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Happy for my dude Kadets having this beautiful piece of art done for his story!

“Two girls lying in the meadow fields Trees rustling gently in the wind A heart yearning for attention It skipped a beat Eyes fluttering Oh, when will the other notice?” An artwork of my two story characters, Lotte and Liara, from my webnovel Ars Nova.  The artist has outdone themselves and created a beautiful portrayal of the two. My eyes still can’t believe it, it’s too beautiful to look at! THEY LOOK SO GORGEOUS!  Link to the small animaiton of the artwork:  https://www.instagram.com/p/CjdIN8GPAuN/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet I highly recommend checking out the artist. Their other works and animation are a real treat. They also have a small promo going on until the end of the year.  Direct Link to the artist:  https://www.instagram.com/natarin_art/ Seriously, check them out! 

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No one is safe from Mabel’s unconditional love.

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Gravity Falls Fandom? Do you live? Cuz I got art. 

Gravity Falls - Three Years Later

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The (Un)intended Metaphor of Fruits Basket

I’ve wanted to make this essay awhile, as it’s a personal thing for me (I’ll explain that later), but with the new anime coming out, I thought it was the perfect time to talk about Kyo’s conflict in the first part of Fruits Basket, by this I mean the series finale of the original anime.

I have seen the anime maybe three times all the way through and read the manga maybe four times (currently reading it again, because, why wouldn’t I just be constantly cycling through each form of the story, anime, manga, new anime, then manga again, then repeat).

The last time I watched the anime (all the way through) was near the end of last summer, and as I got to the end, I was taken aback when I reached the finale.

A note, the finale was generally hated by the creator of the manga, who was very disheartened with the direction they took. However, this mostly applied to Akito’s story change, which I agree...was dumb.

“It must have been sad...to be told that you would one day die...”

Ha, honey, everybody dies, that makes no sense.

Anyway, that’s not really what I’m focused on, rather, I’m talking about Kyo from the series, and how as I rewatched the show I realized that I related most to him and this made NO sense to me.

Personally speaking, I’m really nothing like him. I don’t appreciate violence and avoid conflict whenever possible. I’m much more “in touch with my feelings”, and I really value kindness and empathy as one of the most important things you can show another person. So. yeah, basically, I’ve always identified with Tohru.

Heck, she sort of inspired me with the way I act towards others. Back when I watched the show for the first time in 9th grade, I wanted to show that kind of love, kindness, and empathy she did when she interacted with the Sohma family. I mean, seriously guys, this was one of the most influential stories I’ve ever read/watched. 

However, I felt so heartbroken watching the three episodes ending the anime, because Kyo’s relationship with his mom reminded me all too much of what I was going through with my own. 

And now, for a way too personal anecdote about mental health (it’s important, I swear).

You see, in February of last year, I began a long and painful journey of getting onto anti-depressants. Of course, what we didn’t know at the time is that I had Bipolar 2 disorder, which meant that anti-depressants were a terrible idea! (However, if you don’t have this disorder, and you are struggling with depression, then I would suggest you talk to your doctor about finding a medication that works for you. This has been your first Mental Wellness PSA, this essay/anecdote will have a lot.) 

So, when you’re bipolar, anti-depressants can bring some nasty stuff out of you. They can throw you into manic (or hypomanic since I have bipolar 2) episodes, but for me, they would make me catatonic and randomly cry in public for literally no reason.

This happened multiples times, and whenever it did, we’d all realize, “Well that didn’t work, let’s try another pill!” 

I was on three different meds before they stopped, but it was while I was on the third pill when the main incident occurred (incident makes this sound so much worse than it actually was). 

(I’m the one in the far left corner, yellow jacket and blue backpack.)

Over the break, my family went to Europe. First Ireland, then England, and for a day we rode the train to Scottland. It was a dreary day, but it started out nice, my mom being the “let google plan your trip” type was set out to see the castle in the city we were in, Edenborough. We went the wrong way and walked what might have been an extra half-mile in the rain. We passed an art museum, and I suggested we stop there and have a look around, which my mother declined (we were on a mission! There is no time for art! Also, please don’t let this demonize my mother, understand that she is trying to do the best that she can to help me throughout this entire story.)

When we finally get there, my mood had declined, and I was beginning to feel depressed. Depressed as in there was a hole in my chest, slowly growing. In fact, the rain started to burn my skin (my therapist later explained that this is either because my body was so numb that the sudden cold impact of water caused it to sting or that I am a witch. I prefer the second option). 

It was crowded, wet, and my parents waited in line while I sat on a bench, my state of mind worsening. I just couldn’t stop thinking, “Was anyone actually having fun?” 

We got our tickets, went inside, and navigated the old building’s awkward structure. As my parents led me to the next area, we had to worm our way through a spot between two corners of a building where only one could fit at a time. My parents slipped through, and I was about to as well when I realized that a group of people was waiting to go, led by a man sitting in a wheelchair absent a leg. 

I step back, allowing them to pass, and in a soft voice, the woman pushing the man said, “Thank you,” then went on her way with the rest of her group.

I suddenly felt like crying, and maybe I had a reason, but it didn’t feel like a good enough one for a grown woman to be near tears in public. 

Catching up with my family, we went inside one of the buildings, which daunted jewels and paintings and other things. It was packed, and I could feel the tears making their way out of my eye. I kept looking up, trying to stop it to avail and started to move away from my parents, who were now lost in the crowd and ignorant of what was happening. 

I pushed through the crowd, tears falling from my face as I tried to maintain my composure until, finally, I was out of the building.

In a courtyard of some kind, in some kind of misty rain, I just started to sob. I trudged onwards, for only a few moments before an entire group moved towards me, one man, or maybe a woman (I was looking down, I never really gave any of them a good look) held onto my arm asking me, “Are you alright? Did you fall? Do you need help?” 

It was difficult to find the right thing to say to a group of concerned complete strangers. So, I said, “I just cry randomly sometimes.” 

And their response couldn’t have been better. It was this sigh of complete understanding. One woman even asked, “Do you need a hug?” 

They continued asking me questions, like, “Are you here with anyone?” and just as I answered, my mom came rushing towards me.

She grabbed my arm in this tight way, thanking the group for their concerns, and saying that they had me, and everything was going to be alright. She ushered me to the nearest bench, sat me down, and the first thing she said was, “Did you take your pill?” 

To be fair, she was referring to vistiril, an anti-anxiety medication my doctor suggested I take if I do happen to fall into depressant states. (And hey kids, it really works!)

The way she pushed water onto me was like me taking this pill was the only thing stopping a bomb from blowing up this hemisphere. As though getting the pill down quicker would speed this thing up. It was surreal, in a way.

Someone, maybe from the original group, ran over and gave me a tissue, and after that, me and my parents sat inside for a moment, in one of the more boring (quieter) rooms to talk.

