tryandbehappy

[tryandbehappy]

Is it just me or does Conrad seem more like Belly's brother than an ex? It would makes sense with the way he treats/insults her they have no chemistry at all too it's like they're forcing him to like her while with Jelly it comes off as natural they breathe chemistry naturally as they breathe it's insane to me lol Even when they had their first time it wasn't giving anything at all and the way conrad turned his back to her afterwards had me thinking that he's not into her at all If their parents didn't talk about how they always wanted them together since they were kids she probably would've never loved Conrad to me that's the only reason they ever liked each other.

Yeah, they really do give off that vibe. And like, when Adam — who’s obviously a toxic piece of shit— calls her his “little sister,” it’s obviously super cringe. But at the same time… they do kinda come off that way. Why? Because siblings often tease each other. And in this case, the teasing doesn’t have any kind of sexual undertone. Sometimes when people are in love, they tease each other in a way that builds tension and desire. But here? That’s just not the case. It really does feel like a sibling dynamic.

For one, he always puts himself above her, reminds her he’s older. Constantly calls her a kid. That’s what brothers do.

Okay, let’s set aside the sibling vibes for a second — because sure, there is something more going on. They stare intensely, they’re awkward around each other, and the show tries to create tension. But honestly? So much of it just ends up feeling cringe. Like that scene where he touches her hair and says it’s all tangled “like a little kid” — what even was that? Then the face-touching moment, where he says she has “dirt”… oh no wait, it’s “freckles.” Like… maybe some people find that cute, but to me it’s just awkward. And the biggest thing is: Conrad hasn’t had any romantic or sexual experience since then. He’s emotionally frozen in time. He never grew. So even now, at 22 or 23, he’s still that awkward teenage boy who doesn’t know how to talk about his feelings, who freezes every time they get close (in sex there will be the same too)

And the show tries to make that romantic — like, “He’s never loved anyone else, aww,” but instead it just makes it worse. Belly would be getting a partner who hasn’t learned to communicate in four years, who still gets weird around her, who still sleeps with his back turned to her. Like seriously — why would he turn away from her like that? I genuinely tried to make sense of it. I’ve never seen a scene like that — where a guy turns his back to a girl after sex — unless the show is trying to show that he’s a jerk who didn’t enjoy it and doesn’t care. Obviously that wasn’t the intention here, but the result? It felt cold.

Even though they lit the scene with warm, cozy fireplace lighting, it still felt emotionally cold. And the fact that they had sex on that hard, cold floor already makes you feel uncomfortable watching it. And then he falls asleep not holding her, not curled around her, not kissing her… and this was her first time. She’s even whispering in his ear — while he’s asleep — saying, “It was always you,��. Is that supposed to be romantic?

It’s honestly the worst “first time” scene I’ve ever seen on screen because of how it ended.

And then she remembers it — that night — and when they finally see each other again, the first thing he says about her is in third person: “What is she doing here?” By that point, enough time had passed. He knew it wasn’t really her fault. He knew he lashed out at the funeral, that they were all emotionally wrecked. And even he admitted (later) she had every right to be mad at him over Aubrey. But still — that’s how he chooses to acknowledge her? Like she’s a stranger? That’s not just cold — it’s downright disrespectful. It makes it seem like he hasn’t cooled off, hasn’t reflected, hasn’t felt any regret. Just pure distance and ego. I honestly don’t get why the writers chose to frame it that way 🤷‍♀️

[tryandbehappy]

I don't find any of the Bonrad scenes cute they lack any substance now if this is how the book went for them too then why does anyone ship them so hard? I get hate all the time on twitter for talking about how much I love Jelly scenes not even talking about Conrad with them saying 'read the book' I've seen other people say they have read them and Conrad is far worse in them so I'm confused I guess I'm someone who will never get or be invested into toxic ships since there's so much of that in real life already.

