You collectively vote on the actions of Arisukawa Haruna, the first woman to serve openly in the Imperial Akitsukuni Navy.
This quest is set in a universe which is much like our own circa 1910, but with different politics, cultural norms, and ideas about gender and sexuality, as well as some unusual and advanced technology in places.
We are using this quest to explore themes like breaking the glass ceiling, divergent outlooks on gender and sexuality, colonialism and imperialism, and the place of royalty.
Content Warning
This quest goes some dark places.
There is violence, often explicit, often unfair, often against undeserving targets.
There are not always good options forward. The protagonist is not necessarily a good person.
There is implied content and discussion of sexual harassment and assault.
This is a world where people are often racist, sexist, queerphobic bigots. Sometimes, even the PC and the people they are friends with.
Voting Rules
We will tell you if write-in votes are allowed. If we do not say that write-ins are allowed, they are not. This is to prevent people from unrealistically hedging their bets.
You may proposal other options in a non-vote format, subject to approval, on non write-in votes.
We will tell you when a vote allows approved voting. If we don't say the answer is no, pick an option. We like making people commit.
Discussions makes the GM feel fuzzy.
Game Rules
When we ask you for a roll, roll 3d6. You are aiming to roll equal or under the value of your stat. If you succeed, Haruna gets through the situation with no real difficulties. If you roll above the target value, Haruna will still succeed, but this success will cost her something or add a complication.
Whenever Haruna loses something or faces hardship from a botched roll, she takes Stress. The more Stress Haruna has, the more the job and the circumstances she's in will get to her, and it'll be reflected in the narrative. Haruna must be kept under 10 Stress: if she reaches 10 Stress, she will suffer a breakdown and the results will not be great for her.
Haruna loses stress by taking time for herself, by making meaningful progress on her dreams, and by kissing tall, beautiful women.
Meta Rules Author commentary is in italics so you know it's not story stuff.
Please don't complain about the system or the fact we have to roll dice. We've heard it before, we've heard it a thousand times across multiple quests. We're not going to change it, and it wears at our fucking souls.
Just going "oh noooo" or "Fish RNGesus Why!" is fun and fine. Complaining at length because you didn't get what you want less so.
If you have a question, tag both @open_sketchbook and @Artificial Girl. If you only tag one of us, you will be ignored. Seriously, we both write this quest.
And yes this is an alt-history type setting with openly gay and trans people, ahistoric medicine, and weird politics. Just... deal, please?
It was the morning after your graduation and this was going to be your first time back in the palace wearing the uniform of the Imperial Navy. It didn't exactly make you nervous, since you basically grew up inside the palace walls, but there's a heavier sense of duty now, the idea that you were serving your country and representing your family in a way no one else had before (though there are old tales of warrior-Empresses and princesses, the last one to actually lead an army was… a long time ago). You peered through the window of your car (the very latest in exciting new technology) as you rumbled across the cobbled roadway that leads through the space between the inner and outer walls (the Army was allowed here, you remember) and then towards the gate that protects the inner palace complex where only ministers, certain nobles, family members of the Imperial house and those who serve them were allowed to enter. Foreign embassies did not come here--they are greeted in the pavilion specifically for foreign embassies within the outer walls.
As you puttered past the two Imperial guardsmen at the inner gate, they came to attention to offer you a salute and then you were past into the inner sanctum of the Empress and the Imperial court.
To someone who had never been within the sacred inner walls of the Imperial Palace, this place might seem very much like a paradise on Earth. The gardens here were even more exquisite than those of the outer palace, with neatly trimmed lawns, bright flowers, and a whole flowing artificial river that twisted and turned its way through the palace grounds, spilling into small ponds and lakes along the way. There was even a small artificial woods, carefully tended to have the appearance of the ancient forests that once spanned much of the islands the Empress now ruled. There were fish here, birds (including peacocks imported from overseas), and grand courtyards and walkways. To call the palace a simple home or mansion would be an understatement. It was really more a complex of multiple houses and compounds, its own small world isolated (for protection, of course) from the temporal world to allow the Divine Empress to focus on the matters that were truly important.
There were shrines to ancestors and to spirits and housing for the thousands of staff required to keep things running smoothly. A spring house, a summer house, an autumn house, and a winter residence could all be found here, lived in according to the strict progression of the seasons. There was housing for the extended Imperial families to live or to just use when they visited. There were stables and space for riding through the artificial woods, an archery range (that had also become a place where the Empress target shot with rifles, a favorite hobby of hers), baths, a whole complex of kitchens, private studies, and vast, grand halls and audience rooms that were startling in their stark simplicity and simultaneous beauty.
Your car and driver rattled along the winding roadway until you pulled into the entry of the spring residence. A finely dressed footman, already waiting, stepped forward to hold your open. As you stepped out of the car, the man bowed.
"Your Imperial Highness, Her Imperial Majesty is expecting you in the morning tea room. If you would be so kind as to follow my humble lead." You smile slightly. All the servants speak in this grandiose and archaic style and it's… very homey to you. You practically grew up within these walls and know exactly where the room he speaks of is. Of course, denying the offer would probably make him feel that he has failed in his duty in some way and so you simply nod.
"I would appreciate it that very much. Please, take me to Her Imperial Majesty."
"Of course." He bowed again and then lead the way further into the spring residence. You weren't technically inside the building yet. Instead you followed a winding path through its gardens and across the river until you reached the appropriate place. A stone step allowed you up on to the engawa. You sat down there to remove your boots, carefully leaving them off the floor and change into the pair of house shoes that sit there, neatly arranged for you. As you change your shoes, you can hear your cousin's voice carrying through the thin paper of the shogi doors.
"Minister, We assure you that the hum of electric wires shall no more disturb Our tranquility than the hiss of gas or the flicker of the fire in the hearth. We hope that you will take this strongly under consideration for your future plans."
A second servant waited at the sliding doorway into the tea room. She bowed deeply, slides the door open slightly and bows inwards.
"Your Imperial Majesty, your cousin, the princess Arisugawa-no-miya Haruna-hime has arrived." You grimaced inwardly at the archaic way of saying your name, but that's the way of things here. You much prefered just to be 'Ensign Arisugawa.' You waited off to one side as a rather frazzled looking man in a western-style suite, long mustache and bald head backed out of the room in a deep bow, followed by another man in more traditional clothing. You recognized the Minister for the Interior as the man in the Western clothes and the other was likely the palace groundskeeper, a humble title that actually encompassed the running, maintenance, and construction of all the facilities within the inner palace. They paused to give you a bow as well, and then the servant ushered you inside and closed the door behind you.
The moment the servants were out of sight behind the closed door, the Empress' regal bearing relaxed, imperceptible to any but yourself. "Haruna, welcome to my humble home. We have all the latest amenities, such as last century's gas lamps!" The Empress was older than you (she had fifteen or sixteen years on you) and you remembered toddling along after her as a child. She had always doted on her little cousin a bit and that relationship had continued into a fairly warm friendship now that you were an adult. She was frankly, a petite woman who stood only an inch over five feet tall and her small stature belied the frankly terrifying willpower that she exerted constantly in her efforts to thrash the country into a more modern shape in the same way her mother had. At the moment, she was dressed relatively casually. A simple ('simple' in that it was only the finest silk and only embroidered a little) house kimono and her face delicately done in the pale makeup that had been fashionable in the Imperial court a century ago instead of modern cosmetics. Her long hair was, of course, done up into a perfectly coifed updo without a hair out of place. How she managed to sit and let her maids do that every morning, you had no idea.
"Humble indeed." You said, taking a seat on a beautiful and probably centuries-old cushion. "How can you live in these conditions?"
"Right? Enough of that, though, look at you!" You stood back up and did a little twirl for her, showing off your pristine new white officer uniform and hat, especially the shiny new Ensign pins on your shoulders.
"I love it! Still putting you in skirts, though?" She said, indicated to the lower half of your garment. "At least it's more trim than the first sketches they showed me. Big Western-style petticoats! I don't think even they are wearing that anymore, and I told them so."
"Well, thank you, cousin!" You said, settling back on your cushion. "Speaking of, how's your fight with the Steward of the Imperial Wardrobe and his legion of tailors going?"
