#JSE Explained | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

jseegoramblings · 7 months ago

Text

the JSE diagnosis (according to me. This is my opinion)

(THERE WILL BE ALTRVERSE SPOILERS AHEAD SO IF YOU DON’T WANNA BE SPOILED, DON’T READ THIS POST/RANT.)

so… I was recently thinking about the DSM-5 and the JSE egos… plus with Seán’s recent diagnosis with Autism (welcome to the club) I thought I would do this. I also will use behaviours we have seen from the egos and state how that applies to the diagnosis to some level.

note- this is my opinion however, if you disagree, that’s cool. Let me know what your thoughts are or if you have any questions. (Note: I know I don’t go into detail on how these connect to the diagnosis but hopefully The points below make some sense? Also… please don’t self diagnosis yourself based on this information alone… if you suspect you have something please consult a profession before doing so! Also… all videos will be listed as Tumblr has a 30 link/image limit… so comic images will show evidence, but video names will be listed.)

JBM: AuDHD

this one I thought I would start with because he is not only the easiest to see why I would state he is this, but also with the comics- it has become clear and most of the fanbase seems to agree with this. 1. he has a special interest in heros (Autism/ADHD)

now… in the comics, this is clear when in VOL 1. He is talking to the movie theatre worker about the movie…. Now look at this face. Does this look like the actions of someone who is neurodivergent explaining something that is interesting to them?

not only that… but when trying to problem solve… he imagines himself as a hero to help his thinking

Also… in VOL 0… his room clearly shows signs that he loves superhero’s… sure, you could shake this off saying that he’s just a nerd. Which yeah. May be true… but with the additional above info? It seems he is very genuinely interested in this and gets happy and excited by this

2. he overthinks social situations to avoid doing the wrong thing(Autism)

Yes. This is something VERY common in people with ASD, especially for those who struggle with social connections (yes. Even for those considered ‘higher functioning’)

you may wonder… where the hell is this present? Well… look no further than that same scene as before… the one where he was day dreaming. Where he was trying to come up with solutions with how to socialise properly

this by itself, shows he struggles socially, but also expects the worst as he doesn’t know how to socialise on a typical level… however, if someone were to ask him about hero’s? I have no doubts he would rant about it for hours!

3.he is often in his own world(ADHD)

this is more seen in Vol 0, when the manager of Ion X is talking to him. He’s in his own world thinking to himself- which is common in those who have ADHD.

4. he can take things literally(Autism)

I mean… just look at how he got his hero name.

he could have chosen a different name… but as soon as he heard the question of ‘what is you’re name’ he goes to answer his real name. Which is taking the question word for word

5. perseverates when something is new/different/unknown (Autism)

Perseverating- the act someone who is neurodivergent does when they can’t let go of something and think of it consistently. (Definition by me) I mean… just look at how he reacts when he discovers where his powers are coming from isn’t positive… he thinks about it constantly until something takes his attention away from it.

As soon as he stops that though… and goes back to doing nothing… he instantly thinks about it again.

if you’re thinking ‘well that’s something everyone will do’… sure… but, I’ll use myself as an example. I have a VERY intense fear of needles. If I get a bloodshot, I can’t even talk about it for WEEKS. And my body feels itchy in the spot blood was drawn. so yes. Perseverating can happen when individuals face something that is anxiety inducing.

6. sometimes misreads social cues(Autism/ADHD)

now… my main argument is 2 things for this is when Jackie is ranting about his interest, and has no idea the worker at the movie theatre is not interested until he actually looks

another thing to point out/notice… he doesn’t even pay attention to how the robots aren’t harming anybody… or take a moment to look at his surroundings, he instantly goes to beat up the robots, and it isn’t until too late when he realises… this.

If this doesn’t show struggling with social cues… I don’t know what will.

7. Changes/messing up can cause anxiety.(Autism)

now… again, this is seen as something that you may not think Jackie shows…. However, there is one scene in particular that shows he is hard on himself and when he makes a mistake. He is discouraged and has anxiety on messing up.

these 2 scenes above just show he wants to do things right, and when he doesn’t- he shuts down easily. And that’s the reasons why Jackie fits AuDHD as a diagnosis.

Marvin: gifted

this one, was a bit tricker and it wasn’t until recent that I found one that fits him… you may be confused why I chose this… well, first of all- what the heck is gifted as a diagnosis? gifted as a diagnosis refers to individuals who have a higher than average IQ, and are quick to understand things… but struggle a ton socially, it’s similar to autism, but it can be misdiagnosed as ADHD.

1.really good at magic, doesn’t have to study it

now I know you may be thinking ‘well yeah duh! In the comics, he has a higher power.’ And… I would agree with you there… however. I’m Vol 1… he had a look at a book for one… maybe 2 minutes at best… and what happens?

now…. I have no idea about you but for me at least? I would need to read something over and over again in order to understand it and make a connection. 2. gets discouraged when he doesn’t understand something right away/fails

now… you may wonder where that shows and think ‘well that’s everyone’s reaction!’ Which is true!! But… look at his reaction to failing the exam…

obviously, failing is upsetting… and yes. Especially when you fail the first time… however it’s not usual to get frustrated or upset when you don’t understand something… as an older adult.

however, when you expect yourself to know everything… you tend to put higher expectations on yourself which can absolutely weigh on you. 3. Knows right from wrong, and not afraid to stick with gut.

this one may seem a bit odd and you might think ‘well… yeah. Doesn’t everyone?’ Yes… but with gifted individuals… they tend to know right from wrong. And when they know someone did wrong doing… it can cause them frustration. Just look at this scene when Marvin discovered the twins erased his and others memories of what happened to the murder?

this up here, shows that when he knows someone went against what is morally right. He is not gonna have it and sticks with his guns.

another moment to point out. Is initially… when offered a really high position with the Magic circle:

this, by itself really shows he sticks to his guns and initially… he does stick to this decision until Ramesses mentions that Moria and Marvin could be put in a position of danger. normally, you would expect children to stick to their opinions regardless… but Marvin here? He goes back. Because his mom could be put in danger. Which is not right!

now… I would be willing to say that… when his mom dies. We will see him act in a way that shows that he will stick with his knowledge on how he has a strong moral compass later on in the comics. I can guarantee it!

4. is quick on his feet

now… i know this may seem odd. But… a lot of gifted individuals tend to be quick on their feet and know how to act. And Marvin demonstrates this in a few scenes:

below, here- Marvin finds a family that is about to be killed by a robber. What does he do?

which, that by itself, causes the person to flee.

another really powerful instance. And something I almost forgot to mention is that sometimes with gifted individuals… they tend to have a sense of humour as well that may come off as being more adult.. even though Marvin is an adult. This kind of shows how he has a sense of humour and how the humour helps him be quick on his feet.

also this moment… from when he was a teen.

I’m not sure about you, but normally for me… it takes me at least a few days/hours in order to figure out a good comeback. Not a few seconds. 5. smart

now… this one… may seem like a character trait… and you would be right… however. I would like to point out… that Marvin is damn smart… probably more so than people in the universe realise… this can be seen even before getting into magic school.

that fridge clearly shows a photo of an A… showing that he is smart. I won’t stick on this point too much as I will show some more evidence that he is smarter than people think… IQ wise.

6. has high expectations of himself

I think at this point. The lightning image enough is showing how he has high expectations over himself but incase you’re wondering why I put this out? It’s because of how gifted individuals because they are so smart… and because they just tend to know everything, when it comes to learning and understanding new topics and things, there’s impossibly high expectations that they put on themselves and they get frustrated and overwhelmed easily when they don’t know something that is hard.

Marvin getting A’s in school show he is very smart… but I bet if you threw him a chemistry question at that age… don’t be surprised to see a tantrum.

7. enjoys talking to other people who love magic… but not so much every day people

I know this may seem weird but let me explain. For anybody with neurodivergence… they tend to find it easiest to connect with people who are similar or have similar knowledge or interest in things that they love. It’s no different for those who are gifted. Don’t believe me…

well in VOL 1 of void silver… we see Marvin not be social… nor be friends with anybody at his school. But I’m Vol 2, after moving into his new school… what do we suddenly see?

genuine excitement over talking and being around other people! Hmm…. Now if this doesn’t scream neurodivergence… I have no idea what will!

