#shing/kohaku

[richea]

"Your Smile I Have Yet to See" by marina

Source: Tales of Hearts Anthology Comic Translation: richea Scans/cleaning/typesetting: @aera-enfys

Read it here

imgur.com/a/dqE9wQZ

[kohakhearts]

Zelos 22, Kohaku 18&19!

thanks yume!!^^

22: if you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? something you don't like?

you know, i feel like zelos is one of those characters i’ve never actually seen an interpretation of in a fic that didn’t feel in-character. like he so would fucking say that! i think this is because of how deeply his Problems are tied into his annoying behaviours - you really can’t take away one without disrupting the other. so people who hate him because he’s an obnoxious womanizer still have to acknowledge his trauma and people who love him because he’s so Deep and Complex still have to acknowledge that he’s a problematic jerk.

that being said, i really like seeing people explore his womanizing behaviours in fics in more depth. i read this fic probably not long after its post date, so like…9 years ago? and it’s stuck with me all this time as like, peak zelos. i think the idea of him using women for non-sexual intimacy was something i hadn’t really thought of before but made so much sense when i read this fic and i love seeing that explored in other ways by other people too!

as for dislike, again i can’t think of much…i guess it’d be erasing his womanizing completely, but i really haven’t seen that very much (if at all?) lol.

18: how about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

i’m a sucker for sibling duos and kohaku and hisui have such a fun dynamic! the overprotective older brother archetype is often annoying for its inherent sexism lol and i can’t say that’s not happening here too (especially in hearts r, if memory serves), but i mean…of course hisui is overprotective, just look at everything they’ve been through! something i really like about hearts is how in the early parts of the game kohaku is a passive actor but still dominates the narrative - hisui’s concern for her creates such interesting dynamics between him and the other characters (namely shing lol) because it’s clear how unbalanced he feels by the position she’s in, and i think it also sets a strong tone for how those dynamics play out later on when she does regain her spirunes and she actively encourages him to be less grumpy lol. i just think it’s neat how much it shows how much he actually relies on her, even though his whole schtick is being the dependable older brother that SHE can rely on. idk if this makes sense but yeah. them <3

my runner-up here is her relationship with richea. it’s SO interesting, and also a little ??? because wow, what a weird situation. there’s so much potential there to explore imo and i think the game kind of drops the ball with it in favour of developing the dynamic between richea and hisui, which…fair enough, but also kohaku is so intertwined in richea’s whole. everything. i just would’ve loved to see that expanded on more than it was.

19: how about a relationship they have in canon that you don't like?

this is kind of a random pick but chalcedony tbh. i feel like in vanilla hearts the other characters often became kinda secondary to shing when chalcedony was around and i’m not sure hearts r really fixed that by adding him to the party? idk maybe this is selective memory on my part but i just would’ve liked to see a more fleshed out dynamic between him and any of the other characters but especially kohaku, who is obviously pretty implicated in the initial antagonism between him and the party/shing. like it was definitely touched on but clearly not in a way that stuck out for me because i can’t remember any interactions they actually had lol. to be fair i didn’t get to the point of him joining the party in hearts r so it’s possible there are interactions i never saw that would sway my opinion here but yeah. it’s been many years since i played hearts so my memory is pretty fuzzy…maybe i should continue the replay i started a couple years ago haha

character ask game

[goldentigerfestival]

The 30 day Tales challenge... in one post or else it would never get done!

Favorite Tales game: Legendia

Favorite Main Male Hero: Yuri and Senel

Favorite Main Female Hero: Kohaku

Favorite Side Male Character: Moses

Favorite Side Female Character: Stella

Favorite Canon Pairing: Senel/Stella + Shing/Kohaku

Favorite Non-Canon Pairing: how official is stahn/leon at this point i wonder

Favorite Opening Song: Destiny

Favorite Location: ??? idfk the entire Legacy??? I'll go with Werites Beacon for simplicity I guess. feels like home

Favorite Mascot: Giet. don't tell me he's not a mascot, I'm not listening. (and if you want to try having that discussion my answer is still the Oresoren so we're not getting far, are we)

Favorite Monster: ??? also dfk, probably something cute except i don't like hurting cute so i guess we're stuck

Favorite Boss Battle: UHHHH listen it hurts to say but Vicious; bc the raw emotion that went into that entire storyline ate me whole

Favorite Villain: since I'm avoiding antagonists here (such as Duke who aren't explicitly villains) and prefer to go full villain, Creed.

Least Liked Character: not opening THAT can of worms!!! :D

Your First Tales Game: boooo boriiiing. Symphonia like the other half of the western population. no fancy answer here

Your Favorite Scene: ??? I mean, there's... a lot I guess??? Stahn pleading with Leon moments before disaster??? Kanata crying that Vicious was okay and came back to them??? Moses saying literally anything ever in any scene ever??? the end of Innocence but when you choose Spada as your soulmate bc I'm a bias little fuck??? anything with Yuri and Flynn being happy together??? the entirety of Legendia???

