star_ocean_fan: (Immoral Feather)
Yesterday, I asked this question: Who is your favorite Star Ocean character? Today, I answer my own question (though I'm sure some people already know the answer, and I know that some people do).

I've mentioned before in gaming tips that I have a penchant for controlling the main character of the game. Most often, that is the hero of the game. I'll change it up every now and then, based on what I want or perhaps will need to do. For the most part, however, I like to control the hero of the game. That, of course, may lead some people to believe that my favorite character of any game is the hero.

When it comes to the two Star Ocean games I've played, that belief is true. I have a penchant for swordsmen. It also means I have more than one favorite character. (Who doesn't have more than one favorite character?)

From Till the End of Time, my favorite character is Fayt Leingod. He's tied at number with Luther Lansfeld. Of course, when it comes to writing fanfiction and pairing, Luther and Fayt are my OTP.

From The Last Hope, my favorite characters tied at number one are Edge Maverick, Crowe F. Almedio, and Myuria Tionysus.

I do tend to gravitate towards the main protagonist in a game or a book. There's something about that character I identify with more than I do other characters. Mind you, Star Ocean was not my first ever RPG. That goes way back to the beginning of personal gaming systems, like the Nintendo, and the release of Dragon Warrior (Dragon Quest in Japan; became Dragon Quest in the U.S. with the release of Game 8 on the PS2) for that system. However, upon playing Till the End of Time for the first time (at a friend's house), I became enamoured with it. I also became quite enthralled with Fayt Leingod. He was emo, but he wasn't emo. He wasn't as filled with angst as they could have done with him . . . at least, he wasn't in my opinion, and there was a lot the game's developers could have done with him for everything endured. Yes, he displays character growth, but the premise behind Till the End of Time's plot is very weak.

Luther wasn't really on my radar for a favorite character. It wasn't until I read a fanfic called The Devil's Thrill where he and Fayt started to bond and realize there was a potential connection between them that I became a fan of Luther and of the pairing Luther x Fayt. Plus Luther has blue eyes. I'm a sucker for a guy with blue eyes. (Yes. Fayt's eyes are green. His hair is blue. Blue is my favorite color.)

I do like most of the other characters from Till the End of Time. I'm just not enamoured with them the way I am with Luther and Fayt.

I like Crowe F. Almedio because he's something of a mystery for me. There isn't much that he isn't able to do, from what we can see of him, but what little interaction we have with him and Edge is just priceless for me. He's got the kind of confidence any person can respect and admire.

Myuria is a favorite for me as well because she's not only a strong woman, confident and beautiful, but intelligent. Yes, when it comes to her husband's death, she is ruled by her emotions and a misunderstanding, but, when she realizes her mistake, realizes what she thought was wrong, she's contrite and ready to forgive. She's mature enough to not be angered by little details or actions of a guy she has feelings for but lacks the courage to tell. Which, in my mind, if Myuria wants a guy, she could have him because she's just that awesome to me.

Edge is on my list, not just because he bears features similar to Fayt or that he could be Luther and Fayt's love child (not m-preg!), but because he shows character growth. He starts out cocky and overconfident. He makes a decision in which he gets knocked down, and he goes through a period where he's like, "I don't know what to do!" Then he comes back. It's very nice to see.

Fayt Leingod vs. Edge Maverick

For me, Fayt wins this little competition of which hero is better. Hands down. I like them both a lot, but, for as clueless as Fayt can be about things, I feel he's smarter than Edge when it comes to things happening. Yes, some of it's due to the fact that Till the End of Time is seven-hundred, sixty years into the future, but how much of an excuse can that truly be? Edge is a year older than Fayt (he's twenty to Fayt's 19). Granted, some of this has to do with the pacing of each game, but Fayt gets over his angst at what others are doing in their efforts to get him than what Edge does when it comes to a situation in which Edge lost either way.

That's just my opinion.

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The Star Ocean Universe asks: What is your favorite Star Ocean moment?

Response to follow tomorrow.

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Ask the Star Ocean Character For January - Adray Lasbard

There is a slight change for Ask the Star Ocean Character segments. Instead of weekly, the segments will appear once a month on the final day of the month. This will give people time to submit their questions, either here or at fanfiction.net.

The next character in the que is Adray Lasbard from Till the End of Time.

As per usual, the rules are as follows:

Limit three questions per person
No profanity.
Keep it clean (no sex talk)
Be nice
Have fun

Questions need to be submitted by midnight, January 28, 2013, and they can be submitted via comments, private message, or email (luthersfayt@gmail.com or thestaroceanuniverse@gmail.com).

One final thing - please let me know if you wish to remain anonymous or have a specific user handle you'd like for me to use. I will gladly keep the question asker anonymous or use the handle s/he has specified. Otherwise, I will use the name I know you by. This is something that I will be very flexible with because this is based on fan interaction as much as it is what I come up with for it.

For those of you wondering about the Roger segment, I have a few things I want to tweak on it, add to it, and I will post it as soon as possible.

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Birthday Reminders

Birthday List - covering January to June

January 1 (Late; assigned by me) - Crowe F. Almedio
January 23 (official) - Claude C. Kenny
January 25 (assigned by me) - Ilia Silvestri
January 31 (assigned by me) - Ryoko Leingod
February 3 (official) - Faize Sheifa Beleth
February 15 (assigned by me) - Peppita Rosetti
February 16 (official) - Noel Chandler
February 29 (official - can swing to either February 28 or March 1) - Precis F. Neumann
March 2 (assigned by me) - Roger S. Huxley
March 16 (official) - Meracle Chamlotte
March 28 (official) - Reimi Saionji
April 10 (assigned by me) - Adray Lasbard
April 24 (official) - Arumat P. Thanatos
May 5 (official) - Bacchus D-79
May 7 (assigned by me) - Blair Lansfeld
May 13 (official) - Rena Lanford
June 1 (assigned by me) - Cliff Fittir
June 29 (assigned by me) - Maria Traydor
June 30 (official) - Lymle Lemuri Phi

More birthdays will be added in, and reminders will be posted.

Upcoming Holidays:

Valentine's Day - February 14
St. Patrick's Day - March 17
Easter - March 31
Earth Day - April 22
Mother's Day - May 12
Father's Day - June 16

I've added in Earth Day to the list of holidays because of the message that lies behind The Last Hope. I think it's the kind of holiday that Star Ocean fans could have a field day with so I've included it for that purpose alone.

When it comes to the holidays and the birthdays, I am looking for the following: art, stories (one-shots), and poetry. The highest rating I will accept for stories and artwork is R. No explicit material please, and proofread your work. All submissions can be emailed to me at luthersfayt@gmail.com or thestaroceanuniverse@gmail.com and must be submitted no later than midnight the previous day. All genres except for smut accepted.

star_ocean_fan: (Default)
Happy Monday, everyone! Last week was obviously not a good one in terms of getting back on track. I will do it, though. I'm still figuring out the whole balancing act thing. I need to get it together.

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Star Ocean Fan Event


I'm still toying with the idea, and I'm really wanting to do this so I'm seeking out as much input from my fellow Star Ocean fans as possible. There are a few things I'd like to do at such an event, things I've seen done at other conventions and through youtube. There is more that I will need to do in order to make this reality, more than just finding out for sure if it's something all Star Ocean fans want to see and attend.

While I do what I need to do, I do want to hear from my fellow Star Ocean fans. Not only do I want to know if you'd be interested in attending, but what would you like to see at such an event? Panels with the voice actors and the game's creators are a given as well as an artist alley and dealer room. That will be about the contacts I can forge in the next year. I do have some ideas for activities, and, when I get back into the convention circuit again, I'll be on the look out for more. Anyone who wishes to leave an idea can do so through the comments or private message feature.

The other things I'm contemplating for this fan event are when (naturally), where, and for how long. Depending on how much interest fellow fans express in such an event will help me to determine the where (hotel or convention - tentative city plan is for it to be in Philadelphia) and for how long. So please leave me that feedback if you haven't already!

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Pizzas/Favorite Foods of Characters

This is something that I personally find to be quite interesting. In Till the End of Time, it's eluded upon that Fayt has a favorite food. We don't know what it is because he interrupts Maria (who does sound kind of like a stalker in knowing so much about him), but we know that he has a favorite food. In fact, if and when one browses the Star Ocean wikia, the player can find out the favorite foods for the Fantastic Space Odyssey/First Departure and Second Story/Second Evolution playable characters.

However, once we get to Till the End of Time and The Last Hope, favorite foods disappear. Oh, some are a bit easy to guess - Meracle has a penchant for grilled fish and chicken, Lymle is fond of cookies as is Faize, and Reimi likes baked sweet goods (and food in general) - but, for the most part, favorite foods are no longer a part of the game play.

This has me wondering. What are the favorite foods for the Till the End of Time and The Last Hope casts? Why didn't the game developers reveal that to us?

That brings me to the other part of this particular line of thinking. We all have a favorite food. We also have a favorite kind of pizza that has nothing to do with our favorite food. What would be the favorite kind of pizza for our favorite Star Ocean characters? I know some wouldn't know what pizza is - different cultures with different foods - but couldn't you just imagine introducing something like pizza to someone from another planet who's never eaten it before?

The Star Ocean Universe Challenge (if you so wish, no time limits, keep it clean): Write a one-shot or draw a scene between a character who has eaten pizza before and is explaining what it tastes like to one who hasn't eaten pizza before.

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Browsing eBay

I bring up eBay because it's one of the few online auction sites where a person can find Star Ocean merchandise, both official and unofficial. It's also one of the few that, as far as I know, you don't need to create an account to browse. It really is as simple as type what you're looking for into the search engine and see the results. You're only required to create an account if you're going to buy/bid.

This is where I'm going to say: Buyer, be ware.

Be very careful when looking for anything on eBay. For Star Ocean merchandise, ask yourself the following questions:

1 - Is it from Japan?

This is very important, especially when it comes to things like figures, wall clocks, wall scrolls, t-shirts, etc . . . If it says it's from Hong Kong, chances are, it's a bootleg item and nothing official. If all you're looking for is official, don't buy it if the item location is somewhere else in Asia.

Note: If the item's location is in one of the European countries or somewhere in North America (like the U.S. or Canada), chances are, it is an official product. You can always ask the seller for more information.

Exception: Doujinshi are sold in Japan. Doujinshi are not officially licensed by the company for sale.

2 - What is the item's condition?

One glance at the item's photo should tell a buyer everything s/he needs to know about the item. However, many sellers use official photos to sell a particular product. Look at the item's description if the photo appears to be too polished.

3 - Is the item worth the price the seller is asking?

Combine this with Question 2, especially when it comes to books. I try to browse eBay once a week for Star Ocean merchandise, to see what's become available and what's still available.One thing I've seen that disturbs me is the selling of strategy guides and the asking price for said strategy guide. I've come across First Departure strategy guides with frayed edges and an asking price of $40. That, my friends, isn't worth the asking price. Ten dollars, maybe. Forty for a book in a slightly beat-up condition? Hardly.

Also, don't be fooled by a seller listing a strategy guide as "rare". It might be rare on eBay for a while, but no strategy guide, new or used, is worth more than $30. Period. The Star Ocean strategy guides, while fun to have and a great addition for collection purposes, aren't that great when it comes to tips, maps, and other essential bits of knowledge. Many players who don't use the strategy guides post walk-throughs to their own websites or to gamefaqs. Plus, I'm quite certain that there are some places that still the strategy guides in their stores. It doesn't hurt to check.

4 - What is rare for collecting?

In all of my browsing of eBay (and the Yahoo! Japan auction site), I can tell what is rare and what isn't when it comes to Star Ocean. Figures are very rare. Some characters appear more often than others. Doujinshi and manga aren't quite so rare. Particular doujinshi will disappear, not to be seen for a while, but you can always contact the seller and find out if it is available. Many doujinshi sellers know the artists and can get more (or so one seller told me over a year ago).

5 - What is the quality of the item?

This applies more for cosplay. On eBay, I have seen costumes for Nel, Albel, Peppita, and Maria appear for sale. They're out of Hong Kong, and they're often under $300. This, according to Kojika, is a very decent price for a commissioned cosplay.

While the price is good, especially for the beginning cosplayer, ask the seller about the materials used. Are they of good quality so that you can wear the costume repeatedly? The better quality of materials, the longer the costume will last.

6 - Is there somewhere else where you can get the item for a better price?

I'm going to apply this to the video games. Many sellers ask for more for a game (original Second Story, Till the End of Time, and The Last Hope) than what it originally sold for in the country of origin. When it comes to the games, chances are, the answer will be yes. You just have to know where to look.

eBay is a great place to look for Star Ocean merchandise. It's where I bought my copy of the Till the End of Time strategy guide (for under $15), my The Last Hope figures of Edge, Reimi, Faize, and Lymle, my Cliff and Sophia figures (from Trading Arts), and Fayt with his wings as well as some other items, but I don't restrict myself to just eBay for buying Star Ocean merchandise. The best advice when it comes to eBay that I can give is know what it is that you want to buy, decide what you're willing to spend on something, and go from there.

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Who is your favorite Star Ocean character? (Fans don't need to restrict themselves to one game or to have one from every game.)

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