Fairy Tail Thread 3: Demon-ex Machinus

[Friv]

does mirajane use illusions to look like other people? i might be mis-remembering but i always assumed it was another use of the shapeshifting powers (i can't believe i forgot what it's called) that her and her siblings have

Looking over her entry on the Fairy Tail wiki, it looks like you're correct; Mirajane seems to just know two branches of transformation magic. She has still learned a pretty potent sleep spell, though.

and i assume that there are big, powerful spells that anyone with enough magic can learn (such as the three great magics of fairy tail)
and to me ultear just seemed like a mary sue at times.

The Great Spells of Fairy Tail do seem to hold a special category. But generally speaking, there seem to be four rough tiers of magic in Fairy Tail:

1) Spells that anyone can use, as long as they have a smidgen of magic. These spells are usually in physical form, such as the cars that people rent that run on magical energy, the makeup case that the shopkeeper tries to sell to Lucy in the first episode, or the communication lacrima that people use to contact each other like phones. These spells are basically just slightly wacky technology, and exist to provide an excuse for any given modern convenience to be both available enough to be used and uncommon enough to not be used, as the situation demands.

2) Spells that any mage can learn, with varying degrees of difficulty. Learning enough fire magic to burn a paper seems pretty easy, everyone on the Magic Council needs to learn enough Psychic Projection to be able to attend meetings without leaving their homes if they want to, and given that Plue is supposed to be a very popular spell to buy access to, you probably don't need advanced degrees in Celestial Spirit magic to summon him. Basic requip magic is also something that quite a lot of mages seem to learn, giving themselves changes of clothing that they can shift into at will.

3) Spells that build on the principles of those basic spells but demand a lot of focus and effort. People probably do have an affinity for given spells, depending on their natures and outlooks, and these affinities can be passed through a family, but it works like having an affinity for various sorts of arts; a lot of writers have kids that are writers, and acting families are pretty well known, but that doesn't mean that acting is a genetic trait by itself, it just means that a combination of sharing certain tendencies and upbringings tends to make the children of actors involved in the industry. Lucy probably became a Celestial Spirit mage because she grew up around Celestial Spirits, and had a close affiliation with her mother the Celestial Spirit Mage, and also had a lot of similar personality traits to her mother who was a Celestial Spirit mage. The majority of wizards only focus on a single branch of magic to this degree, but particularly skilled or experienced ones may focus on two or three, or even more, and less skilled ones may dabble just enough to be able to handle themselves in a couple fields.

4) Spells that are unique applications of power, closely-guarded secrets that don't really connect well to other styles, which are known only to a few (or even a single) person. The three Fairy spells fall under this category, as does that crazy world-ender whose name I can't be bothered to look up that Oracion Ses tries to steal. (I lied, I just looked it up, it's called Nirvana. Also, this reminded me that Brain of Oracion Ses uses both Archive Magic and Darkness Magic with exceptional skill.) Lucy's Urano Metria might apply, since it's not clear if that's actually a weird summon or if it's a unique spell that she learned.

EDIT: Ultear's pretty much the opposite of a Mary Sue; she has a tragically unique backstory and a host of super-special abilities, which she uses to muck things up and repeatedly be proven to be wrong by various more important characters.

[Kato]

Oh Hiro...

Spoiler: Julia vs Keith

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Is it me or does Juvia look like Lucy on the cover? Usually I don't have such a hard time telling them apart...

So, Juvia almost succumbs to the "I won't kill this guy and take a precious person with me, instead I'll let them kill all my friends" syndrome. ALMOST.

There are, again, a bit... weird images, Hiro... not as bad as others you did, but still. (What are these skeletons doing to Lucy?)

But Juvia wins by blowing him up from the inside (that's pretty gruesome) after he boasts about how worthless humans are. (btw, how does anyone ever manage to hurt Juvia? She's a water logia user in a world without seastone)

And finally... Gray inherits Silver's powers! I didn't know you could pass magic on like that, well, except apparently DS magic. And End is a flame devil... I'm sure this will have nothing to do with the freaking flame eating mage who happens to be important once in a while..

[lord_khaine]

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Im feeling really torn about this chapter..

On one hand Juvie spends a lot of time just standing around being useless.. on the other she explodes a demon from the inside.

And Grey got a power boost.. on one hand it seems unearned.. on the other hand he did defeat the previous owner of said power though outwitting him.

Also.. this does add to the annoyingly large cast of people who are important because they are slayers.. but again this is the first devil slayer we got as a good guy.

