Waves Of Change [Kantai Collection]

[obssesednuker]

So, quick query, but how does the ship aspect of the girl translate for this fic? Like, many fics tend to give them similar durability to a vessel and translate the horsepower of their engines into physical strength...

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

So, quick query, but how does the ship aspect of the girl translate for this fic? Like, many ficus tend to give them similar durability to a vessel and translate the horsepower of their engines into physical strength...

Click to shrink...

Well, without the rigging I'm basically treating them as normal human girls with the souls (and some but not all of the memories) of the ships. Though they are perhaps a bit more durable than a normal human, and can casually bend the laws of physics on occasion; some more than others. (CoughKongouCough)

With the rigging, (something that'll be discussed a bit more in general in the last section of this chapter, actually) they gain the full durability of their past selves' armor (Thus why they remain relatively intact even as their clothing gets shredded - it takes a lot to get them in legitimately bad shape) and their speed on the water matches their historic speed capabilities. (Kaga's slowness comes up a few times later on, for example) As far as weight goes, I'm not treating it like Belated Battleships, where the ship's full tonnage is condensed into the human package - rather, it would perhaps be more accurate to say they match their past selves' density, where the ratio of physical dimension to weight remains consistent. If I'm explaining that correctly. So they may not weigh the full tonnage, but if one cut a human-sized chunk out of the ship, it would weigh about that much.

And of course there is the good ol' classic Sparkly Magical Shipgirl Bullshit, with stuff like the Carriers' arrows turning into planes and so on.

There's this fan-prequel-comic thing I read a few months ago that influences a lot of my treatment of certain mechanics and such in the setting. I can't remember what it was called, but it was on Imgur. Had an ocean wildlife researcher finding a washed-up Abyssal destroyer, and somehow extracting the Fairies from it...
Akashi's line at the very start of Chapter 1 about 'if only the head researcher still lived' is also something of a reference to that.

 

[ARBITRACOM]

Well, without the rigging I'm basically treating them as normal human girls with the souls (and some but not all of the memories) of the ships. Though they are perhaps a bit more durable than a normal human, and can casually bend the laws of physics on occasion; some more than others. (CoughKongouCough)

With the rigging, (something that'll be discussed a bit more in general in the last section of this chapter, actually) they gain the full durability of their past selves' armor (Thus why they remain relatively intact even as their clothing gets shredded - it takes a lot to get them in legitimately bad shape) and their speed on the water matches their historic speed capabilities. (Kaga's slowness comes up a few times later on, for example) As far as weight goes, I'm not treating it like Belated Battleships, where the ship's full tonnage is condensed into the human package - rather, it would perhaps be more accurate to say they match their past selves' density, where the ratio of physical dimension to weight remains consistent. If I'm explaining that correctly. So they may not weigh the full tonnage, but if one cut a human-sized chunk out of the ship, it would weigh about that much.

And of course there is the good ol' classic Sparkly Magical Shipgirl Bullshit, with stuff like the Carriers' arrows turning into planes and so on.

There's this fan-prequel-comic thing I read a few months ago that influences a lot of my treatment of certain mechanics and such in the setting. I can't remember what it was called, but it was on Imgur. Had an ocean wildlife researcher finding a washed-up Abyssal destroyer, and somehow extracting the Fairies from it...
Akashi's line at the very start of Chapter 1 about 'if only the head researcher still lived' is also something of a reference to that.

Click to shrink...

That one is called "The Beginning" by boushi-ya. It's an excellent one, having also influenced my own paradigms on the concepts in KanColle.

 

[Tallamee]

rather, it would perhaps be more accurate to say they match their past selves' density, where the ratio of physical dimension to weight remains consistent.

Click to shrink...

The thing to remember about ships is that they have to be less dense than water on average in order to float, even submarines are not going to have greater density than water for very long, if at all.

I am not entirely certain, but the average density of a warship could well be less than the average density of a person, given the ratio of parts above water and parts below water for a ship compared to a person when floating at rest.

 

[Diazo]

The issue with that is how we see girls standing on water is pure MSSB, they "displace" maybe a couple inches in pretty much any interpretation I've seen. In order for that to work they'd have to be effectively airships as they displace almost entirely air and essentially no water.

As for the density comment, I'm taking that to exclude air. So the girls are as dense as a human shaped cut-out that magically had no air pockets in it somehow. So probably somewhere in the range of the steel used for the armor/turrets/guns. At least when put on a scale, at other times how they 'exist' probably differs.