I was still crying, but also laughing a bit, and felt much better. We all agreed the caste was a tourist trap and a dud, so we looked up the closest American restaurant (Five Guys) and had lunch. 

They took me to the museum after, where my mom would ask me if I knew who was who (me being an art student), I didn’t, but I might now, having finally taken my Art History courses (Gah, I’m such a nerd). 

The day ended nicely, and there’s no need to go on because that’s all of the anecdote you needed to hear.

I really love my mom, so don’t let this be some horrid criticism of her character, but sometimes, as a mom, you don’t know what to do.

You don’t know what to do when your adult child is crying in the middle of a castle (twice, I actually cried in two separate castles, I bet only me and the Queen can say that). Anyway, it’s a tough situation, and I’ll try to make the difficulties clear as I actually get back to Fruits Basket

Now, actually back to Fruits Basket (Spoiler warning!)

Oh, Fruits Basket. Literally, resisting the urge to reread the manga right now, because finals, but I think I emotionally need to now more than ever. But anyway, back to Kyo, you don’t need to know about the crap I’m dealin’ with now.

Kyo Sohma is probably one of the most interesting characters of the anime. He comes off a bit tsundere, but I feel has a much greater depth than that, as his poor people skills come down to just a generally awkward and nervous nature and the belief (early on at least) that he’s just not meant to be around people (same). He takes on the bulk of the curse among the other Zodiac animals (as the cat and all). That’s not to say that the others don’t suffer, but Kyo physically speaking takes on the greatest toll (well...Hitori turning into a sea horse must be no picnic, but you know). 

If you haven’t finished the original anime, or read past the first thirty-something chapters of the manga, or only seen the new 2019 anime to where it is now released, then spoilers.

Kyo has this whole deal where he has a “true form”. Those beads he’s wearing on his left hand? If those come off, then it’s over. 

Well, not really, his human for just goes away and he becomes this hideous monster that smells like death (Kyo is still in there, not like he actually becomes a monster on the inside) 

Picture from the manga, I know, he really just looks like a Pokemon, but that’s beside the point.

The whole true form thing is built up a bit early on (Kagura almost spills the beans when she’s introduced), and the 2001 anime made the whole thing pan out three episodes (as said before), but I’ll try and summarize the entire thing quickly.

So, Kyo’s curse not only carries the cat transformation but this “true form” as well, and without the beads, he becomes like this. The whole conflict is brought about when his master (and adoptive father), Kazuma, returns and hopes that exposing this form to Tohru, a girl who Kazuma believes Kyo loves and values (and whom feels the same, romantic or otherwise ((though it’s totally romantic))), believing that her acceptance of this would be what Kyo needed.

So, against Kyo’s will, he removes the beads and forces his true form out in front of Tohru. So, after completing his transformation, he immediately is like “DON’T LOOK AT ME!!!” in a moment that actually really resonates with me to this day, and runs off into the woods. Kazuma says something, a small explanation for Tohru, before she herself runs off to find Kyo. 

Here, is (sorta) where the anime decides to take this rather simple scene and make it a little murky. To help make this a better “finale”, they had to pad in a bunch of crap so it could be a moment of closure for some of the other characters as well. This includes adding Akito and Shigure to the scene where Tohru has to stop chasing Kyo because, well, he literally smells like death and rotting so she had to throw up real quick. They also add what I find to be a rather unneeded scene where Tohru left to go visit her mother’s grave (which sorta...makes the location feel weird) that way she could encounter her friends one last time before the series came to an end. Plus, Yuki wasn’t even in the original confrontation, but you know, gotta have that closure. 

But all that stuff aside, Kyo runs away, Tohru pursues, and we get to see Kyo’s childhood. 

While some time is spent in Kazuma’s perspective, reflecting on how he adopted Kyo after his mother committed suicide and his father disowned him doing so out of guilt for never accepting his own grandfather (who was previously cursed by the cat). However, it’s Kyo’s flashback that intrigues me the most. 

Kyo and his mom

Kyo’s mom committed suicide, and it was clear to everyone that this decision was likely influenced by the fact that her child was cursed with the cat (though later on it’s more the abuse from his father). At a point in the show, it’s established that parents of the cursed children are either resentful of their children or overly protective. Kyo’s mother was deeply overprotective, and this was quite damaging to Kyo in the long run (though not at all intended by his mother). 

Through Kyo’s memories, we see her repeatedly keeping him inside, checking his arm to see if the beads were there, and telling him again and again, “It’s alright because I love you” in reference to his problems (likely the curse and its effects on him). 

Kyo, however, feels as though these actions show his mother rejecting this side of him, saying what she only thought she should say as a mother, and it seems as though he’s right.

By saying that “it’s alright because I love you”, she’s invalidating Kyo’s problems, and constantly picking at his beads to make sure they’re secure, avoiding any possible problem at all cost. She’s avoiding (and rejecting) this side of Kyo, and that’s the problem.

This, however, proposed the question

What do you do when “I love you” isn’t the right thing to say?

Think about it, “I love you” always seems like the catch-all phrase for any emotionally intense scene. “It’s alright, I love you.” Seems innocent, and it can be. You’re trying to say that your love is here and it’s more important than the problem. However, it sorta undermines the problem, saying that it’s best to ignore it because you have someone’s love. “All you need is love” right? 

While this was used with good intentions, it only further alienated Kyo, he felt like his mother was rejecting a piece of him. A piece that he himself hated, but was apart of him nonetheless. 

And here I’ll draw back to my experience and try to explain my attachment to Kyo’s character or, better yet, conflict. Admittedly, I hate my disorder and what it does to me. I hate what I become when either manic or depressed, but nonetheless, it’s apart of who I am. 

So I felt like my mother was rejecting that side of me that day, and many other times outside of that. Rather than try and understand what I was going through, she was quickly trying to cover it up. 

As a quick note, in defense of both the mothers here, my own mother is on anti-depressants herself (not from clinical depression, rather she became very depressed after a family conflict) and was likely reacting from a place of her own concealed pain. For Kyo’s mom, if you read the manga all the way through, then you’d have learned her husband was rather abusive towards her because of Kyo’s curse and was likely so controlling because she didn’t want to worsen her husband’s abuse. This doesn’t exactly excuse their behavior, but it does bring a greater understanding.

So if not “I love you”, then what?

Tohru, however, provides an answer. 

Her response to Kyo’s form was different. Rather than spout “I love you!” (which, let’s face it, any other shoujo manga would choose to do) she was honest and reacted towards what was happening rather than against it. She tells Kyo the truth, that in the moment she is frightened and even that Kyo doesn’t seem familiar to her at the moment, but she wants to understand. Not “I understand” but “I want to understand”. She’s admitting she doesn’t get it but wants to try, she wants to know and wants Kyo to share his pain with her so they can learn to cope together.

