TheLifestream.net has long struggled with its identity. With no FFVII news, what is there to do? Well, quite a lot actually. I have always seen TLS as being in a good position to become a great hub for FFVII content and it is my wish to help the site become just that:
A Final Fantasy VII Hub.

I draw much inspiration from the spectacular site Chrono Compendium. If you want to find any information about the Chrono series, there is where you can find it.
(It should be mentioned though that while the site at present do not plan to include a wiki-style encyclopedia, like the Chrono Compendium has, such a feature may become an option later on when TLS has grown significantly.)

I have written a series of mission statements or Site Goals. But for those who don’t like reading fancy definitions, what is the short story?
To be a guide and resource to the FFVII franchise in terms of its narrative, titles, products and fan-made content.
TLS is very willing to grow, but we need more work power. We need YOU to help fulfill the site goals!

We are always on the lookout for translators, hackers and people who enjoy documenting and analysing the many facets of the FFVII franchise. So even if you do not belong to the two first categories, there is still a good chance you can contribute!

Browse the assignments in the aptly named Project List. If anything catches your interest that you think you can add to, join the forum and post in the thread to enlist! Or if you have an idea for an additional project that suits the written goals of TLS, tell us!

Speaking of changes, the front page will see more renovations of its content and layout, so be on the look-out for that!

This has been a message from Shademp, the newly assigned Content Coordinator of TheLifestream.net.

Though this is indeed the game’s fifteenth anniversary, the FFVII as we know and love it was not released until the latter half of 1997. In Japan it was titled “FFVII International”, while in the rest of the world it became the standard edition of the game. But despite the original’s glaring lack of Weapons emerging from the Northern Crater or the inability to use Exchange to instantly swap materia between party members, this release was still considered an awesome experience and instantly spawned a huge following in Japan while the overseas gamers were still drooling over Sony’s ad campaigns for this epic game.

Our gratitude extends beyond the re-release it spawned, as in recent years it has been revealed that this first edition is the possessor of many exclusive, deeply hidden secrets such as the now classic Honey Bee Inn lobby scenes. Whether it be in story or gameplay, this game truly is more than meets the eye!

The Lifestream.net wishes Final Fantasy VII a glorious fifteenth anniverary!

Forum member Quexinos has very kindly provided TheLifestream.net — and you, our fellow fans of Final Fantasy VII and its related compositions — with the missing link in our coverage of translations from the FFVII 10th Anniversary Ultimania: Cait Sith’s profile.

Sure, we had Reeve Tuesti’s profile, but not that of his beloved feline avatar. Thanks to Que being less lazy than the rest of us, however, we can at last offer you the only main character profile we had overlooked.

We here at TLS are very proud of Que, and it warms my heart to unveil her first frontpage translation effort.

Character Profile

Sex: ?
Height: 100cm
Blood Type: ?
Date of Birth: ?
Birthplace: ?
Weapon: Megaphone (when riding the moogle)
First Person Pronoun: ボク [Boku]
Voice Actor: AC, DC — Hideo Ishikawa

A remote controlled stuffed cat. Reeve, head of the Shinra Company’s Urban Development Department, manufactured him for such purposes as scouting out intelligence and spying. Because Reeve is the one operating him, he speaks with the unique accent of Reeve’s original Kansai dialect. He’s powerless and limited when alone, so he often rides on the fat, stuffed toy moogle during times of action.

Age: ?

In order to spy on Cloud and co., who are a hindrance to the Shinra Company, he approaches them pretending to be a fortune telling machine and asserts himself into their group. Due to Cloud and co. blowing up Mako Reactors, which had caused Midgar’s security to waver, he viewed them negatively at first. However, he’s gradually charmed by their goal “to protect the planet” and eventually has a genuine change of heart, throwing himself into the battle to save the planet with his comrades.

“Right or wrong, I’m still the same ‘ol me.”

At the Gold Saucer, he falsely establishes himself as a fortune telling machine; “How ’bout it? Want me to read your fortune!?” he says, strong-arming his way close to Cloud.	He has sympathy for Cloud and co.’s ideas, and since substitute bodies were available, he decided to sacrifice himself to help his friends.
“Protect the planet. Hah! Y’all sure sound good! Ain’t no one that’d go against ya. So ya think ya can do whatever y’all want?” Because Reeve, the head of Shinra’s Urban Development Department, wishes good fortune for Midgar’s inhabitants, he sometimes criticizes AVALANCHE.

Compilation Check

This fortune telling machine’s reputation is not just for show!

Cait Sith’s fortune telling compilation

In FFVII, Cait Sith ambushes Cloud and co., introducing himself with “I’m a fortune telling machine.” Fortune telling is originally Cait Sith’s special skill, so this may not be a complete lie. Although the things he says in FFVII are random, in BC, he shows extraordinary skill, pinpointing the place of destination exactly.

A look at Cait Sith’s fortune telling
FFVII
-Sephiroth’s location
“What you pursue will be yours. But you will lose something dear.”

-Future developments (in Corel Prison)
“Fortune’s good. Everything is perfect!”

-Cloud and Aerith’s compatibility
“You are perfect for each other! Aerith’s star and Cloud’s star! They show a great future!”

BC
-The whereabouts of the Support Materia

-The direction of the gates in various places in the Mako Reactor

“I can protect the Planet too! I’m kinda embarrassed.”

