Rude (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
strongestoftheturks) wrote2012-10-11 05:38 pm
strongestoftheturks) wrote2012-10-11 05:38 pm
Sorting Hat app
Player Information
Name: Ming
Timezone: GMT +8
Personal Journal:fanfictionming
Players Contact/AIM/MSN/YAHOO: fanfictionming @ Plurk
Email Address: mingrps@gmail.com
Former/Other Characters in the RP: Other: Philip Coulson, Greg Lestrade, Ib Amano and Feliciano Vargas. Former: Shifu
How did you hear about us?: Current Player
Character Information
Name: Rudolph "Rude" Sousa, headcanon surname is Sousa.
Canon Origin/Series: Final Fantasy 7 series. As Rude is 17 in this game, I'll be drawing mainly on his personality and experiences from FF7 Before Crisis where he is a few years younger from the original game, but I will be relying on other canon points to demonstrate some of his other traits as well eg. the original FF7, FF7 Advent Children, and the Case of Shinra.
School Year: 7th
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Out of school living location:
Blood status: Pureblood
Personality: Stoic and serious, Rude is rather straight-faced and forward. He doesn't speak much, preferring to use as little words as possible. However, he does not let his fist do the talking unless ordered to; most of the time Reno does enough talking for the two of them anyway. This is not to say that he is emotionless though; he just doesn't express himself very well. Rude is actually a bit of a sentimentalist and a romantic; he has fallen for girls working for rebel groups twice and both times he refused to harm either of them. He is also rather protective of his junior Turks and displays concern for their safety. One way to actually draw negative emotions out of Rude though is to threaten and/or injure his team mates. So far in his canon point it has only happened once, when Reno had been beaten up by a member of Avalanche. He confronts the attacker angrily in a heated tone that is rather uncharacteristic of him. He controls his emotions a lot better by the time of the original FF7 game, choosing to instead coolly threaten Avalanche over injuring Reno so badly, but the fact remains that one way to make him mad is to hurt his partner. Rude is also very loyal to the Turks, rather than the Shinra company that the Turks work for. The Turks view each other as something akin to family, and each are willing to forsake their loyalty to Shinra, an action that would mean almost certain death, if it would mean standing by the side of their fellow Turk.
Rude however is far from a good guy. He does his fair share of bad things and takes it in stride, appearing unaffected and unbothered when called to round up potential SOLDIERS against their will. This does not mean that he is a bad person; he's just accepted that as a Turk he'll have to commit atrocities. It doesn't bother him for the most part as he views it as a job; nothing personal. As I'll be taking him from Before Crisis though he'll still have some reservations depending on the situation, as BC!Rude is a few years younger and had displayed reluctance when ordered to assist in the Nibelheim cover-up. That being said, theft, kidnapping, torture and murder are well within Rude's capabilities, even if in Sorting Hat he'll be 17. In FF7 canon children as young as 16 enter into the army and are taught how to kill; the Turks are no different. Although we have no information about Rude's past, we do know that another Turk Cissnei was picked up from an orphanage and trained from a very young age. While she may be an extreme example, it does highlight that the world of FF7 doesn't hesitate from picking young kids and teenagers to join the army or the Turks to be trained accordingly. Thus, Rude has been somewhat acclimatized to violence by the time we see him in FF7:BC. As a Turk he must also be willing to go to extreme lengths to accomplish a mission; he may have those reservation as stated up there, but he'll do it anyway if asked because he's a Turk and that's what Turks do. No matter how much he dislikes it, he'll take the necessary steps if required. However, it all depends on the situation; by the end of FF7, he and the other Turks decide against following their orders to eliminate Cloud and co, partly because it's pointless, Shinra's shot and Meteor's about to fall from the sky. The Turks aren't blind followers of Shinra; they observe the situation and make a judgement call. It just so happens that morals and ethics isn't so much there as keeping each other alive and caring for each other's well-being. Even in Wutai and Junon, the Turks are off-duty and again decide to ignore orders unless the President's safety is compromised, especially when it's their downtime because, as Reno puts is, "A pro isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool". A notion silently echoed and approved by Rude.
Rude also loves being a Turk, partly because he loves the thrill of it. In the Case of Shinra, it's mentioned that the thought of not being a Turk is almost painful to him. His loyalty and camaraderie that he shares with Reno especially, his best partner, is something that he treasures very much and he would probably miss the close relationships he's had with his other Turks if he stops being one, but he would also miss the action and danger he has had to deal with; a life outside of being a Turk with all of the suspense and adrenaline is not a life he wants for himself.
