>>149128065
It's hard to sum up in few words, but, it's how he's got these obviously selfish desires - he's abusive, self-centered, obsessed with always being in control, always wanting to be the center of attention, loud, abrasive - and yet he has these contrasting traits that aren't complimentary, and seem to fight for space in his mind. Look at how he talks about Gangle in the new episode; he's empathetic and thinking from her perspective. He's thinking "if I was her, would I be able to do X, Y, and Z? How could I do it? what would happiness mean to me?"

Then look at how he talks about Ragatha. He speaks about her with *frustrated* understanding, as if he totally gets why her habits are bad, and is infuriated she doesn't. He connects Zooble to stereotypes, he apparently knows (or at least believes) Gangle likes being hurt, and he's curious about Pomni. Really, genuinely curious, not just taking what she gives but asking for more. Yet this obviously empathetic, emotionally intelligent man - when put in a position where he's forced into action, like during the more violent, fast-paced adventures - hurts the same people he understands so well. He's obsessed with control, and power, and being seen in a certain way, and when he loses his grip on the situation, he lashes out. He's violent during adventures because he doesn't want to get hurt, and hurting others makes him feel in control. He's someone who understands others' weaknesses so well - is that why he's so scared of showing them his own?

I dislike boxing Jax in as "a jerk that secretly has a heart of gold" or as "a jerk with a heart of gold that's secretly just a jerk" - it's more complex than that. I guess what really fascinates me about Jax is that he's got so many conflicting traits that convey a genuine character. The Jax that hurts people isn't fake, neither is the Jax that understands people. They're both as real as one another, and they struggle to coexist.