Quick question
I’ve heard in commentaries or skaters say the jump was round. What does it mean? What does a jump being round mean?
I think they said the jump was “around”, as in fully rotated!

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@insk4te
Quick question
I’ve heard in commentaries or skaters say the jump was round. What does it mean? What does a jump being round mean?
I think they said the jump was “around”, as in fully rotated!
I am astonished to see how this tombstone got over 8000 reactions. To be honest, I was kind of scared, because I’m worried this would get me into trouble. How ridiculous, one ordinary blog mourning how ao3 is gone and I’m worried the government wouldn’t like it and this would get me into trouble.
Thank you guys, for leaving comments and messages and everything. I’ve read every single one of them. I’m sorry this is depressing, I’m really sorry.
I remember how my favorite fics got me into ao3, I remember the first time I got comments for my own fic. I read, I write, I meet friends. For over half a year it has become part of me. I’ve been living behind the “walls” for most of my life, this is the first time I realized even with this barrier separating us apart, we are not that different. The passion for what we love is the same.
Are there VPNs that can access to the banned websites? Yes. Do you have other websites that can replace all of those? Yes. Are you going to die without ao3? No.
Is this just about ao3?
No.
Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook were gone in 2009. Gmail, Instagram, and Tumblr were gone in 2014. Pixiv in 2017. I didn’t even know Quora and Reddit were banned, because I am too used to it that I didn’t even try to access it before: “International websites? Duh, that’s banned for sure.”
I have an abandoned account in Facebook. I have an Instagram account that had over 1000 followers before it’s banned, but I don’t use it much even I can access it freely now. I have a twitter account but I don’t even tweet in my own language.
Why?
Because most of my Chinese friends are not there. At first they tried to access via VPNs, but as days passing by, there are fewer and fewer VPNs available and stable. It’s just too troublesome and costly and, yes, our government forbid VPNs too.
So this is how these things have gone from our memories. One by one, we lost our camps, we lost our voices. The majority stay in their small world, constantly peeping through cracks. We know little about the world; the world knows little about us.
I had one comment (that might have been deleted) that “Gee it’s like the world ended, iron fist wtf, do you think you are in war or something? Just get a vpn if you want to read”. Ironically, this comment is in Chinese.
Yes, we have already forgotten it was our right to access things we like. The anomalousness has become normality. It has been planted deeper and deeper in our souls, each time after one more website was banned.
So is this really just about ao3?
No.
I really don’t want to talk about how Xian Zhan and his fans led to this consequence. It’s all crazy drama and, I might say, I feel embarrassed about it. Embarrassed that some people would shamelessly use the power of public authority to get rid of things they don’t like. Embarrassed that this actually worked, so quickly and effectively.
What is more ridiculous is, it’s so obvious what had led to the current drama that is going on in the country, but a lot of us disposed of our rage to the idol; we avoided what was behind all of these.
We are not allowed to talk about the elephant in the room.
But if we don’t, what is next? What else is there to lost? What else do we still have?
I don’t want to be a refugee in this world of creation. I don’t want to keep silent anymore. I don’t forgive those who smashed my home. I love the country. I wish when I go back it would become a better place. I wish nothing more than that.
This is my voice, I want it to be heard.
IMPORTANT note regarding Mitsurou Kubo’s Twitter
It seems that some fans are sending artwork/fanart by other people to Mitsurou Kubo via Twitter, and she is NOT comfortable with that. She just tweeted about that as in the picture below. You can find the exact translation after the picture.
“I’m happy if you send me pictures drawn by yourself. However, even if you send me pictures drawn by others, they did not draw them for them to be seen by me. Please be careful”.
“There are fanarts drawn to be seen by the creators of the anime, and fanarts that are NOT drawn for that purpose. I am not sure that I’m in the position to discuss in detail about the type of fanart I’m referring to, but in all cases, the feelings of the person who originally drew the picture must come before anything else.”
I think there is no need to further elaborate on what she is referring to, as it’s pretty obvious.
