This interview with Ncuti Gatwa crossed my dash again, and I was reminded of how much I like it. Because it makes the rare Third Argument for representation in fiction, the argument I think is the best, and I'm always happy to see it. I quote:
At times, Gatwa’s casting in those projects has been dismissed as an exercise in ‘box-ticking’. Gatwa scoffs. ‘First of all, you don’t know anything about me. Secondly, tick fcking boxes! People need to be fcking seen. What are you going to do, tell the same stories? Have the same people fronting things for all of eternity? Representation and inclusivity and branching out… it enriches us all. How embarrassing. You people with your tiny mindsets – open a book, look out the window and then f*ck off.’ (source)
What do I mean by the Third Argument? Well, I'm not sure I've ever made a post about this directly, but as far as I can see it, there are three main arguments for greater diversity in popular media. The first two are the most common, and they go like this:
It is good for media to be diverse because it is good for people to see people like them on screen. That is, the beneficiaries are marginalized people.
It is good for media to be diverse because it is good for people to see and learn about people who are not like them through art. That is, the beneficiaries are non-marginalized people, who then (hopefully) pass on the benefit by treating marginalized people better.
These two arguments are the source of a lot of debate here on ye olde tumblr. Despite both being arguments for representation, they pull in different directions. What counts as 'good' representation for the purposes of Argument 1 often would not be good for the purposes of Argument 2, and vice versa. Authentic versus sympathetic. Ugly or over-sanitized. You see this debate play out constantly. It's really hard for a piece of - say - queer media to do both at once.
But these debates tend to leave out Argument 3, the one that Gatwa is making above. And that argument cuts through a lot of this debate.
3. It is good for media to be diverse because art needs variety. The beneficiary of representation is art itself, absent any social effects that may or may not be present.
For this argument, diverse stories are intrinsically good. It is good to make art that's not just the same thing you've seen a hundred times before. Putting the kinds of people who don't often make it into mainstream media into your art is an extremely efficient way to make that happen. It's not the only method, but it's a really good method.
For representation to be 'good representation' according to Argument 3, all it needs to be is interesting. A story you haven't heard before, at least not in that medium. That which counts as 'bad representation' by the lights of this argument are stock characters, like the Eternally Patient Mother, the Gay Best Friend, the Wise Black Advisor. Perhaps there was a time in which these characters were new, but that time has long passed. There's no art in pulling a bog-standard character trope off the shelf. Show us a new kind of guy. The world is infinitely diverse. You're not going to run out. Telling the same stories with the same voices for all eternity, as Gatwa says, is boring. Even if there was nothing else wrong with it, this would be. Art isn't supposed to be boring.
And that's why Argument 3 is my favourite. I do want the world to be a better place, of course, and I think art is a part of that. But the main job of art is to be good as art. And diversity in all aspects of the production of art makes art better.
Happy 4th anniversary to The Brownstone!!! With the start of summer and our anniversary coming round again it is time for another fic exchange! This year’s event is Trope Trade, where participants will submit two fanfic tropes for another writer to merge into a fic.
For ease of event communication, all participants must be members of The Brownstone discord, so join the server here for more info and the sign-up link in our announcement channel!
You can sign up for the event now through June 19th. Prompts and more information will be sent via email on June 22nd. Fics will be due August 2nd.
i’ve warmed up significantly towards the concept of small talk ever since i learned that its sole purpose is to make friendly noises.
as long as you smile and nod, people are satisfied. it’s just to show that you are nice and there with good intentions. we’re small in a big world and have to rely on other people to be decent to us. so we do our little human dance to each other to say, “i’m not here to hurt you. here’s something we have in common, like the weather or sports or itchy sweaters, so we both know we’re on the same team. we both agree on a basic fact, like that it is rainy or that being itchy is uncomfortable, and this proves we can get along. i’m being light-hearted and non-threatening right now.”
small talk isn’t to get to know a person. it’s just a greeting to affirm you’re buddies in the universe.
i am motivated by wanting the other person to know i am friendly, so i have gotten pretty decent at small talk when i used to hate it.
idea dump / hollanov/hr fics that i'm not writing but would love to read:
*includes canon compliance, divergence, and au's, some nsfw, a mention of eating disorders and depression, and also maybe some slight spoilers for tlg* *there might be typos sorry*
putting under the cut because this got hella long oops
non famous ilya au where he owns a dog shelter and the voyageurs/metros come in for a charity thing. ilya is in a bad mood because he wants the dogs to go to good, loving homes and not just get adopted because shane hollander touched them and mostly stays in the back while they're there. he brings anya to work with him every day (she’s registered as ilya’s ESP) and she roams the shelter freely and runs into shane, who he immediately hits it off with when shane is taking a break from the crowds. shane asks if anya is available for adoption and they say definitely not, that's ilya's dog, so then he finds ilya and asks if he can 'rent out' anya for walks or hangouts and ilya wants to say no but anya is so attached to him and he can’t bring himself to tell shane she’s an emotional support dog so he says yes.
shane and hayden iconic audhd duo
shane is the medic for boston that always gets called up when rozanov gets into fights
a deep dive into the movies that shane watches on the planes
david starts calling or texting ilya regularly because that’s what he does with shane. sending random things about his day or asking how he’s doing. at first ilya is concerned that something is wrong or david needs something, and then he’s a little bitter because he thinks ‘oh he’s just checking on me so often probably to make sure that i’m 'staying in line' and not doing anything to embarrass them or hurt shane etc. but then when he finally brings it up to shane shane is like no that’s literally just what he’s like that’s exactly how he treats me. and actually i’m a little surprised he warmed up to you so quickly he’s not usually good with new people. and then ilya is emotional that david is treating him like he would a son and it becomes something special for them
shane and ilya have their first big fight after being married or getting serious (canon or non canon). in the aftermath, ilya expects shane’s parents to side with shane and for himself to have no one while he spirals. one of shane’s parents shows up to see how he’s doing + assures him that things will be okay
meddling yuna approaches ilya outside the prospects instead of shane and asks him to befriend shane, both for optics and for shane’s protection because he’s fearless and untouchable on the ice but off of it he’s going to need someone tough to lean on and be friends with, and yuna has done her homework and decided that ilya rozanov is the best choice. could be fluff where ilya ends up really grateful for it, or could be angst when shane eventually finds out what happened
more college/uni au’s where shane can’t stand fuckboy frat ilya but also possesses a visceral need to get on his knees for him to escape the intense physical and mental pressure of literally everything else in his life
hanahaki or soulmate au with a twist where it’s all items that are important to them — shane is coughing up cigarette ash, ilya can't get the aftertaste of ginger ale out of his mouth, etc.
