#TOSR

[pattyaifread]

Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Hatenai Omoi Vol. 2, Richter Abend Excerpts

I translated the first and last parts of Richter's chapter in the second volume of Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World - Feelings Without End by Sara Yajima.

The chapter begins post-game with Richter alone in Ginnungagap, and he starts to reminisce about the time he spent with Aster. The novel covers up from just before the time he got captured and locked away in the Research Academy, up to Aster's death.

Occasionally, he felt a throbbing sensation on his forehead. Richter Abend lightly touched the spot with his fingers, reaffirming that Ratatosk’s core was implanted there. It had been some time since the Summon Spirit Ratatosk had left Ginnungagap, and although the strange sensation hadn’t disappeared, he was now used to it.

Just how much time had passed since then?

Ratatosk split his body from his core and returned to that world as Emil Castagnier, and should be spending his time as a short-lived human alongside Marta Lualdi and their friends. Perhaps this throbbing sensation is responding to Emil’s feelings, Richter thought.

He knew it was a little too convenient to think that Ratatosk living as Emil was making up for what should have been Aster’s life. However, that thought was the only solace for Richter who was sealed inside Ginnungagap as a human sacrifice, and had to live with the core.

Nothing happened in this place. The flow of time couldn’t be felt. Even the demons from Niflheim were silent.

“A thousand years.” Ratatosks’s voice rose to his mind. “It will take a thousand years to separate mana from all living beings on this planet. After mana is no longer needed to support this world, the remaining mana will be used to create a new seal. I’ll release you then.”

I suppose it’s an offer I should be grateful for considering I sold my soul to demons and tried to destroy the world.

Richter’s lips curved into a smile at the edges, and as he gazed at the dark space spreading out before him, he recalled his best friend.

They had read books together, devoted their all to research, fiercely debated with one another, and had shared bread on their travels together. Aster was carefree and never discriminated against him, and in the end all that was left behind was a cold corpse.

Aster… Even once I’m released, you won’t exist in the world that I return to…

Richter wondered what that foolishly good-natured Aster would think of him spending a thousand years in the place of his death, and quietly closed his eyes.

※

—---------

After they enter Ginnungagap

“Richter!” Aster called for Richter. “Look. Over there.”

Richter followed Aster’s line of sight, and there he saw a being looking down upon them. Aster took one step towards it.

“Aster…”

Aster signaled it would be okay and made a fist, and swallowed hard while nodding. “You’re Ratatosk, the Summon Spirit of the Great Kharlan Tree, right?” His shaking voice seemed to reach the being.

“Some have called me by that name.” Ratatosk’s voice was deep and rattled the air. Those on the other side of the door reacted to that voice and became boisterous.

Richter took notice that Ratatosk’s gaze was fixed above them, and moved to stand shoulder to shoulder with Aster. “Ratatosk,” Richter called out as he gazed upon the Summon Spirit, “right now, the flow of mana in the world is out of balance and is in a state of chaos. We believe that to restore that balance, your power is needed.”

“Even if I restore the balance, the world will once again fall into chaos without a tree,” Ratatosk coldly stated.

“We heard that a new tree was born!” Aster started speaking again, this time with a firm voice. “But from what we researched, the spirit of the new tree doesn’t have the power to control the flow of mana like you do.”

“Hmph. And?”

“I beg of you! Please use the Centurions to restore the balance of mana in the world! If you do, the world will be saved!”

There was a momentary silence. Then suddenly, the Summon Spirit’s voice boomed. “Awaken, Centurions! Form pacts with monsters, and restore the balance of mana. And then eradicate humanity who destroyed my tree!”

W-what?!

Richter doubted his ears.

“W-what on earth are you saying!” Aster went white as a sheet.

“I thought you wanted to save the world?”

“Why do you have to kill people to do that?!” Aster picked a fight with the Summon Spirit.

Ratatosk became furious at his words. The room trembled with his next words. “Who was it who destroyed the Great Kharlan Tree?! Humans and half-elves, that’s who! So I’ll destroy them in return!”

“B-but a new World Tree was born!” Aster replied frantically.

“And in time you’ll destroy it once more. Your kind are nothing but parasites to this world!”

“That’s not true!” Aster looked hurt, and continued to frantically appeal. “Humans and half-elves are an important part of this world, and—”

This is bad, Richter thought. At that very moment—

“Silence!” Ratatosk’s callous voice roared.

?!?!

Richter saw white fly by at the edge of his vision. Aster was hit by the full brunt of Ratatosk’s power, and went flying. He crashed down against the floor violently, and continued to tumble. By the time his body had stopped rolling, all Richter saw a white lump that was twisted unnaturally, and Aster was no longer moving.

“Aster?!” Richter yelled out, wide-eyed.

“See? The death of one parasite had no effect on the world.”

“Aster?!” Richter approached Aster unsteadily. Why was he yelling for him even though he knew it was too late? Even though nothing would change in the world? His feet stopped.

“Aster… Aster.” Richter turned to look behind him. “You bastard! How could you… How dare you do that to Aster!”

Richter grabbed his sword and axe as the blood rushed to his head. He rushed towards the Summon Spirit.

“Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!”

Ratatosk recoiled at the sword raised high. The sharp edge of the blade cut into the Summon Spirit. “Guh!”

If I kill Ratatosk, the world will fall into ruin. Richter realized this fact, but it mattered not.

“How dare you do that to Aster! Mortal Summer!”

Flames burst out from the swinging axe and raced across the floor in the space between him and Ratatosk. However, it had no effect on the spirit.

“Dammit!”

He threw his axe and it cut through Ratatosk’s leg and lodged into the floor. Taking that chance, Richter grabbed his sword with both arms and raised it above his head. “Towering Inferno!”

It didn’t matter who his opponent was. He went on the attack against Ratatosk who was blinded by the dizzying light. 

