#spriggen

[doghawk11]

imagine an AU where instead of Natsu dying, it was Zeref - but basically almost everything is slightly the same except for key differences. Igneel still raised and taught Natsu Fire Dragon Slayer Magic - same for Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, and Rouge. The differences come in the fact that there is no Eclipse Gate, so the Slayers are not sent forward in time, and the dragons don't use the Dragon Soul technique. So, how i envision things happening is they all become dragons, kill Acnologia together, and become cursed to become so full of magic that if they use too much power they could each eventually destroy the world - so they barely ever interact with other creatures and each other, becoming slightly more dragon than human. Wendy eventually learns transformation magic and becomes human in appearance, then teaches the others - but with the same down falls as Irene. Natsu is the one to meet Irene and teaches her the spell - then basically dips out of there away from her (like Zeref technically did). Irene stays the same, btw. Wendy came across three spells - Glitter, Sphere, and Law - and she is the one who teaches Mavis the spells and Warrod, Yuri, and Precht magic. Fairy Tail Zero is the same, and Mavis still gets cursed. Rouge is the one that "killed" her though - not with love, but by losing control of his magic, separating her soul from her body - and gives her to Wendy trying to save Mavis, when that fails Wendy takes her back to her guild, which eventually leads Precht towards his dark path and leading Grimore Heart (a dark guild obsessed with learning to control the dragons). Erza's life spans out the same, except the tower is being built in worship of Rouge - then, with Jellal (Ultear) in worship of all of the dragons (to try and control the dragons through Etherion Mind Control). Gray's town and family get destroyed by an uncontrollable eruption of Natsu's magic. That backstory stays almost the same, except Ur died in a training accident that was seen as Gray's fault. Lucy's past is mostly the same, except her mom died from Etherion poisoning from trying to use a too powerful spell to speak with the Celestials. Alvarez is kind of different so i'll get to that later. Tartarus is a guild of fanatics whose goal is to summon the dragons and use them to rule over Earthland from Fiore. Lullaby is just a cursed flute that can sometimes transform into a monster if it is surrounded and filled with enough Ethernano. Deliora will be talked about later. August and Larcade are just normal people (or are they~ ;) ).

For the led up to plot Alvarez is a Kingdom outside of Fiore that worships the old Gods (like Ankserham). At some point the Gods became angry at the amount of power the dragons have been gaining so they sought out to destroy them. The Gods chose twelve vessels to posses (the Spriggian 12) and take out the five dragons. These vessels become unageing and vertually impossible to kill - even for the dragons. Yes, they even possessed Irene. The vessals are still vertually who they were as people (Brandish's backstory is vertually the same) however their magic power is the same level as the God that possessed them - or at least how much can be contained in a human (/dragon) vessel, which is still A LOT! Like, A LOT! Each of the Spriggan went after the dragons and started to drain their ethernano and life essence, however each of the dragons managed to escape but not without a consequence - they now are virtually the ages of small children and their magic power has been significantly lowered. Also they have to go through puberty again (in otherwords, they start aging like humans again). Like this, they start looking for each other to tell them about the danger - which eventually leads them to Natsu in Fairy Tail to use as a home base, Gajeel in Phantom Lord to use as home base, Wendy with Edo-Jellal then Cait Shelter as home base (she knows their illusions conjured by the chief). One of the Spriggen attacks Tenrou Island trying to kill Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy (though Fairy Tail does not know this - except Mavis and the dragons) and this causes Sting and Rouge to eventually join Sabertooth to gain their strength back and eventually kill the vessels and the Gods that inhabit them. Also in the Eclipse Gate arc - it is actually one of the Spriggan pulling the strings on Princess Hisui to use a powerful Celestial spell to "fortify" Fiore - but it is really a spell that will wipe the continent off the map. However, they never actually reveal themself (unlike Future Rouge) and the protagonists only find out at the end of the arc.

