#problem solved oda you can thank me later

[hauntingblue]

Adding to my asexual reproduction is real in one piece post: there is a guy that ate the preggo preggo no mi and can make anyone pregnant with a pretty close clone of themselves

[monkeydluffy19920]

“I don’t need a parachute, baby if I’ve got you Baby if I’ve got you, I don’t need a parachute You’re gonna catch me, You’re gonna catch if I fall”

- Ingrid Michaelson - Parachute

Sannami week 2019 Day 7: Protect

Alrighty-o! Here is another prompt for @sannamiweek ‘s amazing event!

Parachute is probably better known from Cheryl Cole’s version but as far as I understood, it’s originally made by Ingrid Michaelson but they are all good in my opinion but for this project, I used her acoustic version of the song because well, it kind of fit plus ever since that bridal carry panel and the reunion hug, I wanted to add that scene to the end of the acoustic version. So this has been a thing in the to do list for a while so Sannami week and a few day offs was perfect timing because otherwise it would’ve taken forever because procrastination, trust me. The publicication schedule kinda failed but at least it’s done *thumbs up*

So, in last prompt (passion) I pondered about how their pasts have affected on their view to love in general and that both might have fear of loss and rejection which can strongly impact them in their own ways. Nami especially seems that kind of person who really would want to be more open about her feelings (she is pretty open in general but when it comes to romance, she might be really private about it) but for some reason, she is very private about these things.

Although both of them have done lots of sacrifices for each other and helped in the tight situations, I think this song is more from Nami’s point of view because of her way to keep certain feelings inside her whereas Sanji is very openly having a crush on her and he admires her in all ways.  Well, One Piece is mainly about adventures and friendships and chasing dreams so if there was going to be some canon romance in the end, Oda-sensei wouldn’t give direct hints about them.

don't tell anyone about the way you hold my hand I don't tell anyone about the things that we have planned I won't tell anybody, won't tell anybody

Well, if they started to date Nami would probably want to keep low profile first because well, becoming an official couple would be quite a step whether they were still on the middle of the adventures or after them.  Headcanonish thinking but Sanji would try to keep their dating as a secret but of course, he would be all hyped up so it would probably not be a secret long enough *laughs*

They wanna push me down, they wanna see you fall down

This was a direct reference to their own arcs where they fought with their demons because well, the Fishmen practically wanted to keep Nami forever as a hostage before the Straw Hats came to save her and then Sanji had to face his disrespectful family after years of abuse so both of them have the ghost of their pasts that probably still gives them nightmares and insecurities at times.  

Won't tell anybody how you turn my world around I won't tell anyone how your voice is my favourite sound Won't tell anybody, won't tell anybody

More things she only can admit to Sanji, like how his smooth voice can calm her down and how she enjoys him pampering her. I think fellow Sanami fans are familiar with @sanjiafsincedayone ‘s post where was ponders about how Nami might get relaxed from Sanji’s continuous smell of cigarettes (because it reminds her of Bell-Mere).

Don't believe the things you tell Yourself so late at night and You are your own worst enemy You'll never win the fight Just hold on to me, I'll hold on to you It's you and me up against the world It's you and me

The second verse reminded me of he Zou/Totto Land arcs and it would’ve been shipwise very remarkable if Nami saw him on his weakest moment (when Sanji realized that the marriage wouldn’t have solved a thing) but it’s understandable that Oda-sensei wouldn’t make anything so obvious. I’ve said this a lot when the chapters were fresh but it’s still a fact that taking care of the crew mates and taking a share of the huge emotional burdens of theirs is part of Nami’s personality.  She was distressed from Usopp’s and Luffy’s separation and worried to death when Robin suddenly disappeared so Sanji’s case would stress her as much as it did and probably even more because she was literally witnessing it and couldn’t do a thing since Sanji wanted to solve it all by himself.

I don't believe anything, don't trust anyone any more

This part of the lyrics reminded of Nami’s past again, how she fought all by herself to save a whole village. Wherever she robbed, she was hated and she had to learn to survive in order to gather the money and she also hated pirates because Arlong’s era made her very cautious.

