Your Ticket to the Multiverse

YOURE SO RIGHT THOUGH

In the books, when they’re talking about Ilya switching to a Canadian team, Ilya proposes leaving Boston for a Canadian team himself. It is brought up explicitly because America is bad for Russians at the moment, and he wants non-Russian citizenship. And during the conversation, Ilya has this moment where he can tell Shane wants him to come to Montreal, but Ilya doesn’t want to because Montreal could never afford both of them. Ilya says “Not Montreal,” and Shane immediately understands. He proposes Ottawa as an alternative because it needs a star center and has the cap space for Ilya.

And, critically, I cannot find a single mention of the fact that Ottawa is a bad team in Heated Rivalry itself.

Like. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I can’t remember any mention of the fact that Ottawa is terrible. I pulled up the pdf of the book and searched couldn’t find a single mention of the word “Centaurs” in it. I searched every mention of the word “Ottawa” and couldn’t find a single mention discussing how Ottawa was a bad team. The closest we get is Shane saying that they need a star center, but still needing a star for one position is a very different thing than it being the shittiest team in the whole league. And you’d think that Ilya would maybe bring up the fact that that team is absolute ass and would destroy his career if he went there if that was a legitimate concern. The Long Game rewrites its own canon to victimize Ilya and make Shane the villain in the Ottawa move. Its claims are fundamentally and irrevocably inconsistent with the explicit text of Heated Rivalry.

The entire dialogue around Shane being selfish in the Ottawa move drives me absolutely raving insane because it is fundamentally based in revisionist history. Shane is at no point in the conversation a driving factor in Ilya’s decision to leave Boston. Ilya decides he wants to be on a Canadian team before he even talks to Shane. The fact that he wants to come to Canada specifically is because of Russia, not Shane. And picking Ottawa is for the sake of Ilya’s career.

Signing with Montreal is outright considered and rejected by Ilya so he doesn’t have to take a pay cut. The explicit reason why he doesn’t want to sign with Montreal is the fact that Montreal cannot afford both of them. And that decision is later recast entirely into Ilya picking Shane over hockey. If Ilya wanted to pick Shane, he would have just taken the pay cut in heated rivalry and they would have been playing on the same team since fucking 2018–and it would have been on a team that Ilya himself describes as “the most legendary team in the entire league.” He would have had a great team and been tearing it up winning Stanley Cups but he didn’t want to take the pay cut or hit to his captaincy and his position and Shane fucking understood that and found him an alternative that wouldn’t require him to sacrifice his own position.

They explicitly pick Ottawa so that Ilya’s career doesn’t have to suffer and then the Long Game revises the entire narrative to turn it into how Ilya sacrificed his career for Shane. It is absolutely nonsensical when read in light of their conversation around the move itself. They outright reject playing on the same team so Ilya doesn’t have to sacrifice his own career.

And then!! All of the reasons why Ilya shouldn’t have to sign with Montreal suddenly do not matter at all when it’s Shane who has to suffer them. Shane has to take a pay cut? Laugh it off. Hubby will provide. He loses his entire career as narrative punishment for “making” Ilya sacrifice his career, but signing with Ottawa was explicitly so that Ilya wouldn’t have to sacrifice his career. Ilya actually does what Shane is accused of and villainized for in The Long Game, and Shane never did it to begin with. I feel like I’m being gaslit by an entire fucking fandom. Can anyone hear me hello

shane: ok so how about ottawa [which there is no mention of being a bad team in this book], they need a star center and can afford you

ilya: sounds good

ilya in TLG, on a rebuilding team that he chose for his career instead of being closer to his boyfriend: i sacrificed hockey for you hollander

shane: omg im so selfish and such a bad boyfriend :(((( i dont deserve ilya :(((((((

#when your partner gets kidnapped by a killer, and you escape the hospital even tho you are injured because you don't trust anyone else to save them. And you were having a nice time with some rock music before it all went to shit.

