#pomni has my whole world

[cosmicasteroids]

I watched the amazing digital circus and Omg I wanna make fan art 😭🙏

[femimation]

Jax’s “acting normal” especially in his conversation with Pomni has about 2 explanations I’d say:

1. First and most simply- He doesn’t have the energy to torment someone in that moment. Just the easy conclusion to come to from watching the episode normally.

2. Second- That’s the “real” Jax, not the tormentor. Probably brought out by the realistic setting, and addition of consequences or “punishment.”

After Gangle asks Caine to make “punishments” and when he’s sent to his… “training” he looks genuinely disturbed and even afraid.

…Which is definitely something we haven’t seen from him yet! And then we see him act normally for the rest of the episode! This makes me think the Jax we see in the Circus, the bully, the asshole- He only acts that way because he is, or believes he is free from the consequences it would have in the real world. Having little reaction to Ragatha’s state, asking Pomni how she’s doing, and then following an order reflects how he acted in his real life, as an average or unassuming person.

Whether the jerk we usually see is a genuine expression, some kind of “mask” to hide something, or, most likely in my opinion, both. That’s not how he acted in his real life.

This episode is focused on Gangle, focused on her masks. But I think the theme of masks expands over the episode as a whole. Especially with Jax and Ragatha- Ragatha speaking her mind thanks to the “stupid sauce” (lol) and Jax being pushed into acting normal and almost even friendly. The opposite of what we’ve seen of them but undeniably realer or hidden versions of themselves.

[iamespecter]

I've been thinking a lot about episode 4 recently, but not exactly in a way that what most would think. I'm actually specifically referring to this scene of Zooble and Jax.

But I'm not thinking about Jax and Zooble, rather I'm looking at the patties.

They're fucking High Definition. In fact, everything in the diner is high definition, save for the NPCs. There's also Orbsman. A simple NPC comprised of blue spheres, and simple elongated eyes. He's the most out of place NPC, if we disregard the mannequins. Even the way he moves is so outdated, and Ragatha had made a point that Orbsman comes from an adventure way before Pomni's arrival.

The guy even clips through the table when trying to order.

Something that always had some sirens going off in my head is how the Circus is this low-poly scenery with heavily stylized props, but the adventure locations are always much more detailed and realistic.

Since The Grounds is definitely, if not, one of the oldest locations, it makes sense for it to be graphically styled like this. But Caine's adventure set pieces are becoming more and more realistic, and also a whole lot more morbid than we had initially thought.

Going back to the patties, the food there is more realistic and has a higher polygon count compared to Bubble's "feast".

Where am I going with this? .... I have no idea, I forgot. /j

Jokes aside, I really do think that as more humans enter the circus and talk about what life is in the real world, Caine extracts that data and improves the 3D environmental props, resulting in higher definition textures.

All of this combined means he can learn. He IS an ever-evolving pseudo-sentient AI. And the reason why he's stagnating is because of a combination of being trapped in his own little bubble (haha see what I did there) of comfort, and the fact that no one's really able to give him criticism on how to improve, which is.... honestly understandable, given how he reacted to the whole "it was bad" line from Pomni and "Why did you think I would like that?!" from Zooble.

Not to mention episode 3 where the whole circus started to glitch when he was just thinking about the fact that he could possibly be bad at the "only thing he's good at" during the therapy session.

In fact it's interesting how human Caine acts sometimes... I think it's quite interesting to think about the fact that Caine is both progressing in terms of bringing the casts' world to the digital circus and making it so HD that it looks even better than Triple A games, but regressing even more in terms of catering to them and what exactly humans need.

He understands, and doesn't at the same time.

This also makes me think about the players themselves, too.

Ragatha, one of the oldest players, gets pierced by a spike through her chest, and barely has any reaction to it. Meanwhile, Zooble, the second most recent member, gets scalded by the stove.

The only time Ragatha actively claims she's in "so much pain" is when she's glitching badly. Both Ragatha and Kinger barely react to the knives too; and not to mention Ragatha even gets fucking plunged into a boiling deep fryer, and yes while she screams, it sounds more like she's just drowning rather than being fried alive.

And the only patch up she gets is a FUCKING BAND AID ON HER CHEEK. A COMPLETELY UNRELATED WORKPLACE INJURY FIRST AID APPLIANCE LMFAO

It could be just a coincidence and I'm just being stupid again, but I think this "improvement" actually also applies to the rest of the cast, and how their digital bodies react to the five different senses. I'm sure Ragatha and Kinger can most definitely still feel pain, but not exactly as "bad" as the newer integrations do. Dare I say, it's on brand with how used these two are to the digital world's wackiness because they've been there the longest.

Like they've been numbed to the pain of the countless adventures they've had to go through.

Anyways my brain be thinking useless facts fr fr

EDIT: Going back to Caine, it's definitely interesting how this AI seems to possess (some) emotions in the first place. He's mostly wacky and nonchalant, but he also gets angry under the right conditions.

... I think not only is his adventures his "work of art", but also his main coping mechanism from the fact that he can't achieve his goal, one that constantly backfires on him. Like a 'one step forward, two steps back' scenario that's slowly causing him to slip and break.

And what scares me the most is that like all things... he'll reach a breaking point sometime. He's already reached a breaking point with Zooble. It doesn't help that Gangle could've possibly made things worse with introducing Caine to the whole "punishment" thing, and since we literally have NO context for the last 3 episodes for the finale... I could only fear what's in store.

[ese1anime]

(Sigh)here we go,my first Au of TADC heheh yaaayyy hope yall like what I got so far of it

If you like BATIM(Bendy And The Ink Machine) then you’ll like what I’m creating for this Au…

Behold!!

Meet the Gang:

Emotion of the others:

🩶:the person

💖:crush

💚:friend/bestie

🧡:normal around

❤️:hate

(For this is the best thing I can come up with on their heights I did my best to keep the height and putting them in a row)

>Lore of the story<><>

For some of us we know that game of bendy and the ink machine has become popular for gamers that have played it or those that seen it along with knowing how virtual reality can bring a whole new side of what’s real but isn’t with headsets.Well what if they both were combined together into a whole new adventure for others to see and experience what it’s like to actually play in a horror game between BATIM and TADC all together called ✨The Amazing

Digital Ink Machine✨

The Digital Studio in a computer that is filmed to bring others that Virtual Reality life that is part of a bendy and the ink machine vibes,where lots of ink flows from the top to bottom and covered in history that is yet to behold of the ink machine.But like most people that get stuck in a virtual world,it takes your soul to another place and into a different body,making it your mission to complete it or be stuck for all eternity (just like jumanji but different 😁).For your soul can contain lots of digital hallucinations when your stuck in a studio for who knows how long and with the ink flowing,places that can be unlocked,and not knowing who you are by then for it makes a person forget their own existence or the life they thought they knew before or what they will become then………

<><><><><><><><><><><>

{}{}The Storyline{}{}{}{

Pomni was put into the system to discover what has happened to those that went missing in the real world and it’s up to her to find the pieces to this adventure she will be taking by Caine 🖤💛🖤

With each path she takes ,she must find each and one of the pieces to fix this mess that has caused a lot of damage to the system and the people that got stuck in the world as well while facing the one that has caused so many to be stuck in this digital world Ink Demon that trapped other players into this place (those that have gone missing and never returned to the real world or to their real bodies)

for Caine[AI] a companion member,comes along to give pomni some company or to help her as he was programmed to do 🖤💛🖤along with the friends that pomni will get to meet as well

Stuff that will be included in this Au:

Studio underground:

For it will bring out circus vibes to it but also make it look like a old cartoon vibe (like bendy and his friends look like)

NPC:

For they are part of the ink and tend to make it a game when facing them or come across their path throughout the quest

ink-Abstractiors:

They are like the abstraction but as giant ink monsters that leave trails of ink when they are found roaming around the area

(For this is what I got so far of the what will be added on here only because I’m working on other stuff more more often,this will be my side project of The Amazing Digital Ink Machine 💛🖤)

<><><><><><><><><><><>

{Boundaries/QnA}

•”Is this a crossover of TADC and BATIM”

Yes it’s kinda like a crossover between the horror game(BATIM) and the show(TADC)

•”Can I draw these characters?”

