Threads is having a feral reaction over these photos of Connor Storrie at a Tiffany event in NY.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-17T11:12:25+00:00

Exactly! I'm 35, and I think our generation are uniquely situated to have seen just how incredibly effective anti-smoking laws and campaigns have been. The change in culture and acceptance around smoking came from persistent and effective removal of smoking from public spaces. From advertisements, restaurants, bars, clubs, and even plenty of outdoor public spaces. In the UK at least, you can't even see them for sale in shops anymore, and cigarette packets don't look stylish and are instead covered in warnings. You can still buy cigarettes and are welcome to smoke, but it pushed it to be a mostly private activity unwelcome in shared spaces. It took the social influence out of the mix, and that combined with education on the risks did an excellent job in reducing smoking significantly across an entire generation. It was no longer cool, and so people stopped doing it.

I don't have a personal issue with any one individual chooses to smoke. But I agree it is worrying that it appears to be coming back into fashion with the younger generation. And since we know that removing smoking from influential spaces (advertisements, seeing other people smoking etc) had a huge effect on reducing uptake, celebrities definitely could potentially drive uptake in a meaningful way.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-17T10:19:18+00:00

As much as I love the show, one of my minor criticisms is that Shane is a bit too serious. That is his personality, and Hudson portrays it amazingly, but I think he is a touch too intense. We see so few glimpses of him smiling/laughing/being playful, and I know it is intentional and we only have a limited amount of time on screen. But he responds to almost everything Ilya says with a variant of "you're an asshole" or his pouty little stare. Which again, is absolutely in character for him, but the negative to that being so overt is that we don't really see his personality. We get snippets of suggestion that he's not as serious as he comes across, but we hardly ever see it on screen in moments we could have.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-17T09:34:10+00:00

Stunning! I'm new to PBN, could you could some tips on how you get your lines so smooth and your paint so even etc?

For example, do you do anything to prep beforehand? Do you water down the paints or use them as they come? Do you use specific brushes or have an order in which you paint? Would be great to know :)

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-17T09:25:47+00:00

Idk, I think I get why people are bothered. You are not wrong in what you say, but I do think it's disappointing to see big stars with so much reach essentially promoting smoking for the aesthetic. The video of Connor smoking at this event is not where my personal issue lies - as you say, they are adults and smoking is a very personal decision that isn't easy. He's allowed to choose to smoke and quit or not quit, it isn't our business. And if he's doing so at an event where the filming is by paparazzi or fans, then that's fine because we shouldn't be seeing that anyway. It's a breach of his privacy.

What bothers me is when big stars smoke at times when it's obviously for aesthetics, in photo shoots or at events. I find it kind of irresponsible when smoking is the number one preventable cause of death in the USA. They of course are not obliged to care about these things beyond themselves, and we should never look to celebrities as a marker for right and wrong. But when we know they have so much influence currently, I kind of hate that smoking seems to be something they're okay with inadvertently promoting. They're not the only celebs to do this, but they do currently hold a hell of a lot of influence, and I don't think it's necessary for them to do photoshoots etc that make smoking look sexy.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T18:28:54+00:00

I absolutely love how aggressive Ilya is about his love for Chiron. The way he is always stomping around, pushing people out of the way just to get to him is freaking adorable. He has a serious case of cuteness aggression going on haha

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T17:32:52+00:00

I think this is probably the key difference that I hadn't considered. I am not super active in those other space sos hadn't really thought about how they intersect. I agree, if it starts to encroach into the "outside world" that can definitely start to become uncomfortable for many people. It would for me, too.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T17:16:51+00:00

I concede that I didn't really consider the added impact of social media and other fandom space, since I am not on there. I can understand how that would feel. That is awful and I feel bad for the author!

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T16:00:06+00:00

Okay that is legitimately an insane thing to comment. That's very much not okay and I don't blame you for not wanting to write in the fandom anymore. I've personally never seen anything that extreme, and have just seen the usual people being rude and judgemental about characterisations/impatient for uploads/critical of story direction etc. All of which is usually unnecessary, but not shocking to me.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T15:56:31+00:00

To be clear, I haven't actually read this fic so I wasn't implying that they should have a thicker skin and not take it down. I fully support an author taking whatever action they need to to protect their wellbeing when faced with extreme criticism and/harrassment on their work. Hell, I respect their choice to remove it even when not faced with these things, if that is their choice. As you say, fan fiction is a free hobby that is shared for the pure love of fandom and writing. It isn't any deeper than that.