Limit Breaks

Level 1: Dice

Level 2: Slot Toy Box, Toy Soldier, Mog Dance, Transform, Summon, Lucky Girl, Joker Death, and Game Over complete the 8 slots

Toy Box A variety of objects, such as hammers, monsters, etc. fall onto the enemies.	Game Over The god of death is summoned and instantly reaps the lives of all monsters in an instant.
Toy Soldiers 6 toy soldiers stand in a row and attack the enemy with their guns.	Lucky Girl Miss Cat’s blessing. All party members’ attacks become a critical hit.

In Advent Children

Age: ?

He embarks on Cid’s Sierra model airship to assist Cloud in Edge. There is never a time when he participates directly in battle like his other friends; however, he rides on Red XIII to advance through the battlefield, and yells from the cockpit of the airship as his way of exerting himself for his friends.

“We can’t handle this!”

Instead of a fat moogle, Cait Sith rides in on Red XIII. There’s also a scene where he strikes Red XIII’s head in excitement.

In Dirge of Cerberus

As the alter ego of the WRO’s director, he has a tiny body but a large role

Age: ?

He strives for world peace, as the alter ego of Reeve, who became head of the WRO. He seeks Vincent’s cooperation in order to stop Deepground, who have repeated such misdeeds as mass killing and abduction. He also sneaks into DG’s stronghold, Mako Reactor 0, on his own and spies on the enemy’s movements; in this scene, although his short body is powerless, his effort is great.

“That was a close one! Never was good at fighting. Luckily, I came out wearing ‘Reeve.’ “

Contrary to what one would expect, when Reeve is shot, Cait Sith is inside! How does a stuffed toy come to be inside a doll suit?	He coincidentally appears on screen with Reeve. Although, as one would expect, it would seem they are unable to talk at the same time.
“Alright. Take it away, Shelke!” With the cooperation of Shelke, a young woman who possesses the power to connect to a person’s intracerebral data, he is able to display the personal experiences from his mission.

Trivia 1

What does the number of Cait Sith’s bodies become?

Cait Sith is a robot who also has many alternate bodies. In FFVII, he sacrificed his body to allow Cloud and co. to obtain the Black Materia, and changed to machine #2. In DC, he is destroyed by the enemy Nero during an undercover operation, and his body is replaced with a new one. Furthermore, in DC, Cait Sith mentions the total number of bodies he’s been through, but this changes through having to redo the investigation mission due to being destroyed by other enemies prior to being found by Nero.

When proceeding through the shortest game, the number turns out to be 5. In other words, is what he says the number of times he was broken between FFVII and DC?

In Before Crisis

The intelligence machine of Reeve’s pride debuts in a top secret mission!

Age: ?

Under the operation of Reeve, he decides to cooperate with the original manager of the Turks, Veld, and travels with them. While he was searching for the Support Materia for Zirconiade’s summoning, his curiosity leads him to be attacked by a monster; his parts were scattered and buried, making for a severely troubling situation.

“My fortune telling can find missing things, missing people, anything!”

When the Turks draw near, he pretends to be a stuffed toy. Using his special skill of fortune telling, he finds out the location they should proceed to next.	There’s also a scene where the Turks operate him by a special controller concealed in the back of his body because Reeve is unavailable.
As Cait Sith has no fighting power, his only way of avoiding a crisis is to play dead. This skill is often used to struggle through a pinch.

Trivia 2

The crown is a valuable part

In BC, while travelling with the Turks, Cait Sith is detained by a Goblin along the way and his body dismantled into three parts. During this time, the name of each part is “Head,” “Body,” and … not hands or feet, but “Crown.” This crown is part of Reeve’s hobby and an indispensable part of Cait Sith.

The status of Cait Sith’s parts is that they are completely scattered and buried in the ground, but he is able to return thanks to the Turks.

Compilation Check

Cait Sith is powerless until he rides on a fat moogle

Cait Sith is thrown into battle for the first time ever during BC. He proceeds with an investigation with the Turks, but the situation comes along where the investigation has to be suspended due to his extreme lack of fighting ability. Reeve reflects on such points as how to compensate for low fighting strength while stressing mobility, and in FFVII Cait Sith is riding on a fat moogle.

Reeve operates the fat moogle by sending orders to it through the handheld megaphone……a two-fold command structure.	Reeve is troubled by Cait Sith’s disability. The idea occurred to him to “Place Cait Sith on top of another machine for possible combat.”
Although in DC he does display some techniques, such as a punch or a kick, there’s no change in the powerless situation.

In Crisis Core

His slot use from FFVII appears as a reel pattern

Age: ?

He is added to the DMW upon obtaining the key item Cait Sith’s Megaphone, and gives Zack various effects which are advantageous in battle by means of the Limit Break “Courage Boost!”

He brings various benefits for support in battle; troublesome status effects, such as poison, etc. are cancelled, and enemy attacks toward Zack are invalidated.

Cait Sith Map

—Midgar
Reeve treasures the city like his own child. He operates Cait Sith from the Shinra building here.

—Gold Saucer
Cait Sith calls out to Cloud disguised as a fortune-telling machine at this establishment, and follows him by force.

—Temple of the Ancients
To make the temple mutate and obtain the Black Materia, Cait Sith sacrifices his body.

Cait Sith – Timeline
[Compilation of FFVII]

[ μ ] – εуλ 0007/2/10

·BC — Gongaga
Together with the Turks, he infiltrates the site of the destroyed Mako Reactor. He searches for the Support Materia for Zirconiade’s summoning.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0007/12/

·FFVII — Gold Saucer
He awaits Cloud’s group, who is chasing Sephiroth’s trail, and travels with them by force to spy on them.

