u/hella_hijinks

I am OBSESSED when Ilya talks with his hands. It's often a small action but it adds a lot to the characterization. These gifs are silent but I feel like I can hear Ilya's lines cause of these gestures that he makes.

There are many more moments throughout the show when he does this. But I wanted to share some of my faves. Which ones are your favorite?

1. "You cut it in half." I can't see his lips saying these words but I know exactly what he's saying cause of the hand gesture he makes. Iconic.
2. "Mr. uh.. Landlord." This gesture adds so much to this otherwise pretty tame chirp.
3. "I was going to make one for me. I can make two." Why is this one so cute? He's literally just counting. Maybe it's cause he's so giddy?
4. "I can carry my own bag." This one is so underrated! But it's PEAK for me. I don't know why.
5. "I think you can tell your parents you're gay without giving them a list of all the guys you're f*cking." This is an unnecessary gesture cause the list is just Ilya 😂 but I love it anyways!

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Tumblr GIFs are from ily-a + pinenora317 + thisfeebleheart

Credits: ashley_hufford on IG

This creator has a bunch of reels on the rest of Rachel Reid's Barnes and Noble Talk as well! But I REALLY enjoyed this one where she talks about:

1. Ilya as an insane dog parent ❤️ (I cannot relate to this enough!)
2. Shane and Ilya talking about having kids someday (but not during their first season playing together is understandable)
3. Shane adjusting to playing on the Centaurs with Ilya as Captain even though he is not super into change (off balanced at first but he's excited to see Ilya as Captain)
4. The possibility of Shane and Ilya singing karaoke 😂

What are your thoughts on these tidbits of canon gold we are getting from RR?

Between the end of Ep 1 and start of Ep 2, Shane and Ilya stop hooking up for 2 years even though Ilya keeps trying to by texting Shane throughout. What is the reason for this?

My theory is that it's mainly because of Shane's avoidance of his desires for Ilya.

During their second hookup at their first All Stars weekend (where Scott Hunter is right next door), they have this exchange:

>I: "Have you ever?"
S: *shakes his head no*
I: "Do you want to?"

Shane doesn't answer this cause he can't voice out his desire for Ilya at this point in time. This becomes a pattern throughout their 2 year long hookup drought. We'll see this over and over again in their text exchanges during the Ep 2 montage that's set to Mangetout by Wet Leg.

1. (Mangetout Text 1)

>I: What’s a girl to do on a lonely night in Montreal? 

Okay, this one doesn't fall into the pattern but it's pretty clear that Shane is not into this text. Also it doesn't help that he's surrounded by his teammates when he receives it.

2. (Mangetout Text 2)

>I: Want to come while you’re in Boston? 
S: Did you use Google Translate?
I: No. 
S: What you wrote makes no sense. 
I: Oh yes it does. Read it again. 

Shane initially replies to Ilya due to confusion. But once he understands what Ilya means, he stops replying. Notice the way that Ilya's text includes the word want which directly references Shane's desire. This is why Shane stops replying.

3. (Mangetout Text 3)

>I: Playoffs are fun. How come you aren’t here?
S: Fuck you Lily. 
I: 😘 
S: .. and see you next year asshole. 
I: Promise? I still want that asshole.. and yes, is proper grammar. 

Chirping feels comfortable to Shane so he replies at first. But with Ilya's last message, Shane is again faced with the word want and the implication of desire. So he doesn't reply to that and the pattern is established.

4. (Mangetout Text 4)

>I: 2886 Beacon 
S: What’s that? 
I: A place where you can get what you want.
S: What do I want?
I: <dick pic> 

Shane initially responds cause the want is still ambiguous but stops replying after the dick pic (a clear visual of what Shane desires). Again, he repeats the pattern.

5. (Mangetout Text 5)

>I: I’m going to score 9 goals next week. 
S: Why 9? 
I: One for each inch dick you want. 

Again we see the same pattern. Shane ignores the last message and just goes back to his rowing workout.

