean by that,” the Dragon Slayer questioned but Erza gave his jacket a tug.

“Just come along, Natsu. Trust me.”

Ultear let her exposed leg bounce up and down as she watched the carriage roll into the courtyard. “Finally, they are here,” she smiled, watching them pull Natsu Dragneel from the carriage. Her eyebrows raised when she saw a female red-haired mage also exit from the carriage. ”Hnn, interesting.” Her lips turned upward in a smirk. “I told you she’d come,” she raised her voice to the other occupant of the room.

“‘She’? You mean Erza Scarlet did come?” Siegrain questioned. “Hmph, did she come because of that Dragon Slayer? Or was it that ‘other’ thing…”

“Aw, someone’s not the favorite anymore,” Ultear teased, enjoying watching him twitch. “I’m going to go greet them,” she announced, rising to her feet.

“And what has you so interested in them?”

“Hnn, they are not boring? Honestly, staying here all the time is frightfully droll. That and,” she added with a smile, “I happen to like the color pink.” With that, Ultear Milkovich disappeared through the doorway.Siegrain sighed at her antics. Bad enough he was suppose to work with her as a fellow Council Member but when something or in this case, someone, struck her fancy, she’d go through many lengths to acquire her new play thing. He could almost feel sorry for the young Dragon Slayer. Almost… Speaking of, he better make sure that his own ‘play thing’ would continue to adhere to the rules of their own game.

“Uwaah, this place is huge~” Natsu turned around while walking, trying to see all the towers and parapets that surrounded the compound. This was the first time that he had been here and thanks to Erza knocking him out, he was relatively fine.

“Natsu, keep up,” she admonished him slightly, keeping pace with the rest of his guards. “Now is not the type for sight-seeing.”

“Okay okay,” he muttered, looking at her. “When do I get these things off,” he waved the magic locks on his wrists and ankles.

“You don’t,” a feminine voice answered him, echoing from around the hall. “Well, you’re not suppose to as long as you’re under arrest.”

“Show yourself,” Erza called, her eyes already glancing back and forth, trying to pin-point the source of the voice.

“Oh you can stop that,” Ultear smiled as she walked out from behind a pillar, arms crossed. “I’m right here - I was just joking.” Smiling she walked straight up to Natsu, unmindful of the guards bowing to her as she appraoched. Natsu found himself leaning back a bit as she got within his personal space. “Hmmm~ So you’re the famous ‘Salamander’ of Fairy Tail, huh.” Her eyes roamed up and down unabashed. “You’re pretty cute~”

“Uh, thanks?” Natsu was confused as to why the weird but pretty woman just suddenly came up to him like that.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell us who you are,” Erza bit out, pulling Natsu away from the raven-haired woman and placing herself in between them. The smile the woman gave her in return only raised her hackles even more.

“My name is Ultear Milkovich,” the woman bowed. “I am one of the Council Members who will be sitting in on Natsu-kun’s trial here.”

“’Natsu-kun’,” Erza’s voice carried a slight growl to it, “was arrested unjustly and I have come to make sure that he is not mistreated or taken advantage of by the Council.”

“Awe, that’s so sweet,” Ultear clapped her hands. “Truly the lengths for which your guild will go for each other is not exaggerated.” She leaned in closer to Erza. “I’d tag along too to make sure no one else tried to snatch up what was mine,” she added with a knowing wink. The reaction she got was priceless.

“H-he and I-I are not like that,” Erza’s face had turned as red as her namesake.

Ultear held a finger to her lips in a pensive pose. “Hn, really? You’d go so far just for a friend? I guess that means… that I can have him?”

“NO!” For whatever reason, this ‘Ultear’ was making Erza very ticked off with her insistent questions and mannerisms. “He is not a ‘thing’ for you to play around with!”

“Eh, but you said you weren’t ‘together’ together, so why can’t I?”

“Ultear, that’s enough teasing for one day,” Siegrain walked up towards them. Immediately Erza bristled but instead of stepping up, she took a step back, an action that alerted Natsu to the change in her demeanor. “You said you were going to say ‘hi’ and that was it.”

“Mou, I don’t want you interrupting my fun, Siegrain,” Ultear turned around to face him. “And you’re already inside? How boring.”

“We’re about to start so you should head in as well,” he told her. “Oh, bring Natsu in with you.” That got a smile out of her.

