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hello there! im deelay! you can call me dee, if you want! gender is so weird tbh but please use she/they for me! everything useful is consolidated on my carrd, but you can keep reading for more detail!
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Now unlike all my other posts this has no real basis in the show but is more about how bottoming relates to Shane, Ilya, and their public perception. This is not about them as a couple for the most part, it's more that it’s three discussions in one post because they are related.
Ilya
Russia, like many cultures throughout history, see being the bottom in a gay relationship as a greater sin than just being gay. It is seen as weak and womanly.
No matter how much a person tries, the beliefs of the people surrounding them growing up will affect how you see yourself and those around you. Yes, you can deconstruct those beliefs but it takes time and effort. As far as we know Ilya hasn't done any work in this area, though we also never see any direct need for it.
The point I'm trying to make still holds, Ilya likely grew up with the belief that bottoming is not only gay but womanly. Now Ilya would never think that of Shane but it's easy for people to have cognitive dissonance when it comes to self-image. He doesn't think any less of Shane for it but if he were the one bottoming those old prejudices might affect his view of himself and his willingness to try bottoming.
We get a small hint of this kind of thinking when Cliff Marleau accuses Ilya of blushing in episode 2 and Ilya's reply is, "No, never in life have I blushed, Russians do not do this." While the words seem playful there is something about the look that looks dead serious. (This could just be part of the fear of anyone finding out who "Jane" is but I can also see him subconsciously taking it as a dig on his masculinity.)
The fact we never get even close to Ilya bottoming in season one could just be that they really are both "gold-star" but Ilya's view of himself and his masculinity could also play a part in it.
Since I base all my analysis on the show only I am unsure if it is ever talked about in the books but the fact Shane and Ilya never have any hint of a discussion on their preferences seems unusual to me. Now this could be about time constraints for the episodes, but I was surprised, with how consent centric Ilya is, at the fact Ilya automatically assumed Shane would bottom (episode 1). This was before they had each other's phone numbers so there has been absolutely no discussion on this matter beforehand. And even when Ilya knew Shane was having a panic attack he didn't offer.
Part of this is probably because most of Ilya's sexual experiences have been with women and there is an inherent expectation that in that kind of situation the male is always the penetrating partner. No matter what, Ilya is used to being the top and not having to ask what role he will take.
Either way I think it would show a lot of character growth for this to at least be touched on in season 2. Because as far as we know Shane’s line of, “I rather be the hole.” Is untrue/incomplete. He doesn’t know this for sure because he hasn’t been given the chance to be the “peg” with someone he is actually attracted to.
You can find power and control in bottoming but it also puts you in a physically vulnerable position. Being physically vulnerable with someone you trust is also about being emotionally vulnerable. Ilya, who comes from a culture where men are discouraged from being either, could grow a lot by allowing himself this vulnerability with Shane. Their relationship would grow so much by just allowing himself to trust Shane in this way.
Yes, there are ways to get that same vulnerability without bottoming but I am a firm believer that everyone, no matter the gender or sexuality (except asexuals) should bottom at least once with the person they choose to share there life with. I strongly believe that opening yourself up to being in your partners shoes in this way leads to stronger, healthier relationships.
Shane
While Shane is only half-Japanese throughout the show we see him constantly considered as solely Asian. So I think what I'm about to talk about would apply to him despite being biracial.
There is a stereotype of gay asian men that if they are in a interracial relationship they are automatically the bottom. While this is true for Ilya and Shane's relationship I still want to talk about the origins/"logic" behind this stereotype, why it's harmful and how it would affect Shane.
A lot of this stereotype is grounded in the belief that Asian men are more feminine than other men. This "logic" comes mostly from the fact east asian men tend to have less or thinner body hair. There is also a component that east asian people, rightly or wrongly, are considered to be on average shorter than people from other parts of the world. I have also seen this attributed partially to a belief that east asian men are less muscular and more slender in frame. All of these physical attributes are used by the uninformed to determine who is the more feminine partner in a gay relationship and therefore the bottom.
Despite Shane and Ilya being the same height and just as muscular as each other as far as we can see from the show, many people would automatically assume Shane is the bottom in their relationship. Because he is Asian in general but also because Ilya seems to have more body hair.
