The true purpose of the Chimera

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Dave
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The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by Dave »

Thinking over what's been disclosed in the strip in recent weeks (the Lanthis/Anasazi connection, Brandi's "Deal" with the Demon Realm to seal off the Earth from inter-dimensional incursions by the Elder Gods such as Shiva and Amun, the Golem Girls' roles as protectors of the Lanthian survivors as assigned by Tepoz) has got me thinking again about the Chimera, and speculating a bit.

I'm wondering whether we truly know why the Lanthian priests created the Chimera.

The explanation that I believe I recall being put forward, is that the priests had overthrown the previous power structure in Lanthis (a matriarchy) and decided to create the Chimera in order to maintain and increase their own power. I'm beginning to suspect that there may be more to the story than that.

Charon described the Chimera as a "Titan-like" weapon. That's a whole lot of power (as demonstrated by the fact that the Chimera was capable of slagging down a whole subcontinent into glass). That seems like much more power than would be needed in a political struggle within a single country... it makes today's combined planetary arsenal of thermonuclear weapons seem like a campfire.

What if there was more to it than that? What if the Chimera was being created as a weapon (possibly defensive) against the Elder Gods themselves? Using a Titan to fight Titans, as it were? This might have been done at the instigation of the Demons (considering that they played a role later in the creation of the Vimana shield), or by the Lanthian priests acting independently.

If this is the case, one wonders just what it was that the Elder Gods had been doing on Earth, which was sufficiently irritating to cause the Demons (or the priests, or others) to feel the need to develop a planet-cracking pseudo-Titan to repel them?
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by shadowinthelight »

That does sound plausible. Plus, Titan Defense Weapon: Chimera sounds like an awesome anime. :D
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

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shadowinthelight wrote:That does sound plausible. Plus, Titan Defense Weapon: Chimera sounds like an awesome anime. :D
No. Kawaii. Chimerae.

Please. There are some places we should not attempt to go. :shock: :lol:
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by MerchManDan »

Hey, now. Just because it's anime, doesn't make it kawaii. ;) As I'm sure you know, the medium can (and does) get super-serious to grimdark - and further.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

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Oh, that's fine... no problem here with grimdark. I just wanted to draw a line in the glassy sand, before anybody got the wrong ideas.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by shadowinthelight »

So, that's a no on the chibi style Golem Girl plushies?
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by Dragon Hostler »

In the flashback episode where the Chimera destroys Lanthis. Bai was unhurt and Charon immediately reconstituted himself. So that's one Titan unhurt and one particular Elder[?] God slowed but undeterred. Nudge, a sub-titan, takes lava baths. Shelly, a sub-sub-titan can, in sphinx form, ward HOT Cerbryl [sp] breathe.
OTOH--Plasma breathe is only one Chimera tool.

I'd say the Chimera was made as a weapon against other humans.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

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shadowinthelight wrote:So, that's a no on the chibi style Golem Girl plushies?
I vote YES on the golem GIRL plushies - chimera or snake-goat-cat, not so much.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by NOTDilbert »

Dave wrote: If this is the case, one wonders just what it was that the Elder Gods had been doing on Earth, which was sufficiently irritating to cause the Demons (or the priests, or others) to feel the need to develop a planet-cracking pseudo-Titan to repel them?
Well, if the EG's were anything like the people they (Spawned?), once humanity's future became clear to the various oracles,
they probably started squabbling over sole possession of humanity like drunken frats over the last slice of pizza. After all, a pool of (today) 6.5 billion worshipers dumping mana at you has got to be a resource worth fighting over - even if it destroys the earth and it's resources (us).
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by Dave »

NOTDilbert wrote:
shadowinthelight wrote:So, that's a no on the chibi style Golem Girl plushies?
I vote YES on the golem GIRL plushies - chimera or snake-goat-cat, not so much.
Chibi-style GG plushies would be reasonable (and probably good sellers at the Raging Daughters theme park gift shop).

However, I'd suggest giving customers a choice. There ought to be GG dolls of a less cutesie nature, showing the darker side of the GGs. We've seen Bud with her face dark and glyph alight... we've seen Brandi with her dark-eyed scary face... they'd make good figurines in that form. Maybe not plushie, though, unless we can treat the plush to form something akin to hedgehog or porcupine spines. An angry GG is not exactly huggable :shock:

I really wish Paul's twinned macquette design of Conscience had been popular enough to actually go into manufacture. A very striking image.

I just can't see how a chibi plushie of the Chimera would make sense, though. A cute, huggable version of a mindless raging power-beast doesn't really work for me.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by shadowinthelight »

Dave wrote:There ought to be GG dolls of a less cutesie nature, showing the darker side of the GGs.
Get Todd McFarlane to design some collectables, problem solved.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by Mark N »

shadowinthelight wrote:
Dave wrote:There ought to be GG dolls of a less cutesie nature, showing the darker side of the GGs.
Get Todd McFarlane to design some collectables, problem solved.
If someone could get McFarlane's interest in the strip it would make action figures cheap and easy on Paul.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by CraigR »

I'd really love to see macquettes of the GG (and maybe Monica) with glyphs on their faces that actually shed light.

It would be relatively simple to engineer, with translucent resin, an embedded LED, and a battery in the base (maybe make it extra-fancy and put a photoelectric recharger on the base that also activates the glyph-face-light in darkness). :)
Last edited by CraigR on Sun Jul 07, 2013 8:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The true purpose of the Chimera

Post by Jabberwonky »

Dragon Hostler wrote:In the flashback episode where the Chimera destroys Lanthis. Bai was unhurt and Charon immediately reconstituted himself. So that's one Titan unhurt and one particular Elder[?] God slowed but undeterred. Nudge, a sub-titan, takes lava baths. Shelly, a sub-sub-titan can, in sphinx form, ward HOT Cerbryl [sp] breathe.
OTOH--Plasma breathe is only one Chimera tool.

I'd say the Chimera was made as a weapon against other humans.
I agree with DH, I think it was designed as a WMD for use against humans. I get the feeling, through nothing more than my own interpretations, that it ended up being much more powerful than they projected.
There's plenty of legendary monsters that could have been other civilizations weapons of choice. The Lanthians were just trying to close the 'Monster Gap."
(Wow, a thought just flashed, that would make the Lanthian epoch a lot like Kaiju Japan...) :shock:
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