#triple baka reference...again

[nuggetzzstarx]

Ignore this..... Just Sam

Credits are below btw

Original pic!!! Credits to SMH69 on yt and LamazeP :bbb

[jibarichan]

To Marcos loyalists/apologists

DISCLAIMER: Mahaba 'tong post, 10-15 mins. read more or less (kung di kasama yung mga articles and links sa baba). And this is politically charged (saka may mga corny jokes, sarcasm, at ilang pilit na pop-culture references). Kung di kayo nandito para sa ganon, then that's alright, naiintindihan ko nang lubos. May choice kayo para lampasan 'to. Feel free to scroll away po. O kaya, skip to the TLDR at the end, although you'll miss some of the points I stated, saka yung mga shared online articles. If you do intend to read, then thank you very much. I'll also accept criticisms. Di tayo ipokrito. And I know, and understand, na magkakaiba ang political views natin. Pero we can disagree na po when it comes to the ethics and morals attached to our political views.

Ako, ayoko rin magmukhang keyboard warrior kasi bihira lang ako magpost, pero eto na nga. Nakakapanlumo lang kasi na marami akong kakilala na bilib sa Marcos apologists and loyalists. This post won't sway hearts and minds, I know. Di ko pati to sinulat in an academic or formal manner (this is very informal, rambly, at puro rhetoric hahaha), but if the following arguments and counter-arguments will make you pause and think, pwede na rin yun.

So let's address some of the common arguments, posts, and comments being thrown around:

"DI NYO NA KAMI MAUUTO" o "FAKE NEWS YANG GMA/ABSCBN/OTHER NEWS OUTLETS"

Sure ba kayo na di rin kayo nauuto o nagpapadala sa sabi-sabi ng Marcos loyalists and apologists? Aba, dapat eh napakasipag nyo din mag fact check at research. Aba, dapat reliable din sources nyo. Certified at official. Kung maduda kayo, then pakiusap, double check nyo rin mga sinasabi nila.  Saka nung nag research ka ba, yung mga articles na pabor lang kay Marcos binasa mo? Articles na pinapaganda pangalan nya? Eh baka naman yun lang gusto mong basahin, kasi gusto mo tama ka (confirmation bias po tawag don). Basahin mo rin yung mga masasamang nangyari nun, para patas. Kasi patas po ang totoong research. Both sides, tinitignan. May cross-referencing at pag double-triple check ng sources; at sources ng sources. Yes ganun kalalim dapat. At oo, because of such principles sa research, alam din namin mga magagandang projects nun. Alam namin yung potensyal ng Pilipinas to rise as an economic tiger sa Asya, at the time. But at what cost? Tambak na utang? Makapal na missing persons lists? Mga nakaw na salapi? Mga sipsip at balimbing na cronies? Pano na? Pride na lang labanan, kahit parang tanga na?

"DI KA PA NAMAN BUHAY NON" o "DI MO NAMAN INABUTAN PANAHON NI MARCOS"

Really? Don't let that be your best reasoning hahahaha. Di ka rin naman buhay nung panahon ng mga Kastila, pero alam natin na binaril si Rizal sa Bagumbayan. Ano, ang pilosopo ko ba? Ikaw rin naman, pag ganyan arguments mo. And what's next? Fake news na rin ang Spanish occupation dati?

"SABI NG LOLO/LOLA KO" o "SABI NG MAGULANG KO"

I'm sure na naging mapayapa buhay nila. Kasi yan din sabi ng mga mas matatanda sakin. Surprise! Hindi naman kasi nila binatikos dalawang dekadang pamumuno na hindi na demokratiko eh. Saka baka yung iba sa kanila, wala sa urban centers, wala sa sentro ng gulo. At kung hindi man sa kanila nangyari yung gulo, it doesn't mean it didn't happen somewhere else. Eh pano yung mga murang bilihin kamo? The gov't that time was well-funded, and the economy was booming on the surface. Dahil sa ano? Sa utang. Towards the end (ibig sabihin po DURING Marcos' term pa rin) nagsimula nang mag crash ang ekonomiya. Na-expose na rin mga kinuha nilang pera.

"HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS"

Okay, easy sa quotes Lt. General Shepherd (MW2 reference wink wink). Tama na pa-astig natin, okay? Half-truth lang yan. More aptly siguro, history is written DESPITE the victors. Marami pong unbiased saka objective na pagaaral sa usaping yan. Kaya nga alam natin na di rin naman malinis ang mga Aquino. Kaya alam natin na involved din pangalan nila sa massacres. Gusto mo ng sources no? Wow look at you, you fact-checking golden child. Keep it up, dapat ganyan lagi. Sana binasa o tinignan mo rin sources ng apologists. Sana dinobol check mo rin mga sinasabi ng may first hand at second hand accounts. And friends, never magiging victors yung mga biktima ng torture, rape, at extra-judicial killings. Oh, hindi sila biktima kasi nanggugulo sila?-- I hear you say. Dear, yung pagbatikos lang sa gobyerno kinoconsider na nilang panggugulo. Maraming inosenteng nabiktima. And if you think na walang inosenteng nabibiktima-- Are you serious? Naive ka ba?

"PAST IS PAST" o "MOVE ON NA"

Don't use these words lightly. Wala sa iisang playing field ang feelings mo saka feelings ng isang collective. Magkaibang pahina yan. Hindi po parehas ang history ng isang taong broken hearted o na friendship over ang history ng mga biktima ng human rights violations saka political injustice (at marami po sila ah). Wag basta basta magbitaw ng past is past kapag may mga taong di na natagpuan ng pamilya nila, mula noong past, hanggang present. Unfair. Unfair sobra. Para bang okay lang na maraming namatay saka natorture, o kaya naman missing, kasi mayaman naman Pilipinas, maraming infrastructure projects, saka mura bilihin. Bad yun.

"HINDI NAMAN YUNG MISMONG PRESIDENTE ANG GUMAWA" 

Oh so ganyan tayo? No accountability for the head of state? Commander-in-chief of the military? Sino ba nag empower sa mga high ranking officials? Officials, who in turn, nag execute ng directives? Suddenly, nakalimutan ba natin ang chain of command? Or naniniwala ba tayo na covert lahat ng yun, at di alam ng presidente? If so, pano naging magaling yun at effective ang pamumuno? Ganon ba ang best president? Nganga tayo sa ganyan mga kapatid.

"HINDI KASALANAN NG ANAK ANG KASALANAN NG TATAY" / "SINS OF THE FATHERS" argument 

Totoo. Totoong totoo. Kaya dapat ina-acknowledge ng anak ang ginawa ng mga magulang nya to establish separation of beliefs, at di sana pinagtatanggol. Oh mga amigo amiga, double-triple check nyo yan ah. Mahusay naman kayo sa ganyan di ba? Smart kayo. Di kayo mahilig magpautot. *uto. Teka pati, running mate nya si Digong. Okay lang sayo yun? Ay baka okay lang sayo yun, kasi okay din si Digong para sayo. Figures. Paalala lang: Unfair sobra, para sa mga casualties ng current regime. At kung sasabihin mo na 'ganun talaga eh mga adik mga yun eh', aba. Okay din pala talaga sayo na may namamatay outside the boundaries of law. Tanggap mo rin talaga nangyari during Martial Law-- which is ironic, dahil hindi lawful kahit kailan ang rape, torture, at suppression. Wala kang pake eh (past is past). At pag wala kang pake, wag kang magpanggap na makatao. Lalong wag magpanggap na maka-Diyos.

