you don't know what tennis is.

it's a relationship.

[realtennis]

independent and selective tri-muse blog for the leads of CHALLENGERS. follows from @shadowswandering. under construction. written by will, he/they, 22. est.

explores themes of addiction, competition, depression, repression, and good fucking tennis.

patrick. tashi. art.

pinterest. playlist.

rules under the cut.

i'm will (he/they, 21, EST) and this is my tennis blog. i am independent and selective. i love all versions of the challengers screenplay and the movie, but my portrayal and my headcanons are my own.

i would prefer to keep this account 18+. sorry, you cool babies.

triggers will be tagged "trigger tw" and "trigger cw." my goal is to keep nsfw writing private, but if it comes up it will be tagged "suggestive cw."

i don't seek to sanitize any of the characters i write, so any triggers from their canon will apply to this blog. i write patrick as someone with substance abuse problems and hypersexual behavior, and both art and patrick as men with internalized homophobia. tashi did nothing wrong, but she is a cheater. these topics will not come up without plotting, but they're the main triggers for content on this blog.

i am open to mains and exclusives in any fandom. right now, I’m not looking for anything, but if we’ve been writing for a while, just hit me up.

the muses on this blog will be iconless until further notice.

i usually make my own icons and graphics, so please don’t save anything from my blog without permission. i usually use public domain images from pixabay if they aren’t material of my faceclaims or screenshots from their media.

discord and personal social media are available on request. I prefer to use tumblr direct messages and asks with new people, but if you need to use a more accessible app, I will make an exception.

[realtennis]

I'M STILL IN THE FUCKING BUILDING

[adonaldson]

@realtennis said: "Five whiskey sours, please." from patrick { x }

He heard the order from beside him, and turned to Patrick, who he felt like had just appeared out of nowhere. Not that he was complaining about it, it was just a trait Patrick seemed to have around him, but that was purely Art's opinion. An eyebrow raised, but being the slight pessimist he was ( and trying to make a joke about Patrick drinking all of them on his own ) he asked, "You gonna share one of those with the guy who will have to carry you out of here?"

[realtennis]

Patrick was looking a little worse for wear, his face was covered with a fine dust of stubble ( a few specs near his temples gleaned white when the light caught them, a bit of grey from stress ) and his clothes needed to be ironed. but it seemed he had actually showered and dressed up to crash Art's party. He turned toward the blond's voice with a smirk on his face.

"That depends. Is he gonna be groom?"

[chancestook]

GWENDOLYN SWEARS SHE may just roll her eyes so hard one day that they'll fall out of her fucking skull. “ abduction, really? it's like you want me to leave. be serious. ” that was asking a lot though, wasn't it? patrick didn't come off as someone who was serious at any point in his life. why would she expect it now? besides, his bullshit could be a little charming at times. “ everything you say sounds so dumb, all the fucking time. it's like they didn't teach you a single thing at that boarding school. ”

[realtennis]

PATRICK IS STARING into them anyways. y'know the look. like an idiot in love. "yes, abduction. if you're going to complain about being around me, i want us both to be there by our own will. makes it a lot funnier when you don't leave."

his body shifts from resting his cheek on his hand and staring at her, to half lounging across the table. his ear is on his bicep as he looks up at her, still using his other arm to gesture as he talks.

"no, they did." he smirks at her. "they taught me how to hit a ball with a racket and toke without the smoke alarm going off. two skills your cotillion classes never gave you."

[captaindelafere]

Mike Faist as Art Donaldson CHALLENGERS (2024), dir. Luca Guadagnino

[calirph]

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐘, 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒. all these sentences quotes are regarding mature sentences regarding forbidden encounters, love and feelings as well things to be spoken in the bedroom, include mentions of jealousy as well olf lovers. please change names, locations and pronouns as you see fit. suggestiveness and level of spicy varies, please beware.

Forbidden Encounters

"Every stolen glance feels like a lifetime of desire condensed into a heartbeat."

"I shouldn’t be here, yet I can’t bear to leave."

"The world fades, and all that remains is the forbidden thrill of your touch."

"Loving you in secret makes every moment feel sacred."

