NLA Requests

Hey you! Do you miss NLA? Or perhaps are just sad about IceAdo/YOI in general? Well you can get me to write and/or draw fic if you donate to Gaza!

Please see this post here: https://twitter.com/YuriOnIceAction/status/1794019749854109878

There are a TON of SUPER TALENTED folks lined up to fill prompts, so if you want something different, that’s totally fine! Just make sure if you want it to come from me that you include ‘NLA’ in the prompt. 🙂

I’d love to do some young Vitya nonsense, or perhaps a NLA AU, or hints at the NLA sequel we’ve been working on behind the scenes. You can even ask the characters some questions and I’ll force them to answer LOL

Excerpt from ch 17 of Never Look Away, aka the Beach Scene.

🤍

I answered that one here, so I’ll move on to the next one which is…

🕯️was there a fic that was really hard on you to write, or took you to a place you didn’t think it would take you?

Hard on me emotionally? NLA and Vitya Diaries, definitely. Both of them I cried and cried during many scenes.

Hard as in difficult, though… The Better to Love You With was EXTREMELY hard for me to do, even though I had it all plotted out well in advance, because I decided to write Yuuri’s PoV for some reason and also I was a guest for the zine, so I was like OH NO PRESSURE. I think it turned out well, though. 😂

Woahh, first of all thank you for answering so honestly and sharing a bit of your personal experiences, I am completely glad that you are now where you feel good and in a place that you can call home and your safe place 💖 Speaking of history and real world comparisons, I think that’s why we end up with some people or other, the choices we make and the struggles each of us has. I think something I love about viktuuri is the answer to “why yuuri?” or “why viktor, why with viktor and not with other people?”, and I think it’s something precious. In other scenarios, as I’ve seen in another of your stories (or even in the NLA itself), I share the thought I had; otherwise chris might have had a real chance with viktor, he was patient, protective, he really cared for him, he really loved vitya and he saw and accepted him for who he was so why yuuri? and I think that’s something that happens in the real world, Vitya wasn’t ready at the time and the only one who managed to awaken all those feelings in him and help him heal was Yuuri, because they were what the other needed and that’s beautiful. , because neither of them was perfect but as you say they complemented each other and it worked because they were compatible and because they WANTED to work for the good of the other when one of them was not perfect. Life just happened that way and that’s where it felt right, we all have flaws and virtues.As you say, no one is just bad or just good, and I believe that sometimes one can be good for someone and bad for someone, in the sense that we are experiencing different things that are sometimes not compatible with what the other person is experiencing , especially when you’re not ready to make a change or improve or work on it, and it causes “isn’t here”… things to happen in life.That’s what I love so much about NLA, that it’s so simple and at the same time so wonderful, because that’s life, it’s not always fair, not always everything is joy or sadness, and sometimes love is not always where you thought or where “it is easier” to get to, the decisions we make and how we fight our own problems and traumas are ultimately what also builds love, and the support and compatibility that someone has with you to grow together.I’m happy that that was the essence of what you wanted to show and that it’s not just “he’s bad and good by nature” or “he’s better” “he’s worse” (for example with characters like chris, as possible romantic interest of viktor, AND I love victuuri with all I mean..but amazing guy and totally worth it, of course! ). And I love that the victuuri is about that. Love in pure essence and the decisions we make.I’m very happy to be able to comment more in depth on all this that I thought and of your process as a writer and co-creator of NLA.(maybe l’ll bother mamo too with the yuuri’s part hahah )Many things like that and the panic attacks helped me a lot for personal development. Tsm for sharing thisCan’t wait for Mafia AU and send moreSee you on twitter^^🍵🍵✨🦄🦄🦄🦄👑👑🩰🩰🩰

I’m mainly “answering” this so everyone can see your response; I REALLY appreciate your feedback, and am so grateful that you’ve let us know how our writing has impacted you… It’s so gratifying to know; we worked really hard, and I’m!!! SO HAPPY!!!! that it came through!!!

Sometimes I look at the way I met my partner and my good friends, and how the circumstances of us all coming together were so precarious and crazy… It ended up being meant to be because we made it so with our own choices and experiences.

Like Viktor said in the 1st stage drama (the Chihoko affair): “It’s because of his past that Yuuri is who he is now.”

I absolutely agree with everything you said here. @mamodewberry – make sure to read the above for good fuzzy feelings. 🙂

🤍

🤍what’s one fic of yours you think people didn’t “get”?