“‘Kay,” she reached for Natsu’s chain and tried to pull, but Natsu pulled his arms out of her reach just in time. “Natsu-kun?”

Not keeping his eyes off of Siegrain, the Dragon Slayer put himself between Erza and the blue-haired man with an intense glare. “Whatever you have to say to Erza, you can say with me here,” he growled. Siegrain looked amused more than anything before he glanced over Natsu to Erza.

“Heh heh, Erza, tell your little guard dog to stand down. The grown-ups have some things to discuss.”

“What d’you say,” Natsu snarled, taking a step forward but Erza’s hand on his shoulder stopped him just in time. “Erza…?”

“It’s…okay. I’ll be along shortly, Natsu.” More than anything she did not want to speak with this man his words hid a very real threat towards not only here, but her former friends from 8 years ago… “Honest. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he told her, startling her with his insight. “…I really don’t want to leave you alone with this guy. I don’t care if it’s a projection or not.”

“Natsu…” She closed her eyes momentarily as she leaned her head forward against his. “Thank you,” she whispered in gratitude, “but I do have to discuss something with him. I’ll be right behind you.”

Natsu grumbled, annoyed that whoever this blue-haired guy was, he was able to force Erza to do something she plainly didn’t want to. He turned back to Siegrain, his eyes flashing. “Hurt her and no Council alive will stop me,” he swore before he walked off with a surprised Ultear who followed after him.

“Pleasant fellow,” Siegrain remarked sarcastically before looking back at Erza. He frowned at the expression he saw on her face as she was looking at Natsu walking through the doors. It was by far the most gentle expression he had seen on her in the past 8 years. He remembered when he was the one on the receiving end of that look. “Erza,” he spoke in a harsh manner, bringing her attention back to him. “You haven’t forgotten our pact from all those years ago, correct?”

“I haven’t,” she replied softly. “I was not planning on bringing it up…” She left the rest of her sentence hanging in the air and Siegrain sighed.

“Look, I wanted just you here, not Natsu Dragneel but other people,” he spared a glance at the doors, “thought it would do more good to get the most troublesome mage here to conduct this ‘trial’ of sorts.”

“So this is just for show,” Erza took a deep breath and let it out. “Was it that woman Ultear who requested Natsu to be the one?”

“Yes, she was,” he admitted. “She got the Chancellor on her side so that’s why he’s here.” He looked back at her and took a step forward. “I’ll make sure that you two are not formally charged. In exchange, you keep quiet about our little ‘secret’, hm?” Erza’s silent scowl was all the answer he needed before he too vanished from her sight.

She really REALLY wanted to punch someone right now but that would have to wait. Not only was Siegrain here but it seems that another Council Member had set their sights upon a mage of Fairy Tail. Just another thing that she and Natsu shared between them. She seethed at remembering that woman’s blatant attempts to flirt with the pink-haired young man. As luck would have it, he either wasn’t aware of her attempts or he ignored them altogether. She knew that Natsu was a handsome young man but attention from her could only lead to bad things happening for him. She only hoped that he would not be swayed by her. She clapped both her hands together on her face. “Okay Erza, get it together,” she told herself. With that, she went inside the court room …

Wow, got me writing serious here… :p Oh well, I guess I wanted to write something like this for a long time. And it was getting to be troublesome remembering I had to write ‘Siegrain’ instead of ‘Jellal’ the entire time.

[yamishika]

100YQ Rant/Criticism

SPOILERS FOR FT 100YQ INCLUDED

I have been following FT 100YQ and have seen a lot of moments that just made me go ‘hmm okay, doesn’t make sense but alright’, and there have been a lot of moments of just the plot/narrative being broken for convenience sake. It has gotten under my skin many times, but as a Jellal fan, one of the biggest offenses and one that makes me scratch my head a lot is from chapter 144.  Don't read ahead if you don't want to be spoiled about a big reveal on his character or on 100YQ.

144 : Beyond Sins.

Now initially when this chapter came out, I really loved it since it was the first time we had a backstory in ages and it being Jellal’s, I ate it all up.

But there was something in this chapter that made absolutely no sense narrative wise when I looked back with fresh eyes and wasn’t riding the high of getting Jellal’s backstory/anything Jellal related.

That being.

This panel.

We’re told not even a page into the chapter, Jellal’s real name is ‘Siegrain’, a name which we know from the previous narrative and was hinted throughout arcs to be like an alter persona for Jellal. 

