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biribaa · 11 months

Note

For the last tadc post were the reader who's abstracting in front of them can you do that with Jax, gangle, zobble, and Pomni please

Zooble, Pomni, Gangle and Jax x a reader who's abstracting in front of them

Technically a part two of these hcs.

TW/CW: spoiler and angst and blahbalhba

Zooble

Aw #$@!...

It's been months since Zooble has felt any serious feeling in this circus other than disinterest, boredom and stress, they can't even really describe any feeling that aren't one of these I just listed. Mainly now, at this very moment. Zooble stares at the mess that once was you, they didn't even notice their body froze.

And accepting that you suddenly just... gave up, is difficult. And, still, things are still the same, the same unnecessary adventures and stupid people that they have to deal with.

Don't get they wrong, they misses you. But they blindly can't get over you.

The day could be the same old thing, a silly adventure and Jax being an idiot, that suddenly Zooble will feel like something is clearly wrong(not that things already are), something is missing, they are missing something, did they forgot their foot? Maybe someone?

And when the reality hits they like a hard, cold, big rock, everything gets a thousand times worse. Zooble remembers the things you did for them, they for you. They never thought they would get into a cute romance, honestly...And here they are.

Certain thoughts itch in their head that maybe, just maybe, they were a bad partner. They know you're not stupid enough to be with someone you clearly don't like, but yet, Zooble can't help it.

Zobble never thought that they would want things to be only boring and annoying than this current situation.

Pomni

PAIN PAIN PAIN

Hell, reader, she is the newest character in the circus, she doesn't have an ounce of sanity to deal with something like this.

Everything inside Pomni seems to scream at her to do something but all she feels are her hands shaking like it's the European winter, her brain itching and the butterflies that were once in Pomni's stomach vomit and die.

She get's out all glitched out(and traumatized), but nothing will describe the agonizing silence after panicked screams and tears shed from the unsuccessful help.

For Pomni, Even though things are the same, everything sounds like the first time she came here again. Everything sounded like a headache, even though she can't get that stuff in the digital world.

Pomni didn't put you on a pedestal, she still has Ragatha as a friend. But, god, you were such a angel for her, someone she genuinely admired. And then, you simply disappeared like a dry leaf in the wind.

Of course Pomni blames herself for this, if only she could have been there for you before, helped you more, calmed you down more. Pomni's confidence only dropped after these events.

Ragatha is one of the only ones who really has open arms for Pomni to vent and have a shoulder to cry on. She's the second one she trusts most besides you. Oh, what am I talking about, she's now the only one Pomni really trusts now.

Gangle

Dont do this to my Gangle, reader... :(

Gangle can't use another comedy mask after what just happened to them and to you. Gangle can't just act like nothing happened to their lover. It was supposed to be you and them, forever, even in the worst places, why did this had to happen to you?!

This big episode- no, three seasons of depression didn't seriously bother the others, Jax was mildly irritated and Ragatha was worried, but it didn't hurt anyone other than Gangle themselves.

Rmember how sad Gangle is all the time? They are still sad but now multiplied by a hundred. Suddenly, everything, everyone, even themselves just felt useless, they can't even bring themselves to get up from the floor, It was as if the accumulation of sadness took physical form, and it was a giant gym weight of one hundred kilos.

Caine lied to Gangle once, saying that if If they participates in this adventure he could bring you back. The host's plan was to get Gangle back in the high spirits, but this only resulted in they becoming brutally competitive.

Everyone just sounds hard and boring, talk to others is hard, and get out of their bedroom sounds boring. Why leave?! They didn't woke up in your warm arms.

I wouldn't be impressed if Gangle suddenly had a tantrum, seeing the extent of their misery. Blaming everything and everyone for your disappearance, being the reason stupid or not.

They just miss you so much :(

Jax

Jax would never admit to being desperate, or even scared, when he saw you in that shape. Your mind shifts, and in a matter of seconds, you turn into a giant monstrosity he never thought you would become.

Process that you just... Poof, gone, was slow and silent for Jax. His pride couldn't process something that would leave him shaken.

The first few weeks Jax was just angry, angry and angry. He yells at Caine, Ragatha, Gangle, anyone who even slightly irritates Jax will end up getting into an argument with him. Just like I mentioned in the Zooble scenario, blindly, this just shows that Jax can't get over his loss.

The rabbit's frequent comedic sarcasm has now just turned into a sarcasm that he uses to aggressively retort against others. And the comments are few now.

Everything sounds so painfully boring without your stupid face and your dork personality, it itches his heart and stomach in ways it never did. He's just...stressed.

I believe that Jax is the character who heals the fastest from his loss among all other ones, at least a month and at most three or five. He just needs some consolations to get his ego back to its original size. Don't get him wrong, obviously he misses you.

#x reader #canon x reader #reader insert #tadc x reader #tadc gangle x reader #tadc jax x reader #tadc zooble x reader

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whoopsies-daisies · 11 months

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random goofy lil tadc headcannons 🔥🔥🔥

Kinger once completely forgot how to speak English for a whole day and didn't realize. He was speaking Spanish. Kinger doesn't even speak Spanish.

Every few months Caine makes little changes to everyone's outfits just for fun. They have no say in this.

Once in a while they all gather in Jax's room for movie night. They only use Jax's room because he has the biggest bed (because of how ridiculously tall he is). Jax never gets to pick the movie, despite it being his tv.

Sometimes ragatha thinks that she forgot to drink water for today, then remembers that they don't actually need water.

Jax used to be best friends with another rabbit that resided within the circus, but once they abstracted, he decided that nothing in the circus was worth his time anymore, and just sorta gave up on being nice to people and participating in Caine's adventures.

Caine once tried incorporating digital pets into the circus to make everyone happier, but they glitched out and started trying to attack everyone. That's how ragatha lost an eye.

Jax blasts music from his room louder than anyone thought was humanly possible, and it's never the kind of music anyone would expect him to listen to. Imagine Gangle's surprise when she walked past Jax's room in the morning hearing David Bowie music playing so loud it could rupture a non-digital person's eardrums.

Sometimes when Zooble is bored they'll just rearrange their body parts like a real life Mx. Potato Head.

Gangle and Pomni bond over their shared love of cats.

Every Friday night, Gangle, Pomni, and Ragatha hang out and eat popcorn and watch romcoms for a girl's night. They were going to invite Zooble, but ultimately decided against it since Zooble isn't technically a girl, they're a Zooble.

They're all at least a little bit gay.

Ok that's it. Tadc fans come get your juice.

