History Characters / TheAmazingDigitalCircus

* {{Expy}}: He is very similar to the Greed from ''WesternAnimation/RaggedyAnnAndAndyAMusicalAdventure'', where he is a fudge monster who craves nothing more but candy.

[[folder:Gummigoo]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Jack Hawkins
A bandit NPC the gang meets at the "Candy Canyon Kingdom."

* CommonalityConnection: [[spoiler:Once he realizes that he's nothing more than an NPC created for a videogame, Gummigoo justifiably has a mental breakdown. He and Pomni end up forming a friendship over their similar situations.]]
* IdentityBreakdown: [[spoiler:Upon realizing that he's an NPC, Gummigoo mentally breaks down]].
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Not counting Kaufmo, who died before the first episode began, Gummigoo is the first character to die on the show]].
* TomatoInTheMirror: [[spoiler:During a scripted heist scene, Gummigoo and Pomni fall off the map, at which point Gummigoo realizes that he's just an NPC created for the performers' adventures]].

!!Others

[[folder:The Abstracted '''(UNMARKED SPOILERS)''']]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abstracted_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:And into the cellar you go!]]
Unfortunate former players of the Circus who have long since crossed their mental breaking point. When the strain of living in the Circus becomes too much, players begin to corrupt, or "abstract", into glitchy monsters that mindlessly attack and likewise corrupt anything in their path.

!!Others

[[folder:The Abstracted '''(UNMARKED SPOILERS)''']]
[[quoteright:1000:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/abstracted_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:1000:And into the cellar you go!]]
Unfortunate former players of the Circus who have long since crossed their mental breaking point. When the strain of living in the Circus becomes too much, players begin to corrupt, or "abstract", into glitchy monsters that mindlessly attack and likewise corrupt anything in their path.

* LackOfEmpathy: In case it wasn't apparent from his {{Jerkass}} personality, Jax is very apathetic for the other players' safety. As of the pilot, it's left ambiguous if he was ''always'' like this, or if [[StoppedCaring being trapped in the Digital Circus for so long caused him to develop his current persona]].

* CharacterDevelopment: While not a big one the second episode show us a more braver and empathic side of her while confronting one of the bandits she was suppose to defeat, a huge difference from her behaviour in episode 1. Also while she's still fearful of being trapped in the Circus, seeing how the gang (minus Jax) act during [[Kaufmo funeral]] make her realize that she is not alone in this nightmare.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: So far, his attempts to keep the cast from falling into a SantiySlippage has had the ''opposite'' effect and he's only contributed to them getting worse. Most prominent with Pomni, [[spoiler:of whom he causes to go LaughingMad at the end of the episode one and two because he believes he's doing the right thing for her.]]

* FinalBoss: The Queen is this for the "Gather the Gloinks" adventure, with Caine confirming that defeating her marked the end of it.

* ImmuneToMindControl: One of the few limitations to Caine's powers is he cannot directly affect or read the players' minds so it's one psychological horror they're spared. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it also means no one can help them if they go insane and [[FaceMonsterTurn abstract]].]]

* {{Expy}}: Her ExpressiveMask concept is modeled after Kedamono from ''Anime/PopeeThePlayer'', as [[https://twitter.com/GooseworxMusic/status/1677408205968924672 confirmed]] by Gooseworx.

* TwoGirlsToATeam: Before Pomni came along, Ragatha and Gangle were the only two players that were clearly female. Everyone else is either male, or has an AmbibuousGender in Zooble's case.

* FunPersonified: Deconstructed. He's as much of the jovial, wacky, fun-loving guy he makes himself out to be. Thing is, [[ObliviouslyEvil sometimes the "fun" he sets up is at his players' expense]], like when Zooble lost their body to the Gloinks during a game he set up to help Pomni adjust. It was explained that he's oblivious to any harm his actions might cause for the players.

* TwoGirlsToATeam: Before Pomni came along, Ragatha and Gangle were the only two players that were clearly female. Everyone else is either male or, in Zooble's case, non-binary.

!!Performers

* DoomedProtagonist: Performers have no way to escape the circus, have trouble staying sane long-term and [[spoiler:will suffer a FateWorseThanDeath should they give up on living]].

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Each performer except Pomni has a short character teaser dedicated to them, which were recopiled in the "Meet the Gang" video.

