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star_ocean_fanI thank Kojika for discussing Star Ocean thoughts with me over at deviantArt. It's definitely nice to have someone to talk to about Star Ocean and have that same love of fandom, if not always for the same pairings. :)
Anyway, this came about when we were talking about the whole childhood friends turned romantic relationship ideal that the Star Ocean creators like to sell to the fans.
First, let's start with Star Ocean: The Last Hope, as it's the true predecessor to the games that come before it. The romantic ideal for this game is the combination of Edge Maverick with Reimi Saionji, and in the animated scenes, the writers lean very heavily towards that. For me, it's a hard pairing to even contemplate. A lot of it is due to the fact that I don't like Reimi or characters like Reimi. One, girls like Reimi try to be too perfect, and I don't go for perfection. The other thing that bugs me about Reimi is the fact that she gets jealous over the attention Edge gives to someone of the female persuasion (though Lymle doesn't seem to factor into this - probably because Reimi tries to act like Lymle's mother, which she isn't) and the two are not an official couple. Even if Edge and Reimi were the romantic couple, traveling the universe together in an effort to not only better their futures but the futures of every person on earth, the constant jealousy and need to keep Edge away from other women would eventually tear the two of them apart. The misconception of jealousy is that many people take that as it means the other person cares. No, it's a sign the other person is insecure and wants to control the one person he or she claims to love. Jealousy has a constant drive to have the one person prove that he or she loves the jealous one by making promises that aren't able to be kept or reassurance after reassurance. To be jealous like that when you're not even romantically involved with the person, that dooms your relationship from the very start.
Anyway, those are the reasons why I don't like Reimi, but they're not necessarily the reasons why Edge wouldn't trust Reimi completely in a romantic relationship. I said in a previous entry that Edge and Reimi were genetically altered by Edge's father, Arnold Maverick, in an effort to create humans who could live in a hostile environment, which Earth has become after the fictional World War III. Those who've played the game know that Edge and Reimi are childhood friends and that Edge has lived with Reimi and her family since he was little. His mother died when he was really young, and his father died when he was about six years old or so after discovering an old WWIII weapon that attacked them. One would think that in all of those years of friendship, Reimi would have trusted Edge enough with her secret about the Seeds of Hope project. These experiments were obviously done at an early enough age where Edge, Reimi, and Crowe wouldn't remember the actual procedures or the fact that it was done. Reimi only knows because she confesses that, when she was little, she and some of her friends played in an area that still possessed extreme radiation levels. Her friends died, but she lived because the Muah genetics allowed her body to adapt. Because she survived and the parents of the other children were angry at her, calling her things like a monster, her parents told her the truth about the experiments and that she'd bring happiness to everyone. I don't know what age this happened at, but I'm guessing it was before Arnold Maverick lost his life. If it had been after, this would be something Edge would remember happening. So figure at least fourteen to fifteen years, Reimi's kept this a secret and kept it from someone to whom she's very close. And it isn't just some, "Oh, I was the one who ate the last cookie but didn't want to tell you" deal. This is the mother of all secrets. "Hey, I've been genetically altered and so were you." (Not said like that, but you get the gist of it.) That is quite the bombshell to drop on someone, especially when that person has received no indication that the knowledge is bothering the one keeping such a secret.
And Reimi had a few opportunities before her instant recovery from the stone sickness to say something to Edge. The first time was after they'd been caught by the Cardianon on the Cardianon mothership, and the leader called the two of them descendants of the Muah. Edge looked at Reimi and said, "Does he mean us?" She said nothing, but just looked away, ashamed by what she knew and felt she couldn't say. The second time she had the opportunity to say something was after the first rescue of Sarah from the Clan of Sydonai. Sarah commented that Reimi and Edge look like the Muah.