maybe a non-hockey au? - when alexei/andrei proves that he cannot be trusted to be a caregiver, ilya moves his father to boston as his dementia worsens and hires shane to be his live-in caretaker but is explicitly clear that his father has been known to get violent sometimes, shane assures ilya that he can handle it if it comes to that. (hockey background? idk) as time goes on ilya starts getting used to having someone else in the house/coming home to someone, he and shane start eating dinner together late and talking, could lead to more. could be dramatic (ie maybe alexei walks in on them in a compromising position which would threaten shane's job and their father's care etc.) or could focus more on the sweeter aspects and hurt/comfort of their relationship as they get to know each other
tlg survivor style team bonding -- centaur's plane goes down and they end up in the wilderness somewhere and ilya, as captain, has to keep everyone together and alive until help comes
someone in the MLH/NHL runs a gossip girl style blog about the players
post coming out, ilya and shane are scheduled to do one of those interviews where kids get to ask them questions. neither of them are emotionally prepared for it; maybe written epistolary style like a transcript or something
more of the 'cup wish' trope -- i can't find a good definition to link to but it's similar to the 'wish babies' trope; to my knowledge it's a wish you get to make after you win the cup (possibly maybe for a second time in a row, etc) and nothing's off limits. I've only seen a couple like this but the opportunity for magical realism or shit like two ilya's or two shane's etc. would fit soooooo well here. THERE ARE NO RULES
two sportscasters / sports podcasters from montreal and boston fall in love in a parallel timeline to hollanov, enemies to lovers, maybe again epistolary style told through transcripts or socials etc.
SCOTT HUNTER AND SHANE HOLLANDER HAVE THE SAME INITIALS. I DON'T THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS ENOUGH. maybe ilya sees S.H. on a roster of room numbers at the all stars and goes to the room and scott hunter opens the door. maybe there's a bag with the tag S.H. and one of them picks up the wrong one and they have to swap back pretending like they haven't seen something super incriminating or embarrassing. there's so much possibility
librarian shane + ilya who can never manage to stick to the quiet rule
ilya has asked to sleep on shane’s floor multiple times randomly throughout their arrangement without sex, and shane’s learned not to question it when he shows up in the middle of the night fresh off a flight or a long drive with no explanation but not seeming drunk, just quiet, then gone by morning. they don't talk about it. eventually (either post-relationship when they're reminiscing, or written in real time) shane finds out that those are the times ilya doesn't trust himself to be alone and shane is perfect for it because he's so structured, reminds ilya to eat and drink and shower, is firm but never mean and doesn't ask questions or call him lazy, asks him not to drink or smoke because he wants ilya to stick around and that's nice.
MORE MOMMY KINK (who said that)
rose gets approached to do a sponsorship for rose toys (would be even funnier if this happened while she was still with shane) might be cool told through a social media format or something
plots with a glory hole. you canNOT tell me shane hollander wouldn't love the FUCK out of a glory hole. anonymity? check. sucking dick? check. being on his knees? CHECK! he'd loveeee to see how many he could take and how long he could go for. technically I guess this would require more than just shane/ilya but it could be written as like past tense shane telling ilya about it and ilya getting off on it idk. lots of potential for the slut shane hollander tag
ilya is sick and everyone is shocked shane is staying there and taking care of ilya and ilya’s like ?? ok but then he finds out maybe from yuna and david that shane HATES illness and refuses to be around it, usually avoids sick people at all costs, and here ilya has been asking for cuddles and letting shane push his hair back, rub his shoulders, give him medicine, kiss him feed him etc — when confronted about it (maybe also by his parents) shane is a little embarrassed but just shrugs and says it’s different this time, sickfic, fluff
shane as clark kent
the MLH/NHL does a slutty men's hockey calendar (for charity sdjhfgksjghf)
svetlana x rose -- when shane and ilya are officially out and playing for the centaurs, rose and svetlana have reserved seats in their section whenever they're in town. right next to each other. rose is oblivious, but sveta has an idea she knows exactly what ilya’s up to
shane is learning russian. ilya gives him homework sometimes. like cute nicknames, or watching a movie with no subtitles. or forbidding him from speaking anything other than ilya’s language when he’s fucking shane so good he forgets how to speak altogether
as part of a hazing ritual, shane’s team convinces him that the winner’s room is a real thing. after their first loss to boston, he gets sent by them to rozanov's room to take one for the team. shane goes. (my personal hc is that shane would freak the fuck out and ilya would have to calm him down (and ilya would be hella mad that his team did this bc someone else would have majorly taken advantage) and he tells Shane if he wants to do anything NOT because he has to then he can come and find ilya another time. and shane is like. hey. what. is that an option. and then he indeed goes to find him next time and canon situationship ensues) but it could go a lot of different ways
'cheat days' / shane eating disorder exploration; ilya gets hungry after sex and one of the first times they sleep together room service comes before shane's finished showering and he's like. this is a LOT of food, rozanov. and ilya (already digging in with his hands, eating on the bed, still mostly naked) is like ok and? you want some? and somehow it starts this pattern of eating together after hooking up which is sort of a love language all its own. (my hc for shane tends to ping pong between orthorexia or just plain old ocd 'right' and 'wrong' foods, but I think it'd be fun to dig into the way rozanov's shamelessness both about sex and hunger could affect the way that shane deals with food over the years. do these 'cheat days' make him even more restrictive outside of their meetings? do they actually end up breaking him out of an unhealthy cycle? how close does this pattern tie his appetite for food with his need for sex/ilya? etc)
pediatric nurse ilya, uncle shane brings in one of hayden’s kids
I've said it once and i'll say it again THE BALCONY DOOR IS OPEN IN THE VEGAS SCENE and no one closes it on-screen before they get freaky. are we thinking about the implications of this. are we
I have a personal hc that shane has a massive object insertion kink. like yeah the dildo is nice and it serves its purpose but the inherent shame and humiliation of using something NOT meant for sex to get himself off? and then ilya finding out about it? encouraging it? touching random things in shane's apartment and asking if he's used it to make himself feel good? giving him ideas and shane acting like it's fucking disgusting knowing that he's going to do it anyway because ilya told him to? yeah. anyway.
horse girl hollander. I have no specifics for this it could go literally any way
pilot shane and flight attendant ilya
--
ok that's all for now <3 PLEASE LET ME KNOW A) if there are any existing fics already with any of these premises, and B) if you want to write one or something similar so I can bite my fist and sit on the edge of my seat until it's finished
"Will you marry me?"
"I don't think now's the best time!?"