"KAYA NGA NAG MARTIAL LAW DAHIL SA MGA TERORISTA EH"

Yes. Except hindi lang yung mga terorista ang naapektuhan. Kahit yung mga critics lang saka nagboses ng opinyon, nadali din. The collateral damage was too much FROM BOTH SIDES. Where to draw the line?-- I hear you ask again. It's one thing po na makita ang realidad ng law enforcement at war on terror/crime/drugs/beliefs etc. It's another to look away from too many casualties. Not fighting or voicing or even THINKING against collateral damage IS too much.

"EH BAKIT DI INALIS ANG MARTIAL LAW SA BATAS?"

Dahil kaya po yang i-implement na hindi naaapakan ang human rights at judicial system. For example, despite the criticisms towards the current admin, yung implementation ng martial law during the attacks in Marawi, was arguably justified. Oh ayan ah patas tayo.

"EH FAKE NEWS NGA KASI MARAMI SA NANGYARI NUNG MARTIAL LAW NI MARCOS" 

Luh eto na naman? Sabi nang dapat sure din kayo na di kayo napepeke ng mga binabasa saka pinapakinggan nyo eh. Dapat double check nyo rin 'real news' nyo.

"EH PANO SABI NG LOLO/LOLA KO?" 

Eh ano bang sabi ko kanina tungkol jan? Sige basahin mo ulit sa taas. Makinig ka pa rin sa ikukuwento nila, kasi we respect our elders. But we shouldn't be beholden to everything they say (luh English na naman). May sarili po tayong isip at kakayanang magaral.

"DILAWAN KA"

Nakakakilabot ah. Ayoko rin sa kanila. Whew pareparehas lang silang may ginawang masama. I'm sure na gustong gusto mo rin na kastiguhin mga Dilawan. Tara sabay tayo. Kaya nga di umunlad bansa eh, lalo pang nalugmok. Involved nga din sila sa killings ng mga magsasaka saka protesters. And duh, as if wala ding namamatay o nawawala na union members and leaders sa current regime. Pero di yan excuse para pagbigyan mo na lang mga Marcos loyalists.

"AKTIBISTA KA" 

My school mates and friends at the time can attest na hindi ako nagparticipate. Naniniwala din marami samin sa diversity ng ETHICAL methods and ETHICAL political views. Still, I must admit that my stance only changed drastically by the time na umupo si Duterte. Nagsisisi ako na tinamad ako so many times, and I wasn't informed or mature enough to make a choice, to make a vote. Di ba nga, you can stay neutral until you're not.

"EH ANONG GAGAWIN KO?"

Pagbanggain po ang mga nabasa o napanood na ebidensya at accounts from both sides (and 3rd party/international sources din), hanapin ang mga overlaps, then form an informed opinion. If somehow napaisip ka at nakaramdam ng konting hesitasyon sa pagboto kay BBM, wag ka munang magpanic at pagdudahan lahat ng bagay. Maghintay ka muna ng iba pang tatakbo. Wag yung bilib na bilib ka rin kaagad kay BBM. Maghihintay ako, at sana, maghintay ka rin. Wow romantic no hahahaha. De, sana may additional confirmed candidates pa.

"DI NA LANG AKO BOBOTO" o "WALA NA KONG PAKE" 

Kasi evil is evil, lesser, greater, middling? Hindi ka si Geralt (wink wink sa mga nakakuha ng reference). Bumoto ka pa rin if you can, please, and if it's safe (taking into account this pandemic). It matters. Evidently, nag matter yung mga boto towards Digong. Nanalo sya nun eh. So by the same token, may halaga yung boto mo, even if it's counted against sa boto ng iba. It will be one less vote laban sa ayaw mong maupo. It may seem like there's only few against many, pero pag mas maraming taong informed, mas dumadami yung.. yung few.. so magiging many sila. And of course, mas maraming may informed votes saka educated na desisyon, more chances of winning.

"NADADAYA ANG BOTOHAN" 

True. Very true. Pero mas mahirap dayain pag mas maraming legit na boto. Pahirapan nyo man lang sila, kahit pano. At pag nahirapan sila, mas madali silang papalpak. Mas madali silang magiging subjects to scrutiny.

I'm sure na meron pang mga arguments na di kasama sa mga nabanggit, pero pwede nyong kunin yung sagot sa ibang points na na-raise ko. If you've ever used any of those arguments above before, and somehow, medyo napaisip kayo after reading the counter-arguments (which is the best I could hope for), then take some time to rethink your decision. 

Hindi kailangang maging matalino para magkaron ng informed opinion. Dapat masipag lang manaliksik. Otherwise, madali ka ring mapaniwala, which is the very thing that you accuse others of. At kung sa tingin mo, napagisipan mo na nang maigi, then sige. Buo na desisyon mo eh. Baka well-informed ka na. Pero kung medyo napatigil o napaisip ka sa mga counter-arguments kanina, then walang masamang magisip pa ng konti. 

-----Additional articles po, past this point-----

For infinitely less rambly, more reliable, data-driven works, eto po mga pwede nyong basahin. Remember, don't judge too hastily na fake yang mga yan. A lot of the articles have been around for years, for people to read. Also, remember that these are from people with experience, expertise, and credibility, more so than a lot of us, including our own lolos and lolas (bless them, still). 

Galing po itong mga to sa internet-- for goodness' sake. Mag search lang tayo with intent to look for proper journalism and academic studies. From Brittanica yung unang dalawa, no less-- which is highly accessible, very digestible, concise, and still manages to present the good and bad (non-biased representation po). Easy to read na po yang mga yan ah:

The Marcos and early post-Marcos era (scroll down po kung gusto nyo magsimula agad sa Marcos era)

Martial law

And hindi mawawala ang mga nagsasabi na golden age ang Marcos regime. They saw those times with rose-colored glasses (idiomatic expression yern). Pero you'll notice something. Very anecdotal. Very similar sa mga nagkukwento sating matatanda. Medyo tricky maghanap ng ganito, sa totoo lang, from an online article na galing sa news outlet.

30 Years After Revolution, Some Filipinos Yearn for ‘Golden Age’ of Marcos

But this. This is easy to find. An apologist fb page. Non-academic and very fanatical, no surprise there, pero isisingit ko so you can check.

WE Love Ferdinand Marcos

Whew there are some interesting videos and posts here, primarily dahil sa mga footage and photos na meron sila. Watch or check those footages and photos ah, then ibangga nyo po sa mga alam natin from history. See how eloquent and compelling Ferdinand Marcos was, and you'll see kung ano ang isa sa mga kinabibiliban ng loyalists and apologists. There's value there, para makita mo kung anong hook nya sa mga tagasunod nya. 

You want more? Okay sige. Search mo sa Google yung Department of National Defense's web page for Ferdinand Marcos' biography, for some more heroic representation. You'll notice na nalimitahan sa iilang sentences yung Martial Law saka change of legislation. 

