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yume-fanfare · 4 years ago

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hi i am that anon from like 29th Dec (last dang year) who said i read ur tsuki no hime and loved it and that u understand Aizou. i have read more of ur stuff since then and now i NEED to ask you for writing advice, on both characterization and general writing tips since I didnt mention it before. Sorry about that! i just forgot i sent an ask and i do not get notifs at all (or does anon asks not get notifs?) Also, ART STUDENT! That's why the nice art and art leaning!! I feel smart for sensing it

oh yup, tumblr doesn't send notifs for anon asks! but i'm glad you did see the answer anyway

this post is hideously long, so answer under the cut!

so, on characterization: it is mostly a matter of what would they say, rather than what you want them to say. the joke about "the characters do what they want to" instead of what the writer wants is pretty much true if you want them to be in character lol (that's why sometimes a little bit of OoC isn't too bad)

checking the source material is the most important thing: look at prior similar interactions the characters have had and how they reacted

this is kind of hard with LIPxLIP, as there aren't that many translated texts about them but with honeyworks the most canon and reliable thing to use as reference are the mvs. the mvs are drawn in a way that can pretty much be understood even if you don't have the lyrics, and sometimes it's even better if you can't read them, to properly focus on the images better

look at their expressions closely: while aizou is always explosive in his anger, yuujirou often has a more indifferent expression. so, when they fight, aizou is probably the one to blow up first while yuujirou maintains his composure better. it's kind of the classic "this was only a brief passing panel but i am going to expand on it" www

but the thing about fanfiction is that it's always a bit of a character analysis in itself. you don't start writing having already a color-coded folder of possible situations and reactions a character would have for each setting. you just throw the characters in a scenario and then think from there onwards, and eventually you'll be able to have the folder of situations and what you think their reactions would be like. (though, this links back to the prior point, if the characters have gone through a similar situation in canon, use that as guide! plus, finding little references to canon when reading is always fun)

for general writing, i'm going to mostly talk about my own experiences and process! i'm in no way a professional though

the basic is reading a lot. not just books but also fanfic. in fact, since you're writing fanfic, i Encourage you to read fanfic. even if your story ends up novel length, the way of treating the story is different from that of an actual novel. for example, because you're working under the premise that everyone knows the characters already. the general style of fics is different as well.

in fact, the style is the main reason i'm saying this slfkslfkslkf

read a lot of stuff and find a style you like. think of it as sewing together pieces from here and there to make a frankenstein amalgamation: this person's metaphors, the comparisons from here, the descriptions from there

personally, i adore the "long one-shot with a long title formatted (like this)" fics that are mostly feelings and descriptions and as little dialogue as possible, and some that occasionally play with the "show don't tell" rule, and some months ago i read a book whose descriptions amazed me because you could feel what the character was focusing on the most, rather than being general descriptions of the situation (i actually have a lot of thoughts about descriptions but that's a post for another day). but also i really like dialogue and plot-driven stories, descriptions can get boring and before trying to break rules, you have to be really good at following them

but, let's go step by step: developing an idea

for this i'm going to mostly reference the multichap i finished a while ago as an example

i started with just a few vague concepts in mind: non-idol au with aizou who does some sport and likes music but is insecure about his singing and yuujirou who does some music related thing and encourages him to sing in a way that's somehow related to the hozier song to noisemaking (sing), because it's what inspired me to write in the first place

then, from then onwards i wrote down what would happen in the first chapter of the story bullet-point-list-style, including things like the roommates part or the clubs the boys were in (at first yuujirou was in the choir club lol the change was a last second decision that idk why i took) and then bits of dialogue here and there that would be The Turning Points. those first dialogues were for the fight at the end of ch 1, the apology-date in ch 3 and then some vaguely unused ones for the "yuujirou encourages aizou" part, as those were the first key moments i thought of

because, since it's enemies to friends to lovers, an important aspect was character development

not all fics have character development bc not all of them are long enough (if you're aiming for short and sweet then there's no need). but if they do, i recommend you write down how the character was at the beginning of the story and then how they were at the end and then fill in the middle later, think of what those key turning points that made the character change were (the more little things you add, the more gradual it'll be)

samishigariya illustrates this very nicely: the song starts and finishes with the same lines, but the ending ones feel more light-hearted. the beginning has pre-arisa ken and pre-getting-along-with-yuujirou aizou, when they were the lonely people the title mentioned, and the ending, when they're not lonely anymore. the in between can be seen in depth during the other songs: ken before arisa was a playboy who didn't take love seriously, but after meeting her he realized that games were not all there was to love; and aizou used to be quite cranky and high-key a loner, but then he "meets precious things and knows of love". i will not elaborate on that because this isn't an aiyuu post but Oh You Know

for the fic, aizou would go through that same process, more or less: someone who doesn't really form meaningful connections with people but who, in the end, would end up having quite a bunch of people who care about him as his relationship with yuujirou advances too

since the relationship was the main focus, i wrote a very simple outline for how it would develop throughout 5 hypothetical chapters that was just: 1. civil w each other but mostly bad > 2. bad > 3. half friends > 4. pining > 5. date

and then with that in mind and the bullet point list, the final basic outline ended up like this:

there were scraped ideas and ideas that made it in later, but i believe having a simple outline, a bare skeleton to add things to, is important. stories need continuity, development requires a prior buildup

it's especially important in multichapter fics where you post as you write, you need to have a more or less clear idea of what's going to happen because you can't ignore scenes you've already posted

shorter stories don't need it as much, you can think as you go, but it's still helpful to know where you're going with things to avoid getting stuck

and, on getting stuck: don't be afraid of deleting things. if you can't figure out how to continue things, then delete the situation and start again. it might feel like you'd be wasting time but in the end, it is so much better than being stuck on the same scene for weeks

in fact, you don't have to write in order. jump to the next scene and you'll figure it out later. you Can write the scene you want to write and then build everything else around it

it's normal to write a scene and then realize it would make more sense later in the story, or that it would be better if you added another scene earlier, or sometimes you just find it easier to jump from one part of the story to another. rely on your outline to keep track of what you've written, what you have left to write and what's the best way to arrange your story. make your story understandable

which bring us to editing

there's a lot of much better posts on editing stories, but yeah ctrl+f is your best friend: don't repeat yourself too much. and be sure to vary sentence and paragraph length, as well as sentence structure, to give dynamism to the writing

now, i've mentioned before the show, don't tell rule, but i'm going to talk a bit more about it because it's quite important

once again there's a lot of posts that explain more in depth what it is, so i'm not going to expand too much on that, but, very basically, try to avoid things like "then some time passed and they became friends". explain it: what happened exactly? how did they become friends? if it's important, show it to us, instead of summarizing

since things like these make the story longer, it also gives room for more development and proper explanation for things that happen

for example, the fic was originally going to start with them already in the room, and the whole situation would have been explained in a single paragraph somewhere, but by actually adding the scene where they first arrive to the dorms and argue with the lady at the main desk, the story flows better and it let me actually describe their first meeting

and uuuhhh i think that's all? this took super long to write i hope i didn't forget any super basic stuff lol

i want to add that for enemies to lovers i greatly recommend this post bc it's super good but yeah i think that's basically it, if you have any more specific questions just shoot me an ask

#god this is so long #how should i tag this #tutorials #i guess #anonymous #preguntas

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inquisitoracorn · 4 years ago

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Hi, Acorn!! For the Fanfic Writer Meta ask: 4, 5, 6, and 20, please. Thank you <3 :)

Hello friend! Thank you for the ask!!

