#CHAOS ?????? stranger of paradise reference

[misterbaritone]

So do y’all prefer Chaos with two arms or four?

[destieltropecollection]

DESTIEL TROPE COLLECTION 2023 | DAY 24 | Firsts

Worth Waking Up For | @blessyourhondahurley

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1,565 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe, Morning After, One Night Stand, bottom!Dean Summary: The morning after a one-night stand, Dean and Cas hash out some differences in temperament.

A Most Wonderful Time | @pluckydean

Rating: General Word Count: 2,007 Main Tags/Warnings: Fluff, Alternate Universe, Office Christmas Party, First Date Summary: Dean despised champagne and idle chit chat and stuffy corporate parties. He was here for one reason and one alone: to finally talk to his long time crush, Castiel Novak.

Ridden Hard | Destielshipper4Cas (AO3)

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 2,433 Main Tags/Warnings: Strangers to Lovers, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Submissive Alpha Cas, Omega Dean, Top Dean, Bottom Cas, First Time, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot Summary: Alpha Castiel tries to pick up an omega at a rut bar and gets fucked by a feisty omega for his trouble.

Like Something Holy | @pointyearedelvishprincling

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 3,042 Main Tags/Warnings: religious imagery & symbolism, castiel can hear longing, first kiss, emotional hurt/comfort, oral sex, post godstiel arc Summary: Still struggling with the fallout of his Godstiel days, Cas breaks down after a hunt. Hearing Dean's longing behind the comfort of his words, they finally find some much needed closure.

it started with a photograph | @demonmary

Rating: No Rating Word Count: 3,821 Main Tags/Warnings: Closeted Dean Winchester, AU : Boarding School, Secret Relationship, Fluff, Kisses Summary: Not even twenty minutes prior, Cas had been curled in the corner of the hallway, tucked into his English studies. So many things had changed in such a remarkably short amount of time. And on top of that, Castiel was comfortable, joking with Dean and acting like this was alright. Like it was normal. Could it be?

Hunger Pains | @follows-the-bees

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 6,657 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Creature Castiel, stabbing, firsts, mutual pining, Summary: Castiel has been able to keep his hunger in check but now nothing can quite sate it, except perhaps his next-door neighbor and best friend Dean Winchester.

A Kind of Paradise | @viridiandecisions

Rating: Mature Word Count: 9,851 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Library, Librarian Castiel (Supernatural), Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Cat Owner Castiel (Supernatural), References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Flustered Dean Winchester, Charlie Bradbury Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Self-Indulgent Book Recs, Flirting Via Books, Castiel Wears Glasses (Supernatural), US Midwest, Summer Summary: "Hello, Dean," Castiel rumbles at him, and God, the way his name sounds in Castiel's mouth. Dean could drop a rock down the well of that voice and never hear it hit bottom. "Charlie said you might stop by. Is there anything new I can help you find?" "I just wanted to check you out, uh—check these out. The books. For my brother. Sammy needs more books." Fuck Dean's life.

at the edge of chaos | @sharkfish

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 10,154 Main Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Dinosaurs, Paleontologist Cas, Photographer Dean, Trans Dean Summary: They saw some dinosaurs in the fly-over the day before, so Dean knew he was really, actually, truly going to see real, actual, true dinosaurs, but he still almost drops his camera in the mud when the first stegosaurus comes out of the trees. Stunned, Dean says, “I’m going to win a Pulitzer.” Equally stunned, Cas says, “How do I go back to bones after this?”

you should floss more | @songliili

Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 15,440 Main Tags/Warnings: Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Bisexual Dean Winchester, Dentist Castiel (Supernatural), Interior Designer Dean Winchester, Meet-Cute, Castiel/Dean Winchester First Date, idiots to lovers Summary: “You know I told you I had to book an appointment to a new dentist? Because the old one retired? Well I may or may not have said something huh inappropriate? Not on purpose! I swear!” “Dean. What did you do?” “Well, huh he- he said something about us being strangers or whatever and I- well, I said 'you’re not a stranger, you’ve been inside my mouth for 20 minutes!'” OR the one where Dean embarrasses himself at the dentist and still manages to get a date with the blue-eyed dentist.

For Evermore | @casblackfeathers

Rating: Explicit Word Count: 110,572 Main Tags/Warnings: angst with a happy ending, childhood friends, reunion, mutual pining, underage drinking, panic attacks, top Castiel, bottom Dean, top Dean, bottom Castiel, friends to lovers, fluff and angst, soft Dean, single parent Dean, misunderstandings, hurt and comfort, virgin Castiel, Dean’s first time with a man Summary: There's no place like home. This was a line Castiel used to know by heart when he was a kid, watching The Wizard of Oz and believing fairytales were real. At thirty-one years old, he isn't a kid anymore, and it has been twelve years since he has known what home feels like. Twelve years. That's when his world had come crashing down and he had left his hometown, Holly Springs, with the broken pieces of what he once was to build a new life in San Francisco. But as circumstances force him to come back to the only place he swore he would never return to, Castiel is finally forced to face everything he once knew and loved. Especially when said everything is made of spring-green eyes and a stardust of freckles, wrapped in all the memories Castiel was not able to erase from his heart. After twelve years, Dean is as mesmerizing as Castiel remembers, but the scars of what was broken still run as deeply as the marrow of his bones, and Castiel will do everything he can to protect himself. After all, his favorite movie also taught him that 'until hearts can be made unbreakable,' he can’t listen to his own.

[superthatguy62]

I was in the midst of writing up my crackpot theory regarding the SoP-DFFNT connection, when I found something that threw everything into a loop (spoilers for Dissidia and Stranger of Paradise up to DLC 2, by the way):

Ok, so, in DLC 2, one of the many conversations you can have is with a Bomb named Bang. Bang does some snooping into the Lufenians and finds some papers related to Neon. But the interesting bit is where he found them:

The kingdom of Lufenia vanished without a trace. Used to be in a place called The Wing of the Hawk, though.  Rumor has it, there’s a big hole there.  Like someone scooped a whole country out and made it go poof. …Or like the whole place just up and floated away.

This itself is actually a reference to Dissidia: In the reports, as Cid's wife returns to Lufenia, she realizes that they are trying to use a levistone to lift the entire town:

I arrived in the town on the Hawk's Wing, where my tribe still lived in the middle of a forest. They were trying to use one of my husband's levistones to elevate the whole town in order to escape the shadow that appeared so suddenly.

