Remove ads

Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

Reader mode
[X] Action Plan: Enter the Gray World

  • Plot with Haru, Mari, and Gaku.
    • Is there a way we can ruin the affiliated income sources for the Hags without ruining the lives of these (probably innocent) civilians?
      • Can we poach these businesses afterwards on the cheap (as in, buy them out (perhaps via proxy)for a fraction of the cost)? Get an "unaffiliated" third party to bail them out?
      • Mostly, we don't want someone innocent to get caught up in the crossfire here.
    • Here's an idea: what about the Yakuza?
      • For example: After we financially destroy them, we might be able to have the Yakuza
        • a) cheaply buy out their businesses for us by proxy
          • Provide them capital for this and offer to share profits.
        • b) offer them a truly ridiculous loan with massive interest rates, that they would accept out of desperation.
          • The Yakuza might be thankful to be included in such a business venture, and we could probably split the profits with them here too. It would be poetic...
      • The chivalrous organization might be generally aligned with some of our Uplift goals, so this might serve as part of a greater overture to them as a business partner.
      • We could get the Nara in on this to get the Yakuza certain assurances they won't be harmed over this, if they are squeamish.
    • Incorporate feedback and implement any prepwork necessary to advance the above.
  • Meet with the Yakuza leadership (unless Mari objects).
    • Send advance notice.
    • Tact (edit as Mari suggests)
      • Hazou: Polite, friendly, but here for business. Play a more amicable version of yourself as you were in the negotiation with Dr. Yakushi.
      • Mari: [Do the Mari thing.]
      • Haru: Silent looming bodyguard. Cut in with some measured amount of intimidation if anyone gets uppity.
    • Initial:
      • Appeal to common interests with respect to civilian welfare. We're also very appreciative of them helping out with escorting "our" civilians. Thank you.
      • They are clearly an honorable organization of the Leaf and we're here to pay them the respect due and offer to deal with them in good faith.
    • Hagoromo deal
      • Pitch them the deal as outlined above (include any changes and suggestions from Mari, etc.)
      • Mostly, we're concerned about the civilian businesses getting caught in the crossfire here—we think that this would help minimize the risk to civilian affiliates of theirs. If the two of us make some profit in addition to that, well, so much the better...
    • Close on good terms.
      • Let them know channels of communication are open between us.
      • We'll attend as our availability permits, of course, but feel free to request meetings or otherwise drop by some of our establishments.
 
Last edited:
RandomOTP said:
Mari
  • Tone: compassionate, gentle
  • What's your Uplift?
    • Hazou has civilian/clanless
    • Kieko has her pursuit of equal rights for "nontraditional" relationships
    • Kagome is taking an interest in education, in his own way
      • Conditional: if this seems to make Mari unsure about her place in our lives, comfort and reassure her accordingly.
    • What's your Personal Uplift?
      • Conditional: If Mari is agreeable to the topic, but also unsure of her personal Uplift goals, gently suggest gender equality or a reformation of how Leaf handles sexual assault crimes as possible Uplift pursuits
    • Regardless of her answer, gently remind her that she has the full support and aid of Team Uplift to call upon --personal, emotional, military, and financial.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This... I like this. Can I propose that in the next lull we extend the same conversation to Yuno and hell, even Gaku?
 
Shane_357 said:
This... I like this. Can I propose that in the next lull we extend the same conversation to Yuno and hell, even Gaku?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I think that Yuno and Gaku need more time to be swayed, fully into Hazou's thought process. Like Noburi said, Hazou has a way of denying the state of reality, setting his own terms, and then working to bring those terms into reality. Hazou has a way of "redefining common sense" into something better. I think they need more time to believe (in the depths of their hearts and in the bones of their souls) that Uplift, that change in general is possible.

But that might just be my general caution. So far, Gaku is largely a character for QM/administration-minutiae sink, but he's still been supportive, amused, and pleasantly surprised by Hazou's antics. And Yuno is surprisingly tolerant and accepting for her history, and I'm always down to see Yuno take a more promise role in the story.

But, cautious or no, I'd definitely be okay with talking to Haru about this in the next few chapters. I suspect that his priorities are still oriented towards his family (I don't think he's adjusted to being so high up in Maslow's Hierarchy), but it would be a big step in bridging the gap between the Uplift Family and Haru.

Edit: autocorrect on mobile sucks.
 
Last edited:
[X] Action Plan: Enter the Gray World

Hey, @MMKII, mind adding some variation of the Mari-Uplift conversation? You still have my vote either way, I'm just trying to have this conversation happen in-story before Mari goes Full Dark Side as a result of our encouragement.
 