·FFVII — Gongaga
“You don’t think there’s a spy, do you Cloud?” When Cloud and the others reveal suspicion, he plays dumb.

·FFVII — Gold saucer
After giving the keystone to Tseng, he reveals himself as a Shinra spy to Cloud and co.

·FFVII — Temple of the Ancients
The Black Materia appears after his sacrifices his body. Afterward, machine #2 becomes a party member.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0007/2/10

·FFVII — Airship Highwind
Reverse spying on Shinra’s activities, he catches that a WEAPON is invading Midgar. Thereafter, he learns a crisis is imminent since Hojo is occupying the Mako Cannon, and begs his friends to prevent this.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0008/1/21

·FFVII — Northern Crater
Together with his friends, he fought in the final battle with Sephiroth to prevent Meteor’s fall.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0009

·AC — Edge
Together with his former comrades, he rides the Sierra to rush to Cloud’s aid.

[ ν ] – εуλ 0010

·DC — Kalm
Sends a message to Vincent’s cell phone and meets up with him. He then asks him to cooperate with the WRO to oppose Deepground.

·DC — Midgar
Infiltrates Mako Reactor 0 to investigates DG’s movements. He’s discovered by Nero along the way, and is destroyed when swallowed by the darkness he emits.

·DC — Airship Sierra
Restored in a new body. Through Shelke, he conveys his personal experience at Mako Reactor 0 to his friends.

The sector seven plate was dropped as a desperate act to crush a dissenting voice ShinRa could not control. While it was an act of retribution, it was also an act of censorship and of control by intimidation- it was to serve as a warning so that no one else would attempt the act again.

SOPA and PIPA, the proposed Internet Security acts currently in the US congress, also seek the ability to control the flow of information, to be able to control and censor the information online, and this could be extremely problematic for website reliant on information that originates from other sources, including and especially this one.

Even in the reduced forms, these bills are dangerous and set a terrible precedent as far as free speech rights are concerned.

There is, however, a shiny golden wire of hope. Many sites, including Wikipedia, Google, Boingboing, and countless blogs, are going dark today as a form of protest against these bills, to demonstrate the terrible repercussions the ability to censor the internet would have. Many sites are urging their readers to contact their own congress members and urge them to vote against the bill.

We urge you to do the same. This bill would not just affect this site, it would affect us all, both here in the US and with possible aftereffects abroad as well.

So, The Lifestream stands with the Blackout and Against SOPA and PIPA, for a free and uncensored internet.

We just hope you stand with us all too.

Site translator hitoshura has been kind enough to provide us with a chapter-by-chapter summary of the newest official FFVII novel. Released on December 15th, the book was written by Kazushige Nojima, writer of the original FFVII, as well as Crisis Core, Advent Children and the On the Way to a Smile novellas. As such, The Kids Are Alright is an authentic entry in the world of Final Fantasy VII.

Sadly, however, it had no official release outside of Japan. So, while you could still import it if you lived elsewhere, you novel, FINAL FANTASY VII Lateral Biography TURKS -The Kids Are Alright-. Released on December 15th, the book was written by wouldn’t be able to read it without some knowledge of the Japanese language.

Were the contents of this newest tale in Cloud Strife’s world, then, to be kept from us indefinitely? Blessedly, no. TheLifestream.net’s hitoshura has already stepped forward to provide his fellow fans with a rundown of the book’s main events.

This is to tide us over until he is able to provide a complete translation of the 354-page novel — an endeavour that is already under way, so be sure to check back in the future for updates about that.

What you’ll also find in this article: scans I’ve made of all the book’s artwork (illustrations by Shou Tajima), and my translation of a page from the beginning of the book that introduces several of the characters featured in the story. Additional thanks go to hito, by the way, for correcting me on a word I had mistranslated on that page.

So, if you’re ready to get caught up on the latest events in this world we all love, click upon “Read the rest of this entry” below.

And yes, by the way, that mouthful up there really is the book’s complete official title. “Lateral Biography” (外伝 in Japanese) really should have (in my opinion, anyway) just been rendered in English the way it’s pronounced in its native language: “gaiden.” As is usually the case with these things.

But that’s neither here nor there.

What is here: hito’s generous summary of The Kids Are Alright, scans of its artwork, and your first introduction to Evan and Kyrie — two new characters who serve as this story’s protagonists.

Without further ado, let’s start with the artwork:

Excluding the composite image used for the front page of the article, the first two images after that are the dust jacket’s front and back covers, respectively. The third image is the front, bare cover. The fourth is the back, bare cover. Fifth is the title page for the first half of the book, “See Me, Feel Me.” Sixth is the title page for the second half of the story, “Who Are You?”. And, finally, the last image is the character introductions page.

If, by the way, you think you’re noticing a lot of references to English rock band The Who, you’d be right. “The Kids Are Alright,” “See Me, Feel Me,” and “Who Are You?” all refer to the music group. The references don’t end there either.

The Kids Are Alright’s narrator and main character, Evan Townshend (エヴァン・タウンゼント in Japanese), also shares his last name with band member Pete Townshend (ピート・タウンゼント).

Why all the references? Your guess is as good as mine. Perhaps Nojima’s a fan. Or maybe it has something to do with the main characters of this story running a detective agency — all three CSI television shows use songs by The Who in their opening credits.

Next up, a translation of the character intros page posted above:

Evan
A 19-year-old young man who was living in depression on Midgar’s plate until 2 years ago. Along with Kyrie and other friends from the slums he came to know, he opened the Mireille Detective Agency. It’s been getting considerable business. A crooked young man who can’t plainly express himself.

