The Star Ocean Universe

It's the middle of the week, things are still the same on the work front, but the writing front is still taking a beating.

I think sometime this weekend, I'm going to post convention listings, not just for the U.S., but Canada, the U.K., Europe, and Japan (if I can find any - animecons.com isn't showing any just yet). I'm also aiming to hammer out some details as to which conventions I'll be at this year so if any of my fellow Star Ocean fans want to meet up, they can let me know. Granted, it won't be until August for me to get out there, but I'm going to see what I can do. I'll also include whether or not I'll be cosplaying for any of those events and which cosplays will be in rotation. Note: Figure that, once I start cosplaying, my Fayt Leingod cosplay will be a definite for me for some time to come. My dream is to cosplay him every Saturday for each event, be it in his original outfit or in one of the variants I create for fanfiction purposes.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday. The weekend is almost here!

Endings

As my fellow fans know, there are multiple endings for each playable character in the Star Ocean games. I'm not going to delve into each ending that's available and how to earn each potential one. It's something for another time, really. Rather, this is about disappointment.

You see, on my play-throughs for Till the End of Time,I've gotten the solo endings for all of the playable characters. I've even gotten the ending where Roger's still stuck in the cage because I never rescued him. (It's rather humorous, really.) I've not gotten the endings for Fayt with this character or that. The only reasons for me to aim for all of the endings is for some post-game battle trophies.

In going over the potential endings for The Last Hope and Till the End of Time, I'm rather disappointed in the endings for game three. Not that they're available but we don't get all of the potential endings. Does Luther really die at the end of the final battle? Is he in a coma somewhere instead? We know it's dangerous for him to do what he does in between the first fight and the last. Blair tells us this when she expresses her concern for her brother. But we never know if he's sent back to the 4-D realm, dead, or stuck in limbo after that final blow is delivered. (It's left up to us to figure it out if we're really wanting to know.) Heck, we don't even get to see if Blair has an ending.

I realize that it might be strange to bring up endings for non-playable characters and expressing this disappointment years after I've defeated the game. Repeatedly. Still, there are reasons for this.

1 - When going through the Urssa Lava Cave (post-game), an alternate universe Fayt fights with Luther at his side (if Fayt doesn't earn enough affinity points to gain an ending with someone else).

2 - Blair and Luther are essential to the story, even though their appearances are more than halfway through the game. Without Luther's decree and Blair's help, we don't have a game.

3 - This one is the kicker for me on this. In The Last Hope, Crowe gets an ending. Yes, the player has to earn the endings for Reimi, Arumat, and Myuria to see Crowe's ending, but he gets an ending all the same. Crowe isn't a playable character yet he gets an ending. Why? Because, though he's an NPC, he's essential to the story, and his ending leads up to the events of Fantastic Space Odyssey/First Departure.

For me, this just isn't right. I want a Luther ending. I want a Luther/Fayt ending. That, however, will be left for an entry for Game Talk. I'm not quite as done with that as I thought I was going to be.

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What is your favorite Star Ocean moment? - Response

I have two favorite moments for Star Ocean. One is for Till the End of Time. The other is for The Last Hope.

( Spoilers )

Those are my favorite moments so far in the Star Ocean Universe. I'm sure more will be added in the future.

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The Star Ocean Universe asks - What do you think Edge's powers are based on what you've observed in the game?
 

Taking a Moment

When I look out the windows of my home, one thing I can't help but notice is the scenery. You see, I currently live in the country, across the road from a farm that grows corn. Some distance behind the house is a tree farm. When I look out my window, I can see the sun shining on a warm, summer or cold, snowy day. I can look out and see when it's snowing or raining. The house I live in is old, bought by my stepdad's parents sometime in the sixties, so when the wind really gets to blowing, I can hear it. On those warm spring and summer days or in the colors of fall, I can head outside whenever I want and just soak it up. I can take a blanket out with me along with some notebooks and pens and write.

The Star Ocean games have really opened my eyes on what it is we truly have to lose, either to a rapidly changing climate or to war. I personally can't imagine what it's like to not be able to go outside when I want to, to feel the sunshine warming me up, to go swimming in one of the local lakes, to walk among the colors of fall, or to feel the clean, crisp air of a wintry day. I don't like being outside during the winter because I'm not overly fond of the cold, but it's still something I can do when the mood strikes me. The human cast members of each Star Ocean game - Edge Maverick, Reimi Saionji, and Crowe F. Almedio (The Last Hope - The Eldarians and Morphus also don't experience the same things due to controlled or harsh environments); Ronyx J. Kenny and Ilia Silvestri (Fantastic Space Odyssey/First Departure); Claude C. Kenny (Second Story/Second Evolution); and Fayt Leingod, Sophia Esteed, and Maria Traydor (Till the End of Time) - really do not have that kind of a luxury. For those from The Last Hope, Earth's atmosphere is in critical condition. People live in underground cities in order to survive. For those from the first three games, Earth's atmosphere is stabilized but controlled. Animals are vague memories. Trees grow, snow falls, but it isn't the same as what we in real life (and those fictional characters from the underdeveloped planets of Roak, Expel, Vanguard III, and Elicoor II) experience. Please note, also, that what we currently experience in our real lives isn't at all similar to what the fictional characters from Roak, Expel, Vanguard III, and Elicoor II experience. If there are any similarities, it would be to what our ancestors experienced hundreds of years ago when first coming to the Americas or before the discovery of the Americas.

