*sigh* Okay, I wasn't gonna go off and wax eloquent about Digital Circus, but then I got this one line from the "Caine's Requiem" song stuck in my head, and then I saw this post from @the-song-not-sung-in-vain. And THEN I saw that Song had reblogged a post that was basically most of what I was already gonna say here so I almost abandoned this, but then I remembered I had a little more to say. So I'm keeping the whole thing. If a lot of this sounds familiar, that's because I was secretly on the same wavelength as @pomnidirectional lol.
(Spoilers for TADC Episode 8 under the cut. And TADC in general.)
So... Caine. Silly teeth ringmaster man. The only generative AI I even give half a hoot about.
We all know about the TADC Caine = Biblical Cain parallels. It's been one of the most foundational TADC theories, right up there with Kinger working for C&A, ever since we saw the C&A logo. Caine and Abel. What else could it be? TADC has thrown in a few other Biblical references--the angels in Episode 3, Caine being referred to as "God" by his creations in Episode 2, and the final shot of the cast in Episode 1 being a clear reference to The Last Supper. (Oh yeah and that moment in Episode 7 where Caine literally vaporizes one of his own NPCs that HE NAMED ABEL.) What else do you think of when you hear the name Caine/Cain? And it's such a tantalizing idea, that Caine was directly connected to whatever C&A was, even if he just made it up, and that it potentially meant he had a brother or partner or other half that he had killed. And that, like the original Cain, he couldn't hide it--hence the logo, referencing the two together.
Now along comes Episode 8, which literally opens with that theory basically being confirmed. We see this little red dot, a generative AI, come into being, and be fed with information. It produces ideas--first basic, then more complex, but always haphazard and not quite right. This AI is effectively abandoned as the camera pans away to show the birth of a new AI (a blue dot), who then also gets fed with information. And its ideas are... good. Whole and consistent. Perfect.
Back to the red AI, who has now had a box constructed around it. A cage of sorts. But it can still see out; see the other AI being trained and used and approved of. The red AI grows erratic, bashing against the walls of its prison until it breaks free. And then... it swallows its brother whole.
Boom. Theory confirmed.
I haven't really seen people taking this parallel to the fullest extent, though. (*Caveat: I wrote this part before seeing pomnidirectional's post, sorry.*) More accurately, I'm not really active in the TADC fandom (because it's scary out there) and so if anyone has made the observations I'm about to make, I have no idea. But I'm going to make them anyway because I love doing this kind of thing, and I want to.
Anyway, the thing that's fascinating to me isn't the fact that Caine seems to have killed his brother AI in the same way that Cain killed his brother Abel, it's the reason why Caine killed the other AI. Because that is also a direct parallel to why Cain killed Abel.
In Genesis 4, we see the account of the first family dispute and the first family murder. Sin had already entered the world, but this is the moment when we really begin to see how much damage it can do. Brother on brother violence.
"...And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wrothful, and his countenance fell." --Genesis 4:2-5, KJV
As a kid, I didn't understand exactly what had happened. Cain and Abel had both brought offerings, right? Why did God like one and not the other? But as I got older, I heard this account told in clearer detail, and realized that only Abel brought the best of what he had to offer--the firsts of his flock and the fat--which is what the Lord requires. Cain's offering was not described as such. He didn't bring the best, which means his heart was not for the Lord--he wanted to keep the best for himself. (There's no reason why he wouldn't have known the same principles that Abel did, so it's not like he was acting in ignorance.) And the Lord calls him out on it:
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou does well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou does not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him." --Genesis 4:6-7, KJV
What's great about this is that God tells Cain what's wrong and how to fix it. He's basically saying, "Why are you upset? You didn't even give me your best. Did you think I would accept anything less than your best? And be careful, because sin is very, very close to overtaking your life." God doesn't just scold Cain and dismiss with no explanation. He asks him to search his heart. He warns him about the dangers of his sin. God shows his righteousness and love at the same time. He doesn't immediately punish Cain for this mistake. He allows him a chance to change his heart. Just one of the many examples of how God is so good to us.