Kyrie
A 19-year-old girl from the slums. Her family is now gone, leaving her all alone in the world. Thanks to her parents being skilled pickpockets, and the lessons of her swindler grandmother, she also lived a life of crime until meeting Evan and taking up detective work. She’s easy to get attached to, but is easily misunderstood as well. This is often the case even with her friends.

Reno
The self-styled ace of the Shin-Ra company’s Investigation Division of the General Affairs Department (nicknamed the Turks), his eye is on the company’s revitilization. He values his comrades more than anything, particularly his partner Rude, with whom he shares a deep trust. He becomes embroiled in circumstances involving Evan and co., and watches over them from the shadows.

Rude
One of the Turk’s elite, he serves alongside Reno. Following the Meteor calamity, he operates as escort to the Shin-Ra company’s ill president, Rufus. A warm-hearted but silent man, he is watching over Evan and co., like Reno.

Cloud
The man who runs the Strife Delivery Service, which carries out a delivery for Evan. Unknown to Evan and co., he is one of the heroes who once saved the world.

Tifa
Owner of the Seventh Heaven diner, where Evan and co. often hold business meetings. For Evan and the members of the Mireille Detective Agency, it is also a place of leisure.

And, finally, the real jewel in this thread — hito’s summary of each chapter of The Kids Are Alright:

This is the summaries for the first half of the book (“See Me, Feel Me”):

Also, a little explanation of the character notes if it’s even needed:
- Characters Introduced/CI: First time a character appears in the story themselves (not just mentioned/referenced)
- Mentions: First time a character is mentioned by name in the story
- References: First time a character is indirectly (not by name) referenced in the story

1. Evan talks about his past and family, leading up to the Meteor disaster. Evan lived with his mother on the Sector 6 plate. His father had died in the Wutai war, and his mother hated him. One day she brings home a man, Nix Foley, who says that the three of them are leaving Midgar. Evan storms out of the house, hoping to come back after their intended depature date and ruin their plans. On that day, the Sector 7 plate falls, leaving Evan (in Sector 8 ) to walk through all the other sectors to get home. When he arrives, he finds that his mother has gone. She left him a large sum of money, and a letter saying she will contact him when she’s reached her destination. With no word from his mother and not wanting to spend the money she’d left, Evan started working to make a living until the day Meteor and the Lifestream destroy Midgar.
Characters introduced: Evan, Evan’s mother, Kuro the cat, Nix/Nick Foley
Mentions: Evan’s father

2. Skips to 2 years later, at Healin with Rufus and the Turks. A man called Fabio steals some Geostigma medication from the lodge.
CI: Rufus, Tseng, Elena, Throp, Fabio Brown
Mentions: Sephiroth, Jenova, President Shinra

3. Reno and Rude pay Evan (Townshend) a visit, mistaking him for Fabio. Once they’ve gone, Evan goes to see Fabio but finds his little brother Vits, who has Geostigma, home alone.
CI: Reno, Rude, ‘Rat-Face’, Vits Brown
Mentions: Doyle

4. Evan heads to Seventh Heaven to meet his friends. Evan and Kyrie head to meet a client.
CI: Tifa, Leslie Kyle, Kyrie Canaan
Mentions: Marlene, Keogh (Rat-Face), Marle
References: Kilmister, Reeve

5. Elena is displeased with how Reno and Rude handled the ‘Fabio’ situation.

6. On their way through the slums to see the client, Arde, Evan reflects on how their detective agency got started. The job is to look for Arde’s missing son Gould, a SOLDIER 2nd Class who went missing prior to the Meteor disaster.
CI: Tyran Arde
Mentions: Mireille, Gould Arde, ‘man in the biker clothes’, Ceddie, Aunt Liz

7. Elena visits the real Fabio to punish him for stealing the medicine.

8. As Evan is clearing up the mess Reno and Rude left his room in, Vits comes by in the middle of the night in pain. When they go back to Vits’s home, Evan sees Fabio on the floor, beaten to a bloody pulp.

9. Evan, Kyrie and Leslie go to Johnny’s Heaven, where Evan talks about what happened to Fabio.
CI: Johnny
Mentions: Mr. and Mrs. Chico, Dr. Drake

10. After two days without sleep, Evan collapses outside the Mireille Detective Agency’s office. Kyrie ends up going to Reno and Rude for help, but regrets it when the Turks say they’re going to take her and Evan somewhere. They make plans to escape from the Turks into the slums.

11. Their escape attempt ends in failure, with Rude leading them to the truck that will take them wherever it is they’re going on their ‘drive’. Kyrie asks if this is how the Turks got Aerith.
Mentions: Aerith

12. Reno reveals that they are taking Evan to Healin, and it has something to do with his mother, Annette Townshend. Kyrie talks about how she knew Aerith. Reno and Rude reveal that the photo Evan and Kyrie got from Tyran Arde of Gould was taken in Nibelheim.
References: AVALANCHE (FFVII)

13. Rufus and Tseng discuss Annette Townshend, a former secreterial worker for Shinra who was offered ten-times the standard retirement bonus when she quit.

14. Evan meets Rufus and Tseng, who tells him that he is the illegitamate son of the late President Shinra. They are interrupted when they hear an explosion from the woods.

