Castles of Steel - Lesbians Good, Imperialism Bad

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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​


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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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[x] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.
 
[X] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.
 
[x] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.

Nice to see another chapter drop
 
[X] Look into Aiko's participation in the Women's Equality League, and see if there isn't something you can do for them. Their work is part of the reason you have your job; maybe you could repay that somehow.
 
[x] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.

Finding and trying to fix a problem there will be stressful but so would knowing that there's a problem but not knowing what it is.
 
[X] Look into Aiko's participation in the Women's Equality League, and see if there isn't something you can do for them. Their work is part of the reason you have your job; maybe you could repay that somehow.
 
[X] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.
 
[X] Look into Aiko's participation in the Women's Equality League, and see if there isn't something you can do for them. Their work is part of the reason you have your job; maybe you could repay that somehow.
 
[X] Head to the Academy and find out what the hell is going on with the Navy cadets that Cadet Kurasaka was such a mess.
 
[X] Look into Aiko's participation in the Women's Equality League, and see if there isn't something you can do for them. Their work is part of the reason you have your job; maybe you could repay that somehow.
[ ] Get so wrapped up in preparation for Aiko's return that not all the poems get burnt.
 
We need some information and influence from outside the Navy if we don't want to be falling for everything they do, and given how noble and aristocratic it is, I don't think her families' perspectives help.

[X] Look into Aiko's participation in the Women's Equality League, and see if there isn't something you can do for them. Their work is part of the reason you have your job; maybe you could repay that somehow.
 
9-3: Old Stomping Grounds
  • Threadmarks
    • The Academy. You didn't have the influence or the authority to make any changes, but it could be instructive to see how the new officers following in your very specific footsteps were being accommodated and trained. Besides, you were a decorated war hero, the (for now) youngest person holding the rank of commander in the entire Navy. It wasn't like they'd tell you not to come visit--they'd probably pull out all the stops for you if you wrote ahead to let them know you were coming by!

    Well maybe not all the stops, but they'd probably show you off to the cadets. It was also going to be a nice distraction from laying around the apartment listlessly waiting for orders. A ship becalmed by the doldrums of peace, even as war loomed on the horizon. Maybe someone would notice and give you something to do instead of leaving you to drift? That was probably too much to hope for. It was also like work, which meant keeping your mind from wandering to things that might be unhappy or unpleasant.

    You wrote a short letter to the commandant of the academy, a grim rear admiral by the name of Fukunaga who you remembered as an imposing and sharp man with a penchant for discipline. In your letter you asked permission to come visit the alma mater, since you had no other pressing duties, and expressed a desire to see how the cadets were getting on.

    You received a reply almost immediately, in which Fukunaga wrote back in a tone that was almost warm. He said that you were very welcome to visit and that it would be good for his cadets (all of his cadets, he stressed) to see a successful officer in the flesh. That he seemed happy to have you visit set off alarm bells in the back of your mind. Why would he want you around? Was there a catch? Some sort of opportunity to muck you up politically? A trap? Had to be a trap.

    Still, you'd walked right into it and had no choice now. A warrior cannot retreat from battle! After writing back and telling him you would be there after the weekend, you prepared yourself and had your uniform made as sharp as possible.

    Bedecked in your Naval finery you took the streetcar uptown to where the Academy grounds sat with their excellent view of the bay. It was a fine early autumn day, a stiff breeze rolling off the sea as you walked up the drive to the gates of the academy. It was an imposing place with its modern buildings and sailors standing sentry at the front gate. As you approached the pair of them came to attention, and one of them faced you attentively, stepping out of his sentry box. You rummaged into your inner pocket and produced your naval identification book, which he examined for a moment before handing it back to you.

    "Thank you, ma'am. Do you have an appointment today?"

    "Not exactly. The commandant is expecting me, but I don't have anything specific planned--I just wanted to visit."

    "Of course, ma'am." He saluted, then stepped back to his sentry box, leaving you to walk through the brick archway and into the interior of the Academy. It felt a little like stepping back in time as the open space of the central parade ground came into view and you could see cadets criss-crossing it as they headed this way and that on their way to classes.

    You had an appointment with the commandant and so you crossed the quad and into the main administration building. It was an imposing structure and like all the others on the campus it was fronted with brick in Europan style. As you passed cadets they would salute you sharply as if their life depended on it and you found yourself delayed as you had to pause and render honors back to each of the (incredibly young looking) people that passed you by.

