Aircraft Design Company- Matsura's Planes Are Always Fastest!

[open_sketch]

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Stress 0​

Office Stress 0​

XP 5​

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Matsura Asuka
Head Designer for Ohara Airworks
Age 24 (Legally 25)
Year 12 AF (After Flight)

Design Stats
Aerodynamics Engineering - +2
Structural Engineering - +2
Chemical Engineering - +1
Mechanical Engineering - +1
Ballistics Engineering - +1
Electrical Engineering - 0

Personal/Political Stats
Social Skills - 0
Politics Skills - 0
Importance - 2
Income - 1
Investments - Ohara

Resources
Power - 0
Wealth - 2

Designs
Type 1 Series - Military Variation (Designated T1M1)
Type 2 Racer (World Speed Record October 1910-April 1911, 180kph)
Model 2 Scout (Designated T1M2)
Navy Scout Prototype (Drowned Rat)
Dive Bomber B1M1 "Duck"
Machine Gun Carrier R1A "Dragonfly" (World Speed Record May-July 1911, 200kph)
Naval Rescue Water-Landing Supply Plane NR1M0 "Dolphin" (World speed record 240kph)
Rhino Demon Train Hunter
The world's first airliner
The world's first pulsejet airplane

Assets
Slide Rule
Computator (1 Reroll per Routine)

Languages
Albian
Gallian

Familiar Vices
Drinking
Prostitutes
Dancing

Family Life
- Engaged to Arita Yachi, formerly the leading Ace in the Imperial Army. Designated #1 Cutest Army Boy, he's having some serious problems with PTSD right now.
- Taking a second try at dating Mikami Kiho, ex-dockerwork from the south.

Upgrades
- 3 XP to upgrade a stat.

Spoiler: Ohara Airworks

Ohara Airworks
Start Up, Imperial Capital, Akitsukuni

Owner
- Mr. Ohara, Rich. Aircraft Enthusiast. Business guy.

Engineers

Kibe Koume, 26, Office Manager
Tiny & angry, Kibe went to school in Albia, picking up the language, the religion, and a fuckload of swear words. Speaks Albian.
Mechanical +2, Ballistics +1
Office Manager: If Kibe is not assigned to a team, the Office Stress is reduced by 1.

Sakane Jun, 26, Second Team Leader
A soured patriot, Sakane is married and has a young child being raised gender-neutrally. His two brothers who fought in the war.
Structural +2, Aerodynamics +1
Team Leader: If there are any additional projects, Sakane will lead them.
Joinery: Sakane has training in the traditional Akitsukuni carpentry art of joinery, creating complex self-supporting joints with no fasteners or glue. When working with non-monocoque wooden spars or ribs, +1 Structural.

Tezuka Kenji, ???
A stoner with occasional flashes of insight. Nobody really knows what he does, but he's probably useful?
Aerodynamics +2, Chemical +1
Flashes of Brilliance: Each natural 10 rolled by any team Tezuka is assigned to gives +1 forward to the next research roll.

Hasegawa Morio, 26
A hopeless nerd with a photography habit, mostly on account of developing his own film, Hasegawa seems to do nothing but work and stack card houses, but somehow has an incredible attractive boyfriend. Speaks Gallian.
Chemical +2, Ballistic +1
Silent Workhorse: Hasegawa can work on two different projects at once for no cost to Office Stress, providing they use different stats.

Kawamura Yosai, 25.
Serially successful womanizer and incredibly attractive, Kawamura doesn't seem to have much of a personality outside of seducing women. Well, except for that time he seduced Asuka, which nobody talks about. Speaks Dyske.
Structural +2, Electrical +1, Social +1
Easily Distracted: If Kawamura is working on the same team as a female or non-binary employee, the team is at -1d10.

Koide Hatsu, 24.
One of the few female graduates of an Akitsukuni engineering school, Koide is brilliant and incredibly driven, but her first job at Akibara was both humiliating and exposed her to an abusive coworker. Her father is a rich businessman with factories in Joseon, and she's engaged to Ken from Castles of Steel. Speaks Joseon.
Mechanical +2, Structural +1
No Sleep: If you let her, Koide will work herself to death. She can work a second project for no Office Stress, but all her stats will be reduced to 1 for the routine.