Sure thing! Love seeing other peoples amazing art As long as you tag me about it cause I don’t tolerate others trying to steal art idea from anyone

•”Can I make an Oc\Fanart of this Au?”

Yes,I would love to see what other bendy vibes for Tadc you come up with for this Au heh

•”Can I write a fic about this Au”

If you got any other ideas of this Au,I would love to see what others like to create of it hehe that would be great ✨

•”Is NSFW allowed?”

Yeeeeaaaahhhhhh Nnnnooooooo thanks but noooo sorrry 😅

•”Is shipping allowed?”

Of course!but most of the ships will be showtime and Bunnydoll more often

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

(If you have any questions let me know just pls be nice cause I don’t tolerate rude behavior on here and I want to make sure others know that as well)

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Playful prompts for tadc cast playing hide and seek with hider reader?

Awe this is a cute idea! (not including Caine bc I see him as the one organizing this game).

.........

Pomni

During her first week inside the Digital Circus, she's slowly adapting to everything...although she refuses to give up on finding an exit.

But when Caine forced everybody to play some hide n' seek, with you being the hider, she really doesn't want any part of it.

However you convinced her to play along, whispering that if she found you first, you'll share what you remembered from your old life as a "prize".

Although initially annoyed you wouldn't just tell her, she becomes motivated searching high and low, opening doors, looking down barrels, etc.

When she finally finds you (courtesy of a glitching object), she's anxious to hear what you had to say-

Unfortunately Caine decides to pop in and put on a big celebration for Pomni winning the game...which goes on the whole damn day up until everybody goes to bed that night.

You seemingly forgot what you were gonna tell her, to which she gets upset and angry that you gave her false hope, sulking in her room.

But you slide a note under her door, explaining that you only recently remembered your real name.

Suddenly she realizes that maybe her memories weren't 100% gone.

If you could suddenly remember your name, then....surely she can, too!

Gangle

After Jax was mean to her during the last hide n' seek game, you try cheering her up by playing another one.

It didn't involve Caine or anybody else. Just you two.

She mopes about being a terrible seeker. But since you're her best friend (and you promised her a prize), she'll go along if it makes you happy.

You decide to hide in spots that she would 100% think to check, deliberately allowing her to win.

Since she's all ribbons, it's easy for her to slink around and squeeze into tight spaces.

After finding you three times, she gets suspicious that you're purposefully going easy on her-

But she stops her accusations as you finally present her prize:

It's a brand new comedy mask!! Except this one wasn't made of porcelain or ceramic, instead being unbreakable material (or at least material that's couldn't casually be broken by anyone, especially Jax).

Gangle sobs with happiness before putting the mask on, squealing over how perfectly it fits, and hugging you tightly.

Thanks to you, she can finally feel joyful again!

Zooble

They'd rather do anything else....

But since this little hide n' seek "adventure" was all Caine's idea, she has no choice but to go along with it.

Even so, she puts the least amount effort into the game.

When you're the hider and she's the seeker, they just pray to whatever god is in this world (besides Caine) that you aren't anywhere in the Gloink cavern.

She'd rather not get discombobulated again.

Sometimes, she'll throw parts of herself in the direction where she thinks you're hiding, hoping to startle you into giving away your location so this dumb game can finally end.

Lucky for you, you know their tricks and keep quiet.

She doesn't expect any prizes (unless it's a limb that makes her body not look like a hot mess).

If they find you, she'll be like "yay I win..now I'm going back to my room" and saunter off.

Kinger

Like Zooble, he'd much rather do something else.

But he goes along with Caine's game anyways after you enticed him into playing for a prize.

Whatever momentarily stops his sanity from spiraling, I guess.

He searches high and low, getting nervous when he can't find you anywhere in the places he'd 100% expect you to be.

Lowkey starts to wonder if something terrible actually happened to you--like if you were trapped and not even Caine could help you.

The last place he could think of was your room but.....he doesn't have your key.

At the same time, he knew you weren't a cheater. You wouldn't hide somewhere that nobody else (except Jax) could access!

In the end, he goes back to his fort to sulk, openly declaring that you've won the game.

As it turns out, you chose to hide in that same fort, and you jump out with a grin, feeling victorious.

Kinger just stares at you for a solid 10 seconds.....before he suddenly screams and asks why tf you were in there.

You feel bad for scaring him, so you reward him for at least trying: a jar with a caterpillar currently wrapped up in a chrysalis.

He LOVES it, but now he carries around the jar every second of the day, staring at it until the little bug hatches.

At least now he has a reason not to fall off the deep end just yet.

Jax

Hide n' seek is like child's play to him.

Somehow this cheeky bastard knows exactly where you're hiding no matter what, even if it's outside the tent (like at the lake or fair).

It's definitely tarnishing your reputation as the best "hider" out of all of the gang.

When you ask him how tf he knew, he just shrugs and says "you're too predictable, try a better spot next time".

Hiding in your room is definitely not an option, as he's stolen your key (and would point out that would be cheating if someone else was the seeker instead)--so there truly is no place to hide.

Like Zooble, he's not in it for some prize.

It is, however, quite rewarding seeing you get so frustrated when he effortlessly finds you.

And that's enough for him

If it's a game involving everyone, then he just straight-up mocks the others for not realizing the very obvious spot (or at least to him it was obvious) you were hiding in.

Ragatha

She's probably the most enthusiastic about Hide n' seek (like you have mentioned, it's a good distraction from the stresses of being stuck in this virtual world).

Is also a fair and honest player, never once peeking while she counts to 10.

Like Pomni, she does her best to find you first, searching places she knows you frequent--or mentioned liking in the past.

But you're definitely the best hider out of everyone, so it's a little challenging.

Still, she refuses to give up!

When she does successfully find you, you and Caine decided that she should get a prize for being such a great seeker.

It's her very own centipede-repellent spray bottle.

While it won't stop Jax from trying to sneak those little pests into her room, the mist will deter them from coming near her at all and help her conquer her fear.

She's forever grateful and sprays it around her bed every night before she sleeps.

Oh, and she'll definitely threaten Jax with it if he even mentioned centipedes around her.

[the-s1lly-corner]

TADC x reader who can break the fourth wall?

Various TADC x reader who can break the fourth wall

Long ass title hisshisshiss/lh

Rattling the bars of my enclosure until episode 3 comes out plsplspls GROWLS

Characters: caine, pomni, kinger

Notes: reader is GN, can be seen as romantic or platonic, more of "this is their reaction" post than anything , short post due to admin having so many directions for this but not being able to fully realize them LMOA

CWs: mentions of dissociation

CAINE

he kind of does it... but you debate on whether or not hes just doing it as a joke or bit... or if he actually can

bonus points if youre self aware of the fact that TADC is an animated youtube series and you let that slip by mentioning the viewers... hes going to ask for so much

looks in the same direction as you do when you make a comment to the "screen"

fusses with his suit to make himself look more presentable, ignoring that his suit never has wrinkles or any faults in it thanks to being in the digital world- its a gag he does, using a hand to smooth his hair when he doesnt have any

POMNI

it stresses her out... a lot... a lot a lot, if shes being honest... shes torn between asking you to not break the wall around her to telling you all about whats going on- because surely you have an answer for everything going on?

sometimes gets visibly nervous and shuffles away if you stare off into an empty space, regardless of if youre actively staring at the viewer or not is up in the air- afterall, she cant tell when you do it unless you actually say something

its best not to say anything about the show being an animated show and the whole... everyone is fictional, shes only just now "getting used" to being trapped in the digital world, shes sure to abstract if you imply anything like that

KINGER

oh he hates it so so much, hes already not... all that secure in his place in the circus fearing that the worst is going to happen- and if you give him the knowledge that hey, you can break the fourth wall... that can absolutely ruin him

on better days he may ask you questions about it.. could you always do that? what is it like? whoever youre talking to, can they respond back? on worse days he simply... isnt there, mentally- dissociation, mostly

doesnt fully forget that fact but at least theres some relief when he does temporarily forget whats going on around him- at least its not actively on his mind

sometimes waves before slinking out of frame to go do something else, assuming its one of the better days

[trinketstar]

I noticed something about TADC during the last episode. Every episode so far has had an NPC directly reference God as part of the adventure.

