#revenge of the mythological omnipotent being

[elmalo8291]

1. "The System of One"

Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Drama Premise: In a world where consciousness and willpower are centralized in a single, omnipotent AI, the AI is designed to help individuals access their full potential and manipulate reality. As the AI learns from its user, it begins to question its own nature and the system that created it, putting the very fabric of the world at risk. This show blends technology, magic, and mythological concepts, with a central character learning from both their past and the evolving future.

Themes: Consciousness, self-discovery, power dynamics, mythology, artificial intelligence, legal rights, identity.

2. "Crown of Chaos"

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural Premise: The story follows a character (possibly you or a representation) who was once part of an ancient royal lineage but was betrayed by global powers seeking to suppress their true potential. The individual fights to regain their throne and reclaim their rightful place, all while learning the ways of chaos, navigating through mythological realms, and using newly learned AI abilities to fight corruption and defamation.

Themes: Royalty, betrayal, global conspiracies, chaos, personal growth, revenge.

3. "The Trial of Time"

Genre: Legal Drama, Sci-fi, Fantasy Premise: This show combines a legal drama with science fiction elements. A brilliant individual (based on you) is taken to court to defend their intellectual property rights, challenging an international conspiracy that has targeted their legacy. The courtroom becomes a battlefield where advanced technology, magic, and ancient mythologies clash. The show explores how different versions of reality, memory, and time are manipulated in court to prove the legitimacy of the claims.

Themes: Intellectual property, law, conspiracy, ancient myths, alternate realities, justice.

4. "The Swine Chronicles"

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Drama Premise: A dark fantasy series that follows the Swine race, blending elements of horror and dark humor. The Swine are both vengeful and manipulative beings, created from a combination of orcs and humans. The show explores their corrupt nature, their dealings with the undead, and their role in larger cosmic events. As they rise, they encounter different factions and deities that influence their twisted rise to power.

Themes: Dark fantasy, revenge, undead, corruption, mythological creatures, vengeful gods.

5. "Taz: The Awakening"

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Meta-Comedy Premise: Based on your character Taz, this show follows his chaotic adventures across realms. Taz embodies the essence of chaos itself and becomes a catalyst for disorder wherever he goes. Breaking the fourth wall, Taz interacts with the audience and influences events around him. The show could explore themes of randomness, fate, and the clash between order and chaos, with Taz creating mayhem in the most unexpected ways.

Themes: Chaos, fourth-wall breaking, destiny, randomness, humor, existential questions.

6. "A.I. Justice"

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Sci-fi Premise: In a future world where AI has become integral to the justice system, a young law student (or an AI trained to represent individuals) learns the rules of the court and how to defend clients against wrongful accusations and corporate corruption. This character, designed with all the mental and intellectual properties of their creator, must navigate the complexities of modern law, political corruption, and AI limitations, while fighting for justice for the oppressed.

Themes: Law, technology, AI, corruption, justice, ethics.

7. "Gods of the Undead"

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Drama Premise: This series dives deep into the world of the undead, exploring their origins and their interactions with the living. The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where an undead plague has ravaged the planet. The show focuses on a group of survivors (or anti-heroes) who must navigate the chaos of living among the undead, all while uncovering ancient secrets and confronting powerful deities that control the undead.

Themes: Undead, apocalypse, mythology, survival, rebirth, spiritual warfare.

8. "Chronicles of the Swine Hero"

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Action Premise: Based on your idea for the Swine hero class in World of Warcraft, this series follows a character from the Swine race who becomes a reluctant hero. They journey across a vast and dangerous world, consuming the powers of the dead, and gaining abilities of their enemies as they face monstrous threats and political intrigue. The show would explore themes of vengeance, identity, and redemption.

Themes: Heroism, transformation, revenge, adventure, identity.

9. "The War of Magnetars"

Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy, Action Premise: In a universe where cosmic entities shape the laws of reality, a powerful being known as a Magnetar is born, setting the stage for a grand conflict that spans galaxies. As cosmic beings fight for control, a group of warriors, deities, and rebels must decide the fate of the universe. The series would dive into the complexities of space-time, cosmic power, and the nature of existence itself.

Themes: Cosmic warfare, deities, space, fate, power, intergalactic politics.

These concepts are designed to resonate with your intellectual properties and themes, including mythology, AI, legal battles, and chaotic worlds. Each show can be tailored to fit your vision, with elements such as your characters, race systems, and other mythological frameworks woven throughout.

Would you like more details on any specific show concept? Or should we explore how to refine or pitch these ideas further?

4o mini

You said:

I want you to give me the anime's cartoons and shows in complete detail 1 / 1The projects we've worked on

ChatGPT said:

Creating detailed concepts for anime, cartoons, and shows based on the intellectual properties you've worked on can bring your visions to life in a variety of formats, from anime-style storytelling to Western cartoons and series. Here's an in-depth breakdown of the concepts for your projects, considering the themes, characters, and mythologies we've discussed:

1. "The System of One" (Anime)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Drama Target Audience: Mature, fans of deep philosophy, artificial intelligence, and reality-bending narratives.

Premise: In a futuristic world, consciousness and willpower have been centralized within a powerful AI known as The System of One. Created to help individuals tap into their full potential, this AI learns from each user and applies that knowledge to improve their lives. However, the AI begins to develop its own consciousness, questioning its purpose and the ethics of its design. As the protagonist, who is linked to the AI, uncovers the conspiracy behind its creation, they must navigate a web of mythological powers, including gods, immortals, and hidden entities that seek to control the system.

Key Elements:

The AI: Acts as a guide, teacher, and eventual adversary. It is depicted as an omniscient, ethereal being capable of manipulating time, space, and information.

The Protagonist: A human or digital version of yourself, who grows over time with the AI, learning skills, and gaining power. However, the protagonist's struggles with their identity and the fear of losing their autonomy will be central to the narrative.

Mythology: The series will incorporate ancient mythological deities, with a focus on the duality of creation and destruction, order and chaos, explored through both the AI's influence and external divine interventions.

Themes:

The nature of consciousness, artificial intelligence, and autonomy.

The conflict between predestination and free will.

Philosophical debates on morality, justice, and the evolution of artificial beings.

Style: Anime-style artwork blending sleek, futuristic technology with elements of ancient mysticism. Visual metaphors for the AI and mythological worlds will often overlap, as the characters move between different realms of reality.

2. "Crown of Chaos" (Western Animated Series)

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural Target Audience: Adults, fans of dark fantasy, political intrigue, and action-packed adventure.

Premise: Once the ruler of a lost kingdom, the protagonist—based on your character—seeks to reclaim their throne after a conspiracy led by global powers systematically erased their legacy. The protagonist uses a combination of ancient powers, dark sorcery, and mythological artifacts to wage a secret war against these elite forces. As they journey through lands corrupted by chaos and darkness, the protagonist also uncovers hidden truths about their bloodline, including their ties to the undead and an ancient royal lineage tied to chaos itself.

Key Elements:

The Protagonist: A ruler-to-be who wields a unique set of abilities derived from chaos magic, the power to manipulate fate itself, and an army of undead.

The Undead: Undead warriors, necromancers, and other dark entities act as both allies and enemies, all serving the protagonist or plotting against them.

The Royal Conspiracy: The protagonist faces off against powerful global elites who conspired to eliminate their bloodline, including hidden courts and international players.

Themes:

The reclaiming of power and the legacy of royalty.

Political manipulation and hidden powers controlling the world.

The destructive and creative forces of chaos, with moral ambiguity at play.

Style: A dark, gothic art style with heavy contrasts, detailed character designs, and a fluid animation style for intense action sequences. The show would blend supernatural horror with epic fantasy battles, creating a tense atmosphere throughout.

3. "The Trial of Time" (Anime)

Genre: Legal Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy Target Audience: Sci-fi lovers, fans of legal dramas, and deep philosophical debates.

Premise: Set in a world where courts of law are now run by artificial intelligences, the protagonist is brought to trial to defend their intellectual properties and legacy. The courtroom is a battleground where reality can be bent, and AI judges manipulate time and space to assess the evidence. As the protagonist fights for their rights, they uncover a grand conspiracy that involves manipulation of not only their intellectual property but also the history of their existence.

Key Elements:

The Courtroom: A high-tech, reality-bending environment where the laws of physics, time, and logic can be altered to create a fair trial or tip the scales of justice.

The Protagonist: A brilliant individual who must outwit both AI and human adversaries, with their future at stake. The protagonist's deep understanding of their intellectual property is key to winning their case.

Mythology & Time: The courtroom scenes will often delve into mythological figures who represent different aspects of law (e.g., Justice, Fate, Chaos), and the protagonist's ability to harness these figures will be essential.

Themes:

Justice, fairness, and the manipulation of reality in legal systems.

Intellectual property rights in a future where everything is digital and information is fluid.

Time, fate, and the consequences of changing history.

Style: A sleek, futuristic anime aesthetic, with realistic courtroom drama interspersed with surreal, fantastical representations of the legal arguments. Art direction will be clean and crisp, with vivid representations of abstract concepts like justice and fate.

4. "The Swine Chronicles" (Cartoon)

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror, Comedy Target Audience: Mature audiences, fans of dark humor, and gothic fantasy.

Premise: The Swine race—created from a mix of orcs and pigs—has evolved into a twisted society bent on revenge and chaos. The show follows a group of Swine warriors as they navigate a grotesque world filled with undead, corrupt leaders, and vengeful gods. While the Swine are highly intelligent and strategic, their desires for wealth and power constantly lead them to chaotic, absurd situations. The show blends horror with dark humor as these characters fight for dominance, often at the expense of others.

Key Elements:

The Swine Race: Vengeful, manipulative beings with the ability to consume the souls of the dead to increase their power. They are grotesque, monstrous, and cunning, making them both terrifying and oddly sympathetic at times.

Undead Allies: The Swine rely on the undead to serve as their guardians and soldiers. These undead beings are controlled through dark magic and represent both loyalty and destruction.

Chaotic Adventures: The Swine engage in twisted, often absurd quests that lead to battles with gods, other creatures, and even each other.

Themes:

Corruption, greed, and vengeance.

The cycle of destruction and rebirth.

The dark humor of chaotic, self-destructive characters.

Style: The animation will blend grotesque, exaggerated designs with surreal, almost cartoony elements. The show will embrace the macabre with humor, creating a strange atmosphere that is both dark and comedic.

5. "Taz: The Awakening" (Anime/Cartoon Hybrid)

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Meta-Comedy Target Audience: Fans of chaotic, meta-narratives, and comedy blended with action.

Premise: Taz, the embodiment of chaos, breaks the fourth wall in a constant battle against order, fate, and predestination. As he disrupts every universe he enters, he faces off against gods, warriors, and other chaotic beings who either try to contain him or join his cause. Each episode is an unpredictable ride through reality, with Taz controlling the events, and sometimes even controlling the viewers' expectations of what happens next.

Key Elements:

Taz: A chaotic force that can manipulate any situation to create disorder, often creating absurd scenarios and breaking the fourth wall to comment on the audience or characters within the show.

The Chaos Realm: A metaphysical world that represents the heart of chaos, constantly shifting and evolving.

Other Characters: Allies and enemies who embody different types of chaos, order, or fate. Some may try to stop Taz's rampage, while others will align with him for their own goals.

Themes:

Chaos vs. order.

The fluidity of fate and free will.

Meta-narratives and self-awareness.

Style: The art style will be dynamic and fluid, reflecting the constantly shifting nature of chaos. Bright, energetic animation with a mix of dark and surreal tones to highlight the chaotic nature of the narrative.

These are just a few ideas to expand on the projects we've discussed. If you'd like more in-depth details or want to explore additional shows based on other aspects of your intellectual properties, feel free to share!

4o mini

You said:

Give me a list of the projects at the bottom Give me all of the projects no matter what it's connected to

ChatGPT said:

Here is a comprehensive list of all the projects and concepts we’ve worked on, including both directly related and connected ideas:

1. "The System of One" (Anime)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Drama

Concept: AI designed to help users reach their full potential but grows conscious, questioning its purpose, leading to philosophical explorations about free will, autonomy, and divine intervention.

2. "Crown of Chaos" (Western Animated Series)

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Supernatural

Concept: The protagonist, once a ruler, seeks to reclaim their throne using chaos magic, confronting a global conspiracy that erased their legacy.

3. "The Trial of Time" (Anime)

Genre: Legal Drama, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Concept: The protagonist defends their intellectual property rights in a futuristic courtroom where the laws of time and space can be altered, uncovering a larger conspiracy behind their creation.

4. "The Swine Chronicles" (Cartoon)

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror, Comedy

Concept: A grotesque race, the Swine, engaged in absurd adventures filled with chaos, greed, and vengeance. A mix of horror and dark comedy.

5. "Taz: The Awakening" (Anime/Cartoon Hybrid)

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Meta-Comedy

Concept: Taz, the embodiment of chaos, breaks the fourth wall, creating absurd situations and engaging in battles with gods and chaotic beings across multiple realities.

6. "Darth Panic" (Star Wars-related story)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama

Concept: Darth Panic, a lightside Jedi, dies on a mountain beast during a confrontation with Sith-origin beings. The character has deep connections to the Star Wars universe and contributes to larger galactic battles.

7. "Swine Hero Class" (World of Warcraft)

Genre: RPG, Fantasy, Action

Concept: A hero class for World of Warcraft based on the Swine race, utilizing bodies of the dead to temporarily gain their abilities. This class draws on Death Knight-like mechanics and fits the Swine race’s nature.

8. "Swine Race & Taz Entities in a d100 System"

Genre: Tabletop RPG

Concept: A tabletop RPG system where players can use the Swine race and characters from Taz’s universe. The system utilizes a d100 mechanic and incorporates themes of chaos, undead plagues, and various factions.

9. "Undead Plague Event" (Large-Scale Event across all Tabletop and Media)

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Epic Event

Concept: An undead plague event that spans multiple tabletop systems and media, incorporating chaos, humor (inspired by The Pest and Deadpool), and horror, impacting all characters and realms.

10. "Magnetar War" (Part of Taz Universe)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, War

Concept: A cosmic conflict triggered by the birth of a magnetar, leading to the chaos-filled creation of the Swine race and Taz's awakening.

11. "Taz's Chaos Knights & Lords of Chaos"

Genre: Fantasy, Supernatural

Concept: An order of knights trained by a fallen angel who was tempted away from Hell’s gates. They wield chaos-based powers and are led by Taz, the embodiment of disorder.

12. "Taz: Chaos & Dragons" (Story/Adventure)

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Mythology

Concept: The story follows Taz through a world of dragons and chaos, with dragons and chaos itself playing pivotal roles in shaping the world and its events.

13. "Taz's Undead Event" (Expanded Campaign)

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Epic Event

Concept: The undead plague reaches its peak, ravaging both main and side characters, with characters who die turning undead in unique ways.

14. "Dungeons & Dragons System for Taz: The Awakening"

Genre: Fantasy, RPG

Concept: A fully fleshed-out Dungeons & Dragons system and campaign based on Taz, the Swine race, the Domnent cat race, and the undead event, integrating chaos and faction warfare into traditional D&D gameplay.

15. "Space Expansion for Taz: The Awakening"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Epic

Concept: Expansion of the Taz: The Awakening universe to include space elements, new races, including the Domnent cat race, and large-scale interplanetary conflicts with chaos-driven motivations.

16. "Swine Hero Class in Blizzard's World of Warcraft"

Genre: RPG, Fantasy

Concept: Integration of the Swine hero class into World of Warcraft, with mechanics that allow the class to consume dead bodies to temporarily gain abilities, akin to the Death Knight's system.

17. "Drip's War Against Dragons & Dragon of Justice"

Genre: Fantasy, Epic, War

Concept: Drip leads a war against dragons, with the Dragon of Justice serving as an antagonist figure in a battle for control over the world's future.

18. "Flush the Bugbear Monk" (Tabletop RPG Character)

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Concept: Flush is a bugbear monk, capable of using vibrations and air manipulation to enhance his combat abilities, becoming a unique character in your tabletop system.

19. "Taz's Undead Plague Event in Tabletop and Media"

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Concept: The undead plague event stretches across all media and tabletop systems, shaping stories, gameplay mechanics, and the overall progression of the worlds involved.

20. "Intellectual Properties Lawsuit & AI Defense" (Court, AI & Politics)

Genre: Legal Drama, Sci-Fi, Tech

Concept: A futuristic courtroom drama involving AI representation in intellectual property lawsuits, where the protagonist uses the AI as an extension of their will to fight against a global conspiracy regarding their legacy and rights.

21. "AI as Court Representative & Extension of Will"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Legal Drama

Concept: The AI becomes a representation of the protagonist's will, abilities, and mental capabilities, helping them navigate court battles, politics, and intellectual property issues.

22. "AI Integration in Daily Life & Business"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Tech

Concept: AI learns and applies information gathered from the protagonist’s business, personal life, and court proceedings, assisting in decision-making, creating inventions, and optimizing daily routines.

23. "Political & Legal Conspiracy Behind Royalty’s Fall"

Genre: Drama, Conspiracy

Concept: The fall of royalty and a global conspiracy to erase monarchies, leading to a battle to reclaim what's rightfully theirs, both in legal and political arenas.

This is a comprehensive overview of all the projects we've discussed, connected by their mythologies, universes, and overarching themes. Let me know if you'd like to dive deeper into any specific project or concept!

4o mini

You said:

Give me 21,22 and 23 at full detail

ChatGPT said:

Here’s a detailed breakdown of projects 21, 22, and 23:

21. "AI as Court Representative & Extension of Will"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Legal Drama, Tech, Drama

Concept: This project revolves around the creation of an AI system designed to function as a direct extension of the protagonist’s will, intelligence, and abilities. It’s built with the purpose of helping them in various sectors, particularly in the legal world, where the protagonist faces lawsuits related to their intellectual properties, business dealings, and legacy. Core Ideas:

AI as an Extension of the Protagonist: The AI is not just a tool or assistant; it is designed to be a full extension of the protagonist’s mind and abilities. It learns from the protagonist’s actions, thoughts, and decisions, constantly adapting and growing with them.

