Malin stan account

Malin is my self-insert character (bc I must protect Wille at all cost)

[malinthebodyguard]

Young Royals is anti-monarchist propaganda (always has been) 

I think it’s fair to say that most of the fandom was quite happy with the finale. However, I’ve seen a handful of posts by people who were unhappy, specifically  those who were unhappy with Wille giving up his place in the line of succession. These criticisms range in everything from dismissing Wille’s choice (Wilhelm has made a harsh decision without thinking of the consequences, this won’t actually make the media circus around him go away), to those disappointed in how the monarchy in general was represented (Wille could have modernized the institution, no one in the show attempted to consider how the monarchy could be good, actually). I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings about the finale. If you didn't like it, that’s more than ok and I don’t want to argue with anyone about their taste. 

But when it comes to criticism about Wilhelm giving up the throne,  I do find myself frustrated at what I see as a fundamental misunderstanding of what this show was trying to communicate. Young Royals, plain and simple, is a story that  denounces the incompatibility of antiquated and hierarchical institutions (Hillerska, the monarchy) with equality and justice. 

If you’ve had the displeasure of being my fandom friend you’ll know that I’ve spent the last 3 years yelling about how this show is about abolishing the monarchy. I even wrote a lengthy  fanfic with the sole excuse of having Wilhelm arrive at this conclusion. Still, I knew that whatever statement the show wanted to arrive at, we’d only really be getting to it at the end of the show. 

Seasons one and two were setting up all the characters on the chessboard for the end: Wilhelm is the Crown Prince, although he does not want to be. He and Simon are in love, but Wilhelm’s role drives a wedge between them. Erik’s legacy and August's spot next in line are keeping Wilhelm in his place.

 From episode one, I think the show was telling us about the many things that are wrong with the monarchy, but I don’t think it’s until season three that these discussions become more explicit. Is this why some people were disappointed by the ending? Maybe so. Still, I wanted to look at how season three in particular answers some of the questions or issues  people are bringing up regarding both the monarchy and the Wilhelm’s choice. 

What do you like about the monarchy? 

Season 3 Episode 4 is the first time we hear an explicit discussion about why the monarchy could potentially be a good institution. I’ve seen some people complain that the show didn’t give this idea enough thought. 

I completely disagree with this take: the short conversation Wille and Simon have in this episode  is succinct, but still effective at presenting both arguments in this debate. A  longer and more drawn out conversation would have been a bit unrealistic and probably boring to watch. These are not academics having a debate, but two teenagers who are talking about what for them is emotionally charged.

There’s also no need for a longer, more detailed discussion. Wilhelm does provide a very good answer to the question: The monarchy is there to unite the people. To be a neutral party in situations when the government cannot or will not interfere. 

A quick civics lesson: In parliamentary democracies, the monarch serves as the Head of State. 

This role is predominantly representative, although in many places the government is formed in the name of the monarch. This could, theoretically, grant them some political power-- since they could technically reject the winning party from forming a government. However, in most parliamentary monarchies, the King or Queen simply has to accept whatever decision is made based on election results.

However, the value of the Head of State is precisely in its apolitical nature. Regardless of who’s in power, the head of state is a neutral ambassador of the nation, both in and outside of their country. Their job is diplomatic and representative, and one that is thoroughly divorced from politics. This is what Wilhelm meant when he said that the monarchy was there to ‘unite the people’. Whenever I’ve spoken to pro-monarchy folks about their beliefs, they cite this as the reason why they like it. 

It’s easy to see why Wilhlem would latch on this as his main argument to defend the institution. I don’t think there is anything inherently bad about having a separate head of state that represents the country. I don’t think the major grip with this issue is the having a head of state, but the fact that the head of state is a hereditary position. Simon says this himself twice in this episode: the issue is not that the head of state exists, but that the head of state is not an elected position. Furthemore, the head of state is a role that is imposed on a person not by their talent as a public speaker or negotiator, but by a simple accident of birth. 

