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boozuru · 1 year

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Ghostic - Haunted 2

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(NOT JP PROOFED)

Season: Autumn

〈On the night of the same day, after finishing practice with all four of fine.〉

Tori: Hehe. Practice with all four of us is so much fun…♪

Tori: There’s been so many Halloween party preparations lately that we have just been practicing on our own, so it feels like things have gone back to normal now.

Yuzuru: You had to focus and work hard till late with the parts you got a late start with. You have an admirable fortitude.

Yuzuru: And this year’s song is just as- no, it will be even more exciting than last year’s.

Tori: Yeah. “Ghostic Treat House” - it really feels like a brand new style of song for fine, with the ES Haunted House feel and all.

Tori: If I dragged everyone down here, I wouldn’t be able to make it up for Eichi-sama…

Eichi: Fufu. If Keito wasn’t here, I’m not sure if we would be where we are now.

Eichi: I don’t believe in “one good turn deserves another”, though. But I guess he bested me and repaid a favor on his end. I’ll make sure to thank Keito later.

Yuzuru: Yes. Hats off to him.

Yuzuru: I must say however that it’s a pity we can’t put on costumes this year.

Wataru: Costumes, you say? Who would have thought that Mr. Butler here would bring up such things~?

Wataru: We dressed up last year for work. I didn’t think that you particularly enjoyed it.

Eichi: Hmm~ I didn’t know that you felt that way, Yuzuru.

Eichi: Due to security concerns, we are allowing costumes to be worn in a restricted number of locations this year. Would you have liked a more free roam access approach?

Yuzuru: Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that-

Yuzuru: I just thought that Mr. and Mrs. Himemiya would have been happy to see Young Master in his lovely costume. I was intending to take some photographs for them, just like last year.

Yuzuru: The scale for the event is much larger than last year’s “Halloween Party”. I would also rather prioritize security above all else.

Tori: That’s something that was really nice about Yumenosaki Academy~ It’s kinda rough still getting used to the adult world AND also having to have responsibility and being in the public eye.

Tori: But on the other hand, we’ll apparently have Halloween-inspired costumes for our appearances on stage. Any number of photos taken of me like that would be totally a-OK ♪

Wataru: You’re very fan service oriented, Himegimi. Just know that I won’t lose to you!

Wataru: Halloween costumes - I’m quite thrilled to see what they’ll be like ♪

Wataru: …And in other news, we are almost at Starmony Dorm.

Wataru: I’m sure that we are all tired after today, so how about we split up and get tucked in ASAP?

Eichi: I agree. I’ll send the practice schedule for the event soon enough.

Eichi: We’ll be doing more practice to make up for the time lost for you two due to student council work. I’ll talk about it more on Hold Hands later.

Tori: Okay. I’ll check if my notification settings for my phone are okay so that I don’t miss anything.

Tori: …Wait, what? I can’t find it… I didn’t give it to you, right Yuzuru?

Yuzuru: You are correct. While you have trusted me with your wallet and other small things, your phone should be with you, Young Master.

Yuzuru: Could it be that you forgot it in the practice room…?

Tori: Uuummm… Hang on, I’ll try to remember-

Tori: Ah! Actually, I don’t think I’ve had it since we left the haunted house! I didn’t even notice since I was so excited to be with everyone after a while…!

Yuzuru: So in other words, your phone should be at the ES Haunted House?

Tori: Yeah. I think so… No, actually, it has to be so.

Tori: If I did have my phone with me after that, I would have checked social media or something. I don’t remember doing anything like that, so it has to be at the haunted house.

Yuzuru: I understand. It is quite late now, so I will retrieve your phone.

Yuzuru: You must be tired now, Young Master. Please return and prepare for bed before me.

Tori: U-um, okay. Thank you. You have to be careful too, Yuzuru.

Yuzuru: I will. I do have to say, however, that any bodily harm happening to me is a very slim chance. Regardless, I will be careful.

Yuzuru: (- Okay. Perfect timing for something annoying like this to happen.)

Yuzuru: (We will be busy with practice from today onwards, so I have to find the phone as soon as possible so I can get ample rest.)

Yuzuru: (Now that I think about it, hasn’t Young Master been too careless lately? Even leaving his phone behind like this.)

Yuzuru: (Good thing it was at least left at a haunted house that isn’t open to the public yet. The most important thing is that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.)

Yuzuru: (And it’s so close that I’m already here. I know the floor plan, so I can get started on the search right away-)

Yuzuru: (Hm? A shadow flashed in the distance just now. This has to be…)

Mayoi: …

Yuzuru: Ayase-sama. What are you doing here?

Mayoi: Eek! No no no no…! I swear I’m not someone suspiciousss!

Mayoi: I was just on my way home from ES and was looking at this strange building…!

Yuzuru: Hmm. I don’t think of you as a suspicious person though, Ayase-sama.

Yuzuru: It’s a given that a new building materializing out of nowhere would invite interest. It is a haunted house that will be here temporarily for Halloween - the ES Haunted House.

Mayoi: A haunted house…?

Yuzuru: Indeed. It is that season already, after all, so we are opening a special haunted house. Were you surprised?

Mayoi: I was. If that’s really the case, I’m glad. I’m relieved that I just had a silly misunderstanding.

Mayoi: This haunted house… It had a certain feel to it that just made it feel strange.

Yuzuru: Hmm. Well now that you mention it, the haunted house at night really does look unusual.

Mayoi: Erm… Well, yes, but I meant that it feels downright repulsive-

Mayoi: As though the “bad things” that are part of this very soil we stand on are unearthing themselves - the authentic mansion really makes something like that seem very possible, even if it’s a delusion your own mind creates.

Yuzuru: ?

Mayoi: Oh, uh. It’s just what silly old me thought up. There’s no deeper meaning behind anything I said!

Mayoi: S-S-S-Sorry for bothering you!

Yuzuru: Oh. And now he’s gone like the wind.

Yuzuru: Fufu. Ayase-sama may look like that, but he’s quite the scaredy cat. I thought for sure that he would be the type to like occult tales.

Yuzuru: Good thing I don’t believe in things like that. It makes late night phone retrieval trips like this much easier.

Yuzuru: Lost human souls and haunted places are the legacy of people who tried to make sense of the inexplicable happenings around them. Those things were never there to begin with.

#ghostic

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rondocapri · 2 years

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Hi, could you explain further what you mean by saying they're trying to "push this man out of the sport", I'm quite new and probably not seen the full scope yet. I know many fans say judges underscore him, commentators only care about winning and losing and suggest he should retire but what else is there to it and what do you mean by saying the sport has become corrupted (besides the situation in women skating, which I know about)?

Sure! When I say it is an attempt to push Yuzuru out of the sport, I am referencing the way that the judges often underscore him while over scoring other skaters. This is not always the case, but often times the judges will lowball his deserved PCS or GOE. For example, his 3A meets all the GOE bullet points as defined in the rulebook, to get a +5 GOE nearly every single time he jumps the 3A. But he is often not rewarded +5 across the board. Yuzuru has the best 3A in the business (as evident by the fact he just had the first certified 4A in history, you need excellent 3A technique to do so). Sometimes with PCS it's not so much underscoring him, but over scoring other skaters to the point in which PCS is meaningless. Because the judges award PCS based on technical elements which should not be the case. Now some people may say that PCS is subjective, but that isn't necessarily true, the rule book highlights the breakdown for how PCS should be awarded, and as judges they should be able to recognize what is truly deserved. There are certain standards of quality that the judges are aware of. However there is no real regulation for what is good transitions or skating skills, etc so the judges can get away with boosting or demoting PCS depending on who they favor. I could go on, and perhaps I will make a post comparing certain skaters PCS scores vs actual performance skills (as anonymously as I can) if people are interested.

The thing that I think most clearly highlights the desire of the ISU to push him out of the sport is the base value assignment for the 4A. Currently the base value of the 4A is 12.5 points, only one point higher than the 4Lz. I think we can all agree that this is absurd given how the 4A is 100000x more difficult than a 4Lz. Now lets look at the difference in base value for each rotation. 1A-1Lz=0.5 difference in base value. 2A-2Lz=1.2 base value difference. 3A-3Lz=2.1 difference. It appears as tho the difference is doubled for each rotation added, so by going by that standard the 4A should be FOUR points higher than the 4Lz NOT one. I think it is clear how unfair that is. By having the difference be only one point, it discourages skaters from trying to attempt the 4A because the reward is much less than the risk. This shows how they are trying to push him out because as of right now, Yuzuru is the only person who is close to landing a 4A (as a mentioned earlier his 4A from yesterday is the first ever to be certified). Because of course, if the BV was correct and he landed it, he would probably win. And they can't have that can they?

I don’t consider the media telling Yuzuru to retire as part of the push to get him out of the sport, simply because the ISU doesn’t actually control that. However I do think it is emblematic of the way the media demonizes athletes when they have a bad day.

Now when I say the sport has become corrupt, I am referencing the way the judges favor skaters from the US or Russia. This bias can be seen in ALL disciplines (not just the mens) and has been a topic discussion for many many years. These past four years (or the last Olympic quad) have demonstrated that bias in a much more prominent way. Judges will often over score the skaters from those two federations, and overlook certain mistakes if they aren’t extremely obvious such as under rotations or edge problems. While at the same time judging skaters from smaller federations much more harshly. When certain skaters are constantly being over scored it makes it very difficult to watch or enjoy competitions. Those who do know the rules and go by them know when a skater is being over scored REGARDLESS of how they feel about them, it’s just whether you choose to ignore it or not (if you know, not if you are unfamiliar with the rules). You can fully love a skater and still acknowledge that the judges tend to favor them, though we shouldn’t blame the skaters. If you are interested in learning about the rules and how judging works the handbook is available free online on the ISU website if you search it up. There have been times in the past where judges admit they were bribed, so it’s not such a leap of logic to consider that many of them probably are as well, when you examine these patterns of favoritism.

Furthermore, coaches with abuse allegations are allowed to continue coaching so long as they have results. Mie Hamada and Eteri Tutberidze are both still coaching despite the abuse. Eteri was even awarded by the ISU for her coaching. She and her coaching team go through young Russian girls like they are cheap dolls, you can follow the pattern of her skaters to see that they retire very very young. Now there is the doping scandal, in which she and the other adults in charge convinced a 15 year old girl to take heart medication.

I hope this clarifies, and I am definitely willing to explain more if needed!

#long post #figure skating #yuzuru hanyu

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quecksilver · 5 years

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FS Tarot: Yuzuru Hanyu

I got a few anon messages asking for readings and the name most mentioned was Yuzuru Hanyu. You asked for it so here it is! I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this again because it's a lot of work but while watching JGP and ACI practices I had some time so I banged this out in like two hours. Don't look at the typos and grammar mistakes. My first language is still not English so if there's awkward phrasing ignore it. I'll now go into my usual spiel...

I use the Deviant Moon Deck with the moon spread, in which i arrange the cards in a circle and read from the left side, counterclockwise. Each card represents a different aspect. You can look at the cards yourself HERE so ill just forego describing them like I did previous seasons (though feel free to ask me about interpreations and how I arrived at conclusions if you want).

Present Day: Upright Page of Pentacles

This card represents a young person with an open mind, particularly a student who is eager to learn and push the boundaries of what they are able to do. They've set their sight on self-improvement and are willing to work hard for it.

1t also often stands for someone who's very inventive and daring.

Pretty straightforward card in the context of Figure Skating. Even though Yuzuru is recycling his programs it can be said that his new content and tech is pretty daring and it's no secret that he's very set on self-improvement.

Past Influences: Upright Ten of Cups

This is a card usually meaning family, home life and the bond with the people closest to you. In its upright position the Ten of Cups stands for a peaceful, loving home that is full of unconditional support and love.