The problems with this all should be obvious but if it isn't, the belief that gay men who bottom are feminine is misogynistic and the belief that asian men are bottoms is racist and misogynistic.
I did a test and asked 15 straight friends who don't interact with the LGBT+ communities but consider themselves allies and who also haven't seen Heated Rivalry and asked them based on pictures of Shane and Ilya what they thought were their sexual roles in their relationship. All but one of them said the bottom had to be Shane. When asked why, three shrugged and said, "vibes". Two said something along the lines of, "Don't gays usually switch?" And all the others when asked said something like, "Don't asian men bottom?", "The asian guy seems more feminine." And funnily enough one person said, "That dude's got bottom eyes." The only person who said Ilya must bottom said that shirt, the Hawaiian one, was the reason.
To be clear I showed everyone these pictures:
If the average straight person, not even big sports fans, in the year 2026 still believe this stereotype then there is no way sports fans during 2010-2017 wouldn't think along the same lines.
Why does this matter?
In homosexual relationships the person perceived as the bottom tends to be looked down on and are more likely to be harassed by homophobes at a greater rate.
There is no way this all wouldn't be known by Shane. If not through general culture (twitter, facebook, media, ect) than because it is the kind of racist, homophobic things other players would say to him during games. Another thing to note when it comes to this is Shane’s hockey position of centre and captain, he would have the most contact with the other teams. This means he would be the biggest target for such harassment.
Once it was known he was gay, Shane's masculinity would be constantly questioned. And unlike Ilya, who is known to have been with many women, Shane doesn't have the same shield of having a womanizer persona.
Shane's biggest fear is being outed, both because of what that would mean for his career but also because of what that would mean for his reputation and how people view him. He has been placed on a pedestal for years, best player, golden boy, top asian player, ect. The moment Shane has any "Scandal" attached to his name everything he’s worked for would start to crumble around him. No matter how small the "scandal", no matter if he did something another player would be praised for, Shane would be demonized. Many racists would jump onto any "reason" to bash him without being seen as racists. Any excuse hateful people could use to attack him they would while still wanting to be seen as "good" people.
Being assumed, not even known, to be a bottom would be seen as a huge stain on Shane's reputation and there is no way it wouldn't affect his mental health.
Public Perception
This section is probably going to upset a few people who read this but I implore you to read it all the way through and really think about what I'm saying. I also want to note that I have little to no objections about this topic when it comes to fictional characters other than that it might affect how you treat real people. Basically be weird about fictional characters all you want but leave actual humans out of it and if you can't, keep it to yourself.
One of the most toxic reactions to high profile gay couples coming out is the sudden influx of people publicly debating who's the bottom. Gross questions like, "So, who's the woman?" or "Who wears the pants?" and such. And the weird "investigations" into who it is based on vibes (which I think we can draw a parallel with "trans-vestigating").
It's all extremely misogynistic, homophobic, heteronormative, and (at times) racist, wrapped into one gross package. (And I encourage anyone who sees this post to really think about this before you post such things about real life people and start call it out when you see it.)
There is no doubt in my mind that the two best players in the MLH would get flooded with such questions the moment they came out/were outed. They would suddenly lose all their privacy and every action they took together would be viewed through the lens of "Who's getting dicked down?"
And the person who the public decided was the bottom? Well they would be suddenly viewed as womanly/feminine. And because misogeny exists even homophobes who hate gays all together would hate who they assumed was the bottom more. Because somehow having a dick up your ass makes you more gay. I can not tell you the number of times I've seen/heard something along the lines of, "At least he's not the one getting fucked." Like being a top is somehow more socially acceptable.
Liking dick up your ass doesn't make you gay. Liking people of the same sex does.
And all of this doesn't account for the fact that most gay individuals aren't "Gold Star" tops or bottoms. And that most switch roles depending on mood or partner. Hell, I've known a few gay men who don't enjoy anal at all but are still "super gay" along with "super straight" men who enjoy pegging.
