I’m 15 and a half, female, freshman at a private school with 230 kids in total. My mom is VERY overprotective and strict. She yells at me if I get an A- or B and oversees my piano practice sometimes even when I didn’t ask for her help, and while this has its perks like I get a lot of help and I am pushed to do my best a lot she also did not let me have my first real playdate with school friends until I was in, like, 6th grade. In Decembers, I decided to ask her when I can start dating to which she responded “When you don’t have to ask permission anymore.” First of all, she means when I’m 18, and that’s WAY TOO LONG, I’VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD FOR YEARS TO HAVE A BOYFRIEND! Second, technically I COULD HAVE JUST KISSED SOMEONE, I DIDN’T HAVE TO TELL HER! Anyway, I wrote a three-page essay in MLA format and cited my four sources in a works sited page and showed her a month ago. She said she’d think about it. Cut to today, I asked her, SHE TOTALLY FORGOT! And then when she made her decision she said no dating this year or next year, and also when I asked “but junior year?” she responded that I’d be too busy, and like, BRO! I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY! IF I HAVE TIME FOR FRIENDS, DON’T I HAVE TIME FOR A BOYFRIEND!? Her point was that it wouldn’t matter anyway because college would come around and we’d have to leave, but still… and now I’m gonna go cry. Thank you.

I’m 26 and a cybersecurity major about to be a second year student next Fall from New York with a passion for rap, R&B, lofi, and metal music. My hobbies include gaming, playing guitar and piano, handball, studying cybersecurity, working out, watching anime, and photography. I have a full left arm tattoo sleeve with symbols of perseverance, nature, and resilience. My friends are mainly peers from school, my sense of humor is beyond dark. Hockey is my favorite sport, I am a big New York Ranger fan, my favorite foods include eggs, steak, pizza, and hamburgers. I don't drink alcohol but I do use cannabis, mainly edibles for recreational use and managing my Crohn’s. I’m into a bit of designer wear and jewelry, but not designer shoes. I am resilient, open-minded, and straightforward in conversations. I live my life going with the flow and am always open to new friendships, don’t be afraid to DM! 😊

1991 (Aug. 13, 1991-Dec. 31, 1991):

1. F-ZERO (Launch Title)
   
2. Gradius III (Launch Title)
   
3. Pilotwings (Launch Title)
   
4. SimCity (Launch Title)
   
5. Super Mario World (Launch Title)
   
6. Drakkhen
   
7. Final Fight
   
8. HAL's Hole in One Golf
   
9. HyperZone
   
10. Populous
    
11. Super Bases Loaded
    
12. Super R-Type
    
13. The Chessmaster
    
14. U.N. Squadron
    
15. Ultraman
    
16. Final Fantasy II
    
17. ActRaiser
    
18. Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball
    
19. Darius Twin
    
20. John Madden Football
    
21. Paperboy 2
    
22. Radical Psycho Machine Racing
    
23. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
    
24. Super Tennis
    
25. True Golf Classics: Waialae Country Club
    
26. Super Castlevania IV
    
27. D-Force
    
28. Home Alone
    
29. Lagoon
    
30. Super Baseball Simulator 1.000
    
31. Super Off Road
    
32. The Miracle Piano Teaching System
    

1992 (Jan. 1, 1992-Dec. 31, 1992):

1. Earth Defense Force
   
2. Joe & Mac
   
3. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
   
4. Nolan Ryan's Baseball
   
5. Super Scope 6
   
6. Super Smash TV
   
7. The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
   
8. Extra Innings
   
9. Lemmings
   
10. PGA Tour Golf
    
11. Pit-Fighter
    
12. Smart Ball
    
13. The Addams Family
    
14. WWF Super WrestleMania
    
15. Contra III: The Alien Wars
    
16. Raiden Trad
    
17. Rival Turf!
    
18. Super Adventure Island
    
19. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
    
20. Top Gear
    
21. True Golf Classics: Pebble Beach Golf Links
    
22. World League Soccer
    
23. Xardion
    
24. Arcana
    
25. Jack Nicklaus Golf
    
26. Mario Paint
    
27. Romance of the Three Kingdoms II
    
28. Super Soccer
    
29. The Rocketeer
    
30. Garry Kitchen's Super Battletank: War in the Gulf
    
31. Krusty's Super Fun House
    
32. Space Football: One on One
    
33. Super Soccer Champ
    
34. Thunder Spirits
    
35. Clue
    
36. Spanky's Quest
    
37. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior
    
38. Ka-blooey
    
39. Magic Sword
    
40. Rampart
    
41. Soul Blazer
    
42. Strike Gunner S.T.G.
    
43. Super Play Action Football
    
44. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time
    
45. Axelay
    
46. DinoCity
    
47. F1 ROC: Race of Champions
    
48. Faceball 2000
    
49. George Foreman's KO Boxing
    
50. Monopoly
    
51. RoboCop 3
    
52. Roger Clemens' MVP Baseball
    
53. Super Bowling
    
54. Super Mario Kart
    
55. The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare
    
56. Wheel of Fortune: Featuring Vanna White
    
57. Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
    
58. Battle Clash
    
59. BlaZeon: The Bio-Cyborg Challenge
    
60. David Crane's Amazing Tennis
    
61. Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
    
62. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
    
63. Hook
    
64. James Bond Jr.
    
65. King of the Monsters
    
66. NCAA Basketball
    
67. Phalanx
    
68. Q*bert 3
    
69. Race Drivin'
    
70. Sküljagger: Revolt of the Westicans
    
71. Space Megaforce
    
72. Super Batter Up
    
73. Super Buster Bros.
    
74. Super Double Dragon
    
75. The Irem Skins Game
    
76. TKO Super Championship Boxing
    
77. Wings 2: Aces High
    
78. Bazooka Blitzkrieg
    
79. Best of the Best: Championship Karate
    
80. Captain Novolin
    
81. Chuck Rock
    
82. Cyber Spin
    
83. Firepower 2000
    
84. GunForce
    
85. Imperium
    
86. John Madden Football '93
    
87. On the Ball
    
88. Out of This World
    
89. Prince of Persia
    
90. Road Riot 4WD
    
91. Road Runner's Death Valley Rally
    
92. Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge
    
93. Super Star Wars
    
94. Wing Commander
    
95. Wordtris
    
96. X-Zone
    
97. Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs
    
98. Cal Ripken Jr. Baseball
    
99. Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool
    
100. Gemfire
     
101. Goal!
     
102. Gods: The Bitmap Brothers
     
103. Jeopardy!
     
104. Jimmy Connors Pro Tennis Tour
     
105. Lethal Weapon
     
106. Musya
     
107. NBA All-Star Challenge
     
108. NHLPA Hockey '93
     
109. Pro Quarterback
     
110. Push-Over
     
111. Test Drive II: The Duel
     
112. The Magical Quest starring Mickey Mouse
     
113. WarpSpeed
     

1993 (Jan. 1, 1993-Dec. 31, 1993):

1. California Games II
   
2. Power Moves
   
3. The Hunt for Red October
   
4. Uncharted Waters
   
5. Aerobiz
   
6. Cool World
   
7. Dragon's Lair
   
8. Harley's Humongous Adventure
   
9. Hit the Ice
   
10. Shanghai II: Dragon's Eye
    
11. SimEarth: The Living Planet
    
12. Sonic Blast Man
    
13. Super Valis IV
    
14. The Addams Family: Pugsley's Scavenger Hunt
    
15. Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster Busts Loose!
    
16. Doomsday Warrior
    
17. Inindo: Way of the Ninja
    
18. King Arthur's World
    
19. Spindizzy Worlds
    
20. Star Fox
    
21. Super Conflict: The Mideast
    
22. Super Strike Eagle
    
23. Tecmo Super NBA Basketball
    
24. The Combatribes
    
25. American Gladiators
    
26. Batman Returns
    
27. Battle Grand Prix
    
28. Brawl Brothers
    
29. Cybernator
    
30. Fatal Fury
    
31. Outlander
    
32. Street Combat
    
33. Super Ninja Boy
    
34. The Lost Vikings
    
35. The Terminator
    
36. Tom and Jerry
    
37. Toys
    
38. Wayne's World
    
39. Alien³
    
40. Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind
    
41. Congo's Caper
    
42. MechWarrior
    
43. Shadowrun
    
44. Super Black Bass
    
45. Super Turrican
    
46. Taz-Mania
    
47. Vegas Stakes
    
48. Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?
    
49. Rock n' Roll Racing
    
50. Run Saber
    
51. B.O.B.
    
52. Battletoads in Battlemaniacs
    
53. Cacoma Knight in Bizyland
    
54. Dungeon Master
    
55. Family Dog
    
56. Kawasaki Caribbean Challenge
    
57. Mario is Missing!
    
58. Pocky & Rocky
    
59. Super High Impact
    
60. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends
    
61. The Blues Brothers
    
62. The Great Waldo Search
    
63. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
    
64. Wolfchild
    
65. WWF Royal Rumble
    
66. Yoshi's Cookie
    
67. E.V.O.: Search for Eden
    
68. First Samurai
    
69. Disney's Goof Troop
    
70. NFL Football
    
71. Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing
    
72. Super Baseball 2020
    
73. Super James Pond
    
74. Super Slam Dunk
    
75. Final Fight 2
    
76. Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting
    
77. Super Mario All-Stars
    
78. Super Slap Shot
    
79. Mortal Kombat: Competition Edition
    
80. Alien vs. Predator
    
81. Boxing Legends of the Ring
    
82. Bram Stoker's Dracula
    
83. Captain America and the Avengers
    
84. Cool Spot
    
85. GP-1
    
86. Mecarobot Golf
    
87. Operation Logic Bomb: The Ultimate Search & Destroy
    
88. P.T.O.
    
89. Plok
    
90. Redline F-1 Racer
    
91. Rocky Rodent
    
92. Super Bomberman
    
93. Super Off Road: the Baja
    
94. Super Widget
    
95. The 7th Saga
    
96. Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends: Adventure Series
    
97. Top Gear 2
    
98. Tuff E Nuff
    
99. Utopia: The Creation of a Nation
    
100. Wing Commander: The Secret Missions
     
101. World Heroes
     
102. Yoshi's Safari
     
103. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
     
104. Aero the Acro-Bat
     
105. Battletoads & Double Dragon: The Ultimate Team
     
106. Capcom's MVP Football
     
107. Cliffhanger
     
108. Daffy Duck: The Marvin Missions
     
109. Family Feud
     
110. Football Fury
     
111. Kendo Rage
     
112. Last Action Hero
     
113. Lock On
     
114. Madden NFL '94
     
115. NBA Showdown
     
116. NHL '94
     
117. Pac-Attack
     
118. Paladin's Quest
     
119. Secret of Mana
     
120. SimAnt
     
121. Sunset Riders
     
122. Super Caesars Palace
     
123. Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
     
124. The Incredible Crash Dummies
     
125. The Ren & Stimpy Show: Veediots!
     
126. The Super Aquatic Games Starring the Aquabats
     
127. The Wizard of Oz
     
128. Troddlers
     
129. True Golf Classics: Wicked 18
     
130. ActRaiser 2
     
131. Disney's Aladdin
     
132. BioMetal
     
133. Championship Pool
     
134. ClayFighter
     
135. International Tennis Tour
     
136. Jurassic Park
     
137. Lamborghini American Challenge
     
138. NHL Stanley Cup
     
139. Out to Lunch
     
140. Pink Goes to Hollywood
     
141. Ranma ½: Hard Battle
     
142. RoboCop Versus The Terminator
     
143. Steel Talons
     
144. Super Battleship
     
145. Super Putty
     
146. Tecmo Super Bowl
     
147. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
     
148. The Lawnmower Man
     
149. Time Slip
     
150. Tony Meola's Sidekicks Soccer
     
151. Total Carnage
     
152. We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story
     
153. ABC Monday Night Football
     
154. Art of Fighting
     
155. Barbie: Super Model
     
156. Battle Blaze
     
157. Battle Cars
     
158. Beethoven: The Ultimate Canine Caper
     
159. Dennis the Menace
     
160. Dig & Spike Volleyball
     
161. F1 Pole Position
     
162. Genghis Khan II: Clan of the Gray Wolf
     
163. Inspector Gadget
     
164. Jim Power: The Lost Dimension in 3-D
     
165. Lufia & the Fortress of Doom
     
166. Mario's Time Machine
     
167. Metal Combat: Falcon's Revenge
     
168. Metal Marines
     
169. Nobunaga's Ambition
     
170. Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny
     
171. Side Pocket
     
172. Soldiers of Fortune
     
173. Super Chase H.Q.
     
174. Super Nova
     
175. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters
     
176. The Adventures of Dr. Franken
     
177. World Soccer '94: Road to Glory
     

1994 (Jan. 1, 1994-Dec. 31, 1994):

