I've gone through many celebrity crush phases in my life, and Christian Bale was high on my list in high school through college. Because of this I went to see movies I wouldn't normally go see because he was in them. One of those movies was The Prestige. It's a movie starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians who spend years trying to outdo the other with the perfect magic trick. There's lots of plot twists, which is why the common refrain throughout the movie is "Are You Watching Closely?" Everything is revealed in the end if you were paying attention. That's how I feel about Hudcon and the constant need people feel for distracting from their relationship. However, if you're looking closely there are too many overlapping patterns that are hard to ignore.
I had never really intended to write posts on my blog when I started it, but when all of that C/F mess started back in January, I had to get all my thoughts together and one of my first posts was this one.
https://www.tumblr.com/afro-star/806859285973860352/i-tend-to-spiral-before-i-come-to-my-final?source=share
Writing that post helped me put things in perspective and I've been off and running ever since. I didn't think it was possible for people to turn H/K into C/F 2.0, but they have, and I'm starting to see the parallels and patterns from earlier this year and it's utterly bizarre.
The Patterns: After a while those of us who never bought into the gossip about C/F started to notice a pattern emerge with this narrative.
After a Hudcon moment, either at an event or both of them receiving praise or accolades, a BS story would run about C/F. Then, usually Hudson would post something, or we'd get Hudcon content from some other source, and everything would reset again. Rinse and repeat.
The "moments" when Connor and F were at the same events were blown out of proportion and made to seem more than what they were. Work events that they were both at with other people turned into endless "hard launches" when there were logical explanations as to why they'd be at the same place and it was never because they were there as a couple.
Everything about these "moments" were presented in a way to get an immediate reaction from you, so that you wouldn't take a closer look. For example, people acting like F and Connor being at Paris Fashion Week and staying at the same hotel meant they were there "together", even a few crappy media outlets framed it this way. The reality is they were both there with Robbie and they were all there for YSL. All you had to do was look closer but during this time period everyone just took everything at face value with no nuance.
Now that we've had a refresher on that C/F cycle from hell, let's move onto the new one we've seemed to enter with H/K.
It seemed like the stans invested in C/F and F himself needed to rely on that rinse and repeat cycle, because there truly was never anything but speculation, rumor, and innuendo to go on. Everything was an exaggeration of the truth and relied on your gut reaction to those "moments". I think people got lulled into a false sense of security where H/K are concerned because it's a "real relationship" but honestly, it's like they're using the C/F playbook and it's even worse in my opinion because it's supposed to be a real relationship not a made up rumor.
Hudson and K moments tend to happen either before or after an event when speculation around the nature of Hudcon's relationship gets loud, usually based on Hudcon's behavior themselves. After Hudcon SNL, K is with Hudson at the VF After Party. Now after the Met Gala, we're suddenly getting H/K content from Vancouver before the CSAs. A different kind of rinse and repeat, and one that's harder to pull off because Hudson and Connor's behavior at SNL/VF Silver Carpet/Met Gala is hard to overshadow with half assed attempts to push H/K.
The "moments" with Hudson and K are worse, because with C/F people were working off of nothing to try and make it appear they were together. With Hudson and K, they are supposed to be in a "long term" relationship and yet every moment we've been privy to between them whether public on a Silver Carpet in Hollywood or private on a couch in Vancouver, gives the same tepid energy. The energy never gives attentive/romantic so drawing attention to it seems to be counterproductive to the narrative that's supposed to be presented and pushed.
Again, these "moments" are presented to get a reaction without taking a closer look. An example of this I talked about in February was the V-Day IG story. Initially we're all supposed to look at that post as confirming/hard launching his relationship with K. It's V-Day so it's got to be special right? Except when you look closer you realize Hudson added Connor at the top of the collage in the story and circled a heart around his head. Many of the moments with H/K involve Connor because Hudsom makes sure they do, and that deserves a closer look.
Now the parallels of H/K content with C/F content aren't a perfect 1:1 comparison, nor are they under the same circumstances. One "relationship" was purely rumor and speculation. The other is allegedly the longest "long term" relationship ever. However, the thing they have in common is that they both illicit the same negative emotions of dread and dooming in this Fandom. Both narratives are designed to suck the joy out of Hudcon (if you let it, don't let it) and distract you from that relationship. Now what's odd about that is that if Hudson and Connor are just two costars who happen to be best friends as well, why would their friendship be a threat to any other alleged relationships? We know why but let me get on to yesterday's shenanigans.
So, when I took that mini break a few weeks ago, that basically amounted to a 24-hour break, I missed Kalem posting that couch picture of Hudson and K. Then people realized that this picture was on the same day as the group "ice cream date" that Hudson and K were on with their friends, that was posted by Hudson's friend Samantha. Then yesterday Samantha posts a "vlog" in which it's shown that Hudson's friends apparently surprised him at home before going for this ice cream field trip. Then DM decides to post a video of Hudson and K walking together in another on this same day. We know it was all on the same day because Hudson's outfit is the same throughout. That's a long ass day 🤣.
There are several things that stand out about that Day's Events and the way they've been shared.
