#battle of alvarez

[happilychee]

What do you think of Irene Belserion?

IRENE!!!! in general, I loved her character. when she showed up, I was like >0<!!!!

I will say, I think her being erza's mom was... an interesting choice to make. we knew that erza was abandoned by her parents and ended up in the tower of heaven, then escaped to fairy tail. honestly, I think her story would've been just fine without irene because it was never about her long-lost parents or anything.

that being said, I really liked irene as the creator of dragon slayer magic! her arc and abilities were overall really interesting to me. when she possessed wendy, THAT was bone-chilling. the repercussions have so much angst potential.

I also love when cruel characters do kind things. irene gives up erza when she's a baby because of her smile, and erza's smile is what causes irene to kill herself instead of her daughter (such a fairy tail moment omg). I really don't think there was any way erza and wendy could've beaten irene otherwise. it would've been interesting to see the fight progress if they didn't have history together, but alas...

I do think that alvarez, for a final arc, introduced too many characters without personal connections to the main cast and then tried to make it personal. if irene had no personal connection to erza, if she was crueler, I think her character would've been that much more terrifying.

overall a fascinating character, and I wish she'd been hinted at or introduced earlier!! maybe when the fairy tail dragon slayers learn about dragon force from sting and rogue... or during the games when wendy talks to the dragon ghost... not 100% about her being erza's mom, but I don't hate it either.

[mariocki]

Evil Dead (2013)

"I will feast on your soul."

"Feast on this, motherfucker!"

[spyderschaos]

First time joining let’s see how it goes!!!

https://artfight.net/~spyders_chaos

[sunflowerandsnowflake]

Invel was so sick for phrasing it like that.

“It is your fate. As long as END lives, your destiny is to suffer a life of tragedy.”

How do you expect me to be normal about this?

[fairytail-whathesays]

it's not the most well-written or popular of arcs, but I want to know, what were some of your favorite things about the Alvarez arc?

When it ended.

[arcanaaa]

NEW TAGS UPDATE!

[ellssbellss]

day 1

prompt: cuddling/nightmares

- @allaboutnalu - @thenaluarchive -

-> word count: 3.5k

-> summary: after a long solo mission, natsu collapses onto his hammock, ready for the day to be over. but his body won't let him rest, his mind instinctively drifting to a certain blonde mage. of course, he knew spending the night apart from her would stir up some longing in him, and that it would ignite his insomia into full flames.

but did he really want her with him so much that he conjured her into his living room?

or

natsu is always sneaking into lucy's bedroom, but what happens when the roles are reversed?

.oOo.

restless

Before he even opened his eyes, Natsu was awake. 

Which sucked, because considering he could hear the soft snores of his little buddy in the hammock next to his, he wasn’t supposed to be. Happy had always been the early riser between the two of them, knowing that the best time for fishing was when the sun was just barely dragging over the horizon. 

Still, he couldn’t help it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling of sudden alertness that had taken over his body. Slitting his eyes open, he stayed in the comfort of his hammock, ratty and worn and his. Having been sleeping on his side, he kept his arms around the pillow he was cuddling while surveying his environment. 

Growing up in the forests of who-knows-where ever since he was little blessed him with the instincts he carries with him today. He knows what it’s like to feel danger when it’s drawing near; a buzzing, hardening rock in the bottom of his stomach. 

This wasn’t that feeling. 

It was more of an excited awareness that had buzzed up to his brainstem. His gut told him something was coming, but he didn’t have to worry. He just needed to be awake when it arrived. Or, if it was already inside this hut he called a home, he needed to notice it. 

Sleepy emerald irises pondered over the rickety, cozy space he had previously labeled his safe haven. The dragon slayer could make out his clothes strewn over the couch and his dining chairs– well, chair– or the charred-over pieces of floorboard that peeked out under a rug that Lucy had picked out for him, saying that it would brighten the place up a bit. Some might disagree with him, considering the shoes on top of his kitchen counter and the pile of dry goods in his closet, but nothing seemed out of place. Not to him, anyway, because he knew where everything was. 

Huffing a breath of smoke, Natsu shrugged. Maybe it was his insomnia, rearing its ugly bed head for the fourth time this past week. It was a battle he never truly won. Being an energetic, sparking fire wizard who practically embodied the concept of carpe diem, sleep wasn’t something that came easy to him. Now, as the war of Alvarez ended with him questioning his own sense of identity and new nightmarish images of a certain celestial mage, it was practically nonexistent. 

The only way he got a goodnight sleep was when he was at Lucy’s apartment. 

Not only was her bed expensive, big, and soft as hell, but it usually came with a sleeping, safe key holder by his side. One that he could bring close to his chest when she was unaware, hearing her heart drum steadily in her chest under the moonlight that cascaded through her french window. Her scent drifted off of her in constant, jasmine waves; twisted with all kinds of perfumes and soaps, of course, but it was still her. 

Even just the thought of her sent his mind into a drowsy, dream-like state, and he stuffed his face into the pillow in his arms, already regretting his rash decision to not walk the rest of the way to her apartment. 

The mission he had gone on was long, sore, and without the blonde Heartfilia. So when he realized that the walk back would take him right to his own little hut that he had abandoned for an apartment building on Strawberry Street, his heavy legs brought him through his own front door. Placing the fur ball that was snoring on his head into well-worn blankets, Natsu took little time to kick off his shoes and fall into the bed of rope string, out like a light as soon as he hit the pillow. 

He, like always, would see Lucy in the morning. 

Closing his eyes, Natsu willed himself to relax. He had slept in this hammock many times, and it had been comfortable to him. Before he met Lucy, he was proud of the way the woven, coarse fabric dug into his skin, even if it itched throughout the night. Now, it simply didn’t feel right. 

He scoffed at the thought, shifting again over the rough strands. Right, before he met Lucy. Because everything about his life had changed after. 

Images of golden blonde raced into his mind, and he flipped onto his back, letting the sway of the hammock rock him back into his dreamless sleep, before that sense of alertness came back full force. 

And it brought a scent with it. 

Opening his eyes with a new surge of what the fuck?, he sniffed the air again, inhaling the faint trails of vanilla, morning dew, and jasmine that swirled into his home. Mavis, had he really been thinking about Lucy so much that he was imagining her smell, too? Had he hit his head too hard during his mission yesterday? 

He made a note to see Wendy tomorrow, see if she could find anything screwed up in his brain. Granted, that wasn’t already there. 

But then he heard a branch crack outside his window. Sensitive ears picked up crunching leaves and rustling dirt, and suddenly he wasn’t scared that he was crazy. 

