#biscuit bakes | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

actuallyjustabiscuit · 4 months ago

Text

Jax’s behavior is legit pretty fascinating

Yes it’s time I ramble about the purple twink.

Fast Food Masquerade did something crazy in that it actually got me to start empathizing with the asshole because Jax’s visible frustration throughout this adventure was too real.

And in fact, it’s why I think Jax was acting so “different” towards the latter half of the episode.

This adventure was Too. Damn. Real.

Now, Jax’s character is actually really simple. He even sums up his whole schtick in the pilot.

“I’m fine with doing whatever, as long as I get to see funny things happen to people.”

Then in a hilarious bit of instant karma, promptly gets hit in the face with a gloink

The “-who aren’t me” part of that self description pretty much goes without saying.

Immediately after this happens, Jax’s little laidback exterior gets so rattled that he suddenly feels the need to take control and starts assigning tasks to everyone. And his casual attitude only returns once he feels like he’s not in any position for ridicule, by redirecting the potential for ridicule onto others. This is his defense mechanism.

Jax needs to feel in control, so he deliberately controls whatever situation he’s in to get the results he wants.

Something that I’ve always appreciated about Jax from a meta perspective is that he’s a character who actively moves the story forward, usually because he wants to satisfy his urge to create chaos.

And that’s the main thing about Jax, he’s really destructive.

Like…almost pointlessly destructive.

But, y’know what? It makes sense. Because he’s in a video game.

Where else can you be as needlessly and excessively chaotic than in a game where you can do pretty much anything because nothing is real?

Jax can hurt whoever and wreck whatever because if he’s living by video game logic, then there are no lasting consequences to his actions.

Jax even goes so far as to refer to Pomni, and by extension the other trapped humans, as a “character” in the pilot. Which goes to show how little he wants to consider them as people.

You can’t really hurt a character. And if used correctly, a character can be entertaining.

And that’s all Jax really wants out of his new life in the Circus, entertainment. Because the worst thing you can be while stuck in a game is be bored.

But of course, even in games, your actions have certain consequences that are just unavoidable.

And Episode 4 really beat Jax’s yellow teeth in with that not-so-fun little reminder. Because this bit right here

Pretty much was the precedent for how bad Jax was gonna get it this time.

And it all starts with Gangle absolutely refusing to let his usual bullshit slide by personally making sure that there will be consequences.

This is the first crack in Jax’s mask, he’s visibly concerned and annoyed that he no longer is allowed to be himself lest he risks getting punished. And even more baffling is that for the first time, Gangle asserts her power over him. She actually does something about his behavior, ripping the wind right out of his sails. Not only that but she continually enforces her authority, making it harder on him to get the upper hand again.

Now his interaction with Zooble is really interesting, because it’s the first time we see him at his most normal.

I don’t think he’s trying to tease them here, I feel like he’s genuinely curious about Zooble’s way of “playing” the game, because remember, it’s been a long time since they’ve been on an adventure together, if at all. Zooble’s excuse of wanting to avoid punishment makes sense because they witnessed first hand that Caine’s unstable personality is capable of some legitimate danger.

Of course, Jax believes that there isn’t any real risk involved. The only immediate menace to him and his current desire to just get through the day, is Gangle and her new mask.

At this point he’s not trying to be destructive or disruptive. He’s fully apathetic, because being forced to act like a minimum wage salary employee is not fun in the slightest. He can’t make things fun for himself, so he refuses to participate entirely.

As the clock mocks him with every slow tick, his mask chips more and more.

Jax isn’t saying this to be calculatingly rude or hurtful, he’s not doing this to upset Gangle. He’s being sincere, which is why he’s not smiling.

Because Gangle is much easier to push around and go along with whatever he wants her to do when she’s in Tragedy mode. She’s more “fun” that way.

In other words, he really hates this new dynamic they’ve got going on.

