Conversation 492: BOOKSTORE / CRIME

How to use this page:

This is a listing of every "entry" in a given game conversation as scraped from the game files. Entries often contain written dialogue, as well as conditional logic governing their appearance to the player. They also link to other entries, sometimes automatically and sometimes through player action. This page is best used to search for a specific word or phrase, as following the links in this format can be difficult. For an experience that better accommodates the branching structure of these conversations, see the corresponding interactive page.

Column definitions:

• ID: a numerical index for the entry within this conversation.
• Character: the character speaking or acting.
• Dialogue: prose containing spoken dialogue and other description.
• Conditions: logical checks governing this entry appearing or occurring.
• Links: entries that might follow this one, depending on conditions and player choice. Most links are internal to this conversation, external links to other conversations are marked with the format (conversation ID, entry ID).

ID	Character	Dialogue	Conditions	Links
0	None			1
1	None			40
2	Shelf of Crime Novels	These shelves are overburdened with books from the same series. You see the name "Dick Mullen" over and over.		39
3	You	"Storekeep, what's all this crime fiction?"		10
4	You	Look through the display of books.		15
5	None			3 4 6 53 7
6	You	Who is Dick Mullen?	Variable["doomed.book_mullen_wc_trigger"] == true	29
7	You	[Leave.]
8	You	What do we have here? Mistaken identity...		54
9	Shelf of Crime Novels	Shelves filled to the brim with crime novels featuring the supposedly stalwart Vespertine detective, Dick Mullen.		5
10	Plaisance	"Oh, crime, robberies, murders..." She lowers her voice. "Even *sexual* crimes. We're fortunate to have Dick Mullen and his stories to sort all that out."		13
11	Shelf of Crime Novels	You see: "Dick Mullen on the Job", "Get Me Mullen!", "The Stalwart Adventures of Richard P. Mullen", "Dick Mullen and the Murder in the Orchard", "The Sordid Affair of Dick Mullen"...		12
12	Shelf of Crime Novels	"A Killing Is Declared", "Dick Mullen in the Murderhouse", "The Final Case of Dick Mullen" (an obvious lie), "Dick Mullen in the Clock Tower", "The Ordeals of Dick Mullen", "Dauntless Dick", "Dick Mullen's Funeral Pyre", "The Murder of Dick Mullen"...		19 21 22
13	Plaisance	"You're a... a police officer... apparently. You should buy *all* of these. They really do teach a person how to be a proper detective."		88
14	None			5
15	Shelf of Crime Novels	Crime fiction... is a disgrace. An asinine misrepresentation of the physical attributes and the arduous everyday work of actual police officers.		34
16	You	Sure thing.		11
17	You	Oh god, no.		18
18	None			9
19	You	Dick Mullen *dies*?!		20
20	Shelf of Crime Novels	Oh no, turns out he faked it to solve a case.		21 22
21	You	Are there any more?		24
22	You	Okay, let's stop now.		23
23	None			9
24	Shelf of Crime Novels	Yes. There's also: "The Dame Who Did It", "Farewell, My Mullen" (faking death seems to be a common trope in the Mullen series), "The Morbid Tales of Dick Mullen", "A Dark Tide Turns"...		25
25	Shelf of Crime Novels	"Tragedy Calls for Dick Mullen" (another one with fake death), and, of course, "Dick Mullen: The Murderer", in order to catch a murderer, Dick Mullen must *become* the murderer.		27
26	None			5
27	Esprit de Corps	Come on, this is *not* the way real police solve crimes. The *real* police are some twenty kilometres away, sitting in an armoured motor carriage.		43
28	Reaction Speed	Your quick eye notices a small caterpillar crawling across the spine of a book. The title reads: "Dick Mullen and the Mistaken Identity."		8
29	Shelf of Crime Novels			30 31
30	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["doomed.book_whitec_who_is_mullen"]	28
31	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["doomed.book_whitec_who_is_mullen"]) == false	32
32	Reaction Speed	Your attempt to grasp at the answer fails... it seems very close by, pulsating just out of reach.		37
33	Inland Empire	After all this, you still haven't found the answer to the one question that matters: Who *is* Dick Mullen?		80
34	Shelf of Crime Novels	These books *greatly* overstate the excitement of police work, glossing over how long it takes to actually follow up on leads and eliminate dead-ends.		90
35	Shelf of Crime Novels	Not a single mention of all the stress this work creates upon the officer's *family*. Detective fiction just doesn't tell the truth at all. Now, would you like a list of the books found on the shelf?		16 17
36	None			5
37	None			5
38	Shelf of Crime Novels	What's more, they completely ignore the psychological hardships of, year after year, coming into contact with people during the worst days of their lives.		35
39	Perception (Sight)	A couple spook novels hide amidst all the detective books. Thrilling tales of spycraft and derring-do.		5
40	Shelf of Crime Novels			41 42
41	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["doomed.bookstore_mullen_crime_hub_reached"]	9