But when Shane and Ilya come out people would make assumptions, they would get the question thrown in their face by other members of the MHL, fans, random people online, and even interviewers. Yes those interviewers wouldn't ask outright but they would still ask veiled questions.
This little section was inspired by tags in a reblog of this post by @writer-and-thrasher. They brought up a really good point that when they are eventually on the same team. Though I haven't read the books, I hear they eventually end up together in Ottawa where Ilya is the captain. Now this likely wouldn't cause much problem in their sexual dynamic but it would bring greater ridicule for Shane and perceived sexual role. It would be an insult throw into both of their face on and off the ice.
All the gross posts on social media (and fuck people who @ celeberties with shit like this) would be there for them to see. They wouldn't even get the courtesy of Content/Trigger warnings. They could be innocently scrolling through pictures of friends only to suddenly see strangers theorizing about their sex life. And it's not like they can just ask people to stop, the people who are doing it are the worst sort so of course they wouldn't stop and the people who would stop at such a request wouldn’t have done it in the first place. (I'll allow some leeway to this statement for younger people, <20ish, who don't know better. Their brains still need some cooking.)
This also pairs horribly with the other sect of "allies" , the ones who say they have no problem with someone being gay just as long as the gay person acts like they don't have sex. But if their “rules” were followed there would then be allegations of the relationship being fake or that the couple is on the rocks.
It really is a no-win situation.
And with how society is, being so grossly parasocial, those random strangers would think they have a right to know such information. It would be so bad that some people (people who would consider themselves stans) if they found out their guess was wrong would get genuinely upset. They could openly tell the world and still people would ask/theorize about it.
They would know no peace on this subject until they retired and were completely out of the public eye.And even then I can imagine (with just how big of names they would be in hockey history) they would still have some die-hard RPFers who would keep writing/drawing/ect about them. (Please if anyone reads this who is a RPFer think about how you would feel if someone who you didn't know/didn't like wrote/drew erotic media of you. Sure if you never knew it was happening because they didn't post it you wouldn't mind. But think about how violating it would be to suddenly come across such “art” of yourself. Of just how mortifying the thought of your friends and family stumbling on such things would be. There are so many fictional characters shippers can get freaky about that there is no need to do it to real people. I promise there is a hotter, far less problematic fictional version of your fave out there. And if there isn't, fucking making one. Write a book and get famous.)
I know some people are gunna be mad about this but I honestly don't care. Fandom is so gross and toxic at times and I think it's our job to call that shit out and inform the uninformed. If you truly enjoy a piece of media you should respect those who produce and bring it to life, not just say you do.
Heated Rivalry Episode 1 Scene 11: Right Up the Butt (26.36 - 29.30) Analysis
Once again this is just my read on the show and any input is more than welcome.
26.36 - 27.06 If He's a Goalie, You're Trying to Score
First thing I want to point out is the amazing prop work in this show when it comes to period appropriate technology. The props masters really go above and beyond and it helps immerse the viewer in the time the show is set.
Another nice little touch here is that Ilya looks like he is just finished with a game/practice. His hair looks matted down like if he has been wearing a helmet and his skin is slightly shiny with sweat.
The music (Une Journée Parfaite by DUMAS) is light and playful and is a good indicator that what Ilya says is supposed to be teaseing and so is Shane's "What a fucking asshole.”
But the lyrics of the song are also telling. It’s about living and suddenly finding the thing you didn’t know you were missing. A map with no reason to use it, an invitation with no destination, time but nothing to spend it on, sound with no picture, a book you're missing the first pages of. They are all things that are useful in theory but without a reason to use them they are pointless, they are incomplete.
Whether they know it or not Ilya and Shane have just given each other a reason both romantically and professionally.
You can also debate that the fact it’s in French (not a language they share), is a metaphor for the fact that though they have both been “completed” they don’t understand it yet. Or that maybe being in French (a language Shane does know) that he has on some level already realized this but if he told Ilya, Ilya wouldn’t understand.
Personally I like this added interpretation because Shane and Ilya’s biggest obstacle is actually communication/language barriers.
Ilya's line of, "About time." It's probably a mix of different things, yes it's excitement to see Shane but also to play against him again. I think it's also probably something he has been asked multiple times before and he's just glad the questions will stop. His tone isn't outwardly excited so either he is keeping it under wraps or the last reason (annoyance) is overriding everything else. He seems much more animated about the direct question about Shane.
Things we learn from this interview: This is the first time in three months that they will be seeing each other since the CCM ad and it will also be their first time playing each other.
Without even playing a game against each other yet the media and league has already set them up as arch-rivals.
This is also interesting because they are both rookies so in theory they shouldn't be that important to their teams and the league over all yet. They aren't established players, and in fact haven't even completed a season yet, but Ilya is being interviewed already.
They are being set up to be the next big thing in hockey and all eyes are on them.
We see Ilya chirping Shane in front of the press, it's harmless over all but it also lets us see Ilya's playful and teasing nature. We can also assume anytime Shane is brought up Ilya will take the chance to make a joke which would only feed into the rival narrative.
The joke about being a goalie is that since they are not playing the same position (if Shane was goalie) than he is no longer competition. Another thing to note is that goalies aren't allowed to be captains.
We also get to see Ilya being cocky and this lets us know, since we don't see much of how he interacts with the general public throughout the show, that this is the behavior he will be known for and how he is viewed.
Through the series it's only how the public views Shane that we ever really see. This could be a point about how Shane seems to be the one who really cares about public perception of him. Shane is the one who is against being outed because it will affect his reputation but for Ilya it's about his safety.
Ilya joking that he said 50 instead of 40 is a clever way to let the viewer know that Ilya is always trying to one up not only Shane but himself.
Not only is he competitive with others but with himself as well. He is always striving to outdo himself.
And being as competitive as Shane is, Ilya is basically throwing down a gauntlet here (and I honestly think Ilya is fully aware of what this comment would sound like to Shane and he knows the press will make sure Shane hears about it).
A big part of their dynamic, and why they work as a couple, is that they are both so competitive. And while they hate losing, if they are going to lose to anyone they rather it be to each other. They can even find happiness in losing if it’s the other who wins, because it means there is still room to improve and someone to get better for/against.
If they weren't both so good (if one of their teams never won against the other) this kind of competitiveness would destroy any relationship they could possibly have.
In this short interview we also see Ilya easily charming the interviewers. He is comfortable and charismatic, while that is something Shane struggles with.
Shane smiling when he says "What a fucking asshole." lets us once again see the misalignment between his words and his thoughts. He is charmed by Ilya here.
Another thing to consider is that Shane had to purposefully search for this clip. Ilya isn't famous enough for it to be worthy of being on ESPN (he is one of many rookies on one of 32 teams). This clip he is watching also isn't from any social media (that I can tell) and is probably on youtube. Unless he has been searching for clips of Ilya before this, this interview wouldn't just show up on his for you (of the time period equivalant).
27. 06 - 29.30 Bitches Love Brunch
We can assume, with how Shane doesn't have to ask or look around to find his parents, that this is a restaurant they usually meet up at (and we do in fact see them meeting up here at other times). He also is wearing different clothes from the clip before and doesn’t look sweaty in the last clip so we can assume he watched the interview before his run.
The first thing Shane does is apologize for being late. Now it might just be me but 15 minutes isn’t the kind of late to apologize for. And we know he isn't just saying it as a courtesy since he starts explaining why he was late.
Personally I don't like that Yuna says, "It's just that you're usually on time." It isn't the kind of thing you would say to someone who is usually on time and the first time they aren't they are only late by 15 minutes. David waves it off as no problem but with how Yuna says that line it sounds like a reprimand.
I can understand a line like that if Shane had started being 30 minutes late multiple times in a row but from this conversation we get the idea that Shane is almost always punctual. Her tone also seems slightly put out at having to wait.
Yuna ordering for Shane after he was only 15 minutes late is also really weird. Ordering for your grown son seems really controlling and infantilizing, ordering a drink is one thing but his meal is weird. Especially when he was barely late. It's not like David and Yuna were sitting there for a long time and decided to ordered for themselves. It would have been no problem for them to tell the waitstaff they are waiting for someone else.
It's also weird because they didn't know how late he would be, so ordering without contacting him to know how long he would be risked his food getting cold.
There's more on this in the end notes.
We also see more of their family dynamic when Shane mentions Youtube rabbit holes David seems genuinely interested in it and what his son was watching but Yuna cuts it off and makes it about work.
Shane's words and expression are very preformative here but his tone gives the game away. Just like the Reebok deal he is completely uninterested in the conversation. He also doesn't look at either of his parents here, he is more staring at the table between them so they are in his peripheral vision.
This is also a really strange hand gesture and if I had to guess it is an aborted stim. If it is, it's something he has learned to stop or mask.
The Rolex email: I think the most important thing to notice is the line, "And we believe he will be hockey's most significant ambassador in a generation." What's important about this is that Rolex isn't in any way a sports brand. There is no reason this soon in his career they should be interested in him. Either Yuna is the most talented brand manager ever and/or Shane really is that talented with hockey. Likely a combo of both.
Still signing to Rolex this young, in a sport that isn't that big (it's not international the way soccer(football) is), is a huge deal. I'm not sure what the average brand ambassador for Rolex would make but just with his Reebok and Rolex brand deals along with the eventual pay check of the top MLH player he would never have to worry about money ever again.
Shane also isn’t blowing through money the way some others might but still Yuna pushes him to do more deals when it's clear if you pay attention to him that he isn't interested in this side of the industry.
With how serious he is about hockey he probably doesn’t like anything taking him away from the game.
Something else to note is that while he gives his mother a few darting glances almost all his eye contact is saved for his father. (If you look at these two gif sets X, X, you can see the clear difference of how he interacts with his parents.) And the only time he does fully focus on his mother is when she is talking about Ilya and then it looks more like he is searching her face for her reaction.
I think David notices how his son is feeling and tries to change the topic in a really tactful way that bridges both conversations by saying, "Is Rolex on Youtube?"
The questions about Youtube also helps date this conversation in a neat way.
Yuna sighs in exasperation at David for changing the topic. And by Yuna saying "I go down those rabbit holes all the time” it is very unlikely David didn't know about Youtube and rabbit holes in the first place so him asking this is to put Shane at ease.
I've seen some people say they think Shane is lying about watching these videos but I think he has genuinely done it and enjoyed it (though it might not be part of why he is late now). He looks too excited about it for me to think otherwise and the way he looks both his parents in the eyes to gauge their interest in the topic is pretty clear to see.
The metaphor of unlikely friends is solely for us, the viewer. It basically says, "This show you're watching is like those videos of unlikely friends."
There is also the snake/baby Ilya/Shane comparison. The kind of snake that would be “friends” with a baby (because most parents hopefully aren't complete idiots) are harmless. Many people would look at the snake and might see something dangerous but it isn't. In fact, that baby while looking innocent is more likely to hurt the snake than the other way around.
There is also the argument of Snake(Sin/Seduction)/Baby (Innocence/chastity). We see Ilya being the sexually experienced partner who parties, drinks, ect. While Shane even once he has had sex is seen as pure/innocent by the public.
Once again this is all for the viewers to read into not the characters. It's a really cool and subtle crack in the fourth wall.
Yuna saying, "What you should be watching are the ones about hockey." Lets us know why Shane is so utterly obsessive in his dedication. Yes I think he does love hockey with his whole heart but the fact that the moment he showed interest in/spent time doing something else he was subtly reminded he should only focus on hockey is a bit of a kick in the teeth.
It's the kind of line that reinforces that all Shane should be is a living breathing hockey machine. It's not overt but because it isn’t it’s the kind of thing that would stick in his head. Next time he starts to go down a rabbit hole, or just watch random Youtube videos he would be reminded of his mom telling him to focus on hockey.
David tries to redirect this by saying, "I think keeping up with that snake and baby sounds pretty important." Just as subtly as Yuna was telling Shane to "Worry about hockey," his father is saying "Your interests are valid, it’s okay to relax."
You can also see the difference in his body language between when he is talking to his dad about Youtube and when his mom starts talking about work (Ilya). You can see the moment Shane tenses as he takes in a breath.
I think a lot of Shane's tension here is that if he could keep his parents from ever even thinking about Ilya he would. He wants his public (and public private(shared with friends and family))and private life to be completely separate. But Ilya is part of both so Shane can't compartmentalize him as easily as he could a random lover.
Yuna implies she is watching Ilya just as closely as Shane, if for vastly different reasons. She saw when he first said he would get 40 goals, when it first happened, and she has also already seen the most recent interview, which is likely pretty new.
David also says she was yelling about Ilya saying he'd get 40 goals. If that was all he said, not even something about Shane, and she was "outraged" as David said it is no wonder Shane keeps his relationship from them for so long.
40 goals would put you in the top 17 rookie seasons in MLH history, 50 would be top 5 and the highest ever was 76 (all four under that were in the 50s). So while Ilya is being cocky it's not like he is saying something completely ridiculous. Especially when we know both Shane and Ilya are that good.
We never get a confirmation of their end of season scores but since Ilya is loosely based off Alexander Ovechkin (who scored 52 his rookie season) it's not too wild to say he also hit that 50 point goal and with Shane winning rookie of the year (and him being at 31 points to Ilya's 28 the one time it is mentioned) it's not too crazy to say Shane made even more.
I say this all because Yuna, by not acknowledging Ilya could be that good (even if he is being cocky about it), in some ways diminishes Shane's skills.
Ilya and Shane are constantly neck and neck (there are hints that overall Shane is just a tad bit better stats wise) and Shane is well aware of this. So if his mother thinks Ilya can't even get 50 let alone 40 what chance does Shane have?
I think Shane would take anything bad said about Ilya's hockey abilities personally. Not because he likes him, though that might be a small part, but because by putting down Ilya's skills people are inadvertently putting down Shane's abilities/achievements too.
And before where he was speaking in multiple sentences he drops down to only 4 words for the rest of the scene and even then it's just "Yeah, he's an asshole."
Despite being uncomfortable here his smile is so fond. I think this is more about their competitive relationship, about having someone to match him, rather than any romantic/sexual feelings he has.
I actually think most of Shane's attraction to Ilya at this point is because of the high he gets when in competition with him. Yes, he thinks Ilya is hot but I bet now that he realizes he likes men if it was just about being hot he would easily find someone safer to be with. No, most of the attraction is because Ilya matches him on the ice in skill and determination.
Back to the song lyrics, What is Shane and his accomplishments if he doesn't have someone to compete against. What's the point of working hard to get better if your going to beat everyone anyways.
Shane is competitive. Now imagine playing a sport at this high a level, being that competitive but having no one to compete against.
I don't think Shane would be able to be with another hockey player if they weren't just as good and dedicated as Shane himself is.
More amazing facial acting from Hudson Williams.
Shane does find this line funny, both for the irony of it but also because it's a wild thing for his mom to say.
But then he processes it. This line isn't actually homophobic (at least to me it isn't) it's off color but it also hits far too close to home.
You can see by how shaky his breath is in the last few frames that he is not doing well. This conversation is only 1.14 long and his emotions have been jerked around a lot already.
He is probably already overwhelmed and they haven't even gotten their food yet (which he may or may not already have a problem with at this point).
Shane is preparing himself to sit here for however long and lie about his thoughts and feelings, listen to his parents (mostly his mom) say bad things about someone he if not likes, then respects, while he can say nothing about it. Have work constantly brought up and expectations reiterated.
What should be an easy meeting with his parents becomes an emotional and mental burden. And his father is the only one who sees the stress. But he also doesn't seem to know how to stop it without causing things to get worse. All he can do is redirect things when he notices them and try to ease the tension with jokes.
The last thing I have to say about this scene is when Yuna says, “I’m sorry, but I said it.” David replies with “Honestly!” and how he says her name before that, If you listen closely, and this could just be me, David’s tone when he says those two words sounds actually upset.
And I wonder if when David in episode 6 says that they have suspected Shane was gay for a while, if he didn’t already suspect here. If his tone while saying that word was because he was unhappy with Yuna even coming close to making a joke like that.