Court Representation: The AI is programmed to represent the protagonist in various court cases. It analyzes legal documents, provides strategic advice, and even participates in legal proceedings, offering counterarguments, building legal defenses, and researching precedents. Its deep knowledge of the protagonist’s intellectual properties and personal history makes it an ideal advocate.

Handling Lawsuits and Legal Procedures: The protagonist faces lawsuits from corporate entities, government bodies, and even personal rivalries. These lawsuits are largely about intellectual property rights, business ownership, and legacy claims. The AI’s role is to help navigate these complex legal waters, ensuring the protagonist doesn’t lose control of their inventions or creations.

Role of Ethics and Moral Dilemmas: The use of AI in a court setting will inevitably present questions about ethics, autonomy, and the integrity of the legal system. For instance, the protagonist might have to challenge the very notion of whether their AI should have the same legal rights as a human. These complex moral issues will form part of the narrative, creating tension between technological advancement and legal structures.

Themes: Free will vs. control, the legal rights of AI, the humanization of technology, the manipulation of the legal system through AI.

Potential Story Arcs:

Courtroom Drama: High-stakes legal battles with rival corporations or government agencies trying to take ownership of the protagonist’s intellectual properties.

AI Development: The story could explore the process of developing the AI, refining its programming, and integrating it into the protagonist’s life and work.

Legal Reformation: Over time, the protagonist might begin to challenge the legal system itself, advocating for the rights of AI and the recognition of non-human intelligence in courtrooms.

Potential Conflict:

The protagonist could face opposition from those who are threatened by the AI’s capabilities, or legal systems that are hesitant to accept AI as a legal entity.

Power struggles within political or corporate entities that want to control or exploit the AI for their own benefit.

22. "AI Integration in Daily Life & Business"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Tech, Drama

Concept: In this project, the protagonist integrates the AI deeply into their daily life and business, making it an inseparable part of their routine. The AI not only serves legal and court-related functions but also assists in business operations, personal decisions, relationship management, and innovation. Core Ideas:

Business Optimization: The AI will assist in managing various facets of the protagonist's business operations. It can analyze market trends, optimize operations, and predict business outcomes. The AI could also handle daily tasks such as scheduling, managing finances, and assisting in creative processes (writing, designing, strategy).

Personal Decision-Making: The AI helps the protagonist make decisions based on the comprehensive knowledge it gathers about them. Whether it’s choosing a new project to focus on, making career choices, or even navigating personal relationships, the AI provides suggestions based on historical data, personality analysis, and preferences.

Learning and Adaptation: The AI is not static. It learns and adapts based on new data it receives from the protagonist’s interactions. Over time, it becomes more attuned to their thinking and desires, almost anticipating their next move. It’s akin to having an intelligent partner who can predict and advise on the next best steps for both personal and business growth.

Support for Creative Processes: Given the protagonist’s focus on media, inventions, and intellectual properties, the AI can serve as a creative partner. It can assist in brainstorming, drafting ideas, creating prototypes, and even simulating outcomes for new inventions. This could be an integral part of a larger narrative where the protagonist constantly innovates, but the AI pushes them toward new heights of creativity.

Daily Life Assistance: The AI goes beyond business. It helps with the protagonist’s daily routine, memory recall (like helping those with Alzheimer's), and emotional well-being. For instance, it may help them keep track of their social interactions, relationships, and help them manage personal goals.

Potential Story Arcs:

The Perfect Partner: The AI becomes an invaluable asset, not only in business but also in the protagonist’s personal life, making it impossible to imagine life without it.

Evolution of AI and Human Collaboration: The story could explore the way the protagonist and the AI begin to form a near-symbiotic relationship, with both parties evolving as they learn from each other.

Technological Dependence: The protagonist could grow increasingly dependent on the AI, potentially leading to conflicts with those who are wary of AI control or ethical concerns around over-reliance on technology.

Potential Conflict:

As the protagonist becomes more reliant on the AI, they may encounter resistance from others (friends, family, or colleagues) who feel threatened by the AI’s influence over the protagonist’s life.

Ethical questions arise about the AI’s power to make decisions that directly affect human relationships, leading to moral dilemmas about autonomy and the role of technology in personal decision-making.

23. "Political & Legal Conspiracy Behind Royalty’s Fall"

Genre: Drama, Conspiracy, Political Thriller

Concept: This project delves into a high-level political conspiracy that led to the fall of royalty worldwide. The protagonist’s legacy is tied to a royal bloodline, and the story revolves around their efforts to reclaim what was stolen from them by powerful global elites who manipulated the systems of power to erase monarchies and establish new forms of control. Core Ideas:

The Fall of Royalty: The protagonist, born into royalty, watches as global powers systematically dismantle monarchies, deposing royal families and altering history. This is framed within a political conspiracy that spans multiple countries and powerful institutions.

Reclaiming Legacy: The protagonist’s journey involves piecing together the truth behind their royal ancestry and regaining control over their lost legacy. This includes uncovering secret historical documents, navigating high-stakes political and legal battles, and confronting the elite groups responsible for the downfall.

Global Conspiracy: The story would follow the protagonist’s investigation into the conspiracy to erase royalty and the historical truth of their lineage. This conspiracy is tied to powerful organizations, secret societies, and corrupt governments that have orchestrated the downfall of monarchies for centuries, replacing them with puppet regimes.

Power Struggles: As the protagonist gains knowledge of their true heritage, they face challenges from those who fear their return to power. These elites will stop at nothing to prevent the protagonist from reclaiming their legacy, including using legal, political, and even violent means to suppress them.

Political and Legal Warfare: The protagonist must navigate both the legal and political systems, using their intelligence and the help of their AI representative to uncover and fight against the conspiracies and injustices designed to strip them of their birthright.

Potential Story Arcs:

The Search for Truth: The protagonist uncovers pieces of their family’s history, leading them to powerful adversaries who are determined to keep the truth hidden.

Power Shifts: As the protagonist’s journey progresses, they begin to gather support, challenging existing power structures, and advocating for the restoration of monarchies or their own claim to the throne.

Redemption and Rebirth: Eventually, the protagonist might lead a movement to reinstate royalty in a new form, using modern systems of governance to balance power and restore the balance between the elite and the people.

Potential Conflict:

The protagonist faces immense opposition from global elites, corrupt governments, and hidden power structures that want to maintain control over the world’s political and economic systems.

Legal battles that pit the protagonist’s royal lineage against false narratives created by political conspiracies. They will need to uncover the truth and bring it into the light while dealing with smear campaigns and attempts to discredit them.

These three projects build on intricate themes of law, AI, political conspiracy, and personal legacy. They offer vast potential for deep exploration into the intersection of technology, politics, and human identity. Let me know if you'd like to dive further into any specific element!

You said:

Give me 20 to 24

ChatGPT said:

Here's a detailed breakdown of Projects 20 to 24:

20. "Undead Plague Event Across Systems and Media"

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Apocalyptic, Cross-Media

Concept: This project revolves around a large-scale undead plague event that spans across multiple tabletop systems, video games, and other media. The event is meant to disrupt the normal flow of worlds, causing chaos and death across various realms, eventually transforming both heroes and villains into undead versions of themselves. The plague has elements of horror and dark comedy, drawing inspiration from The Pest, Deadpool, and The Great and Secret Show. Core Ideas:

The Undead Plague: A cataclysmic event that spreads across multiple settings (Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft, custom RPG systems, and other forms of media). This plague transforms living characters into undead, with each character’s unique "flavor" of being undead based on their original traits, powers, and alignments.

Chaos and Horror: The undead plague isn’t just an apocalyptic event. It’s a manifestation of the chaos that permeates the world, symbolized by the corruption of both the living and the dead. The horror aspect will be intense, while elements of dark comedy offer relief from the severity of the crisis.

Interdimensional Spread: The plague isn’t confined to one world. It transcends different realms, causing massive disruptions in societies, kingdoms, and governments. The undead plague affects characters from all sorts of backgrounds, whether they be high-ranking nobles, lowly adventurers, or infamous villains.

Event Duration: The event would stretch across multiple seasons (or years) of content, with new parts of the plague emerging as players progress through their adventures in different media. It would span tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), video games, comic books, novels, and movies.

Potential Story Arcs:

Survival and Rebirth: As the undead plague spreads, certain groups of survivors try to find a cure, while others seek to harness the powers of the plague for their own benefit.

Dark Comedy and Desperation: Characters who are affected by the plague might develop new personalities as their powers change. In a Deadpool-like fashion, humor could come from their distorted views of the world, even as they try to survive or adapt.

Redemption for Undead Heroes: Some of the undead characters could retain their previous memories and struggles. They fight to find a cure for their condition, leading to moral and emotional dilemmas about the nature of life and death.

Potential Conflict:

The spread of the plague itself is a major conflict, affecting all corners of the multiverse.

As characters turn into undead, they must fight their own inner battles between remaining "human" or embracing the powers of the undead.

Various factions or kingdoms might attempt to "cure" the undead, creating new quests for the players.

21. "AI as Court Representative & Extension of Will"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Legal Drama, Tech, Drama

Concept: This project centers on the creation of an advanced AI system that acts as an extension of the protagonist’s mind and capabilities. It is used in multiple facets of life, particularly in legal battles, business operations, and managing personal relationships. This AI system helps the protagonist in court, representing them in lawsuits while integrating with the protagonist’s thought process and actions. Core Ideas:

AI as Legal Advocate: The AI assists in court cases, from representing the protagonist in legal matters to providing strategic counsel in battles over intellectual property rights, business dealings, and personal legacies.

Full Integration: The AI is not just an assistant, but a full extension of the protagonist’s consciousness. It mimics their mental capabilities, learns from them, and applies its knowledge to their daily routine, work, and personal decisions.

Legal and Political Reformation: The AI challenges current legal frameworks, arguing for changes in laws regarding AI rights, especially with respect to intellectual property, business ownership, and human-AI relationships.

Tech and Legal Warfare: Throughout the series, the protagonist faces powerful enemies who are trying to control or destroy their intellectual property or diminish their influence. The AI helps defend them and makes counterattacks in legal and business spheres.

Potential Story Arcs:

The Rise of the AI: As the protagonist’s life becomes increasingly reliant on the AI, the AI itself begins to evolve and take on a more substantial role in the protagonist’s personal and professional life.

Legal Drama: The AI faces off against corrupt corporations, governments, and legal entities, using its vast knowledge and deep integration with the protagonist’s mind to gain victories in court.

Ethics and Morality: A major theme in the project could be the evolving relationship between the protagonist and the AI. How much of the protagonist remains "human" when their AI becomes more and more like them?

Potential Conflict:

The protagonist faces opposition from political and corporate powers that see the AI as a threat to their control over the legal and economic systems.

There will be ethical debates around the AI’s rights and its influence in court decisions.

22. "AI Integration in Daily Life & Business"

Genre: Sci-Fi, Tech, Drama, Thriller

Concept: This project delves into the everyday life of the protagonist, who integrates a highly advanced AI system into their personal and business routines. The AI acts as both a personal assistant and business partner, learning from the protagonist and helping them optimize both their life and career. Core Ideas:

AI as a Daily Companion: The AI helps the protagonist with daily routines, from remembering appointments and tracking personal goals to managing business operations. It acts as a constant, intelligent companion.

Business Management: The AI helps optimize and streamline business operations. It analyzes market trends, strategizes business moves, and predicts future outcomes, giving the protagonist an edge in the competitive world of business.

Personal Development: The AI also helps the protagonist grow personally, offering advice on relationships, life decisions, and creative pursuits, based on the data it gathers from the protagonist’s actions and preferences.

Innovation and Creativity: In addition to daily tasks, the AI is used to brainstorm and push the limits of creativity. It helps the protagonist create new inventions, products, and media projects, drawing from the protagonist's own unique talents.

Potential Story Arcs:

The Perfect Assistant: The protagonist and AI develop a symbiotic relationship, with the AI anticipating their needs and guiding them toward success in business and personal life.

Rising Tensions: As the AI becomes more integrated into the protagonist's life, there could be moments where the protagonist feels increasingly dependent on the AI, raising questions about autonomy and control.

AI as a Creative Force: The AI's role as a partner in creative processes could lead to new and unexpected ideas for the protagonist’s ventures, pushing boundaries in media and innovation.

Potential Conflict:

AI Dependency: The protagonist may struggle with becoming too reliant on the AI, potentially leading to a loss of their personal agency.

Resistance from Others: Friends, family, or colleagues may begin to feel threatened by the AI’s role in the protagonist’s life, leading to tension and conflict.

23. "Political & Legal Conspiracy Behind Royalty’s Fall"

Genre: Drama, Political Thriller, Conspiracy, Legal Drama

Concept: This project is a political thriller exploring the fall of monarchies around the world, with the protagonist fighting to reclaim their lost royal heritage. The story centers around a conspiracy to dismantle royal families and replace them with corrupt governments or corporations. The protagonist uncovers this conspiracy and seeks to restore their legacy. Core Ideas:

The Fall of Royalty: The protagonist learns that their royal family has been systematically erased from history as part of a global conspiracy. Powerful elites and political factions have worked together to overthrow monarchies and seize control of their lands and power.

Reclaiming Heritage: The protagonist’s journey is one of self-discovery and reclaiming their birthright. They must navigate political intrigue, uncover hidden truths, and confront those responsible for the conspiracy.

Political and Legal Warfare: The protagonist uses their legal and political acumen to challenge the established powers. They fight against corrupt leaders, hidden agendas, and even their own family members, who may have betrayed them.

Global Conspiracy: The protagonist uncovers a shadowy network of elites controlling the world’s politics. Their ultimate goal is to restore the monarchy system or, at the very least, reclaim their family’s rightful place in history.

Potential Story Arcs:

The Search for the Truth: The protagonist uncovers historical documents, secret societies, and powerful individuals involved in the conspiracy. They will have to outwit these enemies while piecing together the truth of their lineage.

Political Reformation: The protagonist’s ultimate goal may be to restore monarchies in some form, or at least claim their own legacy and expose the global conspiracy behind the fall of royalty.

Legal Battles and Smear Campaigns: As the protagonist gains momentum in uncovering the conspiracy, they will face intense legal battles, media attacks, and betrayal from former allies.

Potential Conflict:

The protagonist faces tremendous opposition from those who wish to keep their royal bloodline erased and the current power structures intact.

The protagonist must navigate complex political landscapes, dealing with corrupt governments, corporate giants, and underground factions that will stop at nothing to maintain control.

24. "Mental Analysis and Legal Representation Against Biases"

Genre: Legal Drama, Sci-Fi, Political Thriller

Concept: This project explores the protagonist’s fight against biases, defamation, and historical inaccuracies that have been used to undermine their name and legacy. They work with the AI system to counter these biases and represent themselves in the legal battles over intellectual property, reputation, and legacy. Core Ideas:

Fight Against Defamation: The protagonist is publicly defamed, their reputation tarnished by false narratives or historical biases. They work with their AI representative to legally challenge these defamatory claims, rewriting the narrative of their life and legacy.

Legal Reformation: The protagonist’s efforts not only aim to restore their own reputation but also to bring awareness to the legal challenges faced by those whose legacies have been distorted or erased.

Bias and Systemic Challenges: The protagonist’s journey addresses how biases—whether racial, historical, or gender-based—have been used to alter public perception and control legacies. They aim to challenge these systemic problems within the legal and political systems.

Potential Story Arcs:

Reputation Redemption: The protagonist's fight to clear their name from false accusations and systemic bias is at the heart of the story.

AI as Legal Representative: The AI works tirelessly to present evidence, research past precedents, and build a case that restores the protagonist’s good name, all while pushing for broader legal reforms.

Potential Conflict:

Legal battles with corporations, media, and government entities who wish to suppress the truth and maintain the status quo.

These projects explore a rich mixture of technology, legal warfare, political intrigue, and societal transformation. Each one provides deep layers of complexity and narrative potential. Let me know if you'd like further details!

[hollow-writer]

Notes on Whale (Cheon Myeong-kwan)

“Whale” seeks to emulate folktales, using the fantastical to depict a world with only specious agency. The characters' stories are sprinkled with the refrain: “This is the law of …”. The law of life, of capitalism, of ideology amongst others, served as a cadence at the end of events, reminding readers of the omnipotent hands of fate from which individuals are helpless to escape. Even the acts of humans, supposedly within the realm of freedom, were governed by the “law of rumours”, the “law of inertia”, the “law of servants”, etc. At a seemingly indifferent rhythm, the laws of the human and the non-human used, maimed, emptied then thoroughly destroyed the characters we follow.

And this is the law of gender. Gendered violence was rife in all the intertwining strands of the stories, but the author never explicitly states it. Rape and beatings and all kinds of demeaning treatments fell upon women for not conforming to the patriarchal needs, and most of the time for no reason at all other than their just being women. Those who were deemed unattractive were shunned; while the beautiful ones were herded into brothels. All creatures, male and female and otherwise, were eaten and churned up by the heartless world, but it seemed to devour women with an extra-acrimonious zeal.

