We're up to 51 volunteers as of today! This is amazing! We're so happy to se such interest shown. Sign-ups are still open until May 21st! All emails have been sent out - if you have checked your inbox and spam and have NOT received it, please DM this account and let us know!

If you would like to sign-up, please fill out our form to help us help Palestinians in their great time of need!

Better pictures of young Viktor and I am crying

If you are interested on helping the humanitarian crisis on Gaza, this Carrd shows you all the fandoms that are currently hosting events for donation = commission.

WE'RE UP TO 29 VOLUNTEERS and it's only been a day! 💙💜

We're already off to such a great start everyone! Thank you so much to all who have applied thus far.

There's still 5 and a half days left of sign-ups. Please consider if you are in the YOI fandom and interested in helping Palestinians in their time of need! We accept fanart, fanfic, podfic, AMVs, AND cosplay!

Our sign-up form can be found here.

YURI ON ICE GOTCHA FOR GAZA SIGN-UPS ARE NOW OPEN

Palestinians need help - and together we can make that happen! What can we do? There are two ways to help: Volunteer and/or Donate! This week, we are focusing on volunteering, as we need your wonderful skills and talent to make this event work! No matter your skill level, we welcome all to join us!

This week, from May 13th to May 20th, we are accepting sign-ups for artists and fanwriters to join our team to create lovely art for others in return for donations to the CareForGaza gofundme. Don't write or draw? That's perfectly okay! We also welcome any cosplayers, graphics artists, and podficcers out there to also join us! All fandom art can aid in the greater good!

To learn more about this event and what it entails, please read the FAQ of our carrd.

If you would like to sign-up for a crucial cause - please click here! This form will be open to the public until 11:59pm Atlantic Standard Time on May 20th.

We hope to see you with us! Together, let's make history! 💙💜

Hello everyone, I made a Tumblr blog for this event. I'll keep most updates and posts to this blog now, although I will likely reblog important into onto this account as well because the more eyes this sees the better.

Please feel free to follow this blog for updates/information, especially if you do not want to go onto The Other Hellsite to keep up-to-date!

Victor nikiforov and empathy:

Following my fifth (?) rewatch I found yet another reason to be completely in love with Yuri on Ice, and that is Victor being a wonderfully accurate and non-demonized example of someone with low empathy. Seriously as someone who’s autistic and can’t relate to the influx of “actually we’re all super in tune to other’s feelings and have the MOST empathy!”, watch these scenes because this is what it’s like.

This line at first seems to be Yakov thinking that Victor is arrogant, but Yakov knows him extremely well. He knows that Victor has a hard time viscerally placing himself in another’s shoes, and that’s a major obstacle as a coach.

Victor has trouble understanding what to do in situations that are highly emotional for Yuuri. Instead of being able to directly consider things through Yuuri’s perspective, we see him rely pretty often on environment cues, behavioral cause and affect, or straightforward commands.

He gets his habit of scolding yuri after a routine from Yakov because that’s what he’s familiar with. It’s not something Yuuri responds to particularly well, but it’s only when Victor pays attention to how others react when Yuuri finishes skating that he changes tactic. Victor sees how the crowd is going wild at the (Japan nationals) and it’s only then it occurs to him that Yuuri’s confidence may be jeopardized if he chooses that moment to criticize his performance. This is something he likely would’ve realized much sooner if he could share Yuuri’s stress easier instead of merely observing that it’s happening.

Then later on in episode 7, we get to the scene that actually inspired this post.

At first Victor approached the situation almost like an experiment, trying out cause and effect to disastrous results. When you have a much lower threshold for being able to experience another’s feelings second hand, it’s difficult not to think of other’s negative emotions simply as problems that need to be solved. Problem: Yuuri won’t perform well because he’s too anxious, he will only be MORE upset if he loses, and Victor has already tried to reduce his anxiety to no avail. Idea for solution: raise the stakes and see if increased pressure can replace his nerves with resolve, causing a good performance. Afterward, Yuuri will be proud of himself and happy again. Execute plan, observe results, adjust accordingly. When comfort doesn’t come naturally, this tends to be kind of the default. From experience it comes from a genuine place of caring even when it backfires (and it actually doesn’t at times), basically trying to actually fix the thing upsetting your loved one instead of play acting feelings you don’t get.

