New Novel, FINAL FANTASY VII Lateral Biography TURKS: The Kids Are Alright [SPOILER THREAD]

[Scias]

I'm entirely neutral on this. It might be good, it might not be.

Pretty much this. It's a VERY interesting piece of news but right now we have no idea of what we could expect so... Yeah :/. And I know it's engrish more engrishy than mine but that title sounds kinda... Weird. "The Kids Are Alright"? They're referring to the BC Turks as the "kids" or some... other kids?

 

[Shademp]

If you double check that translation, I think you'll find it actually says "The Corporate Assassins Are Still in Business."

Which part? You mean the Japanese title of the book?

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Which part? You mean the Japanese title of the book?

It was my sad attempt at a joke, Shadey. As Scias says, it sounds weird to refer to the Turks as 'klds'. And do any of them actually deserve to be "all right"?

 

[Octo]

I got the joke, sadly cookie monster has ruined our ability to detect humor

Now I have a horrid feeling it's going to be some awful shite where the Turks have to look after some useless slum orphans like denzel and hilarity ensues

At 300+ pages there better be some sex. Not with the orphans though, gotta draw the line somewhere

 

[Scias]

That was one of the problems with the Compilation treatment of the Turks. In FFVII they meant business. Yes, they were pretty silly at times and weren't inherently evil but they didn't have any problem killing an entire poblation (or part of it anyway) in the game's first 5 hours (?). Then in AC they're saving orphan kids in Edge. The most terribly ironic thing is that who knows, maybe they were the ones who killed these children's families (one way or another) .

It's just a terrible attempt to make them nicer and softer and that isn't the way it works. Of course, redemption IS possible, of course it is and it doesn't have to involve death, but it needs lots and lots of character development to make these changes credible and coherent, CD that they didn't got in the movie. They're probably the biggest Karma Houdinis on the whole story. With a lot of Draco in Leather Pants on the fandom.

 

[ForceStealer]

The Turks do whatever they are ordered to (unless they're on vacation). So if Rufus' orders were to find the missing kids, which they apparently were since they were looking for them and learned they were at the Forgotten Capitol, I don't see why they wouldn't save them.

Anyway, late thanks for this news. I'm glad to see they haven't completely forgotten about the Compilation, though I know some people feel the opposite. But I agree that the name of this seems to heavily imply that it will be about what happened to all the new Turks.

 

[Lord Noctis]

Crisis Core had a lot of contradictions? Like what? (simply out of pure curiosity)

Not sure if these are the ones tres is talking about, but CC tends to contradict certain parts ofn the OG. Primarily the nibelheim incident, although there are other examples scattered here and there. For example, in the OG Cloud states he's never been to shinra hq before. But you come across him there at one point in CC.

EDIT: Anyway, I'm glad to hear about this. I'm optimistic that this will be a good read.

 

[Theozilla]

Not sure if these are the ones tres is talking about, but CC tends to contradict certain parts ofn the OG. Primarily the nibelheim incident, although there are other examples scattered here and there. For example, in the OG Cloud states he's never been to shinra hq before. But you come across him there at one point in CC.

EDIT: Anyway, I'm glad to hear about this. I'm optimistic that this will be a good read.

Ah, so it had retcons. Well, I am personally used to that (from reading superhero comics, which are full of retcons).

Anyways, I am also optimistic about, if they have the same quality as the On Away To A Smile store, I think I would be content.

 

[Tetsujin]

Good to see Cloud is looking joyous as ever.

Spoiler

Apparently the book is about two young adults called Evan and Kirie who were born in a town near the wasteland and open a private detective agency in Edge.
Some guy gets killed and they contact the Turks or something like that. Cloud and Tifa apparently make an appearance as well.

 

[Elisa Maza]

Good to see Cloud is looking joyous as ever.

Spoiler

It's from the guy who wrote and drew MPD Psycho. I'm not surprised.

Apparently the book is about two young adults called Evan and Kirie who were born in a town near the wasteland and open a private detective agency in Edge.
Some guy gets killed and they contact the Turks or something like that. Cloud and Tifa apparently make an appearance as well.

