#yoi critical

[viktortittiforov]

breaks my heart how often i see people posting yoi fanart/fanfic after a long time of not engaging w the fandom say that they "know the fandom is pretty much dead". like babes i get why you'd think that but we are very much still here alive and kickin!! sure there's less of us now but i see new fanfics being posted on AO3 almost every day. not even just oneshots either, there's super elaborate multichapter fics too! people are still writing meta and drawing amazing fanart and translating interviews and doing art collabs etc etc. there's even an active discord server (maybe even more than one but i don't know about the others). that's not what a dead fandom looks like. we're LOYAL

[aymayzing]

I'm sorry but I waited years for a new Dragon Age game. I got it and I enjoyed it. I have some issues with the game of course, but all in all I got exactly what I expected: some new characters to love, good main storyline quests, fun new areas to explore and a bunch of lore.

I am not letting people bum me out, I have enough of that already so I am unfollowing some blogs that don't tag their critical takes at least temporarily

[yaoiconnoisseur]

Please don’t ban me tumblr, it’s literally just nipples ;-;

[ For the YOTW 2023 Pride Celebration event prompt Discovering Kinks ]

[grayintogreen]

The tinkly piano behind Raj and Elsie is serving some doomed 1940’s lovers energy and stimulating a part of my brain otherwise gone dormant.

[arom-antix]

Happy birthday to Phichit Chulanont, the wonderful boi

[cosmiclion]

Rewatching Yuri!!! On Ice for that serotonin and while I still love it, I’m sorry but I have to say it… the whole thing about Yuuri’s weight at the beginning (even if it's two episodes or so) is a bit uncomfortable to watch, especially coming from an otherwise refreshing show where other forms of oppression like queerphobia don’t exist. Of course I've seen worse and this is nothing compared to other series, but it has two instances of characters forcibly removing part of his clothing to expose his stomach, something that's visibly humiliating for him, and Viktor calling his body a pig’s body and calling him piggy not too long after declaring he’s gonna be his coach (I know he keeps referring to him as piggy after he loses weight and I've seen a few explanations that using baby animal names as terms of endearment is a Russian thing, but this is still a deliberate choice that the writers made) and Yurio also calling him a pig (again, I know Yurio keeps calling him a pig even after he loses weight probably because that’s just the way he is, but it’s still weird), and while I love them as characters and love Viktor and Yuuri together, again, that's uncomfortable to watch. And of course the whole thing is treated as a joke because apparently fat people remain the last acceptable demography to openly and overtly humiliate and make fun of with little to no repercussion 😐 (Personally, I like to imagine that the characters quickly grew out of it, maybe it’s a way of coping but I don’t think that’d be too unrealistic in that show’s universe. I've seen a lot of fanworks of Viktor finding Yuuri's off season tummy adorable and tbh I love it, I like to imagine he only thinks Yuuri should lose weight to avoid injuries when skating and he just sucks at wording it).

(This is and will always be one of my favorite series and it still brings me so much joy and I plan to make a lot of fanart of it; I just think these things should be brought up and discussed).

(P.S. ppl who try to start shit on this post will catch a block, I’m not engaging with you so don’t bother, if you've never been called a fat pig yourself then good for you).

(Edited to reword some thoughts add a few more).

[myteensyweensypeensie]

Noone is not one word.

[quinn-of-aebradore]

THE CLOUD JAWS

SKY WHALES

[lillazyboithings]

No thoughts, just eating spaghetti using chopsticks during Noche Buena

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

V2 is a silly little guy to me. Dramatic above all else. Ooooh there's my predecessor I should totally do a cool slide and disappear as it walks out the door. Which may also scare V1 whos on edge from this empty mission. Ooooh I want to fight V1 I should crash through the window so I look badass.

Ah fuck I got beat and my arm stolen. I'll escape and train going through the layers of hell, following V1, learning its attacks, training and practicing specifically for this fight. I made an all new arm to use until I get my old one back. I'm gonna sit in this pyramid on this throne and wait for V1 to come to ME. And then I'll absolutely demolish V1 and have my glorious moment of success

Ah shit things aren't going to plan but it's fine its fine, I'll slide down the pyramid to escape and then I'll use the Whiplash to reach the exit near here, it's the only way out and V1 doesn't have anything to grapple with so I'll be fine and recover for our next-

[transcendragonreblogs]

Okay I put this in the replies but I decided to put it in the comments because I think it’s important to discuss fatphobia here.

