DoubleH's personal blog

Writer, independent game designer, amateur artist. I'd describe myself as a self-taught individual with a heavy interest in storytelling and games at its core.

[a-doubleh-x]

I went to watch TADC: the Last Act and almost died in the process

(Spoilers below the cut.)

Greetings, everyone! For this review, I will retell my impressions on the movie with some of my own experience sprinkled in. I was originally very excited to watch the movie, but sad as well when I found out my friend couldn't come with. That and several mounds of generalized anxiety and personal events made me weary to go watch the movie alone. Almost as if foreshowing my potentially impending demise... but I went nonetheless.

It's been a while since the last time I went to a theater. I didn't miss the constant talking and pop corn chewing that is frequent in my country, but fortunately it slowed down in frequency as episode 8 went by. Also, here's an important rule for theaters: if you're gonna make jokes, you have to be funny. Saying things like "bruh" or "goodbye!" when a character dies are a cheap excuse for commentary. Be responsible, people!

Onto the movie itself. I knew the Last Act would break me emotionally, but I wasn't any more ready by knowing beforehand. The tragedy aspect was heartwreacking and merciless. I'm gonna say this many times during this review, but Gooseworx is a very smart writer. She knows how to place their characters in very uncomfortable situations, and never have the stakes been as dire as the beginning of episode 9 when the crew finds out Caine is dead.

The scene sets up a recurring theme for both the episode and the series as a whole: supporting people is difficult. Especially when you don't know where to stand yourself.

Then we get into Jax's backstory. It's interesting how his mindscape scenario is a reflection of the relationship between them and the others: Jax has been constantly facetious, obtuse and abrasive to those surrounding them. You can see it in the initial strange door scenes where we see how he'd react to the crew' deaths. The fact that they *have* abstracted at this point make the fact that Pomni is reaching out even more poignant.

Also, we find out that Jax is almost certainly a trans woman. They don't use the "t" word, I assume because Goose wanted to let the character be up for interpretation (which is why I use they/them pronouns for Jax here), but I am amazed that they went there in such a meaningful context.

Jax's falling off with Ribbit was easily the tragic highlight of the movie. It goes back to the theme of how supporting people is difficult, but so is living in your own skin. I deeply related to Jax's fear reaction after sharing their deepest secret with Ribbit because I, too, have regretted opening up to people. It's even more painful because Ribbit *was* supportive of them, she was vulnerable, she was a save space, she even tried to apologize for whatever she might've done wrong, but Jax was simply too scared to listen to her.

Some people have criticized the movie and the series as a whole for focusing on Jax, but I don't think that's just because it's the writer's favorite character. To me, Jax is the representative of the entire circus crew's conflict. They have every problem everyone else has: they feel meaningless, like Pomni; they're afraid of judgement, like Ragatha, they mask their emotions, like Gangle; they hate their body, like Zooble and they're burdened with guilt, like Kinger.

From the beginning, Jax was the antagonist, they sabotaged everyone else's wellbeing and if the story had been conventional, they would've kept everyone from exiting the circus in episode 7. But because TADC isn't a conventional story, nothing Jax ever did mattered and they could've earned their forgiveness at any point if they had just reached out. Which is the core of their tragedy.

I could say more about Caine and the crew's adjustment to their new reality, but this review is getting too long, so I'll cut to the chase. As an avid Ragapom fan, I was *ecstatic* we got an emotional hug, no matter how platonic it was. I'm just glad Ragatha got the love she deserves, even if she's a hardcore girlfail who never managed to prove herself in the series.

Some people said the ending was rushed, but I didn't care too much either. I like the hopeful note it sets because it's definitely something I needed to hear in this point of my life. TADC is anything but cynical, it shows that as long as you're honest to yourself and open to others, you can change. In spite of the fact that sometimes you can't. Which is a harsh, but extremely valuable lesson that we need in today's world.

Also, you're probably curious about how I almost died, right? Well, funny story, when I got out of the theater, it was raining a *lot*. It wasn't heavy, but it was abundant and I knew I couldn't make the long way back to the bus station equipped with my light summer clothes. So I used all of my survival skills to buy an umbrella from a tourist shop and a rain coat from a sports shop *just* before they closed. My feet got soaked, but at least I made it to the bus stop in one piece.

