Clare vs. Cloud bios

CLARE VS. CLOUD

NAME: Clare
AGE: Unknown, around 20s
TITLE: Formerly No 47. Claymore

Bio: The girl who would become Clare was held hostage by a monster known as a Yoma until she was freed by a Claymore (a woman with yoma flesh grafted into her own) named Teresa. In time, Teresa took the girl under her wing and gave her the name "Clare" after a love goddess. Tragedy struck, however, when Teresa was killed by a powerful, yoma-like creature known as an Awakened Being.

Clare, becoming the first ever to willingly do so, begged the Claymore organization to make her into one using the flesh of Teresa's severed head. She was ranked no. 47 and would wander the land, killing Yoma and working for the organization. In a short span of time, she would fight powerful Yoma, rogue Claymores, Awakened Beings, and even the infamous Abyssal Ones. She eventually became part of a resistance built to take down the Claymore organization after finding that Yoma were actually of the organization's creation...

Pre-Battle: Holy City of Rabona, Seven Ghosts, Rubel
-For Pre-Battle, Clare will have the aid of her allies, the Seven Ghosts and the Holy City of Rabona. Clare really has no home since she renounced all belongings to become a Claymore. But, of the many places she has visited, she's visited this one the most. She doesn't need much in terms of sustenance and information, but she will stop for a quick rest in order to heal her injuries. She carries most of her gear with her wherever she goes.

The Seven Ghosts are a group of Claymores who left the Organization after narrowly surviving the War in the North. They have since become a resistance force against the organization and even succeeded in their mission. All the members are skilled warriors and tactical experts to help Clare in training and planning.

Rubel is a member of the Organization who was assigned to keep a watch over Clare, watching over her since she was still a child. Even after the Seven Ghosts vowed to take down the organization, Rubel seemed unfazed by them and has even given them a few hints. His motives are unknown, but he has more than a few words of wisdom for Clare (he’ll be vague sometimes and clear as crystal the next, though).

Long Range: Throwing Knives
-While a better skilled swordswoman, Clare has also used throwing knives for combat, carrying an amount of them with her and is shown to be capable of throwing them from large enough distances to strike at opponents and targets.

Mid Range: Claymore Throw
-Having strength that far exceeds that of a human, Clare can lift and throw her enormous claymore sword as a projectile with little effort, striking similarly like her daggers but with far greater strength due to size and the force of its spinning. Despite that, it's a hardly used move as Clare’s main instinct is to hold onto her weapon, and it can only go so far due to its weight.

Close Range: Claymore, Daggers
-This massive sword is what gave Claymores their title. At around 4-5 feet long, the sword is as long and wide as the Claymore wielding it, double-edged, and can contain a stash of items, like daggers or youki suppressant pills. The sword is implied to be indestructible, capable of cutting even the toughest Awakened Being down, and does not rust or dull with use or age.

In addition, Clare has used a pair of daggers only once during a mission in Rabona, but she has used them well. Each dagger is at least two feet long, single edged, and can be thrown.

Special 1: Quicksword, Windcutter
-Clare received the Quicksword ability after she lost an arm and was given another by a former Claymore named Ilena. By focusing her youki into her arm, she can swing her sword so fast that it appears she never moved it at all. The Quicksword appears a blur of sword slashes faster than an eye can see, but requires calmness and focus to perform, especially since the arm that Clare uses isn’t really hers and requires extreme care to use.

During a battle in the north, she learned a similar move called the Windcutter from a higher-ranked Claymore named Flora. While the Quicksword is faster, the Windcutter is more accurate and will strike wherever Clare wants it to. The Windcutter is the extremely quick drawing of the sword, a series of swings, and sheathing it faster than the human eye can comprehend, leaving large amounts of damage exactly where Clare wants it to.

In recent years, Clare has mastered the Quicksword after years of holding it back in favor of the Windcutter. Thanks to the focus of her youki through the use of Windcutter, Clare has combined the two to form her ultimate technique. It has the speed and strength of the Quicksword, but the accuracy and focus of the Windcutter.

Special 2: Youki Manipulation, Partial Awakening
-Youki is an energy emitted by Claymores, Yoma, and Awakened Beings. As such, they can sense the youki of another if it's nearby. However, some can remain hidden by suppressing their youki and avoid being tracked. Claymores and Awakened Beings can actually manipulate their youki and focus it on certain points of their body, increasing their physical and cognitive capabilities. Some can even control their enemies to a certain degree by tapping into their adversaries' youki and controlling their flow. There are limits, though. If a Claymore taps into too much youki, the yoma side will slowly start to take her over. Powerful Claymores, if this happens, will become Awakened Beings: super-powerful, yoma-like creatures.