[chainer1216]

this chapter was pretty f***ing metal.


but seriously hiro, chill out, we've had enough non"standard" necrophilia from bleach this week.

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this demon slaying magic might not be permanent, we've seen someone pass on magic to someone else temporarily in the form of a tattoo before.

[LaZodiac]

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I hope the demon slaying magic addition to Grey is kept. It'd give him two unique and interesting powers to use in combination, and also confirmed that Slayer magic can be transferred via death, which is nifty.

Also, yes, I'm sure all these ice powers will allow the fire demon to be slain. It won't be the Fire slayer that does it, not at all.

[chainer1216]

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yeah, i mean, how awful would it be for someone to gain the ability to use a whole new type of magic, the first time i can remember in all of fairy tail, specifically in order to beat the BBEG, only to get curbstomped and for some other character to come in and beat the bad guy?

i mean, that'd just be the worst, good thing Hiro doesn't have a tendency to ruin good storytelling in order to fullfill the shonen status quo.

[LaZodiac]

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yeah, i mean, how awful would it be for someone to gain the ability to use a whole new type of magic, the first time i can remember in all of fairy tail, specifically in order to beat the BBEG, only to get curbstomped and for some other character to come in and beat the bad guy?

i mean, that'd just be the worst, good thing Hiro doesn't have a tendency to ruin good storytelling in order to fullfill the shonen status quo.

: Dtenchars

[Kato]

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yeah, i mean, how awful would it be for someone to gain the ability to use a whole new type of magic, the first time i can remember in all of fairy tail, specifically in order to beat the BBEG, only to get curbstomped and for some other character to come in and beat the bad guy?

i mean, that'd just be the worst, good thing Hiro doesn't have a tendency to ruin good storytelling in order to fullfill the shonen status quo.

Stop, you're making me cry here

[Anteros]

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Either alternative would be completely cliche, so I don't really see how it matters either way.

Also, did Juvia always talk this much in 3rd person?

[Socratov]

Spoiler: latest chapter

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well, I thought it was a good chapter, Even though I've got this sense of foreboding doom...

"Ah, Gray, I see you have acquired some new magic, It would be a shame if it didn't *ahem* work, wouldn't it?...

[chainer1216]

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Either alternative would be completely cliche, so I don't really see how it matters either way.

Also, did Juvia always talk this much in 3rd person?

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while gaining a power boost needed to defeat the BBEG IS cliche', the fact that the non-main character got it is. gray beating this fire demon would be like Sanji beating lucci, Renji beating Aizen, Kakashi beating Madara, stuff like that almost never happens, the only example i can think of it gohan beating cell, and Fairy Tail could really use that sort of breaking of form.

[Kato]

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Nothing too amazing this week... Still pissed at Minerva's (upcoming) redemption. I don't care if she's a good cook, she can cook in hell for all I care.

Natsu and Gajeel pull out the stops (as do the demons) and it's the DS fourway again all over... Oh well, it's not like we were expecting something else.

[LaZodiac]

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I'd just like to note that the apparent fact that Dragon Slayers can eat the magic of other Slayers to gain a permanent "alt mode" supports my belief that the Dragon Slayers are just dragon people. They're just glass dragons, children without any "breath", so they need to feast on the breath of a dragon to obtain it. Weather Igneel or Metalicanus are alive or not, I'm thinkin' they are the birth father's of Natsu and Gajeel.

Also really annoyed they aren't taking this seriously. It's in character but still, have character growth people

[lord_khaine]

I'd just like to note that the apparent fact that Dragon Slayers can eat the magic of other Slayers to gain a permanent "alt mode" supports my belief that the Dragon Slayers are just dragon people. They're just glass dragons, children without any "breath", so they need to feast on the breath of a dragon to obtain it. Weather Igneel or Metalicanus are alive or not, I'm thinkin' they are the birth father's of Natsu and Gajeel.

Some of this is also partly comfirmed with Acnologia, who killed so many dragons that he became one himself.

[LaZodiac]

Some of this is also partly comfirmed with Acnologia, who killed so many dragons that he became one himself.

Yes that too.