Bones 1x15 “Two Bodies in the Lab” -> 911 9x13 “Mother's Boy”

what’s gonna be left of the world (if you’re not in it)

@princessamericachavez

https://archiveofourown.org/works/81340786

Summary:

“What? Hollander too scared to face me?” Ilya chirps, because if he goes another minute without at least mentioning the man that has been consuming his every thought for two weeks he might go insane. He needs someone else to acknowledge his existence, his absence, to fucking tell him what’s going on so he can finally get it off his mind. It’s just a stupid mystery. That’s why it bugs him.

And then Hayden Pike looks up. Dark bruised circles under his eyes, face pale like a sheet, eyes red rimmed and puffy like he has been crying all day. The face of a man mourning.

Ilya feels like the ice might crack under him. Something’s wrong with Shane.

***

Im actually so excited that people are enjoying putting my baby Hollanov’s in the most scooby doobesc of situations lmfao

I've read a lot of Hollanov fics and I wanted to share some of my favorites.

Shane Hollander Goes Casual (so cool and unbothered) by self_cursed [26.6k words | 13 chapters]

Set sometime after Sochi. Shane, seeing Ilya with other people, decides to play the field a bit himself. Of course Ilya crashes out about it. Angsty but a happy ending of course.

Love In The Dark by azraelriego [250k words | 21 chapters]

Post Break-Up/Getting Back Together. My absolute favorite non-traditional A/B/O and Mpreg fic. I have re-read this so many times, I can almost recite in my sleep.

Grin and Bear It by giveemhale [9.6k words | 2 chapters]

Do you wanna see Shane crash out? This is the fic for you. There are so few fics (that I have found at least) that deal with Shane actually sitting with the horrors that have happened to him after he and Ilya are outed and frankly, shit he's had to put with his whole life. This fic nails it.

Operation O Canada, or The Hollander-Rozanov Method of Soft Launching a Marriage by robbinscinquefoil [118.8k words | 8 chapters]

Basically, what if "I could marry Svetlana." for citizenship turned into Shane proposing marriage instead?

death and taxes (and shane hollander) by fingersfallingupwards [68k words | 12 chapters]

Angsty, second chance, old man yaoi. This fic HURT. Happy ending of course, but also bittersweet.

play destroy by kneeinjury [11.k words]

Ilya fucks Shane's girlfriend to get his attention. I have re-read this fic often. I get it, Ilya. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

courage [it couldn't come at a worse time] by veilofimagination [81.9k words | 9 chapters]

I mean no offense when I say this, but as far as I'm concerned, this is The Long Game.

hi shane, is this still available? by tunamelt (bbang1z) [6.6k words]

An AMAZING mixed media fic. I'm awe at what creators can do on AO3. Highly recommend the second piece in the series!

Meant To Be by azraelriego [260k+ words | 27/40 chapters]

Another A/B/O fic. No, this fic is not finished, yes, it is on the list. Marriage of connivence that turns into more.

Déjà vu by NotEvenCloseToStraight [350k+ words | WIP]

Again, no, this fic is not finished and yes, it is worthy of this list, even in its current state. Second chance romance. Ilya ghosts Shane after Vegas and they reunite 10 years later. This fic is so so SO good. Angsty as hell but the author has promised a happy ending.

(hopelessly) waiting for your love by attfna [63.6k words | 11 chapters]

An AU where Shane's brain made up Hollanov's entire relationship while he was unconscious recovering from a brain injury. This was such a cool, unique plot!

it’s the terror of knowing what this world is about by PrincessAmericaChavez [29.7k words | 10 chapters]

Shane, Ilya and a bunch of MHL players are taken hostage during the MHL awards in Las Vegas. Another pretty unique plot. This fic was one hell of a ride!

your eyes, they turn me by Cookiebycookie [66k words | 10 chapters]

At 20, Shane retires and goes to college at Harvard. Hollanov happens anyway. Something about this fic is so....cozy. I loved how Shane changed and grew as a person in this fic. It's how I imagine canon!Shane would have been had he had time to be more of person and less of a brand.

to build a home by foxriverblues [22.3k words | 4 chapters]

Childhood friends to lovers fic! Ilya and Shane grew up together in Canada, but after Irina's passing, Ilya's father moves the family back to Russia. 18 years later, Shane comes across Ilya's account on Instagram.

and depending on how many movies for the franchise rose had filmed in montreal in the past??? not impossible that SHE was the montreal girl cap was always running off to see when they were in town. yes! it all makes sense!! rose landry is montreal girl, and hollander has STOLEN HER!!

which leads to the very funny idea of the boston team trying to be loyal to ilya and parent trap situations on nights out on the town to get ilya and rose to spend time together because SURELY cap can win her back! he's ilya rozanov!! of course he can do it!! manage to get them "accidentally" locked in a room together and NO chance cap doesn't win her back and steal her away from hollander!

TEARS IN MY EYES LAUGHING ABOUT THIS

oh MAN, one other player from boston got picked for all stars and another came along as their plus-one because listen. ilya has been carrying around a BAD FUCKING VIBE and they are. worried. he is in demon mode and very mean rn but he's their cap, so they gotta look out for him. and atp the whole boston team thinks they've solved the puzzle (they. have not. they have actually invented their own picture and cut it into pieces to MAKE a puzzle), so they send to the groupchat (the one without ilya called Potential Evidence For a Cold Case Episode One Day) that oh! landry is HERE, guys! she apparently came with hollander.

and OBVIOUSLY this is the perfect time to find space for cap and landry to get together 1 on 1 again! what if she came JUST to see cap!! (they needed to run this past like. at least one wag. but alas.)

and meanwhile rose came with shane as moral support in him trying to talk to ilya, but now ilya is avoiding them like the fucking PLAGUE.

BUT NOW IT DOES LOOK LIKE ROSE IS ACTIVELY SEEKING ILYA OUT.

BUT NOT FOR THE FUCKING REASON THAT THE BOSTON TEAM THINKS.

so the players are like SCORE. PERFECT. landry even asked one of them where cap was!! she WANTS HIM, guys. WE MIGHT SURVIVE AFTER ALL. ROSE LANDRY, WE WORSHIP AT YOUR FEET. PLEASE SAVE US.

so one of them distracts shane while the other goes to get rose, and rose is like "well, shane is busy, and maybe rozanov just needs to hear that shane wants to speak to him, and i can do that."

but now rose and ilya are locked in a room, rose doesn't want to say shane's part FOR HIM so she's just trying to set the stage by talking about what a wonderful person shane is and how he makes a great boyfriend and is so sweet and sensitive and-

and ilya meanwhile has his focus torn between trying to set her on fire with his mind, set himself on fire with his mind, and make his teammates (who are DEAD when he gets out of here) catch on fire with his mind.

by PrincessAmericaChavez

Author: PrincessAmericaChavez

Link: this whole damn world can fall apart

Rating: Teen

Status: Complete

Word Count: 16,544

Summary:

“I’m here. I’m here,” comes through, finally. “Sorry, just- I’m here. What do you need?” “Just talk,” Ilya begs, not even caring how pathetic he sounds. “Please.” “Okay, okay,” Hollander breathes. “You know. I keep thinking. This isn’t right. There’s something fucking wrong.” “Of course there’s something wrong, Hollander! Your building is on fire!” “I fucking know, Rozanov!”

Or:

Pre-tunamelt, in peak situationship era, Hollanov’s building catches fire… with Ilya still inside.

Relevant Tags: Canon Divergence - Faster Burn (Literally!), Near Death Experiences, Action & Romance, Protective Hollanov, Angst With A Happy Ending.

it’s the terror of knowing what this world is about

PrincessAmericaChavez

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83076471

Summary:

He’s about to unlock the door when his phone buzzes, no doubt with an apology or an explanation. Someone screams outside of the bathroom. There’s a loud noise. More screams. What the-

His phone buzzes again.

Jane: don’t come out

Jane: hide

Jane: guns

Jane: idk what’s happening

Jane: call the cops

Or