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #tadc pomni #tadc caine #tadc jax #tadc gangle #tadc kinger #tadc zooble #tadc ragatha #the amazing digital circus headcannons #tadc headcanon #tadc hc

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ask-the-rag-dolly · 4 months

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ok the askbox is open. im taking this opportunity to say ohhhhh im going crazy over the narrative constructed here. specifically with how audience (anon) interaction is intertwined with the main conflict.

because its like.. we are inherently a BAD THING. yes, some of us are actually malicious, but even if we do have kind intentions, and only want the best for ragatha.. just being there is a negative impact that outweighs any positives. we are a parasite, after all. and technically, the only positive action we could do is to simply.. stop engaging. leave the askblog alone. leave ragatha alone. except we could never do that, because we're too curious now, too attached- we want to see how the story continues, how it ends. we cant leave well enough alone, we just have to know. we need to know. so the cycle will continue nonetheless due to our nature. and we have to watch as our main character, the person we're rooting for, gets worse and worse. knowing that its our fault, because we're choosing to engage. we're choosing this path of pain. because we're curious, and that curiosity would kill us if we didn't feed it.

and of course its on a tadc tumblr ask blog of all things lol. no hate btw. im here enjoying it after all! though honestly i say that like this had any opportunity of existing outside of the askblog genre... or even the tumblr landscape itself- i feel like the anon feature itself is also a big part of this sort of narrative, as it allows those actively malicious anons to be even nastier. because it distances us from our actions. like.. we're given a mask, something that obscures our true identities (both to the other askers.. and to ragatha to an extent, as most all look the same to her. who knows, maybe that one supportive anon trying to cheer her up is the same one also encouraging her downfall! she cant tell!)- a thing that wipes our hands free of any consequences. a chance to become faceless and untraceable- so of course some people will indulge. be as horrible as possible. because, hey, its not like you'll be getting any consequences for it! no way to trace it back to you! no way to be held accountable! you can just sit back and watch the fire you made grow higher. more bright. thats the main goal, after all- to make a spectacle! to move the story along and make it exciting! thats the only thing that matters to you. that its entertaining. not the people you'll be harming in the process.

anyways sorry for the fucking. essay. in your askbox. i like talking and also i fucking love dissecting meta-aligned narratives like this. gggrrggrgrgrrrr chewing on this blog like a chewtoy. i hope everyone gets worse and this whole blog blows up!!!!!!!

i can't stop giggling at ' its on a tadc tumblr ask blog of all things ' . this was really originally supposed to just be a silly blog with little story but here we are . you really won't get this anywhere else

i get pretty happy when someone dissects this silly thing so no need to apologize !! i'm my own harshest critic when it comes to this blog so it's often difficult for me to grasp what meaning people get out of this lol truly thank you guys for wanting to see my insane , Unhinged ideas come through

and i love the dissection on the mean anons - a lot of this thing hinges on actions having consequences after all ! every little thing will have an impact on ragatha's mental state . i'll say i think the anons have potential to not be as harmful - as there was a point in the blog's time where they acted more like inner therapists to ragatha than reality-bending beings of chaos ( good times ) . it just really depends on being patient with an actually mentally ill person like ragatha - it does fascinate me how people's frustration with her echoes real life mental health situations .

but yeah thanks !!! i'll be kissing this essay and pinning it on the refrigerator that i call my brain (:

#[ ooc ]

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the-s1lly-corner · 11 months

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hello! Im one(1) of the anons that requested the jane doe reader and i thought of a funny scenario

So the character of jane doe was basically decapitaded so, imagine if reader's head isnt atached to their body, and can take their head off .

The tadc cast react to the reader taking off their head and then putting It back on like nothing. Tyy!!!

( remember to rest and drink wáter) :)

TADC cast x a reader with a detachable head!

oh hoho this one is going to be fun because my TADC oc can do the same thing, can take their limbs and head off at will and as needed; so i may or may not let my excitement show in this post and use my oc as a placeholder.. i definitely will.. which reminds me, i have a sketch of my ocs human design as well as a messy ref of their digital body... i have got to draw them more.. maybe ill finish the human sketch sometime today after this post... speaking of this post! this is the last request in my inbox ! after this im gonna take a break for a bit then reopen requests! do not send in requests at this time, please! (this goes for everyone regardless of fandom </3)

CAINE:

technically i think you could consider him with a detachable head... because i dont... think he has a neck... so technically.. not phased at all, he has seen things from various different circus members.. but lets say you came before zooble, and you were also the first circus member who could do that... i think he would be really into it and be amused. probably flies right up to you chattering about that little trick of yours

POMNI:

uncomfy by it, i think it would take her a while to get used to it... i think she would be the same with zooble thanks to the "these are people" thing, with the only reason she didnt freak out at zoobles dismemberment in the pilot being because she was preoccupied with her panic and confusion of this new setting

RAGATHA:

mildly uncomfortable anytime it happens but no where near as uncomfortable as pomni, since she has had her time to get used to a bunch of weird stuff in the circus; both from the circus itself as well as the people in it.. will guide your body to your head if theres ever a scenario where the two get separated.. hand holding... smiles

JAX:

probably tries to convince you to leave your head in someones room or in a box and have some poor unsuspecting person open it.. i think that would scare anyone, even if they were used to your headless activities... probably laughs at your body wandering aimlessly trying to find your head if theres an occasion where it was forcefully knocked off.. probably nudges your head away... this only really works if your body has to blindly fumble and you having to telepathically guide it towards you instead of it just going into autopilot and knowing where you are automatically and has zero struggle beelining for the head... but fumbling... funny

KINGER:

owoo!! jumpscare!/ref

honestly i think sometimes he just rolls with it and other times hes bothered by it; really depends on how hes feeling that day... but i think the majority is that hes used to it thanks to zooble... has probably run off with your head on accident when he meant to run off with you as a whole, usually in the face of danger during an IHA...

ZOOBLE:

completely unphased by it since they can pretty much do the same thing! there isnt really much to be said since zooble neither feels this way or that in regards to your little decapitation trick... if they couldnt mess with their own parts though i think they would find your thing cool, though

GANGLE:

depending on what your digital body is themed around i think this would determine how gangle would feel about it... like zooble is mismatched and is seen taking out their antennae as well as their limbs being snagged off by jax... with zooble, is makes sense, they look like a mismatched mess of different parts.. so if you were something that could reasonably do the same thing i think she can overlook it... now the first time would still be a shock, no doubt about it, regardless of theme.. very careful whenever theres a reason they need to get close to your head, she does not wanna knock it off and potentially upset you

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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destinygoldenstar · 4 months

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'Jax is an NPC'

Hm... ... ...

No.

It's a good theory, don't get me wrong, I see the evidence, I see where you're coming from.

But it's not a theory I agree with. Let me explain.

Caine's line "But if I start losing track of who's a human and who's an NPC who knows what could happen" is very vague as is. This could mean a whole lot of things.

I said this in another post of one of my own theories. I think it's possible that Caine could've killed a human player and his trauma of that was showing.

We know A.I's can shed traumatic emotions. Look at Gummigoo.

Now, yes, Caine couldn't 100% kill a human. Otherwise he would delete the abstractions. And it seems like human players abstract when they die and that's the only way they CAN die.

So therefore Caine having killed a human player should be thrown out as a possibility.

BUT. Hear me out.

Abstractions are shown to be able to glitch several in game objects because of their abstraction. And we actually do NOT see if all the abstractions look exactly the same as Kaufmo's abstraction.