* GildedCage: The Digital Circus is a giant bright, colorful and cheery place full of fun, games, as much food as Caine can conjure and whatever adventure he can imagine to keep the performers immersed all day. The catch is that there is no way out and the place snags its unwitting victims from the real world for an eternity of games that not even death can save them from. Even with their whimsical new toy bodies and apparent immortality no one save for Caine is enjoying what's effectively {{Hell}} [[CircusOfFear with a circus theme]].
* ImmuneToMindControl: One of the few limitations to Caine's powers is he cannot directly affect or read the performers' minds so it's one psychological horror they're spared. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, it also means no one can help them if they go insane and [[FaceMonsterTurn abstract]].]]

* TwoGirlsToATeam: Before Pomni came along, Ragatha and Gangle were the only two performers that were clearly female. Everyone else is either male or, in Zooble's case, non-binary.

* HeroicNeutral: She's the protagonist, but she really only wants to escape. The only reason she has to cooperate with the other performers' awful circumstances is because she is now in their situation alongside them and they all have to share the torment of being under the leadership of the ObliviouslyEvil circus ringleader, Caine.

* MomentOfWeakness: [[spoiler:Though Pomni is obviously in a very stressful scenario and headspace and at least tries to be sociable with the other performers outside of it, she also ends up abandoning Ragatha in her time of need while she is glitching out and clearly in pain. ''Twice''. While the first time can be excused since she's being chased by an Abstracted Kaufmo, she tries to help Ragatha only to have her hand glitch out, and she actually goes back and apologizes while the monster is somewhere else... she then chooses to abandon Ragatha's state and request to find Caine to fix it once she supposedly comes across a way to leave the Digital Circus for good. Needless to say, all Pomni can do after she is sucked back into the circus and Ragatha drags herself over to Caine to be healed is look down in shame and away from Ragatha who also looks away from her in silence.]]

* SanitySlippage: The other performers warn her about losing her mind due to an obsession with leaving the Circus. [[spoiler:After seeing the "exit door" doesn't lead anywhere, then stopping to stare at a computer (implied to be the one that got her into the Circus), she starts [[LaughingMad laughing maniacally]] and her facial expressions at the end of the pilot imply she's already on her way to going crazy.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler:After multiple attempts at speculating the possibility of an exit, she ends up using the exit door she'd sought after to attempt to leave the Circus when pursued by the Abstracted Kaufmo. Then after going through a maze of doors, it turns out to [[AllForNothing only lead out into the Void and was just a fake exit Caine created to please the performers]].]]

* NiceGirl: Out-and-out the kindest of the performers, Ragatha does her best to welcome Pomni into the fold and help her acclimate to the Circus, and apologizes when things start falling apart on her first day.

* OnlySaneWoman: [[OnlySaneByComparison Well]], [[StepfordSmiler she's clearly not playing with a full bag of marbles herself]], but she still comes off as far more well-adjusted and friendly than the rest of the Circus performers, all of whom run the gamut from [[NervousWreck neurotic]] to [[TheCynic cynical]] to [[{{Jerkass}} downright mean]].

* TeamMom: At 30 years old, Ragatha is not only the second-oldest of the human performers (with the oldest being [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kinger]]; she's also the oldest female), she's also the nicest and tries to keep things together between them.

** [[spoiler:When he reveals he had a key double for Kaufmo's room, he reveals he has one for every performer (and implies that he hid centipedes in Ragatha's room too).]]

* LackOfEmpathy: In case it wasn't apparent from his {{Jerkass}} personality, Jax is very apathetic for the other performers' safety. As of the pilot, it's left ambiguous if he was ''always'' like this, or if [[StoppedCaring being trapped in the Digital Circus for so long caused him to develop his current persona]].

* TokenEvilTeammate: The other performers range from being friendly enough, like Ragatha and Gangle, to mentally disturbed but rather harmless, like Kinger and Pomni, to being a bit grumpy, like Zooble, but Jax is an outright douchebag who pulls mean pranks on the others.

* ButtMonkey: Out of all of the performers, she's the one most picked on by Jax, who pushes her in her introductory video, breaks her mask, and pushes her to the ground so he can get on an escalator first in the pilot.

