Why Are We So Afraid of Our Past? - Therapist Plays Disco Elysium: Part 4
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
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#discoelysium #letsplay #therapist #narrative #therapy #psychology #analysis #eurobrady
I think it's funny how the game manages to adapt to player's roleplaying, and you don't even notice it, because it is so well woven into everything.
Early on, when you were embracing your adictive side, your avoidance of reality, of your past, Inland Empire felt like it was on your side. Now, after the chat with Lena, finding your clipboard, trying to face who you are, Inland Empire feels like it's working against your interests. This is despite the fact that its approach to things hasn't changed in any significant manner.
You're the one who's changing. It's fucking beautiful, this game.
That's exactly my reaction to it as well, I don't think I've played a game before that so seamlessly reacted to me specifically in a way that feels frictionless. Incredible piece of art, and perhaps something even more than that, this game.
this made me realize that while inland empire is often a super fun, imaginative voice in your brain, its also just anxiety. it keeps telling you to avoid things that are pretty mundane, but it imagines so much worse.
Spoilers:
...
It only ever tries to steer Harry away from thinking about his ex. Other dangers it'll happily dive headfirst into (like throwing a molotov at an armed man), but that specific trauma is the reason Harry's fallen to where he is, and Inland Empire wants to protect him from it resurfacing.
@@Taliesin_ (more spoilers)
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I have a theory about inland empire being the hole in the universe/at least part of the reason why your memories are gone. He wants you to avoid that aspect of the past and congratulates you if you avoid ever coming into contact with it
I wonder if the ex liked the necktie. Why is it horrific?
@@followingtheroe1952 cause the tie, the game's definition, is quite horrifically ugly.
Inland loves the tie, so she probably hated it actually. @@followingtheroe1952
Honestly, the near universal love for Kim comes from the amount of stupid he is willing to put up with. More than one should reasonably expect from a person. Especially a person stuck with this partner :D
and from some moments that are yet to come when Kim is willing to go along with your shenanigans
This is a spoiler
but what this playthrough made me realize is that Kim actually recognizes you for who you are the moment he sees you. That's why you don't even need to tell him your name, he already knows. The thing is, the protagonist is not some noname cop, he is actually quite famous for being a good cop and a good guy. So one of the main reasons Kim even agreed to participate is to meet him and to learn from him. That is why he is willing to put up with so much. He doesn't just think you're good, he knows that you are good if at least deep down inside. At least that's how I see it now.
plus, he IS understandably put off by the wreckage in the room. Of course he is. But he's also, more than anything, concerned for your well being. So what he's doing is refraining from commenting. He doesn't want to vocally judge you, he wants to give you that space in your own head. He's wonderful at NOT letting out immediate reactions (tbf that's also a common minority survival mechanism, not reacting), because those often aren't helpful and are just immediate reactions and don't necessarily mean much.
Of course, our main character absolutely would be testing limits to drive Kim away, and reading any little hesitation as judgment. Or at least, that's one primary variation. (others of course might just be grateful, read it as acceptance, etc)
@@kayla8402 He's been down this road before, in the sense that most cops in Revachol are people who have suffered a lot of damage. If they weren't that way when they joined, they'll get there. I think Kim doesn't have enough imagination to be deeply empathic but he has so many good people suffer that, when he sees a cop with a drinking problem, he automatically assumes this is an expression of pain. I also think cops in Revachol are a bit like climbers in the Everest death zone. They will help one another but there's only so much help anyone can give because they are all in so much distress themselves. You probably learn to do everything you can--which Kim will, as you find out--but not to let someone else drag you down the mountain with them.
3:44 In Kim's defense, he just met you under not-so-great circumstances, you smell bad, you're hangover, you can't even remember being a cop and have lost your gun and badge, then he sees how you live... If I were him, I would probably act just as catiously. For all he knows, you might delay the investigation as well as be obnoxious company.
Talk to him a bit more, you barely know him either.
And you didn’t do anything to reassure him so far either.
That breath I didn’t know I was holding? I just let it out.
The tie is finally on.
[Inland Empire: Challenging] (Failure) Definitely a case name worthy to be remembered.
