Yuuri's Ina Bauer

I'm sorry if this was already asked but what is your recommended chapter order if I wanted to re-read this amazing Rivals series at the same time, to have their POV stories overlap?

Chapter 1 of obs&bh covers the first 7 chapters of umfb&mha. The first part right at the beginning is set in the future after the end of both fics and then after that it goes like this:

Obs&bh section 1 (Viktor was 15 and…) = umfb&mha chapter 1

Section 2 (Viktor was 17 and…) = chapter 3 (chapter 2 of umfb&mha doesn’t have Viktor physically present in it so it doesn’t appear in obs&bh)

Section 3 (Viktor was 19 and…) = chapter 4

Section 4 (Viktor was 20 and…) = chapter 5

Section 5 (Viktor was 21 and…) = the timeskip between umfb&mha chapters 5 and 6

Section 6 (Viktor was 22 and he was jealous) = chapter 6

Section 7 (Viktor was 22 and he was in pain) = chapter 7

After that, the chapters match up like this:

Obs&bh chapter 2 = umfb&mha chapter 8

Chapter 3 = Chapter 9

Chapter 4 = Chapter 10

Chapter 5 & 6 = Chapter 11

Chapter 7 = Chapter 12

Chapter 8 = Chapter 13

Chapter 9 = Chapter 14

Morning practice

"... and then he casts aside the coach he seduced and moves on to the judges..."

In the context of the latest chapter of my YOI novelisation, I subjected the scene in which Yuuri flaunts a big portion of extra sass by blowing that kiss at the start of his short programme a closer examination.

There are two ways to interpret that move. Each one has different implications for the plot as well as for Yuuri's characterisation and motivation. And one is more plausible than the other.

Let's take a closer look at each interpretation!

1. Yuuri blows Viktor the kiss

Such a move would neatly join the ranks of past performances of Eros. What strikes me here as unusual, however, is that how anticlimactic the blow-kiss feels compared to the sensual lip-licking Yuuri did at the Cup of China because so far, he became flirtier with every performance of Eros. One would naturally expect him to double down on that as an escalation to an even lewder gesture.

In a continuous escalation of the Eros intro, the blow-kiss would happen after the flirty nod and before the lip-licking. But that doesn't happen. A blow-kiss for Viktor at this point in the story would thus imply that Yuuri no longer needs to seduce Viktor because he accomplished that at the Cup of China and focuses on keeping the love alight. However, the flippancy of the move contradicts the current stage of Yuuri and Viktor's relationship as them being madly in love and only days away from Yuuri blurting out a proposal at the airport reunion. It also contradicts Yuuri's intention to form a bond with Viktor because it stands in stark contrast to the committment Yuuri has been showing regarding his relationship for the last couple of episodes.

Just by looking at Yuuri's characterisation, this scenario seems not that likely to me.

2. Yuuri performs to the judges

Yuuri's short programme at the Rostelecom Cup has one main theme:

Before the crowd can intimidate me in enemy territory, I must intimidate them.

Skating in Viktor's homeland and in front of the people whose hero he has stolen, puts immense pressure on Yuuri that forces him to skate better than ever. Flirting with Viktor is no longer enough, Yuuri must seduce convince the audience that Viktor didn't waste his time on him and that includes seducing convincing the judges. He is freaking out internally over the possibility that this might be the last competition with Viktor as his coach. Unlike at the Cup of China where his inner monologue during his skate revolved around his prowess of seducing Viktor, his thoughts are centered around the audience. Every skater knows that an excited crowd generates power that motivates them to perform even better, and the effect of that is not lost on the judges, either. By flirting with the judges, Yuuri can increase his chances for a high placing and gets rewarded with a new personal best. Figure skating is a crazy sport and athletes can be quite eccentric, but a direct flirt probably isn't on the list of things the judges see that often—and if they did, they rather saw it from the likes of Chris. (Performing to the judges has become popular in the 2023/2024 season, but only a small part of the skaters bold enough for that move, actually used it to flirt with the judges. Right now I can only think of Loena Hendrickx in her free programme.)

It really takes guts to flirt with the judges like. Yuuri is known to show guts in the most desperate situations and when the stakes are highest, and the Rostelecom Cup puts him to the test. He has grown so much that he no longer needs to rely on performing to Viktor to deliver a perfect skate. He now has the confidence to achieve with his skating any goal he sets his mind on and by doing so in episode 8, shows the world that coaching him wasn't a waste of Viktor's energy and time.

However, at the same time, Yuuri is sending a certain message to his coach and boyfriend. Paying no attention to Viktor in a moment in which Viktor anticipates to be the centre of Yuuri's attention is a small but sweet revenge for Viktor ignoring Yuuri earlier when he was supposed to send him off. This little gesture of saying "I can flirt with the audience, too" has the power to stoke Viktor's desire and make him even more devoted to Yuuri than he already is. It makes me wish that Makkachin was less greedy.

In a way, Yuuri's flirting with the judges is also a reference to the story he used in the beginning to get an idea of Eros: "...and then the woman casts aside the playboy she seduced and moves onto the next man." Not that Yuuri would ever cast Viktor aside for another man, he just knows how to pay him back in kind and get the message across. Beware, Viktor! This extra-large serving of katsudon his spicier than you can take.

Like Yuuri, Viktor has come to Moscow with a goal "I want everyone to focus on Yuuri" that is supplementary to Yuuri's goal to convince the audience of himself. Except for that one time when Viktor greets his fans like an overexcited puppy, all his words and actions strictly adhere to his motto, starting from the interview in the beginning, to lacing Yuuri's boots and kissing his blade. But he didn't reckon with Yuuri's eros that is quick to remind Viktor and the world that Yuuri made this man his. (How fortunate that Viktor forgets his coaching duties when Yuuri needs him most!)

These two kinky dorks absolutely deserve each other.

That Yuuri blows the judges a kiss is more in line with his characterisation and the themes in this episode than Viktor being the recipient of that kiss. The cut towards the judges right afterwards supports this theory from a technical viewpoint. The Rostelecom Cup SP is the first time that we get a glimpse of the judging panel during Yuuri's performance. We've not been shown the judges' shocked expressions right after Yuuri blew the kiss because that move was so scandalous. Yuuri has been more scandalous in the past and the creators didn't bother to show us the judges then and preferred to show us a blushy Viktor and a stuttering commentator instead. The cut towards the judges seems to be a deliberate choice to drive home whom Yuuri was flirting with.

It's amazing how much meaning the YOI creators poured into even these couple of seemingly insignificant but hilarious seconds. And that deepens the love and appreciation I feel for this beautiful show.

A personal note below...

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In case you forgot how beautiful he is here’s a reminder

Yuri!!! on Ice (ユーリ!!! on ICE)

Great poster of the main trio, Yuri Plisetsky, Yuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov–with Yurio trying to steal the show! 📸  New art work from Otomedia Magazine (Amazon US | eBay), with a sketch by character designer Tadashi Hiramitsu (平松禎史) and a finished illustration by animation director Ayumi Yamada (山田歩).

Yuuri: okay im gonna go get the wedding cake

Viktor: perfect, while you do that I'll check on the ring bear

Yuuri:

Yuuri: you mean the ring bearER, right?

Viktor:

Yuuri: look me in the eyes and tell me you're not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding

I may never get over how Viktor looks at Yuuri

‪just a regular bff bonding ft. one of phichit’s hamsters