A Friend of the Family by roadtripexpert - THEE jackie pike fic of my dreams. i read this and then i stared off into the middle distance getting emotional about women and how much i love women and their inner worlds.... has anyone else heard of women.....
ptb by cchapsticck - a really good stream of consciousness exploration of like... how race and autism interact with hockey's lack of bodily autonomy and how that plays out through violence and kink and sexuality, i guess. that makes it sound academic but it's really just what the inside of shane hollander's head is like to me.
the marble leaves the man by citrusses - ohhh ilya thinking how much he loves his beartrap his beartrap is so homey and cozy and it's proof somebody wants him, what a lucky boy he is he's never had a beartrap of his own before. his foot doesn't hurt at all stop asking about his foot.
skin still wet, still on my skin by IsvsWorld - I normally avoid genderchanged Heated Rivalry fic because I think it kind of strips the work of intended themes. this manages to expand on the themes. i cared about these characters as their own characters, not just shane-and-ilya-in-a-different-font.
with your fists for once by luminoussbeings - the intimacy of violence is the theme of the post i guess. i loved this take on ilya it felt really grimy and visceral and poetic
A Beginner's Guide to Light Weight Travel by noNic02 - did i mention i love women. SVETLANA!!!!! i loved her voice so much in this, sardonic and flighty and immature and fun and jagged and defensive and refusing to let anyone including the reader see her soft spots. and that ending. much to consider.....
HOLLANDER VS ROZANOV I by gone_girl - mein gott i really lost it at this one. like i fucking LOST it. i learned a lot about boxing, and beyond that, it just. oh my god. i felt like after i finished the movie atonement for the first time. like such a stunning aesthetically beautiful work of art that also made me feel like an empty old plastic bag.
Clean Sweep by YankingAwry - THEE ilya AU oh my god nobody has ever gotten it as much as this fic got it. i also absolutely fucking adore irina in this, she's such a whole presence. did i mention my feelings about WOMEN!!!
limerence by cloudsurfing - i haven't really delved into hanahaki before but i kinda gave it a go randomly and like oh my god. this was so good. i had so much fun. i mean it's upsetting but i had fun.
I'll Fuck You Forever, For Now by Anonymous - š¬š can you come off anon i just wanna talk
this year's wine by Anonymous - THE BEST TO EVER DO ITTTT like for real my fav heated rivalry fanfiction ever written. ilya's voice is amazing, the author's style is amazing, the ability to create these little bubbles of reality is so stunning, the world feels so inhabited and full of these random side characters that are so lived in.
I cannot stop thinking about what a fucking year Ilya had in 2014
Putin warns gay people not to spread propaganda during Sochi Olympics
Every Western media outlet wants a sound bite from Ilya, a Russian superstar whoās lived in the West for five years, regarding the gay propaganda laws
Ilya has to thread the needle of neither denouncing or promoting Russiaās stance
Ilya leads the National Hockey Team to a demoralising crash out
The prettiest man in the world makes the unbelievably stupid decision that now is a good time and place to talk to each other in public for the first time ever
He is upbraided by his Papa
Sveta completely misreads what he needs, and he canāt even be mad about it because at least sheās trying
The Bolotnaya Square protesters are convicted
Russia moves troops into Crimea
He keeps frantically googling pictures of Shane in the middle of the night
Russian opposition leaders are detained
G8 suspends Russian membership
Boston makes the playoffs
The Russian government enacts laws tightening control of dissemination of information, categorising bloggers alongside journalists
The Donetsk and Luhansk referenda, unrecognised by the international community
Boston wins the Stanley Cup
Has panic attack in a bathroom, is immediately accused of being an asshole for arriving on time
Successfully convinces himself heās capable of having sex with Shane without feelings, definitely doesnāt cry once heās alone
Super super fun happy times summer with his ailing father
MH17 shot down by Russian-made missile
Russia hits back at sanctions by banning food imports, sends food prices soaring
Oil prices crash, halving Russiaās national budget
Foreign ownership in Russia media is capped
Has Totally No Strings No Feelings secret sex with Shane, everything is Chill
Russian financial crisis hits, prices of food up 40 to 50%, some KHL teams canāt even pay their players
And all throughout this, every time he opens Facebook heās tagged in yet another hundred fucking ALS ice bucket challenges
I am really enjoying going through the tags on this post. I know a lot of you asked what constitutes "weird", or prefer the term "niche" but I did say "weirdest" for a reason, because that's for you to decide - of all the stuff you do, what do you think would classify as "weirdest"?
u know what i fucking love. is that it's so clear that many of us have important full time jobs. yet you can see us here on tumblr throughout the work day posting about the most unhinged shit possible. like we're really out here going to a meeting then coming back to tumblr like "shane drippy big dick bouncing on that thang" before running back to another meeting like Hi Linda yes I talked to the team earlier and we're ready to send the documents over. How was your weekend
This is an attempt to summarize/source some of the recent Tumblr discussion of The Vampire Marleau and Cliff Marleau (Marlow) as The Immortal Warrior
The first mention on Tumblr of Cliff Marleau being a vampire was a reply by cephalopodie on this post on February 20, 2026, but the concept was developed by cephalopodie and clytemnestraaa via Discord messages prior to being posted on Tumblr. Since then, the fandom has come up with a lot of variations on the concept. If you know if any major variations or any notable posts that you think should be included here, please let me know so I can add them! This list is kinda biased towards my posts/my friends posts because that's what I'm most familiar with but I'd like to expand it if you have suggestions.
Rather than laying out a timeline, I'm grouping this list by major concepts.
