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FireWithinMidnight — Day 6 - Spiritua
Published: 2013-08-06 09:39:36 +0000 UTC; Views: 829; Favourites: 20; Downloads: 2
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Oooooh boy. Spiritua is just a name in the game. There's nothing about her except her status as Chosen One and the fact she's the last successful Chosen of Sylvarant in the past 800 years (oh, and she wrote that perfectly useless Book that was supposed to tell us where the seals are, but I managed just fine without it on my first try. It's just so glaringly obvious where they are <_> In the end it was just a plot point for the fake Chosen's Group. Now that sidequest was a real pain in the ass, I had no idea I had to fund Luin's reconstruction before going to Tethe'Alla, I had to look it up).
However, Spiritua's character presents some points of interest too. The Balacruf Dinasty fell around her time and it's said she founded the Church of Martel -given how the Lineage of Mana was born, I'd say there's something that doesn't add up. The worlds had been divided for 3k years to that point, and in the game it's said Sylvarant NEEDS a successful Chosen One because Tethe'Alla is bleeding it dry (and this after roughly 800 years. There's no way Sylvarant/Tethe'Alla survived for 3k years before Spiritua completed her journey). Spiritua's Book gives us no clear information outside the useless indications for the seals' positions and ToS2 touched the Balacruf Dinasty but ignored everything else, so no help from there either.
Given the Desians were blamed for the Kharlan War when they didn't even exist back then, Cruxis had one hell of a job rewriting history to its liking. On the other side, it takes time for a religion to take root, so it's also impossible there were Chosen Ones immediately after the War ended. On Sylvarant it could be said the lack of clear documentation plays a heavy role and Spiritua's Book was kept in a family, plus apparently no Chosen One before Colette ever thought of asking to read the damn thing, on Tethe'Alla people were killed for trying to execute the Chosen One, thus reaffirming the Church of Martel. I hope they have additional material about this somewhere in Japan because I'm not really in the mood to touch the convoluted timeline (so far I've just learned only females can become Chosens of Mana, so even if Tethe'Alla was in decline Zelos wouldn't be able to go on a Journey of Regeneration because of his gender).
Anyway, about Spiritua herself. That dress is supposed to be white, by the way. I've depicted her more like a traveller (cape and cane) and errant priestess (white dress with golden ornaments, whereas Colette's dress is white and blue) who reaches to give comfort to whoever needs it. However she also comes across as cold and uncaring -probably a BSOD going on through the whole Journey as she knows she's going to die in any case. Canon says she had 7 followers with her everywhere and each one of them inherited something from her (a ring, a necklace? And then I don't remember, I'm sure only about the ring), but in the game you can find the descendant of just one of them. In my headcanon two of them were Kratos and Rodyle P: Because I can't see Yuan following a Chosen to protect her. Kratos fits more -plus he was the bodyguard of Princess Selene before he deserted his family and city to help Mithos and Martel, always as far as I remember.
Besides, I always thought Spiritua had jet black hair for a reason or another...
Free Texture by =SaiyaGina
Parchment Paper Texture by ~sinnedaria
Spiritua theorically and technically belongs to NAMCO-BANDAI, but really, in canon she was just a name.
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Comments: 22
I keep coming back to look at this design because I really love it and all your thoughts about this!
I was always interested in Spiritua because she started in Sylvarant yet was considered an angel of death and destruction in Tethe'alla? I always interpreted at the end of the journey in Sylvarant, she booked it and ran to Tethe'alla and went utterly BSOD with her group in order to escape about 800 or so years ago? This also coincides when the Renegades were formed as well so.. the fact she may have defied Cruxis and went on her own journey similar to Colette trying to escape but in the end it being a failure is kind of hard hitting in a sense. That's how I always interpreted it at least.
( That being said, it never hit me that Rodyle possibly could be traveling with her on that journey those years ago. Kratos is a given for me, but now I'm really curious of your interpretation. )
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That's what I hoped to do with my ramblings XD I've been writing and reading other people's works so much I have the need to explain whatever idea I have in mind if I deem it important enough.
