[upbeat techno music plays] ♪♪ -[Caine]: Today's adventure is brought to you by the Favorite Character Awards! Stay tuned and find out who will claim the ultimate prize! [glitzy orchestral music plays] [inaudible chatter] -[Zooble]: [BOINK!] Can you toss that back up here? -[scoffs] Making good use of your parts gimmick, huh? -[Zooble]: Oh, shut up. -What are you doing up there? -[Zooble]: I'm hiding from Caine. I think I overheard him talking to Bubble about an in-house adventure, and I'm not gonna be part of it. -And... you're just gonna hang out in a flower pot all day? Not, like, your room? -[Zooble]: Caine's been checking up on my room lately. When I don't answer, he just starts singing "Daisy Bell" in front of my door. It's creepy. -Does he really do that? -I dunno. Let's ask him. [hollers] Hey, Caine! -[Zooble]: You [BOINK!] [BANG!]hole! -Yes, Jax? -Look, it's Zooble! -[Zooble]: [BOINK!] you! -Ah, there you are! Now I don't have to do the snap-summon thing. -[Zooble]: [grunts] -And I'm glad I found you. We need even numbers, 'cause today's adventure is a... [overlapping voices] TEAM adventure! [normal voice] Meet you guys up at the stage in, uh -- let's say 5.7 minutes. -[Zooble]: Great. You didn't even ask him about the singing thing. -The what? -Today's adventure is... gonna be a bit of a short one, due to the Favorite Character Awards. But it'll be a perfect opportunity to showcase your guys' strengths to the press! -This is so heavy. -That's right, Bubble. Seeing you all play batball a few days ago really got me thinking. We should do our own sporting event! But with cool new sports invented by yours truly. -Help me, Caine. -Uh, we could also just play softball normally this time. -Eeegh... -In the Caine Leagues, we have the 400 Meter Vertical Skedaddle, Bisection Boogie Eggball, Lateral Hijinks, Orange Sport, Ball Run, Walk Ball, Run Walk, and Ball Ball! These sports are surely going to -- -[Zooble]: Uh, yeah, sorry, no. I'm not gonna be on a team with that one. -[blows kiss] -Zooble, why does all you do is complaining? I never know what you want! -[Zooble]: We had a whole suggestion box for that. -Yeah, Zooble and I constantly say we like more chill and relaxing adventures. -Did you really not like my softball one? -I'm not big into sports. Sorry. -The suggestion box just causes interpersonal drama. And me no likey. -[Zooble]: Alright. You really wanna know what I want? -Oh, no. -[Zooble]: I want the ability to have ***. -No way. Are we FINALLY having this conversation? -[stammers] [babbling] [sinister music plays] ♪♪ [ding!] Oh. Hi, Zooble! -[Zooble]: Do you have any of that stupid sauce left? -What were we talking about? Oh, yeah! How teamwork is essential to making the dream work! -[Zooble]: Tell that to him! He's the one that [BOINKS!] everything all the time. -You are in a mood today, aren't you? -Now, now -- you know what they say about assuming. It makes an "ass" out of "u" and "ming." -[Zooble]: "Ming"? -Did Caine just say [BOINK]?" -[Ming]: Hi, I'm Ming, and I really don't appreciate what your assumptions have done to my reputation. -[Zooble]: You made a whole guy for that? -Whatever the case, it's evident now that there's quite a bit of tension between you all. So, maybe what we actually need to do are trust exercises! -[Zooble]: I am not falling into Jax's arms, if that's what you mean. -Don't worry -- this will be a two-way trust exercise, where you'll each have to trust each other to not betray the other person. [snap!] [shwing!] This is a private room, where nobody can see or hear you once inside. And this... [shwing!] ...is a loaded gun! -Oh, boy. -Character A will take the gun into the private room and empty it out of all its ammunition, then come out and give it to Character B. Character B will then take the gun and shoot themselves in the head, trusting that Character A emptied it in the private room. Character A will also have to trust that Character B won't turn the gun on them, so everyone is incentivized to follow the rules and trust each other! -[Zooble]: Sounds a little convoluted. -YOU LOOK CONVOLUTED!!!! Anyway, Jax, why don't you start? -[Zooble]: Wh-- Him?! -Wait, what am I doing? I wasn't paying attention. [rewound audio warbling] [clicks tongue] Oh. -[yelps] -Or, yeah, we could all just shoot each other. Here, have guns. I don't care anymore. -Hooway! -[Zooble]: Wait, that's just it? "Here's guns, and have fun"? -I didn't say "have fun." -[Zooble]: It's just a little