#their faults. not competing for the championship or the stress of being on the same team but just them. ripping each other apart for even | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

artificialqueens · 4 years

Text

learning to be silent (chapter eight) — multi - Roza

[ summary ] : the rostelecom cup comes to a close and crowns it's medalists as the grand prix assignments find it's six solo ladies qualifying for the final.

[ author's note ] : hope you all enjoy! great time to post with euro champs and american nationals on! :)

AO3 / My Tumblr / ♪ヽ(･ˇ∀ˇ･ゞ)

— *.✧

"Фигуристки женской группы семь теперь выйдут на лед!"

"The skaters of women group seven will now take the ice."

The last group had officially stepped up to skate, lined perfectly and straight as the six skaters tossed off their skate guards in a row as they jumped towards the ice. Someone's Grand Prix report card would be stacked after tonight and so would their winnings paycheck: 18,000 USD for first place.

"Representing France, Fame Mikkelsen."

The blonde smiled as she waved, bowing to the mass amounts of thundering applause and cheers. She appreciated the few but mighty and large French flags that waved through the air as she ran a hand down her white costume, the crystals absolutely radiant as she touched her short and curled hair to make sure it was stiff enough.

Sixth place was definitely not a lost cause, anything could happen and a medal definitely was not out of the question. In her heart of hearts she knew fourth at the Cup of China wasn't ideal and that score would tank her chances for the Grand Prix final but French Nationals and the Olympics was now in all focus.

"Representing the United States, Alaska Honard!"

The blonde twizzled before turning on the ice and waving to the sold out and absolutely pact crowd. The American flags waved as the cheers gestured from the crowd sweetly. She sat in 4th with the disappointment of the short program still pulling a weight across her shoulders. Her chances of the final sat uneasy to the American who could only plaster a smile and slowly turn to circle the rink for the seven minutes they had to warm up.

Focus. This is your last international event before the possible Olympics if the finals truly disappear.

"Representing Puerto Rico, Vanessa Mateo!"

Vanessa jumped at the staggering amount of cheers that were planted in her direction as she smiled and waved to all of the Russian audience. She was impressed to even be in the top five let alone next to her best friend who sat comfortably in third. She skated around the edges of the rink once she waved and bowed before throwing her team jacket to Alexis who grabbed it intently.

The clear presentation of stress across her face must've shown easy to her coach who rubbed her shoulders and tried to make sure she was motivated and calm enough to skate the best she could going into the free dance.

"Don't stress yourself out mija. Free skate changes everything, you were five points from being fourth in the short program." Alexis whispered as she touched her shoulders, taking her jacket in the open hand.

"I won't I promise." Her mouth running before Alexis shushed her gently knowing she'd do her best regardless. Vanessa nodded before skating off, wanting to practice her triple axel before the last group would begin skating.

"Representing the United States, Kameron Michaels!"

Loud screams greeted the younger American as she gasped before smiling, giggling as her hands covered her lips. She was truly an unexpected surprise: the underdog in the competition. It was a moment of pride to be standing next to her follow Americans, a French legend, her best friend as well as a Russian icon in the sport to compete for the medal, money and the Grand Prix points.

Kameron took off as they continued on with the names, hitting her tights as she bent down to adjust before she began taking off from the back outside edge of the skating foot, turning three rotations in the air before landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. The triple loop was always a struggle and putting her hands up to get more towards the grade of execution was twice as tough.

I'll be fine. I did it once, I'll do it again.

"Representing the United States, Detox Sanderson."

Detox grinned as she spun and waved to the crowd, gesturing towards the left section that was riddled with American flags. First place in the short program was a great start but it did not garner a thing in this sport. She could fall once or twice and a medal could possibly be out of the question.

Trending on Twitter was nice, it was Alaska who sent her the mass amounts of praise on Twitter scattered for Detox and her flamenco short program. She unzipped her Team USA jacket as the top half of her blue ombre costume was revealed, perfectly matching her hair. The American skating into her step sequence completely galvanized and focused.

"Representing Russia, Katya Zamolodchikova!"

The loudest screams and applause came for the hometown hero who had proven to only get better and better with age. The blonde waved as she pursed her lips jokingly before waving her own stupidity off and focusing on the skating. She bowed proudly as she had her Russian team jacket zipped up, her blonde hair in a tightly secured updown.

Katya watched closely as she skated after Alaska who was focused on getting her quad flip down and improving the disappointing (but still impressive) fourth place finish in the short program. The Russian huffed as the music played louder and the announcer echoed the "six minutes remaining in the warm-up period."

Unzipping her Team Russia jacket and throwing it to Chad she began to circle around the rink, working on her edge work and step sequence before deciding to move on to her quads.

The blonde skated along the center of the rink before entering from the back inside edge of one foot, jumping and rotating four times before wanting to land on the back outside edge of her opposite foot but that wasn't the case. She had skated a bit too close to her French friend who she immediately crashed into. Her hands sliding in front of the ice as she fell on her ribs, groaning.

The Russian filled crowd immediately responded with loud screams and gasps before Fame gasped and stopped in front of the other blonde as she bent down, the other skates making sure Katya wasn't in need of medical assistance before the blonde grabbed Katya's hands, asking if she was alright and apologizing for her not being more careful.

The two Europeans kissed cheeks as Katya shrugged, a bit breathless. Her hips in pain as she bent down and nodded, "I will be okay." She promised to her friend as they slowly skated on the ice careful to not intrude on anyone else's time on the rink. Her mentality couldn't change now that she had a brisk moment falling, it was no one's fault, it just simply happened.

I'll skate with broken ribs, it wouldn't be the first time and certainly not the last.

The home crowd cheered in anticipation, hoping their hero would take home the gold and join Sasha, her own Russian partner, to be the second woman in the Grand Prix final. Katya had gotten used to the pressures and anxiety that skating always brought on.

"This concludes the remainder of the warm off, skaters please exit off the ice."

Im winning the fucking gold medal. Even with my ribs on the ice.

— *.✧

"Next to skate, representing the United States, please welcome Alaska Honard."

"Рядом кататься на коньках, представляющих Соединенные Штаты, поприветствуйте Аляску Хонард!"

Alaska huffed and took a deep breath before jumping on the ice and pulling down her tights as she waved and gave a small smile to the utterly sold out and pact crowd who seemed excited to see if the blonde could bounce back from her previous mistakes in the short program or if she'd repeat the same story.

Fame sat comfortably in the lead, an eleven point gap between her and the current second place standing that was held by Kim. Alaska tried not to think about the obvious: this would be her last attempt at qualifying for a Grand Final. This was her final assignment, her final skate of a Grand Prix qualification would be in Rostelecom in front of a stadium of crowded figure skating enthusiast's.

Her skates glided across the ice before she stopped in the center of the rink, the fabric of her delicate black and white dress draping across her thighs as she cracked her neck and kneeled, hands over her head and eyes closed as she breathed heavily. She had been to three Olympic games, over a decade of world championships and nothing horrified her more than doing her Black Swan program in front of a Grand Prix qualification crowd.

It's do or die now.

Alaska heard the woodwind and strings begin from her program music and she unwinded out of her position, spinning as she kicked her leg out and began to skate around the arena. Her edge work perfect as she bent down before looking above, hand out in front of her.

Her head and shoulders now dropped backwards as she arched her back downwards toward the ice. Her free leg lifted toward her back with the arms held above the body as she completed her layback spin.

The skater approach her triple axel from the left forward inside edge of her skate, stepping forward as the music kicked in. Alaska then kicked through with her free leg before spinning three and a half rotations in the air and landing on the right back inside edge her skate. She grinned slightly as the applause came in, breathing a sigh of relief that she had landed her mandatory axel.

Alaska spun quickly, skating back as she extended her arms and tried to keep her ballet posture, she was forced to take classes for years so she might as well show off her basic experience level. The blonde waited for the music to begin accelerating into madness before taking off from the back outside edge of her skating foot, turning four rotations in the air, landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. She lifted her arms in success as the crowd cheered at her successful quad loop jump.

She continued the momentum with her triple toe, triple loop combo as the harp and violin began to flood the program with a bit of whimsical notation.

