#writing to you from elysium

[elysium-atleus]

sometimes I think of my ex really randomly. not because I miss her or anything like that. but I kinda have to force myself to remember everything happened or I'll be missing a part of myself with no explanation.

there were the arguments. the miscarriage. the family. her brother. each of her sisters. that house. the food. the kitchen. the pictures. the sex. christmas time. thanksgiving. the lies. the walls.

everything was so unhinged. I forget sometimes everything that happened. a year and a half of my life. made and broken based on a bridge to a single person. a singular connection. I guess it makes it easier that I was a secret the entire time.

I wasn't innocent either. I was flawed. I still am. but as I said. sometimes I just need to remind myself that this person. who i was. exists at some point in time and in the universe. I'm not sure if he'll ever come back or tag in or anything.

curious.

[convoloutedinjoke]

If Harry’s tragedy is that he can’t go on like this but he has to, Kim’s tragedy is that he doesn’t have to go on like this but he will.

[duck-in-a-spaceship]

FASCINATING to me that in lashing out against the skua, a symbol of Revachol, Harry also destroys a symbol of reality itself. Not only that, but the discovery of the Insulinde that the skua represents is what leads to the proclamation of Her Innocence Dolores Dei. It's truly everything Harry is trying to run away from, all tied up in one neat little bow.

So he fucks it up, he destroys that reality, and then, ta-da! Mission accomplished Harry-boy, you wake up in a hostel room and can't remember shit. It's all gone. You got rid of it.

[binomech]

the furies as an oath

the furies as trapping yourself in the oath you made

the furies as a haunting for breaking an oath

the furies as a punishment for breaking the mores, the customs necessary for living in society

the furies as the misery who befalls those who betray their human rationality for the base desires of vengeance, jealousy and anger

the furies as self-loathing that smothers you in the night the dark

i think people understand the furies as the skills and while i have seen very good reads on that i don't naturally gravitate towards that interpreation. the original name of the game being no truce with the furies makes me think a lot about why one might know the furies and not want a truce.

the furies punish those who break the social contract, or really any other contract, on word and on paper. but the thing is that the contract that we are giving - our position to the Moralintern, the oath taken for the RCM, all the expectations of history, the world having to remain like this? the only way out of this hole we have dug ourselves into is imagining a different way to be, that may not exist within those socially acceptable bounds (see: the plasm being a real thing in elysium, generated by the power of millions of hopes and thoughts of a better world kept in line by capitalist realism).

a truce with the furies, then: keep going as you are. keep working a job that kills you. keep dreaming of the glories past, be it love or easier times. step slowly, with the certainty that someday you might get somewhere but not counting on seeing it in yor lifetime.

if you break this contract, they will despise you. they will hunt you like the animal you are who dares to grieve, and feel anger, and covet a better world, you've lost your humanity and your rationality in rejecting the promises of capital. the furies will haunt you.

r.s. thomas says there is no truce with the furies because the furies are reflected back to you through a mirror, and the tragedy of it all is that all they reflect will only be a part of you, never the whole. you will always look at yourself and be haunted by all the things you did wrong.

elysium, the part of the underworld reserved for the blessed and the fortunate, is surrounded by lethe - the river of forgetfulness the invisible ever-growing invisible odourless Pale devouring the world you know who said that. the clearest water, ever so tempting for the dead who thirst for life that tricks you into drinking more of its waters as you drink, and only if you forgot everything would you be allowed back into the world. wouldn't it be sweet, to leave elysium behind, to forget it all, to no longer be haunted by the furies in the mirror, harry-boy?

but even the clearest water, if deep enough, can drown. and drown you did, and came back to life and met a guy with a mnemosyne, sorry, mnemotechnique, notebook who refuses to forget the past so he can remain in Elysium.

(sorry, sorry, my bad, i just thought, you know mnemosyne like the river of memory that keeps the dead in the underworld and the living capable of lives without oaths to hades, but surely this means nothing)

the only way to stop being haunted by the mistakes of the past is to die - or maybe just to remember and keep living anyway.

[cryptiduni]

“white mourning.”

