minor thoughts:

• ilya and shane have gone through rebuilds before. they got drafted by two teams who were in rebuild. so shane and ilya were part, as rookies even, of a rebuild as they each made their respective teams competitive. ilya should have that prior experience to apply with ottawa. he’s also coming in with a different angle. with boston, he’s the super rookie who’s supposed to save the franchise. with ottawa, he’s one of the top players joining. interestingly enough, i feel that in sports, star rookies receive high expectations (since the franchise is building around them, fans/organization wants return on choosing them, etc.) (or at least shane/ilya do specifically because the league is hinging on them to revitalize interest) (but that's actually pretty unique to them; only recently did people really, really expect things. i feel a lot of people do wait to see if their pick is a flop or decent) so as ilya goes to ottawa, there's the expectation that he will make ottawa better, but not as much expectation that y'know things are gonna happen. idk i'm not as in touch with crazy fans, most i know are a little more measured in expectations, especially when looking at older players. wait sorry off track. yeah so they've both gone through rebuilds before--and perhaps i might argue more...serious? rebuilds. with higher expectations. because no one expected the ilya to ottawa, i would say no one was expecting anything. just that ilya should perhaps make them more competitive.
• the montreal metros are actually so interesting??? they literally landed in the perfect sweet spot of not having pushed away their star player while still homophobic?? rainbow capitalism but they're winning??? they don't trust him really but they can still play with him. shane got a cup with them in that situation. A CUP. do you know how important team camaraderie is???? honestly like that is a winning-team trait, the metros ability to play with guys they don't like.
• folks, you've got to be fleshing out the ladies.
• sveta is such a character. she's so promising. please. please. i know we're all surrounded by a men-centric world so it's hard to break out of our bias. but. SVETALANA. born a woman in an androcentric patricidal spell-check corrected to this word and it's honestly beautiful world. in post-collapse of the soviet union. born a girl to a athlete father!! is clearly friends hockey players!! and involved in that world!!! what can that mean???? How did she get there???? the implications!!! visually caribbean. AND IN THE BOOK WAS DESCRIBED TO BE WHITE AS HELL!! BLUE-EYED AND BLONDE!! there's already so much to think about in the difference of book and show!!! and how the show therefore treats her differently!!!! I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS AND HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO PROPERLY WORD IT YET BUT PROMISE I SHALL BE WRITING MY THOUGHTS OUT ONCE I GET THEM IN ORDER. the difference in her book and show character is one of the greatest among the differences of the adaptations!!!!! let's dig in there! Why is that? How did they do it? What does it mean? How did that influence the characters??? Which! It does most immensely because she's a big indicator for how we perceive and treat ilya.
• on that note: rose. okay originally had a short post about rose, but honestly, i'll just shove it here. thoughts: as a plot device, i think she's hilarious. the author goes: oh no, I have to work myself out of this corner where my gay protagonist is in denial and dating a lady and is the type of character to continue dating the lady until his dying day. aha! if the lady works as a plot device to tell the protagonist he's gay...he'll have to break up with her! problem solved :) that's such a ridiculous set of actions i'm crying with laughter. also she doesn't make any sense because she's so flat. i need people to either to play into that or make her Crazy. thank you. (everyone go back to that post that says that rose and shane are enabling each others completely insane eating disorders.)
• shane and his parents. juicy. What WHAT do you mean that shane and his mom have a relationship of client and manager. i get people are trying to also pull a 'oh but it's still family and they treat each other like family' but. i'm crying. once you pull business into a relationship, money and contracts and responsibility, that relationship changes forever. he's an adult. she's an adult. i have some specific dialogue in the back of my mind that she says, and goodness...i love messy family dynamics. plus, his dad??? 'what's youtube' oh my fucking god. listen you can claim attentive parent, but that's absentee parent to me. (i was gonna put some doxing details here because this is a topic near and dear to my heart but i changed my mind) anyways. this is legitimately so funny to me because this is like, PRIME opportunity for people to write about fucked up family dynamics in the space of upper-middle-class. and! it's not like physically abusive? it's financially entangling. it's emotionally pervasive. it's legally signing away your ability to make medical decisions because your parent thinks it's a good idea and you're an adult and it's unintentional. it's complex because it doesn't present how most people know it. there is olympic level rationalization in that house. i don't know how to describe it. have you heard of white-collar crime? yes, that, but with the beautiful dash of empty space that occupies double-story houses where you only interact with another person if you need something or it's like. dinner time. (white collar kid. white collar collapse. white collar conversations. idk i'm not good with coming up with puns)
• i have more thoughts but honestly i should re-read the book and re-watch the show to bring me back in touch with what actually happens. will be back.

