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• I wanted to start off here because one thing that catches by attention is the way people with disabilities can be objectified and whittled down to JUST their disability by others. We see this with Jax and the way he seems to only view Gangle as the "sad one", questioning if she even has the capacity to be happy. Jax has his own issues and as we see, assigns archetypes to everyone, but the fact remains that Gangle feels that the only thing she is is her mood disorder, which Jax plays with. Sometimes people like to "test" people with disabilities to see how they react (asking invasive questions, testing the vision of a blind person or the hearing of a deaf person with little reason, antagonizing someone with a mental disability because it's "funny."

• Then we have this line from Zooble, which makes me consider the idea of if their avatars are linked to who they are (like the way Ragatha is a doll (possibly viewing herself as a one to her mother) or Kinger is a chess piece (which could hint at his hidden intelligence and strategic thinking.)) It's possible that the digital circus bases their avatars on things they're insecure about (which could explain why Pomni is a jester (she wants to be taken seriously) and Jax is a rabbit (rabbit are a prey animal known for being jumpy and he's also stereotypical "female" colors.)) The fact Gangle's avatar centers so much around her masks (and also is a ribbon, something that is very easily bent out of shape and isn't stable) and Zooble's is about replaceable body parts (not knowing fully who they are, or possibly relating to a physical disability they have in the real world.)
• In addition, it makes sense they would have these "avatar gimmicks" because these traits are still part of them. This could be the game's way of trying to accommodate their differences, since it's not something programming could "get rid of" (Caine does have some influence on their mind but this goes beyond that, this is part of them, and having the program change it would be like "curing" it (and who says they have to be "cured?")

• The internalized ableism is so strong here and AHHH GANGLE-
• I understand her though, because to her it feels like her depression and mania just ruin things both herself and everyone else. In episode 4 we see how she feels after the adventure and how she worries she made people hate her. She care a lot about the safety of her happy mask because she likely doesn't want to "bum people out."
• The way her emotions change and she feels things isn't necessarily like most of the other people here, and she takes that as a bad thing. We see this with systemic ableism and society as a whole, where we've taken the model of a "perfect standard human" and made it so that's the expectation, that's what things are built upon, and anything falling outside of that is seen as wrong and in need of fixing. Buildings have stairs because it's "expected" of a person to be able to walk up and down them, elevators are only added after due to the pushback and advocacy of people (but if nobody spoke up, we would just go on without an elevator and make the people who can't use the stairs just have to "deal with it.")
• With physical disabilities, we see efforts for accommodation (although it is still severely limited in areas) but for mental disabilities it's much different, as if people are expected to just adjust. And if they can't, it's their fault. This can cause feelings of self-loathing and resentment for that part of who they are, because they are told it's a problem that should be fixed (and why should they have to "fix it", why can't they just be accomodated for it?)
• With Gangle, one of the only people who appears to make strides to try and support her is Zooble, because Zooble understands and accepts that this is a part of her, and that not everyone is the same. With most of the other characters, they don't fully understand. Which can make them frustrated with Gangle and make Gangle feel like she's the problem.

• First off... ZOOBLE YOU DROPPED YOUR CROWN-
• Okay, but actually, this is so beautifully put. I love this show saying that you should love all parts of you, because they exist. You don't need to "fix" things. And this works really well coming from Zooble due to the way it may connect to their queer identity.
• Before you fully accept yourself, you may view the parts of yourself that are different as "wrong" and in need of changing (think of the pressure some people feel to culturally assimilate, or the way some people just try to "be straight" or "be cis" or how ABA therapy can discourage certain behaviors that are just part of someone.)
• Zooble appears to be confident in their identity now, but they may have had personal struggles with their identity in the past, so they could be speaking from personal experience. We see back in episode 3 how they dislike their body, yet in now it appears to be something they've taken in more stride (the way built themselves an OP body to fight Jax and Pomni.) We see Zooble accepting themselves more in live time, and it's great to see them now imparting advice on Gangle.
• In terms of characters, Zooble was always one who as more sure of themselves, so I like them explaining how they got to that point, the implication that this self-acceptance is something they worked for is so beautiful.

• And then we have this line from Gangle, which further illustrates how Zooble is viewed as one of the people who is more self-accepting. The way Gangle sort of holds them on a pedestal shows that she looks up to them, but possibly thinks who Zooble is isn't attainable for her. Gangle only sees the person they are now, and how they compare to her. She struggles to imagine the idea that Zooble may not have always been that way.

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• Right off the bat we see that Ragatha blames herself for how things have turned out. She seems to view any problems with a relationship as her fault.
• Additionally, we get some potentially interesting implications about Jax and her history. The animosity between them may have developed over time, and despite Ragatha's constant annoyance with Jax and even claiming she "hates him", she appears to blame herself for how things have turned out.
• This shows how heavily she views the others in the circus' wellbeing as her responsibility, and shows how in some ways she does have a savior complex. (This may in part be something that could cause Jax to be aggravated by her, because he may think he doesn't need to be "saved", and may take offense to the idea that his current behavior is somehow a result of Ragatha rather than something he himself chose.)
• She seems to already view Pomni as going down the same path as Jax. She thinks she's pushed her away and that she will now hate her. While Pomni hasn't always the best interactions with Ragatha, and has been seen bonding with Jax, the way Ragatha's mind immediately jumps to that meaning that Pomni must hate her shows how insecure she really is when it comes to this. Even if you people aren't instant friends, that doesn't mean they hate each other
• This whole thing is so incredibly relatable as someone who has struggled with making friends, and sometimes feels like I'm trying "too hard" to appease other, wondering if they can sense it and if that makes them dislike me more. So kudos for how this was broken down.

• As previously stated, Ragatha seems to assume the worst in how others feel about her in a lot of ways. If she makes a mistake, she'll likely be quick to assume they'll hate her for it, and if someone does hate her, she'll feel like they have a valid reason for doing so.
• We see this is her sort of trying to justify Jax's hatred for her (although I don't believe he's ever used the word "hate", but given his actions it's understandable for Ragatha to take that leap) by making it her fault.

• A couple things here: Ragatha questions why she said no to Pomni, which can show that even though she said it was to help Kinger, it was a decision she was unsure about. She tried to help one person, and in doing so feels like she failed another (but you can't help everyone at once.) Kinger then brings up the idea that Ragatha needed a break, suggesting another motive behind her actions, a motive that is completely valid.
• Sometimes, especially in relationships where you constantly have to put emotional labor in and stress over, you need a break, and sometimes that involves giving yourself space. And that doesn't make you a bad person. It's possible this was one of the motives behind Ragatha's actions but she wasn't even aware of it until Kinger said that (and hearing that aloud, she'd probably blame herself for being selfish, which is why it's so good that Kinger continues on.)
• I had thoughts back to "Surface Pressure" in Encanto when Kinger talked about Ragatha feeling like she needed to be there for everyone. She feels like she has to be this pillar to support everyone, but she's also crumbling and can't hold everyone up (and she shouldn't have to.) She's a ragdoll literally coming apart at the seams.

• First thing: notice how she calls it "tricks", which sort of seems more of how Jax would likely view her actions since he seems to believe she is being manipulative for a benefit. The fact she's adopting this language shows that in some ways, she may also view herself as a bad person for not being genuine (but she doesn't feel like she has another option if she wants to help people.) It's possible part of this stems from her mother, who Ragatha describes as someone who has gaslighted and berated her. Abusers who gaslight have a tendency of making the victim believe that they deserve punishment, or that they're the one in the wrong, which could explain why Ragatha is so quick to blame herself for everything that happens. As a child her mother did, and that may have never faded.
• The way she talks about Pomni drifting away and becoming a different person who doesn't want her around makes me wonder if this is Ragatha creating a worst case scenario for herself (like when childhood friends drift apart and we start feeling insecure), or if this was the case in the past (possibly with Jax, who Ragatha believes she "failed.")

