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prettyhatetrentchine · 6 months

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I love you so much David as Des, you are my emotional support 😭😭😭

#david tennant #Des #Serial killer #tv series #actor #dennis nilsen #Cannibal #good omens #crowley #Aziraphale

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sargentsblu · 7 months

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alex nilsen changed me fundamentally and i don't know if i'll ever recover

#people we meet on vacation #pwmov #alex nilsen #oi deus sou eu de novo #id like to have one of him to go please #thank you

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chrancecriber · 2 years

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A State Of Sundays 170

Channel: Electric Area (Sirius 52, XM 52)

Airdate: March 09, 2014 - March 10, 2014

Airtime: 06:00 AM - 06:00 AM

Timezone: Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Tracklist:

06:00 AM - 08:00 AM: Trance System

08:00 AM - 09:00 AM: Progressive Sessions

09:00 AM - 11:00 AM: Downtempo Sessions

11.00 AM - 12:00 PM: Progressive Sessions

12.00 PM - 01:00 PM: Trance System

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM: Antillas - A-List Podcast 046

02:00 PM - 03:00 PM: Ruben de Ronde - TSOH 203

03:00 PM - 04:00 PM: BT - Skylarking 027

04:00 PM - 05:00 PM: Tomas Heredia - ASOT 650 Santiago de Chili

05:00 PM - 06:00 PM: Trance System

06:00 PM - 07:00 PM: Orjan Nilsen - ASOT 650 Santiago de Chili

07:00 PM - 08:00 PM: Aly & Fila - ASOT 650 Santiago de Chili

08:00 PM - 09:00 PM: Sean Tyas - Tytanium Sessions

09:00 PM - 11:00 PM: Armin van Buuren - ASOT 653

11:00 PM - 12:00 AM: Aly & Fila - FSOE 329

12:00 AM - 01:00 AM: Progressive Sessions

01:00 AM - 02:00 AM: Trance System

02:00 AM - 03:00 AM: Progressive Sessions

03:00 AM - 04:00 AM: ASOT Classics Playlist

04:00 AM - 05:00 AM: Trance System

05:00 AM - 06:00 AM: Progressive Sessions

Sources:

https://www.astateoftrance.com/a-state-of-sundays/a-state-of-sundays-172-a-state-of-trance-650-santiago-sets/

https://twitter.com/search?q=(from%3Aarea_playlist)%20until%3A2014-03-11%20since%3A2014-03-09&src=typed_query&f=live

https://www.facebook.com/AntillasOfficial/photos/a.156047864441299/670516046327809/

https://www.facebook.com/AntillasOfficial/posts/670450389668313?__cft__[0]=AZXaGLXw_VyWd7r5oEmADFapHeoSiH1BAgK-bHzhqcqHGYtv2AV6hzlSsQoyHoJZv4JhW4WB7-mWQ7vCP2ZlElq8PktqWSoQsoiZ6GW2TmT2OXs3YyOl-SO-ijzdA8hlfWCYbVDCm1Wk82TU1iMwM1ZDonpMXqtGohPB6W8I-50a2erfClg-noAf76YulVg5uAabQswY_cj9hpMp_gAY2Rpv&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

NOTE: Although Dash Berlin is listed on ASOS 170′s page, Area Playlist provides no evidence that his performance aired on the livestream.

NOTE #2: Because information takes a while to compile, a detailed version of the tracklist will be uploaded at a later time.

0 notes

denimbex1986 · 5 months

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'David Tennant and Cush Jumbo walk into the Donmar Warehouse’s offices, above the theatre’s rehearsal rooms in Covent Garden, and sit down on a sofa, side by side. Tennant has that look his many fans will instantly be able to call to mind of being at once stressed – with a desperado gleam in his eye – yet mischievously engaged, which has to do with the intelligence he applies to everything, the niceness he directs at everyone. He is wearing a mustard-coloured jersey and could be mistaken for someone who has been swotting in a library (actually, he has been rehearsing a fight scene). If I am right in supposing him to be tense at this mid-rehearsals moment, I know – from having interviewed him before – that it is not his way to put himself first, that he will crack on and probably, while he’s at it, crack a joke or two to keep us all in good spirits. But some degree of tension is understandable for he and Jumbo are about to perform in a play that explores stress like no other – Macbeth – and must unriddle one of the most dramatic marriages in all of Shakespeare’s plays.

This is star billing of the starriest kind. Tennant, at 52, has more triumphs under his belt than you’d think possible in a single career (including Doctor Who, Broadchurch’s detective, the serial killer Dennis Nilsen in Des, and the father in There She Goes). Jumbo has been seen on US prime time in The Good Wife and The Good Fight and in ITV’s Vera. But what counts is that each is a Shakespeare virtuoso. Jumbo, who is now 38, won an Ian Charleson award in 2012 for her Rosalind in As You Like It and, in 2013, was nominated for an Olivier for her Mark Antony in Phyllida Lloyd’s all-female Julius Caesar. More recently, she starred as a yearningly embattled Hamlet at the Young Vic. A dynamo of an actor, she is described by the former New York Times theatre critic Ben Brantley as radiating “that unquantifiable force of hunger, drive, talent usually called star power”. Tennant, meanwhile, who has played Romeo, Lysander and Benedick for the RSC, went on to embody Hamlet and Richard II in performances that have become the stuff of legend.

Jumbo settles herself cross-legged on the sofa, relaxed in her own body, wearing a white T-shirt, dusky pink tracksuit bottoms, and modestly-sized gold hoop earrings. She looks as if she has come from an exercise class – and she has in one sense – no need to ask whether rehearsals, at this stage, are full-on. As we shake hello, she apologises for a hot hand and I for a cold one, having just come in from a sharp November morning. She is chirpy, friendly, waiting expectantly for questions – but what strikes me as I look at her is how her face in repose, at once dramatic and pensive, gives almost nothing away, like a page waiting to be written on.

Max Webster, the director, is setting the play in the modern day and Macbeth, a taut and ageless thriller, is especially friendly to this approach. I want to plunge straight in to cross-question the Macbeths. Supposing I were a marriage counsellor, what might they tell me – in confidence – about their alliance? Tennant is a step ahead: “There are two versions of the marriage, aren’t there? The one at the beginning and the fractured marriage later.” And he then makes me laugh by asking intently: “Are they sharing the murder with their therapist?”

He suggests Macbeth’s “reliance” on his wife is unusual and “not necessarily to be expected in medieval Scotland” (another excuse for the contemporary production): “I look to my wife for guidance: I don’t make a decision without her,” he explains. “We’ve been through some trauma which has induced an even stronger bond.” Jumbo agrees about the bond and spells out the trauma, reminding us the Macbeths have lost a child, but hesitates to play the game (I have suggested she talk about Lady Macbeth in the first person): “I want to get it right. I don’t want to get it wrong. I don’t know what to say… If I improv Lady Macbeth, it will feel disrespectful because you don’t know if what you’re saying on her behalf is true. And then you’re going to write what I say down and she [Lady Macbeth] is going to be: ‘Thanks, Cush, for f-ing talking about me that way.’” She emphasises that, as an actor, you must never judge your character, whatever crime they might have committed. And perhaps her resistance to straying from the text is partly as a writer herself (it was her play, Josephine and I, about the entertainer and activist Josephine Baker, that put her career into fast forward, opening off Broadway in 2015).

She stresses that the great problem with Lady Macbeth is that she has become a known quantity: “She is deeply ingrained in our culture. Everyone thinks they know who she is. Most people studied the play at school. I did – I hated it. It was so boring but that’s because Shakespeare’s plays aren’t meant to be read, they’re meant to be acted. People think they know Lady Macbeth as a type – the strong, controlling woman who pushed him to do it. She does things women shouldn’t do. The greatest misconception is that we have stopped seeing Lady Macbeth as a human being.”

