He So Art Nouveau

He so art nouveau

Scoring, Music, and Programs

So people new to figure skating through the YoI fandom may not be aware, but the scoring system used in the show is actually relatively new, having only been around a decade (and oh man watching the shitstorm that lead to the change was fascinating). A part of me thinks that the old ways really stands out among the oldest skaters - Victor, Chris, Georgi and to a lesser extent Yuuri, because they’re the last of the generation that would have had to adapt roughly during their transition from Junior to Senior. Yuuri is probably a BIT too young, since it changed in 2005, but he’d have seen its effect.

Before the scoring change figure skating was, IMHO SUPER conservative, because it wasn’t a system of so many points for this, and so much for that. It was much more subjective and relied on the judge’s opinion of the program more. Yeah, the skaters would be docked for a fall, or if a landing wasn’t clean. But there would be times that seemingly flawless programs would get lower scores just because the judges didn’t like it.

Music choices were a huge factor in playing to the judges… like I remember in the ‘94 olympics one skater used the instrumental theme from Jurassic Park, and I thought that was pretty bold when compared to the overwhelming number of Beethoven and Mozart pieces.

Back to why I think it affects the oldest YoI skaters though… look at when they play with their music. They make bolder music choices in the short program: Intoxicated, Eros, Carabosse but fall back to more traditional/conservative in the free skate. (I do think Tale of a Sleeping Prince is a more conservative piece than Carabosse)

But look at the upcoming generation and their free skates - Minami does a boogie, Phichit chooses a movie piece that isn’t defined by western norms of music, Guang Hong’s Inferno, and Emil’s Anastasis all let them tell a story that nobody would have dared a decade ago because if the judge didn’t like the music it could affect scores. And since the Free Skate is worth more, that’s where the oldest skaters would have learned to play it cool and not rock the boat.

It’s subtle, but I like that detail in how the age gap is presented in another way.

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yoibrainrot

9 months ago

Its January 10 And Ive Given Up Pretty Much All Hope Of Using My Starbucks Planner As A Planner So Here

its january 10 and ive given up pretty much all hope of using my starbucks planner as a planner so here are some sketches from twitter! click through for captions

18K notes View Post

yoibrainrot

9 months ago

hi yuri on ice fans uhm- can i still be accepted im still drawing Victuuri!!

The beauty of accidental marriage proposals

Yuuri very likely didn't intend to propse to Viktor at the airport but his heart knew what it (and he) truly desired and twisted his words into a proposal—or rather something akin to a proposal that resulted in a spontaneous engagement.

Let's unpack this.

The Beauty Of Accidental Marriage Proposals

Yuuri returns from the Rostelecom Cup with his mind full of things that he wants to tell Viktor. While we don't learn the details, his inner monologue in the previous scene gives us a good idea of the things he's mulling over.

Yuuri has convinced himself that Viktor will abandon him after the Grand Prix Final. Thus, that competition is his final chance to win gold and he's determined to fulfil the promise he made in his speech in ep. 5 and win that medal. But even if doesn't win gold, there is one thing that he feels he needs to do after seeing skaters and skating fans react to Viktor becoming a coach at two consecutive competitions.

Regardless of how much Yuuri has profited from Viktor's support, he is very conscious about the fact that Viktor belongs to the ice. Or at least that is what his anxious brain has convinced him of. In this sense, giving up his own career so that Viktor can resume his own is an act of love and the only possible solution for them to stay together (in Yuuri's brain).

We never learn about the end of Yuuri's contemplation, but the subtext of the next scene implies that breaking up with Viktor is not an option. Or if it was an option, it was off the table once he was back in Viktor's arms.

Since Yuuri has anxiety, it's safe to assume that he has been overthinking his talk with Viktor over and over during the flight, going through all kinds of scenarios based on Viktor's imagined reaction. After hours on the plane, his brain must have been on the verge of exploding, casting poor Yuuri into a state of total overwhelm. If you have anxiety, you can possibly relate.

However, the moment that he spots Viktor, his mind goes blank and instinct takes over as he runs into Viktor's arms and instead of whatever speech he has prepared, he just blurts out the following line:

僕も考えてた。引退まで僕のこと—　お願いします！ "I've been thinking, too. Please take care of me until I retire!"

The English translation is a bit messed up here. In the original, Yuuri never uses the word coach in that line. "Please take care of me" is Japanese proposal language. The translators probably didn't recognise this nuance and sadly, the nuance is still lost in the Bluray version.

But that's why Viktor recognises the proposal in Yuuri's words.

However, based on the details given and the illogical ways anxious brains work, Yuuri intended to inform Viktor about his retirement plans and to voice his desire to make the most of the little time he thinks they have left. But that's not what his heart wants. And since episode 5 we know what that is:

初めて自分から繋ぎとめたいと思った人、それがヴィクトルです

A more accurate translation of that line is "The first person I want to tie myself to and never let go is Viktor" because 繋ぎとめたい means wanting to tie someone / something to you and never let it go (see this translation error masterpost).

Of course, Yuuri doesn't want his relationship with Viktor to end and no matter if his anxiety his skyrocketing in the face of the GPF looming ahead, that desire has taken root in his heart and brain. However, his anxiety stops him from proposing actually and turns his addition "until I retire" into a gentle prodding to find out whether he and Viktor are on the same page.

And of coruse, they are.

And it's all Yuuri has wished for. He's been anxious the whole time. Until Viktor recognises the proposal and response with a yes in the same fashion that Yuuri has asked.

To wrap all of this up:

Absence nurtures desire and in this case, the time apart has shown Yuuri and Viktor how much they want to be by each other's side. Because he missed Viktor so desperately, Yuuri's heart wins over his anxiety for once and enables him to tell Viktor his deepest desire. By recognising said desire, Viktor is able to accept the proposal and the two boys are now officially engaged. And that's yet another beautiful aspect about this show.

Unfortunately Viktor didn't really catch the part about the retirement, which will result in him thinking that Yuuri wants to break up when Yuuri announces his retirement plans in Barcelona. On the other hand, knowing that Viktor wants to stay by his side forever is a huge relief for Yuuri and allows him to enter the GPF without any emotional baggage.

Bonus: look at that cute tiny smile right between Viktor recognising the proposal and the second hug.