Fanfic Rec #20 Katsuki Yuuri/Viktor Nikiforov (Yuri!!! on ICE) part 3
The Katsuki/Nikiforov Collector’s Edition by AlexWSpark
The Victuuri Gaming/Streaming AU I never thought I'd write but I'm so glad I did! Strap in for a hell of a ride with two massive dorks, an adorably supportive family and obscure gaming references to leave you nostalgic and breathless.
Just Hold On (We’re Going Home) by kiaronna
Where Yuuri remembers the banquet, Viktor forgets, and Yakov Feltsman has his own plans.
“I’ve been made aware of your recent break with Celestino Cialdini, and would like to offer you a trial period where you train under me, in St. Petersburg. There are only three conditions: you will board with another one of my students, you will take ballet with Madame Baranovskaya, and you will help me coach Yuri Plisetsky, who refuses to listen to my criticisms of his spins.” Yakov nods at this point, leans forwards and looks Yuuri in the eye. “I will charge no coaching fees.” With a deal like that, even if it means he has to face Viktor again, Yuuri has no choice but to agree.
Hunters of Eros by LalodyBear
Lord Eros is perhaps the oldest of all living vampires and a legend among hunters. For thousands of years no-one has been able to slay him and stop his evil reign.
Victor Nikiforov is the greatest hunter to have ever lived.
~
After seemingly endless sightings of newborn vampires appearing across Japan, Yakov's hunters are sent to put a stop to it. During a hunt, Victor Nikiforov has his first ever innocent witness to a slaying - Yuuri Katsuki, an utterly adorable local. After being cornered into staying with the group of Russian hunters, Yuuri just prays Victor doesn't find out his secret and slay him in his sleep.
Second Row, Center Seat by LittleLostStar
The first time Yuuri sees him, he’s Link Larkin in Hairspray. He sings in a beautiful tenor, lips almost caressing each word, and he looks perfectly at home on the stage as he sings his heart out and seduces every single member of the audience. Yuuri goes back to see the show three times; that’s Victor Nikiforov for you.
Or: In which Victor is the talented actor, and Yuuri is the theater critic with a perpetual crush.
To Be or Not to Be Petty by Lady_of_the_Lake97
"You're leaving and I'll be the oldest one out there. I already hold the records in seniors and I'm sure the Russian Bitch will be on my tail all next year if I try to train in Russia with him. You and I both know I would have only had another year, or two left... why not end it one year earlier and train the little Japanese boy?"
"Cause that's not why you're doing it."
"And why am I doing this if you know me so well?"
"Because you think you can train him to steal Nikiforov's new junior world's record right out from under him."
"That's not it." Yuri said, and he saw the shock that flickered over Otabek's face. "It's because I know he can steal Nikiforov's new world title out from under him. Now where did the little shit go, I need to find him and his old coach to discuss me taking over.
"Or an Au in which Younger Skater Viktor Nikiforov steals all of Yuri's old junior world records and Yuri is just Petty enough to train a younger skater to steal them all back.
How about 'so let us melt, and make no noise' by LittleLostStar?
Here’s the thing about this one, I see it recommended a lot in small Zutara circles and so I was actually really surprised it didn’t pop up on any of the Top 10 lists.
For the Fresh Fic Friday, I want to use themes to find a random fic, just to introduce people to something new. This was not clear in my original post, but I’m not NOT answering this ask for that reason.
Here is the score of “so let us melt, and make no noise” by LittleLostStar
7.7 / 10
One of the reasons why I haven’t been able to write my passion project is because I’m burned out. No one talks about my stories, they don’t get recommended, and it has finally worn me down after 2.5 years. Maybe people don’t like it. Maybe I really should just stop. But what if people just aren’t leaving a little sign so I know it’s worth it to continue?
Readers, please show love to stories you read. If you didn’t like it enough to bookmark it, leave a kudos. If you didn’t like it enough for a kudos, write a comment on every chapter you get through at least. If you stopped after the first chapter because it wasn’t for you, thank them for their work. I don’t know if comments make people try a fic, but for the sake of the writer, it might be a massive impact.
I don’t want to make statements for LittleLostStar but IMHO for how often I see this particular fic talked about, I personally feel like it should have more bookmarks and kudos.
They write cool stories. (Also Yuri!! on Ice which is awesome.)