But it gets more bloody and not so heroic, with the other pages and articles ahead. It's true, mahirap nang maging non-biased when confronted with cruelty and injustice, but KEEP IN MIND, the numbers and statements na mababasa nyo from these links came from the security forces na appointed dati. Official numbers and statements po ang raw data nila. So there. 

Let's start off with a view on the economy. Opposite to the fanatical page earlier, here's an academic fb page post, para po alam nating numbers ang tinitignan nila, at hindi nostalgia at conspiracy lang. You can check the primary source na meron din sila for the compilation.

Econcepts: The Economy under the Marcos Era

For a slightly more detailed breakdown of the declaration of Martial law, with links or hypertexts in each section of the article:

Declaration of Martial Law

For the more sinister side na hindi kailanman bibigyan ng transparency ng mga security forces at the time-- here are some more readings:

‘San Juanico Bridge,’ other tortures detailed

3,257: Fact checking the Marcos killings, 1975-1985

Pano kamo mga massacres during the Aquino admin? Di po makacancel out nyan nangyari nung Martial Law, pero sige, para makita na rin natin na hindi natigil ang gulo. And ohoho, they're just as bad.

The Mendiola Massacre: Decades on, Philippine Land Reform Movement Remains Mired in Blood

Hacienda Luisita Timeline

Ayan online na po yang mga yan ah. No need to download anything as well. Kulang na kulang pa yan though, dahil this post is waaaay too long na po para mag accommodate ng ibang in-depth articles, let alone studies and published PDFs, and books! Physical and digital books! Pero di ba, may internet na pipol. There are loads of historical fiction as well, if you want to look at it from a literary angle, and even music and movies! Meron at meron po pag naghanap. Conspiracy theories nga nahahanap eh. But for my friends or colleagues na marami pong additional articles, readings, downloadables, books and media suggestions-- please po, do share if you're inclined to comment. Malaking tulong po yun. Maraming salamat! 

------------------------------------------------

TLDR; Ang bottomline po, wag basta basta susuporta sa political dynasties ah? Yung bagay lang na umuulit sila, nagpapasa-pasa ng posisyon sa angkan, dapat mapaisip na po tayo, oki? Di po dapat family business yan. If you have to make a decision to support someone from said families, make sure lang po na at least, nagresearch po tayo. Lesser evil and all that.

[welcometomy20s]

August 6, 2022

#567 - Mair’s Upbringing (Diarays) [Hatsune Miku]

Achievement Date: 20-04-10, Upload Date: 13-08-22

Diarays’s other song, part of a series about another tragic story much like Ib. It reminds me of a crime drama I watched, which makes me think back to the idea of investment and failure… but let’s not go too wild. I like the instrumentation here.

#568 - Tokyo Ghetto (Eve) [Hatsune Miku]

Achievement Date: 20-04-10, Upload Date: 18-07-05

Kind of the finale of the song that came before. I really like the riff, although I think the melody doesn’t fit as much. I like the mix of mellow and melancholic… don’t know what the lyrics are exactly, but it does feel finale-like and the tuning is good.

#S-1 - Taberungo no Uta (Pata) [Yukkuri]

Achievement Date: 20-04-10, Upload Date: 20-01-11

There is only one Yukkuri original that arguably could be on this list, and it’s this one. It might be one of the shortest songs on this list at only half a minute long, and the subject is nothing too special. The fact that one could even make a song with the limitation…

#569, U-7 - Triple Baka (LamazeP) [Hatsune Miku, Kasane Teto]

Achievement Date: 20-05-04, Upload Date: 08-07-13

Speaking of meme songs, I think this is one of the best meme songs out there. LamazeP deserves more songs on this list, but this one is, I say, a masterpiece. The phone beep is complicated but infectious, and the lyrics are funny yet inspiring?

#570 - Domino Toppling (Scop) [Hatsune Miku]

Achievement Date: 20-05-16, Upload Date: 11-01-14

We have a cool cat electro swing from Scop, about a buillable person. You know one. They are so cute and lovely that you just want to insult them and let them flail. Definitely necessary when doing some long-term comedy, although this is just cool.

#571 - Crazy Beat (Tenkomori) [Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Len]

Achievement Date: 20-05-20, Upload Date: 18-12-13

A COMPASS song! And a nice return from Tenkomori, another EDM masterpiece, but more in line with the late 2010’s brass/bass heavy style, now almost a bit cringe, but I think there is a good nostalgia factor. I do like the PV style too.

#572 - Electrostatic Human (Kairiki Bear) [Hatsune Miku]

Achievement Date: 20-05-27, Upload Date: 15-04-10

Is the PV a Misaka reference? I think the song is an allegory for someone who annoys someone because she has extreme social anxiety, although that just also describes Misaka so we’re just back to square one again. Lighter tuning!

[depressedhatakekakashi]

High School Crushes

AU: High School Au

Words: 1576

Rating: General

Pairing: Sakura/Lee

Warnings: None

Summary: Sakura and Kakashi are setting up for the LGBTQ+ club when an unexpected guest shows up, and Kakashi’s forced to watch awkward high school flirting.

Completed with help from @cryptic-summons

Counting the chairs that Sakura had set out, Kakashi wondered to himself if it would be enough. Surely there would be more than five people showing up today. Even if he stood, that only left four open chairs for new arrivals.

“You’re thinking too hard about it, Sensei,” Sakura tossed a plastic cup at his head, giggling when he shot a glare towards her. “I triple-checked the signup sheet. The only people coming are Kiba, Naruto, Hinata, Choji, and Tenten. We don’t need any more chairs.”

Four people. Surely that couldn’t be it.

“I feel like I’m forgetting something,” his brain was telling him that there was someone else he should be expecting, but no matter how hard he tried to remember a name wouldn’t come to him. “Oh well, I guess if an extra shows up we can just pull out another chair.”

“An extra!?” Sakura gave him a scandalized look. “Sensei! I bought just enough snacks and drinks for the people who were scheduled to come!”

Oh, right. The snacks and drinks.

Glancing towards the table, Kakashi sighed. There were exactly Six cups, and enough pizza to feed about six people, so Sakura wasn’t lying about having just enough for the people she was expecting.

He certainly had gone and picked the most organized person in his class to lead the LGBTQ+ club. At least he knew for sure that she would always have things under control, even during those days he might not be able to be there to help her with.

Still, his brain refused to let him rest. Trying desperately to remind him of whatever it was he was forgetting.

A sharp knock on the door forced him to forget about his memory struggles and turn to greet whoever it was that had arrived first. As he raised a hand and opened his mouth to say ‘hello’, the answer to his question finally hit him.

There he was, standing at the door.

The person he had forgotten to add to the attendance list so that Sakura could account for his arrival.

Rock Lee.

“Shit.” He muttered under his breath, cringing when Sakura glared at him.

“Language, Sensei,” she scolded him before turning her attention back onto the new arrival. “Hello, Lee-kun. Are you looking for something?”

Lee-Kun? Since when did Sakura refer to any of the other kids with an honorific? Usually, she just called them by their name, or in Naruto’s case there was a fond ‘Baka’ attached to her sentence whenever she mentioned him.

“Well,” burying a hand into his short black hair, he beamed at Sakura. A small hint of a blush painting his cheeks. “I was hoping to take part in the LGBTQ+ club that you were having. I tried to write my name down on the list, but by the time I confirmed with Gai-sensei that Taijutsu practice was on Thursdays now, the sheet was gone.”

