#bllk thoughts

Good luck trying to hide any marks he leaves behind, because Hugo has a habit of pressing himself into your space at the most inconvenient times, like when you're standing at the counter, focused on cooking, only for his weight to lean into your back.

And he does it in a subtle manner.

His chin hooks over your shoulder, breath warm against your neck, and then- there. A soft press of his teeth right along the column of your throat, like he's testing something. Another one, light, almost absentminded, like he's bored and you just happen to be there.

He doesn't even ask. It just happens.

You would've tried to stop him before. Hand coming up to cover his mouth with a firm "Vivi, don't-" and he just bites your palm instead.

Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make you tank your hand back, staring at him like he's insane while he just looks at you in that unbothered, faintly amused way of his. Like you should've known better.

And the thing is, it's not even always intentional. You'll be curled up together, him half-distracted with a new book, fingers lazily tracing along your side, and then suddenly, teeth. A quick nip at whatever skin he can reach, like a cat that got a little too comfortable. There is no buildup, just that sharp little press that makes you jolt and glare at him while he barely even looks up from the page.

You think about getting him back for it. Maybe sinking your teeth into his bicep just to prove a point.

Don’t. You have been warned.

Simply put, that’s not retaliation to him. That’s a whole ass invitation.

And Hugo will take it.

He’ll just glance down at you, something in his expression shifting, before he leans in and returns the favor twice over, slower this time. Like he’s making a point.

Most of the time, though, he softens it after.

It’s subtle, easy to miss if you’re still busy being annoyed, but there’s always that follow-up. The same spot he bit, he’ll press his lips there after, a quiet, lingering kiss that feels almost like a contradiction to everything else about him. Hugo doesn’t apologize for it. He never does. He's not sorry.

But he does kiss it better.

Vivian needs to touch grass but he’d rather touch you!

Vivian Hugo x Reader Fluff (for once)

The villa’s sat on the French Rivera. It’s 5pm, stupidly quiet, no press, no football fields, just you and Vivian. He’s half in your lap on the outdoor sofa, his head resting on your chest, still in an Arsenal polo and sweats, phone open to some player tracking data he swore he’d stop looking at today.

You’ve got a book open (a real one with words) resting it atop his shoulder blades. You’re not paying much attention to it though, how can you, with your big hunk of a boyfriend sprawled on top of you like this.

“You’re supposed to be off,” you say, stealing his glasses and tossing them onto the table. He doesn’t really need the glasses, but you don’t bug him about it. At least they were blue light, protecting his pretty, onyx eyes that seemed to only soften when he looked at you.

Vivian blinks up at you, that same dead stare boring into you for a second before it turns soft. “I am off. This is recovery. Destiny requires it mon cœur”

Recently, after Teddy was announced, I found myself wondering how absurd some of the character names sound. It's typical of Japanese naming culture, but I highly doubt that the manga artist would choose names for foreign characters in such a stupid way, and then it dawned on me. Abbreviations and nicknames - that's what it is, but if with the others it was easy, then in the case of Bunny I was a little confused, but in time I came across like-minded people on this issue. Among them, I found a really cool analysis of this person: mmm_wish and I really want to share and translate it for you. So, here we go.

...

Or

On ⛓️alienation and ⛓️‍💥freedom in that soccer manga you know well

Abstract : We will explore the themes of submission and domination within the character dynamics, then it we'll lead us to further themes as alienation and freedom.

I will mainly focus on Kaiser/Ness, Barou and Isagi.

May contain spoilers.

1) SUBMISSION AND DOMINANCE 🔩

The shibari suits. They’re awesome.

Aside from that.

One of the first things that comes in mind (well, mine at least) when you look at Bllk art direction, is the predominance of bondage themed symbols. The shibari suits, the art covers with collars and chains. But of course it’s not gratuitous.

These things are indeed symbols that lead to fundamental themes in Blue Lock, such as submission and dominance within the character dynamics.

These themes are highlighted in the characters' dialogues : « Good boy/Yes, boss » (NagiReo), « I’m a king and you’re a peasant » (Barou, probably), the infamous « Auf Die Knie/On your knees » (Kaiser)… There’s honestly too much to write down all the occurrences. It's a pyrotechnic festival of degrading remarks. And of course we see that dynamic in the characters' actions : blows, jersey grabbing, hair pulling, kneeling down and so on.