"Our love is a fire we’re not meant to feed, yet it burns brighter each day."

"In the shadows, where no one sees, we exist as we truly are."

"Your lips are a sin I’ll gladly repent for."

"We dance on the edge of what’s forbidden, daring it to break beneath us."

"Every whispered promise carries the weight of what we cannot have."

"The risk makes the taste of you even sweeter."

Love and Feelings

"You’ve become the melody I can’t stop humming."

"When I’m with you, the world feels as though it’s finally in focus."

"Loving you is both my greatest joy and my deepest ache."

"You’re the reason my heart beats faster, even when you’re far away."

"I never knew I could miss someone this much until you."

"Your smile is the thread that stitches together my broken parts."

"You’ve left fingerprints on my soul I’ll never scrub away."

"The space between us is heavy with the words we don’t dare say."

"Your love is both my anchor and my storm."

"In your eyes, I find both sanctuary and chaos."

Bedroom Intimacy

"You are the storm I willingly drown in."

"Every touch of yours is a map leading me to places I never knew existed."

"I want to memorize the way your skin feels beneath my fingertips."

"Your whispers ignite fires I never want to extinguish."

"Each moment with you leaves echoes that linger in my veins."

"Let me trace your every scar and call it beautiful."

"When you’re in my arms, the world feels like it’s finally standing still."

"Your voice alone could unravel me."

"In the dark, with no one watching, I am yours entirely."

"You’ve taught me that desire is both a gift and a surrender."

Jealousy and Past Lovers

"Do they haunt you the way your memory haunts me?"

"I hate that I crave something they once had."

"Do their kisses still linger in your mind when you’re with me?"

"The ghosts of your past linger in the space I want to call mine."

"You say they’re gone, yet I feel their shadow between us."

"I’d rewrite your past if it meant I could have all of you."

"Do you think of me when you hear their name?"

"They may have known your touch, but I will know your soul."

"I don’t need to be your first, but I long to be your only."

"Your past doesn’t scare me, but the idea of sharing your heart does."

Deep Emotional Connection

"You’ve shown me what it means to truly feel alive."

"When I’m with you, time becomes irrelevant."

"Your love is a storm that’s made me stronger."

"I’ve never felt as seen as I do when you look at me."

"You’ve given me courage I didn’t know I possessed."

"Being with you is like breathing for the first time."

"I’d endure every heartache again if it led me back to you."

"Your presence alone silences my chaos."

"You’ve unlocked parts of me I thought were lost forever."

"When you hold me, the world ceases to exist."

Rekindling Old Flames

"I see fragments of who we were, and it makes me yearn for what we could be."

"The fire may have died, but the embers still burn within me."

"Every memory of you feels like both a blessing and a curse."

"Can we begin again, or is the past all we have left?"

"Loving you once was not enough; I want a lifetime of chances."

"The moments we lost now feel like the only ones that mattered."

"Your absence carved a void no one else could fill."

"I never stopped loving you; I just learned to live without you."

"You’ve become the story I can’t stop telling myself."

"Even after all this time, my heart still races at the thought of you."

Unspoken Longings

"I feel your absence more keenly than I feel my own heartbeat."

"You’ll never know how many words I’ve swallowed for your sake."

"I ache to tell you the truth, but fear keeps me silent."

"The weight of unsaid words is heavier than any truth I could confess."

"Loving you in silence feels like slow suffocation."

"If only you could hear the words I scream in my mind."

"Every unsent letter is a testament to my longing for you."

"I’m trapped between wanting to love you and fearing you’ll leave."

"The words I cannot say are etched into my soul."

"In my dreams, I tell you everything I’m too afraid to say aloud."

Yearning and Vulnerability

"You’ve become the ache I can’t soothe."

"I want to be the reason you smile and the one who wipes your tears."

"The closer I get to you, the more I fear I’ll lose myself."

"Your happiness is my greatest wish, even if it costs me my own."

"You’ve seen my brokenness, yet you still choose to stay."

"My love for you feels like both freedom and captivity."

"Every time I push you away, it’s because I fear I’m not enough."

"I want to be your everything, even if I’m only allowed to be your something."

