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"Do not jump the fence unless you are willing to face what is on the other side."

*** IMPORTANT CHARACTERIZATION NOTE ***

Perhaps one of the most important things to know about writing with my Tseng is that I write Tseng much older than in current canon. To be more specific, I write him as being only ten years younger than Vincent Valentine, which puts him, by the time of the main events of Final Fantasy VII, as being either 47 or soon to be.Now, how this is important to roleplay:

GENERAL NOTE Power imbalances—particularly when there is also such a large age gap involved—is something that I do not see as being acceptable to Tseng, as I write him. It would be one thing if, at some point, a relationship developed with a Turk who was his peer before he became second-in-command, and certainly before he takes Veld’s place. [ There is a pre-existing, self-contained ship inherent to this blog—for world-building purposes—that is an example of that, and a similar situation to this would be acceptable in a verse, but not any ship with such a massive power imbalance as someone who did not know him prior to him becoming or being their superior. ]
FOR WRITERS WITH RUFUS AND/OR RENO MUSES I headcanon Tseng as having been personally responsible for protecting Rufus from the time he was a child and, depending upon discussions with my partners, he essentially functioned as a father for Rufus due to Old Man Shinra’s neglect and abuse. This is also––again, dependent on partners––typically what I headcanon as the case with Reno as well. As that is the case, I do not, under any circumstances, ship my Tseng with Rufus or Reno.
FOR WRITERS WITH ELENA MUSE I also will not ship him with Elena for much the same reason as she is both his junior by quite a few years [ if you hold to the original of Reno being 25 as of FFVII, Tseng is a whole fifteen years older than Reno and Elena is younger than Reno ], and, though he did not have to act as a father to her as he did with Rufus and Reno, he is also her superior and it has never been any different.
For writers with AERITH MUSE Similarly, I do not ship Tseng and Aerith, who is roughly 22 at the time of Final Fantasy VII. Tseng is fond of her. He watches over her to the best of his ability, and he does want to protect her. But I do not interpret them as romantic in any way, shape, or form. He is a protector for her, much as he was—as much as he could be—with Rufus and Reno.
FOR ANY OTHER YOUNGER MUSES, such as TIFA, YUFFIE, AND, REALLY, MOST OF THE MAIN CAST The same as mentioned above where it pertains to power imbalances of authority or age differences. Tseng will not pursue romance with anyone who falls into either category.

Now, all of that said, aside from Rufus and Reno who are solidly familial in my take, I find nothing wrong with a muse pining or having an unrequited love sort of thing. It happens. People get crushes. They're not returned. No harm done. But there will be no legitimate romance or requited love in any of these scenarios where the above-mentioned conditions are present.

*** OTHER IMPORTANT CHARACTERIZATION NOTE ***

I realize that most of my icons for 'current' Tseng—meaning as of the events of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children—are of the Remake version. HOWEVER: My Tseng is based upon my interpretation of OG Tseng, who I have been writing since before the Remake was ever even a rumor.A few differences of note:

My Tseng is based upon the origin English voice actor, Ryun Yu. This is not meant as a sleight to the current voice actors or anything to do with the remake; OG Tseng is the one I grew up watching in Advent Children [ how-ever briefly he appears ] and then saw in subsequent installments prior to the 'Remake' overhaul of those installments. Rather than the more sing-song, performative voice of the Remake, his voice is a much softer, much more subdued tone, though it is not without a sense of authority. He does not speak loudly, but he is heard all the same.
Again, though, I know that most of my icons are from Remake/Rebirth, but Advent Children just doesn't have enough to use and Crisis Core and Before Crisis only get one so far into his canon. ] That said, my Tseng does not have the piercings or—should the remake reveal them—any tattoos or identifying marks [ beyond scars ], as OG Tseng did not have them.
My Tseng is not shy, per se, but he is reserved. He does not tend to engage with others without reason, and he is guarded. But he is not a monster, and neither does he possess the heart of stone he would pretend that he does.