And, well, it’s exactly what Kyo needed to hear, and I agree, it’s a wonderful thing to say. It shows respect, acceptance, and hope to find some kind of solution. Tohru is asking for Kyo to rely on her, rather than just deflecting the problem by claiming she loves him, and that’ll solve everything.

And this is the kind of thing that I’d needed from my mother and my other loved ones. “I don’t understand, but I’d like to so we can figure this out together.” 

What to take away from this

I don’t know why I need to say this, but please, please, don’t say this to literally every sad person you meet. By this I mean, don’t promise your attention to just anyone, because becoming a person another person is meant to emotionally rely on could be a lot of work and strain depending on who you’re with. 

But to those of you who are dealing with this kind of pain, of feeling that people are trying to push aside your pain as irrelevant because “love”, or you are those people, then I hope this helped get something across to you. Maybe this helped translate some of the super confusing anxiety you’re experiencing over this topic, or maybe this just came off as weird. That’s okay too.

Thanks for reading and (well) making it this far into the incredibly long post. Above all, I hope if that you are in need of help and understanding from others, that you get it. Also, go watch the new Fruits Basket.

Actually, straight up, I love the new series thus far, and I definitely recommend the English Dub because they used most of the original voice cast and it really helps drive the nostalgia of the original series, making the new looking characters feel more familiar. 

Again thank you for reading this stupidly personal blob of nonsense. I hope this could mean something for you like it did for me. Also thank you Fruits Basket, for just presenting a narrative that goes beyond just love, but understanding one another’s pain. 

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My heart can’t take this beauty

sorry this is kinda shit, i am really struggling to get used to paint tool sai and a new tablet and a new job and a new language and a new country lmaoo

that being said HOLY SHIT GUYS FRUITS BASKET AIRED AND IT MADE ME CRY ONLY LIKE TWICE SO YAY ME I LOVED IT SOOO MUCH!!!! HAVE A CUTE DRAWING!!!! WEEP WITH ME BROTHERS AND SISTERS

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When even your cat has a more fulfilling love life than you.

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Rewriting Fairy Tail - Natsu’s Vanity

If you haven’t already read my previous post about rewriting Fairy Tail, I mentioned the missed opportunities in Lucy’s character, discussing mainly that her abilities and progression should have been focused on her leadership abilities, potentially painting her as a leader of the guild (which would be a pretty cool ending).

If you haven’t read that, I suggest you go find it on my blog, as it’ll make this post make more sense, and what I just said make more sense (as it’s explained in much more detail). So, now that I’ve talked about Lucy, I wanna go into Natsu. (and still about Lucy, because a lot about her character dev will be in here too).

The Problem (or the Ego of E.N.D.)

So, if you haven’t noticed, Natsu is pretty vain. It’s honestly hilarious, as he’s not only vain in his abilities as a fighter (always having to be the one who defeats the big baddie), but just plain vain. Remember when he first encountered Zeref on tenrou island and his scarf turned black, so he turned his vest inside out to it wasn’t black on black. In his own, weird, way, he has a very heightened fashion sense. And that’s hilarious.

He’s vain! It’s just apart of his personality and it’s not really a bad thing! I’m not here to say that it should be removed from his character, but played up. Like, A LOT! Like, this fun bit with him panicking about his fashion being off, I’d love to see more of this in him. How he thinks he’s dressed well and looks cool, and has a very established sense of fashion that he just low key obsesses over (I mean, he uses the fire magic equivalent of hair gel). 

Moving on, I always felt a bit annoyed because as much as Natsu goes on and on about friendship and the importance of his guild, he really isn’t much a team player when it gets down to it. 

I mean, he literally kicked Gajeel out of a fight with Rogue and Sting so he could be the big man and get revenge for Lucy (or whatever his motivations for that was exactly, maybe it was just his ego in the end). It bothered me because Mashima never really played this like it was a problem. I mean, the characters around him would get annoyed, sure, but he would never learn that it was wrong to do this. Even when teamwork was applied, it was always like, “Here, have our power or something, so I can help you win this fight without directly participating in it! Teamwork!” 

Thus, Natsu doesn’t really learn to work alongside his team, at least not in the big bad fights. Most of them (not all of them, but most of them) end one on one with Natsu and the antagonist of the week. 

In my rewrite, I would want the vanity of Natsu to be a problem. Something that commonly frustrates his teammates to no end. Of course, Natsu’s success rate wouldn’t change for that matter. He would keep winning, and that would keep stroking his ego again and again.

Of course, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I found the moments Natsu lost in some way or another to be some of his most powerful moments as a character. Like that time he lost to Gildarts, but he let him go through anyway. Then Natsu just starts bawling, snot running from his nose like a little kid. It’s a really endearing moment because he’s put in a vulnerable position having lost, but Gildarts lets him through anyway, rooting for him to fulfill his dream of being S-Class.

It’s so friggin’ sweet. Which carries on to my significant plot change revolving around Natsu’s character.

The Changes (or the fall of a man’s pride)

The big change is all around the Tartarus Arc. It feels weird to focus so late into the story when Natsu’s character makes its biggest development. But given the fact that his development is around his vanity, I think a longer buildup will have a greater payoff. 

The Tartarus Arc is also a huge mood change for Fairy Tail, in some sense. A lot happens in it, and it’s the last arc before the second time skip, so it’ll do good for Natsu’s huge fall as a character.

Like I said, a lot happened in this arc, and forgive me for not brushing up on the whole synopsis, but since this a rewrite, I’m gonna dodge and shift a few of the details anyway (though I feel I’m due a reread of Fairy Tail, just to get back into grips with the whole plot, especially if I intend to do any more of these “rewrite posts”). There are a lot of big moments for each of the characters. Gray meeting his dad, Lucy losing Aquarius, and Wendy finally using her Dragon Force.

However, one of the biggest moments, by far, was Igneel’s arrival. It was just like “Boom, yup, been here the whole time,” and what not. It was quite a shocker, you know. Though this idea isn’t set in stone (I mean, none of this is, it’s a collection of awkward thoughts collected together into an opinion no one cares about) I think that the biggest change I’d make to crush Natsu’s vanity would be a loss. Not just losing Igneel, no, I mean, losing a battle, and perhaps even losing Igneel because of it.

Though I don’t have it worked out in my head, since the battles were separated between Natsu and Igneel (who was fighting Acknologia), I think that Natsu’s vanity leading him into a battle on his own, and losing it, and losing Igneel because of it, would be the change that he needs to pull him out of his own head.

I knew he had to lose when the tension was really high, and then he’d realize he really wasn’t all he thought himself to be. All his expectations sort of crash, and he’s left to not only live with his failure but to also now live with the true loss of his father Igneel (oh my gosh, this is physically hurting me as I keep picturing Natsu crying in my head and it breaks my heart). 