Funniest Scene: idk but it either had Moses in it, Vicious in it, or it was Spada's "I can't believe you mixed up Frosty the Snowman with the Abominable Snowman"

Saddest Scene: Moses' Character Quest cutscene (if not the whole fucking CQ), moments during disaster with Leon, moments during disaster with Asch

Favorite Quote: a lot of stuff Vicious said ngl. can't think of nor pick one off the top of my head but every time he Gets Serious it's one of those and I fall in love further every single time. but if we wanna be REEEALLY simple? "Yeehaw". thanks, Moses. maybe Yuri has said something cool enough to get on the top list, but I'm not sure anything is trumping "yeehaw", and maybe that's equal to something Vicious said

Favorite Piece of Gameplay Music: Scutum - Decisive Battle. Pour one out for Rebirth having the fucking BEST battle theme ever.

Most Shocking Reveal: ??? I'm... not sure at this point. Giet??? was it Senel??? maybe Mathias and Ruca??? Ratatosk and Emil??? I kind of want to say Ratatosk and Emil because I remember being very impressed with the direction of the plot, in that the main protagonist/player character was actually the villain the whole time that the antagonist was trying to kill the whole time. definitely not a plot direction you usually get in JRPGs. Giet's story still hit like an entire brick building 100 storeys high falling on me though

Favorite One on One Fight: that was actually FUN??? uhhh idk Vicious against Kasque. what did you expect me to say???

Favorite Skit: way too many skits to have even a semblance of an idea. I'm going to assume it was either something related to Yuri and Flynn, Moses, Vicious, Spada or Stahn. that's about the closest I can pinpoint

Favorite Tales Spell: I don't... think I have one...

Favorite Tales Weapon: -bangs fist on desk and gets really obvious really fast- BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS, BLOOD SINS. after that the Swordians

Tales World You Want to Live In: honestly Legendia's and Graces' seem the most reasonably normal compared to the rest, but also shiny fingertips and Moses is a pretty solid Legendia

Favorite Animated Tales Series/OVA: (don't say rays don't say rays don't say rays don't say stahn/leon) probably First Strike if only because it focuses on Yuri and Flynn who I love, but Abyss' anime was very solid compared to the other Tales animated series that were just heavily condensed versions (or worse in Eternia's case, not even being relevant to the main story). like, I would not recommend the animated series to anyone prior to playing the game except for Abyss, which is the full major story and I have inarguably rewatched that anime more than I've played the game. I guess in terms of general animated, FS, but in terms of actual consistency to the game it came from and dedication it had in retelling the story faithfully without skipping 80 percent of it, Abyss

Favorite Tales Outfit: RICHARD??? HEEEELLO??? not arc F though that shit is too fruity for me. also Leon has VERY enjoyably bright colors that make him stand out and as a Very Deeply Definitely Not Obsessive Leon Enjoyer, I very much love that. Aegis also has a really nice outfit. Asbel's is pretty but definitely not Richard level of I'm obsessed with this look

Favorite Game Plot: -breaks everything in your room and your neighbor's room for good measure- TURN IT BACK ON NAMCO I'M PAST MY LIMIT SO I'M PROBABLY IN OVERLIMIT (Crestoria. it's that or I'm saying Legendia again. Innocence and Hearts both are really close runner ups tho!!! definitely the most unique in the franchise imo out of the mainline games and sadly confined to "nobody fucking cares about them and never did")

Favorite Game Ending: so that's got... layers. it really depends on the sub topic. I guess in terms of a happy ending, Graces (the Wii version specifically, getting Richard back. don't really care for the ending of arc F and lean more toward disliking it). in terms of a depressing fucking ending that makes me Very Upsetti, Destiny. there is literally nothing happy about Destiny's ending for me. like yeah we saved the world, but at a LOT of cost and it's just depressing. I've wanted to make a post about that anyway, but basically it's a type of ending they don't really make anymore (especially in Tales), and the emotional impact for me was a lot heavier than the other games, with Destiny 2 lingering right behind it. both Destiny games were just DEPRESSING, and no matter how bittersweet Destiny 2's ending was, it's still DEPRESSING. Vesperia at least had a more outright happy ending (that wasn't completely changed by a post game ending arc with a totally different ending) and I finally at that point didn't lose my favorite character to Certain Final Boss Death or Recurring Side Character I Came To Love Dying Unceremoniously and Undeserved. only a couple of top favorites actually came out of their games alive for me by Vesperia in terms of games I know + release timeline (to put it into perspective, by the time of Vesperia in release order (so not the order I played in bc I don't really remember the whole actual order at this point), out of all the games I know, my favorite character death toll was five to three survivors not counting Vesperia. still haven't played Eternia so I'm not counting that one). so I guess like, my answer is a whacky combination of Graces for the Wii, Destiny and Vesperia. maybe if Hearts hadn't killed my mans off then it could've had it all. 😔

[somacruising]

Chapter 6: The Atoning Hero and Remorseful Chosen (Part 4)

(Part 3) | (Part 5)

Whomp whomp I'm back again with more Rayslations. Now that we've finally got Mithos to Calm Down, everyone gathers around to discuss the next course of action...