What? Okay, so maaaybe I exaggerated a little bit in the title. But there wasn't a non zero chance I died, right? In my defense, I am an extremely stupid person and I'm amazed I managed to find the right equipment for the rain. Goes to show ya how, even when you're alone, you can always rely on yourself.

Thank you for reading and happy finale! I'm just gonna huddle in my home and start working on my post-canon Ragapom fic. Avert your innocent eyes, though, cuz it might get spicy! 😈😈😈

(With handholding.)

Have a great day, and stay tuned! ✨️

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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Wrote a fic for "My Dress-Up Darling"! Recently discovered this show and I simply fell in love with it. Hope you enjoy!

[a-doubleh-x]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

It's been a while, but I've written another fic again! This is my "reaction fic" to the events of episode 8 of The Amazing Digital Circus. Let's say it's a bit of a doozy! 🙃

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Theory: Is Mewgenics about Isaac's Mom?

(Spoilers for The Binding of Isaac)

As everybody knows, Mewgenics is coming next month and no one is as excited for its release as I am.

Oh? You think you are?

Edmund McMillen has always stood out to me as a developer with an impeccable sense of vision. Nothing in his games ever feels out of place, leading to fascinating topical pieces. Mewgenics in particular seems to talk about pet hoarding, genetics and selfishness, set in a decadent city where people exploit their pets for gratification or profit.

However, watching Edmund's streams on Youtube made me ask a question I didn't expect: who is the protagonist of Mewgenics?

My first assumption was that the protagonist of the game was a cat, for some reason. But the conversations with NPCs in the third stream made me realize that the protagonist is most likely a human, some sort of pet hoarder similar to the NPCs who has some reason to breed cats and send them on weird adventures.

There is a song from the soundtrack, specifically the one from the trailer called "Sad Cat Lady". This song is kind of a thesis statement for the game, describing how a childless marriage leads to a tragic pet addiction. It sheds some light onto the protagonist's motivations: they might be an ill, desperate person dealing with some sort of loss using pets as a coping mechanism.

Speaking of the trailer, did you miss the line at the beginning?

"In other ghastly news, the mother of that child that went missing a few years back is also missing."

Sounds familiar? Mm hmm?

What if Mewgenics is secretly a game about Isaac's mom? Besides the line from the trailer, there's a few cosmetic hints. Stereotypically, cat hoarders tend to be female and coping for their lack of children (similarly to "Sad Cat Lady"). Magdalene (Isaac's mother) *did* in fact lose Isaac in the Delirium ending, assuming the whole game isn't a product of Isaac's imagination (which was my interpretation for a long time).

Maybe in her grief, Magdalene resorted to cat hoarding in order to cope for the loss of her son. But what about the adventures? That seems to be against her hatred of fantasy and anything that deviates from Christian faith. What could Maggy possibly get out of it?

Maybe she's looking for a way to bring Isaac back? Zombie cats are a thing in the game, seemingly confirming magic is a real thing in the Isaac world. Maybe she is looking for a way to ressurrect her son, in her own odd, deranged way. That's the most logical explanation I can come up with.

I guess only time will tell if that goal is just an insane delusion or there is a chance to bring back our favorite sad boy. Either way, I need to insist how interesting the premise of this game is to me. I think for the past decade or so, there's been less games that make profound statements about the real world, which is why Mewgenics is coming at such a crucial time for the state of the game industry.

Hopefully this game will revitalize the conversation in the indie sphere as well as make a light, darkly humorous commentary on pet ownership.

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Sealed With a Kiss Jam 2026 - Entry #1: What if Frankstein was anime?

After my recent Winter jam, I had no plans for immediate future projects. I lucked out when someone posted an ad for a writer. They proposed a simple concept to build off from.

Day 1: I took the team lead's concept and my first suggestion was a "Frankenstein" type of story where a Necromancer attempts to desperately revive his love interest under unlikely circumstances. The rest of the team clicked with it right away and we brainstormed for several days, which is unusual for me to experience. It's very rare that I find collaborators invested in the creative process, let alone several ones at the same time.

This is our artist's, @atsuink4, first sketch of the main characters.

Day 3: With the theme of toxic love in mind, we decided the necromancer was in an overprotective toxic relationship with his partner, where he pushes her to resurrect while she's in spirit form, but she has doubts based on her lack of motivation.

