*Pondering noises* AKA the speculation topic

[Oatway]

I did a more thorough check of your episode screen, gleaning the humour clean out of it, and then it took my fancy to peruse the character specific episodes. In doing so, I realised you (Astral) could have very well (and, quite possibly have) set up/revealed a decent chunk of the plot. Now, since I do not have a chip implanted in your (Astral's) brain which tells me of what you (Astral) are thinking^*, I can do nothing but speculate (which I hate to do, and am quite terrible at). Alas, t'was late, and I bored; speculate I did.

I find it quite curious that you give the self-destructive and fairly immoral Aeolus the title of a pheonix, since they embody rebirth, hope and life in general; unawakened though it may be, he doesn't seem like the sort to have a change of heart.

Another notable title was Paper Lion; should my (crappy) memory for politics serve, the United States has been called a paper dragon before, due it's vast nuclear arsenal, but almost timidity to use it. Nemean is entitled the Paper Lion; she seems frightening, and really is a bitch, but does she pose a threat?

Yet another being Reluctant Dragon for the young Leslie Stone. From the perspective I have from my humble computer chair, reading Astral's brilliance-made-text, it seems that young Echo no longer enjoys Aeolus so much as she has in the all too distant past. Could what she shows reluctance towards may ultimately be saving the destructive God of Winds from his own twisted ends? Or could she simply be reluctant to help a friend obliterate himself? Who knows (certainly not I)?

All in all, I was at least intrigued by the titles, and felt they warranted some discussion, and I figured this would be as good a way as any to get it...

Comments? Complaints? Concerns? Concubines? Cucumbers? (I'll stop now...)

_*Yet.

[AstralFire]

Ooh, this is exactly the sort of thread I would normally love, but I cannot answer! Confirming or denying might give away too much of the storyline. I think this is something the fans will have to work out themselves.

[Zuki]

...on the other hand, it's not quite cheating if I reveal some of why I think the titles might be appropriate.

I don't have a chip in Chris's brain either, but I do love speculating. Chris has told me a lot of different stuff about characters, futures, and so on--but the only thing I'm typing up, is what comes out of my head. Here's what comes to mind as being appropriate, for each sobriquet (I love that word!) and the character associated with it.

Nemean--The original phrase, I think, was "Paper Tiger"--referring most usually to a country, person, or instiution of apparent power but actual weakness or non-threat. Melanie Shapiro's position--Head Agent of the Arcanum Division--and her power--an invulnerable force field about her body--are formidable. However, in her titled episode, Nemean is portrayed as somewhat ineffective--the situation is against her, and her methods of 'persuasion' are incompatible with Alexis. She is balked, made impotent dispite her position as a lion.

Mrs. Shapiro is also a lion for her codename--Nemean, as in the invulnerable Nemean Lion. If you're of a mythological bent, then you'd know that killing the beast was Hercules's first Labor, and he did so by jumping on its back, and letting the lion's own claws tear itself to pieces. The Nemean Lion could only be hurt by itself.

Lions are also associated with leadership, and are social animals--also befitting Nemean's position and rank.. More flippantly, I have seen people in older literature refer to powerful, aggressive, (bitchy) women as lionesses. One line in Episode 15 suggests a certain feline grace.

"...making her look less like a miniature Godzilla and more like a beast of the night. She carefully placed her steps, one foot in front of the other, slowly but quite deliberately making her way over to Colonel Graan."

Finally, 'Paper' need not only refer to Nemean's apparent powerlessness. Paper Lion. Lion of the Paper. Paper=Bueracracy, and indirectly, Government. Nemean has some of the strongest ties to the government and the set order of things in the cast. She also definitely has some connections--we see her calling in a few suspicious favours in this episode.

I really do like Episode 15. Nemean is not actually my favorite character, but I do like her. She's complex, and you get a really good look at her motivations in this episode. It's good to have well-motivated and complex characters, especially antagonists.

(Wow! Longest post I think I've made so far. I could keep going, but I'll let you react to this, before I go and do the same thing for everyone else--Analyzing the Descriptive Word, the Animal, any apparently deeper mythological references in the Agents' designations.)

