FM Application

[rulerandthekiller]

❥ Character Information

Character Name: Rufus Shinra
Character Age: 32
Character Species: Human
Current Health: Weak, in recovery from Geostigma but otherwise healthy
Outfit: his new outfit but also including the shroud from Advent Children which he still keeps out of habit.

Character Canon:
Link to History: https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Rufus_Shinra
Canon Point: Just before the events of Dirge of Cerberus
Canon Iteration: Original canon with added events of Remake/Rebirth
Canon Iteration Explanation: Remake/Rebirth (and the events of First SOLDIER), coming latest, build off of the prior additions to the canon timeline in what they showcase, which includes greater characterization of the antagonists. On the downside, Rufus’s age is wonky because the writers changed his age between OG and Remake (if there’s a deeper canon reason as to why, that has yet to be made clear).

❥ Folkmore Roles & Attributes

Skills:
- Firearms, especially his custom shotgun
- Physical agility and battlefield manipulation (smokescreens, using the environment & position)
- A ricochet attack, using special ammunition and two unique coins
- Business management
- Very patient when seeing a scheme through
- Familiar with using materia
- Animal handling/training, based on the training and loyalty displayed by Dark Nation (Darkstar).
Canon Abilities: Rufus has no natural magical abilities.
Role: Myth
Role Qualities/Attributes: Fangs, a black forked tail, claw-like nails, ability to see in the dark.
Role Reasoning: Rufus is seen as a villain by the vast majority of people who know him, or know of him. After the events of Final Fantasy VII, he gets a dose of reality and starts considering those people might be right. His plans from then on (aside from a primary goal of survival most of the time) center around rebuilding – rebuilding civilization, and rebuilding himself, both physically and metaphorically. He still struggles to toe the line between ambition as atonement/reformation and ambition for wielding influence for personal power. A Myth is a role that appears unsettling and corrupted, but is not necessarily evil, which seems to best capture how Rufus is redefining himself. Also, the list of Myth traits is practically a 1:1 for Rufus: distant, cold, greedy, arrogant, selfish, cruel, a natural affinity for hiding their motivations and hyperfocusing on their goals. Old habits die hard.

❥ Personality

Option 2. Choose FOUR-FIVE of the following questions to answer and expand upon. Each answer has a 100-300 word requirement.
Option 2 questions (4-5). 100-300 word limit each:

❥ What was the most traumatic experience your character endured? How did this change them? Rufus’ entire childhood of neglect and emotional abuse was traumatic, but perhaps the most traumatic experience actually came as an adult – being trapped in the flooded quarantine cave. It was the first time he’d genuinely tried to help other people by organizing an evacuation plan, sourcing flotation aids, carrying a patient who couldn’t move, and it wasn’t enough. Over time, he watched their numbers dwindle while waiting for help, until he lost hope that help would arrive at all. In the last moments, it was this vulnerability that allowed him to be infected with Geostigma. A vague black shape in the water, moving toward him as if it were sentient (one could argue it was), fought through every attempt Rufus made to resist before forcing itself into his ears. Both the circumstances, and the disease that followed, gave Rufus the experience of feeling truly helpless for the first time in a long time. While traumatic, it was a valuable perspective to understand the fear and uncertainty others struggled with daily. Having to rely on others likewise made Rufus appreciate his allies and human relationships more.

❥ What is the most important and defining relationship(s) in your character's life and why? Rufus’ defining relationships are those with his mother, his father, and with the Turks. Rufus’ mother died when he was very young. He was close to her and her loss left him especially lonely, given his father’s preoccupation with the company. Her absence as a loving parent was just as formative as his father’s loveless presence. President Shinra, Sr., was a harsh critic of his son when he acknowledged him at all. Even at five years old, Rufus felt real fear to avoid angering his father, and apologies only seemed to make things worse. As a child, he suggested that the President should have an escape route built into the new corporate building for safety. His father’s mocking response was that he would build one, but not for himself – it would be for Rufus (IF Rufus ever succeeded him) and he would be sure to clearly label it “L” for Loser. Rufus swiftly learned to keep his mouth shut and his schemes – because that’s what soon developed – to himself. He learned to bide his time, manipulate others, and to do whatever was necessary to achieve his goals. What once might have been a desire for praise and affection became a corrupted need to control and conquer. Lastly, Rufus has ultimately found a chosen family with his Turks, even if he might not admit it. Originally, he saw them as tools to be used like everyone else; but during the course of their time together, a genuine loyalty developed. He is protective of them (rebuffing Hojo’s attempts to claim Tseng’s body) just as he relies on their protection of him. His relationship with the Turks as people (albeit a bit possessively as his people) helps to preserve the humanity he’d repressed.

