Player Information
Name: shuu
Age: we all know I'm old enough!!
Contact: aetarna, PM this journal
Other Characters: Caster ( Cú Chulainn ) futhark

Character Information
Name: Reno
Canon: Final Fantasy 7
Canon Point: end of Final Fantasy 7 Remake (part 1)
Age: 28
History: wiki link here

Personality:

Reno prides himself on being a consummate professional, even if he looks anything but such. Compared to other Turks he wears his suit rather inappropriately, without a tie, shirt unbuttoned and untucked. Everything about his cocky, hotheaded, devil-may-care attitude and loud-mouthed speech pattern fits more an image of a gang member rather than that of a "secret agent". He's quick to think, but he's also all too quick to act, which is a double-edged sword; in the field, ability to make split-second decisions without consulting them with superior often determine the success or survival— however, at times this leads him to be too fast, leading straight into reckless behaviour. An ideal Turk should kill all of his or her emotions and focus only on a mission, yet we see Reno take glee in his job — sometimes to a sadistic degree — take failures personally and develop petty grudges. His confidence borders on arrogance, and while he's more than ready to back-up his bark with a bite, he's not guaranteed to stop running his mouth at the clearly more powerful opponent. Yet, despite all of this, Reno is second-in-command, standing in hierarchy right behind Tseng even back in Before Crisis. Despite all of this, he ultimately is someone who gets his jobs done, even if by unconventional means. His efficiency as an operative grants him the boon of his superiors grudgingly turning a blind eye on how he chooses to present himself.

That the trust is earned we can see in the original game— during events further on the timeline compared to where the end of the first part of Remake stands. After Tseng is completely incapacitated following his run-in with Sephiroth, thus forcing Reno into temporarily becoming a full-leader of the group, which is where see him switch to a more tactical and pragmatic way of conduct. At one point in Wutai, the Turks forge a reluctant and wary truce with Cloud and his group, meant to achieve a common goal. But just because Reno's able to chat cordially with an enemy while off the clock, it shouldn't be misunderstood as actual friendliness or trust. He's sly enough to put his impulsiveness away when both sides have a bigger fish to fry and the best results come from working together.

There have also been few times where he was tasked with mentoring the rookie operatives, most notably the player Turk in Before Crisis and Elena in Final Fantasy 7. He eases them in the ranks with a rather casual flair and buddy-buddy attitude, reminding them that while on the clock they should be 200% focused, there is also the thing of not stretching themselves too much for their job. "Someone who sacrifices themselves for the job is not a pro, but a fool", he tells Elena when she annoys him with her readiness to assist other Shinra goons while the Turks are on vacations (and with her stinginess to follow the rules exactly to a T). However, while he won't hesitate to mouth off both his senior and junior operatives, he is fiercely protective of the Turks team members. If his underling wishes to follow the course of action Reno personally deems as foolish, he won't call rulebook on them. Quite on the contrary, he will let them loose, free to act how they want. From his perspective, it's a win/win method— if the rookie is correct, they will gain important experience and success on them, if they're wrong... well, he'll be close enough to do the rescuing and they still get a lesson, albeit a different one.

The character blurb within the sequel novel mentions that he "values his personal relationships greatly" and that the strongest point where it's most obvious is his long-term partnership with Rude. They've been working as a unit for several years, and together have varied skillsets that enhance each other strengths as well as covers their respective weaknesses. They're also close friends outside of the job and their attachment has been made more evident and expanded with each new addition to the franchise. Often either off the clock, or even on it when there is a lull in work, they can be seen engaging in idle chatter and gossip (of course Reno is doing most of the talking). They know each other so well they sometimes finish the sentences of one another, and if needed can communicate effectively solely with body language. Rude is the only person Reno allows himself to take his guard down around, and even be honest with. Not to mention the only times we've seen him truly emotionally distraught, even to the point of freaking out, involved Rude and seemingly fatal helicopter accidents— that he did manage to walk away from nearly unscathed, to Reno's relief. They're protective of each other, even if Reno's brand of protectiveness includes less "shielding his partner from danger" and more of "dishing fast and petty revenge after the damage is done". He might claim "it's nothing personal" but on the contrary, it's very personal

