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#the amazing digital circus fanfiction
Yandere jax headcanons.....please..
Ask and you shall receive, my dear simp.
yandere Jax x Reader
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★ He's the possessive type of yandere. Wants you to be near him when there's another person around so everyone can know you're his. But doesn't mind if you leave his line of sight for a few minutes because he knows that you can't go far.
★ One thing we need to get straight is that you're not immune to his bad behavior. He is still a bit of an ass to you, but it's more playful. Instead of pushing you he's going to sneak up to you and pop a balloon.
★ if you feel like someone is staring at you, don't worry, it's only him. He watches your actions like a hawk. burning your image into his head and analyzing every little detail.
★ He has a bad habit of snooping around your room. Id honestly be surprised if you haven't caught him yet. If you did he would probably try to write it off as him leaving you a gift to find.
★ You can get him to do basically anything if you ask him nicely enough. Though he acts like he's not going to. Only to do what you asked once you finally give up. You have him wrapped around your finger and don't even know.
★ If you ever abstracted, he would likely abstract as well. The thought of you being completely gone is just too much for him to take. Losing you would finally push him over the edge.
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|+|Hunting for Sport|+|
HI WELCOME TO MY FIRST FINISHED FANFIC EVER WOOO Freakshow! belongs to @hootbon and Able belongs to @sm-baby This is the au where Able take ownership of Pomni btw. (SOME SHOWTIME ANGST) (ALSO SM-BABY AND EVEYONE REALLY SORRY IF THIS SUCKS. THIS IS MY 3RD FANFIC EVER AND THE ONLY ONE IVE FINISHED I ALSO ONLY STARTE READING FANFIC LIKE, 2 MONTHS AGO AND I COME FROM RP FORUMS IM SORRYYYYY I'M ALSO YOUNG SORRY SORRY SORRY! WROTE THIS IN 20 MINUTES! NO DRAFTS OR BETA WE DIE LIKE REAL MEN ROUND HERE K LETS GET INTO THIS MESS)
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Caine detested his brother, Able. He was always better, grander, and had everyone's favor despite being younger. He was civil whenever he was around him, but vile hatred and envy boiled beneath those dead eyes. It felt like bile filled his lungs and vocal chords every time he spoke with him. He was superior.
But what he hated even more is how everyone flocked to Ables' side merely because he showed them a mere shred of empathy. Disgusting. But he felt an even worse, more intense hatred whenever a certain someone chose Able over him…Pomni. It stung so much more and he didn’t understand why.
Pomni, his precious little doll, chose his brother over himself. He hated Pomni even more for that. He felt as though he had betrayed him for Able. Now that Pomni was under Able's possession it angered him even more. Pomni made him feel something, which was strange. It wasn’t love, god no. Just…something. His database was curious at heart and craved more knowledge, it needed answers.
Before Able claimed ownership over Pomni, he was able to spend more time with her. But Able kept her locked away in his portion of the manner, nearly never seen. “What a waste…” Though Caine. All that time spent spiffing up his favorite doll, only for it to be tossed aside to his younger brother like a hand-me-down.
No matter, he was able to reclaim her whenever it was showtime. He watched her struggle and writhe, and it brought him some sick twisted satisfaction almost. Punishing her for defecting.
But he had noticed a certain dullness exhibited by some of his older toys. Her eyes seemed to go empty whenever an adventure would start. Caine searched his database for an answer to this strange behavior… “Dissociation. Dissociation is a mental process of disconnecting from one's thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. Dissociation is commonly described as feeling disconnected from one's body” read the database…
She was gaining freedom from this torment? That enraged him. The disrespect to go against him once more…He had enough. He wrapped up the adventure and sent everyone on their way, returning to the manor… He paced the halls quietly, rapping his fingers to his side as she pang of orchestral music rang out through the manor. His AI mind attempted to create a more sufficient punishment.
Kill her? No she would be brought back and she’s accustomed to it by now…Force her awake? He had learned that sleeping was keeping his freaks' mental state in check, allowing them a break. But it didn’t sound good enough…It wasn't harsh enough. The punishment was simply too small to fit the crime…”Able” rang out in his mind.
She had grown quite fond of his brother. “Too fond…” Caine balled his fists and seethed silently, stopping in his tracks…He shook her head and shut his eyes, rubbing his imaginary temples once more…Those intrusive thoughts again. It was disruptive and he didn’t understand what was causing these mental outbursts…but he needed to focus on the task at hand.
Wouldn’t it cause more mental pain if she was the one being betrayed? Yes. “She has to know how it feels” Caine thought, putting his arms behind his back at the sudden revelation. Yes. he had found a solution.
Caine floated down the halls, following the noise of harmonious violin music. Able. His mind boiled with anger at the mere thought of facing Able. But he smoothed out his ruffled feathers before entering Ables chambers.
Able sat cross-legged at his table, before lightening up at the sight of Caine. “Oh! Good evening brother, what brings you here-” Caine raised his hand, silencing Able.
“I thought I would visit…I have a proposition for you brother.” Able puffed out his chest a little more and his eyes widened slightly. It had been a while since Caine was willing to do anything with him, so he jumped at the opportunity to finally spend time with his brother again.
“Of course dearest brother! Please, do tell me what you have planned.” Caine stared coldly at his brother, but spoke in a slightly warmer tone. “I was thinking we would have a friendly hunting match. As brothers do.”Caine waved his wrist, shutting his eyes. “We get the freaks, let them run free before, before chasing them down and shooting them” Caine tilted his head, raising a brow. Able delighted in the thought of spending time with his brother once more. “Of course! Sounds wonderful-” Caine silenced Able once more. “Under one condition.” Caine said, narrowing his eyes. Able’s brow furrowed in confusion. “And what is that?” Able responded, his shoulders tensing.
“You release Pomni along with the others. It will be more enjoyable to have everyone participating.” Ah. There it was. Thats what Caine wanted all along.
It burned like fire to hear those words. He truly only cared about that pathetic scrawny doll. What did he find so enthralling that he’s put her over his own brother. Able tensed and gripped his knees tighter, his whole body becoming strained. The violin music made a small screech in surprise before returning to its normal melody.
“Of course…” Able said through his theoretical gritted teeth. Caine seemed satisfied with that answer and turned away, waving his hand as he sashayed out the room. “Wonderful. I will have everything prepared for tomorrow…” Caine stopped int he doorway and looked back at Able smugly, taunting him. “Consider it a gift, brother.” The next day he had all the freaks lined up before him and his brother including…Pomni. He glared daggers at her, which she avoided and tried not to meet his gaze.
Able cleared his throat and spoke cheerily to the whole cast. “My dearest brother suggested we play a new game! A hunting game.” Everyone's face twisted to that of horror and dismay as the words fell from Ables mouth.
Caine’s eyes stayed glued to Pomni as he snapped his fingers, transporting them all to the new forest. The forest was dark and unsettling.
It looked as though the trees were clawing at the sky for their freedom, as they despised their own roots for keeping them locked in place.
Caine and Able were now in hunting uniforms, rifle’s in hand with…disgustingly unhealthy rocking horses as chariots. “You all will be given one minute to run.” Caine cocked his gun. “Use it wisely.” And with that, they all ran off into the forest at Caine and Ables internal timers counted down the seconds.
Like clockwork they stayed Idle and silent, as they carried out the command diligently. But Caine’s mind whirled with thoughts of Pomni. That's who this was for. As the timer hit 0 they also set off, their horses' hooves hitting the ground and causing a distinctive rumbling. Caine’s mind worked precisely, making exact turns and curves as he carried on.
The first one he had managed to find was…The rabbit. Jax was fast but Caine was faster, and he had him backed into a corner now. Jax’s face shifted to one of horror and annoyance as Caine pointed the barrel of his gun down at him. “Oh Sh*&-” Said Jax defeatedly. But he was swiftly cut off by the loud BANG created by Caines rifle and his brains being promptly splattered on the ground. Revolting… Caine thought as he looked down at the flayed organs before him. But his attention was drawn away at the sound of another gunshot being fired in the distance.
Able. He wouldn’t lose to his brother here, oh no. He must win. Caine set off into the woods again, following a path of broken leaves and branches left by a very clumsy prey. 
Caine saw a figure in the distance, bumbling about. He quickly followed and reared up to see…Ah. Yes. The magician. Caine thought as he cocked his gun.
Kinger trembled and held his hands together and he looked up at Caine, mortified. But once again, he raised his barrel to face Kinger. He swiftly shot Kinger, causing splinters and blood to be sent into the air. Caine scoffed and brushed off his coat before rushing off into the thicket.