For Tennant, too, keeping an open mind is essential: “What I’m finding most difficult is the variety of options. I thought I knew this play very well and that it was, unlike any other Shakespeare I can remember rehearsing, straightforward. But each time I come to a scene, it goes in a direction I wasn’t expecting.” He suggests that momentum is the play’s great asset: “It has such muscle to it, it powers along. Plot-wise, it’s more front-footed than any Shakespeare play I’ve done.” And is it ever difficult for him as Macbeth to subdue his instinctive comic talent? “Well, yes, that’s right, there are no gags! But actually, there are a couple of funny bits though I’d never intentionally inflict comedy on something that can’t take it. I hope I’m creating a rounded human being with moments of lightness, even in the bleakest times.” Jumbo adds: “Bleakness is funny at times”, and Tennant, quick as a flash, tops this: “Look at our government!” (He is an outspoken Labour supporter.) Later, when I ask what makes them angriest, he says: “Well, she [Suella Braverman]’s just been sacked so… I’m now slightly less angry than I was.” Jumbo nods agreement, adding that what makes her angriest is “unkindness”.

It is Tennant who then produces, with a flourish, the key question about the Macbeths: “Why do they decide to commit a crime? What is the fatal flaw that allows them to think that’s OK? I don’t know that they, as characters, would even know. Has the loss of a child destabilised their morality?” In preparation, Tennant and Jumbo have been researching post-traumatic stress disorder. “PTSD is a modern way of understanding something that’s always been there,” suggests Tennant – and the Macbeths are traumatised three times over by battle, bereavement and murder. “We’ve looked at postpartum psychosis as well,” Jumbo adds. They have been amazed at how the findings of modern experts “track within the play”. Tennant marvels aloud: “What can Shakespeare’s own research process have been?” Jumbo reminds him that Shakespeare, like the Macbeths, lost a child. She relishes the play’s “contemporary vibe which means it’s something my 14-year-old niece will want to see. Even though you know the ending, you don’t want it to go there. It’s exciting to play that as well as to watch it.”

A further exciting challenge is the show’s use of binaural technology (Gareth Fry, who worked on Complicité’s The Encounter, is sound designer). Each audience member will be given a set of headphones and be able to eavesdrop on the Macbeths. “The technology will mess with your neurons in a did-somebody-just-breathe-on-me way,” Jumbo explains. “You’ll feel as if you’re in a conversation with us, like listening to a podcast you love where you feel you’re sat with them having coffee.” Tennant adds: “What’s thrilling is that it makes things more naturalistic – we’re able to speak conversationally.”

Fast forward to opening night: how do they manage their time just before going on stage? Tennant says: “I dearly wish I had a set of failsafe strategies. I don’t find it straightforward. I’ve never been able to banish anxiety. It can be very problematic and part of the job is dealing with it. I squirrel myself away and tend to get quite quiet.” But at the Donmar, this will be tricky as backstage space is shared. Jumbo encourages him: “When I’ve played here before, I found the group dynamic helpful,” she says, but explains that her pre-show routine has changed since her career took off and she became a mother: “These days, I no longer have the luxury of saying: I’m going to do five hours of yoga before I go on. When I leave home at four in the afternoon, I might be thinking about whether I’ll hit traffic or, whether my kid’s stuff is ready for the next day. You get better at this, the more you do it. The main thing – which doesn’t sound that sexy – is to make sure to eat at the right time, something light, like soup, because when I’m nervous I get loads of acid and that does not make me feel good on stage. I have a cut-off point for eating and that timing has become a superstition in its own way.”

In 2020, Tennant and Jumbo co-starred in the compulsively watchable and disturbing Scottish mini-series Deadwater Fell for C4. How helpful is it to have worked together before? Tennant says it is “hugely” valuable when tackling something “intense and difficult” to be with someone you are “comfortable taking chances with”. Although actors cannot depend on this luxury: “Sometimes, you have to turn up the first day and go: ‘Ah, hello, nice to meet you, we’re going to be playing psychopathic Mr and Mrs Macbeth.’” And Jumbo adds: “I’ve been asked to do this play before and said no. You have to do it with the right person. I knew this would be fun because David is a laugh as well as being very hard-working.” He responds brightly with a non sequitur: “Wait till you see my knees in a kilt…” Are you seriously going to wear a kilt, I ask. “You’ll have to wait and see,” he laughs.

It is perhaps the kilt that triggers his next observation: “We’re an entirely Scottish company, apart from Cush,” he volunteers, suggesting that Macbeth’s choice of a non-Scottish wife brings new energy to the drama. He grew up in Paisley, the son of a Presbyterian minister, and remembers how, in his childhood, “whenever an English person arrived, you’d go “Oooh… from another worrrrld!”, and he reflects: “Someone from somewhere else gives you different energy.” And while on the Scottish theme, it is worth adding that Macbeth is the part that seems patiently to have been waiting for Tennant: “People keep saying: you must have done this play before? I don’t know if Italian Shakespeareans keep being asked if they have played Romeo…”

I tell them I remember puzzling, as a schoolgirl, over Macbeth’s line about “vaulting ambition, which o’erleaps itself and falls on th’other” – the gymnastic detail beyond me. Tennant suggests that what Macbeth has, more even than ambition, is hubris. But on ambition, he and Jumbo reveal themselves to be two of a kind. Tennant says: “Ambition is not a word I’d have understood as a child but I had an ambition to become an actor from tiny – from pre-school. I did not veer off from it, I was very focused. When I look at it now, that was wildly ambitious because there were no precedents or reasons for me to believe I could.”

“For me, same,” says Jumbo, “I don’t remember ever wanting to be anything else.” She grew up in south London, second of six children. Her father is Nigerian and was a stay-at-home dad, her mother is British and worked as a psychiatric nurse. “At four, I was an avid reader and mimicker. I got into lots of trouble at school for mimicking. My ambition was similar to David’s although, as a girl, the word ‘ambition’ has always been a bit dirty…” Tennant: “It certainly is to a Scottish Presbyterian.” “Yes,” she laughs, “perhaps I should have said Celts and Blacks… Girls grow up thinking they should be modest, right? But I had so much ambition. I knew there was more for me to do and that I could be good at doing it.”

And what were they like as teenagers – as, say, 14-year-olds? Tennant says: “Uncomfortable, plooky…” What’s plooky, Jumbo and I exclaim in unison. “A Scottish word for covered in spots.” “That’s great!” laughs Jumbo. “Unstylish,” Tennant concludes. Her turn: “At 14, I was sassy, a bit mouthy, trying to get into a lot of clubs and not succeeding because I looked way too young for my age. And desperate for a snog.”

And now, as grownups, Tennant and Jumbo are, above all, keenly aware of what it means to be a parent. Jumbo has a son, Maximilian (born 2018); Tennant five children between the ages of four and 21. Parenthood, they believe, helps shape the work they do. “Being a parent magnifies the job of being an actor,” says Jumbo, “because what we’re being asked to do [as actors] is to stay playful and in the present – be big children. As a parent, you get to relive your childhood and see the world through your child’s eyes as if for the first time and more intensely. We don’t do that much as adults.”

Tennant reckons being a parent has given him “empathy, patience – or the requirement for patience – and tiredness. It gives you a big open wound you carry around, a vulnerability that is not a bad thing for this job because it means you have an emotional accessibility that can be very trying but which we need.” But the work-life balance remains, for Tennant, an ongoing struggle: “Just when you think you’ve figured it out, something happens,” he says, “and you have to recalibrate it because your children need different things at different times.” Jumbo sometimes looks to other actors/parents for advice: “To try to see what they are doing – but you never quite get it right.”