When I first watched the show and wasn’t paying super close attention, I thought some Bonrad scenes were just kinda sweet — like, cute, you know? But that was it. Just cute. But when I started rewatching and really looking closely, I realized… they have absolutely no depth. And honestly, when you really start analyzing what’s happening, a lot of their scenes are just straight-up cringe. I don’t understand why the writers are doing this.

Like, we don’t even have to dig that deep — take the Christmas episode, for example. I already said this: not only is there zero emotional depth between them besides Belly realizing that some part of her still loves him… but that’s literally it. The rest? Empty. They’re just in that house, reminiscing about the time they had sex by the fireplace. That’s all. No real conversations about what’s going on now, no vulnerability, no emotional support. And even worse — he acts like a gaslighter again. When she falls, his reaction is to laugh at her? Like, yeah, it’s framed as “cute,” but if you actually think about it, she really fell, and he’s just standing there laughing, asking her how much it hurts and joking that he’ll just lay down beside her. Like… that’s fucking toxic. Then he carries her to the couch, they exchange a look, solve some crossword puzzles, and watch movies. That’s it. Every single scene — you dig even a little deeper and there’s either nothing there or something seriously messed up underneath.

Even the scene where he hears her crying — he knows she’s upset. And real emotional connection is not about making muffins. It’s about talking, comforting someone, being there in a way that makes them feel seen and understood. But he doesn’t understand her. She’s crying, and meanwhile he still thinks her decision to marry his brother is ridiculous. He tells her he supports her just to seem like the good guy — but deep down he still thinks it’s stupid. He’s basically pretending to support her while judging her at the same time. And that’s also just… cringe.

Real emotional connection means respecting someone’s choices, even when they hurt you, or don’t make sense to you. It means having empathy. When she’s in pain, you feel that pain too — because you love her. You don’t secretly think she’s just being a dumb kid making dumb decisions. That’s what love is: acceptance, trust, and respect, even when it’s hard.

And that’s the thing — when you break down their scenes, almost all of them have something off. I honestly don’t get what the writers are doing. If Bonrad is supposed to be the “deserved” endgame — then make it good. Make it real. Instead, we get empty symbolism, pretty visuals, a nice soundtrack, and a whole lot of manipulation — with the outfits, the promo hints, the interviews, the book canon, etc.

To me, it just feels like they’re force-feeding this ship to the audience. And unfortunately, like… 90% of people are falling for it, because they’re just not looking deeper.

[tryandbehappy]

I feel like they made Belly's ring small to make fun of Jere for so when Belly gets one from conrad they can gloat and say he loves Belly more when he in fact doesn't I hate that Jenny is going to make this bland ship endgame.

I honestly don’t get why there’s so much noise about the small ring. To me, it’s actually super sweet. Like, obviously he’s not rich right now, obviously he doesn’t have much, but he’s doing everything he can — and he’s taking responsibility. He’s not borrowing money from his dad for some fancy ring or whatever, he bought it himself, and that means something. So why is there so much bullying and mockery about it? God, it’s awful.

Nobody mocked Jack in Titanic for being poor, right? That was actually what made it beautiful. Because non-material things mattered. Especially when it’s a young guy who hasn’t even had the chance to get on his feet yet. Like… what kind of nonsense is this?

And yeah, it’ll probably be ironic if Bonrad later gets the “big ring” and the “dream wedding” just to create contrast — like, “See? This is what a proper wedding looks like! Not some rushed one!” Because, oh look, they’ve got their lives together now, they know who they are, she pushed him toward his doctor career, he’ll support her in Paris, and so on. So that’s the wedding that makes sense — expensive, planned, thoughtful. Right?

But seriously, is that what really matters?

Because what actually matters in a relationship is the feeling of home, emotional closeness, and that deep need for each other when things get hard. And Jere and Belly have all of that. Everything else? Doesn’t even come close. Honestly, what they’re showing is beautiful — that material things don’t matter as much as spiritual connection, being in sync, wanting each other, fighting for your shared vision.

