blah blah blah
random obligatory comment questioning the status/existence of the next chapter as well as bribes/gifts for the author and/or muses to speed the update along.
secondary comment about how author is awesome in numerous ways and that any upcoming update should be just as awesome as author.
blah
(final note about how the commenter is going through withdrawls from not enough good SO2 fics)

:D
Hahaha...I can't believe there is a Dais/Claude AU story! And not only that, it's well-written! Truthfully, I kinda hope this story stays gen, though if it ends up slash, I really won't mind :P I'm so disappointed that I didn't find this sooner.

I love the easy pacing of the story. I also adore how the king quickly figured out Claude wasn't the prince- any good father would be able to spot their child's differences from a look alike easily. I can't wait until more characters get introduced!

Ah...I have no idea what else to say. Hopefully you will update soon!

You know before I accidentally found this story, I'd never known anything about SO2. I had to read up on it to get the gist of it so I could fully enjoy this.

And I have to say I enjoyed the six chapters of this fic immensely. It's humorous (especially Rachel and her supporting of Dias' (nonexistent) love life with Claude. It's action packed. Most of all though it's DiasxClaude, a pairing which you have me hooked on. Sadly, it's lacking in fics. :C Maybe the PSP game will revive it! I sure hope it does. XD

Awesome writing! I hope you update again sometime soon.
Silver

Great story! I love interactions between different tech levels, so the Star Ocean series are some of the best I've played. M... Star Ocean 4 next year. M..

This is an awesome story. The way you're writing it is excellent... I just wish I knew where you were getting this creativity.

XD Update asap! Lovely new interpretation. z -_-

Oh, Aunt Rachel! You are too funny, my good woman! This was a great chapter, and I'm very excited for Alen and Rena to be showing up. Out of all the bit characters in this game, Alen is actually my favorite (I'm not sure why), so I can't wait to see your take on him. I'm too busy squealing and giggling like some kind of fangirl to leave say anything meaningful, and for that I apologize. Here's to hoping that life stays calm long enough for another update!

Still reading and loving this. Random things about this chapter:

Claude wears normal Expellian clothing! I love how you take the things that made no sense in the game and actually fix them. :DD

["Hey, question," said Claude suddenly, as they were walking down the cobbled streets towards the town square.

"Answer," Dias replied.]

Hahahaha, I've had that conversation so many times in my life. I love how you write Dias (I've always imagined him being that caustic in my head, no matter how silly the game's translation was).

Claude + Dias banter is still hilarious and strong -- you make me realize why it is that Claude and Dias would have liked each other if they did end up in a situation like this. (Though I so wonder how you're gonna do the Tournament of Arms in the context of this story...I'm probably looking forward to that the most *dorks out*)

HAHAHA, CLAUDE IS SO CUTE AND BLUSHY AND EASILY FLATTERED. oh, celine. That confrontation was pretty ugly, but you can tell Dias and Celine would probably get on that badly considering their little in-game fight in Mars. I like all the little storyline things you keep and deviate from -- you really think this fic through, which is what I like about it so much.

I can't wait for Rena to be added to the mix -- I'm so curious as to how you'll make that trio's dynamics turn out. (and, of course, action!)

...sorry for the random long review, I just decided to read this today for some reason. (looking at a bunch of second evolution stuff probably provoked it :D)

Finally I found the time to leave a more constructive review than my incoherent IM squeeing. XD

I loved this chapter very much; as I already mentioned multiple times, I adore the way you handle the narrative from Dias' perspective - he is an extremely insightful character who focuses on and notices different things than Rena would have, or indeed most RPG heroes do (exempting Claude, of course).

Dias' insights coupled with his healthy dose of sarcasm make for a really interesting read, and I love the way you handle his growing relationship with Claude despite Dias' obvious reluctance to become acquainted with a nutcase. XD The way they banter back and forth is amusing to no end, because a) it is witty banter and b) Dias' character is excellent for bringing out different facets in Claude's character, which don't show as much or are entirely absent in his interaction with other characters.

I really liked the way you handled the scene with Celine - again, Dias makes those scenes and tie-ins to the game an entirely and refreshingly different experience. I do wonder whether you plan on tying Celine back in at some point, or how you plan to handle the Most Convenient Plot Device of All Time TM, aka the mysterious book from Cross Cave.

I will also forever love you for bringing Auntie Rachel into the story, and I really like the tie-in back to the game with Rena's kidnapping. I do wonder how this will end up, since Rena's entire reason for joining up and traveling with Claude - namely him being the Warrior of Light - are now null and void. I'm trying to keep myself from speculating too wildly, of course, as I'm sure your story will surpass my expectations, as always.

oh
my
god...


an update.

