Shane is like: ok so I haven't slept with anyone since the last time we were together and you haven't slept with anyone since the last time we were together and we're going to spend 2 weeks in my house and I'm making you lunch and we're sleeping in the same bed and you're telling me about your mom and I'm telling you about my parents and you like me and I like you and I don't want you to marry someone else and you wish all the women you slept with were me and you will switch teams and move to my country so we can be closer to eachother and we're starting a charity to make it easier to be together and I already have our future planned because I care about this I care about us and you love me and I love you and you're kissing my ankle and you comfort me and hold me when I panic and you're meeting my parents and supporting me through it and you're drinking my dad's vodka and eating pasta at my family's house and you tell my parents that you would leave Boston for me and that I'm the only person you've ever loved. Ok great 👍

Ilya: ... your boyfr-

Shane: hold your mf horses my whAT!!!!??

I love this because it’s such a subtle example of Shane’s autism and the ‘rules’ surrounding their relationship because even with all the declarations, they’re not ‘official’- they’ve not had that conversation, and Shane needs to hear it verbalised to process it. It’s a clear cut confirmation and it’s so tender and beautiful

Shane is peak submissive rep because that boy doesn't even know why he's obeying lmao Ilya is telling him to put his glasses back on and even as Shane is still trying to ask Ilya about his FATHER DYING his body is like You heard the man. On go the glasses. Then Ilya tells him to take his clothes off and Shane huffs like Ah man. Shucks. I really wanted to talk to Ilya about his FATHER DYING. Alas, it will have to wait because it's time to undress apparently. Like it does not occur to him for a SECOND not to undress. He's already doing it. Ilya could tell Shane to drop and do push-ups and Shane wouldn't even ask why he'd just be like how many? lmao.

I’m obsessed with the ambiguity in what Shane says to Yuna when they talk outside. Like the words he chooses are very specific but they encompass SO MUCH. “I tried really hard but I just can’t help it and I’m sorry” is simply the most insane and heartbreaking line ever I’m so not normal about this..

“I tried really hard but I just can’t help it” I tried to not be gay. I tried for it to be women (even with the perfect woman). I really really tried for it to not be Ilya. I tried for it to be anyone else. I tried for it to be no one at all. I tried for it to not matter. I tried to just focus on what was supposed to matter. I tried to make hockey the only thing that mattered. I tried to keep this thing separate. I tried to not have it mess anything up. I tried to put the pieces back together. I tried to not break anything in the first place.

“And I’m sorry.” I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry I had this thing to tell you. I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it. I’m sorry it had to be this way. I’m sorry it got to this point. I’m sorry I couldn’t not let it get to this point. I’m sorry you found out this way. I’m sorry you had to find out at all. I’m sorry I’m not who you thought I was. I’m sorry I can’t be who you wanted me to be. I’m sorry I’m not who I wanted to be. I’m sorry this is all so messed up. I’m sorry I’m so messed up. I’m sorry I couldn’t fix it. I’m sorry my trying wasn’t enough.

Like are you FUCKING KIDDING ME???? Anyways I don’t care. Whatever Jacob Tierney I literally don’t care leave me alone…..

the cottage + forehead touches

writer & creator of queer as folk and the original showrunner & head writer of the revival of doctor who, reviews heated rivalry. (x)

OKAY SO IM GONNA START SOBBING 😭

ilya crying in absolute relief and so many other feelings when shane said he loved him too is such an inspired change because i think the happier vibe of the moment works for the book because we have a lot more insight to his thoughts and feelings when reading. in the show it really showcases how hockey is very much not his priority and that it's main point was always escapism from russia in his life. never going back to russia, going no contact with his family and everything after his dad died AND getting shane's love is so overwhelming for him because he has been treading water for so long and repressing his love for shane for so long and finally like coming up for air for the first time since he was 12. he made it to his new life. he has love again. he escaped. it kills me. that's such a big feeling.

Ilya acting like he's totally a nonchalant super cool bisexual playboy but actually being so disgustingly boyfriend coded is insanity. Like ok Mr. Tender Loving Kisses you are stupid as hell!!!!

genuinely i do think it's crazy how this show hit every single mark for no reason other than pure love of the game. like this wasn't a money grab and it didn't think it would be a big success, jacob just read a book he enjoyed and thought huh i think that would be a cool thing to make into a tv show. and then he brought on hudson and connor and they're fresh and passionate and not bogged down by the industry yet and they instantly became best friends and wanted to just have fun bringing these characters to life. and they didn't have a huge budget but they did the most with what they had and everybody took the show seriously and everybody took the book seriously. the cinematographer worked his magic. the music supervisor managed to snag a well-known queer hit and an up and coming new release and old school gems that have been around since the 2000s. it's canadian to the core, built from the ground up. it takes russians and the russian language seriously. it uses sex in such a specific, meaningful way that almost no other show has done thus far, and especially not in a queer context like this. they interlaced every episode with callbacks and parallelism and self-references. they didn't take themselves too seriously. they took everything so seriously. there is love and care baked into the core of this show and it's deeply queer and it doesn't shy away from the horrors of toxic masculinity and hockey culture but it is also, always, a story of joy and love and happiness. and on top of everything, it's almost word for word, the original source material from the book.

like damn it's no wonder this thing has made us all insufferable and become a huge fucking success! so few productions in hollywood are doing it like this!!!

*yuri beams your hockey yaoi*

some soft hollanov sketches for the soul

heated rivalry twitter (7/?) ft married hollanov in celebration of the book 3 announcement

Hayden is this close to figuring them out.

Messy lil hollanov doodle for yall~

(i need to adjust the pressure sensitivity in heavypaint methinks… been drawing in it all day and my hand hurts from using too much pressure😭)

Its okay that rachei Reid doesn’t fuck with shane because me and my buddy Hudson do

CONNOR STORRIE & HUDSON WILLIAMS For W Magazine in Los Angeles, ph. Saskia Lawaks (Jan. 10, 2026)

poor ilya… when your dad sucks and then your mom kills herself it totally makes sense to be like, “yeah my mom was an angel she was the best person ever she was incredible,” because you’ve got to have somewhere to put all the hope and the love and the idea that there are still good things in the world, you’ve got to maintain something to hold onto. however this does mean that it’s probably not until he is stably and happily married for about 10 years and secure in his new relationships and network that he’ll be able to unravel that one. like he’s definitely going to be about 45 years old and wake up in the middle of the night and go, “hang on. i think i’m mad at my mom for killing herself. the thought has never occurred to me before.”