Part 4 (6-3 Lotus Imperial Villa)

Shing: First of all, before we get into everything—Mithos, I want you to apologize for what you did earlier. まず、色々事情を聞く前に——ミトス。さつきのことみんなに謝れよ。

Mithos: A human has no right to interfere with me. 人間がボクの邪魔をするからいけないんだよ。

Shing: What’s with that attitude!? You could have seriously injured Caius, not just me! 何だよその態度は！オレだけじゃなく、カイウスも大怪我するところだったんだぞ！

Mithos: I never touched a hair on Caius. カイウスには、まだ手を出していなかったけどね。

Mithos: If you’re this angry, then I’ll give you a special chance to hit me after your wounds have healed. You should be proud I would give this honor to a human. そんなに腹が立つなら、その傷が癒えてから特別にボクを殴らせてあげるよ。人間がボクを殴れるなんてありがたく思ってよね。

Shing: This isn’t a joke, damn it! ふざけるな！

Caius: Mithos…don’t be discriminatory towards humans! ミトス……人間人間って差別するような言い方するなよ！

Mithos: It’s fine for me to discriminate, you know? * 差別してるんだからいいでしょ。

Zelos: Yeah, yeah, let’s stop before we get in trouble again. So, what the hell happened? はいはい、また揉めるからそこまでにしようや。で、何があったのよ。

Mithos: Shut up, you backstabbing worm. 裏切り者のアホ神子は黙ってて。

Sync: Fufu… フフ……。

Zelos: What was funny about that, Sync!? そこ、笑うとこかよ、シンク！？

Kratos: This isn’t going anywhere. I heard that Mithos was attacking everyone. What happened? 話が進まぬな。私はミトスが暴れていると聞いた。何故そんなことになった？

Shing: That’s what I want to know. Aster—he’s Richter’s friend—asked me to check on Dist. それはこっちが聞きたいよ。アステル——リヒターの友達にディストの様子を見るように頼まれたんだ。

Shing: So, Caius and I went over and found that Mithos was beating the hell out of Dist… で、カイウスと二人で来てみたらミトスがディストをボコボコに……。

Mithos: And I would have finished him off if you guys hadn’t stopped me. お前たちが止めに入らなければあいつにとどめを刺せるところだったのに。

Sync: Really? What a shame. Why do you want to kill that Reaper, anyway? Not that I don’t understand why you’d get the urge. へぇ、それは惜しいことをしたな。で、なんであの死神を殺したいのさ。まぁ、殺したくなる気持ちはわかるけど。

Mithos: …Because that maggot put his filthy hands on my sister. ……あのウジ虫が姉さまに手を出したからだ。

Zelos: Dist sure is one crazy bastard, and his research tends to be pretty dangerous. …Hey, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. ディストってのは、確か色々やばい研究をしてるイカレ野郎だったよな。……おい、嫌な予感がしてきたぞ。

Kratos: Mithos, was turning someone into a vessel for the goddess your idea? ミトス、神降ろしはお前の発案か？

Mithos: I realize this sounds like I was doing in our original world, but I have nothing to do with this. Richter and Dist are the ones turning people into vessels. 確かにボクが元の世界で進めていたことは話したよ。でも神降ろしを実行しているのはリヒターとディストだ。

Mithos: As long as I’m involved with this, there’s no way I’m letting my sister become part of it! ボクが関わっているならマーテル姉さまを関わらせる訳がない！

Sync: Whoops, you’re a little late on that. They’ve already snatched Martel to use as the next vessel. おっと、一足遅かったか。こっちもマーテルを次の神降ろしに使う可能性に思い当たったんだけどね。

Mithos: I was restrained while he took my sister. That’s why I tried to kill him… あいつはボクを足止めしている間に姉さまを攫ったんだ。だから殺してやろうとしたのに……。

Shing: …Hm? But isn’t the ceremony of the goddess meant to cure Kohaku? Why would Martel need to be involved?  ……ん？神降ろしはコハクの治療のために行ってたんだろ？どうしてマーテルさんが巻き込まれるの？

Mithos: Oh…that’s right. I’ll tell you since it’d be pointless to keep hiding it at this point. They’ve been lying to you, Shing. ああ……そうだったね。もう隠すのも馬鹿馬鹿しいから話してあげるよ。シングは騙されてるんだ。

