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Pomni's acting manic next episode, and it's actually good writing - TADC discussion

In every advertisement for the next episode of TADC so far Pomni has been acting pretty chaotic, and I honestly think it makes sense. I organized 7 points as to why

1: WE DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW THE REAL POMNI YET This is definitely a hot take, but just hear me out here, Pomni so far has been an "Everyman" character. An everyman is a type of protagonist that was created to be projected on to by the audience. They're usually an average Jane/Joe who doesn't have much personality of their own, so pretty much anyone watching can relate to them or project themselves onto them. The thing that makes Pomni fit into this category is the fact that until episode 5 (I would say), she's pretty much just been reduced down to "Therapy friend". She's just been a person the other characters open up to so the audience can learn about said characters. Notice how most (if not all) of her conversations so far have just been her comforting the other characters? And we haven't actually seen Pomni HERSELF opening up to others? We've seen Pomni helping others, but we haven't seen POMNI. We don't know Pomni's personal beliefs, struggles, or personality. We know she has the basic belief that you should be kind to others, and help them when they need it, but that's something just about every average sane person believes. And I wouldn't even count anxiety as one of her struggles. Dare I say, Pomni doesn't have an anxiety disorder, she was just feeling anxious in the first episode, because she was just thrown in some hell circus that she can supposedly never leave. Which is something anyone would be feeling in that situation. There is a difference between having anxiety disorder and feeling anxious. And no, the anxiety she feels in the first episode and the compassion she shows others doesn't count as a personality. Anxiety and compassion aren't a personality, they're emotions, and she hasn't even been dealing with feeling anxious since episode 1. Nothing is out of character for Pomni because we don't know Pomni yet. The only thing that would be out of character so far would be if she started being genuinely rude to people, because it's been established that she's a caring person, and if you're thinking "but Pomni did seem rude in the new trailer" I address that in my very next point

2: POMNI HASN'T BECOME A BAD PERSON

Pomni has been shown to be a caring and compassionate person, and her participating in this gun adventure, and even ENJOYING it, doesn't mean she's become less of a compassionate person. Because for all they know there are no permanent (physical) consequences to this, or any, adventure. There is no death in the circus. I don't believe Pomni would EVER shoot anyone with an intention to actually hurt them, but she might be willing to do so in a game with no consequences. Pomni hasn't given up or changed her morals because she's having a good time in this adventure, and I don't believe she wishes anyone participating any actual harm

3: JAX IS INFLUENCING HER, BUT NOT IN THE WAY YOU'RE THINKING

I just KNOW people are going to say "Jax did this to her" and I honestly HATE that. Pomni is her own person, and she has complete control over her own actions. They even make a point to say this in episode 5. And I don't think Pomni acting chaotic is going against that. Because honestly, I think she has genuinely had that in her this whole time, we're just not seeing it until now. In episode 5 when Jax attacked Evil Jax, Pomni genuinely found it funny. I think she's just a more chaotic person than what we originally thought, and yeah, maybe she is only showing it after befriending Jax, but I think it's because she CAN around Jax. Jax has made a point to say it's okay to go crazy sometimes, it's okay to not be happy all the time, it's okay to not always being composed. I don't think Pomni is changing because of Jax, I think she's simply growing more comfortable because of Jax. Plus to be fair, who wouldn't go a little bonkers in that place? Even just a little bit. Being completely composed in every way ALL THE TIME in a place like the amazing digital circus would be impossible, and as we see with Ragatha, it's frankly unhealthy to try to force yourself to do so

4: POMNI HAS BEEN SAID TO BE A THRILL SEEKER

Pomni said in episode 5 she looked for mild thrills to escape her boring life. Yes she said "mild" thrills, but I don't think it's crazy to think she could be an adrenalin junky. It's already been established she likes thrills, maybe we just haven't seen the full extent to it yet. I can also see it being something Pomni discovers in episode 6, she looks pretty uncertain about how to use a gun at first, but when we see her actually using it that's when we see more of a manic and smug side. Maybe Pomni herself didn't realize how much of an adrenalin junky she could be until she was thrown into a real world shooting game

