#I always kind of wondered why the magic knights rarely any focus and my explanation is bc sad orphans don't become knights

[floertoer]

phantom lord is my favorite fairy tail arc for a plethora of reasons, partly because it explores class dynamics in fiore. ivan assumes that lucy was funneling money into the guild and that she's not actually a competent mage because she's a rich heiress which leads me to believe rich people don't join guilds and they don't do magic. which is why they hire guild mages to do things for them. mages tend to live paycheck to paycheck because mage work is a gig economy. for that reason, mage work is probably undervalued, and that makes me think of the dynamic between mages and high society

expanding on my lucy never runs away AU under the cut. previous post

Mages and Knights

When Erza brings the quest down from the second floor, Mirajane takes a long look at it, a frown forming on her face. She looks up at Erza. “Are you sure you want to take this one?” she asks slowly like she's speaking to a child. 

If she was younger, that would be enough to start a fight. Erza nods, urging Mirajane to hurry up and approve the quest. “Well, I wouldn't be able to go any other way,” Erza responds, her voice harsher than necessary. She's older, but that doesn't mean she's matured that much. 

Mirajane sighs but gives the quest a stamp of approval anyway. “It won't be as fun as you think. High society doesn't like people like us.” 

“How would you know? You’ve never shown up,” Erza bites. Her fuse has always been short with Mirajane, and the patronizing expression on her face is almost enough for Erza to revert back to being thirteen. 

Mirajane doesn't respond. There's nothing she could possibly say that will make Erza not take this quest. Mirajane calls out to her as she storms out of the guild, “Just don't get your hopes up!” 

The door to the guild slams, and everyone turns to look. It doesn't take long for everyone to return back to whatever they were doing before. Mira sighs and grabs the rag thrown over her shoulder and continues what she was doing before Erza stopped her — wiping down the countertop. Cana moves down the bar,  taking a seat across from the exhausted barmaid. “What's the matter with her?” Cana asks, cradling a large barrel of booze under her arm. 

“You know Erza,” Mira replies, not wanting to get into it. 

“Sure,” Cana agrees. “Why're you mad then?” 

Despite not having a proper fight since they were sixteen, it wasn't rare for Erza to get irritated with Mira. Erza didn't blow up like she used to, but it was obvious to everyone when the redhead wanted to. Mira didn't understand it. She rarely gets irritated at Erza, nor does she with anyone. Ever since… Well, she's become much more docile in the last decade. 

“Why does she act like that?” Mira questions. 

“You know Erza,” Cana teases. She laughs when she sees the unimpressed expression on Mira's face. “It doesn't help you still look at her with that condescending expression.” 

Mira gasps offendedly and straightens her back — narrowing her eyes at Cana. “I don't do that.” 

“You totally do,” Cana insists. She takes a quick swig of booze before continuing, “The rest of us have gotten used to it, but you've always gotten under Erza's skin.” Anyone who knew Mira — really knew her — could tell you that she had a look. When she was younger, it was a cruel look, full of judgment; now that she is older, the look is still judgmental, but it’s taken a pitying element. 

An annoyed growl rips its way from her throat. Cana smiles; despite the change in outer appearance, inner Mira remained the same. Mira schools her expression into a look of perfect neutrality before sighing again. “Do you know the difference between guild mages and magic knights?” she asks. 

“Magic knights are a bunch of stiffs,” Cana quickly answers, not giving it much thought. 

Mira laughs. “Yeah… guilds are places for the wayward members of society. A place to find work and family. Can you imagine any of us working a normal job?” 

Cana looks around the guild, taking a good look at each member. There are obvious answers. No job would accept Gray with his stripping habit. Natsu’s penchant for destruction and arson make him a terrible candidate. Evergreen’s too disagreeable. Nab too indecisive, Vijeeter too free spirited, and Bickslow too creepy. 

There are some who could do it. There was little Levy couldn't do if she put her mind to it. Jet and Droy would follow wherever she went, plus they were good at taking instructions. Max had a solid work ethic. Reedus could easily find work as an artist, and of course– Cana looks back at Mira. Mira could do anything. She didn't even take on mage work anymore despite being a guild mage. Cana knew Mira could leave Fairy Tail if she really wanted to. She didn't need the guild. She's grown far larger than it. Cana know that, but… 

“Who'd want to?” she responds. 

“Not me,” Mira replies like she had read Cana's mind. “Poor waywards become mages and rich waywards become knights.” 

“You tryna say we couldn't have been knights?” 

