The only difference now is that this is the canon depictions of the characters, in the universe of the game from which they came from
I get what you're saying about the AU/timeline stuff being undefined, and that some theorycrafting is more legitimate than others... but to be fair... at a certain point, that's on the storytelling for not defining the rules by which these things operate, and not really on the audience for arriving at faulty conclusions. I would argue that introducing AU/timelines inherently gives more credibility to ideas like the Kingdom Hearts versions of the characters being the same people
I'm not convinced that's their intention, but I don't think it's... not
not their intention
All I am saying is that it's difficult to be dismissive of shipper nonsense anymore when there is pretty equivalent nonsense that's been presented in the narrative+creators themselves, as it stands right now. Cloud having adulterous rendezvous with Aerith in a field of flowers isn't any less silly than the suggestion of there being two Buster Swords roaming around, or that a potato chip bag is the key to understanding all the universe's questions
Whatever it all means, we don't know of course, but it's concretely there in the story now. Moreso than when it was simply characters making cameo appearances in other games.
