So, after thinking a bit about the plot after episode 7, what became more interesting to me is not how the characters will get out of the circus, but how and for what purpose they even got there in the first place. And I think I have an idea, although after thinking it through properly, it seems pretty crazy.
My theory is that all characters entered the circus voluntarily as participants in experimental therapy.
All the main characters clearly have psychological problems:
Pomni experiences acute stress, panic attacks, denial of the situation, paranoia, and (digital) hallucinations.
Jax shows antisocial behavior, hiding insecurity and fear of vulnerability behind a mask of cynicism and cruelty.
Gangle suffers from extreme emotional fragility, her personality radically changes when she loses her mask (from depression to joy and back in a cycle).
And the same applies to all the main characters. Except for Kinger, but we will return to him later.
In my version, these people decided to take part in experimental therapy, signed contracts, put on helmets, and were placed into life-support capsules. But their memory was partially erased about how exactly they got into the circus and about their real names.
The idea of the Digital Circus as experimental therapy does not seem unrealistic if we remember that in the past psychiatry used extremely harsh and unethical methods from lobotomy to electroconvulsive therapy. Moreover, even today there are forms of treatment through simulations and game environments. Therefore, the concept of therapy disguised as a show looks like a logical continuation of real practices.
I focus on Kinger because I assume that he is one of the administrators who helped develop the system, and his role in the circus is to monitor the system and the other characters. This also explains why he has been there the longest and still has not abstracted. Possibly his “admin” status gives him extended abilities and helps him not to abstract, or he passed psychological tests and thorough psychological preparation.
An interesting detail. In the pilot episode, Caine said:
“The Amazing Digital Circus is a place to be enjoyed by all ages.”
This leads to one disturbing thought. If the Digital Circus is an environment “suitable for all ages,” this may mean that not only adults, but also teenagers or even children could have participated in the experiment. This explains the cartoonish style, censorship, and lack of genitals: the system must be safe for the most vulnerable psyche. However, this also makes the experiment even more cruel, since not all participants could withstand such a form of “treatment.”
If Circus experimental therapy, then the logic is: “the earlier you intervene - the higher the chance to fix the psyche.”
Perhaps the Digital Circus is disguised to hide its true purpose - experimental psychotherapy. The phrase “for all ages” sounds like a marketing slogan behind which an unethical experiment is hidden. Also, using people of any age is beneficial for the company that started all this, because the more test subjects there are, the more data there is on the results of the therapy.
This makes the experiment even harsher. If there are many empty rooms in the hallway, then there could have been children there too, who could not handle it.
Where are their real bodies?
If they are just in helmets - they would have died from hunger and thirst. So, most likely they are kept in life-support capsules.
But here a problem arises, this is VERY expensive.
And the circus characters are clearly not rich: Gangle worked in food service, Ragatha lived on a farm.
And to maintain the characters, you need:
• nutrition (through tubes),
• prevention of muscle atrophy,
1 day in intensive care like this would cost approximately:
$30,000 - $90,000 per month
$360,000 - $1,000,000 per year
If a person lies there, for example, for 5 years: from 1.8 to 5 million dollars for ONE person.
And this does not include the cost of:
and all the other details.
From this we draw the following conclusions: someone is paying for them, they are just test subjects and/or they were offered this for free.
An example of using such capsules can be found in the game “Amanda the Adventurer 3,” where it is revealed that children physically lie in capsules while their consciousness is trapped in digital form.
And well, if all this is not true, then most likely the characters’ bodies in real life have been rotting for a long time ;))
Oh, and what about the real world and the time period the characters live in? Although visually the Circus looks like an old computer system, the characters are clearly from the modern world for example, Pomni was a blogger.
This may mean that the Circus technology runs on outdated hardware (if we refer to the pilot episode where it was shown) or intentionally uses retro design (since the peak popularity of CRT monitors was in the 1980s–1990s), which emphasizes the experimental and unethical nature of the project.
So the option is this, they are the first test subjects of a free experiment testing the technology, and no one knows if it actually works.
And judging by the number of empty rooms…it does NOT work.
What does “abstraction” mean?
If the people in the hallway are past participants, then “abstraction” means that the psyche could not withstand the treatment. Possibly they were disconnected or they died.
And the main question is: who even needs all of this? There are not many options: the state, a corporation, a scientific consortium, or all of them together.
Also briefly about another theory of mine related to Caine. Possibly one of the goals of the Digital Circus is the training and testing of artificial intelligence (Caine). People were placed into the simulation as “living data,” so that the AI could learn to manage a complex environment, create scenarios, control behavior, and observe the reactions of real people, including those with mental disorders.
That is, the Circus is a testing ground, and the characters are an exam for the AI: will it be able to create “therapy,” keep people in the system, and cope with unstable personalities. Especially if we are talking not about modern time, judging by the CRT monitors.
Well, I think that’s all. Write what you think about this!!
jacobvanloon
prguitarman
gummygunk
areudirty
yousharknotpass
dailybridgerton