I think the ones who would be the most amazed by natural weather in a natural environment would be from The Last Hope. Edge, Reimi, Crowe, Faize, and Arumat would, when they allowed themselves those brief moments, would truly stop, look around, and stare in wonderment at what they were seeing. Edge, Reimi, and Faize, for sure, would be, at first, afraid to walk on the grass because, to them, it's delicate and should be cherished. Such a fear would be overcome because they have their missions to complete, but it would also be something that they would take the opportunity to lay in and feel it against their skin.

This isn't to say the casts from the other games wouldn't take those moments to lay in the grass and go swimming because it is something I feel all of them would do. Of the human characters, the two I feel that would do it the most are, naturally, Edge and Fayt.This is mostly because I know the planets they're able to visit, and where some of the best places for them to lounge around and have a picnic, as it were, are.

It isn't lost on me that these characters live in the Eternal Sphere, the brain child of Luther Lansfeld of the four-dimensional realm. His world is just about as bleak as the majority of the playable characters for The Last Hope. For him, there is no concept of time. For Luther, he lives in a pristine, white and technologicall advanced world where nothing ever changes and that has left him bored and seeking something different, something flawed that makes it perfect. He and his team of developers create the Eternal Sphere, I think not only for money but because it gives them something to look forward to, to create, and to enjoy themselves. It makes perfect sense for me that he'd do anything to protect it (even if it means destroying or attempting to destroy it in the end).

For my fellow Star Ocean fans (and anyone who comes across this and reads it), take a moment. Take a moment and step outside. Feel the sun on your face, the cool breeze on your skin, and to soak up the colors of fall and spring. Go for a drive and find a nice spot to have a picnic. Be kind to Mother Nature because, as of right now, this is our only home in the universe, and, though the events be fictional, if we do not want them to come to fruition, we must be mindful of how we take care of ourselves, our fellow humans, and our environment. Let's not leave it for future generations to worry about.

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Some Things the Developers of Star Ocean Got Wrong

This is a nitpick on my part, and it's aimed at some of the scenery we see in the games. It isn't about the characters or the overuse of "gentically altering an individual for this reason or that". Heck, it isn't even how poor of a villain Luther is compared to the Apostle of Creation or even Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. Rather, this nitpick is about some of the environments created for the underdeveloped planets.

The grass is often too short.  The grass in various places on Aeos, Roak, Vanguard III, Elicoor II, and any other underdeveloped planet, even in parts of Lemuris, is too short for the given areas where we see it.

Now, you might be thinking that I'm being a bit ridiculous about this, but think about it: In the summer, when there's the right combination of water and sunshine, grass grows. And it grows. It will continue to grow as long as someone isn't mowing the lawn either on a frequent or infrequent basis. If the seaons don't consist of constant weather change or only experience mild winters with little snow, grass can grow to be as tall as wheat without someone tending to it. There are places on Aeos where the grass should be taller than Edge, on Elicoor II that reach Fayt's waist, and so on. Everything is neatly trimmed despite not having enough human or humanoid traffic to warrant it being so, especially on Aeos and in the fields between Arias and Peterny and Peterny and the Sacred City of Aquios. (There are no signs of any kind of livestock in Till the End of Time to warrant the grass being short, either.)

If anyone knows anything about a wild, untamed wilderness is that the grass is at least half the height of an adult human. In ancient forests and in rainforests, this doesn't hold true, not when the trees are tall and their branches thick and filled with fat leaves. This makes some parts of Aeos and Elicoor II very accurate, but there are many patches of land that just look like perfectly manicured lawns. Aeos was likened, by Reimi no less, to Earth's Jurassic era. There should have been many areas with grass reaching the tallest character's chin.

Also, there's the lack of huge piles of snow in places like Airyglyph and Lemuris. Now snow is something that can fall in a somewhat neat way. It can also form a crust, so to speak, so people can walk along the surface without sinking with every step. For these places, the snow should be piled higher than what it truly is. I've only been through mountainous areas a few times in my life, in the spring and in the summer, but, in the distance, when I've looked upon those mountains, I've been able to see the snow. Wind Swallow Valley is the only place that has the right amount of snow for a cold planet. Airyglyph, between the castle city and Kirlsa, not so much.

