Or "Milan, Felix, Noah," if we're going by the order in the pic up there. Under the Special section of the Angelique Luminarise website, Koei's posted links to sets of Twitter Q&A with the new Guardians - two sets for each, save for Kanata, who I suppose hasn't yet been made a Guardian at this "time frame," however you want to air-quote that. I'm not translating all the questions & answers - just the ones that serve to flesh out the character a little or yield insights on where they might be going. This will be a very under-construction page for today; if this sentence is still up when you access this blog, the content might be not yet completely posted or in disarray due to experimentation with BLOCKQUOTE OK, done.
NOAH
Noah is shaping up to be Luminarise's biggest single character problem. Think about past Guardians of Darkness - Clavis, Mathias, we might as well throw Cain in there: all grand and glorious tragedy kings, with Clavis being perhaps the franchise's standout character storywise. Noah is such a wan and shrinking presence that he just can't shoulder the mantle he's been given. His preview comic revolves around people giving him fortunetelling items and him not knowing what to do with them, driving home a warning: "he's not Clavis!" OK, but who is he? He's so babyish and and nothing, to the point where even the comic meant to illustrate his character talks about who he isn't, not who he is.
- Noah, what makes you feel happy?
I've...never felt happy...
Dude, come on.
From the interview, it seems that they might be going with an abused-child storyline:
- I'd love to hear about your family, Noah!
I'm sorry, but...I don't want to talk about it, I think. I'm sorry.
- Noah, what's the most peaceful time for you?
When I'm alone. Then I have nothing to worry about...
- Noah, your clothing is oversized and cozy, and it really makes an impression; is there anything you insist on with your clothing?
That it feels that it's protecting me...I like that. I'm the same way with my room...
Together with the "I was glad to be a Guardian" thing, was he an abused kid? Is that where the cleaning came from - Dursley-like chores?
Also:
- If you would be an animal for a day, what animal would you like to be?
A bird. Then, I could fly wherever I like...I think.
He mentions wanting to be a bird elsewhere. So he can fly away from troubles?
- Noah, what activities do you find the most calming?
Looking into candles...but I don't think there's anything I really find calming.
He mentions this candle-staring activity a couple times. Are they going for a Little Match Girl thing?
- Noah, what do you do when you're alone?
Just be quiet...count the butterflies that land on me...lots of things...
- How do you spend your days off?
Just stare into space...because then, soon, the day is over...
They really are going Ebony Dark'ness Dementia here, aren't they.
- Noah, about how long do you sleep every night?
I don't know. It varies from day to day...sometimes, my stomach hurts, and I can't sleep that well...
Are they giving him a "terminally ill" storyline here, too? Chekhov's Medical Complaint: if the elf brother is coughing in the first act, he's dying in the third. Or dead before the start of the manga. Whatever.
- Noah, what is Darkness to you? Conversely, what is Light to you?
I don't know yet... I think, why is it inside me? ...I don't know if it's a good thing.
It's not just his appearance - Noah's way of speaking is so babyish. He is 22 in name only.
- Tell us how you honestly felt when you were chosen to be a Guardian. Also, were you aware of the existence of the Guardians and Queen at the time?
I was. How I felt?... Umm..."glad," I think. In many ways...
Given the answers above: glad to get out of his household?
- Noah, what are your favorite books and genres?
Novels...or books on cleaning tips, I guess...
More Dursley chores.
- Noah, do you like sweets? If so, recommend me something.
I like castella. I like the gentle sweetness...
He mentions liking tangerine castella specifically later on.
- Do you ever eat with Cyrus or the researchers? Or do you eat alone?
I mostly eat alone, but sometimes Yue will just sit down next to me. Like on the cafe terrace...so I've stopped going there.
There are mentions that of Yue going out of his way to get Noah birthday presents and talk to him. Despite my reservations re: his appearance, I have more sympathy for him than before.
- Noah, about how old were you when you became a Guardian? How long have you known Yue?
How old I was when...I don't think I can say. Cyrus is making a funny face. I've been with Yue ever since then. Yue's been here longer, though...
FELIX
Again, I'm going to the characters I perceive to be a particular problem first here. As stated, I think Felix's design is weak, and he seemed in his intro to have a particularly severe case of the condescending attitude that's infecting a number of the characters. We get a better-realized portrait here.
