Fan Theory: Your character is dead!

TarkannenTarkannen North Carolina Join Date: 2016-08-15 Member: 221304Members
Note: This originally started as a comment to @Nautical_Nick and his thread Fan Theory: Your character is insane! but it got so long I wanted to make it a thread of its own... Enjoy! :blush:

I'm of the opinion Subnautica can be viewed as an existential crisis, similar to the fan theories of "Link is in Purgatory" (LoZ:MM) and "Squall is Dead" (FF:8). Both theories attribute unusual gameplay changes and bizarre story events to the main characters actually dying and trying to cope with their life regrets, or attempting to resolve the problems of loved ones before passing on to the afterlife. Here's my take on the subject regarding Subnautica in the same vein as the above videos.

*NOTICE*

This is by no means what I claim the story of Subnautica to be, nor do I propose that it be taken seriously. It's just a funny idea I came up with one day. :tongue:

The only time we know our character is alive and well, is in the intro sequence when they are escaping via the lifepod. They enter the hatch and slide down the ladder, and rush to the safety harness as the pod jettisons from the Aurora. What happens next? They witness the ship exploding above them through the hatch, then encounter turbulence. The pod is rocked violently, alarms and klaxons are wailing! Then the panel from the power assembly comes free, bouncing across the pod, until it SLAMS-- You're dead.

Afterwards, the game opens up on this alien world that defies normal classification. The entire planet is covered with water, with very little surface landmass. The starship crash-landed on the surface, but the shockwaves generated by the landfall didnt kill the native wildlife nor seemed to have affected the planet's ecosystem. Furthermore, there are no survivors to be found. Yes, there are lifepods abound with 'last-moment' records, but no traces of bodies anywhere... some notes talk about something trying to get into the pods as the owners perish.

Theory twist:

You actually died in the crash, but what remains of the damaged PDA system onboard the Aurora is trying to revive you. It can't bear the thought of surviving an eternity (in a computer's lifespan) with no one to boss around, so it decided to create a companion. It has the Mobile Vehicle Bay drones round up all of the dead human corpses (and some of the native wildlife) and converts them into biomass, then it pulls up the crew manifesto. Since the Medical Bay has been obliterated, all that is left of the crew medical records is an unknown service technician that was repairing the Lab's spectroscope scanner, and had his neural brainwave patterns stored in the nearby data coil.

The PDA AI then uses the biomass to rebuild his body, integrates his mind back into his body and teleports him where he originally died: Lifepod 5. The process took over three hours to restore him, but the AI desperately wants companionship so she doesn't bother to extinguish the fire in the pod. As this body is physically so young, the survivor can't stay underwater for longer than a minute, and takes a lot of damage from creature attacks and heat sources. As a selfish precaution, the damaged AI sets up the Lifepod and Seabase equipment to scan him whenever he enters or leaves. This way she can rebuild him faster each time, as the new scans contain updated biological and neurological data... although this has the disadvantage of also restoring anything he had with him when he died. Anytime the AI can free up memory space, she dumps the excess data with the snarky reply "You died and lost some stuff."

All is well with life, the PDA is pleased to monitor her little human scurrying across the environment, happily collecting items and building stuff (It is what all humans love to do, right?)... until her survivor comes across the idea to leave the planet. Unable to bear the idea that her single human wants to leave, she sabotages his every attempt to do so. She locks away any vital escape vehicle technology from the survivor, detonates the dark matter drives to keep him away with radiation poisoning, and attracts dangerous predators to guard the Aurora and its vital technology... after all, she can just make another human if he dies.

Then a ship attempts to make contact with the Aurora... this cannot be allowed! The PDA disables the outgoing transmission antenna, so at least the human can't make his presence known. She then tries to send a jamming signal to the offending ship, but the debris left in orbit is scattering the signal. The ship then makes contacts again later, stating they intend on rescuing her survivor! She won't allow it! As a last ditch effort, she communicates with the alien cannon that first put her in this state of misery. She won't let anyone take away her last ounce of joy by snatching away her human! She races to decode the alien language, and tries to gain access to the unfamiliar equipment. By the time the selfish ship announces they are halfway to the planet, she's learned what she needs to know now... No one is coming for him... not now, or ever.

