Performous

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Can someone recommend me music from them or give me some songs that give me hope they will have a good performance 😭

Background: I'm a quant social scientist who is fairly skeptical of IQ. So I'm putting my bias out there. But I'm certainly open to changing my mind.
I keep hearing that IQ is highly predictive of life outcomes, and more predictive than any other trait. But whenever I ask for evidence of this claim, I get either:

1. standardized effect sizes: misleading for comparison, since the variable with larger variance will have bigger standardized effect.
2. incremental r^2: irrelevant to individual-level prediction.

When we talk about "predictive power," most of us have a similar thing in mind: For person A, how much does knowing A's IQ increase the precision of predicting A's income (or job performance, health, whatever). This means we need predictive intervals. But I have rarely (ever?) seen predictive intervals for IQ.
So I have a very simple question: If out-of-sample person A has IQ = 120, what is the predicted income (job performance, health, etc) level E(income IQ = 120), what is the 95% predictive interval of E(income IQ = 120), and how does this compare to the baseline E(income)?
Bonus: You can ask a similar question of IQ's relationship to genetics. Whenever people say "IQ is mostly genetics," or "genetics predict IQ," they're really talking about heritability estimates. But that's not what most people intuitively mean by "predictive." What we really want to know is: What is the out-of-sample E(IQ PGS = X) and the predictive interval of that?
Thanks in advance.

Class: Rider
https://preview.redd.it/4zo029s73t0d1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da015a75ee2eb6ee6de8ad9339a2218cae8db20d
Attacks: 2 Quick Cards(3 hits), 2 Arts Cards(2 hits), 1 Buster Card(1 hit)
Passive Skills: Magic Resistance A, Riding EX
Active Skills Mana Burst Racing A Increases own Quick Performance for 3 turns (Lvl 1: 30%, Lvl 10: 50%)
Dragon Engine B (Strengthen 1, replaces Mana Burst Racing A) Increases own Quick Performance for 3 turns (Lvl 1: 30%, Lvl 10: 50%) Increases own NP damage for 1 turn NP+ (Lvl 1: 20%, Lvl 10: 35%)
Royal Cheering EX Charges own NP gauge (Lvl 1: 20%, Lvl 10: 30%) Charges all allies NP gauge (Lvl 1: 15%, Lvl 10: 25%) Gains critical Stars (Lvl 1: 10, Lvl 10: 20)
King of Drifts A Grants all allies Evade for 1 turn
Noble Phantasm Excalibur Dun Stallion (Quick Card) Deals heavy damage to all enemies (NP1: 1600%, NP5: 2400) Overcharge Effect: Heals HP to self (Overcharge 1: 1500, Overcharge 5: 4500)

(continuation of part 5)
Post-OG Cloud ruminates on what he could have done to save Aerith. Had he not been so lost in his own mind —distracted by Sephiroth and Jenova, consumed by his need to fulfill the emptiness at the core of his identity—, would he have paid more attention to Aerith’s sadness and anticipated her plan to go to the Forgotten Capital alone? Could she have survived if not for his obsession with what tormented him at the time? Could he have figured it out and kept her by his side? He’s angry with himself in retrospect, drowning in guilt, just like in Advent Children.

Here are the choruses, which usually contain the thesis main message of a song:

“Shine bright once more
Guide me to you
Smile bright once more
This time I will never let you go”

&

“Hear me once more
Show me your smile
This time for sure
I'll see the truth hidden inside your tears

But I, I know
That you're long gone
But I, I will
Go on, howling and hollow”

In these choruses, Cloud asserts that he will get it right this time (“this time” referring to the second chance that is the Remake trilogy). He will make sure he saves Aerith and never lets her go. He knows she’s gone, but he will fight against time to get her back. He longs for her smile and her light again, and he cannot bear the guilt: so he doesn’t. Post-OG Cloud embarks on a new adventure: ”I want to go to a place where everything is new,” said Cloud to Wol and Echo in Eclipse Contact before facing his past and being launched into Remake. “Hollow” makes far more sense now, doesn’t it? It’s a song not only about Cloud’s loss, but also about his determination to save Aerith this time. Given that it’s the theme song of Remake, the fact that “Hollow” fits with our theory perfectly is a very good sign: a theme song is meant to reflect the main plot of a story, indicating as our theory states that Remake is principally, albeit secretly, about Cloud saving Aerith. Because of this hope being set up, I’m confident that they will be together in the end, reunited for good. My dear Clerith friends, this is the hidden purpose of the Remake trilogy. Cloud and Aerith will be reunited.

VI. e) ii. “No Promises to Keep” Lyrics

This is quite obvious. Aerith is resigned to her fate, but still harbors hope that she will meet Cloud again in a permanent reunion:

“Till the day that we meet again
Where or when?
I wish I could say
But believe, know that you'll find me

[…]

Till the day that we meet again
On our street, I want to believe

[…]

Till the day that we meet again
At our place, just let me believe
In the chance that you'll come
Take my hand and never let me go
Take my hand
And believe
We can be
Together evermore

[…]

Still I hope someday you'll come and find me
Still I know someday you'll come and find me”.

VI. f) The Theme of Reunion Explained?

The last point I want to hit on is the concept of reunion. In OG, this theme was pretty much dominated by the Jenova Reunion. To an OG fan back in 1997, “reunion” meant “Sephiroth and Jenova’s evil plan”. However, in the Remake trilogy, the theme is expanded into something more. The first time Cloud meets Aerith in Remake, she gives him a flower and tells him something she didn’t in OG:

“Lovers used to give these when they were reunited...”

In addition, we’ve already talked about how part 5 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” from the Remake OST tells the story of Cloud and Aerith’s reunion (see section “V. b) ii. 2)”).

