Still Waters » Dive Deep » Xellos & Filia

Thesis Statement: Could those who fight become friends? Could enemies become lovers? Can there be any sort of a future or a happy ending between someone who feels passionately, and someone who can be literally harmed by positive emotions? It's not that impossible.

Thesis forthcoming. Here's a preview of how I'm going to be working most of this site: a portion sample of this page's paper outline and part of the bibliography:


Outline

Introduction: Xellos may take on a human appearance, but he is not, and never has been human. His biology and psychology are fundamentally different from that of a human's, and he should not necessarily be explained on a human's scale. Stepping outside of a human's definition of love and emotion, if both Xellos and Filia should decide that they want a relationship, there's no reason they could not establish one.

  1. Appearances are deceiving

    1. Science Fiction is rife with races that do not share the same thought process as humans. Not just culturally and traditionally, but biologically.

      1. Soft Ones1
        1. Rationals - detached and intellectual
        2. Emotionals - social and empathic
          1. Dua - an Emotional with the capabilities to understand Rationals
        3. Parentals - instinct-driven, reproduction-oriented
      2. The Black Cloud2
          Highly complex magnetic fields creating and insulating a neurological structure and propelling it between stars where it feeds on solar energy.
      3. Chulpex3
        1. young feed on dead adults
        2. viewed earth and Man as a potential food supply
      4. Changelings4
        1. Otherwise known as "Founders".
        2. Do not see themselves as individuals, but neither are they a collective hive mind unless merged into the Great Link.
    2. Xellos is not human, nor does he appear so except by choice.
      1. His actual form and plane of existence is on the astral realm.
        1. His actual form is that of a black conical shape.5
        2. He can project himself onto the prime plane and take on whatever appearance he desires.
        3. Xellos is actually neither male nor female, but evidence suggests that he prefers and identifies with a male form.8
      2. Biologically, Xellos is not like a mortal.
        1. Mazoku reproduction is asexual6
        2. Without a biological need for reproduction, there would be no sex drive, and no hormonal-based sexual attraction7
        3. That isn't to say he wouldn't enjoy sexual activities or find preference in partners, as he's also shown to enjoy other unnecessary biological functions such as eating.8
      3. Positive emotions are harmful to Mazoku
        1. Love as a human would define it would not be possible for Xellos9
        2. Xellos is not human, so it's also entirely possible that Mazoku have their own set standard of emotions that fall outside of human definition, by which point it is possible for him to love Filia in his own way.
  2. In the Beginning
    1. Filia provided a fascination for Xellos
      1. She's the first one we see to consistently get under his skin.
      2. Her potential was immature and untrained, but she could almost hold her own with him in a battle of wits.
      3. She turned her back on temple, a move which Xellos hadn't expected.10
      4. (Further elaboration needed; Slayers TRY transcripts need completion.)
  3. The Thin Line Between Love and Hate
    1. Don't Filia and Xellos hate each other?
      1. Filia reacts to Xellos, not vice-versa.11
        1. Filia is the first one to become vocal and aggressive.
        2. Xellos only retorts in kind when provoked.
          1. The majority of Xellos' jibes to Filia have a purpose.12
      2. At a critical moment, Filia is surprisingly unhostile to Xellos.10
      3. When confronted with the potential of being even a pretend couple, both of them overreact, protesting perhaps a bit too much to be believed. Possible self-deception?13
    2. Dislike can be a mask for passion.
      1. Madeline Hayes and David Addison14
        1. Maddie was a fairly humorless, straightlaced prude without much of a clue how to run a detective agency, whereas David was the smart-mouthed and sharp-witted prankster.
        2. The snarky banter between the two hid a great deal of underlying sexual chemistry that the two characters routinely denied having - especially Maddie.
        3. They fought frequently and loudly, but time and again, how much the two characters truly cared for each other made itself known when the chips were down.
      2. Benedick and Beatrice15
        1. Their interaction is initially marked with heavy barbs and retorts, as both claim to sport a strong, mutual dislike for one another.
        2. These two characters go on to realize that underneath all the barbs and spats, they are not that different, and they've come to develop feelings for one another.
        3. Ultimately, this mutual dislike evolves into love so strong that Benedick would willingly defend Hero's honor against his best friends on Beatrice's own word that her cousin is innocent.
Bibliography

1) Asimov, Isaac. The Gods Themselves. New York: Doubleday, 1972.

2) Hoyle, Fred. The Black Cloud. New York: Signet Classic, 1959.

3) Davidson, Avram. Masters of the Maze. New York: Pyramid Books, 1965.

4) "Star Trek : Deep Space 9." Behind the Lines. Paramount Broadcasting. 20 Oct 1997.

5) "Slayers NEXT." The Thousand Year Old Truth! The Traitorous Demon Dragon King!. TV Tokyo Broadcasting. 23 Aug 1996.

6) QP/Diana. "Slayers Q&A / Mazoku." 28 Mar 2004. <http://qpdiana-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/Slayers_Q&A/xelloss.html>

7) "Star Trek : Voyager." The Q and the Gray. Paramount Broadcasting. 27 Nov 1996.

8) "Re: [Dragon-and-Demon] Reply from GUBT." 15 Jul 2001 the-dragon-and-the-demon Yahoo!Groups. the-dragon-and-the-demon archives. 28 Mar 2004 <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the-dragon-and-the-demon/message/3488>.

9) "Slayers TRY." (Will retrieve episode title). TV Tokyo Broadcasting.

10) "Slayers TRY." Be Careful! The Plan has Begun!. TV Tokyo Broadcasting. 23 May 1997.

11) "Slayers TRY." On the Move! He's Out For Revenge?. TV Tokyo Broadcasting. 25 April 1997.

12) "Slayers TRY." A Wild Rumor! You Can't Have Smoke Without a Fire?. TV Tokyo Broadcasting. 02 May 1997.

13) "Slayers TRY." The Hurdle's Cleared? Jillas' Hidden Power!. TV Tokyo Broadcasting. 13 June 1997.

14) "Moonlighting." American Broadcasting Company. 5 Mar 1985 - 14 May 1989 <http://www.tvtome.com/Moonlighting/>.

15) Craig, W.J., ed. "Much Ado About Nothing" The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. London: Oxford University Press: 1914; Bartleby.com, 2000. <http://www.bartleby.com/70/>. 28 Mar 2004


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