Watching out of the corner of his eye as his front door creaked open gently, he wondered if Lucy was the crazy one. 

Clearly, she was trying to sneak in. His partner tip-toed in, highly aware of the rotting condition of his home’s structure. A sliver of moonlight followed her tense shoulders as she squirmed her way in, and he swallowed his laugh at the way she winced as the door shut behind her with a soft click. 

Immediately, her wide, doe eyes shot to him, lying on his back with a pillow under his head and arm, and he stayed incredibly still. When she saw he didn’t move, she relaxed against the doorframe, and he realized that she didn’t want to be caught. 

Lucy Heartfilia, proud provider of a Lucy Kick! whenever he so much as thought about sneaking through her window, was inching across his floorboards, her bunny slippers catching on the splintering wood. 

Oh, this was gonna be so good. 

He evened out his breathing, barely fluttering his eyelids so that he could see the shadows of her movement in the darkness. To her, he probably looked serene, totally unaware of the way she avoided the spots in his floor that were weak, practically hopping around in her loose sweatpants and small tank top. 

But little did she know that he was just waiting for the perfect moment. 

He couldn’t wait to see her face when he jumped at her, screaming something like “Gotcha!”...or “Fooled ya!”...or something. Whatever, he’d figure it out in the moment. Point is, it would knock her off her ass, and he’d have teasing material for days. 

The silhouette of the celestial mage continues her hopscotch across his living room, getting closer and closer to the hammock strung in one of the corners. She was coming over to him? Even better! Now he’d be able to see her up close when he pulled his joke. 

But he waited patiently, watching as she made her way over here. Gently hopping over a dip in the wood, she seemed to slip on one of his vests, and the smallest squeal left her lips as she nearly crashed to the ground. 

“Shit.” She breathed, her arms flailing as her body teetered. With incredible balance, she swayed on one foot until she was stable again. Hands over her mouth, she looked at Natsu first, finding he hadn’t moved an inch. Then, her eyes fell on Happy, who truly was out for the count. Nothing but a fish hand delivered by Carla could wake the exhausted Exceed before he chose to be. 

Natsu watched as her shoulders relaxed, long blonde strands brushing against the exposed skin as she made her way to him. He switched his positions casually, going back to laying on his side so that he could see her better, and relished in the mini heart attack it gave her before he settled in. 

Another relieved breath left her lungs, and she whispered into the darkness. “How does he do this every night?” She mumbled, swallowing nervously as she took one big step over a large pot with questionable liquid inside. “And didn’t I just clean this place up?”

The blonde mage uttered angrily once more, and Natsu resisted his smirk as his name was half-heartedly insulted under her breath. Her words meant nothing when she was literally sneaking into his house to be near him. 

Or to tell him something. Or to yell at him? The dragon slayer swallowed softly, resisting a confused glance at his partner when he realized he didn’t know why she was here. 

He had been so excited to see her, and to mess with her, he failed to question it. 

Was she angry at him? No, did she find the underwear that he had accidentally singed in his and Happy’s recent game of ‘Panty Ball’? He thought he hid it well, stuffed between the wall and her dresser where no one could see. It was her fault for coming back so late, leaving him with nothing to do. 

Internally, he groaned, noticing her form was just inches away now. Well, at least he’d have one moment of glory before he was banned from her apartment for life. 

Finally, her slippered feet made their way to the edge of his hammock, and his ears perked up at her sigh of relief. His barely open eyes watched as she ran her fingers gently over the fabric of his bed, so close to his skin but never touching it. 

She did it with so much tenderness that his plan to jump out at her was delayed, his curiosity taking over his chaotic urges. 

Moonlight cascaded through the window, giving a spotlight to her form as she looked down at him, or he assumed, as he could only see her legs from this angle. Was she just gonna stare at him all night? She was so weird. 

Then, she unknowingly answered his question as she carefully knelt beside him. 

Under her weight, the floors detested softly, and her neck came into view through his slitted lens. And his stomach launched into his throat as her hand gently, nervously, placed her delicate fingers over his heart. 

Her touch was soft but sure, and she made sure to only touch her fingertips to his sculpted skin, right where his pulse was the strongest. He watched as his best friend’s throat bobbed with a swallow, her attention on him as she watched his chest rise with each breath. 

Everything about her was so hesitant, so quiet and contained that he felt that alertness again, but this time it wasn’t a peaceful nudge into consciousness. It was a feeling of worry and slight panic. 

Then, through blurry focus, he saw her bottom lip quiver gently as the smell of salt filled the little air between them, and the feeling grew tenfold. 

Silently, Lucy was crying. 

All plans to prank her were thrown to the wind that blew lamely through the air. After a sharp intake of breath, Natsu grabbed her hand that was against his chest, the one that held her guild mark, and opened his eyes wide, sitting up with a jerk. 

“Lucy…” He hissed, crushed at the wetness in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Her brown eyes were blown wide, and she ripped her hand from his grasp as she fell back onto her butt, a loud ‘KYAA’ echoing into the forest. 

“Natsu! You scared me!” Following the silence of the midnight air, her voice fell into a hushed nag, and he cocked an eyebrow at her. Her voice started shrill, but then she lowered it as Natsu put a quick finger to his mouth, gesturing to the sleeping cat a few feet away. 

“Really? You sneak into my house, and start accusin’ me?” He lowers his finger, as well as his tone. “Why’re you cryin’, Luce?”

She swallowed wetly, scurrying back onto her feet as she hastily wiped at her eyes. “I’m not! And I didn’t sneak in, the door was unlocked, so…”

“Lucy.” The longer he looked at her, pale skin bathed in moonlight and shadows, the more he saw the redness of the corners of her eyes and the tips of her nose. He hears her hitched breaths, or how she sniffles wetly while tucking a hair behind her ear. It’s not that she’s crying now.

She had been. For who knows how long. 

“Please, I won’t even ask why you’re here. I swear.” He looks up to her as he leans on his elbow. “Just tell me why you’re cryin’.”

Lucy’s weight shifted, her left foot behind her and the other one forward, as if she was ready to run away at any moment. She fidgeted with her hands, looking into his eyes for a moment before blinking away her tears and shaking her head. “I…wow, I shouldn’t have come here.” 

Her shoulders shake with her pity laugh, and she runs her fingers through her yellow locks. “I’m sorry for waking you Natsu, I didn’t…I mean, I don’t know why I thought this was a good idea.” 

