#2$

jefftony…… for one of my favs i got a LOTTT of icks abt it. and this comes from someone who loves it a whole bunch—i js think that there are a lot of problems that i feel like aren’t addressed enough by shippers?? i come from a place of thinking that a stronger story can come out of them growing out of these habits and getting better. anyw

i think the big problem is that they COULD be ridiculously cute together, but instead tony ends up being super codependent and jeff is completely nonreciprocal. and oooooowww it stings

im gonna start with what is imo the problem area: tony. and….dude. it’s like. YOU KNOW. hes so codependent it’s sick. itoi dont write randomly tragic things into your fiction challenge go. when he gets up in ness’s business to tell him hes jeff’s beeest friend (not jealous at all). just like all the seeking him out frequently with the call and the letter. when you waltz up to him with a knocked out jeff and he????? has?? a meltdown???!?!?!! 😨 just screaming and crying in unfiltered fear???? a lot of the text in earthbound is either super monotone or kinda smartass small talk (even the horrifying final boss is based on “simple yet effective”) and tony in this scene is just so jarringly raw it made my heart drop directly to my stomach and out my ass. cause what

and then when you’re someone who cares abt tony as much as i do and tends to over analyze stuff that has to do with him, you get a lot of jeff too. im telling you i do love jeff. hes a sweet kid and definitely well meaning. but my interpretation on him is from the pov of someone who perceives him from over tonys shoulder and goooood goddddd he treats tony like a wet towel. im gonna go ahead and say i do not blame jeff for the way he feels—jeff doesn’t NEED to love someone back, it’s just that he’s definitely FRIENDS with him and from that stepping point he SERIOUSLY falls short… i understand it wasn’t really his choice to leave a day before tony’s birthday, but did he really have to go out stealing like 20 custom birthday cookies? and while he was at it ignore and avoid him even AFTER the adventure that prevented him from staying with him?? and to think he does all this while tony keeps forgiving him and offering aid and PINING!!! SO HARD!!!! i’d say jeff kinda saves himself by going like “that tony’s got a heart of gold 🥹❤️” very last minute but that was a CLUUTCH. i’d lose hope for him entirely if he was like “uhh.. yea you can keep that ness 😅” cause atp it’s WAY too far up his alley for his own gd good