[Oatway]

Clever little chain with the paper leading to bureaucracy... I never would've thought of that before...

As for Alexis (Guardian Wolf), the guardian seems both ironic and fitting; he failed to save her that he loved most, Michelle, but has more than likely saved a massive number of lives and minds from the depravity of Helena. The wolf however, fits him perfectly; wolves in nature are monogamous, they show signs of mourning their mates, they are deadly predators who track the weak in a herd (Helena being in a weakened state, the fit is almost too perfect), and of course, there is common phrase of a "lone wolf", which certainly fits the aged-beyond-his-years Dionysus.

[Zuki]

Chris didn't intend that connection at all, about Paper/Government--that's just me with wordplay. I love finding and making meaning.

I'm going to reread Guardian Wolf, and write up a schpeil on Alexis soon, but not right now. When I do, I'll edit this (placeholder) post.

[Zuki]

Wow. I didn't expect to write this much, either. But the internet was down, and I had the chapter saved. So I just started writing, and I just starting thinking.


Alexis Decker: Guardian Wolf

Wolves are associated with keen senses, and the ability to track by scent--which is exactly what Alexis is described as doing in his pursuit of Helena. Chris could hardly make this allusion more obvious than he just did in episode 21:

"The ability to detect psychic traces or scents on soulless matter. Much like a wolf, he can hunt her down."

The portions that you mentioned, about wolves and monogamy are perfect, and something that did not occur to me at all. Right on for you. Also: Although Alexis is displaying 'lone wolf' behavior right now, I don't think that's his preference. Wolves are social creatures, and generally, the lone wolf is one who has left because of incompatibility, or having been chased out. This further fits--the Arcanum Division being the 'pack' that Agent Dionysus has left. I would also imagine that, in a meeting between an ostracized wolf and its old pack, there would indeed be some kind of confrontation. I would not be suprised at all if a scuffle results when Nemean and Crew catch up to Alexis.

He is a lone wolf right now, because there isn't any pack to support him--by which I mean, any support network available is incompatible with what Alexis wants. He's not allied with Yi T'aechong, and he's not affiliating himself with Arcanum, either. Perhaps this will change.

Contrast this to to Aeolus's title, Unawakened Phoenix. Aeolus is clearly solitary and self-centered, despite a occaisional veneer of amiability. the Phoenix is a unique, single creature (with no parents, I might add). the Wolf is a social creature that finds strength in its companions. (Michelle, Luke, Stacy.)

It also occurs to me that Nemean and Helena, the two characters with which Alexis has had the most conflict, both have feline titles---Lion and Tiger. Alexis is canine. Fighting like cats and dogs, anyone?

(I am suddenly reminded of The Jungle Book. Mowgli--raised by wolves--overcomes Shere Khan. But I'll just leave those various associations for you to ponder. Tangent later.)

Finally, Guardian is most definitely an appropriate designation for Alexis, given a little thought. He did indeed fail to save Michelle, but he also was not acting in a 'Guardian' role at that time. He was acting the hero, when he went off to confront Helena, going off because it-was-what-must-be-done. He also, it seems, did not realize how much Michelle meant to him, until he lost her---Alexis shoves her away and curses, before he confronts Helena. Then, during the showdown, he is almost lost in Helena's thrall--until his friends arrive. Alexis didn't want them there, didn't want Luke and Michelle to be hurt--but without them, it is doubtful that he could have succeeded against Helena. It's not explicit, but it could be said that Alexis draws strength from his friends--cue a 'wolf pack' analogy here.

At first, I thought that Alexis was the Guardian of Helena--he chose to let her live, to make sure that she suffered for the rest of her life, in addition to in the afterlife. Alexis is Helena's keeper. She's his responsibility. (Sort of. It's the fault of some bureaucratic jackasses somewhere else that she's still alive.) He is called, when she is loosed. A young wolf, now a man, to oppose a tiger. (See what I mean about the Jungle Book thing?) I still think this is a valid interpretation, but not the only one.