1. Brett Hull Hockey
   
2. Choplifter III
   
3. Lester the Unlikely
   
4. Lethal Enforcers
   
5. Mega Man X
   
6. Riddick Bowe Boxing
   
7. Skyblazer
   
8. Super Battletank 2
   
9. Super Solitaire
   
10. Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension
    
11. Ardy Lightfoot
    
12. Bill Walsh College Football
    
13. Bugs Bunny: Rabbit Rampage
    
14. Flashback: The Quest for Identity
    
15. Mickey's Ultimate Challenge
    
16. Ninja Warriors
    
17. Pro Sport Hockey
    
18. Sports Illustrated: Championship Football & Baseball
    
19. Super Alfred Chicken
    
20. 1. Super Bases Loaded 2
21. Super Troll Islands
    
22. T2: The Arcade Game
    
23. Turn and Burn: No-Fly Zone
    
24. Winter Olympic Games: Lillehammer '94
    
25. X-Kaliber 2097
    
26. Chester Cheetah: Wild Wild Quest
    
27. Claymates
    
28. Equinox
    
29. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
    
30. MLBPA Baseball
    
31. NBA Jam
    
32. Star Trek: The Next Generation - Future's Past
    
33. The Flintstones: The Treasure of Sierra Madrock
    
34. The Peace Keepers
    
35. Wolfenstein 3D
    
36. Young Merlin
    
37. Super Metroid
    
38. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder
    
39. Bébé's Kids
    
40. Champions World Class Soccer
    
41. Dream T.V.
    
42. Fatal Fury 2
    
43. Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics
    
44. King of Dragons
    
45. Knights of the Round
    
46. Legend
    
47. Liberty or Death
    
48. Mega Man Soccer
    
49. Pinball Dreams
    
50. Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day
    
51. SOS
    
52. Super Goal! 2
    
53. Time Trax
    
54. Ultima: The False Prophet
    
55. Wheel of Fortune: Deluxe Edition
    
56. Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom
    
57. Andre Agassi Tennis
    
58. ClayFighter: Tournament Edition
    
59. ESPN Baseball Tonight
    
60. FIFA International Soccer
    
61. Jeopardy! Sports Edition
    
62. Relief Pitcher
    
63. Rex Ronan: Experimental Surgeon
    
64. Space Ace
    
65. Spectre
    
66. Suzuka 8 Hours
    
67. The Pirates of Dark Water
    
68. ESPN SpeedWorld
    
69. Barkley: Shut Up and Jam!
    
70. Capcom's Soccer Shootout
    
71. Championship Soccer '94
    
72. Final Fight Guy
    
73. HardBall III
    
74. Hyper V-Ball
    
75. Jeopardy! Deluxe Edition
    
76. King of the Monsters 2
    
77. Natsume Championship Wrestling
    
78. Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45
    
79. Saturday Night Slam Masters
    
80. Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
    
81. The Jetsons: Invasion of the Planet Pirates
    
82. The Ren & Stimpy Show: Fire Dogs
    
83. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang
    
84. Tommy Moe's Winter Extreme: Skiing & Snowboarding
    
85. Ultimate Fighter
    
86. World Cup USA '94
    
87. Disney's Beauty and the Beast
    
88. F1 ROC II: Race of Champions
    
89. Stunt Race FX
    
90. Super Godzilla
    
91. Breath of Fire
    
92. Aerobiz Supersonic
    
93. An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
    
94. Brain Lord
    
95. Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls
    
96. Eek! The Cat
    
97. Elite Soccer
    
98. Fighter's History
    
99. Fun 'n Games
    
100. Mr. Nutz
     
101. Tetris 2
     
102. The Adventures of Kid Kleets
     
103. The Death and Return of Superman
     
104. The Incredible Hulk
     
105. Disney's The Jungle Book
     
106. The Untouchables
     
107. Troy Aikman NFL Football
     
108. Kid Klown in Crazy Chase
     
109. Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage
     
110. Blackthorne
     
111. Illusion of Gaia
     
112. Mario's Early Years: Fun with Numbers
     
113. Michael Andretti's Indy Car Challenge
     
114. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
     
115. Mortal Kombat II
     
116. Obitus
     
117. Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
     
118. Super Bomberman 2
     
119. Tecmo Super Baseball
     
120. Virtual Bart
     
121. Vortex
     
122. WildSnake
     
123. World Heroes 2
     
124. Final Fantasy III
     
125. Adventures of Yogi Bear
     
126. Disney's Bonkers
     
127. Bubsy II
     
128. Earthworm Jim
     
129. Firestriker
     
130. HammerLock Wrestling
     
131. Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures
     
132. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Volume 1
     
133. Lord of Darkness
     
134. Mario's Early Years: Fun with Letters
     
135. Math Blaster: Episode 1
     
136. Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse
     
137. NBA Live '95
     
138. NCAA Football
     
139. Operation Thunderbolt
     
140. R-Type III: The Third Lightning
     
141. Radical Rex
     
142. Robotrek
     
143. Shaq-Fu
     
144. Shien's Revenge
     
145. Snow White in Happily Ever After
     
146. Sparkster
     
147. Super Adventure Island II
     
148. Super Punch-Out!!
     
149. Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
     
150. The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey & Minnie
     
151. Disney's The Lion King
     
152. Uncharted Waters: New Horizons
     
153. Donkey Kong Country
     
154. 3 Ninjas Kick Back
     
155. ACME Animation Factory
     
156. Aero Fighters
     
157. Aero the Acro-Bat 2
     
158. Al Unser Jr.'s Road to the Top
     
159. Animaniacs
     
160. Ballz 3D
     
161. Bassin's Black Bass with Hank Parker
     
162. Beavis and Butt-Head
     
163. Cannondale Cup
     
164. Demon's Crest
     
165. Dragon View
     
166. ESPN Sunday Night NFL
     
167. Ghoul Patrol
     
168. Home Improvement
     
169. Jammit
     
170. Jurassic Park Part 2: The Chaos Continues
     
171. Lemmings 2: The Tribes
     
172. Madden NFL '95
     
173. Mario's Early Years: Preschool Fun
     
174. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
     
175. Michael Jordan: Chaos in the Windy City
     
176. Newman/Haas Indy Car featuring Nigel Mansell
     
177. NHL '95
     
178. Nickelodeon GUTS
     
179. No Escape
     
180. Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
     
181. Pocky & Rocky 2
     
182. Samurai Shodown
     
183. Sonic Blast Man II
     
184. Speed Racer in My Most Dangerous Adventures
     
185. Stone Protectors
     
186. Street Hockey '95
     
187. Super Bonk
     
188. Super Pinball: Behind the Mask
     
189. The Pagemaster
     
190. The Ren & Stimpy Show: Time Warp
     
191. Tin Star
     
192. TNN Bass Tournament of Champions
     
193. Ultima: Runes of Virtue II
     
194. Ultima: The Black Gate
     
195. WCW SuperBrawl Wrestling
     
196. Wolverine: Adamantium Rage
     
197. WWF Raw
     
198. X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse
     
199. Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel
     
200. Biker Mice from Mars
     
201. Brutal: Paws of Fury
     
202. ESPN National Hockey Night
     
203. GP-1: Part II
     
204. Hurricanes
     
205. Metal Morph
     
206. Micro Machines
     
207. NFL Quarterback Club
     
208. Pieces
     
209. Power Instinct
     
210. Rise of the Robots
     
211. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator
     
212. Street Racer
     
213. Tetris & Dr. Mario
     
214. The Adventures of Batman & Robin
     
215. The Tick
     
216. Tiny Toon Adventures: Wacky Sports Challenge
     
217. Uniracers
     
218. Wario's Woods
     
219. Super Game Boy (if counts)
     

1995 (Jan. 1, 1995-Dec. 31, 1995):