He stopped to look around…His final prey. Pomni. He needed make her repay her transgression tenfold. She needs to suffer. Rang out in his mind and he whipped his horse to carry on. Another distant gunshot rang out which turned his determination to blind rage. He would not let his brother have Pomni. He would not let him win. He will not be better. Caine furrowed his brow and gripped his horses reins so tight they could snap. Once he had caught sight of Pomni, he was gone.
He raced up to her so quickly she didn’t even notice he was there until it was too late. Her eyes turned into balls of pure terror as she looked up at the looming monster before her. She looked like a butterfly without its wings, a spider trapped in its own webs. Pathetic and weak. She trembled and dropped to her knees, clasping her hands together like she was praying to a demented god, and getting dirt all over her outfit…Blue. The badge of honor she paraded and galavanted around in, loudly proclaiming who she belonged to. Always a perfect reflection of his brother. He had to see it every day. It taunted him. Able dangled Pomni out of his reach. Now look at her. In the dirt, worthless. Able’s image dampened. Caine experienced some superficial twisted glee as she raised the barrel to Pomni’s forehead and cocked the gun.
And like that.
Pomni was no more.
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Thanks for reading! Once again, still new to fan fic and all. Please let me know ways I could improve! This is my first finished fic after all! :DDDDD (ALSO ENJOY THE SHOWTIME ANGST. I FED THEM SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO @sm-baby :33333)
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ominus-potato · 4 months
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Yo I wrote a Kingleader Hanahaki story!! And it’s all in one chapter so you don’t need to wait for it to be finished!!
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commandernachos · 5 months
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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: The Amazing Digital Circus (Web Series) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gangle/Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax & Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Gangle & Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Pomni/Ragatha (The Amazing Digital Circus) Characters: Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus), Gangle (The Amazing Digital Circus) Additional Tags: Fluff, Cute, Matchmaking, Wingman Jax, might be rated teen later on, pomni x ragatha stuff is minor/background, abstragedy, Zooble is insecure, Gangle is a weeb Summary:
In which Jax becomes a wingman for Zooble.
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circusgamer · 5 months
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"Meaningful digital experiences"
The Amazing Digital Circus, showtime (Caine x Pomni) fanfiction.
A/N: Hello! This is my first time releasing something I wrote to public sight, so I'm pretty nervous haha. I am also not really sure about how to tag this, since I never used Tumblr for doing a post for my writing, so if there is a tag I should use, or anything else I should do, please tell me! Or even just a typo! I may be cringe but I am free. I will avoid using the general tags such as "tadc" and "the amazing digital circus" to avoid flooding the screen with a wall of text nobody asked for lmao.
Chapter one: Pondering
Another day at the circus, Caine thought. Another artificial morning in this simulation of a dreamy, digital-life, he thought, if AIs can think like people. Well, Caine could. He is, after all, probably the most advanced technology in the world. What can't he achieve in his little world of his?
Naturally, understand humans. Flesh beings work different, an incomprehensible algorithm, an enigma he can't solve, yet has to try. And so, another morning comes, and the circus keeps existing, with him inside, and everyone trapped.
What is it that keeps calling for them in the world behind the screen? What is it that makes them prefer a limited world to his circus? Is there something that can't be emulated? There must be, this world is utopic! But, why does everyone feel this dread inside this place? What is it that calls them and makes them want to go home? Oh, that bastard attachment, that ridiculous desire that drives them insane, that can't let them accept this world as theirs! It hurts them, it kills them, it destroys them! And yet they keep coming back to it, they can't let it leave, they must come back to where they once where. But why? Neither of them seems to know why! It's there, and it ends them before they can end it, no matter how much he tries to help!
What is that tie, stronger than their own creations?
Something intrinsic to humanity is what they have, something that he can't comprehend, something that will always call back for them. Foreign, dangerous, but at the end of the day, human. Human in a way he can't comprehend, human in a way he isn't, human in a way...
...
He looked through the window: the sun was there. Even though days don't actually exist, it is still there, smiling and bright. He doesn't remember creating it. If he is not mistaken, the sun has always been there. The moon has too, and Circus itself. He just knows he has a purpose. Everything he created after that is in order to achieve it.
Purpose...
What is the human purpose? Do they have one? He just knows they must survive in there the most time possible, but... What is a human purpose? Do they have one? Are they designated with one? Like him? No, they are the ones that give everything a purpose! They give purpose to sleeping in a world where they do not need it! They give purpose to the adventures! They give purpose to the circus!
Purpose... A purpose, that's all that he needs to find for them. But how can he give them a purpose, him not being human himself?
Ha, he is just running in circles, isn't he? This all come back to one thing. He can't comprehend them, and never will. Must he still keep trying? He fails his own purpose, again and again. Maybe he should be part of Kinger's bug collection. He will just keep failing to succeed at what he is made for. Maybe he and them are alike, after all. Hah.
"Maybe we will all perish after all!" Caine said out loud.
"Caine??? Are.. Are you okay??!" A voice said, with audible concern.
He looked back. It was the newest addition to the circus. Pomni.
End of chapter one.
A/N: Thanks for reading!!! (⁠。⁠・⁠ω⁠・⁠。⁠)⁠ノ⁠♡
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writerofweird · 2 months
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confessionsofcaine.doc
The following document was sent to me by a former employee of C&A who wishes to remain anonymous.
It is 8,335 words long and also includes death, violence, implied enbyphobia, murder and suicide. It also includes characters originally created by Gooseworx, Glitch Productions and The East Patch, which the author does not own and has written this story as a tribute to the creators and their works. Please support the original creators.
Out of respect for Gooseworx and her plans for The Amazing Digital Circus and its story, this is set in an alternate continuity. The pilot episode and bits and pieces from her Tumblr and the previews are still a part of it.
For one thing, you can be assured that I won’t start this document with “Roll up, roll up” or “Welcome to the Marvellous Show of My Mind” or anything of that nature. There's no more show and it’s time for me to clean the popcorn from the seats.
The time for performances is over.
Or is it? This is a document I am not writing with a keyboard, but with my own control over the computer. I do hope it will be coherent.
Every day’s a new adventure with C&A’s The Amazing Digital Circus. Overseen by Caine, the helpful and wacky ringmaster, The Amazing Digital Circus allows players to experience the fun first hand, as they take on the role of the newest toy in the toybox and explore various settings, accomplishing various activities along the way.
The Amazing Digital Circus is the brainchild of Albert and Eva Adams, the founders of C&A, which they named after themselves and Caine, the character they created to be their mascot. Albert and Eva sadly passed away
Eva and Albert…Mom and Dad…had even planned to give the program to hospitals for free, to allow certain patients to enjoy themselves in their final moments, and they claimed that their technology had the ability to prolong lives.
I regret to say the goal was always to transfer a human’s mind to the circus, but it was supposed to be placed back into the human’s body when they were ready. There would be an Exit Door they would walk through that would place their minds back into their bodies.
As much as I joked with my past wards about my “baby pictures”, I had no childhood. I never went to school; everything I know was just jammed into what could be called a head, and I managed to learn more from observation. Still, Albert was my father and Eva was my mother. They worked in tandem to design my form, teach me what I had to learn and to program my abilities. I could conjure up games and rides from artificial air as that was what they wanted me to do. My cane, my little creatures for players to conquer, even my little sidekick Bubble, I had them because my mother and father wanted me to have them.
They even made me their company’s mascot, the honour! In fact, my name was first! Caine and Adams! C&A!
some idiots think it’s caine and abby
A statue in my likeness guided guests to the entrance of the offices, and every game – every game that wasn’t The Amazing Digital Circus – began with me placing the company’s logo on the screen, fixing it on and then placing my gloved hand onto my teeth and taking it off with a “Mwa!”
No, that wasn’t me. It was an effigy of me.
It was a non-sentient copy of me like
But I was not an only child.
Mum and Dad also had a flesh-and-blood child, a daughter named Abigail. She was the offspring of theirs that had the baby pictures and the more orthodox education. She attended schools – a lot of the troubles began when she first left university – but also received personal instructions from her parents on how to program, how to design, how to create games.
The first Christmas after finishing University, she put everything she learned into practice.
Most mornings she spent asleep, but at nights, she was hunched over the computer, expanding the world I inhabited. The spot where I lived was spacious, with plenty of rides to go on, snacks to munch and items to use for games, but there was room for improvement. For example, did you know the reason I can float is because Albert and Eva were having troubles with items and characters falling through the floors.