Many moments exclusive to the Remake trilogy serve the same purpose: linking the theme of reunion to Aerith. This expansion of the theme is highly significant. Our theory is that the Remake trilogy exists to reunite Cloud and Aerith, so the fact that the trilogy would implement so many Clerith-centric references to reunion is great support for our theory.

VI. g) i. The Leslie-Cloud Parallel

Let’s consider another instance involving the reunion flower in Remake, more precisely, the chapter 14 subplot surrounding Leslie’s lost lover. In case you need a refresher, Leslie is one of Corneo’s lackeys, although he secretly plans to betray him. He once had a fiancée and things were looking up until she was selected as one of Corneo’s brides. The day before she disappeared (presumably taken by Corneo), his fiancée broke up with him with no explanation. It was confusing and left Leslie perplex. As she broke up with him, she returned a necklace to him, one with a flower pendant. Of course, that flower is the very same reunion flower Aerith gives Cloud in chapter 2.

Evidently, Leslie and Cloud are going through parallel situations. At this point in time, Aerith was just kidnapped by Shinra, and Cloud is on his way to get her back. Both their loved ones have been taken by tyrant rulers, one being slumlord Corneo and the other being the Shinra government. In fact, even Leslie and Cloud’s attitudes share similar disillusioned, cold and stoic qualities. Leslie’s fiancée would evidently be paralleled by Aerith.

The most obvious proof of the Leslie-Cloud parallel is written plainly on the list of Remake’s chapter 14 main scenario objectives. Objective 7, called “For the Reunion”, consists of receiving the grappling guns needed to reach topside and save Aerith. The description of the objective reads as follows:

“Leslie gives them grappling guns, and they wish each other luck in reuniting with their respective loved ones. Leslie walks off, and the three prepare to climb the wall.”

The grappling guns are “For the Reunion”, because evidently, the loved one Cloud wants to reunite with is Aerith.

All this is simple and apparent enough. Just the fact that the theme of reunion is linked to Clerith in this way is proof enough, but there’s another layer to the Leslie-Cloud parallel. Not only does Leslie’s situation reinforce the concept of a Clerith reunion, it also mirrors the specifics of our theory: namely that Cloud will save Aerith from specifically Sephiroth (represented in Leslie’s scenario by Corneo) and that Cloud will take the initiative to accomplish this reunion. These two specific aspects of our theory are reflected by Leslie’s circumstances, meaning the Leslie-Cloud parallel not only pushes the theme of reunion, but also supports our specific theory.

VI. g) i. 1) The Separators: Corneo and Sephiroth

I’ll first prove that Leslie’s scenario is not meant to echo Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Shinra —or at least not exclusively—, but rather Cloud’s separation from Aerith at the hands of Sephiroth. Corneo would therefore be paralleled by Sephiroth rather than the tyrannical Shinra government.

The first piece of proof for the Corneo-Seohiroth parallel lies within the way in which Leslie’s fiancée broke things off: by lying. Aerith also lies to Cloud to create distance between them, but not pertaining to her kidnapping— rather, pertaining to her fated death. Since Sephiroth is Aerith’s killer and not Shinra, Corneo’s role in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is analogous to Sephiroth’s rather than Shinra’s.

There are two pieces of evidence that the Corneo-Sephiroth comparison makes more sense than the Corneo-Shinra one. The first lies in the fact that Leslie’s breakup resembles Cloud’s resolution scene: the topic of Cloud’s resolution scene is Aerith’s fate at the hands of Sephiroth rather than her kidnapping by Shinra, meaning Corneo and Sephiroth are the antagonists of both heartbreaks.

Let’s examine Leslie’s breakup. Here is how his fiancée broke things off, taken from the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:

“Fiancée: It was all just a dream, wasn't it[?]
Fiancée: (Hopefully) But one day…
(She trails off, then shakes her head and stops herself.)
Fiancée: (Sadly, hopelessly) — no. Time to wake up. And forget.
(She walks away.)”

Now, here is a more literal translation of this quote from the original Japanese (verified by me via DeepL), with tone indicators added by me in bold:

“Fiancée: It was only just a dream we had / We were only dreaming...
Fiancée: (Hopefully, as though as a hail Mary) In the language of the flowers...
(She trails off, then shakes her head and stops herself.)
Fiancée: (Sadly, hopelessly) — no. You should forget about me.
(She walks away.)”

Leslie’s fiancée is clearly breaking up with him to spare him the pain of blaming himself for not being able to protect her from Corneo, as she knows it’s too late for her to escape from the slumlord’s clutches. We know this because we understand that the pendant she gave back to him symbolizes a reunion (especially between lovers, as Aerith told Cloud in chapter 2). In fact, the Japanese version of the script reveals that the fiancée was about to reveal the meaning of the flower, perhaps in the hopes that they would find each other once more, but she lost her nerve at the last second. Notice that she tells Leslie two specific things. One: their love or their future together was only a dream, meaning that it wasn’t real. Two: he should forget about her, because the dream is over now and it’s time to wake up from it.

If you’re finding this familiar, then you might be ahead of me. Let’s take a look at what Aerith says to Cloud in his resolution scene, also in the English script of Remake’s chapter 14, with tone indicators added by me in bold:

“Aerith: […] you can’t fall in love with me. [It]’s not real […]. (With a sigh, as though from sadness or difficulty, but resolutely) It’s almost morning. Time to go.”

Now, here is a more literal translation of this quote from the original Japanese (verified by me via DeepL), with tone indicators added by me in bold:

“Aerith: You can’t let yourself fall in love with me. [It]’s only your imagination […]. (With a sigh, as though from sadness or difficulty, but resolutely) Looks like it’s already morning. Time for me to go.”