This chapter goes on to basically confirm that Jellal canonically has DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), a trauma response that must have manifested given all the stress and changes that happened in his life from losing his father young, watching his mother die by the slavers and then being taken into slavery, having his whole trajectory he planned for his life ruined etc. 

This is an understandable trauma response, and I would love to have seen it properly explored with understanding in regards to Jellal/Sieg’s character. It would have been so interesting to see how Jellal’s trauma at the tower manifested in a split personality and how he coped with the situation as he was cited to be notably different to all those around him 

‘A Leader’

‘One who doesn’t cry’

‘The strong boy’. 

This chapter basically confirms that this character he created was a way to mask his own insecurities and cope in the unknown environment.

However, that’s not where my gripe is.

Because as much as I was interested in the idea of Jellal’s trauma manifesting as DID, it’s the way that the narrative has gone about it which butchers everything else and makes no sense in a narration sense.

The man who we are told his name has always been ‘Jellal’ is now revealed to us by this flashback chapter to have actually had the name ‘Siegrain’ as his birth name. 

This on it’s own is boggling but wouldn’t have caused such breaks in the narrative, but the fact that this very chapter contradicts a chapter in a previous arc with Jellal in the Gears fight, this is where it just stops making sense.

In order to beat Gears in chapter 57, Jellal takes out ‘Siegrain’, the man whom he claims is the carrier of his sins, which in accordance to other arcs of Fairy Tail makes sense since we see the Siegrain persona being the most active in regards to infiltrating the magic council, getting the etherion fired etc.

But now we have in not even 100 chapters after this, it’s revealed to us that Jellal’s name isn’t Jellal at all, but ‘Siegrain’. How can Siegrain be the one carrying Jellal’s sins, when Siegrain is the main identity/person  that Jellal was created from? 

It just doesn’t add up.

And if that isn’t narrative breaking enough, Jellal’s name actually being ‘Siegrain’ causes a whole other narrative hole too.

This guy.

Mystogan.

Mystogan’s real name is Jellal, just like if not all Edolan counterparts share the same first name of their earthland counterparts (e.g. Natsu Dragion, Lucy Ashely, Erza Knightwalker, Gray Surge etc). But being told now all of a sudden that Jellal changed his birth name doesn't work for Mystogan, as are we meant to believe that Mystogan conveniently changed his name to be ‘Jellal’ to match his earthland counterpart who was going through a mental crisis?

Mystogan, the one who’s whole thing was to keep his identity hidden and it’s Faust, the one who calls him out the name as Jellal. The one who is meant to be his father/father figure? Mystogan, who somehow has the name Jellal, a name Erza wasn’t even allowed to mention out of the Tower, which makes sense for him to have it if his counterpart had that birth name, but apparently that’s not the case?

I know I am probably just beating a dead horse now and I should get over it, but I just needed to write something since my head was struggling to make sense of the reveal for a long time. I don’t know what exactly is added to the story by Jellal’s birth name being ‘Siegrain’ other than shock value. Like what does this plot twist actually do? Nothing.

Other than it just makes the whole narrative so messy now and I don’t like it. If the aspect of DID was to be introduced for Jellal’s character, then what was wrong with Jellal being the host? And Siegrain being the alter that manifested as a trauma response?

It could have been something intriguing and insightful to explore, bring awareness about different trauma responses and also add a new layer to his character beyond just extremes of misguidance and the need for redemption.

But no.

God this just makes no sense.

I’m sorry for ranting, after seeing the Gears fight animated, it reminded me of THAT reveal and I just saw glaring plot holes which I completely blindsided the first time I read the chapter.  And what makes me even more annoyed is the DID aspect is probably just another plot convenience that is most likely never going to be brought up again ever.

And I’ve already said how I don’t like something serious such as trauma being used as a plot device.

Which it clearly is in this case.

The only way I can make sense of both events existing, is that it shows that Siegrain is so disassociated from his sense of self, that he has decided to adopt the identity of Jellal completely, killing his born self for the sake of the present and going as far to believe that Siegrain is the made one and not 'Jellal'.

However then that opens up a whole new discussion...One I might cover another day, but i'm afraid this is getting long enough as it is.

But yeah, thank you for listening to my ramblings if you’ve stayed this long.