Shing: W-what do you mean? The divine descent is a ceremony to restore Kohaku’s lost heart, isn’t it!? ど、どういうことだよ。だって神降ろしは虚無に飛ばされたコハクの心を取り戻す儀式なんだろ！？

Kratos: You know Kohaku!? お前はコハクの知り合いか！

Shing: You know Kohaku!? Kohaku is my friend! コハクを知ってるの！？コハクはオレの仲間だ！

Shing: I’ve been struggling with doing all kinds of things I haven’t wanted to do, all because Mercuria promised she would help Kohaku…  メルクリアがコハクを助けてくれるって言ったから、オレは気が乗らないことも必死で我慢してきたのに……。

Shing: Was everything Mercuria said to me just a lie…? メルクリアの言ってたことは全部嘘だったのか……？

Mithos: Just a lie? …Who can say? She’s just a little girl. But, she’s certainly hiding something. 全部嘘……とはいえないかもね。あの通りのお嬢様だから。でも隠していることはある。

Mithos: …But Mercuria promised me similar things. She promised me that my sister wouldn’t be touched… ……もっともボクも同じことをされた訳だけどね。姉さまには手を出させないって約束だったのに……。

Kratos: As I was saying, Shing. Kohaku is in the care of the Salvation Front. I was told she was in danger of losing her heart. シングと言ったか。コハクは救世軍が預かっている。彼女は心を失って危険な状態にあると聞いている。

Shing: She’s lost her Spiria…that part was true!? スピリアを失って……そこの部分は本当なの！？

Caius: How could Mercuria do this? I couldn’t believe it when she turned Flynn into a Living Doll… メルクリアの奴、どうしてこんなことを。フレンをリビングドールにしたのも信じられなかったし……。

Caius: I wonder if she’s changed. あいつ、変わっちまったのかな。

Kratos: Let’s get a few things straight. You say Martel was kidnapped by Dist. What happened to Dist after you attacked him? 少し整理しよう。マーテルはディストが攫ったのだったな。ディストはミトスの攻撃を受けて、その後どうした？

Mithos: He was carried away by a bizarre robot while Caius and the others were stopping me. I tried to go after him, but here we are. あいつはカイウスたちに止められている間に変なロボットに運ばれていったよ。追いかけようとしたらこの有様だけどね。

Kratos: All right, I’ll call the Salvation Front for help and then we can start searching for her. Shing, how did Kohaku lose her heart? よし、そちらは救世軍にも応援を要請して捜索にあたろう。シング、コハクは何故心を失うことになったのだ？

Shing: Richter was suffering, so we tried to help him. リチャードって人が苦しんでたから助けようとしたんだ。

Shing: We tried to do a Spiria Link with our Soma to defeat this xerom-like creature inside of him, but then Kohaku suddenly collapsed— ソーマでスピルリンクして、ゼロムみたいな奴を倒そうとしたんだけど、スピルリンクに問題があったのか、コハクが突然倒れて——

Zelos: I see, I see…I see that I didn’t understand a single part of that! なるほどなるほど……ってその説明訳わかんねーよっ！

Zelos: Can you please explain it like you’re talking to someone who doesn’t know anything? 何も知らない人間にもわかるように説明してくれっかなー。

Shing: Uh, so, we can use these weapons to get inside someone’s Spiria—their heart. えっと、つまりオレたちはこの武器で人のスピリア——心の中に入れるんだ。

Shing: Richter’s Spiria had some kind of monster in it, so Kohaku and I entered it to get rid of it. リチャードのスピリアの中に魔物みたいな奴がいたから、それを退治しようと思ってコハクと中に入ったんだ。

Shing: But, there was something really wrong and Kohaku collapsed. でも、何かがいつもと違っててコハクが倒れちゃったんだよ。

Shing: That’s when Mercuria came to our rescue and said she would restore Kohaku’s Spiria. そのときにメルクリアが助けてくれてコハクのスピリアを取り戻してくれるって言ったんだ。

Shing: But Kohaku isn’t in the Empire anymore, and if they were lying to me, then I’m not staying with them. でもコハクはもう帝国にいないし騙されてたのなら今更ここにとどまる理由はないよ。

Kratos: …If you intend on leaving the Empire, then why not join up with us? If so, we’d actually prefer it if you stayed with them for a while. ……もし帝国を離れるつもりがあるなら我らと協力しないか？そしてしばらくの間帝国に留まったままで力を貸してほしい。

Sync: We can make use of someone close to the enemy. 敵の懐にいる奴は利用できるからね。

Shing: So you guys just want to use me, too!? お前らまでオレを利用するつもりなのか！？

Mithos: You want to use him as a spy instead of Chester? チェスターの代わりにスパイをしろってことでしょ？

