SPOILERS LTD Remake — It's like New Coke except ... no, it's exactly like New Coke

[Skilganon]

The Cloud-centric interpretation of NPTK isn't what I'm arguing for. My point is that SE doesn't seem to mind people having that interpretation.

I don't think SE's intentions are as clear-cut as people think.

The meeting on the cobblestone street is a reference to Elmyra. She meets her on such street and we see it in her trial.

I don't have much interest in arguing interpretations. But the lyrics "Life passin' me by, not knowing how the years have flown" indicates that she's been walking city streets for a while. Doubtful this is about Elmyra.

It's the same thing with Hollow and people saying it's about Zack, so it must mean that Cloud wants to embrace Zack.

I'm not arguing for any interpretation. Someone at SE translated these lyrics. I'm just wondering why more people aren't upset with SE for leaving space for interpretations they themselves have been arguing against for years.

Let me put it this way: If a Clerith fan fiction writer was commissioned to write a song about CA, I don't think it would be that different from NPTK.

These songs play into the worst theories from CA shippers. Nobody seems to care all that much.

 

[pxl_pushr]

Because a story that holds your hand to the level required for there to be no room for misinterpretation isn’t a good story, or rather it’s a boring one.

On one hand, shippers will ship a ham sandwich if you leave it on screen long enough. There’s really no use in trying to control that aspect of fandom, and you’re better off just telling your story and leaving it.

Any work that’s fun to interpret leaves room to be misinterpreted, that’s why it’s engaging.

Why be upset when the guy who wrote those lyrics straight up tells you what it means? That’s why I personally find the convo around the songs boring: puzzle has been solved already.

 

[Reaper3Delta]

On one hand, shippers will ship a ham sandwich if you leave it on screen long enough. There’s really no use in trying to control that aspect of fandom, and you’re better off just telling your story and leaving it.

That's exactly what happens with FF7 shippers; they see the ham sandwich standing next to a pink lemonade the owner just forgot and their assumption is "oh, they are in love" smh

 

[Eerie]

Shipping really isn't the problem, people can ship whatever it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when they try to pretend that their fanon ship is the canon one, degrade characters in their stories etc. It's the whole illusional world that they have built as shippers that they try to pass as canon.

 

[Ryeleigh]

The Cloud-centric interpretation of NPTK isn't what I'm arguing for. My point is that SE doesn't seem to mind people having that interpretation.

I don't think SE's intentions are as clear-cut as people think.



I don't have much interest in arguing interpretations. But the lyrics "Life passin' me by, not knowing how the years have flown" indicates that she's been walking city streets for a while. Doubtful this is about Elmyra.

It's the same thing with Hollow and people saying it's about Zack, so it must mean that Cloud wants to embrace Zack.

I'm not arguing for any interpretation. Someone at SE translated these lyrics. I'm just wondering why more people aren't upset with SE for leaving space for interpretations they themselves have been arguing against for years.

Let me put it this way: If a Clerith fan fiction writer was commissioned to write a song about CA, I don't think it would be that different from NPTK.

These songs play into the worst theories from CA shippers. Nobody seems to care all that much.

The thing is... why should SE mind what interpretations people have of their games? Besides, the ones who would probably mind are the people who actually worked on the game and not really the company, lol. I mean, there just really isn't much a writer can do to stop people from having wild or even wrong interpretations of their work? Unless they become totally egocentric about their own work, flatten out all nuance, and argue with people either on social media or through another work, at which point it stops being fiction and becomes a mouthpiece.

And like, "why more people aren't upset with SE for leaving space for interpretations" very easily becomes "they shouldn't leave space for interpretations" which honestly sounds a bit like the Party in 1984 rewriting all literature in Newspeak so they could stop the horrors of thoughtcrimes. Which is also what religious fundamentalism does, where all differing interpretations are labelled heresies that should be stamped out. The extreme shippers, the ones who are honestly cult-ish about it, also have a similar mindset.