Keep in mind that both of these conflict with the actual FF1. maybe. Lufenia is on the surface world in FF1, though there is a significant gap of land right next to it. This would imply that the Lufenians: Lifted their town, turned it into the Flying Fortress (or perhaps, it was the fortress itself), got booted out by Tiamat and created a second village right next to it.

Maybe that was obvious and I am a slowpoke for realizing it. In my defense, nothing in the PSP version of FF1 at least alludes to this.

But then comes the other aspect: The war between Lufenia and Cornelia. According to Neon's story, Lufenia was winning the war until they abruptly vanished. In Dissidia, "The state" was losing the war to "the neighboring country" due to their summons and Omega: Which is why the manikin project, more specifically Chaos, was important for the Lufenians to complete. Even then, it's implied that Chaos was unruly, only listening to his mother - which is why Cosmos was created to control Chaos.

After my "crackpot theory on how SoP relates to Dissidia", stay tuned for my followup: "crackpot theory that OG!FF1 and Stranger of Paradise are a split timeline".

[fostersffff]

I started playing Stranger of Paradise again on a whim, not realizing we’re right upon the game’s one year anniversary, and I decided I was going to make an earnest attempt to hit the DLC again, because despite my boasts, I got fucking filtered.

The biggest thing I learned is that if you want to make progress in the DLC (and even Chaos Difficulty), you need to actually be concerned about your build. Which sounds obvious, but the even the Hard Difficulty of the base game can be completed by just making sure your item level is at parity or higher with the recommended difficulty.

Instead, at least on Chaos and Bahamut, if you’re not maxing synergistic job affinities and pumping your stats with master level points and gear adjustments, you’re going to get rinsed. Item level still does matter, but it’s no longer the sole deciding factor for combat.

For reference: before building a load out, the only thing I could do to the first stage boss was desperately chip away with my one-two axe combo, because if I took even a single hit, I’d basically be dead. Once I got myself properly kitted, I was actually able to take some hits without instantly folding, which in turn meant I could just barely charge a Brutal Tackle and disappear his break gauge. This has held true for basically every subsequent stage and boss.

So, if you’re also interesting in trying Stranger of Paradise’s for-insane-people-only post game difficulty and DLC, the best advice I can provide is Actually Make Builds.

And failing that, start the Bahamut DLC, unlock 400% Job Affinity, and stack Knight Job Affinity, because the Knight’s 400% Affinity bonus is that you’re invincible during Lightbringer.

[gardenofshadcws]

Things I have learned/noticed on a second playthrough of Stranger of Paradise (Part 12)

MAIN STORY FINALE LEZGO

Fighting while posessed by Chaos is fun as hell

FOOL'S MISSIVE 31 GIVE IT UP FOR FOOL'S MISSIVE 31!!!!!!

Heart is what defines my Jack :'))))

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for the writers to have Astos refer to him as "my Jack" but they did that for us

GUH this whole missive with the penseive music behind it. Astos loved him and believed in him so much, for being the first one to treat him as a person. I'm not crying you're crying.

Fool's Missive 38, where he talks about the transformation into Chaos turning Jack into an inhuman monster is a hell of an idea for a fic >:)

Jack mourning his friends while fighting with that unhinged laugh when he soul bursts is coincidental but gut wrenching. It sounds like he's going mad with grief and I am Unwell

Fucking up the Lufenians' day is SO DAMN SATISFYING. From Jack's rage to the dimensional crystal matrix smashy smash. Perfection. This whole ending is SO HYPE.

FOR OUR FRIIIIIIIIIIEEEEENDS!!!!!!

The slow motion walk to the throne. It was never a mercy to forget. The way Jack pretty much addresses us, the player, directly to tell us never to give up hope. REAL TEARS.

The way Jack smiles at his friends when he sees them again :)))

On to the DLC!

[stxrmnight]

Omega / Alpha Photo Reel II

Continuing the photo reel. aheem!

THIS SEQUENCE OF IMAGES?? CID IT'S NOT BY CHOICE

why are you so sad...

YOU DID GOOD MY BABY BOY

Me when there's a chaos reference before Stranger of Paradise

You got your ass handed by a chocobo? (I know it's a mystery dungeon reference)

Aaand the rest are just gposes I think I wanna post separately. Huge cute birds are my weakness even if they're a bit difficult to draw

[ffgames2023]

Final Fantasy Origin - A Narrative Expansion with Subverted Expectations

In Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, the narrative revolves around Jack Garland, a determined individual with a profound longing to locate and vanquish Chaos, a malevolent force that plagues the realm of Cornelia. Possessing a radiant crystal backed by the monarch, he embarks on his odyssey alongside fellow individuals, all of whom possess their unique crystals, collectively referred to as the "heroes of light." Their primary objective is to unleash the formidable power held within the four elemental crystals scattered throughout the world. This endeavor aims to restore order to the kingdom, conquer menacing creatures, and ultimately confront the very embodiment of Chaos itself. Notably, the title can be perceived as a "prequel set in an alternate dimension" to the initial installment of Final Fantasy, wherein Garland emerges as the formidable antagonist. It is crucial to emphasize that this is not a mere rehash, remaster, or faithful replication of the original content but rather a substantial expansion of the narrative and its constituent elements, making it an ideal time to explore and buy PS5 games that can fully immerse you in this captivating experience.

In subsequent stages of the game, players may encounter environments that initially appear expansive but, upon exploration, reveal themselves to be frustratingly constricted. An illustrative instance involves a densely wooded region where the panoramic landscape suggests openness, yet players are confounded by a conspicuously narrow and somewhat vexatious pathway. The developers' deliberate and exaggerated manipulation of level design becomes apparent, prompting players to reconsider their initial disappointment as they tune into the subtle humor underpinning the entire scenario.

A Deeper Look into Gaming Experiences in Elden Ring and Stranger of Paradise

Another facet deserving of attention is the game's adjustable difficulty settings. In light of recent discussions surrounding the contentious topic of "easy mode" in Elden Ring, players engaging with this "Soulslike" title may be intrigued to discover that selecting the "easy" difficulty setting prompts the game to humorously inquire, "Are you certain you don't want an even easier experience?" Conversely, opting for the "Chaos" difficulty level presents a formidable challenge, necessitating a profound mastery of the game's multifaceted systems. Thus, players of varying preferences are accommodated, from those who relish a rigorous challenge to those who seek a more accessible experience. This nuanced approach reflects the developer's adeptness at crafting diverse gaming experiences.