8. gets excitement over something new or challenging

at this point… you may be confused as to where I get this info from… well… just look no further to Marvin doing his math homework…

he’s bored… and clearly craves something new! That expression certainly does not read excitement unlike when you compare him to doing magic… something that causes him to think… that really challenges him.

9. has strong curiosity of the world:

you may find this weird… even wonder why I put it in… but… consider these 2 images… both come after meeting Ramesses, he’s curious and can’t stop thinking about it no matter what. His brain can’t let it go!

That, and plus. When you look at the excitement for magic. It’s clear he’s curious and gets excited by new things.

so… those are all my reasons for why Marvin falls into this category… now onto the next character… Chase Brody.

Chase: ODD/ADHD

videos for evidence:

“IRIS project Anomaly found”

“JSE power hour-Chase Brody”

“TIE a game about depression”

all videos by “Jacksepticeye”

Now here’s another one that you may be shocked as to why I put this on Chase. ADHD, you’re all probably familiar with, but, you may be wonder what ODD is.

ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) is basically a diagnosis where an individual is someone who will go against any authoritative figure, and be defiant in every single way- even if they are wrong.

1.has a drinking problem (ADHD/ODD)

this may seem like a weird one and a confusing one to put. But, let me explain.

so… think about Chase. Obviously everyone calls him ‘sad dad’ but… he also seems to have a serious drinking problem. If you disagree with me. Then why is it that he is okay with drinking when he is about to drive a car or when he is upset dealing with his emotions.

So with that, I was doing research. And it turns out, those who have ADHD tend to have a higher chance of developing a substance abuse. (Which includes things like drugs, coffee or alcohol). now, another important thing to know is that just because I say this does not mean it applies to all people with ADHD. kind of like how not all autistic individuals love trains or need headphones for noise sensitivities, everyone has their different strengths and stretches when it comes to these diagnosis.

no 2 individuals will be exactly the same

2. Is defiant with authoritative figures (ODD)

I know that this may be an odd one to have but… hear me out. this evidence comes straight from what he was like in ‘Anomaly Found’. Thinking back. He didn’t seem to cooperate too much with the scientist and in fact seem to annoy him on purpose despite being in a place where he had no power.

I know that this may seem unfair, especially considering the circumstances on what was going on were brutal and almost borderline torture. However… I would think that you would at least try and do all that you can to follow what is expected in hopes of getting out.

I can hear you saying “but… that was traumatising! I bet if he was somewhere else he would be different!” Possibly yes! However, there is evidence out there that proves that when he is in a place of authority or a place where he can control others? He has no troubles!

3. doesn’t follow expectations (ODD)

again, I know this one seems a bit weird. But I also have some backup evidence of this.

one of my pieces of evidence is the fact that during his first video, there is a scene where he is doing trick shots. And a moment in the video he says “this one is called the drive by” before we hear people scream as he is shooting people. (Note: I understand this is a character and this moment has probably been disproven but I’m still putting it in here.). Obviously, if he did do this and actually shoot people- it’s illegal. But it shows he has no hesitation.

4. irritable (ADHD/ODD)

yes… he has shown some evidence of getting irritable with people…

for one, the Anomaly found video is enough evidence to show that he can get irritable.

even excluding that though… he has shown he gets irritable when things don’t follow what he plans/what he has in mind. For example, in an older video, I remember Chase being in the bathroom and as soon as the camera comes in on him. He looks annoyed at the camera before yelling “Get out!” Clearly someone being in the house was not part of his plan.

now there is some more evidence I could discuss… but I’d rather move on to get some of my other points done.

5. Can be a bit scattered/is disorganised (ADHD):

There are a few moments where we can see Chase can have scattered thoughts and is not the most organised.

one moment in particular is the scene in ‘CHASE’ where he opens his car door and trash just comes out. Sure… we can account this as him being depressed, but I would also like to mention how even in Anomaly found, we can see that he is not thinking straight some of the times there- easily distracted. Side tracked by voices and visuals popping out of nowhere. we can even see this in his first video- with his first appearance. Even during THAT- it was clear that his thoughts and ideas can be all over the place and even a bit disorganised.

6. acts childlike as an adult sometimes (ADHD). I know this may seem odd… but this is kind of something I notice.

I notice that people I see who are diagnosed with ADHD, tend to be a bit more hyper or even child like in energy. I’m not saying that this is a bad thing! But it is a pattern that I see in the adults that I hang around who have ADHD.

does this remind you of anybody? Chase perhaps?

well… I think that’s all the evidence for why I believe Chase has ADHD and ODD. Moving onto Anti!

Anti: Autism

videos referenced

“Say Goodbye”

“IRIS project Anomaly found”

“KJSE”

videos by: Jacksepticeye

Now… I know some of you may be shocked by this… however, I have my reasons for putting Anti as this specifically.

1.Sensory seeking behaviour

you may be confused and thinking. “Where the hell does Anti show this?” well first of all, what do I mean by sensory seeking? Let me explain.

when it comes to anything with the word “sensory” it refers to anything to do with the 5 senses. Now… for neurodivergent people, they may easily be overstimulated or under stimulated easily. “Overstimulation” is when someone’s senses are way too overwhelmed that it makes them shut down or go into a fight/flight response to help deal with calming their senses. This is why some individuals on the spectrum feel the need to cut tags off because tags on clothes can sometimes trigger some individuals who get easily overstimulated to the tag touching their skin. “understimulation” is the opposite. This refers to someone who doesn’t have enough going on with the 5 senses being not triggered enough, and they need to have more- having under stimulation is just as unpleasant and can cause someone to sometimes use too much energy making them get tired easily. So for example, may be why you may see some neurodivergent people LOVE weighted blankets, because it provides extra feeling when you don’t get enough. Which is “sensory seeking” (I don’t know if this is a word, but it seems to fit)

now what does this have to do with Anti? Well… I like to think back to “Say goodbye” what was one of the FIRST things Anti did when he took Jack’s body over? Slit his own throat. And this… can be seen as seeking out stimulation. hell, he even walks around with no socks and shoes (we’ve all seen his feet- get your phones back you dirty minded people!)

and he also seems to almost ALWAYS have something in hand- it’s mainly his knife, now… this obviously I think stopped but before 2019ish… he had his knife always!

2. glitching can be considered stimming

Let me explain!

stimming is something that someone who is neurodivergent may do that seems like a repeated motions, or even repeated noises. This can often be used to help calm or settle someone sometimes. what is something that Anti in the past has done?

lot’s of twitching and glitching. And although it’s something he somewhat doesn’t seem to control. I do notice that the more agitated or aggressive he becomes, the more intense the glitches and twitches are. Which ties together with the fact that stimming can be used to help calm someone down who is neurodivergent.

3. stumbles and stutters over words sometimes

once again. This may seem odd and you may not even notice he does it…. But he does do it! Especially when he first took over Jack in ‘say goodbye’ now, obviously since then he hasn’t done this lots but in the beginning when he was in a new environment, and a new type of situation…. It was certainly there.

4. Gets agitated and angry easily

once again. I know this may seem odd… but, for some people on the spectrum. It’s very easy for them to get upset or peeved off especially if something does not go their way or if there is a change in routine. it’s obvious that Anti has a plan for what to do and what he wants…. But he has also made it clear that if that plan goes sideways… there is hell to pay and he will not hesitate to attack. hell, he even shows that he will go through with what he says he’ll do!

now… I think that’s enough about Anti… now onto JJ.

JJ: PTSD

videos referenced:

“JSE power hour- Jameson Jackson”

“JJ’s Jolly Jaunts”

all videos by: Jacksepticeye

this. Is another one that I think is a bit more clear, and here are a few reasons why. For those of you who are unfamiliar, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a diagnosis that is an intense Anxiety disorder that can appear after a very significant traumatising event that can scar people for life and make everything harder to deal with including triggers…. It’s a diagnosis although commonly seen in soldiers, can happen to anybody who goes through a traumatising enough event (sometimes events that may be close calls to death.)