I knew she successfully completed her journey but her body rejected Martel's spirit. Since she was already a soulless angel by ending the Journey, Cruxis took her in and later used her on Tethe'Alla to punish the heathens against the Church of Martel. However I wonder why there's no trace of soulless!Spiritua anywhere either, but she could have died at one point during the 800 years. Angels aren't exactly immune to death.
(Someone left a probably untrue note on the game's page on TvTropes about a character joining Cruxis out of guilt after Spiritua failed to complete her real job as Chosen One. Or they got the character wrong, but no one ever corrected it -my bet is on Remiel-. Canon does say Spiritua had 7 followers and given the lifespan half-elves have, it could have been possible one or more of them had been half-elves and were then removed from history because of their race. Since Rodyle may look way older than the other Grand Cardinals and how none of them -except Kvar for obvious reasons- have a real backstory and character development, I picked him for the role. Because why not? and I had lots of fun developing my own headcanons on the Grand Cardinals' backstory and personality)
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I really think your view of her geniunely works, because it can fit right into place even if there's not much information of her? You think there would be, but nope. It's amazing. This gives a lot of creativity on one hand, but on another ...
I always assumed Spiritua attempted to rebel or get away from it, even if she completed the journey, she possibly went rogue (or had the groups he was traveling with drag her) and ran to Tethe'alla did some damage in desperation of trying to survive (she might have even got a keycrest to get back her emotions?) but in the end caught her and found out she wasn't suitable for Martel anyway. Then the angels who proceed to do the smiting, were likely just some angels that presented themselves as her in the years to come or something like that? This this might explain why she you never see her as a possibility or something in the game and explain why Yuan started the Renegades during this time too by seeing how this went down. Because he saw how messed up this system was for the first time.
But then again, that's mostly from my feelings of like "Man did not anyone during that 4,000 years or so realize how messed up this is?"
I'm not sure if that TVtropes thing is true or not (it probably isn't) but I don't think Forcystus would make sense unless you think he's over 800 years old. (I don't think he is) ... Rodyle being a party member though could be potentially hilarious though. Considering if he is anything like he is in the game.
I love the Grand Cardinals with a passion, sometimes I wish there was more about them but at the sametime I don't want it to contradict anything in the game if that makes sense? So I'm in a conflict of wishing there was more to them but yet I don't want it to mess anything up in the game...
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That's actually a possible scenario! We're told Spiritua is the only successful Chosen One on Sylvarant and an Angel of Death on Tethe'Alla, but since no picture or information is given of her, it could have been other angels posing as Spiritua. And if those guards are anything to come by, every angel could pass off as Spiritua, even Colette.
I have no idea when Yuan founded the Renegades
When Tethe'Alla and Sylvarant still had knowledge of each other, that could have been possible. But in the game there's barely any information that can be traced back to at most 800 years in the past, it's also implied everything else was removed/erased on purpose by Cruxis/the Desians. The poverty in Sylvarant also prevents people from realizing how messed up the system is -they're too busy trying to stay alive to do anything else but rely on the Chosen.
The game says next to nothing on the Grand Cardinals, as the developers don't seem interested in expanding their backstories it's not hard as it seems. Just keep in mind that Forcystus is a hero to the Desians (and supposed to be the noblest out of all the Grand Cardinals. At least he can deal with humans, apparently), Lord Magnius is a hothead with probable delusions of grandeur (...a golden throne? Seriously, Lord Magnius?), Kvar is a complete monster whose main interest lies in his own projects and a possible traitor to Cruxis in his thirst for power (also keeps emotions and reactions under control and can draw pretty accurate predictions), Rodyle is out of his mind, another traitor (to Cruxis, to Desians, possibly to Yuan too...) and a sore loser if his last act (flooding the whole base just to spite the party) is anything to go by and Pronyma... Is completely devoted to Yggdrasil and completely unimportant when she's introduced as the Leader of the Grand Cardinals (Yggdrasil just said he's the leader of Cruxis AND Desians, how are players supposed to be worried of Pronyma?). It leaves anyone plenty of room for development.
