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disco-elysium-via-polls · 9 months ago

Text

🎵 Ignus Nilsen Waltz

4. "I don't know! It's just what my brain told me to say."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's because your brain is floating in ideology, gendarme. It's practically drowning in it..."

"You asked that question because you're still under the influence of ideology. That's natural. You're like a fish that's only now discovering that her whole life has been dictated by the movements of sea currents."

"That's what ideology is. It's like there are these invisible forces everywhere, pushing and tugging you this way and that, and you don't even know they're *there*."

"What does this have to do with communism?"

"What does this have to do with women?"

"Is it even *possible* to imagine a world without ideology?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Everything, man. That is part of the communist project, to destroy the ideological structures that reduce men and women to these hollow shells of identity."

"Do you know the story of Dobreva and Abadanaiz?"

"I thought that was just some gibberish you made up for the passphrase."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Who were they?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No. They were the Revolutionary Lovers, the Dual Commissars of Revolution in Insulinde."

"Julia Dobreva came from Graad. Jean Abadanaiz was born in Revachol. She was brilliant, charismatic, a revolutionary comet. He was her partner and stabiliser, the planet who kept her in orbit."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Legendary: Failure] - What became of them, though? There seems to be a blank paragraph in the history books...

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It's from them we get the notion of dual-leadership, the *décomptage*, Revachol's truly great contribution to revolutionary thought. I believe it even persists in some form in the RCM, even to this day."

"What happened to them, Dobreva and Abadanaiz?"

"Is that true, Kim, about the décomptage?"

"So… you're saying women are only bourgeois because of ideology?"

"What does this question say about me?"

"I need to take some time to think about all this..." (Conclude.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "They died on their own terms, like real revolutionaries. There's a lot to say for that."

2. "Is that true, Kim, about the décomptage?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "I had no idea its origins went all the way back to the Revolution itself. But it makes sense, in a way..."

3. "So... you're saying women are only bourgeois because of ideology?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - He sighs. "There's more to it than that. People still make their own choices. It's a matter of being aware what's influencing them."

4. "What does this question say about me?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Yes, that's the question you should be asking yourself."

ECHO MAKER - His companion nods, but offers no further solace.

5. "I need to take some time to think about all this..." (Conclude.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The young man nods but says nothing. He appears to be distracted by something...

Task complete: Get yourself organized

+30 XP

COMPOSURE [Medium: Success] - He's wrestling with some question of his own.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - He's lost in his own thoughts. You wonder what silt you've stirred in the bottom of his soul.

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - Of course, the matchboxes! You'd very nearly forgotten to ask about them. Now may be your last chance...

5. "The matchboxes… you were trying to make the tower from Nilsen's journals."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "So you really *did* read all the way to the end." A sheepish grin. "Yeah, Uli and I were trying to see whether there was enough plasm between the two of us to hold up a few matchboxes..."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Saying it out loud makes him realise how foolish it sounds.

ECHO MAKER - "It was just a little *informal* experiment. No reason to take it too seriously."

"We should try again, all of us."

Say nothing.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The young man looks at you a moment, then at his companion.

"What could it hurt? Alright, let's give it another go..."

KIM KITSURAGI - "I'll sit this one out. I don't think you want my *skeptical materialism* interfering..."

RHETORIC - Before long, a modest tower begins to rise from the pile of matchboxes...

HAND/EYE COORDINATION [Medium: Success] - You place every box with the utmost delicacy and precision.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Easy, Uli..."

ECHO MAKER - "It's holding, it's holding..."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - For the moment.

RHETORIC - The higher the tower goes, the quieter the room seems to become. Aside from the occasional comment, the three of you are completely absorbed by the task.

ECHO MAKER - "Alright. You go next, Steban."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The young man pushes back his shirt sleeves, revealing the pale flesh of his forearms.

"Easy now..."

Say nothing.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Is it... it's holding... it's holding!"

ECHO MAKER - "Yes. This is the closest we've ever gotten."

RHETORIC - It's almost exactly as Nilsen's sketch imagined, a physical manifestation of the dialectical spiral of history.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Alright, gendarme, your turn."

INTERFACING [Medium: Success] - You've got this. Theories aside, they're only matchboxes.

KIM KITSURAGI - Even the lieutenant is watching intently now.

"This is tall enough, better not to risk it."

"Ghost of Mazov, give me strength..." (Proceed.)

Take a deep breath. (Proceed.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "What are you talking about, detective? You can't give up *now*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Come on, gendarme. Real progress requires great risks."

2. "Ghost of Mazov, give me strength..." (Proceed.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It's... it's..."

"My god, is it really holding?"

ECHO MAKER - "It is, it is..."

RHETORIC - There, in the middle of the floor, the winding spire quivers with an improbable energy...

KIM KITSURAGI - "This is impossible, right? There's no way it's really staying up like that..."

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success]- But it is! It is!

RHETORIC - For a long moment, no one says a word. Even the lieutenant is transfixed.

ECHO MAKER - "..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "..."

"..."

"… what do we do now?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "..."

SHIVERS [Medium: Success] - A low pressure system is gathering itself over the bay. It's begun to tug violently at the tarpaulins...

KIM KITSURAGI - "..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "... and there it goes..."

"That was weird."

"That was miraculous."

Say nothing.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No." He looks up. "It was exactly what's *supposed* to happen. We should treat it that way."

+5 XP

+1 Morale

ECHO MAKER - "We should probably clean up..."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Well, I think we're probably finished here, detective."