1) Please do NOT send her artworks/fanart/gifs drawn by other people or that you randomly found on the net.
2) If you wish to send her a picture, please only do it if you have drawn it yourself.
3) Please think carefully whether the picture you want to send her is appropriate or not. (I can only appeal to your common sense here…)
4) The same applies to questions. She cannot reply to fans via Twitter on delicate questions regarding the series, therefore please do not send her awkward questions or comments.
Please kindly share this post or at least her tweet… Thank you in advance, and let’s try to be respectful of her wishes.
久保ミツロウ×山本沙代×MAPPAによる、本格フィギュアスケートアニメ「ユーリ!!! on ICE」公式サイト。テレビ朝日ほかにて2016年10月放送スタート。前代未聞のフィギュアスケートグランプリシリーズが今、幕を開ける…
AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Nobunari Oda’s reaction after realizing he won Gold at 2005 NHK Trophy → 2016
Bonus:
AHH MY HEART
Made it darker, made it epic. Emil lovers, you’re welcome.
the night won’t sleep much longer a vanishing shadow stills the heart it’s a long way up the heavens a long way down another flight
Mao Asada - Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance
The only translation I could find of this article: http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/1737457.html courtesy of Maya on twitter
Wish someone from her camp would confirm what she’s really going through, all I’ve been seeing on the web are hearsays/assumptions, aside from the said knee injury which I think Mao herself mentioned at SA (edit: confirmed by Sato-san): weight gain, acclimatization problems (albeit these two coming from Tatiana), etc.
Oh Mao, we believe in you ;__; ❤️ PS. I made a similar post abt 5 mins ago but it never got posted anywhere ??
More YoI-related figure skating questions
On the risk of testing the people-who-know-about-figure-skating’s patience, I have some more questions that I was hoping you could help me with.
Firstly something that’s been nagging at me for weeks. Victor’s Stammi Vicino program that Yuuri copies includes four quads: lutz, flip, salchow and toe. But we later learn that Yuuri only has the 4T and 4S (barely) in his roster (later adds the 4F but hasn’t landed it that we know). So how did that work? Yuuko says his performance was “just like Victor’s” are we meant to believe that in that spur of inspiration he was able to pull off those really hard quads he didn’t have before? Or like, could he have downgraded them to triples? Are we supposed to let that pass? Any theories or ideas of how that worked?
Next question: Yuuri seems to be very fixated in the GPF, even claiming he’ll have Victor step down as his coach after the Final. But the skating season won’t be over yet, there’s still Nationals, Four Continents and Worlds if I understand correctly. Yuuri even participated in the ChuuShikoku regionals, (which are unrelated to the GPS), I assume for the sake of qualifying for Nationals. So like, what’s going on with that? I do realize this is more a question for the showrunners to answer, but the fixation on the GPS seems strange, isn’t Worlds considered relatively more “prestigious”? And if Yuuri plans to retire after the GPF, why did he skate in regionals? Was that just a warm up or something?
About season themes: We’ve seen a couple of characters’ state they have specific themes in mind for the season. Yuuri’s “love”, Georgi’s “heartbreak”, Emil’s “cyberpunk: I have ceased to be human”, but it’s not being mentioed with everyone. Is it a requirement? Or is it optional? Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
Now I’m curious about galas/exhibitions. I don’t know if the terms are interchangeable, so I guess that would be the first question. JJ mentions Victor did a 4Lo at last year’s exhibition, but doesn’t clarify what exhibition. Are those separate events? Do they take place after the competition days of the GPF or Worlds? Which events have galas? Do skaters prepare a special program for them? Does every competitor in the event prepare an exhibition or are specific skaters requested to do them? Or is it the other way around, skaters “volunteer” for it? Are there specific requirements for a gala? Do the judges/audience know the program components beforehand like they do with the SP and FS or are those a “surprise” of sorts? Is there a gala/exhibition at the Winter Olympics and how does that work/ who gets chosen to participate?