JJ for this, his traumatising event would be what happened in his first appearance and I’ll explain why. (I don’t have many reasons for this but I do have a couple)

1.gets scared a bit when strings appear

I know this seems weird…. However, at first. Think of when the strings first appeared in his second video. Any normal person would be a bit confused but shrug it off… how did JJ react?

sure he did seem confused, but in his eyes- there’s also a bit of fear- as well as anxiety as if he knows what is about to happen. It’s clear Anti has done something messed up enough for him to get a bit worried about strings.

2. signs of anxiety

this seems to happen when Anti is about to attack or is impacting JJ in some way.

this example comes from “JJ’s Jolly Jaunts” but when Anti takes over at the end…. This is how JJ reacts:

JJ has the heavy breathing, the panicked look, the fight and flight response he even dissociates as if he has been triggered and his brain shuts down to protect him.

this all may seem weird but the brain blocking out certain memories, even moments being erased from conscious is not unusual.

Sure… memories can come and go and that is completely normal… however, sometimes the brain, when it recognises a stressful enough situation, it will just block that memory out from being recalled, it’s a protective mechanism and can be healthy!

However. What is not healthy is when our brain as a coping strategy decides to dissociate to escape a situation no matter what. It’s not only unhealthy, but it can be draining and even dangerous.

Schneeplestien: BPD/ADHD

videos referenced:

“Jacksepticeye Powerhour- Doctor Schneeplestien”

“KJSE”

both videos are by Jacksepticeye.

this one, I also struggled with- but I ended up a bit satisfied with what I have. Even though it took some digging. for those of you who don’t know, BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) is a diagnosis for those who have intense mood swings, and struggle to maintain control of those emotions. And both ADHD and BPD can be diagnosed together so… I felt this fit.

1.coffee addiction(ADHD/BPD)

once again. This may seem like an odd one but like I said for Chase’s those who have ADHD are more likely to have a substance addiction.

coffee is obviously considered a substance, and Henrik here shows more than enough evidence that it is an unhealthy addiction that he needs in order to be okay. This goes all the way back to his first video, and even some IRIS tweets that are speculated to be ‘Zee Good Docta’ mention coffee so yeah. I think Henrik drinks an unhealthy amount of Caffine.

2. impulsive(ADHD)

this one I think Henrik shows lots of. He not only talks about how he will end patients lives who don’t listen. But he also has a graveyard of patients apparently (yes. He mentioned this before)

now… even if this is all something that you’re thinking “well that was old Henrik Von Schneeplestien” possibly… but. I maybe consider the fact that him looking into time travel or… whatever that portal was at the end of a newer video. I don’t know about you… but you would have to be pretty impulsive to look into something like that.

3. threatens when things don’t go his way(BPD)

this one… we generally see with his patients. But also… in my research, people who have BPD can also not only threaten to harm themselves. But also if triggered enough may threaten and even harm other people.

Sound like anybody?

4. has mood swings(ADHD/BPD)

ironic but… Henrik has shown he can go from happy to angry to sad in a few seconds. Yes this may be due to the Caffine however, it happens pretty fast and is concerning how he can go from happy and wanting to help a patient to threatening to kill them and drug them to death is pretty extreme and someone who is not emotionally stable.

no surprise here, this is a common sign of BPD as they tend to have lots of mood swings.

5. Fears of rejection (ADHD/BPD)

you may be confused but once again… let me explain. Those who have BPD tend to have fears of being rejected by others around them.

we see Henrik have a couple moments where he seems to hate and fear the idea of rejection.

1- the fact he went to Doctor school instead of art school shows that he’s worried about letting his family/parents down.

2- the fact that he ties a connection to him having a license to keeping his wife and child and is devastated when he rips it up.

once again. These 2 things show he has a fear of rejection.

and this is all of my thoughts about them! Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading this!

44 notes · View notes

jse-ego-hyperfixation · 7 months ago

Text

the JSE diagnosis (according to me. This is my opinion)

(THERE WILL BE ALTRVERSE SPOILERS AHEAD SO IF YOU DON’T WANNA BE SPOILED, DON’T READ THIS POST/RANT- also yes, this is the original poster of this post, this was just something I put on a secondary account @jseegofixation and wanted to add here with a few changes plus, I would like to focus more on this account.)

JBM: AuDHD

1. he has a special interest in heros (Autism/ADHD)

not only that… but when trying to problem solve… he imagines himself as a hero to help his thinking

2. he overthinks social situations to avoid doing the wrong thing(Autism)

Yes. This is something VERY common in people with ASD, especially for those who struggle with social connections (yes. Even for those considered ‘higher functioning’)

3.he is often in his own world(ADHD)

this is more seen in Vol 0, when the manager of Ion X is talking to him. He’s in his own world thinking to himself- which is common in those who have ADHD.

4. he can take things literally(Autism)

I mean… just look at how he got his hero name.

he could have chosen a different name… but as soon as he heard the question of ‘what is you’re name’ he goes to answer his real name. Which is taking the question word for word

5. perseverates when something is new/different/unknown (Autism)

As soon as he stops that though… and goes back to doing nothing… he instantly thinks about it again.

6. sometimes misreads social cues(Autism/ADHD)

now… my main argument is 2 things for this is when Jackie is ranting about his interest, and has no idea the worker at the movie theatre is not interested until he actually looks

If this doesn’t show struggling with social cues… I don’t know what will.

7. Changes/messing up can cause anxiety.(Autism)

these 2 scenes above just show he wants to do things right, and when he doesn’t- he shuts down easily. And that’s the reasons why Jackie fits AuDHD as a diagnosis.

Marvin: gifted

1.really good at magic, doesn’t have to study it

now… you may wonder where that shows and think ‘well that’s everyone’s reaction!’ Which is true!! But… look at his reaction to failing the exam…

obviously, failing is upsetting… and yes. Especially when you fail the first time… however it’s not usual to get frustrated or upset when you don’t understand something… as an older adult.

When you expect yourself to know everything… you tend to put higher expectations on yourself which can absolutely weigh on you.

people who are considered gifted tend to do this exact thing!

3. Knows right from wrong, and not afraid to stick with gut.

this one may seem a bit odd and you might think ‘well… yeah. Doesn’t everyone?’ Yes… but with gifted individuals… they tend to know right from wrong. And when they know someone did wrong doing… it can cause them frustration. Just think of the scene when Marvin discovered the twins erased his and others memories of what happened to the murder?

this up here, shows that when he knows someone went against what is morally right. He is not gonna have it and sticks with his guns.

another moment to point out. Is initially… when offered a really high position with the Magic circle:

Up here he even shows concern for his mom! now… I would be willing to say that… when his mom dies. We will see him act in a way that shows that he will stick with his knowledge on how he has a strong moral compass later on in the comics. I can guarantee it!

4. is quick on his feet

now… i know this may seem odd. But… a lot of gifted individuals tend to be quick on their feet and know how to act. And Marvin demonstrates this in a few scenes:

below, here- Marvin finds a family that is about to be killed by a robber. What does he do?

which, that by itself, causes the person to flee.

also this moment… from when he was a teen.

I’m not sure about you, but normally for me… it takes me at least a few days/hours in order to figure out a good comeback. Not a few seconds. 5. smart

now, this one… may seem like a character trait, and you would be right… however. I would like to point out. that Marvin is damn smart… probably more so than people in the universe realise… this can be seen even before getting into magic school.

that fridge clearly shows a photo of an A… showing that he is smart. I won’t stick on this point too much as I will show some more evidence that he is smarter than people think… IQ wise.

6. has high expectations of himself

Marvin getting A’s in school show he is very smart… but I bet if you threw him a chemistry question at that age… don’t be surprised to see a tantrum.

