Everyone deserves sunshine

The Ilya we see in Heated rivalry would not be throwing the first punch, he's not an enforcer. Ilya is a star center and a Pest. He wouldn't be doing his job correctly if he was punching players every other game, it would end up with not enough ice time to let him be the playmaker he's paid to be.

But being a pest can be playmaking! Find a player to bait, emotionally push them just enough that they try to fight you, and then get the fuck out of there before the ref gives you both penalties. This gets your team the power play. There is probably someone on Ilya's line dedicated to helping him get out of the fights he starts, and finishing them for him!

I also think this is also something that Shane would respect. Ilya is good at it and it's a good strategy for his team. I don't think Shane would see it as some dirty tactic, because Shane probably thinks everyone with a brain can see it for what it is! He probably thinks everyone should be able to see that being an asshole is a tactic for Ilya, that it's something to ignore and not fall for, that it's a strategy and not personal beef.

No literally though that's the whole point. They're Equals. They're Equally Matched.

In any world where Shane is working himself to the bone to maintain his performance while Ilya fucks around eating nothing but McDonalds and showing up to games hung over the premise of their whole relationship evaporates. That is not 'they literally decide who is the best and second best player in the World on a game by game basis' anymore, that is not 'their rivalry pushes them to even higher heights' anymore, that is 'Shane is working himself as hard as he can and Still losing half the time to a guy who isn't making an effort' which terminates at the logical point of 'if Ilya were to actually start taking his training seriously then he would become Decisively the better player' which just conclusively destroys any point to them being Rivals and Equals.

The Whole Point is that the thing that initially drew them to each other is that they were both putting in the work and functioning at a skill level that Only Each Other Could Understand.

I'm late, but I wanted to draw this so...

honestly the perfect response if you ask me.

"I fell in love with Shane immediately. I mean, I was falling in love with him even when I read the sides, which were just the audition... like, two scenes I got for the audition. By the time I finished reading episode 6, I was crying. I felt like no one else was allowed to play him. I needed to play him."

"Shane is very affable, even though he's sort of a departure from myself. As much anxiety as I have, Shane has quadruple, tenfold more, and it's just pouring out of him at all times. And that was fun to play, even if sometimes my stomach hurt. I always thought of him as sort of this pretty, neurotic character; this little concoction of this flowery, determined, sort of alpha in some ways, or sort of wanting to appear so, and then just this pretty little sensitive painting in other ways."

"I had Heated Rivalry read, and then read again, and annotated many times, on my Kindle."

"After reading Jacob's scripts, even before the book, I immediately saw how he would operate. My dad is on the spectrum, he knows it. He's a mechanical engineer graduated top of his class, first in class in everything, very technical genius in a lot of ways, but sort of socially... I think he would say that he doesn't want to deal with emotions. He has told me, I'm not even paraphrasing, "I relate more with Vulcan than human," referencing the Star Trek, the hyper-cerebral alien creatures. I love my dad to death, and I've always felt very connected to him. He has a sensitivity to him that is very boyish. I think when I read the script, I took a huge page out of living my life with him. Rachel Reid has said Shanel is autistic, so I think I knew how it should look. I empathized with him a lot immediately."

"Shane is hyper competent at this one thing. He's stereotypically masculine in a lot of regards. He's a kind person, and he's so overtly Canadian. He's harboring something that he thinks is a career-ending secret because he just doesn't have the emotional maturity or societal maturity to sort of understand what his own queerness means. To him, it's most likely detrimental, which is the wrong assumption to some degree, but it shatters his own idea of what his masculinity is, or at least it cripples it. And yet, he still never harms a fly."