GENERAL. The writer has a decade of RP experience on tumblr and other platforms.The writer and muse are both over 18. Regardless, I have no interest in threads with extreme violence (as in, I’m not into writing or reading a lot of blood and gore/extreme horror genre threads) or scenes of explicit sexual nature (implying something happened is one thing, but trying to play it out is quite another).FOLLOWING. I am private and selective, meaning that I will not follow everyone and this is nothing against them or their ability or their character. I simply work a full-time job and have other factors that make it where I like to keep a clean dash for the sake of my sanity.
I am completely open to RPing with OCs. I’ve written more than a few myself, here and elsewhere, and written with plenty from other writers. All characters were someone’s OC at some point or other. Some have just had more keepers than others.I understand how challenging it can be to find people willing to ‘take a risk’ or so much as acknowledge you. So long as the OC is well-written and well-developed and I can see how interaction could take place, I am perfectly willing to give it a shot. My preference is usually having a bio page, but I get life can be a bit crazy and getting everything about your character down into one page can be daunting at times. So long as you’re okay with me wanting to talk and chat so I can see how I think out characters could interact, it’s all good.I will also usually RP even with multiples of the same character or with different characters who have the same faceclaim. [ I will not acknowledge that they ‘look alike’ or ‘have the same face’. ] I love seeing the different takes that everyone has on their characters. Everyone brings something different, and I find it absolutely fascinating. There are a few exceptions due to developments in interacting because sometimes you just click with certain RPers and their characters. Any cases of this will be listed in my ‘mains’ page.MAINS & EXCLUSIVES. While I do not practice exclusivity in 9.99999 of 10 cases, I do occasionally pick up mains.
For me, this means that I will still be writing with others of the same muse, but the people listed will have priority as I have spoken with the writers a fair amount and am already quite attached to their particular take on their muse(s) and on the relationships/plots we have planned. Especially in cases where my focus is low and I know that I won’t manage more than a reply or two, they will very likely receive replies before I consider any others unless the mood/writing focus at the time dictates otherwise. I am always open to more mains, of course, with enough OOC talk and plotting, but this is where I am at the moment!Though exceedingly rare, there is the odd case where I will find myself with an exclusive, usually due to the writing having somehow fundamentally shaped my idea of the character and in how my character(s) interact with them. They are exclusives because they are the definitive version of that character for myself and my muses. If you are a multi with a character that I list as exclusive to/with someone, know that I will still follow you, and I would still love to write with your other characters. Just not the one that I have listed.Some examples of this are that I have a couple of friends who no longer write on tumblr, but I still will not write anywhere with any other Kate Bishop, Clint Barton, Emma Frost, or Natasha Romanoff of Marvel. I also will not write with any other Hector Barbossa of Pirates of the Caribbean.Tumblr exclusives will be listed on the mains and Exclusives page.