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

I answered 4 here but I’ll choose another bit from the same scene.

The out-quarter community had grown so large and affluent enough that there had been talks within the City Council to add a new set of defence walls that would encompass both the old and the new: the navy residences, the slums, the out-quarter and the long due alienage. Sadly, one councillor’s idea of calling the new addition the “Out-Skirt” was promptly shut down by other bristling councillors, highly protective of their precious metaphor, and never brought up again. Or, at least not in the Council Chamber. Jonathan liked to read the papers.

I was just going crazy with the city building aspect at this point and I have to admit this was 70% the result of me binge-playing Anno 1404 and Civilization VI for a whole weekend. I had a blast with it. I even made a basic map of Ostwick in Paint :))))

5. What character that you’re writing do you most identify with?

Reeeeaaally hard to say. With everyone to an extent. The problem with writing mostly OCs is that I fundamentally understand everyone’s motivations and so I relate to most of them at least a little. I relate to Jonathan’s well-intentioned cluelessness and curiosity, to Smahal’s wish to lead a peaceful life and be left alone, and to Helmut’s uncontrollable urge to stick it to authority figures.

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

Again, all of them depending on what I’m writing :)))

Marcelle, Helmut and Martyn are a blast when it comes to humour and sarcasm. Bann Trevelyan and Leopold are fun because I write them as cartoonishly evil as possible while trying to sprinkle in hints about their motivations. I love writing Nadia’s doublespeak. And of course I have a soft spot for Jonathan and the twins and there’s a scene I’m really looking forward to with them three just enjoying some damn peace for once :))))

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Thank you for this one! Now the problem is I have so many and I think about them constantly, but now that you asked I can’t think of a single one :)))

I’ll ramble about something I posted a while ago, featuring Cole having one of his mind-reading flashback moments (edited to sound better):

“Steps that echo in the night, impending, steady, sure, unbroken stride. Incessant tap of heels on stony steps. Five even raps at my door, loud enough to hear if awake, quiet enough to miss if asleep. Which should I be?”

This is a callback (callforward?) to what will be the very last chapter of this fic. It’s one of the first scenes I came up with when I thought of the concept and it features a lot of elements from media that I love. It is a culmination of many things and I can’t wait, I cannot wait to write this. There’s still a while to go until then though and I’m pacing myself :)))

Also! Unintentional relevant moment, Verdi, back when you asked me about what they’re wearing at the wedding, and I hadn’t given it any thought, which made me spend hours coming up with outfits. And then I focused on their jewelry and mentioned gold-encased garnets, and then OH LOOK this is now a plot item! Samahl ends up with one of them when he and Jonathan were, uh, having fun, then Samahl sends it back for two reasons: 1. so he wouldn’t be accused of stealing; 2. so the city guard doesn’t find it if they search his apartment and link Jonathan to the whole mess again. But he also sends a note of a meeting place and time, so Jonathan visits him in the alienage and that causes a whole new level of mayhem :)))

Fast forward two months later, and the jewelry is now an important plot point, as Jonathan is sent on a trade mission to a jeweller in Nevarra. There are about five different reasons for this trip, and only one has been mentioned in the fic so far, and I only just put the pieces together that this is the same jeweller who made the wedding jewelry and my mind exploded!! It will only get more fun now, and it’s mostly your fault :)))

Alright, ramble over! Thank you for the opportunity :)))

#writing meme #acorn answers

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orthographewrites · 6 years ago

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1 - 25 (/or at least the ones you’ve not answered so far)

ROLEPLAYING HABITS:

1. what’s a grammar rule you find yourself breaking or ignoring a lot?

I break like… all of them. It’s shameful but grammar has never really been my thing. Writing is so fluent and you don’t have to bend yourself after rules that tend to constantly change depending on whatever author made something popular for a while – as long as you make sense whilst writing!

2. are there any languages besides english in which you think you could comfortably roleplay?

Well, I am Swedish so obviously I’d also be comfortable writing in my native tongue – to some degree. I find Swedish to be ugly as heck and try and avoid it if possible.

3. how often do you reach for a synonym dictionary when writing? how about mentally?

I definitely do it more mentally then I do looking things up on my computer, it probably wouldn’t help much either way because I only tend to go with synonyms whenever I can’t find the words I want and once my brain poops it poops! I’d rather get my reply done than stall trying to find a fancier word to match.

4. how often do you need to translate your own or the other’s writing with a dictionary or google when writing and reading replies?

Not as much as I used to, that’s for sure. I had this weird phase a few years back when I’d write the reply up in Swedish first and then translate it to English using google translate instead of trusting my own skills. It helped me understand/learn some new words, but you know! These days it happens rarely, maybe a few times a month but it’s mostly me checking to see whether I’ve used the correct spelling etc.

5. do you listen to music while you write?

No, it’s another thing I’ve stopped doing. I keep telling myself I should open up my playlist whilst working on stuff but it never happens.

6. do you have ideal writing circumstances when you can do a lot of drafts or tackle really long ones very easily?

Ohh, I guess I have to be focused to fully get through more than one reply at a time. No youtube to keep me busy, no messages to interrupt my thinking – just me and me drafts. I also need to have slept well/not been to work in a while.

7. are you a morning, day, evening, or night writer?

Evening or day! I used to be a night writer, but I’m training myself to turn off technology around midnight and I tend to get kind of sleepy around said time so… Morning is a lmaooo, I’m not awake until lunch.

8. how does tiredness affect your writing?

It leaves me lackluster, zero imagination and with no patience. I tend to not write at all if I’m tired, unless the thread is really good and the person I’m up against isn’t around too often. Count them spelling errors tho.

9. have you ever written a serious reply intoxicated?

I don’t drink.

10. how much do you proof-read as you are writing vs. proof-read at the end?

Depends on how long the reply is! If it’s more than three paragraphs I tend to give myself a quick break and move back to the start to correct errors and sentences that sound off. Then I tend to give it another quick read before I send it, making sure I feel somewhat fine with the outcome. I’m way too into editing and rewriting, it’s rare I post a reply without proof-reading.

11. when you are writing a reply, how much ahead in the thread do you plan?