(Here, so you can suffer with me)

I imagine this would lead him into a bit of a downward spiral. While he went and trained with Happy for the time skip, and I imagine this might be the case, I feel like Natsu would also spend some of his time just mourning and feeling sorry for himself. He’d spend the year training to no extent, trying to get to a point where he could again feel strong enough to protect the people he loved, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t become the confident individual he was before.

He’s traumatized.

Thus, Lucy arrives.

The Rewrite (or how the Princess saves the Dragon)

Of course, the reunion wouldn’t be the same with this rewrite. Natsu wouldn’t ambush the Grand Magic Games, nor would he be as cheeky as he was with his whole set goal on reviving the guild right away. Things would move a bit more slowly. I’ll move it along in this fashion, I imagine:

Natsu and Happy would encounter Lucy at the capital, but in a less grand gesture. In fact, it’s a little awkward. Maybe they meet when Natsu ends up getting in a gith with some thugs (one he loses). Or maybe they just meet at a bar. Natsu, yet to be convinced that he’s strong enough, finds himself unready to meet his friend once again, embarassed even. He quickly dodges her, grabbing Happy and sprinting as far as he could to escape her sight. She pursues, but to no avail. 

Lucy has been doing well for herself. She works as an editor for Sorcerer Weekly, but works under Jason and a bunch of other annoying jerks who never listen to her ideas. While she lives comfortably, makes decent money, and (for the most part) likes her job, she continuously has an intching feeling that something is wrong. 

Encountering Natsu again, Lucy is inspired to find him, searching the city far and wide for him. She realizes he isn’t the type to dwell in the city, and goes to the outskurts of town (sure enough) finding him and Happy parked near the edge of the wooded area. Finding him in the midst of a meal, he doesn’t get the chance to run and hide like before.

Lucy and Natsu rekindle their relationship, Lucy explainging what she’s been up to and complaining about work for a bit, while also filling Natsu in on what happened to Fairy Tail. 

Natsu reveals why he’s been distant and doging Lucy, claiming that he’s realized he wasn’t as strong as he thought he was. Anything left of his vanity is completely gone, and it’s like he’s a different person. Lucy isn’t having any of it, telling him to get off his butt and stop feeling sorry for himself. From then on, Lucy begins to regularly train Natsu, helping him regain his confidence. Lucy would spend time with Natsu at almost all hours, helping him physically train his body with Happy in the woods, or dragging him to libraries and archives to research Dragon Slaying and other fighting methods to master, all while motivating him to regain his former confidence. 

Natsu does begin to act like himself again, acting a bit vain here and there (just for being proud of how strong he’s gotten) and Lucy would tease him, telling him to not get ahead of himself in a joking fashion. It’s here when Natsu begins to develop a crush on Lucy, a “Hot for Teacher” type deal. (I’ll ellaborate on this detail later).

Lucy begins falling behind at work thanks to her time with Natsu, but realizes that she loves helping Natsu, and not just because he’s Natsu, but because she’s a leader, and helping people find their full potentional is what she needs to do. She quits her job, and decides to head out with Happy and Natsu to find the rest of the guild and restart Fairy Tail.

Okay, so that would be the beginning of the time skip in my revised version, setting up Natsu’s character development as well as following through with the character arc Lucy was already building up to, finally realizing her potential as a leader. 

It would also develop a more solid romance between Natsu and Lucy, except one that sort of bends the tropes a bit. Rather than Lucy develop feelings for Natsu, it’s the other way around. This isn’t to say that any thoughts of Natsu in a romantic light hadn’t bubbled in all the time they’d known each other prior to this, this is Natsu just blatantly having a crush on her, and acting how any teenage boy would act around their crush. Like a complete idiot. You might say this is out of character, and yeah, it is. That’s the point. I’m rewriting his character, so it’s going to be different from how it is currently (so yeah). 

Since the majority of his arc is about him overcoming his vanity, as he begins to regain his confidence, one of the things that keep his ego under wraps is Lucy. Developing feelings for her (and being aware of it), he begins to act nervously around her. This element manages to keep him from falling back into that vain persona he had before. Lucy is ignorant of his feelings, mostly, and is more focused on her own growing ambition, so it’s sort of funny how they’re reversed. 

While prior to this time skip, Lucy will remain the way she was originally, always getting frantic or nervous in situations that put Natsu and herself in any kind of romantic light. However, following the time skip she’ll become more confident in herself, thus, her relationship with Natsu, and not get so worked up about it.

However, having his ego deeply wounded, and beginning to actually develop feelings for Lucy, he’ll be the one who gets nervous when Lucy is so close to him or something awkward or sexy happens. Of course, his ignorance of romance will have to be maintained, which will make things a bit more difficult. 

Note that the reason Lucy always freaks out when something “romantic” happens with Natsu is because Lucy is knowledgeable in romance as a subject, so when something happens, like her and Natsu getting super close physically, or Natsu saying something that could be taken as “romantic”, she’ll instantly link it to something she read or how she thinks romance is supposed to be due to her fictionalized version of love.

Natsu, however, doesn’t have this. He’s working completely off instincts so to say he acts like Lucy wouldn’t be completely accurate. Perhaps when the guild is brought back together, he’ll talk to Levy about getting his hands on a few books and receive some hugely inappropriate ideas on how romance should work.

However, more than anything, I think this crush coming from Lucy teaching him and helping him will mean Natsu has a greater respect for her. Sure, he’s always loved her as his friend and would do anything to protect her, but now he’s developed a love that comes solely from his respect for her.

Natsu would earnestly listen and seek out her opinion and guidance after the time skip, something he doesn’t really do now. It would make the relationship seem much more like a partnership, where they’re both reliant on each other. Of course, that’s going into their relationship, which I’ll discuss in greater detail another time.

Another moment ending the second chapter post-time skip was Natsu dragging Lucy away to restart Fairy Tail. I always liked the moment, as it was a great rehash of the first chapter when Natsu dragged Lucy off to Fairy Tail. I adored both moments, as they captured the relationship between the two characters perfectly. I’m not sure if I’d change it, but if I did, the only change I’d make would be reversing the roles. I think it would work well with Lucy being the one dragging Natsu away as she’s been building so much traction since their reunion. She’s been training Natsu, she’s just quit her job. She’s riding the high of her own confidence, so the role reversal might just feel natural

Returning to Natsu, I feel this change would bring greater focus to his character development, which I felt was lacking throughout the series. The way Fairy Tail was set up prevented Natsu from growing, really. For the majority of the story, he never really suffered any loss. Whenever he did (i.e. Lisanna) they pulled a fast one on us and brought her back. So yay, now he doesn’t haven’t to deal with the pain of that loss anymore! Cuz it’s just fixed like that! 