- Felix, what type of woman do you like? I'm dying to hear the answer!
One who remains true to her own way of life. I am drawn to that type of person, man or woman.
- Do you have any advice on or things one should consider when cultivating one's inner beauty?
Stay true to your convictions. Do not allow yourself to be misled by the opinions of others. They might be useful for reference, I suppose...but I live my life by my own ideas. So should you.
A cross between Julious and Sei-Lan?
- Felix, at first glance, I thought you were difficult to approach, but I was surprised after listening to your conversation with Olivie to discover that you are not!
My...yes, I have given that impression. I take it in stride. It's only natural for us Auspicious Owl Guardians, at least.
- Felix, what is romance to you?
...I've never thought about it, honestly. Ideally, I imagine it would be a relationship where each party would respect the other.
- Felix, I'd like to know more about Neige, the planet where you lived before you became a Guardian.
It's a beautiful planet! Very cold - home to a sea of diamonds.
I believe "daiyamondo no umi" refers to a literal "sea of diamonds" instead of a place name, though I could be wrong. We've got more very basic words in another language for planet names. What happened to names like "Aquanole"?
More about this sea:
- What's the most beautiful thing you've seen in your life so far?
I've seen much that is beautiful, but I'd have to say the sea on my home planet. It was a very formative landscape for me.
Also:
- Tell us your favorite season.
Winter. The colder, the better - and the more beautiful, I think.
Not that you couldn't do that with lilac, but his appearance doesn't really say "ice" to me - unlike, say, Hyuga's original palette. I suppose some accents of white and ice blue could help there, though. On that subject:
- Felix, what is your favorite color? If there's a reason for it, I'd love to hear that, too!
Lilac. It's the color of twilight.
It's the color of your own hair.
- With which Guardian do you get along best, and with whom do you have a problem?
I get along best with Milan. As for problems...Xeno. He's so timid.
That would make sense, characterwise, though it's not exactly helping your image to have the biggest problem with the apparently nicest character.
- Have you ever thought "that's so beautiful" about any of the other Guardians? If so, about who, and what about them has made you think that?
I have - I have, but...I hesitate to put these moments into words. Milan's dancing is beautiful. Very beautiful.
- Felix, tell us your favorite and not-so-favorite foods!
I am fond of cordial. Elderflower, specifically. I am not very fond of...well, I'm not inclined to say at the moment. Sorry.
Is there a huge backstory on his not-so-favorite food here? Is this going to be what rabbits were to Etoile?
More on cordials:
- It's gotten really cold here recently... If you have any warm beverages to recommend, Felix, I'd love to hear them!
A hot cordial. Also, try putting some ginger into it.
General stuff:
- Is there anything you eat when you want to treat yourself?
When I want to treat myself...chawanmushi! A painstakingly-made dish.
- Tell us about the makeup of your family.
Well, that's an abrupt question. Just my mother!
- Felix, how do you spend your days off?
Painting or reading, I suppose. I like spending time alone.
"Painting" could also be interpreted as "drawing," but he mentions in another question about talking shop with Lumiale (which I suppose tips the scales toward "painting") that his art "isn't for public viewing." A slightly different answer:
- What do you like to do in your free time? Also, what activities do you find calming?
Doing what I want and being able to live as I like, I suppose.
In creepy:
- Olivie is often called a "bird of paradise" and other nicknames. Have you ever been called by anything but your name, Felix?
I'm often told I'm "like a doll." I can't be called that now, though.
Uhhh...okay.
There were also a lot of hair questions:
- Felix, so hair is so long; did you grow it out because you like it that way, or is there a certain reason?
It's a custom of my home planet - it's a cold place, so everyone has long hair. I keep it long even now; I see no reason to change it!
Possible backstory, or maybe just an offhand comment:
- I think beauty can at times be a weapon. Have you ever used beauty as a weapon, Felix?
I have deceived another with a smile, but that was at a time when I truly had no other options. It's not something to which you should resort often, I think.
- Olivie likes dressing people up; has he given you a makeover - makeup, clothing, etc.?
He's told me he wants to in the future, so I'm a bit nervous.`
Honestly, you could use the help.
