Boosting the signal for this Heated Rivalry Troy/Harris dedicated event.
Even if you can't participate or don't create art or fics please help boost the signal for this new event.
"The Back of Pride Night", Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter [Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Francois Arnaud] from Heated Rivalry, the bonus rear cover from the [REDACTED] zine
Mar 2026
I messed up a few things with this one, mostly because it was going to have a big title text over the top of it. Shane and Scott's hands on Ilya's back look horrible (again, they weren't actually meant to be visible), and while I'm tempted to go in and change it, I'm not going to because hey, guess what? People make mistakes too. The little rainbow bit was a colour swatch from another part of the image, and I messed up the layers when I was overlaying it. If you know how hard it is to differentiate between 700+ colour layers, you'll understand my plight right now.
(Also, the first time I did this, I spelled both "Rozanov" and "Hollander" wrong and had to argue with my own brain even after I fixed it because I'd stared at it for so long they'd ceased to be words)
Please do not repost my work to other sites without permission
"Pride Night", Shane Hollander, Ilya Rozanov, Scott Hunter [Hudson Williams, Connor Storrie, Francois Arnaud] from Heated Rivalry, the original cover from the [REDACTED] zine
Mar 2026
This is a several layer work. First, I found three blank jersey templates and redesigned the Metros/Raiders/Admirals jerseys into a pride format. I then found a reference pic of three men standing next to each other wearing jerseys. I used inkscape to photoshop the jerseys onto the reference pic, and then photoshopped Hudson, Connor, and Francois's faces into place.
I then ran it through my process of playing with vectorising/lighting/overlaying watercolour textures and stock images, isolating the lines, drawing in more lines (don't look too closely at their numbers or their feet because I almost messed them up a few times). I blurred the letters because it's meant to look like a painting, I removed the lines from the Raiders icon because it was too busy, and then overlaid everything.
Believe it or not, the reflection on the ice was the hardest part of this. And if you still fucking think this is AI, just go ahead and block me already because I'm over trying to prove myself to everyone.
Please do not repost my work to other sites without permission
So Ilya is helping Shane pack up his house in Montreal that summer, that fucking whirlwind summer after they are outed and after their lives end and restart like a fucking heart attack victim being resuscitated and after Ilya finds himself standing in his own backyard and realizing he has a family again, has a husband and parents and brothers. A fucking embarrassment of riches, actually, when the worse parts of his brain can be convinced to look at it straight on.
He's helping Shane, right, because Shane is engaging in the herculean task of cleaning the last decade out of his Montreal condo. So that he can put it on the market, yes, but also so that he can move every single crumb of his life, the one he lived separate from Ilya, into Ilya's house because they are married now--they are a family now--they are starting their lives together in the place where Shane came into the world and it's--
It's been a hard day. Ilya has been doing a lot of lifting and moving, a lot of going up and down stairs. Also a lot of remembering. Here is the couch, which is coming with them to Ottawa but won't ever again be in this exact position where the sun hits it in just this way at three o'clock in the afternoon, and Ilya knows that because he's seen the angle of it on Shane's forehead a million times. Here are the stairs to the lofted second floor, the glass divider against which a younger Ilya Rozanov pressed a younger Shane Hollander and pretended that the words I Love You weren't trying to burst out of his mouth with every feverish kiss. They slid against the divider as they'd clumsily stumbled up the stairs and Shane's bare skin had squeaked against the glass and they'd laughed.
And here is the kitchen, first place aside from the cottage where they'd cooked together. And here is the front closet, where Shane had hidden Ilya's birthday present three years ago only to have it fall on Ilya's head some time in April. And here is the bedroom, where on a night many Octobers ago Shane had looked at Ilya from across the room with a smirk and said No you come here and then he'd let Ilya--
It's been an emotional day.
"Okay," Shane said, standing in the middle of the bedroom with his arms akimbo and his eyes wet. They've been wet off and on for hours now. Ilya has been carting a box of tissues around for the last little while, mostly for himself as he keeps looking up and realizing that his cheeks are wet. His eyelids feel like sandpaper. Shane, as usual, doesn't have wet cheeks--but his voice is soft and nasally, shuddery at times, words slurring very gently on certain syllables. He's saying a lot of okays and yeses in Ilya's accent, which Ilya doesn't even know if Shane realizes he does when words are hard for him to produce and he needs to reach for the comfort of some familiar, easy verbal stim. Ilya has never pointed it out for fear he'll stop.
"Okay," Shane says again, in his fake Russian accent. "Um. Last room tonight, I guess. I'll do the closet. Will you--baby?"
"Huh?" Ilya realizes a moment too late that he's just staring at the empty, made bed. Tonight will be the last night they sleep in it together. There are already enough beds in Ilya's house. Their house. "What?"
Shane pokes his own cheek. "You're...crying again."
Ilya points to the bed. "I fucked you there, Shane Hollander."
"Yeah, you did." Shane looks at the bed, grins, and then wobbles.
"The first time."
"Fuck," Shane sighs. "Jesus Christ. Okay." He closes his eyes and breaths and waves his hands in front of himself and for a minute, he is utterly possessed by Yuna Hollander. "Okay, enough."
