#If they are remaking 5 I hope they expand on that more

[crimescrimson]

Albert Wesker in Resident Evil Remastered (2002)

[magnoliaroad]

Magnolia Road is Moving + Exciting Projects!

Hi there - Rizu here! It's been about a year since I last posted an update here. Life got really busy and pulled me away from Petz. As life calmed down I had the itch to return to some unfinished petz projects! Here's a look at some of the things I've been working on. The major one being the launch of my new home - Magnolia Road on Neocities! Keep reading for more details!

When I first launched this tumblr blog, I wanted a platform that didn't require a whole lot of set-up to get started. While it has served its usefulness as my first home in the Petz community, I need more room for the amount of content that I'm planning on making.

So I've been quietly working on a complete website overhaul and it's been such a blast. I think it will serve me better as a home for my crew and petz content. For the foreseeable future I am planning on keeping this tumblr for long-form write-ups on Petz things.

Without further ado, check it out here.

Not everything on the website is finished but I've put the 'good enough' stamp on it for now. I'm looking forward to fleshing out the pages more with some exciting content.

On that note...

Projects!

Something that I've wanted to do for a while is to create more custom content for Petz 5. Though Petz 4 is the community favorite, I feel Petz 5 has a lot of nostalgic charm and a lot of potential for quality of life upgrades. Despite Petz 5's glitches and bugs, I've by and large have learned to live around them without too much trouble and largely prefer some aspects of Petz 5 over Petz 4, such as the expanded color palette for playscenes, weather, day/night cycles, being able to carry all the toyz with you, etc.

With the new content that I am working on, I hope to inspire some more love for Petz 5 and make it a more welcoming home for your Petz!

So what am I working on? I've been working on a MASSIVE rework of the Petz 5 playscenes. They are quite dated and an eye-store in some instances.

So here's a sneak peek of what I've got going so far. These are not finished yet so these may change a bit!

I'm going for a Luxury Living theme based off of neutral beiges, greys, and gold, with a touch of rococo. I've painstakingly fixed the window sprites (they're a pixelized mess in the original), replaced the garden backdrop with my renovated back yard (see below), and gave the night scene some gentle spot lighting. No more ugly orange floor and yellow fridge.

Continuing on the Luxury Living theme, the family room gets an upgrade.

This one definitely needs more work before it is done but here's my Cozy Cabin themed room.

I've always disliked the original snow scene in that all the trees look like lifeless lumpy snow blobs. I wanted to bring back some greenery and make the scene look more vibrant. I replaced the really bland skyboxes with more realistic skies, with the night scene featuring an aurora borealis.

Inspired by my love for Lilly Pulitzer prints, this beach remodel is a more colorful upgrade over the original. I've recolored the sand to look more like....sand and less like this weird ugly yellow sand the original had. I'm planning to make a daytime one as well.

Salon upgrade. This one is very incomplete, so expect this one to change a bit. The original dresser is so hideous that it's hard to make it look "better".

And finally, perhaps my pièce de résistance and my most time consuming overhaul was the backyard. The original looks so junky with its broken fence, muted colors, and lack of landscaping. It definitely needed some more life to it. I hope I achieved that with my 4 seasons remake of the back yard. To say it was a challenge is an understatement. I had to make 3 versions for EACH season. Day, night, and stormy versions. So 12 BMPs along with the edited leaf sprites. The fall leaves are not stills - they are recolors of the original animated sprites and move in the actual playscene! I was excited to be able to pull this one off and I'm happy with how it turned out.

And lastly I've reworked the Petz 5 carrying case skin with a template that makes it easy to come up with new carrying case skins quickly.

Here's just one of the many carrying case skins that I have planned. This one matches the pattern featured in the beach remodel.

And there you have it! These are all works in progress and I can't wait to share more updates with you all. As always, thank you for stopping by!

[thejockout]

Update: It's been a while!

Hey all. Been quite a bit since I've been active here; lot of life stuff going on that's contributed to that, but most of it's resolved now and I'm planning a pretty active return to the scene imminently. I've got some announcements on that front that I'll try to keep brief, but I think anyone who's enjoyed my content in the past will be happy to hear them.

First and foremost, I'm going to be returning to file-making soon (end of 2023 or early 2024) with regularly scheduled releases. (My precise schedule is TBD, but I'm aiming to be release either once weekly or once fortnightly depending on how much of a backlog I can create.) I've got ideas/concepts for 20 files written out atm which would amount to either 5 months of weekly releases/10 months of fortnightly releases once written and recorded. But obviously some of those ideas might not work so well in practice/I'll obviously come up with new ones along the way too, so that number's in flux. I'm going to try to write and record ten before launching any of them, so that I don't leave a huge gap between them again. But I think you guys'll like them, there's something for everyone in what I'm planning to make. There'll be content like what I've made before, but sfw and nsfw, attending a variety of kinks I'm into.

Included in these releases are going to be updated versions of my more popular, previous files. At the moment, the files I am planning to remake are Chill Out, Bro; Blink's Good Boy; All Pups are Good Pups; and The Bigger You Are. Some of these I want to remake for reasons of audio quality, but others I straight up want to rewrite portions of to bring them more up to my current standards. I've run out of space on Soundcloud and a premium account is expensive, so I'm racking my brain for a better storage alternative. At the moment, Soundgasm is an OK backup, but I'm also considering just straight up trying Youtube/Tumblr's own audio system/Patreon's audio system on a free basis to see if they work alright. Speaking of which...

To support this expanded venture, I'm also going to be opening a Patreon + selling specific, exclusive files either by subscription to said Patreon or via platforms like Gumroad and other appropriate audio file vendors. I don't plan for all my content to be locked behind a paywall, of course. I'm planning some kind of dual channel release system where I have a certain amount of files that will be free, and then others behind subscription. But for those who don't like the idea of monthly subs, I'll be putting my Patreon-exclusive files on a third party purchase platform like Gumroad, Ko-Fi, or another suitable alternative. I appreciate that all my files previously having been free will make this annoying to some, but I am flat baroque... and realistically, each file being 4-10 hours of work (dependent on complexity) means that I really want to be seeing SOME income from this if I'll be putting a lot of time in. That's why at current, the final announcement I'm making is that:

I am now taking commissions. I've done 3 commissions in total at this point and had been keeping quiet about it while I didn't know what I was doing with the Jockout account generally, but I am now available to write and record custom hypnosis files for listeners. I'm hesitant to provide a flat rate because the cost of a file usually does come down to its complexity/length, but somewhere in the ballpark of 50-80 dollars is what I'm currently valuing the time spent on a file at, unless you want something crazy simple or crazy complicated that'll price outside that range. I'm in a Euro territory, so 50 dollars amounts to about 4 hours of minimum wage work here, which is pretty low for the amount of time a good file takes; but I appreciate that high barriers to entry are going to put people off, and I feel that way myself when commissioning. You can DM me here if you want to discuss a commission idea.

All in all, I'm pretty excited with what I hope will be the future trajectory of my page. I'm having fun learning more about hypnosis/exploring new ideas in writing, and I hope you'll all enjoy the fruits of that too! 'Til next time :)

[lily-valley-cc]

Ultimate Midwifery | TS4 Career Mod

Becoming a Midwife allows you to embrace the "delivery" business like no other! You'll be the expert navigator in the miraculous journey of childbirth, providing essential care and support to expectant mothers and their little bundles of joy. From prenatal check-ups to postnatal care, you'll be a parent's guardian angel, ensuring smooth landings and happy beginnings for every baby born under your watchful eye. So, if you have a knack for delivering smiles and want to be part of the world's most amazing delivery team, Midwifery might just be the perfect calling for you!

This is an update and remake of my original Midwifery career. I loved my original mod and have wanted to expand on this for a long time. Hope you all like it!

Ultimate Midwifery includes 1 main track and 5 career branches! Branches include: Midwifery Leadership, Perinatal Mental Health Midwife, Specialist Young Parent Midwife, Bereavement Midwife and Obstetric High-Risk Specialist Midwife.

More career information about career levels can be found HERE!

DOWNLOAD: CF or SFS

Any issues please get in touch via DM.

Enjoy! ❤

TOU: Please do not put my cc behind paywalls or reupload. Link back to my Tumblr if you use my CC; I’d love to see it!

[skysometric]

my 3rd favorite game that i played in 2023 is...

Freedom Planet 2

i was originally planning to wait on this one until the console version came out in "summer 2023." after it was delayed to the end of the year, i decided to grab the game on pc so i didn't have to wait… and i'm glad i did, because the console versions have been delayed a second time??

(i do not envy their situation and i hope the console versions are better for taking their time. honestly, i'll probably double dip anyway!)

the original Freedom Planet was a formative game experience for me during college. there was something inspiring about the way it shot for the moon – full voice acting, a fun cast of characters, a lived-in world with political intrigue, a focus on adding fast-paced combat – all trying to prove that it's more than just a Sonic fangame in new clothes.

and it worked. it gripped me and never let go! i must've replayed the story half a dozen times, speedran the levels dozens of times each. that's the reason i decided not to wait on the sequel any longer after the first console delay; i grabbed the game on pc and hit the ground running.

one aspect of what makes Freedom Planet special is its level design, and the sequel delivers – every single level is massive, open-ended, and absolutely GORGEOUS. the unique gimmicks, secret collectibles, and speedrun strats are what encouraged me to endlessly replay the first game, and each of those categories has been expanded here into some of the beefiest and most explorable levels i've ever seen in a 2D platformer, hands down. i'm so glad the sequel took its time in the oven, the levels alone were worth the wait!

to me, though, what really makes Freedom Planet stand out from other Sonic-inspired games is its fast and fluid brawling. enemies in each stage take a few hits to defeat, and every stage ends with a grand, bombastic boss fight – you get a handful of moves to tackle these fights with, and each character has very different fighting playstyles! crucially, though, there is no contact damage, meaning you can run circles around enemies while whacking away at their health bars with momentum-based attacks.

it's an incredibly fun and well-thought-out combat system, and its complexity is right at that sweet spot where it feels deep but not overwhelming. honestly it reminds me a lot of kirby's combat, which is one of my favorite combat systems in any video game! (that RtDL remake very nearly made my Top 5 this year…)

Freedom Planet 2 augments the combat system of the original in two ways. one is the addition of a spot-dodge, which feels so perfectly at home that i'm shocked it wasn't in the first game to begin with?? every game with combat benefits from the addition of a dodge, of course, but in this game especially it allows you to keep your momentum while attacking in a way that just feels so natural. there's nothing else quite like learning a boss's attack pattern enough to spot-dodge directly into a powerful counterattack!

but there's also nothing quite so discouraging as getting the boss's health down to a sliver… and biting the dust. here, too, is a place where the sequel shines: if you lose a life, you can choose to restart from a checkpoint with all your health recovered, or you can get back up on the spot with just 1 HP. the push and pull on this system is incredible – you risk getting a game over and having to redo the whole stage… but you could clutch out a victory at the last second! it has the capacity to turn near misses into huge successes, and it saved my ass countless times over the course of the adventure.

tying this all together is a great story that isn't quite as Big and Grand as the first game, but instead serves to deepen the connection between this loveable cast of characters by exploring their history and personalities in more detail. i'm still floored by the fact that these games have full voice acting – it truly makes the characters feel more alive, their personalities shine! the style of VA isn't everyone's cup of tea, i'm well aware… but as someone with fond memories of saturday morning cartoons, i find that it's very genuine and full of heart in a way that most films and AAA games don't really hit me. it's obvious that everyone involved had a ton of fun!

my one regret is that i haven't returned to the game since my first playthrough – i'd really like to replay those levels and see how fast i can clear them! and try out the other characters, and see what the arcade mode is like, and go for the achievements, and…

[legitimatesatanspawn]

Okay I'm both sad and excited at the existence of Sonic X Shadow Generations.

Sad because I would've been more interested in an expanded remake of, of example, Sonic the Fighters or Sonic R. Hell I'd be interested with a fixed up version of Shadow the Hedgehog or 2006. Odds are high this is just a "10% more levels to get away with saying new content for less effort" type of remake with more work put into graphics than anything else that would justify a $60 price tag.

Excited because hopefully the Shadow campaign is as long as the Sonic levels, adds in levels not already used from the other games, and whatever the bonus stuff is supposed to be. There's also the fact that it uses the new engine so I really hope they port in the Frontiers gameplay mechanics. Imagine if they ramped up the hubworld to something comparable to the islands. Also?

Damn.

On another note, the title keeps making me laugh. Sonadow shipping tag much?

Edit because I thought I added this before posting: $60 is a lot for a game particularly a remake. While there are people who haven't played Generations because it is now about 10-12 years old and you're potentially getting two games for one, OG has been somewhat regularly bundled and goes for sale on its own at $5. Which is why I won't be surprised if they delist OG Generations since people could get it for $5 and mod Shadow in. I mean they posted the OG Sonic games for the Sega Genesis / Megadrive collection and then in prep for Sonic Origins they delisted Sonic 1-3 and CD since those were around $5 a pop to about a buck or two (before getting into the Genesis collection when it went on sale).

[sejmisland]

i didnt realize there were teasers of excella and the flowers in the resident evil 4 remake wesker scene until literally like now and the possibility of a resident evil 5 remake is so exciting to me. it was the first resident evil game i ever played as i’ve had issues with the whole zombie games in the past (i couldnt watch anything with zombies because i was squeamish and my mind would fuck up my senses) but finally played re with my best friend. we replayed it so many times and i got to play the other games, 

im hoping we get to see more of sheva. i really do. i wish they expanded more on her backstory. i always thought of how chris had that flashback of lost in nightmares and maybe they did something with that too for sheva (that may be too much considering her backstory but maybe a tamer aspect can be implemented)

i wish they went with the original concept art for excella but i love her final look too. i wonder what they’re going to do with her in the remake

i hope they dont fuck up wesker’s character. from all the games i played, mutuals/writers, and my best friend they all hope they accurately depict him instead of straight up character assassination (cocky and angry the entire time) which i agree. i hope they add more dynamic to him.

hopefully capcom takes the things they learnt and did well with the remake of re4 and adapt it to re5′s remake :)

[daitranscripts]

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts (Optional)

The Elven Ambassador

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts Masterpost First: Gaining an Invitation Previous: Reconvene with Advisors

The PC approaches Briala on a balcony off the ballroom.

Choice dependent dialogue:

Met Briala in the servants’ quarters [1]

Never met Briala before [2]

Speaking to Briala on the balcony again [3]

1 - Met Briala in the servants’ quarters: Briala: Inquisitor. Briala (high court approval): Becoming the darling of the court, I see. How can I help you? Briala (neutral court approval): Something on your mind? Briala (low court approval): Did you want some advice? You seem to need it. [4]

2 - Never met Briala before: Briala (Qunari PC): Inquisitor Adaar. The stories claimed you were barely capable of speech. Briala (Dwarf PC): You must be Inquisitor Cadash. I’ve heard stories. Briala (Dalish PC): Inquisitor Lavellan. How many of the guests have mistaken you for a kitchen servant? Briala (Human PC): Inquisitor Trevelyan. Slumming even more than usual, I see.

Briala (high court approval): You’ve charmed some of the nobles. We’ll see how long you can keep their favor. Briala (neutral court approval): You haven’t dazzled the court this evening, but at least you’ve avoided embarrassing yourself. Well done. Briala (low court approval): You haven’t exactly impressed anyone this evening. Maybe you need another miracle? [4]

3 - Speaking to Briala on the balcony again Briala: We meet again. Given any thought to what I said? [4]

4 - Scene continues.

Briala: What brings you to me?

5 - Dialogue options:

Investigate (after dance with Florianne): Let’s discuss an alliance. [6]

Investigate: Can I ask about the talks? [7]

Investigate: I want to know more about you. [8]

Investigate: I have learned some things. [9]

Special: Is this your locket? [10]

General: We’ll talk later. [11]

6 - Investigate: Let’s discuss an alliance. PC: What exactly would the Inquisition get by… moving things in your favor? Briala: My spy network doesn’t just span the Dales, Inquisitor. It spans the empire. And even expands beyond its borders. Ears like these don’t miss much. Help us, and the secrets of half of Thedas could be within your grasp. [Back to 5] (this may not actually be in the game - I haven't tested properly yet.)

7 - Investigate: Can I ask about the talks? PC: I want to know more about the peace talks.

12 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: Tell me about the leaders. [13]

Investigate: What are your goals [14]

Investigate: What if the empress is killed? [15]

[Back to 5]

13 - Investigate: Tell me about the leaders. PC: What can you tell me about Celene and Gaspard? Briala: Gaspard is a warmonger. He served in the war against Ferelden and fought a dozen skirmishes on the Nevarran border. He is a simple man. Simple men aren’t hard to manipulate. Briala: Celene is the voice of reason in the empire. But reason is cautious. Reason looks for compromise. Reason doesn’t choose radical change. However sorely it may be needed. [Back to 12]

14 - Investigate: What are your goals PC: What are you hoping to gain from tonight’s negotiations? Briala: A voice. Simple enough, isn’t it? My people have none. We’ve lived two centuries amid the lowest ranks of society. No one hears us. No one sees us. If the elves of Halamshiral were elevated… if we an an elven noble at court? We’d have recognition, a voice. 16 - Dialogue options: Investigate: One noble can make a difference? [17] Investigate: How will you accomplish that? [18] General: That sounds reasonable. [19] General: And you’ll be the noble. [20] General: Your plan won’t work. [21] 17 - Investigate: One noble can make a difference? PC: How much can a single member of the court do? Briala: It won’t remake the world overnight, if that’s what your asking. Our problem is invisibility. The people in power ignoring us. We’re not actors, we’re scenery. [Back to 15] 18 - Investigate: How will you accomplish that? PC: How will you persuade the empress to elevate an elf to nobility? Briala: It is already in place. Celene knows she needs up to tip the balance of the civil war in her favor. All we have to do is wait. She’ll exhaust her other options and come to us for help. Then we’ll name our price. [Back to 15] 19 - General: That sounds reasonable. PC: Everyone should have representation in their government. Briala: A start. Something humans can’t ignore, and something elves aspire to. [22] 20 - General: And you’ll be the noble. PC: I assume the role of elevated noble will fall to you, milady Briala. Briala: Let’s be honest, Inquisitor. The sole elven noble in court isn’t going to have a position of power and luxury. [22] 21 - General: Your plan won’t work. PC: You won’t change anything. The empress has all the power. You’ll just be a target for bigots. Briala: Even if it ends in my assassination, it will be something no one, human or elven, can ignore. [22] 22 - Scene continues. Briala: But that’s the future. We need to focus on the task at hand. [Back to 12]

15 - Investigate: What if the empress is killed? PC: If Celene were killed, what would happen to your plans? Briala: Assuming I’m not the one blamed? It would be precarious, I’ve been working on Gaspard, but he’s like a charging bull. It would be easier to reign him in if I had something that could hurt him. [Back to 12]

8 - Investigate: I want to know more about you. PC: I had a question about you, Briala. Briala: I’m an elf, Inquisitor. That should tell you everything you need to know about my life. I’m good at what I do. That’s all that matters. I will help my people no matter the cost.

23 - Dialogue options:

Investigate: You and Celene were lovers? [24]

Investigate: Who are you? [25]

[Back to 5]

24 - Investigate: You and Celene were lovers? PC: I’ve been told you were romantically involved with the empress. Briala: I didn’t take you for a gossipmonger, Inquisitor. I suppose your spies have already briefed you, so there’s no point in pretending. Yes. Celene and I were lovers once. But we’ve gone out separate ways now. [Back to 22]

25 - Investigate: Who are you? PC: What’s your story? How is an elf invited to the empress’s ball as an ambassador? Briala: Empress Celene and I have… history. There was a time when I put my spies at her disposal. She knows my qualifications. We had a falling out. Now we’re negotiating to determine whether I return to her side in the war. 26 - Dialogue options: - Investigate: What happened? [27] - Investigate: And if the negotiations fail? [28] - General: That’s remarkably honest. [29] - General: You know how that sounds. [30] - General: You have no loyalty. [31] 27 - Investigate: What happened? PC: What do you mean “We had a falling out”? Briala: She betrayed me. Turned me over to the guards on a trumped-up charge to save her political reputation. It wasn’t personal. It’s the Game. That’s how Orlesians justify these things to themselves. It wouldn’t do to let the court know she had an elven… friend. [Back to 23] 28 - Investigate: And if the negotiations fail? PC: If she doesn’t win you back to her side, what do you intend to do? Briala: I have contingency plans. I’m not a child, putting all my hopes on a single ball. This evening gives me access to Duke Gaspard. He’s challenging, not as progressive or persuadable as his cousin. But with sufficient blackmail… he might work with us. 29 - General: That’s remarkably honest. PC: I’m surprised you’d admit that, considering the circumstances. [32] 30 - General: You know how that sounds. PC: You just told me you have reason to betray the empress. [32] 31 - General: You have no loyalty. PC: You’d turn against Celene without a thought. [32] 32 - Scene continues. Briala: I know it’s incriminating. Few harbor more resentment against Celene than I. But if she died after inviting me here, the court would certainly pin her death on me. [Back to 22]

9 - Investigate: I have learned some things. PC: You might be interested in what I’ve found.

33 - Dialogue options:

General: It’s something on Gaspard. [34]

General: It’s incriminating. [35]

34 - General: It’s something on Gaspard. PC: It’s about Gaspard. 36 - Dialogue options: - General (spoke to Gaspard’s vassal): He threatened the council. [37] - General (found secret orders): He’s sneaking in troops. [38] - General (found the knife in the servants’ quarters): About the servants’ wing… [39] - [Back to 33] 37 - General: He threatened the council. PC: He’s been threatening the nobles on the Council of Heralds. Briala: Typical. Gaspard’s always been a bully, regardless of the chevalier code. [Back to 36] 38 - General: He’s sneaking in troops. PC: I found orders issued to his general to sneak troops into the palace. Briala: My people reported chevaliers skulking around where they shouldn’t be. It’s a foolish move if he doesn’t succeed. Sneaking men in is easy. Getting them out unnoticed is not. [Back to 36] 39 - General: About the servants’ wing… PC: You think Gaspard was behind the murder of that council emissary and the Tevinter agents in the servants’ wing? Briala: Gaspard is ruthless. He wants the throne but to conspire with Tevinter? That’s low even for him. If you intend to stop him, you’ll need irrefutable proof. His supporters will accept nothing less. Celene will never end the talks until she has no other choice. [Back to 36]

35 - General: It’s incriminating. PC: It’s about you, actually. 40 - Dialogue options: - General (found the negotiations): I found the ambassadors. [41] - General (found the cylinder seal): You’ve infiltrated the palace. [42] - [Back to 33] 41 - General: I found the ambassadors. PC: You murdered negotiators and stole their documents. Briala: In Orlesian politics, Inquisitor, murder and intrigue barely counts as trying. If that shocked you, wait until Celene shows her hand. [Back to 40] 42 - General: You’ve infiltrated the palace. PC: I found the drop point, Briala. I know your people are hidden all over the palace. Briala: Of course they are. I’d be a poor spymaster if I didn’t have spies, Inquisitor. [Back to 40]

10 - Special: Is this your locket? PC: I found an elven locket hidden among Celene’s things. This isn’t yours, is it? Briala: Let me see that. She kept this? What was she thinking? If Gaspard had found this, it would have ruined her.

Dialogue options:

General: Maybe it’s sentimental [43]

General: It was yours, then. [44]

General: Blackmail, probably. [45]

43 - General: Maybe it’s sentimental PC: It might have meant something to her. Briala: Maybe it did. [Back to 5] 43 - General: It was yours, then. PC: So, this did belong to you. Briala: It was my mother’s. Carved from vhenadahl wood. I gave it to Celene in… Happier times. She held on to it… [Back to 5] 45 - General: Blackmail, probably. PC: She thought she could use it against you, perhaps. Briala: Perhaps you’re right. [Back to 5]

11 - General: We’ll talk later. PC: We’ll speak more later, ambassador. Briala: Another time, Inquisitor.

Next (optional): The Trophy Room Next (optional): Ladies-In-Waiting Next (optional): An Elven Locket Next (optional): Speak to Gaspard Next (optional): Dance with the Dowager Next (optional): The Court Historian Next (optional): The Lower Garden

Next: The Royal Wing

[theuntitledblog]

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4) - REVIEW

* I have only played Final Fantasy VII Remake on PS4 and have not played Intergrade or the Yuffie DLC.

I don’t think there’s a game I’ve been more nervous to play than Final Fantasy VII Remake. I avoided it for several years because I couldn’t see how it could possibly compare to the beloved original and worse still were the rumours of changes being made to the narrative that would make it, to me at least, more of a reimagining than remake. I suppose it would be fair to say that there didn’t seem to be a way for the developers to win me over; make changes and get criticised or stay the same but then it can’t possibly live up to the FFVII name. I decided to avoid altogether which then poses the question of why did I finally give in and give Remake a go? In short it came down to curiosity getting the better of me especially with the pending (at the time) arrival of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth which looked astonishing and seemed to be much more in line with what I hoped this project would be when first announced. I finally decided to give Remake a chance and I’m delighted to say that a lot of my fears have largely proven to be misplaced … but not all.

The introduction alone did a lot to win me to the cause as I didn’t anticipate just how powerful a feeling it would be to see this world and those beloved characters rendered in such stunning detail. Whatever you might think of the decision to turn this Remake project into a trilogy of games, the developers here have tried to expand the Midgar opening to be as a compelling a gaming experience as possible from what was originally a very small part of the original. Remake retains a linear structure within a limited but grand looking setting which mostly consists of Sectors 5, 6 and 7 of Midgar but at the same time there are open world characteristics that can feel sometimes feel too much like filler.  Remake is filled with side quests, combat challenges and mini games all the while it stretches out story segments as far as they can. It’s mostly successful but at times Remake does feel like it is being squeezed as tight as possible to get as much content as they can out of it which can sometimes make it feel a little thin. I also found once or twice that this approach to stretch out sections affected the pace when I felt that the story really needed some momentum especially during the Shinra attack on the Sector 7 plate support. From a storytelling perspective however, the benefits are plain to see with the expansion of the Midgar setting allowing us to see more of the city than the original and it’s given time to flesh out characters such as Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge.

What isn’t thin however is the environment, characters, and especially combat with each going a long way to compensate for whatever shortcomings Remake has. Cloud, Barrett, Tifa and especially Aerith are brought to life in stunning detail plus Nobuo Uematsu’s revamped but familiar score serves also as a strong reminder that despite Remake’s slick new look, this is still Final Fantasy VII. OK sure some of the dialogue and awkward exchanges are very cheesy and worked better in the silent original, but this is still a story I easily got sucked into. The Sectors and Slums in Midgar feel liked lived in, believable environments with plenty of NPC’s who you can purchase items, materia and weapons from, accept quests or simply interact with. All this helps to make you feel immersed and emotionally invested in the lives and fate of all these people as the threat from Shinra grows.  

The best element of Final Fantasy VII Remake is the outstanding combat system. The real time combat system introduced here has many more layers than the original and requires you to be adaptable in your strategy depending on the enemies you’re facing. Some enemies are vulnerable to certain magical and/or physical attacks while others have a resistant to certain magical and/or physical attacks and by exploiting that weakness can you put pressure on a foe which can eventually stagger them which allows you to inflict greater damage. Factor in the return of limit breaks, the ability to parry and block attacks to reduce damage taken, abilities, weapons and materia and what you have is a richly layered combat system that requires you to get your party’s balance right. It is an immensely satisfying system, so much fun and one that I never got bored of even when some combat sequences go on for much longer than anticipated. It should be noted that you have the option of switching to a turn-based combat system much like the original however I opted for the new system.

Going in I feared that Final Fantasy VII Remake could only be a lesser version of the PSOne classic, and the good news is that this isn’t the case however I can’t deny that there are elements that just don’t work for me. As mentioned above, I think it is stuffed with unnecessary filler to pad out what is essentially a tiny part of the original game and I think there are times where it shows. I also felt they were holding back when it came to equipment, materia and of course weapons which admittedly they do compensate for by having a function where you can spend experience points and upgrade your weapons which I liked a lot. But it just contributed to a general feeling that the developers significantly held back to keep this first game confined here and that feeling has only grown for me since Rebirth’s release. However, my biggest gripe is centred on a new element included exclusively for Remake; the Whispers. Visually I felt that they made the screen messy, I felt their presence at times affected the flow of the story and were a distraction. Most of all I felt it was such an unnecessary change to a game whose popularity has endured for 17 years in part because of that story. The Whispers embody for me every concern I had about a Final Fantasy VII Remake and while they don’t undermine my overall experience with the game, they are a significant blemish. With that said however, there is no denying that nostalgia and my own personal biases influence a lot of how I feel about Remake and if this was any other game, some of the elements here might annoy me a lot more.

OVERALL

Given the Final Fantasy VII name, characters, music, and story (Whispers aside), and no small amount of nostalgia, I found Remake to be exciting,  a lot of fun, emotional and most surprising of all is that  it made me appreciate the original game even more.

4/5

[cacneo]

I’m gonna throw all my initial thoughts about rebirth here while the ending is fresh:

1) Myrna is adorable, 10/10 no notes

2) I literally gasped aloud when Zack touched Cloud and ended up fighting along side him

3) I feel like square is fucking with us at this point with all the stamp variations

4) I’m still very hopeful for an ending where Zack is fully back. It’s interesting that they are using the white room again like in AC, I’m wondering what connection that has to the livestream and who ends up rejoining vs being in the room and what that means

5) I really need a list of everything that was changed or expanded upon vs the original

6) I’m a little conflicted with the styling of the Gi and the sort of characterization of them as a group of people. I’d be less conflicted if square hadn’t royally made asses of themselves in FF16, but they lost a lot of benefit of the doubt there recently. But having a group that is styled to look like (to my eyes anyway) African tribesmen, positioning them as outside invaders, and having them say that the cetra’s exclusion of them is why they poured all their hate into a world-ending material is uh…….not great, and it’s even worse when positioned in a narrative about the corrupting power of anger and the need for letting things go. It comes off as a “oh but slavery/colonization/etc. was so long ago, why are you still hung up on it, you’re being divisive by not just moving on.” Left a really bad taste in my mouth after that section, hopefully they just leave it there instead of digging a bigger hole in pt 3

7) I’m putting my money on part 3 coming out in 2027 for the 30th anniversary

8) after them bringing Weiss and Nero back in intergrade, and after reminding myself of them showing up at the end of crisis core, I’m guessing they will show up again when the party goes to midgar in pt 3

9) I’m going to have to find a way to replay dirge of Cerberus

10) still not sure what’s going on with them trying to say that cloud thought Zack drowned??? Presumably it’s sephiroth fuckery

11) I really need context for a) why they added roche as a character and b) why he would have volunteered for a hojo experiment

12) maybe ever crisis has / will do some of this, but I really want some context for like, what fuckery happens in SOLDIER post crisis core and pre main game with their whole chain of command fucked

13) the level design and environment people did a phenomenal job

14) Zack’s new voice actor did waaaayy better this time, whether through practice or better voice direction or both. It actually sounded more like him

15) sad to see the banora posters around but no mention of angeal and genesis (unless you count the loveless production being version G as a genesis mention)

16) square really decided to punish me for not using magic most of the game with that elemental barrier at the end

17) I ship clerith way more than I used to. Remake/rebirth have given her so much more character

18) same for yuffie, I’m glad she got intergrade and with the wutai war being a bigger deal I’m looking forward to better characterization for her too

19) curious what the plan is for cid since they’ve brought him in differently

20) and still a little heartbroken that cid/vincent aren’t full party members

21) I guess wedge appearing in the loveless scene with Jesse/biggs means he did die at the shinra building when the whispers pushed him

22) it’s neat that your weapon changes in scenes based on what you have equipped, but it does really ruin a lot of the cinematic parallels with Zack if you don’t keep the buster sword equipped all game

[blazehedgehog]

Given the success of the sonic movies and frontiers I suspect we’re leaving behind the era of dry spells between releases and entering an era of yearly releases (whether they are spin-offs, remakes, etc). Do you have any predictions of remakes or spinoffs you could see Sonic Team putting out in the next few years?

