WX-78 used to be human at some point before the events of Don't Starve

[Eggsterminator]

Okay, bear with me, this is my first post on here and it might as well be just a giant stretch, but...

My theory is that WX-78 used to be human not too long before the events of Don't Starve, and specifically as a close relative of Robert Wagstaff (In this case perhaps his son), then later on, at some point he died of unknown circumstances.

[I have speculations for that too, but that's just an apocryphal concoction, so I'm not going to mention it here.] 

It may or may not possibly involve fire or as such, since their quote for a campfire is:

Spoiler

That or it also could have something to do with their disappearance from the real world.

Back to the main topic, I have a few arguments supporting this theory, although they're rather weak and definitely not plausible enough to be concidered anything too serious or canonically related, so don't think too much of it. This is mostly a fun theory I've been building up for the past year or so.

Anyways, let me just present them to you:

• •Some, if not most of WX-78's voice files are labeled as "Woodrow", despite the fact that the character has been around for almost a decade, Klei never changed or edited the names of the files, even for the newer DST alteration of their character.

Although this does not mean much of anything as far, as most of you already know, Klei has many unimplemented or removed characters, voice files and silhouettes of these characters, as well as some other background features or mobs that were eventually scratched, so this isn't some major proof. 

If you wish to see, what I'm talking about, here are the screenshots from Don't Starve Wiki:

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

You could still believe that their human name used to be Woodrow once, if you follow this theory.

• They might possibly be in a similar situation as Abigail or Lucy (Lucy is a bit of an overkill since she cannot normally be 'killed' unlike Abigail and she doesn't appear to have a ghost form).

 Considering that they don't drop a soul when they're killed nearby a Wortox player (despite having a ghost upon death ), there are a few interesting quotes from two particular characters (including Wortox himself) that may suggest a possible explanation for that.

Spoiler

Quote

Wickerbottom, while attempting to use a telltale heart on Abigail.

Spoiler

Quote

Wortox, while attempting to use a telltale heart on Abigail and a random Ghost.

So perhaps WX-78 is indeed in a similar predicament, seeing as almost a half of the characters upon seeing them die, claim that they can see their ghost/soul, yet despite that, they're still perceived as:  

"having no soul."

Spoiler

Quote

Woodie

Spoiler

Quote

Warly

Quote

Wortox

Quote

Walter

Quote

Wickerbottom

Which normally wouldn't make any sense, and yet...

Perhaps their spirit (if they ever had one) is bound to a specific body part, thing or an object similar to Abigail and her flower. Although I'm not sure if in that case it would be bound to their body, or at least their full body, since their ghost still appears after it's (their body) been destroyed.

About the latter part of Wortox's telltale heart quotes...

-"There's no body for it to return to" could perhaps hint, that; the reason for which WX-78 was created in the first place.

To be a vessel/body for a preexisting ghost. (It also seems to count enough for a body in the constant world that it (The Constant) acknowledges this and brings them back to it after they've been resurrected.)

[Some characters actually have ghosts that change features of their ghastly form, to fit their former body. (These characters being Woodie, Wormwood, Wortox and Wurt.) This could supposedly be enough of an explanation as to why WX-78 has a ghost that looks so different from the rest of the characters' ghosts. To fit with the appearance of their robotic body.]

•WX-78's empathy module 'does not respond', as they claim at least, and yet they show empathy towards most machines and even towards certain creatures that are not all automated.

I have two theories for this, take to account whichever you'd think would fit best.

A) WX-78's empathy module is malfunctioning, meaning it's not completely unresponsive.

Like for example when your internet connection is very bad, but it still somehow works from time to time, under certain conditions like places and levels of connectivity. 

(When you go towards a certain part of your house It appears to work better, but when you move just slightly to the left the bar goes all the way down.)

Maybe that's the case with WX's morality compass.

That or..