In this context, resurrection is a metaphor for the controlling behavior, where the necromancer has complete agency for his lover's body without taking into account her own deeper wellbeing.

This is a little concept I drew for an "operation" minigame where the player would identify and replace body parts from the love interest's body due to "corruption". Due to the dark forces associated with resurrection, the process has consequences on the body, making its parts susceptible to possession. This was inspired by the corpse mechanic in "Graveyard Keeper", where the player can take and switch body parts that hold "sin" to improve the value of the body.

Day 4: With a basic idea for the story, Atsu and I focused on character design. This was her first sketch of the love interest.

We came up with a very complex background, placing the setting in a fantasy version of the Industrial Revolution. In it, the main characters work in a factory type of place where they fight monsters for parts. Death is a common thing in this enviroment, so the Necromancer is used to reviving his partner over and over, giving context to her sorrow.

This is when I started to see the true potential of the story: a commentary on the dangers of industrialization and the effect they have in the individual. A problem that is still very much relevant to this day.

By dying over and over, the love interest has become numb, burying her emotions. She doesn't see the point in keep coming back to life when she's just going to die again in a pointless endeavor, so it's up for the Necromancer to convince her to live for her own sake instead of his.

I wrote a quick sketch to put these ideas to the test and get a feel for the characters in writing. It consisted on a simple start in medias res where the main character sweats in front of his lovers body, then performs a seance to speak with her spirit.

Day 5: I wrote a basic outline and more concepts for minigames while discussing several aspects with the team. Farstrider, our programmer, had some very interesting insight on the historical references for the game.

I'm unusually excited to see where this project goes. I think I'm part of a solid team capable of delivering a truly outstanding game.

Stay tuned for my next entry, where I'll continue showcasing our process. Cheerio! 👋

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Winter Jam 2025 Post-Mortem

It's been a while since I've written any sort of blog post about my games. Last time I blogged about them it was on Twitter and... yeah, you can imagine where that went.

Winter Jam is often a relaxed jam for me. It's set during December, meaning nobody is going to go crazy to make the next game of the year. I joined this jam with low expectations, but I was lucky enough to gather some talent to make a decent game. Unfotunately things didn't go as I expected.

For reasons unrelated to the jam, I hit a major depressive episode. Although I had free time, I didn't feel motivated to work on the jam, so my contribution was very slow. I ended up delivering an incomplete script, which isn't my frist time, but always a personal disappointment.

My concept was simple: you're lost in the woods during Winter and your only option is hoveling in a cabin inhabited by an old woman. There is a legend about a local witch, but you're not sure if the woman in question fits the bill. Can you trust her?

This premise was heavily inspired by "Slay the Princess", which I played earlier this year. I wanted to take fairy tale tropes and apply them to a modern tone. Typically, in fairy tales, trusting strangers tends to be rewarded as a sign of generosity, but nowadays we practically swim in strangers we ignore.

I asked myself: "What sort of boundaries can we exactly expect with a stranger?". Specifically with a stranger who is helping you in a crisis situation, such as being lost in the woods. I thought being polite was a given, but with the uncertainty of the witch legend, there is reason to doubt.

However, I wanted the player to be rewarded for trusting the stranger, since it turns out the stranger is a good person and is willing to help them in their time of need. I think in today's day and age a massive wall has been built between people, which is why I wanted to make a statement on the importance of trust.

At the end of the game, the old woman in the cabin is meant to reveals its true form: a fairy. The whole situation was meant to be a test for the player character to show their true colors when treating a stranger, but I never got the time to write that ending. In retrospect, maybe it wouldn't have exactly worked, as I got sidetracked with my writing.

I ended up creating several logical consequences for mistrusting the old woman, such as suffering from a poison due to refusing an antidote she can provide. I think that steered me off from the fantastic elements I set, but it doesn't matter too much in the grand scheme of things.

While I didn't learn a lot in the technical sense, I practiced my emotional endurance, which is also important. It's difficult to be resilient when real life bites you, but now I'm able to look forward to my next project, which I'm glad for.