INBOX THINGS & STARTER CALLS. I don’t mind curious anons and whatnot, or even non-mutuals who have ooc/headcanon questions, but I will only write and thread and answer in-character asks from memes and starters with mutuals.That said, the askbox is always open to memes, questions, or even conversation, in or out of character––so long as it is for or about the character. I won’t ask that you send in for every single meme you may reblog from me, but please don’t make me feel like a meme resource. I’m here to write a character just like you.I do roleplay/thread from asks. If you would like to continue one that I answered for you, all I request is that you put it in a post separate of the original ask. If you are unable to do this due to technical issues, just let me know.PLOTTING. This account is open to RP with nearly any fandom. My preference is to have at least some vague knowledge of the fandom, but if a writer is willing to fill me in, I can manage. I am always willing to make new AUs and help craft crossovers. In fact, I love to do so! It's always interesting to see what can happen when you mix things up a bit!My preference for talking and plotting with other writers is through messaging, not asks, so that there are no slip-ups with ‘answer privately.’FORMATTING. I do not format. If you choose to, by all means, but I haven't the brain power to do it myself.Mostly, my writing style is paragraphs (of varying lengths) with icons thrown in along the way. Please do not ever feel that you must match me for length of reply. [All I ask is that you give me enough to work with in your reply.] I do know that I can get rather wordy. If it bothers you, please tell me and I can try to adjust. I am just very descriptive and fairly detail-oriented. I am also perfectly fine if you do not always use icons or if you never use icons.I have spent quite a bit of my life as an editor––both informal and for specific organizations. If I catch a small typo––a missed letter, flipped letters, duplicate letters and things like that––chances are I will correct it before I reblog. (I.E. ‘bettter’ to ‘better’ or ‘and thent hey’ to ‘and then they’. Please do not take offense. I simply hate to leave a mistake because I know times where I’ve made a mistake and it’s been reblogged before I caught it and I felt like an idiot. I like to avoid that for all parties where possible. This does not mean I will change anything major––syntax, meaning, etc––and I absolutely will not. Any changes made are only minor things. If you do not wish me to do so, just let me know and I will make a note.SHIPPING. I am not completely anti-ship, but I’m not specifically looking for ships with any of my accounts. If I ship at all, it is only with chemistry and usually only with people I have written with enough to decide that there is some kind of chemistry, or with whom I have messaged with enough to get the idea that there might be. Shipping is not a given. Do not try to force a ship on me. Mentioning it, asking if it’s a possibility, and/or attempting to plot if there is interest is one thing. Trying to twist my arm into shipping is another.IN CONCLUSION. If you've stuck around thus far to read all of this, I appreciate you. I very much look forward to writing my muses with other writers, but I am also closer to thirty that not and I am Tired.Don’t start none, won’t be none. For that matter, even if you start some, there STILL won’t be none. It’s as simple as that. I love writing. I love storytelling. I love crafting stories with other people. I love making friends on here. But I’m not going to let this place infringe on my sanity anymore. If someone becomes toxic or unhealthy for me, I will politely inform that person that I am unfollowing and then, if it becomes necessary, blocking them. Period. I’m too old to be dealing with he said/she said, anon hate, and kindergarten antics. I’m here to write. I’m here to have fun. If you’re here for the same reason, we’re golden.

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"I had bullets. He had words."

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Tseng of the Turks

STATUS: ACTIVE

general

**FULL NAME** Xu Tseng
**BIRTHDAY**15 March 1960
**OCCUPATION** Turk; Head of the Turks

background

**BIRTHPLACE** Wutai
**CURRENT HOME** UNKNOWN**MOTHER** REDACTED
**FATHER** REDACTED
**SIBLINGS** REDACTED
**OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS** REDACTED**SPOUSE** NONE
**CHILDREN** NONE

appearance

**HAIR** long, dark hair
**EYES** light brown eyes
**HEIGHT** 5'10"
**BUILD** 190 lbs; sturdy, deceptively strong**DOMINANT HAND** ambidextrous; was left-handed, but a bad break when he first started training to become a Turk left him having to use his right for an extended period of time, a habit that persisted
**SCARS** none clearly visible beyond his suit; quite a few scars that are not visible unless he is in some state of undress
**TATTOOS** None
**PIERCINGS** None

PERSONALITY

**POSITIVE TRAITS** deliberate, protective, cunning, shrewd, loyal, self-sufficient, determined, persistent, pragmatic, self-confident
**NEGATIVE TRAITS** stubborn, dogmatic, suspicious, secretive, manipulative, calloused, violent, fatalistic, self-condemning, sin-eater**LIKES** coffee; the safety of his people; legible paperwork submitted on time; a mission accomplished without casualties or collateral; quiet
**DISLIKE** vulnerability; betrayal; recklessness; weakness; failure; lose
**FEARS + PHOBIAS** loss; powerlessness; failure; ~~being a Monster~~
**WISHES + DREAMS** survive; keep his people safe**AESTHETIC** crisp, well-fitted suits, no jewelry, dark hair**MBTI** UNDER CONSTRUCTION
**MORAL ALIGNMENT**UNDER CONSTRUCTION
**ENNEAGRAM TYPE** UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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DOSSIER

"I made a promise."

CHILDHOOD IN WUTAI

REDACTED

LIFE AT SHINRA

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

AFTER METEOR

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

AFTER DEEPGROUND

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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main timeline

"Time continues onward, without thought to those it leaves in the past."