1. A.S.P. Air Strike Patrol
   
2. BreakThru!
   
3. Brett Hull Hockey 95
   
4. Carrier Aces
   
5. ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay
   
6. Full Throttle: All-American Racing
   
7. Mega Man X2
   
8. Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra
   
9. Pac-In-Time
   
10. Rap Jam: Volume One
    
11. seaQuest DSV
    
12. Tecmo Super Bowl II: Special Edition
    
13. The Ignition Factor
    
14. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition
    
15. Addams Family Values
    
16. The Adventures of Mighty Max
    
17. Brandish
    
18. Kirby's Avalanche
    
19. Kirby's Dream Course
    
20. Looney Tunes B-Ball
    
21. NCAA Final Four Basketball
    
22. Pinball Fantasies
    
23. Rise of the Phoenix
    
24. Spider-Man: The Animated Series
    
25. Super Bases Loaded 3: License to Steal
    
26. The Flintstones : The Movie
    
27. Top Gear 3000
    
28. True Lies
    
29. Bust-A-Move
    
30. Sterling Sharpe: End 2 End
    
31. The Itchy & Scratchy Game
    
32. Warlock
    
33. Fatal Fury Special
    
34. Kyle Petty's No Fear Racing
    
35. Metal Warriors
    
36. Stargate
    
37. The Ren & Stimpy Show: Buckaroo$!
    
38. Timecop
    
39. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
    
40. EarthBound
    
41. Air Cavalry
    
42. Bass Masters Classic
    
43. Hagane: The Final Conflict
    
44. International Superstar Soccer
    
45. Judge Dredd
    
46. Jungle Strike
    
47. Justice League Task Force
    
48. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
    
49. Packy & Marlon
    
50. Phantom 2040
    
51. Super R.B.I. Baseball
    
52. The Sporting News: Baseball
    
53. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
    
54. King Arthur and the Knights of Justice
    
55. Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire
    
56. Tecmo Secret of the Stars
    
57. Wild Guns
    
58. Ninja Gaiden Trilogy
    
59. Chrono Trigger
    
60. Primal Rage
    
61. Batman Forever
    
62. Captain Commando
    
63. Demolition Man
    
64. Killer Instinct
    
65. Speedy Gonzales: Los Gatos Bandidos
    
66. SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
    
67. DOOM
    
68. Mega Man 7
    
69. Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus
    
70. Castlevania: Dracula X
    
71. Foreman For Real
    
72. Head-On Soccer
    
73. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition
    
74. NHL '96
    
75. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Crossroads of Time
    
76. WeaponLord
    
77. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
    
78. Mortal Kombat 3
    
79. Big Sky Trooper
    
80. MechWarrior 3050
    
81. NBA Live '96
    
82. Nosferatu
    
83. Porky Pig's Haunted Holiday
    
84. Secret of Evermore
    
85. Spawn: The Video Game
    
86. Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
    
87. The Mask
    
88. Madden NFL '96
    
89. AAAHH!! Real Monsters
    
90. Dirt Trax FX
    
91. Doom Troopers
    
92. Earthworm Jim 2
    
93. Emmitt Smith Football
    
94. FIFA Soccer '96
    
95. Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
    
96. International Superstar Soccer Deluxe
    
97. Izzy's Quest for the Olympic Rings
    
98. Jimmy Houston's Bass Tournament U.S.A.
    
99. NBA Give 'N Go
    
100. NFL Quarterback Club 96
     
101. Scooby-Doo Mystery
     
102. Sid Meier's Civilization
     
103. Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety
     
104. Super Turrican 2
     
105. Urban Strike
     
106. Wild C.A.T.s
     
107. WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game
     
108. Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure
     
109. Breath of Fire II
     
110. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
     
111. Kawasaki Superbike Challenge
     
112. P.T.O. II: Pacific Theater of Operations
     
113. Revolution X
     
114. Syndicate
     
115. Disney's Toy Story
     
116. War 2410
     
117. Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars
     
118. Zoop
     

1996-1998 (Jan. 1, 1996-Dec. 31, 1998):

1. Final Fight 3
   
2. Mega Man X3
   
3. PGA Tour '96
   
4. Prehistorik Man
   
5. Sink or Swim
   
6. College Slam
   
7. Cutthroat Island
   
8. Frantic Flea
   
9. Mark Davis' The Fishing Master
   
10. The Brainies
    
11. Power Piggs of the Dark Age
    
12. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
    
13. Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run
    
14. Olympic Summer Games: Atlanta 1996
    
15. Bass Masters Classic: Pro Edition
    
16. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
    
17. Magic Boy
    
18. Mohawk & Headphone Jack
    
19. Tetris Attack
    
20. Kirby Super Star
    
21. Ms. Pac-Man
    
22. PGA European Tour
    
23. Power Rangers Zeo: Battle Racers
    
24. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
    
25. Madden NFL '97
    
26. NHL '97
    
27. Oscar
    
28. Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame
    
29. War 3010: The Revolution
    
30. Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits
    
31. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
    
32. Marvel Super Heroes in War of the Gems
    
33. Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow
    
34. NBA Hang Time
    
35. Disney's Pinocchio
    
36. SimCity 2000
    
37. Street Fighter Alpha 2
    
38. Whizz
    
39. Casper
    
40. College Football USA '97
    
41. Incantation
    
42. Mr. Do!
    
43. NBA Live '97
    
44. Realm
    
45. FIFA Soccer '97
    
46. Lost Vikings 2
    
47. Harvest Moon
    
48. Brunswick World: Tournament of Champions
    
49. Midway Presents Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1
    
50. Kirby's Dream Land 3
    
51. Arkanoid: Doh It Again
    
52. Madden NFL '98
    
53. Space Invaders
    
54. Timon & Pumbaa's Jungle Games
    
55. NHL '98
    
56. NBA Live '98
    
57. Frogger
    

Plus, there are 716 Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games in North America.

This is all speculation and based on something I was told. I want to hear if yall think this is real or not
A few years ago I had a mentor who was a singer in the 90s. Her husband was a black man who played piano or drums for an up and coming musical group. He eventually landed a huge record deal and she told me that when he met the executives to sign the deal, he was offered cocaine and told to party with them first and they started stroking his arm. This was in the 90s. She told me he was disgusted, politely declined and walked out. Shortly after they moved abroad because they realized their passion of music wouldnt be able to followed in the USA. She told me Quincy J- had been forcing many of the rappers of the 90s (including Pac allegedly) to have sex with him (and other execs) and that the music industry was riddled with this. She also said that there is no way to become an A list celebrity (at least in music in the 90s) without allowing execs to sexually abuse you. She listed Mariah Carey and other stars from the 90s as people who had taken the deal.
Now when she told me this, I didnt really believe her but it always stayed with me in the back of the head. And now with all this new solid information coming out pointing to there really being sex trafficking circles of hollywood and other elites... I think she might have been telling me the truth. Do you think its true that to get to a certain level of fame or status as a celebrity, pop star, rapper whatever, you have to do sexual favors or other weird shit to get through the gate keepers at these labels?
I cant stop thinking that all B- and above stars are involved, whether passively and turning a blind eye or actively partaking. I used to be a pop girly but im utterly disgusted by all celebrity culture now. I cant help but feel like they know. Also how tf are they keeping 100s of people in check with NDAs? There must be something more than NDAs keeping people silent... What do yall think?

(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

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(continuation of part 3)
Since Fatal Calling is all about Cloud facing his past and his origins, Tifa’s musical theme is most appropriate for the ending cutscene. For all of these reasons, Tifa’s theme is absolutely appropriate for the conclusion of Fatal Calling. It makes a lot of sense then that once Cloud has finished revisiting the past and vanishes with the crystal to find his Promised Land, Tifa’s theme stops and Aerith’s theme begins.
There’s a lot to be said about Sephiroth in Fatal Calling. Sephiroth feeds off of despair, and deems Palamecia’s suffering inadequate: he seeks a much greater source of power than this realm. He states that Palamecia isn’t “the world that was promised to [him]”, referencing his desire to become the god of his core world of FFVII:

“Sephiroth: Melding with the planet, I will cease to exist as I am now only to be reborn as a ‘god’ to rule over every soul” (FFVII OG, disk 1, chapter 25).

Sephiroth’s line “Now, let us return [Cloud]. Back to the Promised Land” reveals he wants to return to their shared core world of FFVII, like we established in our review of the Remake timelines theory (see section “I. a) vii.”). Sephiroth wants to go back to FFVII and modify the OG timeline to achieve his evil goals. This is his ideal scenario, his place of complete happiness: his desired Promised Land. Fatal Calling is setting up Sephiroth’s plans for Remake. In fact, the after-credits scene wherein Sephiroth stands in Nibelheim as it burns confirms his return to the FFVII OG timeline.
However, he isn’t the only one returning. Now that Cloud has revisited his past in Fatal Calling, he’s ready to reach his Promised Land. After Sephiroth’s after-credits scene, the OG FFVII title and logo turn into the FFVII Remake title and logo, indicating a shift: we are now officially in the Remakeera or world. Cloud and Sephiroth disappeared at the end of Fatal Calling, and now the game is telling us where they’ve gone. Combined with Hamaguchi’s recommendation that players complete the collaboration event before playing Remake, I think this is a solid indication that the Cloud and Sephiroth we see in this collaboration event are those we encounter in the Remake world. Once the switch to Remake occurs, Aerith’s theme returns. This communicates that she is indeed —as we’ve proven countless times already— Cloud’s Promised Land. But it also conveys her importance to the story of Remake. Scenario writer Nojima confirmed this:

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

Aerith was already important to OG, so what could’ve motivated Nojima to state her importance to Remake? Could it be that she’s even more important in the latter than she was in the former? In what way?
That was the collaboration! Before we move on from MFF x FFVII Remake entirely though, let’s glean some more relevant information from some of the collaboration’s promotional material and special features.
III. e) iii. Promotional Material and Special Features
Two particular pieces of promotional material for this collaboration stick out to me as extremely relevant. The first is a promotion for a new summons batch in the Mobius FF game, created in honor of the collaboration.
MFF x FFVII Remake Summons Batch Cloud Promo
The summons batch contains three FFVII Remake-themed cards, including a Cloud card. As you can see, this promo reads “Who awaits in the Promised Land?” under Cloud’s picture.
The second is a promotion of an Aerith and summons and an Aerith Job Card (in MFF, Job Cards allow a character to embody an archetype or another character, giving them certain physical traits, clothing, weapons and abilities):
MFF x FFVII Remake Aerith Summons and Job Card Promo
I couldn’t find this picture in English, but the text relevant to us translates to:

“Midgar's Flower Vendor Summons
‘I'm searching for you. I want to meet… you.’
The witch protects the planet, imbues it with power, and leads to the Promised Land.”

A few things here. First, Aerith is referenced by name, and we see a picture of her in her famous praying pose. Secondly, both Cloud and Aerith’s images are attached to the notion of the Promised Land. Cloud’s card asks who awaits there, and Aerith’s evokes a guiding role, as though in response. Thirdly, both Cloud and Aerith are attached to the notion of searching: Cloud searches for the Promised Land and whomever awaits there, and Aerith searches for Cloud’s true self. Speaking of which, the promo also includes parts of Aerith’s famous gondola date quote from OG:

“Aeris: I'm searching for you.
Cloud: …?
Aeris: I want to meet you.
Cloud: But I'm right here.
Aeris: I know, I know... what I mean is... I want to meet... you” (disk 1 chapter 24).

In case you’re wondering about the lady in Aerith’s clothes on the left-hand side, that’s Meia, a character in MFF. She is the “witch” being referred to in the promotional material. She’s often called the Azure Witch. Meia is wearing Aerith’s clothes because a Meia-type Job Card called “Flower Girl of Midgar” was created in honor of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration:
MFF x FFVII Remake \"Flower Girl of Midgar\" Job Card
There’s even an Aerith outfit you can have Echo wear, and it appears with Wol’s Cloud outfit in the promotional picture:
MFF x FFVII Remake Echo's Aerith Outfit and Wol's Cloud Outfit
To be fair, Tifa also appears in one of these summons promos. However, unlike Aerith’s, her appearance doesn’t reference the Promised Land or her version of the gondola date. She is not presented in connection to Cloud at all. On top of that, while the Aerith and Cloud outfits are promoted together, Tifa is paired with Vincent in the promotional image:
MFF x FFVII Remake Summons Promo Tifa and Vincent
This is hardly indicative of Cloti content in the event collaboration or in Remake.
III. e) iv. Cloud’s Promised Land
All in all, the collaboration tells the story of Cloud searching for his Promised Land, just as post-OG Cloud has been shown doing for years and years of canon SE content. Cloud is searching for Aerith in the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration, just like he was in FFT and DFF, and just like he was shown doing in the 30th FF Anniversary Exposition. This is nothing new. However, the collaboration informs us that this mission to be reunited with Aerith is what leads Cloud to enter the world of Remake.
Echo noted that people obtain the Promised Land they deserve rather than the one they want. What does Cloud deserve? I believe the answer is: another chance at saving Aerith.
Cloud needs to start over, from the top. He needs to go back to the very moment he and Avalanche arrived at mako reactor 1 to bomb it. He needs to return to the beginning of the OG game. He needs a redo, a fix-it, another shot at happiness; a remake.