Before she turns on her heel, Natsu’s hand shoots out, stopping her in her tracks. She doesn’t turn around to look at him, but he still sends her a pleading pout anyway. He throws off his blanket, sitting properly on the swinging hammock underneath him. 

“Luce, stop.” His plea gets a turn of her head, a shudder of breath from his teammate. “C’mon. You know I won’t be able to sleep now, not after seeing you like this.” 

Her brown eyes finally meet his green ones, the hue catching onto the shine of the moon so perfectly because of her tears. There is so much yearning in her gaze that she can’t seem to put into words, so he makes it so she doesn’t have too. 

Pulling on her wrist, he brings her closer, and she doesn’t resist. Trudging towards the small hanging, woven canvas, Natsu helps her sit next to him, her feet dangling off the side. 

“Can we just…sit here for a second?” She asks quietly, looking straight ahead. 

He doesn’t take his eyes off her. “‘Course we can.” 

They fall back then, letting the hammock catch their backs, the force swaying the rope back and forth in a gentle motion. But when he goes to pull his hand away from her wrist, she grabs it. She brings his hand closer to her, her fingers wrapping around his wrist, and her thumb pressing into his pulse point. 

His own touch finds her other hand that’s curled into her side, and they sit there, looking up at the haphazard, but stable, roof overhead. 

Natsu counts about seventeen beats of his pulse against her skin before she takes a breath. 

“You didn’t come over tonight.” She says, barely above a whisper. 

“I got back from a job that kinda wrecked me, and this house was closest on the way back.” He explained, his own voice gravelly from sleep. “Figured I’d spend the night here and find you in the morning.” 

“Sorry I woke you then. Sounds like you need your sleep.” 

“Don’t be.” Natsu shook his head, squeezing her hand. “I couldn’t sleep anyways.” 

He felt her nod sympathetically, her thumb pressing deeper into his wrist. “Me either.” 

The dragon slayer looked back at her, watching as her eyes flitted over the dust particles flying across the moonbeams above. His eyes traced over her cheeks as she worried the inside of them, clearly debating whether or not to say more. 

So he decided to give her a push. “Why not?”

Her head rocked from side to side. “It’s stupid.” 

“Probably,” She shot him a glare only to see his crooked smile. “But give it a try anyway.” 

A long breath blew past her lips, and she looked down at their conjoined hands, watching as Natsu’s thumb absentmindedly ran over the pink symbol tattooed on her skin. 

“I,” She laughed wearily into the night air, seeming to already beat herself up for even saying this out loud. “I had a bad dream, so I didn’t want to be alone.” Lucy’s eyes rolled in their sockets, annoyed. “Like a child.” 

The fire dragon slayer hums next to her, facing the front. He knew what bad dreams were, what they meant to the wizards of his guild. They meant being surrounded by grief and loss; by scary amounts of blood that you just couldn’t stop, no matter how hard you tried. Especially after the war, he walked into the otherwise lively guild hall to see more and more tired faces, his family trying to process the emotional toll that his brother’s actions had taken. 

His jaw coiled as Lucy sniffed wetly. Natsu never wanted Lucy to go through that. If he had the choice, he would take every ounce of her hurt, every iota of fear and suffering so that she wouldn’t have to carry more pain then she already did. 

But he’d accepted long ago that she was a warrior who fought in the same battle he did, on his side no less. Without her, he wouldn’t be alive. He wouldn’t be able to hold her hand like this, swinging in the hammock of his makeshift home, surrounded by her constant irritated glances and unconditional love. Natsu roars through human lungs because of her; he loves through a beating, bloody heart because of what she did for him.  

So, if she had nightmares, or any other obstacle she couldn’t face alone, it didn’t matter what he wanted. He would give her what she needed. A dragonslayer by her side, ready to fight whenever she called. 

Her soft voice brought him out of his thoughts, and he squeezed her hand to let her know he was listening. “But I couldn’t help it. I saw you…you…” 

Lucy breathed a shuddering breath, and Natsu knew there would be tears in her eyes if he looked her way. So he didn’t. “You were gone, and I couldn’t bring you back.” 

“So, I had to come here, to see you and make sure that it wasn’t real. That your heart was beating and you didn’t leave me again.” Her voice dropped off at the end there, and his teeth almost broke with the crack in her voice. 

They swung there for a moment before the fire mage spoke again, his eyes tracing the brick of his roof. 

“You’re right,” The rasp in his tone was more pronounced, rumbling in his chest. “That’s pretty stupid.” 

Before Lucy could whip her head to him so hard her neck would crack, he broke his hand out of her grasp and placed it on her head. He pulled her into his chest, making sure her ear was right over his heart so that his partner could hear how loudly it drummed. 

The pink-haired boy heard her gasp, and he felt the cold of her tears dripping onto his skin, which evaporated almost immediately after. His other arm came around her shoulders, and he leaned back. Natsu adjusted them so they laid long ways in the hammock, pulling his blanket over them as he settled the celestial mage on his chest. 

“I told ya, Luce,” He reminded her, placing his chin on her hair. “We’re gonna be together from now on. So no one’s leavin’, alright?” 

Lucy froze in his hold before melting slightly, kicking off her bunny slippers as she molded herself to her partner’s torso. “Yeah, alright.” 

She snuggled into him more, clearly not in the mood to fight, or yell, or whatever weird thing she did when he brought her this close. Her skin was cold from her trek into the forest, so he pulled her closer, making sure the cheap quilt reached over her shoulders. 

Lucy fit into him with ease, like the shining, perfect key in his tarnished lock. 

His pillow that he was holding earlier in the night also fell to the ground, being replaced with an exhausted star spirit wizard, and he mentally slapped himself in the face for picking his ratty old apartment over the beauty and comfort in his arms. Slowly, they swung, until Natsu chuckled into the darkness. 

“We really gotta work on your sneakin’ skills, Luce.”

She slapped his chest, her voice slurred. “Shut up. Your floor is too crowded, there’s nowhere to step. You live in a pigsty.”

“You gotta be stealthy. Like a ninja.” 

She pulled on his scarf, and his cackle bounced off the poorly-constructed walls. “Shut up and go to sleep, Natsu.” 

Despite her tone, she snuggled into him more, her nose tickling the crook of his neck. “You’re such a pain.” 

He just laughed, letting one of his legs drop out of the hammock, making room as he pulled her even closer. 

When Happy woke up the next morning, with sunkissed colors of pink and gold streaming through the windows, he put his hands over his mouth at the sight, an evil laugh whizzing by his whiskers. 

hope you loved it as much as I love them lol, stay tuned tomorrow!

day two

[nyankochan]

Question about Fairy Tail

You know what’s one thing that’s never been clear to me? 🤔And I’ve been a die hard fan of Fairy Tail since I was a kid and read the entire main series + watched it. But just exactly how old are Natsu and Gajeel?