THE FURRIES ARE AT HOME IN THE MIRROR
Gosh darn it /lh
please stop supporting companies that use peoples sexuality as marketing material
24:41 Inland Empire is your derealization coping mechanism. It's creativity run amok in service of distancing you from reality, or your involvement with reality. It's the part of you that, during extreme trauma, keeps you alive by giving you hope that the pain might not actually be real, that "you" might not actually be real.
It chimes in to stop you from discovering yourself because it's trying to craft a new, more magical, narrative of self and protect you from the pain and disappointment of your past.
If it's too low, you also can't understand that sensation in other people either. It's basically emotional creativity, where Conceptualization is your intellectual creativity.
Nah, it's your lightning rod to the cosmos. DE has a bunch of supernatural shit going on just under the surface.
@@cw666thebeast Yeah, exactly. I think we're both right. It's the part that wants to believe in the supernatural, but that desire to believe in the supernatural is also adjacent to the need to escape reality. A strong desire to believe in magic and a strong desire to stop believing in reality (My name was X and I used to be X) is part of the same equation.
Inland Empire wants the MC to distance himself from the past and reinvent himself in a more magical or mystical way.
@@cw666thebeast to the cosmos or to the pale?
Cool. I like this interpretation.
the short answer is - "yes"
the long answer is - "Disco Elysium"
Literally the best summary of this game.
It's disco af.
Detective Brady: Seeing what I look like is too much confrontation and I am not ready yet.
Also detective Brady: I dont trust inland empire because it's trying to keep me away from the police documents that is a constant reminder of god knows what I did as a cop.
Jokes aside I like this playthrough
Haha true, though in reality people are walking contradictions so it's not unusual to have a strongly held belief in one area that totally conflicts with another behavior. It's a kind of cognitive dissonance that suggests an inability to cope with a stressor. For my guy, and where we are at in the narrative, I feel he is not ready to cope with seeing himself yet, as he may not like himself very much. The documents however represent a side of his past self that may have done something good, and so that is what he is seeking out first. Perhaps when he develops self empathy by seeing the good he has done, he will be ready to face the parts of himself he is not so proud of.
@@eurobrady In fairness to both you and the game, on my first playthrough some of my most memorable and surprising deaths were inflicted on my detective by *NOT* listening to Inland Empire: you're more right than you know about not being ready to confront yourself it can be literally deadly in this game, inside the first 5 minutes of it even!
Detective Brady? I think you mean Detective Raphael.
Every skill is actually just Raphael. They're written as characters and have their own dialogue, sure, but it's all his own internal thoughts... he's just a very fractured man. So while Inland Empire might seem suspicious because it's acting all shady, it's basically Raphael's own thoughts trying to protect him in their own ways. Inland Empire still "knows" the painful memories Raphael forgot and doesn't want him to get hurt again. If Raphael only remembers anything as far back as waking up this very morning, with no name, or face, or even concept of money, then he is safe from... whatever happened in his past.
Also, I forget how to get him to speak about it, but the reason Kim doesn't like Cuno/kids in general is actually kinda funny. Worth trying to uncover.
Spoiler [EURO DONT F*CKING READ THIS I WILL EAT YOU]
You need to pass an Red Encyclopedia Skill check when you investigate pass the blue door, I just hope he doesn't fail it lmao.
Babe wake up, part 4 dropped
I'm awake! 😅
I can’t wait for him to meet Measurehead because I know he’s gonna internalize his theory just to examine him more
You can retry white checks in TWO ways: raise the relevant skill after failing, or receive advice/tools/anything that will help you with it. You've already gotten advise for the hidden compartment in your ledger from Physical Instrument.
The horns. The last echo of a once triumphant battle cry, now reduced to a dying hymn of a failed nation. The air is filled with the haunting melody that comes after. The melody is a chill, one that isn't just from the winter. Not just from the snow and slush. Not just from the sea breeze. Not even from the looming sense of unending dread, silence, and nothingness contained within that one singular spot. No.
The chill is the dying gasp of thousands. It’s the city's silent sigh of resignation at its fate. The sound a child makes when their innocence is lost. It is the chill that comes when dreams die. And brother, the dream of Revichol died long ago. Its as dead as disco, baby.
