you know the recent trend with celebrities reading what they think are celebrity mean tweets but they turn out to be from fans who are just joking (eg “oscar isaac is a brooklyn hipster piece of shit”)?
what if that happens to jack. he goes on jimmy kimmel and he agrees to read some mean tweets. the first one they hand him says “@omgcheckplease: jack zimmermann has the dumbest fucking blue eyes who told him this was acceptable”
i’m really glad for jack and bitty, that they have a circle where they can be themselves without worrying about censoring their behavior, where they can share their happiness
it really strikes me how calm jack was in all of this. bitty looked a little worried and i think that comes from 1) being the first time he’s ever announced a boyfriend to the group or anyone and 2) knowing that once it’s out, it’s out and jack’s career (in his mind) will be forever threatened
but jack, jack is a picture of calm. i can only imagine that he’s thought about this long and hard and really wants this, wants to openly love eric in the support structure of their friends who care about them. that little group will always have each other’s backs, and jack knows it. it was implied that coming out to the group was his idea, and it sure looks like he’s completely made his peace with it, even risking a little public pda in the process. he looks like he’s got no qualms, and that really says something about how much he truly loves bitty (as if driving in the rain at 5 AM didn’t say enough).
what if when they go out for brunch with the team jack and bitty just casually hold hands? what if they allow themselves that little bit of affection around their friends who they love and trust?
-Sometimes I forget that Shitty’s one of Bitty’s best friends, too. (I get so tied up in his fantastic, usually-naked, friendship with Jack.) Add this to Ransom and Holster’s careful offers of help and Lardo’s worried looks: Bitty’s got a built-in support system, ready to help him through all these rough patches he’s been weathering alone.
-“I hate that I can’t be proud of you.” This though. We’re all used to the idea of having to hide our sadness on occasion, but it can be just as painful to hold back joy and pride and the desire to stand up on a chair and scream, “THAT NHL PRODIGY IS MY BOYFRIEND.” Bitty hasn’t…actually…been very good at restraining his excitement about Jack’s games and funny little stories about his teammates, but imagine what a bubbly mess of joy he’ll be when he can actually open up about it the way he wants to. I have a feeling he’s going to talk nonstop about Jack for several months. (Hopefully Chowder gets to be in on the secret, because Chowder is probably the one person who could talk more excitedly about how awesomely Jack’s doing. Or maybe Shitty, when he’s drunk and weepy.)
-Jack zeroing in on Bitty’s admission that being in this relationship makes him feel like he’s gone back in the closet. Jack absolutely refusing to let that stand, now that he knows how rough it’s been on Bitty.
-Jack immediately suggesting they tell their friends. Bitty’s reaction here makes me think that every other time the topic’s come up, Bitty went into bright, cheery, “everything’s just dandy” mode, and Jack took it at face value. Now that he knows Bitty’s not actually okay with keeping it a secret – that it’s actively hurting him, and he’s only doing it because he’s afraid of secrets leaking and hurting Jack’s career…
-Their entire argument is centered around the two of them arguing for each other. They’re fighting over who deserves to be happier and more comfortable, and then apologizing for getting upset about each others’ welfare.
-That split-screen panel, though, with Jack yelling at Bitty about not prioritizing his career over his happiness, and Bitty sobbing that Jack cannot ruin his entire life for Bitty.
-That’s the moment where it probably fully clicks for Jack. Hockey is his career. Bitty is his life.
-It’s another Graduation Bells moment: Jack was in love with Bitty for a good percentage of that year, but it took a final conversational push to make him realize, Oh. Oh that’s what I was feeling. And he’s probably been feeling this way about Bitty vs his career for a while now: he’s prioritized hockey over everything else in the past, even his own health, but the brightest part of his day now is coming home after a game, hearing Bitty’s voice, gently touching the affectionate, supportive notes Bitty writes for him, finally believing that someone cares about him, rather than about what he can do on the ice.
-Winning a game might feel good. But Bitty makes Jack happy, even on his worst days. Bitty is more important than anything else in Jack’s life.
-And 110% Jack fucking Zimmermann is going to make sure Bitty knows that.
-Can I just say how much I love that breaking up was never even on the table for a second. That entire conversation was – “this is really hard, but we’ll get through this; I’ll be stronger – you shouldn’t have to be; you told me to tell you when I needed you, and I just needed you this week; I needed you to know how I was feeling, because it hurts, but it hurts less when I’m with you.” There isn’t the slightest hint of considering ending things, because these boys love each other and are willing to do everything in their power to make it work.
-Jack isn’t a hockey prince anymore: he’s the king of big romantic gestures.
-Running across campus, out of breath and desperate to see Bitty, his graduation gown billowing behind him, wasn’t enough. Now he’s gotta walk through a storm to wrap Bitty up in his rain-soaked arms??
–This boy.
-“You fool” is my new favorite pet name, after “bud.”
