#really i think the duality of how rivalries can develop is fascinating

[zingaplanet]

About your pinned post, what's your opinion on Fedal and Prosenna?

Y'all are watering my asks and indulging my ranting habits, i love it ❤️🤌

Well, now that is an interesting relationship comparison! And I say that not because I think they are both opposite versions of each other, it's a bit more as if they're alternate versions of how each other could've been, if that makes sense?

I think this is the case with many rivalry relationships as well, especially one that managed to reach the intensity level of federer-nadal and prost-senna (where they battled each other almost over decades still at the very top level of the sports). I do think with rivalries, there's always a kind of mad obsession that naturally comes with them, you have to, I reckon, otherwise you wouldn't be able to maintain that drive. The difference is the way you choose to deal with that level of intensity, and (because competition is the most soul-baring form of bonding there is) relationship intimacy with another person. It isn't easy because it could be suffocating.

Senna might be the most obvious target here. He was, undeniably, obsessed with Prost (if not at least with beating him). But I think Prost was equally obsessed in some way! Otherwise he wouldn't have been sucked into the narrative and mind games for that long. And unfortunately, I think they dealt with it (Senna, at the very least) with the only way they knew how, by maintaining a distance so as not to combust when they clash too close with each other. Prost talked a lot about trying to make friends with Senna in the beginning (inviting him to his home, to lunch, etc) but was completely ignored as Senna told his friends that he was 'scared to be friends with Prost' because he viewed him as his ultimate rival.

I think this was very understandable. Senna obviously couldn't imagine the dual intensity of being close to someone he already designated as an ultimate chasing target in life, a benchmark of his own identity in a way. But that also kinda only left one avenue for them to channel this emotional intensity and any string strung too tight will always break eventually. Maybe this was also why their rivalry was very intense and problematic, even by the treshold of high-level sports. Let's be honest, at its peak it was one of the nastiest history has seen.

When Prost retired, not only did Senna, I imagine, lost his sense of identity and purpose in racing (which he himself said), I think they also lost a way to channel this intensity. Imagine the one thing that plagued every second of your life (to beat him, to best him, to defeat his records) suddenly being taken away, and the jarring gap it must've left. That's maybe why Senna begged Prost to come back almost every week since he retired and why their personal relationship started getting better after, as sans the other avenue, this could be the only way to channel that level of intensity.

I don't really believe in soulmates but I do think some people are meant to meet in life. And a bond that intense, where you can use the phrase mad for each other quite literally, needed to be channelled in one way or another, albeit unfortunately Prost and Senna couldn't make the right choice in time.

The sad thing was I don't think Senna ever imagined the possibility of them being in that duality of friends and rivals while they were still active (Prost might've, but it wouldn't have worked in itself). There's no one to blame in this regard, it could just be the difficulty and stigma around high-level male dominated sports in this period. I actually genuinely believe if Senna were to make it, they would've been close (Prost said so himself) because there's no way one can simply sever an emotional bond that intense without finding an alternative. It truly is one of the saddest tragedies and what-ifs in sports.

Which is probably why the Federer-Nadal dynamic is very rare and quite strange in a way. They seem to get the memo early on that it was somehow possible to channel this bond not just through intense (and ferocious) rivalry but also through a deeper personal connection such as friendship. I found this fascinating as it seemed to appear out of nowhere, both of them didn't really have an example to follow. They themselves saw the nastiness of the Sampras-Agassi rivalry right before their era and tennis locker room in the 2000s wasn't exactly a welcoming space for any newcomers, the tour was quite hostile.

Federer, however, initiated the friendly nature of their acquintances even before their rivalry began. Maybe it was something just akin to his nature, but it wouldn't have worked (just as Prost's attempt didn't) if Nadal hadn't reciprocated, especially as their rivaly grew more and more intense.

I truly believed that this early dynamic that they've put themselves into (and in a way trapped themselves in) kinda dictated the way the rest of their rivalry went and why it never truly went nasty. It's about a very delicate balance between professional drive and personal relationships. They've had some mishaps and some miscommunications along the way, of course, but perhaps it's what helped them to not let themselves be consumed by the sport as well. Tennis wasn't their whole life, it's a big part of their lives, sure, but Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal still exist outside of the sport. They have families, children, other dreams and ambitions etc., and both didn't hesitate when asked if they could imagine life after tennis.