The primary avenues for customization in Stranger of Paradise encompass the job system and the creation of elaborate combat combinations using action abilities. Fundamental job classes are closely tied to specific weapons, yet as players progress through the job trees, they gain access to advanced and expert job classes, broadening their weapon choices. Job proficiency increases through combat or the utilization of aether shards, which impart experience points to a specific job. Each job level bestows a point for investment in the corresponding job tree, with weapon-specific action abilities also unlocked in the process. Each job boasts a distinctive special ability that defines its play style. For instance, the Tyrant job permits the imbuing of weapons with elemental power for targeting enemy weaknesses, whereas the Dark Knight can significantly augment their offensive capabilities at the cost of health with every swing. In total, over twenty distinct jobs are available for experimentation, each offering a uniquely enjoyable gameplay experience. Any one of these jobs could serve as the central mechanic for character control and progression in a standalone action RPG. For more games like this, go to buy PS5 games.

Unconventional Character Progression and Equipment System

Unlike traditional character leveling systems, Stranger of Paradise eschews direct leveling for characters and instead assigns levels to individual weapons and armor pieces. These items exhibit an affinity for specific job classes, along with bonus effects and stat enhancements. Mission difficulty is gauged by the average item level, compelling players to undertake optional missions to elevate their equipment's level. Achieving a high-affinity level between gear and job tree nodes unlocks additional job perks, such as granting Paladins immunity to status ailments.

Due to the rapid acquisition of loot and the substantial impact of higher-level equipment on combat performance, players often overlook job affinity and equipment effects. Even the creation of preset loadouts proves insufficient in addressing this issue. This system may find more relevance in high-difficulty, endgame multiplayer scenarios, where meticulous gear selection is imperative. During the main game, however, job affinity appears as a somewhat tacked-on feature. The overall loot system fails to resonate with the reviewer, who expresses a preference for a meticulously curated selection of equipment.

[alexsalteranim3fmp]

Song reference:

The Zangwills - Patio Paradise

I’ve decided to use this song as a point of reeference in terms of strcuture and tone. I have no intention of using this for the final product just as a placeholder, tonally as well. After the song is finished will take a lot of adjustments to script and flow etc.

INTRO SEQUENCE Establishing outside the setting Brothers walking up inside First meeting of the villain/ host character stares uncomfortably long at the two brothers

Screen transitions to white - and then into next main act

0:08 - main chorus riff Characters enter inside

Full wide shot of the festival in function panning through forward Shot of the main mysterious center circle Panned down wide shot - with the brothers silhouettes in the middle Cuts to a close-up of the younger brother excited, in a moment of wonder

0:25 - First verse 4  environmental shots of the setting

alleyway smoking, Racoons fishing in the bins bathroom, People passed out drunk/high etc bar eating + weird gremlin shop, weird drinks Posh people eating above 0:34 - final one, down below in the heart of the festival

0:36

Short tracking shot of both brothers being distracted in some form left goes to the the younger brother, then tracks the elder on the right showing a disconnect

0:43 - Chorus 2

Transitions to longer shot (about 4 secs) of the brother causing chaos

MONTAGE-ey style cutting 42 - Roads 44 - Eating messy 46 - Roller coaster 51 - Jumping on creatures 55 - Closeup of brother annoyed 58 - series of quick cuts of the brother being annoying

establishing the protection element

crossing the road picking nose sequence - where the brother grabs his sibling away child roaring at a large creature brother playing prank on his younger sibling

poking head out of the window letting the wind blow through hair Shots of the brother looking fedup and annoyed closeup of getting angry

1:00 - Riff

Transitions to longer shot (4 secs) looping anim

Both brothers dancing

1:00 - Higher action - close-up running around 1:04 - child roaring at a large creature 1:06 - quick cuts 1:08-1:16 - longer sequence Brother is playing one of those shooting games at a fairground and wins a toy for his brother

Brothers enjoying their time: Sloppy eating food roller coaster ride both dancing together infront of a big head bunch of creatures bathing in water - younger brother jumps ontop

Segment energy with cramped elevator sequence?

---

1:16 (kitchen sequence-music dies down (low pass eq)) // 1:20 losing the brother

crash zoom out brother holding two icecreams or whatever realising the brothers gone missing older brother looks right and left wipe screen with customers filling the screen transitions to the brother surrounded in a crowd of customers

different shots of the brother in search looking through a pipe standing on a hallway bannister climbing up on a bin

1:32 - Chorus

first shot shows the brother having fun without

Brother sliding down banister / older on the other side going up

'free hugs sign' monster eats a stranger other creepy alleyway Contrast the younger brother having innocent fun bouncing on the belly of a large creature Older brother walks past weird shop younger is on the roof Younger brother greets the initial host character Cuts to the toy being on the floor in foreground, as both walk away Character starts spiralling down Lands in the other setting

1:51 - Breakdown section

Establish the underground setting / coliseum show the crowd of wealthier people Bodies carried off screen Show health bars - like in a video game/ fighting game eg street fighter/dark souls Crash zoom in on the host cxreature feasting on one of the bodies The host creature starts crawling towards the younger brother Younger brother shoots the host creature - make as graphic and gory as possible Close up reaction shot of the brother in shock - hes realised that his worst qualities have been passed on down

2:07 - Final chorus Fight scene The older brother stops one of the heavy 'smash' attacks - with a sword, holding it in place The younger brother starts shooting the eyes of the creature They finally start collaborating together

[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?

[inversionimpulse]

Stranger of Paradise prediction: The protagonists are the Lufenian warriors who tried to battle Chaos before the canon Warriors of Light, failed, and were turned into bats.

The leaks said it was a prequel to FF1

the way the jokey sidekick character declares the team “the prophecy’s very own Warriors of Light” is framed in a way that makes it feel like it’s almost certainly an early-game plot twist that ‘lol no you’re not.’ Probably Garland remembers enough of the timeloop by this point to know they’re not the guy(s) he’s trapped in an eternal battle with (plus, developer interviews refer to them as “Warriors of Light(?) which is just blatantly telegraphing the twist).

