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onyxbird · 7 months

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Are you a professional pumpkin artist? I just saw the Miles one and holy shit. How did you do that?

Nope, just an amateur who really enjoys this art form and has been practicing it for years. 🤣 Thank you--that's very flattering!

The short(ish) version of how:

Plan out your design in advance, paying attention to how each shape that isn't fully cut out will be supported--it's a very specific art form. Tracing is good for getting a recognizable silhouette, and expect to spend a lot of time tweaking until you get it to both look good and be carvable. (Or use a proven design from someone else.)

Big pumpkins let you do more intricate designs without the pieces getting too fragile. (But they also take longer to scrape/carve.)

Scrape the pumpkin shell out pretty thin, especially if you have any peeled sections that need to shine through. I like to see the glow of the light source through the entire pumpkin shell, and it makes carving easier due to less material to saw through.

Have one full-size copy of the pattern to transfer onto the pumpkin (it will be destroyed) and another copy to look at. To transfer your pattern, tape the paper onto the pumpkin at a couple of places (e.g., top and bottom or left and right) and make cuts in the paper and overlap/tape the pieces down until the pattern conforms to the curvature of the pumpkin. Check that the design still looks right and supports are intact. Then use something like a thumbtack to punch through the paper and into the pumpkin rind along the cut lines to mark them as a series of little punctures.

Use the right carving tools--you want something like a pumpkin saw you get in pumpkin carving kits, not just a kitchen knife. Something like small wood carving chisels work for removing sections of rind.

Leave yourself plenty of time--scraping and carving always take longer than I think it will (multi-hour process at minimum), and you don't want to accidentally cut the wrong thing piece (or yourself!) because you were rushing.

More elaboration below the cut, because you activated special-interest mode I love this art form and hope more people will have fun with it!

Patterns:

The key constraints are that you only get 2 or 3 colors (depending if you're going to peel sections of the rind) and any shape that's not a full cutout has to be supported (not just connected, but connected by pieces study enough to hold it). That makes the the art form both tricky and really satisfying when you figure it out.

Nowadays I usually draft mine on the computer in black for intact peel, orange (for parts where I'm going to peel just the rind off), and yellow for cutouts, to make it easy to envision what the final product will look like. Then I flip the colors to something that won't use up all my printer toner to print it out (black to white, orange to light gray, yellow to medium gray). (E.g., my Sandman design)

Don't hesitate to trace stuff to get recognizable silhouettes! Miles was traced directly from an official image (I think a promotional image?). So were Dream from The Sandman design and Andy from The Old Guard (below). If you're using a computer program that supports image layers, keeping stuff on different layers is really useful for tweaking relative sizes and positions to get the silhouettes to work. For Miles, I had his traced image and the spiderweb on different layers and adjusted them independently to make sure his silhouette was clearly recognizable (e.g., his elbows/heels/etc. are visible against cutouts so that you can easily recognize how his body is positioned).

In terms of supports, a good example is my The Old Guard design (below). I tweaked the axe position and the overall sizing of the silhouette vs. the circle a lot before getting here. The axe just connects to the edge of the circle at the handle and one tip of the blade, and the other side of the blade touches her shoulder. That means the axe, which has the narrowest/most fragile pieces of pumpkin, is very well supported even though it reads as a distinct, separate shape. (Having it diagonal instead of horizontal also made the image more dynamic, which is a bonus. 😉)

Pumpkin prep:

Put something down to protect your work surface and catch the pumpkin scraps (multiple layers of big sheets of paper/newspaper work well--the moisture from pumpkin innards will soak through a single layer). I wash the outside of my pumpkin before cutting, both because I use some of the pumpkin for cooking and in hopes of delaying my hard work rotting away.

I prefer to cut the opening (with a kitchen knife) at the bottom of the pumpkin and display on a plate instead of cutting a "lid" around the stem. This means 1) no need to worry about the lid getting damaged or not sitting right, 2) you can somewhat adjust the angle at which your pumpkin sits based on how you cut it, and 3) your candle/light can sit on a flat surface and be lit before you set the pumpkin down on top instead of it sitting on uneven pumpkin interior and having to reach down from the top to place/light it.

Once you get most of the stringy "pumpkin guts" and seeds out, you can scrape down the pumpkin flesh to thin out the shell. My favorite tool for this is the edge of a round cookie/biscuit cutter about the size of my palm--I hold it on one side from the dull/folded-over edge and scrape with the cutting edge. The scraped pumpkin flesh comes off as sort of "fluffy" scrapings, which I use as-is in pumpkin bread (it also freezes well for later use--I usually get multiple pounds from scraping a large jack-o-lantern pumpkin).