So I think it's not that their bond was less intense in a way, they simply found ways to diffuse them better through a strong (sometimes negative as well) competitive relationship balanced out by an equally strong, positive personal relationship. Yet, it doesn't mean that the loss of one doesn't affect the other. Hence when the rivalry ended (with Federer's retirement), Nadal said a part of him left as well, and has been struggling with his form ever since. Similar to Prost and Senna though, we do see their personal relationship growing stronger after the retirement, again as if to compensate the sudden loss of emotional bond.

It's fascinating to me, this level of interconnectedness in both of relationships, of almost existing for the identity of one, and the need to be two in order to be whole. I talk about this emotional intensity as if it was something alien and abstract but I do believe that what lies underneath is a very strong, perhaps almost intimate, level of respect even in the nastiest forms of rivalry. In a way, it almost resembles a sense of belonging, knowing that the other is the only one that truly understands what it means to be you, or in simple words, to live what you have lived, to be on the losing side of your best wins, and to live their best days alongside the worst moments of your life.

Some rivalries aren't so lucky to have as happy an ending as others. But I do think nonetheless, that finding your complete equal, one that gives you purpose, dreams, and the thoughtless will to get up everyday, to make all of it matters because they matter and so you must too, is already a gift in itself, right?

[variabels]

who are your favorite blue lock characters and why?

It ended up getting really long so here's the list:

Nagi

Kaiser

Isagi

Honorable mentions:

Bachira

Chigiri

Shidou

Sae

Explanations (manga spoilers):

1. Nagi

But like in all seriousness, I relate way too much to his motivation problems, especially the setting a goal, reaching it for a second and not knowing what to do afterwards part. We also have similar personalities (although I think Rin or Sae might be the most like me in that department), find a lot of stuff to be a pain and the same hobbies (manga and gaming ftw).

I also really like his chemistry with Isagi, Chigiri and Barou, Isagi really brings out the best in Nagi, Chigiri and Nagi's friendship is so fucking cute and Barou vs Nagi is always hilarious. It was really nice to see Nagi go from skipping practice to willingly joining Isagi and Barou to train.

His playstyle is so much fun to watch. I'm so happy Kaneshiro decided to pair him up with Isagi for the second selection because they were a GOATed duo. They weren't perfect for each other, so seeing them having to work together to improve and win games was so satisfying. I love how Nagi got to actually have an input on the strategies used especially since he used to be the kind of person to just do whatever he's told.

He's also badass, adorable and precious.

And can we take a second to like look at him? How is this dude 190cm??? I deadass thought he was slightly taller than Isagi until I read what his actual height was. I've never seen someone so tall have such short person energy, it's so fascinating and weird.

2. Kaiser

Kaiser's a fucking bitch, that's why I love him. He's always so much fun, if he's in the scene, you know it's gonna be good. He just has this presence, idk how to describe it, but like, he will always get your attention.

He's so interesting and there's still so much to learn about him. I'm really excited to see how his character will develop. I love how he's able to genuinely acknowledge other people's achievements despite being a shit-talker (and one who can actually back up his shit, he's a new gen 11 member after all). I really have a thing for those types of characters.

His rivalry with Isagi is also easily the best rivalry in the series. They both respect each other as players despite having so much beef. Their rivalry keeps getting crazier with all their "I'll fucking kill you" and I'm all for it. Their personalities clash so well making it entertaining af.

Also, Kaiser's design is so iconic. It shouldn't work at all but it just does. Like what is up with that mullet-rat-tail-ombre hair? How does he pull it off? Also, the red eyeliner is beautiful, it's such a small detail but it adds so much.

3. Isagi

So, I know a lot of people didn't like Isagi at the start because he seemed like an asshole for feeling great about kicking the ball in Kira's face. I wasn't one of those. I immediately loved him after that and loved him even more every time he took joy in defeating others.

It's really rare for the main character to make it into my top 3, so when one does make it in, I know they're amazing and oh boy is Goatsagi amazing. He has a lot going for him, such as being one of the calm/Kuroko type of sports manga protagonists which I just enjoy way more than the loud/Hinata protags. I absolutely adore strategist characters (especially when they say "just as planned") so having one as the protag is awesome.

The duality of Isagi on the field and off the field is so good. So many sports manga just have serious/not serious as the duality, but Isagi's is asshole/sweetheart and I love it so much, it just adds so much personality and uniqueness to Isagi.

