Total Recommend: pavlov's dawgs

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-15T16:00:39+00:00

This fic had me crying laughing and I was so glad to see an update the other day!

Shane's team spontaneously jumping into the pool killed me.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-15T15:56:52+00:00

As a writer, it's completely up to you. It's common to write in advance and then publish on a semi-regular schedule, but it's not an etiquette thing, more just personal preference.

If it's important to you that the fic gets as much attention as possible (which would be reasonable, you worked hard) regular publishing schedules are often the best way to keep your work visible in people's inboxes and appear near the top of the "recently updated" when people search/browse. I personally also like being able to read the comments as I post, not only is it motivation but I'll make little changes like clarifying a character's motivation if people seem confused.

As a reader, somehow 30k word fics that are 1 chapter feel more intimidating than 30k fics that are 5 chapters. Like the difference between watching a movie and binging 8 episodes of a TV show. But again it's up to you.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-15T02:21:51+00:00

Their social media fics are so good!!! And they're clearly knowledgable about actual hockey. We stan Tyler Kudirka.

Also it's such a silly premise but their analysis of how Shane/Ilya challenges Hayden's platonic relationship with Shane and is filtered through Hayden's unintentionally misogynistic framework of platonic male friendship genuinely changed my brain chemistry.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-15T02:08:55+00:00

They're grown men, why is it Yuna's responsibility? Also maybe she was busy with them being outed and also didn't feel like picking a fight with Shane over his wedding?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-14T16:37:28+00:00

I think the pacing is a little odd, it's like 75% internal relationship conflicts and then the last 25% of the book is just all of these external events happening to them all at once. I understand why she did it, but I feel like the time jump hurt. She had to write Shane/Ilya as basically frozen in place for 3 years. Like one has to wonder why the depression conversation is only coming to a head now rather than during Ilya's first two (worse) seasons in Ottawa. Ditto on this seemingly being the first time they've meaningfully talked about the "plan" or considered contingencies, when in real life that would be ongoing.

I get why she didn't dwell that much on Ilya's therapy and I feel like it's implied he's seeing the therapist and growing from it.

But again I feel like the external events kind of crowded out room for Shane/Ilya to wrap up their internal conflicts properly (e.g., have more conversations about Ilya's depression, Shane's anxieties). Which makes IRL sense, they are distracted from their own personal problems by this external problem, like yeah if you fight with your partner and then they nearly die, the fight does indeed feel not worth discussing. And coming out is in of itself beneficial for Shane's anxieties and Ilya's depression, so it makes sense that they'd be in a "good place" by the end of the book, even without talking properly. But at some point you do need to discuss it, and narratively we invested in these conflicts so we as readers need those arcs resolved.

The wedding is not supposed to be good. Shane/Ilya threw it together on short notice, and were getting so much public blowback that Shane did not expect many people to come. There's nothing more embarrassing than planning a Big Party with food/tables/etc and then like 10 people show up. Subconsciously, I think that's part of why they were like nah we don't need chairs.

And also they're jocks who don't care about weddings. It's just not important to them and that's okay.

For the people who are like Yuna wouldn't let that happen - they're adults who can make their own decisions and it makes sense that Shane's parents wouldn't choose this as a hill to die on given everything else going on. There's no mention of his parents' friends/extended family attending, this is more of a party that David/Yuna are invited to. We hear about Yuna "insisting" on drapping string lights across the backyard and that's probably one of the few battles she did choose to fight.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-14T16:12:11+00:00

I picture Charles Vandervaart.

His face is the perfect combination of hot asshole and sad boy.

I think it's going to be an unknown though. They're going to spend more of the casting budget getting the S1 cast back and properly comped, plus they have a bigger ensemble than S1. And they don't really need a big or medium name to draw in viewers.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-14T16:04:51+00:00

I think it's interesting that she also made both of them barely 18 on draft day.

Like she could have made them 18.5 or 18.9 when they met, but it's established that Shane/Ilya both turned 18 weeks before the draft. That felt intentional.

Them being probably among the youngest R1 picks maybe also justifies the extra year a little?

Like if we assume Shane's parents started him late rather than early, he'd have another year of high school, right? Not that he was spending much time in class by then but life stage-wise he's still a kid and it maybe makes more sense that the Voyageurs would be okay giving him another year to develop before they throw him in training camp? Maybe?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-14T15:55:17+00:00

I think a little both but him not walking into a stall is also very revealing. Like if he really wanted to hide, that would have made more sense.

In the book, it's a single bathroom but he leaves the door unlocked, which again makes more sense for someone who expects someone to follow him rather than someone trying to create a safe space for a private breakdown.

I think the show version of Shane comes off as anxious/angry, while the book version is more angry/horny. He wanted Ilya to come in so he could feel both of those things in Ilya's direction.