"Your love has unraveled me in ways I never thought possible."

"To love you is to risk everything, and yet I cannot resist."

Sensual Intimacy

"I love the way you make me feel when you're this close."

"You’re so irresistible; I can’t get enough of you."

"Every part of you is absolutely perfect to me."

"The way you touch me drives me wild."

"I’ve been thinking about you all day, and now I can’t hold back anymore."

"You make my heart race every time you look at me like that."

"Your scent is intoxicating; I can’t stop breathing you in."

"I love exploring every inch of your body."

"Tell me what you want—I want to make you feel amazing."

"You’re the only one who knows how to set my soul on fire like this."

"The way your skin feels against mine is heavenly."

"When you’re near me, everything else just fades away."

"You’re so beautiful when you let go like this."

"I love the way your body responds to my touch."

"You’re my favorite kind of distraction."

"There’s no place I’d rather be than here with you right now."

"Your voice is like a melody, and it keeps playing in my mind."

"You taste sweeter than I ever imagined."

"Every time you touch me, it’s like electricity coursing through me."

"Being this close to you feels like a dream I never want to wake up from."

"I want to feel you from the inside."

"Don't stop. Make me whole."

"You can come just like this, I know you do."

"Beg me for it."

"Easy, baby, doesn't that feel good?"

[kuzcosources]

Lack of Sleep Starters!

pronouns and context can be changed as you see fit.

When was the last time you actually got some rest?

Alright, that's it. You're going to bed, and I'm not taking no for an answer.

Look at you! You're spilling coffee.

You have bags, and I'm not talking about the Gucci kind.

Jesus, have you been awake the entire night?

It's 4am. You need sleep.

You're safe here. You can rest now.

I promise, I'm fine. I just look tired a lot, thanks to... the tiredness.

Look, I'm okay! I've pulled all nighters before.

This isn't the first time I've gone without sleep.

I'll carry you to bed if I have to.

Do I need to baby you?

Huh? What? I'm awake, I swear!

You just ran into the wall. It's time to lie down.

Go. To. Bed. That's an order.

I made a nest for you. You can sleep in that, if you want.

Can I get an extra pillow / blanket?

Want me to tuck you in, too?

I'll check in on you in an hour. You'd better not have moved.

[wildwhims]

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖 …

✦ a collection of prompts that can be considered nsfw, with a lot of teasing and tension driven prompts. adjust as needed ; send ‘ + reverse ‘ for sender and receiver to switch spots. Combine prompts by sending more than one.

「 SQUEEZE 」 : for sender to rest their hand on the receivers thigh , giving it a squeeze .

「 LINGER 」 : for senders touch to linger on the receiver.

「 MASSAGE 」 : for sender to give receiver a massage .

「 LOTION 」 : for sender to rub lotion into the receivers skin

「 SLIP 」 : for senders hand to slip between the receivers legs.

「 TUG 」 : for sender to tug on the receivers hair

「CLIMB 」 : for sender to climb into receivers lap

「PULL 」 : for the sender to pull receiver into their lap

「BITE 」 : for sender to bite the receiver ( include the location )

「 MARK 」 : for sender to leave hickies on receiver

「 BARE 」 : for sender to undress in front of receiver

「 HELP 」 : for sender to help receiver undress

「 GRIND 」 : for sender to grind against the receiver

「 HOT 」 : for sender and receiver to share a heated kiss

「 OOPS 」 : for sender to accidentally send receiver a risqué image.

「 CHIME 」 : for sender to purposefully send receiver a risqué image.

「 WHISPER 」 : for sender to whisper something suggestive in receivers ear

「 HOLD 」 : for sender to hold receivers throat

「 THROW 」 : for sender to throw receiver onto the bed

「 PRESS 」 : for sender to press receiver against a wall and kiss them

「 CAUGHT 」 : for sender to catch receiver pleasuring themselves

「 LIGHT 」 : for sender to touch the receiver with a feather light pressure.

