Some thoughts on TADC theories, and the world outside the Circus.
I find that fans are leaning most heavily on the SOMA theory for the show atm, and from what I understand the "Human farm" theory was also popular at least before episode seven basically blew it up as a spectical for all. However, I believe that those specific theories are most popular not specifically for anything pointing to them, but rather because they are the more "realistic" explanations to how our cast could get trapped in the Circus.
The problem is, we've only ever seen the world inside the Circus and don't actually know what rules the world outside is govened by, so we don't know what is or isn't possible, or what is realistic for that matter.
For example, sure stasis vats and brain scanners seem like a plausible explanation, but since they don't exactly exist today, you do have to stretch your imagination for what is possible in the show even if you lean that route.
Opening up far more possibilities to consider, along with more supernatural explanations, espacially since there do seem to be a fair amount of religious reference in the show:
My initial thought for example was that the Humans entering the Circus got straight up "tronned" into the digiral reality body and all, since the one time we saw the headset that supposedly trapped Pomni in the Circus had no one sitting at the desk. (Something intersting to note how decayed/burnt the monitor and headset look compared to the rest of the room)
Another possibility is that the headset simply yanked out and trapped their souls inside the Circus. With their bodies either being left to slowly waste away in a coma, or simply dead due to the process. Leaving no possibility way to escape for those who have been trapped for too long. (However, something to note is the haunted house episode which could potentially serve as forshadowing. With characters like Caine, the other AI or other Humans could possibly use another's body to escape)
My current favourite theory is one I usually detest whenever it pops up in fan discussions around shows and other media, however given the religious references and general themes of the show, I think for once it actually fits quite nicely into the narrative. Given that the show is meant to be about finding meaning in a meaningless existence, I think it's possible that the Human characters are already dead, and their souls are stuck in a form of pergitory...
From what I remember, Gooseworx mention regretting how they ended up portraying abstraction in the show as a "zombification" like effect because it's meant to be an analogy for taking your own life. Pairing that with the few glimpse we've seen from their human lives, where they all appear to be isolated and miserable in some way, along with the shows general themes, I believe it's possible that each Human character was someone who took life for granted and ended everything themselves.
Due to this, their souls got stuck in pergitory (or literal hell as pomni mentioned in the haunted house episode) as a final judgement. Fated for one of two fates:
Either to fall into despair once again and face a more modern idea of damnation via abstraction (the idea that hell is either annalihation of the soul, or with what we've seen in abstraction, losing grip over your sense of self. Or that it's an eternal separation from salvation). Or more hopefully, if one can find meaning to their lives, to find salvation and be able to move on from the circus.
A bit of a side note, somewhat separate from those theories but may tie in with all, whether supernatural or not. It's their inability to remember their names:
In religious mythology (and programming in a sense) knowing the name of an entity grants you power over them.
If you know all the secret names of god you can gain more freedom in this world. If you know a demon's name, you can bind them to your will. And in some stories, for ghost to move onto the next world, they have to remember who they used to be. (And if you're progressing in a software, you need to know the name of an entity to change its properties)
All the human characters are forced to forget their names, loosing power over themselves in the circus with the potential exceptions of two character, Queenie and Kinger. They both entered the circus together and while forgetting themselves, they should remember each other from their previous life. Possibly granting them both more control within the circus, along with the burden of knowing their true circumstances of where they are.
It would explain why Kinger seems to understand more about the Circus than the rest, why he has been able to hold himself together for longer and why he can "make things up"
Another thing about the character names, or more specifically Pomni's name. Which might be relevant to the story, or more simply might just be part of her character building. (Or alternitively a very fitting coincidence)
The word "pomni" or words with similar sounds/letters do show up within slavic languages, and curiously for a character who forgot her name, they generally relate the remembering.
One example is Russian, where Pomni aparantly just straight up means "remember". Or for my own native tongue, it also shows up in polish as part of verbs with pzsypomni (remember), zapomni (forget) and few other veriations.
Why I find it curious is because if names really do hold significants in the Circus, either as a key to escape or achieving some other means, than the goal of remembering one's true name sounds fitting for someone now going by the name "remember".
Anyway, I ranted enough now, here's a random freeze frame of the funny clown girl.
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