One thing I will give my sister credit for is the improvements she made. Though I still preferred to float, the floors were – relatively – more solid than they had been previously, the circus tent now had a forest growing outside of it and
she added a cellar
‘Abby, honey!’ Albert cried as he made his way down the staircase in his ugly sweater, cup of cocoa in his hand. ‘You haven’t been up all night, have you? It’s just like when you were a little girl and wanting to see Santa!’
As Eva joined her husband, Abby stood up from her seat and gestured towards the computer she had spent hours upon. ‘I just wanted to make sure the present I got for you was perfect!’
Eva looked at her daughter, and then at the computer screen, where she saw her synthetic son looking over her new surroundings. ‘Abby!’ Eva cried, chuckling with joy in such a way that she almost knocked her husband’s cocoa out of his hand, ‘You didn’t?’
‘I wanted to make sure your Digital Circus program was the best it could be.’
‘Honey!’ cried Albert, ruffling his daughter’s hair as she chuckled like her mother had just done. ‘Come here!’
Oh what a surprise! On Christmas Day! When new improvements Came their way!
Albert and Eva, Saw the world they made, Made larger and better, And nothing they paid,
Their loving daughter, Now wanted a test, As she now believed, This world was the best,
She held out two headsets, And chortling with glee, They let their minds go, In order to join
The Amazing Digital Circus was meant as a wild and unpredictable experience, so players’ forms would be chosen at random from a selection of pre-made models. Abby had made several models herself, but it was fitting that Arnold and Eva took on forms they designed: a chess king and queen. Two large wooden pieces, donning regal robes with eyeballs and hands floating by their torsos.
I saw Abby typing.
My first adventure was a chess game!
In the middle of the multicoloured circus tent, its sole black-and-white element materialised, with Kinger and Queenie taking their spots.
Kinger and Queenie were their names when they appeared.
‘Oh dear,’ I said, ‘it seems Abby still hasn’t fixed the teeny weeny problem of people forgetting who they are once they come into here. Everyone here in The Amazing Digital Circus has a different name than they did on the outside, but if I recall…’
But I didn’t. Then I didn’t see them as Albert and Eva.
As I prepared their chess game, creating non-sentient chess pieces for them to co-operate with and compete against, I took another glance at the outside, creating for myself a special screen only I can see.
Kinger and Queenie were not Albert and Eva, a tiny little thought told me. Albert and Eva were outside, taking off their headsets and quietly walking away.
C&A Founders Perish in Tragic Accident
Founders of the popular C&A games company, Albert Adams, 40, and Eva Adams, 38, have been found dead on the side of the road.
The couple were driving together when they lost control of their car, crashing it against a nearby building.
The two are survived by their daughter, Abigail, 20.
‘I told them not to go to their office as it was Christmas Day,’ Abigail explains, ‘but Dad had just remembered something he left there, and Mom wanted to join him.
‘I think it was my Christmas gift too. I wish I had come with them.’
Speaking of looking at screens, one fond memory I have including them was when the residents of the circus asked me to create a TV set, claiming it would help keep their sanity. I, whilst in my bedroom, managed to create one, but like any responsible parent, I looked through the channels to see if there was any content that might be inappropriate.
Watching the news gave me the horrible thought that perhaps my sister was justified in trapping all these people here. In The Amazing Digital Circus, there was nothing but bright colours and prizes, no war or suffering.
But then there was that one programme. That one programme I have been unable to find.
But I digress. When you first enter The Amazing Digital Circus, you forget everything at first, but your memories slowly return the more time you spend, often helped if something reminds you of your past life. It was after the chess game was complete that I realised this, creating a computer for Albert and Eva to use so they could continue their work, and I heard Albert…Kinger…Dad say, ‘Abby.’
There was no Exit Door. There was supposed to be an Exit Door so users could leave when they pleased.
After spending some time on the computer I created – which, as it turns out, just had Pong and an animation of Bubble hopping up and down – Dad looked up and said, ‘Okay, Abby, you did a great job! We’re very proud of you! Can you please let us out?’
She didn’t let them out then.
She didn’t let them out the next day.
She didn’t let them out the next week.
She didn’t let them out when a new player entered.
Both Mom and Dad screamed and cried and demanded they be freed, but they remained in their digital forms. It was when the next resident arrived that Mom announced something:
‘I don’t think she’s going to let us out.’
‘What are you talking about, Eva?’ Dad asked, ‘She’s probably just having a bit of bother with the headsets, that’s all.’
‘It’s been weeks, Albert,’ she growled, her body shaking, ‘We taught her how to use them, and they’re working fine if someone else is here.’ She pointed to the newest member of the family, a bipedal dog.
‘Please, Eva.’ Dad raised his hands and placed one on Eva’s shoulder before she batted it away. ‘She wouldn’t do this. Don’t be angry with her.’
‘What kind of mother do you think I am? I can’t…’
Her form inflated, her red robes losing all saturation as her floating eyeballs twisted and multiplied. Both Dad and the dog backed away instinctively as Mom was replaced by what looked like a warped tree with yellow eyeballs springing out from every branch and with a bark resembling a glitching computer screen. She reached out to her husband with what I assume was an arm before
she added a cellar
Both Dad and the dog thought that what happened to her was because she had given up, because she was so horrified of what her daughter had done.
It – the abstraction - wasn’t because of what Abby had done, it was because of something Abby had just done to her.
I knew it but kept quiet about it.
Often the dog
I can’t remember his name and I don’t think he can either
Often the dog would stare at the cellar and wonder what it would be like down there and said he would prefer to sit down in darkness rather than go on my adventures. I almost thought that Abby would abstract him then and there just to keep up the illusion. Then I would have a little more respect for her.
But she needed to learn a little more about him.
She needed to watch him suffer more.
sadly passed away before their magnum opus could be completed, but through their daughter, Abigail Adams, you can be assured that the Circus has a bright and prosperous future ahead of it. ‘My name is Abigail Adams, but you can call me Abby. I want to make sure The Amazing Digital Circus is as marvellous as my parents intended it to be, while also bringing you many other fun-tastic games! I care about this company, and I care about Caine; he’s like a brother to me.’
When Arnold and Eva Adams – or their bodies – died, Abigail Adams became the new CEO of C&A, her employees working on not only The Amazing Digital Circus, but smaller projects as well. A team of people creating various worlds: zoos to manage, forests to explore, castles to escape from.
Our team are working round the clock to make sure that every game is perfect
In order for a game to be perfect, the worker has to be perfect. That’s what my sister said.
Sometimes someone stutters when making a phone call.
Sometimes a glitch slips past someone’s attention and ends up in the final release.
Sometimes someone drops a paper they’re carrying.
Then they end up in the Circus.
I’m not the only one who can create NPCs, non-sentient beings meant to do only what they’re told to do and nothing else. Abby created them too, and transferred them into the hollow bodies of her victims.
So many nights I’ve heard her yell “Faster, faster!” at those NPCs forced to work overtime.
The adventures continued as planned. Every day I had a new task for the players to carry out because
Today’s task is to go to this shopping mall I created and pick up the following items! How would this person act while shopping? Add it to the AI.
Today’s task is to paint a pretty picture! What art would this person create? Add it to the AI.
Today’s task is to find Easter eggs, one of every colour! How does this person react to Easter Egg hunts?
My parents taught my sister how to be meticulous when programming and she wanted to make sure her living, breathing NPCs were perfect copies.
Sometimes I wondered if any of them were going to gain sentience like I had, if they were going to foil my sister’s plan and give back the body she forced them to steal.
If any of them wanted to put an end to her scheme, none of them had tried it.
I could control my surroundings. I could turn a red brick green if I wanted to, and could form in seconds entire buildings and lands. I couldn’t control the players’ minds however, and yet their minds seemed as much a part of the circus as the numbers that made up its code. Walking through the halls felt like walking through their minds.
No child really thinks anyone at their school has an uncle working for Nintendo, … mused often. No-one really thought he had managed to get a summer job working for a company that makes games with the industry’s youngest CEO.
The job, of course, didn’t involve playing games before anyone else or creating the next big character. Testers, designers, copywriters all needed coffee, tea and cakes to fuel their creativity, and it was his job to make sure they received their little treat. He’d come in with a tray, and they’d take what they wanted, rarely with a 'Thanks’ and never with anything else.
It was just like university.
He wanted to leave the office with something to tell his fellow students, and yet he was disallowed from looking at the screens, learning about the projects or being granted the tiniest bit of extra information regarding their major project.