Alexis is not a Hero this time around, for this story. It's Aeolus's story, after all. And Alexis is not acting out of any heroic imperative. This is his job, this is is duty. This idea fits with the word Guardian.

Alexis is also the legal guardian, I am sure, of Michelle's daughter, Stacy. And her parent. And the associations that all come with that.

If he killed Helena now, then he would never have to face her in dreams again. He would belong to Michelle and Michelle alone. He would kill Helena so-

Alexis stopped and withdrew the sword.

Helena's eyes fluttered open and she groaned.

"You don't need to be dead for me to remember her. And you can burn in hell for all eternity after you've served your time here. Stay down. The only thing that you rule are frailties. Stay down, Helena. You can't win."

But perhaps most of all, Alexis is the Guardian of Michelle's memory. It's not something that's been sappily aluded to, but...well, as I was writing this, it just happened to occur to me. And it just happened to make sense.

[AstralFire]

Wow. That... was beautiful.

[Zuki]

*grins proudly*

[Oatway]

*Wipes the sheer genius off of his contacts*

I'm sorry, it just started flooding out of the monitor from your posts, and didn't stop...

[Oatway]

Well, I hate to be one to double post, but that last post is practically from the Stone Age, so I'll just have to learn to live with this... terrible habit. ;D

With Episode 32 comes much to speculate from; the bounty hunter's future involvement, Tess's findings and most obviously (and possibly most interestingly), the illuminated manuscripts que Chétien a etudié. Ahem... <_<

I'll post my thoughts once I have them ordered... Which could take a while...

[Zuki]

Well, it seems to me that, for the most part, the illuminations (hah, pun!) of Chétien are allusions to the titles and epithets that we've already had assigned to the various 'main' characters. Given that not everyone and their cousin has a descriptive epithet and writing sequence to go along with those, I can assume the featured characters are especially significant. Whee.

Let's see who I can identify, hmm?

"a large, white, feathery winged wolf;"

--Alexis, naturelment. White is his colour, wolf his symbol, and feathers, connoting angelic wings, suggest his demeanour and bearing. Or something. You know what I mean. Alexis plays up the classic "good guy" like none other, so he gets wings. It figures.

Guardian Wolf.

"a golden egg that was cracked near the top;"

Unawakened Phoenix. Aeolus, clearly. Hm. I'll take this blurb of space here to free associate a few things:

Unawakened-->Unaware. Unenlightened. That does sort of fit Aeolus, the sophisticated type he is not. Also, if the image is not a bird sleeping, but unhatched, that further suggests that he's really not gotten to experience life, at all. Which is consistent with some of the motivations expressed in the prologue about his reasons to escape, and leave. Hm. And, having never experienced life properly, so to speak, it does make sense that he would want to end his. Ironic that the phoenix of the cast, symbol of eternal life, death, and rebirth, is the one seeking oblivion. A mythic, eternal phoenix escapes the jadedness of Aeolus with rebirth, unfortunately it seems that our protagonist doesn't have that option. Will it be presented to him in the future? The very fact that his title is "Unawakened," implies that it will. What kind of story has a static, unchanging main character?

Something else I noted sometime ago, when I was more gung ho about writing up all these character analysis:

Aeolus, like a phoenix, has no parents.

"large yellow eyes peering out from a cavern;"

Reluctant Dragon, Echo.

This I suppose is an appropriate image for what unfortunately little we've gotten to see of Echo. Peering out of a cavern=working to aid remotely and covertly from the underground complex of Olympus. I really like the image of a Dragon being associated with Echo; her taste for the finer things in life, her sharp, calculating mind, and the general impression that, if in combat, she would be fluid, fast, and brutal, lends itself well to a modern Dragon. I asked Chris about it once, as I was possibly interested in doing an illustration or two myself, and he said that Echo's dragon would be red, and Asian in form. A young lung, in crimson and scarlet. Sounds good to me.

It's the reluctance, however, that helps me a bit less. Intermittent bitchings throughout the first season make it pretty clear that Echo didn't like helping Aeolus. Certainly, she didn't like being coerced into it. And although she definitely cared about Aeolus--they were the only *real* family the other has--well, maybe it was something like "Someone I care about shouldn't be so stupid?" or "I know you're better than this, so why are you doing it?" I'm not exactly sure how to explain how Echo felt about Aeolus. You got any better insights on that, Oatway? Chris?

