i think it’s a common misconception that shane can’t chirp or he’s bad at it or anything like that because truly all he ever does IS chirp.
‘you’ll look great in silver vaughny’
‘well i don’t think it’s worth jumping over’
‘sorry in advance too, we’re gonna kick your ass tonight’
‘fuck you’ (like 30 times)
because really his mask was built around his environment which was almost entirely hockey. all of that is from dozens of times someone said something to him and he had nothing to come back with until finally he figured it out. what he doesn’t have a great grasp on for most of the series is vulnerable and open communication and when he finally does it’s a lot clunkier cause he’s not really used to it. those aren’t things born and nurtured on locker rooms or on ice — both between the players and the audience — so he’s very assured in his ability to bite back since he’s needed to be for years.
but he doenst INSTIGATE. because another big part of his character is that he can’t be loud or obnoxiously mean or erratic and be afforded the same loving reputation that ilya (a white, non-autistic man) is given freely for the same behaviour. he needed to be able to bite back because everyone was always biting at him and it resulted in a situation where most of his responses are, in some form, chirps or chirpish since thats been probably 90% of the interactions he’s had with his peers.
that’s why scott said he sounded like ilya, because he was instigating, and i think shane only even did it because he felt safe with scott. scott was his mentor who has historically been nice and patient with him and so he was trying to rib with him in the same way he does with rose or ilya. he’s being a little mean, but he’s always being a little mean.
scott saying that wasn’t just personal or uncalled for, it was genuinely a betrayal that i don’t think shane will ever fully over no matter how much he wants to.
