#tadcbehindthescreen

Since the very beginning, Kinger had been a known resident of the circus. He was bright, kind, strong, and most impressively, ever-present in the chaotic overwhelm of the Digital Circus. One by one, each of the original group he'd been a part of had abstracted, ending with his wife. One by one, new residents came and went, ending with Pomni. And one by one... his memories slipped away from him.

Back in the early days, he had been just as lucid as anyone else. But as time wore on, it only became more and more obvious that something was... off. Queenie was the one to really clock it at first, and some days Kinger couldn't help feeling that his increasing difficulties with remembering things helped cause her abstraction. By the time Ragatha came around, though his kind nature had endured, his lucidity mostly didn't. And thus, it came as quite the shock when Pomni discovered that darkness stabilized him in a way, sorting out all his thoughts enough to breathe... and think... and remember...

His sanity bucket, while clunky and certainly not a cure-all, had become a regular sight when he was out and about within the circus. Whenever there was want or need for the true Kinger, out it came. And with the Abstracted humans restored, why wouldn't he want to be present for most everything they did together? He had his wife, his friends, his kids... Occasionally, it was nice to take a day and not think, but overall, he wouldn't miss their new reality for the world. Despite the months, and truly years that passed since the shift was made though, there were still some downsides. Sometimes Kinger would take minutes to adjust to the dark, sometimes hours. Memories either wouldn't stick, or would be nebulous and piecemeal. All details that had become far from worrying for the residents of the circus.

Only... Kinger's condition seemed to be worsening. Not in obvious ways, but the adjustment period seemed like it never happened quickly anymore, his memory was more patchy than ever... and now, something new was happening. He was starting to lose time without ever being exposed to light in between. Most of the time, it was nothing huge. A quick reminder, a moment of puzzled confusion from Kinger, and life moved on. But every so often, he would do something... crazy, for lack of a better word. And when asked, he wouldn't be able to explain why...