… however Yuuri was COMPLETELY within his rights yelling at Victor because regardless of intent he picked the worst thing on planet earth to say in that exact moment. I mean I’ve had my fair share of “oh crap someone is upset and it’s my responsibility” fails but my fuck-

He’s shown to be pretty shit at comforting Yuri/ detached emotionally from the situation, but he is neither coldly unbothered nor strategically hiding it. It may appear callous to bluntly say “I don’t know how to help you” to a loved one who’s crying, but as someone who’s been there, that’s an insanely vulnerable thing to admit. “I don’t feel your pain, I don’t get it. But I love you, and just because I’m not feeling it myself doesn’t mean I don’t care that you’re hurting.”

When Yuri finally just straight up tells Victor what to do, he is relieved and simply does it. Things are different between them after this episode because Yuuri finds the power to communicate his needs clearly and effectively. Victor doesn’t speak “subtlety” well. Yakov and Yurio both speak their mind to him directly regardless of if it’s polite, Which is quite telling because they’re the two characters he has the longest history with. It shows us the kind of communication style Victor is accustomed to and needs to navigate interpersonal relationships.

I’m not making a statement that Victor is autistic or even disordered per say. I feel his unusual circumstances provide enough explanation, but I really do see that he consistently struggles with empathy in the same way I do. He’s probably the only character I’ve been able to see that aspect of myself in with scenes that aren’t played for jokes.

Thank you for this enlightening post! Being autistic myself, I have some thoughts on this as well as I see many hallmarks of autism in Viktor due to which I regard this a valid interpretation (not canon, but more on this at the end of this post). I am careful when voicing this kind of analysis as some fans get easily upset when their favourite character is interpreted in such a way. So apologies in advance in case I step on someone's toes with my findings.

Please view my post as additional data input on the subject.

First (and this is mostly directed at the NTs reading this), when talking about empathy, please note that there are several types of empathy. In the following, I’ll talk about emotional empathy and cognitive empathy. Emotional empathy works well for autistics unless we struggle with alexithymia, whereas cognitive empathy (i.e. putting oneself in someone else’s shoes) tends to be super hard. When talking about empathy regarding Viktor, he shows good emotional empathy and is good at picking up other people’s moods, i.e. when he first spots Yuuri at the banquet, when he worries about Yuuri and sensing when he’s upset, but when trying to help, he messes up because he very obviously cannot put himself in Yuuri’s shoes. However, throughout the show, he slowly becomes better at understanding Yuuri.

However, it’s also obvious that he is blissfully unaware of these issues. For if he knew about them, he would be more considerate from the start and might even communicate his differences to avoid misunderstandings. And this is where I believe that Yakov is mistaken. His harsh reaction when seen in this context, is the reaction of someone who got used to Viktor’s idiosyncrasies over the years but interprets them in a hurtful way because he doesn’t know why Viktor is the way he is. And because Viktor doesn’t know either, this is a constant source of misunderstandings and, hence, conflict. Been there, done that. It doesn’t matter how close you are. This phenomenon is called double-empathy problem and it’s a root cause of misunderstandings in autistic/allistic interactions and matches my experience pre-discovery.  (I personally prefer this explanation for Yakov’s reaction, but I think both can coexist within the scope of the show).