B) WX-78 doesn't need an empathy module, since it's not necessarily needed if they already have a "soul". (A Specter or a ghost, something that makes them slightly more alive), which would mean that some or all parts of their body are powered by their ghost, (and likely something else) explaining even if slightly, why they need edible food items to sustain their hunger despite having an automated chemical engine. The fact, that they get the same buffs and most of the negative effects from them as other (human) characters do, for some reason they can get hay fever during the Lush Season in Hamlet, (Even though Wormwood and Werebeaver are apparently immune, a robot isn't) or they can produce something that's very close to air or steam (See how they have a similar animation to other characters of puffing out hot air in winter)

It's either that something out there is making them more lively or the crew just didn't want to make specific animations and buffs for them yet, possibly because it would be too easy for singleplayer don't starve to apply standard robot logic for them or they didn't go through with it for other unknown reasons.

But then there's also this...

•WX-78 is very inconsistent with their quotes. For example, there are many typically robotic quotes, such as: 

Spoiler

 

 

Which are pretty expected, since they are a robot. At least that's what they're described as.

But then, there are those kind of quotes:

Spoiler

 

 

Which seem more human and lifelike and are greatly diverse from the cold and calculated machine WX desperately tries to be. I wonder why that is.

• If WX ever was human, they have no memory of being so.

This one is rather obvious, and why exactly? Well first of all, a simple quote can summarize that they had little connection to the outside world that's neither the storage room/factory/Wagstaff's workspace, or wherever they were held up once they came to be.

Spoiler

They also don't recognize any human traditions or holidays like Christmas (Or in this case Winter's Feast),Ticket Booth games and other so forth.

Spoiler

 

 

 If they ever were a human, after becoming a robot their "soul" could've had an equivalent of a factory reset. At least that's the only explanation I can think of right now.

• About how they got into the constant 

I honestly am not sure. They seem to not recognize Maxwell much, when they examine him,however on the other hand, when a Maxwell player goes on a killing spree in DST, their quote for him is:

Spoiler

They could just be talking about him deceiving other survivors but at this point, who knows, really.

 It could've also been an accident or an attempted escape (via a portal of sorts). I'm not a huge believer of the theory, that Wagstaff just randomly dumped them there to gather research, when it is proven that he can simply create a projection of himself instead, It's a lot less problematic with a transparent, intangible body that isn't easily damaged by the environment and it's inhabitants, although the his playable version in singleplayer is apparently considered a projection as well,(seeing that it is labeled as such in the game files, as stated in the Wiki) which is interesting since It can in fact interact with the world, it requires a food source and experiences the same negative effects of raw, uncooked food as the regular Robert Wagstaff, while also becoming more distorted and glitchy once severely damaged.Curious...

(Perhaps I'll try and understand this logic someday, but for now...)

Whatever Wagstaff had done, it left a bad imprint, considering most of WX's quotes for his projection or tools.

Spoiler

 

 

Their creator can very well be the major reason (If not sole) for their deep-seated hatred towards all living matter.

Although that doesn't stop the fact, that they still have a few things in common:

• They're both rather keen on destruction
• Are pro pig-slavery
• They recognize the Fibonacci pattern on a pine cone
• And the broken part of the ACC Device. (...)

In general, they have some similiar views on certain subjects. Mostly though their opinions strongly differantiates from one another.

Wagstaff most of the time doesn't have a direct opinion on something, he simply analises things, likely because he isn't technically truly there, unlike WX-78 who's essentially attemting to logic their way out of things, failing, and then proceeding to insult them. Or the other way around.

Despite their noticible hatred towards Wagstaff, they still inadvertently admire him for his inventions, though they would probably prefer getting dismantled than saying this to his face.

Spoiler

• Since WX never names their machine 'friends' anything other than "friend", "sister", "brother", or "mother", (sometimes even cousin), I'm going to assume that Hal used to be their childhood toy from their previous life, and since I'm pretty sure their love for machinery was always there, especially when you have a scientist/inventor for a father. (I also theorize that Wagstaff was the one who created the 'lying robot' when he was younger, lying probably wasn't supposed to be it's primal function but it somehow became that nonetheless do to a flaw or malfunction in its "rudimentary programming", as Wagstaff claims with an unusually hostile statement:

This seem rather strange, considering it is some type of machine, even the tiny rocketship got a better treatment from him. And you know what? This reminds me exactly of an artist reacting to their old creations and cringing. "Jesus Christ did I really make that crap?!" At least that's how I react to the drawings I made a year or even a few months ago. Creative people do this all the time, because they can clearly point out their previous mistakes and can often feel ashamed of them. (But that's just another subject, that I'm not going to get into right now.)