Zelos: Well, Chester wasn’t spying on us, he was spying on Mileena and her friends. まあ、チェスターは俺たちじゃなくてミリーナちゃんたちからのスパイだったけどな。

Caius: I’m…not in a position to help you directly, but Shing is. I’ll help Shing where I can if he agrees to spy for you. オレは……力を貸すことはできないけどシングはいいんじゃないか？シングがスパイとして動くなら、オレも協力するぞ。

Caius: I need to deal with Rubia and Lukius, so I can help as long as it’s not too obvious. ルキウスとルビアのことがあるからばれない範囲でになるけど。

Shing: All I want to do is go to Kohaku’s side. Just…give me some time to think about this. 本当は今すぐコハクの傍に行きたいんだ。だから……少し考えさせてくれ。

Kratos: Don't worry, we won’t force you to make a decision now. But, you have to understand that a mole within the Empire will be a great help to us. 構わぬ。無理強いするつもりはない。ただ、帝国の内情を知る人間は我らにとって大きな戦力になる。

Kratos: We aren’t just using you. We want to cooperate with you as equals. だから利用するのではない。お互い同等の立場として協力して欲しい。

Shing: I understand. I need to think about whether I can believe you. I've already learned my lesson about jumping the gun like I did with Mercuria. わかった。その言葉が信じられるのかちゃんと考えてみる。もうメルクリアの時みたいに慌てて飛びつくのは懲りたからさ。

Kratos: And—Caius, right? I know you have your reasons, but we'd appreciate it if you'd let us go. それから——カイウス、だったな。立場もあるだろうが、我らのことを見逃してくれるとありがたい。

Kratos: And if we can be of any help, let us know. It’s clear that you’re not serving the Empire willingly. そしてもしも我らで力になれることがあれば言ってくれ。どうやらお前も理由があって帝国に従わされているようだ。

Caius: …Thank you. But it’s not like I’m helpless. I’m working with some people I know to do something. ……ありがとう。オレも何もしてない訳じゃないんだ。知り合いと一緒にどうにかしようって動いてる。

Caius: If we need anything…I’ll let you know. 何かの時には……頼むよ。

Kratos: …Mithos, will you join us? ……ミトス。我らのところに来ないか？

Mithos: ………！

Kratos: I want to work together to save Martel. This time, I want to save her, too. マーテルを助けるために協力しよう。今度こそ、私もマーテルを救いたい。

Mithos: —You listened to what everyone had to say and instructed them… You sound like how you were in the past. ——そうやっていろんな人の話を聞いて色々指示出して……。そういうとこ、昔と変わらないね。

Kratos: Is that so…? Humans are creatures that change, but humans also tend to have trouble letting go of their old habits. そうだろうか……。人は成長する生き物でありながら、凝り固まった自分を捨てられぬ生き物だからな。

Mithos: That’s right. That’s why…I can’t go with you. I can’t work with you, Kratos. そうだね。だから……ボクは行けない。ボクはクラトスと一緒にはいられない。

Mithos: You’re no longer my teacher. You are no longer my subordinate. This is a different world. I’m not your lord anymore. もうクラトスはボクの師匠じゃない。部下でもない。ここは異世界だ。ボクはクラトスの支配者であることをやめたんだ。

Mithos: The oath of knighthood you swore to me has long since been null and void. Besides, I can't go back to the old me. ** ボクに捧げられた��士の誓いはとっくに無効だよ。それにボクももう昔のボクには戻れない。

Mithos: That’s why I’m going to look for my sister. Of course, you can at least cooperate with me. だからボクはボケで姉さまを捜して助ける。もちろん協力はしてもいいよ。

*This doesn’t feel exactly right, but… I’m not sure so fkdndnd Mithos please ** I’m not that familiar with Symphonia so I’m assuming this is a reference to something that happened in the past.

(Part 3) | (Part 5)

[seine-draws]

Regret / Fear / Love

[crestoria-ssr-images]

Tales of Hearts!

[toc-battlequotes]

Kor: Don't you worry, Kohaku. I promise I'll protect you!

Kohaku: I want to protect you too, Kor.

Kor: What? N-No, I'm protecting you!

Kohaku: And I'll protect you!

Kor: Pft... Ah ha ha ha!

Kohaku: Pft... Hee hee hee!

[moonlightrapsodia]

Happy Halloween :D

[tales-of-asteria]

As-yon! The Tales of Asteria 4koma #075: Dual Mystic Arte

Artist: Kirai Yuu

Translation & Editing: Neyla ~ Kiiroi Senkou Quality check & Proofreading: DimensionSlip

[neylakiiroisenkou]

Selfie with Sh... my brother Hisui ^^;

↪ twitter link

[princess-zelda-doodles]

This is my @talesofcovertcupid gift for @kohakhearts ! Happy Valentine’s Day! 

