OOC: Application
Basics
Name: Cloud
Age: 23
Source: Final Fantasy VII (OGC, CC, AC).
Deaths: None.
History
Cloud's canon history can be found here, at Wikipedia. For his in game history, I will add as I go on.
Personality
To say Cloud is a man with many problems would be an understatement. He is almost constantly wracked with guilt and fear - he failed to get into SOLDIER, he failed Tifa, he failed Aerith, he failed himself - and such things can drag him down into a despair from which he is easy to manipulate.
He has a thirst to prove himself. This is shown especially to Tifa as a child, to Sephiroth as a recruit, and then for Aerith, and not doing so - being the "failure" again - can rob him of all fire, break him or crush him.
Cloud strives to be himself. With the help of Tifa, he managed to piece himself back together as a whole, as opposed to merely fragments with memories of Zack within. He is on his way to healing, but the fractures are still there, and still easily apparent.
He often puts on an apathetic front. The phrase "lone wolf" can often be applied to him. He spent much of the game denying that he cared for much at all, and put on a tough exterior to show this. He can be quite cocky and somewhat venomous, finding it in keeping with the stoic, untouchable persona he puts on. However, he also says things like "let's mosey" and "turn us into crispy critters", so that should tell you all you need to know about him as a person.
Underneath the pain and the often understandable - if very frustrating - angst, Cloud is a devoted and determined person. He holds many things dear to his heart and would give his life to protect them. He has inner strength, but it is a fragile thing, wavering unless he has the support he desperately needs. Like the lone wolf he is likened to, Cloud rejects and yet ultimately desires love and understanding, for he often feels himself unworthy of it. His self-depreciation can often drive people away, though there is also a defiant, firm streak within him, and a spark which gives him great leadership qualities.
He does fight against the holds that others have on him that do not let him be himself. He does not wish to be a failure and tries to prove those who call him one wrong. Of course, it usually does require someone to set it off, again showing a dependency on others, though also an inner strength which can flourish at times.
A link to an image of the character: Cloud!
Writing Samples
Sample log entry: The sun slipped behind the clouds in the now-visible sky of Midgar, and Cloud turned back to the flowers in the temporary gloom. As he did so, something caught his eye - a flash of pink against the grey-green stone.
His heart hammered in his chest as he allowed his eyes to travel back to it, and his breath caught when Aerith stepped out of one of the darker corners, a small, sweet and gentle smile touching her lips.
"Hello, Cloud," she said, and giggled when his mouth fell open. He sought for words, floundering, wondering if this were a dream, unsure how to think and feel. His stomach tightened even as a rush of warmth blossomed in his heart. She was with him. He had let her die, but there she stood, bright and colourful and so very definitely real. Thoughts raced through his head: did she blame him? Did she hate him?
"You're not happy, are you, Cloud?" She asked, looking down into the flowers. He didn't respond. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. His lips opened, as if he were about to speak, but then he swallowed and closed them, looking down to where the cracked floor faded into the earth. The bright green stems were in his line of vision, and he couldn't help but notice how startlingly like Aerith's they were. A small part of him wondered if the woman was actually there, or if he had simply taken the things that reminded him of her and built her up in his head.
"Cloud..."
A lump caught in his throat, and for a moment the dirt and the stone swam in his vision. He didn't blink, and he didn't let the tears fall. So many words were caught in him. Things he wanted to tell her. Things he wanted to beg of her. Aerith was right there, beside him, beautiful and calming and there. He needed her there, he realised, he knew. He needed to know if she forgave him.
He looked up, and saw her head fall back and her body arch, as though she was pulled back by the shoulders. In mute horror, he watched as a circle of red grew against the pink of her dress. Her eyes were wide and glassy, the green of the leaves fading, the glow vanishing, replaced by dullness and sapped into grey. Her hair unwound from its braid, it too slowly fading to grey, vanishing from his sight and blending into the suddenly cold grey of the church walls.
With a cry, he reached out, trying to grab her, but his hand passed straight through her, and when he brought it back, a glistening red liquid covered his glove.
"Hey, Cloud."
Choking back a sob, Cloud didn't even hear the voice. He didn't hear the person approaching until his chin was gripped, firmly but gently, and his face lifted to look into Zack's.
