APPLICATION - EXPIATION

[identitycrisiscore]

Before continuing, note that there are spoilers for the original FF7 in here, as I can't elaborate on Cloud's personality without getting into the original game. Until disproven, I am treating Cloud's backstory in the new games as identical to the one presented to us in the original Final Fantasy 7 continuity.

Player: Sven
Contact: svensational
Age: 30+
Current Characters: N/A

Character Name: Cloud Strife
Character Canon: Final Fantasy VII: R
Canon Point: Post Intermission, en-route to Kalm.
Age: 21.

Crime: Identity Theft/Impersonation.

Background: Wiki Link. Feel free to skip the 'Original Continuity' part of this page: it won't be relevant except in a couple spots, which I'll note.

Personality:

A first impression of Cloud would have you draw the conclusion that he's, well, a try-hard — standoffish, abrasive, and not really inclined to engage in human socialization unless forced at gunpoint. And while this impression is not necessarily untrue, it buries the lede in more ways than one. Cloud puts on a mask to keep people at arm's reach, physically and emotionally, but the more stubbornly you poke at it, the more you will unearth the man underneath — curious, gentle, and kinder than the cold-hearted mercenary he often claims himself to be.

In fact, a more accurate description of Cloud would be busybody. Cloud's mercenary drifter lifestyle is easily exposed for what it really is — a chance to dig into other people's problems and help. Finding "work" is his own, roundabout way of socializing and building connections, even if Cloud himself would object to this perception of him. An example of this can be seen in his first meeting with Avalanche — even after being told he wouldn't be getting more work from Barret's crew, Cloud made sure to go along with the thugs from Wall Market long enough to make them think he'd sell Barret out — only to viciously punish them, without any expectation of recompense — or even the knowledge he did so.

Having the power to actually help and be a hero is deeply important to Cloud, even if he doesn't entirely understand why. Cloud's identity is his perception of a 1st Class SOLDIER — specifically the late Zack Fair. Unfortunately, the trauma endured by watching the destruction of his hometown, in addition to the death of Zack, has given Cloud something akin to Post-Traumatic Stress, and also severely muddled his identity. The original failure to become a SOLDIER, coupled with that stress, means Cloud takes further failure very personally, and undermines his self-worth to the degree that he's able to take on the personality and mannerisms of someone else, something he himself does not even understand he does, or the degrees to which this persona is deeply entrenched.

Which brings us back around to his surface personality. Cloud's barbed, hard-edged exterior is very much as part of who he is as the curious, gentle busybody it hides underneath. The former protects the latter, but doesn't mask it so entirely that Cloud is completely bereft of compassion. In many cases, Cloud will say one thing, often disparaging or laced with pessismism, while his body betrays his actual intent, whether by not refusing something quite as hard as his words presume, or by showing the emotions Cloud refuses to express via body language, instead. Cloud is a very physical actor, and while he doesn't smile much, there are other ways to gauge his mood, when one looks.

All in all, gives the impression of Cloud as very 'cat-like'. While seemingly unconcerned with socialization and interaction with others, he desperately craves recognition and companionship on his own terms, even when he would rather keep his distance. In doing so, he eventually opens up — in his own way — and those that come to know him can see him as a reliable, hardworking, and dependable ally.

Abilities:

• Mako Infusion: Cloud is infused with mako, a processed form of the energy that flows through the planet of Gaia. In addition to giving his blue eyes a unique, green pigmentation, it infuses him with physical attributes well beyond peak human conditioning, granting him superhuman strength, speed, and constitution. He won't be lifting cars single-handedly or outrunning a train, but he can go toe to toe with even the most dangerous monsters without flinching.
• Swordsmanship: Cloud is an experienced swordsman. Although not, in-truth, a 1st-Class Soldier like Zack, between internalizing Zack's fighting style and his own experiences, he's been able to fool others into believing he's the real deal; himself included. Cloud chooses to fight with oversized, heavy broadswords — the most iconic of which being the Buster Sword, a massive slab of sharpened metal nearly as big as himself.
• Materia: Like most inhabitants of Final Fantasy 7's world, Cloud does not have any inherent magical affinity. Instead, he knows how to make use of Materia - crystallized spheres of mako that allow the user to perform magic or superhuman skills when slotted into an appropriate weapon or piece of equipment. Through these, Cloud can cast spells of the four primary elements (Fire, Ice, Lightning, Wind), healing magic, infuse his weapons with special properties, or even call upon replica's of the planet's memories to fight for him in the form of Summons.
• Double Identity: As explained, Cloud's trauma has caused him to internalize the experiences of his idol and friend, Zack Fair. In doing so, he's internalized many of Zack's own skills, to the extent he can be mistaken for a military elite. Conversely, Cloud's own rank-and-file training as a Shinra Trooper, means he can still call on a plethora of military experience, without differentiating between his own training or Zack's.

Inventory: Cloud will arrive with the following:

• His "Ex-SOLDIER" outfit - a sleeveless turtleneck, leather belly-warmer held up by straps, military fatigues, single iron pauldron, metal bracers, and combat boots.
• The Buster Sword, which allows him to slot 2 Materia inside.
• Three Materia, all at Rank 1: Cure, Fire, and Thunder. Cloud is limited to using two of these at a time, due to the physical limitations of the Buster Sword.

Samples:
February TDM Toplevel
w/Sha-ming, February TDM
December TDM Toplevel
w/Aerith, December TDM

Questions: If I need further samples, please feel free to say as much in revisions.