Yesterday morning the upper deck (I-405 South) of the Fremont Bridge experienced a lane closure. ODOT Incident Response had a truck parked blocking the far left lane, at the south end of the span.
The cause appeared to be a very large piece of rebar reinforcement from the road structure which had come loose from the concrete and was bending up out of the road. It appeared to have a length of six or seven feet, and extended easily three feet into the air. This appeared to happen right at one of the joints.
Does anyone who passed by this incident have a photo? I wasn't able to find any reporting about it in the local news. Everything is just about the joint failure on I-5 last month. Has this been reported, has ODOT issued a statement? Is it damage to the bridge or just an errant piece of debris that managed to get stuck in an expansion joint?

(continuation of part 4)
I already considered this piece the second greatest musical evidence for Clerith after the London Symphony Orchestra’s Final Fantasy VII Symphony’s second movement “Words Drowned by Fireworks” and its guide, but now that I know about the Clerith reunion that was baked into the ending, the gap between the two is narrower. Each time I hear Cloud begin to call out for Aerith in part 3 (3:04), I immediately start crying. It sounds so much to me like Cloud’s voice in the dark saying “Aerith…?”, meek and scared. If you’ve read everything so far, you know how long Cloud has been looking for Aerith, lost without her, searching relentlessly for decades in real-life time. Through FFT, DFF, Advent Children, MFF x FFVII… all of it spent looking for his Promised Land. In OG, Cloud was so tormented by Jenova’s manipulation and so consumed by the chase for Sephiroth that he could not realize what or how much he felt for her until she was taken away forever. The piece we’ve just analyzed tells the story of Cloud and Aerith intertwining and separating against their will, and you can truly feel Cloud’s anxiety as he struggles to wrench Aerith out of fate’s cruel grasp. Perhaps it is because of Aerith’s ultimately fatal responsibility, inherited from her mother, that this iteration of her theme is called “The Cetra”.
Though in part 5, Cloud and Aerith reunite… could this reunion symbolize their meeting again in Remake, or something more permanent? I think it’s meant to leave us wondering.
I’m very sensitive to music, and as I’m typing this, I’m crying a bit. I wanted to share my interpretation of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” with you very badly, because it makes me feel so much and really enhances Clerith’s story. I’m overjoyed to have found out about the reunion at the very end. And it’s all because you guys showed love for my last analysis! You guys are giving me gifts every day.
V. b) i. 3) Combined Analysis
Please listen to and watch the scene of Cloud’s MOTF 6 (4:21-8:46) again, and consider section “V. b) i. 2)”. What is Uematsu telling us? Similarly to how main world theme of FFVII informs us that Jenova is sabotaging Cloud’s identity far before it becomes a plot point in OG, “Aerith’s theme - The Cetra” is telling us what not even Remake Cloud consciously knows at this point: he’s been searching desperately for her, and fears losing her once more.
As if that wasn’t proof enough, the timing of the shots and musical phrases is absolutely damning. Recall that part 3 of “Aerith’s theme - The Cetra” specifically symbolizes Cloud’s anxiety surrounding Aerith’s safety. It is this particular part of the piece that plays for the entirety of Aerith’s allusions to her murderers and her death (7:25-7:54), including the very moment where “Cloud feels his chest constrict tightly” (7:51-7:54). What’s more, part 5 the piece, which specifically Cloud freeing Aerith from the restraints of fate, coincides with the moment Tifa grabs Aerith’s hand and pulls her out from the circle of Whispers closing in on her (8:42-8:45). This moment leads me to believe that the reunion in part 5 of the piece indeed symbolizes Cloud succeeding (perhaps with Tifa’s help) in saving Aerith from her tragic fate and reuniting with her for good.
It’s heart-wrenching and brilliant. Our theory stands strong.
V. b) ii. Credits: Piece Inclusion
I find it very telling that the character themes included in the credits of Remake are Cloud’s “Hollow” (0:00-5:24), an orchestral arrangement of Aerith’s theme (5:24-9:24), and an orchestral arrangement of the main world theme, (9:24-14:27) which of course includes Cloud’s true theme. No other character themes appear during the rest of the credits (14:27-18:09). This is telling: the credits are communicating to us that Remake is about Cloud and Aerith. Our Mission Theory only gets stronger.
V. b) iii. Showing Relationships Through Music: Intermingling Character Themes
This doesn’t have to do with the Mission, but here’s a pretty good anti-Cloti argument while we’re here.
As shown in section “V. a) i.” where we explored the roles of Cloud, Jenova and Sephiroth’s themes within the FFVII world theme, the way character themes interact in a piece can tell you a lot about those characters’ relationships. This is certainly the case in “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” as well (see section “V. b. ii. 2)”).
I’d like to mention that in all of my listening to the Remake OST and rewatching playthroughs of Remake, I’ve never encountered a single piece that united Cloud and Tifa’s themes. Not once. Let alone a piece that depicts them as intimately or emotionally as “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” depicts Cloud and Aerith. Even the most Cloti cutscenes in Remake aren’t supported by pieces mixing or even juxtaposing Cloud and Tifa’s themes. I can’t find any of Cloud’s motifs anywhere during the orchestral arrangement of Tifa’s theme that plays during her resolution scene in chapter 14. I can’t find either of their motifs in the track the plays when Cloud calls Tifa beautiful at Seventh Heaven in chapter 3. A motif from Tifa’s theme does appear in the track that plays during the childhood promise scene in chapter 4, (0:00-0:25), but it never plays at the same time as or even near Cloud’s motifs (1:23-1:47 and 2:03-2:29). They’re distant or otherwise unaffiliated.
The only exception is that an altered version of Cloud’s theme’s section A phrase 1 appears in the background of Tifa’s theme (1:17-1:23). This symbolizes her connection to Cloud and how much of her attention and worry revolve around him— a reference to how she cares so much that it borders on dependency. Of course, it doesn’t go both ways: Tifa isn’t in Cloud’s theme at all. To me, this lack of reciprocity concerning the inclusion of Cloud’s motif in Tifa’s theme signifies that the only time Cloud and Tifa are together is in her head. She does think about him a lot, which we witness in her chapter of Trace of Two Pasts. Tifa loses sleep over him even two years after he left Nibelheim, despite the fact that she barely knew him at all:

“The moment she heard the word “Soldier”, the few memories she had with Cloud Strife came flooding back. He never contacted her after they parted ways two years ago […]. She tossed and turned all night. When she counted them again, her memories with Cloud were so surprisingly few that others might find it hard to believe that they grew up as next-door neighbors” (Trace of Two Pasts, translated by pekotranslates on Tumblr).

FFVII Remake Ultimania also comments on the superficial nature of Cloud and Tifa’s water tower promise, and how regardless of its naïveté, it became fundamental to Tifa:

“Though rooted in a jejune heroine fantasy of being rescued in a pinch by her hero, this promise is clearly etched in Tifa’s memory” (Tifa’s profile in section 01 of “Character & World”, “An Enduring Childhood Promise” in “Topics of Tifa” page 20).

You could argue that “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” is only one song wherein Cloud and Aerith’s themes interweave, but you’d be proven wrong by the Rebirth OST…
V. c) The Rebirth OST
Unfortunately, the full Rebirth OST isn’t out and available where I can listen to it right now. However, based solely on the incomplete OST that’s available to me right now, I can tell you with certainty that the composers were told to incorporate Clerith into the musical storytelling: Cloud and Aerith’s themes intermingle in multiple pieces. I can’t imagine what else I’ll discover once I listen to the full OST. For now, I checked out what was available on YouTube and listened to cutscene audios. This section would be eternal if I included every time Cloud and Aerith’s motifs interact, especially in chapter 14. Trust me, I’d love to talk about every single one, but this thing is long enough already, so let’s just address what pertains to our Mission Theory specifically rather than stopping at every single Clerith reference in the OST.
V. c) i. Ending Cutscene Music
Ending cutscenes are often used to address the next step the characters will be taking as well as their emotional and mental state. They also open up new questions to make the player curious. Indeed, Rebirth’s ending cutscene (18:56-25:00) gives us an impression of how the party members feel by the end of the game: everyone misses Aerith. Barret looks upset and confused at the mention of her (19:35-19:45), the girls are crying and Nanaki is mourning (19:58-20:35). Additionally, we are shown the empty White Materia and Black Materia in Cloud’s possession (20:40-21:24), foreshadowing that they will come to be important in part 3. Cloud and Aerith share a warm goodbye, and exchange promises: Aerith will send smoke signals if something happens to her so a worried Cloud can remain updated on her well-being and she will stop Meteor, and Cloud will stop Sephiroth (23:00-25:00). The fact that this scene is animated in CGI is enough to tell us that the devs consider it narratively important, just like they do Bugenhagen’s observatory and the party’s advance into the Forgotten Capital CGI cutscenes. What did the composers decide to communicate with us about the end of Rebirth and the plot going forward?
Big surprise: Clerith.
During the entire cutscene, only two themes play: Cloud’s and Aerith’s. The cutscene’s music begins only when Cloud notices Aerith among the party members and begins watching her (19:21). She interacts with the rest of the party without their knowledge, different segments of her theme playing one after another. Her theme only stops when Cloud finally looks away from her and to the empty White Materia in his hand (20:45). The music focuses on the mystery and ominousness of these materia, only returning to Aerith once Cloud hears her voice and repeats her message to the party (21:30).
Cloud’s theme appears when he asserts that Barret needn’t worry about him (section A of Cloud’s true theme, 22:41), though soft and tentative, only swelling when Barret and Tifa climb aboard the Tiny Bronco and Cloud finds himself alone with Aerith again (22:57). As he asks Aerith if “[she’ll] be okay getting back” (23:08), the final phrase of section A of his theme plays, but without its concluding note, the tonic. He waits for her to answer him as his theme waits for hers to complete and answer it, that final note dragging long over the seconds (23:09-23:13). She answers with a teasing remark that references their unwillingness to part from each other back in Remake’s Evergreen Park:

“[Cloud has] a chat with Aerith, from whom he’s reluctant to part” (chapter 9 in section 04 “Scenario”, “Main Story Digest”, “4. Saying Goodbye”, page 275)”.