*** IMPORTANT EXPLANATION ***

THIS TIMELINE is the basis for all of my Final Fantasy VII muses, and so it will include a listing of all of my muses ages at various points in canon, for ease of transfers.I usually use Vincent's age as the base to establish everyone else's, because his is the easiest to keep track of, considering he went "missing" when he was 27, 30 years before the start of FFVII—or, at least in the original canon, and therefore, my canon—which, if we have it on a timeline adjacent to ours, places his "disappearance" being in 1977.As Reeve was allegedly involved in building all of the mako reactors, which means he couldn't have been born in 1972, when Square seems convinced that he was—considering that was the year the first one was built. Thus,if Mako was discovered in 1960, and at that point research began, I conjecture that planning for the reactor itself began some time around 1965 as the first one was allegedly built in 1972. So I say that Reeve was born a year before Vincent, making his birth year 1949 to Vincent's 1950.Dates pertaining to whatever character is not on this blog [ i.e. if on Tseng's blog this would pertain to Rufus, Reno, Rude, and Reeve ] is fluid, depending on with whom I am writing. Obviously, if I am writing with a muse that is the same as one of mine, their muse would become the relevant one in the situation, and none of my headcanons or dates would pertain to theirs/that verse.

The year is 1960. Mako is discovered.

Reeve is 11. He is already being recognized for his intelligence.
Vincent is 10.
Tseng is born in Wutai.

1965. Planning for first Mako reactor begins.

Reeve is 16 and has been working for ShinRa since being recruited at a young age after his intelligence and mechanical genius was recognized.
Vincent is 15.
Tseng is 5 and still living in Wutai.
Ariana [OC]—Reno's older sister—is born.

1972. The first reactor is built. ShinRa officially, on paper, changes from a weapons manufacturer to an Electric Power Company.

Reeve is 23 and already Head of the Urban Development Department after, once again, being recognized.
Vincent is 22 has been a Turk since age 18 in 1968; he was a trainee for a year before that.
Tseng is 12 when his parents first venture to Midgar as part of an attempt to create ties between it and Wutai.
Ariana is 7.

1977.

Reeve is 28 and continuing his neverending mission to create a worthwhile city, even if he is hindered or entirely blocked at every turn.
Vincent is 27 and, following an assignment to work a protection detail, he "goes missing".
Tseng is 17, and has been an asset of/working for ShinRa since he was 13, following his 'acquisition' by ShinRa. At 15, he was selected to be trained by Vincent. He has officially been a Turk for two years when Vincent goes missing.
Ariana is 12 and loses her father [ who was killed for not dropping the issue of Vincent's disappearance, despite warnings to do so ]. They soon find themselves relocating to the slums due to her mother's spiral into alcohol and, eventually, drugs.
Rude is 3.
Reno is 2.
Rufus is 2.

1978.

Reeve is 29.
Vincent is 28 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 18. Following an incident wherein he saves a young Rufus, he largely becomes the boy's personal bodyguard when Rufus is outside of his home.
Ariana is 15, and not yet with ShinRa and working three jobs in the slums to make ends meet [ but she is one year away from starting to take a job she shouldn't to be able to work only one job and be better able to take care of her younger brother and addict/alcoholic mother.].
Rude is 6.
Reno is 5.
Rufus is 5.

1988.

Reeve is 39 and becoming more and more disillusioned with ShinRa, as much as he tries to pretend otherwise.
Vincent is 38 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 28 and is not yet second-in-command of the Turks, though Veld does see him as a protege and trains him as such. Tseng was one of the Turks who helped to train Ari when she [ under duress ] signed up at 19. To the shock of probably everyone considering the way in which Ari was recruited, they built a mutual respect and eventually a friendship. When she officially moved from trainee to rookie at 21, the two were partnered and, over the course of working together, grew to be even closer friends.
Ariana is 23, and has officially been a Turk and been partnered with Tseng for 2 years, but due to her having signed up at 19—having to first get caught up with her education and then undergo training as a Turk—she's actually been around ShinRa for 4 years total.
Rude is 14, and not yet with ShinRa.
Reno is 13.
Rufus is 13.