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Yeah, I'm always under the assumption that Spiritua was the last successful one in Sylvarant, meaning there were probably others prior but lost due to time. (Similar to Tethe'alla probably had successful ones as well but once again lost to time.) And I wouldn't be surprised if Spiritua was any angel, and that Tethe'alla long lost an idea what she appeared to be.
According to the Official Scenario book (That never came out of Japan, argh) Yuan began the Renegades 800 years ago? That's why I really love the idea that Spiritua and her group tried to rebel, but unlike Lloyd and company... they didn't know where to go. They didn't know to go back to the temples or make a pacts with them and it in the end lead to only tragedy. (Maybe Spiritua decided to give up her chance in order for everyone else to return to normal lives and not be killed? Jeeze, wow I realized how sad this is.)
But yeah, I think it was possible on both sides but Cruxis was so powerful it probably squashed any attempts at rebelling it could do. (save the Renegades who managed to keep under the radar, and are likely why since Spiritua there has been no successful chosen?)
Man I know. There is a little extra of them in the official scenario book (such as Rodyle and Kvar's plan to officially take over Cruxis) but it basically is the same thing in the game for the most part. I would love more but I doubt it's ever going to come. (I actually have a bit more interest in the Desians than Cruxis itself, which I think I'm doing something wrong... ) I kind of want more added to them but I doubt there will be to be honest which kind of makes me sad. :') So I reason it like "I DON'T WANT IT ANYWAY" ... but secretly fangirled the scenes in the OVA anyway.
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Officially she is, Sylvarant has been in decline for too many centuries. If Yuan founded the Renegades after Spiritua, then we can safely say it's thanks to him and his men that there hasn't been a single successful Chosen One for centuries (in game, it's said the last known Chosen One was killed by Desians, but people can't tell Renegades and Desians apart and they aren't supposed to know Desians aren't a real threat to the Chosen One -as long as she's useful to the cause, I guess).
Yay for additional information available only in Japan!
That would make Spiritua's tale more interesting and tragic, though I doubt they had any way to go on Tethe'Alla (even Lloyd & co. need Yuan's bases to travel through worlds). Also, if Kratos was part of the party, he eventually deserted/betrayed them, so they were left without their most powerful and knowledgeable member.
Well, Rodyle and Kvar's plans regarding Cruxis were easy to guess XD There were interesting flash-fics floating somewhere on the net about their motivations for this, and it's from one of them that I decided Rodyle is old even according to half-elven standards. The ones I remember about Kvar were scrapped in my mind as they either depicted him as utterly insane (which he isn't, to me) or with some deformity that influenced his life a lot (but thanks to the OVA we know he isn't blind, it's the game's models that suck).
Yeeeeeeeees fighting scenes with the Grand Cardinals! ...At least with Forcystus and Kvar. Rodyle doesn't fight at all but manages to keep the party busy for Tethe'Alla's Arc XD And Magnius doesn't even last 5 minutes, damnit. I was just wondering how they fight since ToS is still a RPG in the end and I couldn't pinpoint their fighting styles.
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Pretty much, Renegades were created sometime after Spriitua's journey so I can imagine something was triggered to make Yuan attempt to rebel? But yeah I'm not sure how they got to Tethe'alla unless there was some sort of 'rift' due to the instability they managed to get to and that's where Yuan put his Renegade bases hypothetically...? But even then. Tales of Symphonia's canon sometimes really confuses me and it only confuses me more with ToS: DoNW/KoR. ( Especially knowing that the descendants of the journey are somehow in both worlds according to the translation so I'm like... What...? ) Then again Magnius had a damn teleporting low level desian, and that doesn't make sense either.
Yay Japan additional information. 
Yeah, from my understanding Desians generally speaking don't usually get involved with the Journey of the Chosen at all, their role is to just create fear in the hearts of humanity so they would be ripe for the picking to take and make exspheres out of. The Desians have a quota of the number of humans they can kill per year, to prevent the world's population from declining? This is why Magnius's soldiers had a comment like "You're lucky we have a quota" if I remember? And a reason what Kvar did was shocking by the Desian standards was because he went way over the year's quota with the attack on Luin.