"Shane is like a giant wooden suit with not too many articulating joints. I love him dearly, but he is exhausting because although it's my accent to a degree, it's not my voice. I'm very expressive, I'm loud, and he is tight-lipped and tight-throated, and he walks like a little frickin' square. He's like a Roomba, and has the emotional expression of one as well. So it's exhausting, but the friction is also sort of liberating in a sense that I can just be very sardonic and not necessarily earnest all the time. I'm trying to work at that. Even if Shane just says "you're an asshole" or "fuck you," his heart is on his sleeve no matter what. It's just pure earnestness and a real lack of ability to articulate himself into a lie or a less truthful place. His heart is always in his eyes, and that is kind of refreshing to be in, but it's also scary."

"Sometimes I think people might not like him, but it's like, "Oh, I hope people understand him." This is someone who's very close to me. These are family members. These are friends. These are neurodivergent people I know very well. So I'm also scared for him because a lot of the time I'm like, do I make him more cinematic and more sellable and more of a charismatic performance? Shane is not charismatic. There's a wardrobe person on set who said, "Hudson, you're hot as hell, but Shane's unfuckable." And I was like, "Well, yeah, I guess that's Shane."

"Shane feels very much like my father in a lot of ways. Thinking of him while playing Shane, that was a part of the build, the very first ingredients. I think I said my dad has a boyish quality, but he's also mechanical. Shane is boyish, but he's also mechanical. Getting to live with that, be frustrated by that, be frustrated by the restrictions of it, it just made me feel even more empathy and love for my dad."

"To cry in someone's arms is possibly the most intimate thing I think a human can do, let alone bare your heart on your sleeve and have to look someone in the eye. It's terrifying for me, and I'm an actor and my job is to be some soapy bitch. But for Shane, it is like death."

"Shane is not the most observant fella. He doesn't even have a gaydar. So I think Scott was someone he admired and represents the guy who's done it and been in the league-macho, competent. And to see that guy kissing smoothie boy on screen in front of millions of watchers is like a little pressure off his shoulders of going, "Okay, this makes this a little less scary. I'm not sure I'm going to do that, but I'm glad someone did."

"Shane's on the spectrum so he has to be specific."

"And then also the scene where, it's very sweet, when Shane mentions that they can start a mental health organization. I don't think Shane knows how sweet that is to Ilya. I think it kind of comes from Shane's pragmatism and he's sort of thinking, well, this was good and Ilya will appreciate this, but I don't think he knows to the extent."

"And then the final nail through the fucking skull in my eyes was the scene with Yuna. That was the scene that felt the most pointed in my upbringing. You know, Asian family... There were some stereotypes that are true, in my experience and a lot of Asian kids' reality. Perfection, discipline, a lack of straying left and right meant a lot of old, outdated conventions and old biases. Being gay is one of them. So having that release... I didn't know at that point if Yuna would tell him, "Okay, well, do you want to be a part of this family or not? You're not going to be talking about that again." To the degree of which she brought him in and said, "That's okay," really just sent me."

"Shane and Ilya get their ending, but as a reader bringing in my own experience of what that sort of overbearing mother means and the fears that it comes along with, this is the looming anxiety that carries Shane through all those seasons, all those years. "What would my mom think? What would my dad think? Holy fuck, I am breaking their idea of this perfect little image of a hockey player I have built over these years and sort of fabricated, to a degree."

"No, Shane does not know he's autistic. Although autism has always existed, the idea of it being a spectrum... that conversation started to reach me in a more open, accepted way in like 2017, 2018. I kind of forget the exact dates of when our show wraps up, but the overlap would probably be nearing the end of where we leave them in Heated Rivalry And I don't think Shane would be having those conversations in his social circles."

"He would need to go to a therapist, and Ilya is the only one in therapy in season two. And I don't think either of Shane's parents are the type to be like, "There's a spectrum. You're on it." They just think he's driven and antisocial. To me, reading the scripts, it didn't even have to be acknowledged. I was like, "This guy is farther along the spectrum than a lot of people." And I kind of aw, even how the dialog was written, how it manifests. Sometimes autism's portrayed in movies with quirky head movements, weird blinks, and weird inflections. And it's like, Okay...? That is sometimes truthful but that's always the reach. That's always the way it's expressed. And it's like, No, sometimes it is flat affect. It's just being immobile in your seat and taking 10 seconds to move your hand to do something because you don't know what this movement looks like or means."

