Exorcizing the Fandom Demons

This post is SPOILER FREE.

Anyways here comes Light yapping away her opinions ohhhh boy

So for anyone who doesnt know, Im 24, so I've seen my fair share of fandoms. I've been online since I was 13 and have been involved with some horrible fandoms. This includes Fairy Tail, Homestuck, Steven Universe, etc. So yea... toxic stuff.

That being said, I truly believe that tadc is not as toxic a fandom as it is being played out to be.

"But Light!" I hear you say, "people are spreading leaks everywhere and spoiling the finale!"

And how many of those are in the fandom? How many of those are joining in because it is a popular show?

The Amazing Digital Circus blew up quickly. Like... VERY quickly. Within a month content farms were churning out slop of tadc characters, and there was a LOT of slop. Because of this and the general appearance and impression of the show itself, I dont think it should be surprising that there are so many people praying on its downfall.

This show is HUGE. Like... more than we realize. The pilot alone has 435 million views.

Also... leaks happen. Tadc is not the first and wont be the last movie or series to be leaked.

Just looking it up, other massive movies were leaked before release. Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender was leaked months before release. Star Wars Revenge of the Sith the day before release. X-Men Wolverine, Hulk (2003), clips from Avengers: Endgame, Fury (2014), The Revenant (2015), and more. This is all from ONE ARTICLE.

I bring this up because people are acting like tadc is the first property to suffer leaks like this. And yea, it sucks, but Glitch tried their best to keep everything under control. It's just the nature of movie distribution for that risk to exist in the first place.

I know my experience doesnt speak for the experience for everyone else that has interacted with the fandom, that would be silly to think so. But that being said, because of my involvement in this Fandom I have been so inspired, met so many lovely and talented people, and have been reminded of why fandoms exist. The support I have received has been so welcoming and motivating, and I dont think my experience is unique to just me.

Same aquarium, different realization

Photobashing and gradient maps my beloved

From Chapter 26

Old version after the cut:

Here's my obligatory post on my take for their human forms!

Some things:

Zooble:

- is androgynous and embraces some features more than others that constantly switches

- their tattoos range from meaningful expression to drunken shitpost, but they love them all

- when they were in their teens, they tore their ACL in a bad sports injury, requiring surgery that never healed right. This lead to them developing chronic pain that flares up every now and then.

- born with a more feminine name, they legally changed it to something gender neutral as soon as they were old enough. However, they prefer not to share their last name often for personal and privacy reason, stems from paranoia

Gangle:

- has struggled with acne and skin issues her whole life, has a litany of scars over her body, mostly on her cheeks with cystic acne and scars from picking at keratosis pilaris (strawberry skin) bumps

- is a little insecure about her height, so tends to avoid any sort of heel or elevated shoe

- she has a very flat, boyish figure so likes feminine clothes to accentuate what she has, often with form defining traits like flared bottoms in her tops or pants

Hello my headcanon is that Gangle really likes picking out Zooble's parts and making them color coded or matching or following a theme in some way

Fame is a gun!

Body by Mother Mother lyrics go here

Ngl I think Zooble got it the absolute worst with their avatar. Like... imagine never feeling comfortable no matter how many endless combinations you have, not only physically but emotionally. One day youre a normal person the next you are an assemblage of parts doomed to be able to fall apart, not follow your control.

Im a sucker for Zooble torture, especially exploring their bodily issues and how much it takes to accept yourself, even if it doesnt make sense.

I started writing my fic after episode 6 so it's within my personal canon. I honestly dont see myself following the later episodes as I like my own development, especially in regards to Zooble's character arc. I may take inspiration from some things, like Zooble accepting and appreciating never having to commit to certain parts they change, but they still have the dysphoria that ebbs and flows.

One big snag I am nervous about though, is what is revealed in episode 9 in regards to certain unknowns within the show. That's why I am on track to finish the fic before the finale so I can stick with my original story without getting that itchy feeling of knowing canon isn't what I imagine it, if that makes sense.

Drowning

Hi there! I figured I'd answer this here since I got some new followers recently (thank you btw).

This blog is sfw, my fic is not. I purposefully refrain from advertising my fic in my bio or through my work minus the illustrations as they can stand on their own most of the time. My fic is EXPLICIT. This means it is for adult audiences and contains explicit scenes with heavy and central themes of sexuality.

While sexuality is important to talk about and can be done so maturely, it doesn't warrant me advertising my fic. So while I appreciate anyone's interest and them asking me, I will only share with users who are 18+.

Reflection, I want you to see what I see.

Heyyyyy chapter 22 illustration :)

Tried out some newer things, went with linear and tried to work with it, new way of rendering Gangle's ribbons which I like a lot :). I also used the selection tool to aid in this and Ill be using it again for my next work.

Surveillance

Not too happy with how this came out but ah well Caine just wants his humans to be happy :)

Point and laugh!

When I first watched episode 8 I thought Gangle's nightmare sequence was lazy but as I was drawing this I Get It

Throughout the series we've seen Gangle be a very sensitive woman who has been doomed to wrestle with how she presents her emotions to others for eternity. She used to rely on her masks for her emotions, therefore always leaning on them for stability. Only recently has she gone without.

In her nightmare sequence, it feels like a taunt, where the polarized emotions she was so used to are mocking her, spinning as a constant reminder of her own instability. It reminds her of her fragility, how masks were her only form of expression.

The truck at the end feels like a taunt too, a painful reminder of where her mania led her, where in her moment of weakness, she ends up falling in the path of one.