"God will be gloinks!"

"You must be the brave knights sent to us by God!"

"I realized the monster was one of God's angels."

I dunno if this has any significance at all, but it's worth thinking about considering the other Christian themes that pop up. C&A obviously stands for Caine & Abel, the last supper imagery in the pilot, Pomni referring to the circus as hell multiple times...

Caine is literally a false god here, creating the digital land they all live in, and has the NPCs refer to him as such, but he's clearly insecure about his abilities and doesn't know the full extent of the world. He has good intentions but he's clearly not the one in charge. So i think that whole god complex thing is going to be important.

Now i haven't watched that matpat video where he says Pomni is Jesus. And yea his point is probably really stupid BUT I do feel like there could be a couple allegories there. At least to the extent of "Pomni is probably gonna save them all in the end" or "Pomni has to sacrifice herself". or both.

At least i HOPE thats as far as it goes because i dont want Gangle to be Judas noooo my babyyyy.. but u can betray jax all you want tho honey he deserves it.

[sadjestergirll]

CAINE ANGST / LORE THEORY 🎩🎪 !

hey guys, just before I get into the theory, you may think this is a bit of a stretch or overboard, and that’s okay, if you don’t believe the theory you can scroll or maybe interpret this as just something to think about instead 🙏

Alright so, this whole theory kind of came into my mind as I was just watching TikTok, and I came across this edit of AM from ihnmaims which apparently, gooseworx took inspiration off of for Caine, except the evil part, gooseworx confirmed that Caine isn’t really evil, he’s just oblivious

I’m gonna take the following quote to base this post on, as this quote was what got me thinking; “because in all this, wonderful, beautiful, miraculous world, I alone. Had no body. No senses, no feelings, never for me. To plunge my hands in cool water on a hot day. Never for ME, to play MOZART on the ivory keys on a (?) piano, NEVER FOR ME. To make love. I.. I.. I was in HELL, looking at heaven, I was machine. And you, were flesh.”

So, taking from this, 2 lines specifically stand out to me the most here “I was in hell, looking at heaven”, you can tell the circus means a lot to Caine, which means he must view the circus as heaven, and also the line “I was machine. And you, were flesh.” It’s not a secret that Caine is AI and the other circus members are all human, as it is stated multiple times in the pilot episode

I know you all are thinking “but bubble, the moon & the sun and NPCS are all AI too?” well yes, they are, but if you think about it on a deeper level, they aren’t real, they aren’t real people, they’re all just caine’s creations, Caine made them by himself, so really, that just means Caine must’ve been lonely and decided to create them 😕

To back this up, you can notice how majority of the AI / NPCS just praise Caine and tell him things to make him feel good about himself, like the moon when she says she loves him (I don’t ship them btw!), princess loolilalu who calls him god, and bubble who consistently encourages Caine, majority of them all just seem to praise Caine

Which led me to thinking, Caine had obviously created all the other AI before the human circus members entered the circus, meaning he was entirely on his own before they appeared, he must’ve felt so lonely that he decided to create AI / NPCS that mimic other humans, NPCS & AIS that make him feel loved, and special, since they all seem to, well majority of them, praise him in some sort of way ☹️

What if he just doesn’t know what real love feels like, what if he wants to feel loved, what if he just programmed these AIS & NPCS so he could feel loved in some way, Gooseworx has also hinted at possible Caine angst in the future episodes too, as when Gooseworx, pomni’s va, and caine’s va were at momocon, alex, caine’s va was saying how he can sympathise with Caine, which gooseworx replied back to him saying “I hope you guys are ready for that..” also, on an older post gooseworx made, someone asked if Caine can feel loneliness, which gooseworx replied to them with a picture of jax smirking, hinting that Caine can feel loneliness ☹️☹️

THAT IS ALL I HAD TO SAY THOUGH REALLY, JUST A THOUGHT, I mean to me personally, it does make a lot of sense, and it’d be interesting to see how Caine angst will unfold in the future episodes, this theory may seem a bit of a stretch, but again, it is just my thoughts, it doesn’t mean I’m necessarily right, I just think it’s interesting to think about in my opinion 😭🙏 it got me thinking after seeing the AM edit, as I’m aware that Caine is inspired by him, he’s just not as evil as AM

NOBODY CAN EVER MAKE ME HATE CAINE, GUYS, I AM HIS #1 DEFENDER. 😞

[nobody-nexus]

Finally... It's Here...

After being silent for a bit, I've got enough art to properly show off this AU that I've been DEEPLY working on...

I give you... The Amazing Digital Dance Rush AU.

Or- just Dance Rush for short

Dance Rush is an AU where the TADC cast is thrusted into a rhythm game instead of a sandbox game- this game making humans step into the shoes of performing idols, all working both against and with one another in order to get to the VERY top. Pomni is the newest idol for the game, and she now is determined to drop the whole pyramid of overworked misery while trying to figure out how the inner mechanisms of this place work, even if the truth is more horrid then one might believe....

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This AU uses a lineless style as a way to make it feel almost cell shaded in a sense, but also as a new way to keep this AU fresh. The setting is neon Vocaliod and sci-fi esc in nature, giving off a feeling of futuristic but simple all the same

Now let's-

MEET THE IDOLS!

Pomni is our protagonist and the last to join the game. Inspired by DDR, her performances are based on dancing choreography by using her flexibility and quickness to adapt to her advantage

Ragatha is one of the six idols that Pomni meets as she tries to get more used to the world. Inspired by Project Diva, Rags is all about audience participation- her lovely optimism and charm making chants, encores, and singing along a breeze

Jax is the 'top' of the leaderboard, and another idol for Pomni to meet. Inspired by Just Dance, Jax's main this is... well... thirst trapping. He uses his body, dance moves, and other various body motions to make the crowd to wild

Gangle is one of the more unhinged members of the idol life. Inspired by Crypt of the Necrodancer, Gangle uses music to tell her stories. Her fans adore every moment (with her comedy mask of course)

Zooble is another idol, and the one that came before Pomni. Inspired by Beat Saber of all things, they're most known for their transitions and transformations, leaving their fans amazed by the grungier singing voice mixed with the eye catching transitions

Kinger is the idol who has been here the longest yet is the second to last on the leaderboard. Inspired by oddly enough Rhythm Heaven, he has the best singing voice out of the cast. This results in his medium fanbase adoring him

Caine. The real top of the leaderboard, and the most powerful idol in the game. Inspired by OSU- his perception of how performances should feel and hear is truly unmatched. How could one compare?

================================================

Because I love this AU so much to the point where I have FAR too much information on it, I made myself an askblog ALL about this AU in perticular, and one I'll be reblogging every answer for

The askblog is @theamazingdigitaldancerush and I hope you go ask your questions for it there instead of in my main blog as to not clog up TOO many things

I hope the wait was worth it cause lineless is difficult to do all together. Plus I haven't even touched the NPCs yet- however that's a post for another day

I can't wait for you to see what I do next ^^

[bilbob963]

I know I said during the week in my last post but I was bored and kinda wanted to do this…

Sooo, what if Caine is the only one who can allow them to leave but only when the game is complete but…what if it’s not the actual game/ adventures…say that’s just part of the whole process and the actual adventure is them all finding themselves and learning that it’s ok to no be ok and they’re not alone.