The job’s legitimacy or importance should not be above any individual’s right to autonomy and self-determination. Furthermore, considering that taxpayers are the ones who finance this position, shouldn’t they be able to elect who it is? 

Let’s imagine a scenario where a friend tells you they’ve gone into a career because everyone in their family works in that industry, and they simply had no choice in the matter. It wouldn’t even matter if they were good or bad, they had a job in this career guaranteed from birth. 

 Would you not be concerned that maybe your friend is unhappy for a rather unnecessary reason? Would you not think that perhaps someone who actually wanted the job would be better suited for it? Would you think it right for a company to hire someone simply because of their family history? Would you consider any of this fair? And what is so special about monarchy that makes us have a different answer for it than we would if the question was about law or medicine? 

You’ll always be famous. 

Another common criticism I’ve seen is that Wilhelm will inevitably regret his decision, especially once he realizes that public scrutiny will not be going away. This is true, Wilhelm will likely always  be a figure of public interest. But to me, this has always been a negative consequence of the monarchy, and I have a hard time seeing this is a valid reason why he should stay in it. 

From the second we meet him, we know Wilhelm is uncomfortable with both the public attention and the scrutiny placed on him. However, this goes a bit further than that. I’d argue than more than the  scrutiny itself,  Wilhelm is weighed down by having to keep a public image. Because, remember folks, Wilhelm is not merely an awkward teenage boy with acne and a crush. No, no, Wilhelm is the State. Wilhelm is going to be a publicly-funded representative of the nation . This means, of course, that there’s a narrative, as he mentions himsef, that needs to be put forward. One that’s generic, serious, and unproblematic: 

From the get go, Wilhelm is uncomfortable with the inauthentic and performative aspect of his role.This is a constant we see with Wilhelm in seasons one and two: every ‘performance’ he has to do fills him with nausea, anxiety, or some sort of discomfort.

In season three, Wilhelm begins acquiescing to this performance. Uncomfortable as he may be, for most of season 3 he’s accepted that this is his role. However, the attention this season shifts from Wilhelm to Simon, who’s now the one facing public scrutiny. The difference is that, unlike Wille, there’s no role for Simon to play. Nothing about who he is or what he believes is compatible with the public image the monarchy is putting forward. The only thing he can do in this situation is disappear, and Wilhelm is tasked with having to ask that of him. 

I know a lot of people were exasperated at Simon’s very bad and clumsy social media presence. I’m not gonna argue that my boy wasn’t being a bit cringey, because he absolutely was. But I think the larger commentary here has more to do with the expectation that these two teenagers have to censor and edit themselves to comply with a particular PR image. 

Ultimately, the criticism that Wilhelm will always be famous leads us straight back to the institution. Why does an underage boy have the same PR expectations as a politician? Why is a teenager dating his classmate + being cringe online justification for doxxing him? Unfortunately, no abdication is really going to undo any of this, and things are certainly going to be crazy once Wilhelm announces he’s stepping down .

However, this time around both he and Simon will at least have the agency to decide what they want to do with their public image, including the decision to disappear from the public completely if that’s what they want.

Queer representation 

This a sentiment that has been in the fandom for some time now. This was the main argument why some people wanted Wille to stay in the monarchy. Sure, the institution has always been about bloodlines and tradition. But wouldn’t it be so nice to have Wilhelm as a symbol for the queer community? I’ve always found this idea a bit shallow. I’m not sure how much of a symbol of a queer and progressive country Wilhelm could be, when the whole idea is predicated on absolutely no one having a choice in the matter. Is it really impressive to accept the queerness of the guy you already had no choice in accepting?  

There’s three scenes in season 3 where the potential Wilhelm -and by extension Simon-  could have for the queer community come up.  Farima brings it up in the first episode, but the framing here is reversed. Wilhelm isn’t serving the LGBTQ community by being a queer Prince, but the monarchy is using Wilhelm (and his queerness) to appear progressive.