Overall, there are a lot of flaws in his character development, and I’ll go into it in later posts. This is primarily about his vanity, so it goes off a bit into changes in the plot rather than just his character. I hope this whole thing wasn’t too long-winded, or just plain long. So if you’ve made it here, congratulations! 

If you agree and have any other ideas about what changes would make Fairy Tail a greater story? Please comment and share! If you completely disagree with me and my ideas and think I’m a hack, a fraud, or just suck generally as a person! Also share! I really don’t care. These essays are just fun to write because it helps me think critically as a writer.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and see you next time.

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A quick look at Nashi and Gideon during puberty. Nashi was a brace-faced little brat, while Gideon had a short-lived emo-phase after listening to a Simon & Garfunkle record. For a special chapter I’ve been working on for my Fairy Tail next gen series. 

Not gonna lie...Nashi’s appearance is actually pulled from Deb’s character in Napoleon Dynamite. 

Plus, Gideon’s piercings aren’t real, because Juvia told him it was just a phase, so he just put stick-on rhinestones on his face instead. 

Actually, if you have any tips on making these guys look more ridiculous, please share. 

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Rewriting Fairy Tail - Lucy’s Character

If you’ve ever happened upon my small little blog here, you’ll find that I write a lot of posts about Fairy Tail’s writing. 

Being a writer myself, I find it important to analyze the writing of other works to see what parts of the story function well and what parts don’t. Fairy Tail is a very prominent piece of fiction within my life, as it did inspire that fanfiction that actually got me to begin writing seriously, but as I grew older with the manga/anime, I realized that the writing was rather flawed.

It being a shounen, fantasy, action manga, people claim you should go in with low expectations. Of course, just because it’s shounen doesn’t mean you should have low standards, especially seeing that Mashima has many qualities as a storyteller.

Beyond his skill as an artist, both in speed and style, he has a skill in creating emotionally driven scenes as well as prominent characters with distinct personalities. Not to mention his world-building, I admit the filler episodes were always enjoyable to me because it gave the anime a slice of life feeling, allowing us the chance to see the character’s day to day life handling typical situations in a hysterical and magical way. It was just good fun! 

Of course, those are some of the great qualities of Mashima as a writer, but I’m here to talk about the flaws.

This topic came to mind a while ago when getting into a discussion about Fairy Tail with my roommate in our never-ending quest to not sleep or do homework or have a social life. We began discussing the flaws of Fairy Tail, and my roommate claimed that her greatest frustration in Fairy Tail was the development of Lucy’s character. 

I’ll begin by describing the development of Lucy’s character from Fairy Tail, then present my revised version. 

So Lucy’s development is honestly okay. She begins as a very amateur mage, going into Fairy Tail mostly because of its reputation as a top-class guild. She really only pursued joining a guild because she thought that would make her a real, legit, mage. 

As Fairy Tail develops, we see Lucy grow as a character for both her strength and her relationships with others. Rather than the guild just being a place to find work, she develops strong relationships with its members. Though she was never all too resistant to developing relationships with the guild members, you can just notice a shift in her opinion of guilds themselves in the first few volumes, especially if you consider her behavior in the Phantom Lord Arc compared to the first arc. At first, she is put off by the behavior of the guild, but is nonetheless enchanted by the spirit and passion they all possess as a group. She reflects on her own change of spirit lightly in the Phantom Lord arc where she claims she had almost considered joining Phantom Lord, only because it was one of the highest ranking guilds.

Rather than getting ahead as a mage, Lucy creates a greater focus on her relationship to the guild itself, showing great care for her comrades and friends.

As a mage, she also grows in strength. Lucy’s development comes the same way it does for Pokemon or Digimon or all those “collector” type animes (though I admit, I didn’t watch Pokemon as a child, because my mom thought anime was a religion, so this is based on my loose knowledge of how the show, game, and world works). Lucy has to collect her spirits as keys, so she can’t grow her magic the same way her team does, especially with keys being so rare already. Beyond her growth as a celestial spirit mage, she is given greater growth as an independent fighter with Virgo’s whip, and later the celestial clothes that grant her the powers of her spirits following the time skip. Keep note of this specific change, as I’ll be returning to this later in my revision. 

However, at the ending of the manga (Spoiler ALERT!!!), Lucy is made to be the savior by strategizing a plan to trap Acnologia. I actually really liked how this played out. There was a great parallel between her and Natsu. While he was trapped with his fellow Dragon Slayers in this separate decision (well, I think it was a separate dimension of sorts), the dragon form of Acnologia was still at large in Earthland, and Lucy led her guild into a plan to trap it while Natsu simultaneously fought the human form of Acnologia with his magic.

This parallel was exciting, though you can complain that again Natsu was taking the lead fight, which always annoyed me how he got the boss fight at the end of every arc, but it was much more fitting since it was the end of the manga. 

Other traits in Lucy’s character include her insecurity/vanity in her sexuality, her independence from her father and as a mage, etc.

With this ending in mind, I’d like to present my changes to Lucy’s character.

As my roommate and I discussed Lucy, we were frustrated by the direction her character took. We began presenting ideas for changes. Keep in mind that this is changes in her growth, not personality. This isn’t an OC drop or something like that, it’s just a change in her character’s narrative direction. In fact, it’s almost like a missed opportunity in her character progression.

We discussed the nature of her magic and how it blends with her character. You’ll notice many character’s magic types are related to their personality. Natsu’s fire is an extension of his wild and destructive nature, Gray’s ice parallels his cool personality, as well as making him a greater foil for Natsu. Erza’s armor shows her protective nature, and this is actually illustrated quite beautifully in the Tower of Heaven Arc where she asks to wear armor while restrained, just because it feels safer.

While this doesn’t work with every single character in Fairy Tail, a lot of the characters have forms of magic that reflect who they are.

Lucy’s magic, however, contrasts greatly from the rest. In a way, her magic has a personality of its own, which makes it difficult to be a reflection of her self. With each of her keys having a distinct personality, one could assume it’s much more difficult to portray her character through her magic.

OBJECTION! (Sorry, just had to make the reference)

My roommate and I decided that the best definition of Lucy’s character would be as a leader/strategist. As a celestial spirit mage, she does much less hands-on fighting, having her spirits do it for her.

This is often where Lucy’s character gets the most criticism, which, honestly, isn’t fair when you look at it. Lucy’s strong suit isn’t fighting, it’s leading her spirits in attack 

At least, in our revised version of Fairy Tail, that’s where we’d like to take it. If this is, by any means, reminding you of the character Mavis, then good job, you’re catching on with where I’m taking this.

Lucy’s progression in strength would have a lesser focus on her fighting (ex. her whip, and later her star dresses) but her ability as a leader. Not just as a leader of her spirits, but of the guild too. 