Some more reasons why Viktor being autistic is a valid interpretation:

To me, the most prominent hallmark is actually his figure skating talent/genius and the perfectionism he exhibits in this department. (Note that this only applies to a subset of autistics, but the intensity with which we pursue our passions can lead to ingenious results.) Viktor is a once-in-a-lifetime figure skating legend. To bring his vision to the ice, he commissions music and costumes according to his parameters and choreographs his own high-difficulty programmes, which are masterpieces full of transition elements and attention to detail. It is super rare for figure skaters to do all this completely on their own, not even Yuzuru Hanyu does all this himself and I consider him a one-in-a-million talent. In addition, Viktor’s skating is super precise. All these things demand dedication. It’s hinted in the show that the major part of Viktor’s life consisted of skating and it’s not a stretch that due to this high level of dedication, eventually, he burned out and lost his inspiration over it.

Viktor is blunt to the point of being outright rude. His bluntness is also reflected in his flirting. No wonder, Yuuri runs for the hills.

Suffering from loneliness due to a lack of meaningful connection is common in autistics as we often form bonds through shared passions, which often isn’t possible with allistics to the extent we crave this. Viktor is canonically lonely (and I doubt training is the only reason for this as many top skaters practise a lot but still maintain friendships) and forms a bond with Yuuri over their shared passion. Loneliness and burnout can also cause depression (especially in autistics) and there are hints that Viktor is depressed at the beginning of the show.

Masking: Viktor masks throughout the first four episodes of the show and then starts taking off the mask because of Yuuri (the beach scene). He takes on carefully crafted personas when being around people, and doesn’t know how to be himself.

His canonical airheadedness could be well explained in this context as hyperfixating a lot on his passion or on other things crossing his mind, and basically being in his own space-time.

Making sudden life-changing decisions due to the onset of a new passion: Autistics struggle with change and there are a few hints that Viktor can’t handle it very well, too, but this trait can be overthrown by a new passion absorbing our entire existence. I see this reflected in Viktor’s decision to move to Japan and become Yuuri’s coach, which the video of Yuuri skating his free programme incites. At this point, Viktor’s long-time passion for skating has withered away, but he hasn’t yet a new passion to focus on. This kind of limbo can cause mental health problems for autistics and they can end all of a sudden when we fall in love with a new passion. Been there, done that. It’s canon that the video struck Viktor like a bolt of lightning. His passion for skating isn’t dead, but changes to the desire of being Yuuri’s coach (romantic feelings certainly play a role here as well) which ultimately leads to the reignition of his passion, or rather, a reinvention as he becomes Yuuri’s coach AND rival.

Given all this, Viktor being autistic is a valid interpretation. I’m not gonna say he IS autistic as this would mean it’s canon but it’s neither mentioned in the show nor stated by the creators. Please note that many autistic-coded characters accidentally come across as autistic because they’re either based on common autistic stereotypes with manifest as e.g. a socially awkward nerd or because their creators are undiagnosed autistics.

However, I regard this interpretation as way likelier and better backed up by the source material than interpretations of Viktor being evil/selfish/having ulterior motives towards Yuuri which I still see circulating in the fandom.

PS: Yuuri, too, exhibits several autistic traits, and some of them overlap with Viktor’s while others manifest differently. It’s a spectrum after all. And if I were to interpret both characters this way, it’s hard to unsee why they fit together so well.

Bonus funfact: Queer people are likelier to be autistic than straight people.

Reblogging this because it's autism acceptance month and good autistic representation in the media (even if it's accidental) is important to de-demonise autistic people.

We need to talk about this

because Yuuri's reaction in this scene is a result of his anxiety disorder and his tendency to self-deprecation and having depressive thoughts, and that he ends up here is being carefully foreshadowed throughout the series:

First, Viktor said a couple of things that made Yuuri believe that Viktor only wants to coach him until the GPF:

This

and this

is enough to convince and anxious person like Yuuri that Viktor has no intention to coach him beyond the GPF. Note that Viktor never explicitly states that he will coach Yuuri only for the first half of the season - it's the natural conclusion an anxious brain will draw. And that's neither Viktor's nor Yuuri's fault.