The show, however, does humor this idea with the May 1st photo. We see what Simon and Wilhelm could potentially do for the community by simply existing as who they are: they’re inspirational. It gives Simon, briefly, hope that maybe something good could come out of this. 

But this moment is quite literally framed by politics. It doesn't matter that Simon is not participating in that manifestation, anything that is slightly connected with politics is a challenge to neutrality of the monarchy. This same idea is stated more explicitly int the next episode, when Wilhelm is reviewing the options for his charity.

Ultimately, any action significant enough to be truly impactful, would be bordering the limits of what could be considered political. He's got to stick it out with these quite frankly boring and limited themes, all for the sake of staying on the very narrow lane of things that are not political.

The weight of the crown. 

Stories about Kings and Queens usually carry the same fundamental tension of duty vs self. 

In order to rule, our protagonist has to sacrifice themselves, usually for the sake of their country and people. The Crown is an excellent example of this type of story. Sacrifice in that series is framed as something noble and selfless. 

Young Royals started out with this same fundamental tension, but the main difference is that Young Royals has framed this debate as a question: 

Why should Wilhelm give himself up, his happiness, the love of his life, and  his mental well-being? What’s so important and valuable about this institution that requires this sacrifice?

Wilhelm’s journey is about accepting and voicing his answer. He doesn’t want to be Crown Prince, he doesn’t want to be King. 

But by virtue of taking part of this journey with him, we’re able to examine this question from a different perspective: Is this institution valuable enough to justify all of this? I think the show is inviting all of us to evaluate this situation and arrive at the conclusion that it isn’t.

Even someone like August, who wanted this, is weighed down by the realization of just how much the crown weighs. Of course, a big part of the fandom probably doesn’t live in countries with parliamentary monarchies. Still, considering the worldwide popularity of the British Royals, for example, I still think it’s a worthwhile exercise to question the validity of these institutions. Are they really worth sustaining? And if they’re not, why should we continue to drag them on into the present, citing tradition?

[mothjeans]

I love Yuna Hollander, she’s such a great character, but I think we should acknowledge how incredibly lucky it was for all involved that Shane ended up with Ilya Rozanov because I feel if he had tried to bring home literally ANYONE else Yuna Hollander would have been the most overstepping, enmeshed, boymom mother-in-law in the world like…

I think it would be worse if he had a female partner obviously (you should Not have to compete with your husband’s mom for the role of most important woman in his life) but even if Shane was with some nice normal man, his partner would have to be like “hey it’s great that you’re so close with your family but I’d also like to see my family at christmas sometimes. maybe we can alternate which side we spend it with each year?” and the Hollanders would agree of course because that’s would be the polite and fair thing to do but deep down Yuna would never fully forgive this disruption to her traditions and the reduced amount of time she gets to spend with her son. And Shane and his partner would end up in couples counselling to discuss Shane’s reluctance to push back against his mother being overly involved in their lives and the strain it’s putting on their relationship.

But Ilya has no family of origin left to split time with + his mommy issues lead him to find her involvement sweet and nurturing instead of overbearing so they luckily never have to address it👍

[ticklefighthockey]

I really don’t like the idea of AI in fic but I also feel like…. if you’ve ever worked really hard at creating something you are proud of, something that has been received well by at least ONE person who are really picking up what you’re putting down… there’s just no feeling like it. so I mostly just feel sad for people who are trying to evade the hard work but in doing so are also cutting themselves off from experiencing any of the joy/fulfillment/satisfaction/sense of euphoric achievement that comes when you finally finish something and you think: I made that!!!!! I MADE that!!!!! it’s genuinely depressing to me to think about how empty and hollow it must feel by comparison to prompt the machine to do it for you in two seconds flat… and how uneasy and jittery you must feel even as you try to ignore the unease and bask in the dopamine spikes of kudos and comments from the people you’ve deceived. I don’t have any interest in engaging in AI witch-hunts… using AI to write or edit your fic is already depriving you of one of the most exhilarating/exasperating/bedrock parts of being human, ie learning how to do something hard. feeling yourself get slowly better at it through sustained practice. creating something you’re proud of that only your weird little brain could have produced, even if it’s just unhinged horny smut for your beloved pervert friends on tumblr. like how could me going after you on the internet be worse than giving that up… that’s so fucking bleak