[richea]

Official Tales of Hearts Nintendo DS sticker cover illustration by Mutsumi Inomata

[kohakhearts]

connected hearts

In a rare moment of reprieve on their journey, Kohaku's thoughts rest with her friends, both new and old.

fandom: tales of hearts rating: g relationship(s): kohaku & richea, kohaku/shing word count: 1.6k written for @talesfanzine read here

It’s a quiet night.

Kohaku typically appreciates quiet nights. Lately, when everything has been so hectic—and complicated—and downright scary—she appreciates it even more than usual. With how exhausted everyone else is, she knows she isn’t alone in that.

The thing is, it is not a source of reprieve tonight. There is a knot in her chest, unrest in her stomach. It has been growing for days, and while she is certainly not the only anxious one…

This is different. Something is wrong, and no amount of gazing up at the stars has managed to solve it.

Instead, she takes to staring at her companions. Hisui and Innes seem to be in the midst of some sort of debate, which Beryl is perhaps refereeing (in Innes’s favour, by the looks of things). Kunzite stands close by. Kohaku gets the sense he is listening in on the conversation.

Just when she is beginning to wonder where he has gone off to, she hears someone settle down beside her and turns to face Shing. He hands her some water. Her thanks has no time to extend beyond a smile before he’s saying, “You don’t have an opinion on what makes a good stew?”

“Huh?” She pauses. Scoffs at him. “Of course I do!”

“Then why aren’t you sharing?”

She follows his gaze back to where the others are. Suddenly, Hisui’s low standing makes sense.

“I thought they were talking about Soma,” she admits.

“Nope. Just stew. I’d say they’re both wrong anyway, but my grandpa never taught me how he did it.”

His expression is forlorn when she glances back at him, but brightens as soon as their eyes meet.

“So, what are you doing all alone over here, then?” he asks.

“Just thinking, I guess.”

“Yeah? I don’t think you’re the only one.”

This time, his gaze is cast across their camp. Kohaku was so busy watching the others, she hadn’t noticed that, on the other side of the fire, Richea is sitting by her lonesome, too. Though her profile is half-obscured by the night, there is a stark tension in her figure illuminated by the flames against the shadows. The position is familiar, if only because Kohaku can already feel all the anxiety inherent in it.

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[goldentigerfestival]

Your biggest advocate for JP Yuri and Flynn.

I like talking about Tales a Really Normal amount, so here's some information if you're looking for someone to be Perfectly Normal with (read: the stuff I will mewl about if given the chance or will simply do on my own anyway)!

These aren't reflective of what will be on this blog in a strictly, only these things sense - more that I like to gush about these things in particular or very strongly like them/like talking about them!

Everything is ordered by game because after my top twos/threes, any kind of favorite list starts getting very muddled.

Favorites:

Games:

Destiny (second favorite)

Rebirth

Legendia (favorite)

Innocence (not R) (also second favorite)

Graces (JP ver)

Crestoria

Characters:

Dhaos, Chester

Leon (second favorite overall), Stahn

Judas

Mithos, Zelos

Richter, Emil

Mao

Moses (top of the top favorite), Jay, Senel (Stella and Fenimore are somewhere circling the top)

Asch, Jade

Spada

Duke, Yuri, Flynn, Schwann (Raven is tailing along)

Creed, Kohaku

Richard, Asbel

Law

Zephyr

Mileena

Vicious, Aegis

Ships:

Cless/Chester

Stahn/Leon

Zelos/Lloyd (Genis/Mithos is up there)

Richter/Aster, Richter/Emil

Jay/Moses, Senel/Stella, Shirley/Fenimore

Asch/Luke, Guy/Natalia, Luke/Natalia

Spada/Ruca

Yuri/Flynn

Shing/Kohaku

Richard/Asbel, Hubert/Cheria

Platonic Things I Will Holler About:

Dhaos+Mithos

Leon/Judas + Kyle (particularly familial, particularly dad energy)

Zelos+Colette

Zelos+Kratos (particularly of the son/father in law sort...)

Mithos+Ratatosk

Mithos+Richter (at least gachas have my back)

Veigue+Mao

Veigue+Senel (gachas still have my back)

Senel+Jay

Senel+Moses+Jay

Senel+Fenimore (sister in law energy...)