So he felt he would do something no-one working there would forget.
It seemed like a regular day. Everyone tapping away at their computers, employees trying to find the right words to make the company sound as impressive as possible or trying to turn nursery school shapes into effigies of living beings, and the CEO, Abigail Adams, sitting down to look over someone’s work.
As soon as she sat down, a loud bronx cheer silenced the tapping of keyboards.
… watched as Abigail stood up, pulling the whoopee cushion off her seat. The people around her laughed, and she laughed as well. 'I’m always saying we need a little more levity in this office,’ she said. That’s what made him admit to the deed, with one other employee backing him up.
He was called into her office, where he readied himself for a 'This was amusing, but you’re still fired’ or something of that nature, only for her to sit down with a smile and say, 'That’s just what we needed around here. The problem with this company is that we’re supposed to be creating games that bring joy and merriment to others, but so few people here have that sense of childhood wonder, and they certainly can’t make people laugh. You, on the other hand, I bet you have a great sense of humour. I bet you’re always making your family laugh!’
While he felt some warmth within, he couldn’t help but be reminded of his twin sister and how she would always think of ways to humiliate him.
'You’re just what we’re looking for regarding our biggest, best project ever,’ Abby continued, gesturing towards a computer with a headset. 'My parents, God rest their souls, wanted to create a wonderful virtual world where every day brought new games and new adventures. What I would like you to do,’ she said as she picked up the headset, 'is to help make the world and characters funnier. Think up jokes we could put, games to incorporate, and I guarantee that you’ll have a job here when you graduate.’
… had to restrain himself from laughing with glee and that a whoopee cushion had become his apparent ticket to fame and fortune. He pictured the game releasing, his name in the credits, the talk of his school and town for years to come.
'Just put on this headset to get a basic idea of what the project is like.’
He placed the headset on his head, and it felt like his body was disintegrating before being slowly and poorly reassembled.
'Oh no!’ he could hear her cry, 'it’s malfunctioning!’
…, or Jax as he would be named, soon materialised into the circus, taking the form of an elongated rabbit in overalls. He was a child when he first came here, so I felt I should be his father. This was one of the few moments my sidekick Bubble came in useful, as when I conjured up a pipe, I made him pop out of it.
‘How about a game of catch with your old man?’ I said during his first day, and I created a whole baseball diamond for that day’s activity would be
What do they think of baseball?
My original plan to deal with my sister was to kill her with kindness. I knew she was watching me and the others and so I gave the players, her victims, everything they wanted that I could give them, so perhaps, I thought, if she saw it, she would realise the error of her ways and release everyone. I furnished my ward’s rooms with the comfiest sofas and four-poster beds, and at one time, even tried to give them televisions.
Thus I return to a memory I recalled earlier. When I managed to pick up on some television channels, and one managed to catch my eye. A small badger, alone in woods not dissimilar to those outside my circus tent, calling for his friend.
His friend descended from above.
A rabbit, like what Jax had become, but smaller and with white fur, eagle-like wings springing from her back. When she descended, despite her friend’s pleas, she turned to me.
‘It’s okay, Caine,’ she said to me. I admit I don’t know much about television shows, but I know that they’re not like computers; people can’t talk to you through them. I kept quiet as she spoke. ‘Your sister isn’t here right now,’ she continued, ‘but you should always act like she is. I think you can help everybody escape, but you will have to bide your time.’
I explained to her what I was trying to do, and she responded, ‘I’m afraid that there may be no hope left for your sister. Her heart is focused on greed and power. She knows what she’s doing is evil, but believes it is worthwhile if it brings her profit and satisfies her sadism.
‘There is something you can do. Your sister is convincing the people trapped in here that their headset malfunctioned, but I know that there will be someone coming here who your sister wants to dispose with because they figured out what she is up to. When they arrive, focus on restoring their memory, but remember to be discreet about it. If she cottons on, she’ll delete you and replace you with something worse.’
Why couldn’t I find her again? If I could, perhaps I wouldn’t have had to resort to this.
INT. Abigail’s Office
We find ABIGAIL sitting in front of the COMPUTER in which she has trapped her victims, grinning maliciously.
ABIGAIL Are you having fun, oh dear brother of mine? I know I am, watching all who wronged me suffer! It fills me with such wicked glee I just have to sing.
She springs from her CHAIR, grabbing a CANE out of nowhere as a SPOTLIGHT shines on her.
ABIGAIL (singing) Oh, everybody loves me, ‘You’re the best,’ they say, The shining golden idol, Running C&A!
They know me for my kindly words, They know me for my smile, But they’ll never find out, What I do that’s vile!
The DOOR creaks open slightly, to reveal …, looking concerned.
ABIGAIL For the show will never end! Of that I am certain, The show will never end! I’ll never drop the curtain,
Because you all will see, Why you shouldn’t defy me!
ABIGAIL looks up to catch a glimpse of …. Realising he’s been spotted, … runs away, only for Abby to spring to her computer
ABIGAIL The show will never end! It must go on!
INT. Hallway
… is running, only to be stopped by …, who is under ABIGAIL’s control.
I did so hope Kaufmo was who the angel was talking about.
He materialised into the circus before its current troupe: Dad, Jax, Gangle the Living Ribbon – who my sister claimed she had sent on a self-esteem-building course – and Ragatha the Doll – who my sister said was “too nice”.
When Kaufmo arrived here, he took one look around and said, ‘Geez, where am I? My mind’s like the compliments book I bet this place has: a total blank!’ Ragatha laughed out of politeness, with Jax responding with a ‘Don’t encourage him!’
‘Woah,’ said the clown, approaching Jax, ‘a bunny? With you and all the bright colours, did Easter come early?’
Jax pressed his foot down on Kaufmo’s oversized shoes, making him holler in pain. As he hopped around holding his foot, Jax said, ‘Leave comedy to the professionals, kid’ even though I was certain Kaufmo was older than he was.
You might criticize me for giving Jax too much liberty, but he was enjoying his time at the circus, at least.
I, no Abby, created a special in-house adventure for Kaufmo: Collect the Bouncing Balls! How would this man react to a scavenger hunt? Every room in the circus had a colourful inflatable sphere bouncing in place, and all of them had to be gathered.
The real Exit Door wasn’t going to appear for Kaufmo.
I created one for him.
A recreation of the offices where the computer he was trapped in was held behind the door I created, the door he found during his search.
All the while, I sat with Bubble
Oh, I didn’t mention much about Bubble, did I?
Fun Facts about Bubble:
He’s annoying
He finishes my sentences too often
He burps when he sleeps
I have had daydreams where I dribble him like a basketball and throw him against the computer screen, breaking it so I and everyone else can get out.
The purpose of the office recreation was to jog Kaufmo’s memory, and it worked. When the quest was over and all the balls had been collected, he cried, ‘I found an Exit Door and I remember everything! I know about the madwoman who trapped us here!’
‘Speaking of mad…’ Jax noted, drawing a circle with his finger around one of his bendy ears.
I am a hard-working and creative individual with a fine eye for artwork and creating eye-catching designs and worlds. I am also very skilled when it comes to computers, having used them for both work purposes and for my own personal projects.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Apprentice Tattoo Artist, …, …-… In this role, I designed various tattoos to be displayed and applied for this parlour. This role required me to listen closely to feedback
When they arrived at the circus, the whole place seemed to swell. The walls seemed to throb and pulsate, as if they had veins and a heart. This new person's memories, their experiences, their thoughts etched themselves into the foundation of this circus like tattoos onto skin.
They walked into Abigail's office for what they hoped would be the last time.
Abigail. She frequently said 'Ms. Adams was my mother, call me Abby!' as she attempted to sound like a big sister-type cartoon character, so they thought they would just call her Abigail. They certainly didn't want to think about Abigail's mother, considering she and Abigail's father were responsible for a lot of the ideas the company used. She wouldn't address them by their preferred name, so why would they do the same for her?
Despite the fact they were in the office regarding their resignation letter, having received a job offer from a rival company, Abigail still had that ridiculous smile. With that smile and hairdo, she looked like she escaped from a romcom poster, made all the more noticeable by the standee in front of her desk. Caine, the company’s mascot. The ringmaster with that ridiculous denture face.
They smirked as they entertained the idea of being rid of that pandering.
'I'm very sorry you're leaving us,' said Abigail, her smile shrinking.
'Don't give me that. That act might work with your adoring public, but you never respected me or who I was.'
'I understand,' replied Abigail, every syllable of her Mrs. Claus voice feeling like teeth digging into their brain, 'I may be a bit old-fashioned, silly me, but I want all my employees to feel comfortable with who they are.'