But then at the perfect timing— “Ain Soph Aur!”—Ratatosk sent the axe flying and retaliated.

“Aghhhhh!!!!” Richter felt like his body would break into pieces upon impact, but scraped together all his remaining power for one last attack.

I don’t care if I die. Aster was already killed like some bug!

“Tch!” Ratatosk clicked his tongue at the tenacious half-elf.

On the verge of insanity and death, Richter raised his sword once more above his head as it gleamed. Through the violent bursts of light, he had just barely glimpsed Ratatosk’s figure bending back. When the light faded, the spirit was nowhere to be seen.

“Where… did you go…” Richter was breathing heavily and collapsed to his knees. He then noticed a shining red gem rolling on the floor.

What… is that? Don’t tell… me… that’s… Rata…tosk? The sound of blood gushing out felt like it would tear apart his eardrums. He crouched down for a moment.

Aster!

He started to crawl towards Aster with a desperate look on his face.

…Aster!!

A blue figure passed by several times overhead. Richter didn’t notice that Centurion Aqua was there at all. She hid herself in the darkness. “As..ter…”

He finally grasped the edge of that white coat. With a sliver of hope, Richter looked up towards that twisted body. However, with a pale face and closed eyes, Aster was unmoving.

“I always figured I’d hand it all over to you once you eventually left the Research Academy and went out into the world.” “I want to entrust everything to you, Richter. When I die, please make sure my research lives on.” “Rather than interactive, it’s more like circulation!”

Whose voices were those? It echoed repeatedly in his head, causing pain. “Rata…tosk… I’ll never… forgive you!”

Richter picked up the gem—Ratatosk’s core—and though he lacked knowledge surrounding it, he knew he should destroy it.

While holding Aster up, he thought to go grab the core, but his consciousness was already dim due to the wound. Even so, he struggled with all his might to support his body, but just sitting up was his limit.

Suddenly, a black shadow jumped out of midair.

What?!

The black shadow swiftly grabbed the core in its mouth and ran off into the darkness.

“D-damn… it… Augh!”

When he looked down, he noticed that Aster’s white clothes had been dyed crimson in his arms.

Everything was over. Richter had finally understood that. He would never come back to life. Knowing that, he couldn’t contain his cries. Using the remainder of his life, he wanted to become empty.

“Aster! Aster! ASTER!!”

Richter slanted over and collapsed onto the floor as his screams continued reverberating.

※

Just how long had he immersed himself in memories of Aster?

Whether it was only for an instant, or for a year or even ten, it made no difference to his current predicament. When he opened his eyes, the unchanging view of Ginnungagap spread out before him. If he had been left like that, he no doubt would have lost his life, he recalled.

By the time he came to, Centurion Aqua was staring at him worriedly. “It’s all my fault for taking you there in the first place…”

She had taken Richter, who was on the verge of death, to a safe place and nursed him back to health. She had greatly lamented the death of Richter’s friend, and mourned. So she had listened to his story, and opened her heart to him. Richter made contact with the demons, and exchanged a contract with them: “If you open the door to the demonic realm, Aster will be revived.” Aqua of the eight Centurions betrayed the Summon Spirit Ratatosk, and chose to work together with Richter.

Richter gave Solum’s core that he had received from the demons to Brute, the leader of the Sylvaranti Liberation Front, and in return received a high ranking in the Vanguard’s troops.

The Summon Spirit Ratatosk was the face of Richter’s revenge–a face stolen from Aster. And now, he had given his body to that very same Summon Spirit and was spending a thousand years in the place where Aster had been killed. Richter had begun to gradually think he was finally making peace with everything.

I wonder what Emil is up to now.

He wondered if Emil was forging his own path forward together with Marta.

Richter had a secret hope that he would never dare voice.

He hoped that once Emil saw his life through as a human, that he would return to this place in Emil’s form. If it was Emil in old age, then perhaps he would be able to get a glimpse of Aster’s life, who he should have watched over. If it was the sixteen year old Emil… Richter let out a faint laugh. It seemed like something Ratatosk would do. He wouldn’t mind spending a thousand years here in that case.

He would gladly repay that kindness for the sake of the world that gave birth to Aster and allowed them to meet. He prayed to be able to once again research day in and out alongside Aster once he was released. He knew it was impossible, but that feeling revived in Richter’s chest again and again, carrying him away to those nostalgic days.

He heard giggling as he began to space out again. He cleared his throat. Once again, there were giggles.

Centurion Aqua and Centurion Tenebrae—they dispersed to escape at that moment. He wasn’t able to see them, but he could sense them. Those two, along with the rest of the Centurions, were busy controlling monsters and working on separating mana from the world, but occasionally they would return and tease Richter. It was their own form of consideration.

Richter put his hand against the core on his forehead. He was looking forward to hearing about Ratatosk’s happy travels as a human. Richter believed that somewhere in there, he would find proof that Aster was still alive.

End

Flashback quotes:

The first one is after the worlds were merged, and half-elves were released. The line is from Richter, who never thought he'd be able to leave. The second one is from Aster, when he's lamenting he only has so many more decades left as a human, and wishes he could continue to research for eternity. (This is just before they enter Ginnungagap) (Sorry kid).

The third one is Rilena, talking about the relationship between Aster and Richter and how well they've been able to get along. They're using scientific terms here rather than normal terms to describe human relationships, in terms of humans and half-elves getting along, so out of context it doesn't make much sense. But she's saying that they built a really well relationship, to the point she's even a little jealous of it.

[frayed-symphony]

Happy Tales of Symphonia Remastered launch day!

[dweeborea]

Full sized version of the Colette I drew as a part of the Release Day Chibi Collaboration for @tosrcountdown !

Colette has always, and still is, one of my absolute favourite characters of all time- I felt so lucky to have the opportunity to draw her!

