Administrative post: Rules and Regulations
The Basics
This is an all-Turks, all-original character, invite-only Final Fantasy VII roleplay. All basic rp rules apply: no god-moding, you cannot control the actions of another character, keep in mind that what your character knows and what you know are entirely different things. The style will be third-person LJ posts in this community. For a good indication of how this looks in action, see the first thread above. If something is definitely not for the eyes and ears of the other characters - not just that they're not around, reading about what everyone is doing is part of the fun of an rp like this, but something that would be important that they not know - should be posted in the character's own personal journal, locked to those who apply (which always includes myself, the mod/GM). Also, any problems/issues/new player applications go through me at ariakas69@hotmail.com.
The World
The best way to find out about the world is, obviously, to play the game. But since some things aren't quite apparent the first time through, and since this takes place at an earlier time and some events haven't occured yet, I'll run though a brief description of what you absolutely need to know to play. For those already intimately familiar with the setting: the RP takes place 16 years prior to the events in the game, just before the war in Wutai.
Midgar
The largest city - by far - on the planet, Midgar is the headquarters of Shinra, and thus the Turks. As the city expanded, rather than growing outward across the vast plain created through its ravenous consumption of resources, a second level was built on top of the old city. The plate divides the upper city - a modern landscape of high-rises, apartment buildings, and corporate offices - and the slums, the old towns of Midgar now littered with the scrapped metal of doomed construction projects and old disasters, rife with street gangs, criminals, and prostitutes, the realm of Midgar's poorest citizens. Each part of the city is divided into sectors around the central pillar, and trains run around the pillar, connecting the old city with the new. Midgar is the center of the planet's technological development and industry, and because of that a thick, ever-present haze darkens the skies even above the plate.
The Shinra
Shinra Electric Power Company, originally a simple weapons manufacturer, is a massive global corporation with unchecked influence throughout the entire planet. Responsible for the reactors that produce the electricity supply for the dense population of Midgar, and one in the works at its other major offices in Junon, Shinra Inc. also participates in cutting-edge technologies such as genetic experimentation and space flight, and has its own standing army. The transition from small company to the single most influential force on the planet - far beyond that of any govenment - was overseen by a single man, President Shinra. There are some who resent Shinra's power, however; a faction in Wutai is currently trying to resist its control by force.
Mako and SOLDIER
The rapid rise to power of Shinra Inc. was made possible by the discovery of mako. Mako is, essentially, the lifeforce of the planet, which Shinra's scientists discovered a method of extracting and converting to electricity through reactors. (Prior to this Midgar - and much of the rest of the planet - used coal for energy. By the time of the game reactors are found throughout the world, but it was made clear that these were developments within the last decade, so mako reactors are only found in Midgar in the RP, and only four of them.) Aside from using mako as a lucrative source of power, Shinra also performs experiments with it. By exposing humans to excessive levels of mako they have created SOLDIER: an elite military organization within the Shinra army. Only a select few are accepted into the program as all but the strongest of individuals will sicken and even die under the treatment. Members of SOLDIER are easily recognizable by their eyes: a bright, almost glowing colour as a result of the radiation. Mako has another military use, one not restricted to Shinra or its employees: in areas with high levels of mako the energy will condense over time to form small stones, or 'materia', which can be embedded in weapons in armour and which impart on the items or their user magical properties. (A full list of materia and their effects in combination can be found here and here.)
The Turks
Known on the company books as the Department of Administrative Research, the Turks are another elite Shinra force, much smaller than SOLDIER. Officially responsible for finding recruits for SOLDIER and acting as bodyguards for important Shinra executives and scientists, it's well known that the Turks also take part in kidnapping, assassination, and corporate espionage - all of Shinra's dirty work is handled by a small group of men and women formal black suits. (In the game the uniform is dark blue but in Before Crisis - the Turk-centric prequel - it's black.) Each member of the Turks is hand-picked, either from within the company or without it, for possessing a very specific set of skills conducive to carrying out the operations required of them. Every Turk will require some on the job training - some more than others - but these are all about the details, the basics and the right mindset should already have been acquired by that individual. The Turks usually have their own leader (see below) who is under the direct command of the President of Public Welfare (I've leaving this open in case anyone wants to play him or her as a secondary character - if not, it will be Heidegger, the one from the game).