"Cliff Marlow was turned in 2006"
I made a few posts with lore for a version of The Vampire Cliff Marlow who was turned in 2006.
Feb 22: "The Vampire Cliff Marlow, b. 1973, was turned at age 33 in 2006."
Feb 23: "When Cliff Marlow was turned in 2006, the first Twilight book had been published...The Vampire Marleau would eventually watch the Twilight movies in secret..."
Feb 25: "...Marley can never truly be ensouled because he was turned into a vampire in 2006."
Ancient Marleau
Once the idea of Marleau as a very ancient warrior vampire was introduced, this became the prevailing headcanon.
Feb 25, from clytemnestraaa: the introduction of The Vampire Marleau as an ancient warrior
Feb 25, from clytemnestraaa: introduces Scott Hunter as a vampire slayer
Montreal: The Vampire Lestat crossover
Feb 24, an oddly prescient post from cuppydogshane: "and thats without considering the vampire marleau"
Feb 25, a teaser clip for the new season of Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat was released, revealing that Lestat is living in Montreal
Post from me and cuppydogshane: Marleau's reaction to Lestat living in Montreal
March 6-7, 2026
TVM posting kind of exploded in the evening of March 6/morning of march 7. There are genuinely too many posts to link them all here, so I'm trying to stick to the most load-bearing ones that are needed to understand other posts. All of the following posts are from March 6-7 except where otherwise noted.
Marly's Scary Mirror
The concept of Marleau having a cursed mirror is most strongly associated with more ancient variations of The Vampire Marleau, but the original idea came from a tag on a 2006!TVM post linked above.
Tag from iwrotemrtambourineman: "#his soul is trapped in the cursed mirror he does coke off of"
Post from iwrotemrtambourineman: "ilya: marly, i told you to put the scary mirror away! it freaks out the hoes!"
Mine, with tag from clytemnestraaa: "Marly making the rookies stare into the Scary Mirror" / "#everyone on the raiders knows exactly where and when they are going to die"
The Immortal Warrior
As far as I can tell, the first usage of the term The Immortal Warrior was in this poll from gayhockeyshow. While The Immortal Warrior exists primarily as an offshoot of The Vampire Marleau, it's worth noting that some people prefer to imagine him as a non-vampiric immortal. March 8th, post from cuppydogshane and urlocalhotmess
Post from clytemnestraaa: "marleau is always calling his hockey stick his sword"
Post from clytemnestraaa: "marleau nearly slew the beloved of his brethren in battle"
Post from cuppydogshane: "his idea. I don't mind it."
My post: crossover with Serial Killer Scott Hunter/The Borgias
Other notable memes
HrÅrekr/HrÅker
Post from clytemnestraaa: "ilya who looks identical to his original best warrior brother from another mother hrÅrekr who died of a sheep disease"
Twilight crossover
Post from clytemnestraaa, tags from cuppydogshane: "just realized the reason shane almost died when marleau hit him was the vampire strengthā¦"
March 8, post from nonlynear: where the hell you been, loca?
"What Is It You Desire"
This post from cuppydogshane is a reference to this tumblr post and this tweet.
A Month in the Atlantic
Post from marbertyphoon: "marleau was on a galleon that went down in a storm in the sixteenth century so he spent about a month swimming out of the atlantic ocean"
The Vampire Cult
Post from cuppydogshane and catalpa-waltz
Arthuriana/Jackie Le Fay
My post, with tag from clytemnestraaa: I believe this was the first TVM post referencing Arthuriana. Tags from cly introduce Morgan Le Fay ("a MILF") into the mix
As far as I can tell, Jackie as Morgan Le Fay started with this post from cuppydogshane.
Post from clytemnestraaa: "the witch is HEREā¦. as the prophecy foretoldā¦."
Post from graceebooks: "jackie le fay when she sees marleau: hey i heard you once spent a month swimming out of the atlantic ocean"
Crossover with Shane's Mysterious Powers
March 7 saw quite a lot of posts that referenced both The Vampire Marleau and Shane's Mysterious Powers. I think this one is the most notable.
Fandom Meta
March 7, from bedlund: XKCD 2501 with The Vampire Marleau, Serial Killer Scott hunter, and The Rick Owens
March 8, from dragonmuse: on "unhinged hiatus shenanigans"
An attempt to round up all the posts about the frog that lives in Shane Hollander's mouth.
(please note all post time stamps are in my local time, which is currently Newfoundland Daylight Time (UTC -02:30) so they probably wonāt line up with the time of posting either in the original posterās time zone or yours, dear Reader. They are just there to establish a timeline.)
Some users seem to have had prophetic foreknowledge of the phenomenon. They sensed Shaneās innate spiritual connection to frogness.Ā Ā
February 17:Ā Rowan @themoonandmyman : Commenting on the Assigned Shane of the Day: "Man, he does look like a contented cartoon frog."
March 6, 12:23pm: @lesbianlandry : Shane as Kermit the Frog
March 6, 4:20pm: J @smokingrozanov , Cup @shaneofaragon , and Nick @cuppydogshaneĀ : Tags discussions on this post about Hollanov and the Muppets
March 7: Best Shane Traits
March 11 (the day before): "Frog Hollander"
Nic @cardiacanes was the instigator and ringleader of the official #frogposting on March 12th because, as they explained, they saw a gif of Shane during the press conference and thought, āthat guy looks like he has a little frog in his mouth.ā (this explanation came on March 13th after Jake @kaijuerotica said that it seemed to have materialized out of nowhere).Ā
(**EDIT: Nic clarified, "nobody was asking me about the frog - i was making a bunch of jokes to the void and it just took off.")
