I F20 am having a falling out with my M21 boyfriend. He has been given an offer from two friends that they will have a room coming available in their house across the country. When I say it’s across the country, I mean it is 10 states away from me and a 6 hour flight. My boyfriend has always wanted to live on the west coast where as I have liked living in the midwest/south. I understand these are online friends he is quite close with and the town is exactly like he has always wanted. Small, Cold, and on the water. He has started off asking me if i think we should move in. He promises they are nice people. He shows me how beautiful the town is on google and tells me we would be paying cheap rent in a beautiful home. He says if i do not like it after 2 months we can go back home. He says it wouldn’t be till late august. I told him, i would have to think more about it as it is a big jump.
Let me say I don’t really know either of the roommates, I know of them and i know their names. that is it. I have grown up in my current town my whole life, i have traveled before. but i do have family here that i am attached to, and i have many friends i’ve known since i was a toddler. My boyfriend recently moved in with me 2 years ago all the way from New York. It’s a little far. He has been in many different states and has visited many different countries. I am only at the start of my adulthood and so is he. He has made it clear he doesn’t want to stay in our town as it offers nothing for him. I find comfort and safety in my town, i know i have friends and family that will be there for me or to spend time with. since he has been here h has made his own friends that he recently hangs out with. He doesn’t have a good relationship with his remaining family. My family has become his own. They welcomed him in when he had close to nothing. I love my boyfriend but I told him I am scared of such a jump. I personally don’t think i’m financially or mentally ready for such a change. He is aware i have extreme anxiety and depression, he has been good to me. He didn’t take my opinion well, we ended up telling my mother of the plan to get a proper grown ups advice and opinions on it, she said it could be good for me but we would have to be a team. I agree with her. She thinks he is quite tunnel visioned on the subject out of excitement.
After i told him i had given it more thought and i wasn’t sure i wanted to, he blew up at me. saying how much he hates everything around him and if it weren’t for me he would’ve bought a van and traveled the world. I asked him if i was given the same opportunity would he come with me, he said no, he explained our views are different and he wouldn’t want to live near the hot southern beaches. I felt sad to hear that. i couldn’t find how this was fair. I told him i loved him enough to try this out and go with him if given the two month agreement, he went back on his word and said he couldn’t promise me he would come back with me if i didn’t like living there. he said he would stay because he already knows he would enjoy it. honestly i felt lied to, i asked him how we would continue our relationship if i were t go back alone and he said he couldn’t promise anything but he would most likely break things off.
I feel broken, i feel as if our relationship could already be over. he knows i love him too much to leave this behind and that i will have to come with him even if i don’t want to. I told him i will come if it means keeping our relationship but now i ask myself, is this what i want? to leave everyone behind for a dream i don’t have? he says his mind is made up and he will go with or without me.
please give me advice, i am in pieces.

I want to apologize in advance if this comes off as a pure rant. Of course there's also pros and not only cons, but I just needed to get this off my chest.
I met my girlfriend in engineering college around 3 years ago, back then we were both pretty young but things have changed since then and I feel like we're at completely different places in life. I'm employed and working on finishing my masters degree in the next year or so. And I'm wanting to have kids by around 33-34. Whereas she hasn't studied in all the past years, and she's still only 10% (at best) done with her undergrad degree. Plus she's only ever worked part time (like 5 hours a week) as a tutor for high school kids.
She just does not have a plan. I'm not talking about having great ambitions or expecting her to have her entire career planned out. She's really just treading water at the moment. Every day she just wakes up and starts scrolling on her phone or watching Netflix. No sense of urgency, no applying for jobs, no studying, no hobbies, no exercising. (and yes, she already is in therapy)
As shitty as it sounds, I often thought to myself "I wish I was with someone who's just normal". Or "I wish my girlfriend was reliable". Whereas as a teen or even early 20s guy this probably wasn't high on my priority list, I've found that nowadays I find it really really attractive when a woman is some combination of smart, educated and ambitious. And the fun part is, my girlfriend IS smart, she's scored around 130 on several IQ tests. But every conversation with her just feels dull. She has nothing to tell me since she doesn't read or follow the news and doesn't have hobbies either. She knows next to nothing about history (didn't even know japan was involved in WW2 for example), politics, tech or whatever topic one would want to talk about. Plus she thinks philosophizing is lame, so no deep talk. I just don't want to only ever talk about the weather and what other people are doing/saying.
She's 24, and yes, objectively that's still young, but also not that young. I only see two options for her near future right now:

1. She continues studying engineering, and by the time she finishes her degree she will be 30 assuming she starts right NOW (and yes, attaining just your undergrad degree can take this long in my country). So she will be 30, with an empty resume, probably won't have the easiest time finding a job. And by the time she's 31 or 32, we would be having kids, further disrupting her career.
2. She does something else. But that would require her admitting to herself that she "failed". At the moment she's just not able to do this. She'd probably need a couple more years of personal growth to get to this point.

I just keep losing hope by the day. The clock is ticking and the pressure is mounting. But on the other hand I don't want to just give up on her. I also had severe episodes of depression in the past and I only really figured out what I wanted to do at age 24. Before that I didn't really work hard and plan for the future. She's only 24 too, so it would feel hypocritical for me to hold her to such high standards. Maybe I'm overthinking and placing too much emphasis on professional success, or maybe I'm correct to be concerned, since this carries over into every area of your life. I really don't know...
Anyways. I'm just hoping someone reads my wall of text, and really, any input is appreciated. Thank you for coming to my TED talk! :)
Tl;dr: My girlfriend has no job/education/ambition and no plans whereas I'm trying hard to build a better future. I'm clinging onto the hope of her getting better soon. But I don't know how to find out where this is going?

I want to apologize in advance if this comes off as a pure rant. Of course there's also pros and not only cons, but I just needed to get this off my chest.
I met my girlfriend in engineering college around 3 years ago, back then we were both pretty young but things have changed since then and I feel like we're at completely different places in life. I'm employed and working on finishing my masters degree in the next year or so. And I'm wanting to have kids by around 33-34. Whereas she hasn't studied in all the past years, and she's still only 10% (at best) done with her undergrad degree. Plus she's only ever worked part time (like 5 hours a week) as a tutor for high school kids.
She just does not have a plan. I'm not talking about having great ambitions or expecting her to have her entire career planned out. She's really just treading water at the moment. Every day she just wakes up and starts scrolling on her phone or watching Netflix. No sense of urgency, no applying for jobs, no studying, no hobbies, no exercising. (and yes, she already is in therapy)
As shitty as it sounds, I often thought to myself "I wish I was with someone who's just normal". Or "I wish my girlfriend was reliable". Whereas as a teen or even early 20s guy this probably wasn't high on my priority list, I've found that nowadays I find it really really attractive when a woman is some combination of smart, educated and ambitious. And the fun part is, my girlfriend IS smart, she's scored around 130 on several IQ tests. But every conversation with her just feels dull. She has nothing to tell me since she doesn't read or follow the news and doesn't have hobbies either. She knows next to nothing about history (didn't even know japan was involved in WW2 for example), politics, tech or whatever topic one would want to talk about. Plus she thinks philosophizing is lame, so no deep talk. I just don't want to only ever talk about the weather and what other people are doing/saying.
She's 24, and yes, objectively that's still young, but also not that young. I only see two options for her near future right now:

1. She continues studying engineering, and by the time she finishes her degree she will be 30 assuming she starts right NOW (and yes, attaining just your undergrad degree can take this long in my country). So she will be 30, with an empty resume, probably won't have the easiest time finding a job. And by the time she's 31 or 32, we would be having kids, further disrupting her career.
2. She does something else. But that would require her admitting to herself that she "failed". At the moment she's just not able to do this. She'd probably need a couple more years of personal growth to get to this point.

I just keep losing hope by the day. The clock is ticking and the pressure is mounting. But on the other hand I don't want to just give up on her. I also had severe episodes of depression in the past and I only really figured out what I wanted to do at age 24. Before that I didn't really work hard and plan for the future. She's only 24 too, so it would feel hypocritical for me to hold her to such high standards. Maybe I'm overthinking and placing too much emphasis on professional success, or maybe I'm correct to be concerned, since this carries over into every area of your life. I really don't know...
I don't even have a question or anything. I'm just hoping someone reads my wall of text, and really, any input is appreciated. Thank you for coming to my TED talk! :)

I want to apologize in advance if this comes off as a pure rant. Of course there's also pros and not only cons, but I just needed to get this off my chest.
I met my girlfriend in engineering college around 3 years ago, back then we were both pretty young but things have changed since then and I feel like we're at completely different places in life. I'm employed and working on finishing my masters degree in the next year or so. And I'm wanting to have kids by around 33-34. Whereas she hasn't studied in all the past years, and she's still only 10% (at best) done with her undergrad degree. Plus she's only ever worked part time (like 5 hours a week) as a tutor for high school kids.
She just does not have a plan. I'm not talking about having great ambitions or expecting her to have her entire career planned out. She's really just treading water at the moment. Every day she just wakes up and starts scrolling on her phone or watching Netflix. No sense of urgency, no applying for jobs, no studying, no hobbies, no exercising. (and yes, she already is in therapy)
As shitty as it sounds, I often thought to myself "I wish I was with someone who's just normal". Or "I wish my girlfriend was reliable". Whereas as a teen or even early 20s guy this probably wasn't high on my priority list, I've found that nowadays I find it really really attractive when a woman is some combination of smart, educated and ambitious. And the fun part is, my girlfriend IS smart, she's scored around 130 on several IQ tests. But every conversation with her just feels dull. She has nothing to tell me since she doesn't read or follow the news and doesn't have hobbies either. She knows next to nothing about history (didn't even know japan was involved in WW2 for example), politics, tech or whatever topic one would want to talk about. Plus she thinks philosophizing is lame, so no deep talk. I just don't want to only ever talk about the weather and what other people are doing/saying.
She's 24, and yes, objectively that's still young, but also not that young. I only see two options for her near future right now:
1) She continues studying engineering, and by the time she finishes her degree she will be 30 assuming she starts right NOW (and yes, attaining just your undergrad degree can take this long in my country). So she will be 30, with an empty resume, probably won't have the easiest time finding a job. And by the time she's 31 or 32, we would be having kids, further disrupting her career.
2) She does something else. But that would require her admitting to herself that she "failed". At the moment she's just not able to do this. She'd probably need a couple more years of personal growth to get to this point.
I just keep losing hope by the day. The clock is ticking and the pressure is mounting. But on the other hand I don't want to just give up on her. I also had severe episodes of depression in the past and I only really figured out what I wanted to do at age 24. Before that I didn't really work hard and plan for the future. She's only 24 too, so it would feel hypocritical for me to hold her to such high standards. Maybe I'm overthinking and placing too much emphasis on professional success, or maybe I'm correct to be concerned, since this carries over into every area of your life. I really don't know...
I don't even have a question or anything. I'm just hoping someone reads my wall of text, and really, any input is appreciated. Thank you for coming to my TED talk! :)

Once again yesterday I was jumping through hoops to help my LO (M32), and I always feel so many mixed feelings over it after it happens.
We had been texting all afternoon after I went to an appointment in the hospital for my pap smear (3 years being monitored for a cervix lesion), I was in so much pain and it was a bit traumatic. He was being sweet and understanding. He was going to photograph an event in another city after his day-job, and he couldn't find his reusable battery charger, so he asked me if I could lend him one.
Well, I don't have a reusable battery charger. I used to, but it was my ex's. I was just waking up from a nap, but immediately started calling my dad, brother, and friends to try and get one lended. My friend F (M28), his GF (F28) and I were going out for dinner and he told me he had one he could lend. I called LO and told him I got it, and he doesn't deserve me. Then I offered myself to drive him to the train station because it rained all day and his car is in the shop. Boy.
So, can you guess it? I go to the dinner - that started late at 9.30pm -, and leave at 11pm super fast to go meet him. I felt like shit leaving my friends, but they understood. I waited for him outside the restaurant he works at. He then asks if I can still take him to the train station. I said yes, and I drive him there. We joke a bit on the way, he tells me about his day, asks if I'm feeling better.
When I park in front of the train station, he asks me if I want to keep him company while he waits for the train. Of course I said yes and went in with him. We joked for a bit more. He made fun of me over something I said and I jokingly hit him in the arm, and we laugh a lot, I am always so happy near him. His train arrives and he kisses me on the cheek and I hug him. I tell him to text me later. As he is entering the train, he looks back and yells for me to text him when I get home. I leave for my car, giddy.
Then I go home. And we text until I go to sleep and he gets to the event. I answer him at 6.30am, he answers almost immediately and we text a bit until I leave for work and he goes to sleep. I tell him to go rest and he wishes me a good day at work.
And I'm thinking I'm such a simp for him. Why do I feel compelled to have girlfriend actions towards him? There's no benefit for me, expect for his attention. Stupidly I am waiting for him to realize how great I am and give it a chance, but I'm too much of a chicken to tell him I like him. I'm not sure he likes me back, because while on one hand he seems to make too much of an effort for a simple friendship - coming to see me regularly, seating next to me on group hang outs and almost only talking to me, texts me everyday, kisses me on the forehead, etc -, on the other he never made a proper move and the only flirty thing he does is sending me flirty reels and memes (this has only started happening over the last two weeks, and I'm not sure if he just finds it funny or if he's testing the waters for my reaction).
I know I show love through acts of service, so it's not foreign for me to try to be helpful and get taken advantage of, especially by a LO. I'm always trying to prove my worth and value and I feel tired of not feeling "seen". I know it's not his fault, even if he doesn't like me back. I'm the one not setting boundaries for myself because I am so infatuated with him and want to be with him all the time and make him happy...