Right. Gai had mentioned changing the day of his Taijutsu lessons so that Lee and Tenten could attend the LGBTQ+ club that Kakashi had finally managed to get approval to organize. He even mentioned that Lee was afraid he wouldn’t be welcome to join after missing his chance to add his name to the list that Sakura had put up just outside of Kakashi’s classroom.

Sakura was going to be upset with him for forgetting. She had put so much effort into making sure that everything was perfect for the club so that they could all sit down, share stories, and have a fun relaxing time.

And here Kakashi was, forgetting to inform her that there was actually one more person to expect.

“Oh,” Sakura’s voice cracked, and Kakashi couldn’t help but notice that she had brought her right hand up and started drumming her fingers against her left arm. Almost as if she was embarrassed. “I didn’t realize...Kakashi-Sensei we have another chair, right?”

Usually, he’d complain about being asked such a dumb question, but he was already thinking about all of the ways he could tease the poor kid about this later. He was willing to cut her some slack.

For now.

“I’ll find a chair, you two keep chatting.” with a wave of his hand he turned his back to them and headed towards the closet for an extra chair. Though, if Sakura thought they were getting some sort of ‘alone’ time because he happened to be across the room she was wrong.

They weren’t even bothering to try to keep their voices down.

“I didn’t realize that you would be in charge of the club. Sakura-Chan,” Lee’s voice buzzed with excitement. “What made you want to volunteer?”

“Volunteer,” Sakura huffed, and Kakashi was pretty sure she was throwing a glare his way at that exact moment. Thankfully, he was focused on getting a chair out of the closet without dropping something on himself. How Sakura had done it so easily, he would never know. “Kakashi-Sensei told me that I had to do it. That there was no one else suited for the job as well as me.”

And he stuck by his words.

“Well, I think Kakashi-sensei made the right choice,” He could just imagine Lee doing the signature ‘Maito pose’ that Gai had taught him. It was cringy and horrible and he loved that Gai had passed it down to his student so that future generations would have to suffer seeing it. “You’re the most organized person in our school. Plus you’re easily the friendliest.”

Kakashi snorted.

“What was that, Sensei?”

“Nothing,” turning his head, he smiled at the pair innocently. “I was just clearing my throat. Lots of dust in this closet you know.”

There was no doubt in his mind that Sakura didn’t believe him for a second, but he considered it a small victory when she didn’t press him for a better explanation.

“Well, I hope that I’m able to contribute something to the group tonight,” Lee continued as if Kakashi hadn’t interrupted him. “I’ve never really been part of a group that doesn’t have to do with Taijutsu or Soccer.”

“You’ll be an amazing addition,” Sakura smiled. “Well we wait for everyone else why don’t you have some pizza or a drink? You’re always working so hard so I’m sure you’re hungry.”

Finally wrestling a chair free, Kakashi turned just in time to see Sakura leading Lee towards the table she had set out with snacks.

“I thought you said we didn’t have enough for any extra’s.” he teased, a playful smirk on his face until Sakura smiled back at him with such innocence that he knew only the worst of thoughts could be running through her mind at that moment.

` “You were saying you needed to start a diet anyway, right Sensei?” A diet? What a rude little shit. “I’m sure you’ll be fine if Lee-Kun eats your share of Pizza.”

Great. Now he had to rely on Gai having made something actually edible for dinner after he had told him he would eat Pizza during the club’s get-together. Hopefully, he hadn’t made his signature ‘curry of life’ or Kakashi was going to bed hungry.

“You really are the best, Sakura-Chan,” Lee complimented her again as he picked out his Pizza slices. “Thank you.”

“You know, you should try out a new outfit one of these days, Lee-Kun. I mean, if you want to of course.” Kakashi wished he could disappear when he saw Sakura poke Lee in the side and giggle. This was not the Haruno Sakura he was used to. The girl who always teased him over his relationship with Gai, or had to speak her mind about whatever was happening around her. This Sakura was...timid. It was concerning.

“A new outfit?” Lee blinked, clearly confused by her comment. “But why would I…”

“The green tracksuit is cute, don’t get me wrong,” She corrected herself quickly. “I just think, you know, you’re always wearing the same thing. Wouldn’t it be cool if you tried on a new outfit?”

“A new outfit…” Looking down at his green tracksuit, Lee smiled slowly. “I guess i could try. Then I could just wear this when I’m training in the morning.”

Well, at least Sakura was improving Lee’s sense of fashion.

“I think I have some clothes at home that I haven’t gotten rid of yet. If you want you could come over and try them on. See if there’s anything you want.”

Kakashi felt like he was witnessing the worst attempt at flirting ever. Was this how kids asked each other out these days? Was there really no romance left in the world?

“You do have the best fashion sense,” Lee whispered, a smile slowly appearing on his face. “I think I’d like to take you up on that offer, Sakura-Chan.”

Kakashi was desperate to scream. To demand an explanation for how that worked.

He held his tongue though.

Seeing Sakura smiling proudly and Lee already starting to discuss the type of clothes he liked was well worth having to witness whatever messed up version of flirting it was that the two of them were doing.

“Hey!” Glancing towards the door, he sighed when he saw Tenten walking into the room, followed closely behind by Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Choji. Finally, his suffering could end. “Sakura, Lee! I hope the old man hasn’t been bothering you too much.”

Right, never mind. Tenten was here.

The bullying had only just begun.

[ethangab]

MANILA, Philippines – The odds were stacked against Sibol Mobile Legends. Indonesia had their dream team, made up of members from the winning squads of the Mobile Legends Southeast Asian and World Championships. These were some of the most decorated guys in the game currently.

But all throughout the best-of-5 match, you wouldn’t have known that. They shocked Indonesia with a game 1 victory, with one of their players sneaking from the weak side, destroying their towers, and eventually their base – the game’s most important play. Kenneth Villa said it was just instinctual to go for the tactic. They had been losing the team clashes, so when a fight broke out on one side of the map, he took the opportunity to wreak havoc in the undefended lane.

The crowd went ballistic with the first win. Indonesia recovered with a champion’s dignity in the next 2 games; first, a dominant game 2 victory, and a competitive game 3 where they came back from a poor 0-4 start on the kill tally.

It was Indonesia’s series to lose at that point. Their collapse came at the start of game 4 when they decided not to ban Esmeralda. As expected, Karl Nepomuceno picked the hero, and gifted the Indonesians with a triple kill in the first team clash, consistently adding more throughout the game. Indonesia banned Esmeralda in the next game but that wouldn’t matter as they completely fell apart in game 5.

Nepomuceno was puzzled too with the free pass for Esmeralda, “Hindi ko alam sa kanila [kung bakit hindi sila nag-ban]. Baka hindi sila natatakot…” said the 15-year-old. (I don’t know with them. Maybe they weren’t scared.)