Deliora is a monster that was created by the Gods as an early attempt to destroy the dragons. But it was destroyed and can only be revived through Anti-Ethernano that is created from the spell Moondrip and a special spell spoken enough times with Moondrip will summon Deliora to that location. The accident that happened was actually caused by Natsu again losing control of his magic and sending off a giant earthquake and volcanic-like eruption, that caused Ur to look off and Gray to lose control of his magic output and accidentally sending an ice arrow straight through Ur's heart while Lyon lost his footing and landed on his face in the snow and hitting his head on the ice. Lyon eventually finds out the root cause of what happened (a man exploded with magic in a village) and set out to summon Deliora to prove his strength is strong enough to find this man and kill him himself. Lullaby was cursed by the Gods as a way to try and kill the dragons - which again, failed, but it was the first attempt so it kind of gets a pass. Sting is actually the one who consistently fought it and won, eventually he just grabbed it's flute form and gave it to the Magic Council and described what it was capable of - still basically stealing souls to become stronger, and the stronger it is the more souls it can steal.

[im-simmin]

i just assumed she was like, part spriggen or something, but a branch prosthetic is cool

Someone commented that they like Saffron's prosthetic arm and honestly it hadn't even occurred to me that that's what it was, I just thought her arm just grew like that

[reviviscencegruiform]

Magic anon!

Woe spriggen be upon you. For the next day you are sprigg.

//Magic Anon Accepted//

[ilovedirt]

hey there, find me elsewhere -

instagram: zroe.zroe

original photography: @kiweetree

credited art curating: @honey-buzzing

and i release weekly 1hr playlists on my spotify 💎

My sister The Loophole Fox makes beautiful handmade crochet and original pattern designs! 🖤💎 give her a gander

I am Khai. I am verbose and I say fuck a lot. Good luck trying to figure anything out through the lens of this blog (or any of my media for that matter)

all things become you, you become all things. let us walk with our feet bare in the dirt.

info, tag index & tw below the cut

AHOY! OR . . . Whatever.

I am just another strange looking limby primate. The goal of this blog is to make you think about life from the smallest details to the largest concepts, and then how to connect them all

If you came here for that id pronouns or whatever: I do not neatly align with cisheteronormativity, monogamy, or many other social paradigms for western morality. This is a place of off grid anarchy. I can, and will, kill you for free. Mostly though if you talk to me I'll be delighted and probably leave you feeling a bit "this one's way too weird for me" and thats fine. Pronouns are not preferred. Do not perceive me. Smoochies!

Only select mutuals can ask for other socials and alt blog handles thanks!

Here's how to navigate my atrocious index of tags if you're feelin frisky:

about me - personal posts

graph - exciting visual aids

native america - posts relevant to the history and modern life of native people from the americas

spaceage - a conversation on the wonders of tech

eye bleach - soft things for the troubled mind

epigenetics - relevant information on the genome and its expression

neuroplasticity - relevant information on neurological science & psychology

global concepts - ideas that transcend borders

spriggen - rewilding, sustainable permaculture, ecological success stories, wildland survival

life skills - learn something

human nature - erasing the line between the human mind and the animal mind (as well as do not forget you are an animal)

phenotype - neat and new creatures

soothe - places I want to lie down in

language - communication what in the ever loving fuck

meta - tumblr related

jams - personally curated playlists released weekly and other stuff to jam to

americanus - a . . . very special hominid

food - trust me, click this

fuck nestle - the most important one on here

enrichment - in case you're lacking in good ideas

fortune telling - aging, death, the lot of it

This is not an exhaustive list! The bolded ones are some of my favorites :) I use a few others for personal reasons. Feel free to browse if you're curious.

chlann - the genius of the generations that will come after me

bigposts - ideas that have been around

reads - excerpts from some of the books I'm reading

WANNA GET IN TOUCH? 🙊🖤

I will happily add trigger warnings to content for you! Please ask nicely. Don't hesitate to reach out for a friendly chat! @ing me is totally cool, i follow #ilovedirt but don't check it often! My inbox is currently closed, but asks and anons are open! Yes you may send me fundraisers and gofundmes! I reserve the right to refuse to reblog these upon my own volition however.

My submissions are closed for now, however if you would like me to check out a post or content of yours please do! I check out all new followers, and I block across the board including bots, blank blogs, graphic NSFW/kink/fetish blogs, exclusionists, and anyone that annoys me bc I am petty.

I currently do my best to tag these things and things closely related -

Death / Animal death

Spiders / Arachnophobia

Racism / Colonialism / genocide

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Rape / domestic violence / abuse

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[ilovedirt]

@marvelousanodyne

tell me something nice

[rex101111]

I'm gonna pick Fueoco cause he's a fire croc and you can't beat that but i want it on record that i think Sprigatito is the best Pokémon name...ever.