    Upstairs, a uniformed receptionist directed you to a finely appointed reception room you remembered being here before during your time at school. It had fine couches, a coffee table and lots of books. Not to mention the swords, maps, and other naval paraphernalia that covered the walls. You'd almost never been in for disciplinary issues, but all the same it still filled you with a sort of nervous uncertainty. You hadn't seen the Vice Admiral for several years at this point. Hopefully you'd not act like a cadet on seeing him again.

    The door into the suite of offices opened and Vice Admiral Fukunaga stepped through. You stood and snapped to attention, leaving your hat and gloves where you left them on the table. Vice Admiral Fukunaga waved a hand at you as he entered. He was older than you remembered him, which said something because he had already been well into his sixties when you had started at the Academy. His hair was now fully grey, lacking the streaks of dark black, though his spectacles were the same and his bearing still upright and erect, even if he seemed a little smaller than you remembered. He was short--the same height as you, actually, but had a charismatic presence that filled the room.

    "Commander Arisukawa, so good to see you. Would you bring us some coffee, please?" That was directed to the uniformed sailor that had followed him into the room. The man bowed slightly and turned to disappear back through the door, leaving you and the man who had overseen your education alone. He gestured at the chair you had been sitting at previously.

    "Please, sit. It's very good to see you again--you know I've been following your career with great interest. A lieutenant commander at so young an age--quite an accomplishment, but then few officers have had such an exciting record to back up a rise like that."

    "You're very kind, sir," you said diplomatically. "Though the rank I hold currently was given to me temporarily while I commanded a battlecruiser sailing here from Albia…"

    "No, no. I saw it in the Navy Journal. 'Arisukawa Haruna, promoted to lieutenant commander in light of exemplary service bringing the battlecruiser Myogi to home waters and in relation to heroic actions commanding the torpedo boat Kari during the late war with Caspia.' Did they not tell you yet? Tsk. Must have gotten lost in the post…" He said with a faint frown. You didn't squirm, but you remembered the pile of mail you had let build up at the flat and wondered if there was a letter there that said the same thing. "This is why they should send you a runner directly with the message. More reliable."

    "Oh! Well, in that case thank you very much for your felicitations, sir," you said with all the humble gratitude you could muster. Internally, you were aghast (in a good way). You had jumped from midshipman to lieutenant commander in a little over three years since you had left the Academy. It seemed impossible, that you should be perhaps the youngest lieutenant commander in the whole Navy. There would be talk, whispers of favoritism and political connections. More than ever, you could feel the weight of expectations crushing down onto you.

    On the other hand, it also meant that there may well be a command in your future that wasn't a glorified steam launch or leaky miniature submarine. The thought was terribly exciting.

    "Of course, of course!" He grinned as the orderly returned with a tray and the coffee service, complete with silver-played coffee pot and delicate cups in saucers. A cup was poured for you, with cream, and he took his with a prodigious amount of sugar. He sipped at his coffee and looked across at you with an almost grandfatherly expression.

    "So, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing one of my most brilliant students again? I hadn't expected I'd ever see you except at some kind of naval function.

    [ ] Just wanted to see the old Academy stomping grounds again. It's been so long! (Get in good with an admiral!)​
    [ ] I felt I could trust you with this question, as my former teacher; what the politics behind my promotions look like. I know there is more involved than simply my performance. (Find out how people talk about you when you're not in the room, so to speak)​
    [ ] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.​
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Ooooooh, we got a ~promotion~ for real.

    All three choices are interesting. It just depends on what we want to try and hear from him.
     
    [X] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.

    This is what prompted us to come by in the first place, and it's something that's directly inside this guy's sphere of responsibility.
     
    [X] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.
     
    [X] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.
     
    [x] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.
     
    [X] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.
    [X] I felt I could trust you with this question, as my former teacher; what the politics behind my promotions look like. I know there is more involved than simply my performance. (Find out how people talk about you when you're not in the room, so to speak)
     
    [X] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.
     
    [x] I'm concerned about the other cadets following behind me, after an incident with Cadet Kurasaki Aya during the trip on the Myogi.

    Ahh, he seems cool. Now I don't want to risk upsetting him, but hopefully he will continue to be cool.
     
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