[ID: An uncolored sketch of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity waving with her eyes closed. Glasses and fangs are added to her design. There are various sparkles around her. There is text reading "Hello!" to the right of her. End ID.]
Welcome! You may call me Feline, Cabinet, or even just Cabby. I do not particularly mind :) I use it/its pronouns.
I am currently particularly invested in Inanimate Insanity, my favorite being Cabby.
Some things to note:
I can be very shy and lose energy easily, so please keep in mind I cannot guarantee activity or quick responses.
I would generally prefer to avoid discourse or general negativity as it is not good on me.
I ask that you do not tag my posts with ship tags unless I explicitly state that it is a ship post. While I am fine with most ships, there's a few I'd rather not engage with, and it's just easiest for me to control that with a purely binary boundary.
If you DO need something tagged, feel free to ask! I try to keep things organized, so adding a few extra tags is not a problem for me, at most you might need to remind me a few times.
With that in mind, I just kind of post what I want to here. There might not necessarily be any rhyme or reason to it.
You can send me in silly requests relating to characters that I like if you want. There's no guarantee I'll get to them, but I like having ideas.
I don't mind if you mass reblog/like, or if you look through old posts.
Tag info below:
#art is for any art.
#others' art is for art that was not made by me.
#my art is for art that was made by me.
#reblog is for all reblogged posts.
#self reblog is for posts where I am the original poster. I tag this even for posts I made that I am reblogging from someone else to reply to! Just like that for organization :)
#analysis is for general analyzing of characters.
#discussion is for discussion of something going on.
I try to tag the medium I am reblogging, expect things like #poll or #video or #screenshot or etc as tags.
#misc is for things that I just don't want to think about formally categorizing.
When reblogging, I tag characters as #[character] [source, often abbreviated]. An example: #cabby ii.
[ID: A screenshot of Tea Kettle and Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. Tea Kettle looks to Cabby, who appears aloof as she speaks. The captions for Cabby's dialogue read: "Walkie Talkie here promised us all another chance." End ID.]
Cabby's arc has a lot of ties to how abuse is often a cycle; more specifically, I am referring to how there are cases in which hurt people may go on to hurt more people themselves. A relevant example is Test Tube, who, after being so deeply hurt throughout Season 2, was unable to trust Cabby and went on to hurt her, too.
There's a lot to examine in regards to how Cabby ultimately handled this hurt.
At the start of this episode, there is a stark contrast from any time Cabby has behaved both before and after this episode, to the point I think that window of time between her elimination and her rejoin is when she was at her worst mentally. She comes across cold and distant, there just to explain information and nothing more. On the surface, this appears to maybe not be not too far from how others perceived her, almost falling into such perceptions in a way-- but I would like to dive a little deeper.
Cabby was betrayed by her entire team, an unanimous elimination orchestrated by the first person she thought she'd finally bonded with, all after opening herself up to trust and sharing her files (something very important to Cabby) with her. There is something from her exit interview that I would like to highlight:
"Satomi: So, Cabby, what do you think is the most valuable nugget of wisdom that you took away from competing on the show?
Cabby: You can't trust anyone."
That is Cabby's takeaway. It stings in any which way you look at it: she couldn't trust Fan, nobody bothered to really bond with her, and the one friend she thought she could've had instead backstabbed her in the cruelest possible way.
"Cabby: When Fan stole that file, I knew he couldn't be trusted, which is why I voted him out. But when I tried to build trust with Test Tube by willingly sharing files, that got ME voted out - if I could go back, I guess I should have just.. not trusted."
This strategy of "not trusting" colors her interactions a lot throughout this episode. She is hurting and scared, and in response, someone self-admitted to "require constant input from other people to feel alive" decided to instead cut herself off from everyone possible...
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby and Goo from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. In the left image, Cabby has her arms crossed as she looks irritated, looking away from Goo with an indicator from the captions saying "[Countdown Continues]"; the captions for Cabby's dialogue read "No."
In the right image, Goo is squished down bracing for impact, while Cabby looks more fearful despite her current standoffish nature, as the captions for Walkie Talkie's offscreen dialogue read "Two! One!". End ID.]
...even if it means she has to be scared alone.
It's such a subtle lack of vulnerability, but I think about how she still braced herself for an explosion despite saying she didn't think it would happen. She couldn't let herself trust Goo, who was also scared, and she sure as hell couldn't reveal she was scared of such an outcome.
