Viewing profile - Cielo Noel

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Username:
Cielo Noel
Groups:
Alias:
Cielo Noel / Tien / January / 1st / Number One
Age:
17
Birthday:
January 1st
Gender Identity:
Male
Race:
Human
Nationality:
Mistral
Character Picture:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 8043F2.jpg
Height:
6’3
Weight:
89 kg
Eye Color:
Deep blue
Aura Color:
Deep blue
Physical Description:
Tien, or rather, Cielo, is a tall youth with a lean muscular build. Wears his hair medium and unkempt. Often has a very dour, almost exhausted look in his eyes, as if perpetually waking up from a bad nap. One of his most distinguishing features is the long scar running across the bridge of his nose.
Outfit Description:
Cielo's outfit consists of a pair of blue pants and a mostly pale-gray, long-sleeved button-up shirt with a hood attached and its sleeves rolled up just above the elbow. It remains partially unbuttoned near the neck and waist, with silver-beaded pull strings at the collar. Its sleeves, upper back, and hood are colored blue with white decorations adorning the back and shoulders. Beneath can be seen a navy blue short-sleeved undershirt. Cielo also wears a pair of black-gray boots and a silver ring on his left ring finger. Wear a codpiece at all times, because he doesn’t believe in being too careful. All in all, he looks very Vale, despite his Mistral upbringing. Like a deliberate attempt to blend into his surroundings. Like a ninja. Which he isn’t, by the way.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 834736.jpg
Personality Description:
Honor. Honesty. Heroism. If you asked Cielo what each one of these words meant to him, he’d probably just break out into hives in lieu of giving you an actual answer. It’s not that he’s a bad person, you see. It’s just that he consistently does the absolute minimum of what might be considered good. Like, “Oh no, I accidentally burned down the orphanage in self defense again. Well here ya go, kid, have a couple lien and good luck out there.” He has no zero moral compunctions against lying, cheating, and stealing and prefers to think of himself as practical and “morally uninhibited.”

Cielo runs an odd mix between distant, but jovial. A bit of an asshole, but easy-going. Deadpan, but energetic in his own uniquely irritating way. In general, he seems to prefer a more casual approach to things until given a reason to act serious. He’s slow to trust and highly skeptical. He is a pragmatist with a level head. Something of an opportunist, so he likes to keep his ear to the ground. No such thing as useless information.

Cielo has a hard time figuring just where exactly he falls on the whole morality thing. He likes to believe he’s human enough to tell right from wrong, and likes to do the right thing when he can. That said, it’s almost too easy for him to bend and flex his morals to fit the situation.

Despite his ways, Cielo is hardworking and almost pathologically determined, like he doesn’t even know what the words “give up” are supposed to even mean. And, moreover, he understands the concept of give and take, being more than willing to come to someone’s aid if it means gaining an ally in the future.

Despite his leanings towards occasional braggadocious remarks, Cielo is bizarrely humble and introspective, being very keenly aware of his shortcomings. This is, perhaps, why he’s so hardworking to begin with. One final point, he’s cautious. Paranoid, a more blunt person might say. Constantly on guard, between some state of relaxed and defensive. Again, very ninja-like. But don’t call him that
Backstory Highlights:
The boy doesn’t really have a firm grasp on where it was he came from. His bloodline might as well start with him as far as he’s concerned. Even his own “name,” Cielo Noel, was just the punchline to some local inside joke. For the longest time, people either used his “name” or ignored him all together. He didn’t really have a “name” until Old Mother Kwan, owner of the town’s historic teahouse, gave him the name “Tien.”

He can recall some things, like growing up in some riverside town embroiled in some decade-long local political mess he’d been too young to understand. Riots in the streets. Fire bottles getting tossed. Something about priests and dockworkers and filthy animal folk. The kind of mess that left a lot of kids back home without parents to call their own. He can vaguely remember dumb shit like when he accidentally formed a rhino beetle wrestling circuit with some of the local kids. Or that one time he broke a girl’s nose for saying he’d make a good house husband. He could even remember the mobs chasing out the town’s filthy animal folk.