Just letting you know that I’m typing the reply to your post! I’ll probably post it tomorrow morning (in ~10 hours) :)
Took me longer than I expected, but here it is:
> Victor’s Stammi Vicino program that Yuuri copies includes four quads: lutz, flip, salchow and toe. But we later learn that Yuuri only has the 4T and 4S (barely) in his roster (later adds the 4F but hasn’t landed it that we know). So how did that work?
I believe Yuuri simply swapped the quads with triples and/or doubles.
Firstly, there are many hints in the show that suggest that this was the case: - as you mentioned, Victor wouldn't have to ask Yuuri about his quads if he already had a video proof of him landing 4T, 4S, 4Lz and 4F, - Yuuri wouldn't ask Victor to teach him the quads that Victor can do (as he’d be able to land them on his own), - Victor wouldn't be as surprised by Yuuri landing 4F in hi FS at COC if he already knew Yuuri was capable of doing it, - in the hot springs Victor mentions that what caught his attention in Yuuri's uploaded routine was his musicality; believe me, if Yuuri landed 4Lz and 4F it would certainly be at least mentioned! :)
Secondly... well, it's a delicate subject, but there's a reason why Victor banned Yuuri off the rink until he loses his body fat (not to be mistaken with weight!).
Figure skating is an extremely risky and grueling sport even for a very fit athlete. Jumps might look pretty and light on the screen, but the reality is that the skater have to ram their toes into the ice (or swing/twist their hips for the edge jumps) to lift their entire body weight into the air, and then bear the impact of landing at huge speed. And that's the best case scenario! There will be many times, before and even after the jumps is mastered, when the jump will end with a fall. Sometimes a nice fall on the bum, sometimes a nasty fall that can result in fractured or broken bones, torn tendons, concussions...
Then there's the issue of physics: to complete upper-tier jumps the skaters have to rotate around their axis really fast. Any additional weight that isn't leg/core body muscles that help them get high into the air is a severe detriment here.
The skaters work very hard to keep their body fat level to extreme minimum (especially visible on the female skaters - most of them lose so much body fat that their chests become nearly completely flat), while working on developing strong leg/core muscles. They even try to shave off weight by using lighter boots and blades (which is why Edea boots became really popular recently, despite looking kinda odd).
All in all, to complete all of Victor’s jumps successfully (and without injuring himself) Yuuri would have to have leg muscles and bone structure of Hercules himself ^^'
> Next question: Yuuri seems to be very fixated in the GPF, even claiming he’ll have Victor step down as his coach after the Final. (...) So like, what’s going on with that? I do realize this is more a question for the showrunners to answer, but the fixation on the GPS seems strange, isn’t Worlds considered relatively more “prestigious”?
You are completely right, the World Chamionships and Olympics are significantly more prestigious.
The GP series is relatively unimportant in the big scheme of things (although, of course, it's a great opportunity the skaters to win some $$$, gain some experience, polish their programs and show the World who's the boss :) ). The fans, of course, will watch the GP events religiously anyway, but if a skater aims for the fame and sponsorship money, they better get on that Worlds/Olys podium!
The fixation on the GP within the series is (IMHO) caused by 3 things:
- Yuuri's need for personal retribution. He needs to do well to prove that he has the goods to continue his career, not only to himself but to his federation. He is receiving the top level funding, after all. Furthermore, the fact that he didn't qualify for the Worlds team last season likely means that Japan can only send one man to Worlds now. Sending an inconsistent headcase wouldn't be a smart thing.