Canon Background: Wikia article about him, FF7: Before Crisis English translation, specifically Episode 4 and Episode 6 Final Fantasy 7 script, chapters Rude come up in include The Road to Junon, Junon-The New President Rufus, Wutai - Stolen Materia, and Midgar - Shinra's Collapse, and lastly, The Case of Shinra, from a Way to a Smile series of short stories, and FF7: Advent Children script.
Background (AU!Canon; HP): [The first word is Paranormal.] There once was a young boy who grew up in an orphanage. He had a remarkably non-descript childhood; he went to classes, he did his chores and he just generally tried to stay out of trouble. However it was hard for him to form any lasting relationships with the rest of the kids. With each passing season he saw old faces leave either adopted or run-aways and the new faces would eventually follow suit as well. The priest who ran the orphanage was a rather stern man who meant well and made sure the orphans were taken care off but it was, suffice to say, a rather grey place for a child to grow up in. It was even tougher for him being the big-hearted child that he was back then. He soon learned fast that forming bonds in the orphanage was more a less a waste of time as every friend he made would never come back to visit him. It was no surprise to him either; the orphanage did not cut a very homely or friendly look. His taciturn nature and his resolve to not form deep friendships set, he still made attempts to calm down the younger kids and offer companionship to them but he never set his expectations for lasting ones. He'd care about them but never to the extent that he would hurt himself.
He was never adopted partly because he was such a quiet child that most parents would bypass him for some of the louder and more open children. He did feel jealous but upon seeing the happy faces on the former orphans faces he found he couldn't really stay mad for long. Still, although he kept a stoic face upfront he seethed with emotion underneath. It culminated one day at yet another adoption day ended. Watching the gates close after the last family left the orphanage just snapped something inside him. He couldn't explain how his fist had practically blown a giant hole through the metal gate but as news spread around his story was picked up by the Turks. Formally known as the Department of Administrative Research for the Shinra Company, a pure-blood wizard company that was involved in both muggle and wizarding businesses, the Turks were more than just involved in research; they were the ones in charge of Shinra's dirty work. Such was their reputation that they were known in both worlds as well. Extortion, kidnappings, torture and murder were part of their job description, but they were also known for talent scouting, looking for new Turks to join their ranks.
The priest in the orphanage was approached by a few members of the Turks who were interested in the young boy. Needless to say the older man was highly reluctant but he recognized that an outright refusal would jeopardize the whole orphanage. The Turks also explained that they could "help" the boy with his strange powers. Recognizing no feasible way out and no reason to say no that would result in the safety of the other orphans being threatened the old priest reluctantly approved the adoption and the young boy was taken away. A small incident with another red-headed child lead to him being nicknamed "Rude", a rather unflattering nickname derived from the new name given to him by the Turks, Rudolph Sousa. Rude started his training as a junior Turk soon after. Magic training would have to wait till he was 11 but the Turks could train him in everything else; Rude was taught how to fight with his fists and carry out basic espionage. The basics, like math, language, history and etc. were still taught, but Rude was also expected to pick up the theory for wizarding subjects as well. However, if he was quiet before when he was in the orphanage, he completely closed himself off to everyone else, responding only to the teachers when they asked him questions. Everything else would get a simple shake of the head or a nod.
The idea of him being a wizard was one that he really didn't know how to react to. The little boy in him wanted to say that was the main reason he was never adopted and for a year he let that knowledge eat at him, hating himself and what he was turning into. Letting his emotions eat into him, he eventually snapped again and proceeded to beat up his sparring partner. A trip up to see the Head Turk, a man named Veld, frightened him and an admonishment about working in a team only served to finally push him into blurting out his fears to possibly, in his opinion back then, the worst person he could think off. However he finally admitted his anger, hurt and fears about being a wizard and why he couldn't form any attachments. It was just too painful, he said through tears, to work in a team when he wasn't sure they'd stick around.
Well, you don't do blow-ups in front of the Head Turk. Rude still got in trouble and had to write lines the next day but the lines were ones he needed to see, delivered from Veld to him.
"I am a Turk; I will always have the Turks."
He started opening himself a little more; he'd always be the quiet guy but he at least started smiling and talking to others, if only in short sentences. It was important for him to start developing these ties before he started moving on to the real hard stuff of being a Turk. In time he started to view the Turks as friends; sure they committed murder, broke a guy's arm and were harsh teachers on him. But they also celebrated his adoption day, the day he became one of them. They took him out on fun days every now and then and let him be the kid he was. And most importantly, they were always there..
