You've been ice skating as long as you can remember.

Your mother is well known in the community as one of the most talented skaters in her generation, and you and your brother had quickly followed in her footsteps.

The two of you are called 'prodigies', something that inflates your brother's ego more than needed, and you're both due to preform in the qualifying competitions and make your way to nationals.

Everything has been going perfect for you your whole career, nothing will go wrong now, right?

Wrong, apparently. Because two months before the first competition is set to take place your brother suffers a nasty fall and acquires an injury that prevents him from ever skating again.

You swear off of competitive ice skating and the following competition out of solidarity, but it appears quitting something you've done your whole life isn't easy, especially if someone is trying to prevent you from doing so in the first place.

Noel Watanabe [RO, they/them]: Since your first meeting when you were both 12, where the judges scored you one point higher than them, Noel has claimed themselves as your 'rival'. They certainly play the part— well sometimes. Between bringing you food after practice and completely ignoring you, their hot-and-cold personality practically gives you whiplash. When they heard you were quitting the sport, they were enraged. Will you dig deeper into your relationship with your so called rival?

Hallie/Harlow Mitchell [RO, gender selectable]: After deciding to take a gap year against their parents wishes, H finds themselves spending their (would be) fall semester in Illinois. You first run into them, quite literally. A blur of bright orange knocking you flat on your back isn't he way you were looking to get your mind off of your problems but it worked. And if it hadn't the sound of H profusely apologizing certainly did. They seem to follow you everywhere you allow them to after that. Will their attempts to motivate you to skate again lead to something more?

Sadie/Spencer Williams [RO, gender selectable]: Your best friend since your first year in middle school. They've seen all the parts of you that you keep hidden from others, for better or for worse. While never picking up ice skating themselves S has never missed one of your games as long as they've known you. S has always been loyal and supportive of you, almost to a fault, but that all changes when you tell them you're giving up skating. Will you find out why your normally laid back best friend is passionate about getting you to skate again?

Valerio 'Val' Diaz [RO, he/him]: Coach Diaz had introduced the two of you after your third lesson, convinced you would become quick friends. He was right, of course, at least for a while. Valerio was obliviously quite a bright kid; helping you with homework during breaks at practice, studying with you before lunch, spending your sleepovers going over multiplication tables rather than telling secrets. It was something you'd always admired about him until— well, you'd rather not get into it. Your old friend seems to think otherwise, if the speed he comes back into your life after hearing about your plans to quit skating is anything to go by. Will you be able to forgive and let your old friend (or more) back into your life?

Meet a wide cast of characters, including other competitive ice skaters, coworkers, your siblings' friends, and more!*

* Valerio has both an exes to lovers and friends to lovers route available depending on player choices

*Some of these things are subject to change!

It's dependent!! There will be a subtle choice to decide if they're crushing on your MC or not but if not they'll just be essentially a platonic soulmate.

Val was definitely in the wrong in the situation! His mindset when breaking up/ending the friendship w/ MC and their two other best friends was essentially that he outgrew them as friends. Which isn't at all true, but at the time Val was the only one out of the four that planned on going to college. So he 'cut his losses' so to say. There's obviously more to it than that but that was a biiig part of his decision.

Polishing character sheets and realizing i gave the RO’s pets…

People are taking this w their OCs so im joining in w/ Off Season RO’s!

Noel; love that protects

Valerio; love that strengthens

(you would think based on what ive said about their route this doesnt fit lmao)

S; love that calms

this is sweet. i hope you know that you make others feel at ease around you. you're a gem, a blessing, a treasure - and you should know it. it's comfortable loving you. it's a privilege to be around you and to be let into your world.

H; love that heals

Your grip on the book you're holding tightening as you hear H sigh for what has to be the twentieth time in the last ten minutes.

"Is there something you want or are you annoying me for fun?” You grumble out, followed by a heavy sigh when they just let out a light laugh at your question.

“A little bit of both, sunshine." They laugh again as you blush over the petname. You try to tell yourself your heart doesn't do a flip at the sound.

"What do actually want then, Mitchell?" You ask, again, though actually turning around from your spot at your desk to turn around to see them laid out in your bed with a blanket over them, one your brother got you for your birthday a few months ago.

"I was just thinking," they start, stretching an arm and dropping it so it lays across your pillows. "It's sad.. I have a blanket with all this extra room and no one to share it with."

You feel your face heat up, your mouth gaping open in disbelief.

Though that feeling quickly vanishes when you see the look of triumph on their face.

"Wh— are you stupid?"

"If only I had a beautiful ice skater next to me.. maybe I should call up Noel?"

"You—!"

LMAO the first option! vuh-lare-ee-oh if u need the phonetic spelling.

realizing RO like. cooking skills levels is so funny bc it literally goes

Noel - very skilled, they had to make a lot of meals themselves due to their parents being away & gift giving is their love language so they like cooking for ppl

H - very skilled, they had to cook often for their younger siblings

S - skilled, their dad owns a restaurant so he starting teaching them to cook as soon as they could

Val - unskilled, he mainly just lives off of cold meals and toast when his dad isn't around. his first year living away from home he called his dad nearly crying because he didn't know how to make scrambled eggs

I'm glad ur excited!! very nice question as well.

As for their costume, I would say they usually lean more go for a mix, probably leaning towards more feminine if anything, though never feminine enough to just go for a dress.

Think like Yuzuru Hanyu's outfits.

^^ the third one especially!!

Noel does tend to have a flair for the dramatic when it comes to skating.

They would go for lighter colors as well; light blue, lilac, white, light teal, muted cyan. light cool tones I suppose.

Important research for off season

I’m starting to actually get to the point where im ready to actually be able to write and code soon, which includes thinking up stats, and that made me think how funny a flirty/bold MC x Noel will be.

Especially pre-route/early route because while Noel isn’t in denial they’re arguably worse in the way they don’t think anyone romantic is there.

Prior to MC they’ve never actually felt really threatened by another skater their age so they’re just like, “what? Of course I don’t like them, that’s absurd. This is how all rivals feel.”