*tacklehugs you and NEVER LETS GO*

seriously, I love this story, and I missed it not being updated D: especially since I got into it just as you posted Chapter Four (not 4)...wow, has it been that long since I faved it?
anyway...oh, Rachel's assumption of Claude and Dias is just hilarious. and that Dias actually expected Claude to not realize.

as for aliens, what about Leon? he's a Fellpoolian, and everyone accepts that? o.o that he has cat ears, and yet, for some reason, think that he's from Expel? THAT doesn't make sense (add to that the fact that Claude doesn't even REACT to him, even though Fellpool is part of the Alliance. will you do more stuff with that?)
yay, Ernest cameo. gotta love that guy. he gets around everywhere, doesn't he? (oh, and the Opera-Claude scene in the manga is great and seems to have the same atmosphere that you're creating here)
also agree with Dias' past. mastery of the sword just is not possible in two years...unless something is REALLY wrong with him mentally. he did look 14-16 in the manga, which is more believable, agreed.
and next chapter Claude will meet Rena :3 but will it be a fateful meeting like how it should have been, or will she just become another girl (especially since Claude doesn't have his 'Sword of Light' anymore?)

HOLY CRAP this is a long review o.o well, you haven't updated in YEARS so it's only appropriate.
...don't neglect this story anymore D: hope the next chapter doesn't take as long as this one did

~Yuki

YEAH! *jumps for joy* Another update and this chapter was AWSOME! I couldn't help chuckle when Dias bumped into Ernest and noticed the clothes were similar to Claude. I also like Celine but I understand why that scene had to go that way. I can't imagine Dias getting dragged of on that quest.

Er..though it kinda happens in Star Ocean Blue Sphere. She gets him to participate in her big bad love strategy to get Aston and Precis together.

I was very happy to see that Dias and Claude will soon be meeting up with Rena. Those two can do it! I always liked those two as a team.

Hee and I loved your scene with Aunt Rachel. That scene never fails to get me laughing. I also have to agree with you on the time line thing. It makes more sense that Dias was younger when the attacked happened and to get his title of master.

I'm so glad you updated this. I was getting a little worried that you might have abandoned the story, but to see an update is a relief. Frankly, this story is so interesting that I wouldn't mind waiting another three years for an update.

Aunt Rachel is indeed a very funny character. You've fleshed out an NPC that had a very minor function in the game, and made her quite interesting. And the careful balance of belief and disbelief in Dias' mind was also handled quite well. You've really created a world in which readers can feel the incongruity of having an alien like Claude on the planet. Usually, we, the players, are the aliens, so we don't really feel our own existence being so strange, only the existence of everything that is foreign to us. But in this story, you show the scenario from the other point of view, and with such effectiveness!

Excellent chapter, and I hope you will write more soon.

Never noticed this piece before, spotted it thanks to the recent update. Very interesting take on the game, with Dias providing a markedly different perspective on things compared to Rena.

Your writing is excellent in all respects, and you move the plot along at a comfortable pace, covering the details, but without getting bogged down by them. Looks like Celine will be making an appearance before long, it'll be interesting to see which other characters make an appearance as well. In particular, the dynamics between Claude and Rena could become completely changed without their original meeting happening.

Regardless, a very enjoyable read, and looking forward to seeing where it goes from here.

I love this fic! It is one of my stop favorites and it is great to see how StarOcean would happen if Claude didn't land in the forest. Please update soon! I'm hanging in suspanse.

When I saw that you had updated this story, I got all excited. It's still rare to see anything resembling plot in this fandom. =X

Your descriptions and flow are still wonderful, and I think you did fine with the political intrigue stuff. Good call on making everyone think that Claude could be Lacourian, if he's not the Warrior of Light. I hadn't really thought about the Lacour Hope having similarities to the phase gun (maybe I'm lame like that. . .?).

The thing about Celine "sneaking" around was fun, too. I'm even more excited about how the next chapter will run, when she hunts them down for game scenes with a twist. And Clik. And the Heraldry Forest. But I'm really excited for Clik. Although, I will admit, after reading some of your other works, I'm sad that I can't imagine a way for Rena to make it into this story yet. I like the way you write her. Also, I'm afraid Alen has already made her into his love-slave/wife in this timeline.

Anyway, enough rambling! The point is, you did a great job with this chapter, and I eagerly await the next.