7. enjoys talking to other people who love magic… but not so much every day people

well in VOL 1 of void silver… we see Marvin not be social… nor be friends with anybody at his school. But I’m Vol 2, after moving into his new school… what do we suddenly see?

genuine excitement over talking and being around other people! Hmm…. Now if this doesn’t scream neurodivergence… I have no idea what will!

8. gets excitement over something new or challenging

at this point… you may be confused as to where I get this info from… well… just look no further to Marvin doing his math homework…

9. has strong curiosity of the world:

That, and plus. When you look at the excitement for magic. It’s clear he’s curious and gets excited by new things.

so… those are all my reasons for why Marvin falls into this category… now onto the next character… Chase Brody.

Chase: ODD/ADHD

videos for evidence:

“IRIS project Anomaly found”

“JSE power hour-Chase Brody”

“TIE a game about depression”

all videos by “Jacksepticeye”

Now here’s another one that you may be shocked as to why I put this on Chase. ADHD, you’re all probably familiar with, but, you may be wonder what ODD is.

ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) is basically a diagnosis where an individual is someone who will go against any authoritative figure, and be defiant in every single way- even if they are wrong. This is primarily used for children (yes I am aware Chase is not a child).

(I would like to take a moment here that any of the below information is primarily based on google, research and a couple of experiences with individuals who have/are speculated to have ODD. I am now aware that there is a controversy surrounding it and do apologize in advance if the information comes out as insensitive. I have done research and had no idea that it is more commonly found in black/Hispanic than white obviously this by itself has some racist implications even if they are not intended. Another controversy is it shuts down people helping out those who are diagnosed with ODD as they just focus on the behaviour instead of looking at why someone is acting the way they are and offering supports. Obviously this is also wrong for many different reasons as no matter who you are... services and help should be available no matter what because I believe that everyone deserves to have help no matter what

so... with this in mind, I will be aware of the controversies and try my best to be as sensitive and careful as possible- I will still keep this as I feel in my opinion it fits but if you see otherwise I won’t be mad and I will understand)

1.has a drinking problem (ADHD/ODD)

this may seem like a weird one and a confusing one to put. But, let me explain.

no 2 individuals will be exactly the same

2. Is defiant with authoritative figures (ODD)

3. doesn’t follow expectations (ODD)

again, I know this one seems a bit weird. But I also have some backup evidence of this.

one of my pieces of evidence is the fact that during his first video, there is a scene where he is doing trick shots. And a moment in the video he says “this one is called the drive by” before we hear people scream as he is shooting people. (Note: I understand this is a character and this moment has probably been disproven but I’m still putting it in here. because I think it sort of fits). Obviously, if he did do this and actually shoot people- it’s illegal. But it shows he has no hesitation.

4. irritable (ADHD/ODD)

yes… he has shown some evidence of getting irritable with people…

for one, the Anomaly found video is enough evidence to show that he can get irritable specifically with the scientist.

now there is some more evidence I could discuss… but I’d rather move on to get some of my other points done.

5. Can be a bit scattered/is disorganised (ADHD):

There are a few moments where we can see Chase can have scattered thoughts and is not the most organised.

6. acts childlike as an adult sometimes (ADHD).

I know this may seem odd… but this is kind of something I notice.

does this remind you of anybody? Chase perhaps?

well… I think that’s all the evidence for why I believe Chase has ADHD and ODD. Moving onto Anti!

Anti: Autism

videos referenced

“Say Goodbye”

“IRIS project Anomaly found”

“KJSE”

videos by: Jacksepticeye

Now… I know some of you may be shocked by this… however, I have my reasons for putting Anti as this specifically.

1.Sensory seeking behaviour

you may be confused and thinking. “Where the hell does Anti show this?” well first of all, what do I mean by sensory seeking? Let me explain.

and he also seems to almost ALWAYS have something in hand- it’s mainly his knife, now… this obviously I think stopped but before 2019ish… he had his knife always!

2. glitching can be considered stimming

Let me explain!

3. stumbles and stutters over words sometimes

4. Gets agitated and angry easily

now… I think that’s enough about Anti… now onto JJ.

JJ: PTSD

videos referenced:

“JSE power hour- Jameson Jackson”

“JJ’s Jolly Jaunts”

all videos by: Jacksepticeye

JJ for this, his traumatising event would be what happened in his first appearance and I’ll explain why. (I don’t have many reasons for this but I do have a couple)

1.gets scared a bit when strings appear

I know this seems weird…. However, at first. Think of when the strings first appeared in his second video. Any normal person would be a bit confused but shrug it off… how did JJ react?

2. signs of anxiety

this seems to happen when Anti is about to attack or is impacting JJ in some way.

this example comes from “JJ’s Jolly Jaunts” but when Anti takes over at the end…. This is how JJ reacts:

JJ has the heavy breathing, the panicked look, the fight and flight response he even dissociates as if he has been triggered and his brain shuts down to protect him.

this all may seem weird but the brain blocking out certain memories, even moments being erased from conscious is not unusual.

However. What is not healthy is when our brain as a coping strategy decides to dissociate to escape a situation no matter what. It’s not only unhealthy, but it can be draining and even dangerous.

it’s at this point I will take a moment to mention that if you or anybody you know is struggling with mental health concerns I would HIGHLY Urge you to talk to someone you trust or therapy. It’s not healthy to hold things back. If there is nobody around there are also hotlines you can call to try and get some help. Also please note there is more to PTSD than anxiety and panic attacks, I am very well aware of this and we also unfortunately do not have a ton of videos/media with JJ in it so this is based of speculation that Anti would have traumatized JJ to a point of

Schneeplestien: BPD/ADHD

videos referenced:

“Jacksepticeye Powerhour- Doctor Schneeplestien”

“KJSE”

both videos are by Jacksepticeye.

1.coffee addiction(ADHD/BPD)

once again. This may seem like an odd one but like I said for Chase’s those who have ADHD are more likely to have a substance addiction.

2. impulsive(ADHD)

this one I think Henrik shows lots of. He not only talks about how he will end patients lives who don’t listen. But he also has a graveyard of patients apparently (yes. He mentioned this before)

3. threatens when things don’t go his way(BPD)

Sound like anybody?

4. has mood swings(ADHD/BPD)

no surprise here, this is a common sign of BPD as they tend to have lots of mood swings.

5. Fears of rejection (ADHD/BPD)

you may be confused but once again… let me explain. Those who have BPD tend to have fears of being rejected by others around them.

we see Henrik have a couple moments where he seems to hate and fear the idea of rejection.

1- the fact he went to Doctor school instead of art school shows that he’s worried about letting his family/parents down.

2- the fact that he ties a connection to him having a license to keeping his wife and child and is devastated when he rips it up.

once again. These 2 things show he has a fear of rejection.

and this is all of my thoughts about them! Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading this!

28 notes · View notes

crystalninjaphoenix · 1 month ago

Text

The Lingering Scars

Fantasy Masks AU: Chapter Forty-Eight

A JSE Fanfic

I'm pretty sure that this series will end at Chapter 50 or 51, if all goes well and I nail the pacing XD Which is just CRAZY to think about. My Inverted series will have more chapters, but that went on for a shorter period of time, cause I published it twice per week in the beginning. It's going to be wild to not post this anymore. But! We have not reached that point yet. The guys and the other Masked Phantoms are still working out what to do, now that Jack isn't possessed anymore. How is the kingdom going to recover from the spirit's reign? And also, how is JACK going to recover from the spirit? It's going to be difficult, especially since some people can't help but remember what the spirit did... Heheh. Enjoy the chapter! :D

Previous Part | | From the Start | More AU | Read on AO3: CrystalNinjaPhoenix

Taglist: @brokentimewatch

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It only took them about a day to get the camp on the cliffs back to functional order, but it took another two days after that for things to be fully repaired and back to a relative normal. The Phantoms had to arrange sleeping quarters for the newly freed warriors, after all. That first night was awkward, as everyone had to double up on tents or crowd together in the nearby Serpent’s Wake. But slowly, everyone started to get used to each other. There was a lot of talking in these first couple days, as the warriors and Phantoms swapped stories about what it was like for them under the spirit’s reign.