Just like Leslie’s fiancée, Aerith is rejecting or denying Cloud’s love for her in order to spare him from the pain of not having been able to be with her before her death, as she believes it is inevitable. Just like the fiancée, Aerith also tells Cloud two things. One: their love is imaginary or isn’t real. Two: it’s morning, and she has to go (she says this right before Cloud wakes from the pseudo-dream).

In both cases, the women know something about their fate that the men don’t and are hiding this impending tragedy from them. Just like Leslie’s fiancée, Aerith uses well-intentioned deception to protect her loved one from the pain that will come from her fate— the lie, of course, is that their love isn’t real. Both women are hopeless, and both men are initially clueless. Aerith’s resolution can’t be about her kidnapping, because Aerith thinks her rescue is anything but hopeless— she’s sure Cloud will come save her from Shinra. She says so herself in OG’s disk 1 chapter 8:

“Cloud: Aeris!? You safe?
Aeris: Yeah, I'm all right. I knew that [you] would come for me.”

What Aerith is so resigned about in Cloud’s resolution scene isn’t her kidnapping, but instead her fated death at the hands of Sephiroth. Nojima hints at this in FFVII Remake Ultimania:

“If you know Aerith’s fate, then this line would really pull at your heart strings […]” (section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 744).

Here is co-director Toriyama had to say on Aerith’s words:

“[While] these words are intended for Cloud, I think Aerith is partly speaking them to herself. The contents of her request may be at odds with how she truly feels inside” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA Script Notes, “A Dream Shown by Aerith”, “Scenario Staff Q&A - Answered by Motomu Toriyama”).

These two quotes by the devs show that Aerith is trying to protect Cloud from her death. Therefore, the Corneo-Sephiroth parallel is far more apt than the Corneo-Shinra parallel.

The second piece of evidence supporting my belief that Corneo mirrors Sephiroth and not Shinra in the Leslie-Cloud parallel is the inclusion of the theme of revenge that crops up in the following piece of dialogue:

“Tifa: Why did you wanna come down here?
Leslie: Revenge. I know I need to let go, but I can't. I need closure, 'cause without it... I'll never be able to move on” (Remake, chapter 14).

Leslie’s sentiment toward Corneo resembles Cloud’s feelings toward Sephiroth after Aerith’s death. Revenge links Cloud to Sephiroth, not to Shinra. Corneo and Sephiroth reflect each other in that, as a consequence of their actions toward a woman, the man who loves her desires revenge.

Additionally, it looks like Leslie’s obsession with revenge as a means to closure is the reason he didn’t bother trying to understand the message his fiancée left him with: he’s focused on his hate rather than his love, and it’s hindering him. He doesn’t succeed in killing Corneo either: his focus and energy are misplaced. Cloud’s desire for vengeance against Sephiroth is also depicted as an obstacle to accomplishing his goals (see how in section “III. c)” of my previous literary analysis). Once more, the Corneo-Sephiroth parallel fits far better than a Corneo-Shinra perspective.

VI. g) i. 2) The Reunion Seekers: Leslie and Cloud

The other aspect of the Leslie-Cloud parallel that supports our theory is that in both scenarios, they both take charge of the situation and decide to actively seek reunion with their respective lovers. The following dialogue excerpt, supplemented by the VA script notes, shows Leslie’s initiative:

“Tifa: [Your fiancée] could still be out there.
Barret: Can never be sure how much someone means to ya till they're gone. Don't give up on her yet.
Leslie: (Looks at the flower pendant, [recalling his lover’s words) A message in the language of flowers… I wonder what she meant by it.
[…]
Tifa: Reunion.
Leslie: Huh?
Tifa: In the language of flowers, it means ‘reunion.’
(Leslie shifts his gaze from Tifa to the pendant and stares at it for some time. At last he understands the words his lover left him. With that, as if his mind has been made up, he clutches the pendant and hangs it around his neck.)
Leslie: Then I guess I’ll just have to find her first” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA Script Notes, “Other Notable Stage Directions - Chapters 14-16”).

Take note of Leslie’s final response and the determination with which he speaks: “Then I guess I’ll just have to find her first”. Remember that we’re searching for evidence that Cloud is going to be the one reaching out to Aerith in the Remake trilogy, and that it’s his turn to take his future into his hands. He must be more attentive, more active this time. And Leslie’s words of determination reflect this perfectly. Leslie must find his fiancée first, just like Cloud has to be the one to offer his hand to Aerith in the Remake trilogy and fight for her. This is exactly what our theory is all about.

VI. g) i. 3) Delayed Realizations

Interestingly, not only does Leslie’s determination mirror Cloud’s, but both men are depicted as realizing the truth too late. Just like Leslie only began searching for his fiancée six months after her disappearance, Cloud only realizes he loves Aerith in OG once she’s died. It took him this long to actually get somewhere in his mission to reunite with her— “somewhere” being the Remake trilogy.

Even Barret’s words highlight the lovers’ delay: “Can never be sure how much someone means to ya till they're gone”. Barret would know: he lost his wife Myrna, who he loved dearly. The devs have Barret comment on the situation as a man whose lover died, mirroring Cloud’s situation in OG. Just as Barret says, Cloud only truly realized the strength of how he felt for Aerith in OG once she was gone. The gunman’s words apply to both Leslie and Cloud’s tardy initiatives. Regardless of this delay, both men are now determined to see their respective reunions through.

The degree to which the Leslie-Cloud parallel fits our theory is a great sign of its validity: even the details are lining up!

VI. g) ii. Reunion in the Theme Songs

Too easy: in our analysis of the lyrics of the theme songs, we covered how both texts include the theme of reunion. “No Promises to Keep” is especially relevant (see section “VI. e) ii.”), as the entire song is Aerith hoping against fate for a reunion with Cloud (even if you believe the song is about all her companions, that still includes Cloud).