"a tiger sleeping on its side;"

The Patient Tiger, Helena. Solitary, Self-Assured, Visually Striking (heh), I don't think it's really worth my time to go into why Helena is Tiger. Episode 14 does my job for me, really. Patient, waiting for Her chance to get back at those who have wronged a Goddess, but for now, not a threat. For now, something more tractable. Cats are light sleepers however, and this tigress could be feigning.


"a lion with its front legs tied to chains, one chain holding it fast to the ground, the other swinging wildly;"

Nemean. Our Paper Lion. Or is it Chained? Is there some obscure pun in a foreign language concerning Paper and Chains? Oh well, I dont think it matters too much.
This fits in very well with some of the musings about Nemean's character and position I made previously---she is tied down, prevented from acting a freely as she would wish--chained in place. However, the very thing that hinders her--the chains of government and bueracracy--are also something that this powerful Lion could strike out with. It is something that she probably knows how to use well.
Alternatively, Nemean is shown breaking free, or partially broken free of that which previously restrained her to a greater degree. Will she make a more complete break with Arcanum Division in the future? Nothing prevents both of these interpretations from being simultaneously true, as well. Also, I think that Arcanum and Government as unnecessary or cumbersome (chains) is possibly something true for more than just a few people--Echo didn't seem to like a few aspects of the organization, and Aeolus certainly didn't either. Not that chains aren't completely bad. As Nemean points out, Arcanum has very quietly saved the world a couple times over. I hope at some point we get to find out how.


"a bearded man dressed in a jewel-encrusted robe clawing at his eyes;"

Following the pattern, we're left with Yi Taechong, our Worldly Prophet.

------Okay, okay, It's not like I don't have words in my head right now, but I really need to sleep. So I"m gonna post this now, let you all go "OMFG!" at it, and then finish off my musings concerning Yi Taechong, and a few impressions about the illuminations of not-so-obvious meaning.

Namely:

"green thorny vines twisting together into a wolf shape;"

--not the same kind of wolf as Alexis, thorns suggest suffering, binding, won't-say-too-much-because-I-know-the-answer, these-are-my-own-thoughts

"and last, a blazing inferno behind a pale, red horse."

--likewise, I think of "Death on a Pale Horse," and the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Revelation, in general.


...okay, so I gave in, and posted my impressions on those too. But I'll do Yi Taechong tomorrow, still.

*yawn*

Night, all!

[Oatway]

Is there some obscure pun in a foreign language concerning Paper and Chains?

That makes me think of chains of people that small children cut out; series of perfectly similar people, as in an army, or even as in an army of robots that the government is working on. And as you point out, she uses the chains that bind her, the constraints and regulations of a government as fairly effective weapons.

[Zuki]

Ah, clever!

Good to see you've got a post up. I would like to continue this discussion very much indeed. And eventually finish that bit on Taechong. Take as much time as you like, coming up with a post's worth of thoughts, but by all means, don't forget about it~!

[Oatway]

I don't think I'll be able to match your... grace with the typed word, nor the ideas you have within them.

Ahem. I'll see if I can scratch the surface of the Yi'Taechong illuminated manuscript. A man is described to us, draped in a jewel-encrusted robe who is clawing out his eyes. Obviously Taechong is a learned, wise man, and a robe has often been used to portray those aspects of a person. The robe was also a European symbol of the church (just before the French Revolution, the First Estate, a very affluent upper class, was the Church, known as "Nobles of the Cloth", IIRC). Being as welathy as the Church was, a jewel-encrusted robe would've likely been a drop in the proverbial pond, to the riches in their coffers. Finally, a group called the Flagellents was large in France, (but I cannot remember when), who believed that salvation required self-punishment and even mutilation, which normally wouldn't consist of the removal of one's eyes (the window to the soul); but who knows what extremes Taechong may be pushed to amd how deep his regret will be...?