But I believe you when you say we're never gonna fall Hand behind my neck, arm around my waist Never let me hit the ground, you'll never let me crash (Down)

With the power of friendship, they managed to free Nami and ever since that one building (that had her “office” and maps there) was put into pieces, she finally felt the freedom. Sanji has always shown interest in her and he has always shared compliments to her for example, he keeps telling her how talented she is with navigation and how beautiful she is. So, definitely, he has been a big emotional support to her. Well, others have been too but Oda-sensei has given interesting parallels that give us the feeling that they’d have potential to end up becoming canon, just like the other shippers see other details a significant. Of course, it’s again all about interpretation but there are similarities (for example, they are temperamental but deep down in their heart they are sensitive and emotional persons who are very compassioned and who put others’ need in front of theirs. Also, both of them share a soft, maternal/paternal side which is seen when they act like big siblings to younger crew members.  They both remember flashbacks where their pasts have been mentioned (Sanji in Fishman Island, Nami in Zou). Also both of them  grew in foster families, both lost their mothers who were dedicated to their children although both fought with their own problems (Sora fought with her health and Bell-Mere struggled with money), both become invisible prisoners and craved for freedom.

Then as said, there are lots of parallels many sharp eyed SaNami fans have pointed out and analyzed. For example, their childhoods were pretty much opposite, Sanji was rich and despised whereas Nami was poor but loved and encouraged to hone her skills.  Then there is this theory that All Blue is a place which means their dreams might have a link (which would mean they’d need each other to fulfill their dreams).

One of the biggest parallels so far is that both have been dealing with the marriage in their own ways, both were forced to get married and both made huge effort to prevent it to happen.  Also, both have been unconscious when the other was coming to save them or thank them (Sanji in Skypiea, partly also when Nami fought Kalifa and Nami didn’t have a clue of what happened in Thriller Bark when Absalom tried to steal a kiss from her). On top of that, Oda-sensei gives ship-tease with their “Do you love me”- gag where Sanji goes all mellorine and Nami is like “yes yes, focus!” but on the other hand in the later happenings, she hasn’t been as ignorant with the reply as she could be. Perhaps she won’t say it out loud in front of everyone but maybe she starts to develop deeper feelings (or has done it already) but well again, it’s all up to what we fans see and in the end, it’s Oda-sensei who makes the final decisions about their futures. 

By the way, it was very nice from Toei to add some more shippyish scenes to the let’s escape from Big Mom-episodes because as far as I remember, when Prometheus attacked them (before Nami made Zeus attack Bg Mom) , there wasn’t this kind of scene or when Big Mom attacked them with sword, there wasn’t the scene about it either so the animation team deserves a big high five.

Frankly spoken, had to edit quite a lot the length of the song so it would be shorter because the last part is basically just repeating the same lyrics but anyway, maybe the main point of this video project was to add as many shippy moments as possible to the choruses to demonstrate where Sanji has been with her and what if those moments have affected her view on him.

Well, like said, she wasn’t aware of Thriller Bark but she has seen so many sacrifices so she is at least impressed probably and they both definitely share huge respect on each other and who knows, maybe this song will become canon? If not, then at least in our headcanons, fellow shippers :)!

[tarralin]

Family

Fox Hunt, Chapter Eight

(Board gifted by @under-sengoku-skies)

Thank you @nyktoon-ikemenlove for beta reading and @rainyluneotome @tsundere-mitsuhide for the support and love you've shown for the feisty sniper RM!

Warning: Moderate Profanity

~*~

“Oh?”

“You sound surprisingly calm about that.”

“Do I?”

All his years of practice at suppressing his emotions must finally be effective on her because ‘calm’ would never make the list of what he felt in that moment. He felt the tide had finally flooded in to drag him to a watery grave, thrashing him against the cliffs the whole way. Air escaped him and refused to return. Even when she brought their entwined hands to her lips, his knuckles were painfully white.

“But now? I don't know.”

Breathing capabilities returned and he inhaled as he pulled her fully into his lap, encircling her with his arms. He could work with ‘but' and help her work out the decision, regardless of the pain it caused him. “What’s changed?”

She'd never been one for idle chatter and, usually, the silence between them was companionable. Now it was stifling, for all the while MC worried her bottom lip between her teeth, Mitsuhide could feel the air escaping him again. His relief finally came with a soft sigh from her lips.

“This is the most peaceful I've been in years… if not ever.”

His arms tightened around her in attempt to assure himself he hadn’t wandered into a dream. Her words seemed to flow freely without hindrance, indicating truth… but, still, a small note of remorse remained.