“Not because we’re incapable. I joined Fairy Tail when I was thirteen. I didn't have the money to foot the knight academy tuition. Not that I would've become a knight if I had,” Mira explains. “It’s a hundred thousand jewel fee for a year. It’s not a place for poor little orphans.” 

Thus why poor little orphans gravitated toward guilds. “That’s insane. I don't even have that kind of cash lying around.” 

“That's why most magic knights are heirs or heiresses who don't want to settle down and run their parent’s business yet.” Mira had seen it with her own eyes. She talked to a lot of them. Mira didn't always avoid high society like the plague. She used to galavant among them, happy to be one of the chosen mages. “Erza, it's weird because she grew up with the rest of us, but she has this view of the world…” Mira trails off. 

“Like a fairy tale?” Cana questions. Erza is an outlier among the guild. She dresses up like a knight and makes a big deal about honor. As if mages cared about those sorts of things. 

“Something like that. I just…” Mira pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. “They're not going to like her, Cana. Noblemen, high society, they don't like any of us.” Not even her. 

“Who cares what they like? There's a reason we're mages and not knights, right?” 

“I just don't want Erza to get hurt. A lot of people can't see it but she's sensitive under that armor.” 

Cana chuckles. She guesses Mira has changed because she would never have admitted that a decade ago. Mira reaches over the counter to lightly smack Cana. “I'm serious,” she insists. 

“I know, I know,” Cana responds. 

“Those people… they don't like what they can't control. There are so many rules that you'd never know if you weren't born into it.” Among mages Mira was a graceful swan, among high society she might as well have been a stumbling fawn. 

Cana takes a breath. “Then you're right; they'll hate her.” Fairy Tail has a reputation for their bullheadedness, and Erza is queen of the fairies. Cana shrugs. “What can you do?” 

Mira sighs, “I can just try my best to not to say I told you so.”

[angstandhappiness]

INTERESTING

@floertoer : #ugh... mirajane 🥺🥺#erzajane dynamic is so complicated to me. imagine going from fighting with someone every day to them just saying they're done with it#erza hasn't forgotten though#erza kind of has a naive way of looking at things sometimes#fairy tail in general is an honorable guild but I don't think most mages are like that#I like to express that idea through mirajane who I think is more worldly than the other members of the guild bc she does work outside of it#cana's also a good character for that cause she has a more nihilistic view of things (it's the depression)#but they also have that standard fairy tail optimism#I always kind of wondered why the magic knights rarely any focus and my explanation is bc sad orphans don't become knights#control is a larger theme in fairy tail canon and this AU#I'm going to keep writing it bc it's taken over my brain#I can't wait to get to the erza and lucy stuff bc they have such an interesting dynamic and parallels#lucky lucy heartfilia au#floertoer#floer.writes

@captainuranium543 : #erza dont do it#they hate autistics there erza dont go#erza nooooo

phantom lord is my favorite fairy tail arc for a plethora of reasons, partly because it explores class dynamics in fiore. ivan assumes that lucy was funneling money into the guild and that she's not actually a competent mage because she's a rich heiress which leads me to believe rich people don't join guilds and they don't do magic. which is why they hire guild mages to do things for them. mages tend to live paycheck to paycheck because mage work is a gig economy. for that reason, mage work is probably undervalued, and that makes me think of the dynamic between mages and high society

expanding on my lucy never runs away AU under the cut. previous post

Mages and Knights

When Erza brings the quest down from the second floor, Mirajane takes a long look at it, a frown forming on her face. She looks up at Erza. “Are you sure you want to take this one?” she asks slowly like she's speaking to a child. 

If she was younger, that would be enough to start a fight. Erza nods, urging Mirajane to hurry up and approve the quest. “Well, I wouldn't be able to go any other way,” Erza responds, her voice harsher than necessary. She's older, but that doesn't mean she's matured that much. 

Mirajane sighs but gives the quest a stamp of approval anyway. “It won't be as fun as you think. High society doesn't like people like us.” 

“How would you know? You’ve never shown up,” Erza bites. Her fuse has always been short with Mirajane, and the patronizing expression on her face is almost enough for Erza to revert back to being thirteen. 

Mirajane doesn't respond. There's nothing she could possibly say that will make Erza not take this quest. Mirajane calls out to her as she storms out of the guild, “Just don't get your hopes up!” 

The door to the guild slams, and everyone turns to look. It doesn't take long for everyone to return back to whatever they were doing before. Mira sighs and grabs the rag thrown over her shoulder and continues what she was doing before Erza stopped her — wiping down the countertop. Cana moves down the bar,  taking a seat across from the exhausted barmaid. “What's the matter with her?” Cana asks, cradling a large barrel of booze under her arm. 

