How Can Pomni ESCAPE The Amazing Digital Circus?

[@acemagalor2519]

Personally I think it’d be such a perfectly soul-crushing twist if it’s revealed that the reason none of the characters can leave the circus is because they aren’t actually people stuck inside the game, they’re copies of real people that were digitally programmed. So they retain their IRL counterparts’ memories and personalities but they literally can’t leave because they aren’t real people, they’re copies of real people. Edit: everyone keeps saying it’s like Soma, I don’t know what that is

[@collinjenne5299]

That’s what I was thinking too, because if you think about it, what happens to their bodies, when they get into the digital world? In anime their bodies are left in a coma like state, but it never made sense or be realistic. wouldn’t their bodies be decomposed if they’ve been stuck there for years? Then they wouldn’t be able to get back, which goes against the idea of them escaping. I honestly think it’s like the indie horror game, SOMA, where the characters are copies that were scanned into the world, which could explain why they have no recollection of their old lives.

[@docavar5698]

THAT would b the kind of twist I think the show can pull off fine even when we predict it so. It answers quite a lot questions kinda neatly: what happens to their bodies AND their minds if they’re stuck for years? Simple: their real bodies are already gone & those people lived their lives as normal humans. Why is there seemingly a good number of people who were stuck in the game before (the X’d out doors & the cellar); they were all a large test group to play test the game, and that leads to the how. They all played shortly & saw it’s a dumb kids game, but the VR system somehow got imprints & made copies of their consciousness so they can make AI-avatars in their place when the human testers left. WHY then??? Jax said it’s been going on for YEARS, so is the company who made the system running a continuous experiment? Are they testing how their AI systems are running, how they’re creating such life-like beings copied off the initial humans, to see how they can take a mental toll in a digital environment? Maybe Caine found out and knew humans that are observing the game are watching him too. So they made an unsaid arrangement: keep the “human” avatars stimulated & active and allow Caine to deal with the avatars that “abstract” instead of the scientists outright deleting them, both to hide their existence but for Caine to facilitate them however he can without killing them. He knows he himself is not different from the others, a couple buttons & anyone or any object asset can be gone if it’s not satisfactory to the experiment…

[@PDS350]

That's exactly what I think too

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

wow that probably cause a couple of them to go abstract

[@azrieldalusong5042]

So basically SOMA but they're stuck in windows 98

[@craz2580]

My theory is that Caine was programmed to create stuff to entertain the people that entered the world. But maybe before, people could enter, play for a bit, and then leave. But ever since people started to get stuck in the digital realm he understood that their minds are prone to get messy after a while, so he tries to keep them sane the only way he knows how: adventures and games.

[@zoofard]

Nice theory

[@Yipper64]

My theory is that people left a world that isn't good to escape it, having their memories removed so that they don't have to deal with them. Caine is just fulfilling his programming in keeping them entertained.

[@Ilikefire2793]

I actually think that Caine may actually be the original office's boss that made digital circus who's trapped and had his memory erased just like everyone else.

[@ThatBirdd]

That also could be why Caine started to develop a way to exit the circus because he knew that there wasn't one anymore. He also probably hid the exits because he also knew that just the thought of their being a possible exit could lead them to go into a spiral, similar to Pomni. Thats why in one of the scenes where he talks about "digital hallucinations," you can see him nervous that she's mentioning it in the first place. Kaufmo is a perfect example of this because after Kaufmo starts seeing these supposed "exit doors" he later goes insane and becomes abstracted. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens to Pomni later.

[@Yipper64]

@@ThatBirdd well from the "I didnt know what to *put* on the other side" thing makes me think that he was under the impression "exit" was an "adventure" they requested, his nervousness was more likely caused by Pomni figuring out about his "unfinished work", which he wouldnt want anyone to know about or else they'd be "totally spoiled"

[@DrMutran]

I honestly like the idea of an A.I. that isn’t all “kill the humans”, and the idea of there being no way, from the inside at least, to get out is a new direction for a series.

[@Awsome2464]

And seeing as how the creator has gone on record stating that the inspiration for the show was "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream", which is the granddaddy of the evil AI trope, it's definitely a breath of fresh air.

[@Bunnyfrompiggy]

​@@Awsome2464watched I have no mouth lore video and I must say that Caine I the friendly version of AM

[@zeldamaster52]

A notable background detail the show never acknowledges are the other character doors we see on the way to Kaufmo's room. Several feature characters that don't exist anymore with an X on them, and several feature blank, faceless characters. So that's confirmation that several other characters abstracted like Kaufmo and the blank doors exist for more human characters who may arrive later.

[@Ilikefire2793]

These are likely the other office employees who also got sucked into the game who've all well gone insane in the same way kaufmo has well before he did, possibly trying to find a way to escape and going insane from it as well.

[@crystalpokedude4329]

Building off of this, I'd wager a guess that Kinger isn't the one who's been in the game the longest. One of the X'd out door pictures is another chess piece, the black queen instead of the white king. (9:46 is the timestamp in the pilot of where it appears in the pilot.) My guess is Kinger just showed up one day around the same time the queen abstracted and the people in there just sorta rolled them together into one because memory grows hazy the longer you're in the game.

[@goatlover6312]

@@crystalpokedude4329I have a very different theory, mine was that Kinger and the Queen piece were the first two to enter (the creators of the digital circus realized that company was necessary to not go insane) as a form of Adam and Eve of this new world but over time she abstracted and with Kinger left alone they started to look for new characters. I really like your theory though so I will wait and see what Kinger’s backstory is.