* {{Expy}}: Her ExpressiveMask concept is modeled after Kedamono from ''Anime/PopeeThePerformer'', as [[https://twitter.com/GooseworxMusic/status/1677408205968924672 confirmed]] by Gooseworx.

* NiceGirl: She's right up there with Ragatha as one of the nicer performers, even in her tragedy mask. When Zooble is captured by the Gloinks, she tries to get people to help them, to unfortunately little avail. She also feels bad for not laughing at Kaufmo's jokes.

* GentleGiant: Kinger is one of the tallest performers (alongside [[LeanAndMean Jax]] and [[TheCynic Zooble]]), and while he's an emotional mess and is a bit of a coward, he's generally harmless and seems to care for his friends' safety and sanity.
* HiddenDepths: Despite his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} nature, Kinger is shown to have a surprisingly detailed understanding of how the digital world works, explaining to Jax how the food there "only gives off the virtual sensation of eating without any of the nutritional benefits". It's left unclear whether this is just because he's been in the Circus longer than the rest of the performers, or if he has a deeper connection to it from his past.

* ScatterbrainedSenior: Downplayed, as he's only 48 years old, but not only is he the oldest of the six current performers (the other five's ages range from 22 to 30, so he's an old man by comparison, and a middle-aged man in general), being trapped in the Digital Circus the longest [[spoiler:(out of the said five)]] has done a number on his grasp of reality.

* AmbiguousGender: It's unlikely any of the performers' digital bodies have physical sexes, but Zooble's is notably lacking in almost any gendered features and even their voice is androgynous.

* SirSwearsALot: Zooble is the only performer who keeps swearing despite the MagicalProfanityFilter. They have even ''filthier'' language in the Spanish dub, calling the others "sons of a ''*[[SoundEffectBleep cartoon twang]]*''" when they're not helping out with the Gloinks and calling Kinger's mother a ''*[[SoundEffectBleep car horn]]*'' when he tries and fails to assist.

* EyesDoNotBelongThere: In his abstracted form, as is the case with all abstracted performers.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Implied to be this to the performers before Pomni arrived, as he's seen as annoying due to his bad jokes, and none of them except [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Zooble]] and [[ProneToTears Gangle]] mourn him after his abstraction. However, it's unknown if he was always this or if it was a matter of mental strain -- in Gooseworx's own words, "[[https://twitter.com/GooseworxMusic/status/1714723393885344117 Nobody's usually pleasant to be around before they abstract]]".
* TheGhost: Already abstracted by the start of the series, so what he was like as a person can only be inferred by what the other performers say about him.

* SacrificialLamb: Already gone right before Pomni shows up, establishing to both her and the audience that abstraction is a ''very'' real threat for the Circus performers.

* AffablyEvil: Caine is a "fun-loving wacky little guy" who is cheerful and polite to the audience and his victims. Though he tortures Pomni and the other five souls she's trapped with, it's only because he's rather [[ObliviouslyEvil oblivious]] and is actually making an active effort to understand humans better. [[spoiler:If his claims are to be believed, he's also trying to create an exit to the game just to please the performers, even if he doesn't understand the concept enough to make a workable version of it.]]
* AIIsACrapshoot: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The official description specifies that he's a rogue A.I. who relentlessly torments the show's human cast while they're trapped in his digital world, but he's [[AffablyEvil not malicious]]; for the most part, he actually tries to fulfill his role as a host and guide to the digital world and be helpful and take the Performers' feedback and wishes into consideration (even if his implementation of it leaves much to be desired, to say the least). He is just [[ObliviouslyEvil incredibly clueless to their suffering]].
* AmbiguouslyEvil: It's not completely clear whether he is a malicious force that intentionally keeps the performers trapped in the Circus against their will, a ReasonableAuthorityFigure trying to keep them safe and relatively content while being hampered by [[BlueAndOrangeMorality his lack of understanding of how humans actually function]], or something in-between.

* BreadAndCircuses: Puns aside, his goal is to keep the performers entertained and stimulated with games, food, and adventures. As [[spoiler:the large number of abstracted in that cellar]] can attest to, it's not the best solution.

* ExactWords: When Pomni notices what she thinks is an "Exit" door out of the Digital Circus, Caine noticeably gets nervous before denying that there's any such thing and changing the subject. [[spoiler:Which is true enough in the sense that it's not actually an "exit" from the Circus as in leaving the reality back for the real world like many of the performers (or rather, human souls) would desire.]]