In the Manga, they’re the only two dragon slayers whose age is listed as unknown. And we know from the Battle of Fairy Tail Arc the two of them are at least 80+ because they were trapped in the guild with Makarov. From chapter 108 and 111.

We also eventually learn from Zeref during the Alvarez Arc that all the dragon slayers were sent 400 years into the future to defeat Acnologia. From chapter 465 of the manga.

But if that’s the case, then why in the manga is Wendy’s age listed at 12 and Sting and Rogue are listed as 19?

We also know that the three of them were the same age, but because of the 7 year gap on Tenrou Island, Wendy didn’t age. Gajeel and Natsu were like the two older brothers (how much older?) that the younger ones all looked up to. But still, it adds up with Sting and Rogue being 19. From chapter 510:

We know Natsu is definitely at least over the age of 400 due to Zeref’s age and the timeline of his backstory with the dragon’s attacking their village. But was Natsu’s age at one point stalled due to being revived? Or does he even age at all? And what about Gajeel? I haven’t caught up to 100 year quest, so I’m not sure if things are revealed later on in the series about his past before meeting Metallicana.

But then again, if all the Dragon Slayers are also from the past, then why do Sting, Rogue, & Wendy have canonical ages?

I also wonder about their pasts too before meeting their dragons. These poor children were all a bunch of orphans who grew up with their dragon parents. They actually all knew each other and grew up together but basically lost any memories of them being practically family. 🙁

Their ages have always just been a big mystery to me. My best guess is perhaps prior to Tenrou Island, Gajeel and Natsu were around 18-19 (physically) like most of the other children from Fairy Tail. Lucy, Levy and Lisanna are 17. Gray, Cana and Elfman are 18. Erza and Mirajane are 19. Laxus was a little older than everyone at 23.

If they weren’t trapped on Tenrou, then Gajeel and Natsu would maybe be around 25-26. Then Sting, Rogue, and Wendy would be 19. I guess this kinda makes sense. It’s a cute little age gap between people who were supposed to be like siblings.

So how old were they all when their dragon’s first disappear in X777?

If we take the guestimated year Lucy joined Fairy Tail, which is X784, that’s 7 years after the dragons disappeared. If at that time, Wendy, Rogue and Sting are all 12 years old, that means they were only 5 years old when their parents disappeared!?

By this guess, Natsu and Gajeel were then around 11-12 years old when their dragons disappeared, making them 6-7 years older than Wendy, Sting and Rogue. Again! This is just my guess! None of this has been actually confirmed.

Either this is a plot hole or I’m just stupid and missed something along the way. Again, I’m not caught up to 100 year quest, so maybe this gets explained later. But I think and wonder about it a lot.

[icedroplove]

gruvia week

Day 2 - perseverance

Usually, romantic relationships went through stages. In that order, the couple got to know each other, one of them took the first step and asked the other out. Then, a milestone: first date. After that, it took some weeks, months even to go from seeing each other to dating . During the dating stage, some milestones occurred: meeting the parents, first fight, first reconciliation, first time, first ‘I love you’. Then, after a couple of years, moving together and marriage. After some time, boom! Children. Then taking care of the kids, watching them grow, getting old together, grandchildren and then-

Gosh, that was a lot.

There were exceptions to this scheme, though. A lot of couples stayed as friends for a long time before dating. Others broke up, went separate ways, then got back together. Some had children before marrying, some wanted pets instead of kids. Some wanted both, some wanted none. Sometimes, first I love you went after first fight and and first time before getting to know.

Now that Gray started thinking about it, there were a lot of relationships that didn’t follow the pattern everyone talked about. That made him feel better, after all, his relationship with Juvia was very different from any pattern, as he started to recollect.

The getting to know stage came right with a milestone: first fight. Enemies at first, but after a short time he showed her something she had never seen before from another person: empathy. Mercy. And then, she saw the sun for the first time (that counted as first reconciliation, right?)

For years, they stayed in the friends stage, but they had reached the milestone of first ‘I love you’ (from Juvia, not reciprocated).

After seven years stuck in Tenrou and the Grand Magic Games, they got a milestone he saw few couples achieve: first sacrifice. Even if he didn’t actually die in the end, it still counted (he stayed dead for one second, come on). And after that…

First rejection.

However, even when Gray didn’t have the courage to start exploring the feelings he was developing for Juvia and blatantly denied her advances, she persevered. 

Damn, if there was one quality that Juvia had it definitely was perseverance.

After that bitter milestone, a lot of time passed before they got to the next step: meeting the parents. This one was not only crooked in order, but also in significance. Knowing the father of your loved one as a spirit and having to set it free, ending once and for all that existence… that wasn’t exactly a romantic scenario. It meant a lot for him in other ways, though.

Moving together came shortly after. For months, they had a domestic peaceful and endearing life, even if they were just friends.

Then, he abandoned her and had her trust in him tested for the first time. She persevered, though, and they overcame it. During the battle of Alvarez, they reached once again a rare milestone: double sacrifice.

The longer he thought about it, the more he was certain their path was unique (not necessarily in a good way).

It was only after the first time he really thought he lost her that their story got into the rails. After the one hundred years quest (in which he saw that his edolas self had gone on a straighter line than him and already had a son with edo-Juvia) he finally gathered courage to do the hardest thing:

Step one, ask out.

And now, looking at his bride, walking to him as beautiful as ever, he couldn’t be more grateful for everything they went through if it meant having her in his arms for all his life.

They had persevered.

[fanstuffrantings]

Jumping back into what bothers me so much about the celestial spirits, and more examples of a big writing problem Mashima has, is that I really don't feel like the golden keys are nearly as powerful as they should be for what they represent.

Consistently throughout fairy tail they're only summoned/work in very specific circumstances with a limited power set that honestly doesn't really make them feel much different than the silver keys we get. Outside of most of the silver keys being noncombat spirits.

Now if this was due to how much magic energy a wizard could expend it would be one thing. Seeing the zodiac spirits gain access to their abilities as Lucy grows would've been really cool with Star dresses be the pinnacle of their powers and the indicator that spirits and their mages had formed an unshakable bond. But we really never get that and it's ultimately led to the battles being pretty uninteresting because they all seem so week.

