#not the ring is that valuable but yoy know

[skyheld]

im once again thinking about caladrius paying enough money for the permission to take slaves that loghain think it will make the difference between winning and losing the war against the blight. it's already a very long journey from tevinter to ferelden, not to mention a dangerous one by ship as it goes past seheron, and it doesn't seem likely to me that it would be profitable enough to pay for it. profitable enough to be worth an illegal operation where you only pay for the ship and its crew, yes, but to pay for that and also enough to fund an army?

i wonder if it's a cover to look for the dawn ring? because it's also awfully coincidental that shianni just carries around an ancient tevinter ring with no explanation

[scribble-fics]

What were you thinking (raffle winner writing)

For @arlotg uwu they wanted a spinner angst/fluff fic uwu. Hope you enjoy darling!

-

It was late. Midnight blue had held the sky captive to it's abyssal color. Tiny shimmers of light twinked above and the moon barely shines on the earth.

Twisted and shaped like a Cheshire cat grin. The autumn air was chilly, not unbearable however. Just gusts of cool air here and there.

Arlo was resting on a rundown rooftop in a bad part of town. Not really caring about the people below them and more so on the night sky.

They were waiting. As patiently as they could for a certain someone to join them on the rooftop like always.

As if on cue, there was a thud and silence. It pierced the air like a dagger and both pondered on what to say.

"So. You showed up this time" arlo's words were crisp, clear, and laced with venom. Not really meaning to be but they couldn't help it.

"Of course i did."

Hearing his voice made them shiver slightly as they looked over their shoulder they finally saw him.

He looked tired. Restless. Ready to give out yet still standing strong. His scales lightly shimmered in the light of the street lamps below and his hair was tossled slightly.

"I missed you."

A genuine smile lay on his features as the two locked eyes. Arlo sighed and fully turned to the villan.

"You've had every chance to come see me"

"Well work-"

"Just say the league. You don't 'work' in some cubicle you kill people and plot against heros."

Silence fell again. Both unsure of what to really say or do. It was hard dealing with spinner's occupation. It was hard to feel like his top priority when arlo knew that the league was.

"Right.."

It was awkward. What used to be wholesome meetups filled with comfort and laughs, was now a battleground of mixed emotions.

"Forget it, how was your day?" Arlo mumbled out and fidgeted with their fingers in their hoodie pocket. Trying to atleast push aside this upcoming conversation for another time.

"No, i won't forget it. Look i warned you from the beginning what i was, what i do. I told you not to get attached. I told you-"

"You act like this isn't your fault either! You fell in love with me too! You asked me to be yours! You were the one who said 'i love you' first!"

Spinner's eyes widened as he watched tears pool at the other's eyes. Unable to move and comfort them, although if he did he'd just be pushed away.

"You act like im some sort of leech that clung to you, like some burden you can't get rid of! Am i a chore to you shuichi?!"

More. More tears. More outcries. More truth.

More.

"All I've ever done for you is care! Unlike those others you parade around with who would gut you the second you slipped up!"

He knew it was true. He knew the others didn't really care about his health or well being. The cared about the objective.

"I've given you food, water, a place to sleep, medication,money, love, and support! I gave you everything I've ever owned and had no hesitation to it!"

Again more truth, arlo had given him everything he could have ever needed or asked for. Yet spinner seemed to never give them anything but more problems.

"Yet here we are! Standing on a damn rooftop and we're watching ourselves slip apart.." arlo's voice was soft now, crumbled from shouting. Crumbled from the truth.

"Arlo-"

"Don't talk to me. I wouldn't want to be a burden for you anymore. So just forget it."

With that, arlo moved finally. Past spinner and to the rusty old latter that allowed an exit to this all.

All spinner could do was stand there. His mind screaming for his body to move but it refused

-

Days had pass since that night. Spinner did just what was stated and kept quiet to arlo. Not wanting to bother them with anymore problems.

Yet somehow problems stirred even when he was gone.

Because that's just how the world works. Always trouble for someone to deal with.

-

"Alright I'm not gonna tell you again, hand over your money and valuables!"

Oh great, another wannabe criminal who steals with threats. Arlo sighed and looked to the man,

"I don't have any. So piss off would you?" Trying to scoot to one side of the alleyway, arlo just wanted to scoot past and let the guy go bother someone else.

"Don't move or I'll blow your fucking brains out!"

"Go ahead."

Two words that hung in the air heavily. The man was slightly shaking and still held the gun perfectly positioned to the others skull.

Click.

"I'm warning you-"

"You're stalling. A real criminal would just do it. If a real villan were here-"

BANG

-

"Good thing i was right?"

It happened in a flash. The gunshot went off and arlo's ears were ringing, but they didn't feel dead. No, arlo felt two hands quickly pushing their body out the way.

Looking up from the pavement, spinner was smiling wide. The man with the gun had been stabbed it looked like. However all arlo could notice was the gunshot wound in spinner's shoulder.

"That was close huh?" His voice was teetering from here to there and he finally stumbled down on the pavement too, clutching his shoulder and hissing.

Arlo slowly crawled to him and lightly touched his hand that was covering the wound. The feel of his tough scales was so inviting and familiar.

"You're hurt.."

"I'll live. Unlike you if i didn't intervene. What the hell were you thinking being so reckless with your words?"

"I thought..he was bluffing, I don't know. I felt like i had nothing else to loose.."

The both of them were quite now. The silence however didn't stop arlo from gently untying the mask spinner wore and moving his hand, snugly wrapping it around the wound.