On top of these reunion-themed lyrics, during Aerith’s in-game performance of “No Promises to Keep” at the Gold Saucer production of Loveless, her yellow blossoms signifying reunion bloom all around her as Cloud watches her, captivated.

Another great sign for our theory: the highly significant theme songs are on our side!

VI. g) iii. Waking Up Reunited

The thing I want to juxtapose to our theory is a small yet special moment in chapter 2 of Rebirth that stuck out to me like a sore thumb and got me really excited about sharing it with you. This moment occurs after the battle against the Midgardsormr. We’ll be comparing it to two other clips, describing all three in chronological order, and making deductions based on their similarities.

The first clip I want to address occurs in chapter 8 of Remake (1:32-2:12). There are a couple of things I want to point out in this scene. First, Aerith wakes Cloud from unconsciousness with a cute call of “Hello~?”. Second, despite pretending that he doesn’t, he immediately recognizes her. The VA script notes prove it:

“Aerith: Nice to meet you again.
Cloud actually remembers Aerith, but he pretends not to, perhaps wishing to make himself look cool.
Cloud: Again, huh?
Aerith: What? You don’t remember? How about…the flowers?
Cloud looks at the flowers at his feet and pretends as if he’s only just remembered.
Cloud: Oh, the flower seller” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Reuniting with Aerith”).

So: she wakes him with a cute call, and he recognizes her. Also note that these two elements also apply to the OG church reunion scene.

Now onto the Rebirth chapter 2 scene that stuck out to me. After Cloud is saved from the Midgardsormr by Sephiroth, Cloud wakes up from unconsciousness spell with Aerith calling for him (7:20-7:34).

Once more, Aerith wakes him with a cute call (this time, it’s “Wakey, wakey!”), and Cloud recognizes her. In this Midgardsormr clip, unlike their reunion in the church, Cloud verbalizes that he remembers her. This time, there’s more: next, Aerith tells Cloud “おかえり, クラウド”, or “okaeri, Cloud”, which translates to “welcome back, Cloud”. “Okaeri” is what you say in Japanese when someone has returned home. In the third clip we will analyze, Aerith says “okaeri” to Cloud once more. But first, let’s break down this second clip.

I don’t know about you, but this cutscene felt extremely weird to me when I first encountered it. That is, it would have been, if not for the theory I’d begun formulating at that time.

You see, the devs could have chosen for Aerith to ask Cloud if he remembers his own name or where they are, if he’s okay, or check if he responds to his own name. In fact, asking someone who’s been hit on the head to say their own name is a much more common a reaction to them finally waking up than asking them if they remember you. Even stranger is Cloud’s reaction: he could have answered “Yeah, you’re Aerith,” or “I remember everything, I’m fine”. Instead, he says her name with this airy and wonderstruck tone. He sounds like he’s opening his eyes to something mystic rather than his comrade leaning over him, like he’s seeing someone unexpectedly for the first time in a while… or rather like he’s waking from a trance of some kind— a trance in which he did not remember Aerith, and now he does. You may see where I’m going with this.

Let’s examine the third clip, wherein Aerith tells Cloud “okaeri” again. More specifically, in chapter 14, Aerith welcomes Cloud back when he snaps out of his zombified, Sephiroth-controlled state and runs toward her. Of course, it’s the sight of her and his memories of meeting her in chapter 2 of Remake that shake him awake (2:17:43-2:18:02).

For a third time, Aerith wakes Cloud. This time, she’s pulling him out of a trance and back to himself. And for a third time, Cloud remembers her. In fact, it’s remembering her that wakes him up. Cloud calls her name and Aerith says “okaeri” in both the post-Midgardsormr cutscene and this third clip. And in both scenes, not only does Cloud return to himself the way someone returns home (recall that “okaeri” is used to welcome someone back home), but he’s also returning to her, recognizing her as his home.

Now we’ve got three scenes lined up: the church reunion scene (both in OG and Remake), the Midgardsormr scene and the hand-reach scene. All three of these recognition scenes feature Cloud being woken up by Aerith and remembering who she is. The main difference is that, in the scenes among these three that are exclusive to Rebirth, Cloud’s return to Aerith is far more meaningful, as he already knows her name, and knows more about who she is to him. Evidently, in the OG church reunion scene, Cloud only remembers being sold a flower by this girl. In the Remake version, he remembers the same thing, plus the attack of the whispers. So there’s something much more weighty about the Rebirth recognition scenes: he remembers more, and he remembers deeper. These aren’t just recognition scenes, they’re also mini-reunions. Of course, as we’ve already analyzed pertaining to the hand-reaching scene, Cloud remembering Aerith is followed by him being the one to take action and run toward her, eager to save her, because she means the world to him. When you place the Midgardsormr scene between the church reunion scene and the hand-reach scene, an evolution of Cloud waking up and remembering Aerith is formed. Each mini-reunion scene adds a piece to the story: the church scene informs us that Cloud and Aerith are meeting again, the Midgardsormr scene tips us off that something mystic is going on from Cloud’s tone when he says Aerith’s name, and the hand reach scene tells us that as a consequence of remembering who Aerith is, Cloud saves her from falling to her death and saving her. “Meeting again”, “mystic”, and “saving Aerith”: these are the keywords of the mini-reunion scenes. They are also the keywords of our theory on Cloud’s mission to save Aerith. This time around Cloud knows more and is more conscious about how he feels for Aerith, just like he feels more when in the hand-reach scene in Rebirth compared to the church reunion scene in Remake. From the latter scene to the former, Cloud gradually wakes up and remembers his love for and loss of Aerith in the OG more and more. Each mini-reunion brings him closer to saving her when he blocks the masamune. This is why I am certain that in part 3, whether Cloud comes to his full senses or not, whether he remembers the events of OG or not, he will save Aerith this time. The Remake trilogy is centered around Aerith, after all. In fact, don’t take it from me, take it from Nojima:

“Aerith's the most important character in the remake so we paid special attention to her lines” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 744).

