SparkleSalad

I was the world's shyest child but felt happiest performing. I think even if you take shy and quiet Shoma you see what a flair he has for it. I don't think it's really that uncommon on incompatible for shy and/or introverted people to enjoy performing. The source of my shyness was in part being afraid of overwhelming people with the intensity of my emotions (I wonder if this is common for shy people - a lot seem to have a hidden intensity) so performing was freedom, somewhere I didn't have to hold myself back. I don't think he's shy, though.

I'm still overwhelmed myself at the love he received after the injury. I've never seen anything like it! I'm so glad he's mellowing and realising he's not indestructible. If he ever felt like he was a disappointment to his fans by withdrawing I hope this shows him otherwise. A competitive career is so short, we need him happy and healthy for the endless ice shows we're going to make him do once he retires.

Yeah, I found it pretty creepy, too, but I'm still skeptical and leaning towards the horoscope effect. I also took the test a year apart after what I thought was a year of super duper personal growth expecting my different answers to give me a different result and nope, same type. I cannot escape myself. I just went on a quest for special salads and... WHAT THE LIVING, SQUELCHY HELL, AMERICA? MAYONNAISE FRUIT SALAD?!?!$234234%R@3 GELATINE SALAAAAD????!#$23/43$#$#a6(* Hmmm, how to get back on topic? White chocolate salad?

I'm assume it does and I don't envy him one bit. Though whatever he's sent likely goes through someone else first so hopefully they make sure he doesn't get too overwhelmed. I only sent him a letter after the news of the injury because I felt it was perhaps the sort of time where such an outpouring of love and support might be appreciated. I'm sure he'd be feeling sad and kuyashii on his GPFless birthday this year so hopefully he can get some strength from it.

I've gotten INFJ each time I've taken it but I wonder if it doesn't like skewing the results that way to make people feel rare and super special. Of course I'm rare and super special anyway. Or perhaps that personality type is just drawn to online personality tests. I think the ice cream thing is just someone playing around with what they think the personalities of the skaters are rather than their real favourites. Look at Daisuke's.

It seems it's mint/white chocolate mix with pop-rocks. The bloody white chocolate!

Probably Baskin Robins?

I am such a super rare genius. Bow down before me!

Apparently even Jesus has been classified. I wonder if those self-tests are even accurate. They at least seem to be consistent.

I wouldn't even be confident speculating about the personality types in my own family. No idea how anyone can guess this sort of thing.

Yup, that's the polite way of saying it. Is INFJ really so rare?

Seriously. If I didn't love them so much I'd hate them. Bogarting all the good looks. -_- Right? I wish my ballet concerts had those production values! I mean, he trained with a ballet company so of course it's amazing. I'm okay with a million more pieces about his ballet background if they publish cute photos like this with them.

I agree about the pressure. I did notice her improving this season and I know she can only get better. I just think the development of artistry is really held back by the strategy to maximise TES and that style of expression just seems to be what's taught to those skaters. I think skaters like Yuzu who choose their own music have an advatage, as well. They don't need to learn to connect to something they already feel passionate about. I haven't re-watched her NHK performance so I don't know if it was apparent but I did feel at the time that something was off or weighing on her mind. Could be that the Yuzu's injury was weighing on mine, though. I will hopefully see him big and close at Worlds if an angel will float down and sell me a dream ticket, otherwise I'll live with small and far away. I'm already in a better position than I was for NHK, though - I didn't even have an FS ticket for that! Moo. Also, Moo.

I think Evgenia is a fine athlete, fierce as can be, and ridiculously cute and sweet and wonderful but the pantomime style is not my favourite. In person it's a lot more tolerable, though. Actually, I didn't really notice it all that much, much to my surprise. What I did notice was a lack of flow and artistry and it my be that close-ups of those exaggerated facial expressions on TV actually add something afterall. Watching her in person made me very aware that I was watching a sport. That being said, I now know she was injured at the time so I don't feel like it's entirely fair to form an opinion based on what I saw at that competition. Real-life fairy Satoko is not only the epitome of refinement but also sooooo teeny weeny that perhaps she would benefit from a bit more force and projection. Even from an arena seat she was too small or far away to really connect with. I'm not sure any skaters actively try to reach a balance in their performance that makes them both appealing on and off screen (I would think the only goal would be to impress the judges) but I really appreciate now those that can be both. I so wish I could have seen Yuzu to find out where he falls on the scale. I'd expect he'd be the kind that is much more impressive live, as everyone says. He's incredibly lucky to be under the wings of so many wonderful and artistically sensitive people. I'm so, so happy for him that choosing a coach based on quads happened to lead him down this magical path. 💞 And Pumpkin King is beyond all crticism... because he can read your thoughts and will turn you into pumpkin pulp if you dare question him. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃

Tiny ballet Nathan. From this to dad shirts. Bring it back! Source

Owwww, my wallet.

Father Ted fans are all sophisticated! Also I want to clarify that I don’t think not liking Hanyu makes a person unsophisticated, and I don’t think liking crowd pleasing skaters are routines makes a person unsophisticated, either! I like a variety of skaters and styles, myself, but of course my preferences are pretty clear. What I mean to say is it perhaps takes a bit more work to appreciate his skating if it’s not already your preferred style. I really liked watching Satoko on TV because I had similar feelings about her skating but in person I felt like no one was there and 5 minutes later couldn’t remember a thing she did (though she’d just come back and obviously wasn’t at her best.) But in person I found her to be too subtle. On the other hand, skaters like V&M who I always thought were just cringe dance sports on ice really blew my socks off and turned me into an instant fan! I wonder how many opinions about who is the best at IN and PE are formed in front of TVs and how many in person.

Mine and my mother’s weakness, also. It plays in this house multiple times a day. I think the choreography is utterly brilliant and I’ve always found it to look as if he is playing the music with his body, rather than moving to it. The entry into the first spin in 2.0 especially looks just like fingers striking those notes on the keyboard. And I am already dead so I don’t mind being killed again.

Re: interpretation etc. and popularity, without wanting to sound like a terrible, awful snob, I feel the difference between the crowd-pleasing routines and what Yuzu (of course, not only Yuzu) produces might be, for lack of a better, less judgemental-sounding word, “sophistication” which, to be frank, not as many people can appreciate compared with programs that smack you in the face. (I don’t expect judges to all be able to appreciate this, either.) I don’t think it’s any surprise that PW is one of his most popular programs among non-fans. Anyway, it’s that sophistication that draws me, at least, to his performances, along with his emotional sincerity. I suppose another way to say it would be “emotional and artistic depth of expression.” Before I found Hanyu, with a few exceptions, I’d found FS to generally be pretty gaudy and crude. (I’m so sorry. I sound so snobby. Please forgive me.) I’m a fan of Javi, too, but I don’t think he has that same depth (ie. his routines are very easy to understand) or perhaps he’s just not compelled artistically to present it. I don’t think he needs to, either. I love the variety of personalities and performances figure skating showcases! I wouldn’t call him showy, though, and I think his style strikes a really great balance which might be what makes him so watchable and so popular. I haven’t really found anyone who doesn’t like him! I’m not exactly sure appreciation or not of Hanyu’s programs is entirely a gender thing. I think it might be to some degree a cultural thing, too, though that of course can include all that fun macho nonsense. For what it’s worth, my Australian (see: blokey capital of the world) dad’s two favourite skaters are Hanyu and Lambiel, not exactly the most masculine. In fact, I would say they’re the most beautiful male skaters (in terms of skating, not looks.) He also likes Johnny Weir a lot. Actually, those three seem to be the favourites of my whole family. We have all been drawn in by Hanyu, though, through the masterpieces of SEIMEI, H&L, Chopin, and Notte Stellata. Before that we only watched the Olympics or bits and pieces if we accidentally caught them on TV. As for H&L vs SEIMEI I don’t rank one above the other in terms of expression except that H&L of course has the benefit of another year of training and experience. I think SEIMEI is as “sophisticated” as H&L but it also has that surface layer of drama and excitement that can draw anyone in, not to mention the terrifying charisma of the fellow skating it! H&L is much more philosophical and meditative but SEIMEI is like a vortex of intensity from which there’s no escape. I don’t remember what the point of this mishmash of a mess of a post was but I hope I haven’t said anything too controversial.

I agree with all of this. I’ve read so many stories similar to mine that I have to check I didn’t write them myself. My mother, who wanted to be a figure skater when she was younger and is a huge Torvill & Dean fan, watched the Cup of France broadcast on TV today and said, unprompted, when I walked in the room, “You know, the problem is that once you’ve seen Hanyu, it makes everyone else look like nothing.”

Yay! Link works now! Thanks!

Link takes me to one of those ad listy site things which thinks I want to buy Fender electric guitar strings... in French.

I'm not sure I thought it wouldn't suit him but thought it was paradoxically a melodramatic and dull choice. I haven't seen anyone else do a good job of it, though, to be fair, some just aren't lucky enough to have been born with perfect murderface. I agree about the costume, too, and I'm dying to see this dream come to life!

Welp, I guess we're all going, then.

I feel more like O Fortuna would have to try to match his drama level! I think it would be just a step up for him from RJ1 in Nice. How well his biellmann would suit it. I need to see it. Yuzu, please listen to your coach!