This is the last post that I will make about the Nick laptop confusion.
Since witnessing the argument between Nick and the DIKs I have been trying to come up with logical reasons for Nick being willing to admit to being with the laptop when the Cathy cluck was posted but not that he posted the cluck.
I have come to several possibilites through my own thinking as well as community ideas and will break them down into three catagories which are "Nick is innocent", "Nick made a mistake" and "Nick is lying".
Of course it goes without saying that Nick's behaviour (outing the DIKs dirty laundry, banging Heather, stealing the fishtank money etc) will mean that some players will not forgive him regardless, however, I believe that due to the number of variables that lead to Tremolo sympathising with Nick, he will have a role in bringing down the Magnar plot if the player has been sympathetic towards him.
With that being said, I will start with "Nick is innocent" theory.
Magnar has hacked the DIKs laptop: This theory came from the thread, not from me personally. It suggests that Magnar has hacked the code of the "Brawler" app to gain remote access to the DIKs devices. In this theory, Nick was in the right place at the wrong time during the party when the Cathy cluck was first posted. When Nick was using the laptop during the party and logged into the DIKs cluck account, Magnar could remotely post the cluck which would frame the DIKs and Nick became an unfortunate scapegoat. This theory tracks with what Nick has told us, that he was with the laptop during the party but that he did not post the cluck, and also means that the image of magnar editing the brawler code has a pay-off in the story.
"Nick made a mistake" theory: In the aftermath of the Cathy cluck being posted, Tremolo explores the DIKs mansion to talk to all of the DIK members and Nick is found alone in the library. The theory here comes from Vinny and Nick's connection as maggot brothers and a shared hatred. Nick wants to get back at Tommy for the way that he treats Tommy and similarly, Vinny wants to destroy the DIKs. In this scenario, Nick opens the window to the library, letting Vinny into the party and allowing him to post the Cathy cluck. This theory also means that Nick is not lying as he was with the laptop, however, it was Vinny who posted the cluck.
"Nick is lying" theory: The most straightforward and also least likely theory. We know from Tremolo's discussion with Chad in the library that files are stored on the DIKs laptop. In this theory, Nick was lying to the DIKs in the argument and posted the cluck himself, or that Nick is in cahoots with Magnar and sending him files from the DIK laptop to get back at Tommy for his behaviour and his treatment of Heather whom Nick is in love with.
In conclusion, I believe that upon my own thoughts and with help from community ideas that the "Nick is innocent" theory is most plausable as it has the most tangible connection to the overarching Magnar plot and also, due to the game seemingly setting up a redemption for Nick through choices such as "we need more information", Nick being reedeemed and the DIKs all working together to bring down Magnar seems like a reasonable way to end episode 12 which many believe to be the update which will tie up all of the remaining story threads before the following "epilogue" episodes.