Thus in this context, Kvar is really arrogant to do that? It's interesting to me, because more than anything in my opinion this is what caused his downfall. That being said Kvar is one of my favorite Cardinals so... He strikes me an interesting character, because he's so calculating, callous, and can do a lot of genuinely intelligent things... then there are things like this where his arrogance shows and he does things that are not so 'logical'.
If I remember how it went, Magnius and Forcystus were misinformed by Rodyle that the Chosen this time around was okay to attack and that it was Lord Yggdrasill's orders that something was wrong with her and his 'deception'. This was also why Magnius had to warn Forcystus too before being blocked by Rodyle. Chances are, if Rodyle lived longer Forcystus either would have been used or he might have been updated by Pronyma herself of the situation. Either way though, chances are Forcystus by that time was probably updated on what was going on.
Oh lord I really dislike the insane Kvar stereotype too not gonna lie. Kvar is very sane and calculating that's why he's scary. He's cold, detached, and analytical yet is not exactly a mastermind like many fan fictions make him out to be. (He never expected Rodyle to betray him.) But he's efficient and cruel. I think a lot of the time people writing Kvar either want him as the antagonist to take down for their fantasies thus... Yeah. And while it might have been possible he had a sad beginning, it doesn't change the fact he is one of the most evil characters in Tales of Symphonia now. (Given I do like playing with the idea he doesn't see normally due to his eyes, like he can see what is really bright and front of him but not in really dark areas but it really doesn't matter because he can see people's mana. Plus comment of 'smelling mana' and he might see things via mana signatures? And since mana makes up everything it's just another way of seeing things. I would never say it's canon though by any means. Ever. EVEN IF SYMPHONIA'S CANON CONFUSES ME... )
Rodyle on the other hand, I think he's off his rocker but he's entertaining in how destructive and horrible he is. He's an evil little shit, enjoys the little things in life like girls who love dogs kicking puppies and only tells his plans to dead men. Oddly enough, I see more sane Rodyle stories than Kvar which I find really odd? I really do wish we figured out how he fought though.. Because I really find it hard to believe a Grand Cardinal would be unable to fight, really.
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I had written a reply and dA deleted it DA WHAT ARE YOU DOING D:
Well, both Tethe’Alla and Sylvarant are linked at least through mana. The Journey reverses the mana flow, plus it’s possible to go to Sylvarant from Tethe’Alla through the Otherwordly Gate.
Cruxis probably owns the technology/knowledge necessary to make the jump and since Yuan is one of the 4 Seraphims, he had no trouble in pilfering it and using it for himself and his organization. Also, the Tower of Salvation is only one and can exist at the same time on both worlds, it could be possible to travel from a world to another through the Tower (when it exists in both worlds) but it never happens in the game.
Where did you get that translation? I don’t remember anything about descendants of the original 7 followers living also on Tethe’Alla. It could be bad translation or plothole, either case it’s probably just sloppy work.
The treaty Palmacosta has with Magnius is a sham: all Desians are required to follow a certain quota and can’t kill/imprison more humans if said quota is reached. However Magnius had no problem killing a person for not calling him Lord and set Chocolat’s mother to be killed. Forcystus has Iselia torched when some Desians are attacked by Lloyd and Genis (and since they have cameras, they probably knew about Genis and Marble and took action only when actively assaulted). Luin had given refuge to escapees from the Asgard Ranch, so Kvar had the right to retrieve his host bodies. Though imprisoning the whole city was probably overdoing it. (Also, Luin was called City of Hope when you visit it before it’s destroyed because it doesn’t matter how many times it’s attacked, its inhabitants will always rebuild it. This time around Kvar took away the people who would rebuild it too.)
No, I believe Kvar had done something worse to be so feared and hated by, well, basically everyone. My bet is on that he harmed or killed his own soldiers in the past or turned on his own subordinates for a reason or another and he’s still in power because no one in the Asgard Base has the power/the guts to take on him.