- Felix, what is "Dream" to you?
Like the powers of the other Guardians, something that is indispensable for human life. Something that pulls us forward.
I like the last part of that answer.
One more question:
Felix, the year is almost over! So many horrible things happened this year...I'd love if you could give some encouragement to those of us weak in body and soul in 2020.
No matter how horrible the circumstances, if you stay true to your convictions, you are sure one day to open the door to the future. Do your best, and don't give up.
I like that someone had to let the Auspicious Owl universe know about 2020.
MILAN
The "is he Giovanni?" question is the one point that interests me the most about Luminarise, so I'm disappointed that there isn't much to Milan's questions at all. He answers a lot with "oh, I like everything." He does refer to himself as "everyone's fairy," which is a very Giovanni thing. He occasionally refers to pranks he's pulled - namely, digging a hole so that someone would fall in it but falling in himself, or spiking some oden Xeno was making with some ingredient he doesn't specify - but there's nothing to the stories beyond what I've stated.
I did like this exchange, though:
Vergil was talking before about an incident where "Milan fell in a hole he dug." Why were you digging a hole?
So that someone would fall in it. Why else would I dig one?
Milan, you always seem so cheerful; do you ever feel down?
Yes! Like when I stage a prank, but everyone just IGNORES it! It's just AWFUL! I want to throw myself in a corner of my room and CRY!
He seems to like attention. Man, if this guy isn't Giovanni, he's going to be exhausting.
Hey, thought here: a lot of the Owl Guardians seem to be drawing upon the OGs in some way (swapping Marcel & Zephel, Felix being Julious + Sei-Lan). Are they just drawing from Giovanni in that way? That'd be disappointing.
Milan, your hood has caught my eye! What's going on with it. I suppose we'll find out soon...
Ha ha - wouldn't you like to know? Maybe there's another me in there? Or maybe I've got a cat inside!
I'm not convinced that this wasn't a plant:
I'm an identical twin. Do you have any twins around you, Milan?
WOW!!! Really?! I'm a twin, too! I have a little sister~
Other:
- What was your homeworld like?
A verrrry hot, scorching desert world.
(He says he likes the desert later, and that his planet was "full of people who loved the arts".)
- What's your favorite time of day?
I like any time of day - they all have their good points. Welllll - if I had to CHOOSE, though, I'd say morning, I think. It feels so nice to dance among the flowers covered with morning dew!
- Were you glad to be called a "god," or was it difficult for you?
Not at all! I thought it was only natural.
That's a very Giovanni response. I didn't know in his profile if he was literally called a "god" before being named a Guardian or if his moves were simply being labeled "divine"; guess it's the latter.
- Tell us your favorite and not-so-favorite foods! I like nuts, I guess~ They're easy to eat.
Also a very Giovanni thing. He also mentions that "I don't really like anything with flavor added," preferring natural flavors.
- This is a sudden question, but what kind of music do you like, Milan?
Any kind! But the sounds of nature are really lovely, aren't they? Rain, wind...even the sounds when it's cold, right? I like any of those~
Later, when asked if he's listened to any music lately he likes, he mentions the sound of water dripping. I like the idea of an artist at Green who finds music and poetry in nature. (In contrast, I never thought Sei-Lan worked at Green; he seems more Dream to me.)
- Milan, when you're with Marcel, is there anything you like to do besides dance?
Oh, anything! Sugoroku (a Japanese board game), bungee-jumping - it's all fun!
I can't see Marcel bungee-jumping.
Milan, if in the future, you have to fight a powerful enemy who threatens the entire universe, what kind of weapon could you use?
A powerful enemy! Like, "rah rah, Guardian Corps!"? Mmmm...I'd probably dance and be in a support role, I guess. I've been told that before!
This kind of goes against the possibility of him being our "fluid and graceful god of war." But then this:
Lumiale from the Divine Bird universe is an expert harpist; have you ever heard him play? You said you like listening to music, so.
I have! The rest is a secret, though.
Hmmmm. (Then again, he says he hasn't met Sei-Lan or any of the Sacred Beast Guardians.)
In closing, hot news from the Floating City:
- Any happy news that's happened recently?
The bird couple in the park finally got back together. What a relief.