Ilya flaps his arms once, briefly, hard at his sides. Shane echoes the movement.
"We're good," Shane says firmly. "Can you go through the nightstands? Just throw it all into a box, we'll look through it in Ottawa. At this point I just want everything empty for the movers in the morning."
Ilya goes into the hall, where a stack of folded boxes and a roll of tape are ready for the last push of the day. He puts one together, which is something he'll probably dream about tonight with how many times he's done it today, and then he puts together a few more before carting them all back into the bedroom. He stacks them against the wall outside the closet, where Shane is rummaging, and takes one to the bedside.
The nightstands have two drawers each, and a compartment directly below the table top that is intended to house books or remotes, things that a person might want easy access to but might not want to leave on the table top if they are, for instance, a Shane Hollander type who doesn't like to let people know he does human things like watch television in bed or read the occasional true crime book.
Shane's nightstand is full of little insights into his life. His spare phone charger, a copy of the key to the safe in the closet, his glasses case, a foil blister pack containing a pair of his single-use contacts, a half-empty bottle of ibuprofen. Odd little knick knacks like a slide puzzle that Ilya knows he used to take on flights just to fidget the tiles back and forth (when complete, it's a picture of the Montreal skyline) and a stress ball with the Metros logo on it. There are condoms here--an almost full box that, if Ilya had to guess, is probably reaching its expiration date soon. Two different kinds of lube, one of which was bought because it does, in fact, taste significantly better than their preferred brand. A bottle of linen spray that Shane uses if he's worried the bed smells like sex even after it's been remade.
Ilya sits on the bed with the box between his feet and systematically loads everything from the drawer into it, resisting the urge to pause and reminisce about every single item. When the drawer is empty--and there go the tears again, a pair of them racing down Ilya's face; this drawer probably hasn't been empty since Shane was nineteen--he hunches down and opens the second drawer.
This is a more eclectic collection of things. It doesn't get opened nearly as much and Ilya thinks it's possible that most of these things got put here on accident. A pair of tiny stud earrings that Ilya wore one singular time and then never saw again--when he finds them, he has the weirdest sense of deja vu and a very very vague memory of tipsily removing them and putting them in Shane's outstretched palm. They are atop the manual for the PlayStation. Here is the remote that Ilya thinks belonged to the television that used to be in the living room back in 2014ish. Here is the dimmer for the overhead light in the kitchen, which every single person in the world is forbidden from even thinking about turning on because even at its lowest setting it makes Shane feel like he's being interrogated. Here is a very small plush bear filled with tiny beads that, for reasons only Ilya and Shane know, has the words I Love Vermont embroidered onto its belly.
Here, in the very back, is a little notebook closed with a piece of elastic.
Ilya has seen these notebooks before. Yuna buys them a half dozen at a time from some Japanese stationary company and divides them between herself and Shane, sliding the stack of them across the kitchen island at the cottage or the house in Ottawa. Yuna and Shane are both prolific note-takers and habitually maintain a collection of these little notebooks to track various aspects of life. Shane has one that serves as a journal of sorts, which Ilya has seen and will sometimes watch Shane write in but doesn't go out of his way to read, because Shane is allowed his private thoughts. There is another where he tracks his workouts and diet (and part of the negotiations with Shane's new therapist is that Ilya is allowed to ask to see that one, but Shane gets to explain) and still another where he keeps track of his own game stats. When he fills one of these notebooks, he always replaces it with the same color.
This one is a different color, looks older. Ilya imagines that it's some version of the workout notebook that has been laying forgotten in this drawer for several years. He doesn't think much of flipping it open, because whatever is in there is several years old at least and it's unlikely that Shane will care about Ilya seeing the record of a workout Shane did on October sixteenth of 2013--
But that is not a workout. It quickly becomes clear that it's not a workout when Ilya sees the word 'anal' and then double-triple takes at the top of the page.
October 16th 2013
Montreal
Post-game
2-3 Metros
Hollander one goal, one assist
Rozanov one assist
Sex:
Mouth stuff (Look up: ass job? Is that a thing? Google this?) 8/10
Anal 10/10 (Wow.)
- On my back 8/10 (Liked seeing his face. Liked kissing.)
- On my knees 10/10 (More comfortable. Wow.)
Orgasms - Hollander 1 Rozanov 1
Things to remember:
Doggy style goes deeper than missionary (Still called missionary if anal? Missionaries don't have anal sex. Google this?)
Came untouched.
Neck kisses, shoulder kisses 10/10
He stayed inside me after 10/10 (Is this normal? Google?)
Feels important to note that Ilya Rozanov took my virginity. Mixed feelings. Mostly good.
"Are you okay" so many times. Liked this but also why?
Ilya snaps the notebook reflexively closed, glances into the closet where Shane is loading pre-folded armfuls of clothes into boxes, and then looks back down at the notebook. He opens it, reads the first page again, breathes through his mouth for a second like an asthmatic dog and flips, randomly, to another page.
April 24th 2015
Boston (Rozanov penthouse)
Post-game
1-0 Boston
Rozanov one goal
Bad game
Sex:
Round 1: Mutual blowjobs
Round 2: Anal sex
Round 3?: Rozanov fingered me in the shower
- Didn't cum but it felt really good
Orgasms - Hollander 2 Rozanov 1
Things to remember:
Rozanov doesn't like to cum before fucking but he likes it when I do. Asked about equity/fairness regarding number of orgasms. He laughed?
