#soymilkheaven answers an ask

[carnelianwings]

Hey. Hey you. What deck do you main in zero

Hi there!

I play pretty much everything in Zero (and I will play to the meta if I need to climb for rank rewards), but right now my main deck is (predictably) Blaster Blade Exceed. It was already fast on its way to becoming my favorite deck when I saw it debut in G Next when I watched (read: marathoned) all of 2011 CFV + G back in 2021, and it holds a special place as one of the first preconstructed decks I ever bought and upgraded irl. Sure it's also Aichi's deck in G, but it's also got all the mechanics I love - recycling from drop, lots of deck thin, and the ability to search out and Superior Call whatever I need from deck. I don't play it as much these days - I only have the one friend who also plays Premium but nothing gives me more joy than sacking crits (read: Flogals) one turn and throwing them down onto the field the next turn to restand Blaster Blade a stupid number of times while throwing every trigger effect onto him between Alfred's and his (because lulz Alfred skill) drive checks. (My friend has declared the Alfred Stride to be their "One Fear" whenever we play Premium because they always know what's coming lolololololol) Sure I can't quite do the same in Zero since drive checks don't go to hand, but I have a funny way of drawing into at least 1 Flogal every fight (or check Blaster Blade Exceed - I run him as a Stand in Zero because I either deck myself out or badly overflow my hand otherwise) so I still end up tossing out 4-5 attacks lol.

And in case you're wondering just how much I love this deck:

[tricksterlatte]

Milla Maxwell for the ask meme?

Thank you, and yes!

How I feel about this character: I LOVE HER SO MUCH. Arguably my fave from the X1 party alongisde Alvin.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Alvin, Jude depending on things, idk who else tbh

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Milla and Fractured Milla MEETING SOMEHOW GOD PLEASE

My unpopular opinion about this character: I think she was just as well written in the first game as the second when you consider she’s not supposed to seem human

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: LET HER MAKE FRIENDS WITH ELLE

[amarietie]

For the follower ask: Teal, Periwinkle, Mauve, Blush, Saffron, Timberwolf, Crimson, Burgundy!

Awwwww soymilk, you are the sweetest!!

I would love to do some collabs with you, too. You're always welcome in on Fairies, or another idea, whatever suits your fancy

[redigitizing]

soymilkheaven replied to your post “I see that "please ask me about i7" in there so for the ask meme: Tenn...”

Let's face it, the real reason I asked is because I dragged you into i7 via "Hey look, see this boy here? He wears Leon's costume as good as Leon does and I'm *sure* you'll love him because if there ever was an idol AU with Destiny, Leon would pretty much be Tenn". Also, you're welcome. I live to ask the hard questions and I'm so glad you had fun with (agonizing over) the answer! =D =D =D

it’s ridiculous how fast i got dragged into IDOLiSH7 by Tenn. i knew about this game since two years ago? i was vaguely aware of it?? and i was totally expecting Sougo to be my favourite once i started seriously checking it out on your recommendation, but then I get to know Tenn and, damn. that crown can only belong to one person. 

now i can only hope i dont develop a compulsion to collect all of his merch too bc he’s got way too much merch goddamn, not to mention Tenn is a packaged deal with TRIGGER and Riku. these boys are going to bankrupt me.

[neodiji]

Cloaked -- Double Superhero AU

So. You know that prompt list from 4 months ago? I’m finally getting to that.

This one’s for @soymilkheaven who requested “prompt meme: 10, Sorey/Mikleo! Your choice on who gets to play hero! It could even be both of them! =D”

Prompt 10:  Wait, my hero’s secret identity is… you? To be honest, I’d always kind of hoped…

-+-

Sorey’s heart is pounding and even if it doesn’t break through his chest, his life is over. Hellions are pouring in through the doors and windows, through cracks in the wall, through the mouse hole by the stairs, through the air ducts, taking advantage of any possible opening to engulf his home in pure malevolence. They’re not the problem.

It’s Mikleo.

Mikleo is standing at Sorey’s side, staring at the surprise invasion with a look of shock, worry, and determination. 

Sorey wishes he could explain. His secret’s up. The hellions are here for him. Poor Mikleo is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. This is all Sorey’s fault—

Then Mikleo rocks on his feet, glances guiltily at Sorey, and murmurs, “I’m sorry.” Before Sorey can ask why, Mikleo stretches upwards and—grabs a staff out of thin air? But there’s no time to dwell on that because Mikleo is shouting—“The power of water! Come play with me!”—and now magic is flowing down the staff into Mikleo, and suddenly Mikleo has morphed into a floating blue ball of light. A second later, the blue ball bursts into dazzling sparkles that reassemble themselves into the costumed hero known simply as Lord Seraph.

Sorey forgets how to breathe. If he hadn’t seen the entire transformation from start to finish, he wouldn’t believe this was his best friend. Mikleo doesn’t even look that different from Lord Seraph, but it’s the way he carries himself. Stronger, more confident. The magic hiding his true essence helps him seem different, too.

“Two for the price of one!” cackles Heldalf, appearing in the main doorway. “I’m here for you, Grand Shepherd.”

Mikleo—that is, Lord Shepherd—falters slightly in casting artes, looking over his shoulder at Sorey with a puzzled expression. “Wait,�� he mutters, barely audible over the hellion’s cries. “My hero’s secret identity is…you?”

Sorey sighs and smiles, pulling out his Shepherd’s Glove in answer. Tugging it on, he holds a fist to his heart, closes his eyes, and whispers, “Lion’s Howl! My everything!” He feels the energy wash over him, filling him with strength and magically changing his clothes into ones of legend that would augment his powers. As a hero in his own right.

Stepping into his identity of Grand Seraph, Sorey rushes to Lord Seraph’s—that is, Mikleo’s—aid. They’ve done this dance so often, even the night’s surprises can’t interfere with their effective techniques.

“It’s time! The storm is coming! Using all my strength, I shall smite evil! Divine Wrath!”

“Your fate has been set! Rime Slaughter!”

Out of nowhere, Heldalf calls his hellions back and promises to return. After all, he knows where the Grand Shepherd lives. Sorey knows what he’s up to. Being constantly on-guard, even in his own home, Sorey will eventually tire and present vulnerability. Tonight is just a warning of the worse attack yet to come.

