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triptychgrip · 4 months ago

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Bringing this back because I actually did end up writing that "Ayame and Viktor Meet, and Yuki and Yurio Bond Over Their Stress Levels" post-canon crossover fic. And I have tons of ideas to keep adding to it!

I also just generally think it'd be fun to write an AU -- I'd call it "Ice Basket" -- where after Viktor/Yuuri marathon-watch the reboot, they and their friends turn into the zodiac spirits for 24 hours, though with none of the added traumas/systemic abuse. This would literally just be an excuse to write Viktor and Yuuri freaking out about their love for Fruits Basket inadvertently having turned them and their friends into cute animals for a day

Here are my thoughts on who would be what, based on what we know about the Sohma zodiac personalities:

-Yuuri (Rat spirit; only Yuki's adorableness and none of his self-loathing would transfer over, thankfully)

-Yurio (Cat spirit; this seems a bit obvious, not only in terms of that tsundere archetype but also the "rivalry" with Yuki)

-Viktor (Snake spirit; as much as I love Viktor's eyes, I love Ayame's golden ones even more...plus, golden eyes for the Living Legend seems fitting)

-Mila (Horse spirit; like Rin (probably my second favorite character!), the horse is striking and magnetic...you can't look away from her! Similarly to Yuki, none of Rin's past trauma would transfer over)

-Seung-Gil Lee (Dragon spirit (i.e. seahorse), like Hatori, he would absolutely have a complex about it. Writing Yuuri freak out about what kind of water to place him in would be fun. Though I debated making Yakov the seahorse, given that Hatori is the only one Ayame listens to, canon establishes that Viktor listen to no one LOL)

-Kenjirou (Rabbit spirit; I can definitely see Kenjirou being like a brother figure to Momiji if they ever met IRL, and these two are just equally sunny and adorable. For this reason, I could also see Phichit as the rabbit)

-Mickey (Boar spirit; look, I'm sorry, I'm not really a fan of Kagura's character, and Mickey's relentless attitude towards his sister makes me similarly uncomfortable, as I think it's supposed to)

-Otabek (Ox spirit; like Haru, Otabek's got a commanding presence and he definitely turns heads. He's also quite calm, though I don't think Otabek would have a "Dark" side LOL. But maybe that'd actually be fun to write? Then again, I'm imagining them in their zodiac animal forms themselves not as the Sohma family human counterparts)

-JJ (Ram spirit; listen, I think Hiro, like JJ is a misunderstood character, and in this AU, I'd actually try to flesh out what makes JJ the way he is. Rams/sheep are just as lovable as the others!)

I had a dream last night that one of my favorite anime characters (Viktor Nikiforov, from Yuri!!! on Ice) met another one of my favorite anime/manga characters (Sohma Ayame from Fruits Basket) and now I very well may have to write a crossover fanfic.

For one thing, the two of them seem to share some fundamental personality traits (easily excitable, very practiced in masking insecurities), but secondly, I think their meeting and sizing each other up would be so fun to write about. Like, I can totally see a situation where Sohma Yuki and Yuri Plisetsky bond over how extremely irritating they find the collective energy of Ayame and Viktor, together. And Mine and Yuuri would just watch their significant others with fond/exasperated expressions. Plus, I think it'd be hilarious to write about Viktor and Ayame being envious/admiring of the other’s hair care regimen and flair for the dramatic.

But that’s actually not what I intended this post to be about.

This dream got me thinking about the parallels between both shows, so I decided I'd make a 3 point pitch to fans of each to go check out the other, if it’s not already on your radar. I talk about both shows pretty broadly, so I don't believe I'm spoiling anything with this post.

Both pieces of media (I say ‘media’, because I prefer the Fruits Basket manga, even though both the original anime/remake are excellent) get me so in my feels, so I’ll try not to go on forever and ever. That being said, please do read to the end for my two disclaimers.

Reason 1: I think fans of both would agree that a big theme of their canon work is the transformational power of vulnerability. This feeds into the sub-themes of found family, and how the “practice” of letting love into one’s life (because it truly does take practice, despite society making us think it’s easy-breezy) can deeply shift us as people.

