#real ship

And then I thought about it

And then I really thought about it

why not both!

🤍 Joe Walker and Traci Logan 🖤

🤍-✨-🖤

🖤-✨-🤍

right? and then you've got the jealous conspiracy bitches going "oh, that's just for show!" 🙄 cognitive bias is ridiculous. people will do anything to cling to whatever stupid idea they've let get stuck in their head.

We spend a lot of time speaking on the contributions of Nine towards Joong in this fandom. That’s likely due to how visual his actions of care are. He physically is there for Joong in many ways be it helping him with studies, being his driver, letting him stay over, cooking, comforting him with touch. This time I wanted to extend on some of the things I mentioned previously. I want to peel back the surface layer and really explore why J9 works the way it does.

I think what many people overlook is the high probability that J9 are so close because Joong pursued the friendship either consciously or subconsciously.

When we hear Nine talk about their first meeting or his first impression, it’s clear that there were snags in his interest of a budding relationship between the two. This isn’t because Nine is negative or shady for the sake of being so. It’s because some people, like Nine, really measure you up in the first meeting. I’d go as far as saying he’s protective of his soft parts and don’t let most people in past a surface level. So there’s an immediate instinct to build walls.

Joong on the other hand has been said to be very trusting, naive, and gullible even - but with this he also seems to be very intuitive and also instinctive. By that I mean, that he goes with his feelings. If he feels someone is ‘good’ he’s going to go with that. If he feels like saying or doing in the moment he probably will try to go with the flow of it. When he recalls meeting Nine he expresses seeing him in his skill set and being kinda intimidated, in wanting to speak to Nine but being afraid to. This isn’t jealousy, nor envy, what he’s expressing in his description is admiration and trepidation. And because Joong is the type that wants to trust, because he admired Nine at the first - there was an openness and probably even a desire to create a friendship - despite the vibe of nine wanting otherwise.

This is the secret - people who build emotional walls usual have the desire fior those who excel at tearing down such walls, because there’s a hope here. The thought process becomes if this person works this hard, shows this much interest and effort to know me, to create a bond - then can’t I trust them to know how to protect me in the place of the wall. The real thing that they’re seeking is stability and security. So Joong being who he naturally is - trusting, sweet/nice, and honest are the parts of the things that helped him to build his relationship with Nine but it also had to come with levels of pursuit - being consciously interested in Nine’s daily goings, in his emotionalism and really being attentive to those parts. Because truly Nine is a creature of emotion, and I don’t mean that in the way that humans are emotive beings, no I mean some people’s basis are emotions - it’s the thing that’s moves them, the thing they protect, the thing that leaks through every portion of their being.

When we talk about love - Nine is one of those types who wants to give it, who exudes it, give it in totality even. People tend to use the word - mothering but i’d say the correct terminology is nurturing, as it means to care for or encourage development and really Nine in every essence. He is very much all about emotional expression. With this comes a moodiness and cetain type of stress so Nine needs to be adored, uplifted. On the other side Joong is the type that wants to see love wants to believe it in and experience it. There’s is a need to be doted on here as well but Joongs type of love is as close as you’re gonna get to unconditional. because he’s the go with the flow type, because he is so intuitive, theres this type of acceptance that many aren’t capable of and with it a willingness to be for what someone else needs. So there’s a give and take here, a compatibility. Emotional stimuli is why their relationship is ideal for them.

While differently, Joong is an emotional being as well and this is why he understands Nines emotionalism, his hangups, his tough shell. Nine has expressed thanks for this understanding of the parts of his persona that others might find difficult adapting to and managing as Joong has. We’ve heard them speak about not sleeping due to late night conversations. They’ve expressed their rules and a small bit of how they’ve created a working system inside their friendship. In the last post I mentioned how Nine said around Joong he can be his real authentic self. What he’s expressing there is that Joong pulls him out of his shell a bit, that he does so without judgement, or manipulation. He’s saying that with Joong, his inner workings are safe, Joong is seeing him and he still feels secure in those moments. I think Nine is/was genuinely surprised by this acceptance from Joong, because like I said previously, people don’t tend to truly like those who lean far to the serious side, who need exceeding encouragement and uplifting. Yet here we have Joong who seems to accept his rough sides - the part that excommunicates, or goes cold, is critical - and encourages him even during those times.

