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star_ocean_fanHello again, everyone! Welcome to our fourth installment of Ask the Star Ocean Character! Today, we have with us Miss Meracle Chamlotte . . .
Meracle: Yay! /jumps in the air and then waves/ Hi, everyone!!
Thank you for joining us today, Meracle.
Meracle: Thank you for the delicious cookies! /rubs her belly and smacks her lips noisily/
Er, you're welcome . . . So Meracle . . .
Meracle: /munching on yet another cookie/ Yeah?
Why are you always so hungry? I have cats, who do nibble on occasion, but I've never seen anyone munch on food with the frequency that you do and not gain an ounce.
Meracle: /pauses/ No . . . I'm not always hungry . . . It just seems like it sometime. By the way, these cookies are great. Who made them?
I think it was a combination of efforts from Fayt Leingod and Luther Lansfeld.
Meracle: Who are they?
Some very cute-looking guys. Almost as good-looking as Edge . . .
Meracle: Edge is so totally cute!!!
Does this mean you have a bit of a crush on Edge?
Meracle: I guess so . . . /pauses/ I mean, he totally saved my life and everything. He's, like, my hero, and I want to be friends with him forever.
That's very sweet of you.
Meracle: Thanks. /smiles/
How do you like living with Lady Eleyna?
Meracle: It's okay . . . she and that red-haired guy, Crowe, make too much noise some nights and then they smell funny in the mornings. Say, isn't he a friend of Edge's? He looks like the same guy . . .
Yeah . . . Crowe and Edge are friends.
Meracle: Oh . . . what's he doing on Roak then?
You know, we might just have to ask him that when he's on our show. /smiles/ Do you miss any of the others?
Meracle: Yeah . . . /a bit sad/ I do miss them. Especially Lymle. She was always so fun. She liked to draw things, and I always felt warm and safe when I saw her drawing them.
That's sweet of you. Do you feel guilty for stealing Cerberus's cookie that one time?
Meracle: Well, I . . . I was hungry . . .
So that's a no?
Meracle: /fidgeting a little/ No . . . not really.
Oh . . . Does Lady Eleyna ever feed you?
Meracle: /brightens/ Oh yes! Despite her mean manner sometimes, she's quite the excellent cook! I especially love her fish and chicken dinners. They're sooo yummy!
I'm rather fond of chicken myself. Grill it, bake it, deep fry it or barbecue it, it's all good.
Meracle: Yeah . . . /becomes a wee bit suspicious/ You're not thinking of eating Sarah, are you?
What? No. I don't eat Featherfolk. I eat chicken.
Meracle: There's a difference.
A very big difference. Sarah might have wings, but wings a chicken do not make.
Meracle: Huh?
Back to the issue at hand . . . do you go fishing? I remember Lady Eleyna saying you could be quite the fisherwoman with your ocarina.
Meracle: I don't go fishing on boats, but I will sit at the piers and play. That's how Lady Eleyna catches the fish she fixes for dinner.
Wow. Fishing by playing a musical instrument. I've heard of getting rid of rats that way but never quite fishing.
Meracle: It's fun. /impish kitty grin/
Now, I've got a few more questions for you before I get to the ones asked by the Star Ocean fandom. First thing, you're able to shapeshift at will into a cat. Does that hurt?
Meracle: /shakes her head/ No . . . but it does help me get food when I want it.
I see . . . What happens to your clothes when you do turn into a cat? Are they able to mold into the form as well? I've noticed you're never naked afterwards.
Meracle: I think that they do . . . I've noticed, like you have, that I'm not naked afterwards.
And finally, how did you come by the book, Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand? It's a book that we understand is from your childhood. Is it something you always carry with you when it looks like times are dark?
Meracle: I think it was a gift from my parents, and I've carried it with me for as long as I can remember. It's the one thing that I have left of my past that I don't ever want to lose. I love Edge and Eleyna with all my heart, but I do wonder what became of my parents.
Finally, our last questions come from Mrs. Nox of Elicoor II . . .
Meracle: /bounces and waves/ Hi, Mrs. Nox!! Thanks for your question to Reimi! I've always wondered about that, too!!
Heh. I'm sure everyone's always wondered about that.