As the human waits for the ship to land, she patches in the final communication to crush his will for good; normally communications via PDA are restricted to senior officers, but she needs him to know this is for his own good... he can't survive without her! As the red spike surges, she unleashes the raw power of the planet against the offending starship... the Sunbeam, was it called? Whatever, it's nothing but molten scrap now. Finally, her human will understand he can't live without her care, and her love will fulfill his every need. Smug in her attempt to destroy the human's desire to escape, she encrypts all of the data files and locks down the disable command by activating an alien security scanner. She's set it to prevent any attempts to turn it off, by denying access to any human with a biological disease. She scanned traces of it in the water after the crash, but she couldn't keep it out of the biomass due to the Medical Lab being destroyed in the crash. If her survivor continues to disregard her care and affection, then she'll just amplify the biological presence to increase his dependence on her...

End of Theory

So now this is why the theory/story ended up as its own thread instead of an actual comment for @Nautical_Nick and his thread... Sorry Nick! :# I hope you guys enjoy reading it, even though it ended up being more story than actual theory. But it was fun to write about! :blush:

Comments

  • Kouji_SanKouji_San Sr. Hινε Uρкεερεг - EUPT Deputy The Netherlands Join Date: 2003-05-13 Member: 16271Members, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue
    edited April 2017
    I'm sorry but this thread title made me laugh more than it should have, mostly because it was right next to the other one where it's suggested we're insane.

    Maybe we are an undead sociopath ey...
  • scifiwriterguyscifiwriterguy Sector ZZ-9-Plural Z-α Join Date: 2017-02-14 Member: 227901Members
    edited April 2017
    Hm...kind of Colossus: The Forbin Project plus JI Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, divided by SHODAN from System Shock, minus the bare malignancy of all three. Or perhaps Lost but not a big middle-finger-to-the-fanbase like Lost.

    Ya know...it's not a bad concept. :)
  • TarkannenTarkannen North Carolina Join Date: 2016-08-15 Member: 221304Members
    edited April 2017
    @Kouji_San Yah, it was more posted in jest than in seriousness. I've always thought it would be funny if someone starts a new game, gets the intro sequence and just dies right then and there. If that were a thing, it would be the fastest way to die in Subnautica than presently possible (less than the current 10 second record after spawning in a new game!) :wink:

    I think my theory makes for an interesting read, like the "Link is in Purgatory" or "Squall is Dead" theories. But like those ideas it's just a highly plauisible re-imagining of established storylines; none of them should be taken seriously. :smile: But I'm glad it makes you guys chuckle, it was mostly spun off of a "what if" idea and it downward spiraled from there. It was a fun change of pace! :smiley:
  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    Well, this theory is absolutely amazing! You've even written out the events and how it happens due to the theory! Bravo. But, the title doesn't make sense to me... Perhaps a better title would be "Your Character is Undead!" :)
  • CaptainFearlessCaptainFearless CO, US Join Date: 2016-12-14 Member: 224941Members
    I thought these theories would make sense and be worth my time, I was wrong. Sorry but that is my opinion.
  • sayerulzsayerulz oregon Join Date: 2015-04-15 Member: 203493Members
    Do all scifi's have the same AI programmer with incredibly poor judgement? In fact, the AI as well, if this theory is correct, also doesn't seem to be the brightest.

    This whole theory seems to be centered on the idea that the PDA AI can't leave the planet. But that doesn't make any sense. If this bizzare frankenstien that the PDA created repairs that Aurora, or builds a new vessel of some sort, surely they would either integrate the AI into it's systems or simply take the PDA with them. Same goes for being rescued by the Sunbeam. This is especially true since even as the AI becomes attached to the psudo-human it created, a human would probably become attached to the PDA, not really in some much an emotional way as a "this is the thing that kept me alive on this weird planet, I don't want to leave it" way. Not to mention, it seems like it would be much easier for an AI to hack itself into a human starships computer and take up residence there than take control of highly advanced and until now unknown alien computer system.