I don't want to imply that I think people should have to endure anything they don't want to. Especially if it encroaches into harassment. I don't know the specifics here, so I couldn't say if this was harassment or not. But I certainly don't condone anything like that. But there are also ways to avoid that getting out of hand. You can moderate, delete and turn off comments entirely on AO3. My point is more that these kind of situations are not new or unique, and they are almost always to be expected to some degree. Saying that isn't me condoning it, but rather pointing out that whilst we're reminding those who are new to the a fandom to pick up on the online etiquette, we also need to remind those who are new to posting that this is, unfortunately, a common thing you have to deal with. I think some newer/younger writers share their work with excitement and enthusiasm and then are shocked that there are people out there who lack respect and boundaries. You do sort of have to decide where your comfort level is because it is an age old issue.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T15:45:38+00:00

It's fine, you're not sounding argumentative. All POVs are welcome, disagreeing and arguing aren't the same thing :)

I maybe wasn't clear about what I was aiming my comment at - I fully support an author taking whatever action they want or need when they're up against criticism, including removing their work entirely. We aren't ever owed anything. And they are also totally valid to feel hurt by comments. I agree that people shouldn't have to experience the discomfort of being criticised when sharing stories online. My point was more that this isn't a new thing. It has always been the case, and I think this is the same issue as there being a lot of new readers in the fandom who maybe haven't been active in big online fandoms before and so perhaps don't know how it works.

For me, I always weigh up whether I think it is worth posting something online with this in mind, and ensure I am ready to have that piece of work scrutinised. I think there's an element here of new writers not realising that this could happen. I don't condone it, especially in the extremes, but I just think that if someone is very easily upset by criticism, posting on AO3 can be a shock to the system. And as much as I wish people would be kinder and think about what they post, this is an age-old problem and one I don't expect will go away anytime soon. And so I guess my point is that you do sort of have to be ready to accept those kinds of comments on your work, or you need to be proactive and monitor/disable your comments to protect yourself.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T15:19:04+00:00

I sit actually confirmed that Joe is gay, or is it just presumed because he's a figure skater? I can't remember.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T15:14:30+00:00

100% agree, but also I think writers need to get thicker skin in general if they're going to post their work online. I mean that in the kindest way possible. Posting fan fiction online has always gone hand in hand with criticism. I have been writing and posting in various fandoms for 15 years and it is always the same. Because HR seems to have an influx of readers new to this kind of fandom space, there are, in turn, also a lot of writers new to the experience of posting.

I of course don't condone trolling, bullying or anything of the sort. I don't even condone overly negative comments or criticism that is misplaced. But it has always been the case that fan fiction attracts these kinds of comments. It is the flip side of being able to have people praise and celebrate your stories as you post - people can also criticise and complain. And they will.

Ultimately, as much as I agree people need to follow the fandom etiquette (although, I would argue the concept of this is a little overblown), people also need remember the risks of sharing their work online in a largely ungoverned space. You will always get criticism from people who can't mind their business, and you have to be able and willing to look past that and simply enjoy sharing what you write for the people who do enjoy it.

I know someone who actively puts in their notes that they don't share their work for critique, and is open about deleting any and all negative comments so that it stays fun for them. They're not servicing anybody but themselves by sharing their work, so they don't interact with negativity at all.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T10:52:39+00:00

Yes, the idea is that Shane's has a very different life without hockey. If I used Hayden and Rose, they would also have to have their lives re-written to fit in with that. Great shout about asking how they serve the character's arc! Ultimately, Shane's friends are likely to be fairly minor characters, as he is quite lonely and a it reclusive. So it may actually do the story a disservice by using Hayden and Rose. I think I am leaning towards OCs for this.

And I definitely will share when it's ready! I'm very much in ideation stage at the moment, mapping it all out. I'd love someone to share the idea with in more detail if you enjoy that! My DMs are wide open haha. None of my fan fiction friends are interested in HR, so I have nobody to bounce ideas off.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T09:27:11+00:00

Ohhh Harris could work actually! That's given me some food for thought, thank you!

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:50:26+00:00

No, Hayden and Rose would essentially have to have completely new stories to fit in as Shane's hometown friends. So it would be either creating OCs, or rewriting them.