Long story short:
* Like everyone else, I had doubts before purchasing any of his courses, so I’ll mention the main points that were important to me before buying it (more on this when I talk about the four main problems I faced in my journey of self-development and attraction):
* Is the course worth it? Considering the impact it has had on my life, my answer is a resounding YES.
* Is there a cost-benefit balance? Absolutely yes.
* Will it help me in all areas of my life? Yes, especially with power dynamics. This course will offer you valuable insights that you can apply in any area of your life.
* Do the techniques and strategies really work? Yes, they do. However, like any course, the key is to you apply what you've learned and it also depends on the time and effort you're willing to invest to achieve lasting changes
Important note: I don't have any kind of relationship with Lucio or anyone on his team, and no one paid me to do this review, much less to share such intimate details. I am doing this of my own free will because I want to thank him for all the knowledge he has provided me, and I believe this could be useful for him and for anyone looking to determine whether what he teaches is useful or not. This review is not going to be directly about his courses; it is going to be about all the resources on TPM (The Power Moves), and specifically about the impact they have had on my life. Consider it more of a testimonial and also a personal opinion.
The following review is quite detailed, and really long. I really believe that writing less would strip away a lot of depth and context. I don’t expect everyone to read it entirely, but maybe it can offer some perspective to someone interested in buying the course. I’m not a special person (I mean like someone famous, or with a lot of academic titles, or any of that); I’m just a regular guy looking to improve the quality of my life and achieve enough economic prosperity to help the people I love most live the life they want, help those in need, people, animals…and if possible, gain valuable knowledge that helps me in my work as a psychologist. Nothing satisfies me more than seeing the faces of people when, with some time and effort, they realize they can do things they never thought possible and feel proud of themselves for achieving it. I also haven’t had it easy in my romantic life, and I’d like to find a healthy person who is also motivated to be a better human being and have a peaceful love. Learning about power will just be a means to contribute my little bit to this world. I’m not a writer, but I’ll try to outline what I consider to be the most important points to give you another perspective to consider, if you want to buy this course. My native language is Spanish, so due to the length of the text and my lack of skill in “speaking” another language, I decided to use ChatGPT as a translator (since I feel it does a better job than Google Translator), and I’ll make the necessary adjustments to make myself better understood.
For most of my life, I lived in deep loneliness and experienced a lot of abuse from people. I never understood why, no matter how many good things I did for others, I received mistreatment in return. My social programming whispered to me, “Do good things for others, and they will be good to you”, “Give to others what you would like to receive,” among many other things. But as time went by, I slowly fell into despair. Since I was 8 years old, I’ve had suicidal thoughts, strongly influenced by my social/romantic life. Eventually, I began to harbor unhealthy beliefs that took root in my way of thinking. For example, I thought I had to make enormous efforts to maintain the “affection” and “acceptance” people “had” for me. I also believed that if no one, not a single person, treated me with respect, it was because that was what I deserved. If no one was interested in who I was, it was because I was worth so little that I couldn’t ask for more from life and should be grateful for the crumbs of “love” I received. Regarding my love life, during my first 19 years, not a single person showed interest in me. I’m not extremely attractive, but based on social feedback, I’d say I’m slightly above average. Perhaps my short height would be the one physical trait that works against me, as I’m 1.63 meters or, as you might better understand, I’m 5’4”. As for internal traits related to girls, I treated them well, was respectful, showed interest in them, helped them, dedicated a lot of my time, and was unconditionally there for them through good and bad times. I was many things that, according to movies and the opinions of many girls (based solely on what they said they wanted), I thought would bring me plenty of women, and yet, not a single soul wanted to be with me. What I did achieve with the girls I liked was becoming their best friend. And so, I spent my days and nights listening to the girls I liked cry over aggressive men who mistreated them physically and emotionally and/or cheated on them with other girls. I didn’t understand it; I had a good set of values and not just with them but with everyone. I considered myself a good guy, competent in some areas, and was unconditionally there for them, and yet they preferred to be with clearly violent men. In one of the moments when I felt most miserable, the following happened: I liked a girl and expressed it to her, and although she initially reciprocated, a month later, she left me for someone else and started dating that person. In something very similar to therapy, I ended up helping her for almost three years to improve her relationship with her aggressive partner.
Here, I’d like to say something (nothing to do with the situation, but anyway, I wanted to share those thoughts with you): two of the worst things I was made to believe were: “You don’t have to change; someone will come and love you just as you are,” and “Romantic love is something that just happens naturally, stop looking for it. It will come to you.” Neither of these things ever happened, and both are awful, unempathetic and limiting mindsets.
Eight years ago, after spending some time in a psychiatric hospital due to suicidal ideation, I decided to completely change my life and committed to my personal growth. Every day without exception, I studied and applied the concepts I was learning in my spare time, while studying to one day become a psychologist. I bought books, courses (even from very prominent figures in the world of seduction and self-development that you would easily recognize). When I didn’t even have money to eat, I downloaded them from pirate sources, but I always found a way to keep progressing. I had many virtual teachers who helped me grow in different aspects, and I’m very grateful for the knowledge they provided me that helped me climb out of that black hole. Like many who embark on this journey, I reached a point where, no matter how much I read and took courses, there was nothing new to pull me out of my stagnation. Everything was the same. I had to constantly review new resources and listen to endless hours of videos to find a needle in a haystack. For me, it was no longer worth paying for a full course if what I was going to found was something I had likely already learned (a lot of times for free). Although I sought to develop on all levels, here I will emphasize the romantic part more. Generally, these learning resources had a couple of problems: the first is that I’ve never been the kind of person who wants to date multiple girls; I’m more the type of guy who seeks a stable partner. The second problem was that many people who teach dating skills ask you to have a very high energy level and I’m a very calm and rather introverted person (not shy, introverted). I don’t want to pretend to be excited or become friends with everyone around me to increase my social value (it’s very exhausting and not worth it as a long-term strategy). The third problem is that the advice of many people who want to promote healthy relationships (some of them psychologists), although well-intentioned, makes any spark that generated attraction nonexistent, generating very predictable behavior (in the bad way) among other things. – certainly, those tools are important for a healthy relationship, but they won’t necessarily make someone feel attracted to you (I find it unlikely). They are more of a positive complement that can help increase value when there is already attraction. After a while and thanks to Lucio’s reflections, I realized the problems and limitations that these gurus or psychologists, basically they are very “politically correct”. Finally, the last problem I found is that none of them addressed the true root of my problem. No matter how much I improved in all aspects, I still didn’t see results with girls. Yes, the number of girls approaching me increased slightly, but none wanted to be with me for a long-term relationship. That missing ingredient is called “power,” and although briefly mentioned in those courses, videos, books, etc., it was never sufficiently well explained to understand why I wasn’t achieving results. My problem was that my balance between warmth and power was enormously unbalanced. I was completely warm with people, but I didn’t have a clue about power dynamics (what Lucio would call “The King’s Servant). I ended up in the “good guy” category, a good guy who wanted to be bad and wanted to treat women poorly to see if he got results, but whose moral values never allowed him to do anything that would hurt or could hurt another person, even if it meant remaining alone (which, far from making me feel good or proud at the moment, it only increased my self-hate). I wanted to remain good, but being good got me nowhere. Adding to that, due to my upbringing, I developed an anxious attachment style (something I also hated for a long time because, objectively speaking, it’s certainly easier for an avoidant man to have more power in a relationship thanks to his natural tendency to fear emotional closeness and natural behavior to protect his independence; quick note: I think that behavior is far from perfect but from what I’ve seen at least they get more results with girls). I have been always considered too clingy and dependent.
Many girls who felt initial attraction to me after a while wanted me to stay in their lives, but never as their partner, only as a good friend. When I turned 20, I found my first partner. This girl was incredibly attracted to me at first, but as soon as I started prioritizing her and seeking closeness, when I set aside my power to be “truly myself,” she began to lose attraction and started to disrespect me. At some point along that path, I came across TPM, and I must say it was a pleasant surprise after years of stagnation.
Human beings are very complex, and because of this, it’s unlikely that a single teacher will “save” you from your social and/or romantic situation. But for me, the person who has influenced my life for the better the most is Lucio. Since I started this journey, I’ve been gathering bits of knowledge from each person that has contributed to who I am, but there have been two things that have totally changed my social life, and for me, both are equally important. The first would take a long time to explain and is more about inner work and pure reflection, but in terms of knowledge, if I had to erase those eight years and start over, I’d like it to be with the knowledge Lucio provides. Seduction University was the last course I bought a long time ago, and Power University will probably be the last course I’ll buy (for several years). I bought Seduction University quite some time ago (about two or three years) and am still learning; I’m just over 73% through the course. This amount of time might surprise many, but those who seek lasting changes in themselves and who are truly committed to deeply learning and integrating everything there until it becomes second nature, know it will likely take several months and probably years.
Having knowledge is not a magic cure; knowing something doesn't make you good at it. Changing deep aspects of one's identity is not as easy as many people seem to forget; it's slow, very slow, and also requires conscious and constant effort. The path of personal growth is not easy, but personally I don't expect it to be. It may take me several years of practice to consolidate all that knowledge, but I know with absolute certainty that it will be a great investment for my future. Going back to the main point, in my opinion, Seduction University and very likely Power University will give you much more value than what you'd get from a more well-known person's course, and at an incredibly affordable price. I know this, because I've been consuming content from many authors for 8 years (every day, each day of the past 8 years without fail). Honestly, I'm fortunate that it is priced so affordably. To be completely honest with you I don't earn much money, and, in my country, there is not much economic prosperity, there is significant inequality, and for me, paying for a course in dollars is comparatively much more expensive than for people who earn in dollars or other stronger currencies. And still, I believe it's totally worth investing in these courses.
One important thing I've learned over the years is that there are things your mind will not be ready to understand, and the good thing about that is as long as you commit to your learning, you will keep growing and progressing, and at some point when you revisit the material, you might understand those things you didn't “grasp” initially, or you might achieve more advanced things that your novice self couldn't properly do the first time you went through the material. You'll pay a price for one of these courses the day you decide to buy it (if you decide to do so), but the truth is that by the time you truly learn everything, so much time will have passed that, if you look at it from a very distant perspective (all the required time for you to really learn), you'll find that the benefits you will get will be arguably greater than those that Lucio and his team will have gotten. Another thing to keep in mind is that either Seduction University or Power University, if used well, will likely help you achieve more economic prosperity; on the other hand, Lucio makes sure to improve the course content, which guarantees even more growth over time. For me this justifies the annual payment to access the material again, which brings me to the next point: Lucio gives you a full year to access the learning material, and if you want to keep having access, he significantly reduces the price (probably in gratitude to those who trusted him and decided to buy the course). Also, keep in mind what I said about how it's very likely that the second or third time you take the course, you'll probably learn new things you were not prepared for before. Finally, it's a price that, in my opinion, supports all his work. He has spent a lot of time and effort reading books, articles, reviewing courses, making videos, writing in his blog, and much more, all for free. Even if you decided not to buy any of his courses, believe me, just by reading his articles, watching his videos, and reading the book reviews he recommends for specific issues, you'd already be avoiding wasting time on reading useless or unnecessarily complex things. For my part, I'm glad he was able to provide me with a way out of the stagnation I had; I really like that he also considers people who are looking for a stable relationship and not just those seeking to have more sexual partners (which is also very valid and respectable); I like that he teaches the "general rules and mindsets," allowing for personality flexibility since that way I don't feel compelled to be (or rather pretend to be) a very energetic and super sociable person to achieve good results with girls; I like that he is a person who does not seek or promote the use of the knowledge he has to harm people but focuses on teaching how to generate relationships that promote a win-win dynamic. Since I started to consume his content, my life has changed quite a bit. I definitely feel more respected, and all my relationships have improved on all levels, romantically, although I have not yet found a person with whom there has been enough compatibility to want to have that person as a stable partner, and I still have much to improve, I definitely feel that I have become more attractive to people. In my last job, considering there weren't many staff members (about 30-35 workers including supervisors and the manager), I ended up being (romantically/sexually) liked by 14 people (8 women, 6 men), and in that job, I dated my second partner. I still make many mistakes, and there are deeper issues that require professional help, but the truth is that my life has undoubtedly improved a lot. I am a person who really takes the time to learn and truly integrate into myself what I have learned, and it has taken me years to consolidate the knowledge in Seduction University. As I said before, I haven't finished it, and it will probably take me many more months (maybe years) to consolidate the information there and what I still have not read yet in the course (not to mention the hyperlinks he provides to dig really deep in some topics). I want to improve even more in my life, and that’s why I decided to buy Power University. From lesson one, I already started finding very valuable knowledge; I haven't gone far into the course, and it would be dishonest to give my opinion, but I feel that, like Seduction University, Power University will also be very worthwhile. The book "Ultimate Power" also has hidden gems (at the moment, I am reflecting a lot on what it explains about cultivating an antifragile ego). I decided not to buy more courses or books because it will probably take me more than a year to consume all the content and much longer to make it my second nature. Although I like to diversify my knowledge and will continue learning about synergistic topics about personal growth, I would like to prioritize finishing both courses (at least "the reading part" the "superficial effort part"), besides dedicating the rest of my efforts to deep-reflective inner work, developing a physique that I feel happy with, and creating my own business that will allow me to help more people and animals in the future.
I hope the knowledge you find in any of TPM’s resources changes your life as much as it changed mine. Of course, it’s important to learn from different people and not become obsessed with a single philosophy. There are things you won’t find in Lucio’s material that could be very useful in your life and your specific problems/challenges, and you shouldn’t overlook them. Additionally, learning from different people with different perspectives will help you be more flexible and have a better chance of achieving the things you want in life. Find someone who shares their knowledge with you and who makes you reflect, and when you notice that that person starts repeating ideas, it's time to move on and look for new people who can help you out of your stagnation. Remember, every piece is important along the way, and it's important to be grateful to every person you meet because everyone has a valuable lesson to teach you (especially when that person has a different perspective than yours).
I'll probably spend many more years learning from Lucio until I finish integrating the knowledge he offers (although as he will most likely keep adding more content and learning things on his own, I will surely visit his blog or YouTube channel from time to time like visiting an old and dear friend and teacher whom I admire and respect).
I would like to make a final mention to John from customer service. He is a charming person and attended to me very well every time I contacted customer service. It feels like talking to a good friend; the service is fast, he is respectful, he has manners, and from start to finish he was very attentive in keeping his word every time he told me he would respond within a certain time frame. You can't really get to know a person in customer service, but from all the times I talked to him, he seemed competent, warm, and generous. John deserves a raise; he’s a really great guy :)

Trekking, or backpacking as it's sometimes called, is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in nature, challenge yourself physically, and create lasting memories. But embarking on a trek requires proper preparation, and a crucial element of that preparation is choosing the right gear, especially your trekking pants for women.
The perfect pair of trekking pants will provide comfort, protection, and functionality throughout your adventure. This guide explores the key features to consider when selecting the ideal women's trekking pants, ensuring you hit the trail feeling confident and prepared.
Essential Features for Women's Trekking Pants:

• Fabric:
  • Durability: Look for pants constructed from strong, abrasion-resistant fabrics like nylon or polyester blends. These materials can withstand the rigors of the trail and protect your legs from scrapes and snags.
  • Breathability: Choose breathable fabrics that allow moisture to wick away from your skin, keeping you cool and comfortable during exertion. Features like mesh ventilation panels can further enhance breathability.
  • Water Resistance: A water-resistant finish can help repel light rain or unexpected showers, keeping you dry on the trail. However, some water resistance may compromise breathability, so consider the expected weather conditions.
• Fit:
  • Comfort: Your Hiking pants for men should fit comfortably without being too loose or restrictive. Look for a waistband that sits securely without digging in and articulated knees for unrestricted movement.
  • Mobility: The fit should allow for a full range of motion, especially when climbing, scrambling, or navigating uneven terrain.
  • Length: Consider the desired length. Ankle-length pants provide protection from insects and debris, while capri-length options might be suitable for hot weather conditions.
• Features:
  • Pockets: Strategically placed pockets are essential for storing essential gear like maps, snacks, compass, and other items you might need readily accessible. Look for zippered or secure closure pockets to prevent items from falling out.
  • UPF Protection: For sunny conditions, consider wearing pants with a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) rating to shield your legs from harmful UV rays.
  • Belt Loops: Belt loops allow you to customize the fit and add a belt for additional security, especially if carrying a backpack.

Additional Considerations for Women's Trekking Pants:

• Climate: The ideal fabric weight and features will vary depending on the climate you'll be trekking in. For hot weather, prioritize lightweight, breathable fabrics. For colder climates, consider convertible pants that can be zipped off to become shorts, or opt for heavier fabrics with water-resistant properties.
• Personal Preferences: Do you prefer a relaxed fit or a more streamlined look? Do you prioritize maximum storage or a lightweight feel? Consider your personal preferences when selecting your trekking pants.

Finding the Perfect Pair at Gokyo
At Gokyo, we offer a wide variety of trekking pants for women to suit different needs and preferences. Our knowledgeable staff can assist you in finding the perfect pair based on your specific trek, the climate you'll be facing, and your desired level of functionality.
We recommend visiting our store to try on different styles and materials to ensure you find a comfortable and functional fit for your next adventure. With the right pair of trekking pants, you can confidently explore any trail and embrace the spirit of adventure.
Beyond the Basics: Caring for Your Trekking Pants

• Washing: Follow the care instructions on the garment label. Most trekking pants can be machine washed with cold water and a mild detergent.
• Drying: Line drying is recommended to preserve the fabric's breathability and water-resistant properties.
• Storage: Store your trekking pants clean and dry in a cool, dark place.

By properly caring for your trekking pants, you can ensure they remain comfortable, functional, and ready for your next adventure.

I know multiple dashers do Uber eats, insta cart, Postmates, etc at the same time. If you've by chance used any of these or any other delivery apps can you answer these questions to help me out? (not Uber or Lyft) I just lost my full time job and have had tricky getting a new one. I'm not sure if it's just been me or everyone but recently the orders have been so so slow even if we do it from sunset to sundown. This isn't anything new but the main ones I've gotten have been like 2-5 dollar orders for 7-15 miles which isn't worth it to me. Now I'm looking to do multiple apps at once or something that has a slightly better pay. As this is my main source of income I can't keep going from sunrise to sundown, I need a better option.
What's the app you've noticed has the best pay ?
What is a positive and a negative for each one ?
Have you noticed a difference in better organization of the orders, app features, etc?
Is it difficult to do multiple at once; how does it work exactly, do your stats ever get messed up or affected by this, have customers ever said anything about the food getting cold or that you aren't heading to the order, has one of the apps ever given you a warning, do you keep one paused if you get a really good one ?
Question for female drivers; how do you ensure your safety, what precautions do you take, how do you react to a customer flirting, etc.
I typically never dash alone I do it with my boyfriend and he drops it off at the door for me most of the time. This is because the first ever dash I did by myself I had a very uncomfortable situation. I got the order it was a leave at door, this customer was in an apartment and had not included the pin to the door when I called. He gave me a code that was not working no matter how I did it so he said he would come grey it from me. Throughout this phone call he was saying things that were flirtatious and made me uncomfortable. I stated I'm not interested in small talk I just want to make sure you get your food. He kept on saying things like "you sound so beautiful, what's your number, where are you from, what part of town do you live in, you should come inside, etc. I'm a small person and do have pepper spray and such but I completely felt so uncomfortable I was shaking with fear when he finally showed up I basically shoved the food in his hands and left as soon as possible. Whenever I called doordash to let them know I felt unsafe and uncomfortable there was a male on the phone who made me feel like I was overreacting and completely made me feel like even if it was any dangerous situations. Due to this I never go alone so any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm only like 110 pounds and 21 years old so I have a lot to learn.
Thank you in advance!
Cross posted

I know multiple dashers do Uber eats, insta cart, Postmates, etc at the same time. If you've by chance used any of these or any other delivery apps can you answer these questions to help me out? (not Uber or Lyft) I just lost my full time job and have had tricky getting a new one. I'm not sure if it's just been me or everyone but recently the orders have been so so slow even if we do it from sunset to sundown. This isn't anything new but the main ones I've gotten have been like 2-5 dollar orders for 7-15 miles which isn't worth it to me. Now I'm looking to do multiple apps at once or something that has a slightly better pay. As this is my main source of income I can't keep going from sunrise to sundown, I need a better option.
What's the app you've noticed has the best pay ?
What is a positive and a negative for each one ?
Have you noticed a difference in better organization of the orders, app features, etc?
Is it difficult to do multiple at once; how does it work exactly, do your stats ever get messed up or affected by this, have customers ever said anything about the food getting cold or that you aren't heading to the order, has one of the apps ever given you a warning, do you keep one paused if you get a really good one ?
Question for female drivers; how do you ensure your safety, what precautions do you take, how do you react to a customer flirting, etc.
I typically never dash alone I do it with my boyfriend and he drops it off at the door for me most of the time. This is because the first ever dash I did by myself I had a very uncomfortable situation. I got the order it was a leave at door, this customer was in an apartment and had not included the pin to the door when I called. He gave me a code that was not working no matter how I did it so he said he would come grey it from me. Throughout this phone call he was saying things that were flirtatious and made me uncomfortable. I stated I'm not interested in small talk I just want to make sure you get your food. He kept on saying things like "you sound so beautiful, what's your number, where are you from, what part of town do you live in, you should come inside, etc. I'm a small person and do have pepper spray and such but I completely felt so uncomfortable I was shaking with fear when he finally showed up I basically shoved the food in his hands and left as soon as possible. Whenever I called doordash to let them know I felt unsafe and uncomfortable there was a male on the phone who made me feel like I was overreacting and completely made me feel like even if it was any dangerous situations. Due to this I never go alone so any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm only like 110 pounds and 21 years old so I have a lot to learn.
Thank you in advance!
Cross posted

