Template:RavenCoven/July 2015

{|style="width:98%; border:2px solid teal; background-color:black; color:teal; ; padding:4px; padding-bottom:4px;"
 * Raven%27s_Coven.png

Hello hello! Raven is back for another coven and this coven I've been waiting for a long time! We'll FINALLY talk about A CHARACTER WHO IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES, AND THAT'S Min- ... ..... ....... STING? You had one job voters! ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)
 * style="font-size:19px; color:teal; font-variant: small-caps; padding: 3px"|
 * style="font-size:19px; color:teal; font-variant: small-caps; padding: 3px"|

...Anyway ^_^ looks like we'll be talking about Sting Eucliffe! I think this might turn out to be more interesting than the runner-up anyway. Let's go, shall we?

DESIGN So Sting's design is interesting though simplistic I suppose. Imagine Natsu with blond hair and dressing like a raging homosexual and the result is what we call Sting's design!
 * style="font-size:19px; color:teal; text-align:center; font-variant: small-caps; padding: 3px"|
 * style="font-size:19px; color:teal; text-align:center; font-variant: small-caps; padding: 3px"|

I guess Mashima's intended purpose is to have Sting be a pretty guy that the ladies and some guys will swoon over. Okay, cool, Fairy Tail is a fanservice-y manga so I can get behind that. His clothes tho >__> he regurarly dresses like a stripper, with the fur and the clothes leaving his abs exposed and all that. However, as awkward as his stylistic choices look like, he is unique in that regard so I can get behind that too.

I only wish he did not look so similar to Natsu. We get it, RIVALS. They don't have to look like identical copies of each other. Anyway, he is not that bad, just not great either.

5/10 MEH

PERSONALITY

https://38.media.tumblr.com/3f5b546734972c1527f6c79633dfaca5/tumblr_inline_nqhg7m31WV1qazf3y_500.gif

You know it's coming people. That's where most characters usually lack. Let's try to take a close look at Sting's character, shall we?

Sting first appeared in the Grand Magic Games arc, being one of the ace Mages of the curently strongest guild in Fiore, Sabertooth, and the intended rival of Natsu for that arc. However, his first appearances(as all antagonists') do not give away much about his personality, other than the fact that he's a grade-A asshole.



The truth is, Sting used to adore Fairy Tail, being his role models and his idols as he grew up, and that's why he's overly competitive against them, especially Natsu. However, how does this excuse him smirking like a jerk when Minerva tortured Lucy? See, Sting, like all the antagonists of Fairy Tail, suffers from the fact that Mashima just fails to portray morally grey people. You either are with Fairy Tail and one of the good guys, or against them and a really horrible person and a jerk. When you change sides, your characterization changes too.

This is even more obvious with Minerva and Flare whose acts are even more atrocious when they are villains. Thankfully, fan favorites Ultear and Jellal were spared from this, and I will explain how when their turn arrives.

So yeah, like all the other "villains", Sting's characterization is all over the place. He starts portraying signs of complexity later on, when Jiemma apparently kills his cat after his epic fail against Natsu and-guess what-he's sad. He is then apparently resolute to defeat Fairy Tail and save his friend, but then HE SEES THIS...

...loses his shit and starts crying like a little bitch, surrendering in the process. Aw man, I still remember what a huge disappointment that was for everyone back then. I fail to understand why he gave up back then. Is it because his victory would be "unfair", because they were beaten down? Give me a break, it was not a one-on-one fight for a reason, the participants didn't have to take raw srength into account, but wits too, something Fairy Tail didn't really portray, despite their flashy OHKOes. OTHER THAN THAT, he knew Minerva was ruthless and he knew Lector's life was at play, so he didn't win because "he wouldn't be able to look Lector in the eye if he won like this"? ... ..... Lector saw you laugh as an innocent girl got the shit beat out of her and left for dead, I'm sure he'll be fine if you win the contest you signed up for.

In the next arcs he appeared, he was the typical good guy + a Fairy Tail fanboy, so nothing noteworthy there.

Needless to say, his character is nothing phenomenal. It's a shame because I really like the dude, I even have him on my avi & sig D:

That said, he does have good qualities. He is charming, a good friend, a good guy, and possesses a certain level of intelligence based on his plan to win. I'm not impressed he's nothing more than that, considering he's supposed to mirror Natsu. 5/10 He could be so much better.

