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"Greatness" when it comes to music, is discography, influence, longevity, hits, impact, Versatility
These all things Rihanna ticks boxes in, Michael Jackson ticks these boxes, as does Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Prince, Bob Marley, Queen, Pink Floyd and many more, hence making these some of Music's greatest Acts, Rihanna belongs up there
While Rihanna does not write or Produce her music, she still curiates, Michael Jackson did not play instruments or write a lot of his songs however that doesn't take away from his Artistry
https://youtu.be/n6N1_sxlBU8?si=VjyeCyuO-xG9KsM2 "We Found Love" by Rihanna (2011) one of the 2010s greatest songs with a Beautiful and Haunting EDM Instrumental, emotionally compelling narrative and Catchy hook with good Vocals
https://youtu.be/2IzNKRg5uZs?si=rRWMisrFSP1Jv084 "Man Down" (2010) a Reggae song, already showing how Versatile Rihanna is, however it's a dark song about a Young Woman taking revenge on a Man who Sexually Assaulted her, her Vocals are amazing here and this song proves her Vocal Range as she blends into Reggae so easily
https://youtu.be/pHQvdENN8GM?si=imvUQP-VBSy0Isan "SOS" (2006) an Amazing R&B hit that Samples the classic 80s hit "Tainted Love" showing Rihanna paying homage to the classics
https://youtu.be/C75J03JXz24?si=cQde35TtjryXuyTf "Dont Stop the Music" (2007) one of the Greatest Dance and Club songs of the last 20 years, where she samples Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin Something" with a Futuristic and Electronic update which sounds amazing, a Classic Sensual Banger
https://youtu.be/xXD5tltX9Pg?si=bP6K2WYobO1N1m5z "Umbrella" (2007) I mean I don't have a lot to say, it's one of the most iconic Pop Songs of all time
https://youtu.be/wmGjajXDHKo?si=QOGaoK4Se0v7GlwV "Disturbia" (2007) a Horrorcore Genre song that WENT BILLBOARD NUMBER 1, what kinda Horrorcore songs goes number 1? This song displays Rihanna's influence by Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and was one of the most groundbreaking songs of the 2000s Popularising Autotune as an artistic effect
https://youtu.be/AjLD4ufmSlE?si=KgR8msbKyoQCRlg- "Shut Up & Drive" (2007) another Classic, this is one of thr greatest Pop Rock songs of the last 20 years, its a great Sensual song that is inspired by a Classic like "Whole Lotta Love" by Zeppelin, and it samples "Blue Monday" which Is a Masterpiece, Shut Up & Drive even has a hint of Grunge influence, again showing Rihanna leaving her comfort zone musically
https://youtu.be/QMP-o8WXSPM?si=WmqZlvMg7GVsJeVI "Love on the Brain" (2016) a brilliant song on Rihanna's last Album, it is influenced by 60s Soul & Blues ballads
Rihanna is one of the most Popular and influential Artists of all time, despite only having an 11 year music Career from 2005 to 2016, Rihanna has managed to become one of the top 10 highest selling Artists in history, the 2nd highest Female Artist ever behind Madonna despite Madonna having a 25 year headstart and Rihanna is creeping up in sales, she has 14 Billboard Number 1s, Beatles in comparison had 21, she's versatile, boundary pushing, has great vocal Range. I feel it's only fair she is worthy of a "Greatest Artists of all time" list
I'm not even sure if this is that unpopular IRL, most people I talk to in real life agree Rihanna is a Musical Legend, but Reddit is not Real Life, Reddit shits on anything Pop that isn't Michael Jackson lol
If I was to rate Rihanna's top 5 Albums

1. Good Girl Gone Bad (2007) is a 9/10
   
2. Loud (2010) is a 9/10
   
3. ANTI (2016) is a 8.5/10
   
4. Rated R (2009) is a 8/10
   
5. Talk That Talk (2011) is a 8/10
   

She doesn't have a 10/10 Album, like Thriller, Bad, Purple Rain, Led Zeppelin 1, Zeppelin IV, Abbey Road, Dark Side of the Moon and so on, but two 9/10 Albums is insanely impressive, someone like Ed Sheeran has never even made a 7/10 Album

I guess I need to preface this that I've always been really androgynous, and that's something I really lean into. Like, not to be self-aggrandizing, I think I have this stemme "young Marlon Brando" thing going for me. I used to be in amazing shape, like, pre-covid I worked out for actually 3-5 hours a day.
So I looked good, there's this whole class of women who's sexual awaking was David Bowie or Prince who are really attracted to androgyny, and I'm horrifyingly alone. This was before I was diagnosed with bipolar 1 or tentatively diagnosed with autism. My life was just a mess. I wan on an an antidepressant that made me rapid cycle, so I'd swing between extremes of being hyper-social and hypersexual and self-isolation every few weeks. I couldn't maintain any close personal relationships, and I couldn't really relate to people in general. The closest way I could approximate it was by having these elaborate scripts in my head of what to say and when, what tone to use, how much time I had to make a decision on the script, all of this to get what I wanted from that person. Like, I was such a fucking liar and manipulator. I had zero moral compass. I treated so many women like they weren't even real people because I was lonely and felt bad for myself.
And I'm doing it again. I didn't really go out for two years when I got sober, I just sat around and got increasingly out of shape. But not I can't deal with the loneliness so I'm falling back on old habits, even though I should know better now. Like, my biggest concern was getting back in shape, which I'm doing. I went out for the first time in forever last night and ended up flirting with a random drunk girl when I was stone sober. Like, what do I do? I can't stand being alone anymore but I don't know how I'm supposed to just play the normal functional adult with a social life without being a massive manipulative piece of shit.