IV. The Hidden Plot Point: Mission Theory

a) Thesis
Here lies the heart of my theory. My dear Cleriths, Sephiroth isn’t the only one who travelled back in time to undo destiny and create a reality where things go his way: Remake is also —I would even say primarily— Cloud’s chance to free Aerith from her fate, save her life and secure his shot at happiness with her. That’s why he experiences MOTFs in Remake: he’s done FFVII before and now he’s back, although with only fragments of his memories from OG, to save Aerith. That’s why his triggers all involve Aerith: he doesn’t consciously remember anything from OG, but his grief over Aerith is so strong that it rises from his subconsciousness at the slightest trigger.
In Remake, Cloud remembers some but not all elements of the OG timeline (MOTFs), and it appears he only remembers the most important things: all his MOTFs revolve around Aerith and her fate. Our theory explains why Aerith triggers Cloud’s MOTFs in Remake quite perfectly: he traveled back in time to prevent Aerith’s death from happening. Remake Cloud remembers Aerith because, well, he knows her from OG. Post-OG Cloud has returned to the past to save Aerith, resulting in Remake. This is why seeing her in Remake triggers visions and memories of things that haven’t happened yet in Remake, but have already happened to post-OG Cloud. He recognizes her face on Loveless in Remake because seeing her face again is the whole reason he entered Remake in the first place. His visions of her death when they meet once more at the church, the spike of anxiety and grief as he watches her walk away from him, the constriction in his chest when she talks about doing everything in her power to help the planet… all of it, it’s all his memories of OG being jogged by things related to her death. What he’s forgotten from the OG timeline emerges in flashes of pain, images, memory and emotion. Remember that the language the devs used to describe these instances where Cloud reacts to Aerith in this way is always about “remembering” or “recognizing”; Cloud has to have seen Aerith, known Aerith, loved Aerith, lost Aerith and felt the pain of living without Aerith before in order to recognize and remember these feelings. Think about it: this is the only thing that can explain Cloud’s extremely selective MOTFs and the fact that he has MOTFs at all.
The Remake trilogy is all about Cloud and Sephiroth stepping into the ring one more time, both ready to risk it all to get what they lost in the OG timeline. Sephiroth is hungry for destruction and godhood, while Cloud stands determined to save the love of his life. Fighting for their respective goals, the fated enemies enter a new battle in Remake, one to end the war, both needing to win this time after losing so horribly in OG. Now, it’s all or nothing. Sephiroth vying for the planet, and Cloud reaching out for Aerith.
Cloud’s back with a quest, one he can’t fail— it’s the most secret and important plot point of all. I call this the “Mission Theory”.
IV. b) Mission Theory Logistics
There are a few things that remain vague, so I’m going to use this section of the analysis to speculate on the logistics of my theory. We know very little about the hows of the timeline and multiverse shenanigans, so I’m going to hypothesize. However, this analysis is about the whys: so if you’re not interested in mechanical speculation on the logistics of time travel and multiverses, you can totally disregard this section and skip to section “V.”.
IV. b) i. Cloud the Time-Traveler?
It’s unclear whether Remake is the result of post-OG Cloud going back in time to try his hand at the OG timeline again, or the result of post-OG Cloud somehow informing OG Cloud that he must save Aerith this time around. It’s vague in the same way that we aren’t sure if Remake Aerith is post-OG Aerith or if she’s been informed by post-OG Aerith via her connection to the Lifestream as a Cetra. Though it doesn’t much matter how Cloud has memories of Aerith’s death in Remake, I personally think that Remake Cloud is a time-traveling post-OG Cloud. My explanation as to why might be a little confusing, so again, feel free to skip to section “V.”.
One must be able to communicate with the Lifestream in order to obtain knowledge of the future. This access can only be granted to the Cetra or to the souls of the deceased that compose the Lifestream itself. Since Cloud is not a Cetra, he cannot commune with the Lifestream while he is alive, meaning a deceased post-OG Cloud would not have been able to communicate his memories of the OG plot-line with a living OG Cloud. Therefore, the only way Remake Cloud could have knowledge of the future (manifested as MOTFs) would be that Remake Cloud is inhabited by his post-OG consciousness. Effectively, this is time-traveling.
Then comes the question of how Cloud was able to time-travel at all. I have what I consider a pretty solid hypothesis. The most interesting thing about the realm of Palamecia is that every FF character that’s ever appeared in the realm for a cameo died in their core world beforehand (spoilers for FFI, FFV, FFVI, FFX, FFXII, FFXIII, FFXV incoming). These characters include Tidus (FFX), Lightning (FFXIII), Garland (FFI), Sephiroth (FFVII), Gilgamesh (FFV), Vargas (FFVI), Gabranth (FFXII) and Ultros (FFXV). My interpretation of Palamecia serves at least partly as a directory for deceased souls that can’t simply fade. For instance, FFX’s Tidus actually came back to life to be with his love>! Yuna !! FFX!<. Of course, MFF x>! FFX !!FFX!< and FFX-2, just like MFF x FFVII Remake came out between FFVII OG and FFVII. And similarly to Fatal Calling, the ending cutscene of MFF x>! FFX !!Next thing you know, FFX-2 comes out and shows Tidus returning to Yuna and their core world in an optional cutscene.!< The MFF x>! FFX !! Tidus !Remake.
IV. b) ii. Post-OG Cloud’s Amnesia
If we consider that Remake Cloud is a time-travelling post-OG Cloud who’s returned to the start of the OG timeline, we encounter another logistical problem: why doesn’t Cloud remember everything or most things from the OG plot-line in Remake, like Sephiroth and Remake Aerith do? After all, aren’t the three of them in the same time-travelling boat? Why isn’t Cloud as lucid on the matter as the two others? Didn’t the post-OG Cloud in Fatal Calling face his past and origins? Shouldn’t that mean Cloud would remember all that stuff in Remake from the start?
In OG, the true Cloud’s memories are repressed by both his false persona and Jenova. The latter’s memetic abilities are able to block Cloud’s memories of the past from emerging and conflicting with his SOLDIER persona. For instance, in both OG and Remake, Cloud is unable to hear Aerith tell him Zack’s name in Evergreen Park: Jenova blocks it out. I think this is a similar situation: post-OG Cloud’s consciousness carries memories things that Jenova doesn’t want Cloud to know, so she pushes down on them. On top of that, after travelling through different worlds and back through the Lifestream for who knows how long, post-OG Cloud’s consciousness must be quite weak. We know how good Cloud is at repressing, so it makes total sense to me that post-OG Cloud’s consciousness would be trapped or suppressed somewhere deep in Remake Cloud’s subconsciousness. After all, it’s not like this whole time-travelling-consciousness thing is normal for a mind to experience. It’s no wonder Remake Cloud doesn’t consciously remember how things go in OG. However, post-OG Cloud’s love and grief for Aerith are so strong that memories related to her can occasionally pierce through to his Remake consciousness and Jenova’s barriers, resulting in his MOTFs. His pain and love for her are definitely permanent and strong enough:

“A young woman descended from the Ancients who will forever be engraved in [Cloud’s] heart” (Dirge of Cerberus, Japanese manual, Aerith’s character description).
“I believe for those who formerly traveled with her as comrades and for the viewers, each carries their own feelings and love for Aerith. In this story, Cloud also carries his own undying feelings for Aerith, even to this very day… Its relation with the church scene is… Yup. I’ll leave this part to your imagination. (laughs)” (Nomura interview on Advent Children “Designer’s Note” in *Famitsu PS2!*magazine, October 24th issue).

So you see, Remake Cloud’s mind is a little more complicated than OG Cloud’s mind. Everything is still the same in Remake as in OG, but with the added complication that his future self is hidden in his subconscious mind, probably trying to get out.
There is actually pretty good evidence of this. I’m sure you’re aware that whenever Jenova is trying to hide something from Cloud or altering his memory and/or perception, the screen glitches green with an audio cue (34:15-34:29, 1:15:30-1:15:41 and 1:17:14-1:17:29). Guess what? These Jenova audiovisual cues also occur during the MOTFs (ie: MOTF 3 2:58-3:07 and MOTF 4 0:29-0:42). Whenever post-OG Cloud’s consciousness encounters anything that reminds it of losing Aerith, the strength of its pain helps it push memories of Aerith to the surface so that RemakeCloud can consciously see them. Remake Cloud then experiences sensations and/or visions, all from his future self’s memories as they rise to the surface, propelled by grief. Jenova can’t allow Remake Cloud to fully recover his post-OG memory, so in order to shut down the process, its cells jump in to repress the MOTFs: this results in the classic Jenova audiovisual cues. The only time Jenova doesn’t bother to fight against a MOTF is the sixth, as it is quite weak: no visions occur, only a tight sensation in his chest.
IV. b) iii. Eclipse Contact and Cloud’s Memories of Reactor 1
There is one problem I have trouble decoding. In Eclipse Contact, Cloud tells Wol and Echo that the last thing he remembers is the run-up to his arrival at mako reactor 1 (FFVII OG, disk 1, chapter 1). Recall that usually, people summoned to Palamecia have no memories of their world of origin and lives before that point at all. So then why is it that upon being summoned to Palamecia, Cloud recalls the events that took place right before the start of the OG game? This strikes me as highly relevant since this is the exact point in time where post-OG Cloud’s consciousness needs to be transported to in order for Remake to begin, but I haven’t been able to figure out a solid hypothesis on what it could mean. My best guess is that this is the devs’ way of signalling to us that the events of the MFF x FFVII Remake collaboration occur before the very beginning of post-OG Cloud’s second try at the OG timeline (Remake).
Now that I’ve shown you how I’ve come to form my Mission Theory and we’ve done some pesky housekeeping, let’s connect some dots, shall we? It’s time to really get into it and see if any of my wild speculation tracks with content from the Remake trilogy so far.