I know multiple dashers do Uber eats, insta cart, Postmates, etc at the same time. If you've by chance used any of these or any other delivery apps can you answer these questions to help me out? (not Uber or Lyft) I just lost my full time job and have had tricky getting a new one. I'm not sure if it's just been me or everyone but recently the orders have been so so slow even if we do it from sunset to sundown. This isn't anything new but the main ones I've gotten have been like 2-5 dollar orders for 7-15 miles which isn't worth it to me. Now I'm looking to do multiple apps at once or something that has a slightly better pay. As this is my main source of income I can't keep going from sunrise to sundown, I need a better option.
What's the app you've noticed has the best pay ?
What is a positive and a negative for each one ?
Have you noticed a difference in better organization of the orders, app features, etc?
Is it difficult to do multiple at once; how does it work exactly, do your stats ever get messed up or affected by this, have customers ever said anything about the food getting cold or that you aren't heading to the order, has one of the apps ever given you a warning, do you keep one paused if you get a really good one ?
Question for female drivers; how do you ensure your safety, what precautions do you take, how do you react to a customer flirting, etc.
I typically never dash alone I do it with my boyfriend and he drops it off at the door for me most of the time. This is because the first ever dash I did by myself I had a very uncomfortable situation. I got the order it was a leave at door, this customer was in an apartment and had not included the pin to the door when I called. He gave me a code that was not working no matter how I did it so he said he would come grey it from me. Throughout this phone call he was saying things that were flirtatious and made me uncomfortable. I stated I'm not interested in small talk I just want to make sure you get your food. He kept on saying things like "you sound so beautiful, what's your number, where are you from, what part of town do you live in, you should come inside, etc. I'm a small person and do have pepper spray and such but I completely felt so uncomfortable I was shaking with fear when he finally showed up I basically shoved the food in his hands and left as soon as possible. Whenever I called doordash to let them know I felt unsafe and uncomfortable there was a male on the phone who made me feel like I was overreacting and completely made me feel like even if it was any dangerous situations. Due to this I never go alone so any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm only like 110 pounds and 21 years old so I have a lot to learn.
Thank you in advance!
Cross posted

Embedded systems are at the heart of many modern technological advancements, from smart home devices to automotive systems. As an aspiring embedded systems engineer, the best way to gain practical knowledge and develop your skills is through hands-on projects. These projects not only solidify your theoretical understanding but also give you invaluable experience in problem-solving and system design. Here are some essential hands-on projects to master in your embedded course.
Embedded systems are at the heart of many modern technological advancements, from smart home devices to automotive systems. As an aspiring embedded systems engineer, the best way to gain practical knowledge and develop your skills is through hands-on projects. These projects not only solidify your theoretical understanding but also give you invaluable experience in problem-solving and system design. Here are some essential hands-on projects to master in your embedded course.

1. LED Blinking Project

Objective:

Learn the basics of microcontroller programming and GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) operations.

Description:

Start with a simple project where you program a microcontroller to blink an LED on and off. This project introduces you to fundamental concepts such as setting up a development environment, writing and uploading code, and using timers.

Key Learnings:

• Microcontroller setup and configuration
• Basic C/C++ programming for embedded systems
• Understanding GPIO pins and their functions

2. Digital Thermometer

Objective:

Build a temperature-sensing device using a microcontroller and a temperature sensor.

Description:

Create a digital thermometer that reads temperature data from a sensor (like the DS18B20) and displays the readings on an LCD screen. This project involves interfacing sensors and displays with the microcontroller and handling data conversion.

Key Learnings:

• Interfacing sensors and displays
• Analog-to-digital conversion
• Data acquisition and processing

3. Home Automation System

Objective:

Design a basic home automation system to control appliances remotely.

Description:

Develop a system where you can control home appliances like lights and fans using a microcontroller and a communication module (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth). Implement a simple user interface to operate the system via a smartphone or computer.

Key Learnings:

• Wireless communication protocols (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Control of relays and actuators
• User interface design and implementation

4. Smart Door Lock

Objective:

Create a security system with an electronic lock controlled by a microcontroller.

Description:

Design a smart door lock system that uses a keypad or RFID reader for access control. The system should authenticate users and trigger a servo motor to unlock the door.

Key Learnings:

• Security and authentication mechanisms
• Interfacing with input devices (keypad, RFID)
• Control of servo motors and other actuators

5. Robot Car

Objective:

Build a basic robotic car with obstacle avoidance capabilities.

Description:

Construct a small robot car using a microcontroller, motors, and sensors (like ultrasonic or infrared sensors). Program the car to navigate and avoid obstacles autonomously.

Key Learnings:

• Motor control and driver circuits
• Sensor integration and data interpretation
• Algorithms for autonomous navigation

6. Weather Station

Objective:

Develop a weather monitoring system that collects and displays environmental data.

Description:

Create a weather station using various sensors (temperature, humidity, pressure) and a microcontroller. Display the collected data on an LCD or send it to a web server for remote monitoring.

Key Learnings:

• Multi-sensor integration
• Data logging and storage
• Networking and data transmission

7. Heart Rate Monitor

Objective:

Design a health monitoring device to measure and display heart rate.

Description:

Build a heart rate monitor using a pulse sensor and a microcontroller. Display the heart rate on an OLED screen or send the data to a mobile app.

Key Learnings:

• Bio-signal acquisition and processing
• Interfacing with display modules
• Mobile app integration (optional)

8. Automatic Plant Watering System

Objective:

Create a system that automatically waters plants based on soil moisture levels.

Description:

Design a plant watering system using a soil moisture sensor and a microcontroller. Program the system to activate a pump to water the plants when the soil moisture drops below a certain threshold.

Key Learnings:

• Sensor-based decision making
• Control of pumps and valves
• Power management and optimization

9. Smart Meter

Objective:

Build an energy monitoring device to track power consumption.

Description:

Develop a smart meter that measures electrical energy consumption using a current sensor and a microcontroller. Display the data on an LCD or transmit it to a central server for analysis.

Key Learnings:

• Electrical energy measurement
• Real-time data processing
• Remote data transmission

10. Voice-Controlled Assistant

Objective:

Create a voice-activated system to control various devices.

Description:

Design a voice-controlled assistant using a microcontroller, a microphone, and a speech recognition module. Program it to respond to voice commands and control devices like lights, fans, or appliances.

Key Learnings:

• Voice recognition and processing
• Audio signal interfacing
• Control system integration

Conclusion

Hands-on projects are a critical component of mastering embedded systems. They not only enhance your practical skills but also prepare you for real-world challenges. By working on these projects, you will gain a deep understanding of microcontroller programming, sensor integration, and system design, setting a strong foundation for a successful career in embedded systems engineering. Dive into these projects, and watch your skills and confidence grow!.

DC Next Proudly Presents:

THE NEW TITANS

In Shadow of Kestrel
Issue Nine: War Dove
Written by AdamantAce, GemlinTheGremlin & PatrollinTheMojave
Edited by Deadislandman1 and Voidkiller826
 
Next Issue > Coming Next Month
 
 
“Raven!”
Slade’s gruff voice pierced through the deafening, wave-like roars in Raven’s head, but the rage was too much to bear. Her hands sizzled as hellfire danced in her palms, her body readying for another attack. She locked eyes with a reptilian soldier, dismounting his simian steed and charging on foot, but as she lunged forwards to strike him, she watched a man fly into her path. Slade Wilson caught the young Titan’s hand and pushed, throwing Raven backwards.
“Come on, kid, snap out of it!” But as Slade’s words fell on deaf ears, he felt the familiar sting of a fist to his jaw, a crack echoing in his ears. He recoiled from the attack but powered through his injury and stood his ground. Sinking his heels into the ground, he locked eyes with the girl before him. Her face seemed contorted and uncanny, as if all of the rage she was feeling was pouring out of her. She groaned angrily as she thrusted her head downwards, her forehead making contact with Slade’s teeth, before pulling her head back up again in preparation for another attack.
Before she could make one, however, one of the lizardmen had almost reached the warring duo’s sides, and as he lunged forward with his long spear, he made contact with Raven’s side. A small rip formed in the side of Raven’s outfit, which seemed to only anger her further. However, it did seem to distract her enough; Mar’i fired off a single Starbolt which struck only the ground - a warning shot.
“Raven! Please!” the half-Tamaranean cried out. But the Raven she knew was buried under unfathomable amounts of fury; she ignored her teammate’s call and instead flew forwards and swung out at the reptiloid. The strike glowed with red flame, sending the creature skidding across the floor, barely conscious. Slade spotted a flash of something else on her face, as if she was finally able to fight back against the endless rage - pain, perhaps, or anguish. But in an instant, it was gone.
That flicker of something other than white-hot anger was enough for Slade.
He clutched his side as his still open wound began to ache, the bandages feeling wet with fresh blood. His jaw felt crooked, and as he gritted his teeth, it felt as though they sat differently atop each other. And yet, he clutched his staff tightly in one hand, and with the other he beckoned to Raven.
“Kid, you’re fighting it, I know you are!” Slade felt his mouth filling with blood rather than saliva.
Within a moment, Raven’s attention was locked on the white-haired man once again. She fired bolt after bolt of black and red flame, but Slade was still dextrous despite his pain. He dodged and dived, weaving through the fire, until he finally managed to make contact with his opponent. He drove his staff into her chest and pushed his weight against the weapon, forcing her backwards. She rose into the air, a black mist pouring from her arms and over her face, a large ghostly corvid taking her place. He felt the deathly cold shadow of the bird’s wing fall over him, his feet leaving the ground as she scooped him into the air.
He looked down at the ground far beneath him. A fall from this height would kill anyone, he thought, let alone someone beaten half to death.
Then, as a verdant bolt of energy struck it in the side, Raven’s Soul Self shrieked and the shadows retreated inwards. Slade felt himself falling through the air for a second, then two, before he felt his back collide with something soft and cushioned. As he looked up, he met the gaze of Conner, who soared to the ground in an instant, placing the snow-haired man on the ground and giving a swift nod.
Raven let out a pained, frustrated yell as she returned to the ground, aided by a grappling line expertly positioned by Tim, and in response, Conner jetted off towards the sound of her cries. Slade’s feet faltered beneath him, and he stumbled to keep his balance. His breathing was laboured and his vision was becoming fuzzy. It felt as though, he realised, all the blood loss and violence he had suffered over the past few hours were finally catching up to him. Was this what dying felt like?
“Slade!” shouted a voice, followed by the dulled drumming of hurried footsteps. Slade pulled his hand across his face to wipe away the mental haze and drops of blood. It was Don, sprinting towards him. When Slade felt Don clasp him by shoulders, he realized just how slowed he was by his injuries. “Plan?,” Slade coughed out.
“You’ve seen what she can do. I only see one way out of these without one of the kids getting hurt. I’d do it myself, but I’m out of practice and this is too important to leave to chance.” Don looked around anxiously, his face betraying that he had a lot on his mind. “I’m giving you the powers of a god.” Slade opened his mouth to ask a question, a million came to mind. He glanced across the battlefield. Through a blurry film, he saw Raven’s Soul Self bat Conner away with its wing. He careened into the trunk of a thick tree, uprooting it with a deep crunch. “Are you sure?,” Slade asked, breathless.
“I’m not losing another Titan.” Don squeezed his eyes shut. His grip on Slade tightened as pale, almost blinding light enveloped them. It felt warm. No, better than that: it felt peaceful. With his enhanced senses, Slade could hear his erratic heartbeat slow. Fleeting visions bubbled up in his mind, opening up his awareness beyond the wildest dreams of Project Veritas. He felt rivers of magical energy flowing through the air and earth. Each of them spiralled towards a depression. Towards Raven, he knew instinctively. Iridescent blue light spread outward from his shoulders. It washed over his body armor, bleaching the jet black panels until his entire body shone with radiance. The pain from wounds old and new faded, replaced by serenity - and power. Don opened his eyes again and sighed gently; a concoction and joy, relief, and quiet mourning.
“There,” Don remarked. Slade felt lighter, less angry, less burdened. He looked down at the iridescent light enveloping his body. Magical energy buzzed against the surface of his skin. “The powers of the Dove - officially yours.”
Slade sucked in a nervous breath. “Don…” Even rejuvenated, he was still lost for words.
“They’re yours now,” Don smiled weakly. “Now go earn them. There’s a Titan in dire need of our help.”
Conner floated out of the dense jungle, rubbing his forehead. “Is Slade glowing or do I have a concussion?”
Slade looked over at Raven. She seemed less erratic, her movements driven by her brain rather than her gut. Tim’s staff batted fiercely against her, each strike buffeting her back more and more, but it was clear to Slade that Raven was not any weaker physically - her mind, however, was another story.
Slade began marching towards her, the ache in his side dulled. “Raven. You’re strong. Fight this rage inside of you.” Raven glared at him, a spark of something in her eyes, as she swooped in towards him at top speed. As she neared him, however, Slade readied his staff, stretching it out in front of him. As the tip of the weapon struck Raven, a beam of white energy coursed through her, as if she had been struck by lightning, and her body was flung backwards across the dirt.
Slade danced a hand over his rifle, but something felt different. He pulled it into his hands and inspected it swiftly; nothing seemed out of order. Raven rose slowly from her supine position, snarling softly to herself. Her movements had slowed, the expression on her face becoming closer to horror than rage. She was doing it.
“You’re nearly there, kid,” Slade soothed, his words suddenly like butter. He watched Raven’s shoulders start to relax. “That’s it. Just fight this, Raven. You’re almost there.”
Despite her tremendous progress, Raven’s blistering fury won out once more, and she charged a large bolt of hellfire in her hands. Slade fiddled with his rifle and crossed his fingers. There was a standstill between the two. Slade analysed his rifle again; there was something different about the barrel, as if it had been swapped out for another similar model. The stock felt lighter, too, as if the weight had been–
Raven roared at him, swiping wildly with glowing fists, and in an instant Slade instinctively pulled the trigger.
What fired from the gun was not a silvery bullet, but a familiar glowing bolt of white light, cloud-like in appearance. As it struck Raven, she sucked in a deep breath, the energy engulfing her. Her face softened and her posture relaxed. Then she swung out for the man’s weakened side, his bandages poking through the aura of light. And yet, as he stayed steadfast, not even attempting to dodge the attack. Sparks flew from the point of contact. Slade just readied another shot and fired.
Her body swayed with the blow. Slade closed the gap between them and focused on the new warmth he felt, concentrating it into his staff as best he could. Then, as he held it out in front of him at arm’s length, he swiped at Raven and struck her in the side of the shoulder. Each blow seemed to be more effective than the last, but as Raven’s movements continued to slow, Slade held fire.
“You’re doing it, Raven,” Slade encouraged. He watched as the other Titans surrounded Raven, each of them ready for any further attacks. Everyone watched with bated breath as their teammate and friend thrashed and recoiled from the hit. Her breathing was rapid, although it felt closer to panic than unabashed fury. She clasped her hands over her head, groaning. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
Her face had softened completely, her jaw slack, and tears filled her vision. She looked up at Slade with a comfort in her eyes. The aura emanating from him was pervasive and contagious, and although she had felt lost in a sea of impossibly vast emotions, its warmth and comfort cut through. The anger was still there somewhat, the last remaining dregs still working its way out of her system, but the comfort, the peace that Slade was providing was the anchor for her to stabilise herself. She had only ever seen this kind of power when Don…
Raven’s eyes widened as she realised what that meant. She collapsed to her knees, suddenly feeling the bone-deep fatigue her rage had suppressed. Her teammates rushed in around her. Mar’i dropped to a knee by her side and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s OK. You’re safe. Everyone’s OK.”
“Don I’m—” She wiped away a stream of tears, stumbling her way out of the emotional vortex she’d been sucked into. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. I’ve lost control before, but never like this.”
Don looked older. Creases ran across his forehead and around his eyes. His smile hadn’t changed. “Raven, my brother and I got those powers when I was a kid. We didn’t ask for them. We weren’t ready for them. We didn’t know how to use them, let alone control them.” He laughed dryly, recalling Hank. “I don’t regret anything. Giving my powers to Slade is the best thing I’ve done with them in years. I know Hank would feel the same way.”
In the moment of silence that followed, Raven rose to her feet and pulled her cloak tightly around herself. She was still shaking. Tim’s eyes drifted from her to Slade. “Something’s gnawing at me. Kestrel’s powers are weakened in Skartaris. Don’s…” He coughed, “Slade’s powers are amplified. If this place is what affected you—”
Mar’i’s face flashed with recognition, “—your powers must be tied to the Lords of Order and Chaos!”
Tim furrowed his brow. “Maybe.” He hardly had time to consider further when a thundering crack tore open the sky. Two bolts of swirling energy - one red and one blue - met above them, forming a swirling portal at their vertex. The Titans readied their weapons, expecting the worst.
“It’s them.” Slade murmured, still put off by his uncanny awareness. Terataya and T’Charr descended from the sky, one wreathed in mist, the other, magma. The two elementals stopped a few feet above the ground, hovering.
Terataya was the first to speak. Even at a whisper, her voice reverberated through the air. “I don’t usually care for surprises, Don, but this was a pleasant one.” A thin smile appeared on her face.
“Slade Wilson.” Terataya’s neck turned at an unnatural angle to face him. “You wield the powers of Order with great skill. Who understands the dangers of unchecked War better than a soldier. Become my champion. Protect the balance.”
Slade took a step back, then glanced at Don.
“She’s right.” Don said, with only a hint of hesitation. “It took me years to use the powers like you used them today. You’re a natural.”
Slade looked at his hands, still gently pulsing with pale blue light. “Thanks.” He allowed himself a weak smile. “But no thanks.”
“What.” T’Charr’s voice boomed.
“It doesn’t take Zatanna to realize an old soldier like me makes a piss-poor Avatar of Peace. I fight for a living, and I’m not deluded enough to think that makes me good at anything but fighting. If you want someone who understands the need for balance, Don just sacrificed everything special about him for it.”
Don raised an eyebrow. “None taken.”
“His actions today were noble, but they do not make up for years spent squandering the gift.”
“Squandering? The Titans wouldn’t exist today if he hadn’t pulled them together. Everything they’ve done. Everything they’ve achieved for your balance wouldn’t have happened without him, including stopping that monster you made.”
“Watch your tone, mortal.” T’Charr threatened.
“There may be a vein of truth to his words, lover.” Terataya said. “But *if we were to restore Don Hall’s power, we would need assurances. His indecision led down this path.”*
Rocks ground against each other as T’Charr landed beside Don. “You would have weeks, not years, to select a counterpart and return to your duties.”
Don’s response was instantaneous. “I’ve made a decision.”
“You’ve decided if you’ll take up the mantle of Dove again?”
Don nodded. “And who should be the new Hawk.”
Terataya giggled. “Full of surprises today. T’Charr?”
“We should discuss this.” He said. “In private.”
The three of them vanished, leaving the Titans and Slade alone on a battlefield riddled with bits of dino meat and ape fur.
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
“You don’t think they’re gonna come back in like, 200 years, right?” Conner asked. He sat beside the depowered Slade Wilson, who was downing aspirin to make up for the sudden deficit in peace energy.
“I don’t know.” Tim said. “But we should give them more than fifteen minutes.”
As if on cue, the skies opened again. Again, the chromatic energy lit the sky and again a portal opened its swirling maw. This time, however, it wasn’t two elemental Lords to descend. Raven squinted to make the figures out.
“Oh my god.” Conner said, having a far easier time with his super-vision.
“What? Who is it?” Tim asked.
“Donna!” Mar’i shouted. She shot off the ground towards her. Her black combat armor was replaced with a crimson and white bodysuit studded with stars that seemed to twinkle as the light shifted around her. The sword at her side was gone too, replaced with a coiled loop of rope suffused with the same brilliant energy. The two collided into an embrace, spinning through the air as they held each other tightly.
Don was the first to land, restored with the powers of Dove. He looked stronger than ever, and maybe more importantly, happier. Even Tim’s typical thoughtful brooding has been pierced by an unimpeachable joy.
“I don’t understand,.” Raven said. “S-She’s alive. How is this possible?”
“I knew there was only one person who could be trusted with the powers of War, with Hank’s abilities.” He scratched the back of his neck, a bit guilty. “And she’d been staring me in the face for years. It took some doing, but eventually T’Charr and Terataya saw that too.”
Donna landed beside him, Mar’i only a step behind. By now Conner had stepped forward. He tried not to choke over his words. “I’m sorry. If I’d—”
Donna didn’t let him get the words out before pulling him into a grapple-turned-hug that quickly grew as the rest of the team piled in. Slade flicked another aspirin into his mouth.
“Danyah!” A voice called out from over the ridge. It was Travis, mounted atop a fanged reptilian creature in the vague shape of a horse and flanked on either side by his gold-armored honor guard. He broke into a gallop, stopping just short of the Titans. “When I saw the skies, I feared the worst. Is it really you? Has sorcery brought you back to us?”
“It’s me, Travis. A Lord of Chaos brought me back.”
“Not to interrupt,.” Slade said, still nursing his wounds. “But did either of you ask them to bring us back to Chicago?”
“I…” Don grimaced. “Donna, how do we get home?”
“How did you get here? Surely you could return the way you came.” Travis said.
“No, we can’t.” Tim said, pressing a few buttons on his wrist’s holographic display. “Whatever magic pervades Skartaris is also causing some extreme time dilation. I can’t guarantee we’d return to the 21st century, or even to Earth.”
“I spent a decade in Skartaris and returned to Earth nearly two centuries later. It’s the influence of Chaos. We’d need a Skartaran mage of overwhelming power to stabilize our return.” She spat the word mage with disgust. Travis’s expression seemed to confirm the reputation of Skartaran spellcasters.
Before their anxiety could spiral, the sky above began to churn. Moments later, the ground shook as a violent bolt of lightning cleaved the air, striking with such ferocity that all but Conner and Donna were flung backward. Mar'i skidded across the damp undergrowth, her senses overwhelmed by the acrid scent of ozone. Her mind was racing; their victory was hard fought, and she doubted they had much left in the tank for another confrontation. She dug her hands into the ground and pushed herself up as she choked from the smell. The Warlord Morgan and his military guards snapped to attention, forming a protective ring around the crater that now marred the earth.
From the smoking pit, a figure rose, unfolding from a crouch like something out of Terminator. Adorned in a red and white jumpsuit that accentuated his lithe build, the young man's appearance was marked by a red cowl and goggles, with sandy brown hair rebelliously spilling out.
Conner squinted through the dissipating smoke, murmuring under his breath, “A speedster?” The Flashes had had a variety of different sidekicks and other allies over the years, but none of them recognised this one
With a nonchalant flair that seemed at odds with the charged atmosphere, the newcomer greeted them. “Hey, everyone chillax. I'm here to get you guys back home.”
Donna, ever the leader, stepped forward and spoke with a commanding curiosity, now emboldened with the war aura of Hawk. “And who are you exactly? Why should we trust you with such a claim?”
Flashing a cheeky grin, he tilted his head and responded, “Well, I’m a speedster for one. Name’s Impulse. If I run fast enough, then I can… well, I guess bend time.”
Behind Donna, the group exchanged sceptical glances. Raven's face remained shadowed by recovery, Mar'i and Conner braced for action, and Tim discretely checked his gadgets, no doubt for something that he could use on a speedster should the need arise.
“Yeah, we figured that much,” Don cut through the tension, his voice calm yet insistent. “Who sent you?”
Impulse chuckled, his demeanour remaining unfazed by their scrutiny. “Look, the details aren't the fun part. Trust me, I can get us back.”
As a silence thick with doubt and scepticism settled over the group, Impulse seemed to realise his casual assurances weren't sufficient. With a theatrical sigh, he reached up and removed his mask, revealing a face familiar to both Mar'i and Raven.
“Brody!?” Mar'i exclaimed, her surprise echoing through the clearing as she stared at the boy who had once hobbled through their college classes with his leg in a cast.
The young man’s grin widened, his eyes sparkling with mischief and a hint of pride. “Actually, it’s Bart.”
 
