The Slowest Champion -Revisited-

[Matt L.]

I re-read your previous installment and it's even more enjoyable the second read. You're hitting all the high marks in the weight gain story genre.

Cheers, Matt

[riptoryx]

13 hours ago, watercolourz said:

This is such a detailed story, im keen to read through more, the humiliation is so hot. god bless deviantart!

Thanks, @watercolourz. The humiliation theme is a major component of the story, for sure. Probably, I'd say, right on par with the weight gain itself.

11 hours ago, Matt L. said:

I re-read your previous installment and it's even more enjoyable the second read. You're hitting all the high marks in the weight gain story genre.

Cheers, Matt

Thanks Matt! I've found there are a number of favorite stories that draw me back to read them, at least in part, again and again, every so often.

My intent from the very beginning was to craft this story with an eye for "repeat use." Although it's a fairly simple tale in principle, you may notice there are actually kind of a lot of "moving parts" here, the significance of which might not all be obvious at this stage. It is my hope that, at least once the story is complete, going back and reading it again from the beginning may reveal some new details and interconnected subtleties that went unnoticed the first time around. Also, the story will be long enough to have several distinct, mostly self-contained, weight-gain focused "set pieces," each with a particular feel, any of which might suitably draw folks back for a quick revisit a some future date. 

[riptoryx]

“Come on, just a couple hours. You need a break!”

“No, Delilah,” Kara droned for the third time, not bothering to glance up from her laptop screen.

It was late October. Determined to redeem herself following her dismal performance at the time trials, Kara had met Alissa’s challenge head-on. Beyond just working hard at every team practice, she was also putting in extra time at the gym and pool whenever she could. Dedicated or not, however, there were only so many hours in the day, and after almost two months of hard work Kara was still struggling to make any headway.

All her life, Kara had excelled at swimming. It came to her naturally. Since grade school, she had always ranked among the best of her peers, and season after season her abilities were always improving. It was a progression she had taken for granted, a basic fact of life, an eventuality as predictable as the sun rising in the east. Except now it wasn’t.

While most of her teammates had further polished their skills over the ensuing weeks of regular practice, Kara’s times still lagged frustratingly behind what she had accomplished in her senior year. If anything, the gap between her abilities and the rest of the team had only grown wider. Nowhere was this more apparent that during Stanford’s first two meets of the quarter. “Underwhelming” would have been a charitable characterization of her competition performance. She had yet to win a single heat, and had flat out lost three. Nonetheless, the Stanford women’s team had dominated both meets overall, and was off to a great start for the season.

But this success only further cemented Kara’s emerging reputation as dead weight. At practices, Alissa berated her incessantly, calling her out in front of her teammates, criticizing her strokes, her breathing, her stance, her turns, everything. It was harsh, and in Kara’s opinion almost entirely unfair, but always stopped just shy of the line that might prompt intervention from the coaches.

As much as she loathed being the focal point for Alissa’s “tough love,” she found the more subtle condescension of her other teammates even worse. After finishing last in an event at the recent meet versus Utah, Laces had begun referring to her as “Slow Ride.” The label proved alarmingly catchy. Soon, even rivals on competing teams began addressing her that way, as the tag somehow spread across university lines in the small world of Division 1 swimming. Kara hated it. Until she could boast some serious improvement, however, she knew any rebuttal on her part would only seem like whining.

Equally disappointing, even with months of effort she had managed to shed only a couple pounds. Most of her old clothes still didn’t fit well enough that she could feel comfortable wearing them.

Meanwhile, Kara had also been introduced to the sobering reality of Stanford’s curriculum. Accustomed to coasting through high school, Kara quickly discovered that she could no longer skate by without doing the reading. Plus, everyone else seemed so sharp and well-prepared.

Kara couldn’t understand what was going on. She was working as hard as she ever had, but suddenly nothing she did seemed to be good enough. It was like she had somehow lost all her mojo, and she had no clue what to do about it other than keep pounding against the same unyielding wall. It was maddening.

“But it’s Thirsty Thursday!” Delilah persisted. “That only comes around once a week!”

“It comes around every week,” Kara replied.

Delilah was Kara’s roommate. A tall, breezy, heavyset girl from Medford, Oregon, she wore her dishwater hair clumped into loose dreads and never seemed to tire of cajoling Kara to attend the latest campus festivity—whatever it might be.

“But—“

“No, Delilah.” Kara leveled a meaningful stare the other girl, broadcasting her determination that this conversation had reached an end.

Delilah frowned, and planted her hands on her ample hips. “You know, you really are squandering the best years of your life.”