- The time limit established by Victor in ep.1 - his initial plan was to coach Yuuri until the GPF. It was a good idea at the time - after all, Victor didn't know if their personalities will mesh well together. If their arrangement didn't work out, there would be still time after the GP for Victor to return to competition (or to find a new student). Heck, even if it /did/ work out, but "just" in a friendly way, it would be a bit odd for Victor to just hang around in a foreign country with just one pupil. It would be like Celestino dropping all of his business just to coach Yuri in Japan. However, as Yuuri and Victor grew close, the time limit probably started sounding to them less like a smart business decision, and more like a Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads that neither was willing to poke too soon ^^'
- Victor's retirement. It essentially created a vacuum in the figure skating world, with many skaters eager to jump at the opportunity to become the new king. Chris, the most established rival to Victor, can afford to peak early, but less decorated skaters need to come out with the guns blazing to leave a lasting impression on both the judges and the audience. Even with the new system, the judging is still quite a subjective process, after all :)
> And if Yuuri plans to retire after the GPF, why did he skate in regionals? Was that just a warm up or something?
I don't think he had been planning to retire after the GPF at that particular moment - I believe he’d wanted to use the opportunity to train with Victor as his springboard to win Nationals and do well at Worlds and perhaps Olympics (and only then retire). However, as he grew closer to Victor, the idea of them separating started to make him feel depressed and unmotivated.
The events in Russia only exacerbated those feelings - not only he saw how much Victor is missed by his fans and how strong his bond with Yakov actually was, but he realized that competing alone is not as fun as competing with Victor at his side. I think that there was a part of him that was almost willing to sabotage himself; after all, if Victor will leave him anyway, isn't it better than it happens sooner or later?
...But then he get scolded by Yurio and realizes that both both the tiny angry Russian and Yakov accepted his and Victor's relationship and fully expect them to kick ass at GPF when they are together. And this gives him the courage to ask Victor to stay by his side until he retires. (And the rest is history! :) )
> About season themes: We’ve seen a couple of characters’ state they have specific themes in mind for the season. (..) Is it a requirement? Or is it optional? Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
It's not a requirement!
It's not commonplace, but it's not terribly rare, either, especially among Russian and Japanese skaters.
Tatiana Tarasova was known to give their skaters "themes" to help them focus, especially in the Olympic season. For example, Alexei Yagudin's theme for the 2002 Olympic season was "Overcome", and he had an appropriately named EX program to reflect that ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GvEMcd9qcs ).
Not all themes will be for the entire season, some are program-specific (like Emil's Cyberpunk), and some change throughout the season. :) Some are really hilarious, although writing about even only the most interesting cases could fill a book :)
The Japanese TV liked the idea, and before the GP series starts they usually have a meeting with the skaters who got the assignments. The skaters write down their "themes" and show them to the viewers, pretty much exactly like it was shown in YOI. Sometimes foreign skaters got roped into it as well when they skate in shows in Japan :)
> Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
I've seen funnier:
"The theme is 'parting forever'... My choreographer told me to imagine I have to say goodbye to my lover forever, but I've never been in love... So I just think of my toy poodle." *4 years later* *The theme is 'first love'. I still haven't been in love, though. My choreograpger told me it's OK to thing of my dog." *another 4 years later* "This is really Liszt? He is /so handsome/! I skated to his Liebenstraum! I ended up thinking of my dog... If somebody had shown me this painting, my interpretation would be all different! *pause* Oh, too bad he's not alive anymore."
Then there was a skater whose theme for flamenco was "crispy crispy, sticky sticky" XD
(Not a direct copy from any interview, I’m summarizing from my memory. I’m not writing down the names, but if someone followed FS for a couple of years, they probably can tell who I was talking about XD ).
> Now I’m curious about galas/exhibitions. I don’t know if the terms are interchangeable, so I guess that would be the first question. JJ mentions Victor did a 4Lo at last year’s exhibition, but doesn’t clarify what exhibition. Are those separate events?
An exhibition/gala are an event that happens when a competition is over. The skaters who did well in the competion get to participate. They are a part and parcel of the entire event (i.e. if you buy a whole event ticket, it will include the gala). I can think of one exception: the gala for the Japanese Nationals is a separate event that usually takes place a couple of days after the senior Nationals. It's a bigger event than usual, as not only the seniors, but also juniors and novices (from novice/junior championships that take place a couple of months earlier). There are usually special guests invited (a couple of retired skaters and/or foreign skaters), as well as live orchestra.