But what he remembers, far more vividly, was meeting the Smiling Man, Zhenwu, while working for room and board at Old Mother Kwan’s teahouse (which, looking back on it, he’s pretty sure was just a front for some drug trade operation).

The Smiling Man. Gods, it was.... the man’s still hard to describe, even now. It was like whenever Tien tried to look at the man, drink in his appearance, that smile intruded. Those teeth. He wore a black leather coat, almost a duster. Those teeth were like fangs. String-strung bells trapped onto the wide brim of his hat, the jingle-jangle that came with every footstep. It was like his mouth were something privevil, something poking at the young Tien’s lizard brain. Two massive pistols strapped to his hips. Those teeth were meant for people, meant for him.

Huntsmen were a bad omen. You didn’t call one unless things were really bad. That much he understood.

Some shit had gone down. Someone felt cheated and was probably tripping some serious sack for them to think drawing their pistol on a Huntsman would end in any way other than having their face caved in by a casual backhand. It’d gotten even worse when the Smiling Man snatched Tien in the chaos, using the boy like a(n unused) human shield.

That was how the Smiling Man ”aggressively adopted” Tien and took the boy under his wing. Dragging him through all of Anima. Used the boy as a means of recon. Showed him how to use his Aura. Taught him how to not just be a Huntsman, but a struggler. One who did what he needed to survive. Things Tien still isn’t particularly proud of. Zhenwu wanted dispel those high-minded ideals about what a Huntsman was supposed to be, even if it killed Tien.

He remembered the first Grimm he’d ever killed. The first man? Eh, he’d long since forgotten aside from how light the trigger was. But Grimm were a whole ‘nother story. It wasn’t that long after the boy had unlocked his aura. A week tops. He was maybe thirteen? Zhen lured a beowolf to the boy. It was young and without its bone armor. He tossed Tien a knife. “That’s a knife, that’s a Grimm, you gon’ kill this thing.”

And so, for nine days and nine nights, Tien hunted the Grimm. Well, maybe it was the other way around at first. The first four days and three nights he ran, he hid, scared for his life. But on that fourth night, that night the Grimm nearly killed him, left him the scar across his face, he felt something snap within him. Some fragile, tenuous thing he was always just barely holding onto.

When he returned four days later, all cut up and filthy, Zhenwu smiled. Embraced the boy like the son he always wanted.

But eventually they ended up in the capital, Mistral, where the asshole just up and vanished, effectively orphaning Cielo twice. Maybe. Did it count at 15? No one really adopted kids past nine without being morally obliged to.

But whether through some newfound purpose in life, or fear of ending as just another boy in slums, Tien continued his training at Mistral’s premier Combat School, Sanctum for the next two years of his life.

These days, he calls himself by his “birth name” of Cielo while attending Beacon Academy (when in Vale), working in some Mistral-inspired teahouse to supplement that student stipend. Haven had been in his cards, but something had drawn him to Vale, having already seen plenty of Mistral. All of her splendor, all of her decadence. Maybe it was the subconscious desire for structure, maybe years spent traveling robbed him of the ability to be still for too long. Maybe he just wanted to see what ethnic cleansing policies some foreign nation would adopt because of him.

Every now and again his thoughts drift back to the Smiling Huntsman. To Zhenwu. Sometimes as idle thoughts, other times as nightmares. Was he out there somewhere making life miserable for some other orphan? Was he even still alive? Was he just looking for a pack of damn cigarettes like all those other absentee dads?

Cielo supposed that there wasn’t much use in pondering the unknown. If the man was still alive he’d find the prick. Maaaaybe he’d kill him. After that, who knew? Maybe he’d become a big-dick Huntsman hero. Get all them sponsorship deals.
Occupation:
Student / Part-time Tea Specialist
Education:
Aside from a couple of years at Sanctum, most of Cielo’s education and training came from the very hands-off tutelage of his mentor/kidnapper/foster-father, Zhenwu.
Semblance Name:
Pulse
Semblance Description:
Cielo’s Semblance allows him to project a force from his body, which produces an effect similar to a gust of wind by displacing the air around him. Typically, he uses this to augment his mobility and offensive capabilities.

