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[ladybug_archive]

I am kind of rattled/unsettled.

For the second time, I've received a very weird review on one of my FF7 fics, basically saying that Zack isn't a true friend to Sephiroth. This one claims that he spreads nasty rumors behind Sephiroth's back.

Um, what? When does he do that, in canon?

The other weird review I received to this extent was several years ago. That person claimed that Zack thought all winged beings were monsters and Sephiroth would not be friends with him and Sephiroth was justified in flipping out and destroying anyone who felt that way.

When I looked at the person's profile, they were a very strange person who wrote things about people thinking Seph was a monster and Seph retaliating.

This new person writes weird things similar, about Zack and Cloud saying winged people are monsters and Sephiroth teaming up with Freddy Krueger to destroy them. Um, what?! Also stuff about Zack using people like Kadaj as gay boy toys without really caring about them.

Are they the same person? They certainly have similar viewpoints and neither of them have English as a first language.

If they're the same person, I could relax and just brush it off as one very demented weirdo. What disturbs me is the thought they're different people. If they are, is this some meme in some other country, or even a translation error in the game, that Zack thinks all winged beings are monsters? He was the one who tried to tell Angeal that they were like angel wings when Angeal felt like a monster. And as I recall, and I could be totally wrong here, as it's been forever since I watched the Crisis Core cutscenes, Zack only started to wonder if they were monsters when they started doing monstrous things, but it was said in a moment of utter discouragement and feeling betrayed and that attitude didn't last.

In any case, I most certainly don't recall anything in canon about him spreading nasty rumors about Sephiroth. Is this person just completely whacked out, imagining things in canon that aren't there? Or are they just warped and demented and have decided to accept fanon as canon? Or do they just hate Zack for no real reason and decided to randomly and knowingly invent reasons that don't exist? Is it just another case of Zack being a hated character and the haters making up dumb reasons to hate him, the same as they do for the Naruto girls and Tea from YGO, etc.? I thought Zack was fairly well-liked. Of course I know every character has haters, but these reviews are really, really weird. It would be one thing to hate on Zack for actual canonical reasons, but if there's no canon here and they're acting like there is, what's going on?

I know I suppose I could try to ask them where they're getting their information, but when I can see from their profile that they write really messed-up stories, I don't think I'd want to even try talking to them. I doubt they'd give me a straight answer. I think I tried talking to the first person and the response they gave me was gobbledegook.

(And do I even still have any active FF7 fans on the Friends list to talk about this with?)

Comments

[northeastwind.livejournal.com]

It's been a long, long while since I played Crisis Core (my poor PSP), but I don't recall Zack being like that either. Maybe it is a translation thing.

I wouldn't bother asking (STRESS. YOU DON'T NEED MORE), but yeah, you have to wonder sometimes. They might be taking that one instance and deliberately stretching it because of some personal IRL frustration? I've done that once in a while, but I don't claim it's canon or go into other people's reviews talking about it, and I try to get over it after a while. That's a little rude.

If I had to wager a guess at reasons behind irrational Zack hate, it would be shipping wars with Cloud. But that doesn't sound like it applies here o.O

If it makes it easier, just remember that there are seven billion people on this planet and there were bound to be at least two people with the same opinion somewhere on it. Someone's got to agree.

And I'm not active, but I did re-read my fanfic recently and came across the Twilight and Dawn/Tales of Phantasia crossover, so I do have it on the mind. Ahaha.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your input. :) I was hoping you'd drop by.

I wish I knew if it was a garbled translation thing. That's really terrible, if they messed up that bad.

That could be. Occasionally I do that too, but like you, I don't blow it out of proportion and insist it's canon and bother other people about it.

Yeah, it doesn't seem to apply at all.

LOL. That's a good way to look at it. Makes sense.

Ha, fun. One of these days, I really mean to finish The Diamond Rose Glass, since I only had a couple of chapters more.

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

Oh bleah. I don't know enough about FFVII, but based on what I know of Zack, he doesn't seem like the type at all. Judging from their "stories" you described, sounds like the kind of bashing that Raoul gets in the Phantom fandom.

I never understood the Téa hate, either.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Yeah, it kind of does. Poor Zack and Raoul and Tea.

The Tea hate generally seems so illogical. I get someone just not liking the character because she rubs them the wrong way, but when it's so widespread and so many are just being rabid and illogical about the hate and coming up with reasons to hate her that aren't even true, I just have to scratch my head in disbelief.

[rose-of-pollux.livejournal.com]

Indeed. *hugs them all*

Bashers don't need reasons, alas. They'll come up with their own ones....

(Gotta run now, though; see you!)

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

**does too.**

Very true.

See you!

[itsabere.livejournal.com]

Zack absolutely does not spread rumors of that sort in the English or Japanese versions of the game. I'd place my bets on it being a deliberate mischaracterzation.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

I'd rather believe that than that a translation of the game from those people's countries messed it up.

I really wonder how such bizarre mischaracterizations get started.

Glad to see you pop in!

[itsabere.livejournal.com]

It's been a while! I do sometimes pop onto LJ to read your entries, but that's really the only reason I haven't deleted my account.

As for how it starts, eh, it's just a sadly common thing that happens with fandom. People don't like this character or that character, and so they deliberately misinterpret vital parts of who they are. And/or they're incredibly poor writers who care more about their own wish fulfilment than anything else.

[insaneladybug.livejournal.com]

Aww, I'm glad I'm interesting enough for you to hold onto it! What websites do you usually use instead these days? I never did figure out Plurk.

Yeah, that sounds about like how these writers are, judging from their profiles and stories.