I don't think that's true at all. Games take longer to make nowadays across the board. Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick said that five-year game development cycles are likely to be "the new norm", and some particularly big games, like GTA6, are taking more than double that. We're at a point where the games entering development right now are probably having to consider platforms like the fifth Xbox and sixth Playstation.

Especially if you consider post-release support. That Final Horizons DLC for Sonic Frontiers is probably slowing down some part of the team that would normally be conceptualizing the next mainline game. Whatever follows Frontiers won't be seen until 2026 or even 2027 at the earliest.

This is nothing new. Lots of annualized franchises "solved" this problem by effectively having 2 or even 3 different development teams all working on the same franchise, but staggering their output enough that everybody gets the full 4-5 years before their games come out.

The problem with that is that it leads to insanely uneven games and notable drops in quality. Every publisher known for doing this eventually stopped doing it, because "two bad games made by bench warmers and one good game by the main team" is no way to maintain a long term business.

So what do I see filling the next 4-5 years until we see Sonic Frontiers 2? More spinoffs. Depending on how quickly Sonic Superstars came together, maybe we'll get a Superstars 2 in a couple years. Haven't had a racing game in a while; maybe they'll find a new developer there. Sonic Forces Speed Battle is getting kind of long in the tooth, so it wouldn't surprise me if they have another phone game to replace that soon.

We could get a "sequel" to Sonic Origins that expands beyond the Genesis games. Maybe go back through the Dreamcast Sonics again, finally give us an HD port of Sonic Heroes. Throw in Chaotix and Sonic the Fighters for good measure. Would be nice to get a portable collection, finally, too. Give me a Sonic Advance Trilogy + both Sonic Rush games and I might even gladly pay $40 for that, if they do it right.

But even then, that's only three projects to fill what will be a five year wait time. I guess you could slot the third movie in there somewhere, but still. Don't get your hopes up too high, I say.

[adaru32]

The Red Devil's Chronicles: Devil May Cry Feb. & Mar. 2024 News Updates: Reuben Langdon, Games, etc.

Hey there, how's it going? Happy Easter Fools weekend! I guarantee that these latest news updates I've provided aren't false/jokes:

Capcom held a survey for remakes and expanding titles anyone could vote for.

2. Here are a couple videos from former mod members, exposing behind the scenes on what's been happening with the Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat game. One's 2 hours with lots of info, including ones I've shared here before, the other is more brief. b) And even more messes coming from the dev team. c) Speaking of Peak of Combat, Dante's voice Reuben Langdon addresses the situation about why he didn't voice in that game. Including what's happening with him in future Capcom titles.

3. Twitter/X user Pressslee is making another Devil May Cry fan game.

4. Someone is requesting for all Devil May Cry soundtracks to be uploaded on the KHInsider site.

5. A Capcom vs Sega is being teased.

6. A new Devil May Cry 1 shirt coming out.

My Thoughts On These Updates:

Of course I had to vote for Devil May Cry for a couple of their questions in that survey, heheheh. As a bonus, fans received a smartphone wallpaper with Capcom themes depending on what job title in 'Capcom Town' they chose. Of course, I had to go with the Stylish Cleaner.

2. Again, it's really too bad the direction that Peak of Combat's gone down...Glad Reuben was able to address the situations on his end of what's been going on, and that he didn't 100% get cancelled. Wasn't surprised he got scammed by the Peak of Combat dev team, either.

3. It's awesome that Pressslee is making another fan game, but I feel that they really should finish the 1st one before jumping ahead to their next one. I know that there's nothing wrong with sharing project ideas, but working on multiple things at once can be draining, or cause one project to be completely unfinished.

4. Interesting how a majority of great game soundtracks are on that site, but not Devil May Cry.

5. So fans will probably finally get the Dante vs Bayonetta battles they were dreaming of.

6. That shirt's looking SSStylish.

*Bonus: So it was Devil May Cry V's 5th anniversary this year. I was hoping to make a celebratory piece, but I got really busy and I didn't think of what I really wanted to make for it until a couple days before the date...Oh, well. There's always another year, I guess.

[efy727]

I made a Bingo Card

Since we are a month away from the release of Return to Dream Land Deluxe, I decided to make this just for fun. Actually, I came up with this around October, but I guess is a good time to share. I added/changed a few things since then.

I had plenty of ideas, not only in the context of the previous remakes, but also regarding how the modern games had changed since RtDL. I would proceed to elaborate and rate the possibility, in my cautious opinion, that is.

1. DDD, BD & MK in hub when not used: Akin to how Ban Dee can be seen hanging in Waddle Dee Town. It could be both in the Lor and Magolor Land. I would be neat if you could also speak to them too. Chance: Possible

2. Use of originally cut content: As in stuff from the original game (not counting previous versions like GCN), like unused enemies appearing. Chance: Very unlikely, yet considering HR-D3...

3. GK fight outside the True Arena: Just wishful thinking. For the longest time I wanted to fight Galacta Knight outside the TA. IDK, the background always made me feel like he should be a secret boss hidden in Dangerous Dinner. Chance: Unlikely

4. New mode similar to HiAD & II:FD: Other case of wishful thinking. I might be asking too much, but I just like these epilogue modes; for instance, it could explore Magolor in the aftermath. Chances: Not very likely, but HiAD in SA’s final update does give me some hope.

5. Unlockable playable Magolor: That would be a cool reward, may be by getting certain scores in all the minigames, 100% or in the epilogue mode from the previous point. I mean, he was already made playable, and Festival is in the game. Chance: Possible

6. Translatable Halcandran Alphabet: I’m referring to the glyphs in the Lor’s screen. I remember seen a post expressing this same idea months ago. I think it would be cool to be able to compare the New World’s writing with Halcandran. We see shared characteristics among those and the symbols in Hyness’ clothes, but I want it to be expanded.

In a side note, I want for some words from that language too, we do see a few connections between the Switch game’s spoken languages, for example ‘Heart’ is ‘Haruda’ (‘Bastion’ in the EN localization) in SA and ‘Faruda’ in FL.

Anyway... Chances: Very unlikely

7. More Magolor!!!: Not need to elaborate. Chances: Already confirmed, but there always could be more.

8. New cutscenes related to main story: Specifying to not count the stuff related to the theme park. Anything that happens during or is consequence of the main story counts, like the potential GK encounter or epilogue mode, may be scenarios added to the repairing cutscenes akin to 64. Chances: Unlikely

9. New stuff connected to the ‘Ancients’: I’m including Hyness’ clan and the people from the New World under the term. Chances: Possible even if it’s something minor.