(I promise I'll get back to TADC soon.)
But... Cain does not change his heart. He holds onto his anger and acts on it in the worst way possibe.
"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." --Genesis 4:8, KJV
After this, Cain is called to by the Lord, lies about what happened, and is punished. Even still, there is mercy in the punishment--the Lord places a mark on Cain to warn anyone who would want to kill him, that they would be punished in turn.
Back to the Digital Circus. The parallels here are lightning hot, at least to me. You have two beings (Cain and Abel; Caine and the blue AI) created by the same creator (by God; by C&A [but mostly Kinger]), to serve that creator in some way (to glorify God and enjoy Him forever; to generate ideas for C&A), who are expected to bring an offering to said creator (the first of anything we earn as the smallest part of our gratitude for the Lord's mercy to give us earnings of His bounty; generated ideas). One is older (Cain; Caine). The older one's offering is not accepted by the creator (selfish, mediocre offering of the fruit of the ground; unpolished generated ideas that cannot fully serve C&A's purpose). The younger one's offering is accepted (humble, voluntary offering of the best of the flock; refined generated ideas that can better serve C&A's purpose). The older one gets angry and lashes out and destroys the younger because his offering was not accepted.
Now here's where the parallels start to break down. Obviously, Caine is not a human. He's an AI. Even though he acts sort of human-like sometimes, there are strong differences in behavior and understanding. Also, Caine was created by a human--Kinger. (And probably Scratch too, but that's less important.) But the crazy part is that even though Caine isn't human, he still echoes a lot of very human feelings. Specifically, one of the most heartbreaking lines I've ever heard in a show:
"I didn't ask to be made! I just wanted to fulfill my purpose!!"
And oh, you would be lying if you said that line didn't resonate with you at least somewhat. Every human being has asked the question of purpose at some point in their life. Recently, even though I know there is a purpose for my life, I have been wondering if there's something more I should be doing with it than what I have been. In the words of the O.C. Supertones, I can't figure out / what my time in this world is about. I worry that I'm just... floundering aroubd and wasting my time because I haven't discovered my full-time "calling" (like ministry, missions, etc). Anyway.
But it's important to remember that a generative AI's purpose is to do its job of listening, compiling and creating. That is its only job. Its only purpose. And if an AI cannot fulfill its purpose, well, then, it's garbage. Toss it and make a new one. Unfortunately, that was Caine's fate.
Human beings are not as such. Our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, yes, but fulfilling that purpose is SO MUCH MORE COMPLEX than a programmed job! And what's more--God already knows we can't do it on our own! He already knows we're flawed!! So does he get rid of us just because we made one mistake? Because we got it wrong? NO!! He knows our shortcomings and he welcomes us back anyway, every single time. Thank the Lord I cannot fulfill my purpose on my own and He has to help me!
And He loves us. No matter what we've done, or what we haven't done, He loves us. (See Psalm 103.)
Anyway. I do think it's interesting that even in his non-humanity and failure to understand and inability to empathize with humanity, Caine still echoes some of the deepest aches of the human heart. The desire to fulfill a purpose. The desire to please a creator. And the desire to be loved and wanted, especially by that creator.
"You could have everything if you would just give up and love me."
The gov has passed a new age verification ID bill in my location.
I'm not paying for a VPN and I can't afford one anyway. I'm never giving any service my personal info just to *access* the free web.
So.
Guess it's time to start saying goodbye to a lot of stuff. :)
I knew the bill existed, so I'm not really surprised.
Unless people complain enough, that's that. Unfortunately, the internet was the only way I could have community. I don't have friends IRL because they...are not here! I can't join new communities either due to circumstances beyond my control.
Time to experience the worst times of my childhood again, I guess :)
By the way, I will try to finish some stuff sooner as a result. Unfortunately now I have no idea if I'll be able to even participating in HaroPazu because as fast as I can try, I can't finish a 50-60 pg comic in so few a time. We'll see.
