A/N: Inspired by Chapter 382 and reading a troll's comments on Mangahere, plus a look into my own thoughts regarding some of the pros and cons of Fairy Tail itself.

"…I wish I had a mute button," Lucy grumbled under her breath, resisting the urge to palm her face. The cameras had finally stopped rolling, giving the folk sitting in the shadows behind her ample chance to voice their protests.

"Goddamn it!"

"Not Lucy!"

"Fairy Tail is definitely boned!"

"Why did it have to be Lucy?"

"All hope is lost!"

"Give us Erza! Give us Mira! Give us anyone, as long as it's not Lucy!"

"Oh for the love of…." Lucy wanted to shake her head. They did this every time she was on set. This particular scene depicted the dread Demon King, Mard Geer, casting Alegria, a powerful spell that transformed Cube into the eldritch monstrosity, Plutogrim, and ensnared all of Fairy Tail and their enemies in a state of petrifaction. At the end of the episode, Mard Geer laughed and commented how it was unfortunate for Lucy's character to have escaped, for there was only a one in a billion chance of surviving. Now, all alone, it was up to her to free her friends.

"I demand to see the director!"

"Boycott Fairy Tail! This is a travesty!"

What do they want, another typical shounen miracle? Personally, if she were helming the show, Lucy would've killed off Wendy and Carla in the wake of Face's destruction and throw Doranbolt into a state of survivor's guilt. She would've spared Ultear from casting Last Ages and given her a second chance to find redemption. She would've had Erza sacrifice herself at the end of the Tower of Heaven arc and leave Jellal's fate up in the air, while Natsu struggled to come to terms with his companion's death. There were so many things Lucy would've changed, but it was not in her hands.

"Lucy's WEAK!"

One of those things involved putting her fist through the guy who just yelled those words.

"Just ignore them," one of the cameramen whispered to her as he wheeled past her, equipment in tow. "They always have something to bitch about."

"Easy for you to say," she sent back, quietly. "You're not playing the lead female character." Who was prone to losing her clothes, and baring it all in one instance, on a frequent basis. Why couldn't Fairy Tail be like Sensei's previous work and scale back on the fanservice? Rave Master didn't have villains or monsters dedicated to torture and tentacles and vast amounts of T&A. She felt sorry for Erza; it must've been difficult shooting that scene, and with Jellal watching behind the crew, his face and neck burning red.

She sighed. A headache was starting to form. As soon as they wrapped things up and she got her stuff together, she was out of here. A hot shower would work wonders right about now. Lucy began walking—

"Faggots! Failtards! Cancel Fairy Tail!"

And stopped, whirling around. "Who said that?" she demanded. She looked up and down the rows of people, but she couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice.

"Lucy, don't!" said a man's voice, and there was a grip like steel on her arm. Lucy looked behind her to see Mard Geer. For a person who played a cool, arrogant son of a gun, he was quite the charming fellow to hang around with. "Let it go. That punk's not worth a dressing down."

He had a point. "People like him"— wherever he was (if only she could launch right into the audience and pluck the guy by the hair like a…a…a carrot!)—"never give my character a chance! She's the voice of this whole story!"

"Security will take care of him. Anyone who doesn't realize the depths Lucy Heartfilia's capable of isn't worth wasting your breath over." He tugged gently but firmly. "Besides, I remember reading about that whole debacle concerning Lisanna's return following the Edolas storyline."

Now that was low. Lucy groaned, "Don't remind me. The fanfiction writers love twisting character and lore development inside-out and on their heads."

"Well," he said, "whatever creative liberties they take is up to them to pursue, whether we like it or not. But I'm sure Sensei knows what he's doing. Have faith in him."

Lucy sighed and allowed herself to be led away. "I suppose you're right. Still, it'd be quite the breath of fresh air if Lucy Heartfilia came out on top for once, and not need rescuing from powerhouses like Natsu and the gang. For once, she would be the hero." She smiled lightly. "That would be nice, wouldn't it, Geer?"

Mard Geer chuckled. "Yes. Yes it would."