Heldalf has the upper hand, and he has flaunted it.

Shoulders slumping, Sorey releases his transformation. His Shepherd’s cloak fades away to be replaced by his school uniform, but his wrecked living room stands as testament to the battle. But there’s a more important consequence. Wincing, he looks at Mikleo—now equally civilian—and braces himself for anger and accusations.

Instead, Mikleo surges forward and kisses him.

Shocked, Sorey doesn’t comprehend what’s happening for the first several seconds. By the time he realizes that his nightmare has morphed into a dream come true, Mikleo is already pulling away sporting the cutest blush.

“To be honest,” Mikleo confesses, lightly tracing the crest on Sorey’s Shepherd’s Glove, “I’d always kind of hoped…”

“Me too!” Sorey blurts, cupping Mikleo’s cheek. “I’ve been going insane, being in love with my best friend but still feeling this pull to Lord Seraph.” Mikleo’s violet eyes shine brighter in response, and not even the destruction surrounding them could detract from his beauty. Sorey will gladly surrender to Heldalf if he can only have this one night with Mikleo, now that his worst dilemma has turned into the best possible solution.

Mikleo smirks and tilts his head in invitation, and Sorey is not so much a hero in that moment but a weak man in love.

He gives in to temptation, leaning down and savoring this chance. He lets go of all his worries—trying to protect Mikleo from the stress and danger of his life as the Grand Seraph, flirting with Lord Seraph during battle and then feeling guilty about Mikleo, wondering whether his feelings for Mikleo or Lord Seraph were more pure, fighting all kinds of conflicting desires—and sucks out all of Mikleo’s fears in return as surely as he insistently sucks on Mikleo’s tongue.

To think, all this time, Mikleo has been struggling with the same concerns and feelings. No wonder Mikleo was always so understanding when Sorey suddenly needed to rush off, and no wonder he dashed away so often himself on urgent business that “just came up!”

Sorey can feel Mikleo coming up and poking at his thigh, and now he knows they share the same business. Heldalf could appear any moment, but he isn’t there now and that is all Sorey needs. He reaches down, strokes a moan out of Mikleo, and vows to make tonight count.

There is no problem when Mikleo agrees.

And the night they share is more magical than either hero’s superpower.

[eachainn]

Tagged by: @talesofsymphoniac

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you’d like to know better.

1. Nicknames: Ali, Poseidon

2. Gender: Female

3. Zodiac Sign: Virgo

4. Height: 5’6′’

5. Current Time: 4:49 PM

6. Birthday: Early September.

7. Favourite Bands: None. I tend not to be a band person.

8. Favourite Solo Artists: None. I tend not to know artists when I listen to songs.

9. Song Stuck in My Head: Anthem of the Angels - Breaking Benjamin, but only because it was what woke me up.

10. Last Movie I Watched: Doctor Strange, because I was curious. Also I needed something on in the background.

11. Last Show I Watched: Technically Tales of Zestiria the X. I was watching the episode commentaries.

12. When Did I Create My Blog: Erm...2011 or something.

13. What Do I Post On My Blog? Fic, Code Geass, Tales of Zestiria/Berseria, history

14. Last Thing I Googled: An address.

15. Other Blogs? Nope, just this one.

16. Do You Get Asks? Sometimes? Sometimes.

17. Why Did You Choose Your Url? I originally thought it meant horse lover in Gaelic. Then I found out it just means brown horse. As long as it has horses, I’m okay.

18. Last Thing I Ate? Ham and cheese sandwich.

19. How Many Pillows? Currently all of them. I’m doing laundry so they’re all getting their covers washed.

20. Favourite Colors: Blue and silver.

21. Favourite Tag To Use? My space tag. I don’t really have a lot of creative ones in use.

22. Lucky Number: 16

23. Instruments? Used to play viola, the trumpet and sing in chorus.

24. What Am I Wearing? PJs.

25. Last Thing I Wrote? The Sormik AU that I’m working on. Currently without a title, so it’s the Dragon Bride AU for now.

26. Dream Job: msI want to work in museu

27. Dream Trip: Castle jumping through Europe. I just really like castles. And maybe horseback riding in Iceland.

28. Favourite Food: Swedish Meatballs.

29. Nationality: American.

30. Favourite Song Right Now: None at the moment.

Tagging: @soymilkheaven, @mariannevibritannia, @crescenttwins-happinesssdeceit, @touchreceptors, @elaedan, @neodiji, @neqtar, @ladym33bo, @demonic-innocence-cosplay

[toradh]

Tagged by @soymilkheaven! …I don’t know why everything takes me at least three days that usually should take me like one afternoon. Why are y’ll running around with christmas icons? Should I do that, too?? Is christmas Edna already claimed?

ANYWAY, Meme rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you’d like to know better. …I’m pretty sure I’ve answered these already. But okay.


1. Nicknames: Franzi for RL friends, but use whatever pseudonym you want to call me online.

2. Gender: female

3. Zodiac Sign: libra, but I don’t act like it

4. Height: 168cm (that’s exactly German female average size)

5. Current Time: 2pm something

6. Birthday: October 21

7. Favourite Bands: Oh boy. That question is a barrel without bottom. Guess my top top top all time favs (without any specific order) are still Seventh Wonder, Kamelot, Dead Can Dance, Sonata Arctica, Avantasia, Anaria and Van Canto. Also Nightwish, if Floor is on vocals. I have a very very long list of honourable mentions that I listen to just as often when I’m in the mood.

8. Favourite Solo Artists: If Ayreon counts than hands down Ayreon. Otherwise I’ll cheat and say Arjen Anthony Lucassen trollolol. Also Lindsey Stirling.

9. Song Stuck in My Head: no particular one at the moment

10. Last Movie I Watched: I don’t even remember! I still want to watch Thor: Ragnarok and of course the new Star Wars this year. Wait, “this year” is less than a month. Shit.

11. Last Show I Watched: I don’t watch shows unless my friends put me in front of one

12. When Did I Create My Blog?: Beginning of 2013.

13. What Do I Post On My Blog?: Reblogs of my art from my art blog, random funny things, some art-related things, and life rants.

