Iku Quest Sedem: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Slightly confused look.
> "What? What was I right about?"

>"You were right the first time." she says. "It was a depraved thing...all I can hope is that you've completely wrong about it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Go from a confused look to one a little sad and pained.
> Keep voice gentle and sympathetic.
> "No, no! Life is a wonderful thing! How can this be depraved, when you came of it? Your presence here is a blessing, as is all life!"

[Hello Purvis]

> Go from a confused look to one a little sad and pained.
> Keep voice gentle and sympathetic.
> "No, no! Life is a wonderful thing! How can this be depraved, when you came of it? Your presence here is a blessing, as is all life!"

>She doesn't say anything.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You exist because people wanted you to exist! You blossomed forth from the hopes and desires of the people of Gensokyo! You bring them happiness and camaraderie! You're not going to let a contrary idea that they accidentally forced on you dominate all that goodness, are you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "You exist because people wanted you to exist! You blossomed forth from the hopes and desires of the people of Gensokyo! You bring them happiness and camaraderie! You're not going to let a contrary idea that they accidentally forced on you dominate all that goodness, are you?"

>"Let's see if I can say this so you'd understand it," she says. "You talked about how bad it was that your people got hurt and might have to deal with a famine. What if you were born because lots of starving people being in incredible pain?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then it would certainly be a sad state of affairs. But if I didn't know what I was doing, and what I thought was right and wrong was forced upon me by the people that created me instead of decided by me myself, then I would hope no one placed the blame for the tragedy on me. This is why I told you I wasn't mad at you earlier, and it is why I'm still not mad at you now."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then it would certainly be a sad state of affairs. But if I didn't know what I was doing, and what I thought was right and wrong was forced upon me by the people that created me instead of decided by me myself, then I would hope no one placed the blame for the tragedy on me. This is why I told you I wasn't mad at you earlier, and it is why I'm still not mad at you now."

>"That doesn't make any sense," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What is her expression like now?
> "I'd say what doesn't make any sense is getting upset at someone for making a mistake when they'd been indoctrinated to think the way they do. Your actions may have made Bhava-Agra fall, but what happened to Bhava-Agra as a result isn't your fault, because your actions were dictated by feelings that didn't come from you. They came from those that thought you would think that way, and you didn't get a choice in the matter. You weren't even told this was done to you until just now. How is that fair to you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> What is her expression like now?
> "I'd say what doesn't make any sense is getting upset at someone for making a mistake when they'd been indoctrinated to think the way they do. Your actions may have made Bhava-Agra fall, but what happened to Bhava-Agra as a result isn't your fault, because your actions were dictated by feelings that didn't come from you. They came from those that thought you would think that way, and you didn't get a choice in the matter. You weren't even told this was done to you until just now. How is that fair to you?"

>She seem a bit off kilter.
>"Stop saying that!" she says. her brow knitting. "Stop saying it's fake! Stop saying it isn't me! You're just trying to act like I'm as wrong as you are!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Raise voice somewhat, but still keep sympathetic tone.
> Put on a pained and sympathetic expression.
> "I'm trying to tell you you're right! I know it's hard for you to see it! For as long as you've lived, you've thought self-exposition was a terrible thing! I understand that! But surely you've also always thought your being alive was a good thing! And that's because it is! And now these two inherent truths are conflicting, and I can only imagine how terrible it must be for you! I'm so sorry things had to come to this! I know it's hard! But I know you can pull through it! I know better than just about everyone that you have the determination to pull through a difficult situation! I stand here telling you your origin, how the reason you think many of the things you think are because the people that willed you into existence believed you thought them. And so you do think them. But that was before you were even alive! You didn't decide it! Please, please think the situation through! Take a look at these two conflicting ideas! You can pick the one thrust upon you by others, or you can pick the one that you figured out on your own, you as your own person, making your own decisions, with your own mind, with no one else telling you what's right and what's wrong! You can deny what those that created you thought you thought was correct! Because you won't be admitting that you were wrong! There's no shame in rejecting what you did not choose! Pick the one that you know is right!"

