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shdwstorm · 3 months ago

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A little rant about TADC episode 5 because I have ✨️Theories✨️

First of all Gooseworx said that this episode was the silly before the storm and I absolutely believe that. This episode was fun but I can tell it's building up for a DEFCON 1 crash out from Caine. Everyone's talking about Ragatha's crash out (which I will talk about in a second) but I think we're all sleeping on the fact that Caine is also reaching his breaking point.

First of all, obviously, that moment in the beginning when he threatens to tear Zooble into pieces before stopping himself. He's getting angry and stressed because he's realizing just how much the group doesn't like his adventures, and like he said in episode 3, the adventures are all he was created to do. Without them, he has no purpose, and its starting to break him, like when he glitched out in both episodes 3 and 4. And both times, it was when he was faced with the reality that the cast doesn't enjoy his adventures. Episode 3 is the more obvious example, when he's having therapy with Zooble, but in episode 4 he glitches out again after talking with Gangle, where she got hit by a truck during the adventure and admits that she cracked under the pressure the adventure put on her. I think Caine realized that Spudsy's was not a pleasant experience for her, and it breaks him a little bit.

Which leads me to my next point: the circus breaking its own rules. Very clearly in the pilot Caine tells the group that he can't alter their minds. By now, it's pretty clear that he lied about this. Not only does the circus alter the cast's memories so they can't remember their original names (and who knows what else), but also the stupid sauce in episode 4 and Jax's unwilling veganism in episode 5 (and potentially Pomni's possession in episode 3, but that's arguable if that was the ghost NPC's talking through her body or if they actually altered her mind). Caine blatantly lied in the pilot, and it's not the first time he did it. He also lied and gaslit Pomni about the existence of an exit door in that same episode. I think that was purposeful, because right from the get go we were told that Caine can't be trusted and can and will lie to the cast. Another ability of his that I don't think he's been completely honest about is his ability to make edits to the appearances to the cast. I mean, obviously at this point it's clear he can edit their appearances, with adventure-specific outfit changes and the safari adventure where he turned at least Gangle and Zooble into animals. There's also more subtle changes he's made, obviously Jax's supposed tail. Where am I going with this? Well, if Caine has complete control over the cast's minds and bodies, he is fully capable of abstracting them.

In my opinion this is a near undeniable fact at this point, and Goooseworx has been foreshadowing it from the very beginning. In the pilot when Kaufmo abstracts, I believe that his obsession with finding an exit didn't make him go crazy, but rather he got too close to finding one and Caine had to dispose of him. And I believe in the next episodes when Caine finally snaps, he's going to abstract one of the cast. A lot of people believe that Gangle is going to abstract next, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Maybe before episode 4, but now she has a much better support group with Pomni and Zooble that I don't think she'd go crazy on her own. And like I suggested, I don't think just insanity is the only factor in abstraction. However, I do have a theory. When Caine finally loses it, he's going to go after Zooble the most because they're the only one with a real connection with Caine, and it's not exactly a good one after Zooble's open critique of his adventures and refusal to participate in most episodes. If Caine doesn't abstract Zooble outright, I think he'll target Gangle. I think Zooble and Gangle's relationship is being set up so that Caine abstracts Gangle with the intent to hurt Zooble. Obviously this is theorizing heavily on what Caine's capacity for cruelty is, but I have a feeling that he's holding back A LOT because, like Zooble said in Episode 4, Caine holds back because he likes the cast.

A small side note, with all that we've proven Caine has lied about, I think he also lied about the existence of an exit to the circus. It's why I think he abstracted Kaufmo and why I think he made a fake exit in the first place. If he gave the cast that tiny bit of hope that there was one, then took it away after revealing that it was fake, it would stop any more attempts. It wasn't a coincidence that both of these events happened in the same episode, and I think the series is going to end with the cast finding the real exit. At least, I hope so.

Now to talk about the other half of the cast, Jax, Ragatha, and Pomni. There isn't a ton to theorize on, obviously Jax had a frog friend named Ribbit that got abstracted, and he's starting to warm up to Pomni. Honestly though, I don't trust Jax yet. At the end of the episode he said he was going to show Pomni something and the two walked away together. I wouldn't be surprised if once he's alone with her, he'll stab her in the back someway as a fun little start to the episode. Gooseworx also said that the next episode will be focused on Jax, so I think him showing his true colors (and potentially what's behind his door, since he's still the only one who's room hasn't been revealed) would be a good way to start that.

Also, Ragatha. I believe that for the last few episodes, she could potentially turn into a secondary villain besides crashed-out Caine. She's alone, and feels completely abandoned by the cast. The only friend she felt she had, Pomni, is warming up to Jax, the guy who's been tormenting her and the rest of the cast for God knows how long. I think she's going to mirror Caine, who also feels isolated and underappreciated, and also have a major crash out. We got a taste of her rage in episode 5 and I think when Jax betrays and hurts Pomni, I think she's going to lose it on him and completely shed her falsely positive exterior for the rest of the series. Will Pomni be able to talk her down? Who knows! But I can't wait to find out.

