Smirking Raven

@smirkingraven

A compilation of anything that makes me laugh, cry, dream or otherwise make me feel alive. Look on for lots on my biggest literary babies, fan art on them (not by me, thank God) and of course all those brilliant shriek-educing TV shows and their wonderfully twisty plots unleashing emotional havoc in their wake. And Disney don't forget about Disney

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bookswithdenise

I’ve finished the entire Captive Prince trilogy, including the side story The Summer Palace, which feels like a soft epilogue to Kings Rising, the final book in the series and I genuinely don’t know how to move on 😭

These books were insane in the best way possible.

The enemies-to-lovers arc in this trilogy is unlike anything I’ve ever read before… slow, tense, painful, and so incredibly satisfying once it finally pays off.

I finished the entire trilogy in about 4–5 days, which is honestly shocking for me since it usually takes me that long just to finish a single book. I just couldn’t put it down.

The dynamic, the political tension, the emotional buildup… everything was just addictive. I kept telling myself “one more chapter” and suddenly I was at the end of the book.

It’s not just a romance, it’s a story about trust, identity, power, and choosing someone even after everything. It was very satisfying to see enemies-to-lovers trope done so well… and I don’t think I’ll be recovering from it anytime soon.

fortist166

“Stay away from my baby girl!”

littlefluffbutt

Hehehehe

corrya

I think about this like once a day

sheisraging

Ilya trying to keep a doped up Shane from airing all their laundry is so special to me.

tomorrowisyesterday119

Heated Rivalry is a closed door hockey romance in the sense that they fade to black on the hockey. The sex is explicit, but the hockey is implied.

icecreamsandwichofficial

Rose Landry highest self esteem of all time. she has mediocre sex a couple times with a guy who seems not all that into it and goes "hm. Well, I'M definitely not the problem. the only possible answer is that he is Gay."

impeccable reasoning, no notes.

escapepodding

The miscommunication in Heated Rivalry is because they're living in different romance types to begin with:

Shane: In some sort of Austen-esque existence where hjs ill-advised flirtation with a notorious rake goes too far. Scandalised by the intimate use of first names he flees, concerned what society and his goodly parents will think, his reputation at stake. He tries to find a proper marriage prospect but alas his heart is lost to the rake! But he finally follows his heart and invites Ilya into his home too (and accepts first name usage!)

Ilya: Smoldering in mirrors and out of windows and getting emotionally wuthered screaming Shane's name on a moor. My man is byronically going through it gothic style

aslongasitsblack

ilya’s pre game captain speeches are one million times funnier when you remember that him and shane let what happens on the ice decide what they’re doing in bed later

ilya [knowing that him and shane have a deal that whoever loses montreal v boston tonight is doing a strip tease for the other]: im not fucking around guys. do not. fuck this up for me

endlessly-ranting-antheia

Ilya: I could marry Svetlana to get American citizenship

Shane: and I could commit a murder suicide right now. See how we’re both saying shit

rozanovs

You don't see that every day. Pretty big night for hockey.

academicblorbo

Ilya meeting Shane's parents must be insane for them like. Mr Ilya "The Terminator" Rozanov, terror on ice and menace in bed, politely stands there. Your very shy son admonishes him for using the word "lovers" and Russia's Greatest Rage Machine just takes it.

You ask when this started and Mister Dickhead makes sure Shane is accurate about when they started this. How dare you stave off half a year of us, Shane?

You ask if they talked to Scott Hunter and Ra Ra Rasputin says that he, famous asshole extraordinaire went to talk to Patron Saint of Hockey Gays to offer him congratulations.

You ask if he has no loyalty to Boston and Mr Fucking Fuck San Francisco is like. Nyet

Your son is having a panic attack and Miike Snow Genghis Khan calls them "boyfriends" and it's your own extremely shy and sensitive and loving son that is like MY WHAT

unlikelychildchaos

My headcanon of the day is that Ilya is not used to getting calls from family members unless they need something from him. Nobody ever calls him (maybe apart from Shane) to just simply check up on him. So the first time David calls him on a random day of the week, asks him about his day, hands the phone to Yuna to do the same—Ilya is a little confused as to why these people are just randomly calling him. He even texts David after they've hung up to confirm if they needed something and have just forgotten to mention it. When David texts back "no son we just wanted to check up on you" Ilya sits and stares at that text until he feels his throat close up and there's an odd sting in his eyes.

eastofshane

ilya as woodstock

(ilya as woodstock (pt. 2)], (shane's version)

armandageddon

who gives a shit if the heated rivalry actors are queer or not. if they're queer then good for them for getting to play queer roles and if they're straight but this cheerfully willing to have hot sweaty gay sex with other men on television for our entertainment then more power to them too. other straight men should take notes. whats the issue here again