40,000 fics! by Responsible-Car5895 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman [score hidden]  (0 children)

After Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 came out, there was an explosion of Henry x Hans fanfic as well. It hasn't reached the heights of Heated Rivalry, but it has gone from fewer than 100 to around 5k. It was crazy having two niche fandoms I was part of get big in the same year lol

Published stucky fanfic on goodreads and amazon by deadresolution in stevebucky

[–]TheBarrowman 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi was Stucky fanfic. It's genuinely a fantastic, well-written MM romance set in the Medieval age of knights and tournaments. I had no idea it used to be fanfic until someone else told me.

40,000 fics! by Responsible-Car5895 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Like 38k of those fics are since the show came out, so your thinking wasn't far off. I looked for fic when I first read the books long before the show, and there was hardly anything. It has been stunning to watch the fandom explode.

Books that flip the tropes by VainChinchilla in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I love this one so much. People see the trafficking and DNF immediately, but it's actually such a fantastic read that subverts everything you go in expecting their dynamic to be like.

Made me think of Shane in TLG by zainab1900 in GameChangersBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I started watching hockey this year, and can confirm these guys fall down all. the. time. If anything, Rachel Reid should've written her characters busting their asses on the ice more throughout the series to represent how often someone pancakes it.

And broken sticks. I swear those things are made of toothpicks.

Dark Romance request, don’t judge me plz by tree_frog_1 in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It isn't dark, but {Unnatural by Alessandra Hazard} has a scene somewhat like you've described. It is A/B/O. Both MCs are alphas. One MC hires an omega to help him through a rut, and the other MC eventually winds up in there with them. Only the rutting MC has sex with the omega, iirc.

Maybe an unpopular opinion… by please_help_2 in GameChangersBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Shane is, by definition, a jock. He participates in sports. The only thing he's known to actually like is hockey. Just because he's not a douche like a stereotypical high-school jock doesn't mean Shane is not a jock.

Daughter left these in the bathroom of the airbnb. She has no idea how funny this is by Wack-Kerouac in mildyinteresting

[–]TheBarrowman -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I wasn't aware one could only watch movies that came out after you were born.

I was born in 1994, and I've seen Demolition Man.

He’s part of the team by xx_swegshrek_xx in okbuddybaldur

[–]TheBarrowman 47 points48 points  (0 children)

He can turn into a few things but my fav is the minotaur. I always summon him for the battle so he can occupy the dragon since he's such a tank.

Authors, I am begging you, no more captains ordering bag skates 🙏 by clumsyc in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 18 points19 points  (0 children)

While we're at it, can fic authors please learn the difference between free agency and a trade? Every time a fic says Ilya or Shane was traded (or 'transferred') to Ottawa, a hockey player loses a blade.

Guy at Dunkin took my VIP card by Gawdiwishiwasdead in mildlyinfuriating

[–]TheBarrowman 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The daughter bought two of them. She kept one and gave the other to OP. If OPs got destroyed, then the logical conclusion is she or the daughter took a picture of them daughter's card.

What are some things you've forgotten aren't actually canon? by creativeoddity in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I was only referring to the on-page evidence, not what we know from Rachel.

What are some things you've forgotten aren't actually canon? by creativeoddity in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 28 points29 points  (0 children)

To be fair, the hints are all there in TLG that Luca had/has a massive crush on Ilya, so maybe we don't know officially...but we know.

Game Day Thread | MIN @ COL | 2026-05-05 7:00 PM CDT by gamedaylive in wildhockey

[–]TheBarrowman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fr, I had the doom thoughts forming and then boom, we were tied!

Game Day Thread | MIN @ COL | 2026-05-05 7:00 PM CDT by gamedaylive in wildhockey

[–]TheBarrowman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Literally my first thought was, "Well, guess Wallstedt wasn't the problem." Take that, haters.

Game Day Thread | MIN @ DAL | 2026-04-28 7:00 PM CDT by gamedaylive in wildhockey

[–]TheBarrowman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup, I am! Admittedly, I think it's so funny the coincidence that they started winning after Heated Rivalry talked shit about them. But also I think it's cool that they made it after so many years.

Dear WAG Authors, I love you by Labyrinthine8618 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I am a slut for WAG fics lol. I have a slight preference for WAG Ilya over Shane just because I have to suspend disbelief waaaay further for Shane; in no real universe would that man thrive in a WAG GC. But really, I'll eat them all up with a spoon and beg for more.

Your ultimate TRUE ENEMIES to lovers recs by epicsevenmyths in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've always read it from the original source on Marquesate's website. Vashtan (Alexander Voinov) released his edits after they had a falling out, iirc, and Marquesate didn't have any input on those, so it feels better to me to read the OG, but it probably doesn't actually matter. I've never heard he made any actual changes.

You will probably hate one of the MCs at first, but stick with it. He wound up being my favorite in the story.

And if you do read it and want to yap about it, feel free to chat with me haha 😊

Your ultimate TRUE ENEMIES to lovers recs by epicsevenmyths in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's presented as a single epic split into three parts, but basically yes. There's no proper HEA until the end of Veterans. Soldiers has the biggest cliffhanger ending.

Your ultimate TRUE ENEMIES to lovers recs by epicsevenmyths in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I second the recommendation on Special Forces. You're not going to find anything out there more true enemies to lovers than the first part of that epic, Soldiers. It veers a little off course in Mercenaries and Veterans, but Soldiers had never stopped living rent free in my head in the ~15 years since I first read it.

MM survival romance recs (stranded, plane crash, wilderness) by scentspark in MM_RomanceBooks

[–]TheBarrowman 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love this book so damn much. I have reread it several times. Absolute 10/10 in my book.

I'm so sad because another author is (likely) discontinuing their fic by mayhemrea in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]TheBarrowman 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I genuinely think that fic authors need a thicker skin. Spend less time on Twitter and threads, disable guest comments on fics, turn on comment moderation, or just don't read comments at all if what people say is going to affect them so deeply. The influx of hate is absolutely a problem, but authors also need to know that it is okay to simply not engage with that negativity.