He's fucking rude. Why is this hot? Google?
Rozanov stood at the end of the bed with one foot up like Captain Morgan. Very hot.
Called me his slut. Came right after. How to make him do this again?
Fingering in the shower worth mentioning again. Intimate.
Russian words (Known): Slut, pretty, bunny (Worth mentioning I know this one? Maybe he'll stop? Do I want him to stop?)
Russian words (Unkown): Idiallen (If this means idiot I will end him), youbimy, tibia (Need to figure out how these are spelled. Typing tibia into Google is useless.)
"Oh, you found that."
Ilya reflexively drops the notebook into the box at his feet. Shane is standing in the closet doorway, looking flushed but not in any way that couldn't be caused by bending over several dozen times over the course of the last twenty minutes. His hair is a lost cause, sweeping down around his ears and cheeks and completely free of the product he put in it this morning.
"Sorry," Ilya says. "Didn't know what it was. I was just--"
"It's fine," Shane says. He leans against the doorway and Ilya wants him to come over here, wants him to bring himself closer so that he can touch him a little, wants him--wants him. "I knew that it was somewhere around here, I figured it would turn up."
Ilya looks back down at it, innocuously sitting on top of Vermont Beany-Baby. "How long were you...?"
"Writing it all down?" Shane chuckles. "Um, I mean, I sort of never stopped? But it goes in the calendar now, the--"
"Yes, yes." Ilya waves a hand. "I know." The calendar is a synced app in both of their phones. It keeps track of appointments and, until recently, meet-ups. Mutual days off. The stolen moments of time they carved out and into which they attempted to shove entire weeks' worth of kisses, touches, rough sex and lounging together naked and lovemaking and sleeping together and counting freckles and laughter and Shane's sweet begging and say it say it and I love you ya tebya lyublyu je t'aime.
Never enough time. Never again.
Ilya gestures to the notebook. "Most of this doesn't go in the calendar. Those notes are, um. When you write everything...?"
"Thorough?"
"No, I know thorough. It is that, but it's also, eh, dotoshnyy."
Shane pulls out his phone, types, smirks. "Meticulous, pedantic, fussy."
"Meticulous, yes. You wrote down--everything." He laughs. "You wrote down the game scores."
Ilya enjoys one of his favorite sights--Shane's pink blush creeping across his freckles--as Shane says, "I think at some point I was trying to figure out if sex felt better after winning, but then I realized that it wasn't about whether it felt better."
"Oh?" Ilya mumbles, feeling like he's staring over the edge of a cliff and the only thing keeping him there is Shane Hollander's hand. Which is big and strong and iron-like in its grasp and Ilya feels safe. He knows, now, that Shane won't let him fall.
"No, it was..." Shane sighs, choosing his words as he finally comes close. He sits beside Ilya on the bed and butts their feet together. "I was trying to wrap my mind around why I felt what I did when I was with you. And I thought it was sex because--I mean, we were always having sex when we were together back then. So I was writing it all down because I couldn't let myself think that I loved you, so I was just...circling. Like, oh, maybe I feel this way because...I don't know, this position was really hot. Or because you slammed me into the boards that night. Or because--"
"Because I put my fingers in your open hole after I fucked you." Ilya raises an eyebrow. "You really liked that. Maybe I do this tonight."
Shane tilts his head. "Yeah, that'd be nice."
Ilya kisses his neck.
"I used to like things like that because it was the only time--" Shane sighs, and mutters fuck under his breath (because fuck will always, always be his favorite vocal stim) and says, "The only time it felt like i wasn't crazy. Like you were going through it too."
Ilya picks up the notebook, finds the page from April 2015 again and pokes a particular word in Shane's chicken-scratch fucking penmanship. Idiallen, Shane had written, because he'd been leading himself blindly through a language he'd only heard gasped into the side of his own neck. Youbimy. Tibia.
"Lyubimyy," he says. "Tebya. Ideal'nyy. Beloved. You are perfect."
"Oh," Shane whispers. He puts his forehead against Ilya's shoulder, puts his mouth against his bicep, says, "Even then?"
The kind of fic that makes you weep alongside the characters in nostalgia and joy, absolute joy.
Favorite segment hands down is this:
His eyelids feel like sandpaper. Shane, as usual, doesn't have wet cheeks--but his voice is soft and nasally, shuddery at times, words slurring very gently on certain syllables. He's saying a lot of okays and yeses in Ilya's accent, which Ilya doesn't even know if Shane realizes he does when words are hard for him to produce and he needs to reach for the comfort of some familiar, easy verbal stim. Ilya has never pointed it out for fear he'll stop.
As promised, here is the extensive post on Russian diminutives that will hopefully answer the questions plaguing most writers in the HR fandom.
Let's start with a definition.
Russian diminutives are modified forms of nouns, adjectives, and names that typically convey smallness, affection, or emotional attitude (this can include even negative feelings, such as disgust or contempt).
