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Viki: A Wrinkle in Time
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 5:50 pm    Post subject: Viki: A Wrinkle in Time Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

No, this isn't about the book. This is a possible theory regarding our favorite klutzy teleportress.

DISCLAIMER: This is a theory and a speculation, and, to the best of my knowledge, none of its elements cannot be completely proved or disproved at the present time. I have not played Suikoden V, so I do not know if information contained therein could materially affect this hypothesis. Furthermore, I am not nor do I claim to be an expert on the subject of time travel. I am simply a layperson presenting what I believe to be an interesting theory. Finally, this is basically a bunch of thoughts racing through my mind, so please forgive me if the essay descends into incoherent rambling at any time. Now, to begin with the article proper...

A Wrinkle in Time

Viki's time travel has, since she first reappered in Suikoden II, been one of the most perplexing elements of the Suikoden universe (hereafter, the Suikoden universe will be referred to as the "Suikoverse" to distinguish it from our universe). Generally, however, people assume that there is one linear timeline, and that Viki sort of "hops" around on it, presumably by accident. However, it seems to me that this theory is not supported by any known facts, and would appear to be simply an immediate rationalization of a seemingly irrational occurrence.

What if, rather than hopping around on the One True Timeline, Viki exists on an entirely different one? It is entirely possible that Viki exists in a different region of time, and that her timeline "intersects" with that of the Suikoverse in the Suikoden games.

Of course, there would appear to be no real reason that the "hopping" theory could be or should be considered incorrect. However, the theory, necessarily, does depend on the assumption that Viki has some power to move through time. The first thing that comes to mind is Viki's Blinking Rune. Still, Viki does not possess the only Blinking Rune in the Suikoverse, yet she is the only one known to have travelled through time. Some might argue that it is possible that Viki has a sort of "True Blinking Rune" (has this been debunked by Konami?), but it seems to me that the domain of the Blinking Rune (transportation) would be fully covered by the Gate Rune.

Now, back to my "intersection" postulate; if Viki exists in a different timeline and her timeline intersects with the Suikoverse, one must ask why it intersects with those specific times that it does. Now, this ties directly in to the supernatural forces of the Suikoden world, so let us review them: the True Runes, the governors of the elements that comprise the Suikoverse; the Goddess Sadie, patron deity of the Zexen Confederacy; the ambiguous "God" that Valeria's arresting officer pretends to swear to and that Luc wants to destroy in Suikoden III (it is unclear if this simply refers to the order imposed by the True Runes); and the spirits revered by the Grasslanders, which have been shown to exist.

In our world, it is very much debatable whether or not there is any sort of "higher power," and if there is, whether or not it is an anthropomorphic deity or an abstract concept. However, the Suikoverse has proven itself to be made up of various magical elements, and there is one universally accepted creation myth. Therefore, there is no reason to assume that any of the above supernatural forces do not exist. We can conclude that, in addition to the True Runes, there are multiple deities of the Suikoverse.

Any of these forces could be the catalyst for Viki's movements. However, there is one more possibility, and, I feel, a more likely one: Leknaat. She is known as the Executor of Balance. We do not truly know what that means; however, it would seem to imply that it is her job to keep the world's order intact. Of course, that itself is a very vague term.

In Suikoden, there was a very real threat to the world's "balance:" Windy. She hoped to hold on her person two True Runes: an act that, as far as we know, defied the laws of the Suikoverse. Obviously, Leknaat, as Executor of Balance, had a duty to prevent such an occurrence, which she successfully did.

In Suikoden II, the threat to balance is not so clear; we will return to this in a moment.

In Suikoden III, Luc wanted to destroy the True Wind Rune, which would ruin the natural order of things. Furthermore, Harmonia began to act on its wishes to hold all twenty-seven True Runes, which would ruin the balance of power between the various nations. It is possible that Leknaat's intervention in Suikoden II was to destroy the Highland Kingdom in order to undermine Harmonia.

In Suikoden IV, the threat to balance is less clear, as in Suikoden II. Still, perhaps Graham Cray's attempt to forcibly take the Rune of Punishment constituted such a threat, or maybe his summons of the Tree was an inappropriate link between worlds. If that last point is true, then it could be argued that Leknaat also was trying to defeat Yuber in the first three Suikodens.

Essentially, my theory is that Viki is an agent of Leknaat, set on a timeline that intersects the Suikoverse when it becomes necessary for her to keep the balance. Leknaat, as we know, has never herself fought to preserve balance, although she has certainly taken sides and, with her half of the Gate Rune, could surely do some damage; perhaps Viki represents her in the wars. Also, perhaps the double (or triple, if Yuber and the Tree count) threats posed in Suikoden III caused Leknaat to think it necessary to send two Vikis. Of course, that begs the question: How many Vikis are there?

