#pathologic hd classic

[jellywizard01]

she is my autism creature

[inblackwoods]

While I'm posting about my pathologic transcription, I'll make shorter posts about my takeaways. About the literal health of the environment around town, we get a couple people on day one to give context. The most obvious is Aspity, but to get an idea as to why things are as she says, you have to talk to a drunkard, called a Carouser, and a Tot.

The Tot mentions a "Rotten Field," and when asked what that is, he says:

"It’s where they bury the bulls’ bones. The place is covered with fur instead of grass, and it’s all bones bones bones underground. Bones and horns. Yeah."

Why are so many bones and horns and hides being thrown into a field instead of being used in some way? Either for jewelry, clothes, or for tradesmen's tools, these things have a variety of uses.

The Carouser, when asked about the Abattoir, says:

"Hundreds of bulls are being slaughtered there- what else is there to know? It is our humble town that provides the whole Northeastern region with beef! Or even the whole country mayhap."

It's because of the massive scale of the Bull Project that so much excess material is being produced and then thrown into the fields and rivers as waste products. Nothing is in higher demand than meat, nothing is needed as regularly, and perhaps the people in the Capital and in other towns are less interested in buying blood or bone. It's not profitable, the Olgimskys don't view it as anything but by products of more lucrative things.

Aspity says:

"All that water comes from the Steppe and it isn’t exactly clean. Yesterday I inspected all the springs in the area; there seems to be no more clean water around. That salty taste is everywhere, it’s reddish in colour, and there are disgusting clots in it."

And when Bachelor asks for more information, she says:

"The towsnfolk store water in home-made reservoirs. This modest supply should be enough to help us last a little while, but afterwards we’ll have to drink that bloody mixture."

Bachelor reacts to this with disgust, and can even insist she is lying, perhaps because he had been benefitting from this disgusting reality in his life in the Capital.

Aspity's whole point in starting this conversation is to make blatantly clear some of the side effects of the Steppe's occupation, which is that the waste material of the Abattoir is dumped into the river and land. This problem would be lessened in severity if the community was manufacturing meat not for the sake of providing for the entire country, but just for the local population and what's necessary to export in exchange for other essential imports. Obviously, this would be less lucrative for the Olgimskys (who don't care as long as they don't suffer any loss) but it would mean that the people who live here would better be able to care for themselves and the land with no need to think of supporting an entire country off the backs of one small community. The occupation of the Steppe, the running of the Bull Project, will not only destroy the Kin and lower classes, but will also eventually kill the town, the higher classes and even the Olgimskys as well. When the water runs out, it will run out for the lower classes first, but it will eventually run out for everyone.

More on Fat Vlad trying to talk about this all as if it were an inescapable, natural reality (and the Bachelor's fighting against this notion) later. Sort of how some people think that the way the world works, capitalism and such, are natural laws instead of constructed ideas (horrible fallacy).

[wwraithstone]

do you guys like gay people

god .. homos

[brakish-tea]

I am currently quarantining due to our recent plague and I hate being a fucking Pathologic fan because I'll take a fucking ibuprofen and its a reference to Pathologic. Like the autism is winning.

[inblackwoods]

I can see the Bachelor standing behind your back

[jellywizard01]

blehhh :Pc

[inblackwoods]

More on why this is so later, but when Daniil talks to people, he tends to mirror their speech patterns. This makes even very short conversations with some people- Big Vlad, for one- complex. The first thing Vlad says to Bachelor is:

“Ah, Bachelor Dankovsky, of course… Who else could be so dapper… I’ve heard quite a lot about you… Have you taken a look around? Be sure to check the state of the industry around here… We have our own ways.”

To which the Bachelor immediately picks up on a certain, thinly veiled bitchy energy. He responds: “How curious! And what is the current state of your industry?”

Big Vlad and Daniil are unfortunately similar in some ways- adhering to social etiquette and politeness leads to a lot of subtle, backhanded compliments, carefully worded insults, and politicking. “Who else could be so dapper,” (you uppity little snob), is retaliated with a comment implying something might not be so grand about Vlad’s industry. But neither of them will say anything directly. “We have our own ways,” is also leading to the more interesting aspect of this conversation. Vlad speaks flippantly about the Bull Project, acting as if it were as natural and unchangeable as gravity, and furthermore is beyond an outsider’s comprehension, so it certainly couldn’t be criticized by someone like Daniil. Yet the entire time Vlad’s suggesting as much, he is avoiding direct statements on it.

He says: “Come now… It’s a complicated establishment with a thousand years of history. A special approach is required to control such a colossus. See where I’m getting at, emissary?”

And Bachelor responds: “But no! Such businesses always leave room for improvement.”

It’s the same airy, dismissive sort of manner of speaking that Vlad was using, but this time to challenge and dismiss the notion that the industry is beyond question, scrutiny, or improvement, even from an outsider. Bachelor is speaking in a way that lets Vlad know that he knows how Vlad is trying to manipulate him and he’s NOT having it. He’ll make it clear by recognizing and perfectly mirroring the evasive “polite” playing dumb that Vlad is doing. 

What’s interesting is that Bachelor cares to do all of this, to argue about something that doesn't really impact or benefit him. He isn't planning on staying in town, why care how the industry/power structure is designed? Why care to fight for the Kin (who do become major points of discussion in Daniil's conversations with both Vlads) even in the most indirect capacity? Daniil isn’t always kind to the Kin, though he can be decent depending on how you play him, and he does have an amount of fondness for and connection to Isidor. I think there are two other reasons. 

One, Daniil hates anyone who tries to control his reactions, thoughts, feelings, or words. Vlad wants to force Daniil into a certain perspective, keep him ignorant to exploit him instead of giving him any information. Vlad is trying to give him no other options but to agree with him. Bachelor doesn't take kindly to being controlled and it isn't easy to do (though it does happen a lot). Two, Bachelor is dedicated to absolute truth (despite his own deceptive tendencies) and the Olgimskys are some of the biggest liars. They treat the Bull Project like it's a natural fact of human existence and it is absolutely not. The subjugation of the Kin is cruel and violent and not at all the natural order of people or the world- pretending otherwise is blatantly false and gross, even to Daniil. Of course all of this would piss Bachelor "truth is my shepherd" Dankovsky off.  When Vlad says "The sanitary inspection last year testified that the Bull Project is in order. Nothing to cavil at. Everything’s fine," that should sound an alarm, and it does for Daniil.

If any of this is of interest, my transcription and analysis is here. This project is what inspired other posts like this one.

[jellywizard01]

🍂