Claret Amaranth"
There it is~! That's the fearful response I love to see!"
~Background~
Claret was born into the Amaranth Family; the Amaranths are based in Mistral. They've been around for many generations, and their inherited Semblance has seen as many evolutions as the Schnees' own Semblance has. First documented uses of the Semblance are considered to be crude, unrefined -- but nonetheless potent. When it came to power struggles based in Mistral, few were prepared to deal with the Amaranth Family.
Though many rightfully saw the Semblance as having many downsides when facing the Grimm, when it came to facing Humans and Faunus, there was a distinct advantage. When their power base was solidified, very few things could hope to oust them. As a result, most opted to avoid violence with the Amaranths, preferring diplomacy with them instead. That included the Akuma, while the Akuma had far more manpower by comparison, earning the Amaranth's ire was deemed to be... Undesirable.
Especially since their status carried influence over others. A prolonged battle between the two factions was not preferable for either side. So a mutual agreement was formed for the two to simple stay out of each other's way. Though every now and then they will work together on a common goal, it is difficult to state that it is because they have an alliance.
Though the exact point of origin for both this Semblance and this family is difficult to determine, they have nonetheless been around in Mistral for quite some time; to such a degree that if you've lived in Mistral long enough, you've probably heard their name come up at least once. This is because they can be traced back to the Silver Age.
While the Silver-Eyed Warriors and the Dragons were hunted, the Amaranths were not. While there was initial talks of doing so, their contributions during this time were both sufficient and intimidating.
That is the type of family that Claret Amaranth was born into. All things considered, she wasn't left to want for much; practically being in the Nobility caste affords many luxuries. But despite an otherwise comfortable life, she found it lacking. Lacking in purpose, in direction. As she grew older, she simply went through the motions. It had become routine very quickly.
Questions that she had were simply shrugged off, taken as mere flights of fancy of a youth that didn't know any better. Those outside of her family proved to be little more helpful than that. Her questions turned inward. If no one else could give her the answers, then she must determine the answers herself.
"Flights of fancy" turned into experimentation that others shied away from. The power of the Amaranth Semblance could be used to destroy Grimm, that wasn't difficult. But the greatest downfall of this power was that so much preparation had to be done with that in mind. True, these preparations were good even supposing that they weren't necessary...
But to fight Grimm without those preparations was tantamount to suicide. She was determined to come up with a way to be rid of this problem. That is when she had an epiphany; the Amaranths had secured their position through fear. But that fear was of minimal use against Humans and Faunus -- that emotion was natural in them, after all.
Life was given the means to cope with that natural feeling, to overcome it, or to persist through it. But the Grimm were not like other forms of life. They didn't seem to feel emotion, or much of anything. Aside from a pure drive for destruction. She began to wonder if she could force the concept of fear onto the Grimm. What would happen?
She started with the weakest of the Grimm. They would make for fine test subjects. She didn't need to capture them -- no, she only needed to find them... And then begin her hunt and test. Very few could claim to want to hunt the Grimm actively, but that was precisely what she did. She didn't do it out of hate, or sense of duty.
She wanted to see if she could scare the monster.
"
The Grimm can be surprised. I suppose that's nothing new, ambushes are used against powerful Grimm after all. But, if they can be taken by surprise... Perhaps more can be done to them?"
Thoughts like that ran in the back of her head while she toyed with whatever Grimm she could find. That is when something even more fascinating occurred.
"
Grimm normally don't care about self-preservation. But I've noticed them trying to escape when they have no chance of fighting back, I can see others hesitating, ever so slightly. I'm making progress. I need to determine what's causing these reactions in them."
Her self-given task continued. She was on the verge of a breakthrough, and so frustratingly close to it -- what was the missing piece? Despite not being able to fully determine it as of yet, she kept hunting the Grimm alone.
She finally hit a revelation.
"
They're bleeding.
I can make them bleed!
Grimm blood! An impossibility! And yet, I saw it with my own eyes! Not the blood I brought with me, not my own blood! Theirs!
EE~HAHAHA!
This is so exciting!
Hey...
I need to make the rest of them bleed now."
Driven almost into a frenzy, it had turned from a hunt into a slaughter. Not just fear in the Grimm! She made them susceptible to injury! She turned them into fuel for her power!
A manic grin remained on her face that day, even as she returned to her family home. Now that she had the answers she was seeking, it was time to claim what was rightfully hers and embark into a new age. An age where the Grimm learn to fear Humanity.
The Maids and the Butlers gave her a wide berth, and even members of her family stepped aside as she walked with purpose through the halls. Glowing red eyes and a wide smile plastered on her face. She bursts into the study unceremoniously, and her gaze sets onto the sword hung over the fireplace.
She walks towards it, and reaches up towards the blade's hilt, as her hand tightens around it, she yanks it free of the bearings holding it in place.
Claret turns with her prize in hand. The blade was still sheathed, but nonetheless it was hers now. As she stepped towards the study's doors, one of her elders blocked her path.
"What are you doing?! That is not yours! That is a family treasure!"