Chase reunited with his kids as quickly as he could. His worry about them didn’t fade until he actually saw Amabel and Quentin’s faces right in front of him. And then the two of them immediately tackled him in a hug. He didn’t want to let them out of his sight after that. And he didn’t have to for a while, as they all spent the night on the ship. After that, once camp was set up again, they all shared the same tent near the center.

Jackie and the other injured stayed on the ship for a while longer before being moved back to the shore. Though Jackie insisted he was fine and able to work again, Henrik firmly told him to rest. “Doctor’s orders,” he said. “The rest of us can take care of any problems that might arise.” Jackie protested, but eventually relented—though he seemed restless whenever Chase and the others came to visit him. He kept asking what was going on, and the others assured him that everything was handled.

Everything was being handled, but it was... difficult. Though the Phantoms knew the warriors had been mind controlled, and the warriors knew the Phantoms were just defending themselves, some tension lingered between the two groups. It was hard to forget the wounds that had been inflicted—quite literally. Several fights broke out over the next couple days, though luckily none of them had involved drawn weapons. The most intense one involved some shoving. Marvin had stopped that one, conjuring up a shield between the two participants. That seemed to shock them to their senses.

The main point of debate was Jack. Chase and the others had explained to everyone that Jack had been possessed and the spirit, Aneirin, had been banished. After a brief debate, everyone agreed that Jack didn’t need to be tied down or anything (particularly because he was still having trouble walking under his own power) and gave him a small tent to stay in. But they still kept an eye on him. A Phantom was posted near the tent at all hours, and would follow him around if he ever left (which he didn’t.)

Most people didn’t seem to fully trust Jack, but Jack clearly didn’t blame them. He was quiet, but polite to everyone, spending most of his time on his own trying to remember how to move his body. Chase stopped by at least once a day, usually more, to check on him and chat. “Nobody’s bothering you or anything, right?” Chase asked one day, sitting on the floor inside the tent.

“O-oh, no, not at all,” Jack assured him. “They’re just... they’re very...” He paused. “They’re very vigilant. But everyone is kind, don’t worry.” He then returned his attention to the bowl and spoon he was holding, adjusting his grip on both as they’d started to shake a bit.

“Nobody has... said anything?” Chase asked. “Or... looked at you strangely?”

“They’ve looked, but it’s not a problem, really,” Jack said. “I understand it.” He went quiet, eyes becoming shadowed.

Chase tilted his head. He could tell this all bothered Jack. Why wouldn’t it? The whole camp was treating him like he would snap and attack someone at any moment. And not because of something he did himself, but something that was forced onto him. Even though Jack was being very understanding about all this, it must have still stung. “Well... you know you can always tell me if you need anything,” Chase said.

“Thanks, Chase. I know. And I’m glad.” Jack smiled at him. “Just... don’t wear yourself too thin. You’re probably really busy lately.”

“It’s not a problem, really,” Chase said. “I want... I-I want to make sure you’re alright. I can always make time for that.”

They chatted for a bit longer, then Chase got up and left the tent. It was getting late in the day—though it was summer so there was still plenty of light. He planned to drop off Jack’s dishes at the cooking fire so that whoever was in charge of washing could clean them. Then he would go back to his tent to spend some time with Amabel and Quentin. But those plans were interrupted by someone waiting outside the tent for him. Hello Chase, Jameson said, waving.

“Oh! Elders, Jameson, you scared me a bit.” Chase let out a breath. “Wh-what is it?”

Just wanted to ask you if you were coming to the meeting tonight? Jameson asked.

“The meeti—oh!” Chase winced. “Right. I-I forgot about that. Sorry, I’ve been... I was thinking about other stuff. Yes, of course I’m coming. When is it starting?”

Jameson smiled wryly. In a few minutes.

“What?!” Chase gasped. “Shit—uh—o-okay, I’ll just drop these off really fast, then stop by my tent on the way.” He hurried across the camp, footsteps landing solidly on the bare dirt. None of the grass had grown back from the fire yet.

Jameson ran after him. Are you sure you can come? It seems like you had plans.

“N-no, I—this is important,” Chase said. “Th-thanks for reminding me. How, uh... how long were you waiting outside the tent?”

For ten minutes or so, Jameson said.

“Ten minutes?! You know you could have ducked in to remind me, then left. Then you also wouldn’t be running the risk of being late.”

Something flashed across Jameson’s face. He shook his head. No, I was fine with waiting.

Chase nodded. “Right. Of course.” He knew that Jameson had been particularly keen on avoiding Jack. He hadn’t once stepped foot in his tent, or even glanced Jack’s way on the rare occasion he was sitting outside. The reasons were obvious. And Chase wasn’t about to force Jameson to interact with Jack. But... this avoidance couldn’t last forever, could it? Out of all of the Phantoms, Jameson and Marvin were the ones most likely to interact with the King again. They were nobles—and Jameson was the last of his line. He needed royal help to get his claim back. Eventually, he would have to talk to him. They could only hope that went well when the time came.

I’ll see you in a few minutes at the meeting tent, Jameson said, snapping Chase out of his thoughts.

“Right.” Chase nodded. “See you then.”

Chase quickly dropped off the dirty dishes, then swung by his tent to tell Quentin and Amabel that he couldn’t stay like he wanted to. This meeting was probably their most important one yet, he had to make it there. Amabel tried to insist on coming so that they could still spend some time together, but Chase pointed out that she would probably be bored and overwhelmed by all the strangers talking about things she didn’t know. So she reluctantly agreed and told Chase to “Be back soon, cause we need one of your bedtime stories, cause it’s been ages since we heard one!” Chase laughed and promised to be back before nightfall, then left and hurried towards the meeting tent.

The tent wasn’t actually a full tent, but more like cloth propped up to form a roof. They were still dealing with limited supplies, and so they’d decided that the central meeting tent was probably not too important anymore, and could afford to be open to the air. That way, the canvas for the sides could be used to make other tents for people to actually live and sleep in. Even so, they kept calling it a tent out of habit.

It looked like everyone else was already there by the time Chase arrived. Even Jackie, who had insisted on being present for this one. Henrik and Nemet were there to make sure he was not about to open up his wound again. “Sorry,” Chase said, panting as he ran up to the others. “I, uh... forgot.”

“Don’t worry, Jair already told us you were busy,” Marvin said.

“Hey Chase.” Jackie waved from the corner, where he was sitting on a wooden box. “Can you believe they’ve made me sit down?”

“Yes, I can believe it a lot, actually,” Chase said. Henrik laughed at that, and Jackie looked back over his shoulder to make a face at him.

“Alright, so... this is everyone?” That question came from a new face—Lydia, tall and thin with chin-length blonde hair. One of three warriors standing in a huddle, all of them here to represent the warriors as a whole. She’d taken charge from the beginning, and the other two had been chosen by the rest of the warriors because they were popular or smart or something. Chase didn’t know the details.

“Yes, this is everyone,” Marvin said, looking around. Obviously, Marvin, Henrik, and Jackie were the leaders of the Masked Phantoms, so they had to be here. Chase was here because the part he’d played in defeating the King had pushed him to equal status. Jameson was here not because of his oracle status, for once, but because he’d really taken charge in organizing things during the camp rebuilding. Anna said that he was better at this than even her, and even told Chase yesterday that they should consider giving Jameson a leadership role (Anna was also here right now, though). The other local leaders—Lukas, Holly, Tripp, and Nemet—were standing in a cluster to the side, while Vsevna stood next to Henrik with his arms folded behind his back. As captain of a ship, he’d sort of fallen into being important enough to be here.

“Alright, so let’s get started.” Jackie clapped his hands together. “It’s about time we had this conversation. We... need to figure out the future of the kingdom. I mean, from their perspective, the King has been gone for weeks. We can’t just walk into the capital and announce that an evil spirit was controlling him for years. So many misunderstandings could come from that.”

“The spirit was surely smart enough to put a regent in charge while he was gone,” Henrik said.