And thirding "The Beginning", it is a well thought out look at the mechanics even if a lot of it doesn't fit my personal head-canon.

D.

 

[Tallamee]

The issue with that is how we see girls standing on water is pure MSSB, they "displace" maybe a couple inches in pretty much any interpretation I've seen. In order for that to work they'd have to be effectively airships as they displace almost entirely air and essentially no water.

As for the density comment, I'm taking that to exclude air. So the girls are as dense as a human shaped cut-out that magically had no air pockets in it somehow. So probably somewhere in the range of the steel used for the armor/turrets/guns. At least when put on a scale, at other times how they 'exist' probably differs.

And thirding "The Beginning", it is a well thought out look at the mechanics even if a lot of it doesn't fit my personal head-canon.

D.

Click to shrink...

You seem to be misunderstanding my statements. If I meant shipgirl I would have said shipgirl. I said ship. Note the difference in meaning and word. I was talking about a ship compared to a human person when both are floating in oceanic salt water.

Also, density of an object, such as a ship, is typically assumed to be taken from the total mass divided by the total volume.

rather, it would perhaps be more accurate to say they match their past selves' density, where the ratio of physical dimension to weight remains consistent. If I'm explaining that correctly. So they may not weigh the full tonnage, but if one cut a human-sized chunk out of the ship, it would weigh about that much.

Click to shrink...

What I am trying to say, is that Diazo, you may be correct in what CGL meant. However, your answer provided no clarification to me. I am pointing out that, from my knowledge base, the directly preceding quote is telling me that shipgirls have a density of somewhat less than water.

 

[Diazo]

Boiling it down, what I was trying to say is that there is absolutely no relation between density and how shipgirls float because shipgirls don't float.

The second half of my post was my interpretation of the 'density' comment and not directly a response to your post.

D.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

The thing to remember about ships is that they have to be less dense than water on average in order to float, even submarines are not going to have greater density than water for very long, if at all.
I am not entirely certain, but the average density of a warship could well be less than the average density of a person, given the ratio of parts above water and parts below water for a ship compared to a person when floating at rest.

Click to shrink...

As I understand it, it has to do with a few different things - weight, water displacement, shape, and hollowness. Since of course a ship has a lot of empty space with just air inside, that helps keep things buoyant, but the ship also has to be designed and shaped carefully so that the weight of water it displaces is more than the weight of all the steel and such that the raw buoyancy, or density, cannot make up for.

Anyway, what I meant with density, was if one essentially removed all the open rooms and spaces of the ship, so all the metal is crunched together (without actually being compacted more tightly than it normally would be) and then carved out a chunk in the shape and dimension of the shipgirl+rigging; that would be what the shipgirl would weigh, as a side-effect of the various SMSBs caused by (and only during instances of) wearing her rigging. Not a full billion tons, and the SMSBs of the keel-shoes keeps them afloat, but things like running aground or having their feet shot out from under them would still be a much bigger deal than when they're in 'normal human' mode, so to speak.

And thirding "The Beginning", it is a well thought out look at the mechanics even if a lot of it doesn't fit my personal head-canon.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, I'm not taking everything from that one as-is (and I plan to altogether sidestep and ignore certain concepts, like the Provisional Marriage and wedding rings) but it does have a strong influence on how I'm interpreting the setting, along with a lot of stuff from the Anime. This'll be a bit easier to see once this prologue arc is finally finished and Fubuki arrives at her Naval Base.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Research Log Entry 0.2:

After resolving the technical issues mostly successfully, the research team progressed to the Main Site to make contact with the Primary Subjects, and managed to secure a trial interview with PS1. The interview concluded successfully, with PS1 seemingly coming away with a positive view of the research team's efforts, and the research team coming away with enough information to fairly accurately convey her first two weeks. We will, of course, present the Researched Record to she and the other Primary Subjects first for any further corrections or additional details, but our thoroughness in questioning seemed to inspire confidence in her. To quote, "The last people who interviewed me only spent one talk to try to get the whole story, and didn't even ask about the camp at all. And well, it turned out... you probably saw how it turned out. Thanks for doing your best."

