Quote Originally Posted by Karifean View Post
However, know when you are in contradiction to canon. Again, there's no problem if you stand in contradiction to canon, but - and this is important - it makes little sense arguing against it. If word of god (as in the creators) state something as fact, whether you like it or not, it's canon. And arguing its legitimacy will lead to nothing. It makes little sense to participate in discussions where other people follow the canon if you yourself deny it. (Not that this should prevent you from denying it for your own enjoyment)

If you like the ambiguity in some parts of the original game, that's good for you. But standing in discussions with people who know how far the canon knowledge extends, there's not much point in bringing that up.
Unfortunately, this is not how it works when it comes to literary analysis and interpretation. A few years ago, I attended a panel discussing the works of Joseph Conrad, and the director of my University's English department flat out said, "I don't care what the author's comments are when discussing the meaning of their work." A lot of the younger students were shocked that he said this but the panelists agreed. Furthermore, creators demonstrably change their ideas about their works over the course of their lives.

Even if this wasn't the case, FFVII was primarily written by four people and portrayed by a much larger team of artists and programmers. It's disingenuous to depict any one source as definitive. But even if it was, you'd still be taking a less sophisticated approach than how literary discussion actually takes place in the real world.

If you guys haven't noticed, Sephiroth is replying to your posts by editing his earlier ones.