And would they agree there is a work-life balance involved in acting itself? Is acting an escape from self or a way of going deeper into themselves? Tennant says: “I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive though they sound as though they should be – I think it is both.” Jumbo agrees: “On the surface, you’re consciously stepping away from yourself but, actually, subconsciously, you have to do things instinctually so you find out more about yourself without meaning to.”

And when they go deeper, what is it that they find? Fear is another of the motors in Macbeth – what is fear for them? “Something being wrong with one of my kids,” Tennant says and Jumbo concurs. And what about fear for our planet? Tennant says: “There is so much to feel fearful and pessimistic about it can be…” Jumbo finishes his sentence: “Overwhelming.” He picks it up again: “So overwhelming that you don’t do anything.” Jumbo worries about this, tries to remind herself that doing something is better than doing nothing: “If everybody did something small in their corner of the world, the knock-on effect would be bigger.” Tennant admits to feeling “anxiety” and distinguishes it from fear. Jumbo volunteers: “I recognise fear in myself but don’t see it as a helpful emotion. It’s underactive, a place to stand still.”

As actors who have hit the jackpot, what would they say, aside from talent, has been essential to their success? Tennant says: “Luck – to be in the right place at the right time, having one job that leads to another.” Jumbo remembers: “Early in my career, I had a slow start. You have to fill your soul with creative things, which is not always easy if you can’t afford to go out. You have to find things that are free, get together with people who are creative and give you good vibes and not people who are bitter and jealous or have lots of bad things to say about the world. This tends to bring more creative things to you.” Tennant observes: “As the creative arts go, acting is a difficult one to do on your own – if you’re a painter, you can paint – even if no one is buying your paintings.” Jumbo chips in: “Because of that, it can be quite lonely when it’s not happening.” “Tennant concludes: “It’s bloody unfair – there are far too many good actors, too many of us.”

And are they in any way like the Macbeths in being partly governed by magical thinking – or do they see themselves as rationalists? (I neglect to ask whether they call Macbeth “the Scottish play”, as many actors superstitiously do.) “I am a rationalist. I’m almost aggressively anti-nonsense,” Tennant says. Jumbo, unfazed by this manifestation of reason, speaks up brightly: “I’m a magical thinker, I’m half Nigerian and that’s all about magical realism and belief in energy. If something goes my way, I think: God, I felt that energy. And the thing that drew me to theatre as a kid was its magic.” And now Tennant, alerted by the word “magic”, starts to clamber on board to agree with her – and Jumbo laughs as they acknowledge the power of what she has just said.'

#David Tennant #Hamlet #Richard II #Cush Jumbo #Deadwater Fell #Macbeth #Donmar Warehouse #There She Goes #Broadchurch #Dennis Nilson #Des #Doctor Who #As You Like It #Julius Caesar #Max Webster #Josephine & I #Gareth Fry

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disco-elysium-via-polls · 20 days

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🎵 Ignus Nilsen Waltz

I've decided to change outfits for this. This is going to alter some of the dialogue we've already heard.

ECHO MAKER - "He should know the meeting starts at 22.00 *sharp*." His companion looks up at you and squints.

VISUAL CALCULUS [Medium: Success] - His eyes are tracing an invisible line back and forth from your jacket to his companion.

ECHO MAKER - "Hey, Steban. Isn't that *your* jacket?"

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - What a coincidence! You two have the *same* jacket. What are the odds?

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Based on the prevalence of white Saramirizian suits in Martinaise? Extremely low.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It certainly *looks* like my jacket, Ulixes. Where did you get that, gendarme?"

I just found it… in a room."

"Must be a coincidence. I see these jackets all the time."

"This jacket is RCM property. It's been confiscated as part of an ongoing investigation."

[Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Unlikely. That's real Saramirizian twill. Only old Saramirizian communists and drug smugglers wear those anymore..."

"See, Uli? It's just like Mazov wrote. How does it go again?"

ECHO MAKER - "'Those committed to the rights of property are those most apt to violate them'." His companion nods emphatically.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Just a minute. Steban... Ulixes... *why* do those names ring the faintest of bells?

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - Probably because they're the real names of 'Nasteb' and 'Exilus', the authors of that so-called essay about TipTop Tournée you read...

CONCEPTUALIZATION - You should get to the bottom of this, when you have the chance.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I assumed it was Maurice who broke into my room, to play a trick on me. I didn't think I'd *actually* been raided by the RCM!"

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - There is surprise in his voice, naturally, but is that a note of *excitement* you also detect?

"So, do you want your jacket *back*?"

"Listen, comrade, it's not what it looks like..."

"Why do you sound *excited* to be raided by the RCM?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Oh, gendarme, because this is perfect..."

He turns to his companion. "Can you imagine the look on Maurice's face when he finds out the RCM has been kicking my door down?"

ECHO MAKER - "He'll shit himself! Positively."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And now they've shown up *in force* to break up our meeting!" He rubs his hands together excitedly.

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant sighs. "Something tells me these young men are not very experienced with law enforcement."

"Hold on, we're not here to *break up* your meeting. We want to *join* your meeting!"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The RCM wants to join us?" A quizzical expression...

KIM KITSURAGI - "My partner, of course, is acting in a strictly *personal capacity*, not as an official representative of the RCM."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Interesting. Does that mean you've done the reading?"

DRAMA [Impossible: Failure] - Uh oh. No one said anything about *reading*. You'll just have to wing this one.

And we're back.

4. (Whisper.) "Kim, did *you* do the reading?"

KIM KITSURAGI - "No, detective. The only reading I've been doing is right here..." The lieutenant holds up his little blue notebook.

ESPRIT DE CORPS [Easy: Success] - He seems to be wagging the notebook at you, as though he suspects you may have forgotten why you're here.

KIM KITSURAGI - "I have not had time to seek out pretentious communist book clubs, nor have I done their 'reading'."

ECHO MAKER - "It doesn't sound like they've done the reading, Steban."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, this is getting awkward. I'm not sure what you were expecting to find here then..."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - There's profound consternation in his voice. You suspect it's about something bigger than your not having done the reading.

ECHO MAKER - "Maybe they can explain themselves."

"What *exactly* are you two doing here?"

"What were you doing with those matchboxes just now?"

"Do I *know* you two from somewhere?"

"That's enough for tonight. Will you still be here if I have more questions?" [Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "In the most general sense, I would say we're cultivating revolutionary consciousness."

ECHO MAKER - "Yes, that's probably the best way to describe it."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "But more specifically, we're running a reading group, the most rigorous and theoretically advanced materialist reading group in Martinaise."

ECHO MAKER - "Comrade Steban is a great discussion leader. One of the best at the university."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - It's obvious they take this 'group' of theirs extremely seriously. Whatever you do, *don't* compare it to a common book club.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - *YAWWWWN!* Can you imagine anything duller than a bunch of binoclards yanking each others' knobs?

"Is this where I can square off in *theory combat*?"

"Sounds like a place for intense intellectual engagement. Exactly my kind of jam."

"Sounds just like a regular book club."

"Sounds like a yank-fest for binos."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We have been known to get into some *spirited* debates. But it's always in service of our larger intellectual and ideological project."

ECHO MAKER - "Precisely. We're not interested in senseless parroting. We like to read *critically*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Within the contours of Mazovian historical materialism, of course."

"I didn't realise they taught radical Mazovian theory in the universities."

"Okay, so what does your reading group actually *read*?"

"I think I get the idea. Let me ask about something else."

ECHO MAKER - "Ha! As though you can call that pablum *teaching*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "One thing you learn quickly at university is that you're not going to find a real education in any lecture hall or discussion seminar."