Carving:

When you transfer your pattern onto the pumpkin with a thumbtack, the lines appear as a series of small punctures in the rind. For areas with intricate details, corners/sharp curves, or lines running close together, keep the spacing small; for long gentle curves or straight lines, you can space them farther apart. Keep an intact copy of the pattern close by to reference when interpreting the punctures later, and if you're having trouble seeing the marks, you can rub a little bit of flour over the surface to highlight the holes.

My pumpkin-carving saws are just from one of these kits, like the two saws on the right with the straight handles. They're held like a pencil and go straight in-and-out like a sewing-machine needle. The saws are really the only thing I use from the kits--IMO big metal spoons and my cookie cutter work much better than the plastic scoops and I prefer a thumbtack to the "poker" (I have no idea what the crayon is intended for).

When starting to carve, you'll be pushing/pulling on the area you're cutting, and everything you cut out weakens the shell of the pumpkin in that area, so be strategic--you don't want to be carving a section that's already tenuously supported. I generally start with peeled sections (which only remove the outer layer of rind and don't significantly weaken it) and small, finicky cutouts, and then I typically move from the center of the design outward. So for Miles, his (peeled) chest design and eyes probably came first, then the tiny spiderweb sections framing his body and the area between his legs, then the larger spiderweb sections working outward.

To peel, I use what I think were originally wood-carving tools. I use a sharp tool to slice just through the outer rind along the marked edges of the area, and then work a small chisel under the rind to peel it up in small chunks. (Thin lines are peeled with a little trough-shaped blade.) For cutouts, I generally try to saw either straight in (perpendicular to the surface) or angle the blade slightly away from the piece to be removed to the cutout piece will easily push into the interior of the pumpkin and there will be fewer interior edges impinging into the cut out area. In thin sections, err on the side of leaving them well-supported in the initial cut and adjust afterwards.

Finally, if you are using a candle, do cut some kind of vents at the top of the pumpkin to let the heat/smoke escape. I usually cut some small triangles on the back side of the pumpkin top. For the Spiderverse pumpkin, I think the spider cutout to project on the wall served as my vent.

Timing:

As I mentioned, jack-o-lanterns always take longer to complete than I expect. However, once you carve and expose all those little pumpkin pieces, the clock starts ticking down to your jack-o-lantern drying out (making pieces start to shrivel and distort) and/or starting to rot/getting attacked by bugs. 🤷 This is an inherently transitory and perishable art form.

I prefer to carve the day-of so it looks its best, but since Halloween is not a work holiday, schedules do not always support that! Prepping/scraping the pumpkin the day before and then carving the next is one option for squeezing in a freshly carved design.

In my experience, my jack-o-lanterns usually look good for more than one day, so carving in advance can work, but it will depend on pattern/weather conditions/etc. Small pieces that stick out unsupported (e.g., the two unsupported pieces of the axe head above) are the most vulnerable to dryout/shriveling; designs like the Spider-Man one are less vulnerable because most of the pieces are anchored at both ends and thus can't collapse in a way that significantly alters the silhouette. A design that uses only peeling or has cutouts but no thin/delicate pieces of pumpkin (e.g., the classic simple jack-o-lantern face) will hold up best.

#jack o lantern #onyxbird art #pumpkin carving tips

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marchioness-caprina · 4 years

Text

You Changed But Still the Same

Pairings : Ex! Katsuki Bakugou x Ex! Reader.

Writing Style : 3rd Person

Warning : Cussing

Word Count : 3428

3rd Person's POV

A Year ago since that fateful day where everything ended and the only thing that's left were the memories and promises from the past. Y/n and Bakugou who were High school sweethearts had quite a past together but sometimes all the good things come to an end .

That's exactly what happened, Bakugou at some point in his life had to pick between two things , y/n or his Hero Career. He picked His Hero Career even though y/nl tried to desperately persuade him that it could work out. She tried her best to persuade Katsuki that They can grow Together.

Even though it was painful, Katsuki still stuck to his choice leaving everything behind . Leaving y/n with her heart that has been shattered, Leaving her to pick up all the broken pieces herself.

He had to pick his Hero career because he knew he needed to become stronger, strong enough to Be confident that He will be able to protect her in the future. Strong enough to flaunt her to the world without worrying how many villains would be after his lover. As surprising as it may seem his reason why he picked his career over her was because of her, not because he wanted to be number one... He'll admit that, it was his former goal but after meeting her everything changed.

He actually wanted to become a better version of himself because no matter how good he is, theres still a nagging feeling at the back of his head that says he does not deserve her because she deserves so much more.