“Delilah…”

“OK, OK, I know,” Delilah threw her hands up in mock surrender, then turned back to the closet to continue her own preparations. Given that Delilah’s fashion seemed to consist almost entirely of leggings, ironic t-shirts, and Keds, accessorized with an assortment of hemp necklaces and bracelets, the preparations likely would be brief.

Kara shook her head and reluctantly returned her attention to her assigned reading: Malthus’ “An Essay on the Principle of Population.” The “dismal science” indeed…

“’I’m Kara Miller. I have a big deal scholarship,’” Delilah grumbled from within the closet, puffing her tone into an aristocratic parody. “’I have to work twice as hard as everyone else and am contractually obligated to be a complete stick-in-the-mud and never, ever do anything fun with my oh-so-patient and wonderful roommate Delilah…’”

Kara tuned her out. Delilah was sweet, and surely meant well, but she really just didn’t get it. How could she? Delilah wasn’t an athlete, let alone a collegiate one. It was easy for her blithely dismiss all the demands on Kara’s time while she herself plowed through homework and then headed out for this or that party night after night.

Part of Kara envied that comfortable simplicity. Maybe more than just a part—particularly on early Saturday mornings, trudging to the aquatic center while Delilah remained a cozy lump beneath the covers. Nonetheless, with commendable self-restraint, Kara had resisted Delilah’s constant temptations to slide back into the party scene. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. If anything, Kara worried that she might actually enjoy herself too much. Still reaping the rewards from her summer “training,” Kara now harbored some silent insecurity about her own sense for moderation. The fact that she still couldn’t button half of her pants without sucking in didn’t exactly help her confidence, either.

Kara did not explain any of that to Delilah, of course. Instead, her excuse was always just that she “didn’t have the time.” It was a truthful answer, and for most people would have been sufficient. But Delilah wasn’t most people, and so the two went through the same paces again and again.

Kara started as a crinkly sleeve of vacuum-sealed Oreos smacked onto the keyboard of her laptop.

“Study food,” Delilah grinned. “What? Even sticks-in-the-mud need to eat, don’t they?”

Kara sighed and brushed the packaged cookies aside.

In addition to being a party animal, Delilah was also a shameless junk food fiend. A full shelf of her bookcase had been converted into a veritable cornucopia of sweet and salty treats. The mini fridge likewise boasted a well-stocked supply of soda, Starbucks bottled frappuccino, and—on any given day—perhaps one or more softening pints of Ben & Jerry’s. Outside of the dorm, Delilah mapped her campus commute to incorporate regular visits to the local food trucks, and her wallet included a well-used Mrs. Fields rewards card. Where the girl put it all, Kara couldn’t begin to explain. It seemed a miracle she was merely “heavyset” and not as big as a house.

As diligently as Kara had resisted Delilah’s entreaties to socialize, she had exercised less diligence resisting the snacks. Kara rationalized this as a reasonable trade-off of convenience; having food readily at hand meant she had more time to spend studying or training. And for her part, Delilah professed herself more than happy to share. Whatever dent Kara’s munching made in the stash, Delilah invariably soon resupplied sans complaint.

“Last chance!” Delilah warned, as she lingered in the entryway.

Kara shook her head.

“Tsk. ‘Kay.” Delilah winked. “Don’t wait up!”

***

Well after 3 AM, Delilah quietly eased open the door and crept into the darkened dorm room. She spied Kara, zonked out on her bed, bathed in the glow of her laptop, an empty Oreo sleeve crumpled beneath her hip.

“Aw,” Delilah murmured and clucked her tongue. She tip-toed over and carefully pulled the cookie package free. Surprised to find a single broken confection still inside, she popped it into her mouth, then carefully closed Kara’s laptop and set it on the bedside table. Kara shifted slightly in her sleep, but did not wake.

Delilah smiled and shrugged. “Silly little worker bee,” she mumbled to herself around a mouthful of Oreo.

***

Over Thanksgiving break, Kara accompanied Joyce to spend the holiday with her grandparents. For the visit, she donned a roomy Stanford-branded hoodie, recently acquired from the campus bookstore, hoping its generous fit might unsuspiciously forestall any well-meant familial advice about the “Freshman Fifteen” or other weight-related discussion.

“Joyce, Kara, oh!” beamed Kara’s grandmother, wiping her hands on her apron as she trundled out onto the front stoop to greet them. She wrapped Kara in a warm hug. “It’s so good to see you again, darling!”

“You, too, Grandma,” Kara said.