This leads me up to another thing I feel they did wrong, something I'm sure I've mentioned before - the lack of farms. It's definitely implied that farming takes place. If it didn't, players shouldn't be able to buy things like steamed buns, apple pies, or any other restorative item and, for The Last Hope players, item creation ingredients available. Now, I know that, when one steps into the village of Triom The Last Hope, there are visible gardens. That explains how one can buy (for the short time) certain things at the shops there. It doesn't explain how the shops in Woodley come by their items for sale or in the shops on Roak or En II (or the shops in the other games, for that matter - Whipple on Vanguard III, I believe, has an area for farming, but that's it for Till the End of Time). Where are the farms? Where is the wildlife that often makes up forests and fields and deserts? Yes, we have the monsters to fight? On Aeos, where are the mammals? I've seen snakes and bugs and have heard birds on Aeos and Roak - one can even see water spouting up in the oceans in the distance on Roak - but there are many things these areas simply lack that, while minor in terms of details, could enhance the game so much more.

Please do not get me wrong on this. I realize that a lot of what's been left out has been done intentionally due to different factors - money, storage space, and the like. It's especially true for the older games where everything is saved to a memory card, but the platforms are changing. Information earned throughout the gaming is stored into the consoles themselves, but the graphics are all on a disk. I rather like seeing how realistic a different planet could be. Every time I play, no matter how many times I play, I see those wonderful graphics for these inhabitable planets, and every single time I think . . . I want to go there. I want to see those strange yet similar oceans for myself. I want to go swimming in them. I want to stand in the shade of those tall, ancient trees, to smell the strange scents of flowers not found on Earth, and to simply experience as much of everything about that planet as I can. Imagine how intense it would be if those little things - tall, untamed grass; wild herbivorous animals roaming in the meadows; huge piles of snow that are a work out to walk across; farms growing unique grains, fruits and vegetables with similar yet different kinds of livestock - were there to add to that experience?

It's only my opinion, of course.

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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.

Fanfic Writing Tip #9 - Leaving Reviews and Letting Your Work Stand on Its Own

At some point, fanfiction writers read fanfiction. In fact, reading fanfiction inspires other fanfiction writers to actually write instead of dream/daydream the scenarios in our heads. I know that's how I finally got my start as a fanfiction author.

Now, there are many things I see when browsing sites like fanfiction.net, things I don't necessarily like or think an author should be doing when writing summaries and author's notes. Things in summaries like "plz read and review" are not appealing to me, and they don't draw me in to read the story. Reading in an author's note "I'll update after I receive X number of reviews for this chapter" or "What's your excuse for not reviewing?! Review, gosh darn it!" are the kinds of things that inspire me to either not pick the story up again or leave a very harsh criticism of the work and the writer's attitude. (What one may think of as being cute and funny doesn't necessarily come across that way in black and white.)

Yes. I will admit right here, right now that reviews are gravy. They're awesome, and they go a long way in boosting a writer's confidence and inspiration. Those seeking professional publication will ask established author's for a quote to garner more sales. Book reviews either boost sales or decimate them. However, in the online world of fanfiction publishing, writers aren't paid, except in reviews, and the only things reviews are good for are pointing out where we've made mistakes and ego-boosting. To me, it's in bad form to require a reader to review your work and to require reviews in order to update. That says, in my mind, "I'm a review whore. That's the only thing I care about so that's why I'm writing this story", when that may not even be true. (These are also the kinds of writers who annoy me because I will leave a review and it isn't what they want in a review. They're also the ones that tell me "it's just for fun. Don't like it, don't read it." To that, I say, "Don't want people leaving you their honest thoughts, don't ask for reviews". Yes. I have a slight mean streak.) Readers are in no way obligated to read a person's works. They're in no way obligated to leave a review.

Let your work stand on its own. Write the story. Let your skills at summarizing and writing a compelling tale lure the reader in. Pack it with emotion. Give the reader a reason to write that review to you based on the emotions you've drawn out of that person, not because you need your ego-stoked.

Addendum to last week's writing tip.

Last week I wrote about writing in a logical order and using logic to write your story. That is something that will only go so far, and I was reminded of that when I read last week's Daily Kick by David Farland. There are times when logic will need to be thrown out the window, and it's often based on the kinds of situations the protagonists and antagonists find themselves facing . . . Unexpected reactions to conflict are good. Writing a single parent leaving his two-year-old child sleeping at home alone is still bad, though, because then the reader is expecting something bad to happen while he's gone and then nothing happens and there's a feeling of being cheated out of something really good.

Also, please note, I'm coming across as harsh, and my intentions are to actually help people with their fanfiction writing. I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds the behavior I've encountered in the last decade of fanfiction writing and reading to be annoying . . . I just happen to be quite outspoken on a lot of issues. So while I may sound harsh (it's the disadvantages of text-based forums and formats), it isn't my intention. Writing fanfiction may be for fun . . . but the reasons for reading don't ever change.

Next week's writing tip . . . Writing Songfic

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Halloween In the Four-Dimensional Realm

Given that the world of Star Ocean is nothing more than a fabrication, a multi-player game, the brilliant child of the brain trust at Sphere 211, it isn't too far of a stretch to think that Halloween exists in the four-dimensional realm. It isn't too hard to believe that the creators of the game implemented many holidays and traditions into the game they themselves celebrate. To do so gives the game a sense of familiarity for the players.

