Under The Table - Fiona Apple

Some of you are saying that the citizens of Hasetsu probably think Viktor is just Yuuri’s eccentric foreign boyfriend and I cannot say how much I agree.

“What a nice young man,” says Tamura-san, who used to run the fish shop in town and now usually sits beside the register and chats with customers while her grandson rings them up. She was born before ice skating was declared an Olympic sport and has absolutely no idea who Viktor Nikiforov is. 

“Yes, we’re very glad to have Vicchan staying with us!” Hiroko says of Viktor, who’s standing behind her cradling fifteen pounds of tuna and smiling brightly at Tamura-san. 

“How good of you to follow Yuu-chan home after he graduated!” Tamura-san continues, about ten decibels louder than she needs to. Tamura-san is about 87% deaf in her old age, but nobody has the heart to tell her so. “You must love him very much!”

Viktor, who has no idea what she’s just said to him but who heard Yuuri’s name, just blindly says, “Oh yes!” and grins even brighter. 

“Have you seen Viktor Nikiforov?” demands a rabid paparazzo of some poor fisherman just trying to do his job.

“Who?” asks the fisherman, frowning at the lens of the camera. 

“He’s tall? Foreign? Silver hair?”

“You mean Katsuki-kun’s boyfriend?” says the fisherman. Katsuki-kun’s boyfriend had run by ten minutes before with his poodle in tow, European synth pop blasting so loud from his headphones that it could be heard for a full minute both before and after he ran past. The fisherman doesn’t exactly know where Katsuki-kun found that guy, but he looks at Katsuki-kun like he hung the stars, so the fisherman can’t blame him.

In the end, he tells the paparazzo to go the opposite direction of the one he just saw Katsuki-kun’s boyfriend go.

A girl from Hasetsu graduates high school the summer Yuuri returns from America and is inspired by his experiences to go to college in America as well. She arrives in her freshman year dorm room and is greeted by a poster of Viktor Nikiforov hung up by her roommate.

“Why do you have a picture of Viktor?” she asks, bewildered. Viktor is wearing a pair of black slacks and a bright pink shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel.

“Oh, you know who Viktor Nikiforov is?” her roommate asks, excitedly.

“Do YOU?” the girl asks, incredulous. Viktor is known to her as “That foreign guy that followed Yuuri back from America when he came home” and also as Viktor-Who-Puts-Jam-In-His-Tea-Like-Who-Even-Does-That. Certainly not as Viktor Nikiforov, Five-Time World Figure Skating Champion and definitely not as Viktor-Who-Deserves-To-Be-On-Someone’s-Wall.

Come October, Viktor has started introducing HIMSELF to people as Viktor I’m Yuuri’s Boyfriend. While half of Russia reads articles about Figure Skating’s Living Legend, a sleepy town in Japan wakes up every morning to Yuuri’s Boyfriend Viktor wheeling through town on his bike with Yuuri and Their Cute Dog.

Viktor loves Hasetsu.

one of my favorite (read: least favorite) things about how people treat cleopatra is she’s so often called a slut or is only ever portrayed as being this incredibly sexy, often scantily-clad seductress, when in actuality 1. while some ancient sources describe her as somewhat pretty, it generally seems that what was attractive about her was her intellect, charm, and voice, and the sources that refer to her as extremely sexy/slutty are specifically out to condem her, 2. she was a brilliant politician who chose her affairs as a way of securing power for her country and not just so she could have a bunch of sex (which shouldn’t be an issue anyway), and 3. one of the men she had an affair with was mark antony, ancient roman super slut supreme, a man known for his love of sex and tendency to wear extremely short tunics for the sake of showing off his sexy legs/probably also his dick

i’m not saying there’s anything wrong with portraying cleopatra as beautiful or even sexy, because she clearly had allure. all i’m saying is that, if your cleopatra is wearing less clothing than your mark antony, there’s probably a problem in your depiction of them

I want to apologise to

- Britney for making fun of her when she had her breakdown

- Monica Lewinski for judging her when she was a 22year old temp sexually assaulted by the most powerful man in the world

- Ke$ha for ever thinking she was trashy when all she wanted to do was make party music

- Kristen Stewart for ever thinking she was dumb when she’s actually one of the coolest people ever

- Megan Fox for ever thinking she was just a slut when actually she was an actress being harassed by her employer. 