Depends on the thread! Sometimes I like to dwell on connections and such before bed, but they’re also supposed to be written between two people and I can’t assume what my partner will reply with -- ya know? I do, however, tend to plan my replies whenever I got time to spare. Saves me time whenever I do wanna do them drafts.

12. is there ever been a time when you’ve had to drop a roleplaying partner because you’ve found their writing style exhausting?

Here on my 1x1 I can’t say it’s ever happened, I’ve mostly just drifted away from those I don’t click with. In rp groups though it’s happened plenty of times, because either they give shallow/short answers which forces me to do all the work whilst replying or they just don’t seem very into our threads and it just brings it down to a low.

13. does writing roleplay things in public spaces make you uncomfortable?

Nope! I’ve written replies in school and at the library countless of times, it’s kind of peaceful and often give me a time limit to work with so I’m more effective heh.

14. what do you do after you see a person has replied? do you read it immediately, or do you wait for it to show up on the dash? do you like it, draft it immediately, etc?

I mean, if someone’s replied it should show up on the dash, right?? Or have I missed something?? I’m so confused. But if I can read it I definitely will, yes! As said, I work up my replies inside my head before I type them down and I tend to draft them as soon as I can.

15. how often do you need to change the icon in your reply while or after writing the reply?

I don’t use icons but uhh I add my gifs and such after I’m done writing, and sometimes it works right off the bat and other times I’ll have to click through a few of them.

16. do you first get in the “zone” when writing, or do you start writing and “enter” it that way?

I think I enter it? Never really thought about it. I tend to open up a reply and the “zone” takes over I’ll get a lot more done I guess.

17. what is your biggest obstacle to writing every day, if time doesn’t count?

I could never write every day, that’s just impossible for me these days. Usually my energy levels are low, I lack motivation or I don’t have threads that truly speak to me at the moment. It’s a bit of this and that.

18. what’s your inbox count currently? what did you do to get it so high/low?

Nothing! People don’t really have a reason to reach out that way??

19. how many drafts is a paralysing amount?

Maybe about 20? Especially if it’s longer replies. I tend to keep my drafts below the 20 mark because of this.

20. if you are writing a wrong reply that’s not working out, do you save what you have to be continued at another date, or do you scrap it and rewrite?

If I do, it’s probably my mood that’s wrong for said reply. I tend to draft it with whatever I’ve got and then I’ll revisit it some other time once my head is a lot more clear and willing to cooperate. It’s rare I delete everything and start over.

21. does making icons give or take away energy to write? what about other graphics?

I don’t use icons or graphics, I’d rather be without either!

22. longest reply you’ve ever written on mobile?

Nope. Nah. No.

23. does the total amount of threads you have going on matter to you, or just how many you owe?

Only the amount I owe! What I can’t see can’t hurt me omg.

24. what’s your thought process when you format? any unspoken rules you follow?

Formatting is for weak ppl. Stop that.

25. how does your follower count affect your mood?

Not at all? People follow if they want to follow, I didn’t make this blog with getting followers in mind. I’m just here to rp and have fun. It’s nice to see that follower count rise though, you’re all more than welcome to the party!

#its cute of u to assume ppl send me stuff like this omg #so imma just do them all in one #but thank you love <33 #also me

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teatotally · 8 years ago

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I've just been rereading some of your wonderful longfic and you write such good action i'm so envious, especially Don't Wait Up for Me. Someone said it was cinematic and I think thats a good description. Whenever I try to write action I just can't or it doesn't seem very good, and I wonder if you have any advice as a writer and editor about how to write action scenes, or just any writing advice in general.

First, I have to apologize for taking so long to respond; it’s been hard to get back in the swing of things after surgery. Second, thank you so much for the lovely compliment, and I’m so glad you liked Don’t Wait Up for Me, because that’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.

To your question: I sometimes feel like I could write a book, just based on the sheer volume of crap I read for my job and the way all these things pile up for me, but there are hundreds of writing advice books out there, and some of them are even actually good so no one needs another one. :-D But I think there are some specifics to writing action, and in particular action within fanfiction, that are fairly unique and not always addressed in tutorials.

When I’m copyediting fiction especially, I often find my attention wanders or my eyes glaze over because of flabby or weak writing, and that’s just death for a scene where people are supposed to be doing stuff and hooking the reader. The same mistakes kind of pile up and up, and this is pro published stuff. Fan readers are pretty forgiving mostly, but a lot of these issues have an unconscious effect on us, we forget fics that could be memorable because we skimmed over stuff that should engage us.

Years ago at Slate, I copyedited a book review that made me laugh, because it was a lot of these problems in a nutshell:

His writing is riddled with clichés that are daily struck down by conscientious high-school teachers. The characters always think “for a moment,” as if a sustained thought is impossible in the Wagnerian world. “Silence” plagues the pages, and it often “follows” speech. The thunder claps “Whrromp!” Every glance is recorded, for no discernable reason—everyone is “looking” or “focusing” all the time. The faces repeatedly “light up.” People don’t smile—they “start to smile"—and they do things “a little,” even if much happens “all of a sudden.” Here is a typical passage: “Liz started to smile, then started to say something, then thought better of it. Her smile faded for a moment, while she seemed to concentrate on a thought.”

That’s the kind of writing that can just utterly kill action scenes. So what would I tell you to avoid that kind of stuff? :

1. Use strong verbs. If you can do one thing, it’s to use strong verb forms and avoid constructions with lots of to be verbs and -ing forms. If you consistently use five words where you could use two, readers can tire or tune out without even understanding why they do that. I read a lot of otherwise good stuff that just wears me down with the “he was going to have to” and “she was starting to think” and “he’d been working in” and “I’ll be needing to” or what have you. It doesn’t seem like much, but pages of that can drag your prose down fast and tighter forms can help–”he had/wanted/would have to” and “she thought (ran, cried, etc.)” and “he’d worked in” “I need to” and so on. Even in this paragraph, you’ll notice I’ve used mostly stronger verbs, not many helper words.

A lot of fan writers don’t edit themselves after writing, and this is one area where it shows the most. We tend to want to share our stuff right away, get some fannish love, or we have to hit a challenge deadline. But if you want to write better action scenes, reading over your work to find those places where you could tighten the verbs can really help. (When we speak, we might say, “I’m going to be reading over my work and finding weak verbs.” Totally normal. But in actual writing, punchier forms like “I will read over my work to find the weak verbs” are livelier, and that really adds up in action.) I spend the bulk of my fic time looking for places where I can use one or two words where I wrote five or six in the initital stage of getting it all down.

2. Omit needless words. Most editors I know respect, but don’t use, Strunk & White’s Elements of Style, because it was written by prissy old white guys and pointlessly fussy. But this one is advice that many of us would agree is pretty useful, and in an action scene it can be the difference between eyes glazing over and a rapt reader. It’s heavily related to the first point.

