- What species are allowed?
- Any species not allowed (e.g. Rixxikor)?
So I think it's probably similar to Yamatai, but with a wildly different mix. Much fewer non-Nepleslians, a very much more of a 'masculine' culture, and fewer accomodations for things like Separa'Shan physiological differences. Nekos in the military proper are 'civilian' type Nekos. Whereas exchange officers probably have the military upgrades. I think Ame is right in some ways. We want them to be different. I think by having them deal with similar situations (same races) in different ways is a better option.
- What sort of physical shape do you have to be in?
- What sort of mental health and/or education requirements are there?
I think you would need to be quite a bit fitter than you would in Yamatai. That said, I think that they are probably on average fitter. They also encourage cybernetic upgrades a lot more. I think they probably care a bit less about the mental health and education aspects. If you can shoot a gun, you are probably good.
Do you have to be a citizen of Nepleslia?
I don't think you have to be, Military service is a fast track to naturalization in many countries. That said, they probably aren't like Yamatai in how they deal with it. I feel like Yamatai is fairly accepting of it's members who are not citizens. I think the Nepleslian perspective is perhaps a bit more on the 'prove yourself' side of things.
What kind of things can cause the Nepleslian military to reject applicants? Can reds join? Criminals?
I think they don't do a lot of rejecting off the cuff. I think as long as your crime wasn't too bad, you can probably join. Having killed someone probably isn't the same sort of impediment it would be in Yamatai. I think it would depend on the red. There are probably plenty of Reds that they would reject. On the other hand, there are a lot of Red who aren't terrorists. I think a comparison might be drawn to Ireland during the troubles. You had Irish in the Army, you also had Irish terrorists who attacked them.
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Overall, I think that if Yamatai is symbolically female, Nepleslia is symbolically male. (I wouldn't be surprised if they called it the fatherland rather than the motherland.) There are big thematic differences between them, and their thematic contrasts are a pretty core part of the setting. I think a better approach to dealing with those differences is through how they deal with similar situations rather than them having different situations.