axon-a

[axon-a]

I’m a discord cryptid. I join your server, say a few things, then leave. sometimes I’m spotted trying to start a conversation but then feel awkward when no one responds and everyone already knows each other so I leave again.

[axon-a]

I’M SOBBING THANK YOU FOR RECOMMENDING MY FIC I’M SO HONORED

Hi! I was wondering, do you know any good Yuuri/Yuri fanfiction?

Do I? *rubs hands together deviously* Why, yes, my dear. Prepare to be amazed.

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Yuriyuu Fanfic Recommendations:

1. Permanent Ink by @mak-ka-chin~50k words | Soulmate AU, Angst, Slow Burn | E RatingThis is definitely one of the longest Yuriyuu fics out there. Viktuuri is also present in the fic as Yuuri has two soulmates, but it has really great Yuriyuu development, and I love how the author weaves it all into the plot of the anime.

2. Coup de Foudre by @mak-ka-chin~4k words | Fluff, Canon Divergent | T RatingSame author as Permanent Ink. Yuuri never meets Viktor at the banquet, so years later, he sees Yurio perform and becomes inspired to choreograph his new program. It’s very cute, great writing style, and Viktor plays a surprisingly entertaining role.

3. Wildflowers by @axon-a~70k words | Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Altered Ages | T RatingWhat Yuriyuu fic list is complete without Wildflowers? This fic is even longer than Permanent Ink and really does well on showing their feelings develop over time. There is some Phichuuri and Otayuri along the way, but we do get to Yuriyuu by the end. A good solid read. 

4. Be Patient. It Takes Time by Denymore~15k words | Fluff, Angst, Viktuuri Breakup | G RatingThis is a very cute fic that follows Yuri and Yuuri after Viktuuri breaks up. (Just a warning: The writer is not a native English speaker, so there are a lot of grammar mistakes, but I think it’s definitely worth reading) It’s a really beautiful, heartwarming story and portrays the Yuriyuu relationship very well.

5. I’m Jealous of the Way You’re Happy Without Me by @ochoth~3k words | Angst, Character Death, Mourning, Unrequited Love | M RatingThis fic is not for the faint of heart. I cry like a baby every time I read it. Not only is it sad and heartfelt, but it also shows a lot of deep characterization of Yuri and Yuuri. The story felt incredibly realistic, which made it all the more painful. It hurts you in a good way.

6. Yuri Plisetsky, Foulmouthed Guardian Angel by istillfearkanna ~8k words (ongoing) | Angst, Fluff, Potential Viktuuri, Hurt/Comfort | T RatingThis fic isn’t finished yet, but it has a very promising start. The writing style is nice and there’s a good mix of angst and fluff. It definitely leaves you on the edge of your seat. I really like how we see Yuri’s vulnerable side in this fic.

7. His L Words by quixotic_writes~5k | Hurt/Comfort, Polyamory, Side of Platonic Otayuri | M RatingThis one is actually Viktuurio, meaning Viktor x Yuri x Yuuri. I don’t read a lot of these, but this one is very special to me. Yuri has a great friendship with Otabek, and he pines after both Yuuri and Viktor, though it takes him a while to discover what his feelings mean. Even if you’ve never read Viktuurio, I recommend giving this one a try. It captured my heart from the very first moment.

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So there you go! Seven great fics to get you started. If you’ve got any recommendations for me, feel free to drop them in my ask box. Happy reading~

[axon-a]

Welcome to Rare Ships!!! on Ice!

This is a fanworks gift exchange celebrating rare relationships in YOI fandom. Both gen and shippy relationships are welcome. Participants will create either 500+ words of fanfiction or a piece of fanart for their assigned recipient. Learn more about the exchange here.

RSOI is run through our AO3 collection, with main announcements on the DW admin comm. You can follow this tumblr for cross-posted announcements. And here’s the schedule:

Tagset Nominations: April 20 - May 2 Sign-Ups: May 5 - 15 Assignments Out: by May 19 Works Due: July 16 Works Revealed: July 23 Creators Revealed: July 30

[axon-a]

Guess who’s working on the WingFic series now?! Sorry for the shoddy wings I can either do realism or comic style and I’m lazy so here. 

WingFic Yuuri WIP

[axon-a]

Yuuri spins up easily into a Biellmann from the layback, the crescendo of the music and the roaring of the crowd in his ears. Bravery. Telling the story with his body of a nervous, terrified child blossoming into something beautiful and powerful. A competitor. A star. A Japanese skater worthy of the meaning behind each kanji of his name. The song is a prolonged crescendo that tells the story of Yuuri’s life with every note and strike of his blade against the ice. It’s more than Yuuri on Ice . It’s just...Yuuri. All of him. Every flaw, mar, and imperfection. Everything he’d tried to hide from the audience for so long, willfully displayed for the first time. (x) Wildflowers Chapter 5

Tumblr killed the quality AS ALWAYS. 

[axon-a]

I’m sorry I love all aspects of YuriYuu and their dynamics but I just can’t get it out of my damn head that Yuri grows up to be this tall ass buff Russian who could probably bench press Victor with one arm. Okay? I love lean androgynous Yuri too, don’t get me wrong, but I’m just imagining that puberty comes hella late for Yuri but when it comes it comes.