[eypril-eypril]

okay, fun facts about the titles in young royals for anyone who might be interested:

in the late 60′s, the swedish language was reformed. titles such as herr (mr) and fru (mrs) were dropped, and since then we’ve referred to everyone by their first name in sweden. an example of this is that during my school years, all of my teachers went by their first names. this was a social democratic reform and apart of the democratization. previously, social status dictated how people should refer to each other. at hillerska, we hear the students refer to their teachers by their last names. for a swedish audience, this feels very foreign, and immediately lets us know that this is a very unusual and conservative environment. 

however, there are a few exception to the 60′s reform and one is when referring to swedish royalty. before the reform people spoke to each other in third person (“does the lawyer want another cup of coffee?”). because it was very difficult to know the professional titel of everyone you meet, the language eventually evolved around it (”shall there be another cup of coffee?”). once wilhelm becomes the crown prince, the staff at hillerska starts referring to him in third person (“the crown prince”, “he”) when speaking directly to him. we see some of these characters struggle a bit to get it right, and a part of that is probably because it’s so incredible unnatural for a swede to speak in such a formal way. this becomes especially apparent when journalists do interviews with the real royal family. many times, the journalists forget themselves and sometimes those mistakes make it into news articles of their own. 

[hollanovstars]

People are joking about Jacob's comment regarding the s2 budget and "the folks at Peloton will make you rich" but that is literally the strategy. Both Hudson and Connor are little artist freaks who are in film for the love of the game, and by taking these lucrative advertising deals they are ensuring they make enough money while being able to take the roles they want. Heated Rivalry doesn't pay their bills, Verizon and Peloton and Tiffany and Balenciaga do, so they can spend 8 precious weeks in Toronto this summer doing what they love. They can take roles in niche Canadian indies and fund their own projects without having to worry about making rent.

It's a joke, but it's also the point. They are both clearly giving themselves room to be picky and only take the roles they want. It's smart as fuck and I applaud them and their teams for it and won't ever judge the boys for their commercial gigs.

[transthatmasc]

Some old fart retired hockey player goes on ESPN and does an interview where he talks about how gay DEI initiatives are unfair and are ruining Hockey by keeping the good ole boys from getting their chance to prove themselves on the ice.

Ilya, as the captain of the gayest NHL team, is asked for comment on this. Of course, this is half way through the season while the Cens are sitting first in their division and second in the league. So Ilya says, “Ah, yes, I can see how he would think that. It seems unfair that being queer is clearly such an advantage for hockey players. We are just much better players, and having so many of us on one team, while very fun and nice for us, does seem to be putting us above everyone else in the standings. Perhaps more teams could play well if they had gay players? The Admirals are okay, but they only have one and we have four, so it is not quite fair.”

There is a rampant debate online over whether Ilya actually understands that the original comments were homophobic or if he genuinely believes that people think gay guys are too good at hockey. People also start speculating about who the fourth gay player is because Luca hasn’t actually come out publicly yet.

Scott Hunter has to put out a statement that he doesn’t believe his homosexuality has had any impact, positive or negative, on his athletic ability even though he believes being out of the closet and in a fulfilling relationship has made it easier to focus on the game.

Troy posts a tweet that just says “got gayer and got better”

Shane puts up a post with pictures of every time he won the Stanley cup and the caption “I’ve been gay the whole time and I’ve been great the whole time” with a shrug emoji.

[perlukafarinn]

Shane does an interview after they're outed where he says, kind of off-handedly, that the one thing that still bothers him about having to keep their relationship secret for so long is that there are no pictures of them together as a couple from those years.

Someone clips it and it goes viral.

