ilitthefox

[ilitthefox]

Hi! I really love your posts. I wanted to ask can you please go into more detail about how you think Lucy acts more hyperactive compared to Natsu when they are alone. You said that in an older post and I wanted to get your take on that in more detail because it makes sense and I never really thought about it until you said it!! Thank you so much!!

Of course!!!

Okey, so I want to start with this picture:

Natsu gets calm and relaxed arround Lucy, this is not a headcanon, or the fandom being delusional, it's straight up facts.

With a relaxed state of mind comes how one really behaves, and with Natsu, it's extremely obvious.

We can compare it to how he acts with everyone else in the guild versus Lucy (when they are alone)

Here he was alone with Gray FOR 3 DAYS, and the only thing they did was fight (I'm not saying they don't have a good relationship, they have a very healthy rivalry)

Gildarts:

Erza:

This second pic just shows how even erza knows that his first instinct would be to fight her given the chance:

Laxus:

And anyone in the guild really

Now, I know that the people I showed are people Natsu admires, people he wants to defeat in the future in a fair fight, but that doesn't mean he can't have real relaxing moments with them, for example, Erza. She is like his older sister and Natsu glorifies her, but he doesn't see her as someone he can relax with like he does with Lucy.

In other words, Natsu uses the guild to vent.

While Lucy is his safe place.

I, personally, believe that Natsu uses his fights in the guild to make a point. To make people see that he is reliable, that's why he keeps challenging the strongest guild members.

I'm not saying he doesn't think lucy is strong, he just doesn't WANT to fight her. Actually, not only he doesn't want to fight her, he can't, at least not willingly.

The guild does know that he is strong, they just remind him that he is just not there yet, he has the potential, but he needs time, and while this is true we have never seen Lucy doubt Natsu's strenght. She ALWAYS thinks that he is going to win, no matter what, no matter who he is against. Lucy completely believes that he will win no matter what.

Natsu uses his time with Lucy to actually relax, he doesn't see the necesity to fight Lucy, since she actually believes that he is the strongest, she has absolute blind and complete faith in Natsu, giving him what he actually needs, rest.

The reason why I say she seems more hyperactive compared to Natsu is not because she necessarily is, it's just that Natsu can actually relax with her, making her seem more hyperactive.

When both of them are relaxed, they look like a god damn family

Sorry for going all out with the pics, I just love them so much

[ilitthefox]

Is Natsu suicidal?

Trigger warning: suicide

I want to clarify that this is MY PERSPECTIVE, you might agree or disagree with me and thats completely fine.

Let me beging with one thing, and that is that natsu IS NOT SUICIDAL.

He wants to live his life at the fullest and he looks forward to the future.

Then why do I say he wanted to kill himself? because when lucy "died", he was so full of grief that he just didn't care any more.

One thing that they make clear is that the demons of zeref, once awaken, have only one thought in their minds: KILLING ZEREF

Lucy's "death" is what awoke END, Natsu felt so desperate and he was so full of grief that he literally abandoned his humanity.

She was gone and he blamed zeref, because if he had never started the war, she would be alive, that was enough for him to abandon his morals and look forward to kill someone.

Now comes the important part: his confrontation with grey

This part is really important because it shows that Natsu is aware of his actions.

If he really was completely possessed by END, then he would not have hesitated and warn grey about getting out of his way, he would have just killed him and keep going, but Natsu warns him several times

Until he doesn't give a damn anymore and attacks him.

Natsu was adamant about going after zeref and killing him, but he is also aware that if he does so, he will die. Zeref told him so himself.

But lucy is dead, so he just doesn't care anymore.

Igneel talked to him about looking at the future

But Lucy wasn't in that future anymore, so he can't look forward for it, because it died the moment Lucy did. if she wasn't in it, why bother? He knew that killing zeref was killing himself.

Gray literally saved Natsus life confronting him

This whole panel is foreshadowing to Lucy dying and Natsu wanting to die because of it

I know I already posted this but I wanted to give this specific part its own post :)

[ilitthefox]

Watch me yap about something that i wanted to share..

it's been seen since the beginning that Natsu has been overexerting himself. It's gotten to the point where Natsu got the equivalent of magical cancer because of it. As soon as he woke up he was back fighting again and immediately used his fire dragon king mode. If it wasn't for Brandish he would've died. The rest of the guildmates makes sure he's okay but it goes no further than that. He continues to use his all during fights with no limits.

The cancer should've been a wake up call for him and the guild but it wasn't Natsu won't reach his full potential until he acknowledges that he needs to be more careful with himself. So many people care about him. The burns from turning into E.N.D and using his dragon king more shouldn't be encouraged.

I bring this up because in 100 year quest the other members practically pressure him into eating Ignia's flames. Natsu didn't want to, but if he didn't he wouldn't have been strong enough to defeat the water dragon. They should've just accepted that where Natsu was at the time wasn't strong enough to defeat Ignia. They basically cornered Natsu into making that deal with Ignia. Wendy being able to heal any of Natsu's scar doesn't make them hurt any less.

In fact, it takes away the consequences from each experience. The scars show a constant reminder of what happens when he overexerts himself and they can just disappear.

When Natsu ate Ignia's flames he lost himself to E.N.D. Afterwards you see Lucy terrified of what Natsu becomes. This is extremely unfair, even under the effects of E.N.D Natsu still had to beg from help from the others. Not because he couldn't do it alone, but because he doesn't want to do it alone. However even after they defeat the Water Dragon, Natsu keeps going. This scares not only Lucy but everyone else too. This is the consequences of leaving everything to Natsu. He overexerts himself to the point he harms himself. He had burns so bad that even his muscles were exposed. In the next chapter however, they just continue to joke around. If no one actively condemns Natsu, he will eventually lose himself. This and Iced shell aren't that different, both spells rid the user of themselves. However, no one is there to stop Natsu. Lucy may have stopped him this time, but what will they do when they need E.N.D again?

In chapter 18 of 100 year quest Karameel asks Natsu to kill Mercphobia since he was the only one who possessed dragon slaying magic. Natsu doesn't want to do this since killing people he considers good goes against his own morals. This puts the burden of killing someone entirely on Natsu despite his protests. Even when they met with Mercphobia the first thing he said was if he was a good guy, they would have to figure out a different way to complete the quest. Natsu was never going to kill him if it had been his choice alone.

In the next scene literally everyone pushes Natsu into a corner practically forcing him to take on this burden. Even though he pleads with the others begging for their understanding, they all stayed silent. Eventually he just sucks it up and decides to do it anyway. No one in this scene understood the weight of what they were putting Natsu through.

Although he was the only one capable of killing Mercphobia, no one offered their understanding.

Carla does try to say there's no other way but they were all still putting him against his own moral. No one else had to directly deal with getting their hands bloody which explains why Natsu was so pissed at Karameel since her meddling is what caused this chain of events. Her choices are what led to Mercphobia's demise but it was Natsu who eventually had to deal the final blow.

The next scene also bothers me a ton because Lucy basically says to figure out the issues unless he wants it to happen again which was a very poor way to change the mood. Lucy was one of the members who was pressuring him to eat the flames yet she still blamed him for the consequences he couldn't control.

I think this arc highlights the major issues with Natsu's complex of needing to be strong and toughen up very well. No one takes him or any of his issues seriously which is why he bottles so much inside. It also make sense as to why he still only turns to Happy when he's feeling down like this. I have hopes that after this recent chapter they learned to appreciate Natsu a little more and hopefully give him a break. Internally, he has a lot more going on than anyone would expect.

Do u have any thoughts on this? Since yk ur the expert of Nalu

Okay, this is a REALLY big Ask, so I'm gonna try and do this by points because if I don't I'm gonna lose my mind

100YQ SPOILERS AHEAD

Natsu's cancer and the control of his powers

2. The pressure to eat Ignia's flames

3. The healing of his scars

4. Is Lucy becoming scared "of him" actually unfair?

5. Going against his morals and the burden that goes with that

6. Lucy telling him to learn how to control his powers

7. Natsu's general need or obsession of taking care of everyone and taking the burden all alone

Part 1: remember that what he had was not cancer provoked by overuse of magic, it was the seed he had inside. The cancer was a misdiagnosis from Porlyusica part. Still, the initial diagnose should have scared him enough from overdoing it in the future knowing it would still be a possibility.

Natsu is always going to over do it because he has the need to protect everyone from everything. So he's not gonna stop anytime soon.

Part 2: You say that he didn't want to eat Ignia's flames and that everyone was pressuring him, while this is technically correct we need to look deeper into this.

Everyone was preasuring him into eating the flames because they knew it was gonna give him the power up they needed to defeat Merc, who, at the moment, was a very dangerous threat. No one thought Natsu was gonna lose it.

Now, it's true that Natsu didn't want to eat the flames, but the only reason was because of pride. He was mad Ignia was stronger than him and that he was Igneel's bio kid so he made a tantrum. He was mad he needed to rely on Ignia to defeat Merc, but ultimately, he needed to do that to save everyone. Did they pressured him to do it? yes. Was it needed? Also yes.

Part 3: About his scars, you are absolutelly right. The fact mashima takes his scars away is incredibly foolish on his part. As you said, scars are reminders of what happened, Natsu getting rid of every scar he gets in a mayor fight is careless because not only is he relying entirely on Wendy, but he will never learn about being careful in the future.

Natsu refusing to heal the scar Future Rogue gave him is so incredibly mature of Natsu's part. It's a constant reminder of his "failure" to protect Lucy and her future, so he keeps it, so he doesn't forget.

Now, if Natsu never healed his scars he would look like a burnt chicken nugget. BUT, if he kept the first ones maybe he would be mature enough to realize that he can't always rely on brute force to fix things (and on Wendy).

Part 4: You say Lucy becoming scared of natsu and his flames is unfair from her part, but is it really? Even if she told him to eat Ignia's flame to gain more power, no one though he would lose himself in the process.

Lucy wasn't scared of Natsu, per se, she was scared of Natsu losing himself. If she knew Natsu was gonna end up going insane and with his arm muscles literally exposed from his own fire, I'm sure she would have never even considered telling him to eat Ignia's flames.

All of E.N.D's apearences where not planned, is not that they need natsu to transform, it's just that something happens and he appears, I'm sure no one in the team expects Natsu to somehow control END's transformation and use it for their venefit. They know Natsu is deeply unconfortable with the fact that he's a demon, during 100yq he makes sever statements that just scream DENIAL. But the "what will they do when they need E.N.D again?" makes no sense to me, because they don't expext him to use it at all.

Part 5: Even if Merc was/is a good guy, at the moment he was a threat. It was killing him or being killed. While Natsu had every right to be upset, we don't live by just making decisions that make us feel comfortable; it was a necessity.

At that moment, killing Merc was not only necessary, but also merciful. Remember, Merc cared deeply for his people; in his state, he could have killed everyone he loved and cared about; that's not fair to him. Even though it was cruel because he was a good guy, at that moment killing him was the sensible thing to do.

Natsu didn't see the bigger picture; all he could think about was what a good person Merc had been when he'd first met him. I'm not saying Natsu wasn't on his right to be upset; he was. Carrying the death of someone innocent and good isn't easy, but at no point was it supposed to become his burden. His whole team was supposed to carry that burden with him, but Natsu was the only one capable of finishing the job. (which is not fair but he is also aware of this)

Part 6: Again, even if Lucy told him to eat the flames, she had no idea it was going to make him go mad, it's not really fair blaming her about something she had absolutely no idea nor control over.

Her blaming Natsu about losing control wasn't fair either, but she is kind of right. Maybe she was able to make him come back, but what will happen the day she can't? Maybe she is being harsh, but she is also looking out for him. Hurting the people he loves is the last thing he wants.

Part 7: Natsu's constant need about showing he's strong is something I talked about before (Here). He is trying to make an statement, he is trying to scream "You can rely on me" without saying any words at all. He wants everyone to know they are safe with him, that's why he constantly chalenges Fairy tail's ace's; Erza, Laxus, Gildarts, etc. Natsu has the need to be the strongest, because he was taught from very early that he had to protect his family no matter what.

TW: Suicide

Natsu's mental health is extremely poor, and this is somewhat canon.

Natsu is borderline suicidal, but not consciously. He's a hypocrite, vaguely speaking. Because he yells and scolds Gray and Erza for sacrificing themselves, but then he does the exact same thing.

While Gray's suicidal tendencies are more obvious, Natsu's are more subtle. Natsu has nearly died countless times, all under the excuse of trying to protect his loved ones. Not only does he try to always take the hit, but he doesn't even try to get them away from danger; he simply stands in front of them, thinking he's invincible.

The most obvious one was when he though Lucy died during Alvarez. She died and he went after Zeref knowing no matter the outcome (if he won or lose the fight) it was gonna kill him. He did that willingly, knowing what going after Zeref meant. He just didn't care. (I talk about this here)

You say no one takes his mental health seriously, but that's precisely what he wants. He doesn't want to appear "weak" in front of everyone because, if he were, how could they rely on him? All those sacrifices, all that hard work, for nothing. He makes himself stupid and hides his issues behind a mask so everyone thinks "He's Natsu, he will be fine".

He knows, he just doesn't want to change anything.

[ilitthefox]

Honestly Zeref is such an interesting character in reference to grief. He really tried multiple ways to resurrect his dead brother because he couldn’t accept or deal with his grief and that’s one of my favorite depictions of grief. It literally changes you as a person and shows how people would do anything to get loved ones back.

[ilitthefox]

I love Fairy Tail so much

It's so fun to watch and it's so good!!! It's my favorite anime/manga. I love the characters and the world Hiro Mashima created.

I watched Fairy Tail for the first time when I was a teenager. Without going into deep details - it became something really important to me. Watching the characters interacting with each other... it was so nice. I felt like part of the guild while watching the anime haha. I cried so much in some moments and I still cry every time I watch or read it again.

I think my favorite arc is probably Oración Seis. I love Edolas as well though.

Jellal and Mavis are my favorite characters. I LOVE Fairy Tail Zero, it's amazing!

I don't like the final part of Fairy Tail much. I do think some of the characters of the Spriggan 12 are interesting, but... meh. The beginning of Fairy Tail is great tho. Daybreak, Eisenwald, Galuna, Phantom Lord, Loke, Tower of Heaven, The Battle of Fairy Tail, Oración Seis, Edolas and Tenrou Island... OMG! So good.

The second season has probably the best outfits. I like the second season arcs. Grand Magic Games, the Eclipse celestial spirits, and Tartaros. I hate the Celestial Spirit King tho. No spoilers here, I just hate him for a very specific reason. Talking about celestial spirits, my favorite is Virgo!

Thank you so much, Hiro Mashima!

[ilitthefox]

I'm dying XDD and that owling bathing in the ink XD and the other one writing their own propaganda poster-

So my friend @spelljammer-geek and his artist friend who currently is not on tumblr surprised me with this extremely kind and funny artwork. Thanks so much guys! Really made my day 😃

[ilitthefox]

Armour is so fun to render

[ilitthefox]

His Majesty is great and very huggable. Seeing him should make everyone very enthused

what i think about zeref: wow he sure is a fascinating character to analyze. the tragedy of him; the way he doomed himself completely. the way he shaped the entire history of the FT universe by his mere existence. the way he loved natsu so fiercely that it set in motion a chain of events spanning 400 years. the way his curse is genuinely one of the most compelling plot devices in the series. the dichotomy of zeref and mavis; the way mavis is his perfect foil in a way that makes their dynamic so thematically interesting.

what i actually say out loud about zeref: omg hii there's my favorite pathetic guyfailure 💖💖💖

[ilitthefox]

not sure if youre taking requests but a thought popped up.. that shadow cat whiskers trend but with rogue and sting maybe???

Hoping I got the right trend

[ilitthefox]

Zeref Dragneel episode appearances

96,100,101,103,104,105,106,107,110,111,114,115,116,117,119,120,121,122,153,176,201,234,241,242,243,261,264,265,266,269,272,274,275278,284,287,288,289,290,294,295,296,298,300,302,303,304,305,306,307,308,309,310,311,312,313,315,316,317,318,319,320,321,322,323,324

[ilitthefox]

guys this is your friendly reminder to comment on ao3 fics, from a commenter myself. the amount of times authors reply to me saying ive made their day with my comments is honestly insane; and with the way their replies make my day too, its really a win win situation for everybody

[ilitthefox]

Fanfiction is great because you can see so clearly how people learn to write.

Some people, it's clear, learned almost entirely through absorbing the world around them. Grammar and punctuation will be all over the place, spellings are approximate, but the voice of the narration will come through so clearly. You can hear the dialect of the people around them as of they're telling the story. It's not a written story, it's a transcription of how they talk in their day to day life.

Some people learned through reading a gazillion books as a kid. Grammer and spelling will be rock solid, formatting occasionally based on the single tab of physical books rather than the double tab of online scrolling, but dialogue is often stilted and overly formal. You might notice a lack of contractions and very rigid rules they made for consistency that actually have a lot more flexibility than they think. They tend to have a fantastic grasp of sentence flow, though.

And other people formally learned how to write. This could be anywhere from taking school classes seriously because they enjoyed writing stories as a kid to literal certifications and jobs in the field. Grammer is flawless. Punctuation is triple checked. Foreign words are in italics. Characters have distinct voices. But their self indulgence is tempered by perfectionism. They know precisely what they want from a fic. Authors notes often feature mutterings about their happiness with the chapter. Kaomojis often appear! They seek a style to their writing, and it makes for some wonderfully clever plots! These are the ones most likely to get fun with formatting!

And some people.... Some people examined it all. They dissect dialogue, people watch, cross reference behaviours and compare characters to people irl. You can tell almost immediately who had formative experiences with Terry pratchett and/or ghibli, because it's these people. While others see writing as fun, expression, craft, they see it as art. Plain and simple. Sure, the grammar is occasionally sacrificed on the altar of creative freedom, and the occasional sentence might miss a full stop, but these people seem to self reflect on themselves as part of the art making process. On occasion, these people have the most masterful grasp of dialogue and invocation and hand sewn characterisations. Formatting is pretty standard because all the focus is on the actual words. These fics can be edited to the moon and back!

All of these can vary wildly in forethought and quality, and betas can often catch individual problems before they hit post, but just. Isn't it so cool? What's that one Oscar Wilde quote about every mask just being another fragment of yourself?

Did you recognise yourself?

[ilitthefox]

Fairy Tail: More Than Just "Cringe"—Why It Deserves More Love

Wanted to write this since I saw a bunch of people hating on fairy tail and then I found out they didn't even get past like chapter 5 lmao.

Fairy Tail is one of those manga that people either passionately love or loudly criticize. Over the years, it's been called "cringey," overly cheesy, and full of predictable power-ups. But here's the thing—those very qualities are what make Fairy Tail such a special series.

Sure, the story leans heavily on themes of friendship and unwavering bonds, sometimes to an exaggerated level. But isn't that part of the charm? Fairy Tail isn't trying to be a hyper-complex, morally grey epic. It's a celebration of the things that make shonen manga exciting: emotional battles, epic team-ups, and characters that genuinely care for one another. The fights may not always be strategic masterpieces, but they carry emotional weight that resonates with fans.

The world-building, from Magnolia to Tenrou Island, is rich and vibrant. The guild system creates a sense of community that makes readers feel like they're part of something bigger.

And the characters? Love them or hate them, there's no denying they have distinct personalities that make them memorable. Natsu’s fiery determination, Erza’s unshakable strength, Lucy’s growth from a hopeful newbie to a formidable wizard—all of it contributes to a heartfelt journey. Each major character has depth beyond their initial introductions, with clear motivations and evolving dynamics over time. And when it comes to romance, the series takes a refreshingly natural approach. Instead of forcing pairings for the sake of fan service, the ships in Fairy Tail feel earned. Relationships like Gajeel and Levy, Juvia and Gray, Jellal and Erza, or even Natsu and Lucy (while left ambiguous) develop organically through their shared experiences. These bonds don’t appear overnight—they’re nurtured through challenges, victories, and personal growth, making them feel real and meaningful.

Yes, Fairy Tail has flaws. The power of friendship can sometimes feel like a Deus Ex Machina. But is that really such a terrible thing? Plenty of series rely on power boosts for their protagonists—Fairy Tail just embraces the emotional aspect more. And honestly, in a world full of cynicism, a story that reminds us of the power of loyalty and bonds is refreshing.

So before dismissing Fairy Tail as just another "cringe" anime, take a step back and appreciate it for what it is—a fun, emotional, and wildly entertaining adventure that isn't afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

[ilitthefox]

relaxing on a summer day

[ilitthefox]

I think if lucy gets a monicher (like salamander, titania, etc) everyone would expect it to be like "princess" or "star spirit" or something like that, but then when they actually check they find out people are calling her "lucy the golden dragon". Obviously natsu is pissed because that's such a sick ass name and he's the dragon around here so what gives, overall everyone's pretty confused, until they find out its actually a nickname given to her in celestial wizard circles because she hoards so many goddamn golden keys

[ilitthefox]

They're watching

[ilitthefox]

Emotional Walls Your Character Has Built (And What Might Finally Break Them)

(How your character defends their soft core and what could shatter it) Because protection becomes prison real fast.

✶ Sarcasm as armor. (Break it with someone who laughs gently, not mockingly.) ✶ Hyper-independence. (Break it with someone who shows up even when they’re told not to.) ✶ Stoicism. (Break it with a safe space to fall apart.) ✶ Flirting to avoid intimacy. (Break it with real vulnerability they didn’t see coming.) ✶ Ghosting everyone. (Break it with someone who won’t take silence as an answer.) ✶ Lying for convenience. (Break it with someone who sees through them but stays anyway.) ✶ Avoiding touch. (Break it with accidental, gentle contact that feels like home.) ✶ Oversharing meaningless things to hide real depth. (Break it with someone who asks the second question.) ✶ Overworking. (Break it with forced stillness and the terrifying sound of their own thoughts.) ✶ Pretending not to care. (Break it with a loss they can’t fake their way through.) ✶ Avoiding mirrors. (Break it with a quiet compliment that hits too hard.) ✶ Turning every conversation into a joke. (Break it with someone who doesn’t laugh.) ✶ Being everyone’s helper. (Break it when someone asks what they need, and waits for an answer.) ✶ Constantly saying “I’m fine.” (Break it when they finally scream that they’re not.) ✶ Running. Always running. (Break it with someone who doesn’t chase, but doesn’t leave, either.) ✶ Intellectualizing every feeling. (Break it with raw, messy emotion they can’t logic away.) ✶ Trying to be the strong one. (Break it when someone sees the weight they’re carrying, and offers to help.) ✶ Hiding behind success. (Break it when they succeed and still feel empty.) ✶ Avoiding conflict at all costs. (Break it when silence causes more pain than the truth.) ✶ Focusing on everyone else’s healing but their own. (Break it when they hit emotional burnout.)