Ilya at the Hollanders’ cottage at the kitchen helping David with the dinner, when Shane comes in, lays his chin on Ilya’s shoulder and chomps down on a piece of bell pepper Ilya hand feeds to him there you go my golodnaya shlyukha and Yuna going oh that’s so cute that you call him nicknames in Russian, what does this one mean? And Shane is kinda red in the face and at loss for words but Ilya reacts quickly and says it means my hungry sweetheart, golodnaya means hungry and shlyukha is sweetheart.. To which both Yuna and David start repeating it, shlyukha shlyukha shlyukha as if to remember it

And that’s how a couple of days later Shane had to witness his own mother call his boyfriend a whore

Ruby Pike ranting about her date during a Barbeque at the Pikes while Illya and Shane are visiting. "He ate, like, an entire plate of pasta with tuna and then just expected me to kiss him!", she scoffs. "Didn't even use chewing gum or a mint. Why would I want to kiss him with his tuna breath?"

Shane and Ilya just quickly looking at each other because. Well. Depending on the person the tuna breath really isn't what you're focusing on.

"Who even orders a dish with tuna on a date?", Jade asks shaking her head.

"But tuna is nice", Arthur says. "The tuna melts Uncle Ilya makes are always really good."

Jade rolls her eyes at her brother. Boys.

"Yeah, we like them too, Art. But obviously he wouldn't cook those for a first date", she says. "If someone made me a tuna melt on a date I'd run out of that room so fast. Right, Uncle Shane?"

Ilya chokes on his wine. Shane looks as if someone just punched him in the gut. Jade is happy that her Uncles are appropriately horrified at the thought of a tuna melt as a date meal.

Arthur is still trying to understand what's so bad about a tuna melt.

Do you think that whenever the "Mom and Dad aren't mad, we're just disappointed" card doesn't work Hayden pulls out what he considers to be the secret weapon.

Good old reliable "Your Uncle Shane would have never done that" / "Your Uncle Shane would do that"

Because sometimes in the eyes of kids and later teenagers whatever Mom and Dad tell you is just wrong and boring and ugh you just don't get it, Dad!

And, look. In some instances it works. Especially when they're still kids.

Your Uncle Shane goes to bed early because he knows the importance of sleep. Your Uncle Shane eats his veggies because he knows they're healthy.

And Shane is happy enough to nod along because yes getting enough sleep and eating vegetables is important.

But then, as the Pikelings get older. Well.

"Your Uncle Shane would have never snuck into the bedroom of a boy in the middle of the night!"

It slips out before Hayden realises what he's said. He hasn't used the Uncle Shane card in a while but Jade did try to sneak out during the night to meet Josh, not expecting her Dad and Uncles to still be awake because hello, it's almost midnight, don't old people go to bed early? Jade just huffs and crosses her arms.

Meanwhile in the back Shane and Ilya glance at each other, Ilya biting his lip so he doesn't laugh and Shane using all of his self-control to keep a neutral face. Because Uncle Shane did in fact sneak into the room of a boy in the middle of the night. Many times. Many, many times.

Reblog if you're kinda irrelevant and don't know a single person who actively uses tumblr

70K+ word hollanov fic rec post

do you like long fics? good news! i have some recs for you. please forgive my v short bad descriptions. these are in alphabetical order btw.

back and forth from new york by alphalupi (@poseidonearthshaker)
255k, Not Rated, Complete | AU where Shane comes out of his own volition and decides to sign with the New York Admirals. He and Ilya figure out how to make things work. Also a fun social media companion AU piece here (also complete at 53k words.)

Borderline by Wintersbane
90k, E, Complete | Zombie apocalypse AU set mid situationship era, Shane & Ilya have to road trip to safety at the Canadian border.