Her forward approach on the inside edge of the blade saw her switch to a backward-facing position before her takeoff, jamming her toe-pick in to the ice as she spun three rotations, exiting from the back outside edge before taking off again from the back outside edge of her skating foot and turning three times in the air, landing clean and successfully.

The step sequence was her chance to refocus, to gain those presentation points as her technicality had only begun. She began her serpentine step sequence, traveling from the end of the rink to the opposite end. The skater traveling in two curves as she jumped in the air with her split jump, the Russian crowd yelling in delight. Alaska glided forward on the ice with her chest facing towards the ice and with the free leg stretched back as she completed her arabesque.

After accomplishing her beautiful Biellmann spin she turned out of the spin, arms open wide as she skated intensely on the ice. The violins following her every beat before the pace of the music quickly changed with harps and an intense flooding of instrumental insanity following.

Alaska was not a large fan of doing classical music but she always promised her coaches one day she'd do Black Swan, it was a good program with the right levels of intensity and intricate jumps Alaska wanted.

The music crashed as the blonde spun, timing her quad salchow with the beat of the symbols as she takeoff from the back inside edge of one foot, rotating four times before feeling herself land sloppy on the back outside edge of the opposite foot, hand almost touching the ice as she managed to recover herself from a fall. Though she knew in the back of her mind this would absolutely downgrade her GOE and overall score.

Alaska focused as she began her final choreographed sequence feeling those four and a half minutes beginning to pass by as she completed her final step sequence. The music now crashing and hitting its highest level of utter intensity and demanding attention from the crowd as she took off from her back inside edge, rotating four times and landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. The landing a bit shaky but she quickly saved herself another fall.

The final moments of the program built with a flying sit spin, approaching the spin on an edge as her freeleg trailed behind her body. She quickly swung her freeleg forward before leaping off the ice as her rotation started. Alaska tried not to break although the encouragement from the pact crowd certainly helped her inner disappointment.

Her final move was the scratch spin as the music perfectly synched out it's loud, banging ending with Alaska on her knees once again, arms behind her back as she tilted her head backwards before sighing and falling to the floor exhausted. The deafening amount of screams and plushies that fell across her body signaled her to finally get up as she bowed to the crowd, attempting to hide her sadness.

She hadn't fallen but she knew some of her jumps were sloppy and was worried she underrotated her quad flip at the end.

"Representing the United States, Alaska Honard!"

"Представляя США, Аляска Хонард."

Alaska smiled before grabbing the giant teddy bear that was so large that not even the children volunteering to clean the ice could handle its mass size. Alaska laughed before grabbing it as she blindly skated off the ice, jumping as she gently dropped the stuffed animal as her and Sharon hugged tightly.

"I'm proud of you, great job." She mumbled to her as Alaska nodded, ripping off her skate guards and handing them to her girlfriend as the coach and skater headed to the Kiss & Cry, obscenely large teddy bear in her hands as they sat on the couch waiting for results.

Sharon wrapped her Team USA jacket around her shoulders as they patiently sat, the skater knowing it might not be enough to beat her own teammates and Katya. Especially not good enough for a gold, no matter how badly she wanted to be proved wrong by the ISU judges.

"The scores please."

Sharon grabbed her hand and held it tight as the silence in the arena dimmed with the results that came with it.

"Alaska Honard has earned in the free dance a total combined score of 200.65 points." The scoreboard flashed as it showed her total score as 280.86. Sharon smiled brightly as the audience cheered knowing that she was in first place with the gold medal position though it was narrowly. The American nodded with a tearful smile across her face knowing there's no way it would be enough.

"I tried my best."

"And your best was definitely enough for me." The blonde beside her whispered as they shook their interlocked hands, "If it isn't enough we will focus on nationals, you're going to the Olympics and that's a promise."

— *.✧

"Next to skate representing the United States, Detox Sanderson."

The culmination of blood, sweat and tears and a few injuries had gotten Detox that first place in the short and one medal, that medal didn't matter if she didn't win tonight. Katya was her biggest competition and the two shook hands on a good short program and were now watching each other's skates like a hawk.

Kameron sat firmly in first place, with a program Detox choreographed might she add: her swing inspired program adored by the Russian crowd in the arena. guaranteed a medal as Vanessa sat in second with a surprisingly well put together program. Alaska began to feel the effects of knowing she wouldn't qualify at her Grand Prix and seeing her woefully sit on the couches self aware stung to Detox who was praying that somehow she'd really recover and score herself a medal.

Focus on yourself, she's your best friend and doesn't want you to whine about her own struggles. She has Nationals to focus on now.

Detox smiled widely at the generous amount of screams and applause, a few waving American flags as she skated to the center of the ice with her blue ombre costume firmly in place as she adjusted the mesh. The crystals adorning every part of her body showed in the light as she waved and got into position. She was glad to finally have a costume that matches her blue hair, that was always a problem with the judges.

"Your hair is far too distracting for your program."

"It's about my skating not my hair sir, if you're focusing on my hair you're not doing your job right."

That comment got her in a bit of trouble but Sharon stuck up for her and all was cleared. Detox took a breath before her head was facing down and her arms by her sides. Moonlight Sonata wasn't the type of program she usually went for and was looking forward to changing it but Sharon said she needed to work on not looking like a flirt and do something with emotional substance.

The piano notes began as Detox held her arms out, spinning on the edge of her skate as she breathed and skated a few steps before skating backwards and turning on the edge of her skates, grabbing out. It was difficult to channel a song like Moonlight Sonata but once she found proper motivation and a clear picture she just needed to act it up, she needed those presentation points.

Detox followed suite of the gentle piano medley as she skated on the back outside edge her right foot as she began taking off from the back outside edge, turning three rotations in the air before landing on the back outside edge of the same foot. She quickly followed it up with a forward approach as she took off from the right back outside edge and left toepick, jumping three more rotations before landing the jump on her back outside edge. A soft smile gracing her face as the crowd jumped for her perfect triple toe - loop combination.

As the notes played again she twizzled across the rink, dipping her head as she desperately let her body take over, focusing on her storyline at line as she got ready to do her triple axel jump as she approached the jump from her left inside edge. A series of backward crossovers as she followed with a step forward onto the forward outside takeoff edge, rotating three and a half times before landing with her arms out. The applause didn't distract her as she continued smoothly.

Transitioning into her layback spin she lifted her free leg lifted toward her back in an attitude position with her arms held above the body as she spun gracefully, holding on to her stress before releasing herself from the jump and skating along the rink as she channeled all her possible emotion into this program without looking overdramatic. This had to be genuine.

The halfway point saw her accomplish a quad flip and another triple axel successfully, both with her arms up so she could try and learn a greater score towards the Grade of Execution that is added to the elements. Her Biellmann spin began with a camel spin, her free leg extended backwards with the knee held above hip level. She turned before executing the jump with one-foot spinning as she grabbed her other foot, extending it over and behind her head, forming a teardrop shape with her body.

Detox glided on her knees, an intentional choreographic choice, before spinning and standing slowly. Her skates taking her across the arena as her step sequence kicked in. Her multidirectional turns and edgework hoping to impress as she accomplished her midline step sequence, traveling along the center axis of the ice rink and crossing the full length of the rink.

Only two more elements, don't stress.

Her final jump, a quad salchow, saw her with a takeoff from the back inside edge of one foot, jumping and spinning four rotations in the air with a landing on her back outside edge of the opposite foot. The crowd cheered and claps arrived with barely twenty seconds left as Detox jumped in her flying sit spin.

She leaped high as she spun on an edge, her freeleg off the ice, trailing behind the skater's body. Detox swung her free leg quickly around towards forward and lept off the ice as rotation began.

The music began to end, softly in sparks as Detox stood on her knees before getting up and slowly skating towards the light, hand in front of her as she breathed with the final beat. The program had ended and the American wiped her eyes, feeling the song finally cut through and do what it was supposed to.

The audience gave a deafening combination of screams and applause, another standing ovation as the crowd threw plush flowers and a few plush penguins, her favorite animal. She couldn't spot her girlfriend too well in the crowd but she knew afterwards they'd spot each other and celebrate no matter the result.