• First off, let me just say how incredibly true this statement is. One person shouldn't be doing all the heavy lifting in the relationship. And sometimes people deal with things differently or need space, and that may not personally be because of something you did.
• Kinger is saying things Ragatha needs to hear, because she constantly is putting the burden of relationships on herself, she feels like she has to be the one driving, because if she isn't then the car will just crash. The thing is, relationships aren't a car where one person is in the drivers seat and one person is in the passengers, both should have a handle on the steering wheel and the gas/breaks.
• Ragatha feels like she needs to drive in this scenario, because if she doesn't then she is letting the other person crash. The thing is, no matter what the situation is she is going to feel like its her fault. If she doesn't try hard enough then she's failed and abandoned them, and if she tries too much then she pushed them away and made them hate her.
• Ultimately, relationships should be about being a safe space for someone to go to. Sometimes there are issues a person is dealing with that a friend is not able to directly help with, but they can still be there to support them.
• And Kinger's statement about giving people space not being the same as giving up on them... it rings true both for advice Ragatha should take and can also be used to comfort her with the idea that just because people aren't always around her doesn't mean they hate her. Sometimes people need to separate for a bit, but that doesn't make their relationship any less strong. A bit issue Ragatha seems to have is that she hovers and lingers too close (wanting to use any opportunity to help and make a connection), but this statement from Kinger shows that it's not the only way to show you care, and sometimes it's more helpful to actually give a person their space.
• Ragatha and Pomni said they were going to talk after the award show, and I think their space apart as well as their respective conversations this episode is going to help facilitate a more solid friendship. Ragatha needs to know that it's okay to lean on other people, and she doesn't always have to be the strong one.

• Here we get further confirmation of Ragatha's people-pleasing tendencies, as well as how she doesn't want anyone to hate her. Given her mother, this definitely makes sense because she likely has tried her hardest to be "perfect", maybe her mother made her disdain clear and Ragatha can't take that from anyone else. And given her own miserable background, she doesn't want anyone to feel the way she has. She wants to make them happy.
• The way Kinger asks the question and the lack of an answer Ragatha gives us tells us all we need to know, she does hate herself. And from her perspective why wouldn't she? She was never taught to love herself. She constantly is messing up and is thus not worthy of being loved (but that's not how love should work, love shouldn't have to be earned.)
• Ragatha saying she doesn't want people to hate her, but her hating herself also implies that she doesn't view herself as people. Her own feelings towards herself aren't as valuable or important and others.

• The beginning is... a lot to unpack. It seems to potentially imply that Kinger blames himself for Queenie's abstraction, as well as the situation they're in, which brings up the question of if his computer science background has anything to do with why he's in the circus (especially since we see he's able to manipulate the code by spawning butterflies).
• Similar to Zooble and Gangle's conversation, Kinger's words show that things have the potential to change. Except unlike with Zooble, Kinger openly admits that he experienced Ragatha's struggles, except the person who helped in this case wasn't his decision to love himself, but Ragatha. Which is something she likely needs to hear because she has been feeling like she makes things worse or is a waste of space, yet Kinger is admitting to her directly that she made things better. (Which is a first step, because in the end her happiness and worthiness to exist shouldn't depend on what she can give to others, but that's something that takes a long time to accept.)
• Ragatha has been burning herself out to try and support the others, and Kinger makes it clear that that's not always the best option. You shouldn't need to hurt yourself to love others, or prove you're worthy of love (give Ragatha's background though, it makes sense than she'd view love as something she'd have to work for, and associate it with pain).
• Kinger taking Ragatha that she needs to care for herself is something that will likely take a while for her to accept, because she's likely been told her whole life that taking care of herself is selfish, and that's a bad thing. Learning to value your wellbeing is something I can see coming in two stages: 1) taking care of your wellness so you're in the right place to help others, in which the reason behind your actions is still rooted to concern for others rather than prioritizing yourself, and then 2) prioritizing your wellbeing because it's important, which I can see taking Ragatha a lot longer to accept.

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• All these lines show how he's tried to distance himself from things, and in a way how he's also given up on his humanity. Being part of the circus, being an archetype is easier because you don't need to do much thinking.
• He seems to have thought differently in the past, what with the way he knows what Pomni is going through, but at a certain point (likely due to Ribbit abstracting) he gave up, because if you're part of the machine, if you're a one-dimensional character, then you don't have to feel complicated emotions. It's ultimately a way for him to protect himself. He tries to force himself into a box (and forces others into boxes with the archetypes he assigns them) to make things easier for himself. If he's just a cartoon character then none of this matters (in a lot of ways, he may be jealous of NPCs and almost prefer to be one, because at least then things are simple.)