"Now may be the only time!"
Is there a fictional wedding better than Elizabeth and Will's? I don't believe so... And you know my thing for pirates so, here's my piece for the 2026 edition of @rwrbzines, "Love on purpose: a Red, White & Royal Wedding zine". Check out all the other artworks, everyone worked so hard 🩵
i promise not every fandom-related opinion you have has to be a 'hot take'. something is not inherently more important or edgier or more brave just because it's framed that way.
this new wave of fandom seems to be obsessed with operating only within the confines of canon material while simultaneously shitting on it. and it makes for this weird counterculture of fanon - not even actual canon - that dictates you must follow it in order for your fic/art/fanwork to be 'good' and 'right' and if it doesn't tick all the popular (usually contradictory) boxes then 'that's fine that's your opinion just know me and everyone else think you're wrong and stupid! <3' it's such a 'you can't sit with us' type of vibe and is quite literally the opposite of what fandom is supposed to be.
fandom doesn't have rules but it does have an etiquette. that's what keeps it alive and keeps providing the content that enables us to have fanon hc's, beautiful art, amazing fics, fan communities and friendships, etc., and that's also why so many people are distancing themselves or straight up leaving right now. you put good in, you get good out.
Not once you graduate, or by the time you’re the youngest elected congressman in modern history, or in your five or ten or twenty year plans for everything that’s going to happen after that, but right now. What do you want the most out of this year, Alex?
For what might be the first time in his whole entire life, the answer is surprisingly simple, right there at the forefront of his mind in an instant without him even having to search for it.
Or: the epilogue - because the best part of the happy ending is getting to live in it.
I could never, ever have enough of you: https://archiveofourown.org/works/64206118/chapters/216207231
a little soviet space race propaganda inspired design for @opal-apparition’s gorgeous fic apogee
special mention to Alexei Leonov and the random Canadian & Russian astronauts whose spacesuits i looked at for this i <3 insignias and workwear and yaoi
It’s like you literally plucked this out of my head and polished it into the most perfect thing ever! I love these so much, especially their uniforms and Ilya’s EVA suit!!!
Allows you to choose the origin of where you want the name to be from, whether you want a more feminine vs masculine vs androgenous name (as voted by users), random surname generator, and clicking on the name gives you important info like if there are any famous people with the same name, where it’s from, how common it is, and how people tend to see it, etc.
You can also search their name database by letter or meaning or origin, so if you know you want a character who has a name/surname that starts with an A from Ireland, there’s a whole list for you to choose from.
Census sites
Especially useful if you’re looking for a name from a specific place and/or time period. Just search “(country) census (year)” and you’ll find a database of real people who lived in that place at that time. No one can ever call your names unrealistic again.
For coming up with place names:
Fantasy name generator
This site can basically come up with any name for any person, place, or thing you might ever need. There are also specific generators for different fandoms if you’re looking to make an OC in an established world.
For finding that one word on the tip of your tongue:
One Look Thesaurus
This is my go-to. Not only can you find synonyms like a regular thesaurus, but you can also describe words like “unhappy smile” or “quiet laugh” to find the more specific word you’re looking for.
For coming up with ideas:
Word cloud
When I need to inspire a new idea, I write down all the things I’m interested in (hauntings, academia, lesbians, etc.) and put them into a word cloud to shuffle them next to each other. Sometimes seeing a concept in a new context can spark new ideas!
WWF Discord
This is my discord channel (shameless plug) for when you need to brainstorm off other people but don’t have anyone irl to talk to. We’re also happy to read and give feedback on writing, answer writing questions, or just chat!
For visualizing places and characters:
Pinterest
Pinterest can at times be a bit too sterile for my tastes, but if you use the right words, you can find more realistic photos of places. For example, adding “aesthetic” after basically any word will bring up a more broad collection of photos to help you flesh out places.
This is also a great way to find photos of people and fashion to help visualize characters. I’m bad at describing clothes, so I usually collect photos of outfits to help me know what my characters are wearing. Searching up “character inspiration” will collect more interesting photos and drawings of people who might not exactly be of our world.
(However, to make Pinterest not show you AI results, you have to go into your settings and check the “reduce AI” box. Luckily, it does mostly work.)
Death to Stock
Like pinterest but completely AI free (hooray!) Only drawback is that you have to pay a monthly subscription (about $20 CAD).
Cosmos
Very similar to pinterest but slightly more "artsy". I'm not super familiar with this one but I believe all the photos are human and you can save them and create collections with a free account.
Dupe Photos
Royalty-free stock image site with very Pinterest-core photos!
Minecraft
If you haven’t built your entire fictional city in Minecraft instead of writing, why not? It’s fun.
The Sims
This one is dual purpose because you can not only create your characters in Create a Sim, but you can design their houses. If you really want to go for it, you can bulldoze all the lots in your town and build your world from scratch.
For checking grammar:
Grammar Girl
Easy to follow definitions and examples, and if you learn better by listening, every article comes with a podcast to follow along with instead.
Grammar Monster
This one is my favourite for checking grammar rules because there’s tons of examples in graphics that helps for any situation.
Reedsy
Among other things, reedsy can connect you to professional editors within your budget.
For writing advice:
One Stop for Writers
This one was recommended from my discord channel and has all sorts of tutorials and resources for the writing craft.
My Blog Directory
Another shameless plug, but if you need writing advice on something specific, you can search through my directory to see if it’s there. If it isn’t, you can always send me an ask about it!
For an alternative to Google Docs:
Ellipsus
Think google docs but without AI. Yay!
(will update this list with any more suggestions or resources I discover 😊)
Still, Henry shakes his head and teases, “Whatever will you do without all those figure skaters and their short skirts around?”
“Fuck off, asshole!” Alex huffs with a laugh, shoving him hard in the shoulder, only to hook his arm around Henry’s neck and drag him closer. “Only thing I need for my Olympic experience is four gold medals. Besides, I got you to bug the shit out of. What more do I need?”
(Henry isn't expecting much out of his third Olympics—still climbing up the world ranks after an injury, he's not in the medal conversation, no matter how much his best friend and chief competitor, Alex Claremont-Diaz, might insist otherwise. After all, Alex is far and away the gold medal favourite, ranked first in the world and damn near uncatchable on a piste lately. Between that and the fact that they're hundreds of kilometres away from most of the other Olympic venues, he expects the games to be relatively quiet. Low key. Downright unremarkable.
He couldn't be more wrong.)
