#I'm pretty sure it was your speculation post about Marx being a noddy that kickstarted a lot of my headcanons later down the line lol

[gethoce]

I've been looking forward to this one ARGH, Noir is a tricky one to judge! Sure he has rather negative qualities when it comes to Valfrey's honor system, but his positive qualities are strong! If there is one thing Valfrey views most highly it is a strong sense of purpose like Noir's desire to take care of his sister!

His weakest quality would be what he did to Raquelle, though Valfrey knows the dangers of dark matter too well to blame him for that. She can relate to that quite well, actually, having been infected by Dark Nebula for a very long time. (At one point she would have made sure to put anyone infected by dark matter out of their misery right then and there, but that kinda got her into the Dark Nebula situation, so there is more hesitation these days.)

I think what mostly saves him from being in the negative when it comes to the honor ranking is the fact that he is still a teen and not an adult. Valfrey has raised many kids and knows well enough that she can't just expect them to be born with a perfect sense of honor. It is something you gain over time. He has clearly the potential to be a very honorable individual in the future if things were to turn out better. Perhaps he just needs some guidance or better circumstances that allow him to grow strong enough to no longer need to rely on foul tactics and lies. His age is also something that saves him if he ever slips up in a conversation, Valfrey is a lot more patient with young individuals.

Valfrey would rank him more so neutrally, keeping his intentions in mind rather than judging him without proper context and that he is still a teenager. Noir is someone she would watch on the sidelines with a hopeful outlook on his future hoping that he eventually gets to walk the right path. Alas he doesn't quite feel the same it seems and the future doesn't have any pleasant surprises in store for him. </3

I wasn't really expecting Noir would make it to the (Second-Chance) Finals alongside greats like Valfrey, but since we're here...

...I actually had previously written up responses to Valfrey's Honor Tier for Noir! And what better time to post them than now?

(Tagging @gethoce if interested in looking at this down the line, but seriously no pressure to respond back! I imagine you're busy with lots of things!)

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One must live their life for a purpose such as serving a shogun or protecting one's people.

Noir's life was dedicated to making sure his little sister Adeleine had everything it was within his power to give her and also to protect her from physical and mental harm, making sure she never suffered the way he did. He did this admirably, though at great cost to himself.

If left without a purpose one must make it their mission to find one.

...However, after saving her and dying (and dying twice more as Dark Matter) he has felt completely and utterly lost. A puppet to fate. Noir has stopped dreaming. Stopped hoping...

Be the Master of one's emotions, yet do not rob yourself of your whimsy for it'd poison your mind.

Though he tries to deny it, Noir's actually kept his sense of wry humor despite all that he's been through and was a decidedly fun (!) big brother for both Adeleine and Gooey! While he was alive, he was pretty experienced at controlling how much what he felt inside showed on the outside. But after his experiences with Dark Matter, he's lost a lot of his defenses to his own emotional pain...

Always be honest

Ohohoho! 

...No. Never. Noir has lied (albeit, they were white lies) through his teeth nearly every day of his life. About their family. About their world. About their chances. About his chances...

Do not steal unless it is to protect the weak

Every crime he committed was (at least in his mind) for her.

Do not sneak attack when a fair battle is possible

Sneak attacks were Noir's modus operandi! Why give his targets a chance to fight back or run when you can summon a sword in their back��without his victims even getting to see what killed them...?

There is no honour in being outnumbered, use usually unfair tactics to even the playing field

Hmm. He felt outnumbered by the world. Does that count? XD

Though, interestingly enough, as Dark Matter Swordsman, he showed a degree of bushido (!) that the frightened human teen could never quite manage, outside of the realm of his fantasy stories. If either forms of Noir were outnumbered by strong opponents, their self-sacrificial nature would probably shine through...

Respect yourself, keep yourself healthy and well groomed

LMAO! Yeah, no... Noir does NOT respect his body (not after effectively "selling" it for what he believed would be Adeleine's safety) and generally finds it weak, painful, and a nuisance. He routinely sacrifices food and sleep for his little sister. He also insists on wearing that ugly scarf (/lh) everywhere, so probably not well-groomed?

Stay true to your principles

In the main storyline, at least, Noir never faltered. His name means "unstoppable" in his native language and he was always relentless in whatever he did. When deeply under the sway of the Dark Matter Blade, he did waver, but on his own, he stays true.

Do not slaughter your own kin unless they strike first

...Raquelle was family. She could have even been MORE than that to you, one day... But...she was never going to hurt you. You know that, right...? She was the only one who realized how much you'd been hurt. And just LOOK at what you did to her... Murderer...

Take vengeance on those who have wronged you or your kin

...They will never find the bodies. And in a few special cases, that's probably a good thing. The world without Noir is at least a world free of anyone who hurt him or what remained of his family.

Be polite and respectful to those who deserve it

Eh~h, Noir's kind of a sassy, perpetually pessimistic brat. XD He was raised with good manners but lashes out with a sharp tongue and rejection as a defensive mechanism. And even then, he'll still put his foot in his mouth, even to those who have been nothing but kind to him! (He might regret it, but he can't help himself now.)

If one serves a clan or leader that disrespects them or otherwise goes against their principles, they no longer deserve to be named kin

Both he and Raquelle forswore Raquelle's father as "family" after what he did to Noir. And he only ever served Zero via amnesia, brainwashing, or being physically puppeted. Even then, his soul remained in rebellion, praying for the abomination's defeat...

Do not disrespect Valfrey

Hohoho... Noir's actually got a huge soft side for living creatures in general and a lot of respect (or maybe awe? fear?) toward the concept of death, having grown up surrounded by it.

...HOWEVER, all this only stands if he doesn't open his stupid mouth around her. When it comes to one-on-one conversations, he almost unfailingly dooms himself in one way or another.

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And there we go. Noir's got some positive qualities in this regard, but I feel like there is a definite lean toward the negative in him. Then again, being damned is kinda Noir's brand. ^_-

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[He may be iffy on the honor scale but you can still vote Noir here!]