And for good reason. One wrong move from Jake could end with him eaten or seriously injured on a monster-infested island with no way to get help.

The Jake we meet at the beginning of the story, however, is altogether different. Jake doesn’t really seem scared of the prospect of going outside at 16. Apparently, he now feels secure enough to consider risks like going outside and getting chased by giant monsters all day an annoying hassle, rather than a serious danger.

Jake is still somewhat scared of the monsters, but he’s used to it. He’s grown up considerably, and his skills have improved to the point he can actually fend them off at times. This is something Jake attributes at least partly to the Brobot’s training, when he’s talking to Jane, but we’ll come back to that a little later.

For now, what I want to get across is that Jake isn’t afraid of the Brobot, like Dave is of Bro, or Tavros of Vriska. He is, at most, inconvenienced and annoyed by it.

If anything, during the events of the game Jake refers to the Brobot as a pest or an unpleasant chore. He’s in a hurry to get the bunny to Jade, so he’d rather avoid wasting his time on fighting it. That, along with the frustration of dealing with the AR’s harassment, are pretty much the source of his consternation discussing the subject.

And it’s worth noting that what Jake says about the Brobot changes depending on who he’s talking to.

It’s true that when he’s arguing with the AR — frustrated with it’s needling, and feeling pressured to get the bunny out on time — Jake is pretty annoyed at the thought of dealing with the Brobot.

But this has as much to do with his frustration at wanting to talk to Dirk and getting fed up with the Auto-Responder’s passive aggression and lasciviousness as it has to do with him not wanting to deal with the Brobot itself. Jake’s primary emotional outburst isn’t about wanting to avoid fighting the Brobot. It’s about wanting to talk to the real Dirk.

And when Jake feels listened to by an understanding friend rather than a manipulator with a pushy romantic agenda, he takes a very different tune towards the Brobot.

Context is important here. When Jake is defensive and annoyed with the Brobot, he complains bitterly about the Brobot. But This is a moment of confidence with Jane. Here, he’s being explicitly more honest than he’s ever been about his feelings surrounding Dirk.

Not to mention this is the moment that sets the stage for Jake to continue being almost APPALLINGLY honest about his relationship with Dirk to Jane, to her detriment, for months.

In this same conversation, he actively complained about the AR as an uncomfortable matchmaker, meaning he is aware there are parts of his relationship with Dirk that are unpleasant. It’s safe to say if Jake had a problem with the Brobot, Jane would have heard about it:

And yet when speaking about the Brobot completely honestly, Jake not only confessed to believing Dirk’s training has made him a better fighter — but says that he finds the whole cat and mouse aspect of the scenario exciting, and likens it to an adventure. Early stumbling block aside, Dirk’s initial intent ultimately proved a success! Though Dirk doesn’t know it, as he likely still counts the Brobot among the things he blames himself for.

Jake’s letter to John also backs up this view of things. It was written after he had the Brobot for years, and in it he excitedly asks John if he likes scrums. Like with Jane, this is a communication he carries out in confidence, that Dirk has no access to or control over.

Doesn’t really sound like a guy who’s experience with physical conflict has been soured by an overly aggressive robot to me. So it seems that as far as it’s functionality as a sparring partner, Jake ultimately enjoys the Brobot as a sparring partner.

But there’s a more intense way Jake appreciates the Brobot. It’s likely it’s biggest impact on Jake’s state of mind is as a protector, or a comrade, if an unpredictable one. The Brobot is an agent with power over Jake’s situation with an interest in looking out for him— something Jake lost completely when he lost his Grandma.

How does the Brobot finally make it’s appearance in the narrative proper, again?

Right. Saving Jake’s life.

Jake doesn’t look particularly intimidated to see the Brobot here. He looks happy and relieved and pleasantly helpless. He looks like a damsel in distress in an action movie, maybe. This is a recurring trend for Jake — ending up in situations that somewhat resemble his movie-inspired fantasies, where he’s commonly cast as the sexually objectified, helpless damsel.

The AR might have been right that Dirk putting himself in danger and letting Jake come to his rescue would have been effective, but as it turns out, Jake has plenty of fantasies about Dirk as a strong protector, too. This is a view of Dirk that I honestly cannot reconcile with the idea that Jake might perceive Dirk, or the Brobot, as a source of discomfort or threat.

And that Jake sees Dirk this way is explicit, because as luck would have it, his fantasies about Dirk coming to save him are literally Jake’s superpower. Not because they’re all he’s capable of — he proves otherwise during the Masterpiece — but simply because there’s nothing else Jake believes in more.

Jake’s absurd reality-warping powers manifest in the absolute most romantic way possible, and it’s a wonder to behold, so let’s investigate Brain Ghost Dirk and see how he serves as a mirror through which we can see Jake’s feelings about the Brobot.

In the retconned timeline, Jake loses basically all of his agency. Aranea dominates his powers for her benefit, and all eyes are on Jake, but he can’t do anything about it. He becomes a literal star — gawked at by all, and reduced to a pawn, a joke, and a hot body in a skimpy outfit, all in one blow.

In the wake of Jane and Brain Ghost Dirk’s sexual aggression and Aranea’s sudden romantic overture and exploitation, it’s literally his worst nightmare, realized.

Obviously, he wants it to stop. But he doesn’t really do much of anything but keep emitting his field of hope — which does nothing but keep Jake safe and make him harder to see clearly — and summon Brain Ghost Dirk.

Think about what it means that this is what Jake chooses. Theoretically, with his powers forcibly unlocked, Jake could do anything: Blast Aranea with laser beams, teleport her into a volcano — whatever, right? The sky’s the limit.

Jake doesn’t do any of that. When the chips come down and Jake needs protection, needs to feel safe, there’s one thing he believes in above all else: Brain Ghost Dirk. That’s the weapon Jake chooses, the ace up his sleeve.

I mean, for fuck’s sake, Brain Ghost Dirk literally calls himself Jake’s boyfriend here, despite the fact that they just broke up, and makes a Princess Bride reference.

Jake’s fantasies are definitely at play here–fantasies he’s admitted to having. When he’s forced to kiss Dirk’s head, he’s sad–not because he has to kiss him, just because he had FANTASIES about how it would play out that reality wasn’t living up to.

Aranea usurps his free will at a time when he already thinks all his friends hate him, and immediately after Dirk broke up with him. But when Jake is at rock bottom, one rock-solid certainty remains in his heart. He has something he believes in more than anything.

And that’s that when he’s in trouble, his best buddy Dirk will come help him out. Save him, and put a stop to anything that makes Jake feel threatened. And Jake trusts Dirk, specifically, even over individuals that matter to Jake who would be much more natural fits for this kind of heroic idealization.

Jake doesn’t choose to summon Alpha Dave, who Dirk talked up to high heaven, if the pesterlog from when they were 13 is any indication. He doesn’t choose to summon his Grandma, either — despite the fact that she used to be the one to take care of him and keep him safe, and he clearly admires her.

He doesn’t choose any movie hero — despite loving movies, and despite the fact that Tavros’ imaginary friend was from a movie as well. Jake doesn’t even choose himself, despite the fact that Jake has high, high hopes for his own ability to be cool and powerful and successful early on in the story.

No, he chooses Dirk. Dirk is who he believes in. Dirk is who Jake goes to for protection, comfort, and safety. Even much later, when Jake sours on the relationship due to their other issues, and complains about it extensively to Jane, Jake never once expresses discomfort or resentment over fighting the Brobot, or implies he regards Dirk as any sort of coercive threat.

I don’t think a reading that he viewed the Brobot as a threat or oppressive force in any way lines up with his unwavering trust in Brain Ghost Dirk as a figure of physical safety and protection. The two are simply irreconcilable.

Especially so because there are other ways in which Brain Ghost Dirk is explicitly marred for Jake. Brain Ghost Dirk is a figure of physical protection and safety to Jake, but he’s also a figure emotional unavailability, passive aggression, sexual objectification, and intellectual condescension.

If you find you agree with me so far, that means we can now move on to the next part of this series. Next time, we’ll be exploring the part of Dirk and Jake’s relationship that was unarguably toxic, and untangling the complicated events that led to Brain Ghost Dirk taking on those aforementioned negative qualities — the codependent triad that developed between Jake, Dirk, and the AR.