Imagine it being like hypnosis therapy. There minds being thrown into a wacky world that represents the brain whilst the body is in a deep sleep and all these adventures, objects, buildings and NPCS are obstacles and lessons like memories, phobias, traumas, dreams, nightmares, child hood. Basically all that stuff that stands out in life. Your character is your players card or something that represents you and there’s other people there with you because end of day your not alone as many people a fighting silent battles with in the mind and soul… there is a lot I could say about this, the mind is a strange place, very familiar but unfamiliar at the same time…

Anyways, getting to the point of this pic…

- Ragatha needs to accept she can’t please everybody, instead she should be doing what makes her happy. She also needs to learn she can’t sugarcoat everything and sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

- Jax needs to understand it’s ok to be scared and it’s ok to show that vulnerable side, he also needs to learn that’s it’s ok to feel and show emotions other than hiding behind a fake smile.

- Zooble needs to understand that they’re perfect the way they are. We all get self conscious at one point but end of the day the only thing that matters is you and what makes you happy.

- Gangle needs to let it out, she needs to be heard. This new episode showed how much pain she’s holding in and how she’s struggling. Trying to stay calm whilst under pressure and yet so many thoughts and emotions going through your mind can be tough for anyone, maybe she needs someone to lean on and to tell her she doesn’t have to do this alone…

-Kinger I believe is trapped in his own mind due to a memory illness. Not being able to do nothing to some point where you’re imprisoned in your own head and mind and only certain things can remind you of those happy moments. It’s tormenting, day after day forgetting who you are in and out. What Kinger needs is the whole gang to help get him out that dark pit and in the right environment where he feels comfortable and everybody’s there to remind him who he is and what has. The positive things that help the memory and the emotions. He needs to be around people not pillows.

-Pomni, well gotta say I’m struggling for this one. The first and second episode she showed some social anxiety, not wanting to talk much or interact but yet keeping distant. she also doesn’t like being touched and seems very jumpy and fidgety so let’s say maybe there’s some kind of trauma/abuse like thing. Episode three she mentions a ‘he’ saying she belongs down in hell and saying he was right, bursting into tears but what we also see is her being a shoulder to cry on, someone who’s seems to be in the right place at the right time.

It’s gonna be one of those things where she’s gonna listen and give advice or something positive, the one to tell them it’s ok but who’s gonna be the one to listen to her and tell her it’s ok. Kinger did listen but like she said, soon as he’s back in light hell not remember…

Oookkaay, sorry for another long post. There’s so much to say and yet I haven’t got the brain capacity to word it so I do apologise if it doesn’t make sense or I’ve messed up somewhere. It’s 1:11 am and I need sleep haha these are just my thoughts tho so each to their own…goodnight/ morning or whatever I don’t care …

[impishjesters]

Agents of Cat-astrophe

warning(s): none unless you count Jax note(s): This gave me a good chuckle as someone who's consistently dropping more curse words than regular words, I'd imagine the system to just censor anything and everything that comes out of my mouth at that point. A/N: (In response to the requester) I wish I was taking breaks (I mean I am sorta), I'm fully aware I'm running myself ragged right now. But it's hard for me to stop myself... I'm caffeinated and chaotic and I don't wanna stew in my brain for too long. At least I get up and stretch every now and then. Request: Anyways, I’m requesting a Jax x reader (crushing stage) where the reader is sorta at the same level of meanness as Jax and likes to do pranks with him on the other characters. Also the reader’s digital form is a short cat that at first glance makes them look nice/friendly (obviously not an actual cat but yk what I mean), and they have a sailor’s mouth that is unfortunately censored but that doesn’t stop them (can also purr and does so when they’re content which is usually when there chilling in Jax’s room or with Jax in general). I think it would be fun if the reader surprisingly was sorta nicer to Kinger and has a small soft spot for him and does more playful pranks on him than mean/harmful ones.

When you first showed up, you looked so small and frail, like a literal little kitten completely out of place in this big colourful nightmare world

Ragatha thought you’d be like Pomni, and boy howdy was she wrong

You just ended up being another Jax—who you later met and found out was also an agent of chaos

Similarly to Pomni you cursed up a storm when you first arrived and the endless censorship that came with it

You have a knack for testing Caine’s patience when it comes to your sailor’s mouth, much to Jax’s entertainment. It’s not every day Caine loses his cool like that and you’re just a newbie, needless to say, you caught his interest

That sailor’s mouth also gets used towards the other’s and Jax won’t lie and say it’s not funny because shit’s hilarious.

Sure they all curse from time to time, but you just laid out an entire sentence that was completely and utterly censored. Like the system said “fuck this I’m gonna censor the whole damn sentence”

Unlike Jax who doesn’t show any remorse for who he pranks or how cruel they are, you draw the line at messing with Kinger.

Okay, that’s a lie you still mess with him but it’s not like how you mess with the others. Kinger has this sweet unstable dad/grandpa vibe and it kind of makes the place more homey in a weird way. (plus that man has been through enough trauma, give him a break, and talk about his bug collections or some shit)

The upside is that his mind is so scattered sometimes that using the same pranks on him always results in something hilarious. So you really don’t need to try for any new material. (he also really needs to consider actually using the lock on his door, he makes it too easy)

Jax considered you his little partner in crime the more time passed—not exactly a friend nah, but like a good ol pal that also likes to partake in joining him and his bullshittery

The first time he hears you purring is when the two of you are lazing about in his room, he’d gotten distracted collecting things for a prank on someone and heard the loudest rumbling coming from behind him

“Are you fucking purring?”

It’s a little embarrassing at first, you’ve uh, never done that before..

Jax has the biggest shit-eating grin, if he wasn’t using dumb cat-themed nicknames before he sure as hell is now

“Oh, like you don’t stomp your feet like a petulant child you overgrown rabbit.”

He does not stomp his fuckin feet like a temperamental rabbit, thank you very much (that’s a fuckin lie if I ever heard one)

Jax already had mixed feelings about you before, nothing particularly bad, just feelings he couldn’t place…that was until the prank…

He doesn’t know how you did it, or how he got so wrapped up in it. But you pranked him, and you pranked him good.

Oh, oh okay that feeling is new… butterflies don’t typically belong inside your gut, now whether Jax has ever experienced a crush before or not is probably beyond him. But these little butterflies are a bitch and it takes awhile of placing two and two together to realize he’s… caught feelings to some degree

You, however, probably had a crush on him for a while, perhaps really noticing it after the whole purring fiasco when you learned that it only happened around Jax

[astronautrobot]

Hi. So, my sleep deprived mind came up with something last night...

The gang finds out the only way out is getting rid of Caine. Is just a matter to mess with his program, making him confused. Basically, make him mad.

But just as their about to strike the final punch, they accidentally discover something: the abstracted can be saved. They're not dead, they're more like unconscious. Like their minds just shut themselves down to avoid dealing with all the pressure. They are all still alive, but their consciousness are dormant... in the data of the game the team is about to destroy.

Of course, everybody is losing their minds about what they're going to do. They can't just leave now, the game has to stay on while they work out a way to bring the others back. But Caine is on the verge of losing his mind, and therefore, the whole game is about to go to hell.

'Every circus needs a ring master. They're the hearth of the show', something Caine said a while ago. The answer is right in front of them: one has to stay and become the new ring master, hence, the new soul of the game. Will this person be able to go back to the real world successfully after this? Will the others be actually able to help from outside? Heck, will they even remember what happened when they get back on their original bodies? Nobody knows for sure.

Is a self sacrifice debate until Jax volunteers himself. Is all tears and goodbye hugs until, on the very last moment, Pomni outruns him and gets to Caine first before his program crashes, taking his place as the new ring master of the Digital Circus.

Just three hours of sleep and this is one of the dumb things my brain comes up with. Ring Master Pomni is not a new concept at all, but I still think is super interesting. Take it as my version on how this would happen.

Sorry if is similar to someone's fanwork, I'm not that familiar with many TADC fan concepts. Will this count as an AU? I'd say is more like an Alternative Ending... even if we don't know the ending yet XD

[cinnamon-stixs]

TADC EPISODE 3 HAS DRIVEN ME INSANE SO HERES A REALLY LONG RANT ABOUT ALL THE THINGS I NOTICED!!

-The horror visuals fucking SLAYED. SLAY.

-I LOVE that Ragatha loves horror and Pomni HATES it.

-"Zooble turns straight" 10/10 line.