[raindear-a]

“ Y o u h u r t L l o y d ? ”

Berserk Angels

[lovebytz]

Only 17 days until Tales of Symphonia Remastered is released! I encourage everyone to not only check out the game but check out the @tosrcountdown account which this piece was made for! Textless version under the cut!

[shimiyuroom]

テイルズオブシンフォニアリマスター発売記念イラスト

制作時間：約8時間

[tosrcountdown]

🌠 1 Day Left! 🌠

It's the final day! So we're starting off with art by Nicole Martin with a group pic of our lady party members (plus Corrine!) Each brings their own unique style to the fight; from magic-user to heavy-hitter, from summoning to angelic power!

[goseijin]

Here is my piece involving Kate for Day 15 on the Tales of Symphonia Countdown ( @tosrcountdown ) without the writing on it.

Below it are the chibi versions of Botta and Rodyle with his dragon included that I created for the piece. The dragon's body got cut off but it was all right because she was a big girl, but it made for some entertaining interactions with some of the other chibis!

[ciryze]

So, since my pics are already posted for the TOSR-countdown over HERE, I figured I'd post the two clear images I prepared for the event. The second one felt more... me, so I wanted to go with that one :D

[bluestarrob91art-blog]

This is my Marble for the @tosrcountdown chibi collab. I had fun drawing her and I’m happy how she came out.

[july13th2004]

Year of the Snow Bunny

Characters/Relationships: Kratos Aurion, Anna Irving, Kratos/Anna, Kranna, Lloyd Irving, Noishe

Genre: Family Fluff/Romance/Light Angst

Rating: G

Warnings: None

Word Count: 5940

Mirror Link: AO3 | Pixiv

Summary: “Snow hare… Hmm…” Her husband replied, continuing to stare at the merchandise in front of him.            

Anna shifted her gaze from him to the merchandise he was currently still staring at. This stall was selling nothing but snow hare or snow bunny merchandise, and included a variety of products such as plush toys, charms, and statues that ranged in size from miniature to giant room and floor decorations. The bright, stark white minimalist bunny shaped products all featured crimson colored round and beady eyes. She glanced over at her husband again, and gave him a soft smile.

----------

“Snow hares are a well known symbol in the city of Flanoir, a snow covered city situated on its own island on Tethe’alla.” Kratos explained to his wife, “Possessing a charm of one is supposed to bring good luck and good fortune. How they ended up on Sylvarant is what is so baffling to me.”

----------

The Aurion family attends a festival with an interesting theme and ancient origins behind it...

*Written for the Tales of Symphonia Remaster Countdown Event*

Author’s Note: So here’s the fic I wrote for @tosrcountdown! I am both excited and quite anxious for you all to finally read it! This was just going to be a winter themed Kranna fic at first, but then I wanted to incorporate this year’s Lunar New Year animal, the Rabbit, with the theme surrounding the snow bunny charm Colette gives to Lloyd during her Flanoir scene. Hope you all enjoy reading this one!

          Bitterly cold winter winds whipped around Anna as she trudged through the snow back to the cabin, all while holding onto her large, burlap bag of groceries for dear life. Blowing snow lined her field of vision, and she was grateful she was only about a hundred yards away from the cabin. The weather in Palmacosta, while still bitterly cold, was calm and beautiful compared to the conditions she was trying to slog through now. She knew she should have asked someone in town about the weather before she left, yet she also knew how much Kratos worried about her if she was gone for more than a few hours, so there would be no point in her staying in town until the snowstorm subsided.

           With the cabin now in sight, she broke out into a run as the cold winds whipping around her calmed down a bit, all while still holding onto the bag of groceries tightly. A few moments later Anna swung open the front door of the cabin and quickly closed it behind her. Kratos rapidly turned his head towards her the moment she stepped through the threshold of the door. He immediately stood up from where he sat on the couch and made his way towards her.

           “Welcome back, my dear.” Kratos said as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss while taking the bag of groceries from her, “I was beginning to worry about you.”

           Anna sighed as she met his gaze and gave him a knowing smile, “I knew you would be, but I’m fine, just a little cold from the wind, that’s all.”

           He glanced at her snow covered poncho and coat with a look of skepticism on his features. Her reddened cheeks also betrayed her statement, and he frowned slightly at her in concern with his brows furrowed. Noticing his skepticism, she sighed again as she took off her snow crusted hat and mittens and shoved them into her coat pockets. She took a couple steps towards him and placed her hand on his arm.

           “I’m fine, Kratos. Really. I think I just need to warm up in front of the fireplace a little.” Anna spoke in a reassuring tone before kissing him on the cheek.

           “Then go warm up in front of the fireplace, my dear. I’ll take care of the groceries.” His frown and brows softened as he met her gaze again, a dusting of pink now permeating his features from her kiss.

           She nodded and gave him another reassuring smile. He quickly turned and walked away from her and into the kitchen, where he started to sort out the groceries. After letting out a relieved sigh when he was out of earshot, Anna took off her poncho and coat, and shook off the snow that covered both pieces of clothing onto the doormat in front of the door, before hanging both articles up on the coat rack that was mounted on the wall by the door. She then gently stomped down on the doormat to shake off the snow that had caked on her boots, before taking them off and leaving them there to dry. Then she made her way over to the fireplace and knelt in front of it, immediately feeling the heat of the bright and inviting flames wash over her.

           As Anna extended her arms out closer to the flames to warm up her cold hands, she glanced over at Noishe, who was curled up and fast asleep against the side of the fireplace. She made a mental note to take the large, protozoan creature with her the next time she had to go shopping in inclement weather. Kratos returned to where he had sat on the couch earlier about ten minutes later, with Anna tearing her gaze away from the dancing flames to look over at him.

           “So is it still snowing outside?” He asked as he leaned forward towards her.