Aside from galas, the skaters often participate in shows and cheesefests.
The shows are completely separate events that usually take place in off-season or between the competitions. Examples: Dreams On Ice, THE ICE, Artistry on Ice, Friends on Ice, Prince Ice World, etc..
The cheesefest are less serious competitions, sometimes partially judged by the audience. They have less rigid rules and are purely for fun (and prize money!) :) They include pro-ams (events where competitive skaters can face against the skaters who have already retired). They are usually invitational (i.e. the skater can't just sign up, they have to be invited by the event managers). Most of them take place in Japan :) Examples: Japan Open, Japanese Skating Challenge, Medal Winners Open, etc..
There used to be many cheesefests in USA, like Campbells or Marshalls, but alas, they are no more :(
> Do they take place after the competition days of the GPF or Worlds?
Yes, all of the GP events and Worlds have exhibitions! Shame we didn't get to see Yuuri's EX program yet :)
> Which events have galas?
Most of them. Only some "smaller" events like senior Bs (for example Finlandia Trophy) or regionals might not have a gala event.
> Do skaters prepare a special program for them?
Yes, it's referred to as an exhibition (EX) program. However, when skating in the summer shows some skaters might take an opportunity to debut their competition program(s) instead in order to get some feedback from the fans. And some (especially veterans) might opt to bring back a well-beloved program instead.
> Does every competitor in the event prepare an exhibition or are specific skaters requested to do them? Or is it the other way around, skaters “volunteer” for it?
Usually all of the elite-level skaters will have an EX program prepared, even if they don't expect to medal. Even if they don't get to skate in an exhibition, they might get invited to some shows.
> Are there specific requirements for a gala?
Nope, zero requirements! You can do backflips, spin on you butt, jump 20 times or not jump at all, bring props... Well, nudity would be frowned upon, but aside from that, go wild!
> Do the judges/audience know the program components beforehand like they do with the SP and FS or are those a “surprise” of sorts?
I spent half a day mulling over this! :)
When I hear "program components", I think of the parts of the presentantion score (Skating Skills, Transitions, Performance, Choreography, Interpretation)...
But then I realized: you just mean the list of elements? :D
In that case, no, the skaters don't have to submit a list of elements. However, after the first show, the fans will memorize the performance anyway... so the surprise is usually short-lived ;)
The judges don't particularly care (at least in the professional capacity), they are not required to judge or watch the exhibitions. They might show up to watch anyway, as a lot of judges are big fans of the sport.
> Is there a gala/exhibition at the Winter Olympics and how does that work/ who gets chosen to participate?
Yes. The participants will depend on the particular event host.
During the Sochi Olympics, the participants were:
1. All of the skaters who placed top 5 in their disciplines. 2. Mao Asada and Daisuke Takahashi. They didn't place in the top 5, but they are well-beloved skating legends who attracted thousands of fans. Mao's LP was perhaps the best program in the entire competition. It was the most Twitted about performance in the entire Olympics, though severely underscored. 3. The Russian skaters who took place in the competition (as they were the ‘local’ skaters).
In other competitions the list of gala participants will be usually similar; the top skaters (top 3, or 4, or 5...) + a couple of very popular skaters + the local skaters.
Hope that helps! :)
Yuri On Ice x Real World Timeline
So I’ve been trying to place the timeline of Yuri On Ice in the real-world figure skating season timeline. At first I thought that the setting of the anime would be the currently ongoing 2016-17 season, but then I discovered several things that clearly pointed against that and started to do some recalculations. Some things still don’t quite add up though.
1) The Grand Prix Final shown in the first episode, where Victor won his gold and Yuuri got last, was clearly said to have been held in Sochi, Russia. This location corresponds to the 2012-13 season in real life.
2) Which leads to the logical inference that the Grand Prix series that Yuuri is currently competing in is the 2013-14 season. Which is all fine and dandy, and the order of the qualifying cups (Skate America, Skate Canada, Cup of China, NHK Trophy, Trophee Eric Bompard, Rostelecom Cup) (which aren’t held in the same order every year) fits perfectly as well.