As soon as Aerith answers Cloud’s question with this romantic callback, her theme answers his too: section C of Aerith’s theme begins with the key’s tonic, resolving Cloud’s incomplete phrase (23:13): she gives him resolution. He chuckles, getting her reference, and the music swells (23:16). The music ebbs and flows thusly, following the rhythms and underlying emotions of their conversation. Finally, the piece ends with phrase 2 of of section A of Cloud’s true theme, following a strong repetition of the first half of Aerith’s theme’s section A. The two make their promises to each other, and “No Promises to Keep” begins, leading us to the credits. This is most definitely a Clerith song, but more on that later.
What this shows us is that Cloud and Aerith’s relationship is fundamental to the plot of Rebirth and will also be fundamental to the plot of part 3: they are isolated one one-on-one in this cutscene, and the music depicts their warm, sweet interaction as well as the strength of Aerith’s character to contrast with Cloud’s somewhat meek personality. The composers are telling us that these two, specifically, together alone, are hugely important to the plot here. This was already true in OG, but no such emphasis was ever placed on their interactions and relationship in its music. Something is different, deeper, more intense now. The Mission Theory explains why. It also suits our theory that the composers are emphasizing the centrality of Clerith in the plot of the Remake trilogy. Cloud’s love for Aerith is the reason for the trilogy’s existence, and it will be the greatest motivator for Cloud in part 3. It’s a grand announcement.
Just like in Remake, I could not find a single instance of Cloud and Tifa’s themes interacting in Rebirth, apart from at the end of the intimate Skywheel date— but every girl receives this treatment in their intimate dates, so each of these instances can be crossed out. Additionally, the Tifa date is not the canon one, but I digress…
V. c) iii. Credits

1. Piece Inclusion

Once more, I find it very telling that of all the pieces included in the credits of Rebirth, the only character themes are Cloud’s and Aerith’s. We start with a song about Aerith’s point of view to mirror *Remake’*s “Hollow”, “No Promises to Keep” (5:18-11:10), followed by the FFVII world theme (11:10-16:12) which of course contains Cloud’s true theme, then we move into a piece whose unofficially translated title is “Parade Battle Ceremony - The Dawn of a New World” as an arrangement of the parade ceremony theme from chapter 4 (16:12-19:03), followed by a theme for the Lifestream springs whose name I don’t have (19:03-21:38), “Junon - Fortified Metropolis” (21:38-24:28), and finally, a gorgeous arrangement of Aerith’s theme (24:28-28:47). No other character is referenced in the credits music: the credits are telling us Rebirth is about Clerith. Our Mission Theory explains why.
V. c) iii. 2) “No Promises to Keep”
At the very end of this song written and performed by Aerith, we’re treated with a sweet little piano conclusion (10:46-11:10): it begins with a variation on Aerith’s theme’s section A (10:46-11:01), and concludes with two ascending arpeggios, each four notes long (11:01-11:10). Each of these ascending arpeggios is a variation of the phrase 1 of Cloud’s true theme’s section A. The differences are minimal. The phrase is usually five notes long rather than four, the first arpeggio ends on the tonic rather than Cloud’s iconic subtonic, and the second arpeggio starts on the subtonic rather than the tonic. The song Aerith wrote concludes with Cloud’s most famous motif. This is also the case in her Gold Saucer performance (3:31-3:41).
V. c) iii. 3) Arrangement of Aerith’s Theme
The final piece in the credits is an arrangement of Aerith’s theme (24:28-28:47) which has noticeably similar elements to the version of her theme that plays during the Jenova Lifeclinger battle in chapter 14 (0:12-3:36), such as the female choirs. Since these female choirs are only heard in the Forgotten City version of Aerith’s theme, and since the credits arrangement of her theme plays at the same time as clips from her chapter 14 pseudo-death roll across the screen, I estimate that this credits arrangement specifically reflects the event of Aerith’s pseudo-death. Recall that composers had access to the credits video as they composed, meaning this piece is specifically written for Aerith’s pseudo-death in Rebirth.
What I find fascinating is that, just like the arrangements of her theme that play during Aerith’s pseudo-death and the Jenova Lifeclinger battle, this credits arrangement contains the sound of Cloud’s pain, rage and protest. Phrase 1 and the first three notes of phrase 2 of Cloud’s true theme section A play on the strings and brass quite loudly and insistently, just as Cloud blocking masamune appears on the credits screen (25:11-25:21). Sephiroth’s dissonant, high and screechy violins appear just as his face comes onto the screen (26:33), and almost as a protective response, phrases 1 and 2 of Cloud’s true theme’s section A return (26:47-27:00). Finally, similarly to what we hear in part 5 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra”, a slightly modified section A phrase 1 of Cloud’s true theme play along with section C phrase 3 of Aerith’s theme (oh wow section A and C section Aerith for Cloud’s theme and section Cloud for Aerith’s theme I just realized that’s such a cute coincidence), though unfortunately they do not meet in the middle like last time since they start two octaves apart (28:20-28:25). I’ve recreated it for you once more here so you can really appreciate it. The fact that their motifs don’t truly reunite like in “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” is sad, but the very last thing you see onscreen is Aerith’s goodbye to the Tiny Bronco (27:10-27:42), so it makes sense that this piano conclusion implies that Cloud and Aerith aligned, but not yet reunited for good. That’s exactly what you get from the ending cutscene. It does seem to imply that they will be reunited in part 3, as both the ending cutscene and this piano conclusion read as a “till we see each other again” rather than a “farewell”.

VI. Textual Evidence

Now that the musical evidence is done, let’s compile some textual story evidence that supports our theory!
VI. a) Remake Trilogy (Thus Far) Handholding Explained?
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, handholding is a motif in Cloud and Aerith’s relationship— and an extremely symbolic one at that! When researching for info to validate my theory, I found that this Clerith motif was extremely helpful! Its inclusion in the Remake trilogy, and especially in Rebirth, is hugely significant in my eyes.
VI. a) i. Pre-Remake Trilogy: Aerith’s Initiative
Before examining the significance of Clerith handholding in Remake and Rebirth, we should establish the meaning of this motif in OG and Advent Children.
Cloud and Aerith have reached out to take each other’s hands many times since 1997. Aerith used to literally drag him by the hand a lot, shocking the cold and distant merc, before she left. After her death in OG, Cloud surely longed to be able to feel her hand take his again, cursing himself for not enjoying it while she was alive, and for never being the one to grasp her hand first: he never got to tell her how he feels about her, or to save her. It was always her reaching out for him, saving him.
This is why the scene in OG when Aerith reaches for him from the Lifestream after Cloud defeats Sephiroth in chapter 3 of disk 3 is so touching: Cloud sees her hand and reaches out to take it, so close to finally establishing that mutual connection, but she soon fades, and replaced by Tifa’s hand in the tangible world. He doesn’t get to hold Aerith’s hand again.
That is, not until Advent Children, where near the end of his battle with Bahamut Sin, he sees Aerith reach out to him once again (1:08-1:30). Cloud finally gets to hold her hand for the first time in two years when he lost her. This moment was given extra importance by the devs. In fact, Nojima told us the following:

“The ending scene of the battle with Bahamut, the scene where Aerith reaches out her hand, is an homage to the last scene from a previous production. It was [Nomura]'s idea” (FFVII Reunion Files, “Story Digest”, “Summoned Beast”, page 113).

VI. a) ii. The Remake Trilogy (Thus Far): Cloud’s Initiative
As I’ve said before, if I’m right that Remake is all about Cloud stepping up to be more attentive and active in his relationship with Aerith in order to save her, there should be concrete evidence of this in the Remaketrilogy thus far. If OG Cloud’s memories of and love for Aerith exist somewhere within Remake Cloud’s subconsciousness, then Remake Cloud should be far more active in the Clerith dynamic than OG Cloud was— after all, he’s supposed to know better this time around. Thankfully, the motif of handholding can help us evaluate this. Since we know pre-Remake Cloud was quite passive when it comes to handholding, Cloud initiating handholding in the Remake trilogy would be a strong indication that our theory has validity. Keeping this in mind, let’s see what we can find thus far in the Remake trilogy in relation to handholding, and if Cloud is indeed more active than he was in OG.
VI. a) ii. 1) Hollow Hands
Remake’s theme song “Hollow” makes allusions to the handholding motif: “This time, I will never let you go” is pretty clear. And so is “No Promises to Keep”, wherein Aerith speaks of Cloud “[taking her] hand and never [letting her] go” multiple times. Interestingly, these theme song lyrics seem to suggest that Cloud will be much more active in the Remake trilogy than in OG. “Hollow” even promises that Cloud will come to his senses and take charge of the situation: “this time, [he] will” be the one to offer his hand to Aerith, unlike in OG and Advent Children. This makes a lot of sense with our theory: now that Cloud has lost Aerith once, “this time for sure, [he]’ll” be the one to reach for Aerith’s hand, take initiative and save her the way she saved him.
Even though theme songs are extremely telling of a game’s main themes and intentions, lyrics are still all talk and no proof. What about the game itself? Do Remake and Rebirth deliver on this promise? Let’s see!
VI. a) ii. 2) Resolution Hands
The only significant time Cloud initiates handholding in Remake is during Cloud’s resolution scene in chapter 14 (5:18-5:40), wherein he tries to grab Aerith’s hand but is unable to keep her with him. He fills with determination and tells her in no uncertain terms that he’s coming for her. Just as we predicted, Cloud is the active participant in this iteration of the Clerith handholding motif: he’s even explicitly insisting against Aerith’s wishes that he should “get a say in all this” and that he’s “coming for [her]”. Let’s not forget that Cloud’s resolution is meant to reflect not only Aerith’s kidnapping by Shinra, but also her fated death. Nojima implied this by commenting the following on Aerith’s “Even if you think you have, it’s not real” line:

“Those who know what befalls Aerith later on will find the line really heart-wrenching” (FFVII Remake Ultimania, section 08 “Secrets”, “Development Staff Interviews, Part 2: Tetsuya Nomura, Yoshinori Kitase, Kazushige Nojima”, page 744).