Of course, this theory is not perfect. For one, it grants an amazing amount of power to Leknaat, arguably more than she deserves. The fundamental flaw, at this time, in any theory involving Leknaat is that we do not fully understand the phrase "Executor of Balance." I'm sure others will point out other flaws. However, despite any flaws, and unless I've missed some glaring detail, the theory is plausible.
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John Layfield

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Quote:
the ambiguous "God" that Valeria's arresting officer pretends to swear to and that Luc wants to destroy in Suikoden III


These are translation issues.

The whole younger Viki bit is where the theory comes screeching to a halt.

We know that the Younger Viki was sent to IS 475 for reasons unknown even to herself and her goal was merely to return home. We also know that she views this time period as the past. In fact, she was unsure whether she could even return to her home (which was shown in Suikogaiden I).

There are other matters to consider, such as why send the clumsy and often downright inept older Viki instead of the more skilled and serious younger Viki? And why interfere by having someone leap around from an alternative timeline rather than just directly sending them to the location in question a la Luc in Suikoden I and II?
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 6:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Okay, so the "God" is a mistranslation. However, it's quite possible that there is some sort of Suikoden deity, unless the Zexen Goddess is also a mistranslation.

I didn't know that about Young Viki. Admittedly, that is a good point, as is the inept older Viki argument. Still, the fundamental point -- that Viki exists on an alternate timeline -- still seems logical.

However, could you go into more detail about Little Viki's "home?" That is a crucial detail, and it is a major inhibitor on my theory that I haven't played the Suikogaidens. As I understand, there are several hints as to Viki's nature in them.

I don't claim to have all the answers; there are simply too many "ifs." In truth, I just wanted to introduce an alternative to the "hopping" theory. I just kept on typing and sort of got carried away. Still, I think I raised some valid and important points.
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 7:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Indeed. That's why I didn't contest most of them.

I'm not extremely knowledgable on Viki's home myself. All I know is that it appears to be a room designed to look like the outdoors. Walls and ceilings are the sky, two-dimensional scenery dots the landscape and so on. Other weird things include doors in mid-air, corridors that lead to nowhere, various coloured tiles in other rooms dotting the walls, roof and floor and so on. I think there's something like a window leading to flowers as well.

Basically as Sars put it, "No wonder why Viki gets lost so easily if she has been living in such a "Lucy in the Skies with Diamonds" world".
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I've just thought of something, something that could explain why Leknaat would opt to send big Viki instead of little Viki in Suikodens I, II, IV, and V.

Leknaat has a part of the Gate Rune, and thus has access to the other worlds (and we know there are very, very many). Isn't it possible, then, that her duties as Executor of Balance extend to those other worlds?

Therefore, it's possible that while Viki wasn't in the Suikoverse (such as in the three years between Suikoden and Suikoden II), she could have been helping to preserve balance in other worlds. If this is so, we can think of Viki's existence in time as a piecewise function; it follows a set path until reaching a certain point, then jumps somewhere else.

Now, if we assume that Leknaat has a duty to preserve balance "elsewhere," then isn't it possible that at the same "times" (of course, we don't know the relative chronological positions of the various worlds compared to each other) as the Gate Rune Wars, the Dunan Unification War, and the Kooluk Southern Expansion were taking place, there were more pressing concerns in other worlds, concerns that could cause Leknaat to send the more competent little Viki to those worlds? This coincides with the possibility that the greatest threat to balance we've been shown yet, the possible destruction of the True Wind Rune, prompted Leknaat to send double the Viki power to right that wrong.

Another, simpler explanation is that, due to the social nature of the arrangement of the One Hundred and Eight Stars of Destiny, Leknaat sent the amicable, if ditzy, elder Viki to aid her one hundred and seven companions.

Of course, this is still all wild speculation, but theoreticallly plausible and, above all, fun and intriguing speculation.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Quote:
(such as in the three years between Suikoden and Suikoden II)


Viki directly jumped between those two periods. She was eating at the celebration banquet held by the Liberation Army, sneezed, and she was in Jowston, with fork and knife in hand, even.

But, again, Younger Viki doesn't know why she's being sent anywhere. It's unlikely she's working for Leknaat if she doesn't even know what's going on. As far as Young Viki knows, she got 'pulled along' accidentaly by Elder Viki and is just waiting for a chance to return home, if it's even possible.
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Like I said, there's too much we don't know. (That's a pretty handy cop-out for situations like this, isn't it? :wink:)

Seriously, though, as to the fork and knife thing, perhaps there's some property of Viki that causes her, when she enters a world, to revert to the state she was in when she left that world? Such a restriction could be implemented to prevent her from revealing information from another world. And it could explain her constant confusion. You'd be confused too if you were eating at a banquet, and then suddenly found yourself in a forest halfway across the world and three years into the future.

As for Young Viki, perhaps, if that aforementioned restriction is in place, the Suikoden III appearance was her first appearance in the Suikoverse? If so, she would not have any recollection of what she was doing or why she was there.