-However, vindication and back-patting aside, the less positive side is that the accommodations we arranged near the Main Site have proven less... inhabitable than we first thought, so the effort to turn it into more acceptable quarters has somewhat hampered the ability to write quickly.
--The research assistant would like to point out that that is no excuse.
---The head researcher fully agrees, and would like to point out that they have been writing when able; it's just been less than ideal.
----The research assistant also points out that only three paragraphs of progress have been made in the past week, while the research assistant has successfully set up introductory interviews with several of the Secondary Subjects at the Main Site.
-----It's been very far from ideal. Still, progress is picking up a bit now, so that should hopefully count for something.
------Hopefully?

Also worth noting is that during the initial approach of PS1, contact was also made with Primary Subject 4. (PS4, or MRKM) Their complete exclusion from the PR has been the source of many a wild conspiracy theory online, but the actual reason is rather surprising. When the head researcher inquired, she stated that she specifically asked to be written out of the PR; to quote, "It already looked like a [expletive deleted] mess, and I didn't need to be involved with that kind of crap. I want to preserve some of my dignity." PS1 also observed discomfort at the PR project manager's easy willingness to comply with this request.

Unfortunately, the experience seems to have soured PS4's view of all attempts to portray the concerned events, as she expressed suspicion of our research team's motives. We can only hope to prove her wrong, but for the time being she has refused to accept offers of interviews from us until she has seen how we handle the initial studied period. All the more impetus to hurry up.

As of yet, contact with Primary Subject 2 (PS2, or MTSK) and PS3 has not been made, and it is yet uncertain whether or not contact with PS5 is a possibility, given that some of PS1 and PS4's remarks imply that the PR's version of events grew increasingly inaccurate the further it went.

(The thing about living conditions is loosely based on real-life events; I won't get too far into detail, but a certain room in my home has apparently had some mold growing in a far corner for a while, and it's been a pain trying to remove it.)
(Also, I fixed up the classroom scene in the montage last section, though I'm not a hundred percent sure of how historically accurate it may be...)
(And just as a note, for all I kind of rag on it a bit here, if I really hated the Anime I wouldn't use it as one of my main inspirations for this story, to the point where it can be treated as a really inaccurate retelling of the 'actual' events. I have issues with how it was put together and I'm not a fan of some of the motivation behind it, but I still enjoyed it a fair bit despite the numerous flaws.)

 

[ARBITRACOM]

Research Log Entry 0.2(A?):

After resolving the technical issues mostly successfully, the research team progressed to the Main Site to make contact with the Primary Subjects, and managed to secure a trial interview with PS1. The interview concluded successfully, with PS1 seemingly coming away with a positive view of the research team's efforts, and the research team coming away with enough information to fairly accurately convey her first two weeks. We will, of course, present the Researched Record to she and the other Primary Subjects first for any further corrections or additional details, but our thoroughness in questioning seemed to inspire confidence in her. To quote, "The last people who interviewed me only spent one talk to try to get the whole story, and didn't even ask about the camp at all. And well, it turned out... you probably saw how it turned out. Thanks for doing your best."

-However, vindication and back-patting aside, the less positive side is that the accommodations we arranged near the Main Site have proven less... inhabitable than we first thought, so the effort to turn it into more acceptable quarters has somewhat hampered the ability to write quickly.
--The research assistant would like to point out that that is no excuse.
---The head researcher fully agrees, and would like to point out that they have been writing when able; it's just been less than ideal.
----The research assistant also points out that only three paragraphs of progress have been made in the past week, while the research assistant has successfully set up introductory interviews with several of the Secondary Subjects at the Main Site.
-----It's been very far from ideal. Still, progress is picking up a bit now, so that should hopefully count for something.
------Hopefully?

Also worth noting is that during the initial approach of PS1, contact was also made with Primary Subject 4. (PS4, or MRKM) Their complete exclusion from the PR has been the source of many a wild conspiracy theory online, but the actual reason is rather surprising. When the head researcher inquired, she stated that she specifically asked to be written out of the PR; to quote, "It already looked like a [expletive deleted] mess, and I didn't need to be involved with that kind of crap. I want to preserve some of my dignity." PS1 also observed discomfort at the PR project manager's easy willingness to comply with this request.

Unfortunately, the experience seems to have soured PS4's view of all attempts to portray the concerned events, as she expressed suspicion of our research team's motives. We can only hope to prove her wrong, but for the time being she has refused to accept offers of interviews from us until she has seen how we handle the initial studied period. All the more impetus to hurry up.