I honestly think this conscious decision throughout is what makes the time jumps completely seamless, because we’re still grounded in the emotional reality of these memories.

It’s what I personally like to call ‘trim the fat’ writing, which so many shows fail to do, with bloated scripts and way too much exposition and audience handholding. JT said ‘fuck that’ and I respect it heavy

Yes, they’re the parents here*

No, it’s a family matter**

I don’t want to get involved in your family drama

*at the end of the day it’s their call, etc.

**there should be more discussion between everyone to find an alternate solution, etc.

*at the end of the day it’s their call, etc.

in your throes by FreshBrains  - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 300)

“I want you inside me all the time,” Shane slurs into Ilya’s neck, face wet and red. “Anytime. I’d never say no.”

Inked Enemies by LeGrinch - (Rating: T, Words: 2,005)

Everyone has two names on their wrist: one belongs to their soulmate, the other to their greatest enemy. The problem? There’s no way to tell which is which.

Shane has always been certain about one thing: Ilya Rozanov is his enemy.

Or at least… that’s what he thought.

Ilya My Dads Single AND Interested! by reggiesreputation - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 8,496)

When Shane Hollander’s daughter makes a sign letting Ilya Rozanov know he’s single and interested, chaos, and perhaps the best time of his life, will ensue.

That week in December by Spiderworm - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 8,950)

"What was she like?" He says it in a whisper, a kiss pressed against Ilya's skull when Hayden isn't looking. His hair stinks of alcohol and sick but Shane does it anyway.

"Mama?" Ilya pulls back, swaying slightly as he looks up at Shane.

"Yeah."

"She..." He blinks, dazed. "Kind."

Shane brushes the damp curls out of Ilya's face once more, praying Hayden's back is still turned as he leans into the touch. "What else?"

"She..." he pauses again, blinking as if the action will bring the words back to his mouth. "She would have loved you." ---- Or: Ilya gets spiked while out clubbing, and who else would he call but Shane Hollander ft a very confused Hayden, Scott, Svetlana, and the Admirals team medic

(oh, and it's the anniversary of his mothers death)

not broken, just weird. by stilesospoon - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 3,473)

Ilya didn’t know what to do. he reached out to touch Shane’s shoulder and the other flinched so hard that he hit his elbow into the corner of the side table.

“okay.. okay. no touching, that’s fine. hey. let’s sit, okay ? Shane ? let’s sit down.”

without touching, he managed to get Shane sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. Ilya sat opposite him, a safe distance away. the Canadian didn’t say anything. he hummed into the silence and pinched at his forearms to try and ground himself.

----

Shane Hollander has had diagnosed autism since he was a child but has never told anyone, not even Ilya.

What happens when he's had a long day and has a meltdown for the first time in front of him ?

Our Cup Runneth Over by Ottawacentaursstan - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 6,937)

The rise and fall of a Cool Party Guy

(aka the Centaurs win the Stanley Cup and Shane gets uncharacteristically drunk to celebrate)

Not Again (By Some Miracle) by dennivee - (Rating: Not Rated, Words: 2,356)

The game was 2-0 Metros, and almost over. However, Shane was upset as ever– he was ejected for five minutes but was back pretty quickly. Ilya didn’t know what was going on, and he was growing increasingly worried.

Shane, however, was having the worst day of his life.

OR: Shane has complications on the ice…

I Always Want To Stay by Yellowvelvetcake - (Rating: Mature, Words: 4,038)

After Ilya feeds him a delicious tuna melt and breathes his first name when he comes, Shane realises that this has gotten too personal. He flees… At least he tries to.