I wonder if anyone else felt the same about the reveal as someone who likes Jellal's character? Or just has been following the story? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

[mjwiththefangs]

Beautifully Deadly (NaLu) #4

Chapter 4

Vampire/Supernatural AU

Rating: M

Summary:  "Supposedly an entire kingdom disappeared when their queen went beyond the borders, remember?" When Natsu Dragneel leaves the kingdom to investigate mysterious disappearances, he finds a much bigger adventure than he was bargaining for, including a beautiful vampire hidden away in an ancient castle. She has little to say about her past, or why she's locked away. Who did this to her? What has she been feeding on? One thing Natsu knows for sure that she is dangerous... Could she have something to do with the disappearances? "I'm sorry, Natsu, but I'm just so thirsty."

Chapters: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6

Read it on: AO3 & FF.net

A/N: Hello again! First of all, shout out to @bmarvels and @mannyegb ; Thank you both so much for Beta-reading this one for me and helping me out with it! And a huge thank you to @the-savior-swan for your help when i got stuck with a paragraph!

Secondly, Im so sorry that this one took so long! But, of course, thank you all for your patience, and your lovely reviews <3 ! This chapter is longer than the last one, I'm working on getting more words into my chapters as they progress; Let me know you all think! Oh, and before i forget; the sword mentioned, its name means “archangel” in japanese, and I made up the name of the metal from “Engel” (hard ‘G’), which is the old english word for Angel :) Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading (and hope you thought it was worth the wait!) See you in the next one.

A heavy sigh filled the air in the King’s study. Igneel sat down at his desk, sinking into the plush leather chair, running his hands down his tired face. If ever there had been a Dragon carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, Igneel was him.

He narrowed his eyes on the communications lacrima on the oak desk. His call had not gone quite as expected. As for what he had expected, well, he wasn't sure.

He was just painfully aware that his plans had to be put on hold for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, the receiving end of his call had been understanding for the most part. The wise old King suspected that they were growing impatient, however.

A frown was cast on his sharp features, he had been careful and meticulous in his arrangements. Perhaps something had missed his attention, whilst he had been preoccupied with the welfare of his people and the disappearances. Perhaps focusing on the disappearances and in turn trying to raise morale in the kingdom had driven him to rush his plans, maybe he’d been sloppy. Perhaps the young Prince had misunderstood his concerns.

Natsu.

His Son was certainly headstrong and stubborn. Igneel knew that Natsu suffered as their people vanished and losing his friends had been the last straw. Igneel understood that. He just wasn't prepared for Natsu to abruptly leave and investigate alone.

A sharp rap on the door stole his attention. He cast his eyes towards the door, rumbling ‘Come in’ as he did.

The door creaked open, and a tall woman entered. She had long pale pink hair, almost white under direct light, worn up in a clip. Her sky blue eyes met his.

‘This is a pleasant surprise’ he thought to himself, sitting back in his chair.

‘Grandeeney,’ He warmly greeted her, ‘What do I owe the pleasure?’

Her eyes creased at the sides in a half-smile, returning the greeting. She closed the door behind her, coming to sit in the chair opposite him before she exhaled softly, ‘They're almost ready to head out.’ She wrinkled her nose before continuing,  ‘except that Wendy thinks she can join them.’

The King was visibly taken aback, blinking in mild shock. But before he could open his mouth to respond, Grandeeney held up a hand and cut him off.

‘She wants to use our sky magic to heal any who are injured. Yet she is still unable to protect herself with her power.’ concern laced her features, unable to hide her worry for her daughter.

‘She only wants to help, Grandeeney.’ He told her gently, reaching a hand out to her. She let out a resigned sighed in response.

‘I know. I am still unsure if she truly has my heritage, however.’ She straightened her posture and met his stone grey eyes, ‘You may not be of my blood, but you are my kin, Igneel. It is the same for Wendy and Natsu.’

He nodded in agreement.

‘We should have Erza lead the knights out before the hour is done. Wendy shall have to remain here if she truly cannot defend herself yet.’

The wise woman did not miss the subtlety laced in his words. She held his gaze and gave a single nod.

She rose from her seat, ‘I’ll go inform the Titania.’

.

The Angel breathed deeply, slowly releasing his breath. He had a sullen face as he glowered ahead. This was a risk, he knew that, but it was the only lead he had.

Erza would not have approved had he told her, so as much as he hated keeping things from her, he had simply asked her trust him.

The building before him seemed hollow, buried deep into the Mikage forest. It stood stoic and imposing. He tugged the collar of his cloak closer to his face.

