Name: Phase
Personal Journal: its_game_time
Contact: puncheverything or PMs!
Other Characters Played: Mikado Ryuugamine (worldwithoutcolor)

Character: Noel Kreiss
Series: Final Fantasy XIII
Age: 518, technically stuck at 18.
History: Here!
Canon Point: Shortly after Lightning saves his soul in Lightning Returns.

Personality:

Much of Noel's personality and demeanor is influenced by, if not based on, his respect for and ties to people. Friendly by nature, good-humored, and easy enough to get along with, he's comfortable around and patient with most others, although he can become confrontational under the right pressure. He frequently and willingly goes out of his way to help strangers and is straightforward about most things, blunt with his opinion but sympathetic enough that he isn't insensitive in the process. On the flip side, however, he's generally a private individual, keeping his past and his issues to himself until he really comes to trust a person. Once he does open up, however, he tends to do so entirely, and isn't shy about being true to his feelings. He's not ashamed to cry in front of others, won't hold back when he's angry, and overall won't pretend to be something he's not. Being a private person himself, Noel will usually respect the privacy of others -- unless necessity dictates otherwise.

His most notable characteristic -- and the driving force in many of his choices -- is his hatred for death and killing. He denounces the latter, stating that "no one deserves to die," and ultimately respects human life too much to even entertain the thought of committing "the ultimate sin." As furious as he becomes at Caius for the things he's done, despite all of Caius' attempts to goad him into it, Noel repeatedly refuses to kill him. After Caius dies, Noel still respects him and even refers to him as "friend" (and, five hundred years later, still expresses guilt over having murdered him -- even though it wasn't his fault).

Noel easily gets attached to people, and it's a hard bond to break. This comes partly from being a Guardian, whose duty is to safeguard the seeress Yeul, and partly from living at the end of days and watching all of his fellow villagers die off one by one. As the last surviving person at the end of time, he's come to treasure human life more than most, as he realizes just how precious it is to have others around. He tends to be protective for these same reasons: right off the bat, he's protective of Serah because he sees her as his responsibility, later because he regards her as a friend, and eventually this blends with something like a sense of duty, as he views her as being in a position similar to that of Yeul. In that regard, he harbors an obvious soft spot for his friends in particular, as seen when he puts aside time to indulge Serah and Yeul with minor tasks. Noel ultimately comes to value those he cares about over the big picture; he resists Guardian tradition by refusing to kill Caius, and is willing to give up correcting the timeline to keep Serah alive.

This protective nature has arguably made him somewhat paranoid in certain regards. He says upfront that he could never behave like Snow and Serah, who, despite being lovers, are able to go their separate ways and trust that they'll each be okay. Unlike them, Noel prefers to spend as much time as he can around his loved ones since he never knows when he'll lose them. In a way, he does have something of a pessimistic outlook, as he sees losing someone -- anyone -- as being inevitable, only a simple matter of time.

Despite his usual calm and collected demeanor, he can and will get emotional, and his ties to others are typically what bring out that side of him. When one of the Yeuls he meets is violently killed by a C'ieth in front of him, he practically goes berserk, attacking and killing it in an uncharacteristic rage. The risk of Serah's death via the Eyes of Etro is enough to rattle his resolve in their mission, and even Caius attempts to strike her down to try and agitate Noel into killing him -- which almost works. When Serah does die, Noel all but breaks down over her.

Similarly, he loses his temper at Snow more than once -- not because Noel dislikes him, but "his type," the kind of person who acts recklessly to protect others. This touches on both Noel's failure as a Guardian and the fact that he couldn't save the people of his village; it touches on some very personal, very sore wounds, in short, not least of all how he hasn't forgiven himself for not saving his Yeul. While Noel is rather adept at keeping his emotions in check most of the time, his lashing out at Snow gives a hint as to how much frustration and self-reproach he actually bears.

Noel is typically adept at understanding and sympathizing with people, which helps him to usually read them pretty well. Caius is the primary example, as Noel's able to deduce much of his reasoning and drive for the things he's done based on what he knows of his personality; this even helps him figure out that the "Caius" he meets in Academia is an imposter. He's also able to figure out Yeul's -- every Yeul's -- true desire (a brighter future, and to willingly be reincarnated again and again), something that Caius himself couldn't do despite knowing hundreds of them throughout time. Even so, he fails to see through Serah's rather obvious lie about feeling fine just before she dies.