Jay+Shirley

Luke+Tear

Luke+Jade

Luke+Guy

Spada+Ricardo

Yuri+Duke

Yuri+Raven

Yuri+Karol

Yuri+Judith (do ship it slightly too)

Yuri+Leon

Yuri+Senel

Yuri+Vicious

Flynn+Duke

Flynn+Raven

Flynn+Asbel

Flynn+Aegis

Karol+Raven

Duke+Raven

Raven+Orwin

Zagi+Hasta

Shing+Chalcedony

Shing+Hisui

Shing+Creed

Asbel+Sophie

Asbel+Cheria

Asbel/Richard+Sophie+Pascal

Cheria+Sophie

Law+Alphen

Vicious+Kanata

Aegis+Kanata

If it ain't here it's not because I dislike/hate it - I have others of each I enjoy but those are my favorites/what I'm inclined to enjoy talking about most!

Among other things, I have no familiarity with Eternia (may or may not change), Tempest, Zestiria (very very minor familiarity right now as I just didn't get far and haven't picked it back up yet), or Berseria.

Also familiar with Rays, Asteria and Link.

[somacruising]

Tales of the Rays: Mirrage Prison

Chapter 6: The Atoning Hero and Remorseful Chosen (Part 8)

(Part 7) | (Part 9)

It's time to see what Chester, Sync, Kratos, Zelos, and Hilda are up to. Last time, Hilda agreed to help the Salvation Front group infiltrate I Pucelle Castle. Let's see how that's going~

Part 8 (Lotus Imperial Villa)

I Pucelle Castle Armory イ・ラプセル城内武器庫

Zelos: Oh, I hope my sweet Hilda is doing all right. I wish we could have stayed together~ ヒルダちゃん、大丈夫かね。やっぱ俺さまも一緒に行ってあげたかったぜ～。

Chester: That wouldn’t have worked out. Hilda can pretend to be a messenger, but we’re outright intruders. そりゃ無理だろ。ヒルダは出入りの商人の使いだって顔ができるけど、オレたちは単なる侵入者だぞ。

Sync: Not to mention the traitors among us. しかも裏切り者がいるしね。

Zelos, Kratos, & Chester: ………。

[ Hilda and Caius enter ]

Hilda: Sorry for the wait—huh? What’s with everyone’s expressions? お待たせ——って、何？みんな妙な顔してるけど。

Sync: Who knows. Ignore them, I thought we were meeting with Shing? That’s Caius. さあね。それよりそこにいるのはシングじゃなくてカイウスだよね？

Caius: Shing was summoned by Mercuria, so I don’t think we’ll see him for a while. シングならメルクリアに呼び出されたから当分会えないと思う。

Chester: What for!? どういうことだ！？

Caius: Mercuria is angry about what happened with Mithos. ミトスの��で、メルクリアが怒ってるんだ。

Caius: They let me go after questioning me about what happened, but Shing started to complain about Kohaku… That idiot… オレは事情を聞かれてすぐに解放されたけどシングはコハクの件で色々文句を言っちまったから……。あの馬鹿……。

Chester: Damn it! How are we supposed to help Ami without Shing!? くそっ！シングがいなきゃアミィはどうなっちまうんだよ！

Caius: I think Hilda said we just needed a Soma. Since Shing can’t be here right now, I brought Kohaku’s Soma instead. 確かヒルダの話だとソーマが必要なんだろ?シングはいないけど、代わりにコハクのソーマを持ってきた。

Caius: I didn’t bother asking, so Shing might get angry at me later. But this will help, right? 勝手に持ってきたから、あとでシングに怒られるかも知れないけど、役に立つか？

Kratos: I’m sure this will be helpful. May I hold onto it? きっと参考になるだろう。預からせて貰えるだろうか。

Caius: Sure. Just be careful not to break it. もちろん。壊したりしないでくれよ。

[ KRATOS TAKES THE SOMA ]

Kratos: I promise to be careful. 約束する。

Caius: And…about what you said before about helping me out. Were you being serious? それと……前に言ってた力を貸してくれるかも知れないって話。あれ、本気か？

Zelos: Hmm? Did something come up? ん？何かあったのか？

Caius: Nothing yet… But I’ve got a bad feeling that something’s about to happen. まだ何とも……。でもそうなりそうな気がしてる。

Hilda: It’s about Rubia—her friends were taken from the Warrior’s Hall and declared traitors. ルビア——この子の仲間が反逆者として戦士の館から連行されちゃったのよ。

Hilda: I’ve been investigating where they might be being held and I’ve finally come up with a few ideas. 何処に収容されているのか私の方で調べてたんだけどようやくいくつか候補が挙がってきたの。

Chester: Oh Rubia… damn it! ルビアが……。くそっ！

Kratos: …So you still haven’t found Rubia. ……まだルビアの居場所は特定できぬのだな。

Hilda: No, I haven’t. It’s going to take a little more time to narrow it down. ええ。絞り込みにはもう少しだけ時間がかかりそうなのよ。

Kratos: In that case, take this, Caius. ならばカイウス、これを持っておけ。

Caius: A mirrage…? この鏡は……？

Kratos: It’s a communication device. They stopped working after the Mirror Shift, but this one is back in service now. 通信装置だ。鏡殻変動以降使い物にならなくなっていたがまた使えるようになった。