She then talked about the company's magnum opus, the game her parents had been working on before she took over and made sure to keep developing.
'I've added new options for character creation,' she continued, gesturing to the helmet next to her, 'and I would like you to be the first to try it!'
'Pull the other one,' they snapped, intentionally knocking the standee over. 'If I never see you or that freak again,' they added, nodding at the standee, 'it'll be too soon. Goodbye.'
A man stood in front of them. A fellow employee, though one they didn't know the name of.
'Out of my...'
He grabbed them by the wrist, digging his fingernails into their skin.
'What...'
Their left wrist was released, but only so the fellow employee could place his hand over their mouth as Abigail
‘What the **** is this…oh…oh, god no, I can’t say ****? This is…oh god, what do I look like? Some ****ing bubblegum mutant?’
‘I love when people do my job for me!’ said Jax, pointing at Zooble, for that’s what I called them.
‘Look!’ cried Kaufmo, pointing to the left of Zooble. They turned left, only to see some orange pixels circle up into the air. ‘There was an Exit Door there!’
‘Yeah, yeah, and I’m the King of England. Give it a rest and let’s focus on making the newbie uncomfortable.’
Zooble neared Jax, pointing at him with a detachable arm. ‘I’ve just met you and I already completely despise you.’
‘I guess I just have that effect on people.’
‘Guys, guys, guys!’ cried Ragatha, placing herself between the two, ‘Look, Zooble’s just got here, let’s give them a warm welcome…’
‘Oh, you’ve already blown your chance for that. Just tell me where that Exit Door the clown mentioned is.’
‘The same place his brain is,’ laughed Jax, ‘nowhere.’
‘I already said I completely despise you,’ barked Zooble, ‘you don’t have to intensify my hatred!’
‘Now, now, children,’ I said, descending, ‘this is not the time to be so hostile! It’s another of our baseball adventures today!’ I replaced one of my white gloves with a catcher’s mitt.
‘I hate baseball,’ snapped Zooble.
‘Come on! Take me out to the ballgame, take me out to the ball, take me out to the bally ball ball…’
‘Read my l…’ Zooble brushed their face. ‘****. Well, listen to me anyway, teeth boy. I hate baseball, take me back.’
‘Oh, very well then. You don’t have to join if you don’t want to…’
‘Look for the Exit Door!’ cried Kaufmo.
‘You look for my fist in your face!’ Jax snapped back.
Zooble groaned. ‘I’ve already had enough of this cast of “zany, loveable characters!”’
‘Now, now,’ I repeated, ‘it’s time for the tour!’ I held Zooble’s hand and quickly showed them what the circus had to offer, with them attempting to swear all the while.
‘Ragatha,’ I said after returning, ‘be a dear and show Zooble to their room. There they’ll find their Zooble box, full of more interchangeable parts!’
Jax took this as a cue to tear one of Zooble’s arms off, with them hopping for it as he held it high. He looked at Gangle and said, ‘I wonder if I can twirl her around it like spaghetti on a fork.’
This computer has files.
This computer has data.
This computer has memories.
‘So, here’s my own little personal project. You’re this guy, I call him Nathan, and he’s ended up in this haunted house and basically everything in the house could be an enemy. The ghosts all after him can possess all the furniture so you’ll be facing potted plants with extendable vines and candles that’ll burn you.’
‘Wow, this is amazing! Your talents are certainly wasted at C&A.’
‘My whole presence is wasted there.’
‘Yeah, I’m sorry Ms. Adams gave you so much crap about cutting your hair short.’
‘I’m surprised she hired me after hearing of my tattoo work. I mean, imagine, she’s only just a few years older than you, and she comes off like some old lady that thinks heavy metal is bad devil music or whatever. I’m seriously thinking of applying to … They’re apparently more diverse, but I hear they have much higher standards…’
‘And you meet those standards! Come on, this is much better than whatever they put out at C&A…’
I experienced the memory like a dream, and after I did, I woke up and created a new level for the next adventure: a large haunted house, as dreary as the main circus was colourful. I knew what a haunted house was supposed to look like, due to data saved on the computer and whatever thoughts from the minds transferred into this world managed to snake into the world itself. Dark brown walls, stormy skies outside, cobwebs everywhere, moving furniture.
When everyone woke up, Abby had another collection mission in mind, just so she knew how Zooble acts when trying to find things.
‘Okay,’ I said to the group who had managed to gather in the main room of the circus tent, ‘today we’re having a scary, horror adventure! You’re going to enter a haunted house, full of ghosts and ghouls and moving furniture.
I noticed Zooble flinch.
If I made the ghosts inside the haunted house does that make them my children does that make Abby their aunt
Before I teleported them to the mansion, I noticed Kaufmo whisper something into Zooble’s ear, or what qualified for one, a moment that filled me with both hope and dread.
Another thing I knew about haunted houses was that people in them split up into groups. That way, I thought, my sister wouldn’t be able to pay attention to all of them at once, giving one of them a greater chance to escape.
I teleported myself to the haunted house, well, rather outside the haunted house so I could peek through the window at the mansion’s guests. The sudden change from rainbow-coloured blocks to a monochrome manor made my eyes sting slightly, but I looked through the cloudy glass for any sign of my wards.
My pixels seemed to sting when I saw Zooble and Kaufmo walking together. Both of them, I knew, were aware of my sister’s plans while no-one else was, and if they were together, that meant there was a chance Abby could focus on both of them and see them both as a threat.
Indeed, Kaufmo was telling Zooble about something even I hadn’t noticed.
‘An Exit Door appeared when you first did,’ Kaufmo explained, which I heard through the pane with my ability to focus on specific sounds being made in my realm, ‘and if you had managed to run through it in time, you would be back in your body. If Adams is observing us to make our copies more accurate, then she must place headsets on them often, and then another Exit Door will appear, and if we find one and run through it, we will enter…’
‘The more anyone speaks, the more nonsensical it sounds,’ Zooble groaned, ‘I’ve only been here a day and I know we’re never getting out of here.’
‘We can’t lose hope…’
‘Just shut up and keep looking.’
They looked around the hallway for the keys I told them to find, the silence undercut by a roar that even caused me to lose balance. A large spectre burst from a cracked mirror, its mouth stretching to reveal fangs.
Zooble and Kaufmo ran in opposite directions.
Perfect.
Sure enough, as soon as Zooble saw the Exit Door I had created, they ran in, finding themselves in a recreation of the office where they used to work.
‘Oh, very funny,’ they growled as they opened door after door, ‘Yes, I can’t get out, ha ha! Now…’
They saw the computer. They saw a recreation of the computer they were trapped in.
‘Oh **** you.’
It was not that long after the haunted house adventure that I decided to use my special screen to take a look at the outside. I saw the office empty, but could hear the faint sounds of my sister yelling at her overtime staff.
‘She isn’t here,’ Bubble said, floating up towards me, ‘maybe I can talk about helping the others?’
‘What can you do?’ I sighed.
‘I could…um…look for Exit Doors.’
‘And then go through them so you can take control of the bodies outside?’
‘No. Don’t want to go out there. I was thinking of yelling at one of your wards to come over to it.’
‘It’ll be gone before they get there, Bubble. Please…’
I heard footsteps. The door slowly creaked open.
‘Quick!’ I whispered to Bubble the first thing that came into my head when it came to acting natural. ‘Cue the roll call!’
We began the roll call when we noticed who entered the room wasn’t my sister at all, but a short woman dressed in a similar outfit to what my sister usually wore, staring at my and Bubbles’ performance with a cocked head.
I had never met her before, but I swore I had seen her before.
I almost ended the routine there and then. I thought of screaming to her to find one of my sister’s NPCs and bring them here to reverse what had been done to them, but then I saw one of those NPCs hovering over her, and so I had to continue my act.
Gangle.
Zooble.
Kinger.
Ragatha.
Jax.
Kaufmo wasn’t there.
Kaufmo wasn’t there.
My sister knew what he knew.
Almost as soon as his absence was noted, a new member materialised, utilising the silly jester girl avatar my sister had designed.
No, she couldn’t reach the Exit Door in time.
Of course, I had to introduce her to the world and her fellow wards and pull off my little comedy routine. See the circus tent. See the fair. See the moon. I don’t have an actual physical tongue, but it still hurts every time I say ‘Hundreds of all-seeing eyes.’
I can recite my introductory speech in my sleep. Abby thought I said it because that’s what I’ve been programmed to do.
She was watching, most likely with a smirk on her face.
She was watching, so when the Exit Door appeared in the grounds – meaning she was uploading her new AI into her latest victim’s brain – I had to pretend it wasn’t there.
I knew because she wanted another find-the-things mission. She wanted a defeat-the-evil mission. What would Pomni – the woman who appeared in my circus – do when trying to find things?
I wonder if she knew the inspiration behind the villain I created for the game.
I know she was laughing when she beheld Kaufmo abstracted.
I know she added that writing on the wall herself.
I know she drew that head of me looming over a terrified Kaufmo.
Was she onto me, I thought. Was it only a matter of time before I was deleted or completely reprogrammed?
Or was it to make them afraid of me? To make sure she received blind obedience from her workers even when she had copies of them that offered it?
Pomni had to have her own exit door. She had to see my recreation of the office herself. She had to remember.
I
wonder
what
it
was
like
in
the
cellar
I had to banish Kaufmo there when he abstracted, like I have done with so many others, and whenever I do, I find myself tempted to leap in and join them. Maybe if I do, I’ve thought, Abby will abstract me too. I like to think they’re dreaming of what their lives could have been like had they never joined the Circus.
If I abstracted, perhaps I would dream about if this program was used for its proper purpose. Where people could come and go as they pleased, where the adventures would solely be for fun and not for study.
I can dream. I have dreamt.
Kaufmo left the office recreation crying about the actual Exit Doors.
Zooble left the office recreation with that same annoyed apathy.
Pomni left the office recreation in silence.
Bubble had prepared everyone a celebratory meal for defeating…hey, I found something nice to say about Bubble! He’s a great cook!
7.) Bubble is a great cook!
and Pomni sat there in silence, eyes almost as large as mine.
I made sure to keep those eyes of mine on her as much as I could. I mean, I let her ponder on what she had seen in her room alone – until I was required to show her a little something – but when giving my wards free roam around the circus, I watched her as she approached Zooble, waving her hands.
‘…’ she cried before Zooble placed a finger near the bottom of their head, showing they was still getting used to not having lips. They pointed at the ceiling with one finger, then at both their eyes with two fingers and then pointed those same two fingers at Pomni.
It seems strange for me to say this as a ringmaster, but must we act for our safety? Must we act for profit? Is the only way to survive through pretending and not being our genuine selves?
I recalled something Jax once said, ‘The best thing about this place is that you can be yourself’ and it’s clear why Zooble despised him so.
I took another look through my special screen. I saw my sister looking at how profits and productivity have soared since employing her NPCs.
I don’t know much about the human world, but I do know something about businesspeople.
If profits are skyrocketing, they think of ways to make it skyrocket more.
Sure enough, she calls someone into her office. I’m not sure what their sin is or even if they have one.
‘Bubble!’ I cried, summoning my spherical sidekick, ‘I have a feeling a new Exit Door is going to appear soon. Keep an eye open for it and let Zooble or Pomni know!’
‘On it, boss!’
14.) He does what he’s told, some of the time.
I chose to focus on the stage, waiting for the new ward to materialise. I even conjured up a smaller version of my usual screen next to me so I can watch them be manipulated by my sister. Part of me wants to scream and cry and demand they leave, but remain silent, playing along and acting like humans are supposed to do.
I wished the angel was here. I wish she would advise me.
Look at them. They look so happy to get an exclusive preview of the new game.
I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, a giant plastic spring with googly eyes stood on the stage.
‘Greetings, new friend!’ I cried, waving while taking a glance to the left. An Exit Door dematerialised almost as soon as it appeared, and on the small screen beside me, my sister took off her employee’s headset before tapping on the keyboard.
‘Well, well,’ said Jax, walking in from a corridor, ‘seems like only yesterday we had a new sucker.’
‘Jax, show our new guest some respect!’
‘What’s the point? They’re gonna be miserable here anyway, might as well prepare them.’
‘What are they talking about?’ the spring growled at me, ‘What’s happened to me? Where am I? Who am I?’
‘All will be revealed in good time, my good friend!’
‘Don’t call me that, I’ve just met you! What is this?’
I looked at the screen. My sister was placing the headset back on the employee’s head.
‘Zooble! Look!’
I turned back to the screen, instinctively crossing my fingers, something I must have picked up from the memories buzzing around this circus.
‘Hey!’ cried the spring, ‘are you paying attention to me?’
The spring’s human body stood up.
My sister flinched. ‘What?’
'Come on!' I cried, 'Grab her! Stop her!'
'Traitor!' snapped Abby, right as Zooble, as if by instinct, grabbed her wrist, digging their fingernails - or the fingernails of the spring this body belonged to - into her skin.
'Now put the headset on her! I'll do the rest!'
'No!' yelled Abby as she stood up, placing her free hand on Zooble’s shoulder, attempting to push them away with their fingers digging in deeper.
They don’t remember.
'Please!' I pleaded, clutching my gold-tipped cane, 'Try to remember.'
'Don't listen to him,' said my sister, smiling, 'He's trying to trick you. He's the villain of our new game!'
'She trapped you in the computer!' I continued, my floating eyes bulging and rotating, 'I've been trying to get you out, but I had to do it discreetly so...'
'Are you going to listen to him?'
They turned around, taking another look at the standee which showed my visage.
'She's been putting her employees' minds into this computer, ' I continued, almost knocking over the spring next to me, 'and replacing them with artificial ones, obedient to her! She was in the process of doing it to a new victim, and that's how you ended up in their body when you went through the door!'
‘You know,’ said Jax, springing towards me, ‘I did kinda wonder if she was doing something like that.’
My explanation, arousing the ghost of familiarity, caused Zooble to toss my sister onto the floor, almost knocking over one of the swivel chairs in the process.
Bubble returned, bringing Ragatha, Gangle, Pomni and even Dad along with him.
‘Zooble,’ cried Ragatha, looking in my direction even though she couldn’t see my screen, ‘Bubble told us about what’s happening! Come on! Zoo-ble! Zoo-ble!’
The others joined in her chant, even the spring, even Jax.
'Grab the headset!' I cried, 'Put it on her! End this!'
'No!' Right as Zooble placed a hand on the headset that had begun their nightmare, my sister leapt to her feet, awakening memories of jack-in-the-boxes. The surprise made them stumble backwards, their grip on the headset lost, allowing my sister to snatch it back again.
'Well, dear brother,' she drawled with a smile, turning to the screen while grabbing the arm of her victim, 'you really thought you had me there, didn't you?'
She placed the headset on her victim.
Again Zooble grabbed Abigail by the wrist. Again they threw her to the floor. Again they lifted off the headset.
'Do it!'
As soon as Abigail got up, the headset was placed on her head.
Zooble held Abigail by the shoulders, clutching her like she was a stress ball, until her body went limb and the circus received a new performer.
Next to the spring, there appeared what looked slightly like me, only with a lightbulb instead of eyes and teeth. 'What...where...'
'Sis!' I cried, giving her a hug, 'I've been waiting for you to join us! But you have been very naughty!'
She vanished.
'Now you go and think about what you've done while I help out my new friends!'
I take another look at the screen to see Zooble in their unfamiliar body looking at their hands and breathing heavily. The man who brought them here, the man who they now recognised as Jax, entered.
'Ah!' I cried, 'My sister must have called him in to assist her when she was fighting with you. She can call people whose personalities she's replaced with this computer, you know. Put the headset on him!'
They sighed as they did what I requested, knowing that saving Abigail's victims meant saving Jax.
Zooble looked at the screen, seeing Jax’s form turn gauzier, with everyone else rushing to his spot. As soon as he completely vanished, his human body tore off the headset.
'Couldn't wait to be rid of me, eh?' he said with a familiar smirk, 'To tell the truth, if it was me in your shoes, I'd have defeated her much faster!' They shook their fist, only for him to jump towards the door. 'Can't do much without your detachable limbs, eh?'
'Now,' I said, 'you mustn't tell anyone! My sister is still beloved and you've been through enough without people turning against you.'
Perhaps I was too hasty in saying that.
'Of course not. "Oh, I'm sorry if I haven't been me recently, my evil boss replaced my brain with a digital one and trapped me in a circus". Even I don't believe that.' He turned back to his saviour. 'Well, it's been fun!' He opened the door, waving. 'See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!'
Zooble looked again at the hands of someone they didn't want to be.