• And this line shows he believes this is true for everyone in the circus, not just himself. But he believes he is somehow smarter or superior because he is aware of what's happening, he got to choose the box he was put in, while he views the others as "poor fools" who "refuse to realize what's going on." (Because if the "ultimate" form to be in this circus is to become an archetype, then Jax is just helping others find their role, and if nobody else is breaking out of their box, he will have an easier time staying in his own, which is safe.)

• We see this after Pomni asks Jax about his fear of corn, and how he may have trypophobia. And this is one of these moments where we see him try to shift the topic away from himself and on to the adventure at hand. It's interesting, given how in the last episode Jax took opportunities to try and get to know Pomni, but he puts distance when she tries to know him. I feel like he is only comfortable with interactions like these when he is the one in the control, since he can work to prevent himself from getting attached. Here, Pomni is the one asking the questions and leading the conversation, getting closer to Jax, and even from early on we see that Jax tries to hide from it.

• When Pomni hugs Jax (and remember that Pomni has been shown to hate physical touch, and this is one of the few times she initiates it. We see him immediately freeze up. Watching it in slow motion, he appears scared at first, and he immediately responds by shoving her away.
• This was the breaking point for him I think, in the hallway when he was with Kaufmo and Ribbit's doors he was already acknowledging the fact that he and Pomni were actually beginning to get close, and that terrified him (because it goes against everything he has worked for himself, because getting close to someone is a risk, and possibly because Jax even views himself as dangerous and worries that people who do get close to him end up hurt (which could potentially explain part of his reaction to Ragatha accusing him of "corrupting" Pomni, as well as explain his reaction later on when Pomni mentions him being the reason people abstract.))

• His eyes shift from small, pinprick cubes, back into his more "neutral" setting, which seems to again be showcasing him stepping back into his mask and role. When he pushes her away, he immediately tries to brush off the situation and also make it seem lesser than it is as he attempts to regain control.

• As Pomni looks away, Jax goes back to looking at his hand in shock, again possibly showing how much the hug threw him off. And the moment she turns back to him he gets back into character.
• Pomni betraying him makes him relax, because this is something that more follows what he would expect given his role and the role Pomni chose for herself. He's quick to let her betray him and seems eager for it to be over with, likely because then that means this adventure will be over and things will go "back to normal." Him telling her to betray him is him attempting to regain control once again, because this is something he can expect, something he can play into.

• But Pomni refuses, and this pushback makes him more desperate. He needs her to shoot him, because if she shoots him he can say that they were never anything more. And when she continues to argue they're a team, he tries to make her upset (Jax falls back to ragebaiting when things get too comfortable), he mocks her, tells her flat out they're not a team, and then even tries to gaslight her by saying she was the delusional one (which could also be a commentary on himself because maybe part of him actually relaxed for a moment too).
• Then with that last line he's trying to get ahold of the narrative again, try to cling to the story and the idea that he's the "funny one" and everything he does is simply for his own amusement, turning himself back into the villain. Because if he is the asshole here, and Pomni feels hurt, she'll stop chasing after him.

• Pomni seems to quickly latch on to that shift, and notices he's trying to push her away. And I wouldn't be surprised if possibly much earlier in the circus, Ragatha said these exact words to Jax- maybe after Ribbit abstracted he started using these tactics to push everyone away and Ragatha tried to hold on, but he just kept going.
• Ragatha leaving him is the best case scenario for him in his opinion, because Ragatha does have a hero complex, and would likely continue to poke and prod. So when he finally does get her to think of him of something as a lost cause, he can finally breathe. The thing is, we see that Ragatha seems to have internalized this as her indeed having done something wrong and "failed him", which he may even be aware of and that just irritates him more, because in his mind he doesn't need "saving."

• Here we see Jax's pupils gets here and see him try hard to commit to the bit. We just have a giant grin, with eyes that are blank but also hungry, he plasters on his one-dimensional mask full-stop and tries to goad Pomni into shooting him, but it doesn't work.

• This is something he seems to try and brush off, making it out to be something small and embarrassing, something he slightly regrets. He tries to play it off in a way where it is like "oh I accidentally said too much here, whoopsie," and make it into something that Pomni should not hold much value in. It was just part of his act and the role he was playing, he got a bit too carried away... but it was in the name of the "game."
• But truthfully the fact he said so much terrifies him. He needs her to not care about the things he said because then he can stop thinking about the fact that he messed up. He's trying to cover up the severity of how much this affected him by acting flippant.