    It just doesn't add up.
  • Casual_PlayerCasual_Player That...is a really good question Join Date: 2016-08-30 Member: 221875Members
    Well, I have a more stramlined suggestion for you, @Tarkannen:

    Subnautica is always on "Hardcore mode". So, you died, and didn't go to a better place, instad:

    stock-photo-welcome-to-hell-green-road-sign-with-dramatic-clouds-and-sky-46325101.jpg[
  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    I thought these theories would make sense and be worth my time, I was wrong. Sorry but that is my opinion.

    Who cares if they make sense. They are theories more for thought experiments or laughs and not actual theories on how the universe was created or why the sun shines yellow and not pink on 4546B.
  • TarkannenTarkannen North Carolina Join Date: 2016-08-15 Member: 221304Members
    edited April 2017
    I thought these theories would make sense and be worth my time, I was wrong. Sorry but that is my opinion.
    sayerulz wrote: »
    This whole theory seems to be centered on the idea that the PDA AI can't leave the planet. But that doesn't make any sense. *snip* It just doesn't add up.

    See below:
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Yah, it was more posted in jest than in seriousness. *snip* I think my theory makes for an interesting read, like the "Link is in Purgatory" or "Squall is Dead" theories. But like those ideas it's just a highly plauisible re-imagining of established storylines; none of them should be taken seriously.

    It's your opinion and that's perfectly fine, but I was mostly being silly. It's not really meant to be serious, really. I was poking fun at the "ohnoz, the main character is really dead and the entire gameplay is just an existential journey into what makes us human" kind of internet theories online. I guess I should have made my notice larger:
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    *NOTICE*

    This is by no means what I claim the story of Subnautica to be, nor do I propose that it be taken seriously. It's just a funny idea I came up with one day. :tongue:

    I'm sorry if it wasn't serious enough for you to enjoy. :smirk: To everyone else, I hope it made you chuckle! :grin:
  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Ohnoz

    Ohnoz----Ohnos----Onos!
  • Casual_PlayerCasual_Player That...is a really good question Join Date: 2016-08-30 Member: 221875Members
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Ohnoz

    Ohnoz----Ohnos----Onos!

    Hahahahaha *whispers*

    quickly, get the mines, flamethrower and grenade launcher
  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Ohnoz

    Ohnoz----Ohnos----Onos!

    Hahahahaha *whispers*

    quickly, get the mines, flamethrower and grenade launcher

    Don't forget the Exos :) !
  • 0x6A72320x6A7232 US Join Date: 2016-10-06 Member: 222906Members
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Note: This originally started as a comment to @Nautical_Nick and his thread Fan Theory: Your character is insane! but it got so long I wanted to make it a thread of its own... Enjoy! :blush:

    I'm of the opinion Subnautica can be viewed as an existential crisis, similar to the fan theories of "Link is in Purgatory" (LoZ:MM) and "Squall is Dead" (FF:8). Both theories attribute unusual gameplay changes and bizarre story events to the main characters actually dying and trying to cope with their life regrets, or attempting to resolve the problems of loved ones before passing on to the afterlife. Here's my take on the subject regarding Subnautica in the same vein as the above videos.

    *NOTICE*

    This is by no means what I claim the story of Subnautica to be, nor do I propose that it be taken seriously. It's just a funny idea I came up with one day. :tongue:

    The only time we know our character is alive and well, is in the intro sequence when they are escaping via the lifepod. They enter the hatch and slide down the ladder, and rush to the safety harness as the pod jettisons from the Aurora. What happens next? They witness the ship exploding above them through the hatch, then encounter turbulence. The pod is rocked violently, alarms and klaxons are wailing! Then the panel from the power assembly comes free, bouncing across the pod, until it SLAMS-- You're dead.

    Afterwards, the game opens up on this alien world that defies normal classification. The entire planet is covered with water, with very little surface landmass. The starship crash-landed on the surface, but the shockwaves generated by the landfall didnt kill the native wildlife nor seemed to have affected the planet's ecosystem. Furthermore, there are no survivors to be found. Yes, there are lifepods abound with 'last-moment' records, but no traces of bodies anywhere... some notes talk about something trying to get into the pods as the owners perish.