42	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["doomed.bookstore_mullen_crime_hub_reached"]) == false	2
43	Shelf of Crime Novels			44 45
44	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["doomed.book_mullen_esprit_detective_operation"]	46
45	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["doomed.book_mullen_esprit_detective_operation"]) == false	33
46	Mack Torson	A bald man turns toward a lean man and pats him on the back. "Come on, Chester, tell the story again."		47
47	Chester McLaine	"Again? Man, I tell that one at least once a month. It's not that interesting," Chester replies.		48
48	Mack Torson	"The *fuck* it is," the bald man replies. "And these guys haven't heard it." He motions to the civilian sitting in the back seat. "You see, Chester here," he pokes his finger at the lean man. "Chester *faked his own death* once!"		96
49	Chester McLaine	"Yeah, sure came close," Chester mutters in return, then turns to the rapt listener. "Alright, so I was tailing this guy called 'Francis the Shoe'..." The inside of the motor carriage is thick with cigarette smoke. Outside, it starts to rain...		33
50	Mack Torson	"A very fuckin' dangerous case, ain't that right, Chester? They almost got you that time."		49
51	None			5
52	Plaisance	"Hrm, of course." She shudders. "Such violence and immorality... uh, I mean, enjoy!"		92
53	You	"I want to buy this Dick Mullen novel."	Variable["doomed.book_found_mullen_book"] == true and CheckItem("book_dick_mullen_and_the_mistaken_identity") == false	52
54	Shelf of Crime Novels	A worn paperback from Dick Mullen's classic *hard-boiled* phase. The premise seems to be that Dick Mullen is framed for the murder of his best friend, and has just a few days to prove his innocence.		55
55	You	Hmm. Why does this speak to me?		56
56	Shelf of Crime Novels	Could it be the motifs of unstable identities and shocking betrayals?		57 58
57	You	That's probably right, I'm a complicated guy, full of contradictions.		66
58	You	No, it's gotta be something *else*.		59
59	Shelf of Crime Novels	Perhaps you're drawn to the dark and *noirish* atmosphere?		60 61
60	You	Yeah, I'm pretty intense. I'm all about that dark stuff.		66
61	You	No, that's not it either.		62
62	Shelf of Crime Novels	Is it because the smoking dame in the slinky red dress on the cover is giving you a hard-on?		63 68
63	You	Oh, right. That's definitely it.		65
64	Conceptualization	See the way she's suggestively holding that pistol? That's *symbolism*.		67
65	Shelf of Crime Novels	Yeah, this is the book for you.		64
66	Shelf of Crime Novels	Then this is the book for you.		36
67	None			5
68	You	What? No. That's not what's happening.		69
69	Shelf of Crime Novels	Yes it is. The bulge in your pants is embarrassingly obvious.		91
70	Volition	Quit staring -- You're in public! There's plenty of time for that later... in the privacy of your own room.		67
71	Shelf of Crime Novels			72 73
72	Shelf of Crime Novels		IsKimHere()	74
73	Shelf of Crime Novels		(IsKimHere()) == false	70
74	Kim Kitsuragi	"Something the matter, detective?"		75 76
75	You	"Nope, all good here." (Casually adjust your pants.)		77
76	You	"Kim, would you describe this woman as a *smoking dame*?"		78
77	Kim Kitsuragi	The lieutenant nods. You think you detect the faintest trace of a grin on his face, but you can't say for certain.		67
78	Kim Kitsuragi	The lieutenant narrows his eyes and contemplates the book for a moment.		79
79	Kim Kitsuragi	"I would certainly say she fits that description, providing that's your type."		67
80	Shelf of Crime Novels			81 82
81	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["doomed.book_mullen_wc_trigger"]	26
82	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["doomed.book_mullen_wc_trigger"]) == false	83
83	Reaction Speed	Wait a minute, all this told us *nothing* about who Dick Mullen actually is...		84
84	Shelf of Crime Novels			85 86
85	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["doomed.book_mullen_wc_trigger"]	26
86	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["doomed.book_mullen_wc_trigger"]) == false	87
87	Drama	Sssssire, you could learn much from thisss Mullen, if you underssstood who he issss....		26
88	Electrochemistry	Sex crimes *did* pique your interest, but still -- this Dick Mullen person only gets your pleasure centres *down*.		89
89	Logic	NOTE! Reading about Dick Mullen will not actually make you a better detective.		14
90	Endurance	Furthermore -- they have NO IDEA how hard it is to simply remove a body from a tree.		38
91	Electrochemistry	Relax. It's not that bad. Also, this means your bloodflow is returning to normal. Good news, really.		71
92	Shelf of Crime Novels			93 94
93	Shelf of Crime Novels		Variable["tc.turn_off_tutorial_node"] or Variable["character.interactable_tutorial_seen"]	51
94	Shelf of Crime Novels		(Variable["tc.turn_off_tutorial_node"] or Variable["character.interactable_tutorial_seen"]) == false	95
95	Tutorial Agent	You've acquired an interactable item. Investigate this item further by going to the INTERACT tab in your INVENTORY.		51
96	Civilian	"Gosh, why?" One civilian looks on, amazed. The bald man bellows a reply:		50