Meracle: I don't think she's always fair to him. She always gets mad at him, especially when he hasn't done anything wrong, you know?
We know. Here's her first question: Do you remember anything about where you used to live - or your parents?
Meracle: /a bit sad/ No, not really . . . I think the experiments that evil lady performed on me affected my memories. I have vague images of people that were kind and warm and understanding, but that's about it. Roak smells like my homeworld, but not . . . you know what I mean?
I think that we do. Here's her second question: Since you are obviously the signature cat-girl character, do you suffer from hairballs?
Meracle: /starts laughing/ No! I take baths in a tub, like most other people. I don't stay in my cat form for very long so cleaning fur doesn't become an issue.
True. That does make sense. And finally, her last question is: Do you think Sarah looks tasty because she has wings?
Meracle: Wings are tasty. So yeah, I think Sarah looks tasty because she has wings.
And there we have it, folks. Meracle Chamlotte, Lesser Fellpool from Roak. Thank you once again for joining us, Meracle.
Meracle: /running off with the rest of the cookies/ Thanks for the cookies! I gotta go! Bye!!
Our show will be taking about a week hiatus. We'll announce it again when we'll resume Ask the Star Ocean Character. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed our show. Join us again soon!
Some Facts about Meracle Chamlotte
Her Japanese Voice Actor is Megumi Toyoguchi.
Her English Voice Actor is Carrie Savage.
Meracle can play an instrument called the Ocarina. It's a very integral part of who she is and where she comes from.
Oddly enough but not surprisingly, one of Meracle's skill sets she brings to battle is that of ornithology - the study of birds.
She has one official toy to her name - a Play Arts figure showing her in her happy jump.
Meracle can turn into a Siamese cat at will, though where her clothes go in the process remains a mystery.
She's a constantly hungry person.
Meracle acts very young for her age.
Her astrological sign is Pisces (fish).
Meracle's favorite book is Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand, but she doesn't realize it's about her life after she starts living with Eleyna Farrence.
Item Creation Skill Set
Smithery 5
Cooking 7
Alchemy -8
Artistry 5
Engineering 2
Crafting 10
Compounding -10
Sense -1
* * * *
Character Study - Meracle Chamlotte
Name: Meracle Chamlotte
Age: 16
Hair color: blue
Eye color: green
Height: 4'10"
Weight: 88 lbs
Rank: Not applicable
Birthdate: March 16**
Weapon: Claws
Favorite food: fish and chicken (if her ending and how she reacts to Sarah are any indications!)
Quote: Not applicable
** - the Star Ocean wikia lists her birthdate as 2080, but I'm more than very inclined to disagree with this assessment for reasons that will be stated in Meracle's character study.
Meracle isn't shown in the game's manual.
From the strategy guide and in-game dictionary:
A dynamic young Lesser Fellpool. Her birthplace is known, but likely to be Roak, judging by her race. Always brimming with energy, Meracle is bright and amiable, though she hates being left alone. She apparently crash-landed on Earth after inadvertently stowing away on a spaceship; attracted by the smell of food, she boarded the ship, which then took off with her in tow. After the crash, she was apprehended and held captive in a military facility on Earth.
Meracle's only confidant in the military facility where she was held was Klaus, who was engaged in energy research at the time; otherwise, she revealed nothing about herself to anyone. She seems to have a natural talent for sniffing out people with evil intentions, though her fleeing from Edge's party at their first encounter was more likely due to her surprise at running into such an unusual group. Her subsequent friendliness with Edge is without ulterior motive, though it has been a source of alarm for Reimi. Meracle has the unique power to shapeshift at will into a Siamese cat, though where the excess mass goes (to say nothing of her clothes) is a complete mystery. Her favorite book is a picture book called Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand," a title which fits this food-loving, fun-loving catgirl to a tee.
