The Star Ocean Universe

This is actually going to be one huge conversational topic. The ideas listed pretty much interconnect anyway.

So lately, I've been on this super hero kick. Last weekend, I'd planned on having a movie marathon that consists of Marvel's Cinematic Universe Phase 1. I ended up watching the first two Iron Man movies, seeing Iron Man 3 in 3-D last Saturday, and watching Captain America: The First Avenger and Marvel's The Avengers. Thor and The Incredible Hulk were left to the wayside, sadly enough. However, it's these movies that have sparked my questions and thoughts for Star Ocean. Because, personally, I think I could tie them together in some way.

For starters, one thing I've been wondering for the last couple of weeks or so is about comic books. Are they something that continue to exist in some form or another? Or do they fade away as people look for other ways to distract themselves from the horror of their lives? Of course, as I ask myself this question and pose it in this entry, I believe that comics will continue to exist so long as the human race continues to exist. I also believe that many heroes would receive reboots. It's currently happening with The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, Batman and Superman. I have no reason to think that it wouldn't continue a hundred years into the future.

That leads me to Edge Maverick and Crowe F. Almedio. While they don't necessarily strike me as the geeky type, a part of me could see them reading comics as a way of entertainment while things like computers were repaired, replaced, or completely reinvented. It's World War III, or at least post-World War III. The internet may no longer exist. I can also see Edge identifying greatly with Steve Rogers, aka Captain America. (If you're not familiar with Captain America, I highly recommend renting the Captain America movie and watching it. Yes, my inner geek is shining through at this moment in time, and I don't intend to give away spoilers for those who haven't seen it.) Crowe, I can see respecting Tony Stark and Nick Fury and definitely loving Bruce Wayne. Reimi would sympathize with Bruce Banner in feeling like a monster and Rogue in being unable to touch another person and feel safe about it, but I can see her wanting to be more like Wonder Woman - strong, confident, and determined.

So what would comics look like for the World War III and post-World War III eras? Internet access could work both ways in either being non-existent to the public or the only means for information and entertainment. Would comics be digital? Would they still be paper? Or would they be both, like they are now? Really, anything is possible when it comes to comics. Personally, I would like to think that there would be a revival for the paper form, but I'm not one hundred percent certain how it would happen in the Star Ocean universe. Nearly every single renewable resource has been trashed or contaminated beyond the point of use.

In watching Captain America: The First Avenger, which is set during World War II, I've wondered what would spark World War III. Would it be a surprise invasion, much like what Germany did to itself and its neighbor, Poland? Or would it be something everyone could see coming, like civil unrest that just escalates? What heroes would we see emerge in the entertainment industry? Would Captain America be the same guy from the 1940s or would he receive a new back story? Would someone new emerge out of the horrors that follow in the days of fighting? And just how long would World War III last? Using nuclear weapons at the start wouldn't make it much of a war, in my personal opinion. For me, there would need to be something that would trigger the fighting - an invasion, civil unrest, or a repeat of history. (And don't think it wouldn't happen. If I made this blog political, which I have absolutely no intentions of doing, my fellow Star Ocean fans would hear what I think of current social and economic trends and attitudes. History does repeat itself if we fail to learn from it the first time! Also, please don't ask me about my political views. You may not like what I have to say, and that isn't what this blog is for anyway.) The use of nuclear weapons would be a last resort and the one event that would trigger the political leaders of the Star Ocean universe to come to a compromise. (Yeah, I'm not totally buying into nuclear weapons were used from the very beginning to the very end of World War III in The Last Hope's opening sequence. There wouldn't be anyone left if they had.)

Of course, this all very much speculation on my part. Other fans may have other ideas about things like comics in the future and the way World War III plays out for the Star Ocean universe.

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Merchandise Notation:

As of right this moment, while I will be keeping an eye on eBay for the Star Ocean figures, I'm thinking I'm going to place the majority of my Star Ocean purchasing on hold. I will still try to pick up a few things here and there. However, I'm feeling a tad bit wary of anything that says it's from Hong Kong and China, not Japan. This is mostly because China's been known to sell knock-offs for dirt cheap, and, while the bootleg items would be nice, I would rather much have official items when and where I can.

What does that mean?

I'll simply be buying from those who bought the official merchandise that's either in the U.S., Canada, and Europe or from sellers located in Japan. I also want to see what I can get when I (finally) take a trip to Japan. That means, as of right now, I'll be looking at buying video games (not that I need to get that many more of them), manga (so long as it isn't listed as Chinese - don't ask me why it would be listed as Chinese manga. I don't know), and doujinshi. Kind of sad, too, since there's a watch up for sale, but since it might not be official . . . yeah. I'm not going to be buying it.

