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Bunraku (Samurai Mecha Quest)

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Well we can't have a setting that draws so heavily from the "romantic samurai" mythos without accounting for the moral underpinnings of this kind of a society. Tomoe unfortunately was raised and trained within this moral system. It's alien and maybe unpalatable to us but it's something fundamental (or should be) to her. And she totally did commit a major violation of her morals. She has to address this issue within bounds of the system or she'll be just throwing away her morality. That way lies the road of a sociopath.

[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait, "A ghost in the flesh.")
[X]Ask for a bounty. You have many material needs, although such a boon will be wasted if you cannot find a way to have Harvest repaired at no money cost.

Giving up the Boon for Ondo might be seen as a deliberate attempt at manipulation (and it truthfully will be) by the man himself if not the others. Especially after the revelation we just gave him.

Besides, as he clearly outlined for us, each samurai have their duty and responsibilities. He may have lost his bunraku in executing his mission but he's still responsible for the loss of a important military resource. He can't get a free pass any more than Tomoe get a free pass for her moral violation (for not dying). We might be able to aid him (depending on the situation) but shouldering it all isn't right for him or us.
 
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I read the rejection reasoning as attempting impossible atonement, which I suppose isn't entirely reflected. I'll update my vote accordingly.
I'm honestly voting for giving up the boon out of a sense of fairness, and because of what sort of character I want Tomoe to be.
[X]Reject Ondo's words (You must write in a rationale.)
-[X] You can never truly atone for your failure, but there is more honor in the attempt than in seeking vengance.
[X] Use your favor to replace Ondo's Bunraku. You would not even have the boon without it's sacrifice.
 
Look, I am not going to question if people consider one option cooler than the other, or if they see a potential for a character development. I have no problem with these.

But for the love of God, can someone explain to me why one action is 'within the bounds of the system' or 'honorable', and the other isn't? People keep telling me that I am breaking character because of modern sensibilities and medieval morals being unpalatable - and I am sitting here like 'what.' o_O:confused:

What did I miss?
 
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My general guideline is if it's a dumb course of action and you want to justify it, claim it's more honorable :p
 
Nevill said:
Look, I am not going to question if people consider one option cooler than the other, or if they see a potential for a character development. I have no problem with these.

But for the love of God, can someone explain to me why one action is 'within the bounds of the system' or 'honorable', and the other isn't? People keep telling me that I am breaking character because of modern sensibilities and medieval morals being unpalatable - and I am sitting here like 'what.' o_O:confused:

What did I miss?
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Your proposal is very... Externally focused. It's about justice in the world, and people having to be saved and usually not caring who is doing the saving; it's very "I may be disgraced, but the world still needs helping and that's what matters."

It's a pretty noble course of action, but it also lacks a component of internal relationship to your society, your honor and your failure. It's saying "yeah, I'm dishonored, but I'm still gonna save people." It doesn't interact with the "system," so to speak; it takes a sort of above-it stance.

It's not even necessarily particularly modernist, from my point of view. People within the setting could plausibly take that approach. It's not "dishonorable," it just doesn't intersect with the notion of honor.
 
Omicron said:
Summer is a large rice producer, one of the Empire's few wheat producers, and has a limited but relatively unique ability to manufacture certain low-key magical creations, such as the blue lanterns, which they can sell elsewhere. It also manufactures exceptional steel, although most of it goes to its own military. It produces and exports a number of cultural goods, such as music, theatre plays, and artists mentored in the city. It also has a number of skilled artisans in various crafts. As you saw upon first approaching the city, it has a very few flying ships, which allows it to cheat the physical limitation of trade routes and export further.

Marketplaces are, uh, marketplaces. I'm not sure what you're asking.

You're not going to be able to pay Harvest's repairs in full, although you will be able to pay some of the cost with a windfall coming in the next two-three updates. If you want to get Mitsuko's workshop to repair Harvest without the lord's order she will probably try to gouge you for non-monetary compensations.

You may end up being offered "free" repairs if you agree to help her field-test amazing and absolutely unsafe prototype technology on your bunraku, for instance.

You could absolutely ask to have Ondo's armor repaired as your boon. This would free him of whatever ominous task lord Summer just implied he would have to fulfill, and would put him greatly in your debt.
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So does this mean we can...

[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait,"A ghost in the flesh.")
[X] Ask for land to grow wheat upon.


Idea is simple: We make our own money through trade.

Thoughts?
 
[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait, "A ghost in the flesh.")
[X]Ask lord Summer to pay for Harvest's repairs.
 
Samurai which own farmlands just have them worked by the local peasants. They don't farm themselves unless they are literally so poor they can't afford not to, or in a few exceptional cases of families with unique cultural traditions.
 
Omicron said:
Your proposal is very... Externally focused. It's about justice in the world, and people having to be saved and usually not caring who is doing the saving; it's very "I may be disgraced, but the world still needs helping and that's what matters."
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I see. Makes sense when you view it that way, I suppose.

It does not help that I view Bunraku puppeteers as a sort of X-COM force, a bulwark against xeno scum otherworldly invaders, something that is above even the elite military, and that makes me pretty a-okay with attributing them rationales that may differ from that of their colleagues.

I went to externalize the reasoning because I couln't find internal justifications that would not make Tomoe a hypoctite in my eyes while keeping to the largely same ideals.

Eh, I gave it my best shot. Guess I'll just
[x] abstain
and let other people decide.
 
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Nevill said:
Wait...X-COM?
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It's possible for Tomoe to eventually develop the sort of "I am above and reject the established moral system"/Ubermensch mentality that fit your idea better. It may be too early, too quick to jump into the deep end right now. She has been trying rebuild her life into somewhat familiar patterns. But more experiences/traumas can cause greater shifts in her actions.
 