Today was a special Day because Class 1-A was holding a reunion party. And Katsuki normally turns down events like this bit this time , he was excited because he knew y/n would be there. Now he was ready, Now he was confident, Now all he needed to do was to get his Girl back.

Y/n, She was never the same after that dreadful day. She never knew why she was Never Enough for Katsuki... She doesn't know why she's not a good enough reason to be picked. She never knew why He had to leave her in the dust, Hurt and alone. And honestly no matter how hard she tried to forget him. It never worked, She was still hung up on him like before and because of that. She hated him so much.

She started overworking herself doing more hero work than necessary since it's the only thing that could keep her mind away from him.

Her smile faded and she was never the same, she moved to another city because being in the same city where there's a possibility for her and Katsuki to work together is too painful for her.

She managed to rise to the hero rankings in the city she moved in. She was well known and villains feared her. But she started distancing herself from others, always taking on solo jobs and gradually turning colder by time.

It took a lot of persuading from the girls for her to eventually agree to this little reunion and she wasn't looking forward to it.

Because he was going to be there, it was already 6 and she was late since the agreed time to meet was 5 sharp bit she got caught up fighting Villains on her way . Of course the girls were furious but after hearing her reason they were much more understanding than expected.

They were supposed to meet in a Restaurant the boys booked all for their class and of course wearing something fancy was required because according to Momo they should ' Dress for the Occasion ' .

So of course y/n did try to make an effort to dress up because She wanted to prove to everyone that she was fine without Katsuki. Because back then when they broke up, Everything fell apart and she stopped caring about everything around her.

She loves the girls because they almost Wrestled Katsuki for hurting her , and some of the Boys even attempted to fight him because Y/n was a wreck back then.

But now look at her. She's not a narcissistic bitch but she really outdid herself. She wore a red sleeveless fishtail dress that clung onto her curves like it was her own skin, the dress had little crystal details that matched her hair. Her make up was Smoky and elegant and her lips were a crimson color of red. Her hair was curled on the ends and she did end up dyeing her hair to H/c, she also had a few accessories on, like the emerald necklace, a few bracelets she randomly picked out and a small Phoenix Hair clip.

She looked gorgeous and she could tell from the way passersby looked at her when she got out of her car right infront of the restaurant.

She walked towards the receptionist who was oogling on her figure.

Clearing her throat she caught the attention of the receptionist.

" I'm here for Denki Kaminari's Party " Y/n stated and the receptionist immediately stumbled towards the door opening it for her.

" This way ma'am "

" Thank you " Y/n thanked the man who started nodding his head nervously and she made her way inside.

The whole place was noisy and she could see her old classmates chatting and drinking the night away.

The first one to notice her was Momo.

" Oh my God Y/n!? Is that you " Momo exclaimed running towards y/n and giving the girl a tight hug.

The whole room was quiet, everyone's attention was directed towards y/n. She really was a head turner. The states she was getting was a bit overwhelming but she didn't mind. Someone in the room did Though.

" Woah! You really did dress to impress Missy! Where the hell have you been? " Mina joined in and y/n didn't hesitate to hug her as well.

" You're Drop Dead Gorgeous! We didn't even recognize you... I mean... Look at You! Damn " Hagakure complimented slapping y/n's ass.

" Hey keep your hands to yourself " Y/n muttered as she shoved Hagakure playfully.

" My goodness! I can't believe my eyes, Don't tell me you don't have a boyfriend!? It's kinda impossible for you Not to if you Look that Hot " Uraraka joined their little group and soon the boys also gathered around her to Either greet and hug her or comment on how she looks.

The attention she's getting was flattering but a bit suffocating.

" Ok, enough about me. How are you guys? " Y/n tried changing the subject but none of them were up for it.

" Well Duh, we all work in the same city and some of us gets paired up from Time to Time so there's nothing new about us that we didn't Know. You on the other hand moved to another fucking City and we barely have any contact with you so don't change the subject " Jiro stated and everyone seemed to fire their questions towards me one by one.

" So how are you? Are things good over there? I heard you ranked 2 in your city"

" Yeah everything is alright , things are pretty stressful though "

" You're pretty popular there! I see you on the news all the time "

" Er... Well... I can't even get some alone time without people trying to shove themselves to me "

As y/n was bombarded with questions a certain blonde male kept his gaze glued to her figure, she was gorgeous that's for sure and he could barely keep his eyes off her figure but that doesn't mean everyone else had to do that.

Even if they aren't together anymore. She is still considered to be his property and it's pissing him off that she didn't even try to acknowledge his existence. It was spissing him so much that she gave everyone a hug and not him. Why is she so happy talking to other men when he's right here waiting for her to finally look at him.

It's fucking irritating . She was beautiful... Too beautiful that he feels like someone else would take her if he even dares to look away.