They could very well not.

Going to biblical text, Caine was the first murderer and received a permanent consequence.

Could a permanent consequence be, idk, failing at your programmed job over and over again and be forced to watch these humans abstract and perish forever?

Especially if because of the human player death's abstraction glitch, is WHY the other human players cannot leave the game!

If you look at Pomni's room in one shot, there's a couple of blocks that are stacked from top to bottom 'ABXEL'.

Could it be that the human player Caine killed was named Abel?

But there is also the other possibility that somehow, there is an NPC among the circus. So let me explain my thought on that possibility.

I don't think it's possible.

I think Caine would've noticed, especially if he immediately recognized GummiGoo wasn't supposed to be there.

If one of the circus folks were an NPC, their figure would've appeared with the others in the backrooms.

Now, there is the possibility that it was placed somewhere else, that place is huge after all. So take that with a grain of salt.

I'm not completely eliminating the 'Jax is an NPC' theory.

I get the evidence. He's constantly breaking the fourth wall. But I think that more so has to do with what I’m about to say.

He has keys to people's rooms. I get that one. That is definitely sus as hell and I'm not denying it is sus.

He also ‘lacks human physics.’

So does everyone else in the cast. Pomni can stretch her body out like Elastagirl. Ragatha has stuffing instead of blood. Kinger has his own glitchy moments. Gangle has two faces. Zoobles body can fall apart.

I’m just saying. These are not human physics either. So Jax being able to keep in place whenever he wants being only a Jax thing is not too far fetched compared to all these other examples.

But I also think, and this is my opinion, that he's much more compelling as a character as a sociopathic human player that is beyond saving and MENTALLY cannot be humanized again.

What I mean by that is that while he is TECHNICALLY a human player, MENTALLY, he is so detached from his humanity and moral code often associated with humanity that he acts more NPC-like as a side effect.

Jax is not designed to be a morally grey character. He is written to be the least moral of the entire show.

It would be SO EASY to excuse those moral wrongdoings as 'well they were never human to begin with'.

But I think that's the lazy way out, and I think this show is smarter than that.

Because here is the thing, there ARE some really REALLY terrible humans. Evil humans in fact.

WHY they're so terrible varies, but that doesn't make them less terrible.

And yes while some terrible people can get redeemed if they themselves can, this is NOT absolute. There are people that are just plain beyond saving. So beyond saving that they ditch their moral code, a code drilled into the human mind, that they SEEM inhuman to humans who can't relate.

This is a very real psychological thing.

With how many morally grey characters get thrown around as compelling these days, Jax NOT being written that way and instead being written as the morally worst would naturally make people go 'he must not be human'.

In psychology, behavior like that doesn't physically inhumanize them, but it MENTALLY does, they behave in a set of rules so different from the normal that it's corrupt to the normal.

So I think he is a human player like the others. But his MENTALITY is not, so he ACTS NPC-like as a side effect to that mental loss.

Not every human is morally grey and get cozy redemption arcs. There are some truly awful people in the world with no redeemable qualities whatsoever. I like that he represents that. I like that there's a character on this show that acts as that huge wake-up call of 'Yeah some people just plain suck and you shouldn't have to deal with them.'

But while I don't think Jax being an NPC would be the best route to take. That is just my opinion and I am not the one writing the show. If that IS the route they are taking, I am fine with that so long as it is written with proper care. I could definitely be reading this wrong.

#the amazing digital circus #amazing digital circus #digital circus #tadc jax #tadc caine #tadc theory

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notnights · 5 months

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how do u feel about ribbun being canon this episode?

"Ribbun" in this case being a paraphrase of "the dynamic between Jax and Gangle" is what's being "canon," sure that's it. That being said, there was a good dynamic to what I hoped for, for sure and that I'm excited to see more of.

I hope Pomni and Jax are foils and so when it comes to Gangle; Pomni cares for Gangle's opinion about things, and asks her if she's okay with things, what choices she would make in certain scenarios. Gives Gangle the time to speak because...

Jax does not do that, in fact when Jax decides he doesn't want to drive, he puts Gangle in the seat because he knows he can still control her to do what he wants while behind the wheel. Interesting dynamic I think! Classic putting someone "in charge" because you know you are the one technically in charge of them.

He seems to communicate with Gangle the most casually, but I imagine this is because she's the easiest for him to manipulate. Who knows if it's any deeper than that. More "comfortable" with her because he knows he has control and power of her. Ugh so awful I love it, can't wait to see if they'll be rotten "friends." Jax and Gangle always a duo only because she's someone he can have under his thumb the whole way.

I hope Pomni treats Gangle the exact opposite way as Jax does; caring for what she has to say and what she has on her mind. And that in-turn helps Gangle finally push back against Jax.

In relation, this shot is framed so well and makes me feel so heartbroken, because while I hope Pomni helps motivate Gangle, it seems like Ragatha has given up on that or feels she can't help in anyway.

Ragatha just sits and watches this happen and doesn't like it but doesn't do anything to help either.

This particular thing probably isn't relevant but I just think it's a nice use of character expression for something a lot of viewers probably would barely notice with Raga being so small and out of focal shot.

Anyways I wasn't originally planning to type that much in this response but I guess I have more brain-thoughts than I thought.

#ask

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kiwi-pomegranate · 2 months

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I'm so glad I have a friend that still uses Tw*tter or I'd miss out some cool art :3 (look at Kaufmo!! Meanjokes crumbs??)

@aradiaarts is shadowbanned on here it seems

ID and full images under cut

A post from @AradiaArts It reads:

Our three main sillies, Ragatha, Kaufmo and Aradia. I sure hope nothing bad happens to them. #tadcau #tadcoc #tadp

There's 3 images attached, of each of the characters.

The first one is of Ragatha. She has both of her eyes, instead of her usual one eye with a button replacing her left(?) eye. Her outfit is the same as in the original. She has 3 poses, 2 with her smiling, and one where she crosses her arms and has her back turned to the camera. A text box next to her that reads "Ragatha:

Ever the optimist, Ragatha does her best to stay chipper as a newcomer in The Digital Circus. Despite Queenie abstracting on her first day there, and burdening herself with the guilt of that loss, she does her best to stay positive. Ragatha is extremely kind, friendly, well-meaning and selfless, to the point of being willing to go to great lengths to help others in the circus. Her cordial nature allows her to quickly win over and befriend others, including those who aren't initially trusting of her, like Aradia." There's colored icons, indicating her relationship with the other characters, from left to right it's: Kaufmo - yellow and green, Aradia - green with a question mark pointing to her, Kinger - green, and finally Jax - red and yellow

The second image is of Kaufmo with 3 poses, one where he's thinking about Jax and blushing, with the MLM flag overlayed on it, and the dog-like character is saying "Lol." In the background. One where he faces the camera and his whole body is visible, his character design is altered from his canon design quite a bit. He's now wearing overalls and his pants have stars, he has a tuft of hair sticking out from under his party hat, and he has blue ruffle accents on his collar, hat, and sleeves now too. The last pose is of him looking angry, with a speech bubble with a scribble in it. The text box next to him reads:

"Kaufmo is a member of The Digital Circus, and Aradia's best friend. A adamantly anxious and erratic individual. He can be rather stubborn and can be a bit impulsive at times. Despite that, he dislikes breaking rules, and gets extremely nervous when he realizes that he has ****ed up." (The swear is censored with "[#%^!]" instead of asterisks).

His character relationships are:

Aradia - green, Ragatha - mostly yellow with a scribble of red, Kinger - mostly yellow with a scribble of green, and Jax - green (with a heart pointing to him)

The final photo is of Aradia, a dog-like original character for this AU. She appears to be based on either a stuffed animal or fursuit. She has dog ears and what looks like a half shaven mid length haircut, however it seems her hair only grows on the one side. She wears a white collar, that appears to be made with feathers? or has a feather like appearance with a yellow bow tie atop it. Her makeup kinda reminds me of the sugar skulls you'd see on el Día de los Muertos. She's drawn in technically one pose with 2 close ups of her face and one with just her torso. From top to bottom, the one with just her torso is her without her hair, and she has fluffy chest fur instead of did her scarf, with a heart stitched on. The next one is of just her face, now with her hair, she's smiling with her eyes closed, her smile looks like :3 (which is like the smile of a cat if you don't have that described). The last close up has her blushing, looking down and to the right, and her mouth open slightly. In her pose, she's standing with her arms out and a dog treat in her mouth. Her character description reads:

Normally relaxed, and unbothered, Aradia has grown accustomed to the Digital Cirous and has come to terms with being there… that is, until abstractions start to rip her found family away from her. Determined to uncover what is happening, and unwilling to follow any rules they're given, Aradia is ready to go to almost any length to protect the ones she loves from this new virus plaguing their world. Even so, guilt and heartache weigh heavy on her mind."

Her character relationships are:

Kaufmo - green, Ragatha - green (with a heart pointing to her and a question mark pointing from her towards Aradia), Kinger - mostly yellow with a scribble of green, and Jax - fully red

END ID]

#tadc au #tadc oc #the amazing digital prequel #tadp #tadp Ragatha #tadp kaufmo #tadp aradia #the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc ragatha #tadc kaufmo #tadc original character #kaufax

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jester089 · 11 months

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Jax Ass kicker here, it was definitely funny to see your thoughts on the purple menace and thanks for entertaining it! I’d like HC’s of them but only and ONLY if your up for it. I’m happy as is. Thanks! LOL ^_^

A well deserved A%# kicking (Part 2)

Can do! I'll read requests more thoroughly so I don't gloss over a vital thing like that again. Sorry again! Enjoy.

Caine

You being willing to fight back against Jax didn't really affect Caine as Jax never messed with him. Though Caine appreciates you helping out the others. It's strange but since Jax arrived Caine has seen an abnormal rise in abstraction. And Caine just can't put his finger on why? But then you showed up and it dropped back to the usual. *shrugs*

Gangle

Out of everyone Gangle needs it the most. She's made out of ribbon so she's easily hurt AND can't fight back! Have you ever tried to hit someone with a ribbon? It's impossible. AND HER MASKS ARE BREAKABLE! Yeah she needs some help. Your like a much needed Jax repellent that Gangle has been hoping for since she got here. But every time you protect her she feels bad cause she can't really do anything for you. But she'll try and be a bit more talkative/affectionate as you seem to like that. Do be warned each time he's stopped Jax gets more and more aggressive. So the only real way to have Gangle be safe is to either A. Always be with her. Or B. Get rid of Jax somehow. But that isn't going to happen so I recommend setting up a bed in your room for Gangle.

Zooble

Jax doesn't pick on Zooble a lot. He doesn't do her any favors sure, but I feel like their similar ages might make her less of a target? It's either that or because her reactions are never much fun to him. Well whatever the case, Zooble doesn't need much help. She can handle herself in an argument and in a fight. She could pop one arm off and have double the range making her able to hit the person with a full strength punch from afar. Still though everyone gets caught at a bad time eventually. And if you stepped in between her and Jax when something went wrong or Jax was being especially awful she would be grateful. She wouldn't show it until you two were alone but she does appreciate it. And she'll make sure you know that. Later.

Kinger

Kinger has been in the circus a while. He's the oldest in actual age and the one who's been there the longest. So he's definitely met a few Jax type people in his time and has learned how to avoid them. So more likely then not he wont need your help to often. But everyone needs help eventually. I can see Jax coating the outer layer of one of Kinger's pillow fortresses while he's inside with like cement to trap him. So when you save him he, like a true royal blushes then gives you his child's hand in marriage. But he doesn't have a child. So he'll have to do! (Don't expect anything fancier then a ring pop as a ring and a white sheet as a wedding gown.)

Ragatha

Ragatha honestly needs the help. Not because she's weak or anything. But because she's so worried about making sure the others are ok that she just lets herself be a punching bag if it means the others are ok. She's to much of a people pleaser and she suffers because of it. You two are a good mix of brain and brawn. She keeps everyone in the best state of mind she can manage. And you keep everyone as physically ok as you can manage. You make a good combo but you two can be a little overbearing so make sure, to make sure the persons ok with it. She's got a lot on her mind at all times so she wont always notice you helping her out, especially if it didn't happen in front of her or she was in the middle of something. But when she does realize she'll always thank you for it.

Jax

Two Jax's?! And your protecting one from the other?!? Error code 116832//: To many Jax's. Restart in 30 seconds. :\\ (That was a joke but like, it's a digital world. Technically it could glitch and their could be multiple of a character. I mean did you see that flower at the start of the pilot? It's clearly not a super well held together place.) (So, naturally my mind went straight to the thought being sandwiched in between two Ragatha's having the life squeezed out of me x2 in a super tight but incredibly loving hug. And naturally I'm going to write about that. Eventually. I'm pretty swamped rn.)