- Hating all the women who made a career out of having a hot body. Being is shape is hard, beauty is a weapon and auto promotion is hard work. 

- All the Mary-Sues, who exist because young girls everywhere want to be part of a story they love so much

- All the female characters I ever snobbed because they got in the way of my ship.

- Hating the color pink during my teenage years, when it’s actually a lovely color and what I resented was society’s pressure to perform femininity. 

- Why must you hurt me like this, Illumi?…♠

shakarian roleplaying

based on this vine

Cleopatra

I saw this meme today: 

It’s of course a play on another meme (which is literally the meaning of “meme”): 

I found that meme on Instagram and broke the cardinal rule of social media: never read the comments section. I was rather surprised at how many people not only bought into this, but didn’t know that Cleopatra was:

-Macedonian (not Egyptian, not Greek, not Roman, not Persian) -not beautiful

I wanted to make a post about this to explain these misconceptions and where they (likely) came from.

Cleopatra VII the Macedonian

Cleopatra VII was part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, and the Ptolemys were Macedonian. They had taken power in Egypt after the death of the famous Macedonian, Alexander the Great (who likely died from alcoholism and/or malaria at age 34, just a fun fact). Many people mistook Alexander the Great for a Greek, but there’s a reason for that: Alexander the Great was a Greek fanboy. He started something called a “Hellenistic Period”…you know “period” is “length of time” and “Hellenistic” means “Greek-like” or “inspired by Greece”. It would be like if famous otaku Baron Trump married one of Japan’s princesses, then went into Mongolia to take over and implemented a bunch of Japanese culture…then, a couple thousand years later, some people might think that Baron Trump was actually Japanese because why on Earth would he implement Japanese rule? It’s not really common to assume that a leader is a mega fanboy, but that’s what happened here. I cannot confirm whether he had a Greek goddess body pillow, but can confirm I made this sweet meme in Paint for my PPT: 

The Ptolemy rule came to an end shortly after Cleopatra VII’s rule ended, and it was Rome that had ended said rule. This might be why Cleopatra VII was thought to be Roman by some people in the comments section. 

Cleopatra VII was Not Classically Beautiful

We may not know exactly how Cleopatra VII looked, but we can say she wasn’t a beauty queen (and there’s nothing wrong with that unless you’re in a job being judged on how well you fit in with that standard). How can we be sure? Here is how she’s depicted on her coins and in stone reliefs from the time:

Some sculptures have been made based on these:

I wouldn’t go as far as to say she looked like someone we would consider “ugly”, but she’s definitely not someone I’d be captivated by based on her looks alone. If that’s the case, then how did “She was so beautiful!” start as a rumor? It had to do with the fact that she was able to impress two other leaders. Some of the people in the comments section mentioned her “several affairs”, but we do know that she was involved with two other leaders: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. The tales of her seduction, as told at the time they happened, involve her wit. Accounts of Cleopatra VII describe her well-educated (including that she spoke seven languages) and very charismatic. Combine this with her being the leader of a kingdom, and she suddenly becomes a very attractive prospect for sex, both in terms of sexual interest and reproductive interest. It appeared to be a mutual attraction for her, as she sought to expand her own power and interact with men who were intellectually, militarily, and politically on her level. In other words, she did was literally every other royal has done in history: had sexual encounters with other royalty for the purposes of strengthening political power. 

So if everyone who knew her knew she wasn’t gorgeous, then why did this myth start? 

After the death of Cleopatra VII and Mark Antony, a rumor had been started by this guy with a long birth name we eventually came to call Caesar Augustus. He and Antony, along with another Mark, were part of this three-part ruling structure called a Triumvirate. The other Mark (Marcus Lepidus),  was exiled, leaving just Antony and Augustus to lead the Roman Empire. Augustus’ great-uncle was Julius Caesar, and his co-regent was Antony, and both of these dudes had been with Cleopatra VII, producing children that could potentially try to claim/take power from him…especially relevant since both of these dudes were dead. He basically had launched a smear campaign against her after her death that talked about her as if she’s a gorgeous, deadly, conspiring woman who seduces powerful men with both her charm and her beauty. 

Writers of the time jumped in on this, and some called her a lot of really crappy things. One Roman historian referred to her as “a woman of surpassing beauty…with the power to subjugate everyone.” 

Kind of reminds me of Rasputin, who was creepy and smelled weird but utterly captivated women. Women explained that it was his intense gaze and what he had to say that kept them interested, but upon his death what did the murderers do? Pulled down his pants, cut off his dick, and preserved it, studied why it could be so appealing to women (they claim the girth and wart near the head are a factor). It’s like “He’s interesting” wasn’t good enough…must be dick power! In the same way, “She’s utterly fascinating, charming, and educated” wasn’t good enough…must be a sexy pout and perfect tits!

As I tell my students: history isn’t just some old collection of names and dates, it’s human drama that still happens today. 

Victuuri Soulmate AU

A Glimpse of You by Allekha | G | Yuuri/Victor | 9k

Yuuri is ten when he first feels the connection to his soulmate, twelve when he gets to find out who is on the other end. Victor is nice and has a dog and skates more beautifully than anyone. Yuuri likes talking with him through their connection, but he also badly wants to meet him.

A Voice in the Distance by torikabori | T | Yuuri/Victor | 17k WIP

In which a soulmate connection has three parts: a shared heartbeat, some secondhand emotions, and a sense of when your soulmate is looking at you.

Each has its inconveniences– especially when one half of the pair is famous, the other has anxiety, and they’re born several timezones apart.

across our skin by thishasbeencary | T | Yuuri/Victor | 4k

When you’re born, you have the first words your soulmate says to you on your arm. When they say them to you, they turn red and you get another set of words that change your relationship with your soulmate. Viktor’s first set is in Japanese and he doesn’t understand, but the second is “Be my coach, Viktor”.

He has the second set for 10 years before he finally hears them.

All That I’ve Got by MadamRed | T | Yuuri/Victor | 11k

Once you meet the person you’re destined to be with for life, and the more you interact with them, your soulmate’s favourite thing about you starts appearing somewhere on your body, as if you were, very slowly, getting a tattoo.

But not everyone is lucky when it comes to timing. Viktor Nikiforov, for example, started getting his mark at 17. It appeared on his foot of all places; a burning sensation that made him miss a jump during a competition.

everything that’s silver is not gold by SassySalchow (diedreachin) | M | Yuuri/Victor | 11k

Viktor’s soulmark starts to grow when he’s 25 and researching his competitors for the upcoming Grand Prix Final, and spends the Sochi Olympics trying to figure out who his soulmate is, just to get it wrong.

And then he gets it right.

Turns out, figuring out the who was just the beginning.

Future Self by fishydip | G | Yuuri/Victor | 5k

Soulmates AU where one day, at random you wake up in your own body, except in the future after you have already met and fallen in love with your soulmate. you get a random amount of time to spend as your future self to learn more about them.

Viktor’s experience meeting his soulmate is heartwarming and overwhelming Yuuri’s experience meeting his soulmate is confusing but ultimately he’s happy

Happiest Moments by purpleeyesandbowties | T | Yuuri/Victor | 4k

“The Rostelecom Cup is the day after my birthday,” Yuuri said. “Okay?” Phichit said, sounding confused. “The day after my twenty-first birthday,” he finished. “Oh, shit.” Yuuri nodded. “Oh, shit.”