While he went to Hogwarts at 11 every summer holiday was spent training as a Turk. They started him on simple wooden dummies then moved him to drugged animals, then normal animals and finally humans. It was tough at the start and it was during those times that he really relied on the friendships with his seniors to help him pull through. It was a process of getting him used to the idea of hurting people; he'd read about it, been drilled about it, but it was still a slow process of getting him comfortable enough to carry out orders without hesitation. The senior Turks understood though; they had all been in his shoes. They knew how he felt, no matter how silent he was about his emotions and they knew the best ways of slowly dealing with the guilt.
However he also started noticing how stressed they were too; Lord Voldemort's full out Wizard War was something that the Shinra Company had to play a delicate game with, seeing as neutrality was not really an option. The Turks had to participate in dangerous missions and one by one the older ones never came back. Thankfully by then Rude had grown and matured; he mourned their lost, but he also chose instead to remember what they had done for him and to push himself to train harder in their memory. They had helped him to grow and he knew that the best way to honor them was to keep on growing, for his own sake and for the sake of the junior Turks under him.
When he was 15 he received his first mission; it started out small, just threatening, blackmail and extortion. As he completed mission after mission, he started slowly enjoying himself too. Of course it was never easy when an innocent victim was involved but thankfully those were few; Veld was smart to slowly get the younger Turks used to the violence. Rude came to enjoy the thrill that came with each fight, each dangerous task. It made him feel alive, made him appreciate his life even further and it was a great way to bond with his fellow Turks as well when they shared missions. It was around this time that he was starting to learn the theory behind casting Dark Magic as well. Turks were no stranger to the Dark Arts and while Rude couldn't practice them till the Trace was off he could definitely learn what he could. It was yet another tough barrier to overcome but by this time he was a lot stronger than the 10 year old boy who had cried in Veld's office. He still needed help and guidance of course, but he managed and he adapted better than before, having been acclimatized to the violent nature of his job.
By the time the Wizarding War was over the Turks had lost quite a lot of their number. It was sad but by now Rude had learned that it was OK to lose someone, because he would always have the other Turks. He needed to be strong to help out the younger Turks, taking on some of them under his own guidance.
Rude has always kept mostly to himself in Hogwarts. He has friends but most of them are secretly Turks like Elena, a young junior Turk under his care. The few friends he has that aren't include Graham Spectre, whom he met on a mission when both teens were tasked to beat up the same person. He does his best to stay out of trouble, wanting no one to know that he's part of the Turks. He mostly spends his time studying though he is a member of the Fight Club and while not exactly the friendliest guy on the block he's easy to get along with. He starts occasional card games in the common room for everyone to enjoy and he does go out to Hogsmeade when he gets the chance because even Turks needs breaks right? He is overall a very low-key student and he wants to keep things that way. Subjects-wise he scores average marks, preferring to hide his true talents so as not to attract unnecessary attention. He does well enough to qualify for the subjects every Turk needs (basically the Auror subjects like Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Defence against the Dark Arts and Charms), but prefers to do just enough to pass his teacher's expectations of him. He secretly trains very hard though using the Room of Requirement (which Veld had told him about before he left for Hogwarts in his first year) because he wants to be a good Turk. He can fly brooms though he plays Quidditch only on a casual basis.
Overall, the general impression of Rude is that one quiet guy sitting at the back of the class. Just the way he wants it. [The second word is apptivity]
How would your character fit in to each House?
Gryffindor:
Rude is definitely brave and full of nerve. It definitely calls for courage when you have to deal with eco-terrorists bent on destroying the company you work for at all costs, especially when said eco-terrorists are dangerous lunatics who have undergone mutation and have crazy super-human powers. Nerve comes in plenty too, as he's willing to do crazy things in the course of his work as a Turk (In FF7: Advent Children, he stands his ground to chuck a bomb at close range). He's also chivalrous, unwilling to harm the women he likes, but this is only to a certain extent; he may not punch Tifa, but he'll let Reno or Elena do so because he still recognizes that Tifa's Avalanche and she needs to be stopped as she's a real threat to Shinra. He lets Chelsea off in FF7:BC because he never provides her with any information to bring back to her boss, but Tifa's a whole different story and he knows that he can't simply just shrug and look the other way. And again, as a Turk he knows when it's time to back off and retreat; he's not SOLDIER, it's not his job to die on the battlefield. So long as he gets the mission done, there's no harm in pulling off from a fight, or even engaging in a losing one to distract the enemy so long as the other Turks succeed. While he is brave, he's definitely got a sense of self-preservation, willing to retreat if the situation starts to go bad.