But in the words of MatPat: "But hey, that's just a theory. A GAME THEORY"

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc caine #tadc pomni #tadc thoughts #tadc theory

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shdwstorm · 3 months ago

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The office was almost alarmingly mundane, for something stashed away in a pocket between realities. The walls were painted beige and the carpet was a generic gray. The desk had a big boxy computer on it that was twenty years behind in technology. On the other side of the desk was a small potted plant and a stack of documents yet to be sorted. One wall was lined with filing cabinets, the wall across from it had a window with the blinds shut. But at a second look, more anomalies began to arise. There was no light coming through the window, making it impossible to tell what time of day it was. The calendar hanging on the wall said the month was "Reddeniq" and 47 days were arranged in a bizzare hexagonal pattern. The desk was decorated with a small skull with oversized fangs and six eyeholes, clearly belonging to a creature earth could never conjure. The plant in the pot appeared normal, but every once in a while it would move more than could be possible in this still environment. This was further proven when the plant appeared to yawn and stretch, scratching its stem with its leaves. Next to the skull was a plaque reading, "Roxanthia Overseer of Souls"

The only occupant in the room gawked at the oddities of the room as he sat in front of the desk, waiting for the Overseer. He was completely translucent, with a slight blue tinge to his body. He twiddled his thumbs as he waited.

The door swung open and a woman walked in. She has curly brown hair cut off at the shoulders, bright blue eyes, and a tidy black suit complete with heels. But just like the office, at a second glance her anomalies appeared. Her ears were long and pointed, peeking out of her hair. Her blue eyes were the same color the man was and literally glowed in the artificial light. She had a pair of wings, striped with the same blue, folded neatly on her back. She blinked in surprise when she saw the man. "Oh! I didn't think I had any meetings today. Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm Roxy, Overseer of Souls, what can I do for you?" She sat down at her desk and powered on her computer so it could boot up as they spoke.

"Um, hi. I was told to come to you by, uh, the Grim Reaper? I think?"

"Oh yes, the Overseer of Death. Why'd he send you here?" She asked.

"Um, well, I died, obviously, so he came and he took me to this doorway that he said would take me to my afterlife. And, well, I tried to walk through but it wouldn't let me, and an alarm started blaring," he answered, figiting nervously. "Oh no, am I not gonna get to the afterlife? Am I going to be stuck in this... gap between dimensions!?" He nearly shrieked.

"No, no, it's okay. You're not going to be stuck here," Roxy reassured him. "As well as taking you to your afterlife, that door also scans souls and enters them into a database so I can keep track of who all comes through here. It's how it knows where to send you in the first place," she explained. "I'm sure the system just bugged out, let me look it up." She turned back to her computer and started clicking. After a few moments, her brow furrowed. "Huh. It's flagging you as a duplicate, that you've already come through here a week ago." She inspected her screen as the man grew more anxious. "I'm just going to confirm some of this information on here, alright? Is your name Michael Trevor Attidana, first of your name?"

He nodded. "Yup, that's me."

"Alright, your parents are Trevor Daniel Attidana and Christie Marie Taylor?" He nodded. "Born May 9th, 1983 and died February 24th, 2025?" He nodded again. "Hmm. And I'm assuming you haven't died, got reincarnated, and died again within a week?"

He let out a small chuckle. "That sounds like quite the week. Luckily that hasn't happened to me."

Roxy turned back to her computer. "Well, I have some standard questions for you, hopefully they'll figure this whole thing out. Have you interacted or interfered with time manipulation in any way?"

He stared blankly. "What?"

"That's formal speak for 'have you messed with time travel'?" Roxy clarified.

"Oh, n-no. I haven't."

"Alright. Have you fallen into any time paradoxes or wormholes?"

"No."

"Have you entered any soul binding contracts of any kind?" He stared blankly back at Roxy. "Fae and demons are always trying to launder souls through my system to avoid soul ownership laws and taxes," she let out a long, suffering sigh.

"No. I had no idea any of this even... EXISTED before I died." He let out another chuckle.

She furrowed her brow. "Has any other event occurred in your life, this one or previous, that could account for this mishap? Something you're not telling me?"

He paused for a moment. "I didn't even realize until now I can remember past lives. Wow... that is... a lot." He huffed and ran his fingers through his hair. "No. I'm... normal, for the most part. I don't know how this could have happened." A shiver went down his spine.

"Okay, okay. The error then is probably on our side. Just one second, let me check on that door. Wait right here, I'll be right back." She then vanished, leaving behind just a few blue particles and the soul in stunned silence.

...