As they released their embrace, Kara’s grandmother maintained an arm’s length hold on her waist. Surveying Kara’s appearance, her hands gently squeezed Kara’s sides.

“My, my,” her grandmother appraised, “someone has certainly found college life agrees with her!”

Kara quickly stepped back out of reach and bared her teeth in something that might superficially have approximated a polite grin.

“Mom!” Joyce chided, and swatted her mother’s shoulder. “Shush!” It did not strike Kara as a particularly strong or reassuring defense.

Around the dinner table, conversation inevitably turned towards Kara’s time at Stanford. How did she like her classes? What did she think of the university swimming team? Was she making lots of new friends?

After her grandmother’s rude welcome, Kara was on her guard. She kept her answers circumspect. Classes were awesome. The Stanford team was awesome. Tons of awesome new friends. Awesome, awesome, awesome. Everything was awesome. She punctuated each response with a fresh forkful off turkey or mashed potatoes, so as to politely excuse further explanation. “And please just stop asking already!” she thought.

***

The first practice after the break was brutal. Kara’s performance at the Arizona State meet just before Thanksgiving had been her worst yet, and now Alissa was on her case even more than usual. It didn’t help that she had overeaten during the week off, either. Why did her mom have to agree to take all those leftover pies home with them? Why the hell did her grandmother even bake so many damn pies in the first place?

As practice wrapped up, the head coach pulled Kara aside and asked her to come speak with him after she got changed. In the locker room, Kara went through her routine methodically, consciously trying not to worry even while she subconsciously tried to delay the conversation.

It turned out to be worse than she anticipated. She was being sidelined for the Ohio State invitational meet next week. “It’s only provisional,” the coach assured her. “We have to consider what’s best for the team.” Apparently, in this case “what’s best for the team” meant keeping Kara out of the pool and keeping her times off of the scorecards. In fact, the coach didn’t even want her to travel to the meet with the rest of the team. Instead, he told her to stay at Stanford and spend the time practicing.

Kara was flabbergasted. She had already arranged to get lecture notes taken for her while she would be away. That should have been the least of her concerns, but somehow in that instant it was the only thing she could think of.

“It’s just what’s best for everybody right now,” he reiterated.

Unable to formulate a coherent response, Kara merely nodded and mumbled a compliant “OK.”

On her way back to the dorms, Kara had time to better digest the situation and the wheels in her mind began to turn. This wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair. And it wasn’t just bad luck, either. No, this was Alissa’s doing. It had to be. That girl had been out to get her since day one, and somehow she’d finally turned the coach against her. Who knows what half-truths and outright lies she’d been peddling?

The more she thought about it, the more convinced Kara became, and the angrier she grew. Rather than return to her room, Kara beat a speedy bee-line to Steve’s office.

Kara arrived just as Steve was packing up for another high school scouting trip. He seemed eager to be on his way, but when Kara insisted it was urgent and closed his door behind her, Steve relented. He listened patiently as Kara pled her case. He nodded in the right places, and dutifully raised his brows while Kara breathlessly rattled off a catalog of all the things Alissa had said and done to her since the season began, all the insidious toxicity deliberately undermining her role on the team.

Once she had finished, she looked to him, eyes wide and imploring. But Steve shook his head.

“Sorry, Miller. She’s not wrong. You do really need to work on your form.”

***

Kara hadn’t spent most of her young life dominating her chosen athletic field without developing a measure of stubborn pride. Once she had recovered from the trauma of being so curtly rebuffed, Kara set about doing exactly what her coaches suggested—and then some.

While the rest of the team jetted off to Columbus for the last meet of the year, Kara headed straight for the pool. Having already arranged to be absent for most of the week, she took full advantage by putting all her time into single-minded training. Up at dawn, she cycled through laps and dry land exercises all morning, afternoon, and into the evening, allowing herself only short breaks to recover and refuel. By the time she collapsed into bed at well past 10 PM, her whole body felt like a numbly-trembling mass of ground beef. The next day was more of the same, now seasoned with the addition of a deep-set ache in her legs and shoulders. So too went the third day, and the day after that.

When the team returned, Kara resumed group practice with fresh determination. She let every criticism wash over her. She left every unfounded boast and cheeky comment pass unacknowledged. In fact, she now rarely spoke at all during group gatherings. Outside of practice, through sheer brute force, she continued to make time for even more solo training: hours in the pool and at the gym, every single day. She was working harder than she ever had in her life—harder even than during those two frantic weeks before the end of summer break, if with a more sober pacing. But it wasn’t without cost.