And I really don't see why it's "unlikely she's working for Leknaat" just because she's clueless. As long as Little Viki does what Leknaat intended for her to do (which, presumably, would be to help out the Second Fire Bringer), Leknaat's goals are fulfilled.

At the risk of repeating myself, there's simply too much we don't know. Hopefully, Suikoden V will reveal something. (If any of you have played Suikoden V, please DO NOT tell me if it does or not. I'm trying to avoid as many spoilers as possible.)

And is anyone else even reading this?
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Well, know the theory has really changed, hasn't it? :P

Now Leknaat is in charge of the addition and removal of cutlery, memory erasing and transporting people between any one of over a million dimensions.

It's a fun theory but... why not just send a Luc-like figure in each world? That is, a credible mage who'll do what you say for the most part. It sounds a lot simpler than this constant juggling of memories, food consumption implements and dimension hopping.
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Well i have a theory for her cluelessness. MAybe it's just an act because people thought she was crazy when she first siad she worked for leknaat. So inorder for people to think that she is hallucinating and such she could just be acting like that.

For example the Bath tub scene in Suikoden IV She was about to get to something and then realized she was going to give her self away and then made it seem as iff she was a getting tipsy as Jeane puts it.
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Camus the Noble

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

John Layfield wrote:
Well, know the theory has really changed, hasn't it? :P

Now Leknaat is in charge of the addition and removal of cutlery, memory erasing and transporting people between any one of over a million dimensions.


Actually, I mentioned in the original post that one of the major problems with the theory was that it gave Leknaat incredible power.

John Layfield wrote:
It sounds a lot simpler than this constant juggling of memories, food consumption implements and dimension hopping.


Yes, it does. However, Luc wasn't exactly put into the Suikoverse by Leknaat. She happened upon him. Still, the larger point (that a constant agent for each world would be simpler) is valid. But remember, Viki only appears whenever there is a conflict of some sort. Clearly, whatever force, be it Leknaat or other, doesn't want her in the world if she's not needed at the time. Why? No idea.

Of course, it is probable that whoever implemented the timeline-transcending system, likely the original Executor of Balance (we don't know if Leknaat is the first or not; I would be inclined to think not), was human. Therefore, he or she was flawed, and may have simply made a bad system. Of course, it could be argued that the system may have been implemented by some perfect entity, but as the Suikoden world is polytheistic (the spirits and Sadie, at the very least), it's likely that there is no perfect entity. Of course, we then don't know the nature of said supernatural forces, but that's the problem with speculation such as this topic: you can have an infinite number of theories, and those theories can branch off in an infinite number of ways.

And I have a small technical issue with a way you worded my theory. You seemed to think that Leknaat was somehow actively adding the forks and knives as Viki was in transit between worlds. Under my postulate, the forks and knives would have already existed, just been in some sort of limbo, waiting for Viki to reenter the Suikoverse and hold them again. Of course, that would have violated the law of conservation of mass, but who's to say that such laws apply in the magic-driven Suikoden world? Uh... this is all too confusing. These metaphysical matters make my head hurt. :?

EDIT: Spelling and wording issues.
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

I think Viki jumps from time period to time period in the order of the games. Aside from the time she goes to her home world in Suikogaiden I, it seems most logical. Why else would she just HAPPEN to be in every game so far aside from the fact that the writers of the games obviously have something planned for her in the future. The only thing left unexplained is how her outfit is different from game to game, but that is just the way I see it.
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Viki is definitely a strange one...

she says something kind of puzzling when you meet her in five.

she's once again ready to eat, who knows after which game... maybe she was ready to sit down with hero 7. anyway, she asks you what country she's in, and upon hearing Falena, she says "Falena, is that place still around?" It's like if I sneezed and reappeared in the middle ages... that kind of weird, but I promise no kind of reference to the movie "Black Knight"... which society is still collectively recuperating. Apparently Viki has killed someone via teleportation, because she gets worried that Lorelai got destroyed or something, but she just didn't teleport her.

What time period is Viki from...?
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 9:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

Viki hmm couldn't see any wrinkles from her even she's 475 years old, For her to travel beyond time is one of Suikoden's 7 wonder or whatever
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Viki's background probably won't be explained till the end of the series I think( lets hope everything gets explained at least). I do remember in Suikoden II when Viki gets investigated by Richmond, he says something along the lines " I don't think this girl is even from the same continent." Perhaps maybe Viki isn't as mysterious as we think.....it could just be another continent in the Suikoden World that we haven't heard about.

She whispers " Waffu" in her sleep....its spectulated that perhaps thats the name of her home. The connection is hard...oh well I tried.
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Add User to Ignore List

From what I hear in the side games in Japan you go to Viki's home world. I also thinks she travels through the games as we do, in sequencial order, not in time order.
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