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Theoneandonlyz said:
As long as Tomoe also have peasants to work that land, accountants to handle all number transactions in her stead, representatives to sit in for her at trade negotiations, etc.

Just be specific about what Tomoe ask for. Don't want to risk He Who Reads Stars (is that right?) being too literal or just a jackass.
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Interesting perspective.

How would you go about getting our background income?
 
Pandemonious Ivy said:
How would you go about getting our background income?
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Well I was going to say by counting salted cod in our lord's warehouse(s) but we're not close to the sea, I don't even know if people here eat salted cod, and it's a dumb reference anyways now that I think about it.

As a retainer I think we get a stipend from our dragon Lord. It's basically a salary from steady employment. That stipend could be a little or a lot and increase later depending on a lot of factors including how much our Lord favors us (a lot of strategic ass kissing is in order) and how effective we are at promoting his authority (kick a lot of ass).

Moving into landholding or trade will give us more independent income over just our stipend. It also requires a whole lot of investment (yes even in a feudal type society...maybe even more so actually) and a lot of personal attention even if we do not directly engage in such things. That's time and attention from our other duties and goals. It also gives us more independence from our Lord. This might raise an eyebrow...he is notably autocratic and a Dragon.

I'm just inclined to leave side endeavors like that for later when we are more established, tested, and trusted. Tomoe had to build up her life while still with the Okami too probably.

I imagine we can do something among our peer samurai with our Calligraphy. Are we actually skillful enough though? Probably won't get money out of it but we might trade in goodwill, favors, or gifts.
 
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[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait, "A ghost in the flesh.")
[X]Ask lord Summer to pay for Harvest's repairs.
​
 
Theoneandonlyz said:
Well I was going to say by counting salted cod in our lord's warehouse(s) but we're not close to the sea, I don't even know if people here eat salted cod, and it's a dumb reference anyways now that I think about it.

As a retainer I think we get a stipend from our dragon Lord. It's basically a salary from steady employment. That stipend could be a little or a lot and increase later depending on a lot of factors including how much our Lord favors us (a lot of strategic ass kissing is in order) and how effective we are at promoting his authority (kick a lot of ass).

Moving into landholding or trade will give us more independent income over just our stipend. It also requires a whole lot of investment (yes even in a feudal type society...maybe even more so actually) and a lot of personal attention even if we do not directly engage in such things. That's time and attention from our other duties and goals. It also gives us more independence from our Lord. This might raise an eyebrow...he is notably autocratic and a Dragon.

I'm just inclined to leave side endeavors like that for later when we are more established, tested, and trusted. Tomoe had to build up her life while still with the Okami too probably.

I imagine we can do something among our peer samurai with our Calligraphy. Are we actually skillful enough though? Probably won't get money out of it but we might trade in goodwill, favors, or gifts.
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That... doesn't really help my idea. I decided to give the benefit of the doubt but if you just disagree with the concept as a whole then there's nothing to be done for it.
 
[X]Reject Ondo's words (You must write in a rationale.)

Ondo's words are good advice. But he should not have spoken them, nor should we accept them. They are words to a Ronin, one fresh from her failure to protect her lord. But we are Ronin no longer.

We have shed blood, both ours and others in Summer's service already. Our honor is no longer ours alone, we have given ourselves, blade and hilt to the Lord of Summer, and we can no longer decide how much our life is worth or what we should do with it. We will confess our sins to the Lord Summer. We shall follow his judgement, whether that be death upon our own blade, or to become living ghost in spirit.

But we will not and cannot decide to deprive the Lord Summer of a sworn sword ourselves. Our life, and with that our death, are bound to his will.

[X]Ask for a title of land - it is likely to be very small, but without one you're still half a ronin, no matter what your title says.
 
[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait, "A ghost in the flesh.")

[X]Ask for a title of land - it is likely to be very small, but without one you're still half a ronin, no matter what your title says.

 
Well well, it looks like Harvest's Repairs are winning the second vote by a wide margin, but the Accept/Reject vote is only at 13-12 in favor of "Accept." I'll probably update in the afternoon, so if you want to get final votes in now's the time.
 
Well now this quest is certainly happening.

[X]Accept Ondo's words (Acquire trait, "A ghost in the flesh.")
[X]Ask lord Summer to pay for Harvest's repairs.
 
What is «gost»?

[X] Reject Ondo's words
-[X] You have failed your lords, on the field of battle. You have died that day, alongside them. You are damned, in more ways than one, and your life means nothing to nobody. But if it does, and you still draw breath, perhaps your sacrifice will. You will give yourself to the others, to those in need, to those in peril, to those who still have meaning in their lives — not in search of redemption, for you will never find it. But trading good lives for something so cheap is a good trade, and what is cheaper than life of a failed ronin?

[X] Ask a question. Bound by his offer of a favor, lord Summer would not dare to lie.
-[X] «Why did Heavens fall?»
 
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[X]Reject Ondo's words (You must write in a rationale.)

Ondo's words are good advice. But he should not have spoken them, nor should we accept them. They are words to a Ronin, one fresh from her failure to protect her lord. But we are Ronin no longer.

We have shed blood, both ours and others in Summer's service already. Our honor is no longer ours alone, we have given ourselves, blade and hilt to the Lord of Summer, and we can no longer decide how much our life is worth or what we should do with it. We will confess our sins to the Lord Summer. We shall follow his judgement, whether that be death upon our own blade, or to become living ghost in spirit.

But we will not and cannot decide to deprive the Lord Summer of a sworn sword ourselves. Our life, and with that our death, are bound to his will.

[X]Ask for a title of land - it is likely to be very small, but without one you're still half a ronin, no matter what your title says.
 
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