E, 15.4k, Olympic Alpine Skiing Rivals AU. Read it on AO3
part four of hollanov recs! this is another long one that's been piling up so I'll list out some of what will be included, the emojis will serve as a key:
💊 - sickfic
🫂 - family bonding + found family
🔮 - soulmates + time travel
💡 - canon divergence / au
💋 - kink & smut
🗣️ - fics with russian/french
✍️ - character studies + introspection
🐺 - a/b/o + omegaverse
❤️🔥 - hollanov + other(s) or threesomes
✨ - as well as an update on what I've posted since the last rec x
↓ recs below ↓
(these are in no particular order, and feature a range of topics, ratings, lengths, and possible warnings. as with any rec, please be sure to also double check for any triggers yourself before reading. however, I will not rec MCD and very rarely unhappy endings.
if you read one and enjoy it, please be sure to leave a comment or support! if you don't, just move on. be kind!)
💊 I KEEP CLOSING MY EYES BUT I CAN'T BLOCK YOU OUT by stardustvx
⤷ rating + length: G, 6k
⤷ summary:
Shane has a migraine before the game. He thinks he is good enough to play up until the second when he throws up all over Ilya Rozanov’s jersey. Yes, on the ice.
⤷ notes + warnings:
warning for everything mentioned in the summary, but everything is relatively non-graphic! it's got shane needing comfort and ilya readily giving it, migraine rep, and of course FEELINGS!
💊 INTO YOUR EARTHLY HANDS by scarlettroses
⤷ rating + length: T+, 57k, 13/? chaps
⤷ summary:
"Rozy," Brian, the team doctor says, "talk to me, buddy. That puck clipped you pretty good, how’s the pain?"
Ilya blinks. He clenches his jaw against a wave of nausea. He rests his cheek on the ice, and the cold helps a little.
"Bad. Very bad." He swallows. "Is Shane here?"
[or, in the final MTL/BOS game of the year, ilya takes a puck to the head.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
PLEASE HEED ALL WARNINGS FOR INJURIES AND MEDICAL DESCRIPTIONS. this fic is heavy at times (my palms (and eyes) were sweating fr) but so, so well written, and has a lot of the ingredients from the post-concussion shane fics I enjoyed too. be aware that it's marked as ongoing, but at the time of the rec there is no unhappy ending or cliffhanger etc.!
🫂 SNOWPRINT TRACINGS by boxysmiles
⤷ rating + length: T+, 20k
⤷ summary:
Long before he ever sees a photo of her, Shane dreams of Irina Rozanova.
⤷ notes + warnings:
listen. I will cry at just about anything to do with irina's storyline but this was unlike any other ones that I've read before. I was holding my breath the whole time with how beautiful the writing was. the emotional beats of the story feel like waves, a perfect mix that had me captivated throughout and then in for a good, cathartic cry at the end. just beautiful.
🫂 THE HOLLANDERS HAVE ACQUIRED ILYA ROZANOV by leiascully
⤷ rating + length: T+, 10k
⤷ summary:
Dinner at the cottage is a family affair. Yuna and Ilya have a conversation.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I loveeeeeee ilya navigating the parents fr. this one is so sweet and well written. I love them :')
🔮 YOU CAN LIE (NOT TO ME) by newtntommy
⤷ rating + length: M, 51k
⤷ summary:
Every time your soulmate lies, their words are written on you.
Shane doesn’t lie often. His soulmate does though.
⤷ notes + warnings:
the soulmate trope has never been one of my super faves but FUCK this one came out of nowhere and gripped me by the throat fr. the scenes and bits of character that were chosen as part of the storyline were brilliant, the liberties taken with canon fit perfectly, and it added a great flavor to the canon retelling.
🔮 CUT TO THE FEELING by Charlotte_Stant
⤷ rating + length: M, 12k
⤷ summary:
It had been a very weird day, but Shane wasn’t going to jerk off about it a second time.
⤷ notes + warnings:
18 y/o shane gets flung into the body of 35 y/o shane and has to navigate being married, having children, and his apparently very active and gratifying sex life before he's put back in his regular timeline. the plot was so much fun and shane's internal monologue was perfect, and I was giggling at what ended up being the catalyst when shane found out. so great.
🔮 CIRCLE BACK SEASON by anonymous
⤷ rating + length: T+, 9k
⤷ summary:
“Oh my god,” the intruder says, voice coming faster and higher-pitched. “Shane, what the fuck? Oh my god.”
“Eeleeyah, come to my cottage,” Ilya mocks, voice muffled by Shane’s skin. “Don’t go to Russia. Come to my house instead. Is so private. No one will know…we will be completely alone. Together.”
“Oh my god, is that Ilya Rozanov?” the intruder yelps like he's about to start hyperventilating. “Why is Ilya Rozanov half-naked in our kitchen, Shane?”
“Okay, I know how this looks,” Shane tells Ilya, “But I mean, technically, we are still alone. Together.”
[or, At the cottage, Shane and Ilya meet eighteen year old Shane Hollander. This is really only a surprise for one of them. Everyone handles it as well as can be expected.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
this has everythinggggg I love about a time travel fic, and I thought it was extra interesting the way that this one is set up. I was already expecting it to be good because I love a plot like this, but then the interactions between current day ilya and baby shane ?????? fuck I was UNWELL. I was so sad when it was over I could have read so much more fr it was amazing!!!!!!
💡 TORTURE ME (WITH ALL I'VE WANTED) by toomuchplor
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Regina to Edmonton was nine hours by bus if the weather was decent; it took a bit longer if — for example — your bus lost power on Highway 11 just past Dundurn, Saskatchewan.
Team buses, night drives, and one way things might have started differently.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this was such a fun divergence and one that I've never seen any others similar to before. the vibes, as promised in the a/n, are just like sitting next to your crush on a highway coach, and said vibes were delightful (and also so fucking hot?) I feel like anything toeing the line of public sex or pda with hollanov is difficult to do within the confines of canon, but this one just. UGH. I ate it up. it's so good. it makes sense. I love them.
PLUS!!! CHECK OUT THE ART LINKED AT THE END OF THE FIC! it's fucking gorgeous
💡 MATTER OF FACT, I CAUGHT YOU LOOKIN' BACK by sargeantwoof
⤷ rating + length: E, 19k
⤷ summary:
“No,” he says, smiling gently, like he doesn't know how irritating he's being. “Is my room first, da? You should speak with front desk.”
Hollander stares at him. And then he starts to laugh.
“You ask the front desk,” he shoots back, in between his odd wheezes. Ilya's heart starts to pound in double time, because this is not—this cannot be Shane Hollander playing bed chicken with him. Their competitiveness is fierce, to be certain, but surely, Hollander would be the bigger person, no? “This is my fucking room, Rozanov. Wild horses couldn't drag me away.”