The sigh that followed afterwards cut through the air and spinner turned to look the other in the eye,

"I'm sorry.."

"You're not the one that stormed off the roof that night shuichi-"

"No but i should have. I should have said you were right. I should have stopped you and said that i was sorry for being..well, for being me. You don't deserve a life like this, being ignored and having to take care of some sad sack of a villan."

"..yeah but i want to live life like this. I was to worry about you and take care of you. I want to desperately cling to you when you get home because you were in danger. I want to make you feel safe.."

The couple both smiled and took a moment to really reflect on what the other said. Both hearts running rapid like the two were in a highschool crush situation.

"I love you"

"I love you too. Now lets go clean that disgusting wound because all i smell is blood"

"Good idea im gettin' dizzy"

(Hey I'm not dead! Just really sick lol. Hopefully this is okay and yoy enjoy reading it!! Sorry it took so long!!))

[80srockher]

Yuri on Ice Re-Watch and Live Commentary, Episode 12: Final Skate: Gotta Super-Super-Supercharge It!!! Grand Prix Final Free Skate

It.  Is.  FINISHED.

You know that feeling when a fan-nish project is projected to take only a few weeks, during the Summer, mind you, but ends up spanning, oh, about three months?  I do, now.

**Begin rant** 

Me, too, Vitya!  End what, Yuri??

I mean, it's more than a little crazy that he thought this is something Victor would be relieved to here.  It's as if they have been existing on different planes of reality.

Listen. Victor has shed tears a grand total of two times in 12 episodes and both incidents involved Yuri.  Yet Yuri still doesn't think he’s important enough to merit more of his Victor’s time away from skating.  Just.  YURI. AUGH!!!

The actor's decision to read this line as if Yuri's revelation has not stabbed Victor in the heart is masterful.  There's only so much pretending the man is capable of.

This is hella relatable as someone who also doesn't want to be touched when I'm upset by THE VERY PERSON WHO UPSET ME.  Give him a minute to process this, Yuri.

This is just a horrible, horrible cap.  Vitya is thoroughly in kicked-puppy-mode.

Um, did you ignore absolutely everything else that occurred afterwards?  Including when he straight-up said to your face that he wishes you'd never retire?

Don't fire him, Yuri!

Yuri was really out there listenin' to friends instead of Victor.  How many times did Victor ignore the others' entreaties to return to competition to remain his coach?  Don't join that Greek chorus. Yuri.      

I beg to differ.  He's always concerned about your well-being, which is why you gave him an expensive-ass symbol of devotion and put it on his ring finger.  Good God, boy.

This inspiration thing goes both ways, Yuri.  LISTEN TO VICTOR.  He is telling you what HE wants In This Moment.  Not what YOU think is best for HIM.    

Like hell! You two hash this out right now!

**End rant**

Look, a skater who was popular back when I used to watch.  LOL.  Stephane L-l-l-l-lambiel!

So, sports reporter Marooka remarks about how Yuri hasn't been seen practicing in public since the day after the short program, which has worried his fans (see, Yuri, you have FANS.)  You mean to tell me Yuri and Victor have been at odds with each other for two whole days now?!?!

Cartoon!Lambiel picks up on Yuri and Victor's uncharacteristically low energy.

You don't say, Stephane.

Also: Victor knows Stephane, personally.  What a celeb.

At least flag guy has re-energized himself since JJ's short program.

"Don't eff it up."

"Don't eff it up."

"Don't eff it up."

He eff'd it up.

Wow, shades of Yuri from episode one.

Deep, bro.

Aww! The parents in this show are the best cheerleaders.  If only there was time during the season to meet all of them.  I'd def like to see Phichit's parents.

So, JJ's dad is reminiscing on some of his son's past coaches.  Celestino, then played by Peg Bundy, was one of them.

Also…. I'm really curious as to what JJ needed to say yes to.

Damn you, Mickey Lannister Crispino!  Hands off!

Seung Gil! What an awesome cameo.  

I don't know much about scoring in figure skating but this seems a mite high for a program that was mostly jumps.

Yay! No other comment needed.

Phichit's ice-show dreams are as adorable as he is.  Christophe with a hamster cap is utterly, utterly charming.  I would fork over cold, hard blood plasma donation cash to see this in person.

It shouldn't be like this between them; especially not when Yuri plans to end his competitive career, here.

And really, why is Yuri so upset with Victor?  I suspect Yuri's selfishness runs deeper than either of them realize. IMO, he's afraid Victor might come to resent him if he retires from skating to coach him, then regrets it.

But honestly, Yuri should know Victor better than that by now.

Despite everything, Victor is still trying to be the coach Yuri needs.

But… Yuri doesn't want Victor to play coach right now.

So tickle his fancy, Victor.

Um…

Victor has an interesting sense of humor.

Also, he did win the one against the teenagers at the local comp.  Though I have no idea if a qualifier is considered part of the Senior circuit.

Yeah, katsudon's not the only way to celebrate, Yuri.  Victor wants to really give you something worth winning for.

This is just an R&B song waiting to happen.

Hmm… whatever could you mean, Yuri?

I really love how they've cut Yuri's long program with clips of Victor from Yuri's memory.  It's a visual culmination of a journey.

Ahh, that's what he meant about making up his mind about his goal.  And that's why he wanted Victor to stop playing at being coach.  Because he wasn't going to listen to him, anyway.  You know, the usual.