How do I see Halloween in the four-dimensional realm? Well, I don't see the likeliness of a real pumpkin being carved into a jack-o-lantern. Maybe there would be what we see in stores like Wal-Mart and KMart . . . ceramic, glass, plastic, plastic covered in glitter . . . If it's a "real" pumpkin, chances are it was fabricated from a replicator.

Ghosts would probably be no different than what we see . . . white sheets or ephemeral wisps depicted in paint . . . something fleeting.

Zombies, ghouls, and demons wouldn't change from what the players see in their gaming experiences. Witches would have gone from ugly old crone to cute and sexy little caster.

All of this would translate into what the worlds and cultures in the Eternal Sphere would see for their Halloween traditions.

Now, if you ask me who would celebrate Halloween out of the four-dimensional beings we encounter in Till the End of Time, I'll address that in the Halloween costumes sections.

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Halloween Costumes, Part Four, Segment One

By now, we're seven hundred plus years into the future of the Star Ocean series. Customs have been traded and upgraded, new holidays added into schedules, and more than one culture celebrates All Hallow's Eve. For this part of the Halloween Costumes segment, I'll be focusing on the following characters: Maria Traydor, Peppita Rosetti, Sophia Esteed, Lieber, and Marietta. I'm also going to toss in Belzeber and Flad, from the 4-D realm.

First up is Maria.

Of this particular group for today, I actually find her the hardest to determine the kinds of costumes she'd wear to go trick-or-treating. Her personality is far different when we first encounter her than what it was as a child. Was she the princess/ballerina type? Personally, I think her parents might have raised to be a little of both the girly type and the boyish type. Her mother is a scientist, her father a soldier . . . heck, she could have dressed up as a soldier-scientist hybrid as an homage to her parents. I do think princess and ballerina, too . . . maybe even a Featherfolk or Lesser Fellpool, too. This would, of course, continue until the destruction of her home and the deaths of her parents. I do feel that Cliff and Mirage would try their best to get Maria to go trick-or-treating once she's in their care, because it would offer up a sense of normalcy after everything she's endured. I'm just not sure Maria would go for it because of everything she's endure. Losing your parents at a young age and in a violent manner like that tends to force a child to mature emotionally in many ways than it would others who haven't lived through such trauma.

Peppita is a little easier for me to decipher. She wants to be famous, and she's learned to dance. Princess or ballerina or even dressing up as a famous dancer/singer/actress would be her style.

Sophia is also very easy for me, and I can see her insisting upon themed costumes with Fayt, much in the same way Reimi would with Edge and Crowe. Fayt would have an easier time drawing the line on what he wouldn't want to hear for costumes with Sophia. It would simply depend on what she'd want to dress up as for Halloween, and I can see her wanting to be a princess. Almost every single year. It is a fascination with her, princesses. (This is based on the kinds of responses Fayt can give her when she's joined the party and in places like Aquios and Airyglyph.) And the dress would be pink or maybe pale blue or lavender . . . but mostly pink. I'm pretty sure that's her favorite color. (She wears a lot of it.)

Lieber . . . Oh, Lieber . . . yes . . . I believe Klausians, after years of dealing with Earthlings, would celebrate Halloween. Lieber, before meeting Cliff and Mirage and falling in love with Maria, would want to be something . . . dynamic . . . heroic . . . noteworthy. He's very  much a romantic at heart. Knights, poets . . . elves . . . those would be what he'd want to dress up as for Halloween.

Marietta is another one I'm finding a little difficulty in determining. In truth, interactions with her (and Lieber) are on the limited side. Still, I think Marietta is tough, despite some of her cringing in a crisis (but then who doesn't?) . . . a pixie or a fairy from Klausian folklore would be cool. She has the features for something so delicate (at least in modern day Disney portrayals) . . . I could also see her (or even Sophia) wanting to dress up as Raggedy Ann, if that somehow is revived after World War III . . . and I think a fighter pilot. She becomes a member of Quark and is the communications officer on The Diplo. A fighter pilot isn't too far-fetched.

Flad is still a kid so I'm sure he'd head out trick-or-treating to his neighbors' homes. He'd be dressed as either his character persona from the Eternal Sphere or some other kind of character, i.e. elf, menodix, etc . . .

Finally, the second add-in for this, Belzeber.

Out of the enemies I've encountered in Till the End of Time, Belzeber has to be one of two of the power-hungriest characters (the other being Duke Vox). I don't lump Luther, Azazer, or Berial in that category for other reasons, which will be discussed at a later date. As the child of a powerful information technology magnate, Belzeber would be the child of entitlement, and his costumes for Halloween would reflect that - corporate businessman every year. He might switch it up every now and then, depending on who his friends are (which I do see him having Blair, Luther, Azazer, and Berial for a group of friends . . . for a while) . . . he might dress up as the hero to Luther's villain . . . but I don't see him deviating away too much from what he truly wants to be in his life - a powerful businessman controlling the 4-D realm.

