Disco Elysium guidelines. Whether or not it is the attractive artwork path, deep dialogue, heavy political themes, or charming choice-based narrative, you’d be hard-pressed to not fall in love with it.
Some of the hanging elements of Disco Elysium to me can be one in every of its most underappreciated. In the course of their investigation of Revachol, protagonist Harrier “Harry” Du Bois comes throughout a smoker on a random balcony, and after a sequence of random questions, the participant (however not Harry) finds out the smoker is gay.
It All Begins With A Random Smoker On A Random Balcony
Harry thinks of the smoker’s homosexuality as a “secret underground motion” seeking to conspire towards the state. All of the whereas, each Kim Kitsuragi and the smoker himself have a look at Harry with amusement.
This interplay provides Harry the “Homo-Sexual Underground” thought, one of the vital time-consuming ideas in all the sport with its eight hours of analysis time. And your reward is nothing apart from the conclusion that obsessing over sexuality is dumb and that it is best to begin occupied with different, way more essential, issues as an alternative.
Kim Kitsuragi is a lieutenant of the RCM and accompanies Harry all through a lot of the sport as you each embark on the same investigation. He’s a deep and engaging man.
However Harry, being Harry, excitedly tells Kim he’s stopped obsessing about sexuality and has all of the sudden determined to develop up a bit of bit. Kim dryly congratulates him and hopes he spends the newfound time on precise detective work. Nevertheless, Harry can’t resist and asks Kim if he’s “a part of the underground.” To dissuade Harry from one other hours-long introspective thought, Kim nonchalantly says sure and tells Harry to get again to work.
Whereas that is such a small alternate within the grand scheme of issues, it’s additionally one in every of my favourite character reveals the sport has to supply, and why Kim Kitsuragi is one in every of my favourite queer characters. Via this straightforward dialog, Disco Elysium establishes Kim as one of the vital iconic homosexual characters in video video games, all with a single line. That’s all it takes when illustration is executed so completely like this.
I’ve at all times discovered mundane illustration to be sorely underrated. Whereas I like queer narratives, I additionally love having queer characters simply pop up in a narrative, and that’s it. There’s no elaboration apart from a couple of traces or a confirmed relationship, as a result of that’s only one a part of a complete particular person and may by no means be used to outline somebody of their entirety. Mundanity is essential as a result of it highlights an essential purpose of acceptance: normalization.
Queerness Is In all places, Even In Locations Like Revachol
It’s, and at all times has been, completely regular to be queer. Even when some elements of society naked their tooth towards the slightest trace of a multicolored flag, it’s an goal reality that there’s nothing flawed with being queer, and it’s as regular to be born queer as it’s to be born a human being. Kim Kitsuragi may exist in an odd dystopian world, however beneath his queer id sits a much more sophisticated and nuanced character we need to get to know.
And but, that mundanity is usually challenged by those that don’t perceive it. Kim Kitsuragi isn’t ashamed of his sexuality, however neither does he must flaunt it. For one factor, he doesn’t need or must. He’s on the job, and the one factor he’s involved about is Harry’s effectiveness as a detective. When Kim reveals he’s homosexual, it’s clear he’s extra irritated and amused at Harry caring a lot than him having any inside angst over the matter.
In fact, there’s a extra refined cause for Kim’s hidden sexuality. Revachol is a backwater metropolis with loads of bigots strutting about, one in every of whom even straight heckles Kim. A personality referred to as The Lorry Driver sardonically says “Welcome to Revachol” to Kim upon assembly them, signifying that “his sort” doesn’t belong right here.
Harry And Kim’s Relationship Is Splendidly Platonic, However Is Nonetheless So Heartfelt
Kim Kitsuragi’s household hails from Seol, a fictional nation impressed by numerous East Asian cultures. Nevertheless, he was born and raised in Revachol. Regardless of the town’s flaws, Kim considers himself a real Revacholian and scolds the driving force for driving a wedge between individuals when it must be a time of unity. Though racists declare “his sort” wants to look at themselves and behave, Kim stands proud as an officer of the regulation regardless.
Harry can assist Kim’s outburst, which results in the lorry driver derisively saying the pair make a “cute couple.” On high of being a large racist, it’s additionally clear the lorry driver is homophobic. These qualities aren’t in brief provide in Revachol, because the fascist Measurehead can attest to just some blocks away.
The encounter with the, as Kim calls him in a while, “silly f—ing racist” is to showcase how troublesome life is for minorities in Revachol. Kim was born and raised in Revachol and confirmed sufficient expertise to turn into a lieutenant within the police division. But even he’s not exempt from the bigotry that’s so baked into the town’s tradition.
It’s no surprise Kim doesn’t flaunt his homosexuality. It additionally makes it all of the extra poignant when he reveals it to Harry. Technically, you will get Homo-Sexual Underground no matter your relationship with Kim (if it’s dangerous, how dare you), however what issues is what Kim thinks of Harry. For all of his quirks, Kim trusts that Harry wouldn’t be bothered by it.
And until you deliberately play because the worst cop ever, Kim’s evaluation comes true. Most gamers will play Harry as a bumbling, bizarre, horrifically depressed, but in the end compassionate cop who will get the job achieved. Harry accepts Kim for who he’s, and so Kim does his finest to guard Harry from himself all through the sport.
It’s uncommon to see a platonic friendship between two males in media like this, not to mention a repressed bisexual and sort-of-open gay, however Disco Elysium makes the connection fantastically mundane in methods I want had been a lot extra frequent.