14. Last Thing I Googled: reference pictures for people sitting…

15. Other Blogs: at one point I opted to have an art only blog which only consists of my art, scribbles, and occasionally shameless self-promotion and announcements; it’s @toradhart (I’m so creative). And then of course there is the infamous @applegelstore which has now more followers than the main blog (I’m feeling you peeps, though. I kinda like it, too). It was actually supposed to be a general JRPG blog, but somehow it’s 49% doodle shitposts, 1% actual artistic fanart maybe, 40% whining about my miserable gacha luck in mobile games while crying how amazing the scenario writing in Rays is, and 10% reblogs of general fangirl things. Most likely to be either Tales of Zestiria or Destiny.

16. Do You Get Asks?: very rarely.

17. Why Did You Choose Your Url?: it had been my internet pseudonym ever since I had joined deviantART back in school, and I never bothered to think of a new one. Although I have to admit I’m growing kinda fond of the Owlily thing, but I used it exclusively for fun stuff so far, haha.

18. Last Thing I Ate: an apple. That’s how I usually finish my meals.

19. How Many Pillows: three.

20. Favourite Colours: blue blue blue blue blue blue blue blue blue blue blue (I also like some violets and greens, though)

21. Favourite Tag To Use: I don’t really have one? I mean I came up with an, uhm, organisational system by now. My own scribbles and art are tagged “art”, other people’s art is “not my art“. Duh. As for the appelgelstore, that got a slightly more creative art tag (applegelartstore), other people’s fanart is “other fine people’s art”, and I tag my AUs, although not very creatively. Low-key tempted to call the Little Mermaid crossover “the AU in which Meebo can swim”. Crying that I have to make a choice which units I hoard stones for in ToLink is “ToLink whine tag”, and crying that I still don’t have Sorey’s MA in Rays although I swear to God every single one of my mutuals has and that’s only the beginning of my problems is “Tales of the Rays whine tag”. JUST IN CASE SOMEBODY DIDN’T GET BEHIND THE TAGGING SYSTEM. My favourite tags are the screams of CUTE and OMG that I get :,D

22. Lucky Number: I don’t have any lucky numbers…

23. Instruments: I never learned one and don’t have any time whatsoever to do it now, sadly. I do take singing lessons, however. I started them almost three years ago and I don’t intend to quit anytime soon.

24. What Am I Wearing: the same clothes I wore yesterday because they aren’t actually dirty; unfortunately, they still smell of smoke and that’s icky, so I guess tomorrow will be laundry day…

25. Last Thing I Wrote: …an email to a potential client *long exasperated sigh*

26. Dream Job: I’d love to continue freelancing, although I doubt it’ll work. I almost don’t care anymore with what, as long as it’s art. I mean I’d prefer private commissions like via Patreon, but the field I actually always liked most would be character design with a slice of general visual development like colour keys and enviroment concept art, but I’m always too lazy for the latter, haha.

27. Dream Trip: I’m not one for travelling, but Iceland, Canada, or Mayan ruins all sound cool. Also that cats and owls cafe in Osaka I guess

28. Favourite Food: chocolate, ice cream, pumpkin pie.

29. Nationality: German

30. Favourite Song Right Now: if I had one stuck in my head right now, that’d be my current favourite. I’ll have to re-direct you to my all time favourites. However, this is probably as a good a time as any to say that it’s almost 2018 and I’m still not over White Light. That goddamn freaking amazing guitar riff. And I usually don’t even like guitar riffs, I usually think they should be replaced by violin riffs. BUT THIS FREAKING GUITAR RIFF ARGH. I was sure I’d love Tales of Zestiria when I first watched the opening, and I WAS EERILY RIGHT

…I’m not tagging 20 people. I tag all of my followers who haven’t been tagged yet.

[keyhala]

Tagged by: @soymilkheaven

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you’d like to know better.

1. Nicknames: Nene, Key

2. Gender: Female

3. Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

4. Height: approx 5′8″ (I thought it as 5′7″ but conversion table told me I was wrong. 172.5cm)

5. Current Time: 9:15 AM

6. Birthday: October 27th

7. Favourite Bands: Sonata Arctica, Linked Horizon, JAM Project, FLOW, Lots of random other ones. (I like songs more tha ARTISTS, really—)

8. Favourite Solo Artists: Kousuke Toriumi (People who know me, feel free to facepalm), Mamoru Miyano, KENN, Valshe, REOL... lots of VAs and Utaite, generally XD

9. Song Stuck in My Head: Too many. I have pretty bad tinnitus, so I always have music or TV or Radio on to drown that sound out. Also I have a knack for remembering song lyrics so there’s always SOME sort of song stuck in my head.

10. Last Movie I Watched: Uh... When I was sick we watched a lot of movies. Some good, some bad. “League of their own” was the last of them iirc.

11. Last Show I Watched: I watched Travelers yesterday. Was interesting enough to slow watch. I also follow Lucifer and the Ancient Magus’ Bride continuously, so they can have a spot too.

12. When Did I Create My Blog: Uh... April 2011.

13. What Do I Post On My Blog?: I am bad at posting, I think XD I reblog some stuff and post my art and stuff, but I’m too wrapped up in other things to post much personal stuff really. Mostly Tales of, nowadays though.

14. Last Thing I Googled: 'How to check the age of your tumblr blog’ because I was kind of stumped there XD

15. Other Blogs? I have a few abandoned RP blogs from when I was rping on tumblr, I have a commission and a portfolio blog, and I also have a Tales of Asteria blog that I’m hoping to be able to be more active and helpful on XD

16. Do You Get Asks? Not really, no. Never really have gotten many either XD I’m too much of an awkward cookie.

17. Why Did You Choose Your Url? I’m Keyhala everywhere, and it’s a name from a language I made up when I was 12. Started using it online in... uh... 2004-5 or so? And yes, now I have given you all the power of seeing everything I have ever done online. enjoy. XD

18. Last Thing I Ate? Just got up so nothing yet, but I ate Fried Chicken with sweet chili sause and rice yesterday.

19. How Many Pillows? On my bed? Only three when I sleep. I need more.

20. Favourite Colors: Purple, Teal and Orange.

21. Favourite Tag To Use? I usually post ‘rebagel’ instead of reblog for my art because I spelled it wrong once and now I jsut stick to it. I also like the fact that my biases all have personal tags but Yuri still hasn’t, so I write ‘insert clever personal tag here’ so I can easily exchange it if I ever come up with something XD

22. Lucky Number: None, really. I don’t consider myself particularly lucky, as people who are aware of my mobile game habits would know XD But eh... 18? I’ve always had a fondness for that number somehow.