LOL can I say NLA? I think most people got it, but we’ve gotten a few comments where I’m left scratching my head like “did you… not see the series???” because we were trying very hard to stay faithful, but okay! 😂

JK JK.

I’ll do Vitya Diaries, which has a tiny readership base compared to NLA. I’d have to guess that it’s because it’s first person (like the Princess Diaries), or because it ships Vitya with an OC (the bad boyfriend, even though Viktuuri is always end game), or… idk! But I really thought folks would want to read more about our take on young Viktor and the things he went through before finding Yuuri. Alas?!

Speaking of bad ex-boyfriends, I would love to know the process that, for example, you had in NLA to write the character of Niko, I would like to know because I always wondered the perspective that people could have with him or people like him in the real world, like vitya I think there were things that were not so simple to identify (when things are good and then are bad, but in a toxic way) if you are a young person or with little experience in love or what love is. How did you decide to give him those characteristics as a character and why, what things did you want to emphasize to make it known that Niko was not a good boyfriend and that was not love either. And what is the difference that he had with Yuuri, and how was the whole process to make that difference when you decided to include the theme of healthy relationships in the fic. I think a lot of people can identify with it and be in a relationship that they don’t realize it’s not good for them or love them like they deserve to be loved :(. And the impact it had on Viktor, for example, when he realized that with Yuuri he felt more comfortable with his body, even in the sexual way, that it meant more and he was looking for it more. The confusion that was for him not knowing that was “normal” in a relationshipI’m really curious about that process and how you decided to handle it, gosh forgive me now for the huge text.I hope I made myself understood, be patient with me english is not my first language shsjsjys💖 🍵 so I apologize if I didn’t, please let me know and THANK YOU :’)

Your question is great and I understood you perfectly! No worries at all.

I suppose Niko is where I should have started with the question, as he’s probably the best example of processing trauma/navigating through life with writing that I have.

(For those who aren’t aware, in the Yuri!!! on Ice fic Never Look Away, we give young Viktor a boyfriend named Niko– and in case it wasn’t obvious, he was NOT a good one.)

I knew early on in the outline-drafting phase of NLA that we wanted to give Viktor someone in his life that would leave a lasting, negative impact. We toyed with a few ideas, but long before the end of the series, we knew that his “first lover” was the perfect candidate. Since my job was writing Viktor, I created Niko to fill the role, and boy-howdy was there a lot in my own life to draw on.

I won’t name names or be too specific, but Niko is based on the common traits that I saw in my own ex boyfriends (and ex friends, etc), as well as those I saw in my friends’ lives. Some of them were easier to get over than others, but all had a huge impact on my life. It would have been easy to create this horrible, nasty villain and call it a day, but that wouldn’t have served justice for the story OR for Vitya, so I had to go a step deeper.

A truly believable character, even one you’re supposed to hate, is one that feels real. So I had to find reasons to love him, myself. I gave Niko the name he has because it’s one of my most favorite names. I had to recall what it was like to be a touch-starved teenager, longing for acceptance and attention, and what I might look for in a love interest. Now as an adult, I know SO much more than I did, and it’s easier to contextualize, but like you said, the inexperienced don’t have that luxury.

It was the same for me and the exes (of varying kinds). None of the relationships really started out toxic. Most of them were young, too, after all… and still trying to figure out who they were/how to navigate in their own lives. I wanted to give Niko the benefit of the doubt at first, and so did Vitya. He wasn’t always a terrible person, but it was his choices and the way he interacted with others that really cemented his being a bad guy.

That is to say, no one is all good or all bad. If I were going to write him properly, I had to understand his own motivations, hopes, desires, and dreams. That helped me to look at my exes that way, too. A lot of the fights we had boiled down to miscommunication and pride on both sides. Vitya was young and impulsive. Niko was fighting his own insecurities and feeling pressured. Did they love each other? Sure, at some point or another, but they were ultimately incompatible, and that can only last so long before something had to give.

I think that’s where we come to the other part of your ask– Niko vs Yuuri. Something I really love in NLA was we got to do a LOT of comparison/contrast between the different character dynamics and relationships, which is what the series also excels at.

Where Niko refused to give in and made Vitya lead in all things, Yuuri was all about being expected to take charge and meet in the middle. They’re both extremely stubborn, but Yuuri wanted to do the work and thinks of Viktor’s well-being, while Niko is only worried about himself and how things impacted him.

