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scarynewboyfriend · 4 days

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having some brained thoughts vis-à-vis Disco Elysium and Haibane Renmei

possible spoilers for both below - especially regarding The Pale

The Pale is loosely described while playing Disco, although it is never quite so explicitly defined or presented to you all at once... I think this is largely because The Pale behaves somewhat paradoxically, but loosely has a set of rules that it follows

From what I've gathered:

it is a symptom of humanity - in which innovation, imagination, and novel change seem to encourage its spread. Speaking to the cryptid confirms that it did not exist before humanity came into being

The Pale manifests in the world most prominently as a sort of fog

it is known to be traversable in some cases (presumably where it is thin), and there are records of using it to alter real world items (the medical applications of The Pale book you can find comes to mind)

while it can be traversed, it is likely to cause some form of damage to humans. Talking to The Pale lorry driver can confirm this

whatever is consumed by The Pale ceases to exist in its entirety. As in, a man consumed by The Pale ceases to be known or remembered in history. It is unclear whether or not this erasure actually alters history, or if it merely eradicates all trace of whatever is consumed going forward from the point of consumption

Powerful nations are profoundly aware of how The Pale works, and will conduct acts of espionage and murder in order to fit their agenda, as well as attempt to prevent the spread of the Pale

This all explains the state of Revachol, in the sense that it very much feels trapped in a bygone era. Technology seems to have stagnated in the radio era, though it is often used ingeniously. There are things like automobiles, books and games, but they are at their most simple. The most advanced example I can think of is the radio game that you can discover in the bowls of the city under the book store. Nothing grand is proposed for technology - but expansions on what currently exists are present.

There are theories that the revolution encountered such intense intervention from The Coalition is partly due to the fear that a new ideology taking root would create vast amounts of The Pale - and the unfortunate thinking the keeping the unfair status quo would prevent this. To contradict this idea, the anodic dance club (should you choose to support the ravers) actually prolongs Revachol's existence from being erased by The Pale, though it is inevitably destroyed in its entirety when later it gets nuked by the Coalition (possibly due to a 3rd revolution taking place in the future?).

I appreciate how this idea is reinforced subtly by how Harry goes throughout the world. You don't have too many opportunities to have "new" things. Most of what you use and receive are borrowed, found, or recycled (garbage picker). You end up finding some semblance of refuge by housing with communists on the outskirts of town - a room that used to belong to someone else, cared for by a community you are just now joining. You don't own property, and you barely own anything of note. Just the scraps you've found and made use of while wandering through the world.

Let's talk about the Anodic ravers for a minute.. Noid offers perhaps the greatest insight into what they stand for, which is love, peace, and freedom... and music.

The irony is that, while this too is an act of creation and innovation, it actually appeases the spread of The Pale to some degree. Noid says something profound about "Left-Right mentality," and alludes that this is what he truly despises: the illusion that the world has created to convince people that there are only so many choices available.

It's possible that the spread of the Pale can only be stopped by uniting all of humanity, working and living together in harmony. The Pale is sometimes described as an allegory for Nihilism, the dangers of over-saturating in nostalgia, and the divide that people create between themselves (beliefs, alignments, preferences, etc. used to segregate us from one another). When you take into account that survivors of Pale exposure have symptoms of alienation, loss of identity (sometimes shown as having no discernible names, but concepts that usually feed into despair), and confusion, it's easy to see this connection. If it weren't for the eventual glassing of Revachol, it's possible the church under andonic influence could have fulfilled it's true potential towards limiting the Pale's spread in a more significant fashion.

So what about Haibane Renmei??

Haibane Renmei, if you haven't seen it already, is a wonderfully eerie anime that follows the lives of Haibane - people who have mysteriously appear in the town Glie with no memory of who/if they were anyone before arriving. They are distinguished by angelic features of small wings and halos, though they do not have any angelic or religious affiliations beyond this.

Their names are designated by the Haibane Renmei (community of Haibane) who use their only prevailing memory as inspiration for what their name will be. In each case, their only memory is of a dream they have before waking.

In both Disco and Haibane, names play a significant role in establishing character and sense of self - see Doom Spiral and Don't Call Abigal, who have defined themselves by their most critical life moments. Pissfaggot and others fall into this category, alongside Harry - who can remain ignorant of his true name for much of the game.