We could've had lucy learn how to quick summon her spirits so she could make combo attacks, strengthen her abilities so she could maintain multiple spirits at once and even figure out unison raid type moves for the spirits. We could've shown the major differences between Golden and Silver spirits by having Silver spirits stick to the idea of them having very limited abilities while golden spirits had an arsenal.

The zodiacs each occupying a different type of fighting class with Loke being the only one to fit into any role needed by his mage since he's the leader of them.

Obviously this would potentially lead to some pretty overpowered spirits, but that should in a way be the point if we write them well. And their ultimate abilities wouldn't even be shown until we get super close to the final battle of the series and the war with Alvarez.

If we'd spaced out the keys, had more celestial wizards owning them without Lucy involved it would've given us an even clearer idea of how insanely strong these guys could be and why exactly they're such a big deal.

Mashima loves to think up powers and abilities for characters but never actually fleshes them out or thinks about how powers could change when characters get stronger. It makes everyone seem so stagnant and really leads to moments of characters telling us people got stronger, feeling very hollow.

[satoshi-mochida]

Fairy Tail 2 announced for PS5, PS4, Switch, and PC - Gematsu

Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust have announced Fairy Tail 2 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch this holiday.

Here is an overview of the game, via Koei Tecmo:

Fairy Tail 2 brings fans back to the epic action of the original series’ climax, the Alvarez Empire Arc. In this new title, players will not only be able to control Natsu and Lucy as main characters, but also other members of the Fairy Tail guild in order to defeat their greatest enemy, Zeref, the Emperor Spriggan of the Alvarez Empire, who is protected by the Spriggan 12 and the Black Dragon, Acnologia. Fairy Tail 2 features 3D graphics and improved gameplay with more intense and spectacular battles, in which players will use powerful magic and a variety of other strategic elements in order to take down enemies in stunning sequences of action. Players will also be able to explore the vast map seamlessly, enhancing the experience of the original work while furthering the thrilling story of the final chapter. In addition, the game features “Character Stories,” unique to Fairy Tail 2, which will give players the unprecedented opportunity to discover new aspects of their favorite characters. Fans will also enjoy an original story, the “Key to Hidden Secrets,” that will allow them to experience events taking place after the final battle of the original work!

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

[fairydares]

Princes to Dragons

[Putting this up here now while I have a spare moment! Nalu oneshot for Nalu Week. Day 1 Prompt: Cuddling/Nightmare. Rated G.

[Summary: Day 1 of Nalu Week 2024! Prompt: “Cuddling/Nightmare.” A scene you’d expect, given the prompt: the first time Natsu sneaks into Lucy’s bed after Porlyusica made Lucy cuddle with him in order to save him from hypothermia. Takes place just after Alvarez. Lucy’s perspective.

[Here's the AO3 Link. If you like it, consider giving it a hit/kudo or something over there, plus keeping your eye out for when I post the other prompts 😅]

--

"Gajeel and Levy have gotten closer. I kind of get jealous when I see them." - Fairy Tail Chapter 545: “Friends You Can’t Do Without”, Lucy’s internal monologue (pg. 9, scan)

"I’ve been following developments between Gray and Juvia, but…there are other pairings to take an interest in, too!" - Fairy Tail Chapter 545: “Friends You Can’t Do Without”, Lucy’s internal monologue (pg. 14, scan)

--

When Lucy’s eyes opened in the middle of the night and found the full moon glowing between her breeze-stirred curtains, she knew exactly what she’d find in her bed, and it made her heart leap in a completely different way than it ever had.

Why? Well…at that point, she still wasn’t thinking about it, thank you very much!

(It was all starting to leak out of a box she’d once been only dimly aware of, and she had no clue what to do.)

Her overconditioned Home Invader Instincts (“That’s called ‘paranoia,’ Lucy,” Happy had once quipped, earning a loud “Shut it, Cat!”) once again proved tragically sharp; before she was even fully awake or could really articulate why she knew to start looking, she began squirming and rooting groggily through her pink sheets and blankets. The bleariness finally wore off enough for her to sit up and yank back the blankets, revealing an obscenely toned bare back and an unmistakable head of wild pink hair on a drool-stained pillow.

“Those jerks! After all the times I’ve told them to quit breaking in here! They’re unbelievable! Wait…where’s Happy?” Her grip loosened and her eyes went wide and blinked in the dark.

Digging through the blankets—and no, she was not being gentle about it. Why should she be when digging around an intruder? Also, her heart was not “fluttering” like the romantically-inclined writer in her was trying to insist; it was pounding. And even if it had been “fluttering,” it was not because an entire year lay between this and the last time she’d found the pyro in her bed—it was because of anger!

(Her hands shook in the moonlight even as she grabbed and tugged at bunches of quilt. Her cheeks felt molten. Her stomach was a storm of butterflies, the feeling as panic-inducing as it was thrilling. Worse, she couldn’t understand why she was feeling this way…it never used to be this bad! Seriously, what was wrong with her lately?)

Anyways, digging through the blankets did not reveal Natsu’s abidingly present partner, confirming the improbable:

Happy wasn’t there.

“H-he didn’t even bring the cat?!” Lucy whisper-screeched, clutching at blankets like pearls. Oh, now she really couldn’t believe him! Not only had the creep broken into her apartment and snuck into her bed, he hadn’t even brought Happy so it wasn’t just her and him in the bed...alone.

And he’d…he’d taken his shirt off! She knew he was still injured from the battle against Zeref and Acnologia, more injured even than most of them, and that he’d probably shed the garment to let his bandages breathe. After all, he’d been whining about it plenty around the guild. But still! There went what little propriety (and with their nosy, raunchy guild, what little plausible deniability) he’d ever given her to begin with. With how thick he was, she doubted he’d have any notion of the difference, and she’d be the one left to to splutter explanations no one would believe. Mavis knew that was all Lucy needed. For reasons unknown, Levy, Mira, and Cana’s teasing had gotten worse than ever lately, to the point that they were hard enough to handle without this ammo.

With her fluster pitching to outrage—

(More slowly than usual, her heart seeming to stagger into it as she turned her focus to him. Much to her dismay, she needed a moment to hold her hand over her chest and try to calm the organ galloping within.)

—Lucy reached for the tanned skin glowing in the moonlight over more dips and swells of muscle than she’d quite gotten used to, shrieking, “Natsu!”

“Lucy!”

The choked cry caused her hand to freeze above his back, all the anger startled right out of her. Despite how loud she’d been and the fact she’d said his name, the groggy quality to his answer along with the out-of-place fear and desperation told her instincts that he was still fast asleep. Her expression of anger shifted to one of shock, and then concern in the moonlit dark, eyes widening even as her brow furrowed and the corners of her lips tugged down.