(also also, when Garland is literally just sitting there in an update of his Dissidia design, I very much doubt that they’re retconning the WoL’s fairly iconic Dissidia design, especially after it was a big centrepiece thing in FFXIV. Even more so considering Nomura is the character designer for Stranger and he did the Dissidia looks in the first place)

There are supposed to be five of them, so presumably the other two are party members picked up later in the game

Renders show them wearing pretty modern-looking clothes, to say nothing of Jack’s shirt in the trailer. Lufenia was advanced enough to have war robots, a space station (in the NES version, later remasters retconned the Flying Fortress into a more standard castle-in-the-clouds), and colonies on other planets until the Fiends and Chaos busted them back into the Middle Ages. If it’s not an isekai like I’ve seen some people suggesting, then it’s probable that some clothing designs survived that armageddon.

[drazavonia]

What I got from the Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin Trailer

I think FFO is a reimagining of the original FFI, however a timeline in which the original Warriors of Light failed to defeat Garland after his transformation into Chaos.

After at least one time loop, when the Warriors fell, either a God, A Crystal, or some powerful force in Cornelia summoned characters to "replace" the original Warriors of Light. To be more specific, I think that powerful force took the souls or hearts of the previous fallen Warriors and merged them with the souls or hearts of the new chosen Warriors.

"With the memory of their struggle buried deep in their hearts."

The significance of this line is referring to Jack and his friends feeling the emotions and motivations of their predecessors.

Jack is "AN ANGRY MAN" who wants nothing else but to "DEFEAT CHAOS", however in the beginning of the trailer, he states:

"I only know one thing. I want to kill Chaos."

"It's not a hope or a dream, it's like hunger, a thirst."

The heart/soul of Jack has been replaced with that of the original W.O.L, who's anger, regret and lament for failing to defeat Chaos now permeates through Jack, determining his sole purpose for being, "Kill Chaos".

This would also explain why everyone in the trailer kept spouting the name "Chaos". The original Four shouldn't know of Chaos until the final battle in FFI, after traveling to the past. But these new characters know of "Chaos" and Garland acknowledges himself as "Chaos". Like stated before, at least one time loop occurred and Garland did become evil once again after being sent to the present. This means the original Warriors lost to the Final Boss, "Chaos" of the past, not Garland of the present.

FFI Story Connection:

Four Warriors of Light were chosen by the crystal to defeat (not killed entirely) Garland and rescue Princess Sarah.

The Warriors defeated Garland and rescued Princess Sarah.

The power of the Four Fiends sent the defeated Garland to the past.

The Four Fiends absorbed power from the four crystals and that power formed a Dark crystal that formed a portal to the past.

The Warriors of Light defeated the Four Fiends (did not kill).

The crystals were restored. 

The Four Fiends were sent back in time to be with their Master, Garland.

The Warriors of Light use the Dark Crystal to travel to the past.

The Warriors defeated the Fiends once more.

Garland can send them back into the present so they can bring him from the past to the present after being defeated, creating a time loop in which he could live forever.

Garland absorbed the power of the Four Fiends transforming him into Chaos.

After Chaos is defeated, Garland is returned to the present, but it is never confirmed as to whether or not he became corrupt again.

This means for the plot of FFO, the previous Warriors of Light lost to Chaos first go-round.

Or, after Chaos is defeated for the first time, Garland of the present did become evil again, triggering the time loop. But this time, the Warriors of Light were felled by Chaos.

[wilddarkchocolate]

Shadows in Paradise

Spoilers for Asra's reversed ending and just general spoilers for the arcana and his lore

Prompt:Asra and MC has forgotten but the ghost has not.

The "they" refers to a gender neutral mc

"Asra, I think there's someone here" they called out to Asra. They haven't had anyone come by before, it was always Faust and Asra and them yet there was a figure standing in the far distant. They were wary and rather confused. But then again nothing here could hurt them. So they were safe. Right?

Asra hummed and came out of their little home to see. His eyes widen at the figure. Their figure was distorted yet they had some distinctive features that made Asra shudder.

Their eyes were red and their skin a ghostly white. Too white. They walked over calmly yet each step seem to make Asra's gate quake underneath it.

"Stand back" Asra said to his lover urgently yet something about this stranger was familiar. Their aura albeit twisted by something seemed so familiar, so nostalgic, so frightening.

The creature came into view and spoke in his lover's tone "Did you really forget already? The renowned Magician already forgetting his roots? Let me put you in your place shall I?" Their tone was sweet. Sickeningly sweet and the face was his love's but no. No something was not right. Before Asra could even react his whole world was plunged into darkness. He couldn't feel Faust wrapped around him and he couldn't feel himself holding his lover's hand just seconds ago.

He was overwhelmed by grief and sorrow and so so much regret. Kneeling in the ash covered sand as he looked in utter horror at the pieces of bone and ash. The faint aura of his love still there but barely. They were dead. His love was dead and it was all his fault. His scream died in his throat as his tears mixed with the sand.

"Wait how did I get here?" His thoughts were cut off by an insistent voice in his head. Maybe it was his intuition or if it wasn't he couldn't tell. "Look. Look. Look. Remember"

"Remember what?"

Darkness seized him and he was back at a familiar looking home. The smell of tea in the air as he waited by the door. Siting down and waiting, waiting, waiting. He was hungry by the time it was night. His parents had yet to return so he decided to make his own food. Making a sandwich and tea before going back to waiting. He waited a few days before realising his parents weren't returning. He was confused and lost at first before the food ran out. Once he did he packed up everything important and left. He couldn't believe it, his parents were missing , leaving their only child to fend for himself. He desperately hoped it was a dream. That he would wake up. "Wake up" that voice nagged again

The next time when he came to it seemed easier. To observe and experience what was going on. He was by the docks. There was a child not much older than him in his little sanctuary where he kept stuff from his home. It was past midnight but they could not sleep at any costs. Their stuff had been stolen the other night and they had lost some food. It wasn't safe. They were not safe, they had no home. Asra felt tears well up but wiped them away before Muriel.......Muriel..... "How did your forget him?" That voiced asked and before he could respond it was gone again

"Do we have a deal?" The demonic goat with the wide evil grin asked. Asra shook his outstretched hand and nodded "Yes. Whatever it takes to bring them back" and then the pain started. Bright white shooting pain that bloomed in his chest and knocked the breath out of him. If he wasn't holding onto the devil's hand he would be falling to his knees. A scream was ripped from him as the deal was sealed. There was something glowing in the Devil's chains and he knew what it was. Part of his soul. Asra panted, his vision swimming but the Devil was pleased. "Pleasure doing business with you, Asra. They will be returned to you" he said simply and something warm was handed to him. A warm and familiar presence in his palm. He felt the familiar feeling washed over him, welcome it as tears well up in his eyes. He was finally reunited, reunited with his love.