No. Some day, she will return to our side.
Un jour je serai de retour près de toi
If i start muttering "who benefits" in daily conversation, I am blaming you
Sometimes you just gotta ask
Bruh I totally forgot there's polish in this game. "Gorący Kubek" translates to "A Hot Mug/Cup" and it's the name of a popular brand of instant soups.
New to your channel and absolutely loving this playthrough. I'm a fan of Disco Elysium but I've always been more focused on its politics and philosophy, so it's interesting to see a therapist's point-of-view. Hope you keep this series up, because I'm already looking forward to seeing more!
This playthrough has been a lot of fun so far!
Some comments:
I don't think anyone has really explained passive checks to you yet and why they might be of interest to you. Basically you autopass the check if you have the requisite score in the skill, for example at skill level 4 you automatically succeed at Medium difficulty checks.
Why is this important for you playthrough?
Because passive skillchecks are one of the major factors that influence how often a skill takes an active role in a dialogue and most passive skill checks are medium difficulty or challenging.
That means:
Skills that you think should voice their opinion often should be at least skill level 4,. That's the point when they succeed at medium passive skill checks and start noticeably influencing dialogues.
Skills with voices that you deem central to how you imagine your character concept should be at least skill level 6 for those -rarer but still frequent- challenging passive skillchecks.
Only the absolute core skills need to go to skill level 8+ for those very rare legendary passive checks in dialogues.
So for me personally I quickly bring the skills that I really want to shape my characters outlook on the world to 4. At that point they really start adding a lot to the dialogues.
This level of scrutiny is what this game was made for. Very good.
I don´t know why people recommend going through dialogue before white checks, any modyfier you may find would unlock the check anyway, so it is always worth trying the check anyways, you might get lucky the first time.
But then again, going through dialogue before hand can add a +1 so that may be good! Also could add an -1 if you do the wrong choices. Great example is sylvie. If you’re nice you get additions if you aren’t you get subtractions.
@@gimpscam9976
Thing is though, if you get a +1 then the check unlocks again.
Doing a check at 3% and then 7% is better odds than just doing it at 7%.
unless its a red check
Loving this series! Brings a unique perspective
I LOVE YOUR PLAYTHROUGH SO MUCH i love the insight that you give on the characters (which keeps getting proved by the game its actually kinda scary lol)
im wondering, after this playthrough will there be more playthroughs of other games with similar analyzing style to them??? id love to see it 💝
Yes definitely!
Love it :3
Also! I hate to backseat, but don't forget to scan his documents watermark at Kim's car - it'll open new stats of how you've been doing so far, as well as a part of the detective's past.
You see, you're psychoanalysing the game...
...and the game also tries to do that with you in reverse.
Though that part would be more evident in the ending.
It's so fun watching this in parallel with the Stanz playthrough, just Brady being over-analytic about everything and Stanz disproving the Theory of Mind.
I find it really interesting that striking off the finished tasks is such a triumphant moment here, because it mirrors something in my own life. As part of my therapy, I've been journaling about the tasks I've finished or not-finished each day--and at work, I have a similar process where we write down what we got done each day in a very low-pressure way ("I took a rest day" or "I took care of some stuff around the house" are acceptable responses there). Both of these practices have helped me get more things done, partly by helping me feel more positive about having _done_ something, and partly by making it explicitly clear that it's okay to have a day where you just unwind. Regular maintenance is an important part of work, too. (Goodness knows the Amazon warehouse I used to work at could use a lesson or two in regular maintenance...)
By the start of this video, you've only known Kim for about 5hrs.
I love your relationship with Kim. Everyone loves him instantly and I'm always curious as to why. It will be interesting to see what you make of it.
I know you did this a while ago, but I just want to say I absolutely love how you're going about exploring this game, it's completely unique and provides a ton of insight into the main character and everyone around him. Thank you so much, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this series!
Heal up your moral! It will make your volition go up.
Kinda sad you didn't manage to open the ladger, but I believe there should be a second option of brute forcing the secrete out of it. You should definitely try it later. This way you can finally understand what is the Inland Empire is hiding away from you. Also, I'm surprised you're not upgrading your Volition at all. He is a very interesting champ.