"What're you worrying for, Spike?" The SOLDIER 1st grinned, shaking his head to flick that one errant spike from his eyes. Cloud's cheeks were wet with tears, and he saw Zack's happy face crease into a frown.
"Cloud?" He said, reaching for his shoulders, "You okay, buddy?" His frown melted, and a warm smile touched his lips again. "Hey, don't worry. We're friends, right? I'm gonna look after you." His smile was no less cheery, but Cloud saw the trail of blood leak slowly from Zack's hairline and trickle into his eyes. The grin faded into a small smile, a peaceful smile, and Zack's voice was barely a shape in the air before he too began to fade into grey.
"Continue living, yeah Cloud?"
Zack's hands were as insubstantial as the rest of him, and when Cloud could not longer feel them on his shoulders, he slumped, wanting to wake up from this nightmare.
An entirely different hand curved around his jaw and cupped his face.
"Good to see you, Cloud."
Sample journal entry: This isn't my phone, but... [He sounds like he's going to say something, but then he stops, frowning.
What the -
[A small pause, where a rustlle of leaves and twigs can be heard.]
A crown...?
[Another pause.]
Well, whatever. Guys?
... Tifa? Barret?
[He pauses again, and then when he speaks again, he sounds slightly uncertain.]
... Pick up.
[The feed cuts out.]
Powers
Physical
--- Strength: Cloud is ridiculously strong, being able to cleave buildings in two and take down powerful summons. His endurance is almost farcical - he has survived several bouts of mako poisoning, and dealt with the crippling pain of Geostigma for roughly a full year.
--- Skill: He is known for swinging around ridiculously large swords like they are weightless, and has proven himself a fierce fighter time and time again. Though a sword is his weapon of choice, he is proficient in the use of guns, batons and also materia. Operation of heavy machinery comes easily to him: he can navigate in a submarine and seems to adore working on motorbikes, for example.
Magical
--- Materia: Cloud is well versed in the use of materia, and seems to do well with any he is handed. He cannot, however, cast magic without it.
Name: Cloud
Age: 23
Source: Final Fantasy VII (OGC, CC, AC).
Deaths: None.
History
Cloud's canon history can be found here, at Wikipedia. For his in game history, I will add as I go on.
Personality
To say Cloud is a man with many problems would be an understatement. He is almost constantly wracked with guilt and fear - he failed to get into SOLDIER, he failed Tifa, he failed Aerith, he failed himself - and such things can drag him down into a despair from which he is easy to manipulate.
He has a thirst to prove himself. This is shown especially to Tifa as a child, to Sephiroth as a recruit, and then for Aerith, and not doing so - being the "failure" again - can rob him of all fire, break him or crush him.
Cloud strives to be himself. With the help of Tifa, he managed to piece himself back together as a whole, as opposed to merely fragments with memories of Zack within. He is on his way to healing, but the fractures are still there, and still easily apparent.
He often puts on an apathetic front. The phrase "lone wolf" can often be applied to him. He spent much of the game denying that he cared for much at all, and put on a tough exterior to show this. He can be quite cocky and somewhat venomous, finding it in keeping with the stoic, untouchable persona he puts on. However, he also says things like "let's mosey" and "turn us into crispy critters", so that should tell you all you need to know about him as a person.
Underneath the pain and the often understandable - if very frustrating - angst, Cloud is a devoted and determined person. He holds many things dear to his heart and would give his life to protect them. He has inner strength, but it is a fragile thing, wavering unless he has the support he desperately needs. Like the lone wolf he is likened to, Cloud rejects and yet ultimately desires love and understanding, for he often feels himself unworthy of it. His self-depreciation can often drive people away, though there is also a defiant, firm streak within him, and a spark which gives him great leadership qualities.
He does fight against the holds that others have on him that do not let him be himself. He does not wish to be a failure and tries to prove those who call him one wrong. Of course, it usually does require someone to set it off, again showing a dependency on others, though also an inner strength which can flourish at times.
A link to an image of the character: Cloud!