ECHO MAKER - "We're post-attendance, basically."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Exactly. The only worthwhile part of the so-called École normale de Revachol is the library. That's where we've made our greatest critical strides."

2. “Kim, can we arrest these kids for truancy?”

KIM KITSURAGI - "They’re not primary school delinquents, they’re university students. Attendance isn't compulsory. Besides, we’re not the skip squad."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - The Counter-Truancy Task Force (or 'skip squad') is the division of the RCM that drives around in wagons looking for delinquent minors. It's generally considered a punitive assignment for under-performing officers.

3. "Okay, so what does your reading group actually *read*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We study all the foundational texts of Mazovian theory, of course. Just last week we finished the second volume of Puncher and Wattmann's 'Innocence of Capital'..."

ECHO MAKER - "Truly extraordinary."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And before that we spent six weeks on 'State and Plasm'..."

VOLITION [Formidable: Success] - This is fine. You can handle a list. In fact, you find the tedium strangely soothing.

+1 Morale

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We've also read Wertmüller's 'The Mega-Structure of History,' and before that, 'Reál and Reality'..."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Communist theorists love puns, in case that wasn't obvious.

Level up!

ECHO MAKER - "Abelard's 'Un Pays Infernal'..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The original Fizdale translation, not that watered-down revisionist garbage."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - These two deserve the Order of Honour for Bullshitting. There's no way they've actually *read* all this stuff.

ECHO MAKER - "Obviously." He snorts.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "But, of course, our *special emphasis* is on the theories of Ignus Nilsen and his followers, especially the infra-materialists."

"Wait, who are these *infra-materialists*?"

"I know who Kras Mazov is, but who is this 'Ignus Nilsen' guy?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "You're not familiar with them? It's... pretty advanced stuff. You may not be ready for it yet, gendarme." The two young men exchange skeptical side-glances.

"Okay, but then who's this 'Ignus Nilsen' guy?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Only Kras Mazov's most trusted lieutenant, the Evangelist of the Revolution, and the founding father of the People's Republic of Samara."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Legendary: Failure] - It's hard to overstate how unimpressed he is that you've never heard of this world-historical individual.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "He *also* happens to be the greatest communist theorist after Mazov himself. It was Nilsen who first postulated the existence of ideological plasm, which forms the basis of infra-materialist theory."

The young man sighs. His companion looks about furtively.

2. "Did this reading group have anything to do with the lynching?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Lynching? No. We're not an *operational* cell."

ECHO MAKER - "We think of ourselves as more of an intellectual vanguard."

"Okay, but what's your group's stance on the lynching?"

"Is your reading group affiliated with the Union somehow?"

"*Are* there any operational communists in Martinaise?" (Proceed.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Our stance? What, does he want to know if the SRV has established a party line on lynchings in Martinaise?" The two young men look at one another.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - The SRV refers to the People's Republic of Samara. Established as a socialist utopia by survivors of the Revolution, it has since degenerated into a bureaucratic workers' state under the decades-long rule of President Sapormat 'Sport' Knezhinisky.

ECHO MAKER - "Though historically speaking, the SRV *has supported* direct action against right-wing paramilitary squads, especially when they're doing the Indotribes' dirty work."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Good point. So as a provisional matter, I can say we support it."

SAVOIR FAIRE [Challenging: Failure] - Are they being sarcastic? You feel like you're caught in some elaborate joke labyrinth, but it's impossible to see your way through.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - It's always that way. Beneath the crust of irony there's a molten sincerity that threatens to erupt forth... You may witness it yet.

2. "Is your reading group affiliated with the Union somehow?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No, we're an independent organisation," he says proudly. "We acknowledge and respect the Union's efforts, but our interests are more theoretical than Mr. Claire's."

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - He speaks the truth.

3. "So what's your stance on crime in general?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's easy: Crime is simply the inevitable expression of the injustice and incoherence embedded within capitalism itself."

"It's a symptom, in other words. Not a cause." He waves his hand as though this is all there is to say on the subject of crime.

ECHO MAKER - His companion can barely suppress a yawn.

4. "*Are* there any operational communists in Martinaise?" (Proceed.)

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "No, unfortunately. The communards were hunted down and killed nearly to a man. All that's left of them are bones and old rifles."

"Right. They all got shot in the head, just like the anarchists."

"Well, that's too bad."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The Insulindian Deluge wiped out an entire generation of communists. Afterward, they were all bulldozed into mass graves." The young man looks slightly queasy at the thought.

ECHO MAKER - His friend, though, seems oddly unmoved.

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success] - On the contrary, he appears to be *savouring* the thought of so many people shot in the head, regardless of their beliefs.

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Mark it, there's something sinister in that one.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - A moment of silence. They're waiting for you to speak.

3. "Where is the rest of the reading group?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "What do you mean? This *is* the reading group..."

"So there's just two of you?"

"Shouldn't a group have, like, more people in it?"

"Two's all you need. Me and Kim are the same way." (Turn to Kim.)

KIM KITSURAGI - "Kim and *I*..." the lieutenant mutters under his breath. He scribbles something in his notebook but adds nothing else.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We're in something of a rebuilding phase."

ECHO MAKER - "Some of our former comrades didn't have the *ideological fortitude* our work demands."

"Okay, but what happened to them?"

"I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Intellectual attrition is maybe the best way to describe it. Felix said he couldn't keep up with the reading on top of his classwork. And Zuzanna wanted to read texts *other than* Mazovian theory. Like novels, if you can believe it..."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Imagine, the audacity of wanting to read a novel in a reading group!

"Novels, unbelievable." (Shake your head.)

"Maybe you just haven't found the right group yet?"

ECHO MAKER - "See? Even a gendarme gets it."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We've tried recruiting new members, but unfortunately the *current intellectual climate* is pretty hostile to infra-materialist thought. These days, if you're on the left, the ascendent schools are the Gottwaldians and the Econoclards."

ECHO MAKER - "Don't forget about Maurice and the turnips."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - He sighs. "Right, then there was the whole 'turnip' debacle."

RHETORIC - Whatever this turnip business is about, one thing *is* perfectly clear: These young students have a much deeper understanding of communism than you do...

You could learn a thing or two from them, if you can convince them you're one of them.

"What's so bad about the Gottwaldians?"

"Who are the Econoclards?"

"What about Cindy, is she part of the group?"

"Did you say something about *turnips*?"

"I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "They're the most depressing school of communism. They love writing long books with a patina of Mazovian theory to cover up their cheap psychologising."

ECHO MAKER - "A gang of cheap psychologists and intellectual midgets." His companion sneers. "Typical Gottwalders, in other words."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It's okay for Uli to say that because his dad is from Gottwald."

"What's so depressing about their theories?"

"What's so bad about psychologising?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The Gottwald School believe that intellectuals as a class are incapable of sparking revolutionary change, so all they can do is *critique* capitalism from inside itself."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - In other words, they have lost faith in their own relevance.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's why they spend all their time smoking cigarettes and writing long works of criticism that make you want to commit suicide."

"That sounds miserable."

"Sounds rewarding, actually."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "It *is* miserable. That's probably why they're always committing suicide."

2. "What's so bad about psychologising?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Do you think all the problems in the world can be reduced to repressed sexual urges?"

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - No, of course not. That's reductive in the extreme.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - One-thousand percent, yes.

"Probably not."

"Speaking from experience, definitely."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, there you have it. You're not a Gottwaldian, then."

"You see, the Gottwald School look like communists, they talk like communists, but scratch the patina and you'll see beneath that they're just depressed liberals who've read too many books."

2. "Okay, but what about the Econoclards?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "For starters, they love talking about *beans*."

"*Beans*?"

"What's wrong with beans? I like beans."