[yellow-yarrow]

have you perhaps a list of readings you would recommend to understand better disco elysium/sacred and terrible air? i wouldn't know where to start and your posts are interesting so worth trying to ask :)

aw thank you! Well, I feel like I’m not really that well-read, and the order I read philosophy/history/etc is all over the place lol

If I had to recommend some reading, there is this essay about the pale, that I think is essential to understanding Elysium. :

https://ghelgheli.substack.com/p/introductory-entroponetics

as for books, I would say Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher could be a good starting point. And I think it would be worth to read something about these topics:

neoliberalism, capitalism

communism - marxism, history of socialist countries

russian nihilism

christianity - dispensationalism

The devs have said that they were influenced by Hegel, Marx, Slavoj Žižek, Lenin, & they also said they used to be anarchists so I would say reading some anarchist text could be interesting too if you want to really dive into it (idk, Emma Goldmann for example)

You can find a lot of these writings on these websites:

https://www.marxists.org/

https://theanarchistlibrary.org

[electricdisco]

I wrote the beginning of a small fanfic with Kim’s POV: Kim and Harry are working together at precint 41, but one day Harry goes missing. Kim sits down by his desk every night looking for some clues in his notebook. (Major stuff has already happened and he’s just reading it all over again).

1/2 INTRO

“It’s the same story every night: before going to bed you sit by your desk and start reading the quotes you collected during the day in your notebook: many many cases go trough your head, but only one remains. Harry. Harry disappeared. Three days already passed since you last saw each other, you were trying to solve one of the thousands murder cases you had since you came to Jamrock. A man burned down his ex’s house to the ground, disappearing as well in the night. “At least he didn’t burn dora’s house like that guy” you mumble in your breath, wondering if he didn’t suddenly go crazy and decided to pay a visit to her in Mirova, but the thought goes away as soon as you see the clock on your desk: it’s midnight. It’s time to go. Go back to three days ago.”

[rawliverandcigarettes]

Nagatha T'selvi (vas Sorelliam), 248, ex-financial advisor. || Rhanda T'selvi (clan Orraken), 300, ex-commando.

"Do you remember?" Nagatha asked, eyes locked upward to the featureless ceiling of the apartment. Nos Astra colored it purple, as if it wasn't still white plaster underneath. Her manicured fingers crackled against her own. Blue. Almost see-through. Rhanda gripped the smaller hand inside her palm, and felt her own rough heat through overworked silky-smooth scales. Nerves were most of what they ever managed to share without judgement. "Remember what?" "I don't know." Mascara caked at the corner of Nagatha's water lines. She smiled. "Anything, I guess." (The Empire of Preys, chapter 15)

[seawardboundsammy]

started writing in between classes and im deeply obsessed with orpheus parallels with ortega/chargestep so have this. warning for ortega being inebriated and wanting to die.

Time to rise Orpheus. The day breaks and you with it. 

(I don’t want to. Don’t make me.)

That’s not an option. Get up Orpheus. 

(I have no legs. I have no hands.)

You will be repaired, doll of lyres. 

(I don’t want to be. I want to lay here and die.) 

Scio, sweetheart. 

(Will I see her again?)

Only on her deathbed. 

(I don’t think I can do this anymore.)

You will. 

Get up Orpheus. 

Get up Orpheus.

Get up-

“Ortega! Get down from there!”

Chen pulls you off the ledge of the building you guess you were climbing over. You're not really sure. 

You’re downstairs now. Your arm is over Chen’s shoulders. 

“-tega! What did you drink? Can you even hear me?” 

You’re nauseous.

You’re not nauseous anymore. 

“Ok that’s. That can be someone else’s problem, come on.” 

He lifts you once more. He’s good at that. He does is a lot when you fuck up or do something stupid which is always cause you’re a poor excuse for man. 

You snuggle into the passenger seat of his car. It’s cozy, it smells like him. You don’t smell good. 

“Drink this.” He says. He tips your head back and water pours into your mouth.

You do your level best to not choke.

You’re on the wrong side of your couch. This is Eurydice’s spot, not your’s.

Sidestep. Sidestep’s spot.

You shake your head, the smallest bit of clarity returning to your vision and mind. Chen has pulled a chair from the kitchen to sit in front of you. His expression swims but you think he’s concerned. Not a clue why.

“So. ‘Never gonna drink again?’” You spit onto the carpet and he grimaces. 

“Don’t know what you expect from someone like me. When’s my word ever meant shit?” You wonder if you could get him to punch you.

“You- I’m not entertaining this. You need to get your shit together.” He doesn’t say ‘before you end up dead’, but you hear it anyway. Or maybe that’s you saying it.

You let your head tip back over the couch. He wants you to try. You don’t know how. 

Yes you do. Rise from your corner. 

But you’re already so far gone.

Then go all the way. Pursual when you cannot see your target is what you do best. Find them.

They’re not dead. 

No.

They’re dead.

Not to you. 

I already failed them.

Then fail again. 

Isn’t the definition of madness trying the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome?

No, that’s a misconception. And anyways, when has that ever stopped you before?

Fair. 

Now tell him something so he doesn’t send you to a madhouse. 

You look back at Chen. His clenched teeth twist his scars on his lips and his hands are clasped together so tight you swear you hear the creak of metal. You slump forward, uncoordinated, and put one of your hands on his. 

“I’ll tell my… therapist,” the word is still a rock in your mouth, “about. This.” You’re not sure if you mean the drinking or the climbing. 

That’s not true.

Yeah well fuck you I’m not getting sent to a madhouse. I’m not crazy.

Then what’s this?

“That’s good.” Chen breathes out in a long relieved sigh. “That’s good.” 

You tug him off the chair and into a hug. You know he can feel your heartbeat through your shirt, and you know he needs that. 

Out of his view you stare daggers into the wall. You’re determined (for now). You have to find them again.

Miles to walk Orpheus. 

And promises to keep.

And promises to keep.

[aivoton-idiootti]

There are certain things that DE fan stuff includes that I think are interesting and cool choices, but that *I feel* fundamentally go against canon. Kim having skills-based internal thoughts is one of these things. i will still read and enjoy fics that feature this bc its a fun narrative device and I like it when people psychoanalyze Kim, but the tiny annoying know-it-all part of me will occasionally go "he wouldn't think like that...."

And if someone just isnt aware, you can ask Kim about how he thinks:

I feel like this also connects to how some people write the skills as fully separate entitites from Harry that he caught from something (eg. pale exposure) rather than a stylized internal monologue. Kim simply doesn't have an internal monologue, at least not in the way Harry does.

[mcybree]

Im doing a lot of thinking abt why roleplaying feels different/less natural for me in beastlife s4 in comparison to s3, and i think it’s because there’s ways i know i should be feeling (based on the perception of my character— when i was fresh out of s2 nobody knew enough about my guy to have opinions) vs how i am feeling. I’m catching myself thinking, “it wouldn’t make sense for my character to [blank],” and it’s like… what do i mean by that. what do i mean that this feeling im having in-session “wouldnt make sense for my character” to feel? It might be surprising to other beasts who know me for one thing and expect consistency, i guess?? but in s3 i just acted on feelings and then shit happened. what. why am i trying to enforce a character that does not exist when the strength of mcrp lies in its improvisational nature. I didn’t write this guy on purpose, why am i trying to write him now

[elysium-atleus]

I've never believed love is a hard thing. just that I am a hard thing to love

[alltheginkgoleaves]

hello all who like disco elysium and are also crazy about jean and harry's relationship and the decline of it

here's 7k of that

[legioun]

if you’d like a starter from anyone, please let me know who from and who for if you are also a multi!

otherwise you can take your chances and give this a like!

[bluastro-yellow]

Harry and Kim are like Annette and Plaisance, like Cuno and Cunoesse, like René/Gaston and Gaston/René, like Steban and Ulixes, like Fuck the World and Pissf%%t, like-

[kim-kitsuragi1908]

theres a strange language and drawings on my wall now i think also in blood. after the authorities came and cleaned it too.... i though all this would blow over but no. more shit i gotta deal w

If you report the blood carvings to the RCM complaints department as vandalism, you can have some workers from your district come to clean it as “government upkeep”, free of charge again of course; if this is the second time it’s happened though I’d recommend having someone come do some forensics on the writings, and make sure you have a proper lock on your door in case someone is playing a sick joke on you here. Regardless of the source, hope it clears up soon citizen.