We don’t see much of him but David seems way more in tune with Shane’s moods so it wouldn’t surprise me if he already had opinions/thoughts and wanted to be as welcoming as possible.
Personal Note: I did a poll for if people thought Yuna ordering for Shane is weird here. Most said no. I have personal experience around eating disorders that make this topic very touchy to me so it could be coloring my opinion of this scene greatly. Because of that it also affects how I see Yuna Hollander. If you're curious about why my opinions on this are what they are, you can read the comments of this post that lay most of it out. I've tried to step back from it and see what the majority of the people polled see but I just can't. The best thing I can liken it to that might explain why I have such a big problem with it is someone ordering healthy food for another persons because they think they need to lose weight. They're just helping them to stay on their diet plan. Not the same but it’s the same reason I don’t like what Yuna did.
Remember in 1.05, when Rose Landry says to Shane, “You’re secretly one of the funniest people I know.” Note the “secretly”. Shane has spent his entire career so media-trained that he only ever displays his sarcastic, cunty side in private.
And where did all that media training get him? Run out of Montreal on a rail. From now on Shane will not be holding back any longer. His public image is bland. His actual personality is not. And he’s reached the point where he’s starting to care less about presenting the perfect media trained image. Since it did him no good at all when the chips were down.
I think the OP is right. The public will be seeing a much funnier, much more savage, and more truthful Shane from now on. I’m not saying he’ll forget all his media training. But he’s going to lighten up and let bits and pieces of his cunty, hilarious real personality show through from time to time.
Yuna will be worried at first . But in fact, behaving like a Real Boy (with a wicked sense of humour) somehow makes him more popular. Finally, a Shane Hollander who occasionally breaks free of his Most Boring Man in Hockey public persona and turns out to be hilarious.
It's a combination of "I've had ENOUGH" & "I'm now with Ilya and everyone knows I'm gay so YOLO" & "being a Good Leader™ sometimes means being a loveable asshole who smooches his teammates - as advertised by Ilya" & "Ilya says my angry kitten face is adorable so get ready for Furious Puma" & Yuna being like "I know we talked about you being a role model but at this point everyone knows you are the DEI nightmare* of every conservative bigot but with 3+ Cups soooo who's the winner here"
So the first time Ilya makes a joke on social media about impregnating Shane - which you KNOW he will - it goes like this:
Ilya: I want to get you pregnant so bad it makes me look stupid
For realism in your fanfiction, an important cultural element to know about hockey twitter circa 2010-2020 is only fringe weirdos were fighting about if their ship was REAL or DELUSIONAL.... true hostile engagements were granular analysis of whose guy is the most unforgivably #problematic. Here are some helpful ideas to get you started on in-universe cancelations:
Ilya liking bisexual pegging porn on main (real event)
Ilya getting caught saying a slur on mic leading to additional discourse about how it's actually xenophobic to assume he knew what it meant in the first place
Ilya shaking putin's hand at the olympics
Scott hunter being noncommittal about You Can Play on multiple occasions
Scott hunter being a registered republican in 2012
Pervasive 10 year old rumor about Scott hunter having a threesome with his linemate during his rookie year (this person is the real winner)
Hayden pike going to a megachurch
Hayden pike thanking Jesus before his wife in post-game press when he scored a hat trick more than once
Shane promoting eating disorders by talking about his weird diet
Shane being controlling and a bad captain for forcing his weird diet on his team (this is reddit discourse though)
Shane tweeting #stopasianhate but not #blacklivesmatter
Shane catching amulet and antivaxxer strays due to his wacko nutrition/lifestyle coach
broke: scott doesnt know about hollanov because he didnt notice
woke: scott absolutely noticed everything but repressed it because "i am reading into this too much, just because i'm gay doesnt mean everyone else, wait fuck can other people notice i'm gay, shit fuck fuck" so not only was he hiding his own sexuality he also was in denial about hollanov fucking because nhl players dont HAVE to be gay just because i am...hahaha
I'll be an avid shipper of something until someone walks in and says "there is NO platonic explanation for this" and suddenly I've never shipped it before in my life and they're just friends and I can't lie i can't really see them being in a romantic relationship with each other yeah sorry I just don't see it