V. Musical Evidence

What about the music of the game? Any hints there? Let’s try to see if we can find support for the Mission Theory in the music made for the Remake trilogy thus far!
As a preface to my musical evidence analysis, I want to insist on something: the story guys tell the soundtrack guys everything. In a high-quality production such as Remake, people who make music for audiovisual media are told everything in advance. They need to know the secrets of every little scene, because their job is to depict whatever is happening through music.
Therefore, if the Mission Theory is true, then there has to be musical evidence for it.
V. a) Preface: The Basics of the FFVII OST
There’s a lot of evidence in the music of the Remake trilogy that we have to address, but before we get into it, I do have to give you the basics of the FFVII soundscape! For the easiest experience, I suggest you keep a tab open for every link I provide for you until the music analysis is over, because we will be hopping from one musical theme to another and then back again.
V. a) i. The World Theme: Cloud’s Troubled Identity
The world theme of FFVII is a perfect example of how musicians working on an OST have to know the secrets of a story as they compose for it. On top of representing the FFVII world as a whole, it doubles as Cloud’s character theme… except that isn’t exactly right. You see, this piece does indeed contain Cloud’s true theme, but Sephiroth and Jenova’s musical motifs also contaminate it. This, of course, symbolizes how Cloud experiences identity sabotage because of these two antagonists. The result is that globally, the world theme does indeed represent Cloud’s character, but it isn’t exclusively Cloud’s in the same way that Cloud’s mind isn’t exclusively his. It’s brilliant storytelling through musical motifs, and evidently requires Uematsu to know in advance that Sephiroth manipulates Cloud’s identity in the story.
For future reference, let’s isolate Cloud’s true theme from Jenova and Sephiroth’s influence.
V. a) i. 1) Sephiroth: Dissonance and Semi-Tone Motif
I’m sure you know Sephiroth’s infamous theme: “One-Winged Angel”. The first motif we need to know is Sephiroth’s threatening, repetitive dissonance motif, which plays all throughout the piece (plays solo at 0:00 to 0:04). The second motif is what I call the semi-tone motif. “One-Winged Angel” has a ton of minor 2nd intervals, which is what we call the relationship between two notes that are only a semi-tone apart. You might recognize the minor 2nd interval in the foreboding Jaws theme. Just like in Jaws, the minor 2nd interval or semi-tone is commonly used to indicate an impending, life-threatening danger, a monster, predator, evil, or insanity; suits Sephiroth quite nicely!
V. a) i. 2) Jenova: Parasite Motif
The track “J-E-N-O-V-A” contains many competing melodies and has generated many variations of those melodies —almost like clones— that all represent aspects of the alien’s character. The main Jenova motif is simply a descending, two-octaves-long, arpeggiated mb6 chord (eight notes total). I’ve played it for you here. Sometimes, this motif is altered to form variations. For instance, in “Listen to the Cries of the Planet”, a variation of Jenova’s main motif is created by changing the order of the notes and reducing the number of notes to only six (0:00-0:03), however, it remains an arpeggiated mb6 chord. Regardless of the alteration, if you hear an arpeggiated mb6 chord, it means Jenova is creeping close by or that its influence is at work.
The variation of the mb6 arpeggiated chord that concerns us alters Jenova’s main theme so it ascends from the tonic to the b6 note and descends back to the tonic, then ending on the lower dominant for a total of eight notes. I’ve played it for you here. I call this variation the “parasite motif”, because it is often heard when Cloud is being controlled by Jenova. For instance, it plays when Cloud loses himself and becomes unusually violent in Rebirth’s chapter 13 (17:25-18:34), signalling to us that Jenova is in control. It is also the main motif of the track “Who… Am I?”, which evidently symbolizes Jenova’s fuelling of Cloud’s identity crisis— though here, the parasite motif is shortened to its six first notes.
V. a) i. 3) Cloud’s True Self
Now that we can recognize Sephiroth and Jenova’s motifs, let’s return to the world theme to isolate Cloud’s true self. Cloud’s true theme can be heard from 0:51 to 3:48. It consists of a section A (0:51-1:54), followed by a section B (1:54-2:41), and then returns to section A (2:41-3:48).
After Cloud’s true theme concludes however, it seems he experiences a psychic interference: doubt and confusion weave through the world theme (3:48-4:09), representing an instability in his identity. I call this interruption of Cloud’s true theme the “interference section”. It symbolizes a moment of psychic interference or weakness within Cloud that Sephiroth and Jenova take advantage of to take control of Cloud.
The end of the interference section introduces Jenova’s parasite motif. It slithers in (4:09), later joined by Sephiroth’s dissonance motif (4:16): Cloud’s mind and identity are being hijacked by the two antagonists in service of their evil plans.
They torment Cloud, dominating his mind until he manages to free himself: section A of Cloud’s true theme begins playing again (6:06), closing the loop of the theme.
Based on this musical storytelling, if you already knew the character motifs going into OG, you might’ve suspected something odd was going on with Cloud’s identity, and that Jenova and Sephiroth were involved. All this to say that whatever music is playing at any given time can give us hints as to what is going on. That’s the power and significance of a good soundtrack. Trust me when I say that with Uematsu and his team, we’re in excellent hands. And remember: the story guys tell the soundtrack guys everything.
V. a) ii. Aerith’s Theme
Another base we have to cover before checking out the Remake soundtrack is Aerith’s theme. I’m sure everyone here is familiar with it, but I insist that you refresh your memory. It consists of a section A (0:00-0:34), a section B (0:34-1:13) and a section C (1:13-2:00), concluding with a repeat of section A.
V. a) iii. Motifs and Timing in FFVII OSTs
I’m going to analyze pieces in great detail, which people who haven’t studied or paid attention to soundtracks may find strange. To prevent anyone from making the mistake of thinking that I’m reading too much into things, I want to emphasize that the music that plays during the Remaketrilogy’s cutscenes is carefully timed, composed and arranged to match the events in the cutscenes, as they are provided in advance to the musicians. Composers pay lots of attention to whatever is going on onscreen so they can include the corresponding musical motifs as accompaniment at the exact right moments, always striving to get the timing perfect. I’m not exaggerating the effort and minutia involved in soundtrack composition and arrangement. Here are just a few sound staff comments from the “Material 4: Soundtrack” section of the FFVII Remake Material Ultimania to prove it:

“[To] make sure players really feel the weight of the moment, we worked hard on getting the tempo and the entry timing of each instrument exactly right. In particular, that big ‘boom’ that sounds almost like a meteor crashing down was fine-tuned to match the timing of the logo's appearance. I remember this was a real sticking point for us, because if the boom's timing was even slightly off, the effect would be completely different. We […] had to sequence [each and every sound] to play at exactly the right moment” (Shotaro Shima on track “Midgar, City of Mako”, page 229).

&

“I was originally told to keep this piece to under two minutes, but it ended up being over six minutes long, in order to match the flow of the cutscene. I arranged the track while watching the latest CG visuals that had been rendered for the scene” (Naoyuki Honzawa on track “Smash ‘Em, Rip ‘Em”, page 309).

&

“This is the track that plays during the tour of Shinra’s different divisions. The movie shown in the Visual Entertainment Hall describes the history of the Ancients (0:25 onward in the soundtrack version), and I wanted to create a musical link to them as well, so I made use of the chord progression from ‘Aerith’s Theme’ [D(I)-Am(Vm)-D(I).] [This simple sequence of moving from major to minor and back again creates a really mysterious air. Then, during the section where the movie recounts the history of the construction of the Shinra Building (1:47 onward in the soundtrack version), I quoted a section of the Shinra theme” (Yasunori Nishiki on track “Stewards of the Planet”, page 313).

V. b) The Remake OST
Now that you’re ready, it’s time to verify the Mission Theory’s validity with Remake’s music.
V. b) i. MOTF 6 Music
We were able to explain Remake Cloud’s MOTFs with the Mission Theory, and it just so happens that the music that plays during the scene of MOTF 6 is unique to Remake. This gives us the perfect opportunity: we should analyze the piece that plays as it occurs to evaluate the legitimacy of our theory on the Remake trilogy, using all the motifs we uncovered in section “V. a)”.
First, a refresher on the scene and on our theory’s interpretation of it. The party is gathered in Aerith and Ifalna’s old room at Shinra HQ. Here is how the scene is described by the VA script notes:

“The Whispers once again close in [on Aerith], but Aerith refuses to stop speaking this time.
Aerith: Listen to me. […] Shinra isn’t the enemy. They were the ones who set things in motion, but our true foe is someone else.
At that moment, the spectacle of Meteor they saw in the Visual Entertainment Hall comes into Cloud and the others’ heads.
Aerith: Somehow, some way, I want to help— all of you… the planet…
For some reason, Cloud feels his chest constrict tightly” (FFVII Remake Material Ultimania Plus, VA script notes, “Aerith Speaks”).

Indeed, right after Aerith says she wants to help the planet any way she can, Cloud looks down at his chest with a frown and a quiet grunt (7:46-7:54). According to the Mission Theory, this tightness in Cloud’s chest can be explained as an emergence of post-OG Cloud’s grief, triggered by the slightest allusion to Aerith’s sacrifice.
The piece that plays during this scene is called “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra”. It is one of many variations of Aerith’s iconic theme arranged for Remake. However, Cloud’s theme is just as prominent in the piece— if not, more.
V. b) i. 1) The Fate Motif
Before we interpret “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra”, I need to introduce you to one more motif that crops up in the piece. There is a windy motif that appears (from 1:45 onwards) and it is unaccounted for, despite how it’s clearly meant to represent something. I’ve become certain that this wind noise symbolizes fate, and I’ll tell you why.
In the MOTF 6 scene, just after Nanaki explains how he gained knowledge of the Whispers via contact with Aerith (7:23), they emerge and begin swirling aggressively around Aerith (7:26). Her hair and dress blow and ripple in the resulting wind. From this very moment onward “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” (3:00), a string section (bowed instruments in the violin family) that deliberately emphasizes the airy sound of the bow crossing the strings enters, creating a windy effect that adds to the already present wind noise (that started at 1:45). As the Whispers progressively become even more aggressive onscreen, both the wind SFX of the cutscene and the wind noise in the piece get louder and louder. Because of the timing of its appearance and crescendo in the cutscene, I’m certain the wind noise is meant to represent the restrictive flow of fate; it only makes sense, given that destiny is a current —or a wind— that cannot be broken, and Aerith is like a helpless petal in fate’s carefully planned storm. Of course, it’s also quite significant that the Whispers make a windy noise as they fly. You can hear it every time they’re onscreen, like when they first appear to Cloud in chapter 2 of Remake (17:45-18:20), or when the White Whispers hold Cloud back from chasing after Aerith during Rebirth’s Sleeping Forest scene in chapter 14 (28:43-29:45). You can also hear the wind sounds in other Whisper-related tracks, such as “Whorl of Whispers” (clearly audible at 2:50-3:05), as well as “A Death Not Ordained by Fate” (clearly audible at 2:56-3:18). Therefore, I’ll call these wind noises the “fate motif”.
V. b) ii. 2) Interpreting “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra”
In part 1 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” (0:00-1:45), Aerith’s theme and Cloud’s true theme play simultaneously, their respective phrases fitting perfectly together, interweaving peacefully and softly. It sounds like the two of them are chatting, dancing bashfully yet contently and in perfect sync, glad to be exactly where they’re meant to be as their themes sing together in harmony (soft piano). Part 1 of this piece is about Cloud and Aerith becoming important to one another as they discover their soulmate bond.
Unfortunately that contentment doesn’t last. In part 2 (1:45-3:00), Cloud experiences a moment of psychic vulnerability (world theme’s interference section). Fate lurks (fate motif enters quietly). His instability forces our couple’s sweet dance to a halt, and Aerith’s theme must retreat as Cloud’s confusion takes center stage. Sephiroth torments and taunts him (semi-tone played by strings, 2:03-2:10), taking advantage of Cloud’s psychic interference to plunge him into darkness (world theme’s interference section ends, low cello enters, 2:18): Cloud temporarily becomes a darker version of himself as evil corrupts him (piano plays section A phrases 1 and 2 of Cloud’s true theme in minor, 2:18-2:53). Jenova finally reveals itself and promptly exits, releasing Cloud’s mind from its grasp (seven first notes of parasite motif played twice on piano 2:53-3:00). Cloud is free, but the damage has been done: his dance with Aerith has long been interrupted, and she is gone. Part 2 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” is about Cloud being manipulated in service of Sephiroth and Jenova’s evil plan, interrupting his interaction with Aerith.
Part 3 (3:00-3:33) kicks off the mechanisms of a tragic fate (strings section joins fate motif, 3:00). Both anxious that she’s disappeared from his side and terrified of the darkness he just discovered inside him (in part 2), Cloud fearfully calls out for Aerith (phrase 1 of Cloud’s true theme’s section A, timid and hesitant piano, 3:04-3:15). Before his psychic interference began (start of part 2), Cloud’s voice was accompanied by Aerith’s as they grew closer and closer (their character themes mingling in part 1)… but now, Aerith isn’t answering his call, and he cannot find her (Aerith’s theme doesn’t to join Cloud’s anymore).
Anxious, Cloud tries calling out for Aerith a second time (section A phrase 2 of Cloud’s true theme’s, 3:19-3:31), searching for her in the hopes that they can continue their dance, but even now, Aerith does not respond. She’s gone (Aerith’s theme remains absent). Destiny keeps Aerith away from Cloud (fate motif gently crescendos). Part 3 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” is about Cloud’s separation from Aerith, his search for her, and the fear and anxiousness he feels when he realizes he cannot find her.
And then, part 4 begins with a sweet, gentle voice, calling out from the blackened horizon: it’s Aerith (section B phrase 1 of Aerith’s theme, soft piano, 3:33-3:45). Cloud finally hears her respond to his pleas: he’s found her. Fate begins howling in protest, doubling its efforts to keep Cloud and Aerith apart (fate motif crescendos noticeably in reaction to Aerith’s theme, 3:45). You can just picture Cloud running toward Aerith, struggling against the current of destiny to try and close the distance between them. Aerith tries calling out for Cloud a second time, (section B phrase 2 of Aerith’s theme, 3:40-3:43), but the Whispers only swirl around her more ferociously, taking her away in the uncompromising current of fate (fate motif continues to crescendo). Aerith tries again (section B phrase 1 of Aerith’s theme, 3:47-3:49). It sounds like she’s saying “Cloud, I’m over here, come find me!”
Fate doesn’t take too kindly to her defying it. Cloud and Aerith are not supposed to be together; it can’t be, it won’t. She’s destined to die to save the planet, and he’s destined to remain hollow forevermore. I can picture Cloud breaking into a sprint at the sound of her voice, running countercurrent to the flow of destiny— but the winds are so loud, fate’s demands are so strong, and the Whispers are shrieking in defense of destiny now. Aerith’s voice emerges for the fourth time (first three notes of section B phrase 3 of Aerith’s theme, 3:54 to 3:56). Fate screams louder, louder (steep crescendo of fate motif, 3:59-4:02). In a desperate hail Mary, Aerith shouts out one more time, as though throwing her hand out toward Cloud’s extended fingers (section C phrase 1 of Aerith’s theme, louder and more insistent, cutting through the fate motif as it crescendos sharply, 4:00-4:06). Part 4 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” is about Cloud and Aerith desperately trying to defy fate in order to be together. And then, it all stops: fate has seemingly quieted Aerith (4:04-4:08)…
Part 5 (4:08-4:27) begins with Cloud jumping, launching himself off the ground with all his strength (Cloud’s true theme section A phrase 2, first 5 notes, melody starting on the note E5 and ascending) as Aerith plummets toward the ground in a fatal fall (Aerith’s theme section C phrase 1, melody starting on the note E6 and descending, the last note altered)— he successfully catches her in mid-air (both Cloud’s ascending melody and Aerith’s descending melody meet in the middle of the octave, first uniting on B5, and then ending on A5). I’ve recreated the melodies for you here so you can hear this reunion more clearly. If you consider that the airy strings in this piece represent fate, which I do, the fact that they follow Cloud and Aerith’s themes in part 5 signifies that they are now in control of their own destinies, and successfully making it their fate to reunite.
To be completely frank, I did not realize until right now writing this that Cloud unites with Aerith in part 5, even though his theme is right there. I’m so excited to share this part with you.
We hear Aerith once more, her voice quietly trailing off into the silence (phrase 4 of section C of Aerith’s theme) with no conclusion (phrase 5 normally follows phrase 4 to conclude Aerith’s theme, but is absent here). Part 5 of “Aerith’s Theme - The Cetra” suggests that Cloud will save Aerith and that the couple will change their fate, but also conveys an uncertain and open-ended quality.
(continued in part 5)