6. "Well, I guess we're off." [Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Wait a minute, if you don't mind..."

"We wanted to get your opinion on something: a few little changes we we've been thinking about."

"What kind of changes?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Nothing *too major*, I think. We were talking, potentially, about relaxing some parts of our admissions process..."

"Hmm. It probably *would* help if you didn't make people go through a whole interview just to join."

"Maybe you should ditch the passphrases and meet in a coffeehouse."

"Have you considered changing up the reading list?"

"No, you should keep it the way things are."

ECHO MAKER - "That's interesting. I thought people *loved* group interviews."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I thought so, too, but perhaps we overdid it, just a little..."

"There was another thing: We were also debating putting up some posters around town."

ECHO MAKER - "Though *some of us* maintain that advertising is an unacceptably bourgeois tactic."

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - That's what makes it so beautiful. The irony is unbeatable.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Ahem. As a noted art cop you definitely have an opinion on this.

"As something of an art critic myself, I support this poster plan."

"Think of it this way: you're appropriating bourgeois methods for revolutionary ends."

"Sounds like something Cindy could help with..."

"Posters are great. Who doesn't like posters?"

"Yeah, posters are pretty bourgeois."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Oh, I *like* that. We're dismantling the structures of capital with their own tools..."

ECHO MAKER - "Hmmm, it *does* sound pretty cool when you describe it like that."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Plus, I've got the *perfect* place in mind..."

"Put some more coffee on, Uli. We've got a long night ahead of us. We should probably get Cindy in here too..."

"Oh! And, gendarme. One last thing…"

"I've been thinking about what you asked before, about women, you know..."

"Not that it's any of my business, but it sounds like this question is *really* tearing you up inside."

PAIN THRESHOLD [Challenging: Failure] - It *is* tearing you up. It's like there's a tiny hateful beast shredding your very soul...

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "So, good luck with that, I guess."

Uh, thanks?

[Leave.]

Well, we've already pushed well past what should be the end of the day. Let's turn in for tonight.

SHACK DOOR - "It's getting late and it's raining. Time to call it a day."

"Good night, Kim." (Send him away for the night.)

Not yet. [Leave.]

KIM KITSURAGI - "Good night, officer. We'll meet in front of the shack in the morning."

Enter the shack.

🎵 Coastal Shack

MIRROR - An old mirror hangs on the wall. You see the reflection of your face in it -- adorned with *The Expression*.

[Encyclopedia - Formidable 13] Dig deep into your mind to locate the source of *The Expression*.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Formidable: Failure] - Like the rest of you, it comes from a bad place somewhere in the past. That's all you know for now.

3. [Let the mirror be for now.]

BED - The bed is comforting, if a bit run down. Still, you've earned a rest.

Go to sleep.

BED - The bed underneath you is soft, if lumpy. Waves wash the sand underneath the hut, then grow distant to your ear. In the quiet hum of the organic heater, you fall asleep...

...

🎵 Tiger King

LIMBIC SYSTEM - Like a deftly cast fishing net, sleep pulls you out of the world and into its dark shore. The rough mesh chafes, then, tightening around you, it digs into your brain.

Great. This is gonna be really chill.

Dark shore, my ass. I know what this is.

Yeah-yeah, just let me sleep...

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - How've things been going for you out there? Helped anyone lately? Saved anyone lately? *Murdered* anyone lately?

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - This bastard isn't even listening to you!

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Because, you know, you *are* a murderer. A disco music listening psycho-killer who offs poor people -- and then *forgets* about it.

I don't care. That doesn't scare me.

Okay, so I'm a murderer and that's *bad*.

Shut up, I just want to sleep.

LIMBIC SYSTEM - Hear that? Ice-man wants to sleep, he doesn't care about killing people. That's *nothing* to him. Black water under the bridge. The thing he's *really* scared of...

...is much, *much* worse than that.

What is it?

Why are you doing this? I just want to sleep. I can almost see the dark.

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Don't tell him, sister. It's too bad.

VOLITION [Easy: Success] - They're right. This is their function. To keep you from *it*.

Why are you doing this? I just want to sleep. I can almost see the dark.

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - We're trying to help you. All these processes -- these tortures, voices and tremors -- are all just *distractions*. Flares and countermeasures. To keep you from the *last dream*. The worst of them all.

The... last dream?

LIMBIC SYSTEM - The last dream will be total annihilation. Cinders peeling off the fuselage. We won't be there to help you anymore, Harry. We will be dormant. You will be naked and alone.

And the air will smell of apricots...

Her face forms in summertime...

I don't *want to* anymore. I don't want to think either one of those things.

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - Oh, but you *will*. You're already *going* there. Slipping. How long can we keep you from the precipice? *One* more dream? Two max, baby. Then it's...

2. Her face forms in summertime...

ANCIENT REPTILIAN BRAIN - ...in hell and ancient sadness, brother. Ten thousand years later -- in front of the video rental. There is a warm breath on your face again. Everything is *okay* again.

LIMBIC SYSTEM - Everything is *so* okay.

Doesn't sound like it will be okay.

I can't wait. I can't wait…

LIMBIC SYSTEM - Your eyelids flutter open for a moment. When you close them again, you sense the light of the room around you -- you're back. In two seconds the alarm will ring.

INLAND EMPIRE [Trivial: Success] - The last thought in your head before waking is: you need to go to the church...

[Open your eyes.]