Things Sublunary

Shona, she/her, currently transported to 2013 by hockey yaoi hence back on tumblr

[most-sane-classicist]

He knows what's up

[perotovar]

HUDSON WILLIAMS as TJ All I Need for Christmas (2024) dir. David I. Strasser

[gettingscrazy]

ELLE FANNING as RACHEL KEMP SENTIMENTAL VALUE (2025) dir. Joachim Trier

[dragonmuse]

As a writer, it's more interesting to me to write Hayden and J.J. as good friends to Shane. (I'm talking from a purely TV show angle for this post, I have Feelings about book Pike and J.J. that can go elsewhere).

Do you know one of the easiest way to build bonds with people? Ask them questions about themselves. We joke about Shane's thousands of question to Ilya, but that only fails with Ilya because Shane is unwittingly touching so many pain points. Hayden and J.J. would eat up with a spoon. This generational player wants to know more about them? He's interested in J.J.'s restaurant hobby and Hayden's children? He dryly funny and fantastic at the game you all love? Fucking sold.

Hayden is so excited (tv show here) to get Shane over to his house. He calls Shane to update him about the baby and wants Shane to come with him and the kids to the aquarium. Shane joins family dinners with ease and holds a baby like he does fairly regularly. They're not just co-workers who are kind of friendly. They're genuine friends.

When J.J. sees the X-Squad people, he doesn't hoard the experience, he calls Shane who he must know likes the movies and invites him to come along immediately.

They like Shane a lot! They hype him up and get excited for him when they think he's getting laid. When Hayden figures out Shane is uncomfortable he even re-calibrates the joke (if poorly) to "Get laid weirdo, or NOT, I don't care". Trying to tell Shane as best he can that he knows it's none of his business and he just wants Shane to go have a good time.

The ways that Shane can be awkward don't seem to phase them. When Shane doesn't respond to J.J.'s 'I'll fuck him for you' moment fast enough, Hayden even steps in to turn it around J.J. and draw attention away from Shane. J.J.'s intention in that moment is to tell Shane he has his back anyway. He has no clue how it comes across. Shane is his teammate and friend and if Rozanov is an asshole to him, J.J. will square up, not to worry.

And as how that will play out as things get revealed is way, way more interesting than 'these two always sucked and weren't real friends'. We have plenty of background characters to give that to us. Let's get into the meat of how painful in is when the people who do love and trust us, let you down in crucial moments. And even if it's not true, you can't help but think it's a little your fault. You could never let them get to know you the way you know them.

[shilyas]

He wanted to see Rozanov this weekend. He wanted to be with him, alone, behind closed doors; he was tired of lying to himself about it. HEATED RIVALRY — CH. 16

tampa!shane + his small, happy smile ✨

[heymacy]

jealous!shane

[movie-gifs]

PRACTICAL MAGIC (1998) — Dir. Griffin Dunne

[dinkypirate]

[pregnanthudsonwilliams]

"I promise to work very hard for you" cries and cries and cries and cries. my boy

[pregnanthudsonwilliams]

"Boston is nice too?" CRIES AND CRIES AND CRIES AND CRIES. MY BOYYYY

[russianblush]

#the way they're both ready to devour each other

[sublunagh]

Ilya + healing

[themoonandmyman]

listen. listen I know they’re all muscular stereotypically attractive dudes. but it is important to me when Relaxed Tummy.

[tearsofshane]

aaahh tummmyyy so soft so squishyyy 😭🥺

[totallyboatless]

I finally figured out how to put words to the detail that makes me deeply obsessed with this exact moment:

(Gif by @hollanderdiaz)

Ilya being a goofball is funny on its own, but it’s the fact that NO ONE is paying attention to him here that elevates it. The kids are already way past him, Shane is watching the kids, literally no one is looking at him. Ilya isn’t performing for anyone here. He came up with a game and is having fun playing it himself, regardless of if he has an audience.

It’s hitting me harder now why Ilya loves being around kids so much. He gets to initiate play with an excuse to use as a shield to his teammates later that it was entirely for the kids and not for him. The kids Ilya plays with have absolutely no idea that they’re seeing a more real version of him than the vast majority of the people in his life.

It’s also why it’s CRUCIAL to have this scene cut together with the All Star game and Ilya playing with Shane on the same team for the first time. It’s the perfect way to communicate to the audience that playing hockey with Shane allows Ilya to find his boyish joy again. Ilya is having the same emotional experience playing hockey with Shane as he is playing shark attack with the kids in the pool.

There’s an interview where Connor says he doesn’t think Ilya really cares about hockey, and this is a demonstration of what I think he means. Shane loves hockey specifically, Yuna loves hockey specifically, Svetlana loves hockey specifically.

Ilya likes competition and play, but he’s only playing hockey because he’s naturally very good at it. Being the best isn’t what keeps him happy—it’s playing with Shane and finding the fun he must have experienced as a child with his mother on the ice before his father turned it into a job.

Anyway this is in my top favorite shots of the entire show for the way it makes me crack up but also feel all that.

[totallyboatless]

GET PEER REVIEWED FUCKER

why would you do this to me @hit-the-showerz 😭😭😭

[my-2nd-account]

[maxxie-or-smth]

i am an unreliable narrator both because i do not remember and also i love to lie

[manny-jacinto]

legend 🙌

[sublunagh]

ELLE FANNING as Catherine the Great The Great, The Beard (s01e02)