[X] Action Plan: Enter the Gray World
Hazou does have a lot of Rage for the world at large yes. He'd much rather it be his ideal world ie: something that makes an ounce of logical sense.
 
RandomOTP said:
Hey, @MMKII, mind adding some variation of the Mari-Uplift conversation
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I actually really dislike diluting plans with additional tangents like this unless I perceive there to be a lot of stuff that can be offscreened without consuming spoons, since invariably it ends up creating a laundry list plan (which sometimes is necessary) instead of something thats more targetted.

I am fine with asking Mari, Yuno, Gaku, etc. about their personal Uplift philosophies in the future.
 
Just restating what I said in the discord, a positive project for Mari that uses her talents without being sordid would be to train a small theater troupe. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but it lets us institutionalize Mari's skills at disguise and infiltration and make them an indelible tradition of the Goketsu Clan. We're more than bloodline tricks and seals. Plus, remember the effect Shakespeare had on English culture? Imagine that turned to the goal of normalising Uplift. Not to mention that patronising the Arts is something noble ladies are expected to do.
 
MMKII said:
I actually really dislike diluting plans with additional tangents like this unless I perceive there to be a lot of stuff that can be offscreened without consuming spoons, since invariably it ends up creating a laundry list plan (which sometimes is necessary) instead of something thats more targetted.

I am fine with asking Mari, Yuno, Gaku, etc. about their personal Uplift philosophies in the future.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's fair, dedicated plans mean more detail and more focus on each scene/project

Shane_357 said:
Just restating what I said in the discord, a positive project for Mari that uses her talents without being sordid would be to train a small theater troupe. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but it lets us institutionalize Mari's skills at disguise and infiltration and make them an indelible tradition of the Goketsu Clan. We're more than bloodline tricks and seals. Plus, remember the effect Shakespeare had on English culture? Imagine that turned to the goal of normalising Uplift. Not to mention that patronising the Arts is something noble ladies are expected to do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I like the idea, but we'd have to have poets/playwrights/etc who believe in Uplift, are inspired by it enough to write about it, and then Uplift would need to be popular enough to have a receptive audience (not a biggie, I think, already halfway there). Not to mention that we'd have to craft our PR so that the Goketsu are "artists and also respected patrons of the arts" as opposed to "traitorous jesters."

On the other hand... Promoting the arts in Leaf. That's a weirdly big plus, for whatever reason. I suppose that, for me, it'll come down to QM-enjoyment and general hivemind receptiveness.
 
I'm game for sparking some Hopeful neurons in the brains of the general population.
 
RandomOTP said:
On the other hand... Promoting the arts in Leaf. That's a weirdly big plus, for whatever reason. I suppose that, for me, it'll come down to QM-enjoyment and general hivemind receptiveness.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm fine with becoming the patron of a theatre troupe, poets, bards, artists, whatever.

(I just don't want to make Mari be involved in it a la "Here is your homework for the next N years, also its totally-not-therapy-busy-work that you totally-don't-need and totally-didn't-ask-for .")
 
RandomOTP said:
I like the idea, but we'd have to have poets/playwrights/etc who believe in Uplift, are inspired by it enough to write about it, and then Uplift would need to be popular enough to have a receptive audience (not a biggie, I think, already halfway there). Not to mention that we'd have to craft our PR so that the Goketsu are "artists and also respected patrons of the arts" as opposed to "traitorous jesters."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You're thinking way too bluntly; you start with a standard script written by a playwright. Then Hazou/Mari exercises the influence of a patron to add a tinge of subversion - a trustworthy foreigner, an antagonistic relationship that ends with reconciling differences, etc. When that becomes accepted you subvert things further and further. This isn't a quick 'optimal' (fuck I hate that word) route to success, but it is one of the most subtle AND most enduring. I honestly don't think the goal some of you are shooting for - 'infinite power so we can punch death and steal his lunch money' - is possible. I don't think we can fix death, or provide infinite energy. Those are stereotypically rational goals, but the concepts just aren't rational, they're sentimental. Thus we must take measures to ensure these changes endure once Hazou dies. Sure there will likely be another player character, but in the time between Hazou's death and our reassumption of control over his legacy there is a lot of room for backsliding, which shaping culture will prevent. To shape culture quickly enough - ie during one lifetime - we can't just take one option (for example just forcibly reshaping the Hagoromo), we need to put as much weight on the scales as we can.
MMKII said:
I'm fine with becoming the patron of a theatre troupe, poets, bards, artists, whatever.