Kobayashi Ayao, ???
Disowned heiress of the Kobayashi family, all Kobayashi wanted was a career and to be a modern woman. For her trouble, a cousin threw acid on her, scarring her face, neck, much of her torso, and her left arm. Despite appearing serene and above it all, she's actually an avowed communist activist and baseball player.
Aerodynamics +2, Social +2

Adachi Ren, 24
Adachi learned chemistry from her father, one of the most famous chemical engineers in the country, rather than through formal schooling. She's married, has a kid, and takes spirituality very seriously. Yes, you did the math right, she had Yuki when she was 17. It's 1912, folks.
Chemical +2, Electrical +1
Young Mother: Adachi will cause double Office Stress if she has to work multiple tasks.

Uyeno Sei, Ballistics Engineer, 31.
The oldest member of the crew, this is Uyeno's second career. Her first was as an officer in the Imperial Navy with specialized technical training: her very promising career was cut short by her transition. Her work in a naval arsenal on machine-guns landed her the job here. Briefly dated Satomi (the age range is a bit creepy but again, 1912), she's missing a piece of her ear and is deaf on that side, from an exploding cannon. Recently returned from Varnmark from experimental surgery, she's known for her skill navigating gendered bureaucracy.
Ballistic +3

Mi Kyung-Jae, 23
A recent graduate of the Imperial College of Heijo, Mi is from the recently annexed territory of Joseon. For those keeping track at home, that means he's a Korean national living in Imperial Japan in 1912. We haven't seen much of his personality because he's rightfully terrified of everything around him. He has a specialty in endurance engine design and modification. Speaks Joseon.
Mechanical +1, Chemical +1
Endurance Engines: Mi has an excellent understanding of metallurgy and tolerances. Any engine he works on gains +1 Reliability if a 16+ is rolled.
Pulsejet Wizard: Mi is now one of the world's leading experts on the pulsejet engine. He can be given his own project to custom-craft pulsejet engines, and he gives +1 to any pulsejet-related project.
Joseon National: Mi does not have security clearance to work on any top-secret projects.

Miyoshi Shigeri, 23.
A non-binary person and admirer of Asuka's work, they were in an support role in the Army before joining the company.
Structural +1, Mechanical +1, Aerodynamic +1
Mechanic: Miyoshi has some experience repairing and refurbishing aircraft. They get +1 if assigned on the clean-up phase.


Other Employees
- Ohara Satomi, 22, Mr. Ohara's niece and the company test pilot, Ohara is a general lesbian disaster. She's good at flying planes, driving cars, and kissing girls. She's bad at being patient, being respectable, and sticking to literally anyones conceptions of gender roles. Deeply in lesbians with Coralie D'Amboise.
- Fujkikawa Sotatsu, old, modelmaker. He's an old man and toymaker and we don't see much of him because he locks himself in his workshop a lot. He's friends with Kawamura?

Assets
- Engine Test Rig (Allows engine tweaking and optimization.
- Wind Tunnel (+1 Aerodynamics)
- Rapid Prototype Lab (+1 Clean Up)

Spoiler: Expanded Cast

Expanded Cast

Akitsukuni Industry
- Homura Mohoko: Head Engine Designer for Kobayashi. First female engineer in the country. A lot of sex appeal.
- Okumura: Head of Akibara aircraft design.
- Yamanaka Hajime: Kobayashi engineer. Young and eager.
- Igarashi Masazumi: Kobayashi engineer. Reserved and experienced.
- Admiral Akibara Toru: Imperial Navy Admiral. Maximum nepotism. Maximum douchebag.
- Lt.Cmnd Akibara Shinzo: The above's son. A hottie but very forward.



Character Families
- Matsura(?) Mizuko: Asuka's sister. Was paralyzed in an accident in Asuka's first flight. Lives Elsewhere and is married now. Can't forgive Asuka, even though she's tried.
- Adachi Motoki: Adachi's husband, an accountant. Legally blind.
- Adachi Yuki: Adachi's 7 year old daughter and wannabe pilot. Very adorable.
- Yachi's Brother: Exists.
- Sakane's Wife: Exists. Drives him a bit crazy, but he loves her.
- Yachi's Brother's Wife: Exists. Is statistically likely to be pregnant.
- Lt. Coralie D'Amboise: Gallian pilot in exile. Satomi's girlfriend. 25. Accomplished bisexual duelist. She flew in the war for a single day, and for her troubles got a hole blown in her cheek and had her left arm paralyzed.

