beikokutai - Tumblr blog

[beikokutai]

A characters page has been added!

https://beikokutai.tumblr.com/characters

Personally I think my character descriptions are a bit cringy and incomplete. For example, I really don’t like Louise’s back story and wish I could come up with a better one. But for now, the page serves as a “good enough” first introduction for the characters, but will be fleshed out more when I have done more writing

[beikokutai]

Awakenings

“Let’s review, shall we?

The world has gone mad with the rings of false information

The lust for equality has reach a fever-pitch

To the point of self-mutilation

Can you idle when your way of life suffocates more and more each day?

Join me, and we can put an end to this nonsense!

I am thou; Thou art I

Show these fools what true rebellion looks like!”

“Humor me

How can one be complacent when your brothers are murdered in the streets every day?

While they lie imprisoned and impoverished?

While their enslavers are celebrated and rewarded?

If you wish to dispel this order

Let us join in brotherhood

I am thou; Thou art I

May you accept this criminal system not one day longer!”

“My child

Is the rule of sodomites and murderers tolerable?

Is the banishment of the faithful just?

Is the damnation of the Lord’s name copacetic?

How can you, child of God, allow this to continue?

Let us launch a crusade against this regime of sinners!

I am thou; Thou art I

The heavens bless your holy rebellion!”

“Hello, my darling,

Admit it, you cannot idly stand by

While millions of women are held down by the chains of oppression and abuse

These are your sisters in struggle, are they not?

You, as their grand liberator, will free them from their bondage

Let us forge a union in rebellion

I am thou; Thou art I

May years of bliss be cast upon the feminine sex!”

“Oh my! You’re finally awake

Tell me, is this how your kind dies?

Enslaved to a race of vermin

Who slowly choke the life out of your kith and kin?

Tell me, is this acceptable to you?

If not, then let us make a pact

I am thou; Thou art I

Prove yourself, as the last faithful one to your sacred blood!”

“How long will you stand simply talking about revolution?

Each day the growing power of the merchants endangers us to our own demise

The world stands divided into two: master and slave

And the true owners of their labor live days of ignorance

Can this be fixed by simple talk?

If you wish to put theory into action, let’s create a partnership

I am thou; Thou art I

May a new consciousness ring the world over!”

“Salutations, my dear sir

Do tell, is the current status of simpleton suffrage acceptable to you?

No, of course not

The roars of the kingdoms of old resonate throughout your body

In a world accelerating towards apocalypse

Drastic action is necessary

I am thou; Thou art I

Let us restore natural order to this earth!”

“To, myself

Although much has already been done

This deadly plague of civilization still infiltrates your body

And the masses still smoke the opium of the spirits

It is not enough for one to live freely

Mankind must all be redeemed of this original sin!

I am thou; Thou art I

May no man be constrained by petty talk again!”

“Howdy there, partner!

Tell me, just how long you gonna let this parasite leech off people?

Robbin’ them of their hard-earned work

While they strangle themselves with illusions

Is this alright with you, partner?

If not, how’s-about we make a deal?

I am thou; Thou art I

My power is yours to behold, may freedom bloom for millennia to come!”

“This segregation of humanity

It’s curious, is it not?

The populous turns against one another

While the true enemies of mankind stay in lavish villas

How can one let this toxic authority stay alive

No longer! From this day forth, we go to war

I am thou; Thou art I

Let the wings of anarchy bring forth a new age!”

[beikokutai]

About the title of the project: the meaning behind “Beikokutai”

"Beikokutai" (米国体) is a wordplay on two Japanese words.

米国 (beikoku) is an uncommon and somewhat out-of-date word for America (the country "the United States of America", not the continent). While the kanji literally means "rice" (specifically "husked rice grain"), it is a common misunderstanding that America is called this because the Japanese thought that the U.S. had a lot of rice. The name actually comes from shortening 亜米利加 (Amerika), as 米 can be read as "me" or "bei". During and before the Meiji Era, the names of countries would be written in kanji rather than the modern katakana script that is used for non-Chinese foreign words. So now modern Japanese people write アメリカ (Amerika) instead of 亜米利加 to refer to the U.S. 亜米利加 was probably shortened to 米国 (国 (koku) means “state”, “country”, or “nation(al)” by the way) to match the names of other foreign countries like China (中国, Chugoku, middle-kingdom/country) and Korea (韓国, Kankoku, Han-Nation, although this is now used exclusively for referring to South Korea).

