Voting is open
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


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.
 
Last edited:
1-7: Big McLargehuge
Things went better than you expected. A lot better. You had been worried that once the captain found out what you were doing (you were certain someone was a squealer) he would come down hard on you and your attempt to impose order. Thankfully, he seemed to be happy to look the other way as long as you kept things demure in what you suspected he thought was an appropriately feminine manner instead of emasculating his manly sailors by shouting at them and dressing them down publicly. In fact, he even invited you to dinner the second night of your quiet rebellion, made no mention of the incident, and was… well not friendly, but he and the other officers were polite, at least. You took that as tacit approval of your actions and pressed onwards. You relayed most of your orders through WO Ikeda and CPO Sakiyama. Okeda remained friendly, if a bit aloof, and Sakiyama seemed to be warming up a bit once he realized that this actually meant less work for him.

Three more days at sea passed and by now you'd started keeping a rating or two near your office to run orders and deliver paperwork (the captain got neatly written report of the status of the stores every morning like clockwork,just according to regulations). Things seemed to be working out. You were poring over the amount of rice that the kitchen had used this morning when there was a nervous rap at your door. One of your ratings, a petty officer, came to attention.

"Ma'am. An officer to see you, ma'am."

"Well, send him in." Almost immediately you saw the reason for your seaman's nerves as the massive (and familiar) form of Kishimoto Hideaki blocked the doorway.

He was an old classmate and he, like you, was wearing the uniform of an ensign. He was also made for recruitment posters. He stood six feet tall (six inches over the Akitsukuni average), had shoulders like an ox, a lantern jaw, and was the fittest man or woman you had ever encountered. Rumor was he had simply shoulder checked his way through one of the climbing obstacles instead of climbing over it at the Academy PT course but you were pretty sure that was just a rumor.

Pretty sure.

He had also been one of the boys who had laughed behind your back, tripped you during PT and refused to associate you. Though he'd stopped participating in the hazing in your third year, he'd stayed distant and cold through graduation. Besides that he was from a good family, merchant stock (your mother disdainfully referred to them as 'new money) and you would have thought he'd end up on a cruiser or a battleship. Not here.

"Can I help you, ensign?" You asked cooly as he stepped through the doorway and then closed it behind him. Somehow all of him fit into your tiny office, though you weren't sure how.

"Arisugawa…" He spoke your name as if you were still at school. Then he dropped to his knees and planted his face and hands on the floor as he prostrated himself in front of you.

"Forgive me, Ensign Arisugawa! I have to apologize for all the hard times I gave you at school and for being too cowardly to make amends before we graduated. Please! Forgive me!" That caught you off guard. He was asking you to forgive him? Was this a prank? You manage to restrain your urgent to be sarcastic and instead shake your head.

"Only if you explain what you're doing here and why." There, that sounded okay, right? He slowly sits up, though he stays on the floor.

"I've been an admirer of yours now for a couple of years. I realized between second and third year that you were… incredible. Your perseverance, your determination not to show that anything got to you. It's admirable! A warrior's bearing!" Oh Spirits, was he asking you on a date?

"You know I'm one of those girls who wants to get married in silk one day, right?" you answer, referring obliquely to the ceremony for two women to declare their inseparable love. He blinks. Stares at you for a moment.

"...Of course not! Did you think…?" He stumbles to his feet, blushing right to the roots of his hair. "It's not like that! I'm going to be exchanging swords with my fiance next spring…" he fumbles into his breast pocket, looming over you as he produces a photograph of himself in uniform with a shorter man dressed in a Western suit, a smile, and a huge corsage. You recognized the photo background from the graduation party.

"My Osamu," he explains with a goofy, lovestruck grin. "He's a drafter for Mizushima Shipyards. He's working on the new destroyer that's supposed to be coming down the pipe but he won't tell me anything. Says it's 'top secret' and that he 'signed a non-disclosure agreement.'" Oh Spirits. He's kind of adorable, like a big confused puppy. "Did you really think I'd apologize to you to get into your skirts?"

"Men have tried stranger things," you reply with a dry tone. "I thought you would be with the main fleet?"