Kratos: You can use it to contact us if you need help. 必要があればそれを使って我らに声を掛けてくれ。

Caius: …Oh, thank you! ……ああ。ありがとう！

Sync: …*sighs* You’re a real softie. You always go the extra mile, huh? ……はぁ、お人好しだね。ほんとゴクロウサマ。

Caius: Oh, right! Everyone, you should all get out of the castle as soon as you can. Nazar and Tigr are coming soon. そうだ！みんな、そろそろ城を出た方がいい。ナーザとチーグルがこっちに来るって話だ。

Sync: A cheagle—oh, you mean that odd blond guy. I thought you were talking about a particularly ugly monster. チーグル？……ああ、あの金髪の妙な男か。ブサイクな魔物のことかと思った。

Chester: It’ll be trouble if we run into Nazar. ナーザと鉢合わせすると面倒だぞ。

Zelos: Agreed. We should get out of here. What about you, my sweet Hilda? そうだな。さくっと脱出するか。ヒルダちゃんはどうすんのよ。

Hilda: —Can you please stop calling me that? ——その呼び方、いい加減やめてくれない？

Zelos: Eeh~!? How about Madam Hilda, then~? ええ～！？じゃあヒルダ様～！

Hilda: No! ぶつよ！

Zelos: It’s so nice of you to let me know ahead of time before you hit me, Madam Hilda~! ぶつ前に言ってくれるなんて優しすぎるぜ、ヒルダ様～！

Hilda: Ah…can one of you do something about this idiot? あー……。この馬鹿何とかしてくれない？

Kratos: My apologies. The Chosen… Zelos just wants to play around with you. すまぬな。神子……ゼロスはあなたとじゃれ合いたいだけなのだ。

Zelos: Why are you saying something like that with such a serious face!? 真面目な顔でそーゆーこというのやめてくれねーかな！？

Hilda: —Anyway! I need to have a few more discussions with Caius about the search for Rubia. ——とにかく！私はカイウスとルビアの捜索についてもう少し打ち合わせしていくわ。

Hilda: You all should go on ahead. あんたたちは先に逃げなさい。

Kratos: …Caius, where is Mithos? ……カイウス。ミトスはどこにいる？

Caius: Mithos? …I think he’s at the shelter he built in the nearby forest. ミトス？……多分近くの森に作った避難所にいると思う。

Sync: What shelter? 避難所って何。

Caius: …Mithos was getting ready to hide Martel there, but she was kidnapped before he could do that. ……マーテルさんを匿うために準備してたらしいんだ。その前に攫われちゃったけどさ。

Kratos: Can you give us its exact location? 詳しい場所を教えてくれ。

Caius: …Well, I’m sure it’s fine if it’s you guys. Here, I’ll draw you a map. ……まぁ、あんたたちなら大丈夫か。今、地図を書くよ。

Kratos: Hilda, I’ll pass on Aster’s message. Is that all right with you? ヒルダ。アステルからの伝言は私から伝えておく。それでいいか？

Hilda: Yes, it’d be helpful if you would. そうね。そうしてくれると助かるわ。

Chester: Wait. I don’t have time to go meet up with Mithos! 待った。オレはミトスに会いに行ってる暇なんてないぞ！

Sync: Then we’ll have Zelos take Chester back to the Kerykeion. だったら、ゼロスがチェスターをケリュケイオンへ送ってやればいい。

Kratos: Will you be coming with me, Sync? シンクは私と共にくるのか？

Sync: Mark will get angry if I leave you alone. アンタ一人残して帰ったらマークが怒るからね。

Sync: Well, I don't particularly care, but listening to him go on and on would be annoying. I’m doing myself a favor by going with you. まぁ、それでもいいけどしつこくくどくど言われるのも面倒だ。アンタに付き合えば義理は果たせるだろ。

Kratos: …Heh. ……フッ。

Sync: …Tsk. What’s with that knowing expression on your face? I've figured out why Zelos hates you. ……チッ。何もかもわかってますって澄まし顔か。ゼロスがアンタを嫌う理由がわかったよ。

Zelos: Ehehehehe. Right? Glad we’ve finally bonded, Synkun. でひゃひゃひやひゃ。だろー？仲間になれて嬉しいよ、シンくん。

Sync: I refuse to be friends with you, Idiot Chosen. アンタと仲間になるのもお断りだねバカ神子。

Chester: …Who cares, hurry up! Ami is waiting for us! ……何でもいいから急ぐぞ！アミィが待ってるんだ。

(Part 7) | (Part 9)

[seine-draws]

Tales of Hearts x Soul Eater crossover. I’ve been thinking about this for so long, it was time I finally drew it ☆彡 (Full resolution)