15. Fabio, Doyle and Keogh attack the lodge to rescue Throp, a friend of Keogh’s who had helped Fabio to steal the medicine. When they run into trouble, Evan bargains with the Turks by threatening Rufus, who lets them go.
CI: Doyle

16. On the way back home, Evan ends up banging his head and losing consciousness. He’s taken to Dr. Drake’s to be checked out. By this time, Evan and Kyrie have fallen out.
CI: Dr. Drake

17. Evan returns home and checks on Doyle and the others. He doesn’t tell them the truth about what he talked about with Rufus (instead telling them they wanted to use him as Rufus’s double), and decided to leave and get away from everyone.

18. In order to get fuel for his truck, Evan decides to contact the number from a business flyer he found, the Strife Delivery Service. Using the phone at Dr. Drake’s office, he tells the boy who answers, Denzel, that he wants a letter delivered.
CI: Denzel, young girl (Marlene)

19: Reno complains about how Evan and Rufus had their ‘family reunion,’ and how Tseng and Elena are off doing something and he can’t get in touch with them.

20. While waiting for Cloud, Dr. Drake talks about the book/file he is reading: on Jenova, the subject of many Shinra experiments. Cloud arrives and Evan tells him that he actually wants fuel, to which Cloud replies that his choices are Shinra, the WRO, or Don Corneo in Wall Market. Evan mentions planning on heading to Nibelheim to find a lost SOLDIER. Cloud tells him to go ask about Nibelheim at Seventh Heaven.
CI: Cloud
Mentions: Don Corneo

21. Evan goes to Seventh Heaven to ask Tifa about Nibelheim. She seems reluctant for him to go there, but shows him the route. He tells her he’s going to find his mother. She had been in the picture with Gould Arde. The man who had brought that photo to Tyran Arde was Foley.

22. Kyrie goes to see Reno and Rude to ask what they’ve done with Evan, thinking they’ve taken him or hurt him, and waits by Evan’s car until he gets back.

23. Evan goes to Leslie’s house in the slums to ask how to get to Don Corneo’s. He meets Marle, Leslie’s pregant girlfriend, who looks troubled when Evan mentions Corneo.
CI: Marle

24. Reno and Rude notice that Kyrie is still scared of them, which reminds them of Aerith.

25. Evan goes to see Corneo, now an old-looking man in a wheelchair, about getting fuel. He agrees and says it will be delivered to Edge. Corneo recognises Evan from a picture one of his men took off a bullitin board, which had been put there by Foley while he was looking for Evan. Evan takes two pictures from Corneo’s walls: one of Cloud, Tifa and Aerith, and one of Marle. On his way out Corneo says Evan can take as many pictures as he likes, because he has copies of them all. Evan rips up the pictures.
CI: Don Corneo, Corneo’s doorman

26. Evan goes back to Leslie’s house to apologise for taking the picture of Marle from Corneo’s in case something happens to him and Marle because of it. Leslie tells him not to worry, and how it was meeting him that made Leslie (a former man of Corneo’s), Fabio (robber) and Kyrie (general life of crime) mend their ways.

27. Doyle arrives at the site of the monument being built by Shinra to tell Reno that he, Throp and Keogh will be helping out with the construction (as a way to make up for the damage they caused when rescuing Throp). Doyle notices Evan’s truck he left with Reno to look at while he’s gone. Rude tells Reno he’s going to Midgar, where Tseng and Elena are going to get a helicopter.

28. Evan goes back to Seventh Heaven and gives the same apology he gave to Leslie about the picture he stole from Corneo. Tifa tells him that Kyrie was there earlier, and that she told her about Evan’s Nibelheim plan. Evan returns to his car to find Kyrie there, who is set to go with Evan on his trip.

29. While Rude is fixing one of the helicopters, Tseng tells him and Reno of their new project: to find Jenova. However, Reno notices someone was listening in on their discussion, and Tseng sends Elena to capture whoever it was.

30. Evan and Kyrie spend the night in the car, waiting for the fuel to be delivered in the morning. They are surprised when it’s Leslie who drops off the fuel, as well as weapons for Evan’s trip. He went back to Corneo pretending to want his old job back, but instead burns down Corneo’s house (Corneo himself survives). Evan and Kyrie get ready to set off together to Nibelheim.

Rest of the summaries cover the second half, “Who are you?”

31. On their way to Under Junon, Evan reflects on how he met Kyrie, Fabio and Leslie.
CI: Mireille Dudley (Kyrie’s grandmother)

32. Evan and Kyrie encounter a girl on a chocobo, asking about the medicine for Geostigma.
CI: girl on the chocobo

33. Rude falls victim to a failed attack by two men (Keogh and Fabio) while fixing the helicopter. Reno talks with Doyle about Shinra until he gets a call from Rude: Fabio and Keogh are dead.

34. While taking a break at a pond on the wastelands, Evan and Kyrie come face-to-face with a ‘red monster’. Evan’s attempts to get rid of it backfire when he shoots and blows up their own truck. Then Kyrie starts to sink into the water, now seemingly turning black.
CI: red, dog-like monster (Red XIII)

35. While following Evan in the helicopter, Rude and Reno reveal that it had been Doyle who was listening in on them, thinking Shinra were up to no good. When Fabio heard about the helicopter, he decided to take it to help Evan. Meanwhile Tseng and Elena are at a beach house in the newly rejuvenated Under Junon when they hear commotion outside. A young girl has been brought to the town by a talking red beast, which Tseng recognises as Red XIII. Tseng goes to the office of the town doctor, Dr. Eugene, and recognises the girl as Kyrie.

