Archive of Our Own ^beta

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I think that after his heart event, Clint decided to ask Shane for advice about what he does to attract women's attention. He will ask, thinking about Emily, who is close to him and the farmer (if she is female). Two of the hottest women in town are going after him? He surely hides a secret!

Shane would likely blink in confusion, not entirely sure what Clint was getting at. He would stare at him and then shrug casually. "I don't know, I just talk to them, I guess," before going back to drinking his beer, clearly uninterested in overthinking it.

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One headcanon of the Rancher Family dynamics.

Marnie is the type of woman who watches countless romantic movies. I can easily imagine her being the one to watch every romantic film that airs on TV in existence. She indulges herself in those idealized versions of love and romance.

Due to this, Jas has learnt the expression "made love with someone". However, she is innocent to actually understand the meaning of it. She thinks it just means when adults kiss each other and sleep together in the same bed. And for some reason, they do it naked because, well, adults are weird.

One morning, Shane, who had spent the night with the farmer, was humming happily and smiling while enjoying his breakfast. Jas turned to him and asked, “Have you already made love with the farmer?” causing him to spit all the coffee over the tabel.

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When Shane was a toddler, he visited Marnie's ranch several times.

She never allowed him to get close to large animals She never allowed him to get too close to them, knowing how unpredictable they could be and how dangerous it could be for a toddler, so he was only permitted to visit the coops with her. At that time, Marnie had purchased several chickens, and though there were a few rabbits and ducks around, the chickens made up the majority of the animals in the coops. Shane marveled at the hens and the little chicks.

I also think that Shane had a tough childhood, so the memories of those coops are some of the few happy memories he had from his early years. Feeding the chickens, playing with the chicks, and listening to Marnie’s soft voice while she was taking care of them, created a sense of comfort and calm in him that accompany him to adulthood.

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I definitely see Shane as a guy who is very into traditional masculine gender roles. He values strength and independence and enjoys the typical hobbies that society often associates with masculinity. We know he’s really into sports, whether it's playing or watching them, and he’s also a big fan of video games (I imagine his favorite games are those that align with stereotypical male interests, like action-packed shooters or sports games). From some comments, we also know he’s a handyman and still helps Marnie on her ranch (I picture him doing anything that requires strength or plumbing).

But I also see him as more of a girl dad than a boy dad. When it comes to Jas, I think he becomes extremely soft. Shane will be right there with her, even if it’s not something he’d typically enjoy. If she wants to play with dolls, paint his nails, or watch a princess movie, he will participate.

He didn’t discover this side of himself until he started taking care of Jas. In fact, at first, when he officially became Jas’s guardian, he didn’t think he was cut out for it. Not only because he was chaotic and didn’t want children in the first place, but also because he thought it would be easier to raise a boy, due to his hobbies and personality. But he surprised himself when he discovered how much he enjoys having a little girl around and he started to like the role of being her father more than he expected.

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One time, Shane was doing some farm chores when, suddenly, his children asked him, "How did you meet our mother?"

He stopped for a moment and stared into the empty air, just recalling that moment.

He remembers it perfectly:

It was the first day of spring, in the morning. He was in a terrible mood. He had a hangover because he spent his winter savings the night before, celebrating another shitty year of his miserable life. He argued with Marnie that morning because of it. His head hurt, and he was walking toward a job he utterly hated.

He already had an impression of the new farmer, and it was solidified during the previous week. It was Friday night, and everyone at the saloon was talking about the new girl who would be moving to the old farm next Monday.

"She’s gorgeous!" said Emily, who was looking at her phone and trying to engage Shane in the conversation. "I was looking at her zodiac sign. If she was born during the morning, it makes her extremely compatible with you! I can’t wait to make her a complete natal chart!"

Shane couldn’t hide his sardonic laugh. Emily was one of the few people he actually liked in Pelican Town, but, goddamn, she really was into that esoteric bullcrap!

"With my luck, she was probably born at night!" he said. Emily darted him a look. "And an asteroid passed through the sky during that moment, and now both of us are destined to kill each other in a duel! It will be tragic, but at least we’ll be immortalized by a bard who witnesses everything!"

"Come on, Shane! Don’t be cynical! Look at her, at least!"

He looked at the pictures on her phone.

