a story i've been tinkering with since highschool, recently revised.
it's about the impossibility of achieving a truly utopian societal structure and the importance of trying to improve circumstances anyways.
how far can the power of the state be allowed to reach in order to create a perfect society. what degree of agency should people be willing to sacrifice in order to keep the supposedly best system in place, if it's been shown to be "better" than what came before? how good is good enough? how fair?
at what point do you just throw the whole structure away— and are you willing to pay the human cost.
it's also about three people failing overcome the culture they were raised in, and the effects on an individual who's worshipped and relied on to fix or upend said society.
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The World
loosely based on Plato's philosophy. set in a desert-like environment, architecure and fashion are heavily inspired by Byzantine aesthetics. technology is pretty rudimentary still, but they got old-timey guns.
The Republic inside the story is, well, a republic, which follows very strict rules to ensure that people in it live well. acording to its fundational myth, the region went through periods of extreme famine due to the enviroment, war for resources, and pestilence as a result. this was only fixed when The Seer came and instituted the current system.
society is structured under a caste system, supposedly dictated by what type of "soul" they posses:
- The Producers: workers, farmers and other trades. the largest group. their dutties vary from producing food to factory work to construction. they are usually assigned labor according to what is needed, a perfect Producer should be a jack of all trades that learns quickly. although they aren't discouraged from specializing and becoming a master either, which may allow them to stay in a single job. the State then takes whatever they produce and distributes it equally among the population. they are encouraged to collab with the Guardians in order to invent new technologies that will help with their labor. Producers' suffering is ofter seen as lesser worthy of pity as they're meant to enjoy work.
- The Auxiliaries: soldiers and law enforcement. meant to keep the peace by whatever means necessary. they must know and understand the law, and adhere to it unflinchingly, enforcing what's just regardless of the individual. while not outright banned, forming close bonds with people outside the caste is discouraged, and it is a bit frowned uppon to marry other classes. generally, unprovoked violent outbursts by Auxiliaries are more easily forgiven as it's in their nature. besides high-ranked generals, their personal opinions are usually considered the least insightful, even bellow Producers.
- The Guardians: government of philosophers, including the judiciary system. the smallest of the three groups, basically functions as an oligarchy that runs the State. roles are chosen by an internal democracy. while they aren't isolated, they usually keep to themselves. despite this, they are meant to have an in-depth understanding of the other classes. it is encouraged for Guardians to study as much as possible, and they are the only people trusted to interact with information and ideologies that have been declared harmful to the public, BUT this involves regular check ups and the need for those involved to constantly and loudly condemn and point out flaws in it.
these groups aren't physically separated, though there are definitely places that each frequent more, and ocassionally some they are barred from (for example, nobody but Guardians are allowed in certain libraries. Producers aren't allowed in military barracks outside of fixing things or cleaning duty, while Auxiliaries aren't supposed to wander inside workshops unless some specific disturbance is happening. Guardians have the widest range but they seldom use it.)
The Republic is a mostly self-sufficient state that rarely trades with the outside. despite having a strong military, it will only retaliate if attacked first and has no interest in expansion.
reproduction isn't restricted, and marriage isn't limited to people in the same caste (tho that tends to be most common). however, parents must immediately inform the State of a pregnancy and the development afterwards. at around age 5, the kid is taken from the parents and raised in an Academy. these State boarding schools are nearly entirely run by Guardians who are specialized in both teaching and caregiving. Producers tend to do cooking, cleaning, and general groundskeeping, but are discouraged from interacting with the children.
not only do these institutions provide basic education, but the children are also assessed to determine what class they belong to. caste status isn't inherited. only the kids that excel at academic work and intelectual exercises are granted access to the Guardian class. the division between Producers and Auxiliaries generally depends on their disposition.
now, why would anyone willingly live under such a regime? The Republic is a well oiled machine. as long as everyone puts their work in, everyone gets something out. the State provides housing, food, and free healthcare. there is also a small equal stipend given out each month to every citizen, which can be used to purchase leisure items and activities. most people use it for art and hobbies.
the State is also pretty queer friendly, from our perspective lol. same gender couples and polygamy is allowed. children are usually raised as their assigned gender unless they show preference otherwise early on, but transitioning between genders is allowed at any point. nonbinary people are all considered a Third Gender, and must use they/them pronouns only. i haven't fully worked out the nitty-gritty of this.