When Tseng goes back to Dr. Eugene’s, Kyrie has left. He finds her talking to a young man behind the doctor’s office. The boy has the same silver hair and the same eyes as Sephiroth–he introduces himself as Kadaj. He goes to shake Tseng’s hand, and as Kadaj leaves, both Kyrie and Tseng collapse. When they come to, Tseng warns Kyrie not to trust Kadaj, who Kyrie saw as an old acquaintance she thought had died in a fire, if he should appear again.

Reno and Rude, having found Evan, are bringing him to Junon. Tseng will use Evan and Kyrie in their search for Jenova.
CI: Dr. Eugene, Kadaj
Mentions: the former Turks, Hojo

36. On the helicopter ride to Junon, Evan sees Nanaki outside and thinks back on how he saved Kyrie and him. When they reach Junon, Kyrie, who thinks the Turks had something to do with Fabio’s death, suggests they try to escape. Their plan is cut short as soon as it began when Elena shoots Evan in the shoulder. While in Dr Eugene’s, Evan has a ‘dream’ where he sees Fabio, who touches the site of his injury. When he regains consciousness, Kyrie explains that he had been in surgery for five hours and in bed for two days, and the doctor said he might never get the full use of his arm back. However, Evan feels no pain or discomfort in his arm at all.

37. Although Evan is ready to give up on looking for his mother, Reno suggests to Tseng that they just whip him over to Nibelheim in the helicopter. Tseng agrees to this, but it is himself and Elena who will be going. Reno and Rude are to take over Tseng and Elena’s duties and wait for their former coworkers to report in.

38. Dr. Eugene is surprised to see Evan out of bed. His shoulder had been shattered, he should be in tremendous pain moving around, and he was supposed to be in restraints that he couldn’t have gotten out of himself. Elena tells them that the Turks will take them to Nibelheim. Evan no longer cares, but Kyrie wants to go to look for Gould Arde.

39. When they reach Nibelheim they are confronted by suspicious villagers and a bearded man with a guy–who Kyrie soon recognises as Gould Arde. He explains that Tyran Arde is his step-father, his real father having died in the war. They had never really been that close, and Gould has no plans on reuniting with Tyran.

As Evan is ready to leave, Kyrie asks Gould about Annette Townshend. He reveals that Foley had been distressed because, while he had feelings for Annette, she would not accept him because her son didn’t like him. Annette had stayed in Nibelheim not even a week before leaving due to work, before the day the Lifestream destroyed Meteor. Annette had been in charge of tending to the test subjects living in the village. Gould gives them a letter sent to Foley by Annette. The letter had been sent from Icicle Inn. Evan and Kyrie return to the helicopter and head north.
CI: Gould Arde

40. Back in Junon, Reno and Rude are still waiting for the old Turks when Doyle and Leslie arrive. They’ve come looking for Evan. The day before he died, Fabio had taken Vits to the doctor where he was told that Evan needed to be looked at urgently. Fabio considered Shinra the reason for his parents’ death, so would not just ask them for the helicopter and instead tried to steal it. Rude says they are going to go look for Evan.

41. While Tseng and Elena wait in the helicopter, Evan and Kyrie visit Icicle Inn. They go to the guesthouse to enquire about Annette Townshend, but the lady at the desk doesn’t know anything. However, she says the proprietress might, but that she isn’t in today. Evan and Kyrie stay at the guesthouse, and while Kyrie goes to get some things from the shop, Evan reads the letter from Annette. It reveals that the money she left at home was for Evan to have an operation. Annette had taken the job of being a ‘villager’ in Nibelheim for one year, with the possible penalty of death if she disclosed any secrets she learnt, in order to get money to pay for Evan’s operation. She sent her contract back to Foley when it seemed she was going to be staying away from Nibelheim for longer.

When Kyrie comes back, there is a knock at the door. The proprietress, Windey, has come to talk with Evan. Back in the helicopter, Tseng and Elena are listening in through a bug planted in Evan’s bag. Windey tells them about the strange people in black who appeared in the village two years earlier. Annette had come to take them back, but by the time she got there they had all headed further north. But two months later, Annette returned, saying she needed to carry out her work, and headed into the snow fields. She never came back. Windey tells Evan he shouldn’t go looking in the snow fields, as the eruption of Lifestream has left crevasses all over, many hidden by the snow.

Meanwhile Reno and Rude ask about Evan and the others at Nibelheim, but are met with an unwelcoming reception. As they are taking off, Reno notices another set of landing marks on the ground. He tries to contact Tseng, but to no avail.

Back at Icicle Inn, Tseng and Elena are now in the room adjacent to Evan and Kyrie’s, listening in on their conversation. Kyrie suggests Evan goes to Junon to find the doctor his mother mentioned, Dimitri. Tseng recognises the name–Dr. Eugene Dimitri.
CI: Windey, receptionist

42. When Evan and Kyrie seem to have come to the end of their conversation, Elena suggests Tseng gets some rest. He refuses and suggests Elena do so instead, but she seems to have little intention to do so. Tseng goes to the window and looks out… And there is that silver-haired young man looking directly at him. He makes up an excuse and goes outside.

While Kyrie is in the shower, Evan hears a knock at the window. Thinking it must be Tseng or Elena he goes over and wipes the condensation away to find ‘Fabio’ standing there. He tells Evan to come outside and talk to him, or else he’ll kill Kyrie. Evan goes, unarmed, out of the guesthouse. Elena soon follows him. Tseng makes it to the spot he saw Kadaj, but there are not even footprints where he was.

‘Fabio’ leads Evan to a small guards’ hut, where he says he wants to show Evan something. It’s the picture of Jenova he had seen in Dr. Drake’s office. There’s dark stains all over the picture–blood. Suddenly it’s Dr. Drake standing before him. He tells Evan how he had learnt Jenova was in the Shinra Building from the real Drake, only to find nothing there. He returned to Drake, feeling betrayed. For a second he saw in front of him a silver-haired man. He says it was him who took away Evan’s pain, thinking he would know something about Jenova. Taking the form of Evan’s mother, Kadaj undoes what he did before, leaving Evan in agonising pain.

Tseng finds Evan on the floor of the guards’ hut, but is attacked by Kadaj. Kadaj disappears when he realises that Tseng doesn’t know where Jenova is either. Elena follows the footsteps in the snow to Tseng and Evan.

43. With Tseng and Elena going to search for Kadaj, Evan rushes back to the guesthouse to check on Kyrie. Outside the room he hears voices coming from inside. Kyrie is talking with her old friend, Kadaj. But then there’s a gunshot, and Evan opens the door to find the silver-haired boy he’d seen before on the floor. Kyrie fires again and the man on reception comes rushing to see what is happening. Out of nowhere, Kadaj now has a sword in his hand, threatening to kill them. They manage to get out of the building, but Kadaj is right there, outside and in front of them. They start running but Kyrie stops. The guesthouse is on fire. Evan pulls Kyrie back up and heads for the entrance to the village.

Tseng and Elena had returned to the helicopter. Tseng is checking a rocket launcher as he asks Elena to contact Reno and Rude; turns out she already had let on where they were, and that the other helicopter is on its way now. Elena takes off towards the village, where Evan and Kyrie have just reached the guards’ hut as the helicopter reaches the village, when suddenly Kadaj leaps from the ground and onto the helicopter. As the helicopter begins to move north, Evan suggests that they can beat Kadaj.

44. Over the snow fields, Tseng and Elena are still fighting Kadaj, while Evan and Kyrie try to keep up. Evan has a plan to get Kadaj using the crevasses as a trap. But when looking up to find him, they hear a voice in front of them. Kadaj is standing there, and provokes Kyrie to lunge at him. Kadaj leaps out of the way, and Evan grabs Kyrie’s hand before she slipped. But suddenly, the snow beneath her feet crumbles away, leaving her hanging on to Evan’s hand. Just then Kadaj offers to help. Evan, unable to pull Kyrie up on his own, agrees. But Kadaj simply stabs Evan in the shoulder, as Kyrie falls to the bottom of the crevasse.

In the helicopter, Tseng is looking down on Kadaj, standing over Evan. He tells Elena to fire a missile. Elena hesitates and asks Tseng if he is serious, but Tseng gives the same reply.

Reno and Rude, along with Doyle and Leslie, arrive at their destination. Elena tells them to get ready to attack. Reno sets up a machine gun, but when he finally sees that Evan is down there, he is not willing to follow Tseng’s orders to fire. After Rude says a ‘malfunction’ cut off the radio, Tseng tells Elena that they will attack alone. He tells Elena to preform the attack, but she instead insists on piloting the helicopter.

Down on the ground, Evan hears Kyrie’s voice calling him. After Kadaj removes the blade from his shoulder, Evan slides himself towards the crevasse.

Rude spots Kyrie in the crevasse about 3 metres down, still alive. Leslie and Doyle try to shoot down Kadaj with the machine gun, hoping that with him gone they can save Evan and Kyrie. The bullets hit Kadaj, but have no effect, then he disappears. Reno and Rude turn to find him standing on the nose of the helicopter. He stabs the windscreen, shattering the glass. Rude veers the helicopter to the side and throws Leslie and Doyle out. He then takes the helicopter up higher, but Kadaj has gone. He’s now sitting in the back of the helicopter. Reno and Rude both jump from the helicopter. Once they’ve escaped, Tseng fires a missile at the other helicopter and explodes it.

45. Evan reaches Kyrie, but the force of the explosion cracks the ice apart and they both fall into the depth of the crevasse. However, they find themselves in a strange, bright white place surrounded by voices–the Lifestream. Eventually Evan wakes up to find himself and Kyrie in a pipe-like tunnel of ice, made two years ago when the Lifestream erupted. They make their way through this maze, looking for a way out.

Tseng tells Reno that he and Elena are going back to Under Junon, while Rude is going to Healin to get the third helicopter, in order to collect Reno, Doyle and Leslie who are looking for Evan and Kyrie.

Evan and Kyrie hit a dead-end, but Kyrie notices several shapes just ahead. They are bodies, all dressed in black, frozen and preserved. Also there is the body of Annette Townshend. When Kyrie checks her, she finds some letters she was carrying: a report to Foley about the escapee test subjects, a personal letter to Foley, and a note to Evan. Just as they are leaving, they notice one more item, a small warm mass wrapped in Annette’s handkerchief.

But as soon as they’ve turned around, they hear Kadaj’s voice behind them. As they try to outrun him they pass a hole leading into the Lifestream. Evan suggests that they jump in, but then the handkerchief falls to the ground and unravels. Inside is a piece of Jenova’s flesh. As Kadaj tries to grab it, Evan kicks it into the Lifestream. Kadaj jumps in to get it, but eventually is consumed by the Lifestream and vanishes into particles of light. Not long after, Leslie, Doyle and Reno find them.

Mentions: Vincent Valentine, Cid Highwind, Barrett Wallace
Test subjects: Kaitlin Starks, Edmond Starks, Trevor Shaun, Ezra Monty, Ian Modeus, Rick Fergus, Lisa Tutti, Senna York

46. The epilogue started off straight where the last chapter left off, but soon moves ahead to the end of/just after AC. Evan, Kyrie and Vits are now living together, and when the Lifestream spring appears in the church, they take Vits there to get cured.