He's a really emotionally intelligent person (why are these so rare in fiction? especially emotional intelligent guys that are genuinely good people and not manipulative), like it's very apparent in how he interacts with his Blue Lock rivals, especially Barou and Rin. It's never explicitly stated but it's shown that he understands how to interact with each one of them in a healthy way. He doesn't go to annoy Rin or Barou to get them to open up more (istg tsundere/prideful characters end up opening up solely because they were annoyed or humiliated to death way too often), Isagi treats them like actual people off the field and doesn't try to make them uncomfortable. It's so refreshing. This also makes his relationship with Kaiser way funnier because Kaiser's like the only person Isagi isn't nice with.

Speaking about relationships, Isagi has such good chemistry with the entire cast. I find his relationships with his rivals to be the most interesting since it feels like he treats most of his friends really similarly. None of his rivalries really feel the same even when they fit in the same trope (friendly rivals, humbled rivals etc...). It's also really funny how he's got so many rivals and beefs, like he got the second-best in the world to have beef with him. ISAGI IS HIM.

This is getting long, so I'll be brief with the next point. Isagi just has so many traits I respect in a person. Like, he's not afraid to change, he's not afraid to ask others for help, he's ambitious and he'll do what it takes to win.

Never thought he'd be in my top 3 when I started Blue Lock. If he ends up being football Aizen, he'll surpass Nagi as my favorite...

Other favs:

Bachira, he used to be number 3, but Isagi's grown on me a lot and Bachira hasn't done much lately (he's also a fully developed character with a finished character arc, so there's not as much development potential in him atm). He's still really likeable and I love him but he's not as interesting anymore. His design is so sick and I love his playstyle. I also love his character arc in the second selection.

Chigiri, like Bachira he suffers a bit from having a finished character arc (like, there's really only him getting injured to develop him more at this point since the author decide to forget about the Chigiri-Kunigami subplot which could have allowed Chigiri to get more development), but still really likable. He's also the only person in Blue Lock who doesn't need therapy, idk how our princess has stayed sane. His design is gorgeous, I love it so much and wish I could be 1% as pretty as him.

Shidou, like Kaiser, he's one of those characters that just enhances every scene he's in. He's just so much fun and he genuinely loves football so much. His relationship with the Itoshi siblings is also amazing, it's so funny how he hates one and loves the other. He might not have any chemistry with Rin when it comes to playing football, but their character chemistry is great (they're always so funny when they're together). And holy fuck Shidou and Sae, I don't know where to start with these two, they were made for each other. I wish Shidou luck, he got Sae's number, maybe he can get his heart next?

Sae, aka the superior Itoshi sibling. Shit talkers who talk shit because they're genuinely better are some of my fav types of characters. He also kinda reminds me of Itachi from Naruto and he's my favorite character from Naruto, so ofc I was gonna love Sae. There's a lot of potential for his character to develop, especially if whatever he has going on with Shidou ends up getting developed more. I love how he's the one who reached out to Shidou, it's rare for the quiet one to be the one to do that if they're not manipulative. I hope he plays in the U20 team because I need more of his interactions with Rin and Shidou.

[princepestilence]

Something that’s fascinated me for a long time is the whole “nice” Draco Malfoy phenomenon as it appears in fandom, especially in fanfiction. 

It’s so renowned there’s a trope named for it and, as of right now, the Harry/Draco tag is the most popular relationship on Archive of Our Own by 10,000 hits. I don’t think any of us are really surprised by this point--either by exactly how much special attention slash fiction gets, or how far certain shippers will go to forgive white boy villains--but, for me, I guess it’s a sort of personal interest in this striking duality between fanon-Malfoy and canon-Malfoy specifically, because it’s the only time (that I can think of, anyway?) where I’ve been both a long-time fan of the source material and, to a certain degree, tolerant of major personality surgery in fandom at the same time. 