This character arc would have a stronger focus on Lucy’s already present abilities as a leader. To give you a story scenario, I imagine that at one point on a dangerous mission, Lucy would lose possession of her keys (which has happened various times in the actual manga/anime) and would naturally begin to panic. Finding that she has lost her only method of fighting, she worries about her teammates and is frustrated in her inability to help him. But rather than mope or panic, she begins to try and help her team by guiding them, giving them instructions to better their attacks by spotting the weak points in their opponents. I think a good example of this would be in the lullaby arc, though that could possibly be a bit early in the series to begin this development. However, I think the contrast would be good, especially with Erza just being introduced. 

In my revised version of the arc, the introduction of Erza’s character would bring up some anxiety in Lucy. Having been in the guild for a short time, she’s just beginning to grow accustomed to fighting alongside dangerous yet power mages like Natsu. Suddenly, an incredibly talented female mage like Erza appears, and Lucy is, naturally, just a bit starstruck. She admires Erza for her strength and beauty but feels so inferior compared to the illustrious titania. This inferiority is developed throughout the arc, as Lucy struggles to keep up as she fights alongside Erza and the others. She tries to keep up by using her strongest spirits, to the point of wearing herself out from the extensive use of her own magic. 

At the end fight, where Lullaby has entered its demon form, the three begin to fight the monster with Lucy standing to the sides, frustrated in her inability to help. Nonetheless, she watches her team struggle against the giant monster, and as Lucy watches, she begins to notice the weak points of their opponent. Drawing their attention, she instructs them on how they can best defeat the monster. Natsu is more keen on just hitting it with everything they’ve got, but Erza insists they follow Lucy’s plan. With her strategy, they successfully defeat Lullaby. 

Following the defeat, Erza speaks privately to Lucy in the guild and thanks her for her help in defeating Lullaby, she tells Lucy she hopes to fight alongside her once in the near future, leaving Lucy with a bit more confidence in her ability. 

Of course, that’s just how the arc would play out in my head. I feel it would do a good job introducing Erza as a character, contrasting greatly from Lucy’s strength and ability. Plus, Lucy being insecure around the newly presented Erza would introduce some interesting scenarios and gags that would coexist with the already present “buddy-buddy” gag between Gray and Natsu. 

This would only present the idea of being a leader to Lucy, though in the moment she wouldn’t realize her capabilities and have a stronger focus on the fact that Erza complimented her (because let's face it, Lucy has such a girl crush on Erza at the beginning, it’s adorable). It would foreshadow her fate as a leader, which would later be developed as the series progressed.

I think this progression would feel much more natural, especially leading to a greater climax in the already existent ending. At the end of the manga, Lucy taking charge felt a bit sudden, as her ability to lead wasn’t properly built up to. 

Like I mentioned before, this development greatly parallels that of Mavis’s, which I ensure you is intentional. In fact, in the revision, the connection to Mavis would be highlighted by Makarov, would claim she reminds him of her, or at least, the stories his father told him. 

While Mavis isn’t a perfect character, the build-up of her magic is fantastic. She is undoubtedly strong and intelligent, navigating her fights carefully and cleverly from the very beginning. In a way, she has no choice in the matter, as she’s stuck in the body of a child thanks to her curse. Being in a timeless body, she can only really strengthen her mind. This is another example of magic representing a character, or perhaps, a character’s weaknesses becoming their strengths. 

With this parallel in mind, I imagine that this progression could result in Lucy being the future guild master of Fairy Tail, which I find would be a conclusive ending to the manga/anime. However, that’s just a proposition. 

So, what do you think? If you like the changes, tell me, and maybe I’ll do another post like this. If you think Fairy Tail is fine the way it is, I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments. 

Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you later.

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I’ve seen the purest thing that could every possibly happen. Finally, my life is complete... *fades out of existence Jedi style*

this is the purest video I’ve ever laid my sinning eyes on

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Evolution of Character Design

Layla Dragneel

Layla Dragneel was about 15 when she was introduced, and I absolutely loved writing for her because her character is amazing and fantastic and super fun. She’s super sassy and savage but has a secret obsession with romance and writes fanfiction about the other people in Fairy Tail.

Legit, like, the best character. 

I can’t draw enough of her, and I clearly haven’t. 

You can see from the first design that I really didn’t think much about her physical appearance, as she looks like a full grown adult there, and I was like “hold up, why’s this girl have such big milk jugs, she’s a child!” Therefore, even though she is now, in the story, around 17, she does not compare to her mother’s body at that age...and you can bet she’s mad about that. 

I love this character, I should draw more pictures of her! 

Design-wise, she has some pretty cool outfits that are fun to draw, as well as a rather distinct color scheme that has lightened up as her personality has done the same. Upon introduction, she was cold, bitter, and didn’t socialize much, but she’s different now and has grown closer to her siblings and made some good friends while she was at it. Hurray for character development and symbolism!

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Please and thank you my friend. Please and thank you.

Fanfiction Club: The Rules

This idea came to me when I woke up first thing this morning.

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Why I ship NALU (and you should too)

JK, if you don’t ship it that’s fine. I get it, really. 

I love romance. (That gif is just so beautiful)

I know this is a shonen manga and I shouldn’t be here for the romance, but I just love romance. I mean, I don’t read Fairy Tail for the romance, but I love the relationships developed. Mashima has developed a large selection of couples that all have interesting dynamics and relationships I love to explore and analyze, NALU being one of my favorites.

I understand why people are so annoyed by the fandom, because it’s frankly annoying how people will be at each other’s throats over the ships in Fairy Tail, which is literally so dumb. I mean, remember when we made fun of Team Edward and Team Jacob people? We’re those people now. How have we become this?

Really, I just love romance. I mean, I had a boyfriend that I had a horrible relationship with that made me believe that I wasn’t worth being loved because I was so horrible to him and I didn’t understand why I couldn’t accept the love he had for me and I lay awake thinking about the fact that I’ll probably never be loved like that again because I’m so worthless--NEVER MIND THAT! Back to my love for romance.

Following all of...that...I was weirdly interested into why couples work in fiction. I mean, is it just because the two characters are hot, look good standing next to each other, and the author forced them to make out? Sometimes, yes.

However, other times, an enticing romance is introduced, and I believe NALU is one of them.

A lot of things make a good fictional couple, but here’s what’s important. Chemistry, history/time, and a good dynamic. They need to correlate well together, they’re a team, they have to work together, bounce off of one another, etc. They need time to develop their relationship, learning more about each other’s history (or in some cases be there to witness this history) but overall, they need to know each other.

Then there’s the dynamic (maybe this isn’t the right term for this, but it’s what I’m using). And that’s what I’m really going to focus on here.