"So did I, but here I am." He shrugs nonchalantly. "I'm the junior signals officers, so I get to stand watch on the bridge! Sorry you're stuck down here, though."

"It's not so bad. The work keeps me busy." You said, sweeping your hand over your paperwork domain. "Through these ink-stained fingers, our destroyers are fed!"

"Those ink-stained fingers are going to get worked to the bone if you don't have more help, don't you think? Let help you!" Your impression of him as an eager puppy increases tenfold.

"Your apology was quite enough. I don't need favours." You eyed him warily. Politics 101: Nobody offers to do anything without wanting something in return. If not now, later.

"It's not a favour--I want to help!" He looks at you with a heartbreakingly earnest expression. "They might have given you what they thought was scut work but it's the most important part of our mission as a tender. The captain is old--he doesn't understand what's coming in the future! It's for the good of the squadron and the service. I promise you, there's nothing I want out of it except to help you and maybe make up for lost time when it comes to being friends and good shipmates."

"Well…"

[ ] Try to get some of the topside sections to coordinate with my section. My men can only do so much: we need everyone on top of their paperwork and filing. (+Technical. This will effectively autopilot much of your job going forward in non-emergencies.)
[ ] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
[ ] Honestly, can you just come talk to me every once and awhile? It's isolated as hell down here. (-1 Stress)

Hideaki Big.
 
Last edited:
Exchanging swords huh...

Man that euphemism is not very subtle, lol.

[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)

Obtain additional support, become promoted. #nepotism #workTheSystem
 
Rumor was he had simply shoulder checked his way through one of the climbing obstacles instead of climbing over it at the Academy PT course but you were pretty sure that was just a rumor.

Sounds like an ideal SNLF officer once there is an SNLF.

+Diplomacy is probably more useful than +Technical. Probably.

[X] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position.
 
[X] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
Exchanging swords huh...

Man that euphemism is not very subtle, lol.

[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)

Obtain additional support, become promoted. #nepotism #workTheSystem

It's actually literal. When two men want to get married they exchange swords. Fancy marriage swords are all the rage these days since most people don't carry them around as a matter of course any longer.
 
It's actually literal. When two men want to get married they exchange swords. Fancy marriage swords are all the rage these days since most people don't carry them around as a matter of course any longer.
It is also a euphamism tho let's be very clear. Also there's a mock duel at dawn on a wind-swept field, witnessed only by your closest allies. Can you tell this whole thing started with a bunch of uptight samurai.

Meanwhile the girl's way involves a lot more drinking and partying and probably the sweetest and gayest ritual anyone has ever devised.

(We went out of our way today to devise some gay marriage ceremonies which had minimal attachment to heterosexual equivalents, for a society where it wouldn't make sense for them to be divergent from a straight ceremony.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)

Our technical is garbage but something has to be the dump stat, I suppose.

Edit: Changed vote.
 
Last edited:
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)

It is also a euphamism tho let's be very clear. Also there's a mock duel at dawn on a wind-swept field, witnessed only by your closest allies. Can you tell this whole thing started with a bunch of uptight samurai.

Meanwhile the girl's way involves a lot more drinking and partying and probably the sweetest and gayest ritual anyone has ever devised.

(We went out of our way today to devise some gay marriage ceremonies which had minimal attachment to heterosexual equivalents, for a society where it wouldn't make sense for them to be divergent from a straight ceremony.)
That's some really wonderful world building.
 
I imagine that crossing swords in such circumstances must be a heartfelt moment, where the most precious part of each man is laid bare beneath the heavens. The ensuing battle may be loud and vigorous, or it may be quiet and demure, but it is only through the clash of blades that two warriors can truly demonstrate that most precious of bonds.
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
So I'm curious to see what other people think this guy's deal is because I can't make heads or tails of it.
 
Play to our (relative) strength.
[X] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
[X] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
Let's make some friends!​
 
[x] See if you can get some of the other officers on my side. My job will be easier without half the crew blatantly disregarding me and my position. (+Diplomacy. This will make headway towards some respect and friends.)
 
Voting is open
Back
Top