Change Your Win Conditions by Vee (Vera_DragonMuse) (@dragonmuse)
103k, E, Complete | Canon divergent AU where Ilya had a career-ending injury before he & Shane could reconnect at the All Star game in Tampa, set two years later when Ilya is a coach for the Centaurs and Shane signs with Ottawa.

clap when you land by quietafterdusk (@narglesinroses)
120k, T, Complete | Canon divergent from TLG, where the Centaurs' plane crashes and Ilya is seriously injured, Shane is there for him while he recovers.

cold war by pucksandpower
109k, E, Complete | AU of canon where Ilya is the son of the Russian president and Shane is the son of the Canadian Prime Minister, and they both still play hockey. INCREDIBLE.

courage [it couldn't come at a worse time] by veilofimagination (@veilofimag)
82k, M, Complete | Shane & Ilya break up because Ilya is miserable being closeted but Shane isn't ready to come out yet. Ilya makes a new life for himself, Shane has to figure out what he wants too.

Duty of Care by boopboop (@boopifer)
145k, M, Complete | Canon divergent AU. Relationship era Hollanov, where the Hollanders show Ilya how to be loved.

EDIT: Adding Holding Patterns, the sequel to Duty of Care by the same author. 126k, complete, E. Ilya's twelve-year-old niece shows up unannounced and unaccompanied in Ottawa.

frequently, secretly fond of each other. by milominderbinder (@milominderbindered)
222k, E, Complete | AU where Shane is delayed being drafted to the NHL by one year and ends up on the Boston Raiders with Ilya. FWB era but make them teammates!! Extremely angsty and romantic!

Miracle by thesevenpercent
115k, E, Complete | Canon divergent AU where the Centaur's plane crashes and Ilya is the sole survivor. Some heavy stuff about how Ilya deals with what happened to him, and how he and Shane work to hold someone accountable for it.

something you can fix (26k) and something you can build (97k) by some1_around
123k combined, M, Complete | Canon divergent AU where Shane gets outed (after his texts with Rose are leaked) and he gets traded to the Boston Bears.

Read something 70k+ words that you think I should read? LET ME KNOW!!!

--

EDIT - Adding new fics I've read (and loved!) since making this post here:

Haunting Your City by mightyd0lphin
93k, E, Complete. Ilya gets into a fight and gets traded to Montreal. He and Shane try to be Just Platonic Friends at first. Which goes super well. Some of the best written angst (with a happy ending) I have EVER read. Had me clawing at my face over it.

death and taxes (and shane hollander) by fingersfallingupwards (@fingersfallingupwards)
68k, E, Complete | This is slightly under 70k but only barely, and it’s SO GOOD. Second chance romance with old man hollanov where the cottage never happened, they ended things 20yrs ago, Shane is now the deputy NHL commissioner and Ilya is a college hockey coach. They get in touch again because of an incident with Ilya’s teenage son, who just got drafted to the Montreal Metros. SOOOOO much yearning.

EDIT: This author just dropped a part 2 of this fic called on winning and losing (and ilya rozanov). Currently 117k words and WIP!

the ten step plan by WriteThroughTheNight
96k, M, Complete | Shane tells a teeny white lie about there being people in the hallway after one of their first hookups and ends up spending the night. Things move much faster and the timeline on their relationship is moved up. They work on a ten step plan to be together long term. Soooo sweet and romantic.

I have only two emotions (careful fear and dead devotion) by tiredtiredsharl (@wolfiemcwolferson)
178k, E, Complete | Canon divergent, Shane disappears from the hockey world before getting drafted to Montreal. He and Ilya both end up working at the Centaurs organisation years later and fall in love. Slow burn, incredibbbble build up of feelings.

Say You’ll Haunt Me by eddiemunsterwashere
143k, M, Complete | TLG AU where the Montreal Voyageurs’ plane is the one that gets in trouble and actually crashes. A really deep dive into healing trauma for both of them. Happy ending, ofc.

think twice (and come back for a third time) by lipsticktraces
70k, E, Complete | Ilya ends things with Shane in 2017, life goes on for both of them. Shane gets a bf. Ilya gets depressed, goes through a hard time, and strikes up a friendship with Yuna Hollander. A great getting back together au. Angsty, emotional, romantic.