Soon after the Ohio State meet, classes wound down for the quarter. All across campus, students cloistered themselves, cramming for the upcoming exams. Kara had been struggling to keep up with her coursework before. Under the strain of her recently amplified training schedule, maintaining balance teetered from difficult to outright impossible.

Despite being two weeks behind on most of her reading, Kara refused to let her athletic focus be compromised again. Instead, she cut corners where she could and charged recklessly ahead where she could not. Pleading with the professor bought her an extension on the term paper for Sustainability and Collapse. A cunning bit of pouty flirting scored her some Intro Psych notes from a thirsty-looking classmate. For everything else…well, she tried her best. The run-up to exams found Kara hunkered under her task lamp, stiff and sore from the day’s workout, shrugging off Delilah’s chidings of motherly concern as she slurped Red Bulls and pored over her outlines well into the wee hours, night after night.

She was burning the candle at both ends. By the time she finished her last test, Kara was a frazzled, punchy wreck. But she had finished. It was worth it.

***

The splash of Kara’s butterfly stroke echoed emptily across the deserted pool complex. Overhead, leaden winter clouds hung in a featureless expanse from horizon to horizon.

Shortly before her exams, Kara had phoned her parents to deliver some unexpected news: she wouldn’t be coming home for the holidays. She was going to stay at Stanford over winter break, training.

Naturally, at first Michael and Joyce were shocked. But once Kara relayed a heavily edited explanation of how she had gotten sidelined from the last meet, and how desperately she had been laboring to remedy that, both her mother and father proved supportive and sympathetic. She ran through a list of reasons why it made sense to stay: freedom from distraction, access to the facilities, etc., etc. For better or worse, it all sounded very similar to her rationales for spending so much time on campus during the summer. But it was an unnecessary persuasive effort. They believed her. They trusted her. They loved her. They said all the right things about missing her for Christmas and New Year’s, and promised to send her presents in a care package soon. Sean promised to make her a special card all by himself.

And so it was settled. Kara contacted her Resident Assistant and made the arrangements for temporary accommodations in the Stanford Guest House over the break.

With a practiced kick, Kara pivoted off the wall and surfaced into a smooth backstroke.

Once the dorms closed, the campus became a ghost town. Kara made the most of it. She zoned out in the gym with her iTunes, uninterrupted for hours at a time. Alone in the rec center pool day after day, aware that everyone else was home relaxing with friends and family, she discovered in her routines a meditative peace. There were no deadlines, no demands, no pressure, no drama. For the first time since enrollment, she felt a measure of control over her situation. She felt calm. She felt productive.

Kara rebounded off the opposing wall and started back down the lane in a breaststroke. From the clouds above, a few drops began to plip quietly into the pool.

The gifts her family sent were nice: a Sephora gift card; several outfits (a few of which were a bit too snug to wear); and a heaping basket of Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which she had been unable to resist gobbling steadily, notwithstanding the disappointing fit of certain other presents). Sean’s “special card,” however, never materialized. Apparently he had gotten distracted by the hubbub of the season and just forgotten all about it.

Joyce also mentioned that said Sarah had dropped by the house, looking for her. “Oh,” was Kara’s inscrutable response to that information. “OK.” That was all she had to say about that.

Kara turned again and flipped into a strong front crawl.

And here she was, on December 30^th: a lone figure methodically slicing lines back and forth through the chilly blue water.

Reaching the wall, Kara swooped to a halt and tapped her wristwatch. The rain was falling harder now. She raised her goggles and cleared a fat bead of fluid from the digital display with her thumb, then cycled through its latest tally. A small smile slid across her lips.

Kara tarried there for a time, arms hooked around the lane line, looking up at the overcast sky. She closed her eyes, listened to the rain, and let it pelt gently against her face.

Eventually, the moment passed.

Kara lowered her goggles, reset her watch, and started across the pool yet again.

***

Kara’s holiday seclusion proved beneficial. Right from the first practice of winter quarter, her times reflected a marked improvement over those of autumn. Whether it was all the physical labor or maybe just the mental detox that ultimately jarred her out of her slump even Kara herself could only guess. Regardless, her coaches took notice. By week two, Kara was back on the competition list for late January’s away meet against Cal.

She was quick to share the good news.

“Glad you finally decided to show up, Full Ride!” Swoops said, giving Kara a slap on the back.

“For real,” Twinkle agreed, with a sly wink. “I can’t see Stanford paying all that money just to have your buns warming a bench.”

“Don’t screw it up this time,” Alissa cautioned, direct as ever.

