#npc theory

[lennythereviewer]

Amazing Digital Circus Theory: NO ONE is actually human

Okay hear me out on this one, this is sort of the ultimate extreme of "X is secretly an NPC theory" but I legit think I might be on to something

Something Gooseworx said about the series has always stuck with me, when asked about what message they want people to take away from The Amazing Digital Circus is that "There is meaning to be found in a stagnant life."

That quote has never quite left my mind, because a stagnant life is what everyone in the circus lives at that moment, and if the message of the show is that there is meaning to be found in such an existence then I don't believe the series will end with everyone escaping and getting back to reality, it sounds more like making peace with the lives they have now inside the game.

But how can they make peace with staying there forever if they have lives outside to get back to?

It really got me thinking: We've all pointed out the inconsistencies with Caine insisting he can't control their minds, yet we see the Stupid Sauce make Zooble and Ragatha get stoned as hell, Jax being turned into a vegan and having the information of the trust exercise beamed directly into his head, and Goose has been very coy when asked about things like that.

Of course I can't fail to mention that ever since Episode 2, the longest running speculation has been "Is one of the circus members actually an NPC who posing as a human?" with all the fingers being pointed at Jax.

The thing is, I feel like that answer is way too obvious and too heavily telegraphed, especially with Goose promising a big reveal that fundamentally changes how we view the series.

So, what if NO ONE in the circus is human? We've been trying to guess who among them might be just data posing as human that we never considered it might be ALL of them!

How would that even work?

I'm purely speculating at this point but what if when someone puts the headset on and enters the circus, it scans the user's brain and generates basically a data-clone of themselves that runs an artificial intelligence based off their brainscan and personality.

The characters we're following are nothing but sentient data-backups of the real person, who is still totally fine and walking around living their lives while they remain inside the computer. They're on the inside looking out, there's no way to leave the circus because they're just as much programs as Caine is. Abstraction is a data corruption that has to be quarantined. Perhaps everyone who abstracted actually learned the truth of their existence and it pushed them over the edge.

It turns out in an odd way, Jax was right: All they are now are a bunch of cartoon characters.

Them finding meaning in being not fully human and finding peace within the circus feels like it aligns with what Gooseworx said they wanted to be the big takeaway of the series. What makes you real and human is more than just being flesh and blood and there is a type of peace to be found in this odd place.

[futurebird]

The "Dead Internet Theory" is Bad Actually.

You have heard of "dead internet theory" but you probably haven't looked at the theory as originally posted. It's often summed up as "the internet is just a bunch of bots talking to each other" ... and it's tempting to nod along: it's fun to say that "things were better in my day" and YES many sites have too many bots. But, the original "theory" is the product of deeply sad, cynical and isolated minds.

The idea that "most interactions online are bots" and therefore the internet is just imaginary pointless cycles of the same nonsense designed to generate "interaction" for the purpose of advertising has its roots in another "Bad Actually" theory: the notion that life is a simulation and everyone (but you!) are NPCs.

I recently tried to read some of the original thread from wizchan and 4chan that are credited with starting "dead internet theory" and they are...

deeply questionable.

Some of the points raised are:

* Content is Recycled * News is Recycled * People online vanish without reason * The internet makes people "sexually perverted" * People are in bubbles

Now all of these has a ... touch of truth, except for possibly #4 which seems more like a personal problem to me. (and it might be the reason for point #3) But, even if you leave those in, these are also nothing new. It's where the theory goes that is so extreme.

Thinking that people you interacted with for years online are bots is deeply unstable thinking. Bots can do reactions, but bots can't do relationships.

But when you read up on the people who are into this idea they think that they are *really* being Trueman Show'd by bots and that nearly everyone online is a part of a psyop to get them to take COVID shots, live in a pod and eat bugs.

This stuff isn't coming from a good place or a healthy place and I somehow didn't know that. I thought it was just a general "golly there are too many ads and bots and that sucks."

(and I do think it sucks, that's why I keep trying to tell everyone about mastodon and the fediverse... )

You want a real conspiracy?

Here is mine: Why do theories as sophomoric as "dead internet theory" and "NPC theory" or "simulation theory" or "Roko's basilisk" get *any* oxygen at all in media?