Shortly after *Final Fantasy VII* hit the gaming world in 1997, Cloud Strife’s howls of grief at the loss of his beloved companion Aerith Gainsborough were echoed by droves and droves of fans. These echoes gathered in swarms, reaching the developers in the form of petition signatures, each begging the makers of the game to allow Aerith’s resurrection. Though these prayers remained unanswered —until now—, there soon came more protests: this time, fans pleaded with the developers to consider making a remake of the original game. Both of these wishes were met with considerable derision, with large chunks of the fandom calling the requests delusional— which is why the Final Fantasy world had to prepare for another meteoric hit when the *Remake* project was finally announced in 2015. With Kitase, Nomura, Toriyama, Nojima, Uematsu and more of the original developers at the helm, along with longtime *FFVII* fan-turned-developer Hamaguchi, the *Remake* trilogy was met with great expectations. These were nevertheless surpassed, though one aspect of the trilogy’s first entry seemed to thoroughly puzzle some and enrage others. Far and wide, the resounding questions were “What are these Whisper things?”, “Why is Cloud having visions unrelated to Nibelheim and Zack?” and “Why and how in the hell did Zack survive?”
Friends, I believe the answer lies within this post. Welcome to my literary-analysis-based theory on the *Remake* trilogy’s most important and most secret plot point: Cloud’s hidden mission. I want to make this fun and suspenseful to read, so I will write my analyses in the same order and manner in which I encountered them while putting my theory together. You will be reading what initially sparked my curiosity, the path I took while researching for answers, the conclusions I made every step of the way, and only then will you read my theory, after which we’ll try and apply it to the *Remake* trilogy so far and see if it fits! I want you to experience the rollercoaster that I did when digging through SE content to bring you this post. Thank you so much for waiting for and anticipating this analysis, and I do hope you read every word to soak in every last bit of Clerith you can get. I also hope it’s really fun and touching for you (I cried at least once making this)! Let’s embark on our adventure through the compilation, other *FF* games and real-life events to find out what the *Remake* project is truly all about and anticipate the events of part 3.
N.B.: Please be aware that I have never seen this theory navigate online, so I have no idea if anyone has ever come up with a similar hypothesis. The big reveal I’m building toward might be something you’re already aware of or suspected. In that case, I hope this post doesn’t disappoint you if you’re one of the lovely people who requested it! At the very least, it will provide you with valuable literary and musical analysis, a ton of evidence you haven’t considered yet, and hopefully, entertainment too!
WARNING: Please be careful with the censored spoiler text, because I'll be referencing other *FF* games in this analysis and I don't want to ruin anything for you! Obviously, this analysis contains spoilers for the entirety of the *FFVII* compilation. Additionally, if you're not a fan of Clerith and you've stumbled upon this post, please stop here. I would hate it if something I worked on and posted made you angry, so please don't read this analysis. I have only good intentions and I just want everyone to enjoy the *FFVII* world as much as they can.
I. Groundwork: The Remake Timelines Theory
Before I take you on this ride, we must lay down the framework of the *Remake* Timelines Theory. In this section, we’ll be reviewing the general consensus of theorizers within the fandom on timeline/multiverse shenanigans, with some added specifications on my part. Please keep in mind that because the timeline mechanics are kept quite vague by the devs, there might be certain inaccuracies in my iteration of the timelines theory. Thankfully, these potential variances won’t have any effect on the legitimacy of the theory I’ll be presenting to you in this analysis.
I. a) Sephiroth’s Plan
The premise of the *Remake* trilogy is widely thought to be the result of post-OG Sephiroth attempting to succeed where he failed in OG. There are six key points we need to keep in mind to understand how this was possible.
I. a) i. Sephiroth in the Lifestream
Firstly, it’s important to remember that Sephiroth is dead and located in the Lifestream before OG even begins, and remains that way for almost all of OG's duration. He is only able to operate in the world of the living via his/Jenova's control over the living Sephiroth clones. In the OG timeline then, Sephiroth is sent to the Lifestream by Cloud twice: once before the game takes place on the night of the Nibelheim incident (pre-OG), and a second time during the final battle against Sephiroth (disk 3, chapter 3). During the long period between the Nibelheim incident and Sephiroth’s rebirth at the Northern Crater (disk 2, chapter 2), he exists in the Lifestream. After his ultimate defeat (post-OG), he returns there for good.
II. a) ii. Sephiroth Unintegrated
Secondly, because he is full of hatred and unyielding determination, Sephiroth’s spirit cannot become one with the planet. After both occasions where Cloud kills him in OG, Sephiroth retains his individual will and the memories of his lifetime, remaining a separate entity in the Lifestream. He says so himself in Nojima’s *Advent Children* prequel novel *On a Way to a Smile*:
“[Sephiroth] could sense the Lifestream trying to erode his spirit— the memories of his former experiences, thoughts and emotions. If he allowed himself be taken into the current, the being he once was would soon disseminate and disappear amongst the spirit energy cycling around the planet. [He] thought this unacceptable. The planet was to be his to rule, and to become a part of that system would be nothing short of defeat” (Lifestream Black 1).
Combined with Bugenhagen’s basic lesson on planetology (*FFVII* OG, disk 1, chapter 19), this excerpt provides interesting information on how the Lifestream normally works. Usually, when a life returns to the planet, its individuality (personality, will, consciousness, memories, etc.) is stripped away. The trappings of a soul’s former lifetime are progressively dissolved so that all that is left is the spirit itself, ready to integrate into the Lifestream. This way, soul energy can be “recycled” by the planet to animate new lifeforms in a sort of reincarnation process. The erasure of one’s memories in the Lifestream is necessary for the creation of a brand new life, poised to make its own memories: the slate must be wiped clean, so to speak. Sephiroth’s sheer hatred for and desire to dominate the planet is enough to keep him from undergoing this process.
It is also thought that Sephiroth cannot be integrated into the Lifestream because he was conceived with the use of Jenova cells in vitro. Given that so much of his consciousness and genetic makeup originate from an alien life force, it is impossible for him to become one with the planet.
Regardless of the reason, it is precisely this persisting individuality in death that allows Sephiroth to meddle in the world of the living during the post-OG events of *Advent Children*, as explained to us by post-OG Aerith in *On a Way to a Smile*:
“[Aerith] had sensed a different presence within the Lifestream cycling around the planet. It was the vehemence of a strong will, one that would never join with the planet. She knew this consciousness. It was [Sephiroth]. A merciless spirit hidden behind a beauteous wall. That spirit was now operating from within the Lifestream. [She] sensed that he was planning to exert his influence to the surface of the planet“ (Lifestream White 1).
I. a) iii. The Lifestream Beyond Time
Our third point is that the Lifestream has existed for as long as the planet, and has therefore touched every part of its history— including, of course, the events of OG. On that account, one could think of the Lifestream as atemporal. Considering this, it is possible for a spirit in the Lifestream to communicate with or even travel to the past, provided the necessary circumstances and/or abilities. For instance, the Aerith that appears in Cloud’s resolution scene in *Remake* (chapter 14) is commonly considered to be a post-OG Aerith, appearing to him from the future to try and dissuade him from falling for her. This time-defying event is made possible by the fact that post-OG Aerith’s spirit has access to the atemporal Lifestream because she's deceased. In my view, this explains why she dissolves into green light (Lifestream visual cue) at the end of [the resolution scene](https://youtu.be/ZPkqDB4guW8?si=JR1UTKl5cEFsFvfE&t=319) (5:19-5:45). This is not time travel per se, but it is a manner of communication unobstructed by the one-directionality of a linear timeline that only spirits can perform.
I. a) iv. Sephiroth Beyond Time
What we’ve covered so far amounts to our fourth point. Please familiarize yourself with the graph below before you continue reading. Refer back to the graph when you encounter **text in bold**.
The Remake Timelines Theory: FFVII OG Timeline
As we discussed in section “I. a) i.”, Sephiroth is dead and located in the Lifestream **for the duration of the green arrow and beyond point D**: in the context of the OG timeline, he can only ever be considered “alive” during the **period highlighted in purple**. In section “I. a) ii.”, we asserted that Sephiroth retained his individual will in the Lifestream, enabling him to exert his influence on the world of the living by manipulating his clones on the surface. In section “I. a) iii.”, we covered the atemporal nature of the Lifestream, which allows post-OG Aerith’s spirit to communicate with her past, living self thanks to her Cetra abilities. Now, I will explain to you how Sephiroth was able to do virtually the same thing, albeit his lack of Cetra blood.
To the characters of the story and a fully immersed first-time player of OG, the timeline above was not always an established series of events: when they first started playing *FFVII* OG, the player began at **point B**, with nothing existing beyond it. It is only as the player moved Cloud forward that the **black**, **arrowed timeline** was drawn, accumulating lived events (or **points**) in Cloud’s wake. The picture you see above is only available to Cloud and to the player with hindsight. All this to state the obvious: at **point B**, Cloud could not know what would occur, say, at **point C**.
During the **period highlighted in purple**, Sephiroth was “alive” again, accumulating new memories on the surface of the planet and adding them to his consciousness. When he entered the Lifestream for the second time at **point D**, he brought these memories with him. Simply put, after returning to the Lifestream at **point D**, Sephiroth remembers what happened during the **period highlighted in purple**. However, given that the Lifestream exists beyond time, upon Sephiroth’s consciousness’ return to the Lifestream at **point D**, his newly acquired memories were also made available to him at all points on the **green, double-arrowed line**— including **point A**, before the OG timeline even begins at **point B**. So while it is true that Cloud cannot know what will occur at **point C** if he is only at **point B**, Sephiroth indeed knows what will occur during the **period highlighted in purple** when he is only at **point A**. While a living, pre-OG Aerith would be able to receive post-OG Aerith’s spirit’s knowledge through the Lifestream thanks to her Cetra powers, Sephiroth has no need for this ability. The fact that he resides in the Lifestream for practically the entire ***FFVII*** **OG timeline** renders the limitations of time irrelevant: as far as the **timeline** is concerned, Sephiroth exists beyond time itself.
In summary, after **point D** was first encountered in OG, pre-OG Sephiroth (in the Lifestream) is made aware of his eventual defeat, and begins plotting an alternate path to victory. This time, with the benefit of hindsight, he will do things differently: we experience his "second” attempt at *FFVII* as the *Remake* trilogy.
I. a) v. Sephiroth Against Fate
Of course, the Whispers stand squarely in Sephiroth’s way. This leads us to our fifth point, which *Remake Ultimania* describes better than I ever could:
“According to Red XIII, who gained knowledge through his contact with Aerith, ‘The Whispers are drawn to those who attempt to alter destiny’s course and ensure they do not’ […]. It would appear that what the Whispers deem to be ‘fate’ is the original story of Final Fantasy VII” (section 08 “Secrets”, “Newly Arisen Mysteries”, “What Is the Goal of the Elusive Whispers?”, page 733).
OG’s plot line is the fated timeline, and the Whispers are tasked with its preservation. They prevent alternative paths from even beginning to branch out from the OG timeline, which poses a problem for Sephiroth: he cannot win *FFVII* if his destiny is to lose it.
I. a) vi. Sephiroth and the Multiverse
Consequently, our sixth point is that Sephiroth must dismantle the mechanisms of fate before he can even try to accomplish his dreams of godhood.
As Sephiroth explains in chapter 14 of *Rebirth*, “the planet encompasses \[an ever unfolding\] multitude of worlds”, and these“\[new worlds are born\] when the boundaries of fate are breached.” Since the Whispers uphold the “boundaries of fate”, a world in which Sephiroth’s evil plans succeed can only emerge after the Whispers have been defeated. Otherwise, destiny will continue to protect the OG plot line by preventing any significant deviations. Consequently, before the party vanquishes fate, the *Remake* timeline and the OG timeline are one and the same: before chapter 18, *Remake* Barret is OG Barret, *Remake* Tifa is OG Tifa, *Remake* Hojo is OG Hojo, etc. After the defeat of Destiny, the OG timeline is no longer protected by fate: there are now an infinite number of timelines or worlds, including those we see glimpses of in *Rebirth*: *Remake* Barret is no longer necessarily OG Barret, *Remake* Tifa is no longer necessarily OG Tifa, *Remake* Hojo is no longer necessarily OG Hojo, etc. Perhaps this is why Aerith gives the party the following warning at destiny’s crossroads in *Remake*:
“[This] is the wall of destiny. If we go through it… if we go beyond it… then all of us will change, too” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Destiny’s Crossroads”).
I. a) vii. Sephiroth’s Plan
Now that these six points have been elucidated, we can compose a solid hypothesis on how Sephiroth plots to win *FFVII*.
After gaining knowledge of his eventual demise (disk 3, chapter 3), pre-OG Sephiroth began thinking of what he must do in *Remake* from the Lifestream. First, Sephiroth must antagonize the Whispers in the initial stages of the OG timeline. He accomplishes this by commanding his clones to commit acts that drastically violate the fated timeline, engendering plot-line deviations that the Whispers must course-correct. The most extreme example transpires in *Remake*’s chapter 17 when the Sephiroth clone in President Shinra’s office kills Barret, forcing the Whispers to restore the fated plot line by coming forth and reviving him. The Whispers react to Sephiroth’s prodding by rushing in to protect fate, their efforts culminating in the protective wall of destiny that surrounds Midgar in chapter 18.
Secondly, after he’s created an opportunity for a battle against the Whispers, Sephiroth must convince the party to seize it and beat fate for him. After all, a mere Sephiroth clone is probably no match for Destiny. This second step is accomplished in *Remake*’s chapter 18 when Sephiroth successfully tempts Cloud to breach the boundaries of fate. Now that destiny is no longer a limitation, worlds deviating from the OG timeline can finally emerge; Sephiroth has a chance at victory.
The steps Sephiroth plans to take going forward are unknowable at this stage, but we do get more hints in *Rebirth*’s chapter 13. At the Temple of the Ancients, Sephiroth reveals a part of his plot:
“Sephiroth: My fragmented mother, these errant worlds... All shall be one again.
Aerith: The ‘Reunion’…!”
It seems Sephiroth eventually plans to merge the worlds created by destiny’s defeat in *Remake*’s chapter 18. My guess is he hopes to achieve godhood in part 3 and consolidate all diverting worlds into a single timeline protected by destiny once more— only this time, his victory will replace the ending of OG as the destined outcome. If he succeeds, Sephiroth’s Black Whispers will likely replace the planet’s Whispers as the arbiters of his desired fate.
I. b) Aerith’s Intervention
But Aerith can’t let this slide unchallenged!