[tryandbehappy]

I don't buy how they're saying Jeremiah is failing college and is lazy, immature and whatever it's like suddenly they're trying to make him some dumb character when he's always been smart at least the same level as Belly where they're both not really academically gifted. I hate that they ruined the relationship between Jere and Taylor I always loved how she supported him and now they turned her against him now I've never seen a show hate one of the best characters in the show without Jeremiah and Jeremiah and Belly's relationship I don't think it would be good or worth watching they're what make me so invested.

By the way, I don’t think they’re actually making him immature or anything like that. If that’s what they’re trying to do, they’re doing a terrible job — because I analyze every single one of his actions, I watch every episode closely, and he consistently comes across as emotionally intelligent, self-aware, and responsible. He really tries, even while the world throws so much crap at him.

I mean, where exactly is he “immature”? He’s the only one who read a speech on his mom’s death anniversary — and it was clearly very hard for him. The show made that very clear. But he didn’t back out, he did it beautifully, and with so much heart. Also remember at the start of the season he didn’t want to go to work for his dad and just wanted to skip everything and zone out all summer? Now he proposed to Belly and immediately goes to work.

Or when he finds out Belly’s upset because of her mom, he immediately drives there that same evening. That couldn’t have been easy — he probably sped or rushed like crazy just to make it in time. And even with all the stress and garbage he’s dealing with at work, he buys flowers, gets a cake, prepares a speech for Laurel, etc. Like… where exactly is the immaturity? I just don’t see it.

Most moves he makes are thoughtful and mature — even if he hasn’t yet figured out his career, or keeps messing up at work, or everyone keeps criticizing him. I honestly don’t understand this bullying — not in the show (and even in the media and fucking BRANDS) and definitely not from the fandom. Is bullying just trendy now?

Sometimes writers do show a character getting bullied to highlight injustice and make us feel empathy for them — especially when they’re the main love interest. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here… or maybe it is? Maybe they will reveal later that he did something terrible out of love for example — to set Belly free and let her be happy, because that’s literally been his mission all along. (At least I hope that’s where this is going, rather than some dumb out-of-nowhere heel turn where he suddenly becomes the villain — after behaving like a literal gem all the series)

[tryandbehappy]

Sorry to be your 39th message haha I only wanted to ask the couple in that black mirror ep (I never watched that series before) do they end up together? I still have hope that Jelly is endgame there are changes made that makes them better than the books where she isn't obsessed with Conrad if anything she don't give a fuck about him lol

Haha yes! THEY ARE EPIC. Watch it, it’s just one ep - 4x04 (Black Mirror, Hang the Dj) It’s so powerful. And also so many parallels with bellyjere really.

That episode shows what it’s like when two people just fit. The comfort. The ease. The laughter. The spark. The unshakable bond that makes you want to fight for each other no matter what. And that’s exactly what we see with Jelly — the way they understand each other, crave each other, make each other feel safe. They go through every emotion together. That kind of synchronicity is rare.

(That’s what’s missing with Bonrad. There’s no effortless joy. No deep connection. No feeling of home)

[tryandbehappy]

[tryandbehappy]

Jelly are literally like those two from Black Mirror — the ones who were a 99,8% match 😭

The whole point of that episode was that the system finds you your perfect match by deliberately creating obstacles — it doesn’t let you be with the one you love right away. Instead, it throws other partners at you, imposes rules, pushes you into things you don’t want, all so you realize what you actually want and start fighting for your real love. To the point where you’re willing to run into the fucking wilderness, with no clue what’s out there — or if there’s even anything beyond that world — but you go anyway, because being with that person matters more than anything. And that’s how the system identifies your perfect match.

(watch this vid of mine and you’ll see, god i love these two so much)

That is exactly what Jelly feel like right now. They’re fighting against the whole world — like they’re resisting a system.

• First: “You can’t get married that young, not until you’ve ‘found yourself.’”

• Second: “You’re still a child.”

• Third: “You’re not financially stable yet.”

• Fourth: “You were ‘meant’ to be with someone else.”

• Fifth: “You need to date more people first, then decide who you want to be with forever.”

Like… what a load of crap!!!!! Even in that Black Mirror episode, those two people knew they wanted to be together after twelve hours just based on how right it felt. How much fun they had together. The feeling of holding hands for the first time — because nothing compares to that. When you hold the hand of someone you truly love, it just feels right. Like home.

(You can see they are home to each other just by the way they sleep!!!)

Laurel telling Belly she needs to “date around” first?

Haha, LOL.

The way the “system” keeps trying to keep Jelly apart — and the way they keep fighting against it — it’s like that entire episode was a test. And when love is real, you don’t give a damn about the rules. You don’t care where you end up, as long as it’s with them. You just run — into the fucking wilderness.

That’s exactly what Jelly are doing right now. They don’t care what happens tomorrow, what’s going to happen with their careers, where they’ll live — none of that matters.

That has always been a marker of real love. When Jack and Rose basically wanted to run off into nowhere — it was seen as beautiful. And there are a million other stories like that, where the size of the ring — or even having a ring at all — didn’t mean anything.

But now, suddenly, that kind of love is… wrong?

(of course, the writers are going to tell us that it was all wrong — that in the end, it was all… just in your head, and none of it was real, and it doesn’t matter, and… blah blah blah. Well, I’m sorry, but I’m not fucking buying it, guys. I’m not)

[tryandbehappy]

I have 38 asks sitting in my inbox 😭 Thank you so much for writing to me. I’ll try to answer a few every day, but it’s definitely not going to be a fast process.

[tryandbehappy]

[tryandbehappy]

[tryandbehappy]

guys… are we gonna talk about this? he’s out here lying to everyone because he can’t admit he got fired — but has the nerve to laugh at jere like he’s the idiot.

Conrad being incredulous that Jeremiah would willingly work for Adam is so funny.

[tryandbehappy]

My friend wrote such a stunning reflection on my video and Jelly 🥹🥹🥹 that I just have to share it:

“Oh Irina, this video is devastatingly beautiful — I’m in tears rewatching it over and over again.

It felt like you had already captured everything in the first two edits, but somehow this one reflects Jelly even wider, even deeper.

You said it would be about how much Belly loves him, but me — it’s about how much Jere loves her.

How deeply he needs her, how much she means to him.

She’s his air. His joy. It’s like she was meant for him.

And she answers that with loyalty, with devotion, with a fierce fight for him — leaving not even a sliver of doubt in her love. It’s so epic, I have chills.

And who knew Susannah’s presence could enhance Jelly like this? You wove her in so beautifully — it honestly feels like she was always talking about them, that she somehow knew.

She sensed Belly would become part of the family, she saw how Belly fit with everyone… but she didn’t recognize that the real, deepest love was growing in Jere, not in Conrad. (It’s frustrating that her letters and assumptions are the ones that will shape the love triangle later)

But that wink she gives Jere at the start of the video… she knew. She saw everything. And the way you closed the circle at the end — with her hugging him, with that quote about how only she and Belly ever truly saw him — I was gone.

And the way you chose to show that quote — with Belly looking at him from the car, deeply, seriously, fully seeing him — it was perfect.

She sees him.

She feels him.

She chooses him.

She loves him.

And in that moment, the video’s title hits you like a wave. Let them love.

Please don’t destroy what they have. Jenny, please find this video and watch it.

And then that shot — Belly sobbing in bed, and Jelly scenes flashing underneath her crying — it destroyed me.

So powerful. You’ve blown me away again. Your vision, your detail, your editing skill, your emotional precision — it’s just unmatched. After these three epic edits, being a jelly shipper doesn’t even hurt so bad anymore.

I don’t care what they show next or how they try to erase it — the true beauty, the grandness of real love, lived in Jelly. And you showed it. You proved it. You nailed it to the wall like the truth it is.

I genuinely don’t think anything that grand could even be made for Bonrad — because they don’t have this kind of material. (That’s true btw 😀)

And more importantly, they don’t have you. We’re so damn lucky that you fell in love with Jelly and chose to make videos for them.