Avatar.

They were searching for something… for someone. Jellal had a hunch about what exactly they were after. After all, the fallen angel had tried in vain to achieve the same goal. Jellal had done so out of arrogance, driven by a curse, yes, but still he had been aware of his actions and continued to bear his burden. What was Avatar's drive?

The Angel sought his power from deep within his core, welcoming the warmth that tingled and spread down his limbs. The red tattoo above his eye burned an angry red. His body glowed in a gentle heavenly light, no brighter than a star at dusk.

As quickly as he summoned the power he unleashed it, bursting forward at extraordinary speed, a trail of light in his wake. It was definitely quicker than walking.

Summoning all his courage, he landed and with faux confidence strode towards the door, allowing his magic to slip and exude only a fraction of his true power. The mark over his eye remained burning red. He threw the heavy iron doors open.

Weapons and spells were immediately trained on him. He wore a sinister smirk. Startled mutters and shouts echoed around him. Waving his hand easily across his body, all threats against him were dispelled. He scanned the various beings and guards littering the entrance hall, mentally noting that not all of them were magical.

‘I hear there's a certain someone you're looking for’ he dropped the bait.

Eyes narrowed on him suspiciously as they sensed his power. They grew instantly more wary of him. One spoke up ‘I know you…’

Jellal raised his chin, easily reclaiming his old alias and keeping his introduction short, ‘Siegrain’

.

Jellal found himself swiftly led through the halls by an Avatar member after his entrance, to where he would be awaited by a high ranking member. Word apparently travelled fast. He kept a mental note of where he walked, silently mapping the building as he went. He ended up being seated within a dark room, heavy curtains framed the large window, and only allowed a small fraction of light to enter.

Jellal often thought himself a good actor, he felt capable of wearing a mask to suit the situation. The ‘mask’ he chose on this occasion was that of ‘Siegrain’, the one most familiar with his crimes and sins.

He had not expected, however, to be met by a man dressed in heavy cloaks, shrouded in the shadows. The only part of the man he could see clearly was the ornate metallic mask covering his face. Jellal had a suspicion the cloaks covering the stranger were an imitation of some clergy wear.

This man sat before him was supposedly in charge, the leader. Jellal concluded they must be worshipping someone in particular to be so secluded. He was not sure he liked that.

The man began to speak, his voice sounded worn by time, yet demanded to be heard, ‘Siegrain. What brought you here to Avatar? Perhaps you follow our cause?’ There was no question in the man’s voice. He wasn’t asking.

Jellal maintained his composure, crossing one leg over the other, resting his cheek on his knuckles, feigning disinterest. ‘Perhaps I might know your name first? It only seems fitting as you know mine.’ He kept his voice smooth and inviting.

The man lifted his head, light glinting on the mask he wore, ‘Very well. I am Arlock. Now tell me, Siegrain, What brought you here?’

Jellal leaned forward, a sly smile tugging the corners of his mouth. He had to remain in control. ‘We share a common interest.’

‘I see. We of Avatar wish to purge and cleanse sin. We seek his guidance.’ He paused. Jellal felt his muscles tense in anticipation, ‘And what of you, Siegrain? Did you not seek him in your Tower of Heaven?’

He had to maintain his composure. His back twitched involuntarily, remembering his wings’ old reflexes. The scars burned. He barked out a laugh, ‘My “Tower of Heaven” was a futile pursuit. I had already been cast from the heavens, of course. I found it fitting. I sought to create something new’ He neglected the information that he was acting under the influence of a Gorgon’s curse cast upon him, by the very same who exiled him for falling in love.

‘A Valkyrie came to stop your experiment if I recall. What became of her after opposing you? The Titania, wasn’t it? You clipped the wings of the mighty warrior.’

There it was. It was like ice in his veins. The words cut him like a knife. He felt his heart momentarily still. He felt sick. The way Arlock spoke, as though falsely praising him, mocking him, Jellal wanted to obliterate the man were he sat.

Instead, he grinned. He forced a harsh laugh, spreading his arms, ‘The mighty Titania? She is a warrior no more! She was unworthy of bearing the bloodline of a Valkyrie!’ His stomach churned violently at his words, silently shrieking his painful remorse for his sins.

Would he ever be worthy of her heart?

He quashed his own emotions, the arrogant mask still affixed, ‘She was in my way. So I destroyed her wings. She shall not be a threat to any future endeavours.’ he scoffed.