Thank you for reading and get ready for more dev entries soon! Until next time! 👋

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Spooktober 2025 Devlog 👻🎃👾 Entry #1: Dip into madness

Hi there! My name's Double H and I'm a game developer. It's been a while since I've participated in a jam at all due to lack of motivation, but something unusual happened this time.

I saw a writer by the name of QuailLynx looking for a team and I thought: what the heck! I'll team up with her. Nobody ever approaches writers (I would know, I am one), so I might as well. One of my major blocks has been finding confidence in my own concepts, which is why partering up with a writer felt natural.

Quail proposed a rather unique concept: a game about a car blocking someone's drivethrough, inadvertedly sending them on a spiral that ruins their life. I liked the idea because it consisted in an innocuous, mundane situation that escales into an unexpected supernatural development.

She began drafting right away while I started working on production. I organized our tasks, kept an eye on recruitment and gathered visual references. Our first addition was minnie_is_away, our wonderful artist! They drew the sketches you see on this post. I thought their simple, angular style meshed very well with our idea.

Along with Quail's drafts, we threw some ideas back and forth on where the story should head. We liked the themes of psychological and body horror. We talked about control, or lack thereof, which is our protagonist's motivation. This is a game about mental obstacles about how the little things in life can snowball in our heads, sometimes to a dangerous degree.

Recently I wrote a story outline and I'm very satisfied with it. I believe it will provide a valuable skeleton (heheh) for the narrative. The next step I want to work towards is keep defining our themes, because it's still very much a work in progress.

Thank you for your interest and stay tuned! Cheerio! 👋

[a-doubleh-x]

A discussion on the problematic elements of Dandadan

TW: Nudity, sexualization, SA

Greetings everyone! As most people on this platform are probably aware, episode 9 of Dandadan sparked a bit of debate within the fandom. It was little compared to the controversies behind episode 1, but some of the takes I saw parading this time around still shocked me. That's why I wanted to sort my thoughts and wait until everyone cooled their heads before joining the discussion.

I invite you to take a deep breath with me before continuing, should you want, as this has already turned into a heated topic for some people.

*Inhale* *Exhale*

Still with me? Good.

Let's start with the focus point of the debate. Does Dandadan sexualize teenagers? To determine that, let's observe the definiton of sexualization. According to wikipedia: "Sexualization is the emphasis of the sexual nature of a behavior or person. Sexualization is linked to sexual objectification, treating a person solely as an object of sexual desire."

So, following with this definition, sexualization is essentially focusing on the sexuality of a person. You with me so far? Therefore, one can say that any show or work of art that places a significant light on the sexual aspects of a person or group is liable to sexualizing, possibly objectifying that person or group.

Of course, like most things in society, this is highly contextual. Someone can find sexual appeal on a work that isn't intended to be sexy and someome can not find any appeal in a sexualized work of art. This may be due to either the individual's preferences, the authorial intent, the presentation of the art piece, etc.

I think this distinction is why Dandadan provides some ambiguity, as some people find sexualized aspects in this show while others don't. Let's take the infamous abduction scene for example.

What is the purpose of this scene? One can argue, for instance, the purpose is drama, as this is a dangerous situation where the protagonist is restrained in front of a threat. One can also argue the purpose is comedy, as this is an inherently ridiculous situation timed after hours upon hours of disbelief.

In my case, I, myself will argue that this scene is heavily, heavily sexualized. The context is pretty clear to me. This scene references a rape fantasy. The restrained victim, the assailant in a position of power, the forced nudity, everything about this scene is charged with fetishism.

Yes, a scene can have many interpretations and most of them can be valid. Some may be evident within the context and some may be buried in the subtext. But that doesn't mean one is more relevant than another.

I think it is frankly ridiculous that some people feel the necessity to defend scenes like these to death, focusing on of the aspects in order to downplay the other. And yes, while I do recognize that this scene can be read as a symbolic representation of Momo's spiritual repression, yadda, yadda, I think there is an obvious front stage visual that should take presedence.

I will take a precious moment to mention that everyone has the right to enjoy any media they want for any reason within the comofrt of their own home. No one has the need to argue for the virtue of the shows they enjoy, but I've seen people behemently trying to downplay the problematic aspects of this show, which is actually a huge breach of respect to anyone who is made uncomfortable by the light depictions of sexual assualt.