Besides, tbh, No Promises to Keep just as easily fits ZA and CT so I personally don't care much about the song, lol.

Shipping really isn't the problem, people can ship whatever it doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when they try to pretend that their fanon ship is the canon one, degrade characters in their stories etc. It's the whole illusional world that they have built as shippers that they try to pass as canon.

Someone said that being in fandom is like fighting misinformation in real time, lol. And yeah, this is what the non-canon shippers who demand canon/fandom validation don't seem to get: nobody cares what they ship, lol. What people care about are the lies, the high and mighty attitude, playing the victim, harassment, etc.

 

[abzy1200]

What bothers me is when they try to pretend that their fanon ship is the canon one, degrade characters in their stories etc. It's the whole illusional world that they have built as shippers that they try to pass as canon.

I think it's important to note that it's gotten to the point that content creators would rather dodge the topic entirely for fear of backlash. The LTD and the people who have been arguing about it for years have given the game a bad rep in some ways.

I mean, Cloud and Tifa's relationship is a core aspect of the narrative, and yet people can't talk about it without people clipping them and ridiculing them on Twitter.

I also think there might be a tendency from people to see that people argue over what we call a "Love Triangle" and immediately close their minds to new information and declare it ambiguous because "I couldn't care less about shipping bs" or something like that, leading them to miss crucial plot points in favour of upholding that highground because shipping is part of cringe culture these days, and they'd rather distance themselves from a massive part of the narrative because of that.

So, even though I think the LTD might have given the game a bit more longevity, I also think that, at this point, it's doing more harm than good to discussion around the game and peoples' interpretations of it. I don't mean that I want everything to be spoonfed to people, but just the existence of an "LTD" can immediately shift someone's perspective of things in such a way that they don't engage properly with the media.

I don't have much interest in arguing interpretations. But the lyrics "Life passin' me by, not knowing how the years have flown" indicates that she's been walking city streets for a while. Doubtful this is about Elmyra.

Even if it is about Cloud specifically, it could still be read as "My life was boring, and then I met you (Cloud), and through you I met so many amazing people and experienced things I never would have gotten to had I not run into you." So, I wouldn't stress about it too much.

 

[Skilganon]

Maybe most of my frustrations are the result of hindsight. Knowing the OG story puts things in a certain context someone new to the franchise wouldn't have. There's no point trying to analyze a story that isn't finished. Though it being a Remake, does that even apply?

 

[lyingbanana]

I mean, Cloud and Tifa's relationship is a core aspect of the narrative, and yet people can't talk about it without people clipping them and ridiculing them on Twitter.

Yes this so much, its so frustrating.

Also on the flip side of this, I'd also like to be able to talk about Cloud and Aerith's relationship or regular interactions without people derailing into "they are not canon" (usually by CT) or "its so romantic!!" (Usually by CA) Like nooo pls just let me analyze the relationships of the characters without it devolving into shipping. Those two characters can also be talked about without it being about romance.

I guess my wish for the end of the re-trilogy is being able to talk about all parts of the story without it getting derailed into shipping discourse. Like the relationships become so clear for even the average Joe that we can finally find peace lol

 

[Ryeleigh]

Yes this so much, its so frustrating.

Also on the flip side of this, I'd also like to be able to talk about Cloud and Aerith's relationship or regular interactions without people derailing into "they are not canon" (usually by CT) or "its so romantic!!" (Usually by CA) Like nooo pls just let me analyze the relationships of the characters without it devolving into shipping. Those two characters can also be talked about without it being about romance.

I guess my wish for the end of the re-trilogy is being able to talk about all parts of the story without it getting derailed into shipping discourse. Like the relationships become so clear for even the average Joe that we can finally find peace lol

I get that frustration but other stories that ended thirty, twenty, ten years ago with very definite pairings still have ship discourse and wars. So it might be good to get used to the idea that LTDs never truly end and still do your own thing regardless. XD