Now I get that Edge has forgiven his father for performing the experiments. He even puts a positive spin on the whole situation, thanking his parents for what they've done and giving him a really cool crest. He also forgives Reimi for keeping such a thing secret for as long as she has, but I find it hard to believe that it didn't hurt his feelings that she kept such a thing secret from him for as long as she did and didn't feel like she could trust him with such a burden. If you're wanting to be with someone and you want that person's trust, you've got to display the same kind of faith for that person. It's boggling to me why Reimi would keep something like that from someone she considers a really close friend and a potential love interest. For you fanfiction writers out there that love the Edge/Reimi dynamic, please take that into consideration when writing their happily ever after. If Reimi's secret is the kind of thing that would ruin your relationship with someone, chances are, it would with Edge and Reimi as well. As I said, personally, I can't see that pairing as being even plausible. Reimi doesn't get Edge the way that someone like Crowe or Faize would, perhaps even Myuria, but those are my preferences. The two of them grew up together as friends, in the same household, and everything. As far as I'm concerned, Edge sees Reimi as a cute, younger sister who needs protection, and kissing her would be like crossing a line that should never be crossed. (Think about it. Would you kiss your sibling in a romantic fashion? I know I wouldn't!)
Reimi also doesn't display much character growth to me. She's still too much of an emotional person, even at the end. When Nox Obscuris is falling apart, and Edge is trying his best to keep a grip on Faize and pull him back up (though Faize doesn't help him AT ALL - poor Eldarian moob), Reimi does the one thing a second officer of a ship should never do: She started to run back to help Edge, and then insisted on going after him even after the floor had collapsed out from underneath her feet and Sarah saves her from certain death. She then fights Sarah as the other woman is bringing them both back to safety, all because she doesn't want Edge to die (natural reaction, really). I think the only ones who could have cleared that gap in those final moments would have been Bacchus (he's got a bit of a jetpack on his back - watch him when he's knocked down and gets back up) and Arumat, Sarah if she'd have been able to fly before returning to Roak. In those final moments, Reimi does not have her priorities straight. She's reacting too much with her heart, thinking of only Edge, when the rest of the Calnus's crew needs for her to keep it together. Also, by trying to reach Edge, she could have forced him to make a very regrettable decision, if the floor had fell apart underneath her feet at a different point. Remember, he's holding onto Faize, trying to save him because, well, Edge doesn't want to lose anyone else who's important to him. Faize is just as important to him as Reimi. If Sarah hadn't saved Reimi, Edge would have been forced to choose between Faize and Reimi, and, in letting one die (or ultimately both, since Faize lets go of Edge to slip through his grip), Edge would not be able to forgive himself ever for letting one of them die in favor of someone else. Edge is a very compassionate guy. He's just recovered from his guilt at assisting in the destruction of the alternate Earth. Forced to let someone he cares about die because someone else he cares about is danger would destroy him.
Well, what about the way Edge reacts when Reimi falls ill? What about how he goes to rescue her on the alternate Earth? Doesn't that show just how much he cares about her? Yes. It does show how much Edge cares about her and just how important she is to him . . . because she, her family, and Crowe are the only ones he's known as family from such a young age. That is a typical reaction of someone who has lost two of the most important people in his life - his parents - and doesn't want to lose anyone else. No one likes to lose the people they hold dearest in their hearts. Edge wouldn't be any different, and he's got tears in his eyes when he realizes he's going to lose Crowe in the final stand off with the Phantom Ships and the dragon protecting Nox Obscuris.
So where I do stand with other canon pairings? Specifically, the canon pairing of Fayt/Sophia and the potential Fayt/Maria in Till the End of Time. Again, personally, I can't see those pairings as viable, and some of it does come from the fact that both Sophia and Maria do annoy me. Sophia I like to classify as being pink and sweet and fluffy in terms of personality. Like Reimi, she doesn't really display much in terms of character growth. Granted, she doesn't endure everything that Fayt does from the beginning of the game, but with what she does endure, one would think it would have a major impact on her life. Think about it. She assists in facing off against the Creator and severing ties with the one who ultimately is responsible for giving her life. Yes, Luther went all insane and tried to destroy everything (and did succeed - he's only thwarted because Fayt encouraged Maria and Sophia to keep on believing in their own existences in order to survive) so he probably had it coming, but she continues on almost as if nothing has really happened. Her solo ending, yeah, she dwells on it until Ruddle and Rumina talk with her and Rumina gets all rude and stuff. However, Sophia goes back to her life. She can't live without the modern conveniences, and her power of Connection is relatively harmless when compared to Fayt and Maria's powers.
