vanishinghitchhiker | Tales of Rarepairs: 2021

Dear Author/Artist,

I just got into Tales a little over a year ago, and it has so many of the things I’ve loved about games over the years I wish I’d been playing it all along. I especially love the characters in this game, how we get to know them and how they get along with each other.

I've only played these games so any reference to them is fine: Vesperia, Zestiria, Berseria, both Xillias, Abyss, Crestoria. Early-game spoilers for Symphonia and Rays are fine; we might finish Symphonia by then but Rays is less likely. (I ran out of energy to request any Xillia, so just know that I love both parties, Elle, Rollo, Ivar, Wingul, Agria, Yurgen, and fresh mutton.)

I'm as out of sorts as everyone else is lately so this letter is a little... scattered. It's hard for me to remember all the things I like. Thanks for writing/drawing for me, I can't wait to enjoy it!

Art things I like: limited palettes, symbolism (floriography, tarot motifs, etc.),

Vesperia

I’ve seen The First Strike and read a fan translation of The Empty Mask, so don’t worry about spoiling those.

Also, for any Raven pairing, I like soulmate AUs gone awry (whoops, guess the guy’s dead, too bad!).

DNW: Alexei/Schwann, Zagi

Estellise Sidos Heurassein/Rita Mordio

What prompts can I even give you that aren’t literally canon?
It’s just so sweet how they’re both kind of naively feeling their way along even though they’re coming at the relationship with opposite attitudes of romance and cynicism
Girlfriends in Halure! Wives in Halure! Flying Ristelle!
Estelle writing books vs. Rita using them as weapons (she has dialogue with Kongwai in Crestoria where she’s just like “yeah just chuck the book at the enemy”). What if equipping Estelle’s novels works inexplicably well for her? (I dimly recall an ingame explanation of why weapons have stats and such; I have simply forgotten it.)

Mary Kaufman/LeBlanc

There’s got to be more to a knight being on a first name basis with the leader of a guild than a skit hidden in the back of Nam Cobanda, right? Right? Help
Kitchen Coliseum shenanigans! Is this how they met? Bonding over Flynn (or Chef Sparkle)’s awful cooking? Maybe they’re both into cooking/baking and end up having to cook together? Valentine’s Day~?
There’s all sorts of other ways they could have met too. Conflict! Crisis! Diplomacy! Maybe even a book signing?
Adecor and Boccos cheering their Lieutenant on! Brave Vesperia acting as exasperated go-betweens a la Abyss (with a happier ending, though)! Raven playing both sides! Or any of them finding out they're already a thing, what a surprise!

Raven/Flynn Scifo

The most embarrassing crush, poor Flynn. At least Raven’s, uh, retired, so there’s no ethical concerns (since Flynn would care about that)
Will Raven indulge/tease Flynn's interest in his alter ego? Hell, how much will Yuri make fun of them both? (A background pairing of Yuri with either or both of them is fine too.)
Man, Raven's really jealous of all the ladies flocking (platonically) to Flynn. ...wait, Raven's really jealous of all the ladies flocking to Flynn. Uh-oh.
Schwann Brigade and Brave Vesperia adorably/hilariously having to deal with this also applies here, as do cooking lessons and Valentine's/White Day, lol
Also since they’re both bros with Repede, maybe he’s got a paw in this somehow

Zestiria

A soulmate AU involving true names would be hilarious for Rose pairings, SOREY... And one involving eye color or vision would be Interesting for Dezel.

I also love Lucas, Mayvin,

DNWs: anime continuity (I haven’t finished!), DLC-level arguments (main game-style teasing and bickering is fine), character/ship/game bashing (I have had Bad Times in other JRPG series fandoms already, please be kind)

Sorey/Sergei Strelka/Rose

Never having the heart to tell Sergei they lied about being married is the cutest thing, these three dorks.
If there's any actual pairings Sergei doesn’t know about, I’d like them to be Sorey/Mikleo, Rose/Dezel and/or Rose/Alisha. (Although having TWO invisible boyfriends in the mix is really, really, funny.) Or maybe he does find out about them, just add to the poly pile shenanigans.
You can get a bit sad with this and have Sergei sweetly trying to console Rose on the loss of her husband and… nope, she still can’t tell him, just look at that face.

Dezel/Rose
Alisha Diphda/Rose

I'm a multishipper so even some overlap is fine, please no bashing
Rose has excellent taste in excellent people who wear excellent hats. Cooking! Commerce! Combat! Lighthearted shenanigans! Love and appreciate this Rose!
Does Rose notice when someone has an obvious crush on her? Answer 1: "Yeah, of course." Answer 2: "What? Alisha's always like that." "What? Dezel's always like that." (I mean, they are...)
I really like the idea of Dezel trying to set up Alisha and Rose. Like they go to someone’s wedding after the end of the game sometime and the wind just SLAMS the bouquet into Alisha’s lap. Or if he’s trying to set them up somehow while he’s still around everyone’s like “dude you’re projecting” “no I’m not!!!”. Up to you whether he is, but nobody believes him either way because he’s a tsundere dork. And if Alisha gets all respectful-to-seraphim about it he can be like no, ~~stop listening to Edna (and get jabbed)~~
References to Dezel’s old crush on Lafarga, or Alisha’s old crush on Maltran...? Or if those aren't sad enough, how Rose has been betrothed to royalty before...