Yes. I have something to look at in the background while I'm painting ~✨
Thank you!
And I have something to turn on in the foreground while I just kind of sit here.
And I have something to turn on in the foreground while I just kind of sit here and rethink my life
@@DrunkenCoward1 mood
Good way to start the day 🎉
Really loving this playthrough. You play the game so differently compared to most other playthroughs on youtube lol
Your playthrough is one of the most entertaining and interesting playthroughs i've ever seen. Thanks and keep it up! 😊
I love how introspective you where being then immediately liked a stain off of a table
10/10 game
Sometimes, when you talk on low self-esteem or other touchy topic for me. I got "moral damage" by recognize myself.
Your character has been a cop for a long time, and being a cop is very ingrained in him. There's a reason Espirit d'corp is a skill he has. And the first thing that skill, that intuitive ingrained feeling told you was that Kim is your partner and that police partners will go through hell to defend each other and have each others back because no-one else will. Even when you didn't know anything you knew that.
ignoring that feels like poor roleplaying. Like you don't understand the police bonds and so instead of playing as someone who is a cop and knows it you just want to play as a trauma victim, since that's closer to what you're familiar with.
Kim is such a treasure
48:37
That was genuine annoyance towards Kim 😂
Just wanted to say I really like your playthrough, and that you are playing it the way you want, instead of just choosing every comedic option to make your audience laugh.
And dont forget that different clothes can change your stats, dont forget to change them depending on the situation.
Gosh I love this series
In general, it's benefitial to save a couple of skill points, because you absolutely CAN get softlocked and be forced into savescumming (if you have a different save at all).
And on the same note, it's better to do white checks before dialogue, because any added positive modifier also lets you roll the check again. Usually you don't risk anything, at worst a point of damage.
Keep doing these please. I am learning more about myself in the process, and I am trying to implement the things you say into understanding my own actions, especially my more negative ones. Also my favorite game.
The analysis of Inland Empire's motivations at 25:00 is brilliant.
Wanna say how much I love these videos Brady, hope you finish the game!
Good to see some other ways of playing this, I was boring logician who went sober immediately. I once tried looking for some apocalypse cop and beefcake sporty playthrus but seems most people just went the brainy route
49:48 Ha I just commented on the last part about little details you notice because you said "you have been suddenly very quiet" about Kim when you talked to the girl Annette. I must say you are very observant as a Player!
I can see that you're falling for Kim
"Everything positive is by luck, everything negative is by character trait"
It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me
Depending on your stats, the game will sometimes tell you that Goracy Kubek isn't his name. Which you can confirm by visiting the packaged soup section of your local Polish market. It means "hot mug" and it's also a big powdered soup brand--though I think, in this setting, he might just be offering you some borscht (which you can get, eventually, after several more steps in other places and if you play your cards right.)
there are for sure at least a few people in this comments section with a terminal case of "streamer is making different choices than i did so this is a bad LP"-itis, to say nothing of the "i clicked on Therapist Plays Disco Elysium and now i'm mad that he's talking" syndrome
i don't think the fun and fulfillment in the world exists in limited quantities so this is not technically a their loss my gain situation but i'm going to imagine it is anyway
5:33
The knot reminds you of a noose
honestly I love the insight provided by yourself and your background over one of my favorite games of all time. that being said as somebody who has beat it probably 10 times it is passively infuriating watching you stumble around like this. obviously I am only teasing as stumbling around is exactly how the game is meant to be played but it's one of those innate feelings that you're not really in control of you know?
Every time there is prompt of internal monolog and you say 'who benefits' I start smelling toast.
been having fun watching this playthrough, it’s so different to my game experience!!! really excited to see what you think when you get the ledger open
Loving this gameplays, the analysis on the playthroughts.