○○ Ⓣ ○○
 
When Slade emerged from the shower, his skin was glistening with moisture, the water tracing the contours of his scars. He wrapped a stark white towel around his waist, and crossed the plush carpet to sit on the edge of the hotel room bed. He released a slow, deep breath; it was a good job the speedster kid arrived when he did. The notion of being stranded in an alien land or, worse, a different time had gnawed at him with a ferocity that was hard to admit. Without Bart’s intervention, every one of Slade’s meticulously crafted plans would have been utterly dashed.
Facing him, a wall-mounted mirror caught his rugged reflection. Drawn to his own image, Slade studied the scars that mapped his trials, the slick white hair that crowned his head, and the deep lines etched into his face. A familiar discomfort nagged at him, focusing his attention on his right eye. Unable to alleviate the irritation through the skin, Slade exhaled heavily and carefully removed the eye altogether. The movement, fluid and practised, spoke of years of adaptation.
He placed the prosthetic gently on the bed beside him and as he massaged the socket, a decades-old habit, his mind wandered. He wasn't accustomed to keeping the prosthetic in for extended periods. Showering with it had been an uncomfortable experiment in necessity - he didn't like it, but understood the importance of maintaining the facade. The Slade he would have people believe he was would have never lost an eye, because that Slade had led a life far from by the darker paths Slade had truthfully trodden.
His thoughts wandered to his brief time wielding the potent powers of Dove, and Slade felt a twinge of regret at their loss. The clarity and strength those powers had provided were intoxicating, yet he recognised that he had a more important goal, one he couldn’t compromise. His current role demanded not the accumulation of power but the perfection of his deceit, ensuring that all believed he was not the Slade Wilson they knew, but a Reawakened, more innocent doppelganger.
Now, with the glass eye resting beside him, Slade stared at his unmasked visage. Maintaining the myth of the noble Slade was critical. The ruthless mercenary, the World’s Deadliest Killer - those identities had to remain buried. The Titans had believed him enough to entrust him with divine powers, their faith a testament to his performance, but the game was far from over; in fact, it was entering its most critical phase.
 
 
Next: Return to normality in The New Titans #10
 

Everything in my inventory is up for trade. The most valuable items are listed here, the rest you can find in My Inventory

Feel free to Add Me or even better send a Trade Offer. Open for any suggestions: upgrades, downgrades / knives, gloves, skins / stickers, patterns, floats.

All Buyouts are listed in cash value.

KNIVES

★ Butterfly Knife Lore (Factory New), B/O: $7194.77

★ Butterfly Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2025.74

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★ M9 Bayonet Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $557.87

★ M9 Bayonet Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $529.41

★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $465.39

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★ Talon Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $1295.27

★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth (Minimal Wear), B/O: $746.28

★ Karambit Bright Water (Field-Tested), B/O: $688.15

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★ Flip Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $547.93

★ Flip Knife Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $476.69

★ Flip Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $278.18

★ Flip Knife Black Laminate (Well-Worn), B/O: $258.83

★ Flip Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $181.64

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★ Stiletto Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $686.04

★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $665.41

★ Stiletto Knife, B/O: $601.39

★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $418.25

★ Stiletto Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $227.80

★ Stiletto Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.96

★ Stiletto Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $192.79

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★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $518.11

★ Nomad Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $169.78

★ Nomad Knife Forest DDPAT (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $166.88

★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $335.79

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★ Skeleton Knife Stained (Well-Worn), B/O: $442.05

★ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Minimal Wear), B/O: $426.24

★ Skeleton Knife Boreal Forest (Field-Tested), B/O: $314.03

★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2361.28

★ StatTrak™ Skeleton Knife Urban Masked (Field-Tested), B/O: $376.53

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★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $557.12

★ Ursus Knife, B/O: $471.42

★ Ursus Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $212.37

★ Ursus Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $187.66

★ Ursus Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $178.18

★ Ursus Knife Ultraviolet (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $155.13

★ Ursus Knife Boreal Forest (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.26

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★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Minimal Wear), B/O: $204.83

★ Huntsman Knife Black Laminate (Field-Tested), B/O: $184.50

★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Lore (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $224.11

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★ Bowie Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $2142.02

★ Bowie Knife, B/O: $230.44

★ Bowie Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $209.20

★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.51

★ Bowie Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03

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★ Falchion Knife Night (Field-Tested), B/O: $132.54

★ Falchion Knife Urban Masked (Well-Worn), B/O: $112.81

★ Falchion Knife Scorched (Field-Tested), B/O: $108.81

★ Falchion Knife Forest DDPAT (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.82

★ Falchion Knife Safari Mesh (Field-Tested), B/O: $107.46

★ StatTrak™ Falchion Knife Ultraviolet (Field-Tested), B/O: $143.08

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★ Paracord Knife Crimson Web (Minimal Wear), B/O: $486.48

★ Paracord Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $163.12

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★ Survival Knife Blue Steel (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $138.26

★ Survival Knife Night Stripe (Field-Tested), B/O: $131.03

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★ Gut Knife Sapphire (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1127.79

★ Gut Knife Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $286.17

★ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $246.55

★ Gut Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $240.77

★ Gut Knife, B/O: $210.49

★ Gut Knife Lore (Field-Tested), B/O: $194.22

★ Gut Knife Case Hardened (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $151.51

★ Gut Knife Blue Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.94

★ Gut Knife Rust Coat (Well-Worn), B/O: $118.99

★ Gut Knife Boreal Forest (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.80

★ StatTrak™ Gut Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $237.96

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★ Shadow Daggers Gamma Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $264.92

★ Shadow Daggers Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $253.03

★ Shadow Daggers Tiger Tooth (Factory New), B/O: $237.22

★ Shadow Daggers Crimson Web (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.40

★ Shadow Daggers Autotronic (Minimal Wear), B/O: $144.42

★ Shadow Daggers Blue Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $105.20

★ StatTrak™ Shadow Daggers Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $150.46

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★ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $365.99

★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Factory New), B/O: $228.93

★ Navaja Knife Marble Fade (Factory New), B/O: $227.43

★ Navaja Knife Slaughter (Factory New), B/O: $209.06

★ Navaja Knife, B/O: $203.16

★ Navaja Knife Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $132.57

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Factory New), B/O: $121.69

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Minimal Wear), B/O: $109.95

★ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $100.41

★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Fade (Factory New), B/O: $369.01

★ StatTrak™ Navaja Knife Damascus Steel (Field-Tested), B/O: $109.95

GLOVES

★ Sport Gloves Amphibious (Minimal Wear), B/O: $2394.67

★ Sport Gloves Omega (Well-Worn), B/O: $572.33

★ Sport Gloves Bronze Morph (Minimal Wear), B/O: $338.88

★ Sport Gloves Big Game (Field-Tested), B/O: $323.66

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★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade (Minimal Wear), B/O: $1652.07

★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike (Field-Tested), B/O: $599.14

★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web (Well-Worn), B/O: $231.57

★ Specialist Gloves Buckshot (Minimal Wear), B/O: $126.21

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★ Moto Gloves POW! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $996.99

★ Moto Gloves POW! (Field-Tested), B/O: $383.31

★ Moto Gloves POW! (Well-Worn), B/O: $276.00

★ Moto Gloves Turtle (Field-Tested), B/O: $180.28

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★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Minimal Wear), B/O: $502.29

★ Hand Wraps Giraffe (Minimal Wear), B/O: $180.73

★ Hand Wraps CAUTION! (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $178.32

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★ Driver Gloves Queen Jaguar (Minimal Wear), B/O: $181.01

★ Driver Gloves Rezan the Red (Field-Tested), B/O: $101.66

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★ Broken Fang Gloves Jade (Field-Tested), B/O: $127.88

★ Broken Fang Gloves Needle Point (Minimal Wear), B/O: $124.55

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★ Bloodhound Gloves Guerrilla (Minimal Wear), B/O: $127.94