“You have family? I’ve been meaning to question you on your homeland... How lazy of me as an interrogator.”

She rolled her eyes with a small smile before answering. “Two friends who are more like sisters to me. RM and JR. Although, they were married to my brothers so they really were my sisters for a time.”

Were? For a time? That’s curious phrasing. “Are they… no longer married?”

“My brothers were soldiers, Mitsuhide.”

His arms tightened around her again with the realization of those words.

“I have a third brother, Michael, but we haven’t said a word to each other since Mark and Macon's burial five years ago. I’m sure he prefers to think me dead as well.”

“I doubt—”

“I don’t,” she interrupted softly. “Michael was the eldest of us, eighteen years my senior actually, but he never acknowledged me as his sister. He blamed me for Mother’s death and became heavily invested in his career as a soldier so we only had to tolerate each other around certain holidays. I was often away on my own missions so rarely even then.” A sigh as she finished. There was no love for this ‘Michael’ in her eyes, only a darkness he knew meant she’d have no qualms leaving him behind.

But not the sisters.

The hardened darkness dissolved as she blinked away the past. “I… assume you’ve figured out my line of work?”

“What’s makes you think that?” He smirked down at her.

“Please,” her lips pursed incredulously. “You and Oda seem to be the only ones who'd figure it out, and he has made zero allusions to the fact if he has. You, however, love your little mind games and jabbing comments. Like when you questioned Hideyoshi last week on my ‘capabilities’, I heard that lilt in your voice.”

He paused. Yes, he had figured it out. The intensity of her gaze and how she always mapped out her surroundings. Her tone of command and confidence with every spoken word. The very way she carried herself as if daring any to stand in her path. All aspects that only high ranking warriors possessed. And she knew he’d realized the truth, of course.

“I’d expect nothing less.” A simple enough answer whispered across her temple. This earned him a contented sigh and her head resting on his shoulder once again.

“May I ask, how you recognize it but the others don't?”

“I've interrogated kunoichi before. Your mannerisms are similar to theirs and you are far too superior to the description of the western traders’ women.”

“Well, as much as I appreciate the compliment, I still feel there’s more you're not telling me.”

“And you have proven to be quite perceptive.”

She rolled her eyes again but allowed the deflection to stand. “Fine, keep your secrets for now. You’ll tell me when you’re ready, right?”

He was just leaning down to answer with a kiss when the unmistakable snapping of a branch cracked through the air.

~*~

Fuck!

RM was very aware of the fact she was falling.

Her earliest years in the military were spent paratrooping into the thickest of enemy encampments, so the sudden dropping of her gut was a familiar phenomenon and she didn’t fear the fall so much as the landing...

Because she didn’t come prepared with a fucking parachute!

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Sorry, MC, I failed. I’ll be awaiting my second death upon your arrival to the afterlife. Keep me waiting on that, okay?

RM had just squeezed her eyes shut when she slammed into a rock hard wall, the oxygen ripping from her lungs upon collision. The wall crumpled under the blast, allowing the inevitable reunion with sweet, solid earth. Around her, she could hear the startled shouts of men and… horses?

Why are there horses in the afterlife?

Slowly, she peeked open one eye. Still blue sky, still trees… and that is definitely an unhappy horse. And it's saddled… where's its rider?

Suddenly, there was movement under her and she was shoved to the side. She attempted to get her feet as quickly as her loaded down backpack would allow, but RM felt more like an overturned tortoise than a former Olympic gymnast. Agility always decreased when she had to carry a pack.

Finally making it to her feet, RM found herself staring down at what—or rather who—she’d mistaken for a brick wall. Oh, there’s the rider! And no wonder I thought he was a wall... homeboy is stacked!

“Thanks, bro! You broke my fall. That impact might have killed me if it weren’t for you.” The surprise of being thrown from his horse turned to pure bewilderment in his chocolate eyes at her words. Oh, right! Japanese, not English. Damn it, this is why I’m always on the roof tops!

“Sorry, I forgot there for a moment.” She offered her hand toward the brunette but he refused to look at her now as he scrambled to his feet and back to the horse to soothe the creature. He returned a moment later with a bundle of cloth and a face as red as his clothing.