Hufflepuff:
Loyalty Rude has in spades but only to certain people, namely the Turks and Rufus Shinra, the man who rescued the Turks from execution after the events in FF7: BC. However, he's not loyal to the company that gives him his paychecks, willing to turn traitor if it's to protect his fellow Turks. Rude may be hardworking and dedicated to the job, but only so much as it gets the job done. After that he's quite happy to leave the office and go for a beer and play cards. He won't put in extra effort if not required. Fair play is also out the window, because the Turks are known for doing Shinra's dirty work and the Turks know that playing fair isn't going to get that done; they are quite willing to blackmail and hold people hostage in return for getting their way. However, Rude is generally tolerant of other people even if they're different from him, or on a different side. As mentioned earlier, it's all just a job to him and he holds nothing against Cloud by the time FF7:AC happens. Rude also has a moral code, although it's probably a bit dusty from lack of use and surfaces, surprisingly, when children are involved. In FF7:AC he and Reno go out to look for Denzel and Marlene when they go missing. The two also protect some children who are out in a trance when Bahamut Sin appears and starts attacking the city. Again, it would all depend though on whether it gets in the way of accomplishing his job or not, but his status as a Turk notwithstanding he has demonstrated that he does do things for the greater good so long as his own safety isn't too in danger and it's not disobeying orders from the Head Turk. He attempts to help evacuate the citizens of Midgar, but even he knows the futility of just four people trying to move the entire population of the city.
Ravenclaw:
Rude may use his fists to fight, but he's not stupid. In FF7:AC, he constructs his own bomb to toss at the remnants. Turks have to be observant and sharp enough on the field to notice anything wrong, and Rude proves this in FF7:BC when he admits that he knew Chelsea was a spy the entire time, but chose not to say anything. Furthermore, as a Turk he has had to learn many things including how to operate helicopters, complicated weaponry, radar, computers, scouting...there's a lot involved with espionage work and Rude, as one of the senior Turks in FF7:BC, must've had to learn them at one point or another. However, Rude is poor with words and often finds it difficult to express his feelings properly with them. He can come up with witty comebacks every now and then, but they are few and far-in-between. There is no canon evidence about his creativity save for him creating that flashy bomb, but there's nothing to suggest that he's creative himself. Given how difficult he finds it to describe exactly how he's feeling or thinking, I would be more inclined to say that creativity is not a strong suit for him.
Slytherin:
I think this is the house that actually suits Rude the best. As a Turk you must be ready to change your plan according to the situation; you have to utilize what you have around you, take into consideration what you're confronting, and ultimately decide if it's worth your time or it isn't. Rude does so near the end of the original FF7: Shinra's falling to bits, everything's in chaos, the world's probably going to end and your boss is probably dead. At that point, screw his orders; he's more concerned with his life and his fellow Turk members. Cloud and co have beaten them so many times in the past that they'll probably do it again and Avalanche is probably the best team that humanity has against Sephiroth so why not let them pass and let them have their shot at him? If they beat him, then everything's hunky dory. If they don't, then Sephiroth will kill them anyway. In the end, Rude's common sense and his self-preservation wins out and together with Reno they convince Elena to step down and let Cloud and co go through. He's not a Shinra idealist, but neither is he a Planet-hugger either. He may stay in town to help evacuate everyone, but that's only because the other missing Turks reappear to help; he was about ready to give up and head off himself, recognizing the futility of trying to evacuate a city as big as Midgar. Rude's not ambitious, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to do something once he's set his mind on it. He's may not be the leader of the Turks, but he's cool and collected enough to guide the juniors through things. He's cunning when needed; the above example about Sephiroth and Avalanche is an example of that. He can also trick people; in FF7:BC he lets Shears' overconfidence over beating both Reno and Rude separately blind him to the fact that Reno and Rude work best as a team. Once Shears takes the bait, both him and Reno proceed to hand him a sound trashing. He's even a pure-blood in Sorting Hat, but he doesn't really believe all that spiel about pure-bloods being better than muggle-borns given that the Turks he works with in this AU are a mix of everything.
RP Samples:
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49278.html?thread=2112126#cmt2112126 With Professor Goggles
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49037.html?thread=2107789#cmt2107789 With Calliope
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/48492.html?thread=2074732#cmt2074732 With Wednesday Addams
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/48053.html?thread=2047157#cmt2047157 With Mabel
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47369.html?thread=2020361#cmt2020361 With Bruce Wayne
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47283.html#comments Dressrobes post
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47082.html?thread=2010858#cmt2010858 With Kurloz
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49424.html?thread=2117648#cmt2117648 With Søren
Name: Ming
Timezone: GMT +8
Personal Journal:
fanfictionmingPlayers Contact/AIM/MSN/YAHOO: fanfictionming @ Plurk
Email Address: mingrps@gmail.com
Former/Other Characters in the RP: Other: Philip Coulson, Greg Lestrade, Ib Amano and Feliciano Vargas. Former: Shifu
How did you hear about us?: Current Player
Character Information
Name: Rudolph "Rude" Sousa, headcanon surname is Sousa.