Pomni

From her first day here she's known that Jax was bad news. But she doesn't really avoid him, I mean she was there when he admitted to having keys to everywhere. So if he wants to find you their isn't just you can do. Until you arrive she hangs around him and is secretly hoping that he'll like having her around and take it easy on her. That of course doesn't work and by the time you arrive/realize how bad Jax is she's hanging on a thread. More likely then not your going to be taller then her. So if you see her clearly uncomfortable, with Jax or someone else if you just pick her up and walk away she'll be both embarrassed and thankful. She isn't the best at putting her foot down and stopping something she isn't comfortable with so your might end up having to be kind of an a%$#hole for her sake. (Ok I think I did your request right. If I didn't, again. Message me. Sorry but I'm not doing this for a third time. Your just gonna have to live with the two I did make. Even if it turned out wrong I hope you enjoyed.)

xoxo, Jester

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #caine x reader #gangle x reader #zooble x reader #kinger x reader #ragatha x reader #Jax? x reader #pomni x reader #noob author #not beta'd

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literallyzooble · 6 months

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The Amazing Digital Marching Band: Beta Designs

WHAT THE HEEEEELLLLLLL OH MY GAWD NO WAYAYAYAYAYAY

Hi hello hi!! I finally got around to designing some beta layouts for my Digital Circus AU! Please tell me what you think and reblog if you can! If I continue to expand upon this AU, I might just make its own blog for it! Just depends when and if I have time :)

Okay under the cut is me infodumping about each design so feel free to like skip allat if you don’t want to read it

Gangle: Color Guard -I wanted to still follow Gangle’s ribbon motif in her design, this is probably the most personalized outfit out of all of them. -The ribbon the makes up her body now continues down and spirals around her legs, sort of to make a “skeleton” of a dress. -I added a bit more flare to her arms, adding extra ribbons that don’t act as limbs, and more as sleeves or decoration. -The bow on her head kind of just ties it all together, again fitting with the ribbon motif that I was going for. -In terms of the first point, the reason why I say “personalized” is that I’m still not sure what I’m going for in terms of outfits. I don’t know if I want them all to be uniform and the same, like a true marching band (in this case, I would have to change Gangle’s outfit), or if I’d like each uniform to have more of a personal style to it (in this case I would keep Gangle’s outfit, and change uniforms to echo the original character’s designs (i.e. changing Ragatha’s uniform to be a bit more dress like).

Pomni: Drum Major -I’m still deciding on the hat, I wanted to try to make a shako with a jester hat motif, but I’ll have to work it out over time. -Her uniform borrows from modern marching uniforms (Stanbury for inspiration) and circus jester clothes (hence the fringe around the waist). -Gloves are the same size as her original gloves, except they’re white. -Pants are classic bibber pants, shoes are classic marching shoes (both black).

Zooble: Snare (Battery) -One of their antennae is a snare stick. I came up with this gimmick that Zooble basically pulls out sticks from everywhere: their head, their arm, their leg, they always have a spare. -I decided to give Zooble two wings for stability, since you don’t want to be tilted to one side while marching, especially for battery. -Their right (looking at the drawing it’s their left) arm has this mechanism where you can easily insert sticks, it’s sort of like one of those things that can extend your pencil when it’s short? It uses the same logic. -I kinda went the craziest on Zooble’s design because I am so normal about them (I am not) -I CHOSE ZOOBLE AS A SNARE BEFORE GOOSE SAID THAT THEY PLAY DRUMS MY BRAIN IS MASSIVE

Ragatha: Flute -Adding on from what I yapped about in Gangle’s tidbit, I had this idea to make the uniforms a bit more personalized to each character, for example giving Ragatha’s uniform a bit more of a “dress” look to math her original design. Of course, this conflicted with my knowledge of marching bands and why everyone has such similar uniforms, so to go with the dress-like design or not, as well as personalizing each of the character’s designs more, is still up in the air. -Woodwinds have gloves that have the fingertips cut off, so their fingers can be more technical. Ragatha’s gloves are black. -The woodwind and brass uniforms are mostly the same, the shakos (color wise) are the only things that differentiate the two. -Classic marching bibber and shoes. -Yes I am self projecting by making Ragatha a flute and BEFORE YOU GO SAYING “erm achchually Ragatha plays Cello-“ FIRSTLY there are no cellos in marching band and SECONDLY within this AU she plays flute for marching season and play cello in the orchestra for concert season :)

Jax: Trumpet -His ears go inside his shako, I’m just too lazy to edit/erase them. -Brass have gloves that have no alterations made to them. Jax’s gloves are also black. -Classic marching bibber and shoes. -Jax gives me “typical crackhead trumpet” energy and I don’t know why. Anyways there’s my reason for putting him on trumpet.

Kinger: Bass Drum And Gong (Pit/Auxiliary) -I want Kinger in this AU to give “How TF Did I Get Dragged Into This” Vibes -Pit percussion members don’t wear shakos, which is sort of cool so we can still recognize the chess piece form. -Since Kinger doesn’t have any legs, his “marching bibber” is more of just a black skirt that surrounds his body. -Pit percussion members don’t wear gloves. Which is a problem. Because Kinger is always wearing gloves. And I do not want to draw whatever is underneath those gloves. Scawy.

Stay tuned for more!! Maybe!! In the near future??? ALSO ALL SHIPS ARE ALLOWED!!! YOU MAY SHIP WHOEVER WITH WHOMEVER!!! AS LONG AS YOU’RE NOT A CREEP!!! YAHOO!!!

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thescarletnargacuga · 3 months

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Art: @iamespecter

CHAPTER THREE

Racing AU!

Pomni's first real race! Wish her luck! She'll need it when she ends up out of bounds and discovers that there may be a way out after all. What is Caine hiding?

WARNING: existential crisis, implied death

Pomni stared at the ceiling from her bed in her properly themed room. She didn't sleep a wink after yesterday's events. She spent the time just staring, thinking. "There must be a way out..." She mumbles to herself. "What kind of game is designed with no exit?" She closed her eyes and tried for the millionth time to remember how she got here. She held her hands out in front of her face as though she were holding something. "Headset...I put on a headset...to play a game. This game. Why did I do that?" She groaned as she struggled to remember. Everything before the headset was so fuzzy. Did the transfer to this realm screw with her head? It wouldn't surprise her.

Her train of thought is derailed by a knock at her door. "Pomni? You still sleeping?" It was Ragatha, there was a brief pause before she continued. "I'll let you get back to it if you are..."

Pomni got up and answered the door, opening it only slightly.

"There she is! I wanted to help you design your kart for today's race, since you don't technically have one yet. I don't think Caine will let you use his kart for every race since it's one that is directly piloted by him, seems a bit overpowered if you ask me." Ragatha laughed awkwardly and force a smile. Her eye was puffy and a bit red, she had still been mourning the loss of Kaufmo and was putting on a brave face for Pomni.

Pomni avoided eye contact and left her room. "Uh, yeah... I guess you're right. Do we have to race every day?" She followed Ragatha to the stairs.

"No, every race is optional but Caine encourages participation because every race, and what position you end in, is worth points and the person with the most points at the end of the season wins the Grand Prix."

Pomni gave a quizzical look.

"Yeah, it's the grand prize we're all here to compete for. Speaking of which, you're new and coming in in the middle of a season so you're way behind. I suggest participating so you can get that trophy!" Ragatha pointed to a glass case displaying an enormous gold trophy. The name plate on its base read: Grand Prix Champion Ragatha.

"So you're the one to beat?"

Ragatha giggled. "Yep, and between you and me, I think that's why Jax is so worked up this season. He was champion three seasons running before I finally dethroned him."

Pomni paused. "Is...that it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Our entire existence here...is going after a trophy?"

"Well...yeah. That's kind of the whole point of a racing game. It gives us something to compete over and keep our minds busy so we don't..."

"End up like Kaufmo?" Pomni said more bluntly than she meant.