Darkness and then warmth once again. A warm hug he shared with three people. One was his love and the other two.......His parents. He was sharing a hug with his parents and his love. There were tears again, but good ones. Emotional ones. He was happy to be reunited. With......Salim and Aisha.

He sitting on a lush bed, braiding a woman's hair back into two lines. The woman with pink and blue hair huffed as she ranted on and on about her family. And there was a pale man on his side. The man laid on his back with red hair in his eye. Making a joke that Asra rolled his eyes at. He gave a snarky comment in return to Ilya. And the woman is Nadia, Countess of Vesuvia. And they were in a sleepover at her room.

He was arguing. "Leave. Leave with me. Please it's not safe" he pleaded but the person. His true lover, the one who he had forgotten. They didn't budge. "I need to stay,Asra. I need to help the people here overcome the plague. Vesuvia is my home. Running isn't an option" they said softly and looked to him. "I'm not coming with you" they turned away from him and he said "Suit yourself then. Just don't regret it" then he left. He left and didn't turn back. Didn't come back until it was too late. He lost them.

He was by a stream. Focusing hard on his magic in front of someone much older and wiser. His teacher. His mentor. The magician. The fox smiled at Asra as he managed to make the water into the vague shape of the said Arcana. "Water is a gateway to anywhere you want to go. As long as there's water you can travel in between and across" the magician said and he tilted his head "what does that mean?" The magician merely smiled knowingly.

The red dining room. The smell of the wine burning in his throat as he watched his lover get surrounded by the Valdemar, Vulgora and Vlastomil. "Get away from them!" Asra yelled but drank all the same. His limbs moved like he was a puppet as he passed the chalice. His lover taking the deal, leaving everyone behind. Leaving Vesuvia behind. The wrong choice. He could see now. His lover made the wrong choice.

Then the darkness faded and he was back at his....no not his. His oasis was filled with pools of water not sand. He looked up at the figure. "You...." His lover. The one he met nine years ago. They had a bitter expression but a hint of fondness behind it. And maybe relief as well. "Don't forget" they said simply and asked "who are you?" It was a test and Asra knew that.

"I am Asra Alnazar. Child of Aisha and Salim. They were taken from me when I was a child so I left home to live on the docks with Muriel. The Magician thought me magic. I met you nine years ago. You died three years ago to the plague but I brought you back at the cost of part of my soul....so how are you here?" He asked the figure who merely said "it's not relevant. Continue" Asra blinked and continued "I was reunited with my parents and we saved them from their own gate. My lover made a deal with the devil for us to be sent to my Oasis as long as they finished the ritual. I am a Magician, a friend of Muriel, Nadia and Julian. A child of Aisha and Salim. A lover to you and...the one I brought back to life" he looked them in the eye. "This is the real you isn't it? The one with your real memories." The pale ghost nodded. "I am nothing more but memories" they sighed before saying "the world is chaos. That's how I managed to come here. You and the one you brought back can change everything yet you stay here. Pretending everything is okay." They scoffed at him. Looking unimpressed and a tad disgusted "I thought you wouldn't succumb. Wouldn't fall for this. And yet you did. Because everything that matters to you is here, isn't it?" Taunting. They were taunting him but he smiled at them. "And it isn't. Not everything that matters is here" the figure gave him a nod. They turned away and Asra said before the figure vanished

"I miss you"

He swore he heard "me too" before the figure vanished and he awoke on the ground. Looking up at his lover and Faust's concerned face. "You fainted when that ghost appeared. You scared me so much, Asra. Are you okay?" They asked in concern but Asra's wide bright smile surprised them.

"I have never felt better" he got up and placed both hands on the ground. Focusing on his magic. The oasis refused. The water bubbling up was dark purple but he pushed and the pure blue water that he was so familiar came bubbling up to the surface. He pushed some more and watched as it surrounded his "home" it was a large vast sea. He stood up and took his lover's hand. "Let's go home" he said and leapt in. To the chaos waiting. To the ones that matter waiting.

How could he forget them?

I enjoyed writing this. I had it in the back of my mind ever since I learned about the reversed ending. What if MC's ghost brought Asra to his sense? I'm sure they are other ways Asra can become lucid but I also like to write angst. And reliving the worst moments of your life is probably the fastest wake up call you can get.

[superthatguy62]

Stranger Of Paradise + Dissidia: Manikins

(This was part of another thing I was typing up summarizing the Moogle's plan in SoP, but I felt it long enough to be it's own thing.)

Spoilers for DLC 3 of SoP (and the reports of Dissidia)

The third DLC for Stranger of Paradise is a stage representing Lufenia Central. Throughout the stage, purple crystals are strewn about, which summon “Manikin” versions of enemies.

This continues until Jack reaches his former boss, Nil, who has her own crystals; One of which allows her to make manikins of Omega.

The Moogle notes in one of the missives that it is just like how the [REDACTED] of its world “created an ore from which they could forge an approximation of life “.

In Dissidia, Manikins were created by “the state” from crystal ore found in World B. This ore allowed for the creation of creatures that take the form of lifeforms that approach them. However, they lack wills, act like soulless killing machines and fail to retain human likeness (possibly referring to how they remain crystalline). The failures, both from before and after the cycles start, were disposed of through the same “Door to the Rift” that Onrac had. This largely justifies the player being able to fight copies of the other characters during the storylines, with the actual characters functioning as bosses.

The concept of manikins is also greatly intertwined with the aspect of memories. In the original Final Fantasy, The Lufenians mention in passing that they have a technique for passing down memories from generation to generation. Stranger of Paradise downplays this aspect: A lot of the memory shenanigans are instigated via the Dark Crystals, and outside of Jack and his friends sharing memories whenever the memories/darkness/phantoms/whatever rush at them.