❥ What is a headcanon (or two) you feel strongly about and that you prefer playing your character with? How is this supported in canon and why do you think it benefits the character's story? When given the security and space to be a “normal guy,” Rufus can be a bit of a troll. In the novel The Kids Are Alright, he meets with his half-brother Evan at Healen Lodge. Due to a misunderstanding, Evan’s friends arrive from Edge riled up and ready to “rescue” him from his Shinra captors. The Turks, of course, are ready to fight the interlopers and things are getting heated. While Rufus could have simply explained the situation, that just wasn’t flashy enough. In the most backwards (yet effective?) effort to de-escalate the situation, Rufus secretly gives Evan a handgun that belonged to their father and essentially instructs him in How to Take a Hostage 101. The act gives Evan clout with his people, the Turks follow the order to stand down, and everyone is able to go home safely. As thanks, Evan gives Rufus his knife in exchange for the handgun. Poor Reno, who wears his heart on his sleeve, laments failing the president until Rufus admits that the gun was never loaded and the entire scene was fabricated. Rufus finds his Turks’ chagrin hilarious as Reno manically clings to the idea of Rufus being so cool and so swag in an effort to lower his own heart rate. Rufus can think quickly under pressure but his sense of humor is not for everyone. It does show a softer side to him that he would do such a thing to help someone else when he could have easily let the sparks lead to a full explosion of violence, but I think he’d have to feel really confident in his success to take the risk.

❥ Is your character capable of forgiveness or will they hold a grudge until they die? Would anything ever make them change their mind? Rufus doesn’t really hold grudges, but neither does he forgive. It’s more like he doesn’t take conflict personally in the first place. Being on opposing sides is circumstantial and those circumstances could easily change, so there is no sense in making “enemies” with people who could serve his interests in the future. This is exactly how he treats his relationship with Cloud, both in Advent Children where he relates the dangers of the Remnants to the merc, and in the most recent installation of Final Fantasy VII (Rebirth) where he is willing to make a deal with AVALANCHE to pursue Sephiroth. People are “resources” more than allies or enemies. The one exception to this rule would be Rufus’ father. Rufus would deny it was a “grudge,” but his obsession with outdoing and undermining his father for the larger part of his lifetime would suggest otherwise.

❥ What is your character's safespace? When do they feel the most settled and comfortable? When do they feel confident and relaxed? Rufus hasn’t had a true safespace in a long time. His comfort has come more from trusted relationships than from tangible places or items. As a child and young adult, his mutant guard dog was his cherished pet and best friend. Darkstar/Dark Nation went wherever Rufus went whenever possible and in both the OG and Remake/Rebirth, their attacks during boss fights are fully in sync. For the longest time, that dog is his most intimate relationship and comfort. Most recently as an adult, after he escaped the destruction of the Shinra building, he was soon kidnapped by a discontented (former) lieutenant in the Shinra army, then kidnapped from him by a former Shinra scientist. Rufus was essentially held hostage for 2 years before he was able to orchestrate the murder of his captor. Taking over the newly renamed “Healen Lodge” medical center makes it his current residence, but I don’t think it truly counts as his “safespace” – not yet. But being reunited with the Turks and eliminating a dangerous individual who would use him for experimental research and access to drugs certainly makes him feel more settled there. I think the degree of his comfort and security with the Turks is made clear in the novel when he stages a fake hostage situation to allow Evan to leave safely. Rufus never would have given Evan the gun if he wasn’t fully confident that 1. Evan wouldn’t dare shoot him, and/or 2. That if he did, the Turks would utterly wreck Evan and all his friends.

❥ Permissions

OOC opt-outs: What limits, content, and subjects you, as the player, don't wish to have mentioned, tag, or play out? Not interested in playing explicit eye gore, pederasty, or permanent physical damage such as loss of limbs
IC opt-outs: What limits, content, and subjects you do not wish your character to be involved with? He is not currently looking for any kind of shipping, but this could change in the future.
Content warnings related to the character: What content related to your character’s world and personal history might other people want warnings for or not to mention, tag, or play out? Child neglect/abuse, parental death, body horror, human experimentation, pandemic, gun violence, murder/assassination, late stage capitalism, war, colonialism, genocide, kidnapping, acts of terrorism, hinted SA, drug addiction
Sensitive subjects related to the character: What actions, content, or subjects would cause a negative reaction from your character? Intrusive questions, especially about his mother/parents/childhood; SA and dubcon; he would be guarded to talk about severe illness like geostigma & cancer but might be willing to discuss it with a trusted individual; assassination attempts

❥ Player Information

Player Name: Magellan
Pronouns: she/her
Are you over 18?: Yes
Contact(s):shinra_dog or shinra_dog on Discord
Link to invitation: Link
Current Characters: Rhys Dryden
Permissions: Here.
Writing Samples: One Two