国体 (kokutai) is a Japanese political term that is hard to translate. It literally means “Nation-body”, more elegantly, “national polity.” The broadest translation is that kokutai is the “character” of a nation.

Fukuzawa Yukichi, a leading philosopher of the Meiji era, stated that “kokutai” is equivalent to how “sovereignty” is used in Modern English, it refers to be ability of a nation to be independent and make its own policy. Yukichi stated that India and China had lost their “kokutai” to the West and that Japan needed to modernize to preserve their independence. Thus, kokutai was always tied with Japanese nationalism.

As Japanese nationalism got more extreme with the leadup to World War II, kokutai became a politically charged word. The meaning of kokutai changed from “the right of Japan to remain independent” to “the Japanese system of government” to even “the right of the Emperor to control Japan.” The far-right Japanese government justified imprisoning “enemies of the state” (pacifists, socialists, the Korean independence movement) by saying that they were going against the kokutai. Today, saying “kokutai” to refer to Japan’s system of government would be like using “Führer” to refer to the German Chancellor.

So, why the name? I was sitting in a U.S. History class and my professor was going on about how throughout U.S. History, there has always been a tendency for Presidents to drift towards the center. Property rights, free speech, free trade, independence from others, equality, diversity, elections, freedom of religion, and protection from abuse by elected officials are values that most Americans agree on, if they do bicker about the specifics. And I thought, is what my teacher describing not the American kokutai? These values are as dear to Americans as loyalty to the Emperor was for the Japanese. If this is the case, who are the “enemies of the state” who oppose the American kokutai? They are communists who don’t believe in property rights, neo-Nazis who oppose equality, anarchists who disagree with free trade, die-hard libertarians who think elections are the “tyranny of the majority.” These people are not represented in America’s two-party system of government, they are as outside of the kokutai as Japanese pacifists were.

Persona 5 is a game about rebellion. It’s a game about teenagers that look at a system that needs to be fixed, it says that a longing for order is no justification to let crimes go unpunished. People have made parody calling cards of Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, Ajit Pai, and even Todd Howard because they believe that the Phantom Thieves would steal their hearts if they actually existed. Now, I don’t support any of those people, but I have to wonder, if the Phantom Thieves did exist in America, would reddit, 4chan, and Tumblr not be filled with requests to take the hearts of Sanders, Clinton, and Yellen as well? Let’s make one minor adjustment to P5: give the Phantom Thieves the power to create an artificial Palace for anyone. In a “post-truth” world, with this kind of power, would we not hear a new “confession” every day from our media influencers? And of course, the leading question behind my idea: what if a Phantom Thief was someone outside of the American kokutai?

Beikokutai means “American national polity.” Just like P5, it’s a story about people who are outside society, people who have no voice, people who feel a roar of rebellion that aches to change what they see as a corrupt world. It’s a story about people outside of their kokutai. But sometimes, rebellion is done for the wrong reasons, by the wrong people. And sometimes, rebellion can go too far.

 (Vague spoilers for the end game of Persona 3, 4, and 5)

 In the Persona games, the final boss is always the shadow of the sum of humanity’s unconscious desires. In P3, it was sum of humanity’s longing for death. In P4, it was humanity’s longing for easy answers and falsehoods. In P5, it was humanity’s longing to be controlled. But these are all reactive causes, something humanity wants done upon them. In P5: Beikokutai, the ultimate shadow is active, it’s humanity’s desire to control others.

[beikokutai]

Disclaimers: 

The song used in this video is "Let It All Come Down" by Boom Boom Satellites off the album "FULL OF ELEVATING PLEASURES". It has been appropriated for the context of the imagining project. 

This channel is not affiliated with Atlus Co., Ltd. The Persona brand name, along with various concepts such as the Velvet Room, are copyright Atlus Co., Ltd.

Author’s notes:

Inspired by Assinine Syndrome’s own Persona 6: VERGS, I wanted to start up a blog dedicated to “imagining” a game that’s been hanging in the back of my mind for months now. It’s name is “Persona 5: Beikokutai.” Just like the original P5, it’s a game about rebellion, but this time, the moral boundaries aren't so clear. It’s set in a politically polarized America at the onset of the election of the deadline-moderate candidate, Francis Hirobumi, the first Asian-American to be elected president. 