Akisukuni Army & Ex-Army
- Lt. Torio Tanaka: Yachi's former observer as an enlisted man. Was jumped up to fly Ducks and lost a leg on his first mission. A trained painter, married to Torio Saya.
- Captain Amari Shiro: A Dragonfly pilot who ended up flying as Yachi's partner. Kind of delightfully twinky. They sorta slept together at one point, which wasn't great. He lost his previous boyfriend in the April Offensive and turned his plane into a shrine. He was shot in the gut and is still recovering.
- Major Izuhara: Logistics officer, Imperial Army, this bespectled officer stood up to the Caspian Crown Prince and accidentally kicked off the Akitsikuni-Caspian War. The guilt was so much that, after almost a year of running Army procurement, he shot himself in a phone both.
- Captain Nakai Sekien: Army scout pilot. First person to drop a bomb from an airplane, later head of the Duck Squadrons.
- Captain Teshima: A Desk pilot that fought with Yachi. Lost an arm in the process, took over for Major Izuhara after his death. Seems cheery despite it all.
- Captain Nashio: A real piece of shit dude and probably a rapist, he's also a war hero as the second-highest scoring ace on the Akitsukuni side. He was a young shitty kid in way over his head but it's no excuse.
- Lt. Kinjo: Kind of a dumb lump and Nashio's friend, one of the desk pilots. Dead at 19.
- Lt. Okazaki: Yachi's friend from before the war and pilot, he died in a spin in his dragonfly. His death probably hit Yachi the hardest.

Westerners
- Rose & Antoinette Sears: Pioneers of flight. Sisters. Black in 1910s not!America. Yikes.
- Timina Guasti: Famous aircraft designer from Otrusia. Likes big planes and green.
- Prince Protasov Vasilyevich: Crown Prince of Great Caspia. Real dick. You gotta hand it to him though, a decent flier.
- Count von Zeppelin: Invented rigid airships. Runs a successful airline business. Damned impressive.
- Bennhold: Aircraft Engineer. Experimenting with metal aircraft.
- Aileen Middlemiss: Albian reporter for the Artimis Times. Well meaning and oblivious.

Spoiler: Technology

Available Tech

• Materials: Wood, Duralumin, Molded Wood, Wood & Silk Composite, etc
• All engine mounts
• All wing types
• Basic reinforcement
• Wing warping and ailerons
• Basic water radiators
• Flying Wings
• Semi-Monocoque design (requires at least half the slots have frame pieces)
• Valved pulsejets
• Basic weapon mounts and turrets

Tech not Yet Developed

• Custom engines
• Monocoque construction
• Cantilever Wings and associated tech
• V and T tails
• Tailless designs
• Aluminum and titanium
• Cellulose surfacing
• Any kind of radar
• Weapon accessability mods
• Interruptor gear
• Geared propellers
• And Maybe Other Stuff

Spoiler: Akitsukuni & World

Akitsukuni
Island Nation

Government
Constitutional Monarchy
- The democratic portions of the government are dubiously legitimate.
- The head of state is the Empress of Akitsukuni. She gives her blessing to newly formed governments.
- The Navy and a small number of families have undue influence on politics.

Economy
Developing Mixed Market
- Most industry is controlled by a small number of wealthy, family-owned companies.
- The state provides most contracts to industry. Consumer good market is anemic.
- Exports are few, mostly cultural.
- Imports are raw minerals, food, oil, and expertise.
- Currently suffering an economic crash after the last war.

Politics
The Diet is currently ruled by a Constitutional Nationalist government. It has a system of nonlocal proportional representation, with representatives appointed by the party in accordance to their share of the vote.
- Constitutional Nationalists: 50%
- Purity Club: 9%
- New Independents: 26%
- Fairness Association: 11%
- United Communist League: 2%
- Monarchists: 1%
- Assorted Fringe Parties: 5%

Demographics
Akitsukuni is mostly very ethnically homogeneous. Around 5% of the population are various minorities, most from nearby countries. Roughly .1% are westerners here for business or in advisory positions.
- Population: 55 Million
- Religion: Mostly Kodo. Roughly 2% of the population follows western religions.
- Wealth: Most wealth is concentrated in the top 5% of the country. Nearly 20% of the population lives in conditions indistinguishable from peasantry.
- Urbanization: Heavily urbanized for a small economy: 35% and rapidly growing.