"Land Ho" single A-side, 1974
Listen to it here
A song so nice, they recorded it thrice. First as a single in 1974, then re-mixed it for inclusion in Crisis? What Crisis? (although it didn't appear on the album) and finally for Roger's solo career. {1}

Land Ho" was later rerecorded by Roger Hodgson for his 1987 solo album Hai Hai (with new lyrics).

Being the first commercial release of the "classic lineup" consisting of Roger, Rick, John Bob and Dougie, Land Ho barely resembles their later output, being more similiar stilistically to Indelibly Stamped with its somewhat straight forward composition. Of course John's sax during the outro is splendid as always, a sign of things to come. It's just that in terms of catchiness it's way, way inferior to the B-Side, Summer Romance. I guess Supertramp has a history of putting the better songs as the B-side.
Lyrically, it reminds me a bit of Times Have Changed, I think because both go for this "sailor feeling lost" theme. The Hai Hai version is a bit longer and feels more "80s" (especially those drum fills and the reverb on the piano, my god), but I think it's not as good as the original despite the awesome sax fills all throughout.
If you were to ask me which version of the song should be the the definitive one, I'd go with the remix made in 1975 found on Retrospectacle. It's easily the most "complete" version.
{1} Wikipedia
Index

I really want to go to William and Mary. It's an amazing school, and is much less expensive than comparable schools near me (I'm from the north east). I'm just afraid I won't get in, and wonder if applying ED would be my best bet.
I am 5th in my class of 82 students, have a 4.22 GPA (mostly As with 2 B+s and 1 B throughout my highschool career), and have taken 3 AP classes this year. Next year, I'll take three more AP classes. I have consistently taken honors alternatives to regular level classes throughout high school, and by the time I've graduated, I'll have taken 8 of them. I got a 1490 on the SAT (770 verbal, 720 math) and plan to submit that. Outside of school, I am captain of the math league, a member of DECA (in which I was a state finalist in hotel management), in the school musical, and in robotics/engineering club. I take piano and singing lessons. I'm a national merit finalist. Next year, I'll have joined NHS and NTHS. I volunteer at a food bank over the summer, and I work as a swim instructor.
So, the question is, am I likely to make it in? Is there anything I should do to increase my chances? Thanks for the help!

Very happy that everything has calmed down with Kitten and her school. She has to deal with a one-week suspension from the Morning Run but everything else is cool. Oh well, we did a very early 5K in the Park. I'm at my internship waiting for things to start.
I had really been looking forward to meeting up with Benjamin, Jadzia, and Julian yesterday. But, huh?... I had built up a lot of things in my mind that were not true. I thought Benjamin coming over was going to be some type of audition for the Eliza Doolittle part next year. No, I learned, I already have it if I want it. I had imagined that Julian was coming to see whether I could hit that G5 in I Could Have Danced All Night. Julian: "What??? We know you can't! You would just sing an octave lower and 90% of the Cast B Eliza's that you would be coaching won't be able to hit it either." And why was Jadzia there? I was all wrong on that as well. Actually, the entire company wanted to come to hang out but no one else was staying in town on their break.
Yes, they were coming to see me but since there might be some big decisions to make I had I wanted Heidi there. Well, in fact, why not the entire Big Six? Kitten had her lesson with Arturo yesterday so we all met up afterwards and ordered from the Asian takeout place near the Goldsteins.
Most of the time was spent reminiscing. There was so much to talk and laugh about! Muma especially loved sharing her memories. They also caught us up on what happened on their tours of Florida and the Gulf Coast. We filled them in on the wedding in Scotland, our summer jobs, modeling, my internship at the agency, and my professional performing arts school.
Q (to Benjamin): What's happening with the Company next year?
We have grown much tighter as a company and just about everyone has already committed to returning for the second year. We learned a lot about how to improve the scheduling. Basically September will be prep and getting out the training videos, October-November is Leg 1. All of December is off. Jan-Feb is Leg 2. March is off. April-May is Leg 3. June-August is off for some, summer stock for others. The money will also be a bit better.
Based on the word-of-mouth reputation we have created, we have enough inquiries to fill all our residencies for the year. Yes, there will be some college and community theater groups. But most of the interest is coming from public and private secondary schools.
Q (to Benjamin): Any changes to the model?
Absolutely not. It worked! It's an arts education program, we are teaching artists, and we promote school reform. We know we have changed the lives of students, teachers, and institutions. We want to keep doing that.
Q (to me): How do I feel about the role of Eliza Doolittle?
Well, it is a dream role and I am very much more of an Eliza than a Black Nellie. I'm reading Pygmalian now and lots of background information on Wikipedia on Lady.
Q (to me): What about you? What have you discovered about yourself since you left the tour?
I learned a lot about who I am and also a lot about who I am not. I love my new school. I like learning independently more than sitting in a class. My advisor says I'm an autodidact. I love working on projects and tying my work to research. BTW, please tell Miles that after the summer I will be sitting for the Microsoft Office Excel competency test. I'm taking several CLEP tests for college credit, too. My school is supporting me with all of this and I see that this is a type of college experience I will want as well.
Q (to me): Will gains outweigh risks?
Benjamin: We know that rejoining the company would be like you going to a traveling boarding school for your entire junior year of high school. The kids of circus performer families used to be called 'artistes.' That's basically what you would be. We want you but we can find another teaching artist to do this role. In good conscience we will only take you on if this is what you really and want
You would have to weigh the gains of participating in our project against the sacrifice you, your family, and Heidi would make.
Heidi: Wait a second! No, the word "sacrifice" didn't apply to me when Lita was with the company. In fact, we grew stronger by being apart. And certainly "sacrifice" won't apply if Lita jumps on the tour again. We always knew that this is the type of future ahead of us.
Jadzia: Wow.
Q (to me): What have you learned about yourself professionally?
I used to imagine myself joining a modern dance company. But that, I can see, is not going to happen. It is not where my talent lies. I had worked very hard to audition for Disney but was not selected. I actually thank the heavens for the reject. I can't envision myself becoming another Zendaya. I loved the modeling work I did but can't picture myself doing it for 20 or 30 years. My agent dropped me because I'm not aggressive enough in auditioning.
Julian: Ouch!
Me: This week I started interning at the modeling agency. But what I find fascinating, is not the modeling, but the human behaviors I see. In the agency I see examples of excellence and professionalism. I will be writing about this for my final academic project.
Q (to me): How does all this apply to the work you might do with the company next year?
Looking back I see I enjoyed the teaching part of my work more than anything else. I made so many friends! My birthday was last month and I'm amazed how many people I met during the tour reached out to me. I liked how every residency each week presented new challenges that we had to respond to. Benjamin, I loved how you saw the problems with each residency as learning opportunities and helped us have focus and goals. There may not be a lot of money in being an educator, but I think my place in life might be as a teaching artist. I guess that Heidi will just have to be the big breadwinner for us.
Benjamin: You do know you have very unique talents when you work with students and even adults?
Me: Thank you.
I was in the fish bowl with people staring at me for about as long as I could take it. Kitten spotted what was happening and brought out her guitar. She started playing and singing the Sinatra songs from In the Wee Small Hours. Julian knew the music and asked whether he could play along with the piano. We had a lot of fun. From Kitten playing the album incessantly around two houses for about 2 weeks, the Fam could sing along a bit.
It's a very melancholy album and maybe that sets the tone for the bittersweet decisions we have to make in the days ahead.
I cry my heart out, it's bound to break / Since nothing matters, let it break / I ask the sun and the moon, the stars that shine / What's to become of it, this love of mine.