And Yuri using his height to tease and tower over Yuuri just hits all my giddy buttons. Give me hunk Yuri or give me death. 

[axon-a]

They were still young. Yuri was 22, and Yuuri was 26. But...Yuri didn't want anyone else. And maybe that was forward of him, but he knew Yuuri felt the same. Neither were the type to play around, and while they'd undoubtedly had their knock-out-drag-down fights in their years together, it had never changed anything.

Marrying Yuuri…

Yuuri in a beautiful suit, Yuuri with a wedding band on his finger, Yuuri undoubtedly hiccuping his vows through happy tears. Quietly murmuring his vows for Yuri, gliding on the dance floor in Yuri’s arms.

Yuuri being his forever. Being able to call him his fiancé, his husband.

The thought alone was enough to leave him shaken and wanting. This was something he would have to explore further. Now that it had crossed his mind, Yuri wouldn't be able to let it go.

He falls asleep smiling over the fact that they would have the same name, Yuuri tangled peacefully in his arms.

Yuri finally proposes to Yuuri! The second installment of the Amaranthine series after the amazing, humbling success of Wildflowers. Which the first few chapters will be getting some fluffing because they are terrible oh my gosh why did any of you read past that?!

Huge thank you to my beta @till-kingdom-come for being her wonderful beta self, and to @yuriyuu for being my brain twin when it comes to these lovely boys. I hope you guys like it! 

[axon-a]

YuriYuu Engagement

IS ALREADY 26 FUCKING PAGES LONG AND HAVEN’T EVEN GOTTEN TO THE GOOD PART. Why do these boys give me so many feelings? Why?

I hope you guys enjoy it when it goes up! Should be sometime this week. It’s set in the Wildflowers universe, Amaranthine. 

[axon-a]

Follower Input

What would you like to see more of on this blog? Drabbles, story responses to asks, more art, sneak peeks into my current works?

Let me know! I want this to be a blog that followers can interact with freely!

[axon-a]

I’ve been getting a lot of asks lately about the brushes and textures I use in my work, so here’s a BIG FAT REFERENCE POST for those of you who were curious! Bear in mind that I’m really lazy and don’t know what half the settings do, so don’t be afraid to experiment to figure out what works best for you :>

BRUSHES

Pencil I use the pencil tool with SAI’s native paper texture both for sketching and for applying opaque color with no blending. Lower opacities give it the feel of different pencil hardnesses, while full opacity makes it more like a palette knife, laying down hard-edged, heavy color for detail work or eventual blending with other brushes. Ink Pen Mostly made this because I’m lazy and I didn’t want to have to keep turning my textures off/opacity up when I wanted to ink something (even though I don’t do it very often), or lay down flat colors. I find the line quality to be much more crisp than Photoshop, and you can manually adjust in-program stabilization to help smooth out hand wobbles. Round Brush The plain ol’ brush tool acts as sort of an in-between for me in terms of brush flow. It’s heavier than my usual workhorse brush, for faster color application and rough blending, but not as heavy as the pencil tool, which has no blending at all. I like to use the canvas texture on this brush to help break up the unnatural smoothness that usually accompanies digital brushes, but it works just fine without. Flat Brush A brush tool set to flat bristle (try saving this bitmap file to your elemap folder if your version of SAI doesn’t have it) is by far my favorite to paint with. I don’t use any textures with it because I think the shape of the brush provides enough of that by itself. I use it for everything from rough washes to more refined shaping and polish. It’s just GREAT.

Watercolor Best used for smooth blending, washes, gradients, and smoky atmospheric effects. Cloud Basically a grittier version of the watercolor tool, because too much smoothness weird me out. Good for clouds and fog, as the name suggests, or just less boring gradient fills.

TEXTURE OVERLAY

To further stave off the artificially smooth look of digital painting, I almost always overlay some sort of paper texture, and it’s almost always this one, which I scanned and edited myself. You’re all welcome to use it, no permission required!

Using overlays in SAI is just as easy as using them in Photoshop. Just paste the texture into its own layer above everything you want it to apply to, and change the layer mode to Overlay. That’s it!

Want a more prominent texture? Up the contrast. Something more subtle? Lower the contrast or reduce the layer opacity. You can also use a tinted overlay to adjust the overall palette and bring a little more color unity to an otherwise disparate piece! Just be aware that too much texture can hurt the readability of the work beneath it, so I’d err on the side of subtlety.

Hope that helps!

-L

[axon-a]

Sometimes I recall that Katsuki Yuuri can fit into an outfit worn by 16 year old Victor Nikiforov and I lose all rationality.

Size difference.

[axon-a]

“It’s soft and unsure at first, two new people trying to find the right rhythm. But it’s warm and chaste and slow, gentle exhalations against one another’s cheeks as it draws on longer and longer. Yuri’s hand cradles him, thumb stroking against the curve of Yuuri’s ear reverently and long fingers gently carding through the hair at his neck. Angling him higher, pressing their lips together slowly, moving from top to bottom lip and back again like he can’t decide the best way to kiss Yuuri.”  -- Wildflowers

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Painting style inspired by the unfairly amazing, super talented @zephyrine-gale because I cry over their color palettes on the daily and I can’t achieve @keilattes 100% sass/100% ass method of drawing Yuuri. (Also if you see this you two are lovely and sorry this isn’t Victuuri because I fail). 