Delilah squealed and flailed her boisterous if only vaguely-understanding congratulations…then immediately asked if this meant Kara would actually go out dancing with her tonight.

Kara’s parents better appreciated the achievement; despite her gentle discouragement, both vowed to come cheer Kara on at the meet in person—Michael with Sean in tow.

A couple weeks into the quarter, Kara received a card in the mail. It was a belated New Year’s greeting from Sarah. Inside, Kara found a note, jotted in Sarah’s almost illegibly tiny cursive lettering. True to form, Sarah’s note launched right into the message without any salutation.

I came looking for you over winter break. Your mom told me you were staying at Stanford for training. It’s cool that you’re so dedicated, but… Come on!!! Seriously?!! It’s called “winter break,” you dumb bitch! As in: it’s when you take a break! And do you realize I had to pester your mom to get this address? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? Anyway, one of these days when you haven’t been eating bitchcakes for breakfast, call me, OK? I miss you…

~S

Basking in the smug satisfaction of a self-appointed “victory” in their little silent treatment standoff, Kara elected to send a quick “thank you” text by way of response. Sarah texted back almost immediately. Before long, the two were chatting on the phone.

Sarah was still eager to arrange some sort of get-together. Unfazed by Kara’s excuses about why she couldn’t just drive back for a visit this weekend or the next, Sarah eventually suggested meeting up over spring break. The high school and Stanford break schedules didn’t quite line up, but there would be an overlapping weekend between them. Plus, Sarah confided a conspiratorial whisper, Tom was going to be home on break then. She had already started the groundwork for how to bully him into buying the beer for another big party. And who knows, maybe he would even bring along some other college boys, too? Kara couldn’t help but chuckle at Sarah’s blatant pandering. Her magnanimity buoyed by recent events, with comparatively little nagging from Sarah and only moderate reluctance, Kara agreed to make it a date.

In the final days leading up to the meet, the familiar edgy tingle of competitive spirit began to kindle in Kara’s chest. She hadn’t felt this confident since high school. It felt good.

Day by day, her times had continued getting just a bit better. True, she was still a long way from reclaiming her senior year peak. But these latest practice runs were the best she had managed at Stanford yet. Most importantly, they were headed in the right direction. A good showing against Cal, she knew, would be the perfect catalyst to kick that momentum into overdrive.

***

[riptoryx]

ATTENTION LURKERS!

 

Like this story? Never posted at Curvage before? Wanna make your first post really matter?

Well here’s an opportunity for YOU!

As of now, I am planning to upload to Curvage the next installment of “The Slowest Champion -Revisited-“ on Saturday, January 7, 2017, at 3:00 pm (15:00) Pacific Time. 

For every person who makes a first-ever Curvage post in this thread between now and then (or whenever I do upload it), I will upload the next installment 1 hour earlier.

But wait! There’s more!

Already popped your Curvage-posting cherry? You can still get in on the action.

For every person who makes a second-ever Curvage post in this thread between now and then (or whenever I do upload it), I will upload the next installment half an hour earlier.

  Make a New Year's resolution to get active in this kinky community, and get a little group reward, too! 

Here's hoping for a happy and prosperous 2017!

NOTE: No offer to warp the realities of space-time is intended. The soonest I can post the next installment is immediately, even if some unexpected tide of virginal posts floods the thread.

[podracer2]

College life seems fun for her. Really she's a mess but she's learning to work hard. She's been hit with failure and this is the point in the movie where it pays off. But this is Curvage and while people are well meaning they're also enabling and well things don't always end up the way they do in movies. 

[riptoryx]

18 minutes ago, podracer2 said:

She's been hit with failure and this is the point in the movie where it pays off.

You know how I do.

[maxymumspyder]

This entire story is simply amazing and the best thing I have read in YEARS. I think I am jealous at how well-written and thought out this piece has turned out. Very very well done.

[Matt L.]

Enjoyed your latest installment.  Neatly orchestrated and a nice set up for further developments.  

[KarmaMel]

Drawn kicking and screaming from perpetual lurkerhood!!

This story is so good I GOT ALMOST ZERO SLEEP FRIDAY NIGHT.  Every hour or so I checked the forum for an update.  No kidding.

My two biggest areas of anticipation are when Jessie and Kara meet again, and just my total loss at what Kara is going to do over break.  I just love when an author is so unpredictable.  (And you do it so well!)  

Normally when two people are changing roles (rolls as well in this case) they get slammed at once with a vast discrepancy from their former forms.  While that can be, and has been enjoyable, seeing Kara and Jessie gradually swap positions is very intoxicating.  Kara's mighty battle vs Jessie's grim determination has got to be one of the best stories of this genre out there.  How refreshing.