[OR: Ilya's apartment is under construction. Shane's in town for a game. It'd be a shame if they somehow had the same hotel room.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
THERE WAS ONLY ONE HOTEL ROOM OH NOOOOOO ;) this one made my heart ache in the best way it was SO true to character, great setup, great execution of the trope that wasn't overly similar to others. the YEARNING? I felt like rolling around on the floor fr the dialogue and characterization (and where it's set in the timeline of canon) all make the stakes feel even higher, and their feelings for each other are just so tangible. brilliantly done.
💡 THE WAITING GAME by RizandAce
⤷ rating + length: T+, 16k
⤷ summary:
“Lily,” Hayden says automatically. “You know about Lily?”
Something flickers across Rozanov’s face. His jaw twitches. “Yes, I know about Lily.” He raises his eyebrows.
Hayden feels like a complete asshole, all of a sudden. There’s just been too much going on to even think about Shane’s mystery girlfriend. “Shit, I should probably, like, call her, or something? I don’t know this girl at all, but Shane’s been obsessed with her for years. If she was watching the game, she would have seen him get hurt.”
“You don’t need to call her,” Rozanov says, and when Hayden glances at him, he still looks fucking miserable but now he’s rolling his eyes, a much more familiar expression of disdain on his face. “She’s sitting right here.”
[Hayden Pike and Ilya Rozanov are waiting for Shane to wake up after he took a bad hit on the ice. They get to talking.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
there's been several of this type of fic floating around (and I ate them all the fuck up) but this one starts with hayden + ilya and also includes shane + hayden, and ilya + svetlana in the later chapters (and of course ilya + shane), all conversations centered around their relationship and telling people/people finding out. the dialogue in this fic is fucking PHENOMENAL. the relationships between characters felt so authentic and the characterization was spot on by extension. even when there's not much happening in the scene the talking alone is so much fun to read. awesome awesome!!
💡 GOOD ON MY OWN ACCORD by impetuous
⤷ rating + length: E, 50k. 8/? chaps
⤷ summary:
No serious hockey fan or sports commentator worth their salt would have considered record-breaking Boston superstar Ilya Rozanov to be Shane Hollander’s rival exactly, but sleeping with a man who had a specific offense-related vendetta against him and a wrist shot like a jet engine to back it up was probably ill-advised just the same.
[Or, Shane is a goalie. Ilya can’t score.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
goalie shane is such a brilliant divergence to explore, and this one does it wonderfully! it makes a lot of sense to me, and I loved his characterization. and, as someone who is admittedly here for the fiction and knows next to nothing about the actual hockey, I was really pleasantly surprised to enjoy learning things about it in a way that felt seamless with the plot and not just info dumped. I can't wait to see how it concludes!
💡 LIKE FOR LIKE by smugrobotics
⤷ rating + length: T+, 3k
⤷ summary:
A nostalgic what-if where, instead of meeting at the World Junior Hockey Championships in 2008, Shane and Ilya meet a full year earlier - in a hockey group on Facebook.
A year in the life of two hockey boys.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this one was just so fucking fun. I love any kind of fun coding and this one looks amazing and was a great medium for the character voices!!! I was grinning so wide by the time I finished it!!!
💡 RESET YOURSELF by lisa6
⤷ rating + length: M, 3k
⤷ summary:
“You know he’s wearing one of those, too,” Hayden said, pointing at Rozanov’s wedding ring.
Rozanov snorted. “Yes, Pike.”
[Or: Hayden tries to comfort a jealous Ilya Rozanov.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
I subscribed to this author immediately after reading one of their other fics linked below, and I have had zero fucking regrets. just amazing writing all the way around. simple plot, genius execution, I had so much fun reading!!!! and it's hayden pov!!!!
💡 MENACE by Charlotte_Stant
⤷ rating + length: M, 5k
⤷ summary:
Of course Ilya had known that Shane would come back but it was gratifying, still, the text from Jane, Can we meet up when you’re here tomorrow, I don’t care where. I really need to see you. The intimation, probably accidental, that Shane was so very desperate he was open to the idea of Ilya fucking him in the street. Ilya typed and deleted many potential replies, which was not characteristic of him.
(Or: Shane gets blackmailed. Ilya handles it.)
⤷ notes + warnings:
DELICIOUS fucking plot, and the writing itself only elevates it. I'm a sucker for any Situation that makes the independent character be vulnerable and ask for help - which we will NOT be reading into - and protective ilya was just the cherry on top. so so so good I read it multiple times and will definitely be back.
💋 LIKE ONE OF YOUR GIRLS by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 5k
⤷ summary:
Rozanov posts on Instagram a lot. Not on his feed, but his stories.
Every time he lands in a city, he posts a story. Usually it's just back of his seat, or sometimes the view out the window—on the tarmac, never anything exciting, one of just many cities their lives are broken up into—and a location tag. Low effort.
It’s pretty obvious what it is. Guys laugh about it, call it Rozanov’s Fuck Signal. The easiest way to get the hot girls who follow him to slide into his DMs.
Easy pussy.
⤷ notes + warnings:
starting this category off strong with another author I just recently found and am now fucking obsessed with. I am going to try really hard to come up with coherent words and not just undignified screeching to put here and in the next two recs.
this one in particular does have quite a few warnings in the notes so be sure to check those first, but FUCK it's written in the exact style I love and toes that line right between character study and kink that (for me, at least) is evergreen. sooo interesting being inside shane's head, and the writing itself is so rich and perfectly restrained and just so fucking delicious. amazing. no notes.
💋 IT'S LIKE YOU NEVER HAD WINGS by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 16k
⤷ summary:
No, Ilya isn’t a martyr, but he isn’t selfish either.
Tonight he wants to be selfish.
Ilya wants to use Shane. He wants to use his willingness, his body, his everything to make himself feel better.
It’s a truth. Maybe an ugly one, but one that he owes to both himself and to Shane to accept. Tonight will be about him.
And Shane, for his part, is a willing participant in it all.
‘I want to be useful,’ he had said.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I love gentle/soft dom Ilya as much as the next guy but this was.... WOOF I already think pain play with hollanov is so fun to explore but ilya with a little sadism streak is just fantastic. I was prepared to separate The Fic from The Character Lore to justify it, but honestly I didn't even need to. woven beautifully through canon and scorchingly hot and I also learned more about hockey again so yay!!!
💋 GIVE ME WHAT I WANT WHEN I'M READY by creamsicle_melt
⤷ rating + length: E, 4k
⤷ summary:
Hollander’s mouth flattens into the cutest, bitchiest little line. “Yeah, well, have you seen one on a guy before because…” he stops, waves a hand down at his crotch.