It was painful to see how much she had grown without him. He's starting to regret his decision. Damn it. He knew he missed her but fuck. He didn't know he missed her to the point where it's actually painful to see her here but ignore him like he's nothing.

His mood was foul and everyone noticed, sure they were pissed that Bakugou Had the face to hurt y/n but they saw how hurt he was too, and one time during a small get together Bakugou started screaming her name and yelling why he left while sobbing angrily like a sick lunatic. And they finally understood why he made such a rash decision. It was because of his insecurities and nobody thought that this Haughty Hero was actually insecure about something.

And everyone felt bad for him because after y/n left he was a reckless Asshole who kept getting himself hurt over and over again as if he's pushing himself to the brink of death on purpose. Everyone knew he regretted his past actions and that's exactly why they were gonna help these two love sick puppies out.

" Hey! Let's play Seven Minutes in Heaven! " Denki suggested and everyone got the message.

" Really? Denki why would we play that here?" Y/n laughed but to her surprise everyone was in on it too.

" Yeah sounds fun! "

" I'll get the bottle! "

" Who's going first? "

____________________

Everyone was seated on the floor forming a circle.

" Ok I'll spin the bottle and if the bottle lands on you, you have to go in the closet with the person the end of the bottle is pointing towards. Simple as that " Kirishima explained and he started spinning the bottle.

" Hey y/n have you heard about the latest trend lately? " Momo asked y/n who's eyes we're torn away from the bottle and her attention was snapped towards Momo.

Sero moved fast and immediately pointed the bottle at y/n and Bakugou.

Bakugou saw the whole thing and he stared at his friends in disbelief.

" Kaachan.... I think you deserve a second chance " Izuku muttered and everyone gave Bakugou a thumbs up or a supporting look.

Bakugou was touched as he stared at everyone with thankful eyes but he was a prideful asshole so he turned his head away muttering.

" I don't need your help shitty extras " His comment made everyone chuckle.

" You better not ruin this Bakugou or else I'll poke your eyes out " Jiro threatened before she turned to y/n

" Y/n! You're going in the Closet with Bakugou! "

Y/n froze at the mention of Bakugou's name her eyes trailing down to ten bottle that was pointing at her and Katsuki.

" What? No" Y/n grumbled her tone filled with venom. Bakugou noticed her tone and it almost made him flinch.

" It's only seven minutes y/n...dont tell me you still love him that's why you refuse to do so " Denki stated slyly earning a menacing glare from the girl that made him shiver.

" I'll fucking do it and you better watch me you Prick " Y/n stood up from her place stomping her way towards the closet, opening it as she pointed inside her gaze landing on Bakugou.

" Get in so we could get this over with " She hissed before stomping inside Bakugou who was a bit astonished by how fierce she had become. But nonetheless he followed her inside the closet closing it as he stepped inside.

It was quiet, far too quiet but he was determined to change that.

" Y/n...I-"

" Shut up" Y/n cut him off sharply and he can't believe he was this sensitive when it came to her because damn it hurt when she said it like that.

" I'm sorry... I know it's not gonna fucking Cut all the shit I put you-"

" You fucking bastard I said shut up " Y/n growled but Bakugou continued.

" I was the biggest idiot in the world --"

" Bakugou. Fuck off. "

" Please just lis--"

" Did you listen to me?! Did you listen to me when I begged you to not end things between us? Did you know how much pain I felt losing you? Because you didn't have the fucking balls to choose me? Do you know how worthless I felt? I felt like I wasn't a good enough reason for you to choose me. I felt like I wasn't enough, because you never looked back on your decision and just kept going leaving me behind ... To pick myself up and pretend like nothing happened. Stop this Bullshit Katsuki, Let's just pretend like we're strangers causing its better that way---" Y/n was cut off with Katsuki's harsh tone.

" Don't you dare Fucking Go there woman! I'm a poor excuse of a boyfriend I know! And I regret the day I made the decision in leaving you because everyday is like walking in an eternity of hell without you.. I missed you so damn much... I missed your laugh... Your smug smile... Everything... I missed you! You wanna know why I ended things? It was because I felt weak, I felt like you deserve better so don't you dare say that you're not enough! Because you're more than enough! I was scared that villains may come after me and they'll take you because I wasn't strong enough! That's why I dedicated my time in trying to be better because the day I'll be ready is the day I'll claim you back . Today is the day.... And you have no idea how painful every passing day is for me without you.... And you turned me into this pathetic shitty love struck idiot who becomes soft and mushy when you're around!... I'm pouring out my feelings here because this may be the last! And I'm not good at this shit you dumbass! You knew that from the start but... I'm begging you Please... Give me another chance Because I Fucking Love you" Bakugou's voice broke at the end of his sentence and y/n was conflicted.