aimless. -Use the sights. -[Zooble]: Caine! -[growls] FINE! We're bringing teams back. Pair up in teams of two. You all get three lives. Last team surviving is the winner. Happy? -[Zooble]: Um, not really. -Well, that's not my problem right now. I have an awards show to plan, so you guys are gonna have to handle yourselves for a bit. You get five minutes to figure the teams out. Once that's up, it's a free-for-all. -Come on, saddy. You're coming with me. -[gasps] I'm... actually gonna be on a team with Zooble. -[Jax]: What? No, you're not. We've been together for every team adventure in the past. -[Zooble]: Guess times are changing, bunny boy. -[grumbles] -Hey, you wanna be on my team? -Uh, oh! I-I'd love to, but -- Well, uh, I really don't want Kinger to get stuck with Jax. -Oh, yeah. Well, I-I could be on Kinger's team. He and I were together once, and it wasn't too bad. -U-Uh... Hmm. And have... me on... -Oh. Um. Y-yeah. Just forget I asked. I'll be on Jax's team. -W-Wait. -Huh? -[stammers] -Like you said, probably good to keep Kinger and Jax separate. I can keep Jax in check, so don't worry about me. -U-Uh, hey, Pomni? I-If -- If you ever need to talk to somebody... o-or need help with anything, I'm here. -[laughs weakly] [both yelp] You have a partner yet? -Well, look who it is. You sure you can handle me in all my glory? -Eh, I've been through worse. -Hey, Zooble? Do you wanna hold onto this during today's game? -[Zooble]: Huh? -I... don't really trust myself that much with it. And I also just... really want to be able to fire a tommy gun while laughing maniacally, and I don't -- I don't want to break it before I get that chance. -[Zooble]: I'll keep it safe for you. [dramatic music plays] [clock ticking] [ding!] -Huh? W-Wait, what? That counted? -[Zooble]: Uh, Caine? -What? Oh, y-yeah, the guns have been teleported to random spots in the circus. Go find 'em, champs. -WE NEED TO FIND THE TOMMY GUN!!! -Uh, wait, Caine? I-I-I'm missing a life! -[Kinger]: There's no time! -[yelps] -It'll be my pleasure murdering all of you! -Uh, have fun, guys! -HAH! You're so lame! ♪♪ [dramatic musical sting plays] -[Kinger]: Uh-huh. Ya little devil. Alright. Now, I would bet our biggest concerns would be Jax and Zooble. They're the youngest, so they probably still have some youthful fighting spirit. -[sighs] Man. I'm still missing a heart. This isn't fair. -[Kinger]: Huh? Oh, I've got just the thing! Here, take this. [bing!] [high tone chimes] -W-W-Wait, what did you just do? What was that? -[Kinger]: It's a butterfly! It can restore your health. -Did Caine mention that? -[Kinger]: Oh, nah. I made it up. -Uh... What? [door creaks] -So, who you gonna kill first, Pompom? -Uh, I-I don't know if I'll really be doing much of the killing. I-I'll just find guns for you, and you can do all the violent stuff. You like that, right? -You know none of this is real, right? -[stammers] What do you mean? Like, the circus? -The game today is literally to shoot each other, so what's the point in taking this moral high ground? -Well, they're my friends. I don't really want to hurt them. [bang!] -Alright, let me be real here. Why do you care about that? -Uh, about not hurting my friends? -[sighs] Look, I know what it's like. One day, you're somebody in the real world doing important things. And then, the next, you're just a weird little cartoon... jester. You want to hold onto that part of you that still thinks it's part of that world, but in the end, what does it get you? Ragatha tries to be all nice and friendly, but she gets torn up every other adventure. Whether we like it or not, all we are now is a bunch of cartoon characters. So what's the point of pretending we're not? -We're still people though, right? -I thought we were at first, but as time goes on, we just end up falling into our archetypes. Become part of the machine. -What's your archetype, then? The villain? -[scoffs] Listen, I add a key dynamic. I see how far I can push things, I screw with people, and I break the fourth wall. You wanna know why? It's 'cause it's funny. I do everything 'cause it's funny! 