Ugh... I also got another AU idea regarding your fic, with some inspiration from this fic on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/396834475-the-amazing-digital-circus-the-rabbit-hole-male
In this AU fic, two OCs are decomposite characters of Buzzy.
The two OCs are identical twins (an older male and a younger female):
-The male twin gets Buzzy's bee avatar and neurodivergent behavior, while the female twin gets Buzzy's computer science expertise and status as Caine's love interest (her avatar would either be a Monarch Butterfly).
They were raised by a single mother who works two jobs (an average one during the day, and a socially inappropriate one at night), but lived in an area that has quite the social class division, like in S.E. Hinton's 1967 book, The Outsiders. While growing up, the male twin's neurodivergent behavior manifested as hyperfocus (Intense, deep concentration on specific subjects or activities, making it hard to shift attention away), Special Interests (Developing highly intense, specialized hobbies and knowledge bases), and emotional dysregulation (Experiencing intense mood swings or strong emotional reactions to perceived criticism or rejection). Also, he has Mild Dyslexia, a neurobiological learning disability. In contrast, the younger twin sister is very much neurotypical, with a gifted level of intellect, and is regarded as a "social butterfly".
After their mother died in an accident after graduating from high school, they both went to the same college. However, the older male twin went into the vocational program instead and graduated with a certificate of completion in Information Technology (IT), Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Automotive Technology, Culinary Arts, and Bookkeeping & HR Management. In contrast, the younger twin graduated with a double major in Business Administration and Computer Science. The male twin did many odd jobs for a few years, including computer work, freelance accounting work, culinary work, and automotive mechanics, before joining a startup company called Hivelink on the recommendation of his younger twin sister, who became a valuable employee after she joined the company after college.
While the twins were overworked like Buzzy, things were good until... a bad accident happened that left the male twin paralyzed from the neck down, like Christopher Reeve, leaving him emotionally devastated that he's now "useless" and became suicidal. It was then that the twins were offered the mind scanner headset by C&A workers sometime after the accident, leading to the twins' minds being copied and becoming Players in the Digital Circus, during the period when Jax, Ribbit, and Kaufmo were still friends.
Like with Buzzy, the twins actually loved their new environment, feeling not only free from the work-heavy routine of real life but also that the male twin was no longer crippled. The only drawback is that the male twin can't leave the Digital Circus, not even outside to enjoy the lake or carnival, because of some bizarre feature that's preventing him from doing so, which Caine has trouble shutting off. But they managed to get around it by conjuring a robot body that the male twin could upload his mind into to explore outside of the digital circus. They also both befriended Caine and critiqued his adventures, with the younger twin sister getting much closer to the Ringmaster in a romantic sense. The twins became good friends with the trio, with the male twin being close to both Jax and Ribbit, while the female twin became close to Kaufmo. At some point, the male twin became romantically involved with Ribbit, not caring that she isn't a cis woman, confessing to each other a week before the fateful destruction of Ribbit and Jax's friendship.
However, unlike with Kaufmo, the male twin would immediately notice that something was going on between Ribbit and Kaufmo, and would always intervene and be supportive of Ribbit whenever she was feeling bum about no longer having the same friendship with Jax. Given what the male twin had to deal with while growing up in an environment where it requires someone to be sharp about others, it makes sense he would've noticed the warning signs.
Ultimately, the male twin managed to prevent Ribbit from Abstracting after her friendship with Jax was fractured. In that dire last moment when Ribbit was about to Abstract, the male twin managed to break in her room and hug her, causing Ribbit to quickly snap out of it.
It was there that Ribbit and the male twin shared a very tender moment regarding their current problem with Jax, with the male twin assuring her that no matter what Jax does, he'd always be there for her, and he hoped that one day, Jax would want to be friends again. Ribbit was so touched by the male twin's devotion that she, in the heat of the moment, asked him to marry her. The male twin didn't hesitate to accept her proposal, and the two became engaged. Leading to a whole slew of future events later on for the TADC timeline.