Chernobog by boopboop (@boopifer)
279k, E, WIP | Ilya disappears from the league in 2017 and Shane never hears from him again. In 2020, Ilya resurfaces as a coach for the Ottawa Centaurs after three years of hell. Shane tracks Ilya down and they reconnect, and start to unpick what happened to him. Heavy!

Countdown by Letter4No1
83k, M, Complete | Follows the year after the cottage when Ilya is still in Boston and he and Shane are doing long distance while planning for a future. Insanely good dialogue!

I’ll build a house inside of you by jtimu (@jtimu)
67k, E, Complete | Jusssst under the 70k mark but holy shit! This is so good and will absolutely fulfill your long fic needs. Visa-related marriage of convenience after Ilya gets hacked circa late 2014 and both of them get outed after a video of them circulates. Really good angst, emotions, dialogue.

the practical (accidental) acquisition of a husband by cherrylilies
174k, E, WIP | Another marriage of convenience fic!! Mid hook up era, someone posts an incriminating photo of Shane leaving Ilya’s hotel room. Shane panics and posts about a non-existent engagement to protect Ilya. Ilya goes along with it for safety. They both think the other feels forced into it and are holding back. Crazy good. Made me feel insane.

Closer to where you are (is where I must be) by sistercacao (@scacao-blog)
127k, E, Complete | Shane and Ilya play an exhibition game against each other in Paris (instead of the ASG in Tampa) and stay behind an extra day to talk. A volcano erupts and disrupts international air travel, so they get stranded in Paris together for a week. Romance ensues! So much yearning in this one.

influential men by lyric_ghost (@lyricghost)
90k, E, Complete | Shane is the captain of the Boston Raiders and becomes enamoured with hockey / fitness influencer Ilya. Really fun seeing how this rship might happen if some of the pressures were removed. Fun plot stuff occurring! Very romantic! I loved being in Shane’s head for this one. Go read without spoilers!!!!

oh well, I guess we're gonna find out! by angel_deux (@angel-deux-writes)
95k, M, Complete | Zombie apocalypse AU! Shane and Ilya end up thrown together trying to survive the end of the world together after the MLH awards in Vegas. Years of closeness and codependency and romance and yearning afoot.

dust of summer, dust we eat and desire is full of endless distances by lipsticktraces
83k combined, E, Complete | It's a Call Me By Your Name Hollanov AU set in 1999! Shane is 21 staying at his family's Italian villa and Ilya is a 24yo grad student staying with his professor for the summer. They fall in love. And then there is the sequel set 23 years later. Incredible writing in this one, and the yearning is EXQUISITE.

black dog by delagauchetiere

68k, E, Complete | JUUUUST under my word count threshold but who cares bc it’s so good. A really lovely AU where Ilya is trying to steal his neighbour’s (Shane’s) dog. Goes some fun and unexpected places, is all I’ll say. Very romantic!!!

Ok, what if when two soulmates happen to be in front of a mirror at the same time they can see each other? It starts almost immediately so Shane at three or four is sitting on his parents' bed watching his mother get ready and instead of himself he sees another little boy with a halo of curls. They stare at each other. Shane, confused, waves. His wrong reflection does not wave with him. The other boy tilts his head and blinks in confusion. His mother doesn't notice. After a beat, the other boy pulls a face at him and sticks out his tongue. Purely on instinct, Shane sticks his tongue back out at him. They both laugh and then the other little boy freezes and runs off. Shane's reflection returns.

"What's funny, baby?" his mother asks.

"Nothing." Shane says because he has no idea what that was.

Keep reading

Post-2016 cup win, Shane is gone off that bubbly and yelling “FUCK CHICAGO” and flipping two middle fingers in the background of random people’s selfies.

“Woah buddy, what happened to representing the organization?” jokes Hayden, calling back to what the GM said at the beginning of their cup run.

Shane’s face stills and his eyes are hard. “Hayden,” he slurs. “I am the fucking organization.”

People in the tags of that post like "We need to be hornier about erectile dysfunction" OHHH have I got a fandom for you. Have you ever met a man with big wet eyes whose most hidden fantasies are only enhanced by his husband not being able to get it up. I have. He's even played by Hudson Williams if you can believe.