I have full confidence in this fact: one way or another, these two will have a happy ending. This is Cloud’s second chance, and as he swore in “Hollow”, he is not losing her again. That is why I don’t think you should fret, and that our Clerith hearts will be very happy to see these two together again for good in part 3.

VI. h) Zooming In

In fact, this zooming-in method of directing players’ attention to important narrative beats is far from new.

VI. h) i. Changing Fate

Let’s divert our attention to Nanaki’s Skywheel date (2:28-3:30). The dialogue goes like this: Nanaki brings us the Whispers and suggests the party might eventually forget about their existence, and Cloud says that frankly, if it’s impossible for them to change fate either way, then it would be better for them to forget to Whispers altogether.

This is a very clear message from the devs: “there would be no point in including the Whispers in the Remaketrilogy if we did not make use of their defeat”. They’re telling us through Cloud’s dialogue that they know it would be foul play and bad writing to introduce the theme of defying fate if it didn’t eventually pay off.

As if it weren’t clear enough what the devs are referring to, Nanaki brings up Aerith’s death directly after Cloud delivers the devs’ message to us. He actually makes Cloud promise to save her. This is pretty on the nose. By promising Nanaki he will protect Aerith, the devs are promising us the same. I’m certain that part 3 will deliver on this promise.

If you still aren’t sold, I’d like to direct your attention to the framing of the shot where Cloud says “if we can’t change [fate]” (2:49-2:51). There’s a zoom-in on his mouth, which is a visual cue that translates to “what this character is saying right now is important to the plot”. It’s very indiscrete in theory: the camera literally hones in on the invisible words as though the script has them highlighted, italicized triple-underlined and in bold.

VI. h) ii. Aerith’s Knowledge

We’ve seen the Remake trilogy use this camera framing at least twice so far. The first time occurs in Remake’s chapter 8, before it becomes clear that Aerith knows things from the OG game that she wouldn’t normally know if this were just a remastered version of the same 1997 plot. I’ll let Remake Ultimania‘s description of this moment speak for itself:

“When Cloud and Aerith return the rescued children to Oates, the man in the tattered black cloak shows up again at the hideout. The moment the man grasps Cloud’s arm, he’s overcome by another violent headache and sees a vision of Sephiroth. Cloud wonders if this man who supposedly died five years ago could possibly still be alive. When he says as much to Aerith, she gives him a vague reply” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 04: “Scenario”, “Chapter 8 Main Story Digest”, page 256).

Aerith’s “vague reply” is accentuated by a very deliberate zoom-in on her mouth (1:18:05-1:18:09), and therefore her words.

The framing of this shot indicates to us that what Aerith says provides an important hint as to the plot’s direction. Sure enough, with hindsight, it’s easy to see that’s true.

VI. h) iii. Tifa’s Question

Another time this framing is used is in chapter 1 of Rebirth, after Cloud recounts the Nibelheim incident. Tifa asks the group why Sephiroth is choosing to come back now, after five years (37:55-37:58).

Once more, we are being signaled that the reason Sephiroth chose to return at the moment he did is significant to the plot, but cannot be revealed explicitly yet. The reason why Sephiroth took five years to return is because that’s how long it took for Cloud to get back on his feet after the Nibelheim incident: Sephiroth wants and/or needs to manipulate Cloud in particular rather than all the other people with Jenova cells in them. It took five years for Cloud to not only go through Hojo’s experiments but also escape Shinra and make his way to Seventh Heaven, where Tifa nursed him back to health— therefore, it took five years until Sephiroth’s favorite pawn was available to be used. There are a few reasons why Cloud is the one Sephiroth wants to use, and all of them would be spoilers at this point in Rebirth to players who don’t know the OG plot. The devs can’t reveal any of them yet, but they do indicate via a close-up shot of Tifa’s mouth that her question is important.

VI. h) iv. The Takeaway

As you can see, this framing of characters’ mouths when they speak signals a plot-significant piece of dialogue. This means Cloud’s words on his gondola date with Nanaki can’t be brushed off as a red herring or an unimportant or throwaway line: it has narrative weight.

VII. The Devs

I think it’s important to remember the devs and their commitment to the world of FFVII. They know best for this story, and they’ve proven it to be true many times over. There are many things about the devs’ intentions that the fandom don’t seem to know that I think would give you confidence to find out.

VII. a) Shifting Themes

Good storytellers don’t introduce themes as a way to pull the rug from under audiences’ feet by later rendering them completely irrelevant to the plot.

In other words, the devs would not have introduced the notion of fate as an antagonistic force in Remake, nor allowed the players to defeat it in chapter 18, had they planned for these themes not to pay off at all. Think of how good FFVII OG and FF stories in general are, how strong the writing is from a narrative point of view. Nothing is included for no reason or for a cheap reaction— especially not a central theme of a story. Fate and defeating it is a huge point of Remake, and not for no reason.

I mean, think about a storyline all about defying fate ending with a shrug and a “Oh well, we tried.” It would be ridiculous! The devs are better than that.

VII. b) What the Devs Want

The devs are well-aware that fans of FFVII have been begging for Aerith’s resurrection since 1997. All those petitions, all those myths of a revival hack… SE knows about them all too well. They were even referenced by FF’s 30th anniversary expo, which partly promoted Remake:

“No one expected [Aerith’s death] in the middle of the story. Rumors of a secret way to revive Aerith spread, and it was clear players were having a hard time saying goodbye to her too. Even now, twenty years later, it still feels like a shocking turn of events” (Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exposition Pamphlet, page 36).

