spindizzy | Reaction Shot: Yuri On Ice Episode 12 (or, *RAPTOR SCREECHING INTENSIFIES* (Reply)

OKAY, final episode! I am hype because I remember pretty much the ending and NOTHING ELSE ABOUT THIS EPISODE. ... Which means that the beginning of it is going to be so rough, because oh my god Yuri, WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.

[Master post of reactions is here!]

CAN YOU IMAGINE VICTOR'S FEELINGS AT THIS POINT?! The beautiful guy you like finally likes you back, and you understand why he was so weird to you at first, and you're engaged and he's skating the best he can in front of the entire world, and then – he just ends it. *sobs*

YURI WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.

Victor looks genuinely, honestly blindsided, and that's how I feel!

"You've done more than enough for me, Victor." YURI THAT IS NOT WHAT THIS IS ABOUT.

"My last season" YURI WHERE IS THIS COMING FROM

YOU MADE HIM CRY YOU DICK, WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.

"I didn't expect Katsuki Yuri to be such a selfish human being," ... Okay, Victor, I feel like you have fundamentally misunderstood at least something about Yuri's character here, come on. ... Does this mean that Victor doesn't know that one of Yuri's motivations was "be the man who stole Victor away from the world"? Because I feel like that's a pretty big thing to have missed!

And then Victor flinches when Yuri says he's retiring! *CRIES*

... Did Yuri... Seriously just move Victor's hair out of the way so that he can see the tears better. I know it's apparently a surprise thing, but also... Yuri. YURI.

"I'm mad, okay!" ... I think that might be the first time we see Victor actively angry, to be honest with you. Or at least, angry in a way that he shows instead of passing it off as smiling cattiness.

... Yuri. Yuri is all of this because you've got the wrong end of the stick. YURI. WHY ARE YOU BREAKING EVERYONE'S HEART INCLUDING YOUR OWN FOR THIS FOOLISHNESS.

"How can you tell me to return to the ice while saying you're retiring?!" *VELOCIRAPTOR SCREECHING*

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY JUST CUT THAT SCENE THERE WITH A "WE DECIDED TO MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS AFTER THE FREE SKATE"

I MEAN, I CAN, BUT ALSO HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS YURI IS LITERALLY TRYING TO DUMP VICTOR BECAUSE VICTOR'S CAREER IS MORE IMPORTANT AND VICTOR CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY YURI IS SIMULTANEOUSLY TRYING TO RETIRE AND GET VICTOR TO NOT RETIRE.

YOU GUYS

IDIOTS!!!!!

... They're running the opening credits music over the recap of everyone's rankings! Can they do that?! Are they ALLOWED to do that?!

Look, I'm here for the way that Yuri On Ice messes around with its opening and closing credits, okay.

Chris' performance was "distinctive." RIGHT. SURE. THAT WORD.

That presenter speaking French is a real person, isn't he? I'm sure someone mentioned that.

VICTOR LOOKS SO TIRED AND DOWN, YURI WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM.

Man, they're so sad that even a guy who's spoken to Victor for five (5) seconds on the other end of a video link is like "Damn, where's his energy gone?"

SOMEONE EXPLAIN CANADA FLAG MAN, IT HAS TO BE RUDE TO BE TEARING UP AND DOWN IN FRONT OF PEOPLE LIKE THAT

Everyone's heartbroken for JJ, bless them. He's making a whole bunch of rookie mistakes, and seriously, this is what it must have been like for Yuri last year!

(I think what gets me about JJ is that he comes across as the protagonist of a very different sports anime, and it's weird reconciling the anime he's in with the one that everyone else is in. Although, full props to the creators for making sure you can see the stories that the other skaters are protagonists of.)

"I don't deserve applause right now" is SUCH A RELATABLE FEELING. Like, full-on, I have been there levels of "I know I'm trying my best right now, but I don't deserve praise for that because it's not enough."

CELESTINO, WHAT THE HELL IS WITH YOUR HAIR IN THAT FLASHBACK.

... Wait, I recognise that lady with the undercut, whose coach is she right now? She's the coach of one of the excitable kids, right?

And on the topic of seeing the other stories – you can see the trajectories of the other skater's rivalries and developments! And Yuri even highlights it with "Their battles will continue for years after this Grand Prix Final." YURI YOU DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE, YOU COULD ALWAYS STAY PART OF THIS WORLD.

I just noticed that Mickey is sitting between Sala and Emil. DUDE FIND YOUR CHILL.

"No tale is more compelling than one that never ends."