And thus concludes today's segment of Halloween Costumes, Part 4. Tomorrow will see Cliff, Mirage, Robert Leingod, Ryoko Leingod, Blair, Azazer, Nel Zelpher, Roger S. Huxley, Adray Lasbard, and Clair Lasbard.

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Halloween Fanfic Entries

This was written as a surprise giftfic for missnox!

Title: Halloween Culture Shock
Characters: Albel Nox, Fayt Leingod, Maria Traydor, Sophia Esteed
Pairing: Albel Nox x Fayt Leingod
World: Till the End of Time
Rating: PG13
Warnings: male/male relationship, language, violent urges (It has Albel in it!)
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean - Till the End of Time. The game and the characters from the game belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don't profit financially from writing this.
Summary: Albel receives a culture shock when Fayt invites him to celebrate Halloween on Earth.

( Read more... )

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This was written as a surprise giftfic for Rachel Snowden on deviantart.

Title: A Trick For a Treat
World: Till the End of Time
Characters: Albel Nox, Fayt Leingod, Sophia Esteed, Maria Traydor, Lieber, Luther Lansfeld
Pairing: Albel Nox x Fayt Leingod, Maria Traydor x Lieber
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language, male/male relationship, violent tendencies
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean - Till the End of Time. The game and the characters from the game belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don't profit financially from writing this.
Summary:  Albel decides what he wants the most for the Hallowed Night’s festivities.
Author’s Note: The Hallowed Night is what I’m calling Elicoor II’s Halloween-type holiday.

 

( Read more... )

 

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This was written as a surprise giftfic for Charryblossom over at deviantart.com

Title: Lonely Hallow’s Night
World: Till the End of Time
Characters: Albel Nox, Nel Zelpher, Clair Lasbard, Adray Lasbard, Tynave, Farleen, Fayt Leingod
Pairing: Albel Nox x Nel Zelpher
Warnings: mild language, implied sexual situations
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I don’t own Till the End of Time or the characters of Fayt Leingod, Tynave, Farleen, Nel Zelpher, Clair Lasbard, Adray Lasbard, or Albel Nox. They belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix. I don’t profit financially from writing this story. I do profit from surprising people with these stories. XD
Author’s Note: Canon pairing. Not much else to say about it except I could have used Charry’s character, Charry, but I never asked her for permission to do so . . . plus I know from her cosplay photos, she’s an Albel x Nel fan.
Summary:  Nel and Albel stare at the moon on the Hallowed Night.

 

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This was written as a surprise giftfic for Kojika on deviantart.

 

Title: Carving the Pumpkin (Part Two)
World: The Last Hope
Characters: Edge Maverick, Faize Sheifa Beleth
Pairing: Edge Maverick x Faize Sheifa Beleth
Warnings: Male/male relationship, implied sexual situations
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters of Edge Maverick and Faize Sheifa Beleth or Star Ocean: The Last Hope. They belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively. I don’t profit financially from writing this story.
Summary: Faize and Edge share some time alone on The Calnus and discuss the ways to carve a pumpkin.
Author’s Notes: Yes, I know I have a story up called Carving the Pumpkin, featuring Luther Lansfeld and Fayt Leingod from Till the End of Time. The idea of carving a pumpkin with Faize was just as appealing to me, and I’m not above rehashing story titles where appropriate.

( Read more... )

 

 

(more fanfic in another entry)

 

Halloween Reminder

I'm still  seeking Halloween themed Star Ocean artwork, photography, and fanfiction to celebrate the holiday. Figures next to Halloween decorations, characters in costumes, and people dressed in cosplay with Halloween decorations in the mix are definitely welcome. Fanfiction should be kept to drabbles, short stories, and vignettes. Chaptered fiction will be accepted ONLY if the story is completed. Everything should be kept at the PG-13 level. No nudity at all, and sexual situations MUST BE IMPLIED. I will not accept anything with explicit material. All games are welcome!

All submissions can be emailed to me at luthersfayt@gmail.com, and your help is greatly appreciated!!

Please, when submitting any Star Ocean fiction of any kind, include the following:
Story Title
World (for everything but birthdays)
Rating
Pairing, ONLY if applicable
Warnings, if any
A Disclaimer
A Claimer on OCs
Author's Notes, if any

Thanks!

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Halloween Costumes, Part Two - Ronyx J. Kenny and Illia Silvestri

Here's where I'll be having a bit of fun since I don't know the characters all that well.

It has returned, the Halloween costumes discussion. Yay! 

By the time the events of First Departure roll around, I'm going to guess that, where Halloween is concerned, either nothing has changed in how the day is celebrated or traditions have evolved based on the number of alien races encountered over three hundred years. Either way, I can imagine that the custom of dressing up for Halloween remains intact.

However, with the introduction of alien cultures and customs, the kinds of costumes available to Ronyx and Illia as children would be far greater in variety. Not only would there be the options of wearing alien costumes but the kinds of creatures from ancient folklore as well. I'm given to understand that both Ronyx and Illia are quite intelligent (my First Departure manual says Illia has a Ph.D) so experimenting with costumes seems like, to me, something they'd do. However, for this entry, I'll stick with traditional Earth costumes.