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This is supposed to be the kiss in France beneath the streetlamp (hello yellow tones, my least favorite color on this earth) but MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF SHIRTS. Who needs shirts, it’s France. Also I got bad news yesterday about a family member so I mildly failed the mini art challenge for my beta, but I’m sure she still loves me. 

[axon-a]

my FAVORITE tropes compiled thanks to some suggestions from others

a character gets a sick burn and doesn’t realize it immediately, at some point later there’s just “HEY WAIT A MINUTE”

the double take. this one’s an oldie but a goodie

the injured character makes the killing shot that saves everyone else in a dangerous situation

a character who isn’t speaking is doing something weird in the background, it’s subtle and never acknowledged it’s just there for those who notice it (pulling another character out of something they got stuck in, making a huge sandwich, etc)

the beleaguered assistant inches away from smacking their boss

“quick act natural”

in that vein, the leader character was just in a shouting match with someone and when they come back the rest of the team scrambles to look like they weren’t listening at the door

never forget: “he’s standing right behind me isn’t he”

[axon-a]

Wildflowers Update

Last chapter is halfway done! Currently sitting at 16 pages. So. Gonna be a long one I’m guessing. Save me. But Lulu is on vacation right now so progress is slow, because she is without a doubt my muse cheerleader and beta. But don’t worry the last chapter is still on its way! If anyone has requests for little things to add/include or things they’d like to see, please say so either on this post or drop it in my ask box!

[axon-a]

Laptop died and I didn’t want to restart it to get my pen pressure working again (like it always has to) so this is still in basic untouched/finished lineart mode, but never fear day two of my personal art challenge did not fail!

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I’ve never drawn kisses before and reblogged a million references and tutorials on my main blog, but it was so worth it. LET MY BOYS KISS. This was inspired by the scene where they first kiss in France in Wildflowers! So it will be under a streetlamp lighting once I get around to coloring it (if I do more than flat color, which lets be real, I probably won’t because I suck at it).

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My art isn’t as well received as my writing, but it’s very calming so I’ll keep doodling and adding mediocre art to the Yuriyuu side of the fandom when I can!

[axon-a]

Thank you for your post on Viktor's flaws in the spirit of voicing balance. Viktor worship is not just rife in the show itself but among fans of the series, and it makes me uncomfortable because depiction of mental illness is also so central so I feel it's important to emphasize that it's not something that can be soothed more than superficially through those means. I hope it will be addressed directly by both Yuuri and Viktor in season 2. I'm even in favor of (c)

“- suspending any further romantic developments between them until they both learn that lesson. I feel it’s that important if Yuuri reaching a sense of self-love is a goal of the creators, and it would be the advice of a therapist in real life too. (By the way, how cool would it be if Yuuri actually saw a therapist?) It doesn’t have to mean the end of Viktuuri, but sometimes a little healthy separation for the right reasons can bring people back together stronger for it. Sorry that got long-winded, I just feel so strongly about this! :D”

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Thank YOU for responding and being so gracious and understanding! It’s sometimes intimidating to be in a fandom that clutches so wholeheartedly onto positive LGBTQIA representation, because then it seems so many other things are forgiven, forgotten, or allowed to fall through the cracks. I feel like a lot of the pacing in the show (as someone who majored in film and storyboarding) suffered because of restraints put on the team, but I dearly hope season two will rectify some of them as well. It’s certainly not very healthy to rely on just one singular person, and I love Katsuki Yuuri so very much that I don’t want to see him be hurt by something like that! His flaws are much easier to see as an audience, so I like to bring up Victor’s because I think people use him in a trope-filled “love cures everything”.    

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I really want them both to see a therapist! Even just talking it out together as a pair! I think a solid group of friends for Yuuri and some therapy would go a long way for him individually, but I think Victor is riddled with a lot of (lovingly believable, understandable) flaws because of his upbringing and the majority of his life. And I hope they don’t forget about his mentality just because Yuuri is the main character! Never be ashamed about long-windedness, for I am the queen of it ;) and I’m honestly so happy that you agree! It’s nerve wracking to not get much feedback some days, and it’s very touching for me as both a writer and neuro-divergent individual to see response like this that validate my analysis of these beloved characters!

[axon-a]

Beloved Yurio ❤ 

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I love to think of him with shorter hair and an undercut, even though I do like the long-hair idea the fandom seems to run with normally. 

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This is a little brainchild of a vague future Wildflowers ‘verse, and yes those bitemarks are from Yuuri in my head, but ship as you desire ;) you are free to imagine whomever you wish putting those lovely little marks on him, because HE certainly enjoyed it. 

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This is also the first part of a little mini-series! My beta Lulu is off vacationing for a week, and I miss her, so I’m going to try to do art every day that she’s gone. We’ll see how it goes!