Hi. I've had thoughts on this since watching the movie that I've been holding back due to spoilers. I know it's only been out for a bit but I wanted to get it off my chest.
Ahead are spoilers for the last episode of The Amazing Digital Circus.
Please also keep in mind that the episode hasn't been out for even 24 hours yet so be mindful of not spoiling it for others.
This is purely about trans Jax and explaining why I think it's blatantly obvious because somehow, there are debates about this. I chose to only include one part of episode 9 in this shitty analysis because that is genuinely all you need to get it.
Quick "debunk":
Jax is not implied to be gay. If Jax is portrayed to have romantic feelings for anyone, it is for Ribbit. Jax does not have that chemistry with male characters. If Jax was meant to be hinted to be gay with internalised homophobia, making Ribbit a man would have made far more sense.
"Isn't she lovely" isn't about Pomni; she is only present in a few of the scenes shown during the song. While it can be interpreted as such, it is also not a romantic song.
While you could argue Jax is just a man who likes feminine things, I strongly believe that the trans argument outweighs the feminine man argument by a lot. I also don't believe it would be this big of a deal in the show the message was only "men can like feminine clothes", especially when written by a trans woman.
The big trans segment goes like:
Jax was compared to her father by her mother growing up; no matter what she did, she was either too much like him or not enough of a man.
Specifically in response to this, Jax opened up about something deeply personal "to get mom off her back".
-> My take: Jax doesn't say "I came out" because she wasn't planning on coming out to Ribbit. She kept it intentionally vague so Ribbit wouldn't think of her as a trans woman.
Instead of it creating an understanding between them, her mother started to insult her in ways that were now degrading and deep, personal cuts. The worst part was that she hugged Jax afterwards.
-> This is a common trans experience. Parents will simultaneously degrade you after you come out and believe they are doing it because they love you, hence why she hugs Jax.
-> The emphasis on the style of insults changing is also important. "Not man enough" was already an insult her mother used, which means that the new ones cut deeper than that.
She did not know how to handle the hug forced on her, and pushed her mother to get her off of her. She's scared she killed her mom.
Back to the scene with Ribbit:
Ribbit expresses understanding.
She takes her pink bowtie and puts it on Jax's head as an accessory.
-> Traditionally masculine accessory is "transitioned" into a traditionally feminine accessory. Speaks for itself.
-> Jax never specified that it was about gender or identity. Ribbit knew Jax better than anyone, including the viewers. She assumed based on the same thing we heard and got it right.
Only after she puts the bow on Jax does she say "Your secret is safe with me".
-> Spelling it out now but this is a double entendre, one being the ~deeply personal~ thing which Jax did not need to explicitly name for Ribbit to understand.
Someone knocks on the door. The fragile moment of peace in a secret shared between two people shatters, and Jax throws the bow to the floor.
-> Jax doesn't magically want to come out because one person accepted her. She feels exposed, stripped of her performative armour.
-> The reason Ribbit looks sad/disappointed about the bow falling off could be interpreted 2+ ways:
It is a part of herself that she lended to Jax, who did not want to be seen with it in front of others. Could read as Jax rejecting HER. (However, Jax was clearly very close to Ribbit publically and was not ashamed of being seen with her/loving her.)
It is also a symbol of Jax's vulnerability (and femininity). It hits her that Jax's peace was only to be found in that single moment they just shared, and Jax goes back to the real world soon.
Jax panics, scatters, shuts her out.
-> Ribbit is now the only person who knows of and accepts Jax's deep and personal secret. Jax is scared of being outed and argues that Ribbit has this over her now, that Ribbit could hurt her. Jax knows that she wouldn't be ready if Ribbit, intentionally or not, told others about this.
After the scene with Pomni, "Isn't she lovely" plays over scenes that all have a single thing in common: Jax is the main presence in them.
-> "Isn't she lovely" is a song about the birth of a girl. It is a commonly shared sentiment in trans people that realising you're trans, accepting that you're trans, and eventually transitioning, feels like being born again. People often feel their life up until then had, for example, been either wasted, moved through like a zombie
or from a third perspective, or playing the role of someone else.
However, for the rest of the episode, Jax is refered to with he/him pronouns.
-> The rest of them only know Jax as a man, including Cain. In real life, Jax seemingly continued to live as a man publically. Since I've seen this take, I'd like to clarify: Trans people are still trans when they are in the closet. Basically every trans woman has been closeted at some point. Some trans women live their whole lives without coming out. They are still trans.
-> While it's a minor mention, irl Jax has started hanging out at the queer-friendly bar.
-> Meme take: The baggy hoodie, the long hair, the continued performative confidence, that's a closeted trans person
doing their best if I've ever seen one.
Main point I'm making:
Jax tells her mother something deeply personal in direct response to being judged through the lens of a man.
The person who knows Jax better than anyone "transitions" her masculine bowtie into a feminine hair bow by putting it on Jax's head.
Jax shuts her out because Ribbit figured something out about her that she wasn't ready for others to know (or maybe face herself).
After Jax lets herself be vulnerable again, a song about a girl being born plays.
Meta things:
The creator, Gooseworx, is trans, strongly lessening the chance of this being accidental rep by a cishet person which is
sometimes seen in other media.
Jax was homeless. Statistically, trans women disproportionally face homelessness according to several studies, for various
reasons. Homelessness stats are increased in trans women with unsupportive family. Just something small worth mentioning.
Ribbit read between the lines. So can you. Transfem Jax is undeniably canon. Happy pride month.
(That said, headcanons are headcanons. I discourage harassment. Please keep in mind that the episode hasn't even been out for 24 hours yet, so don't spoil it for others.)
i lose a year off my life when i see skinny martin or white jon and i lose 5 when i see them both together. beautiful little animatic with 900 notes except i cant bring myself to like it because jon is the same shade as the wall and martin has a slutty little waist
these are different things btw. actual adaptability means not dealing with being miserable long term. and being constantly mildly annoyed/frustrated with a situation but being “able to deal with it” counts as ambient misery. btw.
let this be your sign to make your life just a little more livable. get a dollar store trash can for your bedside so Cup City’s invasion plans fall through. block a tag or post that makes you grind your teeth every time you see it. get some grip pads so your bed stops sliding across the hardwood a little bit every time you get in it. tell that person you need a little more support. if you get annoyed at a situation more than a couple times, change it. don’t be content with being miserable.
They’re so funny let’s all read the book called ‘the book that kills you’ from hit audio drama ‘do NOT under any circumstances read the book called ‘the book that kills you’’.
Honestly, full appreciation for Martin Blackwood. He's an openly gay man. He's fat. He starts the series with with a timid demeanor that he grows from and becomes for confident. He writes bad poetry for no one but himself. "Sorry, can't hear you. There's a door in the way" KING. The world ended, and honestly, he took it VERY well. Dug an evil worm out of his crush's leg with a corkscrew. He loves tea.
blakekathryn
andulkaphoto
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baratheonpilled
pixelskylines