5: EVIL POMNI WAS DOWN TO EARTH

Okay, just hear me out on this one. The big top evil clones were made to be the exact opposite of the real characters. Evil Pomni was rude, but she wasn't the cackle and go manic type, she was honestly pretty chill. I mean girl was literally napping in the baseball field when waiting for her turn lol. I'm just saying, if it was the "opposite of Pomni" to go wild, Evil Pomni would be wild. But Pomni isn't acting like Evil Pomni, she's just acting chaotic

6: POMNI IS ALLOWED TO NOT BE NICE

Another thing I saw someone say is that it seems like Pomni is going to be upset with Ragatha next episode, but "that's not Pomni." UM. I'm not saying Pomni has the right to be upset with Ragatha, but honestly LET HER. Not a single person on this earth NEVER feels negative feelings towards other people, no matter how nice they are. It doesn't make Pomni "less Pomni" because she's feeling angry with another person. I don't know why she might be upset with Ragatha next episode, but I genuinely hope she is. It's not because I want Ragatha to be hurt, I adore Ragatha, but it's because I want Pomni to be allowed to have more range of emotions and behaviors outside of "nice anxiety girl." That is literally Ragatha's whole internal struggle, being worried people won't like her if she shows negative emotions, and when she did the fandom HATED HER, let's please PLEASE not do the same to Pomni. It does not make Pomni "not Pomni" because she wasn't nice one time. Or she gets wild and maybe enjoys a chaotic adventure. God forbid women have any personality outside of "super sweet, composed, and nice all the time" 🙄🤦‍♀️

7: THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME POMNI HAS SHOWN MANIC BEHAVIORS

Pomni displayed manic behaviors multiple times in episode one. This was something induced by her stress and feeling of going insane in that episode, but I would hardly say this isn't mentionable. If Pomni has shown symptoms of mania before, it's likely she will again. Whether it's caused by stress or she's going on some kind of power trip

[zeeboomblebee]

Birds, birds, birds.

..never grew out of that one lol

Hey, what were everyone’s special interests growing up? Mine were dinosaurs, angels, the Pendle witch trials (which I am always happy to infodump about because the whole thing is absolutely wild), Rent (the musical, not the concept of rent), Star Wars and Greek mythology.

[zeeboomblebee]

Congratulations on the marriage guys!!!! It's about time honestly

[zeeboomblebee]

what annoys me about explaining evolution to people who don’t think it’s real is that everyone’s idea of how it works seems to be from this

Whereas the reality is far more like

[zeeboomblebee]

Omg can’t believe I live in a moment where they became official

❤️💙Tumblr Tuesday: Ao3 x Tumblr—Love wins 💙❤️

It finally happened. After some romancing in the ballpit, we popped the question and, folks, THEY SAID YES. 

In short, we're in love! Now, we're in need of a ship name. Can you help? Vote below, or let us know if you come up with something better. This is now a matter of grave importance.

(Thanks to all the folks on X who added some excellent (& some funny) suggestions to our little list)

Anyway, the fan art is already absolutely incredible, thank you for celebrating with us:

@all-skedaddle-and-no-bop:

@miriko-chan-neko:

@mjlor-chan:

@bigrawrenergy:

@marshallena:

@gyarustara:

@blakeisspacing:

@proudgirlkissr:

@bunningchaos:

@urfavesarequadranted:

@twittypet:

@applejuiceyjuice-art:

@peppercornyy:

@andellaheartz:

@livingfurnace:

@rainbow-taishi:

@buumbamboom2763:

[zeeboomblebee]

Just finished Arcane for the first time, I don’t think I’ll ever emotionally recover

[zeeboomblebee]

This singlehandedly does SO MUCH to improve my tolerance for the constant Zane fakeout death scenes throughout all the more recent seasons. The next time it inevitably happens, I’m gonna remember this post and chuckle instead of sigh exasperatingly.