"No beans for me. Can't stand the stuff."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That's right. Econoclards are *obsessed* with beans. They love thinking about beans, they love counting beans, but most of all, they love building models to predict how many beans there'll be *in the future*."

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - Nota bene: 'Econoclard' is an extra-pejorative form of the already pejorative name 'Mazovian Economists', a moderate school of Mazovianism, which advocates a gradual transition to communism through carefully managed economic modernisation rather than violent social revolution.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "They're by far the most bean-centric school of communism."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - Ah yes, the much maligned bean counters, ensconced in their think-tanks and highrises, believing they can save the world through a series of incremental, assiduously technocratic reforms...

"I don't get it. Are the beans a *metaphor*?"

"But isn't it good to know how many beans there are?"

"What's wrong with making progress through moderate economic reforms?"

ECHO MAKER - "If only! They've got all the beans accounted for in their asset sheets, their quarterly budgets, their future projections. But for some reason there are never enough beans to go around, so we've just got to cut our bean rations in half..."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "... and next thing you know there are *budget cuts*, so now we've got to cut the bean rations in half *again*..."

"You see, Econoclards claim to be communists, but in reality they're just liberals with hard-ons for spreadsheets."

3. "And what about the liberals? Are they liberals, too?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Of course not. The only people who actually call themselves liberals are mouth-foaming reactionaries."

ECHO MAKER - "Basically indistinguishable from fascists. You'd need an x-ray machine to tell the difference."

4. "What about Cindy, is she part of the group?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Cindy is... how to describe her *role*..."

ECHO MAKER - "... something of an ideological auxiliary, perhaps."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Yes, that's exactly how I would put it. And naturally we support her radical counter-liberal aesthetics."

ECHO MAKER - "But she refuses to submit an essay, so we can't call her a member of the group *per se*."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That doesn't stop her from using the room for studio space, of course."

5. "Did you say something about *turnips*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - Another sigh. “It's an unfortunate story. You see, our ex-comrade Maurice is something of an economist...”

ECHO MAKER - “He’s studying macro- *and* micro-economics.”

KIM KITSURAGI - "Wow, a *real* intellectual, it sounds like." The lieutenant arches his eyebrows.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - “Right, so a few weeks ago we were discussing the extra-physical capabilities of the revolutionary state, and Maurice said... what were his exact words, Ulixes?"

ECHO MAKER - "It was unbelievable. He said, 'Turnips don't care if they're grown by communists, moralists, or welkin. They grow just the same'."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Basically, he was rejecting the whole foundation of infra-materialist theory."

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - What is this *infra-materialist* business they keep blathering about? You've never heard of anything like it.

"Remind me what infra-materialist theory says about turnips again?"

Just go along with it.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Simply that *under suitably revolutionary conditions* crop yields naturally increase relative to non-revolutionary crops. Which Maurice somehow has the gall to deny."

ECHO MAKER - "Zuzanna said that he has been hanging out with some non-communists lately."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "For us the question boiled down to: 'If you don't even accept the basic ideas of Nilsen and infra-materialist theory, why are you in the reading group?'"

"I totally understand."

"I don't understand at all."

"So you expelled Maurice from the reading group over an argument about turnips?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Exactly. What educated person could believe that turnips grow at the same rate under capitalism *and* communism?"

ECHO MAKER - "It's a sad reflection on our educational institutions."

"So you expelled Maurice from the reading group over an argument about turnips?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, it wasn't so much that he was expelled..."

ECHO MAKER - "He just quit coming. We haven't seen him around for weeks."

6. "I've heard enough. Let's talk about something else."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Go ahead." The young man gives you a half-smile. His companion sniffs.

4. "What were you doing with those matchboxes just now?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - The young man frowns at the little pile of boxes on the floor.

"Nothing, just messing around until the meeting started."

INTERFACING [Easy: Success] - They're watching those matchboxes awfully intently for two guys who are just 'messing around.'

It's almost as though they were trying to create the most unstable structure they could...

LOGIC [Medium: Success] - With predictable results.

5. "Do I *know* you two from somewhere?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I don't think so." The young man gives you a curious look. "Unless you've been hanging around the Cultural Studies faculty at the École Normale de Revachol..."

ECHO MAKER - "Perhaps he subscribes to 'La Fumée'."

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - That's sarcasm. He does not expect you to subscribe to radical communist periodicals.

(Show them 'La Fumée'.) "Wait, *you* guys wrote for *this*?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "*You've* read our article?" For the first time since you've met the young man, words seem to desert him...

ECHO MAKER - "That I did not expect." His companion is blushing now, a sheepish grin on his face.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, don't keep us on tenterhooks! What did you think of the essay?"

EMPATHY [Easy: Success] - The delicate egos on these boys! Even though you're just some cop they're desperate for your approval.

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Hey! You're not just 'some cop', you've got highly developed critical faculties! Now's your chance to show them off.

"It was a good article. You should keep developing your ideas."

If we'd read the article *after* becoming the Art Cop, we might have had some more profound things to say.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Well, of course that's just an *initial foray* into the subject. We're hoping to return to it for a more substantial treatment next term..."

"In any case, I'm glad our piece found its audience. That's always the hope with these things, you know."

+5 XP

6. "Is the reading group accepting new members?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "We typically only accept new members once per semester. There's this whole *process*, with essays and presentations on assigned topics..." The young man turns to his companion.

"But given that we have some extra seating at the moment, I guess we could be convinced to expedite an application or two."

ECHO MAKER - "Steban, you can't be serious... for these gendarmes?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I am serious. As materialists we've got to adapt to conditions as they are. Besides, he'll still need to pass the *interview portion* of the entrance process..." He turns back to you.

"... assuming he's even still interested, that is."

We can improve our chances on this Composure check, so let's back out of the conversation first.

7. "That's enough for tonight. Will you still be here if I have more questions?" [Leave.]

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Sure, we're here most every night." He shrugs. "Maybe we'll catch you again."

ECHO MAKER - "Sleep well, gendarme."

We can use this as an opportunity to look around the room.

Try not to think about the cracks spidering out across the floor...

"The communards didn't commit *enough* atrocities."

A rickety easel, surrounded by pots of gouache.

Cindy's, no doubt.

Could it be the *phasmid*? No, probably not.

This one says: "NO WAR BUT CLASS WAR!"

"Kind of chilly tonight, Uli."

"Don't worry, I'm sure your jacket will turn up."

This poster reads: "Under the cobblestones, communism!"

Mmmm, coffee...

At the bottom of the pot, an isle of black sludge rises from a shadowy sea.

RELFECTIVE CONSTRUCTION VEST

+1 Endurance: Safety first. -1 Reaction Speed: Impossible to miss.

A ludicrously reflective safety vest like those favoured by construction and road repair crews. Comes with a replaceable battery back. Makes you feel like a deep sea anemone.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "The gendarme returns." The young man turns to you. "What do you need?"

4. "I'm guessing these pots of gouache belong to Cindy?"

You have to be Art Cop to recognize the paint as gouache.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - He sighs. "Yeah, it's hers. She just sort of... moved it all in a few months ago."

ECHO MAKER - "She said if she's going to make truly radical art, she needs a suitably radical workspace."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "And I don't think she could afford rent at an actual studio."

"Do you like her art?"

"Now I'm wondering, what's the deal with this place?"

"Okay, let's move on."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Oh, sure. It's definitely *interesting*, I would say..."

"Hmmm, I guess you could call her latest stuff a sort of *counter-bourgeois calligraphy*. She's got a real taste for radical slogans."

ECHO MAKER - "It's too bad she hasn't developed the theoretical foundation to do truly radical work."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "I think she'll get there, though. She's still looking for a subject equal to her ambitions."