“I have now,” Ilya answers honestly. He’s heard of it before, of course. Usually crude jokes amongst crude locker rooms, but he also knows for all the claims made from every other guy about how they’ve come across one, it’s rare.
So of course Shane fucking Hollander gets the honour.
Ilya can’t be mad though, considering that he’s about to reap the rewards of it.
[Shane Hollander wakes up with a pussy.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
another absolutely scalding character study through the lens of porn. once again check tags prior to reading but great smut, great characterization, loved ilya's pov and the way we see shane through it. I'm so fucking seated for whatever this author puts out next I'm HOOKED.
💋 LIKE A PEACH by fallbekind
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Something’s different, just in general. Like wearing sunglasses, a filter of sorts over everything, but if Shane was in any way honest with himself, he’d know it was more like going without for the first time.
He’s painfully aware of his body these days; how it looks, how it moves, how it responds to… stimuli. And it is responding, lately. His bruises, too: always just there, so used to them they’d barely registered anymore, but recently there’s been a sort of constant hum of them at the edge of his awareness. It’s a layer of input he really doesn’t need right now, busy as he is.
But he’s been woken up. Restless. Needy.
Late in bed, when all his chores are done, fingers travel up to his collarbone, where the newest acquisition is waiting for him.
⤷ notes + warnings:
we love a bruise kink in this house and this one is soooooo good. it has freak4freak, it has yearning, it has tasteful time skips to better illustrate the character development, and the sex is also of course amazing. love a character being scared of their own desires and Shane is a perfect palette for it.
💋 BEFORE SOMETHING BREAKS THAT CANNOT BE FIXED by justhockey
⤷ rating + length: E, 3k
⤷ summary:
Shane is used to feeling fuzzy with Rozanov. Like he’s floating higher, higher, higher. But this - this isn’t that.
Shane isn’t floating, he’s falling. Sinking down, down, down below, into darkness. It feels like there are waves crashing over his head, cold and sharp like needles against his skin, and when he does manage to breach the surface for a moment, he’s met with thick fog and a starless sky. It feels sort of like a concussion, but not. There’s no pain, just…haziness. Just a gaping, empty feeling, right in the centre of his chest.
(Or, Vegas rewritten.)
⤷ notes + warnings:
another trope I could have a hundred of. this one in particular stood out to me because of the descriptions and the prose re: subdrop. it gets so tender and intimate at the end too it's so good.
💋 LUCKY BASTARD by ghosttotheparty
⤷ rating + length: M, 10k
⤷ summary:
“I like it,” he says weakly. “I like it, I like you holding me like this.”
“Like what?”
“Like you own me.”
[or; They're falling in love. They can't have it, even if they can have each other, just for a little while.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
this fic has definitely already made its rounds but I just read it recently and ohhhhh boy I can see why. the dynamic between shane and ilya is so intense and so fragile, both as a result of the canon timeline and this kickass characterization. hollanov is freak4freak, and with me in the mix it's freak4freak4freak. this list of tags is like crack for me. it had me at spit kink and I didn't look back once. it's just so INTIMATE like my face was hot. seriously so so so good.
💋 HOLDING PATTERNS by thecouchsofa
⤷ rating + length: E, 6k
⤷ summary:
“Do you want to know how it feels?”
Shane let his hand fall back to the couch. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and lifted a brow at Rozanov. “What – holding the Cup? You’ve already made that joke once.”
“No.” Rozanov’s fingers encircled Shane’s wrist and then he was pulling Shane’s hand between his legs.
Or: Shane tops.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I'm not really one to do things out of spite, but every time I see a lengthy post ranting about fandom binaries and '[character] would NOT do this thing' it just makes me go look for media in which [character] does, in fact, do that thing.
that led me to the bottom ilya tag this time around, and I had a fucking fantastic time. I was already a fan of this author's writing so I was excited to see a plot like this, and it definitely didn't disappoint - also a great option if you're in the mood for a bottom ilya fic that still holds true to dom ilya/sub shane !!!
💋 THE FEELING OF THE FLESH by citrusses
⤷ rating + length: E, 2k
⤷ summary:
Ilya knew he was weird about this.
⤷ notes + warnings:
listen this is my blog I'm allowed to be a little freak this is my free pass and I'm using it on erotic body horror lactation kink and mommy issues ilya ok. you can't stop me.
💋 TENDER PARTS by mcshrug
⤷ rating + length: E, 7k
⤷ summary:
Shane isn't used to people touching him. Then he meets Ilya Rozanov.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I loveeeeeee a touch starved character and shane hollander is prime material. pair that with ilya greedy rozanov and BOOM you get great smut and even better character commentary
💋 AT PINPOINT by chaentics
⤷ rating + length: E, 20k, 2/3 chaps
⤷ summary:
“No one else knows of these,” Ilya tells him, and there it is, that glint of possessiveness in Hollander’s eyes. It makes Ilya’s head reel. And it is why he doesn’t hesitate to say, “I could mark you just like that. If you want.”
Hollander moans around him, his hand scrambling to get past the press of his jeans, into his underwear, to get himself off.
“Would last longer than bruises,” Ilya continues. “Maybe forever.”
⤷ notes + warnings:
ending with yet another absolute banger. I'm honestly struggling to summarize it in a way that captures just how feral I went over this while I was reading it. my notes are just one big keysmash and a bunch of !!!??!!???!?!???!!!! which I think means I have ascended past the need for regular language and have been irrevocably and fundamentally changed.
the tags are scarce but please please give this one a shot it's written phenomenally well, the inner monologue is fantastic and the characterization is spot on, and we know hollanov pain kink is famous in this house. AND this is coming from someone who has a legitimate fear of the kink instrument here so you know I mean it. I was hooked on every line, every piece of dialogue, the descriptions and the concept as a whole. I had to stare at my ceiling after I finished it. I cannot WAIT for the last part.
(also, if you happen to be a fan of CNC this author also wrote this fic!!!!)
🗣️ TONGUES-A-WAGGING by anonymous
⤷ rating + length: T+, 29k
⤷ summary:
Barstool Sports Canada reports that Montreal Metros captain Shane Hollander has started learning Russian from new teammate and Russian rookie Sergei Dovonchezky.
Ilya has some thoughts. None of them are particularly kind.
⤷ notes + warnings:
another one I've been seeing everywhere that I thoroughly enjoyed. it's got shane learning russian, it's got jealous ilya, it's got feelings confession and it's set in that delicious slot of time right between tampa and shane's concussion where they haven't really defined the relationship yet other than knowing they both want to be together in some capacity, so the yearning and the not being sure what's 'allowed' adds sooooo much flavor.