It's often read as a return to a loving home after a rough period or injury with a newfound appreciation of the previous experiences, good or bad.

Since this is a card usually read to be about family/close confidants I'm not sure how much of it can be read into an Figure Skating context but since it is the card that represents past influences it's probably not wrong to read it to mean his actual family/close loved ones. Their influence remains a positive one.

Subconscious Influences: Reversed Seven of Wands

The Seven of Wands stands for triumph over adverse circumstances or, as it is here since the card is reversed, loss. Self-Doubt plagues the person as previous defeats have made them lose faith in their own ability and it will take effort to shake off that impression. Self-Doubt can be a self-fulfilling prophecy after all.

This card appears in the subconscious influences spot which I'd interpret to mean either that the person is not ready to tackle these self-doubt or that they're actively working to get over them but have not done this (yet). Either way, self-doubt is not at the forefront of their mind.

Secret Desires and Wishes: Upright Star

And here we go with pretty much the complete opposite of the previous card. In the secret desires and wishes we have a card that represents hope and regained faith. Whether that is in ones own abilities or not is not clear but with the previous card being what it is, I'd say it fits all too well.

Another meaning this card often has is destiny. What the person sees as their destiny and moving towards it. Since it's “secret” maybe the person simply speaks to no one (or very few people) about their dreams and hopes, thinking them foolish or embarrassing or maybe even being afraid to jinx it. The subconscious self-doubt may also play a role here.

Hidden Forces: Reversed Page of Wands

The reversed page of wands can be interpreted to be someone... well... stupid. But I really prefer to interpret it as someone rash and unthinking who makes stupid decisions. That just seems more polite. Indecision and poor decisions together can make for quite the big hurdle to jump over.

I find the Hidden Forces card to always be the hardest to interpret since it is a hidden force to the person the cards are read for so how am I, from a distance reading, supposed to make a guess who this card pertains to? I'm gonna be daring and not go for a person though and instead guess it's about a governing body of a sport. Not naming any names.

It's just as likely (if not more) though that this card simply pertains to someone close to Yuzuru whose short-sighted choices affect him.

Events yet to come: Upright Seven of Swords

There he is again. The harlequin that tries to swallow a sword. This card is pretty easy to read and stands for a dangerous and ill-conceived situation that very likely ends in failure and/or injury. After all, if you flirt with danger without a safety net the risks are great. Better not underestimate them.

Well, this one is easy to interpret. Yuzuru is certainly putting himself at risk attempting the high tech content and pushing the envelope again despite his history with injury. The cards definitely point towards a high risk of injury once again. That isn't really a surprise. It remains to be seen if the card simply represents the risk (possible) or a coming injury (and if so, how big of an injury). If I was reading for a person I had sitting across from me I'd definitely advice them to more cautious.

Surrounding Environment: Reversed Eight of Cups

In the surrounding environment position we have a card that means mostly perseverance. It stands for people seeing things through despite the risks that may be associated. It doesn't say anything about how wise this decision may be however.

Another thing that could be said is that this card means someone who can't break out from their path due to fear or simply stubbornness. Either way it means someone isn't straying from their preset path no matter the costs. Since this card is about the surrounding environment I'd interpret it to either mean the coaching team or the other skaters. It doesn't necessarily have to be bad especially if the path has been well thought out. If it is the coaching team, I'd say it probably pertains to a season-long plan they may follow.

Influence of Others: Reversed Empress

Quite a hard card to interpret to me because it is usually associated with a female figure in the person's life. I'd like to simply forget about that aspect for a bit though it may actually point to a female figure in his life I don't know about. The Reversed Empress usually means things like infertility, fights with a female figure or lack of care from such a figure.

I'd like to interpret it more creatively and say it's related to creativity. Stagnation after keeping to a certain path without looking elsewhere and rather than a fight with a female figure an inner turmoil pertaining to that. This is a very creative interpretation and may thus be completely off the mark but I simply feel better about doing this rather than speculating about the personal life of someone I don't know.

Spiritual Forces: Upright Nine of Pentacles

The Nine of Pentacles often stands for material wealth or someone wealthy. As such it's quite hard to interpret in the spiritual forces position. The closest I can get is someone wealthy in spirituality. Whether that's religious spirituality or simply the belief in something of a higher power such as luck. It could also be the belief that hard work will be rewarded or something equally pragmatic. Aside from that, I've got nothing. It definitely points to a positive spiritual mindset though or if you want to be more esoteric the spiritual forces smiling down upon the person.

Final Outcome: Upright Eight of Pentacles

The Eight of Pentacles stands for a hard won goal, but a won goal nonetheless. The person takes pride in one's work, is ambitious and doesn't give up and thus comes out victorious in the end. What's interesting about the Eight of Pentacles in particular is this focus on the training, hard work and overcome hardships that precedes the victory rather than a victory that happens out of luck.

I feel it fits in very well with the rest of the reading that speaks of hardships but also a lot of determination and a influences that support and aid in reaching the set goal.

Interpretation:

Honestly what else is there to add?

Once again I'm quite astounded by how much sense Yuzurus readings make. Every single one I've done for him so far just flows very well and falls into place in a way that makes sense. This one is no exception. Sorry about drawing the Seven of Swords again... I swear... It's just his card at this point.

As always, please don't take these too seriously and don't call me a witch in the notes. I usually interpret the cards quite favorably because I feel like I should but there are some cards... You just can't do anything about it. (Hi, Seven of Swords...)

Feel free to share, discuss, lament, cry and be merry! And don't forget to have fun with this new season and support small fed skaters!

#FS #Yuzuru Hanyu #well i'm tired but i wanted to finish it before he actually skates at aci #here ya go #to the lovely anons that were very polite #i may do more skaters but i may also not because i tend to get busy unexpectedly

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the-real-xmonster · 6 years

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Some Remarks to Close 2017

-(aka a wall of text mostly on Yuzu and the looming Olympics)-

2017 has not been an easy year for Yuzuru Hanyu and the people who love him. Our beloved skater only took part in a grand total of 5 competitions this entire year, 3 of which he lost, none of which didn’t come with some regret. Those disappointments, however, should by no means cancel out the fact that this year, he has also carved us two new World Records, regained his World title, and continued to remind us why it is that he deserves a special place in our hearts.

As I typed this, the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games is a mere 41 days away. Considering the unfortunate injury, the prolonged off-ice period, and the lack of competition which will extend to the very doorstep of the Olympics, I daresay even the most optimistic among us should by now have realized that Yuzu’s chance of defending his title is slim at best. Nonetheless, there is a difference between being grimly realistic and being panicked into wild speculations about Yuzu’s prospect. I’m not writing this in order to tell you how to think or how to feel - I can only try to shed some rationality on the topic.

On Parallels

I have seen people from both camps insisting on a parallel between PyeongChang and Sochi. Yuzu’s fans are worrying that he will be another Yuna Kim, who apparently got robbed of a Gold medal because the judges don’t like repeated champions. Yuzu’s not-exactly-fans are gaining confidence from the fact that back in late 2013, Yuzu won the Grand Prix Final and then went on to win the OG, a pattern which seems to be applicable to Nathan Chen, or that Yuzu overtook Patrick Chan on the ISU World Standings and then went on to win the OG, a pattern which seems to work in Shoma Uno’s favor (if he wins 4CC, he’s going to lead Yuzu on the WS by some 60 points).

Let me debunk both for you. To begin with, anybody who claims that they were able to foresee the Sochi result based on those indicators (potential for a repeat of champion, GPF podium, World Standings, and whatnot) is a classic case of the hindsight bias.

Then, for the first “parallel”, Yuzu’s approach to competition is entirely different from Yuna’s. He is not going into his second OG with a jump layout easier than his first time (Yuna competed at Vancouver with 7 triples and at Sochi with 6 triples in her planned free skate layout), neither is his program base value going to be lower than all of the other top men’s (Yuna’s free skate BV was the lowest among the 6 ladies in the last group at Sochi). In addition, despite all that Yuna’s advocates would want you to believe, Adelina Sotnikova’s win at Sochi was not scandalous. Besides the gap in jump BV (and it was a worthy distinction - Adelina’s jumps were always impressive, and no, she did not dope), Adelina’s SS and TR were comparable to Yuna’s, her spins and spirals both were markedly better. The margin of victory was maybe bigger than anyone could’ve expected, but to say that Yuna was blatantly robbed is not at all close to the truth.

For the second “parallel”, back in 2013, Yuzu won a Grand Prix Final which featured a completely fit Patrick Chan among the full cast of the top men that season, with the only notable exception of Daisuke Takahashi. Yuzu also won it while setting a new World Record along the way and making only one jump mistake throughout the event. I am not pointing this out to undermine Nathan’s win at this year’s GPF. I’m only trying to say that if you want to factor performance at the GPF into a skater’s momentum leading into the Olympics, you’d want to assign more weight to Yuzu’s win at GPF13 than to Nathan’s recent win in their respective trajectory. Flipping that around, you should also note that Patrick’s Silver at GPF did not serve to change the expectation he had to shoulder back then: he remained the overwhelming favorite heading into Sochi - a sentiment which cannot be applied to Yuzuru this season.

As for the World Standing angle, I can tell you, as a tennis fan, I know for a fact that world rankings do not always dictate the outcome of a match, and I say that while being acutely aware of how much more robust the ATP World Tour Ranking is as a performance indicator compared to the ISU World Standing.

On Rivalry

Regarding Nathan and Shoma (whom, I assume, most Yuzu fans are taking to be his biggest rivals for the Gold medal at PyeongChang), I want to bring to your attention that there is a difference between these two statements:

(1) Nathan and Shoma have not been able to deliver good free skates in their recent competitions, so I do not think it likely that they will be able to skate completely clean at the Olympics. Yuzu still has a good chance to win.

and

(2) If Nathan and Shoma continue to skate as badly at the Olympics as what they have been doing lately, Yuzu will be able to win.

If you still don’t see how they differ, just switch Yuzu for Nathan and Shoma in those two sentences and see how you, as a Yuzu fan, feel about each. The basic idea is almost identical, but how you frame it will alter the way you think: are you hoping for Yuzu to be able to do his best, or are you waiting to cheer if Nathan and Shoma and other skaters make mistakes? I, personally, find that the former approach is more pleasant: it keeps me away from negativity and it allows me to enjoy a good performance whether or not it was delivered by Yuzu. It also serves as a subconscious but constant reminder that there is a fine line between criticizing someone and hoping for them to fail. It's a deep dark divide which I've always tried to stay on the right side of in my technical discussion on this blog (though, going from the responses I received, I clearly don't always succeed in making people perceive that I did, in fact, try).

If you need more convincing, there’s always this viewpoint from Yuzu himself on his ideal way to win.

On Expectation

As I said in the very beginning, I am not at my most hopeful when it comes to the possibility of Yuzu winning his second Olympic title. The only way this PyeongChang chapter can have a perfect happy ending is if Yuzu delivers 2 clean programs. The history of this sport tells me that the correlation between Yuzuru Hanyu’s clean programs and World Records is an almost perfect positive 1. Perhaps even more important than scoring is the fact that 2 clean programs would allow Yuzu to leave PyeongChang with the knowledge that he has done the best he can. Some not small part of me is hanging on to the belief that it can happen, but at this point in the proceedings, it is more a matter of faith and less of reason.

But you know what, I am fine with it.

When you consider everything he has done for figure skating, his contribution to the technical advancement as well as the artistic aspiration in this sport, his role in promoting the sport’s popularity, in bringing all of us fans together, and, of course, all the breathtaking, emotional, miraculous, exquisite skating he has and will continue to grace us with for the years to come, the only person in the world who has any right to demand more from Yuzuru is himself.