2. "Now I'm wondering, what's the deal with this place?"

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "'The deal'? At a fundamental level I guess you could call it the shattered bones of a dream crushed by capital."

LOGIC [Challenging : Success] - A feeble and hopelessly mixed metaphor.

ECHO MAKER - "That's really good, Steban. You should save that for an essay."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Thanks, Uli. When the idea is sound the words just sort of flow."

CONCEPTUALIZATION [Medium: Success] - Yes, now keep developing the idea.

"Actually, I think that's a mixed metaphor."

"If this place is the shattered bones, that must make us the bone weevils."

"I heard these used to be luxury apartments. Million reál views, that sort of thing."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Mmm, yeah that's not bad."

ECHO MAKER - "Not as good as Steban's original idea, though."

3. "I heard these used to be luxury apartments. Million reál views, that sort of thing."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "That could be." He nods. "It would explain some of the more ornate detailing. But we're speaking in world-historical terms here. What this place *represents*, not what it merely *was*."

ECHO MAKER - His friend yawns, evidently bored by literal reality.

3. "Okay, let's move on."

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Go ahead." The young man gives you a half-smile. His companion sniffs.

7. [Composure - Impossible 17] Convince them you belong in the reading group.

+4 Somewhat bookish toad.

COMPOSURE [Impossible: Failure] - Is it getting warm in here? There seems to be a little pool of sweat forming in the depression of your lower back.

"Definitely not sweating, no sir. (Dab the sweat with your shirt.)"

It's because I don't do well in interviews.

COMPOSURE - Excellent work, now there's a dark handprint on the back of your shirt. Everyone will be able to see the evidence of your overactive sweat glands.

2. It's because I don't do well in interviews.

COMPOSURE - No, you're terrible at them. The thought of everyone looking at you, judging you, makes you want to heave, frankly...

-1 Morale

3. Why am I getting so worked up? They're just a couple of kids!

COMPOSURE - Let's be frank, they're probably way smarter than you. You bet they've read more books than you can even name...

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Of course, if you're nervous it wouldn't hurt to read another book or two.

COMPOSURE - The hardest part will just be working up the nerve to ask without soiling yourself.

STEBAN, THE STUDENT COMMUNIST - "Everything alright, gendarme? You look a little green about the gills..."

8. [Leave.]

#disco elysium #kim kitsuragi #harrier du bois #steban the student communist #echo maker #i hope you're ready for another really long post as we discuss *critical theory*

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jona3d · 1 year

Text

LA FUMÉE, VOL. 1 NO. 4

Full breakdown under the cut!

Here I'll go through each page as the Skills point out interesting details, though I'll skip the front cover; it's simply an edited version of the one in-game.

Encyclopedia [Medium: Success]: However, I will point out that the cover depicts King Frissel I — the last suzerain of Revachol — as dead, having sprouted antlers. Frissel was deposed and executed by communists, whose symbol is a pair of antlers and a star...the dots connect themselves.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Perception [Easy: Success]: The illustration used is concept art of the fishermen's shacks, to the west of Martinaise.

Empathy [Medium: Success]: Above the shacks, you see the word 'Méncompetent' — a cheeky pun from the designers. Now it's a Table of "Discontents" — no doubt in reference to their discontent with the state of the world. Or the lack of funding from their readerbase.

Conceptualization [Challenging: Success]: You recognize the names Exilus Bücher and Nasteb Encalada-Bernal, the pen names of those two university communards that meet above the Capeside Apartments, but the others seem to be even more fictional. The mononym "Dobrevardo" stands out, though...

Logic [Medium: Success]: ...didn't Call Me Mañana tell you something about Dobreva and Abadanaiz? Interesting.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Perception [Medium: Failure]: The image behind them is of the headless FALN rider, a plastic rendition similar to the statue by the lorry drivers. It's unclear how this urban legend connects to their plea for funding.

Electrochemistry [Easy: Failure]: It looks cool, man! That's what communism is all about: Looking cool.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

Inland Empire [Easy: Success]: The black letters are echoes from another world; the Dutch Anarchy magazine number 066, 1996. They have been flipped, cut, and edited to suit a broader purpose; they are not there for you to read them.

Encyclopedia [Medium: Success]: The article titles are real, though, plucked straight from Elysium. Uncle Sport refers to Sapormat 'Sport' Knezhinisky, president of the SRV. Despite rumors of Samaran news all being propaganda, their president's near-pathological obsession with physical fitness means he probably did wrestle a bear or two.

KUNST UND KULTUR: ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

Logic [Trivial: Success]: C.S. obviously stands for Cindy the Skull, if her face being obscured by a skull and the red paint weren't enough clues.

Perception [Formidable: Success]: It's hard to spot, but behind the interview text you can just make out the words of her most recent piece, Un jour je serai de retour prés de toi ('51, red-dyed fuel oil on concrete). And are those radiocomputers above the radio play reviews? How appropriate.

Encyclopedia [Medium: Success]: "Comrades at the Table" is a clear reference to the radio roleplaying show, "Friends at the Table". Instead of tuning in to participate in the game like Fortress Accident, listeners would instead passively tune in to an ongoing roleplaying campaign played by the show's hosts.

Conceptualization [Challenging: Success]: The other two are pure fiction, though they play on radio show name conventions. One could argue that "Vespertine Oranjese" is an oblique reference to "Orange is the New Black", but it's nothing more than a half-coincidence. Probably.

KUNST UND KULTUR: TIPTOP TOURNÉE

Perception [Easy: Success]: This slick-looking page depicts a motor carriage having knocked over a communist figurine from its pile. The designer clearly took pride in its conception.

Empathy [Trivial: Success]: They're proud of the whole thing, brother!

Encyclopedia [Medium: Success]: You recognize the phrase "cultivating plasm" — Steban and Ulixes must be referencing Ignus Nilsen's theories on Infra-Materialism. Plasm is described as a politicized energy that could be harnessed in a variety of increasingly fantastical ways; you're unsure what its cultivation would mean for a popular car race.

LOCAL CONCERNS

Endurance [Easy: Success]: It's almost over. You can feel it.

Composure [Challenging: Success]: Thank god.

Logic [Medium: Success]: It says the aerial shot of the dockworker's strike was taken by Evrart Claire? Clearly a fabrication designed to uphold the man's benevolent facade. No wonder you found it in the secretariat's couch on the way to his office.

Conceptualization [Easy: Success]: To reiterate, though: This replication of La Fumée has absolutely everything described in-game. Its length has been reduced for ease of printing and the creator's sanity, and a few details like subheaders and authors have been added for perceived authenticity, but it is scarily accurate. Everything described has been preserved in the transfer from Elysium to Earth.

Volition [Formidable: Success]: This is shockingly thorough for a costume that will be seen hundreds of times, and recognized five or six. This was made not for attention, but out of a deep love for the work that inspired it.

Empathy [Challenging: Success]: Or perhaps a deep love for communism?

Electrochemistry [Easy: Success]: You only see this kind of acute hyperfocus in something so trivial from fat cats with ADHD, or yourself after finding that bottle of Speed Saint-Batiste PREPTIDE and throwing back a couple pills. Your throat feels dry.

BACK COVER

Encyclopedia [Easy: Success]: Two symbols are featured on this back cover: The insignia of a star and antlers, and dried may bells, both of which became synonymous with communism during the Turn-of-the-Century Revolution of '02.

Shivers [Formidable: Success]: I used to be @shenaniglenn. I still am. The pockets of me that are strewn about the city remain, but they've remained quiet for years now. A young boy peers down into a storm drain, transfixed as the water collects and swirls outward. Where are you going, young ocean, and may I join in?

Half-Light [Easy: Success]: This is too much. Pack it up. Got to go.