On the flip side, Nine’s concept of building ‘us’ friendships likely is ideal for Joong in many ways definitely during a time where his own family isn’t there. With Nine he’s allowed to not only build a partnership, a friendship a brotherhood, but also he’s become a part of Nines family. Once Nine accepted him into his circle, he welcomed him into both of his homes, and into his family who on their part accepted Joong as one of their own as well. This steeples their bond as Joong equally accepts the family as his own - referring to Nines mom as his mom and the siblings as his siblings.

Nine is perceptive which helps him smooth many emotional pitfalls that surrounds Joongs own sensitivities. In any good moment when there’s a misstep he’ll mend what he said, note that he’s joking, salve with small touches. If the mistep or slight is from someone else its the same, he’ll correct the person as a way to mend what they’ve said, lighten the mood, and often salve with some form of touch or look. Having let Joong in, Nine considers him ‘one of his people’ and with that comes many levels of protectiveness, possessiveness and clinginess.

Because of their set up and how the company likes to play up certain elements of their interactions, fandom seems to worry that outside sources will stem future problems. In fact the fear currently seems to come from the thought process that changes for Joong (starting university) means less time for J9 and more time for him to build outside relationships, which will create a distance. Its not that I’m saying outside forces can’t become a problem, no, I’m saying that the real issue between Joong and Nine (if ever one) will truly stem from the same thing that makes them so great together - their emotionalism. People don’t realize this but often, the thing that makes you love someone is usually the thing you eventually find most trying. Nine loves Joongs free spiritedness because it pulls him out of his shell - but that free spirited nature puts him out of his territory, with it comes unpredictability, instability and for someone who seeks stability and security that can be a landline. Same with Joong, he loves Nines drive and ability to be multi-talented and focused on his craft but with serious mindsets can come great pressure, feeling ignored, or second place to things like career - and that could be an issue.

J9 is that type of pairing that when it’s good between them it’s off the charts great because the ways they are similar caters to the one another’s needs. They’re both intuitive enough to communicate beyond words, they understand eachother on a deep level. So when they have fun they really have fun. But when it’s bad, it’s oh so very very bad. Because they are both highly emotional people when they go at it they but heads and the fights are high in tension as they don’t hold back. This is something they’ve admitted themselves. But when they makeup they’re also the type that comes with tears and apologies and real forgiveness because again they understand each other’s pitfalls. There is a real sense of guilt, because there is so much love beneath the surface and they don’t want to lose what they’ve managed to find/create.

The reason I’m not feeling insecure about Joong and university is because I understand that J9 truly make one another a priority. Joong has other friends, he’s had other jobs that gave him access to other people, he has other brotherhoods within the 6 Moons, but its inarguable that he makes himself readily accessible to and for Nine. Nine still makes sure he shines some attention on Joong even during his study sessions - sometimes even breaking his own rules and allowing Joong entry before his study span is over. There has been times he’s taken less sleep or done the extra driving to make sure he and Joong got their time in. We make time for what’s important and J9 seems to have always done that exceedingly well.

I don’t think separation will be their danger zone but instead a bit of codependency. It’s been only a years and they seem in the stage where being apart is not their definition of ideal. They use one another for emotional reliance, so much so I wonder if they’re really using any others to carry that burden. That’s the thing about emotional beings, it’s easy to fall and get lost in the hole of - someone understands me, sees me, accepts me. It can be addicting, electrifying, exhilarating. But it can also set the entire relationship ablaze and burnout those within it. Relationship - no matter what capacity - family, friends,’lovers, partners - are hard to maintain. They take patience, compassion, empathy, compromise, communication. Love isn’t what keeps people bound/bonded together it’s the tools we use to present love that does.

Personally I think Joong & Nine has what it takes to be in each other’s lives forever. Funnily I don’t believe anyone has done a fmv to it yet but I think Sam Smith’s Fire on Fire are made for pairings like J9.

“When we fight, we fight like lions

But then we love and feel the truth

We lose our minds in a city of roses

We won't abide by any rules

I don't say a word

But still, you take my breath and steal the things I know

There you go, saving me from out of the cold”

- Sam Smith Fire On Fire

That...that to me is the definition of J9 and why they work so well.

Note: First Video belongs to Macy, I got permission to use as i would have to reupload. You can find her on twitter @j9uwu