“You know Erza,” Mira replies, not wanting to get into it. 

“Sure,” Cana agrees. “Why're you mad then?” 

Despite not having a proper fight since they were sixteen, it wasn't rare for Erza to get irritated with Mira. Erza didn't blow up like she used to, but it was obvious to everyone when the redhead wanted to. Mira didn't understand it. She rarely gets irritated at Erza, nor does she with anyone. Ever since… Well, she's become much more docile in the last decade. 

“Why does she act like that?” Mira questions. 

“You know Erza,” Cana teases. She laughs when she sees the unimpressed expression on Mira's face. “It doesn't help you still look at her with that condescending expression.” 

Mira gasps offendedly and straightens her back — narrowing her eyes at Cana. “I don't do that.” 

“You totally do,” Cana insists. She takes a quick swig of booze before continuing, “The rest of us have gotten used to it, but you've always gotten under Erza's skin.” Anyone who knew Mira — really knew her — could tell you that she had a look. When she was younger, it was a cruel look, full of judgment; now that she is older, the look is still judgmental, but it’s taken a pitying element. 

An annoyed growl rips its way from her throat. Cana smiles; despite the change in outer appearance, inner Mira remained the same. Mira schools her expression into a look of perfect neutrality before sighing again. “Do you know the difference between guild mages and magic knights?” she asks. 

“Magic knights are a bunch of stiffs,” Cana quickly answers, not giving it much thought. 

Mira laughs. “Yeah… guilds are places for the wayward members of society. A place to find work and family. Can you imagine any of us working a normal job?” 

Cana looks around the guild, taking a good look at each member. There are obvious answers. No job would accept Gray with his stripping habit. Natsu’s penchant for destruction and arson make him a terrible candidate. Evergreen’s too disagreeable. Nab too indecisive, Vijeeter too free spirited, and Bickslow too creepy. 

There are some who could do it. There was little Levy couldn't do if she put her mind to it. Jet and Droy would follow wherever she went, plus they were good at taking instructions. Max had a solid work ethic. Reedus could easily find work as an artist, and of course– Cana looks back at Mira. Mira could do anything. She didn't even take on mage work anymore despite being a guild mage. Cana knew Mira could leave Fairy Tail if she really wanted to. She didn't need the guild. She's grown far larger than it. Cana know that, but… 

“Who'd want to?” she responds. 

“Not me,” Mira replies like she had read Cana's mind. “Poor waywards become mages and rich waywards become knights.” 

“You tryna say we couldn't have been knights?” 

“Not because we’re incapable. I joined Fairy Tail when I was thirteen. I didn't have the money to foot the knight academy tuition. Not that I would've become a knight if I had,” Mira explains. “It’s a hundred thousand jewel fee for a year. It’s not a place for poor little orphans.” 

Thus why poor little orphans gravitated toward guilds. “That’s insane. I don't even have that kind of cash lying around.” 

“That's why most magic knights are heirs or heiresses who don't want to settle down and run their parent’s business yet.” Mira had seen it with her own eyes. She talked to a lot of them. Mira didn't always avoid high society like the plague. She used to galavant among them, happy to be one of the chosen mages. “Erza, it's weird because she grew up with the rest of us, but she has this view of the world…” Mira trails off. 

“Like a fairy tale?” Cana questions. Erza is an outlier among the guild. She dresses up like a knight and makes a big deal about honor. As if mages cared about those sorts of things. 

“Something like that. I just…” Mira pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. “They're not going to like her, Cana. Noblemen, high society, they don't like any of us.” Not even her. 

“Who cares what they like? There's a reason we're mages and not knights, right?” 

“I just don't want Erza to get hurt. A lot of people can't see it but she's sensitive under that armor.” 

Cana chuckles. She guesses Mira has changed because she would never have admitted that a decade ago. Mira reaches over the counter to lightly smack Cana. “I'm serious,” she insists. 

“I know, I know,” Cana responds. 

“Those people… they don't like what they can't control. There are so many rules that you'd never know if you weren't born into it.” Among mages Mira was a graceful swan, among high society she might as well have been a stumbling fawn. 

Cana takes a breath. “Then you're right; they'll hate her.” Fairy Tail has a reputation for their bullheadedness, and Erza is queen of the fairies. Cana shrugs. “What can you do?” 

Mira sighs, “I can just try my best to not to say I told you so.”