“…Natsu? Hey, are you alright?” Much softer this time, but it still did no good. Leaning over to examine him more closely only confirmed her suspicions, and deepened her worried frown. Sweat beaded over his skin. His face was contorted into an expression of fear—and agony that seemed to clench her heart in a fist stronger even than Erza’s. The Dragon Slayer grew visibly more agitated by the second, fists clenching at her pillow hard enough that she was sure it would rip. That, or his hurt hand would wake him up.

In this strange and unusual moment, though, neither of those possibilities really registered as a concern to Lucy.

That helpless, almost childlike expression…she wasn’t used to seeing Natsu like this. From the very beginning, he’d been her rock. Protecting her from crazy situations as surely as he dragged her into them, lending her strength when she was out, and giving her hope when she was sure there was none left. The almost childlike, terrified, grief-stricken expression he wore scared her a lot more than she wanted to admit.

(She never wanted to see this look on his face again, but also wanted to be the one person he shared all his hidden sides with…even his fears. Wasn’t that strange?)

“Natsu…” she mumbled again, desperate to help him the way he always helped her, but unsure how. Should she wake him up, or would that just embarrass both of them?

And what was he dreaming about that made him look so awful, anyway? With the war they’d just fought, she could think of plenty. Her dreams hadn’t exactly been all cake and peaches, either, but—

“…Eyes?”—he whimpered, a fat tear running down the cheek facing her—“Why aren’t you…moving? Lucy!”

Lucy’s eyes went wide.

--

If that’s what’ll make you happy, then I don’t need these eyes, you scum!

You little witch! When I’m done with you…no one will even be able to tell who you were!

Sorry about before. I don’t remember much, but…I guess I got carried away. See, I thought Lucy was dead, so…

--

Realization, with all the horrible memories attached, hit the Celestial Mage hard enough to knock all the breath, lines, and in-betweens out of her, if only for a moment.

Her breath was what she got back first.

“Oh, Natsu…” she mumbled feelingly, understanding fully what was going on right away. How could she not? She’d been having flashbacks, too. Sometimes during the day, catching her off-guard and leaving her very shaken, requiring her to step away from everyone for a moment. But more often they happened at night, just like this. Others had mentioned it, too, but Natsu hadn’t said a word about having the same problems…obviously, he’d been keeping it to himself. Trying to be everyone’s strength, to look forward with a smile just like always. Empathy wrung at her, drawing her to clamber over him before she really realized she was doing it. The blankets and sheets rustled as she effectively straddled him, not that she was thinking of it that way. Brown eyes fretted over his miserable-looking face in the dark.

“L-Lucy…” he whimpered.

What she did next was pure instinct, something she’d done on the one and only real job Team Natsu had taken after the war, mostly to keep Erza from battering him into unconsciousness on the train to Peonia. Crawling over him as quietly and carefully as she could to get a good angle, she lowered trembling fingers towards his hair.

She stopped just above the soft curve of the highest pink spike, finally wondering what on earth she was doing. Even if he had been having nightmares, that was no excuse for breaking and entering! She should have been throwing him out, not encouraging him! Although now that she knew what it was like when he never snuck into her bed, she grudgingly admitted it was worse than the alternative.

(How many nights had she ached to wake up and find him and Happy in her bed? Or, on hotter nights—she flushed—just him. For the first time under these circumstances, the thought of a Lucy kick or her usual method of screaming made her falter. This wasn’t like her, not at all...)

She grimaced. Had another whimper not escaped him, and his palms not started smoking against her pillow, she might not have followed through. But alarm drove her over that last, scary edge. And before she knew it, her fingers were moving through his hair.

“Natsu, it’s okay,” Lucy murmured in her most soothing voice, stroking at the surprisingly soft spikes. “Everything’s okay, now…I’m okay. We’re okay.”

(In that moment, she was jealous of his lack of awareness. How desperately she wanted not to know full well she was speaking to both of them.)

Slowly, the smoke dissipated from sight, leaving only its scent hanging in the air along with the slightly cloying scent of burnt fabric, which Lucy subconsciously decided to deal with later. As she continued to run her fingers tenderly through the salmon strands, from scalp to ends, the distraught Dragon Slayer’s expression eased, a flush rising against his cheeks. Slowly, the tension ebbed from muscles he’d left her to build. By the time the moon brushed the top of the window’s frame, he was practically purring under her attention, still asleep. Gravelly, happy noises emanated into Lucy’s pillow, making her bite the inside of her cheek against a giggle.

At first, all she could do was hold her breath. But before long, her eyes narrowed, growing dark and sparkly in affection as she studied his much more peaceful looking form. A soft smile tugged at her lips.

(The protectiveness—tender as it was fierce, glowed right there in her chest, strong enough to scare the everliving crap right out of her all over again.)

If there was a time to gather her blankets and a pillow and head to the couch, it was then. Natsu looked much calmer now. Her attempts at soothing him had clearly worked, all signs of nightmare gone. She could walk away, yell at him in the morning, ask where Happy was (feigning obliviousness to the reason she now knew exactly what might have drawn her over), and let things go back to normal.

(If there was a time to rebury it all, now was it.)

(But as she let her eyes devour his bliss, it was like she became entranced. The simple fact that she had such an effect on him was mesmerizing, and made her much happier than she wanted to admit. A small giggle escaped despite her best efforts, all the adoration bubbling up inside her and spilling out without her permission, fueling her to drop her lips to his ear.)

(“Quit making people worry about you,” she whispered the same thing she’d said to him when they’d reunited back then, adding a warm, “dummy.”)

“Lucy,” he groaned just as she’d started to move carefully away from him, the urgency in his rough voice making it seem like he knew—on some level—that she was leaving. She gasped as a large, warm hand encircled her wrist in a strong grip and began tugging.

“N-Natsu!” It took all the strength she could muster at this time of night to keep the stammer down to a hiss, the sound tipping into a gasp and then a squeak as she found herself drawn against him in a preternaturally strong embrace. He’d subconsciously rolled to his side, almost his back. He had both arms wrapped around her, one around her upper back and the other around her lower, even their legs tangled together. Her entire face exploded in heat as his large, taut, warm inner thigh (He’d taken off his pants, too?! That jerk!) slid up the outside of hers, an equally strong calf curving around the back of hers to further entrap her.

(Another, embarrassing gasp fled her lungs. Her entire body gave one, strong shudder, erupting in goosebumps.)