Canon Origin/Series: Final Fantasy 7 series. As Rude is 17 in this game, I'll be drawing mainly on his personality and experiences from FF7 Before Crisis where he is a few years younger from the original game, but I will be relying on other canon points to demonstrate some of his other traits as well eg. the original FF7, FF7 Advent Children, and the Case of Shinra.
School Year: 7th
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Out of school living location:
Blood status: Pureblood
Personality: Stoic and serious, Rude is rather straight-faced and forward. He doesn't speak much, preferring to use as little words as possible. However, he does not let his fist do the talking unless ordered to; most of the time Reno does enough talking for the two of them anyway. This is not to say that he is emotionless though; he just doesn't express himself very well. Rude is actually a bit of a sentimentalist and a romantic; he has fallen for girls working for rebel groups twice and both times he refused to harm either of them. He is also rather protective of his junior Turks and displays concern for their safety. One way to actually draw negative emotions out of Rude though is to threaten and/or injure his team mates. So far in his canon point it has only happened once, when Reno had been beaten up by a member of Avalanche. He confronts the attacker angrily in a heated tone that is rather uncharacteristic of him. He controls his emotions a lot better by the time of the original FF7 game, choosing to instead coolly threaten Avalanche over injuring Reno so badly, but the fact remains that one way to make him mad is to hurt his partner. Rude is also very loyal to the Turks, rather than the Shinra company that the Turks work for. The Turks view each other as something akin to family, and each are willing to forsake their loyalty to Shinra, an action that would mean almost certain death, if it would mean standing by the side of their fellow Turk.
Rude however is far from a good guy. He does his fair share of bad things and takes it in stride, appearing unaffected and unbothered when called to round up potential SOLDIERS against their will. This does not mean that he is a bad person; he's just accepted that as a Turk he'll have to commit atrocities. It doesn't bother him for the most part as he views it as a job; nothing personal. As I'll be taking him from Before Crisis though he'll still have some reservations depending on the situation, as BC!Rude is a few years younger and had displayed reluctance when ordered to assist in the Nibelheim cover-up. That being said, theft, kidnapping, torture and murder are well within Rude's capabilities, even if in Sorting Hat he'll be 17. In FF7 canon children as young as 16 enter into the army and are taught how to kill; the Turks are no different. Although we have no information about Rude's past, we do know that another Turk Cissnei was picked up from an orphanage and trained from a very young age. While she may be an extreme example, it does highlight that the world of FF7 doesn't hesitate from picking young kids and teenagers to join the army or the Turks to be trained accordingly. Thus, Rude has been somewhat acclimatized to violence by the time we see him in FF7:BC. As a Turk he must also be willing to go to extreme lengths to accomplish a mission; he may have those reservation as stated up there, but he'll do it anyway if asked because he's a Turk and that's what Turks do. No matter how much he dislikes it, he'll take the necessary steps if required. However, it all depends on the situation; by the end of FF7, he and the other Turks decide against following their orders to eliminate Cloud and co, partly because it's pointless, Shinra's shot and Meteor's about to fall from the sky. The Turks aren't blind followers of Shinra; they observe the situation and make a judgement call. It just so happens that morals and ethics isn't so much there as keeping each other alive and caring for each other's well-being. Even in Wutai and Junon, the Turks are off-duty and again decide to ignore orders unless the President's safety is compromised, especially when it's their downtime because, as Reno puts is, "A pro isn't someone who sacrifices himself for his job. That's just a fool". A notion silently echoed and approved by Rude.
Rude also loves being a Turk, partly because he loves the thrill of it. In the Case of Shinra, it's mentioned that the thought of not being a Turk is almost painful to him. His loyalty and camaraderie that he shares with Reno especially, his best partner, is something that he treasures very much and he would probably miss the close relationships he's had with his other Turks if he stops being one, but he would also miss the action and danger he has had to deal with; a life outside of being a Turk with all of the suspense and adrenaline is not a life he wants for himself.
