Okay I’m Currently Furious That Migraines Are Often So Blindly Easy To Treat And I Had To Find This

Nezushi Dance Scene Analysis

I was talking with a friend about how the way two people dance show a lot about the status of their relationship with each other. Then I decided to give my own thoughts about Nezushi’s Iconic Dance Scene and what was the dance scene trying to show.

This may be an obvious thing to some, but I wanted to express my thoughts anyway :)

In a scene before this, Nezumi passed out due to the Song of the Wind (Elyurias’s song) and later wakes up to Shion next to him. Shion then worries incessantly, checks him to see if there was anything wrong or if he was in any pain.

Nezumi sees his earnest worry about him and gets agitated and uncomfortable, since he’s not used to another person worrying about him. He gets especially narked when Shion tells him straight up that hes a human being and that he should look out for himself.

Having someone worry over you means more shackles on you, in order to put in the extra effort of being careful. Basically it means someone loves you.

To Nezumi, this was not necessary.

But even after his yell, Shion still continues to care. He then spontaneously decided to teach Shion how to dance.

To me, this dance was basically a show of their life together from the night that they met to now.

They start off with Nezumi asking if Shion has any experience in dancing, he says no.

Here I think it’s a reflection of his naivety of the world outside of No.6, with Nezumi saying he’ll teach him some basic steps, like he’ll give him the introduction of The West Block.

“Don’t look down.”

I highly imagine this being a direct reference to Nezumi saying, “Don’t look away, look at the world in-front of you.” We know he has said this to Shion many times.

Shion then says to cut it out, how it’s useless, and gives a few excuses on why they should stop dancing, like the times Shion would be on the verge of breaking down, saying how it’s useless, and was willing to give up. But a few words from Nezumi, became his guideline, and helped him overcome it. He stumbles and is slow to keep up, due to this being a whole new experience for him. It’s hard to take in.

As time goes on, Shion’s understanding of Nezumi and how he views the world becomes clearer and clearer. The more they dance, the more he understands. He is watching, seeing the world in Nezumi’s POV, he is empathising with him.

“Dance…dance, Shion.”

Nezumi encourages Shion to live in this new world.

After they finished dancing, Shion is out of breath, and laments how hard dancing actually is, saying he learned something new. Shion is huffing and puffing, while Nezumi is, assumedly, all right. This basically proves the point Nezumi wanted to make, to not worry for him, since he’s basically been doing this all his life.

He does not need the care and the love.

But even after all that, Shion still does anyway.

It’s a direct retelling of their story, and I had never noticed the underlying meaning behind the dance. I had first watched it in the anime and thought the scene was done so beautifully. I had recognised the purpose of them dancing through the West Block, like a show of their life spent with each other. Then I read the manga and novel, which I read through quickly without much thought since its a scene i’ve seen many times.

I played it off as a wonderful iconic scene in the novel, a show of love and intimacy. But what I didn’t know was how much it was a representation of the journey they had up to this point in time. Not only did it show their dynamic and connection, it was like watching them both reflect on the impacts they had on each other.

It was an amazingly written scene and I’m glad it is in the story.

｡.:*☆

If you have read this far THANK YOU SO MUCH GENUINELY um I really hope this was easy to read and understand, i still dont rlly know the mechanics around here, so if u had a hard time reading it, or some feedback, or maybe ur personal input on the dance scene, FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT !! <3

i have a test tmr im supposed to be studying for and here i am talking abt nezushi sigh they have taken over my brain TvT

[ryusae meta/analysis]

This post is a bit of a journey since it was a struggle getting my thoughts together lol, but please bear with me as I explain how I've noticed that Sae consistently allows Shidou past his iron-clad emotional barriers, as evidenced by how frequently we're shown Shidou managing to elicit reactions from him. Let's go!

When Sae is introduced to the U20 team, we get a close-up of his face and a full-body shot. His face is blank, devoid of any emotion, back rod-straight and hands glued to his pockets. He maintains this pose throughout the entirety of the meeting.

From his introductory speech, to his exchange with Sendou, and even after the whole scuffle between Aiku and Shidou, where Aiku ends up body slamming Shidou into the ground, Sae locked in the same pose, unbothered. Any words and actions from anyone fail to elicit the slightest change in his demeanor.

There are only two points where this changes and Sae allows a reaction.

A Guide to Sae's Reactions: Intentional Intimidation vs Genuine Exasperation

First is when he gives everyone a glimpse into his one desire as a player - becoming the best in the world. Through a terrifyingly cold expression, he conveys the vastness of the difference in their ambitions and why he deems everyone before him worthless in comparison. Although it didn't hurt him by any means, Sendou's remarks did illicit a reaction out of him. Therefore, questions about his calibre as a player does affect him. Not in a way that weakens or stirs any insecurity - Sae has a very strong sense of self as a player.

