The King in Blood-Crimson Red

CRIMSON PAINTING — Before you stands an old man, his stance proud, but seemingly at ease. His face the only thing that resists the all-encompassing red of the painting. It's rather hard to distinguish any details, with all those scarlets and crimsons, except for the man's face and a butterfly hovering over his decorated shoulder. CONCEPTUALIZATION [Easy: Success] — That's a monarch butterfly. This man is a king. ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Failure] — A king of what? You don't know. Perhaps some kingdom in Mundi. INLAND EMPIRE — What you *do* know is that this man will be forgotten by history. Short-lived ruler insignificant in the grand scheme of things, living his lavish life funded by his people, with their money and their blood. CRIMSON PAINTING — And so the king stands, covered in blood-crimson red.

A Disco Elysium-style dialogue screen describes a red painting of an old man with a monarch butterfly on his shoulder. The game’s inner voices humorously elevate him to kinghood, then immediately undercut that grandeur by declaring him a short-lived, forgettable ruler whose lavish life was funded by his people’s blood. It is used as an absurdly dramatic reaction to someone being grandiose or self-important. EN: A Disco Elysium-style dialogue screen describes a red painting of an old man with a monarch butterfly on his shoulder. The game’s inner voices humorously elevate him to kinghood, then immediately undercut that grandeur by declaring him a short-lived, forgettable ruler whose lavish life was funded by his people’s blood. It is used as an absurdly dramatic reaction to someone being grandiose or self-important.

• @eternalclassic / 51082 2024-05-17