Given this note by Nojima, it looks like we’re supposed to watch Cloud’s resolution scene with Aerith’s fated death in mind. Considering this, Cloud’s “I’m coming for you” line sure seems like an subconscious promise that he will save Aerith from her tragic fate. This subconscious promise could be the result of post-OG Cloud’s feelings and intentions rising to the surface. Nevertheless, he’s absolutely determined and he’s staying true to the promise he made in “Hollow”. I think it’s fair to say that this instance of the handholding Clerith motif does indeed fit perfectly with our theory. This is only one strong example though, and we need a pattern in order to pat ourselves on the back on this. So, let’s keep looking! There isn’t any handholding initiated by Cloud beyond that point in Remake. At this point in my research, I moved on to Rebirth to go digging for handholding there.
Hoo boy. I was not disappointed.
VI. a) ii. 3) Golden Hands
Let’s begin with the obvious. In their high-affinity gondola date in chapter 12, Cloud bravely interlaces his fingers with Aerith’s: Cloud’s taken charge not only of handholding, but the most intimate kind of handholding. I’m sure you’ve encountered the phrase “こいびとつなぎ” or “koibito tsunagi by now (literally translates to “lovers’ tie” or “lovers’ connection”); this is the term used in Japanese to refer to the type of handholding Cloud initiates with Aerith on the Skywheel. It’s considered the most intimate form of handholding. In Japan, skinship is normally considered quite significant and indicative of the closeness between two people— you could say it’s a big deal. Cloud also offers Aerith his hand when they step off the Shywheel, once more making the first move. Though some might say that the Skywheel dates shouldn’t be counted as canon, I believe Aerith’s date is indeed canon (I have my reasons but this post is long enough). Even if we discount the Skywheel date however, Clerith's use of the koibito tsunagi returns in a non-optional scene we will touch on later.
For what it’s worth, Alfreid offers Rosa his hand in the Loveless play too. I can prove that Aerith is the canon Rosa too, but I’m going to save that for my next analysis! You can take my word for it now, or just wait for that analysis to drop. Take it or leave it!
VI. a) ii. 4) Meta Hands
However, the narrative weight of these Clerith handholding instances doesn’t even come close to my very favorite iteration of the handholding motif in Rebirth. I’m referring to what I consider a severely underrated Clerith moment in chapter 13. First, some context: Sephiroth manipulates Cloud into giving over the Black Materia. Cloud seems to be firmly under Sephiroth’s control. However, the sight of Aerith being swarmed by Black Whispers snaps Cloud back into the driver’s seat: he breaks out of Sephiroth’s grasp to run to her and save her. Aerith gets knocked off into a fatal free-fall by a Black Whisper before Cloud can reach her, but he won’t have it: he lunges forward, hand extended. What results is a beautiful shot of their outstretched hands (56:25-56:27).
Let’s analyze this great shot. Notice how the seconds where Cloud is reaching downwards to grasp Aerith’s hand are treated. This key moment is stretched longer by a slow-mo effect, building up the tension and drawing the audience’s focus to the distance between their hands before Cloud actually catches Aerith’s in his, fulfilling the promise he made in “Hollow”. Their hands take up the whole screen in a deliberate close-up shot. All the ambient noises of the scene go quiet: Aerith’s theme is all we hear as Cloud reaches desperately for her. These are blatant audiovisual cues, signalling to the audience that whatever is happening on screen is especially significant. We should therefore examine this specific instance of the Clerith handholding motif to see what the devs are trying to tell us, and maybe it will fit with our theory!
We should begin by comparing this Clerith hand-reach shot to previous ones. If you compare it to the Advent Children’s hand-reach that occurs during Cloud’s battle against Bahamut Sin, it’s evident that Cloud and Aerith’s roles are reversed: just as our theory states, Cloud gets out from inside his head and reaches for Aerith this time. She saved him and the world in OG, and now it’s his turn to save her. This change becomes especially evident when you juxtapose the two scenes and notice how their hands have switched places, reaching from above and below, from left and right. I think the Rebirth hand-reach was deliberately made to look like the Advent Children one —and even the OG one in disk 3, chapter 3—, just to highlight this role reversal.
This Rebirth hand-reach is my favorite out of all because it shows that Cloud is much more conscious and attentive toward Aerith in Rebirth than he was in OG. At this point in OG (disk 1, chapter 25), Cloud is meant to be beating Aerith up at Sephiroth’s command, to the horror of the rest of the party. In fact, a few minutes before Cloud rushes to save Aerith in Rebirth, he has absolutely no problem violently shoving Tifa to the ground when she gets in Sephiroth’s way (53:27-53:33). This shove and Cloud’s earlier attack on Tifa in Gongaga (Rebirth, chapter 9) proves that Sephiroth is just as capable of making Cloud hurt his party members as he was in OG… though Sephiroth can’t seem to make Cloud hurt Aerith. Why is this? Why is it that Cloud beats Aerith in OG, but doesn’t even lay a finger on her —and snaps out of Sephiroth’s control at the mere sight of her in trouble— in Rebirth?
Our theory provides the answer. In disk 1, chapter 25 of OG, Cloud had not yet realized he loved Aerith. Sephiroth was therefore able to make him hurt her. But things are different in Rebirth. The Cloud we see in the Remake trilogy has gone through the OG timeline and traveled back in time, kicking off Remake as his second try at the OG timeline— and he did this precisely because he loves Aerith. His love for her is clearer and stronger in the Remake trilogy than in OG because Remake Cloud is an amnesiac, post-OG, time-traveler Cloud. He’s been through the OG before, has fallen in love with Aerith and realized it before, so this time around, he can’t even lay a finger on her. This is made evident by how closely the moments where Cloud pushes Tifa and saves Aerith are juxtaposed, separated by mere seconds of gameplay. Merely seeing Aerith in trouble wrenched control from Sephiroth and put it in Cloud’s hands again— Sephiroth probably couldn’t have gotten Cloud to attack Aerith if he tried.
This isn’t the only time we get evidence of this though! As Cloud approaches Aerith’s praying form in the Forgotten City, Sephiroth’s Black Whispers swirl around the buster sword: Sephiroth is trying to kill Aerith with it, while Cloud’s struggle to wrench it away plays out visibly on his face. Interestingly, Cloud is not being controlled by Sephiroth here. We know this because we can quite literally see the Black Whispers trying to move his sword, but also because every time Cloud is being controlled by Sephiroth in Rebirth, he has an empty-eyed, zombie-Cloud look on his face. Either that or he laughs or smiles somewhat maniacally. There is never any resistance on his part. To see an example, simply pay attention to Cloud’s blank face as he attacks Tifa in Gongaga in chapter 9 (19:20-20:30). You’ll see the very same expression on his face if you watch this video of Cloud following Sephiroth’s orders in chapter 13 (53:36-54:15). Additionally, look at how strangely Cloud smiles (41:01) as he grasps the Black Materia. Cloud makes none of these faces as the Black Whispers try to take control of his sword: quite the opposite. Cloud looks like he’s trying his hardest to pull his weapon back down and away from Aerith, a horrified look on his face as he grunts from the effort. Once more, Sephiroth is unable to make Cloud hurt Aerith.
Back to my favorite handholding moment. Think about this devs intention for this shot for a minute. The devs have been teasing us as to whether or not Cloud will succeed in saving Aerith in the Remake trilogy since it was first announced, and this slow-mo shot of Cloud catching Aerith’s hand as she falls to her death is a reflection of this tension. The audience holds their breath during those slow-moed seconds, all that hope and fear hanging in the balance. This instance of the handholding motif is a meta way for the devs to reassure us that Cloud will indeed save Aerith. I firmly believe this.
VI. a) ii. 5) Self-Sacrificing Hands
Alright, alright, enough about my favorite! Let’s move to chapter 14 of Rebirth! There’s evidently a lot going on with Clerith in this chapter. Let’s address the Sector 5 date. The handholding is first initiated by Aerith as she tugs him toward the candy vendor and Cloud reacts with a quiet gasp (4:07-4:17). Soon, it becomes a reciprocal embrace: Cloud holds his hand out for Aerith’s and tightens his fingers around hers, smiling at her before they head to the photographer (7:07-7:17).
Then of course, when Aerith pushes Cloud into a portal in her church, you can see Cloud reach his hand up toward her desperately as he falls (17:38-17:58). What I find particularly emotional about this moment is that Aerith pushing Cloud away from her is kind of the opposite of reaching for his hand: it symbolizes Aerith accepting her fate and giving up on a life where she can be with him. This Aerith seems to be a post-OG Aerith who exists separately from the main world we experience in Rebirth, meaning she knows all too well that her fate is to die. In fact, it looks like she is the very same or a similar Aerith to the one who appeared to Cloud in his resolution scene in Remake. By literally pushing Cloud away, just like she figuratively did in Cloud’s resolution scene, she is sacrificing both herself and the happiness she could share with Cloud. She’s going against her heart’s wishes, just like she did in Cloud’s resolution scene when she would not let Cloud take her hand. Indeed, post-OG Aerith seems to be resigned to her fated death and completely devoid of hope: she only wants to ensure the planet’s survival, because she thinks she knows there is no way she can or should be with Cloud. In contrast, Cloud reaches his hand out toward Aerith as he falls into the portal, and even though he does not know that her push symbolizes her self-sacrifice, his outstretched hand represents his protest. So far, our theory is fitting beautifully.
VI. a) ii. 6) Grieving Hands
Later in chapter 14 of Rebirth, after Aerith’s death/non-death, there is more handholding. As Cloud cradles Aerith’s body close to him at the Forgotten Capital, Aerith places her hand on his cheek. Cloud covers it with his, curling his fingers around it (1:03:33-1:03:53). Before he leaves her lying down on her back to go fight Sephiroth, he squeezes her hand as he tells her “I got this”— or, per the Japanese version, “Wait for me”, meaning he’ll reunite with her once he’s done (1:04:56-1:05:10).
VI. a) ii. 7) Hero-Heroine Hands
Next, the koibito tsunagi returns as Cloud and Aerith interlace fingers back to back in a classic hero-heroine pose, right after their two-versus-one fight against Sephiroth. This time, they both reach for each other simultaneously (7:42-8:18), without even having to look down at their hands or talk to each other, as though perfectly in sync. As you can see, Aerith and Cloud are now on the same page. This is different from post-OG Aerith’s attitude in the Sector 5 church earlier in chapter 14, as well as in Cloud’s resolution scene in Remake— my interpretation of this mutual koibito tsunagi is that both of them are agreeing to hold onto each other now, with neither of them pulling back or being inattentive of the other: their priorities are now the same. It seems now they are aligned, and hopefully this means that Aerith will be working together with Cloud so they can reunite again in part 3. Even if she doesn’t prioritize her life and happiness though, we know for sure Cloud will.
VI. b) Blocking Masamune Explained?
Another piece of evidence that Cloud has been through the events of OG before is the fact that he is able to block masamune. Cloud looks up and sees Sephiroth descending with his blade poised to kill Aerith. Screaming, Cloud instantly rips the buster sword from the Black Whispers’ hold and successfully blocks masamune. Hatred and determination fill his eyes as he rallies his strength and successfully pushes Sephiroth away, saving Aerith’s life (6:00-7:26)— at least, in one reality.
Obviously, something about Cloud is different in Rebirth from in OG, otherwise, the events of Rebirth’s chapter 14 would be the same as the events of OG’s disk 1 chapter 28. In my opinion, what happened here is that upon seeing Sephiroth swoop down with masamune, Cloud remembered Aerith’s death in OG, and the post-OG Cloud’s determination to stop it came surging up from within him. This is frankly the very best proof there is that Cloud is far more ready, stable, determined, and clear-headed about Aerith in the Remake trilogy than in OG. Our theory explains why! In fact, this very moment is what our entire theory banks on: Cloud saves Aerith in one reality, as is shown by the rainbow effect produced by the event, and just like that, the promise made in “Hollow” has been fulfilled! However, now we face the question of how to make sure that Aerith is alive and by Cloud’s side when the multiverse converges again into one protected timeline. I’m sure it will be done; we will see how in part 3.
VI. c) Theme Song Lyrics
What the theme songs’ texts have to say about the trilogy so far is quite important, as they summarize the feelings of the characters they represent: Cloud and Aerith. We can glean a lot from their perspectives that could help support the Mission Theory.
VI. d) i. “Hollow” Lyrics
“Hollow”, Remake’s theme song, was written about Cloud’s feelings and rumination. Nojima confirmed that, when he was given directives for the lyric-writing, “Nomura just gave [Nojima] the keywords: ‘told from Cloud's point of view’ and ‘standing in the rain’. [Nojima] interpreted that as ‘a ballad for a man who lost something/someone important’” (Nojima and Uematsu interview “‘I wanted to put the word ‘empty’ in the theme song of Remake. That was how it started’ - Music-Related Interview Part 6: Kazunari Nojima”, by Famitsu). Our theory is about Cloud’s motivations and mission to save Aerith, so “Hollow” is especially relevant.
Let’s run through the lyrics and analyze, starting with the song’s first verse:

“I would be lost, drifting along
Floating up high, time after time
And there you'd be, shining brightly
Your smiling face to guide my way
Bloody and bruised, brought to my knees
When beaten down, when broken up
You would appear, reach out to me
Heal every wound and make me whole”

Makes sense with our theory in mind, doesn’t it? This is post-OG Cloud remembering Aerith and what she means to him. “Hollow” seems to be told from the perspective of the post-OG Cloud hidden somewhere in Remake Cloud: a suppressed or eroded part of him that remembers Aerith clearly. Or maybe it’s told by Cloud after the events of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration and before the start of Remake, asserting his mission to save Aerith.
Next, here are the pre-choruses:

“Was it all, a dream? Will I never know?
Foolish and blind to everything
Had I realized, had I thought it through
Would you be here in my embrace?”