Hamaguchi, codirector of the Remake project, commented on these rumors:

“Interviewer: Do you have a favorite fake rumor about the original FFVII?

Hamaguchi: I hear a lot about Aerith coming back to life and that's something that's very interesting to hear” (Hamaguchi interview: “129 Rapid-Fire Questions Answered About Final Fantasy VII Rebirth”, by Game Informer).

The devs are also aware of how beloved Clerith is to the FFVII fandom, especially in Japan— in fact, the only FFVII ship name that is an official iOS search term on the Japanese Apple Store is Clerith’s (“クラエア” or “kuraea” in Japanese). Aerith herself is a widely beloved character, particularly, once more, in Japan. For instance, Famitsu and NHK’s recent polls on the best FF heroine and on the best FF character in general both resulted in Aerith ranking number 3, beaten only in the latter poll by Cloud at number 1 and FFX’s Yuna at number 2.

The devs know how well-loved both Clerith and Aerith are. And in fact, they love Aerith at least as much as we do:

“Cloud's feelings [of guilt] cannot be resolved by anyone other than Aerith. I tried to convey [that Aerith is saying to Cloud] ‘I'm still here for you’” (FFVII Reunion Files, Nojima’s note on Aerith’s character file, page 58).

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“When I saw the finished product of [Aerith’s face in] CG, I thought, "Oh, isn’t she so cute?” (FFVII Reunion Files, Nomura’s note on Aerith’s character file, page 58).

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"The idea of having Aeris die during the story had a great impact on all the dev staff," Toriyama explained, "and personally I decided to dedicate my efforts to depicting Aeris in as appealing a way as possible, so that she would become an irreplaceable character to the player in preparation for that moment" (Toriyama interview “Final Fantasy anniversary interview: Toriyama speaks” by VG247).

The devs care about Aerith, and they’re fully aware we do too.

I think a lot of people have it in their heads that the devs don’t want anything to change from the OG story, but there’s a lot of evidence that says otherwise. Codirector Toriyama spoke on this, stating the following about the production process of Remake:

“[…] there were times the original version became a hindrance. Specifically, staff members with a strong attachment to Final Fantasy VII would often hold themselves back for fear of deviating too much from the original. When we created the original game, we obviously didn’t feel bound in that way. We were passionate about creating a brand new Final Fantasy title, and so we dove in and embraced whatever seemed most interesting to us. We wanted to take that approach this time as well, so we made a special effort to liberate ourselves whenever we held back, remembering that it was okay to do the things we wanted to do” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 1: Motomu Toriyama, Naoki Hamaguchi, Teruki Endo”, page 737).

Codirector Nomura said the following:

“When I asked Nojima if he’d write the scenario, I was clear about my demands up front. I said, ‘If we're going to remake Final Fantasy VII, I want it to be done like this.’ At that point, I was intent on making something more than just a remake. [Similarly to how] the battle system this time incorporates elements of the original game’s ATB mechanics [while] also been reborn using a real-time approach […], I wanted to make a story that players would feel is fundamentally Final Fantasy VII but also something new” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 745).

Clearly, the devs don’t want to be bogged down by the OG, and are making efforts to do things the way they want to rather than the way they were previously done. The newer generation of developers such as codirector Hamaguchi is also involved in these story changes:

“Interviewer: There are also drastically more scenes with Sephiroth than there were in the original game.
Nojima: We weren't planning on having him appear so much at first— the idea was only to hint at his presence. But we changed our approach partway through and became more proactive with having him appear, after which the number of scenes he features in rapidly increased.
Nomura: Hamaguchi [codirector Naoki Hamaguchi] came up to me one day and said in a mysterious tone, ‘I'd like to talk to you about something.’ He asked me about having there be a battle with Sephiroth in Midgar. In the original game, Sephiroth’s true body is located elsewhere, so he didn’t think I'd give in to the idea so easily. think he even prepared materials to persuade me. But in the end I agreed readily [laughs]” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 746).

Kitase, the producer of the Remake trilogy, even says that after working on this project for so long, and after spending almost 30 years on the FFVII project and getting to know the characters, he has realized that:

“The more [he works] on it, the more [he wants] to make all these characters happy. [He wants] to give them a happy ending. The rest of the team’s opinions [obviously] also have to be taken into consideration, so it won't be all happiness and rainbows. But [he] just [wants] to make [the characters of FFVII] happy” (Kitase and Hamaguchi’s interview “Final Fantasy VII Rebirth’s Producer Just Wants 'the Characters to End Up Happy'”, by Vandal, translated by me).

Kitase is indeed only one developer, but he’s the producer of this project: that’s the very top position. He oversees everything and nothing goes without his approval. That counts for something. Of course, Kitase is fair and values the input of all the devs, so of course it won’t be “all happiness and rainbows”— but I sincerely believe there’s a big chance that Cloud and Aerith are heading toward their happy ending. Even if this theory is completely bogus, I want to have faith that the devs would not sacrifice good storytelling for nostalgia and a conservative attitude toward preserving the OG story, as that would be cheap of them, and we have not known them to be cheap. This game truly matters to them, so I think they deserve our faith.