There is however one major problem. The 2013-14 season Grand Prix Final was held in FUKUOKA. It’s of course not absolutely confirmed yet, but the ep10 preview seems to imply that the GPF in YOI will be held in BARCELONA (the Sagrada Familia is clearly shown). Barcelona was actually the location of the Finals in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.
3) There’s really nothing that would suggest that Yuuri took a season off and therefore skipped the 2013-14 season. Yuuri returned home to Hasetsu at the end of the figure skating season that he had qualified for the Grand Prix Final in. When Yuuri skated to “Stay Close To Me” for Yuuko and the video got uploaded, Minako was live-streaming the World Championship Finals where Victor was skating to the same routine as he had during the Grand Prix Final Yuuri was in (the costume was the same). Also Yuri(o) had declared to Yuuri at the end of the previous GPF that he was making his senior debut the following season, and that’s what we’re currently seeing.
Does anyone have any ideas about how to make the timeline work out, or should I really just stop overthinking things and just accept that the seasons in YOI don’t actually correspond to real life figure skating seasons?
Don't overthink it too much! :) I believe the series takes place in the current season, but instead of being slaves to a strict RL timeline, the creators chose to give subtle homage to various RL events and skaters. I believe the GPF that Yuuri placed last in took place in Sochi because it was a nod to Tatsuki Machida, Mitsurou's favourite skater. Similarly, when we see young Victor win Jr.Worlds, it is said that they took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. IRL the Junior Worlds in Sofia took place in 2001, with the winner being Johnny Weir. But if Victor was 17 at the time, he would be almost 34 now. Like the floral crown, the location was simply a homage. When the baby Nishigoris explain the GP series to the Katsuki family, we can see the drawings of all the men who qualified for the 2015 GPF... But in the world of anime they do not actually exist :) Again, just a homage. There are hundreds of those in YOI :)
Victor’s Achievments
Does anyone else really wonder what other awards and accolades he’s collected in the last 15 or so years? How many World Championship titles/wins, how many Olympic gold medals, and the sheer number of qualifier events he’s taken gold in?
Victor won Jr. Worlds at the age of 17. He probably debuted as senior as an 18-years old, so his senior career is actually not /that/ long :) Still, he probably collected quite a lot of hardware in those 9 years!
Skater Johnny Weir tweets that he’s going to start watch YOI. Kubo-sensei is a little overwhelmed with joy.
Okay but this is literally the cutest thing
Kubo-sensei re-tweeted this ^^^ and then right after tweeted this:
And then tweeted this:
“I am extremely happy.”
(According to google translate; someone correct me if that’s not right)
I can only assume the last two tweets are related to the retweet considering the timing. Basically she seems really happy about Johnny Weir planning to watch YoI and that fills my heart with rainbows tbh. I hope he enjoys the show ^^
LOOK AT HIS LITTLE RUN IN PLACE VICTOR’S KATSUDON IS IMPATIENT FOR HUGS
More YoI-related figure skating questions
On the risk of testing the people-who-know-about-figure-skating’s patience, I have some more questions that I was hoping you could help me with.
Firstly something that’s been nagging at me for weeks. Victor’s Stammi Vicino program that Yuuri copies includes four quads: lutz, flip, salchow and toe. But we later learn that Yuuri only has the 4T and 4S (barely) in his roster (later adds the 4F but hasn’t landed it that we know). So how did that work? Yuuko says his performance was “just like Victor’s” are we meant to believe that in that spur of inspiration he was able to pull off those really hard quads he didn’t have before? Or like, could he have downgraded them to triples? Are we supposed to let that pass? Any theories or ideas of how that worked?