“He did,” Lydia confirmed. “That... wizard noblewoman. Thalia Tinechroí.”

Marvin’s lip curled. “Oh. I see.” He sighed. “It’ll be hard to convince her to step down. I... agree with Jackie. If we go in with a blunt, unbelievable explanation, she’ll take it badly. We’d be lucky if we could escape the city.”

“Surely all the enchantments the King cast wore off when the spirit was banished,” Nemet said. “The warriors here shook off the spell immediately.” Lydia and the other two warriors shift uneasily.

“Yes, that’s probably what happened,” Marvin said. “The enchantment power might’ve been Jack’s—um, King Aodhán’s. But it was used by the spirit’s will. Once that will was gone, all enchantments it had cast would’ve dispelled. And I don’t think Jack would have recast them.”

“Or even could have,” Tripp added. “The King is powerful. But I don’ think he’s able to cast spells halfway across the kingdom. That was only possible because that spirit was multiplying his power with its own.”

“Yes, thank you, Tripp,” Marvin said, nodding.

Do we even... WANT the King to retake the throne? Jameson asked slowly. Once people wake up from their enchantments, they’ll realize what he did, and... well, he won’t be very popular.

“Besides, the man’s been through a lot.” Holly folded her arms. “I hear being King is very stressful.”

“Jack... wants to take the throne back,” Chase said slowly.

“Did he... tell you that?” asked one of the warriors.

“Y-yeah.” Chase remembered it distinctly. It was the day after they’d set up camp, when they gave Jack his tent. Chase had shown him the tent, said that it was his space, and Jack had asked Chase to stay for a bit now that they had privacy. There, he told Chase, still stammering slightly over his words, that he wanted to be the King again. “He said that he wanted to try and right the wrongs Aneirin did. He wanted... to make everyone happy.”

“‘Make them happy’ in what way, though?” Lukas asked. “Through magic?”

“Lukas!” Holly gasped.

“I trust Chase’s judgement in this,” Lukas quickly added. “If he says King Aodhán is a good man, then he is. Most likely. But not everyone will think the same way. They’ll be suspicious... and scared. They won’t want the man who enchanted them to be put in the position to do the same thing.”

Henrik sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “I think we have to deal with the spirit’s allies before we deal with the everyday folk. Not everyone helped him because they were enchanted. Some of them were... rotten eggs, shall we say.”

“Hm... I think they have a point, sova,” Vsevna said. “We do not want a fight on two sides, yes? We should make sure that most people know the circumstances around your king’s sudden shift in personality. Then we can deal with the bastards.”

“I repeat, we’ll need to deal with Thalia first,” Marvin said. “Even if the King tells her to stand down, she’ll do everything she can to claw her way back. So will the other Tinechroís.”

Jameson looked at him. Perhaps... if we find noble allies, they’ll be able to help keep them back. We’ll have to do a lot of talking to people. A lot of persuasion.

Marvin groaned slightly. “Great. My favorite.”

“We can help with that, I think.” Lydia raised her hand. “Us warriors. We... were high-up in the ranks. We command respect.”

That would be much appreciated, Jameson said. But remember, you’re under no obligation. You’ve been through a lot, you can go home to your families if you want.

Lydia looked at him. “We all know. Trust me, I think we’ve all decided what we want to do.”

Jameson nodded. In that case, thank you for your help.

“If the King tells Thalia Tinechroí to leave her position as regent, she would, right?” Chase asked slowly. “She’s not... she’ll still listen to him, right?”

Marvin bit his lip. “I think so. But she’ll grumble about it, and scheme, and try to get back into whatever important position she had before. We need to be prepared for that.”

“Well, if she will listen to the order, at least, then that is not so bad,” Nemet said. “We must therefore focus on making sure the people of the kingdom know that King Jack will not be like the spirit was.”

“And we also need to focus on weeding out the people who took advantage of the situation for power,” Henrik added. “Not to mention, help everyone who was under an enchantment recover from its impact on them.”

“Maybe... we can do all of this?” Chase asked hesitantly. “The Masked Phantoms already have this whole organization, uh, structure in place. We can just... tweak it a little.”

“Yes, I agree, Chase!” Jackie pointed at him. “I have experience in the royal warriors, I can help with anything in there. We have doctors who care about people’s wellbeing, and we have magic-wielders who can... I don’t know, scry for things we need.” He sighed. “I know that a lot of the Phantoms will want to go back to their families. A-and we’re not going to stop them, of course. Everyone deserves a rest.” He looked at Chase in particular as he said that. “But the ones who want to stay and help... we’ll find a place for them. And for others who want to help as well.”

“And... we’re sure we’re putting Jack back on the throne?” Marvin looked around. “Nobody has any problems with that?”

“Do you have problems with that?” Henrik asked.

“Well... uh... n-no?” Marvin shifted on his feet awkwardly. “Jack wants to be King, and... I-I’m sure he’ll be a good one. At the very least, he won’t be as bad as Aneirin.”

Chase laughed. “That’s a pretty low bar to jump over, but yes. I... think he’ll be a good one, too.”

The meeting continued on, getting into the particulars of what they will be doing and how they will be doing it. They knew that Jack had to return to Suilthair to establish himself again, but when was a good time to do that? And how would they do it? Just walk right in? The warriors confirmed that the King was seen leaving with the squads of royal warriors he took, so it would probably be a good idea for him to return with as many of them as he could. Then perhaps there could be Phantoms interspersed throughout the group. Oh, and they needed to send instructions to the other Masked Phantom camps across the kingdom! Anna had already sent all her messenger birds with the news of the King’s defeat, asking the Phantoms to await further instructions. But now it was time to give them those instructions. Were they going to gather everyone up somewhere? Tell everyone to pack up their camps? Or tell them to hold fast, and let people who wanted to go home leave?

Once it started getting dark, though, Chase excused himself. He felt like he didn’t have much more to contribute, as he didn’t have any knowledge of how the Phantoms worked, nor any knowledge of nobles and royal warriors. The others waved him off, and Henrik assured him that he would tell him all the relevant details later.

Chase hurried across camp back to his tent, stopping to grab some rolls from their food stores. Most of the food had been destroyed in the fire, so the Serpent’s Wake provided some provisions. The rest was made up with thorough hunting and gathering. Chase himself hadn’t gone hunting yet, being too busy with all the business that comes with defeating the King. He sort of missed it. At the very least, it would probably be easier than all that organization they were doing in the meeting.

“Hey pumpkins.” Chase ducked through the entrance of his tent, grinning. “I got us some snacks. These rolls have honey on them! Or... they did once, it might be gone now.”

“Dad!” Quentin waved wildly. “Hi!”

“Oh, you’re lying in bed, I see.” Chase sat down next to Quentin’s bedroll. Amabel was also sitting next to it, though on the other side. “Do you feel alright?”

“I’m just a little tired, I’m good!” Quentin said cheerfully.

“Alright. Let me know if you start feeling sick. They have a lot of doctors here.” Chase handed Quentin one of the rolls, and Amabel the other. “What have you guys been doing while you were waiting?”

“Not much.” Amabel shrugged. “Quentin fell asleep for a little bit so I practiced stringing your bow.”

“My bow? My big bow?” Chase looked to the side, where his spare bow was sitting on the ground. “You didn’t smack yourself with the wood part, did you?”

“No! I know better than that now!” Amabel said. “But, uh, I didn’t get very far in the... stringing thing.”

“Well of course, you know it’s too big for you,” Chase said. “Why’d you try that?”

“I don’t know. I was bored.”

“You could have asked Philip for a book,” Chase suggested, naming the Phantom who slept in the tent across from them. He had a handful of storybooks that he’d managed to salvage from the flames.

“But what if I was reading it when you got back? And I had to stop in the middle of a thing?” Amabel asked.

“Hah, that’s fair, I guess.” Chase chuckled. “We have to get you a bag of marbles to play with or something. Maybe some dice or cards.”

“That’d be nice,” Amabel said. She folded her legs. “But right now. Story?”

