I have always said that inflation needs to be fluid and elegant. When you are large it certainly gets harder to move around properly. And to be able to not only move around without catching yourself on something dangerous, but also preform like that is quite difficult.
If inflation would be a sport it would be...
Fri, 11/27/2015 - 04:01
#3
violetGambit
Fri, 11/27/2015 - 10:27
#4
I also think it's a rather niche, aristocratic thing!
Like racing - the language racers use for their cars might be similar to how inflatists describe their pumps. The slightest purr of a compressor might resonate inside a balloon while you wallow in the power of it's thrust, switching gears.
Like parachute jumps - going over the edge and putting your life into the hands of your valve when you slip might be like counting to ten and thinking whether it will come out or you have to pull the ring.
What I'm interested in is a visual side. You've probably seen one location - an inflatics gym bursting with all kinds of weird hi-tech gadgets, a place where professional sportswomen train. I'll have to add two more locations. One is a university training hall where they do a bit of everything including inflation. It's clear - a basketball ring in the corner, a few boys climbing the wall there, and a few girls stretching here, all at once.
Another is a stadium for the student tournament, something I have no idea about so far. ^_^
For example, when they do breath-wrestling, for you it's clear what you do - blowback or puffkiss - you feel it, but what about those who look at it?
Do they use lights and slow-mo like in fencing to show to spectators what's going on during breath-wrestling?
Or it's a wild brawl until someone slips like in shirtfronting in American football?
Or they stop the game each time somebody successfully blows a tiny bit of air into another like in baseball?
Fri, 11/27/2015 - 11:49
#5
Another Canadian Guy
I like the thread idea, good work!
Sun, 11/29/2015 - 16:27
#6
wannabehuge
well one thing is for sure, it'd definitely be an endurance sport.
Sun, 12/13/2015 - 17:37
#7
Phraxus
The Inflation Olympics by CriticalVolume is a very interesting exploration of the ways in which inflation and athletic competition can be melded together. The most recent chapter features an extremely heated size/volume competition between two athletes, but the series also features an inflated relay race, and hints at a number of other pneumatic events that have yet to be shown.
Realistically, if inflation were a competitive sport - particularly one revolving around size/endurance (ie. competing to see who can inflate the biggest), there would have to be a solid set of rules and regulations governing it, given the risks involved. Some sort of emergency pressure release system would have to be put in place to allow athletes to quickly vent excess air (and thus avoid bursting).
Of course, this would depend on whether the sport were mainstream or underground, since the latter route would be more haphazard and likely have fewer rules/safety regulations. Even if the sport were mainstream, I'm sure some especially competitive athletes would try and rig their release valves to hold tight against even the most extreme pressure - increasing the sizes they could achieve, but at the risk of exploding, should they wind up taking in more air than their skin can contain.
Food for thought.
Mon, 12/14/2015 - 11:12
#8
Thanks for sending me to reread CV, will do ^_^
I credited CV for Inflation Olympics in VSG license, but it seems forgot a lot
You can put your valve into manual mode in the file settings.txt. Manual mode means the valve is switched off, and you have to activate it manually - or explode. It's dangerous! That's why "loss of control may lead..." and red light on the valve. If you go ahead to ignore all flashing warnings then don't trust your feelings. Feelings will misguide you on the edge: you will always see that your pulsing is stable and another puff won't harm - come on, it's just air! You'll feel it only when your bubble gives that tremble. You'll know you're bursting a split second before flying apart.
Act before it. Watch the ROCK of your bubble ("Radius Of Curvature"), when ROCK skyrockets - activate darn valve, or that's it. I lost a character like that, in a competition a month ago.
Newbies can't walk the edge. They either can't get to it - or they pop not knowing what happened. Acquire a few hours of inflated time before cheating burst ^_^
But all that isn't sport. Inflatists always deflate ^_^
Mon, 12/14/2015 - 11:11
#9
firnov
I think it would an extreme sport, because getting to big has its risks.
Mon, 12/14/2015 - 16:35
#10
doubleintegral
I once wrote a story that featured inflation as a competitive sport, and alluded to it being on the level of the "big 4" sports in the US - paid inflatees, packed arenas, national TV audience, etc.
Mon, 12/14/2015 - 22:07
#11
Oh yes, remember it ^_^ Your fan as well.
I think it could be all of them in a way