In the Dissidia 012 reports, “the state” hires Cid of the Lufaine so that he could use his Lufenian techniques to transplant memories into manikins in hopes that it will give them a will. An experiment involving the memories of 10+ subjects results in a monstrous manikin with the potential for great power. However, it’s implied that tests are less successful and the resulting failures were tossed into the "door to the rift" – which the villains would later find and use to summon manikins as henchmen.

In addition to Chaos and the general manikins, there is the concept of a “perfect manikin”; A manikin that is indistinguishable from an actual person as a result of a successful memory transplant. There are two “perfect” manikins at least: Cosmos and the Warrior of Light. Cosmos was created by Cid under pressure from “the state” in order to control Chaos, due to the latter refusing to listen to them. As a result, Cosmos is modeled after Cid’s wife.

The memories she is derived from, however, changed a bit between games: In the Chaos Reports of the original, it is said that Chaos’ memories were ‘culled to create a new being’ while the 012 reports hint that Cosmos was derived from Cid’s wife’s memories.

The Warrior of Light is derived from the memories of Cid himself. However, Cid was only able to succeed with a partial memory transplant, and as a result, the Warrior of Light retained human likeness, but initially lacked a will.

This too is a retcon: The Chaos Reports in the original Dissidia is ambiguous about how many warriors were summoned and how many were “drifting consciousnesses” that had drifted to World B [1] and were housed in manikins. 012 explicitly confirms that the Warrior of Light was the only “perfect” manikin among the warriors created by Cid.

More Manikin Musings:

- Chaos is suggested to have been younger and smaller when he was originally created but rapidly grew to his appearance in the game. Neither Cosmos nor WoL are suggested to have gone through similar phenomenon. He is also suggested to have had a childlike demeanor initially.

- Cosmos is implied to physically resemble Cid’s wife. This would imply that the Warrior of Light is physically modeled after Cid, although Cosmos’ resemblance to Cid’s wife is by design while the Warrior of Light’s appearance is not suggested to be such.

- While Cosmos eventually regains her memories of Cid’s wife, Chaos shows no signs of remembering the 10+ subjects used to create him.

- While Cosmos was intended to be a copy of Cid’s wife, the museum states that she lacked the original woman’s strength of will, with Cosmos’ being frail by comparison (implying that ‘the state’’s plan was doomed to fail).

Dissidia Opera Omnia explores the ties between manikins and memories particularly in Act 2. In a misguided attempt at ensuring her warriors can relax in the World of Respite, Materia removes the painful memories of her champions. These memories end up in the possession of manikins who become Dark Manikins; They grow stronger and are able to speak and feel, although the latter is more of a curse than a blessing due to the pain that their memories bring. The most interesting examination is probably Act 2, Chapter 5: Where Bartz, feeling guilty about the burden his manikin was made to bear, intentionally allows it to take all of his memories. This breaks Exdeath’s control over the manikin but renders Bartz himself into an empty shell, largely unresponsive to everything around him.

[1] For what it’s worth, Stranger of Paradise would do something similar with Bahamut: The dragonking explains that after Humanity killed him, his soul was sent adrift into the rift until the Moogle summoned him.

The rift being an afterlife? A connection to the collective unconsciousness? Who’s to say?”

[thegamecollection]

IT’S HIP TO BE SQUARE (AT E3)!

Excuse that Huey Lewis & The News reference to kick things off, but as this is our first blog of the weekend’s shows - we’re a little excitable. Whilst we know this wasn’t the very first presentation of this year’s E3... It feels right to start at square one. Get it? Ha.

Oh by the way, if you’d like to watch the show in full then you can hit up the link right here! But then you’d miss us chatting away with snappy and spirited stories below. Your call.

Now where were we? Ah yes! Highlights. Highlights of which there were plenty! First on the agenda...

Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy

Wheeeeeeew! One of the most popular groups of characters from Marvel’s maestros are coming to consoles on 26th October! Think third-person, single-player adventure with the witty narrative you’d come to expect from this rather unlikely circle of friendship. You are Star Lord. You got this, probably...

As a product of Eidos Montreal you can expect their own take on its story, rather than anything based on Marvel’s content. Should that mean you should be any less excited? Pfft. Behave. With the ability to call upon Groot, Gamora, Rocket, or Drax in combat - We’d say the gameplay has a good chance of matching its no-doubt off the chart level of comedy.

You can pre-order with us right here.

Marvel’s Avengers: Black Panther - War For Wakanda

The Marvel love continues to flow with the confirmation of Black Panther’s entrance in a FREE Avengers expansion! King T’Challa has clawed his way into our hearts many times before, and we don’t see this appearance being any different. There’s no confirmed date to access this content, but we’re hopeful of something to work towards very soon. Take a look at this action-packed trailer that shows Wakanda in-game, and gives a taster of the story we’ll experience. That soundtrack has us PUMPED.

While you wait for more, you can grab Marvel’s Avengers with us and access this expansion when it launches! Right here, guys.

Life Is Strange Remastered / Life Is Strange: True Colors

Whilst these titles in the multi-award winning series have already been announced, it’s great to get a closer look at the Life is Strange Remastered Collection, which includes both the original game and the Before The Storm spin-off. Both sharpened up beautifully of course, so these clean visuals are a joy to see for any returning fan, or indeed for newcomers to this decision based story series. Backed up smoothly with more on Life Is Strange: True Colors - Take another look at our main character Alex Chen, and her emotion-reading powers that will help us in-game.

We expect to have Remastered online for you soon, but until then you can secure your copy of True Colors right here!

Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

Were we going to get through a stream from Square Enix without a mention of anything Final Fantasy? Is that the most rhetorical of questions you’re going to see on this blog? Let’s move on to the part where this is positive.

We’re thrilled to see another exciting FF title making its way to us in 2022. Whilst that seems like a lifetime away, this slash-fest that is the trailer for Stranger Of Paradise should keep us quiet for a while!

We meet a trio of warriors that are wandering into the Shrine of Chaos with only one thing on their minds. To destroy Chaos itself. Little more is known by us but the trailer does hint that a demo will be coming to PS5 soon! Guess we sit tight and await the fight. 

More on this one as it trickles through...

What follows to conclude is a discussion on what we’ve been shown. Definitely worth your time if you want more on what’s come before!

