#astraebled

✧ ┆ Accepting.

Yes and no.

I think Jellal was treated better than most by FT's standards. He wasn't a part of the main crew and thus had fewer instances of being boiled down to a joke/otherwise demoralized. For being a tertiary character, his arc was executed well in terms of:

Showing who he was before the possession link & manipulation.

Showing how deeply those things affected his personality and morals.

A rare case of "amnesia turns the bad guy good" being tolerable (which I personally headcanon as him returning to his baseline personality and moral standing once the possession link was broken.)

Jail. Deserved.

Fully owning up to the impact he had on countless lives, accepting that he will never deserve forgiveness from so many people, and still choosing to dedicate the rest of his life to preventing others from falling into the same trap he did.

Having him actually face most of the people he directly impacted and not make excuses for himself. He didn't try to explain himself or show how much he'd grown because he understood that, to them, none of that mattered. I could actually go on and on about this forever.

On a more superficial level, I also just really appreciate the sincerity of his character in later arcs.

However, there are plenty of scenes that I pretend do not exist for my own sanity:

Ryuzetsu Land & every other scene that involves him acting like a horny teenager around Erza. Sits wrong with me. Also, he's 27-28 years old for most of those scenes. Have some decorum. Act like you've seen a tit before, guy. You're embarrassing me.

Nuking the Oracion Seis during their battle. I stand by my assertion that the fight was more or less unavoidable. I don't see a world where OS wouldn't have attacked him. However, I think he should have stayed on defense for the entire fight and only aimed to protect himself/nullify. Sema was overkill and felt icky. He could've gotten his point across without dropping a star on them. Crushing his own eyes was sick, though I wish there would have been some kind of permanent repercussion for it, otherwise it feels like a hollow sacrifice. Still contemplating adding consequences for this to my main verse (corneal scarring or something similar).

Neinhart fight was fine up until, "Here and now I shall commit just one more sin." NO. Sorry. I understand that it was for emotional impact and he was acting out of grief and rage, but NO. I'm not buying it. I'll have to articulate my thoughts about this in depth another time.

Jura vs Jellal was robbery. We could've had more of Jellal using Mystogan's magic & instead we got Jellal being a very silly goose. Weird time to get competitive, my guy. It's hard for me to buy that he would nearly blow his own cover & potentially get FT disqualified (and likely much worse) over a matter of personal pride, only to then forfeit in a much more humiliating fashion than just. Y'know. Losing because he's using magic he only had roughly a month to train with. Comic relief, I know, but that only works if it's actually funny.

August stomping on his head. Only because that's my son. I'm obliterating August with my mind.

Every time he gets nerfed via concussion. There's enough trauma in that head. I promise.

IT'S HER HUBRIS THAT ALMOST pushes her close to death's door. Taking on a high-risk mission all by herself, wanting to prove that everything's alright. Erza had to go through a near-death experience to be able to see the truth. She had been in denial about her state of mind. It's easy for her to tell someone that it's okay to not be okay, but not apply it to herself. She doesn't want to be weak. Refuses to be. It reminds her of the time she had been weak and helpless, and she hates herself for it.

        She had spent the past hour in shock, brooding over the situation. A breakdown in the middle of a mission would have cost her life if it weren't for Jellal's intervention. It had to be him, of all people, to see her at this state. If it circumstances were better, she would've enjoyed this reunion. But unfortunately, it's not the case. He's the last person she wants to see in this condition.

        Needing something to do, she steps out of the tent. The warmth from the fire brushes against her skin, balancing the coldness of the air. Spotting Jellal, she joins him by the campfire and sits beside him. ❝You shouldn't be out here by yourself.❞ She glances at him, and then to the flames, answering his queries. ❝I'm fine. I just can't sleep.❞

⚡︎ True Detective sentences, Vol. 2 ⚡︎ - @astraebled

Laxus gave the other a look, something in his tone apparently enough to provoke a slight rise in his (in)famous temper.

"Dunno what the hell else you'd be doing, starin' at me like that."

He'd been tense most of the day, which had likely attracted attention -- most didn't like the idea of turning their back on the dragon slayer even when he wasn't annoyed, and to see (and occasionally hear) the arcs jumping across broad shoulders was a sure sign of a foul mood.

Still, considering the reputation he held, the snap was relatively minor. He was keeping his anger in check, even if it took nearly visible effort to do so. After a moment he forced a sigh out, shaking his head and looking away again.

♫ ❚❙❘ Dumbfounded seemed to be the only word that could describe the state Olexa was in currently. Cartoonishly mouth agape at the sentence he just uttered while her thoughts caught up to her. Once she did, the girl buried her face in her hands to allow a moment of composure. Followed by a heavy sigh.

     Oh god. They were never going to get out of this mess, were they? He was suppose to be a past evil mastermind, did him turning good turn him stupid as well?

sting: what are your goals ? jellal: to pet all the dogs. sting: no, fitness goals. jellal: to be able to run fast enough to pet all the dogs.

♡ @astraebled

Mary, addressing the squad: And if you have any suggestions feel free to put them in the suggestion box. Jellal: But – that’s just a trash can. Mary: It sure is!

@astraebled sent: [𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃]

THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN DREAMS AND reality are a blur. The horrors of the past come back to haunt her. The nightmares have become too vivid, and too real. Different ghastly scenarios of her past fusing. They are merely made-up images. None of them are real. But at this moment, she doesn't have the awareness, failing to distinguish what's real and what isn't. This time, she had dreamt of Jellal tortured by the hands of Kyouka until he was killed. And in that dream, she was helpless, forced to watch it unfold, wishing that it was her instead.

        She wakes up with a start, engulfed with trepidation, body sweating and chest constricting. She tries to tell herself that it's not real, struggling to breathe as she does so. Tears prickle her eyes, and it eventually turns into a full sob. She feels helpless and alone. Pathetic. So wrapped up in her dread, until a pair of warm, sturdy arms wrap around her, snapping her out of it. ❝It's you,❞ she whispers in relief, almost choking on the words. ❝You're safe. You're—here.❞

&. @astraebled

“Star-boy.”