[Hello Purvis]

> Raise voice somewhat, but still keep sympathetic tone.
> Put on a pained and sympathetic expression.
> "I'm trying to tell you you're right! I know it's hard for you to see it! For as long as you've lived, you've thought self-exposition was a terrible thing! I understand that! But surely you've also always thought your being alive was a good thing! And that's because it is! And now these two inherent truths are conflicting, and I can only imagine how terrible it must be for you! I'm so sorry things had to come to this! I know it's hard! But I know you can pull through it! I know better than just about everyone that you have the determination to pull through a difficult situation! I stand here telling you your origin, how the reason you think many of the things you think are because the people that willed you into existence believed you thought them. And so you do think them. But that was before you were even alive! You didn't decide it! Please, please think the situation through! Take a look at these two conflicting ideas! You can pick the one thrust upon you by others, or you can pick the one that you figured out on your own, you as your own person, making your own decisions, with your own mind, with no one else telling you what's right and what's wrong! You can deny what those that created you thought you thought was correct! Because you won't be admitting that you were wrong! There's no shame in rejecting what you did not choose! Pick the one that you know is right!"

>"I did realize it myself, stop saying I didn't!" she says. "You're just saying it because I'm not as debased as you are!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "But how can you agree with a notion that says your very existence was the result of a series of disgusting, depraved acts?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "But how can you agree with a notion that says your very existence was the result of a series of disgusting, depraved acts?"

>"Because it's true, assuming you're right?" she says. "How can you deny there's a stream beside us?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And if I showed you it was true that your opinions were shaped by what people thought you would think, what would you say then?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "And if I showed you it was true that your opinions were shaped by what people thought you would think, what would you say then?"

>"That you're wrong," she says. "A stream is a stream, whether you like it or not. And what you do is horrifying and disgusting, whether you like it or not."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You would tell me I'm wrong even if you received testimony from other people on the matter? Such as other poltergeists, who have been around for quite some time?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "You would tell me I'm wrong even if you received testimony from other people on the matter? Such as other poltergeists, who have been around for quite some time?"

>"They can expose whatever they like," she says. "It doesn't matter. The truth is the same."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "So if I found a poltergeist for you, and they told you exactly what I told you about how poltergeists come to be, and then I found one of the people that spearheaded the belief in you, and they told you things you knew about yourself that no one else would, you would still not believe that they were responsible for putting even the basest of ideas in your head?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "So if I found a poltergeist for you, and they told you exactly what I told you about how poltergeists come to be, and then I found one of the people that spearheaded the belief in you, and they told you things you knew about yourself that no one else would, you would still not believe that they were responsible for putting even the basest of ideas in your head?"

>"It doesn't matter," she says. "Even if they did, which they did not, it doesn't change the truth at all."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Lose the sympathetic expression.
> Raise our eyebrows.
> "Really? Someone effectively reading your mind would not make a difference as to the origin of your feelings?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Lose the sympathetic expression.
> Raise our eyebrows.
> "Really? Someone effectively reading your mind would not make a difference as to the origin of your feelings?"

>"It wouldn't matter," she says. "Facts don't change."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Give the faintest of confident smirks.
> "You say that, and you say that they do not know...is that a challenge?"

[Kilgamayan]

> Give the faintest of confident smirks.
> "You say that, and you say that they do not know...is that a challenge?"

> Redact this.

[Hello Purvis]

> Give the faintest of confident smirks.
> "You say that, and you say that they do not know...is that a challenge?"

>"You could be completely right about why I know this," she says, "And it wouldn't make it any less right. No more than calling that stream a tree makes it any less of a stream."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's just assume, for the sake of argument, that your beliefs about exposure stem from what the people whose convictions gave birth to you thought you would think. None of these people share your belief that exposure is inherently abhorrent. None of them would agree with it. Do you see a paradox here? How could convictions given to you by people who universally disagree with them, be intrinsically correct?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's just assume, for the sake of argument, that your beliefs about exposure stem from what the people whose convictions gave birth to you thought you would think. None of these people share your belief that exposure is inherently abhorrent. None of them would agree with it. Do you see a paradox here? How could convictions given to you by people who universally disagree with them, be intrinsically correct?"

>"Because they can call a stream a tree all they like," says the poltergeist, "It still doesn't make it anything different."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, but think about it. Why do you know that exposure is bad? That is just how it is, to you, correct? That is something you have always known, and is self-evident. Just like you know your own name. You cannot remember not knowing these things, correct?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yes, but think about it. Why do you know that exposure is bad? That is just how it is, to you, correct? That is something you have always known, and is self-evident. Just like you know your own name. You cannot remember not knowing these things, correct?"

>"It's not just how it is to me," she says. "It's just how it is."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"We can ignore those semantics for now. My question stands. You cannot remember not knowing these things, correct?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"We can ignore those semantics for now. My question stands. You cannot remember not knowing these things, correct?"

>"Not really, no," she says, giving you a look. "And it doesn't make a bit of difference."

>_