Hey, one might say. Fayt worries over Sophia almost as much as Edge worries over Reimi! Doesn't that mean something? Well, yes, it does mean something. Again, like Edge and Reimi, Fayt and Sophia are childhood friends. Best friends, even, because you don't invite someone who isn't really close to you on a family vacation with your parents whom you hardly ever see. :) There will always be a level of concern between two people who've known each other for a very long time and still care about each other after that much time has passed. The thing is, Fayt endures too much after landing on Elicoor II to ever really be able to go back to living his previous life. He's learned things, he's discovered things about himself, and he's lost a part of his innocence that can never be regained once it's lost. Personally, I think he'd be very uncomfortable, after the events he's lived through, returning to a very modern, posh posh life. He also wouldn't feel safe because of his powers, and he'd leave modern luxuries behind in order to not only keep himself safe but others as well. He is a true living weapon, and he'd not want to be used as such. Because of that, Fayt would disappear.
As for the Fayt/Maria pairing, I see it as very one-sided, and it'd be more Maria crushing on Fayt than Fayt crushing on Maria. Maria is another character that, at first, does assist Fayt in maturing a little bit. In the manga, she encourages him to start learning how to use his powers, but beyond that, she still remains cool and emotionally distant from everyone. On some level, she does freak Fayt out when they first meet by knowing so much about him. Seriously, knowing what his favorite food is? That's borderline stalker. Yes, Fayt is the son of famous scientists, and finding out what school he goes to, what sports he plays, etc . . . would be relatively easy, but to know what his favorite food is? I'd be alarmed as he was when he asked, "How do you know that?"
The one other thing that has me against Maria is the fact she takes it upon herself to tell Fayt the truth. She assumes that Professor Leingod will never tell Fayt the truth about his powers. Now, I do realize she's running on very limited information. The most that she knows is she and Fayt were experimented on and given the powers of Alteration and Destruction, but that's all she's really been able to learn (aside from finding out who her biological parents are). The way she comes across, to me, is that she wants Fayt to hate his father as much as she does for what's been done to them. While yes, it's definitely upsetting to find out that Daddy has performed forbidden research, it would be even more upsetting to find out such a thing from a complete and total stranger, or at least someone you haven't seen since you were two.
It's that line she's crossed that would create trust issues between her and Fayt in a romantic relationship as well as her cool, distant attitude. The whole researching him the way that she did definitely would add to that. ("You can't trust me enough to ask me?") Fayt doesn't necessarily need to be handled with kid gloves, but Maria lacks a certain finesse. She, too, would be too reliant on modern conveniences and too used to commanding others for a relationship with Fayt to work. While Maria does have some leadership skills, she's got nothing when compared to Fayt. He makes friends very easily, draws others to him, and such charismatic traits would disrupt that ideal situation Maria would desire. She doesn't see herself as a follower (read her inventor's stats for that) and to have other people defer to Fayt over her would grate on her. Not for the same reasons as Fayt, but she wouldn't be able to completely trust him to not overthrow her position of leadership. She doesn't abuse her position, her solo ending sees her giving it up, but if it came down to it, if she felt Quark still needed her, Maria wouldn't give up her leader status for anyone.
Mind you, these are pairings I'm not overly fond of and won't read in terms of fanfiction. I skip over the art. Those are just my personal preferences for pairings, but I also believe there's just too much emphasis on pairing. Here's what I mean.
For Star Ocean 3, my favorite pairing, my OTP, is that of Luther Lansfeld with Fayt Leingod. An unlikely duo as seen by many, about as implausible to them as Fayt/Sophia or Fayt/Maria is to me, and therefore they won't read the stories I write because of that. Okay, fine. That's something I can deal with and appreciate because, hey, I do it myself. If the person doesn't like it, but likes the story premise and reads it for that, that's cool by me, too. I'm sure if I were to find a Fayt/Maria or Fayt/Sophia story where the plot premise sounded intriguing, I might be inspired to read it. What I don't like are the people who will read it, minds made up they don't like the story based on the pairing alone, and leave a stiff and haughty-sounding review with the plot premise as the disguise for their disdain. (Yes, I've had that happen before.)
Now, I will read Fayt paired with other people so long as it isn't some sappy written drivel where the characters act like morons from a chidren's anime episode and filled with grammar and spelling errors galore. I have a very high set of standards when it comes to reading.
