It’s been a hot minute since I picked up my tablet but Ilya and Shane have me in a stranglehold, so I made a thing, freckles and all. Took me freaking forever, since ep 4 ended, but it felt so good to draw again! What should I draw next, requests? Thanks!
Connor Storrie is hosting Saturday Night Live on February 28 with Mumford & Sons! Cannot wait to see him take the stage and chalk up another milestone! And he gets to take his clowning to the next level! 🤩🤩🤩
Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie carrying the torch for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics this morning in Feltre! “We were supposed to stand alone at the top, but we’ll always be there together.”
heated rivalry the book is like oh the major obstacle to this romance is that they can't be together in public <3. heated rivalry the show is like oh the major obstacle to this romance is toxic hypermasculinity and male loneliness and the devastating downstream effects of unacknowledged, unresolved trauma and verbal abuse on boys who are expected not to feel
Baby Hudson just three months ago! Shhhh… he hired a stylist 😆😂 Crazy how meteoric his rise has been but it couldn’t have happened to sweeter, crazier guy! HT Crystal Wood
This universe is a very large one (I try not to think about it too hard, but it's well north of a million words), and has existed for a long, long time. Long enough that, when I went 'I already made an intro post for people getting into the fandom, though' I had to take a bit of a moment after I discovered I had...in 2017.
So yes! Huge! Overwhelming!
So I'm going to give this another go. A lot of the 2017 post is still relevant, and includes a suggested reading order, how the universe differs from our own (some different teams, for one!), and a few other resources.
First and foremost, I need to point to the YCMAL wiki. It's an absolutely brilliant fan run resource that consolidates so much information it makes me a little breathless. They have their own getting started page, which has informed me that I have written in fact north of two million words in this universe, so that's fun. That's a fun fact.
I also cannot recommend enough the YCMAL Story Guide and timeline spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is a work of wonder; it consolidates all the stories I've written in the universe, across the (many) locations, and tells you where you can find them, with links to the free and Patreon content. It allows you to filter by character and pairing, which is invaluable if you want to read extra content of a particular pairing, and even includes an estimated story order.
Unfortunately a lot of my previous organization sort of fell apart as the universe grew a little too mighty for my ADHD, so I wouldn't use the tumblr tags or resources as a tool: the wiki and that spreadsheet are going to be much more useful to you.
Suggested reading order, with links, below.
I am brutally bad at describing my own work with pithy one liners, so this reading order doesn't include descriptors. If any readers have posted a suggested reading order of their own that includes that, I'm happy to link it here.
Suggested Reading Order, YCMAL 'verse:
Start here!
(Free)
no expectation of returns - this one will be taken down for publication in the next little while, so possibly one to prioritize
Vinny gets a life
it's a setup
(Published)
You Could Make a Life - the story that became the universe.
Thrown Off the Ice
Between the Teeth Trilogy (link to first in series)
Don't start here! (But I've provided links for when you get around to them)
(Free)
Follow the North Star (read Thrown Off the Ice first)
giving in to the influence (read YCMAL first)
it's a commitment (direct sequel to it's a setup above)
if all is enough (read YCMAL first, read Vires Acquirit Eundo in the outtakes after)
throw up your fists, throw up your wits (Maybe have a nice self-care day planned)
duelling banjos (spoilers for YCMAL, unfinished)
Impaired Judgment (and other excuses) (spoilers for literally every published novel, Longest Story In the World)
but always in tandem/still always in tandem/always in tandem (ongoing, massive spoilers for Between the Teeth)
Cards on the Table (ongoing, spoilers for always in tandem)
This post includes a super helpful visual of how the series interact with one another, including which are standalone.
Merry Hollaneve to everyone! What a joyous blessing Heated Rivalry has been! Wishing Rachel Reid, Jacob Tierney, Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, Francois Arnaud, Robbie GK and the rest of the cast and crew a peaceful, lovely holiday and a wonderful new year! Thank you for bringing Shane and Ilya to life and spreading happiness and joy to so many! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