These are half-baked shower-thoughts at best.

But they are also concepts that teach helplessness and self-isolation.

Who does that benefit? If you were the kind of person who feared the internet as a tool for grass roots organizing "dead internet theory" would make all would be activists dead in the water.

[auxilioooo]

TADC SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5

sorry for gramar. im on my phone and i cant spell to save my life

So at the end of the episode, we see this guy

Now many people are saying this is a rogue NPC, however I think they’re actually something different.

I think this is someone observing the digital circus, without creating a character or anything. (This is a major stretch just stick with me please)

We know from the first episode pomni got into the circus using a headset, subosedly a VR headset. So we can assume that everyone who got into the circus, put on a headset and got trapped. But then how would this person be able to observe the circus without putting on the headset? Well, I think this person was able to go into the circus using something like a computer instead of a VR headset, similar to how some games that were exclusively vr games can now be played on computers and vice versa.

Now you may be asking, if that’s someone in the digital circus using a computer to “play” in it, why do they look like a maniquen? I think it’s because when you put on the vr headset, it loads up a bunch of info about you from ur brain, and makes a character based on that. But assuming this person is playing on a computer, there would be no way for the VR set to load up a character based on their brain since it isn’t connected to them physically.

we can see with the empty doors, they have maniquens since there is no “player” or person there

Or another reason is because this person specifically chose this to be there character so Cain wouldn’t notice. Since the doors without a specific person on them have a maniquen picture , if someone were to loads in as a maniquen, there would be no to tell if a new person showed up because their door would look like a maniquen

Honestly though, a rouge AI makes a lot more sense, this is just a silly theory i came up with after my second watch with my sister. This episode was awesome thank you @gooseworx for making this AMAZING show (see what i did there)

[an-albino-pinetree]

Cw Rant:

People are knives out about folks who like the idea of NPC Jax, for some reason- Like the posts l've seen about how much people HATE this theory, and hate the people who like it- the amount of stuff I've seen making fun of this theory, or teasing the people. I don't like it. I understand, people are entitled to their opinions- but you also, then, have to respect the opinions of the people who liked this theory. Is there much merit to it? Not really. Did Gooseworx, (I think), publicly state that Jax is not an NPC? Yes. But who cares, and why do you care so much? He's a fictional character, and, at the end of the day, sometimes / do like to think of Jax as an NPC, because the character I fell "in love" with, is the digital avatar! I don't simp for human characters typically, and I personally don't really care that he's a human on the other side.

I'm not in the crossfire of any of the shipping wars, in this fandom (thankfully), but can we also cool it with the shitting on people's theories and concepts, too? It's not that serious. Let's all just have fun here.

[deliciouscollectorcrusadestuff]

This is late and the community would laugh if they hear any related talk about it but I'm just I'm going to be clear and out of the way, I had always hated the NPC jax theory.

It like was popularized by one of the voice actors in the second episode and the target was immediately latched to jax because people hate him and can't stand cocky character or couldn't comprehend on what he's done wasn't what they headcanon for over 3 months.

For someone who had watched old media like those Looney tunes, south Park in the old days and such, they were so surprised that jax treated the circus what it was, a digital world. Like how a Minecraft player would treat their own world.

The reasoning on how they come to these theories aren't even great I'm not going to lie.

"Jax acts like a rival NPC from Pokemon"

"Jax is mean"

Jax is this and that, blah blah blah. All of the reasoning they came up with was completely stupid. You kind find more reasoning in the third episode where Jax refused to hold his breath and let us imagine what would happen. Some people used this as part of their theories that Jax doesn't do this cause he's an NPC.

Huh?! A lot of 4 wall breaking character do this, how does this prove anything of what your saying?

If Jax was an NPC as they stated then we wouldn't have this emotion right here,

If Jax was an old NPC that they stated and not the largest attempt like gummygoo then him expressing these 4 frame emotions would be out of the count.

Remember Caine said that how the NPC act is his latest attempt. Seeing how Jax existted before gangle, zooble and even pomni he wouldn't be able to do all that.

Seeing how reused the circus is with its prompts and NPC itself

The digital circus acts like Minecraft, reusing limited mobs that are scripted for their own event.

People are going to have their own reactions to how they are treating it in a digital setting.