★ Hydra Gloves Case Hardened (Field-Tested), B/O: $102.55

WEAPONS

AK-47 X-Ray (Well-Worn), B/O: $478.95

AUG Hot Rod (Factory New), B/O: $425.83

StatTrak™ M4A1-S Hyper Beast (Factory New), B/O: $413.95

M4A4 Daybreak (Factory New), B/O: $309.51

StatTrak™ AK-47 Aquamarine Revenge (Factory New), B/O: $305.43

AK-47 Case Hardened (Well-Worn), B/O: $196.38

StatTrak™ M4A4 Temukau (Minimal Wear), B/O: $174.64

P90 Run and Hide (Field-Tested), B/O: $167.03

AWP Asiimov (Field-Tested), B/O: $153.33

Souvenir SSG 08 Death Strike (Minimal Wear), B/O: $140.00

M4A1-S Printstream (Battle-Scarred), B/O: $124.70

StatTrak™ M4A1-S Golden Coil (Field-Tested), B/O: $117.48

AWP Asiimov (Well-Worn), B/O: $115.97

StatTrak™ Desert Eagle Printstream (Minimal Wear), B/O: $112.96

StatTrak™ AK-47 Asiimov (Minimal Wear), B/O: $110.85

Souvenir M4A1-S Master Piece (Well-Worn), B/O: $102.42

AK-47 Bloodsport (Minimal Wear), B/O: $100.53

Trade Offer Link - Steam Profile Link - My Inventory

Knives - Bowie Knife, Butterfly Knife, Falchion Knife, Flip Knife, Gut Knife, Huntsman Knife, M9 Bayonet, Bayonet, Karambit, Shadow Daggers, Stiletto Knife, Ursus Knife, Navaja Knife, Talon Knife, Classic Knife, Paracord Knife, Survival Knife, Nomad Knife, Skeleton Knife, Patterns - Gamma Doppler, Doppler (Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, Phase 4, Black Pearl, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald), Crimson Web, Lore, Fade, Ultraviolet, Night, Marble Fade (Fire & Ice, Fake FI), Case Hardened (Blue Gem), Autotronic, Slaughter, Black Laminate, Tiger Tooth, Boreal Forest, Scorched, Blue Steel, Vanilla, Damascus Steel, Forest DDPAT, Urban Masked, Freehand, Stained, Bright Water, Safari Mesh, Rust Coat, Gloves - Bloodhound Gloves (Charred, Snakebite, Guerrilla, Bronzed), Driver Gloves (Snow Leopard, King Snake, Crimson Weave, Imperial Plaid, Black Tie, Lunar Weave, Diamondback, Rezan the Red, Overtake, Queen Jaguar, Convoy, Racing Green), Hand Wraps (Cobalt Skulls, CAUTION!, Overprint, Slaughter, Leather, Giraffe, Badlands, Spruce DDPAT, Arboreal, Constrictor, Desert Shamagh, Duct Tape), Moto Gloves (Spearmint, POW!, Cool Mint, Smoke Out, Finish Line, Polygon, Blood Pressure, Turtle, Boom!, Eclipse, 3rd Commando Company, Transport), Specialist Gloves (Crimson Kimono, Tiger Strike, Emerald Web, Field Agent, Marble Fade, Fade, Foundation, Lt. Commander, Crimson Web, Mogul, Forest DDPAT, Buckshot), Sport Gloves (Pandora's Box, Superconductor, Hedge Maze, Vice, Amphibious, Slingshot, Omega, Arid, Big Game, Nocts, Scarlet Shamagh, Bronze Morph), Hydra Gloves (Case Hardened, Emerald, Rattler, Mangrove), Broken Fang Gloves (Jade, Yellow-banded, Unhinged, Needle Point), Pistols - P2000 (Wicked Sick, Ocean Foam, Fire Element, Amber Fade, Corticera, Chainmail, Imperial Dragon, Obsidian, Scorpion, Handgun, Acid Etched), USP-S (Printstream, Kill Confirmed, Whiteout, Road Rash, Owergrowth, The Traitor, Neo-Noir, Dark Water, Orion, Blueprint, Stainless, Caiman, Serum, Monster Mashup, Royal Blue, Ancient Visions, Cortex, Orange Anolis, Ticket To Hell, Black Lotus, Cyrex, Check Engine, Guardian, Purple DDPAT, Torque, Blood Tiger, Flashback, Business Class, Pathfinder, Para Green), Lead Conduit, Glock-18 (Ramese's Reach, Umbral Rabbit, Fade, Candy Apple, Bullet Queen, Synth Leaf, Neo-Noir, Nuclear Garden, Dragon Tatto, Reactor, Pink DDPAT, Twilight Galaxy, Sand Dune, Groundwater, Blue Fissure, Snack Attack, Water Elemental, Brass, Wasteland Rebel, Vogue, Franklin, Royal Legion, Gamma Doppler, Weasel, Steel Disruption, Ironwork, Grinder, High Beam, Moonrise, Oxide Blaze, Bunsen Burner, Clear Polymer, Bunsen Burner, Night), P250 (Apep's Curse, Re.built, Nuclear Threat, Modern Hunter, Splash, Whiteout, Vino Primo, Mehndi, Asiimov, Visions, Undertow, Cartel, See Ya Later, Gunsmoke, Splash, Digital Architect, Muertos, Red Rock, Bengal Tiger, Crimson Kimono, Wingshot, Metallic DDPAT, Hive, Dark Filigree, Mint Kimono), Five-Seven (Neon Kimono, Berries And Cherries, Fall Hazard, Crimson Blossom, Hyper Beast, Nitro, Fairy Tale, Case Hardened, Copper Galaxy, Angry Mob, Monkey Business, Fowl Play, Anodized Gunmetal, Hot Shot, Retrobution, Boost Protocol), CZ75-Auto (Chalice, Crimson Web, Emerald Quartz, The Fuschia is Now, Nitro, Xiangliu, Yellow Jacket, Victoria, Poison Dart, Syndicate, Eco, Hexane, Pole, Tigris), Tec-9 (Mummy's Rot, Rebel, Terrace, Nuclear Threat, Hades, Rust Leaf, Decimator, Blast From, Orange Murano, Toxic, Fuel Injector, Remote Control, Bamboo Forest, Isaac, Avalanche, Brother, Re-Entry, Blue Titanium, Bamboozle), R8 Revolver (Banana Cannon, Fade, Blaze, Crimson Web, Liama Cannon, Crazy 8, Reboot, Canal Spray, Night, Amber Fade), Desert Eagle (Blaze, Hand Cannon, Fennec Fox, Sunset Storm, Emerald Jörmungandr, Pilot, Hypnotic, Golden Koi, Printstream, Cobalt Disruption, Code Red, Ocean Drive, Midnight Storm, Kumicho Dragon, Crimson Web, Heirloom, Night Heist, Mecha Industries, Night, Conspiracy, Trigger Discipline, Naga, Directive, Light Rail), Dual Berettas (Flora Carnivora, Duelist, Cobra Strike, Black Limba, Emerald, Hemoglobin, Twin Turbo, Marina, Melondrama, Pyre, Retribution, Briar, Dezastre, Royal Consorts, Urban Shock, Dualing Dragons, Panther, Balance), Rifles - Galil (Aqua Terrace, Winter Forest, Chatterbox, Sugar Rush, Pheonix Blacklight, CAUTION!, Orange DDPAT, Cerberus, Dusk Ruins, Eco, Chromatic Aberration, Stone Cold, Tuxedo, Sandstorm, Shattered, Urban Rubble, Rocket Pop, Kami, Crimson Tsunami, Connexion), SCAR-20 (Fragments, Brass, Cyrex, Palm, Splash Jam, Cardiac, Emerald, Crimson Web, Magna Carta, Stone Mosaico, Bloodsport, Enforcer), AWP (Black Nile, Duality, Gungnir, Dragon Lore, Prince, Medusa, Desert Hydra, Fade, Lightning Strike, Oni Taiji, Silk Tiger, Graphite, Chromatic Aberration, Asiimov, Snake Camo, Boom, Containment Breach, Wildfire, Redline, Electric Hive, Hyper Beast, Neo-Noir, Man-o'-war, Pink DDPAT, Corticera, Sun in Leo, Elite Build, Fever Dream, Atheris, Mortis, PAW, Exoskeleton, Worm God, POP AWP, Phobos, Acheron, Pit Viper, Capillary, Safari Mesh), AK-47 (Steel Delta, Head Shot, Wild Lotus, Gold Arabesque, X-Ray, Fire Serpent, Hydroponic, Panthera Onca, Case Hardened, Vulcan, Jet Set, Fuel Injector, Bloodsport, Nightwish, First Class, Neon Rider, Asiimov, Red Laminate, Aquamarine Revenge, The Empress, Wasteland Rebel, Jaguar, Black Laminate, Leet Museo, Neon Revolution, Redline, Frontside Misty, Predator, Legion of Anubis, Point Disarray, Orbit Mk01, Blue Laminate, Green Laminate, Emerald Pinstripe, Cartel, Phantom Disruptor, Jungle Spray, Safety Net, Rat Rod, Baroque Purple, Slate, Elite Build, Uncharted, Safari Mesh), FAMAS (Waters of Nephthys, Sundown, Prime Conspiracy, Afterimage, Commemoration, Dark Water, Spitfire, Pulse, Eye of Athena, Meltdown, Rapid Eye Move, Roll Cage, Styx, Mecha Industrie, Djinn, ZX Spectron, Valence, Neural Net, Night Borre, Hexne), M4A4 (Eye of Horus, Temukau, Howl, Poseidon, Asiimov, Daybreak, Hellfire, Zirka, Red DDPAT, Radiation Hazard, Modern Hunter, The Emperor, The Coalition, Bullet Rain, Cyber Security, X-Ray, Dark Blossom, Buzz Kill, In Living Color, Neo-Noir, Desolate Space, 龍王 (Dragon King), Royal Paladin, The Battlestar, Global Offensive, Tooth Fairy, Desert-Strike, Griffin, Evil Daimyo, Spider Lily, Converter), M4A1-S (Emphorosaur-S, Welcome to the Jungle, Imminent Danger, Knight, Hot Rod, Icarus Fell, Blue Phosphor, Printstream, Master Piece, Dark Water, Golden Coil, Bright Water, Player Two, Atomic Alloy, Guardian, Chantico's Fire, Hyper Beast, Mecha Industries, Cyrex, Control Panel, Moss Quartz, Nightmare, Decimator, Leaded Glass, Basilisk, Blood Tiger, Briefing, Night Terror, Nitro, VariCamo, Flashback), SG 553 (Cyberforce, Hazard Pay, Bulldozer, Integrale, Dragon Tech, Ultraviolet, Colony IV, Hypnotic, Cyrex, Candy Apple, Barricade, Pulse), SSG 08 (Death Strike, Sea Calico, Blood in the Water, Orange Filigree, Dragonfire, Big Iron, Bloodshot, Detour, Turbo Peek, Red Stone), AUG (Akihabara Accept, Flame Jörmungandr, Hot Rod, Midnight Lily, Sand Storm, Carved Jade, Wings, Anodized Navy, Death by Puppy, Torque, Bengal Tiger, Chameleon, Fleet Flock, Random Access, Momentum, Syd Mead, Stymphalian, Arctic Wolf, Aristocrat, Navy Murano), G3SG1 (Chronos, Violet Murano, Flux, Demeter, Orange Kimono, The Executioner, Green Apple, Arctic Polar Camo, Contractor), SMGs - P90 (ScaraB Rush, Neoqueen, Astral Jörmungandr, Run and Hide, Emerald Dragon, Cold Blooded, Death by Kitty, Baroque Red, Vent Rush, Blind Spot, Asiimov, Trigon, Sunset Lily, Death Grip, Leather, Nostalgia, Fallout Warning, Tiger Pit, Schermatic, Virus, Shapewood, Glacier Mesh, Shallow Grave, Chopper, Desert Warfare), MAC-10 (Sakkaku, Hot Snakes, Copper Borre, Red Filigree, Gold Brick, Graven, Case Hardened, Stalker, Amber Fade, Neon Rider, Tatter, Curse, Propaganda, Nuclear Garden, Disco Tech, Toybox, Heat, Indigo), UMP-45 (Wild Child, Fade, Blaze, Day Lily, Minotaur's Labyrinth, Crime Scene, Caramel, Bone Pile, Momentum, Primal Saber), MP7 (Teal Blossom, Fade, Nemesis, Whiteout, Asterion, Bloosport, Abyssal Apparition, Full Stop, Special Delivery, Neon Ply, Asterion, Ocean Foam, Powercore, Scorched, Impire), PP-Bizon (Modern Hunter, Rust Coat, Forest Leaves, Antique, High Roller, Blue Streak, Seabird, Judgement of Anubis, Bamboo Print, Embargo, Chemical Green, Coblat Halftone, Fuel Rod, Photic Zone, Irradiated Alert, Carbon Fiber), MP9 (Featherweight, Wild Lily, Pandora's Box, Stained Glass, Bulldozer, Dark Age, Hot Rod, Hypnotic, Hydra, Rose Iron, Music Box, Setting Sun, Food Chain, Airlock, Mount Fuji, Starlight Protector, Ruby Poison Dart, Deadly Poison), MP5-SD (Liquidation, Oxide Oasis, Phosphor, Nitro, Agent, Autumn Twilly), Shotguns, Machineguns - Sawed-Off (Kiss♥Love, First Class, Orange DDPAT, Rust Coat, The Kraken, Devourer, Mosaico, Wasteland Princess, Bamboo Shadow, Copper, Serenity, Limelight, Apocalypto), XM1014 (Frost Borre, Ancient Lore, Red Leather, Elegant Vines, Banana Leaf, Jungle, Urban Perforated, Grassland, Blaze Orange, Heaven Guard, VariCamo Blue, Entombed, XOXO, Seasons, Tranquility, Bone Machine, Incinegator, Teclu Burner, Black Tie, Zombie Offensive, Watchdog), Nova (Sobek's Bite, Baroque Orange, Hyper Beast, Green Apple, Antique, Modern Hunter, Walnut, Forest Leaves, Graphite, Blaze Orange, Rising Skull, Tempest, Bloomstick, Interlock, Quick Sand, Moon in Libra, Clean Polymer, Red Quartz, Toy Soldier), MAG-7 (Copper Coated, Insomnia, Cinqueda, Counter Terrace, Prism Terrace, Memento, Chainmail, Hazard, Justice, Bulldozer, Silver, Core Breach, Firestarter, Praetorian, Heat, Hard Water, Monster Call, BI83 Spectrum, SWAG-7), M249 (Humidor, Shipping Forecast, Blizzard Marbleized, Downtown, Jungle DDPAT, Nebula Crusader, Impact Drill, Emerald Poison Dart), Negev (Mjölnir, Anodized Navy, Palm, Power Loader, Bratatat, CaliCamo, Phoenix Stencil, Infrastructure, Boroque Sand), Wear - Factory New (FN), Minimal Wear (MW), Field-Tested (FT), Well-Worn (WW), Battle-Scarred (BS), Stickers Holo/Foil/Gold - Katowice 2014, Krakow 2017, Howling Dawn, Katowice 2015, Crown, London 2018, Cologne 2014, Boston 2018, Atlanta 2017, Cluj-Napoca 2015, DreamHack 2014, King on the Field, Harp of War, Winged Difuser, Cologne 2016, Cologne 2015, MLG Columbus 2016, Katowice 2019, Berlin 2019, RMR 2020, Stockholm 2021, Antwerp 2022, Paris 2023, Swag Foil, Flammable foil, Others - Souvenirs, Agents, Pins, Passes, Gifts, Music Kits, Cases, Keys, Capsules, Packages, Patches

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What are some of y’all’s favorite sensory toys/items? I’m in the market for a variety because I’ve noticed it’s really becoming necessary for me to engage in sensory activities.
I currently have this little beaded keychain from 5 below that I’ve had fun playing with and a super cool chainmail covered stress ball I bought at the renfaire that I looooove.
On my list to buy are water beads (the ones that expand in water. Was a huge favorite of mine as a kid), slime, and some more traditional style stress balls but I was curious for more ideas.
I seem to really enjoy texture ones and I know I’ll love anything I can do “messy” play with but not actually get dirty (for example I know I’d love to stick my hands in a can of paint but not fond of the clean up)
What are your favorites? Links would be awesome and double points if I can just order it on Amazon. I’m not sure if links can be shared here so if not feel free to dm it to me

I swear that every year when spring hits and I head out for my first session of the year, I forget something important. They say it’s like riding a bicycle, but you usually don’t have to build the bike yourself. Here’s a story of my most recent brain fart
In early days, I forgot the tree pro, or I forgot how many carabiners and rings I needed for the primitive. I’ve spent a full half hour figuring out how ratchets work. One time I forgot the anchor slings. This year, I remembered the soft release. When I was doing my pocket Macarena for keys and wallet, I included the soft release hanging from my backpack
And then I got to the spot, rigged 20m of SkyPilot, checked the anchors for alignment and tree pro like it was a primitive, tensioned my Buckingham like it was a longline, and forgot to attach the soft release like an idiot
I only noticed after we had pulled it tight and tied it off and I went to stash my pack and the rest of my webbing out of the way, only to see the soft release in my hand and realize that it shouldn’t be in my hand. I’ll admit I panicked for a bit. My mind immediately went to “cut the anchor sling” but thankfully no one had a knife
Approximately one joint later and calmer I remembered how friction locks work so I Macgyvered the soft release into an Ellington, released the pin on the weblock, and the day was saved (from my own idiocy)
Do y’all have any stories like this that would make me feel less foolish?

First off thanks for taking the time to read this I appreciate it.
I’m a 26 year old male from the UK, you can ask which country if you’re curious. I enjoy commenting and interacting on NSFW work reddit subs as a way to express my sexual interest and to have fun interactions with other lovely people.
I’m not going to give too much away in terms of me personally as that takes away from the fun of conversation. ☺️
Physically, I’m 6ft 2 inches tall, I have a slim thick body, lot fat but not skinny or fit either. I have short to medium length messy brown/reddish hair, big hands, size 12 feet, and if it matters a thick 6 inch cock with curves ever so slightly upwards (have been told it’s fantastic) oh and also just as a fun note I’m very very talented with me hands. 🙌🏻 💦
Feel free to DM as they are always open and I’ve never failed to have fun and interesting ng conversation with anyone that’s willing to put the effort in.
My kinks include but are not limited to: Anal, Squirting, Domination, degrading, humiliation, watersports, BDSM, panties (the wet and messier the better), misogyny (ONLY within the context of the kink I highly respect woman and all people and I think it’s important to state), organs control, bladder control and to be honest probs to a whole lot more but we can talk about them later. 😋
My limits are: blood, scat, knives, needles, minors, actual harm, anything illegal
Anything not mentioned in kinks and limits is be open to exploring. ☺️
I hope everyone has fun, be safe and be nice to each other people!!!

