#blanc gray

For my style, and their in-game mechanic, click here

Based on the "I depend on you" drawing that was going around a lot some time ago. I've always wanted to make a piece for it, but I never had characters that seemed to fit it well enough, at least in my eyes. Finally, Blanoir... my peak co-dependency ship...

+ references

I never actually talk about the lore of any of my settings, let me know if you want any specific ones to be explained. I'm so brainrotted with LtB so of course you're getting that first.

Trigger warnings for mentions of violence and gruesome killing.

Their backstory starts similarly to Original Gray's - as most Gray backstories do (they're all the same man, after all). Due to this, I'm only going to cover the backstory once (as it's almost exactly the same for both Blanc and Noir), and it's going to be relatively brief; Gray is born to a single mother in France, in 1889 in this universe, as Charlotte Monet. He grows up with a special interest in film and television, that his mother repeatedly attempts to tread on, to "set him on the right path" so that he seeks out a dream that is "actually achievable". In his original universe, he does not let this stop him, pursuing an education in media and later chasing after his dream to become an actor, upon leaving France. This is not the original universe, much to the dismay of these Grays. In THIS universe, she succeeds in her attempts; she isn't able to kill his interest in film, or his want to become an actor, but she convinces him that it's unachievable - that he should strive for something else.

While still forgiving her for all the turmoil she's caused him, and loving her, Gray feels the need to get away from his mother; he makes an excuse that "things are better in the US", and leaves France to live there. Upon moving to the US, they also start passing as men and going by Gray. From this point, the important differences occur;

"Noir" attempts to become a police officer, but is rejected from the police academies due to his physical disability - he proceeds to attend law school, and become a private detective instead. "Blanc" is aware that his physical disability will hinder him in a position like a police officer, which is physically demanding, and so chooses a path that will be easier on him in that way; he attends law school, and becomes a lawyer. Passing as men makes obtaining their law educations + getting into these fields easier, which is the excuse they use for their mother (who they still visit), but they're both aware of why they actually started doing that.

With the backstories covered, I will first go over Noir;

Noir starts his private investigation business; which has a rough start, as to be expected from self-employment, but he eventually busts the notorious Alleycat gang - which earns him the popularity and recognition he needs to get on his feet properly in the field. During that case, he meets an assassin (who used to be a sniper in the military) who was hired to kill someone within the gang - known by her alias, Mariposa. They get close during his solving of this case, and begin to date.

Being better known and more respected means that Noir was getting riskier cases, some of which involved other gangs. During a case on illegal alcohol production and distribution (alcohol is illegal in the US at this time!), he ended up finding the place where the alcohol was being produced - at an unfortunate time, as he was still there when the gang members returned, with the leader among them (small gang at the time) - "Belle Goldhand". While being interrogated by the members, to find out what he knows about them and what he has already told authorities, Noir is beaten within an inch of his life - and his right arm is sawn off. He faints during this exchange, and wakes up in an alley.

He flees to his home, where Mariposa tends to his arm, but he refuses to explain what happened - this causes a rift in their relationship, as he was already being too closed off for it to work well. She tries to help him through his growing stress and paranoia, as a result of the trauma, but things eventually become too much - especially with how he is refusing her help and remaining closed off, so she breaks up with him and leaves. They're still on okay terms, but they aren't in contact - mostly for each other's safety, and not because of how their relationship ended.

After another month, now alone, the gang return to Noir's door with a proposition. They've been keeping an eye on him, monitoring how he continues with the case, so they know if he's worth getting rid of (he has not worked on it since the attack), and they think they can get their foot in the door with him. A replacement arm, at the cost of his moral compass - to join the gang. Unfortunately for Noir, the only acceptable choice is yes, and he knows this. He accepts their offer, getting a very advanced robotic prosthetic, but must follow a large array of strict rules; among them being undeniable favours for the gang. He is forced to move into their territory, but he is allowed to continue his private detective business - alongside these favours, which typically involve him aiding them in covering up crimes (as he knows what an investigator would be looking for), or killing people.

Some months later, Noir is hired by a famous actress - Lola Garcia - to solve a murder case; her husband was killed, and she has been framed for his death. During this case, the two of them find themself enamoured with the other's image; Noir is self-aware about the fact his attraction is superficial - attracted to the idea of Lola, and not who she truly is as a person, but Lola fails to realise that the cliché noir detective act he puts on isn't the only thing she'd be signing up for. Despite Noir understanding all of this, he agrees to date her when the case has been closed - and the relationship doesn't take too long to end, only a few months. Their lives were simply too different, they couldn't fit together as well as Lola had dreamed, and Noir wasn't willing to try and reshape his life to get them to - not wanting her close enough to him to figure out what was really beneath his exterior. They are technically still in contact, but, again, their lives are too different to ever be able to really make time for the other, so, despite the good terms, they do not talk anymore.

A couple years later he meets another law-worker who has been caught up in the gang (which has grown significantly since Noir was forced to join) - a forensic scientist, Byron Blackwood. They are consistently forced to work together, due to having similar areas of expertise - therefore similar favours to provide the gang. Due to forced proximity, Noir and Byron consistently see the worst sides of each other - and Byron is the first person to share this same struggle as Noir. They develop a situationship, which is relatively on and off for a significant amount of time. They are not close enough to be willing to form a real relationship, but they are both in need of love enough to ignore that for brief exchanges. He is no longer engaging in this relationship in the present day, but he is still in contact with Byron, both because they're kind-of friends, and because they're both still in the gang.