“Story!” Quentin grinned, sitting up a bit straighter.

Chase laughed. “Yea, time for a story, huh? Get in bed, Amy.” As Amabel scrambled over to her bedroll, Chase leaned back, thinking. “What story do you want to hear today? Another one about Miarch the hero? Or what about one about the Fair Folk? Do you still like Clever Clara, or are you too old now?”

“Do you have any fun stories about being in the Phantoms?” Amabel asked.

“Yea, I want to know what it was like in the Wyldwood!” Quentin nodded.

Chase blinked in surprise. A warm feeling spread across his chest, though he wasn’t sure why. “Yea, I guess I could tell you some things that happened there. Hm...” He thought about it. What was something that wouldn’t scare them too much? “There was this time Marvin was woken up by an enfield. Do you know what those are?”

“No, what’s that?” Amabel asked. Quentin leaned forward to listen.

“Well, it’s sort of like a fox,” Chase said. “But with wings. Luckily, they seemed to be friendly...”

Chase continued to tell stories as it became darker outside. Sooner than any of them wanted, the kids fell asleep. Chase blew out the lantern and went to bed himself as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, I’m being very serious, Jameson, you’re really good at this. I know you’re probably going to stay with the Phantoms in some way, so I think you would be a good fit.”

I really couldn’t take that from you, Anna, Jameson said. He’d been about to head to the cooking fires for lunch when Anna cornered him in the middle of camp to talk about ‘something important.’ You’ve been the head of administration for a long time, I can’t just suddenly swoop in and take it from you.

Anna laughed. “Believe me, I wouldn’t mind. I’m glad I’ve done what I could to help the group, but I want to go home soon. See my family, you know? Last I heard, my sister was making her name known as a tapestry weaver, I want to see how far she’s come.”

Jameson pressed his lips together. Why didn’t you bring this up last night at the meeting?

“Well, I thought you might feel pressured if I brought it up in front of a bunch of people,” Anna explained.

That was fair. He probably would have felt pressured. But still. Jameson turned away. I just don’t know if I’m really the best fit. You don’t have to stay in the Phantoms if you don’t want to, Anna, but why me? I also have business I need to attend to once all this is sorted out.

“I’m not saying you have to take over my position, I just think you’d be a good candidate,” Anna explained. “I know that I probably won’t leave the Phantoms altogether... I might come back and decide that I want to keep doing this anyway. But I doubt it. I think if I come back, I’d want to do something else. Something with a bit less parchment involved.” She chuckled. “Look, I’ve already talked to Marvin and Henrik about this. I would’ve talked to Jackie too, if he wasn’t still hurt. They think you’d be good at this too, but they said they won’t make you. You can talk to them about all this if you want to.”

Yes, I’ll probably do that. Jameson nodded. Thank you for... bringing this to my attention, Anna. I’ll think about it.

Anna smiled. “That’s all I ask you to do!” She patted his shoulder awkwardly. “Sorry to stop you. Go on, I’ll see you later!”

And she hurried off... right in the same direction Jameson was planning to take. Well, he couldn’t follow her, that would be impolite. And worse, it might imply that he wanted to talk more, which he definitely didn’t. Not because Anna wasn’t good company or anything, just because he... had to think about this some more. So, he decided to wander off to the side and take a zigzagging approach to the cooking fires.

Anna really thought he’d do a good job at managing all the Phantoms’ administration and keeping track of all the documents needed for whatever came next. Because if there was one thing that was guaranteed to happen because of all this, it would be a lot of reading and writing things. A lot of sending and receiving letters, a lot of keeping track of money spent, a lot of records and everything. And honestly, Jameson didn’t mind doing all that. He even enjoyed it, on some level. The others would probably be really surprised to hear that—Henrik in particular complained about how boring this stuff was. But it was nice to momentarily lose himself in the words and all the administration duties. It took his mind off of... more complicated matters.

Jameson knew he could definitely take over Masked Phantom administration if he wanted to. He was sort of already qualified, as his rabbit mask told everyone, its forehead marked with the star that the administration usually used. But... if he did that, would he have time to do other things? Would he be required to stay in Suilthair, instead of returning north to the home he hadn’t seen in years?

Getting the Jairsolas claim back in order was going to be a task and a half. He’d done his best to keep an ear out for news of the claim while he was... kept around the King. He knew that it was currently being kept in order by royal advisors and warriors, the people who directly worked for the crown. Jack could call them back to Suilthair easily enough, but... what had they changed in the claim in the years that a Jairsolas hadn’t been watching over them? Had they increased taxes on the towns? Fired all the people who’d worked for Jameson’s family? Had they neglected to provide aid during droughts and famines? The claim was at the base of the Northaven mountains, and traditionally, the Jairsolas family was to oversee the mining operations there. Those had probably gone to shit in some way. Jameson shuddered to think of all the poor workers who suffered during these past few years.

There would be a lot to do. Could he do it by himself? Could he do it while also overseeing the Phantoms’ tasks? Though... since the main fighting part of the Phantoms’ mission was over, maybe the two things were more related now than they would be in the past. The Phantoms would now be doing their best to rebuild the kingdom, and wasn’t ‘rebuilding the Jairsolas claim’ also part of that?

It would be nice to help the Masked Phantoms who’d helped him. That was why he joined them in the first place.

Jameson was so deep in thought as he walked, that he didn’t realize he was walking past an open tent flap until someone ran into him as they exited the tent. The person yelped and immediately started to fall. Jameson gasped and grabbed them, pulling them to their feet. “Th-thank you,” the person said breathlessly. “Sorry, I-I didn’t see you coming. I’m not—I’m still not very coordinated...”

That voice. The hesitant tone was so different than what Jameson was used to, but he would never forget that voice. He’d heard it in his nightmares often enough. Jameson froze in place, and looked down at the King.

The King stared back at him, just as shocked as Jameson was. His wide eyes were blue now, but Jameson still saw the green ones flash in his memory. For a second, the two of them just stared at each other. Then the King pushed him away. “Sorry! I—” He quickly started to fall over, and Jameson instinctively reached out to catch him before he fell. The King yelped, then looked at Jameson and gave him a small, sad smile. “S-sorry. Uh... thank you. Again.”

Jameson nodded. He pulled the King upright and slowly let go, watching carefully to make sure he kept his balance.

“Okay...” The King breathed. “I... I-I’ll be going now.” He started walking, heading down the clear aisle between tents. He was... heading in the direction Jameson was going. Well... shit. That meant they would run into each other at the cooking fires.

Jameson glanced around. There should be a Phantom nearby keeping an eye on the King—yes, there. A tall man with an otter mask attached to his belt, his gaze locked on the King. The Phantom realized Jameson was staring, though, and looked over at him, waving slightly. Jameson waved back, awkwardly. He couldn’t just stand in place! That would be strange! Maybe he could change his mind and not go to the cooking fires after all? No, he could feel hunger gnawing at his stomach. He needed food. Well, did he really need it that much?

...okay, this was getting ridiculous. He couldn’t just avoid skip a meal because the King would be there. Maybe he could just... hurry past him? No, that would make it clear he was avoiding him. Jameson didn’t want the King to know that! Because the King—Jack—had already suffered so much with the possession. Jameson didn’t want to add to what was surely a difficult time for him. Maybe he could take the long route around? No, they’d probably still run into each other, and then the King could come to that same realization.

Jameson sighed. He took a deep breath, and started walking the same direction the King was going. They just wouldn’t talk to each other on the way. It would all be very normal.

The King was not walking fast. He kept glancing down at the ground, making sure he didn’t trip over a rock or anything. His gait was... odd. Almost like a limp, but not quite, because the dragging effect was happening with both legs. Jameson quickly caught up with him, but then slowed down a bit. He didn’t want to make it look like he was in a rush. And also, maybe if he stayed out of sight they wouldn’t have to—nope, the King looked over his shoulder at the sound of footsteps. The two of them locked eyes for a moment. Then the King turned back around, facing forward again.