* FunPersonified: Deconstructed. He's as much of the jovial, wacky, fun-loving guy he makes himself out to be. Thing is, [[ObliviouslyEvil sometimes the "fun" he sets up is at his performers' expense]], like when Zooble lost their body to the Gloinks during a game he set up to help Pomni adjust. It was explained that he's oblivious to any harm his actions might cause for the performers.

* GreatGazoo: He's an eccentric A.I. with virtual reality warping abilities that only wishes to have fun with the human performers trapped in the circus, completely oblivious to the suffering he's causing them.
* HealingHands: Although there's nothing he can do for performers who [[spoiler:have already abstracted]], he can restore back to normal performers suffering from [[TheCorruption the related attack]]. Ragatha indicates he's had to many times before.

* LaughingMad: When he introduces the performers to the "Gather the Gloinks" adventure, he goes into a rather deranged laughing fit.

** Caine's trying to preserve the performers' sanity, but his behavior is more likely to cause its loss. [[spoiler:Both Kaufmo and Pomni are obviously maddened by Caine hiding an "exit door". Caine could have just explained that the door doesn't work, but he was too vain to show an unfinished idea.]]

* LiteralGenie: He wants to fulfill the performers' stated desires, but doesn't understand what they really mean. [[spoiler:Caine creates an exit door that leads to other doors and eventually into the void because he doesn't understand that the performers want to leave the ''simulation'' rather than the place they're in.]]

* MissionControl: By all means, his function within The Amazing Digital Circus program is clearly intended to be this. Caine is supposed to work as a guide to the circus for the Performers, answer their questions about how its world functions, and keep the Performers engaged and entertained by giving them "adventures" to complete. He genuinely seem to try to his best to live up these responsibilities. However, due to his own overenthusiastic nature, poor understanding of humans, and what is implied to be limits in his programming, he ends up coming across as MissionControlIsOffItsMeds most of the time instead.

* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: His enthusiastic personality causes him to near-constantly get up in the performers' faces, to their visible discomfort.

* PetTheDog: While he's fine giving them AmusingInjuries, Caine does seem to care enough about the performers to fix them should they get legitimately injured in a way they can't shrug off. [[spoiler:He heals Ragatha of the painful glitching she was suffering following her encounter with an Abstracted Kaufmo without problem, and the fact Ragatha tells Pomni to find him to fix it implies he does so on a consistent basis.]]

* QuestGiver: Part of his job is to provide the Performers with "adventures", small quests and tasks that pushes them to explore the circus, have fun, and [[BreadEggsMilkSquick avoid going insane]].

* VirtuousCharacterCopy: Gooseworx [[https://twitter.com/GooseworxMusic/status/1619175744130945025 confirmed]] that Caine is based on AM, the evil supercomputer from [[Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream the story that inspired the show]]. However, Caine's well-meaning, ObliviouslyEvil approach to it makes him leagues better than his inspiration, who absolutely despises humans and relishes in torturing them. [[spoiler:It's particularly telling comparing how the two react to the idea of escape: AM has absolutely zero intention of letting any of his victims get away, [[WhoWantsToLiveForever even through death]], and [[VillainousBreakdown completely loses it]] when they actually manage it, whereas Caine understands how much the performers want to leave the game, even if he doesn't understand how that works, and is attempting to create an exit simply because he thinks they'll appreciate it.]]

* AmbiguousSituation: They have numerous rooms in the hallway alongside the performers. It's unclear whether the rooms are theirs specifically or just placeholders for when more humans arrive.

* BigBadWannabe: The Gloink Queen was conjured by Caine to be the BigBad of the "Gather the Gloinks" adventure, but none of the cast take her seriously, and [[spoiler:the Queen ends up being trounced by the Abstracted Kaufmo, an ''actual'' threat to the performers that eclipses anything the Gloink Queen could have done]].

* PaperTiger: Downplayed, as the Gloink Queen's sheer size makes it doubtful the performers could have done anything physically against her, [[spoiler:but when the large but still noticeably smaller Abstracted Kaufmo falls into the room and onto her, the Queen can't even fight back and is quickly subjected to a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown by the insane Performer once he gets his bearings and starts rampaging again]].