Was this why he left? It still doesn't count for what he did! He hurt her yet why does she feel so happy to hear him say that? Why is her heart beating so fast when he said those three words she never knew she craved. Why is her mind and heart urging her to give him another chance? Simple she knew the answer and it was because she never stopped loving him at all. Even though she hated him, she still loved him the same.

The room was filled with silence and y/n couldn't mutter another word. She wanted to say Yes. But her pride was getting in the way.

Bakugou was losing his patience, growling in frustration he lunged himself at her pinning her to the wall with both of her hands pinned above her head by Katsuki's hand.

" Screw it Bitch, I miss you too much to Just Let this shit slide. If you Kiss back you're Fucking Mine Again you Hear me!? " Bakugou yelled and he didn't give y/n any time to protest because his lips were already on hers.

Kissing her lips with Vigor and Neediness. It almost seemed desperate , he continued Kissing the girl with everything he had, devouring her lips with his and it didn't take long for y/n's pride to hold out because but broke the second Katsuki's Lips touched hers.

She kissed back with the same intensity. Katsuki let go of her hands and her hands immediately flew up to his neck pulling him closer as her fingers ran through his hair, she dug her fingers through his hair tugging on it desperately . Katsuki's hands were roaming her body in any way they could until finally stopping on her waist.

Fuck he missed her so much, he missed her so Fucking much and right now. He's gonna savor every moment of this. He missed these lips and how she kissed him.

If Oxygen wasn't much of a problem then neither of them would have pulled back.

Panting and breathless Katsuki pressed his forehead along hers a deep chuckle vibrating from his chest.

" So.... Was that a Yes? " Y/n could her the smugness of his voice making her growl at him.

" I Fucking kissed you back didn't I? " She snapped rolling her eyes.

" Well... I didn't quite feel it... Oh well, Looks like we're gonna have to do it again " Katsuki smirked and he was about to dive in for another round but Kaminari had slammed the door open making the two flinch.

" Times up---oh" Kaminari grinned as Katsuki and Y/n glared daggers at him.

" You shitty Pikachu! Can't you see we're busy here!? " Katsuki roared as he tried grabbing Denki who immediately ran away form the door.

With a sigh y/n dragged Katsuki out of the closet and everyone was looking at them with playful eyes, some even giving Katsuki a suggestive wink.

Y/n's eyes trailed up to Katsuki's face and she paled almost immediately seeing the red lipstick smudge on his lips.

" Katsuki you Fucking asshole! You smudged my lipstick! " Y/n barked smacking Katsuki's head and Katsuki was fats to react.

" Haah!? I didn't hear you complaining when I was sucking your lips woman! " Katsuki barked back.

" How the fuck was I supposed to complain when you were practically shoving your lips towards mine!? " Y/n said in defense as she raised her hand about to smack Katsuki's head again but he caught her hand .

Katsuki bent down and slung y/n over his shoulder carrying the angry girl.

" Shut up woman, I'll buy you a whole mall of lipstick if it makes you feel any better, and you extras!... Well... I'm only gonna say this once... T-Thank you " Katsuki muttered and everyone cheered and teased the blonde boy who was now cussing everyone for laughing at him.

" Put me down! " Y/n yelled pinching Katsuki's back but it had no effect because the boy didn't even flinch.

" We're heading out early! " Katsuki yelled but the entrance was blocked by the girls.

" Umm, No! We were the ones who put in a lot of effort in bringing her here Bakugou! You can't just take her away! And everyone missed her you asshole! " Jiro growled and Katsuki was immediately pissed off.

" She's Mine! Of course I can take her away! " Katsuki barked glaring daggers at the girls.

" Well looks like we're gonna have to fight in order to see who's keeping her then " Momo stated as she pulled out a staff from her arm.

Y/n was snatched away from Katsuki's shoulder by none other than Izuku who had a smirk on his face.

" Sorry Kaachan but we wanna hang out with her too" Izuku smiled and it only angered the blonde even more.

" You Fucking Extras! Give her back! "

" Why don't you guys just calm down and let me Go Home! " Y/n yelled throwing her arms up helplessly.

" No! " Everyone responded almost immediately.

" I believe we can't do that y/n because Tonight you're the prize for whoever gets to take you out of the door first! " Kids yelled and everyone was excited except for y/n who knew this wasn't gonna end well and she knows for a fact that this restaurant will become nothing but a pile of debris and rocks once everything is over.

" Oh it's on! " Uraraka jumped in excitement.

" I'll Fucking kill all of you Extras and Take back what's mine! " Katsuki yelled angrily sparks coming out of his hands.