6. (Mangetout Text 6)

>I: If Boston wins this round I get to fuck you next fall. Deal? 
S: And what do I get if Montreal wins?
I: Same thing 😘 

Okay! We got to the last Mangetout Text Scene! Notice that Ilya doesn't use the word want so it doesn't trigger Shane. Even though Shane doesn't respond right away when he receives this text in the locker room, he eventually responds with a pretty flirty (for Shane) text when he's back home in the comfort of his own bed.

This is the first time Shane actually responds to an explicit sext! And this is when Ilya clues in that he needs to word his texts to Shane carefully.

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Now finally, let's look at the text exchange right before they are about to play each other:

>I: How many times can you cum in 1 hour? 
S: I don’t know. Maybe twice? 

The sext from Ilya here is a nice and straightforward question. It doesn't directly reference Shane's desire. Instead it is an informational inquiry. Ilya is asking for concrete info that is tangible and quantifiable. Even though Shane is initially outraged at the timing of the sext (right before their game), Shane deliberates over his reply a couple of times but eventually responds sincerely.

>I: You suck at sexting. 
S: Who taught you that word? 
I: Your mom. 
S: Not funny. 

Ilya already knows chirping is comfortable ground for Shane. So Shane keeps responding.

>I: Where are we meeting? 
S: We’re not. Fuck you. 
I: 😢 
S: Maybe if you’re lucky. I’ll text you after the game. 

"Where are we meeting?" is another informational question from Ilya. It's logistics like "What is your room number?". It's not abstract and it doesn't directly reference Shane's desire. So Shane responds with his default "F*ck you" and also a not-now-let's-talk-later. It's pretty much a yes at this point.

>I: Are you as hard as I am right now?

This message is the closer and it is as direct as it gets. It's hot but it's also vulnerable. Ilya is reassuring Shane that the desire is real and normal and mutual. After the game, Shane finally invites Ilya over and the 2 year long hookup drought ends!!

I want to be clear that it wasn't that Shane didn't want to hookup with Ilya (cause he definitely wanted to). It was just scary for him to face and express that want. We know this cause during the hookup when Ilya asks for his consent throughout, Shane provides it multiple times.

>I: You still want?
S: I still want.

Anyways, thank you for reading this very long post! This 2 year long hookup drought has always bothered me. But it's clear to me now that it fits the narrative as part of Shane's character arc and serves to illustrate Shane's internal struggles coming to terms with wanting to continue being physically intimate with Ilya.

Any and all feedback is much appreciated! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

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ETA: I didn't realize so many people thought they were still hooking up during this 2 year gap in the show! So I wanted to share where RR talks about how they weren't meeting up in this interview.

For being that emotional corrective experience many of us needed in a parent.

(GIFs From pinenora317 on tumblr)

Jacob's deep love for music is really apparent to me when I watch his work especially Heated Rivalry. So I'm glad he's being honored for it! Well deserved 👏🏻

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Credits: IG

"Stealing glances" or looking at someone you're attracted to very subtly so the other person doesn't notice is a natural human thing to do. Everyone does it! It's perfectly normal!! Right??

Though, it often feels illegal cause of the fear the person we're looking at will figure out what we're doing. And that would be SO embarrassing 😬

Heated Rivalry employs many of these micro-moments (blink and you'll miss it) of the characters "stealing glances" at each other to signify interest, attraction, infatuation, and often longing to the viewer (and sometimes, the other person 🤭). It's like we're being invited in on an intimate secret 😊

They're so subtle that I thought I'd share some of my favorite examples of this with you:

1 & 2. IMO, it's most prominent in the Tampa Bar scene when Ilya and Shane steal glances at each other (and pretty much eye f*ck) during their whole conversation unbeknownst to their fellow All Star hockey players around them.

3 & 4. Scott and Kip also steal glances at each other in a flirty way at Straw+Berry, checking each other out (honestly) pretty unsubtly. But it's fine! (I'm talking to you Kip! Guuurrll)

What are your thoughts on this? Have you noticed these "Stealing Glances" micro-moments? What are your favorite "Stealing Glances" moments?