“For your—” If possible, his face deepened another shade of red that would stir envy from a tomato. He became incapable of speech and instead motioned to his arms and legs while glancing away to the trees over her head. Curious, she glanced down to inspect herself. No, nothing's ripped. Shirt? Good. Shorts? Good.

She unwrapped the bundle anyway to look upon the unmistakable shape of a kimono. Glancing back to Homeboy's face, his eyes were still averted and pointedly inspecting the trees. “You… want me to wear this?”

“Well, it'd be a lot better than indecency.” Another blind hand motion, this time indicating her lower body.

“Indecency?” She laughed at the absurdity of the word. He can't be serious. “What? You've never seen a woman in Daisy Dukes before?”

His eyes met hers finally and he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the beating of hooves approaching.

“Yuki, I saw you get hit. Is everything al—”

Ain’t this some shit? It’s the Science Kid!

Very few targets ever left RM's kill-sight with all their brains intact, and she made a point to remember the faces of the ones that did. The last face just so happened to belong to the one person on the planet that could solve all her problems. But, instead of the lab coat and green buttoned shirt she last saw him in, the man in front of her looked straight out of a ninja anime.

“Sasuke?” She questioned without preamble.

“Yes, that's me.”

“Well I’ll be damned, signed, sealed, and delivered right on Satan's doorstep! Look at you all leveled up and shit!”

“I’m sorry, do I know you?”

A bark of humorless laughter. “I wouldn't expect you to, you only knew my sister after all, but we’re, uh—” A pointed look to the man in red. “We're from the same hometown and I have something for you.” The ninja’s expression never changed but his eyes did follow her movements as she rummaged through her bag. Once she lifted out the intended parcel, his eyes widened and he jumped from his horse.

“These are my research notes!”

“Yeah, Merry Christmas! Your gift to me can be helping find MC and getting back home.”

“MC is your sister?”

“So you have met her?”

A simple nod as he blinked up at her, no doubt trying to form a familial connection in his head and run their differing features against each other. MC's almost black hair and blue eyes against RM's chestnut waves and hazelnut ones, as well the obvious difference of MC’s classic Caucasian complexion compared to her own Italian olive.

“Don't have to be blood to be family,” RM finally sighed. “Anyway, where did you last see her?”

“That's not something that can be discussed here in the open and—” He paused as his gaze froze on the one he called Yuki. “What’s wrong?”

“Uh, she's—” More enveloping hand movements indicating her attire.

Sasuke glanced back again and only now seemed to notice what had turned the brick wall of a man into an unintelligible mess. “Oh, right. Yuki, we have much different clothing choices back home. Miss, might I suggest wearing what my friend gifted you?” He leaned in and whispered his final comment where Yuki wouldn't hear. “You're in the sixteenth century.”

What's that got—

Oh.

Oooh.

So… no. Homeboy hasn't seen a woman in Daisy Dukes before.

RM unlatched her pack's chest clips and shucked it off her shoulders to dress. Years of rebelling against her family’s insufferable traditional views, and here she was landed in the middle of those views again. Though, they’re probably not considered ‘traditional’ yet.

“RM, by the way. You can call me RM.”

“Well, RM,” Yuki started as he dusted himself off, “what the hells were you doing in a tree? In bandit-infested woods for that matter?”

RM smiled sweetly as he had unknowingly provided her a cover story. “Precisely that reason. I was chased but gained enough distance to climb up and hide. And I was just, uh, coming down when I lost my footing.”

An almost imperceivable nod of approval from Science Ninja. “Were you on your way to Echigo? Yuki and I are headed there now. We can discuss your sister once we’ve rested.”

“That would be fantastic.” RM released a sigh of relief at his words… even if the Yuki guy didn’t seem particularly thrilled.

~*~

“So, let me get this straight...” RM needed to confirm the insanity of the situation before she snapped on the Science Ninja who seemed to be doing his best to bring her up to speed. He had brought her dinner and was now preparing her to meet his bosses. “This Oda dude picked MC up after she saved him and named her a princess of his clan… and now your bosses plan to take her hostage to use against him? Is that correct?”

“Yes, that is accurate. I've refrained from interfering because it will be easier to return home with her nearby.”

“What's her ETA?”

“Lord Shingen will have to answer that as he is the one who dispatched the retrieval team. Soon though, I’m sure.”

