#ft shou

[everyjuvia]

[everyjuvia]

[everyjuvia]

[everyjuvia]

Juvia says Gray's name: 9

[fairytail-backgrounds]

these two look like they could be Elie & Julia from Rave Master (as well as Griffon Kato-like creatures)

and also Musica? (don't know many characters from that manga, sorry)

Fairy Tail, Ch. 102

[fairytail-backgrounds]

There is an ancient Chinese text called Zhuangzi with one of the most famous parts of it being "Zhuang Zhou Dreams of Being a Butterfly".

Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou.

Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou. But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou.

Its symbolism is widely used in media, e.g. butterfly imagery accompanying a dream vs. reality debate (see Cowboy Bebop movie for example). And it's also clearly used throughout the Tower of Heaven arc, starting from the first chapter title (see above).

In the same chapter, there's butterfly imagery in Erza's dream of the past, and as she wakes up she starts questioning reality

Every time Erza is reminiscing, there's butterfly imagery

The plot of the arc also revolves around a seemingly unattainable dream of heaven & freedom

while some of the people involved seem to be delusional

Shou's questioning the truth vs lie isn't that different from reality vs dream debate

Even though the symbolism dials down towards the end of the arc, Jellal's delusional plan is still referenced as a dream becoming reality

And similarly to how it began, the arc culminates with Erza's dream

where reality is questioned once again.

Fairy Tail, Chs. 75, 77-78, 82-83, 95, 100

P.S. Mashima-sensei even mentions it in the afterword for Vol. 10

[everyonehappy]

offering fish: 4

[everyonehappy]