1990.

Reeve is 41.
Vincent is 40 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 30 and is promoted to second-in-command of the Turks, following the death of the previous second.
Ariana is 24 and—following Tseng's promotion to second-in-command—she is partnered with one of the new Rookies: Rude.
Rude is 16 and a Rookie Turk, having joined and become a trainee at 15. He is partnered with Ariana.
Reno is 14 and becoming more and more rebellious, perceiving his sister's constant time spent at work as abandonment.
Rufus is 14 and his father is involving him more in learning the business.

1993.

Reeve is 44.
Vincent is 43 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 33 and is still second-in-command of the Turks. [ Self-contained verse note: He and Ariana have been A Thing™️ "casually"—it hasn't really been Friends With Benefits for a while, but they haven't admitted that yet and won't for a LONG TIME; let me TELL YOU about SLOW BURN because these two are MASTERS of Lying to Themselves or just outright not acknowledging things—since not long after he was promoted to being second-in-command, though they have tried to keep that a secret. Veld knows but keeps it to himself. Rufus knows but keeps it to himself. Rude definitely knows but would take that knowledge to his grave before betraying either of Tseng or Ari. Everybody else is pretty much oblivious or have nothing but idle gossip about the two being such good friends. ]
Ariana is 28 and has been working with Rude for roughly 3 years, but she asks Veld that she be assigned a new partner following Reno's stubborn enlistment into the Turks so that Rude—who she trusts with her life—can look after her brother with whom she is not currently on speaking terms [ by Reno's choice ] as much as she hates it.
Rude is 19 and begins working with Reno.
Reno is 18. He joined the Turks out of spite, knowing it was the last thing his sister wanted him to do. [ The strain of her always working had damaged their relationship. Reno felt abandoned, like his sister didn't care about him. Ari couldn't explain to him that she had only become a Turk because she was pressured, and he was the pressure point; she was a Turk to protect him. Reno acted out in school and generally misbehaved. They fought a lot. It resulted in this. ]
Rufus is 18 and now the Vice President of ShinRa Electric Power Company.

2000. Crisis Core.

Reeve is 51.
Vincent is 50 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 40. Tseng is second-in-command, and has been for several years. He is still Rufus' main bodyguard when Rufus is not home. [ No, he and Ariana still have not acknowledged that them basically living together is Something You Should Maybe Talk About. Did I mention that they are both ridiculous? They both, individually, Know they love the other person at this point, but the words have never been spoken and what they 'actually are' has never been given a more fitting label or acknowledged by either of them to anyone, including each other. ]
Ariana is 35 and working with Terren AKA Two-Guns (Male). [ I'm pretty sure he had another name in canon, but I had given him a name long before I knew that so it is what it is. ]
Rude is 26 and has been working with Reno for roughly 7 years.
Reno is 25. Reno and Ari's relationship is still rocky.
Rufus is 25.

2001. Before Crisis.

Reeve is 52.
Vincent is 51 [ chronologically ] and "missing".
Tseng is 41, and, by the end of the game, becomes Head of the Turks, after Rufus saves him and the other Turks from being executed. [ The answer is still no. ]
Ariana is 36 and is still working with Terren up until the point that the majority of the Turks have to scatter.
Rude is 27 and still Reno's partner.
Reno is 26, and, upon Tseng's promotion, he becomes second-in-command of the Turks, much to the shock of some.
Rufus is 26, and the Turks largely become 'his problem'.