And, yes, this is very important. I believe I've mentioned it before, but I'll say something again. Most official Star Ocean merchandise isn't going to come out of places like Hong Kong and China. It's going to be bootlegged. When I started this journal, started seeking out Star Ocean memorabilia, I found a website with some very interesting items, and they were posted by someone who had been in Japan at the time of Till the End of Time's release. Given her knowledge, I'm inclined to believe her when she says if it's out of China or Hong Kong, it's probably not official. (Although, I'm not saying such things wouldn't be nice to have . . . I'd just be very dubious about calling them official.)

Also, I will be moving sometime over the summer as well as attending Otakon. Funds are going to be quite limited starting next week for the foreseeable future, but it's something I'm very happy is happening.

Just a quick list of the projects I'm working on and would like to start working on for this blog.

Fanfiction:
While I have a few works in progress, the only one up for this blog right now is Destinies Intertwined by Fate. The prologue and chapters 1 and 2 are posted. Chapter 3 will be started soon.

Merchandise:
This will be a three part process.

One part of this is compiling a list of merchandise that's already available, be it official or potential bootleg, where it can be found or potentially found, who's contributed to the compilation of this, and photos to correspond with each item. Second Story/Second Evolution and Till the End of Time seem to be the biggest ones for merchandise

The second part of this will be seeking out fan-made creations, such as plushies, doujinshi, ducky bombs, t-shirts, and whatever else has come out of the minds of fans. Like me, there are some extremely and insanely creative people in the Star Ocean fandom, and I would love to showcase such talent.

The third and final part will be my personal attempts at creating things like plushies, afghans, t-shirts, and whatever else I can think of in addition to bringing the characters to life in the form of Asian ball-jointed dolls. The first two I'd love to bring home are Luther and Fayt.

Cosplay:
This will contain two parts.

The first part will be the cosplay others have done, be it in the backyard or at a convention. If I can, I'd like to find the photos of the process as well as the final product.

Second will be the cosplay I create for myself, and I'll definitely take pictures of the process as it unfolds. Right now, there are six characters from the Star Ocean fandom I wish to cosplay - Fayt Leingod, Luther Lansfeld, Mirage Kaos, Edge Maverick, Myuria Tionysus, and Sarah Jerand - plus there are other fandoms I enjoy that I'd love to create cosplays for as well.

Voice Actor Compilation and (HOPEFULLY) Interviews:
This is a bit self-explanatory. For each game, I'll be compiling a voice actor list, both the Japanese and English and the other projects in which they appear and potential convention appearances. I will NOT guarantee that I'll be able to interview any voice actor that I list, especially the Japanese. Voice actors are generally very busy people, working on more than one series at a time. Also, my Japanese is quite limited. When it comes to interviews, the absolute best that I can do is send the voice actor a request and hope that I hear back. I will also try to find out if the voice actors have official websites - it does seem like most anyone famous does (but it doesn't hurt to check)

Ask the Star Ocean Character:
This has already debuted with Reimi Saionji. Each week, a different character will be selected for an "interview" with the more popular characters like Fayt Leingod, Albel Nox, and Edge Maverick being reserved for the very end. This also gives me a chance to buy or find a PSP so I can play the first two games. I know I can read the manga (what little bit is available for the first game) and watch Star Ocean EX on youtube in addition to reading the manga, but, given the limited number of volumes available for each, it's very hard to get a feel for some of the minor characters involved in the game. For example, I could read the volumes for Second Story, but if there isn't much interaction with Ashton and his twin dragons, I don't get to know him and thus may not be able to have him interpret any questions people might like to ask.

Also, while this has already debuted with one question for Reimi, there is always the possibility that a character who has already been featured could be "asked" to return or cycle through them again once I've reached the final character. And expect to see some of the NPCs and villains, like Crowe F. Almedio, Luther Lansfeld, Stephen D. Kenny, and Deputy Director Shimada (just to name a few), appear in this. NPCs and villains help to make the games as much as the heroes, heroines, and playable characters do. Plan on this being interesting, weird, and fun.

Please note: Fanfiction and Ask The Star Ocean Character are both free for me to write. The same goes for simply browsing sites like eBay and yahoo! auctions. No one pays me to write either, and I don't get paid to write them. I also don't expect to be paid (though I won't deny it'd be  nice if someone from Square Enix contacted me about writing an official Till the End of Time novel). The merchandise and cosplay will cost me money (which I don't mind), be it when I buy something to add to my collection, the materials to make something, or to buy a doll/doll accessories. I'm also being quite broad in terms of projects because of money. As things change, when they change, I'll be able to do more in terms of the projects I've listed. In the meantime, I'll be working with what I've already got on hand.