She grabbed what she could as she took her bow and approached Sharon off the ice.

Her coach teary-eyed spoke as she sniffled, "So beautiful, it's the best it's been." The two hugging tightly as they walked to the Kiss & Cry where Detox would receive her score, Sharon had no doubt in her mind she would be walking away with a podium finish but the question was would it be gold or silver?

Detox and Katya both had a gold medal each from Skate Canada and Cup of China respectively, tonight would decide who would qualify to the final with a perfect 30 point or two gold medal finish.

Sharon stared intently at the screens displaying the replays of the best moments, close ups of her quads especially to look for any under rotations or flutzs. Detox laughed as they showed her in tears and breathless at the end of her skate.

"You look so emotional, it's perfect."

"I look fucking ridiculous." Detox whispered as she flattened out the ends of her blue ombre dress, she winked at the camera and waved as Sharon did as well. "Love you mom!" She yelled as the arena quietened hearing the announcer ask for the final scores to be submitted.

"Detox Sanderson has earned in the free program a total combined score of 230.67 points—" the audience blew up into an explosion of screams and cheers as Detox sighed, covering her eyes to not cry as Sharon shook her shoulders, covering her mouth as she stood up jumping in excitement as the scoreboards showed her final score: 332.28

"She is currently in first place."

"Yes!" Sharon screamed as Detox shook her head and groaned into her coaches shoulder unable to process the feeling of beating everyone with only skater still to go. The American zipped up her jacket as she bowed and waved to the arena who chanted, making Detox cry further.

She approached the couches as Kameron yelled and clapped, hugging her teammate. She shook Vanessa's hand kindly and gave a hug before slamming into Alaska who teared up admitting she was upset for herself but proud of Detox.

Detox ran a hand through her blue hair sighing, she gave a tight squeeze to Alaska's hand and congratulated her best friend on her amazing attempt. Detox sat uncomfortable in the top spot as Katya was still left and Alaska had just been dropped to fourth and would most likely be fifth overall, destroying any chance she had of qualifying.

"Congratulations." Kameron spoke again feeling her uncomfortable body language showing to her and Vanessa. Detox smiled and nodded, staring intently at the screen's waiting for Katya to be done with.

"It's not over just yet."

— *.✧

Katya closed her eyes and prayed, taking off her skate guards as she handed them to Chad. She never got nervous at competitions, everything happened for a reason and in her case it was happening in her motherland: she had only slight fumbles this season and managed to keep her sanity and cool despite the pressure and drama with quitting and switching coaches right before the Olympics and Russian nationals.

"Focus, they love you in Russia no matter what happens and you already have a gold, think logically and listen to yourself." Chad spoke softly before Katya nodded, giving her new coach a smile before holding in a breath and jumping on the ice as she skated around the rink. She didn't want to say she intimidated by Detox's score but it was definitely a big score and she deserved it, great presentation and perfect quads.

Now it's up to me. I'm gonna get drunk after today no matter the result so let's hope it's a good reason.

"Our last skater represents the Russian Federation, please welcome Katya Zamolodchikova."

Katya couldn't help but bit her lip from smiling hearing the screams and the utter mass murder of chants as Russian flags waved from every corner of the arena.

"Представляя нашу великую Россию, Катя Замолодчикова!"

The crowd only got louder as she waved and felt herself bite her tongue, this was another layer of pressure but nothing she couldn't handle. Her black and red costume draped the sides of her hips as a slight slit was seen with her long legs but she made sure it wasn't too risque.

For Carmen I kind of have to be slutty right? It fits exactly what I'm going for.

She adjusted the rose that adorned the back of her head in the updown hairstyle as she grinned staying in a hip bent position. She tried not to snicker hearing a group of what must've been younger female fans scream her name before the music started. The music building as the church bells rang before Katya jumped and turned smirking as the distinctly overplayed but recognizable Habrena theme began.

The crowd clapped along to their Russian hero as she spun, arms above her head attempting to look as flirty and seductive as possible. The crowd cheering at her split jump before she landed and spun into her first step sequence, letting the beats follow her footwork and making sure her edges and turns were perfect and clean.

God my fucking ribs.

She ignored all her injuries as she hoped the athletic tape would hold up for at least until after the competition, she had to skip the exhibition to go to a hospital but this medal would make it all worth it.

As the music now changed and intensified Katya jumped as she got ready for her first quad, entering from the back outside edge, jamming her toe pick as she rotated four times in the air before landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. She grinned as she left her arms above her head turning as the crowd screamed in delight seeing her quad cleanly land.

Detox's program was perfect, everything had to be just as perfect and better and cleaner if Katya was going to win this gold. She was barely behind the short program and made sure she added as many quads as she could handle in the second half to try and up her score.

The blonde spun into her layback as the music built, head and shoulders are dropped backwards and the back arched downwards toward the ice as her free leg lifted toward the back. She held her arms held above her body, spinning as she then did a short arabesque around the rink before finishing off with her Biellmann spin.

Her flexibility knew no bounds but this was about the attitude and jumps, everyone knew that Katya had impeccable spinning technique.

The deperatue into her successful triple toe triple loop combination earned another large cheer from the crowd as she matched the growing stress from the music with a camel spin before jumping out as the crash started. Katya began with a takeoff from the back inside edge of one foot before jumping and making sure she rotated four times, landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot.

The Russian girl grinned as she accomplished all her proper choreography with the crowd utterly and obviously in her absolute favor. She added to the list of jumps with a triple axel, always perfect in execution and high in height and take off. She held back a groan as she continued on with the program, her ribs and hips beginning to feel the pressure of keeping up with the fall from warming up earlier.

Katya began her quad flip jump by taking off from the back inside edge of her skate, rotating four times in the air before she felt herself completely crash on the ice. The loud groans and gasps were definitely as loud as the program music but Katya continued, letting her anger of not completing her jump show through to the music.

I am not losing because of a fall. I am not going to throw away my fucking record for this.

She knew her next move was for a step sequence so she simply threw that out of the water as she approached to attempt another quad, her body now getting the best of her it seemed. Katya entered from a forward outside edge as she then determinedly jumped four rotations in the air before landing on a back outside edge of the other foot, gasps from the crowd as screams ensued. Only Kameron had previously landed the quad axel (with a bit of trouble) but now Katya was added to that list.

The Russian jumped into a sit spin, her body uneasy as she pulled through and kept her perfect flexibility in check. Her vision was beginning to haze but she knew this wasn't the time to give up.

I'm not losing in my own fucking country to an American, no matter how great she is. I am not giving up that easy because of an injury.

Fuck it.

Katya knew Chad would be curious for pushing her own body so damn much but she needed this gold and the satisfaction of shutting up all the media in Russia. The blonde entered her last addition to her program from a back outside edge, rotating four times in the air before landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot as Katya threw her arms in the air in relief and pride, the crowd standing up already as the music built and began to dimmen for its final moments.

The blonde jumped into another sit spin before grabbing her legs and spinning out of the jump, finishing her program with a scratch spin that somehow managed to stay a float before finishing perfectly on beat with a jump right at the final crash, landing on her feet and arms outstretched.

A standing ovation since the quad, the crowd threw dozens of plushies and flowers to the blonde who only collapsed on the ice and groaned. Giving a wave to the crowd as she stood up slowly, skating around the rink and giving a few sets of bows as the crowd couldn't stop yelling.

"Representing Russia, Katya Zamolodchikova!"

"Представляю Россию Катя Замолодчикова!"

She skated off before hugging Chad who stood silent, running a hand through her hair worriedly, asking if she was alright. Katya nodded but whispered a soft, "I'm about to black out and I feel it." Chad nodded and grabbed her water as the two gently raced to the Kiss & Cry, Katya sitting as she waved to the crowd above them laughing and catching a teddy bear that was thrown near her lap.

"You really wanted to win I'm guessing." Chad's teasing yet worried tone biting at Katya as she snickered, nodding and taking a long sip of water before winking at the live cameras.