At its core, each implements huge characters arcs for their MC's that demonstrate this.

For Yuri!!! on Ice, this applies to Katsuki Yuuri and Viktor Nikiforov -- two professional male figure skaters, the former known as "Japan's Ace" skater, and the latter dubbed a "Living Legend" -- and for Fruits Basket, this applies to higher schoolers Sohma Yuki, Honda Tohru, and Sohma Kyo (though, truly, it could apply to all of the Sohmas). Right off the bat, I'll say that a big difference between yoi and furuba revolves around age. Yuuri and Viktor are adults, while Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo start off as (what seems to be) high school juniors. Yuri!!! on Ice fans, don't let that dissuade you from checking out Fruits Basket, however; its themes are very complex, and will challenge you.

Both media start off with their main characters at low points.

Katsuki Yuuri has just come in last place at his first Grand Prix Final competition: the competition it seems he's been working towards his entire career, and the one where he'd hoped to gain Viktor's attention (as he's looked up to the "Living Legend" since he was just twelve years old).

Similarly, we see that Tohru Honda has recently lost her mother (her father is also dead), and is practically homeless. She is living in a flimsy tent on Sohma Shigure's property. While Yuuri decides to leave the United States to move back home to Japan, and is contemplating retiring from figure skating altogether, Tohru is taken in by Shigure and Yuki in exchange for helping out with chores around their house.

In yoi, the plot moves along when we see Viktor -- who has just won his 5th World Championship title -- decide to drop everything and move to Japan to be Yuuri's coach, after seeing a viral video of him skating to one of his routines. And in furuba, the plot moves along as we watch Tohru meet more of the Sohmas, and learn about the big secret plaguing their family.

Canon shows us that while Katsuki Yuuri has a lot of love/support in his life prior to Viktor’s arrival in his hometown (his parents, his ballet teacher, etc), his own anxiety/insecurities makes it so that he struggles to realize the love around him. He has a hard time seeking out comfort or opening up to people when navigating hardships. But this fundamentally shifts with Viktor’s role in becoming his figure skating coach (and, eventually, romantic partner).

I would be remiss if I didn't make a content warning, here. Generational trauma and neglect are big themes in Fruits Basket.

In Fruits Basket, the zodiac "curse" -- a generational Sohma family trait that makes physical contact between its members and those of the opposite sex challenging, as touching leads each Sohma member to turn into its zodiac animal (i.e. Yuki turns into the rat, Kyo turns into the cat, etc.) -- as well as Sohma Akito's cruelty has made it so that Yuki and Kyo have been brainwashed into believing they are burdens...that they are unlovable, with no redeeming value, even in the eyes of their own family members.

But the presence of Tohru in their lives (and her ripple effect of positivity that completely upends the curse dynamic) causes Yuki and Kyo to unlearn these entrenched beliefs, and to realize that they have always, inherently, been worthy of love *brb sobbing*

While the idea of cute zodiac animals might lead one to think the manga/show is this cotton-candy fluff ride, there is a lot of heaviness that I personally found super compelling, and a reason that ppl who don't typically like content featuring high schoolers might make an exception for it.

Now, of course, Yuri!!! on Ice has its own heavy themes: navigating anxiety as well as feelings of apathy/depression, and while it's not canon, the lack of detail on Viktor's backstory has led many in the fandom to develop headcanons around possible strained family relationships/trauma history. Because it's something I actually have been wondering about, I thought I'd make a poll.

Reason 2: Both are very funny, with compelling romantic development.

Regarding the former, I found myself laughing out loud while reading/watching. I think a huge part of the reason has to do with the 'tsundere' archetype that Yuri Plisetsky (another figure skater) embodies in yoi, and that Sohma Kyo embodies in Fruits Basket. These grouchy characters are hilarious and lovable, and the audience enjoys seeing their energy play off of contrasting personality types.

Reason 3: It's more obvious off-the-bat in Yuri!!! on Ice, but the element of surprise is used to great effect in both. While there are tons of examples I could give, I'll say that each contains a fundamental "twist" that really makes you reconceptualize your entire understanding of the storyline/character relationships. I know that's not a lot to go off of, but each major surprise really shifted my perception of the pre-conceived power dynamics that we are led to believe exist in each.

