The overall plot of John Rich is...truly Bitty's freshman and sophomore years of Check, Please!, which is a straightforward romance. Not re-inventing the wheel here! But because I've never written anything, it's getting to the point that, if I feel stuck, I ask "okay what happened in omgcp" lmao.
Anyway, parallels and contrasts.
Jack does not like Bitty. Jack is so focused on hockey that he does not realize the love of his life has waltzed into Faber. Bitty represents team and heart, which is what Jack needs, and will result in his success. Because John holds on to his initial judgments of people, he refuses to see that his literal soulmate is desperately trying to reach out to him. John is an portrait artist, so if his initial observations of people are wrong then his skills would be called into question. So, it's much safer to see Tyler as a hot but brainless celebrity and refuse to admit that the man might be sensitive, thoughtful, creative, funny, sweet, someone who hold him and listen to him talk about reality tv while dutifully nodding.
Fortunately, Jack pulls his head out of his ass and Bitty is persistently...Bitty. huh idk if jack immediately absorbs "you're a better player when you're with Bittle" but Samwell's playoff run during Bitty's freshman year helps solidify Bitty as someone Jack understands and values. (For hockey reasons, obviously!!!) It also helps that Bitty never gave up? He didn't quit the team and kept trying...proving to Jack that he belonged there.
LOL, in John Rich, the parallel here is John having FIVE MILLION people watch him and Tyler interact on Youtube and go "wow you guys have insane chemistry. interesting!" And then John's EIC, Clyde, seeing potential in them working together on a series. TYLER SO OBVIOUSLY BITTY. He's remarkably persistent. Tyler is attracted to John because John is adorable and witty and cool, but more than that, he loves John's brain and talent and passion. Extremely moth to flame. DON'T GET OFF OF THAT TWINK TYLER. PHRASING.
Bitty falls for Jack and it is miserable. We do not get Tyler Hughes's POV in this story, but wouldn't it be devastating to find out that Tyler has been in love with John this entire time, but is resigned to being friends? Tyler's "never fall for a straight boy" is "do not fall for someone out of your league." He gets it—John wants a partner who is smart and artsy and cerebral. And not famous. Fine. He'd rather have John in his life as a friend than not know John at all. (I can picture Tyler moping around LAX, friend-zoned, thinking "NEVER FALL FOR A GENIUS.")
Jack falls for Bitty and needs to do something about it. Uh, working on this. Jack Zimmermann is a man of action. John Rich is an anxious croissant who is always one C train delay from a nervous breakdown.
Kent Parson shows up. Shawn and Parse are both fuck boys, and they both want their exes back, and they're both wrong for their exes because their exes have grown up. Parse is a rich, white, hockey player in his early 20s and has NEVER been to therapy, and Shawn is a successful Black stand-up comedian in his late 20s who got a LOT out of therapy, but is still not right for John. Jack rejects Parse. He sees him as trouble. John turns into goo because this new and improved Shawn Hendrix could be The One. He's not, but John doesn't know that!
Jack kisses Bitty. Working on this. Two hockey players kissing at graduation felt very climactic. How do you make a cartoonist and a movie star kiss, and how do you make that feel like fireworks. I know where/when it happens, but!
