*deep breath* Now I gotta do this from memory and it wont be as good.
I have to agree with what you said Lic, the fact we know so little about the Turks is what makes them so interesting.
Reno: For a long time my second favourite, but now he's on an equal footing with Rude and Elena as my appreciation of those two has grown.
What isn't to like about Reno? His sardonic attitude 'Even the booze tastes bad' 'Oh.. don't step on the flowers' and his dress sense suggest that he's probably the most laid back of the Turks, but that doesn't make him any less of a professional.
I always thought he was attractive, even in his 'rat boy' OG incarnation. I don't hate the way he looks in AC but I wish they'd been a bit braver and made him more like how he was in the OG instead of prettying him up.
Rude: I've always thought he was cool, but he has definitely grown on me, due in part to the compilation (ha I'm saying nice things about the compilation!) but also down to Lic's characterisation of him in her fic (and a few other fanfic writers) and Soak's unbridled enthusiasm!
I agree he is probably great boyfriend material, on the face of it he looks like one of those typical movie 'tough guys' as if he's all muscle and no brains, but if you scratch the surface you see that he's a gentleman at heart, with a soft side, compassion for his fellow Turks. His doomed romance with Chelsea in BC was a particularly touching moment, plus his crush on Tifa, how he hates hitting girls, and how he's shy about making speeches. I hate to say it, but Rude is a cuddlebug!
Elena: I'll admit that in the OG she does come across as ditzy, and for a long while my 'head characterisation' of her was along those lines, as a sort of comic relief fangirl character. But that was before I started taking things more seriously. And it shows in the OG that Elena can take the initative and kick ass, at the end of the game she's still got the will to fight and theres something admirable in that. I know theres nothing canon to back it up, but I feel like when she turns up at Icicle with those 2 MP's she was acting on her own, nothing to do with Shinra. I can see her being distraught over Tsengs 'death' and wanting to do something
anything to stop herself going crazy. Its funny that she doesn't even bother to arrest Cloud if she succeeds in punching him.
Also by the AC she is no longer the rookie. I like that scene in ACC where she puts herself directly in the line of fire to protect Tseng. It was a little heartskipping squee moment for me.
I also like how in BC, despite the fact they dressed her in a loli/sexy schoogirl outfit, shes still quite fiesty and beligerent. They could have portrayed her as a cutesy type and they didn't, and I loved seeing her rivalry with her sister.
Also, she wants in Tseng's pants, and who could dislike someone with such good taste?