I think my favorite completely unsubstantiated crack theory/headcanon about Zane is that the reason he keeps dying so much in later seasons is because he wasn't meant to survive his fight with the Overlord - and since him coming back to life defies fate, the Cloud Kingdom is now desperately trying to kill him as a means of course-correction. But he keeps coming back to life each time/the attempts to kill him keep failing for various inexplicable reasons, leaving him in this perpetual game of tug-of-war between life and death.

On the one hand you can get really angsty with it about how Zane isn't supposed to be alive, so death perpetually haunts him like a dark cloud, something he cannot escape but for some reason can never fully succumb to either, and is now something that is not quite dead but not quite alive...

...but on the other hand, I also think it's absurdly funny. Imagine, all of Zane's brushes with death are because the Cloud Kingdom has a very passionate one-sided beef with him. Even better if Zane himself is just blissfully unaware of any of this - he just thinks he has rotten luck. Meanwhile the Cloud Kingdom monks are just constantly at their wit's end because this weird little robot is bizarrely persistent. He's like a gas station raccoon that just won't leave - no matter how many times you throw it out of the store, it somehow finds its way in again the moment your back is turned.

[zeeboomblebee]

SHES BACK PRAISE THE MERCIFUL GODS!!!!

The more I scroll through the trending ao3 tag, the more convinced I am that fanfiction is a fucking drug. It's pure escapism, boosts serotonin, is a daily habit for so many users, and a lot of us indulge in it in a binging fashion (I ain't judging; all of these examples come from personal experience). And then in the somewhat uncommon instances where it goes down, we all collectively lose our shit (again, myself included) and genuinely cannot go a handful of hours before the withdrawals hit hard.

[zeeboomblebee]

Yep 🥲. I was literally about to bookmark something for the first time in DAYS when the bookmarking stopped working first. I really wish I had the foresight to download the long fic I literally JUST started before it went down. Foiled twice. AO3 gods, save us-

The more I scroll through the trending ao3 tag, the more convinced I am that fanfiction is a fucking drug. It's pure escapism, boosts serotonin, is a daily habit for so many users, and a lot of us indulge in it in a binging fashion (I ain't judging; all of these examples come from personal experience). And then in the somewhat uncommon instances where it goes down, we all collectively lose our shit (again, myself included) and genuinely cannot go a handful of hours before the withdrawals hit hard.

[zeeboomblebee]

The more I scroll through the trending ao3 tag, the more convinced I am that fanfiction is a fucking drug. It's pure escapism, boosts serotonin, is a daily habit for so many users, and a lot of us indulge in it in a binging fashion (I ain't judging; all of these examples come from personal experience). And then in the somewhat uncommon instances where it goes down, we all collectively lose our shit (again, myself included) and genuinely cannot go a handful of hours before the withdrawals hit hard.

[zeeboomblebee]

[zeeboomblebee]

A few months back, I read about a study that found that people who were told to regularly think about things they’re grateful for reported significantly improved physical and mental well-being at the end of the study. So I started going for a walk every day before work and making myself come up with 5 things that I’m grateful for. And I know it sounds like the most cornball shit ever, but it has fundamentally changed my brain chemistry.

I was aware that I was becoming a little bit too much of a sarcastic little hater before I started this experiment. Now I am almost startled to catch myself saying shit like, “Wow, look at the flowers on that tree, I am so grateful I decided to walk this way,” unironically, completely unprompted, and outside of the specific time in the day when I do the gratitude practice. I’ve rewired my brain to look for things to be grateful for, and so I look around me more and find more of them, which makes me feel happier, which makes me find even more good things.

For the record, I’m not saying, “Only think positive thoughts! No bad vibes!” Toxic positivity is probably about as unhealthy as only thinking negative thoughts. Sometimes shit does just suck. I’m not telling you to be grateful for the bad things around you. Being a sarcastic little hater definitely has its place. But setting aside like 2 minutes per day to come up with 5 things you’re grateful for will genuinely improve your outlook. It doesn’t have to be big stuff—sometimes the best I can manage is simple shit like, “I’m grateful that zippers were invented,” but even that forces me to be in the present moment and deepens my appreciation of the world around me. Try it, even if you have to do it badly or sarcastically at first. Even if you only do it so that you can come back and tell me I’m wrong in 3 months. Set a daily alarm on your phone and give it a try.

[zeeboomblebee]

Wow, this is a cool analysis, I totally see it. It doesn’t help that the first impression the main cast (and the audience for that matter lol) gets of her is the worst of her anxiety and desperation as she grapples with her sudden and overwhelming situation. It’s nice to see more and more of Pomni’s true personality shine as she settles in more.

I will be overanalyzing Pomni for a second because she’s my favorite character and there’s something about her personality that I think is often overlooked.

Pomni seems to be very defensive about being seen as naive or childlike. She had to clarify her age more than once or that she can think for herself and is sometimes pushed around or even misinterpreted for her anxious nature. I think Jax noticed that about her, which is why he asked: „Or are you too young to work?“ That shit simply annoys her.

I can imagine that because of her looks in real life and overall personality, that people just happen to infantilize her. She is a thoughtful and observant individual, which others may perceive as indecisiveness or something similar. It’s unfortunate because it actually speaks for how mature she is. Not mention her exploration hobby and how she can be quiet sarcastic and witty.

[zeeboomblebee]

Do you agree? I have a tone of evidence!

1: Jax mentions some figurine and Ragatha apparently has somewhat involvement of it

2: We all see how she looks at Zooble she blushes in anime.

3: She is laughing about the maid dress of Jax which is Zooble’s idea

4: She also smiles every time Zooble talks to her

who says the maid dress was zooble’s idea? if it was zooble’s idea i argue they would’ve called the vote themself. they’re not a coward, they wouldn’t pressure gangle into doing it for them i don’t think

i think it was gangle’s idea and zooble just egged her on lmao

tbh i headcanon gangle as a little disaster bi. technically pan probably but disaster bi just encapsulates her quite well

not only because that little freak put jax in a maid dress but also because zooble is NOT A GIRL!!!!

[zeeboomblebee]

I mean… genuinely not trying to come off as mean-spirited or anti-shipping or anything, but as an aroace person, I’m personally very delighted at the idea of a show displaying close relationships between characters that aren’t necessarily romantic in nature (Kinger and Queenie being a clear exception lol). It’s very refreshing for me at least to see emotionally intimate, platonic moments between characters. Just because two people are having a bonding moment doesn’t mean romance must be involved.

If @gooseworx said that, then what is this???

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm??????

🤨🤨🤨

[zeeboomblebee]

This isn’t even one of my ships, but I’m very delighted and enthused by the fact that Vixen has kinda become the captain of the ribbun ship lol

Draw Ribbun to appease Vixen, the ship lord? :3

Vixen appeared in my room and held me at gunpoint to make me draw this?? (NOT CLICKBAIT)

[zeeboomblebee]

I was thinking about this, and how Jax is one of the characters who apparently never curses in the show, which subverts some expectations and I just considered another reason it might be.

We see in episode 5 how Jax clearly cares a lot about control and his autonomy. It’s why the vegan stuff, the tail, and the maid dress all seem to mess him up badly. He likes to downplay the power Caine has (“Caine wouldn’t do anything malicious, it’s not in his nature.” “The only thing holding Caine back is the fact he likes us.”) It’s better for him to think that the reason he is able to do whatever he want isn’t necessarily because Caine is letting him, but because nobody has the power to stop him.

But cursing is one of the things the circus has hard rules about, it’s one of the things that Caine clearly DOES have control over. So even if Jax swore, and the implication was clearly there, as we see with the other characters, the fact it’s being censored would likely be another blow to his autonomy, another dent in the illusion that he has control.