Dezel/Eizen

First of all, if there are any survivors after the two of them meet—
I just have a lot of emotions about these cursed lads. The way Eizen chose to distance himself from his only family to protect her, while Dezel stubbornly clings to the closest thing he has to family to protect/avenge them himself… (Yeah, Dezel unwittingly forgot about his blessing, but would he have made a different choice if he’d known?)
Pirate crew? Assassin crew? Hand-me-down clothes? Zaveid? The parallels……
Filling sails with a traveler’s blessing, coin flips and commerce, rare books and rare bugs

Berseria

I love the whole party and also the therion squad.

DNW: canon-typical Boys Like This Weird Thing Because They Are Boys And This Weird Thing Is For Boys Because Boys Like This Weird Thing banter

Eizen/Benwick

Benwick getting used to having an actual malak aboard, Eizen worrying about his growing fondness for the crew, relying on each other, celebrating a big haul (treasure or fish), dorks being dorks
What happens when humans can’t see malakim anymore? How can you tell someone invisible you want them to stick around, or tell someone who can’t see you the same? Or maybe Benwick just has/acquires resonance, yay
Edna assessing Benwick somehow, what are your Intentions toward my brother, poor Benwick
Also please pet the sylphjay for me, do they know I love them

Velvet Crowe/Niko

Please let poor Velvet find out dating girls is an option
Like it’d be cute if realizing stuff about a girl leads to realizing stuff about Niko or vice versa. You can also have Velvet with… pretty much anyone/everyone in the party, even the guys (except Phi), it’s too hard for me to choose personally
Canon divergence is fine, or just a fond flashback, or even part of Melchior's shit. Heck go crazy with some cute AUs if you want, anything goes with end credit dreaming
Aball is so pretty, damn I love autumn. Also, Taliesin kitties are real in my heart.
If Velvet's family (or Seres...) are around being heartbreakingly sweet that's fine too 😢

Abyss

Soulmate AUs would be also “fun” for any pairing involving a replica, by which I mean very complicated and sad and/or a comedy of errors.
Game scenery I like, for art inspiration: Baticul cable cars, flowers, stained glass, all the musical architectural motifs, the Cheagle tree, Grand Chokmah palace looking like some vaporwave Encarta shit

DNW: requited Luke/Van (though I think Luke had a crush, once), bad breakups (other than Jade/Dist, that's just canon lol)

Tear Grants/Natalia Kimlasca-Lanvaldear

I love how Tear just goes into “oh something cute or a pretty girl, uh huh, yes, this is what I will pay attention to now instead of listening” mode, very relatable and gay
Natalia telling Tear she can also *wear* cute outfits instead of just admiring them was also very sweet, maybe she can encourage her more! (But I do prefer the rental swimsuit, continuing to wear her knife holsters is just...perfect?) Maybe they go on some ludicrous sidequests in the name of fashion, or have to help Florian with other plays
Other fun bonding activities like an archery vs. throwing knives contest, helping Natalia learn how to cook (in Tear's bachelor chow kind of way),
supporting each other after the final battle, letters (oh god remember Tear can’t write letters??? I love her), lullabies, diplomacy, visiting graves...

Luke fon Fabre/Fon Master Ion

When I started playing this game, I was like, “aw, Luke’s always kind of nice to Ion.” Then it got sad 🥳 Anyway it’s just sweet how Ion’s so kind to him immediately that Luke just can’t help paying him the same respect in return. And then later they share a certain bond the others can’t understand...
maybe he manages to bring back Ion the way Van brought back Sync?
*crying about replicas*

Jade Curtiss/Luke fon Fabre

The way Luke reminds Jade how to care about other people, even as even Jade's own sister tried to warn Luke about his past? And how both of them had their own journeys to learning how their own actions affect those around them. And Jade's face! In the ending! and and
I'm an incoherent mess about these two
They can still both be obnoxious jackasses in their own way, though
background Jade/Peony is good too, more of a friends-with-benefits thing though (not that that has to come up)

Crestoria
If other characters show up, I love all party members from the games I've played (listed at top), and all the playable Crestoria characters so far (except Makina). (I also like Veigue, Meredy, Keele, Kongwai, QQ, Decus, Philia, Zephyr, Jay, Arche, Leon, and Claus, probably? I hope? Someday?)

It's fun when the party breaks the fourth wall (especially poor dear sweet Orwin), and also fun when Estelle murders in the Arena (my Estelle, specifically). Outside the lighthearted stuff and fanservice, I also love the game's themes about guilt, justice, revenge and redemption, which would be really fun to explore with these dudes.

Jade Curtiss/Yuri Lowell

These beautiful smug bastards made the White Day event annoying on purpose, sipping tea or wine or mimosas while watching wind teams get rekt by orc kongs (mine was Estelle, Raven, Kanonno, Velvet chucking QQ at the enemy like a spear, Sorey, and Magilou’s famous(?) squid & daikon)
Fake dating to annoy people (though it might actually stay fake because they're them)
Jade “playing along” with Yuri’s thing for knights, but he’s being all Jade about it (but Yuri is mocking/critiquing him right back)
I've heard characters from other Tales games won't be transgressors here, what a wasted opportunity, wink. But at the same time, don't worry too much about the Crestoria setting here, we really don't know what to expect
background pairings are fine too, I like Yuri/Raven, Jade/Luke, Jade/Peony, and Yuna/Penelope (just in case!), I just ran out of time to request them because my brain isn't cooperating.\
(belated) Hah, they're amazing in Rays too, do what ya gotta