Oh bless Phichit. He's never had such a huge crowd watching him before! And no sooner does he think that he doesn't want to mess up in front of them: nearly falls out of a triple axel.

LOOK AT THE NEXT SKATING GENERATION SUPPORTING PHICHIT, AAAAAAH

... Does that say Phichit On Ice

Seriously that looks like a level from Madoka Magica but with hamsters, I'm a little scared.

"I haven't told Yuri about it yet" (OMG they are such beautifully nerdy friends who share their dreams!) and also LOOK, SO MANY OF THE OTHER SKATERS ARE THERE! Looking happy! Except for Seong-Gil, who not even Phichit can imagine with a facial expression! HE'S SO CUTE.

"I wish you'd never retire" is pretty unambigous Yuri! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS.

This dramatic, ominous entrance is so good. THAT ECHO THOUGH.

Like seriously, in about four minutes Victor is no longer going to be Yuri's coach by Yuri's own hand, and I just! I CAN'T.

Victor having more faith than Yuri that he can win! ;___;

"I told you before that I wanted you to stay who you were, right? Don't suddenly start trying to sound like a coach now." FUCKING SAVAGERY RIGHT THERE.

"I took a break after becoming the five-time world champion to coach you, so how is it possible that you still haven't won a single gold medal? How much longer are you going to stay in warm-up mode?" THERE WE GO, THERE'S THE CATTY VICTOR WE KNOW AND EXPECT. WHO WAS THAT PROFESSIONAL SCHMUCK JUST THEN.

I am become emotions at Victor and Yuri hugging each other and crying and laughing together. ;_____________________;

VICTOR'S HAND STAYING THERE WHEN YURI PULLS AWAY THOUGH.

"I'm a dime-a-dozen figure skater." Man, this speech is the Yuri from the intro, but he's such a different person now, and the way that the Yuri on Ice music starts swelling beneath it just completely recontextulises it. Like, that was a Yuri who was full of panic and despair, and this – this is a Yuri who knows himself. He's not necessarily good at BEING yet, but look!

"I've spent half my life trying to catch up to Victor" ;______;

... And it was Yurio that taught him to do the Salchow and all! It's not just a story about Yuri, it's about all of the people who helped him get to this point! ;____;

He'd like the final free skate of his career to have the same difficulty as Victor's – YURI YOU BEAUTIFUL MAD LUNATIC THERE ARE EASIER WAYS TO DECLARE YOUR LOVE FOR A GUY.

THE ONLY PERSON BETWEEN YOU AND FIGURE SKATING WITH VICTOR FOREVER IS YOU YOU BLESSED DUCK CHILD, STOP DOING THIS TO YOURSELF.

He wants to prove that Victor coaching him wasn't a waste of time! ;______; I AM CRY

HE FINISHES IT REACHING STRAIGHT FOR VICTOR OH GOD HE'S CRYING AND I'M CRYING AND EVERYONE WHO LOVES YURI IS CRYING.

And he's so full of emotions after that that all he can do is yell and cry, oh honey I'm not surprised. LOOK AT THIS! At the start of the series Yuri had to pretend to be someone else to get through his routines! And now he's done a routine entirely as him – deliberately, by choice, not because he got distracted – and it worked.

Even MICKEY is clapping him, wow.

"I don't want to go to the kiss and cry, because going there means it's over." ;________________;

Victor, you really truly have no idea what's going through Yuri's head, do you? EVER.

HE SKATED AS HIMSELF AND BROKE VICTOR'S WORLD RECORD HOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Having both Yuris beat my record is the ultimate bliss as your choreographer and coach, but it's the ultimate diss as a competitor." HE IS SO PROUD OF BOTH YURIS, I AM YELLING.

AND YURI HONESTLY LOOKS HAPPIER AT THE IDEA THAT VICTOR MIGHT COME BACK TO SKATING THAN HE DOES THAT HE JUST BROKE A RECORD I LOVE YOU YURI BUT YOUR PRIORITIES ARE AS BAD AS MINE.

Look, look, Yuri is taking part of the heat Victor gets as primary competition!

Victor is in full ditz mode and Chris looks PISSED. *chinhands*

HE IS SO MAD AND FRUSTRATED AND USING THEM AS MOTIVATION!

... Omg, Minako's face when Chris lets her put a flower crown on him! THIS IS THE CONTENT THAT I'M HERE FOR.

I really like Otabek's outfit here! It's good!

EVERYONE IS SO ANGRY THAT VICTOR IS COMING BACK AND I'M DELIGHTED!

