That's the thing though, he didn't have to listen to her. She said she would kill him as a way to intimidate him because Jake is scary as hell. That part was only ever to motivate him to use his power and stop being a crybaby. She most likely would have ignored him. And no, she wouldn't have killed the MC. At most, she would've just killed Jake as she really doesn't care about him at all.
Yes she would? Ella has killed the MC on two occasions in the bad ends IIRC.
Let me make it clear right here. I don't care at all about Jake's situation from his pov. I don't care that you think it's justified from his side(it's not by the way). I'm the MC, not Jake. What he should've did or what he couldn't help but do is all on his own incompetence. He did a lot stuff Ella didn't tell him to and blames it on the MC "doing it too" to justify his actions.
So Jake deserves to die because he's not the MC and doesn't have plot armor to protect him from the wrong choices, got it.
He could go to the M.C. and seek help.
Hes not even accepting that as an option.
He didn't do so at first because Ella was gas lighting him about the MC being a dangerous killer that would kill Jake if he revealed himself to him, as well as tricking him into thinking the MC didn't really like him by using shapeshifting.
And now he can't do it because Ella is literally ordering him to kill the MC and will not help him save Mia if he doesn't comply.
I don't think Ella can control people like he can.
So I don't think its a stretch to see him as more of a simp than being mind controlled.
Manipulated yes but hes had opportunity to think for himself.
He just doesn't.
I don't think anyone is saying Jake is being mind controlled. Jake can think for himself tho, he has said multiple times that he will try taking care of Ella if it's necessary or if she refuses to hold her end of the deal in helping Mia.
There is really no simping here, Jake doesn't particularly like Ella, rather, he fears her.
Just to add on some stuff. Unless I am not remembering things, I believe most of the stuff people dislike about Jake was Jake's own choices (Ella never told him to do it). Attacking Mia, trying to make MC's BF try to kill himself, and sexually assaulting the girls Jake chose to do himself.
Attacking Mia was an accident, his intention was just to make her forget what she saw.
The MC himself has done worse things than force two girls to reveal their tops, such as shapeshifting to trick people into having sex with him, even using the form of one of his friends.