[serenphir]

I am so wary of things in Skyrim I went to the most beautiful scenic place and I was on edge waiting for enemies the whole time I was there. Even with people relaxing and commenting on the beauty I was thinking 'you're going to attack me I know it beautiful my ass'.

[pattycakee95]

@fints-gerasimn23h7 @dailykayli @fvckintwisted @theadjective @kardadhian @presleybabyy @pull-the--trigger---bitch @hellandhomee @guardian-saint-elaine @spriggen @softwaang 

Ray-Ban Sunglasses

[literarymedicine]

the lovely @juenereveuse tagged me a little while ago to share some screenshots from my notes, here they are;

i tag @times-like-these @mondklar @spriggen @etherealacademia please don’t feel like you have to do this also 🍃💫

[ilovedirt]

@troglodytemignon

[“The ability of plants and mycorrhizal fungi to reshape their relationships has profound implications. We are familiar with the story: Throughout human history, partnerships with other organisms have extended the reach of both humans and nonhumans. Human relationships with corn brought about new forms of civilization. Relationships with horses allowed new forms of transport. Relationships with yeast permitted new forms of alcohol production and distribution. In each case, humans and their nonhuman partners redefined their possibilities.

Horses and humans remain separate organisms, as do plants and mycorrhizal fungi, but both are echoes of an ancient tendency for organisms to associate. The anthropologists Natasha Myers and Carla Hustak argue that the word evolution, which literally means “rolling outward,” doesn’t capture the readiness of organisms to involve themselves in one another’s lives. Myers and Hustak suggest that the word involution—from the word involve—better describes this tendency: a “rolling, curling, turning inward.” In their view, the concept of involution better captures the entangled pushing and pulling of “organisms constantly inventing new ways to live with and alongside one another.”

It was their tendency to involve themselves in the lives of others that enabled plants to borrow a root system for fifty million years while they evolved their own. Today, even with their own root systems, almost all plants still depend on mycorrhizal fungi to manage their underground lives. Their involutionary tendencies enabled fungi to borrow a photosynthesizing alga to handle their atmospheric affairs. They still do. Mycorrhizal fungi are not built into plant seeds. Plants and fungi must constantly form and re-form their relationships. Involution is ongoing and extravagant: By associating with one another, all participants wander outside and beyond their prior limits.”]

Merlin Sheldrake, Entangled Life

[tthe2ndfallenmaster-moved]

…couldn’t help it

“.....Why?”

[everygrayfullbuster]

i admire your determination to have every single Gray panel posted

Thank you! Tbh i just started this blog to motivate me to finally finish the manga since I dropped it when I was 15ish? I think the Alvarez Empire arc or whatever has the Spriggen 12 was just starting and I got bored but NOW... I've hyperfixated

[pinktatertots99]

Give me a character: Silver Lady(AMB)!

EEEEEEEEEE MAHOUTSUKAI!!!

Give me a character and I will answer: 

Why I like them: she’s an awesome caretaker, one i wish i could be eheh. loves chise ljksdfsjlkdf, also funny, and just needs a hug!!!

Why I don’t: uhhhhhh...i got nothin.

Favorite episode (scene if movie): probably her ep with her backstory.

Favorite season/movie: season 2.

Favorite line: the one at the end of the chapter where chise and elias came back after months of being in the fae world.

Favorite outfit: her usual one but her robe and long hair was pretty.

OTP: her x spriggen. WHERE IS THE STUFF FOR THIS???

Brotp: her and ruth ljksdfljksdf.

Head Canon: she’s learned sign language to commune with people due to her mostly mute nature and thanks to one of the people who lived in the house’s residence at the time who taught her.

Unpopular opinion: she’s so pretty with her hair down.

A wish: SHE TALKS MORE!!!

An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen: kill her or have her betray chise and i shall FIGHT!!!

5 words to best describe them: majestic, beautiful, pretty, cute, funny.

My nickname for them: silky.

[superfreakerz]

hi can I request Nalu Au where Lucy is on the run from an arranged marriage with the Younger Brother of the Spriggen Emperor's younger brother and she run in to Natsu who is upset with his brother Zeref for signing him up for some nonsense he don't wanna marry some stuffy princess he would much rather hang out with his new weirdo buddy Luce (now that I say that I wonder if it will fit into a one-shot oh well plot sounds cute :3)

Hello, thank you for the request! It was a little tricky fitting it into a one-shot but I hope you like it! :D

“On the Run” 

Rated T for language.

