Jokey comments about non-existent uncles, 2 January 2015

[SolitareLee]

Honestly, whether Candi consciously figures into his plans on moving out, I think it's a great choice for him. Not in the financial way, obviously, but, like... seriously. When I think of Jon, his defining characteristic is his continuing crush/borderline obsession sometimes on Candi. Then him being kind of a doormat but generally nice probably. And then him masturbating for money. XD Jon the perpetual crusher who needs more spine and does porn. That's his personality to me. He could use a little bit of a change in his life, especially in that direction! It gets him away from his never-ending angst-crush (good!) and also gives him some steps towards independence (possibly giving him some of that much needed spine!). And with his own room he could do more porn, I guess? Had to tie that in somehow. xD

[BenjaminT]

Honestly, whether Candi consciously figures into his plans on moving out, I think it's a great choice for him. Not in the financial way, obviously, but, like... seriously. When I think of Jon, his defining characteristic is his continuing crush/borderline obsession sometimes on Candi. Then him being kind of a doormat but generally nice probably. And then him masturbating for money. XD Jon the perpetual crusher who needs more spine and does porn. That's his personality to me. He could use a little bit of a change in his life, especially in that direction! It gets him away from his never-ending angst-crush (good!) and also gives him some steps towards independence (possibly giving him some of that much needed spine!). And with his own room he could do more porn, I guess? Had to tie that in somehow. xD

I'm curious what kinds of behaviors come across as a doormat. I'm sure there are some but they are not coming to me at the moment. He definitely comes across as having a lot of conflict avoidance. He'd rather act and ask for forgiveness then have to get into a debate on whether something would be okay. This passive-aggressiveness is probably his biggest weakness.

When I think of Jon, I think first of his connection with animals. I find it really interesting and it seems to put his conflict avoidance into a context that shows how it works for him. He can be very gentle and thoughtful. But like many animals, at the first sign of trouble he can become skittish and want to get away. I guess that can be seen as a doormat but he can raise his voice or put his foot down when it's important to him (and this is what Becca found attractive about him at times). While his conflict avoidance may seem to suggest a lack of spine he is not without courage. Remember, this scene? He is willing to face danger when helping others. In fact, I think many of the times when readers got annoyed with him it revolved around him stupidly ignoring other people's concerns in order to help out Menjou or others. Maybe the first time he didn't realize how it'd make Becca or Candi feel but after that he knew they wouldn't be happy. He knew it could hurt his relationship with them if he got caught....so why bother? It certainly didn't seem like a selfish thing. It's not that he got some perverse kick out of watching them together. He just knew what they wanted and decided that helping them was worth the personal risk he was taking. That doesn't come across as a doormat to me. I guess you could say he was being a doormat to Menjou but I think that's a stretch.

I agree that leaving might help him move on from Candi and develop a better relationship with a girl. I don't know if it will help him overcome his aversion to conflict or his passive-aggressiveness.

[LadyObvious23]

I really hope Jon has something lined up. Really don't wanna see him in deep trouble.

[BenjaminT]

I really hope Jon has something lined up. Really don't wanna see him in deep trouble.

Meh, I doubt he'd get in serious trouble. First of all, he said he wants to save up this year to help pay for next year. So I see it as, "if I work my butt off this semester like Laura did last semester, I could save up enough to make it work." But...he also said he's thinking of moving out. If it turns out that he can't work as hard as Laura or that that level of work is hurting his grades, he could always change his mind (assuming he hasn't already notified management and lost his spot). Like Matt putting in his application for study abroad and seeing what happens, Jon can give it a go and see how he fares. If he isn't making enough or things are otherwise not working out he can return to the status quo (assuming he doesn't wait until the last minute to bail). He's got some time to line things up and crunch the numbers.