"Спасибо за поддержку!" Katya yelled to the camera as she smiled widely, keeping her cool through her hands were shaking nervously, it all came down to added quads. The footage replying her fall didn't exactly strike a good cord in her body but it was over and done with now.

"The scores please."

Chad grabbed Katya's hand as the two looked quietly at the scoreboard.

"Katya Zamolodchikova has earned in the free skate, a total combined score of 241 points—"

Half of the arena exploded into screams and flags waving as the other half stood idly confused, Katya being one of them as Chad shook her hand's whispering that she won, she had won the gold.

"I cannot read this English very well Chad." She admitted sheepishly as she blinked and stood up to try and stare at the scores confused before the announcer continued over the screams, Katya sitting down anxious.

"She is currently in first place."

Katya gasped and screamed as Chad laughed and hugged her, the two tightly embracing as the Russian announcer repeated it and the arena officially blew into a production of yelling, chanting and bundles of screaming fans. Katya stood on top of the Kiss & Cry bench waving to the arena and those behind her as she pumped her fists in the air and yelled in delight.

Chad clapping as she helped her down and hugged her again, Katya subdued into tears as she cried on her shoulder. Katya had never wanted a medal so badly in her life and she managed to fluke and still get the gold after pushing her body beyond its limits.

It would be Katya with her gold and Grand Prix final qualification secured, Detox with the silver and the underdog Kameron who finally won a bronze medal and won the Russian crowd's hearts.

Katya quickly rushed over to the coaches, hugging a clearly disappointed Detox who smiled and congratulated the legend herself before she quickly shook hands with Vanessa and Kameron before being utterly blasted and bombarded with Russian and international media attention.

This is truly my life, broken ribs and all.

— *.✧

It had been a week precisely since coming back home from Russia, the Grand Prix qualification had ended with Shea taking gold in Japan at the NHK Trophy and now the official lineups and qualification came for the six solo ladies who'd be fighting for the most competitive medals in the world minus the Olympics of course.

Alaska was happy to be back in America to say the least, Rostelecom might've just been her darkest moment even if some skaters dreamed of having a fifth place finish at a Grand Prix qualification event. Her focus had now shifted to nationals and changing her programs, it was a bold move but if she had to skate to Black Swan one more time she might throw up on the ice and in front of the judges.

A lash out between her and Sharon finally saw them change it but Sharon's priority was now Detox and understandably so, she had a gold and silver locked in her closet and had qualified for the Grand Prix final with (almost) flying colors. Alyssa would help Alaska grow her new programs out to ensure she qualified for the Olympics that were coming soon as Nationals were in almost two months.

—

Grand Prix Final Set List

December 10-13th in Marseille, France

Women's Single Skating Qualifiers

° Katya Zamolodchikova, Russia

° Sasha Velour, Russia

° Detox Sanderson, USA

° Shea Coulee, USA

° Trixie Mattel, USA

° Brooke Lynn Hytes, Canada

—

The list was pinned all throughout the home rink in Los Angeles and Alaska ignored it. Of course she was rooting for her friends and especially Detox who was beyond excited to get a second chance after coming third to Sasha last year in Japan where it was held last year. Alaska had gotten silver that year and what a downgraded this was from almost winning the entire fucking competition.

Detox skated over to Alaska as the two skated around the rink slowly, Trinity having the right of way to practice her newly formed program that was a collaboration between Sharon and Pep who thought it be a good way for her to finally sneak in to the Olympics after last qualifications saw her third and robbed of a spot due to some bullshit about not having enough international experience.

It was Alaska, Sharon (in her last year of skating) and Scarlet who went but it should've been Trinity and everyone knew that.

"How are you feeling going to France soon?"

Detox laughed, nervously rubbing her arms, "It's wonderful but it's awful going without you. I was packing with Trinity last night and it feels so weird to not have you there."

Alaska nodded and slapped her back, "Well dry your fucking eyes because nationals is coming and I get extra training!" Detox cackled as the two skated along the edges of the rink, staying clear of Trinity.

The brunette took off from the back inside edge of her left skate, rotated four times in the air before making a clean landing on the back outside edge of the opposite foot. Detox yelled and cheered for her girlfriend, Trinity giving a slight smile as Sharon and Peppermint clapped, "Good!" Sharon yelled from the rink as Trinity continued on.

"Let's go train in the dance studio and then we can go sneak off and get junk food for lunch to celebrate your qualification."

Detox smiled and high fived her best friend as the two gently exited the rink as Trinity continued, landing her triple axel as Detox jumped and yelped for her girlfriend before turning to Alaska as she zipped up her Team USA jacket.

"Done deal."

#rpdr fanfiction #figure skating au #lesbian au #katya zamolodchikova #alaska thunderfuck #sharon needles #detox icunt #trinity taylor #peppermint #kameron michaels #chad michaels #vanessa vanjie mateo #miss fame #roza #concrit welcome

9 notes · View notes

quadaxxels · 5 years

Text

My two cents on: Eunsoo Lim vs. Mariah Bell

First of all, if you thought this post was going to be filled with my conspiracy theories on whether or not Bell injured Lim with intent you can keep on scrolling.

The ISU still hasn’t said anything official yet (as of 22.03) and as far as I know the investigation is still ongoing - so I’m not going to jump to conclusions What I do was to express is my utter anger, disgust and frustration at all the people who literally watched I,Tonya once and are now all of a sudden figure skating experts and are launching a witch hunt on Mariah.

Now, whether or not she did it on purpose is another story - it seems that the only footage on twitter of the practice is super super grainy and you can barely make out who is who. Sending her literal death threats isn’t something light and certainly NOT SOMETHING YOU DO BASED ON CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE! not that sending any death threat in the first place is ok. And at this point in time, there have been no official statements released by the ISU or solid evidence released proving that Eunsoo was out right attacked.

What also gets my blood boiling is people who very very obvious don’t know anything about figure skating, accusing Mariah Bell of being a racist, or that the attack was racially motivated. And before any of yall try to clock me, I’m chinese australian so this is very much within my jurisdiction.

See, i say ‘very obviously know nothing about fs’ because that’s just not how the sport works. In fact, that’s not how most athletes in almost any sport at the elite level works. Even more so for fs because skaters literally train with rinkmates from ALL OVER THE WORLD, OF ALL AGES. It’s one of those sports where at the end of the day you represent yourself more so than your country. Professional skaters train for years before they even make it to the senior elite level circuit. You have to start young and first get entered into junior level competitions before transitioning to seniors, so these athletes have literally grown up around each other, travelling to different countries competing against each other.

Mariah and Eunsoo are RINKMATES! THEY TRAIN TOGETHER. WITH OTHER ASIANS. NAMELY NATHAN CHEN, VINCENT ZHOU, AND MARIN HONDA. And from what I’ve seen she gets on rather well w nathan chen, so surely if the attack was on purpose and was racially motivated these other four can testify - but again, that hasn’t happened so.

The other issue I take with labelling this a racially motivated attack, is that given the socio political climate rn and how WELL asian representation and asian issues are being discussed in american/western media - blindly going around yelling THAT’S RACISM AGAINST ASIANS based off of zero to no solid evidence is extremely extremely damaging to the progress of the asian conversation and narrative at large. We end up taking two steps back by trivialising and jumping the gun on making allegations that could turn out to be false.

Because right now everything really is just circumstantial. What if it turns out that everything really was an accident? Then all of you who participated in throwing comments around on Bell’s social media are at fault for any mental or societal damages that might happen when false allegations of racism are made. That shit ruins lives. Cancel culture has made call outs powerful, powerful tools - so we have to use it CAREFULLY.

This goes out particularly to my fellow ABCs: STOP CALLING MARIAH BELL A RACIST WHEN WE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING YET. STOP PLAYING THE RACIST CARD IN GENERAL SO EASILY. I understand the need and the want to stand up for our fellow asians, asian pride and all that. But honestly, when the source that broke the news was a fckn kpop site of all things (and NOT a reputable figure skating or sporting website even) - pls exercise reasonable caution when believing the article word for word. Taking this into account I do partially blame the first few media outlets who broke the news for poorly written descriptions of the incident. Namely sensationalising what happen. Again, the footage is grainy on twitter but even then we can see that Eunsoo was clearly not savagely attacked like those first articles had made it seem. Bell did not approach Lim with her skates in hand like a knife and slash at her like a mad woman.

