i like how your damian has a crush on jon and not the other way around that people usually do
Y’know, I tend to see a good mix of both. Although it may be my bias towards the “two idiots having crushes on each other and thinking the other is not into them” troupe. That’s the good shit right there.
Bonus points if Jon is like “no way Damian likes me, he’s so calm and mature and is so talented in so many things. I’m just a guy with superpowers :/“
Meanwhile Damian is like “it’s extremely unlikely that Jon would ever find me attractive. He’s so kind, strong, and social. He could do much better than me, someone who comes with a lot less baggage.”
Cut to Kathy and Maya starting a bid on when they’ll finally realize that they’re head of heels for each other.
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people… like jonjay? i didnt know that. curiously, what is the appeal besides yknow, gay superman?
This is worded hilariously, so I will deign myself to answer it.
In short: It has nothing to do with Jon (the aforementioned Gay Superman) and everything to do with Jay. Most jayjon shippers are Jay stans first and Jon is there too, I guess.
You probably have heard a lot of things about Mr. Jay Nakamura. Basically none of them are true, other than his hair being obnoxiously pink.
No, he's not some evil mastermind who manipulated Jon into a relationship with him. No, he's not a cruel and mean evil man who mistreats Jon. No, he's not a boring character with no personality. Frankly I don't even know how you get that last one, he's got an insane amount of presence on page.
What is Jay Nakamura then?
He's an investigative political journalist who was pushed into becoming that when a western-backed American dictatorship took over his country and subjected him to medical torture (giving him his powers). He's a refugee from a country that has been in turmoil since its creation by Jim Lee all the way back in the 90's Wildstorm universe. He, despite all of this, is overwhelmingly chill when Jon straight up cannot be, up to and including being the voice of reason and formulating complicated plans on the fly. He's a sensitive, caring man who deeply concerns himself with the well-being of others, but never himself, up to and including putting himself in danger.
He's the real protagonist of Son of Kal El, and he dresses and has the color scheme of a poison dart frog. He looks like if Oscar the Grouch went to a drag show and came back with ideas. He's like if a 100 gecs song was a guy.
And he's Superman's beloved.
That's interesting by itself before you even get to Jon's side of things!
They meet under the following circumstances for Jon:
He's more or less just returned from the Volcano & his stint with the Legion. So, fresh off the heels of life-altering Trauma.
Clark, genius, decides this is a GREAT time to leave to liberate Warworld, leaving Jon (unstable) to be Superman alone.
He's not had a proper possession or attachment in years. Everything was fleeting and painful in the Volcano. He's now older than his best friend, his parents expect him to act like he did when he was 12, and the whole world knows who he is so he can't even walk to the coffee shop and buy himself a fun drink to calm his nerves.
Imagine you're Jon and killing yourself isn't an option: What do you do?
Well, you talk to your only friend in the whole wide world, Damian, and Damian (autistic) recommends you solve your turmoil by watching his favorite political twitch streamer, a guy named The Truth. So you do, you wake up at seven in the canonical morning to do so, and you find out about a boat of refugees that need saving, and you go and you save them because you may not be coping well but you ARE still superman!
And that leads... directly into Jon meeting Jay (who is in fact The Truth) on the rooftop at the end of issue 2 of Son of Kal El. In their first real meeting, Jay becomes the first person since the age up to fully emphasize with Jon's situation and to offer him a tangible solution and partnership.
So obviously Jon becomes obsessed. Immediately.
I'm not joking: I think people assume that Jay was the instigator for their romance, but no, actually, Jay was just kind of a helpful dude who gave tips on where to be and how to help, and Jon was straight up blowing off Clark to go meet him and get arrested for his cause.
^ JON, A WOMAN JUST EXPLODED PART OF METROPOLIS. FINISH YOUR DAMN SENTENCE.
Even their big romantic scene in issue 5 is characterized by Jay offering him basic care, taking Jon in when Jon's on the brink of collapse:
And then Jon kisses him. And it is Jon who kissed first, by the way. Its much clearer in the initial sketches from the first volume trade. First kiss Jay canonically initiates is in issue 15!
And this caring, this protectiveness, this understanding, characterizes their romance from then on: Its fast, its heated, its intense, but its never blind.
They help each other- Jon helps Jay free his country, and Jay helps Jon rest. It is the kind of romance that begins with infatuation and continues with devotion.
That's the real appeal of jonjay, anon: These are two weird ass people who found each other when they needed each other most. Two people on the verge of Giving Up who then carry each other out of the darkness.
So why the hell am I the only one who give a shit?
I think the hang up on people liking Jayjon comes from two places:
Firstly, people don't like the age up. Which, fair, I mean, it was a wack ass decision on Bendis's part, but its been what, six years? Get over yourself, like, actually. They're not reversing it. Either acclimate or leave people who like it alone. I'm saying this as a longtime Legion of Super Heroes fan, if you can't find the good and interesting in otherwise stupid decisions, comics are NOT the medium for you lmfao.
Secondly, people go into Son of Kal El expecting a queer romance, and then are annoyed when Jay and Jon get together fast and the book is more plot-motivated. But that's uh, that's the thing, SOKE is not a queer romance, the gay stuff is just the cherry on top, the seasoning- Son of Kal El is a book about fighting colonialism. Why do you think so many marginalized comic fans like it? The entire plot of the book is about overthrowing an American-sponsored dictator in order to liberate an Asian country. Jay & Jon's romance is not only flavoring for this plot, but an expression of its core idea- If you have the power to be an ally, that's what you have to be. Jon's arc in that book is basically entirely learning how to be a good ally to an oppressed group. Just so happens part of how he learns that is by kissing a man!
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