Canon Background: Wikia article about him, FF7: Before Crisis English translation, specifically Episode 4 and Episode 6 Final Fantasy 7 script, chapters Rude come up in include The Road to Junon, Junon-The New President Rufus, Wutai - Stolen Materia, and Midgar - Shinra's Collapse, and lastly, The Case of Shinra, from a Way to a Smile series of short stories, and FF7: Advent Children script.
Background (AU!Canon; HP): [The first word is Paranormal.] There once was a young boy who grew up in an orphanage. He had a remarkably non-descript childhood; he went to classes, he did his chores and he just generally tried to stay out of trouble. However it was hard for him to form any lasting relationships with the rest of the kids. With each passing season he saw old faces leave either adopted or run-aways and the new faces would eventually follow suit as well. The priest who ran the orphanage was a rather stern man who meant well and made sure the orphans were taken care off but it was, suffice to say, a rather grey place for a child to grow up in. It was even tougher for him being the big-hearted child that he was back then. He soon learned fast that forming bonds in the orphanage was more a less a waste of time as every friend he made would never come back to visit him. It was no surprise to him either; the orphanage did not cut a very homely or friendly look. His taciturn nature and his resolve to not form deep friendships set, he still made attempts to calm down the younger kids and offer companionship to them but he never set his expectations for lasting ones. He'd care about them but never to the extent that he would hurt himself.
He was never adopted partly because he was such a quiet child that most parents would bypass him for some of the louder and more open children. He did feel jealous but upon seeing the happy faces on the former orphans faces he found he couldn't really stay mad for long. Still, although he kept a stoic face upfront he seethed with emotion underneath. It culminated one day at yet another adoption day ended. Watching the gates close after the last family left the orphanage just snapped something inside him. He couldn't explain how his fist had practically blown a giant hole through the metal gate but as news spread around his story was picked up by the Turks. Formally known as the Department of Administrative Research for the Shinra Company, a pure-blood wizard company that was involved in both muggle and wizarding businesses, the Turks were more than just involved in research; they were the ones in charge of Shinra's dirty work. Such was their reputation that they were known in both worlds as well. Extortion, kidnappings, torture and murder were part of their job description, but they were also known for talent scouting, looking for new Turks to join their ranks.
The priest in the orphanage was approached by a few members of the Turks who were interested in the young boy. Needless to say the older man was highly reluctant but he recognized that an outright refusal would jeopardize the whole orphanage. The Turks also explained that they could "help" the boy with his strange powers. Recognizing no feasible way out and no reason to say no that would result in the safety of the other orphans being threatened the old priest reluctantly approved the adoption and the young boy was taken away. A small incident with another red-headed child lead to him being nicknamed "Rude", a rather unflattering nickname derived from the new name given to him by the Turks, Rudolph Sousa. Rude started his training as a junior Turk soon after. Magic training would have to wait till he was 11 but the Turks could train him in everything else; Rude was taught how to fight with his fists and carry out basic espionage. The basics, like math, language, history and etc. were still taught, but Rude was also expected to pick up the theory for wizarding subjects as well. However, if he was quiet before when he was in the orphanage, he completely closed himself off to everyone else, responding only to the teachers when they asked him questions. Everything else would get a simple shake of the head or a nod.
The idea of him being a wizard was one that he really didn't know how to react to. The little boy in him wanted to say that was the main reason he was never adopted and for a year he let that knowledge eat at him, hating himself and what he was turning into. Letting his emotions eat into him, he eventually snapped again and proceeded to beat up his sparring partner. A trip up to see the Head Turk, a man named Veld, frightened him and an admonishment about working in a team only served to finally push him into blurting out his fears to possibly, in his opinion back then, the worst person he could think off. However he finally admitted his anger, hurt and fears about being a wizard and why he couldn't form any attachments. It was just too painful, he said through tears, to work in a team when he wasn't sure they'd stick around.
Well, you don't do blow-ups in front of the Head Turk. Rude still got in trouble and had to write lines the next day but the lines were ones he needed to see, delivered from Veld to him.
"I am a Turk; I will always have the Turks."
He started opening himself a little more; he'd always be the quiet guy but he at least started smiling and talking to others, if only in short sentences. It was important for him to start developing these ties before he started moving on to the real hard stuff of being a Turk. In time he started to view the Turks as friends; sure they committed murder, broke a guy's arm and were harsh teachers on him. But they also celebrated his adoption day, the day he became one of them. They took him out on fun days every now and then and let him be the kid he was. And most importantly, they were always there..