Sae's entire life revolves around football. Day in, day out, he spends time practising and analysing football data to hone his skills and advance in the path to becoming the best in the world. So naturally, he'd have something to say when he encounters someone not on his level ability-wise, clinging to titles like 'regular forward in the best team in Japan' to assert their dominance over on this subject.

On Sae's part, this reaction is intentional and purposeful. He intends to strike Sendou where it hurts and humiliate him before his fellow teammates to demonstrate the consequences for anyone that dares challenge him as a player. He deliberately utilises his facial expression here to drive the point home and intimidate Sendou into silence.

This is an act in-line with his characterisation as a icy cold genius unafraid of speaking his mind and calmy tearing apart those he deems unworthy.

The second time is when Shidou defends him.

It's an expression of mild exasperation and resignation at Shidou's antics. The little speech bubble is used to convey how he's totally speechless.

This is an indication that Shidou's actions and the intentions behind them were received by Sae. You don't react to something that doesn't affect you. Especially Sae, as evidenced by his characterisation as a whole and specifically, during this whole chapter.

Except, unlike with his first reaction, this one lacks intentionality. Sae's not trying to convey any message, it's purely his raw reaction.

Let's take a moment to look at Shidou's reasoning behind attacking Sendou's and break it into two pieces:

1) He has a very strong sense of self as a person and a player, and that extends to his expectations of his fellow players. We see this in his conflict with Kunigami as well, where he severely dislikes Kunigami's playstyle and philosophy to the point of taking immense pride and glee in eliminating him during the second selection. Sendou also simply doesn't fit the bill lol (for the same reasons Sae listed earlier) so he has zero respect for him and therefore has no problem enacting his own personalised form of justice, for the crime of being an uninspiring player hung up on titles rather than actual ability, by slamming his head into a table LMAO

2) At this point, Shidou has never seen Sae play. However, if Sae is someone predominantly characterised by a calm, cool, and logical playstyle, then Shidou is a master of instinct. He doesn't need to physically observe someone to get a feel for their essence as a player; to sense their explosive potential.

Shidou could feel what kind of player he was the moment they met, felt the aura radiating off him. Hence the huge grin. This scene started with him raging at Ego and initially being utterly unimpressed and irritated at Sae's presence, only for a few words from Sae to completely change his mind.

He gained immediate respect for Sae here and that's why he couldn't let Sendou's remarks slide. Just as he won't tolerate mediocrity, he won't allow insolence against someone he deems is a worthwhile player. He can't stand that Sendou would dare challenge Sae, so he's the only one in the entire room to jump to his defence.

[NOTE: To be clear, I'm not expecting anyone else to do this after Sae said all that stuff to them LMAO this is more about what's transpiring between ryusae here]

If you really think about it, it's quite sweet lol

Sae walked into a room full of people who are already teammates and therefore have each other's backs and intentionally created a storm by insulting everyone and humiliating their ace. He never expects any defense on his behalf. He's this solitary genius, who does everything by himself and for himself.

Yet here he is, being faced with this guy, who's barely an acquaintance, offering such a passionate defence. Something I doubt he's received from someone in a long time.

Based on the clues we've gotten thus far regarding his time in Spain, which was the turning point in his career, attitude towards football as a whole, and immeasurably damaged his close relationship with his brother - Sae has evidently been on the receiving end of casual cruelty at the hands of his peers there. Which undoubtedly shaped the completely closed-off, icy cold, and cruel persona he's now embraced.

He's fashioned himself an immpenetrable barrier against any and all attempts at connection from others. The degradation of his bond with Rin being a prime example. To the point where Kaneshiro revealed in an interview/fan event that he doesn't even consider their fight, the one that changed Rin's life, to be a fight at all. He's evidently emotionally stunted. Trauma will lead to the development of such concrete, even destructive, emotional defense mechanisms.

We get a small glimpse at the kind of people Sae's had to deal from Luna's introduction. Where he cruelly ridicules the Japanese players with a cheery smile on his face and the following panels show how badly received it was by the Blue Lock players. To the point where Loki has to step in and apologise on his behalf.

So it can be inferred that Sae has not been in the company of camraderie for a very long time. Therefore, this moment initiated by Shidou holds quiet but clear significance to him.

