My thoughts on chap 208 of ft100yq.
obviously spoilers for 100yq!
so… this was a fuckinh rollercoaster, I dont think the human body and mind (much less mine) is able to comprehend such a change of emotions in the sole 5mins it took me to read this chapter, I am still processing the “death” of my favorite character, the one who was always with me thru thick and thin. Omg I feel like a part of me is dead.
My thought process…
So from the start, it feels like gray is looking onto this whole thing as past tense kinda? like how Levy was narrating the GMG dragon era. I felt it was suspicious the way it was written as first but ultimately I didnt pay any mind.
Also I was really happy to see Lyon’s face again lollll
this panel describes their whole dynamic ACTUALLY THO
This part means SO much to me, because in almost every gruvia moment we see in gray’s pov, he never really outwardly shows his emotions. If Juvia’s feeling down, he’ll think about it and then do a small action like patting her head, walking slower to walk next to her or smth like that. But not this time. This time, he says her presence is a good enough encouragement and OMG GRAY!!! I am so beyond happy that he is expressing his feelings, but at the same time so damn sad bc I feel like something inside him was pushing him to do something, bc Juvia will be gone soon. 😭😭😭
We see Juvia worrying bc she thinks she’s useless, and Gray is the one reassuring her. I really really love their dynamic.
OK WTF IS UP WITH GRUVIA AND THE REOCCURRING THEME OF CHAINS???
I am well aware rhis has only happened twice but the FACT that it happened twice and has resulted to the death of Juvia… I think it’s safe to say that Gray will most probably be scared of chains his whole life. This is a crazy headcanon, but honestly this wld add such depth to him. Poor Gray :(
I am so, genuinely depressed rn bc even tho Juvia was the one who was dying, she still tried to comfort Gray by telling him to not worry and that it’s okay. Because she’s always known Gray better than himself. She knew he would blame himself for her death back then, and she knows he will now. So she does everything in her power to make sure he’s okay. I make myself cry sometimes (a lot).
Oh my gosh, Gray please hang in there. I can not imagine the pain of seeing almost everyone you love die right in front of your eyes while youre helpless. His dad, his mom, Ur, Ultear (kinda), his dad again, Juvia, and now, Juvia again. The one person Gray has fought for the most, the one person Gray has loved loudly, the one person Gray was willing to change for, the one person who taught Gray how to love, how to let himself be loved, and how to live, has died for him, twice.
AND JUVIA, is always, and I mean always, worried about the mental and physical wellbeing of Gray even when she’s fucking dying. This woman took her love to the grave, and she will continue on fighting for it.
Gray, I hope you really, really learn your lesson this time. You dont know what you have until it’s gone. And you’ve learned that twice now.
And you know what really gets me? It’s the fact that he didn’t even say “That I love her.” It’s the fact that he said, “That I love her this much.” HE HAS ESTABLISHED HIS FEELINGS A LONG TIME AGO, HE JUST DIDNT KNOW THE EXTENT OF IT. Gray, your love for Juvia is Juvia, it will live in your heart of eternity, guiding every decision, and loving you every step of the way.
I’ve waited years to hear Gray say the L word. But not like this, NEVER LIKE THIS😭😭
My thoughts on what’s next.
I think that there’s a 55% possibility that Juvia is coming back, but not that soon. Actually I have two probable scenarios on what’s going to happen. I hope Gray doesn’t use Iced Shell again, though he probably will attempt to. But the thought of Juvia will stop him.
A.) She’ll die. And Gray has to live with that. But not that simple, she’ll leave something behind for him, like a portion of her magic power, just enough for him to defeat the current enemy and complete the 100yq. His willpower is his strongest weapon. Juvia’s death will definitely help motivate him, and the others. And he’ll use his wish to bring Juvia back.
This is rather simple, though. I think Mashima will definitely play with us a little more.
B.) She survives somehow, but very badly injured. Like, 99.99998% dead. So Gray has to live for her, has to give his best in fighting to accomplish the 100yq. When he does, then he is granted a wish. The tricky thing is, if he wishes for her to heal, she might already be dead, what’s the point in healing a dead person? If he wishes to resurrect her, she might still be alive. You can’t resurrect a living person. Or something like that, something with technicalities, so the ending of the chapter will be a cliffhanger. And then we find out if she lives after 2 weeks.
(Something not so probable)
She’ll live but as a thought projection inside Gray, like Wendy and Irene. I have no idea where I got this. Sounds cool tho.
My final thoughts are that I’m happy that she died in the late parts of the quest, so we can see Gray’s character development, and a possible power up. And also, so that we still have hope that she’ll comeback, after all it is fairy tail.
On the other hand, I am still so sad. Imagining a world of Fairy Tail without my comfort character? No.
Gruvia is Forever.