Military
At Peace
- Imperial Akitsukuni Navy (IAN): The 6th largest in the world, and the most experienced.
- Imperial Akitsukuni Army (IAA): 150,000 highly experienced soldiers, and a considerable reserve.

Aspects
- Poor Resources: Aluminum costs +1.
- Damn Akitsukuni Engines!: Engines have -1 Reliability.

Spoiler: Old Map

The Main Character Of This Quest Is Nonbinary And Uses They/Them Pronouns.

I Am Putting This Here Because The Next Person To Misgender Them Is Getting Yeeted Into The Trash

Also here's the Gayaverse TV Tropes page, because why not.​

 

[Ash19256]

[X] Plan Sending A Message

 

[Grek]

[X] Plan Sending A Message

We have no reason to suspect that investments will be profitable given the state of the economy. Better to get political power and use that to acquire money as needed.

 

[Elero]

I wouldn't 100% bank on things developing exactly like Imperial Japan, that is a great way to get the QMs to subvert expectations and have a communist coup happen or something.

 

[10ebbor10]

You have 2 Power and 5 Wealth. You gain +1 of each every routine.

Click to shrink...

For everyone who votes for Sending a message, keep in mind that we only get +1 wealth per routine. You're basically inefficiently spending a massive chunk of our wealth to get a minor thing done.

 

[FrangibleCover]

Thunderclap


You are Jules de Winter and you are an aircraft designer! You work for Ickx Vliegtuigenfabrik as the Chief Engineer and today is the happiest day of your life.

You stand with your team out in the early morning chill, watching the sun make a tentative foray above the horizon. The men and women from IJhoven stand apart from you, swaddled in formal suits, while your team look a little more eclectic. Mr. and Mrs. Ickx dressed for a Sunday stroll; your deputy Timmermans with his shirtsleeves rolled and the third cigarette of the day burned to a stub in his mouth; Mathieu in his stained boilersuit, slack-jawed for lack of sleep; Willems looking neat and fussy as usual, her pince-nez welded onto her nose; and finally Simon de Wilde, resplendent in his flying leathers and hair pomade. He squints off down the field towards a distant tree and nods as though reaching a decision, then turns to you and says

"Alright boss, by the time she's warmed up the visibility will be good enough. It's time."

His grin is infectious and you share it as you signal the workers who open the hangar doors and roll your baby into the light. You drink in every detail one last time, the orange light of dawn glinting on the single aluminium wing, the delicate celluloid film surrounding the pilot's seat on the nose, the massive radial engine nestled in the centre of the spars and wires that hold the tail up. If nothing else it looked blisteringly fast. You hoped it would be.

The third group of people on the airfield, the journalists, twittered excitedly and you made your way over to answer some questions. Simon instead walked towards the aircraft to begin startup.

"Jan van Lent, Annadorp Daily!" says a portly man with a ginger moustache, "How confident are you that you can beat Ohara's record?"

"Very," you reply confidently, "This aircraft is fitted with the best engine ever to see flight and our aerodynamic and material refinements compared to the Iruka should see us comfortably faster. I have the greatest respect for Asuka Matsura but..."

A woman cuts across you: "Emmiline Bogaert, Burgundy Inquirer, how do you respond to claims that profligate government spending on prestige projects such as this is starving orphaned children in the street?"

"Um, well, I think that might be a better question for Ms. Dierckx over there." You respond, gesturing vaguely at the government delegation. Bloody Socialists. You decide to buy some time to regroup and point towards one of the men at the back in the down-stuffed coats. They could be relied on to ask a technical question.

"Joachim Ritter, Beliebte Mechanik. You sagten that this is the best engine der jemals flown ist. Can you darüber erzählen?

Oh dear. "Uh, the engine… die Motor... Do you speak Gallian?" The Dyskelander shrugs. "Who doesn't? You say that this is the best engine ever flown. Can you tell us some more about it?"

"Certainly. It's based on the Albian Comet 4X1, the same as on the new MacUilliem fighter, but it's a custom built twin-row design. They're calling it the 4X1X1, although this is the only one produced so far. 8.8 litre, 22 cylinder…"

Another interruption "Aileen Middlemiss, Daily Chronicler. What did you say the plane was called?"

