love like an ache in the jaw

film, tv and media student. currently writing my MA thesis on Heated Rivalry

[my-2nd-account]

I don't "rewatch" Heated Rivalry anymore. I study Heated Rivalry. I dissect Heated Rivalry. I scrutinize Heated Rivalry. I put each and every scene under a microscope and study them like a microorganism on a petri dish.

[thisfeebleheart]

the way Shane looks at Ilya in Tampa insp. by @immovabletype's tags:

[asthedeathoflight]

Pisses me off when people complain about Heated Rivalry having stilted/cringe/etc dialogue. Like idk I know a lot of it is personal preference but I think it reads absolutely as a stylistic thing - the dialogue in Heated Rivalry is intensely realistic and that means sometimes its dumb as fuck. Not in a cringe "nobody really talks like that way" but like. Shane staring at Ilya's lips and only being able to manage "wow... Genetic..." Like okay yes that's kind of objectively a dumb line but its not a BAD line, it's just Shane being so in love he can't think of anything smart to say. These characters aren't perfectly eloquent and quippy. They talk like real people in vague sentence fragments and random asides and, /because the show so heavily relies on silence and facial expressions/ it makes them feel so real and lived in. Yeah if you're just /listening/ to it it sounds dumb, but you're meant to be /watching./ That moment isnt about what Shane is saying, it's about what he's not saying. It not even about what he's cleverly talking around. Its just about what's written on his face and what he visibly swallows down. It's rejecting the new dialogue trend of characters saying absolutely everything they mean at every moment or - if they arent being honest - then spinning elaborate lies at every moment. Sometimes... Dialogue that is simpler and less "cool"... Serves the narrative better....

[jaw-aches]

The assimilation of queer life into normative structures of domesticity, consumption, state recognition, and respectability.

[rozanovs]

what is your room number?

↳ heated rivalry week 2026, day four: favourite location

[penandinkprincess]

no but the CHOICES for the scene in which ilya is talking shane down from a spiral fucking KILL ME

because we have this little self-soothing gesture from ilya while shane is pacing and freaking out

like. he has a history of bad family interactions. this is probably edging close to something very painful and touchy for him even if he is pretty sure that shane's family isn't ANYTHING like his. and added on top of that is that shane is SO distressed here about something that ilya can't personally fix for him. he loves shane. shane is his person. and shane right now is really, really upset and scared, which is upsetting emotionally for ilya, too, because you don't want to see someone you love in distress like this.

but NONE of that comes through in this moment beyond his little wrist rub to try and self-regulate so he can be calm and still for shane. his voice stays soft. he stays focused on watching shane but remains completely still and predictable instead of potentially making shane feel crowded by trying to follow him. he lets shane come to him when he's ready.

and THEN we get this

a very soft, very non-demanding little nudge to get shane into motion to reach for him now that he's able to stand still for a moment. but it's such an open gesture. he's not holding shane's arms. he's not forcing him. he's very gently lifting his arms to let shane know he can reach for him if he wants to, but shane could also 100% pull away with NO effort. shane has no control over the rest of the situation here, but he has FULL control on if he touches ilya right now or not.

and even when shane DOES immediately accept the gesture, ilya WAITS before he fully returns the hug

his arms don't wrap around shane until shane has settled, deciding how tight he wants the hug. ilya fully lets him take the lead on how held he wants to be right now, and only after shane has fully grabbed on does ilya return it, and even then it's with one arm wrapped around him and one hand rubbing his back. shane's not trapped. he can get out of it if he wants. and as soon as he starts pushing back, ilya lets him go and waits for him to decide what distance he wants. he even only returns touching shane's shoulders after shane touches his first. he is mirroring what shane is doing, letting shane set the pace and decide what's okay right now.

it's just such a gorgeous choice of physicality to have everything about this moment be, "i know you're scared and feel out of control, and i can't do anything about that for you, but in this moment with you and me, you have full and total control. i'm also lowkey stressed right now on your behalf, but i will white knuckle tf out of that to keep it away from you because i am going to be still and solid and steady because that's what you need from me right now. you get to say what you want and need from me in this moment, and i will give it to you. we'll deal with later, but right now, i'm here, and i will be whatever you need me to be."

[lierdumoa]

I want to once again point out that Ilya's incredibly close reading of Shane's physical tells, and his comprehensive understanding of exactly how to respond on a second-by-second basis to deescalate the situation, is the culmination his and Shane's sexual encounters.

This scene is only possible because of all the fucking they did.

This scene is the fulfillment of the narrative's promise that the sexual intimacy would blossom into emotional intimacy.

This specific type of non-sexual, but still very physical intimacy could not exist if these characters did not know each other's bodies inside and out. And they wouldn't now each other's bodies inside and out if they hadn't spent years exploring each other sexually.

Ilya knows Shane's anxiety so well, and exactly how to diffuse it.

He knows when Shane needs a firm dose of reality — "Time to wake up, yes?" He knows when distracting Shane from the situation with humor is a better option — "Maybe he didn't even notice." He knows when to apply gentle encouragement — "You're brave." He knows when to give Shane that, 'you've got to be kidding me' look he gave him right before they met Shane's parents, when Shane started overthinking again and told him to wait in the car.

Ilya learned all of that in the bedroom, sexually experimenting with Shane, figuring out each other's sexual boundaries, figuring out how to make Shane feel safe enough and comfortable enough to let Ilya put his dick in Shane's ass, figuring out how to make Shane feel confident enough to make his own demands in the bedroom and test out his own ideas for sex acts and positions they should try.

Every single sexual experience was a learning experience.

They both went to The University of Fucking Nasty, and now we are finally seeing their Master's Degrees in action. All of that intimate physical knowledge they have of each other is being put to use, to allow them to navigate this very emotionally fraught situation.