Several character dynamics revolve around that dom/sub thing ; and of course it’s not a sexual thing in the narrow sense of the expression (See previous post about libido). They’re not really whipping themselves in a gay club backroom.

It’s a dom/sub dynamic in a broader sense that lies at the core of any imbalanced relationship (which is a must if you’re writing character dynamics).

Rivalry, this sport manga trope (and shounen trope in general), feasts on that imbalance. It would not be interesting if the protagonist won in their first try. A compelling story is always about conflict (great or small). It needs an established struggle that the protagonist has to overcome. In that dom/sub symbolism, it means that the protagonist must shift the balance of power to go on with their journey.

🌹The sad sl*t and his puppy 🐩

At first glance, it’s obvious that Kaiser is the dom of his relationship with Ness. He acts like a complete prick, uses him and hurt him both physically and emotionally, like the sadistic psycho he is.

When Isagi enters the stage, Kaiser asserts himself as a dominant character (« On you knees » is literally one of his first sentences in the manga). Their relationship as rivals is a battle of egos (as always) to see who’s going to be on which side of the leash. At first, Kaiser is holding the leash of course or the stakes would be very low.

As Isagi gradually learns to resist him, Kaiser’s dom persona is thrown off balance and he loses his sh*t. He overreacts in various ways, screams, makes super scary faces, takes out his frustration on poor Ness who is always here to clean the mess.

As his dom persona is in danger, the author offers Kaiser’s backstory on a plate. Perfect timing. This backstory highlights unspeakable traumas and explains a lot about his projected identity (« I’m a dom »). He alienates others, just as he himself has been alienated. He asserts himself as a dom because it’s the only coping mechanism he found to escape the dehumanization he has endured.

And this raises this issue (which does not only concern Kaiser) : who is the real sub, in the end ?

The marvelous scene between Ness and Kaiser at the end of NEL arc (chap. 301) embodies the shift of power.

Long story short : Kaiser is the real sub.

Hegel (XIXe s.) addresses this very issue in what’s called the « master and slave dialectic » : at first glance, the master is superior to the slave of course ; but the slave works, and struggles, and pushes himself to try to escape the situation, while the master becomes more and more passive due to over-confidence ; finally, the slave has evolved while the master has just stagnated ; he realizes, too late, that his so-called power depends entirely on the slave, and that he’s nothing without him.

And that expresses a seemingly contradictory truth : only the ones that experience alienation can evolve, and ultimately, gain freedom.

2) ⛓️ALIENATION AND FREEDOM⛓️‍💥 :

The term alienation is used to describe a negation of who you are. It can be at work, when your job doesn’t fit your inner values and make you feel miserable (see Marx on that topic), it can be in basically a lot of your social interactions if you are denied by discriminatory laws and behaviors (when you’re a victim of racism, sexism, LGBTphobia etc.).

Alienation means that you’re chained in a way or another, that you’re not allowed to be yourself. It goes to a deep level, where even you don’t allow yourself to be yourself (this is an important point).

This is the meaning of that chain-themed art direction : characters in Bllk experience several kinds of alienation.

First of all, there are external constraints : Hiori and Reo, for example, are held back by their parents’ expectations ; Rin is held back by his brother’s inability to acknowledge him (or just to be nice with him, come on Sae that’s not that complicated you cold b*tch) ; Chigiri and Yukimiya are held back by physical wound or illness.

That’s why we see Chigiri’s leg chained in some panels. When he finally manages to shake off the fear of hurting himself again, the symbolic bond breaks.

But as always, the real deal is not the external side of alienation (the seriousness of which I do not deny), it’s the internal side of it, the internal constraints :

What pulled Chigiri back was not his wound after all, it was his fear to be hurt again, and even further, it’s the fear to become someone he’s not. That’s the real alienation. And since the main concept of Bllk is identity, you see how fertile the alienation theme is to character development.

👑To elaborate on this topic, we will now focus on The King 🦁

At first, Barou Shouei is not at all a victim of alienation… He’s the King, he asserts himself as such and fears no opposition. He’s depicted as a character with a strong affirmative force. He doesn’t bother to be nice to others and calls them « peasants » or « losers »  ; he asserts his dominance on them, he holds the leash, because his identity is strong and stable.

But.

When Isagi calls into question that untouched authority (Barou’s King-ness), he introduces deny and contradiction into his world view. At first Barou is not willing to change and buries himself in denial. Isagi does tell that he’s ruining his potential by refusing to acknowledge any challenge or frustration (chap.61).