Yuri's internal dialogue during his routine reveals his desire to stay in figure skating with Victor forever and his fear of killing Victor's career if he remains Yuri's coach.  Victor… have you not shared with the man how competition was already slowly killing you? Might wanna do that sometime in the very, very near future.

Yuri… just loves Victor.  He can't always articulate how much, but he can show it.  His program is one big tribute to Victor and Yuri's desire to prove everyone how much Victor means to him as a coach and an inspiration.

And Victor gets the message loud and clear.

Mari+Minako are, yet again, Me.

Something I should've wondered by now is how half-blind Yuri can tell where Victor is standing.

The monkey-on-his-back that is Anxiety.

Seriously, you performed to the absolute best of your ability, Yuri.  Relax.  Relate. Release.  

Wowsa, dude.

Sooooo, Victor has just congratulated Yuri on his record-breaking performance and implies that he might come back to competition in the same breath he confesses his pride in both his pupils.  The possibility of Victor's return delights Yuri to no-end but gives me pause.  A lot of pause.

Victor. My dude.  Are you just trying not to ruin the mood?  Because quite honestly, one of the very valuable lessons you should've learned on this journey is that a little selfishness can be a good thing.  I know you want to make a grand gesture after Yuri's grand gesture but YOU CAN'T BOTH KEEP MAKING GRAND GESTURES.  You'll hurt yourselves trying to show the world your love.  

Moving on... Chris is on the ice, having serious thoughts about how Yuri, who was rumored to retire after the GPF, beat his personal best.  He laments that it won't be as easy for him to win gold as he first thought.

Then he witnesses the happy couple doing their thing.

And gets distracted.  

This is in regards to Victor.  Chris is rethinking his initial calculation of GPF - Victor = gold for him.

Aww, Chris is Phichit's buddy.  Why am I not surprised?

This scene is after Chris decides to change an earlier jump composition to the second half of his program.  Can't say he's not a fighter.

Dawww, Minako.

Really? That's it?!  By my estimation, that program was better than JJ's.  What am I missing?

Boo, this is the last time I'll see my babe, Leo.

But I concur.  Go, Otabek! I'm fond of his music choices, skating, and his costumes.  

So, Victor finds Yakov to tell him he wants to return to competition.  I mean, it couldn’t have waited until after Yurio’s skate, V?

Once upon a time, news of Victor's return may have pleased Yurio.  Now, his first concern is Yuri.  

And Victor is Not.  Happy. About this.  He’s about to cry here, tbqh.

Annnnd he requires immediate comfort.  This is sad. More than sad, when I consider Victor is letting Yuri call the shots, here.  Competing again should be Victor's own decision, as well.

Yeah, that's good advice to pass along, Victor.

I've been debating as to whether or not I should parse out the intricacies of Victor's isolation.  Honestly, I think the writers did a well-enough job of it.  I suppose I still wonder, as many others have, about his family.

I'll go out on a limb and assume he has or had people in his life that taught him to love like he does and to treat other people kindly.  One doesn't learn those sorts of things in a vacuum.  However, I headcanon Victor as having been scouted and, once recruited, moved closer to a training facility, a la these athletes.

So, isolated?  Yes. Friend-less and family-less?  I doubt it, or at least it wasn't always that way.

Meanwhile, Yuri's looking for his man.  Perhaps to tell him that he's already changed his mind about retiring?  In that case, please, look harder Yuri!

Just needed to slide in this cap of Mila getting sprung by Otabek's skating.  Good taste, Mila.

I don't know who JJ has in his pocket on the judging panel, but Otabek just completed a perfect program AND he was ahead of JJ after the short program.  Logic would dictate he'd be ahead of JJ now. But, do as you will, YOI.

This is in regards to Yuri.  In flashbacks during Yurio's routine, we discover that he was actually impressed with Yuri's prior GPF free skate, despite the errors.  It was only after he found Yuri crying in the bathroom stall that he lost respect for him.  Must be Yurio's special brand of encouragement: "Stop crying, get better, or get out of the game!"  Yeah. That must be it.

Anyway, now Yurio has changed his tune and doesn't want Yuri to retire, at all. Cute.

Lilia is so proud of her angry, pseudo- son.

 Yurio completes his most difficult program ever with only one fall.  During his skate, it's revealed that part of his motivation was to become a new goal for Yuri to surpass.  That's nice and all, but not at the expense of your own health, Yurio.

I don't think Yuri would want that for him, either.

Yurio defeats Yuri by a sliver of a margin.  I will admit to initially being surprised by the result before considering (and re-considering, after this re-watch) a few things:

Yurio won because it's entirely possible he may not win again for at least a little while.

His lack of stamina is well-documented, he's in the Senior circuit with grown men who can, and have, beat him already, and he's yet to hit a growth spurt. If the series continues into a second season, then I foresee the writers exploring these very realistic scenarios for Yurio.

This is partially why I don't predict Yurio achieving what Victor has, at least not right away.  There's not enough drama in that narrative to fill up an entire season, IMO.

Or, at the very least, they'll use Yurio to address the conflict over becoming as isolated as Victor has during his struggle to maintain dominance in the sport.

Yurio won because the name of the show is 'Yuri on Ice’.

Also, if the writers decide to have Yuri eventually retire (because he is of that age), then they don't even have to change the show’s title.  How convenient.

Last, and what I think is obviously implied in this episode: Yurio won so that Yuri would change his mind about retiring.