Once she got her bearings, she struggled to get free. She really did. But there was no fighting the Dragon Slayer’s constant oozing into her space under the best of circumstances, and these were not them. Not only was she tired, she was desperate not to wake him up. In fact, if he woke up now, she was sure she’d die of embarrassment. She had absolutely no clue how she’d explain their current situation to the fiery, dense, ever-wicked idiot. Already, she could hear Happy’s teasing after Natsu told him what had transpired here tonight, and the thought had her forcibly relaxing every muscle in her body and biting her lip.

After giving herself time to calm down, she finally looked up at him again.

(Within moments of studying the smile he now wore, so starkly different from his earlier fear, she was no longer pouting and glaring.)

Defeated, Lucy—slow, halting, and hesitant—nestled closer to him. For the very first time, she followed the pull of whatever he’d unknowingly rooted in her. As the blankets rustled with her uncharacteristically careful, gentle movement and settling, she was unable to help how she blushed at the way their bodies seemed to fit together so tenderly, how her breath hitched at the way her chest melted to shape against his firm one, how the safety she found in his arms filled her with warmth.

(She’d changed. She could feel it. It was too late to prevent a thing, and the thought terrified her.)

This was Natsu, after all. Her best friend. He was always protecting her…now it was her turn to protect him, too. Even just in her own small way.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

(Mama…she thought, then stopped, unable to force herself to tell her mother how she felt even in thought, let alone ink. She felt so lost. The Prince Charming she’d always imagined herself ending up with was turning into a dragon—no, he had turned into one. And not only had she realized it at the same time she actually started to feel ready for that part of her life after the trauma of almost being married off by her father, but when Natsu leaving forced her to learn that the one thing she could never bear to do was risk losing him. She had no clue what to do.)

Natsu moved—sluggishly, in a still-asleep way. Regardless, it was abrupt (and weird) enough that she still squeaked and struggled against the urge to either flail or scream at him for being CREEPY when he turned his nose into her hair and breathed deeply.

After sniffing her (again, creepy!) Natsu sighed.

“Luce…” he mumbled one last time, light as air. The sound—her name, that one word—was so full of relief and contentment that she couldn’t help but peek up at him slowly one last time. And once again, as she let her eyes take in the adorable sight of his sleepy, smiling face, there was just no helping the balm that wormed its way into her soul and heart, none at all.

She buried her face into his warm, solid chest.

It will be fine like this...won’t it? she thought, eyes drifting shut as his warmth filled her. As long as I have him, as long as I can stay by his side...that’s all I need. It’ll be fine.

(It has to be.)

[amywritesthings]

hello friends! i've spent literally my entire sunday romancing judy alvarez in cyberpunk, but i see your reviews and comments and inboxes about P4 and honestly you are all so very wonderful.

my goals and hopes were for a thursday drop, but i can't be for certain yet. if you didn't see my post from friday, essentially my insurance (more under cut, tw chronic disease mention, tw medication/endometriosis)

---is trying halting my life-or-death meds that regulate my chronic disease, so i will be appealing -- i'm hoping it's a quick fix by tuesday, but in the event that it's a week-long battle of phone tag (on top of getting ready for my week-long working vacation from july 6-july 13 + just work in general) i don't want to announce anything P4 related. i hope no one is too upset -- i really wanted to spend my time writing, but my stress levels are through the roof right now that i've virtually gone MIA on all social (talking to people is just tough rn with my own situation and the stress of perhaps not being on my meds anymore / having to find alternatives, endo growth yada yada -- a lot of depressing stuff.)

but yes. again -- i'm going to try my damnedest to write tomorrow night. i really so badly want to write part three so i can spend my working vacation at the shore writing on the beach and producing not only part four, but chapter 23 of silver underground.

thank you to everyone who has interacted with my work this weekend. hell, this whole /month/. ive been in such an immensely dark place (which is so rude bc it's pride month, they shouldn't be messing with my rent/med/etc.) but alas, the universe gives its hardest battles to its hottest hotties.

xoxo with all the love, amy

[fire-keys-and-wings]

Chapter 1

Macao arc

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Daybreak arc

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapters 6 & 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Eisenwald arc

Chapter 10

Chapters 11 & 12

Chapters 13 & 15

Chapter 17

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Galuna island arc

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapters 29 & 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapters 35 & 43

Chapters 44 & 45

Chapter 46

Phantom Lord arc

Chapter 47

Chapter 50

Chapters 51 & 52

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapters 64, 65 & 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Loke arc