There are some writers I love but who frequently put me to sleep with that five or six words where one or two would do issue. But it’s not only verbs where you see it. Speech is less formal, not carefully constructed or edited, so in dialog it’s not as bad, but when describing movement or setting, the tighter the focus, the easier it is for your reader to get caught up in the action scene. You’ll often hear writers lament certain words they use a lot of–just, really, sort of, a little, etc. We all have those tics, and it’s worth it to search and replace, because those add flab to the writing. They’re not inherently bad, and I don’t like discouraging new or learning writers from perfectly fine words (I have a HUGE rant about the “never use adverbs” bullshit which I’ll spare you), but it’s always illuminating how much we can undercut the action with a lot of filler words. It took me years to break myself of the habit of using finally, for instance, and now when I notice it I always ask myself when I edit if I really need it. Is everyone doing things just “a little”? I slice it out.

3. Vary your sentence structure and length. This is another thing I see a lot of with newer writers, where their sentences are often constructed in the same way (”Steve walked into the machine. The doctor injected him with serum. Howard was turning his machine on. Then Steve screamed and Peggy was yelling to shut it down.”). That’s an overly simplified example, but it’s stultifying. Action scenes tend to require shorter, choppier sentences anyway to make them dynamic, but a steady diet of that will put you to sleep. Including some details, using different types of words, playing around with clauses and phrases and listening to the cadence of what you write can really enliven things. Where can you combine two sentences, or three?

4. Punctuation is your friend. This isn’t (only) because people are picky about punctuation: you’d be amazed at how punctuation can affect the pace of an action scene. Like, I see writers frequently add commas where they don’t need them, which once or twice, no big deal, but sentence after sentence where you’re taking that comma pause as you read can really grind the pace down. Fanfic isn’t academic or severely formal writing, and there’s nothing wrong with people punctuating how they hear things in their heads, but it can leave the reader frustrated or confused, and with action that might not be the desired outcome. Missing punctuation, or using the wrong thing, can trip people up and throw them out of that big action set piece, or fatigue them.

I see it a lot with commas around a little, just as an example, where you don’t need them, and if you’re a writer who qualifies every action with that (”Steve smiled, a little”) it’s amazing how fast those add up. Em dashes (aka long dashes, double dashes) are a wonderful tool, but if every sentence has them, that slight pause can get frustrating, particularly if it’s in the middle of something that should be fast-moving.

5. Blocking. Make a little movie in your head, block it out. Know where your characters are at any given moment, whose hand is where, that sort of thing. (You can do this after you write the scenes, so you won’t bog yourself down in self-censoring.) Many people suffer from White Room Syndrome, where they can’t see any details about their world and everything happens in a white room—I always told students that if they did, then watch movies or TV and steal details and world-building from them, or just use stuff in your own personal life. But try to imagine it and block it out once you’ve written down the basics, so that your reader can follow along with you and see where the action is taking them.

Those are the main things I can think of off the top of my head. Whenever people compliment my action scenes, I realize most of that’s probably due to my ruthless self-editing in fic: I edit the fuck out of action segments to tighten, tighten, and then tighten some more. There are a ton of good grammar and writing books out there; one of my favorites, especially for beginners or people who aren’t sure about things like English-language punctuation, is Diana Hacker’s A Writer’s Reference. And practicing, examining what the writers you admire are doing, looking at your own work and seeking out constructive comments, can be so helpful. Fandom’s got a really rich group of people involved in creating fanworks, and many of them are willing to help you learn stuff or share their knowledge.

#writing #action and adventure #writing is hard #writing tips #it's a curse to be an editor #professional editor problems #the only worse hobby is vidding #ask me stuff

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wherespacepooh · 8 years ago

Text

Yuzuru Hanyu 2017-18 Media Day: Master Post

This post consists of excerpts from news outlets and TV wideshows as information from TCC media day came through from 8.09-10. Magazine reports & longer broadcast specials that come out later will have their own posts with links added in this post for organization––last updated 2017.8.29.

Feel free to repost with credit and link - gladi.

URL: https://wherespacepooh.tumblr.com/post/163950208929/yuzuru-hanyu-2017-18-media-day-master-post

Long Program: SEIMEI (8/09 7:50 Sponichi Annex)

Layouts & other notes (last updated 8/11 4:42 Japan Time)

Perfect SP (4Lo // 3A, 4T3T), all jumps landed. (8/09 10:29 Jiji) 📺: SP footage from 02:14 on 8/09 TBS N Sta (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi)

LP:

5 quads planned

SEIMEI was done in separate parts to music on Day 1. Landed opening 4Lo and 4S. For second half, landed 3 quads including the 4T combo cleanly. (8/09 10:29 Jiji)

“has not done musical arrangement” (8/10 Kahoku, see Q&A 4 below)

📺 TRIPLE FLIP shall not be ignored (cr. pon91491240@twi)

📺 All five quads in SEIMEI starting at 05:31 in the video from 8/10 News Every (cr. yuzu_pino@twi)

📺: 4T-lo-3S, some choreo (cr. spread_wing0217@twi, Tokudane)

📺: 4T3T, spins, etc (cr. anipooh1@twi, Tokudane)

📺: SEIMEI 3A-2T into SE, 3A (cr. yuzu_pino@twi, FUJI Mezamashi)

Misc

Brian Orser: Hanyu in best ever pre-season condition (8/09 Yomiuri)

approx 80 people (update: 95!) attended Media Day (8/09 9:00 Sankei)

David Wilson was sick from fever and did not attend (8/09 BBMook)

📺 Video message on ANA SNS [1] [2]

📺 4T3T(rippon) from NTV Sukkiri (cr. yuzu_pino@twi), 📺 different angle from 8/13 Fuji Heros’ (cr. anipooh1@twi)

📷 A great set of photos from Day 1 Seimei session by Taketazu Atsushi from Yomiuri Shinbun

📺 Day 2 footage (in red UA) from 8/13 Fuji Heros’

Translation of interviews, articles and news clips:

Emphasis mostly on word from Yuzuru and his team, plus other miscellaneous tidbits. Loosely reverse chronological order.

Shae-lynn Bourne Interview

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ARTICLE: Yuzuru Hanyu: I am at 20% right now (Number 934-5)

Despite still trolling with one single 3A, the brat (you’ll see) shows his tender side (you’ll also see) in his pursuit of figure skating mastery and ideals…This is quintessential Hanyu––calm, confident and thoughtful as he discusses the Olympics, his programs and the significance and meaning of skating itself.

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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? *-* *-* *-*

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ARTICLE: Yuzuru Hanyu’s legendary masterpiece. Reason for challenging SEIMEI once again in Olympics (2017.08 Number Web)

An in-depth look into the thought process behind SEIMEI as an Olympic strategy and an unflinching take on the season’s challenge, focusing on the performance itself. Plus a more extended quote from Tracy Wilson \o/ - gladi

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ARTICLE: Hanyu. Evolution. Confidence without conceit (2017.08.18 Kahoku)

A really, really nice read with good detail and perspective. Quite poetically written. - gladi

“This time around, withSEIMEI, ‘[he] will bring out every detail with movements of his hands, his legs, his upper body, all the way down to the character’s background.’”