A reaction breaking through his otherwise continuous blank demeanor, signifies that he definitely registered what Shidou was doing, why he was doing it, and his subsequent speechlessness shows it resonated with him but he doesn't know how to process it. So he resorts to pulling a face.

Sae Regularly Allows Shidou Through His Defenses

In fact, Shidou is shown to affect him regularly. He frequently manages to drive emotions out of Sae. For example during his big bang drive, we see Sae express genuine awe.

When Shidou jumps on his back and captures him in a hug (something Sae intentionally allows, btw!!) and Sae can feel Shidou's...excitement, we see him break his usual impassivity to express disgust. Despite this being a negative reaction, Sae compensates by still promising his touch as long as the conditions of scoring a hattrick are met. So his initial repulsion appears to be quite shallow and momentary, more of a knee-jerk reaction (understandably lol) than a total rejection.

Notice the zero pushback on Shidou's counter offer of scoring ten more goals to move in with him too. These subtleties on Sae's end, formed by his deliberate lack of denial to Shidou's direct romantic and/or sexual offers, are demonstration of how he's allowing space for and accepting Shidou's feelings. The same Sae who slapped his other teammate's hands away and denied Aiku's handshake, is shown permitting Shidou's physical and verbal attempts at connection and reciprocating in full.

Throughout their brief but intense union, both on and off the pitch, Sae continuously allows Shidou to cross his tightly maintained barriers, to occupy spaces where he's actively and cruelly denied others access to.

I never made this link prior to making this post, but Shidou so emphatically and boldly jumping to his defence, during their second time ever meeting, definitely has something to do with why Sae is willing to do that. On top of genuinely considering Shidou a worthy striker, and as I've outlined in a previous post (here), truly liking and feeling comfortable him. Sae so clearly has a soft spot for him :')

My Valentine's Day WIP with the DGM boys! ❤️💙🧡💛 Nea was supposed to be here too but I ran out of time oof

due to popular demand. another blue lock powerpoint.

you can post these wherever you want with credit btw 👍

other powerpoints ive made masterlist

so. guys. that new bsd chapter???? how we feeling??? we alright??

(insert deep breath)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

ATSUSHIS FACE. hes so fucking conflicted he wants him gone but still thats practically his FATHER. ohhh shoot me 87 times instead that would HURT LESS. his eyes being scribbles make it worse harukawa you are EVILL

i love the combination of the titles. dont even i love it so bad the chapter titles were pieces of the full sentence..... ajdflgjkg im Going Insane. this isnt okay im not okay im going to crash out so hard

oh.

oh.

this is insane. do you all know how insane this is. whos face, (or words) come to mind instead?? instead of the mentor akutagawa has despised yet idolised for half his life?

SHUT UP. SHUUUUTTTT UP.

SHIN SOUKOKU FANS WE ARE BEING FED. WE ARE FEASTING. these past chapters have been SPOILING US.

akutagawas reason to live, to keep going, its atsushi.

do yall know how absolutely insane this is. im tweaking out So Hard like this is INSANE. SHIN SOUKOKU WE ARE SO BACK. WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN BACK. IM CRASHING OUT TWEAKING SHIN SOUKOKUUUU

THE FUCKING MOMENTS. THE FUCKIGGN MOMENTS WITH THEM FIGHTING ASAGIRI AND HARUKAWA WHAT HAVEE YOU DONEEE. guys atp stop writing the fics canon is all we need 😭

the fucking QUOTES atsushi said to him??? about true strength???? might as well have chucked a brick at me.

im so insane this chapter isnt okay

THE LIGHT COMING BACK INTO HIS EYES????? AT THE MEMORY OF ATSUSHI????????? THIS ISTHE MOST QUEER THING EVER SHIN SOUKOKU YOU WILL ALWAYS BE FAMOUS

no but do yall know how wild this is. him getting that "light" in his eyes because of atsushi. do YALL KNOW. his eyes being dark for most of the manga (showing how dark his soul is) BUT THIS. THIS IS THE BRIGHTEST THEYVE EVER BEEN. and its at the thought of saving ATSUSHI. HIS RIVAL MORTAL ENEMY. no this is wild actually

harukawa my lord and saviour i love you.

HIS REASON TO KEEP FIGHTING. HIS REASON TO KEEP GOING. hes LITERALLY fighting god to get atsushi back. literally fighting something practically unkillable to get his jinko. asagiri i fear this is the hardest you have ever cooked. shin soukoku this is the queerest you've ever been. we are winning so hard. my brain is a jumbled mess of shin soukoku i cant go live my life when this is happening.