I’m going to make another list of the Most Commonly Recommended soon because of this ask, so thank you.
Victor has spent so many nights fantasizing about what he’d do if he ever found someone else. He’s rehearsed countless sentences conveying emotions ranging from curiosity to joy, but right now all he feels is terror.
A gust of wind at his back. The library door is still open.
Victor sprints outside to the wooden slab walkway, standing at the center point of the island. Nothing else seems different; the statues around the reflecting pool are still in place; the marker switches he can see are all still deployed properly. He runs towards the observation chamber, tripping over an errant slab and nearly crashing to the ground, but he finds the door securely locked. He scrambles down the walkway towards the shore, but there isn’t even a footprint in the dirt.
Is he still here somewhere? Victor goes back to the front of the library, whipping around again and again, trying to look everywhere at once and seeing nothing but a blur as his eyes desperately seek something new. He goes past the reflecting pool to the entrance to the Age full of trees; it’s locked. He makes his way down to another building he rarely visits, heart racing; everything is still shut tightly, just as he left it.
Victor is breathing heavily and covered in sweat when he arrives back at the library after a feverish hour-long search. When he first settled here he collected all of the Linking and Descriptive Books into the library, so the stranger—Yuuri—is either hiding somewhere on the island or he used one of the books to transport elsewhere. Victor’s initial search hasn’t entirely ruled out the former, but the locking mechanisms on the buildings are all rather fiendish to tamper with unless you know what you’re doing. Now, holding the scrap of paper in one hand, he scans the room he perhaps knows best. If this Yuuri did Link out of this Age, something would be out of place in the library; the book Yuuri used would be open, on a table or on the floor. That’s the way it goes.
There. Tucked in the shadows, half-hidden by the fireplace stones, he can see the corner of a book lying open on the floor. Victor drops to his knees and pulls the book out into the light, hands shaking so hard that he’s afraid he’ll rip the pages. He intends to flip through the book, to read its contents properly and discern which Age it links to and what he might find there, but Victor’s hand moves independently of his brain and lands hard on the swirling Linking panel, sending a puff of dust flying into the air. He doesn’t even register what he’s done until he starts to feel the inexorable sensation of being pulled towards the page, and of reality starting to blur around the edges of his vision.
Play That Funky Music, Skate Boy: A Guide to Selecting Music for Your Fics
Hello YoI Friends, Fans, and Ficcers! We have teamed up to help you overcome the roadblock in your fic writing process known as music selection. You want Victor and Yuuri to paint their feelings all over the ice, but you also want your fic to be realistic. You might be sitting at your computer wondering, is it this frustrating for real life skaters to choose their music? (Yes. The answer, is yes.) But we are here to help!
Who are you people? Who exactly is “we?” And why are you qualified to make this post?
We are PoetSnoreate and LittleLostStar. Poet Snoreate runs the SpiceCapades (aka this blog), your destination for all the info you need to write a more accurate skating fic or, if you just want to know more about figure skating. A former competitive skater and sister to a current skating coach (codename: Toepick), PoetSnoreate grew up in and around the sport of figure skating.
LittleLostStar is the author of fan-favorite story Setting Sun and ten other Yuri on Ice fic gems, including the new fantasy AU We are Wanderers Still. A human treasury of music genres, styles, and artists, she incorporates her knowledge into her fics and generously helps other authors in their search for the perfect piece to write to or, in this case, write about!
Both of us are friendly and you can stop on by our blogs to follow us and say hi!
Note: PoetSnoreate wrote this intro. And every word of it is true.
Let’s delve into the hows, whys, do’s, and don’ts of music selection under the jump!
Section 0.1: (I’ve had) the time of my life, +/- 10 seconds
Programs have a time limit. If you exceed this time limit, you will be penalized, and eventually asked to leave the ice. The time limits are as follows:
Men’s/Ladies Short Program: 2:50 Maximum.
Men’s Freeskate: 4:30 (+/- 10 seconds)
Ladies’ Freeskate: 4:00 minutes (+/- 10 seconds)
Most of the time, especially with classical music, the piece will have been edited down to fit these time constraints. You do not have to personally edit your chosen piece for the sake of your fanfic. Please trust LittleLostStar on this. She spent four hours fretting over how to cut up Tchaikovsky’s “Slavic March” before her beta editor stepped in to shut down that malarkey.