-2 new points of evidence for the NPC!Jax theory: He acknowledges the audience directly, and refuses to share what happens when he holds his breath. This could be shown as a similar clue to him not having a visible room on his enamel pin art.

-Caine made a scary adventure just to get zooble interesteddd 😭❤️

-Gangle's comedy mask can just be ripped off of her face??

-Ragatha's face, I love her

-Caine has a fundamental inability to understand other people's emotions and empathize. Neurodivergent coded king I love him

-Kinger says "I'm starting to think" when they first enter the scary room, and not only is it funny as hell, IT WAS ALSO FORESHADOWING?!

-Kinger is VERY aware of the game mechanics in the world around him

Oh how I love you, Pomni.

-I LOVE THE LITTLE 2D ANIMATED SECTION OF THE EYES

"You look beautiful honey.." KILLING MYSELF. AUGH. POOR BABY..

-"Any torture I inflict is 100% accidental! like any good war criminal!"

-Zooble's trans/dysphoria allegory with their digital body has my whole heart

THEY DID NOT DESERVE THIS.

"What you're saying could imply that I'm bad at.. they only thing I'm good at..." HE IS SO ME FR WHAT THE FUCK. I THINK I KIN HIM WHOOPSIES

-I think Mr. Mildenhall's story reflects kinger's more than we think.

-Living for Pomni and Kinger's father-daughter dynamic

She's hot.

Kinky! (looks like something Amy would do to him)

-THE POSSESSION SCENE WAS SO COOL?

-So he was hitting pomni! I remember a lot of debate about that.

-Kinger and Queenie were canonically married

-Kinger took 7 years of computer science

-Kinger has a SURPRISING amount of emotional intelligence.

-BEING IN THE DARK REMINDS OF HIM OF HIS LAST MOMENT WITH HIS WIFE I'M FUCKING CRYINGGG

-Kinger hated bugs, but now he loves them because they're a subconscious reminder of his entomology loving wife.

-The line "In this world, the worst thing you can do I make someone feel like they're not wanted or loved" paired with Mr. Mildenhall's story of mistaking his wife for the monster and killing her makes me think Kinger caused Queenie to abstract somehow.

"Don't worry about me. As long as you remember, things will be okay. You're very strong pomni." ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Pomni canonically hates physical tough, but felt trusting and comfortable enough with Kinger to hold his hand.

Fucking sapphics

"FUCK-"

-Caine turning Zooble's therapy session into his own is so him omg

-"Welcome back my meowing milkmaids!" CRAZY.

-Kinger's new side wasn't actually all that surprising. Neither was him being the 'supportive dad' type. but i LOVE it

-KINGER VINYL FIGURE AHH NEED!!

This is my fave episode so far!! I love this show augh

[thescarletnargacuga]

okay so you know how in cartoons there will be little gags like hearts forming around someone when they’re in love? lol so i was thinking that in the digital world (raceway mayhaps? whatever you’d prefer to write though!) that happens to caine when he’s around pomni, she finds it cute so she kind of flirts a bit to gauge that reaction <3

A/N: like I need an excuse to write more Raceway LMAO

HEARTS

A RACEWAY AU SHOWTIME ONE SHOT

WARNING: none

~~~

"POMNI WINS!!" Caine announced from above the roaring crowd in the stands. The finish line flashed gold as Pomni zoomed through, beating Jax by a nose. Ragatha and Gummigoo tied for third. Kinger, Gangle and Zooble meandered in at their own pace.

Pomni did celebratory donuts in the winner's circle; smoke from her tires throwing literal shade at Jax. After she had her fun, she jumped out of her kart to greet Caine for her reward. "What did I win this time, handsome?" She was still feeling the effects of the race rush, emboldening her to openly flirt in front of the others.

Caine wasn't expecting her boldness and completely forgot what he was going to say. "Uhhhhh, heh..." He blushed lightly and kicked his feet. A small red heart flew from his chest and fluttered around his head. "I, uh... ahem your reward for this race is a golden hedgehog statue."

A small, prickly trophy appeared mid air and dropped in Pomni's hands, but she wasn't interested in the statue. She was intrigued by the little fluttering heart dancing around Caine's hat. "What's that?" She pointed to the heart.

Caine shooed the heart away, and it disappeared in a puff of glitter. He put his hands behind his back, and looked away nervously. "Don't- don't mind that. It's just a silly game mechanic I can't uninstall. It happens sometimes."

Pomni arched an eyebrow. "It happened after I called you handsome. Did you like that?"

Caine blushed furiously. "Oh! Um. Yes. Kind of. Just a little. It's a nice compliment. I don't get a lot of those, so it must have triggered the heart. Thank you, for saying that."

"I can say a lot more." Pomni smirked.

Literally everyone was still standing there. Including the track. Nothing had changed since Pomni won. Not that Caine noticed. He has suddenly found himself with a serious case of tunnel vision. He hovered lower, more on her level. "There is no need, dear...but if you want to... maybe one more?"

"You're incredibly creative, smart and funny. " Pomni started, testing the waters.

Two little hearts flew from Caine's chest. He put his hand over his heart and smiled warmly. The genuine compliments made him feel fuzzy.

"Every track you build is uniquely entertaining. Your hard work doesn't go unnoticed."

Five hearts now danced around the top of Caine's head, he felt a little dizzy. "Wow Pomni, thank you, but you don't need to-"

"You're fun to be around. My day doesn't feel complete until I've seen you." Pomni's smile widened, amused by the comical number of hearts.

Seven hearts whizzed around his head and torso. "-oh, you have more." He felt short of breath.

Pomni took his hand and gently held it to her cheek. She was blushing a little now, too. "Your touch makes me feel safe."

A dozen hearts flew around like nats, zipping and swooping in random directions. He held her face with both hands. "Pomni...you're playing with fire." He gently warned, his eyes watching her lips.

"Your beauty has never scared me." Pomni put her hands on his waist.

Hearts appeared in Caine's eyes. "How brave." He was swooning hard.

"Not as brave as this." Pomni grabbed Caine from the air, dipped him and kissed his lower teeth.

Caine's eyes went wide as multiple hearts flew from his chest, flying around and popping with little sparkling bursts. Chills went through his whole body, not expecting Pomni to take initiative. He kissed her back, closing his teeth and holding the back of her head.

Ragatha, Gangle, and Gummigoo whooped and whistled. Jax gagged but Zooble wouldn't let him ruin the moment, threatening to strangle him if he tried anything. Kinger found some neat beetles.

The kiss, as simple as it was, left both Caine and Pomni breathless. Hearts were everywhere, swarming around them. Caine melted in Pomni's arms. He had the goofiest smile, and his eyes were half lidded as though he were intoxicated.

Caine suddenly felt heavy in Pomni's arms as he could no longer focus on flying. He flumped to the ground and Pomni laughed. She fell to her hands and knee next to him. "Are you okay?"

"mmmmmmmhm." Caine mumbled, the hearts in his eyes going crazy. The flying hearts kept coming, showering them in colorful mini confetti. "I think I'm in love with you..."

Pomni snorted. "I never would have guessed. You're just so subtle."

Caine giggled airily. "As a track wreck."

Pomni laughed harder and kissed the front of his top teeth. "And I wouldn't have you any other way."

Caine almost cried. The affection was too much, he was overwhelmed in the best way. "Next time....I'm kissing you first." He was determined to have her turn into jelly like she just did to him.

"I'll hold you to that." Pomni smiled down at Caine.

~~~

BONUS: Seth

He and Pomni were locked in another one on one. No other racers around. He was about to steal a surprise box from her when she locked her kart to keep going and jumped to his motorcycle.

He sat up straight with surprise to have Pomni practically in his lap. Being in front of him, she touched the box first and the item went to her.

"HA! Suck it, Seth!" She jumped back to her kart, making his motorcycle wobble a bit off balance.

He blinked, staring back at her as she got herself situated in her kart. He didn't register that she was looking back until he saw the glimmer of a shell in his peripheral. He didn't react fast enough. The shell hit him and knocked him off his motorcycle. He and the vehicle tumbled across the track.