Native speakers use diminutives constantly in everyday speech; they are an essential part of the Russian language. Understanding them is crucial if you're aiming to write natural-sounding Russian or are working with Russian-speaking characters.
I will explain the very basics of Russian diminutives, but note that in this post, I will mostly be focusing on name diminutives, as I find them to be most relevant for fanfiction writing. Noun and adjective diminutives require at least a minimal understanding of the Russian language (ie declension to understand suffix formation), so I will only give brief notes. There will also be HR specific examples.
Importance of Russian Diminutives
As stated earlier, understanding Russian diminutives is crucial for a number of reasons. First and foremost, they are extremely frequent in everyday speech. Native speakers use them constantly; it's almost an unconscious process. In casual conversations, native Russian speakers are more likely to use diminutive forms rather than standard forms.
Here are a couple of examples.
Example 1: Instead of saying ‘подожди минуту’/podozhdi minutu/(‘wait a minute’), a native Russian speaker is more likely to say ‘подожди минутку’/podozhdi minutku(‘wait a little minute’)
Example 2: ‘хочешь чаю?’/hochesh’ chayu/(‘want tea?’) = ‘хочешь чайку?’/hochesh’ chaiku/(‘want some tea?’)
Example 3: ‘принеси воды’/prinesi vody/(‘bring me water’) = ‘принеси водички’/prinesi vodichki/(‘bring me some water’)
Russian diminutives also hold subtle emotional nuances that English would require multiple words or changing your tone of voice to convey.
It is important to note that while diminutives are extremely common, they are generally more appropriate in informal contexts. However, due to formal/informal boundaries being quite blurry in Russian (I'm referring specifically to speech and language), they can sometimes unconsciously bleed into formal contexts as well. Using too many diminutives in formal contexts (for example, a job interview) can be seen as inappropriate or unprofessional, but usually it would be easy enough to brush off.
Basic Meanings
In English, diminutives are mostly applied to proper names and certain nouns. When applied to names, their primary function is to imply affection, and when applied to nouns, smallness. Generally, when English-speaking people hear the word ‘diminutive’, they think of shortened, informal forms or forms that are used to express that something is cute/adorable/small.
Diminutives in Russian, however, can carry a huge range of other meanings. Russian diminutives ≠ smallness/affection. Their semantic use is context-dependent.
Meaning 1: Physical Smallness
Literally, a small version of something.
Example 1: стул/stul/chair = стульчик/stul’chik/little chair
Example 2: вилка/vilka/fork = вилочка/vilochka/little fork
Example 3: кусок/kusok/piece of something (cake, pie) = кусочек/kusochek/small piece
Meaning 2: Affection or Endearment
Example 1: мама/mama/mom = мамочка/mamochka/mommy
Example 2: собака/sobaka/dog = собачка/sobachka/doggy
Example 3: сын/syn/son = сыночек/synochek/sonny
Meaning 3: Diminishment or Softening
Sometimes, diminutives are used to minimise/de-escalate a situation, make requests sound less direct, or generally make one seem more sympathetic.
Example 1: дайте хлеба/dayte hleba/give me some bread = дайте хлебушка/dayte hlebushka/give me some bread (softer request)
Example 2: у меня есть вопрос/u menya est’ vopros/I have a question = вопросик/voprosik/little question (minimises importance or relieves pressure)
Example 3: у меня есть проблема/u menya est’ problema/I have a problem = проблемка/problemka/little problem (downplays severity of the situation)
Meaning 4: Sympathy
In this context, diminutives are used to express compassion or pity for someone. However, they can also be self-referential, for example, when complaining of physical distress. Most frequently used by and to refer to young children.
Example 1: бедный/bednyi/poor thing = бедненький/bednen’kyi/poor little thing
Example 2: рука болит?/ruka bolt?/your hand hurts? = ручка болит?/ruchka bolit?/your poor little hand is hurting?
Meaning 4: Contempt or Sarcasm
Tone of voice and context are important to determine whether a diminutive is used contemptuously, but there are diminutive forms that are sarcastic/ironic by default.
Example 1: умный/umnyi/smart = умник/umnik/smart one (exclusively sarcastic, like smartass in English)
Example 2: человек/chelovek/person = человечек/chelovechek/little person (dismissive, haughty)
Meaning 5: Intensification
Certain diminutives are used to intensify your words, rather than soften them. They typically make the original word longer as well (Sort of counterintuitive, I know).
Example 1: огромный/ogromnyi/huge = огроменный/ogromenyi/really huge
Example 2: злой/zloy/angry = злющий/zlyushyi/really angry
Noun and Adjective Diminutives
Russian noun diminutives can be broadly separated into three categories: first-degree diminutives, double diminutives, and irregulars.
Russian has three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. The suffix applied to create a diminutive form of a word is therefore determined based on the grammatical gender of said word.
Since noun diminutive formation requires at least a basic understanding of Russian grammar, it would be largely pointless to list every single possible suffix here. If you’re planning to use noun/adjective diminutives, preferably ask a native what the correct form is.
Double noun diminutives are formed similarly, only in this case, two diminutive suffixes are stacked. Double diminutive forms are even more intense in emotional content and are often used when talking to children. Double diminutives aren’t used nearly as often as first-degree diminutives; they’re reserved for particular moments and can even sound humorous/overly saccharine.