RM kept her thoughts on that to herself. Like Hell MC will allow herself to be captured again. Girl, just what kind of shit have you gotten into? Wait until the next time you try to lecture me on blending in…

RM dropped her hashi in frustration. “Well, where is he? I need answers!”

“And answers I may be able to provide for such a divine creature.”

The bellowing voice startled her as it boomed from out of her sights. Turning, RM was met with a mountain of a man that instantly took her hand in his, stroking her knuckles gently. “I truly did not believe it when Yuki told me an angel had descended unto him from the heavens, but now that I see you with my own eyes, I cannot help but feel blessed by such a vision.”

Ah... a playboy… this I can use. Kudos to you, wormhole. You put me right where I needed to be.

RM pulled out her sweetest smile again while mimicking his movements and stroking his knuckles as well. “You must be Lord Shingen. Sasuke was just telling me about you.”

“Good things I hope.”

“Oh, of course. Some of them being that you’d cooperate with my questioning. So...” She allowed him to pull her to her feet before taking her hands back and folding them across her chest to show she was now serious. “I need to know when you dispatched this retrieval team of yours for the Oda Princess and how many you sent.”

He chuckled at her tone, but the gleam in his eyes told her she hadn’t lost his interest. “Very well, my angel, I sent four of my finest men two days ago. They should be collecting the Oda Princess now and returning with her in another two days’ time.”

RM inhaled deeply and paced back to her dinner, proud that she hadn’t laughed in his face. Four men would not be enough to subdue MC. The Oda had treated her respectfully according to Sasuke, even providing her a station of some power and control over the household. As ridiculous as it sounded to her, MC had been here for almost six weeks now, whereas it had only three days for RM since that fateful lightning strike. Knowing MC, she considered this her temporary home and she would fight against any semblance of an attack to protect it, regardless if she knew what the intended target was or not.

RM picked up her hashi once more to focus on her dinner. “Well, I hope you didn’t call any of those ‘finest men’ your friend.”

Sasuke's eyebrow arched in silent inquiry at the same time Shingen lost all traces of his seductive smile. “Why do you say that?”

“Because if they’re not dead already… then they’re going to wish they were.”

[redgreenbluesforloco]

Daisuke, Takahiko & Nobunari (3BK) Interview on QuadAxel Pt.1/2

This interview didn’t feel long when I read it, but it sure as hell does now that I’m trying to translate and format it, so I’ll split it in half :P  

Some notes: I’ve honestly no idea how Takahiko came to call Nobunari “Naru-kun” but it’s adorable and I refuse to alter it, so Naru-kun = Nobunari. I had to let myself use lol and ahahaha for laughter (it’s what the magazine editors did!). Haven’t had anyone proofread it for me yet so there might be some minor edits later.  Part 2 here

The Vancouver Team: An everlasting bond

Daisuke Takahashi, Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka, eternal friends and rivals who helped popularize the sport, discuss the first time they met, their memories of the Vancouver Olympics, future plans for their skating careers. [summarized intro]

Thank you for granting us this precious opportunity today. Is this the first sit-down with all 3 of you since the 2009 program (Figure Skating Opening of the Season Special by TV Asahi)?

Dai: Oh, is it?

Nobu: Yeah, we haven’t had one since then, right?

Dai: I guess not.

Taka: Right. Do you remember on that program there was a question about what Doraemon items you wanted? And when I answered, “The Dictator Switch” [“Dokusai Switch” a switch to erase the existence of bothersome people], you both went, “Wow, how scary!” lol.

Dai: I don’t remember.

Nobu: I don’t remember.

Takahiko: I remember very well.

Dai/Nobu: Ahahaha LOL

Anyway, I would like to start by asking you about when you first met. Between the 3 of you, were Takahashi-san and Oda-san the first to meet?

Dai: Wasn’t the first time we met at that competition in Kyoto?

Nobu: Yeah, the Western Japan Elementary and Middle School Championships.

Dai: Yeah! That was the first time I saw Nobu.

Nobu: Yeah, that’s right. My impression back then was, ‘Wow, there are some talented guys coming from Okayama.”

Dai: And then I started to commute to the Takatsuki rink, and we started talking in the 1st  or 2nd year of Middle School.

Nobu: Yeah, it was around that time we started getting closer [talking more intimately].

What did you call each other back then?

Nobu: Everyone was already calling him Dai-chan back then.

