Cliff

Cliff Holden is a character in Our Life: Beginnings & Always. He is the father of Cove, appearing first in Step 1. He is the first character the player encounters in the game.
== Appearance ==
Cliff has blond hair, blue eyes, and tan skin. He is fairly toned and has a stingray tattoo on his left arm.
For Step 1, he wears his hair in a ponytail. He has a black shirt and shorts that have sharks as an all-over design. He wears a black wristwatch on his left arm, and wears the same wristwatch during Step 2.
In the next Step, he wears a white button-up shirt paired with brown pants that have palm tree leaf patterns. He leaves his hair to hang loosely on his side.
For Step 3, his watch is replaced by a black smartwatch, and he wears a button-up shirt paired with white pants. His hair is tied in a low ponytail.
For Step 4, he no longer wears a watch. His hair is wavier. He wears a white shirt, with a blue shirt with a shark design emblazoned on it, paired with black shorts.
== Personality ==
Cliff has a caring nature. He always watches out for his family and the people around him and presents a friendly aura. He tries his best to make other people comfortable, like offering the main character a smile during their first meeting or not letting Kyra cook while she stays at his house as a guest; although he isn't always successful. 
Despite his approachable demeanor, he has a knack for "surprises", much to the dismay of both Cove and Kyra. This is mainly due to his tendency to act impulsively to please the people around him, especially his son, without talking to them first about his thoughts. Although most of his ideas are made out of good will, Cove and Kyra will still display their disappointment, which usually makes him remorseful. He blames his and Kyra's divorce purely on himself, admitting that he "only did what he was supposed to do"
Nevertheless, most of his actions are what he thinks would help the people around him, like offering the main character a twenty-dollar bill in exchange for being friends with Cove. He worries that his son will have trouble making friends and, upon seeing the main character, immediately grabs the opportunity to help Cove adjust to their new life.
== Background ==
Before the start of the game, Cliff was married to Kyra but it ended up in divorce. Near the ending of Step 3, if the main character decides to sleep in Cove's house, they will learn that Cliff was not much older than Cove when he figured out he was going to be a dad. This is also hinted in Reflection when he says "Kyra had an eye out for 17 year old him" and that their relationship had lasted only about 6 months before Kyra found out she was pregnant. They also got married quickly; before Cove was born.
It is also mentioned that he used to live with Cove and Kyra in the same state so he did not have to move too far from their old house. He is confirmed to have been born in California and has lived there ever since.https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/634344634851688448/im-very-excited-to-play-through-the-whole-game-and
He was prone to gambling when he was younger.
By the age of seventeen he was already "on his own"https://ourlife.fandom.com/wiki/Step_3_(Our_Life:_Beginnings_%26_Always)#Reflection_(DLC), with Kyra specifying his parents were - and still aren't - friendly people who would have kicked him out immediately after he turned eighteen.
He owns a business that sells scuba supplies and offers diving lessons/tours as services.https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/623555689358508032/so-im-not-sure-if-this-has-been-asked-or-not-but His business partner is Derek's father.
Cliff does not have a canon race.https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/643867969450098688/what-race-is-cove-me-and-my-friends-love-this
== Relationships ==
=== Cove ===
Cliff is Cove's father and takes full custody of him. The former is more outgoing in contrast to his son's introverted personality. At the start of the game, Cove is cold to his father and would always brush off his attempts at physical affection. However, they eventually get along extremely well as the Steps progress.
Many times Cliff is mentioned to "puff up" out of pride wherever someone even mentions Cove, wearing the title "Dad" with a capital D. He usually calls Cove by an affectionate term "sport" and never fails to show love towards his son.
=== Kyra ===
Kyra was formerly married to Cliff. He was not exactly sure that it was a good idea to marry her, but did so anyway in the prospect that the positive things in their relationship will outweigh the negative ones. However, it did not end well for them resulting in a divorce. https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/190083892191/omg-would-coves-remarry-someone-im-asking-forIn Reflection he admits adoring her before and during their marriage but after becoming dad and husband, he had hard time actually relying on her because he felt, incorrectly, that he needed to manage the family and home alone. Cliff mentions that he did not see divorce coming, despite all the signs.
On the other hand, they retain a good relationship as friends with Cliff inviting Kyra to visit Cove during Step 2 as one of his surprises to him. He often engages on good-natured banters with her as shown in "Dinner" and "Road Trip".
=== Main Character ===
The main character is one of Cliff's neighbors. At first, he views them as a valuable potential friend for Cove, offering them a twenty-dollar bill in exchange for letting them offer their friendship to Cove. The main character is free to choose how they feel about him, varying from thinking he's amusing to being annoyed at his antics.
=== Pamela & Noelani ===
Pamela & Noelani are Cliff's neighbors and friends. During Step 1, he is grateful for their help in getting himself and Cove settle down in Sunset Bird. They often interact a lot especially when their children hang out. In "Barbecue", Cliff stays with them to chat with the other adults in the park. They continue to talk and joke around in future Steps; with Cliff letting them go with him and his family during "Road Trip" and all of them going shopping together with their children in "Errands".
=== Derek ===
Derek is the son of Cliff's business partner. He is his guest whenever Derek's father would drop him off so he can hang out with Cove and the main character. Cliff appreciates Derek's politeness whenever he visits as a guest. He would sometimes feel awkward whenever Derek would address him formally, like calling him "Sir" in "Mall", however. Apart from that, they do not have much interaction, since the majority of Derek's appearances in Step 2 is spent hanging out with his friends.
== Gallery ==
Cliff_01.png|Cliff's first appearance
Cliff_02.png|The iconic twenty-dollar bill
Cliff_Cove_01.png|Cliff and Cove in Sandcastle's CG
Cliff_03.png|Cliff, Noelani, & Pamela in Barbecue
== Trivia ==
* Cliff runs a shop alongside Derek's father, as mentioned in Step 2 and 3. In "Mall", the scene starts inside their shop.
* Cliff is straight, graysexual and grayromantic.https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/620116996117413888/are-there-any-canon-trans-characters-also-whathttps://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/190239879971/loved-the-axesual-representation-in-xox-are-any
* Cliff and Kyra's divorce only got legally finalized during the transition between Step 1 and 2. https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/190349027826/i-thought-cliff-was-officially-divorced-and-it-was
* Cliff's voice actor is Andy C. https://gb-patch.tumblr.com/post/190428232746/our-life-cast-list-announcement
* His stingray tattoo is a a Polynesian symbol of protection.Polynesian Tattoo: History, Meanings and Traditional Designs (15. Stingray)
* Based on him being 19 when Cove was born in 1997, Cliff was most likely born in 1978.
*Despite him and Kyra genuinely caring for each other, they were never actually in love but tried to make the relationship work for Cove.
== References ==
Category:Characters in Our Life: Beginnings & Always