Ronyx, in my researching, seems like a very straight-forward, honorable, noble guy, and is an archer/long-distance fighter. Because of my researching into his character, I can see him dressing up as a samurai or medieval bowman. He might actually deviate away from something noble because it would be predictable. I'm thinking zombie captain for Ronyx or perhaps vampire - something that would let him be bad for the times he can't be bad: a shake-up to his routine, if you will.

As an adult, he might just pay homage to Roddick (Ratyx) by dressing up as a Fellpool or something themed with Illia.

Illia, on the other hand, is presenting more of a challenge for me in terms of costumes. She's an intelligent woman, was probably quite intelligent as a child. She'd want to dress up as something fun, in my mind's eye, like something out of a beloved book or perhaps something to reflect her intellect. Of course, I haven't had the chance to play First Departure so I just don't know how "girly" she is in terms of personality. Dressing up as a classical witch might be her style, too. One can never tell.

As an adult, I can see her dressing up as a sexy nerd or a seductress. Whatever happens to tickle her fancy at the time.

** This was written based off what I learned about the characters at Star Ocean wikia . . . probably not the best I can come up with, all things considered, but I wanted to write about First Departure for a change over The Last Hope and Till the End of Time (despite how much I love both games). Feel free to offer up thoughts on how you think Ronyx and Illia would dress for Halloween.

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Fanfic: Carving the Pumpkin
Status: One-shot
World: Till the End of Time
Pairing: Luther Lansfeld x Fayt Leingod
Rating: PG-ish.
Warnings: pointless story, some fluff, male/male situations. Nothing sexual, no language
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Ocean - Till the End of Time nor the characters of Fayt Leingod and Luther Lansfeld. They belong to tri-Ace and Square Enix. I do not profit financially from writing this story.
Summary: Luther faces one of his greatest challenges yet - carving a pumpkin for Halloween.

 

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And that kind of does it for today. I hoped to have more, but it just didn't pan out so . . . Have a good Tuesday!

Personal Front Update

Starting on Monday, I'll be working first shift at a local manufacturing plant. Since it's first shift, my computer time will be cut from what it currently has been to being a little more restricted. Monday through Wednesday, I'll be able to walk to the local library after work, and use the computers there for about an hour or two while my mom attends her classes. Saturdays, so long as bowling is going on for my sister, I'll be able to use her computer. Thursday, Friday, and Sunday will pretty much be out of the question. The weekly schedule, until I've saved up enough for a computer of my own, land a different job or shift, is now out the window. I'll post what I can, when I can until then.

Despite the time it'll take away from this blog, this is actually a very good thing for me. It means that I can now really start gathering merchandise, not just for blog display purposes, but for myself, and hopefully get to conventions where I can talk with people who've had a hand in creating Star Ocean and in bringing the characters their voices. (Steve Staley is number one on my list. :)) I also can really start work on some of the projects in the project list (ball-jointed dolls, plushies, cosplay, etc . . .). I can also buy myself a PSP to play First Departure and Second Evolution. I also plan on finding a way to get my hands on Blue Sphere and an original copy of Second Story.

Without any further adieu, the following are postponed indefinitely or until I've bought a computer for myself (figure about the end of June/beginning of July, depending on how things turn out):

Chapter postings for Destinies Intertwined by Fate *
One-shot postings
For fun photo shoots
Ask the Star Ocean Character
Facts about the characters
Character Studies
Game reviews
Dream Houses
Birthday determinations

* While posting the chapters is on hold, writing it isn't. Writing isn't postponed period. Work will inspire the creativity to flow.

With all of this in mind, I still encourage people to suggest writing conversation topics. I will certainly try to keep up with the Star Ocean birthdays - next one is Bacchus, a week from today, and, since I know what the upcoming weekly schedule is going to be like, I will definitely be able to get something done for Bacchus the way I did Arumat. The next one will be slightly trickier - it's Lymle, towards the end of June.

Beyond that, I'll keep posting topics related to Star Ocean. Game Talk will still be on simply because I still have some more ideas to share.



Resting high in the trees.

Two photos for today. I know it isn't much, but it's what I can do at this moment.

Hope everyone's having a beautiful Saturday!

This is the final call for Ask the Star Ocean Character - Meracle Chamlotte. You have until midnight Wednesday, April 18, 2012, to submit your inquiries. There's a limit of THREE questions per person. You can submit questions via reply or PM. As I've said before, if you wish to remain "anonymous" or have a specific name you'd like for me to use, please let me know, and I will accommodate you.

