A Russian Perspective on How Non-Russian Fanfiction Writers View Ilya Rozanov: A Man Who Likes to TouchÂ
Hi! I was born in the same country with our Bad Hockey Boy, and Iâve also moved to a different place seeking something new, and I do share some traumas with Illya, but itâs a different story.
Iâm happy to see how many people fell for Mr. Rozanov, and I do appreciate all the research you guys did when writing about Ilya. However, some things may stay unnoticeable from a distance, as you need to experience them yourself. I decided to write several posts on common tropes that authors use in fanfics and give them some comments based on my⊠Well, nationality, upbringing and experience I had while living in the environment different from the U.S, Canada or other countries. Shoutout to my (non-Russian) friend S., who inspired me to write this post with a simple message âI have a question about how people view Ilya in the fandom. Like, thereâs always this idea that heâs more touchy-feely because âheâs Europeanâ. Do you think he would?â
My honest answer is ânoâ but with some exceptions. Before you come for me in the comments, lemme explain.
First, âEuropeanâ is a pretty vague term in general. The European Union consists of 27 countries, each of them has a different culture and different social norms. We cannot put Sweden and Spain, for example, in the same box, the differences in how people interact with each other in those countries would be huge. Moreover, Belgium and the Netherlands are already two different things though you can travel from one country to another in one hour by train. So, we canât call âEuropeansâ being touchy-feely simply because we always need to clarify âWhat part of Europe are we talking about?â Next, Russia is not even a part of the EU, has never been and God knows if joins one day. Yes, there have always been some cultural exchange (sometimes less, sometimes more) between Russia and several European countries but, again, we need to clarify what European countries, to what extent and so on. Also, there is a big question how Russians see themselves, do they agree with being called European? I havenât conducted a survey on this topic but I have a suspicion that answers may vary drastically.
Second, letâs consider some Russian cultural norms. Iâm pretty sure youâve seen different memes about âRussians never smile.â This is a well known stereotype that⊠Well, not a stereotype actually, and it goes far beyond a Slavic stare and frozen facial muscles. Russians donât do small talks. Russians donât chat with strangers on a bus or in line in the supermarket. Russians usually donât put any effort to get know their neighbors better. Yeah, sure, personal traits always matter, extroverts and chatterboxes exist everywhere. Also regional differences may play a role a bit (Russia is huge and ethnically diverse). Still, a distance between people matters. And the bigger it is, the better. Would you expect someone from such an environment being touchy-feely?Â
Third, letâs move to Ilya and his background. Heâs a man born and raised in the country with pretty traditional views on masculinity. Heâs also a professional athlete and has built his career in a tough and, again, a stereotypically masculine sport. Ilya and Shane have to stay in the closet, otherwise they will get themselves into troubles. In Ilyaâs case, the possible troubles are a little bit different from Shaneâs. Why would he risk almost the only good thing he has with his own (literally) hands? What if other athletes, jerks like Dallas Kent, notice the way he touches Shaneâs shoulder? Or what if they see the difference between other people (Ilya never touches them) and Shane (Ilya cannot stop touching Hollander)?Â
However, I also see Ilya as a man deprived from any tenderness from his early childhood (I donât think Grigory ever hugged him or kissed him in a forehead). He probably craves for a physical touch and substitutes it with sex, as a âlegalâ source to get some. So, I would imagine that as soon as the door closes and they can stop pretending⊠Well, Shane would probably need some arnica ointment to hide all the love marks.
Also, I shared my opinion on the situation when theyâre both in the closet. If they come out, I can imagine Ilya taking revenge for all those years of hiding, and he may actually enjoy showing (sometimes even showing off) their relationship to the world. Though, he MUST hold by this time a different citizenship. Probably, the therapy can help too.
And a really important note. If youâre a fic writer and you see Ilya as a touchy-feely man, and this feature is important for your storyline⊠Please, go ahead! Fanfiction is pure fun, you should enjoy it, so, please, just do you. If youâre a reader, who likes reading about Ilya expressing his feelings with touching Shane in public, please, enjoy the stories you like!Â
AND DONâT USE MY POST TO BULLY AUTHORS OR TO WRITE SHITTY COMMENTS ABOUT THEIR WORKS.Â
My goal was to give you some background information as an âinsider.â
If you have any questions or would like me to write about other cultural moments, please, lemme know in the comments.
P.S. Btw, I saw some comments of Russian-speaking users also being surprised by a touchy-feely Ilya. I think it is a very interesting and new perspective for lots of us.