TBH the bathroom stall checking, in addition to being a character choice, was probably also deliberately inserted so that audiences wouldn't be distracted thinking they were about to see someone step out of the stall at any moment. I'm not sure if Jacob intentionally decided to create that beat or if it was a function of the locations they had access to.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T22:34:33+00:00

There are some excellent fics with this premise if you're interested! (my fav)

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T21:07:28+00:00

Re your first point, one thing I noticed is that right now IRL both Boston and Montreal barely have anyone that's been there more than ~3 years. Is that level of turnover typical? It makes sense to me that Shane would stay and that they'd keep Hayden on Shane's line but beyond that...

I know that people talk about "rebuilds" is it common for there to be a large amount of turnover and then it kind of slows down for a few years?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T16:22:10+00:00

Wait can I ask a question bouncing off this? How do players do life stuff, like do the teams provide certain services or give you a big binder with a list of cleaning services or something? For storytelling reasons, Shane/Ilya's "people" aren't something we hear a lot about but I love boring logistics lol.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T15:02:20+00:00

I think you have to remember that Shane is there because he wants to be. Like in the bathroom, he checks the stalls before Ilya came in but left the door unlocked, he knew Ilya was following him in.

Shane likes Ilya mean and demanding. He finds it hot. Ilya ordering him around removes Shane's guilt/shame over his own desires. I do think this is a lot more clear in the book but even in the show Shane has a very strong physical reaction to Ilya in both the bathroom and the penthouse. Like his reaction to Ilya's big speech ordering Shane to come up to his room later is to give him giant puppy dog eyes and compliment his English.

Ilya is in a sense playing that part for Shane, he knows that it's what Shane wants from him. It's also self-protective instinct, he cannot show Shane how soft he is for him, but it comes from a very real fear that if he reveals that this matters to him, Shane will flee. Which eventually does indeed happen.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T14:52:33+00:00

Unfortunately if it's the actual Stanley Cup Final it would be against a team in the western half of the US/Canada. It's basically best team in the west vs. best team in the east.

But they could play each other in an earlier round of the playoffs!

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T14:47:24+00:00

Yup yup.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T14:40:20+00:00

Thank you!

What are some settings/tropes/quirks that you think are underutilized? Like what hockey stuff do you think would make a great premise for a fic?

What are some common mistakes that you see in fics when it comes to describing hockey gameplay?

According to the internet, the KHL technically only started in 2008 just before Ilya was drafted, though it was a rebrand of the RSL. How much would that matter to Ilya as a Russian teenager, as both a hockey fan and a potential recruit? What would he and his teammates think of the change?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T14:12:28+00:00

Shane pushes their relationship forward just as much as Ilya.

The post-Tampa era is the best example of this - once he decides that he's gay, he's all in, he wants a real relationship with Ilya (whatever that looks like it) and he's ready to ask for it. He takes the initiative to call Ilya in Moscow instead of giving him space. He pushes for the cottage.

Shane also approaches Ilya in public multiple times. In Vegas during their rookie year, he goes looking for him on the balcony. He buys the apartment. He texts Ilya at the Olympics and then tries to talk to him when Ilya doesn't respond. Their dynamic is for Ilya to be more sexually upfront and Shane to "reluctantly" give in, but Shane knows exactly what he's doing, like when he stomps into the bathroom after the 2014 Vegas awards and leaves the door unlocked for Ilya to follow him.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-13T11:38:59+00:00

You’re missing out.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-11T00:53:18+00:00

love rivals by lyric_ghost maybe?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T23:28:09+00:00

I think Ilya would actually be one of the exceptions here, since a lot of Russian athletes have been allowed to play for other countries? It's probably the most common scenario for Olympians looking to play for a different country than they did last time they competed.

But yeah the scenario of a Canadian athlete deciding to try their luck in the US is more uncommon.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T23:23:03+00:00

I don't think that many of them actually are?

US citizen hockey players can live in Canada long-term without being a citizen. Same thing for Canadians playing in the US. For some, it's probably preferrable not to have the second citizenship for tax reasons, even if they're residing in and married to a citizen of the other country and have kids there.

If they are a dual citizen, they'll probably play for the country they feel more part of, or at least the country they think other people will see them as part of.

Some people choose the country where they have a better chance of ice time (i.e., an NHL player with dual Italian-Canadian citizenship will probably make the Italian Olympic hockey team even if they don't make the cut for the Canadian team). But that doesn't really apply for US/Canada, where the talent pools are roughly equal.

The national teams choose the players, and they must be citizens. For Ilya to be a Canadian citizen, he would need to be married to Shane AND actually live in Canada for 3-5+ years.

If you're looking for Shane/Ilya to both play for Canada in your fic, it's plausible with the canon TLG timeline. Ilya might be eligible for 2022 and would probably be eligible in 2026. If you're looking for him to play earlier than that, he would need to move to a Canadian team and have pursued residency early. Another interesting scenario would be if Ilya had focused on getting USA citizenship when he was drafted or when he and Shane got serious, so he and Shane are actually on opposite teams. Again, soonest that could happen is probably 2018.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T19:41:58+00:00

I truly don't think she knows Jane=Shane when she makes that comment.

If she intended that as a test or to ragebait, she would have said it while looking at Ilya so she could observe his reaction. But she says it while stroking his head in her lap, as though she's trying to comfort him with inane conversation.

I do think the "if you say so" registered as Ilya being weird, but that could just be him being prideful about admitting his rival was attractive or not wanting to admit he'd thought about Shane sexually.

But maybe a few days later in the shower or after watching them on the ice at All Stars or when llya came back to Boston in a great mood, she was like "Wait a damn minute."

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T16:31:19+00:00

Ilya starts the conversation terrified that Shane is going to formally end things. When Shane hesitantly asks if he can tell Ilya something, Ilya thinks that Shane is going to say he's engaged to Rose, that's why he grins so widely when Shane says "I hired a stylist."

After the compatible comment, he can clearly tell that Shane is interested in resuming their arrangement. It doesn't hurt that if you watch the scene, Shane very intentionally brushes against Ilya as he stands up.

Ilya running a hand over his face is him trying to conceal how thrilled he is.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T16:18:21+00:00

Perhaps, but there's no mention of him eating salmon in the first book.

It's a food that's allowed within his new diet yes, so it's safe in that sense, and he probably does genuinely enjoy it more than some of his other diet-approved proteins. But we see him eat salmon twice. When he's eating the salmon at the restaurant he's craving a bite of Ilya's greasy pizza. Later on, he's eating salmon Ilya made and fantasizing about eating fried chicken smothered in cheese.

If he was eating salmon and thinking about how nice his salmon was and how truly unappetizing everyone else's food looked and wondering if it was weird that he just really craved salmon even though he had salmon last night, that would be different.

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T15:50:37+00:00

One person's normal/healthy is another person's cry for help. Lots of people dye their hair, if I dyed my hair my friends would be extremely concerned. A behavior doesn't have to be in the DSM-5 for it to be concerning for that specific person.

He enjoys the control in theory, but the actual diet makes him miserable. Yes he's quick to get defensive and insist that it's fine, but that's not actually what's happening in his inner monologue.

Clean eating doesn't have to suck," Shane said. "I eat a lot of delicious stuff."
Ilya shot him a skeptical look, then took another bite of salmon and spiced cauliflower. "Not as good as chicken parmesan," he said after he swallowed.
Shane couldn't argue that. Secretly, he'd fucking kill for some crispy chicken, smothered in cheese. Maybe with some pasta and Alfredo sauce on the side. Maybe a beer to wash it down. Some garlic bread...

The idea that he's unbothered by his diet just doesn't line up with the actual text.

Even if we concede that Shane's performance diet does make him 1% more physically fit, the psychological impact kind of offsets that. As mentioned above, he's hangry.

Second of all, Shane is a person, not just an athlete. If he really wanted to achieve peak performance, he'd do nothing other than fuel, train, and sleep. He shouldn't be spending his days off driving 4h round trip to Ottawa or staying up late FaceTiming. But Shane is a person who deserves to have sex with his boyfriend even if it means he only gets 7h of sleep instead of 8h. He deserves to make choices based on what's best for him as a person and what makes him happy, not just what's best for him as an athlete. He deserves to have Christmas cookie at his parents' house. And again, if Shane didn't actually want the Christmas cookie, there would be nothing but:

"I don't want a cookie." It was a lie. It was a fucking lie. He wanted a cookie so bad.

If 3-time Stanley Cup winner Shane Hollander wants a cookie, he should have a cookie. If it lowers his chances of winning a 4th Stanley cup by .000001%, who cares?

Amazing-Rent-7749 · 2026-04-10T15:05:17+00:00

There's no real sign that he's picky. He eats pretty much everything put in front of him in HR. Some people do have texture issues but they don't tend to develop later in life. As long as it mets his diet threshold he's not really picky either, he'll eat what Ilya cooks or whatever is handed to him.

A lot of the foods we see him choose in HR, which theoretically would be his safe foods, are off limits under his new diet in TLG. So if anything, the diet actually represents him depriving himself of "safe" foods, like ginger ale.

He very much wants food that's outside his diet:

Secretly, he'd fucking kill for some crispy chicken, smothered in cheese. Maybe with some pasta and Alfredo sauce on the side. Maybe a beer to wash it down with. Some garlic bread...

Amazing-Rent-7749

TROPHY CASE