While he went to Hogwarts at 11 every summer holiday was spent training as a Turk. They started him on simple wooden dummies then moved him to drugged animals, then normal animals and finally humans. It was tough at the start and it was during those times that he really relied on the friendships with his seniors to help him pull through. It was a process of getting him used to the idea of hurting people; he'd read about it, been drilled about it, but it was still a slow process of getting him comfortable enough to carry out orders without hesitation. The senior Turks understood though; they had all been in his shoes. They knew how he felt, no matter how silent he was about his emotions and they knew the best ways of slowly dealing with the guilt.
However he also started noticing how stressed they were too; Lord Voldemort's full out Wizard War was something that the Shinra Company had to play a delicate game with, seeing as neutrality was not really an option. The Turks had to participate in dangerous missions and one by one the older ones never came back. Thankfully by then Rude had grown and matured; he mourned their lost, but he also chose instead to remember what they had done for him and to push himself to train harder in their memory. They had helped him to grow and he knew that the best way to honor them was to keep on growing, for his own sake and for the sake of the junior Turks under him.
When he was 15 he received his first mission; it started out small, just threatening, blackmail and extortion. As he completed mission after mission, he started slowly enjoying himself too. Of course it was never easy when an innocent victim was involved but thankfully those were few; Veld was smart to slowly get the younger Turks used to the violence. Rude came to enjoy the thrill that came with each fight, each dangerous task. It made him feel alive, made him appreciate his life even further and it was a great way to bond with his fellow Turks as well when they shared missions. It was around this time that he was starting to learn the theory behind casting Dark Magic as well. Turks were no stranger to the Dark Arts and while Rude couldn't practice them till the Trace was off he could definitely learn what he could. It was yet another tough barrier to overcome but by this time he was a lot stronger than the 10 year old boy who had cried in Veld's office. He still needed help and guidance of course, but he managed and he adapted better than before, having been acclimatized to the violent nature of his job.
By the time the Wizarding War was over the Turks had lost quite a lot of their number. It was sad but by now Rude had learned that it was OK to lose someone, because he would always have the other Turks. He needed to be strong to help out the younger Turks, taking on some of them under his own guidance.
Rude has always kept mostly to himself in Hogwarts. He has friends but most of them are secretly Turks like Elena, a young junior Turk under his care. The few friends he has that aren't include Graham Spectre, whom he met on a mission when both teens were tasked to beat up the same person. He does his best to stay out of trouble, wanting no one to know that he's part of the Turks. He mostly spends his time studying though he is a member of the Fight Club and while not exactly the friendliest guy on the block he's easy to get along with. He starts occasional card games in the common room for everyone to enjoy and he does go out to Hogsmeade when he gets the chance because even Turks needs breaks right? He is overall a very low-key student and he wants to keep things that way. Subjects-wise he scores average marks, preferring to hide his true talents so as not to attract unnecessary attention. He does well enough to qualify for the subjects every Turk needs (basically the Auror subjects like Transfiguration, Potions, Herbology, Defence against the Dark Arts and Charms), but prefers to do just enough to pass his teacher's expectations of him. He secretly trains very hard though using the Room of Requirement (which Veld had told him about before he left for Hogwarts in his first year) because he wants to be a good Turk. He can fly brooms though he plays Quidditch only on a casual basis.
Overall, the general impression of Rude is that one quiet guy sitting at the back of the class. Just the way he wants it. [The second word is apptivity]
How would your character fit in to each House?
Gryffindor:
Rude is definitely brave and full of nerve. It definitely calls for courage when you have to deal with eco-terrorists bent on destroying the company you work for at all costs, especially when said eco-terrorists are dangerous lunatics who have undergone mutation and have crazy super-human powers. Nerve comes in plenty too, as he's willing to do crazy things in the course of his work as a Turk (In FF7: Advent Children, he stands his ground to chuck a bomb at close range). He's also chivalrous, unwilling to harm the women he likes, but this is only to a certain extent; he may not punch Tifa, but he'll let Reno or Elena do so because he still recognizes that Tifa's Avalanche and she needs to be stopped as she's a real threat to Shinra. He lets Chelsea off in FF7:BC because he never provides her with any information to bring back to her boss, but Tifa's a whole different story and he knows that he can't simply just shrug and look the other way. And again, as a Turk he knows when it's time to back off and retreat; he's not SOLDIER, it's not his job to die on the battlefield. So long as he gets the mission done, there's no harm in pulling off from a fight, or even engaging in a losing one to distract the enemy so long as the other Turks succeed. While he is brave, he's definitely got a sense of self-preservation, willing to retreat if the situation starts to go bad.