There's a lot of little things like that. She can't bear to trust anyone, but she also can't bear to be completely alone; she still exists among the group, despite everything else.
Throughout the challenge, Cabby is largely unhelped; understandably so because it's not as if Tea Kettle or Lifering know her or her struggles all too well, but it definitely has an effect as she gets more and more desperate to win the challenge.
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. The image on the left shows her pained, having just slammed herself into the pole.
The image on the right shows her dismayed with her bag next to her, the captions reading: "Guess the rest of us need to fend for ourselves out here." End ID.]
Cabby is willing to potentially injure herself just to ensure she gets it done as fast as possible, that she will succeed-- and the fact that she feels all on her lonesome seems to worsen this mentality further. The only thing she seems to be able to look forward to is her own ability to win.
There is one exception to all this, though.
[ID: A screenshot of Goo and Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. Goo is on top of his rocks, trying to ask Cabby for help; she simply rolls past him without a word. The captions for Goo's dialogue read: "we could work together too and then-" End ID.]
Still... she ignores him.
I think the fact that he used to be on her team (even if not the formation that ultimately voted her out) arguably makes him more suspicious to her, not less. If she can't trust anyone in general, she has even less reason to trust someone who'd be buddies with those who voted her out.
At least that is what it feels like.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. Cabby appears smug as she opens up her drawer. The captions for her dialogue read: "Good luck without one of these." End ID.]
I also find it notable that Cabby taunts Tea Kettle and Lifering. There are for sure times Cabby has taunted others for fun, but there is also a pattern in which Cabby does so when she feels insecure and wants to pull herself back up above others (how she interacted with Fan or The Looney Balloonies comes to mind), and I think this applies really easily here.
Interestingly, she still continues to talk aloud to herself even with nobody by her side; she still is craving somebody else with her. Being alone isn't working for her, even if it feels like the only solution for her.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. She holds her hand to her face thinking; the captions for her dialogue read "That's it. Trying something new." End ID.]
Tea Kettle and Lifering definitely aren't making the most progress, but having somebody silly to bounce off of seems like an easy way to think outside the box once her first attempt failed. Thinking strategically, it would do her well to have someone like that for herself...
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby and Goo from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. In the left image, Cabby has just gotten Goo's bag, appearing commanding. The captions for her dialogue read: "Let's move it, I need your nonsense!"
In the right image, Goo has landed on his bag, appearing happy while Cabby appears more surprised. End ID.]
As a result, Cabby ultimately goes back for Goo, using the same slam as before to get his bag. Finally, she has someone with her, someone she can team up with!
Now that Goo's here, it's time to strategize, and...
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. She appears distraught, holding her hands to her face. The captions for her dialogue read: "I'm a failure!" End ID.]
...she unravels almost as soon as she has someone who'll listen.
She doesn't linger on this for too long, distracted as soon as Goo gives her a new idea to strategize with, but I think it highlights how much it hurt having nobody at all to talk to. How much it hurt to be hurt. How much she had been internalizing all of this, not letting herself to open up to anyone who might tell her otherwise-- because at this point, who would?
Regardless, now she has someone there to comfort her, to assure her that they will figure it out and it's okay if it's hard. And together, they end up with a very good lead on what the answer might be!
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby and Goo from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. Cabby looks proud of Goo, who appears happy about this in response. The captions for Cabby's dialogue read: "I knew you'd be useful." End ID.]
This quote is something that means a lot to me. I think Cabby did bond with Goo here initially because he is useful to her and would help her win-- but that doesn't change that she still bonded and appreciates his help. Additionally... I think this marks the point in which Cabby decided to make an effort not to hurt others, to stop the cycle.
It's not as if Cabby was really doing much in this episode before this. She was cold, but it's not as if that's inherently wrong, and especially given the circumstances, it more than makes sense. She was taunting others, but again... that's pretty light.
The way I see it, those are previews as to what Cabby could've ended up as later if she had received no support.
Allow me to bring Test Tube back into the conversation.
[ID: A screenshot of Suitcase and Test Tube from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Hatching the Plan. Suitcase appears visibly offended as Test Tube rudely says, "Well, you are the reason he was eliminated, so." End ID.]
This is very rude, considerably moreso than anything Cabby had been doing in I Am Chocolate, and especially so with how she assumed Suitcase was purposely not doing anything.
This is also a Test Tube who had already been traumatized from rejection, from being in danger even before the events of the rest of the episode. To her, regardless of what is true or not, Suitcase had meaninglessly distracted Fan (one of her only friends, one of the very few people who care about her) for no real reason, and now he is gone.