「 INNER 」 : for sender to kiss along the inside of receivers thigh

[realtennis]

@thrillor

art was sitting in the sauna, relaxing for lack of a better word. when art relaxed, it was less about stress relief and more about diligently forcing his muscles to untense, his jaw to unclench, and his soul to become unmoored from his body, the only thing that facilitated the rest. the sound of another person entering the sauna. he took the towel off his face and looked over at patrick before rolling his eyes and replacing it.

"i'll be leaving soon, don't bother."

[chancestook]

@realtennis / continued from here.

THERE'S A LOOK of pure annoyance as she smacks his hand away. “ don't say “ DTF ” aloud, patrick, you sound stupid. just actually say the words. ” which part was she more annoyed about? the usage of an stupid acronym aloud, the fact that he was definitely trying to bait her, or the fact that he was right? probably all three, honestly. “ you're insufferable. ” & yet, she's not leaving. gwendolyn remains in her spot, still putting up with, what she'd describe as, his bullshit. “ what aren't you baiting me for? ”

[realtennis]

"WELL IF I didn't, say it out loud i wouldn't know it pissed you off so..." he smirked and looked her up and down. "maybe there's something to sounding stupid. yeah?"

he pauses to think for a moment, or pretend to. he's never been one to think twice about what he says and he hasn't quite learned his lesson. "good question... abduction, maybe? it's a little old school for my taste."

[realtennis]

i see that you keep trying to bait me. (gwennie poo for patrick)

"Bait you?" Patrick smirks and tucks a strand of black hair behind her ear. "What exactly am I baiting you for? I already know you hate me and I already know you're DTF despite it."

[realtennis]

"can't. i have people waiting for me." she looks over at the modest crowd forming around her fiancé several feet away. she turns her head and looks back at connor. she misses who she was the first time they ran into each other. a young professional at the top of her game. with her pictures on posters and flyers, with her hands swiftly signing autographs.

art ended that season at number two, she recalls as a camera snaps his photo, the white flash reaching them all the way back there. she swiftly plucks the cigarette from his two fingers. "i have time to finish yours, though."

[memesfrommontmartre]

FETCH THE BOLT CUTTERS

starters taken from lyrics from the album fetch the bolt cutters by fiona apple.

i've waited many years.

nobody can replace anybody else.

i'm ashamed of what it did to me.

i used my feet to crush dead leaves like they had fallen from trees just for me, just to be crash cymbals.

i too used to want them to be proud of me.

why did you take it all away?

whatever you do, it's gonna be wrong.

by that time, i hope that you love me.

when i learned what they did, i felt close to you.

it wasn't because i was bored.

i was just so furious, but i couldn't show you.

you've got to get what you want how you want it, but so do i.

i resent you for being raised right.

don't get rid of it, you'd look good in it.

if i don't wanna go, leave me alone.

(name) told me they'd describe me as pissed off, funny, and warm.

i've been in here too long.

you get dragged down to the same spot enough times in a row, the bottom begins to feel like the only safe place that you know.

i did nothing wrong.

i'm alone on the summit now, trying not to let my light go out.

i would beg to disagree, but begging disagrees with me.

you love me.

i grew with you, and now i've changed.

in my own way, i fell in love with you.

i know how to spend my time.

they said i had potential.

it's the only reason i gave my time to you.

why did you not want to try?

i only like the way i look when looking through your eyes.

i resent you for never getting any opposition at all.

you maim when you're on offense, but you kill when you're on defense.

don't you push me.

i know that none of this will matter in the long run, but i know a sound is still a sound around no one.

how do you suppose we'll survive?

we're the only ones who know.

i don't want a war with you, i won't afford it.

i don't know if i'm coming across, but i'm really trying.

i see that you keep trying to bait me.

up until now in a rush to prove, but now i only move to move.

you know you won't like it when there's nothing to do.

i don't believe it.

i got the idea i wasn't real.

you know that it didn't go exactly like that.

while i'm in this body, i want somebody to want.

a smile always seemed rehearsed.

no love is like any other love.

i resent you for having each other.

i listened because i hadn't found my own voice yet, so all i could hear was the noise that people make when they don't know shit - but i didn't know that yet.

i'm sorry.

what i've become is something i can't be without your loving.

i told you i didn't wanna go to this dinner.

