#very different

Words already have set meanings and everyone has their own perception of them shaped by the world, people’s views and how it’s used. So the meaning behind ‘quadg0d’ will sometimes be lost to normal people, figure skating fans, his haters, even his fans and certainly, most damning of all, the media.

I think my opinion is already clear. I respect his and fans’ decision to freely express themselves through language. I see the thought behind it but I can’t accept the choice of word. It can create a stunted view of you to others since the only people in history who we’ve seen call themselves god, are delusional individuals. Another reason is also because it can make someone look infallible, when they of course aren’t. And I’m allowed to have this view no matter what anyone thinks of it because I’m also exercising my right of language to creatively express myself. Just because it has restrictions, it doesn’t mean it’s inferior.

The reason why I accept it in fiction and not in real life is because the narrative has a central theme of human-limit. Even if it isn’t written like it, we can deduce it for ourselves. This notion doesn’t fully work for the quadg0d-persona. But so doesn’t Ilia’s initial one.

Currently, Ilia is one of the figure skaters who is constantly pushing human-limits by continuously challenging himself, attempting and achieving things we have never seen before, thought to be impossible or out of a sci-fi novel. So one could argue that it has a ‘god-like’ quality to it; he is doing things that have never been done, not from the rest of the field, not even from other skaters before him. He is better than everyone else. But does this mean it’s otherworldly? Of course not; he’s the human that proved it. And more than that. There are others too who are attempting, achieving or have achieved similar things (or at times, even better.)

Because it contextually makes sense to some extent, the word can be seen for its literal meaning because of this fact. In its dictionary meaning, god means a higher otherworldly being. And everyone knows this of course. And the media knows it very well.

A lot of times it happens that people will have a wrong perception of you as a person whether accidental or not and media especially will manipulate one aspect of you however they want e.g. how they make Alysa out to be someone who doesn’t care when that’s not true. Or maybe it’s just people taking it out of context? Or is it really?

Ilia incidentally gave the media the exact think piece they need to paint him however they like. Not only does it make a catchy headline, they can use it to ascertain superiority and dominance (because let’s face it, in competition, this is what it is all about) and when someone picks up on that context, whether knowingly or not, they just assume that’s how it’s supposed to be. And it’s not only how the name is used but also how is marketed. All the ads, the merch their selling, etc.

To play the devil’s advocate, they probably believe that’s exactly how they’re supposed to use the word, and they would be right because it contextually makes sense. When a new word enters our lexicon, everyone gains a right to use that word to express what they want to say, even the media. But my problem is that they’re doing this for their own benefit and they’re certainly not honest about it because if they were asked about the meaning, they’d bat their eyelashes and say it’s a nickname he gave himself. Again, not wrong but wrong context. People might think they’re doing good for him with the way they try to make him gain the most attention. Though, not all attention is good.

To fans, that’s how it’s supposed to be. They’ll go back to the initial use of the word even if they can pick up on the new context. It doesn’t matter because it already has an original meaning and they’ll probably add new layers especially if they want to talk about his achievements. But to other people, this meaning slowly starts overwriting Ilia’s and his fan’s primary use of the word even if that piece of information is in their knowledge. This is just the way meanings of words change overtime.

But why do so many people still find it this captivating even if in its literal meaning, it sounds a little outrageous?

His success is one of the biggest factors. Landing not only the first 4A in competition, but doing it multiple times, being the first to land 6 types of quads in a program, being the first to land 7 quads in a program, winning everything for more than 2 years and other multiple qualities. These are not achievements anyone can do and they should receive the utmost praise. (And it’s unfortunately thanks to these tangible achievements that it’s hard to talk about the flawed image of which this quadg0d persona stands for.)

As social beings, the extrovert ideal is something that is in every culture, and there are more extroverts in America and Europe than any other country. America especially had a massive shift from Character to Personality during the start of the 20th century thanks to Dale Carnegie (you know, the writer of the no.1 self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.)

How this works in real life is that people are told they should have a certain type of personality and they should behave a certain way if they want to make more friends, sell more products, be liked in work-forces, secure a date, get into university, etc. And because it’s easy to talk about their success due to their personality, other people expect people who want these things to act the same.

Nowadays, it’s not only a tactic to get ahead in life; people end up acting a certain way because they want to be liked and feel validated. With the rise of the internet and social media, even introverts are appreciated for their personalities. Our personality has become our most likeable suit. This is one of the factors on why celebrities and influencers alike have become so well-liked and acclaimed. People see themselves in them, they see them radiating confidence and they want them to gain even more success. (Like how people want Ilia to jump a quint and ascend to a higher status of divinity.)

I guess this is why ‘quadg0d’ can be seen as cool or grandiose by some people even if I and many others find it so off-putting. It also gives off a sense of arrogance that most normies wouldn't be able to have because of a psychological barrier and also because they didn't achieve what he did.

These are mostly positive and all until expectations turn to pressure. You know, The Free Skate DisasterTM. I believe how things played out would’ve happened anyways but the consequences before and after probably wouldn’t have been as terrible if this whole agenda wasn’t pushed.

Another reason why the quadg0d-persona, and Ilia himself, is so off putting is because propaganda is a very powerful tool.

