I Agree With You, Persona Makes Fun Of Pretty Much Everything, And They Had Great Representation In Trough

I agree with you, Persona makes fun of pretty much everything, and they had great representation in trough out the series, wich is why I genuinely don't think they meant any harm. I just pointed that out because, as someone that comes from a culture where that kind of representation usually is done with malicious intent (but not always, sometimes it's just a parody of everything, like South Park), and has negative repercussions. But I agree with everything you said.

Basically, the moral of the story is “don’t play the Persona series if you’re not willing to laugh, even when you feel a little called out.” – I’m glad you and I agree. Persona is a very… striking balance where they can delve into the deepest branches of psychology, and characterization, and story, and then turn around and beat you with a slapstick stick until you cry uncle. It’s parody. Sometimes it’s outright dark humor. It isn’t politically correct at all times, but I would dare to say it’s pretty damn woke, unless someone else has another RPG they can name off that is literally all about Fighting The Man and taking down giant corporate schemes and political manipulations and lifting the veils from the eyes of the public over how they’re manipulated in the day-to-day happenings. And I mean. Literally about that. Not in allegory or metaphor. Like it’s… it’s literally the entire point of Persona. Most Personas, but most vividly, Persona 5.

Thanks! You too!

Hey @ the two people who still follow this blog, just so you know you rock!

I agree the game was great and so was the story, and what truly bothered me about the LGBT representation (romance aside since, as you put it, the lack of it is very likely not the production team's fault), is that the ones that show up are just stereotypes. Specially in a beach encounter, were they basically thrown themselves at the character in a very weird sequence. I know Japan has a different culture, and they probably meant no harm,but this wasn't a great thing for international audiences.

Well like, we also have to recognize Persona has several modes. It’s basically an interactive anime.

Super dramatism/characterization

Parody

This is it. Persona makes fun of a lot of shit. A LOT of shit. Persona makes fun of awkward straight dudes. Personal makes fun of stupid valley girls. Persona makes fun of bad day workers. Persona makes fun of cheesy fortune tellers. Persona makes fun of everything, so when somewhere along the lines, after having 100 ROTFL moments about bad tacky hetero dating experiences, there’s a rando queer one that’s slapstick, despite the series already historically handling LGBT relationships and gender issues with grace when they’re actually being serious and not just throwing dumb comedy moments at is… I don’t see any point whatsoever in choosing to get offended or annoyed over it. That’s just… pff.

Like seriously, are we going to, say, act like Persona has no respect for women because they’ve made fun of the blonde bimbo model type when it’s particularly flagrant, despite having entire dungeons devoted to Rise’s struggles as a performer and feeling degraded as a stripper that didn’t know who she really was? And so on and so forth.

I think one of the biggest problems with the generation younger than me and even part of my own, if that we want absolute sterilization on our content. Only the bestest, purest representations must be at all times. At some point, the fight against “bury your gays” became “a gay character must never be hurt ever, no matter the story it’s in”, and awareness of sensitivities became inability to laugh at our own absurdities, which we used to be able to. The need for LGBT content has had queer comedians get told they don’t have enough queer content anymore and it’s like *looks behind self* I’ve been here the whole time?

Look, I mean, I get it, I do, but when it comes to a series like Persona that’s had active representation, and that actively makes fun of *everything under the sun*, I think our American sensitivities are getting the better of us for a game from Japan that they’re choosing to share with the rest of the world.

Julia and Alice casting Battle Magic at each other.

The following story was submitted by the user @lawfulgeek: 

Old Herbert owned a large piece of land and used it for his business of dirtbike, and also were his house was. It was a popular place where kids and adults would go motorbiking (they could rent bikes and equipment). His only child, Lester, loved to dirtbike, and was quite good at it. His wife, Alyssa, loved him and their son very much. But strange things happened in that land, for it was once a burial ground of Native American tribes, and long ago, when they were forced to abandon their land, they casted a powerful curse on it. If the colonizers wanted the land, they would have it, but they would find neither the rest or the peace the tribes did. They would have to wander, restless, forever. And so, with the curse, the place once used to lay the dead to rest, became the place the dead would never be able to rest. And sadly, one day, young Lester suffered a horrible accident. And his life ended on that cursed soil, and thus his existence in this realm did not cease. For days, Old Herbert and sweet Alyssa mourned their dear son, but it was like he wasn’t gone. More and more weird events would unfold. Things in Lester’s bedroom would have been moved, as if someone had used it. The TV would turn on seemingly out of nowhere right on the time for Lester’s favorite the show and on the right channel. And then they started hearing him. His steps, coming closer to them. His voice, reaching out to them. But it happened. In a split second their Lester was not there, and in the next he was. Someway, somehow, from that glitch their son entered once again this realm of existence. He somehow managed to project his spirit from the place it was, trapped in the Veil. Not really here, not really there. But now, he was back. Herbert and Alyssa were in disbelief, but at the same time happier then in a long time. Of course, Lester wasn’t truly back. As impressive as it is for a ghost to physically manifest, even if such manifestation is in a place marked by death in and an abundance of mystical energy, such materialization doesn’t make them any less ghosts. All ghost, all souls that for some reason don’t move on after death, are bound to the place were their life ended. Lester’s binding to his place of demise was not due to the curse, even though it was strengthened by it. The curse simply makes it so that anyone that perishes on the land has no choice but to stay. And so he’s there to this day, with his parents. Unable to grow. Unable to age. Unable to leave. But Herbert and Alyssa don’t intend to leave either. No one needs to know of any of that. They Just need to wait. After all, one day death will come for them to, and they will make sure that it’s on that land. So they can always be a family. Together. Forever.

Hope you enjoyed this delightfully spooky story! If you would also like to submit stories or any other content for the dark!frisbeecamp au, please let me know!

Me waiting for Andi Mack to return from hiatus in january: