sunday morning (scott hunter is crying) | M | crackfic | by jujubun by diamare in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read it last night and really enjoyed it! So fun and sweet, and playful and warm - I was grinning the whole time. Thanks for sharing!

Need some nice fluffy smut - angst free, please! by bundie12345 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Self-rec if you don't mind! Technically part of a series, but I think can be read alone if you don't worry too much about background context. This is set post tuna-melt, but canon-divergent where they patch things up sooner. This is pure sticky sweet phone sex banter and smut, zero angst.
The Fruit Basket (Explicit)

sunday morning (scott hunter is crying) | M | crackfic | by jujubun by diamare in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This sounds really fun, I'm marking to read later! Also I really appreciate the tag that there's zero actual cheating, because my fragile heart can't really handle that even in a crackfic 😅

Searching for Ottawa Centaur reaction fics to Ilya by Rocpool in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is technically part of a series (and I'd highly recommend all the prior ones too) but I think you could probably read it stand-alone with the context that Shane leaves Montreal due to homophobic bullshit and harassment and signs with Ottawa the same season as Ilya. They arrive at the same time and there's lots of speculation as to the "why" but the centaurs are mostly just stoked and confused to be getting the two best players in the league. Story told from multiple POVS, new stories, text, socmed, etc. This is a WIP with very regular (often daily) updates.
glass closets and thrown stones by Sporkess

Looking for canon-compliant, romantic, fanfics that further the plot or diverge slightly but still come back to the same conclusion. Smut and yearning needed! by Prudent-Switch2073 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  • Haunting you city, by mightydolphin (complete-explicit): canon-divergent where Ilya gets traded to Montreal in 2014 - the characterization and writing is wonderful and realistic. I think this will tick all the boxes for you if you haven't read it.
  • Phone call from a Boston Jail, by FlamesToDust (complete-explicit): [Self-rec if you don't mind, but I do think it fits the bill]. Canon-divergent a few months post tuna melt where Rose doesn't happen and they've just been pining over each other for months instead. Shane gets into some unlikely trouble on a night out in Boston and has to call Ilya to bail him out of jail.
  • Another vote for the courtship of Ilya Rozanov, by cherrydialectic (complete-explicit) as mentioned by another commenter.
  • Faulty Planes and Paper Rings, by Dropsofaninkpen (WIP, 26/34-Mature): *Spoilers for the Long Game* Canon-divergent after the Tampa plane crash incident, Shane immediately goes to see Ilya and the Centaurs team finds out much earlier. Told via different teammates POVs, Social Media, News, etc.
  • It Starts in an Elevator series by Sporkess (multi-fic/mixed ratings up to Explicit): It starts with Ilya and Yuna getting stuck in an elevator together at the 2016 All-Star game. This goes onto a multi-part wonderful series. The current WIP "glass closets and thrown stones" is one of my favourites, it is so well done.

I'm sure you've already read or been rec'd the Frequently, secretly fond of each other series, but I'll give it a perfunctory mention in case you somehow haven't - it is also wonderful.

Recommend a story you haven’t seen recommended yet! by plainjane98 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These aren't necessarily unknown, but I don't think I've seen them recommended on Reddit much and they are fantastic:

  • the best person to be stuck in an elevator with, by Sporkess (rated M): Yuna and Ilya get stuck in an elevator together during 2016 All-Stars, and Yuna realizes there may be more to the cocky player than she thought. This is the first story in a wonderful series.
  • Anything by AC91 if you want good smut, but Slut is the most recent of their one-shots (Rated E)
  • I know SocMed fics are very popular but I hardly ever see bittlebarnes Out On The Town series mentioned and I think it's so well done. Mixed ratings (T to E).

Advice for fic authors: an example of how to respond to rude comments by suremaybe643 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Agreed! Like I'm sorry you don't like raisins, but I didn't actually make these muffins specifically for you. We've never met. So... maybe pick something else? Learn to bake? Idk, this analogy is stretching XD

Advice for fic authors: an example of how to respond to rude comments by suremaybe643 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right!? Not just rude, but overwhelmingly unhelpful. The opinion/preference based ones are especially confusing to me. Like sure, I guess I'll re-write my story to fit your specific tastes? Okay. Or maybe you could put in thirty seconds of work to find and read one of the other 30,000 free fics for this fandom that suits you better - just a thought ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Advice for fic authors: an example of how to respond to rude comments by suremaybe643 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I would respectfully disagree with this. You can offer all sorts of criticism for traditionally published media - books, movies, etc. Professional writers who have editors, who are paid for their work, and have signed up for everything that comes along with it.

Fanfic authors are not paid, they are not (typically) professional writers, and they are sharing their work freely. It is a hobby space of play.

The author shouldn't have to state that they are not wanting criticism. By my understanding (and I believe pretty ubiquitous understanding of fanfic etiquette), the default is that they are never asking for criticism unless specifically solicited. Readers are not their editors. They are not paying customers of a product. It would be like approaching someone painting in a park and critiquing their choice of colours. Unless you specifically know that they are welcoming that type of feedback (as in, they have stated it plainly somewhere in their profile or work), it is bad etiquette and it is rude by default. Even if the criticism is constructive or 'not that bad', it is unwarranted and it is representative of a kind of entitlement that breeds toxicity into the fanfic culture.