There’s a reason I started it with that term. All this advertising, overpraising, over-rewarding and overbearing attention from the media and the ISU towards him all have themes of propaganda. And it’s not the neutral one. You can tell just how hard they’re trying to make him not only relevant (because he certainly already is) but also one of the greats (even before he has proved himself.) Not because he is pushing the agenda, but because everyone else is and he looks to be going along with it. We all already have our own idea and set rules of not only who is the best, but how one should be scored, rewarded and talked about so of course someone getting favouritism will make people rightfully angry. And then he often goes viral so the algorithm pushes him on people’s feeds and fyp. So if it feels like you’re constantly advertised a product you don’t want, you’re right. But if you’re a fan, you’d most likely just see him get recognition and even if these red herrings will raise an eyebrow, you might dismiss it entirely. Or you could even get angry if someone calls out the blatant favouritism.

The way the ISU and the media treat Ilia (and previously Nathan before him) is a pervasive way to establish that this is the best way to gain points and the best way to skate. Not only does it ruin the sense of competition, they’re indirectly invalidating other skaters who work hard with the talent and resources they have. The rest of the field, especially if they are from a small federation, have to keep on pushing themselves to increase their base value because those are the only points they will not be denied since judges are the ones in control of goe and pcs. The reason why I feel like they are not liked by a lot of figure skating fans is not because they dislike them as skaters but because they unfortunately represent a bigger systematic error where they benefit the most.

And all of this is the reason why some people can’t take him seriously when he says that he wants to create inclusion in the sport. You can’t blame them when this is how he’s advertised. I mean, I was surprised when I found out that Ilia spoke about wanting the spins to increase in value. His media personality doesn’t really give off a down-to-earth imagery.

Personally for me, the worst thing about this persona is that it makes him seem dishonest and opportunistic. I’ll preface by saying that everyone is opportunistic in some way or another. You have a bubbly personality; choose a fun song to show off your charm. Your prose is rich and beautiful; write a story set in the Victorian Era since your writing will compliment it well (and also do research), etc. It’s why Yuma chooses to skate to jazz; it’s why so many skaters had Italian opera as programs for this Olympics.

Being resourceful is good when it comes to your skillset and the circumstances you’re in and it should be done in moderation because people still expect you to be authentic. Authentic ≠ Original. It means that something is genuine and accurate. Nobody likes a ‘fake’. If it doesn’t meet expectations or it doesn’t match up with how people think of you then there’ll be a level of criticism because you didn’t deliver a good performance and you were not able to deliver the message. And this is one of my main problems on why I can’t artistically engage with Ilia’s Olympic programs.

For his short program, The Lost Crown, the message is supposed to be a warrior because that’s how he saw himself. It’s designed to convey overcoming struggles. Let’s forget the execution, even bad art can have thought behind it, and think about what he wanted to show because if we compare it to how the media presents him, it doesn’t thematically match up. The same thing goes with A Voice which judging by some of the lyrics is supposed to be introspective.

I had no problem with I’m Not a Vampire, not because it’s a good program, but because I interpret it as him showing how he’s not immortal or superhuman and it seems like a direct callout to his own nickname and people’s perception of him (I haven’t searched up the meaning of this program. This is my interpretation of it and I’m satisfied.) But A Lost Crown and A Voice show such a huge contrasting image. I can’t cast my suspension of disbelief and hold it until the end. This was the season when the quadg0d-persona got blown out of proportion. It overrode everything. And it hindered on his artistic performance since I couldn’t take him seriously and because I thought he was faking it and being pretentious with the message he was trying to put out and the story he was trying to tell. And that’s ridiculous because I know he’s putting effort but that’s not what it comes off as. From the outsider perspective, when he wants to create his programs, he wants something that is meaningful and that speaks to a truer self but when he wants to gain fame it looks as if he is presenting himself as a divine creature and unfortunately, those two don’t match up.

So, to go back to the title it says, ‘and how it lost meaning’. Technically, that’s wrong. It didn’t lose meaning, it developed and grew and why the perspective on the word itself changed so much. And the primary reason on why he chose to express himself this way gets lost since everyone is using it differently in different contexts. My opinion changed after writing this. I believe in the freedom of expression so if he and his fans want to keep it then it’s fine even if I still find it obnoxious and very weird. But it doesn’t mean that they should hate on other people when they try to bring up the issues with it. And when so many people will misunderstand, and when the media will keep on using it however they like, when is it better to let go than to keep on holding on?

Phew…this is a lot. But as you can see, my tone changed. Not only because I changed my initial question but also because I wanted to understand a wider range of people instead of just ones of like mind. Because through people, words and forms of expression I’m able to clear my confusion and better understand everyone, including myself. Of course I can still be wrong, so you’re free to correct me. And if someone has an issue with my word-vomit than I’d rather you ask me about it instead of call me names or invalidate how I write about certain subjects by saying ‘it's not that serious’. I’d rather you tell me to kms than dictate what I should or shouldn’t write about.

Anyway, I’m surprised you’re still reading this. But if you are, thank you. I hope you were able to take something from it even if it’s just a different perspective. And if you have any thoughts or any new insight, then I’d love to hear it.

p.s. I got emotional again over Misha’s OGM. He didn’t only win it by beating all the odds but also because even if he was restricted to gaining points through increasing his base value, he wanted to express himself and stand out amongst the crowd by landing combos that are unique to him T-T

⭐ i guess this counts as a kinsona? i dont look THAT different from. how i look in canon.

⭐ okay maybeeee. being unguligrade (digitigrade with hooves), having. claws and. tusks. and yellow teeth and. fluff is. kinda different from how i look in canon. maybe.

⭐ i drew this in. 500x500. working with low res is. fun!