I went over to my dad's to help mow his lawn and clean up his yard because he's no longer capable, when I came across two kittens. We had destroyed their home unintentionally while throwing away some of the trash, so I hoped their mama would come back and move them. Well, she didn't, and a dog came and tried to eat them (the front yard does not have a gate). Luckily the dog didn't because we got to them in time. Having moved them, we waited to make sure mama would come. I started thinking how they were feral and I had seen the mom who was also feral. The kittens were about 2-4 weeks old and the mom only looked like a year old herself. So I decided to try to trap her and take her in to get her and her babies adopted out.
She finally showed up late at night and we caught her, but while trying to get her into her cage she bit me, clean through some work gloves and my fingernail, several times. I had no idea their fangs could do that. Well, we got her packed up and this morning I took them to the local no-kill shelter. They let me know that when she is old enough and the kittens are weaned that they would fix her, tip her ears, and re-release her if they aren't able to find a home for her. I'm glad I did it, but my hands got mangled. I can guarantee that those kittens would have died, so at least now there won't be new kittens dying each year.
The highlight of my day was my son getting to hold a kitten for the first time in his life. He is deathly allergic to all animals with fur so much so that he requires an epi-pen, and he started allergy shots only a year ago. He is still very allergic, but the allergist encouraged me to give him antihistamines and then let him pet a cat to test what his reaction would be. He got a little itchy, but was overall fine. This is pretty incredible! We will do 3 more tests before I will feel comfortable enough to start taking him to stores again (because everyone brings their pets into stores, not just service animals, but everyone). Next test will be a full grown cat that has never been around dogs. The third test will be a puppy or dog that has never been around cats. Last test will be both at the same time. If he doesn't have serious reactions to any of these tests it means we can change the way we live. We can go to parks again, and he can go trick or treating for the first time. We will be able to ride on airplanes again, and go on hikes in the woods.
The allergist informed me that he would add even more cat and dog allergen into the shots this year so hopefully we could speed up the process. My son has been carrying around a little stuffed dog he named Oreo for the last 2 years in anticipation of the day he can have his own pet. He takes such good care of it. When it's cold outside, he even puts it under his coat to keep it warm.
I am not an optimist, but I have great hopes for this coming year!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/be-careful-with-your-face/id354082588?i=1000655520329
I had to listen to almost the whole thing. FF was not my friend this time around. I welcome death now. At least my NSW zoom call enabled me to only half listen to this horseshit...
They start the show about getting treatment for face wrinkles
9:32 - They moved on Friday
9:54 - Adam says don't hire movers (in the past) we have my guys. She complains about her and Olga moving a couch in the past. That Adam's guys more or less did it for them.
da'hop's comment: imagine you work for Adam. Ok guys, today you are moving my family from here to here. We haven't packed. Hop to it and do whatever my idiot wife tells you to do. I'm too busy (and you are retards) to supervise
10:40 she talks about how Ace wouldn't hire movers.
11:12 - she hires 3 guys, but wants 4. Some guys (friends? Reberto and Alvero {sp?}) move her condo stuff to her new rental. She said she needed 6 guys, because it took them all day to load the truck. This dingbat claims she didn't have much to move. They worked 9a to 9p, got the stuff into the truck at 5:36. She told them to not unpack.
da'hop's comment: So, it sounds like a normal move. I guess she didn't understand that the movers are hourly and they most likely expected the $$$ for the unpacking at her new place. She didn't do normal human empathic stuff for the movers like buying a shit ton of pizza and soda and water for them...How can she be this old and have never dealt with movers before?
13:30 - Friday was unpacking and OH NO she has to get rid of the boxes. Saturday - Olga sends somebody over.
da'hop's comment: I guess Olga is still around? But, my feeling is not full-time and she threw a help me life to Olga. Kind of abusive
14:35 - All day Saturday setting up the kids' bedrooms.
15:30 - Mother's Day she unpacked. And went to bed at 1a.
16:07 - AV Ed setup the tech stuff on Friday and this was difficult for her to schedule.
da'hop's comment: This one bugs me. Ed is Adam's. My dear go spread your wings and get a new rolodex
17:30 - AC talk. Kids run hot and she is cold.
18:50 - Only Sonny's bathroom has a TP holder
19:35 - They order sushi in for Mother's Day dinner
20 - sitting on outdoor stuff in the living room to watch TV. She will rent the condo.
21:10 - AirBnB is too much work for her
21:35 - She rented it to Olga. What?
da'hop's comment: This I don't understand. They are rich and they had their nanny pay them to rent her condo? What? That is just taxing Olga and super shitty. Just let her and her daughter live there for free, you cheap fucking fucks
24:31 - New owners took the house on 5-15-24. 31 day escrow, was quick to her.
da'hop's comment: She is so dumb. She didn't understand that appliances stay with the house. 31 day closing is pretty normal in this day and age. Most houses aren't sold less all of the $ ducks are in a row. There was some comment about she will have a cleaner come over and she needs to walk around to make sure nothing got left.
24:58 - She got Phil. The daughter isn't a huge fan, but she was happy to see him. The dog stuff is nice. She has real grass and Phil liked that. It almost made me not hate her. But, she complains about his fur getting everywhere. News flash, he is a fucking dog. Get him groomed.
28 - SWT says vacuuming is her least favorite. Lynette says she doesn't mind it. SWT corrects the dingbat and says, "No it is her least favorite". Wow, she is dumb.
29:21 - she has to do dark-colored bedding because Phil gets on the bed. IDK, train the fucking dog? If you don't like that.
37 - Lynette does not understand Poki
41 - Calen says https://www.sushirex.com/ is right by her new place and she should try a sushi burrito since a poki bowl isn't something she can wrap her mind around. These appear to just be XXL sushi rolls.
45:20 - She is put out that the movers wrapped her stuff in moving paper. She moved stuff that she will throw away.
da'hop's comment: I can't even. THIS IS A NORMAL MOVE! Adam must have sheltered her so fucking much. I have a ton of stuff. Books, 40k minis, tools, all kinds of computer stuff,, aka stuff that sucks to move. I'm usually setting up the computers and putting the minis away while they are putting the beds together and putting the kitchen stuff away. Then all of the boxes and stuff gets broken down and put out on the street (and a 'hood message goes out that free boxes are at this address). It is a long day, but moving is a waste of time and money, but at least it is done in one day. She had no concept of this. And, Adam moved her at least 4 or 5 times. Wow, what a life she must have lived.
46:30 - Daughter bought her a mother's day gift and Lynette is confused by the difference between rhinestones and birthstones.
TL;DR - She doesn't understand how movers work. She didn't really let them do their job. Complained about how much work it was for her + Olga + Olga's friend to unpack at the new place. The kids, of course, did jack shit. She won the lotto with Adam.

(continuation of part 2)
III. e) The Mobius FF x FFVII collaboration
Alright, back to our suspension world-hopping! Let’s visit the realm of Mobius FF, —more specifically, the collaboration between Mobius FF and FFVII—, where I found the most substantial evidence for my theory.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Mobius FF (MFF) world and games, let’s begin with a bit of a summary of the parts relevant to us. The story takes place in a world called Palamecia, to which people from other worlds are inexplicably summoned. The vast majority of those who are brought there don’t remember anything from their worlds of origin or their lives before Palamecia except their names: these amnesiac people are called Blanks. The main character is Wol, accompanied by a guiding fairy of Palamecia named Echo. Echo knows a lot about the mechanisms of Palamecia, as she’s tied to the realm. The leader of this world is Vox, a being who manifests only as a voice. The first thing all Blanks remember before they wake in Palamecia is Vox telling them the rules of the realm. Incidentally, the crystals of the MFF world are teleportation crystals.
III. e) i. Devs’ Statements
Let’s review some of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration devs’ statements before diving into its story.
For both the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration and the Remake project, Kitase took on the role of producer while Nojima supervised the screenplay and wrote the scenario. The project leader was none other than the Remake trilogy’s Hamaguchi, who told a SE interviewer the following:

“We would love for you to play the [MFF x FFVII] collaboration event as you look forward to [Remake’s] release” (“Celebration of the Overseas Release of the Steam Version and FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Collaboration Event”, Square Enix).

He later hints at the collaboration’s storyline:

“This collaboration is focused on Cloud, so the other characters will not make an appearance. Players will join Cloud, who has gone astray in Palamecia, on his adventures and see how the story unfolds based on his decisions. Content-wise, FINAL FANTASY VII fans will surely become fraught with emotion as events unfold in-game (laughs).”

Kitase concurs on the emotional aspect of the collaboration in the same interview:

“When it comes to the story, I seek two things– ‘mystery’ and ‘[…] emotional impact’.”

Clearly, fans of FFVII are supposed to react emotionally to the events of the collaboration. With these statements in mind to give us perspective, we can get into the plot points relevant to our analysis. MFF x FFVII Remake comes in two parts, the relevant plot points of which I will describe and analyze one at a time.
III. e) ii. Eclipse Contact
1) Fact-Finding
Part one of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration event is called Eclipse Contact. It came out in 2017 on Aerith’s birthday, February 7th, and its release campaign ran until March. In Eclipse Contact, Palamecia welcomes someone new: Cloud Strife appears in the realm with very little recollection of his core world of FFVII.
Cloud isn’t a Blank, since he recalls the mako reactors in Midgar upon his arrival in Palamecia, and also remembers that he was hired by Avalanche to blow them up:

“Echo: How did you end up in Palamecia?

Cloud: I… That day... I remember now. A job. I had taken a job. I was hired muscle protecting clients. They wanted to stop the reactor... We used a train to get past security... Was it at night? Something happened... Next thing I knew, I was floating through darkness. Then [I woke up here]”.

This piece of dialogue reveals that Eclipse Contact Cloud’s memories end at the very moment when Avalanche arrives at reactor 1 in OG (disk 1, chapter 1): the very beginning of the game. Consequently, Cloud does not remember anything that happened from the beginning of the OG timeline onwards.
Wol and Echo are intrigued by Cloud’s strange case: non-Blanks rarely arrive in Palamecia. The following text appears on the screen shortly after they meet:

“Perhaps he is not truly who he thinks he is.
Perhaps everything is illusory, a dream.
Only one thing is certain, that he must press on, one step at a time, toward the light that shines from the promised land.”

Just like he did in FFT’s Ivalice, Cloud feels the need to find the Promised Land in MFF x FFVII, despite the fact that he lacks memories of the OG timeline. Though Cloud doesn’t remember anything beyond the train ride to reactor 1, he does remember the Promised Land (at least somewhat). This is odd, given that in OG, Cloud didn’t learn about the Promised Land until several chapters into the game.
Wol and Echo agree to help Cloud figure out why he’s here, since there’s clearly something strange going on with his presence in Palamecia. In fact, Cloud brought Midgar’s mako reactors with him somehow, transplanting them onto the landscape of Palamecia. The group decides to bomb these reactors, following Cloud’s instincts in the hopes that it will jog his memory.
Now for my favorite part. After blowing up another reactor, the group is surprised by the appearance of a crystal. A piano rendition of Aerith’s theme begins. When Wol tries to touch the crystal, something akin to a force field rejects him. When Cloud approaches it, however, the crystal responds to his hand by flashing with light. As it begins to glow, Wol concludes that the crystal is linked to Cloud and Cloud alone. Let’s examine the resulting dialogue:

“Echo: This is the light in your memories. The light of home.

Cloud: Home? But I don’t—

Echo: If you don't remember… then your home is lost to you.

Cloud: Then my memories are gone.

Wol: Do you want to reclaim your past?

Cloud: Not interested... I am what I am now. Not what I was.

Wol: Then tell me… This light. If you can’t remember it, what does it mean to you?

Cloud: It's a warm light... I feel at peace. If this place —home— is as warm and peaceful as this light, then I want to go there.

Echo: You can't go there... Not back to the past.

Cloud: I see.

Echo: But even if you can't go back to the past, you can go forward. If you wish for it strongly enough, the crystal will show you the way. The way to a new world. The way to your Promised Land. […]

Cloud: So... Should [I] take [my] chances and make a wish to this crystal?

Wol: Go ahead. It’s your crystal.

Echo: I should warn you that once you start on this journey, there's no coming back.

Cloud: The past is the past. I want to go to a place where everything is new. I’m ready.“

What follows is a moment I call the wishing scene (13:43-14:34). Cloud closes his eyes and wishes on the crystal. It flashes, and suddenly, rainbow-colored ripples of light appear around it. Aerith’s theme is replaced by a slightly modified version of “Midgar, City of Mako”, the track that plays during the opening cutscene of Remake. You can recreate the modification by listening to “Midgar, City of Mako” from 2:00 to 2:23, then skipping to 3:00 and listening until 3:18. You may recognize the musical motif that kicks off the wishing scene as the Lifestream motif, which has become symbolic of the mysteries of the Remake trilogy, as it often plays during scenes where unexplainable plot deviations from OG occur— more specifically, deviations involving multiverse shenanigans. For instance, it plays during MOTF 4. It also plays in Rebirth after Cloud blocks masamune as Aerith is shown dying anyway.
Cloud disappears with his crystal, after which Echo speaks to Wol about Cloud’s journey:

“Echo: Each person gets the Promised Land they justly deserve, not the one they really need. If you’re a bad person, you go to a bad place. If you expect nothing, you get nothing. Even the journey there makes you look deep within yourself to find out who you really are. Cloud should be facing his own past as we speak. It’s cruel, but necessary. That battle was a long time coming”.

Apparently, at least in the context of this collaboration event, the Promised Land can be a reward or a punishment, depending on which you deserve. Echo explains that Cloud will have to face himself and his past on his way to his Promised Land. This means that the Cloud that appears in Eclipse Contact must next embark on a journey that will confront him with his past, test his mettle, and ultimately lead him to the Promised Land he justly deserves.
III. e) ii. 2) Fact Analysis
There’s a lot of vital information to dig into here, mostly provided by Echo. She claims that the crystal’s light is linked to Cloud’s memories of home; Cloud has to have known this home in the past, as it could not otherwise exist in his memories. MFF Cloud must be a post-OG Cloud. Unfortunately, Echo indicates that whatever Cloud’s home is, he’s lost both it and his memories of it. Despite this, Cloud describes his home as warm and peaceful, concluding that he wishes to find it. Though Cloud can’t return to the past, Echo tells him that if he wishes it strongly enough, the crystal can guide him toward a new world, where his home and his Promised Land exist in the future. The fact that Aerith’s theme is playing all throughout these descriptions of Cloud’s lost home, his Promised Land and the past that he can’t return to makes it extremely obvious that these concepts all point to Aerith. Aerith is Cloud’s lost home. Wherever Aerith is, that’s his Promised Land. The time spent with Aerith before her loss is the past he tragically can’t return to. You might have clocked the similarities between Eclipse Contact’s mention of Cloud’s lost home and DFF’s mention of Cloud’s lost dream: in both these titles, Cloud’s home and dream are equivalent to his Promised Land. It’s confirmed yet again that Aerith is the one Cloud hopes to return to, just like every soul returns to the Lifestream. At this juncture of my research, I was curious as to why the last thing Cloud remembers before waking in Palamecia is the run-up to the Reactor 1 bombing mission in OG (disk 1, chapter 1). This mystery will have to persist for a while longer.
The alarm bells in your head might’ve been triggered by the mention of the wishing scene’s rainbow ripple effects— and rightfully so. This visual cue has sparked passionate debate in the fandom since its appearances in Rebirth, as seen in these pictures:
Zack Choosing To Get A Cure For Cloud, Rebirth Chapter 14; Creating a New World/Timeline
Aerith Pushing Cloud Out of that World/Timeline, Remake Chapter 14
Cloud Blocking Masamune, Rebirth Chapter 14; Creating New World/Timeline
You might have read or heard that this rainbow effect signifies that a character has entered another timeline, created a portal to another timeline, created a new timeline or is being shown different timelines. Indeed, whenever the OG timeline is deviated from in a significant way, this effect appears. The pictures above present multiple examples of these shifting realities.
One might propose that the rainbow ripples in Eclipse Contact and Rebirth are unrelated because of the long period between their respective release dates. This long in-between period indeed makes it likelier that the effect was used without forethought in Eclipse Contact, forgotten over the years, and incidentally reused in Rebirth as a plot-important visual cue with no connection to Eclipse Contact. I’m inclined to disagree since the crystal is specifically described as a vessel that can take Cloud “to a new world” by Echo, which is a bit on the nose. Regardless, it’s plausible that there’s no connection. That is, it would be, if the rainbow effect didn’t show up in Remake too.
When the Whispers are finally defeated in chapter 18 of Remake, a burst of the rainbow ripple effects indicate the emergence of multiple worlds, newly freed from the restrictive clutches of fate (1:16:36-1:16:47). Shortly thereafter, Sephiroth takes Cloud to the Edge of Creation and invites him to join forces with him. Cloud refuses, and Sephiroth says the following:

“Seven seconds till the end. Time enough for you. Perhaps. But what will you do with it? Let's see.”

The question “What will you do with it?” implies that the answer is unknown, meaning Cloud is no longer bound to the OG timeline by fate: many alternate futures lay ahead. Sephiroth is telling Cloud and the audience that now, the mystery of the Remake trilogy has become “Which future will Cloud bring into existence? Which among the infinite possible timelines will his choices result in?” After pondering this aloud, Sephiroth leaves Cloud alone to consider the rainbow effects in the sky (1:19:23-1:19:36). Because they generally represent alternate or changing timelines, it’s safe to assume that the rainbow ripples here represent the myriad of possible worlds that Cloud’s actions in those seven seconds could generate. After all, Sephiroth was just talking about them, and chapter 18’s description in Remake reads as follows:

“In a world beyond, Sephiroth shows Cloud a vision of the planet seven seconds before its demise. Having strayed from the course destiny set for them, they strike out on a path towards an unknown future."

This explains why the player is shown Cloud staring at those colors in the apocalyptic sky at world’s end, directly after hearing Sephiroth’s cryptic words: those are all the alternate “unknown future” timelines ahead of him, now unravelled from fate. Amongst those rainbow ripples lies the answer to the question “What will you do with [the seven seconds]?”
Given that Remake was released in 2020 and Eclipse Contact came out in 2017, the major story elements of the Remake trilogy —including the eventuality of alternate timelines— had to have been planned out at the time of Eclipse Contact’s release: while the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration was being made, Remake was also in production. Also recall that the collaboration event and the Remake trilogy share a codirector in Hamaguchi, a writer in Nojima and a producer in Kitase. Based on all this, it’s more than likely that the rainbow ripples in the Remake trilogy and inEclipse Contact represent the very same thing: alternate worlds and timelines. All this to say that when the rainbow effect appears around the crystal in the Eclipse Contact, it means the crystal is acting as a vessel to another world, just like Echo said.
But that’s not all Echo said: she also mentioned that this other world would take Cloud to his home, to his Promised Land. We’ve already established what that means for Cloud, what it’s meant since two whole decades at the time of Eclipse Contact’s release: this crystal will take Cloud to Aerith. So, where exactly did the crystal take Cloud? In what world can he meet Aerith again?
The music that plays during the wishing scene gives us a huge hint. As I noted before, the track playing in the background is a slightly modified version of Remake’s “Midgar, City of Mako”, which plays in the introduction cutscene of Remake. This is a musical cue that the ending of Cloud’s journey in Eclipse Contact and the very beginning of the Remake trilogy are closely related. Add the fact that the devs wanted players to experience this collaboration event before playing Remake, and it becomes undeniable: the crystal that appeared to Cloud in Palamecia —which offers to lead him to his home and Promised Land, meaning to Aerith—, took him to the world of the Remaketrilogy.
Eclipse Contact is huge. The whole crux of my theory lives and dies right here. However, we still have part two of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration event to analyze as well as its promotions to look into before I can drop the thesis on you, so bear with me in order to receive the most thorough analysis of all this possible! I want to give you every drop of proof I can!
III. e) ii. MFF x FFVII Remake Fatal Calling
1) Fact-Finding
Fatal Calling came out February 1 of 2018, and its release campaign ended in March. The game opens with a cutscene: Cloud is floating, seemingly unconscious, through a sparkling, green current of light. The current flows into a circle of bright, white light, surrounded by rainbow ripple effects as Cloud is driven toward and into it. An orb floats along with him. The Advent Children theme “The Promised Land” plays, a choir of mournful, aching, mutedly desperate souls engaged in a lamenting prayer. Sephiroth’s voice echoes:

“Sephiroth: It’s time. You may turn your back on the past, lock your memories away. Hide reality beneath a layer of illusion. But destiny will not die so easily. Yes. At memory’s end you may plead for it all to go away. But the past is a curse, binding your soul. It’s time. Wake to your fate. Rise to your destiny.