In terms of YOI and how it sanitizes mlm for a cis female audience, I think what really stands out to me is the fatphobia. Seeing fat men as sexy has always been a huge part of gay/mlm culture with bears and big leather daddies, but it’s not aligned with mainstream expectations of f/m attraction. Because f/m attraction is the expected norm, there’s more restrictions for it in how it’s portrayed in culture that are harder to escape, including fatphobia. Fat men are more likely to be seen as “failures” and unattractive in the f/m rather than m/m dating space in my experience. (Obviously there are people who push back against this, I’m talking about general cultural norms.) So the intense fatphobia in YOI (against a character who isn’t really that big!) feels like a big part of how it sanitizes m/m for a cis female gaze.

Also the fatphobia is why I can’t watch it with my bf. He’s a queer man with Asian ancestry and he’s big and handsome. IMO, he looks a lot like a chubbier Yuri. So I just can’t recommend this show to him, I think it would be genuinely painful for him to see the way Yuri is fatshamed. This aspect of the show (that I believe ties in with the show primarily trying to appeal to women) makes it inaccessible for plenty of actual queer men of color. (BTW Women absolutely deal with fatphobia, but fatphobia is often gendered and I think they’re less likely to be triggered by a portrayal of fatphobia against a man who doesn’t look like them.)

So yeah. I actually did enjoy YOI and would love to watch it with my boyfriend, but… it’s a deeply flawed show and I can’t.

Watching Yuri on Ice in 2021 really hits different huh

[aroaceofthesea]

Capitalism is shit

No i dont have a better system in mind shut the fuck up already

[sunoostripletriple]

the start k.s (smau)

Pairing: idol!Kim Sunoo x delusional fem!reader warning!!: crackhead, soft/fluff, a bit suggestive(?), lots of swearing, mdni, a bit of angst, mentions of abuse Genre: smau idol x delusional fan to lovers

playlist for The Start k.s (smau)

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

synopsis - >Y/N, on a whim, decides to prank text a random number. Little does she know, that fate has other plans. Instead of a stranger, her message lands in the inbox of Kim Sunoo, her favorite idol. What follows a whirlwind of unexpected conversations, shared interests, and perhaps the beginning of something beyond her wildest dreams. As their connections deepen, y/n finds herself drawn into Sunoo's world in ways she never imagined, navigating the complexities of fame, friendship, and maybe even love.

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ♡ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙*̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ♡ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

profile(s); cast age will be from 20 to 23 Masterlist:

First Encounter

Smarty Pants

Why are we best friends??

HELP he's gay chat

Scolded sadge yoi

VIP TICKETS WHEN?!?!?

A Drunk Mess pt. 1

A Drunk Mess pt. 2

Worried sister, worried brother

Sister???????????

Spammed...again

Good news??

Dry

Please delete that

Girls Night🖤!!

Brain rot twts pt.1

Brain rot twts pt.2

Tweaking

a/n: this is my first ever smau so please have mercy on me when it comes to criticizing my work. This whole fanfic is just for fun and giggles. Please do keep in mind that I am also just another engene who loves to imagine and write things, out of delusions and fantasies. Feedback is also acceptable as this is lit rally my first ever fanfic that I've written outside of Wattpad {note: it has been a decade since I last got on that app LAMOWH}. English is not my first language so I may have some grammatical errors left and right, and things might not make sense so please be understanding if I have small grammar mistakes.

taglist: open sesame

@velvetkisscs @yoizhrs @random-potat @rairaiblog @francinethings23 @thenastone @erenmyman @ayablogsblog @lilifiedeans @heeseungismymanz @letwiiparkjay @steddie-steddie @enhabooks

[anodymalion]

ok I am in fact using this as an excuse to make a long post about this thank you thank you asjksdjfaljdf

---

Interpreting Yuri as asexual is my very very favorite type of headcanon, which is one that 1. is compellingly coded in the source material (even if that wasn't the creator's intent), 2. is thematically relevant to what the piece of media is Trying To Do as a whole, and 3. just means a lot to me, personally, because I said so.

