Smalltownbylerguy

[annori]

dear diary,

[smalltownboyshead]

Realising you had a crush on a same gendered friend when you were younger is like…crazy cause

all those moments shared between the two of you take a whole new level of importance when you look back and see how innocent and beautiful your bond was…and that it was definitely queer.

Mini story time:

There was a day where my group of friends ( aged 7 or 8) went to a field near our house and had a picnic. 2 of the friends raced down the grass messing about. And my older sister (by2years) sat near him ( my boy “friend “) and me.

And one thing about our dynamic is that he would LOVE to tease me since I wasn’t the best at social cues and because I was laying down in the grass he toppled on top of me, hands to side of my head and just looked at me smiling and giggling. What I felt it that moment was flustered and some sort of romantic feeling.

Then my sister said to him to get off me and told me to get another blanket from our house. Which I got mad about but went to go get it, but something about my sister taking me out of that moment with him ( and seeming annoyed about it) made me feel ashamed and sad. Like something about that or ‘him and me’ was weird.

Which I’m now realising was probably internalised homophobia. Since then I’m now a good bit older ( I’m 17) and have realised I’m queer. But the feeling of shame has still always lingered with me and gotten worse at times when I heard homophobic talk and slurs used by people (mostly boys) at school.

No wonder I love byler 😭 I know a queer childhood crush when I SEE IT

[smalltownboyshead]

Also his name was Michael…😭✌️

[gaynehollander]

I'm still not over the fact that we never got to see Ilya work through the pain of losing his home because, yes, he's admitted to himself that he doesn't want to go back there. He knows there is nothing for him there anymore but the graves of his parents and a brother who hates him. All of the good memories he had there are in the past and it's been years since being there brought him anything but pain. But it still feels like cutting off a limb. A limb that hasn't worked properly for years, maybe, but when you close that door it is you giving up any hope that you'll recover it. Ilya deciding to be with Shane and consequently losing his homeland is the correct choice for him, he knows that. That doesn't mean it's painless. And we deserved to see it have an impact on him that was more than just implied.

[emziess]

Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander Heated Rivalry, S01E02

[shanesloverboy]

An absolute dumptruck

[flyora]

Happy Anniversary

[peachyjude]

and i do think shane keeps that soft blue hoodie from their emotionally significant first time anal hookup… even though it’s faded and it doesn’t fit him anymore. it’s really been through the ringer from how much he wore it, especially those first few years. i think he keeps it tucked in the back of his closet, or maybe a bin, he doesn’t even pull it out when he and ilya eventually move in together and get married — his little keepsake. and one day when they’re cleaning out their things, the years they’ve spent together evident in just how much they have in their house, ilya finds that blue hoodie, and his heart stutters. he can hardly breathe all of a sudden, remembering the boy in the stairwell looking up at him with stars in his eyes. the boy that was so sweet and shy and perfect for him that first time. how easily he came apart under ilya, warm and pliant. the way it felt natural between them, the way they fit so well. the way ilya knew, even then, that they could be something. were something, something bigger than he could fathom.

and shane finds ilya there, hoodie in his hands, frozen in silence. “oh,” shane says, “that’s — i probably should’ve gotten rid of that ages ago.” ilya looks at him then, still half choked, blurts out, “never. you’re never getting rid of it.” and it dawns on shane that ilya must know why he kept it, all those years. the hidden reel of memories they share between them.

“i wore it for days afterward,” shane says, because he can, now. “because it smelled like you, a little. it was almost like — you were holding me, still. kissing me. kinda stupid, isn’t it?”

and ilya promptly bursts into tears all over the hoodie.

[shaneswetbrowneyes]

i actually think that what's being missed in the 'why does everyone love heated rivalry' conversation is just that it's good

it's well made, well shot, well directed, the music is interesting, the costumes are both thoughtful and subtly period accurate, the sex scenes are intentional and, again, accurate to what hooking up when you're like 18 actually feels like...the actors are of course attractive but they look like real people. the characters are varied and well fleshed out, the acting is really, really strong

so many shows and films shoot and then slot in whatever music kind of fits or could be licenced in the budget after time, but you can tell that the scenes in hr were shot with that specific music in mind. and the same intentional approach runs through the whole thing

it feels...so nice to watch a show that cares about itself

[raincitygirl76]

Nobody knew in advance that this show would become a massive international phenomenon. It was a mid-budget Canadian show (which means low budget by US standards) adapted from a Harlequin romance novel. The deal with HBO for US distribution rights was only signed a few weeks before it began to air.

But everybody involved treated it as if it was serious art anyway. Not just some little Canadian streaming show that might well disappear after airing. Based on a book from a genre that is usually ridiculed by people who consider themselves serious film people. The cast, the crew, the writer/director, the music supervisor, everybody. They all did their best work for love of the game.