Drama [Challenging: Failure]: Sire, dost thy loyal readers deserve not a performance for thine toil?

Half-Light [Trivial: Success]: OUT.

[Thank you for reading. If you skipped to the end, thank you for skipping to the end.]

Download/Print La Fumée Vol.1 No.4 here:

Zine PDF (How to cut and fold a zine)

Multi-page PDF

#disco elysium #games #harry du bois #design #zine #fan zine #video game #halloween costume #art #long post #la fumee #kras mazov

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freddieraimbow74 · 1 month

Text

21 March 1981, Queen performed their second and final completely sold-out show @ Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo, São Paulo, Brazil 🇧🇷

The two concerts, 120,000 attended, total of 251,000 over the 2 shows

All of Queen's albums in top 10 position South American album charts. Love Of My Life No.1 in singles chart where it stayed for over one year!

This is the last show on this first leg of the South American tour.

Freddie's voice is in fantastic shape tonight, and his delivery of ‘Rock It’ is probably his best ever.

In a Melody Maker interview done between South American tours Freddie speaks about the state of his voice: "I'm losing the range, believe it or not. I've lost the power I began with. But I've become a stronger singer so maybe my framework is diminishing but within that I can sing better than ever. My voice can do amazing things now."

After this gig Queen would take a few months off, during which they'd record ‘Under Pressure’ with David Bowie!

Here’s a fabulous fan story. Mr. Nilsen attended the two shows in São Paulo, March 20/21:

“I was 21 years old when I went to the Queen shows on March 20, 1981 and I have been a Queen fan since 1974! That day, I was thinking of nothing but Queen. I was wearing the shirt of the 1st Official Fan Club of this phenomenal band in Latin America, created and chaired by me. In my pocket, I had the ticket to the show.

As soon as the track gates opened, I ran across the lawn to get as close to the stage as possible and get a full view. I remember seeing Peter Hince testing the sound of the instruments. The Who song ‘Baba O'Riley’ was playing through the speakers at the end of it the show started… Dry ice took over the stage and I saw that Roger Taylor was on drums, the lights came on! Brian and John entered playing ‘We Will Rock You’ (fast), Freddie Mercury appeared next and soon dominated the entire stage with his strong presence.

I went to Queen's four shows in Brazil, two in São Paulo, in 1981, and two in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985. These shows were a dream come true. My impression was that everything happened very quickly. After ‘God Save the Queen’ the stadium lights were turned on, they woke me up from some fairy tale and brought me back to real life. But it was worth it, not because I can now proudly say, ‘I saw Freddie Mercury live’, but because I shared a few hours with my favorite band.”

- William Nilsen, a huge fan and author of the book ‘Queen No Brasil’

Queen Live 💛👑💛

#freddie mercury #queen band #brian may #j’adore #roger taylor #jhon deacon #musique #queen #original character #music

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weepylucifer · 1 year

Text

DE daemon AU with characters in no particular order:

Harry: a dog. some sort of huge, shaggy beaft. can switch seamlessly between scary police dog and slobbering best friend full of love. because Harry has amnesia, the two of them might not remember taboos like no daemon touching and she'll try to lick Kim. if you play Harry like he's trying to turn his life around, Harry can do stuff like groom her fur

Kim: skua. skua's got it all. it can fly, it's the symbolic bird of Revachol (Kim is sooo proud and vindicated about it), it's huge, it's majestic, it's a complete asshole

Evrart: chameleon. Edgar has a different daemon, but there's a rumor that when they impersonate each other, they keep their daemons out of sight and use actual trained animals to keep up the ruse. maybe because of that, their daemons tend to not speak much in front of strangers.

Jean: i don't care. a roach. die.

Cuno and Cunoesse: unsettled. Cuno's daemon changes all the time, usually into something small but loud and annoying (for posturing reasons). with Cunoesse there's a persistent rumor that she has no daemon, adding to her creepy child reputation, but it's really just that her daemon prefers taking small forms and hiding inside her clothing, huddled against her. unless you antagonize her in any way. then he's a ball of rage and poorly suppressed fear and puffed up and in your face

Steban: deer. duh. they say she settled the moment he finished reading the Elysium version of Kapital or something else of that sort. has the 1 in 10000 antlered doe mutation because Of Course. still has some faint trace of fawn coloring which Steban is highly embarrassed about

Ulixes: oooohhhhh he wishes. he wishes it were a shrike. especially because he may not actually know what a shrike looks like and is picturing some large and badass-looking bird. but he is not actually Nilsen. he is Ulixes. it is a mongoose

Smoker on the Balcony: cat. a very elegant and sleek one. doesn't speak to other people or their daemons at all except for when it's sexy

Cindy: crow. intelligent, creative, prone to wise-cracking

Noid: one of those stick insects that can camouflage themselves as flowers or leaves

Egghead: parrot. also constantly yells scooter lyrics

Trant: something weird where it's not apparent to anyone in what way the animal is meant to be a symbolic representation of his personality at all. like fuckin uhhh a platypus

#only like 3 of these daemons have names yet #it's laika (harry) megaera (ulixes) and esperanza (steban)#for the other ones i may think of names or not. this is just the roughest draft of an idea #posts by me #you know kim jumps a foot in the air and yells ''NO'' on reflex when harry's daemon tries to lick him #and when harry takes -1 morale about it kim patiently explains why daemons shouldn't be touched by other people #also i'm having fun imagining the student commies' daemons like playing w each other and frolicking while they're debating #steban and uli are like ah yes we are very serious we are debating the future of communism #meanwhile the manifestations of their souls are like YAY YAY i love you!!! i am having a great time!!!!!

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palin-tropos · 9 months

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seeing the DE subreddit for a moment solidified my fantasies of creating an entire season of television dedicated to the story of the antecentennial revolution and watching these guys deny that mazov and nilsen are gay until it's so blindingly obvious. god it would be funny

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thedrkjstr · 2 months

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Introducing myself to the Tumblr community (I want friends, damn (y si hablas español, también)):

Name: Call me Lenny, "Nilsen" is for... You'll see below ↓

He/Him/Bat (haha)

Movies/Series: American Psycho, The Freedom Writers, How They Became Cult Leaders, Pursuit Of Happiness, Gifted Hands, House MD., The Equalizer (I love Denzel Washington), RANGO, Jurassic Park/Jurassic World, TWD, TLOU, The Purgue, LEGION (I love this one), Doctor Who, The Office, Hannibal, Train To Busan, US, Sweet Home, Alice In Borderland, Sweet Tooth, Arcane, Sherlock, Sandman. Those kind of stuff.

SPECIAL INTERESTS

Arctic Monkeys, Imagine Dragons, Shayfer James (I LITERALLY worship this man), Eminem, Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Waltzin, Kali Uchis, Doja Cat. I like those the most.

Writing, poetry, drawing stuff (included porn and i'm not afraid to admit it aghh).

Outlast (all of them), Identity V, The Last Of Us, The Quarry, Lurking For Love. I don't play too much.

I also like Vita Carnis, The Smile Tapes, The Painter, and Mandela Catalogue. My favs (please don't bully me).

I believe in myself (satanist).

FAV TCC TOPICS:

Des Nilsen, Zødiac, Jack The Ripper, my Columbine bois Dylan and Eric, Theodore Kaczynski, Bruce McArthur, Harold Shipman, Charlie Manson, Emil Kemper, Fritz Haarmann (ow boi). And basically all about that.

P.d.: I'm weird as FUCK.

Let's be friends :)

#left hand path #truecrimecommunity #looking for friends #introducing myself #introductory post #i am cringe but i am free

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andromerot · 1 year

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i want to study at the école normale de revachol

i will spell color as couleur and use drugs. i would read nilsen all night while drinking a pale aged vodka with my comrades. i'll have cigarettes every day that's worth 5 reál. i would go to underground reading groups every night. i am also more likely to meet mercenaries, Cindy the Skull, and Kim Kitsuragi.

i wish i was revacholian :(

#disco elysium

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victorianwhitechapel · 7 months

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The Long Shadow review – a shattering serial killer drama that breaks all the rules

A mighty cast including Katherine Kelly and Toby Jones tells the stories of the women murdered by Peter Sutcliffe. Finally, the focus is on the victims

By the end of the first two of the seven episodes of ITV’s new drama about the Yorkshire Ripper made available for review, Peter Sutcliffe has barely been glimpsed. This alone marks it out from the herd of serial killer dramas, let alone documentaries, of which every streaming platform has a full quota. The general rule is that, however much the makers stress that their creation will centre the victims instead of the perpetrator of the crimes, they somehow all end up in thrall to precisely that person. Even when there really are intentions otherwise, the perpetrator inevitably becomes the dramatic focus and the narrative engine.

The Long Shadow – so far, at least, which is already further than most – shatters the general rule. Written by George Kay (whose last outing was the very different, very fun Hijack starring Idris Elba) and directed by Lewis Arnold (Sherwood, Time, Des – the Dennis Nilsen drama starring David Tennant), it is based on Michael Bilton’s book Wicked Beyond Belief, plus additional research and with the consultation and blessing of the families.

More than any rendering of a notorious case that I can remember, the attention is on the women. Specifically, the living women. And, when they are gone, the people they leave behind. After Wilma McCann’s (Gemma Laurie) murder, and the investigation that will take five years to apprehend Sutcliffe despite the police interviewing him nine times, the focus moves to Emily Jackson (Katherine Kelly). The opening episodes concentrate on presenting her situation to us in the round, as dire financial straits drive the embattled wife and mother to sell sex and put her fatally in Sutcliffe’s sights.

The Long Shadow deals in details. It is not simply poverty that leads the Jacksons to extreme solutions, but the social pressures and the desire not to lose face in front of the neighbours are all carefully and accurately drawn. So too are the subtle prejudices that nudge Irene Richardson (Molly Vevers) out of the chance of a job as a nanny that might have saved her from becoming Sutcliffe’s third murder victim.

After her, there is Marcella Claxton (Jasmine Lee-Jones), who survives a hammer attack by the man who will soon be tagged “the Yorkshire Ripper” by the media, though the moniker – hated by the families – is barely used in The Long Shadow. She miscarries at four months as a result of the attack. Back home from hospital, we see her gently touching her terrible head wound, trying to see it in the mirror and gauge its extent, with the empty cot in the background – a moving evocation of the literal and metaphorical extent of trauma; how much we want to find its boundaries and how impossible it can be to do so.

The police investigation weaves round the women’s stories, and although it hits many familiar beats, the quality of the writing and presence of the likes of Toby Jones, David Morrissey and Lee Ingleby as the various detectives in charge over the years means that this too is better done than usual. We have come to expect virulent misogyny and racism to be on show in dramas set in earlier decades and involving the police – or any other unwieldy, male-dominated institution – but The Long Shadow succeeds in embedding it more quietly but firmly. It is a way of life, a way of thinking rather than a succession of big instances (though it still has its moments, such as when the detectives’ hospital interview with Claxton turns into an interrogation, as their engineered politeness in front of a black woman begins to fail).

This all means that we better understand how the investigation went so wrong so many times, with even “the good guys” believing that the deaths of sex workers (and assuming that any woman near a known streetwalking area was one) were not worth much effort, or that any woman drunk and out after dark got what was coming to her. And it means we can better see its descendant attitudes now and how insidiously they still work against women. Big, sexist/racist set pieces or a clear divide between bad cops and the angelic few who have managed to transcend their eras allow us to believe that things are different now. The Long Shadow’s subtlety and care denies us such mistaken comfort.

The Long Shadow is on ITV and ITVX in the UK, and on Stan in Australia

I hope one day they do the same with the Whitechapel Victims... RIP.

#victims #the long shadow #tv series #serial killer #true crime

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wrathofbloodeye · 1 year

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dennis nilsen letters: part two

nilsen wrote to another unnamed penpal on september 4th, 2003. while the letter found in this article is seemingly ordinary, i think there are some interesting insights on his personality to consider throughout it.

he begins with his criticisms on the prison system’s procedures on receiving money. he then begins to talk about a documentary on myra hindley, who killed five children in england with her lover, ian brady.

“I watched the Channel Five documentary on Myra Hindley last night. One suspects that any programme with “Monster” in its title is not to be taken seriously as offering any new insight into the subject. TV journalism remains too set in its populist formulas. It revealed no new analysis or enlightening information. It hinged itself on that famous ‘demonic’ photograph of her taken at the police station. That saved millions the bother of ever having to think deeply about her ever again.”

this excerpt gives us insight on his opinions towards true crime material. in another letter circulating around, he writes to another person saying “my singular observation on crimes crackers is that they are mostly crackers.” i admit, i share the same opinion on the title of the documentary. the word monster is a reoccurring word in the titles of many serial killer documentaries and dramas. two examples would be the series invisible monsters: serial killers in america and monster: the jeffrey dahmer story. the use of the word can become overused and repetitive, which simplifies the unique details of an individual and their case.

my favorite part of this letter is towards the end.

“Scientists tell us that an asteroid might strike the earth on 21st April 2014. If I’m still around, I’ll look out for it as the end of the world is something not to be missed. Friendly greetings as always, Des. PS: What do you think of the new Bull Ring development?”

some of nilsen’s personality is revealed through these few lines. he seems quite pretentious even in his letters. not surprising, given his narcissistic personality disorder diagnosis. he is intelligent and provides thorough descriptions for his opinions (whether they make sense or not). and then he just out of nowhere, adds on something completely irrelevant and a little bizarre. seems like he had the attention span of a squirrel here, but it was probably just an attempt to make the recipient laugh. honestly, i found it amusing. it truly feels like you are reading the letter of a pretentious old man that likes to joke around.

i’m not sure if this next excerpt is from this same letter, but the article mentions it nonetheless, as it connects with earlier topics.

"I serve my time as an extreme example of human contradiction in the wide continuum of human nature and its actions. I am not contained, mute and immobile in a glass jar as some kind of eternal official specimen of popular 'evil'. As I am alive I must live as a man. I seek only to reach out to engage with the human dimension which is anathema to rigid officials of the retribution machine who are content with the official view of men like me as eternally and evilly sub-human and monstrous."

i believe he means he is a complex person who should not be simply categorized as evil, just as myra was. he deeply wants people to understand him less as a criminal and more as a person. he feels he is interpreted through a lens that ultimately deems him as evil, and that opinion is therefore passed on to others without further thought like a machine. des honey this is a difficult thing to ask for, since you killed multiple innocent lives.

i have two opinions about this that coexist, even though they are conflicting. this makes a lot of sense, while making no sense at all. his opinions and meanings are there, but it’s overshadowed by fancy syntax that does not always fit. especially that last run on sentence, as it takes him a long time to get to the point. he’s right about being contradictory- he desperately wants to be seen, but toys around with the idea more than outright demands it. his autobiography in its draft form included hours of tapes and 6,000 pages of notes. he forces people to understand him and will drag time out to do it. however, he is too high up on his own hill to level with everyone else.

his intentions may come in bits and pieces, but we may never have a clear understanding of who dennis nilsen truly was.

also, if anyone has a clear photo of the letter, feel free to share!

#in relevance of his birthday being today #dennis nilsen #true crime #tcc #hope i made sense #more than him at least LOL

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