I love a good romantic dynamic. Ha, that rhymes. I’m not going to pulling out cute scenes from Natsu and Lucy’s time together and say “See! They care about each other! It’s so cute!” because I’m focusing more on the foundations of their relationship, how their characters are set up to counter one another leaving room for personal growth as well as a growth in their relationship.

First off, it’s pulling from a fairy tale trope by using the dragon and princess scenarios. 

Lucy is obviously the princess type. She’s wealthy, pretty, and she knows it. However, she does want to break away from this title, which correlates with her own personal growth as a character. 

Natsu is reckless, violent, a bit of a pyromaniac, and literally a demon dragon thingy. I mean, that one’s a lot more literal than Lucy’s title.

The entire dynamic is meant to break away from this fairy tale trope, making it a fairy tail trope. Ha, these are the jokes people! Lucy, as she grows as a character, breaks away from her romantic view of true love and having her prince charming come and whisk her off her feet (in the end credits scene of the early seasons, we see Lucy daydreaming about a prince coming to save her).

Of course, reality is like, “Ha, you want a prince? Well, nevermind that dream!” Instead, she gets a dragon. The beast that in these fairytale stories is usually the villain. They turn the trope on its head, and that’s just good fun.

Moving on from the dynamic of the relationship, their characters are good for each other. A good fictional relationship (romantic or not) has both characters growing together.

So let’s look at each character’s main internal conflict. I always found it ironic how Lucy was running away from her father while Natsu was running after his own. It’s funny how both of these characters have weird daddy issues. Having these weirdly different yet similar experiences really give the characters chance to grow together. There is room for personal growth through the expansion of their own relationship, which is really important when telling a love story!!

I try to make sure any character I write in a romance is focusing on themselves, because it’s not healthy when a character can only find happiness in the relationship (also in real life, be aware). Personal growth is important in storytelling, because it’s unhealthy when the person someone’s dating is their whole world. Like seriously, that’s bad.

Anyway, this isn’t me trying to prove NALU as canon or something. The ending of Fairy Tail, regarding NALU, was actually kinda perfect for their relationship. Natsu isn’t the type to get all sparkly eyed and kiss Lucy tenderly. That would be out of character. If it ever became canon it would be Lucy to make the move, realizing that she isn’t a princess waiting for her prince, and that she wouldn’t wait for Natsu to make a move and just do it herself. (Princess conquering the dragon, booyah).

Sorry, sidetrack.

The point I’m trying to make is NALU is set up for a great romantic dynamic, it’s charming, quirky, and turns the tables on the traditional romantic tropes. Their characters had room for growth in their relationship and it was unique compared to any other relationship the characters had in Fairy Tail.

So do you still not ship NALU? Okay, that’s fine. In all honesty, the execution of their relationship wasn’t the best. It wasn’t bad, but I can see why people didn’t ship it. I mean, if you’ve read my other posts you understand my frustration with Natsu’s character and how I feel like he didn’t grow as a character throughout the series. Nonetheless, the foundation for the relationship itself was unique and admirable, something I think I’ll try examining and exploring in future fictional relationships I make. In fact, Mashima actually does this really well! A lot of his relationships have good dynamics going for them, but that in turn created this MASSIVE amount of relationships that didn’t all get the chance to be thoroughly explored! Which is a shame, but that’s the cost of having such a large cast…

The message of this thing? Well, it’s not really “YOU SHOULD SHIP NALU” despite the title of this post. It’s really that a dynamic can matter in a relationship. What their relationship represents can create something unique and admirable. It goes beyond whether or not he grabbed her hand in this scene or whether or not Lucy was blushing when Natsu said this. The basis of their relationship is something that Mashima worked out really well, and I feel like it should be appreciated because it’s really clever!

I should change the title of the post, here, gimme a sec.

How Mashima sets up relationships like a straight up thug!

There we go.

I feel like I’m too hard on Mashima as a writer sometimes, but this is something he did right that should be done by other writers! So good job Mashima! We all love you! Sorry about the crazy fandom!

So, share your thoughts (be respectful of opinions though) and tell me if you think the dynamic of Natsu and Lucy’s relationship was compelling at all, or whether or not you think it was explored to its full potential. I’m bored so intellectual conversations on the internet are always fun.

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Lemme write more about Lisanna being dead

I don’t know why this is fun to write about. I just have a lot to say for some reason, and it’s all kinda dumb, but I still like writing about it.

So first off, Mashima always intended for Lisanna to be brought back, that had nothing to do with the anime director. Although, he did hope Lisanna would be brought back and in her “death scene” he intentionally made it ambiguous. So yeah, Mashima wasn’t forced into adding Lisanna into the story like some rumors said, so that’s not an excuse to bash Lisanna.

But I still think she ought to be dead.

Wow, that sounded horrible. You see, my post was never about the intentions of Mashima and how he originally wanted Lisanna to die, I just think he should have made Lisanna die. 

I want to go into more detail as to why I’m suddenly so passionate about this. Recently, I’ve been interested in looking at fiction and trying to correct it. When something doesn’t work, I analyze it and wonder how it could be made better. Lisanna’s character, following her addition in the Edolas Arc, was honestly a bit of a disaster. She showed up every now and then but was never actually apart of the main team (Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy, Carla). I mean, Gajeel and Levy (both technically main characters) were given much greater development and attention from the manga. Was this because of fans taking a liking to their characters? Yeah, that’s likely, but also because their characters, Gajeel specifically (through Levy though) had room for growth.

You see, Lisanna’s character didn’t really have a direction following her return. She didn’t have a real goal, desire, etc. She had returned to her family, and that was all she had really wanted. The other characters, though their goals are simple and kinda dull, are still present. They are seeking something one way or another. I mean, they aren’t always solid goals like “to get to the other side!” or “defeat the monster!” or something like that. Their character has something to strive for, their story isn’t complete. There are still mysteries to be revealed with their characters. Natsu had Igneel, Lucy had the death of her mother, yadayadayada. 

Lisanna, she didn’t really have anything. What else was there for her as an individual character? Her relationship with Natsu, which is not explored (honestly, it should have been explored, because you don’t just lowkey propose to someone as a kid and not talk about it once as adults). This was likely thanks to fans disliking the new possibility of a rival for Natsu and Lucy, but I feel like Mashima just didn’t have much for Lisanna. She was with her siblings, and any further development of her character would be carried out with the rest of her family. I mean, anytime she had an emotional moment, it was strengthening her relationship with her family...which really didn’t need the attention because that relationship is already set and stone and doesn’t need the development. Why can’t we have some awesome moments between Lisanna and Lucy because that would have been a dope friendship!! I mean, SO MANY MISSED OPPORTUNITIES MASHIMA!!

Moving on, so that’s why Lisanna didn’t deserve to life--WOW! That’s poor phrasing. Okay, lemme reword that. That’s why the story didn’t benefit from Lisanna’s revival because there was no longer a place for her character.