Over the next few days, Shane and Ilya's mentions start to get flooded with pictures. Mostly it's screenshots from various games they played against each other, meticulously picked through by dedicated fans to find every moment Shane and Ilya looked at each other on the ice.

Some screenshots get shared by hundreds of different people because they stand out so obviously: Shane and Ilya meeting each other's eyes during a face off; Ilya looking at Shane while his back is turned, naked longing visible on his face; Shane chasing after Ilya with a small but delighted grin.

There are also pictures from press events, award ceremonies, behind the scenes at All Stars. Seemingly any time Shane and Ilya got captured in the same frame gets dug up and shared.

Finally, a couple of weeks later, the director of Shane and Ilya's CCM commercial posts outtakes from their shoot. It's captioned 'Took a bit of digging but I knew I still had these somewhere! I had to make my contribution to the #HollanovArchives even though this must have been a while before they got together. These kids had crazy chemistry, right from the start!'

Shane hasn't responded to the onslaught yet, too overwhelmed by the (slightly terrifying) dedication of their fans as well as the fact that he now has dozens of pictures clearly displaying his and Ilya's love for each other during a time in their lives when it was so desperately hidden.

He does respond now, sharing the director's post with a sincere (and publicist-approved) caption thanking him and the fans.

Ilya also shares the post, tacking on 'yes if a while means a few hours 👅' like he didn't cry when Shane showed him the videos.

[giveemhales]

I am a big defender of Shane not wanting to come out and one of the biggest reasons that I haven’t seen discussed much is how much worse it is to come out as a Gay Asian Bottom compared to coming out as a bisexual (white) man who is already regarded as a sex machine. Like Asian men are already overly feminized in the west. Shane’s general demeanor is subdued, he doesn’t drink or party often, and he abides by strict rules and a diet that already makes him an outsider. He doesn’t sleep around and has only has one public relationship with a woman under his belt, which ended very quickly. He’s the exact opposite of Ilya in all these ways and it puts him at a disadvantage. He has a “soft” image he spends his whole life actively opposing. His image is working against him; him being gay contributes to it and worsens it. Ilya’s image is working in his favor; being with a man is an anomaly OR further proof of his sexual prowess. And bc of Ilya’s well known history of sleeping around and generally aggressive attitude, it will be assumed he would be the top. Through a heteronormative lens, which is obviously the norm in hockey, that makes him the “man” in the relationship. If anything, his ability to “dominate” another man may bolster his image, make him even more of an “alpha male”. But being a bottom is seen as inherently demeaning and effeminate, thanks to misogyny, homophobia, and rape culture. The less bulky, quiet, shy man with a shocking lack of experience with woman is obviously the bottom (and this is even worse if they have the height and body differences canon to the books). Shane will be seen as weaker (and what could be worse than that in a contact sport like hockey). He’ll be viewed as the “woman” in the relationship, which is to say he will be viewed as inherently inferior. And draws further attention to the parts of him he’s tried to hide (aka autism symptoms) which will now be treated as further evidence of his sensitivity and otherness. Everything he does now is gay. But being with Shane is the only gay thing Ilya does. Without the threat of Russia, Shane has far more to lose from coming out imo. And his team’s reaction proves that. He deserves some grace.

[escapepodding]

A list of some the thinly veiled fictional adaptations of the Hollanov romance Ilya and Shane will live to experience. They never share the actual relationship timeline or many/if any pre-outing details but that doesn't stop these from existing:

It's the same but the fictional Hollanov are playing a different sport. They consider these lazy.

It's the same but they're lesbians. Starred Rose Landry as Lilya which definitely made them both feel a certain way. Honestly their favourite though.

The straight version. Why are they rivals? Why are they straight? Who thought to make a straight romance forbidden in hockey???? They're least favourite.

The one where they are magical fairies and their magical kingdoms are at war. Not convinced fairy isn't being used as a slur but points for originality, they grudgingly enjoyed.

The one that cared way more about the actual hockey than the romance, which they respect. Unfortunately the people they could get to do the hockey scenes aren't generational talents and so they disliked because it made them look worse at hockey than they were, which is a hate crime in itself.