And, at the end of the day, if you are in love with Yuzu and figure skating for the performance first and the record second, then rest assured, you will be fine no matter what happens at PyeongChang. It is only a chapter, not the whole story.

Happy (Early) New Year, I’m clocking out and will see you guys sometime in 2018.

#yuzuru hanyu #figure skating

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quirksk-blog · 6 years

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* ◜ HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH — AND PLUNGE FORWARD !! ›

WELCOME TO U.A ACADEMY, HANYU YUZURU !!

〈 “ who is to say who is the villain and who is the hero? probably the dictionary. “ 〉

• COPYCAT • 22 • UNEMPLOYED • • NEUTRAL EVIL • QUIRK COPY • • EMITTER •

RELIABILITY〈 002 〉ELOQUENCE 〈 005 〉 INTUITION 〈 003 〉 AGILITY 〈 002 〉 CONTROL 〈 003 〉 RESILIENCE 〈 001 〉

* ◜ MANKIND IS NOT CREATED EQUAL !!

being born as the offspring of the famous copying heroes, dupli-girl and multi, means you have a lot hanging over your head from the second you came into the world.

yuzuru came into the new generation of the hanyu heroes, known for their quirks of varying mimicry. after all, his mother is a shapeshifter who can even mimic the quirks of the people she shifts into, and his father can copy and duplicate any organic matter he touches. his grandparents and his great-grandparents were no different, and his relatives, all with similar quirks, also worked to develop a reputation for the hanyu family.

it’s not a surprise that yuzuru had developed a similar quirk, accidentally setting off a classmate’s spike quirk after bumping into them and almost puncturing the teacher by a hair at the age of four.

“we’re expecting much out of you, yuzuru,” his grandmother said, running a hand down his black hair. “you’ll be a extraordinary hero.”

the reality of that, however, is undesirable.

it doesn’t excuse the intensive training he had to go through behind the doors of the head of the extended family’s home, how he has to present himself on the level the head expects out of him as the new upcoming hero in the making. he gets little light lashes with small wooden paddles if his posture is not right, his tone sounds impolite, his attitude needs work.

“a hero who shows the slightest bit of weakness to a villain is no hero at all,” his mother reminded him after he came home with a note from his first grade teacher in his hand, stating that yuzuru wasn’t in his best hopes that day, pushing his frown upwards to a forced smile.

in middle school, he was quick to learn that his family was so small, his cousins were few, all with the same type of quirks because his family chose to keep it that way. too many children would lead to quirk deviation. being in a romantic relationship with a person with a different quirk is abhorrent.

he hated it all.

“what if i don’t want to be a hero?”

“what if i don’t want to be known as a hanyu?”

“what if i wanted to do something else?”

he had to suppress all the resentment, all the would-ifs and had-beens, restrained in a prison he calls his family. he knew that they wouldn’t listen; it was unheard of for a hanyu to not aspire to be a hero, after all. and if he did anything but smile at anyone who looks his way, he would be whipped into shape in an instant.

he would have thought his parents would let him apply for u.a. by the end of middle school, but they held him back and insisted he attend a normal high school, knowing fully well what they’re doing.

“you’re not ready yet,” his father told him, his hands firm on his boy’s shoulders, frowning in disapproval at the disappointment evident on yuzuru’s face. he tilts his son’s trembling chin up so that he looks at him in the eye, almost growling out the next words, “are you listening to me, yuzuru? you still have much to polish within yourself. i want you to look your best when you first step onto u.a. you are a hanyu, understand me?”

yuzuru has no choice but to nod assent, to feign ignorance. but he knew what they were trying to pull. if they let him finish school as fast as possible, to be free of his family’s clutches at such a young age, they risked him doing whatever he pleased. they risked him becoming a mediocre hero, or worse, no hero at all. doing this would give them more time to sharpen him into a perfect model figure, another hanyu to create more promising hanyus.

so he attended a normal high school, enduring more training, more personality shaping. but it still wasn’t enough; he was still in a minor rebellious stage. so they chose a university for him to attend— after all, it was four more years of him staying where he was. he was tired. he was slowly broken bit by bit. he was nothing but a project.

until he finally gave in, cracking his first of many false smiles his second to last year of university. he shaped himself into the person his family wanted him to be, what the media expected him to be. and before he knew it, he had a degree in his hand, coming out of university as an entirely new person.

it was enough.

he passed the entrance exam to u.a. with flying colors, whizzing by the practical exam while copying other applicants’ powerful quirks one at a time. taking the written test was a breeze when you were intensively tutored under relatives who had gone through the same thing.

so he remains living with his family, looking out the window of his bedroom with tired eyes and an empty heart, filling himself with envy through the thought of other people out there who can live so freely, without a care in the world.

he still dreams of a life where he doesn’t have to be restrained by rules, by his family, by anyone who would try to hold him back.

* ◜ WE RISE AND WE THRIVE !!

as one of the hanyus, yuzuru’s priority is to maintain an amiable image to everyone he comes in contact with. as a result, he is often perceived as outgoing and sociable, willing to help anyone out when he can and take the initiative. he’s more than willing to adopt the leader role if no one else is willing to take charge. to other people, he’s viewed as a person who’s well put together. he makes sure to maintain this image in public and at home when in front of his relatives, developing himself into a spitting image of a typical hanyu hero in the making.

however, behind closed doors, he becomes an emotionally drained shell, reserved and dejected. he stews in the resentment he has towards the pressures and expectations he has as one of the hanyu family, waiting for the day he’s able to lash out and not have to worry about what people think of him. in reality, he’s an inconsiderate person who’s only out for himself, and other people’s problems are the least of his worries. the people he outwardly respects and leads one day are people he’s willing to step on the next day if given the opportunity. but for now, he keeps his genuine personality to himself, hiding selfish intentions in favor of a manufactured smile.

* ◜ POWER IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT !!

quirk copy — yuzuru’s quirk is respectfully titled quirk copy, giving him the ability to use a quirk of someone he comes in physical contact with. as an emitter-based quirk, quirk copy gives him all the abilities the original quirk user possesses, and he instinctively knows how to trigger the abilities and use them to his liking. he does not need to see the person’s quirk beforehand in order to copy and use the quirk. there is no limit to how many quirks he can subsequently copy in a period of time, however he cannot possess more than one quirk at the same time.

— he must come in contact with a non-clothed area in order for his quirk to work. for example: if he touches someone else’s fingers but they’re wearing gloves, he will not copy their quirk. despite that, even touching a few strands of hair is enough to be able to copy someone’s quirk.

— yuzuru can only copy one quirk at a time.

— when copying a quirk, he has up to seven minutes to be able to use the quirk.

— he cannot copy mutant-based quirks.

* ◜ NEVER FORGET WHO YOU WANT TO BECOME !!

in his initial design, he specifically requested for a costume that would minimize the amount of skin being covered as much as possible without looking too exposed, so that he can maximize the usage of his quirk and move around easily. as a result, the support company developed a ice blue costume with silver linings, designed with his request in mind.

his costume exposes most of his front torso, and his arms are entirely exposed. his back is covered though as a means of minimum protection. the base of the top has an additional layer made of strong fibers that makes it harder for bullets and other man-made weapons to penetrate, giving surprise attacks a disadvantage. the back’s fabric goes down to his bottom, akin to a tailcoat. there are solid shoulder straps that act as a support piece. not only do they ensure the base of the top stays firmly on him, but they are also shock-absorbant.

he wears shorts that go halfway up from his knees, with a belt that has six pouches of varying sizes that hold emergency supplies such as painkillers, nausea aids, even spare rollerblade wheels. he also wears knee guards for some protection. his shoes are sturdy and high-quality, however a button can be pressed that makes rollerblade wheels protrude from the soles, allowing him to skate his way around a situation and increase his speed.

#quirk: accepted #yuzuru hanyu #krp #kpop rp

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randjadaptations · 3 years

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Romeo and Juliet in Figure Skating

Romeo and Juliet is something of a warhorse in figure skating. In just about every competition and at nearly every level, there’s a good chance that at least one skater will be using it as one of their programs. While it’s more common in singles skating and at the junior level, it’s entirely inescapable. However, that doesn’t mean adapting Romeo and Juliet to figure skating is easy. Much like ballet, they only have the music and their bodies to work with. However, they also have a time limit (free programs can’t be more than four minutes; older rules occasionally allowed men’s programs to be four and a half minutes, but that’s not much better) and instead of a whole cast of characters, there are only one or two skaters on the ice. This only allows them to focus on the main plot, but it also allows them to put all of their energy into telling just one specific part of the story. It can be a hindrance, but also an opportunity. Most programs follow the pattern of a serious music cut, a soft and romantic cut, and another serious cut that’s meant to represent Romeo and Juliet’s death. Still, within this pattern, there’s lots of room for innovation and experimentation.

Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov (Watch here)

Widely considered to be one of the best pairs teams in the history of the sport (there’s a lot of argument about it because there are so many good pairs teams), Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov skated to Romeo and Juliet in 1990, earning them a gold medal at the World Championships. They picked Tchaviosky’s suite, but because you apparently can’t do a twenty minute free skate, they cut the music and moved some things around for length requirements. They followed the typical serious-soft-serious pattern of mood for the music cut, and while it wasn’t especially unique, it worked for them. Like a lot of skaters who skate to music from Romeo and Juliet, they went very Italian Renaissance with their costumes, just to make sure we all get what they’re skating to. On a personal note, I really appreciate the level of puff on Sergei’s sleeves. A lot of men’s costumes are very plain, but he went for the drama. Good for him.

Their skating was incredible. Ekaterina made two mistakes on jump landings, but their throw jumps were huge, their lifts got insane distance and speed across the ice, and their skating skills are to die for. Seriously, I can even see how deep their edges are on that video, and that’s footage that was very clearly shot in 1990. Who needs side-by-side jumps when you can do that? And they were far enough ahead of the rest of the field that they could afford those mistakes. Ekaterina and Sergei had great sync with each other here; it felt like watching two parts of the same machine. I never felt like they were going to fall. Even when they did mess up, I wasn’t nervous because they skated and told the story with so much confidence. 8/10

Sasha Cohen (Watch here)

So I’m not usually a person that likes things that make them cringe, but I love Sasha Cohen’s Romeo and Juliet. Was it a mess? Yes, but stick with me here. This program did, in fact, cost her an Olympic gold medal. She fell, twice, in the free skate at the Olympics. And not even in men’s, where they spend half the time on the ground anyways! This was a group of ladies who knew how to land jumps. But the thing about Sasha Cohen’s falls in this program was that she got up and continued the program with such grace that I found myself going with it. That’s the magic of Sasha Cohen. And the falls in this program made it that much more tragic, which works really well when you’re skating to Romeo and Juliet. You felt the despair there. Everyone felt the despair. We all suffered together here.

That aside, Sasha went for the Nino Rota Love Theme (you can check out my thoughts on that piece here), and it really worked for her. The softness of the piece allowed her to be very gentle. The emotion expressed here was all in subtle facial expressions and delicate arm movements and it snuck up on me. I didn’t notice how attached I got to her performance until it ended. Her spiral sequence was iconic, her spins were as lovely as always, and no one has ever come close to her perfect posture. And hey, she did well enough in the short program that she did wind up with a medal! Just not the one she had wanted. 7/10, because her falls here made me wince so hard that it hurt my face.

Yuzuru Hanyu (Watch here)

So the interesting thing about Yuzuru Hanyu is that he actually has skated to Romeo and Juliet twice; first at 17 when it won him his first World Championship medal, and then again at 19 when it won him his first Olympic gold. I’m analyzing the first one on account of liking it more, but honestly, they’re both great. Plus, the first Romeo and Juliet (affectionately called R&J 1.0 by fans) is what launched his career in seniors and allowed for him to eventually win that first, and then a second, Olympic gold. It’s worth attention.