“In his bid toward a successive victory for the first time in 66 years [of Olympic history], there is no conceit. Only self-confidence.”

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ARTICLE: Brian Orser speaks about Olympic prospects (2017.08.18 Kahoku)

Hanyu is in great shape, team communication is stellar. Men’s figure skating, watch out! - gladi

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📺 Special: Fuji HERO’S (Day 2 footage, exclusive interview) Hanyu section

8/13 (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi), 03:49 - 07:43 Hanyu’s section

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ARTICLE: “Who will be the protagonist in Pyeongchang?” (Snippets from Hanyu section)

8/12 Nikkei (Print edition, apologies no link to source available)

- Coach Tracy Wilson: “Hungry. That’s a personal trait of Hanyu’s. When [skaters] get the gold medal, there’s a period of respite, but Yuzu only looks forward.”

- Coach Brian Orser and choreographer Shae-lynn Bourne on the change in Hanyu over the past three years: “He has grown up, and is more open now.”

- “Hanyu has his own strong views about skating and there are also cases when he disagrees with the coaches. “Should we say I have gotten used to the environment? When Brian said ‘do this, do that’, I would add only a little bit extra (t/n literally "plus alpha,” a Japanese English term that has its roots in baseball was used, eg. the “change” part in “1000 and change”) of my own thoughts on top of his—-that was [how it was] around Sochi Olympics. Now, we discuss, bringing both our opinions to the table. 1+1 now yields 3 and 4.“

- Regarding the music choices, Brian was initially hesitant: "Chopin was an immortal masterpiece, so Brian agreed. The music for the free program has such strong personality, in the world of the figure skating, it is not a ‘warhorse’. A program that is prominently Hanyu-esque, and ‘the fact of skating to two familiar programs’ would be tricky, according to Orser. After discussion and coming around to the choice, Orser now says this, 'this free program has been well evaluated by many, and the program itself means a lot to [Hanyu]’. On top of performing it, the performance must be on a level of a complete different dimension.”

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ARTICLE: Hanyu Yuzuru on his Olympic strategy. To choose “programs where he can be himself.” (Full trans linked)

Web Sportiva 2017/08/11

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📺 Special: NTV Sukkiri (Seimei Shrine special, 4T3T rippon, comments from Aya Kawai, FS commentator + Nagano ID representative)

8/10 8:00 (cr. yuzu_pino@twi)

04:21 -

4T3T rippon \o/ (yuzu_pino@twi also clipped it out here)

04:29 -

Hanyu visited Seimei Shrine on 6/04 and left an ema: “May I bring performances as I’d envisioned, and, may happiness come to everyone, through my performances. 2017.6.4. Hanyu Yuzuru” (04:29 in video)

04:30 -

The production team visited Seimei Shrine on 8/09. According to Chief Priest Yamaguchi, Hanyu visited to give thanks as he had used Abe no Seimei as theme in his performances the season before the last, to express gratitude that he was able to do it. Thinking back, Yamaguchi thought he might already have held the thoughts of using the music of Seimei in his chest, and had come before the altar to report these thoughts to the gods. (04:30)

05:53 -

When Hanyu visited two years ago in July, he had gone to see the portrait of Abe no Seimei (usually made open to the public once a year in September). Yamaguchi recounted that for around ten minutes, Hanyu was silently looking at the portrait, in seiza (kneeling with tops of feet flat on floor and sitting on the soles) with his back very straight, tauter than the usual. Seemed to have many thoughts. Yamaguchi thought perhaps Hanyu had at that point been practicing with the image of “Hanyu” and wondered if, seeing the portrait, that image had become something new. (05:53)

07:21 -

Many fans came to wish for his health and a gold medal in Pyeongchang Olympics. The production team interviewed a (male) fan: “He is really amazing, isn’t he? I hadn’t watched much figure skating, but when I saw his performance, I began to find figure skating interesting. So I hope he’ll be in perfect condition in face of the Pyeongchang Olympics.”

10:32 -

Aya Kawai (Nagano Olympics Ice Dance representative, FS commentator): Because the sense of novelty is lost when music is reused, it makes it hard to impress the viewer. He got many 10s in his components two years ago, but there’s the possibility that 10s won’t come so easily. So in order to get 10s, he must put out an amazing performance, clearly superior to the last time.

11:07 - (Narrator/caption: About bringing 5 quads into the program this season)

Isn’t it exactly Hanyu’s figure skating that always evolves and goes beyond the current limits?

11:21 - (Narrator/caption: The evolution seen in the practice footage is…)

The opening Loop gives off such an increased sense of stability. It’s the newest quad to him and the most difficult. But for a second, I thought it was a triple––it looked that secure. It was such a good jump that, if I were a judge, I would want to give him all the GOEs.

12:10

Reporter at media day: What’s your goal at the Olympics?

Hanyu: First... first... I have to be chosen as Olympic representative...*laughs* I think *laughs more*

Reporter prompting: And beyond that?

Hanyu: Well. If I’m chosen as representative, the gold medal... of course I want to aim for it. *giggles* I [made the quote] difficult [for you] to use >”<

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ARTICLE: Perfect jumps at [8/08 EST] open practice, no mistakes, [programs with] competition-ready finish...as witnessed by assigned reporter

8/10 8:00 Sports Hochi

(Skip opening paragraph because you all know he is skating to SEIMEI)

The familiar sounds of taiko and flutes reverberating in the rink alone brought back the sense of exultation. It was that music, the one that twice-renewed the world’s highest score in successive competitions. Powerful jumps, graceful movement and supple limbs. I was immediately drawn into the world of Hanyu Yuzuru’s SEIMEI. “There are many people who think ‘I love this program’. In my opinion, certainly everyone wanted to see it again.” These are Coach Brian Orser’s words.

On the eve of the 15-16 season, Hanyu had asserted, “Amongst the current Japanese men, I alone can bring out a wa-themed program to such extent. [Senses of] delicacy and strength that are brought out because it’s me. Then, a program precisely as described was completed. “I would like to bring performances that don’t make people think ‘this again?’ in competition.” Hereafter, how would he proceed to weave the five quads into the fabric of the program? A new challenge has begun.

Although it has been the same way each year, Hanyu only holds open practice once a year. Since it is the last chance before the Pyeongchang Olympics, a press corps of around 80 people from Japan rushed over. Responding to questions from TV stations and news outlets combined for over thirty minutes, he spoke with a smile throughout. Cutting a different, more relaxed figure than in competition venues.