So. Many. Porn. Parodies. Accuracy varies wildly because they refuse to talk about their sex life, they've shared enough, fuck off. Almost weirder when they get it right, though.

The incredibly chaste one where they hold hands and tearfully speak poetry to each other and their first kiss is their wedding day. They prefer the porn and would rather be called slurs to their face.

The one where they are UN Ambassadors for their respective countries. How often do UN Ambassadors actually meet? Do they have rankings? The missile plotline was wild. Shane did think the seriousness of the stakes appropriate, the Stanley Cup is that serious, actually.

The one that barely changed their names, and Pozenov has a really, really bad Russian accent and he is from an unspecified Eastern European country. They had to turn off, Ilya was infuriated. Shane is once again asking their lawyers if they are sure they cannot sue.

The one where they remove the romance entirely and it becomes rivals to friends who put aside their differences to save The Centaurs. Why? The closest Dane and Nikita get to each other is manfully clasping hands over the Gregory Cup. Obviously awful but does inspire Ilya and Shane to exclusively refer to each other as Bro for a whole week. Yuna can't bear it and does finally break and sue that one.

The Centaurs have a movie and book club exclusively reserved for these which is how Ilya and Shane know. They have never knowingly consumed fictional Hollanov content, though occaisionally get jump scared by the realisation that is what they are accidentally watching.

The Centaurs give them a report and rating for each, and this team tradition continues for decades, well after Ilya and Shane retire. Yes, they even write up and review the porn.

[livesbetweenpages]

Where and when did people come up with the notion that actors are constantly improvising their lines and big reactions? And why is popular opinion so hellbent on it to the point that it makes actors seem less talented for the thing they are hired for: acting! They are not being hired to write! It’s actually bad in most cases if actors are expected and encouraged to improvise lines—especially in dramas! Certain comedies, sure, but those actors are being hired for the skill of improvisation, because it’s a different skill set. A good actor can take a script and deliver the lines as written in a way that feels organic and true!!! Why do some people not get that?! The same is true for blocking and certain actions! Like, are people not considering how shitty it would be to work on a collaborative creative project where there’s no agreement ahead of time?? Sex scenes and arguments especially!! Where’s that interview with Billy Zane where he thought the people who assumed he improvised the table/tea setting throwing were ludicrous? Could you imagine how scary that would be for everyone?!! And moreover, they have to know where to film if the camera is kept steady nevermind the lighting and boom mics jfc. Do people really think actors are the ones calling the shots from writing to cinematography to music to ADs to choreography. That is the director’s job!!! If they are not doing that then they are a bad director!!!

[jester-nonconforming]

People still tend to lump JK Rowling in with the category of ~problematic artists~ and I need everyone to understand that is not the problem with her. She is not comparable to anyone who wrote a piece of fiction you hate, or someone who made rude comments in 2015 and has since learned better.

She is far more like Elon Musk. She is a radicalized person with an extreme amount of social and financial power, and for YEARS she has been using that power to try to influence her government into hurting vulnerable people, on purpose. And she has succeeded. THAT is the problem with her, and THAT is why spending money on her books is so dangerous, not because her books aged badly.

Critiquing her work is fine, of course (I personally was never a fan so I really don’t care) but you NEED to understand that fiction is not the main issue here. And I truly think acting like she’s the same as the rest of any giant list of ~problematic creators of the week~ waters down how dangerous she is.

[decadent-trans-girl]

[casceth]

i have to reblog this again because i go insane when people act like the problem with her is "its cringe for adults to like kids media" or like "the books sucked anyways" like those are completely irrelevant and try to shift the blame and focus from the active harm. even the fact the books also have bioessentialism and antisemitism is a whole different conversation

[servingsato]

Kaori Sakamoto on Amber Glenn:

“I think the things that Amber has done for the sport is really just not about the Olympics, every competition she shows us support. She shows me support, and she encourages me, she praises me, and having someone around me in competition creating that atmosphere is really, really, something that makes me feel stronger and assured. Usually in our sport when we are rivals, we tend to not get too close before the competition, but I think Amber broke that stereotype. She’s the kind of person who thinks, ‘What can I do,’ when she sees someone in trouble or in pain, and she’s able to put that immediately into action. I speak for all of the Japanese skaters, we are all very grateful. She does it because she wants to, and I think I am sort of similar in the same type of person. I really want to help people. Even at my own expense sometimes. I think I really, really, admire Amber as a person.”