[thinkingaboutelephants]

Does anyone else see characters in tv and film, and you just feel Hudcon in them? Even though you love the original actors and wouldn’t want to replace them? Sometimes I see Connor in Aemond in HotD, and Hudson easily could’ve pulled off Project Hail Mary.

[allstarrocks]

spot the difference

[snowsmoked]

There's a lot of jokes about how Shane-sexual Ilya is - and he is, everything his husband does is undeniably sexy. Mostly, his boring domestic things like putting away dishes (bending over to get the dishes, arms flexing to put away top shelf glasses), wearing his little button up pajamas, his glasses, his Tide Stain remover stick he keeps in his glove compartment, etc.

But Shane is just as Ilya-sexual and that - infuriately - crops up a lot in the workplace, when Shane's two favourite things (his husband and hockey) mesh. When Shane first joined the Centaurs, there were many (good natured) jokes about Ilya needing to keep it in his pants around his husband. Shane soon found out it was not Ilya they needed to worry about.

It started with Ilya giving out corrections, like any good captain.

"Young," Ilya said in that low, soft, but unavoidable tone. "You need to stop looking at puck, that is for goalie, yes? Find open ice and watch player who has the puck."

Shane, to his horror, shivered. The order, not even to him, locked in place. Watch team, not puck.

"Shane?"

"Mh?" Shane's eyes shot up to look at him.

Ilya gave him a look. Then a quick once over. "Practice passing assists to Young, okay?"

"Yes, s-cap," Shane flushed, blaming it on the biting cold of the rink. "Yeah, of course. C'mon, Rook."

It just got worse from there.

"Again, Holmberg, or you drive Zamboni for a week."

"If you pass like that in game, I will send you to the Maple Leafs."

"Young!" Ilya raised his voice and Shane's knees buckled. "Shoot puck at net, not at teammates. Don't make me come over there."

But even worse than the corrections, was the praise.

"Good job, Luca, that was beautiful goal."

"That was what I am talking about, Wyatts, I love you."

"Exactly like that, Holms, great job."

"Good job."

"Good job."

"Good job."

It was going to kill him. He could not take it anymore. More often then not, he pounces on his husband as soon as they're home from practice. Sometimes even in the car (far away from the parking lot, of course). Not that Ilya complains.

One such time, a couple months of Shane slowly losing his insanity, he has Ilya pressed up against the wall in their entryway.

"You are in state tonight," Ilya breathed in between kisses. "You have been for months."

"Have not been," Shane exhaled shakily. He wanted to be in the bed, but he didn't want to waste time walking there. He leaned more of his weight on Ilya, hoping that signaled he wanted to be carried.

"No?" Ilya caught on and took on the extra weight, and turned them, so Shane was against the wall. "But I wanted to give you reward."

"Hmm," Shane smiled into his neck. "For what?"

"For practice," Ilya pulled back to look at him, a slow, smug smirk taking over his features. "For doing such a good job."

Shane shivered then stilled. He pulled back, face hot. "You-you asshole! You knew!"

"Of course I know," Ilya finally lifted him, hands braced under his thighs, not letting him pull away. "I know you."

"Its so embarrassing." Shane lamented, melting into Ilya's hold.

"Is only fair," Ilya carried him to their room. "Now you know how I feel every time you fold laundry, or wear little yoga shorts, or power wash deck, or fix light bulb, or..."

"I get it," Shane interrupted him.

So yes, even if Ilya is more vocal about it, Shane is just as insane about his husband as he is. And neither of them would have it any other way.

[swagsmeister]

apparently july 10th is their anniversary

no light ver

[puckthepatriarchy]

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SHANE AND ILYA-The legal one-NOT the real one!

Please join me in my vision~Ms. Rachel Reid as the officiant for the wedding in TLG! Can you see it too?

If ever a cameo could be perfect: this seems like one!

When I read TLG, before I even knew there was the possibility of a show, I thought "Rachel did you write yourself in as Nancy so you could be the one to marry these stupidly wonderful characters"

And now there is a show- AND SHE COULD BE THE ONE TO MARRY THESE STUPIDLY WONDERFUL CHARACTERS?!?

#heated rivalry #hollanov #ilya rozanov #shane hollander #shane x ilya #rachel reid #the long game #jacob tierney

[littlespoonevan]

in a way, it’s sad that ‘break up with your girlfriend, I’m bored’ was released after shane and ilya figured their shit out because I just know ilya would’ve had it on Repeat during the rose landry era. However I do think, every time shane goes out with rose for a catch up brunch or whatever now he always gets a breakupwithyourgirlfriendimbored.mp3 text after approximately three hours as ilya’s way of telling him he wants him to come home

[jungleosbian]

not only does ilya prefer DC to marvel, he's an avid superbat shipper

[xohxoo]

Face card NEVER declines

[1410-1221-dec2008]