[Conjohn92]

Great story!

[riptoryx]

4 hours ago, maxymumspyder said:

This entire story is simply amazing and the best thing I have read in YEARS. I think I am jealous at how well-written and thought out this piece has turned out. Very very well done.

Thanks, Spyder! I'm excited to let the story fully unfold, and to see what people think of it.

 

2 hours ago, Matt L. said:

Enjoyed your latest installment.  Neatly orchestrated and a nice set up for further developments.  

Gotta set the pins up before you can knock 'em down, right? #puritanworkethicfetishporn

 

1 hour ago, KarmaMel said:

Drawn kicking and screaming from perpetual lurkerhood!!

This story is so good I GOT ALMOST ZERO SLEEP FRIDAY NIGHT.  Every hour or so I checked the forum for an update.  No kidding.

My two biggest areas of anticipation are when Jessie and Kara meet again, and just my total loss at what Kara is going to do over break.  I just love when an author is so unpredictable.  (And you do it so well!)  

Normally when two people are changing roles (rolls as well in this case) they get slammed at once with a vast discrepancy from their former forms.  While that can be, and has been enjoyable, seeing Kara and Jessie gradually swap positions is very intoxicating.  Kara's mighty battle vs Jessie's grim determination has got to be one of the best stories of this genre out there.  How refreshing.

@KarmaMel, thanks for jumping in with both feet! This is exactly what I wish more people would do, and what I hope my little "special announcement" encourages.

Apologies for the lost sleep on Friday. I know I had been posting new additions on Friday nights previously, but I didn't realize anybody was actually paying close attention to the schedule, or was so eager for new content. It's super flattering to hear, though! 

Generally speaking, if you want to see updates to this story ASAP, I recommend "watching" my DeviantArt page. My usual practice is to upload new material there first. It might be hours or a day later before I migrate text over to Curvage (or elsewhere). Keeping tabs at Curvage is good, too, though. Some discussion happens here that doesn't happen anywhere else.

The Kara/Jessie reunions are in many ways the heart of the whole story. While those interactions perhaps played a larger role in the original "The Slowest Champion" due to its more condensed narrative, they're still a linchpin--providing a grounding link between Kara's triumphant high school past, and the evolving challenges of her present situation at Stanford. The subtle but meaningful differences you've noticed in underlying motivations between Kara and Jessie (and Sarah, and Alissa, and other characters, too, if you really want to delve deep) are important. Writing this story has been a process of playing with and building upon those differences as they bounce around against each other and the surrounding environment like struck billiard balls. Throughout it all, I've tried to ensure the changes in the characters come across as believable, both physically and otherwise. But believable doesn't necessarily mean small, as I think we've all probably seen ourselves at one time or another.  

As for the spring break set-up...well, that's a long ways away, in college freshman time. Keep an eye on that. 

Finally, as a reward for making your first ever Curvage post here in this thread, for being the first person to do so after my invitation, and for writing such a kind, enthusiastic, and thoughtful post, I'm gonna credit this with an extra half-hour time boost--so, 1.5 hours altogether. Combined with @suzzylenard's second-ever Curvage post below, that's already a total of 2 hours earlier for the scheduled upload of Part 6. 

*Fun fact:  when I first saw your username, I read it as "KaraMel," and thought it might be an obscure reference to one of Kara's high school nicknames in "The Slowest Champion -Revisited-".  Whoops!

 

1 hour ago, suzzylenard said:

Great story!

Thanks Suzzy! I hope you'll stick around, keep reading, and chime in more often! If you like this story, that means we probably like a lot of the same things, and that leads me to think I'd enjoy reading more of what you have to say all around the Curvage forums.

 

[jojoabc123]

*Frantically begins creating 64 fake user accounts*

[riptoryx]

8 minutes ago, jojoabc123 said:

*Frantically begins creating 64 fake user accounts*

Hah.  Don't make me get @SJ707 to start checking IP addresses, now...

[dicktracy]

would be nice to continue to see kara burn the candle at both ends. partying and training a lot. not getting the necessary sleep that her body needs to recover. =D

[riptoryx]

8 minutes ago, dicktracy said:

would be nice to continue to see kara burn the candle at both ends. partying and training a lot. not getting the necessary sleep that her body needs to recover. =D

Partying AND training a lot at the expense of sleep? Sounds great, but where do academics fit in?