NEW CHARACTER EVERYONE CHEERED

they look so cool im genuinely so hyped for them. bsd is getting insane i Swear. im actually so fucking excited for what happens next i feel all electric and tingly

genuinely this chapter was insane. im going to go mentally scream in my head all day and not think of anything except sskk now. goodbye

So this was a pre-planned (and likely paid for by the Kremlin) show: to invite Zelenskyy, scold him like a kindergartener in front of the press, present him with an unreasonable "deal" - an ultimatum - knowing full well he will refuse it (as anyone in this position would). And then tell the world: "Look, our mighty Orange King could've ended this horrible war in a day, but this poorly-dressed, warmongering, ungrateful twat just doesn't want peace! It's not our fault, we did what we could!"

The show is so cheap, so transparent, yet still effective for so many brainless people.

i'm obsessed with these lines because they speak so much to ciel's faith in own worldview - and there's this moment of doubt, where he recognises that what he thinks isn't necessarily fact, but belief

not only does it say a lot about his character, i think it majorly contributes to the events that occur later in the arc

🚫under the cut for being way longer than intended MAJOR spoilers, both for the rest of the emerald witch arc and chapter 126+🚫

faith and higher power

ciel doesn't just lose his faith once - he loses it twice. the first time is after he is tortured by the cult, when he denounces the christian god. but his faith in the protection of a higher power isn't actually gone, it just transfers to r!ciel.

it's only when r!ciel is sacrificed that his belief in higher power is truly broken, leaving a vacuum for a demon to exploit.

ciel never looks outside himself for strength after this. not to a god that he now has good reason to believe exists, and not to sebastian, the most powerful tool he has. he only trusts himself. it's worth noting here that he sees sebastian's power as something he owns the rights to, at least until his revenge is complete. it is his, gained not only through sacrifice, but through his own intellect.

through the terms of the contract, he believes he has successfully collared the demon without falling for it's tricks. he now views his intellect as the one power with which he can navigate the world - there is no higher power that is safe to rely on.

christianity and doubt

ciel doesn't believe in witches, not only because it isn't 'logical', but because without realising it, he still views the world through the lense of a christian upbringing. he 'knows' that witches and curses are pagan nonsense - at most, witches are humans that worship demons, a power that christianity recognises and one that's been confirmed to him as real. he converses with sebastian about it, but he doesn't consider sebastian's perspective above his own. ciel is the mastermind, and he trusts in his own logic above everything - sebastian is only a chess piece.

but there is a seed of doubt in ciel's mind that he might not know as much about the rules of this world as he thinks. and the second seed of doubt comes right after;

this is new information, and it has the potential to reframe the circumstances under which he made the contract. he brushes it off, choosing not to pursue that line of enquiry - deep down, i think he's scared of what the answer might be. it challenges the knowledge with which he negotiated the contract, and so it challenges his sense of control, and the strength of sebastian's collar.

whilst this conversation isn't what triggers his ptsd episode later in the arc, imo it does have a role to play in the severity of it.

the curse

when his ptsd is triggered and he passes out, he dreams of the moment he lost r!ciel. the last time he lost his faith.

he wakes up blind - he has quite literally lost his sight. to me, that is representative of the fact that he doesn't trust his own mind anymore. in a way, it's the third time he loses his faith. he held himself and his intelligence above everything, but the situation is perhaps not what he thought it was. he could overlook those two tiny cracks in his worldview, but with his ptsd delivering a final blow, he's stuck doubting every move he has ever made.

he doesn't know the rules of this world anymore, a world with witches and curses. he doesn't even know if sebastian told the truth about why he appeared that night. did he outwit the devil, or did he make a terrible mistake? with all these doubts, he can't be 'ciel phantomhive' any more. he can only be himself as he last left him - the weak, frightened twin.

and it's sebastian that frightens him the most. his demon suddenly feels much less like a tool, and much more like an active player.

it's only when sebastian forces him into a life-or-death decision that he decides to move back into play. these are the same dire circumstances under which the contract was made - and ever the opportunist, sebastian manipulates ciel all over again, even more thoroughly than before.

imo, the whole scene with ciel and r!ciel on the chessboard? it's sebastian. he's using the face of his twin to reiterate that it was ciel who sacrificed his soul, he's using the faces of the people tied to his deepest regrets to drive home that ciel is a selfish, greedy human being.

he must make his opening move all over again, this time for himself alone. he must disregard all the other circumstances that coaxed him into the first bargain, all the grief and love for his brother, and all the hatred for himself, who dared to survive. it's only with this new clarity in purpose that he is able to function again, to trust in himself and make the next move.

