#((I don't stan yuzu's toe socks just so we're clear))

[axelsandwich]

no I don’t feel like I can’t speak my true opinions. let’s break this down.

i think it’s always important to recognise the kind of comment you want to make & your expectations around the responses to them.

subjective comments: arguments around subjective views will never reach a conclusion because it’s subjective. eg. you prize a correct edge & jumping technique. that won’t convince a zhenya fan who loves her musicality enough to disregard those flaws. both these viewpoints are okay to have bc they’re subjective. you’re allowed to simply like a skater while fully acknowledging they’re not perfect (eg. kaetlyn) or without any reason (sometimes you just viscerally like/dislike them!). some people like having friends with differing viewpoints, others might only want a tlist that speaks positively of their fave and you kind of just have to accept that the latter may unfollow you. I always perceived of my tlist to be the former type and while I can’t control what others do, I really hope that’s the impression I give off, even if I sometimes may speak jokingly/hyperbolically abt eg. liking LGC. 

either way, I guarantee you’ll find other people who share your view even if they may (sometimes) be smaller in number. isn’t that better than pretending to like someone you don’t, just to fit in?

i don’t always share what I feel publicly precisely because some of it is subjective & will start pointless discourse. that’s just risk calculation. you can’t control what other people say or do, you can only control your own environment. block or mute people if you need to or save certain comments for more private, controlled environments where you trust the people involved. people who attack others are not right, but they’ll always be there. if you’re noticing that you’re consistently getting attacked despite taking those measures, either you have some really sad persistent antis or it might be worth self-examining to see if you’re doing any of the stuff below (which would - sometimes justifiably - cause people to call you out).  my policy is also to never post anything I wouldn’t say to a skater’s face and/or would be ashamed for them to read

veiled subjective comments: cause lot of discourse because it’s framed as an ‘objective’ comment but actually just thinly veiled dislike and it’s usually hypocritical or cherry-picking evidence (eg. ‘hanyu’s way too old to be winning more medals’ and never applies the same criticism to eg. kolyada). I think it’s understandable why those sorts of comments piss people off, even if arguing is kind of futile so I usually ignore them (but sometimes I can’t resist poking at the gaping holes in their “logical” arguments)

‘loaded comments’: it’s obnoxious when people engage in ‘loaded’ topics/questions (eg. X deserved to win, X was over/underscored) that go against the general narrative without substance to back up their claims or engaging with existing arguments (eg. people claiming alina won fairly w/o addressing the PCS inflation surrounding her all season. there are valid arguments to be made to offset that, but if you don’t address them, you come across as more ignorant than persuasive).  If you can’t engage properly (eg. if someone’s pulling out stats and data to argue why X is underscored and you're like ‘no X is overscored’ w/o substantive arguments of your own), it’s better not to start the fire/engage or at least start the fire in the comfort of your own home - privately - if all you wanted to do was bask in its warm glow and not have to deal with people angry that you’re starting a fire in the forest, if you’ll allow me to painfully extend the metaphor. public twitter is not a ‘private’ place.  critical comments: constructive/critical takes are generally not personal attacks so you shouldn’t feel afraid to post that, but there’s a line where criticism (even valid criticism of eg. scoring) becomes nasty. And if you’re downright wishing for other skaters to fall or being happy abt skaters’ injuries so your faves can win, that’s gross behaviour and you should expect to be called out for it if you post it publicly (and just generally just really unsportsmanlike thinking)

but if your comments are none of the above and you’re still afraid of getting bashed...find better friends tbh. if you’re hanging out with people who make you afraid to speak your mind or be openly enthusiastic for a skater or have your viewpoint dismissed or diminished just because you dare to like yuzuru (or any other skater... but lbr this mostly applies to fanyus), it’s toxic and makes me sad if you feel this way because I certainly don’t with the people I talk to, even if we may disagree on things.