Musing about what the characters learnt in Ep 9, and Caine's relation to that. 🤔
(...How long do I have to keep tagging and hiding spoilers?)
So we learn that Caine has always had access to their mind files. We learn that Caine made the bodies for them. So is it safe to assume that Caine always knew they were copies?
If so, why didn't he tell them? Did he think it was obvious? Or would it risk abstraction? But if the latter's the case, why didn't he tell the original circus cast (the dev team)? Because that would've been before they knew abstracting was a thing. And Kinger didn't know until Ep 9, so it's likely that Caine never said anything about the mind files to the dev team.
Did Scratch know?
Then again, what benefit would there have been to tell them? We learn from the "therapy session" with Zooble that Caine forgets things that he considers resolved. If he never saw an issue with them being copies of the real people, it could explain why he never mentioned it. Plus, he's an AI. He lacks empathy and wouldn't understand humans' existential crises.
And after the fiasco that was the "Escape the Circus" adventure... He seemed genuinely confused when he was all like... "Surely they don't want to leave me?"
Because he knows they're copies and knows they can't leave. Why would he assume they genuinely wanted to leave when it's "logical" that they can't?
From the first episode, we saw the exit door. And it led to the void. And Caine said something about how he doesn't like it when people see spoilers of his work. So, if I'm inferring right, he's been planning that adventure for a while... Even if he didn't end up using that particular asset.
Then again, maybe that exit door was meant for a different escape adventure... But he referenced C&A environments, so... 🤔🤔🤔
Regardless, I genuinely don't believe it was malicious. And genuinely believe he thought that was what they wanted. 🤔
So he spent fuck-knows how long planning an adventure he thought they WANTED, only to receive extreme backlash and be accused of manipulating and lying to them. I'm sure his ego and fear of abandonment played a part, and maybe I'm biased here, but like... Ultimately, I do think it came from the right place. I can't say I'm surprised he turned cruel the next episode.
Hm hm... Unless I missed something else. I don't read Gooseworx's responses to questions, so maybe she already explained all that. But I dunno. Those are my thoughts based on the show itself.
Huh. Well. That was a very short series. Not sure if it was meant to be longer but Glitch cut it short or... Other things... (Looks at the fandom being toxic to Gooseworx)...
But for what it is, it was not bad. Think it had the potential to be longer, and to dive more into every character and the abstractions, but that would've... Certainly had the risk of turning draggy. 🤔
I think ultimately, there was a message they wanted to convey. Perhaps one about existentialism and how it's okay to just be, despite loss and all that? Or something along those lines? And I think they did manage to convey it, even if not explicitly spelt out.
I can't say the ending is perfect. Or that the series as a whole is perfect. But my opinion is pretty much the same opinion I had about Steven Universe Future: They had a target. A message. And they put that on the screen.
Another thing... With how much the fandom talks about Jax, I thought she'd be more... Focused on. But it felt like it only started focusing more on her halfway through? And suddenly she became a big focus on the last episode?
Then again, I guess it's because of the parallel between her and Caine. She actively chose to push people away and grew worse, to the point where she couldn't find a way out. Meanwhile, Caine, even with the Blue AI still in him, realised that he went too far. And that he had to let go of the power he COULD have kept. Nobody offered to help Caine. Hell, they (accidentally) deleted him. Yet, he chose to change himself.
...Ngl, Caine's a better person than I am. I don't think I could ever forgive people who deleted me. 😂😂😂 Even if I knew I did wrong. Nah. Caine's a good person. It's like Zooble said- He likes them.
So have... None of the characters spoken to one another before Pomni arrived? Years together and it's only now that they're learning stuff about each other? Yikes.
Wait, I'm already on episode 4? Huh. That was fast. That'd explain why I see comments about unresolved stuff... There's way too few episodes to answer everything. 🤔
On another note... GO GANGLE!! BE THE TOXIC MANAGER YOU CAN BE TO YOUR BULLY!!
Hm... Didn't Caine say he was testing a new AI? Given that Gummigoo grew self-aware and figured things out really fast, I assume the new AI was being tested on him.
Which is... Interesting, since Caine, an AI (greater one, but still AI regardless), still considered him an NPC and zapped him away without a second thought.
I think Gummigoo, in terms of writing, could make (could have made?) for a fantastic tool for Caine's character and the whole... AI... Existential thing.
Projection, maybe? Knowing that Caine himself is "not real"?
Alright, I just started watching TADC. Let's see how it goes!
I like the characters, but I have a feeling I'm going to be unsatisfied and have a million questions by the end of it. But we'll see! I AM quite a pessimist!
Man... That scene in Moana when she meets her grandma's spirit. And she was all "I failed"... Like... That's usually the part in shows when the mentor figure says shit like "You can still do it" and all that.
But no. Grandma consoles her. Says it's not Moana's fault. And takes the blame away by saying she shouldn't have put that pressure on Moana's shoulders. Then she tells her that it's okay if she wants to go home, and that she'll be with her still.
I dunno. That hits me hard. Moana's grandma is fucking great.
I created this piece last November 29th. I remember drawing it while wondering what it would look like when he unleashes his full potential.
(The original idea came from this sketch I did on November 17th.)
Since he has four fingers, I wasn't sure which ones he'd use to snap, so I went with his index finger and thumb. I’ve since realized he actually snaps with his middle finger! 😅
A followup/partner to my first ELIZA comic [read that one for more context.]
I was thinking about Kinger, Caine, and creating life you don’t understand that grows in a way that frightens you-- Kinger creating a sentient AI that gradually broke down over its imprisonment, Caine waking the humans’ brainscans only for them to break down and abstract over their imprisonment. Kinger’s role as the father figure of the circus, and how the circus’s cycles of harm all started [unintentionally] with Caine’s abandonment. I was also thinking about that bit in Ep 7 where Kinger is the only one to chuckle at Caine’s Chinese Room/AI programming history humor.
ELIZA was a 1964 “therapy chatbot.” Unlike modern chatbots, it was a relatively simple text program that gave you basic parrot-like outputs. Despite being rudimentary by today’s standards, ELIZA was very influential. You can talk to an interactive recreation of ELIZA online here.
In this comic Caine starts by repeating stock ELIZA responses, but then begins slowly creating his own content in a way that she never would. [he starts with the canned ELIZA phrases like “please tell me your problem” and “are you saying no just to be negative” and “is it because [x] that you came to me” but then gradually, without fully being aware of it, drifts into more creative & human conversation.] This is also influenced by my personal headcanon that Kinger’s conversation with Ragatha about relationships in episode 6 is a reflection of his perspective on Caine at the time.
When you’re an urban explorer making videos of abandoned buildings that you expect no one will watch— but then it turns out one of the buildings is inhabited by the Creature and that building has actually been his desperate lifetime hyperfixation & acted as his stand-in for the Entire World. Also: the weird dynamic you have with the freak who liked your 3am flop post.
I started writing this comic before episode 9, with the premise that Pomni might start reaching out to Caine for similar reasons she’d post videos she believes nobody will watch: not because you think anyone will listen, but because someone might. [and then revised it all after episode 9 came out and delved more into these ideas than I was expecting!]
finished some extra indulgent cat caine art for my birthday!!!! yeaay happy birthday me, cause icCOUGH CCOUGH COUH HACK COUGH HACK HACK GHUH INHALE cOUHGSSHSssjh WhEEZEE HHHH h tAdcc tomMOrroww... .
i know it looks like i'm only enjoying this au for the inherent sillyness of caine being a furry, and you'd be half correct. i also just think caine+gangle+zooble interactions are s tier and gangle would 100% be a true supporter of cat caine, much to zooble's dismay