Roxy reappeared in a void, completely devoid of anything to see, hear, or interact with except for her and a pale door. She tapped on the doorframe, pulling up a holographic display. She started scrolling through the long list of names.

Another figure appeared in the void. He was a large, almost looming figure. He wore a black cloak made of raven feathers, marked with the same stripes on Roxy's wings just in a deep red. Under the hood was a worn skeleton, with two red eyes shining from the eye sockets. In his hands he held a large scythe with a dark blade, adorned with bones. On his right was the soul of a young child, half-hiding in his feathers. He looked down at the child and offered his hand. The child looked up at him, then at his bony hand, before taking it. The two walked to the door together. The child looked up at Roxy in awe, and she smiled back.

"Hello there. Don't mind me, I'm just... maintenance," she chuckled. "You'll be okay, I promise." A small smile crossed the child's face, but faded when they looked up at the door.

"Would you like me to open the door for you?" The skeleton asked, his voice low and somehow soothing, despite his somewhat terrifying appearance. The child looked up at him before nodding.

The little soul looked through the open door and took a step back in fear. The skeleton put a hand on her shoulder and got down on one knee to appear less menacing. "It's okay, I promise you. What's waiting for you on the other side will be so, so much better than anything you could imagine."

She hiccupped a sob. "I-I-I'm scared."

He opened his arms and she immediately went in and hugged him. "I know, I know," he whispered. "I know you're scared. Take all the time you need, there's no rush."

She sobbed into his cloak. "I don't want t-to go. I wanna go home."

"I know, I know." He whispered. He let her cry and just comforted her in silence. Roxy watched silently with a small smile. After several moments, the soul's sobs dwindled into quiet sniffles. After several moments, he said quietly, "do you think you're ready now?"

The child rubbed her nose and after a moment of thinking about it, she said, "y-yeah. I think I'm ready."

The skeleton held the door open for her. She looked up at what was waiting for her, then back at the skeleton. He nodded reassuringly, and after another moment, she walked through. She vanished as soon as she stepped through the frame, and the door closed behind her.

"I always feel bad for the young ones. They're always so scared," Roxy commented, still messing with the screen.

The skeleton nodded. "Dealing with the duplicate, I assume?"

She nodded. "Yup. It's not the usual suspects either, so I wonder if something bugged out. How's the soul reaping been, Mortimer?"

"Average. No other anomalies today, from what I saw," he said solemnly.

"Yeah, probably because there's nothing wrong with the door," she muttered. She tossed the screen aside with a sigh. "Someone tampered with the records," she hissed.

"What? Why would someone do that?" Mortimer asked, tightening the grip on his scythe.

"Because my system is automated; I never have to come out and mess with it unless somethings wrong." She started looking around. She opened her hand and a sword materialized in her hand. The blade was made of soul flame, and it grew brighter as her scowl hardened.

Mortimer didn't bother asking who would do such a thing, as he already knew. He readied his scythe.

"Wow. Such good detection skills. Or am I really that predictable?" The two whirled around to face a new being in the void. She looked remarkably like Roxy, with the same hair and skin tone. Her hair however was long and draped around her, with leaves, sticks, and flowers stuck in it. She had a pair of antlers arched over her head draped in greenery, as well as a pair of deer ears. Her entire lower half was replaced by the four legs of a deer in a centaur-like manner, which she used to smugly strut up to the two.

"Keep your filthy hooves out of my records!" Roxy shouted, lunging for the deer woman blade-first. The woman drew a pair of poison green daggers and easily deflected Roxy's sword. She whirled around and kicked Roxy into the doorframe. She screamed as her spine let out a painful sounding SNAP.

"ROXANTHIA!" Mortimer screamed. He turned back to the deer woman with his scythe pointed at her. "What do you want, Evalyn?" He asked in a calm tone, but his rage burned underneath.

"I want control over the soul cycle. You and Roxy get to have all this fun with the power of trillions of souls, and you don't share! Now that's not fair, now is it?" She traced the back of her hand down his face, and he pulled away.

"It is fair. I am the Overseer of Death; the one who escorts the mortal dead to their final destination. You are the Overseer of Life; the creator and guardian of all that lives and breathes. Your only responsibility over souls is to make sure all sentient life receives one. You don't get any more power than that. You don't DESERVE any more power," he hissed. He stood eye to eye with her, letting her see the rage in his eye sockets.

Roxy stood with a groan, flexing her shoulders and stretching her wings. She picked up her sword and brandished it with a furious scowl. "Touch my souls," she hissed, "and I'll mount those antlers on my wall."

Evalyn spun her daggers around with a confident smirk. "Come and take them."

Roxy screamed in rage and the clashing of blades echoed through the void.

You manage the mostly-automated system that assigns souls their final destination after death. It's a routine job—until an error flashes across your screen: a duplicate soul has entered the system. One has already been successfully processed, and one now sits on the couch in your office.

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