Literally like Ian just demonstrating everything he learnt about love from JO to TJ like bro this man ruined ur life for more than a decade come on bro two years of jail ain’t shit LMFOA
The thing is... Ian is a bad person. He admitted it to Jo several times, but that doesn't make him aware of it, because he repeated the same mistake thousands of times. He got Jo's hopes up, making him believe they were on the same page, only to then leave him hanging again and show him again that it was like Jo's fault for having expected something from him. Ian isn't responsible at all. In the end, he wouldn't change for his own good or for Jo's, because Ian is a bad person; the situations in his life shaped him that way. He deserves to be with TJ, and that's the truth, even if it's mean to leave Jo alone. I'm a Jo lover, but IDK. I'm sad and neutral with this.
i think that take kind of ignores what the story was building the whole time tbh bc its not that the ending “ruined” anything or made it pointless its just that it didn’t follow a clean and ideal path which is what you wanted. ian choosing tj doesnt erase his development or what jo meant to him it actually highlights it yeah jo was important because he showed ian a healthier option and helped him grow, but growth literally doesnt automatically mean that you make the best or most logical choice right away. also ian and tj have almost 20 years of history, attachment as well as unresolved emotions and plus the story made it clear that ian never fully moved on from that. so its not about tj being better, its about ian being realistically unable to detach from something that shaped most of his life. saying its bad writing just because it didn’t end with the “better” person overlooks that the story was always about messy, complicated love and how hard it is to break those deep emotional ties even when you’re given a better alternative
The author is kinda toxic unfortunately her favorite has always been TJ her least favorite being Jo (maybe she changed who knows) and I heard the only author that fucks with TJIan the most is the Shutline author and im not surprised shes also toxic
do you think this story deserved the hype that it did? were you personally satisfied with the ending? /gen
or supposed endgame**
TJ and Ian spent years causing chaos only to end up right back where they started. That's not development, and that's not growth. The story doesn't even manage to deliver a positive message in the end. The author is certainly within their rights to prefer the toxic relationship too, but precisely because of that, many readers conclude that it's simply bad writing that dragged on far too long for no reason. And using the only decent character (Joseph) to justify everything.
i get what youre saying about it not feeling like growth in a traditional sense especially since they kind of circle back to where they started but i think the story wasnt really aiming to show clean or positive development in the first place anyway.
ian ending up with tj doesnt necessarily mean that nothing changed it just means his growth isnt linear or complete. people can recognize healthier options (like what jo represented) and still fall back into old patterns especially when theres years of attachment and unresolved history involved. again that doesnt erase the development it just shows how hard it is to actually act on it. i also dont think jo was just used to justify everything. his role felt more like a contrast he showed what ian could have, which makes ians final choice more frustrating but also more intentional from a writing standpoint. its totally valid if that kind of ending feels unsatisfying or pointless to you though. i just see it less as bad writing and more as the author choosing a messier, more realistic outcome instead of a clean or comforting one
Yep, I'm not saying the conclusion isn't realistic; I see many relationships like Ian and TJ's every day. And it was somewhat expected, given Ian's character. It's not that he didn't make that clear by distancing himself from Joseph, but... I think that's where my disappointment comes from. As for the story itself, I mean that many times they reused elements that made it more silly instead of mature/sour. Anyway, it reminded me that even if someone is a jerk or a gangster, they can still have a life in a nice house with a garden lol
this shits so fucking ass i can’t believe i devoted as much as i did towards this series even reccomending to other people. people have to recognize how long this series has been going on as its reputation is one of the most known. there’s toxic yaois that hit so good with an ending that people are satisfied with it being happy and wholesome,,, but this is insanely crappy storytelling how can u throw someone as perfect and devoted as Jo into some odd relationship that was never defined, and just leave him as a lesson for ian to use on someone else. ian was put thru hell by tj, considering the time it took for him to come to his senses. If you can even call that, “coming to his senses”. He went to jail and ian worked hard towards a douchebag. I don’t care that he missed ian throughout it all, it was 10+ years too fucking long. ALSO. the???? Audacity for??? Ian to be?? Waiting for an additional 2 years?????? UGHHH. it doesn’t even feel like u could blame this on Ian’s choice but the author and the route they are going for. how are even tjian fans happy with this shitty ass ending oh my god… if you’ve been bargaining for tjs toxicity/interesting side all unlike what Jo reps as the “boring” option, how is a 2 year time skip satisfying? why was Jo’s existence needed for them to grow stronger? are we seriously forgetting how much tj did to hurt ian??? 90+ chapters of this bullshit. this could’ve been easily wrapped up in less than 30. a story with absolutely nothing to be learned but the love for a sex fueled ex. it’s honestly crazy how ian had to get the lesson by Jo instead of TJ. How has TJ changed at all but serving jail time. Yo im done