Cloud: (In a half-conscious grunt) Reunion…

Sephiroth: The light will lead you. Wake to your fate. Rise!”

Sephiroth’s mentions of Cloud hiding under an illusion and repressing his memories are no doubt allusions to Cloud’s past, which was complicated and darkened by Hojo’s experiments. It makes sense, then, that Cloud responds with “Reunion”. Fatal Calling indeed focuses on Cloud’s relationship to his past, his identity and Sephiroth. Everything involving Nibelheim —where everything started—, Sephiroth’s manipulation, and Hojo’s experiments are on the table. Also noteworthy if not out of place is Sephiroth’s evocation of fate.
Cloud enters a battle with Sephiroth with the help of Wol and Echo, who are surprised to see him back in Palamecia. Cloud tells them about the orb seen floating along with him in the opening cutscene: though he calls it a materia, he doesn’t know how or when he acquired it. Based on his behavior, it appears that Cloud remembers just as little about the events of OG as he did by the end of Eclipse Contact. Wol informs Cloud that whoever he heard speaking to him on his way here was probably Vox pretending to be Sephiroth.
As the group advances, Cloud recalls Midgar and decides they should go there next. At one of Midgar’s mako reactors, the group encounters Sephiroth, who speaks to himself:

“It's still not enough. This... this is but a pale imitation of the power I desire.”

Once Sephiroth has disappeared, Cloud explains what he remembers: Sephiroth was the greatest SOLDIER of all and a hero to Cloud, though Cloud can’t remember what exactly ended this admiration. As players of FFVII OG, we know the event in question is the Nibelheim incident, wherein Sephiroth slaughtered the town’s residents, including Cloud’s mother, after learning of his past. The former war hero also severely injured Tifa, whom Cloud presumed dead when he found her in the old mako reactor with a vicious slash on her chest. Cloud is agitated by the gaps in his memory, so the group resolves to follow Sephiroth for answers. When they find him again, Sephiroth causes Cloud to experience a piercing headache with the mere mention of the Reunion. They fight, but Sephiroth is too powerful— he skewers Cloud with the masamune and taunts his unconscious body:

“Sephiroth: A puppet. I won’t kill you. Not yet. Not until you know true despair.
Wol: If you want despair, we got plenty to go around. Palamecia’s full of it.
Sephiroth: Yes, this planet knows suffering. But it is not the world that was promised to me. I must go home. Tell Cloud, if he wants to see me again, he should face his memories. I will await him there, in the land of memory, where it all began. In Nibelheim.”

Sephiroth darkens Cloud’s materia, turning it black. Later, Wol explains to Cloud that Sephiroth stole the light from his materia, taking Cloud’s strength along with it.
Once Cloud has woken up, the group travels to Nibelheim to uncover the truth about Cloud’s memories. Cloud slowly gathers pieces of his past, shown to the player as titled, diary-like text written from various perspectives. Cloud learns the truth about SOLDIER, Jenova cells, Sephiroth, and what happened in Nibelheim. Let’s examine a few of these diary entries:

“A Warrior’s Tale: There's a girl in Nibelheim I think about. Warm. Cheerful. More grown-up than a child. Haven't talked to her much, but she seems nice. She's going to be leading the SOLDIERs to the mountain reactor. Maybe if I get into the survey team I'll get a chance to talk to her? Nah. She's out of my league.”

Young Cloud’s crush on Tifa is on full display! This must be a memory from his time as an infantryman accompanying Zack and Sephiroth to Nibelheim.

“Tale of the Nameless: I drift along in the mako, asleep. Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Give me a number. I… I… I am… The Reunion. The Reunion must happen.”

This entry could be taken from any one of the Nibelheim survivors’ perspectives, as they were all bathed in mako and turned into Sephiroth clones. I would venture to say this is Cloud’s perspective though, given the reference to this iconic line from OG:

“Cloud: Professor... please give me a number. Please, Professor...
Hojo: Shut up, miserable failure.” (disk 2, chapter 2).

The trio encounters Sephiroth near the old Mt. Nibel mako reactor. Because Sephiroth stole the light from his materia earlier, Cloud goes into the confrontation already drained of his strength. However, when Cloud lifts the materia in his hand, it lights up and creates rainbow ripples in the air around him, similar to those seen in Eclipse Contact and Rebirth. Cloud is healed of his injuries: he closes his eyes for a moment, wearing a peaceful expression. Sephiroth is displeased, but recovers quickly:

“Sephiroth: The guiding light… it healed you.

Wol: […] here, near the mako reactor, the materia regained its light. And your strength returned […]. [Sephiroth]’s here so he can steal the power you've stored inside that materia.

Sephiroth, with a short laugh: I have all the power I need. Cloud. What strength you’ve regained is yours. Use it to fight me. It’s time. Let’s decide this, in this land lost to despair. The prize is home. The Promised Land. There to answer the call of destiny.”

With this second evocation of fate, Sephiroth disappears.
Cloud, Wol and Echo find Sephiroth at the Northern Crater. He mocks Cloud for believing the orb in his possession is materia. Sephiroth waves a hand and his signature black and purple fog surrounds Cloud, immobilizing him. Sephiroth claims that the power Cloud regained at the Mt. Nibel reactor was Sephiroth’s all along. Now that it courses through Cloud’s veins, Sephiroth controls him. He calls Cloud his puppet and finishes with the following before the two vanish, leaving Wol and Echo alone:

“Now, let us return. Back to the Promised Land. The time of the Reunion has come.”

After Cloud finally breaks free and defeats Sephiroth with the help of Wol and Echo, the villain makes a final threat:

“Very good, Cloud. You’ve destroyed an illusion. But the time will come to abandon your illusions and face reality. Then, you will know true pain.”

Sephiroth disappears for the last time, his body surrounded by his signature dark fog and the rainbow ripples. A piano rendition of Tifa’s theme begins. Cloud’s orb rises into the air and becomes a crystal, with the same shape and glow as the one we see in Eclipse Contact. The following dialogue is illuminating:

“Cloud: I will fight. The light will lead me where I need to go.

Wol: You sure? Wasn’t that [crystal] Sephiroth’s?

Cloud: I heard Sephiroth's voice, at the end. Inside me. Whatever he put in me, it’s still in there. Someday I’ll settle that score. If I can't avoid destiny, I might as well face it head-on.

Wol: Yeah. That was quite a speech, Cloud. Surprised you made it through without laughing.

Cloud: Yeah, forget I said it. I will too.

Echo: Forgetting won’t make it go away. Even if the words fade from memory, your dream will never disappear. Not until it becomes real.“

The crystal shines as though in response.

“Echo: See? See, that's how the light of hope works. Hope can turn your dreams into reality.

Cloud: Yeah. I guess so. I might forget this world, but I won’t forget hope. And my reality, that’s for me to live.”

Tifa’s theme ends. Cloud approaches the crystal, and disappears in a beam of blinding light. Once Cloud has vanished with the crystal, Aerith’s theme begins playing. A few pale feathers with a slight orange tint (the color of MFF) float down onto the floor where he stood seconds before. The image fades to black. The credits roll, and Aerith’s theme continues all the way through.
Once both the final name in the credits and Aerith’s theme fade, we’re surprised by a sudden, troubling image: Sephiroth appears in a frightening flash, standing amidst the flames of Nibelheim. When his image fades to black, the collaboration title *“Final Fantasy VII x Mobius Final Fantasy”*appears on the screen. The FFVII title is surrounded by the 1997 meteor logo. Then, a flash of light: the titles reappear, except this time, they read “Final Fantasy VII REMAKE x Mobius Final Fantasy”. The new Remake Meteor logo replaces the 1997 version. As soon as these changes to the FFVIItitle and meteor logo occur, Aerith’s theme returns. It plays on until the game ends a few seconds later, the screen fading to black.
III. e) ii. 2) Fact Analysis
The introduction cutscene shows that MFF Cloud travelled from Eclipse Contact to Fatal Calling via Lifestream. It’s unclear how much time has passed in between, but the atemporal nature of the Lifestream makes the question irrelevant. My theory that MFF Cloud has died is corroborated by the way he’s depicted in the opening cutscene: his eyes are closed and his body is limp as the Lifestream carries him.
Eclipse Contact ended with Echo’s claim that Cloud will face his true self and confront his past while he journeys to his Promised Land. This description resembles what Cloud experienced in the OG Lifestream sequence (disk 2, chapter 8). Indeed, Fatal Calling revolves around the same topics the Lifestream sequence addresses: the truth about the Nibelheim incident, Hojo’s experiments, young Cloud’s crush on Tifa, etc. The opening cutscene shows Cloud being transported to his Promised Land and facing his past on the way there, just like Echo said he would.
Let’s now take a long detour to examine the song that plays during the opening cutscene of Fatal Calling: “The Promised Land” theme from Advent Children. The title and general subject of this song are obviously relevant to the cutscene, but there must be more to its inclusion than that. Perhaps the lyrics can help us understand its appearance in the opening cutscene of Fatal Calling. Here are the unofficial English lyrics (translated from the original Japanese lyrics by an anonymous fan and verified by me via DeepL):

“Why do we cling together?
Why do we give punishment to lesser hearts?
The planet did not forgive us
Did not forgive us
The planet did not forgive us
Did not forgive us
The pulse of veins flows through the earth
A faint, faint pulse
Of a heart drawn to death
A gentle life returns to the planet
Is it necessary to sacrifice souls?
Why do we cling together?
Why do we beg for forgiveness
In the Promised Land?” (“‘The Promised Land’ (theme)” by Final Fantasy Wiki).

The song appears to be a regretful lament of human behavior, expressed by the repetition of “Why do we […]?” questions. The behaviors listed are all typically human ones: the terms “[clinging] together” and “[giving] punishment to [the] lesser” express the uniquely human nature of tribalism and the consequences of the fear and hatred it can generate, and “[begging] for forgiveness in the Promised Land” is likely a reference to the human hypocrisy of only feeling sorry for one’s crimes when judgement day arrives. This last line describes a scenario where someone remains passive or ignorant in the face of something important, only to realize its essentiality once it’s too late. The repeated“The planet did not forgive us” lines reflect the fear of being condemned forever because of one’s mistakes, as though the planet is a deity one has sinned against. The lyric describing a pulse in the earth is obviously about the planet being alive— a reference to the Lifestream. But the pulse is faint and weak and the planet is dying, perishing because of mankind’s greed. This is an indictment of mako energy. The line “A gentle life returns to the planet” refers to an innocent’s soul returning to the Lifestream after death, while the next lyric “Is it necessary to sacrifice souls?” protests the “sacrifice” of the planet’s soul energy for mako production. In all this darkness, this song’s mention of “forgiveness in the Promised Land” leaves a modicum of hope for a better place, however meek, even though mankind might not deserve it. The song “The Promised Land” is both a lament of mankind’s ways and a plea for mercy, with religious and/or spiritual undertones. The song’s themes seem to be: the Promised Land itself, regret and shame, the sins and foolishness of mankind, the death of innocents, grief, Cetra spirituality, and a meek, quiet hope despite it all. The most interesting aspect of the song is its antithetical portrayal of death as a thing of both despair and hope, condemnation and salvation, cruelty and mercy, suffering and relief. Maybe we can glean more information about this theme’s significance in the world of FFVII if we examine the contexts in which it appears.
Importantly, the song plays in Marlene’s introductory narration of Advent Children, meaning its themes are related or similar to the film’s. I highly recommend listening and watching it again, even if you remember this iconic segment. Marlene references Aerith’s sacrifice as the image of Cloud lowering her into the water is shown. Note that Marlene says “Sadness was the price to see it end” (2:36) after we are shown Aerith’s death and her subsequent unleashing of the Lifestream (1:49-2:24): Aerith’s innocent life was sacrificed for the planet’s survival. The lyrics “A gentle life returns to the planet” and “Is it necessary to sacrifice souls?” suit Aerith’s situation quite well.
The theme also plays in Advent Children as Kadaj dies in Cloud’s arms (1:45:00-1:47:55), hearing Aerith’s gentle voice and reaching up to take her invisible hand. Here is what Aerith says to him in his dying moments as “The Promised Land” plays:

“Aerith’s voice: Kadaj?
Kadaj: Huh?
The dark sky has gone with Sephiroth. Healing rain starts falling from bright clouds. The rain no longer hurts Kadaj.
Aerith’s voice: You don’t have to hang on any longer.
Kadaj: Mother! Is that…?
Aerith’s voice: Everyone’s waiting, if you’re ready.
Kadaj nods his head slightly in acceptance. He holds out his hand, and slowly evaporates into the Lifestream. Cloud watches […]” (Advent Children).

Kadaj is brought into the Lifestream by Aerith as she provides rain from the Lifestream. All those with geostigma are healed by the rain, and Tifa feels Aerith’s presence as the party celebrates:

“Tifa, looking out at the falling rain […]: Somehow, I knew you were there. Thank you” (Advent Children).

Cloud stands in the rain with a smile —his first in the whole film—, closes his eyes and basks in Aerith’s healing with his face upturned. He is finally at peace:

“Cloud’s expression is one of peace as the [Lifestream] rain patters against him” (Final Fantasy VII Advent Children English script, “[83] Atop the Shinra Building”).

One thing is clear: the track “The Promised Land” accompanies Aerith. It only makes sense, since we’ve seen overwhelming evidence that she is Cloud’s Promised Land, and since she occupies the Lifestream —which some consider the Promised Land as it is where souls go after death— during the events of Advent Children. Note that when the piece plays, Cloud is shown either mourning Aerith and releasing her into the river at the Cetra capital, or basking in her presence, smiling with relief at the peaceful feeling that she’s somewhere near: these two opposing scenes reflect the song’s antithetical portrayal of death.
Additionally, the song’s themes of regret, shame concerning one’s sins and a small hope perfectly describe Cloud’s character arc and feelings in Advent Children. Cloud regrets his inability to save Aerith, which he considers a sin. Further, he only realized how important she is to him once it was too late to tell her. And of course, he harbors a fragile yet important hope that he’ll be reunited with her in the Promised Land:

“‘Can sins ever be forgiven?’ — Cloud asks this to Vincent, who mutters a brief answer. For both of them, ‘I couldn't protect my loved one’ is the sense of guilt that they carry, so their words resonate with weight” (FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition, “Chapter 2: Character in FFVIIWorld”, “Vincent Valentine”, “In Advent Children”, page 72).

&

"’It is my sin that I couldn't protect my loved one’ — under this assumption, Cloud closes off his heart. What will the reunion with Aerith bring him? ‘I... think I want to be forgiven. Yeah, I just want to be forgiven’” (FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition, “Chapter 2: Character in FFVIIWorld”, “Cloud Strife”, “In Advent Children”, page 40).

&

“Cloud, after seeing Aerith’s hand reach for him through the Lifestream: … I think I'm beginning to understand.
Tifa: What?

Cloud: An answer from the Planet… the Promised Land... I think I can meet her... there” (disk 3, chapter 3).

Just as the song and Marlene express in the introduction of the film, Aerith was innocent, and her sacrifice generated great grief. Cloud finally experiences peace when he feels her presence in the healing rain, and he smiles: he’s glad to be with her again, even if it’s only for a brief moment of tangential respite.
The scene depicts Aerith guiding Kadaj into the Lifestream as the song plays, tying her to the concept and theme song of the Promised Land once more. This connection is later solidified by Tifa’s thanks to the late flower girl. All of this evidence shows us that this musical theme is intimately linked to Aerith, as it never plays in her absence. After all, the song speaks of sins, the death of innocents, forgiveness, grief, a small sense of hope, regret and the afterlife: all themes relevant to Cloud’s feelings surrounding Aerith’s death in and outside of Advent Children.
The Remake OST also includes a version of this piece called “The Promised Land - Cycle of Life”. This iteration of the theme begins playing in the wake of the first bombing mission, right after Sephiroth taunts Cloud with his mother’s dying words in Sector 8 (chapter 2). Sephiroth appears to Cloud surrounded by flames, evoking the Nibelheim massacre, and the theme begins playing in the background once he disappears, continuing (13:17-15:30) as Cloud walks through the sector, encountering fires and destruction all around him. This version of the Promised Land theme is meant to emphasize the deaths of the innocent Nibelheim townsfolk and the innocents in Sector 8. This dreadful atmosphere is amplified by the cries of despair that ring all around as Cloud passes by NPC Sector 8 residents. Perhaps the themes of tribalism and mankind’s sin are relevant to this scene as well, since Shinra and Avalanche are two distinct and warring groups whose quarrels, regardless of their necessity, result in the deaths of innocents. The theme of guilt also emerges, reflecting the Avalanche members’ feelings upon seeing the unintended collateral damage of the explosion. “The Promised Land - Cycle of Life” plays until Cloud encounters Aerith on Loveless. So it seems in this scenario, the heavy weight of death and despair is lifted when Cloud meets the lively, cheery Aerith. Once more, Aerith is central to the musical theme of the Promised Land, as well as to the concept itself.
I also noticed that a version of the song plays as Cloud and the party ready to enter the Forgotten Capital to save Aerith in Rebirth’s chapter 14: it truly adds the weight of her upcoming death to the scene.
Back to Fatal Calling, the scene where Cloud regains his strength is quite mysterious. Wol says Cloud’s orb regained its “guiding light” light because of its proximity to the mako reactor. In the moment his strength is replenished, Cloud is shown tilting his head back and closing his eyes: this is reminiscent of the scene in Advent Children when he stands under Aerith’s healing Lifestream rain, feeling at peace. The rainbow ripples shining from the orb indicate that something is crossing the boundaries of worlds. Since the mako reactor pumps up the Lifestream, being near a reactor also means being physically near the Lifestream. This means Aerith’s spirit is within proximity. In my opinion, Aerith was able to heal Cloud from the Lifestream, just like in Advent Children. However, Aerith is not in Palamecia with him: her healing had to travel there through the Lifestream, transcending the boundaries of worlds, hence the rainbow ripples.
Let’s now address the appearance of Tifa’s character theme in Fatal Calling. Since Fatal Calling is all about discovering Cloud’s past in Nibelheim and then in Hojo’s lab, it makes lots of sense for Tifa’s theme to play as the crystal appears. In OG’s Lifestream sequence (disk 2 chapter 8), she’s the one there helping Cloud sort through his past instead of Wol and Echo. Cloud even picks up a piece of his childhood crush on Tifa in Fatal Calling as a shard of his memory. After all, this crush was the catalyst for him joining SOLDIER, and everything that transpired in consequence:

“Cloud: That was the first time I heard about Sephiroth. If I got strong like Sephiroth, then everyone might... If I could just get stronger... Then even Tifa would have to notice me” (FFVII OG, disk 2, chapter 8).