However… Yuri had already changed his mind.  And his biggest motivator in that decision was still Victor, so… kinda wish they hadn't made Yurio go out and suffer like that for no good reason. Honestly, there's little chance of him repeating this performance.

Anyway….

Awww! Yay!

So, Victor's in a teasing mood after Yuri presents him with his well-earned silver medal. Victor insists that he only wants to kiss gold.  So, what do you have that would be a suitable substitute, Yuri?

Eff that medal Yuri just unceremoniously dropped to the ground in preference to hopping in Victor's lap.  Coach me for another year, Victor!

What a lovely step forward for our boy, Yuri.  He didn't win gold but, all joking aside, Victor doesn't care.  Yuri’s next gold medal will be a token to Victor, instead of unnecessary proof that he was worth Victor’s time, all along.

Besides, I think he’s already given Victor the only golden item he truly wants.

But, I mean, only if you WANT to, Victor.  Are you afraid Yuri will change his mind if you change yours?  I hope that's not the case.

 Apparently, this is the only payment Victor will accept for coaching Yuri. Ok, so you're going to compete and hopefully earn some sponsorship money to pay your own bills all while coaching someone else for free?  Do we need to have a 'Victor on Ice,' a show about Victor re-learning the value of doing one thing at a time?

Roll credits!

How sweet!

The serendipity that is cartoon-world.  "I want to coach a skater from another country while also competing for my own country and you can't stop me because I'm animated!"

or

"I want to do a pair skate with my coach for my exhibition.  Know why?  Because the writers say I can!!  Ha!"

Anyway, this is romantic AF.

Cut to this adorbs face...

Running towards this one, here.

And yeah. WE'D BETTER.  Because their story isn’t over!

 The End!

If you managed to get through my all streams of consciousness, full of bad screencaps and even worse grammar, then I humbly and sincerely thank you!  I enjoyed doing it and hope you enjoyed reading it.  

[exploringfiction]

Yuri On Ice - Groundbreaking representation or cheap fanservice?

DISCLAIMER! This is all my own opinion. If you disagree with what i say, ignore the post, or better, start a debate with what you think, and I’ll be happy to discuss our points of view.

If you’ve had any sort of internet connection in recent months, you’ve heard of Yuri On Ice, the ice-skating anime that’s taken the internet by storm. The hype grew out of nowhere - Yuri On Ice (YOI) has no manga or light novel source material. The show grew so massive for one reason; at face value, YOI is centred around two male ice skaters who fall in love. Yes, I said at face value, because on further inspection into the anime, the two ‘romantic leads’ never actually confirm their relationship. So why all the fuss?

The premise

Yuri on Ice starts out as the story of Yuri Katsuki (YK), a figure skater with anxiety who majorly messes up his skate in the Grand Prix Final (a skating competition), thus coming last place and losing his self-confidence. So far, so basic shounen sports anime. He goes back to Japan, where *plot twist* his childhood idol Viktor Nikiforov (VN) is chilling in the bath, and says he will be YK’s personal skating instructor. This causes some beef between YK and Yuri Plisetsky (YP), who VN had earlier promised to train. The rest of the story is YK overcoming his anxiety and performing in competitions, and the season ends with him placing second after YP in the Grand Prix. With fanservice.

Why does everyone think it’s gay?

Firstly, YOI started out strong with astronomically high levels of homoerotic fanservice. Like, higher than Free! levels of fanservice. In the first episode alone, VN turns up naked in YK’s home, and makes sexually charged statements, such as asking to ‘sleep’ with YK. The turning point however, from Free! knockoff to ‘hey this might actually be LGBT rep’ was the infamous ‘kiss’ in episode 7. Of course, there is a slight issue with this scene.

We don’t actually see the kiss.

This was chalked up by the fandom to gay censorship by Japanese television, however this is not actually true. M/M kisses have been shown on television multiple times, the most notable examples in recent years being NO.6, Mirai Nikki and Shinsekai Yori. This is when the first alarm bells go off, because this is blatant queerbaiting. The promise of a kiss that is never seen and could be easily put down as a hug is Grade A, perfect queerbaiting. This is furthered in episode 10, where YK and VN exchange rings in a romantic style, yet YK insists that they are good luck charms, and VN jokes that he will only marry YK if he wins the Grand Prix. The relationship remains unconfirmed, although there is a pair skate after the credits on the final episode, although this is also not confirmed as a ‘couple skate’.

But what’s the issue, you ask? The relationship is never explicitly stated, yet you can quite easily infer that it is canon, as most of the fandom has. Well, ask yourself - if the couple in question was straight, would this even be a question? The answer is no. Straight couples in romances almost always make the relationship explicit, whether that be through a direct confession or a kiss on the lips. As YOI stands, it is similar to Free! in that the romance can only be inferred, although it certainly has a lot more ‘proof’ (and less actual plot, if we’re being honest here).

Many members of the fandom would disagree, but I firmly believe that YOI is a queerbait anime, and that YK/VN is not canon.

The pros

As much as YOI may be queerbaiting, it did manage to do some good things.

The soundtrack. The opening was an instant hit among fans, and I personally loved the ending theme.

The scenery shots. Although the skating animation left much to be desired, the slower and more scenery-based shots were beautifully drawn.

The diversity. The other skaters were from a range of countries, including Thailand, Kazakstan, China, and Canada, and the USA was represented by a Latino, which was lovely as we do not usually see these nationalities represented.

The side characters. Not going to lie, I thought some of the side characters were better developed than the two mains, especially JJ, Phichit, Otabek, and YP (does he count as a side character?).