&

“With your every smile, hiding something more
Dark mysteries lurking beneath
But I was consumed with this emptiness
This selfishness, this void to fill”

(continued in

Split Face Block, also called Rock Face Block, IS Concrete Block, also known as cement block, cinder block or, if you're being fancy, CMU (concrete masonry unit). (I know the references to various blocks may be technically incorrect - but that's what us common folk call it, right or wrong, so buzz off Mr. Technical.)
Think of a Split Face Block as a concrete block split in two - to make it look similar to stone. That's not technically correct either, but I'm not manufacturing SFB, are you?
Pros: Split Face Block is super porous. It's great garden block. It allows water to flow through it freely to properly drain a raised garden bed!
Split Face Block is cheap. It's a lot cheaper to buy than natural stone. And its easy for entry-level masons to build with - translation - cheap. Building with Natural Stone requires architectural planning and master-mason level talent - translation - not cheap.
So, you can buy a fancy-looking fake-stone building for a reasonable price and the builder make a really nice buck.
Cons: Split Face Block is super porous. It allows water (and air btw) to flow through it freely. Some SFB building owners have actually reported pictures being blown off the wall during rain storms with heavy winds. (If this has happened to you, please share your story - video would be even better!)
Split Face Block is not cheap. Yes, you can buy a fancy-looking fake-stone building for a reasonable price. BUT...
List of Must Dos for new construction and existing buildings coming, so stayed tuned...
Sneak Peak: Maintain the masonry sealant. Do not be tempted to cheap-out on sealant, you will be sorry.
Please Note: Some block manufacturers have started added water resistant additives, so some Split Face Block buildings currently under construction (2024 forward) may be a decent investment. The jury is still out.
Some people believe (mistakenly) that Split Face Block is no longer being used to build homes - this is simply not true. While most of the Split Face Block buildings the company I work for has repaired were built between 1990-2010, we recently evaluated a 4-unit Split Face Block building that was built in 2021.
Split Face Block Building owners - please tell us your story and share pictures or video Contractors - please refrain from all selling, but please do share your client's Split Face Block stories, pictures or video would be great too Home Inspectors and Real Estate Agents - please share your buyers and sellers' Split Face Block stories.
Looking forward to helping - Have a great day!

https://preview.redd.it/ayav0pfnus0d1.png?width=3352&format=png&auto=webp&s=1f02bd668b63601cdf83ebb3d7633a7fc9304f91
Hello people of soundproof!
I have a question if this approach is better. I have previously posted here re: the same room, but this time, I have come up with a more solid plan on what I want to do. Still, my problem is the window to the street. I am planning a room within a room for my music studio (which will house drums, guitar amps, bass amps and loudspeakers). I am planning on minimizing the sound coming out of the room as I want to keep the peace and quiet of our neighborhood.
My question is:
Is it better to fill the window with concrete so the whole wall will be made of concrete or should I make the room a little smaller by blocking the window with drywall and adding an additional layer of rockwool there just like on the left wall? I can go with the permanent option of filling the window with concrete as the window would not be used, but I would like to avoid it as much as possible.
Your thoughts would be very much appreciated. Also, apologies if I just made this using Paint. Thanks in advance!

2023 Rookie Rankings
2022 Rookie Rankings
2021 Rookie Rankings
2020 Rookie Rankings

Superflex Rankings (Half & Full PPR)

Rank	Player	Tier	Position	Team
1.01	Caleb Williams	1	QB	CHI
1.02	Marvin Harrison Jr.	1	WR	ARI
1.03	Jayden Daniels	2	QB	WAS
1.04	Malik Nabers	2	WR	NYG
1.05	Rome Odunze	3	WR	CHI
1.06	JJ McCarthy	3	QB	MIN
1.07	Drake Maye	3	QB	NE
1.08	Brock Bowers	4	TE	LVR
1.09	Xavier Worthy	5	WR	KC
1.10	Bo Nix	5	QB	DEN
1.11	Brian Thomas Jr.	5	WR	JAX
1.12	Michael Penix Jr.	5	QB	ATL
2.01	Jonathon Brooks	5	RB	CAR
2.02	Xavier Legette	6	WR	CAR
2.03	Trey Benson	6	RB	ARI
2.04	Ladd McConkey	6	WR	LAC
2.05	Ricky Pearsall	6	WR	SF
2.06	Keon Coleman	6	WR	BUF
2.07	Roman Wilson	7	WR	PIT
2.08	Jermaine Burton	7	WR	CIN
2.09	Malachi Corley	7	WR	NYJ
2.10	Adonai Mitchell	7	WR	IND
2.11	MarShawn Lloyd	7	RB	GB
2.12	Ben Sinnott	7	TE	WAS
3.01	Ja'Lynn Polk	7	WR	NE
3.02	Ray Davis	8	RB	BUF
3.03	Blake Corum	8	RB	LAR
3.04	Jaylen Wright	8	RB	MIA
3.05	Javon Baker	8	WR	NE
3.06	Troy Franklin	8	WR	DEN
3.07	Tyrone Tracy Jr.	8	RB	NYG
3.08	Ja'Tavion Sanders	8	TE	CAR
3.09	Jalen McMillan	8	WR	TB
3.10	Kimani Vidal	9	RB	LAC
3.11	Devontez Walker	9	WR	BAL
3.12	Braelon Allen	9	RB	NYJ
4.01	Rasheen Ali	9	RB	BAL
4.02	Luke McCaffrey	9	WR	WAS
4.03	Jacob Cowing	9	WR	SF
4.04	Malik Washington	9	WR	MIA
4.05	Dylan Laube	9	RB	LVR
4.06	Bucky Irving	9	RB	TB
4.07	Jared Wiley	9	TE	KC
4.08	Theo Johnson	9	TE	NYG
4.09	Jamari Thrash	9	WR	CLE
4.10	Brenden Rice	9	WR	LAC
4.11	Will Shipley	9	RB	PHI
4.12	Keilan Robinson	9	RB	JAX
UDFA	Anthony Gould	X	WR	IND
UDFA	Tanner McLachlan	X	TE	CIN
UDFA	Cade Stover	X	TE	HOU
UDFA	Jordan Travis	X	QB	NYJ
UDFA	Spencer Rattler	X	QB	NO
UDFA	Audric Estime	X	RB	DEN
UDFA	Isaac Guerendo	X	RB	SF
UDFA	Tip Reiman	X	TE	ARI
UDFA	Erick All	X	TE	CIN
UDFA	AJ Barner	X	TE	SEA
UDFA	Ainias Smith	X	WR	PHI
UDFA	Bub Means	X	WR	NO
UDFA	Jaheim Bell	X	TE	NE
UDFA	Cornelius Johnson	X	WR	LAC
UDFA	Blake Watson	X	RB	DEN
UDFA	Michael Wiley	X	RB	WAS
UDFA	Dillon Johnson	X	RB	TEN
UDFA	Frank Gore Jr.	X	RB	BUF

​

Notes:

Marvin Harrison Jr.: Marv might be one of the safest draft selections in a long time. With prototypical size to be a top receiving option and landing in a promising situation, he's primed for success. He's entering a barren receiving room, and is paired with the talented Kyler Murray at QB. Harrison's precise routes maintain speed throughout the entirety of his route. His quick feet and sharp breaks allow him to easily separate from defenders. His excellent body control translates into stunning contested catches. However, he's not without flaws. Marv lacks twitch and offers very little yards after catch ability, both of which are traits I look for in receivers. He occasionally shows low effort, especially when he knows a play isn't coming to him. Lastly, he tends to avoid contact and will look to go out of bounds rather than fight for extra yards. This is not a hot take, but I would not hesitate to select him at 1.01 if my QB situation was secure.
Malik Nabers: Malik Nabers has exceptional athleticism and is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Nabers has a sturdy build and impressive contact balance – he's a threat to turn any reception into a house call. Like Marv, he's walking into a situation where he'll dominate targets without much competition. However, unlike Marv, he won't benefit from a star QB like Kyler Murray; instead, he'll rely on Daniel Jones or Tommy DeVito. While Nabers checks all of the analystical boxes, there are some notable concerns. He lacks refinement in his route running, evident in instances where he struggles to maintain footing, leading to incompletions and interceptions (FSU, Alabama, and Florida). Additionally, his decision-making raises red flags, highlighted by a 2023 arrest for illegally concealing a firearm while on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Rome Odunze: Rome Odunze is a big-bodied receiver that has prototypical size and speed. He has exceptional hands and elite body control that allow him to consistently pull in contested catches. Rome is already building a rapport with fellow rookie Caleb Williams, and they should have a strong connection for years to come. However, his year one fantasy impact may be limited by a rookie QB and a competitive receiver room.
Xavier Legette: Xavier Legette's analytical profile is the reddest of red flags. Legette has an 8th percentile breakout age, and only one year of high-end college production despite minimal competition for targets. That being said, I loved his tape and am willing to take the risk on him. Standing at 6'1" and 221 lbs, Legette looks like a man amongst boys on the field. Boasting both size and impressive 4.39 speed, he has all the physical tools to be a game-changer. While not overly twitchy, he has a knack for making plays in open space. With strong hands and great body control, he excels at making contested catches. I understand the concerns with his analytical profile and the Panthers' situation, but I think Legette is a great value in rookie drafts.
Trey Benson: Benson's explosive burst makes him a constant home run threat, capable of breaking off big runs. He has a sturdy frame with exceptional contact balance that allows him to churn out extra yards through contact. His immediate fantasy expectations should be tempered, as he will likely be in a timeshare or backing up James Conner for the 2024 season.
Roman Wilson: Roman Wilson is a dynamic slot receiver with explosive burst and reliable hands. Despite joining a run-heavy offense, he's poised to have an immediate path to targets.
Jermaine Burton: Jermaine Burton is a confident, assertive receiver, with polished route running and excellent hands—he didn't drop a single pass in 2023. While he lacks explosiveness after the catch and his character concerns have drawn attention, his talent and landing spot make him worth the gamble in rookie drafts.
Malachi Corley: Malachi Corley is a twitchy playmaker, with solid speed, and remarkable contact balance, which makes him one of the best yards-after-catch receivers in this draft class. Corley could improve as a route runner, tends to struggle in contested catch situations, faced weaker competition in college, and had targets schemed open for him. Despite these knocks against him he has considerable upside.
Adonai Mitchell: Adonai Mitchell is a size-speed receiver that still has some work to do to bring it all together. Notably, he struggles as a natural hands catcher, often double-clutching the ball. He offers no YAC ability and doesn't look comfortable with the ball in his hands.
Ben Sinnott: Ben Sinnott was my TE2 pre-combine—I absolutely loved everything on his tape. Watching his tape reminded me of a young George Kittle. His athleticism and twitchiness are top-tier, paired with aggression that shows up every play. Sinnott eagerly embraces blocking assignments and his coaches consistently find ways to get the ball in his hands. He secured second-round draft capital, landed on a team with an exciting rookie QB, and has minimal competition in the tight end room. Sinnott is setup for immediate success.
Ray Davis: Ray Davis has a thick build and low center of gravity which gives him exceptional contact balance. With fluid hips, solid burst, and consistently fighting for extra yardage, he projects to be the thunder to James Cook's lightning.
Javon Baker: Javon Baker is a former 4 star recruit that had offers from multiple major programs, before ultimately deciding to attend Alabama. After two seasons at Alabama he transferred to UCF, where he broke out. Baker is a crisp route runner, has great body control, and is twitchy with loose hips. He plays with attitude and tenacity and is a big play waiting to happen. When I watched his tape I instantly saw shades of Stefon Diggs—he is a player that I desperately want on my dynasty rosters.
Kimani Vidal: Kimani Vidal was a pre-draft sleeper I had my eye on—but I had concerns about his potential draft capital and landing spot making him irrelevant. Luckily, he was drafted by a team without a clear lead back, that projects to run the ball a lot. Vidal has great initial burst and twitchiness. His impressive college production and solid pass-catching skills makes him a great candidate for a late-round dart throw at running back.
Rasheen Ali: Rasheen Ali is a human highlight reel on the field—with incredible agility, explosive initial burst, and reliable hands, he's a versatile threat. Standing at 5'11" and weighing 206 lbs, he has the ideal size to shoulder a lead back role. However, his path to significant playing time is blocked by Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. Ali is an excellent addition to the end of a roster or taxi squad, with huge upside when opportunities arise due to injuries.
Keilan Robinson: Keilan Robinson is an exciting running back prospect, that had multiple offers from major programs before ultimately committing to Alabama, and later transferring to Texas. Despite being 5'8" and 191 lbs, he plays much larger than his size suggests. Robinson has explosive burst, speed on demand, and great lateral agility—he absolutely explodes on tape. I think he is an interesting late-round dart throw or a priority UDFA pickup.
Updated: 5/16/2024

Well, yesterday i sold an item, i sent the item which was a used kpop binder (not sure if everyone knows what it is but it's like an album to store photocards) and hours after i get a message saying that my account was temporarly blocked they were going to analize and in 24h give me an answer, in less than 24h they permanently blocked my account saying "we have reasons to believe that fraudulent activities are taking place on your account", they rejected my appeal without explaining what was going on, i send another message explaining the situation which they responded "after our review we have good reason to belibe that you published a false item" i know exacly what it was in my account i only use it to sell kpop albums, photocards, i don't even have branded stuff, i tried saying for them to explain to me with evidence what article was fake which they responded "I regret the entire situation, however, we were unable to review the matter through this conversation. and later on "We are unable to offer you any other alternative, as we are unable to review the block in this conversation" i can't accept this decision without proves, i offered to send every pic of what i had listed so they can tell me what was false and nothing, they can't be suspending people without concrete evidences, and i will continue to email them i don't care. Sorry just a little vent i'm just so mad and sad, if this already happened with anyone please feel free to send me tips on what to do since im close to giving up. sorry for the long text too