🗣️ TALK ABOUT IT by some1_around
⤷ rating + length: M, 7k
⤷ summary:
“You will not be so nice when we beat you,” Ilya told Shane Hollander, holding onto his hand, not letting him pull away. Not yet.
But Hollander’s brow furrowed, not in anger but in confusion. “Ah, um, sorry,” Hollander said. “Merci. My English is bad. Worse… than you. Maybe slower?” And he leaned in, like that would help him understand.
Ilya’s eyebrows rose, and his smile widened.
Or, Ilya Rozanov grew up in Russia. Shane Hollander was raised in France. When they first meet, neither of them can speak English very well. Somehow, it’s easier to understand each other when words aren’t getting in the way.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this was just fucking perfect I love them soooooo bad no notes I will be rereading
✍️ SAFE PLACE TO LAND by glowingregards
⤷ rating + length: G, 6k
⤷ summary:
Shane doesn't fall apart loudly. He spirals, shuts down, missteps. Ilya pays attention. He stays. He helps Shane learn what it feels like to be noticed without being corrected.
or, 5 times Shane needs help regulating his autism, and Ilya is there for him + 1 time Shane is there for Ilya.
⤷ notes + warnings:
beautifully written depiction of shane's inner monologue and the way he interacts with the world and with ilya. shane was written so authentically and ilya is perfect and patient and every bit of it is just so good. the scenes included and the deviations from canon were all intentional and lovely. filed under fics that made me tear up. loved loved loved.
✍️ PALE IMITATIONS by theribbonsweregreen
⤷ rating + length: M, 2k
⤷ summary:
L: It’s easy to quit if you really want to.
L: I just didn’t want to.
Ilya Rozanov quits smoking for the umpteenth time. Or – everything is about smoking, except for smoking which is about Shane Hollander.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I fucking love an experimental piece with gritty character introspection and prose that you could prick your fingers on. just such a genuinely cool piece. I need more people to read it and scream with me.
I'VE REACHED POST LIMIT WITH THE DIVIDERS SO THE REST WILL BE IN A REBLOG (WILL BE LINKED HERE WHEN POSTED)
this is the good shit fr I love a non-traditional a/b/o fic and I love them even more when The Character already doesn't really fit neatly into any boxes in canon. this could honestly go in the character study part of the list too. loved this version of them.
🐺 GOOD LOSING by chaentics
⤷ rating + length: E, 28k
⤷ summary:
“Happy winner,” Rozanov says, kissing Shane’s hip. “How does it feel? Good, yes? Such a strong alpha.”
Despite the teasing lilt, a soft, rolling r in strong, Shane can tell that Rozanov is being sincere. He has never gotten the impression that Rozanov uses it as an insult with him—unlike every time he whips it out mid-game to taunt an opponent, or to provoke someone in an interview. Shane blinks down at him, and is reminded of what this is. Of why, in every way, they are implausible.
Rozanov adds, “What?”
“You just never call me that,” Shane says. His grip on Rozanov’s shoulder tightens.
⤷ notes + warnings:
MORE OF THE GOOD SHIT, and this time it's ALPHAxALPHA !!!! once again no notes it's all amazing and messy and perfect and I loved it.thank you for all you bring to the table omegaverse sandbox (also love this author so much!!!)
❤️🔥 TRUTH COVERED IN SECURITY by lisa6
⤷ rating + length: E, 3k
⤷ summary:
“Rozanov,” Hollander says again, meaner. Ilya’s heart flutters.
“Hi,” he purrs. Nastya lets out a sweet sound when he pulls back a little and Ilya kisses the shell of her ear, wondering if she’s too dazed from their fucking to question him making a phone call or if she just doesn’t care enough to ask. “You picked up fast. Missed me?”
[Or: Ilya is jealous and deals with it in a totally normal way — by calling Shane while he's having sex with someone else.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
(sex is between ilya/fmc but emotionally it's still hollanov) absolutely unhinged plot and I'm fucking here for it. ilya is That Bitch and shane just wants him so bad it's a little pathetic and idk every part of it is just really doing it for me. this author is phenomenal, I loved this fic and the next one too!!
❤️🔥 IT'S YOU by lisa6
⤷ rating + length: E, 2k
⤷ summary:
Shane should probably be worried about his brain’s inability to shut up about Ilya Rozanov.
[Or: Shane tries (and fails) to hook up with another man. He texts Ilya about it.]
⤷ notes + warnings:
a hollanov classic: shane hollander finding out that he is Ilya-sexual and unfortunately nothing else is going to do it for him. bonus ilya being thrilled by this information. plus SEXTING. what more could you literally want (and fantastic writing AGAIN)
❤️🔥 SKILLS CLINIC by thetimesinbetween
⤷ rating + length: E, 8k
⤷ summary:
Luca hadn’t been sure he would go through with the plan. He’d talked himself into it and out of it about fifty times.
But he's made it this far. He's sitting with Shane Hollander, just the two of them. Now all he needs to do it open his mouth and—
“Look,” Shane is saying, “if you wanted to talk through coming out, I th—”
“I can’t figure out anal sex,” Luca blurts.
⤷ notes + warnings:
I'm SO surprised we don't have more fics with the hollanov + haas dynamic, but also this one delivers it so fucking well it's in its own lane anyway. absolutely stellar so far and I adore the characterization and premise (and it's very clear about the the threesome being (hollanov) and (luca) if that matters to you). I am holding my breath waiting for the next part!!!!!!
❤️🔥 THE VOYEUR by dntat
⤷ rating + length: E, 6k
⤷ summary:
“I will not share,” Ilya continued conversationally, and at this, Shane and Hayden both turned to stare at him. “But, because I am a generous guy, I will let you watch.”
Or: During a visit to the cabin, Hayden learns that his crush on Shane isn't as secret as he thought.
⤷ notes + warnings:
this series has been getting its flowers lately too and rightfully so. something about it just fucking HITS. this isn't even my typical tags, pairing, anything. but the whole series (three works) is just soooo delicious. hayden having an obvious straight boy crush on shane hollander and ilya indulging in it and being a little shit while simultaneously hollanov get to live out their fantasy of showing off and being seen in an environment that's safe to do so. the characterization is perfect and makes so much sense, and the plot is brilliant. literally scalding hot. (another one that makes it clear that it's (hollanov) and (hayden), and no infidelity between hayden/jackie.
❤️🔥 LET'S MAKE A TEAM by a_good_soldier
⤷ rating + length: E, 4k
⤷ summary:
At the 2021 All-Star Games in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Ilya comes to Scott with a proposition.