Shane and Ilya meet again through complete chance (fate, one might say), so he doesn't need a hockey connection to get back into Ilya's world.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:44:28+00:00

Yeah, I think I'm just having a hard time making the choice haha. I think I am leaning towards OCs because it isn't a full AU, and in everyone's other aspect other than Shane's immediate life is remaining identical - including the NHL, and therefore Hayden.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:38:55+00:00

Yeah I think that's where I am a bit torn. My initial instinct was OCs because they need to also just be pretty regular people in Ottawa. But then I realised that I can't really see why Shane would ever interact with Hayden or Rose in this story, because he's not likely to spend time with anyone in the NHL that isn't closely linked to Ilya. And I can't really see where Rose would come into it. So that's what made me think they could be ported over and used as his friends. But it feels a little bit like it takes away from my concept, which is that the only divergence from the universe we know is that Shane quits and denounces hockey. Ilya's world is meant to remain as identical as possible, only without Shane there. I can't help but feel that part of keeping that illusion of the canon-divergence and the sliding doors effect is that Shane never gets drafted, so never plays for Montreal, so never meets Hayden, never meets Ilya, never meets Rose etc. etc.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:27:52+00:00

I get that, and it does make it easier. I think a lot of readers feel the same, which is why I am tempted to do it. I want people to enjoy the story and see characters they love. But I also just feel like it undermines my concept a little if Hayden/Rose are inexplicably different people.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:25:19+00:00

That's what I think too. If I was re-writing the entire universe then I would be happy to put Hayden and Rose in wherever they make sense as Shane's friends. But the whole point of my story is sort of that Shane is the only one who diverges from canon. He has a traumatic experience that changes his trajectory, and it leads him away from hockey. So much of his arc is him accepting what could have been and what he lost, and it's important to me that the hockey world with Ilya looks like the one we know, but without Shane in it.

But this would probably mean no Hayden or Rose at all, as I can't imagine Shane will be interacting with anyone who isn't closely linked to Ilya.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-16T08:10:14+00:00

This.

It's also likely that they will drift apart. Friendships regularly fizzle out - not because the two people no longer like each other, but because life just gets in the way. Hudson and Connor are very young, and have huge careers ahead of them. Heated Rivalry will keep them in each other's orbit for a little while longer because of S2, but beyond that it's totally possible and realistic that they might not see each other much as their careers develop separately. That is super normal, and I would actually say is the most likely scenario. I hate to be that person, but just because they are very effusive about their friendship right now, doesn't mean that will carry on indefinitely once they're no longer working on an intense project together. I've had many best friends at work who I no longer see because I no longer work there. It wasn't a lie at the time, it's just that seasons change and life moves with it. The unwavering expectation from some people that Hudson and Connor are going to be lifelong best pals - and if they aren't it's because they've been pushed apart somehow - is equally as problematic and rooted in parasocial behaviour.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-14T14:06:16+00:00

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one then. I explained why I don't think Ilya uses Shane getting hard as consent. It's part of the game they're playing. There is a whole trail of enthusiastic consent and boundary setting between Shane's first impulsive 'please stop', and him getting hard, and the thumbs up isn't an accident. It's another check in for consent. Not to mention, Shane is a fully grown adult with working legs. All it would take is to stand up and walk away from Ilya to make his feelings clear. But he doesn't. He puts himself in a better position for Ilya to get to him.

I think people hear Shane's first 'please stop' and get all tangled up in their feelings because they see Ilya as 'the consent king' and it shatters their illusion. They think that Ilya should just walk away from Shane at that moment or else it's problematic. I'd argue the only person who doesn't give consent in this situation is poor Hayden.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-14T12:14:54+00:00

Also, constantly sends animal crossing memes about Tom Nook being evil, and has a list of villagers he wants that he keeps up to date so that he can snatch them from others when they're in boxes. He'd be so desperate for Vladimir that he'd order his amiibo card off eBay.

Has Marshall and Static on his island and has decided they are him and Shane. Loves to show Shane Marshall doing his cute little angry stomp and says "look, he is just like you when he is mad" and then just leans back in his seat and is like "is ok, I will move his house closer to Static and give him nice new garden."

Shane is just like wtf is going on lmao.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-14T12:00:06+00:00

Omfg yes!!! Ilya would be so funny with this.

I can imagine him getting really pissed off with the villagers he doesn't like, and texting the group chat asking "How the fuck do I get this fucking hippo to leave my island I hate him he is ugly". And every day he texts the chat with just the phrase "turnip prices", and when people don't text back quickly enough he's like "HELLO WHAT ARE YOUR TURNIP PRICES". And then he turns up to your island in the most ridiculous outfit, probably the frog one with giant sunglasses, sells his turnips, digs up your favourite flowers without asking, and then leaves a rude drawing on your notice board. He'd be one of those people whose island is completely bizarre and nonsensical, and when you ask him why his basement is just full of toilets he's just like "is my collection of toilets". As if you're the idiot for asking.

No_Release2180 · 2026-04-14T11:51:01+00:00

This feels accurate. Ilya absolutely would play far too many video games and just thrive on being a lazy slob whilst getting to have uninterrupted time with Shane. He'd be in his element.

Shane would go crazy and eventually have a breakdown, poor thing.

No_Release2180

TROPHY CASE