This Is A Heated Rivalry Blog

Not like I love you.

You feel it too, don't you?

Connor Storrie on Late Night with Seth Meyers

Yuna and David had a valid concern when asking about Ilya's past promiscuity, because they need to know that their son's partner is taking it seriously

The "I have only been in love with one person" line from Ilya is beautiful and poignant and said without doubt or hesitation, to relieve all of the Hollanders concerns.

But what I think is important is that Shane's response of "Same here. Only one." Though this may seem unnecessary to his parents ("we know you pretty well, Shane"), it's NOT unnecessary to Ilya.

Ilya crashed the fuck out over Rose Landry. Ilya expected Shane to bring Rose to All Star Weekend, in the books Ilya even expects Shane's "can I tell you something?" To be an engagement announcement. Rose could be open and affectionate with Shane in front of the whole world. The whole world thought that Rose and Shane were in love.

Ilya isn't used to being loved. Ilya doesn't believe he can be loved.

Ilya needed to know that not only does Shane love him, but at no point, regardless of how much Shane denied himself or how hard he tried with others, at NO POINT did he ever give his heart to anyone else.

HEATED RIVALRY 1x06 "The Cottage"

big fan of how hudson williams hit hollywood like a canonball. he runs around like a little chaos gremlin pushing all the made up rules off the windowsill with his paw then stands by connor storrie like that makes him untouchable and it does.

Does it fucking kill you too? Not anymore.

“We can have a week or two, Ilya,” Shane said. “Haven’t you ever wanted more time?” - Chapter Twenty-One

Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams at the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards

You know what I found devastating?

During the coming out scene (as gloriously awkward as it was) Ilya is standing at attention. Not military attention obv but still at attention. Normally, Ilya takes up space, wherever he is. He's the biggest personality and presence in the room, but not here. We've never seen him stand like this, the closest we get is when his police father is scolding him after Sochi. He's so contained in that moment and he's contained here.

He's standing at attention, ready to be admonished. Likely he's expecting to take the brunt of this. Shane's parents love their son but hate him, of COURSE they're going to berate him, that's the only way parents talk to disappointments right? And he is a disappointment. He's not Rose Landry or even some appropriate nice man from Montreal, he's himself and while he refuses to apologize for that he can stand there and take whatever is coming for him. So he stands at attention and waits to hear that he's not good enough, that Shane shouldn't be with him, that he's bringing their son down, that there are easier ppl to love (things he already knows of course, of course he knows this but if Shane hears it from his parents out loud will Shane see it to?) and hope it will turn out okay if he makes himself small and quiet and tolerable.

Just...that detail broke my heart

Heated Rivalry Thirst Tweets

the way it's literally them

"Variety: You guys have really become best friends."

Connor: "He was just here for a week and stayed at my place. It’s really enlightening about the culture of how men and man-on-man affection is received because you don’t see that a lot. It’s taboo for men to be friends and grab each other a certain way or hold hands. And me and Hudson being in such a sexual circumstance with one another, it’s really interesting to watch people sexualize our very amicable signs of affection. That just shows where the culture is still at in a way like, “Oh, these two men…” Just because we’re really comfortable with each other and we love each other, we’ve been through the craziest experience together, we’re on this crazy rollercoaster together, if I have my hand on his leg as we’re sitting down doing a press thing because he’s my best buddy and I love him, and we have that level of comfort. It’s just interesting that that instantly gets turned into, “They’re more than friends.”"

via Variety

DO NOT REPOST OUTSIDE OF TUMBLR

it still blows my mind how NONE OF THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. this was a little canadian production that was going to air on a canadian streaming service and it was MAYBE going to be seen by a few more people outside of canada and MAYBE achieve cult status eventually and these two young guys who were waiting tables this time last year were just happy to be there finally doing creative work that's fulfilling for them and they created a beautiful friendship out of working together and MAYBE they would get a couple hundred thousand new followers out of it to help out their careers and everyone hoped that MAYBE they would get picked up for another season and get to do it again...

now it's the biggest show in the world without even being officially released worldwide and everyone and their mother is talking about it and obsessing over it and analyzing every little detail rewatching it again and again and it became the highest rated show of 2025 and they're playing it at clubs and in gay bars and closeted athletes are sharing their stories with the cast and actual hockey broadcasters are mentioning it podcasters are reacting to it and it's getting awards recognition and these two young actors have charmed the living daylights out of everyone and they got to over a million followers by the time the finale was released and they're doing appearances and interviews and photoshoots and yet it's never enough people want to see them everywhere all the time and they're screaming at them on the street and on tv and THEY WERE WAITING TABLES EIGHT MONTHS AGO