Reading list April-May (Heated Rivalry)
I'm back on my bullshit. Monthly reading lists are back. I am still firmly in Heated Rivalry psychosis territory and not reading anything else atm. This only covers the most recent fics I enjoyed. For everything I liked enough to bookmark between January & March, you can check my ao3. As always, ❤️ denotes favourites.
💠earlier HR & Hudcon recs
🔸️backdoor by guarddog (Hollanov, Shane + Montreal Metros, M, 4k)
“What are we talking about?” J.J. asks, and this could really go one of two ways. Either Holly shuts the conversation down pronto because it’s not respectful and he’s a hardass, or J.J. will actually be able to answer Willy’s question.
“Um, just, my girlfriend wants to try anal?” Willy says nervously. “And I was wondering if anyone had advice.”
or: Shane gives impromptu sex education.
Shane explaining anal in the locker room as the proverbial sack of rice falling over. Beautiful. Made me cry happy tears.
❤️🔸️continuity errors/tuesday again by Anonymous (Hollanov, M, 33k)
The first thing you should know about time loops is that they’re really fucking hard to break. The second thing is that you can never break one in such a way that it is incapable of returning.
The third thing you should know is that everyone around you has probably been stuck in a time loop at one point or another, and they made it out alive. This is only comforting if you’re a numbers guy, or if you’re the kind of guy who talks to others about how it feels to live the same day over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Shame if you’re not; the most important thing you should know about breaking a time loop is that it helps to tell someone you’re trapped in one in the first place.
Time loop as depression metaphor: insert brain explode emoji here.
🔸️death and taxes (and shane hollander) by @fingersfallingupwards (Hollanov, E, 68k)
There was a time when Ilya believed Scott Hunter's coming out would revolutionize hockey forever— but for every step forward came two steps back.
When Shane and Ilya meet again late in life, can they make their second chance work?
OR: Old Man Hollanov Yaoi.
I feel personally attacked by the "old man yaoi" label because they are only in their forties, but that is a me problem. The fic is lovely and them finding each other again made me very happy.
❤️🔸️frequently, secretly fond of each other by @milominderbindered (Hollanov, E, 222k)
Shrugging one shoulder far more casually than he possibly feels, Ilya says, “I like both. Is secret, okay?”
“Okay,” Hollander says, voice cracking.
He doesn’t say anything else. The air’s so heavy around them that it feels like being in the middle of a scrum, the weight and heat of all those bodies pressing down on you. Danger always feels like hockey; it’s the most dangerous thing Ilya knows, except for this. Everything dangerous in his life involves men’s bodies and just how close he can get to them. Closer than he probably should.
A year after mysteriously dropping out of the 2009 draft, Shane Hollander is signed by the Boston Raiders, right behind Ilya Rozanov. Having the two biggest stars in the league on the same line is great for Boston — but playing alongside their worst rival was never exactly in Shane or Ilya's plans. Especially not when staying away from each other starts to feel just as impossible as getting along.
I would expect to get bored eventually with a fic this long, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. This will probably end up a comfort fic reread. If you enjoy friends-to-lovers, give this one a try.
🔸️i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart) by @corvidcordelia (Hollanov, E, 47k)
Hollander’s eyes slid past him, stopped, came back and held, his eyes widening. Ilya smiled, a mocking curve of his mouth, and raised his cup in acknowledgment. Number one, he mouthed, and while he couldn’t be certain in the dim light of the bar, he thought he saw Hollander flush.
Then his chin lifted, challenging, and Ilya felt something hook behind his ribs, a sharp tug, like a fish on a line.
Or: Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander make a deal - whichever of them debuts as a #1 NYT bestseller owes the other a blowjob
A Pride&Prejudice Hollanov AU where they are rival writers. This author made me want to read their fictional books.
❤️🔸️I have only two emotions (careful fear and dead devotion) by tiredtiredsharl / @wolfiemcwolferson (Hollanov + Centaurs, E, 178k)
Shane disappears from the hockey world between the prospect cup and the draft.
Years later, Ilya ends up playing for Ottawa anyway.
I call this one the "emotionally significant gummy bears" fic. Absolute favourite. Will definitely reread. I cried so many happy tears. I adore this version of both Ilya & Shane. This fic made me fall in love with the Centaurs.
🔸️Rookie of the Year by medric / @bluegrasshole (Shane gen, T, 22k)
August 2007: Shane Hollander is 16 years old, a star rookie for the Halifax Bucks, and totally, completely, fine.
Pre-canon Shane feels very in character here.
🔸️snapping birch by @polysyndetonaddictsupportgroup (Hollanov + ensemble cast, M, 72k, WIP)
Shandry's Third @shaneybaby
uhhh so im on r/shanehollander rn and some guy is claiming to have cloned shane’s dad’s phone and uploaded it to the internet?? has anyone else clicked on this link will it give me a virus if i do
7:03 P.M. | 12 Jan 2018 | 135.1k retweets | 232.1k likes [...]
Shane gets outed and all hell breaks lose. This is a mix of group chats, social media posts (Ilya, Hayden and Marleau made me laugh so much), newspaper articles and prose. If you think you couldn't hate the Metros any more, think again.
❤️🔸️Vessel by medric / @bluegrasshole (Hollanov, T, 21k)
Eleven years ago, a total psychopath walked into a bar, onto a wharf, and all over Captain Shane Hollander’s life. And then he did it again, and again.
I love AUs that spirit me away into a world I know nothing about. They are lobster fishermen in this wonderfully immersive story.
🔸️wild geese by daphne_older (Hollanov, M, 28k)
In 2013 Shane is drafted to the Boston Raiders, the team where Ilya Rozanov has played for three years and is now captain. Shane is determined not to let his hockey crush on Rozanov impact his game, but as the season progresses, Shane has to admit that the hockey crush is turning into something more. If only Rozanov would stop touching him all the time, maybe Shane would be able to get a grip…
Shane as Ilya's favourite rookie was not something I thought I wanted. This made me feel all warm and fuzzy.