#fs2

What we actually got:

Unfortunately Square played right into my hands by giving Angeal Latin limit break names, so let’s have a look!

Serit Arbores - literally, “He plants trees.” It’s most likely a reference to Book 1 of Cicero’s Tusculan Disputations, “On the Contempt of Death,” which features a fictional speech by Cato the Elder praising elderly farmers that dutifully tend to their fields for the benefit of the next generation. Cato quotes a line from the poet Caecilius Statius:

“Serit arbores quae alteri s[a]eculo prosint.” (“He plants trees so that they may benefit another generation.”)

I believe this could be a reference to Angeal’s SOLDIER Honour, the legacy that he passes down to Zack.

“SOLDIER Honor, the catalyst for Genesis's change in values, is the Gift of the Goddess for him. As SOLDIER Honor represents Angeal's wishes, it can be said that Zack, who inherited Angeal's wishes, was the Gift of the Goddess for Genesis.” (Crisis Core Complete Guide, 2008, p.274)

Angeal’s legacy, carried out first through Zack, and later Cloud, serves to benefit others long after his passing. Additionally, his dreams and honour speeches were given to many of his junior SOLDIER members and continued to inspire them too:

“He has said, "If you are to live as a hero, as a SOLDIER, and as a decent person, you must never forget your honor." Those words made a deep impression on his younger colleagues, especially Zack, and lived on in them.” (Crisis Core Ultimania, 2007)

This is why I believe the choice of this Limit Break name to be very intentional. Of course, given that one of Angeal’s weapons is a shovel (😭) we could understand it at the surface level meaning (Farm Boy Angeal planting apple trees 🤠🍎), but isn’t it fun to dig a little deeper?

Ad Astra - “to the stars.” This could go in many directions as it’s a popular motto on its own, but perhaps its most frequently seen within “per aspera ad astra,” “through hardships to the stars.” I think this could be a reference to Angeal’s life journey, which saw his humble beginnings in a poor family and his rise to the very top ranks as a SOLDIER First Class. It also may reference his wings:

“The white feature, as well as being a symbol for Angeal, is also a symbol for ‘wings’. The “wings” which cross the ‘blue sky’ is Angeal, and it also includes the hint that in order to reach those heights, dreams, he needs to overcome many difficulties.” (Crisis Core Complete Guide, 2008)

Normally I wouldn't care outside of another opportunity to dunk FS2, but there's already a lot of rumor going around that FRAF will not approve fanworks that don't align with the team's beliefs. It's better to stick to MSPFA or other webcomic sites, or even just make your own site and plug it like crazy.

I don't know how old they are in fs2