Dai: What did I call Nobu back then?

Nobu: Didn’t you call me “Nobunari-kun”? Yeah, it was “Nobunari-kun” lol. Back then, Dai-chan already had the status of a junior champion. When his music came on during practice, everyone would scramble to get closer to the walls, like “I’ll get in trouble if I get in his way.” So I already had the image of him, like, “Wow, what an amazing person.” But even so, I still called him Dai-chan lol.

Dai: Everyone called me Dai-chan.

Nobu: Yeah. And then I think I first saw Takahiko at the Novice Japanese National Championships (1998). He’s two years younger than me, so he was in the Novice B championships. That was the first time I caught a glimpse of him.

Taka: Yeah.

Nobu: I had been hearing people talk like, “Kozuka-san’s son is so talented,” so I thought, “Ah, so this is Kozuka-san’s kid.”

Taka: When I first met Naru-kun it was at the Osaka Junior Nats (1999). You were there, right?

Nobu: Yeah, I was! I was eliminated from the preliminary rounds after the short program. My first Junior competition, I ended up 27th lol.

Dai: Ahahaha lol

Nobu: That was when I performed at a Junior event by invitation for the first time coming from Novice, and I was so excited to compete in Osaka, I ended up putting too much energy into everything and screwed up all the jumps lol.  

Taka (looking straight at Nobu): You kinda always did that, you put too much energy into it lol.

Nobu: Yeah, yeah! That’s why I’m skating better now lol. Way back then it was like I’d get too tense.

At that time, were you at a point where you’d share lodgings and meet at competitions and stuff?

Nobu: I went to a competition in Belgium with Takahiko. That was my first international event.

Taka: Oh, that’s right.

Nobu: Takahiko had already gone to many international events and knew how to get by overseas, so he taught me all sorts of things. I was just about to start high school and I was studying for the entrance exam. While we were abroad, he’d always sit next to me and tutor me.

Dai: LOL

Nobu: I’d be like, “I really don’t get math!!” lol.

Dai: Really?

Nobu: He was always in my room, solving my math problems for me. He’d teach me math the entire time.

Dai: LOOL

Taka: I’d get lonely on my own, so we’d just stay together the whole time lol

Nobu: Takahiko’s mother (Coach Kozuka Sachiko) and my mother (Coach Oda Noriko) were really close, so we’d often have meals together, too.

Taka: We had waffles too, right?

Nobu: We did, we did!

Taka: They wouldn’t let us give any to the girls. We were told that it was only for the guys.  

Nobu: Yeah, that’s right! We were with Aki Sawada and Nana Takeda and the others.

Dai: Ah, that’s nostalgic.

Nobu: Yeah.

Taka: And everyone’s gotten married already. It’s been a long time. And then, the first time I met Dai-chan at a competition, it was in Croatia, right?

Dai: Right. With Hirokazu Kobayashi and others.

Taka: Hirokazu was a senpai from my rink, so I became friends with Dai-chan through him.

Dai: Right, starting from there.

And when did you first start to become aware of each other as rivals?

Nobu: It was the season after I won the Junior World Championships (2005). Even if I wasn’t really aware [of a rivalry], people around me started comparing me to Dai-chan.

Dai: There was also the fact that it was the Torino Olympic (2006) season.

Nobu: And that spring I got into the same university (Kansai University), so that drew even more attention.

Dai: Right, yeah.

Nobu: And, when I was asked, “Who is your rival?” I’d answer, “It’s Dai-chan.” Because I knew that was the answer they were looking for lol.

Dai: And that was when we started appearing in competitions together more often.

Nobu: Right, yeah.

Dai: There wasn’t a lot of overlap during Juniors right? Because I went to Seniors early.

Nobu: We didn’t overlap at all.

Taka: At what age did you rise to Seniors, Dai-chan?

Dai: I think I was 16?

Nobu: At the Kyoto NHK Cup (2002) when Dai was competing, I was really excited to go and root for him. I was yelling, “Go, Dai-chan!” with everyone else from the rink.

Dai: Hahahaha.

Nobu: Now that I think about it, I didn’t run into Takahiko much at Junior competitions, right?

Taka: There was some overlap, but I messed up a bunch of things, so it was very scattered. I played soccer too much, I did too much warming-up…

Nobu: And you forgot your costume…

Taka: That was at Nats, actually!