And Y/n was right, by the end of the day the whole restaurant was destroyed, everyone was injured the moment yeh fight ensued and nobody won because y/n stepped out of the restaurant herself.

#bnha x reader #BNHA #Boku no hero academia #MHA #BNHA Imagine #Bakugou x Reader #Katsuki x Reader #Bakugou Katsuki #xReader #Ground Zero #Y/n

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bemused-writer · 5 years

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Hello! First of all I gotta say I love your VNC fics and meta a whole lot and I'm very thankful for them (your Vanóes are GOOD). They're incredibly fun to read, and I love both writing and reading meta a lot. In this topic I'd like to ask your opinion about your views on Noé and Jeanne's relationship? I was rereading VNC recently and noticed that Noé blushes sometimes/stares at Jeanne a lot in the first few chapters, which I found a bit weird since their relationship doesn't get focus? Wdyt?

Thanks so much! This response has turned into a full-blown analysis of their interactions to date, so it’s a bit of a long post.

I’ll admit, the first two times I read what we currently have of VNC I didn’t notice anything between Noé and Jeanne at all. 8D So, it’s quite subtle! However, there’s definitely something going on, otherwise no attention would have been drawn to it in the first place.

The way I’ve been interpreting their interactions is that Noé respects Jeanne, which makes perfect sense. She’s a strong individual and they met on the battlefield in volume 1. I think a lot of his impressions of her stem from this first introduction. The first notable thing he thinks about her is that she’s strong, though not quite as strong as his teacher.

He continues to say, “I can do this. Even on my own…” From this, we can gather he was excited to fix things without Vanitas’s help. It’s important to remember that, at this point in time (volume 1), Noé doesn’t like Vanitas, doesn’t trust him, and would definitely like to distance himself from that bizarre individual.

However, he got ahead of himself. In thinking Jeanne wasn’t quite as strong as his teacher he got a little cocky and was surprised that she countered his attack resulting in what I will call Blush #1:

She then proceeded to send him through a wall. I think his reaction to that (seen below) is important because it tells us something about Noé that becomes more and more evident as the series goes on: he hesitates in combat against certain people.

Noé has a chivalrous side, something that drives Vanitas nuts. He doesn’t want to harm women or children (as evidenced by his first battle with Astolfo where Vanitas remarks that Noé hesitated because Astolfo reminded him of both). Noé was easily defeated by Jeanne here partially because he held himself back because she’s a woman.

He seems surprised by his own hesitation, however, and at how easily he was sent flying. Noé has led a remarkably sheltered life at this point and I think it’s also been somewhat traditional. Women are capable (he knows Dominique, so he must believe that) but they’re also not generally fighters. In short, I think Noé was impressed and had to reevaluate some things on the fly.

At any rate, he’s learned he can’t take Jeanne one-on-one in a fight, so he’s stuck going along with Vanitas’s plan after all, which is kidnapping Luca (even though he doesn’t realize he’s kidnapping Luca…). He doesn’t hear what Vanitas and Jeanne say to each other but by the end of it all, we can tell Noé isn’t exactly impressed with how things were resolved.

The next time Noé even sees Jeanne is toward the end of the Bal Masque in volume 2 after Jeanne drank Vanitas’s blood and Vanitas saved him from Charlatan. While he doesn’t directly interact with Jeanne in this volume whatsoever (all of the focus is given to three relationships this volume: Noé & Dominique, Noé & Vanitas, and Vanitas & Jeanne) we can at least draw a comparison between their personalities. Both Noé and Jeanne go out of their way to protect Luca. Jeanne has a more personal investment in this of course, but Noé befriends Luca and Luca is instantly charmed by Noé.

Speaking of blushing, Luca has done so for both Noé and Jeanne, so I would consider this further evidence of the two of them being similar in personality. Poor Luca, his type seems to be too old for him, unavailable, and with a weird background to boot. 8D

Getting back on track, volume 3 is when we finally see Noé and Jeanne interact a bit once more. They’re at a cafe in Altus Paris after the battle has been resolved. Luca has just finished thanking Noé for rescuing him (it was Vanitas but, honestly, neither him nor Jeanne really want to acknowledge that), and Jeanne chimes in:

Blush #2! For Noé at least. To be honest, I think this is the first time Jeanne has actually addressed him with words. Their only other interaction was their battle in volume 1.

At any rate, the two have very similar reactions. Jeanne is charmed by Noé because he performed the one act she considers most important: he protected Luca. Likewise, Noé is flattered because he’s just been complimented by a very capable individual. I don’t think Noé is used to receiving praise. Vanitas definitely isn’t about to dish it out in any conventional manner, Louis did the opposite of compliment him more often than not, and Teacher doesn’t strike me as affectionate. Dominique is warmer towards him, but I think there are limits there because she doesn’t want Noé to know how she really feels.