It's no secret that Yuri Plisetsky is actually a big fan of Katsuki Yuuri, but his teenage pride won't allow him to admit this. Seeing Yuri adamantly insist that he thinks Yuuri is a loser, and just generally being aggravated by Viktor's extraness is pretty comical. Similarly, Kyo is quite prickly, and it's clear that Tohru Honda's diametrically opposed nature (i.e. she is warm and caring, to a fault) throws him for a loop. Seeing him flustered by it is hilarious.

I won't say any more about the romance development b/c I don't want to spoil anything in Fruits Basket, but suffice it to say that both media have plenty of "awww" moments that will have you swooning as characters open up to one another.

Disclaimers:

1) I think it's unfair to compare these pieces of media solely based on the amount of canon content around them.

Yuri!!! on Ice is an original anime, and (thus far) only has 1 season of 12 episodes (whyyyyy MAPPA?! I like Attack on Titan as much as the next person but please, I beg, give us season 2!). On the other hand, Fruits Basket has an original anime, plus a remake, and was a manga that went on for years. Thus, you will likely think the characterization/plot development is much richer. But, one thing I absolutely adore about the yoi fandom is how much fan-created content exists. Like, years after the show came out (in late 2016), there are still ppl actively writing fic (like me! I discovered it in 2020 but only started writing last year), making fanart, etc.

2) Another note about comparison that is pretty important:

Because of the overtness of certain elements in Fruits Basket (i.e. two very clear kisses happen, and we also see follow-up content that was released that shows a marriage take place in the future, etc.), fans might watch Yuri!!! on Ice and be disappointment with what they might characterize as understated romance between Yuuri and Viktor. But I think it's important to note how revolutionary the show was for portraying a queer romance between its main characters, especially in a show that was never marketed as a yaoi (boys' love) series. Despite several obvious indicators of the romantic nature of Yuuri and Viktor's relationship, there are still ppl that will argue that these two were merely coach/skater, and nothing more, and I just...don't even know where to begin in addressing that without dropping spoilers. If you're that curious, go to my AMA feature and drop me a question and I will happily write you a novel of a response.

Alright, that's mostly it...if you've gotten this far, thank you so much for reading! If you do end up checking out one or other, I hope you'll let me know what you think.

The very last thing I'll say is that I've only written fanfic for Yuri!!! on Ice (all post-canon, I've linked my Ao3 Dashboard), but I've been ideating around some Fruits Basket ideas, so may give it a whirl in the coming weeks. With every fiber of my being, I wish that I had artistic ability so that I could make fanart of Ayame and Viktor meeting...one can dream lol

#yuri on ice #fruits basket #yuri!!! on ice #furuba #yoi x fruits basket crossover #yoi x furuba crossover #ice basket #as if I need another WIP to work on

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shirokaneki · 5 years ago

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364 Days of Winter (Hatori x Shigure Comission)

I am currently doing writing comissions at £10 for 1k, £20 for 2k, £60 for 8k. Yes, I will do NSFW, come message me for details and examples of that and I’ll discuss pricing. I will also write about your OC’s, main fandoms i can do are fruits basket, tokyo ghoul, fate series, evangelion, madoka, pokemon, but whatever it is come discusss with me. Reblogs appreciated!

A figure stood alone in a world devoid of colour, consumed both inside and out by an empty void of white.

Wind howled like a lone wolf. Ice belted from a blank sky, punching holes into his chest like showers of bullets.

This wretched snowstorm had lasted for days. And there was no spring in sight. Nor even any water after the ice. The state of his feelings were unchanging; stuck away in limbo, smothered – as they had been for years. His love was unrequited, and gradually the feeling gnawed away at him, just like the world gradually drowning in a frenzy of ice.

Even lighting a single flame was a struggle. Cigarette in mouth, lighter in hand, he made a futile attempt at kindling something warm. A wisp of heat ignited the bluish night, however, the ruthless wind brutally blew it away, cold assaulting his shivering body like the sunken fangs of a wild beast. The flame was blown away by the hollow gust of wind.