-Jack’s worried face, his hair dripping, as Bitty flings himself angrily at him, crumpling his elegantly tailored suit and berating him for not thinking about the consequences of his actions. Why would you do this for me, when it could’ve hurt you?
-But Jack has thought about it. When he saw those missed calls, listened to the broken-voiced message he was supposed to delete, heard the tears Bitty was trying to choke back when they talked…he thought about what it’d mean to him, to Bitty, to their relationship, to keep hiding from everyone they know. He thought about what it was like before he knew Bitty, when he was quiet and harsh and anxious and dedicating all his energy into being the best possible hockey player. He thought about the warmth that filled his chest when he talked to Bitty, the light, bubbly feeling he got when he had Bitty in his arms.
-It wasn’t much of a choice, was it? Not when one option meant Bitty fighting back tears, turning into the terrified, anxiety-riddled person Jack has far too much experience being.
–“We’re a team.”
-Honestly, this is probably the most romantic thing Jack could ever say. It means loyalty, dedication, hard work, passion. It means having someone’s back, and trusting them to have yours. It means putting in the extra time and effort. It means being your best for the other person, even on the days when it’s too hard, when everything seems to go wrong. It’s an even bigger declaration than Jack asking Bitty to be his boyfriend. And Bitty knows it.
-Bitty’s stubborn chin, the defiant tilt of his head, and Jack’s quiet, soft expression as he waits to see if Bitty really does feel the same way.
-Bitty collapsing into Jack’s arms, and the tension melting out of both of them as Bitty buries his face in Jack’s chest, Jack curving his body around his boyfriend, pressing his face into Bitty’s hair, grateful to be holding him, to know that they’re going to be okay. Still hurting because he’d hurt Bitty without knowing it, but relieved that they’re going to fix it, now that they’re together.
-Jack smiling blissfully and chirping a tired, still emotional, but deeply affectionate Bitty as they head up the stairs. It’s them. It’s the perfect example of their comfortable, best friends and boyfriends dynamic.
-Bitty slipping easily back into pet names and stripping Jack out of his wet clothes. Jack thanking him for taking care of him – for letting Jack take care of him, too.
-“Let me in?” Jack asks, waiting on the porch, his heart in his throat. As though the answer would ever be anything but yes.
the parallel of not seeing the text message after the kiss vs. seeing the phone convo now…..what a Visual Metaphor for better communication i’m losing my mcfreakin mind
I just want to talk about how many parallels there were between 2.18/19 and 3.10 because I am obsessed with it.
First off, let’s talk about the fact that they’re wearing extremely similar things to the goodbye for summer panel!!!! I bet this was on purpose but just wow!!!! Jack’s wearing dress clothes in both of them, though the one in 3.10 is more muted (as all of the colors are). Bitty is again wearing blue in both comics also.
So starting on the first row, we have Bitty reprimanding Jack for coming all the way to the Haus for Bitty when he should have been somewhere else. I also love how Jack is sweating in the 2.18 one and he’s dripping wet in the 3.10 one.
Next row, love the intense looks that Jack gives Bitty when he’s trying to convey that this is serious and something Big is about to go down.
The second to last row I think is my favorite parallel from these comics? I don’t know why but I love the moment of hesitation they have before they embrace and I also love how in both they’re clutching at each other. The looks on their faces in 3.10 in comparison to 2.19 are awesome too.
And the last two pictures, gosh, I have no words. Just, the way they’re grabbing at each other in both of them.
A side note on the backgrounds: the yellow sort of makes an appearance during the hug!!! I know we’ve established that the blue and yellow backgrounds are Bitty and Jack’s important moments and such. I love how the one during the hug is a really really light yellow/beige color? It’s basically indicating that everything isn’t okay at the moment, but it will be soon enough. So, not quite okay, but getting there.
Just, Ngozi has ruined me!!! I love the thought and detail she puts into her work!! I have no doubt that these parallels were on purpose and it just makes me love 3.10 even more!
Feel free to add your own thoughts onto this post 🙂
i love all of bitty’s falcs gear esp when you consider that jack probably gave it to him as a gift
Thinking about how pleased Jack looks every time he gets a new set of promo materials from the marketing team. “Huh, he really likes seeing his name on stuff?” they say to each other, seeing his face light up with that same expression he gets when he’s on his phone, tucked away in a corner away from the rest of the team.
“Bitty will like this,” Jack is thinking every time he’s given a new piece of Falconers gear.
“He gets cold because he says I keep the thermostat too low in my apartment,” he thinks, proudly handing Bitty a long-sleeved Falconers shirt to go with the socks he always wears to protect his feet from the chilly floors.
“I can use this as a promise figurine when I ask him to officially be my boyfriend,” he thinks when he sees the box with his Lego face beaming back at him, mirroring how he finally feels inside.
“Bitty,” he thinks, every day, a refrain that used to be hockeyhockeyhockey.
“Bitty would love this…Bitty would love this….I love Bitty.”
Zoe's blog 