⤷ notes + warnings:
ending on one that I just finished that literally had me biting my fist. not even metaphorically. I actually bit my fist. I'm not even particularly into the idea of scott/hollanov but like. fuck. this was crazy. I was going bonkers. hollanov are written just peak what I think someone else would think of them if they were in the room, and scott is written in a way that both makes sense with canon and also leaves room for exploration in a way that pays the fuck off over and over and over again. I was sweating. (this one IS very much a tried and true threesome though, if that's not your thing) (boy howdy was it mine though)
✨ ICYMI
⤷ rating + length: T+, 8k
⤷ summary:
In late 2012 when Shane has a meltdown and frantically tells them to call Lily, for the first time Yuna’s ever witnessed, Shane is coaxed out of one of them instead of just suffering through until the exhaustion wins out instead—and all by some mysterious, apparently very well attuned to Shane, 'Lily'.
She hadn’t meant to see the number before she’d pressed it and fumbled the phone up to Shane’s ear. It was simply a byproduct of the situation, something Shane had asked for her to do.
…Memorizing it and then texting that number to thank Lily for their help was not something she’d been asked to do. But she worries so much about Shane, and Lily is a reassurance. Not a pry for details but the simple, verifiable confirmation: he’s okay.
Lily, on the other hand, very much enjoys being able to make oddly specific 'your mother' jokes to Shane much more often now. (And maybe the whole familypiece of it, too.)
⤷ tags:
texting, yuna & ilya relationship, found family
✨ CONTINGENCY PLANS
⤷ rating + length: M, 8k
⤷ summary:
Shane's eyes squeeze closed again. “We had reason to put rules in place. Protocol. If ever—if it got to a place where, if he was ever feeling like he might—"
Hayden’s body understands before his mind catches up. His blood runs cold for a second, stuck on the scrunch of Shane’s face, the clench of his fist, how desperate he’d been to see Rozanov—Ilya—just now. To make sure that he was okay. Here, in person.
Not hurt. Alive.
“Oh,” Hayden hears himself say distantly. “Oh, fuck, Shane.”
[or, Ilya needs a place to go, and Hayden's happens to be the closest. It turns out to be a good thing.]
Ilya can’t be so separate from it all anymore, can’t get by on hotel room visits and brief phone calls when they’re in different time zones. It isn’t enough. Not anymore. Not when every iteration of the future they could have waiting for them one day had collapsed in on itself when Shane hit the ice.
Ty moya zhizn', his mother used to tell him. But it isn’t quite enough in this sense, Ilya decides. He looks at Shane, at Emi, and he thinks instead: Ty moya prodolzhenie.
Not just you are my life, but you are my future.
⤷ tags:
kidfic, trans!shane, post concussion, hurt/comfort
✨ COME TO ME SLOWLY
⤷ rating + length: M, 5k
⤷ summary:
He’s never been a full person so much as a set of predetermined, distinct, sanitized things dressed up in athletic wear, jerseys, suits and ties. Borders that he could operate within, could point to inside of his own head with a clear boundary in between: these things are Shane Hollander, these are not. It’s kept him focused. Grounded. They’re facts.
But this, despite its aching, sweet simplicity, doesn’t fit neatly anywhere. He doesn’t know what he wants to do with it, only that he isn’t quite ready to let go of it just yet.
The knock comes two minutes on the hour. Shane thinks of it again.
You look pretty.
He opens the door.
⤷ tags:
character instrospection, light feminization, kink exploration
✨ HOPE IS A HEARTACHE
⤷ rating + length: M, 3k
⤷ summary:
But the smoke clears and Hollander is gone and Ilya is alone again on this rooftop, and the cold is sobering, the tie at his neck too tight. Hollander knows fear too: No one is looking. You don’t know that.
And now he is somewhere downstairs again, with aged liquor in his stomach and Ilya’s smoke on his breath, alone but in a different way. This, too, is Ilya’s fault somehow—the rooftop, his absence, the cigarette. The way Hollander had come up here in search of something and left with less than even that.
Ilya looks down at his hands. He knows how to do more than just take, he thinks. He just has to remember.
He curses, jabs the flame out until it’s ash, and finds his way back inside.
⤷ tags:
canon divergence, the awards from ep01, protective ilya + drunk shane
✨ MATRYOSHKA
⤷ rating + length: T+, 2k
⤷ summary:
He is twelve and clutching at her shoulders again, sixteen and letting her hold ice against his cheek, twenty-one and sinking into her like an exhale, barely twenty-four when Svetlana looks over at him and thinks something’s different now. You look happy. You look like you could be happy.
Ilya is twenty-six in her kitchen and holding onto the love of his life, and Svetlana can breathe again without worrying that he will stop.
Shane’s steps for hockey success are clean cut, precise, and scientific, easy to give in a tidy, pre-packaged answer: a tried and true fitness plan, a macrobiotic diet and meal prep, yoga for relaxation, and a disciplined bedtime routine—yes, even on the weekends and the off-season.
And also celibacy. But that one he usually leaves out during interviews.
⤷ tags:
canon adjacent, shane's ocd, sex character study
✨ I'LL BE YOUR SLAUGHTERHOUSE, YOUR KILLING FLOOR
⤷ rating + length: M, 4k
⤷ summary:
No one can know.
Not about the act of grace that’d unraveled him, or how easy it’d been to be the lamb instead of the wolf, or about the persistence of a heart that pounds under steady gold, weighted down equally by duty and discernment.
And, most importantly, they cannot know about the one splayed underneath his palm that does not beat at all save for when Ilya’s blood revives it and causes it to skip and falter, like it’s trying to jump right out into his hands. Down his throat.
They cannot know that Ilya would carve out his own for him in return.
⤷ tags:
vampire shane x vampire hunter ilya, biting, blood drinking, non-linear, au
The miscommunication in Heated Rivalry is because they're living in different romance types to begin with:
Shane: In some sort of Austen-esque existence where hjs ill-advised flirtation with a notorious rake goes too far. Scandalised by the intimate use of first names he flees, concerned what society and his goodly parents will think, his reputation at stake. He tries to find a proper marriage prospect but alas his heart is lost to the rake! But he finally follows his heart and invites Ilya into his home too (and accepts first name usage!)
Ilya: Smoldering in mirrors and out of windows and getting emotionally wuthered screaming Shane's name on a moor. My man is byronically going through it gothic style
Scott Hunter is trying to live his best modern rom com life and is side-eyeing the fuck out of these two. No idea what's going on there and franly doesn't want to
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