Let’s evaluate the effects of her death, okay.

So we’ll start with the Strauss family, as Elfman and Mira changed entirely following the death of Lisanna. 

Mira practically adopted her sister’s personality, abandoning her rugged, rebellious, and angsty persona for Lisanna’s more homely, sweet, and sincere behavior. She stopped using her demon take over powers, she started working as a waitress and (I guess) guild mother for all of Fairy Tail because she suddenly needed to take care of everyone, like she couldn’t for her sister. 

(Sorry, couldn’t find a gif of Elfman alone, but I gotta say I love their relationship and I’ll explain later). 

Elfman became obsessed with his own masculinity because he has this huge inferiority complex. Even as a child, he was inferior to his sister’s magic abilities, unable to fully transform himself. His transformation into MANLINESS comes earlier though, as we see the buff and manly version of Elfman right before her death, but his self-doubt and fear become way more significant following her death, as it’s his own fault since he couldn’t control his own transformation. He now views himself as weak and incapable of ever being strong enough to actually control himself, thus seeing himself as a monster and a murderer. That’s, like, a lot of baggage that I kinda forgot about and it made me really sad when I sat down and realized “Oh my gosh Elfman had to spend years living with the thought that he killed his own younger sister he vowed to protect!!!” Sorry, Fairy Tail is just such a long manga, you forget some of the things that happened earlier on.

So obviously, these characters went through a heck of a lot of crap thanks to Lisanna’s death, but the loss gives them something to grow from, and we see that progress before the Edolas Arc. In the Phantom Lord arc, Mira confronts Elfman about his fears, and he finds the strength to control his full beast form, moving on from his mistake in the past. Mira does the same, realizing that she can’t abandon her former self, a version of herself that was incapable of saving her younger sister, because she needs that former strength to protect her family, Fairy Tail!! 

Yay! Character growth! Potential! Hurray!

Anywho, we see what was accomplished thanks to Lisanna’s death. While it hurt the characters, they moved past it and were better for it. Mira became kinder and Elfman became stronger, all of this because of Lisanna’s demise. 

Now, let’s move onto Natsu.

Oh Natsu, will you ever learn? No, he never learns. Natsu is ignorant, self-centered, and while he acts like he’s friends with everyone, will throw them under the bus if he gets the chance to show off his cool fire magic. Okay, that’s a little rough, but you get my point. Natsu doesn’t learn anything, he hardly grows as a character besides his strengths in fighting. His relationships grow, yes, like he becomes closer to Lucy, Erza, and even Gray, but he as an individual has very little growth throughout the entire manga. It’s frustrating! He’s always the one to finish off the arc in a big battle! Even when the arc isn’t surrounding him as a character! Erza’s arc (Tower of Heaven), who was the one fighting the final battle? Natsu. 

It’s annoying, but I’m not saying I hate Natsu. I’m just saying that I hate how he didn’t grow as a character. I mean, this isn’t with all of Mashima’s characters. The growth of Lucy is actually great, as we see her become a stronger and more independent woman, and Gajeel (oh my gosh Gajeel) grows so much as a character! It’s great! 

But why not Natsu, the frickin’ main character? 

As I mentioned in my earlier post, Natsu’s character sucks due to this poor development. 

So what does this have to do with Lisanna? A lot. Natsu was really hurt my her death. In fact, when Lucy did something that remotely reminded him of her, he snapped at her (which was never resolved by the way which annoyed me because he was being rude and he should have apologized). Natsu liked Lisanna. Romantically? Probably, as far as Natsu can grasp romance, that is.

So losing her hurt really bad, and he was still bitter about it until the day he realized she wasn’t dead. Which is the problem here.

He doesn’t learn anything, his problem was just erased. Natsu thought someone was dead, and it hurt him, but rather than having to actually deal with that loss it just, didn’t really happen! Yay! Now he doesn’t have to confront his issues!

Seriously? Natsu never confronts his loss of Lisanna and what it meant to him. I mean, Mashima made it obvious Natsu was hurt, but how he didn’t seem to be all that invested in her following her return to Earthland makes it seem like he didn’t really care. It almost makes him look childish, as if he was only mad because something that was his was taken away, and he didn’t like that. Now that he has it back, he can go on and be happy again, even if...he never really interacts with what was lost…

I mean, think of it, if your friend died, but then came back, would you spend a lot of time with them after they came back? Even you’d made a new friend, would you still spend time with them? Of course!

Most can blame this on avid NALU fans hating on Lisanna, but I don’t care about that. Seriously, I don’t. If Mashima had an actual serious vision for Lisanna’s character, then he would have stuck it out and actually gone with it. Anyway, this is about what could have been if Lisanna stayed dead, Natsu would have to eventually confront his issue and sadness over the loss of a close friend, something he hadn’t had to face since Igneel’s disappearance.

So yeah, he’s hurt, and he keeps all his pain shoved down and gets mad whenever someone mentions Lisanna, that’s a problem, which never gets touched on.

I can honestly see it as a moment of growth between him and Lucy, and I don’t mean romantically, just in their relationship in general. I could imagine Natsu flipping out after someone brought up Lisanna, throwing a bit of a tantrum and storming out, prompting Happy to follow. Mira would explain to Lucy, likely the victim of Natsu’s anger, exactly what happened to Lisanna and how Natsu and her were so close (Happy too). Lucy would confront him, likely talking about her own experience with the loss of a loved one (AKA her mom). It would be a moment of growth for Natsu and his relationship with Lucy, forcing him to address his anger and sadness head-on rather than letting it boil deep down.

I can picture the moment clearly in my head, and I feel like it would have been a great moment for Natsu and Lucy as characters. Natsu would be shown in a more vulnerable light, and could finally move on from his loss of Lisanna. It would be a sweet and impactful moment for Natsu, and could lead him down a more progressive path. One where he’s learning to confront his pain from within, reaching out to his friends and loved ones about what hurts him rather than just keeping things in.

But then Lisanna came back, and all of that was erased.

Not just the potential of character growth, but the character growth that was already made. Mira and Elfman’s transformations were in vain, but at least they had their sister, so that’s great for them!!

Anyway, that’s the end of my weird essay. Writers, take note of this and the importance of character growth! And when you see something in an already written piece of fiction you think could have been made better, talk about it! If you have any questions about my opinion on Lisanna’s character, just ask me (respectively please, I’m open to other opinions). Just remember, this is about writing, not our “OTP”s and what not. This is about what missed opportunities there were for Fairy Tail in its writing. If you think Lisanna’s character could have been improved in a way that DIDN’T kill her, PLEASE SHARE! I’d love to hear your opinions on how she could have been improved. And if you think she was fine the way she was, then awesome! I don’t really care! I just like writing about writing rather than writing because I keep getting writer's block!!!