March 13, 9:52pm: "asking around and discovering that the jokes about the frog in shane hollander's mouth seem to have appeared without warning from the ether. much like the frog living inside shane hollander's mouth"
March 13, 10:15pm: "it was me ā i saw a gif of shane during the ep1 press conference late last night and i thought. that guy looks like he has a little frog in his mouth. and amazingly everyone saw the vision"
The original post was a joke about Jacobās direction for when Hudson and Connor are kissing.Ā
March 12, 11:28pm: "jacob told hudson to act like there was a little frog hiding in his mouth at all times and then he told connor to go searching for it"
The #frogposting exploded from there. At first, the idea was that Hudson had a frog in his mouth for filming.Ā
March 12, 11:41pm: "some of you are asking who takes care of the frog in between takes and they hired someone for that specifically- you can tell every part of production was so carefully thought out"
However, it seems that the reason Hudson has a frog in his mouth during filming is because Shane himself actually has a frog in his mouth at all times.Ā
This idea captivated and delighted tumblr users, who eagerly took the concept and ran with it, collectively agreeing that the mouth frog is part of the expanded āThe Vampire Marleauā universe, and therefore is associated with Jackie Le Fay, Shaneās Mysterious Powers, Mouse Thrall Hayden, 2-day blinding stew, and, later on, Shoon (Loon Shane).Ā
March 12, 11:29pm: "shane āfrogā hollander"
March 12, 11:35pm: "shane really is the best player in the league and im tired of everyone pretending like he isnāt. heās literally holding a tiny frog in his mouth the whole time and do you realize how hard it is the do that and play homoerotic hockey at the same time?"
March 12, 11:43pm: "beautiful women are asking me about shane hollanders tiny frog"
March 12, 11:46pm (the first post that I could find about Shane's mouth frog by someone other than Nic): @graceebooks : when shane has to take the little frog out before they kiss he thinks ilya is going to make fun of the frog but he is cool about it
Discussion in the comments
March 12, 11:50pm: "i love rhe frog I accept the realness of the frog #frog"
March 12, 11:56pm: "when he even loves the little frog you carry in your mouth all the time"
March 12, 11:58pm: "Ilya likes both"
March 13, 12:11am: Question from Lily (probably) @probablily to Nic: "what is this shane frog thing bc I'm imagining him being piloted by a little frog like ratatouille"
March 13, 12:21am: "was the tiny frog sent by jackie to keep shane within the bounds of his cosmic destiny? well if she did sheās not owning up to it anytime soon"
March 13, 12:31am: "the frog gets caught on a hot mic and hockey twitter just decides shane is really good at impressions"
March 13, 12:39am: @cephalopodie (one of the co-founders of The Vampire Marleau universe) : "tom hollandās acting career threatened after mouth frog disappearance; claims he was served āblinding stewā while filming spiderman: home alone 2: lost in montreal"
March 13, 12:40am: "the bar for male hockey players is so low that rose saw the frog in shaneās mouth and thought well it could be worse"
Comments on that post
March 13, 1:59pm: "bf: so the frog lives in his mouth"
March 13, 3:13amĀ : "Mouse hayden tries to talk to shaneās frog mouth on account of them both being little creaturesā¢ļø but the frog refuses to give him the time of day. This is why hayden always tells jackie to keep ginger ale stocked in their house so he can get on itās good graces."
March 13, 10:19am: Amy @fresh-bag-of-ham : "shane just tells people he's on a macrobiotic diet because he got sick of the follow-up questions when he would tell them everything he eats has to be "frog-safe" "
March 13, 2:57am: "shanehollandersmouthfrog.com/careers"
March 13, 9:58am: Sydney @gayhockeyshowenjoyer : "fuck it. happy frog in his mouth friday."
March 13, 10:21am: "Every week I log on here to check out my other fandoms and itās nothing but shipping discourse and character hate. Then I log back onto Heated Rivalry tumblr and see a post like āthe Mouse Hayden and The Frog In Shaneās Mouth are in a problematic age gap relationshipā " and their self reblog with additional comments
(note: I could find no record of the age gap post they were referencing. I think perhaps this was a fictitious post that J made up as a humorous example for the purpose of their post, but which, by its very suggestion, became part of the mouthfrog lore. **EDIT: J has confirmed that I was right, "[it] was a joke about the jokeposting that occurs on this app.")
March 13, 10:53am: "ilya cramming his fingers into shane's mouth to pet the frog"
March 13, 12:01pmĀ : "shut up. i'm trying to say, i have a. thing. Ok"
Maria @shinywhatsoever ās reblog additions: "he is hot. we should let him listen like mating call."
March 13, 12:09pm: "ilya yelling to check on the frog when they are taking shane away on the stretcher and shane like ātell him the frogs okā¦ā¦ā¦ā"
March 13, 12:26pm: Laur @fuckrozanov (of Assigned Shane of the Day fame): "the real reason it took shane 2 years to let ilya hit"
Laurās reblog with a screenshot of a comment from @facelessoldgargoyle : "Omgā¦ the frog was in Shaneās ear calling him homophobic slursā¦"
March 13, 12:34pm: Emily @urie : "shane's mouth frog also wears the wifi repelling amulet"
March 13, 12:54pm: @alexei-rozanov-official : *shane gets up on it and starts hoppin on it*
March 13, 3:39pm: "Immortal trickster Demi-god Wyatt Hayes conspiring to switch out the humble western chorus frog in Shaneās mouth with the hallucinogenic Colorado river toad he acquired from Jackie Le Fay through subterfuge"
March 13, 5:29pm: "heard there's a frog living in shane hollander's mouth now"
March 13, 6:24pm: "tfw youve been offline for longer than 2 hours and now youve missed crucial lore"
March 13, 6:38pm: "AFAB shane. assigned frog at birth"
March 13, 6:47pm: "I love tumblr because you can read the most thought provoking, in-depth character analysis that belongs in a peer reviewed academic journal and then you scroll down to find out that Shane has a frog in his mouth now. It lives there."
