this is going to be phrased terribly but @buddiesbian got me thinking about the way i've seen non-sports fans analyzing heated rivalry and it's so interesting because they definitely understand that the world of sports is homophobic and obsessed with masculinity, but then they conclude that because of this, no professional athlete would ever willingly "act gay." and this part is simply not true

no i know exactly what you mean. part of the homophobic culture in hockey is that often they do act, ironically, very gay! but it always makes queerness a joke. hockey players are CONSTANTLY making jokes about how gay they are, how “funny” it is that they kiss. but that’s the point—that it’s never serious, and that the queerness is ironic/hilarious. you can “kiss the homies good night” all you want, but there can never be any actual attraction or desire. that’s when the joke stops being funny. it’s homophobia reinforced by conscious portrayal of the homosocial/homoerotic—look at us, isn’t it FUNNY that we’re gay? isn’t being gay funny?

there's also another layer to it, which is that these men are incredibly physically affectionate with each other in a way they so rarely are outside of hockey (/sport, but it's particularly pronounced in hockey). not just in that 'queerness is a joke' kind of way either; they are just very sincerely touchy with each other. so there's the punchline element, but also this unspoken thing around how much they get to touch each other and the ways in which that's acceptable and enforcable within the confines of their masculinity. can only imagine how horrific that is for closeted players to navigate

Being pissed abt a nonissue is so fun.... #myhill

heated rivalry the book is like oh the major obstacle to this romance is that they can't be together in public <3. heated rivalry the show is like oh the major obstacle to this romance is toxic hypermasculinity and male loneliness and the devastating downstream effects of unacknowledged, unresolved trauma and verbal abuse on boys who are expected not to feel

Something something “You know me, I’m lazy” “I don’t know that side of you at all” vs Ilya’s dad telling the Boston coach he is lazy in 1x01 something something finding a person that counters the critic in your head something something

well and what's awesome is while Hen did do most of a medical degree and has been a paramedic for like 15+ years and would and has advised anyone else in the world to seek actual medical attention and diagnosis immediately, it also completely tracks that she would be like #notmethough. I can figure it out myself. I don't need to Unnecessarily Worry My Wife