Cielo can use his force projections to push himself in any direction, allowing him to change direction mid-air as if kicking off an invisible wall. This gives him the ability to easily change the angle of his attack.

Offensively, he can use it to extend the range of his attacks by projecting the attack as a kind of force shockwave. These shockwaves are malleable and are shaped based on what he’s attacking with (a blunt object or his fists, for instance, would produce a blunt impact, whereas something like a knife or sword would give the force a slashing/piercing effect). He can also strengthen attacks via applying additional force to his movements. His projections also work well with Dust. Namely, by altering the effects of his shockwaves (such using ice Dust to create an ice guillotine, or fire Dust to create a flaming lance).

While useful for getting around and disorientating his foes, Cielo’s Semblance runs the risk of harming him of used incorrectly. The human body, aura or no, was not built to withstand such rapid shifts in speed and direction. Cielo attempting to change direction at the peak of his dash speed could very easily result in him breaking his neck, so he often only changes when his velocity is low.

His force shockwaves and augmented strikes are a techniques he only recently developed, so he hasn’t really figured out how efficiently manage his aura output. As of now, it requires 10% of his aura to use such techniques. He can also use his projections as a small AoE attack, but its effect is minimal to someone with aura, feeling more like a hard shove by reasonably fit adult male.
Weapon Name:
Nameless
Weapon Description:
A nameless sword. Just a weapon. A tool. A means to an end that passes from one oily hand to another. A sword Zhenwu had plucked from a particularly rich, particularly dead rival Huntsman. Cielo made his own by internally and externally studying it down to the last detail.

A single-edged blade that very heavily resembles a stylized dao. Longer and slightly broader than average, made of dark gray and silver alloys, there are decorative, cerulean patterns running along the blade.

Within the blade is a dust chamber capable of empowering the sword’s cutting edge with certain types of dust.

The sword is capable of splitting into a pair of evenly-sized short swords, both of which house empty dust grooves where the blades connect (presumably for magnetic dust to allow for ease of recalling). Both swords are also capable of morphing into a pair of pistols.
Other Gear:
Cielo also carries a hidden knife behind his sword’s scabbard resembling a jambiya. Because if you find yourself in a position where you’re not armed, you’ve clearly messed up somewhere.

Because of it’s general effectiveness, Cielo also tries to keep himself supplied with dust. He isn’t made of money, so sticks with the cheaper stuff typically. Lightning, air, ice, and fire. The only more exotic type he keeps is magnetic dust for his swords. As such he almost never uses it.
Fighting Style:
Cielo fights using a very eclectic, mostly self-taught style of martial arts; one that utilizes Cielo's athletic and acrobatic skills, speed, quick thinking, and adaptability. While cautious when engaging enemies he knows nothing about, his style is fast, relentless, and most importantly, cheap. It isn't uncommon for Cielo to fight using underhanded tactics with either Dust, his own body and/or surroundings, or any physical/psychological weaknesses he knows he can exploit.

Because of this, he's sometimes compared to a ninja. Although he'd probably just call you a racist if you said it outright. Because of the nature of his sword, he's also a capable gunman.
Strengths:
As noted above Cielo is fast, adaptable, and unpredictable. Cautious in a fight and knows how to keep his head when it comes to actually keeping his head. Cielo is almost never not on guard and often sleeps with one eye open (which probably contributes to his somewhat blunt resting face). Experience has taught him how to use his speed and strength.

Despite being a swords/gunman, he is skilled in unarmed combat, utilizing plenty of punches, kicks, throws, and locks to neutralize a threat. Stealth is also a strong suit for him.