During a battle with Rigardo, the Silver-Eyed Lion King, Clare partially awakened certain parts of her body. Her legs resemble horse hooves and give her blinding speed (though she has trouble turning), her left hand becomes enlarged, elongated, and tipped with sword-like claws, and a series of blade-like limbs extend from her back and right shoulder (her right hand maintains the ability to hold her sword). Clare cannot fully awaken, though, because of a mind block set upon her by another Claymore named Jean, who gave her life to save Clare's. In this state, Clare seems to attack in a berserk rage but transforms back to normal when she attempts to further transform to Full Awakening.

Defenses: Claymore Armor, Regenerative Powers
-Claymores do wear armor on their shoulders, forearms, below the knee, and waistline, but everything else is exposed. Their main defense is their stamina and regenerative abilities. Clare has been punched clean through the gut, lost a few limbs, and sustained heavy injury, but was still able to fight. Her wounds heal faster than a human's and she can even reattach a severed limb in less than a minute. Claymores also do not need much sustenance, able to go for weeks even months on just a single small meal, and they’re even immune to toxins like deadly poisons and the effects of alcohol, meaning that they can’t get drunk.

Strengths:  Superhuman strength, speed, skill, resilience, and intuition, Great willpower
-Claymores are stronger, faster, and all-in-all more powerful than a human. She can wield her massive sword single-handedly as if it were weightless, even maneuvering it in tight places and swinging it at high speeds. Her top speed is yet to be estimated, but she can cover miles in seconds and keep it up for long periods of time without stopping for a rest. Claymores are extremely skilled fighters, able to best even the fastest and strongest human swordsmen, able to read their moves and see/react to attacks far easier.

Weaknesses: Offensive-Type Claymore, Short-tempered and rebellious, Awakening possibilities, Risks her life
-There are two types of Claymore. Defensive types that excel at regeneration, and offensive types that are powerful in terms of physicality. Clare is the offensive type. Even though she can heal fast and reattach limbs, she cannot grow them back. While Clare does maintain a calm persona in battle, she has a tendency to break rules set by the organization and is secretly after Teresa's killer. She will lose her temper if she's spurred in terms of emotion, things triggering it being knowledge on what she's after or threatening someone close to her. And, in an angered state, a Claymore can lose track of her youki output and risk awakening, thus losing her humanity one bit at a time.

Motivation: Destroy Priscilla, See Teresa again
-Clare longs for revenge against the infamous Awakened Being known as Priscilla, especially since she was the one who killed Teresa. Winning the tournament will mean the destruction of the monster, but also give Clare a chance to see Teresa again for the first time in years.


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NAME: Cloud Strife
AGE: 24
TITLE: Guardian of the Lifestream

Bio: Cloud Strife was a troubled child growing up in the town of Nibelheim. After an accident involving his childhood friend, Tifa Lockheart, he was blamed for her injuries and shunned. He later left, vowing to join the Shinra Military Group known as SOLDIER.

He returned to Nibelheim years later, but didn’t make it into SOLDIER, instead becoming a Shinra Infantryman. Tragedy then struck Nibelheim when the infamous Sephiroth went insane and ravaged the whole town. Cloud survived the onslaught, but became subjected to experiments as well as his friend, Zack Fair. The two managed to escape with Zack still fully conscious and Cloud suffering from Mako addiction, which left him in an intoxicated state. The two went on the run, wanted by Shinra for being dangerous lab escapees, until the military caught up with them. Zack kept Cloud hidden and fought off most of the army, sustaining heavy injury in the process. Cloud was completely helpless, unable to move as he watched Zack get gunned down.

Cloud recovered shortly after the battle and took his dying friend’s blade, making an oath to live out both their lives, and arrived at Midgar to become a mercenary. However, exposure to Mako (raw Lifestream energy) and Jenova cells from Zack’s blood, altered his memories and personality. He would discover his true self in time and in just enough time to defeat Sephiroth and save the planet multiple times.

Pre-Battle: AVALANCHE
-When Cloud became a mercenary, he joined up with the anti-Shinra group, AVALANCHE, and recruited many weird and useful friends and allies during his journey to defeat Sephiroth.