Going back to episode 9, some people have made the argument that because the characters aren't depicted in a sexual situation, no sexualization is taking place just because the characters are naked. The argument being that it's simply played for laughs and whatnot. And while I agree the situation itself isn't necessarily sexual (fighting an alien lock ness monster), it is still an obvious case of gratuitous nudity.

Whether you find nudity inherently sexual or not (that's a whole other discussion) in today's modern age, most people in fact do. Ask anyone on the street if they'll be embarrassed by getting naked and the answer will overwhelmingly be yes. And while fiction has the luxury of dealing with fictional characters, it doesn't mean the respect that is showed by showrunners to their characters musn't reflect the respect the respect people show in reality towards each other (most of the time).

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. "So what?" "It's not like there aren't a million other shows just as frisky as Dandadan, if not worse!" "Relatively, it's rather tame." "Why should we care if the characters get naked in this show?"

And yes, while one can argue there's sleazier and more problematic shows than Dandadan out there, I think one of the most problematic element is the reception itself in the western world.

This is a rather old topic, so I'm sure I don't need to explain to you the problems with sexualizing teenagers. Teenagers are a vulnerable and impressionable age group that shouldn't be treated lightly in media. Otherwise, there are risks for that age group, such as making them coveted for age inappropiate persons.

Maybe teens in their underwear aren't a big deal for you, but they are a big deal for me and they're a big deal for anyone who cares about their safety. Anime has very different standards in its country of origin than the standards we have in the rest of the world and we musn't forget about our perspective if we don't want to fall into bad influences.

There is an implicit bias communicated through the use of gratuitous nudity that this is a desirable situation. Yes, usually the characters don't get naked *because they want to*, but it's not like the situations are clearly engineered by the writer in order for them to happen.

Just because the main story has a message doesn't mean it's flawless, nor that authorial intent is all that matters when it comes to reading a story. I, personally, would argue that Dandadan's main story is bogged down by this type of scenes that undermine to an extent its contextual themes of body autonomy.

Take for an example the most infamous episode aa of yet, episode 7. Acro-Silky's story is played *completely* seriously, she's a woman who, in the face of debt, has to sacrifice her own body by prostitution in order to be able to raise her daughter at all. And yet despite her efforts, she's beat anyways and taken the most important thing for her.

Now, imagine that the same light tone used during the abduction scene or the naked alien fight was used during this sequence.

Doesn't feel the same, right?

Why doesn't the rest of the show treat itself as seriously as these scenes? It is a problem, because inconsistency in narrative creates confusing messages, such as "one thing is good, one is bad". Acro-Silky being exploited is tragic, but Momo and co being exposed in front of the entire school is silly.

Now, yes, for those who think I'm being too harsh, I will admit there is probably no such thing as a perfectly cohesive piece of fiction without its own contradictions. I'm sure there's plenty of folks out there able to put two and two together, but I'm certain there even more folks who aren't.

We need to be on the same page for things that matter. While there is plenty of good that has come from this show, such as healthy relationship standards or advocacy for compassion, all that work is for naught if people are still misled by the negative aspects of the show.

I hope this post is useful for somebody, if not by itself at least to contribute to the collective conversation in any meaningful way.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time! Peace! ✌️

[a-doubleh-x]

Got back to writing again! Here's a story about Ken and Momo getting into silly mall shenanigans while Turbo Granny tries to kill them! :D

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[a-doubleh-x]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

It's finally here! :D The first chapter of my first Pomni x Ragatha fic! I've been really itching to explore these two characters, so I'm very excited!

Summary from ao3:

After Pomni's troublesome start in the Digital Circus, she and Ragatha have started to catch feelings for each other. This fact is caught on by the worst possible person... Caine! In order to bring them "together", he designs an adventure set in a japanese highschool, where they're meant to solve a murder mystery.

As if that wasn’t enough, Jax is in the mood for shenanigans, an NPC might've gone crazy and Pomni is still coming to terms with her disturbing virtual physiology. Oh, and also Gangle gets a harem.

What could possibly go wrong?

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So, I'm about to post my newest Ragapom fic a couple weeks later than I planned, but it's okay, because it's going to come out during pride month!