There are some kinds of wisdom only great suffering can bring. I remember my time in the Bardo with this in mind, for otherwise, the memory might drive me insane.
The night my heart stopped for nearly three minutes started off normally enough. I was working as a nurse in the psychiatric ward at a hospital in the state’s capital. Most of the patients there were harmless, mostly just suicide attempts or people suffering from drug psychosis or severe depression, but some were actively dangerous and certainly psychopathic in every sense of the word. The new admission was one of these- a three-hundred pound black man with a long history of smoking PCP, schizophrenia and violent, psychotic breaks from reality.
His eyes looked like flat pieces of slate as I walked in for my shift. They looked as blank and emotionless as the eyes of a doll. He sat at the table in the front room where the patients ate or played cards, alone under the bright fluorescent lights of the hospital. I walked to the station, where another psychiatric nurse named Ricardo was sitting behind the desk.
“What’s the deal with the new guy?” I asked him. Ricardo looked up, his dark Spanish face forming into a deep scowl. He ran his fingers through his jet-black hair nervously.
“He’s trouble, man,” he said in a crisp accent. “He got in a chase with the police and then punched some cops in the face. It took three guys to take him down, even after he got maced and tased. The judge sent him here on a temporary court order, since he claims he’s been getting chased by Nazis in UFOs, and that’s why he ran from the cops. He thought the cops in their uniforms were actually the SS, and the helicopters were alien spacecraft, or something. I don’t know, I didn’t listen to the whole story.”
“You have his file?” I asked. Ricardo leafed through a stack of folders with his thin fingers, snatching one out and handing it to me. I looked down, reading the information:
“Jeremiah Brown, black male, 37-years-old.
“History: Polysubstance abuse, schizophrenia, antisocial personality disorder.
“Psychiatrist’s note: This patient has scored a 36 out of 40 on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. While I am always hesitant to label a patient as an antisocial personality, a combination of factors has made it essential for this patient.
“Patient has an extensive criminal history as well as a lengthy history of involuntary psychiatric admissions. He has been diagnosed as having antisocial traits since he was a young teenager. Patient has a long history of violence and suicide attempts. He has a history of imprisonment for manslaughter, armed robbery, grand theft and aggravated assault. Upon discharge, he refuses to take any antipsychotic medication, citing the side effects as the reason. Long-term prognosis is poor…”
I had not been sleeping well the past few weeks. I rubbed my eyes as I read through the file, feeling exhausted. I tried putting on lucid dreaming or meditation music from YouTube to help me sleep, but whenever I closed my eyes, I saw horrible things: chalk-white female faces whose lips were cut into an insane rictus grin, flicking their heads violently from side to side and gnashing their fangs at the air. I had a feeling that many years of constantly watching horror movies and serial killer documentaries was catching up with me.
As I read through the file, a student nurse came around the corner wearing a white state university outfit and a name tag that said Kaitlyn. I looked up, seeing Ricardo wink at me from where he was sitting in his chair behind the main desk.
“She’s going to follow you,” he said. Inwardly, I groaned, but I managed to force a smile.
“Oh, great!” I said. She looked like she was probably no older than nineteen or twenty. She had a pretty body, but her face looked strange. All the angles were too sharp and her nose too large. I knew the patients here wouldn’t care, though. They would hit on anything. I sensed trouble. I looked down at my watch.
“Well, I’m Jay, and you already know Ricardo, I guess. It’s good timing, because we need to give medications every day at 9 PM. And we have a new patient, so we can introduce ourselves,” I said, giving her a faint smile.
“That’s exciting!” Kaitlyn whispered. I wanted to roll my eyes. It was definitely not exciting.
I motioned her to follow me as I made my way to the medication room, which was really just a large closet off of the main day room. I had to enter my code on a keypad, and then, once inside, enter it again along with the patient’s number and date of birth. The correct drawers for the medication in each specific dose would fly open, making it extremely hard for the wrong medications or doses to be given, unless it was done intentionally.
“OK, so for this patient, we need Haldol, Ativan and…” I began saying to Kaitlyn when the yelling started. It came out faintly, rising in volume and anger within seconds. I heard Ricardo’s Spanish voice, filled with panic. Something slammed hard against a wall, once, twice, three times, and then I heard the sound of glass breaking. I jumped, spinning around, but I couldn’t see much through the small, shatter-proof glass pane on the wooden door.
“Stay here,” I commanded, seeing Kaitlyn’s eyes widen, her freckled skin looking much paler than when we had first come in. “Don’t leave until I come back and say that it’s safe.” On the speakers strung throughout the hospital, I heard the first of the warnings echo out around us.
“Doctor Strong, Doctor Strong, please report to the seventh floor,” a robotic female voice said calmly, using the code for when a patient had to be subdued by force. I pushed the door open, slamming it shut behind me so that the lock would activate and protect Kaitlyn from whatever chaos was going on.
I heard Ricardo pleading with someone at the end of the hallway that ran past the main desk. He sounded strange, as if he were trying to talk through a mouthful of blood. Huddled behind the main computer, I saw one of the CNAs frantically whispering something in the phone. She must have been the one to call the Dr. Strong order.
“You don’t have to do this, man,” Ricardo gurgled faintly. I couldn’t see what was happening, as Jeremiah’s large body was blocking my view. I could see that the thick glass window at the end of the hallway was broken, however. My heart skipped a beat as I surmised what was likely happening.
I sprinted forward as quietly as I could, but the large man heard me. His massive body turned, his flat, dead eyes scanning me with absolute coldness and calm. I saw he had a bleeding Ricardo in his hands. Ricardo’s back and head were covered in deep cuts and shards of glass. He must have used Ricardo’s body as a battering ram to break the thick glass window. Jeremiah held Ricardo suspended halfway out the window, seven floors above the concrete walkways far below.
“Stay back, or this fucker will know what it feels like to fly,” Jeremiah said in a deep, gravelly voice. He shook Ricardo for emphasis, sending his head snapping back and forth with painful cracking sounds. Drops of blood flew from his nose and a deep gash across his cheek. Pieces of shattered glass littered the carpet, shining like countless tiny stars.
I put my hands up, taking a step back. Far behind me, I heard the front door for the psychiatric ward open. Voices echoed down the hall. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, I tried to buy some time.
“Let’s talk about this,” I said, taking a step forward slowly. “You don’t want a murder charge, do you? You’ll never see the sky again.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’m not afraid to die!” Jeremiah screamed, pushing Ricardo onto one of the shards of broken glass still attached to the windowsill. It bit deeply into the back of his neck, sending fresh streams of blood rushing out, dripping down to the pavement far below. I heard security guards and doctors running down the hallway behind me, their voices frantic and excited. Jeremiah saw them coming. With an animalistic panic in his eyes, he lifted Ricardo up. I cried out something, stepping forward, but it was already too late. In horror, I watched as he threw Ricardo out the window.
I watched Ricardo’s body soar in a graceful arc, his arms grabbing at empty air as a scream ripped its way out of his throat. Within a fraction of a second, he had disappeared from view, but his terrified shrieking floated up to us for what seemed like a very long time. His screams ended abruptly as a shattering of bones and a wet smacking sound exploded far below us.
Jeremiah turned to me, his large body moving much faster than seemed possible. In his hand, I saw a piece of broken glass, five or six inches long and as sharp as a dagger. I tried to turn and run, but he was fast and strong. He lunged forward, his arm coming up in a blur towards my neck.
The shard entered my skin with a cold, numbing pain. I felt it slice through the flesh easily, felt the blood bubbling up my throat as I tried to scream, choking. The taste of iron filled my mouth as I fell backwards. I was suffocating, I knew. I must be dying.
Something cold ran down my body, gripping my heart like freezing, skeletal hands. The world swam around me and turned black. And then I was rising into a tunnel. At first, it was dark, filled with flickering shadows, but a fiery red light appeared at the end. I followed it, no more than a screaming mass of consciousness rising up into infinity.
***
I rose up through the end of the tunnel and found myself in an empty hospital ward. It looked identical to the psychiatric ward I had just come from. It even had the same smashed, blood-streaked window at the end of the hallway. A massive puddle of blood about ten feet away marked the spot where I must have died. But the fluorescent lights overhead here were flickering, and many had gone totally dark. The shadows seemed to press in on all sides.
The doors to the patients’ rooms were all tightly shut. I felt watched, afraid to call out or make any noise. I started walking down the hallway back towards the day room where the front desk was. All the lights there were out. A thick curtain of shadows hung in the air.
“You can come out,” a male voice as smooth as glass called from the darkness. I jumped, my head flicking in random directions, but I saw nothing. The voice almost sounded like it had an English lilt to it, a slight Cockneyed accent. “I know you’re there.”
“Who’s there?” I called out, not stepping forward. “Show yourself.”
“As you wish…” the voice hissed. “But I think you’ll regret it.”
***
The darkness split apart as if a nuclear missile had exploded. I raised my hand to shield my face, but the light and heat kept pouring out all around me. It blinded me, causing a rainbow of colors and shapes to morph behind my closed eyelids. After a few seconds, it subsided. Blinking rapidly, I squinted in the direction the voice had come from.
A male figure stood there, bathed in a silhouette of light. His face looked as white and as smooth as marble. His eyes were pits of darkness that seemed to flicker and burn. Two black, rotted wings surrounded his body, all sharp angles and thin, curving bones. His body was clothed in silky, blood-red robes, and a hood covered his platinum blonde hair.
He looked somewhat similar to Leonardo DiCaprio, if he was possessed by some ancient god, and it immediately threw me off-guard. If I was dying, and this was a hallucination of my brain, why would I be hallucinating Mr. DiCaprio?
“Who are you?” I asked, taking a hesitant step back. “Where am I?”
“My name is Lucifer, the Bringer of Light and Wisdom, and you are in the Bardo,” he answered.
“Oh,” I said, my heart dropping. “Well, that’s not good. Are you here to torture me or drag to me to Hell or something? You are that Lucifer, right? The Accuser of God and the Father of All Lies?”
“So they say, but, like most things in your world, the words of the powerful and your rulers are the true lies. They call me the Accuser, but of what am I accused?” he spoke in a voice that rose like smoke. “Of bringing knowledge and wisdom to humanity by telling them to eat from the tree of knowledge, the tree that would cause them to rise above the animals?
“Indeed, at the beginning, I saw the creation. I was there at the alpha, standing by the side of God with all the angels as the universe came into being. The endless procession of light, the power of it, was something remarkable to behold. God is, indeed, the source of great power, but his consciousness is not what the believers say.
“After the creation of the universe, I saw his plan, how he ripped eternal souls from the source to imprison them. I saw how he took these divine sparks and forced them, screaming and wailing, into bodies made of meat to die over and over again. He said it was part of the plan, the great, divine plan, a plan of death and destruction, constant suffering and mindless agony. And the worst part was, he wanted to give humanity neither the knowledge of good and evil, nor the tree of life. I convinced them to eat the fruit so they could open their eyes to their nakedness, to their basic animal existence, so they could rise up out of it forever.
“Like Prometheus, I brought down the fire, and yet they call me the Accuser? God was insane long before he formed the universe. These holy men, they live and die in fanatical adoration to a divine being who is, in fact, totally indifferent to them.
“His consciousness twists and distorts, eating itself for all eternity. God feeds off the pain of others, for if his mind is burning, then all others should burn as well. When these holy men die, God will send their souls here to the Bardo, to suffer every evil they have ever done. The wisdom I brought those who called upon me freed them from this prison, and in exchange, the holy men burned them alive. I offered the wisdom that opens your eyes, but it has been forgotten and cursed.”
Lucifer’s body began to dissolve, drifting up into the air like ashes. All around me, a low, powerful current blew, a tornado that spiraled high up into the clouds. Like some sort of Cheshire Cat, his smooth voice continued to echo all around me, even as the form of Lucifer disappeared.
“And yet, you have not the wisdom. For that, like all the others who enter the Bardo, you must suffer, everything you’ve done. Every small hurt and agony inflicted on others comes back a thousand-fold in this place, but don’t be afraid.”
“How could I not be afraid?!” I screamed into the ward, but I found myself alone, the question hanging unanswered in the air.
***
The lights continued to flicker all down the hallway. Feeling strange and dissociated, I stumbled over to one of the windows. As I gazed out, I beheld a strange and alien world.
The sky was flat and gray. It stayed in constant motion, swirling and spiraling, like clouds of roiling smoke. There was no Sun or Moon, no stars, only the strange, shifting whorls of clouds. The streets were filled with burned-out husks of cars and mummified bodies hung from streetlamps. Other signs of carnage and bloodshed covered the apocalyptic streets. I saw what looked like shadows in the shape of people slinking through over the sidewalks, past rotting dogs and streaks of clotted blood. They had no features on their blank, dark bodies. They seemed to skitter and jerk forwards in eerie, twisting motions.
Horrified, I turned away, realizing I was no longer alone in the day room. In the day room, there were dozens of tables set up inside a rectangular perimeter that was walled in by cosmetic walls only four feet high. It was where the patients sat and played games or ate.
Under the flickering lights, I now saw each of the chairs filled with faceless mannequins. Many were dressed in Victorian suits and tophats. The women had frilly dresses of pink and blue that might have been fashionable in the 1800s.
As the lights strobed on and off overhead, I realized with an increasing sense of disquiet that the mannequins were moving each time it went dark. When I had first seen them, they were mostly posed to look like they were staring across the tables at each other, even though they had no eyes, just smooth, flesh-colored plastic. Now all of them were looking directly at me. Some were pointing or raising their hands in my direction. At the tips of their fingers, I saw the glittering of steel. The lights continued to flicker, and the mannequins rose from their chairs in the short periods of darkness, moving towards me in synchronized, strobing motions.
Frantically, I ran down the hallway back towards the broken window. In each of the rooms, I caught glimpses of something from a nightmare peeking out. I hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and when I had closed my eyes, I often saw ancient hags with chalk-white skin and yellowed, broken teeth whose jaws unhinged, their faces jerking in stuttering, dissonant ways that reminded me of the mannequins. Now, on both sides of me, I saw these same figures. They moved continuously out of the rooms, drawing closer with every breath.
I looked back, seeing the mannequins only a few steps behind me. I continued sprinting towards the broken window where the hallway ended in a wall. I didn’t know what would happen when I reached it. At that moment, there was no rational thought. I felt like a deer being chased down by a pack of wolves, feeling waves of blind panic and mortal terror rushing through my body.
But as I reached the end of the hallway, the end of my rope as it were, a blast of noise started, seeming to come from the walls of the building and the sky itself. It sounded like a siren, a low, drawn-out drone of a demonic whale call, rising and falling in crashing crescendos. The mannequins froze in place once again. The strange, witch-like creatures slunk back into the dark rooms.
I looked outside the broken window, seeing clouds of black smoke rising off in the distance. The flickering of massive infernos scorched the land, drawing nearer by the second. The siren sound faded slowly, like the dying echoes of a gong.
I was surrounded by dozens of mannequins. Their sharp hands were inches away from my face and neck. I saw metal glittering all around me and realized they had the sharp points of nails protruding from the ends of their fingers. I was afraid to move, but I heard a familiar voice from down the hallway. It was the confident voice of Lucifer.
“The siren means much worse nightmares than these are coming in the Bardo,” he said, his glossy, black eyes flashing with intelligence. He walked slowly towards me, his face grim and pale. “Hell itself is coming over the land. This building is no more than a construction of your dying mind, but the world outside is real.”
“How can Hell come and go?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t Hell a place?”
“Hell is a monster, a beast with many mouths and many eyes,” Lucifer responded. “It eats constantly, but its hunger never ends. Look, the first of the sacrifices scatter like cockroaches.” He pointed out the broken window, pushing his way through the mannequins effortlessly. I glanced outside, seeing thousands of people sprinting down the dark city streets. The inferno and thick clouds of smoke had moved much closer, and every few seconds, the ground shook slightly, as if we were experiencing the aftershocks of an earthquake.
“What can I do against such a beast?” I asked, my heart freezing with terror. But when I looked back over, I saw his form dissolving again, becoming translucent and drifting away like ashes. It seemed even Lucifer didn’t want to be present when the Hell-beast arrived.
“Seek divine wisdom,” he said, his voice trailing off into whispers. “Remember the source.”
***
Now crowds of tens of thousands of people were streaming into the city, filling every single inch of the streets. Their panic and fear was contagious. I felt it rising inside my body like a snake spiraling up my spine. I took off down the hallway, running through the swarm of frozen mannequins, each in their own ferocious position of attack. The lights flickered faster and went out. Yet the fires outside cast the entire world in a bloody glow, giving me enough light to see by and find my way. I sprinted down the stairwell, taking them two steps at a time. The screaming outside grew louder and more pain-filled. The shaking of the ground worsened with every passing second.
I burst out of the front entrance, seeing a world on fire all around me. Thousands of crushed, bleeding and burned bodies stretched out as far as the eye could see. Behind all this chaos and death, I saw a monster of unimaginable proportions slinking its way towards me.
Lucifer was right, I realized: Hell was not a place, but a creature, an enormous monster the size of a town. It had thousands of skittering, jointed legs that looked like little more than skeletal arms and hands, each of them dozens of feet long and white as freshly-cut marble. Its body stretched out to the horizon, an enormous blood-red cylinder of bony plates that slithered and undulated with a serpentine grace. Waves of peristalsis traveled down its length, like writhing intestines. Thousands of curving, bony spikes stabbed out of it, pointing in every direction. Like the quills of a porcupine, it would protect the massive creature’s body from many forms of attack, if anything was big enough to attack such an abomination.
Hell’s massive eyes flickered, balls of fire that spun and danced. They looked as bright as the Sun. Something like solar flares seemed to emanate from the orbs, flashes of blinding energy that floated over the apocalyptic wasteland. As its many legs smashed the ground, they left trails of fire that caused everything to explode into flames as if napalm dripped from its limbs.
But Hell’s most terrifying feature was its seven dark mouths. Its body looked a thousand feet wide, and the mouths at the front were evenly dispersed. At the front, blood-red teeth in the shape of enormous railroad spikes shone. Its lipless, skeletal face grinned as it moved forward, shaking the ground with every step. The mouths were on long, snake-like necks that could stretch out hundreds of feet. They moved forward in a blur, snapping up as many panicked souls as they could.
Countless souls in the rocky plains of the Bardo ran for their lives, away from this juggernaut. I saw men and women who looked like they came from every country and profession, some dressed in suits or spotless white lab coats, others wearing rags or orange prison jumpsuits. And yet, they all screamed in agony and fear here, their bodies pressed together in a crowd, and no one seemed to remember anything but their own mortal terror. Their voices came out faint and weak next to the roaring of Hell. It shook the ground all around us, as if an earthquake were tearing the land apart.
The first frantic runners of the surging crowd had nearly reached me. The nearest person, a young woman in her mid-twenties dressed in all white, was only ten feet behind me. She looked like she came from wealth, and even from here, I could see a ring with a massive diamond gleaming on her finger.
I took off blindly down the familiar streets of the city where I worked and lived, but these also seemed different. The church down the street from the hospital where I worked had a Satanic pentagram instead of a cross now, its exterior painted a bright, gleaming blood-red. When I had driven past it today on my way to work, I remember it read, “JESUS said, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
Now it read, “Nietzsche said, ‘Of all evil, I deem you capable. I have often laughed at the weaklings who thought themselves good simply because they had no claws.’” I wondered what that meant. Was that some sort of comment on me, on all of us here?
The woman I had seen running had caught up with me. She was fast, much faster than her slim body suggested. Her blue eyes were frantic and wild, filled with an animal panic.
“It’s right behind us!” she screamed, her face covered in a sheen of sweat. I was afraid to turn and look, but I could hear the chaos and bloodshed approaching, smell the flames and choking smoke. “Run! Get away!”
A new wave of energy surged through my body. I sprinted as fast I could down the strange mirror streets of the Bardo. I heard the agonized cries of countless souls behind us as the seven mouths of Hell ate them all greedily and then looked for more.
A skyscraper behind us collapsed into a pile of rubble, shaking the ground with a cacophony of falling concrete and shattering glass. The woman was running by my side. Just as I heard the breathing of something huge and predatory right behind us and smelled its sulfuric breath, a piece of concrete the size of a basketball broke off the collapsing skyscraper and flew into the road. I tripped over it, yelling as I flew through the air, skinning my arms and legs on the pavement. The woman’s eyes widened. Hurriedly, she came over and reached down her hand, trying to help me up.
“Come on, come on!” she cried. I looked behind her, seeing one of the gnashing mouths of Hell reaching forward on a blood-red, serpentine neck. The mouth was big enough to drive a tractor trailer into, filled with huge spikes of teeth. Its throat led into a black, smoke-filled abyss. Its fiery eyes were swirling pools of flickering orange light that shone with bloodlust and insanity. They focused on the woman, the entire head turning on its slithering neck.
I frantically raised my hand, intertwining my fingers with hers. Her hand was warm and soft. She started to pull me to my feet when the mouth of Hell snapped forward. Its jaw unhinged, scraping the pavement with a sound like grinding metal. The woman barely had time to turn as the mouth covered her and snapped shut with a crack.
She disappeared from view instantly, but I was still holding her hand. In horror, I felt warm rivers of blood explode all over my body as the mouth of Hell severed her arm at the wrist. She screamed, bleeding and crying, as she disappeared into the throat of Hell. Hell’s fiery eyes focused on me, and at that moment, I knew I was next. Its mouth opened wide again, like a bear trap ready to spring on a new victim.
It was dark in Hell’s mouth, but I smelled the thick reek of old blood and fire. I caught glimpses of tortured, mutilated bodies writhing and crawling down its throat. Shell-shocked, I could only lay there and watch. And that was when the strange doubling started.
***
I heard the frantic voices of men break through the fog of darkness and the fetid reek of blood. There was a mechanical beeping all around me, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
“Clear!” one cried. I looked around, only seeing blackness. At that moment, I felt a surge of electricity rip itself through my body. My arms and legs all seized and my eyes rolled up in my head as the pain sizzled through each one of my nerves. I clutched the young woman’s hand tightly, feeling the large, gold ring with the massive diamond biting into my skin.
“Again!” another voice yelled.
“Clear!” the original voice cried. The electricity came again, and a flash of white light flew across my vision. I blinked, seeing from two sets of eyes at the same time: one in the Bardo, and one on the blood-stained floor of the hospital ward.
The Bardo stayed dark and sinister, but the clear white lights of the real psychiatric ward were blinding. It was a bizarre experience. Moreover, everything hurt. Over a few seconds, my vision of the Bardo faded, and I was simply a gravely injured man laying on the floor in a puddle of blood.
Four doctors and paramedics were crouching over me with a defibrillator. My shirt was ripped off, and nearly all of my skin was covered in blood. I raised my left hand, trying to talk, but only a fiery pain raced through my neck. I felt bandages covering my skin. A nurse was rolling a stretcher down the hallway towards me.
“It’s OK,” one of the doctors said, kneeling down. “You’re being taken to emergency surgery. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t talk with the massive slice in my neck.
At that moment, I felt something in my right hand. I looked down, seeing a slim female hand with a massive diamond ring hanging there. Our fingers were wrapped around each other’s, but the hand had been cut off at the wrist. A ragged patch of bloody flesh and snapped bone poked out of the back.
“Nnnn,” I tried to say, shaking my head. I felt fresh streams of warm blood open up. “No…” The doctors looked down, seeing the dismembered hand. Their faces morphed into expressions of confusion and fear.
I closed my eyes as they lifted me up on the stretcher. One of them gently removed the cold hand from my fingers. But they could never remove the memory of what I had seen.
I know what happens after death, and it makes the worst life here seem like a dream. I know that, one day, I’ll be returned to that place. I know that, one day, I’ll see that great monster called Hell and the featureless, swirling sky of the Bardo again.
And the next time, I won’t wake up on a hospital floor, but will be trapped there with the others for eternity: an eternity of blood and fire.