'Cause I'm the funny one. -"The funny one"? -Yeah! Ragatha's the cheerful one, Gangle's the sad one, Kinger's the crazy one, Zooble's the grumpy one, and you are the one who hasn't figured that out yet. We all just became archetypes. I at least have the self-awareness to choose who I am. -The funny one. -So, who do you want to be? No better chance than now to try something new. You wanna go nuts? You wanna finally work off those weeks of rage and anguish that have been buildin' up inside you? I know you hate it here. Everyone does. But the silver lining is you can pretty much do whatever you want. Like, look at the way you're aiming that gun. Too realistic. Just let loose! -[inhales deeply] [sighs] [blam!] Huh? Oh, what the heck. Today, I'm just gonna be evil. How's that? -Heh, go for it! -Yeah. Yeah! Those other fools better watch their tails, because they're going to face the wrath of Pomni the Evil! [laughing malevolently] -[scoffs] It's kinda cringe. -Uh, are we really gonna be shooting each other with these? -[Kinger]: It's either shoot or get sh-- Ah! -Guh! -[Kinger]: Ragatha! There's a sniper around this corner. -[Zooble]: I think I got Kinger. [shell clatters] -Uh, are you sure we're safe up here? [gunfire] [screams] -[Zooble]: Whoa! -[Kinger]: Tactical roll! Come on, Ragatha! -Mm! [panting] [Kinger screaming] [gunfire] -Looks like we've located the king and the ragdoll. -Uh, yeah. I mean, yeah! Let's get 'em! [punchy music plays] -Uh, I don't even really know how to fire a gun. I don't know how much use I'd be in -- [blam!] -Whoops! Did I do that? -You missed a spot! -[yelps] -Hah! You're so cool. [gunfire continues] -[Kinger]: Ragatha, take cover! -Huh? [yelping] -I'll take Rags. You go Kinger. -Righty-o, evil bro. -I need a gun. Need a gun, need a gun! [exclaims] [panting] -Hah! -[exclaims] [gun clicks] Come on, man. -Hup! ♪♪ -[yelping] [panting] Kinger? Really use another one of those butterflies! -Howdy, howdy. -[screams] I-I-I know exactly what you're doing with Pomni, and it'll never work! -Huh? -You know, getting close with Pomni... to corrupt her? Wait, no, no, no, no! Wait, wait, wait! [kablam!] -[coughs] -Oh, wow -- I didn't actually think that'd work. [yelps] [gun clicking] -[panting] [pop!] Huh? Oh. -I lost Kinger, but I got him down to one life. -I lost a life, but I got us down to one Kinger. -How'd you let her take a life off you? -I don't really know. -[Zooble]: Hey, I found this AK... thing. If we can't find the tommy gun, will this work? -Uh, yeah. Do you... think... Jax... is gonna be mad that I didn't team up with him? -[Zooble]: I wouldn't worry about him right now. It's all just a game, in the end. -It's Jax, though. He probably wants revenge. And he's gonna make it painful, and -- -[Zooble]: Hey, you deserve better than thinking about him when he's not even here. You're a human. You're not his toy. -It sometimes doesn't feel that way. -[Zooble]: These avatar gimmicks, huh? Makes you wonder why no one else got them. -I just wish that... [sighs] How are you supposed to like the part of yourself that just... makes you worse than everyone else? [melancholy music plays] -[Zooble]: 'Cause it exists. ♪♪ It's a part of you that's real, and the only you that you should care about is the real you. ♪♪ You have to choose to love yourself, even if it doesn't make sense. It's not natural. It's intentional. -Have... you ever had to make that choice? -[Zooble]: Huh? -S-Sorry. I mean... [laughs] Of course not. You're Zooble. [laughs weakly] ♪♪ ♪♪ -[Zooble]: Whatever happens... I've got your back if you've got mine. -Yeah. Now let's go kill Pomni and Jax. -Alright, here's one. What's with the corn thing? -[scoffs] What corn thing? -Why are you afraid of corn? And don't say that you're not. You literally jumped out of your seat twice when you saw some. -Heh, not gonna let me out of this one. Well, I dunno. It's got a bunch of little pods on it. Looks kind of like an egg sack, or somethin'. It's gross. Makes my skin crawl. -Interesting. Do you have, like, a type of trypophobia? -What's that? -The fear of lots of little holes. -Eugh. -Okay. How about... pomegranates? -Awful. -I'm learning a lot about you today. -Heh, let's not forget we're here to kill people. We still need to find out where nutso went before we can rest easy. -[gasps softly] -[Kinger]: I'm right behind you, aren't I? [yelps goofily] [punchy percussive music plays] [gunfire] ♪♪ [lighter flicks] [bullets clinking into cylinder] -[Pomni]: There he is! -[Kinger]: [yelps] ♪♪ -[Pomni]: [yelps] -[Jax]: Whoop, sorry. ♪♪ -[Kinger]: I hope you guys are ready for my ricochet super move! [gunfire] [bullets whizzing] -[Jax]: Oh, here's the light. -Huh. -High-five! -Yeah! [pop!] -[Kinger]: Ah, what a game. Who knew Pomni could be such a sharpshooter? These adventures, huh? And look, even though we lost, at least we gave it our