It's not that cold outside. Linnaeus groused as Mav zipped his hoodie up against his throat.
"You get cold easy though."
Linnaeus let that go and again made sure his small bag contained water, a snack and extra medicine. Cato had said the concussion hadn't yet gone away. Which explained some of the constant pressure in his head. At least the swelling had started to go down. He could open his mouth all the way with minimal pain. Hard foods and speaking were still out of the question though.
"Oh whatever," Mav rolled his eyes as he tugged the zipper down. "Baby."
He arched a brow at his brother.
"Okay, okay. I've gotta ask dad something so I'll leave you alone."
That'd be awesome.
Mav snorted and made a rude gesture. "Love you too." He quickly made his way to where Murk was getting ready. "I've got the camera." He whispered.
I am so puzzled by the discourse on hr twitter with the whole connor vs hudson acting comparisons.
Like, idk, Connor plays a magnetic, charismatic, confident character who unapologitacally takes up space and he does it extremely well. He plays a cocky asshole with a heart of gold and lost puppy underneath an armor of cheeky chirps. He's physical and his face is an open book of his emotions because that's who Ilya is. He acts with his whole body and his whole face because Ilya carries himself like that in the world, instantly being the leading man of every scene he is in.
Hudson plays a restrained, autistic character who is very much not in tune with who he is. Someone who barely understands his own emotions or the emotions of anyone else. He lives in a confusing world where the only thing that makes sense is the ice and the puck. In every other situation, he's desperately trying to cover up just how out of depth he feels. He has lots of emotions bubbling under the surface but he's so disconnected from them and has a hard time acknowledging even what he wants. He hides so much of himself out of fear and anxiety and he reverts to his poker face that he wears as a well-practiced mask but the tension vibrates underneath. Hudson acts with microexpressions, and unshed tears and thick swallows, so we know when he's crying inside despite trying to look unaffected. He plays with eye contact vs averting his eyes to show when he's uncomfortable. This is who Shane is most of the time. (But we also see the kind of acting Hudson is capable of for example in Shane's panic attack meltdown scene - it's just these are rare moments of letting loose of someone who lives so much of his life on the inside).
They are the classic pair in acting - the wild one, who brings the emotions and flair and the "straight man" (haha) who brings logic and anchors the scene with his "flat reactions". The scene works because of the push-and-pull. Their "chemisty" is made by the two of them. They "sell" their intimacy, the "realness" of their characters' desire together.
And I go a step further. The entire cast is brilliant. The show is so immersive not just because Hudson and Connor, but because every relationship, every dynamic even though the pace of the show is super-fast, feels so "real".
Connor and Ksenia sell so easily the childhood friends closeness of Ilya and Svetlana, we totally buy that they grew up together. Connor and Slavic bring in a few scenes an utterly chilling, bitter, damaged sibling relationship that makes us seethe inside even without knowing the details. Franco and Connor only have a few scenes, yet they sparked an entire genre of fanfic of Cliff & Ilya friendship. The way Kaden stalks Connor in one tiny scene gives us an entire toxic vibe of the untold Sasha-Ilya romance.
Hudson, Christina and Dylan feel like the close-knit family the Holllanders are from the first time they appear together, and the coming out scene in the cottage, especially between Hudson and Christina is one of the highlights of an already brilliant show, because the layers of Yuna's and Shane's complex relationship shine through their acting. The love, the guilt, the expectations. Shophie and Hudson have fantastic chemistry at the comedy of gay bf turned bestie and we can imagine an entire world of lighthearted Shane and Rose shenanigans behind the scenes that brings out a bit of Shane's gay flair that he keeps buried inside. Hudson and Callan brings such a seamless buddy vibe that we feel Shane and Hayden's comfort with each other as besties (can't wait for S2 with even more Pikes).
And even as much attack as Francois and Robbie has been under, Scott's big coming out is the emotional climax of S1, which they absolutely bring and it hits with the power of the sledgehammer it is supposed to be. We feel Scott's fear and elation, and it's elevated by everyone's dumbstruck reactions to it.
All these dynamics are so interesting and layered, and bringing it to life creates the huge sandbox that feeds the fandom and inspires art, fic, edits and think pieces.
Everyone in the cast brings their A-game. I honestly think the casting choices were close to perfect and what more, everyone tried to make whatever little moments they got really count, without trying to overpower each other with acting. The whole show felt like it was not actors performing, but us really getting to be the part of the lives of real people.
And that kind of chemistry is not something that is created by a single actor (and no shade to Connor or Hudson because they are both very talented and obviously individually and together a HUGE factor in the success of the show). But I've seen shows with good actors with shit chemistry, or even a good leading pair where the rest of the ensemble couldn't keep up.
The real magic happens when everyone approaches the project with a lot of love and also understanding of their characters and roles and what those roles require of them doing. Allowing for a natural push-and-pull, letting their acting partner breathing space, not trying to take over the scene.
I really really hope that S2 will continue with the great casting choices and the egos of the actors will be checked at the door of the studio. Because I adore the Centaurs and I want to immerse myself in the team feeling, I adore Troy and I hope he gets an actor who can approach his character in a way that brings out fully his conflict, charm and redemption. We have a lot to look forward to in S2, with juicy hollanov conflict yes, but also so many interesting platonic dynamics and I hope it never becomes the kind of show that is "carried by a single actor on their back" as some solo-stans like to claim.
I am frankly worried when I read about big stars wanting to be a part of it, because I think the show works much better with relatively unknown actors hungry to work on a good project pouring their souls into a character than having people trying to build the "infamous hockey yaoi" into their CVs. The temptation will be there. But I trust the cast chemistry will hold up.
@toxic-robot-yaoi-ask blog’s Camera! A useful vessel of which everyone can use! It can be customized based on who asks. It can change sizes like Tenna too. :) I am much too tired to answer an ask. I literally wrote Tenna’s name as dinner in that 4th sentence. That’s how tired I am lol
One of the titans of photography and probably the most famous one, he is surely one of the names that is currently motivating me to get more deeply into my passion for photography. His books seem to be essential to every aspiring hobbyist/professional photographer who wants to know the fundamentals of such art.