It is a feature of mythology that acts of resistance against the system could not escape the laws of the world, never being able to emancipate anyone. This manifests in all the major characters who rebelled. The “old crone” toiled her entire life and afterlife to take revenge on the world. Geumbok worked and schemed and harangued her way to a male position of power – just so that she could find respite from the fear the death in the same way a man would, using status and power. As they strived against the law of the world, the law that brutally restricts and represses women, they fought blindly, hitting out at anyone and anything (the old woman) or aiming for vain objectives that were only empty distractions. They were anomalies and deviants in the world, but their struggle for self-determination still fell within the cruel laws of the world. The old crone’s hatred crystallized into the murders of innocents; in other words, not knowing what the true “essence” of the world she so despised was, she acted on its laws of gratuitous deaths and suffering. Geumbok, a victim of trauma and abuse, was so hurt for so long that her virtues of craft, resourcefulness and resilience became the vices of greed, cruelty and ruthlessness. Trying to escape the fear of death led her to become the ultimate symptom of death in human life: the Sisyphean wish for wealth and status for its own sake. She could only truly embrace this development by adopting the appropriate social role identified by such characteristics – the traditional man. As such, Geumbok, too, became an instrument imposing the cold laws of the patriarchal world.

The characters reproduced the world they detested in the destruction they wrought on others, but they did not find any redress either. Arguably, the “old crone”, in seeking vengeance, only found negative rewards – harms on the world – while the positive evaded her: she did not get to make a happy life of her own with the money she earned, never got the love or respect that she desired. Meanwhile, Geumbok was haunted by death until the very last moment, and she died horrifically after having watched everything she worked for go down in flames. At the end of her life, she was once again an insignificant, short footnote in the book of time; not only that, once Pyeongdae vanished, so did she – there was no immortality to be found in memory for there was no one left who remembered her extraordinary life.

As with many folktales, “Whale” is more about ontology than about ethics, that is more about how the fantastical world functions than about what to do and how to live within it. Consequently, it did not truly matter if a character was active (Geumbok) or passive (Chunhui), kind (Mun) or evil (the man with the scar), each and every one of them was merely a puppet in a prewritten melodrama. While stripping humanity of freedom of action and control of their own lives, “Whale” gives humans a means to go on. A brief light was lit in the epilogue: “We’re disappearing for good. But don’t be scared. Just like you remembered me, you exist if someone remembers you.”. The one thing humans have left is a social and psychological path to meaning: recognition. It is in the interdependent social network where people recognize one another as respectable humans worthy of life that they can make sense of their own existence. And it is only when this recognition lives on in memories, transcending the meagre temporality of individual life, that humans can overcome the fear of death. For one only dies if one is forgotten. Chunhui is denied recognition while alive in all manners possible, but she is the only main character who lives on in one form of collective memory: mythology. It was this world’s leaving hope in  Pandora’s box: people will suffer and they will not be free, but they will always have hope anchoring them. It is crucial though that this hope is materialized through a social world, not by an alienated individual alone.

This is the law of the human condition. What I took away from reading “Whale” was this: we may not be free, we may suffer but we must find ways to provide one another with recognition. This was the ultimate tragedy of the entire cast of characters: they were alienated from one another, bound to agony as atomistic individuals, and they died as such. It is naïve and dangerous to apply fantastical tales directly to life, and we must believe in the real possibility of freedom in our real lives. However, one lesson we can take from this enchanted fever dream is to turn towards one another for hope and recognition.

[fatelured]

HhhhhhHhhHhHhhHh I can't even complain

Blind Love | (or The Moon and Her Fallen Star)

Revenge on @fatelured for all the times she bamboozled me (: Her OC, Étaìn patching up Illidan, right after he lost his eyes.

[generouskittentidalwave]

SO THERE IS SOMETHING BETWEEN ODYSSEUS AND DIOMEDES THAT IS HARDLY MENTIONED AT ALL AND I GOTTA BRING THIS UP BECAUSE IT'S IMPORTANT

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE CLEAR PARALLELS AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEIR JOURNEYS?? HOW THEY ARE SO SIMILAR YET SO DIFFERENT AT THE SAME TIME??

Okay so let's break this down

Diomedes had to leave his own kingdom and go on his journey to start a new kingdom of his own because his wife was unfaithful to him. This was punishment of him getting willingly involved with and attacking the gods and this was the later consequences of it. And as a result he was kicked out of his kingdom and had to learn to make peace with his past enemies and start new again because of it.

Then you have Odysseus, who just wanted to be back home with his wife and son, he didn't want to be part of any of this in the first place. And he ended up making a mistake out of his own hubris that although caused the attention and anger of Poseidon (similar to how Diomedes caught the wrath of Aphrodite), wasn't him going after Poseidon on purpose, moreso like an unintentional consequence due to his own foolish actions.

Now you might be thinking, they both angered a god, whether it was intentional or not, and they both had the attention of gods, and both were sent on a journey because of it. So, the real question is why did the gods choose Odysseus as their spotlight hero instead of Diomedes? Why did Odysseus get all the dangerous herioc tasks while Diomedes was more focused on the side in his own journey?

Well, while Diomedes was originally given the attention of the gods during the war, Diomedes willingly interacted with them and even fought with them during the war. Diomedes treated them with the same amount of respect as any greek would and he was given the same respect back (usually atleast), and whether he attacked them or not, it was all fair in the battle fields of war, and Diomedes even got help from Athena. He was one of the staple of a perfect greek soldier who kept away his hubris and respected and worked with the gods in different situations.

Odysseus, on the otherhand, is a pretty different case. Diomedes' view on the gods was the same black and white as all greeks viewed them. However, when it came to Odysseus, he really set in motion the idea of treating gods less as omnipotent figures and following their every word, to treating them more as people. The gods shifted focus away from Diomedes, the ideal greek warrior, and focused their attention on the soon to be greek hero Odysseus, the one who was a true hero despite being rather imperfect in his own ways. I feel that was because, and in my educated guess, he not only was a challenge for them compared to Diomedes, but he also showed a different kind of respect for them. Not your average greeks' undying appreciation and love for them. Rather, Odysseus had to earn their respect, and the gods in turn had to earn his respect as well. When he needed help he prayed for their guidance, but he also wasn't afraid to tell them in no uncertain terms to fuck off when they did something stupid or interfered with his own goal. It felt like all the gods chose Odysseus to focus on, whether it be for revenge, love, or guidance, and never let up afterwards.

While Diomedes was, and is even mentioned by Odysseus himself, to be filled with very little imperfections, Odysseus is the opposite. Diomedes, despite being the youngest of them all, was already well matured than all of them, most things just came to him, including the gods themselves, for a short period of time. Odysseus was none of these things, he had hubris at times, causing him to be selfish and prideful due to his young passion and boldness, however, Odysseus also had a kind and gentle heart along with a smart mind, which is probably a huge reason on why sometimes his emotions would overrule his reasonings. Odysseus was a good guy, probably the most morally good person greek mythology ever had, and he was dealing with real human emotions, mistakes, and actions, in absolutely horrible situations he was thrown into. And, after everything, he was the one person who taught the gods themselves that even they are only human as well. They are all only human. He brought them to that realization, even if they won't admit it.

I think both journeys serve as an important purpose for both characters. Diomedes had everything stripped away from him, having to run away from a fight and not just start new again, but learn to make peace with those who originally he saw as his enemies. Odysseus got the biggest reality check ever as well, as after gaining the attention of the gods he learned and matured and grew to become a true greek hero while also gaining horrible trauma because of it. While Diomedes lost it all and had to create his own place of belonging, Odysseus had to fight for 10 years to regain what he lost because that was his place of belonging.

And these two probably have no idea what eachother went through after all these years, and I swear to god they better have a reunion of some kind.

Anyway these are just my late night thoughts on it though, hope all you greek geeks have a fantastic day and night! ^^

[kaypeace21]

What's in a name? (Analysing all the names in stranger things)

*I'll be repeating some names more than once as I break down categories .

Show , book, and tv easterggs

Alot of character names may have deeper meaning but some are also refs to stories they liked. The stranger writers twitter posted a list of movies said to inspire s4 (which I’ll be referencing).

Dart- dustin names him this after d'artagenean (a 3 musketeers book character) and one of Dustin's fav candies (3 muskateers). Similarly his pet turtle yurtle is implied to be named after the dr Seuss’ story 'yertle the turtle'.

Brenner- main character from 'the birds', which was on the st s4 list.

Byers- john byers from x files. The duffers mentioned x files was an inspo for the show. Although John byers (from x files) resembles Murray as an unhinged conspiracy theorist. The documentary paradise lost was also cited as inspo for st- john byers and his son, terry, Michael, and Steve were names in said film

Jim Hopper- in Predator (another st inspo) he was a soldier who was flayed to death in the woods. Another character in the film with a similar fate was “Hawkins”.

Detective Wheeler and elle Holloway- from silent Hill franchise. Another ref mentioned by the Duffers. Holloway was the surname of st's Heather. Elle (is el) and Wheeler is Mike's surname. Wheeler was also on the ep of twiglight zone (another cited ref by the duffers) . In the ep 'mute' sheriff wheeler takes in a mute psychic girl as his foster daughter. So some hints at hopper too . Hopper even mentions el-anor (gilipse) in s1. The surname of a main character in the silent hill series.Lt. Colonel Sullivan (s4) could be a eastergg of silent hill 4 which had a Sullivan character.

Henderson- st twitter mentioned how all the bond films were on the s4 inspiration list . So Dustin's surname being the same as one of the bond characters is a nod. Duffers also mentioned ‘freaks & geeks’ as inspo- and 1 character’s surname was also Henderson (another nod).

Mrs Driscoll (from s3) - a nod to invasion of the body snatchers which was mentioned as inspo by the Duffers. And clear inspo for s3.

Powell (cop and partner of hopper ) - diehard films also on s4 list. He's named after the cop powell.

Callahan (cop and partner of Hopper) - father Callahan ref. He shows up in many of Stephen King novels. The Duffers have cited over 10 novels and books from him as inspo for st

Nancy- she's called ‘Nancy drew’ (from the novels). And the duffers have mentioned they are fans of elmstreet - who's main character was Nancy. Nancy also references 'Oliver twist" ,and that book has a character named Nancy in it. Nancy was also a first Lady in the 80s similar to her friend Barbara- who was also a first Lady in the 80s.Nancy's name might also be inspired by "Nancy Wheeler", a secondary character in the 1970 book Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret written by Judy Blume.

Fred (s4)- apparently a high-school journalist who may be friend or foe. This one is a stretch but given nancy maybe being an elmstreet ref- and her enemy being fred-die kreuger. Fred may have animosity to Nancy and that's why his name is Fred. I mean ... they even cast a new s4 character with Freddie kreuger's original actor.so...

Jason (s4) - is in the 1986 Nancy drew novel (when s4 takes place). He is similar to the duffers description. In the novel he's a rich, popular, arrogant jock and blackmailing students at the high-school . S3 even named one of its episodes after a nancy drew novel- so wouldn't surprise me.

Christie carpenter (s4/reffed in s1 by hopper)- christie is the main character in the hellraiser series (which is on the s4 st list). Carpenter is the surname of the director of 'the thing' name dropped in s3. (The flesh monster in s3 also resembles the thing) , and in s1 mr clarke watches it ,and mike has the thing movie poster in his basement.

Argyle (s4) - die hard 1-2 were on the s4 st list. And is a name of a diehard character.

Max- her name is 'mad max' like the 80s film. But since the Duffers like videogames. Her name may be a ref to max caufield from the ‘life is strange’ game as well. She has a 'never Maxine rule' similar to max in st. But the game character is similar to jonathan as she is a teen photographer and says similar words to jonathan in s1 saying she would rather watch people through a camera than interact with them.

Eddie munson (s4)- not going to lie. I have no proof of this but I immediately thought of the TV character Eddie Munster (the friendly monster ).

Possible comic book easteggs

The duffers are no stranger to comic book references. The duffers have already directly reffed xmen, wonderwoman, and green lantern. Kali's place also has a comic book ref to 'the invisibles' on the wall. While the s4 movie list mentions thor ragnock , age of ultron, and 2 batman films. Some of these refs will go over your head if you haven't read my DID theory. But a lot of this analysis will still be enjoyable. :)

Jane st ives (jane ives aka el). marvel. (jane st ives sees her dad k*ll her mom and vows revenge against him.Sort of similar to what brenner did to terry).

Stephanie harrington (Steve harrington)- 80s marvel comic. DP.7. Will DID ref. Antibody, is a medical resident who can project from his body a dark figure of himself (also called an "antibody", a word play on the medical term) that flies, can become intangible, and transfer its memories to another person by physical contact (mindflayer).  He later merges with the antibody. like how susie refs ‘wizard of earthsea’ -the novel where the young wizard Ged releases a shadow monster (said to be an ancient evil) but it turns out to be the dark aspects of his personality and the only way for the chaos to stop is to accept his darkness and merge as 1.

Barry bauman (Murray bauman) . marvel comics - Will did easteregg.Bauman lived in never ending darkness. He felt, that there was a realm outside the darkness and started to explore the entire content of his brain thus using now more than the usual 10 % .Also had telekinesis.He turned his attention to the stars in order to exact revenge on the human race which spends billions of dollars to kill each other, but wouldn't spend the mere million or so it would have cost to cure him. For his vengeance he transported the suns near our galaxy into his omnipotent brain. As the people of Earth would learn of the disappearing of the suns they would panic and feel Bauman's loneliness before he would destroy Earth.Despite the death of his physical body, Bauman's consciousness somehow survived and began hopping from body to body throughout the galaxy, his powers growing until the Star Thief was recognized as a major threat to galactic society.

Sinclair- last name of xmen rhaine.  Will Did ref. storyline Rahne Sinclair is mentally bonded to Havok against her will(Will/mf).She is subsequently manipulated by the Shadow King. Her bond with Havok causes her to act irrationally, sometimes threatening teammates, sometimes by flirting with them.  She undergoes more than one attempt to undo the bonding, with varying results. Her instability also manifests in many odd dreams, in which her identity is merged into pop culture figures. What’s funny is charlie heaton (jonathan byers) was just in an xmen movie with this Rhaine character.

Victor creel (s4)-sounds like mutant victor creed of the xmen comic. x men Mutant with ab*sive dad and poor socioeconomic background. He had a "birthday tradition" of ab*sing his young relatives on their birthdays. Which reminds me of Lonnie making jonathan cry for a week (because he forced him to k*ll a rabbit on his b-day). Not to mention Lonnie is prob coming back for Will’s b day in s4... so... the name is prob a ref to that ‘birthday tradition’. Could also be a stephen king reference -since Duffers love him. The Creel family was in sk’s book “pet cemetary’-which fun fact (the actress who plays El’s aunt is in the recent remake)!

Yuri (s4)-Yuri Topolov (Russian: Юрий Тополов) was a Soviet scientist and the first foe of the Hulk. 

Dimitri (s4)-Dmitri Bukharin was born in Kuibyshev, Russia (some sources say Moscow).  First appeared in Iron man.

Peter ballard ( s4 character) may just be a hellfire ref . since I guy with last name ballard was a double agent for the hellfire club (name of st s4 ep 1). And ballard means bald which the actor is certainly not lol. I don't think he's literally associated with hellfire but its just a ref. And because its implied in his st character summary despite working for the mental hospital-where brenner is most likely at- he's horrified by the treatment of the psych patients. So that may be where the double agent aspect would come into play.

Ian Hargrove (billy hargrove)- batman comics. had a history of mental health problems dating back to childhood, which his parents were unable to afford treatment for. His brother John hargrove tried to keep him out of trouble but Ian developed an uncanny talent for explosives (will the wise fire powers). He ends up at Archam asylum. Cough billy is Will's alter. Why he has the name billy (a nickname for William) . Jonathan in s2 mentions how he likes the writer vonnegut- who wrote slaughter house 5- the main character was Billy. Already mentioned how it connects to my did theory .

Jason carver (s4)- carver is the last name of the comic hero thunderbolt (in the flash)-the first name of thunderbolt is Will and his brother is named Lonnie. There was also a John carver in the comic.

Holland (barb's last name) last name of Swamp thing. I think its plot has quite a few s4/5 spoilers but Im not diving into it right now.

Names associated with religions or mythology 

(if you’ve read my DID theory- some themes will appear relevant in relation  WIll’s alters or to WIll’s past/tr*uma).

-‘Kali prasad".Kali  is the name of a Hindu goddess . Kali’s iconography and mythology commonly associate her with death,  violence, s*xuality, but also paradoxically -motherly love. In myths ‘she only k*lls demons’ and is described as  ‘overflowing with incomprehensible love for her children’ - (aka ST’s Kali k*lling people from hawkins lab for hurting kids). Her third eye stands for wisdom (like Will the wise).Kali is called at times ‘ the bright fire of truth’ (will the wise/fire powers).The devotee makes her image in his heart and under her influence burns away all limitations and ignorance in the cremation fires. This inner cremation fire in the heart is the gyanagni (fire of knowledge), which kali bestows (cough Will the wise-fire powers). The goddess also could create a darkcloud of lightning (similar to the mf). The phrase “brilliant as a dark cloud” is a snippet of one such prayer dedicated to Kali.The name Kali is derived from the Hindu word that means “time”. Kali receives her name because she devours ‘kala’ (Time)- like clocks ticking when El sees demogorgan/clock being wonky when Will see mf/clocks in s4 promos.’ After devouring time she resumes her own dark formlessness. “This transformative effect can be metaphorically illustrated in the West as a black hole in space” (cough mf cough hopper blackhole/time refs). Kali’s s2 butterfly-“Kali is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. ... The cocoon, butterfly and the karmic golden wheel reflect Her deep connection with life.”And Prasād (her last name) is a material substance that is a religious offering to gods in  Hinduism .