[@Liminalpo]

Those blank characters actually reappear in the scene before Caine gets Pomni back to the circus

[@thethree13o]

when kaufmo gets sent away to... wherever he went, for a scene it shows a bunch of other abstracted creatures like him in the pit thing, so i'd assume thats true. edit: it's at 4:13 in this video for those wondering

[@dubioustheatreyt8096]

My working theory is this; there is no exit. The residents kept asking for an exit, so Caine started working on one in the secrecy of the void, thus why he panicked about it getting spoiled when he noticed Pomni was out there. Only problem is, Caine can likely only create things in the digital world, so its not a real exit, just something that looks like one. Its possible the only true way to leave is for someone on the outside to pull you out. Or even worse, that everyone is just a conscious copy of a player who's already taken off the headset, and have no body to return to if they leave. I can see it taking that route. Also, just minor things I noticed upon a few rewatches; -There was a door for a presumable "Queener" at some point, who was likely abstracted. So Kinger likely has lost someone. -The posing mannequins seem to be NPCs, or perhaps just placeholder models for NPCs and characters? Not sure yet.

[@JjH-k9o]

Ah the “I have no mouth, i must scream” ending

[@patrykzukowski7471]

Yeeeeeeep. And I hope this isn't the case, cause I already seen that exact scenario in another masterpiece :D

[@On_the_Virgil05]

​@Zerofluids I think it's actually Queenie, so I think we'll get backstory on the character if we have a confirmed name.

[@zebrazanne_]

her name was officially confirmed to be queenie!

[@On_the_Virgil05]

@@zebrazanne_ Thank you for confirming it. I thought so and said it was Queenie, but I wasn't sure if they'd confirmed it.

[@austincarter6597]

Here's a theory: everyone in the digital circus intentionally put themselves there to escape from something in the real world, and chosing to have their memories erased to help them forget whatever happened in the real world. However, in the process, them attempting to forget made some of them them hyper fixate on escaping the prison they put themselves in, driving themselves insane and inadvertently killing themselves.

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

imagin if one of them remembers and at a point were there so close to escaping that person stops them and tells them the truth

[@austincarter6597]

@@arandomthingintheabyss2062 I like to imagine that if you theory was true and they escape, they would immediately decide to go back into the digital circus which would start a cycle of people entering the circus, escaping, and putting themselves back in the prison they spent so long escaping from, only to try to escape again in an endless cycle that can only end when they die.

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

and the only true escape is going abstract@@austincarter6597

[@Ghoststar666]

kinda like in danganrompa trigger happy havoc tbh

[@navyntune8158]

Even forgetting why you trapped yourself in there too, what bitter irony

[@craz2580]

I feel like Kinger is being insane to trick himself to not lose it

[@SilliLilGoober]

You cant go insane if you already are

[@BrenoGF144]

@@SilliLilGoober This is a plot point in Bird Box iirc

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Or he has really short term memory

[@lelduck6388]

It would feel so prefect if all the “human” characters were actually uploads of some people’s brains. That reason they can’t leave is that they have no body in the physical world. That while they are in there their “real” self is living live normally. That no one misses them or will look for them because they haven’t left

[@toastedprocastinator]

that would actually explain why they don't need to worry about basic survival needs like sleeping, eating, and drinking, holy shit

[@sweettangerine2696]

I was thinking about this, or something along these lines. It could explain why they don’t remember everything about their lives before entering the DC too. Only a part of their minds got uploaded there, not their whole bodies

[@DJThatPlush]

The only question would be why each sentient “person” (Pomni, Jax, etc) appear separately, even years apart from eachother?

[@nimblix]

That’s kind of also supported by the music track titled “get isekai’d!” In the soundtrack

[@deltaxcd]

@@DJThatPlush This looks like because new character appears at the moment when character before them gets abstracted Pomni appeared when that clown got abstracted. And possibly they are even the same character type as Pomni is also clown very possible that Pomni is rebooted Kaufmo. Kinger is rebooted version of Queener

[@FoxofMaysville]

Head canon: Pomni is an urban explorer. Pomni went out to an old computer building & found something that look like a digital VR headset. Google says that in 1965, Ivan Sutherland, offered “the Ultimate Display,” a head-mounted device that he suggested would serve as a “window into a virtual world.” That is almost 60 years for an old computer to do something crazy, like make a virtual world. I know it can't happen in the real world but it would make for a good story.

[@Ilikefire2793]

Tbh the computers in the office scene are old dell pc's that I'd bet are still running windows 98 on them, lol. Heck, the intro flyover gives off this sense that digital circus is definitely a point and click shovelware game from the early 2000s or late 90s. Heck, the animators even made a trailer like 2 months before the pilot that even encluded a small gag involving the ancient Windows pipeworks Screensaver from the 90s on it lol.

[@silentrock599]

It’s funny because I had the same theory.

[@1TW1-m5i]

Perhaps, but she doesn't seem brave enough to be an urban explorer.

[@Ilikefire2793]

@thomasw4422 she may have been the janitor tasked with cleaning up the whole office tower building, with the specific floor that houses the computers running digital circus on them, having been abandoned and forgotten by the rest of the company for a very long time, with pomni being the first to actually go on said floor since then.

