stumbled upon a monsters' ball

(my justification / rant)

okay. i feel like in terms of personality jj is simply more suited than hayden to lead a team. though my interest in hockey is only really passing to moderate, i have heard that sometimes, captains are chosen moreso for their ability to handle a locker room and their likeability than purely hockey skill (which still does play a part, but it's not as prominent as some fics may have you believe if i'm understanding correctly??). simply put, i just Do Not believe hayden has the same charisma and energy that jj does, even if he likely would have better stats than jj as a winger. (ive seen some fics that mention jj being on shane's wing when from what i remember, he seems to be a defenceman, and defencemen typically tend to rack up less points than wingers, since their job seems to be to get the puck away from opponents / off their side of the ice and to the wingers & center so they can score).

the fics + a one sentence summary:

a place that’s safe enough for people like us: 5 places Shane and Ilya daydream about going to together, and 1 place they actually do go.

with wheat and watercolors, we grow old: Ilya tries to kill himself; and they move forwards, as best as they can.

breakwater: After Ilya wins the Hunger Games, recovery is a work in progress, but there is progress nonetheless, and then suddenly Shane is stepping forward at the reaping ceremony and everything is falling to shit again.

lighthouses, and other things that can save you: After a career ending injury, Shane could probably fall in love with Rose if only Ilya Rozanov had not hunted him down to the middle of nowhere in the flat out dumbest display of devotion that Shane’s ever heard of.

chaos theories: After Shane comes out, Yuna is left with a question—what would you do if you could turn back time and try it all again, and again, and again, and again, until you get it right?

favorite quote so far:

“I don’t know if this will ever get better,” Ilya says quietly. It has been a long many years of this; they both know that. “It might not.”  Shane takes a shaky breath. “Okay.”  “I might never get better.”   “Okay,” Shane says again. “You’re still not going to get me to leave. In sickness and in health, Rozanov, remember?”  It takes everything in Ilya not to let his expression crumple, not to let his entire body curl in on itself and break down. He says, voice trembling and wet and scared, “That’s Hollander-Rozanov to you.”   Shane lets out a breathy, surprised laugh. It’s shaky and teary and scared, too, but it’s a laugh nonetheless. “In sickness and in health, Hollander-Rozanov.”

fun eurydicees nanowrimo fact: i've spent roughly a total of 12 hours, 47 minutes, and 24 seconds writing this month! i keep a stopwatch running every time i sit down to write in order to keep track of this stat, because i am insane. but it's kind of a cool one to know.