NOTE: this is the point in the posting timeline when the above-referenced exchange between Jake @kaijuerotica and Nic @cardiacanes takes place wherein Nic explains the origin of the idea
March 14, 1:16am: @crowofjudgment : "does shane take out his mouth frog at night like a reverse retainer or does he stay there all night? i like to think he has a terrarium with a little pool in his bedroom at all his houses and a also travel one for away games"
March 14, 3:13pm: Grace @brightloveee : "why canāt someone come search for the frog in MY mouth? is that really too much to ask???"
March 13, 9:08pm: "realizing shane was in an unlikely animals becoming friends youtube rabbit hole to cope with the homophobic frog that materialized in his mouthā¦ā¦..really puts things in perspective"
March 13, 10:06pm: Anon to Laur: "Does your last post imply the frog materialized in shaneās mouth after the first bj? If so I have questions."
March 15, 3:02pm: "Shane, sat on the bed, reserved and sighing with a deep sadness: I feel like youāre only with me for my frog"
March 15, 7:40pm: Al @hollandersbutch : "how it feels to be the frog in shane's mouth"
March 15, 8:38pm: "frog that lives in shane's mouth moodboard"
March 15, 8:51pm: "Don't talk to me or my mouth frog ever again"
March 15, 10:37pm: Logan @xbitter-blossomx : "So does Shane have his time travel powers because of the frog, or is that its own thing?"
March 16, 1:20am: @error404-redacted ās message to Rowan: "the frog exclusively wears air jordans"
March 16, 10:33pm: "The puppet in Ilyaās pants is in love with Shaneās mouth frog. Itās unrequited" (in reference to his comment on this gifset)
March 17, 8:29pm: Anon to Rowan: "I wouldn't say the mouth frog and pants puppet's love is unrequited given the amount of bulge mouthing that takes place in the canon of the show. I think those two are intimately familiar."
March 17, 9:33pm: "getting isekaied into the HRverse but i'm shane hollander's frog"
March 17, 10:59pm: "not to mention Shaneās mouth frog and Harrisā fungal omnipresence"
March 19, 8:23pm: Anon to Nic: "how many frogs yu fittin in your mouth and would you let ilya pet them"
March 20, 3:02pmĀ : #you can see the frog in that first gif
NOTE: At this point in the timeline, a new phenomenon developed, which was āShane turned into a Loonā, or āShoon.ā (Thatās another masterlist to follow, hopefully soon).
March 22, 4:17am: "if shane is a loon now then who is holding the frog"
March 22, 4:35am: "shane when he turns back into a human and realizes the frog is gone and his mouth tastes like swamp water and iron"
March 22, 4:38am: "Ilya just tell me. Its okay just fuckign tell me. Tell me where he is. Tell me what happened to my mouth frog"
March 22, 4:48am: "Son Of Mouth Frog"
March 22, 11:30pm: Rowanās comment on Ari @ottawa--centaurs ās post, āi'm gonna go to sleep now i hope ilya won't have been hit with a shrink ray or whatever when i wake upā
March 23, 5:51pm: @minahxrker : "The signs as hr tumblr Phenomena"
March 25, 6:14pm: yours truly : "Starbucks has Shane's mouth frog cake pops"
so as long as tumblr keeps this, here's the tumblr version of etiquette that was maintained when twitter's quote-retweets affected artist visibility/notes:
for art that someone has added reblog commentary to (or removed the caption from), reblog from the source
otherwise, avoid adding reblog comments to art (as this will affect the artist's notes/visibility)āutilize tags and replies to provide commentary (which artists will absolutely appreciate)
reblog comments are comments added to the body of a post, not the tags and not replies.
I've been reading Heated Rivalry fics since December and I thought today was a good day to look through my bookmarks and recommend some of the best One-shots I've read in this Fandom.
Below are 16 recommendations to honestly incredible fics, some of them are really popular and you might already know them but we have over 20K fics in this tag (insane) so I think this list might still be useful for someone.
(Some of these might fit in more than one category, but I choose the one that I belive better represented the fic)
ā Character study
Compatible by jewelledfoxes
Explicit / 18K / One-shot
Ilyaās blood has always run hotter than Shane's.
Or: Yay Hollanov free use! Everybody cheered!
(It's about sex but it's also about their relationship and I have read it several times totally recommend it)
The Performer by toxotes
Explicit / 14K / One-shot
Sometimes they're curled up on the bed together afterwards and Shane runs his hands up and down llya's body, rhythmic and smooth, touching just to touch. Ilya stunning in the literal sense of the word: Shane is paralyzed by him, struck dumb. Desire may never be a problem here, but understanding is: Ilya feels distant and incomprehensible to Shane.
A cross-section of Shane Hollander's sex life
(It deals with a lot of complicated feeling about sex and attraction and Shane growing up and accepting himself)
Us until You by chaentics
Mature / 10K / One-shot
you, plural.
or: Svetlana has Ilya, and then she does not.