In chapter 62, Isagi finally manages to break Barou’s self-confidence, and calls him a « loser », which is the ultimate negation of Barou’s projected self (being a winner, a king). Barou’s identity is now denied and stripped off himself, which leaves him devastated, shattered. He collapses and sees a future in which he’s nothing but a depressed adult watching soccer on TV with a beer in hand.

The tables are turned. The alienation has crippled the lion king.

Now, we need to use that dialectic concept briefly introduced earlier. It’s the key to understand all that alienation/freedom stuff :

Dialectic is a process that applies to everything, as long as it concerns human affairs (because you need self-awareness to experience it).

It begins with one element (1). That one element, being alone, is stable. But being stable, it’s stagnant and boring. It’s the affirmation phase. Then comes the second element (2). Its mere existence challenges the first element by introducing Alterity. It doesn’t necessarily have to be an actual conflict, but it can be. The first element is set off balance. It’s the negation phase. Then, if the opportunity arises, the first element overcomes the contradiction, the phase of negation, by implementing new ways of existing, inspired by the struggle it has just undergone. So it becomes a new element (3). It’s the synthesis phase, called Aufhebung in german. It’s a self-transcendence thing, meaning that the Self acknowledges the Other and absorbs (« devours ») some elements of that Other in order to become a different and stronger Self (See Hegel, The Phenomenology of Spirit).

If this is too abstract, check this out  :

When Barou overcomes the negation phase, he becomes who he truly is (a king indeed), but not in the way he had initially imagined it. He shifts to a different king persona, a villain shadowy king who is better at soccer. Because this is a soccer manga, remember ?

(Side note: all this rant about "chemical reaction" is another metaphore that works for the dialectic process; you need at least two elements to make a chemical reaction, and create a new substance.)

🧩Isagi’s rivalry dialectic⤴️ 

Isagi experiences the cycle affirmation/negation/synthesis several times. It’s the core of his development as a character (and the core of every character to be honest).

First, he approaches the game with a plan in mind (1), then he is confronted to a rival who annihilates his path to the goal (2), and then, he overcomes the challenge and reinvent himself in order to become better (3). And he scores. GOOOOOAAAL

Do you remember that line from Nietzsche ? « What does not kill me makes me stronger. » (Twilight of the idols, 1889). This could be Isagi’s motto.

It may appears as something boring in the long run, because Isagi seems to go in circles. But the important thing to understand is that synthesis is not only phase (1) + phase (2), a mere addition or juxtaposition of two elements. It’s a trans-formative process that adds layers of content. That’s why dialectic does not go in circles as it may seems. It’s an upward spiral :

And you certainly already understood that the dialectic progress has no end, because as a human being you’ll always have to face new challenges just by existing and being around people.

That’s why Isagi can never be the world’s best once and for all. Let’s say he achieves his goal. He’ll have to find other challenges to devour. If he settles comfortably into the « world’s best » persona and fears no contradiction, he’ll become the master of the Hegelian master/slave dynamic : he’ll be confident, stagnant, boring (like these wealthy men in their fifties whom you have already come across), and he’ll ultimately lose to someone hungrier than him.

And maybe, then, he will regain the hunger.

CONCLUSION :

The bondage aesthetic symbolizes the submission/domination character dynamic, in which the roles are not that clearly defined, and in which the tables can be turned. A seemingly dominant character can be very fragile (because of over-confidence like Barou, or hidden traumas like Kaiser), and a seemingly submissive character can be the one in charge (like Ness who is indispensable to Kaiser, or Isagi because despite his apparent inferiority, he constantly manipulates stronger characters to get what he wants).

The bondage aesthetic also embodies the concept of alienation. Alienation is indeed a painful thing to experience, but it’s also an essential catalyst for change and progress. Without contradiction, you stagnate into denial of alterity and turn in circles. No one can be self-sufficient, and a fictional character cannot either. To gain their freedom (and become who they truly are (if there is such a thing as a « true self », but I keep this for another time)) the character has to be challenged and has to be able to overcome the challenge (it’s not easy, and it is a subject well-suited to storytelling).

Because if you can’t enter phase 3 of the dialectic process (synthesis), well, you’re just stuck into that ping-pong motion between idle assertions and slaps in your face.