I’m so grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your art. I’m going to go rewatch it now. Every part of that video deserves to be felt and experienced again”

[tryandbehappy]

[tryandbehappy]

no matter what happens, i don’t regret shipping jelly — because with bonrad, there’s literally nothing to ship. i’m still in shock that we’re wrapping up final season, and the so-called endgame couple hasn’t shared a single truly powerful moment that brought them closer. they still don’t know how to listen to each other, how to understand each other’s feelings, and they don’t even have real physical attraction between them. and they’ll probably get their endgame with pretty music playing literally five minutes before the show ends

[tryandbehappy]

I won't take the leaks for guarantee personally. We don't know where they come from, or by whom. And the way they are told can be completely different from the actual scene. The way the proposal scene was spoiled / leaked really sounds worse than the book before we can see the actual scene ; like Jere taking advantage of Steven's condition when he wasn't at all. So frankly, as long as we don't see it with our own eyes, I prefer not to assume anything. Just see how a whole part of the fandom talks in a completely twisted way about Jere's actions that are ultimately nothing horrible when placed in their real context. I don't know... Maybe I'm being too optimistic. But why demonize Jere so late in the story of this season 3 ? It wouldn't make sense. And if they really do it, it just proves that they have no writing talent.

Yeah, totally agree.

all they’re giving us now are these dumb little “signs,” like:

• he ordered the expensive food — like his fucked up dad. expensive as in… twenty bucks more? seriously? and adam did it on purpose, while jere wasn’t even looking at the menu —he had so much going on in his head, he clearly wasn’t thinking about menu prices.

and don’t even get me started on adult-ass laurel taking responsibility for the bill but apparently not being able to afford anything unless it’s the cheapest thing there 😂 like what are we even doing here??

• the wrinkled shirt. i have no comment. this man read a beautiful speech to his mom, supported belly the entire episode, and even handled laurel’s reaction with grace. he literally told belly to go with her mom — despite all the chaos. like?? what more do you want??

• and now the only person defending him at work is his dad’s mistress?? like… is that supposed to mean something? some clever little “clue”? 😂😭

Also this:

if they’re trying to subtly build this narrative that something’s wrong with jere — this is the dumbest thing i’ve ever seen.

it’s not about his character, not about his actual choices, or emotional responses — it’s wrinkled shirts and restaurant orders. what a fucking joke.

and honestly — if your only way to push an endgame is by completely destroying the “rival” with some random out-of-nowhere nonsense, and not by actually building up your endgame couple… then you’ve written a bad story.

but fine. let’s see how this plays out. i’m just bracing for the moment everything turns to absolute trash.

i just hope the breakup has some actual beauty or tragedy in it. let me cry over the pain, not roll my eyes at how they erase an entire epic love story in one episode just to shove bonrad down our throats.

because the thing is — they went too far with jelly. they made them so emotionally powerful, so epic, that now they’re trapped. they wrote themselves into a corner. and now they either give us real heartbreak, or they give us one of the worst narrative betrayals i’ve ever seen.

[tryandbehappy]

if they think they can feed us this nonsense — no thanks. we’re not buying it.

i’m seeing a lot of these discussions, and yeah — it’s there, in the show. and since we know they’re going to break them up, maybe they’ll try to use those reasons. and that’s complete bullshit.

the show might be trying to tell us that jere and belly weren’t real. that yeah, it was sweet, but it couldn’t have been that serious — look, they’re just trauma bonding. right?

and now we’ve got the so-called “voice of reason” characters — taylor, laurel — pushing the idea that belly and jere want to be married because of what they went through. like the love itself is suspicious. because it came in the aftermath of pain.

