well! i was going to ask about something else, but then i saw skijoring and i think i'm contractually obligated to go for that one. for the WIP game, i mean 👀
This one came about after I saw this rider competing in this year's kickoff race over in Ridgeway, Colorado. All I saw was Suguru, and then all I could think about was Suguru towing Satoru, and then I had to physically remove myself from the skijoring space so I could focus on actual time-sensitive commitments. But now I'm planning a visit to my sister out in Denver so I can see it in person. It's got me good.
I've given a bit more context here, but at this point there's honestly not much to say for this one! Mostly I'm challenging myself to (1) write a sports fic, which is NOT something I'd ever expected to do, and (2) commit to a oneshot and actually write a oneshot, without dividing it into a multi-chapter, multi-part story (which has happened with some of my other WIPs). Thanks to The Sentinel I know I can write oneshots, but god do I lack discipline in actually doing so.
Anyway, here are a few morsels from my notes for this story! Hopefully they'll tide everyone (me) over for what will probably be a very, very long wait:
Suguru is a barrel racer who retired into skijor; Satoru is a phenomenal skier
Suguru (for some reason; I WILL make it make sense) has lots of westernisms and southernisms. My favorite of these is "a ship's safest in the harbor, but that ain't what it's meant for," and I am determined to work it into the story
In skijoring, skiers and riders often meet the day of the race and get thrown directly into the thick of it all, after only a bit of strategizing. I liked this for our sorcerers, sent into situations they haven't been prepared for
Skiing is a solo endeavor. You can do it with other people, yes, but in the end your success depends only on yourself. Barrel racing (and riding in general) is also done largely solo… except, of course, for the horse—the creature which provides the actual power. I like that Suguru relies on a relationship with a curse horse for his own successes
In a race, the entire relationship between a skier and a rider can be boiled down to the tension on the tow rope, and the grip of the skier. I like the idea that, in this world, success comes if Satoru keeps a firm grip on Suguru rather than letting him pull away
Downhill and slalom skiing depend on gravity. Skijoring does not. A lot of the mechanics of skiing translate, but a lot of the physics are different. The limits are different. This makes me very happy for Satoru
Other than that, this is hopefully just gonna be a quick and dirty porn-without-plot! Only, it's already starting to develop plot. Alas.