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Edit: Formatting

GIF Sources: Tumblr (pinenora317)

I needed to share this. I can't get over the UTTER DELIGHT on Ilya's face whenever Shane does literally anything.

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Credits: __coldties on x

Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie at the 2026 Met Gala (via alexachung on Instagram)

.. and the Met Gala just keeps on giving.

We all know the feeling of waiting anxiously for someone (a crush maybe) or something (coughhudconmetgalacough) we are all too eager to see. It's not an uncommon scene in TV/media to include a mini moment like this where a character is waiting for another and they are visibly giddy (pacing or looking around) right before the character they're waiting for finally arrives.

Heated Rivalry uses these "Anxiously Waiting" mini moments multiple times in S1. These moments set up the following scene interaction by building tension and by revealing the current emotional state of the waiting character to the audience.

They are subtle but very effective! So I wanted to call out some for sheer appreciation :)

1. (Ep 1) When Shane is waiting in the locker room for Ilya directly after their charged shower scene. I LOVE how Shane is just buffering while he waits.
2. (Ep 5) When Ilya is on the look out for Shane at the bar during All Star Weekend at Tampa. Ilya is being subtle, but he is anxious here. He's looking around and his left hand against his face is making self soothing motions.
3. (Ep 3) When Scott is waiting for Kip after his shift so they can grab Mexican food together. I love this one cause Scott is SO CLEARLY GIDDY.
4. (Ep 3) When Kip is waiting for Scott to come in for his usual pre-game blueberry smoothie. Kip is scrolling on his phone as a distraction and then startles when he finally spots Scott.
5. BONUS (Ilya cont'd): When Ilya finally sees Shane walking towards him, he chugs the rest of his drink and whispers OK to himself like he's bracing for impact.

What are your thoughts on these moments? Which "Anxiously Waiting" mini-moment was your favorite? Are there any I missed?

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Edit: Fixed formatting

GIF Sources: Tumblr (pinenora317, mandalay87)

Even though Shane is not technically real, a lot of us really care about Shane and he means so much to so many of us. So I wanted to celebrate some quintessentially Shane moments that make us just love him! There were A LOT (of course) but I limited myself to these:

1. "The recipe was for eight, so.." and how it didn't occur to him that he can cut the recipe in half. His mind.
2. "I think I'm gay." His sincere coming out to his f*ck buddy of 7 years.
3. After hooking up at Ilya's house in broad daylight, it's the cold ginger ale (and tuna melt) that is triggering his "This is getting a little too intimate" meter. I'm in awe of his absolute mastery of compartmentalization.
4. “Hollander pushed into the room as soon as Ilya opened the door. He turned and flipped the bar latch as if someone was going to burst in any moment.” (Excerpt from HR, RR) When he's pissed off, scared and eager all in the same moment is peak.
5. “1410,” Shane said, far too quickly.” (Excerpt from HR, RR) I love how his actions constantly betray his thoughts when it comes to his true desires.
6. "Oh, I'm not sure you're supposed to smoke here." Great character intro scene! It's so brief but it says so much about both of them already.

Bonus: All of these Shane moments are brought to you by the books as written by RR.

So what makes Shane quintessentially Shane to you? What makes you care about him as a character? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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GIF Credits: tumblr (pinenora317, demisexualdiaz, formulaonedirection)

Source: rachelreidwrites on Instagram

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I'm so glad they were able to squash their beef. (I love her humor so much! This is the best way to address the Shane drama imo.)

Source: Swoon (Warning: There are spoilers for TLG in the full article!)

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I feel like Shane in S2 might get a similar reaction that Ilya got from S1: misunderstood to be toxic. When really, everyone is just trying their best and miscommunication and conflict are just part of relationships.

What are your thoughts on this?

I can see arguments on either side for this. So I want to know: Do you think Tuna Melt day was a date? Was it their first date? Why or why not?

If you think it was, do you think they knew this?

If not, when do you think their first date was?

(Edit: The pure giddiness on Ilya's face here is too precious!)

That's it. That's the post.

(GIFs from jacksally and connorstorriegifs on tumblr)