YK didn’t win! Now there’s a deviation from a popular trope.

Georgi Popovich. That is all.

The cons (don’t hate me i beg)

The characterisation of YK and VN. I felt like YK was a bland character, with only the anxiety as a real character quirk. TBH, he felt like a self-insert character for the watcher to project their own personality onto. VN didn’t have much of a personality and seemed to be put there as a saviour character/love interest for YK.

YK’s character design. Just my opinion, but I felt like his design was bland and standard anime protag-ish.

The skating animation. Kind of beating a dead horse here but yeah, it’s iffy. They also reused a lot of sequences and spent waaaay too much time on the competition skates, which got kind of boring after a while.

The plot. It was very stereotypical - protag meets saviour who teaches them shizz and they go on to do GREAT THINGS.

The fanservice. I’m not judging anyone who likes a bit of fanservice (I’m not impartial myself), but to me the fanservice in YOI was creepy and left a bad taste in my mouth. However that’s just how I felt, so don’t feel bad if you enjoyed it. Better in anime than real life eh?

So why is it so popular?

If you’ve come this far, and have never seen YOI, you may be wondering, ‘but how did this mediocre show come so far?’ YOI has enjoyed insane popularity - it crashed Crunchyroll and Tumblr when the final episode aired, and it took the Crunchyroll awards by storm, taking home first place in every category it was nominated in (it was decided by popular vote). Some people (me) would even call it the biggest anime since Attack on Titan, due to the amount of non-’otaku’ viewers - that is, people who do not usually watch anime.

My theory is this. Despite YOI being a pretty mediocre show, the creators know their target audience incredibly well. The teenage girl. What do teenage girls, especially those who like anime, tend to be into? Gay boys.

Usually shows aimed at this demographic go one of two ways. The way of Free!  where there is plenty of fanservice, and lots of homoerotic tension, but nothing is ever canon, or goes as far as creating a believable but not canon romance. Or the way of Diabolik lovers, where there is a reverse harem situation, with the girl’s personality so bland that the audience can project their own personality onto her and ‘live’ the romance through a proxy. Maybe with some sexual tension between the boys for laughs (and shippers)

So what did YOI do? It combined the two. It took a bland protagonist, and mixed it with a very heavily implied gay romance, and stuffed it into a plot about ice skating. It then added moderate fanservice, but nothing too strong that would force it into a sort of reverse-ecchi genre. Combine this with a couple of moments that will convince the fans that the relationship is real (and to add interest to the show), and you have the perfect anime for teenage girls.

And it paid off. Sales of YOI Blu-rays and merch are extremely high, and the fanbase is massive enough to call it a total success. I admire YOI to be honest for knowing their target demographic so darn well. To be honest, I think the reason they didn’t make YK/VN canon was to avoid any potential homophobic backlash, but if they had made it explicit I think the show would be just as, if not more popular. And despite not being a canon romance, YOI has indeed sparked a larger discussion about LGBT representation in media, and the fandom has certainly shown showrunners that gay couples = big money. Hopefully, more anime, and indeed Western, directors, will notice the success of YOI and use it to create shows with legitimate LGBT leads and romances. And if you are a fan of YOI, don’t worry! Just because I dislike the show does not mean you are wrong or bad for loving it, canon couple or not. That’s the great thing about opinion!

Who knows, maybe after all the positive feedback, VN/YK will become canon in season 2?

TL;DR: Yuri On Ice is certainly a queerbait in my opinion, due to Viktor and Yuri not being a canon couple. However, the show has still opened up a valuable dialogue about LGBT rep in media, and has shown that a show with a leading gay ‘romance’ can be just as successful as one with a straight couple.

Thank you for reading!

- H

[feministfujoshi]

Hey there! Curious about what you think of yuri on ice!

Hi! Thank you for this question–I adore Yuri!!! on Ice. It’s a little embarrassing how much I love it, actually. Since I’m answering this question on this specific blog, it’s important to me to be clear that I don’t think YoI is BL; the anime is TV-original, so it’s not marked for a specific demographic the way most manga are, and neither Sayo Yamamoto nor Mitsurou Kubo have previously worked on BL projects. Also, Yamamoto in particular has depicted same-gender sexual and romantic attractions/relationships in her previous directorial works Michiko and Hatchin and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, so to me it seems more likely that she’s continuing in that vein rather than having…suddenly developed an interest in BL. 

Matt Thorn, an awesome translator and shojo manga scholar, has actually said that YoI feels more like yuri than BL to her. I can’t say whether I agree, as I just…don’t read yuri (I wish I did!) but I think it’s a fascinating take on the series.

That said, although BL is a unique genre with a complex history and not just ‘every gay anime thing that comes out of Japan,’ some of the problems people have with it (specifically that it’s for girls) extend to media otherwise outside its parameters. I think Yamamoto’s statement regarding how she wanted Michiko and Hatchin to be recieved indicates that she is a director who values and actively courts a female audience, and this in combination with all the uh, lovingly drawn shots of Victor and Chris’ asses suggest that, by extension, YoI is a series that values and actively courts a female audience. This post theorizes that YoI uses the same techniques as fujoshi bait series to please its intended audience, and that there’s a disconnect between how that language is understood in Western and Japanese fandom. I think this is an argument that deserves to be heard, and I really can’t speak to different viewership dynamics in Japan as opposed to the West, but there are definitely alternate perspectives—Jacob Chapman has talked on twitter about how he’s seen fujoshi and fangirls be overwhelmed and baffled because YoI so clearly violates the “contract” referred to in the previous post.