The costume here wasn’t exactly Italian Renaissance men’s fashion inspired, but it clearly gave off a dramatic, historical vibe, so I approve. And his emotional investment in the program is just insane. For the louder, dramatic portions, he’s emoting all the way to the back of the stadium, but for the softer, lovey-dovey section in the middle, his movements are soft and gentle, with all the subtlety and grace of Sasha Cohen. He goes everywhere on the emotional spectrum here, and is able to do it effortlessly. Yuzuru is out there forcing the audience to feel invested in the story he’s telling, making us understand the high stakes and get invested in the romance because he’s clearly so invested in it. On a more technical note, his jumps are out of this world and the knee bend on his landings should be in physics textbooks because honestly, how does he do it? It’s a mystery that we’ll need science to solve.

He does have a minor fall on some steps, but it’s less agonizing than Sasha Cohen’s falls because the competition is slightly lower stakes, and Yuzuru went into this World Championship with nothing to lose. It was his first ever time at senior worlds, and he wasn’t favored to podium at all. Sasha, meanwhile, was the favorite for the Olympic gold. Big difference in falls there. Also, the scream right as the music changes into the step sequence? The stabbing choreography? Yeah. He went for all of that. He didn’t hold anything back. 10/10, Yuzuru Hanyu told everything he could of that story with everything that he had, and it was excellent.

Anastasia Gubanova (Watch here)

This program is technically the most stereotypical Romeo and Juliet program of all of them. It’s in the demographic that uses Romeo and Juliet the most (junior ladies), done with one of the music pieces most often used in Romeo and Juliet programs (Nino Rota’s Love Theme), and is typical down to the costume (Renaissance Italy with a cross somewhere on it). This should, in theory, bore us all to tears. But just because Anastasia Gubanova isn’t breaking any new ground here doesn’t mean that this isn’t a fantastic program. This program shows why so many of these choices get made, because when they’re done well, they’re incredibly moving.

Anastasia’s program has a melancholy feel form start to end, although it gets more serious and doomed as the ending draws nearer. Her jumps are light and airy, and she skates with a confidence and grace that makes it hard to believe that she’s only fourteen years old. She has a total commitment to the choreography, although that sometimes makes some of her arm movements just a little bit too wavy and distracting. She resolutely stays in character as Juliet except for when she lands her last jump and it becomes clear she’s landed all of them perfectly, but the breaking of character for a smile is more endearing than distracting. Plus, she managed to get right back into it for the last spin. All in all, an impressive program that makes it clear why some typical Romeo and Juliet program features became so widely used. 8/10

Junhwan Cha (Watch here)

Unlike just about every Romeo and Juliet program I’ve ever seen, Junhwan Cha did a program based on the 1996 movie instead of just using some music from it. As in, he used the funky pieces that most skaters tend to skip over and fully leaned into the weirdness. He even went for ending the program on a gunshot instead of the typical stabbing choreo! It sort of followed the basic serious-soft-serious structure of Romeo and Juliet programs, but with a bit of disco in between each one. And do you know what? He basically pulled it off, and was really committed to some of those choreography choices.

There were a few things about this program that I wasn’t a fan of. I didn’t love the voiceovers, especially the one that was just reading the prologue of the play. I thought they were a little corny, and it only worked on the last one. I’m sorry, but the absolute drama of Leonardo DiCaprio screaming “Juliet!” while Junhwan lands a triple loop and does that thing with his arms? That absolutely worked. The other voiceovers could have been cut, though. He also didn’t have the skating skills and emotional expression of the other skaters I’ve talked about so far. Junhwan was by no means bad (he won bronze at the Grand Prix Final for a reason), but it wasn’t quite at Yuzuru, Sasha, or Gordeeva and Grinkov’s level. Still, he did something unique and surprising while keeping the story in tact, and I appreciate that. 7/10

Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue (Watch here)

There are things that I do like about Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue’s Romeo and Juliet. There were a few interesting chorographic movements! Their lifts were solid! They had solid skating skills (as they should; ice dance is all about basic skating skills) and were super fast across the ice! It’s just that there was far much more to dislike about this program, which is rough for me personally because it won them a bronze medal at the World Championships that I would have much rather given to the team that placed fourth.

The costumes here were just objectively awful. It’s okay for Romeo and Juliet programs to not have Renaissance-inspired costumes, but what’s not okay is that strange color that’s between beige and dishwater gray for Madison’s dress. Zachary’s costume did just about nothing to mitigate the damage. The opening arm movements were stiff and awkward, the voiceovers were once again not great, the third music section was tantamount to torture (the dramatic piece was fine, but it had bits of “Kissing You” poorly edited in), their chemistry on the ice was mediocre at best, and they committed the unforgivable sin of giving Romeo and Juliet a happy ending. It’s just...not what the story is for. The whole point is that the violence and misery doesn’t resolve until at least one of the lovers dies. But they went for a happy ending, in which case, they should have just done a totally different program. 2/10

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wherespacepooh · 7 years

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Brian Orser Interview at Y.H. 2017-18 Media Day

“I’m merely the coach, but when he skated that program, I thought it was an honor that I was there in that space at the Grand Prix Final. It was that much of a masterpiece... All the judges... felt that it was an honor of a lifetime... The people at the stands, the fans, the judges seated at the panel––they will talk about it for the rest of their lives... We want to rekindle the magic once again.” –– Brian Orser

Yuzu talks a lot, Brian talks even more ❤️ – gladi

A note: this is a translation of a translation. Brian spoke in English for 30 mins.

Basis of the text is Figure Skate Magazine (B.B.Mook) with Q’s omitted. <…> = Figure Skate Japanese Representatives 2017 Memorial (Quadruple) {…..} = Kiss & Cry (Tokyo News Mook) |…...| = World Figure Skating (Shinshokan)

[…...] = my own rephrasing for clarity/English’s sake

Translated by gladi. Please do not repost without permission. Original text and images belong to the respective publishers.

Preparations pretty much complete even if the Olympics were to take place next week

{Q: Please tell us about Hanyu’s training period this year?}

Yuzuru came back to Toronto right after the World Team Trophy in April, worked on choreography with Shae-lynn Bourne, and then returned to Japan for Fantasy on Ice. The next time he returned was during the first week of our summer school––6 weeks ago. [Summer sessions] started on June 21. Yuzuru also started training at the same time, and he has stayed here since. That means, he has had 6 full weeks––almost 7––of training.

<Q: How is Hanyu’s condition?>

Condition is great. From what I’m seeing, even if the Olympics were to take place next week, you can say he is pretty much prepared. He is in really good condition and taking good care, but very focused and driven in training. He is tackling all aspects, not just jumps, and he has further increased his training time.

I’ve seen him pay attention to speed and overall condition, work on cardio exercises, and practice spins a lot with Paige Aistrop. Working hard on every single thing. Practiced his programs with all their quads in place. Incorporating the spins and the steps, skating with emotion from start to finish. Although the Olympics is in February, he seems to be practicing with a greater sense of purpose compared to past years. You can say he is well aware of the Olympic season. As if the Olympics is right around the corner, about to start any moment now.

<Q: Hanyu and Javier Fernandez. Are there different plans that best fit each respective skater?>

Javier and Yuzuru––they have different approaches. In Yuzuru’s case, he started training right away. His way is to begin program practice at once, making the necessary changes, working on conditioning, and practicing jumps. (t/n - skipping rest of paragraph on Javier’s summer vacation).

Say the Olympics is right here (t/n probably gesturing at a spot in space). We know that Yuzuru is headed towards it from this direction, and Javier comes from that direction. But they practice at the same time, in the same place. And there, again, the differences in culture and personality come out. Of course, both are working really hard. How the two of them tackle this season <and work towards their goals> will be very fascinating.

{Q: How about your way of approach as a coach?}

Yuzuru beginning training right away and Javier taking a vacation to mentally adjust before coming back are both normal to me. As a coach, regulating [their condition] is what I do. Regarding Yuzuru, I think there will be times in this season when I'll have to hold him back.

<Q: What are the pros and cons of Hanyu heading into the Olympics as the world champion?>

Because I have direct experience of this myself, I am able to share that feeling with Yuzuru. It's immense pressure. But, no matter the scenario, for Yuzuru's sake, and for him to approach the Olympics with confidence, becoming world champion once more was what he needed. Because the chance had escaped him twice. Javier was champion in 2015 and 2016, so Yuzuru's turn came in 2017.

To Yuzuru, it was a title that he wanted heading toward the Olympics. In Javier's case, had he won, it probably would have become very difficult for him. Although a 3-time successive world champion in that situation, he would have headed into the Olympics as a world champion. Now, that would have been enormous pressure. For Javi, I think he is in a more favorable position coming in as a dark horse. So I think it has actually <played out perfectly for both of them> and it’ll be a terrific battle.

Yuzuru needed to go into the Olympics as world champion anyhow, and I think it was very important [that he got the title]. See that display over there? It has the names of all the Olympic medalists and world champions [coming out of TCC], and Yuzuru spends quite a while in front of it. Before heading out to Helsinki, <|several times I saw him standing there, looking up. | He was probably imagining the board with his name engraved on it.> Now he’s doing the same thing again. This time he’s moved over to the Olympic display, staring at the names of the Olympic champions and medalists. Most likely, imagining his name written there. <He is already in the zone> and he feels a sense of purpose.

<Q: Plans for Hanyu to challenge new jumps this season?>

All of the skaters, including my 12-year-old student, everybody is trying out and practicing new jumps. <For young skaters, this is a part of learning skating. Of course, Yuzuru is also constantly challenging new jumps. 4A and 4Lz… although he doesn’t really do the 4F so much, and of course the Loop has gotten quite excellent.> During summer training, it’s normal to train more experimentally, sort of like “Well, let’s try the 4Lz today” and “Today, the 4A.” And so, there are still several weeks until we decide what to do with the new jumps. And, we’ll also have to decide what to do in February at the Olympics. At some point, we’ll have to settle on the jump layout.

Nothing has been decided. More than anything, this is a question for Yuzuru rather than myself. As I’ve said, he’s been attempting jumps like 4Lz and 4A. We have to think strategically, in a smart way. It’s an important year, and there are other skaters who jump 4Lz, 4F, but that isn’t to say we must also follow suit. We have many other ways to compete. At the World Championships {last season}, it was actually very interesting to be able to see the top skaters on the ice at the same time during official practice and six-minute warm-up. The difference in skating skills, ability, and maturity is clear. In my personal opinion, Javier and Yuzuru absolutely stand out. And that leads to the high PCS and GOE for all the elements.

So, if Javier jumps his best 4T, he can easily receive +3. If Yuzuru does his best 4Lo, it’ll be +3. His 4S and 4S3T combination, easily +3 as well. Of course, his 3A is almost always +3. Moreover, Yuzuru is the best spinner in the world, so his spins always get +3. StSq is always exciting and dynamic, complex and difficult, so this too is always +3.

That is why, we must think carefully here. In the current situation, I have full confidence in our prospects. For both of them. Both Javier and Yuzuru have the capability to win. So it’ll be an interesting season. All the skaters are racing, trying, to bring in better elements, but that leads to injury, leads to a decline in quality which affects PCS. So we have to think carefully, but at the same time, a fighting spirit is also important. It’s like treading on thin ice, and it's a fine balance.