Or, Shane doesn’t leave Ilya’s home in episode 4. Instead he experiences his first subdrop.

come out and haunt me by seeking_amy - (Rating: Mature, Words: 4,751)

Ilya wants, immediately, to silence the call, fling his phone onto the floor, and go to bed. But he doesn’t. Can’t. It is three in-the-morning. Shane is calling him. He doesn’t like that combination. Dislikes it more than the idea of talking to Shane right now.

Answering and bringing the phone to his ear, Ilya tries to decide what he’s expecting to hear.

“Uhm, hello?” Feminine, soft-sounding, and concerned was not in any of the realms of possibilities he could’ve ever imagined.

Or;

An alternative ending to episode 4 featuring Rose being an amazing token hetero.

What A Chairrible Thing, That We Didn't Kiss by znks - (Rating: Explicit, Words: 5,835)

“We don’t have to-”

Panic, bright and breathless, surged through every one of Shane’s nerve endings. “No, no, it’s fine, I can do it. I can be good, please, I’m-”

He registered, distantly, that the sensible part of him had lost out, which was as embarrassing as the sting in his eyes. He had already fucked it up, given the obvious worry all over Ilya’s face as he rushed across the bed to him.

“I can do it, I- I can do it right this time-”

“Shane, please look at me.” Ilya’s hands came up to cup Shane’s cheeks, not letting him turn away. “Sweetheart. You have to tell me what’s going through your head right now, okay?”

Shane knew, with his entire being, that he could ask for reassurance, for a kiss, for the fucking armchair to be taken back to the living room, but the dread from another lifetime was choking out the words, leaving them strangled in his stomach down where it had dropped.”

any other factors, like “if i stop being straight, what happens to my husband?” can be decided by you. if the poll itself doesn’t answer it, do what you want.

also i don’t believe any sexuality is inherently bad or shameful to be and i don’t want to incite bigotry with this poll! i am a lesbian who loves being a lesbian! & anybody’s reason for their answer does not determine who has it “better” or “worse”. trying to quantify oppression like it’s something we can objectively measure is silly, especially if your evidence is a tumblr poll result. SO PLEASE BE NICE AND POSITIVE IN THE NOTES i am watching you

i would NOT because i’m comfortable with my sexuality

i would NOT because i love my community

i would NOT because i think my sexuality makes my life easier

i would NOT for another reason

i would change it to avoid bigotry/discrimination

i would to improve my dating pool*

i would to fit into a social group/make more friends

i would to fulfill certain goals/live my “dream life”

i would for another reason

not sure what i’d do

no comment/results

*this could be something like “i want to be attracted to all genders” but there are multiple ways to interpret it. maybe you are currently straight but want to be attracted to the same gender because your platonic same-gender friendships are great, but kissing the homies doesn’t do it for you. maybe you hate dating in general but your strong allosexual/romantic urges make being single miserable. these are all just examples to understand the option better!

How crazy is it that there are over 10,000 fics for Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov on AO3? I wanted to make a post about it, not just for myself as a snapshot, but to celebrate some of these fics. So without further ado...

*Sorting by kudos is just one arbitrary way of taking a snapshot. This isn’t a statement about quality or worth. There are countless incredible fics that won’t show up here depending on how you sort!

Top 100 By Kudos

i find it hot

they’re comparable generationally talented first line center professional hockey players

positioning shane as smaller/shorter/daintier than his white dom top boyfriend perpetuates racial, gender, and sexual stereotypes

i personally find it REALLY hot

when he chooses to, shane can physically overpower ilya (hockey, shoving ilya into walls i.e. vegas rooftop and stairwell scenes) but when he wants to submit in bed, he allows himself to be pushed, carried, held down, etc. because they both like it and want it

feminist scholar jane ward: "queer circuits of desire do not rely on the erotic encounter of opposites"

they can wear each other's clothes in a cozy boyfriend hoodie "give. i miss your boring laundry smell" "why the fuck are all your clothes dry clean hand wash only" long distance yearning way or post-game sweat damp base layer horny way or "gross now i have cum on my sweats i'm stealing yours" "okei yay ♥" fondly annoyed way