User blog comment:FairyRaven/Fairy Tail Chapter 429 & 430: Code Blue & Purification Ritual, Review and Commentary/@comment-25111584-20150420103329/@comment-25111584-20150421170558

@B214: Yeah, Avatar will mp be fodderized now ... My poor Mary. T_T

@FTGM: Tbh, it's not getting the FT members back together that I'm angry about. I had pretty much accepted that this arc would be a happy-happy 'let's get back together' arc. But ... then Mashima gave us Avatar and Gray as a member. Then he had Natsu's group captured by them. This actually gave Natsu a legitimate reason to go around collecting his friends so that they could stand up against Avatar and convince Gray to come back ... forcefully, if necessary. Hmmm, it's the hype involved and the severe letdown. ... Something like the Silver situation.

Silver has some connection to Gray. Silver appears to be a likable guy, but he hates Gray. So damn hyped! ... SILVER IS DELIORA! BLOODY HELL! Awesomeness! Although Ur's sacrifice is demeaned a bit, it's still fantastic! ... Wait, no, Silver is Silver Fullbuster. ... M'kay. Makes sense. No real contradictions anywhere. ... Boring tho, predictable tho, cliche tho. So don't like it. .-.

Gray is part of Avatar. Gray is taken over by the markings. AVATAR CAPTURED NATSU! HOLY HELL! Now Natsu's gonna get freed by Gajeel, but they'll be overpowered and have to convince their former friends to band together again and go up against the cult! Why them specifically? Because only they can be trusted to put their efforts in retrieving Gray rather than just defeating him. THEY HAVE A REASON OTHER THAN JUST 'CUZ! SO HYPED! And we know nothing about Arlock! He seems damn mysterious. And if Gray considers this group knowledgeable enough to join them in his search for E.N.D. ... who knows what other mysteries might be revealed? LAYLA! ... Most importantly, MARY WON'T BE FODDERIZED! ZE HYPE, ZE EXCITEMENT! ... Wait, Gray is just undercover? Avatar is just a run-of-the-mill cult? ... Eh, makes sense, no contradictions. ... Too predictable too even bother tho. Too cliche again tho.

Note: The capitals is just my inner fanboy running loose. <(__)>

Yes, I didn't like these developments because they didn't go as I expected them too. Not a great reason. But it's fine as a personal opinion. ;) The shattering of expectations makes me pretty apathetic to the future of this arc. Except Mary, of course. But she'll just end up being one-shotted by Natsu or Erza or maybe even Lucy or Levy, making me actually hate this arc. Heck, I'd hate it even if Gray is the one to one-shot her. .-.

* goes into fanboy's dream of Mary's role here actually being more like Ultear's in Galuna Island or ToH arc*