Cliffe Holden

This tribute has been retired.

this is a very old and cringy tribute. reading through it is not advised.  --aria

Cliffe Holden is Aria's first male tribute. He was inspired by Marina and the Diamonds' song Hermit the Frog, along with Dawn Pyres.

Appearance
WIP, check Lunaii and RL for now.

Personality
Six words describe Cliffe perfectly: Cliffe is not the bad guy. You'll think of him as one after you read his backstory, and so would anyone else who found out what he did.

Cliffe looks happy, but he's miserable inside. He was nearly stabbed to death by his best friend. His love was pushed off a cliff by the same friend. He's seen as a bad guy for wanting revenge. And, his love? She only ever saw him as a friend.

Cliffe is a manipulative, evil bastard because he has to be. He forces himself to be one. It's better than the alternative. Cliffe prefers peace over violence, and Dawn was the one who started all this.

Other characteristics of Cliffe include being a cute, shy guy. Yes, he has a good side as well. He's friendly and has a good heart (except for the fact he pushed his best friend of a cliff, who returned from the dead).

Cliffe is neutral with killing. This is the Hunger Games, he'd say. Kill or be killed. He can kill with little remorse and survive good enough with allies.

But Cliffe regrets everything. Attempting to kill Dawn, not being able to save Alice, joining the Games. He regrets it all.

Backstory
Cliffe Holden, Dawn Pyres and Alice Martin were the trio of the bestest friends. They hung out all the time, wherever and whenever, especially at this cliffy hill area far from District 7. That cliff is important, but more on that later.

People called them the Troublesome Trio, because they always caused trouble in the District. In fact, they met at a fencing class. Cliffe was always better than Dawn, but Dawn was always faster. Alice, though, perfected both. That's how their paths crossed. Since that day, Cliffe had a crush on Alice, which only Dawn could see and would smirk at Cliffe and turn around. Ah, young love, as Dawn would say.

Over the years, Dawn and Cliffe started to fight. It started small, lasting for a day or so, but it slowly grew bigger and bigger. Alice was always there to calm them both down, but it wasn't enough. The worst fight they ever had was when they were all fifteen and hanging out at The Cliff. Remember the cliff? Here's where it's important.

So the trio were at the cliff, Dawn and Cliffe arguing as Alice tried to break them apart. No one remembers what they were fighting about for the life of me.

"Guys, seriously!" Alice said. She was finally starting to worry about these two. "Please, stop it. For me."

Cliffe momentarily stopped because of his love for Alice, but Dawn didn't. "This isn't your fight, Ali. Stay out of it!"

"What did Ali do to you?" Cliffe snapped at Dawn. "I get you're mad at me for absolutely no reason but don't talk to your best friend like that!"

"Best friend, is it?" Dawn lost it. "Some best friend you are, Cliffe!" Dawn stormed off in the other direction.

Alice started to cry. Seeing her best friends like this really pained her.

Cliffe yelled curses at Dawn, who didn't respond. A moment later, Dawn came back with her èstèe from the pile of all of their fencing swords, facing it towards Cliffe.

Cliffe froze. "Dawn," he started warningly, but Dawn repeatedly tried to jab her èstèe at Cliffe, who tried to reach his own one.

Things went by in a blur as Cliffe tried to avoid Dawn's attempts at impaling him while trying to get his èstèe. By the end of it, Dawn accidentally used the side of her èstèe and hit Alice, who got pushed to the edge of the cliff. Both Cliffe and Dawn were holding their swords with slight cuts on each other. Alice was hanging off the cliff. And it was Dawn's fault.

"Alice!" Cliffe ran towards her, while Dawn stood paralysed with shock at what she did.

Alice scrambled to get up, but by the time Cliffe reached her, her hand already slipped and she screamed her last words. "Cliffe!"

After Alice's death, Cliffe and Dawn hadn't spoken since. Until a few months later, when Cliffe requested Dawn to meet him at The Cliff with a truce. Dawn reluctantly agreed and they met at their old hangout and Alice's grave.

"Glad you made it," Cliffe smiled with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"So," Dawn sighed, "what did you want to talk—"

Cliffe pushed Dawn far away to the edge and by the time she realised it, Dawn was hanging off the cliff. Just like Alice.

"How does it feel," Cliffe yelled, happy to finally avenge Alice, "to die the same way you murdered her?"

"Cliffe," Dawn started with desperation, "please."

"I was in love with her," Cliffe nearly whispered. Pain flickered in his eyes as he continued. "I—I thought that one day I could finally... but she's gone, now. Because of you. You murdered her!"

Dawn had tears in her now-shadeless eyes. "Cliffe, don't—"

Dawn screamed as she free-fell to her death, screaming Alice's last words. "Cliffe!" Cliffe watched her fall, and kept watching until he heard a loud thud. Then, Cliffe turned around and put on his innocent face. Vengeance was finally his.