(I just don't want to make Mari be involved in it a la "Here is your homework for the next N years, also its totally-not-therapy-busy-work that you totally-don't-need and totally-didn't-ask-for .")
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We're a Clan and Mari is part of that Clan. It's not homework, it's a way to pass on her skills to the younger members of the Clan in a positive manner.
 
RandomOTP said:
Added, but I should mention that It's not intended as a plan in and of itself, more just something to get the ball rolling while also providing a starting place for other plans, based on what's already been discussed.

Edit: I also just really want to have this covo with Mari. Every time something bad happens, we tell her to go crazy without restraint, and it's inevitably bad for her mental/emotional health. So... Yeah. Making her think about creative/constructive ends, rather than Heartbreaker-esque destruction.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

She's about to get to plan a wedding for her son and unwind for the festivities, that should be pretty good :p

Also, maybe she's being ruthless for this particular mission, but the end goal is to normalize homosexuality, which ultimately affects her too, and in a good way I'd hope. I trust her to know herself for the moment, I don't think she needs our direct attention. I love Mari though so I'd never complain about some more Mari scenes

You know though, a funny side project for her would be to make her a sex ed teacher lol (does MfD-verse even have sex ed?? xD)
 
faflec said:
So on a mostly-unrelated note: We really need to get our own paper mill. A significant amount of our value comes from being a sealmasters clan, and that relies heavily on paper.

And ink, come to think of it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Okay, now I'm legitimately disturbed. Am I the only one who remembers the Nara planning to corner the paper market? I distinctly remember something along the lines of, "and within a generation nobody would even think of using non-Nara paper."

This solves the Haru issue easily. If something goes wrong with the Hag paperworks the Nara naturally step in and buy out the historical rivals to their burgeoning vertical monopoly. It's not as if the civilians are going to complain about going from clients of a failing minor clan to clients of a rising founder clan.

Also, we still need to figure out what the heck is up with ink accepting chakra or not. I'm beginning to suspect that it has something to do with the animal content.


Aura said:
So... this plan looks amazing from the surface , right? But here's the problem:
What do you wear to a Youthist wedding? More importantly, what is the mandatory guest attire?
I fear that the result of Youthsuits becoming standard wedding attire may very well be us facing a coalition of every power on all seven paths to exterminate us as a threat to the universe itself.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Something nice, something mean, something stolen, something green.

I can't wait for the Youth/Jashin syncretism.


RandomOTP said:
I think that Yuno and Gaku need more time to be swayed, fully into Hazou's thought process. Like Noburi said, Hazou has a way of denying the state of reality, setting his own terms, and then working to bring those terms into reality. Hazou has a way of "redefining common sense" into something better. I think they need more time to believe (in the depths of their hearts and in the bones of their souls) that Uplift, that change in general is possible.

But that might just be my general caution. So far, Gaku is largely a character for QM/administration-minutiae sink, but he's still been supportive, amused, and pleasantly surprised by Hazou's antics. And Yuno is surprisingly tolerant and accepting for her history, and I'm always down to see Yuno take a more promise role in the story.

But, cautious or no, I'd definitely be okay with talking to Haru about this in the next few chapters. I suspect that his priorities are still oriented towards his family (I don't think he's adjusted to being so high up in Maslow's Hierarchy), but it would be a big step in bridging the gap between the Uplift Family and Haru.

Edit: autocorrect on mobile sucks.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Gaku is basically an older Radar O'Reilly.

-oh, hell, none of you even know who that is, do you? I should go put my dentures in and compose a telegraph.


Shane_357 said:
Just restating what I said in the discord, a positive project for Mari that uses her talents without being sordid would be to train a small theater troupe. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but it lets us institutionalize Mari's skills at disguise and infiltration and make them an indelible tradition of the Goketsu Clan. We're more than bloodline tricks and seals. Plus, remember the effect Shakespeare had on English culture? Imagine that turned to the goal of normalising Uplift. Not to mention that patronising the Arts is something noble ladies are expected to do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Reminder that Mari, the elite infiltration social-spec, literally grew up running taverns. Where might she thrive? Hrmmm...



Okay, real-talk. We've got some pretty solid basics for burning the Hags to the ground while laughing, but we can't allow ourselves to forget that they aren't the real enemy. The Hyuuga benefit from this situation, they undoubtedly engineered it, and Hinata inevitably has preparations made both to counter any obvious strategy and press the Goeketsu harder.

Virtually any strategy Hinata could foresee or one which doesn't also press the Hyuuga is pretty much doomed to failure on the larger table. As much as I enjoy the thought of contaminating the Hag ink and paper supply with chakra-ink to create a cursed reputation due to sealing failures, she will see direct sabotage of Hag assets incoming and there will just coincidentally happen to be credible witnesses to the actions in the area when it occurs.

We need to simultaneously press the Hyuuga, because that's the vector they are less likely to predict and defend against. Fortunately, their last leader made some very expensive commitments to both an S-Rank medic not known for her patience and the Church of Youth not known for its discretion before losing most of its highest-earners, including the Hokage, in a devastating calamity. They're probably hurting for cash.

Also, Neji is honor-bound to support the Church of Youth. Might it drive a wedge between the Hyuuga and Hags if he had to start publicly preaching incompatible doctrine? Granted, that would require somehow convincing Rock Lee to include homoerotic innuendo in the scriptural content, but as hard as it may be, one suspects that he could be convinced to bear another partner in his youthful proclivities for the glory of the whole of Leaf.
 
Last edited:
Lailoken said:
Granted, that would require somehow convincing Rock Lee to include homoerotic innuendo in the scriptural content, but as hard as it may be, one suspects that he could be convinced to do so for the whole glory of Leaf.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Have you met the guy? That's Rock Lee's default state so no convincing necessary.
 
Lailoken said:
I can't wait for the Youth/Jashin syncretism.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Velorien said:
"Right," Yuno said. "So you're combining joy and blood sacrifice. Where's the contradiction?"

"Exactly," Hanabi said. "You invite those in need and show them the joy that comes with youthfulness. Then you sacrifice some of them to Lord Jashin so he blesses the rest. Then they go out and recruit more people by showing off how joyful and blessed they are. It's a self-reinforcing cycle."

"That makes sense," Yuno said. "So you have an ever-growing community founded on faith and mutual sacrifice. And because Lord Jashin doesn't discriminate, this community welcomes everyone equally."

"You know," Hanabi said thoughtfully, "my cousin is already doing something like that. Maybe we can ask him for advice. Ooh, we could call ourselves the Church of Happiness!"

"Yes." Yuno gave a slow smile. "Happiness for everyone."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
roobee said:
can [Shadow Clones scribe seal blanks] safely without IN?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
They need to roll Calligraphy for each one. The TN for explosives and storage scrolls is quite low. It would be zero due to mastery bonuses except that Hazō doesn't accumulate bonuses to his Calligraphy scores because he uses the Iron Nerve to bypass that.

Velorien said:
After some discussion, Ebisu is prepared to try teaching Canun,
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I already mentioned this to Velorien, but for the rest of you: Her name is Cannon, not Canun.

Lailoken said:
-oh, hell, none of you even know who [Radar O'Reilly] is, do you? I should go put my dentures in and compose a telegraph
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I do! And if any of these whippersnappers haven't seen M*A*S*H then they're missing out.
 
Shane_357 said:
Just restating what I said in the discord, a positive project for Mari that uses her talents without being sordid would be to train a small theater troupe. Nothing fancy or extravagant, but it lets us institutionalize Mari's skills at disguise and infiltration and make them an indelible tradition of the Goketsu Clan. We're more than bloodline tricks and seals. Plus, remember the effect Shakespeare had on English culture? Imagine that turned to the goal of normalising Uplift. Not to mention that patronising the Arts is something noble ladies are expected to do.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'd be interested in doing this.

Lailoken said:
Okay, real-talk. We've got some pretty solid basics for burning the Hags to the ground while laughing, but we can't allow ourselves to forget that they aren't the real enemy. The Hyuuga benefit from this situation, they undoubtedly engineered it, and Hinata inevitably has preparations made both to counter any obvious strategy and press the Goeketsu harder.

Virtually any strategy Hinata could foresee or one which doesn't also press the Hyuuga is pretty much doomed to failure on the larger table. As much as I enjoy the thought of contaminating the Hag ink and paper supply with chakra-ink to create a cursed reputation due to sealing failures, she will see direct sabotage of Hag assets incoming and there will just coincidentally happen to be credible witnesses to the actions in the area when it occurs.

We need to simultaneously press the Hyuuga, because that's the vector they are less likely to predict and defend against. Fortunately, their last leader made some very expensive commitments to both an S-Rank medic not known for her patience and the Church of Youth not known for its discretion before losing most of its highest-earners, including the Hokage, in a devastating calamity. They're probably hurting for cash.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We definitely need to press the Hyuga hard. If they aren't pressed hard enough they could just prop up the Hagoromo financially long enough to run out the clock on us. We have a pretty tight time limit, so we'd better make absolutely sure the Hyuga can't afford to do that.
 
I would prefer to focus more on the Hyuga to prevent them from aiding the Hagoromo. Also, why are we exactly exacting disproportionate harm?
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top