Source: Ice Skating International Online

[lillabella]

can we nottttt 😭

[wtf-is-hockey]

The bellboy bit is overshadowed by a lot of things that happen in ep. 6 but narratively I think it's actually doing a lot of work because like Shane and Ilya have been hooking up for the better part of a decade, but they've only been seeing each other a couple of times a year, and only for a couple of hours at a time, and only, for the most part, to have sex and then split. When ep. 6 begins, they are understandably awkward in the car and when they first get to the cottage. This is new for them and they don't know what to expect. They are going directly from dipping their toes in once in a while to diving right into the deep end. But then Shane starts the bellboy bit, and Ilya is literally immediately right there with him, playing along, doesn't even hesitate, isn't even taken aback by Shane doing it even though Shane is literally never this unmasked and open with anybody, and it's like, oh, they actually do know each other. They don't know a lot about each other but they know each other. They're nervous about what this means for them but they don't make each other nervous. They're terrified of what the other is thinking about being together but not of what the other thinks of them. The cottage is presented as the beginning of their relationship but the bellboy scene makes it clear that they're already as attuned to each other as people who have been together years.

[femmenerd]

as a figure skating fan, i’m fascinated by shane hollander having a friend/training mate who competed for canada in figure skating at the olympics. i know that they cast dylan moskovitch (who is white) as said friend, but in my head it’s patrick chan—the canadian who won silver in sochi and was also canadian champion a zmillion times and a repeat world champion and grand prix final champion. (olympic gold in men’s singles is the only major figure skating achievement that patrick chan didn’t manage at the senior level because an upstart 19-year-old named yuzuru hanyu showed up at juuuust the wrong time.)

patrick chan who is also asian canadian but had a reputation for arrogance/cockiness not unlike ilya. patrick chan who skated programs to fucking kansas and the beatles and, ugh, michael bolton. patrick chan who plays golf and works in “wealth management” and is married (to a woman) with kids now.

[fyi, while that convo in the coffee shop was a convenient way to introduce the fact that russian state homophobia was & is still a huge issue and it’s also not surprising that someone outside the figure skating world might assume that a male figure skater is gay just because he’s a figure skater, there were NOT any out gay skaters competing in sochi. at the 2018 olympics, adam rippon & eric radford were the very first ones ever.]

[2886beaconstreet]

dude what do you meannnn he won the stanley cup and he got the mvp award and he got a penthouse suite with the best vodka america has to offer and he got his crush to act out his porny daddy dom fantasy with just a squeeze of the chin and a few gruff words but at the end of the night he stillllll has to go back to russia for the summer and he doesn’t feel powerful or successful he feels hollow and to add insult to injury this guy who he’s tried to just be a hookup to is the first person maybe ever who has earnestly asked him if his family is even nice to him. what do you mean what do you meannnn

[foolhearteyes]

need someone who cares about hockey more than i do to write a fic where shane is forced to retire before he feels ready and svetlana has gotten frustrated with her MHL job because team management never listens to her (due to the misogyny) so she quits and talks shane into starting a hockey analysis podcast together and it's called something like "hockey with hot people" or "puckbunnies" or "soft hands" (shane does not like this but svetlana understands the importance of branding) and it's 98% Serious Hockey Talk BUT they do have a dedicated segment called "why does ilya rozanov owe me money" wherein guests tell their worst ilya stories and after hearing them out shane and svetlana decide how much money ilya owes the guest. ilya is never invited onto the podcast.