10. Dream Collection content: An old idea I decided to keep, with it I mean the New Challenge Stages and Magolor Race. Chances: Impossible by this point.

11. New pause descriptions for bosses: RtDL is so weird compared to the other modern games in many ways, an example: only a few bosses have pause desc. and they are relatively short, just like in SSU. I think this is a no brainer. Imagine if they remove them and pass them to masks, if that happens, I’ll still count them. Chances: Very likely

12. Updated movesets for DDD, BD and MK: The SA ones. Chances: Confirmed

13. Replace/change Extra Mode: I don’t hate this mode, it’s just weird with the other modern games in mind. I hope I don’t cause much contention; this was a filler idea. May be a little shake up, like a few new puzzles like in Isolated Isles. Chances: Unlikely

14. More allusions to Magolor’s ‘friend’: Though most agree its Marx, a few more hints won’t hurt. Now imagine if the acquaintance is a future character instead, since Mags has a time machine. Chances: Very unlikely

15. Option to customize/turn off outlines: I personally like them as part of the pop-up book aesthetic, but I’ve seen many hating them, so why not have a choice, at least alter thickness. Chances: Possible

16. Challenge Stages for newer abilities: Since they are new. Chances: Confirmed

17. New hidden rooms in MM and ExM: SA got some in the updates. Would be nice for those that already played the game. Chances: Possible

18. Chaos boss: Thinking about Marx Soul in SSU, I think it’s fitting to have this item happen even if everything else here doesn’t. With I’m just referring to a harder secret true final boss; may be another fight with Magolor, I’m also considering someone else, may be the crown alone? I dubbed it ‘Chaos’ to refer to something above ‘Soul’. Chances: Very Likely, though don’t get your hopes up.

19. Reference to RtDL’s beta versions: not counting the visuals or stuff from the original. Something like betalor being referenced in “Chaos Magolor” or something. Chances: Very Unlikely

20. Additional Stages in Main Mode: As in new whole stages, not just a room or two. May be even a whole new world. A big ask honestly. Chances: Unlikely

21. New Landia lore: Even though Landia appears in the Clash games, there really isn’t much about them besides being called a ‘Guardian Angel’, and they are not part of the main continuity. I’m just saying, this is a good opportunity. Chances: Possible

22. Voiced Adeleine by staff picked for SA: This just something I hope is the case, since a screenshot already confirms her mask has sound effects. It’s just nice seeing stuff cut from a previous entry finally being used. Chances: Very likely

23. Shopkeeper Magolor reference: This is filler, since SA already did that. Magolor is above canon after all. Chances: Possible

24. New well hidden Easter Egg: Possibly involving 86. May be cram in a third HAL Room? As long as most players don’t find out without checking a guide or by pure accident. Chances: Likely

To end this, which took me all night to write, I’ll mark the confirmed boxes. I don’t think I’ll get ‘BRAVO’, but this was fun to make.

[quartings]

Looking back on X&Y's release 10 years ago...

I still remember queueing up in line for the XY release day literally a whole decade ago- my brother, dad, and one of my best friends were with me and we all went out to Krispy Kreme afterwards- I evolved my first Spewpa there to see which regional Vivillon I had!

Nowadays I can't even imagine pre-ordering a Pokemon game, since I have to wait and see if they perform decently, have enough content in them to justify the $60USD price tag, and whether their DLC is good if not. I've become an old, jaded, beaten-down adult since then, haha...

But enough negativity for now- there are so many good things XY had that we should acknowledge!

Fairies are one of the biggest- we've had them for 10 YEARS now, everyone! Remember when they released the XY demo before the game launch and everyone was hitting Sylveon with everything to see how the new type matched up with everything? And now, Fairy has been paired up with all but two of the other types! They've also become the most OP type now (which is an issue they were made to stop) but it could always be worse! Who knows, maybe in 10 more years, the type chart might be unrecognizable!

They even managed to model and animate over 700 Pokemon on a handheld game, plus all their extra forms! Nowadays, Pokemon games can't manage to do that for even 500 Pokemon on launch.

Mega Evolution was the first battle gimmick ever introduced, and to this day it still remains so much better than the others that we're all still hoping and praying it comes back. I know there were some qualms that mostly OP and popular Pokemon got megas, but naturally the solution shouldn't be "No Megas"- it should be "More Megas"! And we all know someday we're going to have to raid Gamefreak's vault for their Mega Flygon concept art- we know it's out there!! Anyways, I'm glad Megas still get respect in spinoffs- Pokemon GO, Mystery Dungeon, Smash Bros, etc. It gives me hope that one day they really will return.

But the more negative things about XY need to be addressed too- while the games themselves were good, a lot of people rightfully agree that they were the beginning of many declines for the games.

The extremely low difficulty for no reason- NPCs and bosses having miniscule teams with less than 4 moves, rarely any held items and a poorly-made level curve. I can't think of anyone before who thinks the games before were "too hard" or that they're now "just right". To be fair, they've remedied this every now and again with actual challenging bosses (Totems and Ultra Necrozma, BDSP Cynthia, Volo, Team Star Bosses, Sada/Turo, Kieran, and the Ogre Clan) but I do hope this issue gets fully resolved one day. It's not fun playing through 90% of the games mindlessly clicking through the same highlighted "super effective" button over and over.

The "overly friendly rival" problem that first started in XY has finally been fixed though- while Gens 6-8 suffered a bit from it, Gen 9 doesn't just have decent rival characters- Nemona, Arven, Penny, Carmine, and Kieran have been some of my favorite Pokemon characters ever!

The lack of postgame areas and things to do first started in XY. While Looker and Emma's story was great, it didn't offer much of a challenge and there was barely anything to do afterwards. And nowadays when we do get substantial postgames in Pokemon they're paid DLC. And as long as we're getting DLC from now on, can we PLEASE have one that contains a Battle Frontier, please???

Mythicals no longer having their own areas and quests also started in XY- so many unfinished areas in the game that should've gone to them.

Kalos is the only main Pokemon region to only exist in one iteration so far- all others were expanded upon with remakes, sequels, third versions, ultra versions, or DLC. I do hope in maybe 5 years or so we do get XY remakes that'll finally do Kalos justice.

Another problem that eventually got fixed is small amounts of new Pokemon- I remember being in total disbelief that Gen 6 only had 72 new Pokemon, waiting for more to get announced someday. But with Gen 9, we finally have generations containing well over 100 Pokemon again, which is a massive relief!

