that is correct. There's a guy named Luke Prokop (no relation! lol) who is in like, the hockey minor leagues.

Our experience is not the same one as the characters, which is also what Rose points out: you can't possibly be the only ones, it just feels that way. You're all suffering.

BUT as VIEWERS, we know they aren't alone (also evidence of why being in the closet is so fucking terrible) Viewers aren't shocked, we have been shown it for what it is: Scott and Kip are real men with a real story, both sad and triumphant, not just a plot device to bring Shane & Ilya together.

I think the reveal at the end of #5 is a really good example of what I'd call narration if I was talking about a book. Obviously, Shane and Ilya have to be SHOCKED down to their core. A big part of their journey is they feel so alone, that there's no possible way to be out of the closet, etc.

I keep thinking I should write premptively write a "just because it ends happily doesn't mean it's bad, wrong, or unserious" thing, but honestly. it won't change anyone's mind.

I have simply never seen a romance adaptation that understands the genre this well.

"they're so cute and dumb" is truly a god tier romance plot.

I've been enjoying everything about the storytelling so much.

SO, SO GOOD.

i cried, too.

you could also resist the urge to make jokes about the redaction. You could do that if you wanted. Making a mockery of it doesn't actually help anyone.

YOU COULD DO THAT. You could respect the fact that these are real girls who were brutally victimized, and now YOU are the one putting their faces out there.

KRISTINA. you must watch!!!! it's a few weeks old, a perfect adaptation of Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.

the thing about the book Heated Rivalry is that it starts off as erotica, then erotic romance, then pure romance. And that's where we are now. FEELINGS TIME, hope you're fucking ready.

I honestly feel
Bad for people
That don’t read romance. They have no idea that they could feel this way ALL THE TIME.

bsky.app/profile/book...

Women are not a genuine romantic possibility because SHANE AND ILYA ARE IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER. Literally no one regardless of gender are genuine romantic possibilities. This is a common conceit in capital-R Romance, my guy. 11/