TallyT

By the way, is there a broadcast this weekend? I may need to brush up my Fuji-ing skillz.....

Yuzuru better not get too many ideas... yes, a trim is nice (just to keep it out of his eyes during quads) but....

Ummm, just my opinion here and unblushingly OTT too... unquestionably, Javi is an incredibly gorgeous man (easily in my top three of skaters for classic good looks and outshone everyone else at the last Olympics for that IMO). And those eyelashes - I adore gorgeous eyelashes on a man, and his are spectacular. Yuzuru is something else. He may not have classic features but he does have that triangular, feline face (large eyes, wide cheeks, small softly pointed chin) which is utterly appealing, lovely skin and lips, that long slender frame that makes pretty much everyone around him look that bit heavier than they actually are, or that bit lankier (Boyang, Nathan). And incredible visual expressiveness - his personality and emotions shine through face and body when he's skating (and a lot of the time when he's not). He totally draws the eye from pretty much everyone around him, even when they are more conventionally handsome (the camera loves both Yuzu and Javi, tbh) and there are moments - quite a lot of them - when he can take 'beautiful' to an almost unearthly level. And then, of course, he turns into a lovable but not even vaguely unearthly dork

The Chinese lady is an unabashed fanyu, isn't she? Not that I disagree at all, but most commentators don't wax quite so lyrical about a face "as lovely as jade" "grace of a swimming dragon" etc... and of course the pretty well now iconic "fate whispered to the warrior" quote. Love it.

Javi, like Yuzu, is a sucker for kids...

I am reminded of my mother's hoary old saying "Good things come to those who wait...." so this should be very very very good.... (...and no, it was no less annoying when I was six as it is now)

I want ... mainly because the entire skating world would implode at first sight of him in that (with sparkles, mind you, because it's Yuzu and Yuzu has to sparkle)

I really really really am hanging out for Junhwan to get a second one....

I can't get over how utterly cool it must be to have fireworks not just in your honour, but designed in your image...

Ow wow... that would be awesome, and maybe even extra enough to satisfy him (for a while...)

Aaaaaacccccckkkkk!!! I've been trying to forget its existence... and to be fair, we can't blame Yuzu for that one...

Do you really think that once we know the programs we won't still do that???

No one is doing that, but he's not a plaster saint either! - and having fun with possible costume/hair choices is hardly mockery (goodness knows, most figure skaters get giggled at at least a few times in their career!) I think maybe we have here a case of cultural differences (I'm an Aussie - the more we love, the more we love to laugh) and some of us seem to have a different standard on what is good-natured teasing of someone we adore, deeply admire, sometimes gasp at and occasionally headdesk for. Best to just assume that everyone here is talking from a POV of respect and love even when giggling...

He probably, as soon as he heard it, saw it as a new personal challenge....

The thing is, we know how fabulous he looks in slim-fitting black... add his beloved sparkles and everyone will be happy!!!

That is completely adorable... and I want some.

The rest of 'em would kill to be that inconsistent...

Decisions, decisions... all of the above?

I do think there's an expectation that at least one of the programs will be Japanese (even if he has Haru yo koi as his exhibition piece), he's sort of built that idea up for himself But he doesn't have to. That's the beauty of it, Yuzuru can do such an amazing range of styles, music, programs... more than pretty much anyone else I can think of, he can probably take something you'd never think of and make it work. And he has nothing to prove anymore. This is going to be fun. (Unless he decides - having nothing more to prove - that he is going to go back and repeat every single program in his life until he gets them all perfect... and we could be here for a while, folks)

I don't always get the gist of her little drawings, but they are oddly hypnotic...

.... that would work with me, yes

Re number 4, that gave me the biggest laugh - "he's here! he's healthy! he's wonderful! he's a prince! he's a champion! .... and he's gone and stuffed up getting dressed by himself again!!!!"

Maybe he will, maybe he won't... of the three young pretenders to Yuzu's crown (Nathan, Boyang, Shoma), at least two will never get the Olympic Gold* no matter what good or bad choices they make, and quite possibly all three will miss out, for any number of reasons over the next three and a half years. And if and when they don't, there will be plenty of people to go "told you so!!" for all of them. It's way to early to start, though... (*unless at least someone's knees and hips hold out for 2026, care to take bets? I wouldn't)