#rottengirladel

WAIT. 

Alvin and Ludger saving up and pooling money together to buy Jude a really cool train model and then Jude inviting them both to help him put it together

Everyone sitting on the floor together in a sea of miscellaneous train parts working together to put that shit together

Ludger getting up and making everyone snacks when he notices people getting cranky

Alvin in charge of snapping together those really stubborn bits that just won’t snap together, spending like a half an hour trying to snap together the same two pieces

Jude administering first aid to babies who can’t handle a pinched thumb

Everyone sitting in a pile together when it’s all done to admire their work for a good 45 minutes and Jude accidentally falling asleep on top of someone/both of them

yeah ;_;

Mild Xillia 2 spoilers for anyone reading this....

Well, for one, it’s the first Tales game I’ve ever seen that actually brings up any character’s sexuality in conversation.  In a VERY early skit. Actually, watch the Xillia skits “Of Monster Bondage” and “The Perfect Catalyst” on Youtube.  In one, Milla, Jude, and Alvin discuss books titled “Men and Women Beneath the Sheets” and “The Aesthetics of Being the Catcher”.  In the second skit, Alvin casually asks Jude if he swings both ways after an offhand remark about Jude not minding if Milla had chosen a male form instead. Jude does not deny it. Teepo also frequently comments on ‘bazongas’ leading to a few moments of hilarity. Xillia has a lot of moments of innuendo from Alvin, Teepo, and Rowen.

There’s plenty of other softer things, like Jude stating preferences (he likes older women), as opposed to the Tales norm of NOT DISCUSSING THESE THINGS AT ALL.  Jude also falls a decent way outside the traditional views of ‘masculinity’ and actually has several conversations about it, but manages to be quite ‘strong’ by conventional definitions anyway.  I mean, one of his costumes has pink hair clips.  He also beats monsters to a pulp with his fists, foregoing even a sword.  He’s only 15, but he’s also a highly respected medical student/actual doctor, and scientist.

Xillia 2 has Milla supporting Rowen having worn dresses (though Rowen was going along with a joke, Milla was being very serious).  There is a canon AU Jude in a romantic relationship with a male spirit.  There’s a lot of innuendo in BOTH games in general, but those are some of the stand-out moments that address sexuality specifically.  Also, in comparison to Jude and Milla, Sorey and Mikleo are especially chaste so there really aren’t any moments in Zestiria that I think anyone would find offensive that have to do with Sorey and Mikleo’s relationship.  Xillia was practically scandalous by Tales standards (but not really scandalous at all haha), and Zestiria seems perfectly sweet and tame in comparison, from what I’ve seen of it.