She draws the blade free from the sheath, and a single slash is all it takes to get him to move. Though he wasn't touched by the blade, she was able to use just a little bit of blood to cause him injury. Nothing serious, but a proof of her fervor.
"
You're disappointments. Every last one of you.
This is mine now. I will reshape the Amaranth legacy."
That was the only explanation the Amaranths had for her sudden departure with the prized family sword in hand...
~Personality Overview~
Claret is a difficult individual to describe; she found things in Mistral so utterly boring. It wasn't exactly a lack of care for other people, but more... The lack of results. The lack of meaningful things happening. She felt as though she had waited for something to happen, and the only result that would come from that is that nothing would come of it.
She holds disdain for the Amaranth family. Some of it is because of their particularly nasty history during the Silver Age, but also simply because they had allowed it all to fall into routine. They were content to sit on a pile of riches and use their current status to achieve their day-to-day greed. In a sense, she sympathizes with those wanting things to change or improve, but feeling stuck because of the ones in power keeping it that way.
While one could reasonably expect that this would lead her to hate a number of politicians and world leaders -- and to an extent, she does -- there is something that she considers even lower on that scale, and that would be the Grimm.
"
The Grimm are a meaningless existence that have contributed nothing to Remnant. They're only worth exterminating."
An extreme mindset, and one that she makes good on.
Despite her penchant for violence when it comes to the Grimm, when it comes to Humans, Faunus, and other living creatures, she has no real inclinations to cause them undue harm.
Claret is at her happiest when she is proving why the Grimm should fear Humanity, rather than the other way around. Her reasoning for this is simple; they have unlimited potential, whereas Grimm only know how to accomplish one thing.
So Humanity only needs to develop the means to rip that single accomplishment away from them for good. That is her driving goal, to de-fang them, to clip their claws, and turn them into a footnote on Humanity's path to bettering itself.
In a sense, this is also why she despises the Amaranth Family; their most noteworthy contribution in history is the elimination of Silver-Eyed Warriors and Dragons. Two breeds that could have led to change, at least in some part.
What she desires most is to see Humanity break free of their shackles, and grasp truth with their own hands. She is prepared to trail-blaze the path so that others may follow in her wake.
Beyond all that, she can be, perhaps shockingly, a normal girl. She is passionate about her goal and her motivations, but she is still Human, like everyone else. She aims for the stars, but her mind still functions as it should.
Well, except for the part where she wants to be the one that scares monsters. But hey... Some traditions are very hard to break.
~Semblance~
Her Semblance is an inherited one, and is generally related to manipulation of blood. Examples of this include the ability to move it through telekinesis, to shape it as one sees fit, and even to alter the properties of it, to a certain extent.
A common example is to turn them into sharpened, crystalized projectiles. However, much like the Glyphs inherited by the Schnees, it is a power that saw evolution and innovation. Wielders of this Semblance realized that they could also use blood as fuel.
In a few different ways at that. The first is played as straight as one might expect; the blood can burst into red flames through the appropriate manipulation, adding additional destructive properties to it's use. The second is by burning it up in order to enhance physical properties.
For example, one can use blood to strengthen themselves. Resulting them becoming more agile, able to take more punishment and dish it out in turn, almost like what Aura can do. Though using it in this fashion is limited by the amount of blood at your disposal. If you don't have enough, then you risk endangering yourself by using your own blood.
There was one other discovery; bringing "prepared blood", such as through blood packs is very useful. Though it was soon determined that if the containers were damaged, then precious ammunition ends up lost even with the ability to manipulate blood.
Because of this a method to collect it was to magnetize it to something -- first methods involving this were crude, involving magnetizing blood onto their person, thanks to their own blood. Still, the discovery of this power led to experimentation; permanent magnets are extremely useful, and tend to be used to create weapons that also serve as catalysts.
Presumably if it fits the theme of Blood Magic, you can probably find it to be possible within this very Semblance.
However, in her case, she began to evolve it even further by changing up her way of thinking. The Semblance generally causes a visceral reaction of fear, disgust, or shock... But only in Humans or Faunus, and only to such a limited extent. Nothing about the power changes even if they are afraid of it.
She was struck by an epiphany; to cause fear in Grimm. That's when a whole untapped field of this power was discovered. She can make the Grimm bleed when they are fearful -- she can make them susceptible to injury. These two things give her an advantage, and even turn them into a means of fuel for her Semblance.
~Weapon~
Most Hunters carry around things like Dust. But in her case, she carries around things like blood vials, blood packs -- anything like that. It's like ammo for her, or in a pinch it's a way to strengthen herself.
Finally, weapons within her family are typically specially made in order to go along with the inherited Semblance; specifically they use materials which can create permanent magnets. Alnico and Ferrite are some examples of this.
In her case... She took the most prized weapon within her family for her own use; a Katana forged out of Alnico.
Though appearing quite crude, the permanent magnetism of the blade means that it is easy to draw blood to it. The Semblance can then be used to weaponize the blood in a variety of ways; perhaps changing the length of the sword, or using it to launch the blood during a slash.
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