Title is pretty self explanatory, so here we go!
Cave
I didn’t really get hooked on Showbiz tracks until somewhat recently, so when I re-listened, I was surprised at how incredible this song was! Absolutely love the driving verse, melodic chorus with the stunning high notes, and the piano interlude. It would be so cool if they bring it back live even if it’s in an alternate key, since it sounded excellent a half step down in 2009/2010!
Futurism
Damn does this song get me hyped up for literally anything. The eargasmic bassline and powerful high notes make this B-side truly remarkable, despite that being an appropriate description for about half of Muse’s songs. I can’t believe it didn’t make the cut on OOS because it elevates that masterpiece even more in my opinion.
Sing for Absolution
I wasn’t huge on Absolution for quite some time since the dystopian and dark vibe didn’t really grab me. A recent re-listen got me really digging this song though. The haunting feel that the piano provides and the desperation in Matt’s vocals make this one of their most noteworthy slower songs in my eyes. The ending is definitely a contender for some of Matt’s most sustained A4 phrases as well! He never seemed to fully go for it live which totally makes sense but is kind of a bummer at the same time.
Take a Bow
I’ve never heard a song use modulations like this one does, but it works so damn well! The gradual buildup keeps me on the edge of my seat and the synth arpeggios followed by that huge beat drop never fails to give me goosebumps. Side note: if you haven’t listened to Ian Cologne’s orchestral interpretation of this track then I highly recommend checking it out on YouTube!
Animals
Most of The 2nd Law has grown on me at this point, but I wanted to give a special shoutout to this track for being one of the most sublime in their entire discography. I love how calming the instrumentation is until the heavy bridge kicks in. Even if the lyrics evoke anger, I think it’s such a soothing song overall. I hope they experiment with odd time signatures more often in future songs too!
Defector
This Drones song doesn’t seem to get much love. I get that it follows the titans that are Reapers and The Handler, but I think it totally continues the momentum! The chorus is pretty fun and the instrumental section with the backing synths is beautiful. I’ve lately found that listening to this album from start to finish is one of my favourite journeys in their repertoire due to there being nothing that interrupts the concept and theme.
The Void
The lyrics are so damn repetitive and uninspired, but the instrumentation is gorgeous so it more than makes up for it. I think it concludes the ST theme so well with the futuristic/retro feel that about half the songs provide, and I especially admire how the melody comes full circle when the closing piano part mirrors the synth in the beginning. Those bass thuds at the end can blow up a subwoofer for sure.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and let me know what Muse songs have grown on you!

Hi everyone!
I'm a piano player and I've training my ears by different sources for 2 months. I see that now my ears are improving. But I have some questions about listening when you play your instrument.
I trained my ear by listening to 7 notes in major and minor.
In major I listen to all melodies by assigning them C D E F G A B C
the same goes for the minor C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
But I'm so confused because when I play pieces to remember quickly I always read the name of the melody correctly. For example: in piece their key in D minor I just say ( DF DF DFF G not CEb CEb CEb Eb F). So does reading like that have any drag?
I also feel confused When listening to notes in the minor key, should I listen to the note set of C or A? ( C D Eb F G Ab Bb C or A B C D E F G A ).
Thank guys for reading these incomprehensible words.

In Drake's last track where he goes into the A minor B sharp shit, I just noticed the notes that play on the piano are G#/Ab (G sharp/A flat, which is not A, but is within A minor, so sure, let's give it a pass even if no one would immediately relate the two) C (which can be called B sharp in some scenarios so that's ok) but then when he says you thought you left D flat? D major! It plays a Db (D flat), so he sounds even goofier if you catch that and this is all because some of the referenced notes just wouldn't fit in the key of the beat, which in that case I would just choose not to even bring in the piano for that section, it feels too hand holdy to begin with, like "hey this is all musical references guys!"
Who's the producer of that track cause that D flat note is a sneak diss hahahah

There's been quite a bit of discussion about cohesiveness and what songs fit or don't fit the album, ZB1, etc... so I kind of wanted to have a more light-hearted discussion on how people would order the track list if it were their choice (personally, I think that's where more of the incohesion stems from)...
I've just had a lot of fun in my head switching songs around and creating potential performance set lists so I've had several versions in mind, but this is the one I'm currently the most into (instead of dark to light, etc. I'm going hot to cool with this one haha):

1. Solar Power - I've seen quite a few people say it doesn't fit, but to me it actually ties in really well with the following songs and feels like either an opener (as it is) or a closing song. I think this song gives very sort of 'I'm feeling myself'/'I'll show you my power' vibe and it quite literally makes me think of hot (heh)... like, I imagine the stage literally set on fire (like a LED screen/floor mixed with maybe a bit of real fire with fire flowers and stuff) and the boys literally walking out/performing on the sun. I think the vocal parts also fit the coming songs. Also, maybe like getting up in the morning with lots of energy.
2. Dear Eclipse - The fact that it's Solar -> Eclipse tickled me a lot, but also, I think that both the songs give off a bit of that confident sexy vibe so it just makes sense to me. Like, imagine the red/orange/yellow from the burning stage suddenly going all cool, but with spots of fire (like the ring when there's an eclipse) and a bit of a Over Me prop choreo
3. Sweat - this and Dear Eclipse are the most r&b-focused songs so it just works both sonically and thinking performance wise... like, so far it's been - I'm confident, etc... and now I'll make you feel it (i.e. make you sweat)... but also, the video colour grading reminds me a bit of the hazy daylight while an eclipse is ending... and the song is a refreshing sexy haha
4. Feel the Pop - actually, I was having the most trouble placing this... it really is a bit of a whiplash after Solar Power and before Dear Eclipse (even tho I read that the song samples the piano from FTP) and something about it really didn't fit near Hello to me either... but I think it fit's here - after making you sweat, we'll give you something a bit more refreshing (soda pop heh). So the eclipse is now over and we're all talking about it and going a little crazy (like the parties ppl had with the more recent eclipse)
5. Sunday Ride - it's like, after you had a day of work, sweating, etc. you're not chilling in the car with your soda drink haha idk, it seemed to fit and it also gives a bit of a cool down before we get all emotional. Definitely sunset vibes, maybe some sort of sit down performance or just no choreo, vibing.
6. Hello - It did feel a bit odd to me to end a track list with 'Hello', but the lyrics themselves allude more to endings than beginnings, so I think it makes sense. Also, I don't really drive, but it feels like when you're on a drive/ride sometimes you get very sentimental thinking back on things, so I think it makes perfect sense after a song like Sunday Ride. Picturing this when it's already night and you're looking at the stars and the people you went on a ride with... so basically, a day with ZB1 where you wake up energized for a trip and you go to experience the eclipse with friends and ending your day with those friends under the night sky (maybe wishing on a star).

What do you guys think of this list and what would you switch around? I mostly ordered them on (my) feeling, as well as more linking the vibe of the song and maybe vocal... I did think maybe the order could be reversed, but I feel a little odd going from crying at Hello to hype mode with Solar Power in the end haha
ETA: just realized that the only change I really made is just move FTP to a different spot haha but it makes sense to me like this

I’m a drummer that’s been dabbling in piano. I’ve been jamming to a progression from a band I like and can’t stop playing it. A, G, D, E all major. Simple but I’m trying to understand some of the harmony and theory. How does the Gmaj chord fit into Amaj (specifically the G. I get that the B and D from the Gmaj chord fit into to Amaj)? Thank you.

I loved Rebirth, and while the side quests were vastly improved they were still pretty hit or miss. Which side quests did you like/hate?
I’ve decided to review all 36 quests for some ungodly reason.
Grasslands:

• Flowers from the Hill - C
  • Kinda cute storyline, but they missed an opportunity for some Aerith backstory - idk, what’s her favorite flower or something? Or a memory tied to flowers? Devious on hard mode.
• Lifeline in Peril - F
  • I don’t like Kyrie, I don’t really like to not like Kyrie. A collectathon and doesn’t have much to do with Barret. A unique boss, but not a very interesting one.
• A Rare Card Lost - A
  • I like the bartender’s dialogue and VA, you get a great reward, and there’s a nice scene with Tifa that gets referenced later in a meaningful way. Wish there was more to Thorin, though.
• Livestock’s Bane - D
  • You get some Red development, but it’s a tracking quest and I don’t like the setup or enemy at the end.
• Where the Wind Blows - A
  • A lot of setup required, but the Broden stuff is good and is referenced later. The boss fight is pretty good (the first time). Doesn’t have much to do with Red.
• Hustle and Grind - C
  • I don’t really like Beck’s Badasses, but the interview is silly and you get to see the motorbike dudes. An annoying fight and doesn’t have anything to do with Barret, though.

Junon:

• Stuck in a Rut - C
  • Kind of awkward setup but I like the wrinkly old tatted dude and you get a good view of the cost from the hut on the cliff. Following the map was OK.
• When Words Won’t Do - A+
  • Probably my favorite quest and it’s an escort mission! Top tier banter between Barret and Cloud and the bow wow wow song is so good.
• Calling All Frogs - B
  • I wish there were fewer enemies for the frog encounter because it drags on for too long. Quirky, weird, and Tifa and Cloud flirt. Also frogs are cool.
• The Hardest Sell - D
  • I still don’t like her. The decorations bump it up to a D, though. Red has nothing to do with this quest.
• Dreaming of Blue Skies - C
  • A nice scene with Tifa at the end, but it’s a tracking quest. Not particularly interesting, but overall OK.
• Tides of War and Worry - A
  • I liked this mini game. Revisiting it once much later on was fine and it doesn’t overstay its welcome (and it’s pretty easy).
• Beneath Still Waters - C
  • A unique boss, and we get to see our infantry bros again, but aside from them not turning us in there’s nothing interesting about this encounter. Not any Aerith development.

Corel:

• The Saga of the Seaside Inn - B
  • Unique premise, and Yuffie and Cloud continue talking about it as you have to come back to it later. I don’t like collecting the wood blocks - mindless busy work.
• Rendezvous in Costa del Sol - F
  • Look I really don’t want to do those mini games again. The Aerith date is kind of off-putting. Fair enough, it makes some sense but it’s still a bummer.
• Bodybuilders in a Bind - D
  • I had trouble finding the group of monsters on the hill. The food talk with Tifa is OK, but kind of boring. Missed opportunity to talk about Zangan which would have been much more interesting. The sit-up mini game was way too unforgiving.
• Of Robed Men and Ransoms - C
  • A unique mini dungeon with a unique vibe is cool. Makes sense that it’s a Red quest. I don’t like the team rocket duo at the end, they aren’t really interesting in any way.
• Missing: Mr. Birdie - F
  • Cute premise, but I did not like setting and then returning to the traps.
• Trouble in Paradise - C
  • Kyrie, but you get to threaten to kill her. Also a cool boss fight at the end of this quest. A Yuffie quest even though she really has nothing to do with it.
• Gold Cup or Bust - F
  • I really like the lore for this quest, and it’s only a bit of a stretch for it to be a Tifa quest. But man, you have to do a LOT of races for this one. Too many.
• Sand and Circuses - C
  • Cool to see Leslie again, will probably come back next game. Some of those fights were kind of annoying, and it forced me to use the materia menu a lot which is always a pain.
• Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop - F
  • He should have stopped. Luckily it wasn’t bugged for me.

Gongaga:

• The Pursuit of Perfection - A
  • I liked following the pictures. Nothing to complain about here.
• O Chicken, Where Art Thou - F
  • Annoying AF. Funny ending.
• Teach Me, Great Warrior - D
  • Despite the Zach connection I wasn’t really feeling it. The enemies died too quickly to be staggered, that was annoying.
• The Spice of Life - F
  • Too much work and not really any payoff. Not really any Aerith development either.
• Escape from Endless Writer’s Block - C
  • Kind of annoying to actually get the photos, but story-wise it was nice.
• Woodland Vigil - F
  • I did not like going back and forth to do the spotting, and we don’t really learn anything about Zach or Cissnei.