In my opinion Kvar’s intelligence belongs to his laboratories and research. He created a Cruxis Crystal through a host body, which was probably supposed to be impossible (as normal exspheres are usually produced in Ranches, but Cruxis was running out of Cruxis Crystals). He’s a pretty lousy leader XD In my headcanon Grand Cardinals are chosen through power, because while Kvar may be incredible at research and extremely efficient in what he does, he could perform that job even if he wasn’t a Grand Cardinal. (Though then there are problems to make Rodyle fit in the picture)
Kvar’s arrogance is incredible. Mocking Anna in front of Kratos? Seriously, Kvar? And in the manga there’s another little pearl: he threatens to rip Lloyd’s exsphere off and turn into an Exbula… When Kratos and Colette are behind him. Genius.
I can see Magnius being deceived by Rodyle, he’s the only Grand Cardinal who doesn’t know of Cruxis, Lord Yggdrasil and the Age of the Lifeless Beings (instead he’s told what lower ranked Desians believe in, the Age of the Half-Elves). He wasn’t the brightest bulb of the group either. Deceiving Forcystus looks weird (by the time he received the fake order from Rodyle, Colette was already out of his territory), but if Magnius’s last thoughts were warning Forcystus of Rodyle’s treachery those two might have been closer than normal, maybe even friends. So Rodyle had to deceive Forcystus too.
The OVA shows it better, really. Though I wonder what’s the deal with the glowing eyes? His whole person just screams of control there, though his grasp on emotions may slip when things don’t go his way. Like, he didn’t even seem that angry at Lloyd until he got his pants dirty with blood, and I feel bad that it makes me laugh. But yeah, he sucks as a mastermind XD
I have my share of sketches of a little, innocent Kvar roughing it, but my own back-story of him has nothing earth-shattering or any of Freudian Excuse that turned him the way he is now. It’s also what made him scarier to his own men.
(His eyes aren’t clearly normal, it’s not just the creepiness factor. I played with the idea he was blind like in one of those flashfic until the OVA came out, then I just didn’t come back on the matter. If he actively sees things via mana signature, he’d be incredibly good at sensing mana and sneaking up on him might be a little difficult)
You don’t think Rodyle is off his rocker, Rodyle IS off his rocker. Whoever keeps dragons, regularly uses them as transport and organizes a deadly trap that involves a small, flying island with even more dragons on it and a device that paralyzes everyone and gets energy from the very person imprisoned in it, plus the way his base is built (…is that an abyss with no end? Is that ANOTHER? And I have to trust this little thing that looks like it could fall down at any moment?!) can’t be the product of a non-eccentric person. Oh, and he drowned prisoners and surviving Desians to spite the party. Can’t forget that.
He’s cunning too and succeeds in what Kvar can’t do, actually have allies and back up sources. I don’t find him crazy, just an incredibly eccentric personality XD Kvar is better at attracting people’s hatred, plus he’s directly involved with the protagonist and Mr. Hot Dad when Rodyle made Presea and Regal’s lives hell, and sometimes it seems both of them haven’t got as many fans as Lloyd and Kratos do (plus since Symphonia has lots of characters, those two join quite late and are seen as pointless as they don’t get lots of screentime either >< Regal didn’t even have unison combinations in the GC game). On my side I can say I’ve had occasions in which I’ve written Kvar as insane despite not liking this stereotype, so maybe it’s just easier to write him like that.
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I know I'm a little late to this conversation, but to which Japanese-only resources are you guys referring?
I ask only because I'd be happy to help translate them to English if I get my hands on them.
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It's really a weird translation, but I found it in the once again only japan stuff? Otherwise I thought Spiritua otherwise went through her whole journey and it ended at the Tower of Salvation like you did until like I caught hold of that like. "WAIT WHY ARE THEY IN BOTH WORLDS..." Then again Tales of Symphonia has a ton of plot holes in it as it is, such as the TELEPORTING LOW LEVELED DESIAN IN GAME THAT NOBODY EVER TALKS ABOUT WOW I will never get over that.
