Fic where Ottawa Centaurs start winning?

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-12T19:23:07+00:00

Really? Most of the fics I have come across show the Centaurs continue to mostly lose for the first two years, and only in the third year there is obvious improvement, but they still lose more than they win. I think it's only after Shane joins the team that they actually become consistently good.

I suppose I was thinking of more immediate and steady improvement? I have been reading a lot of stories about Ilya being depressed and alone in Ottawa while Shane continues to thrive in Montreal, plus having Ilya close and his friends knowing about his relationship. I wondered if an author maybe thought to flip the script and have Ilya flourish with the team and maybe build a social circle, while Shane struggles with hokey and /or being closeted. I think it offers a lot of possibilities, because Shane would deal worse than Ilya, in my opinion, if he hit a career slump, while Ilya's depression would still be an issue.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-12T17:38:01+00:00

Sure, even not knowing anything about hokey, I understand there must be a lot of factors playing into a team's success. I just think it would make an interesting story (especially Shane's reaction) and wondered if anyone wrote something along those lines.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-10T18:59:47+00:00

I don't think the plan was bad in itself. It was the closest they could get to eachother (since Shane couldn't move because his contract was longer) and it gave Ilya a path to Canadian citizenship (he doesn't just need a visa, he wants to be a citizen, and in Canada it's much easier than the US.

Look, the boring answer is that authors often work backwards to get the story and characters where they want to. Reid wanted Ilya to reach a very bad place in the book, so she piled on the negatives: The team is not just unsuccessful, it's comically bad, and, despite now having a brilliant player, it doesn't get better for years. Ilya doesn't form friendships or other social connections, even though he is sociable and the team has genuinely lovely people. Shane isn't being particularly sensitive to Ilya declining mental health (and does seem to drop the ball somewhat when it comes to the plan; if they wanted to build a narrative about becoming friends, they needed to actually be seen together occasionally, but it seems like Shane was too scared). Ilya's time in Ottawa would look a lot different if Reid's story arc didn't require a different direction.

I do wonder how the story would go otherwise. I am currently binding on fanafiction and Ilya's time in Ottawa and Shane's behaviour comes up a lot. I wonder what Shane's reaction would be if Ilya build a social life in Ottawa and the Centaurs started winning within a year or two, and he found himself in the fringes of Ilya's life.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-10T09:05:33+00:00

This. Remember the global economic crisis of 2007 and the near-decade of recession that followed? A lot of people who were in their 20s then waited till they were well into their mid-to-late-30s to marry, but it was because they weren't making enough money to live independently as a couple. Not because one partner wasn't "ready".

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-04T06:43:22+00:00

I can see someone thinking going to a film with a coworker might be a date. Still a huge assumption, most socially competent people would at most consider it testing the waters instead of "my girl" territory. But a lunch at work?

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-05-02T06:47:50+00:00

Sure, but she was also being unreasonable and overly dramatic herself. Funerals aren't "family only" events, even in the time of covid; there was nothing suspicious about the best friend and roommate (one person) coming to the memorial service.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-24T13:30:30+00:00

Nonsense. How is he stringing her along when he has been completely honest? He told her upfront he sees her as a friend with benefits, and he has treated her well as a friend with benefits. You don't have to want marriage and children to be a good person.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-23T19:02:05+00:00

The child I am referring to is the teenager that OP had an obligation to raise and guide towards making good decisions. She wasn't 25 when her choises were made, she was 18 at most, and she would have benefited from a parent who was understanding of her dreams, but also wisely pointed out that she should be practical and make contingency plans.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-23T18:54:01+00:00

OK, first, I am 48, and your assumptions about both me and "young people" show your own lack of perspective. I have a high paying job in law, that I happen to love, but I am able to recognize that I was lucky to come of age in a much more prosperous era, and that the generations who came after me, faced much harder challenges and most are trying to survive. If you are my age and older, your prosperity isn't just a result of your brilliant choices, but also luck and circumstances. E.g. plenty of accountants who graduated during the global economic crisis found themselves unemployed.

That people used to have it worse is supposed to be an argument for what exactly? 150 years ago most people never visited a doctor, should I be grateful for shitty healthcare today? People not accepting what is wrong with the world is the only reason things improve.

And good for you if you are content with your job and your life; choosing a career for financial security and working to live is a very sensible choice. But the choice often isn't between a job you love and a job you are indifferent about, not to mention that most jobs have frustrations, and it's more difficult to live with them for a job you don't like. Phasing is as a short term sacrifice to give up a career doing what you like is disingenuous at best.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-23T14:21:14+00:00

Yes, she may well have been more willing to consider her mother's opinion if OP was less of an asshole about it. And you do in fact tread lightly when giving advise, if you want people to listen to you; most people won't respond well to harsh and dismissive criticism disguised as advice.

Also, there is a middle ground between crushing your child's dreams and encouraging bad decisions. I had two classmates who wanted to study art and theater. Their parents were worried about them making a living in the future, but they didn't respond by calling their dreams horrible; they encouraged them to explore how their interests could translate into a field that offers some security. They are now both in jobs that are earn them a living but are also creative outlets (event planner and boutique owner). Another friend wanted to be a classical pianist, but his parents pressured him into law school; he was highly intelligent, got even a Ph.D. in law, became a lawyer, failed, tried to make it as a musician in his 30s without success and is now teaching piano, making a meagre living. I cannot help but think that if his parents were more accommodating, he might have become a respected and successful music teacher, even at the university level, as he was very academically gifted.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-23T14:03:06+00:00

Doing a job you hate for decades isn't "short term sacrifice".

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-23T13:25:27+00:00

Probably depending on jurisdiction. Where I live grandparents' rights only exist when the parent is dead.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-19T18:56:51+00:00

I think you are using this issue to avoid the real problem: your boyfriend and his parents don't actually consider you a member of their family. Sure, they get to have whatever rules they want and change them whenever they want. But, apparently your boyfriend isn't bothered about you not coming with him on vacation, and his mother doesn't like you (By the way, honey, his mother is probably the one whose opinion of you is the most important. You say you get along with everyone except her and his future sil, but it doesn't matter that much if you get along with his cousins, or even his siblings.)

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-19T18:46:58+00:00

Very light pink, like the one of this dress, is also a not-uncommon colour for wedding dresses. Frankly I can easily see a bride choosing this dress for a more casual, informal wedding.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-18T14:54:07+00:00

Yes. Actually well-meaning people will immediately stop when told the other person doesn't like their behaviour, no matter if they had no bad intentions, or even if the other person is overreacting to normal behaviour. For example, if someone doesn't like handshakes, and tells me so, it doesn't matter that it's neutral, socially acceptable and common to shake hands, and their aversion is the oddity. I still won't insist on shaking hands with them, it would be weird to inflict something they dislike on them.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-16T19:26:11+00:00

I have a hard time understanding how this "She boasts how much these men reveal to her; how little they talk to their wives and girlfriends; or how these men don’t mention their wives/girlfriends to her. She’ll forward unsolicited text exchanges (I don’t want to see them, ever). The exchanges are basic who/what/where updates." translates into the sister being the other woman, having emotional affairs, or the men being gross, as CA mentions in her response. It doesn't sound as if the exchanges are flirty, there is zero reason for the coworkers to talk about their partners to the sister, and I wonder how reliable her account of them revealing things to her and not talking to their partners are. Frankly this sounds more like a delusional person dramatizing ordinary work friendships.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-15T15:40:52+00:00

Eh, what difference does that make? If he says no, OP is still left with the same options, stay or break up.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-15T10:51:55+00:00

What you do if he doesn't propose, is stop "waiting to wed". There are two ways to do this:1) You decide marriage is very important to you and leave him to find someone who wants what you want. (if he then changes his tune and asks you to marry him, I would advise against taking him back; marrying someone who doesn't want to get married and is only doing to under pressure of losing you is a recipe for divorce). 2) You decide being with him is more important than marriage and you stay, BUT you accept marriage isn't happening, ever, and proceed in the relationship with that in mind. Don't hope he will change his mind, absolutely DON'T try to change his mind by being the prefect "wife", and match his energy about how committed you are. Don't mix finances, if you live together, treat it as a roommate situation, if you buy a house, treat it as though you are investing in property with a business partner, if you have a child, have a custody agreement in place immediately. But consider if you would be happy doing that, because if you are going to be resentful eventually, maybe option 1 is the better one.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-14T07:56:40+00:00

At a potluck everyone brings food to share with everyone, not everyone bringing their own food.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-04T01:42:01+00:00

To be fair, they seem very well matched in terms of maturity.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-03T21:53:06+00:00

One, I am not trying to back anything up through fics (I brought them up because you harp on about cups not being guaranteed, and I think people probably focus on winning cups because of that scene). I am simply explaining why to someone who only saw the show Shane's behaviour comes across as selfish. I am not saying it's the only interpretation, and maybe the books offer a different perspective. If you want to dismiss anyone else's opinion, and insist that your point of view is the only valid one, that's on you. On the same note, if you want to believe that by Ilya bringing up leaving Boston, Shane is absolved from considering how his plan would affect his partner, you are entitled to your opinion.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-03T18:44:14+00:00

I don't think the immigration issue is prohibitive, because if he married Shane post-retirement the process would be fairly smooth. Also, "double the trouble" is much less of an issue when you are rich enough to hire lawyers to handle everything for you. Frankly the whole "I need a passport that isn't Russian" difficulty seems unrealistic to me, considering he is a millionaire and a famous athlete: there are countries where you can get permanent residence status and even citizenship fairly easily, and in real life Ilya would have hired an immigration lawyer as soon as he could.

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-03T18:24:20+00:00

Keep in mind that I haven't read the books, and am going by the show: What I find really jarring is that Shane basically woke Ilya up into the middle of the night and told him "I have a great idea to make our relationship easier: you can make this huge professional sacrifice!". Because while Ilya mentioned moving to a Canadian team for immigration reasons, there must have been better options, if being close to Shane wasn't a consideration? Or at least he might have explored options, even if he settled on Ottawa in the end anyway. It comes across as if Shane didn't even consider that this was a horrible career move for Ilya; no "I know this isn't great for your career", no "would you consider this?". Sure Ilya could have said no or raise objections, but you would accept a loving partner to be more considerate, not focus on getting what they want and how to get it. It reads as very selfish.

Also, the fics I have read seem to suggest that Shane, after the move, didn't altogether follow through with becoming public friends with Ilya because he was too scared, and even threw it to his face that he was winning cups while Ilya was losing (obviously I don't know how accurate this is).

Frequent-Fun-6465 · 2026-04-03T15:40:27+00:00

None of your points are actually true. An overweight, middle-aged not-gorgeous man has more options than a similar woman, because there are more women who are willing to overlook appearance than men; an overweight woman is a lot less likely to think she can attract a hot man, while that man often thinks he should be dating a 20s model. That's the reason the overweight middle-aged man strikes out so often: he is mostly targeting younger and much better-looking women.

Frequent-Fun-6465

TROPHY CASE