Your grin returns. "Donderslag."

Right on cue the Comet engine roars into life, the popping of the valves melding into an oddly melodic buzz. The Rivermouth boys really knew how to make a radial sing. Simon gave you a little wave as he hunched behind the cloudy celluloid and you felt the usual flash of worry for him. If anything was wrong with your plane it would be him who was hurt. The margin of safety on the Donderslag was already very thin and his exposed position at the front of the plane endangered him further. You couldn't think about that now though, this was your day of triumph. He lined up facing downwind and gunned the engine.

Moment of truth.


~~~


And it flew! It flew beautifully! Alright, the takeoff run was a little long but it accelerated across it with frightening speed and then leapt into the sky like a salmon, glinting as it caught the sun. Watching an aircraft fly is always beautiful, but this was simply breathtaking. Simon circled around a little, getting used to the handling of the aircraft. It looked a little squirrely in the pitch axis but that was okay. This plane wasn't for turning, it was for speed, and speed it had. Simon lined it up towards the field again and the government types stood ready with their instruments. The Donderslag flashed by, faster than anything you've ever seen, the pitch of the engine dopplering wildly as it passed over you and disappeared beyond the trees. Simon coaxed it around and came over again in the opposite direction, to account for wind helping or hindering his first pass. If possible, that one seemed even faster. The plane flew another wide circle and then flopped gracelessly onto the grass, a thin stream of angry black smoke crawling from the engine. It wasn't totally broken though and Simon taxiied towards you as you ran to meet him. He started to clamber out and you accosted him.

"How fast?"

He hopped down and smirked: "I don't know Jules, we'll have to ask the suits."

"Dammit Simon, how fast did you see?"

"260."

"260!"

"260."

"You did it!"

"You did it, I just pressed the throttle."

And then he was in your arms and you were in his and you were totally caught up in the moment and you did what you had wanted to do for five years now and you kissed Simon De Wilde. And the horror on the faces of your colleagues and the shock on the faces of the government types and the glee on the faces of the reporters and the slight burning smell from the aircraft didn't even register because Simon De Wilde was kissing you back.

You are Jules De Winter and you are an aircraft designer! You probably no longer work for Ickx Vliegtuigwerkt as the Chief Engineer and today is the happiest day of your life.


~~~


I did a write! I very seldom do a write but this was worth it, I was thinking about how Asuka hadn't challenged for the air speed record for a while and how it would rub on the Europans that a Lydian had the record. Obviously they're going to make an attempt, and they have the riches and engineering capability to make something significantly more advanced than is available to us.

Stats for the Thunderclap are available on request.

 

[notgreat]

[X] Plan Sending A Message

For everyone who votes for Sending a message, keep in mind that we only get +1 wealth per routine. You're basically inefficiently spending a massive chunk of our wealth to get a minor thing done.

Click to shrink...

I don't consider allowing the continued functioning of the company to be a minor thing. Getting the secret police out ASAP will let us continue using our employees. Eepecially since we're likely to be using the pulsejet soonish, we can't let them continue harassing everyone.

Also, depending on how bad the economy gets, getting that 2nd point of Importance might be worth more money than an income investment. It costs 2 Power AKA 6 Wealth via Buy Support. It gives us 1 Power/turn AKA 2 Wealth via Insider Trading. I would not be surprised if the investments give +1 income right now, making it equal in value if we do the inefficient double conversion while also being risky due to the economy being in a slump.

Future points of Importance will be more expensive making investments more worthwhile, but getting the guaranteed income is really useful while it's still this cheap.

 

[open_sketch]

 

[Always Late]

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That is abso-frickin-lutely cute as heck. Did you make that?

 

[plotvitalnpc]

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Truly Asukadorable

 

[Hazard]

You are Jules De Winter and you are an aircraft designer! You work for Ickx Vliegtuigwerkt as the Chief Engineer and today is the happiest day of your life.

Click to shrink...

Sorry, I just have to comment here.

First, the Dutch rules for name capitalization are... odd for most other languages, but you don't capitalize the articles in a name unless it's the first word in the name, so it's Jules de Winter, Dhr. (Mr) J. de Winter or Dhr. De Winter.