Irregular noun diminutives don’t follow standard formation rules, and some of them have even become part of standard speech (no longer considered a diminutive).
Adjectives can also take diminutive forms, usually expressing a slight degree of affection. However, in context, they can also become humorous/ironic/contemptuous.
Intensifying forms, which I’ve mentioned earlier, also only apply to adjectives.
Name Diminutives
Name diminutives are perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of the Russian language. Each Russian name has multiple diminutive variants, ranging in tone from affectionate to crude. The correct form to use is determined by social context and your relationship to the person.
For the sake of clarity, l identify three categories of name diminutives: general (or basic), affectionate, and rough (or crude).
General Name Diminutives
General name diminutives are linguistically predetermined shortened (not always) variants of a given Russian name.
They are most similar to nicknames in English, but where nicknames in English can vary and are often chosen by the person themselves, in Russian, they are fixed and rigid. For example, two English-speaking people with the same name might have different nickname forms (ex: Charles = Charlie or Chuck), while in Russian, two people sharing a name will always have the same general name diminutive.
General diminutive forms are, most of the time, neutral and can be used in any informal context. However, they are still used in certain formal contexts, such as at school (this depends on the personality of the speaker and the rapport they have with their students/colleagues).
Full names are only used in very formal situations or when you’re trying to purposefully demonstrate superiority or distance. For example, my parents would only resort to my full name* when they meant to scold me. Otherwise, I was always referred to by my general diminutive.
(*I no longer go by my given name)
In fact, most Russian-speaking people treat their general diminutive as their actual name, because that’s how we are referred to in almost every context. Most even introduce themselves as their general diminutive, not their full name, when talking to peers.
Many Russian-speaking parents take into consideration the general diminutive when picking names for their children.
Note: names that are monosyllabic or, with their last syllable ending in a stressed vowel, do not have general diminutives. Ilya is an example of such a name — there is no general diminutive.
Here are some examples of general diminutives of common Russian names (HR characters included):
Alexei = Lyosha
Grigori = Grisha
Alexander = Sasha
Boris = Borya
Viktor = Vitya
Dmitri = Dima
Svetlana = Sveta
Irina = Ira
Tatiana = Tanya
Maria = Masha
Anastasia = Nastya
Elizaveta = Liza
Ekaterina = Katya
Affectionate Name Diminutives
Affectionate diminutives, like their name implies, are used to show endearment, care, and intimacy. A generous number of affectionate diminutive forms are used, showing varying degrees and types of affection.
If a Russian name has a general diminutive, the affectionate diminutive is formed by attaching an affectionate suffix to the general form. If the name does not have a general diminutive, an affectionate suffix is simply attached to the full name.
Affectionate name diminutives are mostly used by relatives, close friends, and lovers. Sometimes, figures of authority, like teachers and parents, can use them too.
The choice between different diminutive forms depends on family tradition, regional variation, and personal preference. All of them express affection, but some speakers might disagree on the specific flavour of affection they embody.
If you’re unsure which suffix applies to any given name, double-check with a native, because in most cases, they are linguistically predetermined. You wouldn’t be able to figure out which suffix applies to what name with grammatical rules alone.
Here are some examples of affectionate name diminutives:
Ilya = Ilyusha, Ilyushenka (very affectionate, motherly). Some speakers find the -shenka form to be emasculating and inapplicable to an adult man, but as I stated earlier, this is dictated by family tradition or simply speaker personality. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with either of these forms. They can be used by either a romantic partner (Shane, in this case), a parent, or a close friend (for instance, Sveta).
Alexei = Lyoshen’ka, Lyoshik
Grigori = Grishen’ka, Grishulya
Alexander = Sashen’ka, Sashulya, Sashulechka (all three very affectionate), Sashok (playful, masculine only*), Shura (alternate diminutive), Shurochka
Ekaterina = Katen’ka, Katyusha (technically folk form, but still super common), Katyushen’ka, Katyulya
(*The general name diminutive 'Sasha' is gender neutral. It is the diminutive form of both Alexander (masculine) and Alexandra (feminine).)
Rough Name Diminutives
Rough/crude diminutives express familiarity that is bordering on disrespectful or is genuinely contemptful, depending on context and intonation.
Crude diminutives aren’t always offensive — they can be affectionate/friendly among close friends (this especially applies to men). It all depends on context and the speakers’ relationship dynamic.
If said in the wrong tone, by a stranger, or by someone who is your superior (or positions themselves as your superior), they can be genuinely insulting.
I advise you to take a look at Russian literature and see how crude diminutives are often used there to portray social dynamics.
Common rough suffixes include: -ka, -ok, -an, -ha
The -ka suffix is the most common one. I often hear this form from parents or older siblings; it’s used to establish authority and superiority. For example, in HR, Alexei calls Ilya ‘Ilyushka’ while simultaneously using the f-slur on him. This suffix is used to position Alexei as superior to Ilya, demonstrate condescension and contempt.
The -ha suffix is particularly masculine, mostly used amongst a group of male friends. Very dudebro, if you will. However, this suffix can apply to all names, masculine or feminine. Something that would absolutely be commonly used in a hockey team’s locker room.