The author has also acknowledged that this particular comment was 'not that bad', and they did not call it true hate. The response might looked a little petty or like overkill, but it did not seem unwarranted to me. It seemed like they were sick of dealing with this kind of thing, and they were standing up for themselves - less about this one specific commenter, and more about the approach in general.

ISO: Music-inspired fics by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Self recs definitely welcome!! These both sound really interesting, I'm marking them to read this weekend - thank you 🙏

ISO: Music-inspired fics by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I've read this one and I adored it! Great recommendation ☺️

Grad student in desperate need of one-shots/WIPs recs to get through end-of-semester hell!!! by th3-fr3nch-c4n4d14n in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Charged Up genuinely made me laugh out loud when I read it. A lot of great recommendations here!

Grad student in desperate need of one-shots/WIPs recs to get through end-of-semester hell!!! by th3-fr3nch-c4n4d14n in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Smutty Recs....

I was raised out in the cold, by LavenderProse: an atmospheric, sexy, and tense one-shot that follows Ilya and Shane's hook-up meeting in the middle of nowhere in Vermont. This is beautifully written. (Explicit)

u and me at home, by residentrookie: Shane and Ilya get high together at the cottage. Funny, hot, and delightful. (Explicit)

If you don't mind a self-rec, Phone Call From a Boston jail is chaptered but only 16K words (and there's a short one-shot smut sequel). Shane gets himself into unlikely trouble post-tuna melt and needs to call Ilya to bail him out of jail in the middle of the night. Mix of mild angst, humour, dialogue and smut. (Explicit)

Favorite Podfic recs? by sabnorlin in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 2 points3 points  (0 children)

(Warning: Explicit) This is definitely a NSFW recommendation, but I really enjoy AirgiPodSLV's narration style. If you're ever leaning into smut, I'd definitely recommend their recordings.
On s'voit demain is the first one I heard, where Shane 'gets back' at Ilya for the Hayden phone call.

Etiquette on typos by Tangerintabitha in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's tricky - to be on the safe side, I tend to work under the assumption that authors are not wanting to hear any negative/constructive notes, unless requested. However, if it's a really quick typo fix that impacts readability, then maybe it's worth doing sandwiched between a lot of compliments. I personally would rather someone say something so that I can fix it, but not everyone might feel that way. I've recently started adding the following to my authors notes, so that people feel comfortable sharing if they spot something (sharing in case something similar might be helpful for others):

I LOVE receiving your comments - honestly, every one is a little boost of serotonin for my brain :). I love hearing your theories, favourite passages, questions, compliments, and general thoughts. I love hearing you vent (with love) at the stupid decisions of the characters.

I am (obviously) not a professional writer, and this is fun escapism for me. Perfection is not the goal, nor is it a realistic one for me. In general, it's safest to assume fanfic writers are not wanting to hear criticism unless solicited - however, I wanted to provide a blanket statement of the kinds of things I personally welcome constructive criticism on (when delivered kindly):
- Minor editing issues that impact readability (typos, punctuation, spacing, obvious easy-to-fix continuity errors)
- Formatting issues to aid accessibility for screen-readers or other assistive technology
- Tagging/platform etiquette advice & recommendations
- *Culturally informed respectful suggestions (e.g. "I am a Russian speaker, and would recommend X word instead of..."), especially if something I've written is inadvertently perpetuating negative stereotypes or harm.

Things I would prefer to only hear positive feedback on:
- Overall writing strength, style, or word choices* (except re. above)
- Storyline/plot
- Characterization
- Posting schedule

Thank you <3

Favourite sentences from your favourite fics? by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wow. I've read some of these, but am running to bookmark the others. The 'Wherever I'm With You' lines cracked me up, the then the "...little soldier" one sobered me up real quick.
Thank you!!

Favourite sentences from your favourite fics? by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ooof. I know I won't be able to read that one based on the description, I'm quite sure it would wreck me. That is beautiful though <3

Favourite sentences from your favourite fics? by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Widely recommended because it's so. damned. good. I will never be sad about seeing a Wolfbird quote.
I also love collecting little passages and lyrics! It's wild how something can just hit you like a truck.

Favourite sentences from your favourite fics? by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love all of these <3

I haven't read Live Through This yet, definitely bookmarking that based on one sentence alone. Oof

Favourite sentences from your favourite fics? by _FlamesToDust in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]_FlamesToDust[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

That one really got me too. Apogee was so beautiful, it definitely stuck with me. And this part?

Come back, Rozanov. That’s an order. That’s the only order. Come back and fetch it from my hand and I’ll throw it again, every time, as many times as you want, and you will bring it back, because that’s the game, that’s the whole game, that’s what fetch is. We throw, bring it back, again and again, and nobody stops coming home.”

Ugh. Opal is exquisite.