<Q: As a coach, any pressure from [seeking] a third gold medal?>

Is there pressure as a coach? Yes, there is. I feel pressure from only one thing––because I want to have them in the best condition possible. I want them to enjoy the process. I want them to skate their best, with the feeling that they are second to none. I want them to fully enjoy this thing that is the Olympics. They’ve both had experience with the Olympics, so that is their strong point.

Returning to this program from the past is of great meaning to Yuzuru

<Q: Hanyu is doing Ballade No.1 for his SP and SEIMEI for his LP this season. What are the reasons for returning to old programs for both?>

Ballade No.1 and SEIMEI. We’ve been away from those two programs for a while. Last year’s programs, especially the short, carried the aim of developing new facet [of performance]. Everything was for the sake of growth. It was a challenging experience for him, doing it differently from how it’s been so far. In face of the Olympic season, when considering various strategies, skaters often return to programs of the past. In 1988, I went with a short program I’d used before and won. There’s not a single problem with doing a program you’ve used before. Modifications are complete with the short program. We’ve changed a part of the choreography, rearranged the jumps––because we’ve put plenty of thought into the modifications, it becomes a fresh program. I think everybody will love it. Especially with the changes in the jumps, when they see it once again, it becomes this program where they'll probably go “Ah! I sure love this program."

I feel the same about the free program as well. We discussed it, and it was that returning to this program meant a lot to him and that was very important. Why, because the program is very meaningful to him. Both the audience and the judges should feel quite happy to see this program once again. Yuzuru has become a far more superior skater, compared to two years ago, and at the very least, he has incorporated a new jump, the 4Lo.

I know there’ll be criticism, and that’s normal. If we do a new program, people would probably say “Mm, I’m not sure I like this.” And if we return to an old program, they would say, “It’s better not to return to an old program.” You’ll hear such criticism no matter which path you take. I have confidence in this program. Because I love it. Even more than last year's. Although it's from two years ago, it has the highest score ever in terms of PCS, and the tempo of the music is an easy fit for Yuzuru’s skating. The big jumps are laid out in such a way that he can execute them easily. Two years ago, we spent a season to find just the right spot and rhythm for jumping. I know this program means a lot in his heart.

Q: Is there a danger that the judges might be tired of the programs and PCS would go down as a result?

I don’t think so, not at all. The programs have been modified and refreshed. I haven’t talked to him about costumes, but most likely he’ll change them, and he himself has grown as a skater. […] His condition, too, was better than it used to be, and by February he’ll bring the perfect condition to skate these programs. These programs that he skated in a state of maximum tension two years ago will be done at a completely different level.

When revisiting a program from the past, it is absolutely essential to be markedly better than before. Here, the minute he puts on the music, all the coaches––everyone––would go, “Oh, what a wonderful program!” So right off the bat, we felt very good about having made this decision. A very difficult decision, since everyone wants to see new programs, and that’s normal.

Judges will be delighted that they are able to see this program––when he takes his starting position, at the competition’s first official practice. There are judges who sat at the panels of the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona two years ago and the NHK Trophy of the same year. When he set world records. Those judges were honored to have sat at the panel, they were proud of it. There are many judges in the world who wish to have the same experience, and would love to be on a panel in such a situation. Now at last, that chance has come back.

There are lots of competitions, but when all is said and done, the hope is of course that he’ll bring his best performance at the Olympics, that the judges on the Olympic panel would be pleased that they could see this once again, or possibly for the first time from the panels. I’m merely the coach, but when he skated that program, I thought it was an honor that I was there in that space at the Grand Prix Final. It was that much of a masterpiece. After I left the rink, I went straight to where the panel was. All the judges I’ve talked to felt that it was an honor of a lifetime to have seen this performance right before their eyes. The people at the stands, the fans, the judges seated at the panel––they will talk about it for the rest of their lives. That time, when they were there, and saw it with their own eyes. Just like when Yuna Kim showed her two programs in 2010, the judges sat at the panel and fully savored that wonderful program.

This is my way of approach, we want to rekindle the magic once again. For that reason, we had to make some changes to the program. The build up from two years’ worth of training and his growth as a person over the past two years. That alone raises this program to the next level.

It's my favorite out of all the programs. Isn’t it a special program that also means a lot to you? It’s a very emotionally intense piece––people want to find out what happens, what it means, et cetera. When I saw him skate, I thought, he is skating his soul. SEIMEI is the program where he received the highest evaluations in PCS.

Yuzuru has become a skater of a different level compared to two years ago. He’s advancing technically, and he is also evolving in creativity. He has made progress in skating skills, his speed has gone up, and he’s become much more passionate. He was an excellent skater even then, you can imagine the program [now] at a much higher level. Two years ago, we all, at the NHK Trophy and the Grand Prix Final, had a magical, goosebumps-inducing experience. I thought it was an honor to see this program then and there. I think everybody can agree on that.

At choreography with Shae-lynn, he trimmed out several parts. The StSq has gotten even more delicate, even better. So, I think this is the right decision. I’ll say it again, but it’s become a program worthy of the Olympics.

As a coach, as a skater, sometimes the timing is premature for a program. When we encountered this program, it felt like it would have been right for the Olympics. It wasn’t yet the Olympic year. But I knew then, that he was going to return to this music for the Olympics. So, when it was decided that he would return to this program in the right season, of course I supported him. For both the free program and the short. No one has skated to these pieces at the Olympics, so they will become “the Olympic programs.” Precisely because we got them a little too early, that we are allowed the luxury of having these programs once again. I think everyone will be taken by this program. Whether they see it for the first time or otherwise, be it at the Olympic arena or at some other place.

Yuzuru approaching me for a conversation is something I’m very glad about

<Q: Compared to the year before the Sochi Olympics, what are the biggest changes you see in Hanyu now?>

<There are so many. First is his relationship with the coaches––me in particular.> We [as a team] were still new to the game back then. Having only been through one season together when we went for the World Championships at London, Ontario, we were still at the stage of trying to get to know each other. And then, we experienced the pressure of the Olympics, but even after that, we were still working hard to get to know each other. He was very young––I think he was just about to turn 18 [the year before Sochi]. And then, winning renown in such a way, he has really grown into a man these couple years. [Now] he has his own opinions and sets his own pace. I am there, and Tracy is there, to help guide him.

But––and I especially think so this year––he’s really grown up, and he’s gotten so much better at communication. Whenever the session ends, we would immediately sit down and talk with each other. How does the 4Lo feel, how does he feel about various things, how was physiotherapy going, how is his training progressing...

We only sit and talk for about 10 minutes, but what’s different from before is that Yuzuru himself wants to come to me and talk. That makes me very happy. Communication is the reason why I am here, and discussion is necessary. He is frank––especially with this being the Olympic year, we have to be straightforward and talk, no matter what it is. If he wants to get more out of me, he has to communicate with me. If he wants to be pushed harder, more aggressively, he has to communicate with me. We are now at the stage where we are doing that, and that's great.

{Q: What’s important for Hanyu in order to win against other skaters?}

Where we are now, compared to the last Olympics, I can see that he has a sense of purpose from early on in the season. It’s probably what he learned from the previous Olympics. The road to Sochi was full of difficulties. This time, everything is nicely sorted out in his head, and he’s actually very focused. He’s very determined to be in the best condition, and taking great care of his body. Because we’ve been through the Olympics, we know very well what the Olympic season is like. When the Olympics beckon, you live with and breathe the Olympics every day. You can’t escape from that. Right now, we’re in that condition. Although I’m the coach, I feel the same, and I also feel pressure. Excitement as well. The Olympics are always on your mind. It’s the same for the skaters.

During this period, you can see Yuzuru practicing the 4Lz through video sites, and Javier trying the 4Lo. You can say that now is the time to explore a variety of things. Whether or not to settle is another question. It’s not the time to make that decision yet. More time is needed. I encourage such an approach for my skaters to be competitive. Sometimes in practicing the 4Lz, it becomes easier to do the 4Lo. For example, with Yuna Kim. She had always hated training the 3Lo. But after we put the 3Lo into the program, her problems with the Flip disappeared. Although it was her second weakest jump following the Loop. This is one strategy––when you are working on something difficult, things that are somewhat simpler become more easily doable. Because she did the Loop, she found everything else easier. Do you see what I mean? That is, this is the period where every one of our skaters are taking on their own respective challenges.

The free skate after the failure in the SP at Worlds was not coincidental

{Q: Any plans toward the Pyeongchang Olympics?}

During the season, there will be competitions that we can use to carry out the peaking progress. [Does that mean] we’ll adjust for the Autumn Classic? That’s exactly it. Because it’s the first big competition. We don’t yet know what evaluations we’ll receive there. After that, the Cup of Russia––we’ll continue to raise his level of skating there. This is our current plan. And then, of course there’s the NHK Trophy, the Grand Prix Final, followed by the Japanese Nationals. Then the Olympics. Our job is to manage how he brings his peak, to know that we can manipulate and control the peaking, that we are able to have that confidence. However, critical above all else is that we maintain his good condition.

<Q: Any interesting episodes during practice sessions this off season?>

[Over the weekend] some time ago, we practiced new hydroblading technique. We weren’t making much sound on the ice, and [the rink] was quite empty. <We tried other skaters’ variations, and Shae-lynn joined in as well (laughs). Since it is a move that Yuzuru has in his free program, he is of course very good at it.> Because what we were doing looked really interesting, several other skaters tried as well. So Yuzuru helped them––raise your hand like this, do it this way, lock your arms like this, and then do it here, raise the leg some more… It was difficult, but he was laughing a lot and enjoying himself. I thought it was great. Although it isn’t like that every day, I’m happy that we can have times like these.

This summer, Ann Schelter came twice. You’ve heard about “Annie’s Edges” (t/n: world-renouned workshop on skating skills), right? She’s a very good friend of mine, and to me, she is like the master of skating. She is the No.1 in the realm of skating skills. Yuzuru was enjoying the classes a lot. <The technical portions of the masterclass this time seemed to be of particular interest.> Afterwards, we had “theatre time.” We turned off the lights, put on music, <Ann held a gong, and we just skated freely>, relaxing ourselves. Especially as the Olympics draw near and every one tenses up––so we asked Ann if we could hold a couple of these skating sessions. Focusing on skating skills, taking time for something like Theatre on Ice, enjoying skating from the heart. When you see him doing this, you get how important that is. Why? There are six months left right now until the Olympics. We can’t possibly zero in on that alone and chase that every day. He is not the type who takes a lot of time off, so when he is here, we have to think of ways for him to relax somehow.

{Q: With the increase in communication after training, have you had any conversations of interest?}

In my conversations with Yuzuru, there isn't anything particularly surprising. The only thing that’s important, is that he comes and talks. Finding the time to talk about the session––that in itself is critical. He isn’t {usually} a fan of talking {during the session}, he prefers to focus on the training. We discovered that last year. It was especially the case these couple of months. But, after the session ends, we’ll even chat about technical things. We also talk about the programs. What’s our sense, what he plans to do the next day… Mostly limited to these things, but when we’ve had a very good session, why it was such a great session, his energy levels…we talk about that too. It’s helpful for my work, and I think it’s great for him to be able to talk with somebody.

Yuzuru has become much more proactive. About his schedule, his planned events going forward, travel… things about himself that need to be communicated––he’s being very clear about everything. That’s such a great thing, I no longer have to go around him and find out from people surrounding him. I can go directly to him, listen to his answer… and give him my own answer!

{Q: Javier mentioned that you were his dad in Toronto. What are your thoughts?}

We have a professional relationship with all the skaters we coach, but they all have their own respective needs. {Javier lives alone and has to do everything himself, including housework, so there is a need to support him. Mainly with resting and recovery.} As for Yuzuru, in terms of recovery, he has been doing very well this year. On very important days, for example, today is probably going to be intense. It’s necessary to work on recovery when he goes back home after this ends. Not only massages and acupuncture, but also always taking an icepack along with him. Especially for this season, he understands very well the importance of resting and recovery. Most skaters feel guilty about rest. Javier’s probably different.