           She shifted her gaze back towards the flames as she rubbed her hands together, “No, it’s mostly the bitterly cold wind blowing all the snow around now.”

           “I see… How was the weather in Palmacosta?”

           “Lots of snow, just like around here, but no blizzard. Just bright and clear but cloudy skies. The city looks quite beautiful covered in snow.”

           Kratos gave her a small smile, “Interesting… I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen snow in Palmacosta before. It’s rather unusual for a coastal city to have winter weather like that.”

           “Yeah, I can’t recall seeing this much snow during all of our other trips to this part of the continent. What do you think could be causing it?” Anna questioned inquisitively.

           She looked back at her husband as he took a moment to think and placed her now warm hands onto her knees.

           “Perhaps it could be caused by the ocean. A large body of water normally affects the amount of snow that falls onto the region nearby. You have heard of lake-effect snow, right?”

           He watched as his wife tapped her chin in thought for a moment.

           “I remember some of the farmers using that term whenever there was a bad snowstorm back home. They said the lake on the outskirts of town was the cause of all the snow piles in and around town.”

           “Ah, so Luin would receive a large amount of snow in the winter as well, then.” Kratos nodded as he gave her another small smile.

           Anna averted her gaze from his and let out a soft, somewhat melancholic sigh, “Well, not always, or not every year. But I can remember a couple of very cold and awful snowstorms when I was little. And there was usually feet upon feet of snow around town that sometimes wouldn’t melt until mid-July or even later.”

           He gave her an apologetic look before averting his gaze to the wood floor at his feet.

           ���Despite that,” She said as Kratos brought his head up to look at her again, “I’ll always remember how beautiful and dazzling the town looked coated in fresh, powdery snow.”

           Kratos’ smile grew until he was nearly grinning from ear to ear as he listened to his wife animatedly talk on and on for a few more minutes about her hometown during the winter season. And he was quickly brought back to reality by the sound of her changing the subject.

           “Oh, I almost forgot!” Anna gasped as she reached into the right pocket of her beige colored jeans and took out a folded up piece of paper, “Take a look at this!”

           He reached out and took the folded up piece of paper from her while wearing a puzzled but curious look on his face. When he unfolded the piece of paper, he realized it was a flier for a festival in Palmacosta. The flier read:

                                    Lunar New Year Festival 4023

         Come celebrate the Year of the Rabbit in Downtown Palmacosta!

                           When: January 22nd – February 12th, 4023

                           Where: Palmacosta’s Main Square

   Festival Highlights: Food stalls, Merchandise stalls, Fun for the whole family!

                                                 Price: Free

           “On my way to the market, there was a man handing out these flyers to anyone who walked by. Do you know about the cultural origins surrounding this festival, Kratos?” She inquired as she stood up from her kneeling position on the floor and made her way over to sit next to him on the couch.

           Kratos took another moment to read and analyze the flier more thoroughly. The flier’s heading was printed in gold lettering, while the rest of it was printed in black. A large, red silhouette of a rabbit was printed behind the gold and black lettering to emphasize the meaning and focus of the festival. He had to admit that he hadn’t heard of a festival like this before, or of the cultural origins behind it either.

           “I’ll admit that I don’t know anything about this, my dear.” Kratos replied as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him.

           Anna briefly looked up at him and gave him a gentle, knowing smile before shifting her gaze down toward her clasped hands in her lap. “That’s what I figured. It seems like something that the people of Mizuho that you told me about some time ago wouldn’t celebrate. Though, it seems like you also don’t know much about their culture either.”

           He sighed before letting out a soft laugh, “That’s also true… But in my defense, the village of Mizuho is well guarded and secretive, so most people outside of the village wouldn’t know anything about their cultural norms and values. Not unless you were to find any historical records or books written about them.”

           She looked up at her husband again, “Well, have you read any records or books about the village then?”

           “Back when the two worlds were still one I most likely did, though I have since forgotten.”

           Anna tore her gaze away from his to look down at her still clasped together hands, “Then I hope someday, when the worlds are reunited, that you’ll show Lloyd and I around every city, town, and village in Tethe’alla.”

           Kratos met her gaze as she looked back up at him while wearing a soft, gentle smile on his face, “I would love that, my dear.”

           He wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her into a hug while he moved his head down to plant a kiss on top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him and returned his embrace. When the two parted moments later, she took his hand in hers and looked up at him again.

           “Anyway, I think we should go to the festival once the snowstorm subsides, since it goes on for a couple more weeks. Plus, it’s been a while since we’ve had a family outing, and I think Lloyd would have lots of fun now that he’s a little bit older.”

           Kratos merely nodded in agreement and gave her another gentle smile before leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. The couple would spend the rest of the afternoon cuddling on the couch in front of the fire until Lloyd and Noishe woke up from their naps.

                                                       ----------

Three Days Later:

           “No!” Lloyd raised his voice defiantly, “I don’t wanna!”

           “Lloyd…” Kratos said sternly, “It’s cold outside. You need to put your hat and mittens on.”

           “No!” Lloyd crossed his tiny arms in further defiance and glared at his father, “I said I don’t wanna!”

           Kratos sighed heavily, briefly covering his face with his hand before pinching the bridge of his nose. He was absolutely bewildered as to why Lloyd didn’t want to wear his hat and mittens. Lloyd was normally so agreeable when it came to either him or Anna telling him what to do or wear. Meanwhile, Anna stood at Noishe’s large food and water bowls across the living room from where father and son were having their little standoff about wearing certain winter attire. She was completely unaware of the disagreement going on between her husband and son as she filled Noishe’s food bowl with fresh meat and vegetables, and his water bowl with cold water.