The point I’m getting at here is that I think these words, this type of declaration, is dear to him.

The conversation continues into some very awkward territory thanks to one Vanitas. Even if Noé hadn’t heard Vanitas’s declaration of love before, he definitely has now and even he has some awareness that a Mark of Possession is important. I’m kind of unclear on how in-the-know Noé actually is here, but he’s definitely shocked:

The tarte tatin is being ignored… Of course, once Jeanne and Vanitas exit through the window he pursues.

It’s a little unclear whether Noé overheard Vanitas and Jeanne’s conversation but I lean towards thinking he did and that’s why he’s so disappointed: Jeanne gets all of Vanitas’s blood to herself. It also means he knows the two of them have some kind of arrangement and that Vanitas claims to love her. We have no idea what Noé thinks about any of this outside of a general disappointment he can’t have Vanitas’s blood. Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us anything about his relationship with Jeanne outside of possibly seeing her as some kind of competition.

He next sees Jeanne at the dance where he tries to offer to dance with her except Dominique beat him to it.

There’s also a tiny, little blush here, but I think it’s aimed at Dominique. He has a lot of reasons to blush at Dominique: he literally just drank her blood a few moments ago, and he cares for her deeply.

Also, I know I just said Noé might consider Jeanne as competition, but I really don’t mean that in a negative way. Noé is disappointed, but he still likes her. He honestly doesn’t have any reason not to. He offers to dance with her because she was all by herself and looked troubled. Noé is all about helping troubled individuals, especially when it matches up with his general sense of chivalry.

Their interactions in this volume end there as the rest of his attention is taken up by Vanitas. He does talk about Jeanne, though, but mostly to figure out why Vanitas likes her.

“Vanitas… what do you like about Jeanne?” It’s an honest question and Noé just doesn’t get it. If we continue with the assumption he overheard Vanitas and Jeanne’s conversation, he knows they have an arrangement. He knows Vanitas claims to love her. But he isn’t seeing it himself. He likes Jeanne, but it isn’t that kind of love. Vanitas’s answer does little to explain anything to him whatsoever. He loves Jeanne because she won’t love him back. Rather than explain their relationship, he’s made it far more confusing for Noé, who is no doubt trying to figure out what it is Vanitas and Jeanne actually have. He’s never been confronted by a Mark of Possession before, never been exposed to two people loving each other before, and he’s just lost.

Noé and Jeanne next see each other when they all go to speak with Ruthven in the same volume, but they don’t interact. Noé and Jeanne also don’t interact for the entirety of volume 4, which is centered more around Vanitas & Jeanne as well as Noé & Vanitas.

They finally meet up once more in volume 5 during yet another battle:

Jeanne’s reaction is pretty amusing: “Y-you’re here, too? Well… since Vanitas is here, it’s only natural… I suppose?”

I think it’s just now dawning on her that Noé is always around Vanitas. XD In fairness, she’s actually had dealings with Vanitas on his own pretty often. I don’t think she’s used to seeing Noé by himself whatsoever.

He suggests they can save Chloé and once again he and Jeanne are confronting one another. It does give us Blush #3, though:

In fairness, I think this one is a mix of awe–she’s bested him once again–, some intimidation, and probably embarrassment seeing as a woman just wrapped her whole leg around his neck. I’d be blushing, too. Their confrontation is interrupted by Charlatan and … that’s it. They didn’t interact in volume 6 or in any of the most recent chapters (up to 39 at this point).

So! You are completely correct when you say their relationship isn’t getting a lot of focus. Personally, I think these blushes are just Noé being Noé. He blushes at just about everything. He blushes at Dominique, Jeanne, Paris, Altus Paris, things he finds interesting, and even Vanitas once in the train. Noé doesn’t try to conceal his emotions; he let’s them out. Likewise, Jeanne does the same, although she’s learned to be more reserved than is natural for her judging by her childhood.

Both Noé and Jeanne are designed to be foils to Vanitas, and that’s part of why they’re so similar. They’re both earnest, honest, loyal, kind, powerful, sincere, protective, etc.

In contrast, Vanitas is extremely guarded, tends to have a shaky relationship with the truth, his version of kindness is usually pretty harsh, he’s not strong the way vampires are, and he’s definitely not sincere. He actually is kind of protective towards Jeanne and Noé, though, but he sees this as a flaw rather than a strength. He’s also managed to be pretty loyal to both of them as well though, once again, not something he’s happy about.