Summary: Lucy is on the run after refusing to marry some stranger her father had tried to set her up with. During her journey, she meets a boy named Natsu. Little did they know at the time that their lives were intertwined before they even met.

On the Run

Her arm stung as it scraped againsta branch blocking her way to freedom, blood trickling from the wound and mixingwith the sweat and dirt that coated her body. The sting was enough to distract her from her hunger, at least.  She hadn’t eaten in days, and her stomach wasstarting to feel like it was eating itself. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion and her legs were burning, screamingfor a break.  But she couldn’t stoprunning.  Not yet.  Not until she’d crossed the border into theneighboring kingdom.

It had been two days since herfather had told her he had arranged her marriage with the younger brother of the Spriggan Emperor.  

“You did what?” she choked out. Her throat felt tight, tears pricking her eyes.  She knew the day would come eventually, butso soon?  She was only sixteen!  She couldn’t get married yet!

“Don’t make me repeat myself,child,” her father had replied.  “TheSpriggan Emperor and I have arranged the marriage between you and his youngerbrother.  You leave in the morning.”

“But…  But I’m only sixteen!  I-I can’t get married yet!”

“Lucy!  You are the Princess of Fiore!  You do whatever is needed for yourkingdom!  You do not live the same lifeas everyone else.  You are Lucky LucyHeartfilia and you shall act as such! Now go to your room.  I have workto do.”

               Later that night, she snuck outof the castle and began her escape.

               Lucy thought she had run outof tears to cry, but it turns out she didn’t. Just recalling that night was enough to bring tears to her eyes.  

               Sheknew that her father didn’t care about her, not since her mother had died longago.  But she never would’ve imaginedthat he would trade her away so easily. Sure, the marriage would bring in funds that Fiore needed, but whatabout her?  Was her own life not important?

               Swallowingthickly, Lucy shook her head.  Now wasn’tthe time to think about such things.  Sheneeded to focus on escaping.

               Reachingthe border, Lucy noticed the knights on patrol. As Princess of Fiore, she could easily tell them to let her through.  Word of her disappearance was probablyspreading through the kingdom, though. There was no way they would listen to her, not if they worked for herfather.

               There wereonly a few people Lucy knew that were kind despite working for her father.  She was particularly grateful for one of themright now, as they had taught her some fighting techniques even though herfather told her not to bother with such things. Sneaking through the shadows and approaching the guards, she gave fastblows to their necks, knocking them out cold.

               Withthat, she was on her way.

               As Lucyfirst crossed the border, there was no real difference between the FioreKingdom and the Alvarez Kingdom.  Afterall, she was rushing through the forest. The trees all started to blend into the same blob of green at some pointduring her journey.

               Nowthat she was on Alvarez soil, her father’s knights were unable to reachher.  Sure, she had to worry about theAlvarez knights now, but she chose not to think about that.  

               Hersteps slowed, her legs feeling sluggish. She’d been running for days, only taking a few breaks.  She hadn’t even allowed herself to sleep,scared that someone was going to whisk her away back to the castle.  

               Nowthat she was in somewhat safer territory, Lucy sat herself against a tree, allowingher back to lean against the bark.  Ithad been a gruesome couple of days for her, and exhaustion was creeping its wayquickly over her body.  Her eyes droopedto a close as she finally allowed herself to rest.

               Natsusighed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked through the familiarforest.  His steps were calm, as heknew there was no point in trying to escape his brother’s clutches.  Well, clutches wasn’t exactly the rightword.  It wasn’t like his brother was someharsh dictator.  Zeref was a nice guy andwas just doing what he needed to for the sake of the kingdom, even if it meantarranging a marriage between him and some princess in Fiore.

               Natsusighed again.  He didn’t want to marryanyone, least of all a princess.  Beingthe Prince of Alvarez, he had met plenty of snobby princesses in his life, allof them only caring about jewels, clothes, and who had the most money.  What kind of life was that?  He just wanted to have fun with his friendsand continue living the way he had been.

               Butwhen Zeref asked him to marry the Princess of Fiore, saying that the kingdomneeded connections with the Heartfilias, Natsu found that he couldn’t sayno.  After all, he’d been slacking on hisprincely duties his whole life, and even though the kingdom was doing relativelyfine, he’d still seen some of their citizens suffering.  He wanted to end everyone’s suffering.  So, he’d agreed to marry a girl he’d nevereven met despite only being seventeen years old.  