           “Anna, could you come here?” Kratos asked, exasperated, “I need your help…”

           Anna turned to look over at her husband from across the living room. He was currently kneeling in front of Lloyd behind the couch and looking over at her while wearing a pleading expression on his face. She gave him a knowing smile before quickly heading into the kitchen to put away the container that stored Noishe’s food along with the empty pitcher of water.

           “What’s going on?” Anna inquired as she immediately made her way over to her husband and son.

           She heard her husband let out another sigh before responding, “Lloyd refuses to wear his hat and mittens. He won’t put them on no matter what I do or say. I’ve tried everything, my dear.”

           Anna knelt down on the floor next to Kratos and made direct eye contact with their son, who was now staring at both of them with his tiny arms still folded in defiance and wearing a frown on his face.

           “Lloyd-” She began.

           “Mommy, I don’t wanna wear them!” Lloyd interrupted, “You and daddy can’t make me!”

           Kratos let out another exasperated sigh as Anna continued to look at Lloyd, now giving him a gentle, knowing smile.

           “I know Lloyd, but we’re going to be outside all day, and your father and I don’t want you to be cold. You need to wear your hat and mittens so you won’t be cold. Can you do that for mommy?”

           Lloyd looked at his mother for a few more moments, the stubborn frown on his face beginning to soften as she gave him a bright, expectant smile. The near toddler aged boy then unfolded his arms and nodded, ending the momentary standoff between father and son.

           “Alright, mommy…” Lloyd replied as he looked up at his mother and smiled back at her.

           Anna nodded then softly clapped her hands together, “Well, now that that’s settled, Kratos?”

           Kratos let out a relieved sigh as he handed his wife Lloyd’s hat and mittens. He watched as she gently placed them on their son’s head and hands. The couple then stood up to their full height and watched as their son waddled over to hug and say goodbye to Noishe.

           “Lloyd has never argued with me before.” Kratos stated as he turned his head toward his wife, “And he was more than willing to put on his coat, but not his hat or mittens. I just don’t understand, my dear.”

           Anna looked up at her husband and gave him a knowing smile while she took his right hand in both her hands, “Well, he’ll be two in August, so for the next couple of years he’s probably going to be stubborn about certain things at times.”

           “Then that stubborn streak appears to be starting early.” He commented as he gave her hand a squeeze.

           “We’ll just have to deal with those moments as they come then, won’t we?” She questioned rhetorically as she grinned up at him and released his hand.

           The two then retrieved and put on all of their appropriate winter attire, coat, hat, gloves or mittens, boots, and scarves. Kratos secured a harness around his neck and waist before putting his coat on. He always placed Lloyd in this harness whenever the three were out of the house for prolonged periods of time, especially during the winter months. Lloyd waddled back over to his parents after saying goodbye to Noishe and reached up toward his father with tiny, outstretched arms and hands.

           “Up! Up!” The boy exclaimed excitedly.

           Kratos gave his son a soft, gentle smile as he reached down to pick him up, quickly placing and securing him inside the harness before buttoning his coat a little over halfway up. The three then exited the cabin, into the still bitterly cold winter air, as Kratos locked the front door behind them. Lloyd snuggled up against his father’s chest, and closed his eyes and fell asleep as Kratos buttoned up more of his coat. With Lloyd now safely secure and warm inside his father’s coat, the three headed off along a path now mostly cleared of snow towards Palmacosta.

           The couple held hands as they walked along the snow covered dirt path that led to the hugely populated coastal city. Kratos mentions along the way that he did his best the past two days to clear out a path from the cabin so it would only be about an hour long walk to the main square of the city. Lloyd continues to quietly nap against Kratos’ chest inside the harness as his parents talk about everything related to the festival they’re traveling to. About an hour after they headed out on their walk, the three finally make it to the main square of Palmacosta where the festival is being held.

           Rabbit statues of all various shapes, sizes, and colors, lined the cobblestone walkways of the main square and in between each food and merchandise stall. Large vases filled with plum blossom branches also lined the walkways, with two of them being placed in front of the information booth. Anna could only stare in awe at all of the detailed and colorful statues and other decorations as the three slowly walked through the entrance to the festival, her hand still holding onto Kratos’.

           “We should head to the information booth first, then we can look at the rest of the festival.” Anna stated as she looked up at her husband and gestured toward the information booth a few yards from where they had stopped to look around, “I’m especially excited to see what the food offerings are!”

           “Then lead the way, my dear.” Kratos smiled at her softly as he let go of her hand.

           Kratos and Lloyd, who was still sound asleep in the harness against his father’s chest, followed closely behind Anna as the three walked towards the information booth. When they arrived, a peppy young woman with long black hair held up in a ponytail was there behind the counter to greet them.

           “What can I help you with today?” The woman asked as the family approached the counter.

           “We were wondering if you could tell us what this festival is all about. We want to know what its origins are and what exactly it is celebrating.” Anna answered as she glanced up at her husband.

           Just as the young woman launched into her speech about the festival, Lloyd woke up from his little over an hour long morning nap. Kratos glanced down at his son as the boy let out a yawn and rubbed his eyes with his tiny hands that were currently curled into fists. He unfastened him from the harness and momentarily removed him so he could turn him around and face both the counter and Anna, who was listening intently to the young woman’s explanation of the festival. After fastening his son securely back into the harness, Kratos watched, with a soft and gentle smile on his face, as Lloyd took a good long look at his surroundings. The boy appeared to be mostly enamored with the variety of rabbit statues placed along the walkways by the food and merchandise stalls. Lloyd outstretched his tiny arms toward a couple of the statues nearby, babbling and giggling incoherently in excitement.

           “Kratos!” Anna called out to her husband, “Come over and take a look at this with me!”

           He glanced from his son, who was bouncing up and down inside the harness, still giggling and babbling, to his wife with the same soft and gentle smile on his face. When he made the short distance to where Anna stood at the counter, he noticed her intense focus on a thick, leather bound book placed in front of her. The paper and text appeared to be worn and weathered from countless years of use.