Until Reaping Day. When Dawn went 'missing', he fed lies and soon, Dawn was declared dead. Poor Cliffe, he was so sad to have lost both of his best friends... That's what he convinced people to think, anyway. Cliffe was beyond happy, and he only ever regretted Alice's death.

~ If Reaped With Dawn~

"And the female tribute this year will be—"

"I volunteer!"

Cliffe paled at the sight of Dawn walking up the stage. This was not happening. She was dead. No, no, no.

Cliffe started to shake as Dawn said, "Dawn Pyres. And yes, I'm still alive."

"I volunteer!" Cliffe shouted in haste. He wasn't scared of Dawn. At least that's what he convinced himself to think. What he didn't know is that he made a horrible decision, but it was too late now that he reached the stage.

Cliffe put on a fake grin and hugged the even-paler Dawn. "I am so glad to see you're alive, Dawn!"

"Your tributes this year!" the escort said.

As Cliffe and Dawn shook hands, Cliffe squeezed Dawn's trembling hand as if to say, This isn't over yet.

And it sure wasn't.

~ If Reaped Alone ~

"And the female tribute this year will be Dawn Pyres!"

Cliffe froze. What? He shook his head and realised that was all in his head as someone else walked up to the stage.

"The male tribute this year will be Cliffe Holden!" the escort called out.

Cliffe walked up to the stage indifferently. He put on a show, but he was thinking to himself. I'll win this for you, he thought, Alice.

Song Inspiration
As mentioned before, both Dawn and Cliffe were inspired by Marina's song Hermit the Frog. In the song, they both describe each other, and my favourite line here, You're just a bit too much like me, is the best part about it.

Yeah, I feel I'm watered down

Whenever he's around - Dawn is scared of Cliffe.

I put on the crown of clowns

And melt slowly to the ground - Cliffe feels like he's been made fun of (he "puts on the crown of clowns) and he's embarrassed, so he "melts slowly to the ground".

Yeah, I feel it coming on

When I've been static for too long - Dawn was "static for too long" and always thought about her revenge, but seeing Cliffe made her afraid again.

And an explosion comes in time

Before I go and cross the line - Cliffe crossed the line by supposedly killing Dawn, and an "explosion comes in time" as Dawn returns from the dead.

They say you used to be so kind - Dawn and Cliffe used to be best friends...

I never knew you had such a dirty mind - ...but now they hate each other to the point of homicide.

Well, I went to the doctors believing

The devil had control over me - Both of them turned evil, hence they felt "the devil had control over me".

I was finding it hard to breathe and

Finding it hard to fight the feeling - Seeing each other shocked them both.

When my heart just burst like a glass balloon - Seeing each other made their "hearts burst like a glass balloon".

And let it fly too high and it shattered too soon - They dreamt of killing each other (letting it fly too high), but the daydream "shattered too soon"

I was the wrong damn girl in the wrong damn room - (Not completely "girl", but yeah) They were the wrong people in the wrong place by volunteering and being reaped into the Games.

I broke my glass balloon - Their dreams have been broken by each other.

I let go of my glass balloon - They let go of their dreams for a little while, because now they also have another goal in the Games: survive the other tributes.

Oh oh oh

They call him Hermit the Frog

He's looking for a dog

Did you find your bitch in me?

Oh, you're abominable socially - They loathe each other and find each other abominable.

You're just a little bit too much like me - They're exactly the same.

She says you used to be so kind - Alice loved them both and they were all best friends.

Well, baby, I give you your dirty mind - They're the reason they are now evil.

Well, I, I wanna tell you a secret

You can take your double standard love and keep it

I can't help the devil likes to make my heart a double bed - They can't help their persons...

And I can't help he sometimes likes to come and rest his little head - ...They're just too wicked.

When my heart just burst like a glass balloon

And let it fly too high and it shattered too soon

I was the wrong damn girl in the wrong damn room

I broke my glass balloon

I let go of my glass balloon

Oh my heart just burst like a glass balloon - The wording is important, now.

We let them fly too high and they shattered too soon - They know about each other's hopes and dreams and how they were shattered by each other.

Are we the wrong damn people in the wrong damn room? - They're asking rhetorically if they're the wrong people to be going into the Games.

We broke our glass balloons - They broke their glass balloons.

We let go of our glass balloons - They let go of their glass balloons.

We broke our glass balloon

Let go of my glass balloon

The 647th Hunger Games)

 * Hosted by Hannah (Probably Reading))

Status: Not Started (Waiting for Tributes)

Ranking: TBA

Victims: TBA

Cause of Death: TBA

Events: TBA