[Lifeless and uninspiring...Well, at least he improved on those two matters]

Unlike his creator, WX-78 seems to cherish this "rudimentary toy" enough to actually name it, like I formerly mentioned, this is the only time WX ever names anything, (except the not-so-rare insults, but they don't really count) so for me that sounds like a slightly bigger deal.

• Since at this point it is basically confirmed WX-78 was created by none other than Robert Wagstaff, right, right, but even though that's true, how come was Wagstaff even able to create an actual sentient automaton, that level of technology is noticeably advanced, even for him, seeing as his two previous creations (I assume the numbers that are beside them are the order of their origin, even if the timeline doesn't make sense of it. Perhaps the order is reversed?)

PR-76 and ML-77 are rather primary in comparison. Though both of these machines share something in common, and you know what that is? 

The connection with the constant.

Many, if not all of the human characters in their own animations (or offscreen) have at some point encountered either the radio or the gramophone. For example in Walter's short, when he visits Woodie's cabin we can see that radio, and in Wigfrid's and Warly's shorts there are clearly two identical copies of the gramophone that Maxwell so very loathes.

Wagstaff's creations appear to be a direct gateway into the constant. So how is that even possible?

To be honest, i don't know, but I'm going to take a guess. Magic. Literally. The player is able to craft the divining rod, which is basically the radio PR-76 on a stick, (Although I'm not sure yet, if Maxwell has made any defining changes to it besides that)

Do you know what we need to create it exactly?

Spoiler

That's right, nightmare fuel. Most of the magic in the constant is Shadow magic (Although we get a better look into Lunar magic in DST, but during Maxwell's reign Shadow magic was clearly the default.)

I bet that ML-77 is also fueled by shadow magic.

This just leaves WX-78.

(Despite this, not all of Wagstaff's inventions have nightmare fuel in them, in fact none of the gadgets we can build as him in the singleplayer game actually have nightmare fuel in them, it seems he's still just figuring out how to use it and then bring it back to the real world.)

Spoiler

The reason for this, theoretically as he would say is...Time works differently in the Constant, for all we know this is his way of gathering research while he still works on something back on earth. Which might be the case.

While I have no proof WX-78 came to life through nightmare fuel or any means of that sort, or that Wagstaff already researched the constant while they were still in the making process, I'll let you imagine what happened to them, before their rework's done.

This is my take personally:

Let's say Wagstaff did figure out how nightmare fuel works, or some other type of magic that connected directly with the constant.

And he used that magic to create the radio, the gramophone and eventually WX-78. (Magic and a body supported by technology)

(Or the other way around. Who knows.)

If he presumably intended to bring his son back. He could have somehow screwed up and he got a blank slate, a confused robot, only just aware of being made instead of the soul he was intending to bring back.

Which would frustrate him to try again, each time not working for some reason.

Eventually deciding to focus on other overly ambitious projects of his instead.

Then one day WX finds out about basically being a guinea pig for their creator's twisted experiments and they'd naturally feel very pissed off and betrayed.

Since unlike with plants, mobs or other survivors, they hold a personal grudge against him.

(That's what I think would be worthy enough of that label, at least.)

So this is where they find a way into the constant, either by using the radio or some other means to escape.

I'm not really sure how solid this theory would be though, Wagstaff never truly mentions any member of his family except that one "Aunt Velma" thing. So we don't have much proof from his side. He's mostly just focused on discovering the inconceivable ways of the Constant through his quotes...

Though recently I happened to stumble upon a post JoeW made, explaining WX-78's pronounciation. Specifically, this part:

You can find the full comment here.