At the two open practices, each an hour long, he opened by landing a perfect 4T without warning, right at the start. The SP run-through was deftly clean. “The most important thing is to skate clean. If I can do that, results will come.” His first competition is Autumn Classic International (Opens 9/20 in Montreal).

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ARTICLE: (Hanyu Q&A4) Wants to defend title. Can exceed world’s highest scores. (repeated ones are skipped)

8/10 06:32 Kahoku

(Skipped opening paragraph)

–––– You will be repeating both SP and FP. (t/n additions bolded) "I have been warming up for the season. Have not done musical arrangement. People may think ‘this again?’ right now, but I [aim to] show performances that won’t make you think this way in competitions.” "With Olympics, there is no time to skate and get into a new piece of music. I want to be at a good place right from the starting line, and gain further mastery from there.”

–––– Isn’t it difficult to work with the possibilities of giving viewers a sense of deja vu? "Even with the same music, the content is completely different. It feels like I am doing something completely different. So I think everyone’s sense of discomfort will gradually fade away.”

–––– There are expectations of [you achieving the] world’s highest combined score? (t/n additions bolded) “I don’t feel much pressure. With this piece, I am confident that I will be okay. Skating to it feels pleasant. I think the world’s highest score can be exceeded.”

–––– You carry the burden of expectations from your hometown, Miyagi. “Toward the disaster areas of the Tohoku earthquake, I carry these thoughts of ‘let’s take on new challenges!’ and ‘let’s go hand in hand from now on!’ And that overlaps also with skating. Because I have experienced the earthquake, I was able to overcome even during tough times. I want to produce results that bring encouragement to everyone.”

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ARTICLE: Hanyu resurrects Onmyoji for Olympics! “[Will] of course [aim to] defend title” (Partial)

8/10 05:05 Sanspo Page 3

- There is a reason for such confidence. Off-season. Hanyu continues to be in face of skating [in his university courses]. Ergonomics, Medicine, Ethics––he reached out in all directions seeking hints for [further] evolution. Sometimes applying his own jumps into mathematical expressions, analyzing their “moments”––the turning effects of forces. “I aim to be a skater whom, any way they slice it, [people would have to say], ‘Hanyu is just so good.’” The ambition to aim for the top of the podium drives the 22-year-old.

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ARTICLE: (Hanyu Q&A3) There was a lot on my mind at Sochi, but my direction is clear now.

8/10 05:32 Sports Hochi

(Skipped opening paragraph)

–––– Unlike in Sochi Olympics, you are in the position of being chased. “I don’t especially think I am in the position of being chased. Compared to Sochi, the competition for a medal is much fiercer. Everyone right now has their own attributes, and we encounter and clash as fellow [competitors], so it’s a lot of fun. My identity is as an all-rounder, with high quality in everything, and I would like to properly leverage my own weapons and fight.

–––– What is the difference in approach? “At Sochi it was a lot on my plate, but my own path [that I should take]––something like that––has become very clear now.

–––– What is the difference in approach? “Recently, I was looking at videos and articles of interviews before and after Sochi. ‘So that was what I was thinking back then’, ‘Oh, I was trying not to be bound by my past self” and so forth. These are all my own experience, so it’s quite advantageous after all.

–––– As for the 4Lz? (t/n: repeats Hanyu QA2 from Sanspo except for a little addition in bold) “I’m able to jump [4Lz] and practice is going fairly well, but I’m not considering it for now. [First] settling everything nicely with the current layout, attacking each [element] properly and completing it is what I want to do.”

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ARTICLE: (Hanyu Q&A2) Strategy of “exception” is “to dispense with unnecessary thoughts”

8/09 18:44 Sanspo

(Skipped opening paragraph)

Hanyu, who announced his programs for the Pyeongchang Olympic season, responded to questions from the press with a sunny expression.

–––– Both the SP and the FP are repeats from the past. Were there any doubts regarding your choices? “I may have been a little hesitant with the SP, but for the FP, I’ve thought to use it before last season started.”

–––– About bringing 4Lz into your program(s)... “I’m able to jump [4Lz] and practice is going fairly well, but I’m not considering it for now. I'll [first] settle everything nicely with the current layout.”

–––– Both SP and FP were programs with which you got the world’s highest scores. [Do you feel that] you must go beyond that? “I don’t feel too much pressure. [The programs] are extremely pleasant to skate to. Jumps, spins, steps––it is a program where I can skate like myself with all of these elements, and not have to think about unnecessary things.

–––– What is necessary in order to defend an Olympic victory? “The most important thing is to skate cleanly. If I am able to do that, the results will come. I want to power up.”

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📺 NEWS CLIPS (8/09 Evening Round)

8/09 17:49 FUJI Minna no News (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi)

- Reporter, “What is your forte?” Hanyu, “Everything.” at 2:37

8/09 18:48 TBS N Sta (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi) has Chopin footage from 2:14 onwards, SEIMEI before that, loud Brian laugh sandwiched in between.

8/09 18:12 EX J-Channel (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi)

- Hanyu: “Although I seemed to have debuted [being known for] jumps, originally my specialty was spins. When I was young, I trained with a great emphasis on skating. So, perhaps I can say with confidence that everything is my specialty. I want to be the kind of skater where people say "Hanyu is just so good" no matter what part [of my skills] they look at, even in isolation. In that sense, I take pride in that everything is my weapon.” (02:25)

8/09 16:59 NTV news every (cr. to yuzu_pino@twi)

- BO: “There will be some critiques about this decision. I know it’s the right decision. Because, again, that piece deserves to be at the Olympics.” (04:16)

- Hanyu speaks about the technical side to this program: [The current layout] is definitely several cuts above the layout at the time, so, well, if I properly deliver on the current layout with this program, 100% I should be able to exceed [that score] (slight laugh)––that’s what I really think. (04:33)

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This is a transcript of the “mixed zone style” Q&A. Probably 70% of the content has been covered in the SEIMEI announcement section below, but this gives a better sense of what was asked and what was answered.

ARTICLE: (Hanyu Q&A1) Determination and Challenge toward Reenactment. “To achieve performances that don’t make you think ‘again?’” (QA translated in full)

8/09 12:27 Daily Sports Online

–––– Your programs?

“SP is Chopin’s Ballade No.1, the same as I have skated during the summer ice shows. As for FP, I was thinking let’s do SEIMEI once more. The [decision] process was that I had decided that I wanted to reuse this program in the Olympic season ever since I was able to achieve great performances with SEIMEI in the 2015-16 season. I decided almost without any hesitation. I might have been a little hesitant about the SP, but as for the FP, I had decided right from the start, before I even started last season. I feel like I have warmed up for this season.”

–––– What are the new challenges?

“Doing three quads in the second half, so it’s a total of five. Actually, although I popped a first-half jump into a single at World Team Trophy back in April, I had gotten a sense for putting 3 quads into the second half, and I also gained confidence that you could only get after having succeeded in competition. I consulted with Brian, but for me, I felt like I could put 3 into the second half without any hesitation.”