               Natsuwas pulled out his thoughts as he came across a girl sitting against a tree,her body covered in dirt and scratches. Looking at her arm, he could see dried blood stained over it.  Concerned, he rushed towards her, nudging hergently.

               “Oi, areyou okay?” he asked, hoping that she wasn’t dead.

               Luckily,her eyes fluttered open and he was met with orbs of brown, rich enough to makehim feel like he was drowning in chocolate. The dreamy effect they had, however, died the moment she glared at himand pushed him away.

               “Getaway from me!” she shouted, rushing to her feet.  Her legs wobbled beneath her, giving out onher.  In seconds, she was collapsing tothe ground again.

               “Areyou okay?” Natsu tried again.  This timehe didn’t touch her, not wanting to set her off again.

               Thegirl narrowed her eyes at him.  “What doyou want with me?”  Her voice was raspy, herthroat dry.  She hadn’t had water in solong.

               “Huh?”

               “Is itmoney?  Well too bad.  I don’t have any on me right now.”

               Natsucouldn’t help but laugh.  “Money?  Nah, I think I’m pretty set on that.”

               Thisonly made the girl fearful.  “Th-Then…  You want…” Her hands immediately covered her chest, informing Natsu what she was implying.

               “What!?  No way, you weirdo!  I was just wondering if you were okay,sheesh!  I saw you were bleeding and youlooked like you were dead, no offense.”

               “Oh,” shereplied, though it was clear her suspicions hadn’t died down.

               “Well?  Are you okay?” Natsu asked for the thirdtime.  

               “I’mfine.  Thank you.  You may go now.”

               “Huh?  That’s it? You’re clearly not fine, you know.”

               “Leaveme alone.”          

               Thegirl forced herself to her feet, leaning against the tree to steady herself.  A vein ticked in Natsu’s forehead.  Here he was trying to help this girl and shewas being a pain in the ass about it, not even sparing him a glance.  Walking up to her, he quickly pinched hercheeks and tugged on them, receiving a yelp and angry stare in reply.

               “Let goof me!” she shouted, tugging on his hair.

               “Ack!  You let go!” he shot back.

               “Youstarted it!”

               “No,you did!”

               “What?  You were the one that pulled on my cheeks!”

               “Becauseyou were bein’ difficult!”

               The twostared each other down, refusing to be the first one to let go.

               “Alright,we’ll both let go together,” Lucy suggested. “On the count of three.  One…  Two… Three.”

               Reluctantly,they both unhanded each other.  Natsucrossed his arms with a sigh.

               “So why’reyou all messed up looking?” he asked bluntly.

               Lucyglared at him again.  ‘Gee, thanks.  Why don’t you just kick me while I’m down whileyou’re at it?”

               “Yeah,yeah.  Just answer the question.”

               Lucycrossed her arms, studying the boy.  Hehad onyx eyes, darker than the depths of the ocean.  His skin was slightly darker than her own andhis arms were toned.  Surprisingly, hishair was a light shade of pink.  She’dnever seen a boy with pink hair before. For some reason, she found herself liking it, along with the rest of theboy’s features.

               “I’mnot telling you,” Lucy finally answered, sticking her tongue out at him.  

               Natsugave an annoyed look.  “Why not?”

               “BecauseI don’t even know you.  You could be somemurderer or something.”

               “If I wasa murderer, wouldn’t I have just killed you by now?  After all, you’ve been doing nothing butannoy me.”  The girl smacked his arm,glaring at him, which only made him laugh. “What’s your name, at least?”

               Lucybit her lower lip, wondering if she should tell the boy.  He obviously didn’t recognize her as the Princessof Fiore by the way he acted around her. People were usually timid around her and treating her with the upmostrespect, not knowing that she just wanted to be treated like everybodyelse.  It was a refreshing change havingsomeone pinch her cheeks or call her annoying or even bicker with her.

               “I’mLucy,” she answered after giving it some thought.  She wasn’t the only one in the world with thatname, she doubted he would know she was the Princess just from that.

               “I’mNatsu,” the boy replied, giving her a fanged grin.  Admittedly, it brought a flush to her face.  He was pretty cute.

               “Whatbrings you all the way over here, Natsu? Are you heading into Fiore?” Lucy asked, feeling more comfortable aroundthe boy.