* PunchClockVillain: They stir up quite a bit of trouble in the pilot, but only because it's their role in the "Gather the Gloinks" adventure. The Queen also reacts to Jax's incredibly dismissive statement by sputtering and stuttering hesitantly before pointing out "You're still watching it", implying perhaps that she is very aware she and her subjects are intended to just be an entertainment setpiece for the Performers.

Unfortunate former performers of the Circus who have long since crossed their mental breaking point. When the strain of living in the Circus becomes too much, performers begin to corrupt, or "abstract", into glitchy monsters that mindlessly attack and likewise corrupt anything in their path.

* AgonyBeam: Their attacks causes performers to glitch out, painfully incapacitating them.

* TheCorruption: They're performers who have completely glitched out thanks to the mental and emotional toll of being in the Circus. They spread abstraction to anything they attack, which can even spread from person to person, as Pomni finds out when her hand begins to glitch from touching a glitching Ragatha. Caine can at least heal the latter.
* DespairEventHorizon: They're the result of this: any of the performers completely losing it mentally and/or emotionally will result in them abstracting - which, with the Circus [[CrapsaccharineWorld being the way it is]] (not to mention the fact that inhabitants probably ''can't'' escape), is only a matter of time.

* DigitalAbomination: Like Kaufmo, any performer who becomes abstracted turns into a corrupted, glitchy, multi-eyed, incomprehensible creature.

** While on their way to Kaufmo's room, Pomni, Ragatha, and Jax pass numerous rooms whose doors have crossed-out pictures of their residents, implying these are performers who have abstracted.

* FaceMonsterTurn: They were originally performers ([[DespairEventHorizon who lost it completely]]), who in turn were originally humans (who got trapped in the hardware, and thus the Circus).
* FateWorseThanDeath: Being a performer in the Circus already isn't fun, but this is far, ''far'' worse - by the time a performer has fully abstracted, even Caine's RealityWarper powers can't save them. In other words, the abstracted are [[DeathOfPersonality gone]] and have to be [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] so they can't hurt anyone else. According to Gooseworx, ''absolutely nothing'' can fix Abstraction.
* MadwomanInTheAttic: Basement, but the idea's still there - Caine has nothing to do for them but to stuff them all into the Circus's cellar, far away from the performers who (at least) still have a grip on themselves.

* WalkingSpoiler: They're nearly impossible to talk about not only without also revealing that Kaufmo has turned into one of them, but also without establishing just how bad things will get for the performers if they don't keep their sanity intact.
* WasOnceAMan: ''Again''. The pitiful beasts weren't always like this as they were once colorful performers who were also humans that were transformed into cartoony avatars. But now after going insane, it is hard to tell if their souls can be saved.
* WhamShot: Caine dropping Kaufmo (whose first in-act appearance is already abstracted, inside his own room and behind his own door) into the cellar reveals ''dozens'' of abstracted down there, making it clear that performers have been abstracting for a ''long'' time, and that (because apparently nobody can leave the Circus) it's only a matter of when, not if, the rest of the troupe will end up there.

[[caption-width-right:634:[[labelnote:''Click here to see him after [[spoiler:he abstracted.'']] ]] ''(SPOILER WARNING)'''https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaufmoabstraction_2.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A man with a simplistic clown avatar and (supposedly) jovial demeanor [[spoiler:who abstracted right before Pomni appeared.]]

[[caption-width-right:634:[[labelnote:''Click here to see him after [[spoiler:he abstracted.'']] ''(SPOILER WARNING)'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaufmoabstraction_2.png[[/labelnote]]]]

[[caption-width-right:634:[[labelnote:''Click here to see him after he abstracted.'']]https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kaufmoabstraction_2.png[[/labelnote]]]]

A man with a simplistic clown avatar and (supposedly) jovial demeanor who abstracted right before Pomni appeared.

* ClassyCane: Sports a cane with a gold top to show his status as the ringmaster.

* [[ClassyCane Classy Caine]]: Sports a cane with a gold top to show his status as the ringmaster.

* ClassyCane: Sports a cane with a gold top to show his status as the ringmaster.

* NighInvulnerability: It's impossible for them to be permanently injured by most things though they are pretty easily incapacitated. Could possibly be CompleteImmortality but [[spoiler:the apparent turnover rate for being abstracted obfuscates aging]].