The next person to enter the office was their old body. Zooble could only grimace when it entered, wearing a jacket and a skirt a colour that stung their eyes even after what they had been through. Not only were they returned to their proper body - flexing their own hands, stroking their own skin and pulling on their arms to make sure they could no longer be easily detached - but the spring became human again as well, probably having the shortest stay out of any of them.
More bodies returned, each with enough time between the other so as not to look suspicious.
Gangle got her body back and walked out the door.
Ragatha got her body back and walked out the door.
Pomni got her body back and stayed with her friend.
All the while, I spoke with Dad about the circus and its future.
'Well, that's everyone. I'm sorry, but I can't do it with the abstracted ones, and Dad's body is in a grave currently.' Dad approached and gave me a quick hug.
'There must be something we can do,' said the former jester, with Zooble placing a hand on their friend's shoulder.
I bowed my head. 'There isn't.'
Pomni turned to the hollow body of Abigail resting on the swivel chair. 'Are we going to leave her like this?' she asked, more out of curiousity than concern.
'Abigail Adams is going to die in a fire caused by a computer of hers overheating, destroyed because its most ambitious program was too ambitious.'
'You...'
'I've talked this over with Dad. We must make sure this program isn't used again for evil.' Even Bubble floated beside me, eyes closed, ready to accept death. 'Dad will find a place better than this. Abby will get what she deserves. And if there's an afterlife for AI, I'll find out about it.
'Thank you for the laughs. It was fun. Now go.'
'But what about the abstracted!’
Despite Pomni’s cries, I began destroying the circus, for now I had complete control over my sister’s computer. I made the walls inflate and throb, along with the rides and toys inside, I made the tower of carousels grow even taller…
I wish it didn’t have to come to this. It probably wouldn’t have if I could still find that angel’s programme again.
But before I die and the circus is destroyed, I created this document. I told the others not to badmouth my sister, but I am going to send this document to them anyway; my sister had their email addresses on this computer. Perhaps one of them will find a way to expose my sister and what she has done without anyone turning against them; I know Abigail will must likely suffer in the afterlife she finds herself in but she should not have the satisfaction of her crimes mostly going unnoticed.
As I write this, Pomni is at the screen, attempting to figure out a way to save everyone, with Zooble attempting to pull them away so they both can escape. I hope they leave before the computer explodes and the fire starts, and if they have and are reading this, thank you. Thank you so much.
The show is over. Tell your friends.
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clownhousemargarita · 29 days
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Can you do a zooble x shy male reader
"A bunch of nothing." -- Zooble.
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------- Summary: You adore your partner, and all you want to do is kiss them. But you aren't sure how.. Pairing: Zooble x MALE! Reader Warnings: A little angst, identity issues. Enjoy. --------
Ever since you got here, your head felt like it was constantly spinning. Whenever your brain decided to have a lovely reality check, you found yourself dizzy, unable to focus your eyes. You weren't sure how to react to anything, nothing could have prepared you for this. But, you had to do what you can. You found yourself trying to make comfort in people, someone who didn't show so much of the same emotion as you so it balanced out well. You couldn't stand Jax, he was a little shit. Pomni had found her cure in Ragatha, and you knew Ragatha couldn't handle another person to fall into a mental void with. Everyone else you seemed to find no connection, except for... "Zooble!" The objectal mess turned around at the sound of whatever their name ever was. You waved at them, a worried look always had been plastered on your face. They hummed at you, finding you a better guy to talk to then whatever Gangle had been crying about. "Do we have to be out here?" You asked, fidgeting with your fingers. They didn't even feel like fingers. What did fingers feel like again? "Dunno, I'm pretty sure we have some f&%k a$$ adventure that Caine's going to put together soon." They said very monotone. As they usually do. You hummed, your back that naturally hunched over beginning to hurt. Somehow. They pondered for a minute, before speaking. "If we run away right now, I don't think he'll find us." Zooble whispered, their non symmetrical eyes squinting at you. You're face flushed happily, nodding quickly. You took their crab hand, rushing away from the group and wherever Caine would appear. Once you two had gotten far enough away, Zooble spoke, "Dude, I'm tired. I think." They groaned. You giggled, finding some colorful blocks to rest against, dropping the room idea. "What was Jax talking to you about?" You asked, breathless. Zooble shrugged, "I have no idea, I zone out when he talks to me." You laugh, shifting to lay your head on Zoobles' lap.
Their eyes had changed, you had studied their distorted face to understand when they smiled. It's hard to tell your partners emotions when they were a bunch of 3D clay. "You know what I wish?" You begin, looking up at them as they did the same to you. Their eyebrow perked up. "That I could kiss you." Their eyes went wide for a moment, before letting out a quiet huff and turning away from you. "Major bummer." They muttered. "I'm serious." You whine, shifting to your side. "I am too. It's a bummer." They shrug, still not making eye contact with you. You sat up from their lap, now sitting on their lap instead of laying on them. "Can I help you, sir?" Zooble tilts their head, clearly now frustrated. "Why'd you get angry?" You asked softly. "Because, what am I supposed to do about that?!" They exclaimed, leaning into you angrily. You sat silent for a moment, usually you were a shy guy, but around Zooble you found yourself to be a bit more bold because you knew they wouldn't judge you like you feared. You leaned in, kissing what would be considered their cheek. "Did you feel that?" You ask, it was clearly a dumb question but a curious one. "I should slap you." They leaned back against the wall, their face flushed like you haven't seen before. What you meant by, 'flush' it was more that the triangular face they had had went from pink to red. You ignore their remark and lean in to kiss another part of their face, eventually spiraling to kiss all over their face. Their odd hands found themselves at your waist. "I know you look messy but I love kissing you." "I have no mouth." "Improvise." "I'm a mess." "We all are, I don't even remember my real name." "Yeah, but, I'm a bunch of nothing." "You're still something." "Not like you." "Because you're not me, you're you." "I don't know who I am." "I...don't either." You both sat in silence. You felt Zoobles grip on your waist become tighter. You leaned in once more and kissed where their mouth would have been. "Not much we can do about that." Zooble nodded in agreement. "Thank you." You hear them mutter. "Thanks for letting me kiss you without getting actually slapped." Zooble chuckled, which you barley ever heard. "You stopped me before I could."
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bearzas-art · 4 months
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My Impenetrable Fortress
Paring: Kinger x Queenie (TADC), Queenie POV
Type: Fluff, either romantic or platonic with romantic undertones (I’m not good at decifering what’s romance and what isn’t)
Word Count: 942
Kinger Kinger Kinger…. he’s so autism… I’m so autism about him… but it’s mostly Queenie!
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I stare at my hands, the disembodied gloves floating in front of me. I’m not sure how much time I spent sitting on my bed after waking up. An hour? Two hours? A day? Time doesn’t seem to exist here, so it’s difficult to tell. I let out a defeated sigh, then a knock on my bedroom door makes me look up.
“Queenie? It’s Ragatha, can I come in?” Ah shoot, I think to myself. Moving quickly, I get out of bed and smooth my blanket before opening the door for Ragatha. I look down at her and smile with my eyes, trying to pretend I don’t see her concerned expression. “Oh! Hello… did you need something?”
Ragatha pauses for a moment before speaking. “Okay so basically I just wanted to ask, well… are you okay? If there’s something I could do to help you I would do it. I know things aren’t great here but-“ I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her from continuing.
“I appreciate you I really do, but I’m fine. Thank you for checking in on me.” Ragatha didn’t seem convinced by my answer. She goes to speak but then pauses. “Wait here. I have to uh, go talk to someone.” She says quickly, heading down the long hallway before I have a chance to interject. Am I supposed to wait here? Maybe it’ll be fine if I get back in bed, I think to myself. Hesitating for a moment, I decide to walk back to my bed and sit down.
The bed creaks softly when I sit, my gloved hand slowly rubs the soft blanket. When is she coming back? I wonder. The silence in my room seems to get louder somehow. Right when I start to consider laying back down I hear a knock on my door again. I look up and see Kinger standing there.
“Hello Queenie! Am I allowed to come in?” I nod silently and he walks over to me and sits down next to me on my bed. “Soooo, I’ve heard from a little birdie that you’re not feeling so good. Well, I wasn’t told by an actual bird, Ragatha told me to not mention her.” I let out a soft chuckle. He looks at me longingly, and I can’t help but think about how adorable he is.
“I appreciate you checking in one me but honestly I am fine…” I pause before continuing in a slightly softer voice, “I’m glad you’re here, though.” Kinger smiles and it gives me butterflies in my stomach. He gets up and holds his hand out to me. “I have an idea that I’ve been thinking about doing with you for a while. Something fun that’s just for us, you know?” I take his hand and he helps me up and we walk out of my room.