Now fast-forward five hundred years.

Noel is largely the same person: still protective of people, still prone to keeping secrets. He has, however, definitely changed due to living with crushing guilt for five centuries (failing Yeul, failing Serah, destroying the world). He's much more withdrawn and moody, and while he does retain his hatred for killing, he no longer hesitates when it comes to fighting and even hurting people when necessary. Whereas before he loved being around people, he now tends to isolate himself entirely, having gone so far as to become practically nocturnal. As such, his people skills appear to have deteriorated to a degree; even after he spares Lightning's life and places his hope in her, he's still a bit snappish towards and even lightly threatens her later.

In a nutshell, Noel is still the same as he was five hundred years ago -- his internal struggling is just much worse than it was before, and it shows.

Generally speaking, he's casual and quiet, keeping to himself unless he feels obligated to do otherwise. He's quick on his feet and a fast thinker even under pressure, but tends to be a bad liar on the rare occasion that he's directly dishonest. Despite being well-versed in subjects like hunting, time travel, and certain aspects of history, he (still) lacks know-how on some everyday things -- he appears to be unfamiliar with operating computers, and has to ask Serah to explain what a theme park is -- as many modern luxuries faded out before his time period. Doubtlessly, he encountered new technologies following Etro's demise, but shying away from society for the most part (and sticking to the rather medieval city of Luxerion) hasn't helped him become more technologically talented.


Skills and Abilities:

Noel primarily operates as a swordsman in battle, wielding both a large sword for broad, sweeping attacks (which can double as a javelin for long-distance throws) and a smaller one for stabbing. While dual-wielding is his specialty, he can also use single sword, as he mentions having switched styles before to compete with Caius. He's also extremely athletic and agile, which he incorporates into his fighting style, and has even picked up some parkour skills during his stay in Luxerion.

As a hunter, he's good at tracking, and can work solo or in a team to take down even very large prey. It's likely that he can also utilize other hunting weaponry besides his preferred swords, as shown when he borrows Serah's weapon against the Proto Fal'Cie: he takes to it with ease, using it in both blade and bow forms without a hitch.

Noel can also use a variety of magical abilities -- offensive/defensive spells, buffs, and status effects -- in accordance with different paradigm styles. He can use all six styles (Commando, Ravager, Saboteur, Synergist, Medic, and Sentinel), although he's most adept at Commando, Sentinel, and Synergist. In terms of the Ravager paradigm, his specialty elements are wind and ice.

Having survived for over five hundred years against some tough odds, Noel is without a doubt one of the strongest fighters still alive; he holds his own against Lightning despite her Savior powers, and the only reason he doesn't kill her is because he chooses not to. In short, he's considerably formidable despite appearances -- much more than he was when he killed Etro.

First Person Sample:

[The video begins with an upside down shot of a moogle, whose attention is elsewhere as he speaks.]

Nope, my name is Mogli, kupo. But that over there is Moggles, and he's Moggory, if one of them is the one you know, kupo.

I... don't think so. The one I'm thinking of just goes by Mog -- but he was the only one of his kind around, as far as I know.

There are lots of us here in the Havens, kupo! But your world must be pretty sad with only one moogle. [There are some sympathetic murmurs from the background moogles as "Mogli" shuffles the rune around so that it's upright.] Whoops! It's already on, kupo. Here, say hi to everyone!

Wait--

[Nope, no waiting. The rune gets passed from those tiny white paws(?) into human hands, a second later flipped around to reveal the face of the latest newcomer. He looks a little too tired for someone that young, as if he's either short on sleep or overloaded with some deep-seated anxiety, but his eyes are both alert and curious as he regards "everyone."]

...Right... [Noel has no reason to distrust moogles, so if they say the rock is a communication device... then he'll bite. What else can he do?] Well, if anyone's listening, I'd appreciate if you'll answer a few questions. The moogles already explained a lot, but... [He glances off-screen, just a shade uncertain as he regards his fuzzy welcoming party.] ...a second opinion would be nice.

What was that look for, kupo?!

[Anyway--]

My name's Noel Kreiss. [A beat passes, his expression and tone utterly serious now, almost grave.] If this really is a different world, and anyone here knows of Gran Pulse, or Cocoon... I'd like to talk.

[and what are communication device manners? he cuts the feed.]

Third Person Sample: Link, link, and link.