2007. Final Fantasy VII.

Vincent is 57 [ chronologically ] and discovered by Cloud & Co. in Nibelheim.
Tseng is 47, and Head of the Turks and alive at the end of the events, despite a very near brush with death. [ Tseng almost dying is actually not only the point at which Ariana finally calls it what it is and openly acknowledges that she loves Tseng, but this is also the point at which it becomes public knowledge to both the rookie Elena AND Reno that the two are in love and have been for... at least 15 years?? ]
Ariana is 42, and ends up medically retired due to being almost paralyzed in the ShinRa Building collapse as she was trying to help evacuate it. [ Thankfully, regardless of what he tries to make others believe, Rufus is not his father and does not see Turks retiring as an issue particularly when they basically raised him. ]
Rude is 33 and still partnered with Reno. [ Ariana almost dying is the point at which Rude finally has a tough love conversation with Reno about his sister and all the things she did for him. ]
Reno is 32. He is still second-in-command of the Turks, despite several people assuming that would not last. [ Following Rude's talk with him, Reno realizes that there's been a lot of hurt feelings and wasted time for nothing only to almost lose the only blood family he has left, starts actively trying to repair the relationship with his sister. ]
Rufus is 32. After a close call of his own, he is beginning to re-evaluate some of his previously held stances.

2009. ADVENT CHILDREN.

Reeve is 60.
Vincent is 59 [ chronologically ] and brooding outside of his coffin these days. By the end of it, he finally decides to get a phone to keep in touch with people.
Tseng is 49 and getting too old for this shit, though you wouldn't guess it by watching him run up stairs while still bandaged up like a mummy, following being "brutally tortured", according to Vincent, by the Remnants, alongside Elena.
Ariana is 44 and barely out of a wheelchair, with difficulty. SHe is still undergoing physical therapy. [ She has been doing this largely on her own due to Rufus' predicament; but Tseng, Reno, and Rude do help in turns, when they are able. Reeve has also been a help. Early into her time with ShinRa, Reeve had basically been kind of fatherly to her from the point they met, as he had known her actual father prior to his death. ]
Rude is 35 and suffering Reno's antics still. He has learned to carry extra pairs of shades.
Reno is 34 and really doing nothing except getting into trouble.
Rufus is 34 and suffering the effects of Geostigma while dealing with the myriad of consequences stemming from ShinRa's prior actions, not least of which are the three Remnants of Sephiroth trying to gain possession of JENOVA's head.
Remnants—Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz—are ????? ✨ Manifested ✨?????

2010. Dirge of Cerberus.

Reeve is 61 and has been running the WRO [ with the secret help of Rufus' funding ]. Things are Not Going Well. He really just needs a vacation.
Vincent is 60, and now has no option on whether or not he has to help save the world. It's literally do or die, and he supposes he doesn't want everyone to die.
Tseng is 50 and definitely too old for this shit, though still he seems at least a decade or two younger than he is with how he moves. He is still working for Rufus, however. [ Though, there has also finally been a marriage with him and Ariana that was about 10+ years and 3 kids—Rufus, Reno, and Sephiroth—raised between them overdue. ]
Ariana is 45 and works for Reeve doing mostly clerical work and also acting as a go-between for Rufus and Reeve. She retains a rather pronounced limp from her injury, but she is not wheelchair-bound, though she does often use a cane that may or may not also hide a weapon for dire circumstances. She is happily married to the love of her life [ though she does miss working the job and getting to spend more time with him and her Turk family ]. Her relationship with Reno is much better. Maybe not quite to where it was before everything went wrong—considering there were at least two decades of Hurt Feelings there by the time Reno knew and understood the whole set of circumstances—but they are closer again, and both continue to make efforts to keep repairing the bridge.
Rude is 36, still Reno's partner, and somehow still sane. Nobody understands it. Rude doesn't even really understand it. He just shrugs. He also still makes terrible decisions with dating.
Reno and Rufus are 35, and still causing trouble, just more quietly now due to the continuing 'anti-ShinRa' sentiment. Rufus has plans to revive ShinRa, though, now, he plans to utilize reusable energy, rather than draining the Planet of its Life Force. No ETA on that, but he's planning it, at least.
The Remnants are also dead. Probably. Unless AUs state otherwise.

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TSENG

"Wisdom is learning the boundaries of one's designated lane."

canon divergence

As above-mentioned in the rules and shown in the timeline, Tseng is significantly older than he is established to be in the new canon.
Verse and writer dependent, Tseng has had a hand in raising Reno, Rufus, and also warofthebeasts's Sephiroth.