#guild master

from a very young age, she's known nothing but responsibility. in rosemary village where she lived, she felt responsible enough to sacrifice her own life for kagura's, when im very certain they barely knew each other, most likely stemming from her not having any home to call her own within the village.

then in the tower of heaven, while they were all in the same boat, erza took on the responsibility of being the older sibling for sho and milliana (and wally too im sure) with grandpa rob, simon, and jellal, being her only outlets of outer support. grandpa rob then died for her; the very first adult she had ever seen as family... gone. and it was all her fault, a guilt she'll bear for the rest of her life. to make it worse, jellal forces her out, manipulating her to stay quiet about the rest of her friends still suffering in the tower by holding their lives against her. again, she has to make herself strong, as she loses the minor family she had forged for herself.

then comes her time at fairy tail and the second we're introduced to her, we see her as this strict disciplinarian. she feels responsible for everyone's actions, sternly keeping them in line. gray, who was her first friend in the guild, is terrified of her wrath. mira, who used to be her one peer, no longer holds that relationship with her due to her loss of lisanna. at every turn, erza is alone and isolated, using her responsibilities as an S-class mage as a crutch.

then comes the toh arc, erza faces her demons. and it is only after that arc that she finally FINALLY lets her guard down. she joins in the brawls of the guild, indulges in the girly things she scorned in the past, and lets herself be silly and friendly and open. she is finally able to be peers with everyone in the guild, not stand alone and above them.

being master would drag her right back into her old self, crumbling under the weight of all her responsibilities. unlike makarov, she wouldn't ignore the demands of the council. unlike macao, she wouldn't have a small guild who barely caused any problems. and unlike sting, she wouldn't be able to go out and about in the world, leaving the duties of master to someone else. she'd be in her little office all day, desk piled sky high with complaints and bills from all the property damage, and erza scarlet would again forget how to have fun.