[ID: Two colored drawings of Inanimate Insanity characters with disability pride flag theming.
The image on the left has Cabby in front of a disability pride flag, with text saying, "Happy Disability Pride Month!"
The image on the right has Test Tube widely grinning in front of a disability pride flag altered to look like fire, burning a sign saying, "Happy Disability Wrath Month" End ID.]
Happy Disability Pride Month! Decided to do something with. Interesting theming hehe
Lovely vision of Cabby trying to help bridge understanding amongst the S4 contestants through files of each of their feelings. Like a more personal version of what she was doing with hearing the Unvitationals' feelings
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby from Inanimate Insanity during the episode The Future Is Today. She is holding up a large piece of paper containing the letter "C" to represent her name. End ID.]
In preparation for the tour tomorrow, I have decided to analyze Cabby's leadership in S4 thus far and what it could imply.
To start, I would like to look at some lyrics in Welcome to the OSC, as it shows how each three leaders choose to define their leadership.
"OJ: Welcome to our brand new society!
Suitcase: We're all as happy as can be!
Cabby: United are we, in our cardinal values three!"
Cabby is the first to explain things, but on top of this, she makes it clear how important these values are to both her and the other two leaders, and what it means for the society.
"OJ: You're probably wondering, 'what does OSC stand for?'
Suitcase: OSC stands for the things that we stand for!
Cabby: They're the three guiding principles that we strive to uphold in our community."
Again, Cabby is the one to properly explain things, again highlighting their importance. Leading into...
"OJ: O is for order, I keep things organized!
Suitcase: S is for safety, that way nobody dies!
Cabby: And C's cooperation, not competition! That's the key!"
Everyone explains their role and what they are meant to do. Cabby, most notably, is the only one to define her role with a "not". Additionally, I would also like to point out that Cabby's singing lines have a distinct instrumental, different from the other two who instead utilize a similar melody. When combined, this all indicates very subtly that Cabby has a difference in views from the other two, and this will become a recurring pattern.
So, what does Cabby do as a leader?
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode The Future Is Today. Her drawer is open as she holds an alarm clock. End ID.]
Cabby, as seen in the first couple episodes of S4, seemed to be heavily involved with the community, working around a tight schedule to run things and also help welcome the new arrivals. Accessibility is important to her; she is seen providing trigger warnings and helping Spikey input his answer for a challenge. She tries to mediate when possible, letting it be known that Poppy is not Cobs and should be given a chance. This is Cooperation, and it clearly means a lot to her to fulfill.
It is time to talk about Fan's initial intersection with the OSC.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode The Future Is Today. She has a hand raised as she asks, "What isn't?" End ID.]
She is initially open to hearing Fan out...
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby and Suitcase during the episode The Future Is Today. Suitcase appears unsettled as Cabby shrugs; Cabby asks, "So, you just want to go back to the way it was before?" End ID.]
...even asking to confirm his issue. Her questions are largely neutral, even if the second one seems more uncertain.
[ID: A screenshot of OJ, Suitcase, and Cabby during the episode The Future Is Today. OJ has an arm out as he speaks, appearing frustrated; Suitcase looks to him with an eyebrow raised; Cabby appears worried as she looks slightly to him. End ID.]
In a subtle way, OJ seems to be the one guiding how the conversation goes. Suitcase is in agreement due to her own trauma with the competition, and Cabby seems to agree as well. However, unlike Suitcase, Cabby has a more... uncertain undertone, in the way she speaks.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby and Suitcase during the episode The Future Is Today. Suitcase appears firmer while Cabby shrugs, an eyebrow raised in concern as she seems to force a smile, as she says: "Give it some more time, and trust the process. It'll all work out." End ID.]
Looking at her body language, Cabby does not appear as sure in this approach as the other two are, but just like what she's advising Fan, she is "trusting the process". Going by what others want, and assuming that this is the ideal path-- cooperating.
[ID: A screenshot of OJ, Suitcase, and Cabby all looking at the camera during the episode The Future Is Today. OJ appears more skeptical, Suitcase appears worried, and Cabby appears curious. End ID.]