Coded in the source material

Yuri’s short program is “eros”, aka desire (you can interpret what “eros” means in various ways, but YOI itself explicitly refers to sexual love, at least in the English translations). Yuri struggles with this. Hard. He can’t come up with an answer when asked what eros means to him. His big revelatory moment about desire is that it’s how he feels about wanting to eat his favorite food (omg… boy). Even as the season goes on and the way he views the Eros program changes, the program doesn’t ever really embody the idea of eros as sexuality or romance (which was how the other characters expect him to interpret it) but rather as a desire to keep Victor in his life.

Like look. I’m obviously not going to say that the creator intended any kind of ace subtext to be there. I kind of doubt it was her intent. But goddamn is the subtext there.

2. Thematic relevance

The central theme throughout YOI is “love”, and especially loving people in a way that inspires you both to be your best selves: Yuri learning that the people in his life truly love and support him; Victor finding someone who makes him feel joy about skating again.

Like, Yuri’s whole skating theme for the Grand Prix is literally about him exploring what love looks like to him, even when it takes a form that other people don’t totally understand. Viewing all this through a lens of him being ace is really compelling. It adds depth to the idea of learning how to express the way you feel love even when it looks different than what other people expect. I think it’s a really delicious layer that adds even more nuance to what the show is getting at.

Besides, it’s an interesting way of viewing the criticism of the show that occurred for it not being 100% explicit about them being a couple (aka people getting mad because the kiss in ep 7 is blocked by Victor’s arm lmaooo). Like, ok, did you see the ending scene of ep 9? Did you see ep 10??? They definitely, definitely love each other, in whatever way that means for them. Their relationship takes a form that’s pretty different than the other way people in the show are going about romantic relationships, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real for them. That is very much in line with the main themes of the show.

3. Means a lot to me

In the final scene of the penultimate episode, Yuri tells Victor that they should end their coaching relationship after the Grand Prix ends. This is because he thinks he’s holding Victor back, that Victor would be happier being free to go back to skating on his own instead of being Yuri’s coach. When I watched this (and, I’ll be honest, this is completely me projecting here) I REALLY interpreted this as an ace thing. I think it’s pretty easy to internalize the idea when you’re asexual that you just won’t be… enough, for other people. In my case I ended up a strong impulse to self-sabotage relationships because I would rather be the one to end things than to let someone else tell me that who I am as a person is fundamentally lacking. Yuri destroying a connection he desperately wants because he thinks there’s something about him that is holding Victor back from a life he’d be truly happy with? Oh yeah. I can fucking relate to that.

Also: YOI came out in 2016, which was the absolute peak of hostility to ace people I was seeing on this site. It was bad here. At the same time Tumblr was going wild over this show. Everyone was watching it. Seeing a whole site of people absolutely adore a character I very deeply in my heart believed to be ace? Extremely vindicating.

---

In conclusion Yuri is asexual because it is fun and interesting that way, and also because of this:

[jacknolds]

hi guyds. um i drew. plz give friendly criticism and plz tell me if yoy like it i need compliments to function

[hinamie]

I'll shut up soon but I'm feeling such an indescribable emotion about this whole situation . it's weird to say about an anime of all things but it rly feels like i've experienced the full range of the emotional spectrum in regards to this series . my relationship to content creation for yoi over the years ran the full gauntlet; going from my first real hyperfixated creative high , to burnout to the point where even Considering drawing yuuri made me physically recoil , to now having it literally swept out from under my feet when I was just making a tentative and hopeful return..,, it feels like grief ! this was a thing i held so much love and then disdain for but never stopped feeling indebted to ! it shaped me, it gave me a platform, it's what made me a fanartist ! in spite of it all, to have a piece of media that played such a critical role in my artistic journey and truly solidify my love for fanart fizzle out so unceremoniously,, it just feels like I'm losing an old friend . i'll never experience anything quite the same way; i don't think any other media will ever be so formative . i'll never forget this series i think :(