Oh yeah, I totally agree with the fact Kvar did something worse than that, but that was just an example of what probably was some of his usual actions. It was not just his pure sadism, but his total disregard for life period - likely even his own subordinates. Not to mention on top of making them work nonstop constantly. He kept pushing the limits and nobody ever bothered to stop him due to their own fear. On top of that since I'm in the band of saying he didn't chase after Anna himself, he probably sent so many Desians on a suicide mission after her and Kratos since he likely had to continue to run the Ranch. I imagine he didn't take too kindly to their failures either. After that, it became an obsession for him and his cruelty which was bad before just became even worse. (Not saying Kvar was ever a nice person but I do think he became excessively worse after he lost the Angelus Project. And if he was cruel before, he probably became even worse.) Kvar is a total freak honestly, once something happens that he doesn't like... he loses it. Not just the OVA, but the manga with his expression, and if you heard the japanese version how he spoke after being beaten. Basically Kvar is a horrible person who knows very full well what he's doing and the fact he takes such a cold approach to everything just for good results is terrifying.
To be honest though, for as much as Kvar had ambitions of being leader of the Five Grand Cardinals? He would have never been suited for the job like you said. He's better off with his scientific research really. And I think Cruxis knows this, thus why Pronyma was put into place instead. (That and her loyalty to Yggdrassil and her competence on top of it.)
Ugh, oh man you don't know how much I don't like Freudian Excuses at all. ( That being said, I don't think the Cardinals would ever even go on about their pasts. The closest ones seemed to be Magnius and Forcystus so they might have talked but the others I'm not so sure. )
Ahahaha oh yeah. Rodyle definitely is eccentric without a doubt and I think is better at making plans in case things go wrong. I mean, he had back up plans for his death. Flood the Ranch, he knew he was probably going to die with that in mind. When he was actually dying, set off the self destruct system. And when that was removed and the only escape lead to his dragons? He was really downright prepared. Except you know, for Mithos to come in to save the group. I wonder if he got Kvar's interest into his schemes by perhaps pointing out that Kvar should have been the leader of the Grand Cardinals - and knowing Kvar's arrogance and entitlement he went for it. I mean, Rodyle had to have some level of charisma there to get all those connections? I think Rodyle knows how to understand people in the worst way which makes them both prime for manipulating and making connections with.
Yeah I figure that's the case too with Kratos and Lloyd's connection with Kvar. 
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Nice! I like the colorful clothes she's wearing- even if you meant it to be white haha- and that you put so much thought into it!
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I could have added some more buttons though, they're everywhere in this game. Ah, it'll do anyway PX
Thank you, glad you like it!
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ohhhhh wow, you've impressed me once again *A* you've really got the symphonian clothes style down! i love this, looks just like an official design of the game. nice story as well 
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There was an odd obsession with buttons, coats and mantels in that game. Though going back to Symphonia from any other game that came afterwards also made me realize the outfits were also pretty simple, so PX
No, she isn't mentioned in the second game. It does just put some more light on the Balacruf Dinasty, while in the first game it's just a throw-away line that I didn't notice until my third/fourth playthrough.
The tidbit about the princess and him being her bodyguard was in Tales of Fandom 2.
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it's true... even the outfits from 4000 years back were quite similar fashion-wise...
and thats cool, i need to go look stuff like that up.. gives great picture ideas
thanks for telling me that !
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I forgot about the belts D: but so far they popped up on the outfits of male characters, so maybe it doesn't count for Spiritua.
That, and somehow 4000 years after both worlds still speak the same language. It... Doesn't work that way (I've studied how words change in a matter of years, specially nowadays that new technology is chunked out so fast, hell back in the 1200 you could travel on the other side of a bridge and find people speaking a completely different dialect here in Italy).
I still can't get over the Fallens (or whatever they're called in English). It has been years and it still annoys me. At least I know why no one said anything when Sheena dressed as a Desian and infiltrated a Ranch despite the fact everyone believes only half-elves can be Desians.
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so many plotholes.. well you never know, one day they might fill them in!
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Not counting on it, it has been 10 years and both manga and OVAs are done PX
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It's good!
Really awesome cloth design
Nice description too
Awesome work!
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It's more of a rant after a certain point o-o sorry
Thank you!
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