Castles of Steel - Lesbians Good, Imperialism Bad

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Lieutenant Arisukawa Haruna

Balance Stats
❁ • ❁ Work / Life ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Warrior / Princess ❁ • ❁
❁ • ❁ Radical / Respectable ❁ • ❁

Tactical Stats
Gunnery 0, Navigation +2, Command +2, Technology -4, Personal -2, Strategy +3

Stress: 3​


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PLEASE READ THE QUEST RULES BELOW

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?

This quest employs a special system called Snippet Votes. Please read this post for more information.
 
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I though about a write-in where Haruna refuses sex but still clings to Min-Seo and cries her soul out, but I suspect that is already one of "better" venting results of the Protest option.
 
I figure this IS exactly the sort of circumstances where a soldier would find unwise relationships because the alternative is...unthinkable
 
First, that was one hell of an update. Really well done, both of you.

Second, sigh, I saw this coming, but I didn't think it would be this bad.

There's a tiny chance Min-Seo wants to do this and a huge chance that she thinks she has to. So... that's bad.

Would -2 stress even help that much? Between the dubious consent, the cheating, the battle's aftermath, and the politicing she'll have to do, she might hit 10 stress again anyways.

I'd like to vote for something like
[] Break down weeping.

That's probably within her abilities, it may vent stress, and it seems like a clear signal of disinterest in sex.
 
While there is certainly an unequal power dynamic and potential for abuse, we shouldn't dismiss Min-Seo's probable* agency in this. She's iniating the kiss and there are good reasons why she might choose to.
  • Haruna has been a positive figure to her for their whole relationship - put her under her protection even to the point of disciplining Kwon, speaking her language, saving her ass when the brass stealing accusation came up.
  • Haruna has just led a heroic stand (in which she was wounded) and now needs comfort - that's sexy and another woman won't get her pregnant.
  • Getting into the entourage of an imperial princess is the best opportunity for advancement she's ever likely to have.


*someone may have told her to go comfort the LT.
 
Now that I'm not on the verge of falling asleep...

[] You're too tired...too tired to think about this, too tired to really do anything. But. But you need some comfort. You can at least hold her close while you rest. No one can blame you for that much, right? You deserve that much after...

I feel that this is a more fitting response for the bone weariness and sudden isolation our protagonist has, and narratively it opens the door to examine some of the issues the full on giving in would, albeit to lesser degrees. If there is power imbalance, this is still exploiting that. Will Haruna still feel guilty (probably) and how will she respond to the guilt? It might make a nice foil in Haruna's relationship if both of them stray a little while the other is away, but one is mostly emotionally and one is mostly physically.
 
Superb update, you two, it was awful!

I'm with @storybookknight on this one, I seriously doubt Haruna is going to be thinking about Imperialist power dynamics in this situation. Indeed I seriously doubt she's going to be thinking at all. She's currently at a stress state which can be summarised as "Either I take comfort in the arms of whoever turns up or I break down entirely" and that's not really a choice.
 
That poor officer...he's brave enough to stay with her against uncertain odds.
Honesty after such a day she should be dead tired, sleep could easily be a big stress reliever than another healing session, guess Min-Seo's providing what comfort she knew.

Maybe ask Min-Seo to sing, anything in her native language?
 
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Well if they flattened the hill with artillery then spiking the guns is a moot point.
 
Diomedon said:
Now that I'm not on the verge of falling asleep...

[] You're too tired...too tired to think about this, too tired to really do anything. But. But you need some comfort. You can at least hold her close while you rest. No one can blame you for that much, right? You deserve that much after...

I feel that this is a more fitting response for the bone weariness and sudden isolation our protagonist has, and narratively it opens the door to examine some of the issues the full on giving in would, albeit to lesser degrees. If there is power imbalance, this is still exploiting that. Will Haruna still feel guilty (probably) and how will she respond to the guilt? It might make a nice foil in Haruna's relationship if both of them stray a little while the other is away, but one is mostly emotionally and one is mostly physically.
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Click to shrink...

I like this one here. This is a good write in.
 
[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)
 
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[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)
 
[X] Give in (-2 stress)

No choice, just hope Min-Seo's way of comfort. We can make it up to her before leaving this post, its not like she's coming with us
Adhoc vote count started by Jrin on May 13, 2019 at 2:36 AM, finished with 4258 posts and 39 votes.
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[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)
 
[X] Give in (-2 Stress)

Morally, this is bad. But this isn't really a good situation all-round.
 
[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)

I'm sure it'll have some career consquences, but consider that breaking up with someone you're in love with will probably cause tons of stress and knock-on consequences (like, you know, our navy friend whose sister we'll have cheated on)… so. ​
 
[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)
 
[X] Break down crying (-1 stress, but you will likely be overheard and it may have consequences for your career)
 
Like, you want to talk career consequences? If we get found out, we lose a friend in the navy. Friends are allies, and allies (even ones without important connections... yet) are, you know, important for a military career. If we lose said friend, there will be plenty of the "career consequences" you (as in those voting for it think you're avoiding by "giving in."

And since crying now *also* avoids the biggest of the breakdowns, that's not an argument against it either.
 
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