"Hey, does that mean the Katsudon's retiring?!" OH NO, YURIO IS NOT GOING TO BE HAPPY WITH THIS, HELP.

VICTOR NEEDING A HUG AND TAKING IT FROM YURIO, AND YURIO ACTUALLY ALLOWING IT BECAUSE THEY'RE BOTH APPALLED BY THE IDEA OF SKATING WITHOUT YURI!!!!

(Does anyone else remember how much fandom debate there was at the time about whether Victor timed this announcement SPECIFICALLY to make Yurio mad and give this free skate his all? Because I swear that was a thing.)

Otabek thinking motivational messages to himself as he skates as a mantra is a nice touch!

... Yuri is gonna freak that Victor's gone, oh no.

Yurio, Mila's on her way to steal your friend!

YURIO!!!!!!!

Everyone yelling luck to Yurio because all of his friends believe in him! ;______; And Yurio thinking of all of them in return!

I have no memory of this routine, but jesus he's a very athletic monster and I love him.

AND HERE WE GO, HERE IS THE THING THAT I FORGOT ABOUT LITERALLY UNTIL YURIO ASKED IF YURI WAS RETIRING: Yurio is a fan of Yuri's! One who can see Yuri's flaws and talents! Yurio wanted to see him skate with no mistakes! Yurio felt betrayed that someone he admired was only mortal after all! I LOVE THIS EXPLANATION OF EVERY PIECE OF IDIOCY THAT YURIO HAS EVER DONE IN FRONT OF YURI.

And now Yurio's pissed that Yuri's going to retire as soon as he wins gold. "You don't care anymore now that you got a higher score than Victor's?" HE WANTS YURI TO NOT DISAPPOINT HIM AND I AM DYING.

Awwwww, Yurio's grandpa is so proud of him! ;_____; And LILIA SMILED! SHE ACTUALLY SMILED!

Man, Victor isn't Yurio's rival. JJ isn't Yurio's rival. It's YURI, it's been Yuri all along!

"If you retire now I'll make you regret it!" omg Yurio

He looks destroyed, he looks so shattered, oh honey!

... Darlings, did Yurio beat Yuri by 0.12?!

EW JJ GET DOWN FROM THERE FUCKBOYS DON'T BELONG ON THE PODIUM WHEN OTABEK AND CHRIS ARE RIGHT THERE.

YURI MADE IT TO THE PODIUM! HE GOT HIS FIRST MEDAL! And he immediately took it to Victor like a cat with a murder present!

VICTOR YOU LITTLE SHIT.

"Man, I really wanted to kiss Yuri's gold medal!" THAT sounds filthy, oh my god.

"I'm such a failure as a coach" he says in utter smiling monotone.

OH MY GOD THIS ENTIRE THING WITH VICTOR BENDING YURI BACK OVER A RAIL AND ASKING IF HE CAN THINK OF SOMETHING THAT WOULD EXCITE HIM. AND YURI THROWING ASIDE THE FUCKING MEDAL HE FOUGHT FOR TO ASK VICTOR TO SKATE WITH HIM.

Victor putting the medal on Yuri is just *RAPTOR SCREECHING INTENSIFIES*

Like, that's even WITHOUT Victor talking casually about how he needs Yuri to at least equal all of Victor's records.

HELP I AM EMOTIONALLY COMPROMISED BY THESE MARRIED IDIOTS WHO ARE SO IN LOVE.

... Yuri, are you skating Victor's old routine? Are you skating Stay By My Side And Never Leave – OH I GET IT NOW.

You see what I mean about doing interesting things with the credits, right?

OH MY GOD THEY TURNED IT INTO A PAIRS ROUTINE YOU TWO ARE THE MOST BLESSED GAY FOOLS TO EVER BE IN LOVE AND I ADORE YOU BOTH.

VICTOR AND YURIO AND YURI ALL TOGETHER IN RUSSIA! BEING HAPPY AND TRAINING TOGETHER! *sobs*

Victor's ears being red from the cold is destroying my life.

I cannot express to you how scared I was the first time I watched this that it would somehow pull the rug out from under me and become queer tragedy, but look! LOOK AT THIS JOY IT GAVE ME INSTEAD! LOOK AT HOW GAY A PIECE OF MEDIA CAN BE AND STILL LEAVE ME SCARED THAT IT'S GOING TO BETRAY ME, AND LOOK HOW UTTERLY AMAZING IT IS WHEN IT DOESN'T!

It is my headcanon that Yakov takes over doing most of the training, although Victor is adamant that he needs to stick his nose in and do the choreography and generally interfere, because coaching AND skating would probably kill him. YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND.