History Fanfic / RivalsSeries

** Viktor is not much better. His lack of tact and idealization of love has nearly cost him his relationship with Yuuri several times, even discounting the initial interaction that caused Yuuri to hate and resent him in the first place. And when he becomes aware of these issues, he course-corrects into the opposite extreme (not talking about how he really feels at all), which is just as bad, if not worse. [[spoiler:Notably, in [[https://kazliin.tumblr.com/post/157334634302/lmao-for-the-worst-enemy-on-one-wrist-and-love-of one]] of the [[OneTrueLove soulmate AUs]] the writer wrote for this 'verse in their Tumblr, one is where a person has the name of their [[ArchEnemy worst enemy]] on one wrist and the name of their OneTrueLove on the other. Yuuri has Viktor's name on both his wrists, while Viktor has Yuuri's name on one and his own name on the other. It was initially assumed by his friends and even by Viktor himself that Yuuri was his enemy and he was his own true love due to his vanity, which was only supported when Yuuri entered the senior division and made it clear how much he hated Viktor. However, after learning Yuuri's side of the story, Viktor realizes that it's the other way around -- Yuuri is the love of his life and Viktor is his own worst enemy, because it was his own thoughtless actions that almost irreversibly damaged his relationship with the person he cared for most]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Viktor wished to have Yuuri's attention and to have some sort of relationship with him. Viktor gets what he wants when Yuuri chooses to sleep with him, but is very hurt when Yuuri admits to hating him and seems to only want sex from him.

* BribingYourWayToVictory: Averted. Part of the reason why Yuuri was reluctant to reveal his relationship with Viktor to the public was that he didn't want people to think this.

* EveryoneHasStandards: While Viktor fans and Yuuri fans hate each other and wants the other's respective idol to fail, both sides look at the Viktuuri RPF shippers with disdain.

* NiceToTheWaiter: With the glaring exception of Viktor, Yuuri makes a point to be kind and understanding to his fans and fellow skaters to avoid a repeat of what happened with him and Viktor. This is unlike in canon, where he doesn't treat Minami well because he doesn't know how to deal with admiration.

* ForWantOfANail: Right there in the summary "A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career." The single event in question is [[spoiler: Yuuri's parents taking him to watch the Junior Grand Prix finals, where a callous comment by Viktor massively injures Yuuri's self-esteem and turns his admiration for the older boy into resentment. The sense of rivalry born from this encounter gives Yuuri additional drive in his skating, and his career progresses at a much faster pace compared to canon.]]

** Viktor ends up dropping out of a tournament when he fractures his leg after a botched jump.

* WhosLaughingNow: Yuuri started as a ridiculed fan and then was ridiculed for his desire to defeat Viktor. Then, not only does he beat Viktor at the Olympics but takes the gold medal several separate times.

** 'Nikirov level pining' -- the maximum amount of pining a person could possibly do.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Yuuri always felt this way about Viktor until he finally beat him at the Winter Olympics, and continued to win consistently against him thereafter (though not always), at which point he could finally regard himself as Viktor's equal. At the same time, per WordOfGod, Viktor ''and'' him are this to the other skaters, opposed to just Viktor being this in canon -- Yuuri almost always takes gold at any competition that Viktor isn't in, and vice versa. Case-in-point, Yuuri and Viktor often lose to each other in mere ''fractions'' of points, with the third placer usually significantly behind them, illustrating how wide the gap is between them and everyone else.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Yuuri always felt this way about Viktor until he finally beat him at the Winter Olympics, and continued to win consistently against him thereafter (though not always), at which point he could finally regard himself as Viktor's equal. Subsequently, per WordOfGod, Viktor ''and'' him are this to the other skaters, opposed to just Viktor being this in canon -- Yuuri almost always takes gold at any competition that Viktor isn't in, and vice versa. Case-in-point, Yuuri and Viktor often lose to each other in mere ''fractions'' of points, with the third placer usually significantly behind them, illustrating how wide the gap is between them and everyone else.

* EnemiesEqualGreatness: Played with, but ultimately deconstructed. Viktor's fans who also tend to serve as Yuuri's haters only serve as even more motivation for Yuuri to beat Viktor; while this drive eventually causes him to succeed in his goal, their constant ridicule even after the fact and his failure to repeat the feat at the Grand Prix Final the following season does a number on his already fragile mental health and nearly drives him to a breakdown.

* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: With LivingLegend Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki competing, it came to be said that getting bronze is just as good as gold.

* DisqualificationInducedVictory: Yuuri wins his first gold when Viktor was disqualified due to a leg injury.

** Viktor [[spoiler: when he realizes the real reason Yuuri did not defend himself when he was accused of doping. If he had not jumped to conclusions and calmly asked Yuuri what he was doing, the trainwreck that followed could have been avoided. In Victor's defense, Yuuri did look pretty suspicious considering how he moved to a secluded area to take his medicine from an unlabeled container.]]

* FamedInStory: Yuuri is famous as Japan's ace and his legendary rivalry with Viktor.

* FanDumb: A few of Yuuri's and Viktor's InUniverse fans are as dumb as they vicious.
* FoeYayShipping: An InUniverse example. Viktor and Yuuri is one of the great sports rivalries with Yuuri's disdain for Viktor being rather infamous. It doesn't stop the RPF shippers from writing fanfictions about them.

* VicariouslyAmbitious: Yakov is rather infuriated that his student Viktor Nikiforov, a previously uncontested and universally-loved gold medalist has competition and controversy in the form of his rival, Yuuri Katsuki. While Viktor and Yuuri's rivalry generates a lot of publicity, Viktor is no longer loved by everyone as people take sides on who they support, a fact that Yakov does not enjoy, and it colors his perception of Yuuri and his relationship with Viktor. [[spoiler:This has disastrous consequences, as it eventually leads to the doping scandal, which emotionally destroys both men to the point that they were both on the verge of retirement. Yakov, realizing the damage he's caused to not just a skilled and respected skater but also to his student, who he loves like a son, subsequently discards this trait in guilt after that]].
* VictoryIsBoring: Viktor prior to Yuuri entering the senior division. He had won so many competitions that victory was a ForegoneConclusion. Nobody was close to measuring up, so much so that it was dangerously close to killing Viktor's love of the sport. Yuuri is the one who changed all that.

* ObliviousToLove: Due to his unawareness of his looks, single-minded focus on ice skating, and obsession and contempt for Viktor, Yuuri does not pick up on anyone's interest in him.

* TragicMistake: Had Yuuri just told Viktor why he stepped away to take medication in private or if Viktor hadn't jumped to conclusions they might not have risked the destruction of their relationship.

** Using 'Katsuki' as a verb.
** Pulling a Nikorov, i.e. [[spoiler:falling in love with someone who hates you/you're supposed to beat]].

** Viktor 'skating my feelings' Nikorov, which stems from people re-watching many of his past programs and realizing [[spoiler:that all of them were about his complicated relationship with Yuuri]].

* VicariouslyAmbitious: Yakov is rather infuriated that his student Viktor Nikiforov, a previously uncontested and universally-loved gold medalist has competition and controversy in the form of his rival, Yuuri Katsuki. While Viktor and Yuuri's rivalry generate a lot of publicity, Viktor is no longer loved by everyone as people take sides on who they support.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Yuuri's hate for Viktor often feels like this, especially as the story proceeds.

** Viktor is not much better. His lack of tact and idealization of love has nearly cost him his relationship with Yuuri several times, even discounting the initial interaction that caused Yuuri to hate and resent him in the first place. And when he becomes aware of these issues, he course-corrects into the opposite extreme (not talking about how he really feels at all), which is just as bad, if not worse. [[spoiler:Notably, in one of the [[OneTrueLove soulmate AUs]] the writer wrote for this 'verse in their Tumblr, one is where a person has the name of their [[ArchEnemy worst enemy]] on one wrist and the name of their OneTrueLove on the other. Yuuri has Viktor's name on both his wrists, while Viktor has Yuuri's name on one and his own name on the other. It was initially assumed by his friends and even by Viktor himself that Yuuri was his enemy and he was his own true love due to his vanity, which was only supported when Yuuri entered the senior division and made it clear how much he hated Viktor. However, after learning Yuuri's side of the story, Viktor realizes that it's the other way around -- Yuuri is the love of his life and Viktor is his own worst enemy, because it was his own thoughtless actions that almost irreversibly damaged his relationship with the person he cared for most]].

* ForWantOfANail: Right there in the summary "A single event changes the course of Yuuri’s life, throwing him into a bitter rivalry with Viktor Nikiforov that spans across his entire skating career." The single event in question is [[spoiler: Yuuri's parents taking him to watch the Junior Grand Prix finals, where a callous comment by Victor massively injures Yuuri's self-esteem and turns his admiration for the older boy into resentment. The sense of rivalry born from this encounter gives Yuuri additional drive in his skating, and his career progresses at a much faster pace compared to canon.]]

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: There is no one Yuuri hates more than himself, perhaps even more than Viktor -- who he views as his greatest rival. His low self-esteem and anxiety blinds him to his own worth, which places him firmly in the dark regarding Viktor's feelings for him or his own feelings for Viktor.

** Victor 'skating my feelings' Nikorov, which stems from people re-watching many of his past programs and realizing [[spoiler:that all of them were about his complicated relationship with Yuuri]].

** Victor [[spoiler: when he realizes the real reason Yuuri did not defend himself when he was accused of doping. If he had not jumped to conclusions and calmly asked Yuuri what he was doing, the trainwreck that followed could have been avoided. In Victor's defense, Yuuri did look pretty suspicious considering how he moved to a secluded area to take his medicine from an unlabeled container.]]

** Warning celebrities to be [[NiceToTheWaiter nice to their fans]] lest they 'create a Katsuki'.

** [[spoiler: Though it isn't explored yet, it is hinted that Yakov also felt remorse for his actions, considering just how damaging the resulting scandal was for Yuuri and especially for Viktor, which later resulted in him walking on eggshells around Yuuri. Their nature eventually became civil, but there's always lingering tension since Yuuri continues to be wary and distrusting of Yakov, even years after the scandal]].

* AdaptationalHeroism: While Yuri's personality is more or less like in canon, his treatment of Yuuri (and Viktor, as well) is nowhere near as cruel. Even when he confronts Yuuri in a similar manner to the first episode of the anime, his reasons are far more noble, and the way he goes about it is, while still blunt, not mean-spirited.

** [[spoiler: Though it isn't explored yet, it is hinted that Yakov also felt remorse for his actions, considering just how damaging the resulting scandal was for Yuuri and especially for Viktor, which later resulted in him walking on eggshells around Yuuri. His relationship with Yuuri eventually becomes a bit more amicable, but there's always some lingering tension.]]

** [[spoiler: Though it isn't explored yet, it is hinted that Yakov also felt remorse for his actions, considering just how damaging the resulting scandal was for Yuuri and especially for Viktor, which later resulted in him walking on eggshells around Yuuri. His relationship with Yuuri eventually becomes more amicable, but there's always some lingering tension.]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: While Yuri's personality is more or less like in canon, his treatment of Yuuri (and Viktor, as well) is nowhere near as cruel. Even when he confronts Yuuri in a similar manner to the first episode of the anime, his reasons are far more noble, and the way he goes about it is a lot less harsh.

* BeautifulDreamer: Viktor presumably stays up all night watching Yuuri sleep in Chapter 13.

** Yuuri is a supremely gifted skater, clawing his way up to the top despite not having Viktor's technical prowess. He is driven, friendly and composed, but he's also infamous for his massive hatred of Viktor and suffers from low-self esteem and anxiety.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Yuuri's hate for Viktor often feels like this, especially as the story proceeds.

* FanDumb: A few of Yuuri's and Viktor's InUniverse fans are as dumb as they vicious.

** [[spoiler: Though it isn't explored yet, it was hinted in the first fic that Yakov also felt remorse for his actions, considering just how damaging the resulting scandal was for Yuuri and especially for Viktor, which later resulted in him walking on eggshells around Yuuri. His relationship with Yuuri eventually becomes more amicable, but there's always some lingering tension.]]

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: [[spoiler: In one of their sexual encounters, Viktor catches Yuuri before the latter could leave the bed, and asks him to stay the night instead -- to which Yuuri agrees]].

* SecondPlaceIsForLosers: Yuuri would frequently win silver in competitions and be extremely disappointed in himself and bitter about it since he still couldn't overcome Viktor. It is stated however that he only gets frustrated when he's second to Viktor himself, since he doesn't mind much if he places second in the competitions Viktor isn't competing in.

* SexForSolace: Part of the reason why [[spoiler: Yuuri sleeps with Viktor a second time after falling behind him once again in the Grand Prix. At least, this is the case for Yuuri, but to Viktor, it's another proof that Yuuri only sees him as a casual dalliance and nothing more]].

** The chapter titles of both fics are one in itself, since said titles are portions of lyrics of different songs. [[spoiler: And said lyrics hold a lot more meaning than you might think...]]