It felt as though he could summon no emotion within him without wretched ice demolishing him somehow.

He’d never needed a cigarette so much in his life. On this particular New Year’s Eve it looked like they might get snowed in overnight – his worst nightmare, really. Part of him hoped he wouldn’t turn up, say the snow was so bothersome and stay at home. Yet, part of him was almost excited that he would. It was such a stupid, childish feeling that he loathed. It seemed so futile, all of it – his unrequited love, his need for a cigarette, yet, he had no choice but to continue attempting trying to spark a flame– such a cold existence needed to smoke. He needed the warmth to suck the life out of to keep his heart from completely freezing over.

His love for Shigure was like his addition to cigarettes: a cancerous, one way burn that was killing him slowly. Yet, he needed it to survive. Hope that he’d somehow get his fix kept him battling the storm. Snow swirled and blasted, wind wailing as it reared for another assault on him. It hit him like the voracity of a quickly broken heart, painting the world in a growing limbo of nothingness, just like the ice gradually freezing his heart.

His heart seemed to be freezing over at such a rate that he depended on the cancer-sticks like an injection of heat into the insides. It was an effort, for sure, but somehow he managed to light a tiny flame. Literally as well as figuratively; using his burning hands as a shield, and turning his back on the snowstorm, a meagre flame flickered weakly inside his hands, spreading a weak, yet pleasant heat like the withering hope inside him that anything good could ever come of this emotion. Even if by some slim chance it worked out – which it wouldn’t – Akito would be furious. These daydreams were purely that, – just fantasy.

Everyone knew how it had went when he’d incurred Akito’s wrath before.

His body shuddered at the thought. Cigarettes seemed to be the only thought keeping him going through the night. If any of the zodiac couldn’t make it to the banquet, Akito would be furious. Thinking about it, he drew on the cigarette like his life depended on it. As he blew out the smoke it weaved and spiraled into a shape somewhat similar to a dragon before withering away to the clutches of ice.

What a fun night it’s going to be, he thought bitterly.

“Haa-san!” came a faraway voice, filled with such vigour and perk that his heart soared before plummeting back down with his usual pessimistic dread.

“Shi… shigure?” Hatori replied abruptly, realising he’d shown way too much emotion in that instant. He really hadn’t expected him to be here, especially running towards him at full blast over ice. He didn’t like people seeing his emotions – especially when they were filled with a gross, girlish crush unbefitting a grown man, so he cleared his throat, replying in a lower, deadpan voice. He let his sleek black hair fall across his expression so it was hidden once more. “Good to see you. I didn’t think you’d be making it tonight.”

Shigure stood before him and beamed. “Looks like there is going to be quite a few of our zodiac missing tonight. Many are snowed in. It’s going to be an interesting night, so I made sure to bring lots of alcohol!”

“Shigure,” Hatori muttered slowly. The wind made his hair wisp, revealing that scarred eye which he quickly hid with a down-turned head. ”You live out with the Sohma land, the farthest away of us all, yet you’re the one still here. You did something, didn’t you?” His hand clenched as a fist by his side. “Did something happen between you and Akito?”

“Oh, Hatori.” Shigure stepped into the shelter of the Japanese style roof, shadow passing over his features. Hatori just knew there was malicious intent from a certain darkness in his gaze, but what he could not tell. “You know I’ll do anything to break the curse and draw distance between the zodiac and their God.” He smirked.” I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Hatori felt like one of the only people who knew of Shigure’s true nature. It was selfish. He’d use anyone to get what he wanted. Yet, somehow, he still loved him despite this, and for that, he had no reason why. It was hard for him to make new relationships, so perhaps instead the heart was clinging to the nostalgia of an old one, remembering all the joyous moments him, Ayame and Shigure shared. The heart wanted what the heart wanted, he supposed, even if there was no fathomable reason why.