I love that you're so curious about Kim (and I can tell you that your instincts are good). Everyone loves him but it's easy to not think about him beyond what he does for you/(unnamed protagonist), because (unnamed protagonist) is both your avatar and a big banner-waving, fascinating shitshow who takes up a lot of the air in the room. I'd say Kim is a conflicted person with many doubts who likes to pretend to himself that everything he does is the only sensible choice, and I think you learn the most about him when he does or says things that he can't justify as rational. YMMV in a game, in terms of what dialogue you hit upon, but you're likely to find out at least a few things that I bet you'll find illuminating. His background makes sense.
I'm looking forward to the Measurehead interraction..
I have no idea how far you've gotten since this point so I'll be vague as to not spoil anything: You managed to be completely right and completely wrong about Kim at the exact same time and I think that's really amusing.
one of the best playthroughs ever
what’s interesting is there’s kind of a kim-relationship scale you get when you read the watermark, good cop/bad cop. generally higher numbers mean kim trusts you more. i’ll spare any more details on it but i find it really interesting because he does mostly trust you by default if you don’t do anything especially crazy or racist but there are things in game that change his reactions to you overall!
First of all I love your playthrough so much!
Second... oh god i cringed when the narrator couldn't pronouce Gorący Kubek correctly xD
I played this game before the upd8 with full voice acting so I didn't know that lol.
It literary means "Hot Cup", and its a trade name for like... kinda instant noodles but you get polish soups instead noodles
Loving the dedication to roleplay
I'm very interested in your perspective and interpritation of the game and characters!
17:09 Well-timed "Welcome to the Euro Brady experience!", racist lorry driver speech bubble pops up in the top right "Welcome to Revachol!" 😄
Im sorry Kim you dont deserve this treatment
I usually don't see the appeal in watching other people play games but yours is one of the few let's plays I actively follow. Your insight on the game, especially the (inter)personal aspect of it, is so good and on point! Can't wait for you to explore the rest of the map and meet some of my favourite npcs
I really want you to do a fascist and communist run of this game and break down the psychology of the ideological vision quests related to them.
They're both extremely well written and insightful.
Turned on notifications for this
Beefing with inland empire and becoming suspicious of it is fantastic. Struggling against your inner self n shit
I see, so this is what it looks like to disappoint Kim in every way possible then be disappointed at him being disappointed lol 🤔 well I certainly have never seen that before
*attempts to punch a little kid* why doesn't my fellow professional detective trust me??
I interpret Inland Empire as your old forgotten memories trying to communicate with you through the amnesia interpreted through a supernatural lens.
It tends to steer you away from things that will make you feel bad if you do them because they "remind" you of trauma or what you did to avoid it.
Hell yeah!
Hey, I really enjoy watching you play this game, and your insights into the psychological aspects you encounter along the way are very interesting. I have to ask, have you ever watched the TV show Mr. Robot? It would be awesome material for you to react to as a therapist.
I know you've changed the way you create reaction content, but I think this TV Show would be perfect for your channel, somehow.
I'm starting to not like how much Brady's description of the main character reminds me of myself.
Every time someone says "who benefits?" I hear Alex Jones growl "QUI BONO" 😅
#wonkproblems I guess
Your voice is soooo goood
Dont listen to everyone telling you to like kim. Play the game your way, and experience it the way you do. Maybe kim will grow on you, maybe he wont, but it has to be organic. These fans speak from an intimate knowledge of the characters. Dont let it bother you too much.
What you said about not being smittem by Kim while all others seem to be...well I think that is because you treat Kim like an NPC it feels to me. Like a tool for the game, which he is, but if you look at him as if he were a real person... tryi thinking how he must feel stuck with a loose cannon like the protagonist. And if you actually go a bit outta your comfort for Kim... you´ll see a difference. Not to mention some of the moments where Kim just is there and on your side even with you being difficult are dependant on your approaches or choices etcetc.
There are also things about Kim you find out in very tricky ways, which in on itself shows how much more complext he was build for this game than just being a convinent npc. He isn´t going to open himself up just because you are there, and there are many reasons (which would be super interesting for you to analyse as well I think) why he would be reluctant to be all open.
So I´ve written it faily early in this video (cause I´d forgotten otherwise) so don´t know yet if you changed your mind by the end of it :D
I think the main difference is that most people see Kim from the perspective of the player, while Brady goes at it from the roleplay of an alcoholic cop with amnesia, barely any self-esteem, and severe trust issues who just has the very dry and, while somewhat indulgent, obviously exasperated Kim foisted upon him.