{Q: Have you ever had a conversation about mental control with Hanyu?}

Pretty much every day, between Tracy and me, we are always thinking about the strengthening of what we call “mental conditioning.” Not only during the competitions, [mental conditioning] has to be incorporated into everyday training. We need to study and look into building up [skaters’] energy levels, knowing what practice we have to do, and how that reflects in training, what we should do to get even better the next day. Because we’re aware of this in the day-to-day, when we’re at competitions, who needs to be handled how––we’re able to know if we’re implementing it better and steering towards the proper direction.

Speaking from last year’s experience, after the short program ended in Helsinki, we had a lot to do. Because of course Yuzuru wasn’t happy about the results of the short program. So there was a need to support him heading into the free program. At such times, he gets resistant about taking breaks and overtrains. Again and again, he wanted to go over the runthrough, but Tracy and I told him, “You are fine. There is no more need for runthroughs. It’s better to just practice a couple jumps and leave the rink ahead of time."

Maybe it was a shock to him, but we knew that was necessary. What we had to do, was for him to regain his self-confidence, to be conscious of the fact that there was no longer need to practice. He’s had plenty and enough training. That we trust the training we’ve accumulated up till this point. We told him that and it all went well. It wasn’t coincidental, he didn’t just happen to do well. We talked about how we wanted to approach the free––in what form, and how to practice. Yuzuru listened to what I said and didn’t miss a single word. I told him, “There is no need to prove to anyone that you can do a proper Salchow.” He always, even during official practices of the championships, gives off the feeling that he has to prove to the world. That’s why we stopped him. And, when the time came to prove his strength, he proved it.

(fin)

Amazon.co.jp links to Figure Skate Magazine (B.B.Mook), Figure Skate Japanese Representatives 2017 Memorial (Quadruple), Kiss & Cry (Tokyo News), World Figure Skate issues used and referenced in this post. Please consider supporting their work.

#yuzuru hanyu #hanyu yuzuru #羽生結弦 #figure skating #brian orser #2017 media day #2017

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traaanskimkitsuragi · 4 years

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🌹 Where in the world does your OC feel most at home? Is there any reason why? If it’s not the place they were born, where were they born? Is there a certain somebody that makes them feel at home where ever they may be? What does home mean to them?

nakajima really likes spending time over at renas apartment. his parents are busy enough with work not to be home much so he doesnt have too much attachment to their place, plus he spent a large portion of his teen years visiting her nearly daily so he might as well have been living there for a while. he likes how comfortable and peaceful it feels and he just really enjoys being around rena.

💫 What is your favourite fact about this character and why?

nao can easily outdrink pretty much any of my other characters and can AND will just drink straight up vodka

🌸 What are some of their favourite things and why? List as many as you can think of!

natsurin loves science in general, but hes especially fascinated by biology and nature. hes the kind of person who would read thick textbooks on it for fun and actually be able to remember most of it without much effort. obviously snakes are his favourite animal but he loves pretty much all of them in general.

he really likes seafood & sushi

he loves fashion (especially big ass dresses, heels and hats), he thinks its a very important form of self expression and he really likes spending a long time putting together outfits

🌳 What is your OC’s favourite way to relax after a stressful day? Do they have a favourite book to curl up with? A hobby? Or do they have a nice bubble bath and have an early night to bed?

yuzuru loves punching pillows and screaming karaoke! hes absolute garbage at it but he finds it very fun, especially when he gets to be as loud as he wants to be. sometimes after a really awful day he will go around and stress clean or cook up something really complicated. he also really likes wrestling or sparring in general but its kind of hard to find a partner for it on short notice. all in all he either likes to vent stress out physically or busy himself with something productive

💐 How does your OC handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? Who cares for them and in what ways? Does your OC enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? Reversed: is your OC good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?

thats him on a regular day tbh unless its really bad, taka is more or less the same as usual since he already potooys around a lot. if he had plans or if its been going on for a while, he tends to get especially cranky and make a lot of depressing/edgy jokes in an attempt to vent it out. he will never ask for it but he does actually appreciate it a lot if his friends try to take care of him, but they have to be really close otherwise hes just uncomfortable.

hes a lot better at taking care of other people because hes pretty smart and competent and really good at keeping his cool. he wont really coddle anyone verbally but he also tends to have a pretty good idea of what can/might help them feel better.

🍂 Does your OC enjoy hugs? What do they do as a show of affection for: their friends, their family, their significant other(s) or for strangers? Over all what are they like with recieving affection from others?

izumin cannot STAND strangers or just random people in general touching him and hes very vocal about it. he doesnt mind so much with close friends/family, but hes also incredibly awkward about it because he just doesnt really know how they work. hes extremely weird about receiving affection in general because he can never figure out how to respond to it or how hes supposed to feel about it and he very regularly questions if its even genuine.

hes not much better at giving it either. his compliments either tend to be very professional with not much emotion behind them or incredibly clumsy and stiff. he refuses to ever initiate any sort of physical affection because hes constantly worried about potentially being turned down and looking really stupid. he is, however, very eager to help out people he likes when they ask him for favors (or offering favors for them in general in a very casual tone). he tends to complain throughout the whole thing if its something he doesnt like, but he will at least genuinely try very hard to not only finish it but do it well.

#ask #bee exposed

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hsj-scenarios · 7 years

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My Cinderella

[Note: This is based around the prince headcanon that Mod L did Yuto and a bit of my own interpretation and reworking of the Cinderella trope. Also, this is going to be multichaptered because it started getting really long and I wasn’t even close to be done with where I wanted it to go so I’ll have the next part posted as soon as possible. Also, the beginning is in the present moment while everything following that is leading up to that moment. Hope you enjoy. -Mod C]

“(Y/N), what is this? What’s going on?”

You couldn’t look at him. Not now, not when what you had been afraid of this entire time was becoming a reality. So, instead, you kept your eyes glued to the floor, fixed on the perfectly polished tops of his dress shoes. Your tongue was like lead in your mouth as you tried to figure out what to say. How were you supposed to explain yourself to him? How were you going to convince him that, even now, despite what he might think, everything the two of you had shared was definitely real.

He called out to you again and you could hear the pain in his voice. He took a step forward and you looked up, opening your mouth to speak, but it was Keito that answered for you.

“Your Highness, I can explain…”

4 Months Prior

Yuto was tired. He was tired of trying to prove himself to his parents who were obviously beginning to favor his younger brother. He was tired of the state dinners and the attempts by several families to set him up with this Duke’s daughter or that Countess’ niece, as if anything less than crown royalty could possibly be good enough for him. He was tired of everyone trying to take his crown from him.

“Technically, they’re not taking it from you because you haven’t been given it yet,” Ryosuke pointed out. Yuto glared at the general who only gave him a small smile in response causing the prince to sigh.

“That’s the problem,” he said, readjusting in his chair so that his elbows were resting on his knees, chin on top of his interlocked hands. “Between my older brothers who have more military and political experience and my younger who’s nothing short of a genius, there’s no reason for my parents to choose me as the next king…”

Yuto was beginning to ramble again, his three aids standing in front of him at ease, hands behind their backs and palace uniforms neatly pressed and polished. They had all grown up with Yuto and had basically been groomed to serve him and the royal family. As such, they still had to follow some formalities, but could also get away with a little more than the rest of the royal staff, Ryosuke’s previous quip being just one example.

“Maybe if you went to your brothers…” Yuri didn’t make it very far into his sentence before Yuto silenced him with a wave of his hand, leaving a slight scowl on Yuri’s face.

“They have no reason to help me. Aside from maybe Yuzuru, they’re all only trying to help themselves.” Yuto couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the thought of his oldest brother who had all but been removed from the family registry after the tantrum he had thrown when the king rejected the woman he had brought home. Yuto couldn’t wrap his head around it. While Yuzuru had given up his relationship with the girl, he had also basically ensured he wouldn’t even be a contender for the crown with how poorly he had treated their father afterwards. Had it not been for that, Yuzuru would probably be the one on the throne. Now, their mother’s favor had turned to her clever youngest boy, Raiya.

“Prince Yuzuru could still be of some help,” Keito said hesitantly. He knew that the prince’s relationship with all his brothers was rocky since their father was aging and picking an heir had become top priority, but his ties to Yuzuru were even more strained than the rest of them. “If nothing else, he’s a great diplomat which isn’t exactly one of your strong suits…”

Yuto sat up straight in his chair, surprised by Keito’s words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Remember the incident with Count Hatsushima?”

“And don’t forget last month’s dinner with Chancellor Ninomiya and his daughter,” Yuri added, a grin on his face as he remembered the more than slightly offensive things Yuto had said after one too many glasses of wine.

“Oh, my favorite,” Ryosuke chimed in, “was the banquet where you asked the Duchess-“

“Okay, okay!” Yuto interrupted, cheeks red from their teasing. Clearing his throat, the prince said, “So maybe my diplomatic skills are a bit…lacking…but I’m still not talking to Yuzuru…”

His three aids chuckled and decided to let the matter go. Ryosuke pressed a finger lightly to the ear piece he wore, trying to pay attention to the newest transmission from the head of staff. After giving his response, he turned his eyes back to Yuto with a smirk.

“Looks like it’s time to practice those skills of yours. They’re ready for you in the dining room.”

You winced in pain as you were pricked in the hip for what felt like the millionth time, receiving a hurried of “Sorry, sorry” from Shizuka as she took a step back to evaluate the new waist line of the dress she was making. Stroking her chin with her thumb and forefinger, you could already tell your friend was getting lost in that imagination of hers. Maybe if she changed the hem or added an overlaying fabric or went from an A line rather than an empire waist, the dress would look better.

“Shizuka,” you said gently, trying to draw her attention back to you. “Not to interrupt the creative flow or anything, but can we hurry up? I really have to pee.” Under your breath, you added, “And any more pricks and I just might bleed out…”

Digging through the stacks of fabric she had piled up on the table, she pulled out a light blue and held up a swatch, squinting as she tried to envision the changes to her design. “I heard that,” she said. “And I’m almost done, I promise.”

You were happy for Shizuka, truly you were. Her design business was taking off and she was being asked to create things for more and more important people every day. Last week she had even designed performance outfits for the next AKB concert. This week, it was a dress for a banquet for some diplomat’s daughter.

You had had the unfortunate pleasure of being around when the girl had shown up to place the order, excited to say that she was getting something designed by the same person who designed for idols but not so excited about that person not coming from a more “worthy” family. Shizuka was more cordial than you, more willing to deal with the girl’s slights for the sake of her business and the fat check she would be getting at the end of the project. But it had taken all the self-control in your body not to snap when the girl had scrunched up her nose at the apartment the two of you shared or the tea you had brought her or the look of disgust at your clothes. Shizuka had given you a very tight pinch to the elbow when you had started to mouth off to the girl and a pleading look that screamed, “Be nice and we can use part of the commission however you want”.

Dealing with entitled people had never been your strong suit. It didn’t make sense to you that people could think so highly of themselves that they looked down on others when the fact was we were all just people. That’s it. You didn’t like people who couldn’t grasp that concept and placed themselves on some higher level. But, for Shizuka, you were willing to at least try to deal with it, because this business made her happy and it was going well. And if you had to be her mannequin on occasion? Well, what are friends for?

Carefully, she helped you out of the dress and laughed as you all but ran to get into the bathroom. Laying the dress down on the table, she started adding the adjustments to her sketch and rattling off a list of things the two of you needed to do in the next few days.