[SolitareLee]

His actions with his crazy redheaded girlfriend come to mind, although I can't go hunting for links right now. He basically dropped hanging out with Candi altogether just because his girlfriend thought that he was cheating on her. Admittedly, he DID have feelings for Candi, but feelings are not actions, and his gf was acting like a right loon to both him and his best friend about her. Thankfully, he did eventually stand up to her... kinda sorta.

But now that you point it out, I think conflict avoidance is a much more all encompassing term for what it is Jon does, because that also includes his tendency, to, uh... "exclude" certain things when he's talking to people, even when it's things they maybe would want to know about. xD I mean his plan for Linda staying was just hide it & pray, right? Same for his online porn shtick. (no pun intended)

I'm not too worried about him getting in trouble either, for all the same reasons BenjaminT listed. He's not just jumping to the winds and letting the Apartment Gods carry him where they will. Seems like he's got a vague, tenuous plan and won't be too upset if it turns out he just can't afford it. Although it does also seem like he hadn't thought about just how expensive it is to live on one's own. What are the numbers in the state this college is in? XD How many hours of minimum wage a week do you need to afford an apartment there? Because here in my city, you could JUST ABOUT afford it on a 45-hour workweek... if you didn't buy ANYTHING. No food. No gas. Just rent. xD

[BenjaminT]

My guess is that he isn't looking for a personal apartment all to himself but rather a room to himself while sharing the rest of the apartment with other guys (or girls). This can be much more affordable. I got the impression that Alex, Michael, and Nathan have this kind of arrangement. It looks like that kind of place might run $350-$550 per room or a 4 bedroom unit might cost around $1000+ to be split 4 ways. That's doable if you're earning $8 an hour for 20 hours a week, particularly if you've saved up for a deposit.

Now, I have no idea how much money Jon gets. It's likely higher per hour but much much less hours. He may be assuming he'll find another part time job quickly. If he acts fast at the start of the semester that may be possible.

I wonder if there is any chance Matt might qualify for the Scholarship House when he returns. He was living with his sister before the study abroad program, right? He probably won't qualify. I wonder what type of person might replace Jon. If it ends up being someone that Trevor (or Matt) finds particularly attractive, that might throw another monkeywrench into the works of his strained relationship with Matt.

[ailorn]

I hadn't even considered the possibility that a new character could be added to take Jon's spot in the house. So not only does this provide opportunity for Jon to grow, we could get a new cast member. Katia has definitely shaken things up. Jess started guitar, Alex stuff, Candi being challenged and Thad. Now I'm excited

[shadowfey]

I can see reasons why Jon would want to leave even with Linda out of his room. In theory at least, if he's in an apartment, he might have roommates but he wouldn't have the particular restrictions on him that the scholarship house offers: having company or even longer-term houseguests 'might' violate terms of lease if they stay too long, but it's a lot easier to fly under the radar than it is on or near campus with scholarship type management going on. Additionally, while he might have a couple of roommates, that's maybe 2-3 people's drama to deal with; the scholarship house with its larger population means more potential drama. He might just be tired of it, and counting on most guys he might live with being low-drama.

As for costs, if it's based on Miami, present-day, rents are pretty spendy (depending on where you are), but it might be doable with roommates. Assuming that his tuition is dealt with (by family, scholarships, what have you) and he's on a meal plan as part of that, his food needs are relatively minor; he probably gets a discount on a bus pass if he doesn't get it for free, and utilities split two or three ways wouldn't be TOO bad. But he'd probably find himself needing to live pretty far from campus unless he got particularly lucky. It's still not as economically affordable as living in the scholarship house, but if he's making better than minimum wage, it might be okay. (Miami rents are pretty high - around 1600 right now for a 1 bedroom, over 2000 for a 2 bedroom. But if you go further out to some of the older suburbs, and aren't too picky... there are some old tiny crackerbox houses without a/c etc which he might be able to rent for less.)

[Onijin]

He may be assuming he'll find another part time job quickly. If he acts fast at the start of the semester that may be possible.

If he does get another job, I kinda want to see him at least consider joining the Sexy Police. I'm not sure why, I just do.