           “Every year, this festival celebrates the start of the new year in the lunisolar calendar, which is different from our own.” Anna explained to Kratos as she glanced up at him from the book in front of her, “Each year is symbolized by one of twelve animals, so it repeats every twelve years. This book explains what the twelve animals are and when those twelve animals’ ‘year’ has been in years and decades past. This festival is also a celebration of spring arriving soon, and that’s what the plum blossom branches represent. We should look at which animal ‘year’ our birthdays are listed under.”

           Kratos nodded as he and Anna leaned in closer to the book. Lloyd fell silent and stared wide-eyed with curiosity at the book in front of him.

           “Oh, it looks like Lloyd was born during the Year of the Ox!” Anna piped up as she excitedly pointed at a line of text in the book.

           “Hmm��� Interesting. What about you, my dear?” Kratos asked as he continued to skim through the text.

           “Well it looks like I was born during a previous Year of the Rabbit.” Anna responded as she pointed at another line of text on the second page of the book, “See?”

           “I see… What is this supposed to mean, my dear?” He inquired as he began slowly and delicately flipping through more pages in the book.

           “Apparently it depends on which animal ‘year’ your birthday falls under, that determines what your personal attributes like personality, temperament, or even your romantic compatibility with someone born during another animal ‘year’, will be.” She explained.

           His eyes widened a little as he began quickly flipping the pages to try and find the year he was born near the back of the book.

           “Are you sure you’re going to be able to find the year you were born, honey?” Anna teased and let out a soft giggle while covering her mouth with her hand.

           Kratos glanced sheepishly at her for a brief moment before continuing to search for the year he was born inside the book. Much to his surprise, he was able to find the year he was born, and he also found that the earliest date written inside the book appeared to be from about five thousand years ago. The book was so ancient that he was a little shocked it didn’t look more worn and weathered than it already was.

           “It looks like I was born during the Year of the Dog…” He spoke while his lips curled into a small smirk as he pointed at a line of text on one of the final pages near the back of the book.

           Anna was about to make a comment when Lloyd tilted his head back to frantically glance at Kratos, then turned his head to look at Anna, and interjected with, “Mommy! Daddy! I’m hungry!”

           The couple then heard their son’s stomach let out a growl, causing Anna to burst into a fit of soft giggles, while Kratos wore a look of mild surprise. When Anna regained her composure mere moments later, she cleared her throat and turned to face her husband.

           “We should eat then! I’m starting to feel hungry, too!” Anna exclaimed as she took Kratos’ hand in hers.

           Kratos nodded as he allowed his wife to gently pull him and Lloyd over towards the variety of food and merchandise stalls that lined the cobblestone streets to the left of the information booth. The couple spent a total of about ten or fifteen minutes deciding what foods they wanted to try.

           “I can buy the food for us, Kratos while you go and find a place for us to sit nearby.” Anna said as she took off her burlap backpack and began rummaging through it for her bag of gald.

           “All right, my dear. Did you also pack the blanket for Lloyd?” Kratos asked.

           “Ah, yes, it’s right here.” Anna replied without looking up at him.

           She took out the blanket and her bag of gald and handed the blanket to her husband. He nodded at her in thanks before making his way over to one of the picnic tables not too far away from their choice of food stall. Anna stepped up to the counter of the food stall to order their food while Kratos sat down on one side of the picnic table and placed the folded blanket on the unoccupied spot to his right on the bench. He then unfastened Lloyd from his harness and took him out and placed him on the blanket. The boy began to babble and giggle again in excitement, lightly smacking his tiny, mitten covered hands on the table.

           “Sit still now, Lloyd…” Kratos gently chided.

           Lloyd stilled his hands against the table’s surface and turned his head to look up at his father while wearing a grin, “Okay Daddy!”

           Anna made her way over to the picnic table where her husband and son were sitting about fifteen minutes later, holding a tray with an array of plates and bowls of hot food placed on it. She gingerly placed the tray on the table and then sat down across from Kratos. The dishes she purchased included a variety of steamed and grilled fish, a couple bowls of noodles, a plate of dumplings, and a bowl of soup that appeared to contain rice balls that floated on top of the liquid base.

           “Is there any symbolic meaning behind any of these dishes, my dear?” Kratos inquired as the couple began to cut up small, bite sized pieces of fish and dumplings for Lloyd.

           “The fish symbolizes good luck and good fortune in the new year, while this dish,” Anna explained and then pointed at the bowl of soup containing the rice balls, “represents a completed family gathering together.”

           Kratos looked at her with a small smile on his face and commented, “…I suppose that’s not entirely true since Noishe isn’t here.”

           She nodded in agreement as the two went back to making the plate of bite sized food for their son. When they were finished, they placed it in front of him, and he immediately began eating with his tiny hands. The three spent close to an hour eating, chatting, and enjoying each other’s company in the cold winter air.

                                                        ----------

           “Ah, this food was so delicious!” Anna exclaimed, letting out a contented sigh.

           “It was, my dear…” Kratos stated, smiling at his wife’s excitement and happiness.

           “The rice ball soup was especially good, since the base had a slight sweetness to it,” She went on, “I would love to learn how to make it so we can have it again sometime!”

           Kratos could only let out a soft chuckle at her enthusiasm as his wife stood up from the table and picked up the tray with their now dirty plates, bowls, and utensils.

           “I’ll go return this tray of dirty dishes while you and Lloyd head over to the merchandise stalls. I’ll meet you over there in a little bit, okay?” Anna stated as she turned and made her way over to the food stall she had purchased their food from earlier.