However, for all his talk on work/life balance, leaving the shit that haunts you at night at the office door, there isn't much to Reno's life other than being a Turk. All his skills and interest are linked to his professional activity, all his friends are Turks — to the point that when his partner Rude instead of hanging out with him after work starts meeting someone else, Reno's first instinct is to... tail him, or rather order a junior Turk to do for him, before taking on the task himself (the junior Turk is pretty much "Reno, what the fuck?" at him, and rightfully so). In the line of work where you can trust no one, your coworkers become all your close personal relationships. (Insert parallels with mafia families). This is something that the sequel novel actually addresses, that without the bigger framing of the whole organization, Reno still chooses to follow Rufus because despite the Shinra's fall he "doesn't remember being fired". For all the vile acts he commits, and how ready he is to get his hand dirty, his loyalty to other Turks, and (on the later story point) to Rufus cannot be doubted.

Granted, despite his disdain for formality and rebellious temperament Reno is far more likely to just bend the protocol to get desired results rather than outright break it. Which makes him a perfect worker for a sinister corporation, because while he will back-off from fights to live another day and bend the rules to save his teammates, he won't rebel against orders, even the most ghoulish ones. Not planning to sacrifice himself for the job, but also won't take the stand of dying for noble ideas and saying "no" where it would be a moral thing to do. After all, Turks are paid really damn well, but being privy to most of the worst Shinra's secrets there is no retirement plan for that field. Members that want to quit are deemed "security threat" and dealt with in final and lethal fashion.

Turks as a department have been subjected to a lot of political-games and upheavals during Reno's career. From being a semi-autonomous cell dealing with high-risk, high-reward missions requiring skill and finesse led by Veld, to falling under Heidegger's direct leadership and being used as expendable brute-force tools. The leash tightened and as their numbers dwindled Reno went from a man, who five years earlier contested a Nibelheim cover-up order to Veld, to someone who cynically falls in line when the Turks are tasked with executing the most heinous act in the entire story of Final Fantasy 7 - a false flag operation ie. dropping the sector 7 of Midgard's plate on the slums underneath, killing thousands. While he might express his disgust for the order in the privacy of the helicopter cockpit where no one else but Rude can hear, he still chooses to carry out the unforgivable act, shrugging off the waking conscience with an excuse that's it's way too late to grow it. When he steps out of the helicopter and the final step of the mission begins, his smug gameface is firmly put on (wavering only during the aforementioned helicopter accident involving Rude).

While few and between scenes, does show that he's not entirely unaffected privately, Reno is adept in both compartmentalizing and projecting an image. These scenes though usually turn his usual dynamic with Rude on its head. It's Rude who's doing most of the talking, either questioning or attempting to provide answers, processing it out-loud on his own and his partner's behalf, while Reno is mostly quiet, even uncharacteristically subdued. However, when two years later a topic of possible "atonement" is brought up, Reno dismisses it, not really believing a scum of his level could redeem himself. They waived off morals and ethics when they joined and went too deep. (Cool suits, still murder)

Abilities & Skills: Most of Reno skills come from simply being very good at his job.

Turks operative Investigations, intel gathering, examining the evidence, but also espionage, stalking, coercion and or intimidation tactics, assassinations, and black-ops. He's capable of doing everything to further the organization's clandestine agenda, whether it means being a pleasant, easy-going liar, stealthily breaking in somewhere, or taking the target out with explosives.

Combat skills Reno is an agile and lightning-fast fighter, but his penchant for dramatics leave him wide-open. While he has a clear preference for using his electro-magnetic rod (a nightstick with either a taser/lightning materia on it) and "spy-tech" gadgetry, he's also capable of using other weaponry, from guns to explosives. He's also a very skilled helicopter/airship pilot.

Inventory/Companions: What's on his back, along with his weapon and few hi-tech gadgets (that are going to malfunction), wallet, access cards

Choice: Monster - harpy
Reason: It feels like having him become a witch would be way too much of an easy-mode. All he'd need to do was to learn three or four spells to get all his repertoire back. Out of all the Monsters, harpy seemed to me like the most obvious choice. Their inherent aggressive trait corresponds (and definitely enhance) with his already rebellious temperament and pose like a fun struggle to explore (when also combined with the harpy's fragility)— along with the general theme of literally becoming a Monster.

Sample:
4th wall thread 1 [ link ] [ cont link ]
4th wall thread 2 [ link ]