23. Instruments? Piano and Guitar, though I’m rusty with both. Someone get me an electric piano for the apartment please.

24. What Am I Wearing? Sweatpants and an oversized Tshirt I sleep in. I look sexy AF.

25. Last Thing I Wrote?  I mostly RP nowadays, so othing I can think of particularly...

26. Dream Job: Well, I love to draw. I’ve studied Game Development at University, and then I went on to get halfway through a bachelor’s in Japanese before my money ran out. Do the math. Generally though, if I ever get to work on a Tales Game in any way, shape or form, I can die happy.

27. Dream Trip: Japan. I know I’ve been there 7 times already, but I seriously wish I can go back as soon as I leave. Next time will be for TalesFes 2018.

28. Favorite Food: I love food, so lots of things... I love Japanese streetfood (Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki from my time in Osaka was amazing), as well as just eating stuff in japan generally. Yakiniku, Ramen, Gyuudon, Katsu— I love so many things ;w; And now I wanna go back again.

29. Nationality: Swedish

30. Favourite Song Right Now: I switch these around like crazy depending on mood and whatnot, but ‘Here’ by JUNNA is the one I love singing along to the most nowadays, so~!

Tagging: I have no clue who has been tagged or not, so— @talesofgay, @radiantdragonfang, @komanoken, @ladugard... let’s go with you guys XD (I’m way too lazy to tag so many XD)

[childesballs]

Tagged by: @talesofsymphoniac and @soymilkheaven (tag teaming me to make sure I don’t forget I guess. That’s what I’m going with.)

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people you’d like to know better.

1. Nicknames: Koko

2. Gender: Neutral

3. Zodiac Sign: Virgo

4. Height: 5′6

5. Current Time: 9:41 pm

6. Birthday: 9/15

7. Favourite Bands: LANY, Cascada, Florence and the Machines, Nightwish, Evanescence

8. Favourite Solo Artists: Ed Sheeran, P!nk, Colbie Caillat, Halsey, Katy Pery,

9. Song Stuck in My Head: I listen to music all the time so I don’t really get songs stuck in my head, but What About Us by P!nk has been a recent one.

10. Last Movie I Watched: Kingsmen the Golden Circle

11. Last Show I Watched: Punisher

12. When Did I Create My Blog: February 2013 (Lords have I really been here that long? I guess it doesn’t feel like it since I just lurked and occasionally reblogged things until I feel in Zesty hell last year.)

13. What Do I Post On My Blog? Mostly Zesty/Tales, but there’s splashes of other fandoms when things cross my dash. Plus my art/writing but that’s... almost entirely Zesty soooo

14. Last Thing I Googled: Does a google image search for people with high ponytails tied with ribbons count? (Art ref searching because I’m a ref whore, but I also have no clue how to draw ribbons let alone in hair)

15. Other Blogs? I have a couple that are utterly abandoned because I don’t really consider myself part of those circles anymore but I don’t want to delete them. (one was mostly just for reblogging things so I could find them easier, the other was focused on tarot work when I was a practicing pagan).

16. Do You Get Asks? Very rarely, and 9/10 it’s friends.

17. Why Did You Choose Your Url? It’s a very bland username that dates back to highschool when I had a SO that I did a lot of online gaming with and needed a proper username. And it’s just kinda stuck. But it came about because of using Koko as a nickname all around.

18. Last Thing I Ate? Pizza

19. How Many Pillows? Uhhh *counts* 4.  2 of which are the dream cushions with the Sorey and Mikleo covers.  Yes I bought both of them and my mother was like “I couldn’t help noticing how interesting the pillow cases are on your bed”.

20. Favourite Colors: Black, silver/white, purple don’t look at me for those last two I liked them before Mikleo even existed.

21. Favourite Tag To Use? I guess soymilk because of the doubling of great ship and beverage (even though.... I don’t actually tag things soymilk much....I never realized how little I actually used it until now).

22. Lucky Number: I don’t know of any particular one that’s lucky... maybe 3? Because I have gotten a lot of gacha pulls I wanted on the third set. But I actually don’t like odd numbers, except 13 that has been considered lucky in the past.

23. Instruments? I played violin for like.... a month or two. Does that count?

24. What Am I Wearing? Gray/Blue stripped long sleeve and dark blue jeans

25. Last Thing I Wrote?  This prompt for an ask meme. Good lil soymilk piece I had fun with. Even if it was supposed to be a drabble and ended up over 1k.

26. Dream Job: Honestly? I have no clue anymore. I know I’d like a nice chill desk job that isn’t stressful, pays the bills, and let’s me buy all the merch and gacha pulls I want. And allows me to travel to friends on occasion.

27. Dream Trip: Japan has been the one since I was in like 6th grade. More recently though, California has definitely become one you know who you are. and so does like.... everyone else who’s talked to me regularly

28. Favorite Food: Pumpkin pie. Lords just lemme devour good pie for days. But really, anything pumpkin flavor I will go nuts for. That aside, I also love blueberry things, spaghetti, and Japanese cuisine is always good too.

29. Nationality: I know I have German in me, but that’s all I got outside of being typical boring American.

30. Favourite Song Right Now: This changes constantly, but right now it’s Perfect by Ed Sheeran. First off, it’s a pretty song, but yes the main reason is that it’s a beautiful sormik song and no I’m not constantly seeing those nerds dancing every time I listen to it.

Tagging: I know most people I would tag have been tagged already so this is gonna be a short list: @amarietie @krisseycrystal @apostatively @pastelgabby @dakijen (apologies if any of you have been tagged and I just didn’t see it.)

[sormikhell]

Why do I dislike Tales of Zestiria the X?

Recently I’ve been asked one question numerous times: “Why do you think the anime is shit? You only hate it because it doesn’t focus on SorMik, right?”

Now guys, I think it’s vital for me to answer this. Because let’s face it, we will never see face to face if we don’t discuss the matter. And look, here I am, typing this out because I feel this is important. So if you’re curious and want to understand why a lot of us dislike the anime then please bear with me because this will be long (6 pages in Word, 6!)