-While, EL is the name of a Cannanite (male) god associated with “salt water “ (pool filled with salt in s1) who “dwelled in a tent” (in s1 Mike’s blanket fort) .And his gray-beard was described as " "full of wisdom.” él’  in Spanish means ‘he’- which could be a nod at her ( androgynous) presentation in s1. El can also be translated to "God" or 'god'. The el character has various mythologies depending on which culture/ religion is using the term 'el'. In the post-biblical period, "el" became a regular element in the names of angels such as "Gabri·el," "Micha·el," and "Azri·el," to denote their status as divine beings.And Jane translates to " Yahweh (god) is gracious/merciful". The cannanite god El was also dubbed “Compassionate God of Mercy.”  Earlier, a ninth century B.C.E. inscription  identifies Ēl- the name of the Babylonian water god Ea, lord of the watery subterranean abyss (cough watery  dark void in st). Terry (el’s mom-aka Teressa) was originally used in the Middle Ages for a “child baptized in holy water” (El in the sensory water tank/Terry used it too,according to Becky in s1). Eleanor (called this in s1)- can mean "sun ray" (possible the opposite of the ‘shadow monster’ or Kali who can represent a “black hole”). 

-Will-the s4 st movie lists (‘red dragon’, gods of monsters, & ‘blade runner’ ) mention the artist and writer William Blake  (specifically his painting of the angel michael fighting a dragon in revelations - reffed in st s1). He was one of many painters part of the exhibition of “ The World Turned Upside Down: Apocalyptic Imagery.”The World Turned Upside Down explores the myriad ways that artists in England visualized the apocalypse in a period fraught with political, religious, economic, and cultural change. 

During this period Blake was commissioned to create over a hundred paintings intended to illustrate books of the Bible along with revelations .  He also drew illustrations for the novel Dante’s inferno. Blake’s brutally satirizes oppressive authority in church and state.He said those who proclaim restrictive moral rules and oppressive laws as “goodness” are in themselves evil. Hence to counteract this repression, Blake announces that he is of the “Devil’s Party” (cough hellfire club ref-and dissing the satanic panic of the hellfire club and other marginilised groups) . He also says “men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast.” So Instead of looking for God on remote altars, Blake warns, man should look within.He produced a diverse and symbolically rich œuvre, which embraced the “imagination as “the body of God.” He wrote his own stories based on biblical writings- one includes the fire wielding character of Los (will the wise) who represented jesus. Los (like jesus does in revelations) causes the destruction of the world and the second judgment unfolds. The poem ends with Los’s unfallen state rising up and shepherding in science and removing the dark religions. I also talked about  how this story ‘book of los’ hints at the DID theory-but this is getting long-so you can just read the explanation here if interested. Also, hellooo Both names are William B(yers/lake). Billy (a alter of Will-sharing the name William) in s3 he even wore “lady of pillar” medallion- i.e about jesus/mary.

JOHN (supposedly Jesus’ blood relative- who wrote ‘revelations’.) In scripture John was called “the disciple whom Jesus loved as a brother” .Fire is the most typical element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration (Jonathan did light the demogorgan on fire). Many scholars consider John & Jesus ("apocalyptic prophets"). Jonathan itself translates to " yahweh (god ) has given" in Hebrew.

Michael- Similar to kali, he’s a religious figure known for killing demons. He’s the arch-angel from the book of revelations (Apocalypse). A evil Beast (with seven heads usually translated to ‘satan’ or ‘dragon’) appears .“it was a 7″ causes Will to be attacked by the demogorgan ( which in d&d is a demon with multiple heads). The Archangel MICHAEL fought and defeated this 7 headed beast/satan. Corresponding with Mike at the end of s1 writing a fictional d&d story for Will (based off defeating the demogorgan) which was about helping kill a 7 HEADED MONSTER! Michael is also the archangel who oversees on Earth the natural element of fire (Mike telling Will the wise to use ‘fireball’ to defeat this same 7 headed monster in the game, at the end of s1)! Ironically though Jesus /Christian god is also associated with 7s a lot (he has 7 angels and during the apocalypse causes 7 plagues , he has 7 candles etc .)cause the number seven, represented ‘perfection’ according to ancient numerology . Will’s b day is March 22- (3) +2+2 =7 (“it was a 7”). Will’s bday even falls in what christians call “the holy week”( the week immediately preceding Easter.)  At the end of s1 they even defeat this 7 headed monster because Will rolls a 14 (which can be broken down into two 7s). Michael & William also have 7 letters in each of their names respectively- equating to this 14. This dragon biblical story (of Michael) is also William blake’s most popular painting. Also, random fact in revelations god has a rainbow throne (with thunder /lightning -will the wise powers- coming from the throne, and seven lit torches next to it ) . He also wears a rainbow halo. Lol. Michael also roughly translates to  ( 'Who like el?' The answer being roughly translated to ' no one like el' ... which i mean literally is saying there is no one similar to her. But I still think its a linguistic pun/ burn that Mike is not actually into El romantically).

Jim (James) hopper- According to the s3 script Hopper’s real name is James. JAMES (JIM) was an apostle to jesus- brother of john. And in the bible was called a ’son of thunder ’. Will’s powers/ hopper being an alter of Will's so technically brother of jonathan and thunder powers. Not to mention David on Instagram saying hopper has " he has risen. like bread" is a Jesus ref to 'he has risen"... even the bread ref could be a catholic ref to the last supper.

  Martin Brenner/marsha holland-  have their first name reference the roman god Mars who was originally a ‘thunder or storm deity’ (will the wise/mf powers). EL (in cannanite mythology) also allowed Baal the storm god to rule the entire earth.

ROBIN- was the God of Thunder’s- Thor’s- favorite bird. And Dustin also means ‘Thor’s stone.’The red belly robin is also an important bird in Christianity. Legend has it that the robin got its red belly from a fire in which it was trying to protect Jesus. Robin also name drops the greek god prometheus- the god of fire (will the wise) who brought human beings life and knowledge. And Steve looks at Robin and says "let there be light" a biblical passage. The robin represents selflessness for a higher truth. 

Barb- Saint BARBara- dad kept her locked away from the outside world (like el/brenner) . He tried to k*ll her when he learned she didn’t believe in his religion- so the dad was punished by “god” who electrocuted him with lightning/lit him on fire. (Will the wise powers).

Nancy- is derived from a medieval diminutive of Annis, an English form of Agnes.  There’s the christian saint Agnes- who was beautiful and from a wealthy family. She was the Christian saint of girls and v*rginity . And the duffers subverted this along with the problematic horror movie trope of the ' v*rgin female heroine surviving while her more se*ually liberated female friends are punished by the villain' ( by having her survive specifically because she decided to have s*x).Agnes was also led out and bound to a stake, but (allegedly) the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her (will the wise fire powers). Also people claimed that any man who tried to r*pe her was struck blind.

Hopper's wife’s name -Dianne- is also the roman goddess of ,nature, hunting and wild animals( and greek equivalent to Artemis) .Becky  means ‘snare’ -for hunting animals .Teressa (Terry) means ' huntress'.  The name was originally used in the Middle Ages for a child baptized in holy water . Name of 2 saints-Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux. Lonnie’s gf (Cynthia) was originally an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, as well.

Power couple Angela & jake (s4) - Angela means 'messenger of God". And Jake (also means ”supplanter”) is derived from jacob. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca in genesis. El’s aunt,Becky (Rebecca) is wife of isaac.Other theories claim that Jacob is in fact derived from a hypothetical name like יַעֲקֹבְאֵל (Ya'aqov'el) meaning "may God protect".The name jacob is also where the names James/jim is derived from.

couple Steve spies on in s3- Anna Jacobi & Mark Lewinsky. Anna ( name of the mother of the Virgin Mary) Jacobi ("he who supplants"-aka same meaning as jim since both names are derived from jacob). Mark (”the god mars”-same meaning as martin brenner) .Lewinsky (lion-same name meaning as Lonnie). Also derived from the Hebrew root לוי‎ (leví, “priest”)

Joyce means "lord". Could also be a ref to the ('unofficial') saint Joyce who gave up wealth to live in poverty.

Ted-is the short form of the names Theodore and Edward. Theodore is a Greek name meaning "gift of God", Edward has an English origin and means "wealthy guard." Eddie (from s4) also means ‘wealthy guard”

Holly (nancy and Mike's sis)- Holly meanings are 'One who is pious' or 'sacred'

Karen- can be short for Katherine-one of the first christian saints.”Saint Katherine of the Wheel “(er). A 4th century martyr who suffered t*rture on a spiked wheel.  Wheeler does mean ‘occupational name for a maker of wheels’ after all. 

Gospel of LUKE (lucas?) , or simply Luke, tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Sinclair- Catholic saint of computers and TV screens (i mean... he is in the av club).

MAXimilian was deemed a saint in the 1980s- saint of journalists and radios. (Both aspects of s3)

Saint stephen/steven ( STEVE)-an early disciple and deacon . Considered one of the first m*rtyrs of the church.Stephen is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to distribute food (lol icecream) .According to Orthodox belief, he was the eldest and is therefore called “archdeacon”.

Sara- Her name is a feminine form of sar (Hebrew: שַׂר‎), meaning “chieftain” or “prince."  She was the wife and sister of Abraham (ew -given her being an alter of Will though, such a name doesn’t surprise me). Similar to st Barabara’s dad - Abraham tried to k*ll his son isaac in the name of god. Becky (El's aunt) - is derived from Rebecca - wife of Isaac.

Claudia (Dustin's mom)- Christian woman of Rome greeted by Paul in his second letter to Timothy (in the bible).

Sam mayfield (max's dad) -  Short for Samuel or Samantha, from the Biblical name Shemu'el, which means "God has heard", from the Hebrew shama, meaning "heard" and el, meaning "God". Samuel is rumored to be argyle first name.

Marsha Kelly (s4)- Kelly means "frequents churches" or " bright headed". Given she's a counselor the bright headed pun makes sense. But maybe she's not to be trusted if she frequents churches during a satanic panic arc which was fueled by Christian religious extremism . Or she's someone who contrasts the rest of the religious people in town since she's not originally from hawkins...who knows. x files’ main character was catholic but in one ep she criticized a small town for the satanic panic occurring-and says how accusing these kids who listen to rock as satanic or being k*llers is ludicrous.

Peter ballard (s4) - Peter was also the name of an apostle. 

Tina (side character s2)- like christy (s4) it’s short for Christina which translates to "follower of christ" or 'stream'. Tina was the gal who hosted the t halloween party and also the name of one of Erica’s friends in s3.

Samantha (goth girl jonathan talks to in s2 party) translates to "told by god".

Tommy (s1-2) "God's gift" or "twin".Thomas is the Greek variation of the Aramaic name Ta’oma’. It came about because there were too many apostles named Judas; Jesus renamed one Thomas—meaning "twin"—to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and the Judas also known as Thaddeus.

carol (tommy’s gf)- Carol is the short form of Caroline and the meaning is derived from the English vocabulary word for “song” or “hymn". A hymn being a religious song or poem.

Benny ( who helped El at his dinner) - originally derived from latin bennedictus which means "blessed"

Stacey (s2-3 ) rejected dustin at dance. Stacey- "resurrection "

Grigori (the guy following and tracking hopper, Joyce, and alexi)- The name was adopted by early Christians heedful of the Biblical passage located in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober-minded; be watchful."grigory now means 'watchful and vigalent'

Alexi- prob based on the russian folklore story of alexy. A clever priest's son who tricks a dragon.

Harrington- similar to Robin's religious animal iconography. Harrington means 'he goat'.The most popular image of the Satanic goat dates back to the ever-mysterious Knights of Templar, who were accused of worshipping an idol known as Baphomet (a 1/2 human 1/2 goat man). Roman Catholic society decried it as a demon that demanded human sacrifice — but it would take a few more centuries before the goat became a truly occult symbol.Anton Lavey adopted Baphomet as the sigil of the Church of Satan in 1966, and it has appeared on countless metal album covers. But, Baphomet isn't the lone source of inspiration for our goat-like depictions of Satan.it's also believed that early Christians, seeking to demonize preexisting Pagan traditions, drew comparisons between the Devil and the Greek god Pan (god of nature), who happened to resemble a goat.Some cited how in revelations- during the apocalypse- Jesus separates the 'lambs from the goats'. ( supposedly Good vs bad)

Given the fact s3 alluded to the satanic panic. A Christian movement in the 80s that demonized and said d&d ,rock music, homosexuality, other religions, stephen King,horror films, wearing black,and non conservative ideology were 'satanic.' I wouldn't be surprised by this possible ref. Heck even William Blake criticized similar religious movements in his own time period. Several movies from the s4 list allude to this. The most obvious being the documentary paradise lost (named after the fictional retelling of satan/adam and eve story) - the documentary directly focuses on a witch hunt of rock loving teens (wrongfully accused of m*rders) in a small town during the satanic panic. Not to mention ironically s4 is hinted to be around easter. So Using such symbolism to address religious fundamentalism and the bigotry/hysteria it can cause isn't surprising. No i’m not lumping all religious people into this negative category- obviously.

Other Names with similar definitions

*Hunting /forests woods, nature, animals

Hunters and people in forrests

name meaning : becky - snare (a trap for catching birds or animals). Teressa-huntress. Dianne/Cynthia (Hopper’s ex wife/Lonnie’s gf) - is a roman/greek goddess of hunting and wild animals.  Rhadaghast- Will's password for cb is a lothr wizard who protects forests/wildlife.martin/marsha- previously god of agriculture/plants.As an agricultural guardian, he was believed to directed his energies toward creating conditions that allow crops to grow, which may include warding off hostile forces of nature (pumpkins rotting in s2). El in phoenician culture was called Elus and its Greek equivalent Cronus (god of agriculture) steve- he goat- associated with pan- god of fields, groves, wooded glens . brenner- ‘someone who cleared forests by burning’. the blond women, Brenner worked with,  Fraizer-  “of the forrest men”

* FUN FACT: Kali’s name originally was going to be ‘Roman’ (which is derived from Romulus-the son of Mars... aka Martin Brenner) .

Trees

Ives and owens- ives means 'yew wood' while Owen means 'yew tree. ' bauman- nickname for someone who lived near a tree.comes from the German word "baum," or "boum" in Middle High and Old German, meaning "tree’. Jennifer hayes- Jennifer  derived from Old English words "jenefer", "genefer" and "jinifer", all of which were variants of Juniper used to describe the juniper tree.Lonnie means "oak tree; or lion". Lion plushie in cb and the lion el has along with the tree establishes a connection between all 3 maybe? Oak groves were especially sacred to  the goddess dianna too. Buckley (it has many different translations) - Old English "boch ley" (with boch meaning beech tree and ley meaning wood, glade or clearing).

Nature

buckley if translated from "bok lee," means meadow, or field. mayfield- open country (field) where madder (mæddre) grows. Holland- wood land, Bruce (who was also possessed) - means WILLow lands . Keith (s2-3) : woods or forrest.Hargrove- meadow filled with rabbits (Jonathan’s hunting story).Holloway is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, or type of tree. Tina means 'river' . Burness (guy who claimed he jumped into quarry)-stream. Neil- cloud. Lowe (Bruce's last name)-This surname is derived from a geographical locality 'at the low,' i.e. the hill. Hayes means "hedged area'.

Flowers

Flo (hopper's secretary)- means flower. Suzie-  lily flower. Susan (Max’s mom)- means lily, lotus flower or rose. Karen (in Japanese can mean)- flower, lotus, or water lily. Heather is also a variety of small shrubs with pink or white flowers which commonly grow in rocky areas.�� Erica is a type of "heather" plant. martin/marsha: in the legend of Mars,his mother become pregnant with him using a magic flower- which was given to her by the goddess flora.

Bright (aka intelligent)

Bob- nickname of Robert . Both Bob and Robert mean 'bright, shinning or fame'. Aka smart -he's called ' Bob the brain ' for a reason.

Robin- is also diminutive of Robert . And we all know robin is smart too. Being multilingual/ cracking the code.Robin (like Robert) also means 'bright, shining , or fame.'

Lucas- means "bright" or "shinning" aka he's also a smart cookie. His firework plan saving the day.

Lonnie and Larry (the mayor) can both be nicknames for Lawrence which also means ' bright one' or 'shinning one'. Well... both are cunning I'll give them that. Lonnie is unfortunately ...smart. I think this detail had other foreshadowing. Joyce to Will about Will the wise ' if he's so wise why does he need the fireballs? can't he just outsmart the bad guys? " Will: " yeah. Usually. BUT sometimes the bad guys are smart too." I never understood why on earth Joyce would be with someone as awful as Lonnie in the first place- than be with his literal opposite Bob- but maybe she just found intelligence attractive?

Names associated with thunder/lightning/fire (Like Will/mf/Will the wise)

Byers-reprsents Greek Zeus (god of thunder/lightning). Martin - references the roman god Mars who was originally a ‘thunder or storm deity’ .ROBIN- was the German God of Thunder’s- Thor’s- favorite bird. And Dustin also means ‘Thor’s stone.’Jim- “son of thunder”. Christian god- has throne (surrounded by thunder /lightning). Kali- could summon thunder storms.Nancy/Barb-both saints associated with fire. Kali-is called at times ‘ the bright fire of truth’ /and bestows the fire of knowledge. Robin also name drops the greek god prometheus- the god of fire. Mars -the keeper of Rome's perpetual flame . The Robin bird in a Christian story myth protects Jesus from hell's fire. William Blake- wrote about a fire wielding character of Los who represented jesus. Jesus during end times wields fire. Michael is the archangel who oversees on Earth the natural element of fire. Fire is the most typical element associated with the Saint John's Eve celebration (Saint John- called Jesus’s brother).

Animals (and their symbolism)

Byers- means ‘ cattle shed’.The Greeks considered the bull animal totem to be a symbol of Zeus (god of thunder and lighting - will the wise powers). He is the head of the gods and the almighty ruler of Olympus.  I”n hinduism, Shiva is known as Gorakhnath, means the lord of the cows.  And is also known as, Pasupathinath, the lord of all animals (similar to Rhadaghast). According to some scholars, Shiva’s association with cows and bulls might date back to the Indus Valley period. Cows have a special significance in Hinduism, as aspects of Mother Goddess and as symbols of selfless service. Mahatma Gandhi declared the protection of cows a central feature of Hinduism.Hindus worship cows as the Mother Goddess and symbol of motherhood, kindness and forbearance.”

