also (still talking about something that no one else cares about) it’s so beautiful and meaningful to me that ilya is the one who most longs for and pushes for queer solidarity. like he is the one who tells ryan price that his and shane’s camps are focused on teaching tolerance, he is the one who shows up to scott’s gay bar night, and he is the one who gets the centaurs to wear pride tape for troy during the whole pride game (instead of just for the mandated warm-up). and he longs so badly to come out to his team bc he wants them to know this side of him. like he is so explicitly a queer man who wants to be seen for that part of his identity and he is willing to go to bat for everyone else. which makes sense to me from a russia pov bc he really knows the political context of everything. and he wants that community so bad!! bad enough to always show up in support which is such a beautiful part of his story to me
