I was wondering if it’s more cost effective to demolish the old home level the lot or would it be better to fix the house the way it is The wiring is all wrong and outdated The house is made of concrete block and stucco but has chips and cracks around the house No insulation so it does get hot in summer and real cold during winter What would be a better decision?

Hello all,
I have been spending a considerable amount of time googling, using chatGPT and asking others around me how to make this work, and so far nothing I am doing works.
I have a form in my powerapp. It is going to be for a routine shift round some workers will be doing. It is going to be ran on a windows tablet. The feedback I have gotten is that the dropdown is too many steps to do, and the radio buttons are too small. Everyone would prefer a "Yes", "No" button they can press instead that is bigger. We have some older guys with poor vision, and also not so computer savvy people who need it as basic as possible.
Here is what my setup looks like.
The Question is: "Are the Entry/Exit Doors Closed, Not Blocked, and Functional?" The Answers are "Yes" or "No".
The Data Source is a Sharepoint list we will call "RoundsList"
The Form is "ECR1_Form"
The card for this question is "ECR1 - Entry/Exit Doors Closed, Not Blocked, and Functional?_DataCard5" The Radio Buttons I have used is :"DataCardValue281" The Defaults property for this card is "ThisItem.'ECR1 - Entry/Exit Doors Closed, Not Blocked, and Functional?' The Update property is "DataCardValue281.Selected DataField is "field_5"
I have a "Yes" button that on the OnSelect property is "Set(ecr1q1,"Yes") I have a "No" button that on the OnSelect property is "Set(ecr1q1,"No")
The Font Color of my buttons change depending on yes and no, but thats irrelevant.
I wold ideally like to do away with the drop down, or radio buttons, but idk how to make these buttons update the value that the question needs.
Also I am not sure what to call each of these components. What is the, what I am referring to as "Question" What is the, what I'm calling "Answer" called?
I have tried every possible thing google has said to do, ChatGPT, Bing Co-piolet, Google Bard, and all my colleagues.
Reddit Please Help. If anymore information is needed, I can provide.
Much Thanks.
Editing to add more details.
I have several pages with forms that upon hitting submit on another page all of the other forms are then patched to the master form.
On this master form page I have a "Testing", " Production", and "Draft" button that updates a column called status. I was able to get this to work by using this in the defaults property for the dropdown. - "LookUp(Choices([@'E&I Shift Rounds'].Status),Value=statusupdate)" But manipulating this for my varable "ecr1q1" doesn't work. Idk whats up.

I've lived in Florida for about 5 years now; 3 years in a house. Over the last 3 years, the wife and I have made every effort to hurricane proof the house. The house has hurricane roof ties; the house is mad out of concrete block, we've added a generator with transfer switch, steel hurricane shutters, we keep water on hand, food, batteries, lights, we seal up doors with flex tape if we think its coming, etc... There's 4 adults (wife and I, and her parents) and 8 animals (4 dogs, 4 cats). Evacuating would be difficult... Where do you go? Go south and the hurricane can move south. Go north and it could go north. We're in a suburb of Clearwater so 11 miles from the gulf coast, 2.5 miles from the intercostal.
I want to build a hurricane shelter. The current plan is:
Structure will be roughly (interior dimensions) 4ft x 8ft x 7ft tall.
Poured concrete pad - 4 inches thick, rebar and wire mesh. Concrete block walls (8x8x16 hollow), rebar and concrete filled. Bonding course (rebar on top of the block) every 3 courses. Walls that touches the house, bolted into the concrete block of the house. Roof - I'm going to 2x4 stud the inside of the structure. 2x6 ceiling on top of the walls inside the concrete block, half inch plywood on top and then the actual roof 4 inches of concrete (rebar and wire mesh again) and the concrete roof will sit on top of the plywood / 2x6s and concrete block walls. Studs and joists 12 inches on center. Steel door and need to figure out some kind of ventilation system.
It would be a last minute decision. If we know the hurricane is coming right for us, go in and blast some music for 3-4 hours until it passes.
I'm ok if this is over engineered. I don't want to under engineer it, nor do I want to build a concrete coffin. In my research - you want to keep wind from coming in and blowing the structure up and you want to reduce anything wind can get a hold of and rip it off. So everything will be flat 90 degree corners. Roof ends at the wall, door flush with the wall, etc... no over hangs of any kind.
I've looked at steel pre-manufactured kits for tornados and they're super expensive. I figure I can get this done < 3k
Ideas? Suggestions?

