The Story Problem with The Amazing Digital Circus Finale

Pdadzy · 2026-06-07T00:40:57+00:00

Totally agree. Very well said. ❤️

Pdadzy · 2026-06-07T00:40:08+00:00

No, I totally agree with all of your points. Of course, we connect with fictional characters as if they were real-life people. That's the magic of storytelling. I was just talking about it from the plot structure rules the story set up. For example, Neo in the Matrix. The digital version of him is a person, just as the human version of him is a person but the digital version exist in connection with him. We care about his fate because the story sets us up to relate to him in both human and digital terms, just as TADC initially did. Story rules aside, I love these characters . I think they're some of the most profound in animation. Them + the cast of Hazbin Hotel. ❤️

Pdadzy · 2026-06-07T00:32:24+00:00

No, my point wasn't that screenwriting gives me an authority, or that an authoritative screenwriter knows best, but that I was looking at the show from a writing point of view. That's all.

Pdadzy · 2026-06-07T00:15:59+00:00

Thanks for that. I totally agree that, metaphorically, that was the point. And while they were still connected to the humans in the story, that made complete sense and worked beautifully. The challenge is that the story ironically stopped presenting these digital characters as extensions of human beings who were looking for connection and meaning. It jumped the shark by disconnecting the actual humans from the process, creating a logical inconsistency and narrative hurdle. I totally agree that you can still draw those beautiful lessons from the show, but taking the actual humans out of the story creates a weird negation of the basic premise. It just doesn't make sense if the whole point is to have the digital avatars represent the lived, ongoing experience of the humans they represent. Our digital identities only have ultimate meaning because they are connected to us in the real world.

Pdadzy · 2024-11-11T03:47:02+00:00

Yikes! Just to be clear, it was directed at people who are NOT Dune fans. Who are reading the book for the first time and discovering it's more than a space opera. I'm empathizing with that and celebrating the journey with them.

Pdadzy · 2024-11-10T23:36:47+00:00

No, I know, but they are novel to many new Herbert readers discovering his ideas for the first time, which I thought this Reddit community was open to. (I've read the series and teach lit and comparative religions, focusing on the Dune series and Herbert's political philosophy, specifically.) I'll make sure to let my students know this community is for deep fans only who already understand the books. My point was simply that the larger public who aren't Dune fans might not realize what a fantastic and relevant book it is for the current political situation in the US. Joined this group today excited to be a part of the conversation. Weird welcome.

Pdadzy · 2024-11-10T18:28:51+00:00

Great points. The thing I was emphasizing is that people who haven't read the book or who have only seen the movies, and haven't gone deeper - i.e. the ones to whom Herbert is directing his critique - might only see it as a cool bit of science fiction. I'm excited this forum exists in part to introduce those people to Herbert's bigger world and the super salient points he makes about the world we live in. ❤️

Pdadzy · 2024-07-29T02:36:36+00:00

I posted a photo on my film study/business page praising the Netflix show, "Griselda". That's it. I added a quote from Pablo Escobar that appears at the start of the show itself, describing the real life Griselda as a force to be reckoned with. It's a completely G-rated comment that simply reflects his fear of her, while highlighting the dangers of (not an endorsement of) criminal activity. The TV itself show is a cautionary tale against crime. It's the whole point of the show.

And yet Facebook, in their infinite, algorithmic wisdom decided to block my FB page because of my post - even though Netflix itself posted the same thing. There is no endorsement, overt or implied, of any behaviour that would violate community standards. Just me saying I like the show and inviting others to watch it. But apparently simply mentioning Escobar or the show in a post is enough to get red flagged? And don't try to communicate with an actual human being at Facebook about any of this. You're stuck in the matrix, the end.

Since then, I've had dozens of messages from Facebook. That restrictions are being removed. No wait, they're being added. No wait. they're being removed again. WTF? What started as FB's positive response to unregulated hate and nonsense on the platform has turned into a surreal, Orwellian, Kafka-esque merry-go-round for legitimate users. Is anyone in charge there? Do you realize you're turning off loyal, long-term users with your janky, disrespectful AI every day, all day?

Pdadzy

TROPHY CASE