Section 0.2: Slow. Now Fast. Now Faster! Slow Again. Fast Again! Oh my god faster! Whew.
(or: Your routine needs structure)
(or or: This is not quite what they had in mind when they told Chris to practice the rhythm method)
Music is carefully selected based on the program for which it is being used. Short programs are often skated to more uptempo music, because it is easier to sustain high energy for a shorter program. Freeskates are often performed to slower pieces.
You will see variations in mood/tempo in both programs. Short programs often follow this structure: fast music, slow music, fast music, and into a big finish! Free programs often follow the opposite: slow beginning, big middle, heart-wrenching (or uplifting) slow ending to a moving crescendo! These are typical structures, but not a rule, per say. Skaters have different strengths, weaknesses and their programs will be tailored to what they can do best.
Section 0.3: Sing, Sing, Sing! (Or not to Sing, Sing, Sing...No, seriously don’t use this piece)
In the old days of skating, only instrumental music could be used, which is why skating is often associated with classical music. Then, the ISU deemed that music with vocals would acceptable, so long as the vocals were acting like an instrument. Think of your favorite film score in which a choir “Ooohs” and “Aaaahh’s” dramatically during the big climactic scene. That’s what we’re talking about.
When Ice Dancing became really exciting in recent years, the ISU moved to allow Ice Dancers to use music with lyrics. After a few years of this, they finally capitulated and allowed skaters across all disciplines to use music with vocals. So now, anything goes (including the score to Anything Goes!) within reason, that is.
This means no music with explicit lyrics. I can’t find out if this is a set rule, but no one has pushed this envelope and I don’t think anyone will for a while. I’m sure if you choose your favorite rap song, judges will frown upon your choice (unless it’s from Hamilton. Everyone loves Hamilton, and so they should). A pair team from France used the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack, but none of the songs they chose were graphic or used “bad” language.
Now, what sorts of songs should you pick, and from which genres?
Section 1: Classical
(or: You have no fucking excuse to use Swan Lake for the billionth time)
Because skaters could only use instrumental songs for so long, certain pieces of music have become so ingrained in the sport that they’re impossible to get rid of, like that creepy uncle at a family reunion, only with powdered wigs. Skaters have lots of terms for these pieces: “classics” (if you like them), “Old Warhorses” (if you’ve been around awhile, just like them), or, if you’re Toepick, “Skate Bashers” because they make you want to bash your head in with the nearest skate after hearing the same piece of music for the umpteenth time at a competition. Note: this is a little hypocritical, as Toepick has, in fact, used two of the aforementioned “Skate Bashers” in her career.
I prefer to describe these overused pieces as “Boomerangs” because they cycle back. Generally, every season you’ll see a few skaters performing differently choreographed programs to the same overused piece. Or, there was that one year where six different skaters in the Junior Ladies’ bracket were all doing Malaguena.
Here’s a short list of overused classical music: Swan Lake, Carmen, Malaguena, Claire de Lune, Romeo and Juliet (both versions), Nessun Dorma, Firebird, Sing, Sing, Sing! Tosca, Scheherazade. Rhapsody in Blue, that one piano concerto by Rachmaninoff
Now, what do Swan Lake, Carmen, Claire de Lune, Romeo and Juliet, Nessun Dorma, and Rachmaninoff have in common, besides overuse? They’re all from the Romantic Era of classical music. To quote from Wikipedia: “In the Romantic period, music became more expressive and emotional, expanding to encompass literary, artistic, and philosophical themes.” If you’ve heard classical music that’s big and emotional and full of feelings, it’s probably Romantic. Beethoven is an excellent benchmark to show the evolution between the rigid, mathematical High Classical era and the more fluid Romantic era, since his career spanned both. Contrast the first movement of his first symphony, which is tight and precise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2VKpV9im8g) with the slow build and huge emotional swells of the second movement of Symphony no 7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgHxmAsINDk .
Romantic Era music is popular for a reason; it’s emotional, varied in tempo, and almost always stunningly beautiful. And the nice thing about it is that there are dozens of Romantic composers, including Chopin, Brahms, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, and many many more. You can start with some of the big names and try to find their lesser-known pieces, or fall down a Spotify Related Artists rabbit hole and find someone entirely new. And if you’re not sure at all where to start, here are a few of LittleLostStar’s suggestions:
Chopin, Piano Concerto no. 1, II. Romanze – Larghetto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIackkOX2BU
Dvorak's Symphony no. 9, second movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOX15agZ3-0
Smetana's "Ma Vlast": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Lvvjsg8_xI
pretty much any portion of Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKX0ef1TZWA
Shostakovitch’s piano concerto No 2, second movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHpmHhi1Rxk
Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWmUfIhAukU
Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme for Thomas Tallis": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIhZbvlCjY0
Section 2: Movie scores which are not “The Mission”
Movie scores are amazing, and people don’t always give them enough credit. While there are certainly more than a few films with non-memorable scores (cough EVERY MARVEL MOVIE cough), think of all the films whose music has permeated our culture: Star Wars, Jaws, basically anything by John Williams. After classical music, film scores are an easy place to find emotional music for skating, but there are some pieces--such as “Gabriel’s Oboe” from The Mission--which are also far too overused.
There are movie scores such as Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Mask of Zorro which were only popular in the skating community for a short time. While they saw overuse during this period, they never quite made Skate Basher status and are fun and refreshing when they resurface with a bright-faced new skater. Others, like the soundtrack to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the 1960’s Romeo and Juliet theme have produced some of the coolest programs known to skating history. But those programs inspired other programs, which inspired other programs, and thus have relegated themselves to the ranks of the overused.
If you’re interested in going for the big emotional swells via cinema, here are a few options:
The one piano piece everyone adores from Amelie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hprOTiv3fU
“Transformation” from Beauty and the Beast (1991)*: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH9RTuaUL8k
“The Heart Asks Pleasure First” by Michael Nyman from The Piano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQBKr_x-P4
From John Powell’s stunning How to Train Your Dragon score: either “Test Drive” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5N3q68e7OQ) or “Coming Back Around” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbbsCTafRNw ). The latter, in particular, has a really great buildup that would be suited for Yuuri’s stamina, since it gets very energetic right at the end.
“Define Dancing” from the Wall-e score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-7LIojfezw
“Transformation” by the Bulgarian Women’s Choir from Brother Bear, that Disney movie you don’t remember: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9csXngPNg
And if you’re feeling daring:
Junkie XL’s score for Mad Max: Fury Road was a furiously energetic jolt of adrenaline. A song like “Brothers in Arms” would be a very bold choice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xllG3fSUAOw
The Chemical Brothers scored a frankly excellent film called Hanna from 2011, and it has no shortage of bizarrely awesome electro songs, but “Container Park” is the best: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBmwcuLa1as
*LittleLostStar has no idea why we suddenly need to specify the year of this film’s release because there has never ever been another version of the best Disney film ever made and we needn’t speak of this matter again and also this is her favourite film of all time, so if you use “Transformation”, please let her know, because she’s probably going to read your fic and squee.
Section 2.5: What about Broadway tho?!
Don’t worry, fam, we gotchu.
As a current (not-so) starving actor (PoetSnoreate) and a former theater kid who once had dreams of being the next Idina Menzel (LittleLostStar) we would be remiss if we did not include the third most popular source of music for skating--BROADWAY!
Before lyrics were allowed, the sweeping scores to classic shows were brought to life on the ice by talented skaters. Sometimes so much so (in the case of West Side Story) that they became Skate Bashers. Rogers and Hammerstein were also a popular choice, The King and I and South Pacific were/have been fairly popular, but have yet to reach Skate Basher status. Other popular musicals that are on their way to becoming Skate Bashers include Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables...and let’s face it, if we have to see someone skate to “Bring Him Home” one more time, we’re going to be le miserable.
(Get it?! Le miserable? Is this thing on? *tap tap*)
Here are some fun options from people who are not Andrew Lloyd Webber:
“You Can’t Stop the Beat” from Hairspray (note: the linked version here is from the 2007 film, which absolutely blew the Broadway version out of the water in my opinion): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOXwuBQT1o
“King of New York” from the film Newsies (or the Broadway remake): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmPnz4g9HGQ. It is an excellent replacement for your more swing-adjacent Skate Bashers like “Rhapsody in Blue”
And while we’re at it, stop using “Sing sing sing” and use the finale from Chicago instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luef1H24hU8
Print off a list of the major songs from Wicked (everything over two and a half minutes that doesn’t include the Wizard, because all his songs are the worst). Pin it to the wall and stand a few feet back. Throw a dart. Congratulations, you’ve got a piece from Wicked. They basically all work.
