In the wake of all the chaos surrounding The Amazing Digital Circus’ impending theatre release and what that means for indie animation, I wanted to get this off my chest before shit hits the fan.
Indie animation is never going to truly progress in my book if we keep recycling the same mediocre concepts and methods for telling a story. Period.
I’ve seen people express their frustration for the show, especially after the latest episode dropped. I’ve seen people discuss its issues with pacing, character dynamic, and even the basics of story telling and composition and where this show fails to meet the standards of something that was previously marketed for “mature audiences”. All of this I agree with.
But what always ticked me off from the beginning, and what became increasingly apparent as a red flag that this show was headed for the gutters, was the fact that Gooseworx took the aforementioned story, I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream, and completely butchered it of all its original intention and meaning for the sake of…what I can only describe as white mediocrity. Because, at its core, the story was about hatred and war, and how these intense topics are only a fraction of the vast human experience.
But it was also about racism. 4 men and 1 woman in a desolate world, ravaged by nuclear warfare. 4 white men and 1 black woman as the last of humanity. 4 men who, in spite of their various upbringings and the coinciding torture AM inflicted on them, still found it in them to violate and torture the 1 woman in their midst, because these systemic issues do not disappear in the wake of generalized horror.
It’s a sentiment I see mirrored in the real world, establishing the book as a crucial component of the zeitgeist. And yet…we have The Amazing Digital Circus. It disgusts me.
When I see people talk about the “large strides” being taken in indie animation, it upsets me. Hazbin Hotel starting as a full fledged animation on YouTube and transforming into a show that can only be streamed on Amazon Prime? One of the largest and most exploitative companies in the world? And now TADC, a show that proudly branded itself as “free first” now putting its financial gain before its fans. It’s not innovative. It’s not trailblazing. It’s capitalistic and we have lost the plot.
But moreover, I refuse to acknowledge these decisions as steps in the forward direction for indie and small creators. Not when the range of talent is so narrow, and the stories they choose to tell are so limited and small.
TL;DR: Do better.
No, this is actually a great post because outside of white fans accepting rehash white mediocracy trash. Why are so much of the themes originally presented in IHNMAIMS watered down or non-existence in the digital circus? Or for show like Trashbin Motel, it doesn't even deconstruct Christianity. If anything it just reinforces the harmful ideology it perpetuates.
Uh... @r41nyd4ysworld. We now know why racism and other serious topics weren't mentioned in TADC.
[Start ID: A reddit link to a post sharing a video clip from one of Ashely Nichols's (Zooble's voice actor) 2019 streams of them and Micheal Kovach (Jax's voice actor) laughing at a n-slur joke while jokingly saying things similar to the slur./. End ID.]
[Start ID: A screenshot of a youtube page showcasing songs that Lizzie Freeman (Pomni's voice actor), Amanda Hufford (Ragatha's voice actor), and Michael Kovach (Jax's voice actor) collaborated with the music producer, Black Gryph0n./. End ID.]
[Start ID: A screenshot of a music video that Marissa Lenti (Gangle's voice actor) collaborated with the music producer, Black Gryph0n./. End ID.]
[Start ID: A screenshot of a quote-post from LittleKuriboh responding to Trey Allen's original post, that Alex Rochon (Caine's voice actor) reposted to his Bluesky account. Trey Allen's post reads, "I've always been on the fence about approaching people about that kind of thing, like I'll encounter person A interacting with person B (bad guy), but because I'm not really friends or acquainted with person A it feels like it's not my place as just a follower/fan of theirs to bring it up.". LittleKuriboh's quote-post reads,"It's a very difficult thing to approach because even if you're a colleague or are directly affected, reaching out to say "hey this person exhibits problematic behavior" can come across as an attack. If only because so many fandoms have used this stuff as an attack, rather than a conversation."/. End ID.]
So those who aren't following; Micheal and Ashley are racists (Yes, they apologized. But both were adult grown adults who didn't initially apologized until they were exposed), Alex Rochon is standing by their behaviors by not calling them out directly and reposted a quote-tweet that's essentially "It's hard to call out long time friends", and almost the rest of the cast has collaborated with an alleged known groomer.
Regarding Gabriel Brown, aka BlackGryph0n Recently, allegations have been circulating regarding Gabriel C. Brown, known online as Blackgryp
[Start ID: A link to a google document detailing Black Gryph0n's inappropriate interactions with kids and teenagers./. End ID.]
Also, apparently Gooseworx is also racist and responded to the situation poorly. However I haven't found any evidence of both yet, so if anyone has screenshots or a link: please share.
So uh... If there wasn't already a reason to boycott the theater release for the respect of disabled and poor fans + the capitalism "fuck you" move it was towards indie animations and fans... Here it is.
I wish I could say I was surprised but I’m not. That being said, it’s great to have all this information compiled in a handy spot so much thanks^^
I’ve never had a moment where my entire friend group/coworkers have all been found to collaborate with the same group of bad people at varying points. This concept doesn’t just vanish when you move into the indie sphere, so just a thought.
It's certainly something that everyone has this many skeletons in their closets.
Also no problem. Just for achieving purposes this was Marissa Lenti's (Gangle's voice actor) tweets regarding her collaboration with Black Gryph0n. Unsurprisingly, she has yet to say anything about Michael or Ashely.
[Start ID: A screenshot of three tweets from Marissa Lenti (Gangle's voice actor) posted out of chronical order. The first top tweet is the second oldest one: posted on April 23, 2026. It reads, "I’ve listened to what you have said & realize that I made a severe error trying to justify my decision re: recording 'Mask'. I’ve taken down my post but will be combing through the replies & trying to comprehend what’s been given to me. I’m sorry for acting/speaking ignorantly." The second middle tweet is the newest: posted seven hour after the first top tweet. It reads, "I still do not condone the actions of Claire’s stalker, and will be endeavoring to avoid sourcing from things he had anything to do with.". The third last tweet is the oldest: posted on April 22, 2026. It reads, "And as mentioned above, I am very open to being told I have made the wrong choice in any given situation. I am not trying to defend anyone here, simply make a statement explaining my retroactive thought process. I only want to be clear that I try to move in good faith.". It was a respond to a now deleted tweet from Marissa Lenti./. End ID.]
I keep getting fans denying Michael Kovach and Ashley Nichols's racism. They both made apologies, so that debunks that. Fun fact: There's at least two different clips from two different 2019 VODs of Michael Kovach and Ashely Nichols engaing in this behavior. Plus during the livestream of Jax's Toy in 2025, Michael Kovach made two N-slur jokes. So this is a repeated pattern.
[Start ID: A tweet by Michael Kovach. It reads, "I've just been made aware of this. This is absolutely an insensitive joke. Earlier in the stream, we heard Ashley read out a username that contained the word “Nega” (short for negative) and all of us, including chat, freaked out because we misheard what was said. Once the misunderstanding was cleared, we poked fun at the absurdity of it. However, the "joke" relies on the fact that it's "teetering on racist" - which ultimately is no different than making a legitimate racist joke. I apologize for any harm this has caused, and for the fact that we ever thought it humorous to joke about in the first place. Racism is NEVER okay and we should always strive to be kind and lift each other up."/. End ID.]
Start ID: Two tweets from Ashley Nichols, a quote tweet to Michael Kovach's tweet apology and a follow-up to hers. The quote tweet reads, "I want to apologize to anyone the jokes in my stream harmed. Racism is never okay and even joking about a misunderstanding that sounded racist is also not okay. I should have known better back then and I want to continue to grow and be a better person. Fuck racism, fuck racists.". The follow-up text reads, "The VOD is still up and will remain up because I have no intention of hiding anything. Also I apologize my replies are off as I’ve been continually doxxed and spammed with gore by the UTTP. Please share your thoughts in the QRTs.". Followed by a link to one of the 2019 livestreams./. End ID.]
Btw don't harass the creators: It takes the focus away from the Black fans and fans who are grooming survivors affected by these behaviors and accountability for the creators involved.
New additional information: Apparently Gooseworx was being racist in the chat of one of these streams. She was typing the N-slur similar sounding word and encouraging the both of them to say it. Again, I can't find the stream yet; so if anyone has a link or screenshot that would be greatly appreciated.
Also Sean Chiplock (Kinger's voice actor) had an inappropriate interaction with a minor at the time, who lied about their age when he was 24. The viewer can come to their own conclusion regarding this. I'm bring it up for archiving purposes. The racism and enabling should still remain the focus.
[Start ID: A link to an Instragram post from the user, allhailthequeenuwu, explaining the debunked Sean Chiplock's grooming allegations. The slide has a title that reads, "Finally Freedom!". The following series of subtext reads, "The false allegations between Sean Chiplock and Casper are finally over. From August 6 up to now, I've been the mediator on this whole situation. It was no easy task, that's for sure, but it was worth it. Talking and listening to both sides, I have grown big respects towards them. Were they frustrated from this Whole ordeal? Yes, but they were very understanding to one another. All groups including myself have deleted all related post about this situation I'm here to update/inform you all this I showed both. Casper and Sean if they are okay with this post, so I'm in the clear :D.". The background is of the "Man breaking chains" meme redrawn with the artist's persona./. End ID.]
So I missed Gooseworx's response to the racist situation because I thought this tweet was posted a few days earlier from the sheer tone deafness of it, if it wasn't.
[Start ID: A screenshot of a tweet from Gooseworx. The tweet reads, "Everyone in the cigarette fandom eating good tonight."./. End ID.]