When it comes to people, it’s generally hard to trick or pressure Cielo into doing another’s bidding. Things like charisma and good looks tend to have minimal effect on him. He’s got strong nerves and somewhat skilled at assuming different moods to fit the situation, and is pretty good at reading the room. He is more than capable of understanding different forms of morality from an intellectual point of view, enough that he’s able to keep his darker traits at bay. He can even be friendly and give advice at times.

And, in general, his determination and willpower are borderline pathological. Which are just as much a curse as they are a boon.

At the end of the day, despite what’s listed below, Cielo is not a bad guy. Just very deeply flawed, and is very aware of it. Wants to be better and does try when he can.
Weaknesses:
Though the unpredictability of Cielo's fighting style is it's greatest strength, it comes from it's greatest weakness: Cielo only learned to fight simply by fighting, so he relies primarily on instinct and experience in lieu of proper technique. So while he is fast, unpredictable, and skilled in his own right, his momentum can open up his guard and leave him vulnerable if he isn’t careful. Given his style of martial arts and swordplay is derived from several different schools, his technique is rough and unrefined.

When he was younger, one of the patrons at Old Mother Kwan’s said about him, “that’s no boy, that’s a walking pile of red flags!”

Cielo is a younger, more restrained version of Zhenwu. Partly out of his own sense of morality, as well as spite. He’s fairly amoral and doesn’t have an issue with using whatever or whoever he needs to come out on top.

Emotionally, he’s fairly icy and deflective. While he won’t go out of his way to be a dick, he’s not exactly forthcoming about his feelings, so there can often be some disconnect between what he’s saying and what is actually there. Generally, he’ll try to brush off genuine inquiries of his emotional well-being with a joke or friendly-ish, yet dismissive comment, but his patience’ll run thin given enough prodding.

Cielo is also pathologically determined. Stubborn, a more pessimistic person might say. Cielo is very goal-oriented and while it works for him in some ways, it goes against him in others. He can be rather self-destructive at times. Will try to push himself beyond his limits unless talked down.

He’s got some other demons. Tends to be restless in his sleep. At times he’ll find himself questioning what he thinks is right versus what he knows he has to do.
Likes:
Cielo has many passions that might come off as unexpected from a man of his background. Tea brewing, for one. He has an innate talent for it, and the act is almost therapeutic for him.

Rhino beetle wrestling and coaching works very much the same way. Bugs in general seem to amuse him.

Cielo is weirdly domestic, skilled at cooking and cleaning, which once prompted a girl he knew to tease him and call him the perfect future house husband. He responded by breaking her nose.

And finally is a lover of most kinds of music. It isn’t uncommon to find him bobbing his head or twerking to whatever’s playing in his headphones.
Dislikes:
Despite his skill, and passion for tea-brewing, he paradoxically hates everything about the stuff. From the taste to the smell. Asking him to drink any form of tea will be met with unique threats of extreme physical and psychological violence.

Will grumble irritably if called or compared to a ninja.

Folks who never stop smiling also bug him something fierce. Mostly because they tend to remind him of Zhenwu.

Defeat is often a bitter pill for him to swallow.

Despite his choice in careers, Cielo never liked or even cared about Huntsmen. Where he was from, they were a sign something was seriously fucked. And Zhenwu sure didn’t help assuage his misgivings.

And lastly, he isn’t a big fan of being touched. Won’t react strongly, but will become notably more uncomfortable.
Fun Facts:
His age is actually hard for him to nail down. Since he doesn’t really know when he was born, he guesstimates he’s between the ages of 17 and 19. As far as legal documentation is concerned, he’s 17.

Due to his lack of a real birthday, he usually just tacks on another year every January 1st. Because of this, Zhenwu took to calling him by various nicknames like January or, more ironically, Number One.

Cielo was mainly inspired by the nameless protagonist of the Cormac Mccarthy novel Blood Meridian (“the kid”), but also takes after Guts of Berserk fame, and Mugen from Samurai Champloo.

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