It was just the typical Zuzu City girl—someone who filled her media with pictures to cover up her sad life, pretending to be happy. She talked about community but didn’t have real friends, about connecting with nature while living in a city, and about small businesses but working in a mid-level position at JojaMart... Ugh, no, no, no. Shane had encountered people like that before, and all of them fell into two categories: assholes who loved making everyone beneath them miserable, or people who pretended to help but still made everyone beneath them miserable.

She wouldn’t last long. Farm work isn’t cute, and her "grandpa’s farm" in particular was the focus of many discussions about which permits they needed to bring it down. Not even expert farmers would accept that amount of work!

"Well, I’ve seen enough," he said, returning to his drink. "Just promise me you won’t try to be the matchmaker between us!"

"It’s nice that you think I make promises!" Emily replied with a grin. "But I’m not like that. I just follow the signs in the moment! But I’ll try not to intervene, as long as you promise me that you’ll be my partner in the Flower Dance this year!"

"Deal!" Shane said.

He didn’t think about her after that night. He woke up, worked, drank, and slept, repeating that cycle over and over again. And that day would’ve been the same, if not for the most annoying, loudest voice he’d ever heard—perfect for his headache and bad mood.

He remembers getting angry, turning around, and...

Shane cringed as he recalled how rude and mean he had acted at that moment. His kids stared at him in expectation.

"How did you meet mom, dad?" his daughter asked again.

"Uhhh... She moved to the farm, from the city, and, well... I lived here too, so we just met, in spring, and we... we talked with each other," Shane stammered.

"What did you say to her?" his son asked.

"Umm... I don’t remember the details!" Shane replied quickly, taking a drink from the fridge.

"Did you know you were going to marry her at that moment?" his daughter asked.

"Oh, well, no, no... not at that moment, but we became good friends quickly, and later we fell in love, and then we married and moved here together, and that’s it!" Shane said, taking a sip from his soda nervously.

His kids looked at him, kind of disappointed. Both of them had inherited his strong BS detector. Needless to say, they didn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth.

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Jodi berated Sam for half an hour because Vincent had been using some bad words lately. Of course, her son needs to be more careful around his younger sibling!

Little does she know, however, that Vincent actually learned those words from the innocent, delicate, well-behaved, girly-girl Jas. He didn’t tell the truth to his mother to avoid causing her any problems. 😰

She, of course (we all know it), learned those words from Shane. He tries to be careful, but sometimes it’s impossible for him not to curse.

"FUCK!" he shouted out, shaking his hand with a sore finger from hitting it with a hammer while driving a nail.

Jas was playing with her dolls in the next room.

"Fuck!" she repeated softly, pretending that one of the dolls also got a sore finger from a hammer.

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I think Shane started exercising after the game. His mental health has improved a lot since marrying you, but his physical health... it has improved, but not as much as one might expect. He has lost some weight since moving to the farm and has introduced better food into his diet. However, Harvey warned him about his blood pressure and told him that he needs to exercise in order to live a long, high-quality life.

So, he made it a habit to wake up early and run, just as he used to do when he was a teenager. He always checks if everything is fine around the farm and prepares your breakfast (which is always tasty and healthy). He never recovered his gridball body, but he definitely improved his overall health.

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When it comes to baby blue, Shane would be the best at helping you. He knows what it feels like to struggle with depression while raising a child. He will do everything he can to take care of both of you, from doing farm chores to changing diapers. He will insist on going to therapy if necessary.

One night, when the baby is crying and you feel completely overwhelmed, you'll try to calm the baby, asking yourself what they need.

Shane will step in and tell you to relax. He will gently carry the baby while you sit on the bed, feeling useless. He knows how to rock the baby in a way that helps them relax. He will ease the tension in the room.

You’ll suddenly start crying, feeling like you're a terrible mother. Shane will reassure you, telling you that you are a great mom, and that it's normal to feel this way. He felt the same when he was taking care of Jas.

"Look, the baby is hungry," he will say, still rocking the baby gently.

He will carefully place the baby between both of your arms and guide you to breastfeed. As you feel the baby latch on, the anxiety will start to disappear. You’ll feel comforted knowing that you can count on him.