To make this a little bit easier for me, I’ll assume that you haven’t played the game or watched its walkthrough yet and that you like the anime. But of course if you did either of them it’s good, bc at least you’ll know what I am talking about.

And so, I shall do a character analysis in this post, comparing the game and anime selves to each other while I name some other issues as well. I won’t list all the inconsistency and plot holes the anime has for I’d be here even after my death.

I’m going to try to make you guys understand that while the SorMik fandom is not happy, there are more pressing issues with the anime than that.

For the sake of completeness, I’m going to refer to sever other people here and if you want to get the whole picture, I advise you to check them out yourself too.

What I’ll try to do here is answer this from my point of view, bringing up my emotions about certain facts and details while trying to justify my opinions about this matter. This post isn’t about trying to change your viewpoint and admitting something you might not agree with, it’s about trying to make everyone understand why most of the fandom is quite cross with the anime.

But for you to really understand my point I think I’ll start with how I even get into this fandom. If you don’t want to read that, skip to the first horizontal line.

Around in mid-September last year I saw on my multifandom dashboard a meta about Epilogue 2. I can’t really recall what it was about, all I remember is that there was a picture of Epileo the very minute he realises he’s been reunited with Sorey (you know, when he looks up, expression all soft, eyes twinkling with delight and smiling like he has never seen the sun?). I kind of stared at the picture for a solid 5 minutes (I’m a sucker for light haired characters, sorry) before I decided that it’s crucial for me to know this beauty and love him (yepp, I’m that typical “Came for Mikleo and stayed for SorMik” person). So, I searched for the source and found the video of Epilogue 2. I didn’t understand a single thing but the look of utter love in Mikleo’s eyes made me really care for him and for his whole story too (looks like the first thing I did in this fandom was to spoiler myself. Not that I regret it or anything XD).

So I dived head first into the fandom and eventually I came across the anime. Mind you, at that time I only know of the existence of the game, I didn’t even watch the walkthrough or anything.

After seeing the 0th episode I was a little bit surprised and lost. Because I didn’t understand a anything about that episode XD I was basically like “I thought this was about two boys? Who the fuck is that girl? What the hell was that little funny mascot thing? Why couldn’t she see that? What the hell have just happened? …. At least the animation was awesome.”

As someone who didn’t know a single thing about the Zestiria universe it was quite confusing. So I decided to drop this but it kept bothering me that I didn’t even see Mikleo and after a week or so I was like “well, let’s watch the next episode. If that isn’t better, then I’ll really drop this”.

And lo and behold, I saw the first episode and with the explanations and all the 0th episode clicked into place. I caught up with the anime when the 7th episode came out. I quickly became too interested in this and searched for the community on Tumblr, making my new page there.  

Around the 11th or 12th episode the fandom community on Tumblr convinced me to watch a walkthrough even play the game sometime, though I didn’t consider myself as a gamer girl but I was quite curious you know?

When the final episode of the first season came out I was somewhere around Tintagel Ruins in my YouTube walkthrough and we all know that that was the episode things started to go sour in the fandom.

On Christmas I got the game and by the time my new semester started in February I’ve finished the game, only the post-game dungeon, Hexen Isle was left.

Of course, after you’ve invested more than 80 hours (that was my first playthrough, I was slow I know) in a game you became quite familiar with the universe, its laws and the characters.

So after all this work to beat the game the anime’s second season got me really angry. And if I still have your attention, then please bear with me for a little while, because now I’m really answering the question.

The anime up until the first season’s final was quite decent and good. We got little alternations like when Sorey purifies human malevolence he has to live through it and all, and that made his job even more dangerous and exciting. I loved the concept personally as it’s not a thing in the game (although, game!Sorey’s job is at least 10000x harder than Anime!Sorey’s but oh well…).

The problems started with the final and here’s why (I can’t stress this enough, this is my opinion and my experience) while comparing the game and the anime:

In the game, the war in Glaveind Basin in a really important event. This is the first time you meet with Heldalf and he magnificently kicks your ass. He kicks your ass so bad Sorey temporarily loses his ability to perceive seraphim. He realises after this that he cannot win against Heldalf and that he needs to get stronger. (Mikleo is so shaken by the whole thing that in a skit Edna even teases him because he apparently cried when Sorey couldn’t see him.)

But in the anime Sorey wins. Which is kind of the breakpoint in the game. The sole reason of the second part of the game was because of Sorey’s first lost in battle. Those who love the game obviously weren’t fine with it.

Not to mention that there was a scene when Sorey nearly killed and succumbed to malevolence just because of Alisha. Which is kind of ridiculous. Let me explain why:

There is a quest in the game where you still have Alisha in the party as your squire and you have to fight with a …plant. After the fight, it becomes obvious to everyone that Alisha being Sorey’s squire is quite dangerous as Sorey is going blind on his right eye. Why, you ask? Because Alisha doesn’t have the necessary amount of resonance to perceive seraphim and Sorey’s power had to compensate that somehow. Hence why he went blind.

So when Sorey didn’t realise in time that the plant is still alive and was rapidly coming so Mikleo and Alisha jumped in front of him to save him (I’ll talk more about this later on…). Someone even said that both Alisha and Mikleo could have easily died. Sorey’s reaction was more of concern than absolute rage. Hell he didn’t become tainted even when he and Mikleo had to kill Gramps. And we all know Gramps is far more important to the two boys than Alisha. Alisha may be a good friend, but she’s not their family.

So all in all, Sorey becoming tainted under Mikleo’s watchful eyes is unexplainable. This skit here explains everything I think, starts at 24:00.

Oh and about Sorey’s dream becoming true in the anime… the seraphim was sitting in one corner, the humans in the other. No one talked to the other. That’s what you call your dream becoming a reality, Sorey? They were literally there because they had to. That’s not coexistence!

Now that we have mentioned Mikleo… he’s deuteragonist. In other words, the secondary main character. Why? Because Mikleo is always there. Mikleo is Sorey’s moral support, his pillar, his everything. Mikleo protects him as much as Sorey protects Mikleo. They know each other inside-out so knowing this, Mikleo being the deuteragonist won’t come as a surprise.