"The battle was hard and long, but finally I emerged victorious. I shall finally be able to wear trousers to ride next weekend, providing that the entire palace be locked down and the operation kept top secret. Do keep your hat on that, would you?"
You covered your mouth with a gloved hand in mute agreement.
"Perfect."
You left a polite lull in the conversation perfectly designed to indicate to the invisible but omnipresent servants to present tea and then vanish back into the walls, then you resumed your conversation.
"While I do love the uniform, dear, I must speak my heart." Your cousin had a mischievous smirk on her face. "However will you find a man dressed so?"
"Oh no, I am doomed! Whatever shall I do?" You joked, putting an arm to your forehead and mock-fainting into a beautiful silk pillow. "Truly, my life is now without meaning without the gentle touch of men."
"I see. My poor cousin, her life ruined by her unfeminine ambitions. A tragedy to rival the life of O Schichi." The Empress said, dabbing nonexistent tears with a silk handkerchief.
"Nothing for it now. I shall have to settle for merely being a sailor and a ruffian, and find solace in the women who apparently throw themselves at anyone in a naval uniform." You said, face still down in a pillow which, now that you were this close, you suspected pre-dated Western contact. Not last century's gunboats, but the Burgundy traders and missionaries of the 19th century.
"Really now? I thought you were spoken for on that front. What was her name? Himiko?" Your cousin teased.
"Spirits, cousin, that was primary school." You said. You had boldly proclaimed that a girl in your first grade class of your rather exclusive girl's academy was going to be your wife one day and your cousin had never let you forget about it ever since. "I think she's living overseas now anyway. Her father was made ambassador to… I don't know. One of the little places in the southern half of the New World." You struggled to recall. "I think they make coffee?"
"I think they all make coffee." Your cousin shrugged casually, a bizarrely incongruent action for one of her status. "Or coca, perhaps? One of those." You knew she was probably feigning a degree of ignorance here; your cousin had a mind like a steel trap.
"In any case, I can't have my mind on any of that." You produced the sealed envelope containing your orders. "As promised, I kept it until now. We shall learn my new posting together."
You shifted to the other side of the low table, setting the envelope down. A beautiful letter-opener (inlaid in gold) seemed to appear in the Empress' hand as a servant scuttled forth, and the seal was broken. Inside, your orders to report tomorrow morning to…
[ ] IAN Hatsuuna Hospital ship (A ship responsible for treating sick and injured sailors and soldiers, and rescuing drowning men in battle. Protected under international law from being attacked by the enemy. You were likely put here as a commentary on the place of women: waiting at the back and taking care of the men. Gross). [ ] IAN Okinami, Fleet tender. (Responsible for refueling, assisting, and minding larger ships, incapable of combat. A widely scorned position, this is an insult to any combat officer, as it lets them get close to glory but never danger. Sometimes they let civilians pilot these, to give you an idea.) [ ] IAN Kamomeshima, Supply ship. (Carries food, spare parts, or whatever else the Navy needs to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes found in company with fleet tenders or hauling supplies to farflung naval bases. Carries little if no armament. Usually the dumping ground for anyone useless, incompetent, or close to retirement, you'll be the youngest officer aboard by a considerable margin, because it usually takes a few years to fuck up this badly.) [ ] IAN T-55, unofficially the Tachibana, Troop ship. (The least honourable post in the Navy, ferrying to colonies and beachheads. You will have to interact with the lowest of the low… soldiers, something that will make you the laughing stock of the entire Navy. Urgh, you feel filthy just thinking about them getting their muddy boots on everything.)
Adhoc vote count started by open_sketch on Nov 6, 2018 at 11:16 PM, finished with 53 posts and 28 votes.
[X] IAN Okinami, Fleet tender. (Responsible for refueling, assisting, and minding larger ships, incapable of combat. A widely scorned position, this is an insult to any combat officer, as it lets them get close to glory but never danger. Sometimes they let civilians pilot these, to give you an idea.)
[X] IAN T-55, unofficially the Tachibana, Troop ship. (The least honourable post in the Navy, ferrying to colonies and beachheads. You will have to interact with the lowest of the low… soldiers, something that will make you the laughing stock of the entire Navy. Urgh, you feel filthy just thinking about them getting their muddy boots on everything.)
