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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


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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Not always, if these guys are the scouting force of a larger fleet or have become separated in the fog then it could just be them, I'd have expected to run into a screening ship by now if they were out there. That's the good news. The bad news is that frigate was not in vogue as a designation at this time, instead the likely light escorts are Torpedo Boat Destroyers. Not a comforting thought for our Torpedo Boat.
Unless the caspians use the french designation than they are still frigates.
 
[X ] Attack: You'll never have a better chance to send an enemy cruiser to the bottom than this. Then again, they'll know you're coming.

Glorious fighting spirit! This is literally our job and we have to excel in order to be an example. Remember people are looking for every excuse to judge women officers by our actions, so lets play to their ideal of the best possible naval officer.

You need to remove the space from between the brackets or your vote won't be counted.

[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
Unless the caspians use the french designation than they are still frigates.
No, then they're contre-torpilleurs. As far as I can tell the reason the Frogs call everything a frigate is that their word for a destroyer is anti-torpedoboat which doesn't make any sense after about 1920. Although frigate is a more honest designation for most modern destroyers, if you described the roles they fill to Nelson he'd have called them frigates and to Jellicoe they'd be protected cruisers.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.

Truth is we are looking at a run on a prepared target with hits already sustained, vs chasing off threats to the rickety ships loaded to the gunwales with troops. That's hundreds, maybe thousands of exposed lives under our protection.

Plus I love the decisiveness of immediate attack, remove threat, move on. It says we are bigger than the cruiser.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
[] Cruiser dead in water. Seeking new target
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate

Maybe don't always vote for maximum glory charge.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Attack: You'll never have a better chance to send an enemy cruiser to the bottom than this. Then again, they'll know you're coming.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
[] Cruiser dead in water. Seeking new target
 
[X ] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate.
 
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[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
So, we're probably not going to get an update this week, as @open_sketch is out of town for a con and I don't wanna bug her while she's doing important stuff! In the mean time, though, as you may have noticed it's election season here on SV. I'm in the running for the Community Council again and I encourage you to head over to the nomination thread to nominate up to five people you think would do a good job on the council (and if that includes me, so much the better). If you want to ask questions about the election or the candidates, you can do so over here at the nomination discussion thread.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.

[] Haruna looks over at the cruiser as her own ship turns away. "Mediocre."
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.
 
[X] Try to find a different target--your job is to protect the convoy, not launch solo attacks on enemy cruisers. Besides, she's out of the fight at this rate
-[X] Use radio to update convoy.

Just got turned onto this, and I'm kicking myself for not reading it sooner. The characters are great, the action is tense and engaging, and the world-building is top-notch. Plus, Haruna is actually growing as a main character, which is a surprisingly rare thing in the quests I've been able to find.
 
i still can't believe our submarine was able to duel a destroyer. only in gaya, nobody could ever match that kind of elan in real lif-

wait. oh god. is that-RULE BRITANNIA?

scotlandswar.co.uk said:
Admiral Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith

In 1914 Nasmith, now a Lieutenant Commander, took command of submarine E11. He carried out patrols in the North Sea before going to the Eastern Mediterranean Fleet in 1915 for operations supporting the allied invasion of Gallipoli. His orders, "to go and run amuck in the Marmara"-that narrow sea between the Dardanelles, Europe and Asia. And this he did, his adventures standing testimony to his bravery, seamanship, leadership and inventiveness - and reading like a great adventure novel. During the period 20 May to 8 June 1915 "in the face of great danger he succeeded in destroying one large Turkish gunboat, two transports, one ammunition ship and three store ships in addition to driving one store-ship ashore. When he had safely passed the most difficult part of his homeward journey, he returned to torpedo a Turkish transport". For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross, but indeed his three month period with E11 in the Sea of Marmara was one of great havoc to the enemy. On his first patrol he even entered Constantinople harbour and took photographs through his periscope before torpedoing a ship alongside the arsenal, which caused the public to panic. With no gun fitted, he nevertheless attacked Turkish cavalry and other troops on the Gallipoli coast road, by his crew firing their rifles from the surfaced submarine. On two later patrols, with a gun now fitted to E11, he shelled troops and the coastal railway. He used tactical deception by constructing a decoy periscope from an oar and tobacco tin mounted on a raft, which when towed by E11 was twice rammed by the enemy.

He pioneered commando operations by allowing his first lieutenant Guy D'Oyly Hughes to swim ashore to plant explosives that destroyed a viaduct on the Baghdad Railway. Anxious to conserve torpedoes, he ordered that E11's torpedoes were to be modified so that they would float rather than sink if they missed their target. When one torpedo failed to hit, Nasmith manoeuvred E11 alongside it. He dived in and made safe the torpedo before recovering it for successful use in a subsequent attack. His personal bravery, leadership and seamanship were immense.

Italics are mine for emphasis.

E-11 was the first hostile ship to penetrate the Golden Horn since Istanbul was called Constantinople.

ITV said:
My father had the highest regard for the Turks. He believed they were very brave and very honourable.
– SIR JAMES DUNBAR-NASMITH

Lt Cdr Dunbar-Nasmith was a man of principle. He'd torpedo enemy warships without warning, but much of the shipping he encountered was civilian.

"If it were a dhow," explains Sir James, "he'd come to the surface and hail the captain. Mostly they had ships boats, but if there were none, he'd inspect their cargo and purloin it, and allow the crew aboard his submarine."

Once, he confiscated a cargo of Turkish delight from one dhow. When the next one turned out not to have boats and to be carrying old ladies, he rescued them before sinking their vessel.

"He then put them ashore on some inconspicuous coast, and one by one shook them warmly by the hand and gave them each a box of Turkish delight," says Sir James.

"There's a photograph of the deck [of the submarine] awash with a whole row of Turkish men, all wearing fezzes with their feet in the water, going quite fast.

Another tale surrounds what is probably the only military action in history involving a submarine and some cavalry, who fired down from a cliff to drive the submarine away from the ship it was pursuing.
Amid the chivalry, however, it's easy to forget that the Sea of Marmara was extremely dangerous for submariners.

"The big hazard was getting into the sea itself," says Sir James. "There were two big anti-submarine nets hung with mines, with boys on the top to warn the army if they were disturbed."

The best way through was to put out a cutting wire and drive at the nets at top speed - hoping to cut through them. On Lt Cdr Dunbar-Nasmith's first exit attempt, they did just this. He found to his dismay a mine had been caught on his boat, so without telling the crew, he tipped his nose down and reversed his engines in a risky but successful attempt to shake it off.

"He was naturally a modest man," says Sir James. "People didn't like to talk about the Great War, because for many of them it was too traumatic an experience. If he did talk about its experiences, it was never in terms of being brave."

www.itv.com

Remembering a heroic, principled Gallipoli submariner | ITV News

Lieutenant-Commander Martin Dunbar-Nasmith won a Victoria Cross for sinking 97 Ottoman ships - but he saved civilians whenever he could | ITV National News

i figured this thread might appreciate the sheer absurd badassery of this, especially concerning this guy has apparently never been mentioned anywhere on SV.
 
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