Mikleo is a special case, we all agree on that. He’s a little cold and sarcastic in the game but always happy and ready to argue about ruins with Sorey. Rose even mentions that Mikleo can only be really worried by Sorey, meaning he may act like he is angry about Edna’s teasing or Lailah’s terrible puns, but in the end, he only gets really worked up if Sorey is in danger. He never leaves his side in the game excluding their break-up scene when Sorey shouts at him and Mikleo feels like a liability to Sorey (he doesn’t even leave his side when Sorey is asleep for 3 days after he became the Shepherd. He stays in his room quietly reading, not even talking to Lailah about crucial things).

You can easily say that to Mikleo, Sorey is the top priority. He’d gladly die for him, sacrifice for him everything. Hell, even wait who knows how many centuries just to be with Sorey again. And as those who played the game or watched the walkthrough know, Mikleo takes upon himself to continue their shared dream while Sorey sleeps away the centuries purifying Maotelous. (Sorey’s One and Only, huh..)

So, when in the anime Mikleo is basically shoved back into the closet and treated like an object by Sorey to only be relied on is quite frustrating (why is that they had to intentionally or unintentionally include this Berseria element in the anime? Sorey would never ever treat anyone, especially not Mikleo, like an object).  

Soymilkheaven had a really good answer for Mikleo’s character problem, so go check it out if you want!

Now onto Rose… Rose the Pure Assassin. The person who teaches Sorey that there’s nothing wrong with killing if it saves the person. Game!Rose is confident, a true and very loyal friend who won’t hesitate to take Sorey’s burdens of the Shepherd and kill someone even if Sorey won’t agree with her. She protects Sorey in her own way while makes sure that Sorey won’t just see killing in a bad light. After all, not everybody can be saved.

And yeah, Rose may be a little bit childish in the game, but she lightens up the conversations and she’s funny.

Anime!Rose on the other hand… she is like a shell. She’s not confident, she doubts herself and her job (even though both Roses have similar backgrounds so I can’t wrap my head around why this Rose had to turn out the way she turned out…).

Plus as women-books-coffee said perfectly her lack of confidence results in Sorey not having that kind of character development.

Game!Rose helped Sorey understand the upside of killing so if Anime!Rose doubts her game counterpart’s very creed then how the hell is Anime!Sorey supposed to learn this life hack lesson? How will this Sorey understand that there’s no way that no one will die?

Answer: Quite simply, he won’t. Because why the hell should the protagonist struggle through hardships when he can just be ignorant and skip through the most of it?

That would be baaaaaaaad… now wouldn’t it? But that’s exactly what ufotable did.

Dezel, you’re the next!  Our beloved blind wind seraph. Yupp you read it right.

Blind.

Quite a surprise, isn’t it? Ufotable may or may not have left out this … quite crucial detail about him. Which is fucking ridiculous if you think about it. How can you forget that somebody is fucking blind, Ufotable?! (You guys remember in the anime when Dezel is on the top of a wagon in the fog and he says: “I can’t see shit”. Well, of course you can’t see shit Dezel. You’re fucking blind)

Oh, and the reason he’s blind? Symonne.

Yeah, that purple girl who somehow become a dragon in the anime (don’t let me get started on her too… but in short, for Symonne Heldalf was everything in the game. That’s why I’ll never accept that she became a dragon because she didn’t agree with Heldalf).

Whom he by the way died to bring back. And you could all say “But Sormikhell, Dezel isn’t blind in the anime! Then of course he’d want to help her!”

Well yeah, I see your point. But let’s not forget that Dezel is there because of Rose.

You see, Dezel and Rose are supposed to be a parallel example of Sorey and Mikleo as Dezel watched over Rose for quite some years. He died for her in the game, so he can save her. So it didn’t make any sense to me that he would just randomly die. For nothing, basically. Dezel in the anime doesn’t know Symonne, then why should he die for her? (And let’s not forget the fact that Anime!Sorey knew very well what Anime!Dezel was about to do. Which means we can say that Anime!Sorey let one of his comrades die. Game!Sorey tried frantically to find another solution but Game!Dezel was already dying by that time, so he asked Sorey to grant his final wish. Sorey would have never allowed this any other way. Another blow for Sorey’s character.)

Next one is… Edna! A delicate flower and a surprisingly thorny one. In the game, Edna is like a snarky older sister, looking out for everyone in her own sadistic way. She likes making fun of Meebo and is hellbent about learning how to cook decently. She wants to save Eizen, sure, but she doesn’t let it plague her mind 24/7. She is a lovely character with funny attachment to Normins. She lives her own life, she is really intelligent and has an excessive knowledge about any kind of plant or mineral.

And if you’re still reading this, then you already know what I’ll say next.

Anime!Edna can only sigh and be depressed. I can count in my two hands how many times I’ve seen her smile or laugh in the anime. She’s always like “Oh, Eizen… “even if she doesn’t voice these thoughts. You can practically feel her sadness through the screen. Which I understand as I have a brother too but every damn time she appears on screen (which isn’t that much) she either doesn’t care about what is happening or just moping around. A great loss in my opinion as I was really looking forward to her snarky comments being thrown left and right.

Our next character is… Lailah! The mother hen, the fire mum with terrible puns, you name it. She’s like a mother and an older sister at the same time. She’s diligent, a great friend and cares about everyone a lot. She has a very vivid personality, likes to randomly talk about something else and annoy everyone to hell with her horrible puns. Even though she can’t tell everything about what she knows to the party, she guides them carefully to the right answer. She wouldn’t “spoil” things to us in the game which made us more and more curious about her past.

Also she is there to make sure that everyone is safe, healthy and knows the consequences of certain… things.

In the anime, I started to mourn even Lailah when it turned out that she didn’t tell Sorey and effectively us, the audience that if the Shepherd dies so does his squires (which is a thing that does not exist in the game, FYI).

I think that was a pretty vital information, Lailah.

Her guidance failed spectacularly in the anime.

Oh, and about ruining Pendrago. What happened to not meddling with humans’ petty affairs and ruining entire cities without a care. No can tell me her giant fire ball didn’t make half of the wall disappear into nothing. But oh well, not that the people will complain or anything…

And the last seraph for today is… Zaveid! A real womanizer, the one friend who can turn any conservation into something dirty. Our absolute class clown who likes walking around half naked, sneaking around hot springs so he can get a peek of the women. A really great guy who has a tragic past and despite all of that smiles and makes pervert jokes all the time, but can give you some seriously good and mature advices when you need it the most. After all he’s not the type of guy to view everything as a win or lose situation.