And then this, while Yuuri is within hearing distance:

I'm getting a queasy feeling in my stomach just from watching this scene because I relate to Yuuri so much. If I had eavesdropped on this interview, I would have freaked out internally. Like what does that even mean? Is he talking about his career or is this a carefully crafted answer to convince the press to leave him and Yuuri alone for the next couple of weeks? This secret is probably between Viktor and the YOI creators alone (I have theories, but I'm not going to discuss them here because this post is about Yuuri).

Second, although he becomes more confident throughout the show, the self-deprecating part of Yuuri has a low opinion about his own skating. From his perspective, his contribution to the sport seems less valuable than Viktor's, even when he starts to understand that he's far more than a dime-a-dozen skater. The realisation that he is as least as talented as Viktor, only drives home the moment he breaks Viktor's world record.

Because Yuuri has such a low opinion of himself, he doesn't understand how much Viktor enjoys watching him skate, which is another aspect factoring into his decision.

Third, Yuuri genuinely believes that Viktor wants to return to the ice and would rejoice when Yuuri retires. Having seen Viktor watch the other skaters at the GPF cements the decision he made at the Rostelecom Cup. The fact that basically everyone has told him throughout the last 11 episodes that he's keeping Viktor from skating gives more weight to the idea.

Yes, you got that right. Yuuri deided to retire, before he proposed to Viktor and before he bought two matching rings and put one of them on Viktor's finger. However, now Yuuri knows that Viktor would coach him for as long as Yuuri wants to keep skating, which forces him to release Viktor from his duties at the point he believes Viktor wanted to stop coaching him initially.

Yuuri is not breaking up. He's releasing Viktor as his coach. He is sacrificing his career so that Viktor can keep pursuing his own career which Viktor once sacrificed for him.

Of course he's surprised that Viktor bursts out in tears.

Yuuri has the right to retire whenever he wants. He doesn't need to consult Viktor. If he thinks (for whichever stupid reason) it's time, he can make this decision on his own.

Is it selfish?

Lol no. Only Viktor thinks it is because he's conflating the coach and the partner and takes it personally. He's hurt and feels rejected because he doesn't understand that Yuuri did it for him and that causes a drama Yuuri was not prepared for.

Is it stupid?

Absolutely. But poor communication skills, Yuuri is too caught up in his mental issues to even think of having a discussion that would lead them to a solution with which both would be happy (both training in St. Petersburg *wink* *wink*). It's not malice, insensitivity, or shitty behaviour that drives Yuuri to this point. It's all about his mental issues. And love.

Yuuri: *lying face down on the floor*

Phichit: So Viktor said he liked you?

Yuuri, muffled: Yeah

Phichit: ...and you asked him to marry you?

Yuuri: Yeah

Phichit: Oh shit. How did he react?

Yuuri: Dunno, I ran before I could scare him even more

Viktore, kicking in the door: Attention, everyone! I'm getting married!

SO a friend of mine sent this in a chat and YOU ALL KNOW I CANNOT resist a bit of ridiculous Viktuuri. So here. Take it.

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

📝As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. If you want to go fancy Michaels is always a good place for traditional supplies. They also get in some good sales and discounts. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are usually more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

NOTE: Some of these can work on almost any computer like Clip and Sai but others will require a bit stronger computer like Blender. Please check their sites for if your computer is compatible.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

Wings anyone?

YOI GOTCHA FOR GAZA SIGN-UPS ARE NOW OPEN

Please click this link here to sign-up as a volunteer. Sign-ups are open from today (May 13th) until May 20th 11:59pm atlantic standard time.

You do not need a Twitter account to participate! While we encourage having a discord account for organizational reasons, we only need at least an email so that we may get in touch with you to assign prompts.

If you are a fanfic writer and/or artist and are interested in helping out Palestinians in their time of need, please consider volunteering! o learn more, check out our carrd. about this fan run event.

Thank you!

Looking to practice drawing in a chibi style, so Yuri!!! on Ice drawing requests are open!