[@deltaxcd]

For some reason knowing that story author loves inserting Russian language into other series this PC environment very strongly resembles late soviet era

[@CJ-ln5ov]

I’ve already gushed about how much I love this show in so many other threads, so I’m just gonna toss out a theory I’ve used before. I think Kaufmo was a tease for Pomni going down the same dark path of obsessing over exits until she loses it. Heck, this pilot showed us she was close to her breaking point. That said, I’m worried she’ll do something far worse than abstract. Pomni promised to help Ragatha, but that was broken the moment she found another exit door. While it’s gotten much better over the years, my anxiety is mainly triggered by a desire to find or have an “escape” home. While I never harmed anyone, I used to have dark thoughts, giving me the temptation to sprint out the front door back in Middle School or open the car door just so I could “escape”. Again, these were just thoughts and stayed that way because I always thought about the consequences. But Pomni? Since Pomni is trapped in a world where there is truly no escape and may only fixate on finding a way out, I fear she might commit atrocities far worse than leaving Ragatha in ever-lasting pain.

[@XX-sp3tt]

I think the only way Pomni can find her freedom is to let go. It's very possible she's not trapped in VR, but her mind was digitized, or she's a copy of the original person who put on the headset, so there's nothing to return to. And again, the only way to win is to live her life.

[@D14MBK]

How tf is that supposed to be reassuring

[@literallyuzii]

It's great to see people already covering this show! ❤ I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the show.

[@Deflamed_Sphere]

true!

[@mariodude7424]

Same

[@josefarias5216]

Something that struck me as very interesting is that as soon as you enter the circus you immediately forget your *name*. Lots of real life cultures give great importance to names, and therefore someone or something without one is hollow or "incomplete". Either the game purposefully discards part of their own being in a cruel karmic fate, or they're fragments of others, and such they don't have a name of their own. They are not real people.

[@slimeblitz32]

This is a lengthy post. In most video games, you get to CHOOSE your names so maybe when the characters memories clashes with the games codes, the game codes overrule the characters memories and delete things like there names and possibly their backstory to make way for the canonical version. This explains why characters can’t be in the void for too long because it’s a place they are banned from being from and it messes with their coding, and I guess abstraction is like a glitch or virus. Another interesting thing is when Pomni leaves the void, her hands glitchyness just fades away without canines help so maybe the void and abstraction cancel each other out. Another piece of evidence is that when Pomni almost reached her breaking point in the exit scene, there lights started to flicker and when she was about to exit the exit and enter the void, the room became blueish purplish and blackish like the abstracted characters. So she almost got abstracted had she not entered the void.

[@deltaxcd]

I think they did not forget their names they never had them

[@angsty_saint]

Jax seems super suspicious to me i mean really think about it. He was the first to completely dismiss pomnis claim about a exit door When talking about kinger he says kinger is "supposedly" been they're the longest He has keys to everyones rooms something ragatha points out he shouldn't have at all His character is way too well put together, seriously think about it he is the only symmetrical character out of everyone and even has super speed almost like admin privileges Of course his animosity and downright cruelty at times also being a factor

[@Ilikefire2793]

Yeah i suspect that he's actually the reason they're all trapped in the game. He basically gets to torture them all without consequences for like all of eternity and just like Caine, can actually see the forth wall that is that its a game running on an old pc in an abandoned office while everyone else doesn't. But unlike Caine, he's not playing a sort of in character bit, he's just using the game as an excuse to be as cruel and manipulative to everyone else whenever possible.

[@lordkilljoy9652]

While it's too early to tell I think Jax is probably just one of the more recent arrivals, still there for years but just the latest before Pomni, he's more sane because he's been the the shortest amount of time. While he acts like a dickhead (because the cartoony nature of this reality lets him get away with it) he does care about others, it's a really subtle moment but one should ask why did he push the others down the hole when he heard Kaufmo's roaring? He could have just jumped down himself and let the others either fallow him or not- instead he basically pushes Gangle and Kinger down the pit before he jumps in himself. At least, that's my read of the situation.

[@saladspoonami4563]

I’ve seen theories that he’s more in control as a current player of the game a main character if that makes sense Another one is that’s just his reaction to realising no one can physically get hurt and they’re all stuck here forever, he gets undertake genocide thinking and acts cruel to everyone because there’s barely any consequences

[@Swagpion]

Jax is just doing what most people would do in a world with no real consaquenses, and goof the FUCK of.

[@EngineerRiff]

@@lordkilljoy9652I think it’s been confirmed Zooble has been there the shortest time

[@mysticalkeyblade759]

Honestly this is one of my new favorite shows and Caine is definitely one of my favorites. He is so hilarious and is like if Discord was an AI but he was oblivious to the suffering he causes

[@nickmilano2516]

I think he does know some of the things when he suffers people, he knows they can’t escape. He knows that they are going insane. He only makes mini games so he’s probably smart enough to realize people going insane

[@Ilikefire2793]

He doesn't seem like an ai in any way but comes across more as the boss who's trying to keep everyone else from going insane if they try to find a way to leave the game. In fact I'd bet that he may actually be the original boss from the office who ended up like the rest of the dev team stuck in the game for all eternity as he mentions not being able to control anyone minds dispite the game obviously being able to erase them easily.

[@nickmilano2516]

@@Ilikefire2793 he’s a ai

[@The_Artist_Official]

You know, there’s been an odd amount of bible references in the show so far (obstructing could be a reference to fallen angels, Caine’s name and the C&A office space being a reference to the Cain and Able story, and the last shot with all the characters being a reference to “The last supper”, a biblical painting), so that makes me think: if Caine exists, and is a wacky AI who runs the circus, who’s his “Able” character?