Second, 'Vliegtuigwerkt' translates as 'Aircraft Works', it's true, but it's more accurate to translate it to 'Aircraft functions/labours'. Historically, the company would be more likely known as 'Ickx & Company', 'Ickx Vliegtuigen' or 'Ickx Vliegtuigenfabriek' (literally 'aircraft factory'). 'Ickx Vliegtuigenbouw' (Aircraft construction) is also possible, but very unlikely.

and finally Simon De Wilde,

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Simon de Wilde

"Jan Van Lent, Annadorp Post!"

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Jan van Lent.

Also, 'Post' is an extremely rare suffix for a newspaper in Dutch. 'Courant' or 'Dagblad' are much more common.

"Emmiline Bogaert, Burgundy Inquirer,

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The name of the newspaper implies a Gallian origin of the paper, so it'd use a French sounding name instead. If it's the colour and the paper's supposed to be Dutch it'd never use an English language name. It's extremely unlikely that an Albian paper would authorize a local, Dutch reporter, but may send an Albian reporter if the attempt is credible enough. A news agency would probably send a local on their payroll or ask a local paper to send their article along, but that would mean a different name to be credited.

"Joachim Ritter, Beliebte Mechanik. You sagten that this is the best engine der jemals flown ist. Can you darüber erzählen?

Click to shrink...

People who are speaking a language other than their first rarely mix in their first language to replace words they'd use regularly anyway, or make this much of a hash of it. They're much more likely to trip over words or at least meanings of words that they use rarely and either pause as they look for the proper term or substitute in the proper word for what they mean from another language, not necessarily the first.

It's nearly unreadable like this, even ignoring the unfortunate colour choices.

you kissed Simon De Wilde.

Click to shrink...

because Simon De Wilde was kissing

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Simon de Wilde

You are Jules De Winter and you

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Jules de Winter

no longer work for Ickx Vliegtuigwerkt as

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As on top.

 

[FrangibleCover]

Sorry, I just have to comment here.

First, the Dutch rules for name capitalization are... odd for most other languages, but you don't capitalize the articles in a name unless it's the first word in the name, so it's Jules de Winter, Dhr. (Mr) J. de Winter or Dhr. De Winter.

Second, 'Vliegtuigwerkt' translates as 'Aircraft Works', it's true, but it's more accurate to translate it to 'Aircraft functions/labours'. Historically, the company would be more likely known as 'Ickx & Company', 'Ickx Vliegtuigen' or 'Ickx Vliegtuigenfabriek' (literally 'aircraft factory'). 'Ickx Vliegtuigenbouw' (Aircraft construction) is also possible, but very unlikely.

Click to shrink...

Cheers, I'll fix it up. Aircraft Works would work fine in German so I guessed it would be fine in Dutch. Shows what I know!

Also, 'Post' is an extremely rare suffix for a newspaper in Dutch. 'Courant' or 'Dagblad' are much more common.

Click to shrink...

Courier? It sort of needs to sound okay in English too, "Current" and "Newspaper" are a bit weird.

The name of the newspaper implies a Gallian origin of the paper, so it'd use a French sounding name instead. If it's the colour and the paper's supposed to be Dutch it'd never use an English language name. It's extremely unlikely that an Albian paper would authorize a local, Dutch reporter, but may send an Albian reporter if the attempt is credible enough. A news agency would probably send a local on their payroll or ask a local paper to send their article along, but that would mean a different name to be credited.

Click to shrink...

Translation convention, the Dutch*/Belgian* analogue in this universe is currently called Burgundy (hop into the Gayaverse thread linked in Sketch's sig as I discuss what else it could be called). The whole thing is written in Dutch and translated so what she's actually saying is Bourgondië Onderzoeker.

People who are speaking a language other than their first rarely mix in their first language to replace words they'd use regularly anyway, or make this much of a hash of it. They're much more likely to trip over words or at least meanings of words that they use rarely and either pause as they look for the proper term or substitute in the proper word for what they mean from another language, not necessarily the first.

It's nearly unreadable like this, even ignoring the unfortunate colour choices.

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It's alright, I've stumbled my way badly through my share of European languages, I know what that sounds like. It's intentionally unreadable, Jules doesn't speak Dyske. Jules speaks Dutch*, which is why all of the mutually intelligible words between Dutch* and Dyske are translated and the non-mutually intelligible words are still in Dyske. The question is said again in Gallian in the next part so that nobody misses anything. I hate the colour too but that's the colour that Dyske is in all of these stories and far be it from me to change that.