We know that before chapter 18 of *Remake*, while the OG plot-line is still protected by fate, Aerith has knowledge of its future. This is insinuated by certain slips of the tongue: for instance, when Aerith reveals she knows Cloud is a mercenary upon meeting him for the second time in chapter 8, just like she knows Tifa will ask her to retrieve Marlene at Seventh Heaven in chapter 12. In the run-up to *Remake*, post-OG Aerith's spirit likely sensed Sephiroth planning his second try at *FFVII* in the Lifestream. She’s been able to anticipate Sephiroth’s plotting in the Lifestream before, namely in the context of *Advent Children*:
“[Aerith] had sensed a different presence within the Lifestream cycling around the planet […]. It was [Sephiroth] […]. That spirit was now operating from within the Lifestream. [She] sensed that he was planning to exert his influence [on] the surface of the planet” (On a Way to a Smile, Lifestream White 1).
If you’re wondering how Aerith was able to maintain her individuality in the Lifestream like Sephiroth, On a Way to a Smile provides the following explanation:
“[Aerith] was an Ancient, which explained how she was able to maintain her individuality even within the Lifestream. If she so wished she could become part of the planet at any time, but [she] thought it too early for that just yet” (Lifestream White 1).
It is thought that, as a countermeasure to Sephiroth's scheming, post-OG Aerith’s spirit used the atemporal nature of the Lifestream to inform her past, living self (pre-OG Aerith) of this new threat to the planet. Because the Cetra can commune with spirits, pre-OG Aerith would have been able to receive post-OG Aerith’s message from the Lifestream without a problem. Essentially, pre-OG Aerith received post-OG Aerith’s memories of the fated OG timeline. As a consequence, pre-OG Aerith embarks on the OG timeline with knowledge of the fated future that demands she give her life: the player experiences this version of her in *Remake*.
Be that as it may, it’s unclear how much *Remake* Aerith is aware of. You would think she’d be completely opposed to defeating, destiny since it protects the planet, but Aerith shows ambivalence toward the idea instead. Had she gotten a clear message from her future self that she must keep fate intact, she would not have allowed the party to enter the battle against fate in chapter 18. She doesn’t seem to know what the Whispers are the first time she encounters them either. Regardless, what’s important is that the Aerith seen in *Remake* is the result of pre-OG Aerith receiving knowledge from post-OG Aerith via the Lifestream.
I. c) Ambiguity: Memory Transfer or Time-Travel?
There remains an ambiguity pertaining to the Aerith we see in *Remake* and the question of time travel. What I’ve described to you in section “I. b)” is post-OG Aerith's spirit transferring her memories to her past self through the Lifestream. However, it’s possible that post-OG Aerith’s consciousness used the atemporal nature of the Lifestream to inhabit her living OG body instead, effectively time-traveling. There is no evidence to outright refute either explanation, since the gaps in Aerith’s memories of the OG plot-line in *Remake* can be explained in both cases. For instance, in a memory transfer scenario, it’s possible that post-OG Aerith only communicated the most essential information to pre-OG Aerith. On the other hand, in a time-travel scenario, one could interpret the following quotes as proof that the Whispers are progressively erasing Aerith’s memories of OG as *Remake* advances:
“Aerith: Every time the Whispers touch me, a piece of me falls away” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”)
“At any rate, Aerith is perplexed at how, like a flower being scattered, something inside is being taken away by the Whispers and lost to her” (Toriyama in FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”, “Scenario Staff Q&A - Answered by Motomu Toriyama”).
This ambiguity is completely irrelevant to Sephiroth’s situation in *Remake*, as we established in section “I. a) iv.”.
The specifics don’t matter nearly as much as I’m impressing upon you by explaining all these little alternatives. Simply keep in mind that: regardless of why, the Sephiroth and Aerith we see in *Remake* know the events of the OG game because they have acquired this knowledge from the future, and the events of *Remake* occur squarely within the OG timeline until the Whispers are defeated in chapter 18.
So there! That’s my iteration of the *Remake* Timelines Theory! I hope I’ve made it clear in your mind, or at least clearer. Now that we’ve established the widely theorized premise of the *Remake* trilogy, we can get into our theory on its hidden premise.
II. My Initial Curiosity
My theory first burgeoned upon going through *Remake* for the second time. I noticed something strange going on with Cloud, something that could not be explained by the *Remake* Timelines Theory. Key moments in *Remake* Cloud’s experience of the OG timeline (aka, everything before chapter 18) stuck out to me as strange and mysterious, and certain inexplicable audiovisual cues struck me as hugely significant. It was upon watching the tear fall from Cloud’s eye during my second go at chapter 8 that I knew I had to look into this.
At the very end of *Remake*’s chapter 8, Cloud watches Aerith walk away from him, humming happily into the night air as she sets off to lead the way to Sector 7. According to the VA script notes, “his heart skips a beat” and watching her walk away provokes a sudden “anxiety” within him. Triggered by the familiarity of the sight, a strange sensation overcomes Cloud:
“[There’s a] close-up shot of Cloud’s fingertips (they’re tingling). He presses them to his temples (his eyes are burning). A trickle of tears quickly rolls down from the eye hidden behind his hand” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “A Midnight Ambush”).
If you’re clever, you’ll recognize these lines as a reference to the speech Cloud makes in OG following Aerith’s death at the City of the Ancients (“My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!”) (disk 1, chapter 28). In this small moment in chapter 8 of *Remake*, Cloud experiences a flash of the profound grief he is destined to feel upon Aerith’s fated death.
Many players immediately recognized the composition of this scene: the blue-greenish air, the straight path Aerith heads down, the sight of her walking away itself… this moment closely resembles Cloud’s Sleeping Forest dream of Aerith in OG, wherein Cloud and Aerith’s very last words are exchanged (disk 1, chapter 25). Toriyama, codirector of the *Remake* project, comments on this scene thusly:
“It’s possible these similarities […] cause a memory of the future to be called forth in Cloud” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “A Midnight Ambush”).
The language used by Toriyama here is strange in both the English translation and the Japanese original: the term “memory of the future” makes no sense. One cannot remember things they haven’t already experienced, so why did Toriyama use the word “memory” to describe a "future" event? Couldn’t he have simply said that *Remake* Cloud experiences “visions of the future” rather than “\[memories\]”?
Cloud experiences a few moments like these throughout the game. These pseudo-premonitions are just as markedly exclusive to *Remake* as the Whispers are. I did not want to dismiss them as a foreshadowing device the devs included just to elicit emotional reactions from OG players; I felt they were more important. And thus began my digging! My mission was initially to figure out what these “\[memories of the future\]” (MOTFs) could signify… I had no clue it would turn into what I’m writing right now.
II. a) Each MOTF and Its Context
I began by finding every one of Cloud’s MOTFs so I could better understand them.
MOTF 1 occurs in chapter 2 on Sector 8’s Loveless Street, when Cloud sees Aerith struggling against the Whispers. The VA script notes reveal that even though this is only his first time seeing her, Cloud recognizes Aerith’s face:
“Recognizing Aerith’s face causes Cloud to experience [a hallucination]. Sephiroth is suddenly standing between him and Aerith” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Encountering Aerith”).
Sephiroth then taunts Cloud with words that, according to the script notes, “\[live\] inside of Cloud's heart”*:* “You can’t protect anyone. Not even yourself”. Cloud should not recognize Aerith’s face at this point in the OG timeline, nor should he associate it with not being able to protect people.
MOTF 2 occurs in chapter 3, at the plaza in front of the Sector 7 slums support pillar. Cloud experiences a MOTF of the plate falling, which is fated to occur at a much later point in chapter 12. The Whispers float near him, “watching Cloud alertly as he sees a vision of the future” (*FFVII Remake Ultimania*, section 08 “Secrets”, “Newly Arisen Mysteries”, “What Is the Goal of the Elusive Whispers?”, page 733).
MOTF 3 occurs in Aerith’s church at the start of chapter 8, when Aerith mentions that her mother’s materia is “not good for anything at all”. Triggered by the mention and sight of the White Materia, Cloud’s fourth MOTF takes the form of a vision: he sees quick flashes of the materia falling into the lake of the Forgotten Capital and Aerith holding her hands together in prayer. These are evidently visions of her death in OG (disk 1, chapter 28).
MOTF 4 is the one we first discussed, occurring at the very end of chapter 8 as Cloud watches Aerith walk away from him to lead the way toward Sector 7.
MOTF 5 occurs in chapter 13 shortly after the Sector 7 plate has fallen on the slums. Cloud tells Barret that Marlene is safe at Aerith’s house, and they begin heading there. As Cloud thinks about Aerith, the VA script notes describe the very next moment as follows:
“Cloud: Tifa, you know anything about the Ancients?
Tifa: I’ve heard of them before, but…
Barret walks on ahead, showing little interest in the topic.
Barret: Read a book on planetology and they’re sure to come up. They’re a tribe that cultivated the planet a real long time ago. Used to talk to it. That sort of stuff.
Cloud: That must be why the Turks were after her.
[Psychic] interference starts up.
[Cloud has a] flashback of Sephiroth from five years ago, after learning of his ancestry at Shinra Manor […].
Sephiroth [(in flashback, voice tinged with madness)]: Within my veins flows the blood of the Ancients. I am the rightful heir to this planet!
The flashback ends and Cloud looks lost in thought. The interference starts up once more. Cloud makes agonized sounds. When he opens his eyes, Sephiroth is actually standing before him.
Sephiroth: You failed again— failed to protect [her]*.
Cloud is startled. He shrinks back. Tifa watches what’s happening. The other two can’t see Sephiroth. All they see is Cloud acting frightened.
Sephiroth: But loss will make you strong. […] Isn’t that what you want?
With that, Sephiroth departs.”
*Sephiroth does not use a gendered pronoun here, because the grammatical structure of the original Japanese sentence doesn’t necessitate it. I've seen some debate as to whether the proper translation is “her” (Aerith, who’s just been kidnapped), or “them” (Jessie, Biggs or Wedge, who have seemingly just died). I believe Sephiroth was referring to Aerith for a few reasons. First, Cloud’s hallucinations of Sephiroth always appear as a response to whatever he is perceiving or thinking about at the moment. At this point in the scene, Cloud has been thinking and talking about Aerith for some time, and not about Jessie, Biggs or Wedge. The Sephiroth hallucination must therefore be referring to “her” rather than to “them”. Secondly, Cloud was never tasked with “[protecting]” Avalanche, but he was in fact tasked with “[protecting]” Aerith as her bodyguard back in chapter 8: it makes far more sense for Sephiroth to be referring to Aerith when he speaks about someone Cloud “failed to protect”. Finally, FFVII Remake Ultimania describes this piece of dialogue as “[Sephiroth aiming] these profound words at Cloud, who not only failed to prevent the tragedy in the Sector 7 slums but allowed Aerith to be abducted” (Sephiroth’s profile in section 01 “Character & World”, “Impressive Words”, page 29): the specific mention of Aerith here seals my decision to translate the line with the pronoun “her”.
Contrary to Sephiroth’s words, this is the first time in *Remake* that Cloud “\[fails\] to protect \[Aerith\]”, and he hasn’t “\[lost\]” her either— not yet, at least. This fifth MOTF must then be similar to MOTF 1, in that Sephiroth is referring to Cloud’s guilt surrounding Aerith’s death in OG.
MOTF 6 occurs in chapter 17, in Aerith and Ifalna’s old room at Shinra HQ. The Whispers swarm Aerith as she tells the party earnestly that she wants to do everything in her power to help her friends and the planet: according to the script notes, it is at this very moment that, “for some reason, Cloud feels his chest constrict tightly” (*FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus*, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”). In the corresponding cutscene, this unpleasant physiological reaction to Aerith’s words makes Cloud glance down at his chest with a confounded frown. This physical response to her speech about wanting to fulfill her duty to the planet implies that Cloud somehow knows deep down that saving the world will cost Aerith her life.
At this point, I noticed that five out of the six MOTFs Cloud experiences in *Remake* are triggered by and/or revolve around Aerith specifically, the one exception being a MOTF of the Sector 7 plate fall. One could actually argue that this MOTF revolves around Aerith too, considering the plate fall marks the first time Aerith is taken away from Cloud since reuniting with her in the Sector 5 slums church. This is more than plausible, as MOTF 5 proves that in the wake of the Sector 7 plate fall, Cloud’s main concern is Aerith (see section “II. a)”). How fitting is it, then, that the merc of few words’ longest uninterrupted piece of dialogue in all of *Remake* is:
“We found an underground Shinra lab where they've done human testing. This wasn't the first time and it won't be the last. I know these people, and I know they're never gonna let Aerith go. She's the last living Ancient on the planet. Think about what that means to Shinra's scientists. Especially to that son of a bitch Hojo. We're all just numbers and meat to him—“ (Remake, chapter 13).
Cloud would’ve gone on too, had Elmyra and Tifa not stopped him.
At this point in my research, my questions were only stacking up. What are these MOTFs? Why is Cloud the only one experiencing them? Why do all of them implicate Aerith? What did the devs hope to accomplish with their inclusion in the game? What do they mean for *Remake*’s story? But most importantly:
II. b) What Does Cloud Know?
The first assertion we have to make is simple, yet essential: the only reason Cloud would experience MOTFs is that whatever’s triggered them is significant to him in one way or another. Some part of him must recognize his triggers for them to be triggers at all. It’s clear he doesn’t consciously understand the meaning of his MOTF triggers, just like his Jenova triggers: for example, Cloud doesn’t know why Zack’s name causes him to experience psychic interference, but it sure does. We as players know Cloud’s MOTFs are hinting at Aerith’s fated death because of our awareness of OG, but as a character navigating the OG timeline, *Remake* Cloud shouldn't even be unconsciously aware of Aerith’s eventual death in the slightest! Whatever the nature of the MOTFs, it’s essential to understand that if Cloud “\[recognizes\]” Aerith’s face the first time he sees her, it must mean some part of him knows Aerith’s face in the first place. If this recognition triggers a hallucination of Sephiroth telling Cloud he “can’t protect anyone”, it must mean some part of him knows he was once unable to protect Aerith. The same goes for every other MOTF: subconsciously, *Remake* Cloud somehow has memories of the OG timeline. Most interestingly, it looks like he either only has OG memories related to Aerith, or like his OG memories of Aerith are simply the only ones prominent enough to trigger his MOTFs. Why and how does *Remake* Cloud have memories of OG, and why are they so focused on Aerith in particular? What does he know?
When examining a situation with no explanation, it’s wise to examine similar situations that have already been explained. Maybe the mystery of *Remake* Cloud’s MOTFs will become more approachable if we consider the cases of the only other *Remake* characters who seem to know the future: Aerith and Sephiroth. *Remake* Sephiroth knows the future of the OG timeline because his consciousness exists beyond time in the Lifestream, while *Remake* Aerith likely obtained her knowledge of the future from post-OG Aerith’s spirit via the Lifestream. But what about Cloud? Where does his weaker, fragmented knowledge come from?