I know some people think Jeanne and Noé might get together at some point in this series and I’d say it’s certainly possible. Mochizuki has surprised me with which couples get together before. I think these two would be cute on account of how similar they are. But looking at how things currently stand, I don’t think that’s where we’re headed. I think it’s more likely that we’ll see Vanitas torn between the two of them. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but as far as who he can continue to protect and maintain his reluctant loyalty towards.

I would like to see Jeanne and Noé form a friendship at least, but I think a lot of that is also dependent on Vanitas and other external forces, such as Ruthven.

Thanks for the ask! I liked getting to explore these two. ^^

#vanitas no carte #vnc #vnc meta #Bemused's post #Anonymous #long post

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puckish-saint · 7 years

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Requests are open, right? (I love your writing I'm so jealous omg I wish mine was even half as good.) Can I request a little ficlet of Genji with a gender neutral S/O who gets super shy about singing, but is amazing? And Genji tries to convince them to sing for him cause he is convinced that they'll be bad and it'll be funny, but then they finally sing and he's like ....whoa

It starts with Jack giving a drunkenrendition of ‘All the little angels’. It’s a song they used tosing during the Crisis. Gabriel taught him and he was taught by hisold company and thanks the Strike-team deployed all over the worldthere are few veterans who don’t know some iteration of the song.

The little angels in the song fly up toheaven head first, feet first and, as the evening and the alcohollevel progresses, butt first.

Reinhardt and Torbjörn sing along andeventually so does the rest of the team. Even Ana can be persuaded tosing a few verses of the Arabic version and afterwards she laughs sohard that no one dares ask what body parts her angels used to fly.

You remain silent, along with Hana whosays if she wanted to sing she would have joined a pop band andFareeha who is still blushing from her mother’s song anddesperately tries to get her to stop telling dirty jokes.

“Come on, sing with us.” Genji saysand nudges you. You shake your head, take another sip of your drinkto show that you’re really much more at ease with the whole conceptof hydration.

“It’s okay if you’re bad.” Heleans against you, a little tipsy and very affectionate, and patsyour arm. “Everyone’s bad here. Except Reinhardt, who has thevoice of an angel, and my brother, who isn’t bad at anything.”

Both men hear the compliment and reactto it in varying degrees of flattered laughter and embarrassedsilence. Still you decline.

“I don’t like singing in publicmuch.” you say and bear his disappointed ‘awww’ with dignityand only minor heartbreak.

“Sing for me then? Sometime whenwe’re alone?”

“Fine.”You said it to get himoff your back, to not ruin the mood. You didn’t think he’dremember it.

But Genji is, for all his easygoingnature, a man on a mission when there’s something he really wants.And apparently hearing you sing is one of those things.

“I had a friend once.” he says oneday while you run some errands. “Who when he sang sounded likesomeone had kicked him between the legs. It didn’t matter what hetried, it was hilarious.”He looks at you expectantly but youshake your head.

“That’s not it.”

Not one to give up Genji regales youwith a dozen tales of various friends, cousins and on one memorableoccasion himself high on morphine, who couldn’t sing a straighttune to save their lives. It’s obvious he expects hilarity to comefrom this and his grin is basically splitting his face whenever heconcocts a new scheme to get you to break into song.

He gets his wish after a fight withHanzo. They got along mostly well these days but there is still a lotthey need to work out and it doesn’t always go smoothly. After theargument that can be heard throughout the entire base, Genji findshimself in your room, head in your lap and playing with some frayedstring on the bedspread.

You talk quietly through what happened,assure him that even when it feels like he’s taking two stepsbackward everytime he tries to mend his relationship with hisbrother, that things are progressing. Eventually you spin storiesabout what it will be like when the last of the wounds have healed,but it doesn’t do much to cheer him up.

“You know what would cheer me up?”he asks and you groan when you realise what he means. It figures thathe would pounce on you now that you have to say yes.

“You’re manipulative.” you saywith fond exasperation and he smiles up at you. “I’mirresistible.” he says and, admitting defeat in the face of hispersistence, you sing a song he likes.

His grin freezes into the first fewnotes, stuck on his face as he listens with rapt attention. Heexpected a quick laugh, something to tease you with. Not a tune thatsoothes and sweeps away every fear and worry he’s ever had.

“Why didn’t you sing before? You’reamazing.” he says after the first verse ends, cradling your handsin his as if he’s holding a valuable treasure. You bend down tokiss his cheek and then lean back against the wall.

“I just don’t like having all thatattention on me. Makes me nervous.” you admit. But when Genji looksup at you, waiting with silent wonder, you keep singing, switch fromone song into the next until he’s forgotten all about being sad.

#overwatch imagines #genji #reader insert #Anonymous

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