The detective part brought to my mind the early concept of FFVII, where the main character was a detective in... New York, I think? Yeah, something like that.

With 300 pages, I expect almost everyone to make an appearance.

Do we know its timeline? As in, when it's taking place?

 

[Guts]

RENO'S ANSWERING MACHINE!! I KNOW YOU'RE THERE, RENO.

Edit: Might actually fit Cloud more now I think...

 

[Lord Noctis]

Good to see Cloud is looking joyous as ever.

Spoiler

Apparently the book is about two young adults called Evan and Kirie who were born in a town near the wasteland and open a private detective agency in Edge.
Some guy gets killed and they contact the Turks or something like that. Cloud and Tifa apparently make an appearance as well.

Is it just me, or does it look like Cloud has a massive hangover in that pic?

ANyway, the plot idea sounds interesting. Itscertainly different from the normal FFVII storylines, which is good. Can't wait for it to come out.

 

[Shademp]

Apparently the book is about two young adults called Evan and Kirie who were born in a town near the wasteland and open a private detective agency in Edge.
Some guy gets killed and they contact the Turks or something like that. Cloud and Tifa apparently make an appearance as well.

Source? I can't navigate through the e-store as I don't know a speck of Japanese. Did they add an expanded description to the book? If they did, I can't see it.

 

[Octo]

Apparently the book is about two young adults called Evan and Kirie who were born in a town near the wasteland and open a private detective agency in Edge.
Some guy gets killed and they contact the Turks or something like that. Cloud and Tifa apparently make an appearance as well.

So are Evan and Kirie the 'kids' referred to in the title?

Oh great, even more pointless new characters.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

So are Evan and Kirie the 'kids' referred to in the title?

Oh great, even more pointless new characters.

I both agree and disagree, since I've now reached the point of obsession where I actually like new characters because I'm interested in the NPCs and other ordinary people of this world and believe in my heart that they're real . On the other hands, more about the characters who matter would be better.

And yay, new town!

 

[Vivi]

So are Evan and Kirie the 'kids' referred to in the title?

Oh great, even more pointless new characters.

It might be a good thing that this focuses on new characters. The Compilation hasn't exactly been treating the main characters very well, so at least it can't get worse for them.

I hope.

If Cloud gets another reason to be sad about junk, I'm going to flip a shit.

 

[Octo]

I both agree and disagree, since I've now reached the point of obsession where I actually like new characters because I'm interested in the NPCs and other ordinary people of this world and believe in my heart that they're real . On the other hands, more about the characters who matter would be better.

And yay, new town!

Well to be specific, the BC Turks we're blank canvases so to speak, so though I wasn't particularly interested in them, I didn't find them offensive (and obviously your fic has made them interesting characters in their own right, without pulling focus from the main Turks)

What I mean by pointless new characters: Genesis, SHM, pretty much everyone introduced in DoC. Lazard....that other Shinra Scientist whos name escapes me.....Angeal. DENZEL!

(and yeah, I'll admit until I read your fic I didn't give much of a shit about Lazard and Angeal)

Obviously it would be impossible to tell a story without having a few new named characters, and 'NPC' types can do an awful lot to flesh out the FFVII universe (this was particularly apparent in the OG, and was lacking in subsequent titles) its just that it sticks in my craw when they keep introducing new 'Poochie' characters which basically serve as a vehicle for one of Nomuras ridiculous haircut designs.

So I guess what I am saying is I don't mind if these new characters are used in a good way, its just that throughout the complilation there have been dozens of new characters that serve little purpose than to take up screen time.

Can anyone honestly say that they're more interested in the new characters even when there is still so much to explore with existing ones? :/

/rant

EDIT:

It might be a good thing that this focuses on new characters. The Compilation hasn't exactly been treating the main characters very well, so at least it can't get worse for them.

I hope.

I know, I'm just totally conflicted about the whole thing.

If Cloud gets another reason to be sad about junk, I'm going to flip a shit.

We don't even know when exactly this book will be set. Obviously its post Meteor, as Edge exists, but we don't exactly know if its before or after AC. I'm hoping after, because if it was before then Cloud would still be in his fug.

If they set it after and Cloud still has is panties in a bunch then I hope they kill him off by having his face ripped off by a baboon and thrown up a tree.