all, right? Um... you feeling alright? Are you upset that we lost? Or are you upset about something else? You wanna talk about it? -[sighs] [shakily] I think... I might have failed Pomni. Just like I failed Jax. I try too hard to get on their good side, and then I just end up pushing them away. And then, they end up hating me. -[Kinger]: Well, I don't think anyone in here hates you. -[scoffs] Jax does! Gangle and Zooble don't ever talk to me, and Pomni probably won't after today, either. [sighs] She came to me wanting to be on my team. I said no. [sighs] Why did I do that? -[Kinger]: Maybe you just needed a break. It sounds to me like you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be there for everyone, and when you're not, you beat yourself up for it. You said you failed Pomni. W-Why do you feel that way? -I don't know. I feel like every day, we're drifting further apart. Like she's seen through all my tricks and doesn't trust me anymore. Before I know it... she'll be a different person. One who doesn't even want me around. -[Kinger]: The way I see it, relationships are two-sided, and sometimes, it doesn't make sense to do all the heavy lifting when the other isn't in the mood. We all go through and deal with things differently, and sometimes, you just need to let people do things their own way -- as long as you're still there when they need you. Giving someone space should never be the same as giving up on them. [melancholy music plays] -I don't even know what I want. I just want everyone to be happy. And I don't want people to hate me. -[Kinger]: Do you hate yourself? ♪♪ I hated myself. I couldn't help but hate myself for the things I thought I was responsible for. I thought I'd lost everything. But then... you showed up. And my outlook just... changed. There are always ways to show you care without ruining yourself over it. You need to look out for yourself in all this, too. -I don't get it. So often, nothing you say makes any sense. But then, you have these moments where you... [laughs] I don't know. How do you do that? How've you been around for so long? -[Kinger]: Heh. I guess I just have a resilient mind. ♪♪ [music fades out] -Breathtaking! The committee's gonna love that. [punchy, dramatic music plays] -[Zooble]: Are they still following us? -Are you still following us? -[Jax]: Yeah, we're still following you! -[Pomni]: Where else would we be? -They're still following us. -[Zooble]: Alright, this is a long one. We're gonna have to run. Let's go! -Hah! ♪♪ ♪♪ -[Zooble]: Ugh, we got so unlucky with the drops here. -[gasps softly] It's time. -[Jax]: Why'd you stop shooting? You out of ammo? -[Zooble]: Why'd you stop? You out of ammo? -Pomni, got any ammo left? -Uh, I have one in the cylinder and one sniper round, but no sniper rifle. -[scoffs] Crap. -[laughing maniacally] -[yelps] -[laughing continues] Yeah! [all hollering] ♪♪ -[gasps] -[exclaims] -Ah! -[Zooble]: [BLEEP!] [lock clicks] -You're just gonna hide in your room? -Coward! [parts clicking, snapping] -[Zooble]: Huh. -[singing] ♪ Daisy ♪ ♪ Daisy ♪ -[both]: [harmonizing] ♪ Give me your answer, do ♪ -[Zooble]: Are -- Are you seriously ♪ Give me your answer, do ♪ gonna start singing that? ♪ Give me your answer, do ♪ -[both]: ♪ I'm half crazy ♪ ♪ All for the love of you ♪ ♪ It won't be a stylish marriage ♪ ♪ I can't afford a carriage ♪ ♪ But you'll look sweet ♪ ♪ Upon the seat ♪ ♪ Of a bicycle built for two ♪ -Oh, wait -- I have a key to Zooble's room. [kaboom!] [grunts] Agh! AAAAAAAUGH!! [rousing rendition of "Daisy Bell" plays] ♪♪ ♪♪ [groans] Ugh... ow. -I can get 'em. -W-Wait! -Trust me, partner! I got this! -[sighs] [dramatic music plays] ♪♪ ♪♪ Hah! ♪♪ -[Zooble]: That's actual bull-[BOINK!]. Ow! ♪♪ Well, [DOINK!], man. Guess that's the end of that. See you on the flip side. ♪♪ [blam!] Agh! [pop!] What? -[laughing] We did it! We made such a good team! [laughs] -Ugh! -[grunts] [stammers] -[chuckles] Well, to be fair, our competition wasn't anything crazy. -Eh, yeah, true. I suppose this is the part where one of us betrays the other. Hah! -Huh? Oh, yeah. You can betray me. -Oh. Uh -- I just -- I thought this was gonna be a mutual thing. -Nah, nah. Go on, do it. -I-I don't... really want to. -La-ame! Come on! I thought you were cool. -We could just be winners. As a team. -We're not a team! Come on. -[stammers] What do you mean? Yes, we are. -Delusional. -W-Weren't we kind of bonding over being chaotic-evil together? -[scoffs] I was merely entertaining