Hey I’m wondering if someone can explain shock rebound and when it may or may not be desirable. It’s something that I’m having trouble with understanding. I understand what it is but how it’s actually affecting performance is a bit of a mystery. I’ve always built my shocks to rebound 100% and am wondering if and why I should change that. I run onroad chassis, asphalt and occasionally very high grip carpet

I'll keep this brief but here goes. I am a 23 M and just finished my 1st year of med school. I know I want to enter a long-term committed relationship and eventually get married and have kids. The problem is with my busy school life it's been hard to find people (outside my class) who I match with and can handle my focus on schooling. I have been in a long-term relationship before and feel like that was really fulfilling but ended several months ago. I've been on some dates and had casual sex before which I quickly learned doesn't really gel with my body (couldn't reaally perform). Now I'm stuck with a 10 yr long porn compulsion which is basically telling me I desire physical contact and to feel desired/focused on. So I'm confused on whether to try:

• Turning off my desire (if that's even possible) for wanting a committed relationship like before until I'm out of school
  
• Try to enter casual relationships and accept that's all I can attain right now
  
• Or not try either and stick with porn (cutting it back while trying to keep accepting that this is just where I'm at in life)
  

Would like to hear people's thoughts!

Remanufacturing of Medical Devices. FDA Guidance for Industry, Entities That Perform Servicing or Remanufacturing, and Food and Drug Administration Staff. May 2024 [PDF]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued final guidance to provide the medical device industry clarity on the definition of “remanufacturing” for reusable devices needing maintenance or repair. The final guidance seeks to ensure that there is consistency regarding what constitutes remanufacturing activities and to promote a better understanding of applicable federal law and regulations implicated by remanufacturing activities.
Many medical devices are reused; for instance, infant warmers, ventilators, endoscopes and defibrillators, and proper servicing is critical to the device’s continued performance and overall total product lifecycle. Additionally, many devices are complex and use varying technologies to be safe and effective for their intended use. Without access to information and resources to ensure proper servicing, unintentional remanufacturing, which may cause the device to be out of compliance with and in violation of federal law, can occur. Because of this, the FDA is advising in this guidance that devices include instructions necessary for proper device servicing, as well as providing examples of activities that constitute remanufacturing.
Remanufacturing is the processing, conditioning, renovating, repackaging, restoring or any other act done to a finished device that significantly changes the finished device’s performance, safety specifications or intended use. Servicing is the repair and/or preventive or routine maintenance of one or more parts in a finished device, after distribution, for purposes of returning it to the safety and performance specifications established by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and to meet its original intended use.

Hello folks, I'm thinking about trading in my 2021 BMW M240i for a 2018 E43 AMG. My M240i was fun and nimble for its size, but I can't help wanting a bigger vehicle that's more comfortable for longer drives (1+ hr). I found a 2018 E43 AMG online for around $38k with only 35k miles ran & 1 owner for the entire ownership. Clean carfax with no accidents and regular maintenance scheduled at a Mercedes Benz dealership. I'm guessing it was owned by a retired man who bought it as a second vehicle?
Anyways, so the question I wanted to ask was whether or not this is a good decision? It is a 6 year old AMG after all, so somewhat worried about the reliability. Also, given that the car is coming up in 40k mileage, I heard that there is a big maintenance that needs to be performed during that stage? I have considered getting a Lexus IS 350/500 F sport, but it isn't an AMG at the end of the day.
TL;DR: Am I stupid for trading in a 2021 BMW M240i for a 2018 E43 AMG.
Thanks in advance!

I should probably preface this by saying I've only read the first two and a half epic collections of Doug Moench's run so I would hardly call myself an expert on the character, and maybe some of the later comics have more similarities (though from what I've been told I doubt that). The show has a lot going for it from some great performances, especially from Isaac and Calamawy, to some pretty decent fight scenes (even if some are off screen) and effects, and the writing is good if you view it as its own thing rather than an adaptation of the character. That's the thing though: if you have to view it as its own thing that means it has failed as an adaptation. And if you're going to make a show called "Moon Knight" I expect it to be an adaptation of the source material at least in some form.

I don't know if there are many Cavs fans here, but there are a ton of media members, and a large Athletic article, that rightfully goes after the team and organization for failing to put together a competitive squad.
From the failures of their President Koby Altman putting together a modern NBA team, them just not developing Mobley, their poor culture, issues with coaching, and continued lack luster performance, everyone involved with covering the team and even national media are doing their jobs.
It's WILD to see how everyone in Toronto failed to hold the Raptors accountable for years. Masai had a few tough questions thrown at them at the last presser, but none of his bullshit responses were questioned. After their first round loss to the Sixers, when it was very clear the team's roster construction was trash and they had thrown way a pick for Thad Young and missed out on drafting Walker Kesller, Nembhard, Jaylin Williams, Nikola Jovic, Peyton Watson, (or Tari Eason or Mark Williams if they didn't throw away the pick) no one was in the hot seat, no one made it public how dysfunctional the team was behind the scenes.
Holding teams accountable is part of the job of media. Fans can't do anything about how the team operates but enough articles from enough reporters have a much larger impact on how owners evaluate the jobs of their FOs, which usually forces change.

Aside from one of my cousins in Texas and my mom, I think it’s safe to say my family forgot me this year.
This includes one cousin on my dad’s side who turned 40 last Thursday and another on my mom’s side who turned 50 on Saturday. Both thanked me when I wished them a happy birthday. We have a couple of alcoholics in a few strategic positions in the family tree, and people show up inconsistently for each other if at all, although everyone did make more of an effort when we were all younger.
My boyfriend’s family DID show up for me this year, including his stepmom who sent a beautiful handwritten card.
He is taking off work early to watch me perform a few ballroom routines at the dance studio I go to (it’s our big semi-annual student recital tonight) and then he, his brother and I are running the Bay to Breakers on Sunday. I’m going dressed as Sally O’Malley.
I always try to remember people and will shoot a text, go out to dinner, so I truly appreciate these folks.

I’m looking for recommendations for dog food. I currently feed my 3 year old fox red lab Purina Pro Sport Performance 30/20 salmon and cod, and he has been eating this for the past three or so years, but lately he seems disinterested in this flavor. He doesn’t seem picky when it comes to eating other things. I’d like to stick with a high quality, reputable brand. Any recommendations?