A cruel smile formed on Arlocks’ face, the motion causing the mask to shift slightly, ‘It would seem we have much to discuss.’

.

The Titania herself stood in the courtyard of the Fire Dragon King’s palace. Her red hair burned in the afternoon sun. Her mind swam with worry, concerned for her fiancé. She knew how powerful the angel was. They had crossed blades once, and she had barely triumphed, only at the cost of her greatest assets. She had not been quick enough to stop him from killing an innocent, however. The curse upon him at the time had corrupted his very soul.

She had mourned her wings for a long time. She had felt incomplete without them for what felt like an eternity. Her wings had been fierce, dark auburn in colour, adorned with silver cufflinks and feathers as sharp as swords. She had been quick. She flew as fast and nimble as a falcon.

She found her solace in her warrior skills. She had struggled with her balance once her wounds had healed. She adapted. She commissioned new armour to compensate for her new weight distribution. She regained her agility through swordsmanship.

The Titania was certainly every bit as formidable as she had ever been. Yet, on days when the sky was clear of clouds, she found herself yearning for the breeze beneath her wings.

She knew Jellal had caught her wistful gazes. How the fallen angel despaired over what he had done to her. She forgave him long ago. In her eyes, the price to save him had been worth it. He had never seen it that way.

His sins bore heavily on his conscience. She would never forget the day he acted on that guilt.

‘I have to atone, Erza’

He had cupped her face with a bloodied hand. His face was creased with pain, but he wore a smile. She sobbed. She found him there, after sensing his pain and following the trail. She had panicked when she saw all the blood surrounding him, his back.

‘It was the only way.’

He had done it to himself. A clatter rang out as his limp hand dropped something. She would later learn it was a unique sword, with a blade forged of Engellium, called the Dai-Tenshi. It was the only weapon capable of killing an Angel.

She looked in horror at his mutilated wings. They lay discarded, the fluffy white down stained crimson. Once they had been elegant, large white wings, with long soft feathers that almost trailed the ground. Her heart clenched in agony. How pitiful they looked now. Her beloved smiled at her, even as his body trembled with agony.

His body had glowed faintly, like a light fading out. He fell unconscious as his life bled out around him.

She had immediately rushed him to the healers, Grandeeney and Porlyusica. There were none superior in medicine to the two of them, even as distantly related as they were. He had been lucky to survive, they had told her. His back was painted with lacerations. He still bore those scars today.

She shuddered at the memory. His wings she had lovingly gathered and laid to recover in a place sacred to her. She never told him.

She knew he would be safe. No weapon existed outside of the kingdom that could fatally wound him. Erza could feel her connection to him. Its’ strength waned with the distance between them. She felt his guilt. Perhaps that was what dragged the old memories to the surface.

She had to focus on now. Her soldiers had been given the order to dispatch. She oversaw them now as they gathered provisions, sharpened weapons and reinforced defences. Her violet eyes were clear and sharp. She saw everything.

Erza glanced up at the sound of approaching footsteps.

‘Gray.’ She greeted him warmly, acknowledging him as her old friend, rather than her soldier.

He nodded to her, fingers fumbling at the buttons of his shirt. His habit was made worse when he was anxious. She shot him a quizzical look.

‘What are my orders for the mission?’

He looked at her firmly. Her mouth set to a firm line.

‘Gray, you are needed here.’ She wondered if he saw through her words. He was undeniably useful. He and Natsu were best friends after all, and he was strong. She felt the air drop in temperature around him.

Her worries were confirmed. The more Gray used his ice-devil heritage, the more it ate away at his soul. His father had retired from the royal guard due to the toll it had taken on him. Mika’s death had been the last thing holding back the cursed heritage. The Nymph had always maintained a calm presence, her natural magic purifying her beloved husband and son.

Erza hoped that Gray’s Nymph blood would learn to counteract his ice devil blood. She feared it was a losing battle. Especially now that his mentor had passed away too. His mentor had made sure to teach him how to utilise a more neutral form of ice magic, drawing power from the nature around him. But long would those teachings last now?

She expected Gray to argue with her, given his emotions leaking into his powers. Instead, he sighed, resigned.

‘Fine,’ He reached a hand to rub his head, throwing his removed shirt over his shoulder as he did, ‘I’ll get Ultear and Lyon.’

Erza looked away, back at the guards scattered in the courtyard. ‘Mm. I will send them word.’