It's like they forgot that people aren't one dimensional and have their own nuances.

You know what I hate, despite the community learning that character can be more than one dimensional, they seemingly forgot about it the next day. Now they've seen that Jax isn't what they invision for over 4 months they flip it and ignore not only the reason why. It's like they haven't learned anything.

Getting of topic and speaking of mis characterization

I've seen it in fanfics where they make Jax act like a bully but it would be so out of character and have him react in how's his been treated so out of character that's it's not even Jax anymore and they asked the question on would Jax be sad if something extremely bad would have happened in with the digital gang like abstraction...

I'm going to hold your hand as I say this. Did you fully watch the second episode of Jax feeling bad because one of the members abstracted for a moment before leaving? If he hated the funeral then he would have ruined it himself but he didn't, we saw 4 to 5 seconds of frame of him feeling bad before represing said emotions and leaving.

The Jax that you invision In your head is a poorely comprehended version of what Jax would do. Jax would not do that. The version you have is a twisted version that you water down an single aspect of Jax and mis characterized either to support your shipping dynamics or because you let the community who was previous known to get a character personality wrong in a large massive take support in your decision of fully comprehending the character.

I've been ranting about Jax because I seen people in X still mis characterized him to this day to support their shipping discount. I get that Jax himself is meant to be hated and such but seriously? Him causing one of the gangs abstraction on purpose?

I'm going to try and hold myself accountable and say that I also mischaterize Jax but not for the same reason mainly, that would be something for another talk.

Did we forget that abstraction is caused by having a mental breakdown of thinking of the real world? It was stated by ragatha herself and seeing how she's the second oldest to be in the circus. I think it says a lot.

The community took the character and headcanon them so much that they are different then what they actually are in the first place.

I admit that the community do make good ideas and aus and such but we shouldn't use them and guide why the main canon character are like this. Each if them have their own episode showing us why. The purpose if the show is to show us why they are like this, showing us that not every thing is black and white like how people imagine it.

Now that being said, watch me forget all about this and not hold myself to this standard. 🧍

This was just my Ted talk

[snicker-dooodless]

So I’ve seen the theory going around that Jax is an NPC, which, at first glance makes so much sense! His pin not having his room in it, his lack of care towards the other characters, his fourth wall breaks. But after some thinking I don’t think he’s an NPC, but I do think someone else is. Who that person is you ask? Gangle.

She’s one of the most interesting characters in the cast by far, and that’s not just because of her personality or design, but instead the little element of a challenge that she has. Her masks. We’re left to assume that her happy mask regenerates every day (her having it at the beginning of both ep1 and ep2) it sets up a nice challenge for her everyday. But literally no one else in the cast has something like this. The only character who’s close to having something like this is Zooble, and all of their different parts but I personally don’t think that makes much sense.But it would make sense if Gangle had this challenge as a NPC.

Another reason is that she never brings up or talks about finding an exit. Pomni does (almost every second in ep1), Ragatha does (while talking to Pomni in the hallway), Jax does (after Pomni says she thinks she saw an exit door), Kinger does (while talking about Kaufmo) and Zooble does (after literally choking Jax). But I never see Gangle even bring up the exit (please correct me if I’m wrong).

Now onto Jax being an NPC, I think most of it can just be chalked up to being a jerk and breaking the fourth wall. Now I don’t really now how he can break the fourth wall, but it could just be a completely normal, quirky character trait goose and glitch gave him. And because he can break the fourth wall, he’s also hiding his room in the pin display image. (I know this isn’t really good proof, but I don’t really know how else to explain it lol)

Another reason I think Gangle is an NPC also ties in with Jax. In ep2 while Gangle is driving Jax calls her (driver, & submissive and agreeable) now this could also be chalked up as just a joke, but those are also thinks that you would call an NPC, their main traits and their job. How would Jax know this? Well, I did say he can break the fourth wall.

[serendipitous-posts]

Do I think Jax is an NPC? No. Do I think it's a super cool and interesting thought baby? F%&k yeah.

[jaxxy-girl]

I think Holden Caulfield would believe in the NPC theory(the theory that states everybody else in the world but you is a NPC) only because it would make it 100x easier to not care about people, consciously at least, cuz he does care a shittt ton.