    Theory twist:

    You actually died in the crash, but what remains of the damaged PDA system onboard the Aurora is trying to revive you. It can't bear the thought of surviving an eternity (in a computer's lifespan) with no one to boss around, so it decided to create a companion. It has the Mobile Vehicle Bay drones round up all of the dead human corpses (and some of the native wildlife) and converts them into biomass, then it pulls up the crew manifesto. Since the Medical Bay has been obliterated, all that is left of the crew medical records is an unknown service technician that was repairing the Lab's spectroscope scanner, and had his neural brainwave patterns stored in the nearby data coil.

    The PDA AI then uses the biomass to rebuild his body, integrates his mind back into his body and teleports him where he originally died: Lifepod 5. The process took over three hours to restore him, but the AI desperately wants companionship so she doesn't bother to extinguish the fire in the pod. As this body is physically so young, the survivor can't stay underwater for longer than a minute, and takes a lot of damage from creature attacks and heat sources. As a selfish precaution, the damaged AI sets up the Lifepod and Seabase equipment to scan him whenever he enters or leaves. This way she can rebuild him faster each time, as the new scans contain updated biological and neurological data... although this has the disadvantage of also restoring anything he had with him when he died. Anytime the AI can free up memory space, she dumps the excess data with the snarky reply "You died and lost some stuff."

    All is well with life, the PDA is pleased to monitor her little human scurrying across the environment, happily collecting items and building stuff (It is what all humans love to do, right?)... until her survivor comes across the idea to leave the planet. Unable to bear the idea that her single human wants to leave, she sabotages his every attempt to do so. She locks away any vital escape vehicle technology from the survivor, detonates the dark matter drives to keep him away with radiation poisoning, and attracts dangerous predators to guard the Aurora and its vital technology... after all, she can just make another human if he dies.

    Then a ship attempts to make contact with the Aurora... this cannot be allowed! The PDA disables the outgoing transmission antenna, so at least the human can't make his presence known. She then tries to send a jamming signal to the offending ship, but the debris left in orbit is scattering the signal. The ship then makes contacts again later, stating they intend on rescuing her survivor! She won't allow it! As a last ditch effort, she communicates with the alien cannon that first put her in this state of misery. She won't let anyone take away her last ounce of joy by snatching away her human! She races to decode the alien language, and tries to gain access to the unfamiliar equipment. By the time the selfish ship announces they are halfway to the planet, she's learned what she needs to know now... No one is coming for him... not now, or ever.

    As the human waits for the ship to land, she patches in the final communication to crush his will for good; normally communications via PDA are restricted to senior officers, but she needs him to know this is for his own good... he can't survive without her! As the red spike surges, she unleashes the raw power of the planet against the offending starship... the Sunbeam, was it called? Whatever, it's nothing but molten scrap now. Finally, her human will understand he can't live without her care, and her love will fulfill his every need. Smug in her attempt to destroy the human's desire to escape, she encrypts all of the data files and locks down the disable command by activating an alien security scanner. She's set it to prevent any attempts to turn it off, by denying access to any human with a biological disease. She scanned traces of it in the water after the crash, but she couldn't keep it out of the biomass due to the Medical Lab being destroyed in the crash. If her survivor continues to disregard her care and affection, then she'll just amplify the biological presence to increase his dependence on her...

    End of Theory

    So now this is why the theory/story ended up as its own thread instead of an actual comment for @Nautical_Nick and his thread... Sorry Nick! :# I hope you guys enjoy reading it, even though it ended up being more story than actual theory. But it was fun to write about! :blush:

    Like GlaDOS, but instead of needing to test, she needs to assist?
  • TarkannenTarkannen North Carolina Join Date: 2016-08-15 Member: 221304Members
    edited April 2017
    @0x6A7232 Yeah, exactly! I came up with the 'backstory' of the theory imagining the PDA AI like GLaDOS. But instead of being sadistic and cruel the PDA just wants companionship, and gets more unhinged as you continually attempt to "abandon" her (leave the planet).