Ooooh. If Cloud and Tifa are in it this could mean big juicy things for the LTD!

 

[Tetsujin]

Source? I can't navigate through the e-store as I don't know a speck of Japanese. Did they add an expanded description to the book? If they did, I can't see it.

My source: http://cetraconnection.de/2011/10/neuer-ff-vii-roman-turks-the-kids-are-alright/

Their source:
http://www.amiami.jp/shop/ProductInfo/product_id/236372

http://www.ff-reunion.net/ff/2011/10/28/novel_ff7_lateral_biography_turks

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I see what you mean about the pointless characters - all those spare experiments and clones and splinters of Sephiroth - and that extra army the old President kept in the basement, that was the worse of all. If this new book has more of the same I'll be disappointed. I'd love it if Evan and Kyrie were just a couple of ordinary kids investigating ordinary crimes. In fact, I'd love it if more of the NPCs reappeared and were given names and stories. Wouldn't be great if the Sector Seven station guard survived?

 

[ForceStealer]

Does that picture have anything to do with this book? The logo in the corner just says Advent Children. And outside his outfit...it doesn't even look like Cloud.

 

[Elisa Maza]

^ No. It was one of the many artworks SE commisioned from manga artists for the AC movie.

It's just that the illustrator of this pic will be the illustrator for the novel.

 

[Scias]

Hmmm, that plot idea sounds good. A detective story with murder and all? I'm officially interested.

Oh great, even more pointless new characters.

New characters per se aren't a problem. The real problem comes when the writers try to shoehorn them into a previously established background retconning everything and stuff like that just to make them "important".

 

[Guts]

I actually think it'd be cool if the "hot blooded" detective character Sakaguchi thought up got a role in one of the novels, as someone investigating Avalanche and uncovering some of the secrets behind Shinra incidentally. It's a shame they don't really create things that seem cut from, if you get my drift, FFVII's "lifestream" and rather look like they're from somewhere else entirely. They had tons of pre game material they could dissect and inject, tons of NPCs already.

Good to see Cloud is looking joyous as ever.

Spoiler

I don't get it. Yeah it's not from the novel, but I thought it'd have been obvious the story wasn't about Cloud's reaction to the LTD threads.

 

[Octo]

In fact, I'd love it if more of the NPCs reappeared and were given names and stories. Wouldn't be great if the Sector Seven station guard survived?

I want to know what happened to the Shinra Manager. That guy seemed to be having a shit time of things even before Shinra went tits up.

New characters per se aren't a problem. The real problem comes when the writers try to shoehorn them into a previously established background retconning everything and stuff like that just to make them "important".

Yes, that's basically what I wanted to say but I was inarticulate with rage Case in point, having Angeal's uh...griffin thing living in the rafters of Aeris' church was weird, and having that asshole Genesis turn up at that asshole Sephiroth's meltdown was just stoopid.

I actually think it'd be cool if the "hot blooded" detective character Sakaguchi thought up got a role in one of the novels, as someone investigating Avalanche and uncovering some of the secrets behind Shinra incidentally.

Someone like

Spoiler: this

not

Spoiler: this:

(though I do love Gumshoe)

It's a shame they don't really create things that seem cut from, if you get my drift, FFVII's "lifestream" and rather look like they're from somewhere else entirely.

Yeah, I understand that times move on and that a designers aesthetic sensibilities change, but they could at least try and get some coherence. Especially if you're meant to be making prequels.

I've studied art and design, and you're meant to keep all of your design sheets, notebooks, sketches and research material so you can go back and evaluate, use it as a reference etc. It just seems like they havent done this with the compilation. Which is why the monsters in Crisis Core look like they're from a later FF entirely :/

They had tons of pre game material they could dissect and inject, tons of NPCs already

.

This, FFVII had such a rich seam of NPCs. I also get the feeling that there was alot of stuff that didn't make the final cut of FFVII, and I mean aside from all the great stuff Shademp and Glitterberri have been digging up.

 

[Guts]

The original rendition of Vincent with the smooth lady chatting attitude and mad surprise at his transformations was king. That's something you couldn't so reliably retcon though.