Barrett Wallace: A former miner and founder of AVALANCHE, Barrett is ready for any action and a typical tough guy, even replacing his lost right hand with a machine gun. While he is a bit hotheaded, he does usually have a few words of advice and can usually find a simple solution to a complex problem.

Tifa Lockheart: Cloud’s closest friend, the two of them go way back to long before the events of FFVII. She’s a skilled martial artist with surprising levels of physical strength, but her biggest contribution to Cloud is her being the voice of reason among the group. If Cloud is feeling down, she usually knows just what to say to get him back up on his feet.

Red XIII/Nanaki: A leonine creature hailing from Cosmo Canyon far west of Midgar, Nanaki is one of the wiser members of the group, being older than most members (except Vincent). He remains quiet most of the time, speaking only if it is vital or if what he has to say is important.

Cid Highwind: A pilot that provided transportation to the group when they needed it, Cid is well-learned in the fields of engineering and technology, having designed and engineered an entire airship. He is also known for being grumpy-yet-warmhearted and for excessive use of curse words.

Cait Sith/Reeve Tuesti: Cait Sith is a robotic stuffed cat that stands just under a meter tall and speaks with a Scottish accent. In battle, he rides on a giant Moogle, but has recently begun acting as espionage, using his small size and harmless appearance to get around and gather information. He is also expendable, as others like him can be created with the same memories and gathered intel. His primary operator/creator is Reeve Tuesti, who was formerly a Shinra employee, but now focuses on restoring the world to its former state. Cait Sith’s information-gathering abilities, combined with Reeve’s resources, may prove useful to Cloud.

Aerith Gainsborough: Optimistic and sweet, Aerith became a close friend to Cloud in the short time they knew each other. Even after her death at the hands of Sephiroth, she has found ways to help Cloud through her influence of the Lifestream. She can give him a push in the right direction and give him a word of wisdom if and when he needs it.

Vincent Valentine: A former Turk locked in a coffin in the Shinra Manor’s basement, Vincent joined AVALANCHE when he learned that they were trying to take down Sephiroth. Vincent can be quiet and cryptic at times, but is a loyal friend and devoted warrior. His shapeshifting abilities can also aid him in gathering intel.

Yuffie Kisaragi: A princess of the ninja nation of Wutai, Yuffie is energetic, optimistic, and tomboyish. Before, she was a common thief (often stealing Materia), but now she is a proud member of AVALANCHE and eventually joined Reeve’s WRO, acting as an espionage and intelligence-gathering agent.

Long Range: Meteorain and Blade Beam
-Cloud knows two Limit Breaks that can attack from a distance. The first one he learns is known as Blade Beam, which involves him making a downward chop. When the swing finishes, an arc of energy flies forward and, if it hits, will fork out to hit other nearby enemies.

Meteorain involves Cloud jumping into the air, gathering energy into his sword and then swinging it. Meteors will rain from the heavens and strike his enemy at almost any distance.

Mid Range: Buster Sword
-Cloud’s primary weapon, the sword is as large as he is, yet he’s able to heft it around like it’s weightless. He used to wield a single-edged blade, which belonged to Zack, but has long since relinquished it for a new type of sword. This one is double-edged and serves as the base to his Fusion Swords. The original now rests in Aerith's church and is now well-maintained as a reminder of the man's life.

Close Range: Fusion Swords
-Talking of which, the Fusion swords are Cloud’s new signature weapon. Numbering six, Cloud can use two at a time, one in each hand, and fuse the swords together to form something resembling his old Buster Sword (and detach a few with ease if he wants to). The more swords are fused, the stronger it becomes. Each blade is similar in size (though some are smaller than others) with the base blade being the largest of them all. The smaller swords, fixed in the side, are the shortest and can be utilized at closer proximity.

Special 1: Materia
-Materia is raw Lifestream energy that allows its user certain abilities (in other words, magic). However, their creation damages the planet, so Cloud refrains from using them too often.

At his best, Cloud can carry up to eight materia in his sword, and up to six on certain armor accessories. Materia can level up the more battles Cloud wins and, as such, the strength of their abilities increases with it. The selected Materia he carries will be as follows…

Restore: Allows Cloud to use “Cure” and its stronger variants, restoring his health and healing wounds.

Fire: Allows Cloud to create fireballs.

Thunder: Allows Cloud to rain thunder down from the heavens like a satellite laser.