That being said, I do say to each his or her own when it comes to pairing and what you want to see and read. These are just my thoughts, and if it inspires those who love such canon pairings to take a different look at them, so be it. :)
On a final note, the other part of this entry's subject, I hope to see more Star Ocean games. I'd love to see Blue Sphere translated and adapted for another system like the PSP or something less portable, like the Wii or PS3. I'd also love to see follow-ups for The Last Hope and Till the End of Time and even a crossover game between those two . . . perhaps Luther has returned, or someone just as insidious as he has appeared as a threat (it is possible - he was defeated only, not killed . . . it seems like it's impossible to kill someone from the 4-D realm), and the space time continuum is threatened and only by combining forces with Edge and a select number of his crew will Fayt and a select number of his friends. Of course, if one runs with that theory, then the non-optional characters would definitely be Edge, Reimi, Fayt, Maria, and Sophia . . . I'd toss in Crowe as well simply because you don't get to have fun with him in battles. The guy can wield both a gun or a set of laser blades. That is just so cool! There's six right there so that leaves two spaces fill . . . for which I'd say leave that up to the players to choose who fills them. (I can see having Albel and Arumat in that group . . . may not be a wise idea, but I could see some people doing that!)
Actually, what would be better with that scenario is gaining everyone that you had before, including Faize, in reserves and just rotate out the ones that you need. I know I'm getting ahead of myself on this, but I really do love this series. I'm very much looking forward to playing First Departure and Second Evolution once I get a PSP, so that will take care of some of my Star Ocean game craving, but not completely. I know I may never get my wish of more Star Ocean games. The series hasn't quite reached the popularity levels of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, but there is still a large enough fanbase for more games to be made. I shall keep my fingers crossed. :)
Next entry will be more Star Ocean: The Last Hope centered . . . In fact, the next three entries at least will be TLH-centered because I'll be writing two different character studies on Edge Maverick. One will deal with how the game ended while the other will deal with Edge's actions on the alternate Earth. The third one will also deal with the alternate Earth situation, but it'll take a closer look at the influences that led to Edge's decision and the end results. Also, I'm going to start posting fanfiction snippets and chapters. The first chaptered story up will be Destinies Intertwined by Fate, a Star Ocean: Till the End of Time end-game story.
Anyway, this came about when we were talking about the whole childhood friends turned romantic relationship ideal that the Star Ocean creators like to sell to the fans.
First, let's start with Star Ocean: The Last Hope, as it's the true predecessor to the games that come before it. The romantic ideal for this game is the combination of Edge Maverick with Reimi Saionji, and in the animated scenes, the writers lean very heavily towards that. For me, it's a hard pairing to even contemplate. A lot of it is due to the fact that I don't like Reimi or characters like Reimi. One, girls like Reimi try to be too perfect, and I don't go for perfection. The other thing that bugs me about Reimi is the fact that she gets jealous over the attention Edge gives to someone of the female persuasion (though Lymle doesn't seem to factor into this - probably because Reimi tries to act like Lymle's mother, which she isn't) and the two are not an official couple. Even if Edge and Reimi were the romantic couple, traveling the universe together in an effort to not only better their futures but the futures of every person on earth, the constant jealousy and need to keep Edge away from other women would eventually tear the two of them apart. The misconception of jealousy is that many people take that as it means the other person cares. No, it's a sign the other person is insecure and wants to control the one person he or she claims to love. Jealousy has a constant drive to have the one person prove that he or she loves the jealous one by making promises that aren't able to be kept or reassurance after reassurance. To be jealous like that when you're not even romantically involved with the person, that dooms your relationship from the very start.