“Oh, Haa-san, by the way,” Shigure retaliated in a sing song voice. A complete flip in two sides of the same coin – as was usual for Shigure. “Your partner for the traditional dance this year has dropped out. I figured you wouldn’t want to do it yourself, so I’m offering myself up instead. Since we haven’t rehearsed anything traditional together, I figured we should do some sort of easy ballroom dance you see in hollywood movies instead. Look!” He rummaged the bag in his hand and unfurled a long, pink ballroom dress. “I even had this dress made especially for you!”

Hatori walked away and slammed the door in his face. There was a click of a key being locked.

“It was a joke, a joke Haa-san, this is one of Ayame’s dresses!” Shigure whined, pounding on the door, “please don’t leave me out here to freeze!”

***

Eventually, someone took pity on Shigure and let him in. But it was just as cold on the inside as it was out. The atmosphere hung over them with a heavy sense of dread. There was a banquet: bright, colourful and overfilled with food. Yet there was hardly anyone to eat it. There was just Hatori, Shigure and a falsely bright Ayame trying to lighten the mood.

Akito could hardly be considered to be considered a presence. They just sat in the corner, silent, crossed armed, hair fallen over their face, poisoning radiating from them that tainted the air. Shigure was cheerful – too cheerful; this definitly had something to do with him.

They began drinking hard. That much was needed.

Something battered at the house. A gust of wind howled ominously loud like an impending storm, and everything went black.

All the light was gone once again.

“Looks like the power has gone out. Do we have any candles?” Ayame said lightly, attempting to brighten the mood, but there was a definite sense of unease in his voice.

Akito didn’t answer. They remained silent, brewing like the storm outside.

“We have them. I’ll get them from the kitchen,” Shigure replied.

They sat in both silence and darkness, awkwardly waiting for Shigure to return.

Fwoosh.

Upon his return, there was light again. Shigure lit candles in the room one by one. Sparking light was beyond an easy task for him – much unlike how it was with Hatori outside.

“Hatori.” Akito’s voice was like a light airy breeze, soft, yet hollow sounding, despite the clear malice bitten back within. Hellish flames danced on their skin. They had been plotting, scheming something to cause a scene, and it looked like now it was finally time. “Do your traditional dance.”

Hatori hung his head. “However, my partner…”

“Partner?” Akito looked head on at them for the first time that night, those empty gray eyes bulging with malice. “Don’t make me laugh, Hatori. You will dance the dance alone – like you always are. It should be natrual for you, right?”

Akito’s words were like an icicle straight through his chest. Not that there was any trace of it on his face; his expression was still, stoic, not even a flinch of surprise as his heart was pierced. As an older man, he thought it was place never to cry, never to show anything beyond the professional business man charade he put on.

He didn’t blame Ayame and Shigure not for standing up for him. Even after all these years, living their lives as best friends there was an unspoken rule – never must the zodiac challenge the word of their God.

However…

“Come now,” said Shigure in a low voice. “It would be far too embarrassing for Haa-san.”

Hatori looked up quickly, the candlelight casting a warm sparkle in those cold, grey eyes. Promptly he looked away, hiding an eye behind his hair. The atmosphere suddenly became volcanic; Akito’s teeth snarled with an oncoming eruption of rage. Their eyes bulged with the wrath of a vengeful God but Hatori stood up quickly, sedating the oncoming eruption that had been building all night. A fearful shudder passed though him – he knew of God’s wrath all too well.

“I will do the dance,” he said in a quiet voice.

Akito bit their lip. The rigid, dangerous stance of their body loosened somewhat. They smirked.

If I have to be the crux to prevent my friends from being hurt, so be it, Hatori thought to himself.

He made his way to stand in front of everyone with awkward, ungainly steps – unbefitting of a man with such a cool, powerful aura. He retreated into himself, fingers curling to fists, lip being bitten. Normally, the traditional new year’s clothes were a bright, extravagant affair, exploding with colour and detail. However, Hatori’s were a plain black, long and sweeping the floor, – as per Akito’s request. They were long, dark, and devoid of colour – just like the hollow emptiness of his heart.

He kept his gaze firmly on the floor, hair streaming over his face. Akito laughed.