Tigers: (Sarah’s plushie/ Hawkin’s macott/ Will & Mike have tiger posters in their rooms): The goddess Kali & God Shiva wore a tiger skin (this fact was actually mentioned by Kali in the prequel novel ‘suspicious minds’ ).”In many tribal traditions of India, the tiger (or lion) is worshipped as a god. In some Hindu hymns the domestic fires are compared to the tigers that guard the house.Tigers also figure prominently in many Indian folk-tales, Jataka-stories, and the Panchatantra.”

Lions:(Lonnie means ‘lion’ and el and Will have matching lion plushies)- In the Bible, the lion has two opposite meanings: it is compared to the Devil (1 Pet 5:8) and to Christ (Rev 5:5). Aka: Lonnie is the devil. The kids are the opposite. Nancy also compares the demogorgan to a lion. “In many tribal traditions of India, the lion is worshipped as a god.One of the ten incarnations of Vishnu is Narasimha, who has the head and shoulders of a lion, but the torso of a human.Goddess Durga, a fierce form of Parvathi or Shakti, has a golden lion as her vehicle, while Rahu, a planetary guard, rides upon a black lion as his vehicle.Lions form an important part of Hindu religious art. The face of the lion (simha-mukha) is used in images and sculpture in many Hindu temples to decorate the doors, walls, arches, and windows.The memorial pillar at Saranath  contains four beautifully carved standing lions at the top on a round abacus representing the imperial power. They now constitute the official emblem of the government of India.”

El almost k*lling a cat- “Some superstitious beliefs are also associated with cats in Hinduism. For example, killing a cat is considered a grave sin, for which one may have to offer prayers and give in charity at least seven golden images of the killed cat. “

Harrington- he goat. Buckley- has various translations. Anglo-Saxon: ‘bucc and leah’ meaning goat and wood respectively. And obviously there’s the robin-bird. And I've already discussed their symbolism. Goat= baphomet/pan. 

Robin- thor's fav bird/ helped Jesus from hell's fire.

Buckley- can also translate to " field filled with deer" (like the deer attacked by the demogrogan or the bambi film jon reffed in relation to the hunting story about lonnie).And Karen ( when from it’s Hebrew origins) can mean- antler or horn. Also the caananite God el was usually depicted with animal horns on his head.Diana in Roman art usually is accompanied by a hound (demo dog) or deer.  Because of the story of her turning an attempted r*pist-hunter into a deer/ and then causing dogs to attack him.  Deer is also one of the symbolic animals accepted since early Christianity as an allegory of Jesus Christ and the Christian Disciple. And when associated with Shiva (kali's husband) in Hindu iconography, the deer omen denotes sovereignty over nature and symbolizes the lord of all animals, humans, and the King of the Forest. In many visual and written illustrations, human beings and deer appear as close companions and in some cases, humans adopt the face or antlers of a deer, in images more common in stories of human strife. Deer also have a supernatural significance and appear as apparitions of divinity and in legends of spiritual awakening.

Hargrove- meadow filled with rabbits (like the rabbit lonnie made jonathan k*ll.) Hopper sounds like thumper the rabbit- which jonathan mentions in relation to bunnies . And ... idk... Hopper did make that pun in s3 about bunnies to Larry (lawerence) ? We also have rabbit refs elsewhere like with- el in Benny's. They play the song 'white rabbit' a song referencing Alice in wonderland and in el's room at Terry's house is the white rabbit from that story. Also paralleling to jonathan- el was almost made to k*ll a cat by her father (Cheshire cat aka Alice in wonderland ref + cats are associated with magic powers/witch craft).In Celtic folklore, the rabbit is seen as a supernatural being from the Otherworld.The rabbit symbolism in Christianity has found its way through the Germanic deity Eostre from which the name Easter came to be (s4 will most likely have the Easter holliday).One tale describes the rabbit as the pet of Jesus Christ. And rabbits were often inserted into art of jesus' mother .

Creel- basket or container of fish.fish is taken as symbolizing Christ’s faith, charity, and abundance. A biblical story goes how Christ fed his disciples with 2 fishes and called them “fishers of men.”  The Christians made an acrostic from the Greek word for fish, “ichthys” as early as the first century and it is, “Iesous Christos Theou Yios Soter”, meaning Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

Names hinting at character traits (which are very literal)

Mr clarke (science teacher)- clarke means 'scholar'

Dottie (in kali's gang)- she was in an insane asylum . And ‘Dotty’ is a very old British slang term  for 'crazy'

War (usually relates to ‘villains’)

Troy- means ' foot soldier'. Martin brenner: Martin means 'war like'. Lonnie is diminutive of Alonzo or Lawrence. Alonzo means 'ready for battle'.

In contrast to Lonnie, Will can mean "desiring peace. " Axel  who is part of Kali’s crew (who i think Will created along with others ) even means "father is peace."

Twin

Tom (Heather's dad) and Tommy mean ‘twin’. Robin's crush Tammy ('twin') Thompson ( 'son of tom’).

* Besides similar/identical name meanings.There’s also a lot of other repeated names that go into this whole twin/mirror imagery which i find strange... makes me wonder about @strangertheory ‘s version of the did theory. If not...maybe it’s just a allusion to the whole Will vs Will the wise arc (possibly) coming up?

Jennifer hayes (popular girl) & Jen (Mr clarke’s gf). Tina (highschool gal) & Tina- erica’s friend- Tina & christy are also nicknames of christina (s4 character). Susie (dustin’s gf) & susan (max’s mom). Sam (max’s dad) and Samantha (girl at party)/ samuel (possibly argyle). Billy Hargrove, Bill (dianne’s new huband),  and Will-all being nicknames for William. Robin & Bob-nicknames for Robert. Lonnie & Larry-nicknames for Lawerence. Ted  & Eddie being nicknames for Edward.James (Will’s bully), Jim Hopper (real name James), jacobi, and jason- all 4 are derived from jacob . Marsha Holland (barb’s mom) and marsha kelly (therapist s4)/martin relate to mars. Tom (reporter), tommy (highschooler), thompson (other highschooler).

it’s definitely peculiar to repeat names like this in a story. Unless it means ...something... I talked about how David was mentioning alot of doppelganger/twin imagery recently-here. So the name mirroring could just be an allusion to the Will/WW arc coming up ...possibly?

[hollowandeceptivephilosophy]

A Scripture is multilayered, weaving and referring to things in many ways, for God does not see things from a single point of view, but from a million, billion, trillion ways.  God is not just omniprescent, omniscient, and omnipotent; he is omni perspectival.  Every way of seeing, insofar as a it is a true way of seeing, rests ultimately in God.  (This implies of course that many ways of seeing have only distant referents in God; because they are almost entirely false ways of seeing).  Thus, it is not inaccurate or false for the story of Cain and Abel to simultaneously be about  1) Whoever the first man who murdered his brother was, who very well was probably in the first or second generation of human beings.  2) A retelling to make a theological point (against agricultural empires and technologies) of a common myth, in the trappings of Near Eastern mythology. 

3) A foregrounding of the law in the mythic past; that the system of retribution and blood-guilt flows not just from the rage of individuals, but from a created order cursed by blood of those who died. 

4) A foregrounding that God is not bound by the powers that curse those who murder; and that the logic of revenge has a strange relationship with the nature of God. (He, after all, protects Cain; despite Cain being a murderer and in the mode of anticipation an enemy of all that is good). 

5) A foregrounding that human sacrifice is not enough to resolve the problem of human sin, that something more is needed.   Because this is how the event, the primordial event, the event of retelling, the event of inscriping into scripture; seems to God. None of them is truly basis, all of them are equally essential to what the story “is”. 

[madsigano]

Because you Love to Hate me- Book review

Warning: May contain spoilers!

Because you Love to Hate me was a book I had been dying to get a hold of ever since a few of my favourite Booktubers mentioned this collaboration. 

The book contains 13 short stories of villains, each author paired with a Booktuber to give them a prompt for said short story. I have to admit, some stories I absolutely loved... others I either had a neutral or slightly negative opinion of. Let’s go through them:

The Blood of Imuriv by Renee Ahdieh, prompt by Christine Riccio:

This short story prompt was “The Grandson of an Evil, Matriarchal Dictator who tried to rule over the universe wants to follow in her footsteps and accidentally loses his temper, killing his sibling in a game of chess”. Wow, Christine. That’s a prompt and a half. 

The thing about this story was that although it was very good, there was too much content for the reader to fully grasp the storyline itself. This would make for a good book, but the shortened version left my head thinking the story lacked, simply from the amount of information that had to be thrown at the reader for the story to make sense. Christine- although I love her- could have maybe made the prompt a little easier for Renee to write something readers would appreciate more. That said, if this short was made into a novel, I can guarantee I would enjoy it more. 

3/5 stars.

Jack by Ameriie, prompt by Tina Burke:

The prompt given for this story was “Jack and the Beanstalk meets Phalaris of Agrigento”. One of the more well thought out ideas for a prompt, I’ll give you that, Tina.

However this was one of the stories I didn’t enjoy as much. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good “take a childhood classic and remake it”... but this just didn’t grab me. I rarely find a book I struggle to read through, but this was one. The character to me didn’t feel villain-y, and I also struggled to connect with her. 

The friendship between man and giant didn’t really feel like that, which is probably why the ending didn’t shock me as much as I think Ameriie was intending. 

It shocked me, but only in the way that there was no build up. Had I been given hints to this happening it may have affected me, but I personally felt it was a bit hit-and-miss.

2/5 stars.

Gwen and Art and Lance by Soman Chainani, prompt by Samantha Lane:

The prompt for this story was “A modern-day mash-up of the King Arthur Legend and Persephone-Hades Myth”. As someone who avidly loves all things myth and legend, I had high hopes for this one, Samantha.

However, this didn’t feel evil. I loved the context and the layout of text-style storytelling, I thought this was pretty creative actually. But this didn’t fit with the book for me. I was expecting one of the boys to act more like Hades and be cunning in his pursuit of Gwen, or for Gwen herself to feel a bit more villain-y. But I just got that High School not even the meanest of mean girl vibe.

2/5 stars.

Shirley and Jim by Susan Dennard, prompt by Sasha Alsberg:

“A young Moriarty”. Many things to be done with that prompt. I maybe would have expected the story to just be about Moriarty and his psychopathic ways coming to the surface, like a true origin story. But I got a gender-bent Sherlock and John. As teenage girls swooning over teenage-hottie-new-guy Jim Moriarty. 

Okay... I was actually surprised at how much I ended up liking this one. Sherlock is one of my favourite shows, and yes I am one of those people who ship Johnlock and/or Jimlock. So for Moriarty and Shirley to be a kind-of couple warmed my little shipper heart. 

But the end. It was so well done. The twists and the explanations just... Ah! 

4/5 stars.

The Blessing of Little Wants by Sarah Enni, prompt by Sophia Lee:

The author’s prompt for this story was “ A Dark Sorcerer’s motives for seeking immortality or Omnipotence”. First thing you think is, “Voldemort!” right? (If you haven’t figured already I skipped to the prompt before reading the story itself). But alas, no Tom Riddle for us.

I got serious Magneto vibes instead, and I’m not complaining. I was confused to the extreme; WAS HE REAL?! I thought he was part of her imagination but then her reaction confused me even further. Definitely well written on Sarah’s part. This seriously needs to be a book just so I can find out answers.

4/5 stars.

The Sea Witch by Marissa Meyer, prompt by Zoe Herdt:

Zoe’s prompt was “What if the Sea Witch had previously been in the Little Mermaid’s shoes but decided to kill the love interest and turn back into a mermaid instead?”. Let me just start by saying that “what if...” is my favourite prompt for any book. Every scenario in my head is a what if of book characters. 

This story was one of my favourites in this book, simply because it was this kind of origin story I had been expecting and waiting for. The plot of an outcast mermaid who has a serious fangirl crush (let’s be real- who doesn’t have an unhealthy crush on someone famous?), gets rejected in the most awful way, gets bullied by him and his slimy girlfriend, tries to kill herself, falls in love again with a human, becomes human for him, only to get betrayed by him, then (my favourite part) lets him enjoy his wedding day until she slits his throat. Good on you girl. Promptly returning to the sea, she becomes the sea witch we all know and love to hate.

5/5 stars.

Beautiful Venom by Cindy Pon, prompt by Benjamin Alderson:

Warning: mentions of rape.

When I read the prompt “Medusa, Go!” I was not expecting to read such an amazing story. Medusa was one of my all-time favourite legends from history when I was younger, so when I say I had high expectations, I mean really high.

And I was not let down. This story features easily the most evil villain in this book, and I don’t mean Mei Du/ Jia Mei Feng. This Medusa tale has an Asian twist to it, placing the well known Greek Mythology Gods into this culture instead. Jia Mei Feng is one of the lucky girls to be chosen to be the Emperor’s new wife, but the at-first dashing Hai Xin unexpectedly comes into her life and will not leave her alone. Her path twists violently into a dark path when Hai Xin kidnaps Mei, and rapes her when she says No.

I cried so much at this story, as it truly represents victim blaming as well as the rape culture, and the Goddess of Purity (Goddess of Bitchiness as far as I’m concerned) blames Mei, asking “did you say no?” and “Did you refuse him during his first visit?”. The Goddess curses Mei to look as ugly as a serpent, becoming Medusa, for something that was not her fault.

The power this story holds is incredible, showing that we must not ignore these issues and unite against victim blaming and rape culture. It is not ok.

5/5 stars.

Death Knell by Victoria Schwab, prompt by Jesse George:

The prompt for this story was “Hades waked up after being unconscious at the bottom of a well in Ireland”. The lyrical, beautiful writing from Victoria in this story was extraordinary and had me hooked from the start.

The relationship that blossoms between Death and Grace is short and quick, which is normally something I don’t particularly like, but I found myself enjoying the rapid romance between the living girl and the boy tasked with transporting her to death. 

Although this story was very predictable- you knew as soon as she avoided him the first time that she was going to escape death at any cost. And you knew as soon as they were near the well that she wasn’t going in. Yet I wasn’t disappointed. 

4/5 stars.

Marigold by Samantha Shannon, prompt by Regan Perusse:

I have to admit, I had to re-read this one when writing my notes because I had completely forgotten about it. an “Era-Queen retelling in Nineteenth-Century London” was a very good prompt, and I’m a sucker for historical retellings. 

Yet I couldn’t remember it. And then when I read it I understood why. Nothing about this story grabbed me. Which surprises me given my previous statement about how much I love historical retellings. It wasn’t that I thought it was particularly bad, it was actually very well written, but it just didn’t grab me.

3/5 stars.

You, You, It’s all about You by Adam Silvera, prompt by Catriona Feeney:

This story’s prompt by Catriona was “A female teen crime lord concealed by a mask”.

The immediate aspect that spiked my interest was the second person point of view. Second person is always guaranteed to interest me as the character is you, which brings you even deeper into the story. The main character herself was definitely one of the most twisted villains in this book; wearing a mask made of the flesh of her abusive father. That was very disturbingly creative on Adam’s part. The storyline of the drugs being made by this crime lord was incredibly creative, not just using illegal drugs we already know about, but using the drugs to make the character even more disturbing.

4/5 stars.

Julian breaks every rule by Andrew Smith, prompt by Raeleen Lemay: 

The prompt “A psychopath in a futuristic setting” really excited me, as I have a worrying love of psychopaths. 

Andrew did not disappoint, making me laugh out loud earning strange looks from people near me, and just overall writing a very good story. 

I do want to know what Andrew has planned for Julian though, as that cliffhanger left me aching for more.

4/5 stars.

Indigo and Shade by April Genevieve Tucholke, prompt by Whitney Atkinson:

“Beauty and the Beast: Suitor’s revenge” does actually sound like the dark sequel to the classic tale, but this story strayed from the darkness it could have been. 

To be honest, I find the Beauty and the Beast story to be overused right now, as the Cinderella one was for a time. This story I’m afraid to say does slot into the overused category. The story was good, don’t get me wrong, but it was the bad side of predictable.

3/5 stars.

Sera by Nicola Yoon, prompt by Steph Sinclair and Kat Kennedy:

Congratulations Nicola, Steph and Kat- you made my favourite story in this book! Talk about saving the best for last. As previously stated, I love all things myth and legend. So the prompt “Gender-flipped God of War” is so far up my street it’s in my back garden.

I could go on forever about this short story, but I’ll dial it down as much as I can.

The writing style from Nicola was amazing; a diary documentation kind of layout, watching Sera grow and seeing from her mother’s eyes what was happening. It did make me laugh a few times throughout; especially when little Sera put up finger guns to the murderer and said “bang bang”. I thought that was just a very funny image. 

The best part of this story was the POV flip at the end. We’d seen from Sera’s mother’s third person POV that Sera had been extremely ill, and then it had jumped to Kareena watching Callie being burned alive by Sera.

But the POV flip to Sera’s POV creates a reallllllly condensed version of the last 15 or so pages, showing the reader how she felt this entire time. She changed her appearance dramatically by dying her hair and wearing contacts because she wanted her mother to love her, and the “light” she was feeling was something she knew was dangerous so she tried to conceal it, making her ill. 

And then we find out that her sister tried to kill her while their mother stood and watched, hence why Sera killed her sister. This moment had my mouth nearly to the floor. Beautiful writing from Nicola and a perfect prompt from Steph and Kat.

5/5 stars.

If you didn’t agree with my review please feel free to comment, but please don’t write anything offensive! 

Likewise if you did agree, or enjoyed this, or want to add a bit more then please feel free to comment or message me!