Anyway, those are the reasons why I don't like Reimi, but they're not necessarily the reasons why Edge wouldn't trust Reimi completely in a romantic relationship. I said in a previous entry that Edge and Reimi were genetically altered by Edge's father, Arnold Maverick, in an effort to create humans who could live in a hostile environment, which Earth has become after the fictional World War III. Those who've played the game know that Edge and Reimi are childhood friends and that Edge has lived with Reimi and her family since he was little. His mother died when he was really young, and his father died when he was about six years old or so after discovering an old WWIII weapon that attacked them. One would think that in all of those years of friendship, Reimi would have trusted Edge enough with her secret about the Seeds of Hope project. These experiments were obviously done at an early enough age where Edge, Reimi, and Crowe wouldn't remember the actual procedures or the fact that it was done. Reimi only knows because she confesses that, when she was little, she and some of her friends played in an area that still possessed extreme radiation levels. Her friends died, but she lived because the Muah genetics allowed her body to adapt. Because she survived and the parents of the other children were angry at her, calling her things like a monster, her parents told her the truth about the experiments and that she'd bring happiness to everyone. I don't know what age this happened at, but I'm guessing it was before Arnold Maverick lost his life. If it had been after, this would be something Edge would remember happening. So figure at least fourteen to fifteen years, Reimi's kept this a secret and kept it from someone to whom she's very close. And it isn't just some, "Oh, I was the one who ate the last cookie but didn't want to tell you" deal. This is the mother of all secrets. "Hey, I've been genetically altered and so were you." (Not said like that, but you get the gist of it.) That is quite the bombshell to drop on someone, especially when that person has received no indication that the knowledge is bothering the one keeping such a secret.
And Reimi had a few opportunities before her instant recovery from the stone sickness to say something to Edge. The first time was after they'd been caught by the Cardianon on the Cardianon mothership, and the leader called the two of them descendants of the Muah. Edge looked at Reimi and said, "Does he mean us?" She said nothing, but just looked away, ashamed by what she knew and felt she couldn't say. The second time she had the opportunity to say something was after the first rescue of Sarah from the Clan of Sydonai. Sarah commented that Reimi and Edge look like the Muah.
Now I get that Edge has forgiven his father for performing the experiments. He even puts a positive spin on the whole situation, thanking his parents for what they've done and giving him a really cool crest. He also forgives Reimi for keeping such a thing secret for as long as she has, but I find it hard to believe that it didn't hurt his feelings that she kept such a thing secret from him for as long as she did and didn't feel like she could trust him with such a burden. If you're wanting to be with someone and you want that person's trust, you've got to display the same kind of faith for that person. It's boggling to me why Reimi would keep something like that from someone she considers a really close friend and a potential love interest. For you fanfiction writers out there that love the Edge/Reimi dynamic, please take that into consideration when writing their happily ever after. If Reimi's secret is the kind of thing that would ruin your relationship with someone, chances are, it would with Edge and Reimi as well. As I said, personally, I can't see that pairing as being even plausible. Reimi doesn't get Edge the way that someone like Crowe or Faize would, perhaps even Myuria, but those are my preferences. The two of them grew up together as friends, in the same household, and everything. As far as I'm concerned, Edge sees Reimi as a cute, younger sister who needs protection, and kissing her would be like crossing a line that should never be crossed. (Think about it. Would you kiss your sibling in a romantic fashion? I know I wouldn't!)
Reimi also doesn't display much character growth to me. She's still too much of an emotional person, even at the end. When Nox Obscuris is falling apart, and Edge is trying his best to keep a grip on Faize and pull him back up (though Faize doesn't help him AT ALL - poor Eldarian moob), Reimi does the one thing a second officer of a ship should never do: She started to run back to help Edge, and then insisted on going after him even after the floor had collapsed out from underneath her feet and Sarah saves her from certain death. She then fights Sarah as the other woman is bringing them both back to safety, all because she doesn't want Edge to die (natural reaction, really). I think the only ones who could have cleared that gap in those final moments would have been Bacchus (he's got a bit of a jetpack on his back - watch him when he's knocked down and gets back up) and Arumat, Sarah if she'd have been able to fly before returning to Roak. In those final moments, Reimi does not have her priorities straight. She's reacting too much with her heart, thinking of only Edge, when the rest of the Calnus's crew needs for her to keep it together. Also, by trying to reach Edge, she could have forced him to make a very regrettable decision, if the floor had fell apart underneath her feet at a different point. Remember, he's holding onto Faize, trying to save him because, well, Edge doesn't want to lose anyone else who's important to him. Faize is just as important to him as Reimi. If Sarah hadn't saved Reimi, Edge would have been forced to choose between Faize and Reimi, and, in letting one die (or ultimately both, since Faize lets go of Edge to slip through his grip), Edge would not be able to forgive himself ever for letting one of them die in favor of someone else. Edge is a very compassionate guy. He's just recovered from his guilt at assisting in the destruction of the alternate Earth. Forced to let someone he cares about die because someone else he cares about is danger would destroy him.