ABCs we need to calm down, collisions in fs happen all the time. In fact, two pairs skater crashed into each other during live broadcasted warm ups in the same competition. Figure Skating is a high risk sport. Athletes get thrown in the air and are expected to spin 3 times before landing, hell, athletes throw themselves in the air and are expected to spin 4 times before landing - ALL WHILE WEARING KNIVES ON THEIR LEGS. So it’s understandable that accidents (and i stress the word accident) happen. Hell, even golden boy yuzuru hanyu has been the victim of an accidental collision during warm ups.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE IS:

Figure skating has evolved since the days of Tonya Harding. The level of respect that these athletes have for each other is unparalleled and unreal, so don’t make conclusions about the sport when you know nothing about it

The racism card is not one to just be throwing around willy nilly. It’s a very serious allegation to make and you can’t just use it whenever a POC is involved bc believe it or not, sometimes people can be motivated to start conflicts based not on colour.

DEATH THREATS ARE NEVER OK

also before i go i just want to mention for those who don’t follow fs but are keeping up with this incident, the world championships are still ongoing (which is why investigation into the incident is slow), they haven’t finished yet so in the meantime please respect the boundaries of these two professional athletes and others in the sport who are still competing and do something better with your time than harass strangers on the internet :)

#figure skating #eunsoo lim #mariah bell #asian representation #asian american #korea #worldfigure #isu worlds 2019 #south korea

7 notes · View notes

jfls · 6 years

Link

This week Javier Fernández embarks on another Grand Prix tourney as he approaches the twilight of his career. In the past year, the Spanish skating pioneer has seen many highs and lows and the next few months will determine if he will be able to fulfil his ultimate goal of standing on the Olympic rostrum.

In early November 2016, Fernández competed in back-to-back Grand Prix events in Russia and France. Aside from losing the Rostelecom Cup short programme to Japan’s Shoma Uno, the two-time World champion was otherwise in full control and picked up both titles and sealed qualification to the Grand Prix Final in Marseille, France.

Fernández had finished second in the previous two editions of the Grand Prix Final and went into the 2016 event with hopes of adding a gold to his collection. It was not to be. Errors on a quadruple Salchow and a triple Axel in the short had him in third going into the free skating. He began the free tentatively by turning a quadruple toe loop into a triple. Things went further downhill as he stepped out of a quadruple Salchow and fell on a triple Axel midway through his Elvis Presley medley routine. He wound up in fourth place overall.

“I think it was kind of my fault. After my two Grand Prixs, I did too many things. My brain wasn’t really set up in training and I think that paid off a little bit here. I didn’t get used to the ice in practices and it was a little messy in general. We just have to go back to training and go back to concentrate and work for the next competition.”

At the end of January, Fernández participated in his 11th European Figure Skating Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic. He skated a clean short and, despite a painful fall on a quadruple Salchow in the free which forced him to withdraw from performing in the closing gala, he comfortably claimed his fifth European title, a feat last achieved by Ondrej Nepela in 1973.

“It was definitely not the best free skate of the season. It is hard to chase your season bests and records all the time even if you want it. I did not think I would fall that hard. After you fall, it takes a second until you set up your mind back and you go on with the other elements. I am just a normal skater, not a machine.”

At the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland in March, the expectation of retaining his title initially did not seem to faze him. He posted a new personal best score of 109.05 points putting him in pole position for the free. Fernández took to the ice as the final skater in the men’s competition. Earlier in the same group, training partner Yuzuru Hanyu had racked up a new world record score of 223.20 which meant that the Spaniard would need to be close to his personal best to take the victory. The pressure turned out to be too much. A fall on a quadruple Salchow, doubling a triple flip and stepping out of a triple loop not only cost him the title, but a medal. Fernández finished off the World podium for the first time in five years.

“It was a hard competition and I knew that it would be before I came here and when I was here. I feel relieved because the season is over and there has been a lot of stress. Skaters have a hard year every single season. I said it so many times that being world champion is not going to save me from anything. It’s not the end of the world. Next year I am going to try again and I am going to try at the Olympics. If it happens, it will be amazing because I am going to be working hard. If it doesn’t happen, then another thing will come up. It’s really important for me and I will work my ass off for it.”

Despite being deposed from the world podium, Fernández took it on the chin as a lesson for the season ahead.

“Every competition is different and many things are going to happen. That’s why when something happens I have to learn from it. Some people might think I have learned everything already, but every time is so different. When you lose a competition like this, it brings you down to earth.”

After the World Championships, Fernández got to work on new programmes for the Olympic season. He chose Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” for his short and “Man of La Mancha” for his free. Both routines were choreographed by David Wilson. He is aware that, compared to most of his rivals, he has maturity on his side and he will do his best to exploit that advantage.

“Of course, we will try to play with it because we know it’s one of my strengths. Yuzu, Shoma, Boyang (Jin) and all these skaters are younger and have a different style of skating. If I have something they don’t have, then I have to play that against them. I can play a little bit with being sexy. I can play with the audience. I have to do that because if not, what am I going to do? Six quads? No. I’ve got to do what is the best for me to do.”

Fernandez made his 2017-2018 debut at the Autumn Classic in Montreal, Canada in late September. It was an earlier start than usual to the season for him and there was the added interest of another showdown with Hanyu. The short saw the Japanese skater lay down a world record score of 112.72 with Fernández adrift on 101.20. The free was a very different story. Hanyu had his worst skate in years and, even with a modest performance by his own standards, Fernández was able to seal victory over his rival for the first time since the 2016 World Championships.

The two have trained alongside each other under the tutelage of Brian Orser since 2012 and, while they remain fierce competitors on the ice, their rivalry is still a mutually respectful and friendly one.

“We’re athletes and we compete against ourselves. Whenever we skate, we just want to do our own programme. I don’t go into a competition thinking about who I can beat. No. I do the best I can and then the judges will decide. I think this sport is not like tennis or soccer where you play directly against each other. I think that is why sometimes we have better relationships with other skaters.”

Whether Fernández is able to win a coveted Olympic medal or not in PyeongChang next February, his legacy and contribution to Spanish figure skating is secure. In December 2016, he headlined “RevolutiOnIce”, his own show, that played to a packed house in Madrid. During summer 2017, he organised a week-long summer camp for promising skating talent also in Madrid. Earlier this year, he signed a sponsorship deal with La Liga, Spain’s professional football league. The partnership will see Fernández promoting the league in markets where his and figure skating’s popularity exceeds that of soccer.

“We want to take the LaLiga brand to countries where we’re well-known and very popular,” Fernández explained at the announcement of the deal. “Walking and working hand in hand will be highly mutually beneficial and we’re going to do our very best. LaLiga is helping Spanish sport and the fact that they’re going to pay for elite sportspeople’s social security is one of the best developments in the country’s sporting history.”

The backing of lucrative sponsors has enabled Fernández to concentrate on being the best skater he can be, but he is quick to acknowledge that he would be not be where he is today without the backing of those nearest and dearest to him.

“My family supported me from when I was really young until today. They had to give up so many things in their lives to make me the person I am right now in figure skating. My dad had to work extra hours because my parents didn’t have the money to pay when I left Spain. My sister had to quit skating just to have extra money for me. My family did so many amazing things and I don’t think I will ever find enough payback for them for everything they have done.”

As his career comes to an end, Fernández has begun to consider what he might do when his competitive skating days are over. While he has many ideas, his mind is totally set on being ready in just under 100 days’ time for the biggest stage in his life.

“I already created a company and I want to be teaching and doing shows. I’ve got a lot of things in my head that I can possibly do later, but now the priority is figure skating and competitions. I know there’s only a short time left for me and I want to focus on it.”