Again, final call for Ask the Star Ocean Character - Meracle Chamlotte. After this, Ask the Star Ocean Character is postponed so I can sort out the order and get a few more games played. I'd like to be able to cover all of the games, saving my favorite characters for the absolute last.
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What do my fellow Star Ocean fans think? Again, I will reiterate that this is a FICTIONAL scenario. While the possibility of a World War III exists and it potentially possessing severe, holocaustic capabilities, the chances of the outbreak are slim. Too many people do fear that possibility, and I believe that our current governments want to avoid it as well. I will also ask that, while you don't have to like what I'm saying about a fictional futuristic life, you at least keep an open mind about the possibilities for the truth is: we don't know what the future will hold.
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This is the final call for Ask the Star Ocean Character - Maria Traydor. You have until midnight Wednesday, April 11, 2012, to submit your inquiries. I'm now changing it to a limit of THREE questions per person. If you've already asked a question, you have two more you can ask. You can submit questions via reply or PM. As I've said before, if you wish to remain "anonymous" or have a specific name you'd like for me to use, please let me know, and I will accommodate you.

The next character lined up for Ask the Star Ocean Character is Meracle Chamlotte. Inquiries can be submitted as soon as the call for it is announced, which will be Thursday, April 12, 2012.

Also, an unrelated announcement: There will be a one-shot posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, specifically for Arumat P. Thanatos as it is his official birthday. :) I will accept one-shots and artwork to celebrate the fighting tank's birthday as well. For fanfiction, please use this format:
Title
Rating
Warnings (if applicable)
Summary
Disclaimer
Author's Notes (if applicable)

All artwork and fanfic can be emailed to me at luthersfayt@gmail.com

No, I will not be doing an impromptu segment of Ask the Star Ocean Character for Arumat that day nor will I be conducting his character study. That is reserved for a later date.

I have thought of doing this for some time, and I know I've missed the March birthdays for The Last Hope cast. I will make up for it. The next birthday coming up, I do believe, is Edge Maverick on July 30. (I'd like to be able to do this for all Star Ocean characters, but it appears as if The Last Hope cast members are the only ones available. Kind of a bummer. I'd love to know when Fayt's birthday is.) I have no idea what the strategy guides for First Departure and Second Evolution say for those characters so . . . As of right now, the only ones with birthdays, to my knowledge, are the ones from The Last Hope.

Yeah, that makes me sad.

I really don't have much in mind for a writing/conversation topic today . . . I still am open to suggestions (please put Writing Topic in the reply subject so I know to write an entry for it, not just a reply back). I'm even open to suggestions for games 1 and 2, though I've yet to play them. Those I will save for a later date, like after I've played, but I am open to those suggestions! This blog isn't just about Till the End of Time and The Last Hope. It's for ALL Star Ocean games. I'm the one that's limited in what to talk about right now. That's all.

I am considering a bit of a short subject . . . namely the hair color for the heroes in each game and something that seems to be a bit of a pattern . . . Here's what I mean.

Now, I own all four of the major games. I'm still looking to get my paws on Blue Sphere, even though it'll only be in Japanese, unless Square Enix gets it translated and released for something like the DS or PSP (which they did with First Departure and Second Evolution). Here is what I'm noticing about hair color.

The hero for Game 1/First Departure, Roddick Farrence, has blue hair, albeit somewhat of a pale blue.
The hero for Second Story/Second Evolution, Claude C. Kenny, has blond hair.
The hero for Till the End of Time, Fayt Leingod (or Fate Linegod), has blue hair, which is a darker shade of blue.
The hero for The Last Hope, Edge Maverick, has blond hair.

See the pattern? ^_^

What I find interesting about these main characters is this: With the exception of Roddick, who is a lesser Fellpool/Feline Folk and a descendant of Elena Farrence and Crowe F. Almedio (whose human blood would be so miniscule, chances are it doesn't exist anymore), the rest of the heroes are human. Of those humans, Fayt is the only one who is a "blue-nette". This, naturally, comes from his mother, who is also a blue-nette. I am guessing that Ilia Silvestri is Claude's mom, hence his hair being blond, but no one knows about Edge or why his hair is blond. Perhaps both of his parents, who are deceased by the time the events of the game happen,were blonds. Anything is possible, right?

Even more interesting to me is this: With the exceptions of Fayt Leingod and Maria Traydor, any humans in the parties have natural hair colors. Ilia, Cliff, Peppita,and Mirage are blondes, Ronyx, Reimi, Ashton, and Sophia are brunettes, and Nel and Crowe are redheads. Albel, of course, is a little unusual with his two-tone hair, but even then it's a blond/brunette combination, not green or blue. Most of the alien races have different hair colors: Faize - light green, Arumat - silver, Meracle - blue, Myuria - pink, Celine - purple, Sarah - redhead . . . well, you get the idea. From pictures, I know Ashton is a brunette. Roger is as well . . . unfortunately, I don't know all of the cast members aside from what information is in my game manuals so if I've missed anyone, I do apologize.

Does this mean there is alien blood somewhere in the Leingod family line? Possibly. That bit of speculation I leave to my fellow fans.

But it still is interesting to see that pattern. Don't you think so?