Nobu: At Nats, huh!

Taka: Yeah, the Nagoya one (in 2006). That was so bad, man.

Dai: Ahahaha LOL.

As Takahashi-san and Oda-san were being called “rivals,” Kozuka-san joined in, and the three you of you went on to fight fiercely against one another for a long period of time. Looking back, what are your thoughts now?

Nobu: We were always told that we were “in a fierce battle against each other” but that’s not how it felt to us, right?

Dai: Right, yeah.

Taka: Yeah.

Nobu: Dai-chan was always great at the interpretation and steps, Takahiko had amazing skating skills, so what I felt the most was that I wanted to absorb their skills.

Dai: We were at the same rink so we had a lot of opportunities to watch each other train. When you notice the other person is working hard, it makes you work hard, too. So it was good to receive that kind of stimulation. The thing is, when it’s time to compete, you can only think about your own performance.

Nobu: Right.

Taka: Yeah, that’s right. When we were together in competitions, we weren’t that aware of each other, it was more when we were in different competitions and I heard someone got good results that I’d think, “I better do my best, too!” That was often good motivation for me.

Nobu: When I found out that people from other sports, both men and women, don’t speak to their rivals that much, I was surprised. After I retired, I realized that in figure skating the atmosphere doesn’t get tense like that.

Dai: That’s true.

Nobu: People are so surprised, like, “Wow, you get along really well.” And for us that was just normal.

Taka: Yeah, that’s normal.

Nobu: That’s why when people asked me about rivals, I think my true feeling was that it didn’t quite make sense.

Was that because you’ve been seeing each other often since you were little?

Dai: And I think it’s also because our sport isn’t 1 vs 1 [there is no direct confrontation].

Taka: Because it’s an individual competition, yeah.

Dai: You get your results from what you do on your own.

Taka: Since it’s a competition where judges decide the scores, it makes it easier.

Dai: Right, since other people are giving you the scores.

Nobu: Yeah, that’s right.

Dai: And it’s whether you yourself were able to get good results or not.

Taka: Sometimes you get results, sometimes you don’t. When you do, you’re happy, when you don’t, you’re sad…

Nobu: It’s all your responsibility. It felt more like fighting against yourself. 

Out of the many competitions in which you were all together, which one left the biggest impression?

Dai: For me it was probably the NHK Cup in Nagano, when the three of us got 1st  (Takahashi-san), 2nd (Oda-san) and 3rd  (Kozuka-san) places.

Taka: In 2006, right?

Nobu: Right, all 3 of us skated the FS clean! I went after Takahiko, and I saw that he did so well and I thought, “Aaaah, I better work hard!”

Taka: That was when I came in 4th in the SP. Chengjiang Li was 3rd.

Dai: Chengjiang Li! Ah, that takes me back!

Nobu: I wonder how he’s doing these days.

Taka: Back then, during the press conference, somebody asked, “Are the rumors that you’re practicing a Quad-Quad true?” And he said, “Yes, I am.”

Dai: Seriously?!

Taka: Really!

Nobu: That time in Nagano, Takahiko and I went to the bathhouse every night, didn’t we?

Taka: Oh yeah! We did lol. We asked Dai-chan, “Won’t you come?” and he said, “My body feels sluggish, I’m not going.” Lol

Nobu: Oh yeah, yeah, we got rejected, didn’t we! We got rejected and went by ourselves lol.

Dai: LOL. Oh, but there was also Vancouver (Olympics 2010), of course.  

Taka: Vancouver was so much fun.

Nobu: I have some hilarious memories from after the competition was over lol

Dai & Taka: LOL

Nobu: We kept using skype nonstop lol.

Dai: Even though we were right next to each other lol.

Taka: I was using Skype, and Dai-chan was like "What's that?" So I set it up, and it was like, "let's try it out, let's all try it." "There is also a chat function." "Let's try that, let's!"

Nobu: Even though the distance was like this [measures with his hands].

Dai: LOOL We were right next to each other!

Taka: Yeah.

Nobu: And we kept using the chat but somehow we were silent. No one would say anything.

Taka: We would just talk through the text chat instead.

Dai: Yeah, we were just quiet the whole time!

Nobu: That will always be funny lol

Taka: It was so funny, right? lol

Nobu: And then we went to the Olympic village to stuff ourselves with McDonald’s lol.