Ragatha felt her blood go cold. "Exactly." She answered curtly, but regained her upbeat attitude "So, let's get you a kart!" She pulled a lever and a bare bones kart rose from the floor. "This is your station. You pick the parts you want from this terminal here." She pointed out the buttons on a pedestal next to the kart. "And the Bubble mechanic will put it together for you. Easy as pie."

"Pie?" A Bubble hovered to Ragatha, looking expectantly for a treat.

Pomni shrunk away from the Bubble, unsure of those huge teeth.

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Ragatha tried shooing away the Bubble.

"Piiiiiiiie." The Bubble got closer.

"No. No pie. Stop!"

"Oh, she totally has pie on her!" Jax called from his station, a shit eating grin on his face as the Bubble tried to bite Ragatha.

"Ack! No! Stop!" Ragatha jabbed her finger at the Bubble, popping it. "Sorry about that, Pomni. Sometimes the Bubbles are a bit...strange. But they are helpful! Just call for one and it'll appear for whatever you need. Caine is often very busy so the Bubbles take care of the day to day.

Pomni perked up at the sound of Caine's name. If anyone had information it was him. "About Caine. What's his deal?" She started to play with the kart settings as Ragatha spoke.

"He's not human like the rest of us. He's the A.I. that designs and builds everything from the tracks to NPCs. He essentially IS the game."

"But he isn't omniscient. He didn't know about Kaufmo."

"He's made claims about having 'hundreds of all seeing eyes' but I'm not convinced. So much happens right under his nose. Well, not nose, but you know what I mean. And he always seems so spacey or just flat out dismissive. It's infuriating!" Ragatha slammed her fist on the terminal, activating a paint selection. Pomni's kart was slathered bright pink. "Oops...sorry."

Pomni wasn't concerned in the slightest over the color. She was digesting everything Ragatha had told her. "So do you think he's doing it on purpose? Putting on an act?"

"...maybe, but no one really knows. Caine keeps his distance, and honestly, we prefer it that way." Ragatha rubbed her fist.

"Really?"

"Have one conversation with him and you'll see why. His programming has him so hyperfixated on racing that you won't get much else out of him."

We'll see. Pomni thought. She finished designing her kart. Going for a standard design with balanced stats to start with, on Ragatha's advice. Topping it off with a red and blue color scheme with gold trim to match her tracksuit.

"Perfect! Why don't you take it for a test drive? Would make for a better warm up that yesterday."

"Heh, yeah, it would. Alright."

"Hey, Gangle, wanna help me get Pomni ready to race for real?"

Gangle was repainting her kart, she liked having a different color every race. She turned and gave Pomni's and Ragatha an adorable smile. "I'd love to!"

Finally, the track was ready to go. Caine's creative drive was starting to get away from him with how large the projects were becoming. The race he had set up for today was the largest he'd ever built with some of the most advanced NPCs he'd ever programmed. This wasn't just going to be another race, this was going to be another step in the evolution of the game. Perhaps the humans would enjoy the more immersive experience. It was worth a try.

Caine puffed his pipe, small blue bubbles lazily rose and popped. He floated suspended in mid air just out of the bounds of the game, surrounded by the assets of his most recent project, deep in thought.

Kaufmo's abstraction weighed heavily on him, as all of them did, but It had been years since the last and he thought he finally figured out how to keep them stable. He was wrong. Again.

"Wait am I to do with them? Even in this space, I can only do so much. Why isn't it enough? HOW is the human mind so complex? I've been trying to figure them out since the day I came into existence and I STILL don't understand. What am I doing wrong?"

He thought of the most requested experience. An exit. He genuinely didn't understand it. It wasn't in his programming. He was designed to create, not to leave. He sighed and put away his pipe. "He would've known what to do..." He looked to the faded C&A logo that branded the skybox around him.

Gangle and Ragatha stood next to Pomni in her kart at the start line of the test track. "...and that button releases anything attached to that kart." Said Ragatha. "And this lever deploys the glider for the long jumps." Said Gangle.

Pomni's head was spinning. It felt like taking an actual class to learn what all the knobs and buttons did. "What does this do?" She grabbed a lever on the right side and the engine made a weird crunching noise.

"That's the-" Ragatha couldn't finish her sentence before Pomni rocketed away in reverse. "POMNI! BRAKE!"

Pomni slid to a halt about a hundred feet away. She looked closer and saw the gear numbers on the handle. "Oh, heheh, that's the shifter. Of course." Embarrassed, she slowly rolled the kart back to the start.

"Don't worry, we've all done that at some point." Gangle reassured. "Why don't you go ahead and take a few laps? Get familiar with how it drives."

Pomni nodded, made sure she was in the right gear, and drove off. Her kart felt significantly slower than Caine's rocket of a kart yesterday so she already felt more comfortable. She geared up and went faster the second lap. By the third lap, she was going full speed.

Ragatha and Gangle smiled as they watched Pomni's confidence behind the wheel grow. Zooble and Kinger joined them.

"How's the new kid doing?" Kinger asked.

"She's doing great!" Exclaimed Gangle. "She's taking to it like a fish to water. Today's race is going to be so much fun!"

"Of course it will be. You're in it." Zooble pressed a corner of their head to the side of Gangle's mask in a kiss gesture. Gangle giggled and blushed.

Ragatha had to get on the track. She had to see just how much of a competitive spirit Pomni had. She whistled for her kart, jumped in and took off.

Pomni was taking the high banked turn when a white kart zipped up next to her. Ragatha waved and pulled ahead. Pomni got the idea. She sped up on the straightaway and kept on Ragatha's tail. Ragatha kept her kart in front of Pomni every time she tried to pass. Pomni wasn't having it and faked Ragatha out by feinting left but then speeded around on the right.

Stunned, Ragatha watched Pomni zip away, giving her a few seconds of space. She smirked. "Not bad." She geared up and accelerated.

Caine teleported inside the garage. "Good day, my amazing armadillos! I- uh?" He looked around, only Jax was inside, throwing darts at the Bubbles.

"Oh, hey, Caine."

"Where is everyone?" He double checked his wacky watch. "They should be nearby." He shook it. Darn thing was acting up.

"Outside watching Pomni drive in circles. As if we don't do that every day." Jax lazily threw another dart, popping a Bubble.

Caine teleported outside and saw Pomni and Ragatha zooming around the test track at break-neck speed. "Holy Hannah Barbara, you're all just chomping at the bit to race! Not to worry! It's time for the main event!" He summoned a trumpet and played First Call.

Ragatha and Pomni stopped at the start when they heard the trumpet call, rejoining the others. Zooble offered their fist. "Nice driving." Pomni gave a small smile and bumped Zooble's fist.

"Racers! I'm proud to unvail the most advanced track to date!" Caine snapped his fingers and the test track blurred and pixelated around them. The world changed to a bright and colorful candy themed track that stretches out for miles out into the horizon. "Introducing, Candy Canyon Kingdom!" The stands were suddenly full of faceless NPCs again, cheering and applauding the racers. The karts were lined up in sequence behind the start line, ready to roll. "This lengthy race will take you across the vast landscape from the sugar powdered mountains to the fudge filled valleys! But you're not just there to enjoy the sights! You're on a mission! Princess Loolilalu needs you to find crates of maple syrup scattered across the land, but watch out! There are bandits and monsters about looking to steal your most precious cargo! Pick up syrup along the track and bring it back to the finish line with you! The princess will reward you handsomely for every crate you return!"

