neeseeart:

Thank you, Fairy Tail!

Today my favorite series came to an end. I’m feeling a mixture of so many different emotions right now, but most of all I feel gratitude.

It’s no exaggeration when I say that if it weren’t for Fairy Tail, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. I discovered Fairy Tail after chronic illness ruined my life, and I didn’t know how long I was going to live, or if it was even worth holding on. I was completely desperate and ready to give up, when Fairy Tail taught me how to hope, taught me that it’s not silly to dream, that if you have love in your life, you must keep living, no matter what. That someday it will get better, and you just have to keep smiling until then. Fairy Tail literally saved my life.

I’ve always been an incredibly negative person, as a defense mechanism. Fairy Tail helped me see value in being positive, and laughing even when you’re sad, and being kind even to people who don’t deserve it. It made me a more hopeful person, it made me a more humble person, it made me a kinder person, and it made me a happier person.

And even when it wasn’t teaching me valuable life lessons, it kept me going. Following the story kept me distracted from my physical pain enough to survive the long waits between doctor’s appointments. Falling in love with all of the many wonderful characters inspired me to draw, to blog, and to create my own characters. The promise of a new chapter every week gave me something to look forward to when I felt like there was nothing in the world worth getting out of bed for.

I even met some of my closest, most valued friends through Fairy Tail. And those that I already knew, I became much closer to through our guild bonds. I owe most of my most treasured real-life friendships to this series.

Not to mention that Fairy Tail made me comfortable in my own skin, a feat never before achieved by anyone or anything else. Many people criticize Mashima’s art style and portrayal of women, but it did a lot for me personally. His attention to detail and nuances in the female form helped me learn to love features that I had always seen as imperfections. Finding resemblances between myself and the beautiful women in Fairy Tail gave me confidence at my normal 125 pounds, my thyroid-deficient 145 pounds, and even my current malnourished 89 pounds. Even as my body changes and falls apart, I’m able to love it because of the confidence that Fairy Tail gave me.

I got my Fairy Tail emblem tattoo 3 years ago and I don’t regret it in the slightest, and I doubt I ever will. With this tattoo, Fairy Tail will always be a part of me, no matter how much time passes. Every time I glimpse the blue guild mark on my left thigh, I remember all of these ways that this manga has helped me. Saved me, even.

No amount of text could properly convey to you just how huge of an impact Fairy Tail has had on my life. More so than any other work of fiction I’ve ever seen. And as a life-long escapist, that’s saying something. It’s hard to think about what my life would be like today if I had never gotten into Fairy Tail, if I were even alive at all. I think I’m rambling, and I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself, but this manga and anime changed my life and I know I’m not alone. I know countless other people out there have been touched by Fairy Tail in the same way that I have, and even now that it’s over I know it will continue to touch new people every day, and continue to change the lives of people who thought they were ready to give up. 

I can’t say it enough times. Thank you, Fairy Tail. Thank you Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Erza, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Wendy, Carla, Lily, Mira, Laxus, Makarov, Mavis, Zera, and everyone else in the guild. Thank you Ultear, Jellal, Meredy, Ichiya, Lyon, Chelia, Kagura, Sting, Rogue, Minerva, Flare, Brandish, and even Zeref. Thank you Layla, Grandine, Metalicana, Skiadrum, Weisslogia, and Igneel. Thank you Hiro Mashima. Thank you.👆

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