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

probably the one who was originally meant to keep things(code wise) together but throught one way or another there gone and caine who was originally just the enterainer now has to run the entire show

[@Ilikefire2793]

What's his side kick bubbles name? Also i actually think Caine's name is a reference to him being a ringleader with a show cane and hat as many of the characters have very on point names like ragity being a ragdoll, jax being a jack in the box, etc etc.

[@The_Artist_Official]

@@Ilikefire2793 maybe Bubble is a replacement Actually, now that I think about it, is it only ever just *one* Bubble or is it a new Bubble every time? We do see Caine pop Bubble multiple times throughout the episode..

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

there name is literally bubble @@Ilikefire2793

[@Ilikefire2793]

@@The_Artist_Official Likely bubble can reform as all the characters are show to operate on cartoon physics. I.e. Basically immortal family friendly violence. So him being popped is probably tge furthest thing from a death sentence for them. I mean one of the promos literally has ragity and pomni stabed with kitchen knifes multiple times in the head. So...

[@mariahs6]

I'm already really loving this series! One thing I noticed on second watch is that doors have characters that are crossed out/have mannequins on them. I'm guessing the former eventually abstracted and they're in the cellar with Kaufmo? The latter could be for incoming humans, but considering one of the mannequins was taking a bath, they could also be for denizens of this world. A theory I have right now is that part of the reason Kinger went mad was because there was a Queener (one of the crossed out characters) and they were close but she ended up getting to her breaking point...

[@spiritgaming1442]

I honestly think the answer to leaving is simply remembering your name. Cain really seems like he's just trying to help and keep the denizens sane. If he had the power too, im sure he'd make an exit, which is exactly what he's trying to do in the digital world. But I can't because i dont think even he knows what the outside looks like. The answer would have to be something that's out of Cain's control, which is the denizen's minds. If someone can remember their name, then they get their exit. But if they ultimately give up hope and completely forget who they were, they get ubstracted.

[@Riciliz]

If this is true, then I have a theory. This might've been an actual digital circus that would be shown, but the exit was destroyed, which is why caine is so sure that "there is no exit", because he saw it get destroyed himself.

[@deltaxcd]

This resembles current state of AI which is trained on everything from the real world but does not know how that real world looks like

[@yeahyeah-f6t]

this is a great video- my only gripe with it is you keep saying "obstructed" when i'm pretty sure in the show, they're being "abstracted"

[@lelduck6388]

I feel it every time 😣

[@IWroteSomeThings]

My biggest take away is the final shot looks like the last supper, implying that Pomni is in place of Jesus (to me I think that means her character arc is her learning she’s in control of her life, of her decisions, she can’t let fear control her. Essentially realizing she’s her own “god”) Now who’s Judas? Who will betray her.?👀

[@UrielRamirez-oy6nt]

Well the last supper is about Jesus and his 12 disciples, and yet they are 6 left, not counting Kaufmo or the “banished” avatars on the doors, in the Last Supper Judas is the one staring directly into Jesus with his fist balled up. So that means that Judas could be a new character yet to be introduced… Also I don’t think Jax could be Judas as he is sitting to Pomni’s left and in the painting Thomas, James the Greater and Philip are sitting to Jesus’ left.

[@reesespuffs1778]

It World be HEART BREACKING if it were ragatha

[@asphealkindofguy9674]

​@@reesespuffs1778if the pilot is canon i actually think ragatha might be mad at pomni for trying to leave before helping her. And that ragatha will get ubstructed before pomi can fix things with her resulting in trauma

[@tonts5329]

I'd say it's definitely too early to judge if there's actually an exit to the Digital Circus reality. I do wonder how the forms/avatars of the circus's residents are created. Like if they're based on existing templates or based on the person's own personality or maybe a character creator?

[@DarkEmissary617]

Honestly they can do whatever they feel works as long as it is not too predictable or cliche. Best part is Glitch don't Normally go the predictable route and actually Innova on their stories unlike some companies that have to do the same thing for years on end.

[@insertnamehere1398]

pre watch thoughts: I think based on the final part of the episode, what pomni saw in the void WAS an ESCAPE t, and what finally broke her was when caine just teleported her out.

[@wafagdplqs4421]

Interesting.

[@Ilikefire2793]

Actually weirdly enough the office computer desk that makes her laugh insanely is a perfect copy of the real world computer that they're all trapped in. In fact it seems that the act of trying to escape is what's making them go insane and not being stopped by pursuing it. After all pomni the entire time has been trying to escape from minute 1 and is clearly going more and more insane each time she gets closer to figuring it out it seems.

[@insertnamehere1398]

I have a theory that every single character worked the office job, it would also explain their varrying ages, the office job is one of the most age accessible@@Ilikefire2793

[@huhneat1076]

What's interesting to note is that as Ragatha, Jax, and Pomni are walking to Kaufmo's room, they pass by a lot of other people's rooms- some that we know, some for the unexplained mannequin NPCs, and some for other characters that probably already got abstracted. Also, Zooble's picture looks a little different than what she looks like currently, but maybe she just replaced a part or two.

[@Riciliz]

There's a black kinger. Guess white doesnt always go first in chess.

[@NH-dg5lc]

@@RicilizWell it’s a queen piece so it’s probably a queen that got abstracted (Queener? Queeny?)