(Svetlana POV on ilya during the whole hollanov situationship)
My 30-Days of Anon HR Freak Shit by Anonymous
Not a One-shot but a series of One-shots (kinda)
(It's really filthy but has really good writing and there's delightful character studies in most of the fics)
ā AUs that explore Shane and Ilya's relationship with a slight twist (might include magic)
don't leave me this way by frenchleaves
Mature / 36K / One-shot
ilya gets hit on the head during the emergency landing in Tampa and thus begins his week-long stint as a ghost. whatever bad thing that can happen, the proceeds to do so. it's definitely not fun for ilya, and definitely not fun for shane either.
(It's a lovely read and the summary explains it pretty well, you should read this)
for the bible tells me so by vividblossom (dirtymudblood)
Explicit / 17K / One-shot
Shane Hollander struggles to reconcile his faith with his undeniable attraction to a man.
Or a case study in Lust.
(Shane featuring Religious Guilt because why not?)
ā Time travel (yes it has its own category)
fall in love again and again by Ehlihr (ehlihr)
Mature / 24K / One-shot (kinda)
Chapter 1: Shane wakes up on the same Tuesday over and over again after leaving Rozanov in a rush. Tuesday is his second least favourite day of the week, so he's not really happy about it.
Chapter 2: Ilya notices Shane acts strangely. He just never remembers
(Not a fan of the groundhog day trope but this fic made me reconsider that)
circle back season by Anonymous
Teen / 9K / One-shot
At the cottage, Shane and llya 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.
(The time traveler's wife AU basically)
nothing's ever the way that i remember it (i don't want a violent end) by queenofseventeen
Mature / 31K / One-shot
Quietly, in a voice that couldn't disguise his pain, Ilya said, "I already chose you, Hollander." Then so silently that it was barely different from breathing. "Sometimes I wish I hadn't.
(a.k.a llya expresses regret about choosing Shane and Shane gets sent back in time to fix it only in this universe Ilya never came onto him at all.)
(Shane time travels and decides to choose ilya in a different universe)
ā Hollanov getting outed in different ways
for richer or poorer by lowkey_existential_despair
Explicit / 14K / One-shot
There was a twitter post. A video. The caption said #pissgate. The video started playing automatically, and Ilya saw the nondescript white tile of the Metros locker room, and then the camera peered around a corner, and there he was. There Shane was. It played just long enough for llya to hear himself-say it-and Shane- piss on me. please-before his phone fell from his nerveless fingers and shattered on the concrete.
(I was put off by the watersport tag for a long time until I finally read it and all I have to say it that it deserves to be read even if you aren't into that)
me and my wild boy, and all of this wild joy by colacatenjoyer
Not rated / 4K / One-shot
All in all, it could have been worse.
It's not like you can measure the full length of Shane's dick, or see the exact moment that llya swallows down the mess of spit and his own cum from Shane's mouth after he sucked the life out of him.
It's just, well, everything else.
(A video gets leaked and they deal with the aftermath)
ā Cute and hilarious and kinda weird (in a good way)
a load of lies by badmetaphors
Gen / 5K / One-shot
BREAKING: Local man gets pavlov'd by the KonMari method, more at 11.
(Featuring Centaurs and Ilya's laundry kink)
Baby By Me by Anonymous
Teen / 7K / One-shot
In which a single misunderstanding spirals into becoming the MHL's greatest secret: Shane Hollander is pregnant.
(Exactly as described in the summary, hockey boys are incredibly stupid in this and it's hilarious)
Teenage Dirtbag by Nullevoy
Teen / 5K / One-shot (but it's part of a series)
Clips and photos of llya's teenage years in Russia get leaked
(Teenage ilya is a menace that wears tracksuits everywhere)
Impacto by ilyacruzeirense
Mature / 16K / One-shot
When Canada's hockey star, Shane Hollander, is your twin brother, it's expected that llya Rozanov becomes part of your life; just not in the way that the public may think.
Or, 5 times that Hudson, Shane's twin, notices something more than a rivalry was happening + 1 one time Ilya finds out that Shane has a brother
(Super weird concept but absolutely fantastic fic 100% would recommend)
Dinner Tonight? by FriPie
Explicit / 15K / One-shot
There was nothing standard about Shane and Ilya's relationship, so it really shouldn't have been so surprising that they had their first date over a decade after meeting each other.
It also shouldn't be surprising that it took roughly five minutes before it turned into a competition.
(It's just them having a first date after everything, so it's really cute)
The Heated Rivalry ao3 tag is Scary and Big and too much to keep up with, so at the moment I am finding new fics entirely by word of mouth, either through rec lists or author bookmarks. Now I want to spread the love a little myself because I keep finding these gorgeous gorgeous fics with way fewer hits than I would have expected. So here's my "hidden gem" (<20k-ish hits[HR stats are INSANE]/not often recced) heated rivalry fic rec list.
Fair warning, I'm an angsty character study girl, so most of these fics are less than lighthearted. That said, consider these fic recs to also be author recs, and thankfully most authors are doing more than just angst (at a minimum it's angst and porn lol).
Canon a little (or a lot) to the left
holy matrimony - lowkey_existential_despair
shane/ilya, 31k, E, complete
It's 2021 and Scott Hunter is getting married. Shane and Ilya attend the wedding (separately) and have Feelings about it. It's 2017 and Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov get married in secret. Literally no one knows they're gay, and it stays that way for years.