At least they didn’t change him that much in the anime… although maybe they could have made him a little bit more carefree but given the circumstances he was introduced in the anime… but then again, Zaveid still cracked some jokes when you were about to face with Heldalf at the end of the game.

And finally, as for Alisha, I’m just going to say this: She didn’t need that armatization. At all. She proved in the game again and again and again that she is more than capable of handling things on her own while standing proud and tall next to Sorey, if theyhave to. Alisha is the last in the line and that’s exactly why she chose to be a knight. She is a strong, independent woman who can fight her own battles. Her dream was to make Hyland and Rolance live peacefully next to each other. Which of course had little to do with Sorey and his dream and duty. That’s why she was never meant to be the heroine.  

Anime!Alisha on the other hand… when I heard that her father is the king in the anime, I kid you not went back to my game and double checked whether that’s true or not because I was pretty sure that she was not the next in line. She was important enough in the game even though she was just the last… then why do this? Clearly this wasn’t necessary.

Ufotable must have really wanted to give Alisha more significance in Sorey’s story so bad somewhere along the line they forgot that this was supposed to be about Sorey and not about Alisha.  

TL;DR: Every character was robbed of their personality, Sorey’s dream holds no significance, who cares about seraphim?, let’s change anything and everything until we cannot say that this is about Zestiria, but let’s give Alisha more screen time because apparently she is our main protagonist.

And if you read the whole thing, then you’re a fucking champion! And if I maybe, maybe made you at least understand our point then I consider my job done.

And cookies for you if you got my references :*

[sormikprompts]

How do we get the password for Minoath's blog?

Sorry bud, I don’t have the answer for that. You’ll have to ask around. I recommend talking to soymilkheaven. Good luck. 

-Mod Shitleo

[carnelianwings]

I don't mean this in an accusatory way (I'm asking because, honestly, this is what happened to me), but did the Berseria fandom comparing it to Zestiria negatively color your opinion of Berseria? You seemed much more positive about Berseria and Velvet's character when you were updating us about your progress while playing it for the first time, and it seems like only after you finished it and looked at the fandom that you started voicing negative opinions about it.

I might have put it less bluntly before, but there’s a reason every Berseria gameplay video I have for Velvet has her in some other outfit other than her default - usually the pirate one. I’ve been pretty much against Velvet’s default outfit from the beginning, comparing it most often to Judith’s and Milla’s for similar levels of skin-bearing fanservice, not to mention some of the ridiculous fanservice shots we get of her, especially in the (somewhat pointless) 2 episodes of Berseria we got jammed into Zestiria’s “adaptation”.

There’s some good parts of Berseria’s writing, and her gameplay and combat is ridiculously fun once you figure out how to keep the Souls incoming for near-infinite combo, and I really liked all the ways the worldbuilding and backstory to Berseria tied it to Zestiria, but to sum up my reasons for why Berseria doesn’t even make my Top 5 for Tales games: (Cutting for Unpopular Your Mileage May Vary Opinions)

The good parts of the writing barely makes up for the ridiculous amounts of Stereotypical Gender Role jokes, especially the incredibly incredibly incredibly tired “men are poor innocent souls and women are just cunning bitches out to make them suffer” ones. These were always present in Tales, but I never felt like they were being rammed down my throat and slapping me in the face the way they were in Berseria.

Eleanor and/or Velvet getting endlessly propositioned by NPCs in town was so bad, I could make a drinking game out of it. As a girl myself, I hate it when that happens, and it made me cringe really badly to see both of them subjected to it.

Velvet’s default outfit. It shouldn’t be as big of an issue as it is, but for fuck’s sake, at least get that girl a proper shirt that fits so I don’t wince every time I see that clasp/brooch above her boobs because that top looks like it’s super uncomfortably tight to the point she shouldn’t be able to fight in it without the damned thing popping off. I’ve said it before too but, if they wanted tastefully sexy, they should have just done the pirate outfit as her default. You still get the awesome cleavage and the sexy in heeled boots look, she just doesn’t look nearly as uncomfortable in it.

All the goddamned “The Lord of Calamity Is Also the Perfect Waifu” moments. I get what they were going for (she’s just a Normal Girl who wanted to grow up, fall in love, have a family), but that one skit cut in of Velvet in an apron and fucking cleaning the inn room because she thinks the room wasn’t cleaned up to her standards left a horrible gagging taste in my mouth.  Oh wait, that was just Stereotypical Gender Roles gagging me again as usual.  It’s also a really narrowly defined definition of what happiness and normal looks like, because, if nothing else, Velvet was providing for Laphicet by hunting boars in the woods. Like give the girl more credit and agency here. If they’d just left it as “she really likes to cook and that’s her hobby, and it’s a tragedy she can’t enjoy that anymore because she lost her sense of taste”, that would have left a less bad taste in my mouth.

Velvet, Phi, and Eleanor had good reasons for seeing everything through to the end, but the reasoning felt weak for Eizen, Magilou, and Rokurou. Especially Rokurou, whose main motivation was “to fight and beat Shigure” and he didn’t really seem to show much growth past that, or at least, seem invested enough to stick around until the final battle. Maybe I missed something in my mad rush to the end so I didn’t get spoiled by Zestiria’s “adaptation”, but as it stands, I keep wondering why Rokurou’s still in the party by the time we hit the final dungeon.

Unpopular, probably incredibly controversial (fandom-wise) opinion here, but in my personal honest-to-Maotelus-and-Maxwell opinion? Milla Maxwell got the better end of the deal for being a female lead, and she had to share that spotlight with Jude. I held that opinion before I finished Xillia, but having finished Jude’s side and 3/4ths of the way through a Milla’s side, I’m even more sure. At the very least, she didn’t get hamstrung nearly as badly for needing to be “the perfect waifu” the way Velvet did.

[guardianoftime]

Question Meme

@talesofsymphoniac tagged me.

Rules:

- Answer the previous questions - Ask 11 new ones - Tag 11 people

1. Describe your favorite extended family member (grandma, cousin, aunt/uncle, etc)

IDK if this means like, physical description or what but my immediate answer to any question like this is always the one cousin I was closest to growing up because we both loved video games and would play them together all the time. Many fond memories of that. He introduced me to Tales of Symphonia. He’s about 3-4 years younger than me.