But something happened as he looked up. He caught Shigure’s eyes, looking striking with the hot light dancing within them. His hand rested on his palm with a small smile of encouragement on his face, unbearably handsome looking and, well…

The flickering flames casting Hatori’s body with incandescent hues of oranges melted the crutches of ice gripping his heart. It was such a minor thing to speak like that to Akito, but it was something he wasn’t sure any other of the zodiac could do. Maybe not even he, for he still lived in fear after that day he was blinded by Akito. That was day the world had lost its colour, and ice began to solidify his heart.

But at that precise moment, he felt a great amount of love for Shigure. The feeling melted the ice within him, igniting his bloodstream with the warm, static tingles of butterflies. His frozen heart was temporarily thawed, and it blossomed like the first flourishes of cherry blossoms from Winter into Spring.

Perhaps this was the alcohol taking, but he decided to call upon it. To channel those smothered, pent up feelings through the medium of dance. It was his only hope of relief. The only way he could express his love in a way that didn’t leave a path of destruction – never could it be voiced aloud.

He tore his eyes away from Shigure, closing them, and started out small. His knees bent, body hunched up and curled with his arms clutching at his shoulders as if fighting away the cold. He thought about Kana. How the incident had snatched the ability to freely love without the vices of fear and left him cold. Then, he thought of Shigure. The thought brought such an expression of pain on his face. Never would his feelings be returned, but, as the candles painted an aura of warmth over his usually pale skin, steadily, he began to grow. Love ignited him. It gave him the warmth he needed to keep going and let him feel things again, no matter how painful they were.

The love was agony. As was told by the slow, tepid movements he made. This wasn’t anything remotely close to what he’d rehearsed but that dance couldn’t be done alone anyway. Akito wanted to humiliate him. And so he would humiliate himself, expressing that gross, disgusting love that made him feel as though he’d implode if he locked it away any further.

Steadily, he began to grow from his hunched position. Slowly. Cautiously. Quivering in a way that he could not tell was cold or fear. But he thought of that heat on his skin, the newly grown flame warming his insides, and drew upon it like a phoenix rising from the ashes of an old love into the blaze of a new one. Brow furrowed in pain, steadily, his limbs began to unfurl like fiery wings in the candlelight. His body grew in a slow, steady manner, like the trees that signalled spring, and his fingers unfurled gracefully like flourishing cherry blossoms. He opened his eyes. Amour painted them, their usual colour warmed by the feeling of love, and, helplessly, he found himself gazing at Shigure. Shigure’s eyes were wide, bedazzled looking, lips parted in awe. Quickly Hatori looked away, turning his back on him.

He panted and retreated back into himself. His heart rioted in panic. Had Shigure sensed something? Could he tell he loved him just from that single look? No. There was no way. He beat himself up internal for succumbing to such a vile feeling; gentlemen didn’t go around expressing love in girlish dance.

Still. All eyes were upon him. He could feel their burn – even Akito was suspiciously silent. He had to continue. He had to humiliate himself further, otherwise there would be hell to pay from their God.

Slowly he turned his head. The long black fringe of his hair obscured his face. It flashed like a halo as he turned to face his audience face on – it had to be a quick movement, otherwise he may have never been able to face them again. He couldn’t look Shigure in the eye. So instead, he reached to the candle sitting on the shelf behind him above his head. The light, the warmth he craved, was out of reach. As he stood, sucking all the light into him with the vanta black of his robe, only a faint outline of gold glowing behind him, his arm slowly outreached. It shook ever so slightly at the thought of what would happen if he ever caught the light. But he’d never know. Streams of gold slipped through the cracks of his fingers.

“That’s enough, Haa-san,” said a voice in a low, gentle lilt.

Hatori flinched, fear of what Akito might do overriding the blossoms of static coursing from his fingers, but he couldn’t pull away.

The light may have escaped his grasp. However, much to his shock – and horror – the real thing was in his fingers. Shigure’s fingers had closed over his own, sending waves of heat and static blossoming over his fingers.

“You needn’t dance alone.”

Such dread caused him to plummet back to the real world that he almost wretched as Akito stood to their feet.

#hatori sohma #fruits basket #shigure sohma #hatori x shigure #ayame sohma #writing comissions #apologeis if read more isn't working so ill tag #long post #i did add one but idk if you can see it

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