Also, I totally headcanon that he would be a great help during childbirth. Calming you down, bringing you snacks, caressing your head. But you will notice that he approaches this task with the same care he would give Marnie’s cows and goats. His intentions are good; he really is trying to help you the best way he knows how.

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I think Shane is a tough guy; he barely cries.

Not even when he was depressed, or when he lost his gridball scholarship, or when his friends died (he was focusing on Jas, so he didn’t have time to process the mourning, and yes, that worsened his mental health).

But I think he did cry during the 6-heart event, and he definitely sheds tears whenever Jas or his children reach an important milestone—like graduating from high school or getting married.

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I think that Shane has tons of experience from his gridball days (I’m sure that among all the bachelors, he has the highest body count), but he has only had two or three serious relationships, before the farmer.

One of those relationships lasted just one week because he and his partner were thirteen years old and dumb, so they broke up over something extremely childish, petty, and immature.

They had a date at a burger place and spent the evening talking about the upcoming summer. Shane shared with her that he planned to train and get better at Gridball and that he would spend the summer at his aunt's ranch, taking care of the chickens. She casually mentioned that she thought chickens were stupid animals, a comment that upset Shane, but he didn't say anything.

When the bill came, the girl was expecting him to pay for both of them, assuming that’s what boyfriends do. But Shane only brought enough money to pay for himself. It didn’t even cross his mind to pay for her, despite it being his idea to go out. This led to an uncomfortable argument right there at the table. She insulted him, claiming that he liked chickens because he must be as stupid as one.

Shane, flustered with rage, snapped back with an insult of his own. The conversation quickly escalated into a heated back-and-forth, each of them throwing jabs and harsh words at one another. What was supposed to be a fun date ended in a tense and awkward confrontation, and they broke up right there.

The girl left him, and he needed to call his mother to pay for the burger.

The farmer laughed when he told them!

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- Jas’s father tells Shane that his girlfriend is pregnant. Shane isn’t sure if they’re planning to keep the baby, so he feels awkward asking.

"Oh, wow, so...that's..."

Jas’s father suddenly starts crying with happiness.

"Dude, I'm gonna be a father!"

"Oh—oh! Congratulations!" 👏👏👏

- When they first ask Shane to be Jas’s godfather, he refuses. "Does that mean I have to do church stuff? You know I am not a believer, I’ll probably set the place on fire just by walking in." Jas father answered "you just need to put a suit and stand there with a smile, Shane, having a shower once in awhile won't hurt you" He insists that he did it in the end, because The Godfather is a great trilogy.

- When Jas was born, her father proudly shows to Shane pictures of the baby. Shane joked that they must have mixed up the babies at the hospital because "she is too cute to being yours".

- Jas’s parents place baby Jas in Shane’s arms. He hesitates and asks how to hold a baby. Jas’s father smirks and says, "Like a Gridball ball, just avoid throwing her around like we did in college!"

- Jas’s mother complained one day that after carrying a baby for nine months, the baby looks just like her father. Shane teases her, saying, "Well, look the positive side, at least your boyfriend must be relieved knowing the baby is actually his." She glares at him, unamused.

- When Jas was little, she struggles to pronounce Godfather, so Shane jokingly tells her she can just call him God. After some discussion, they decide he’ll go by Uncle Shane instead.

- One day, Jas’s mother is breastfeeding in the living room. Shane gets uncomfortable and awkwardly leaves the room. He knows it’s natural, but he doesn’t know where to look. She laughs and teases him,

"Are you scared of boobs, Shane?"

- Shane is babysitting Jas with his then-girlfriend, who doesn’t like kids. As they’re walking, a lady asks if Jas is their baby. Shane’s girlfriend looks utterly disgusted. In that moment, he realizes their relationship won’t last.

- Another day, while baby sitting, Jas insists on doing his hair and paint his nails, so he ends up with tiny pigtails and bows all over his head and painted nails. When Jas parents return, both are exhausted and sleeping. Shane looks ridiculous with all those bows and his fingers covered in pink. They took a picture of them, of course.

- Jas’s parents tell Shane that, both have discussed it and they both agree, that if anything ever happens to them, they would like him to make him their daughter’s legal guardian. Shane just shrugs, "Yeah, sure, whatever," thinking it’s not a big deal.