[@Riciliz]

@@NH-dg5lc oh, didn't notice that, thought I saw a cross

[@armoredman10]

Considering zooble says that kuafmo gave up its likely that going insane isn’t what gets you abstracted, it’s giving up on everything entirely

[@Xaim023]

giving up would likely mean that ragatha would have already abstracted as she doesnt seem to have anything to even give op. my guess is that as long as you dont lose your sens of self you wont get abstracted, we only have one episode to theorize on so any guess is as good as any other right now

[@vazk-thret]

I've got a small theory that one of the characters will be abstracted, but Pomni will be able to calm them down and heal them, either just via plain common sense, or some power related to the void.

[@deltaxcd]

I think more likely new characters are rebooted versions of those abstracted characters so Pomni is Kaufmo

[@yassinefarah2423]

Thing is that since Caine is omnipresent he probably knew that Kaufmo abstracted but still went along in giving others a distracting game despite the danger and played dumb when he was told about it. Not to mention him lying about the exit is the reason why Kaufmo went insane since nobody believed him, especially since he also wasn't on friendly terms with Ragatha and Gangle.

[@soapycanthandle]

I think that maybe theyll switch it up episode to episode. 1 big lore drop episode, 1 goofy circus adventure banger, 1 big lore drop episode, so on and so forth. It would make the show earier ti make, too, as they only have to spend half their effort on big lore stuff, and the other half could come out faster and be shorter.

[@ulforcemegamon3094]

Also it would help keep the pace

[@johanstenfelt1206]

I think it was a good introduction and I will look forward to see how things goes from here. I also hope that things that happened in the Pilot gets followed up later on, like how Ragatha felt abandoned by Pomni and Pomni’s trip to the Void. Anyway, this was a well done Video, you covered this very well and i wonder if you have any Theories already.

[@Nemu692]

My thoughts on how to be freed: 1. Assuming that Caine's purpose is enterntain them, they could trick Caine to give them a computer with an access to the actual CLI of the digital world. Then they could possibly shut down program using that (even if they die it's better than suffering eternally). 2. They can cause the program to crash somehow. Maybe if they can somehow create new objects to the digital world, they can create so many to cause the computer to go out of memory. 3. Maybe there actually is an exit if you go far enough into the void, but for some reason Caine does not want them to find it or doesn't know about it.

[@mylesjude233]

Awesome to see you cover the Amazing Digital Circus 🎪

[@hiddenscorpiusXI]

3:22 Abstracted. As in, "became abstract," no longer a concrete identity, but an embodiment of despair. If you turn on the subtitles on the Pilot, you can see it's abstraction.

[@shin_tree]

my theory is that Caine actually knows why the residents are trapped, how they are trapped, and where they are trapped if caine made the fake exit, then how did he actually manage to recreate the ancient computer that supposedly, the whole circus program is running on? there can be two more theories made from this: -Caine somehow linked the exit he made halfway through into reality where the computer is located ("work in progress") he did somehow did it, but he never quite figured it out, so that's why there was something wrong with the exit. -or Caine just made a 1:1 copy of the computer and the abandoned office to make the exit look a bit more convincing, and just took the whole "exit" idea as a new adventure for the residents

[@wafagdplqs4421]

We'll have to wait and see I guess. Yet in all honetsy, it will be a total pleasure to discover each and every new episode of this show oncr they come out !

[@envviro]

This show has so much potential. I’m so excited to where this goes!

[@theratlivinginyourbasement]

Kinger violently shaking is my favorite part by far 💀

[@V_CTR]

When Pomni and the others were walking down the hallway towards the place where they sleep you could see doors of other people, but they were crossed out. This is also in coloration with when we saw Kaufmo get dragged to the basement with all the other obstructed people. This is giving me kinda squid game vibes, when you get obstructed you're out of the game and you're dragged down with the other losers. Then other people are some how brought in.

[@bella_daze3092]

1:50 this clip always gets me😂😂😂 I love how it’s just a perfectly cut scream. I love Kinger and I love this show❤ also great review!

[@WillButtlerYeets]

>Obstructed It’s “abstracted”.

[@UnderHero9000]

I loved it! Just finally started watching it today and it was pretty fantastic. Not gonna lie though as dark and scary as it is to be trapped in a game like that… if it keeps me from living within the hell that is the real world and I get to be a fun world with people like me I feel like I wouldn’t mind being stuck there…. But I totally understand if people don’t share that same sentiment and would feel the same fear as Pomni does.

[@lalito3423]

If you think about it it's kinda Caine's fault that Kaufmo got abstracted since he became obssesed with the "Exit" doors Caine left hanging around, we don't really know how good or bad his mental state was before Xddcc arrived so it could be that the fake Exit Doors was what pushed him over the edge or he was about to lose his mind anyway, but still, it's something to think about.

[@joekool0078]

Jesus Christ someone give this girl a hug already

[@BSMerlin064]

Might be interesting to see time pass very quickly inside the circus. So, if Pomni ever manages to escape, it's been like half an hour but for her it's been years.

[@Phantom_fella]

Something that worries me about Pomni is that Caine said "Drown yourself in the digital lake", and look at how insane Pomni is on her first day. What if she just.

[@katiebowins8841]

Honestly Kaufmo drawing a Caine eating him reminds me how computers consume old code to create new code. It also stands to why they abstract, it’s the code breaking back down

[@mr.smart75]

It's only been 3 days since the pilot released and people already making videos on it! Nice!

[@phaserscythe9981]

I have theory. Maybe not all but most people see “hallucination” as caine calls it, exits. Maybe the true way to survive is be lucky enough to not see these exit doors. Kaufmo seemed to get abstracted cuz of insanity of finding a exit. Plus the others wonder what pomni means by exit door

[@Ilikefire2793]

Yeah it seems like the closer to escaping you get the more insane you become. Pomni literally almost made it out be straight up losses it last second and leaves thru another door, ending up in the void were caine ends up bring her back to avoid her "spoiling" from void exposure.

[@simpleviewer1334]

I wonder if that's how they leave, Pomni and the others fully accept their lives without dwelling on it and one day they pass out and hey remove their headsets

[@Ilikefire2793]

@@simpleviewer1334 i think the headsets actually like convert you too a digital being before sucking you into the system as ever time a computer in shown there's a vr headset and literally motion paddles sitting on the desk next to the monitor and keyboard. Even the real world one is like that.

[@real_pomni1]

I feel so bad for Pomni, I would sacrifice my real life to go into the digital circus just to give her a hug

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

Me too.😊💕

[@kermitthehermit7932]

Anyone notice the exit door that Pomni first noticed when Caine was taking her on a tour was orange and pointing to the left while the one she does enter later is red and pointing to the right? Maybe that’s the real door to escape?

[@sheokh]

I wonder if the forms the human take is related to their personality, Gangle seems to have depression which is they hide with a physical mask in the digital world so they might be creepily upbeat when wearing their comedy mask. Kusmong I’m guessing felt the need to make joke based on what the others say about them. Ragatha I suspect has low self worth and maybe was physically self harm in the human world as she didn’t complain when pomni abandoned her and the teaser has her take a knife wound without flinching and even smiles when removing it. Zooble didn’t get much screen time so we didn’t seem much, from her being made up of several detachable pieces I wonder if she had worries about her body image. Kinger I can’t think of why they are a chess piece though I do think that they might be one of the original programmers of the game given his off hand comment about the food at the end and having being there the longest. Unlikely theory is that he is the mastermind behind trapping people. Jax I also uncertain on why the rabbit form and how it relates to his socialpathy behaviour in wanting to see others struggle. Kane I doubt is the evil mastermind, his actions seem to be geared toward keeping the humans occupied with mentally productive activities and probably thinks hiding whatever the secrets are is keeping them safe mentally. He didn’t care that Pomni, Ajax & Ragatha went off to do there own thing and Kusmong wasn’t forced to turn up to the intro. He did say Zooble could sit it out (though the gookies took her which was possibly an oversight)

[@Riciliz]

Jax is the average person when there are no conesequences: they goof the hell off Kinger has no known personality. For all we know, it wouldve been really obvious why he was a chess piece, but he went insane and we now have no idea why he is a chess piece because his personality has been distorted beyond repair

[@arthurcosta1657]

Jax is just bugs bunny

[@nediajones7231]

I love this show so much I can't wait to see what's in store for it

[@EEE-pv2eo]

I think abstraction is the true way out. You notice that all of the characters only abstract when they are under extreme stress. So I think if someone, or something on the other side causes a pullout of the people within the game and then they are abstracted to have their issues treated. The definitions for abstraction I think could fit are: 1. existing in thought or as an idea but not having a physical or concrete existence. 2. consider (something) theoretically or separately from something else. 3. extract or remove (something). When Pomni and Ragatha were attacked by Kaufmo, I don't think they were abstracting, they were just bugged out. With the defintions above, I think an abstraction is what occurs when a player is pulled out, and the game is unable to properly fill the character through the headset (as it would be removed) Alternatively, the exit could do with the void. Caine said he didn't want people to be "spoiled" in the Void. Spoiled as in the fun ruined? Who knows Also another outlandish theory, is it possible that Pomni is Kaufmo? Remeber that Pomni doesn't remember anything about herself, and as of right now, Pomni and Kaufmo haven't been in the same place at the same time. Pomni entered the game, most likely right after Kaufmo abstracted. All Pomni says she remembers is putting a headset on, but has no re-collection of her life before. They also both seem to fixate on the idea of there being an exit.

[@hamzainium]

Theory:She will escape on the second to last episode, and then go back in to save everyone else. And then she wont be able to escape again, ending the series on a somber, note, with caine actually trying to console her. This also leads to my theory that caine isnt really in control.

[@godhimself478]

Probably not but hey I have no mouth and I must scream did it so

[@seanrobert593]

I noticed that you (and many other people reacting to this pilot) keep saying "obstructed". This word doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as obstructing something means to block it. However, if you look at the subtitles, the correct word is "abstracted". Abstraction is an art term that means to simplify something into its base shapes, usually beyond recognition. Turning rounded edges sharp, usually having lots of triangles and rectangles.

[@lelduck6388]

In computer science it’s the removal of code that isn’t relevant / simplifying it. The finer details of who those people were are lost/hidden.

[@seanrobert593]

@lelduck6388 Ooh, I wasn't aware of that definition. Always nice to learn new things.

[@Neoflares]

@@lelduck6388 but the story clearly says abstract tho

[@Yipper64]

7:30 im predicting Jax will sacrifice himself somehow after another character is abstracted. Just a prediction because my favorite character always dies in shows, its consistent.

[@francisthecreation2707]

But the problem is jax fans are crazy if she write it to kill him that will end up sending death threats to her

[@lordrwbyandnepwatcher1387]

Some people have also noticed the "C & A" seen on the exit world wall probably means cain and able. There's also others who noticed that the dinner table they eat at looks very similar to the last supper with pomni representing jesus

[@TalkingCactus.]

the amazing digital circus is gonna be the new dont hug me im scared to the kids in the future

[@JohnDolehi]

Let’s think about this logically: A large part of this is the relationship between the real world and the digital one, for example of the timeframe is synced, then their bodies will still age and die of dehydration, so then in this case either everyone in the circus is dead or will soon die, or their bodies are being kept alive by some external organisation If the timeframe is scaled so that days turn to years, then that would mean the distance between new arrivals would make more sense, because there clearly have been hundreds before them as suggested by the basement, and many of the components of the circus seem quite modern, which means hundreds have been through the circus over at most 20 to 25 years, which further supports this idea This is also relevant, because if the people entering the circus are instead some kind of copy or echo of a person, that might mean the timeframe is irrelevant, and so the ‘when’ stops mattering because the copy is separate from the person, meaning someone who was inserted years ago can appear within weeks of someone now, possibly even after them if the program decides

[@vorox7658]

The ending I think was Pomni accepting that, thats her life now, trying to smile to accept her fate, this I doubt is the case but thats what I thought

[@cofagrigusfan24]

i believe / like to think that The Amazing Digital Circus is actually on that 1 old PC and with it only having 1 headset, the physical bodies straight up vanished for existence as for why people would go to that 1 PC, and urban legend, people go to see if this legend about an abandoned building with 1 spooky PC still running 24/7

[@spookylolbit]

someone's already said this but there was definitely an abel figure in the digital circus at some point, going off the C&A door and the last supper vibes of the final scene. just spitballing, maybe there were people in the digital circus before jax and ragatha and the current group, but they all found a way to leave except for caine. and now he traps people here to make them suffer the way he does.

[@loonable]

Correction: i think its "abstracted" not "obstructed"

[@Matheus-gc5fn]

i think there is a way to exit, i know some would ask "why would it have" but i have the question "why *wouldin't* be possible to exit" even because not even caine knows what's in the other side of the void

[@NextUpNYRE]

Actually I think it’s “Abstracted”

[@Michaelydian]

i don't know what this isn't a more common theory, but my theory is that kinger is the one who made the game. not only is he the first person to enter the circus, but he has significantly more knowledge about it than everyone else. for example, near the end of the pilot jax says he's hungry and kinger starts explaining how the food works in the circus. than jax says "whats makes you the expert about the digital world?" to me, this implies that kinger created cain, tested the game and got stuck.

[@lordkilljoy9652]

Just to temper that theory a bit, Kinger's been here the longest is what's said- but he may not be the first, he's just the longest survivor currently present. That said his sudden expertise on the virtual world did strike me as odd, while it could just be from experience it could also be more.

[@Michaelydian]

@@lordkilljoy9652 good point!

[@skyvwootgaming3442]

*pommni finds my admin tool* *holy music* "Hey!thats ADMINS only!wait a minute i think i accidently entered the wrong rift again."

[@skyvwootgaming3442]

"Hey who the freak are you?!" "Uh...I'm just gonna..use my laptop and leave." "Wait what_" *dissapears with the admin laptop*

[@AfroHayot]

Here’s a detail that someone pointed out: Pomni is slightly unaffected by the abstracting. At the end of the episode, when Raggatha is healed Pomni looks at her hand and sees it’s no longer glitching. If you look at her hand before that scene it just stops. Very strange as to why it goes away as compared to the others

[@MarkBonneaux]

I think that's just because when Caine snapped his fingers and fixed Ragatha, he fixed Pomni at the same time (as well as any other glitched NPC's like the gloinks). He can't fix minds but he can fix the corrupt code that is their bodies

[@AfroHayot]

@@MarkBonneaux that’s the thing tho, after he pulls her out of the void, in the scene, her hand just stops glitching. It’s subtle but it happens.

[@GraemeSlam]

Caine says “ she’ll get absolutely spoiled” when seeing into the void, maybe the void is the thing with power and Cain is just manipulating that power

[@andrewthefanboy1640]

I know I’m not the first to say it, but this setup feels like an episode of Black Mirror, and I love that about it!

[@RedwoodTheElf]

"Abstracted" not "Obstructed" - My theory is that they are copies of the personalities of humans who put on the headset, not actual humans themselves, since the human body will die from dehydration in 3 days, not more than a year.

[@Pleasestopnoguing]

Everyone keeps saying “obstructed” but they clearly say Abstracted which makes more sense because kaufmo had devolved into an Abstract mass of eyes and coding that was seemingly mindless. To obstruct means to block, to abstract means to lose focus on what’s happening around you.

[@Lumberjack_king]

I definitely don’t think Caine is evil he’s a ai made for a kids game made to entertain people

[@partyrock4144]

What’s interesting is the possible biblical references. Cain’s name might just be short for canine because teeth but it could also be the son of Adam Cain especially since his companion has a -ble name. Cain and Able, Cain and Bubble

[@Sir_this_is_a_wendys-h4l]

Because everyone is giving there theory’s, here’s mine In the pilot when pomni is going thru the multiple exits, the camera pans up to a corporate logo C&A, and she goes mantle when seeing the yellow computer. I think pomni worked at that C&A company, and they were the ones who made the cercus. Pomni will slowly find out about this and while doing so, the simulation starts to fall apart and now they have to rush to escape. OR pomni gets out and try’s to save the others. Anyway don’t think anyone will read this but it was fun to type out 😅

[@Plamyyyy]

I read it and I also think that she will find the exit by simply starting to remember her real life.

[@okjeffy6581]

I laughed at the beginning where the mannequin jumpscares her.

[@patrykzukowski7471]

If the last screen is any indication (the computer running with no one beside it) I have to guess that Pomni's human version was scanned into the computer with the headset somehow and we're watching nothing else than a digital, self-aware version of her own self, and her human self is still out there, maybe completely unaware of what happened (or maybe she's even dead, seeing as the offices are old and completely empty). That would mean that there literally is no way to escape and never will be (unless she copies herself to a robot in the real world or something). Anyway, I really hope this isn't the case at all, because this subplot was already done in another masterpiece.

[@lunebadru5997]

Man that coin flip in soma really did matter

[@austinschaeffer8907]

That’s actually what I thought this was joining to be about where all the episodes were circus act’s

[@bronyferienminuet2125]

Considering she saw the computer where she put the headset on, and well, it looks pretty abandoned. Pomni will suffer forever.

[@meepmeep8152]

What if all you have to do to return to the real world is put on the virtual reality headset in the game world? Maybe that's why the last door ended in the void, because she already reached the exit.

[@tintarabochia9422]

This show made me go into existential crisis real quick

[@NAANG360]

you missed one thing,the characters are still pretty young around the age where people would do pranks and exploration and if you look closely beside the monitor is a vr headset maybe the reason pomni started freaking out after seeing it is because she was exploring the building and she put on that exact headset before getting trapped

[@sanstheskeletongamer3028]

My own little head cannon is that pomni was an employee at C&A and got stuck in the game after digging it up for her boss.

[@conflictinmybrain2019]

The idea that the route theyll take is that there is no exit actually isnt baseless! Gangle's comedy mask is broken early on in the episode, revealing the TRAGEDY MASK. no one calls it the tragedy mask but thats what it is! I personally see it as foreshadowing that at the very least theres going to be a lot of suffering. At most, a full on tragedy.

[@MrVasher]

Damn, Pomni was in one step from the Exit! She should be to turn on the old computer and push the button "escape"!! Such was in "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya"

[@StarryNyxEevee]

If you look next to the computer pomni was staring at. You could see a headset. Wich could mean that is the headset she put on. What if she put the headset on AGAIN??. would she go back to the real world? Also the computer desk she was staring at. That was her work desk.

[@erickamakeeaina1649]

The story this show was inspired by ends with the protagonist being able to save the others by allowing them to die, thus freeing them from the demented AI tormenting them. Before the protagonist is punished for this by being turned into a perpetually tortured blob forever. I doubt the show will get near that dark, but I am prepared for the ending to not be completely happy.

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

what was it called?

[@X88DRAGON]

​ The Name of the story is "I have no mouth and I must scream"

[@arandomthingintheabyss2062]

time to watch the ending@@X88DRAGON

[@acesinger6092]

I need to see more of this show so bad

[@darkeysnake2094]

Am I the only one who noticed that the first door Pomni saw is Orange, not Red? I think that while Pomni might become insane more quickly than others, she might concentrate all her sanity on finding any small clues about the exit, ultimately finding out that the first door she saw was different from the one she entered.

[@Wol7AUS_Live]

I have a theory (it’s not good tho): the people in the amazing digital circus worked for a company with the initials : C&A And the company made a game as in: TADC where you could use an ONI (Ready player 2 book) like device to interact with a digital world and it probably malfunctioned and sucked them into the world. Edit:Thanks to that dude that replied to me

[@Ilikefire2793]

Its C&A lol.

[@BHC_08]

The void is the exit, never forget.

[@Flypp-k5b]

I think Pomni was an employee of this C&A company which we got 0.1 seconds of, a game development company from the 90s that was trying to revolutionize gaming with VR. She may have been making a private project in her free time, then play tested it and ya da ya da ya da.

[@redocto64]

it was the one show from glitch that I'm looking forward to watch more in the future

[@adrian-pr4tn]

she could probably destroy the pc as the exit door leads to it

[@noyukikun]

the way i see it that many people just seem to want to ignore is that caine really needs to build out the void with rooms cause the void is the exit itself as seen IN THE ACTUAL ENDING

[@spencernaugle]

I don't think they'll be sued, but I can't help but notice that every single design in this show is based on a pre-existing piece of intellectual property, I recognize every character they're parodying, also a lot of background elements, and environments. I just couldn't list them all cause I don't remember what they're all from. I'm particularly bad with the video game & TV references.

[@andrewgeg1]

Her real name is Jessica

[@MarkBonneaux]

I haven't been as invested in cartoon theories since before Rose Quartz was revealed to be Pink Diamond in SU

[@5lfaan]

I think before the intro of the show "before pomni existed in the game" kaufmo was still alive and the oldest next to be abstracted and next one to be abstracted is probably kinger because he is the oldest then it's one the other people left in the game it could be any of these "Jax,rag,I like to call he rag, zooble,gangle" so it could be one of those after kinger

[@blut0craftandthepericlam861]

In the living quarters, you can see multiple characters’ doors with red x’s

[@radumguy]

Pomni is probably martha

[@rainbowtoyfunrandomess1982]

What?