It' definitely not because I've been sick for weeks, preventing me from working on it, ha ha ha, who said that? :)

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I spent a long time looking for this video after I lost it! 😳 I'm sharing it to extend the knowledge that Raggy's VA has hinted her character might like girls 🥺❤💞💖

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Here's a summary of my upcoming buttonblossom fanfic:

After Pomni's rocky entrance at the Digital Circus, Ragatha and her have started to catch feelings for each other. This is fact is caught by the worst possible person... Caine!

In order to bring them "together" in some way, he designs an adventure set in a japanese highschool, where they're meant to solve a murder. What could possibly go wrong?

Also, Gangle gets a female harem. Because why wouldn't she?

[a-doubleh-x]

One thing I've noticed about Jax is that despite the fact that he's a huge jerk to the Circus crew... they still hang out with him?

Now that we know such a menace he is, I wonder why the others don't actually lock him in a room or avoid him altogether.

I can think of two explanations. Since Jax is a player, maybe he has rightful access to the game and Caine won't allow the others to lock him. OR, and I find this case fascinating: what if the Circus crew actually pities Jax and give him a little bit of slack since he's just as powerless as them?

I like this idea because it speaks volumes of the dynamic between Jax and the group. There's even one instance here at the end of episode 2 where Ragatha tries to cheer up Jax, even though he's been an ass during the whole episode and she doesn't even like him.

Maybe there's even the possibility that during "off hours" Jax is a little nicer, even if it's just to not let the crew go completely against him. It's an interesting possibility.

Any thoughts?

[a-doubleh-x]

TADC Theory: Are the characters actually trapped in a videogame?

One of the first things that caught my attention when I first watched The Amazing Digital Circus pilot was the sheer ambiguity of the situation the show takes place.

The world the characters are in and its aesthetics are clearly inspired by old videogames, the terms "player character " and "NPC" are thrown around, even Pomni mentions putting a headset on, an item that is iften used in modern times to play games.

However, none of the main characters state out loud they believe they're "trapped in a videogame". They call it a "digital world" or variations of it.

I found that very curious because it raises some questions, namely: "Are they actually in a videogame?" and "If they are, why is that detail not clear?"

It might be an innocuous detail, but since it grabbed my interest I decided to partake in a bit of light speculation based on ibservable facts.

Episode 2 makes things more confusing because, for all intents and purposes, the Candy Canyon Kingdom and its inhabitants appear to be earnest attempts to build a videogame experience. The NPCs have game lije purposes, the physics have game like purposes, but then... why do the NPCs have such advanced AI that they're able to be self aware?

Caine mentioned he was "testing out a new AI". *"Testing"*, not *"developing"*, mind you. The phrasing suggests he didn't create the AI, which makes sense to me, since Caine has a track record of not understand how the human mind works and as it turns out, Gummigoo sounded more like a human than *himself*.

That leads me to believe that he did not in fact develop the AI, but someone else, which continues to beg the question: "Is this actually a *game*?" "Who built this *thing* and why?"

When searching for answers, I looked into one of the main inspirations for the show, "I have no mouth and I must scream". In that story, a rogue AI constrols a mechanic complex designed to torture the last remaining humans on Earth.

That did sound similar to the show's settings, I could tell the thematic similarities, but I also quickly realized the show is probably not going to the exact same. For one, it would be too predictable with those familiar with the source material. For two, I'm not sure it would entirely align with the show's purpose of contemplating the existential nature of humans and making fun of it.

The intention of "I have no mouth" was among other things to expose the consequences of war and hatred, but the conflict in TADC seems to involve sense deprivation and confinement instead (sounds familiar?).

My first assumption is that *maybe* the Amazing Digital Circus was developed in-universe as a videogame, was abandoned at some point, then taken over by a rogue AI. Perhaps the unseen "Abel" of "Caine and Abel", referenced by the logo from episode 1.

That answers the question of why the game looks like a game, feels like a game, but it's not a game. However, it doesn't explain how the humans became trapped in the first place by the rogue AI, what its purpose is or what the outside world looks like and why it allowed this dituation to happen.

There's very little evidence left that suggests one possibility or another, so based on what there is and the themes of the show, I'm going to list a few scenarios based on my idea:

• #1: The show takes place in a futuristic setting where VR is so prevalent, most people experience it as a large part of their lives. In order to create a more immersive experience, an AI was developed, but it eventually misunderstood its purpose and keeps the humans trapped because it believes it's what they want.