And one more major underrated change that Gen 6 brought to Pokemon- it's the first one to ever have a worldwide release! I still remember spending most of Gen 5 learning Japanese names of all the new Pokemon, moves, characters, etc while waiting for BW's English release. But nowadays we can all enjoy a new generation's launch around the world at the same time! That's another thing to be grateful for!

But yeah, in these last 10 years so many things have changed and many others have stayed the same- for the Pokemon franchise and for my own life! While not all of it has been perfect, it still blows me away how far we've come, and how much more we need to improve on! I was still a nerdy little kid who didn't know how to draw digitally when these games came out- and now I'm an adult who makes animated shorts and works at an animation production company!

I have no clue if I'll be ready in 2026 for SM's 10th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the franchise overall! Maybe everything will be better or it'll have gotten so much worse. Either way, I'm happy to have made it this far with you all and can't wait to make a similar post for the 10th anniversary of this blog, too!

[b4um3pfl4um3]

I posted 3,472 times in 2022

That's 3,398 more posts than 2021!

48 posts created (1%)

3,424 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@something-something-sonnschein

@thebreadtree

@mandalorian-general

@zukks-dummy-mansion

@darth-karottenschal

I tagged 378 of my posts in 2022

#prev tags - 11 posts

#hermitcraft - 10 posts

#space family - 10 posts

#damn - 7 posts

#friends art - 7 posts

#just friends having fun - 6 posts

#goodtimeswithscar - 6 posts

#annoying one another - 5 posts

#grian - 5 posts

#i stan - 3 posts

Longest Tag: 135 characters

#well technically my tumblr isn't the only reason why someone might think i'm insane but it definitely doesn't convince anyone otherwise

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I built something in honor of Technoblade on my Minecraft server

It was my first time building a statue but I think I did a good job. I at least am happy with it and it helps me cope with yesterdays news. 

Of course I started growing potatos at his feet and I plan on expanding the field but I don’t have any more potatos at the moment. 

For anyone interested at the signs there nothing big but here you go:

See the full post

16 notes - Posted July 2, 2022

#4

I think one day we should simply make the Movie Goncharov and advertise it as a remake and thereby confuse the general public by making them think there is a 1973 Movie named Goncharov, directed by Martin Scorsese, that they somehow can't find but still go to the cinema to see what the movie is about and then in a corner somewhere after the movie ended there will be a few Tumblrinas that just rant about how much better the original Movie was which will make outsiders even more confused.

I think this is a great idea. Also we could find other Tumblrinas by just simply stating how much better the original was after the movie and it could become a addition to the "I like your shoelaces" Phrase.

18 notes - Posted November 21, 2022

#3

What are your Top 3 controversial Swtor opinions?

You know I don't play the game that much xD

I also don't really pay attention to what is going on around the game, so I literally don't have any opinions despite liking the game xD

I don't even know what would qualify as "controversial" xD

24 notes - Posted October 9, 2022

#2

After a long time I finally decided to draw some fanart and who would be better than Bruno Madrigal?

I'm still leaning how to draw digitally but I think I'm getting better!

Anyway, all kind of criticism is welcome! I'd love to improve my art! Please be kind though.

Also, since I'm as white as it gets, I'm kinda scared I might not have done his skintone perfect, so please if anyone feels offended by it tell me right a way and I'll do my best to fix it!

37 notes - Posted January 9, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Speaking of Hermitcraft, I absolutely love the dynamic between Grian and Scar.

I just watched their recent Hermitcraft Episodes and I loved how Grian immediately went to Scar so that he would help him not to start a Resistance against Ren. Or that later in Scars Episode Grian just used the fishing rod on Scar and Scar just stood there letting it happen, occasionally eating his cookies so he won't die of fall damage.

Their friendship is just so great and I hope that one day I will find a friendship like this myself.

84 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[kitaishi]

i don’t really have time to write on here so me posting isn’t a sign of anything but i appreciated(tm) the trailer yesterday setting up ti/fa having more focus/being more relevant during the events of disc 1. after remake, i was kind of expecting tifa to not really have her own stuff until part 3 but it’s nice being proven wrong.

i said this on discord but sep.hiroth gaslighting cl.oud about ti.fa makes so much sense (and the jpn and french versions of the trailer makes it clear that he’s talking about how he killed tif.a in nibelhei.m). playing up on how ti.fa and cl.oud have terrible communication (lol) before the lifestream sequence because of ti/fa’s hesitation/confusion on what’s going on with cloud/nibelheim and clo/ud suppressing memories of z/ack is a great idea! those things are already in the OG - from sephiro.th gaslighting both ti.fa and cl.oud at the northern crater (which i’ve written about lol) + sephi.roth making himself look like ti.fa). copying something i said on discord:

sephiroth constantly gaslights cloud in the OG and makes him do things he normally wouldn't do such as give him the black materia, beat aerith, etc. maybe they'll with the idea of cloud kind of being paranoid due to the gaslighting and then with sephiroth's influence - does something he wouldn't do (edited)[5:45 PM]like i don't think cloud would inherently believe anything sephiroth would say to him but, he has jenova cells. he can be influenced

and man, we’re even getting the cut content from the OG where ti/fa tells a.eris her version of events. i may have been a bit excited about that.

i’ve always been team a.erith/a.eris living - my other blog is all about it - but i also think that the whole ‘she has to die to save the planet’ stuff has always been a terrible misconception when really. she can summon holy (and the lifestream too imo - which i feel like remake subtly reconfirmed) alive. whether aerit.h lives or dies, clo.ud will always end up handing the black m.ateria over to sep.hiroth. he’ll fall into the lifestream. and if that opening of the trailer is za/ck’s timeline then it seems to be implying that without cloud around to reunite with ti.fa, join avalan.che, meet a.erith, etc., bad things happen(tm).

if rebirth ends where i hope(tm) such as meteor being summoned and cloud falling into the lifestream, this is going to be so exciting. i love the setup of the third part really expanding on the search for cloud and saving him in the first act. ti.fa will have to help repair his memories of course, it is something only she can do due to their past but ‘finding’ clou.d shouldn’t be as instant as it is in the OG - especially because I think a.erith will be around too so there will be other story bits going on too. :)

anyway, one day maybe i’ll write about tif.a, clo.ud, and memories. both of theirs are FUCKED but it is also something that inherently bonds them together. strange, isn’t it.

I made it this far, believing in the memories we shared. This isn't happening! It's too cruel!

......a sealed up secret...... wish...... Tender memories...... no one can ever know......