E: Alright, I changed it slightly because it was winding me right up.

 

[Gnarker]

Courier? It sort of needs to sound okay in English too, "Current" and "Newspaper" are a bit weird.

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Daily? Dagblad translates into Daily Paper, I'd assume.

 

[Artificial Girl]

I really love the omake about de Winter. It's lovely!

 

[Hazard]

Cheers, I'll fix it up. Aircraft Works would work fine in German so I guessed it would be fine in Dutch. Shows what I know!

Click to shrink...

It's an easy error to make when you aren't used to Dutch. There's a few peculiarities.

Hell, Dutch business naming conventions appear to be based on 'either you know our name and thus we need not explain what we do, or what we do is our name.' There's tons of Dutch companies that don't explain what they do in their name, and the current Tata Steel Europe company started as the 'Koninklijke Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken' (Royal Dutch (archaic spelling) Blast Furnaces and Steel Factories.'

Courier? It sort of needs to sound okay in English too, "Current" and "Newspaper" are a bit weird.

Click to shrink...

A 'blad' in Dutch has multiple meanings, but it includes sheet and leaf. And a leaf can also mean apparently 'a written upon sheet of paper'. So it'd be a daily written upon leaf with news. 'Courant' should more be read as 'a common circulation paper broadsheet with news.' There's a term for 'newspaper' in Dutch that I'd expect descends from 'courant', but only one newspaper uses that term. The 'Volkskrant' literally reads as 'the people's newspaper.'

Translation convention, the Dutch*/Belgian* analogue in this universe is currently called Burgundy (hop into the Gayaverse thread linked in Sketch's sig as I discuss what else it could be called). The whole thing is written in Dutch and translated so what she's actually saying is Bourgondië Onderzoeker.

Click to shrink...

To the best of my knowledge no Dutch or Belgian newspaper has ever born the name 'Onderzoeker,' or any other name that would translate to 'Inquirer.' It might just call itself 'De Bourgondiër' though, literally 'The Burgundian'.

It's alright, I've stumbled my way badly through my share of European languages, I know what that sounds like. It's intentionally unreadable, Jules doesn't speak Dyske. Jules speaks Dutch*, which is why all of the mutually intelligible words between Dutch* and Dyske are translated and the non-mutually intelligible words are still in Dyske. The question is said again in Gallian in the next part so that nobody misses anything. I hate the colour too but that's the colour that Dyske is in all of these stories and far be it from me to change that.

Click to shrink...

In that case 'die Motor' should be translated. The Dutch also use 'motor' for where the English use 'engine.' I'm definitely not quite in agreement as to why certain terms are translated and others not, but I can understand where you made the decisions you did. While there's definitely a lot of mutually understandable words I've a feeling that somebody who is not used to hearing Dyske would find it difficult to parse. Someone who comes from the borders between Dyske and Bourgondië, where the dialects (if there's any correlation between IRL Dutch-Germany borderland history and Bourgondië-Dyskeland borderland history) would be very similar would catch a lot more. Along the Dutch-German border the dialects are so similar across the border that speaking dialect works perfectly fine, while the slightly heavier weight on the more German words would cover a fair bit of other problems.

Until you run into someone who doesn't speak the dialect. Then the hilarity begins.

 

[Artificial Girl]

We're actually kinda brainstorming new names for Burgundy over in the Gaya worldbuilding thread since if it's supposed to be a mega lowlands kinda country comprising what we'd consider the Netherlands and Belgium in our world, Burgundy is a bit too French as has been pointed out by @FrangibleCover.

 

[Hazard]

We're actually kinda brainstorming new names for Burgundy over in the Gaya worldbuilding thread since if it's supposed to be a mega lowlands kinda country comprising what we'd consider the Netherlands and Belgium in our world, Burgundy is a bit too French as has been pointed out by @FrangibleCover.

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It's Tremendously French. Seriously, Burgundy lies in France closer to Switzerland than to Belgium.

And frankly? The Netherlands works perfectly fine. You could also use 'The Batavian Republic', or the 'United Provinces of the Netherlands,' both of which are historically names the region has held. Other options are Frysia, or Belgica, hearkening back to older, Latin based terms.