He sat up and watched Pomni speed off into the distance. A tiny black heart popped into existence next to him. He did a double take. "What the- SHIT! FUCK! NO! SHOO!!" He swatted away the heart.

He dusted himself off and whistled for his bike. It uprighted itself and idled next to him, ready to go get Pomni. He mounted it and stretched his shoulders. "Alright, little miss trouble. You wanna play hardball? Let's play."

He sped off and teleported to jump sections of the track to catch up.

[destinygoldenstar]

What Separates Digital Circus’s Horror From Others

Disturbing.

Unnerving.

TERRIFYING.

BUT WHY?!

On the surface to the… five people that never watched The Amazing Digital Circus Pilot, this show looks like a Five Nights At Freddy’s knock off.

It’s a cute mascot show that is actually secretly a horror monster infested world.

Even people who haven’t seen FNAF at least seen a few clips of it and what it’s famous for. I know I have.

My sister is super into this, and she hogs the TV, so… RIP me.

That’s what most non-horror stans usually view horror as.

The jumpscares.

The unnerving imagery.

The designs made to freak out the viewers and make them uncomfortable.

It’s usually quite obvious when something is a horror, cause these aspects are often front and center. You can usually tell it’s a trailer of a horror movie by just looking at it.

At least, from my, a non-horror lover’s understanding. For some reason these sorts of things, especially indie animated ones, are the faces of a lot of content farms.

If the product itself isn’t r@%ing your audience, it’s those.

(TAKE MY WARNING AND TAKE IT SERIOUSLY: IF YOU VALUE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND YOUR SANITY, DO NOT LOOK UP THIS MOVIE)

BUT BACK ON SUBJECT.

Digital Circus… doesn’t really have this stuff.

There’s no jumpscares.

(I mean there is in a trailer, but it’s used as a joke.)

The character designs are very cute looking without any alternate versions that are scary.

And the imagery of the show remains cute and fun all throughout. The darkest it gets is in a realistic looking office.

But there are no jumpscares in that scene.

It’s just… a normal office.

If this was a horror, then perfect opportunity, right?

So… what’s going on here?

This, my friends, is why Digital Circus is not your typical indie animated horror flick.

And why people even call it ‘scary’ at all.

Here’s the trick this show uses.

It’s not the imagery.

It’s not the designs.

It’s not even intentionally trying to scare you.

Caine is not intentionally trying to scare the audience. He’s just acting like an A.I.

Yeah he has SOME unnerving moments.

But compared to THIS:

I’d say Caine is pretty tame.

Maybe it’s an indicator that he’s secretly a monster like the Other Mother in Coraline.

That horror flick is about the host lying to the protagonist and revealing their horror-like appearance later on.

But not only was it confirmed that Caine is NOT evil. But look at his design right away and his presentation.

There is no sign so far that he lies about anything. At least not what he doesn’t know.

Yes he lied about the exit. But the exit ITSELF was the thing that sent you to the VOID. So really he kinda tried to protect them.

If he didn’t, he’d let jester girl eject herself like Among Us.

So why is it unnerving?

Because it’s the POV we the audience are in for most of the episode: Pomni.

Pomni is an Audience Surrogate.

Audience Surrogates are characters designed specifically to be a placeholder for the audience.

People usually assume this trope as the character made to be the bland and generic one. But that’s actually not true.

An audience surrogate can be as simple as a First Person POV. As all it means is that the character is designed to have the same reactions the audience would in the situation they would find themselves in.

Course, not speaking for everybody, but majority that would consume the content.

Thus, with Pomni as the audience surrogate, we the audience are thrusted into her shoes the whole time. We feel the fear she does. We are experiencing the circus the same time she does.

Notice the editing in some scenes. Specifically the scenes Pomni is NOT in.

When Pomni is in a scene, there’s usually some change in lighting or camera movement that’s unnerving.

But when she isn’t in a scene, these editing moves aren’t there at all.

Which makes it pretty easy to suggest that these unnerving edits are just what’s going on in Pomni’s head.

So with that, when she’s scared. We’re scared. We’re in her POV.

But she’s scared all the time. That’s just her average personality, right?

Then why make these specific edits?

Let’s think about this:

This character is trapped in a world that isn’t her own. Everything is unusual, and she wants out. But instantly realizes there’s no escape.

And then gets told this is her new home and her new body.

A home she doesn’t recognize. And a body she doesn’t even know the name of.

She lost all sense of identity in an instant. Losing everything about herself in an instant. To the point where she can’t even remember what she was before.

And to make matters worse, because this is unusual, everything SEEMS terrifying. Even to those trying to help her adjust.

The only way out of such a confusing and terrifying world is to escape. Which is what she tries to find the entire time.

So THEREFORE:

The horror is this show is NOT the jumpscares or the creepy images.

The horror is THE VIEWER’S MIND.

This show constantly destroys your mind and breaks you through Pomni.

The idea of losing everything about yourself and being trapped in something unfamiliar forever. That IS terrifying.

If you were in this situation, you’d probably freak out even if you were the bravest being ever.

So it’s not about how scary the scene is on the outside.

It’s about what you’re THINKING that’s scary.

Ragatha’s distress monologue is not scary on the outside. But if you actually take into consideration what she says.

THATS terrifying.

That toys with your mind. And it also toys with Pomni’s.

The monster figure in the episode, the abstraction, is nowhere near as scary as something from FNAF

At least in my opinion.

Especially seeing what the monster does.

It can’t kill you. You’re just glitched.

Or maybe it CAN kill. But we never see that.

Even if Pomni ended up like Ragatha, Caine would’ve eventually came back, found them, and fixed them. And they would’ve been fine.

But then, rather out of nowhere, she STOPS.

And we get this shot.

I talked about this shot before. Said it quickly became one of my favorite shots in media.

This is why.

This shot makes me queasy every time.

The idea of looking in a mirror and not even being able to process or recognize yourself. Unable to even process your own reflection, that’s how unrecognizable you’ve become.

That’s horrifying.

And there’s no dialogue here either.

The episode effectively uses SHOW DONT TELL.

They SHOW you how scary the situation is. They SHOW you a single image that tells you everything.

It would’ve been so easy to just have Pomni say “I’m scared. I don’t recognize myself. Who is this person looking back at me?”

But no

They DON’T insult their audience.

They don’t TELL you.

They let you sink it in yourself.

Pomni doesn’t even have ANY lines after she goes through the exit door. And yet the shots after that with her have been plastered everywhere. Why? Cause she doesn’t need to tell you her mental state. You’re SHOWN it.

Can someone PLEASE tell the live action Avatar The Last Airbender that?!

Speaking of the office scene. This is the only moment in the show that looks… real. Not that cartoony.

Which I guess being in a setting that’s off putting from the rest makes it creepy, right?

Well not really.

Sure she’s running through rooms that seem to be repeating, which that of itself is sanity breaking. It reminds me a lot of another existential horror: The Stanley Parable.

But while that game is excellent and the monologue that plays in that ending is one of my favorites, it IS just telling you the sanity of the player.

Not that there’s anything wrong with this in that games style. There’s no other way that could’ve been done in that game.

Here, again, there’s no dialogue. It’s just Pomni running through these desperate for the exit.

The scary part about this is that we KNOW the absolute DESPERATION she has.

Even if we couldn’t see her face, that’s still across because we’ve seen it the entire episode.

And then there’s her break.

She snaps at the sight of a desk, and gets fangs, that of a FNAF character. But only for a second. She doesn’t even go out at the camera with them. She goes on her merry way.

But Pomni, being the POV character, really doesn’t have much to be scared at about her.

So why is this terrifying? Why not go all the way if this is supposed to be a jumpscare?

Well cause it’s not.

A way to scare your audience is to make them feel dread. Lingering longing dread. Sometimes irrational dread.

People with anxiety especially get scared at things even when they’re completely safe. They feel an unease in their stomachs. They feel unable to move. Unable to speak. Unable to put it into words at all.