What does not kill you makes you stronger, or it can just break you. And that’s not cool 😢

***

The more I write about this, the more I could go on. I’ve just scratched the surface, but your time is precious. If you read this, I’m really honored. You can ask for details or challenge my point of view, I’ll be glad if you do it. I state again that I do not pretend to speak the absolute truth. I just use the tools in my possession to give an interpretation. Interpretation always allows for more interpretations. It is neither a scientific demonstration nor a dogmatic religious assertion. I think I’ll do a bonus post for Shidou and Sae on the sub/dom topic. Another for Nagi and Reo ? Who knows. And maybe one about Ego Jinpachi ? He’s an interesting character, master of puppets, but certainly alienated in some ways. Did you notice that Anri is the only character to this day who does not wear a collar on the art cover ? Whereas Ego, who is the Blue Lock’s mastermind, does wear one. I’m curious about that. Like he’s chained by his own beliefs or something.

More philosophical rants:

Eros & Thanatos or On libido and death impulses on Bllk

જ⁀➴ thinking about sharing an umbrella with itoshi rin.

⋮ ⌗ ; listening to mitski and thought of writing this drabble.

warnings

may be occ, not proofread cuz it’s just a drabble not rly, rin itoshi is so cutesy n shy. acts of service is his love language istg. subtle fluff. 1.4k wc

both you and rin were met with the dull sky and hammering sound patterns of the intense downpour after your group studying session.

the sun was ready to set at any time by the look of things.

everyone went their separate paths but as for you and rin, you guys were the last to gather your belongings.

you two were now stuck seeking shelter under the small roof that the university's library entrance offered as the rain glossed over the series of cement stairs.

the atmosphere between you and rin being a bit stiff due to the fact you guys never shared a moment outside of school purposes.

maybe if you were lucky, you'd receive a small glance from itoshi rin during long lectures. a glance that he thought would go unnoticed by you.

"just take it." rin's firm voice rung through the sounds of the downpour hitting the cement.

his hand that held onto the umbrella, reached out towards your own as if to force your hand in taking his umbrella.

his azure eyes raking over you, blinking ever so softly which emphasized his long bottom lashes.

though rin's expression was always indifferent, there was a subtle hint of sincerity. a sincerity that you’ve never seen before.

"but what about you?" you withdrew from his reaching hand, concern lacing your soft tone.

he scoffed, his eyes remaining fixated on your face.

his expression unreadable as ever, yet the way his azure gaze lingered on your features told a different story.

his eyes never failed to cause a dry lump in your throat as you returned his gaze.

you weren't sure if it was because he intimidated you or he was easily the most attractive man you've laid your eyes on.

intimidatingly attractive. you settled with that thought in your mind.

"i'm fine, you'll need it more than me." his voice low yet persistent.

his hand with the umbrella remained reached out ahead of you with a subtle frown settling on his features. it was evident that rin was equally, if not more, stubborn than you.

"itoshi, don't be ridiculous. it's your umbrella, i'm not gonna jus-"

rin's hand extended from his previous stance, grabbing onto your own as he firmly placed the umbrella into your hands.

his touch sending a wave of sensation as his hand lingered for a second too long. or so you thought.

you weren't sure if the close proximity that you both were introduced to was to blame or the mini crush that you always had for itoshi rin.

but the gentle brush of his fingers against yours caused a subtle hint of pink to dust over your skin. god, you’re so single.

"just use it." he muttered, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweater and striding out from the little shelter provided into the heavy rain.

what is his issue? you could see the hammering droplets engulfing his figure, his dark hair becoming damp by the second.

"itoshi, are you crazy?!" you yelled as his back faced you, ignoring your loud concern at his behavior.

the dull sky was getting darker as time went on and the heavy rain would not let up. why rin itoshi would think it’s a good idea to walk in this condition was beyond you.

without a second thought, you opened the umbrella mindlessly and swiftly followed the taller male like a lost puppy.

once you eventually caught up with his long strides, you extended your arm with the umbrella to accommodate with his height.

"i think sharing the umbrella would be a good idea instead of walking in the rain like an manic." you muttered through your teeth.

it came to your attention that the umbrella could not accommodate to both of you when standing a bit far from each other.

the heavy rain was slightly soaking your right arm as your left hand held up the small umbrella, hoping to give each other more coverage.

rin spared you a glance, noticing the way you were struggling badly attempting to hold the umbrella over his head.

he then sighs deeply at your own persistence. his chest heaving with slight annoyance. as if he was the only one who should be allowed to be a pain in the ass stubborn.

“here, let me hold it.”

his firm hands took the umbrella from yours in a gentle manner, an contrast to the indifferent expression plastered on his face.