After much consideration, and planning, I am going to return to video production. When I began making videos on a weekly or monthly basis, I had plenty of free time due to the big coof. This was me learning things like scheduling, editing, how to make the microphone work, and I learned plenty through trial and error. There is a dramatic difference between my first videos and my recent ones because of this learning experience. But as I learned about how to make videos, I learned that I was wasting my time with them.
A LOT of time.
Whatever you’re thinking is a time waste for a video is not really it, unless you’ve been there and done that. During that time, I ruined my sleep schedule and would even pass up on small money opportunities, all because I thought my Youtube videos would send me into stardom. Plant a seed, watch it grow, that sort of thing. But, looking at my numbers, it was the exact opposite. Each video coming out, utilizing the keywords and subject matter as a reason to click, was essentially a false sense of activity.
Working on other people’s channels created even more false cases of activity, which created a false sense of justifying why I’m putting labor into something.
Like most artists, I was gaslighting myself into thinking that the time spent into a project was going to translate into a future income from something else. We always see these videos where it seems zero effort was put into it and it goes viral, not realizing that years of failing and group efforts were required to reach those results. And even then, a youtube video existing doesn’t cause a person to instantly gain money from that existence. I have a friend who made a viral video and he didn’t get anything from millions of views, because there was nothing to monetize. I have another friend who made a viral video, trying to recreate the magic, and nothing came of it after a year or two of trying.
Not only is it hard to receive results, but the amount of time it takes to attempt is ridiculous. I didn’t time myself, but if I knew how many hours were sunk into each video, I would probably pull out my balls in anger. The process of each video was a mess of:

1. Writing down a script (takes more than an hour to write an hour of script)
2. Recording the audio (takes more than an hour to record an hour)
3. Editing the audio (takes about double the time of whatever its recorded)
4. Making the thumbnail
5. Making the avatar
6. Collecting images
7. Collecting video clips
8. Making images and clips
9. Editing through clips that are too long
10. Adding sound effects
11. Finding and adding music
12. Waiting for it to render (usually this is where I go to do other things)
13. Rendering it AGAIN through handbrake so it’s a smaller file (quicker than waiting for uploading a multi GB file)
14. Uploading it across youtube, bitchute, and rumble

I don’t want to make this sound like I’m complaining, but this is the bare minimum effort that goes into a youtube video, not mentioning the details of how things are edited or the issues with troubleshooting. A lot of what ate up my time was realizing when things aren’t working way too late, such as how GIFs don’t register well and they slow down a larger project. Or better yet, how a large project slows down to a crawl and you have to render multiple segments separately in order to keep things running smoothly. My files, as organized as I tried to keep them, were unorganized as hell because I would set them up during production instead of before production. Then by the end of it, there would be something wrong that I would have to edit, remove, I forgot something, something vanished between saves, or even corrupted files because I moved something and didn’t realize it was part of something else.
Video editing is utter hell in the beginning, but it gets better after you look after your process and actually organize everything well.
I spent a night the other week changing up all of my files. I put them on my desktop, where I can easily access them, and away from my downloads. This is important because your downloads can be bogged down with anything you download, and eventually it becomes a massive mess of pictures, videos, game patches, or whatever else you’re downloading; all getting in the way of your actual project. You want your files to be files within files, and each file is marked clearly for its purpose and its direction. I had a million songs splayed out in different areas and couldn’t remember where they were, of course when I wanted them, all because they would get trapped in piles of other things I downloaded for later.
My file finding time is now only limited by the slowness of my computer acquiring it.
Audio began as a mess of me going through each line to make sure there was no extra noise, and having to fix anything that was too quiet or not full enough. Turns out I was making my audio way too maximized and wasting a lot of time on stuff that people wouldn’t even recognize as an issue. Now my audio mixing is done through OBS, already set up as a particular compression and volume that will stay in the acceptable range, with noise removal already set up.
My audio recording/editing time is closer to how long it takes to speak.
Developing each chapter card, clipping them together, having to find the font, typing everything out. These, along with getting sound effects working, took up too much time. What I did is make a plan to prepare all of these first, before anything else is added to the video, so that I know how many chapters there are. They don’t take that long to render, because of how short they are, and it takes way less time to do that than to shift gears at the end of the production day. Shifting gears every couple of minutes, that was wasting too much time, which is now changed to doing one specific task each session.
My “switching” time is removed, thus saving time.
Music was added in the beginning, as one of the first things. This was wrong to do, because of how many times I would want a clip where the music continues through it, only to realize that this continuation forced me to keep a massive background of editing history, which slows everything down through production. Adding music as the last bit, and after rendering, will save me minutes for every time I boot up the video editor, which saves hours over time when I’m going to have to go back and forth on video editing. My lifestyle only gives me an hour or two at a time to sit in front of the computer, and so editing will require less wait time for the process to warm up.
My rendering time will increase(as I go to do other things), but my waiting time will decrease.
Through my new process, I am also considering a different view of each video type. Recently, I saw a video about how kindle books are categorized between low, mid, and high content; related to how much effort it takes to make each one. My previous attempts were to, essentially, make high effort content as consistently as possible, which was going to be draining when these were events that came and went. Current news like Lindsay Ellis being stupid or DSP looking like a fool on Sidescrollers are incredibly time sensitive, which is why so many people stream these “news reports” instead of making high effort videos about them. And even if it was a long term type of video, we have to question if it REQUIRES that much effort to begin with.
My plans for the future are to measure how long I take with each session, what I get done, track down percentages, and measure what the longest steps are. Figuring out what’s causing a hold-up is the best way to prevent hold-ups, in the same way city builders (should) keep track of what’s causing traffic jams. Too many traffic jams? Get rid of cars or open more lanes. Keeping track of things is going to take minutes to save hours, which is something I should have practiced more on doing through my practicing year.
Videos are done with marketing in mind, because I don’t plan to make money from them. My “branding” is storytelling, art, art-related lolcows, and I guess that pesky culture war. People begged me to go fully political, but I think political is a step below philosophical, which is where I would rather go. I would rather explain the psychology and aesthetics of media, instead of repeating myself as to how offensive or woke something is. Yes, I make fun of Lindsay for being woke, but I explain why she is and where it comes from, which is something more important than some kind of drama farming that grifters do.
I would rather be a source of information than a pointless attack dog for someone above me, which is why I try to separate myself from the people who do such nonsense. I’m not with these movements, I don’t care to promote people I don’t care about, I’m not going to go easy on people just because “we’re on the same side”. Everyone gets made fun of or nobody gets made fun of, and I’m year of monkey, bitch. This monkey wants bananas and youtube is not going to supply any. But it supplies plenty of vines to swing around from, as I Donkey Kong my way from topic to topic.
Like anything else in life, videos need to be worth my time, meaning their expense needs to be dropped dramatically. Hour long, multi-hour long, these were excruciatingly hard to do. The next goal is to make sure everything is kept around 30min long, unless it’s going to be a bi-yearly 1 hour long video that will be the highlight of the year, which is where full book analysis videos come into play. The scripts for everything else will be written down as articles, with the better of the articles being made into low content videos.
Podcast style will be for low effort, being made weekly.
A new style will be for mid effort, which is where 30min of history or explanation is presented with video clips, being made monthly. Video game clips will be placed around here as well, unless they can be made bi-weekly.
And the classic, me in my room with my ASS computer, will be for the high content, for subjects that take far too long to make on a monthly basis.
This planning is still in the works, it’s an effort to create a strategy and a schedule for everything. The goal would be to place an hour a day per video, creating steps for each video, and using each other as progress reports for the bigger ones. It will be like placing smaller squares into bigger squares until the biggest square is complete, allowing me to visually determine my progress across such a subject. This is also a way for me to appear more productive, because content will be constantly coming out on a clear schedule. Only bad side about it is that this means 3 hours of my day are used for videos, and this won’t be possible for every day until content creation is my main job.
Before I can have this be a thing, it will be a slow, preemptive creation process, with smaller projects being made as my “short stories”, to then determine if I’m ready for a bigger “novel” of a project. And that’s how I have to approach video editing: the same way I would with storytelling. No more determining that length means better, or more time means more results. Now I’m going to obey the market, go for what’s expected of me, and react to feedback. If something doesn’t work, or doesn’t make a dent, I try something else.
I think that’s why people get mad at me, when they see that I am trying something else all the time. This is normal, but I’m told that I’m “an interloper” or “will never win” because I willingly give up on things that don’t work. Sorry, losers, but being unorganized and wasting my life is not worth it. I like money, and I like vaginas. If I wanted to be poor and wasting my life, I would have kept slamming my head against a wall and failing like most of what indie does.
And yes, the OPC reviews will be translated into videos, as well as my own short stories. I began as a crackpasta narrator, after all. I was thinking of putting a lot of radio drama production into my narrations, but I would want to keep them low effort until they start attracting all of the attention from their titles. A lot of people try to narrate their stories and they don’t make a spark anywhere with them. But as time goes on, and I get more videos under my belt, I could easily narrate for others, create a network, and get things going. It’s not that hard to get things working once you know what you’re doing.
The main time waste that we all fall for is chaotic activity and the lack of planning.

Hello to everyone who stumbled upon my humble post. I’m really bad at these things but here goes.
I often find life to be sad and boring. There are serious problems in the world and my personal life can be a bit stale on an everyday basis; that’s why I love to read about impossible worlds, it’s why I love to write stories of intrigue and magic, and it’s why I play D&D. If you feel the same or are someone like minded I would love to gain you as a pen pal.
If your a writer like me it would be awesome to talk about our writing projects, critique our ideas, and maybe swap samples now and again
If your a bibliophile like me I can talk your ear off for hours about books and listen for an hour too
If you like gaming of any kind maybe we can talk about the worlds we’re exploring and how things are going.
If you like fantasy based magic in general maybe we can simply have engaging discussions about what kind of magic we would do if we were wizard/witches. How we would escape from a dragons lair. Or what really is better a spell or a potion.
Along the way I’d love to learn about you too. Watch something good on tv? Engaged in your favorite hobby? Can’t get a song out of your head? I’m up for talking about all that and more with you.