In my heart this is what happens in the alternate universe where David never walks in on them at the cottage, the characterization is top notch. Absolutely devastatingly sad, but also so so lovely, because they had each other all these years even when they didn't have anyone else. Just so gorgeously written and absolutely worth the read.
Game Day - Anon
shane/ilya, 30k, E, complete, cw: graphic deaths
Ilya dies during game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. Except no he doesn't, because Shane wakes up in bed next to him the next morning. But it's still game day? And maybe Shane's not the only one stuck in the time loop.
Sounds awful and angsty, and it kind of is, but it's actually mostly dumb and camp and super fun. Trust me on this. (Heed the tags though because Ilya does still die a gruesome death everyday)
The Hottest Cold War - Vee(Vera_DragonMuse) [@dragonmuse]
scott/ilya (and also canon pairings), 75k, E, WIP
Scott accidentally hooks up with rookie Ilya Rozanov. And then he hooks up with him not-so-accidentally. And maybe it's good if they both have someone in their corners.
this goes on the hear me out cake. It's Scott POV but STAY WITH ME because the regular game changer and heated rivalry plots are happening too, Scott and Ilya are just hooking up on the side and itās good. I swear itās so good. Everything this author writes has such excellent characterization (go read all their HR fics, they're all so good) and it's very worth the read.
We Both Go Down Together - NotALonelyTraveler
shane/ilya, 34k, E, WIP
hanahaki disease AU
this is the fic that converted me to being a hanahaki fan. If any couple is gonna truly make sense for hanahaki it would be Shane and Ilya. However, it was the really lovely flower imagery that sealed the deal more than anything.
death and taxes (and shane hollander) - fingersfallingupwards [@fingersfallingupwards]
shane/ilya, 67k, E, WIP
Second chance romance with widower, single father, and hockey coach Ilya x deputy MLH commissioner Shane. Late-40s Hollanov where they reconnect and simultaneously communicate far better than and just as badly as the first time around.
Shane and Ilya feel like real adults here and it's glorious. Also does not fall into the second-chance romance trap where one person is So Very in the wrong and they should not be getting back together. This fic understands that adulthood is full of impossible choices, but also second chances.
anybody like you - plonk
shane/ilya, 29k, NR, WIP
figure skater Ilya Rozanov and new main character "my buddy Joe" are at the Sochi Olympics. And maybe Joe and Shane were a little gay once upon a time, and now Joe is sussing out whether Shane is actually gay or not. And maybe Shane is into Ilya, who's to say?
Love exploring Shane and his relationship with sexuality when Ilya's not around to be his gay awakening. In this one Shane thinks he just needs a girl who's into pegging him lol. The vibes are very "wow, I finally fit in with a group of people, life is great!" and the group of people are all queer and Shane just Does Not clock it. Very fun.
smoke on skin - ivylines
shane/ilya, 23k, T, WIP
Rose Landry accidentally runs into Ilya after a game while trying to surprise her boyfriend Shane and things start to click, maybe. Also a Rose character study (hence the proximity to the character study section)
Really deep dives into the Jennifer Lawrence/young female actress of it all. Like, yes Rose gets along with Shane because she's so famous, but in a lot of ways she's had the same specific struggles as Shane (intense public scrutiny, insane pressure to perform, 'role model' status to uphold, etc. and all from SUCH a young age because she was a child actress). Like, the trauma of being a child actress vs. the trauma of being a pro sports player - you never had a normal childhood and then becoming an adult flips the world on its head. Ugh, it's just delightful.
Character Studies
Shane and/or Ilya
the weather of your youth - Anon (same as above)
shane/ilya, 14k, E, complete, cw: suicidal ideation
Ilya Ottawa depression redux, except this time I actually believe it (sorry, RR, your depressed Ilya was rather unconvincing)
do take care with this one, but so well done wrt Ilya's depression. This version of events just makes so much more sense to me than canon. This author does excellent work in the sad fic department (the cockroach of your heart is too popular for this list, but I loved it, even if it's technically MCD, kind of)
Not a Strip of Paper Merely - Marvian [@mprosperossprite]
shane/ilya, 18k, E, WIP
Milan Olympics, 2026. Shane competes for Canada and Ilya doesn't compete at all. Competing is complicated when Russia is Russia and Canada isn't home, not like that.
international geopolitics! pandemics! the real world! Fascinating dive into Ilya's relationship with Russia and citizenship/international competition. Also there's some sex about it, but it's mostly really good angst and emotion.
Shine a Light in the Morning - thegoodthebadandthenerdy [@cauldronoflove]
gen, 14k, T, complete
Ilya's niece turns 18, decides to move to Canada, and reaches out to her uncle
complicated family dynamics and Feelings, what's not to love? You can feel the tension here, the years and years of distance + messed up family are so well conveyed. Not lovey-dovey, and it Shouldn't Be. Love this version of Ilya's niece.
Til They Retire Your Number - technicallyverycowboy [@technicallyverycowboy]
shane/ilya, 17k, E, complete
Ilya decides to retire. Shane is very normal about it.
sad and bittersweet and grappling with losing your Purpose. Because this is so obviously a problem for Shane. That man literally cannot think of anything in life past hockey, and yet retirement is an inevitability. Delicious to explore.
[the obvious companion to this fic (w/in the bounds of 'underappreciated') is here we are and what the hell are we going to do with it - walkingthroughwindows]
Other Characters (mostly parents)
we said we'd only die of lonely secrets - be_themoon
shane/ilya, 3.7k, T, complete
Svetlana character study/outsider POV of Ilya through the years.
lovely, lovely, lovely. Captures my ideal version of the Svetlana and Ilya relationship. Also has a criminally low hit count.