“She’s staying at the palace and asked me to drop it off for her, but something came up with some of the outfits for the concert—something about them not fitting some of the members properly, I don’t know—so do you think you could deliver it for me?”

Coming out of the bathroom, you had been on your way into the kitchen when you paused and turned on your heel to face your roommate. “You want me to do what now?”

“I know, you didn’t really care for Her Highness when you met last week, but I really need you to do this for me, (Y/N).”

You started to protest, to tell her that there was no way you could see that girl again, even for the few minutes it took to drop off a dress, but Shizuka was giving you that puppy dog look of hers, bottom lip poked out and hands forming a heart over her chest. You sighed knowing there was no way for you get out of this.

“Fine. Fine, I’ll take her the dress.”

“And you’ll be nice to her.”

“Please don’t push it.”

Of all the people to be staying with them for the holiday, why, oh why, did it have to be Nishi and his daughter Rika? Yuto wasn’t sure what was more upsetting, the fact that they were staying in the palace or the fact that his three friends had known and didn’t bother to tell him.

On their way down to the dining room, Keito had tried to justify it by saying they knew how unhappy it would make him. But being able to stew in his anger would have made him feel better than being sprung into a dinner with those two out of the blue. Nishi had been trying to throw his daughter off on Yuto since they had become teenagers and it didn’t help that the queen was simply looking for him to marry. She didn’t seem to care who it was to, as long as they came from a decent background and could give her grandkids. There was no way, though, that Yuto would ever be interested in a mere diplomat’s daughter. Especially not someone as brazen as Rika.

The girl had practically squealed when she saw him and threw her arms around him in a very unwelcome hug, causing Yuto to shoot those three a very unhappy look. A look that was only met by grins from Yuri and Ryosuke and a shrug from Keito.

And so, he ended up at the dinner table with Raiya on his left and Rika on his right. Rika was doing her best to flirt with him, advances that he was skillfully dodging in favor of listening to Raiya talk about the new book he had read. His parents sat at the head of the table, the queen beside Raiya, listening intently to everything he said even if she couldn’t care less while the king talked to Nishi about the Independence Day banquet that would be held later that week.

They held the banquet every year and, every year, it seemed to get more tiring. All 6 of the princes had to do their best to please the diplomats, counts, etc. and reassure them that the royal family still deserved to be in power, that monarchy wasn’t outdated, even when everyone else was favoring presidents and democracies. Plus, there were all the people who were trying to get close to the family, to marry off their children into royalty, create alliances, join the royal council, any and everything to advance their own position. Yuto found it all pathetic but also knew that he wasn’t innocent in these political games. While he held no interest in the children of dukes or counts or regular parliament diplomats, he had on more than one occasion tried to get on the good side of visiting kings or queens because he was determined to become king, even if it wasn’t here with his family.

Yuto was lost in thought, picking at his dinner plate, until he heard his father say his name.

“-and Yuto would be more than happy to escort Rika to the banquet.”

Yuto dropped his fork, causing it to clatter against his plate and for his father to give him a warning glance. He quickly regained his composure, giving a smile to his father and Nishi. “I would love to escort Miss Rika to the banquet.” His father gave a slight nod before putting on a smile and turning back to the diplomat. Yuto tried not to pull away to quickly or too noticeably when Rika placed a hand on his knee.

This was going to be a long week.

According to Shizuka, Rika had wanted the dress brought to her the day of the banquet meaning, not only where you going to the palace, but you were going to the palace on a national holiday. Which meant that there was no way in hell Shizuka was letting you go in jeans and those stupid sneakers you tried to pair with everything. She had called you from the dressing room of AKB concert in between songs for dress rehearsal to make absolutely sure that you were dressed appropriately.

“You know I love you,” she said sweetly. “I just need you, as a friend and as a representative of my business, to not put on that tired sweatshirt and jeans combo of yours and go to the palace.”

You rolled your eyes but continued to dig through your closet for that outfit you had worn for your birthday, the really nice blue and black ensemble that fit perfectly in all the right places. “I’m wearing the outfit you made me for my birthday. Is that suitable enough?”

“Oooh, that’s perfect!” you could hear the buzz of the sewing machine as she talked to you and the faint sound of AKB48’s Baby!Baby!Baby! in the background. As an afterthought, and still in stylist mode, she added, “Make sure to wear the black dress shoes and that silver necklace.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Laying the outfit on the bed and moving your phone to the other ear, you said, “I’m gonna shower but can you get Minami’s autograph for me?”

“Sure thing!”

By noon, you were standing outside of the palace gates, dress bag in tow, staring wide eyed at the place. You had seen it before, in the distance as you rode the train to school or work, on TV when the king or queen gave formal statements, when the gates were flocked with paparazzi because of something one of the princes did. But you had never thought you were going to be seeing it in person and certainly never did you think you would be going inside.

The guard at the gate asked a few questions and did a quick search before letting you inside, another guard guiding you through long passageways and up to the room that Rika was staying in. You trailed behind, busy trying to commit the place to memory because you were sure you would never be back inside, but eventually caught up and stood behind him as he knocked on the door.

“Miss Rika, your tailor is here.” He announced. You started to correct him but he didn’t seem interested in listening and it wasn’t like it really mattered. The door swung open and Rika stood before you dressed in elegant silk pajamas and a sheer robe, the look of excitement on her face instantly vanishing when she saw that it was you and not Shizuka.

“Oh,” she sneered. “It’s you. Come in, I guess.” She waved off the guard and went back into the room, you following awkwardly after her. Rika headed into the bathroom to finish doing her makeup and you closed the door behind you, again looking around at the beautiful and elegant decorations.

“Where’s the other one?” Rika called from the bathroom as she applied her mascara. It took you a second to realize she was talking about Shizuka.

“She had another appointment and wanted me to drop this off for you.”

“Hm.” Rika popped her head out of the bathroom and eyed you for a second. “You don’t look disgusting this time, that’s good. Open the dress bag.”

You opened your mouth to say something but instantly bit your tongue. If this went well, Shizuka would get more jobs and could save up more money to get herself an official studio and expand her business. No matter how much you hated being in the same room as this girl, you needed to be good, for Shizuka. You unzipped the dress bag and held the dress out for her to see, her eyes widening when she saw it.

“It’s perfect!” She squealed. You covered your ear with your free hand, the high pitch of her voice hurting you. “I was worried when I saw that dump of a place she was working out of, but I guess she’s not bad after all, huh?”

Not in the mood to listen to her talk about your best friend, and not entirely sure you would be able to control your temper, you sat the dress down on the large bed in the center of the room and started to head towards the door once she had given you the commission.

“Well, really glad you liked it. Nice working with you. I’ll tell Shizuka you said hi.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Bye.” Rika was too busy examining the dress to fully pay attention to you. As you were leaving, you could hear her on her cell phone talking to a friend. “Guess who just got a dress made by AKB’s personal designer! No, you idiot, it’s me!”

You couldn’t have been more relieved to leave that room. Now you just had to remember how to get back down to the front foyer. It couldn’t be too hard. You just needed to go down the hallway and down a few flights of stairs. But…was it down the hall to the right or the left?

“I know you’re not looking forward to going with Rika, but that doesn’t mean you can be late.” Keito scolded. Yuto was still lying in bed on his phone, scrolling through news articles and laughing at funny pictures of dogs. There was maybe two hours left before guests started to arrive and, while it didn’t take him very long to get dressed, his parents wouldn’t be happy if Yuto didn’t come down until just before people started showing up. He was sure that, if nothing else, Yuzuru and Tadashi were already dressed and walking around checking final preparations.

Sitting up, Yuto tossed his phone to Ryosuke. “Everyone’s talking about the new heir to one of the allied thrones.”

Ryosuke glanced down at the article that was pulled up on Yuto’s phone before looking back at the prince, a confused look on his face. “Okay?”

“An heir of marrying age who no one has seen because she hasn’t done her coming out yet.” Yuto got out of bed and padded his way into the bathroom to start getting ready. “There’s going to be more paparazzi here this year than ever because people all think she’ll show up and they’re curious.”

“Wasn’t the heir originally a boy? What happened to the prince?” Yuri asked, taking the phone from Ryosuke. The three of them scrolled through the article as Yuto washed his face.

“He got caught up in some sex scandal apparently.” He called back. “Something about an ambassador’s son and some pictures. I’m not really sure. But they’re handing the throne over to his younger sister (Y/N) who had been abroad for school.”

“And you’re interested because?” Keito pressed.

“It’s it obvious?” Yuto dried his face with his towel and slung it over his shoulder, shooting the others a grin. “I’m gonna become king.”

“What about Rika?”

Turning on the shower, Yuto scoffed. “What about her?”

And, now I’m lost.

You sighed as you walked down yet another unfamiliar hallway. You had definitely made a wrong turn somewhere; the issue was figuring out exactly where. You wanted to be surprised that there was no one around to help you until you remembered the entire staff was probably busy getting things together for the banquet. You were hungry, though, and wanted to get out of the palace before you caused any trouble. After walking around for what felt like forever, you would have been glad to run anything anyone. Even Rika.

“Do you think that princess is going to show up?” you heard a voice asking. It was slightly muffled, becoming more clear as the person turned the corner.

“I’m not sure. I mean if she hasn’t even done a coming out in her own country, I doubt she’d show up for a banquet in someone else’s.”

Turning towards the voices, you saw three men in the dark palace guard uniform walking towards you, all well decorated with tassels and medals. One was blonde with slightly shaggy hair, the other two dark haired sporting well styled haircuts. Even though you had been doing nothing wrong, you froze when you saw them and they did the same, their pace slowing as, one by one, they became aware of your presence.

“Who are you and what are you doing in the royal quarters?” The taller of the dark-haired men asked, eyeing you warily. You cursed yourself mentally. How had you managed to get from the guest rooms up to the royal quarters? You were just trying to get out of this place.

“My name is (Y/N) and I’m lost…”

The three of them exchanged looks, their tentative looks turning to shock or confusion, your own expression shifting to mirror theirs when they bowed to you.

“What the hell…”

#au #drabble #hey say jump #hey say jump scenarios #mod c #nakajima yuto #multichapter

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lazuliblade · 7 years

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You are such a magical gem to the fandom! I read your breakdown about the typical season, do you mind explaining how an Olympic year/ Olympic qualifiers can change things?

(ﾉ^♡ ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧Thank you!For the sake of not rewriting everything that’s already been written, I’m going to plug Soyouwanttowatchfs which has some good guides to a lot of basic figure skating info and tackles more detailed questions as they come up. I recommend this post for some info on competitions, but I’ll add my own tiny gems of information here too.

In an Olympic year, not too much changes schedule-wise. The GPSeries caries on like normal, Nationals are the usual times, Euros/4CC, Worlds are the same time, and the Olympics fits snugly in mid-February. But there are some little quirks to the season:

Inflation of scores

Re-using old programs

Olympic qualifiers

Four Continents is pretty empty

Worlds is pretty empty

First off, the Olympic season starts to get in motion at the end of the prior season. The number of skaters that a country will be allowed for that discipline (i.e. Men’s Singles) at the coming Olympics (and Worlds) is determined by how skaters place at the prior Worlds. So skaters go into Worlds not only carrying their own ambitions, but also carrying the fate of their country on their shoulders. If they bomb at Worlds, a country that could have had 3 spots might find themselves with 2 or even just 1 spot for that discipline at the Olympics. To be somewhat melodramatic: “You just crushed the hopes&dreams of your fellow skaters who’ve wanted to go to the Olympics since they were kids.”

Inflation of scores

You’ll usually see the judges give scores that are a tad higher than you would see in other years. They’ll be a little more generous in GOE or in PCS scoring.