#javier fernandez #season: 2017 2018 #interview #link

6 notes · View notes

minotsu · 7 years

Text

Dance show that Daisuke Takahashi enchants ---- “How to find dreams and goals? I’m also seeking them for myself right now. (laugh)”

http://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/12862235/?p=1

His passionate performances and overwhelming expressions enamor and fascinate audience forever. After receiving numerous medals as a worldwide figure skater, Daisuke Takahashi who is in great demand of stages and ice shows will perform as one of the double leading roles with Cheryl Burke at LOVE ON THE FLOOR 2017. He said that he had lost his next goal after his retirement. Now, seeking it he has been working with every single project with full force. This dance show is also one of those challenges for him. We would like to convey his encouraging message for those who are wondering and struggling towards their dreams and goals.

Photos/ Toru Hiraiwa Text/ Chihiro Furumata Production/ iD inc.

Figure skating on ice and dancing on floor “They are completely different…”

--- “LOVE ON THE FLOOR 2017” which is scheduled in June is a dance show which expresses various aspects of love with dancing by top dancers and figure skaters from the USA. As it’s been received so well, it was announced that you will perform the show for the second time. Honestly, how do you feel about it? D: With the pleasure that I can try it again and above all else, I feel so much pressure (laugh). There is this fear that people might think “not much difference” compared to the last time. I think the pressure is much bigger this time compared to the last time because it was the first time.

---This time you are performing as one of the leading dancers with Cheryl Burke who is the leading role as well as a director and a composer of the show, so it seems you are having more appearances and highlights (in the show).

D: As for programs, we are going to brush up the previous ones and I’m supposed to have more appearances. I had a lot of difficulties last time since it was my first time to join (the dance show) but I had really great time from the rehearsals to the actual performances. With those experiences, I think I can concentrate on my dancing more this time.

---What role are you performing in the show?

D: Based on the theme of love, I have this role as a narrator who is connecting various scenes of love such as palpitation, passion, bewilderment, jealousy and love that asks nothing in return. I will perform each aspect of love while changing the atmosphere (of the scenes by my performances).

--- It is so fresh for us to see you dance with bare feet, how do you feel dancing with your feet on floor, not skating on ice?

D: On ice and on floor, they are completely different. The ways you balance (your body) are different and especially spinning is difficult (on floor). On floor, you can’t spin like you do on ice and it is hard to stop precisely (like on ice). I tended to spin or jump with my skating sense so I had to change my movements to make them look beautifully. I really felt those difficulties at first.

--- As I thought, there are differences in details?

D: In addition, you have to pay much more attention to your toes compared to the time when you are in skates. I have stiff ankles so it was far from easy to make them look nice… Well, I really need to work hard, seriously (laugh). That’s why I’ve been stretching my toes recently.

--- So spins and your toes are different from when you skate? That must be a point we have to pay attention at the show then!

D: On, no, I rather want you not to! (laugh)

Once on the stage, you suddenly change and become a “Look at me” type!?

--- If you compare (dancing) to figure skating where scores are counted, do you have some differences in your sense when you perform at ice shows and dance on floor?

D: Nothing changes. I didn’t really care about scores when I was competing. I think expressing is something very vague and people put their likes and dislikes (into evaluation) and moreover the number (for the scores) varies accordingly. Probably it must be very difficult for judges as well to express their evaluations in numerical form. So, I tried not to think too much about it and I thought a great deal of my feeling “I want to show this (to the audience)” (when I performed).

--- What are you thinking when you skate and dance?

D: “Look at me!” I think (laugh). I just want to show this program (to audience), that’s all. But off ice, in my ordinary life, it’s completely different and I am rather like “Don’t look at me!” (laugh)

--- You said it’s embarrassing to hold a rose when we were doing photo shooting previously, didn’t you? As I’ve been talking with you now, I think you are shy contrary to the gorgeous image of yourself on ice…

D: That’s right, contrary to (general image of me)…(shy smile)

--- But once you are on stage, you turn to be like “Look at me!”, right? Were you like that from your childhood?

D: Wondering why I do become like that. I don’t think I was like that from the beginning, but even though I couldn’t dance at all when I was little, I liked to see something expressed with body. I always had this longing for coolness (of performing art).

--- I think one of your charms is the oozing sensuality but what do you think about charms?

D: As for charms, I am always conscious of them. I like things sensual, charming and fascinating. For example, even when you watch TV or movies, if you recognize “oh this person is charming/sexy”, I try to watch the ways that person sees, walks or moves his/her hands, thinking I will try it next time. (laugh)

It’s not easy to find something “you really want to do”.

--- Last year, you were doing great not only as a performer but also as an Olympic TV caster, weren’t you?

D: Was I? I have been able to do various jobs. I learn by trial and error every day. I am rather confident when I work physically, so I would like to focus more on the performing fields. Especially, I would like to work more seriously on skating which I kept myself away from a bit last year.

--- You just said you put distance from skating and you stayed in NY in 2015, am I right?

D: I was there for about 8 months for studying English, but I had this very lazy life there…(laugh) As I recall now, I wanted to keep some distance from skating, it was a bit like escaping (from skating). I also thought that if I could find new goals from then by living there, it would be good…

--- It was 2014 when you won the 6th place in the third Olympics and retired from competitive scene. It must have been difficult to switch (from eligible to retired), right?

D: I found out that it was hard to live in NY if you hadn’t had your goal because you feel like you are halfway, unfinished. So, I thought I would have spoiled myself if I had continued to live like that, then I came back (to Japan). It’s like “if you don’t have any dreams, it would be better to go back (to Japan), face yourself and work hard.”

--- Because of that experience, you could switch to “try and work hard” mode?

D: That’s right. If you fall to the bottom where there is no lower place, there is nothing (you can do) but just rising from there.

--- There are many people who don’t know how to set their goals nor make their dreams. And also there are many who have dreams but don’t know how to achieve them and wonder and struggle. Could you tell us how to find own goals and dreams?

D: I am also seeking them right now! (laugh) Up until retirement, goals were always coming towards me, well, rather, they were always set there.

--- The World Championships, Olympics and so on… You just aimed at them.

D: Yes. Therefore, just like a youth trying to think about going on to university or getting a job, I just started working finally at this age, in my thirties, and I’m like in a situation panicking “seriously? I don’t know what I want to do!” even though I have to find something I really want to do. (laugh)

--- In a situation like that now, how are you dealing with them?

D: I’m trying to find one by one… With working various things, I’d like to expand things which suit me or worth doing for me (to feel so). When I think about those things only in mind, I feel like I would like to try them all, but at the same time, not to try them at all, either. For the time being, therefore, I try whatever I can do now.

--- You do whatever you can, right?

D: Even when I have a try and receive good evaluation from people around me, if I am not fully convinced with my work, I can’t really keep my motivation. By checking the evaluations from others’ as well as mine, I’m choosing the options (of work) right now. I don’t know whether this method is right or not though.

--- It is quite encouraging that even though someone like you who has been competing in the world top rank still has those kinds of worries and confronts them.

D: I feel really like a new working adult now. (laugh) I felt stress for the first time in my life at the age of 30. Stress that you felt stomachache. It was gone after you finished the work, really! (laugh)

--- For the first time!? Was the stress bigger than the Olympics one?

D: Bigger than the Olympics. I once again respect my friends from the same generation that they all experienced this stress in their twenties.

When you reach a deadlock? Daisuke Takahashi’s very unexpected way to deal with it.

--- May I ask you another piece of advice? When you reach a deadlock, for example, when you hit a wall, how would you overcome it?

D: I would make it … someone’s fault. (laugh)

--- What? That’s a very unexpected answer…(laugh)

D: Well, I wouldn’t say “that’s your fault!” to anybody, no, it’s not like that. (laugh) In addition, I wouldn’t make it somebody’s fault from the beginning without any efforts. Of course, I try my best. But when it really doesn’t work, I make an excuse. (He actually said to make a way to escape.)

--- Oh, I see.

D: Of course, if you decide everything by yourself, you can’t make it somebody’s fault. But there are times when you try so hard, making every single effort but things are beyond your power and don’t work for you. And if you put the responsibility too much on your shoulders, you hardly make the final step or you start to worry too much about people’s eyes around you. When you reach there, I just think in my mind a bit that “I don’t care anymore! It’s not me who started this!” (laugh) Then, I think you can make up your mind and put a step forward.