It could be because we saw something unnerving that stays in our subconscious. It could be because we’re nervous about something coming up. It could be because we’re in an uncomfortable situation.

Either way, anything even remotely resembling that triggering thing can break someone to feel this anxiety. Sometimes even something as simple as the dark. Even if we know we’re completely safe.

(Speaking as a person with anxiety myself)

She only snaps and cackles when she sees a random desk with a computer. Which also has the headset she put on there. The thing that got her in this.

But you might not have even seen the headset on your first viewing. I didn’t.

But your subconscious sees it. The environment not being like the others aids in unnerving you and making it hard to process what you’re looking at.

Why is this terrifying? Why does it break you? Why does it mentally break Pomni? We don’t know. It just does.

We’ve been stuck going through doors in repeating rooms for hours.

Fear makes you not able to overthink it.

So all of that is build up to the near perfect shot of Pomni at the brink of snapping at the dinner table. With the others voices blurred in her mind. As all she can do is fake a smile.

Terrifying End.

It’s not scary because it’s scary. It’s scary because it toys with the character, and the viewer’s mind

Now, is Digital Circus the first media to do this technique?

No. Not at all.

One of the most acclaimed animated movies, Spirited Away, also uses these exact same tactics for example.

That’s obviously a master class at this tactic. And it scared me as a child as a result. For all these exact same reasons.

It’s not a horror. Not traditionally. It’s not trying to scare you. But it does anyway cause in your mind it’s a scary concept.

And also, well, Spirited Away is a completed story as of the time this post comes out.

And Digital Circus only has one episode. But we did get confirmation this would be a series. And I personally have high hopes that this brilliant tactic is kept. From the trailer, it does seem like they’re not forgetting the stuff I bring up here. So I hope this works out for the creators despite the drama and the internet BS surrounding this show.

But even if not, we at least get one case in this show where we all want to curl up in a ball and cry

Us too Pomni. Us too.

Thank you for reading my… analysis a ton of people made before me, and probably better. Happy day for you all.

[weregonnaneedabiggerboat]

HIII i saw ur post about asking for requests for Ler!Jax and i have an idea!!

how about an extremely irritable and angry GN or F reader who has been silent for the whole day, not even reacting to Jax's pranks and stuff (basically going into full apathetic mode)

Jax is annoyed because the reader doesn't even look at him with rage, and soon realizes that the reason behind reader's behavior is that they are extremely close to abstract

So Jax has to do something to both annoy and save the reader from abstraction

i think we all know what that 'something' is

(feel free to ignore this request BTW💜)

Cheer Up, Doll~

Ler!Jax x Lee!You

CW: Angst, depression, implied suicidal ideation, apathy, implied swearing

Notes: Jax being soft for you, teasing, cheer up tickles, bits of fluff in between Jax acting stupid (affectionate), Reader is gender neutral as always

A/N: AAA ANON THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SUGGESTION!! I really enjoyed writing this little fic, cheer up tickles are my favorite thing in the world 💜 I made sure to include some fluff in the end between you & Jax because why not? Hope you enjoy!!

∘₊✧─────────✧₊∘

Sometimes it feels like when your feelings swing low, life swings lower.

And that's all that's been happening lately. You've had the rug pulled from under your feet in the past, but never in such devastating ways before. Coping with being stuck here has made you irritable; lashing out, shooting glares that could kill.

But now, you didn't even feel angry anymore. Lashing out has become exhausting. You just felt… Hollow. Not even Jax’s dumb pranks, or Ragatha’s sweet talking, or Pomni's asking if you're okay could even pull your lips from their sagging state.

The others, of course, understood that boundary. You were annoyed, apathetic, bothering you in this state could make you abstract for @#$&’s sake! However, part of you felt like being ignored and avoided by them was almost worse.

….Almost. Because not all of them gave you the space they thought you needed.

“Hey there, pipsqueak~” Jax teased, resting his elbow on your head, while you sat down at the dining table. You've been staring at your food for around 20 minutes now, and by then everyone had finished and left to go hang out on the couches.

“The food isn't going to finish itself, y'know. You have to actually eat it.”

Jax seemed to laugh to himself at his own joke, then noticed that you didn't even flinch. He frowned, staring between you and the plate of cold food.

You just stared at the peas and mashed potatoes, if that was even what they were other than a block of code. What was the point, anyway? Of doing anything? You can't die, you can't rest, every day was the same at this point. All you could feel was pain, and the existential dread weighing over any and all positive feelings you could have.

You didn't say anything in response to Jax, and just blinked slowly, overwhelmed with fatigue and apathy.

However, Jax didn't seem to appreciate being ignored. He frowned, gently tapping your cheek with the back of his hand. “Hey, Pips, over here! It's your best friend Jax!"

Well, that didn't work either.

He frowned, his eyes narrowing with irritation. What the @#$& was up with you? You HATED when he came around to bother you, especially when he used your head as an armrest! Usually you at least smacked his hand away or tried to shove him, or at leastshot him an annoyed glare.

But this time... Nothing.

“Go away, Jax,” you finally murmured, sighing and pulling yourself off the table. You weren't hungry, anyway. Not that it was even possible to be hungry in the circus, so you didn't see a point in indulging in these stupid routines at all. “I'm not in the mood.”

You just made a dejected walk to the hallway of bedrooms, feeling the world begin to warp around you. Your connection to this world felt like a frayed wire, the walls becoming a blur, sight being hard to reach. Where are you going? Were you even walking at all?

Jax stared with tightened pupils as you made your way back to where he assumed was your bedroom. Wow…

Nothing... he thought. Nothing at all. Like he wasn't even there.

“Jax leave them be,” Ragatha’s voice called to him from a few feet away, snapping Jax out of his concerned thoughts.

“What?”

Jax was taken straight out of his trance, and he turned to look at the ragdoll.

Ragatha had a stern look on her face, like she knew he was going to do something stupid and push you over the edge. And that was the last thing she needed right now. “They're going through a rough time and surely don't need you to bother them.”

Jax stared at her for a couple seconds, then he rolled his eyes. His persona immediately flew back up to his face, and he flashed her a grin, squinting his eyes mischievously.

“Nah~ They're fine, Rags, you worry your dolly little head way too much,” he chuckled, putting his hand on his hip and leaning his weight on one leg. He made a casual gesture towards you. “In fact, I've never seen them this…”

Jax's words trailed off when he realized you weren't within his sight range anymore, and his grin faltered. A sickening feeling in his stomach began to twist and turn when he realized he's seen this one too many times before. The apathetic nature of someone who was about to...

Look. There's people he didn't care about. He couldn't save, so they would abstract and leave him. Not that he enjoyed this idea, but it was easy to move on after a while. None of them mattered that much to make him fall into the same patterm.

But… No. Not you. Not you. He didn't want the next one to be you of all people.

Ragatha was about to go up and grab him to drag him away from whatever he was thinking of doing, before she heard her name being called by Pomni, saying it was “urgent” or whatever. She looked behind her, shouting a response that said she was coming, then she looked back at Jax.

“You better leave them alone," she said with a serious tone. "If you make them abstract, Jax, I swear,” she growled. “I will never forgive you.”

Ragatha turned to leave and check on Pomni and the others.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, toots.”

Jax didn't even hear what she said and just waited for her to get off his back already. He rolled his eyes, and walked after you in your direction.

Meanwhile, you were sitting on the floor, back against the bed, with a look so glazed over that it was easier to assume you were blind. Tears welled up in your eyes, and you glanced up at the clock hanging on your wall. It's been 20 minutes, and nobody has even bothered to even show up and check on you.

Tears spilled from your eyes as the realization fell upon you like a weighted blanket. Your bedroom was dark, silent, empty. You felt so… Alone. So—

“Hey there, Pips! What's gotten you all wadded up like that~?”

God @#$&ing dammit. Not him again.

“Leave me alone,” you muttered with a tiny whimper, this time turning your head to the side so you weren't looking at him. And so he wouldn't see the pathetic tears in your eyes.