2. Do you have a favorite article of clothing?

Hmmm I don’t think so? I have a lot of shirts that I like wearing, but I don’t think any of them quite reach favorite level. I don’t really think of clothes that way. I like owning clothing that relates to what I love, but even those aren’t necessarily favorites or anything.

3. What is your favorite vacation that you remember?

Every time we ever went to Hawaii while I was growing up. I don’t remember enough for any SPECIFIC time, but all the pieces that I can remember have kind of colligated into a giant mass of happy memories that only ever happened there. Like when we’d stay in the condo we used to own there, or the many times we stayed at various hotels--the one with green plush carpet in the whole room and the ones with mosaics at the bottom of their pools specifically. Or the times I’d look at planets and stars with dad’s binoculars. The crab restaurant we’d go to all the time that had a big ship in the middle of it that they’d let kids climb around on, and they used to have a kids night that involved all the kids going into a huuuuuge room to play different games and do various activities and we could win prizes. One of the times I went I won a Keroro coloring book and it was like, the first of anything I ever had with Japanese writing on it (though I didn’t know it was Japanese at the time).

4. Do you dream when you sleep more often than not?

I dream quite a lot usually.

5. Describe a dream you’ve had.

LMAO there’s so many......I guess one of the strange ones I’ve had before involved me wandering around a dark house with many rooms while being chased by a lion.

6. Did you/do you enjoy school?

Sometimes I enjoyed grade school. For the most part I hated it. I love college, though.

7. Do you like your name/would you change it if you could?

Although I almost never put my middle name on anything, I am quite happy with my name.

8. How many likes do you have?

9,824......huh......I swear it was a LOT more than that......

9. Would you rather find 1,000 cockroaches secretly living in your attic, or 1 person?

Both of those options are horrible, but technically speaking both are killable, but the 1 person would be easiest. Cockroaches have too much survivability and if you kill the 1 person, well, they WERE invading YOUR house, so.....justified self-defense.

10. Share your best piece of advice.

The sooner you stop trying to protect other people’s feelings, the sooner you’ll be happier with yourself.

11. Do you have kids or want to have kids someday?

I’ve wanted kids since I was little, but every day I wonder if I’ll ever actually get to see them come into existence. Someone has to love me enough to want kids with me first, after all.

New questions!

1) What is your earliest memory?

2) How old were you when you first used the internet?

3) First site you remember going to?

4) What are your career goals?

5) Funniest memory?

6) What is your favorite hobby?

7) Why do you like doing that hobby?

8) What was your best subject in school?

9) Favorite toy growing up?

10) What was your first pet?

11) What is the first OC (either fandom OC or actual OC) that you remember making?

I’m not sure who to tag lmao uhhhhhh...... @twilight-symphony @soymilkheaven @welkikitty @unstablewifiaccess @dimensionslip @yume-x-hanabi @shippy-things @pewpewpewseibai @mintofhint @hidetouken @lovelybeam

[8bittheatrics]

Soy tagged me in this yesterday or so and I could use a distraction. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so let’s go.

Rules: answer the 20 questions and tag 20 amazing followers you would like to get to know better.

Tagged by @soymilkheaven

Name: Casey

Nickname: 8bit, Case, Our Lady Apathetic She Who Can’t Be Bothered, Hey You, etc.

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn 

Height: 5′ 7″ish

Orientation: Bi 

Ethnicity: Whitey McWhiterson

Favorite fruit: Oooh. Strawberries, bananas, kiwi, melon, most anything if it’s dipped in chocolate. 

Favorite season: Winter or spring, depends on the time of year

Favorite book series:  Oh fuck. Discworld or the Howl’s Moving Castle series, probably.

Favorite flower:  I’m partial to white roses and violets, irises, orchids. Lilies are gorgeous, but can’t have those with a very nosy cat.

Favorite scent: Gentle florals or vanillas

Favorite color:  Shades of blue

Favorite animal: Penguins, ducks, otters, cats

Coffee, tea or cocoa: All of the above. I could go for some cocoa and a blanket right now.

Average sleep hours: Ahahaha, what is sleep? I can’t function regardless, but I shoot for around eight or else I’m grumpier than usual.

Cat or dog person: Meow. (I do like some dogs, though.) 

Favorite fictional characters: Don’t ask me this. That’s rude. I can’t choose between my children. That makes me an awful mother. (I’m adoring my Zestiria kids right now though.)

Number of blankets you sleep with: Sheet and duvet, so two? One and a half? 

Dream trip: Somewhere affordable.

Blog created: Don’t ask me this, either. Good lord. Like late 2011? January 2012, maybe? 

Number of followers: A questionable amount, really. What are you all doing here?

Tagging (only if you’d like to): You!

[redigitizing]

@cest-la-venus @soymilkheaven @toradh @rindiculous @tea--roses replied to your post “there was a lot of alcohol at the department holiday party...”

thanks for the concern! i was fine aside from being red-faced and the general unpleasant feeling that comes with alcohol lol, the party was still fun <3

the guy probably didnt do it maliciously, it was just - everyone was talking about how great it was that there was a lot of alcohol at the party and my answer of “oh i dont wanna drink here bc i have bad tolerance” when they asked me why i was drinking juice must’ve sounded funny ahaha...they probably thought i was exaggerating. alas, my tolerance really is bad.

but yeah it was pretty mean of him asjdioajfas i questioned his answer at first and he was all “what, you don’t trust me? i’m hurt” so i had actually been in the middle of apologizing for doubting him when i took a sip and did a double take. i was right not to trust him >.>;;;;

[carnelianwings]

I agree about that figure. Velvet should kept her village outfit for the whole game instead of the mess her default outfit is...

Yeah, I liked her prologue villager outfit. The three-years-later-barely-covers-anything travesty I’d pass on, but at least it can be excused as she basically had to fight or die during those intervening years so of course her clothes would get ripped up and torn.

Her actual default outfit though . . . I said it when they were promoing the game 2 years ago, and I still stand by it - it’s pure tasteless fanservice. I’ll take Judith or Milla’s outfits any day for at least more tasteful fanservice.