#will shane

We literally know next to NOTHING about why or how Will Shane became as paranoid as he is, we get NOTHING. we see him train with Blakk back in his younger days, we see Tom Por noticing his frequent absence and Will Shane deciding to give up on his friendship rather than tell Tom, we see peoples varying opinions of the man, yet we rarely see him

Eli mentions nothing about grandparents or even having them, so they're likely dead considering that they're Shanes to, but they also could be cut off?? But that's the thing, WE DON'T KNOW!!! There's almost NOTHING about Will or his childhood that we'll probably never know about and that PISSES ME OFF SO HARD

As far as we know, he probably never even talked about his childhood to anyone both to people and probably Eli too considering how it's "just the way it is" attitude with his dad. Also I think Will, while obviously caring for Eli, was just ready to die at any moment considering how he gets Eli to learn, pick up the clues and do it yourself! Notice how he's so absent in that scenario? He literally made Eli used to possibly working on his own WITHOUT WILL HIS DAD BTW

This man is a fucking mystery and I HATE IT WHERE'S THE WILL LORE, WHERE'S THE SURFACE LORE, HOW DID HE BECOME SO PARANOID, WHY IS HE SO PARANOID!? WE'LL NEVER FUCKING KNOW APPARENTLY!!!

God dammit I need to see why he's so damn closed off and so mission orientated, literally in ROTE yes he probably loves his son but literally after getting free he immediately asks about the elementals... Like... DUDE YOUR SON IS RIGHT THERE AT LEAST HUG HIM YOU WERE PRESUMED DEAD FOR 5 FUCKING YEARS DAWG

But... I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, he probably saw Eli's memories by the Goon as a way to torment him so maybe he already processed being relieved that his son is doing fine and maybe after slugterra is not in mortal danger they can finally bond after this is all over- THEN FUCKING BLAKK DECIDED TO RUIN IT ALL LIKE HE DID 5 DAMN YEARS AGO ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?

not even ashame tbh lol

(This will be rather long, so fyi the last paragraph gives you an idea of my point)

The obvious premise is that it's a kid-friendly show, so none of this could be explored canonically. But if Slugterra were aimed at teen and up audiences, I think there would be some really interesting dynamics to be shown. So bear with me as I speculate over between-the-lines stuff.

First of all, I think ROTE went deeper than expected. We see Eli finding out that his father is not only not dead, but also very much possessed, by the very being that once had haunted his own mind. We're talking about years and years of grieving and coming to terms with Will being gone, all undone by a single realization. That must have been *way* more traumatic for Eli than a simple frown and mild shock.

But no, Will simply gets down to business and asks Eli to update him about the current situation with the Elementals, when it would have taken even just a look, a touch, a pat on the back to acknowledge that yes, he had missed his son, he was proud of him; that yes, in a few words, he loved him. It wouldn't have been time wasted not saving Slugterra: I'm talking about little things, which, when it comes to family, more often then not are all is needed.

Because duty must be paramount to a Shane of course, and both Will and Eli understand that (Will being super paranoid and preparing letters and messages for Eli shows that; Eli delaying rescuing him later on in favor of more urgent business also points in that direction). But honestly, once you decide having a family, isn't being the best dad possible to your son just as much a duty? Seing Will be so emotionally sterile towards Eli during their very first meeting after years, especially in an apocalyptical context, made my heart ache.

Indeed, on the recieving end of this non existent affection display, we have Eli, who is not only bearing the huge responsibility of literally saving the world, but also an even greater one: showing his dad that he can be proud of "the man he has become". This is unexplored terrain in the series, but I don't think it's a far fetched guess to say that Eli is very concerned with living up to what might have been his father's expectations, and stay with me here. We are talking about someone who's been groomed since he was born to potentially become a hero, part of a long generational line. He canonically clearly idolizes Will, and he always blames himself first when things go wrong. His role calls for excellency, and that's something Eli's clearly okay with.

My point though is that I think these convictions about who he should be led Eli to accept that pride is a necessary condition for love. That fatherly love must be earned through success, through the very prioritising of duty over everything else. Why else wouldn't he have not batted an eye when Will himself didn't do so at their first reunion after years?

To summarize what I mean, think about the last scene in Into the Shadows. Will has a message for Eli to give him his birthday wishes: this shows he did indeed care for his son. But, after a few words, he literally turns his back on him, and Eli is left dealing with his emotions and the fact that he misses Will by himself. I think this was the pattern in their relationship: surface connection (pun unintended), but never deep enough, at least for Eli to be satisfied. Maybe Will purposefully avoided it to make their goodbyes easier, or maybe not. Maybe Eli himself learned to close himself off to fit the "hero" role he was always told he would have taken (what I'm leaning towards). Maybe that's why he trusts people so easily (Twist, Thad, Junjie and Dana specifically): there can't be a way of actually knowing someone anyways, starting from your own biological family. Luckily enough though, Eli found a family who doesn't mind his vulnerabilities and, again symbolically enough, celebrate with cake despite of, or actually because of, Eli's acknowledgement that he misses his dad (which he didn't want them to hear anyways).

YA TERMINÉ POR FIN ESTE DIBUJO:

Espero les guste :3 porque a mí me kga las veces que tuve que rehacer cosas tras cosas PERO CREO QUE VALIO LA PENA.

Si llegamos a los cincuenta laiks lo dibujo vestido de conejo. (Broma, igual lo voy a dibujar de conejo lleguemos o no jaja 🤑)

Gracias por todo Will Shane, te odio ojalá no logres escapar de las Cavernas Profundas y t quedes como prisionero ahí con Blakk y Tadd ❤️‍🩹

Young Vesper. I wish we could see more of screentime and mention of Tom Por and Will Shane. Eli said they were like best friends but we never see them interact in Blakk telling his story. So I have an idea that Will Shane might have met Tom when he is 15 and then, he met Vesper. They became like a tiro.. Never telling secrets at all..

It was Eli.

Because honestly, I can see Will bring his new Infurnus to the surface because it's like super attached to him to meet his son.

And Eli and the Infurnus just hit it off so much, and then the Slug burps and Eli's like;

"his name is Burpy" [a five year old Eli declares]

"B-burpy? Why not something cool like Smolder, Inferno or Blaze?"[Will says trying his best not to laugh]