[X] IAN Kamomeshima, Supply ship. (Carries food, spare parts, or whatever else the Navy needs to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes found in company with fleet tenders or hauling supplies to farflung naval bases. Carries little if no armament. Usually the dumping ground for anyone useless, incompetent, or close to retirement, you'll be the youngest officer aboard by a considerable margin, because it usually takes a few years to fuck up this badly.)
[X] IAN Kamomeshima, Supply ship. (Carries food, spare parts, or whatever else the Navy needs to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes found in company with fleet tenders or hauling supplies to farflung naval bases. Carries little if no armament. Usually the dumping ground for anyone useless, incompetent, or close to retirement, you'll be the youngest officer aboard by a considerable margin, because it usually takes a few years to fuck up this badly.)
Edit: changed vote
Well, none of these are exactly prestigious...
However, I'd recommend we go for either the Supply Ship or the Fleet Tender. Even if the people there are described as "useless" and "incompetent", that's by our superiors standards, not ours. I'd actually bet that we'll be able to find at least one person in either post who is competent beyond what their reputation would suggest, which may come in handy for training - or if we ever get to the point of commanding our own ship. In addition, both posts will offer extended contact with other navy vessels, helpful for making connections and gaining relevant experience.
You will have to interact with the lowest of the low… soldiers, something that will make you the laughing stock of the entire Navy. Urgh, you feel filthy just thinking about them getting their muddy boots on everything.)
For the record, just to provide a bit of context to the post, on Akitsukuni culture:
In terms of LGBT-friendliness, it's the year 2030 in Akitsukuni. They're ahead of us.
In terms of men, women, and nonbinaries being entitled to step out of their socially prescribed gender roles, it's somewhere around 1930 to 1970. They're ahead of real life, but far enough behind us that we notice.
In the West, the reverse is roughly true; it's 2010-30 in gender roles, and 1960-75 in terms of LBGT-friendliness.
I'm eyeballing the years, but it's about right, I'd say from what we've observed so far.
[X] IAN Okinami, Fleet tender. (Responsible for refueling, assisting, and minding larger ships, incapable of combat. A widely scorned position, this is an insult to any combat officer, as it lets them get close to glory but never danger. Sometimes they let civilians pilot these, to give you an idea.)
Yeah, this one is closest to the glory as stated. If we do our job well at least we have a chance to get noticed due to fast refueling/good repairs etc. Not as much chance if we are on a troop ship or a supply ship. The hospital ship have chances for us to show our value but just no to the point it makes about women.
The Hospital ship is a targeted insult, the supply ship is a dumping ground and the troop ship requires us to interact with gross soldiers with their gross dirty boots. Disgusting.
[X] IAN Okinami, Fleet tender. [X] IAN Kamomeshima, Supply ship. (Carries food, spare parts, or whatever else the Navy needs to get from Point A to Point B. Sometimes found in company with fleet tenders or hauling supplies to farflung naval bases. Carries little if no armament. Usually the dumping ground for anyone useless, incompetent, or close to retirement, you'll be the youngest officer aboard by a considerable margin, because it usually takes a few years to fuck up this badly.)
Ah well, I've been convinced. This was a pretty close second for me anyway.
You didn't get retained at a shore posting for your 'valuable insight' or shunted off to be the aide to the aide of the naval attache at some tiny embassy no one cares about, did you?
You didn't get retained at a shore posting for your 'valuable insight' or shunted off to be the aide to the aide of the naval attache at some tiny embassy no one cares about, did you?
Such as some tiny country in the southern New World, that makes coffe, or possibly coca?
*Isn't that how they describe the worst kind of officer?
There is competent and enthusiastic, make them platoon and company commanders
Competent and lazy, excellent staff
Incompetent and lazy, give them something minor, easy and out of the way and they'll keep the wheels of bureaucracy oiled (there is of course degrees of (in)competence and lazyness
Incompetent and enthusiastic, these will get good men killed by doing something stupid.
Hospital Ship is an intentionally sexist insult. The Supply ship is a very clear career dead end. And considering the relationship between the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy (I know this isn't Japan but it seems similar in this regard) I would not want to be anywhere near the Troop ship.