Title: Strong
World: Till the End of Time
Characters/Pairing: Luther Lansfeld, Fayt Leingod, Luther Lansfeld x Fayt Leingod
Rating: PG-ish
Warnings: Yaoi
Summary: He had always desired to be strong, but in his mind, he would always believe himself to be weak.
Disclaimer: I do not own Till the End of Time or the characters of Fayt Leingod and Luther Lanseld. They belong to Tri-Ace and Square Enix respectively.  I do not profit financially from writing this story (or this blog).

 

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While I won't say that this is true for First Departure, it is a trope used in the Star Ocean storyline, and, in two games, it's fast become overused.

For example, the first time we hear about genetic altering to enhance a hero/heroine's abilities is in Till the End of Time. The three test subjects are, of course (and obviously) Fayt Leingod, Maria Traydor, and Sophia Esteed. The ones who performed this genetic research/altering? Their own parents - Robert and Ryoko Leingod, Clive Esteed, and Jessie Traydor. The powers doled out? Destruction (Fayt), Alteration (Maria), and Connection (Sophia). The purpose of each is to be able to cross over into the four-dimensional realm, where the Creator of the Universe lives, and to fight the Creator for the right to continue existing. Given that the 4-D realm is basically on a higher plane of existence, Altering the matter of the human body is required in order to survive the passage to that realm. Getting to that realm also requires some kind of connecting link, and imposing the laws of physics will aid in teaching "God" a lesson.

Here's the unleashing of Fayt's powers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpziRCtcQgM

Since Till the End of Time chronologically takes place after The Last Hope, one could say that the Leingods stole the idea from the Saionjis and Arnold Maverick. However, in terms of game release, Till the End of Time comes before The Last Hope so the idea actually is stolen from Till the End of Time.

So who are the test subjects in the Last Hope? Why, our hero, heroine, and the one person you can't get as a playable character - Edge Maverick, Reimi Saionji, and Crowe F. Almedio - of course! And what are their powers? Guess what? We don't know! All we know for sure is that Crowe, Edge, and Reimi are so-called super humans. They're able to withstand and survive situations that would kill those without such genetic enhancements. The only indications that Edge and Reimi are even remotely different are when they're faced with intense situations and a crest appears somewhere on their bodies. For Edge, it's on his right hand and Reimi, it's the back of her neck. The only reason why even know that Crowe has such an ability is because Reimi tells us after she's recovered from the stone sickness.

And this was done in order to help the human race adapt to harsh environmental conditions. Mind you, in the Last Hope, Earth isn't like how we know it now or how we see it in Till the End of Time. The atmosphere is corroding, the air, land and water are filled with pollutants and severe radiation. It's bad enough to the point where humans can't even live on the surface any longer, but in underground cities. It's becoming an adapt or die situation, and mankind isn't adapting fast enough.

Overall, I get why the genetic experimenting was done in both games. Dire situations call for drastic measures. But, really, Tri-Ace and Square Enix. Genetically modifying characters is becoming a cliche. Get out of the genetic modification rut and find us a new way for our super heroes to be super.

Today is the last call for Ask the Star Ocean Character - Sophia Esteed. Any questions asked after today at midnight will be filed away for later potential use.

Next week's character will be Maria Traydor. Questions for her can be submitted once the official call for them goes out.

I don't have any one-shot fanfic for today. I wanted to write something yesterday, but I kind of ran out of time. Perhaps tomorrow. :)

Up for Tomorrow: Symbological Genetics - Why Is It a New Field of Study for Till the End of Time/Call Out for Ask the Star Ocean Character - Maria Traydor
Friday: Character Study - Sophia Esteed/Ask the Star Ocean Character segment - Sophia Esteed, perhaps another one-shot fanfic
Weekend: Up in the air. Could see at least one part to Chapter Three of Destinies Intertwined by Fate and an inquiry about a scene from Till the End of Time. But mostly up in the air.

Title: Destinies Intertwined by Fate
World: Till the End of Time
Chapter: Two out of Twenty, Part Two
Chapter Title: Discussions and The Guilt of Surviving
Summary: For Fayt Leingod and Luther Lansfeld, the end of the final battle is only the beginning. Worlds collide as the rebuilding begins.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean 3 or the characters from the game. They belong to Square Enix and Tri-Ace. I do not profit from the writing of this story. All OCs presented within belong to me, and I will protect them zealously from any and all unauthorized use. Please ask me first before writing them into your stories. Thank you.
Warnings: Some chapters will contain adult content and adult themes. Other warnings include yaoi, or, for the anime-lacking in their lives, at least one male/male relationship, some language (Fayt is no saint), implied torture and hints of sexual assault, science fiction and fantasy elements, momentary scenes of intense and graphic violence, and potential character deaths, be they of the original character or main game character variety. Also, Albel and Luther can both be dickheads when the mood strikes them.
Author's Note: I'm going to treat this like I'm at fanfiction.net . . . there will be implied adult content as opposed to actual adult content. Not that there isn't any adult content in the story itself . . . I'm just covering my behind when it comes to potential minors finding this journal and reading something that perhaps their parents don't want them to read. :) That's all.

 

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