Next question: Yuuri seems to be very fixated in the GPF, even claiming he’ll have Victor step down as his coach after the Final. But the skating season won’t be over yet, there’s still Nationals, Four Continents and Worlds if I understand correctly. Yuuri even participated in the ChuuShikoku regionals, (which are unrelated to the GPS), I assume for the sake of qualifying for Nationals. So like, what’s going on with that? I do realize this is more a question for the showrunners to answer, but the fixation on the GPS seems strange, isn’t Worlds considered relatively more “prestigious”? And if Yuuri plans to retire after the GPF, why did he skate in regionals? Was that just a warm up or something?
About season themes: We’ve seen a couple of characters’ state they have specific themes in mind for the season. Yuuri’s “love”, Georgi’s “heartbreak”, Emil’s “cyberpunk: I have ceased to be human”, but it’s not being mentioed with everyone. Is it a requirement? Or is it optional? Emil’s theme seems a little weird compared to the others we know, is it in fact something common?
Now I’m curious about galas/exhibitions. I don’t know if the terms are interchangeable, so I guess that would be the first question. JJ mentions Victor did a 4Lo at last year’s exhibition, but doesn’t clarify what exhibition. Are those separate events? Do they take place after the competition days of the GPF or Worlds? Which events have galas? Do skaters prepare a special program for them? Does every competitor in the event prepare an exhibition or are specific skaters requested to do them? Or is it the other way around, skaters “volunteer” for it? Are there specific requirements for a gala? Do the judges/audience know the program components beforehand like they do with the SP and FS or are those a “surprise” of sorts? Is there a gala/exhibition at the Winter Olympics and how does that work/ who gets chosen to participate?
Just letting you know that I’m typing the reply to your post! I’ll probably post it tomorrow morning (in ~10 hours) :)
Okay.
So the thing that bothers me A LOT when I read Yuri on Ice fanfics?A depiction of LGBT issues in Russia.The thing is that authors are trying to approach this difficult topic, but it seems to me that they do not try to make any research? I am not sure actually.
So here is the thing: I am a bisexual woman and I know first-hand that things are not easy with sexual minorities in Russia. It’s a little easier with girls, but for gayman it can be brutal.
However. It is difficult because of the SOCIETY (primarily), not because of the laws.
I have read like dozens of fics where it is implied that being gay is ILLEGAL in Russia and that after a kiss Victor would have to forget about Russia entirely. Or that Victor left Yuri in Moscow and that’s dangerous for Yuri.
So, Russia has anti-gay laws. One law. That says that “propaganda“ of being gay is for children is illegal. And if someone does it, then they have to pay a fine of approximately $70 ($1 500 for foreigners). Which is absolutely horrible, but not applicable to public affection gestures.
So what happens if Victor would publicly come out? There absolutely would be a backlash. But not universal. I expect that pretty much all the Russian figure skating community would be okay or would refuse to comment on it. Victor would not be fined or put into prison or deported (like… what? We have tons of gay clubs in Moscow and St Petersburg? How would that be possible if gay people were deported?). Some companies that sponsor him would stop.
BUT Victor was absolutely feminine when he was younger. I think that most of his fans would expect it. Moreover, those who hated gay people and had problems with gender ambiguity would have been put off by his earlier style.
For non-famous people coming out is mostly dangerous because of the job prospects, but for Victor it is not an issue, he already finisheв his skating career and now is a coach and can work anywhere. But I actually think that even in real world-Russia if somebody of LEGENDARY status would come out, they would still be able to compete for Russia, because most Russians care more about medals than about sexuality of the sportsman.
Aand about depiction of gay people in Russian media. We have such a long way to go, it’s ridiculous. However to think that we do not go anywhere is also wrong.
Here is one of the first depiction of gay person and relationship in Russian mainstream series. They are background characters, but still! Mark is one of the main heroes of the series “Sladkaya zhizn”, his boss Roman is openly gay. Mark feels the FEELS for Roma, but gives mixed signals because he was so sure that he was straight. Roma is like fuck you man, you need to decide what you want. But there is one attempt at kissing by Mark and then one proper kiss.
https://youtu.be/OE9ZTphvwfI - fanvidBasically what I want to say is that the situation with LGBT in Russia is not that one-dimensional, as it may seem.