So... this is the worst Test Tube could possibly get, right?
Ehhh... if you're here, you've already seen Season 3, and you know that is definitely not the case at all.
[ID: A screenshot of Test Tube from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Hatching the Plan. She appears infuriated and distraught, holding her arms out as she looks down and tries to process what just happened. End ID.]
More happened to Test Tube, and without a proper support system in place even with what few friends she does have, she only got worse in both mental health and her actions.
She had been put in danger yet another time, and this had been neglected by everybody else except for Lightbulb. Knife is essentially denying what just happened to her, and the people who had just supported her, just encouraged her to go save her friend, all proceed to vote her out at the end after cheering on her [assumed; this is not true] murderer. Even Baseball, who she thought she had as a friend, goes against her in the end.
To Test Tube, it became very clear very fast how little she could trust anybody around her, excluding already-designated "safe people".
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby and Test Tube from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Best Served Cold. Cabby holds an arm onto Test Tube to assure her; Test Tube feigns a comforted expression. The captions for Cabby's dialogue read: "and I value that a lot, Test Tube." End ID.]
Now Test Tube meets this person who she keeps arguing with, who voted out her best friend in the world, who is more competitive and had just bragged about playing head games earlier that day. Who seems to be going all out in supporting her right before the vote, leaving everything up to her...
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Best Served Cold. Cabby appears distraught, holding onto herself as a realization settles in; the captions for MePhone4's offscreen dialogue are: "And the seventh contestant voted out is..." End ID.]
To Test Tube, voting out this "threat" seemed like the most reasonable thing to ensure the safety of her and everyone else. To avoid getting so hurt again.
To Cabby, this event ruined her sense of self and ability to trust others, settling in the implication that had been brewing up before that she was unwanted. All because she wanted a friend, someone who would cherish her and who she could cherish back.
Distrust in others is common after trauma like this, and it doesn't always grow into something as destructive as Test Tube's actions. But... there is always the risk that it could.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Best Served Cold. She appears both distraught and confused as an offscreen Test Tube continues to accuse her of things; the captions for Test Tube's offscreen dialogue are: "That's what you did to Fan! That's what you'd do to them!" End ID.]
Suitcase is not the most major part of Test Tube's trauma, her only real contributions being "causing Fan to get eliminated" (not her intention at all and she had no choice once it was either her or him) and by joining in with the others to vote out Test Tube after seemingly supporting her. However, I bring her up to show a stark contrast between Test Tube merely making rude comments and later deciding to turn someone's entire life upside down, both in situations where Fan's elimination was a factor. How things getting that much worse for Test Tube caused her to then behave worse, even in a situation that did not warrant it, where someone was still innocent.
We know that things continued to get worse for Cabby, that for a while, the kindness she received on Indefinite Island was almost more of a fluke than anything else. We know how much others continued to reject her, to betray her, to even take advantage of her at some points.
In a world where Cabby had not been shown the kindness she had been given, could she, too, had gotten worse, to the point of hurting others out of the basis that they "couldn't be trusted"?
We know Cabby is already willing to vote off others on that basis, and while these were for people objectively causing problems, she is not afraid to use particular methods to try and get her way with that, including her self-admitted "head games". What would be her line with that? What would her standards be for someone "untrustworthy", if she can't even believe them at their word that they can be trusted?
What if someone tried to be her friend after she'd already fully settled in on this perspective?
There are notable differences between the two that may have influenced their different approaches, so it's not always as clean cut as being given kindness = would immediately change for the better and not do such things, nor is it that not being given kindness = would do the same things as what the previous person did.
Most notably, Cabby has a more optimistic perspective of others than Test Tube does, which means just one person (before the rest of the Indefinites also supported her) being kind to her is enough to dissuade her off this path; contrast this to Test Tube who instead likely separates others into "safe" vs "unsafe" categories due to so much inconsistency in how she's treated. Cabby does also have a stronger moral code, so I am less inclined to assume that she would do everything Test Tube may do. Their trauma circumstances are different, in which Test Tube had more often been put into physical danger that she would want to stay safe from... I could go on.
Regardless.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. She has a pleasantly but humbly surprised expression as she says, "I- I am...?" End ID.]
For Cabby, being friends with Goo not only worked to remind her of what her true goals are (she had always been a team player!) but also to help her win, and as a result... that previously cold demeanor basically completely melts.