That's part of Kara's conundrum. Since matriculating, she's come to realize that her preferred "candle" suddenly seems to have at at least three "ends." She can barely find the time to keep up with any one of those. How can she possibly "burn" them all? She's definitely trying to find a way to make it work, though--with some sacrifices, thus far, as evidenced by how she handled things towards the end of the first quarter. That wasn't at all ideal from her perspective, but just kinda what seemed the least-bad option at the time, and the only solution she found.

But, as you noted, what she was doing leading up to winter break? Burning those two candle ends of training and study? Yeah, even that's....nooooooot exactly sustainable. It was only once she had weeks of uninterrupted time to clear her head and focus on a single "end" that Kara really started to make some progress getting back to where she wants--and is supposed--to be.

TBD how all this will play out once classes start up again.

Get any of your lurker friends to make their first post in this thread and you'll all find out the near-term answer a bit sooner!

[Doop]

I've never frequented this site before, but I guess I've been looking for an excuse to do so. I congratulate you for the clever marketing idea! 

[riptoryx]

12 minutes ago, Doop said:

I've never frequented this site before, but I guess I've been looking for an excuse to do so. I congratulate you for the clever marketing idea! 

Thanks, Doop! And welcome aboard! Curvage is a pretty good one-stop-shop for a lot of weight-related fetishy good stuff. 

Also, that's another one-hour bump up in the release time for the next installment. 

[KarmaMel]

There's that magical stage in college weight gain where the woman can still wedge into her jeans.  Quite often they can convince themselves in short views in front of a mirror that they look thinner than they truly due.  I'm not sure if it is that brief "Sucking in" so that their tummies and luv handles aren't pressing so tightly into their t-shirts or blouses that can continue the denial or not.

I'm not sure if Kara is at that oh-so-sensual point where they walk around oblivious to the fact their tummies and luv handles are pressed so tightly against the fabric; pulling and twisting the top along with the pudge roll with every movement.

Then seeing the way their tummies press even harder while sitting; highlighting their ever deeper navel... WOW!

Further gains then bring about the ever so wonderful slide into insecurity.  Sucking in, tactful tucking, layering clothes.  I like it when they forget, only to suddenly remember!

Ahhh, the simple pleasures in life.

To me, Kara seems to be pretty oblivious.  I mean she casually tugged down the fleece, and she was surprised at the threadbare holes.

I think the only time it really hit home was when she first had to take her jacket off while wearing a swimsuit ordered 25-30 pounds ago.

Here she has only lost a couple pounds, but hasn't really been hung up on the fact for long....   Then again her pressing schedule has dominated pretty much everything.

 

PS  Love the "Sustainability and Collapse" paper reference. 

[riptoryx]

@KarmaMel, thanks again! I agree wholeheartedly, those virginal gains that so often accompany the rush of newfound liberation (and calories) following high school graduation rank among my favorite cultural phenomena. 

As for Kara, I'd say she was more or less in the "oblivious" category (somewhat willfully so) right up until noticing the chub-rub damage to her jeans and being reminded of how little time was left before swimming season would begin in earnest. Prior to that, all summer long she was doing exactly the sort of thing you describe--cramming herself into increasingly overly-snug, ill-fitting jeans, pooching over and out of them with every shift of her posture.

Afterwards, I'd say she moved a lot more into the "insecurity" sort of mindset you described. Unfortunately, Kara's wardrobe doesn't accommodate such insecurity very well. Limited options for "layering," and a large selection of pants all in more or less the same size and figure-hugging style mean she's stuck looking and feeling kinda awkward in her clothing. She's acquired a few things recently to help with that--see, e.g., the baggy hoodie she wore during Thanksgiving--but replacing her whole wardrobe is something she can neither easily afford to do, nor is it something she would really consider doing. I mean, clearly she's going to lose this weight. Getting new clothes just to go up a size would be pointless and ridiculous.

And yeah, it turns losing weight isn't actually something that's particularly easy for Kara. She's never been very cautious with her diet. Due to how active she's been throughout most of her life, it's never been an issue she's had to worry about. But, what you're seeing now is the flip side of that--even when she's training hard, and kinda trying to be good about watching what she eats, the result is that Kara mostly just manages to maintain her weight. As you can imagine, this a bit frustrating for her, now that's found herself unexpectedly "rockin'" a freshman muffintop. 

I'm tickled that you appreciated the "Sustainability and Collapse" symbolism. Just in case you're curious, it is an actual course offered at Stanford: LINK. See, unlike Kara, I've actually done my homework.

Also, thank you for gracing this thread with your Curvage post #2!  Per my standing offer, I'll knock another half-hour off of the scheduled upload time for Part 6. (Yes, I am really keeping track of this stuff. I have it on a spreadsheet.)