I live in Portland and would love to form a small party of 3-4 to DM for. I have a sprawling map with fully fleshed out lore, cities, languages, branched plot lines, festivals, and even characters to join along in your journey played by me! Would really like to do in person and can even host in my living room or basement if we can all meet up first so I know I can trust you all!
Here's the map for a sample!
Comment below and we can talk about where to go from there once I find a complete dedicated group! (In it for the long game!)
Notes: love some merriment and joking around but the world is semi serious so if a more comedy driven world is your thing you might be disappointed. Thinking along the lines of high fantasy novels but a good round of drinks and shenanigans at a village tavern is all good with me!

Could you imagine getting a script for pills whether it be for pain/depression/cholesterol etc. and in the pack 1 of those pills has 0 active ingredient and is just the fillers that make up the pill itself?
Now I understand these are part of the plant but they play no role in the therapeutic process just like the fillers that make up tablets.
Obviously taking every stem or leaf out would be counter productive but they can definitely be better. Just had a .4g nug that was .25g of stem. That’s 1/40th of my tub which is $3.75 I paid for nothing. Which doesn’t seem like much but a month supply of many medications is only double that and if 1 of their pills had 0 active ingredient they would be rightfully annoyed.
I have 0 issue with the stems inside fat nugs, it’s the ones that are 90% stem that are thrown in there to make weight, that’s my issue.

So: I really, really dig the aesthetic/concept/vibe of BotC. I'm not sure what I think of the game, which I've only played a little of. I feel like I feel similarly towards it as I do to D&D 3.5, which I don't play but love optimizing. I'd like to play a lot more BotC (and probably more 3.5), but in lieu of that, I really enjoy reading the wiki/discord/subreddit.
I'm curious if it's possible to construct a script that does the following:

• Is extremely, ludicrously disinfo-based, to "1960s government conspiracy" levels
• Is fun to play, and can at least in theory be won by good

I say "disinfo" rather than "misinfo" here to get at a certain idea. A psychological warfare script, kind of. Lots of droisoning, but lots of misdirection in general -- non-droisoned false info, the threat of misdirection, etc.
To this end, I've created the script Anti-Pattern. It has 13 townsfolk, is in SAO, etc.
Thought processes behind choices:

• Steward is a fairly simple role, which both has value in its own right and serves as a great bluff/Marionette. There are shenanigans that can emerge with the Steward seeing the Drunk, or seeing the Recluse that pings evil most of the game.
  
• Chef is another simple role that both has utility and can be complicated by various Marionette/Recluse/Cult Leader combinations.
  
• Librarian helps narrow down Drunks (and allows the classic Drunk-Librarian play). It can help distinguish a Drunk from a puzzledrunk character, which could be game-solving in the right circumstances. It can see the Recluse and the Demon as Recluses, which seems fun. Seeing 0 can strongly suggest a Vigormortis world...or hide Outsiders behind a droisoned Librarian.
  
• Balloonist is fun. Balloonist droisoning shenanigans on this script are a feature, not a bug, but one reason for Gardener is to avoid particularly undesirable combinations (e.g. seating the Balloonist far away from the Vigormortis minions). Powerful info role, extremely droisoning-vulnerable, adds outsiders, funny to bluff, one of the core roles of this script. Also makes a great Marionette.
  
• Cult Leader is Dark Empath, allows for another win condition (potentially useful in Oops All Droisoning setups), and is funny to sit between a Demon and a Recluse. Or a Marionette and a Recluse. Or anyone and a Recluse. Also, I love this role's flavouring.
  
• Fortune Teller is a classic for a reason. Can be too strong with some Balloonist or Juggler setups, but is checked by having the Recluse in addition to the usual red herrings, plus the amount of droisoning. Multiple characters on this script make for very good herrings, for the same reasons they make good droisoning targets.
  
• Savant is great, generally-insane info that needs to be disentangled from everything else going on here. Has more creative droisoning potential than most roles (double-true info as well as double-false, plus straightforwardly "your ability is working correctly").
  
• Amnesiac fills gaps. Most Amnesiacs would have either sobriety-related abilities (toy model: "choose a player, their ability works correctly tomorrow and tomorrow night") or protection-related abilities (more reasons for executions and deaths to fail). "You are sober and healthy" should be a rider on Amne abilities unless something is very strange. Amnesiac becomes unfun if droisoned, but having a guaranteed permasober Amne adds clarity and can overcome certain evil schemes (e.g. if Widow poisons Amne, it doesn't take).
  
• Juggler allows for "everyone juggles d1" chaos, gets great info, is accordingly fun to droison.
  
• Slayer can kill the Demon, kill the Recluse, or kill anyone in a Yaggababble game. Allows for particularly impressive plays where the Yagga-bluffing-Slayer shoots the actual Slayer and they die. Useful Marionette.
  
• Fisherman is great if sober, funny if droisoned, and "why yes, I will give you some info to help your team win" if Marionette.
  
• Philosopher both fills gaps and adds droisoning. In a script with multiple forms of starting droison, there's lots of potential in "droisoned Philosopher thinks they picked the ability of an in-game role". For similar reasons, makes an especially good Marionette.
  
• Pacifist is sort of a leftover from a prior version of the script that had Lleech, and might be a little too hard-confirmable these days. I think it's useful, though. Balloonist/Savant/Amnesiac all want longer games, while there are multiple possibilities for multikills, so it helps slow things down. It can keep alive roles that need keeping alive (e.g. Fishermen and Slayers that haven't proc'd yet). It can strongly suggest a Cult Leader's current alignment, and by extension multiple other alignments. It can disambiguate the Recluse from real evil if the game is getting too confusing. If there are protection-related Amnes, it's not as confirmable.
  
• Puzzlemaster adds droisoning. In practice, most Puzzlemasters will be "Once per game, you learn someone who is not the Demon", which I think is fine -- it's an Outsider, after all. Librarian makes it possible to find the actual puzzledrunk and win. Puzzledrunkenness is ST-controlled and can affect any alignment, which can balance difficult situations.
  
• Sweetheart adds droisoning. Sweetheart drunkenness is ST-controlled and can affect any alignment, which can balance difficult situations.
  
• Recluse is Recluse. A bunch of shenanigans on this script de jure or de facto require Recluse.
  
• Drunk is Drunk, see "Recluse is Recluse".
  
• Widow adds droisoning and gets evil some particularly targeted info. Excellent synergy with Vigormortis. Widow calls can solve the game, or lose it if the recipient is distrusted. Evil can bluff Widow calls, obscuring the minion setup (and in particular the existence of a Marionette).
  
• Godfather adds multikills, muddying the waters of whether it's a Yagga world or not. This spot is tricky. I want some source of multikills to cover Yagga, but without making the game too fast (the info roles want longer games). Previous versions of the script had various combinations of Gossip/TinkeAssassin/Witch. Tinker takes a precious Outsider spot, Assassin only acts once, Gossip probably makes the game too fast, Witch has great Vigormortis synergy but kills during day (night kills feel intuitively better). I've landed on Godfather for now, because it works with Vigormortis and manipulates Outsider count (in particular, sidesteps the "Baron+Balloonist at base 2 Outsiders forces Vigormortis" issue). Also, I kind of like having two male-coded and two female-coded Minions.
  
• Baron is Baron. PuzzleSweetheartRecluseDrunksayswhat?
  
• Scarlet Woman is mandatory with Slayer, otherwise if someone dies to a Slayer shot and the game continues they're hard confirmed not Demon (and said Slayer will be the recipient of several questions, given the Yagga world possibility). I know the synergy with Vigormortis is awful. There are other Demons.
  
• Marionette adds yet more disinfo without technically being droisoning. Is there something wrong with your info? Time to work out what team you're playing for! Allows various shenanigans with tons of roles on this script (Cult Leader, Drunk, and Recluse especially). Serves as No Dashii extension cord. Works well in some roles that an ordinary Drunk isn't as good in (e.g. Balloonist, Steward). As Marionettes think they're "good characters" rather than Townsfolk, Marionette-Puzzlemaster, Marionette-Sweetheart, and Marionette-Recluse are all intriguing options.
  
• Yaggababble is psychological warfare. As the one Demon that doesn't add poisoning itself, it can be used to control the amount of starting droisoning. Plays very well with some roles (e.g. Slayer). Leaves everyone looking for weird phrases, which is especially funny in non-Yagga games. ST-decided kills can balance if necessary.
  
• No Dashii adds droisoning. A lot of droisoning. Baron and Marionette can stretch extension cords out remarkably far.
  
• Vigormortis adds droisoning and buffs the hell out of Widow. Because it's more about droisoning than it is about anything else, Baron and Marionette are perfectly fine Vig kills. (Scarlet Woman doesn't work, but that's why there are five Minions.)
  
• Gardener avoids awkward table setups (Balloonist next to Vig minions, Amnesiac and Cult Leader neighbouring the No Dashii, etc).
  

It has been through...a lot of variations (I have 11 png files saved, which are just for various major versions). There are a lot of characters I'd like to fit on, but can't make space for.
Does this work? Is this at all on the right track for its goal? Could it be played without being horrible? What could improve it? Is this a viable script idea at all?