               “Nah,”he replied, shoving his hands in his pockets. With a shrug, he continued, “I just needed to get away for a bit.  What about you?”

               “I’mstill not telling you.”

               “Aww, c’mon!  I told you!”

               Lucycrossed her arms.  “Fine.  You could say I needed to get away, too.”

               “Fromwhat?  Are you in danger?  Is that why you’re covered in dirt andscratches?” Natsu asked.

               “Iwouldn’t say I’m in danger…”

               “Thenwhat?”  Natsu sighed, quickly noticingthat Lucy wasn’t going to answer his question. “Alright, you don’t have to tell me anything, Luigi.”

               “It’s Lucy!”

               “But you should at leastcome with me to get some food and water. When was the last time you ate something?  Your stomach has been growling this entiretime.”

               Lucy’scheeks turned pink in embarrassment.  “Shutup!”  

               Natsulaughed, grabbing her hand.  “Come on.  I’ll get you some stuff from my place.  I’ll have to sneak you inside, though.”

               “Don’tbother.  I’m not going to go in somestranger’s house.”

               “Alright,fine.  I’ll bring it out to you then.  Happy?”

               Lucynodded, allowing Natsu to lead her towards his place.  Judging from the way he dressed- baggy pants,a weird coat with only one sleeve, and a scaly scarf wrapped around his neck- sheassumed that he was in the lower to middle class.  

               Lucyglanced down at her hand, realizing that it was still locked with Natsu’s.  A blush stained her cheeks, feeling thewarmth that radiated from the boy.  He wasabnormally warm, warmer than anyone she’d ever met.  

               “I-Ican walk on my own,” Lucy said, tugging her hand away.  She was too embarrassed to be holding hands witha boy, especially one as attractive as Natsu. She’d never even had the chance to talk to boys back in the castle.  Everyone there was an adult.

               Natsushrugged, letting go of her hand.  Inseconds, she was wobbling unsteadily.  

               “Justlemme carry you,” Natsu suggested.  “It’llbe quicker that way.”

               “Carryme?  No way!  I-!”

               Beforeshe could finish her sentence, Natsu had picked her up and thrown her over hisshoulder.  Her face became a blushingmess as his hands were holding onto her upper thigh, dangerously close to herbum.  She hit his back over and overagain.

               “Put medown, Natsu!” she demanded.  

               “I toldyou, it’s quicker this way, Luigi.”

               “Stop callingme that!”

               Natsuchuckled.  “Fine.  But it’s still easier to carry you so stoparguing with me, you weirdo.”

               “I’mnot a weirdo!  You’re the weird one thatinsists on carrying me like this!  Andwatch where you put your hands, you pervert!”

               Natsublanched.  “Oi!  I’m not a pervert!  Gray is!”

               “I don’teven know who that is!  Just put me downalready!”

               Natsugroaned.  Lucy was a lot of trouble, butalbeit amusing.  He settled her back onthe ground, only to carry her princess style instead.  

               “No complainin’this time!” Natsu said, knowing that the blonde would have if he gave her thechance.  “Just accept the help, damn it!”

               Lucycrossed her arms, muttering, “Fine, idiot.”

               Eventually,Natsu stopped in his tracks.  They werestill in the forest and had been walking for over half an hour.  Lucy was surprised that he managed to carry herthe entire way without needing a break.  

               Natsugently put her down.

               “Youwait here,” he said.  “I’ll go inside andget some food and water for you.  Don’tmove from this spot, okay?”

               “Alright,”Lucy replied.  “…Thank you, Natsu.”

               The boyflashed her a grin and ruffled her golden hair. “Don’t mention it, Luce!”

               As hewalked away, Lucy stared at his retreating form.  Her cheeks turned pink as she thought of thenickname he had given her.  It was thefirst nickname anyone had given her.  Itmade her feel normal.

               “Luce, huh? I kinda like that.”

               Just as promised, Natsureturned shortly, carrying a bag over his shoulder.  Crouching in front of her, he opened it toreveal that it was stuffed with junk food and bottles of water.  Not caring how unladylike she looked, the blondegrabbed a water bottle at the speed of light and chugged down its contents,wiping away the tiny drizzle that crept down the corner of her mouth.

               Natsu’seyes were trained on the water that trickled from her lips.  Her pink, plump lips to be exact.  Realizing he was staring, he shook his headand focused on the food instead.