           While Anna went to return their food tray, Kratos placed Lloyd back into the harness that was still strapped around his chest, and securely fastened him in before he stood up from the table. After retrieving the blanket that his son had sat down on earlier, the two made their way over to the merchandise stalls, where he stood around and patiently waited for Anna. She returned to his and Lloyd’s side moments later, and the three began to slowly peruse each of the five merchandise stalls placed next to the food stalls. Kratos abruptly stopped in front of the third merchandise stall and stared at it with a completely bewildered look on his face.

           “Bunny!” Lloyd exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down inside his harness.

           “Is everything all right, Kratos?” Anna asked in a slightly worried manner as she returned to his side.

           “Snow hare… Hmm…” Her husband replied, continuing to stare at the merchandise in front of him.

           Anna shifted her gaze from him to the merchandise he was currently still staring at. This stall was selling nothing but snow hare or snow bunny merchandise, and included a variety of products such as plush toys, charms, and statues that ranged in size from miniature to giant room and floor decorations. The bright, stark white minimalist bunny shaped products all featured crimson colored round and beady eyes. She glanced over at her husband again, and gave him a soft smile.

           “They are adorable. But what about them has you so puzzled?” Anna inquired.

           “Snow hares are a well known symbol in the city of Flanoir, a snow covered city situated on its own island on Tethe’alla.” Kratos explained to his wife, “Possessing a charm of one is supposed to bring good luck and good fortune. How they ended up on Sylvarant is what is so baffling to me.”

           She took his hand in hers, causing him to break his bewildered stare and look down at her, “Well, some of the food we ate earlier was a symbol of good luck and good fortune, so maybe that’s the reason why these snow bunny products are here, too. It also fits with the whole theme of the festival celebrating the Year of the Rabbit.”

           He averted his gaze from hers and stared at the cobblestone floor beneath his feet, “…Yes, but that still doesn’t explain how it made it to this world.”

           Anna gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, causing him to look at her once again, “Don’t worry about it, Kratos. Let’s just leave it at this being part of the festival, okay?”

           Kratos slowly nodded and gave her another soft, gentle smile, “All right, my dear. We’ll leave it at that.”

           Meanwhile, Lloyd nearly squealed with delight as his eyes landed on a snow bunny plush toy that was just the perfect size for him to hold. The couple looked at their son as he began bouncing up and down inside his harness while babbling and giggling incoherently once again.

           “What is it, Lloyd?” Both Kratos and Anna asked in unison.

           “Mommy! Daddy! I want bunny toy!” The boy excitedly exclaimed before bursting into a little fit of giggles.

           The couple smiled at each other knowingly, and they both agreed to purchase the toy for their son, along with a charm and a mini statue as a table decoration for the cabin. After purchasing the three items, Anna hands the plush toy to Lloyd before placing the other two items, along with the blanket and her bag of gald back into her backpack. Lloyd hugs his new snow bunny plush as tightly as he can before suddenly letting out a long, drawn out yawn. Kratos and Anna briefly look up at the sky, realizing it’s late in the day and the sun behind the grey clouds is going to set soon.

           “We should probably head back to the cabin now, my dear. Lloyd didn’t have his afternoon nap, so he’s probably quite tired.” Kratos stated as he looked at his wife.

           Anna hugged herself as she nodded in agreement at her husband, “It’s also gotten colder since we arrived here. Let’s hurry back!”

           With the couple agreeing to finally head home, Kratos takes a moment to unfasten Lloyd from his harness to turn him around and face him. Once the boy was safely secured back inside his harness, Kratos buttoned up his coat most of the way again. The three then made the hour-long journey back to their cabin, with Lloyd quickly falling asleep against his father’s chest, still holding onto the snow bunny plush in his tiny arms. When they finally arrived home, the couple quickly closed the door behind them and removed their outer layers of winter attire before hanging them up or placing them in the designated spots where they belonged.

           “I’ll go put Lloyd to bed, my dear. You go get the fireplace ready.” Kratos spoke softly as he gave his wife a chaste kiss.

           Anna nodded before gently removing Lloyd’s hat from off of his head so she could plant a goodnight kiss on his temple, “Goodnight, my sweet boy.”

           While Kratos went to put Lloyd to bed, Anna made her way over to their stash of firewood and took a few large logs from off the pile. She gently tossed each log into the fireplace, then took the flint stone and some kindle from off the mantle. After rubbing the flint stone and kindle together, the kindle burst into a small flame that she quickly tossed into the firewood. Within moments, a warm and inviting fire illuminated the entire living room. Anna then went to retrieve the snow bunny charm she had placed inside her backpack before leaving the festival, then made her way back over to sit on the couch.

           Once Kratos put Lloyd to bed, he made his way back into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Anna. The couple briefly glanced at Noishe, who was curled up and asleep in his spot next to the fireplace, before leaning back into the couch, both letting out soft, contented sighs. Anna snuggled up against her husband and laid her head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. He then leaned down to plant a lingering kiss on the crown of her head. She looked down at the snow bunny charm in her hands, slowly twirling it as she thought about the symbol’s meaning that Kratos told her about and how it relates to the festival they went to earlier in the day.

           “I wonder if this means we’ll have good luck and good fortune the rest of this year,” Anna wondered aloud as she continued to twirl the snow bunny charm in her hands, “What do you think, Kratos?”

           She looked up at him, and he leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on the lips.

           “We’ll just have to patiently wait and see what the rest of the year brings us, my dear.” He replied and gave her a warm, gentle smile once they parted, “Would you like some hot chocolate?”

           “Sure!”

           Kratos smiled at her again and then stood up from where he sat on the couch and made his way into the kitchen to prepare the hot chocolate for them. About ten minutes later, he returned to his spot on the couch, and handed her one mug of piping hot chocolate. The two sipped their hot beverages as a comfortable silence fell between them. Anna cuddled up against her husband again once she was finished with her hot drink and listened to the sound of the crackling fire inside the fireplace. She let out a yawn a few moments later, her eyelids beginning to feel heavy whenever she blinked. He glanced down at her and smiled before offering to take her mug from her.

