Not Interested

Player Information

Name: Theo
Age: 37
Contact details: Known.
Other characters: Gladio, Sleepy Ash, Gerome

Character Information

Name: Cloud Strife
Canon: Final Fantasy 7 (remake)
Canon Point: End of part one of the remake.
OU/AU/CRAU/OC: OU
Age: 21

World Information: Here

Personal History: Here

The main point to know is that... Cloud believes he is one way. His memories are screwed up about his past and mixed up with the memories of another. Those memories will remain hidden. Cloud's history will be that he trained with SOLDIER, was Sephiroth's partner, and became a SOLDIER First Class and then a Merc because Shinra were the bad guys.

Whether these memories will become awakened during his travels aboard the Voidtrecker or not, will remain to be seen.

Personality: Cloud is a mishmash of personality, as the persona he currently has, is not his own, but one that he created to protect himself. The personality he displays is one that belongs not only to another, but contains his ideals, his 'ideal version of himself'. It also includes memories that aren't truly his. Despite that though, dig a little, and some of the real Cloud starts to peek out.

He'll come off as cocky to the point of being almost annoying, in the wrong context. Dismissive, almost. He's a SOLDIER First Class, after all. He's trained, battle hardened, he has seen and done more than normal people would ever understand. There's not much that can ruffle this boys feathers. He can't be defeated. As a merc... he's in it for the money. He takes the mercenary route very seriously and sticks to it. Everything has a price. You want something extra not in the contract? It's gonna cost you. Wanna get close? Too bad. He's only there till the job gets done, forming bonds isn't in the job description, it just gets in the way. It's a liability.
So... he keeps his distance no matter how many times people try and befriend him. But since his persona isn't his own and under it is his own, sometimes these attempts to befriend him poke at that a little. Sometimes he will have a moment where he'll almost reach out, or awkwardly have feelings of something, before the dominating personality takes over and pushes it down.

However, over time it does soften some. His softer side is shown and his claims of 'for a price' is said almost out of habit, and with a touch of sarcastic humour and "hah remember when that was a thing I did seriously?". He can't help but form bonds with the people in his party, no matter how hard he tries, and he comes to value them, even relying on their skills in battle and praising them for how well they work as a team rather than reminding them to stay out of his way. He can be kind, caring and feels deeply the loss of those who died during the Battle for the Plate and it's subsequent fall. Not only does he hurt over their loss, but at his own failure to protect and save them in the first place.

On the flip side, he can be scary ruthless, emotionless in his ability to threaten to kill someone, and with the will to do it if killing them means protecting himself or Avalanche.

Cloud also suffers from an unhealthy dose of psychological trauma and PTSD that is generally triggered by the presence of Sephiroth, or certain memories trying to resurface. Bad dreams are a real thing, though this can also happen during his waking hours and can be debilitating for a short while. They can also manifest as hallucinations and he has been known to strike out at those hallucinations and others. It's not hard to break him of this though, and once free of it's hold, or the terror and anger that comes with them, his stolen persona slots itself back into place again as if nothing happened.

But at the end of the day... Cloud is actually a 16 year old playing pretend. Due to the events of his past, Cloud lost several years of his life, his emotional maturity/growth is stunted, so when it comes to feelings and emotions, even affections, he is awkward and uncertain. Of course this can be explained away by the fact he is a stoic SOLDIER and feelings aren't important, connections aren't important... So standing like an awkward tree while being hugged is perfectly normal. But the truth is that Cloud is just a shy kid who got screwed over by Shinra. And now has a healthy (or unhealthy?) hatred for the group to the point that any association with them, including people commenting on him being a SOLDIER (EX-SOLDIER, thank you very much), will be immediately corrected.

Key themes: Mental trauma, EX-Soldier First Class, merc for hire, finding an identity of his own...

Main Motivation: Currently is main motivation is up in the air. First it was to get paid for doing completing a job, now it is to help his (friends) teammates. Generally speaking, Clouds motivation is fluid and will change at a moments notice. But the underlying thing that drives him is... a need to find himself.

Skills: Sword Skills: Cloud was, originally, not fit to join SOLDIER, but still possessed impressive skills with a sword. After being infused with Mako and taking on Zacks skills with a sword, those skills have become more than impressive. He is able to hold his own against most enemies, wielding a sword far bigger than a normal person should. Over time his skills become his own and separate from those he stole from Zack.

Acrobatic/Speed: Cloud can jump, spin and twist like he's a trained gymnast. The heights and lengths he can jump are quire remarkable, same as the speeds he can reach. While not on par with some superhero's, it is still far surpassing those skills of simple humans. It makes him nimble and quick, able to weave himself in and out of battles/fights with skill.

Adapting: Adapt and overcome, Cloud takes to things with relative ease. He is not held back by the insecurity of 'can I do this? should I do this? what if I cant do this?' and just does it to the best of his abilities.

Mountain Climbing: Being a country boy, this is not a skill he often had to employ, but is seemingly adept at it regardless.

Misc: He can ride a motorcycle (also FIGHT while on one), a chocobo and a snowboard... these are apparently relevant. His object permanence is second to none!

Crossdressing: Oh, come on, this had to be added. Cloud is very convincing when dressed as a woman! Took to it like a duck to water. Part of that 'adapting to anything' skill.

Dancing: Same as above. The boy has moves! For a stiff, stoic and awkward guy, he really knows how to move those hips. Which I suppose also lends to the idea that Cloud can be very graceful, acrobatic and flexible.

Item: Maxed out Fire Materia.

Sample: Here