Well, what about the way Edge reacts when Reimi falls ill? What about how he goes to rescue her on the alternate Earth? Doesn't that show just how much he cares about her? Yes. It does show how much Edge cares about her and just how important she is to him . . . because she, her family, and Crowe are the only ones he's known as family from such a young age. That is a typical reaction of someone who has lost two of the most important people in his life - his parents - and doesn't want to lose anyone else. No one likes to lose the people they hold dearest in their hearts. Edge wouldn't be any different, and he's got tears in his eyes when he realizes he's going to lose Crowe in the final stand off with the Phantom Ships and the dragon protecting Nox Obscuris.
So where I do stand with other canon pairings? Specifically, the canon pairing of Fayt/Sophia and the potential Fayt/Maria in Till the End of Time. Again, personally, I can't see those pairings as viable, and some of it does come from the fact that both Sophia and Maria do annoy me. Sophia I like to classify as being pink and sweet and fluffy in terms of personality. Like Reimi, she doesn't really display much in terms of character growth. Granted, she doesn't endure everything that Fayt does from the beginning of the game, but with what she does endure, one would think it would have a major impact on her life. Think about it. She assists in facing off against the Creator and severing ties with the one who ultimately is responsible for giving her life. Yes, Luther went all insane and tried to destroy everything (and did succeed - he's only thwarted because Fayt encouraged Maria and Sophia to keep on believing in their own existences in order to survive) so he probably had it coming, but she continues on almost as if nothing has really happened. Her solo ending, yeah, she dwells on it until Ruddle and Rumina talk with her and Rumina gets all rude and stuff. However, Sophia goes back to her life. She can't live without the modern conveniences, and her power of Connection is relatively harmless when compared to Fayt and Maria's powers.
Hey, one might say. Fayt worries over Sophia almost as much as Edge worries over Reimi! Doesn't that mean something? Well, yes, it does mean something. Again, like Edge and Reimi, Fayt and Sophia are childhood friends. Best friends, even, because you don't invite someone who isn't really close to you on a family vacation with your parents whom you hardly ever see. :) There will always be a level of concern between two people who've known each other for a very long time and still care about each other after that much time has passed. The thing is, Fayt endures too much after landing on Elicoor II to ever really be able to go back to living his previous life. He's learned things, he's discovered things about himself, and he's lost a part of his innocence that can never be regained once it's lost. Personally, I think he'd be very uncomfortable, after the events he's lived through, returning to a very modern, posh posh life. He also wouldn't feel safe because of his powers, and he'd leave modern luxuries behind in order to not only keep himself safe but others as well. He is a true living weapon, and he'd not want to be used as such. Because of that, Fayt would disappear.
As for the Fayt/Maria pairing, I see it as very one-sided, and it'd be more Maria crushing on Fayt than Fayt crushing on Maria. Maria is another character that, at first, does assist Fayt in maturing a little bit. In the manga, she encourages him to start learning how to use his powers, but beyond that, she still remains cool and emotionally distant from everyone. On some level, she does freak Fayt out when they first meet by knowing so much about him. Seriously, knowing what his favorite food is? That's borderline stalker. Yes, Fayt is the son of famous scientists, and finding out what school he goes to, what sports he plays, etc . . . would be relatively easy, but to know what his favorite food is? I'd be alarmed as he was when he asked, "How do you know that?"
The one other thing that has me against Maria is the fact she takes it upon herself to tell Fayt the truth. She assumes that Professor Leingod will never tell Fayt the truth about his powers. Now, I do realize she's running on very limited information. The most that she knows is she and Fayt were experimented on and given the powers of Alteration and Destruction, but that's all she's really been able to learn (aside from finding out who her biological parents are). The way she comes across, to me, is that she wants Fayt to hate his father as much as she does for what's been done to them. While yes, it's definitely upsetting to find out that Daddy has performed forbidden research, it would be even more upsetting to find out such a thing from a complete and total stranger, or at least someone you haven't seen since you were two.
