So I have a theory that Jackson's Diary is less of a supernatural and more of a story about two mentally ill people with magic involved and I decided to reread it and keep notes on anything and everything that supports that theory
PS:much easier if you read the chapter after or while reading these notes
Chp3 notes:
•exer's reaction to Jackson at the start of the chapter shows just how good he is at manipulation and controlling his facial expressions to a massively strong extent it's actually pretty scary and it tells us the readers that unless we have his inner thoughts we won't know what he's thinking about for sure
•the way Jackson pulled himself out of the shock of what he saw proves he too got great control over his facial expressions and nerves
•exer look at David when he tells Jackson exer will walk him is giving off a vibe he's annoyed that David gives him commands, probably feel like his orders should be listened to and he shouldn't be the one given orders
•for someone like exer him leaving Jackson seems like a rebellious act against what David told him to do, at the same time he stopped and looked back at Jackson as a sign that while he is rebelling against David he's also letting Jackson get to his class as long as he follows behind exer
•exer giving Jackson a cold stare after talking to Brenda, that's actually another emotional manipulation tactic and an indirect warning, exer was trying to manipulate Jackson away from Brenda through scaring him with his vibe. Jackson's reaction to exer's manipulation is a sign that Jackson's own manipulation style is subconscious and without thinking unlike exer who knows what he's doing
•exer using his magic to splash water on Rick and Morty while Jackson's own eyes have green glow and mind you- I bet Jackson would've loved for this to happen like in the last ep where Jackson generally wanted Rick and Morty to pay only for exer to do exactly what he wanted but at the same time when exer used his magic to make it seem like Jackson spilled the principal coffee there was no green glow in Jackson's eyes
•exer appearing with Jackson's map which he mostly took and Jackson thinking it's a nice gesture before looking at exer's eyes and realizing it's really not as exer's eyes glow strong green
Me: YOU'RE FREE!! YOU CAN'T LET YOUR BODY CONTROL YOU, YOU CONTROL IT. SHOW ME YOUR FREEDOM AND CUT YOUR GENITALIA OFF!
My friend(who's questioning/fighting their gender): ON IT
Me: (SIKE. SIKE😨)
I think I found something to do with my +300 LMK (seasons 1-3) screenshots (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
Draw evil Brenda again
ofc YOU would be the one to bring this up again /lh
can't believe I predicted the jd-character-evil-version-uses-the-diary-to-get-revenge-on-exer thing back in March
You left the stove on again.
Oh!- Sorry, Ron
lets be real you and Ken would go on platonic dates at Hot Topic
maybe even NJ too who knows
I’m so up for that @ken-okamoto-official
Now that the White Raven divorce officially begins tomorrow. I wanted to do a little review of why I've been looking forward to this moment for over 40 chapters and the delicious drama to come.
The chapters of Annabel and Lenore talking in the greenhouse are wonderful for many reasons, but mainly because they lay the groundwork for what the conflicts in their relationship will be from now on, simply put: these two just aren't on the same page.
Annabel wants to save them both, Lenore wants to save everyone.
Annabel calls Lenore "my favorite," "my darling," and "my petal"; Lenore understands "my companion animal" (and Annabel doesn't bother to clarify).
Lenore says they are friends; Annabel clearly knows they were a couple.
Annabel tries to kiss her goodbye on the lips; Lenore kisses her hand.
As the comic progresses -and especially with the last chapter released by the Freepass- the more fundamental root of this problem becomes more apparent: the White Raven don't really know each other, they think they do and, incidentally, insist on not listening to each other.
The "disappointment rooms" are a Victorian myth (I say "myth" because there is no evidence that they were a widespread practice, although there are cases like Blanche Monnier's, they did not seem to be particularly common. But they exist in this comic, so they will be treated as real in this essay) were isolated rooms where a family member with a mental illness or physical deformity was kept isolated from the world, making him or her an outcast.
We don't know the real reasons why Annabel wanted to get close to Lenore (this scene make it clear that it was of her own free will, something Lenore knows), but anyway, this was extremely strange at the time, the kind of thing that could severely damage someone's reputation if it became public.
In other words, for Lenore, Annabel not only pulled her out of the spiral of madness she was in, made her feel alive again, and treated her like a person (something that hadn't happened since Theo's death); she also put her reputation on the line to get closer to "the crazy woman in the attic".
Add to that the fact that Annabel, like Lenore, is someone with an extremely protective personality, albeit in a much more subtle way: containing Lenore's outbursts by trying to distract her, complimenting her when she doubts herself, trying to give her a sense of purpose by asking her to write her a song, and automatically containing her own panic attack when she sees Lenore's horrified expression.
To Lenore, Annabel is someone who would rather destroy something that makes her happy and be hated than let Lenore suffer for her absence.
This is a gigantic contrast to the Annabel readers know, yes, the basics are there: she is seen to genuinely care about Prospero, and gratuitous violence against someone who cannot defend himself infuriates her. But Lenore does not dimension how Annabel's methods of survival (shaped by her trauma of not being heard, reasons why she machines her way through people) make her a Machiavellian, manipulative and cold-blooded person.
The last time Lenore saw Annabel in a situation where she could do nothing, she saw her give up. But readers know that this time, Annabel is willing to burn absolutely everything down to get them both out of it.
That is why the Duke affair takes her by surprise. Never mind that Annabel has said she's willing to destroy or trample anyone to get out of Nevermore. The Annabel Lenore knows would not be capable of that.
This part is more difficult to analyze, because unfortunately Annabel's memories are tied to big mysteries within the plot. On the plus side, this comic is excellent at dropping large amounts of information at the point of detail.
The most obvious: Annabel is carrying around the ring Lenore had when she burned down her house, in other words, "Leo's" charade worked so well that the two of them got engaged. In other words: Annabel has seen this woman burn down a family home (perhaps with servants inside), fake her own death, steal, take a continental trip, change her identity and pose as a man, all to save her from an arranged marriage.
A very "you and me against the world" situation. A scenario Lenore made possible by lying to basically everyone, even Annabel herself, who must have spent at least a few months believing Lenore was dead until "Leo" knocked on her door.
Add to that these two scenes: in the first, Annabel seems pretty convinced that Lenore has a good idea of what's going on here...
And in this one, Annabel thinks Lenore is doing this out of guilt.
Again, this is a huge contrast to the Lenore we readers have seen throughout the comic: a person who desperately wants to show others the affection and security that no one (except Theo and Annabel) has given her. A mix of a naturally vivacious and caring personality with traumas from which her need for control stems from anxiety and a terrible fear of abandonment.
In this light, Annabel putting Duke in danger to keep Montressor away from Lenore was something that was informed, known, and something that Lenore would agree with, because the Lenore she knows would be willing to sacrifice anything to achieve her goal.
In that sense, that scene is foreshadowing. Not only did Lenore trick her into using a memory that Annabel does not have, but it comes right after Annabel confidently says that "no one knows Lenore better than she does.
One of the most painful tragedies of the White Raven relationship (besides the fact that it ended with both of them dead) is that one of the two has had to wear a mask on both sides of it: Annabel pretending that this relationship isn't as deeply ingrained in her as it really is, and then Lenore doing the whole "Leo" thing to be "the perfect fiancé" in everyone else's eyes.
Their divorce is imminent because both of them (especially Annabel) are projecting onto the other the expectations they have that are a product of the few memories they have been able to recover, rather than really looking at the person in front of them.
I'm going to enjoy all the beautiful character development that comes from here on out, because they both have a lot of unpacking to do separately from this divorce arc. And, I hope that, when they can finally reconcile, we also get to see how, for the first time in the history of their relationship, Annabel and Lenore can actually see eye to eye.
About their memories. Annabel lee isn't just going backwards and lenore forward; Annabel is remembering faster and more compared to lenore
Moreover Annabel remembers the trivial memories, the supposedly less important ones.
For example Lenore would remember Annabel's first and last visits while Annabel would remember lenore showing up as Leo and a casual picnic together.
So basically lenore remembers being inlove with Annabel while Annabel remembers falling inlove with Lenore.
It's why Annabel is so hopelessly devoted and lenore isn't. Lenore remembers Annabel saying she wants her to have a better life even if she(Annabel) is forced into needlepoint. Annabel remembers the why
As much as I hate saying it; I think this is all because Annabel was more attached in life, that she loved lenore more than lenore loved her and it carried into Nevermore.