Quotes and Thoughts from The Artful Escape

From The Artful Escape 

***SPOILERS THROUGHOUT***

"If someone knows the road you're on, they cannot help but wonder where it leads."

I feel like this game is gonna be full of quotes; it may have been already and I just missed some, but as of now I'm keeping notes. Consider them all paraphrased though, as they often come when I least suspect it, and interrupting the action so immediately would be unsavory. 

"An artist's job is not to give something that they want, it's to give them something they could never have imagined."

This one reminds me of the quote I saw in Mind Fields (Dedication/Quotes page- Karl Kraus) "Only he is an artist who can make a riddle out of a solution." After all, at the end of the day, what can you get for someone who has (and knows) everything?

"The Lumiere Violente"

The name of this place feels like it ties in so well with other stories along the way, and the French feels important. I am reminded of Tenerife Sea. Per usual I assumed "violet" when it actually translates to "violent." While I was picturing the delicate exposure of a flower, it is apparently better translated as the violent, or I picture sudden, appearance in light, as in a photograph. Which is apropos because in a dark cave, when you play your guitar, that is exactly how you first see the place. 

"What if everything I want to expose is that which I am not?"

"Then seek your reflection in darker waters."

Paraphrased again, I cannot tell if there is wisdom to this. It feels like it has a hidden, solid, structure, but it may also be designed to appear this way, without depth. A giant magical wonderkrill was the source lol, so it I feel like it bears consideration.

One other thing to point out is that the title screen of this game has not just one bluebird but two. I don't recall a third on that screen, but a line from Zomm stands out from back in town "Never Ever." These feel more like Easter Eggs than perhaps a necessary string of clues, like the dazzling familiar imagery of the game is perhaps designed to pass the time more smoothly than otherwise, as I struggle to just be my unaltered self in my own skin.

"It's too precious a thing. Like the flowers aren't in the vase, they're dancing with it."

"Right, like the setting informs the content."

This is reminding me of concerns I've let fade regarding the chameleonic nature of my personality. There is a kind of loop one can do, going from feeling separate, to feeling like a cog in a machine simply operating as intended, to understanding through this fit who one is and how one does have some control, even though they remain both a cog in a machine and a piece separate from the full knowledge of the machine's function.

"Your suit is custom."

This scene reminded me so much of the dream I had in the realm of the dead, where the women had made me a bespoke suit that would keep me hidden from Death and all those that might pursue me with ill intent. 

"You're a musician, and musicians see themselves as ocean terrors... Their strength in their dazzling teeth. The opposite is true. Your strength is in your creative entourage, take care as if setting a precious stone in platinum."

"Listen Bard, they're gonna resist you at first, mock you, because they've never seen anything like you."

"Golden Toothpaste 22" some of this just seems like nonsense lol, but I'm still digging it.

"Run Darling! Don't let them assimilate you! You're a desert flower!" 💜

"This song makes me feel like pulling some shapes." Lol, I love this as a term for dancing.

"Its bizarre. As I look upon myself I think 'who is that strange creature?'" It feels like this is a valid juncture I can conceive of, by the light of fame. Can one be truly authentic in the field of vision of so many? I must believe it possible, or this would all be for naught- as who would it be standing victorious in heaven if I had dissociated from my true self to get there? It feels partially a pipe dream, but should feeling deserving of love as one's authentic self actually seem shameful, or are there ill turned reflections of what is logical afoot?

Regarding having captainhood thrust upon him.

"Trust me when I say I believe you kid. But also trust me when I say you're wrong!"

"I'm not who you think I am."

Violetta "I've been upset for a long time. Kind of hard to reach a crescendo, ya' know." This reminds me in part of something I saw recently, the saddest of the angles, the one I have been kept from seeing, but the one that she/they have taken on for me. I had a vision of a man locked in time, but from the other side- rather than eternity passing in a moment from his perspective, it was graciously halted so a merciful solution could be found, resulting in time freezing from his perspective, as it continued all around for everyone else. People were all curious as to the solution to this problem, even I got sucked into the pillar of frozen time as I considered it, mind approaching asymptotically while body remained tethered outside. I could feel time slowing to the point where I got kicked back out of the stream, but I got the sense that I moved the bar forward on the solution of freeing him.  I could sense that the advantage here was that at any point in time, regardless of how much did or did not pass for everyone else, his perspective would be one moment being trapped forever, and the next moment being free of the trap. It would happen, it was just a matter of when, but a matter of when that he could not personally perceive, which felt like a kindness. I know this is a tangent, but this line really resonated with me, on this topic recently seen.

The Enigmatic Bard "You're this brilliant unexplained creator, I don't even understand the medium. And I don't know, you seem ashamed of it."

