heated rivalry is a perfect show because you can think about the characters as these complex nuanced portrayals of intersections of race and masculinity and trauma and geopolitical conflict and how those traits play out within how the characters interact and you can also think shane hollander rides that thang like he’s being held at gunpoint but he’s holding the gun to his own head
The problem with Heated Rivalry is they have ruined the chemistry in everything else. So many romances I used to think were stunning now seem very bland and forced compared to what Hudson and Connor had going on. Had to watch Nick and Jess's first kiss to feel something vaguely similar again.
Obviously I don't ever want this problem to ever go away.
kinda love this dynamic where ilya's like i get to have sex with anyone i want anytime i want and i also get to tell you about it while you visibly try to repress your feelings. but the second i think you might be having sex with someone else i am going to absolutely fucking spiral. epic crash out. because when I have sex it is empty and meaningless and utterly devoid of real emotional intimacy but you are a rule-following little dweeb who would still be a virgin if i hadn't deflowered you when we were like 18 so i fucking KNOW it means something to you!!!!!! the hypocrisy is delicious
i think a lot of heated rivalry criticism boils down to the fact that people don’t understand that romance can in fact be a genre on its own with its own conventions rather than a sideplot to a bigger storyline. “heated rivalry had no plot” the romance IS the plot. it is a romance storyline. like this cannot be that difficult to understand. what do you want them to do? go on a mystical quest?
I am sooooo not locked in. I am tucked in. Going to sleep
Im just thinking about the probable unintentional double meaning of Shane saying "They think I fell on purpose" when telling Yuna of how the Metros were treating him after losing the game.
Yes, they thought he tripped on purpose- that he threw the game for Ilya.
But there's that underlying message of "they think that I did this - that I fell for Ilya - on purpose." That Shane knows the Metros think that he loves Ilya in revolt of his commitment to the team. Like its a coordinated slight instead of two men falling in love against all odds because of the sheer inability to sanely exist without each other now.
It kills me because its finality. Its not just a game he can go past and ignore, something that means he can prove himself in training and future games. For the team to be happy with him, he'd have to leave Ilya and that would NOT happen. Its the reason why I feel that a stubborn Shane Hollander doesn't fight to stay with the Metros.
Its not the blatant disrespect to the man who won them 3 Stanley Cups and got them out of the dirt. Its the disrespect, hate and downright selfishness the Metros show to him and Ilya for daring to be in love.
one thing i really enjoyed about hollanov is that you assume shane is the insecure one, but it's the exact opposite.
once shane clocks ilya's feelings towards him, he is never insecure about it. he never doubts ilya's feelings, emotions, or commitment to their situationship (and later relationship). before the cottage, only outside factors that can interefere with them (russia, mlh, rivalry of it all), and after the cottage, he knows not even those can break them apart or make ilya love him less.
meanwhile, ilya is the one always looking for the first sign that shane is getting tired with him. he's scared that shane will think he's too much, that shane will get bored of him, that shane will think it's too complicated and break up. ilya is the one who *spoiler* offered to open up their relationship so shane can sleep around and not end up hating ilya for tying him down.
anyway i love that ilya's always trying to play three d chess with shane, who has no concept of "gaming" a relationship
I need to see ilya in his WAG era. like totally embracing the stay at home dads, husband to the captain lifestyle. he pick shane up from practice with sunglasses, sleeveless shirt and baby strapped to his chest. he insults nearly every team member in the playful way that he does, before showing off the thousand pictures he took of tiny baby sleeping that day. moms are cooing over him at the mommy and me classes that he goes to, and sometime drags a reluctant shane to. he’s the coolest dad at pre-school pick up. everyone is wanting to arrange a play date with him because he’s ilya fucking rozanov. he sits with the rest of the wives at home games and is the loudest and more annoying spectator. he is screaming to luca to take the shout, swears in russian when wyatt catches a the puck. he would be so endearing but so fucking insufferable, i need it so bad.
Heated rivalry textposts (pt 2/?)
Heated rivalry textposts (pt 3/?)
Heated rivalry textposts (pt 4/?)
Heated rivalry textposts (pt 11/?)
