Rose
Tales of Zestiria
Default
Status: Active
Cost: ~$130
Bought and worn in 2016 - Present
When Zestiria character information was coming out in preparation for the Japanese release, there hadn't been a character who had really clicked for me...until Rose was announced not too long before the game's release. And I did not care that once the game came out in Japan, the fanbase there hated her. I knew this girl was going to be my favorite.
Rose is a victim of repeated assault. The game never actually says anything meaningful about this beyond an initial disagreement about letting her abuser into the party; furthermore, the game's writers actually have Rose feel sad about his departure. I have a lot of issues with how this character was written and what the other characters have to say about him, as well as the comedy poked at Rose's trauma. Despite all of this, I really enjoyed Zestiria for its other cast, and most of all--I adore Rose.
Her life is hard. She makes tough calls. She leads a group of people she treats like her family. She keeps people getting from too close to her by cracking jokes or acting abrasive toward them (see the epilogue with Alisha and Rose). And as much as I hate the context of this quote, she keeps on keeping on. Rose means a lot to me, and even though the game did her dirty, I'll love her forever.
I love her color palette and her outfit; it feels like one of the most practical Tales designs I've ever seen. I bought the costume from FM-Anime, along with the wig (which I ended up cutting and restyling after my first time wearing it at a con), and then I bought a pair of white skinny jeans from Target. I am always terrified of getting them dirty, but they're very comfortable, and they fit well! I used to be terrified of wearing skinny jeans, and now I love them. And the boots were just some heeled boots I found online, to which I cut up and added ribbon and bias tape.
Photos by Headphone Studios Hickekri Photography, Bittersweet Photography, Houkakyou, and Jo Bevvy
With Fractali as Rokurou from Tales of Berseria
