Cringe and free

I haven't been this disappointed with the finale to something I like since Pokemon Sword and Shield.

Like, there were some ideas I liked but.. I dunno, it just kinda fell flat. I really liked Ribbit and Kaufmo though.

I feel like if the show got more episodes to work with, they could've made something that felt more fulfilling but ehhhhh who gives a shit we only got an hour to wrap things up lets just LITERALLY show off who the circus members were before the circus with a POWERPOINT BARRING THE ONES WHO ABSTRACTED (besides you know who)

SPEAKING OF THEM, WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM???

Also Jax just abstracting off screen is so fucking funny like YEAH he does it OFF SCREEN. ONE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS AND AMONG THE MOST POPULAR. ABSTRACTS. OFF SCREEN.

Honestly I think the one fan theory where Jax takes over the circus and fucks over everyone feels more interesting than what this "finale" is supposed to be.

I know the Jax selfshippers are gonna be pissed.

It's hard to put into words so here's some bullet points I made that I'll repost from Discord

It felt kinda… flat? I mean, the intro was pretty strong, being a homage to the first episode just without Caine and Bubble. I am starting to agree with others that TADC would've been a lot stronger of a series if it had more episodes to expand on its characters and world.

Jax's abstraction was expected but it didn't really have any impact like it should have. A cold cut to what basically equates to a fate worse than death isn't something you should do, especially for a MAIN CHARACTER.

Kinger is great, as usual.

Soma Theory confirmed! Cool! I actually like this.

Ribbit and Kaufmo were pretty cool, I like how Ribbit feels like what would've happened if Jax wasn't… Jax. I was not expecting that sort of voice from Kaufmo, but I like it!

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER ABSTRACTED PEOPLE??? Are they still stuck in the cellar???

Okay so yes, a lot of questions were answered (ie: The circus member's names and lives outside of the game) but even more were left unanswered.

Oh hey Caine wasn't deleted, I guess. Pretty cool that he decided to NOT go full AM and learn from his mistakes but whatever CONSEQUENCES??? WHO GIVES A SHIT

I feel empty.

tldr; "That's it? That's the Digital Circus finale? That was just a bunch of emotional bullhonkey!"

Okay lets talk about Jax.

I feel like Jax simultaneously got the most exposure in this episode as well as weirdly enough the least. We "finally" understand where he comes from, but at the same time it's more ambiguous. The idea that he thinks he killed his own mother when she's actually okay (showing that Ribbit was not only right but did care) is neat, but he never gets the chance to know this because he ABSTRACTED.

The whole part where (I think) it's basically his different imagined scenarios where various circus attendants abstracted (funnily enough, all of them being female with the exception of Zooble who's uhhh.. Zooble.). Lashing out violently against Pomni, likely due to previous experiences (Episode 6) but playing it off as a joke like he always does.

An interesting detail for Gangle's scenario is that she's wearing her Manic mask, probably as a coping mechanism for what was basically her romantic partner's death. Of course, Jax does not take Zooble seriously in the slightest.

In fact, I was honestly expecting Ribbit to be the one to really kick off Jax's "corruption arc" (Kaufmo even says that she's kind of a corrupting influence) when all she's done was be chill and amicable towards Jax.

After Jax TELLS HER HIS PAST because he TRUSTED HER, someone who we've never seen betray him, he just starts acting like a complete asshole despite likely knowing what happens to people who lose it or fall into despair.

Him being such a prick is something I like about his character, but I feel like it came out of nowhere. Ribbit was nothing but friendly towards him until the part in the snowy area where she rightfully confronts him about his behavior, where he continues to deny everything.

I hate how they did Jax in this finale. I don't think he should have abstracted, not because he's a blorbo from my shows but because him abstracting actively ruins any and all development he had and could have had. It genuinely feels like a cop-out done for shock value or because half the fanbase predicted it, and they formed the episode around that one event.

Let's be honest, Jax is a male victim of abuse. He has horrible coping mechanisms, he's sexist and exhibits GENUINE toxic masculinity. He's given the bare minimum in punishment for his shitty behavior, but despite that he deserves redemption and help with all the criticism and consequences that come with it. But no, instead he abstracts and can't be fully held accountable and redeemed because now he's basically a lobotimized lump of polygons.

You know what would have been better than him abstracting? Him almost abstracting and Pomni bringing him back from the brink with the mind meld, and have that be the moment he final Fucking Realizes what an asshole he's been; and the rest of the episode is him getting the callout he deserves and actually listening this time. It doesn't have to be an instant fix, but just show that he's finally facing consequences for what a prick he's been and on the path to becoming better and earning everybody's trust back.

Okay now take that theme of "Shitty people aren't incapable of change/redemption but it takes a ton of work to fix their mistakes and be forgiven by their victims if they even are." and apply it to Caine, because he's also given a slap on the wrist for how he's acted for the whole series. It genuinely reminds me of the shit in 'Raya the Last Dragon' where its like "thats not how trust works" because MAN do they forgive Caine quick. I wish that him freeing Bubble's AI meant he lost his powers, because afaik he still has total control over the circus, he's just letting the others choose their adventures and promising he won't become a megalomaniac again. Maybe have it that when he lets Bubble go that the power he had is equally given to everybody else, so now Caine is in the same boat as everybody else and can learn what its like to be human. Oh and have him give everybody their sealed away memoriesof who they were instead of the fucking powerpoint going "hey these are the people youre scanned from living their best lives!" because it feels more cruel than touching??

That is ableism. Straight up, not joking in the slightest, that is ableism. You cannot claim to be pro mental health and then go on to pick and choose what mental conditions are worth your support. Do you believe in narc abuse too? Cause it sounds like it

You're part of the problem when you add to the stigmatization of conditions that say nothing about a person. It's been psychologically proven that only pushes people closer to offending than getting help.

Actually if we want to be technical.

Pro-para does not mean they automatically support the act of paraphilias or think minors can consent it’s actually just a stance where they do not see people who have paraphilias as evil or monsters and anyone who’s pro-para can have their own contact stance

Same with radq. Not all Radqueers think kids can consent or support the acts of paraphilias you don’t have to be pro contact to be radqueer.

And before you say “well some radqueers still think that!” Some Proship/profic users ALSO think that some proship/profic users are pro-para / pro contact and think minors can consent too you just don’t see it because they stay in their own circles

You can pull that "not all X" shit all you want, but the pro-para and radqueer communities are founded on bringing pride and acceptance to the most heinous shit a person can be "into" (ex: IRL CHILDREN). I don't care if some of yall are anti-contact or don't think kids can consent, because the foundation itself is fucked. This may be a hot take, but if you're into real life children not only should you not be in a community known for being full of CSA survivors, but you shouldn't be in the internet in general. Delete your accounts. Disable your internet connection. Huck your computer into to sea, I Don't Care.

The fact you tagged this reply with "uwu pro rdq ppl interact pls!" so that more of you freaks come into my post to argue why this shithole is secretly okay and not fucked up and why youre "proshipper's family teehee!" is frankly disgusting. The proship/profic communities will never be for paras/radqueers because proship/profic is founded on FICTION. You guys are just the 2.0 of the MAPs movement.

This user is anti-censorship

This user believes in “don’t like, don’t read”

This user believes in “ship and let ship”