[podracer2]

One more random thing I like that's a bit different from most weight gain stories. At least so far it appears that no one is actively trying to sabotage her or make her fat. Instead what's going on is a lot of well meaning people using peer pressure the wrong way for her. Delilah thinking that Kara should just be able to go out and have fun whenever she wants not realizing that Kara really doesn't have the time. Sarah as well. She just wants to spend time with her friend but she likely doesn't even think that putting an idea like that in her head is dangerous and allow her to justify taking a break from everything. 

Allison is also interesting in that same way. She's attacking Kara and making her work hard and yet that kind of tough love is what the team needs. But since we see things from Kara's perspective she's just being a bitch. Which she may end up being by the end of the story but as of now it's refreshing now to have an antagonist simply fattening her for the sake of it. 

[riptoryx]

17 hours ago, podracer2 said:

One more random thing I like that's a bit different from most weight gain stories. At least so far it appears that no one is actively trying to sabotage her or make her fat.

You're correct, this story is among the (somewhat uncommon?) variety that does not feature a clear "feeder" type character. Nobody is really trying to make Kara gain weight, or even particularly wants her to. Indeed, pretty much across the board, most of the characters probably regard weight gain as a "bad" thing, and to the extent they concern themselves with Kara's weight at all, they probably think she could stand to lose a few pounds (at least where she is in the story about now). Some have even actively encouraged her to do so. That makes it kinda difficult to identify any specific person to hold responsible for the plump little tummy peeping over Kara's jeans--other than Kara herself, of course.

 

[Demoncrap]

You are an artist.

Also I keep a copy of this post saved because it so perfectly describes how I feel about weight gain.

[riptoryx]

13 minutes ago, Demoncrap said:

You are an artist.

Also I keep a copy of this post saved because it so perfectly describes how I feel about weight gain.

Wow! Thanks, @Demoncrap! Drop me a message sometime? With our interests that aligned, it might be fun hopping in the Curvage chat to discuss. And I know there are more than a few others around here who feel similarly. But it's only by communicating our particular preferences and making them known (like you just did!) that we can build inertia and encourage more content catering to those preferences.

Rise up, you deviously dark FAs! You are far from alone. Rise up, I say!

Oh, and that's another hour off the upload time, too.

[mahi]

Honestly Riptoryx,

You, maxymumspyder, and polarisdreamer write the stories that make me want to read more. Think of all the time spent searching for role reversal, wg wl, swap, switch synonyms on DA and dimensions and even Google, it's crazy. You're all a blessing. I really hope you know that people like me anticipate your installments like a kid in a candy store. It always kind of bothered me how abrupt the original Slowest Champion ended and it's like you thought the same but actually did something about it. Being 20 years old in college makes this story even more real. It's always the girls you wouldn't expect to get tubby and always the tubby girls you'd never expect to get fit, and having them unknowingly stumble into each other, oh jesus I could only imagine. 

[riptoryx]

9 hours ago, mahi said:

Honestly Riptoryx,

You, maxymumspyder, and polarisdreamer write the stories that make me want to read more. Think of all the time spent searching for role reversal, wg wl, swap, switch synonyms on DA and dimensions and even Google, it's crazy. You're all a blessing. I really hope you know that people like me anticipate your installments like a kid in a candy store. It always kind of bothered me how abrupt the original Slowest Champion ended and it's like you thought the same but actually did something about it. Being 20 years old in college makes this story even more real. It's always the girls you wouldn't expect to get tubby and always the tubby girls you'd never expect to get fit, and having them unknowingly stumble into each other, oh jesus I could only imagine. 

Thanks, @mahi! Without feedback, as you have given (and more than once, very kindly!), I think us writers actually usually don't know whether or how much folks may be enjoying what we've created.

Speaking just for myself, I certainly don't have a clear sense of how many people might be enjoying what I've written unless and until they tell me. One motivation for me in writing and sharing "The Slowest Champion -Revisited-" has been to conduct something an experiment--to gauge the level of interest for carefully-crafted stories like this, to see if the effort involved in creation is sufficiently valued beyond the most niche of niche audiences so as to be worth the proverbial candle. And that's why communicating interest, as you have, is so important. Thanks for that!

I'm totally with you on the appeal of those new and "unexpected" transformations in weight and corresponding changes overall appearance (both up and down the scale). As a college student, you're certainly right in the thick of it (so to speak). Good times!

If you've got any particularly juicy observations, maybe consider sharing them in this thread here? LINK