ABILITIES Sting's a Light Dragon Slayer, which was a pretty interesting idea, but in action it's just...meh ( ._.) his attacks do not have any uniqueness to them as Natsu (burning things), Wendy (well...air), or even Rogue (able to go in the shadows). He has the standard DS attacks, with an additional glow and light color to them ( .____.) the only interesting thing that comes to mind when it comes to Sting's Magic is the stigma he left on Natsu's chest, which allegedly paralyzes movement, but didn't because he burned it, so yeah. The fact that in 1 of the 2 fights he's been in he was portrayed fucking weak because Natsu is the protagonist didn't help either.

And this sucks because he could do so much more with "Light Magic". Paralysis is one effect he did utilize (which makes no sense), but how about, let's say, generating light so strong that blinds his opponents and leaves them unable to fight back or even see him? I can think 2 or three more from the top of my head, so I think it would be easy to get more creative with his Dragon Slayer arts.

That said, I can't take Light Magic seriously when it comes to offensive attacks is because in real life, light can't actually hurt people. We have experience with how Fire, Wind and Iron can hurt, so them being used for offence makes sense, but light and darkness? Not really. It would be a far better idea naming Sting the Sun Dragon Slayer and Rogue the Moon Dragon Slayer if you ask me. Oh well, what's done is done... ( ._.)

Oh, also he's a third generation Dragon Slayer, which actually means shit, since he was portrayed as significanly weaker than the respective 1st gen ones, though the reason for that is that he was a villain back then, and also he fought the protagonist. I think his power level is supposed to be just a wee bit below Natsu's right now.

5/10 Light, really?

SIGNIFICANCE TO PLOT/ROLE IN THE MANGA

It is unfair to judge Sting's role in the manga in the same way I did to the other characters when he's a secondary character and one we met halfway through the manga. That's why I'll comment on him based on the 3 arcs he's been in: GMG arc, Tartarus arc and a little cameo in Avatar arc.

In the Grand Magic Games arc, Sting was one of the "windows" used to show us how the world 7 years in the future looks like, and how big the power gap has gotten for Natsu and his buddies to overcome although Mashima completely shitted on that one later on but let's try to look past that. He was the main baddie as well as Natsu's antagonist in the first half of this arc, and turned to a brighter role in the 2nd half of the arc (see what I did there); he became Natsu's fanboy, one of the 7 Dragon Slayers to fight a Dragon, and the guy who would take Yukino back to his guild. He also became ST's master, which was kind of random because he is more immature than Rogue and Yukino, for example, has not displayed any leadership skills whatsoever and is also weaker than Minerva and Orga. Narratively it would make more sense to have Minerva become a Master, and be a better ruler than her father, but whatever I guess ( ._.)

In Tartarus, he and Rogue played a significant part in Minerva's arc as well as the final fight against Mard Geer, and then Jiemma. I'd say they were one of the highlights of this arc.

In Avatar he made one cameo at the beginning, mainly used as comic relief due to his increased weight, and a second time at the end of the arc, where he basically just found Natsu and co.

To do this section I usually ask myself "how different would the manga (or the particular arcs in this case) be without this character?" Well, without Sting a serious part of the GMG arc's tension would not be there. He was the douchebag you loved to hate but was also entertaining and we wanted to see more of him (I know I did). Then you felt for him and cheered when he "killed" Jiemma, and many people rooted for him in the last day of the Games because he actually had a pretty solid and important reason to get 1st place in the GMG, whereas all the other participants did it for fame and glory. I think that's why people were so disappointed when he surrendered.

Then in the other arcs he was a big part of Minerva's redemption and going back to her guild, and he also got some closure when it came to Jiemma. Also let's not forget the fat!Sting jokes later on. Needless to say, he's a secondary character so other than the fact that he is a Dragon Slayer I don't see him being so important later on.

Overall his presence was definitely felt in the manga.

7/10 Pretty good

With all that said, Sting's character score is.....  5.5/10! I guess this is ideal for him, nothing less nothing more. Don't take it from me though, let's see what the other members of the staff have to say about him!

Isn't this the case for 99% of Fairy Tail's male characters tho?

For once we agree!

I think someone's still salty over Sting giving up... :P

Nah, Stukino or Stingerva will probably sail.

You tell them Reli!

So most people either care for his sexiness or stylistic choices? Sting would feel bad for being looked at as a piece of meat >_>

Well, you heard the boys. That ends this month's coven! Sadly the other project I had in mind is facing some difficulties temporariy so no news from there yet. Don't let that disappoint you, though, and vote for who you want to see next!

What Crime S member do you want to see in the coven? Jellal Ultear Meredy Cobra or Racer Angel or Hoteye Midnight or Brain

Thanks for voting people. See you next issue!