As of yet, contact with Primary Subject 2 (PS2, or MTSK) and PS3 has not been made, and it is yet uncertain whether or not contact with PS5 is a possibility, given that some of PS1 and PS4's remarks imply that the PR's version of events grew increasingly inaccurate the further it went.

(The thing about living conditions is loosely based on real-life events; I won't get too far into detail, but a certain room in my home has apparently had some mold growing in a far corner for a while, and it's been a pain trying to remove it.)
(Also, I fixed up the classroom scene in the montage last section, though I'm not a hundred percent sure of how historically accurate it may be...)
(And just as a note, for all I kind of rag on it a bit here, if I really hated the Anime I wouldn't use it as one of my main inspirations for this story, to the point where it can be treated as a really inaccurate retelling of the 'actual' events. I have issues with how it was put together and I'm not a fan of some of the motivation behind it, but I still enjoyed it a fair bit despite the numerous flaws.)

Click to shrink...

I can agree to the last part.

The anime is enjoyable when it puts its steps and pursue one theme seriously. Fubuki and Mutsuki crying their eyes out (finally) on Kisaragi's death, Kongou comforting Fubuki when she didn't take Yuudachi's remodel well and when Fubuki breaks down in combat, Akagi demonstrating exactly why she is the kind of senpai Fubuki admires, all of these are powerful individual moments for me. It falls apart when the entire combined final product is messy and inconsistent.

I should really write down my anime interpretation soon. I'll let you know when that happens.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

all of these are powerful individual moments for me. It falls apart when the entire combined final product is messy and inconsistent.

Click to shrink...

That pretty much sums up the majority of my complaints - individual moments and even entire episodes were pretty great (or in the case of Episode 6, just plain fun) taken in isolation, but put together as they were, the tone jumped back and forth and it felt like it couldn't decide what kind of story it was trying to tell. I heard there were multiple writers, each handling a certain set of episodes, so that may have something to do with it, but still.
(My other main issue was how lackluster the Abyssals felt most of the time, but I think that's in part a symptom of the aforementioned tone issues.)

I should really write down my anime interpretation soon. I'll let you know when that happens.

Click to shrink...

Thanks; I'm intrigued to see where you take things.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

I put together the perfect image to describe my depiction of Murakumo!

Spoiler: Murakumo

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Finally, after several days of braindead-ness and busy times at work conspiring against me, I have resumed some degree of progress on things. The scene I'm working through is proving to be a bit of a slog (Am I adding too much detail? Am I not adding enough? Is this going to be too boring? I have to address this one particular quirk because it's not exactly ignorable, but at the same time the brief discussion of it doesn't contribute anything to the story...) but after I get through this part things should speed up, since I have the following scenes pretty much laid out completely in my head.

I also set up the Index post on page 1, so that's a thing.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Here's a new entry for the "Random stuff I find myself looking up for this story" list. Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the Shinto god of the sea and storms.
Certainly not the strangest item on the list, and I expect there will have been even weirder by the time this is through, but still. It's more notable for how it took me a rather circuitous route to arrive at a fairly simple and straightforward result, and how it only plays a tangential relation to the story, and only does so several acts down the line from where I am now.
Progress is slow but steady, meanwhile.

 

[AnonymousRabbit]

Progress is slow but steady, meanwhile.

Click to shrink...

Waiting warmly.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Context-less preview:

Spoiler: Preview

"I implore thee, take a photograph. It will offer a longer-term satisfaction."

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

I'm happy to announce that I have written all of two paragraphs tonight.
Why?
Because with those two paragraphs, capping off the slow but steady progress I've made over the past few weeks, I do believe I'm through the hard part now. Hopefully the rest will come much more quickly.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Spoiler: Waiting-For-The-Chapter Filler: Differences in Disciplinary Approach - Curfew

Yokosuka: "Lights out at 22:30, but so long as you keep it down and don't attempt to raid the kitchens (we have MPs on guard) (That means you, Akagi!) staying up is okay."
Sasebo: "IF YOU'RE NOT ON SORTIE, CURFEW IS AT 22:00 HOURS, NO EXCEPTIONS."
Maizuru: "The carriers are cranky when they don't get enough sleep, so make a racket at your own risk. Pantry raids are not only allowed but encouraged, so long as you're cooking breakfast. (Panty raids, however, are ill-advised. The vice-admiral sleeps with a sword.)"

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Spoiler: Meanwhile, at Yokosuka...