But this little comment, just makes things even worse for him because now Gangle goes from enforcing her authority to straight up abusing it by letting herself abuse him for a change.

It’s crazy how Jax’s main concern here is making sure this torture scene is just between them. He really hates being humiliated, more so than getting physically hurt.

The man has some serious issues, but c’mon we already knew that.

So Jax is finally getting a taste of his own medicine and it completely emasculates him. To the point where he just defaults to doing whatever Gangle tells him to do just to avoid feeling like that again. Now the mask is fully stripped off, he’s openly exasperated and powerless. On top of that he has no real impulse to ridicule or ruffle anyone’s feathers anymore, because for the first time in probably a long while, he’s even more miserable than everyone else.

And what does misery love?

Company

As someone who’s worked in retail for a while, nothing helps keep you sane more than having a little of bit of camaraderie when struggling to survive in corporate hell.

Something that really stood out to me in this episode is the limited use in background music, especially when in Spudsy’s, where you either get muzak to sell the ambiance of a public eatery or silence with the occasional machinery noise.

And yeah, that’d be enough to make shit as immersive as possible. It’s not a coincidence that the restaurant looks like a McDonald’s when Gooseworx even said it was directly modeled after it. It’s uncanny, how real this setup feels.

Uncomfortably uncanny.Jax seething at the clock is a relatable struggle.

The mask immediately comes back on once Jax no longer has any obligation to stick around.

But Jax can’t even enjoy his freedom. His day is officially over, but the sting of the experience still lingers. The adventure wasn’t just boring or frustrating, it was humbling, in every terrible way. This wasn’t a game, it was real life.

And I think the last kick in the teeth was this license plate waiting for him in the parking lot (Why did Caine make them drive “home”? That’s just extra)

One is the loneliest number

Jax doesn’t hide the fact that he’s an asshole, he’s almost proud of it. He practically relishes getting a rise out of everyone. He is well aware that nobody likes him, but I think this where he starts realizing that it actually bothers him.

Everyone has talked about that very brief moment where Jax’s expression changed towards the end of Candy Carrier Chaos, when Ragatha was talking about Kaufmo’s funeral and we get to see him actually get sad for a change, before immediately shaking it off and stomping away in irritation.

Jax showed no concern over Kaufmo’s abstraction in the pilot, so why would he feel sad about it in that moment? Does he secretly care about his fellow humans and just doesn’t want to admit it?

Maybe. But personally, I think the others choosing to morn those who’ve abstracted like they’re dead makes him seriously uncomfortable. Because it serves as a reminder that even in this world, there are still major consequences when some things aren’t taken seriously.

Jax doesn’t want to consider real life consequences. None of them even look like real people, so why should he bother treating everyone like real people?

So when he sees everyone else getting closer and being good to each other, it’s annoying and weird. The idea that they need to look out for one another feels pathetic. Treating abstraction seriously means it’s a real danger, and that would mean that he’s also susceptible to experiencing it one day.

And when you’ve built up a reputation over making everyone miserable, who’s gonna wanna remember you?

In a show that’s clearly all about building relationships, Jax’s destructive behavior is really gonna cost him.

#boy howdy this one took a while #had to watch the episode too many times to decide what to talk about #now that we’re potentially looking at a long haitus for the next episode I might start making character analysis for everyone else thus far #just to keep myself sane #I’ve talked about Ragatha for too long it’s time I expanded a little #gonna sweep up the Ragatha brain rot to make room for the others #Jax is not a character I’m particularly fond of but he is fun to dissect #he’s a loser but not my kind of loser #his focus episode is definitely gonna be interesting #the amazing digital circus #tadc #tadc jax #jax #character analysis #fast food masquerade #biscuit bakes

203 notes · View notes

actuallyjustabiscuit · 17 days ago

Note

Thank You!

And you know, it was the tension that was felt between Pomni and Ragatha at the end of the pilot that really got me invested in their relationship in the first place.

I wanna add something that I feel is relevant.