Now . . . to completely disprove the Star Ocean Wikia's claim of her birthdate as March 16, 2080. First of all, Roak, in The Last Hope, is an underdeveloped planet. It doesn't have the technology to support a spaceship landing where someone like Meracle can smell food and board without notice. Yes, there's a landing spot for The Calnus on Roak, but it is far removed from civilization. The only way a ship could land there, attract a feline with the smell of food is if the traders (or whoever they were) were carrying it back to their ship with Meracle following close behind. Second, there's the issue of the picture book Meracle clings to for entertainment and hope: Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand. If one unlocks Meracle's ending, one will see her throwing a temper tantrum of sorts, threatening to run away, and eventually lured back by the prospect of fish and chicken for dinner. As it's playing out, an artist on a nearby rooftop watches. It is that scene that inspires him to paint the book, Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand. Meracle couldn't have a copy of a book, her favorite book, when she's rescued by Edge and his crew if she had been born in the year 2080. Third, when they first arrive to Roak and see some people similar to Meracle in appearance, Reimi comments that Roak could be Meracle's home. Meracle thinks so, too, but she also says there's a difference in the air that she can't quite identify. It's familiar but not, at the same time. This is part of why I don't like things like Wikipedia. It's too easy for someone to change the information to suit his or her needs without taking into consideration the actual facts.
Back to the character study.
Meracle isn't one of my favorite characters, and some of it has to do with her age and the fact that she is of feline descent. She acts more like she's ten or eleven instead of sixteen. Yes, not all sixteen-year-olds act their age. Many thirty-year-olds don't act their age, either. It could be that she is of feline descent that she's often playful. She and Lymle are quite suited for playing together (and giving Reimi headaches over the mess they make together). But it just strikes me as odd that, at sixteen, she's as playful as a three-month-old kitten. Given what I know of cats, they're old by the time they've reached sixteen. It could be the way that the Fellpools and Lesser Fellpools have evolved that makes her as exuberant and bouncy as a young cat. I'm not entirely sure. I'd need to learn more about Fellpools and Lesser Fellpools to be sure. (As someone whose cat is 14 and only playful when the mood strikes her, the age for Meracle just seems so . . . off.)
When it comes to character growth, Meracle is one of the ones that gets ripped off in some very major ways. Yes, she comes to realize that the Lady Eleyna she goes to live with at the end of the final battle with the Apostle of Creation isn't the same as the Lady Eleyna from her book. She does, she accepts it, and moves in with Eleyna anyway. Meracle also does have an aura of sadness about her - she's lost much in what could be considered a short amount of time; we don't know how long she's been in the military facility. The crew of the ship she accidentally stowed away upon risked their lives to save her. Klaus dies. Before Edge tells her she's got friends in him and his crew, in the moments before she makes the decision to join them, Meracle feels quite alone and doesn't want to leave. This has had an impact on her, as it would anyone her age. But beyond that, she doesn't get much in terms of character growth or development. After a certain point (handing over her ex-lithium crystal pendant, knowing who Lady Eleyna is, and having her bubbles burst after meeting the real Eleyna), she's not all that integral to the story and thus becomes more comedy relief than anything else. I find that to be very sad. As a character, she has the best potential as a martial artist, which falls short, in my opinion. Yes, she's got some spectacular moves, but you have to set up her skills just so in order to unleash devastating attacks. She uses claws for weapons and scratches at things the way a human mimicking a cat would, which, a real cat wouldn't just scratch - it'd bite and kick. There's so much talent that the creators could have utilized with Meracle as a fighter and as a character that they just didn't do, and thus failed her. There are people that sacrificed their lives for Meracle, and I'm sure that's left her feeling helpless on more than one occasion. Those losses were something that she could have tapped into to become a better, stronger fighter with some very kickass moves, which could have been brought about by witnessing how Edge pulls himself back together to fight hard for those he cares about and wants to protect. Instead, she talks about eating Sarah, pulls out a fork and knife from nowhere when she's hungry and is ready to chase down her meal (be it a bunny or Sarah), and unintentionally causes trouble for Edge with Reimi. Meracle annoys me in that, overall, she's useless after the meeting with Lady Eleyna. Her Ornithology and Crafting skills are her only redemption. I could like Meracle more if the game's writers have treated her with a little more finesse than what they did. It could be argued that Lymle, only a year younger, is as equally as useless in the same aspect as Meracle, but Lymle at least has two more tricks up her sleeve before the game reaches its culmination. It's a shame they didn't do the same thing for Meracle.
Overall, Meracle could be something more, but she just isn't in the hands of the game's writers. The other unfortunate thing for Meracle is that most fanfic writers will treat her the same way or completely disregard her altogether. My hope is that, for myself, by doing these character studies, I can at least discover what it is that bothers me about the characters in questions or discover what I love and just be true to the characters in question.
Meracle: Yay! /jumps in the air and then waves/ Hi, everyone!!
Thank you for joining us today, Meracle.
Meracle: Thank you for the delicious cookies! /rubs her belly and smacks her lips noisily/
Er, you're welcome . . . So Meracle . . .
Meracle: /munching on yet another cookie/ Yeah?
Why are you always so hungry? I have cats, who do nibble on occasion, but I've never seen anyone munch on food with the frequency that you do and not gain an ounce.
Meracle: /pauses/ No . . . I'm not always hungry . . . It just seems like it sometime. By the way, these cookies are great. Who made them?
I think it was a combination of efforts from Fayt Leingod and Luther Lansfeld.
Meracle: Who are they?
Some very cute-looking guys. Almost as good-looking as Edge . . .
Meracle: Edge is so totally cute!!!
Does this mean you have a bit of a crush on Edge?
Meracle: I guess so . . . /pauses/ I mean, he totally saved my life and everything. He's, like, my hero, and I want to be friends with him forever.
That's very sweet of you.
Meracle: Thanks. /smiles/
How do you like living with Lady Eleyna?
Meracle: It's okay . . . she and that red-haired guy, Crowe, make too much noise some nights and then they smell funny in the mornings. Say, isn't he a friend of Edge's? He looks like the same guy . . .
Yeah . . . Crowe and Edge are friends.
Meracle: Oh . . . what's he doing on Roak then?
You know, we might just have to ask him that when he's on our show. /smiles/ Do you miss any of the others?
Meracle: Yeah . . . /a bit sad/ I do miss them. Especially Lymle. She was always so fun. She liked to draw things, and I always felt warm and safe when I saw her drawing them.
That's sweet of you. Do you feel guilty for stealing Cerberus's cookie that one time?
Meracle: Well, I . . . I was hungry . . .
So that's a no?
Meracle: /fidgeting a little/ No . . . not really.
Oh . . . Does Lady Eleyna ever feed you?
Meracle: /brightens/ Oh yes! Despite her mean manner sometimes, she's quite the excellent cook! I especially love her fish and chicken dinners. They're sooo yummy!
I'm rather fond of chicken myself. Grill it, bake it, deep fry it or barbecue it, it's all good.
Meracle: Yeah . . . /becomes a wee bit suspicious/ You're not thinking of eating Sarah, are you?
What? No. I don't eat Featherfolk. I eat chicken.
Meracle: There's a difference.
A very big difference. Sarah might have wings, but wings a chicken do not make.
Meracle: Huh?
Back to the issue at hand . . . do you go fishing? I remember Lady Eleyna saying you could be quite the fisherwoman with your ocarina.
Meracle: I don't go fishing on boats, but I will sit at the piers and play. That's how Lady Eleyna catches the fish she fixes for dinner.
Wow. Fishing by playing a musical instrument. I've heard of getting rid of rats that way but never quite fishing.
Meracle: It's fun. /impish kitty grin/
Now, I've got a few more questions for you before I get to the ones asked by the Star Ocean fandom. First thing, you're able to shapeshift at will into a cat. Does that hurt?
Meracle: /shakes her head/ No . . . but it does help me get food when I want it.
I see . . . What happens to your clothes when you do turn into a cat? Are they able to mold into the form as well? I've noticed you're never naked afterwards.
Meracle: I think that they do . . . I've noticed, like you have, that I'm not naked afterwards.
And finally, how did you come by the book, Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand? It's a book that we understand is from your childhood. Is it something you always carry with you when it looks like times are dark?
Meracle: I think it was a gift from my parents, and I've carried it with me for as long as I can remember. It's the one thing that I have left of my past that I don't ever want to lose. I love Edge and Eleyna with all my heart, but I do wonder what became of my parents.
Finally, our last questions come from Mrs. Nox of Elicoor II . . .
Meracle: /bounces and waves/ Hi, Mrs. Nox!! Thanks for your question to Reimi! I've always wondered about that, too!!
Heh. I'm sure everyone's always wondered about that.
Meracle: I don't think she's always fair to him. She always gets mad at him, especially when he hasn't done anything wrong, you know?
We know. Here's her first question: Do you remember anything about where you used to live - or your parents?
Meracle: /a bit sad/ No, not really . . . I think the experiments that evil lady performed on me affected my memories. I have vague images of people that were kind and warm and understanding, but that's about it. Roak smells like my homeworld, but not . . . you know what I mean?
I think that we do. Here's her second question: Since you are obviously the signature cat-girl character, do you suffer from hairballs?
Meracle: /starts laughing/ No! I take baths in a tub, like most other people. I don't stay in my cat form for very long so cleaning fur doesn't become an issue.
True. That does make sense. And finally, her last question is: Do you think Sarah looks tasty because she has wings?
Meracle: Wings are tasty. So yeah, I think Sarah looks tasty because she has wings.
And there we have it, folks. Meracle Chamlotte, Lesser Fellpool from Roak. Thank you once again for joining us, Meracle.
Meracle: /running off with the rest of the cookies/ Thanks for the cookies! I gotta go! Bye!!
Our show will be taking about a week hiatus. We'll announce it again when we'll resume Ask the Star Ocean Character. In the meantime, I hope you've enjoyed our show. Join us again soon!
* * * *
Some Facts about Meracle Chamlotte
Her Japanese Voice Actor is Megumi Toyoguchi.
Her English Voice Actor is Carrie Savage.
Meracle can play an instrument called the Ocarina. It's a very integral part of who she is and where she comes from.
Oddly enough but not surprisingly, one of Meracle's skill sets she brings to battle is that of ornithology - the study of birds.
She has one official toy to her name - a Play Arts figure showing her in her happy jump.
Meracle can turn into a Siamese cat at will, though where her clothes go in the process remains a mystery.
She's a constantly hungry person.
Meracle acts very young for her age.
Her astrological sign is Pisces (fish).
Meracle's favorite book is Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand, but she doesn't realize it's about her life after she starts living with Eleyna Farrence.
Item Creation Skill Set
Smithery 5
Cooking 7
Alchemy -8
Artistry 5
Engineering 2
Crafting 10
Compounding -10
Sense -1
* * * *
Character Study - Meracle Chamlotte
Name: Meracle Chamlotte
Age: 16
Hair color: blue
Eye color: green
Height: 4'10"
Weight: 88 lbs
Rank: Not applicable
Birthdate: March 16**
Weapon: Claws
Favorite food: fish and chicken (if her ending and how she reacts to Sarah are any indications!)
Quote: Not applicable
Meracle isn't shown in the game's manual.
From the strategy guide and in-game dictionary:
A dynamic young Lesser Fellpool. Her birthplace is known, but likely to be Roak, judging by her race. Always brimming with energy, Meracle is bright and amiable, though she hates being left alone. She apparently crash-landed on Earth after inadvertently stowing away on a spaceship; attracted by the smell of food, she boarded the ship, which then took off with her in tow. After the crash, she was apprehended and held captive in a military facility on Earth.
Meracle's only confidant in the military facility where she was held was Klaus, who was engaged in energy research at the time; otherwise, she revealed nothing about herself to anyone. She seems to have a natural talent for sniffing out people with evil intentions, though her fleeing from Edge's party at their first encounter was more likely due to her surprise at running into such an unusual group. Her subsequent friendliness with Edge is without ulterior motive, though it has been a source of alarm for Reimi. Meracle has the unique power to shapeshift at will into a Siamese cat, though where the excess mass goes (to say nothing of her clothes) is a complete mystery. Her favorite book is a picture book called Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand," a title which fits this food-loving, fun-loving catgirl to a tee.
Now . . . to completely disprove the Star Ocean Wikia's claim of her birthdate as March 16, 2080. First of all, Roak, in The Last Hope, is an underdeveloped planet. It doesn't have the technology to support a spaceship landing where someone like Meracle can smell food and board without notice. Yes, there's a landing spot for The Calnus on Roak, but it is far removed from civilization. The only way a ship could land there, attract a feline with the smell of food is if the traders (or whoever they were) were carrying it back to their ship with Meracle following close behind. Second, there's the issue of the picture book Meracle clings to for entertainment and hope: Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand. If one unlocks Meracle's ending, one will see her throwing a temper tantrum of sorts, threatening to run away, and eventually lured back by the prospect of fish and chicken for dinner. As it's playing out, an artist on a nearby rooftop watches. It is that scene that inspires him to paint the book, Eleyna and the Feline Gourmand. Meracle couldn't have a copy of a book, her favorite book, when she's rescued by Edge and his crew if she had been born in the year 2080. Third, when they first arrive to Roak and see some people similar to Meracle in appearance, Reimi comments that Roak could be Meracle's home. Meracle thinks so, too, but she also says there's a difference in the air that she can't quite identify. It's familiar but not, at the same time. This is part of why I don't like things like Wikipedia. It's too easy for someone to change the information to suit his or her needs without taking into consideration the actual facts.
Back to the character study.
Meracle isn't one of my favorite characters, and some of it has to do with her age and the fact that she is of feline descent. She acts more like she's ten or eleven instead of sixteen. Yes, not all sixteen-year-olds act their age. Many thirty-year-olds don't act their age, either. It could be that she is of feline descent that she's often playful. She and Lymle are quite suited for playing together (and giving Reimi headaches over the mess they make together). But it just strikes me as odd that, at sixteen, she's as playful as a three-month-old kitten. Given what I know of cats, they're old by the time they've reached sixteen. It could be the way that the Fellpools and Lesser Fellpools have evolved that makes her as exuberant and bouncy as a young cat. I'm not entirely sure. I'd need to learn more about Fellpools and Lesser Fellpools to be sure. (As someone whose cat is 14 and only playful when the mood strikes her, the age for Meracle just seems so . . . off.)
When it comes to character growth, Meracle is one of the ones that gets ripped off in some very major ways. Yes, she comes to realize that the Lady Eleyna she goes to live with at the end of the final battle with the Apostle of Creation isn't the same as the Lady Eleyna from her book. She does, she accepts it, and moves in with Eleyna anyway. Meracle also does have an aura of sadness about her - she's lost much in what could be considered a short amount of time; we don't know how long she's been in the military facility. The crew of the ship she accidentally stowed away upon risked their lives to save her. Klaus dies. Before Edge tells her she's got friends in him and his crew, in the moments before she makes the decision to join them, Meracle feels quite alone and doesn't want to leave. This has had an impact on her, as it would anyone her age. But beyond that, she doesn't get much in terms of character growth or development. After a certain point (handing over her ex-lithium crystal pendant, knowing who Lady Eleyna is, and having her bubbles burst after meeting the real Eleyna), she's not all that integral to the story and thus becomes more comedy relief than anything else. I find that to be very sad. As a character, she has the best potential as a martial artist, which falls short, in my opinion. Yes, she's got some spectacular moves, but you have to set up her skills just so in order to unleash devastating attacks. She uses claws for weapons and scratches at things the way a human mimicking a cat would, which, a real cat wouldn't just scratch - it'd bite and kick. There's so much talent that the creators could have utilized with Meracle as a fighter and as a character that they just didn't do, and thus failed her. There are people that sacrificed their lives for Meracle, and I'm sure that's left her feeling helpless on more than one occasion. Those losses were something that she could have tapped into to become a better, stronger fighter with some very kickass moves, which could have been brought about by witnessing how Edge pulls himself back together to fight hard for those he cares about and wants to protect. Instead, she talks about eating Sarah, pulls out a fork and knife from nowhere when she's hungry and is ready to chase down her meal (be it a bunny or Sarah), and unintentionally causes trouble for Edge with Reimi. Meracle annoys me in that, overall, she's useless after the meeting with Lady Eleyna. Her Ornithology and Crafting skills are her only redemption. I could like Meracle more if the game's writers have treated her with a little more finesse than what they did. It could be argued that Lymle, only a year younger, is as equally as useless in the same aspect as Meracle, but Lymle at least has two more tricks up her sleeve before the game reaches its culmination. It's a shame they didn't do the same thing for Meracle.
Overall, Meracle could be something more, but she just isn't in the hands of the game's writers. The other unfortunate thing for Meracle is that most fanfic writers will treat her the same way or completely disregard her altogether. My hope is that, for myself, by doing these character studies, I can at least discover what it is that bothers me about the characters in questions or discover what I love and just be true to the characters in question.