3 existential moments:

1. susannah died and grief brought them closer

2. they broke up and had to fight their way back

3. steven almost died, and that existential moment made everything feel urgent and clear

and somehow… that’s a bad thing?

i’m sorry, but do the writers even understand how love works? because real love — the kind you feel in your bones — is often revealed in moments exactly like that.

when someone dies. when everything’s breaking. when life strips away all your plans and forces you to look at what — and who — truly matters.

that doesn’t make love less real. it makes it undeniable.

just look at normal people. when connell’s childhood friend dies, it shatters him. he spirals into depression, shuts down. and who’s there? marianne. because grief makes everything clear. and that becomes the turning point in their story — when they finally reconnect, because nothing else matters more than the person who sits in your silence and stays.

susannah’s death and steven’s accident were the moments that revealed the truth.

belly was devastated that she left jere when he needed her most — and that’s when she realized she loved him. and jere understood that he’s never really had people in his life who see him — except for his mom and belly.

and that’s beautiful.

or take the moment when steven ends up in the hospital. everything else fades away. suddenly, it doesn’t matter that they had a huge fight before.

that moment made them realize he still wanted him. they realized they love each other so much, they even wanted to get married. and that realization came to them at the same time.

and what really got me was that promo — “life’s too short not to spend it with the person you love.” i was ready to bet that line would be about conrad. that steven’s accident would trigger some kind of revelation, and she’d go running back to him.

but no. it was about jere. she realized she could forgive him. she realized she wanted to. because none of it mattered more than what they’d already built.

because he’s her person. he’s her home. and that was everything.

and that’s why i use those moments in my videos with full pride — as proof of their epic love, not as signs that something’s wrong with them. because it’s beautiful. their story is built on moments that shook them to their core and made it painfully clear:

it’s them. it’s only ever been them. no one else.

[tryandbehappy]

18 isn't really a kid after they graduate I feel like them saying Belly is a kid is because she's not with Conrad all the characters but them have a bias now if this was Conrad everyone would be happy and celebrating I don't find 21 to be too young to get married tbh I have friends that got married the same sage and they're still together happily married. I don't think it matters if they waited 5-10 years to get married these characters/viewers would still not want them to get married using the same excuses

yeah, even just that one line “you’re a child, you don’t know what you want” — said to a 21-year-old woman, the actual main character of the story, sounds completely ridiculous. (Gross! Insulting! Gaslighting yikes 🤮)

so many people get married at that age, and they grow together, and guess what? they’re fine.

and i get that so deeply — i got married young too. and i understand that feeling of “i want this now.”

not in two years. not when we’re financially stable or settled or “ready.” weddings aren’t about that. they’re a celebration of love.

and very often when you want to marry someone, you want to do it as soon as possible — because a year from now, it won’t feel the same.

and sometimes you want to be with someone so badly, that you don’t care what life looks like — you’ll sleep on pizza boxes if that’s what it takes. and that’s the magic of young love. love that hasn’t been measured or filtered through all the adult lenses yet. and honestly, it’s one of the purest forms of love out there.

but instead, the show is trying to sell us this narrative — that belly should “get her life together” first. that she’s doing it all in the wrong order. like she needs to find herself before she gets married.

but what if — and hear me out — what if they just let her do both? what if they let her marry him, and then six months later they naturally want to grow, pursue careers, explore the world, go to paris? because right now?

he’s what matters to her most. and that’s valid. it’s not forever — it’s now. and that now is powerful and real and beautiful.

so yeah, it’s heartbreaking to watch these so-called “adult arguments” tear down something so real. to watch them try to invalidate this huge, bright, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love — just because it doesn’t fit their timeline.

and even if it is a mistake (which is wild, honestly, because their relationship has already been through everything, they’ve known each other their whole lives, they’re best friends, and they have insane chemistry — like, what exactly is so wrong with that?) —even if it’s a mistake, it’s their mistake. it’s their path. their life.

ps. Gavin also got married pretty young, and honestly? i wouldn’t be surprised if he and his wife secretly laugh about this whole storyline — like, how the “voice of reason” in the show keeps treating young marriage like some giant red flag. i’ve watched his interviews, and he’s said more than once that the best relationships are built on friendship — and i couldn’t agree more.