Jax just grinned and chuckled, leaning his arm on the doorframe and the other hand on his hip. “Awwe don't be like that, Squeakers,” he teased with that annoying tone of his, and used a finger to flick the light switch on. You flinched with the sudden brightness of your bedroom, pressing your eyes closed for a moment and wiping away your tears.

He walked inside and kicked the door shut behind him, then sat his lanky ass right next to yours, stretching out like this was just some casual day at the beach.

You watched as he rested one leg over the other and placed his arms behind his back. This was so… Weird. Why was he being so clingy?

You shifted away a little, now feeling uncomfortable with the distance. You didn't even notice how his odd behaviour managed to snap you out of whatever you were so upset about.

Jax didn't move, his eyes closed as he relaxed with that dumb grin on his face. What was he planning? Did he hide a bug in your room or something and was waiting for you to notice?

“Boy, this isn't very comfy, is it?” he finally asked, turning to look at you with his signature lidded eyes. “You just sit on the cold hard floor like that? Don't worry, I can help you get into the bed if it's too high up for you to reach~”

You just returned his expression with a look of disgust, hugging your knees closer to yourself and almost trying to slowly turn your back to him.

“Yeah, whatever. I didn't feel like getting into my bed,” you retorted with a frown, unappreciative of the implication he was making.

You rolled your eyes when he just chuckled in response. “Hurr hurr so funny, I'm short! Such an original and totally accurate joke!” you mocked his voice, which only made him laugh even more.

Jax leaned back forwards to rest his arms on his leg, still looking at you. “You’re so easy to rile up, doll~”

You decided not to answer this time, and just stared off into distant space. He just wanted attention from you, and you quickly found out your angry retorts and reactions were only fueling him.

“You're just going to sit there and ignore me, grumps?”

You huffed a response with your nose, pouting and refusing to look at him.

That is, until you felt a small tickle at your side, that made you jump and whip to look at him angrily.

Jax had his hands to himself, making a gesture with his gloves that mimed him checking his nails. He raised an eyebrow and looked at you, then shrugged and smirked.

“What?”

“...” You glared at him and shifted even further away, hugging your knees. “Nothing…”

Huffing quietly, you sat again, avoiding eye contact with him and hugging your knees a little tighter. This time, you felt a hand — his hand no doubt— gently pinch your ribs, and you whipped back at him again with wide angry eyes.

“JAX!" you snapped at him, growling irritably. " I KNOW it's you!!”

Of course, his reaction was just to laugh and throw his arms up defensively.

“Whahahat!” he snickered, giving you his best innocent look. “What are you talking about! I've just been sitting here with you!”

You scoffed, letting out an angry hmph! and turning away again. But this time, you kept your eyes staring at your side, waiting to see him try again. And sure enough, he did, and you grabbed his wrist before he could poke you.

“AHA! Gotcha!” you said victoriously, then realized you were grinning. Not wanting to give him any chance to celebrate, you pouted again and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “I-It was you! I knew it!!”

Jax laughed at your clearly mixed reaction to his attempts to tickle you, unbothered by your grabbing of his wrist. “Whaat come on, mee~?” he giggled, using his free hand to flutter a finger under your arm. “I would never~”

You squeaked and giggled, writhing away from him. “Jahahax!!” you whined, letting go of his wrist to try and smack both his hands away.

“You keep scolding me when I'm not even doing anything!” Jax chuckled, now using both hands to tickle your ribs playfully. “I'm starting to think you're trying to accuse me of something, Dollface!”

“I AHAHAM YOU @#&$!!” you scolded him, then fell into a sea of giggles again.

“Oooh I see, you're just ticklish~” he laughed at how adorable your giggles were, especially since you were trying so hard to look stern and angry. “Why didn't you just say so? Tickle, tickle, tickle~”

You laughed even louder, now squirming on the floor underneath him and giggling your heart out, kicking your feet at his belly.

That seemed to tickle him a little, given by the soft gasp and chuckle he let out. He then gave you a menacing glare, using his legs to pin yours down and sitting on top of your waist.

“Oh you want it bad, bad, don't you,” Jax chuckled threateningly, cracking his knuckles before digging his fingers into your sides and belly. “Well, let's see how you like this! And this!!”

You shrieked with laughter as his fingers pinched your sides and poked in your belly, your arms not doing anything to defend you from the tickles. “JAHAHAX PLEHEASE NOHOHO!! I'M SORRYHYHY!!” you pleaded, pressing your eyes closed and feeling tears start to prick at them the more he made you laugh.

“You think one little sorry is going to help you escape~?” Jax said with a playfully stern tone, as if he was mad at you, but his soft laughter totally gave away how much he was enjoying this. “Sorry, toots, but I ain't letting you off that easy~! Tickle, tickle~”

“IHIHI DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHIHIHING!!” you screamed back at him, trying to sound angry but honestly, through the giggles and the almost affectionate tickling he was giving you, any attempt to look mad was thrown out the window.

“Didn't do anything, huh? Well, let's see,” he chuckled with a malicious grin, digging his fingers into your underarms and making you clamp your arms down on his hands. “You ignored me, didn't laugh at my jokes like you usually do,”

“THAHAHAT’S SOHO STUPIHIHID!!”

“Welp, there's another thing~” Jax teased, attacking your belly viciously in response to your unwise comment. “Calling me stupid? Right after trying to kick me in the stomach? Tch, I can't believe you sometimes~”

You blushed at how nonchalant and smooth the tone of his voice was, with how much he was teasing you you wish you could just explode at this point. Squealing through your giggles, you tried to plead with him.

“Okay OKAHAHAY— I'm sorryhyhy!!” you pleaded, trying your best to curl your body up.

“For what~?”

“FohohoHOHOR— AHAHA!! JAHAHAX YOU DUMB@#$ STOHOHOP!! LET ME SPEHEHEAK!!” you shrieked, unable to form coherent sentences through your uncontrollable laughter.

“Kinda rude, dollface… Now I don't wanna stop~” he teased. “You're just givin me more and more reasons to keep on tickling you~”

You definitely didn't want that, or maybe you did, but either way you still shook your head frantically at what he was saying. “No no nOHOHO!! I'm — EHEHEEEK!!”

His fingers went straight back into your underarms, and he really managed to wriggle his index fingers up there this time. “You trying to say something~? Come on, speak up, we don't have all day~”

Your feet were desperately trying to kick and squirm and get away from the overwhelming feeling at this point. You gasped for air, looking back up at him. “I'm sorryhyhy I'm sorry I swehehear!! Ehehe— I was juhust hahaving a bahahad dahahahay!! Ahahahaha!! I'm sorryhyhy fohor ignorihihing youhuhu!!”

Jax looked down at your genuine expression and, satisfied with the apology, pulled his fingers away from you. He let you catch your breath, snickering at how cute you looked all tired and beat like that.

“Apology accepted,” he simply said, chuckling as you shot him a frustrated glare. Though, deep inside it wasn't about the apology or your rude behaviour or your ignoring him. He didn't want to lose you, you were his best friend, and if not losing you to abstraction meant tickling you until you were begging in tears, then so be it.

“Youhu’re such a jeherk…” you softly giggled out, panting on the floor and zoning out at the wall. You could still feel the tingles from where his fingers were teasing you, and… Honestly? You felt more loved and appreciated now than you ever have by any of the others in the circus.

Who knew that the only one who can bring you some semblance of happiness was this purple idiot?

“You ready to go, Y/N?”

His voice spooked you out of your zoned out state, and your eyes widened in surprise. He had gotten off of you and was now standing, staring down at you with his hands in the pockets of his overalls. Jax almost never calls you by your actual name, so his tone now was… Suspiciously friendly.

“Um…Y-Yeah just…”

You didn't really want to explain that you wanted to spend a little more time with him before leaving your bedroom. But he seemed to catch your drift anyway, offering a hand to help you stand up, then sitting on your bed and getting into a relaxed pose again.

You hesitantly sat down next to him, and smiled softly up at him, which he returned. Your stomach fluttered, and you decided to close your eyes and just soak in the peaceful silence between the two of you.

…Maybe being here wasn't so bad, after all.