Okay, so, literally how come everyone in the comic and even outside of it, in the fandom, is ignoring John Egbert’s depression?? How is everyone ignoring his blatant self hatred, expressed clearly through the writing on both the walls of his room on Earth and Prospit??? How come that nobody notices, in spite of popular opinion that John cries at literally anything, that the only time John has cried in the comic, out of actual sadness at a tragic event, was when Jade died and John only she’d a single, restrained tear.
Like???? This really ain’t adding up???
I get it, everyone has a favorite character and not everybody is going to focus on John Egbert specifically, but!!! Everyone’s legit turning a blind eye to what is so clearly written on the walls, literally! John’s hostility on the ship might not be the result of cabin fever, when you realize that depression in young men often take the form of aggression and anger. John’s lack of tears or outwardly showing sadness other than him saying “aw that’s sad” makes a lot more sense if you think about the fact that he repressed it, might not be able to cope with negative emotions, or never even learned how to express them in the first place!
And think about the credits, it’s time to face facts: Nobody’s come to John Egbert’s birthday party in years, but his party banner still remains up, nearly in tatters… He’s alone. In fact, I don’t think anyone’s seen John Egbert in a VERY long time. They’ve forgotten. Rose, Dave, Jade, Karkat. They all forgot. Everyone. Not out of malice or hatred. But because John is the Heir of Breath. He inherits freedom, even freedom from the ones he keeps himself tied down for. He’s all alone and doesn’t fit anywhere. His father is gone and so are all his friends.
Nobody’s reaching out to him, no ones contacted him. He’s all alone. He’s a young man stuck in his house, doomed to repeat long day after long day once again, but this time there’s no one on the other side of a computer screen to make it seem bearable. No one to make it seem that he isn’t so alone after all.
And even the ones who have made the long days seem not so long have hurt him, in spite of not meaning to. On the lily pad, Dave implies that John and Rose didn’t have much to complain about with their guardians, but that’s simply not true. Rose was raised by an alcoholic who, despite her genuine love for her child, was neglectful. John was raised by a good man, a good father, but not a perfect man. Instead of trying to seek treatment for the strangle, self-loathing messages and drawings on his son’s wall, he buys harlequinn-styled paintings and jester sculptures.
Then, Dave and Karkat both push Teresa’s black flirting onto John, which makes John EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. This makes John so uncomfortable that John EXPLICITLY STATE that he is going to BURY THOSE FEELINGS DOWN AND TRY TO NEVER THINK ABOUT THEM AGAIN. And what does Dave, John’s friend, say?? How does Dave respond to something that sounds almost exactly like a cry for help?? He says that it’s a “weenie thing to do” and wishes John luck with that.
And you know? This would all be okay, if it were the fact that people in the fandom acknowledged it. But there are so few that can’t accept the fact that he’s been forgotten, that he’s depressed, that he’s been depressed for a very long time and it’s only getting worse.
But, then again, if John’s friends all so easily missed the warning signs, who could blame us for also turning a blind eye to what is right in front of us?
just moving along like everyone else 