"don't be stupid. come closer." he muttered, noticing the way your sleeve had gotten soaked.

he slightly walked closer, not giving you a second to do it on your own as your arms pressed against each others. as sad as it sounds, the contact sent a spark through your flesh.

almost as if he was eager but then again, who are you to try to read itoshi rin's behavior?

it was weird though. he didn't seem to mind, it was as if he purposely kept his arm still to maintain the little contact between each other.

for a moment, there was a comfortable silence that fell over the both of you. the only source of noise being the soft pattern of rain hitting the umbrella.

at times you would take a quick glance at rin on your side. his expression hardened as if he was in deep thought.

"something on your mind?" you asked, breaking the silent atmosphere. your head tilted slightly to the side as your body turned to face rin a bit.

"yeah." he muttered. rin didn't bother sparing you a glance, his gaze ahead.

"like what?"

"like how this creep is constantly staring at me." he said, his tone both dry and sarcastic.

his eyes met with yours with a deadpan expression lingering on his features.

"who- oh my god, shut up." you swatted his arm, genuine laughter escaping your lips.

who knew itoshi rin had a sense of humor?

"wait-" you started, remembering all of the times you noticed rin stealing glances of you in lectures.

"don't think you're slick in class acting like i don't see you looking at me all the time!" your finger poked against his chest firmly to empathize your words.

for once, rin's cat-like eyes widened as your scrutinized gaze met with his widened, doe eyes.

and there it was again, that silence overcoming the two of you as you two stared each other down. your pace slowing down a bit.

"i... i don't do that." he sharply spat, shying away from your eyes.

at his sudden change in demeanor, you could only confirm that you weren't being delusional all those times. there was a subtle tint of pink dusting over his ear as you continued to look up at him.

it was clear the itoshi rin was flustered.

the only words conversed after that was the location of his dorm building, luckily it was close to yours.

"here's my building." you pointed to the brick structure as you two approached the entrance.

after the moment you both shared, he was too quiet. although, rin was a man of few words, his silence was deafening.

standing ahead of the front entrance, you turned to face rin's towering figure. his eyes hard to read as he met yours.

"your dorm is close by, right?" you asked, tilting your head slightly.

"yeah." his answer short and dry, his analyzing gaze still on your features.

"oh is it the building over there?" you nodded off into the distance at the other building a couple feet away.

"yeah." again, his answer still short. his eyes had some of internal turmoil.

"well..." you started, "thank you for walking me home, itoshi."

you looked up to the umbrella, "and keeping me dry."

"rin." his tone low and strained. as if he was holding himself back from saying more.

"huh?"

"call me rin, from now on."

"oh.. okay. well, thank you again, rin." you offered a soft smile. there was slight twitch of his lips at the sound of his name escaping your lips.

"i'll.. see you tomorrow, yn." he nodded slightly before hesitantly departing from your company.

for a moment, you continued to watch him walk away in the opposite direction of the other dorm building. then it clicked, he lied. the only other building was across the campus. did that mean he only walked here for you?

if it couldn't get worse, your eyes traveled to the left sleeve of his sweater being absolutely drenched with rain.

rin itoshi was a selfless man.

Karasu analysis/ headcanon ~ Karasu’s type!

Karasu’s type is strong, smart women yeah? Well, with his interest in “mediocre” things, I could see him pairing well with an artist, as many artists can see the beauty in everyday things. Taking that beauty and creating something absolutely stunning. I feel an artistic person would catch his attention since art likely wouldn’t be something he finds mediocre. Art is in the eye of the beholder, after all.

Combining art, strong, and smart, I came up with a couple interests a partner of his might have!!

1. Sculpting

2. Ceramics

3. Architecture

4. Stain glass?

He seems like such a lonely person because of his insecurity, so I envision his partner being similar to Hiori and Otoya, laid back and able to listen but not able to dig too far. Karasu seems like the type who has to come to you first, exactly like a crow. There has to be something to gain his interest and draw him in, then he’ll watch. After his attention is on said partner, that’s when they ca make their move. If anything is rushed or overstepped he’ll fly away. His insecurity affects how he act with people, he’s mean and picks people apart. I see his partner as not only physically strong but mentally as well. They have to see through his act and know how to handle his harshness, especially at first.

Should I write a fic on this?? I think it would be cute!

Just kidding!!

It’s already in the works.

Not so Mediocre - Coming Soon!