you because I thought it was funny. Now, are you gonna shoot me, or what? -Did I... do something wrong? -Ugh, you sound like Ragatha right now. No wonder we're not a team. -No, I mean -- We were doing fine. Having fun, talking. But you suddenly just -- -You're not committing. Do it. -If I shoot you right now, are we still gonna be friends afterwards? -We were never friends. -Wh-- What about all that stuff you told me? -Yeah, I did tell you a lot, didn't I? Not looking forward to thinking about that tomorrow. -No. No, no, no. We're not doing this. You're -- You're not gonna look me in the eye and tell me nothing we've been doing together meant anything to you, because I know that's not true. -Are you coming on to me? Yeah, that's what everybody wants -- a straight couple. -Oh, my God, can you take this seriously? Can you take anything seriously? -Dude, you're a cartoon clown. How am I supposed to take you seriously? -Wh-- I -- [exclaims softly] You reached out to me, not the other way around. You're just gonna pretend that didn't happen? -You must be misremembering. -Is this why you didn't show up to Kaufmo's funeral? -I don't show up to ANY funerals. -Yeah, I bet you don't -- because you're scared. Y-You're scared you'll actually show a human emotion. -I'm scared I'll be BORED to TEARS. -Have you ever thought that this might be what causes people to abstract in the first place? -[laughs bitterly] Oh, my GOD! Are you seriously gonna blame me for something that everybody else did, too?! You didn't even know him! You don't even know what people are like before they abstract! They are NOT pleasant to be around -- like, at all! You -- [scoffs] -I-I'm... I'm sorry. -[clicks tongue] I'm sure you are. [hisses through teeth] Hoo, man! This is all sorts of embarrassing, huh? So, you gonna shoot me, or what? -What would you do if I abstracted tomorrow? -I'd move on. And probably forget about you. -Okay. Okay. I understand. -[scoffs] [chuckles bitterly] Geez, you really can't take a joke, can you? -[exclaims] -[grunts] -You're not the funny one! -Uh, I don't think that counts. -[hollers] -[grunts] -[growling] -[choking] Hey, what are you doing?! -[grunting] -Guh. Agh! -[panting] -Guh! -[chomps] -Fight back! -Are you crazy?! -I said, fight back! [both grunting, hollering] -Stop! [both panting] What's wrong with you?! -Why didn't you fight back? -Oh, here we go. Here we go! Because I didn't fight back, that means I secretly care about you?! I'm just a misunderstood little chicken fetus in an egg that needs to be cracked open. Well, I am not! I do not care about you, or anyone else in this circus in the slightest! End of story! You are my playthings, and I get joy out of making you suffer. I'm the one who causes pain for fun! If I led you on, it was just to make this part hurt you more. [BOINK!] [DOINK!] [panting] There's nothing more to me. So, please, just stop looking. [upbeat fanfare plays] ♪♪ ♪♪ [both grunt softly] -Hey, I -- I feel like, uh -- -I-I have something I -- You can speak first. -No, you go. Let's talk after the show. -Yeah, sounds good. ♪♪ ♪♪ [overlapping chatter] [cheers and applause] -[Caine]: Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the Favorite Character Awards! Before anything starts, I'd like to thank... [deep voice] THE COMMITTEE... [normal voice] for examining our nominees and voting on our winners. -[Committee Members]: We love you, Caine! -Sh- Shut up. -[Committee Member]: Okay... -[Caine]: But what's an award show without honorable mentions and subcategories? That's right -- it's bad! [muffled] Unlike my show, which is good. [muffled music continues] ♪♪ -[panting] [heartbeat thudding] [muffled music fades] [high-pitched ringing] [sighs] [muffled music fades in] [ringing fades out] ♪♪ God, you look stupid. [toilet flushes] ♪♪ -[Disappearing Guy]: So-- -And the award for Biggest Sailor Mouth goes to... Zooble! [cheers and applause] -[Zooble]: Huh? ♪♪ ♪♪ -Alright, folks, it's now the moment you've all been waiting for... the award for Favorite Character! Bubble, give me a drum roll. [drum roll plays] -And the award for Favorite Character goes to... Why... it's me, everyone! Oh, wait, I misread that. It's Ming. ♪♪ -[Ming]: You shouldn't have assumed you won the award. Now we both look foolish. [upbeat jazzy music plays] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [Captioned by Foulweather Studios] ♪♪ ♪♪ -Alrighty. Now, let's see how many of them voted for me. Heh. [glitched feedback blares]