• And here we just have more deflection and ragebaiting, some of Jax's favorite things to do to get out of hard conversations. He says things for shock value, and hopes that it will upset them enough for them to continue what they were originally talking about. Joking about crushes is a classic way to get people to back off because it can make people defensive, and then when that doesn't work he goes to insulting her appearance and making it clear that he WONT take her seriously (except he plays it as being her fault, rather than it being because he REFUSES to), he tries to make it seem like he's accusing her of being the problem, because again, that can make people defensive and she can get angry, as opposed to just digging into him.
• He tries to play into her insecurities, targeting her appearance nd the fact people seem to treat her like a child/not take her seriously. And if the idea that their avatars are representative of their insecurities in a way, then him talking about her being a cartoon clown and attributing that to being why he can't take her seriously (because she's a joke), is true then and this is something Jax is aware of, then it is even moreso an attempt at this.
• Jax is quite literally trying to press every button he can to regain control of the situation, to get Pomni to act in a way that he has come to expect (these methods of deflection we see used throughout the show on the other characters multiple times, especially Ragatha and Zooble, who both have explosive reactions and try to just shut him down (which he is more comfortable with.))

• And here we have gaslighting in an attempt to brush her off, as well as another attempt to incite anger, because even if Pomni remains true to her convictions, the fact he's blatantly trying to gaslight her would hopefully make her upset. By being difficult and "rejecting reality", he's again trying to get her focus more on her annoyance of him as opposed to the fact that in reality, she was getting too close.

• Here this seems like some of his efforts have paid off, and Pomni is upset because she throws accusations back at him, accusations that have the double meaning of attempting to turn the tables by inciting an emotional reaction from Jax. She's still asking questions, and it seems even then when she's angry that it's still an effort to better understand him, but these questions only make Jax double down on his persona because he doesn't want to be vulnerable, especially likely in regards to funerals.
• It's completely possible that he didn't show up to Ribbit's funeral either, but for the complete opposite reason: he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. If he feels personally responsible for Ribbit's abstraction then there also may be a level of thinking he doesn't belong there.
• With Kaufmo's funeral, him going would go against the persona he built up, and if he genuinely did show any grief, it would risk people seeing beneath the exterior he put up. (We see in episode 2 when the funeral gets mentioned that Jax's eyes go small for a split second before his face returns to normal with a scowl, showing that there was some cracks in the mask, and he had to scoff at the funeral in an attempt to avoid it breaking any further.)

• And this. This hits the nail on the head. We see Jax's demeanor immediately change. Pomni seems to be saying here that Jax's approach with apathy for others may likely make people feel unwanted and unimportant, which contributes to their abstractions, but the only thing Jax can hear is her blaming him and trying to claim knowledge of something that he has experience and trauma about.
• Alternatively, she could be saying that people burying their emotions is what leads to them abstracting, calling out Jax on what he’s doing. Jax doesn’t hear that though. He hears Pomni accusing him of making people abstract (“corrupting” people in a way).

• And there's the break. He isn't even attempting to act anymore. He is angry and he's still trying to push her away, but things have become personal in a way they weren't before.
• His reaction here makes it possible that he has blamed himself for abstractions in the past, and this is his reaction to these insecurities being confronted. Part of him may try to say he isn't the only one at fault because everyone here is the problem (he is unspecific about what "everybody else did" too, but it likely is failing them and not preventing their abstraction.) But ultimately he’s saying that to cover up for the fact that in the end, he does feel like it’s his fault.
• And the rest of this is personal, because she doesn't get it. Whatever happened in the past seems to have particularly messed him up (which may be part of why he sped so quickly away from Kaufmo in the pilot, he already tried once with Ribbit, he can't try again.)
• But then he catches himself going too far into his own memories, he catches himself saying too much and he just stops. His eyes go bigger again, his smile returns, and he picks the mask back up.

• Pomni genuinely seems shocked by his reaction, and she can see that there is likely something deeper here, so she apologizes, which just likely annoys Jax more because here he was the one who got sloppy, he is embarrassed at himself for letting so much slip, for allowing himself to get so angry (Jax can dish the ragebait but he can't take it), and he desperately tries to grab ahold of things again by changing the subject and making light of the situation, acting again as if this was just an embarrassing little slip up that didn't bother him as much as it did, so Pomni will move on.