With Noir's important events covered, I can now go over who I will be calling "Lawyer" - you will see why when I get to it;

Lawyer graduates from law school and joins a law firm, he is a fantastic lawyer and quickly grows a reputation - allowing him to become successful in his field within a remarkable amount of time. He lives comfortably alone in an apartment, with enough room to accommodate a special someone, should he ever come to. He is also incredibly well-liked by his co-workers and neighbours due to his selfless and kind nature - but none of them are close enough to him to realise it is an entirely superficial personality. Lawyer, determined to "be a real man" becomes this sickeningly picturesque magazine-cover worthy façade - to the point he starts to lose his genuine sense of self, acting entirely on what would be preferred of him, and not what he himself would actually want or like.

Due to this, Lawyer begins falling into a deep depressive state, which he also buries beneath this mask. He doesn't understand what he's doing wrong - isn't this what every man is meant to be? Isn't he doing it right? Isn't he perfect? Why isn't he happy? As a result of his worsening mental state, which he simply represses alongside his identity (not making it any better), cracks start to form. He becomes far too enamoured with crime scene photographs and sketches of murders - he jumps at every opportunity to take on a murder case just to see them, he begins daydreaming about hurting people who annoy or anger him, and the guilt of these eats at him so much that he even dreams about killing people constantly, due to how often it's on his mind.

Amidst all this stress, Lawyer briefly returns to France to visit his mother - as he typically did, multiple times a year, since moving to the US. He dislikes how he has to pretend to be Charlotte when he returns, but he sucks it up because he loves his mother (part of his mask, he actually HATES her)! As a result of his stress, he ends up having an argument with her toward the end of his stay, and he acts on his worsening thoughts - killing her. He packs up and flees back to the US, where he is still interrogated regarding his mother's death when her body is found, but he manages to evade suspicion and get off the hook, remaining a free man.

He feels genuine relief upon getting out of it; coming to find that he enjoyed the thrill of killing her, and lying his way out of an arrest. Despite this realization, he tries to continue with his completely fabricated life - this isn't who he is, he's the perfect lawyer. The perfect man! Indulging has shown him what he could be having, however, and so, when his mental health begins to decline again, all he can think of is that rush; of how good it all felt.

Craving it again, Lawyer seeks out a few "practice victims" over a roughly year-long period; getting a feel for the "business" and figuring it out, like experimenting with something as harmless as paint. He soon develops a pattern; a gruesome one. He enjoys getting creative with the items - preferring to use things in the environment instead of bringing specific weapons with him, prolonging the experience for as long as possible while the person is still alive, making the crime scenes as horrific as possible (he views it like an art form), and focuses on how much fun he can personally have with a killing. Not long after developing this pattern; Lawyer decides that his "real self" needs a name. He develops a persona for his serial killings, donning an extravagant and slightly more feminine appearance (experimenting with his identity and self-expression, which he didn't allow himself to do before), and going by the alias "Blanc".

Now...

During one of Blanc's early killings, a neighbour hears commotion as he finishes up - and they catch him leaving, getting a glimpse of some of his appearance. This is quickly reported to the police who, upon hearing his description… assume he is Noir. The height fits the description... so does the huge flowy coat, and the walking cane, and the "completely white face", and the glowing yellow eyes. Due to this, Noir is approached by police - struggling to convince them he is not the killer, he flees and begins to evade an arrest. He hides with Byron while he begins to build a case, trying to prove his innocence. After some time, Noir finally puts the persona's face and name to the killings; revealing "Blanc", even if not revealing who that truly is, to the public. This proves he is not behind the murders, and he is no longer wanted by the police, allowing him to return to normalcy.

This entire conundrum, however, caught Blanc's interest - a man who looks exactly like him, a detective? To be the only person who was able to figure out at least his persona, too? How intriguing! Blanc starts to target Noir with his crime scenes - things like leaving only the right arm intact, with it holding a note that says "Looks like you'll be needing this!" - or entire letters, or puzzles, or clues addressed to him (some fake, some real). Noir starts being called whenever there is a Blanc killing - it has essentially become his territory, the killer wants him. It develops to the point where Blanc begins to view Noir as his "magnum opus" - he will kill his detective lookalike as his grand finale, and it will be his most beautiful piece.

This interest starts to worsen, however, blossoming into a romantic obsession with Noir. He finds his office thanks to advertisements in newspapers, and uses this to stalk him home; with which he begins to send him love letters… and later break in to see him in-person. While Noir hates it at first - Blanc begins to break him down; and he becomes more susceptible to the idea. He's almost completely isolated himself over the years - knowing that associating with him could involve other risks due to his gang involvement, but still deeply craves romance from someone who truly loves him. Someone who knows those darker, more dangerous parts of him, and doesn't care, or wouldn't care if they were to find out - someone who wouldn't love only his exterior, that idea of a grizzly and hardened detective. Which this killer unfortunately fits, and maybe a monster like him could only really be loved by another monster. Noir does not fully indulge in his attraction to Blanc - as that would involve abandoning his morals, and joining him in crime - but, despite his better judgement, he still lets him in - and loves him.

This is Villainous Blanc, the Reverse of Detective Noir. He works as a successful and renowned lawyer during the day, but can often become his infamous persona - "Blanc" - at night. He's a serial killer, with relatively twisted views on what way round the human body should be.

+ Some doodles of him that I did on Magma