#setstars

first of all, apologies for taking so long to answer. second, when i got your ask i had never once read a shane WAG fic. of course instead of telling you that i went down a rabbit hole for three weeks to catch up on this beautiful trope and haven't come up for air since.

i 100% blame you for that (affectionate), by the way. don't worry, i've loved every second of it.

so, without further rambling, here they are:

My favorite Shane-Hollander-joins-the-Boston-WAG-chat fic recs

crown jewels of this trope:

not "your" anything by 24begaydonothing81: WIP. this has all the fluffy, humorous vibes I want from a WAG chat fic. one of my all time favorites. also canon-divergence (i think) bc there is actual relationship development that wouldn't fit in the canon timeline. plus the boston team joins in eventually!! also includes a coming out, though no identity reveal (yet) which makes the chats even funnier.

Jane Adapts Nonnaturally Expeditiously by shanessed: WIP. fantastic story that really gives the WAGs their own voices and relationships, which makes the fic feel so grounded in a real 'verse, something i think isn't always easy to accomplish in a texting fic. also love how supportive they are as they take on the herculean task of getting shane and ilya to drop their denial early. also the WAG catch on fairly early in this which i like because smart characters (yay!!) but also have mixed feelings about because shane doesn't know that yet. curious to see how that will be resolved.

Jane Doe elected Prime WAG by Driftingalongtheshore: WIP. this is pure comedic genius. i am in awe of the amount of thought the author has put into fleshing the characters of these women out. also love, love, love that there are stories developing beyond what we know from canon (even if i wouldn't count it as canon-divergent yet, too early to tell), with escalating prank wars, sponsorships, various health issues (iykyk) and more. also the WAG theories on jane's identity are hilarious. very curious to see how some of the canon events get handled but even if we never get there, it's forth reading.

Jane Has Been Added To The Chat by What_I_Wrote_In_Ink: complete. so lovely, gives everything this trope promises. in particular supportive friends while shane (and ilya) figure out their shit. canon-compliant to the tv show as far as i can tell.

Added: Jane by @pirateshipping: complete. great short story about shane finding supportive friends in the WAG chat. canon-compliant. includes the identity reveal, which i adore.

First Time WAG by DadMight: complete. really funny (both the WAGs and shane). shane discovers the joy of talking about his sex life and asking for relationship advice and i am 100% here for it. also seeing the fallout of shane's conversations in the form of ilya venting to his team makes it that much more hilarious. also includes the identity reveal.

Boston Babes by a_local_queer: WIP. love how shane takes 1.2 seconds to seize the power granted to him to ruin ilya's life (read: take care of his boyfriend from afar). shane being determined to become the best WAG is absolutely the energy i need in my life.

different twists and takes on this trope that i adore:

Jane and Lily's Guide to Psychological Warfare by Anonymous: WIP. love the premise on this: unlike most WAG chat fics where either the bears/raiders steal "jane"'s number or ilya adds shane to fuck with him, this time they are both informed and very aware of the choices they are making. i love me some agency and the boys looking at their teams going 'fuck that' and deciding to strategically use the WAG chat powers as well as the wider internet for the greater good of forcing their teams to become more queer-friendly is just *chefs kiss*

Boston Hoes (Don't Know Shane's Game) by @thefeistyrogue: oneshot. short and funny. i liked the take that these boston WAGs aren't as welcoming and i'm getting the feeling that shane could be his true, bitchy self with them.

Added by Mistake (Stayed on Purpose) by Yul_Cy: WIP. the premise but instead of humor and crack make it angst. only 4 chapters in and i can already tell that this one is going to hurt. unlike most of my recs, this is less fluff and a whole lot more angst. i really feel for shane and just know this is gonna get ugly before it gets better. but the author has assured us that shane will be okay eventually, so i'm confident the pain is gonna be worth it.

softly, stepping forward by @apileofashandember: WIP. has only just started but i've added it to this list because i really love the premise of shane being the one asking to get added to the WAG chat here. (yes, my agency kink is showing. again.) not to mention the delightful twist with lorie. can't wait to see where it goes!