PSA - Character Making

[Dark]

Subject to change.

 

Medical Conditions:

 

Giving your character disabilities including but not limited to:
 

- Schizophrenia

- Suicide attempts in the past, or known suicidal thoughts

- PTSD

- Maniacal behavior

- Missing eyes/limbs and refusal to use prosthetics

 

Will earn you a psych eval IC at the best, instant medical discharge at the worst, and a talk with an Admin+ in any case.

The Federation's goal is to emphasize choice, ensuring those that enlist are fully committed to serving the Federation - with no second thoughts, doubts, or anything of the like. The recruiters are actively talking people out of joining throughout the whole process of enlisting. Recruits are also ran through every kind of testing: Medical, Psychological, History screening, and more. All of it could be used against the person who wants to join in hopes of changing their mind. The Federation doesn't have the right to deny you joining, but if you don't qualify for the position you picked, it will send your character elsewhere, and you most certainly won't be sent to MI or Fleet if you don't qualify medically.

Generally, if it can get you discharged IRL, it will likely be the same course of action in-game. Prosthetics are okay, but it'd look weird if you're joining as a Recruit with a prosthetic already, most likely not going to be accepted or end up being placed elsewhere.

 

Criminal Past:

 

The Federation doesn't accept criminals into the military ranks either. If your character was in prison for stuff like rape, murder, robbery (bank robbery and the like is implied), major theft, and others of the caliber, your character would be denied the right to enroll into the Federal Service by default. Very petty crimes like hooliganism, minor assaults and other would likely be turned a blind eye to, as these kinds of criminals are allowed to enroll into the colonization program in exchange for their crimes being pardoned. Gang activity would likely be acceptable, too - provided the character didn't commit major crimes during their time in the gang.

 

Separatists and Problematic Troopers:

 

Because of how the enlistment process works (partially detailed above), the average MI soldier is highly motivated and patriotic - after all, the character's been fighting through the long, tedious medical tests, recruitment officers' speeches, the view of their missing limbs, tales of casualty rates, etc.. - and has refused to back down from their decision to enlist. On top of that, the character's been subject to weeks of boot camp designed to root out the weak, the rebels, and those that can't work as a team - turning them into the best trained and equipped soldiers in all of human space. All of that leaves little to no reason for any kind of rebellious thought or any room for sympathizing with the enemy - or even acting dumb within the platoon.

 

For example: A trooper backtalks his sergeant, and threatens him with legal action based on 'rules' describing how NCOs should act. Before doing that, ask yourself a question. What'd happen to your character if they did that in boot? Nothing good, I hope you thought. You'd probably end up being lashed. The level of punishment would increase until you yield and change your behavior or simply wash out, that is, in bootcamp.

In-game, the 14th is almost constantly in a combat environment. Any stunts like that would earn you a harsh punishment, or at worst even a court-martial which can end up with your execution, or a dishonorable discharge (read: PK).

Additional note is, bodily harm punishment is a common practice even outside of the Federation military, so lashings or beat-ups of problematic troopers shouldn't be a thing that surprises your character.

 

Employment in the Government and Politics:

 

Being employed in the government (including being part of public service such as the police, medical services, firefighter services, others), as well as having the ability to vote or be elected, and other privileges like being allowed to have more than two children in a family, requires you to be a Citizen. This means that your character cannot be involved with the government (being a cop or a doctor or a politic before enlisting in the MI) without having completed his service first (impossible in this case, as it equals a PK); and if your character comes from a fairly big family (read Bohannon), that means their parents are both Citizens with everything that fact entails.

 

It's worth noting that you're not forced to abide by what I've described above - though I highly suggest those in the position of power keep it in mind. In the end, your story is up to you - though always remember that there will be consequences for your character based on how you play them in-game - and what you put in your char's medical or criminal record in the char bios section. If you're in doubt or if you think parts of your biography will make little sense from the lore's standpoint, consult an Admin+.


Thanks to @Archer for writing this. I just proof-read some parts here and there.