Even though Cloud can carry up to eight, it is not advisable that he do it. Some equipped materia can lower his physical strength and defense as well as his all-in-all health.

Special 2: Limit Breaks
-Cloud can build energy up to unleash Limit Breaks, a power move that does more damage than a standard attack. The energy needed will build if he is attacked and their strength depends on their level. These do require time to charge and Cloud cannot perform them until he has fully charged up.

Braver: Cloud jumps and performs a downward chop on his way down

Cross-Slash: Cloud slashes his enemy three times, at first doing no damage, but on the final swing, the damage is massive and can paralyze an enemy if he’s lucky.

Climhazzard: Cloud thrusts with his sword, then jumps in the air, ripping his sword up through his opponent. He can even combo it so that his opponent gets sent into the air and then strike them back down to earth again.

Finishing Touch: Cloud swings his sword and one of two things happens. He can either summon up a gale force to send his opponent rocketing into the sky and slamming back down to Earth, or land a hit with the sword, send his opponent into the air, and follow after them, hacking and slashing whilst circling them.

Omnislash: Cloud’s strongest Limit Break. His latest variant splits his Fusion Swords as they surround the enemy and levitate. He will grab one, then strike with lightning-speed before picking up another and repeating the process four more times (six times in total). Once all six have been used, he will rise high above his foe and come down for one final strike. Few can survive this move once he uses it.

Defenses: Pauldron, Sword, Ziedrich, Ribbon
-Cloud wears little armor, but most often wears a pauldron (shoulder plate) on his left shoulder. The best defense he has is his own weapon, which he will use to deflect sword strikes, energy blasts, and even bullets.

Luckily, Cloud has accessories and equipment to boost his defenses. The Ziedrich is a metal band that increases his DEF by over 90%. It also increases his strength, magic ability, and his resistance to almost any form of attack, physical or magic. The Ribbon is an accessory that grants him immunity to any and all status ailments (poison, freezing, burn, curse, confusion, toad, etc.). While these accessories and equipment pieces can reduce damage, they will not prevent it from happening.

Strengths: Skilled swordsman, Amazing physicality, Enhanced resilience and reaction time, Strong will if pushed correctly, Can fight from vehicles and mounts
-Cloud is, without a doubt, one of the greatest and most iconic swordsmen in video gaming. He can deflect gunfire with his swords, cut through energy blasts and skyscrapers, and use his massive blades as platforms by embedding them into a vertical surface.

Thanks to the SOLDIER process that he went through, his reflexes heightened to the point that he could block and evade swift attacks and bullets, became resilient enough to survive being shot and stabbed in the midsection (with proper medical attention), and strong enough to heft around a giant sword in each hand (though he was able to lift and wield Zack’s sword before he underwent the SOLDIER process). He can also scale entire skyscrapers in a single jump, doing so constantly while fighting Sephiroth when he was revived.

If Cloud’s loved ones are in danger and his friends do the right amount of pushing him in the right direction, Cloud will give his life to protect them and won’t stop fighting until he accomplishes his goal.

Weaknesses: Inferiority complex, Short-tempered and headstrong, JENOVA cells make him vulnerable to certain enemies
-Cloud has an encyclopedia’s worth of psychological problems, which has its roots in his childhood. He was always different from the children of Nibelheim and got into fights regularly. It can sort of be seen in his fighting style in that he prefers to overwhelm his opponents with the sheer strength of his attacks rather than create a strategy. He fights with instinct and makes stuff up on the fly.

Cloud has a bit of an inferiority complex in that, should he fail a mission or let someone down, he will sink into depression. He still has some issues over the deaths of Aerith and Zack, and he was once infested with Geostigma, which only increased his feelings of helplessness.

Being infested with the cells of JENOVA, a calamity that fell from the sky millennia ago, Cloud is susceptible to mind control from people like Sephiroth, who have abilities fine-tuned to JENOVA cells. Their evil nature also makes him susceptible to evil-slaying weapons/spells.

Motivation: Defeat Sephiroth, See Aerith and Zack again
-Sephiroth may be dead, but he has found ways to come back again and again, each time proving to be a threat to the very planet itself. If Cloud wins, he will be able to put an end to the cycle and kill him for good.

Cloud has been haunted by the deaths of Zack and Aerith, two friends he was very close to, because he couldn’t do anything to help them. Winning the tournament may well mean getting to see them again and either bring them back to the world of the living or hear words of comfort/forgiveness and move on with his life.