–––– Apart from jumps, what were other things you had brushed up?

“What do I want to show? How do I want to perform this piece? How do I feel?––I’ve come to dig deeper [in these questions]. Ballade No 1 is for the third time, so after listening [to the music] countless of times, I’m in the stage of training where I’m dealing with how I want to express this piece, how I want to do the jumps, and so forth. Maybe you still think ‘this again?’ at the moment, but I want to achieve performances such that you don’t think so when you see them at competition.”

–––– August 9th (local time is 8th) will be six months before the Pyeongchang Olympics. What are your thoughts on the Olympics?

“Of course I have the desire to defend my title. When I utter words such as “defend title,” I think that there are some sort of bindings from the past, from having won the Sochi Olympics. But, my own sense is that exactly because there was the past, that I have come to practice this way right now. I was thinking I’d like to have it all work together right from the first half of the season, and so that’s how I trained.

The important thing now is to first be chosen as representative in a condition where I am healthy, without injury, and capable of bringing out my true abilities with the best effort possible. If I am chosen, I would like to do my best, and aim for gold.”

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ARTICLE: Hanyu’s Specialty 3A will be a “contingency plan just in case” (Full apart from opening para)

8/09 13:20 Daily Sports Online

(Skipping introduction paragraph)

Although it was the same music, the content was different. When he got the highest ever (at the time) free program score of 219.48 at the 2015 GPF, he did 4S and two 4T, for a total of 2 types and 3 times. But this time, he is planning to do 3 types and 5 quads in total, including 3 in the second half where the Base Value is multiplied by 1.1.

“What I currently have in mind is to jump the 4Lo and the 4S in the very beginning, followed by the 3F in the first half. Spins and steps. The first jump in the second half will be 4S3T combo. After that, 4T1Lo3S combination, and then 4T from a little steps. At the end of the second half, I’ll enter and exit a 3A combination with spread eagle, and in the very end, it’s okay if I do 3A for recovery, or 3Lz normally,” Hanyu explained as if reciting an incantation.

The big change from last season would be to reduce the number of 3A down to one, and increase the number of 4T up to two. Hanyu’s 3A has even been said to be the world’s most beautiful, and is a strong weapon that Hanyu himself has said he has deep sentiments towards.

Probably, the reason he decided to take it out nevertheless is that, as a contingency plan, there is nothing as reassuring as the 3A. For figure skating, there is a rule that the same type of jump may only be repeated once, and only two types of jumps may be repeated [in one program]. When skaters fail, they have to consider things like type of jump and number of rotations, making corrections while performing. Because Hanyu’s 3A garners many GOE points, even if he messes a quad up, he can make up and “recover” with this “quad-equivalent” jump.

Providing is preventing. Behind the challenge is risk management––assumption of various situations at each phase of training.

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ARTICLE: Hanyu on Full Gear toward Pyeongchang. Perfect SP (Partial)

8/09 10:09 Daily Sports Online (missed this little one, about the SP)

- “It’s a level of completion unthinkable at pre-season. At the runthrough of the SP “Ballade No 1″, after he landed the opening 4Lo, he also successfully landed in the second half the 3A, followed by the 4T combo. Although certainly he is familiar with the program, having had it for two seasons, the jump layout at the time was 4S, 4T3T, with a 3A in the second half. Even as he raised the difficulty by a lot, Hanyu landed all the jumps in the program and showed us a perfect performance. According to Hanyu, ‘I was thinking I’d like to have it all work together right from the first half of the season, and so that’s how I trained.’“

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📺 NEWS CLIP (SEIMEI announcement)

8/09 9:31 FUJI Tokudane (Interview already in articles below) - Clip of SEIMEI 4T-lo-3S, some choreo (cr. spread_wing0217@twi) - Clip of SEIMEI 4T3T, spins, etc (cr. anipooh1@twi)

8/09 7:58 FUJI Mezamashi - Video clip of SEIMEI 3A-2T into SE, 3A (cr. yuzu_pino@twi)

ARTICLES (SEIMEI announcement) (Partial)

8/09 10:29 Jiji (missed out a paragraph, bolded) - “[SEIMEI] practice was done in separate parts, to music. For quads, he landed the opening 4Lo and 4S, and landed three (including the 4T combo) cleanly in the second half as well. - “Together with the SP using Chopin’s Ballade No 1, a reenactment of two seasons ago when he got a combined 330.43 points. Hanyu stated, ‘How do I want to show, how do I want to express––I’ve come to dig deeper [than before]. I want to achieve performances that, when you see them in competition, don’t make you think, ‘again?’”

8/09 10:04 Sankei (some photos :D but no extra content) 8/09 10:15 NHK (another photo but no extra content) 8/09 7: 55 Asahi Shinbun (Interesting last paragraph added. Bolded) - “Riding upon the melody of Japanese flutes and taiko, Hanyu began to skate. He showed a born-again onmyoji as he easily landed 4T three-jump combo, 4S two-jump combo and more.” - “The reason to Hanyu’s choice is that ‘it is a program that is very much like himself no matter in the way of breathing, or jumps, or steps.’ And, when asked what his forte is, declared decisively, ‘Everything.’”

8/09 7:50 Nikkan Sports, 9:15 Nikkan Sports (Similar. New bolded.) - To Hanyu, [SEIMEI] is a program that “allows him to be himself, and skate comfortably.” - “Regarding concerns over a familiar program, Brian Orser who coaches Hanyu disagrees. ‘Not only is it a program that wows no matter who sees it, the choreography has also been updated. But, there is a need to raise the level.’ Hanyu too, ‘without any extra prompting, still wants to skate to it again.’”

8/09 9:00 Sankei - Around 80 people came from Japan to report on Media Day - First quad [in the LP performed today]––a quad loop––was landed, and adjustments has been smooth as well. - Hanyu: “desires to repeat his [Olympic] victory.”

8/09 9:06 Daily Sports Online - “Although he uses the same piece [with SEIMEI], Hanyu’s ‘consistently practicing at a high level’. And as he says, he plans to bring 3 quads into the second half of the program, for a total of 5 quads in his layout.” - “[Hanyu] expresses his determination to “first be chosen [to represent Japan in Olympics] in a condition that is healthy, without injury, and capable of bringing out his true abilities with the best effort possible. If [he] is chosen, he would like to aim firmly at the gold medal.”

Mako Hara from Nikkei (nikkei_haramako@twi) - [Hanyu] said clearly, “The difficulty is different, I will show a different performance.”

8/09 Daily Sports Online - Hanyu, firm and clearly: “Since the time when I achieved good performances in 15-16 season, I’ve decided that I wanted to skate to it in Olympic season. I decided without any hesitation.”

8/09 7:50 Sponichi Annex - BO: “Both jumps and skills are going up. It’ll become a high level program” displays confidence at performance that exceeds two seasons ago.

