stupid canadian wolf bird.

Happy Birthday Shane!

Shane has a script as a captain. It’s also tied directly to a core interest of his. The success of his team in part depends on how well he leads that team. Part of being the best hockey player in his mind would also entail being the best captain. He did not win three cups for that team with his stats alone.

But it frustrates me how prescriptive this fandom is with Shane's autism. I've said it before, but I routinely see people talking about his autism as though it makes him a different species fundamentally incapable of thinking, functioning or behaving the way non autistic people do and that's not only really othering but just not fucking true.

Any time we see Shane being socially awkward in the show, it's a time that it is completely commonplace for a person to feel awkward. introducing himself to someone who is clearly not interested in talking to him. Forcing himself to smile when he gets second draft pick instead of first. Shutting down when a reporter asks him a racist fucking question. Trying to hide that he's about to sneak out and fuck Ilya Rozanov to his best friend. Talking about his sexuality and secret relationship with his parents.

These are like all completely normal circumstances for a person to feel awkward and not really know how to act. The only thing that makes Shane different is that he is worse at hiding how awkward he feels in those situations than the average person.

Then look at the times he is not socially awkward. The press conference, when he butts in to save Ilya from embarrassment. Shane is confident, professional, in his element. He knows exactly what to say and how to say it and he even was able to do it specifically because he noticed Ilya couldn't.

Look at him with the fucking reporter before the game, calm, collected, self-assured, even joking about only caring about what Ilya has to say to him once he's "caught up" to him. Again, in his element.

Look at him when he plays hockey. He is visibly more jockish when he's in the arena during a game than anywhere else. He steps into the hockey player persona like water. He's a different fucking man on the bench than he is anywhere else. It's a persona. One he's learned and perfected over the years. One that helps him fit in the NHL culture seamlessly despite, in theory, being someone who shouldn't be able to navigate that culture.

When Shane is in an environment he knows well, when he has a script, that man is in control in a way he isn't any other time. For Shane, playing hockey extends beyond the confines of the rink, and he continues to play the game on the bench, at the press conference, in interviews - and with his team in the locker room, I fucking promise. I fucking promise you.

Him taking things literally, not always understanding social cues, being socially awkward - those are all true to his character, but so is playing the fucking game, perfecting the game and for Shane all of that has become part of the game.

Rewatch the ep. 4 opening montage, where Shane is walking down his steps with his dad at the cottage. Look at his posture, his expression, listen to what he's saying - tell me you can't see the captain in him come out in that moment. Tell me he doesn't look like he knows exactly what he's fucking doing.

Shane, pacing in Ilya's living room and wringing his hands: Ilya, Scott Hunter knows about us we need to kill him we need to make it look like an accident we need to do it now