               “I couldn’tget anything cooked, sorry.  But I broughta bunch of my favorite snacks you could fill up on!” Natsu exclaimed with agrin.  Pulling out a bag of chips, he handedit to her.  “My friends say that theseare spicy, but I don’t think so.”

               Lucynearly drooled seeing the bag of chips.  Notonly had she not eaten in days, but she also was never allowed to eat any unhealthysnacks at the castle.  Her father saidthat a princess was responsible for taking care of her body and making surethat it looked pleasing for suitors. Snacks, cookies, and any type of greasy food was forbidden in the castle.

               Shescarfed down some chips, relishing in their flavor.  Happy tears streamed down her face.

               “Sogood!” she exclaimed, going in for some more.

               “Aren’tthey?” Natsu replied, smiling as well. He was glad to see her give such a real smile.  Something about her told him that she didn’tsmile all too often.

               “Ooh,they are kind of spicy though,” Lucy said, guzzling down some more water.  Her body felt better immediately.  Thanks to Natsu, she could continue herjourney.  She didn’t have a destinationin mind, but she knew that she couldn’t stay by the border.  It was too risky there.

               “I can’tstay here too long,” Natsu said with a frown. “I gotta go back in before my brother notices that I’m gone.  I was supposed to go meet with someone yesterdayand I bailed.”

               “Isyour brother strict?” Lucy questioned.  

               “Yeah,but he’s kinda gotta be strict.”

               “Isthat why you needed to get away for a bit?”

               Natsucrossed his arms behind his head with a sigh. “Yeah.  I love my brother, but heset up an arranged marriage for me.  Iain’t even interested in that sorta stuff but I don’t really got much of achoice.”

               “Arrangedmarriage?” Lucy replied, her eyes growing wide. So Natsu came from a place of nobility? Only nobles and royals usually dealt with arranged marriages.  

               “Yeah.  Somethin’ bout helping the kingdom.  I love the kingdom too, which is why I agreedin the first place, you know?  But to behonest, I really don’t wanna marry some snobby princess.  I just wanna have fun with my friends.”

               Lucy’smouth dropped on its hinges as she stared at the boy in bewilderment.  “W-Wait a second…  A-Are you the younger brother of the SprigganEmperor?”

               Natsuraised a brow.  “Yeah.  How’d you figure that out?”

               “B-BecauseI’m Lucy Heartfilia!  I’m the one that youwere supposed to meet up with and marry yesterday!”

               Natsu’seyes turned to the size of golf balls.  “A-Areyou serious?”

               “Yes!  That’s why I’ve been on the run for the pastcouple of days!  I don’t want to getmarried either!”

               “Holyshit!  What are the chances!” Natsuexclaimed with a wide grin.  “That’s soweird!  I-“

               Hissentence was cut short as Lucy rose to her feet, backing away from him.  The distrust in her eyes that had gone away duringtheir time together was returning.  

               “Lucy?  What’s wrong?” he asked.

               Thegirl shook her head, staring at him defiantly. “I-I don’t want to get married!  Irefuse to!  I won’t let you take me!”

               Ignoringthe bag of food and water, the blonde turned on her heel and rushed in theopposite direction away from Natsu.  Herlegs were screaming in pain, still exhausted from her previous days ofrunning.  Her heart was thrashing aroundin her chest.

               A warmhand encircled her wrist, pulling her to a stop.

               “Letgo!” Lucy shouted, trying to pry her arm away.

               “Coolit, Luce!” Natsu replied.  “I’m not gonnaforce you to marry me, you weirdo!”

               “Y-Youaren’t?”

               “Noway!  What the hell kinda person do I looklike to you?”  Natsu let go of Lucy’swrist and put his hands up in surrender to try and calm her down.  “Look, I didn’t wanna get married either,remember?  You’re nice and all, but that’snot my thing.  And if you didn’t agree tothis, then I definitely don’t want to.”

               “…So…  What now?”

               Natsushoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know.  Do you have anyidea where you’re going?”

               Lucyshook her head.  “I don’t know anything aboutAlvarez and I don’t have anyone to take me in.”

               “Do youwanna live in the castle?  There are ashit ton of empty rooms nobody uses.”

               “That’sa little risky, don’t you think?”

               “Iguess that’s true.  What about I get themoney so you can buy a place of your own?”

               Lucy blinkedonce, then twice.  Was he serious?  “You would go that far for me?”