When Fan returns, Cabby appears interested in Fan's further developments into the issue, although, as he speaks about the leaders' developments, Cabby is the first to express uncertainty about this, implying she herself does not exactly view herself (or the other two) as inherently more capable than the rest of the society, again furthering the idea of Cooperation, not Competition.
Interestingly, when OJ and Suitcase retort back against Fan that they are only in these roles because it is expected, that it doesn't mean they know what they are doing, Cabby does not continue with either agreement or disagreement.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby next to the pipe full of Nickel during the episode The Future Is Today. Cabby reaches her arms out, saying, "Don't worry. If you go with the flow, Suitcase can catch you." End ID.]
Interestingly, while helping Nickel, there is an appeal to the whole "Trust the process" mentality Cabby has from before, but there is a double meaning here in which Cabby is relying on another leader. She herself does not do much besides providing vocal support and turning on the faucet, a much more passive role compared to the other two.
Fan takes the leaders' success as them proving him right, and so he highlights how they have handled things, asking what they have learned.
"OJ: Just because not everyone could be trusted, didn't mean I couldn't trust anyone.
Cabby: You don't have to be remembered by a bad first impression.
Suitcase: No one has the power to make you feel like you don't exist."
Cabby's is... bleaker than the other two, to say the least. All three had dealt with hardships, but Cabby is the only one to take fault within herself (even if somewhat indirectly) in her quote, again showing a difference compared to the others' perspectives.
Fan gets the OSC to agree on the new game, OJ being the first to vocalize this, followed by Suitcase and then Cabby. The former two have more general precautions, while Cabby is able to identify something specific: obsession. That the "competition" is a teaching tool, and needs to stay as such rather than devolve into something else that everyone relies upon.
(Hah...)
She additionally points out that it needs a host, again more specific considerations on how to handle things.
There is something about that. Competition.
Cabby is, arguably, the first of the OSC to begin dismissing values in one way or another. Cabby does not sugarcoat it or use an alternative word, either; this is a competition. This explicitly goes against her previously-stated value of "not competition", friendly or not. But... it's cooperation, at least! This will make everyone happy!
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode The Future Is Today. She appears concerned, holding up a blue frowny face folder. End ID.]
Everyone was dissatisfied, this will satisfy them. This will get everyone to Cooperate again.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode The Future Is Today. She has a determined face with her hands on her sides, seeming excited. End ID.]
Even more interesting is her reaction. She appears to be the most excited for the game out of the three leaders, which again, goes against her previously-stated value just that day of "not competition"!
But... overall, this episode is tame. Not much happened, so this could all be fine.
...This lays the groundwork for future observations.
In Cob Mentality, OJ is again leading the charge, able to take action amongst the panic against Poppy. Cabby, as evidenced by her reaction about a minute later, did not agree with this action; she asks everyone to stop, and...
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode Cob Mentality. She appears saddened and worried as she looks to the crowd in the background. End ID.]
...she is not listened to.
Tea Kettle, someone who is clearly not a leader, is the one who manages to calm down the crowd, and only then is Cabby able to continue and fully calm down at least the situation with Poppy.
"Yes, this is us. But you know what isn't us? Judging people before getting to know them."
This is incredibly ironic given what happened to Cabby, and it again seems to follow a larger pattern of empty words trying to assure both herself and those around her. It, additionally, provides further dissonance in her values compared to those around her. Cabby, even as a leader of the society (and one meant to represent its people), is disconnected from those around her; both from her fellow leaders and from those she is meant to be leading.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode Run the Risk. She appears angry, saying "See, this is exactly what we were worried about." End ID.]
When Jack goes on trial, Cabby brings her concern back up, the game becoming an obsession. She, however, soon goes quiet, as things are quickly managed by mainly Suitcase for the remainder of the episode, though she does appear concerned as she continues to watch.
Notably, things are less accessible for the contestants this time, something Cabby had made sure of in the previous episode for Spikey.
I think Fan the Flames helps tie all of this together.