There are also a lot of outdated ideas and misinformation about BL floating around the internet that play into the debate about whether YoI is Real LGBT Representation–for example, BL has come under fire from Japanese gay men, but there are also a significant amount of gay men who do read and enjoy it, and it’s possible that this population is growing. An Australian scholar in Japanese Studies doing work on sexuality and masculinity in Japanese gay media, Thomas Baudinette, just published a paper on Japanese gay men’s attitudes toward gay manga and BL. It’s research with a very small sample size focused on qualitative, rather than quantitative data, but very interesting! 

I definitely have a limited perspective on this, as I’m neither a working academic in this field of study nor a Japanese gay man, but everything I’ve read suggests that there just isn’t any clear consensus. Of course, that makes it really, really important to listen carefully to dissenting voices, to people who are saying things I disagree with or dislike, so I genuinely hope people with all different perspectives on YoI and BL will feel comfortable responding to this post if they have something to add!

I do think YoI is remarkable for its delightful, diverse cast, well-developed supporting female characters, and moving themes on the nature of love. I don’t think the series makes any sense if you try to argue that the Victor/Yuri relationship is purely platonic and the romance is just subtext meant to tantalize fujoshi (again, I don’t think there’s a single, clearly defined target audience for this show, although Yamamoto has expressed a strong desire to speak to women in her work and her public statements–think about that what you will.) I don’t think the ep 7 kiss was obscured because of Japanese censorship oh my god, y'all. I think YoI is a very enjoyable, very charming series about a gay relationship made under the primary creative direction of two straight women supported by a whole team of writers and animators we–or at least I–know very little about. This is something that also happens in the West sometimes! Having that limited perspective always affects the nature and execution of a story, which is in part why it’s so vital for LGBT people to tell our own stories (and Japanese LGBT people are telling their own stories), but that doesn’t automatically make the result stealth fetishization.

I do love this show, I loved watching it every week during the fall and sharing that feeling of excitement and community with fellow fans on the internet. I don’t think it’s a perfect show, and I don’t think the creators are perfect people, but by accident or effort–or maybe both! they made something that means a lot to a lot of people and I do think that’s valuable.  

Here’s some other great analytical writing on YoI:

So That I Could Be Myself: Gender performance in Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju and Yuri!!! on ICE by Dee of The Josei Next Door on AnimeFeminist

Yuri!!! on ICE and the Ambition of Sayo Yamamoto by Brandon Teteruck on Crunchyroll

Yuri on Ice: The Kotaku Review by Cecilia D'Anastasio on (obviously) Kotaku

And Gabriella Ekens’ weekly recaps on ANN.

Plus, useful meta from tumblr! @spurisani has great writing on how Japanese culture informs the series, my favorites being this post on Victor and Yuri’s rings and this one on the concepts of uchi and soto in episode 7; The Lost in Translation post from @lookiamnotcreative also acts as a great supplement to Crunchyroll’s subs, showing how difficult and complex translation is while also providing extra insight into the nuances of the original Japanese script.

[mosaicabstract]

Queer Baiting vs. Queer Coding: A Discourse on Yuri on Ice and other media

Sup kiddos. Listen. The Yuri on Ice finale came out two weeks and some change ago, and ever since, I’ve seen a lot of people complaining about how the show didn’t end with a kiss or a wedding or a solid, physical confirmation that Yuuri and Viktor are, indeed, your friendly neighborhood gays. Others are saying that because of this, the show intentionally queer baited its viewers, and that Viktuuri is not, in fact, canon because of it. 

Well I’m going to spend the next however long, as someone who has a bachelor's degree in film and has written lengthy essays about this very topic in the past, explaining why that’s a big pile of poo!! 

(Disclaimer: I apologize if anyone is offended by the word ‘queer’. I’m using is solely because it is the word used in both of the terms I will be discussing). 

Okay, so first, I need you to understand the historical and cultural context of what we call “queer coding”. Queer coding, in film theory, is the implicit and subtle coding of characters to be LGBTQA+ without every explicitly saying it or showing it on screen/in literature/etc. I like to think about coding as kind of an inside joke: if you’re ‘in the know’, you get it. If you’re not, it goes right over your head. For decades, queer coding was the only way that anyone non-straight or non-cis could have any sort of representation in media. Old Hollywood is riddled with some of the best, most subversive queer coding. One of my absolute favorite examples is an Alfred Hitchcock film called Rope. Rope is a thriller about two young, handsome men living in a penthouse apartment together in New York who decide to commit a murder for the fun of it, throw the corpse in a giant chest, and then serve the dead guy’s family and friends a dinner party on top of the chest. It’s morbid and dark, but what intrigues me the most about it is that the two men are, if you’re looking for it, clearly homosexual. It’s never stated. It’s never shown. But they simply are, and if you look closely, you can tell they are through various character traits and wink wink nudge nudge lines in the script. This was much later confirmed by the man who wrote Rope, Arthur Laurents, who was himself gay, and was in a romantic relationship with one of the lead actors, Farley Granger (John Dall, the other lead, was also gay) (x). This was an utter act of subversion. It was a rebellious act, as were all queer codings back then, to have representation in media. (Side note: When I took a class on Hitchcock I read a book by an author I can’t quite remember, and he had an anecdote in his book about being a teenager and going to see Rope in theaters, and coming out in tears and so happy because it was the first time he’d ever realized people like him even existed. Queer coding is HUGELY important in the history of queer media and queer representation.)