Dai: It was like, "Do we go?!"

Nobu: What time was that? It was quite late wasn't it. I feel like it was the middle of the night.

Dai: It was.

Taka: It was like 3 or 4AM.

Nobu: Yeah, yeah!

Taka: The McDonald’s was open 24/7, so we went to grab a bite.

Nobu: It was so much fun.

Dai: So much fun.

Taka: And then when we were going to support the girls at the ladies' event, we put on face-paint lol.

Nobu: We did, we did lol.

Taka: Dai was going to write Japan on his cheek, but he wrote it backwards lol.

Dai: LOOL Because I was writing it while looking in the mirror so I got it wrong!

Nobu: And we were like, "No, Dai-chan, no! It's wrong!" lol

Taka:  Yeah, like, “That clearly just says ‘today’!” lol

Dai: “Today” LOL

(T/N: 日本 (Japan) backwards becomes 本日 which means “today”)

Was there a service in the Olympic village where you could get your face painted?

Nobu: Well, we decided we all wanted to paint our faces, so we bought art supplies and did it ourselves in the men's bathroom of the Pacific Colosseum (Sports Arena).

Dai: Wasn't it Takahiko who went to buy the art supplies?

Taka: Yeah!

Dai: That was a lot of fun. And at the closing ceremony there was a ball flying around for some reason lol.

Nobu, Taka: Ahahahaha yeah!!

Nobu: Before I knew it, we were chasing after it LOL. It was so cold that day, right?

Taka: Yeah, at the closing ceremony it was freezing cold.

You three chasing the ball in the closing ceremony became a hot topic among fans.

Dai: Really?

Nobu: I didn't think they would film that!

Dai: We didn't know, yeah.

Nobu: Chasing after a giant ball...

Taka: Like it was Sports Day or something.

Dai: We were running after it with all our might lol

Taka: We were so hyped up.

Nobu: Now that I think about it, we were so innocent when we did that, right? Even though we were all over 20.

Dai: Ahahaha I was well over twenty lol.

You were able to make such good memories because the three of you were able to go together, isn't that so?

Dai: Yeah, that's right.

Nobu: I don’t think we could even imagine not going together, all three of us.

Dai: Yeah, and not doing all this weird stuff lol.

Taka: Yeah, we wanted to go together.

The season before that (2008-09) was when Takahashi-san sustained an injury. What kind of effect did that end up having on Oda-san and Kozuka-san?

Nobu: That year there was the Worlds in Los Angeles (2009, when the number of spots for the Vancouver Olympics would be decided). Back then, I went thinking that we had to get the 3 spots also for Dai-chan’s sake. But then I just crashed and burned; I jumped too many times, and it was like, “Oh, crap, this is bad!”

Dai & Taka: LOL

Nobu: And then Takahiko really put in the work for us. Somehow we were able to save the 3 spots by the skin of our teeth, because our combined placements were exactly 13.

Taka: We were 7th (Oda) and 6th (Kozuka). That was really nerve-wrecking.

Nobu: If either of us dropped a spot, it’d be hopeless.

Taka: I was in the last group at the time, and Naru-kun was the last of the 3rd group.

Nobu: Yeah, yeah! And I thought I’d skated clean!

Taka: You even did a fist bump and everything.

Nobu: I jumped too much...

Taka: I can never forget the look on the coach’s face when you came back.

Dai: LOL

Nobu: And then I just watched the last group kind of like in prayer. It was such a feeling of relief when we just barely secured the 3 spots.

Taka: The Worlds from the year before (2008) was in Sweden and that was my first appearance at Worlds. And the year before (2007), it was just Dai-chan and Naru-kun, right?

Dai: Yeah, it was in Tokyo.

Nobu: Ah, I remember!

Taka: I was in the audience rooting really hard for you guys. And then Naru-kun found me and was like, “We got the 3 spots for you, kiddo, so do your best!”

Nobu: I wasn’t really in a position to say something so arrogant lol.

Taka: But I was thankful you worked so hard.

Dai: He worked hard.  

Part 2/2 posted here: Their thoughts on the popularity of men’s figure skating, what they admire about each other, their views on their careers after retirement, plans for the future, how to contribute to the development of the sport, Quad revolution, Pyeongchang Olympics, what kind of ice show they would create if given the chance.