Their lives in the town are largely separate from that of its regular citizens, distinguished by a few rules:

They may only occupy residency in structures that have been abandoned

They must hold a job

They are forbidden from handling money (they and their employers are responsible for recording their "earnings" in a notebook. This limits the places they are allowed to work to businesses who are willing to accommodate these rules.

They are not allowed to "purchase" new items. Clothes and goods must be thrifted or recycled. This also limits where they are able to "spend" money

The town itself is surrounded by giant walls, which all the townspeople - Haibane included - are forbidden to approach. Designated envoys are allowed to do so, and regular townsfolk are permitted so long as they never return.

These themes, in my opinion, are interesting parallels to Disco. Both have a group of people who, for some reason or another, are forced to live off of the charity others, and are unable to leave the city/town that they find themselves in.

The Pale in Disco, and the walls beyond Glie are large unknowns to both the viewers and those living in these worlds. We are not completely sure what happens in the Pale - due to it's memory and existential properties. With the world beyond Glie, there is simply no way of knowing, because no one can return to describe it.

I've always believed that the Haibane are reborn individuals who died of, or died after a life of suffering. While their lives in Glie are restricted to some degree, the town and its people are nothing but pleasant and kind to them. Glie may in fact be a kind of purgatory, or paradise in this sense, though for the Haibane it is typically short lived.

Haibane will eventually encounter their "Day of Flight," where they disappear forever - presumably flying out of the town. The symptoms proceeding this are consistent for each:

Feeling of peace and happiness

Behaving distant and strange

Unaffected by the world and people around them

The idea here is that, perhaps after achieving fulfillment or true peace, the end is an unstoppable and compelling force for Haibane. Typically, Day of Flight is considered to be the ultimate objective for Haibane - though for those considered Sin Bound, it is terrifying, and impossible for themselves until they are cured of the condition.

A Sin Bound Haibane has some minor physical differences, but the most prominent appear to be a prevailing sense of dread, fear, depression, and desire to go beyond the walls of the town. This is not a permanent symptom, but being cured is no simple task, and cannot be done alone. The Haibane are ultimately obliged and happy to help one another achieve their "Day of Flight," but it requires a Haibane reaching out and accepting this help first.

Here's where I see some parallel between Haibane and the anodic ravers:

It's clear that the ultimate goal for both is love, unity and harmony

Achieving "Day of Flight" may be analogous to accepting the anodic philosophy

Sin Bound Haibane experience dread and lack of self-actualization in a similar way that survivors of the Pale do

Community support is the cure

An interesting thing to note here is that Haibane are not born Sin Bound, as the main protagonist succumbs to the condition after her friend achieves their "Day of Flight."

Both stories centre largely around this feeling of confusion and powerlessness. That Nihilism, pain, and isolation from eachother perpetuates a destructive cycle, not just for the individual, but for the whole, are large driving forces in both worlds. And equally, healing and spiritual wellness are presented as daunting, yet necessary goals to bring peace to the world.

They both have this sort of ever-present sense of doom - Disco Elysium is sort of wrapped in the idea that the world is so fucked that the Pale can never truly be stopped, and Haibane Renmei deals with the fact that, even in a perfect world, death is inevitable, and you still need to heal during your lifetime despite that. But I don't think the messages are entirely hopeless. There is love and community in the inbetween for each.

Even though Revachol is ultimately doomed to be destroyed, and even though Harry's district coworkers still see him as a self-destructive drunk - you save the town from the disaster of the week, you can sober up, you can find friendship and be loved.

Even though the Haibane will eventually lose their closest friends to the "Day of Flight," you will never truly be alone. You can heal from your wounds, you can save and be saved by other people in your life. Much of the story is about letting go and moving on. The cycle of death is unstoppable, but so is the cycle of life. It is not impossible to find happiness in new places, and it's never too late to get help and to help others.

I could write so much more but this is already huge and has taken up so much of my time...

#Haibane Renmei #disco elysium #essay #of sorts #theory #disco elysium spoilers #haibane renmei spoilers #communism #the pale #day of flight #rambling #the inevitable cycles of pain and healing #you will hurt #and you will heal #and none of it will have been a waste of time

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