P.S. if you read and enjoyed my Svetlana fic this is the 'omg two cakes!' moment you've been waiting for.
i showed you the way, even though i'd never been - floodlights [@keenry]
gen, 4.8k, T, complete
You didnāt have to be a genius. Or gay. It helped, probably, that Scott was, but they were just so fucking obvious about it.
Scott outsider POV/character study. So good that I read this from a rec list and went to bookmark it, only to realize I already had a bookmark!
[Other Scott POVs:
Scotty Didn't Know (but he sure does now) - halfbaked_ziti
I've Been Down Here Before (I Know The Way Out) - HollowIsTheWorld]
And a Sense of Guilt I Can't Deny - jewelledfoxes [@jewelledfoxes]
david/yuna, 9k, M, complete
Yuna character study. Also hits on one of my fave themes: reckoning with who you meant to raise your child to be vs. who they actually became
I'm a Yuna lover and defender to my core. She was not the perfect mom (no one is, this is an insane bar to hit) but she tried! and is trying! This fic in particular does such a good job exploring the complexity of where she's at.
[Other Yuna fics in a similar vein:
Wunderkind - a_good_soldier [@agoodsoldier]
the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose - alchemystique [@alchemistc],
ribs - hoko_onchi]
tu peux sauter loin de la peur - Revenant
shane/ilya, 6k, T, complete
David goes to Shane's cottage to get his phone charger. Or maybe, it's really not about the phone charger.
David character study! I just find all the parent character studies to be delicious, and there really isn't a lot of David, which is too bad because I think there are some really interesting bits to dig into.
Of the Rose - cy_pres
gen, 4.5k, NR, complete
Irina tries to keep the pieces of her family together, even as she feels herself slowly fall apart.
Need I say more? (pre-suicide, not graphic)
Misc
summer has come and passed - littlearrows [@montrealmetros]
gen, 12k, T, complete
Yuna dies and Shane grieves
idk what to say about this one. It's really really good, but also, you know, Yuna dies.
predator instinct - elumish
scott/kip, 1.8k, T, complete
Shane's allyship includes the power of confidence and a pre-drafted takedown. Kip has no clue what just happened.
Would this be canon Shane pre-coming out? I don't think so, but it exists in a world where Shane is like, 20% less scared of being outed, so it's basically canon to me.
About Summer - Chaentics [@rozzed]
shane/ilya, 7.4k, M, complete
Ilya comes back. This is the crux of it.
From the AN: "i have chosen not to use archive warnings. it does not mean none apply." Very sad (are we surprised?) but also so so beautiful. Very Julia Armfield vibes - please take this as the warning/glowing endorsement it is lol.
Rolling my sleeves to shout out some of my favourite Heated Rivalry fics. I have a type and the type is digging deep and biting into the character study of it all.
Dig Two Graves by devovitsuasartes - M | 28k
I could write a thesis on why I love this fic. Sometimes I think the fandom forgets that Shane is an athlete who is at the top of the league and for that he needs to be ruthless and calculative. Nailed the characterisation and Shane POV. (Warning: graphic scenes)
i donāt smoke (except for when iām missing you) by easilycherished/@easilycherished - T | 2k
Was smoking while reading this and got a 4D experience. Poetry.
the awful english language by nomadsland - T | 1.7k
I have the softest spots for Immigrant Ilya and dealing with languages.
weāre strangers, weāre not friends by isozyme/ @isozyme - T | 5.3k
Rookie Ilya. Heās such a teenager and the author has got the bratty voice of those early years down to a T.
Luchik, Darling by chaentics/@rozzed - E | 18.7k
I wanted to press so many lines from this fic into a book like flowers. Gorgeous writing that explores the changing landscapes of what home means.
fall in love again and again by Ehlihr (ehlihr) - M | 24.6k
Timeloop fic. At some point you want to bang Shane's head and shake him by the shoulders. He Goes Through It TM.
truth covered in security by lisa6 - E | 3.6k
Messy and chaotic. Jealous fuckboy Ilya for the win.
you know this moment, donāt you? (time is strangely calm now) by barnes_romzanov - M | 15.4 k
Sometimes I like putting my heart through a cheese grater for the kick of it. (Warning: Note the tags, implied suicide)
four steps to death by a_good_soldier/@agoodsoldier - T | 5.5k
Gut-punching vignette into what it looks like to mourn someone and the life you lived.
Malysh by theribbonsweregreen/@aslongasitsblack - M | 5.7k
I am all aboard the Hollanov would not have kids train and by god does the author hit the mark on Shane being so not okay with hypothetical babies.
Glint by theribbonsweregreen/@aslongasitsblack - E | 2.7k
By the same author as above. Light is a character of its own and it's beautiful. It felt like I was suspended in time.
it's worse to be nothing by destielpasta/@ilyapasta - T | 4k
Set after Ep 5 confession. It's laced with melancholy, nostalgia and warmth and it is a sweet exploration of the uncertain.
I am the private room by Anonymous - E | 9.3k
I need everyone to walk with me here. Yuna/Svetlana is now my jam. I will honestly read whatever this author writes, but this deserves a very special mention.
Real love makes your lungs black by Anonymous - E | 16.6k
My bookmark notes say 'Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov and cigarettes - A Threesome' - And yeah that tracks.
Us until You by chaentics/ @rozzed - M | 10.4k
Svetlana character study that is just so so tangible and how the relationship between Ilya and her changes over the years.