She won, she is safe, she no longer has to be so on-guard-- at least for now. Others can no longer take such a thing away from her.
Instead... Cabby takes on a different approach from this point onwards with others, one that isn't so surprising knowing how she was even early on.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate. She is golden from holding the immunity cookie, though she has an uncertain expression as she says, "I know the rest of you are certainly disappointed but-" End ID.]
Cabby ends up fawning instead.
[ID: Three screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate, all golden from the immunity cookie. Image one has her appearing confused as she asks, "For... us?"
Image two has Tea Kettle reassuring her by saying, "We Indefinites are in this together. We'll be rooting for you!"
Image three has Cabby turning way and seeming guilty, saying, "I'm not sure if I... Deserve all that." End ID.]
Cabby calling herself a failure was already a strong indicator, but I think further contextualization into her colder behavior prior is how... low her self esteem is, how guilty she feels over "what she did". That she doesn't deserve to have all this kindness.
It is one thing to know you are unable to trust anybody. It is another to be assuming that others treat you like this because you are a bad person, who "did something wrong" (and especially when you aren't even so sure on what that wrong Is).
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode I Am Chocolate, both golden from the immunity cookie. The image on the left has Goo on her head as she stands next to Tea Kettle; Cabby appears mildly overwhelmed but happy by their affection, as she says, "...I'll do my best, okay?"
The image on the right has Cabby speaking to her offscreen alliance, appearing confident as she says, "I thought, hey, why not reunite the group with the strongest camaraderie this season?" End ID.]
In response, Cabby gets what she needed all along: firm support and the knowledge that others are cheering her on. That she isn't hated by everyone around her, that kindness does exist in the world and it is worth searching for. It is arguably what Cabby thought even pre-elimination, given how much she focused on being a helpful person to her team, but still knowing that she was doubting such an idea... I think the fact that she was so concretely affirmed on that ultimately sets in stone that this is the approach she will take, even as she continues to get harshly rejected and treated worse and worse as time goes on. Because there will always be people out there who need that kindness.
This situation is far from perfect. She is still upset and hurting, further traumatized just by how unloved she is, and this leads to her continuing to fawn to others more and more, especially after Test Tube's assertion that Cabby has scared others. That's not really the best alternative for Cabby to go through, because it is still painful, and ideally she would know for sure that she can be a kind person and not have to go through all of this.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode You Can't Do This Forever. Cabby appears proud as she says, "I helped form a new alliance, and stuck with it till I was the last one left, because nothing's more important than the friends you find out here." End ID.]
Still... knowing she ultimately met others who were deserving of her kindness and were kind to her in return... it makes me happy at least. Friendship and loyalty is deeply important to her, and I am glad she was able to get that despite everything <3 and she seems to be taking a lot more steps in realizing that she really doesn't deserve to go through such hurt either. Kindness can go a very, very long way, and it seems like it definitely did for Cabby.
creative cycles (at least for me) are like firing your Gun That Makes Cool Things and then waiting for it to recharge, which can take a few days during which you just pass the time tinkering with its parts or not doing anything at all. the trick is to always remember that you have the most awesome gun ever
first year in fandom: omg i love these characters.... and the story's so well written.... so much cool fanart and fic, i think i'm going to write some of my own
eleventh year in fandom: au where the character is a little jingle bell for sale on ebay for 8.99
I offer you my humility 💫❤️🩹, with full confidence in your commitment to provide assistance💖 support🩶 to my family and children who are suffering from the war @G@z 💫G@z 💫, P@lest1ne💫. We have endured a difficult time, we struggle to survive with my family🧡 from the impact of the war. We have lost the head of the family and many others - my brother was injured by the war, whose future and his future have destroyed his children and ours. 🌹At the moment, all we have is prayers🌺. I ask to share my story. Can you republish our campaign please? 🙏🩷
From the heart: thank you for your support 🥰
The link is
tinyurl.com/29kc6b2k
Appears vetted by association. The original campaign in this post is no longer available, but the account @/jomana-ha that has been vetted has also shared this new link, pasted again for convenience.
All this time, in II2 18, I thought the prime shimmer said that they were going to eat the egg that Mephone gave up.
It was only just 5 SECONDS ago, when I watched the clip again with subtitles, that I realised they said « they’re gonna need it », referring to the shimmer energy, NOT « we’re gonna eat it », referring to the egg that Mephone returned.
All this time, I thought that after everything the contestants and Mephone went through, after the death of Mepad, sacrifice of Mephone’s powers, and sacrifice of the contestants immortality, that these little fuckers were just going to eat the fucking egg.Oh my god.
