A Rant about FFVII Fanon
May. 21st, 2011 02:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kooriiThis is a rant that's been building for a long time. In fact I've gone off about it to several people. However, I am now going to write it here in a vague attempt to gather my thoughts on it in one place.
Dear FFVII Fandom & a particular subset of Time Travel Fic writers in particular,
Cloud Strife isn't, never was, and never will be a cadet. I have no idea where this particular bit of fanon started, but I want to poke whomever it was in eye for it.
The fact of the matter is, is the way you are using the ranking/term of cadet is wrong. A cadet is someone who is training to become a military officer. Guess, what? Cloud ain't that. Cloud Strifeattempted to join SOLDIER, failed, and was shuffled into ShinRa's army as an average grunt: A private. He is as follows: A trooper, an infantryman, a grunt, a regular every day soldier in ShinRa's military. Later, he tried and failed to join SOLDIER.
He. Is not. A. cadet.
You know who you might say is a cadet? Elena. She attends/attended ShinRa Military Academy and is therefor possible to be labeled as a "cadet". Had Cloud attended a military academy he would have been a cadet, and when he entered the army he would have been given an officer rank. Not necessarily SOLDIER, or a Turk, but something like Captain, or Lieutenant. He would not have been a regular Private!
I'm going to be vaguely generous and wonder if the cadet fanon was because someone played FFVIII and Garden is crawling with SeeD cadets and didn't realize what the term meant. In that world the term is applicable: Garden is essentially a military academy training mercenaries to act as leaders--as officers.
Cloud most likely failed whatever tests it was that SOLDIER wannabes take and was shuffled off to basic and then into the army. ETA: Or went through Basic and then tried and failed SOLDIER. /End ETA He was never a cadet. He never attended a military academy. He was a nobody from a tiny, podunk little town that's only saving noticeable grace was being home to ShinRa's oldest reactor.
I realize that this fanon is deeply entrenched in the fandom, it pains me to see it and I get a little overly reactionary over it as you can see. I doubt people will ever stop using it, because they seem to think its correct. It still pains me greatly. I hate that word anymore. Grargh. It would just be nice, so very nice, to see fics where they refer to Cloud by what he is. It would be even nicer to see fics that don't fall into the fanon trope that there's a special pre-SOLDIER training program or something. Maybe there is, maybe not. But I still doubt that they would refer to the applicants as cadets. It just isn't the proper terminology.
That being said, I could be horrendously wrong here but.... Anyway, that's my thoughts on the matter as concisely as I can put it and now I feel a little less full of flailing rage.
Sincerely,
A very Disgruntled White Mage
Dear FFVII Fandom & a particular subset of Time Travel Fic writers in particular,
Cloud Strife isn't, never was, and never will be a cadet. I have no idea where this particular bit of fanon started, but I want to poke whomever it was in eye for it.
The fact of the matter is, is the way you are using the ranking/term of cadet is wrong. A cadet is someone who is training to become a military officer. Guess, what? Cloud ain't that. Cloud Strife
He. Is not. A. cadet.
You know who you might say is a cadet? Elena. She attends/attended ShinRa Military Academy and is therefor possible to be labeled as a "cadet". Had Cloud attended a military academy he would have been a cadet, and when he entered the army he would have been given an officer rank. Not necessarily SOLDIER, or a Turk, but something like Captain, or Lieutenant. He would not have been a regular Private!
I'm going to be vaguely generous and wonder if the cadet fanon was because someone played FFVIII and Garden is crawling with SeeD cadets and didn't realize what the term meant. In that world the term is applicable: Garden is essentially a military academy training mercenaries to act as leaders--as officers.
Cloud most likely failed whatever tests it was that SOLDIER wannabes take and was shuffled off to basic and then into the army. ETA: Or went through Basic and then tried and failed SOLDIER. /End ETA He was never a cadet. He never attended a military academy. He was a nobody from a tiny, podunk little town that's only saving noticeable grace was being home to ShinRa's oldest reactor.
I realize that this fanon is deeply entrenched in the fandom, it pains me to see it and I get a little overly reactionary over it as you can see. I doubt people will ever stop using it, because they seem to think its correct. It still pains me greatly. I hate that word anymore. Grargh. It would just be nice, so very nice, to see fics where they refer to Cloud by what he is. It would be even nicer to see fics that don't fall into the fanon trope that there's a special pre-SOLDIER training program or something. Maybe there is, maybe not. But I still doubt that they would refer to the applicants as cadets. It just isn't the proper terminology.