[Sith_Happens]

Back with two more questions:

1. What happens if one of your gatekeys is stolen while that spirit is already in the human world?

2. For those familiar with Mutants & Masterminds, could you estimate the power levels of some or all of the following characters. In the case of characters who become appreciably stronger as the series goes on, give your estimates for that character at at least two or three specific points in time:

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Natsu
Gray
Lucy
Erza
Gajeel
Wendy
Jellal
Laxus
Thunder Legion (individual members if different)
Makarov
Jura
Hades
Oracion Seis (individual members if different)
Gildarts
Mirajane
Elfman
Cana
Team Sabertooth (individual members if different)
Erigor
Max
Bisca
Alzack
Team Raven Tail (individual members if different)
Trimens (individual members if different)

Obviously the list is rather long so don't feel the need to answer for all of it if you don't want to. My main concern is getting a good scale of benchmarks to better set the starting power level of the campaign I'm planning (depending on how experienced my players want their characters to be).

[Soras Teva Gee]

So in this very early issue....

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Ship Sailed and it was awesome.

Nothing else matters.

[LaZodiac]

...god damnit Hiro stop being good and making me super excited

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This was a REALLY good chapter. Nothing bad to even say, this shark octopus guy has shown he's actually kind of a legit threat. Also Gajeel's trick with the metal locks on his mouth are the creepy **** I expect from him, after noticing his pupils are screws.

Also LevixGajeel forever.

[chainer1216]

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well, seeing as gajeel is my favorite DS and Levi has always been my favorite of the minor characters, finally seeing that ship set sail makes me happy. thumbs up Hiro.

[Kato]

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Ship Sailed and it was awesome.

Pun intended? Well, okay, not that much a pun but... ah, whatever.

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I have to agree, pretty decent chapter. I can't really find anything to complain about. Maybe if i was to look for something that Juvia off all people is down for the count when they fight the water mage but meh, nitpicking. (Also, it would have been nice for Levi actually to, you know, use her magic, but oh well) Gajeel, smash him!

[lord_khaine]

Well.. Gajeel has always been my second least favorite DS, and i have always really disliked that particular ship, wishing there were any chance whatsoever that it would sink.

Even so it was a nice chapter, where it did turn out the demons were in no way down for the count as i had feared.

[Olinser]

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well, seeing as gajeel is my favorite DS and Levi has always been my favorite of the minor characters, finally seeing that ship set sail makes me happy. thumbs up Hiro.

Meh, I'm sure he's going to play it off afterwards with 'lol just trolling he needed air'.

[Anteros]

Well.. Gajeel has always been my second least favorite DS, and i have always really disliked that particular ship, wishing there were any chance whatsoever that it would sink.

Even so it was a nice chapter, where it did turn out the demons were in no way down for the count as i had feared.

I dislike it as well. I guess nothing says romance like a savage beating and nailing you to a tree though.

[LaZodiac]

I dislike it as well. I guess nothing says romance like a savage beating and nailing you to a tree though.

Hey now guys, first impressions aren't everything.

In all seriousness, as much as I DO approve of the ship since the two are adorable together, it IS really uncomfortale considering Gajeel literally nailed her to a tree, as said here. Like, no two ways about it, their first interaction was "Gajeel beat me half to death and nailed me to a tree."

But he's a good guy now, so she probably decided to get to know him. Let bygones be bygones, and see him not for the crazy friendless steel dragon with screw heads for pupils that nailed you to a tree, and instead see the nice, warm hearted steel dragon with screws for pupils who tried to save me from some jerks by nailing them to various things because apparently that's just a thing he really enjoys doing.

[Anteros]

Maybe she's into that, and the whole guild war started because she was too embarrassed to admit it. That's my new headcanon I think.

[lord_khaine]

That is kinda the only thing that really makes sense at this point, that Levi has a deep masochistic streak, and that her and Gajeel are moving onwards on a path that will lead to her being nailed at different inapropriate places in the near future..

[LaZodiac]

That is kinda the only thing that really makes sense at this point, that Levi has a deep masochistic streak, and that her and Gajeel are moving onwards on a path that will lead to her being nailed at different inapropriate places in the near future..

This is a bad pun and you should feel bad. At the same time, also hilarious and good job *high fives*

[lord_khaine]

This is a bad pun and you should feel bad. At the same time, also hilarious and good job *high fives*

*High fives*

Just imagine just how much fanart this could inspire..

Heck.. from what we have already seen, a lot of it might as well have come from Hiro

[Sith_Happens]

For some strange reason I'm suddenly reminded that Gajeel is an extremely messy eater. Yes, I went there.

[Sith_Happens]

'Nother quick question (that will hopefully get answered this time):

Spoiler: Grand Magic Games epilogue

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Did Doranbolt alter everyone's memories of the Eclipse Project and dragon attack, or just the Rune Knights and Magic Council members? I found the actual manga chapter to check and it's still not very clear.