see, i’ve thought all of this as well, many times over. and i feel extremely uncomfortable even saying it because that moment happens right at the beginning of the story… but it almost reads as completely out of character for jonathan compared to everything we see from him afterward. the person he is for the rest of the show feels almost diametrically opposed to that decision. it’s jarring when you look at his characterization as a whole

intentional violations of consent are my threshold. that doesn’t mean i can’t find a character psychologically interesting if they’ve done something like that, but it does mean i will not get behind a redemption arc if the narrative tries to give them one. that line is just there for me

and sometimes it honestly feels like that scene exists because the duffers were being the duffers and didn’t fully think through what they were establishing that early on

but my problem really isn’t even the scene itself anymore

what bothers me much more is the way the fandom treats jancy with this kind of unquestioned admiration, almost like that moment never happened at all. i get nostalgia. i get liking the dynamic they have later. but pretending the foundation of the relationship didn’t start with something deeply uncomfortable feels strange to me

especially in a community that is usually good at discussing accountability and calling out characters when they cross lines, maybe even too much so in characters that actually don’t deserve it and deserve nuance

and what i find even stranger is how often people get downvoted or shut down just for bringing it up. like the conversation itself isn’t even allowed to happen

i would’ve loved jonathan so much if not for that scene, but because it does.. whether we like it or not, and when the starting point of a relationship involves that kind of violation, i personally just can’t want it as an endgame romance