Heated Rivalry

[Clefable]

Anyone watching this on NowTV?

I may have binged

🥵🥵🥵🥵

Having read the books before watching the show I didn’t like ep3 the first time I watched it. Both characters looked too old - in the books Scott is only 3 years older than Shane and Ilya! I like it a bit more now but still skip it more often than not.

Re reading TLG…can’t wait to hear Connor do these Ilya lines from this book. Just reading a really cute moment between Troy and Ilya. Totally read it in Ilya’s voice. So good.

Have to admit I mostly skip ep3 too - sorry but it’s taking up time when I could be watching Jane and Lily

Episode 3 was the one encouraging me to continue watching. I liked 1 and 2, but I couldn't really see what the whole fuss was about until episode t3 came and I really got invested in Skip.

I found 1 and 2 interesting and yes very hot, but for me the emotional connection was just missing in these two episodes.

If you haven’t read the books then suggest reading HR. It gives more context to the early episodes I think.

Ok against better judgement I got sucked into AO3. I like this one a lot - Vibes are not data. It's about Wyatt POV and it's quite funny and somewhat realistic for a funfic.

As a fellow gym bunny, you have no idea how hard it is to get this boob to bum ratio.

Wow!

He must naturally have a bum like that and then worked on building it up. It is astonishing though. And we’ve all seen it naked.

The advert is great and I expect he earned a lot more for that 5 minutes than for the whole of HR. Good for him.

These 2 are not letting us rest are they? 🤣

As a fellow fat arse, I like that I’m not the only one who has to size up in jeans and get them altered 🤣

Are there awards for adverts? I think it will win whatever it can.

He’s definitely winning rear of the year in perpetuity. Sorry carol vorderman

I think his parents were bodybuilders, so it's likely he has natural predisposition for building muscles and being on the lower side of the body fat. It also helps that his hips are narrower than his arms, which makes him look massive.

I think what makes him so attractive is that he is very masculine with all those muscles, bone structure, a bit of body hair, but some of his styling choices are quite feminine, like the crop top and jeans in this ad. There is a bit of sexy ambiguity there.

Oh yes….. the sexual ambiguity is definitely key. (Though not entirely sure it’s THAT ambiguous but we cannot speculate about that. In public anyway)

I mean I am pretty sure he is gay, but it's more how he presents on screen that has a bit of both which is super intriguing.

Good actor! Connor and Ilya seem to be 2 different people completely! The advert is more Ilya. He has a great range.

Can I just ask…,how attached to this programme do you think you are? I know people who have watched and moved on. I am still reading the books, watching the show, looking at fan edits. It is actually addictive.

I have just re read game changers and heated rivalry, literally just finished hr. I’ve not moved on yet!

I genuinely believe Heated Rivalry and related content is the only thing between me and mental breakdown in 2026.

I watch at least one HR episode every week. I’m on threads constantly and at present I’m only reading HR fanfic. I went for breakfast with a local(ish) woman I met on threads in the HR fandom last week. I’ve bought magazines and pre-ordered the CD. The list is endless.
I’m going on holiday in the next couple of weeks and plan to do a full Game Changers series re-read while I’m away. It’s a lot.

I have the books as paper backs and really struggle at the moment to read the paper backs thanks to a shoulder fracture and can't holding a book properly. So I have plenty to look forward to.

I do rewatch, the shoulder fracture is the reason I tell myself that I still keep up the subscription. If I need a pick me up then I watch episodes five and six, especially the ending of five was Scott kissing Kip on the ice.

It is crazy how much of a culturally significant show it has become and how so many people have become affected by it. I guess it has the ingredients….amazing story, actors and direction. It’s unashamed in its celebration of queer sex and because Hudson and Connor really threw themselves into it, it never comes across as cheesy or inauthentic. it helps that those 2 are so hot and were clearly so comfortable with each other. and watching 2 people fall in love was so beautifully done.

I am a bit too obsessed with it I think.

4 day weekend coming up. Might rewatch.

I watch on my phone on the treadmill at the gym this afternoon. Episode 5 though as it’s the “safest” one for public consumption!

The tonsil hockey podcast is quite good this week, it includes a discussion on why the book/tv show particularly appeals to women.

If you need Connor in print, then the reprint Vogue Adria is available to pre-order https://shop.vogueadria.com/

Apparently wolf bird the fan fic on ao3 isn’t being continued. Lots of stuff about ai and hate that the writer has had apparently stopped it.