Coding still happens today, as well. Just because gay marriage is legal in the US doesn’t mean the fight is anywhere near over (but it’s not like that’s some huge secret). Out and Proud queer media is often a rather niche platform. Film and television are starting to be better about having queer representation, but often it’s either fetishized, pushed to the background, or made into tragedy. Rare and far between are there just like, your average happy-go-lucky shows or films that capture a non-het romance in a normal light. It almost always, still, ends in tragedy. “Bury your gays” is a phrase for a reason, folks. Also in more conservative cultures (such as Japan, where gay marriage hasn’t been universally legalized, and discrimination against LGBTQA+ people is still technically legal (x)), queer coding is a valuable tool for telling queer stories and finding representation. 

Now, we’re going to talk about queer baiting, which is also a thing that happens, but is not the same as queer coding. The difference may be subtle to some people, but it’s there, and it’s all about intent of content and treatment of LGBTQA+ viewers and fans. Where queer coding is done for the benefit of queer viewers, queer baiting is done at the expense of queer viewers. Let’s face it, with fandom culture and non-straight or non-cis people desperately seeking representation and validation from popular media, having a queer relationship/character is a cash cow for a show or film. However, either due to networks or investors or homophobia of certain actors/crew members etc, certain media might find it difficult to just have characters like this. Some certain shows (I’ve especially found this is a trend in television shows... you know the ones) have decided to exploit that interest in the possibility of a homosexual relationship between two (usually male) characters, and they lead their audiences on and make them believe that it’s a thing, only to bring back in ye olde mighty fist of ‘no homo’ heteronormativity and crush everyone’s hopes and dreams, time and time again. (I would argue, at this point, Supernatural makes 99% of its revenue from queer baiting...)

So! Let’s discuss now why YOI isn’t queer baiting, but is, in fact, queer coding (aka why dem bitches be gay af):

I mentioned earlier that Japan is a more conservative place when it comes to homosexuality. It isn’t illegal to be homosexual there, like it is in some places, but there are no laws that protect homosexual people from discrimination, they can’t marry, they can’t be recognized as married (in most places), they can’t adopt, etc. Often, homosexuality portrayed in Japanese media is extremely fetishized and stereotyped. This isn’t all-inclusive. There are some really, really positive strides being made toward queer representation in Japanese media. And honestly, YOI is one of them. And for the record, no, reading the wiki on LGBT rights in Japan doesn’t make me an expert on what it’s like to be gay or trans in Japan. All I have are online testimonies and actual laws, so feel free to comment on that if you know more than I do (which isn’t hard at all). 

Back to YOI. It wasn’t easy to get this thing made. They had to fight to get aired in the first place, only to get relegated to being aired in the middle of the night. I’m not sure if anyone expected them to become the international hit that they did, with millions of watchers all over the world. But, already hanging on by a thread to get aired in the first place, they had to walk a delicate line between getting the green light and bringing you the gay love story of your dreams. 

Because that’s what YOI is. It’s a gay love story. The skating is a platform that they use through which to tell the gay love story,  but at the very core of the show, YOI is about two people who fall in love. 

But Rachel, you say, there’s no confirmation! Nothing from the show to validate their love to the audience! How are we supposed to think it isn’t queerbaiting?!? 

Because it is validated, children. It’s consummated, if you will. Here’s why: 

YOI relies heavily on established genre conventions of romance. Pining, lust, blushing, hugging, etc etc etc. There isn’t a single moment in the show that tells you that it’s just bros being bros, y’know? There’s never that Supernatural No Homo Moment™. But there’s also never a moment where their love is, in the traditional sense, explicitly shown. Why? Because their love is explicitly laid out and shown to you through the grand euphemism of figure skating. 

Think of figure skating as the invisible thread that ties it all (and them) together. They meet because of figure skating. Viktor becomes Yuuri’s coach. Viktor uses figure skating to get Yuuri to love himself and regain his confidence in himself. Viktor puts his own figure skating career on hold for Yuuri. At almost every single performance, Viktor and Yuri have a Moment together, because the ice is the purest form of their love. It’s where Yuuri expresses his love to Viktor. (I mean, for f*ck’s sake, Yuuri’s theme of the season is ‘love on ice’. I even read a meta somewhere that says in Japanese the title can be translated to ‘love on ice’ as well.) It’s love. Their love. On Ice. That’s it. That’s the show. 

Yuuri’s experience skating reflects his experience being in love with Viktor. It starts out shy, embarrassed, self-conscious, and a little inexperienced. But it grows and grows as the season goes on, to show Yuuri taking more risks and gaining confidence. He gets into skating because of Viktor, and Viktor goes back to skating because of him. Their love is directly correlated to skating. 

If you think of their skating as an explicit euphemism for their love story, then the rings? A real engagement. 

(C’MON PEOPLE. Romantic setting. Soft mood lighting. Sliding gold rings onto each others’ fingers. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT)

The pair skate at the end? Their marriage. 

(y’all... full offense but like... matching suits? in front of a ton of people? THE LYRICS OF ‘STAY CLOSE TO ME’ BECOMING A DUET? THEY’RE MARRIED OK gif credit: x)

The kiss? Well...