               Natsushrugged, a lopsided grin resting on his face. “Yeah, why not?  We’re friendsnow.”

               The wordfriends had Lucy’s heart skipping a beat. She had made friends with some of the employees in the castle, but noneof them were her age.  Natsu was thefirst friend she had made herself.  Shenever believed she would have the opportunity to do such a thing.

               Lucytackled Natsu in a tight hug.  “Thankyou, Natsu.  For everything.”

               The boywas taken aback, his cheeks turning pink. “D-Don’t mention it, weirdo.”

               OnceNatsu returned from grabbing some money at the castle, the two were on theirway to find a place for Lucy to live.  Theyavoided anywhere in town since Lucy was a runaway.  It took a while, but eventually they found asmall cottage in the woods, which Natsu had purchased immediately.  

               Lucy awedat the sight of her new home.  It wassmall, especially coming from her castle, but it had everything sheneeded.  Working appliances and a bathtubwere all she needed to make this place a home. Thanks to Natsu, she could do everything she dreamed of doing in the castle. She could make her own meals, be asunrefined as she wanted, and live a life of freedom.  A life worth living.

               Tearspricked her eyes as she turned towards Natsu.

               “Thankyou…” she breathed out.

               Natsusmiled back at her.  “I keep tellin’ yato quit thankin’ me, you weirdo.  I gottahead back now.”

               Lucyfrowned.  “Already?”  Though, when she lived in the castle, shewasn’t allowed to go outside at all, unless she was meeting some other richnoble or something.  Natsu’s freedomsalready extended much further than hers did.

               “Yeah.  I gotta let Zeref know that I’m changing mymind about an arranged marriage,” Natsu replied.

               “You cando that?”

               “Huh?  Of course. It’s not like he forced me or anything.”

               “Whatchanged your mind then?”

               “Seein’you running and trying your best to live the life you want,” Natsu answeredsincerely.  “I don’t to be forced intoanything either, so it’s time I tell Zeref that.”

               “Good luck,”Lucy said with a frown.  “Am…  Am I ever going to see you again?”

               “’Courseyou are, weirdo,” Natsu answered, ruffling her hair.  He laughed as she pouted and swatted his handaway.  “I’ll try to visit every day.”

               “Really,I can’t believe you’re doing all of this for me.”

               “Hey,thanks to you I don’t have to get married either.  Ain’t my thing.”

               Lucysmirked.  “Really?  You can’t see yourself getting married ever?”

               Natsu’seyes trailed over her, a blush making its way over his face.  “N-No way! Marriage and mushy, lovey-dovey shit is not for me.”

               “Whateveryou say.”

               The twosmiled at each other, their hearts light and excited about their budding friendship.  Saying their goodbyes, they didn’t feel toosad, because they knew that they were going to see each other again, as fate clearlywanted them to meet in the first place. After all, they were set up in an arranged marriage, still somehow foundeach other despite Lucy running away, and became friends through it all eventhough they weren’t going through with the marriage.  Fate wanted their lives to intertwine.

               Andwhile neither of them didn’t want marriage at the time, little did they know thatyears later into the future, they would be walking down the aisle togetheranyways, but not as Lucky Lucy Heartfilia and Prince Dragneel.  No, they would come to take their relationshipto the next step as just Lucy and Natsu. 

Hope you liked it! :D Thank you again for the request! :D

[drpoxo]

Messing with the new spriggen coat.

[kuipernebula]

stagbuster replied to your post “…. do we ever find out mayu’s phantom? i guess i’ll find out in like...”

i don't think so... iirc since she beat it back thru sheer willpower haruto didn't have to jump into her soul realm to save her and we never got to see it

Ah she sounds so cool.

Anyway in that case her Phantom was probably Gorgon.

In mythology, Medusa had two sisters, Sthenno and Euryale, but all three of them were the Gorgon sisters. Nowadays, you never see Medusa’s sisters namechecked the way she is, meanwhile the word Gorgon remains in Fantasy circles, often used as a synonym for Medusa herself. 

Given they used some pretty obscure fantasy monsters for inner phantoms (Jabberwock, Bandersnatch, Jormungandr, Hekatonkheir) (some outer phantoms too: Spriggen, Argus, Raum, Legion) I wouldn’t disbelieve Sthenno or Euryale, but Gorgon seems more believable a counterpart to Dragon and Chimera.