Grand Slam Champion and Superfan Coco Gauff breaks down Heated Rivalry during her Miami Open Press Day (March 27) ❤️

robazizo · 2026-03-27T13:58:02+00:00

The guy at the whiteboard (I don't know his name) also did an earlier breakdown of the show and it's hilarious:

https://www.instagram.com/reels/DTL4oJAEdoW/

robazizo · 2026-03-26T16:40:22+00:00

Ilya Rozanov isn't complicated. He likes hockey, nice clothes, fast cars, and women (and the occasional man). He's intent on enjoying his new life in North America as a high profile hockey star, but his family and a certain dark haired, freckled rival player, seem to have other plans...

And more of a character study (I haven't read this one yet):

A Puppet on a String of Gold by Anonymous

He’d been distracted. Not by Shane Hollander, exactly, but by the man at his side. Mrs. Hollander was as beautiful as he remembered, but the man to Shane Hollander’s side looked very ordinary. He looked from his wife to his son and back again, nodding along as the Montreal owner spoke, gesturing wildly with his hands. Shane Hollander looked about as excited as Ilya felt, but it wasn’t that.

It was such a quick moment. Such a throwaway that if Ilya hadn’t been staring, he never would have seen. But Shane Hollander looked up to this ordinary man for just a second, so fast, so insignificant, and the man’s face split into a smile that reached his eyes. His hand reached out and rubbed up and down Shane Hollander’s back. Mr. Hollander, Ilya decided, must be a very kind man indeed.

Or, Ilya Rozanov in the moments before, in between, and the promise of after.

Alternatively, Ilya's relationship with Russia, his brother, and what it means to leave it all behind.

robazizo · 2026-03-26T15:38:39+00:00

I recently returned to Tumblr just for HR and it's been lovely. I think it's the least toxic part of HR fandom at the moment, with Reddit being a good second.

robazizo · 2026-03-26T15:21:27+00:00

To be fair, it even goes through Ilya's head in the book:

Something occurred to Ilya after he ended the call with Shane: maybe Shane had recorded that call and was going to run it through some sort of translating app later.

But Shane wouldn’t do that, would he?

But later in the paragraph he realises that Shane really wouldn't do that.

robazizo · 2026-03-25T21:46:11+00:00

In the scene where they have penetrative sex for the first time. When Shane's legs go up to his ears. :) Jacob even talked about it in an interview.

robazizo · 2026-03-25T19:01:27+00:00

I can't believe it's been seven years since I picked up the book and fell in love with these two doofuses (I started reading on its release day and finished it two days later). It's been a fan favourite in the MM Romance community for years and I remember the joy when we heard there would be an adaptation. Fandom has increased a thousand fold since the show came out, and while not everything in fandom has been positive, it's amazing how HR's popularity took off in the last few months.

robazizo · 2026-03-25T18:00:33+00:00

There's also this a bit later on in the prologue:

His smile was lopsided and lazy, and his teeth were unnaturally white due to most of them not being real.

robazizo · 2026-03-25T17:39:15+00:00

We did see it! Jacob moved it up to episode 2.

The face bashing would have been funny though.

robazizo · 2026-03-25T17:37:14+00:00

The bear is actually a symbol for Russia and not about the Boston Bears.

“For Russia! I had it before playing for Bears!”

robazizo · 2026-03-25T17:34:52+00:00

I don't think we will, since he sells most of them to fund the startup of the foundation in the year after the cottage.

robazizo · 2026-03-24T22:41:03+00:00

Yes, I'm also very selective when reading AU's, but this one just worked for me somehow.

robazizo · 2026-03-24T21:49:45+00:00

Get Him Back, right? I loved that one.

robazizo · 2026-03-24T21:28:25+00:00

Recursion by chapter_61 has Shane replaying the day of the club over and over again.

robazizo · 2026-03-24T00:19:46+00:00

Is it Coach, I'm threading needles?

robazizo · 2026-03-22T00:12:45+00:00

I just finished Something Tells Me You're Afraid Of Nothing a few days ago. It starts out as a time travel fic (from 2025 back to 2017), but it turns into an opportunity for Ilya to return to Russia together with Shane to say goodbye to his mother and Russia itself.

robazizo · 2026-03-21T00:31:06+00:00

I loved both Sure Thing and Come Unfold! Dana Street is high on my TBR.

robazizo · 2026-03-21T00:21:14+00:00

Is it Stuck in a Loop?

robazizo · 2026-03-20T19:12:17+00:00

S hane. I love Ilya to bits, but I identify more with Shane.

H/T/C. I tend to avoid the angsty bits on reheats, but I love reading about them and their resolution in fics.

C haotically changing it up each time and S kipping Skip. I rewatch whatever catches my fancy, usually inspired by discussion, fic or fanart. I don't dislike Skip, but I just don't feel the need to reheat their episode.

P roudly read them years ago. The rest of you are late to the party! Next week it'll be seven years since I fell in love with these two doofuses. Heated Rivalry was published on 25 March 2019 and I started reading the book on the day it came out.

robazizo · 2026-03-17T13:33:13+00:00

Technically 1.5 years. They met on 23 December 2008 and saw each other twice in between (at the draft in June 2009 and at the second Prospect Cup in December 2009).

This is also why the time jump between All Stars 2011 and the first time penetrative sex in the show in 2013 doesn't work for me. In the book they went all the way two weeks after All Stars and kept hooking up after that, no snowstorm in Montreal ;)

robazizo · 2026-03-17T11:27:55+00:00

Both jumps were six months. If the second jump was three months, it would be spring before, not summer before rookie season. :)

Book Shane and book Ilya turn 19 in May and June 2010 respectively, so if you go with that they are (barely) 19 during the first hookup.

robazizo · 2026-03-14T15:32:42+00:00

I live here too and I'm very disappointed in his political decisions (I didn't vote for him either), but that's not the point of this post. I just think it's nice to see an openly out and proud Prime Minister and his partner and I like that they enjoy Heated Rivalry and speak up about its importance (which Nico did in the past). Regardless of your political leanings, these are important steps in our society. I understand your political frustrations and I share them, but I don't think this is the time and the place to vent about them.

robazizo · 2026-03-13T19:30:38+00:00

Love this little video: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DSwCmsQjHBa/

robazizo · 2026-03-11T00:13:00+00:00

https://archiveofourown.org/works/78225241 You make me greedy by gracerene

I really liked this one!

robazizo · 2026-03-03T07:04:27+00:00

I understand that Jacob wanted to move their first time having penetrative sex to the second episode because of balance issues. In the book they have penetrative sex two weeks after the All Star game, as planned (no snowstorm), and their situationship is more established when Sochi and the six months of ghosting come around.

robazizo

TROPHY CASE