• The thing is, here the damage has been done. Jax's behavior has made her ask more questions, and we know from episode 2 that people's reaction (or lack of) to her abstraction is something she is scared of. Given his emotional reaction to her comment about abstractions, I think she is trying to better understand here. Because Jax pretends to be apathetic about abstractions when they clearly get to him.
• But that isn't the only point of her asking, part of her really does genuinely want to know.
• This question also serves the point of Pomni seeing just how far Jax will go with his act, because it seems clear that despite his words, he does feel things. This is her giving him a chance to be honest, to see how far he'll take things to push her away (all while hurting her.)

• And here she gets his answer, because he stays true to his facade. Even though we've seen time and time again in this very conversation that his efforts to remain relaxed and uncaring aren't working. Jax says the most hurtful thing he can to push her away, and I think the answer both hurts Pomni (not just because of the answer (which she may not completely believe), but because he was willing to say it) and disappoints her because of how hard he clearly is clinging to things. She sees how Jax refuses to be genuine or open up, even in regards to a very serious topic. He's valuing to comfort of this role he has created for himself over the feelings of others, again.

• Here, Jax is again trying to reclaim his archetype as the "funny one", he's supposed to hurt people because it's funny, not because he's scared of them getting too close, so this is thrown in. He wants her to know he's not serious, but he also wants her to see him as an asshole who would say things like that as a "joke."
• And it sets Pomni off, because she can still see him clinging to this role, she can see his willingness to say such hurtful things for the sake of this facade, and she's angry. Because she knows he isn't being funny. She either knows he's scared and is pissed at him for trying to claim otherwise, or she's specifically calling him out for the fact saying things like that isn't funny (and I think the thing is, Jax knows it's not funny, but it's "what his character would do", the mask Jax holds says horrible things for his own amusement, knowing nobody else thinks they're funny and it just distances himself further from them.)

• Because he isn't. And he's not just the mean one either. He's the scared one. He's the coward who refuses to admit his emotions and chooses to hide behind a mask, choosing to hurt people so he can feel safe.

• Pomni is just done, she is exhausted. She attacks him because if what he's saying is true, if he really doesn't care, then he shouldn't have any problem with fighting back. If he is so fine with hurting people, then that should extend here. Except Jax doesn't, he's genuinely thrown off by her reaction, and because of this he forgets the person he is supposed to be. If Jax had his wits about him, he probably would hurt her back, but the thing is it just catches him off guard, and his reactions to her attacks are genuine. He puts in a half-attempt to call her crazy and brush her reaction off, but still he doesn't fully commit to his act.
• And Pomni sees that Jax doesn't fight back, which only proves that he's lying. She wants him to just finally be honest, to admit that he does care but is scared. But instead Jax uses the moment he gets out to truly double down on everything.

• One thing I noticed here, his eyes are smaller. Usually when Jax is being sadistic and playing his role, his eyes are big. The fact that they're so small here shows that despite his best efforts, he isn't all there. Everything he says here is likely what he genuinely tries to tell himself.
• He throws everything he can to try and make her think he's a lost cause, a villain, he begs her to stop. This is him laying everything about who he is supposed to be flat out. This is the role he has constructed that he forces himself to play, because if he is just this then there is nothing more for people to look for. This is who he needs to be (okay now I'm thinking about Angel Dust's breakdown in episode 4 of Hazbin), because if he's that, then everything is easier.

• And then he turns away and immediately is annoyed with himself, because he knows he let this get too far out of control. We see him look down at his hand again (the same hand he looked at after Pomni hugged him) and he's realizing how much he messed up.

• This is his plea. He's exhausted. He knows Pomni may not have completely bought into everything, so he's hoping that if he hasn't pushed her away with his words and actions, then she will just be kind enough to leave him alone. He breaks character because he doesn't know what else to do, and he can't have her keep pressing.
• We see from his appearance alone how tired he is, and he no longer even tries to hide it. For that moment he lets Pomni see things, because he's tired and has no other cards left to play.
• It also may be part of him showing genuine remorse, the part of him that does want companionship trying to communicate that he is sorry, that he needs to do this, and that Pomni just leave Jax alone as a lost cause. He's resigned to his fate, to his mask, and is begging her to move on. All while unintentionally communicating to her and the audience how desperate and tired he is.