Shinra's Finest - the Players, the Turks in the RP
The former leader of the Turks, Drake Archer - known as 'the boss' to his subordinates, has very recently retired from active duty and has not yet been replaced. Still loosely in charge of the group, he holds the position of Secretary of Administrative Research and deals with the pay, the travel arrangements, the recruiting, the mission briefing, and other concerns for the Turks. He's currently in the process of choosing a successor, but for now the Turks still answer to him.
Profiles (yours will be added when it's given to me):
Drake Archer (retired)
Age - 48
Length of service - 15 years
Birthplace - Junon
Height - 178cm
Weight - 76kg
Blood Type - O
Background - Private investigator prior to recruitment by the company. Holds a master's degree in criminal physchology from Junon University. Currently lives with a domestic partner outside of company housing.
Cheng Zhi
Age - 25
Length of service - 6 years
Birthplace - Wutai
Height - 181cm
Weight - 69kg
Blood type - A
Background - No prior affiliation with the company or businesses in Midgar. Of mixed race origin. Currently resides alone, outside of company housing.
Jack --no surname given--
Age - 25
Length of service - 3 years
Birthplace - Midgar, Sector 3
Height - 177cm
Weight - 67kg
Blood Type - B
Background - Previous business associations with several Shinra executives before recruitment. No record of education. Currently resides with another individual outside of company housing.
Luca Whitney
Age - 28
Length of Service - 4 years
Birthplace - Junon
Height - 183cm
Weight - 74kg
Blood Type - A+
Background - Ex-military. Highest rank achievement SOLDIER 1st Class. Effective primarily in protection of Shinra personnel, secondary duties include research department data entry. Lives alone in company housing.
Baldur Lâche
Age - 19
Length of service - < 1 year
Birthplace - Mideel
Height - 158 cm
Weight - 51 kilos
Blood type - AB
Background - Recently recruited for diplomacy skills. Only living blood relative is her older brother in SOLDIER (current whereabouts classified). Lives alone in company housing.
Asher Haring
Age - 19
Length of service - < 1 year
Birthplace - Kalm
Height - 168 cm
Weight - 56 kg
Blood type - AB
Background - No prior legal affiliation with businesses in Midgar. However, trainee has sustained ties to organizations in Midgar's low income districts. Recruited primarily for stealth and reconaissance. Lives alone in company housing.
Sofia Mendez
Age - 23
Length of service - < 1 year
Birthplace - Costa del Sol
Height - 175cm
Weight - 62kg
Blood type - B
Background - Former proprietress of an entertainment firm in Costa Del Sol. Recruited for extended reciprocity without Shinra Inc and local business assets. Lives with another individual in company housing.
Hadrian Manning
Age - 24
Length of service - < 1 year
Birthplace - Midgar, upper level
Blood type - B
Height - 176 cm
Weight - 72 kg
Background - Former sponsored position in Shinra Department of Miltary Arms Research and Testing. Recruited for his connections with independent munitions trade and for his expertise in the field. Lives alone in company housing.
Characters
As this RP has a fairly small number of players, participants may have two characters: a primary character who is a Turk, and secondary character of the player's choice. The secondary character can be absolutely anyone: a Shinra executive, a SOLDIER, a sibling or significant other of another character - anything the player wants. Likewise the primary character can be any person the player wishes, provided he or she has the skills and temperment required of a Turk. A new recruit just contacted by the boss for this latest crisis or a Turk who's been on the job for a decade, an ex-SOLDIER or a regular employee with a shady past, a mercenary from a remote town or a famous criminal from Midgar's own streets. Collaboration in character building is highly encouraged - it creates the feeling of a real city, of real people who've known each other for years. This can be done privately or on LJ under the character's journal, or wherever you wish.
Starting Up
After you've read this, read the post above it. It describes the current situation with Turks and provides an example of how play is to be done, as well as introducing two of the Turks, whom new characters can interact with. Create your characters, then build a personal journal for each of your them (this doesn't take very long). If your Turk is an old hand, make a new post in the community describing what they're doing right now - introduce the personality and relationships however you see fit - and if your Turk is a new recruit, write a post about that character adjusting to the idea of being a Turk and the first day on the job. The game will start one week from the completion first two posts. Latecomers are always welcome, however, as new recruits to the Turks, or as Turks that were on duty in other parts of the world, or were simply not involved in the current dilemma, as is often the case.