This will also be long, sorry

Ragatha is pretty much all talk, and that makes her concern feel very superficial.

That’s not to say that her concern is insincere, she clearly cares, but like you said, when it comes to the consequences of Jax’s behavior, Ragatha doesn’t actually do anything to really stop him beyond verbalizing her disapproval.

So yeah, it’s not surprising that Gangle would have some tension with her. Because when someone constantly acts concerned for your well being, but hardly addresses the issues or even contributes in any meaningful way to help, you start to wonder if they actually care about you.

That’s why when Pomni suggests to Gangle that Ragatha would surely like to help her out, Gangle couldn’t help but express her doubts because she hasn’t exactly been very helpful thus far.

Take these moments in Candy Carrier Chaos

Jax is openly insulting and pressuring Gangle to do something she doesn’t want to do, and Ragatha just sits back without saying a word. It’s only when Jax suggests to ram into the bandits’ truck that she actually speaks up, and she really only protests because Pomni would get hurt in the process.

Also, Ragatha may have scolded Jax for putting Pomni in danger, but Kinger was the one who was actively (albeit unsuccessfully) trying to help her.

Then when they fall into the fudge, Ragatha was still only lamenting about Pomni despite everyone around her being in trouble.

And what’s even funnier is the fact that Jax is the one who consistently calls her out on this.

He does this again in Mildenhall Manor

The fact that he specifically addresses Gangle here feels like he’s rubbing it in how he’s been causing her the most strife and yet Ragatha does little to nothing about it.

And yet we just witnessed that Ragatha is perfectly capable of intervening. This is the first time we see her not only verbally tell Jax to knock it off but also physically pushes him to stop.

But I like to think the comment Jax made here goes a little deeper. Because while yes Pomni has certainly been going through it, let’s not forget that it’s also only been two days since their friend abstracted and they had just attended his funeral the previous day.

It’s not very clear just how close each of them were to Kaufmo, but we can assume they’re still processing his absence.

And Ragatha yet again only chooses to focus on Pomni’s ability to cope with everything that has happened.

If there is any screenshot that perfectly summarizes the dynamic between these five, it’s this.

It’s actually really interesting how Kinger and Zooble frequently demonstrate how to actually help people who need you. Not just by offering sympathy, but by actively going out their way to assist their friends.

Ragatha wants to do good by everyone, but hasn’t exactly figured out how to do that. Or she thinks that her way of helping is more effective than it actually is. Which is why Gangle probably feels like despite Ragatha’s kindness, she does not see her as true support.

And I think that revelation will hurt Ragatha more than anything.

This scene is fascinating to me because it’s very much meant to carry over onto the next few episodes.

Pomni just became comfortable around Ragatha to see her as a friend. And now she’s seeing how Ragatha has inadvertently made herself part of the problem in this friend group.

I don’t think this means that Pomni will start doubting Ragatha’s intentions or start assuming that everything she says is a lie.

Rather, I believe she’ll want to open Ragatha’s eyes to the issues she’s been actively ignoring and start calling her out.

Honestly, I think the girl’s need to fight. I think they need to be put into a box, a glass box, and just let themselves have a conversation that escalates into yelling and end with tears. Ragatha needs an intervention. She needs to see what true love is. She needs to be shaken vigorously, and then hugged tightly.

She cares, she cares a lot. No question. But caring sometimes isn’t enough.

Your Toybox doodles and hcs just inspired me and made me write a 2/3 chapters long fic this is all your fault/silly

yes YES spread the toybox agenda YES

i would love to read it if it's done ! and that's totally not because there is literally no fan content of ragatha & zooble and i'm getting desperate at this point —

#thanks again for indulging me #this was fun #Pomni accidentally abandoning her for a third time is gonna be the thing to break her I just know it #the amazing digital circus #tadc #character analysis #tadc ragatha #biscuit bakes

145 notes · View notes

yourcrazygirlokris · 9 months ago

Text