While we’re on Stephen Schwartz, selections from Hunchback of Notre Dame would be super baller: “Bells of Notre Dame” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4COfl8DMB8) and “Heaven’s Light/Hellfire” for some real AF energy contrasts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eODy_sHpjaQ
“A Piece of Sky” by Barbra Streisand, from Yentl. Ask your parents, kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s8NpVhwgnA
Section 3: Yes, you can use modern songs. No, Tswift probably won’t let you use hers.
While programs that are more “traditional” still tend to score better, more and more skaters are making bolder music choices; they’re picking older pop hits, songs from classic singers, and even current chart toppers for their programs. This most recent season featured programs to 1980s classics like “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” by the Eurythmics and “Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. Elvis may have left the building, but he showed up at the ice rink. Electro Swing is another popular choice; Caro Emerald crooned her way across several disciplines to create some interesting programs with the genre. Currently, most skaters will only select modern music for one program and keep the other in the more traditional vein.
Wacky, wild, and fun music (including disco and techno) tends to remain the purview of the Exhibition...along with the best choreography. Skaters every now and again will insist on skating their exhibitions to overused songs such as “Fields of Gold,” “Arms of an Angel”; but most of the time, the exhibition is where we get unforgettable programs like the infamous “Sex Bomb.” And the time Joe Johnson skated with a slice of pizza on his head.
Skaters don’t personally have to pay copyright to use their music, but they do have to turn in the names, titles, and composers of their pieces ahead of the season, so that rights can be secured by arenas (in their home country) and then by their Federations/other arenas where they’ll be competing. It’s a very convoluted process, and we don’t know the exact details of it (sorry). However, this is why you often don’t see skaters skating to the new big thing, because they have to be ready ahead of time with their selections, and also because programs take time to prepare and perfect.
While LittleLostStar was all set to provide a list of suggestions, the truth of the matter is that if you think a song will work, it’ll probably work! There are videos out there of routines set to “Umbrella” by Rihanna, “Cheap Thrills” by Sia, and “Hand Clap” by Fitz and the Tantrums. Johnny Weir’s routine to Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” famously inspired Yurio’s ice slide heard ‘round the fandom in the “Welcome to the Madness” EX. So, really, go wild.
...Okay, she can’t help herself, here are some suggestions:
“Paradise” by Coldplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G4isv_Fylg
...okay, and also “Fix You”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM
“All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. Bonus points if you perform it in a blood-stained shirt and camouflage pants, and double bonus points if it’s a pair skate with someone dressed in a sexy nurse’s outfit. Sextuple billion bonus points if you understand that reference. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZTpLvsYYHw
“Some Nights” by fun., which is bombastic and wonderful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkBeOisNM0
A classic for a reason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFWDGTVYqE8
“I Am Chemistry” by Yeasayer is one of the best songs ever, with one of the goddamn weirdest music videos ever, and would make a really interesting FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XzqCUbiPc4
The Final Movement
We hope you’ve enjoyed our handy and comprehensive guide to choosing the music for your YoI fic.
Since everyone was so awesome about the fic recs I requested yesterday, here’s the links to the ones I got in the replies of the post. I got a few asks too which I’ll post soon!
YOI:
fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be by thehibiscusthief (@thehibiscusthief) - Yuuri was merely checking his email, killing time before their flight back to Japan landed, when all of his belief in the basic goodness of humanity was shattered.
Setting Sun by LittleLostStar (@little-lost-star-1) - Yuuri loses the Onsen on Ice, and ends up starting a dialogue with Viktor through song lyric, on Instagram.
Turn Back the Clock by IronScript - In which long-married Viktor and Yuuri are both sent back several decades into the past, to when they’re both teenagers.
OP:
Mist of Memories by HeroR - Guilt, regret, if left alone these feelings will consumed even the strongest of souls. That is the reality the Strawhats face as they go into their captain's memories to save their precious crewmate. To free their captain's from his guilt, they must first understand the depths of his pain and loss.
Warm Memories and Brotherly Bonds by RoseDragonWitch - In the middle of some strange ruins, Luffy disappeared. As the rest of the Straw Hats try to find him, they end up travelling through his memories and are trapped in the past, with no idea to how to get out or how to find their captain. But not all things are meant to be seen… how will they take to seeing what had Luffy been hiding from them?