Indonesia may have wanted to have Nepomuceno intentionally pick Esmeralda so they could use a lineup specifically designed to handle the hero. But the gamble cost them, and they opened the door for the underdog Philippines for the comeback, and a place in history. searchmenu

Historic SEA Games gold couldn’t have come in better fashion for Sibol Mobile Legends

The Philippines completes a heady comeback against favorites Indonesia

Gelo Gonzales

Published: 4:53 AM December 9, 2019

Updated: 1:26 PM December 9, 2019

SIBOL MOBILE LEGENDS. Photo by Gelo Gonzales/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – The odds were stacked against Sibol Mobile Legends. Indonesia had their dream team, made up of members from the winning squads of the Mobile Legends Southeast Asian and World Championships. These were some of the most decorated guys in the game currently.

But all throughout the best-of-5 match, you wouldn’t have known that. They shocked Indonesia with a game 1 victory, with one of their players sneaking from the weak side, destroying their towers, and eventually their base – the game’s most important play. Kenneth Villa said it was just instinctual to go for the tactic. They had been losing the team clashes, so when a fight broke out on one side of the map, he took the opportunity to wreak havoc in the undefended lane.

The crowd went ballistic with the first win. Indonesia recovered with a champion’s dignity in the next 2 games; first, a dominant game 2 victory, and a competitive game 3 where they came back from a poor 0-4 start on the kill tally.

It was Indonesia’s series to lose at that point. Their collapse came at the start of game 4 when they decided not to ban Esmeralda. As expected, Karl Nepomuceno picked the hero, and gifted the Indonesians with a triple kill in the first team clash, consistently adding more throughout the game. Indonesia banned Esmeralda in the next game but that wouldn’t matter as they completely fell apart in game 5.

Nepomuceno was puzzled too with the free pass for Esmeralda, “Hindi ko alam sa kanila [kung bakit hindi sila nag-ban]. Baka hindi sila natatakot…” said the 15-year-old. (I don’t know with them. Maybe they weren’t scared.)

Indonesia may have wanted to have Nepomuceno intentionally pick Esmeralda so they could use a lineup specifically designed to handle the hero. But the gamble cost them, and they opened the door for the underdog Philippines for the comeback, and a place in history.

Prior to the match, Allan Castromayor said he knew what they were up against but that he and the rest of the team were not about to settle for the silver medal: “Alam naming malakas sila pero gold talaga ang gusto namin dahil gusto namin i-prove na kami ang the best,” (We know they’re strong but we really want the gold because we want to prove we’re the best.)

They wanted gold, and they got it, and along with it, an incredible sense of achievement and pride. This being the first time that esports are a medal game at an event supervised by the International Olympic Committee, they've said before that they sometimes still can't believe they're a part of it.

Their coach, the Korean Changrok Im, held back the tears in the post-match interview. “I’m Korean but I always feel like, in my heart, I’m a Filipino. Today, I put my right hand on my heart when the national anthem was sung, and it felt so meaningful that I can’t express it in words.” If there were people though who had no problem expressing it in words, it was the home crowd. Exploded at the slightest provocation. Great to see live.

Jeniel Bata-anon was in a more jocular mood, jokingly apologizing to his family for making their last name famous as "Baxia-anon." He was referring to the hero Baxia, whom he effectively used throughout the tournament, sometimes facing 4 opponents on his own without being killed – again to the delight of the home crowd. Baxia was countered however in the finals, and Bata-anon had to go for a different hero pick.

The team also expressed optimism for the remaining Filipino competitors in the esports event, and said they hope that their victory would help fuel the momentum in the gold medal matches in the upcoming days.

Sibol Mobile Legends are Kenneth Jiane "Kenji" Villa, Karl Gabriel "KarlTzy" Nepomuceno, Carlito "Ribo" Ribo, Jeniel "Haze" Bata-anon, Angelo Kyle "Pheww" Arcangel, Allan Sancio "Lusty" Castromayor, and Jason Rafael "Jay" Torculas.

[nyerus]

In Regards to Hate: On Victuuri

I don’t know what suddenly happened again but there’s a shitton of hate for Victuuri/Viktuuri(/etc) in the tags lately. People are welcome to feel however they want for a particular ship, but I just wanted to give my two cents by tackling the common complaints I’ve seen. I’ll start from the beginning so I’ll be addressing basically all the arguments against this ship I’ve seen so far. I’ve tried to maintain some sort of order for these, but honestly I just winged it at some point.  A lot of these arguments are also heavily character-based, so keep in mind that I’ll be deconstructing several scenes as well as character motivations as I go.  (As a note, this assumes you’ve seen the whole show. Also, I’m only using canon evidence from the show itself.)

This is like an informal follow-up to my super old post but also not really.

No I’m not avoiding work why would you say that.

WARNING: This is a massive post/wall of text. Grab popcorn.

1.)  “Victor shows up naked at Yuuri’s home and continues to be uncomfortably forward with him.”

First let’s all remember that Yuuri’s family runs an onsen. People are naked in onsens. Very naked. That’s how hot springs generally work. And Yuuri is probably extremely used to nudity, which in and of itself is treated with less shock in Asian culture than it is in most western countries. Not to mention that Victor is unashamedly proud of his body. Also… in hindsight, we sort of understand why Victor was so forward with Yuuri. It’s because the last time they met, Yuuri grinded against him, nearly naked, after pole dancing. Then they proceeded to have this lovely dance together that basically changed Victor’s entire life. Victor genuinely thought that Yuuri remembered at least part of the banquet and just sort of cuts straight to the chase of “hey let’s get to know each other, personally *wink wink*” because he assumes that they’re past formalities by this point. When he sees that Yuuri is super shy and uncomfortable with this, Victor quickly changes gears. From the moment he realizes what Yuuri’s boundaries are, he never oversteps. All physical contact he initiates from then on is reciprocated or welcome (even if Yuuri is bashful about it).

 2.)  “Victor fat-shames Yuuri and never apologizes.”

People have already gone over this but as a competitive figure skater, Yuuri could not afford to be at the weight he was in episode one. It was dangerous, plain and simple. As someone who works in the medical field, I can’t understate how big of an impact weight has on joints in something like figure skating. Especially given how jumps are a major part of every routine, and landing those at a reasonable weight itself is rough on joints. (Not to mention, getting height for your jumps would also be more difficult.) As for people who’ll no doubt say “but Yuuri managed to do all the jumps in Victor’s FS perfectly at that weight”: no, he probably didn’t. We know from established canon that at that point, Yuuri could not yet reliably land a Quad Flip—which was the second jump in Victor’s FS. So even with just that information we can safely infer that Yuuri probably turned the Quads into Triples (or even Doubles). When Yuuko praised him on his perfect copy of the routine, she was probably telling him how he nailed the choreography as a whole—which in itself was hellishly difficult.

Victor is not the only person who points out Yuuri’s weight, as it’s Minako who first criticizes him for it. It’s not just an aesthetic thing. More so than his weight, Yuuri is out of shape. (He’s not able to run as far as he later is, etc.) And Yuuri himself knows this—he starts working out even before Victor shows up in Japan. Victor urging Yuuri to lose the weight is not abusive or fat-shaming, it’s just him giving Yuuri professional advice. Is it tactless and a little mean? Yeah it definitely is, but Victor is sometimes extremely blunt. More on this below.

 3.)  “Victor calls Yuuri ‘little piggy’ which is mean.”

I can’t really argue with ya there in that it was kind of mean. But just to clarify, the phrase he uses is “Kobuta-chan” which is oddly endearing and less “little piggy” and more “piglet” which has a different connotation entirely. Also the nickname is obviously not random because Yuuri’s favorite dish is a Pork Cutlet Bowl (which was the main culprit behind his weight gain). Like, that was the entire joke. It was based on katsudon. That was the whole point.

But anyway, Victor used the nickname for like one episode. Between episode two and three. After that he only ever refers to Yuuri by his given name, nothing else. It didn’t hurt Yuuri’s feelings, either, and we know Victor cared about Yuuri’s weight only in terms of figure skating.

Victor can be an asshole sometimes, and that much is true. But he’s not ever intentionally cruel for the sake of being hurtful.

 4.)  “There’s an inherent power imbalance because Yuuri’s idolized Victor for so long and now Victor is his coach.”

One of the major points of their entire relationship is the balance of power between them. First let’s examine the Victor-->Yuuri dynamic. At no point in time does Victor think of Yuuri as anything less than an equal. He never talks down to him, never belittles him, never makes him feel weak or lesser. Nor does Victor ever abuse Yuuri’s self-esteem issues; instead helping Yuuri seeing that he’s worth so much more than he realizes. He never uses his “power” over Yuuri to get his way like he probably easily could have. He knows that Yuuri’s idolized him for years, but he’s Victor Nikiforov. Everyone idolizes him. He’s a goddamn living legend, a Russian hero. Honestly, when this show first started, I was worried we’d get a weird hero-worship based relationship and the very thought of that made me super uncomfortable, but that entire trope was so masterfully subverted. In fact, Victor’s been pining over him for months before the two of them meet in earnest. Victor is enamored with Yuuri both as person and as a skater. It wasn’t just a really elaborate booty call. He was incredibly impressed with Yuuri’s skill and decided that he could help him, all the while trying to find his own inspiration again. It’s a symbiotic relationship.

Now the Yuuri-->Victor dynamic is a little more complex because it takes Yuuri time to get over his hero-worship stage. But he does. He completely does, and that’s a very important milestone in their relationship. By the end of episode four, he’s stopped seeing Victor as this God-like being and instead starts seeing him as a person. The change in their dynamic is instantly clear. Yuuri becomes a hundred times more comfortable around Victor as soon as he realizes that Victor—another human being with human fears like aging and male pattern baldness—is someone who’s going to meet him in the middle. (Interestingly, after the beach scene in episode 4, Yuuri uses more informal language with Victor instead, like how he does with his family. Beforehand, he always used very polite language only. This is a little bit lost in translation, but is actually really important. It shows how comfortable he’s become around Victor.) Yuuri’s infatuation turns into real love because he’s found someone who is patient with him, who doesn’t intrude upon his heart or his feelings, but pushes him to be better every day. And it’s important to note here that Yuuri never allows Victor to think of him of anything less than an equal. He calls Victor out on his bullshit, especially showcased in episode seven, where he yells at Victor in the parking garage and later when he roasts Victor in his head for the entire first half of his Free Skate. “Victor no baka!” is an important line, guys.

Victor and Yuuri are both consenting adults and Yuuri’s career does not depend on Victor. He can very well drop Victor and get a new coach if he wanted. (Let’s remember that he’s Japan’s #1 Figure Skater—there will be no shortage of people ready to be his coach, regardless of when it is in the season. And funnily enough, they would all probably be more qualified to do this than Victor is.) Yuuri is under zero obligations here.

 5.)  “Their relationship moved unrealistically fast with little development.”

See, the problem with a 12-episode anime that isn’t actually about their relationship but about Yuuri’s Figure Skating career is that we’re not going to get very much screentime for relationship development. After all, it’s a sports anime and not a romance. We need to read between the lines a lot because even when the writers want to give us more, they simply cannot (e.g. how they wanted to give us the beach date scene but couldn’t, and had to stick those stills in the ED instead). Victor and Yuuri’s relationship did not move at some whirlwind pace that people make it out to be. There’s like an eight month gap between when Victor shows up in Hasetsu and when they get engaged in Barcelona. Granted, it’s not a whole lot of time, but I know people who’ve gotten married in faaaaaarrr less time than that. But for those eight months (most of which we are NOT privy to, because it takes place off-screen), the two of them are together every day. There’s going to be a lot of development happening there, and we see clear evidence of it. For example, the two of them are EXTREMELY comfortable with physical contact from episode six onwards. Let’s take a moment to remember what happened in the previous episode. Yes, that lip balm scene. But also? Yuuri’s speech on live television. Between episodes 5 and 6 there’s about a month and a half gap where the two of them have gotten very comfortable with each other, probably aware that there’s mutual attraction. Their relationship is actually moving at a reasonable pace, all things considered. And honestly? Every relationship is different. It depends on the people involved in that relationship and how comfortable they feel with how it’s progressing. It’s not like there’s some guidelines like “must attain quota of 17 lunch dates before frick fracking” or something. No one gets to dictate the terms of someone else’s relationship. That’s silly.

 6.)  “It’s abusive for Victor to stipulate that they’ll only get married if Yuuri’s wins gold.”

Look, we know that Victor is very clearly romantically interested in Yuuri and had no real intention to cockblock(/weddingblock) himself. If anything, he meant it as a motivation for Yuuri to do his best and also in a teasing manner. It’s a way of Victor showing how much faith he has in Yuuri, that he’ll snag that gold medal. (After all, what Yuuri asks of him is his full faith and support in him, and this is another way of Victor taking that request to heart. He doesn’t even entertain the idea of Yuuri losing—in his head, Yuuri’s going to win, plain and simple.) Yuuri’s shock to the announcement was due to the fact that he was just put on the spot in front of his competitors, all who want to win too—not that he was uncomfortable at Victor’s “ultimatum.” If that were the case, the rings would not be treated with such attention and importance in the following episodes. Yuuri very clearly holds their rings in high regard, emotionally speaking.

 7.)  “They’re not actually engaged.”

Listen, I’m very close with a few of my friends but I’ve never bought 800€ gold wedding rings to be exchanged in front of a famous basilica with a choir singing in the background following a romantic shopping date. Yuuri says that they’re good luck charms (“omamori” actually, which are a bit more than just good luck charms in Japan—but like a spell or a wish, too; though traditionally they are a specific type of amulet) to thank Victor for everything, but Yuuri very specifically chose those rings and chose to give it to Victor in front of a church. Where people get married. He could have done it anywhere, casually, like outside the shop or back in their hotel room. But he decided to do it there, blushing the entire time. It means Yuuri was very aware of what he was doing and what he WANTED, even if he was too afraid to say it aloud. And Yuuri is very much the type of person who would be afraid to straight-up propose to Victor because of his own self-esteem issues and also the fact that he isn’t sure of Victor’s plans post-GPF. Yuuri is not good with his words, but he is far clearer with his actions. It’s a key facet of his personality. Here, by giving Victor a gold ring in front of a church, he’s made his intentions known in a very Yuuri-like way. And Victor understood. He has always let Yuuri set the pace in the relationship, he never pushes too hard, so him “accepting” Yuuri’s “good luck charm” is him meeting Yuuri in the middle. And when he slips the other ring on Yuuri’s finger, Yuuri is clearly surprised. He’s overjoyed when he smiles back at Victor because he knows that Victor wants to be with him.

But okay, fine. Let’s leave that. Let’s go to the scene in the restaurant where Victor says in PLAIN WORDS that they’re engaged. He literally says the words “engagement rings.” It’s even partly in English so it can’t be mistaken for anything else. Yuuri freaks out when Phichit announces that they got married because, well, they didn’t get married. But Yuuri never, ever denies their engagement. (Neither does Victor, of course. No one does, in the show.)

Also an interesting point I have to bring up: Yurio. He asks Victor at the beach why he’s “so damn happy to be looking after that damn pig”—meaning Yuuri, of course. Looking after him??? What, like just bros??? For like, the rest of their lives??? Just in a totally bro way??? Clearly not. The entire conversation at the beach was Yurio being super pissed off that this could possibly mean that both Victor and Yuuri meant to retire after this season and would run off to get married and settle down. We see how much both Victor and Yuuri mean to Yurio, so he’s very clearly upset at the idea that he might never see either of them on the ice again after this. (And he’s basically like “well fine if you’re going to leave then just leave already” because #AngstyTeen.)

I also feel like a lot of these doubts stem from the fact that the way a western audience perceives such a relationship is inherently different than a Japanese audience. But in a lot of Japanese shows (and Asian shows in general), even when there’s a heterosexual couple, there is often no inherent declaration of love or on-screen kiss. Same goes for other forms of media. Many times they will imply that the two characters are together and then do something like a time-skip showing them with their kids or having dinner together at their home/a fancy restaurant, further implying that they’re married. And you know what? In these situations, no one ever questions the legitimacy of that het couple’s relationship. I know many people are scared of being queerbaited—and I’ll be honest, there’s a part of me deep down that always lives in fear of this because of how often we’ve been scorned—but I want everyone to keep in mind these cultural differences. (Furthermore, as someone living in South Asia right now and who watches Asian shows, I can re-iterate that things like on-screen kisses are SUPER rare (yes, between het couples). They’re on the level of being scandalous and not so long ago, they were literally illegal here.) 

(*And a slight spoiler here for the video game Final Fantasy X, to help me illustrate my point about cultural differences (I’ve seen other people mention this and am essentially using it myself, but cannot remember specific blogs—sorry!): in the English/International release of the game, the main female character Yuna tells her love interest (the main male character, Tidus) “I love you” at the end. HOWEVER, in the original Japanese version, Yuna says “thank you.” The phrase “I love you” is never uttered in that entire game, yet Yuna and Tidus’ relationship is never questioned. Not once.)

I know we want explicit confirmation and I know why that’s important (and that it’s also important to discuss this and demand better from creators) but let’s not outright dismiss what we got so far. But ah, we could spend years talking about this one thing and others have already done it, so I’ll finally move on.

 8.)  “They have so many communication issues.”

I agree with “they have communication issues” but not the “so many” part.  People against this pairing seem to be under the impression that they constantly miscommunicate and I have no idea where that stems from. They’ve had two big failures in communications (episode 7’s garage scene and episode 11’s hotel room scene) and sometimes they may not be on the same page in terms of their relationship, but they actually do remarkably well. Remarkable because both of them are both actually quite terrible at communication in general. I’m going to heavily break down both of those aforementioned scenes so we can discuss what exactly happened.

We know that Victor has never had any serious relationship in his life. He admits himself that for the last twenty years, he’s basically ignored both life and love. So he has very little experience in comforting someone else—because he’s just never had to do something like that. He doesn’t know how to handle Yuuri’s anxiety because it’s not a problem he is familiar with, and while he knows that Yuuri has anxiety, it’s never manifested this intensely before. So it’s no wonder he’s at a loss for what to do. He does what he can: making sure Yuuri gets a little bit of sleep, advising that he not to any jumps during warm-up, not berating him when he does those jumps anyway and instead being calm and supportive, and taking Yuuri away from other people when he sees it’s detrimental. When nothing, absolutely nothing seems to work, Victor becomes desperate. He decides to try something out of left field that will hopefully jerk Yuuri out of his self-destructive state. And thus the infamous “if you miss the podium I’ll take responsibility and resign as your coach” speech. And I want to point out that Victor very specifically says “I’ll take responsibility.” As in, “I’ll attribute it to myself.” While this is actually somewhat noble of Victor to avoid ever placing blame on Yuuri directly, it actually only makes matters worse. This is because we know that what Yuuri’s primarily afraid of is not messing up, but messing up and having it reflect badly on Victor. He cannot bear the thought of people talking ill about Victor—someone he loves very dearly—and while Victor was trying to be as gentle as possible while, well, shattering Yuuri’s heart, it ends up backfiring doubly because of this. 

The last thing Yuuri wants is to drag Victor’s name through the mud and the idea that Victor would do that himself, if Yuuri messes up, is horrible. Never mind the very idea that Victor would leave. (Though, of course, Victor actually never says this either—only that he’d resign as Yuuri’s coach, not that he would straight-up leave Yuuri; though since Yuuri doesn’t know the full extent of Victor’s feelings for him, he assumes that Victor quitting as his coach would also include him leaving Hasetsu altogether.) And of course, Victor doesn’t mean any of this. This is probably how he was motivated by his coaches (and seeing as he’s new to coaching, he’s probably taking ques from them) so he figures, hey, since nothing else is working, maybe shocking Yuuri out of his funk will do the trick. It absolutely does not do the trick and Yuuri ends up bawling his eyes out—but not at the prospect of Victor leaving. No, he’s furious that Victor would say something like that. Victor backs down IMMEDIATELY. He doesn’t try to justify himself, he doesn’t try to give any sort of explanation or defend himself. He just apologizes because he knows he fucked up. This is more than most people do in an argument. And not only does Victor apologize, he takes this to heart. He never, ever pulls something like this again. He actively changes his behavior. This is so important. 

And now, since neither of them are very good with words, their official “make up” doesn’t happen there, even if Yuuri wasn’t actively mad at Victor after the fact. But he didn’t know how to express that and Victor probably felt like he was walking on eggshells at that point so he smartly kept his mouth shut. Still, Yuuri knows its important to communicate that he isn’t angry at him. So what does he do? The head boop. It’s a clear throwback to episode 4—the scene that showed that Yuuri was coming out of his shell and impulsively acted upon realizing that Victor was a normal, human person with his own fears and insecurities. And this is Yuuri’s way of essentially rubbing that in, in an affectionate way. Saying “You’re an idiot, but you’re my idiot.” (By the way, this is the final step of Yuuri letting go of his idolization of Victor and fully coming to see him as a normal guy with his own shortcomings.) And if Victor had any doubts of Yuuri forgiving him, Yuuri does the Quad Flip at the end of his routine to signify that yes, you’re forgiven (and also I will surpass your wildest imagination, among other things). They didn’t have to implicitly say “I’m sorry”/”I forgive you”/etc. It was all made crystal clear in the one way they always communicate freely in: skating.

Coming to episode 11…. Yuuri, being the nervous ball of anxiety he is, often has moments of intense self-doubt. Often times he thinks “what does Victor see in me” throughout the show and is quick to become disappointed in himself. This is what happens in episode 11. Yuuri doesn’t do as well as he wanted to in his Free Skate, causing his anxiety to kick up to 100. But Yuuri doesn’t say anything about it. He doesn’t tell Victor what he’s feeling or what he’s afraid of. So Victor has no way of understanding what’s going through Yuuri’s head and reassuring him that everything will be just fine, regardless. After his own lackluster performance, Yuuri sees that Victor is watching other skaters and assumes that Victor wants to go back to skating. And sure, while it does sort of spark that competitive spirit in Victor, his only concern at the moment is Yuuri. But Yuuri completely misunderstand Victor’s appreciation of other skater’s performances and jumps to conclusions because that’s what anxiety does. It takes an otherwise innocuous situation and twists it until you can only think of the worst-case scenario. To Yuuri, this is Victor leaving him behind to go back to Russia. And this is where it becomes a sort of double-whammy. 

Despite his moments of confidence and delight at being the one who “stole Victor away from the world,” Yuuri suffers from an immense amount of self-doubt that tells him “you aren’t good enough.” He feels like he’s keeping Victor from doing something that he loves (skating) and after that lukewarm performance, he figures that maybe he’s not worth Victor’s time, coaching-wise. And he loves Victor enough to not want to hold him back anymore, either. He feels like he’s a burden and thus should cut Victor free and let him go. And after all, didn’t Victor say it was until the Grand Prix Finals anyway? But moreover, what Yuuri does at the end of episode 11 is a defensive tactic. He’s terrified at the prospect of Victor leaving him, yet he feels backed into a corner, so he decides to put distance between them in order to protect himself. (Remember Victor’s line from episode 10 about how when athletes feel pressured into a corner, they sometimes act unexpectedly? Foreshadowing.) Yuuri is giving Victor a way out, should he want it. It’s Yuuri’s way of minimizing the pain he thinks is inevitable. 

But what Yuuri here doesn’t understand is that Victor is fully invested in their relationship. Victor’s shock makes this completely evident. He never for a moment entertained the idea of parting from Yuuri, especially not now. He just lived under the assumption that once the Grand Prix was over, they’d go onto Nationals and Worlds and so on. Victor had NO IDEA the turmoil that’s been plaguing Yuuri this entire time (who has honestly spent much of the show afraid that his time with Victor is limited—and that’s another reason the rings were so important to Yuuri; they were genuinely a wish he made of keeping them together). For Victor, skating doesn’t hold the same joy it once did for him. Without Yuuri there, it feels lackluster; he’s tired of feeling alone. I will argue that yes, Victor’s competitive spark was re-ignited by Yurio (and also Yuuri) breaking his world record, but Victor clearly values his relationship with Yuuri more than he does his skating. 

Now, we don’t get to see the rest of what happens in that scene but they at least got to the point where they put it on hold until after the Finals—because it was obviously important that Yuuri focus on that, first and foremost. And what happens at the finals? At lot of things, really. The most important thing is that Yuuri’s Free Skate is his way of communicating to Victor what he feels. His skating says “do you see how much I love you?” and Victor—with tears in his eyes—understands. They communicate a lot through skating; that was the entire point of the Quad Flip as I mentioned before. It was a conversation between them. But now I’m veering off into poetic territory, so I’ll bring it back. Yuuri realizes here that he doesn’t want either his career or his relationship to end there. In the end, they not only decide to keep going—together—but also apparently have to redo whatever their initial plans were and move to St. Petersburg together because they can’t bear to be apart—and that much is confirmed canon.

Do they still have issues to work out after this? Absolutely. There will no doubt be more things that come up if we get more seasons. But Rome was not built in a day, people. And to expect a perfect relationship with zero miscommunication ever is highly unrealistic. That’s unhealthy. Even couples who have been married for decades and are on the same page regarding everything still have their squabbles now and then. You’re not always going to understand what your partner feels/thinks in a given moment unless you have telepathy, and you’re going to disagree over things. That’s just how it works. The most interesting part of Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is how genuine it feels, for these reasons.

 ***Now mentioning two additional points that are not strictly about Victuuri, but YoI as a whole***

9.)  “Other shows have done representation better.”

I know other shows like No. 6 and Shin Sekai Yori (which are both based on pre-existing novels and not original works like Yuri!!! on Ice) have done things like show explicit kissing between two same-sex characters and should not be forgotten or dismissed, but “better” is a really subjective word. (*Spoiler alert*) In neither of those two shows do you get a queer couple that is happy and together by the end of the show. In No. 6, Shion and Nezumi part ways and we are never explicitly told if/when they reunite and if/when they officially get together. In Shin Sekai Yori, Shun is killed off and Satoru marries Saki, instead. (Though this in itself is not horrible, per se, the “Bury Your Gays” trope is so prevalent that I personally couldn’t help but grind my teeth at it.) However at the end of Yuri!!! on Ice, Victor and Yuuri are both alive, happy, engaged, and looking forward to a future together. Take this to mean what you will. Some people value an explicit romance even if it ends in tragedy more, but personally I prefer when my same-sex couples are alive and happy together for once.

And just to say it: even though other shows have been more explicit about homosexual or otherwise queer relationships, not all of them have handled it with the same level of respect they do with heterosexual relationships. More below.

10.)  “Yuri on Ice doesn’t address homophobia, and thus Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is unrealistic.”

I for one am exhausted. Exhausted because so many shows featuring queer characters inadvertently turns into a struggle due to those characters’ identities. It becomes a part of the plotline (and often is the whole plotline) and while I think it’s incredibly important that we do have stories like this—because they’re especially important for young people who are finding themselves—it’s also important that we showcase a world in which equality exists and a character’s sexual orientation does not encompass their entire story; and in which they are allowed to have story arcs about literally anything else like their heterosexual counterparts. I was dreading this happening in YoI following the kiss, to be frank. I didn’t want to tune into the next episode and see homophobia of any sort. YoI was like a safe haven for me and so many others—a blanket you could wrap around yourself and find hope that one day, yes, the world will really be like that. It seems so wonderful and simple and liberating. I didn’t have to watch this show with a dark feeling in my gut, angry at the world. I could watch it feeling happy and light for once. I am so grateful that Yuuri and Victor’s relationship is treated the same way as a heterosexual relationship would be. No one makes snide comments, no one doubts their legitimacy, it’s never the butt of a joke, none of that nonsense occurs here. Normalizing same-sex relationships is an important step, especially when such a relationship aired for all to see in a country where gay marriage is not yet legal. (And also the fact that the relationship features an interracial couple who both come from conservative counties.)

There are no doubt a ton of things I’ve missed here and I’m not going to get into things like “YoI has poor animation” and “YoI didn’t deserve all the awards it got” because that’s not the point of this post—and this post is monstrous enough. Everyone, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But once you make your opinion public, you are inviting discussion. You can’t spout hate against something other people love and not expect to be challenged.

I know I’ve basically been preaching to the choir with this post, and thank you to everyone who’ve taken the time to read this or skim this. Hopefully it helps you organize your own thoughts. For dissenters who’ve read this post, thank you as well and I hope we can have some interesting discussions regarding Victuuri and Yuri!!! on Ice as a whole.

TLDR; Victor and Yuuri’s relationship is not picture-perfect, but that’s what makes it all the more compelling. It feels real and genuine because these characters feel real and genuine—flaws and all. If anyone has anything they want me to address specifically, please drop an ask or a message!