"That's right." Princess Loolilalu appeared from the castle that was once their garage.

Ragatha's mouth hit the ground. The candy princess had to be the most beautiful person she'd laid eyes on in the digital world. She quickly picked her mouth back up but fumbled trying to stick it back on. She gave up and just slapped it on upside down. "Your majesty! Wow- beautiful- castle, I mean! Love the vibe."

Princess Loolilalu giggled. "Please, call me Loo."

Ragatha flushed and finger gunned. "Will do, Loo!"

Zooble snorted a laugh. Pomni just arched an eyebrow and looked from Ragatha to the Princess. Kinger was nearly vibrating with happiness as multiple candy butterflies landed on his head and hands. Gangle took the time to look around where she stood, taking in the atmosphere. Jax was teleported along with his kart to the start line. He lounged back in the seat with his feet on the dash. Caine beamed with pride. The racers were happy, so he was happy. Today was going to be a good day.

Even though Pomni won yesterday's race, she was at the back of the line because she had the fewest points. Being in the digital world, she didn't have a heartbeat but she still felt a thrumming anxiousness in her chest, knowing that this time she's on her own.

First light.

She grips the steering wheel.

Second light.

She revs the engine.

Third light.

She exhales.

GREEN!

She floors it and takes off. The start opens to the flatlands first, their karts leaving a trail of flying pink dust. This dust is easily spotted in the binoculars of the lead bandit staking out for the racers.

"There they are." Behind the binoculars was the lead bandit, Gummigoo. He and his gummy gator companions watched from a cliff on the edge of the flatlands. "Saddle up, lads. Time to go get ourselves some syrup." His buddies revved their motorbikes, giddy with excitement. Gummigoo mounted his bike and took off down the cliff face, his companions not far behind.

Pomni and the others came to the first round of surprise boxes. She was about to collect one when Jax side swiped her out of the way at the last second. "Gotta be quicker than that, noobie!" He laughed, having successfully stolen the item.

Pomni kept control but lost some speed and couldn't retaliate against Jax. She opted instead to hit a booster lane that led to a jump and a syrup crate. She hit the crate and it tethered itself to the back of her kart.

"Pomni's the first to claim a crate!" Caine announced from his booth. "But the bandits have spotted them and are catching up fast!"

Bubble was with him, but instead of co-hosting, they opted to chewing the scenery. Literally.

Pomni dodges a flying shell from Kinger as the track splits around a mountain. She and Gangle end up on one side as the others split off. Their road becomes a bridge across a fudge rivene. She finally collects an item when she hears a third engine rapidly approaching. She turns to see Gummigoo, alone, gunning straight for her.

"The racers have split up! I can't believe this, folks!" Caine was hovering over the desk that displayed multiple points of view of the race. "Four racers have chosen to go down the valley, but with two bandits on their tail, I don't know if they'll make it out of there without the syrup falling into the wrong hands! Haha!"

Bubble nommed on the side of the desk and saw Caine's cane waving around in front of them. In that moment, everything looked like candy, so they chomped down. They left nothing but the top part in Caine's hand.

"You parasite!" Caine popped Bubble and telescoped his cane back to full length.

Pomni activated her item and an old work boot appeared. Hoping it would help, she tossed it behind her at Gummigoo. The boot flew over his head.

"Ha! Missed me!" But a shadow overhead made him look up. The boot had honed in on him, grew impossibly large and came down on him with a cartoony splat. It vanished and Gummigoo had been squished down to tiny size, making him much slower for bit.

"Nice one, Pomni!" Shouted Gangle.

Ragatha and Kinger had crates of syrup. Zooble got theirs stolen and Jax was more concerned with what would happen if someone fell into the river of fudge they were racing along. He got an item and smiled when he saw Caine's cane in his hand. He hit the brakes, forcing the bandits behind him to swerve apart, and raises the cane high.

"Who wants to go swimming?" He throws the cane and it flies in a wide arc in front of him, hitting everyone. They all spin out, Ragatha more so when Jax hits her kart and takes her crate for himself. "See ya, suckers!"

"OH! Not a very sportsman like move from Jax! But he's moved up to 1st and now has a huge lead on the competition!" Caine would be on the edge of his seat if he had one.

Ragatha spun like a top into Kinger, who hit Zooble, who hit the taller of the two bandits, who went into the fudge. The fudge roiled and churred and the bandit went under. The shorter bandit skidded to a halt to help his friend but then the fudge began to rise. A face emerged from the gooey chocolate and laughed a horrible rumbling laugh.

"Oh no, folks! It looks like the monster has noticed the racers! They better get out of there before they get fudged up!"

Bubble reappeared and casually nommed on a lamp.

Waves of fudge splashed towards them as the racers swerved around to avoid getting hit. "What is that thing!?" Ragatha screamed as she dodged a chocolate wave.

"I don't know, but things certainly just got more interesting!" Zooble shouted back.

Kinger casually pulled ahead, away from the monster. The track was going back up into the hills. He spotted Jax and activated his saved item. A purple seashell. It rocketed away and off in the distance, Jax got sniped. He celebrated with a quiet fist pump.

Jax got hit by the shell were the track merged to one again. Pomni zoomed by him but Gangle took advantage of him spinning out and stole his crate. "Thanks, Jax!" He angrily shook off the shell and raced after her.

Gummigoo quickly caught up to the three leaders pushing his bike to it's limit. He ignored Jax and tried to grab Pomni's crate. Pomni caught him out of the corner of her eye, hitting he brake and swerved at him to throw him off. He backed away with a growl, locking eyes with Pomni. He was going to take her crate specifically on principle for doing that. He got close again, much more aggressively, but this time, Gangle wanted to help.

She swerved at Gummigoo a bit too aggressively, hitting his bike and making him clip into Pomni's kart. The clipping attached them and their vehicles started violently shaking and jolting. They spun into the ground, causing the glitch to worsen until they were thrown from their vehicles.

Gangle and Jax moved away from the chaos and barely caught what happened when the vehicles were suddenly launched into the air out of sight.

Caine was so caught up in the monster mayhem, he missed the glitch. Not that he could hear his wacky watch over his own excitement as it alerted that a racer was out of bounds.

While the kart and bandit motorbike went skyward, Pomni and Gummigoo were thrown downward. They fell and fell and fell, the bright colorful world above fading to deep navy blue grided walls.

They both fell hard on the flat untextured ground. The wind knocked out of them both, they struggled to get up. Pomni looked up, then around. She vaguely recognized where she could be. It looked like the area she found herself in when she ran from Kaufmo. Caine's workshop, so to speak.