Violetta "I'm the greatest that's ever been. It has nothing to do with shame, I'm just... plotting my arrival."

Zomm "This is bad. Dreadful, Hyper-Catastrophic." (I feel like he's dropping all the hint words lol)

"If he does not play, there is no hope."

T.E.B. "'Danger level: Dolphin' doesn't sound so bad."

Zomm "Francis, Dolphins are the most vicious creatures in the universe." 

Lol, I mean they are certainly sharp, I could see this translating into cunning... Could all the kindness be a rouse? If it is, through and through, how would we ever know, and how would one distinguish between kindness and the absolute appearance of kindness, and would such distinction make a difference? Suspecting a creature of malice only because you sense none in them, but you feel confident they could hide it, and you feel like in their shoes you would have malice hidden... It feels more like you're telling on yourself than determining anything material regarding the other.

"Out there they call me The Enigmatic Bard, Soloist of the first galactic transmission, and not a single organism can compare to the power in these ten little piglets."

V: "You believe that?"

"I have to. Wish me luck if you want, darlings."

This is another juncture I can fathom. It is cockiness, but not by choice. One was brought to the stage of cockiness, because without it at this juncture, all would be lost for not only captain but crew. It is a point where declaring one's superior skill is a kindness to all, as declaring this skill so that you believe it to be true is the only way to acheive success. There is no room for modesty in this moment, though only modesty could get one to this moment without losing all balance and semblance of morality/self. It is a switch that must be flipped, that must be flipped at the right time, and one must retain the ability to flip said switch back once the moment passes. In the moment, however, one is the embodiment of unfiltered, unfathomable, unmatched skill; it is known by the one and by all that this is the case, for this is the only way to ride the tide of this moment. Destiny awaits, but it will not wait forever. Destiny demands, but it will not do so in this way forever. Let the games begin...

V: "You know, I don't believe in miracles, but I might believe in Bard." 

Zomm "I was led to believe 'fine' was a devastating critique."

"What in the blazing fudge is going on down here?!

This place is one funky rift away from Catastrophe." (Possibly the mayor or someone official, dancing the whole time lol)

(Paraphrased- Tastemaker to Lightmam) "When we first met you were already a beast among slow moving mammals. You dared the audience to deny something so delightfully evolved, and in the process, you have become one of the greats."

Response: "Words that will wander my dreams."

Tastemaker, to The Enigmatic Bard "You are a frightening talent, Bard. When I arrange every facet of you in my mind, I can hear you like a chord. And in the wonder of that music there is something utterly... unexpected."

TEB: "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

TM: "Yet... The chord contains a flaw... A dissonant note. Just a whisper of it."

"Folk, strummed by a ghoul in your mind."

"But you cannot face the Glamourgonn with a head full of ghosts"

V: "It's time for my arrival."

GG: "Bard, you are a being of rare brilliance."

"Your laser show, it is unrivaled in this dimension or any other. Who is responsible?"

(V): "My name is the Miragium. And that is all you shall ever know."

GG: "You are a transformative talent, Miragium. You may count yourself among the visionaries that have entertained the Glamourgonn."

GG: On the Galaxy Skipper by Anti-Engine... "If you want the impossible, you want anti-engine.

There's nothing like a cruise across the universe to shake those post-show jitters"

TEB: "Where are we going?"

V: "Who cares? We're on a victory lap."

TEB: "Where are you gonna go?"

V: "Impossible to say when I'm not behind the wheel. Turns me into a hopeless wanderer, and I feel like it's time to wander."

(paraphrased)

V: "I'm not looking for a collaborator, we're just starships passing in the night."

TEB: "So that's it then?"

V: "No. I wouldn't be happy with that. I owe you. The lung owes you. That's why I'll find you again. And Bard? Don't forget (Francis) altogether. He's a friend of mine."

Romy: "I ain't got time for your nonsense boy."

TEB: "Romy, I am the nonsense. Now, cut the lights."

Overall I enjoyed this story. Excellent immersion and visuals, the whole thing felt like a trip with humor and memorable/inspiring moments. It had just enough gameplay to make you feel like you were doing something, without taking focus away from the visuals and story, which were the clear emphasis. I thought that the character customization halfway through the game, when you already felt engaged with your character and the story, was genius- I actually customized myself entirely, including thoughtful color coordination (you gotta have blue hair, yellow tie and accents throughout, blue shoes, it totally worked), and I fully enjoyed it. I think this was the first time I could say I enjoyed a character creation section with that many options, especially on the first pass at a game, and the transition really felt smooth and impactful in the story. Overall, great experience and some cool insights came from it/got stitched through for having played it.