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ARTICLE: Hanyu is fully prepared for five quads: With half a year left, [Brian Orser] speaks about strategy and the field (Full trans)

8/09 Yomiuri Morning Post (Chiba) (cr. takarahako@twi)

I’m going into my sixth season as Yuzuru’s coach. He is naturally talented technique-wise. He jumps 3A’s and quads perfectly, as if he were superman. But he is never satisfied [with the status quo]. In order to bring good skates, in order to live up to expectations surrounding him, he continues to aim high with all his might. In that sense, I feel that he is a special existence.

During the three years after the Sochi Olympics, although there were two seasons where he wasn’t World Champion, he has grown exponentially. Thirsty for victory, wanting to improve, he has pushed forward in training. Having regained the world title after three seasons, there is no doubt that he has regained confidence that his past efforts were in the right path. It’s the best condition to be in, facing the Olympic season.

For the men’s, the age of however many types of quads being attempted left and right have come. This development is probably going to continue this season as well. During the off season, we have done many runthroughs, and worked hard to increase his stamina. That is in order to do five quads––one more compared to last year––for the free program. But, it is not just about the number of quads, we also hope you’ll pay attention to the high quality of the skating and the jumps.

Sochi Olympics was a one-on-one battle between Patrick Chan and Yuzuru, but this time more faces have surfaced to compete for medals. Beginning with Javier Fernandez who he trains with, youngsters such as Nathan Chen, Shoma Uno, and Boyang Jin have come to the fore. I am looking forward to the existence of rivals leading to even further growth from Yuzuru.

I know he is looked upon to repeat his win at the Olympics. He wants to meet every expectation, and is devoting his full effort towards it. In terms of pre-season condition, it’s been the best ever. There is still half a year, and I am looking forward to see how far he’ll grow. (fin)

#yuzuru hanyu #hanyu yuzuru #羽生結弦 #figure skating #2017

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fiore-della-valle · 8 years ago

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Writing questions tag

I was tagged by @cookiedoughmeagain - thanks, lovely! (Also responding to the open tag by @grey-haven )

1) How many works in progress do you currently have in progress?

Ahahahaha. Um. I have three major unfinished works posted to AO3, all of which I still consider in progress. I have, in my ‘currently active’ pile, approximately twenty different stories/series, of which three are original fic/worlds. But in terms of like, stories I have started, have put at least 5k words into, and intend to eventually finish somehow... I have at least nine original worlds and literally hundreds of fics. A lot of which are sitting in the 15k-50k word range, but that just. Aren’t done.

2) Do you/would you write fanfiction?

I write a ton of Haven fic, even if it’s only ever posted infrequently. I have very occasionally dabbled in other fandoms, and certainly don’t automatically reject the idea of writing more stories in other fandoms. In order to finish my current pile of started projects, I expect I will be writing Haven fic until I die just to try and clear out my ideas folder.

3) Do you prefer paper books or ebooks?

Depends on the situation. I do like paper books, and I adore that a paper book will never run out of battery on me mid-flight, for example. However, I love being able to put seven thousand different stories into my pocket, so most of my reading for the last few years has been ebooks. I would love to be able to have both an ebook copy and a hard copy of everything.

4) When did you start writing?

Complicated question. I had a few notebooks with the first few pages of stories written down in them from about the time I was twelve, but the first piece of writing that ever made me feel like I was good at it, like it was something I wanted to do, and might even be able to do, was a poem I wrote for an eighth grade assignment. After that, there was a lot of poetry, and then the first real story I started was when I was fourteen or fifteen, and I hand-wrote about two hundred pages of really terrible fantasy story that I shared with my friends during lunch breaks. From that point on, I always had some writing happening somewhere, which got much easier once I learned how to type. I didn’t start writing fanfiction in any serious capacity until... 2011? Maybe? When I dabbled in the Castle fandom. But it was at the end of 2014 when writing fic kind of took over my life, when I stumbled into the Haven fandom.

5) Do you have someone you trust that you share your work with?

Definitely, I would not get anything accomplished otherwise. @serendipityxxi is the best and puts up with my complete inability to keep focused, and gets all of my random story bits. @kedreeva, @redbirdblogs, @yumearashi, @queenbookwench, and pretty much the whole Haven crew usually have access to my WIP files, and are gracious enough to occasionally peek in and remind me to actually do things. I have another group who sometimes listen to me babble about original fic, so they get those links when they want. And I cannot express how incredibly grateful I am to all of them, because seriously, I would not get anything accomplished without the feedback and encouragement from all these wonderful people.

6) Where is your favorite place to write?

My couch, when the house is mostly empty/quiet, and I can turn the music on, and settle under some blankets. Very occasionally, my porch, on the other couch, when it’s cool and dark and there are night-sounds happening.

7) Favorite childhood book?

Jurassic Park, and both the Emelan and Tortall series by @tamorapierce. I have read my Circle of Magic books so many times that they are starting to disintegrate, and Wild Magic will always be one of those stories that brings me a sense of home. Also Polgara the Sorceress, by David and Leigh Eddings, though it has been a long time since I’ve re-visited that universe.

8) Writing for fun or writing for publication?

Both. I do desperately want to get some of my original stuff done and polished to the point where I can get it published, because I like my worlds and I want to be able to share them someday. But I love writing fic, I love it, and I take an incredible amount of joy out of re-imagining and expanding familiar worlds and favorite characters.

9) Pen and paper or computer?

99% of the time, computer. Because I can type much faster and for much longer than I can hand-write, and also I have a tendency to edit as I go, which is a thousand times simpler when I don’t have to cross out and re-write whole paragraphs as I realize the flow is wrong. However, sometimes, I just really really need the texture and visual of a notebook and pen, and it’s easier for me to hand-write than type on a phone, so if I’m out and about, I’ll usually have a notebook with me just in case.

10) Have you ever taken any writing classes?

Yes, the most useful of which was the writer’s workshop I participated in for a year or two. It met once a week, and we’d go in, work on projects, and get feedback.

11) What inspires you to write?

I can’t imagine not writing, honestly. I am not always good at it, and I don’t always make a lot of progress, but stories are my life, they keep me going. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t writing. And specific inspiration- I wouldn’t even know how to describe it. I can turn around wrong and have an entire universe download itself into my head- I was visiting a friend and saw a Suspicious Cocoon and now have a horror story unfolding, I saw a picture of an armband and needed to start developing a language so I could write a fantasy story that showed up with it. It’s random, and often overwhelming, but music is one frequent source of ideas/feelings/moods for writing.

Tagging anybody who wants to give this a go, but specifically @kedreeva, @redbirdblogs, and @chasingshhadows (though obviously no pressure if you don’t feel like it). I think everyone else I would usually tap has already gotten a tag (and if /not/, consider this a tag if you feel like it).

#tag game #writing #writing questions tag

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