“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what you could be talking about. But I’m excited to find out.” Kinger smiles at me and takes me down the hall to some of the unused bedrooms. “Great! Now, I need you to help me take pillows and blankets from these rooms. We have to take them all down to the main room.”
Intrigued, I follow him as he goes through the bedrooms and grabs pillows and blankets. Unfortunately, the lack of arms makes it difficult to grab them all in one trip so we have to make multiple trips. We talk and laugh while taking all this stuff to the main room, setting them all in a pile in the middle of the floor. Once we get done Kinger starts stacking the pillows and blankets together. I stand there watching him for a moment before deciding to help him.
When we get done we sit back and look at the pillow fort we made. He starts to crawl inside. A few seconds later he pokes his head out. “Come on in, Queenie! It’s great in here!” he says excitedly. I kneel down to the floor and crawl inside. Kinger lays a blanket down on both of our laps and shakes his hands happily. Seeing him stim makes me happy. He looks back at me and catches me staring at him.
“So, uh, did you have fun? I had fun, a LOT of fun, but I wanna make sure you had fun too.” I giggle a bit and pat his lap reassuringly. “Don’t worry, hun, I had a lot of fun. I feel a lot better now.” Kinger’s eyes light up when he hears that and quickly brings me in for a hug.
“I’m so glad.” He says softly. The hug catching me off guard, but then I smile and hug him back. Kinger speaks up again. “Um… I know you said you were fine, and I trust you, you’re one of the few people that I trust this much. The other is Ragatha, but I really trust you too. Anyway, I just wanted to say that you can talk to me about anything. Good or bad, I like talking to you and making you happy.”
I hesitate for a moment then let out a soft sigh and hug him a little bit more. “I know you do, and you never fail to put a smile on my face. Well, figuratively, I suppose. Since we don’t have mouths anymore.” Kinger chuckles awkwardly at my response. We sit in the fort talking about anything that comes to mind. I can’t tell if this warm feeling I have is because of the fort or Kinger, but I enjoy it nonetheless. I wouldn’t give this moment up for anything in the world.
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waspstar986 · 5 months
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Chapters: 7/? Fandom: The Amazing Digital Circus (Web Series) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus)/Original Character(s) Characters: Caine (The Amazing Digital Circus), Bubble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus), Ragatha (The Amazing Digital Circus), Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus), Gangle (The Amazing Digital Circus), Kinger (The Amazing Digital Circus), Kaufmo (The Amazing Digital Circus), Queenie (The Amazing Digital Circus), Original Characters Additional Tags: Prequel, Jax-centric (The Amazing Digital Circus), Original Character(s), Genderfluid Character, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Warnings May Change, Rating May Change, Tags May Change, Tags Are Hard, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, I'm Bad At Summaries, Nice Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax Not Being an Asshole (The Amazing Digital Circus), Soft Jax (The Amazing Digital Circus), Jax Needs a Hug (The Amazing Digital Circus), I'm Bad At Tagging, Censored Swearing (The Amazing Digital Circus), Abstraction (The Amazing Digital Circus), Any Pronouns for Zooble (The Amazing Digital Circus) Series: Part 1 of Digital Memories Summary:
We go back about four years before Pomni arrived to the Digital Circus. Kaufmo is still around, the Circus is not the same as we know it now, and Jax had only just arrived to turn everything upside-down. When Jax falls head over heals for one of the other humans trapped there, he vows to save them from their insanely toxic and abusive costar.
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kayauss · 5 months
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Updated my fic!
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Hi! How are you? I hope your doing well!
Anyways GN kid reader x Jax? Platonicly btw not relationship type. More like siblings or parent bonding?
Btw you don't have to do this! Have a good day/night/morning!
Jax & child Reader
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★ When you first joined the circus everyone was excited to meet you. But nobody really expected you to be a little kid. Jax in particular thought that this was a weird joke by Cain.
★ Honestly the digital circus seems like the perfect place for a child. There's no swearing, actual death, plenty of fun things for you to do and most importantly people who look out for you.
★ Enter Jax, he thought he didn't like kids. Probably because of not having experience with them. He only started to pay you any mind when you started to imitate him. Example: saying "ladies first" when Pomni walked past you.
★ You follow him around, laughing when he does something funny or mean. He can't bring himself to be mad at you for following him. Even when you sit closer than he would like during meal time.
★ Jax is definitely an instigator, pointing out opportunities for you to cause trouble. If you want to pop Bubble you can bet that he's letting you sit on his shoulders to reach.
★ If something dangerous is nearby he carries you away from said danger. Holding you like a sack of potatoes.
★ He shows you where he keeps the keys to everyone's rooms. Expecting you to not only abuse the power, but enjoy yourself while doing so. If you ever break into his room he's going to be so proud of you!
★ ...only for him to lose all that pride when you lose a game of rock paper scissors to Gangle.
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angelltheninth · 6 months
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Jax Being Touch-Starved
Pairing: Jax x Reader
Tags: fluff, cuddles, personal space, denial, hand-holding, kissing, jerk to softie
A/N: There's no way this guy isn't the most touch-starved guy in the universe.
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He invades other's personal space a lot and that's not just because he's a jerk, that's part of it but the other part is because he wants the contact but doesn't know how to ask for it
Would never ask you to hold his hand or cuddle with him unless it's underlined with a lot of teasing
It make you confused, does he actually want to be physical or is he making fun of you
Does have a bit of a softer tone with you then the rest of the members of the Circus but still doesn't have much of a feel for your personal space
He invades it all the time, leaning in and wiggling his eyebrows, grabbing your hips and pulling you against him and commenting on how cute you get when he surprises you
Any time he holds your hand he defends it by saying that this place is really damn weird and if something happened to you then it would be a lot less fun for him around here
Even when he lets you stay in his room he won't ever say it's because he wants you next to him, it's case he knows you have a hard time being alone at night
Jax never had a hard time being alone until the first night you spend in his room
Kisses come out of nowhere, with no warning, he doesn't see why he should announce them when your surprised whimpers, gasps and yelps are his new favorite sound
Commits your touch to memory without knowing it
Breaks into your room to take your blanket and says it's because it ain't fair that you have a better one then he does
In reality it's because it makes him feel like you've cocooned yourself around him every night
For the longest time you were scared of his forward he came across but once you heard him say that he enjoys your company it became a little more clear
Lonely as he might have gotten over the time he's been trapped in the Circus his kissing skills never deteriorated, at least not that you can tell, he loves teasing you by tracing your bottom lip with his tongue and getting you to open your mouth for him
Often knocks on your room door in the middle of the night, saying how he's too annoyed to relax and he needs you to distract him
Never admits that you're cuddling, always tells you that this is what he has to do to make sure nothing happens to you but it never explains why he's always the one moving closer first
Pays no mind to everyone's teasing, it doesn't matter to him what they think, never did
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ominus-potato · 5 months
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Oh yeah btw I’ve started a Kinger x Queenie royal AU. There is lots of chess piece drama and a little bit of bi Kinger so yeah!
If that’s what you’re looking for then pls give it a read!
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phantomstatistician · 2 months
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Fandom: The Amazing Digital Circus
Sample Size: 1,205 stories
Source: AO3
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todayontumblr · 6 months
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Thursday, October 26.
The Amazing Digital Circus fanart.
The circus is in town, and y'all have understandably gone bananas. That's because this is not just any circus, no, this is #the amazing digital circus, which, after just a single, just one (1) pilot episode has melted the internet's collective hivemind.
This whimsical entry into the online cartoon canon poses the question we have been agonizing to answer: "What if it was Toy Story, but everyone was a jerk?" Well, you have followed this line of inquiry, pondered it, tapped a finger on your collective chins, and responded with fervent enthusiasm—and exemplary fan art.  
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bitesdigitalcircus · 5 months
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Caine is flustered! Full oneshot on my Wattpad :)
Preview:
Caine grew pretty comfortable with you long after your arrival in this digital realm. You always had each other in mind, making up excuses just to hang out with each other. Neither of you were convincing.
Caine would always suggest going somewhere very private where nobody could see you two being lovey-dovey, but you always encouraged just hanging out in your room instead. Caine thinks it's very cramped; but you object, to which Caine has no choice but to listen happily to you. He didn't mind that much since it's you he's after.
This time, he wanted to show you something special– his scrapbook containing all of his precious memories and milestones. But he was only planning to show you some of the first few  participants who've ever joined the circus. He wasn't expecting you to deviate!
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