We expected presentations to be quieter this year on the back of what was a truly horrific 2020 for most! However, we think Square Enix have done a great job of still providing plenty to play until Covid goes away...

Keep ‘em peeled over the next week or two! We’ll be busy updating and adding listings to our E3 Hub. You can access it and stay on top right here!

Until tomorrow - thanks for reading! 

-Jack

[translationandbetrayals]

Wolf´s Rain: A deeper look at its OST

Alert: There are SPOILERS in the analysis.

Wolf’s Rain OST is special in so many ways. It has many different styles; some modern, some country-ish and some almost tribal. Listening to the few English lyric songs in the anime I realised how much these songs related to the story, to the characters and to each of their pasts. Knowing the premise of this story is a group of wolves trying to find Paradise, I will proceed to analyse two of the OST songs that are originally in English. In my opinion these are two of the most important songs in the story. Though, this does not mean the others are less important. The lyrics will be given along with the link to the music so you can enjoy. Run, wolf warrior, run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD8iT_FQ4p8 Run, wolf warrior, to ends eternal Through the wreckage of the death of the day Scent of silence under starlight spinning A captured beast within a human skin Are you searching for long lost landscapes Lit by flowers and crystal cascades? Where the lamb lies down with the lion Where the wolf is one with the wild Run, wolf warrior, through kingdoms' chaos Senseless cities and ghost towns towering Howl, O hunter, though few know you're crying Face upturned into that midnight moon Are you hunting for mystic mountains Where the air is like liquid laughter? Where the beasts inherit the earth Where the last again will be first Run, wolf warrior, to hide your hunger The rain will wash away the pains of the day In your eyes there are cold fires burning Tongues of flame that can never be tamed Are you running from Man's delusion Majestic madness and your exclusion To where the lamb lies down with the lion? Are you running down ancient pathways Through this dark and deserted land To where man is once more a child? Are you running to freedom's fortress By the side of wide open seas Where the wolf is one with the wild? Where the wolf is one with the wild? Run, run, run… Run, run, run, run, run, run on, run on through the rain…

  This song’s melody is soft and pleasant. It evoques tribality and nomadity. It flows and moves the soul. It’s liberating. And so are the lyrics.

The lyrics start by giving the wolf the power to run, something that seems so natural for these animals. And as we see in the anime, it’s something so central. A lot of the sequences are of them running to nothing, something, Paradise, who knows. Literally, to “ends eternal”. No matter in what state of decay the world is, “the wreckage of the death of the day”, meaning, the world dying, they will still run. Under the sun, under the stars. Then it touches the beast within all of us, that is waiting to be unleashed, to leave its trappings, its human skin. As, in the story, the world is dying it is mentioned that they run searching for what once was, “long lost landscapes”. Where all live in peace, “where the lamb lies down with the lion”. Where they can once again just be wolves. They are searching for their Paradise. The world is in decay, humans gather in cities with no future, and they keep running. These hunters (wolves) howl to the moon, their guide. They howl in pain for what’s been lost, what is gone. But only few understand the anguish of their cry. Wolves are hunters. And their prey in this journey is their goal, the lost Paradise. The place they can once again feel alive and happy. Where they can run just for fun. A place with no humans to hunt them. Animals are the only ones to keep this earth. The ones who became prey for humans will be hunters again. The wolf runs to search for food and at the same time to forget their hunger. They feel the dread of the dying world. However, they feel the fire of destiny burning within. A fire that can never be extinguished nor controlled. We know they are running towards Paradise. But they are also running from this world that has turned its back to them. They are running from being excluded, feared, and unwanted.They are running from this madness that has enveloped the human world. They are travelling down a road full of stories and ancient beliefs. Their faith in finding Paradise pushes them to traverse the world. To find a place of origin. The place where there are no prejudices nor hate.

Paradise is not only a peaceful place for them. It represents safety and freedom to be who they are with no fear of being harmed because of it. They are searching for the place where they can show who and what they are once again and be one with all.

Strangers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4SJcDd4ICg

We've found a kind of paradise in a flower’s bloom. We've seen the end of a mystic land so close it meets the parting sun. We've shared the thoughts that two could share, We feel the truth, magic that we send… Searching for something new Isle of Gold in flowers bloom We've heard a kind of paradise beyond the desert's dunes. We've walked the earth in solitude, So cold we need the warmth of sun. We've lived the life that we could live, We see the truth magic that begins… Searching for something new Isle of Gold in flowers bloom We've found a kind of paradise, below a sky so new. We've weaved a web of mystery so wide, We need the light of day. We've worn the cloak of secret lives, We've seen the truth, magic that we send… Searching for something new Isle of Gold in flowers bloom So when will it end? So when will we meet, my friend? This song’s title, Strangers, evoque the encounter of those who are still unknown. Those who might become partners in this journey. The first paragraph could be easily referring to the time Kiba, the main character, spends in The Garden of Eternity. However, the legend says the wolves will be led to Paradise by Moon Flowers, flowers Kiba knows well as he was born in a place full of them and later watched them all burn. The Garden of Eternity is a place that resembles Paradise. It’s a place where all animals live in peace, no one hunts them. This place is a mystic land. And here Kiba meets Myu, a female caracal, and she entices him into staying there forever, with her. But Kiba cannot smell the Moon Flowers anymore, scent that has guided his journey. This makes him realise this is not the place he is looking for. Even though it is magical. Then the song goes on by giving a glimpse of the location of this Garden of Eternity. In the anime we see that it is in the middle of a huge desert, one that the natives do not dare enter. It mentions how they have been alone in the cold, referring to the journey through the winter landscape and to the feeling of emptiness. And as they find each other these feelings start leaving them. There is reference to this journey being a mystery as they don’t know where they are headed. Them having been living in hiding, not being able to be wolves to the eyes of the world. However, the truth of their identities is somehow magic as wolves were supposed to be extinct. Finally, we get the questions, “when will it end”” and “when will we meet, my friend?”. Both refer to the encounter of destiny. The first is the finding of Paradise, will they find it? Is their journey ever going to end? The second, in my opinion, refers to the final episodes of the anime, in which they are lost and scattered in the city of Jaggara. Each of them wants to find Cheza (the lady of flowers) and the doors to Paradise. However, they want to do it together. This journey has made them realise finding Paradise is not their only goal. There is something new that is also important: Being together. And that is how they are meant to find their Paradise. These are only two of the songs that comprise the whole OST, in which there are others that have lyrics just as important to the story. By analysing these two songs I’m just trying to give you a glimpse into the wonders that can be found in this story. I am giving you a one-seconds window into this story that shows friendship, hardship, fear, hope, and so much more. So, I encourage you all to watch this anime, appreciate it as much as I do and keep listening to this beautiful music produced by Yoko Kanno.