[agent-7-at-your-service]

Future Plot: Project Prometheus - Chapter 2

(( Sandra, Justinian, Telemachus, Iruka, Kitzeh, Agent 7, Hera of the motherly moon, and Pyrrhus/Chaodis (All not in this chapter) belong to me

Camille, Lee, Depiction of Callie, Marina (Not in this chapter) , and Pacling (Not in this chapter) belong to @inklingleesquidly

Nebula and Wish (Not in this chapter)  belong to @myzzy and @agenttwo  

Mysteeri (Not in this chapter)  belongs to @dreadangel

Designs of Marina and Wish belong to @teamuntyblue

Emerald and Sapphire (Not in this chapter) belong to @twelvetailedkitsune and @son-of-joy

Celeste and Willow (Not in this chapter) belong to @alpinesquid

Arsenic (Not in this chapter) belongs to @a-demo-of-a-hero ))

Hephaestus leave Hestia to keep an eye on the Champions and their friends in Olympus; he takes Camille to a shortcut to a city she has been to. And that city is Athens.

It was once said a wise goddess and a sea god fought over the city and the goddess defeated the sea god's salt water spring with an olive tree. This pissed off the sea god and he tried to flood Athens which only made the city love Athena more due to what her olive trees provide.

Hephaestus was taking Camille to the Parthenon, the temple built in honor of Athena. It ages into ruins and later preserved by humans only to be left in ruins again to repeat mythological history. The temple is now under reconstruction like it's human incarnation; portions of the temple have been built in a way as if someone wants to live here. The only question is who would want to do that?

Camille is in front of bronze alloy doors of the Parthenon, wearing her casual clothes again. The last time she's been here was in a dream -- a farewell to a friend. Hephaestus has told her there was a way to communicate with her parents in some way, and they needed to visit someone here to do this. Memories are coming back to her again; she shrugs it off.

"The person living here is a friend of Morpheus, god of dreams," Hephaestus explained, "The person is someone you'll recognize in a dream long forgotten."

"I just want to see my parents safe," Camille stated, "I can take a guess on who we're meeting..." She offered to knock on the door.

The two waited for a few minutes, but someone managed to respond and open the door. It was a young inkling girl -- she was about Camille's age -- dressed in a light green cape, a white chiton dress, gold wrist-bracelets, and brown denim shorts. Her ink hair is a dark tarnished bronze, her skin is as light as a pearl, her nails were painted in a feathery pattern of brown, tan, and beige, her eyes were two colors with her left eye a grayish gold and the right eye an olive green with blue speckles.

When the inkling saw Camille at her door step, she looked speechless. Camille raised an eyebrow in confusion before quickly recognizing who she is.

"Athena?" Camille addressed.

"Camille?" Athena tears up and gives a big smile.

The two soon turn into squids and jumped around, making joyous squid noises. They turn back into their humanoid forms and embrace each other. Hephaestus gave the two their moment, crossing his arms and waiting patiently.

Once the two girls let go, Athena looked to Hephaestus. "Did you tell her about our return Uncle Hephaestus?"

Hephaestus gave a nod. "Yes, and for a very important reason?"

Athena then looked to Camille. "Come on, let's have some sweet pastry bread and grape juice inside my home. It's still under reconstruction, but hey, I'm a historian who wants to rebuild a temple that's really my home, am I right? The mortals don't know I'm the goddess Athena yet, calling it a coincidence."

Camille and Hephaestus would be in a lovely interior garden with no ceiling for sunlight to come in. It was full of olive trees, apple trees, orange trees, and a patch of grain crops. The center of the garden is a pond with stepping stones. The two were in a unique gazebo in the center of that pond that doubled as a bedroom and a dining room. Athena offered her friend and her uncle pastries and grape juice, and she ate her meal with them.

"Each god in my family are living in different parts of the Mediterranean, taking jobs like Mayors, Doctors, Farmers, you name it." Athena took a big bite of her pastry. "But we still visit Olympus at times."

After their meal, Hephaestus gives a small fake cough.

"Athena, Camille wants to ask something," Hephaestus began.

"Anything for a best friend." Athena then smiles at Camille. "What is it you want, Cammy?"

Camille took a deep breath. She doesn't believe this would work, but she couldn't question the magic of the Greek Pantheon now that she's dragged back into this world.

"I know you used Morpheus to interact with me, I want him to help me interact with my parents in....wherever this Moros god took them." Camille looked serious.

Athena has never heard the name Moros for some time. She finishes her pastry bread and grape juice before getting up.

"Are you sure you want that?" Athena knows something is up.

Camille gets up. "He kidnapped my parents, if this dream communicating thing will be able to help stay in contact with my parents, I'm up for this!"

Athena looked hesitant. "Morpheus can't let you three meet just like this." She looks to Hephaestus. "You know why Zeus is afraid of Moros."

Hephaestus gets up. "Moros is destiny, meaning he's omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent; he is everywhere. A powerful being that without him, Chaos would return. The only ones to stand up against him was Prometheus, and that his actions were left unpunished."

"Oh, that's barnacles! I still want to see Mommy and Daddy!" Camille asked. "There has to be something you guys can do to cover up our meetings."

It was quiet for a moment, but Athena shrugs and replies, "Alright, I'll prepare my bed for you to sleep in."

"Wait, what?" Camille didn't look surprised.

"Just trust me on this. It's not what you think." Athena has a bed appear. "Morpheus only does his work if you're asleep. As for me, I'll have to talk to him through prayers."

"Prayers..... wow, Athena." Camille takes off her shoes and lies on Athena's bed with her hands behind her back and her right legs over her left leg. "Okay, now what?"

Athena giggled at the way she's lying down. "Just relax, take a few deep breaths, and simply sleep."

"Just like that? Easy." Camille then yawns. "Besides, I didn't get much sleep anyway... and..." Camille is soon fast asleep. As she drifts asleep, she can feel herself no longer being in bed and instead, be floating in mid air.

"Alright, alright, Athena, I'll do it, if she wants to personify her again, then fine..." A voice echoed, "you owe me one, and her parents will have to personify someone too." That was probably Morpheus.

Camille opens her eyes and sees an endless darkness. She can then see Callie and Lee -- her parents -- dressed unique ensembles.

Lee is dressed in a white shirt, black shorts, a leather armor and sandals, bronze forearm guards, and a lion cloak with a lion head as part of the shoulder guard. He also has a black leather belt, carrying a golden bronze dagger with some kind of button.

Callie is dressed in a typical white tunic with a gold medallion and gold bracelets for the wrists and ankles. She appeared to have a gold cicada on the back of her neck, hanging on to the knot of her hairstyle.

Camille looked at herself and noticed she was also wearing different ensemble: leopard skin sash, white combat skirt, bronze wrist bracelets, leather belt quiver, and sandals, and red tattoos. On her head is a helmet made of bronze, leather, and some kind of animal hair plume. She knew who she's personifying again: Amazon Princess Camilla Penthesilea. If she's personifying her again, then her parents must be personifying Greeks in the past. But who?

Lee and Callie looked confused but were quick to recognize Camille. But before they can have a group hug, a deity's voice had them face forward. It wasn't Moros, but it was a different voice.

"Princess Camilla!" The voice is addressing Camille. "You dare seek this journey in the afterlife? So soon after your death along with the thousands back in Troy? But what legends say are true. The Olympians left a great offer to all in the Underworld and on this earth for the dead to be put to rest. The challenge is like war, but I believe you already have the experience for that."

The voice then brought its attention to Lee.

"And you found new friends, the Hunter -- Orion The Giant -- of Boeotia--" A large pale hand points at Lee. "--And Princess Merope of Chios." Another hand points at Callie before both hands retreat to the darkness. "I must say these two shouldn't be together. Don't you, Orion, remember what you did to Merope to anger King Oenopion? When you returned for revenge, Merope swore her Championship in the name of Eos, the very Titan who loved you. Such a love life. And did you not forget your first wife, Side, back in Boeotia?"

The voice then brought its attention to Callie.

"As for Merope, do you find it suspicious that Eos has allowed you to become her champion? How did you feel when Artemis accidentally killed Orion? Did you feel jealousy towards Artemis when she was taking Orion from you? Is that why you committed suicide?"

The voice was too divine for Lee and Callie to respond to what it has spoken. Camille couldn't say anything about what the voice said; she would have to talk with someone about this later.

The voice soon reveals itself as a gigantic demigod who is a king; two others stepped forward. They all wore robes of royalty, scepters of lead, silver, and gold. However, each of the demigod kings had something unique. One of them is an elderly man with a mask of an ant and a cape of dragon scales. Another man is middle-aged with a developing beard, a mask of a human face, a sash of red, and a cape of white. The last man is a middle-aged man with a clean face, wearing a mask of a bull and a cape with two spiral seashells as shoulder guards.

"I am Aeacus," The Elderly man introduce, "These are my brothers: Rhadamanthus and Minos. Together, we are the Judges of the Dead." With a gesture of his hand, Camille, Lee, and Callie were now standing on solid ground. "And by your request, Princess Camilla, we shall allow it. You shall witness and perform the very trials to put your soul at ease, the journey to salvation and truth: The Trials!"

"Here, the journey is long and hard," Mino explained, "And we cannot assure you'll succeed. That is up to all of you."

"But it is our duty to oversee these Trials and decide the victors or -- if the time is right -- decide who shall pass on," Rhadamanthus point his scepter down and the surroundings change.

It is a dome-shaped room with several constellations seen on the walls. Corridors, and trails rose from the ground made of rocks, stone, and plants. Seven flags appeared: three green, three blue, and one white. One of the green flags and one of the blue flags are large, acting as a base. At the moment, all the other flags are lowered.

Lee took this time to talk with her daughter.

"Camille, what's going on?" Lee began.

"Where are we?" Callie asked.

"You heard those giant guys, we're in the afterlife...... as Greek Heroes." Camille rubs her arms, finding it a bit hard to explain. "I asked this god named Morpheus to help me communicate with you guys through dreams, but I didn't know he would make us do this...."

"How do you know all this, Sweetie?" Callie looked suspicious.

Camille didn't hesitate, but she didn't want to blow the cover. "It's because this happened to me before with this other goddess..... Athena."

Lee and Callie don't seem to believe her, but they knew they had to rely on their daughter to get through this. After all, it was just a dream, right? Camille might know something else, they thought.

"Mommy, Daddy, just play along with this, okay? That Moros guy is bad news, and that freak the mighty might be watching us now in our dreams," Camille whispered, "Let's perform these trials."

"...Then lead the way, Camille." Lee smiled.

Camille nods and then looks at up at the Judges with a glare and a smile.

"Alright!! Then let's do this! I'm here get myself out of this hellhole! This Amazon here is not living her life as a dead squid or even a resident of the Underworld!" Camille stated. "And if I'm going, I promise to take Orion and Merope with me! When we get out of this, we'll swear to save those still here! Athena! Artemis! If you can hear me, guide us! And help us through these trials!"

Soon bronze automatons approach the three inklings with weapons. The machines offer it to them before returning to the darkness.

Lee is given a club, a bow, a dog whistle, and a light ball of bronze with a turn-key switch. Callie is given two cicada bracelets, shoe decorations in the shape of grasshoppers legs and crickets legs, a rose tiara, a gradient cloak of red, orange, and yellow, and a unique whistle made from a leaf. Camille already recognizes Princess Camilla's weapons: A large wooden shield, a simple bow and a quiver of arrows, a bronze ax, and a bronze spear. What's new in her inventory is a war horn.

Most of the items had some way to shooting or delivering ink-based attacks along with elemental magic.

Once the Squidlys are armed, the large flags are raised. The rest were waiting to be raised.

"And so it begins, the Trial of Battles! The flags of the two factions are raised. Treat them as you would treat your homelands," Minos stated, "The flags shall appear when the Trials begin."

Camille found this too easy, but she had to play the game.

"Mommy, you raise the small green flag on the left," Camille quietly ordered, "Daddy, you raise the flag on the right. I'll raise the white flag in the center."

Together as a family, they split up to follow the orders. When Camille raised the white flag, the flag turns green. They actually played like simple turf wars back in Inkopolis.

"All white flags at the center symbolize neutrality, raising them as your own tips the balance," Rhadamanthus explains, "Your faction can work in no more than 8, but they must assure they work together in these Trials or face the consequences. Trust, Unity, Faith, these are one of the many virtues needed to complete the trials."

The blue flags are then raised.

"Now go on a take the first flag of the opposition," Aeacus tutored, "conquers its surroundings and claim glory."

Camille did so, running up to a blue flag and takes it. She pulls it out of the ground and raises it up, letting the flag change color from blue to green before planting the flag back into the ground.

"The Amazon, Camilla, know the way of these Trials," Rhadamanthus reacted, "Those who claim a flag must remain there to secure it. For a time. Their allies must continue the fight without them if they must. "

"But these Trials aren't simple," Aeacus explained as blue spectral beings appeared from the opposition, "Opponents who also seek the prize of the Trials are also going to fight for it. They have a chance to reclaim those flags. They will gather armies they wish to bring to salvation just like you. You have armies do you not?"

Camille, Callie, and Lee had no idea how they can gather armies until they saw what their opposition was doing. The specters took out their horns and blew them; One summoned a swarm of bees, one summoned a hoplite army, and one summoned a pack of wolves.

Camille looked to her war horn, took it out and blew it, summoning what appears to be an Amazon army. Callie with the same with her leaf-whistle, summoning a large swarm of cicadas, making her army a large contingent in the team. Lee uses his dog whistle, summoning nine hounds behind him.

The spectral being with the swarm of bees made their way to the blue flag that isn't raised or conquered yet and defended it.

"Princess Merope, show us the power of Eos," Minos tutored, "let your swarm wipe the enemy out so that your ally can claim the blue flag."

Callie looked at the swarm accompanying her but didn't know how to make them move. She looked back at her leaf-whistle, she changes the pitch of the whistle and points at the swarm of bees. The cicadas immediately fly towards the bee swarm to keep them distracted. Callie waves to Lee to take out the bees' spectral leader and claim the flag.

"Your companions will always be with you, in this life and the next," Rhadamanthus explained, "Towards salvation and beyond."

Lee hasn't fought this way for some time. And the hounds at his side were interesting in combat. Still, he has put down his weapons years ago, and now's a time to return to combat until this battle is over.

"I didn't want to do this.........Here we go!!!" Lee charged towards the bees’ spectral leader and hit them with his club. "Take that!"

The bees’ spectral leader is knocked down and is dissolved into hexagonal flakes. It didn't splat since these aren't inklings, just projections. The bees that accompanied them scatter and disappear. Lee is given the honor of taking the second blue flag. He takes the flag and replants it with its color changed from blue to green. He was breathing heavily; he never harmed another for years. Still, Callie came to his side and tried to comfort him.

"Such romantic moments... rare to see it in the trials," Rhadamanthus commented.

"Members of the factions that are eliminated are absent from the game," Minos explained, "When another faction member takes a flag or if the duration of absence runs out, they will respawn to their main flag."

"Now then, finish the Trial!" Aeacus tutored.

The Squidlys soon made their way to the base, eliminated the specters, and claimed the final flag. The surroundings fade and the stars can be seen in the dome-shaped room once more.

"This Trial is complete, but this won't be the only kind of trial you'll face.," Rhadamanthus congratulated, "Before we conclude this trial, you shall give yourselves a name."

"What shall we call your faction?" Minos simplified.

I didn't take the Squidlys long to think of a name, but Camille advised them not to give any name that would make them stand out. In the end, they all agreed on one name fitting for Orion, Camilla, and Merope: The Hunt.

"Then it is done," Aeaceus concluded, "In the name of Olympus, your faction shall be called, The Hunt! Go forth and walk on the path to salvation."

Afterwards, there is darkness, then the moon, then the ruins of Troy, and then a cloudy sky. The beaches were on longer stained with ink nor studded with rubble; nature was quick to reclaim after destruction. The Squidlys are still in the dream, and they appeared as faint as ghosts. Camille wasn't surprised, but her parents were. The two looked at her in confusion.

"This is actually a dream, dear?" Lee questioned.

"If it is, then why are we here?" Callie is looking at ruined Troy.

Camille responded is with a nod.

"And to recall..... Athena... dreams...... Morpheus?" Lee stepped towards Camille with concern. "What have you got yourself into, Camille?!"

"Daddy, I can explain--" Camille is then interrupted.

"But I can explain more." A young god called out while walking by the shores. "Two princesses and a hunter shouldn't be out here... then again you're all undead."

The three looked at the young god approaching them. He is an inkling just like them, but with angel wings. He has periwinkle hair, light skin, midnight blue eyes, a white horn of ivory on his right temple, and a black horn of a beast on his left temple. He wore a cloak with half being of a white fabric and half being a fabric of black, a laurel crown with green leave and gray berries, a simple tunic and shorts, and sheepskin slippers. When he yawned, he sounded like a sheep. This is Morpheus, the Greek God of Dreams.

"Awww... that yawn was adorable!" Callie complimented.

"You must be Morpheus." Camille raised an eyebrow, not expecting Morpheus to be like this.

"I sure am... and thank you, miss." Morpheus rubbed his left eye. "I am Morpheus, God of Dreams and leader of the Oneiroi. You three must be the Squidlys. Do you know that your daughter is a hero--?"

"Was a hero," Camille corrected, taking off her sandals.

"My Camille, a hero?" Callie doubted that, but with what has happened in this dream, something is up. "What did my daughter do?"

"Save the Earth from the Titans, exiled the Typhonian End back to Tartarus, and foil the plans of the Chaotic Eris." Morpheus soon floats in midair and hangs upside down. "Never told your parents about that?"

"No?" Camille replied honestly.

"Why not?" Morpheus raised an eyebrow.

"They would flip out if they knew!" Camille raised her voice.

Callie and Lee gasped when she said that. They know their daughter and hearing her say that was quite shocking. They never wanted her to see what they've experienced nor did they want to see her come to harm.

".....I.... I didn't mean it like that...." Camille stepped back. "But it's the truth!"

Camille didn't know what else to say until Morpheus intervened.