Bruh he's roleplaying 😂. People feeling the need to try and defend Kim is pretty funny though. I don't think he ACTUALLy dislikes Kim personally
@@marvomaniac318 I´m not saing there is anything wrong with how Brady plays :3 just wanted to illuminate the difference of how we view Kim because he mentioned it, and tried to stay spoiler free with it. Also I genuinely would love to here his allover Kim analysis as well XD but I realize that is not possible playing so freely :D
Thanks for being a decent human being upon deciding to comment on my comment :D have a nice day!
Yeah, he went through this in the previous video: his character isn't going to automatically trust Kim, despite what E'Spirt de Corps said, because his character needs to test the limits.
I can't imagine that, several more hours in, his character will not have softened up to Kim, but it's fine.
He also got insanely lucky on some early rolls, so his character has yet to depend upon Kim and has reasons to feel like Kim is there to undermine him (which, let's be brutally honest here, he is).
I think most of us form a sort of co-dependent bond with Kim early in our playthrough, but this playthrough's MC is more hyper-independent and is yet to be humbled.
Kim doesn't want you to be yourself. He wants you to be a normal cop. He is very patient and accepting if it takes time for you to become normal. But he'll never accept you as you are.
Your version of Raphael too self aware lol
Inland empire does have its own intentions. You will see what it is and why.
It's okay to not be hype about Kim. Maybe he'll prove himself to you eventually, maybe he won't. Whatever happens don't let the fan community sway you, we are somewhat a hivemind.
Ooh, interesting read on Kim re: kids. Looking forward to when that gets confirmed or denied.
There's an bit you probably want to see, do it in a save if you want, it may not be the direction you want this run to take and you will probably need to cheat (save repeat, f5 f9) a few rolls, it's later in the game, 3rd day on I think, you have to pass a legendary check with cuno, do the cryptozooligist quest until you find the empty tray and why the trap is empty, then talk to cuno again.
*Shivers: [Unkown - Success]* Metal from small cannons redecorate the neighbouring buildings and living beings' bodies-one lies nearly motionless on the cold pavement-a strange red liquid forms around his body. Another tries to help him despite their harsh opinions towards one another. The one on the pavement screams a warning in terror, but only hesitant, glass-covered eyes stare back at him.
Red then mixes with Orange; both close their eyes, but only one will wake up.
For the algorithm.
Just clicked. Please tell me you get the tie in this one
OH YEAH BABY
hey whatup
Do you pretend to follow the electrochemistry urges on your gameplay, that being using drugs and alcohol as the way the character used before he lost his memory?
i want to do therapy with you
driving me insane that he still hasnt looked in the mirror yet
one of the worst playthroughs ever
Brady overanalyze every character he meets lol
damn, a pin of shame
You’re going on top of the fridge, think about what you’ve done
@@zer9761There are hundreds of playthroughs of this game, of varying quality. I watch this one _specifically_ for the intense analysis
I think as a first playthrough this is interesting af. I'm sure he'll come back to this game on his own time or otherwise.@@BroudbrunMusicMerge
This guy..., his charactee didn't want to be a cop, so secretly, Kim didn't want 5o be a cop..., what?
I think you misunderstand some parts of the game. Your electrochemistry isn’t nearly high enough for it to suggest asking random foreign people who you don’t understand for a cigarette!
It's a bit confusing comment. Electrochemical was high enough in the start of the playthrough to get a quest for cigs, which gave him an option to seek for one. Where is misunderstanding? Yes, he is not obsessed with it, but strong desire is clearly projected. And yes, you can try to ignore it. However character still will try to cling on the "tobacco" details.
@@kovobanga1559yes, but you are told to do things out of the ordinary such as that when you have abnormally high stats. With a high half light for example, you can start screaming at a random lady because she says she doesn’t smoke, but if your half light is lower, the option isn’t even there.
@@birdup1_2 then I think it is reasonable to ask others willingly. Stats are not as high, but they can still play out. Choice is there, not compulsory, but in agreement with the feeling.