 

[plotvitalnpc]

It's Tremendously French. Seriously, Burgundy lies in France closer to Switzerland than to Belgium.

And frankly? The Netherlands works perfectly fine. You could also use 'The Batavian Republic', or the 'United Provinces of the Netherlands,' both of which are historically names the region has held. Other options are Frysia, or Belgica, hearkening back to older, Latin based terms.

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A great part of the Netherlands was ruled by a state descended from the historical kingdoms of Burgundy and Arles, for a time.
Though I assume that was the existing rationale for naming it that.

 

[10ebbor10]

A great part of the Netherlands was ruled by a state descended from the historical kingdoms of Burgundy and Arles, for a time.
Though I assume that was the existing rationale for naming it that.

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To be fair though, a great bit of the Netherlands has been ruled by pretty much every country in Europe.

 

[plotvitalnpc]

To be fair though, a great bit of the Netherlands has been ruled by pretty much every country in Europe.

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That was because of the independent Burgundian states, in fact.
Austria and France inherited it from the final collapse of the duchy that was the last burgundian state, then Spain inherited it from Austria, and it all goes from there.

 

[FrangibleCover]

"The Netherlands" is precisely what I would expect a Dutchman to suggest as a compromise name, yes .

At the moment I'm liking Austrasia (Kingdom or Republic not yet decided) for the whole area and then Lothier for Belgium and Batavia for the Netherlands. Which everyone calls Frysland even though Frysland is only a small area of the country . I'd like a more amicable union between the two than the United Netherlands had, because the United Netherlands lasted all of 15 years.

The problem with Burgundy isn't the historical Burgundy, it's the present Real Life Burgundy that produces wine and mustard and hills and is in almost every imaginable way the anthesis of the Low Countries. If Bourgogne-Franche-Comte didn't have the name then Burgundy would be good.

 

[Hazard]

"The Netherlands" is precisely what I would expect a Dutchman to suggest as a compromise name, yes .

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We're the lowest lying region in Europe (literally, a good chunk is below sea level). What's not appropriate about it?

At the moment I'm liking Austrasia (Kingdom or Republic not yet decided)

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Kingdom. Historically a Republic until the Napoleonic Wars equivalent of the setting (with the House of Orange-Nassau equivalent holding the Stadhouder titles (yes, plural)), but after that happened equivalent events caused equivalent results, including the establishment of the monarchy.

for the whole area and then Lothier for Belgium and Batavia for the Netherlands.

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It works.

Which everyone calls Frysland even though Frysland is only a small area of the country .

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Oh Holland, how everybody else loathes thee. Until it's time to show national pride at sporting events, because Holland is just easier to chant than Nederland.

I'd like a more amicable union between the two than the United Netherlands had, because the United Netherlands lasted all of 15 years.

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Oh please the Kingdom of the Netherlands has been extant as such for some 200 years now. That Belgium decided 'you know what, it's been more than a century and we've kind of drifted apart' is their problem. And it was a fair argument to be made, not helped by King Willem I being a bit of an authoritarian ass.[/QUOTE]

 

[Axslashel]

Which everyone calls Frysland even though Frysland is only a small area of the country

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Wouldn't half of "Frysland" be in Dyskelande if it means the same area as in OTL? Would be even more confusing?
"But you said you were from Frysland? Why are you wearing the uniform of Dyskelande?"
"I said Ostfrysland Dummkopf!"

 

[FrangibleCover]

Wouldn't half of "Frysland" be in Dyskelande if it means the same area as in OTL? Would be even more confusing?
"But you said you were from Frysland? Why are you wearing the uniform of Dyskelande?"
"I said Ostfrysland Dummkopf!"

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In my view the more confusing we can make the Holland situation the better. Maybe the Austrasian colony in the Far East should be Niew Frysland?

 

[Axslashel]

In my view the more confusing we can make the Holland situation the better. Maybe the Austrasian colony in the Far East should be Niew Frysland?

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Nah, it should be that island east of Rubria ruled by Gallia that for some inexplicable reason named after another Austrasian region. "Nouvelle Hainaut" maybe?

 

[Hazard]

I'll note that New Zealand is called that because it was originally discovered and named by a Dutchman who named it after the Dutch province of Zeeland.