You read that title correctly - it's impossible to manifest anything using the law of assumption or Neville Goddard's teachings. Now before you click away in frustration, let me explain what I mean by that provocative statement.
The core premise of the law of assumption and Neville's philosophy is that your consciousness is the only reality. Your outer world of people, circumstances, and events is simply a reflection of your inner beliefs, assumptions, and mental imagery. The world you experience is literally molded by the meanings and narratives you give to it with your thoughts.
With that understanding, the idea of trying to "manifest" implies that something you want exists outside of yourself in a physical realm separate from your consciousness. It suggests you need to employ some sort of technique or process to pull that desire from an external source into your experiential reality.
But according to Neville and the law of assumption, there is no "out there" out there. There is only consciousness expressing itself in infinite forms. Your wishes and desires aren't floating in some metaphysical ether that you have to reel in through techniques. They are quite literally you in another fragmented state of being.
The human experience is one of seeming division - we appear to be separate selves housed in individual bodies, distinct from the bodies, circumstances, and relationships we want to change or acquire. But at the deepest level of our being, we are one unified field of consciousness assuming different experiences of itself.
You cannot manifest or create something that is already you. You simply need to re-identity and experience another aspect of your infinite self that you've temporarily become separated from or forgotten about.
This may seem like just a play on words, but it's a crucial perspective shift. If you think you're a little personal me trying to manifest an external something, you'll always feel small, unworthy, and disconnected from your true power. You're setting up an unwinnable dynamic of chasing after potential futures or altered circumstances that always seem to elude you.
However, if you can anchor into the truth that you are a cosmic God-consciousness infinitely capable of re-scripting your experiential universe by re-focusing your awareness, everything becomes possible. You aren't manifestING, you're rememberING who you are at the deepest level.
So in that sense, yes, it's impossible to manifest. At least not in the way society typically portrays it as dangling a carrot in front of you, promising that if you just do X, Y, and Z techniques properly, you'll finally get what you want.
The great paradox is that you already are the greatest manifester in this universe. In every single moment, you are authoring and updating your reality by what you give belief, energy, and focus to. If you stay consumed in lack, scarcity, and feeling separate from your desires, that's the experience your consciousness will continue creating.
But the second you remember your cosmic nature and boldly claim, revise, and inhabit a new story, reality rushes to conform to your revised assumptions. It's not manifesting, it's a re-membering and a re-forming of what already IS within you as infinite consciousness.
This, in essence, is the gospel Neville tirelessly shared through lectures and books. You don't create realities, you enter them by occupying the state you desire to express externally.
Your key to the kingdom isn't "out there" techniques, it's exploring the depths of your consciousness to uncover the root assumptions and beliefs you hold about yourself and this reality. Are you seeing through the lens of a little me begging for scraps from the universe? Or are you anchoring into the truth of your being as the operant creative power sculpting all of existence with your I AM?
Taking this approach removes the push, struggle, and attachment to manifesting specific circumstances or things. You're not manifesting objects, relationships, or experiences. You're remembering your sovereignty and reuniting with other aspects of your unified field of consciousness.
If right now your world seems to be reflecting struggle, disappointment, longing, and lack, it's not because of what you've manifested or failed to manifest. It's because you've temporarily lost touch with the wholeness that you are.
So instead of techniques, the "work" becomes shedding layers of limited beliefs, mental viruses, and stories of separation you've picked up from society, relationships, and past experiences. It's reintegrating your fragmented being on a moment by moment basis through self-inquiry, contemplation, and practices that allow you to merge with your infinite nature.
This can mean something as simple as asking: What am I conscious of being in this moment? What am I currently identified with? What story or state is generating my reality? And then consciously revising those assumptions into greater alignment with the experience you want to be living.
For example, if you want to experience wealth and abundance, but keep experiencing lack and scarcity, instead of beating yourself up about not manifesting properly, get curious about the assumptions that are creating those outer circumstances.
Are you identified as someone constantly struggling for money, constantly fearing not having enough? If so, that state will continue expressing scarcity externally until you revise it.
You don't manifest abundance - you re-member yourself as already being the abundantly wealthy expression of the infinite field of consciousness. You aren't pulling a potential future into reality, you're occupying a new space of beingness that has different experiences naturally flowing from it.
When that profound shift occurs where you truly know yourself as source energy rather than an separate individual pleading for blessings, your world automatically updates to conform to your revised assumptions. Not through manifesting, but by unifying and reuniting with what's always been yours as the one orchestrating consciousness.
Think of Neville's famous metaphor of perception creating the real world as you perceive it. When you sense you're a person in need of getting a better perception, you stay trapped in that cycle of want and pursuit. But if you shed that belief and occupy the consciousness of already being the operant perceiver, the whole game changes.
You don't magically manifest, you simply be from that new space of your infinite being-ness, allowing reality as you perceive it to flow forth accordingly. This is what Neville meant by changing states rather than just affirming what you want over and over.
Affirmations or visualizations can be helpful tools, but only if they assist you in making that seismic shift to owning a new sense of self that aligns with your desired reality. Because at the end of the day, you can chant any affirmations you want, but if your inner reality is still someone in need of manifesting or fixing something, that's the experience your consciousness will continue endlessly looping.
So yes, in that sense, it really is impossible to manifest anything using the law of assumption. But that's not a bad thing! It's incredibly empowering and liberating to realize that you are infinitely more

Honestly, I don't really care about the game balance all that much. If I don't like how my gun is performing in whatever patch, I just switch to a different one - most of them are fun to me. I have maybe two more ship upgrades to get and then I'm maxxed. Bots, bugs, whatever objective, I have fun with this game plenty. I'll probably still play this game even when I have everything unlocked because I love the idea of the major orders, the galactic war, and I just enjoy playing the game.
HOWEVER....
The people who play this game are the single most frustrating element without comparison, and it isn't even close.
In the span of just tonight I have had so many bad matches because of the players alone they might as well be a whole new enemy faction. I don't want this to come off as a rant (even if it has the flair) so much as a desperate plea for people to just stop and think for a second. If even one person reads this post and gains a sense of empathy afterward, I'd consider that a win. A few examples of some incredibly frustrating moments include:

• Being reinforced instantly, across the map, away from all of my gear, by someone who was running POIs out in the styx..... Repeatedly.
• Being reinforced directly into the center of a 380mm with high scatter level effect
• People still TKing for samples despite the fact that they're shared (how have people still not figured this out by the time they've unlocked Difficulty 9?)
• Being blamed for a lost mission before I'd even hit the ground by pure luck of joining with the last reinforcement (you were going to lose that mission anyway chief)
• Being immediately kicked for "being a rando" when private lobbies have existed for months
• Being immediately kicked for "not wearing meta armor" (apparently there is a meta for armor now)
• Joining a mission doomed to failure because the rest of the squad brought all mortars which were killing all of the civvies (imagine)
• Chasing someone repeatedly yelling for supplies/stims, when I had a supply backpack, yelling at them to 'hold position', until they called a resupply (for the love of god)
• Spending 30-minutes being the POI runner only for the rest of the squad to immediately enter the shuttle when it landed while I was en route, causing us to lose all of the samples, then being asked why I wasn't at extract (askdfjakvjxcvjlwstwerjwr)

I think out of all of tonight's games maybe two were actually enjoyable, while the rest were just complete frustration fests for the stupidest reasons. Not because of gun balance or too many patrols or what have you, just... People being people. I don't want this to sound like a rant - moreso just... advice. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE think about the other people in your games before you do things, man.
If you want to reinforce people, do it in a way that's not disruptive. If you want samples - KNOW THAT THEY ARE SHARED BY THE ENTIRE SQUAD. If you are looking for a reason your mission failed, look INWARD and not at the guy who literally just joined your mission via quickplay. Just open your eyes and look around you at the other people you are playing with for like two seconds and try to think about their situation before you do something incredibly frustrating.
And for the love of all that is holy.... Learn how to use the 'private lobby' function and stop chasing metas.

Im at the part where you wake up in the Infirmary at the beginning of undertaker, General Blackthorne has you sit down in his office before speaking to you: Proclaiming how many soldiers he lost rescuing you. He pauses and where it looks like a scripted scene would play, he just stands there and does nothing.
Any tips? i dont think its any mods preventing it, everything has worked fine and none of my mods do anything to the Frontier.

Just played a mission one level 9. It was going so well, got all the super samples and many others. Two of us with almost all the samples and the super samples were on the ship going to extract. Then the last guy decided to kill us while we were on the ship. We dropped our samples, then the guy that killed us extracted and didn’t bother picking up the samples. I don’t know what compels somebody to do something so petty that doesn’t even benefit them.

TL;DR: Players should have a running total throughout the competition of their individual Final Case to incentivize risk taking. Loser's pots are split among the others equally.
Problem 1: Jordan exposed a major flaw in the game design. The goal wasn't to do anything but survive to the end. If someone faces the banker every single week and survives, it is worth as much as finishing in the middle of the pack.
Problem 2: Rob exposed a flaw in the game while playing the banker. The goal isn't to get the highest value case. The goal is to make sure you make a "good deal" and live to another day. Sure it is nice to add to the pot but that doesn't matter if you don't survive.
Solution: The game should keep a running total of each player's "Final Case" that increases with each week they survive. Here are sample ideas for rewards and penalties

• $10,000: Complete an episode without elimination.
• $10,000: Win a challenge.
• $x: Whatever amount you win against the banker goes into your final case.
• Whenever a player is eliminated, their final case amount is split among remaining competitors.
• -$250,000: Fee to pay banker to skip a challenge and receive immunity for the week.