Cabby is still worried about the others, even being the one to notice Lightbulb losing her color.
When it comes time for the meeting, however...
[ID: A screenshot of OJ, Suitcase, and Cabby during the episode Fan the Flames. Suitcase and Cabby close their eyes and nod their faces as OJ, concerned, says, "Thank you all for coming. I know we're all still shaken up after last night." End ID.]
Cabby and Suitcase are both quiet for the entire meeting, only seeming to speak up once everyone is gone.
[ID: A screenshot of Cabby during the episode Fan the Flames. She is shrinking down into her podium as she appears worried, asking "And when are we going to tell them about, um, who we saw?" End ID.]
Both Suitcase and Cabby express very reasonable concerns, though OJ sticks to not wanting to cause a panic and to distract with something productive. This seems to confirm what previous scenes implied: the other two seem to defer to OJ during tough decisions, whether or not they agree.
So: Cabby has a different mindset from the other leaders, she has a more critical and analytical perspective, and her true value as a leader is to ensure cooperation ("not competition" evidently... not being her greatest concern). She is not listened to by the society, and thus far has struggled to uphold leadership rather than simply assisting. In a sense, she is trying not to compete with the other two leaders.
Interestingly, we have not yet had a Cabby-focused episode like the other two leaders had. Whether or not II would continue this pattern is still yet to be confirmed, but with everything in mind, I can't help but see it as intentional. Three makes a pattern, and diverging from a predicted pattern could be utilized to only hammer in these themes further.
Additionally, while Cabby is fawny, she does still have a strong moral code and wants to stick up for the right thing. When given enough time and enough reason, Cabby does typically make her opinions known-- she even had already done so this season for Poppy.
Now, as for what Cabby may end up doing (either in the upcoming two episodes or otherwise), I think I have some ideas, whether or not Cabby helps host a challenge.
Cabby protests the mistreatment of certain contestants. The fact that certain contestants are being treated in ways Cabby may relate to doesn't seem to be a coincidence, especially considering she defended Poppy prior. One thing I have noticed with Cabby's leadership is that she has not yet done anything to mitigate how Jack or MeTag have been treated. There are several reasons I speculate for this, but at the end of the day, it is still unfair to them. It is possible that past a point, Cabby will make her stance on this clear, though this could worsen her already-strained relations to the society.
Cabby announces that they had seen the purple corn. This is explicitly something Cabby was concerned about, and very few knowing means it is not feasible to plan for, additionally risking further distrust in the leadership the longer this is kept under wraps, something that would not be good for cooperation.
Cabby cancels the game. This I am unsure of the likelihood of, especially this early on (and thus it may happen later on if it does), but if any of the leaders would try too cancel the game, it would likely be Cabby. She has been the most critical of it, and her initial tagline included not competition. The game has been causing unrest and has lost track of the original goal, and so, she may view the best solution to be shutting it down entirely. This, I think, would cause the most unrest, especially if (given her difference in mindset) she does this without the other two both agreeing.
Cabby steps down from leadership. This I do not currently think is likely especially this early on, nor do I think it would be her first resort. Cabby surely recognizes the societal power she has and would want to use that for good, and then if that all fails... well. As a final stand, I could see her deciding to protest by giving up her role, as a parallel to her giving up the chance to win for what's right during The Show Must Go On. Sometimes, things cannot be quite fixed from the inside, and a different approach must be taken.
Additionally, it is possible (though unlikely if she takes no drastic measures) that Cabby would have her leadership revoked in response to any of the other choices. I think this is least likely given the implications in such a drastic decision and for the precedent it sets, but... the option is there, and it is possible that is what society will deem necessary.
Of course, I am sure there are many other ways to take her arc, and it is still very early in the season. There is a lot we don't know in general, but especially with Cabby's state in S4.
Regardless, this has been brewing in my brain for a while, and I think it's about time I let it out. Whatever goes on will certainly be interesting for sure.
i think im gonna name him baby bugbug i made my profile name baby bugbug my user name babybugbug it wants me to come up with a job… um my job iiisss baby bugbug