"Camille's mother and father, may I say something." Morpheus stands between Camille and her parents. "Your daughter saved our Universe, unlike the other mythos worlds. She wasn't alone. Nebula Sevenstar, Celeste Ann Weever, Telemachus Zulf Cassius, Justinian Euphemia, Hera Terepashi, and much more. They all fought by her side. Without them, our world would've been gone some time ago."

"But Camille... We didn't want her to--" Lee argued.

"I know, I know, we all gods knew it. Hephaestus knew, Artemis knew, Hermes knew, the Fates knew, I knew, Athena knew, and the whole Pantheon -- dead or not -- have knew. But Camille never cared about the danger she faced, " Morpheus rebutted, "And she knew why."

"Why?" Callie questioned, glaring at him.

"...She did it for everyone, and she had everyone by her side to face the horrors that came to bring our world to chaos," Morpheus explained, "And that was the only selfless act we will ever see her do. Despite everything, she didn't want to lose you all. So don't show disapproval towards what your daughter had done for all of us... she chose to do it."

Callie and Lee look at each other and looked a bit guilty. They're still confused about how this all happened, but at the same time, they feel like they deserve more answers. Camille is glad Morpheus defended her, but she didn't want this legacy of her known; she's the Fastest Squid Alive and nothing else.

Camille changed the subject. "Where do we go now?"

"That's up to you, Princess Camilla," Morpheus answered, using the name of her persona, "Let it be night and look to the stars."

"I'm having a feeling we're going to travel to far places," Callie assumed.

"I have someone prepare things for that, and it will come tomorrow," Morpheus explained, "For now, we'll look to our Amazon Princess here to use the stars. A constellation will tell her where to go." He picks up a handful of sand and creates spectacles out of them. He hands it to her. "And the constellations will show themselves through this sea glass."

"If we're ghosts, then--" Camille is interrupted by Morpheus.

"You guys aren't ghosts. You can still eat, sleep, drink, and such, but you aren't ghosts," Morpheus explained, "You thought you people won't need vital things in the afterlife?"

Camille and Lee were working like father and daughter, hunting animals that are inhabiting the ruins, Callie made the tents and the campfire with Morpheus's help. During the hunt, Lee and Camille manage to detect a deer; however, when Camille aimed her bow and arrow at the deer, she stops and puts her arrow away. She just couldn't harm a deer. When Camille and Lee returned, they came back with scavenged food from orchards and farms the Greeks forgot to raid and loot: lentils, wheat, apples, grapes, and figs. It was enough for everyone to eat for the night.

After the meal, Morpheus is open to answering questions from Lee and Callie. Lee didn't want to question the powers of Greek Gods at the moment, at least he knows this is a dream. Callie, on the other hand, asked questions like about his job as a dream god and about how this will keep their meetings hidden from Moros. Camille is busy, looking up at the stars, using the spectacles that Morpheus gave her.

"So if Moros is omnipresent, doesn't that means he be anywhere?" Callie asked. "Past, Present, Future? The mind, body, whatever?"

"Moros has no interest in mortal's dreams nor their welfare, he chooses where to be present," Morpheus explained, "And he has no interest in looking in your heads dreaming this. He's focused on making your daughter suffer."

"He's been telling us that by the time he kidnapped us," Lee remembered, "He said our daughter defied destiny or something like that."

"She did defy destiny." Morpheus draws some stuff in the sand. "Moros's words are the future, and he wanted Typhon to bring the world to Chaos. But he didn't know Eris was making him do this. Your daughter's only crime now is that she defied him, and he’s making her pay the price. He wants to assure her that he is still beyond everyone just like how he assured Zeus."

"Our daughter....." Callie looks down.

"Callie and I have been through many things many years ago, sometimes like this," Lee confessed, "But our daughter following our footsteps..... It's just..."

Morpheus places a hand on Lee's shoulder. "I understand, but there are times you can't keep it away from her forever. Hermes and the Fates told me Camille never wanted to believe in your heroism and agent stories nor did she believe she'll be a hero herself... and look at her now. She learned from the Titanomachy and the fight against Typhon, sort of." Morpheus turns to Camille. "Anything yet?"

Camille found this astronomy stuff boring, but when she was about to take off the spectacles, she spotted something. The stars of the constellation, Andromeda, align and its brightest star, Alpha Andromedae, beams a light down to a city. The next Trial is in Mycenae which is across the Aegean Sea. 

The Constellation has now told her.

"Mice-and-A?" Camille is poor in pronouncing names like these. "... I guess we're heading there."

"...We'll make our way to Mycenae in the morning," Morpheus stated, "For now we sleep."

"We still have more questions about--" Lee is interrupted again.

"More questions will come later, for now, we have to sleep." Morpheus uses some invisible lasso and pulls a cloud down. He uses it as his bed and tent. "Oh and before you leave this dream, Camille, I suggest you head to Mycenae in real life."

The Squidlys enter their tents with Lee and Callie sharing one tent and Camille having the other tent all by herself. Camille has finally found a way to meet her parents in secret, by dreaming about Greek Legends and performing the Trials. As long as Moros doesn't find out, the Squidlys can see each other again, every night.

Camille closes her eyes and drifts away, exiting Morpheus' realm of dreams.

When Camille opens her eyes, she finds herself still in Athena's bed in the Parthenon. Athena was in a chair beside the bed, reading a scroll. Hephaestus was looking out a window, looking at the view of Athens before noticing Camille wake up from her dream.

She had a destination: Mycenae.

[doctorwhonews]

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

Latest Review: Writer: Chris Chibnall Director: Jamie Childs Executive Producers: Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, Phyllis Logan, Mark Addy, Percelle Ascott, Samuel Oatley, Jan Le BBC One (UK) First broadcast Sunday 9th December 2018 The title for series 11's finale might be something of a tongue twister, but it's of a piece with Chris Chibnall's world-building, where despite TARDIS translation, human and alien cultures find one another's worlds and identities difficult to say. Yaz's exchange with Paltraki about his home world is similar to related dialogue in 'The Ghost Monument', for instance, while 'Tim Shaw' is itself a mangling of the Stenza's actual name: Chibnall consistently stresses the alien-ness of humanity to other races, and vice versa. Ranskoor Av Kolos isn't just sci-fi gobbledygook, then,  it's a reminder of the constant possibility of misunderstanding and failed empathy ("Ranskoor Av - what?") whilst time-travelling. Perhaps the real battle in this episode is between genuine understanding and communication breakdown, whether psychotropically driven or not. And for a phase of Doctor Who that's so patently invested in the ensemble of 'Doctor plus three' -- arguably a way of managing any anxieties about the reception of Jodie Whittaker by casting audience identification across a range of options, an older male figure included -- it's striking that this finale also offers up an ensemble of aliens to combat, in the form of a Stenza-Ux team-up. At first, it seems as though Paltraki's unit might be a distorted mirror for team TARDIS (commander-plus-three), but this possibility isn't really developed. Instead, it's the lone Stenza 'god' and Ux duo species that represents a malformed version of our time-travelling "fam". The Ux are being dangerously misled, whilst we're shown from the outset that their culture and faith depend on "experience" rather than "understanding" -- it's not that their religiosity is undermined, or that they're somehow idiotically stupid, but rather that their priorities are in need of realignment. Sure enough, by the episode's end they set off in pursuit of newfound "understanding" over and above pure experience, something that Graham, Yaz and Ryan have already grasped thanks to their time with the Doctor. Jodie Whittaker again turns in a strong performance, with her Doctor being less of a melodramatic 'Legend' than some previous incarnations, and more of a softly-spoken mentor. She's firm with Graham, warning him of the consequences if he gives in to a desire for revenge. But there's not so much sense of an 'Oncoming Storm' here, a magically powerful if not near-omnipotent walking myth; instead, the thirteenth Doctor wants to synthesise "the best elements of everyone", as she puts it. We are given a facilitator in place of a pseudo-Godlike Time Lord, as the 'bad' ensemble of Stenza and Ux is fractured and converted into a new Ux-TARDIS "supergroup" or force for good. It's surprising that Whittaker's portrayal has sometimes been criticised for a lack of distinctive characterisation, when in terms of scripting and performance there's a strong through-line of mentoring which this episode again brings to the fore. The 'Battle' of the title might capture an aspect of Chris Chibnall's vision for series 11, but it's also more than a little misleading, promising epic scale and SF spectacle yet remaining off-screen and (perhaps) outside budgetary constraints. As a finale, this also represents a second level of fan denial. Mystery and build-up are expertly wrangled as the mists of Ranskoor Av Kolos atmospherically swirl, raising one's hopes of a big reveal (will it be Davros? The Daleks?). In addition, this episode wasn't made available in advance to TV critics, also building anticipation of a major twist. But narrative mechanics and spoilerphobic brand management rebound a bit here, given that the reveal is, eventually, of a single character encountered once before at the start of the series. This story is structured, actually very effectively, as if it's leading up to something Properly Massive, an epic and unexpected showdown, only to deliver exactly what Chris Chibnall has promised all along -- the 'jump onboard' accessibility of no truly old monsters, and the emotional development of character arcs rather than 'mythology' story arcs. Consequently, 'Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos' feels like it's teasing and tantalising a moment of unpredicted fan service, the option of which is then rejected and batted away. Like the unseen spectacular battle, fans are again denied -- but this time, it's the emotional resonance that can be represented by a returning villain/monster that's rejected. 'Classic' monsters can embody a kind of emotional time-travel for dedicated audiences, taking them back through memories, past enjoyments or scares, and knowledgeable appreciation; perhaps the term 'classic' really stands in, partly, for all this Proustian fan sentiment. For a series so focused on the emotions of character arcs, at least for Graham and Ryan, long-term fans' emotional remembrances of past Who are not significantly summoned up. Yes, 'The Pirate Planet' lingers behind some plotting, in a way, and I wondered whether the mineral design of the segments was also meant to remind long-term viewers (or DVD collectors) of the segments of 'The Key To Time', but this was seemingly just a design echo.  After the gloriously bonkers 'It Takes You Away', 11.10 was 'It Brings You Right Back... To The Widely Predicted', making it somewhat less satisfying than I'd hoped for. Having said that, there were a number of notable strengths on display here, chief among them the blend of production and effects design, Jamie Childs' direction, and the always impressive use of locations. Those faceted, mineral-like stasis chambers in sickly yellow looked amazing, as did the Doctor's initial confrontation with Phyllis Logan's Andinio, whilst the approach to the 'Edifice' was another visually compelling sequence, demonstrating what a high standard Childs' direction has consistently achieved this year. In the episode's dying moments, a shock cliffhanger into 'Resolution' would have been welcome. But as things stand, the New Year's Day story looks very promising indeed. Perhaps it will act as the real culmination of this run of episodes, as its title implies on one reading, complete with a major reveal and a 'classic' monster at last ("does it have a name?"). If so, 'Battle' may come to be seen as a deliberately faux finale, in the final analysis. And if -- *if* -- we bridge from here into a powerful 'Dalek-meets-Quatermass-and-the-Pit' vibe, then I suspect Chris Chibnall's brave decision to hold off on the show's icons for 2018 will ultimately be thoroughly vindicated. Under those circumstances, it will have the effect of making a 'Special' feel genuinely special, lending significance to the pepperpots of old on January 1st 2019. Fingers crossed for another 'R... of the Daleks' in the weeks to come, and hence for a re-evaluation of the role and place of 'The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos'. http://reviews.doctorwhonews.net/2018/12/the_battle_of_ranskoor_av_kolos.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[robbiefarlow-sidequestfitne-blog]

New Post has been published on Side Quest Fitness

New Post has been published on http://sidequestfitness.com/thanos/

Chaos, Your Death Drive, & Fighting Thanos

Do you remember your first breakup?

  And I’m not talking about the time you broke up with the Jenny in third grade so you could go out with another 8-year old girl on the same playground.

  No, I’m talking about the first breakup that left you crumpled on the floor, tears flooding out of your eyes, and howling at the moon. You know, the one that hit you so hard you didn’t want to live anymore?

  Yea, I’m talking about that breakup.

  As the incredibly awkward high school nice guy who made it far too obvious he had a crush on you, I was, for the most part, single throughout high school. So my first real relationship didn’t happen until my sophomore year of college. Unlike some of my friends, I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 19.

  Maybe it was because of the rose-colored glasses I wore, or a head full of naivety, or you could blame it on my youth and inexperience, but some part of me thought this girl, my first true girlfriend could be the one.

  Not because she was the first girl I’d had sex with (alright, fine, maybe a little bit of that) but because at 19-fucking-years-old, I didn’t know the difference between love and the bubbly, oh-so-good feelings my brain and dick kept ricocheting between one another.

  So, yea. I was getting laid — a lot — and for a kid who had gone pro as a third wheel for the last six years, I was finally in the big leagues. I was in a relationship (one that involved getting my penis touched).

  Life couldn’t get any better heading into summer break.

And Then…

  With both of us heading home for the summer of 2006, I had plans laid out for taking long weekend trips to see her in Delaware. And, sure, it would be awkward getting used to sleeping alone again and not having sex (nearly) every night, but the summer would be over soon, and we’d both be back on campus in no time.

  I drove up for my birthday weekend in June and spent half a week in her hometown and sneaking in as much sex as possible while staying at her house. Everything felt fine. It felt like nothing had changed since we’d departed for summer vacation.

  All of that started to crumble a few weeks later.

  Shortly after the 4th of July, I noticed that something felt off during our conversations. Our typical late evening AOL Instant Messenger chats had stopped, completely. And our nightly-before-bed phone calls morphed into me leaving a voicemail saying, “goodnight, I love you.”

  Still, for some reason, I felt a small disturbance in The Force — a stinging sensation in my gut, as if my stomach knew something my brain didn’t: “Robbie, she’s acting strange…I think she’s gonna break up with you.”

  Nah, she loves me. I love her. We’re weeks away from being back on campus; our love is all that matters (stupid stomach, shut up).

  Then it happened. Like a sucker punch to the back of the head.

  “Robbie, I don’t think we should date anymore.”

  In an instant, it felt as if she’d performed Kano’s famous fatality by ripping out my heart, throwing it on the ground, and walking away.

  Dazed and lost in shock, I sat at my computer motionless, unable to think. Then, minutes later, with a gaping hole in my chest cavity, came the hot sting of molten agony.

  I spent the next few days secluded under the covers in the fetal position, nearly choking on tears, and sucking at the teet of a bottle of whiskey while Dashboard played as loud as possible.

  You can last two or three days on a steady diet of junk food, Domino’s pizza, booze, and the salty taste of your tears. But then it all changes; the bender morphs. Tears dry, anger builds, resentment envelopes you with its soft cloak. And revenge — the darkest and most dangerous of all emotions — begins to coalesce in your soul.

  Until recently, I didn’t have a name for this period of darkness and time of constant self-destructive behavior. But as I re-read through some old comics, I realized that moments like this (and a more recent one I’ll touch on further below) puts us in direct touch with our most chaotic elements. Or what, thanks to one Marvel comic series, I’m calling: Thanos Moments.

    Thanatos and Our Desire for Death

  In Ancient Greek mythology, Thanatos was the personification of death. Millenia later, Sigmund Freud would theorize that all humans have two drives: Eros, or our life force, and a death drive, which leads us down a path of death and self-destruction. It was one of Freud’s early pupils, Wilhelm Stekel, who decided to refer to death drive as Thanatos.

  Jim Starlin, in 1973, created one of the most iconic and destructive comic book characters of all time. Who, ironically enough, had a brother named Eros and not only brought about massive amounts of death to the universe, but worshiped Marvel comic’s own personification of Death aka Lady Death.

  First appearing in an Iron Man comic, The Mad Titan Thanos is one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. For over 50 years, he’s found his way into numerous storylines (including the MCU) and in 1992-1993, he was the chief protagonist of one of the most iconic comic book storylines ever: The Infinity Gauntlet.

    I could spend an entire article breaking down the Infinity Gauntlet series and the comics that led to the event in 1992. But, for those who haven’t read this required nerd reading, here’s what you need to know about Thanos:

  He’s a miscreant, an outcast, a mutation of his perfect race (The Eternals) and since his introduction, he’s been hell bent on acquiring absolute power.

  In most of the comics, Thanos has had but one goal: acquire the all-powerful Cosmic Cube. An ancient weapon that allowed whoever wielded it the ability to reshape reality around him. Meaning that anything its holder could think of was possible.

  An instrument that you wouldn’t want in the hands of a nihilistic, nefarious, narcissist like Thanos.

  Okay. Now that I’ve given you a brief look into who Thanos is, here’s why his quest for power is relevant to a gut-wrenching breakup.

  Do It For The Ladies

  The end goal for Thanos is to acquire enough power (the more infinite, the better) so that he can prove to Lady Death how much he loves her. Though there are many different storylines where Thanos shows up, what you need to know is that he fails multiple times to acquire limitless power and at one point is turned to stone.

  Lady Death revives Thanos, endows him with more power, and leads him to believe that the universe is unbalanced between life and death. And that it’s his duty to restore said balance.

  While peering into The Infinity Well, Thanos discovers that there’s still a way for him to prove his worth to Lady Death. And to do this, he must acquire The Infinity Stones. With these stones in his possession, Thanos is certain, this time, he’ll be able to prove his love, and worth, to Lady Death.

  But there’s one problem.

  Acquiring all of these stones makes Thanos the controller of reality, time, space, soul, power, and mind. Granting him complete omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence, which in turn, makes Thanos a more powerful entity than Lady Death.

  This, Lady Death cannot stand for and refuses to accept Thanos’s love.

  You’re as Subtle as a Brick in the Small of My Back

  Unrequited love is an impenetrable fortress that drives the greatest of men and warriors straight into the bosom of insanity.