Here are some example of rough/crude name diminutives:
Ilya = Ilyushka, Ilyuha
Alexander = Sashka
Alexei = Lyoha
Grigori = Grishka, Griha
Svetlana = Svetka
Irina = Irka
Maria = Mashka
Elizaveta = Lizok
Anastasia = Nastyuha
Ekaterina = Kat’ka, Katyuha
To conclude this section, the formality of Russian names goes something like this:
Full name + patronymic = very formal, professional/administrative contexts
Full first name = formal, distant
General diminutive = standard among peers, neutral/friendly
Affectionate diminutive = close relationships (platonic or otherwise)
Double affectionate diminutive = very close relationship
Rough diminutive = very close friendship or disrespect
Common Mistakes
Do not overuse diminutives. They are used frequently, but selectively. I doubt most people here will be using something other than name diminutives, but it applies to those as well. It will not sound natural if an affectionate diminutive is used every time a character is addressed. Stick to general diminutives when applicable, and use affectionate diminutives sparingly.
If you’re using affectionate petnames (they are often diminutives, such as ‘kotenok’), make sure your gender agreement is correct. If you are unsure, ask for a native’s help, but generally, it helps to check the grammatical gender of the word and adjust accordingly.
Not every noun/adjective/name takes every suffix naturally. Some diminutive forms are common, while others sound unnatural even if grammatically correct. Do not try to create affectionate diminutives for Western-sounding names, because the grammatical rules do not apply. The list here should be sufficient when writing for HR, so stick to forms that have been listed and ask if unsure.
There we are! If you still have questions, or if you would like to read more about noun/adjective diminutives, leave a note below or send an ask. Thank you everyone for reading and happy writing <3
I've read so many fics where our boys are doing laundry every single time they fuck and I get it, I too am not a bodily fluid enjoyer
however!
may I introduce the concept of the sex blanket? it's big and soft but not too slidey. it's lightweight enough to be easily bundled into the washer or a picnic basket ('oh my god, ilya, not in the park') but heavy enough to absorb their sweat and come without getting it on what's underneath. it's just the right texture for shane to have on his back or his knees or his ass or rubbing against his face. it's machine washable and dries quickly without getting too wrinkled. it's a kind of ugly nondescript colour that doesn't seem to stain. it's a practical (because shane) and endearing (to ilya) solution
with me so far? okay.
now please imagine the sex blanket as mating call. Ilya comes home from the grocery store and shane is sitting reading on the sofa, glasses on, not looking at ilya - but he's laid out the sex blanket across the couch and ilya immediately drops the groceries on the floor. shane gets out of the shower after his morning run expecting ilya to be up with anya or making them breakfast - but he's on the sex blanket on the bed, smirking, and shane gets hard so fast he's weak from it. one time ilya lays the sex blanket out on the patio while they're making dinner and shane can't stop shooting glances at it through the patio doors, getting flustered even though they're cooking something complicated with a lot of steps that he really needs to focus on. Ilya pretends innocence and won't touch him until they're outside after dinner...on the sex blanket.
all I'm saying is I think our boys are pavloving themselves into getting hard at the sight or feel of a particular blanket and I'm so proud of them yay
A Hollanov mostly PWP fanfic inspired by this image here from juliya.gram, link to source: julija.gram on Threads
Summary:
It’s an off-season summer at the cottage, where Shane is reading a book and Ilya finds a post that features specs created by a fan of theirs giving their various body parts some pretty hilarious functions. It doesn’t take much to tease Shane into testing the fan’s theory.
Link to fic: Ao3
Pairing: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Size: 1.6k words
Snippet:
The grind of their hips, coupled with Ilya making biscuits like a feral cat on his chest and pressing his body down into Shane’s, pinning him in place while he took him apart with his mouth was working him Shane into a frenzy.
The fabric between them was slick with precome and Shane melted into the couch under Ilya’s weight, offering his whole body up to him while Ilya whispered sweet, spicy filth in his ears about how hot he looked with his glasses, how much he loved every part of him and that he’d make him fall apart.
OP you have just made me start my 2027 art calendar folder, I make a calendar for myself for my office wall every year of fan art I love, this is the first one that is going in that folder.
Love the way they hug, the little bandaid on Shane's knee, the details in the background and foreground, Ilya's tattoo.
Not because Ilya was wearing the robe. Shane had already accepted that Ilya treated dignity like an optional side quest.
The pink robe swept dramatically around his legs like he was accepting an Oscar for “Most Likely To Be Removed From a Hotel Lobby,” fluffy trim trailing behind him while polished brown dress shoes clicked across the hardwood floor.
“You tied it tighter,” Shane observed.
“I was getting draft.”
“You are still not wearing pants.”
Ilya spread his arms. “Why hide perfection?”
Shane adjusted the sleeves of his pale blue nightshirt with sharp, offended movements. The long sleeping cap drooped over one eye, which should have ruined any attempt at authority, but somehow only made him look stricter. “The shoes are what concern me.”
“The shoes are elegant.”
“The shoes are outside shoes.”
“They are inside now.”
“That’s not how contamination works.”
Ilya leaned against the kitchen counter, entirely too pleased with himself. “You sound like disappointed grandmother.”
“You walked across snow in those yesterday.”
“And survived.”
“That is not the point.”
“What is point, then?”
“The point,” Shane said carefully, “is that no rational adult puts on formal leather shoes with…” He gestured helplessly at the explosion of pink chiffon and feathers. “…whatever this is.”
Ilya looked down at himself thoughtfully.
“Is high fashion.”
“You look like a figure skater going through a divorce.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“Are you sure? It sounded like one.”
Shane exhaled slowly through his nose. “Please take the shoes off before you grind salt into the floor.”
Instead, Ilya stepped closer on purpose.
“You are tiny dictator,” he said fondly.
“And you’re impossible.”
Ilya grinned, bright and smug and devastating. “Yet you continue keeping me around.”
Shane opened his mouth.
Paused.
Then muttered, “Unfortunately.”
Ilya’s smile softened immediately, turning warm beneath all the theatrics. He reached over and straightened the floppy end of Shane’s sleeping cap with surprising gentleness.
“For record,” he said quietly, “you look very cute.”
I'd love to know more about Hunted Rivalry from your WIP list! 👀
It is sitting a solid 5.4k words right now with this as the summary:
A friend of Mary’s calls Sam and Dean about a shapeshifter wreaking havoc at a hockey arena in Canada, which is how they end up in Boston at the next away game of the Ottawa Centaurs armed with a photo of player the shifter was likely wearing last and Sam’s thorough research into the MHL team’s social media behaviors.
Here's a snippet:
Sam's shoulders ached fiercely, the skin around his wrists burned from the crude rope wrapped around them tightly. He could feel his own pulse in the knife wound on his hip, which should still be bleeding but didn’t. The damn thing had easily relieved Sam of his blade when they went hand-to-hand and used it on him before sending it clattering to the ground with a throw across the alley they were in.
The freaky thing had latched on to the cut in the sensitive skin right above the waistband of Sam’s jeans, its tongue darting into the wound painfully before plush lips closed around the gash and fucking sucked, moaning as if Sam’s blood was like a hit of cocaine for it. Drinking blood was all wrong, Sam knew that better than most, but a shapeshifter acting like a damn vampire was something else entirely and set Sam’s teeth on edge.
****
When Dean meets Hollanov :D
“Hey you’re new, Brian showing you the ropes?” He asked with a strong thick Russian accent.
“Uh, yeah. You’re the captain of the Ottawa team, right?”
“Sure, am. Ilya Rozanov, nice to meet you. Are you a fan?” Ilya looked at him expectantly holding his hand out to shake Dean’s and the guy’s hand was calloused, warm and massive compared to Dean’s. Details that were incredibly unhelpful and completely unimportant.
“No.” Dean finally answered, and stood rooted to the spot, following a drop of water that escaped the hollow of Rozanov’s throat and cascaded down across his chiseled, broad and very naked chest, playing connect-the-dots with the many moles he had dotting his muscular torso.
“Take picture, lasts longer.” Rozanov joked with a crooked smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and clapped Dean’s shoulder.
“Sorry man. Didn’t expect anyone to be here.” He had an idea but his gut churned at the sheer prospect of following through. He needed to check who was the shifter and well who better to hide as than the top guy on the roster.
Another player walked in, stopping in his tracks momentarily before smiling at Brian with easy familiarity and side-eyeing Dean warily. He was a little shorter than the Captain, with pitch-black hair, warm brown eyes, a straight nose and a torso that made Dean want to start working out. He was handsome, just like Rozanov, but in a pretty, freckled way.
For the WIP title game: anything you're willing to share about Yoga is boring? ☺️
It is a very sweet fic wherein Ilya completely forgets that it's even his birthday (play offs and all) and Shane organizes a birthday surprise for him a yoga studio in Vancouver during one of the Centaurs' away games where you do yoga with pups.
Snippets:
“Is okay if you go to yoga, I know Saturday is yoga day.” Ilya tried his hardest to make Shane leave him alone so he could stay under the covers for just a while longer, warm and comfy to start their weekend off with.
“I promise you’ll love it, please Ilya.”
🐕
“All I heard was puppies and it was a done deal,” Harris chimed in happily while trying to capture a picture of Shane with the little dachshund puppy he was cradling against his chest. “Well, and Troy and I are kind of a package deal, you know he couldn’t resist my puppy dog eyes,” Harris gave his man the sappiest of heart eyes with Troy leaning down and kissing him softly, as it were impossible not to. Ilya felt his heart fill with happiness for their team’s social media manager. It filled with soul-deep affection when glanced over at Shane looking at him exactly the same, while giving the tiny puppy kiss on its milk chocolate brown head.
“Can hold him if you need hands free for yoga?” Ilya offered.
“Don’t you dare,” Shane mock turned away from Ilya as if guarding the little thing with his life from Ilya.
“Alright, everyone let’s get going with some warm-ups.”
Ilya lost track a million times distracted by the three pups that keen pitifully whenever he removed his ankle or any other body part they’d decided to snuggle up against. Ultimately, he found himself on his back doing some stretches with the three of them curled up on his stomach.
RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous, and tag as many people as you have WIPs. People send an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and you post a snippet or tell them something about it!
Got tagged by @tea-or-die, and I need a good distraction today, so let's do this!
Surprisingly, I only have 10 WIPs going right now. Usually it's a lot more!
Some of these have less than 100 words, and some are nearly done. I can't share any of the Heated Rivalry fics, though, as one if for a yet-to-be-published zine and the other is for a bang.
ORIGINAL FICTION
Pet (Working Title Only - Dark Romance)
HEATED RIVALRY
A New Pack (Hollanov A/B/O were shifter verse)
Yoga Is Boring (Hollanov Ilya gets a birthday surprise from Shane)
Military Carry Baby Fic (Shane/Dallas to Hollanov fic)
Goalie Target Practice (Concussed Shane, Hollanov fic)
Las Vegas Extended (Whiskey is involved Hollanov fic)
Hollanov Ice Skating Date fic (so many emotions and fluff)
SUPERNATURAL
Vampire Hunt (wincest and has been a WIP for a looong time but I finally have an ending)
Hunted Rivalry (SPN / HR crossover fic Sam and Dean on a hunt in the Centaurs hockey team)
The Chef (Sastiel fic where Cas is a restauranteur and Sam is a leisurely food critic)
Now to be honest these are not all of my WIPs but the ones that I definitely want to finish writing. 💖🥰
Which WIP should I finish first???
Now....can I even think of 10 writers off the top of my head?
Ilya waking up in the middle of the night it’s somewhere between three and four am. He doesn’t know ehat woke him up, but he’s all mostly asleep and still all heavy and eyes shut when he realises his Shane is nowhere to be seen. Or felt. Really since his eyes are shut. Ilya is like ????????!!!!!!!! What ! The heck and his hands are fumbling on the mattress looking and he’s like what. The hell. Where is he.
And when he has no success in finding the warm skin of Shane, he craves and squints one exhausted eye half open peering around the dark of the room, a small amount of moonlight through the window. He sees a lump across the bed from him just out of his arm span. Shane. Ilya pushes his tired body up onto his elbow, presses his fist into one eye and scrubs at it until he can blink both of them open. He shivers, a cool breeze pushing in from the ajar window- Shane likes the cool air even in winter, because he likes the thick covers in bed and the weight of Ilya but he hates overheating- so as a man that runs very warm the crack of the window is enough balance for all his comforts. Ilya gets cold easy but he doesn’t mind too much, when he has Shane to keep him warm. But his Shane has rolled away in his sleep and this will not do.
Ilya takes a big shuddery breath, yawns and scoots himself closer to his boy, his hand moving to find Shane’s bare waist. His skin radiates warm and Ilya smiles, a warm soft thing. His Shane. Ilya moves until he’s draped up over Shane’s back, grunts as he nuzzles his face to find the curve of Shane’s warm neck. He presses his nose to soft short hairs at the base of Shane’s neck, takes a hungry breath of him, his shampoo and skin and soap and sweat. Ilya wants to bite him. He wants to keep him on his tongue forever. Ilya’s arm is curled to his own chest, the other arm slung over Shane’s sleepy soft form. His hand is flat on Shane’s stomach, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths. Ilya uses his hand to pull Shane back into him, pressed flush to Ilya’s chest, and Ilya tangles their legs, digs his cold toes into Shane’s calf. He lets out a sleepy happy moan, it’s so fucking good, holding Shane, waking up and having the other half of his heart laying in the bed within arms reach, to wake up and look over and seek out his love, make himself cosy with him.
Ilya squeezes Shane again, rubs his face into his neck and shoulder. Fuck he loves him so horribly. He wants to exist in this moment forever, holding Shane in the sleep suspended hours of the night, nothing to do but curl closer and sleep together, find rest with each other. Be gentle and with his Shane, feel him breath. Shane makes a soft sound and Ilya fears he’s woken him, kisses by Shane’s ear and rubs his hand over his side and hip. Shane makes a slurred sound that could be Ilya’s name, could be a yawn or just total gibberish. Ilya keeps petting him, hoping Shane won’t wake up. Shane moves again, fussed and then rolls over in Ilya’s arms, like a sleepy angry worm he fusses and wriggles until his face is mushed against Ilya’s chest, Ilya flat to bed with the weight of Shane on him, still asleep breaths deep even and heavy. Ilya tucks his smile into Shane’s hair and nuzzles at his temples, pulls the covers up over Shane’s shoulders and smooths a hand up and down Shane’s back, the other resting on his ass, fingers slipped under the waistband.
Ilya fights sleep as long as he can, to feel his Shane close, feel how they breathe together, how Shane’s hand is tucked against Ilya’s neck.
we’re excited to announce shane summer fest, a 10-week summer fest highlighting our boy shane (with special appearances from ilya)! it's a full summer of shane, baby!
no sign-ups required to participate! just pick any prompt from the list above, and create whatever inspires you.
dates: june 21 – august 29, 2026
tag: #shanesummerfest
please tag us so we can reblog your work!
all types of content are welcome — fic, art, edits, gifs, etc!
whether you do one prompt or a few, we’d love to see what you create! see you this summer ☀️