Gummigoo groaned and adjusted his hat. He glared at Pomni. "Where are we? What's all this?" He gestured to their surroundings, random parts maps and assets were everywhere.

Pomni rubbed her shoulder. "I- I don't really know. We're probably under the map."

"Map?" Gummigoo looked up. The light from above was barely visible this far away. "I don't understand."

"Oh boy..." Pomni mumbled to herself. "Well, we're ya know...in a game?" She said carefully.

Gummigoo looked at her like she was crazy. "Game? What game? I've lived a whole life up there! That syrup you racers where hauling would've saved my mum!"

"...you have a mom?" She was flabbergasted. This NPC bandit was acting like a real person being told their world is fake.

"Yes! She-...she was...She needs the syrup for..." His eyes widened. He couldn't remember the exact reason for his motivation. He couldn't remember what she even looked like. He angrily snapped at Pomni. "What is going on!? Why can't I remember!?"

She flinched, seeing real pain in his digital eyes. "Because...you don't really...um..." She looked to the side. Rows and rows of asset charters were lined up like chess pieces by height and genre. The newest ones were on the end. She looked back at Gummigoo with sympathy and pointed to the Candy Canyon bandit assets.

Gummigoo saw himself. He cautiously approached, reaching out to touch his face. It felt real. It was him but, no life behind his eyes. He jerked his hand away and saw his friends out of the corner of his eye, just as still and lifeless as himself. He started to hyperventilate and fell to his knees.

The others were on lap two. Jax, Gangle and Kinger successfully scored points for the crates. Gangle was worried. She kept looking up to see if Pomni's kart would come down, but the map was so big she couldn't see wear it could possibly fall on the track. There was also only one bandit now. The smallest of the original three was far less of a threat all by himself. He didn't know where Gummigoo went and he watched his friend get taken by the fudge monster. He was only going because he would finish the mission in their names. Gummi's mum needed that syrup and he was going to do it!

Gummigoo stared blankly at the floor. Everything was a lie. His life, his memories, the people he knew and thought he loved. Fake.

Pomni meanwhile was looking for a way back up. Of course, they could just wait for Caine, but who knows how long that would be. She didn't wander too far away from Gummigoo but had a good look around for a stairway or something. When that failed, she looked to the vehicle assets. The bandit bikes were there. Maybe they could use that? They glitched out of the map, maybe they could glitch back in. She tries starting a bike but it doesn't turn over. It's as lifeless as the other statue-like assets.

"[@#$&]" Pomni kicked the bike, only managing to hurt her own foot. She looked at the slumped over figure of the living Gummigoo. "Hey...you okay?"

He didn't look at her. "What do you think?"

She awkwardly fidgeted with her hands. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?"

Pomni slowly approached. "I don't want to just leave you down here."

"Why not? I don't matter in the slightest. I'm...nothing." He took off his hat, holding it to his chest to find comfort in something familiar. Even if it wasn't real.

Pomni sat down next to him. "This may seem strange, but...I think I know the feeling." She sees the asset of him and quickly adds. "Well, maybe not the exact feeling, but feeling like you're nothing is not that uncommon. People even feel like that were I come from."

Gummigoo looked around and didn't see her face amongst the assets. "I assume you're not like me then?"

"No...not quite. But, for what it's worth. I'm stuck here too. I have no control over what's real or not, in this world or the other...but what I do have control over is what I do with myself. And I'm not going to take life sitting down. Are you?"

He thought for a moment. Then stood. "No. I'm not, but... What happens now?"

Pomni stood with him. "Well, I was thinking you could come back with me and the others. Become a racer. Maybe you could...be someone real with us. I just...I don't want you to feel like you're nothing. I don't want anyone to feel like that. And...the racers are pretty welcoming. Made me feel like I was a part of something rather quick. Maybe it can be the same for you?"

Gummigoo put his hat back on with a small smile. "You're a strange little character. I suppose I could give it a try." He looked to the assets of his companions. "All I ask is that we don't tell the lads. They're a couple of bright eyed yobbos. I don't want to drag them down with me."

"Makes sense. What's your name by the way?"

"Gummigoo, any idea on how to get out of here?"

"I had a few but they haven't worked. The only thing left to do is to walk."

Gummigoo looked to all the different tracks and assets. This was a weird and unknown world he was walking into. Made his head hurt. Ignorance truly was bliss in his case.

Bubble finally got fed up with the boss's wacky watch constantly going off and bit his wrist. Caine yelped and shook Bubble off his arm. "What was that for!?" The watch finally got his attention. "Oh no, a racer went out of bounds! The spoilers!" He vanished, leaving Bubble to munch on his equipment in peace.

Pomni and Gummigoo wandered aimlessly. There was no discernible pattern to where things ended or began. This "workshop", as Pomni came to mentally call it, was one of the most wildly chaotic spaces she had ever been in. Seems as though Caine was just as disorganized with his work as he was with his attention span.

"Hey, what's that over there?" Gummigoo pointed to a red door sitting out by itself in the distance.

Pomni squinted to read the print. She gasped. "An exit!" She ran to the door, Gummigoo right behind her. Her mind started to race with "what if". Could it possibly be THE exit? Was Caine hiding it here the whole time!?

Before she could grab the handle, Caine appeared between her and the door. "Pomni! My- oof!" Pomni ran smack into him.

Pomni grabbed Caine by the lapels of his coat and pulled him close to glare into his wild eyes. "Caine. What's that?" She pointed to the door behind him.

"Oh that? That's just a digital hallucination. Nothing to see there."

"I can see it too, mate." Gummigoo said flatly.

Caine snapped his fingers and the door poofed away. "You fell out of bounds, that's quite the fall. You probably hit your head. Come on let's get you back to the race. There is still one lap to go!"

"Wait, what about Gummigoo?" Pomni kept her grip tight.

"Gummi-who? Oh, your NPC friend here? What about him?" Caine shrugged.

"I want him to come with us."

Caine tried to figure out a response. "You want the NPC to rejoin the race? I can do that."

"No, I want him to come back to the Garage with us. I want him to become a racer. Caine, his reality has been shattered. He knows what he is. We can't just leave him with that knowledge. It would be cruel. Please, let him figure himself out like I've had to the last couple of days." She loosened her grip.

Caine looked from her to Gummigoo and back. "Would letting him join make you happy?"

Pomni looked back at Gummigoo. "Yes. I need all the friends I can get."

Gummigoo felt his first real emotion after the existential dread nearly drowned him. He felt comforted by Pomni's compassion.

"Welp, your wish is my command. Let's get you both back topside." He grabbed their arms and teleported to the start line. He snapped his fingers and Pomni's kart and Gummigoo's bike appeared. "Go on, you two! The race will be over soon!"

Pomni looked back at Caine from her kart. "Don't think I forgot about that door, Caine. I know what I saw." She revved her kart and zoomed off, Gummigoo followed.

Caine hovered by himself next to the start line. The roar of the NPC spectators faded into the background as his code felt heavy with dread. He needed to do something about that door.

~~~

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