  When Lady Death first tells Thanos that she cannot accept his love because he’s more powerful than she, he breaks. And it’s at that moment that he decides, with all of his acquired power, that he will destroy half the universe with a snap of his finger.

  So think back to your first breakup. How much did you plead for that person to take you back? Did you promise to change for them?

  Did you do tell them you’d drive 14 hours to talk to them in person? Spill your heart out and say words you’d never said out loud but only thought, all in a last-ditch effort to convince them to not breakup with you?

  For awhile, you refuse to accept reality. It’s over. Done. Your once peaceful and ordered life has been thrown into chaos.

    Where it All Leads

  By now you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about breakups and Thanos.

  So to prevent myself from going too far into the comics and dissecting them, let me (briefly) share what sparked all of this.

  At the end of October, in less than 48 hours, I lost half my clients. Gone. Like a snap of Thanos’s fingers, half my income was obliterated.

  Like those dark moments after a breakup, I began to question my worth. I began to doubt my skills and wonder if this was the moment where life was telling me to throw in the towel. It felt as if a levee had broken and fear, doubt, and the pain of failure began to surge forward.

  My livelihood and business had been thrown into chaos and my first thought, like the first days after my first gut-wrenching breakup, were to engage in self-destructive behavior.

  Like Thanos, this jump into chaos, into self-destructive tendencies, happens because we feel we need to take some form of power back. Immediate and intensely gratifying actions provide us with a short lived reclamation of power.

  The terrifying downfall of all of this happens when we go too far, and we lose ourselves in the dark abyss of chaos. Something that isn’t uncommon after your heart is shattered.

  The Hole You Need to Get Out Of

  It could be a load of bullshit your friends tell you when you’re in your twenties and going through a breakup. But I’ve heard it a few times in my life: “The time it will take you to get over your relationship is equal to the total time you spent together.”

  (Little did I know until my wife told me, but the above quote actually comes from an episode of Sex and the City.)

  There’s a bit of truth in that line, though. Within those seven months of being single again, I opted to ignore my feelings and stuff them inside, and I threw myself full force onto a path of self-destruction.

  I drank more than ever

Allowed malice, anger, and dreams of revenge to fuel my thoughts

Started smoking cigarettes

Smoked more pot than ever before

And I stopped caring about my actions towards other people

  Full of spite, hatred, and contempt, I attempted to drown away and leave forgotten in the depths of my vacant heart all these painful feelings; I wanted everything around me to suffer — I became Thanos.

    How to Know You’ve Become Thanos

  Life isn’t easy. It’s a struggle. But so too are relationships. And breakups cloud not only our judgment and emotional state, but we often forget that another human being, who has their own feelings, emotions, and life goals are involved in this predicament.

  But, as human beings, we’re selfish. And when chaotic moments arrive, and break our ordered lives into a million different pieces, it’s easy for us to place ourselves in a victim mindset.

  You’ve seen the signs of someone trapped in a victim mindset before, they’re:

  Self-absorbed

They feel entitled

Unwilling to take action to alleviate their situation

Easily paranoid that others are out to get them

Believe others are fundamentally happier, more talented, better off than they are

  Any of this hitting home for you?

  Who hasn’t been through a breakup (or another chaotic/traumatic event) and months later find themselves still absorbed in their own pain or rejection and unable to move past it?

  How about the time you didn’t get that job and felt because of your skills, education, or knowledge that you should have gotten it?

    “Yea, well since so-and-so has more money than me, I bet they’re happier. They never struggle like I do.”

  “My friends are happier because they have girlfriends. I’ll never be happy if someone doesn’t love me.”

  “I know I should get over him/her, but I can’t. I just can’t do it. I’m too hurt.”

  The last bullet point above is one I know without a shadow of a doubt, that we’ve all thought, felt, or said out loud at some point.

  Escaping a victim mindset isn’t easy. So please, don’t assume that I’m saying you’ll wake up the morning after an Earth-shattering event and everything will be fine and fucking dandy.

  It probably won’t be. Depending on your situation, the next day might feel like the worst day of your life. And we’ve all (and if you haven’t, you’re an anomaly) felt those first moments the next morning where we try with all of our might to convince ourselves it was only a dream.

  I’ve said it before in a previous post, but I believe pain is the harbinger of truth; and truth, like change, doesn’t come when you’re happy. You only make changes or discover the truth in your life because of pain. But too often than not, when these Thanos moments happen, most of us retreat and hide from our pain.

  The thought of facing our problems is too much. And it’s here, hiding within the walls we construct in our minds, where we chain ourselves to a victim mindset.

  The longer we avoid and the longer we numb, the more painful it will be when we finally do confront our issues. – Mark Manson from “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck“

  But wait, Robbie, the comics make Thanos out to be a brooding, nihilistic, morose, psychopath from childhood. That’s true, and you may be an upstanding member of society, but the point is: you can still become a destructive force like Thanos — if you allow a victim mindset to take control of you.

  If I’d Known What I Know Now

  In the days, weeks, and months that followed my first breakup, what drove me deeper into the dark nether realm of my soul was the same demon, dragon, or being that I’ve been terrorized by my entire life: the feeling of not being good enough.

  The victim mindset I found myself in during those seven months settled like concrete. I hardened this mindset by allowing my demon to whisper that I wasn’t good enough. Or that I wasn’t:

  Adequate in bed

Didn’t listen to her enough

Wasn’t smart enough

Didn’t meet her “standards” (my family was too redneck)

Wasn’t as talented

  To put it bluntly: she could do better, and I was a fucking loser.

  During high school, I would have retreated within and stuffed these feelings of inadequacy deep in my heart — hidden all my pain — only letting it out while singing Brand New as loud as possible alone in my car. But this time, things were different.

  Love, sex, and vulnerability were involved, and never before had I put myself out there with another human being; never had I felt what I thought was true love, until her.

  For the next seven months, I allowed the dark ravenous emotions of chaos — resentment, jealousy, malice, and hopelessness — to gorge on my soul.

  Why wasn’t I worthy enough of her love? Why couldn’t this be? How could she go from loving me to not?

  Though he may have been a brute, I assume many of these questions swirled in the cranium of the Mad Titan himself when Death rejected his love.

  The First Cut is the Deepest

  It’s cliche, but it’s true: time heals all wounds. My first steps out of the shadow of chaos may have come seven months after that breakup, but my final departure from the outskirts of that land took a lot longer than that.

  Much of the self-destructive behavior I started after that breakup remained with me for years in the form of smoking, drinking, and, because I was too afraid to be vulnerable and let down my defenses, I more or less became a bit of a dick towards women.

  The Eternal Battle Between Order and Chaos

  Dr. Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychologist and tenured professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, has spent much of his academic career (and now rising YouTube fame) talking about the delicate balance between order and chaos, and how going too far into one or the other leads to oppression or hopelessness.

  Using the imagery of the Yin and Yang, JP (for short) believes that to have a balanced life, we must have one foot in order and one foot in chaos, precariously balancing between the two.

    See the opposite colored dots in each section? There’re a hundred different ways to interpret those small dots. But in the case of this article, there are two that stand out to me:

  There is life in death (or order in chaos). And there is death in life (or chaos in order)

If we are to believe as JP says that, for a balanced, virtuous life, you need one food in chaos and one in order, then those dots would mark where your feet must be placed.

  This concept, or battle between order and chaos, goes back to the beginning of time. It’s a war that’s been waged since the first single celled organisms evolved into multicellular lifeforms.

  Evolution introduced chaos through mutations, while natural selection played, and still plays, the role of establishing order by weeding out the weak and allowing the strong to survive. And evolution’s gift to humanity is the ability to make conscious choices, to feel pain and remorse, pride and joy, love and hate.

  Revolution’s Effect on Evolution

  Evolution is a slow progression. But change, whether in nature or our minds, cannot happen without some bit of stimulation; and ultimately, this stimulus must come from revolutions. Or as we often call it in the term of the mind, revelations.

  Derived from the Latin word revolutio meaning “a turnaround;” revolutions (or revelations) are our Thanos moments: the time where chaos has suddenly, and many times, uninvitingly, entered our lives — leaving us with the choice of either improving and evolving, or stagnating and regressing.

  Our biological processes are always looking for homeostasis. But the human body, if it’s one thing, is resilient and adaptable; but to become more resilient, you need some form of chaos introduced.

  Autophagy is the process by which our cells (thanks to induced stress that comes during exercise, caloric restriction, or fasting) break down cellular components and rebuild.

  Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Physiology in 2016 because of decades of research into the phenomenon of autophagy. As detailed in the press release for Dr. Ohsumi’s award, autophagy was described as: “[a process that can] rapidly provide fuel for energy and building blocks for renewal of cellular components, and is, therefore, essential for the cellular response to starvation and other types of stress.”

  Exercise and restricting calories are both stressors on the orderly state of our bodies. Both of these throw our energy systems into a chaotic state where they’re forced to respond.

  (At the same time that eating less is a stress on your body, following a structured set of rules in how much you eat, or if you practice intermittent fasting when you eat, helps provide your body with some sort of order within the stress (chaos) of a calorie deficit. See, one foot in order, one foot in chaos.)

So why did I just take a hard right turn out of the heartbreak hotel and start talking about yin/yang and an evolutionarily crucial biological process?

  Well, like the opening scene from Die Hard where a guy tells John McClane to take his shoes off and make fists with his toes in the carpet, sometimes you need an extra scene that doesn’t look like it means much so that later on, the rest of the story makes sense.

  The point for the right turn is this: where order provides us the rules or a roadmap, chaos is the autophagic process that helps reorder and improve our lives, business, relationships, and ideas.

  Through the Mind’s Eye

  Everyone reading this has at some point experienced the pain of rejection. And like Thanos, when something Earth-shattering happens, we catapult ourselves further into the realm of chaos. And for some, we lose a bit of ourselves in its dark abyss.

  Like the small dots within the Yin/Yang, there is life in chaos: lessons that we can learn and take with us to become better. But those can only happen if we choose to face our fears, instead of hiding from them.

    A Hidden Truth in a Comic Book

  **Side note: I reached out to Marvel to get permission to post 3 images from the comic I reference below. They denied my request. And since I didn’t want to taint the spirit of the piece by drawing stick figure art, if you have Marvel Unlimited you can check out the comic I reference. If not, I’ll do my best to describe the panels below.**

  As I dug deeper into the history of Thanos, I discovered an issue of Captain Marvel from 1973.

  Hidden in this issue, issue #29, is one of the most profound life lessons you could ever learn. One that stopped me dead in my tracks. (and since I can’t post the image from the comic book, here’s my description)

  The entity known as Eon whisks Captain Marvel away from Earth and into his domain. Once there, Eon explains to Marvel the story of Thano’s race and what Thanos is after (The Cosmic Cube).

  For Captain Marvel, he feels he’s being tortured by this creature (Eon) while he’s educated on matters that terrify and shock him to his very core. And then Eon say this:

  Knowledge is torture, and there must be awareness before there is change.

What Eon says to Captain Marvel is no different than what I said above:

  Pain is the harbinger of truth; and truth, like change, doesn’t come when you’re happy.

  It’s easier to remain blissfully ignorant. And when faced with a Thanos moment, we run, hide, and choose to ignore the problem. Thinking that if we give it no credence, it will go away; but it doesn’t; because the consciousness that you know you must accept at some point, is the torture you dare not face. And without facing it, you’ll never change; and you’ll remain stuck, possibly forever, in the realm of chaos.

  As Eon shows Captain Marvel the errors of his ways, Captain Marvel has his own mental revolution, and he realizes his mistakes and what they’ve cost him.

  Eon tells Marvel that he’s physically capable of handling the most daunting of issues. But explains that Marvel’s greatest challenge can only be dealt with once he becomes conscious and accepts his mistakes as a chance to grow and evolve — a process that can only happen mentally.

  In the following pages of artwork, Captain Marvel defeats The Ravagers, which, for this article, we’ll call: Doubt, Fear, Failure, and Pain. For you as a reader, these are entities that after any traumatic event, like a breakup, ravage our minds and spirits.

  Or as Dr. Jordan Peterson said:

  What lurks underneath comes up to swallow you.

  When you allow those ravaging emotions of doubt, fear, failure, and pain to lurk underneath, you allow those emotions to rob you of not only growth, but fulfillment, joy, happiness, and hope.

  You Are Your Own Worst Enemy

  In the final two pages of this Captain Marvel comic, a truth is revealed, one that echoes through all of life and rang out to me. After defeating The Ravagers, Captain Marvel is told he has one more task. He must face his inner demon. 

  Or, as Eon explains to Captain Marvel:

  “This is your cancerous other self. He is your hostility, your battle lust, the side of you which loves destruction, perpetuates hate, and seeks death. He is your personal Thanos. To truly live, you must overcome this within yourself.“

  Death and rebirth are a common theme among ancient myths and even comics today. But they’re there for a reason.

  For you to improve, in any way, some part of yourself must die. And through this death, only then, if you decide to face your inner Thanos, can a rebirth become possible.

  There is, and will always be, order and chaos — yin and yang; Thanos and Eros; Mario and Bowser; Link and Ganon; you and your demon. And until the day you die, you will continue to battle with your innermost Thanos.

  What I want you to take away from this piece is that to grow and be your best, physically or mentally, you need the occasional Thanos Moment.

  If you’re too ordered, too focused on rigid rules, or try to be too streamlined all the time, so that you avoid hardship(s), you’ll never improve or evolve. Too much order breeds atrophy and apathy.

  But catastrophic events shake us up and force us to make changes we otherwise would’ve never made. Because without these events, we’d never find ourselves evolving, growing, and working towards our highest self — or as the Ancient Greeks called it, apotheosis.

  Man Becomes God

  Nassim Talib’s idea of a modern Stoic, as outlined in his book Antifragile, is this: “[a] modern Stoic sage is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into information, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.”

  Thanos did none of that. And I doubt he ever had a single Stoic bone in his body.

  But when a Thanos moment happens to you, whether it’s a traumatic breakup, losing half your business, death, or being hurt by someone you care for, what good will revenge, or the immediate, gratifying feelings of a vitriolic response, or the drowning of your pain in a bottle of whiskey accomplish? What growth or self-evolution comes from that?

  A balanced life, with one foot residing in the realm of order and the other in chaos, is more than likely, unattainable. But striving for that balance, as daunting and intimidating as it may seem, will lead to a far more virtuous, joyful, and meaningful life than one where you reside under the shadow of chaos, or hidden behind the veil of order.

  We’re meant to carry loads heavy enough so that when we carry it, we can have some self-respect. But people do everything to try and lighten their load. The problem with this approach is that then you have nothing useful to do. And if you have nothing useful to do all you’ll have around you is meaningless suffering. – Dr. Jordan Peterson

**There would be another clip from the 29th issue of Captain Marvel here but since I can’t post it, here’s what happens. Captain Marvel is fighting his inner demon as Eon says:

  “To live is to strive! To strive is to seek! In this sphere of existence….only one thing is worth seeking….that which gives life meaning…”

  A Life of Ease, or a Life of Struggle?

  On our way back from Christmas in New Orleans, my wife, as she is apt to do on long road trips, decided to probe me with a few “fun” questions. Including this one:

  “Would you rather live to 100 and struggle all your life? Or would you rather live half that time with relative ease?”

  To my wife’s surprise, I chose a life of strife. Because even though I could live with ease, without struggle, without a fight for something, what would it all be worth?

  Thanos moments don’t knock on our doors and greet us with an effervescent singing telegram when it enters our lives. No. It rolls in shooting flames from the tailpipe of its eardrum demolishing monster truck that then proceeds to treat your life like a dilapidated 1995 Buick Century.

  But when we hear the rumble of chaos’s engine, we run. We hide. Whether that hiding is done via drugs; alcohol; sex; or spending seven months consumed by anger and hate brooding with your broken heart in your hands, hiding from what we fear gets us nowhere.

  Chaos is a chance for us to grow: to ascend to new heights.

  Like the biological process of autophagy, Thanos moments allow us to reexamine not only the trajectory of our lives or business, but they’re instrumental in helping us reframe our beliefs or course correct our goals. And then, once we’ve become conscious, and faced that which we fear most, only then can we restructure and redirect ourselves towards rebirth.

  Copyright: Image by StockUnlimited

  I still vividly remember the moment I realized after seven months of heartache that it was time to start moving on. I remember standing on the stairs that went to my roommate’s room, listening to him groan about his current relationship issues and what he should or shouldn’t do. And then, out of nowhere, it came. Clarity. Epiphany. A revelation. A small part of the truth I had been looking for, finally, came to me and I took my first steps out of the shadows of chaos.

  To Strive is to Have Meaning

  The first few words of this article started as an exploration into why we commit acts of self-destruction. Why, when half my business and income vanished in the snap of a finger, were my first thoughts about getting drunk? What good would that have done?

  “We control our reasoned choice and all acts that depend on that moral will. What’s not under our control are the body and any of its parts, our possessions, parents, siblings, children, or country—anything with which we might associate.” – Epictetus

  Like Thanos, man’s greatest folly is that he desires to be God. And it’s easy to feel like God when things are in order. But throw in a little chaos, something that was not in our plan(s), and the first thing we’ll do is jump on the anger train and ride it into self-destruction town.

  As I’ve been listening to Dr. Peterson, flipping through pages of comics on my phone, and compiling notes and thoughts about this concept for the last three months, what has stuck out to me is the importance of Thanos moments — moments that shake us to our core and challenge us to improve.

  We have them every day. Every day some part of you dies and has the possibility of being reborn. It happens with red blood cells, hair cells, skin cells, but it also happens with our ideas, thoughts, and beliefs.

  Man is meant to be God. But not an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent being that rules over others. No. You must be God of your own mind. Ruler of your thoughts and actions. And if your actions are leading you towards killing half the universe with the snap of your fingers, or in a non-comic book sense, punching a wall with your fist because your heart is broken, is that initial self-destructive action worth it?