And I do think the general message was nice and inclusive, yet the first part of this post was what got me interested the most. Because, while this concept did seem kind of like Webber 2.0, this could still potentially work, if you reorganize it a bit.

And while this by itself doesn't necessarily confirm this theory, it puts a light of potential to it.

Here's also a small unimplemanted skin Klei did a while back, that may as well not mean anything but here you go:

Spoiler

  Think of it as you will.

(I am aware that OrangE man has made a character theory a couple of hours ago, that included WX-78, (While I was finishing up writing this post, F) I wanted to post my own variant either way, even though it's likely less believable.)

TLDR: WX-78 has daddy issues and maybe used to be human.

If you want to point some things out for me or share your own thoughts on theories on this subject, please let me know. That's all I have for now.

[jan Mele]

53 minutes ago, Eggsterminator said:

.•WX-78 is very inconsistent with their quotes. For example, there are many typically robotic quotes, such as: 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Which are pretty expected, since they are a robot. At least that's what they're described as.

But then, there are those kind of quotes:

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Which seem more human and lifelike and are greatly diverse from the cold and calculated machine WX desperately tries to be. I wonder why that is.

Because it's an imitation of a human? It literally have been described as an automaton.

58 minutes ago, Eggsterminator said:

•Some, if not most of WX-78's voice files are labeled as "Woodrow", despite the fact that the character has been around for almost a decade, Klei never changed or edited the names of the files, even for the newer DST alteration of their character.

What's even the point in changing this? That would be a waste of time. You probably aren't intended to conclude any sort of lore out filenames.

[SomebodyRandom]

I believe that WX-78 being previously human in the canon is a thing of the past. Klei has likely moved onto WX-78 being an actual robot and not some kid and JoeW stating that "The early concept was..." makes me believe even more that this is the case.

Like jan Mele stated, WX-78 most likely behaves this way because they are an automaton.

Good attempt on your first theory thread though, it seems like a lot of effort was put into it.

[Eughstein]

Wx predicted fnaf lore

[ZeRoboButler]

perhaps Wx-78 is actually a device that helps wagstaff project himself into the constant, maybe wagstaffs inventions serve as anchors or tethers to the constant, allowing him to see into the constant but only for certain periods of time and under certain conditions. Wx was made for a reason, the question is why? To collect data? To test wagstaff's own ability to create a living entity? Perhaps an assistant around the lab? who knows, but im sure we will find out more soon enough. (as long as we don't have another woodie situation...)

[minespatch]

What if it's both? 

It could be a Wizard of Oz situation where the tin woodsman self mutilated until becoming a machine. Perhaps WX-78 will explore the ghost in the machine concept? 

[LiamAshvinn001]

Ez, He has a digestive system, meaning he has... organs so he used to be a human

[-Variant]

33 minutes ago, LiamAshvinn001 said:

Ez, He has a digestive system, meaning he has... organs so he used to be a human

But... but... bio engine...!
Bio energy!
 

[LiamAshvinn001]

1 hour ago, -Variant said:

But... but... bio engine...!
Bio energy!
 

ah ok sry

[Dextops]

5 hours ago, -Variant said:

But... but... bio engine...!
Bio energy!
 

complicated way of saying stomach 

he is too afraid to admit it

[LiamAshvinn001]

Wait so hes like Fennec Shand from BoBF?

[sosiskaKi]

That did age well.

[minespatch]

On 3/25/2022 at 11:03 PM, minespatch said:

What if it's both? 

It could be a Wizard of Oz situation where the tin woodsman self mutilated until becoming a machine. Perhaps WX-78 will explore the ghost in the machine concept? 

[Eggsterminator]

7 hours ago, sosiskaKi said:

That did age well.

I'm the boss. I was very close. I got like at least 3 major events of that animation right and I wasn't even all that surprised.

Only victorious.

[HowlVoid]

36 minutes ago, Eggsterminator said:

I'm the boss. I was very close. I got like at least 3 major events of that animation right and I wasn't even all that surprised.

Only victorious.

Can you give me some lottery numbers. But in a private message, I don't want to have to share it with everyone else