Additionally, it’s fitting that her theme should begin right after Sephiroth speaks of “[abandoning] your illusions and [facing] reality”, considering that Cloud’s false persona was concocted by Jenova using Tifa’s mistaken impressions of Cloud:

“While being tended to by a station worker in the Sector 7 Slum train station, [Cloud] was reunited with Tifa, and using the abilities of Jenova’s cells, formed a new personality” (FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania Revised Edition, “Chapter 2: Character in FFVII World, “Cloud Strife”, “Cloud Behavior Record, Compilation of FFVII”, page 40).

&

“(Image caption:) A new personality takes shape the moment he sees Tifa” (FFVII Story Playback, “Story Check: Tifa’s Flashback”).

&

“Tifa (to Cloud): Deep down, you're a pretty nice guy. Didn't see it when we were kids, but...” (Remake, chapter 14).

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★ Hand Wraps Cobalt Skulls - FN - 2129.01 - -
★ Hand Wraps Cobalt Skulls - FN - 2129.01 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Kimono - FT - 2078.29- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Karambit Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) - MW - 2009.52- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Karambit Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) - MW - 2009.52 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Crimson Web - FN - 1969.44 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Fade - FN - 1949.30 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) - FN - 1947.06 - -
★ Karambit Doppler (Phase 2) - MW - 1925.95 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 1840.46 - -
★ Butterfly Knife - - 1840.39- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
StatTrak™ AK-47 Fire Serpent - FT - 1811.54 - -
AWP Desert Hydra - FT - 1753.65- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
Souvenir AK-47 Gold Arabesque - BS - 1735.82- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Crimson Web - MW - 1695.68- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Skeleton Knife Fade - FN - 1664.51- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Stiletto Knife Doppler (Black Pearl) - MW - 1605.58- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web - FN - 1594.15 - -
★ Karambit Doppler (Phase 4) - FN - 1586.83 - -
★ Karambit Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1565.10- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Karambit Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1565.10 - -
★ Karambit Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1565.10 - -
★ Karambit Marble Fade - FN - 1512.92- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Karambit Marble Fade - FN - 1512.92 - -
★ Huntsman Knife Doppler (Sapphire) - FN - 1476.84 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 4) - FN - 1463.78 - -
★ Driver Gloves King Snake - MW - 1404.08- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Slaughter - FT - 1383.78- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ M9 Bayonet Marble Fade - FN - 1376.69- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Lore - FT - 1323.21 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Lore - FT - 1323.21 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Lore - FT - 1323.21 - -
★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Black Pearl) - FN - 1304.29- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ M9 Bayonet Marble Fade - MW - 1297.84- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1291.97 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1291.97 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 1288.07- Fri May 10 2024 09:00:00 -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 1288.07 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 1288.07 - -
★ Talon Knife Fade - FN - 1275.38- Sat May 04 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Talon Knife Fade - FN - 1275.38 - -
★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Doppler (Phase 4) - FN - 1275.31 - -
★ M9 Bayonet - - 1252.91 - -
★ M9 Bayonet - - 1252.91 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Slaughter - FN - 1207.85 - -
AK-47 Fire Serpent - MW - 1207.26 - -
AK-47 Fire Serpent - MW - 1207.26 - -
★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Slaughter - FN - 1201.46 - -
★ Karambit Tiger Tooth - FN - 1188.42- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Sport Gloves Arid - MW - 1172.19 - -
★ StatTrak™ Karambit Tiger Tooth - MW - 1159.44 - -
★ Karambit Autotronic - FT - 1140.59 - -
★ Karambit Autotronic - FT - 1140.59 - -
M4A4 Poseidon - FN - 1130.30 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Case Hardened - MW - 1111.03 - -
★ Bowie Knife Doppler (Ruby) - MW - 1099.73 - -
★ Karambit Blue Steel - FN - 1086.82 - -
★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Ruby) - FN - 1081.17- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
AWP Fade - FN - 1072.33- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
★ M9 Bayonet Autotronic - FT - 1069.44 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Crimson Web - MW - 1029.65 - -
★ StatTrak™ Talon Knife Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 1029.00- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
Souvenir M4A4 Eye of Horus - MW - 1029.00 - -
★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Tiger Tooth - FN - 1028.93- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Bright Water - FN - 1021.03- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Bright Water - FN - 1021.03 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Slaughter - MW - 1012.34 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Crimson Web - FT - 999.95 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike - MW - 991.11 - -
★ StatTrak™ Nomad Knife Fade - FN - 954.80 - -
Sticker Team Dignitas (Holo) Cologne 2014 - - 936.24 - -
★ Karambit Lore - FT - 924.50 - -
★ Karambit Lore - FT - 924.50 - -
★ Karambit Lore - FT - 924.50 - -
★ Karambit Lore - FT - 924.50 - -
★ Bayonet Gamma Doppler (Phase 4) - FN - 920.30- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Forest DDPAT - FN - 911.61- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
AK-47 Fire Serpent - FT - 898.42- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
AK-47 Fire Serpent - FT - 898.42 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Freehand - FT - 886.97 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Freehand - FT - 886.97 - -
StatTrak™ M4A1-S Printstream - FN - 885.66 - -
★ Talon Knife Marble Fade - FN - 875.15 - -
★ Talon Knife Marble Fade - FN - 875.15 - -
★ StatTrak™ Talon Knife Marble Fade - FN - 871.68 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Slaughter - FT - 869.49 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Slaughter - FT - 869.49 - -
★ Falchion Knife Crimson Web - FN - 869.43- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
StatTrak™ AWP Lightning Strike - FN - 859.44 - -
★ Talon Knife Slaughter - FN - 847.83 - -
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 846.38 - -
★ Stiletto Knife Fade - FN - 844.94 - -
★ Bayonet Fade - FN - 840.59- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Fade - FN - 836.97 - -
★ Karambit Black Laminate - WW - 836.09- Sat May 04 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Butterfly Knife Ultraviolet - FT - 823.20 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Slaughter - MW - 821.60 - -
★ StatTrak™ Karambit Black Laminate - BS - 804.36 - -
★ Sport Gloves Slingshot - FT - 800.02 - -
★ Skeleton Knife - - 798.56 - -
★ Karambit Forest DDPAT - FN - 797.11- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Skeleton Knife Slaughter - FT - 790.52- Fri May 10 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Skeleton Knife Slaughter - FT - 790.52 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Crimson Web - FT - 786.96 - -
StatTrak™ AK-47 Vulcan - MW - 782.62- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ StatTrak™ Butterfly Knife Stained - FT - 781.17- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Karambit Damascus Steel - FT - 770.08 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Blue Steel - MW - 762.33 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Black Laminate - WW - 753.64- Sat May 04 2024 09:00:00 -
AK-47 Vulcan - FN - 753.05 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - FT - 747.84 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - FT - 747.84 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - FT - 747.84 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - FT - 747.84 - -
★ StatTrak™ Karambit Damascus Steel - FT - 734.07 - -
M4A1-S Imminent Danger - FT - 721.32 - -
★ Karambit Bright Water - MW - 708.06 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Scorched - FN - 708.04- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 707.54- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Flip Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 1) - FN - 707.11 - -
MAG-7 Cinquedea - MW - 694.93 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Crimson Web - FT - 691.25 - -
M4A4 Eye of Horus - FN - 684.36 - -
★ Karambit Stained - FT - 684.06 - -
★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 678.27 - -
★ Bayonet Lore - MW - 674.57 - -
★ Karambit Freehand - FT - 671.75 - -
★ StatTrak™ M9 Bayonet Bright Water - FN - 664.50 - -
★ Kukri Knife - - 662.33 - -
★ Sport Gloves Nocts - MW - 659.43 - -
★ Classic Knife Fade - FN - 630.37- Tue May 07 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Classic Knife Fade - FN - 630.37 - -
★ Karambit Stained - WW - 627.54 - -
★ Butterfly Knife Boreal Forest - FT - 624.36 - -
★ Bayonet Slaughter - FN - 621.75 - -
★ Gut Knife Crimson Web - FN - 615.95- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Specialist Gloves Field Agent - MW - 613.55 - -
Sticker Titan (Holo) Katowice 2015 - - 604.36 - -
★ Ursus Knife Fade - FN - 601.09 - -
Desert Eagle Blaze - FN - 599.87- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
Desert Eagle Blaze - FN - 599.87- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
Desert Eagle Blaze - FN - 599.87 - -
M4A1-S Blue Phosphor - FN - 598.56- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
M4A1-S Blue Phosphor - FN - 598.56 - -
★ Karambit Night - BS - 592.47 - -
★ Driver Gloves Black Tie - MW - 584.79 - -
Souvenir M4A1-S Welcome to the Jungle - BS - 579.43 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Stained - FT - 568.12 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Emerald Web - WW - 563.41 - -
★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 563.05 - -
AWP Lightning Strike - MW - 562.68 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Freehand - FT - 561.96 - -
★ Bayonet Tiger Tooth - FN - 545.66 - -
★ Huntsman Knife Gamma Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 541.82 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Crimson Web - BS - 538.27 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Crimson Web - BS - 538.27 - -
★ Sport Gloves Scarlet Shamagh - MW - 534.71- Mon May 06 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Kukri Knife Stained - FN - 519.57 - -
★ Talon Knife Case Hardened - FT - 515.21 - -
★ Falchion Knife Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 511.46 - -
★ Flip Knife Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 504.86 - -
★ Navaja Knife Doppler (Sapphire) - FN - 492.77 - -
★ Talon Knife Blue Steel - MW - 492.69 - -
★ Ursus Knife Doppler (Phase 3) - FN - 487.98 - -
M4A1-S Icarus Fell - FN - 485.51 - -
★ StatTrak™ Bayonet Lore - FT - 475.37 - -
★ Paracord Knife Fade - FN - 469.50 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Stained - MW - 466.67- Sat May 04 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Huntsman Knife Fade - FN - 457.89 - -
AK-47 Vulcan - MW - 455.73- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
AK-47 Vulcan - MW - 455.73 - -
★ Flip Knife Slaughter - FN - 446.02 - -
★ Bowie Knife Doppler (Phase 2) - FN - 443.49 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike - FT - 439.07- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Specialist Gloves Tiger Strike - FT - 439.07 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - BS - 434.65 - -
★ Sport Gloves Amphibious - BS - 434.65 - -
★ M9 Bayonet Boreal Forest - FT - 433.33 - -
★ StatTrak™ Huntsman Knife Slaughter - FN - 429.37 - -
★ Stiletto Knife - - 427.54- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
AK-47 Fuel Injector - FN - 423.84 - -
M4A1-S Printstream - FN - 420.29 - -
M4A1-S Printstream - FN - 420.29 - -
★ Skeleton Knife Stained - FT - 419.72 - -
SSG 08 Death Strike - BS - 418.49 - -
★ Nomad Knife Crimson Web - FT - 409.78- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Talon Knife Crimson Web - WW - 404.93 - -
AK-47 X-Ray - WW - 398.19- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Flip Knife - - 379.86 - -
AUG Akihabara Accept - WW - 376.46 - -
AK-47 Case Hardened - FN - 373.92 - -
★ Falchion Knife Fade - FN - 372.04 - -
Sticker LGB eSports (Holo) Katowice 2015 - - 371.53 - -
★ Bayonet Freehand - FN - 368.70 - -
★ Driver Gloves King Snake - FT - 366.67- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Driver Gloves King Snake - FT - 366.67 - -
★ Driver Gloves King Snake - FT - 366.67 - -
★ Huntsman Knife Marble Fade - MW - 362.18 - -
★ Stiletto Knife Crimson Web - FT - 360.58 - -
★ Huntsman Knife Marble Fade - FN - 357.98 - -
★ Bayonet Blue Steel - FT - 355.08 - -
★ Hand Wraps Cobalt Skulls - WW - 347.83- Wed May 08 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Talon Knife Ultraviolet - FT - 347.61- Fri May 03 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Specialist Gloves Mogul - MW - 346.31 - -
★ Moto Gloves Polygon - MW - 344.86 - -
★ Moto Gloves Polygon - MW - 344.86 - -
★ Hydra Gloves Emerald - FN - 344.42 - -
★ Sport Gloves Omega - WW - 343.19 - -
★ Huntsman Knife Lore - FN - 324.49 - -
★ Specialist Gloves Foundation - FT - 323.19- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Ursus Knife Tiger Tooth - FN - 317.39 - -
Glock-18 Synth Leaf - MW - 317.25 - -
★ Stiletto Knife Case Hardened - WW - 310.15- Fri May 10 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Stiletto Knife Case Hardened - WW - 310.15 - -
★ Sport Gloves Scarlet Shamagh - FT - 298.26- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Talon Knife Night Stripe - FT - 297.69- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Specialist Gloves Marble Fade - FT - 294.93- Sun May 05 2024 09:00:00 -
Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr - FN - 291.29 - -
Desert Eagle Emerald Jörmungandr - FN - 291.29 - -
AK-47 Case Hardened - MW - 288.41 - -
★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife Crimson Web - FT - 288.19- Thu May 09 2024 09:00:00 -
★ Stiletto Knife Damascus Steel - FT - 286.37 - -
★ Moto Gloves Turtle - MW - 285.30 - -
★ Driver Gloves Crimson Weave - FT - 282.61 - -
★ Flip Knife Case Hardened - MW - 281.75 - -
StatTrak™ Glock-18 Dragon Tattoo - FN - 275.23 - -
StatTrak™ AWP Wildfire - FN - 273.63 - -

Curious how this is going to end up handled.
Was working tonight and decided to go to Subway for dinner as I was sick of theater food and forgot to bring something. As you all likely know a lot of these fast food chains have gotten out of control with their prices, so getting a footlong roast beef sandwich and a bag of chips was more than the amount I make an hour BEFORE taxes.
Put it in the fridge for later. I go to our break room on my 15 and there’s a co-worker of mine eating Subway. Not unheard of that people go there for food, it’s right next door. But it struck me as odd. So I open up the fridge and my food is gone. I walk up and make small talk with the co-worker and notice the same brand of chips and it’s a roast beef sandwich. I ask her what’s up with eating my lunch and she instantly starts to play dumb. Doesn’t even pretend it’s hers, but makes up an excuse that she thought it was for anyone to take. Mind you, she’s worked here for years, she knows they don’t randomly fill the fridge with a single sub. Whenever there is food it’s made clear what it’s for and all that.
She tries to give it back to me and I clearly don’t want the other half after she touched it. I brought a manager in who was totally on my side and said they’ll have to deal with it later. In the mean time they damaged out a couple hot dogs to give me a replacement meal. And I then had to close concession with this person and pretend it wasn’t the most awkward 4 hours I’ve had at a job.
I know we all have signs saying the company isn’t responsible for lost/stolen items, but when you’re caught red handed and basically admit to it I have to imagine it muddies the waters of them wanting to not be involved.
So now I’m curious what any managers at Regal think will happen next? I kinda hope that it’s treated with some level of seriousness, but I also kinda doubt it. I feel if this was someone snatching some nachos from concession without paying it’d be like an instant firing. Personally, I’d hope this is treated as just as serious, but I feel it’ll be treated as less than.

1. Have to use a foot heater both at home and work
   
2. Only affects my feet, not my hands
   
3. My feet DO NOT turn blue. They have no infections, no wounds. Do not experience much foot odour
   
4. About 10pm every night they tend to warm up on their own
   
5. Cold feet persist regardless of how hot day is
   
6. Even if I wear 4 pairs of socks, all this does is lock the cold in
   
7. When having a shower, the warm water that is comfortable for the rest of my body gives me a burning sensation in my feet, and does not adjust
   
8. No residual heat capture. As soon as my feet move away from heat source they are immediately cold again
   
9. Feels like a constant layer of thin sweat on my feet. Drying my feet does not change this
   
10. Walking does not help
    
11. Heat pack only heats the area on foot of direct contact. Other foot areas stay cold
    
12. Tested Thyroid. No issue
    
13. Tested for neuropathy. No issue
    
14. Tested for blood flow to feet. No issue
    
15. Took Viagra (for increased peripheral blood flow). No change
    
16. Took Lyrica (for peripheral neuropathy). No change
    

Any idea what other tests I need to undergo, or anything else I can try that would warm my feet?