Cosmo Canyon:

• Bonds of Trust - F
  • Did not like this mini game. And you have to do it three times. The story is boring and predictable. Really wish the chocobos could just fly, gliding isn’t nearly as fun.
• Absence of a Sign - D
  • A cute moment between Aerith and Cloud, but I didn’t like fighting that same scorpion 3 times and taking the pictures was finicky.
• From Whence Life Flows - D
  • I didn’t like following this particular map, I didn’t like having to do them in a specific order and I feel like you don’t really learn much lore from this quest which is kind of annoying.
• Promises to Keep - D
  • Didn’t like running across the desert and the story is kind of nonsensical? I like how they handled the Gi overall in this game, though.
• Victim of Circumstance - F
  • Hated following the signal, hated fighting enemies that can swallow party members.

Nibel:

• Esoteric Secrets of the Elders - C
  • Picking up the plants is kind of fun, there’s a kooky guy in a chocobo onesie.
• My White-Haired Angel - C
  • A little too long, a little too annoying of an escort quest. Still nice and it’s kind of funny to keep the cat catching theme going. Funny to have the cats in the piano performance at the end.
• Lament of the Damned - D
  • Shinra manor was kind of a letdown, and even though you get to go on a quest with Vincent the actual encounters in the combat simulator were way too repetitive.

Phew. Well what does everyone else think?

Hi everyone!
I'm a 20-year-old Vietnamese girl currently residing in the Netherlands, where I'm pursuing a degree in biomedical sciences as a freshman college student. In addition to my academic pursuits, I find fulfillment in volunteering at my local pet shelter and working as a medical assistant on the side.
My interests are varied and include reading, journaling, and indulging in a diverse range of music genres, from pop/rock and R&B to K-pop and alternative. I also enjoy immersing myself in Asian dramas and anime, and I have a passion for playing musical instruments such as the piano and guitar. In my free time, I love going on leisurely walks, delving into crime stories, learning new languages (currently Mandarin and Korean), and exploring new destinations through travel.
I've had several pen pals in the past, but as time passed, most of them drifted away. Now, I'm eager to reconnect with new pen pals and hopefully establish long-term friendships. I'm particularly interested in exchanging snail mail or postcards with someone outside of the Netherlands, preferably within the 18-25 age range.
Before transitioning to physical mail, I'd like to start by exchanging emails to get to know each other better. I'm open-minded and accepting of all identities and backgrounds. I value meaningful conversations and would love to exchange long letters/emails and occasional cultural gifts with my pen pals. I'm open to exchange letters/emails in Dutch, English, French and Vietnamese!
If you're interested in becoming pen pals and building a long-lasting friendship, feel free to reach out!

Read this whole post before submitting! Posting your ideas here DOES NOT count as a submission.

Time flies, it's already time for rate selection again! Please be advised of the following:

1. The winner of the Payola poll a few weeks ago is Commercial Male Hip Hop! If any of your ideas fall under the umbrella of Main Rap Boys, then make sure to mention it on the submission form so your idea can be voted on.
2. We also have another meta rate approaching, so in total there will be six rates selected through the normal process.

How to Construct a Rate Idea

• Generally, your idea should consist of 40-60 songs that are bound together by common concepts. These can be shared audience (e.g. depressed British), sound (e.g. psychedelic rock), a specific time period (e.g. 1970s), general popularity (e.g. bubbling under mainstays), or anything else you can think of. The more overlap that your rate has between its songs in these aspects, the stronger the idea is. You can be as creative as you'd like with your combinations, but you need to be able to make the case as to why the songs belong together in a rate.
• The easiest way to find commonalities among songs is by putting 3 or 4 albums together in an idea. However, you can also construct rates with loose songs if you have a strong concept tying them together (this is called a "grab bag" rate.)
• You can also include a "bonus rate" in your idea which are generally leftover tracks that are related to the overarching concept but do not fit in the main rate for whatever reason (e.g. loose singles in between album eras.) Bonus rates are optional to complete at the time of rating and should not be included in an idea without strong justification for it.
• Be mindful of the length of your idea; do not include more songs for the sake of it. The average rate should be less than 3 hours long with the bonus rate included, and rates over 4 hours long are very unlikely to be picked unless they consist of very popular songs. To check how long your rate is, I recommend putting all of the songs in a playlist on your streaming service of choice.
• Albums released in 2024 (including unreleased albums) or MOST albums that have already been rated are ineligible for inclusion in your ideas. The albums from previous rates that ARE eligible are those from the first three years of rates (i.e. covered by the first three All Stars rates) that did NOT ever spawn a rate winning song. For clarity, HERE is a pastebin of all of the albums eligible for a rerate. HOWEVER, you cannot submit an idea with JUST rerated albums.
• Rate ideas can include songs that have been previously rated but should not focus on them, so as to not feel like an All Stars rate.

How to Submit Your Rate Idea

• All submissions will be handled through this Google form. Please do not direct message me your ideas.
• You are required to fill out the four following fields in order for your submission to be counted:
• Title: The name of your rate. It should summarize the overarching concept, but feel free to come up with something catchy and fun as well.
• Albums/songs included: A list of the albums or songs included in the rate. You can simply list the albums if applicable (e.g. Artist - Title vs. Artist - Title vs. Artist - Title), but if you are submitting a grab bag rate you must include a Pastebin/Pastee/etc link to the songs included.
• Description: Describe what ties the albums/songs together if you weren't able to fit it into the title, and list relevant information like number of songs and length of rate (e.g. 1 hour 56 minutes.) Keep this as brief as possible: if you go over ~100 words I will shorten it myself to the most relevant information.
• Host needed? If you would like to host the rate by yourself, select "No." If you are uninterested in hosting altogether, select "Yes." If you want a cohost, select "Cohost wanted." If you want a specific other person to host your rate, they should submit the idea themselves.
• You are limited to two ideas submitted per cycle. However, please do not submit low effort ideas just for the sake of filling up both of your spots.
• If you submit an identical idea as somebody else, I will arbitrarily decide which description is better and include that one in the voting, but I will encourage you to cohost the rate together if it is selected. If there is ANY difference between two ideas, they will be put up for voting separately.

How We Pick the Rates

• In the next stage, you'll see that we are measuring two metrics of popularity: "approval" and "favorites." Approval will be based on a simple thumbs up/thumbs down/neutral vote for each rate. Favorites will be based on polling each person's five favorite ideas per cycle.
• Generally, the six most popular rate ideas across both metrics will be picked. However, we will also consider how the selected rates play off of each other, in an effort to ensure a maximum level of diversity in genre and audience.
• Rate ideas from active rate participants who are enthusiastic about hosting are more likely to be picked. Likewise, rate ideas from negative presences in the community are less likely to be picked.

Please use the comment section below for the following purposes:

• Posting your ideas for feedback and/or promotion
• Asking for advice on what artists/albums/songs to include in your earthshattering rate idea
• Discussing what sorts of rates you'd like to see picked in general
• Finding someone who would like to cohost your rate with you

Also, be sure to check out the following rates which are currently accepting submissions:

• Main Pop Girls Gone Bad [Due May 17, Reveal May 24-26]
• 90s R&B Princesses [Due May 24, Reveal May 31-June 2]
• Rate Olympics [Due May 31, Reveal June 8-9]
• 2023 K-Pop [Due June 15, Reveal June 21-23]
• 20th Century Piano Men [Due June 22, Reveal June 28-30]

These submissions will close on Wednesday, May 22nd at 4PM Eastern time. HERE is the link to submit in case you missed it earlier.

Talk about anything, music related or not. However, pop music gossip should be discussed in the Teatime & Trending Topics threads, linked below.
Please be respectful; normal rules still apply. Any comments found breaking the rules will be removed and you will be warned or banned.

Posts of Interest

• Teatime & Trending Topics - Pop music gossip
• Self Promo Sunday - Promote your own work here
• Popheads Charts - The most popular songs on Popheads each week, based on Last.fm data
• Main Pod Girl: The Popheads Podcast (Spotify link) - The official Popheads podcast, featuring a rotating cast of active users & artists
• Reintroducing... The Popheads Jukebox - A weekly round up of new music and classic where users can review and rate songs (similar to what Rate Your Music does)

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Rates and Other Activities

April:

• Main Pop Girls Gone Bad [Due May 17]
• 90s R&B Princesses [Due May 24]
• [200TH RATE] The Popheads 2024 Rate Olympics [Due May 31]

May

• 2023 K-Pop Essentials Rate [Due June 15]
• 20th Century Piano Men: Greatest Hits

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Playlists

Check out our official Spotify playlists here, updated each week!

• Popheads Weekly Radar - A quick bite of 5-10 new songs from this week, curated by the mods
• The Popheads Stream - Rotating playlist of new and newly discovered releases from the past several weeks

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If you use last.fm, you can create a collage here or here to display what you have listened to this week! Make sure you upload your collage to imgur, or it will change over time.

Ciao ragazzi! Ho una scelta da fare urgentemente e sono un po` spaesata. Ho deciso di tornare in Italia quest`anno e a marzo mi e` arrivata un offerta di lavoro per azienda G con data di inizio lavoro 20 maggio, RAL 65k e benefits di trasferimento (3 mesi di affitto a milano pagato da loro, assistenza nel trovare affitto a lungo termine, rimborso spese di agenzia).
La settimana scorsa mi arriva un`altra offerta della compagnia dei miei sogni, chiamiamola M. RAL 55 e starting date a settembre. Io gli dico che avevo gia` accettato un mese fa un`altra offerta come piano B visto che il loro processo era stato ritardato (per colpa loro) ma la mia preferenza era per loro anche se la RAL era piu` bassa.
Io da maggio ho usato il pacchetto di relocation di G per cominciare a cercare casa a Milano prima di iniziare a lavorare da loro e cominciare avendo tutto gia` sistemato. Non se dovrei dare soldi indietro qualora non cominciassi da loro?
Ma ho trovato molto scorretto M, che vuole includere nella mia promessa di assunzione una clausola dicendo che se comincio a lavorare per G loro possono rescindere il contratto da parte loro, di fatto chiedendomi di rinunciare a 3 mesi di stipendio, esponendomi a possibili danni che G potrebbe richiedermi per non aver adempiunto alla promessa di assunzione nei loro confronti, e ai rischi di essere senza un lavoro aspettando che loro mi assumano e sperando non cambino la data di inizio.
M e` sempre stata la compagnia dei miei sogni ma mi sembra assurdo questo trattamento e non so cosa fare. Voi che consigli avete per negoziare migliori condizioni con M o pensate che dovrei lasciarli perdere completamente?

As of today I am officially 16. In Finland, these are all the new rights I get:

• Can get A1 driving license
  
• Can start study for B driving license
  
• I can go to K16 movies
  
• Legal age
  

-With species premission I can do slaughter and driving activities, and also handle dead bodies
I hope you all have a good day. I am going to an entrance exam today. I'm not getting into that school, but I can play a grand piano which is sick af 👌

My personal favorite piano I’ve ever heard in hip hop / R&B, the melody, chords, rhythm, everything… from Common’s second verse through the end of the song, beginning of the piano to the end, out of this world. Anyone know who actually played it? Thanks!