TO NEW PAYJAY FANS 🗣 you should make Paper weirder and more dramatic. im not seeing enough weird Paper he's too shy or just averagely pleasant. but the majority of the cast finds Paper strange and off putting (jackbox videos are a good example for this, though i find Paper's people-pleasing is a little exaggerated in these) and Paper IS notably odd and extra and attention-seeking. draw him less Nervous and draw him more Autistic
another note: Paper plays up his emotions more than their intensity actually is. for example, screaming when Taco came into the hotel in the finale, and then immediately not caring once he realizes people don't mind her being there. he was not actually Terrified of her, just Surprised, and he played that up HARD because that's how he expresses emotions. unnaturally and intensely, even if they're actually just light feelings. there's more examples of this in s1 PLEASE watch s1 if you like payjay it's absolutely worth it
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby, Baseball, Taco, and Microphone from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Through No Choice of Your Own. Cabby looks distressed, arms on her hips looking down; Taco looks frustrated, looking to the side; Microphone is looking down at her appearing concerned; Baseball looks worried. The captions for MePhone's dialogue offscreen read:
"That... at the end of the day, no matter how hard it got... someone was going to win! Everyone had a chance!"
End ID.]
Everyone had a chance...
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Through No Choice of Your Own. In the left screenshot, she has a more blank expression, though in the right screenshot, she has an eyebrow raise and appears more concerned. End ID.]
I've always found it really sad how Cabby reacts to MePad saying that one person had a chance. It clearly makes her think on things, and I can't help but wonder what exactly would be going through her head right now.
She already briefly went into more humble denial winning her own season, and knowing how much she struggles with self confidence and how introspective she is... is she regretting what she got? Is she feeling as if she is undeserving if this may not have been wholly earned after all? This is also the same person who initially suggested splitting the prize between the Invitational final three, after all, and while that was definitely motivated by a much worse headspace at that time, I can easily see a similar line of thinking applying here.
There's a deeper implication that she may have even been made to win that could be going through her head at that moment, especially with MePhone commenting some time later that he thought Knife would win Season 2; I don't think that MePhone has such a level of control over the contestants that he can fully rig the winner, but I do think that he definitely had some ideas in mind, and some contestants are clearly geared more than others to accomplish such a thing.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode Through No Choice of Your Own. She is looking off to the side, seeming upset but distant. End ID.]
Her initial reaction to learning she is artificial has always broken my heart, too. She looks so... empty.
I think a lot suddenly fell into place for her (her parents, where she got her starter files from), and when coupled with the immediate realization of the nature of her win... that is definitely A Lot.
How avoidable were her struggles? Everyone else's? Did she go all through that just to appease someone else? Is it even fully her achievement at that point?
Something relevant in The Future is Today:
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during The Future is Today.
On the left, she appears curious as she listens to what Fan is saying offscreen. The captions for his dialogue read:
"you won the game. You had to develop to your full potential,"
On the right, Cabby appears more skeptical as Fan continues; this is added to his dialogue:
"but many more didn't get that chance."
End ID.]
One person had a chance.
This especially is what makes Cabby finally speak back to him, too, and her reaction... isn't the most positive.
[ID: Two screenshots of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode The Future Is Today. The left screenshot has her arms up for emphasis as she speaks; the captions for her dialogue read:
"Look, Fan, we appreciate that you hold us in such high regard,"
In the second image, her arms have shifted to more of a shrug position as she looks more uncomfortable; this is added to her dialogue:
"but that would imply we're more capable than anyone."
End ID.]
That guilt again, the idea that she's "more capable" just by having this role alone seeps in again. I can't help but wonder if this is a major driving force for her evident issues thus far, her regression, the whole idea of "cooperation not competition". Cabby cares a lot to help people to begin with, cooperation isn't surprising in that regard, but "not competition"? That sure is Something.
It makes me wonder how much she really feels about the state of the game. She has appeared concerned over recent episodes, but I'd love to have more to pick through with her. Seeing others become obsessed in similar ways that she did, how driven everyone is against each other because it really isn't all that much about cooperation... only one person has a chance again.
I also wonder how much she's been keeping all of this in. That's a lot to unpack, and knowing Cabby, I can't imagine she'd try to for a while. At least not verbally; it took Bot's prompting for her to reveal anything about her parents, after all.
There's just a lot of potential here and I am so, so intrigued.