This could be nice, because worthy programs will get the perfect PCS 10s that are usually never given out, but on the other hand you’ll get programs that really shouldn’t have scored as high as they did with mistakes.

Re-using old programs - a strategy to use your strong points

A lot of skaters will use the non-Olympic years to explore different themes and styles, and then for the Olympics they’ll choose something that they had an affinity for, and further polish it.

The reason for continuing a program for a second year is usually because they (the skater&coach) believe that the program didn’t reach its full potential and there’s more that it can give.

Olympic qualifiers - There are a lot of regulations to enter the Olympics(check out page28 Rule 400). What we’re concerned with is Men’s Singles, so to simplify it: 30 skaters can compete and 24 of those entries are split up among countries based on how their skaters did at Worlds (the max a country can earn is 3 spots). The other 6 entries are open only for countries that didn’t have a spot given to them (so if Russia had earned 2 entries, they couldn’t try getting a 3rd one this way). Skaters in these hopeful countries would go to whichever competition is designated as the Qualifier that year and the top 6 would earn their country one entry. Of course, any participating skater at the Olympics would need to have achieved or passed the Minimum Total Elements Score at an ISU competition that season or the season prior. This threshold score changes every season and would be published in a Communication that you could find on the ISU website. By October 30th we would know which countries are permitted to send skaters, and how many skaters they are each allowed to send.

For the elite skaters (in YOI that would be just about every skater we met), they’re likely strong enough to earn a spot for their country just by competing at Worlds. Which means the majority of them don’t need to worry about this other Qualifier and can instead focus on the season as normal.

Like with Euros/Four Continents/Worlds, each country has it’s own committee to decide whom they’ll send to the Olympics. There’s not an exact formula and I don’t believe you’ll find it clearly written down in handbooks ( “A skater must achieve 1st in Nationals blah blah score of at least 180 with jumps that earn +2 GOE etc.” ). Generally speaking, how a skater does in the GPSeries, how they do in Nationals, and their previous skating record will determine if they will be sent (more on this below).

Four Continents Championships is pretty empty

This is also around mid-February, so the top skaters that usually go here probably won’t bother since they’re competing in the Olympics right around that time. The 4CC isn’t nearly as important as THE Olympics.

Worlds is pretty empty

Not because of scheduling, but simply because skaters are bone-tired at this point. Many of them are done with the season after the Olympics. They’ve given it all they had at the Olympics already, and Worlds is just that little bit too much.

Yuzuru once described it as “your body is like a rubber band stretched and about to snap”

You also have a lot of skaters retiring or deciding to take a year off after the Olympics, so you either won’t see them at Worlds (Patrick Chan), or they’ll show up to do one last amazing program if they were unsatisfied with their Olympics performance (Mao Asada).

————–

A few examples of skaters being sent thanks to multiple factors:

In countries with multiple spots for the Olympics and many talented skaters to fill those spots, or in countries that have less-decorated skaters and just one spot to fill, this is where placement in Nationals and the GPSeries becomes super important. At the same time, you’ll have cases where a skater would normally be picked (they became National Champion that year), yet is put to the side in favor of another skater that shows more consistency, looks promising, or contributed significantly to the country in past years.

Evgeni Plushenko was sent to Sochi despite not competing regularly in competitions for the few years prior, and despite placing 2nd at Russian Nationals. That’s because he’s Plushenko – a Living Legend and Russia’s Hero – and even being on the older side of the competitive skaters (with titanium bolts and a synthetic disk in his back from past surgeries) he has such a presence on the ice and was still able to do quads. Plus he’s the 10-time Russian National Champion, an Olympic Champion(2006), and Olympic Silver medalist (2010).

Daisuke Takahashi had a rough patch the year leading up to Sochi, but he was National Champion for a number of years, has done so much for Japanese figure skating, and he is so well-beloved (he was called “The King of Figure Skating” for some time there), that he was trusted to represent Japan. Even though he had a knee injury and withdrew from the GPF, and had placed 5th at Nationals, it would have felt like betrayal to the Japanese figure skating community if the committee didn’t send him as one of the three entries. Plus he’s the 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist.

Tatsuki Machida did not have a stellar track record in the years leading up to Sochi. Japan had a deep field to pick from, and there were other skaters who had many good years to back them up – like Nobunari Oda who had won Bronze at the GPF that year. However, Machida did consistently well in the GPSeries that year (gold in both events and 4th at the GPF) and was 2nd at Nationals behind Yuzuru Hanyu. Many believed he was finally peaking in his career and there would be good things to come, so he was sent to the Olympics.

———–

Olympics years are special. It seems like you can’t watch any competition without hearing commentators considering “who you need to watch at the Olympics.” So even if the structure of the year doesn’t change itself, there’s this super-charged atmosphere that makes everything feel a little more exciting.

#figure skating #anon ask #ask response #yoi #informational post

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wherespacepooh · 7 years

Text

ARTICLE: The Secret of Prestigious Champion Maker (TCC) where Hanyu Yuzuru Trains (2017.08.18 Yomiuri)

In-depth look into the Cricket Club as a training environment and what the team, the grounds, the rivalry all mean to Hanyu. Plus, a quote from Shae-lynn implying, perhaps, some new choreography? *-* *-* *-*

Translated by gladi. Feel free to repost with credit. Images belong to Yomiuri Shinbun and their respective photographers. Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/olympic/2018/feature/20170817-OYT8T50014.html

At the Olympic Games to be held next year in Febrary, figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu will face the colossal challenge of defending his Olympic title. As his training base, the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club (TCC) was where Hanyu had announced his free program for the new season back in early August. The club is also home to Hanyu’s rival, Javier Fernandez of Spain. What is the secret of this prestigious club that has turned out star skaters one after the other? How did Hanyu’s strength come to be?

(Text by Nagai Junko, Yomiuri Shinbun Sports)

(photo by Takedatsu Atsushi)

Hanyu receives guidance from multiple coaches

August 8. Appearing at rinkside, Hanyu chatted with other skaters and coaches and started to put on his skating boots. It is his 6th season since he first moved his training base to Toronto. The way he conversed with people around him in English, too, was also looking quite good.

Hanyu’s training session was in a class for top athletes. The ten or so skaters with the highest level of skills start the lesson together, and do their own runthroughs with music in order.

On the ice and around, Brian Orser, who coaches Hanyu, Calgary Olympics Ice Dance bronze medalist Tracy Wilson and other coaches watch over [the skaters]. The most significant feature of this club is the team coaching from multiple coaches.

Under Brian Orser, specialists such as skating coach Tracy Wilson, spin doctor Paige Aistrop are responsible for teaching their respective division. Hanyu stresses on the club’s merits, “It is great that the coaches bring a variety of opinions, watching my jumps. With regard to music too, everyone can share.”

One might think that in order to churn out star skaters with high levels of technique, [the club] would emphasize jump practices, but that is not the case. At the end of the day’s training, everyone wraps up with 15 minutes of skating practice.

(photo by Takedatsu Atsushi)

Prestigious club boasts of close to 200 years of history

TCC is set on the corner of a high-end residential area about 10km north of the city centre of Toronto. Established in 1827, this prestigious, membership-based club boasts of nearly 200 years of history. Visitors are checked at the entrance. Stepping foot into the building, one is struck by the magnificent, lofty atmosphere that permeates.

The skating rink on the first floor is 57m long and 27m wide, a size smaller compared to international standards, but poses no concern for training. An entire side of the walls are decorated with plates engraved with the names of Olympic and World medalists that came from the club. Of course, that includes Hanyu, who won at Sochi, but former World Champion Fernandez and Orser, who had gotten the silver medal in both 1984 Sarajevo and ’88 Calgary Olympics, as well.

The two-storey building is fully equipped year-round with the skating rink, a gym, a studio, a curling rink and so forth. At the gym and the studio, one can take lessons, such as pilates and dance, offered by professional trainers. As a result of having kept up with pilates, the formerly frail body of Hanyu, who had struggled with skating his free programs to the end, has become quite sturdy.

Coming out of the building, there are swimming pools and tennis courts, and a wide spread of natural turf. One can even have his/her meal at the restaurant that looks out at the field. Just as Hanyu had said, “I am really benefiting [from the environment and facilities], to the extent––what do you want to do if it doesn’t work out with [all] this,” we were left with the impression that all necessary equipment and facilities were available at one’s disposal.

(photo by Takedatsu Atsushi)

2015’s SEIMEI created through sharing images

Not only coaches, [TCC] has assembled a group of top-notch choreographers as well.

Hanyu will perform to Chopin’s Ballade No.1 in his SP after two seasons for the third time. For the free program, he has chosen SEIMEI, arranged from the soundtrack of the movie Onmyoji, also after two seasons.

The SP’s choreographer is Jeffrey Buttle, and Shae-lynn Bourne was responsible for the FP. Both were formerly top skaters, currently flooded with requests from skaters all around the world to choreograph their programs. Because Orser has brought such popular choreographers into the team, skaters [at TCC] are able to have their programs prioritized.

To Hanyu, it is his fourth season working as a team with Bourne.

In the past, the two have produced such works as Phantom of the Opera (2014-15 season), SEIMEI (2015-16 season), Hope & Legacy (2016-17 season).

When they worked on SEIMEI in 2015, Hanyu and Bourne watched the movie’s DVD together, and approached choreography after sharing images from the story.

This time as well, regarding the new SEIMEI rearranged with a new program composition, Bourne gave such feedback, “Because we’ve come to reach mutual understanding, we were able to try various different movements.”

David Wilson too, who’d choreographed [Hanyu’s] free program at the Sochi Olympics, Romeo & Juliet, and the favorably reviewed exhibition program from last season, Notte Stellata, takes residence at the rink as coaching staff. Making tweaks to performances even during the season, the choreographers never slack to bring further improvements to the programs.

(photo by Kurihara Reiri)

Benefits of having Fernandez close by

It is also a huge advantage to have rivals near you.

“Because there are many top skaters here, I am able to train while being stimulated all the time. This is the biggest merit of TCC, I think it is its forte,” emphasizes Hanyu.

Especially significant is probably the presence of Fernandez, who’d won consecutive world titles in 2015 and ’16. The 26-year-old spaniard who’d knocked on TCC’s door one year ahead of Hanyu is “someone like an elder brother” to him, and also “someone he’d never want to lose to.” It is not hard to imagine that this high-level rivalry that begins from training has quickened Hanyu’s growth. Fernandez, too, recognizes the effect of having a world-class rival nearby, “Since training with Yuzuru, I have been motivated by his strict devotion [to his goals].”

The way the two spent their off-season were mirror-opposites of each other.

After appearing in ice shows in Japan from May to June, he has been undergoing “very serious training” (Orser) in Toronto for around 7 weeks. Meanwhile, Fernandez took time off in his home country, Spain, and had just started training in early August. Even though their ways of doing things are different, Orser respects skaters’ individual personalities, “The approach differs based on the skater. We talk with each of them and decide on separate ways of doing things.”

Hanyu looked back on the Sochi Olympic season four years ago. “During the time of Sochi, in response to Brian's do this, do that, I would only add a little bit of my own thoughts on top of his.” Now, Hanyu believes that “I think this way, Brian thinks this way, Shae-lynn thinks this way… combining all these views and discussing, we are able to arrive at a good direction. Instead of 1+1 = 2, we can now get 3, or even 4.” More and more, he appears to be actually feeling the benefit to this club.

Would a 2-time-successive Olympic champion––for the first time in 66 years in men’s figure skating––be born from the grounds in Toronto, where Orser calls “the best club in the world”?

The seeds have been sown. (fin)

(photo by Hayashi Youichi)

#hanyu yuzuru #yuzuru hanyu #羽生結弦 #2017 media day #2017 #yomiuri

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