Vancouver Friend Group: This group of friends moves weird. I'm sorry I'm not going to sugar coat it. When Hudson and Connor were hanging out with his Actor friends on NYE, they posted videos and pictures they took during the evening at the Go Kart event, then at the big dinner and that was it. No dragging out the time they spent with them weeks after the fact. The way this one day was dragged out and posted is weird. Because this surprise/ice cream party was two weeks ago and that "vlog" was posted yesterday and the video of Hudson and K walking was yesterday. It would seem logical to post anything related to that day the same time the Ice Cream picture and couch picture were posted. I'm not going to say any more about this group, but this particular day made them all look a little sus.
Surprise: This one is interesting because if Hudson was coming back to Vancouver, I would assume that he would inform his "gf" and other friends when he'd be back in town. When you're back in town, you let people know and you link up if you have the time. These are all people he knows including his "gf", so what was the surprise? Why was it needed? Was there someone there he didn't think could make it? It just seems odd, also how long has it been since he's seen these people again that includes his gf that would necessitate a surprise get together.
The Walk: This month started out with accounts that Hudson and Connor were with each other all night at the Met Gala and when they weren't, they were looking for each other. We have pictures of Hudson looking at Connor like he hung the moon and resting his head on Connor's shoulder like he was recharging. We have accounts of their After Party shenanigans that went on into the early morning. Accounts of holding hands, sitting in laps, and bathroom breaks together. We have pictures of Met Gala selfies alone in a bathroom, and a picture Hudson posted of Connor bending over with his mouth open under a faucet in a pose deemed suggestive enough by Tumblr to smack it with a Mature label. And of course, that "walk of pride" Hudson took back to his hotel sans most of his outfit from the evening before. After all of that we're supposed to be moved by a quick video of Hudson and K from behind where we can't see their expressions looking like the Golden Girls on a stroll? I really don't understand the logic. However, what this video reminds me of is another one that raggedy DM posted.
I had seen the video of Connor, F, and Tayler on Twitter before DM posted it. It was clearly taken without their knowledge, and it was no big deal, just all of them walking. F puts his hand on Connor's back briefly, as if to steady Connor when he was walking on some uneven ground and that was it. However, that video, and F's response 🙄was enough to send this Fandom into a C/F hell cycle we're still trying to shed ever since. This video DM posted of Hudson and K gives similar vibes. It's taken from behind, presumably without their knowledge, and it just looks like two friends walking. However, DM would have you believe that this video is confirmation of the greatest love story ever told to combat "rumors" that no one was spreading. It's also strange she claims she's had this video for a while and then posted it after Samantha posted her vlog. Why hold on to that video and who did she get it from since she claims fans sent it in? Just messy behavior from an obnoxious person who knows nothing. We've seen every picture or Hudson sighting have the "Was K with Him?" question attached to it over the past few weeks. So, it's odd that when there was actually a video of him with K, we're just seeing it now. So much drama for a video that amounts to nothing but a walk lacking any romantic chemistry.
We Outside: After the longest day ever, we got pictures and video various fans posted this week of Hudson, still in Vancouver. Again, it all appears to be on the same day since he's wearing the same outfit in all the pictures and video. What's interesting is Hudson got the label of "Community Boyfriend" again for these pictures. This is due to the fact that Hudson tends to lean in with his arm around people's waist, and make it seem like he knows these people he's just met. Nothing seems awkward even though these are strangers. Now for all the people who claim that some couples are just private, and don't do PDA, and Hudson and K aren't like that. Then why is it that Hudson can look like everyone else's boyfriend in a picture (including Connor's) but with his actual "gf" it looks stiff/staged. Y'all can make up all the reasons you want about their behavior, but knowing how touchy-feely Hudson is, (wrapping his leg around the Prime Minister after meeting him for the first time), he's stiffness with his "long term" gf stands out.
Look Closely: I brought up the C/F pattern to remind us we've played these games before of being told what to think, rather than taking a closer look at what's being presented. You don't have to agree with me and my mutuals about the nature of Hudcon's relationship, however there is a weird theme that has persisted of needing to amplify Hudson and Connor being attached to other people to distract or diminish their bond with each other.
Class Project: I said months ago that presenting K publicly at VF was like a class project that should've been done weeks ago but was completed at 3 in the morning the day the project was due. The execution fell flat, mostly due to Hudson's unwillingness to play ball and amplify his "long term" relationship over his "private friendship". I don't know if I still agree that K is a buffer and a friend helping Hudcon so that people don't stick their nose to deep into Hudcon's relationship. This is because H/K is being pushed too hard to downplay Hudcon not protect it. I guess we'll see.
Final Thoughts: People enjoy unnecessary drama, especially on Twitter. CSA is giving out some Awards tonight before the ceremony tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing the Ladies of Heated Rivalry, like Sophie and Ksenia who are also nominated. Heated Rivalry could win all of the awards it's nominated for and even if it doesn't, the visibility of this Queer story is important. People should focus on that because Heated Rivalry, its success and its accolades have nothing to do with a tattoo artist in Vancouver. If a small group continues to make it about her, we'll continue to comment, so if you don't want to get your panties in a bunch because you don't like what some of us say, leave her unperceived. Lastly, correct me if I'm wrong Season 2 is still going to start production this summer, right? Nothing is stopping Hudcon's friendship and relationship nor their work on Heated Rivalry. So, pop some champagne and get excited.