Morality

I've noticed that those of us who choose to make a fansite for a character who is, to put it diplomatically, less than heroic, try to have some sort of defense. "He's not evil! He's just misunderstood!" I'm trying my darndest not to come off as someone like that, especially because much of Reno's charm comes from his flamboyant disregard for the rules, but the truth is, he's not all that bad. He even saves children!

By this I mean, his is a more petty evil. He's not trying to become one with the planet and be reborn as a god. He's not even trying to control the world with fear. No, Reno, and the rest of the Turks, just want to do their job. Now, that job may involve theft, kidnapping, or even murder, but Reno makes a point of not getting personally involved. Left to his own devices, he'd spend most of the day in a bar, not trying to grab more power for himself.

He also has his own code of morals, although it's a bit further south than most. The expression honor among thieves isn't for nothing. He shows a strong loyalty, if not to Shinra, then to the Turks themselves- and he always does whats needed to get the job done.

That said, he's not someone who you'd want to bring home to mother. He still does whatever Rufus tells him to- unless he's on vacation- and although the Turks COULD be employed by Shin-Ra to save puppies, they're a covert military unit, not a knitting circle. And though most of the world seems to trust Shin-Ra, Reno's high enough up in the company to realize there's more to the company than it's public image. If he was really a shining beacon of morality, I don't think he'd try to kidnap a poor innocent flower girl.

To be fair, most of the "hero" characters had an initially favorable impression of Shin-Ra and Sephiroth, if they weren't actually employed by them at one point. What separates them from Reno is that they left when they found out how bad Shin-Ra really was. Reno didn't. There was a point in time when the company was just another power company, and perhaps the Turks had different duties, but that was a long way back. Reno has seen and perpetuated all the horrors of Shin-Ra, and he keeps coming back because it's his job, and I guess he has to pay the rent somehow. But that almost makes it worse. His is the day to day evil that just creeps up and takes you piece by piece. When life offers clear cut choices, it's easy to listen to your conscience and do the right thing. But it's the petty evil, the darkness encroaching, that in the end will take your soul.

But there's hope for even the worst of libertines, and Rufus has loudly proclaimed that he's now on the side of the good and plenties. Apparently, he's taking the TURKS with him. And I'm for every shade of grey, redemtion and resurrection and all that stuff that comes between. There's a lot to atone for.

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