           “I suppose we should head to bed shortly, my dear. I can take your mug for you.” Kratos said as she handed him her empty mug.

           He then went back into the kitchen to place the two empty mugs into the sink, making a mental note to hand wash them in the morning. Moments later he returned to his place on the couch next to Anna. She looked up at him again, and he leaned down to kiss her on the lips once again. Kratos reached up to cup her cheek as he let his lips linger on hers for a few moments longer this time. When they parted from each other, Kratos went to retrieve the bucket of water that was placed on the floor next to the fireplace, and quickly put out the fire.

           The living room fell dark as Kratos reached out to take his wife’s hand. He took a moment to lift her hand up towards his lips and kiss the back of her hand. They then made their way in the dark to their bedroom door while holding onto each other’s hands tightly. Anna silently hoped and prayed that not only would the snow bunny bring the three of them good luck and good fortune throughout the rest of the year, but that it would bring those same blessings to Lloyd’s life once he was older, and little did she know that one day she would be right.

[likes-words-and-shrimp]

In case you missed it, it’s been a week since the Tales of Symphonia Remastered Countdown started over at @tosrcountdown! Already we have 20 works shared with fanart, fanfic, and cosplay with multiple posts a day! There’s so much left for the month so please check out the account as we celebrate the Symphonia port release!

[frayed-symphony]

Chibi illustrations I made for @tosrcountdown! We still have almost a month of Symphonia content counting down to the release on Feb 17th!

[dweeborea]

Full, textless version of the piece I did for @tosrcountdown!

💕💖💕 Family is something far beyond bloodties 💕💖💕

[patchwork-crow-writes]

It's been almost an entire year and I still get a little upset whenever I think about Tales of Symphonia "Remastered". What a waste of time and hype, honestly.

Compare to Metroid Prime Remaster which came out around the same time. While not really a remaster in the truest sense of the word, at least it has the decency to look amazing, play better than the original release, and have every type of control scheme going.

Then back to ToSR with its five-second loading screens between each encounter. In an 80+ hour JRPG. And let's not bring up the AI-upscaled graphical "Improvements". Or the 30fps-locked framerate, when Gamecube ran seamlessly at 60.

What I'm saying is emulate Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube and play it if you haven't yet done so. Save yourself 40+ quid and experience the game as it's meant to be experienced.

Sincerely, an old person whose first JRPG was Tales of Symphonia.

[h34vybottom]

It's worth noting that until ToArise, Namco was still releasing titles for PS3. Namco's delisting of the PS3 games a while back pairs w/ how other corporations are removing access to older (and cheaper) releases in favour of charging for (mostly) unchanged rereleases. I highly doubt ToA would be part of 30th anni remaster project (like whatever if it does happen).

Abyss is a weird game to rerelease for many reasons, mostly being the most "complete" Japanese version is on 3ds (This is an absurd can of worms cuz content for Abyss is so scattered and odd). Regional content is a different beast entirely and considering console games are now being based on what's approachable for a global audience, that kind of kills any straight forward rerelease.

An Abyss remaster is not preservation. Selling product is not preservation, that's just capitalism. Nothing is going to stop Namco from delisting titles again when they decide to sell the same thing again (Like they're doing right now w/ ToGF and like what they did w/ ToSR).

An Abyss R, to me, is completely unnecessary. What would be the point? Abyss is perfectly good as is. Flaws and all. Completely changing shit is the name of the game w/ every remake and besides Phantasia versions, the remakes are all almost worse off in scripts and intentions (especially the triverse games). ToDDC fucks up the timeline and storytelling. ToIR and ToHR have new characters that don't need to be there and remove lines from the original cast (This is way worse in ToHR where they remove secondary cast members, removed and rewrote lines to be worse, and removed character development to slot in Gallado, who doesn't need to be there).

I think the "western" fanbase will argue about what's better or not ad infinitum in your scenario, but the answer is the same as it always is. The remakes make for good supplementary material but should never be used as the primary text. The differences are important and what they change, remove, and fail to do matter and impact everything about the text. The issue is that people do not bother to go back to the original text. How many people have played ToP SFC before the PS1/PSP releases? Look at the focus on getting ToDDC translated (official or otherwise) instead of focusing on getting a better translation for original ToD (or you know, even playing it). A shift in how people perceive art needs to change.

So I've been doing some thinking on the rumors of a TotA remaster and how it would work out with a pattern I've noticed: even now with Graces remaster announced, every tales game to get a remaster for modern consoles and steam had, at some point, a downloadable PS3 version, and I assume that these PS3 versions are what the modern versions are further modifications of. An Abyss remaster would be the first time that method would be impossible, leading to two possibilities:

1) They go all the way back and painstakingly force the nearly 20 year old PS2 version to play nice in HD and on modern hardware, in a massive W for old games preservation and providing hope that we may one day get Destiny Directors Cut

Or, the option that I can't stop thinking about:

2) Unlike the previous remasters, they instead choose to go for a full remake in modern Tales style, in the vein of what we've seen Capcom do with their Resident Evil, with script details changed, gameplay completely reworked, and likely an all new voice cast for the english dub.

If they do go with that second option, then as with all full remakes these days, the fanbase will probably debate which is the better version, and I find it hilarious that this fanbase, of all of them, will all have to ask the questions:

Do you love the Original, or the Replica? Can you find room in your heart for both? How much of a difference is there between them, really? Are those differences important? Does that importance come from something inherent in what was changed, or does it come from your personal relationship with it? Does the existence of the Original make it okay to judge the Replica at a higher standard than normal? Does the existence of the Replica make it okay that the Original will be forgotten?

I'm starting to feel for Natalia, and how she was so fond of Asch.