It's that line she's crossed that would create trust issues between her and Fayt in a romantic relationship as well as her cool, distant attitude. The whole researching him the way that she did definitely would add to that. ("You can't trust me enough to ask me?") Fayt doesn't necessarily need to be handled with kid gloves, but Maria lacks a certain finesse. She, too, would be too reliant on modern conveniences and too used to commanding others for a relationship with Fayt to work. While Maria does have some leadership skills, she's got nothing when compared to Fayt. He makes friends very easily, draws others to him, and such charismatic traits would disrupt that ideal situation Maria would desire. She doesn't see herself as a follower (read her inventor's stats for that) and to have other people defer to Fayt over her would grate on her. Not for the same reasons as Fayt, but she wouldn't be able to completely trust him to not overthrow her position of leadership. She doesn't abuse her position, her solo ending sees her giving it up, but if it came down to it, if she felt Quark still needed her, Maria wouldn't give up her leader status for anyone.
Mind you, these are pairings I'm not overly fond of and won't read in terms of fanfiction. I skip over the art. Those are just my personal preferences for pairings, but I also believe there's just too much emphasis on pairing. Here's what I mean.
For Star Ocean 3, my favorite pairing, my OTP, is that of Luther Lansfeld with Fayt Leingod. An unlikely duo as seen by many, about as implausible to them as Fayt/Sophia or Fayt/Maria is to me, and therefore they won't read the stories I write because of that. Okay, fine. That's something I can deal with and appreciate because, hey, I do it myself. If the person doesn't like it, but likes the story premise and reads it for that, that's cool by me, too. I'm sure if I were to find a Fayt/Maria or Fayt/Sophia story where the plot premise sounded intriguing, I might be inspired to read it. What I don't like are the people who will read it, minds made up they don't like the story based on the pairing alone, and leave a stiff and haughty-sounding review with the plot premise as the disguise for their disdain. (Yes, I've had that happen before.)
Now, I will read Fayt paired with other people so long as it isn't some sappy written drivel where the characters act like morons from a chidren's anime episode and filled with grammar and spelling errors galore. I have a very high set of standards when it comes to reading.
That being said, I do say to each his or her own when it comes to pairing and what you want to see and read. These are just my thoughts, and if it inspires those who love such canon pairings to take a different look at them, so be it. :)
On a final note, the other part of this entry's subject, I hope to see more Star Ocean games. I'd love to see Blue Sphere translated and adapted for another system like the PSP or something less portable, like the Wii or PS3. I'd also love to see follow-ups for The Last Hope and Till the End of Time and even a crossover game between those two . . . perhaps Luther has returned, or someone just as insidious as he has appeared as a threat (it is possible - he was defeated only, not killed . . . it seems like it's impossible to kill someone from the 4-D realm), and the space time continuum is threatened and only by combining forces with Edge and a select number of his crew will Fayt and a select number of his friends. Of course, if one runs with that theory, then the non-optional characters would definitely be Edge, Reimi, Fayt, Maria, and Sophia . . . I'd toss in Crowe as well simply because you don't get to have fun with him in battles. The guy can wield both a gun or a set of laser blades. That is just so cool! There's six right there so that leaves two spaces fill . . . for which I'd say leave that up to the players to choose who fills them. (I can see having Albel and Arumat in that group . . . may not be a wise idea, but I could see some people doing that!)
Actually, what would be better with that scenario is gaining everyone that you had before, including Faize, in reserves and just rotate out the ones that you need. I know I'm getting ahead of myself on this, but I really do love this series. I'm very much looking forward to playing First Departure and Second Evolution once I get a PSP, so that will take care of some of my Star Ocean game craving, but not completely. I know I may never get my wish of more Star Ocean games. The series hasn't quite reached the popularity levels of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, but there is still a large enough fanbase for more games to be made. I shall keep my fingers crossed. :)
Next entry will be more Star Ocean: The Last Hope centered . . . In fact, the next three entries at least will be TLH-centered because I'll be writing two different character studies on Edge Maverick. One will deal with how the game ended while the other will deal with Edge's actions on the alternate Earth. The third one will also deal with the alternate Earth situation, but it'll take a closer look at the influences that led to Edge's decision and the end results. Also, I'm going to start posting fanfiction snippets and chapters. The first chaptered story up will be Destinies Intertwined by Fate, a Star Ocean: Till the End of Time end-game story.