Writing Samples
Sample log entry: The sun slipped behind the clouds in the now-visible sky of Midgar, and Cloud turned back to the flowers in the temporary gloom. As he did so, something caught his eye - a flash of pink against the grey-green stone.
His heart hammered in his chest as he allowed his eyes to travel back to it, and his breath caught when Aerith stepped out of one of the darker corners, a small, sweet and gentle smile touching her lips.
"Hello, Cloud," she said, and giggled when his mouth fell open. He sought for words, floundering, wondering if this were a dream, unsure how to think and feel. His stomach tightened even as a rush of warmth blossomed in his heart. She was with him. He had let her die, but there she stood, bright and colourful and so very definitely real. Thoughts raced through his head: did she blame him? Did she hate him?
"You're not happy, are you, Cloud?" She asked, looking down into the flowers. He didn't respond. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. His lips opened, as if he were about to speak, but then he swallowed and closed them, looking down to where the cracked floor faded into the earth. The bright green stems were in his line of vision, and he couldn't help but notice how startlingly like Aerith's they were. A small part of him wondered if the woman was actually there, or if he had simply taken the things that reminded him of her and built her up in his head.
"Cloud..."
A lump caught in his throat, and for a moment the dirt and the stone swam in his vision. He didn't blink, and he didn't let the tears fall. So many words were caught in him. Things he wanted to tell her. Things he wanted to beg of her. Aerith was right there, beside him, beautiful and calming and there. He needed her there, he realised, he knew. He needed to know if she forgave him.
He looked up, and saw her head fall back and her body arch, as though she was pulled back by the shoulders. In mute horror, he watched as a circle of red grew against the pink of her dress. Her eyes were wide and glassy, the green of the leaves fading, the glow vanishing, replaced by dullness and sapped into grey. Her hair unwound from its braid, it too slowly fading to grey, vanishing from his sight and blending into the suddenly cold grey of the church walls.
With a cry, he reached out, trying to grab her, but his hand passed straight through her, and when he brought it back, a glistening red liquid covered his glove.
"Hey, Cloud."
Choking back a sob, Cloud didn't even hear the voice. He didn't hear the person approaching until his chin was gripped, firmly but gently, and his face lifted to look into Zack's.
"What're you worrying for, Spike?" The SOLDIER 1st grinned, shaking his head to flick that one errant spike from his eyes. Cloud's cheeks were wet with tears, and he saw Zack's happy face crease into a frown.
"Cloud?" He said, reaching for his shoulders, "You okay, buddy?" His frown melted, and a warm smile touched his lips again. "Hey, don't worry. We're friends, right? I'm gonna look after you." His smile was no less cheery, but Cloud saw the trail of blood leak slowly from Zack's hairline and trickle into his eyes. The grin faded into a small smile, a peaceful smile, and Zack's voice was barely a shape in the air before he too began to fade into grey.
"Continue living, yeah Cloud?"
Zack's hands were as insubstantial as the rest of him, and when Cloud could not longer feel them on his shoulders, he slumped, wanting to wake up from this nightmare.
An entirely different hand curved around his jaw and cupped his face.
"Good to see you, Cloud."
Sample journal entry: This isn't my phone, but... [He sounds like he's going to say something, but then he stops, frowning.
What the -
[A small pause, where a rustlle of leaves and twigs can be heard.]
A crown...?
[Another pause.]
Well, whatever. Guys?
... Tifa? Barret?
[He pauses again, and then when he speaks again, he sounds slightly uncertain.]
... Pick up.
[The feed cuts out.]
Powers
Physical
--- Strength: Cloud is ridiculously strong, being able to cleave buildings in two and take down powerful summons. His endurance is almost farcical - he has survived several bouts of mako poisoning, and dealt with the crippling pain of Geostigma for roughly a full year.
--- Skill: He is known for swinging around ridiculously large swords like they are weightless, and has proven himself a fierce fighter time and time again. Though a sword is his weapon of choice, he is proficient in the use of guns, batons and also materia. Operation of heavy machinery comes easily to him: he can navigate in a submarine and seems to adore working on motorbikes, for example.
Magical
--- Materia: Cloud is well versed in the use of materia, and seems to do well with any he is handed. He cannot, however, cast magic without it.