Chapters 70, 71 & 72

Tower of Heaven arc

Chapter 75

Chapters 77, 78 & 79

Chapter 80

Chapters 84 & 86

Chapters 94 & 95

Chapter 101

Battle of Fairy Tail arc

Chapters 103 & 104

Chapter 105

Chapter 106

Chapters 107 & 109

Chapters 112 & 113

Chapter 116

Chapters 127 & 128

Chapters 129 & 130

Oración Seis arc

Chapters 131 & 132

Chapters 133 & 134

Chapter 141

Chapters 142 & 143

Chapter 145

Chapter 146

Chapter 147

Chapter 148

Chapters 151 & 152

Chapters 153 & 154

Chapters 156 & 157

Chapters 160 & 162

Chapter 163

Chapter 164

Chapter 165

Edolas arc

Chapter 169

Chapter 170

Chapter 171

Chapter 172

Chapter 173

Chapter 174

Chapters 175 & 176

Chapter 180

Chapter 181

Chapter 182

Chapter 184

Chapters 185, 186 & 187

Chapters 189 & 190

Chapters 198 & 199

Tenrou Island arc

Chapter 200

Chapters 201 & 202

Chapter 207

Chapter 226

Chapter 227

Chapter 228

Chapters 231 & 232

Chapters 234, 235 & 239

Chapter 242

Chapters 243 & 244

Chapters 245 & 246

Chapter 247

Chapter 248

Chapter 249

Chapter 251

Chapter 253

X791 arc

Chapters 254 & 255

Chapter 256

Chapter 257

Grand Magic Games arc

Chapter 258

Chapter 259

Chapter 260

Chapter 261

Chapter 262

Chapters 263 & 264

Chapter 265

Chapter 266

Chapter 267

Chapter 268

Chapters 269 & 270

Chapters 271 & 272

Chapter 273

Chapter 275

Chapter 276

Chapters 277 & 278

Chapter 281

Chapter 282

Chapters 285 & 288

Chapters 289 & 290

Chapter 291

Chapter 292

Chapters 294 & 295

Chapters 296 & 297

Chapter 298

Chapter 302

Chapter 303

Chapters 305 & 306

Chapters 307 & 308

Chapters 310 & 311

Chapters 312 & 313

Chapter 316

Chapter 317

Chapters 318, 322 & 323

Chapter 324

Chapter 325

Chapter 326

Chapter 327

Chapters 328 & 329

Chapter 331

Chapter 333

Chapters 336 & 337

Chapter 338

Sun Village arc

Chapter 341

Chapter 342

Chapter 343

Chapters 344 & 345

Chapter 351

Chapter 352

Chapter 354

Chapter 355

Tartaros arc

Chapters 356 & 358

Chapter 359

Chapter 360

Chapter 361

Chapter 362

Chapters 363 & 364

Chapter 374

Chapters 375 & 376

Chapter 379

Chapter 380

Chapters 382 & 383

Chapter 386

Chapters 387 & 390

Chapter 394

Chapters 395 & 396

Chapter 399

Chapter 400

Chapter 401

Chapter 416

Avatar arc

Chapter 418

Chapter 419

Chapter 420

Chapter 421

Chapter 422

Chapter 424

Chapter 425

Chapter 426

Chapter 427

Chapter 428

Chapter 429

Chapter 430

Chapter 434

Chapter 435

Chapter 437

Alvarez Empire arc

Chapter 438

Chapters 439 & 440

Chapter 441

Chapter 442

Chapter 443

Chapter 444

Chapters 445 & 446

Chapter 447

Chapters 453 & 454

Chapter 462

Chapter 468

Chapter 469

Chapter 471

Chapter 474

Chapter 477

Chapter 478

Chapter 479

Chapter 480

Chapters 483 & 484

Chapter 485

Chapter 486

Chapters 487 & 488

Chapters 489 & 490

Chapters 491 & 492

Chapters 494 & 495

Chapters 496 & 497

Chapter 498

Chapter 500

Chapter 501

Chapters 502 & 503

Chapter 504

Chapters 507 & 508

Chapter 510

Chapter 512

Chapter 514

Chapter 520

Chapter 521

Chapters 522, 523 & 524

Chapter 525

Chapter 527

Chapters 529 & 530

Chapter 531

Chapter 533

Chapter 534

Chapter 535

Chapter 538

Chapters 539 & 540

Chapter 543

Chapter 544

Chapter 545 (final)

[allfiredupfornalu]

Chapter 545: Irreplaceable Friends

In the year X793, Lucy wins an award for her new book while all the guilds in the country of Fiore move on with their lives. Hisui pardons Crime Sorcière of their crimes, allowing them to live on to the future.

Gajeel points out that since Lucy and Anna have the same smell, it means he likes Anna. In which Natsu does not deny. It's cute how the Heartfilia Clan has this history with him. He even got the heiress, as his.

Lucy wakes up thinking everything was just a dream. Then sees Natsu and Happy in his house comfortably waiting for her to wake up. She remembers what she did while drunk. We should've seen more of it! Don't fret Lucy, you are Natsu's future bride.

And as Natsu invites her for a job, Lucy is bombarded with memories of them together. Let's dissect this:

1. The Duke of Everloo episode, wherein Natsu tells Lucy that she must burn the book since this is their job. First job and first partnership together!

2. Galuna Island Arc

3. When Natsu saves Lucy from falling, Phantom Lord Arc

4. Loke Arc, when the monsters (Natsu, Gray, and Erza) were having a pillow fight.

5. When an injured Natsu talks with Laxus

6. Oracion seis arc, when they were bombed by Zero

7. Edolas arc, when Earth Lucy met Edo Lucy.

8. Tenrou Island Arc, their battle with Cain Hikaru

9. GMG Arc, Natsu thanks Future Lucy

10. Tartaros Arc, Natsu vs Mard Geer and Igneel vs Acnologia

11. Natsu comes back after the 1 year timeskip

12. Alvarez Arc, the end of the war

Lucy envelops Natsu in a hug. She is thankful and happy with everything that happened. And when it gets emotional, Natsu drags her out to go for a job.

With a promise.

We end Fairy Tail on their 100 year quest.

---

I never thought that this would happen. Many people were supporting me along the way. I shared with my first blog that I was doing this to heal my inner child who has always been a Fairy Tail fan since 2011. It's been part of my growth and will always be part of my heart.

I'm happy I was able to finish the whole series and finish my NaLu blog! I'm still thinking if I shall proceed with the 100 year quest (it's still ongoing thus I'm hesitating). We'll know when we cross that bridge.

For all the FT fans and the NaLu fans, I'm wishing you all the best. Hope we can see you again soon! Love lots 🩷💛

[burstingdragons]

Dragon Rage (Ongoing)

The two locked eyes, neither Dragneel backing down as the implications were quite clear now.

"You're going to choose who lives and who dies today."

Zeref waited for the predictable denial. He saw the words began to form on the pink-haired man's lips before they were swallowed. There was a clear inner battle between Natsu Dragneel and Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Just like he wanted.

"No." The dragon slayer advanced forward, even closer to Zeref. "I won't."

The widest grin ever formed on Emperor Spriggan's features.

"How unfortunate." He mused before raising his voice over the now buzzing crowd. "As you can see our esteemed and honored guest does not have the courage in him to make the decision. Therefore, as emperor of our great nation, I will make it for him. All three wizards before you today, although vastly different in both rank and magic power, are under scrutiny for the same violation. Makarov Dreyar, Hisui E. Fiore, and Lucy Heartfilia, as well as Wendy Marvell, have been caught for conspiracy against the Alvarez Empire. As a result of their crimes and my gracious brother unable to follow his own emperor's orders, all three shall be to put to death." He smiled cunningly. "The floor is yours, Ajeel."

"NO!" Natsu lunged for the immortal but was immediately frozen in a solid block of ice by Invel. Fire erupted from that cubed prison as shards of ice exploded in all directions. An enraged dragon walked out of the billowing smoke, eyes flashing between black and red.

________________________________________________________

Curious to read more? Well, good news! You can read all 16 (technically 17) current chapters of Dragon Rage right now or at any time of your choosing over on FanFiction or Archive of Our Own! See you on the other side!

Dragon Rage is a story that primarily follows Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia past the conclusion of the Tartaros arc.

Story Summary: In the blink of an eye his lifelong dreams were shattered. Then the last remnants of his family vanished. Fairy Tail's sudden exodus adds fuel to an already raging fire—one ignited by tragedy. A hellish future awaits them all and Lucy must make a choice: join Natsu on his new path or walk away and watch him fall to the darkness. NaLu Post-Tartaros