--- In other words, you make it somebody’s fault but still you try your best, right?

D: Right. I try my best, of course. But when you are in a trouble at the final stage, as for the part or thing I can’t do anything by myself, I make it somebody’s fault secretly in my mind. “I don’t care! Let it be!” Then I feel a bit relaxed and can rapidly go to the next (step). Is this no good? (laugh)

--- Well, I think it’s a quite important way of thinking. It means that you don’t force yourself into a tight corner, doesn’t it?

D: That’s right. You force yourself to a certain level, but never to the final end!

--- Thank you so much. Now, at the end of this interview, could you tell us about your private life a little bit? What are you crazy about now?

D: Crazy about movies. I always watch them on TV or internet

--- While watching, you do researches on charms and expressions?

D: I think I watch them for a breather but as you expected, they are on my mind as well. Unintentionally, I think “oh, that gesture is cool!” … As you pointed out now, it seems that I tend to watch movies thinking those things too.

--- If you have a day off, do you spend a day watching movies at home?

D: I like going out on my day-off but recently I go out a lot for work so I stay at home these days instead. After all, I watch movies a lot I think.

--- What do you do except watching movies (on the day-off)?

D: I do cleaning because I can’t be in a daze, doing nothing. Not much interesting things I do since I don’t have any particular hobbies… (shy smile)

--- Well then, could you tell us your ardor for LOVE ON THE FLOOR 2017?

D: I think this show will be a more polished up and powerful stage compared to the last time. I will prepare sufficiently to show you something new with my previous experience as well as plus alpha factor. I will try my best to give you a stage which will not disappoint your expectations!

I always love his honest and sincere attitude and here he did it again in this interview. Love him so much!

#daisuke takahashi #lotf2017 #cheryl burke #fstranslation #figure skating #dance #theatreorb #can't wait to see the show

29 notes · View notes

butterflydm · 7 years

Text

YURI!!! On Ice (Squee and Recs)

YOI was a show that I’d seen mentioned on my dash many many times before I was finally like, okay I’ll give this a try. It’s animation, so it’s got short episodes. There’s only one season so far. I’ve got nothing to lose.

Except, of course, I ended up losing my heart.

So what, exactly, is so awesome about YOI?

1) Sensitive and in-depth portrayal of anxiety. Our hero, Katsuki Yuuri (勝生勇利; Katsuki Yūri) has anxiety. It affects his life, but it is part of the fabric of him, rather than either being the whole tapestry or just in there when convenient for the plot. It’s always there, but he has many coping mechanisms that he’s developed over the course of his life and we often get to see him use them effectively. In many ways, Yuuri’s anxiety is the antagonist of the show, because so much of the show is about becoming your own personal best rather than comparing yourself against other people, so we see him wrestle with his anxiety frequently over the course of the series.

2) Related: no bad guys! All the characters in this show are people who are just doing their best (most of them doing so in an extremely stressful and physically exhausting career; many of them at young ages!). They have virtues and they have faults but no one is being a jerk for the lolz. The skaters, in general, support and care about each other and they cheer each other on, even while competing against each other. They all push each other to be better because they want the playing field to be full of talented competitors!

3) Speaking of talented competitors: if, like me, you enjoy people being The Best At What They Do, then this is the show for you! The first season is about the Grand Prix, so that means it’s about the best of the best in (Men’s Singles) competitive skating. Our main characters are all extremely talented!

4) Holy shit, the love story, omg. Words fail me when I try to describe how beautiful Yuuri and Victor’s story truly is, but I will try. Like the show itself, there is a maturity and a delicacy in Victuuri (btw what a great ship name) that I don’t find often in love stories. Even though I was spoiled on a big plot twist early on, I still found that many elements of the relationship surprised me. I’m not super into the trope of the fan/idol relationship but Victuuri puts in all the emotional work of getting the characters to the same level as each other. The season takes place over the course of a year, so enough time passes in-universe for the emotional growth to feel natural. I also feel like the ship subverted a lot of common romance tropes in some really lovely and unexpected ways. It might be my favorite canon ship since Doctor/Rose on Doctor Who tbh. Which is a very high bar for me.

And that is only the beginning of things to love about the show! There’s also some great narrative candy to be found -- Yuuri is possibly the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing. It is a delight. Now, if (like me) you do not understand Japanese but do understand English, you may wonder at this time if you should watch the subs (Official version at Crunchroll!) or the dubs (Official version at Funimation!), to which I say: watch both! I did and I have no regrets.

As I often do when entering a fandom, I have been reading a lot of fanfic, so I am going to share links of some of my favorite stories so far! They’re pretty much all Victuuri tbh, fair warning.

Fics!

Until My Feet Bleed and My Heart Aches by Reiya (incomplete; last updated 2/5) - okay, the rest of the fics in this list are in no particular order, but this one is first because it is, currently, my absolute favorite YOI fic. It is a ‘want of a nail’ type AU where a bad encounter between Yuuri and Victor when they’re young makes Yuuri grow up obsessed with Victor as a rival to beat, rather than as an idol. The treatment of how Yuuri’s anxiety affects his PoV is top-notch. There are only two chapters to go before the story is finished, but there’s going to be a companion fic from Victor’s PoV when this one is done, yay! There are some typos but they’re easy to skim over once you get into the story. Great characterization and relationship building, and you’ll definitely want to listen to the music links, especially of Victor’s skates - they really tell you where Victor’s head is at any given point in the story. Victor manages to make me completely heartbroken over his obvious pining despite the fact that it’s all from Yuuri’s PoV and Yuuri has no clue how Victor feels. Love this fic. <3 <3

This Body Overflowing by EmilianaDarling (incomplete; last updated 2/9) - this one just started but I really like where it’s going so far. Very intimate Yuuri narration voice. <3

a day for all the rest by etharei (complete) - a lovely one-shot set after episode 7 that explores Victor’s joy in this current stage of his relationship with Yuuri. <3

Repeat After Me by queenieofaces (complete) - Victor learns some Japanese and also learns how to communicate with Yuuri, which is not quite the same thing. <3

and over our heads the light unwinding by radialarch (complete) - written between episodes 11 and 12, so the convo that starts at the end of 11 ends differently, but this is very sweet. <3

Each Sip Like Starlight by cloverfield (complete) - I won’t sugar-coat it - this is straight-up post-episode 7 victory sex. <3

If I gave you my heart by esprintneo (complete) - set post-season one. Yuuri realizes something very important about his relationship with Victor and how Victor has been seeing things and sets out to make sure Victor knows that Yuuri is just as invested as Victor is. This is incredibly adorable and sweet. <3

Shut up and let me hold you by shysweetthing (complete) - Set between episodes 11 and 12, about the complicated emotions that arise because of the talk Yuuri has with Victor. <3

all your doors flung wide by radialarch (complete) - in which enough enthusiasm can solve any problem. Eventually. <3

no more going half the way by idrilka (complete) - Yuuri and Victor take a moment together after this year’s banquet, before St. Petersburg. <3

Yuuri!!! on Floor by thehandsingsweapon (complete) - AU where most of the characters are in gymnastics instead of skating. Delightful! <3

Victor Effing Nikiforov by shysweetthing (complete) - AU where Yuuri recovers after the Grand Prix Final enough to make it to Worlds that year and is confused at why Victor is acting like they know each other... really... well... <3

i know my madness by astoryaboutwar (complete) - AU where Yuuri gets silver at his first GPF with Victor but still gets Victor’s heart, too (but manages not to figure that part out for a while). <3

You searched for: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov by Arumattie (complete) - Victor discovers fandom (and RPF). <3

Bear Your Soul on the Ice by SassySalchow (incomplete; last updated 2/3) - very cute AU with Yuuri and Victor meeting at much younger ages when Yuuri gets sent to Russia to train at age fourteen. <3

Winter Song by proantagonist (incomplete; last updated 2/4) - YOI being a twenty-minute per episode show that covers a year of time, there’s a lot of time-skipping and we only see the moments that we most need to, so this is a great ‘missing pieces’ fanfic that starts post-episode 7 and fills in some of the relationship cuteness that we didn’t get to see on-screen. <3

Helsinki 2017 by Sanj (complete) - cute little fic of Yuuri and Victor being interviewed before the 2017 World Championships. <3

Lost in Translation by Jenrose (fic complete; series in progress) - Victor thinks he understands Yuuri, and he falls in love. Then he realizes he doesn’t understand Yuuri. He’s still in love. He’s just also very confused. <3 (note: fic deals with facing homophobia)

katsuki_fc wrote by tetsurashian (complete) - YOI S1 from the point of view of Yuuri’s dedicated fans as they support him on through his losses and are delighted by his comeback (and thrilled to see him find happiness with Victor). <3

Excelsior by powerandpathos (incomplete; last updated 1/16) - Like ‘Lost in Translation’, this fic deals directly with homophobia. Partly because of that, the characterizations of both Yuuri and Victor (but mostly Victor) are... hmm.. sharper... than they are in canon. In the YOI canon, Victor and Yuuri can just be blatantly in love and there’s no issue with it with regards to their careers, because they don’t live in a world where they would be hated for who they love. A version of Victor and Yuuri who do live in that world are going to be subtly different. But this is interesting to explore in fanfiction and I’m enjoying the way it’s being done in this story. This fic also has a great pair of original characters who serve as the plot catalysts, as a mirror to Yuuri and Victor’s relationship, but are also quite intriguing and believable in their own right as characters and as a couple. <3

#yuri on ice #yuri!!! on ice #yoi #yoi recs #victuuri #katsuki yuuri #victor nikiforov #yoi spoilers

18 notes · View notes

beyondthefloor · 4 years

Text

Dear Parent,

Your kid joined a high level, nationally competitive program. You had to sign a fucking 16 page membership manual and commitment contract in order to even get the kid to participate - and you just signed that motherfucker without reading it, didn’t you? It’s okay, I’ll give you the crash course: Why yes, I do look young to be a coach. In fact, I am young. Shut the fuck up about that and look at my results. I’m 100% more qualified to be your kids coach than you are at doing whatever you do for a living. I bet you didn’t compete internationally and gain relative fame in human resources, Karen. How many national championships has your accounting department won under your direction, Steve? None? Weird. I bet you can’t even motivate them to clean out the coffee pot at the end of the day. You don’t know shit about what makes a good coach. I don’t want to hear your idea. You literally have no fucking idea what you’re talking about. Don’t email me your suggestion for new team apparel or for a fun new training exercise for us to do. This isn’t girl scouts where the moms can participate as troop leaders and pretend they have superior knowledge about birdseed or some shit. You’re wasting my time. You know why I don’t work with children? Because I hate children. You might enjoy this weird “my kid is a teenager but also just a BABY” thing because you have an undiagnosed mental problem, but some of us are trying to teach your teenager fundamental adult life skills. You can cling to a photo album at home or something - stop getting in my fucking way. When I say the student has to email me if they can’t be at rehearsal, I mean the student. That’s the one who’s younger and attends high school. When I send them a disciplinary email for the sake of record keeping and CC you so everyone is on the same page, the last line ALWAYS says “[Name], I’m CCing your parents on this email so we’re all on the same page, but please be aware that this is your responsibility entirely.” Responding telling your kid you’re going to “get through this together” is both insane and counterproductive. YOUR KID DOESN’T NEED YOU TO HELP THEM “GET THROUGH” THIS BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING TO GET THROUGH. They broke a rule and I called them out - this is called accountability. And so help me if you express it’s not their fault. Yes, it fucking is. You’re making them worse at being a person and therefore you are a shitty fucking parent. Competitions are not family time. You don’t get to come into our team space. This isn’t dance moms. I will have you removed. If your kid comes home and complains that I was “mean” or I “made them do PT” or I “said they didn’t do it right” I need you to really think about that for a fucking second before you hop on your keyboard to type me an 8 paragraph email about how upset your darling is. Your freshman is probably really bad at things. You literally pay money to this program so that they can be better at things. Did you think that would happen through magic? I know they did because they’re fourteen and they have no idea what’s happening until next year but DID YOU GENUINELY THINK your young teenager with no experience was just going to be infallible? Have you ever been outside your home? I’m assuming so, so this shouldn’t be a hard concept for you to understand. If I told your kid to stop being a little bitch, sure thing, send me an email. Report me, whatever the fuck you do in that situation. If I told your kid they need to have a better push up posture and then called them out for not applying the correction GUESS WHAT. THAT’S MY LITERAL JOB. You’re emailing me to tell me that I did my job, and somehow you’re complaining about it. The calendar is accessible to you in six different ways. Jesus fucking christ stop asking me about the calendar. I’m not just going to randomly change it and be like SURPRISE WHOLE NEW CALENDAR TO SHAKE THINGS UP because that’s insane and I am not the insane one in our relationship. Stop teaching your kid to make excuses. When they’re with me their sore toe or whatever the fuck isn’t a huge deal because no one turns it into a deal at all. When they come back and freak out because their “broken toe” is “in so much pain” I know it’s you who did that. If you keep your kid home from practice because they have allergies but they went to school that day you are actually satan. If you bring them to the doctor because they have a bruise or twisted ankle you are lucky to have such nice health insurance. I teach these people classes in understanding and taking care of their bodies with a focus on care for injuries and stretching. They’re fucking fine. Let them get a bump without calling the mayor. I don’t work for you, nor do I work for your kid. Who the fuck put that idea in your head? I will remove you immediately from any event if I hear you spout bigotry, and I will ask you to not return until you can control your mouth. God help you if that bigotry is directed towards one of my students. Idk who you’re regularly communicating with that you think you can send me the same copy/pasted email asking me a question every hour on the hour until I answer you, but that’s not the way things work outside of your head. I don’t sit at my computer waiting for you to ask me the location of the next show (which is on your calendar you never look at because you’re a dirty microwave of a human being). If you describe coaching on this level as a “fun light hobby” I immediately hate you more than anything in the entire world. While you’re sitting on your fucking ass at home watching the Bachelor and old Tiger Woods interviews (oh yeah I know about that, your kid talks about you) I’m training teenagers to be mentally and physically prepared to compete and win. I’m out of the house doing 14 hour workdays so your kid can have enough evening rehearsal time during the week, I give up my Saturdays, and I spend my “free time” planning. I have to answer your goddamn emails. The health, safety, success, and a significant portion of the growth of these teenagers comes from my influence and the program I run. It’s not some casual picnic I’m showing up to that we can laugh about together. If I have a stellar relationship with your offspring, BE HAPPY THERE’S AN ADULT IN THEIR LIFE THEY CAN TRUST. I cannot count the number of times I’ve had a kid crying in my office because they couldn’t handle a situation on their own but didn’t want to talk to their parent about it for whatever reason. I’m not running some popularity contest here. I want your kid to be their best - even when it has nothing to do with me or my team. Try it sometime. Also, as an addition to this one, STOP BEING SHITTY. Your homosexual child knows you’re avoiding them because you know they’re going to come out soon. Your 18 year old is scared to have safe sex because she thinks you will literally harm her physically if you catch her with condoms. Your stepdaughter got into a fistfight because she’s frustrated that you drug test her every morning despite the fact that she’s never done drugs. Finally, you’re welcome. You’re welcome for the hours upon hours of hard labor that go into making sure your kid has somewhere they feel challenged and successful and comfortable. You’re welcome for talking to your kid like they’re a human being, respecting them, and asking for nothing but their attendance and honest attempts during rehearsal. You’re welcome for giving them their college recommendation letters, making sure they get into national honor society, making sure they have scholarships and accolades to mention on their applications, and for being their reference for their first jobs. You’re welcome for teaching them how to go to an interview, how to handle stress, how to address physical and mental ailments, and how to act professional in public. You’re welcome for fucking loving them, protecting them, teaching them, wiping their tears, and waking up every day trying to do right by them. You’re fucking welcome. Love, Coach

#cgrantandrave

0 notes