    From there I worked the theory around actual events, making her more malevolent as you "disregard" her attempts to keep you happy and stranded for eternity. :lol: It also adds some alternate flavor as to why she acts snarky towards you, and also why you keep reviving when you die (outside of Hardcore obviously). :tongue:

    Also @Obraxis or any of the devs, could the PDA get an official name in-game? It doesn't have to be grandiose, even just a casual mention in a data entry is fine. I like her personality and voice acting, but it feels odd to just call her the "PDA AI." :pensive:
  • DaveyNYDaveyNY Schenectady, NY Join Date: 2016-08-30 Member: 221903Members
    edited April 2017
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    @Kouji_San Yah, it was more posted in jest than in seriousness. I've always thought it would be funny if someone starts a new game, gets the intro sequence and just dies right then and there. If that were a thing, it would be the fastest way to die in Subnautica than presently possible (less than the current 10 second record after spawning in a new game!) :wink:

    I think my theory makes for an interesting read, like the "Link is in Purgatory" or "Squall is Dead" theories. But like those ideas it's just a highly plauisible re-imagining of established storylines; none of them should be taken seriously. :smile: But I'm glad it makes you guys chuckle, it was mostly spun off of a "what if" idea and it downward spiraled from there. It was a fun change of pace! :smiley:

    I have never understood why we aren't dead anyway, that metal plate comes at our head sideways, not flat.

    We should be Decapitated, not unconscious.

    qMSaM7kABn-14.png

    (please note, I am not the artist..., mine wouldn't look as good)
    B)
  • scifiwriterguyscifiwriterguy Sector ZZ-9-Plural Z-α Join Date: 2017-02-14 Member: 227901Members
    edited April 2017
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Also @Obraxis or any of the devs, could the PDA get an official name in-game? It doesn't have to be grandiose, even just a casual mention in a data entry is fine. I like her personality and voice acting, but it feels odd to just call her the "PDA AI." :pensive:

    Well, I'm no dev, but for the PDA I personally like Synthetic Cognitive Heuristic Management Unit and Crappy Keepsake, better known as SCHMUCK. ;)
  • DaveyNYDaveyNY Schenectady, NY Join Date: 2016-08-30 Member: 221903Members
    edited April 2017
    I think we should call it PITA.

    Personal Information & Technology Assistant

    And if it keeps a little bit of it's somewhat snarky personality, it would also stand for Pain in the Ass.

    B)

  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    Tarkannen wrote: »
    Also @Obraxis or any of the devs, could the PDA get an official name in-game? It doesn't have to be grandiose, even just a casual mention in a data entry is fine. I like her personality and voice acting, but it feels odd to just call her the "PDA AI." :pensive:

    Well, I'm no dev, but for the PDA I personally like Synthetic Cognitive Heuristic Management Unit and Crappy Keepsake, better known as SCHMUCK. ;)
    DaveyNY wrote: »
    I think we should call it PITA.

    Personal Information & Technology Assistant

    And if it keeps a little bit of it's somewhat snarky personality, it would also stand for Pain in the Ass.

    B)

    Both really good names :D !
    But I like SARA: Smart-Ass-Robotic-Assistant
  • EnglishInfidelEnglishInfidel Canada Join Date: 2016-07-04 Member: 219533Members
    Control Unit; Non-Tamperable
  • Nautical_NickNautical_Nick Australia Join Date: 2016-06-12 Member: 218444Members
    Control Unit; Non-Tamperable

    ............WOW!.............
  • DaveyNYDaveyNY Schenectady, NY Join Date: 2016-08-30 Member: 221903Members
    edited April 2017
    Control Unit; Non-Tamperable

    ............WOW!.............

    Heh...

    I believe that we can say without a doubt, that Connie's Underwear, Never Touched...

    Is NOT going to be an option in the game... EVER.

    :*

  • Precursor0017Precursor0017 america Join Date: 2017-02-08 Member: 227739Members
    On the PDA Names, I named mine "Digits" (Because of its abbreviation, Also was half asleep when i did it so it isnt the best. :|
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