Warning: this entry contains major spoilers for 2020 video game Final Fantasy VII Remake

About

Time Jannies is a nickname given to a Final Fantasy VII Remake timeline-correction phenomenon Whispers of Fate which manifests itself in the form of hooded apparitions. The phenomenon was humorously dubbed "time jannies" by anonymous users on 4chan's /v/ board, with "jannie" meaning a janitor (moderator). In early April 2020, jokes about the plot element gained significant popularity on /v/, with memes often imagining Time Jannies correcting timelines in other fandoms.

Origin

Prior to April 10th, 2020, the 2020 video game Final Fantasy VII Remake, a remake of 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII, leaked. Despite being a remake, the game included significant story changes. One such change is the introduction of Whispers of Fate, hooded appartions that ensure that Destiny plays according to plan.^[1]

Whispers, the so-called arbiters of fate. The creatures appear when someone tries to alter destiny's course. They are connected to all the threads of time and space that shape the planets fate.

On April 4th, 2020, an anonymous 4chan^[2] user posted a 30-second cutscene between characters Hojo and Cloud in which Hojo is about to reveal details that Cloud isn't supposed to know yet and is immediately dragged away by the whispers.

- My, are you a SOLDIER?
- Yeah.
- No, Not quite. Oh, now I recall. My memory was mistaken. My boy, you weren't a soldier… What!? What is this fascinating phenomenon!? What's happening? Where are you taking me!?

In the same thread, an anonymous user referred^[3] to Whispers as "time jannies" (post shown below), with more users picking up the nickname.^[4][5][6]

Spread

Starting on the April 5th, 2020, referring to Whispers of Fate as "time jannies" became a trend on /v/. Starting on the same day, multiple memes poking fun at the plot element were created on the board (examples shown below).

On the same day, images of ghosts, particularly from Scooby-Doo started being associated with the meme on the board.^[8][9]

As of April 9th, 2020, over 1770 posts containing the phrase "time jannies" were created on /v/,^[7] with multiple memes and fanart having been posted.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References