I need a bit of help, I began 5 weeks ago. My current position requires some performance, but I was let go from the position before even being assigned a case load. I just moved to a different part of NYC for the job specifically. In the meeting with my director, supervisor, and HR, they phrased it as "finding a better fit within the company." Today, I have a meeting with a talent specialist to find that better fit, but how long will this take? It took me 3 months to even start this job. I'm already onboarded and completed all of my training with fingerprinting and blood work. Has this happened to anyone else? And if so, how long did it take to start with the new position.
For those 5 weeks, I've just been training. I asked about my pay and there was no answer. I had no warnings or anything. They couldn't even really explain why. Other than math not being my strong suit, and they need someone with the skill set. I reviewed math content for 2 weeks straight and thought I was where I needed to be. Coworkers had mentioned to me that they, too, relearned math and learned even more out on the field. It seems as if they were given an opportunity, and i was not. Yet when it comes to all other subject areas, I excel. HR mentioned that they see I do have skills the company needs and want to explore that. This has brought a new set of issues within the home. We literally just moved. It took me 8 months to even find this job. Am I sounding crazy to ask to start something on Monday? Or will I have to do another round of interviews?

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Hey, y'all! I'm a literature major and one of my projects this trimester is to write a one-act play. I want it to be about this pianist with performance anxiety who gets tapped to accompany a violinist for a jury in music school. They had already gotten a decent amount of practice done by the opening scene, and the violinist seems confident enough that they'll be fine. Come performance time, however, the pianist gets in his own head and his anxiety affects the violinist's playing.
I'm not a classical musician so I'm not sure how this can be portrayed realistically. Can they fall out of sync? Can the pianist be so in his head that he barely pays attention to the violinist, and the violinist ends up sort of accompanying him instead? What jury pieces would highlight the anxiety of the accompanist?
Sorry if the post sounds ridiculous so far. I want to write the scene such that the audience can pick up on the problems of the performance just by listening to it. I don't want to rely on exposition (e.g. the students listening outside the hall do a running commentary on what's happening, etc.).
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you have stories related to performance anxiety that you would like to share, I would appreciate them as well.

Hello all, some advice needed here
A coworker and I are planning a trip to Indian Creek later this year, looking like probably end of November. My question is about shoe choice.
I have a pair of TC pros in what I would call a performance fit. I don’t have any dead space and my toes are flat but against the rand. They’re super comfy for multipitch stuff and have served me well in the limited (admittedly wider) crack climbing near me.
It seems these shoes might not be ideal once the climbing gets below thin hands size. What do you use/recommend for that style of crack climbing, and how do you size them?

Apologies if this seems sporadic but usually I just come to reddit for advice/crises and this is a big one. This afternoon I got a text from a random number that I didn’t recognize. The text just had my name and a link, nothing else. I didn’t receive any emails prior to this, which I think is important to note.
The link required me to input my college ID number, which I did, and it was a pdf. In the lettepdf it says that due to poor academic performance this semester I have been academically withdrawn from my college. It also noted that I can appeal this, as well as reapply (if I don’t appeal) after a semester.
for context, i knew my grades were going to be pretty bad this semester. i had a health crisis early on that wound up in me almost being sent to the hospital but my friend made a care report to the dean’s office. Ever since february, I have been meeting with them weekly. I was missing a lot of work from early in the semester, which I was able to make up, but I still performed poorly on exams which was why I still failed most of my classes. My case manager as well as the dean for academic engagement advised me to get a letter from my psychiatrist to say I was getting treatment and to allow me to have accommodations next semester. They said if I get this letter I would more than likely be able to retroactively medically withdrawal, in which case all the grades from this semester would be wiped.
So definitely my next step would be to get that letter ASAP, but what else can I do? I am taking summer classes to fulfill the requirements from the classes I failed this semester as well as to help me be on track to graduate on time (I’m an incoming senior), so I’m just trying to totally unfuck myself out of the situation I got myself into. My parents tore into me (rightfully so), and my whole support system of friends and family are disappointed in me (also rightfully so). I have been crying for hours just because I’ve let everyone down, and I know it is up to me to make them proud of me again. But also, the biggest reason how I got in this mess was focusing on everyone except myself- focusing on my friends and hanging out with them instead of doing my work which will allow me to graduate alongside them… I know it was a terrible decision. A lot of it was my mental state (I only got diagnosed/medicated for OCD after the crisis happened, and the first medication I was on made it worse), but just as much as it is that it is also just as much my fault. I really need to spend this summer working hard for MYSELF and no one else.
I was wondering if anyone had some words of advice for this situation. I can also answer any questions. I was never on academic probation or anything of the sort before this, it has only happened this semester. I am a computer science major if that provides any information. I really don’t want to be kicked out for one fucked up semester. I want to prove to myself and everyone else that I CAN do this, and I know every step of the way from here on out will be hard as hell. What else can I do to dig myself out of this hole?

I just received these today and I am very disappointed with them. Reading all the reviews and experiences from others here had me feeling excited, but it seems I expected too much.
The ANC is OK but it doesn't do nearly enough of a good job to justify the price. I've tried the bose QC 2023 over ears which are around the same price, and in all honesty the difference is massive especially with high pitched sounds. The ANC is closer to the performance of my half as expensive WF-C700N buds.
I'm able to hear the TV playing in the living room, kids playing in my street, my fan, a helicopter passing by and cars very well. With the other ANC headphones I've tried, this was much more muffled.
And the sound quality is comparable to my C700N buds as well. Actually I prefer the sound signature of the WF buds, but this will vary from person to person.
All in all I really can't justify the price of these as they don't live up to the hype. For my ears they're not comfortable either, as some parts of my inner right ear start hurting after a while, and the left gets itchy.
Guess I'll be returning these.