.

I'm saying all this because there are too many so-called-fans out there saying that that the show is good "in spite of" the sex and that the sex scenes were "unnecessary," and those people are missing the whole goddamn point of the show. They don't get it.

Shane and Ilya's relationship wouldn't exist and wouldn't function the way it functions if they hadn't spent years learning each other's physical quirks through sexual intimacy. Knowing how these character's fuck is actually essential to knowing who these characters are and how they relate to each other outside the bedroom. Their relationship outside the bedroom is informed by their relationship inside the bedroom and vice versa, and these two sides of their relationship can't exist without each other.

This show is a manifesto on why censorship is bad, why sexual stories are meaningful and important and need and deserve to be told.

[manhasetardis]

"Our research showed that young gay men strategically invest their self-worth in those areas in which they can succeed, namely academics, appearance, and competition, more so than straight men. Essentially, it seems as if young gay men go to great lengths to prove their worth to others in those domains. This is particularly likely for those who concealed their sexual orientation for long periods of time when growing up and for those who grew up in more stigmatizing states. Our results also showed that being "the best little boy in the world" comes at a cost, as young gay men who invested in these status-related domains were more likely to spend more time alone, to report more daily eating problems, getting into arguments and lying to others, and to feel more stress each day. As previously discussed, besting others at competitive tasks represents one way for young gay men to control a threatening environment, although not without cost." - John Pachankis and Mark Hatzenbuehler

[jaw-aches]

i feel like i'm finally making meaningful progress but i am almost 1 month late to my deadline i hope my professors don't hate me </3

[dailyconnorstorrie]

heatedrivalrytv: every glance, every silence, every line crossed, this story was never simple. honored to receive a peabody award for telling it the way it deserved to be told.

[fuckrozanov]

goodmorning this is your assigned shane of the day

[handweavers]

having institutional access never stops feeling sort of crazy to me because you can literally type in any country and time period and find at least a handful of peer reviewed articles somewhere that discuss a specific aspect of people's lives in depth and at length like "what was considered pop culture in late imperial russia" or "how did the textile trade work in northern mali in the 1600s" or "children's toys in pre-colonial philippines" and it's just sitting there but the majority of people on planet earth aren't allowed to read any of it

[actuallysara]

RACHEL REID & JACOB TIERNEY @ BOOKCON

Jacob said the budget for season 2 has not increased and he said "the show might make you famous but the folks at Peloton will make you rich".

"Shane and Ilya are the stars in the series. No shade, Troy Barrett".

Jacob said he is picking songs he likes and that he can afford.

The new book "The Making of Heated Rivalry: Season 1" will include annotated scripts and unseen photographs. Rachel wrote the introduction.

Jacob said Ilya and Shane are the heartbeat of his show. Jacob said one of his favourite scenes in TLG is the big fight because "you can love each other but that's not always enough when you need to make a relationship work and you have to learn that. Shane and Ilya have to learn how to ground their relationship as adults."

Jacob said Troy is a really damaged character and he plans to dig more into that.

Jacob wouldn't confirm or deny anything about TLG getting split into two seasons.

Jacob said episode 6 wasn’t done until 11 days before the show aired.

SOURCE: @Brie__yonce, @evolverozanov on X

[twirlingfreckles]

Perhaps bold words from a bisexual fujo but if you’re cishet I do not want to hear your opinion on heated rivalry and I especially do not want to hear about how you think episode 3 was more “palatable” as if that’s somehow a hot take or as if that’s a take that the queer audience will benefit from hearing in any way

[twirlingfreckles]

like yes we know Scott and Kip are more normative and their story is more straightforward and conforms more closely to established straight narratives. A professional athlete and his Hallmark meet-cute WAG who just happens to be a man are OF COURSE going to be easier for the straight audience to understand than a complex love story that begins with a sex-focused relationship between two very masculine men.

What baffles me is when ostensibly well-meaning straight people present this information as if it’s useful to us. Because when you say “well here’s why I think straight audiences preferred episode 3…” the root of what you’re saying is “well obviously straight audiences want to see the established straight narrative. Why would you expect straight audiences to root for the two who are just having nasty gay sex on screen? Why would you expect straight people to be able to understand a relationship and a love story that advances, at least at first, primarily through sex scenes which involve two men fucking?”

The show has been out for months at this point. PLENTY of people have expressed this exact opinion. Over and over and over. Can you MAYBE try to wrap your head around why the queer audience might start to chafe at hearing this same take for the umpteenth time?

[heatedrivalrysource]

via Emmys / Television Canada

The Television Academy has announced the recipients of its 19th Television Academy Honors, recognizing six exceptional television programs and their producers who have harnessed the extraordinary power of television to advance social change.

The honorees include four scripted series and two non-scripted programs representing some of the most inspiring and meaningful television of 2025. They are Adolescence, Deaf President Now!, Dying for Sex, Heated Rivalry, Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television and South Park.

[jaw-aches]

i was on rachel reid's website and under the heated rivalry book page there's a link to a series of watercolor illustrations of the book pre-adaptation and it's wild how some of them are so similar to shots in the show?? i wonder if jacob saw them and had them for reference otherwise it's actually crazy lol

[jaw-aches]

i am printing many documents

[cuppydogshane]

ok but i am. Right. in the context of their specific lives and the world they live in it is genuinely more transgressive for them to be having soft, gentle and formal-dynamic-free sex with each other than it is for them to have sex where the main point of eroticism is Dominance.

[cuppydogshane]

let me say this better actually: The total absence of violence in private is in direct narrative tension with the violence and animosity that is expected of them by people outside their relationship. and thats the crux of the story.