totally not because i watched heated rivalry last week or anything haha oh and also omfg tristen is so FINEEEEE

I really looked at these two and wondered how I can make them even gayer huh

lore bs

I'm not gonna talk about their personalities that much as I think the sketches here convey enough

So their dynamic is honestly kind of unclear to me as I kinda just made this on a whim, but I'm thinking rivals to lovers. Maybe they compete against each other but one day became co-stars. Tristen is praised as one of the most elegant and pristine figure skaters in the world, meanwhile Ana just does her own thing. Because of this, the two have differing reputations: Tristen is basically universally admired, meanwhile Ana has a more mixed/polarized reputation (she has very supportive fans but also very vocal critics). Despite that, both are seen as authentic and true to themselves. However, if you know anything about Tristen, she is a people-pleaser

As time goes on and they continue to compete and perform, they also get closer. While Ana is not the first person to recognize that there's something off about Tristen's demeanor (being wayyy too perfect and admirable), she is the first to continue feeling concerned after Tristen dismisses Ana's worries; most people typically move on after Tristen says she's fine. This surprises Tristen because she isn't used to having someone, especially her rival of all people, noticing something beneath the surface she meticulously crafted. This creates a lot of tension and vulnerability between the two as Tristen has never felt this way, and Ana begins to see her as more than just an idol/rival

Pretty much nothing about the setting has changed, so there's still magic and supernatural stuff. The only differences are in the characters themselves: Tristen doesn't get experimented on and her family is alive, and Ana's brother didn't get erased from existence. And because magic still exists, both of them use magic to add more oomph to their performances, or at least the ones where they're allowed to. Not to say that magic carries what they do, as both of them are very skilled, but it furthers the spectacle that they are. Ana still does soul magic, and Tristen still does light magic, but not darkness or time like the og canon

ok time to yap about their designs because i like doing this

design yap

I designed Tristen's outfit somewhat based off of actual irl figure skaters. I wanted to convey a sense of elegance and beauty while also alluding to how she's idolized by the public (hence the open back, shoulders, hips, and kind of chest). I didn't have her just wear a leotard though because I lowkey thought that was boring, so I gave her the gloves and the leggings which are a reference to her og base design. The gloves are also a nod to how she puts a guard up despite seemingly being completely herself

As for Ana, I didn't base hers off of anything. I was gonna go for a full bodysuit, but I decided against it because Ana doesn't like feeling restricted by skintight clothing. So I chopped it below the knees and gave her holes for some of her fingers. The patterns and colors on her are also references to her og design, much like Tristen's

I think next I'll make a genderbent version of the original two idk