i want what i want.

i watch them walk over, talk over you, be mean to you.

they don't know what they are in for and they don't care.

i'm a good man in a storm.

you were so high.

i've been sucking it in for so long that i'm busting at the seams.

you've got them all convinced that you're the means and the end.

i want you to love me.

i wonder what lies they're telling you about me.

they weren't gentle and they weren't my friend, but they got through to me.

i grew up in the shoes they told me i could fill.

meanwhile i'm loving you so much.

ah, fuck.

kick me under the table all you want, i won't shut up.

i know that you do.

i've been used so many times.

i've been used so many times, i've learned to use myself in kind.

i resent you presenting your life like a fucking propaganda brochure.

we don't have to go back to where we've been.

people like us get so heavy and so lost sometimes, so lost and so heavy that the bottom is the only place we can find.

i know you and i know what you can do.

it's not what it's supposed to do.

i wasn't afraid of the bullies, and that just made the bullies worse.

i am the person who wants you to win.

well, good morning.

i can't do either well, but oh well.

evil is a relay sport.

back then i didn't know what potential meant.

if i get there in the long run, it could be alright.

i've always been too smart for that.

i've always been too smart for that, but you know what? my heart was not.

i just wanted to make amends.

i've been waiting, waiting for you to love me.

[realtennis]

hey guys!!! welcome to my challengers blog. like this for a starter! default will be 2019 either just before, just after, or nebulously during the tire town challenger. if you want a different spot, just reply.

[realtennis]

@depresshood

tashi didn't see him on her way out so much as she smelled him, the reek of a fresh cigarette hanging in the air by the exit of the building.

"you again?" she smirked, tugging her windbreaker snug to her chest. her hair was shorn to her shoulders, a vast difference from how she wore it as a player, before the accident. "you know, they put these things on your cellphone now. you don't even have to pause it to light up."

[realtennis]

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄: Tashi Duncan

𝐀𝐆𝐄: Verse dependent

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑: Girl (?)

𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: Bisexual

𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐎𝐍: Raised Agostic Christian

𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: Bachelor's Degree in Sports Communications

𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐒: Tennis, deductive reasoning, "reading people"

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃

For the first nine years of her life, Tashi Duncan was a regular little girl from Baltimore. She liked to draw, and play Double Dutch, and help mom do her baby brother's hair. Then she saw Venus and Serena Williams win in Oklaholma City and knew that was all she wanted to do in life. What they did. She cut out their photos for scrapbooks, she wanted her hair braided like Serena's, she wanted to wear white tennis skirts to school, and more than anything she wanted her own racket so she could start training for the Junior Olympics. Her father explained to her that it would be difficult, even expensive, but she didn't care. She knew what she wanted and, having always been prone to spoiling her, her father would let her have it.

From then on, Tashi was a rising star in the tennis community. Not so famous that it changed her life, but famous enough that it made her a public figure. With years of working with cutthroat suits from sports companies and racist, sexist peers behind her, she became systematic about how she interacted with others, often preferring to sit back and quietly guide interactions to how she wanted them to go. If she understood anything, it was that passioned belonged on the court and nowhere else.

After winning the Junior US Open, she began attending Stanford on a sports scholarship, biding her time before she'd take a "short leave" and begin the women's tour. This didn't pan out, with her career and her first relationship ending in one fell swoop.

Without tennis, Tashi quickly understood that the best way she could continue to work in her industry was by supporting others. She finished her degree during he recovery and began working for other tennis players, her former competitors, after graduation. She then ran into her old friend Art Donaldson and shot up the ladder from hitting partner to assistant coach for his team. Over time, they became codependent as Tashi shaped him and his rising career and he eagerly followed her lead, thirsty to win in every sense of the word.

When Art's own injury causes him to reevaluate his career, she enters him in a Challenger against her ex and his former homoerotic best friend, Patrick Zweig, hoping to recapture what she saw in them at the Junior US Open.

Some good fucking tennis.

[realtennis]

hey guys!!! welcome to my challengers blog. like this for a starter! default will be 2019 either just before, just after, or nebulously during the tire town challenger. if you want a different spot, just reply.