Hufflepuff:
Loyalty Rude has in spades but only to certain people, namely the Turks and Rufus Shinra, the man who rescued the Turks from execution after the events in FF7: BC. However, he's not loyal to the company that gives him his paychecks, willing to turn traitor if it's to protect his fellow Turks. Rude may be hardworking and dedicated to the job, but only so much as it gets the job done. After that he's quite happy to leave the office and go for a beer and play cards. He won't put in extra effort if not required. Fair play is also out the window, because the Turks are known for doing Shinra's dirty work and the Turks know that playing fair isn't going to get that done; they are quite willing to blackmail and hold people hostage in return for getting their way. However, Rude is generally tolerant of other people even if they're different from him, or on a different side. As mentioned earlier, it's all just a job to him and he holds nothing against Cloud by the time FF7:AC happens. Rude also has a moral code, although it's probably a bit dusty from lack of use and surfaces, surprisingly, when children are involved. In FF7:AC he and Reno go out to look for Denzel and Marlene when they go missing. The two also protect some children who are out in a trance when Bahamut Sin appears and starts attacking the city. Again, it would all depend though on whether it gets in the way of accomplishing his job or not, but his status as a Turk notwithstanding he has demonstrated that he does do things for the greater good so long as his own safety isn't too in danger and it's not disobeying orders from the Head Turk. He attempts to help evacuate the citizens of Midgar, but even he knows the futility of just four people trying to move the entire population of the city.
Ravenclaw:
Rude may use his fists to fight, but he's not stupid. In FF7:AC, he constructs his own bomb to toss at the remnants. Turks have to be observant and sharp enough on the field to notice anything wrong, and Rude proves this in FF7:BC when he admits that he knew Chelsea was a spy the entire time, but chose not to say anything. Furthermore, as a Turk he has had to learn many things including how to operate helicopters, complicated weaponry, radar, computers, scouting...there's a lot involved with espionage work and Rude, as one of the senior Turks in FF7:BC, must've had to learn them at one point or another. However, Rude is poor with words and often finds it difficult to express his feelings properly with them. He can come up with witty comebacks every now and then, but they are few and far-in-between. There is no canon evidence about his creativity save for him creating that flashy bomb, but there's nothing to suggest that he's creative himself. Given how difficult he finds it to describe exactly how he's feeling or thinking, I would be more inclined to say that creativity is not a strong suit for him.
Slytherin:
I think this is the house that actually suits Rude the best. As a Turk you must be ready to change your plan according to the situation; you have to utilize what you have around you, take into consideration what you're confronting, and ultimately decide if it's worth your time or it isn't. Rude does so near the end of the original FF7: Shinra's falling to bits, everything's in chaos, the world's probably going to end and your boss is probably dead. At that point, screw his orders; he's more concerned with his life and his fellow Turk members. Cloud and co have beaten them so many times in the past that they'll probably do it again and Avalanche is probably the best team that humanity has against Sephiroth so why not let them pass and let them have their shot at him? If they beat him, then everything's hunky dory. If they don't, then Sephiroth will kill them anyway. In the end, Rude's common sense and his self-preservation wins out and together with Reno they convince Elena to step down and let Cloud and co go through. He's not a Shinra idealist, but neither is he a Planet-hugger either. He may stay in town to help evacuate everyone, but that's only because the other missing Turks reappear to help; he was about ready to give up and head off himself, recognizing the futility of trying to evacuate a city as big as Midgar. Rude's not ambitious, but he is willing to do whatever it takes to do something once he's set his mind on it. He's may not be the leader of the Turks, but he's cool and collected enough to guide the juniors through things. He's cunning when needed; the above example about Sephiroth and Avalanche is an example of that. He can also trick people; in FF7:BC he lets Shears' overconfidence over beating both Reno and Rude separately blind him to the fact that Reno and Rude work best as a team. Once Shears takes the bait, both him and Reno proceed to hand him a sound trashing. He's even a pure-blood in Sorting Hat, but he doesn't really believe all that spiel about pure-bloods being better than muggle-borns given that the Turks he works with in this AU are a mix of everything.
RP Samples:
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49278.html?thread=2112126#cmt2112126 With Professor Goggles
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49037.html?thread=2107789#cmt2107789 With Calliope
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/48492.html?thread=2074732#cmt2074732 With Wednesday Addams
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/48053.html?thread=2047157#cmt2047157 With Mabel
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47369.html?thread=2020361#cmt2020361 With Bruce Wayne
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47283.html#comments Dressrobes post
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/47082.html?thread=2010858#cmt2010858 With Kurloz
http://dressrobes.dreamwidth.org/49424.html?thread=2117648#cmt2117648 With Søren