Like, usually the “he’s misunderstood/not bad/can be fixed” wibbling over solidly awful men and such is a zero-tolerance policy with me: most recent example, that prick from Star Wars. (Which one? Take your pick). But Malfoy falls into what I can only think of as a ‘conditional exception zone,’ partly because there’s just enough qualities scattered in the texts to muddy the water. I think the fact there’s three texts at work--the books, the films, and the preexisting fanon conventions (a kind of amorphous apocryphal collection of literary habits and tastes and cliches and whatnot)--is a big reason why Malfoy in particular is a (perhaps uniquely tempting?) “salvageable” white boy villain: he’s not a single unified character. The ubiquity of Harry Potter texts assumes a basic understanding that book and film are equally canon, for lack of a better phrase, so that while the books are “more canon,” technically, the films have just as much weight in conceptualising the world and characters of Harry Potter for fans. (By comparison, I would say that Pottermore doesn’t have that same weight, because it isn’t popular enough. Who even uses Pottermore? Many of us are actually tired with the continual updating of the world, and probably don’t care about or even actively ignore what’s written there. The culture of shared knowledge--and communally agreed upon Facts of Potter--hasn’t stretched that far).

Anyway, what I’m saying is Draco Malfoy is kind of like a metaphoric cat figure: he has multiple lives from which fans can draw their favourite aspects from and then blur together into someone resembling Draco Malfoy, superficially, and even in some ways, accurately, according to a version of canon, without being an unattractive irredeemable weasel of a boy.

In the books, he’s absolutely a little snot. I’ve been reading the third book at the moment and he’s a brat with no real redeeming features, and certainly nothing to justify all the attention (and affection) he gets in fandom. In canon, he’s a deeply unpleasant, bigoted kid and a bully. Rowling did not write him as a viable love interest for anyone, and it makes sense that she’s baffled and annoyed by how many girls have been smitten with him over the years. 

In the films, he’s elevated from that level and a little more stylish, largely because of costuming and the fact Tom Felton does a good job of making a fairly two-dimensional character a little less so, especially in the later films. Also, it helps that he’s a handsome lad, that Malfoy is often comedic relief (both on purpose with his snappy remarks, and unintentionally as the butt of bad luck or Gryffindor pranks), that many of the nastier lines are cut from his dialogue and general annoyingness from his behaviour, and he’s overall given a much softer, sympathy-seeking image than the books: his father, although financially doting, has a somewhat cold, tyrannical air in their interactions; he’s spoiled (much like Dudley), which comes across in a rather Roald Dahl-esque fashion of bad parent-shaming, I feel; he’s the poster-child for Slytherin house, which positions him in a way as a victim of narrative prejudice (in that Slytherin students are given very rough treatment by Rowling, considering they’re children); and he cries in a bathroom one time. 

In fanon, he has traces of the fanon ghost. He also happens to hit what I guess could be called a fandom sweet spot: namely, obsessive rivalry between boys, especially those who are “opposites" at least in some ways. Harry actually has a good deal in common with Draco, but on the surface, there seems to be enough noticeable (if minor) “blue oni, red oni” stuff going on to overlook that. I’m not sure if anyone’s developed a law for it yet, but there’s patterns in fandom and one you can rely on is that certain archetypes attract certain types of attention, and that attention manifests into (often repetitive, almost ritualistic?) behaviours re: shipping and fanfiction in general. Failure to provide an equally or more attractive alternative candidate will result in the nearest available close-enough boy getting shipped with the protagonist lad, and Harry Potter doesn’t provide an alternate rival boy, I don’t think. Hence, Malfoy gets it. Ron’s friendship with Harry, although not always blissful or anything, doesn’t have the components fandom (speaking of the slash fan majority, obviously) craves, I suspect, and Hermione won’t do on account of not being a boy. Therefore, Harry/Malfoy fanfiction get churned out en masse. 

I was going to be like, “It’s interesting that the second most popular ship is Sirius/Remus, because it’s vastly different in dynamics to Harry/Draco,” and maybe continue on that thought for a bit, but then I saw that the third most popular, close behind, is Harry/Snape, and I quit. Not today.

I can’t remember what I was actually banging on about when I started or what I meant to say with this. I think I had a goal but I lost it on the journey somewhere. Among those thickets. I think I originally meant to say something about how startling the difference between book-Malfoy and fanon-Malfoy is, and how I think film-Malfoy is a big part of bridging that gap, plus the typical fandom habits, and I mostly did that? I feel like I could do a much better, more coherent, overall more polished version of this, maybe throw in some neat quotes, if it wasn’t post-midnight, but essentially: Malfoy’s multiple canon forms creates an uncertainty surrounding exactly who he is and what he could be that, in conjunction with Fandom Needs--i.e., the whirlpools that characters who get too close are pulled into by the sheer force of convention, makes him a particularly appealing target for a slash-intended personality-lift. Deep breath.