I’ve Known You Forever by AKAuthor | T | Yuuri/Victor | 2k WIP

Soulmates experience little bits of pointless information about the other throughout their lives. Yuuri unknowingly learns about Viktor’s ability to walk into glass doors. Viktor learns about Yuuri’s history of falling into pools -and then they start a life together.

Soulmate AU in which you learn vague bits of information about your soulmate throughout your life.

Marks by Drfanfare | NR | Yuuri/Victor | 18k WIP

Soulmate AU Where whatever is written on you appears on your soulmates skin. This is based on the fic “Unwritten” by Kaizuka.

Viktor spent much of his early years waiting for ink to appear on his skin, signaling the existence of his soulmate. When it didn’t come, he threw himself into his skating. But with the pressure to succeed, it becomes harder to do it alone.

my name is viktor nikiforov by thishasbeencary | T | Yuuri/Victor | 5k

Soulmates are telepathically linked to each other, but can only hear the other’s thoughts when they’re in close proximity. Viktor Nikiforov’s soulmate isn’t Russian, but Japanese, and he can’t understand a single word that they think. Other than his name.

Names by DefiantDreams | T | Yuuri/Victor | 6k

Yuuri has five Names.

One on his nape: พิชิต

Another going down his left side: ソラ

One underneath his right pectoral: Acel

Another on the sole of his right foot: Юрий

And his personal favorite: Виктор, right at the curve of his left hip.

[Do we really only have one, singular soulmate? Out of 7.2 billion people in the world, how can there only be one person for you? No, instead, there are several people who are right for you at any given time and in many different ways, and there are some who are just more right for you than others.

A trilogy on worlds where soulmate identifiers change, worlds where people have multiple soulmate identifiers and worlds where soulmate marks change as you do.]

Need It the Most by rougeandtonic | T | Yuuri/Victor | 5k

In which Victor and Yuuri switch places right before the Sochi GPF free skate.

—————–

Victor had never thought he would be desperate enough for his soul to call out so strongly to its mate that they literally switched bodies.

But, apparently, he is.

And, whoever this Japanese skater is whose soul had called back out to Victor’s, Victor is going to love him and take care of him and give him everything he deserves.

Starting with the skating he deserves.

On Love: Soulmates by Oliver_966 | T | Yuuri/Victor | 29k

In this world everyone has a soulmate, and everyone has their soulmates name printed on their wrists either from birth, or from the moment their soulmate is born. Everyone’s soulmates name changes colors to tell their soulmate how they’re feeling.

Everyone is destined to meet their soulmate, although not everyone does.

Yuuri is sure that unless he can get on the podium and be Victors equal, he will never truly meet his soulmate, as Victor is so much more important than him.

At least that’s what he thinks.

Spoilers by domokunrainbowkinz | G | Yuuri/Victor | 1k

In a world where the first words your soulmate says to you is on your arm, Yuuri has spoilers to the biggest character death of the decade. 

Switch With Me by Aykimra | T | Yuuri/Victor | 21k

In a world where people switch consciousnesses with their soulmates, Yuuri doesn’t experience his first switch until he is eighteen. He is very surprised to discover who’s body he ends up in.

The Switch by BoredPerson69 | T | Yuuri/Victor | 5k

The Switch was a true mystery to science. Nobody knew how or why it happened, it just did.

Soulmate AU where Viktor switches bodies with his future self after years of believing he didn’t have a soulmate.

Written by dreameh | T | Yuuri/Victor | 2k WIP

Nearly everybody is born with a soulmate. A person and their soulmate can write on their body anywhere and have it on their other half’s body in the exact same spot.

This is the story of Katsuki Yuuri and his soulmate, who doesn’t even know of his existence until he had almost given up all hope of finding his other half.

There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.

insp.

Saw this tweet today and it’s perfection

Petra voli banane ja volim petru