deeppainpizza | Reading

You have likely heard of the recent Heated Rivalry craze-- a Canadian live-action 6-episode adaptation of the Game Changers gay hockey romance series. As longtime fujos, me and ebaths decided to finally watch it for ourselves, and I'm sure fujo friends are dying for my report, so here it is...

The TLDR is I basically didn't like it / I thought it was bad. SORRY!!! My lengthy review is under a cut so fans of the show can avoid taking psychic damage from all my criticism. HOWEVER, I still think it's great that the exists. Demonstrating an eager audience for gay media is by itself awesome, and hopefully will inspire future investors and creators to help produce more (and better) stuff in the future. And as always, people have different taste, and I'm glad people (especially gay people and fujos) are out there enjoying themselves.

I also want to say that I saw a lot of talk about how much the adaptation improved upon the source material. I have only read a few sections of the books so I can't confirm this, but honestly I feel like I'd have a higher opinion of the books than the show. The kind of entertainment you expect from what was literally originally published as AO3 fanfiction is clearly different from what you expect from six hour-long episodes of TV on HBO Max. Plus, something like cringe dialogue has less impact in a format where you're expected to essentially skim ahead to the smut, versus when it's spoken aloud and acted in real time. Just to give my angle here as I will continuously default to blaming the TV show creators for something that I'm aware was also in the book.

( onto the criticism... oh also there's going to be spoilers )

Current Mood: cynical

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

https://www.tumblr.com/leebrontide/806670334696767488/actually-im-gonna-disagree-a-smidge-with-ops

With magnificent advice if your senator is a Republican:

Actually, I’m gonna disagree a smidge with OPs excellent post here.

I ALSO want those of you in red states screaming at your Senators. And I want you to pretend to be a lifelong republican when you do it. Yell about community and what-about-the-children and “this isn’t what I voted for why are spending billions on this when eggs still cost a million dollars” and yell about shooting a mom on the way from school one week and a nurse who treats veterans the next. About kidnapping a little boy right off the school bus and disappearing him across state lines. About ICE harassing police and law abiding citizens. About how they kidnap 3000 with no warrant and almost all of them are citizens. Call ICE agents every variant of “thug” and “lawless” that you can think of. Tell them you saw the videos and know ICE is lying and think you’re all too stupid to notice. Say you don’t want your government smashing peoples windows and carrying people off and saying they don’t need warrants. About gassing a minivan full of kids and an infant in the hospital.

If they tell you it’s fake you tell them your aunt lives here and is seeing it and has given up the Republican Party forever.

Tell them you didn’t want to believe what those Democrats said about Republicans and feel mad and ashamed and betrayed to see this.

Cause even Republicans here are PISSED OFF.

And every Republican elected in MN knows their party is fuuuuucked as far as MN goes. You can see even many of them posting begging for this to be over.

Your job is to put that fear into YOUR Republicans before this comes to your door.

Remember, you can call after hours to leave a message, and you can email if the phone is too much.

Please encourage others to join you.

aurumcalendula posting in

thisfinecrew

House Concurrent Resolution 70 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 26 were introduced on January 15th by Representative Khanna (D - CA) and Senator Gallego (D - AZ).

I think it might be a good idea to ask congresspeople to support them.

https://congress.gov/bill/119-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/70

https://congress.gov/bill/119-congress/senate-concurrent-resolution/26

( the main text of both under the cut )

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

A post by Naomi Kritzer:

https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/

This also has advice on how to start preparing for if and when this shit comes to your home state.

(If you are in Minnesota: https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/19/how-to-help-twin-cities-residents/ )

watersword posting in

thisfinecrew

Democrats Successfully Strip All Anti-Trans Riders From Final Appropriations Bills.

Now would be a great time to tell your Democratic representatives that you saw the party protecting trans people, and that you approve and want them to keep doing that. If your reps are Republicans, I guess tell them to stop putting discriminatory clauses in the budget?

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

Their calendar is here -- creator sign-ups open on the 26th Jan:

https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53196.html

Their list of non-profits they're supporting is here:

https://fandomtrumpshate.dreamwidth.org/53468.html

(Mods, could we have a "fund-raising" tag please?)

aurumcalendula posting in

thisfinecrew

H.R. 7013 (Greenland Sovereignty Protection Act) was introduced by Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) last week: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7013

It prohibits the use of Federal funding to facilitate the invasion, annexation, purchase, or other form of acquisition of Greenland.

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

(Yes this is the real Robert Reich, yes he has a Tumblr.)

https://www.tumblr.com/robertreich/805924550315524096/congress-is-now-considering-the-appropriations

Congress is now considering the appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, whose funding runs out at the end of January.

Call your members of Congress and tell them to vote NO on any bill that increases ICE's funding.

Please demand that the DHS appropriations bill prohibit ICE and Border Patrol agents from carrying guns and that it unambiguously declare that agents do not have absolute immunity under the law if they harm civilians.

Also tell them that any bill must restrict ICE and Border Patrol’s ability to conduct dragnet arrest operations and target people based on their race, language or accent. And the bill must clarify that ICE agents are liable under civil and criminal law if they harm civilians.

Do this as soon as you can.

To reach your representative or senator, call the U.S. Congressional Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Tell them the state and city where you live. They will connect you to any member’s office.

rydra_wong posting in

thisfinecrew

Naomi Kritzer has a good thread listing ideas.

Linking to the last skeet in the thread because the threading's broken otherwise:

https://bsky.app/profile/naomikritzer.bsky.social/post/3mcdamldccc23

Also here's a collection of links to local mutual aid funds, food banks, and other organizations doing work on the ground:

https://www.standwithminnesota.com/

pizza

Reading

Heated Rivalry

Call your senators to oppose ICE funding

H.Con.Res. 70 and S.Con.Res. 26 regarding Greenland

How To Help If You Are Outside Minnesota

(no subject)

Fandom Trumps Hate 2026

H.R. 7013 - Greenland Sovereignty Protection Act

Robert Reich has talking points for calling your reps re: ICE and the DHS funding bill

"I'm not in Minnesota -- what can I do to help?"

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January 2026

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