Silence. Neither of them acknowledged each other for a while. Jameson didn’t even speed up to pass the King, even though he knew he could have, with how slow the King was going. The Phantom with the otter mask was also walking nearby, occasionally looking at Jameson with a confused expression. What? Couldn’t a man walk slowly in peace?

The King looked back at Jameson again. And he stopped walking. “You, uh... you... know you can... walk past me, right?”

Jameson also stopped walking, his face quickly growing hot with embarrassment. He nodded.

“Yeah. So... if you want to go ahead, you can,” the King said.

I’m fine, Jameson said—then paused, realizing that he didn’t know if the King could speak in hands. The spirit couldn’t... but that wasn’t a problem with how he could read minds. Wait, didn’t the King still have that power? Did he know that Jameson was avoiding him?!

“You’re... okay?” The King glanced at Jameson’s hands. “I-is that what you said? Chase, uh... has been teaching me handspeak, just in case I... ever needed it, o-or... anything.”

Jameson nodded. Yes, that’s what I said.

“That’s what you said? Okay. Good. I-I’m glad to know I have that knowledge locked away.” The King smiled slightly, though it quickly faded. “You... you really can go past me. I won’t... I-I don’t mind.”

Well how was Jameson supposed to react to that? After a moment, he slowly began walking forward. The King waited for a bit, then turned and kept walking as well. It wasn’t long before the two of them were walking next to each other—because despite the King’s insistence, Jameson couldn’t bring himself to go faster than him. He wasn’t fully sure why. It just... felt like a bad idea. Like the man would stab him in the back if he wasn’t looking. Which Jameson knew he wouldn’t! But he couldn’t help the nervous feeling jumping around his stomach.

After a bit of quiet walking, the King suddenly blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Jameson blinked in surprise and stopped walking. He looked over at the King—and realized that he had to look down a bit to do so. Strange... the King had always been taller than him. Was Jameson standing up straighter now? Or was the King shrinking into himself?

“S-sorry! I mean— you don’t have to—” The King stammered. “This—this probably isn’t a good moment for—sorry. I’ll just—we can keep walking.”

Slowly, Jameson asked, Sorry for what?

Jack flinched. “For... everything,” he whispered, voice barely audible. “I... I-I did... a lot of... things to you.”

That’s what Jameson thought he meant. That wasn’t you, it was the spirit, he said, hands moving somewhat stiffly.

“No, I-I know that,” Jack said, looking away. “But... it was... still me. I-it was... still my voice. And my hands.” He looked down at his hands as he said that, quickly clasping them together. But Jameson saw how they trembled slightly. “My power,” he breathed. “I... I-I know that... it wasn’t my will, but... it was everything else. A-and I’m... I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

It’s alright, Jameson said.

“I... maybe?” Jack blinked furiously. “Maybe it’s alright. But it doesn’t... feel alright. I-I can’t forget the things I did. I felt it all... even if all I could do was watch. I-I know I can’t make up for everything I did, or... restore everything that...” He trailed off. “But... I’m still sorry.”

Jameson looked at him quietly for a moment. It’s alright, he said again.

“I-I understand that you... you can’t forgive me,” Jack said, not making eye contact with Jameson. “But I hope that... you know I... I am truly, deeply, sorry.”

Wait a second. What do you mean? Jameson asked. You think I can’t forgive you? I already have.

Jack started in surprise as he saw Jameson say that. “Y-you... huh?”

I know it wasn’t really “you,” Jameson said. I know now that... I’d never met the real “you” during that time. The person I knew that way was basically an imposter who’d stolen your name. The moment I realized that, I knew that you were never to blame. So... there’s not even anything to really forgive you for.

Jack stared at him. “But... but...” He shook his head, confused. “Sorry, I-I don’t understand. You... I... A-am I misreading your... expressions? You don’t... You’ve never...”

Oh Elders, Jack had caught on to Jameson’s avoiding him anyway.

“I-I mean, you’re not the only one, of course,” Jack said quickly. “So—it’s not your—you shouldn’t worry about that. I don’t plan to single you out, it’s just... I think I hurt you the most. Or at least... in the most personal way. And... for the longest time, too, I... I think.”

Jameson blinked. He held his hands in the air, unsure what to say.

“I-if you’re just saying all that to, uh... make me feel better, o-or something, you really don’t have to do that,” Jack said. “I can handle your feelings. They’re well-deserved, anyway. I know that what I’ve done is... not easily forgotten.”

It’s not, Jameson admitted. But I mean what I said. I know it wasn’t you.

Jack tilted his head. Now it was his turn to be unsure.

The thing is... I just... Jameson hesitated. When I look at you, I still think of... him. Your looks haven’t changed that much, after all, other than the eye color. I know... it wasn’t you. And I don’t blame you. But... there’s this part of me, the part of me where the fear lives, that doesn’t seem to understand that. The message doesn’t quite reach that far. So... I can’t help what I feel when I see you. But it’s not because I blame you at all. It’s because... Another pause. Because you’re right. It was a long time. I’m... used to being... on edge. I can’t... forget so easily. Just like you said.

“I... I-I see.” Jack looked down at his hands, clasping them again. “I’m sorry.”

Please stop apologizing, Jameson said. It’s not needed.

“I feel like it’s needed. I just...” He gave a small, dry laugh. “Fuck, I hope I’m understanding you correctly. This handspeak thing is a bit tricky.”

You read minds, Jameson said. Why even rely on hands when you can do that?

“No, I don’t just ‘read minds.’ I can, but... I don’t want to.” Jack shook his head. “I’m not like him. I-I don’t want to do something like that without permission. It only hurts everyone involved. Like... eavesdropping, or reading a diary. I’d only do that if I was allowed to—or if I thought I was in danger and needed to do so. I’m not... like him.”

Jameson looked at him, his gaze going up and down, and landing on Jack’s blue eyes. I know, he said. I really do. That’s why I don’t blame you for what you did. I’m... sorry if I ever made you think I held you responsible.

“No, you’re not supposed to apologize to me,” Jack insisted.

Well, I am. Because I really... don’t want to hurt you. Jameson sighed. I know that we were both victims under those circumstances. And you likely saw many more things than what I did. So... I’m sorry. I wish I... could change how I remembered your face.

“Hah... I-I see.” Jack looked at him and smiled hesitantly. “Well... maybe you need... more memories? Better ones. Maybe the recency will push the bad ones back farther.”

Jameson looked at him, then also smiled, just as slow and hesitant as Jack was. Maybe.

“Yea.” Jack nodded. “Um... I... I-I know I can’t... undo what happened to your... to your family, Jameson. But i-if there’s any way I can help make up for it, if I can... I don’t know, lend you funds to restore things in the claim or something, I... You can ask me anything. I... want to make up for it. So that I can earn that forgiveness.”

Maybe you need to allow yourself some forgiveness first, Jameson said. You can’t keep blaming yourself forever.

Jack started. He stared at Jameson, then looked outwards, towards the distance. Revelation dawned on his face. “I... didn’t realize I...” He trailed off, then laughed. “I-I’m pretty good at reading people, but you just showed me up, didn’t you?”

It’s hard to read yourself, usually, Jameson said. Like how you can’t see your face without a mirror.

“Yea. I guess that’s true.” Jack nodded. Then he fully looked back at Jameson, eyes raising from his gesturing hands to his face. “You... you really can pass me, you know. I don’t have a problem with that. I-I know I’m still slow.”

Jameson tilted his head to the side. We can... walk together.

“Are you sure?” Jack asked quietly.

Jameson nodded.

“Hah... th-thanks.” Jack gave him a small smile. “I’m guessing you’re going to the cooking fires too? You’ll probably have to lead the way, anyway. I-I’ve only been there a couple times.”

Of course. We’re heading straight there, no problem. Jameson faced forward and started walking again. Jack stuck by his side. The two of them said nothing, but they stayed together.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #chase brody #jameson jackson #jackieboy man #marvin the magnificent #dr schneeplestein #c!jack #brigid writes fanfiction #fantasymasksau

11 notes · View notes