(CONGRATS IT’S A FUCKING KISS, JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE LIP TO LIP CONTACT, DO YOU HONESTLY THINK IT’S ANYTHING ELSE??? gif credit: x)

Once you stop thinking of things literally and wondering why you didn’t get a steamy make-out scene post GPF final, you will honestly be free. Because for all intents and purposes, that pair skate was either a marriage or a sex scene, depending on how you’d like to interpret it. Point is: it shows them consummating their love. Are you following? If their skating represents their love and finally they’re both skating together... Harold, are you listening? Harold... HAROLD.

Another show I love to compare this to is Hannibal. And I know a lot of people have various issues with Hannibal and the moral implications of it and I’m right there with you bud but if you take a step back and look at it as a heavily queer coded piece of media, a very distinct comparison can be made to the end of Hannibal and the end of Yuri on Ice (I know... I know... but STAY WITH ME HERE OK??). Hannibal was made by Bryan Fuller, an out gay man, and although it’s total possible for gay people to write straight characters (obviously!!!!!!!!!!!! kill that gross stereotype!!!!!!!!!!) it makes the queer coding a little more... apparent. (Warning: Spoilers and also... mentions of gore and violence ahoy)

What skating is to Viktor and Yuuri’s love is what murder is to Hannibal and Will’s love (as fucked up as that is). And how do they end the show? With Will and Hannibal (in the most homoerotic way possible) murdering a dude together, viscerally, and then holding each other, covered in blood. Do you see what I’m saying? IT WAS A SEX SCENE. IT WAS A MARRIAGE. JUST BECAUSE THERE WASN’T THRUSTING OR MAKING OUT DOESN’T MEAN IT WASN’T THERE. It’s what’s beautiful about queer coding. We all watch it and go “Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” whereas all the homophobes watch it and it goes right over their stupid heads and into the void. But yeah, like how the pair skate was Yuuri and Viktor consummating their love, Will and Hannibal fuckin destroying a dude together and then falling off a cliff was them consummating their love. 

In conclusion? YOI didn’t queer bait you. The contrary. It gave you a beautiful gay relationship with a happy ending and a promise for more. Let me reiterate that: it gave you a beautiful, 100% canon gay relationship with a happy ending and a promise for more. You just have to squint a little. Read between the lines. Take your Straight Goggles™ that traditional media have glued to your lil noggin right off and realize that you’re not imagining it and they’re not doing it to fool you. They want you to see it. They want you to know that Viktor and Yuuri are in love. They just have to do it in a way where they can maybe get green lit for another season because the world is still a shit place and homophobes still exist, kapish? 

Look. This isn’t some theory. I’m not saying this like I think it might be the case. No. I know this. I would bet my entire life on it. Trust me. I will not lead you astray. Viktor and Yuuri are in love. You know this. I know this. Kubo knows this. 

(gif credit x)

[animentality]

You know what cracks me up?

This post: https://animentality.tumblr.com/post/155433492444/you-know-something-i-love-about-yuri-on-ice

You see…

Yuri on ice fans are absolutely wonderful at constructing poetry and using their words to Create meanings and romance in all kinds of places. They use their big boy vocabularies to speak about the complexity and passion and sophistication of yuri on ice’s story, its representation, what it means to the queer community, and the loving nature of its creator, Kubo, who in her beauty and wisdom has decided to share with us her magnum opus, and praise be to her.

They use pretty words to paint a pretty picture of something that never existed, like a unicorn or a fairy, but don’t you want it to exist, shouldn’t it exist? It exists now, you’re sure of it, you bit your teeth on it and with your ears ringing, you can say I felt it, I tasted it, it’s real, it must be there. They taste what’s shaped like victory and crow on every community on the Internet how they’ve tasted the finest of flavors and are never going back.

They come at me with unbridled enthusiasm when I question logic, events, and the true meaning of their anime.

They come at me when I criticize the writing, the poor animation, the pathetic attempts to arouse me with pole dancing and grinding. They come after my morals and my personality and ask me why can’t you see what I see, are we watching the same show? They say this mockingly, as though they think I suffer from dementia, as though I’m seeing things that are not there.

And yet.

And yet this post remains untouched by any bitterness from yoi fans.

Why is that, do you think, casual follower?

Engage with me and discuss with me why…

When I simply use my words and refer to something in the show, I have people “countering” me, gleefully taking to the frontline with their bayonets and their horses ready for the charge…

But when I use actual evidence.

From the show, with very little words, comparatively I mean…

Not a peep from them?

Not a little squeak.

Not a squeal of a rusty bayonet. Not a huff of a single horse. All is quiet on the revolutionary front as well.

You might have an answer, but I have the right one.

The answer is that writers are fucking liars.

And you can write anything in the world and make it sound like a treasure, like a precious heirloom or a valuable stone, but that doesn’t change anything.

Words can’t make a rock a diamond.

Words can’t make a steaming sack of horse shit a sack of gold.

Words are only good for…well.

Lying.

Lying through your filthy rotten scum-ridden teeth and expecting me not to respond with my own words, but knowing if I do, your charlatan ways will merely outmaneuver them, well dearest.

I have more than words, I have a mind that thinks above even them, I have receipts, and I have small, but effective weapons, first of which is sarcasm, a javelin capable of puncturing even the most bloated, and monstrous of enemies, a method of discourse that bites harsher and truer than a rattlesnake.

I have cold hard, ugly evidence, words cannot lie around it, cannot turn it into lies, not for the sharp observers, nor even for the dull, if they care to look, and I have more than anything, the desire to see more than lies on this site.

Even if such content only comes from me.