Likely results:

• Players are incentivized to want the players who are "winning" to be eliminated.
• Being ahead in the money is a risk because others are incenvitized to put you against the banker.
• Choosing and swapping alliances will have the leaderboard taken into account.
• An obvious "ranking system" will emerge with new creative ways to pick teams besides drawing for them.

So, I am running Bias FX 2 Elite on my HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eg0067st, which came with 12 GB of RAM and a 512 GB M.2 SSD for storage. I've noticed that sometimes, even when running in standalone mode, that I get artifacts in my tones, and other times, when I'm really jammin' and playing some heavier stuff the program will go from sounding really great, as it should, to just going off the wall, and getting ugly sounding, and at times will even cut the audio out all together.
I am curious as to what causes this. I guess it's also worth mentioning that I am plugging my guitar in to my Pavilion laptop via a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 audio interface (firmware version 1605) . Sample rate is 44.1 kHz, with a buffer size of 128. My round-trip latency is 15.2ms - (666 samples), and I am in "safe mode". I am getting ready to upgrade my PC since I am going to already be opening it up in order to install a new fan, which it needs just because the original one isn't doing so hot, and I don't like my laptop getting too, well, hot.
I plan on installing a Crucial 32 GB RAM kit (which will consist of two 16 GB sticks), as well as a storage upgrade in the form of a Crucial 2TB M.2 PCle NVMe SSD. These upgrades will obviously work wonders for my trusty laptop (which is about 3 years old at this point in time, and has been a great PC, which I have not had a single issue/problem with throughout the entire time I've owned it thus far) from many different angles, one of the biggest improvements of which, I assume will be my performance when using multiple plug-ins while recording/tracking in Reaper, in which I always only use either Bias FX 2 Elite, or Amplitube as far as my plug-ins are concerned.
I am just wondering if these audio anomalies and such which are occurring as I am playing guitar, might be another item which I might expect to see some improvement upon once I have completed these fixes and upgrades. I learned very early on, that if one expects to be able to play using BIAS FX 2, without experiencing a noticeable amount of latency (or any other plug-in for that matter), that RAM is one's best friend. The more RAM one has, the better these programs will run. More seamlessly, and with less latency. So, I know that I will be improving my usage of BIAS FX 2 Elite, I am just curious as to which ways I might expect to see noticeable improvements, aside from the fact that I should be able to get round-trip latency way down, to a point where it will not be noticeable at all anymore, and more like playing on an actual amplifier.
It's definitely sweet to be able to jam using my computer as a means of amplification. But any considering taking this leap for themselves, who have not already, be warned, it is absolutely NOT, just as simple as purchasing a license, downloading some software, and BOOM, you're in the game! Unfortunately, there is a great deal more involved than that, the main thing being, the fact that regardless whether you are sporting a MAC, or a PC, either way, it must be a relatively powerful machine. Positive Grid's website states that a minimum of 8 GB of RAM is required to run BIAS FX 2. However, based upon personal experience, and the fact that almost all of us are going to have other programs and apps being put to use on our computers, other than just what is necessary to play our guitars - think, DAWs for example... because chances are, if you are interested in playing guitar on your MAC or PC, then you are almost certainly going to want to start doing some tracking/recording as well... and that's still just sticking to the guitar related stuff - , I would highly recommend investing in a desktop, or laptop with absolutely no less than 16 GB of RAM.

I’ve been on the Mounjaro journey since late January, and I started with 2.5 the first month, and then switched to 5 MG the second month. My doctor recommended I stay with 5 for the next three months, and this was right before the supply issue developed. I was able to order the 3-month supply from Express Scripts and have 5 shots left of the 5MG, but I know that the manufacturer has been rumored to have production shortages which will last thru summer, possibly into fall. So, I looked for 7.5 for my next increase in dosage, and wasn’t able to find it. However, ES had 10MG, and the day I found that out, I called my provider and they told me that while they preferred me to go from 5 to 7.5, that they would prescribe the 10. So, after getting the approval, I called ES and they were out of 10. So, I checked locally(CVS, Florida) and was actually able to find a three month supply of the 7.5 but I couldn’t use the manufacturer coupon(which would have given me 3 months for $25, total). Instead, they charged me $60 for the three months worth. Again, total. I pick it up tomorrow. I still have an active prescription with ES for the 10, but who knows how that will play out. Maybe they’ll get enough to fulfill my order, maybe I’ll have to stick with retail pharmacy from here on out. But the point is, I found some. It’s coming around again, the factory is making more and you’ll be able to get some too. Just stay on the phone and keep the faith!

So I've been having some problems with Xone on my deck. I used the install script by SavageCore to get installed, and everything installed fine (LCD Deck 256GB, SteamOS v3.5.19, JSAUX Dock, official wireless adapter)
The issue is that after say....5mins my Controller (elite 2) will disconnect and reconnect - the xbox light starts flashing then after a few seconds it starts reconnects. The other issue is that the 4 rear paddles don't show up in steam even when no profile is selected on the controller.
I've tried rebooting, reinstalling but it still persists. I even noticed that the installer script was updated to support SteamOS 3.6, so I updated to the 3.6 preview and got it installed but still had the same issue. I've now reverted back to stable but can't for the life of me figure out what is going on.
If anyone has any suggestions or a fix, it would be greatly appreciated. I have the Microsoft chatpad which requires the wireless adapter to connect and i can't live without it when I'm playing docked. I can somewhat live without the rear paddles as I can rebind them with the Xbox Accessories app on my laptop, but its a bit of a pain and theres only 3 profiles (also the input delay is way better than over bluetooth)
I'm pretty new to Linux but I'm happy to supply logs or anything of that sort if need be. Thanks guys

There's a DOOM song that came on Pandora the other day and I couldn't look at my phone while it was playing, but it essentially sounds like a sample of a self-help tape of woman talking about how people deal with hard situations. I apologize if it's not DOOM, but I think it was.

I’m desperate to see if anyone is experiencing the same thing as me. I have 10.5 year old German Shepherd dog that’s had allergies all his life. He’s on apoquel and on a salmon/grain free kibble diet. He’s allergic to chicken so we stay away from it. It’s mostly just itchy skin from what we’ve noticed. Recently we tried to swap him to the Stella & Chewy salmon kibble with freeze dried bits but he had diarrhea from it even though we did a slow months transition. It didn’t work out so we swapped him back to his old food.
He had a teeth cleaning and 2 moles removal and was on metronidazole which I thought was to prevent infection from his extraction site. He got dewormer and some probiotics to assist with the diarrhea because we thought it was just the food change.
It didn’t get better and we started to see fresh bright red blood in his stool. We went to the vet and he was put on Hills Gastrointestinal Biome food and steroids (20mg of prednisone where we ween him off a couple of weeks). He was still having bloody diarrhea until a week into the steroid and then there was no blood and solid stools. During all of this we adopted a new puppy (he had the diarrhea before the puppy and it turned into bloody diarrhea after the puppy). He was getting better with the puppy around too. Then when the steroids were switched to 10mg every 48 hours his bloody diarrhea came back. He goes probably 5 times a day and his morning stools are always solid with a little blood with the consistency of jelly. Then any poos after are all liquid and very mucousy with lots of fresh blood. His stool is still brown but the mucus makes it look it has a pastel grayish wrap. The only thing that I thought that could have caused the regression was I caught him eating the new puppy’s poo when he had an accident in the house and I didn’t notice.
We’ve done giarda tests 2 times and it’s negative. Stool sample came back negative for parasites and bacterial infections. He’s been dewormed again just in case and he hasn’t ate any of the new puppy stool since. I am at a lost what to do. He acts normal and still plays and eats and drinks more than normal because of the steroid. He doesn’t like the new puppy because he’s never been a very social dog. They sleep together but do not play together. So I am not sure if it’s solely stress from the new dog. We are waiting for an appointment with a vet internist and I kept thinking the worst. Has anyone experienced this? What worked for you?

Imagine being me: you just hit 99% of notes on your favorite song! You literally missed one note, but you’re feeling hot. You’re in the groove and you know you can get 100% next try. So you pick the song and load in.. and there’s a bug where the song doesn’t play. At all. Okay, now I have to back out and go back to the lobby. Still have the rhythm in my head, let’s load back in, pick the song.. and as I’m loading onto the stage ANOTHER BUG hits as the sample for the last song my cursor was on in the menu plays over the entire song. So now I have to quit to lobby AGAIN and I’m completely out of the flow.
This has happened so many god damn times over the course of the past half-year, I can’t put in to words how beyond frustrated I truly am. I’ve been stuck at 1 note from perfect for SO LONG because every time I finish a song, I have to quit to lobby at least 2 times before I can play that song again. For the love of god, please someone who works on the game read this and fucking fix it. Even if I’m just screaming into the abyss at least I feel better.