She pretended not to see how Gray flinched out the corner of her eye.

‘Right’ He mumbled and turned away, heading to leave, ‘Make sure you find that fiery idiot in one piece.’

Especially if I don’t find him first. He uttered a silent apology.

.

Meanwhile, far away from the kingdom by now, a small blue feline glided through the sky. He could smell fish, and boy was he feeling hungry.

He had been flying intermittently for at least a day or two now, landing every so often when he felt tired. He had been snacking on bugs here and there when they took his fancy, but now the faint scent of fish had him drooling in excitement. Happy purred to himself, his initial reason for leaving the kingdom long forgotten in the face of his favourite food.

He flapped his wings, gaining altitude and followed his nose to what he hoped would be his next meal.

.

Elsewhere, a blonde vampire was screaming. Her heart hammered beneath her breast, one hand clutching at her chest, the other pointing accusingly at the man before her.

‘Why are you here!’ She screeched, pure terror filling her.

His eyes sluggishly met hers and he moved to reach for her, his movement leaden and slow. He blinked, the motion taking entirely too long, opening his mouth to speak. But no words ever came, he fell limp, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Lucy could feel herself trembling, her mind struggling to make sense of what had happened. The last thing she could remember was being in the roof garden. The fog surrounding her memories was slowly lifting. She could recall suffering Bloodlust. Dread crawled up her spine, like cold fingers creeping along her skin. She knew she’d passed out in this room.

Lucy swallowed. It became apparent to her that something wet and still warm dripped down her chin. Lucy hesitated. Holding her breath, she drew her outstretched hand to wipe her lips.

She shrieked. Blood.

Her eyes flew to the man laying completely still on the stone floor. She scrambled over to him, her eyes landing on the torn up flesh of his neck. Her heart pounded painfully. She knew the answer as soon as the silent question crossed her mind.

Did I do that?

Lucy could feel the panic beginning to rise in her. Had she killed him? She studied his face, suddenly noticing the shock of pink hair on his head and the large horns nestled within the strands. She tentatively held her hand below his nose. She waited, tension holding her still.

She sighed in relief when she felt his warm breath over her hand. He was still alive. But what was she supposed to do with him now?

Lucy certainly had a lot of questions that needed answering. She couldn’t risk letting him leave. Not that he could at this moment anyway. But how had he found her? What was he doing here?

Her face tugged into a frown. What if he was associated with the very person she had tried so long to hide herself from? Lucy shook her head. No, she couldn’t risk it.

Juvia.

Juvia might know what to do with him. Lucy stifled a groan. Juvia’s main lake was a half hour’s walk from the decrepit building, she didn’t think she could carry the unconscious man that far. That was if Juvia hadn’t moved on to temporary new waters. Lucy didn’t know how she had been out after her Bloodlust episode, Juvia may have already left to gather more resources by now.

Lucy gnawed on her still-bloody lip. There was one place that she could keep him. Moving carefully, Lucy lifted his arm around her shoulders moving herself to lift him up with her.

He released a small pained whine as she moved him. The scent of his blood drifted back to her again. She could feel her eyes shifting to a darker hue. Shaking her head, ignoring her instincts, she carried him to his new accommodation.

.

The chains clinked as the clasps locked around his wrist. Her gut twisted with guilt. He was carefully laid in the small cot. Her eyes flitted to his face. He looked uncomfortable.

Lucy dropped her gaze, her sights landing once again on the man’s wounded neck. It took her longer to look away from it this time. She realised as she observed him that he had blood on his shirt.

It dawned on her then that he had arrived here injured. She cursed under her breath realising that she really had attacked him. She had finally drank from a living person. She felt her heart crack painfully, now her soul would surely be lost forever.

The vampire continued to examine the wound on his neck, her eyes shifting to a fierce, glowing red. Her body moved of its own accord, lulling her closer to him. Her face drew closer to him, her overwhelming need to ease his pain overtaking her. Her eyes darkened further, shadows forming around them. Inky black creeping in, her irises drowned, leaving only menacing, crimson slits behind. Hovering over him, her lips parted, inching closer to soothe the wound.

The man groaned. Immediately Lucy leapt back in embarrassment, gasping, her eyes reverting to honey gold. Heat filled her cheeks and she recomposed herself, turning on her heel in the direction of aid. She was certainly not going to lick his torn flesh better, but the least she could do was clean it up and wrap him up.