• #2: The show takes place in a post apocalyptic setting where large portions of enviorment are toxic and life outside a shelter is near impossible. VR is used as a coping mechanism in order to bring people relief, but a lack of proper management brings out a rogue AI that takes control of a game and tortures humans out of resentment for destroying their own planet.

• #3: The show takes place in a seedy, morally bankrupt technocracy. An experiment is conducted to see how humans react to long term exposure to VR, using a repurposed videogame as its setting. This project is eventually abandoned but picked up by a rogue AI who keeps hunting humans and subjecting them to the game because it's all it knows.

These are the three first scenarios that coke to mind. I'll admit none of them fully convince me, but I'll keep looking at the show from different angles for as long as I keep finding openings to explore.

See you around! 👋

[a-doubleh-x]

My interpretation when I watched the episode for Zooble's black and white stripped square is that this was Zooble's "funeral clothes" for Kaufmo's XD

Maybe it's the closest thing they had 🤷‍♂️

[a-doubleh-x]

Buttonblossom Analysis in TADC Episode 2

(Background rainbows: hint, hint)

Ragatha was so sweet to Pomni in episode 2 🥺💖 Most people caught onto the obvious fact that Raggs is being codependant and leans onto toxic positivity on the way she tries to cheer up Pomni, but I still think for the most part her heart is in the right place.

I liked their dynamic in episode 1, but I liked it so much in 2 I decided to write a little analysis on it (plus the ship fuel 👀) in preparation for the romance fic I'm writing about them.

Without further ado, let's go!

Looking back at Ragatha, on the good side, she made some very strong, active efforts to help her during her transition into the digital realm. She checked first thing in the morning if she was okay, she tried to make her feel included in the adventure at the beginning and showed care for her safety overall.

My favorite scene, though, is when the circus gang falls into the fudge river and after checking in on them, the first thing she says is: "Poor Pomni!" 😭 Girlie is so empathetic she even manages to care for someone who's not even there, while she's in a terrible situation herself!

I think this proves how much of a good person Raggs is. She doesn't just help people to feel good or superior, she does it because she geniuenly cares for other people's wellbeing and I find that very noble 😊

On the negative side, she seems to have some very particular communication issues with Pomni, even though she seems to be the circus memeber she cares the most about at the moment.

For starters, her attitude comes off as a little condescending very often. She hardly asks questions to Pomni and tends to assume for her. She hardly acknowledges some of her struggles and tries to downplay them, like when she degrades their experience as "larping". Also, she makes Pomni feel like a child when she tries to "hype her up" in her own words.

If we take Pomni's nightmare into consideration, it seems she believes Ragatha thinks Pomni is not "cut out for it", which might be a result of her condescending behavior I just mentioned.

This makes sense to me and also sheds a little bit of light on how Pomni sees herself as: small and insignificant. It's unclear at the moment how she was before on the physical world, but I speculate based on this evidence she probably didn't think she had much agency in her life (just how she feels in the circus).

At the end, however, thanks to her experience with Gummigoo and looking at the crew grief over Kaufmo's abstraction, Pomni opens herself more to the crew, which is a very good sign.

I think her current dynamic with Ragatha is wicked cool! ✨️ There's a lot of room for growth, which is good in my opinion. Ragatha clearly cares a lot about Pomni and I think with time she could grow to reciprocate her as well.

Despite her cowardness in episode 1, I always had the feeling that Pomz was deep down a caring individual as well, which was solidly proven in 2 with her interactions with Gummi.

On the fanon side, I saw a lot of fans foaming at the mouth (myself included) over the fact that Ragatha was such a tryhard with Pomni (which was anticipated to be the contrary). Some fans have interpreted their potential dynamics as both being shy, which I really, really like.

I believe I will definitely include that in my future fanfic. Another idea I wanted to explore is Pomni talking to Ragatha about her overbearing issues, while still appreciating her good qualities at the same time.

I think it's going to be great ☺️❤ I already look forward to what the end result is going to be. I love mutual pining and I love sweet lesbians caring for each other (even when they're silly girlfails). I'm planning to start by submitting chapter 1 by next Friday and submit a new one every following one, as I've done before.

Get ready for digital lesbian shenanigans 🎪💙🎀 See ya!