These Phantom Thieves aren't just teenagers seeking to rebel, they’re young adults that have an ideal world view in mind. They aren't afraid to steal hards, brainwash, manipulate, or even kill to change what they see as a broken and corrupt system. Two main bands of thieves, one far-left and one far-right, are opposed by a more moderate band working with the U.S. government. Alliances are fluid, however, so the player may be surprised to see who tags along for the next heist. The player will have to pick alliances carefully, these thieves are simply the enemies of your enemies, not your friends.

Near the game’s end, after a multitude of confessions from figures of influence, President Hirobumi makes the following address to the nation:

In two separate rooms, the same TV illuminates the dark caverns where it is localized. On the screen stands a watered-down man of East Asian descent, dressed in the most standard rope of statesmen: the business suit. He turns his face upward to address his (psychologically) war-torn nation.

“My fellow Americans…”

In one of the rooms, an Emperor with no clothes snickers, “after the last Hawaiian that became President, not so sure about the ‘fellow.’”

“As you know, in the recent months, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of confessions from prominent persons of influence, including activists, celebrities, and people of authority. It has been found that only a dozen or so of these confessions were genuine, the rest being the result of the actions of psychokinetic terrorists.”

In another one of the rooms, a Lover who chose the more dangerous path at the knife in the road says, “it’s so weird to hear the president say ‘psychokinetic.’ But, funny how we got listed as a terrorist group before, you know, the KKK.”

“My government was hesitant to act on this fact because it went against our conventional understanding of science. However, new research provided by our ever-faithful Japanese allies has shown that these ‘mental hijackings’ are not only well within the realm of scientific possibility, but also most definitely the cause behind the confessions.”

In the first room, a Hierophant who hears the howling roar of a bygone era says, “Why would Japan help the government fight us? I am the embodiment of everything the Japanese stand for! Order, discipline, familial patronage. I say, the Cathedral’s grasp is truly frightening.”

“Fortunately, the Japanese government and many Japanese private organizations, including the famous Kirijo Group, have done much to help us counteract the actions of these psychoterrorists, colloquially called ‘Phantom Thieves,’ after a folkloric Japanese vigilante group with similar methods of attack.”

In the second room, a man whose Strength has led him to cross 10 long marches says, “and this dude realizes that the OG Phantom Thieves helped stop Japan from becoming fascist, right? The hypocrisy of this shit, man.”

“Additionally, we have new evidence as to the whereabouts and identities of the psychoterrorists, courtesy of four former psychoterrorists, all of whom wish to remain anonymous. This information is classified, but will be revealed after confirmation of the evidence.”

In both rooms, sudden gasps are heard. In the first room, a Magician whose trinkets engulf the earth says, “fucking hell, Thomas. I always knew you were too cozy with big government.” In the second room, a Hermit who has only recently escaped self-exile says, “I told you guys, I told you! I knew working with Xander even once was a bad idea! Inside every liberal, there is a totalitarian.”

“With this new evidence and research, we are finally able to fully combat this nefarious group of criminals. My government is working hard to amend this tragic war that is destroying our nation from the inside, and I expect that we will put an end to this epidemic by the end of this year.” The President takes a brief pause. “America has always shunned political extremism, it has always been a nation of moderates.”

In the first room, a woman who has felt the Chariot’s valor says, “and our first ‘moderates’ wouldn’t have let a trouble-making gook like you rule over white people.”

“Left or right, north or south, Democrat or Republican, we all agree on the fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are not a nation who forces ideals upon others. And through our unity in moderation, we will defeat this fearsome threat to our way of life.”

In the second room, a woman who wishes for the Death of the current order says, “Tell that to the Iraqis we keep killing, you fucking hypocrite.”

“If you know someone who seems to have been mentally hijacked, please call the Special Emergency Hotline for Victims of Psychoterrorism, 919.”

The President pauses for only a moment, and looks more directly at the camera, away from the teleprompter. Off-script, he says in the cold, dead voice, “and to the ‘Phantom Thieves’, Mementos, Iweleth.” The broadcast ends.

In both rooms, all of the thieves turn to face the same brunette, who stands with a rebellious smirk.

“What do you think, leader?”

The Fool who commands these children of chaos gives her reply:

“Let’s take him up on his offer. Then, we can make this decaying establishment finally collapse!”

 In unison, all nine voices shout “LET IT ALL COME DOWN!”