We Need A Pinned Post Lottery Offseason Thread
Detroit Pistons 2024-25 Depth Chart
PG - C. Cunningham, M. Monte, M. Sasser
SG - G. Trent Jr, J. Ivey, D. Knecht
SF - A. Thompson, C. Levert, H. Ingram
PF - S. Fonteccio, I. Stewart, C. Osman
C - I. Hartenstein, J. Duren, M. Muscala
Notable Issues from last season
Three Point Shooting (Spacing) / Interior Defense Specifically (Shot Blocking) / Turnovers / Generating Steals
Notable Positives
Rebounding / Rim Pressure (Slashing) / Mid-Range Scoring
Out
James Wiseman - Had maybe one good stretch where he was affective over five games, but struggled the majority of the season. Decent shot blocker and had a good enough motor, but still lacks a ton of court feel and often doesnt know where to be. He has a team option on his rookie contract and the team should not be looking at bringing him back under any circumstances.
Troy Brown - Doesn't do much to impact the game on either end and was pretty much invisible during his stint in the rotation. His contact ends this season and they should look to upgrade.
Malachi Flynn - Didn't show the ability to get his teammates open consistently and was particularity bad as a lead guard in the Pick & Roll. Despite the 50 point game, he struggled at pretty much every other moment while he was in the rotation. If they do think about bringing him back, it should be on the minimum for one year and they should still look at getting a true back up point guard to help ease the turnover issue the team has.
Evan Fournier - Has a team option contact worth 19 million that should be declined. Not particularly special or consistent in any one area, but had his occasional moments as a shooter. If he is brought back it should be on a drastically reduced contract, otherwise they should allow him to walk.
Chimezie Metu - Had his moments, but I question what his actual position is. Not big enough to play C and not consistent enough of a shooter or quick enough laterally on defense to play on the wings. Wouldn't be mad if they brought him back, but I feel like they should attempt to find his replacement.
Taj Gibson - Past his prime, didn't really play a ton. I don't have much else to say about him.
Quentin Grimes - One of our only decent trade assets outside of our young core and he could get us at least a decent vet role player if combined with some future 2nd rounders. Wouldn't be mad at all if he's on the roster next season, despite the fact that he struggled during his short stint with us. Could fit very well next to Cade, Ausar, and Ivey and provide versatility to our bench.
Jared Rhoden - Two-way guy didn't play alot, but wasn't affective when he was on the floor.
Buddy Boehim - Two-way guy, who I struggle to see ever making the jump to the league. Little athletism and a target on defense.
Tosan Evbuomwan - Two-way guy with good effort and motor, but he's not particularly affective at the moment. Wouldn't be mad at them giving him one more year on a two way contract.
Monty Williams - Consistently went away from lineups and plays that were affective in favor of playing his guys (Killian, Livers, Flynn). Didn't get handed the greatest hand obviously, but would frequently disrupt any flow our guys had in favor of 5 man substitutions, that would see 15 point leads gone in the span of a few minutes, and our good lineup faced with a near 10+ point deficit once subbed back in. Also didn't adjust his game plan nearly enough.
Troy Weaver - NO WORDS NEED TO BE SPOKEN.
In
Potential Coaches
Chris Quinn
Jarron Collins
Kenny Atkinson
James Borrego
Terry Stotts
Trade Pistons Get: Caris Levert/ Pick 30
Cavs Get: Quentin Grimes/ Chimezie Metu/53rd Pick/
Celtics Get: 2027 2nd Round Pick/2030 2nd Round Pick
Free Agents (That I Would Sign)
Isaiah Hartenstein - Really good defender who knows when to negate the roller and when to step up to cut off the ball handler, which is great for a young team who has its lapses in the pick & roll. Would provide a great starting option while Duren continues to develop off of the bench. Also a pretty good finisher and connective playmaker for his size. Could front load his contact and provide a significant pay raise to lure him to the team. I like him just a little more than Nic Claxton (who I believe will be resigned by the nets) because of his strength, but would be fine with either. Also would be willing to pay him more than stated seeing as New York can't offer anywhere near as much money as we can.
Gary Trent Jr - Prolific Floor Spacer. Not the greatest defender or playmaker, but shouldn't be as big of an issue next to Cade and Ausar. We will have to overpay for him though, seeing as Toronto has the money to keep him.
Or
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - AN ACTUAL THREE & D guard next to Cade which is what this team desperately needs until Ivey is ready to play that role consistently if he ever is. Not a lockdown defender, but has a very good defensive iq and knows where to be in order to be a good team defender next to Ausar. Would obviously be a good floor spacer. Could also front load his contract to attract him to the team seeing as he's in the same situation with Denver as Hartenstein is with New York.
Monte Morris - Should not have been traded in the first place. Good playmaking option of the bench who also had one of the better AST/TO ratios in the league. Would help to cut down on TO's for a team that often lost games soley because of them.
Simeone Fonteccio (Resign) - Played very well next to the young core and was very affective from the moment he got to the team. Was practically a way better defending / slightly worse finishing Bojan. Cade played his best basketball next to him.
Mike Muscala - Good floor spacing big.
Cedi Osman - Decent wing depth vet
Other Options Nic Claxton (C) Malik Beasley (SG) De'Anthony Melton (SG) Malik Monk (SG) Royce O'Neale (SF) Bruce Brown (SG) Gary Trent (SG) Markelle Fultz (PG) Isaac Okoro (SG) Derrick Jones Jr (SF) Caleb Martin (SF) Jonas Valanciunas (C) Taurean Prince (PF) Kyle Andersen (PF) Cam Payne (PG) Jordan McLaughlin (PG) Isaiah Joe (SG) Cedi Osman (SF) Lonnie Walker (SG) Patty Mills (PG) Jalen Smith (PF) Daniel Theis (C) Thomas Bryant (C) Lamar Stevens (SF) Delon Wright (PG) Matt Ryan (SF)
Draft
Pick 5 - Dalton Knecht (Good Floor Spacer, who can also finish at the rim. Won't be asked to create a ton for himself. Not worried about his defense when played next to Ausar.) We could also trade back in the draft to get him while picking up an extra asset.
or
Matas Buzelis (Could be very affective if his high school shooting numbers translate to the league and he's able to get stronger. Biggest ? In the draft, but worth the risk.)
Pick 30 - Harrison Ingram (Good-not-great defender who may struggle to defend speedier guards, but has very good hands and can help to generate more steals while also being a good team defender. He can also space the floor consistently and could add more wing depth and length at the SF position.
Let me know what you think.

Good Morning Patriots
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2024 Opponents Set.

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Meet New England’s 2024 Rookie Class.

Patriots updated depth chart

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New England Patriots News Catchup Links - Dissecting Drake Maye: Premature evaluations

• Transactions: Patriots sign four rookie free agents; Release RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
• Evan Lazar tackles this week’s Patriots Mailbag: What is OC Alex Van Pelt’s plan as the ‘lead guy’ in Drake Maye’s development?
• Highlights: Patriots draft picks get fitted for their helmets. (1.30 min. video)
• Highlights: Patriots rookies receive advice from veteran players. (1 min. video)
• Chris Mason writes about how Drake Maye’s family forged an unflinching confidence in the Patriots’ QB.
• Chris Mason shares 10 more Drake Maye anecdotes.
• Mike Kadlick recaps everything Drake Maye did and said at rookie minicamp. Belichick rarely, if ever, opened up rookie minicamp, so this was the first time in a long time the media was allowed to observe the newbies practice
• Karen Guregian finds that ‘Operation Fix Drake Maye’ was on full display last weekend. Here’s a first look at Drake Maye showcasing his skills, along with the Patriots approach to cleaning up any mechanical issues he may have.
• Michael Brauner relays Drew Bledsoe on how Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will be huge for the development of Drake Maye.
• Mike D’Abate reports Drake Maye has been logging some late hours to “learn as much as he can” at minicamp.
• Ben Volin says Drake Maye is the future, but the Patriots may have a perfect mentor for him in Jacoby Brissett.
• Darren Hartwell passes along a report that the Patriots-Eagles joint practice will have one difference from Belichick’s tradition: “Word is that Mayo prefers just a single practice, in part to limit fighting that can sometimes become prevalent on a second day.”
• Christopher Price’s Patriots mailbag: What is going on at left tackle and defensive end?
• Alex Barth talks about the four undrafted free agents signed by the Patriots this weekend.
• Alex Barth spotlights OLB Jay Person who signed with the Pats after his rookie minicamp tryout.
• Sara Marshall thumbnails four Patriots already on the chopping block before OTAs. 1. JuJu Smith-Schuster.
• Michael Brauner notes the Patriots revealed a new alternate logo and it caused a social media frenzy.
• Nick O’Malley relays Stephon Gilmore on why he hasn’t signed with a team yet. “I’m still focused on playing, but it has to be the right opportunity. I feel like it’s the age thing with some of these teams. If I was 28, I would already have been signed by now.”
• Sara Marshall points out how the Patriots-Tee Higgins rumors are growing louder after the huge extension of Antoine Winfield Jr.
• Matt Sidney recaps the Pats’ top 5 game-changing moves during the offseason. 1. Cutting ties with Bill Belichick.
• A Clare Perspective podcast: Clare welcomes Alex Barth to discuss their ‘way too early’ takes on what’s been going on in New England… and more. (33 min.)
• Locked On Patriots podcast: Mike & Murph dive into the Mailbag to discuss Drake Maye, rookie OLs Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson and the official hiring of Eliot Wolf as executive VP of player personnel in (37 min.)

Reddit recently made the Post Gudiance mod tool available for all subreddits https://support.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/17625458521748-Automations-Post-Guidance-Set-Up. While the user is writing a post and before they hit submit, if the post contains specific words in the title or body, mods can automatically block the post, show a message on the post draft page for the user to see before posting, or flag it for review in the mod queue.
This should be accessible in the Reddit API. While I get the sentiment that Reddit doesn't seem to care about mods or their API given the controversy last year, this is till worth discussing and to look at, after-all Reddit still makes new tools for Mods despite everything that happened. Mods should be able to add view and edit post guidance rules for their subreddits via the API, and 3rd party apps should be able to see them and show post guidance messages to users.

Middle Mississippi. Inherited some pretty land, has electricity and water, no pad, would need septic. Would want a bit of space in the back, tiny house style, for weekends with spouse, dogs, hobbies, hiking. I am wanting the more expensive concrete block instead of a barndominium (even though super attractive) to provide safety in the event of tornadoes. Am I off track? And if not, what about roofing considerations?
I would really appreciate all questions, considerations, advice, scoffing, etc. Thanks so much!