  Alejandra Donoso

[blackmeowsys]

This is a fan made song for Heaven Officials’s Blessing. It’s called 仙遗录, The Lost Book of Immortals.

Here’s my translation of the lyrics, from my own understanding and with help from Baidu.

Feng Xin:

风信:世事 难两全 

Affairs of the mortal world, it is difficult to satisfy both sides

仙乐乱 返人间 但比肩

Chaos in Xian Le, returning to the mortal realm, remaining close companions 

度难关 何故陌路见

Going through difficult times together, why are we now strangers?

Mo Qing:

慕情:悦神 巧应变

Pleasing the gods,talented at improvising

且挥剑 揭恶面

Brandishing my sword to expose an evil face

好俊彦 凭满身豪气白眼向青天

Full of talent, a heroic spirit disdainfully facing the heavens.

Ling Wen:

灵文:谓我 善隐忍

I am used to enduring silently 

文斐然 才堪怜 何人叹 

For my talents, I received sympathy and appreciation 

心岸然 夺命锦衣仙

A heart of arrogance, I took the life of the Brocade Robe Immortal 

Quan Yichen:

奇英:心痴 无所思 

A foolish heart without guile 

生平道 好习拳

Born on an easy path,only knowing of martial arts

昔日情 怎甘他玉质作抛砖

Events of yesterday, how could I allow him to become jade thrown out like a brick?

Qi Rong:

戚容:本处在无间 何处是桃源

I reside in the Abyss (hell), where the heck is Paradise?

青灯明灭 无处栖歇 人心总善变

Green lanterns flicker, nowhere can I rest, human hearts are all fickle

Xie Lian:

谢怜:世中逢尔亦自怜

In this world, meeting you I have no cause to self pity

遗红珠惹红眼

Losing a red pearl invites the gaze of a red eye

灯三千 牵红线

Three thousand lanterns, become entangled with the red strings of fate

幸有一人共缱绻

Fortunately, there is someone who shares this love with me

Hua Cheng:

花城:神武大街惊鸿面

On the Divine Martial Avenue, seeing your graceful face

从此镌刻心间

From then,your image is engraved in my heart

蝶翩翩 风渐渐

Butterflies flying gracefully, wind blowing gently

一往情深未敢言

Not daring to speak of this deep love

Pei Ming:

裴茗:多情 也无情 戏红尘 风流显

Passionate yet unfeeling,  playing with the mortal world with distinguished refinement 

突生变 明光断 不悔折恨剑

A sudden catastrophe, breaking Ming Guang, not regretting breaking the hated sword

Wu Shi (Rain Master) Wu Shihuang

雨师:尘世 便如烟 何谈苦 何谈甘

 The mortal world like mist. What is suffering? What is sweetness?

不需言 便执剑 自刎宫门前

Without a word, holding a sword, slicing my throat before the palace doors

Water Master Shi Wudu

水师:有万语千言 临去不及添

There were millions of words I was unable to speak before leaving

我命由我不由天 纵使血染眉眼

My fate is decided by me not by heaven, even if blood soaks my countenance 

Wind Master Shi Qingxuan:

风师:爱作佳人巧笑倩

Loving to transform into a beauty with a lovely smile

挥扇轻掩笑颜

Brandishing a fan, lightly covering a smiling face

倾酒台 惊梦魇

In the Pouring Wine Pavillion, a horrifying nightmare 

奈何抉择总难圆

How to choose between two difficult choices?

He Xuan:

贺玄:负他温情断孽缘

Forsaking his tender feelings, ending this ill fated relationship 

只为了却执念

Just to end my obsession with the past 

沉舟处 难回首

Unable to turn back in the realm of Sinking Ships

只一死也难成全

Not satisfied with just one death

Hua Cheng:

花城:还记那日与尔执手

Remembering that day I held your hand

白夜行书题离思

In the night writing a verse of longing*

Xie Lian:

谢怜:闲愁到处寄语君知

Sorrows from everywhere I have entrusted to you

秋心缭乱不成诗

My heart is confused unable to compose a verse

Hua Cheng

花城:生而有幸花飞满城

This lifetime is fortunate, flowers fly all over the city

情意难掩总相惜

My romantic interests are hard to hide,there is someone who shares this feeling

也为你所向披靡

For you I am invincible 

Wind Master Shi Qingxuan:

风师:君伤悲 我亦悲 往事难追势难回

You are sorrowful, I am also sorrowful. It is fruitless to remember past events, they cannot return

贺玄:再拭泪 尘与灰 口中至交知是谁

Washing away tears,dust and ashes.This lifetime who will be my most intimate friend?

 Ling Wen:

灵文:何故情字总是痴

Why is love always foolish?

 倒叫我负相思

Crying out,it is I who has forsaken his longing (referring to the Brocade Immortal  

Bai Jing whom she killed)

Wu Shihuang

雨师:旦夕间 祸事至 不悔一人换城池

One evening,disaster strikes, not regretting using one person to exchange a city

Pei Ming:

裴茗:看罢凡尘多少事 能有几人相知

Watching the mortal realms countless affairs,is there someone who understands me?

Quan Yichen:

奇英:垂帘后 再几次 时光回到旧相识

After the curtain falls many times

If only time could return to when we first became aquatinted.

This is the poem, Hua Cheng writes to Xie Lian

*曾经领略过苍茫的大海，就觉得别处的水相形见绌；

曾经领略过巫山的云霭，就觉得别处的云黯然失色。

即使身处万花丛中，我也懒于回头一望，

这也许是因为修道，也许是因为你的缘故吧。

 Longing for my dear wife

Yuan Zhen

No water's enough when you have crossed the sea；

No cloud is beautiful but that which crowns the peak.

I pass by flowers that fail to attract poor me

Half for your sake and half for Taoism I seek.