Til They Retire Your Number by technicallyverycowboy/@technicallyverycowboy - E | 17k
Retirement fic. Put Shane in a torment nexus of rethinking what Hockey means to him and I'm on cloud 9. (Spoiler?: The inevitability of the conversation in chapter 4 is some of the most impactful writing I've read.)
how do you feel? by exogenesissymph/@iknowofthestarsandsea - T | 10.7k
This is the first character study fic that I read in this fandom which made me crave more. It is amazing and I loved living in Shane's head and watching him navigate life through interviews and the press. Excellent Shane POV. I want to eat this fic.
Don't forget to give the authors all your kudos and comments and firstborn kittens! <3
this is my second time "asking" which clearly tells you just how much I love the twins au. i just read your post about shane being insecure about hudson being the charismatic one and the well liked one between the two. and holy shit. I get that so much. them being 12 and shane not having any friends because he is busy reading all the hockey books he can get his hands on and hudson being constantly surrounded by people. kids bullying shane for being the "weird one" or the quiet one or just being himself. hudson will see this and will try to include him with his friends but it will not go well the first few times. his friends will make rude jokes and hudson will drop them faster than they can say sorry. but shane doesn't know this part. he only hears them and vows to never hang out with hudson's friends again, no matter how much yuna tries to encourage him. fast forward to him being Shane Hollander, getting stopped on the streets, in the grocery stores, and at airports. he never knows if he is supposed to be Shane Hollander- the hockey player or shane-the boy who grew up with no friends until he meets Hayden and finds out that he can be both. hudson will absolutely love Hayden. will probably also give him the shovel talk tbh and that will make Hayden feel even more protective of shane.
sometimes I feel like I infantalize shane a lot. he is a grown man, a hockey player who can probably crush my head in his arms but at the same time I just want to put him in my pocket and protect forever. especially in this au because I can PROJECT all my little sister with but also without a sibling feelings. I read in your tags, I think, something about how siblings are supposed to your people, cosmically. and then I thought about my relationship with my sister and had a heartache so severe I had to put my phone down. love it for shane and hudson tho.
sorry if this got sad and/or out of hand.
Anon I'm so glad people love this au so much, I genuinely thought I was writing it for myself.
And YESSS everything you said ššššš I think when they were younger, Shane might have been Hudson's best friend, but Hudson was Shane's ONLY friend, ya know? Like, he'd eventually have his hockey buddies, but they were always just that - "his hockey friends". And when he was younger he was so talented a lot of the kids his age would be too jealous to want to hang out and then when he gets bumped up to play with guys he can actually compete with, they're kinda too old to really get close to him, ya know? And then of course the super stardom of it all,,, SHANEEEEE I LOVE YOUUUU I LOVE HOW YOU WERE ISOLATED BY YOUR TALENT AND YOUR NEUROTICISM, I LOVE HOW YOU HAD TO LEARN THE RULES OF SOCIAL INTERACTION, I LOVE HOW IT NEVER CAME EASY TO YOU SHANE I LOVE YOUUU.
(And you wanna know a secret? Hudson also didn't have a lot of close friends. And he still doesn't!! He's that guy who's everyone's best friend, ya know? Because he's charismatic and charming and fun and the life of the party and he's in a hundred different social circles, it seems like he has a very rich social life but in truth, Hudson's friendships are spread wide but they're shallow. And maybe Hudson kinda sorta likes that him and Shane are the only two people who really Get each other, ya know? Maybe Hudson is fine with not having close friends so long as he has Shane. Maybe this is gonna become a problem when Shane meets Ilya and suddenly there's someone else who knows Shane deeply,,, hmmm)
Brilliant addition made by @jovialtheoristzombie in the comments:
Also!!! Just wanted to add my 2 cents as the formerly socially awkward twin who was pulled into all my twin sisterās friend groups in school, this dynamic does this thing where you kinda know sometimes people are friendly to you cuz of your sister and not cuz of they are interested in *you you, and also this can make the first time you enter a social setting without your twin really scary (ex. for me it was orchestra sleepover summer camp) but really necessary for exercising your social skills and spreading your wings. Kinda interesting to think about hockey as this social setting was the first time/place where Shane had to fly and get his own footing without his brother being there as a social in, which would have been extremely anxiety-inducing but helped him practice his own social skills and where he would realize thereās this other thing people can be interested in him for other than being Hudsonās brother - hockey
And once again, Hudson, the supposedly well-adjusted twin, is like ",,,Okay but why tho. Why do you need to explore a social setting without me. Why do you need to exist independently from me at all. What about our codependency Shane you love our codependency I thought you loved it"
As the aforementioned social twin of @jovialtheoristzombie, I wanna add my own spin to this delicious twins au.
I imagine Hudson as a parentified child who grew up quickly to protect his neurodivergent twin from various social situations growing up. The thing about parentified siblings of disabled children is that they learn to never quite lower their walls down.
When you are parentified, you have to quickly switch on your different personas from school, to home, to friends. From a too early age, you become both the child, the parent, the teacher, and social worker all at once. No child is good at playing adult roles. So you get good at compartmentalizing.
Early on, I think Hudson would have felt a twinge of resentment every time he had to āguideā or āprotectā his brother. But, I imagine that that resentment immediately melted away because Shane wears his heart on his sleeve so much and itās clear that heās not doing this on purpose.
(This is also why Hollanov getting together disorients Hudson more than he thought it would. Suddenly, itās not Shane and Hudson against the world. Shane is now on the other side of those walls, but Hudson is alone).
Anyways, sorry to make this sad and angstyš. Your twins au have burrowed its way into my brain.