Some past!laven hc because I'm in the trenches (they shouldn't have that much of a hold on my brain)

They're both occasional smokers. Lavi picked it up from Bookman and Allen was peer-pressured to take it up while in the army. Out of them both, Allen is the most likely to stress smoke.

The cape Allen is wearing in the second part of the flashback was given to him by Lavi, he never bought it. He likes the heaviness of it on his shoulders.

Lavi saw Allen smile for the first time months, if not years after the start of their journey. That's what truly got him.

Lavi smiles whether he's happy or sad. Allen learned to see through his expressions pretty fast, but he still would rather see Lavi be fully sad or angry than look at more fake smiles.

Allen is Lavi's best audience (canon), but it doesn't mean Allen is Lavi's only audience. Whenever they stop at a bar, he ends up telling stories and legends from across the world to drunken men and women, and sometimes to children on the street as well. They typically recieve a few coins for it. Lavi's a pretty good storyteller.

Past!Allen may not be as good a cheat as current!Allen is, but he fares pretty well on his end. Plus he actually has some luck. Lavi tries not to stay too close to Allen whenever he plays, just to be sure Allen doesn't fall victim to his bad luck.

Allen has his own stories to tell, but he doesn't talk about them much. Lavi only hears them sometimes, in the middle of the night, when sleep cannot find either of them and Allen is too tired to keep them in.

They spent so much time together Allen can tell the weather based on the state of Lavi's hair. High humidity means Lavi struggles to keep them in a ponytail, cold weather means he won't even try.

Allen cannot grow a beard. He tried, it won't. Lavi shaves though, both to not piss Allen off too much and because he likes the feeling of kissing Allen better that way.

Hanging out with them for less than 24 hours means being subjected to the most old-married-couple-and-happy-about-it energy. They talk to each other like best friends, they flirt with each other in code, they will be insufferably lovey-dovey in the strangest of ways. Oh to be gay travelling lovers in the 19th century and everything it implies.

New covers for the light novels, each made look like the cover of Sportiva.

Translation of the quotes / headlines:

Kageyama 1:

“The Monsters of Spring High”

Shoyo Hinata/Korai Hoshiumi [Little giant's genes]

Kotaro Bokuto/Kyoomi Sakusaya[Memory of the legendary five days]

Inarizaki High School V Karasuno High School [Giant Killing of the Century]

Hinata 1:

BRAZIL [Close coverage of the sand ninja] Shoyo Hinata

ARGENTINA [Why did you go to the other side of the world] Tooru Oikawa

Tsukishima:

Climb up, adventurer. - V1 league promotion survival

A generation of monsters aiming to rise to the top

[Sendai Frogs] Tsukishima/Koganekawa [Tamaman Elephants] Kindaichi/Onagata [Nichikyaku Automobile Lions] Yamagata

Hoshiumi:

Small and strong is cool

Super minionism.

[Opening interview] “Those who challenge height”

"Small Soldiers Who Challenge the World" Hinata/ Yaku

Sakusa

Pursue “the ideal end”

[Ultimate all-rounder] Kiyoomi Sakusa

Ushijima:

Be strong, be right, and follow your own path!

[Japan's main gun Ushiwaka] Wakatoshi Ushijima

Kenma

"I'm not interested in winning or losing. Is it fun or boring?"

Is it Kodzuken? [E-sports special issue]

[Let's talk about Kodzuken!] Lev Haiba (Model) /Tetsuro Kuroo (Japan Volleyball Association member)

Yaku:

The patron saint arrives

``How many times have they saved the team?

Libero Special Feature [From Europe with love] Yaku

[Learn from the craftsmen!] Komori/Inunaki/Heiwajima

Hinata 2:

For the sake of my friends, the sun will rise again.

[Will he be the savior of Japan?] - Shoyo Hinata

Miya:

"I don't care whether it's praise or insults." Challenger style

[Compete against the world with three swords]

Bokuto:

I am an ordinary ace

If you have the energy, you can do the opening interview.

[Japan's spirited spirit] Kotaro Bokuto

[Talk about old and new teammates]

Kageyama 2:

Thorough debate! Who is Japan's command tower?

[Control the monsters] - Kageyama Tobio

[What's wrong with being super aggressive]

[Strength that accepts weakness]

Oikawa:

Insignificant Pride Theory

[World-class control tower from Miyagi] Toru Oikawa “Adversity is my true strength”

[Mentor speaks] Jose Blanco “People are defeated when they set their limits.”

[Testimony of an old friend] Hajime Iwaizumi (Japanese Team Athletic Trainer “Proud partner + big idiot”)