No real cliffhangers, story over.

Also, a brief addendum: Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel briefly appear in the epilogue, where they converse with Evan, Kyrie and Vits outside the church. It’s mentioned that Cloud and co. will be holding a get-together at Seventh Heaven (AVALANCHE’s reunion party, when the new photo from AC/C’s ending was taken).

And with that, the summary is concluded.

We hope you enjoyed it, and have gained something of a handle on the new story. We also hope your appetite has been whet for hitoshura’s upcoming complete translation.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. =)

So, whatever your belief or lack thereof, have a pleasant end of year holiday and may you have a happy new year, and remember, Aerith died on Christmas day, but Hojo’s death rang in new hope for the new year.

PS- If you’re playing FF7 again for the Christmas season and new year, though we can’t actually be 100% sure on what day each event happens, you should definitely have finished disc 1 by now and you’ve only got a week to finish all of disc 2. So keep on plugging away at the game, folks.

Today’s music arrangement spotlight features another character theme. This is a ‘debut’ song by YouTube user naomiCENSOREDv2. It is a fan-vocal cover of Yuffie’s Theme by Nobuo Uematsu.

She wrote the lyrics, arranged the arrangement, performed, and recorded the entire song herself. The lyrics specifically cover Yuffie’s character development throughout the Compilation, and they do an excellent job of capturing the core essence of her character. The lyrics can be found on the YouTube version of this song. If you like it, be sure to drop by her page to leave a comment to show your support and check out her other songs!

Without further ado, we present Descendant of Shinobi, and as always you can right-click to save the MP3.

Today, we’re back to something more specific to Final Fantasy Seven, Cid’s theme.

This particular arrangement is by SongLeReveur, who you can follow on facebook if you like his work.

Here, we’ll let the artist speak for his own work, where he says “Before I get any comment about the sound/mix/instrument playing: YES it’s supposed to sound like that. I decided to use some dirty and imperfect takes, with guitar out of tune (well, the vibrato bar helps) and bongos sometime out of rythm. It fits better with Cid’s character, I think.”

Without further ado, sit down and drink your goddamn tea for four minutes forty seconds as you enjoy the song.
You can listen to the song via the streampad application, by clicking here, or right clicking to save the MP3.

Enjoy as we explore a Mayan pyramid, enter a sleeping forest via a village of bones, then solemnly end disc 1 with a tragic visit to a city made out of dried up coral reefs and giant sea shells.

Apologetic comment by Shademp: My odd pronounciation of the word “Reactor”, although similar to the Swedish way of saying it, was actually influenced by instances of hearing Serbian accents in documentaries. I am fully capable of pronouncing it correctly in English, but for some reason my mind played tricks on me here.

Complementary info to Part 45: Click here to see the Black Materia field model up close, as it is presented in Makou Reactor. As you all can see, it is FAR from spherical.

Correction to Part 46: Contrary to what Tennyo says, Cait Sith actually does not ditch you right before the “Demons Gate” battle. He stays with you through the battle.

If you want to participate in this commentary, don’t hesitate to join the forums and ask.

More, as always, after the break.

For the record, I was incorrect about ‘W’ in this video, as it was W in the original, though other games in the series did follow the X= double format.

And remember, if you want to join us, don’t hesitate to join the forums and ask.

Welcome to the second installment of the music arrangement spotlight feature.

This week, we’re looking at the foundation of all Final Fantasy music, The Prelude. Largely unchanged at its core from its first appearance in 1986, the theme has nevertheless seen numerous arrangements, both official and unofficial, that take this simple rise and fall of notes and slightly change it, using a different cadence, changing the instrument playing the notes, or adding new musical elements to transform the simple song into something new and unexpected without ever being unrecognizable.

Today’s arrangement of The Prelude comes from the 20th Anniversary A Tribute to Game -Sounds for Music- CD Album released in 1998 to commemorate 20 years of video game music from Space Invaders to Final Fantasy.

This particular arrangement was created by Masaru Shimabukuro, who performed the Guitar and Bass for the song, and Hajime Mizoguchi, who performed the Cello segment. The song is much shorter than our previous installment, at a ‘mere’ 4 minutes and 55 seconds, and can be listened to or downloaded using the link below, or the streampad application at the bottom of the page. Once again, if you have any suggestions for future installments for music spotlights, don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments or on the forum.

Enjoy the song, and remember, this is the prelude. We’re only getting warmed up.
Click here to listen to the song (or right click to save the mp3)

With this retrospective, “The Final Fantasy VII Letters”, written by two practiced video game commentators, Leigh Alexander and Kirk Hamilton, they attempt to answer this bearing question.

The contrast of Leigh Alexander being a long-time FFVII fan and Kirk Hamilton doing his very first playthrough of the game during their reflective letter correspondence, sets the stage for a nigh-to scientific venture into analysing just what it is that makes FFVII such an immersive experience.

The retrospective was published on pastemagazine.com and became ten entries in total, running from March 15th to May 6th, 2011. The game’s events and themes are presented pretty much in the order as the iconic Final Fantasy title itself presents them.

Begin the journey here. Warning, the sheer eloquence and professionalism found in these letters may blow the reader away. Leigh Alexander and Kirk Hamilton are well-versed in commenting video games and its industry as a whole. Follow the links provided in the letters to see more of their work.