It’s like the fine line between being possessive and being protective. Niko wanted to keep Viktor like a prize; Yuuri wanted to earn his place by Viktor’s side.

Several of the scenes in the fic (both NLA and Vitya Diaries) are based on things that happened to me with the folks I based Niko off of. It has taken me a long time to get through it, and I still struggle from the past abuse, but thankfully I have good people supporting me now, and that helps. It’s a long process to come from feeling worthless and put down, to taking a stand for yourself, to then realizing you’re worthwhile, just as you are. But like we say in NLA, and I hope it comes through, love is real and patient love is healing.

I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to not only experience that myself, but to explore it in writing for others, as well.

I hope that answers your question. Feel free to send more if needed. I’m happy to help in any way I can. 🙂

gogoichirin:

Chapter 35: Spark, is up!
Guys, we made it. THEY made it. I’m so proud of them… ;A;

This chapter is so soft and fluffy and good and romantic and it killed me all the way through. hfhfhf. Please enjoy.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997835/chapters/59682535

Viktor and Yuuri leave Barcelona and prepare for Nationals and enjoy falling in love again.

#Princess Viktor #Fluff #Spicy #Yuuri tries to be good boyfriend #and he wins! #things coming full circle #for real though FIRE #also SOFFFffft #resolution #communication #FINALLY!!!

Never Look Away: a Yuri!!! on Ice series retelling with 100% more Viktor PoV and backstory.
Mature / 458k wip / by @gabapple​ & @mamodewberry

Chapter 34: Rekindle, is now online! 

This is the final part of the Barcelona chapters, and it’s so much softer, sweeter, and fluffier than the last few… and it’ll only get better from here on out. :’) 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997835/chapters/54480475

As the Grand Prix Final comes to a close, it seems that the worst of Viktor and Yuuri’s troubles are behind them. Not only have they worked out their incredibly painful communication kerfuffle, but the pair have come to a happy resolution to their personal and professional drama for the foreseeable future. With this out of the way, all that’s left is the gala, the banquet, and… repairing all of the bridges that Viktor has burned over the years.

At least he doesn’t have to do it alone.

#cw: brief slur, mention of violence and assault in flashback #things will get better from here on out #the final chapter of barcelona #lots of fluff #sap #healing #papakov #FINALLY

Never Look Away: a Yuri!!! on Ice series retelling with 100% more Viktor PoV and backstory.

Mature / ~439k wip / by @gabapple & @mamodewberry

gogoichirin:

Chapter 33: Shattered, now up! 

This is Let’s End This part 2, and it’s awful. Happy New Years, everyone! :’D 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997835/chapters/52654417

Yuuri’s decision to retire had some unexpected consequences, like giving his coach a complete and total nervous breakdown. But that’s all right; Japan’s ace skater is still going to give his all to to the free skate. Will the power of love help him win the gold, or at the very least, save his relationship with Viktor? Or has he messed everything up for good this time? D:

#LET’S END THIS part 2 #important backstory stuff #more reasons for no archive warnings #we basically give away all of our big reveals in this chapter #also all of our still technically canon compliant but also canon divergent plot interpretations #flashback trauma and ptsd #present time meltdown (continued) #angst #lots of angst #fighting #minor depiction of violence #dumb dumb dumb boys

**Please see the end notes for additional tags with spoilers.

Never Look Away: a Yuri!!! on Ice series retelling with 100% more Viktor PoV and backstory. 

Mature / 422k wip / by @gabapple & @mamodewberry

Hey everyone!

It’s the last day to enter the NLA 75k hit giveaway! This time around, we’re making care packages to help get our readers through the really rough Barcelona chapters. :’) 

We’ve got:

  • FOUR vinyl stickers (Albert the stuffed unicorn! Blue rosebuds! Red camellias! WARPAINT mascara!) 
  • TWO acrylic charms (Service pup Makkachin! Yuuri’s saucy books!)
  • ONE 3d printed, hand-painted figure (Vicchan!! is!!! back!!! no longer a ghost and the perfect size for your Yuuri nendos!)
  • …and more???

Everything was designed by myself and @mamodewberry and put together with help from some very crafty people. 

To enter, all you have to do is be qualified (gotta be 18 or older and be a reader), and fill out a little survey.  Get more details in the author notes of Never Look Away chapter 32! 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8997835/chapters/49188332