#I'm sorry if this is incoherent ghdskjfhsd I just had to get these thoughts down

[bare1ythere]

Saw someone on the TMA subreddit say that Jon and Martin’s love was underdeveloped, and I’m just so confused about how they think that? To me their love of each other (especially Martin) was fairly clear from S2 (for Martin) or S3 (for Jon) on. Of course, I don’t really think Jon went immediately from “Martin (derogatory)” to falling in love with him, but I wasn’t sure where to draw the line in when his actions clearly changed from platonic to romanic. It got me thinking about the difference between romantic and platonic acts of affection, and maybe it’s because im aroace but I really don’t see any outside of intent?

There’s a reason people have so many different headcanons for when they fell in love with each other in the first place. Like for me, I don’t think Jon started developing feelings until S3, and he didn’t become aware that they were romantic until he woke up from his coma. But there’s definitely other readings there! Maybe Jon fell in love after he realized Martin “lying” to him was only about his CV. Maybe Jon fell in love in S1 and was in denial about it for a long time. Maybe it was in the storage room when they opened up to each other during Prentiss’ attack. That all doesn’t change how he interacted with Martin in canon, just the listener’s own reading of his intent. But regardless of whether it was romantic or platonic at the time, it’s undeniable that these two cared about each other long before they got together during the safehouse period.

Like, okay, was Martin making sure Jon didn’t “stab himself again” in S2 not love? Was reassuring Martin to not blame himself after he was kidnapped for a month not love? Was “I need him to be okay” (Martin, MAG117) not love? Was “I need him to be okay, I just do.” (Jon, MAG139) not love? What about offering to gouge your eyes out in order for you both to escape together? Or diving into the eldritch manifestation of loneliness just to save the one you care about? 

Not all love has to be explicit, in your face romance. Not all romantic love has to be shown through kissing and “I love you”s and romantic dates on screen. All of these moments were more subtle, but in my opinion, more profound expressions of care than surface level romantic gestures that could’ve been written in. Add to that the fact that Jon is ace and doesn’t necessarily do all parts of a typical on-screen relationship, and it makes the idea that their romance is “underdeveloped” even stranger. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s amazing that S5 makes jonmartin very explicitly romantic and I love that Jonny wrote them that way, but I think it’s nice too that throughout the lead up to this point we can find love and romance in any act of care that Jon or Martin do, depending on your own reading of how their relationship progressed.

#the magnus archives #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #tma #shut up me #I'm sorry if this is incoherent ghdskjfhsd I just had to get these thoughts down #I'm always worried when I post something like this that it's clear to everyone except me #I hope this is Something