That being said, I could be horrendously wrong here but.... Anyway, that's my thoughts on the matter as concisely as I can put it and now I feel a little less full of flailing rage.
Sincerely,
A very Disgruntled White Mage
no subject
Date: 2011-05-21 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-21 11:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 03:26 am (UTC)Cloud Strife attempted to join SOLDIER, failed, and was shuffled into ShinRa's army as an average grunt: A private. He is as follows: A trooper, an infantryman, a grunt, a regular every day soldier in ShinRa's military.
Crisis Core timeline, it seems like at the time he met Zack, he had yet to try out for SOLDIER. It seems like it was only later, after Zack's new hairdo/Before Crisis events, that it seemed like he had failed.
But that might just be me...
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Date: 2011-05-22 03:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 03:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 03:39 am (UTC)Zack: Hmm. Let's wait a bit here.
Cloud: Zack---
Zack: Hmm?
Cloud: What kind of impression do you have of SOLDIER.
Zack: I really don't know. Well, once you get in you'll understand.
Cloud: If that even happens.
Zack: Don't worry. Even I got in pretty easy. Hey Cloud. Over there.
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Date: 2011-05-22 03:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 03:44 am (UTC)But it makes Cloud's characterization interestingggg.
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Date: 2011-05-22 03:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 03:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-05-22 05:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-03 10:58 am (UTC)Finally, someone else has noticed the fanon fail.
(Friends you. <3)
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Date: 2011-06-03 03:16 pm (UTC)/e-hugs if wished.
I've been preaching about this to anyone who will listen. So far I've made a few of my friends take notice. XDD I don't think the fandom will change, but at least I can make a few people notice. Lmfao.
/friend's you back
no subject
Date: 2011-06-06 06:23 am (UTC)/e-hugs are welcomed.
Mhm. It is a deeply ingrained fanon!fail - one that rubs me in all the /wrong/ ways. XP I'm just hoping more people will realise that wiki exists for a reason and start /checking/ their work. (Even if it isn't as accurate as one would hope.)
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Date: 2011-06-06 06:26 am (UTC)In fact, I've got a fic started where I've got 13 year old Trooper!Cloud running around. :P
It's all pre-Hojo and all that good stuff, and hares off AU from there. I like to hope that maybe, just maybe, it might stick on a few people. XD
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Date: 2011-06-06 06:47 am (UTC)I miss pre-Hojo. The end of Crisis Core broke me in new and fantastic ways. I spent most of my post-game laziness wishing Cloud had enough sense to use Phoenix Down - but that's beside the point.
*cough* The point is: thirteen year old Trooper!Cloud makes me squee. XDD
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Date: 2011-06-06 06:50 am (UTC)I also despise common!fanon!Cloud and all his terrified save me uke glory. My Cloud is actually kind of a little prick.
But, I'm really enjoying writing him so oh well!
Also, ngl, I cried for hours after I beat Crisis Core for the first time. Like, so bad my parents asked me what was wrong and I just babbled about the video game. That ending and my attachment to the characters made it feel like I was going through actual mourning. XD
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Date: 2011-06-06 07:01 am (UTC)(My Cloud tends to treat everything as completely ridiculous. Unless he's in a situation where things should be taken seriously. But saying that aloud is kind of redundant.)
And Crisis Core is amazing. I ended up screaming, at the top of my lungs, whilst in public: "NOOOO~! Zack! Don't leave me~"
T-T
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Date: 2011-06-06 07:05 am (UTC)Also, learning that the world isn't as simple as he thought, which is terrifying but he's doing alright!
A couple months later, near Christmas, my mom was ranting about how shitty Christmas was this year and I just thought randomly "Of course it sucks! Zack is dead!!" and then had a total double take moment at my own thoughts. XD It was pretty pathetic/hilarious.
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Date: 2011-06-06 07:23 am (UTC)And /yesh/. I spent weeks trying to convince myself that Zack was /just a character/ and /not real/. And failed miserably. It was like having my own mental!train wreck.
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Date: 2011-06-06 09:03 pm (UTC)You just...want to make it all better. XD
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Date: 2011-06-10 06:41 am (UTC)Squeenix did an amazing job with him, didn't they? All that angst without any major shifts in regard to his personality and whatnot. He's still smiling, even at the very end. XDD