Akizuki: "It's been three months since I was summoned, and I am still so grateful to eat so well here..."
Zuihou: "That's... that's instant cup ramen."
Akizuki: "RIGHT? How can the admiral afford such a luxury item?"

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Emergency Notice
From: Research Assistant
To: All Concerned Individuals

The Head Researcher is bashing their head against a wall, and nothing I do can make them stop. Progress on the project is at a complete standstill, and I'm somewhere between concerned and outright scared right now. Please send help.

 

[Sir_Braazmiir]

Emergency Notice
From: Research Assistant
To: All Concerned Individuals

The Head Researcher is bashing their head against a wall, and nothing I do can make them stop. Progress on the project is at a complete standstill, and I'm somewhere between concerned and outright scared right now. Please send help.

Click to shrink...

Tactical encouragement inbound.

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Vaporwave, Transformers, rewriting that one scene, and general ADHD aside, progress is still happening. I'm hoping to have this chapter done by next week, and y'all are free to lynch me if it isn't. Actually, scratch that, I'm going to finish this chapter within the next week, no lynching necessary.

 

[Sir_Braazmiir]

Vaporwave, Transformers, rewriting that one scene, and general ADHD aside, progress is still happening. I'm hoping to have this chapter done by next week, and y'all are free to lynch me if it isn't. Actually, scratch that, I'm going to finish this chapter within the next week, no lynching necessary.

Click to shrink...

Take only as much time as you feel is absolutely necessary. I wanna read this full rewrite of the anime, dammit! (Even though you didn't work on the original show. Or did you? [The X-Files Theme starts playing])

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Past week has been kind of hectic and not all at once, but the short version is that I am out of a job. I spent the next several days alternately freaking out over it and taking advantage of the unexpected freedom to slack off, finally learning what Touhou is about and brushing up on Transformers lore, among other things. But this morning I got up, turned on my computer, and wrote about seven and a half straight pages of this story, finishing the chapter. Finally.
I'm too excited to be patient and am posting it now, so hopefully it isn't too painful a read. I know some parts are more 'tell' than 'show' than I would like , but I think the important bits are more-or-less the way I want them to be. Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Boot Camp [Continued]
(Or 'Fubuki vs. Physical Education')

By noon, it had begun raining. The overcast skies were still an unpleasant shade of grey, too light to be properly dramatic-looking yet still dark enough to drain away all color or cheer… yet regardless, the group down at the pier was upbeat and excited, if perhaps a touch apprehensive.

The more experienced group who had arrived just earlier were already on the water, while Fubuki and her fellow summons lined up along one side of the pier, their rigging sitting at the ready beside them - Fubuki noticed Akitsushima had a rather large model plane with hers, for some reason. "Now, just put on your keel-shoes for now," Kashima announced from the very end of the jetty. "Once you're on the water like normal, the instructor ships will help you get your rigging on for the first time."

"It's going to be a little weird," Akashi added, "So don't panic, even if it feels like you're starting to sink at first; that's normal, and should pass quickly." A few dubious glances were exchanged in response to this, but the overall enthusiasm was left undimmed. "Alright then, let's begin!"

One of the nice things about being third in line was that Fubuki could see what it was like to put on the rigging for the first time, before experiencing it herself. Hatsuharu started with Nagatsuki, a lime-haired girl who was half a head shorter than the rest of the group. Though the more experienced Destroyer was patient and kind in helping her affix a pair of triple 61-centimeter torpedo tubes to just above each ankle, giving her a belt with a canister for Depth Charges, and helping her handle the single-barrel 12-centimeter gun, the effort seemed almost wasted - the smaller girl took it all in stride, easily adjusting the straps as if she'd done this dozens of times already. Once the process was complete, she definitely seemed to be riding a bit lower in the water, the waves lapping at her boots, but she still floated just fine after pushing off from the dock. She experimented with her cannon a bit, aiming at a nearby set of trees and making 'pshew' sounds, before nodding in satisfaction. "This is nice."

Umikaze didn't take to her equipment quite so easily, but with Hatsuharu's guidance, she managed to get it on without too much fuss - though she let out a rather loud yelp when the increase in weight suddenly took hold, and she too sunk an inch or so into the water. Where Nagatsuki's equipment favored a fairly small and minimalist approach, Umikaze's was the opposite; with a giant smokestack twice as thick as her own body strapped in back. She had two racks of four torpedo tubes, one affixed to a thick band around her left thigh, and the other attached to her smokestack/backpack via a metal armature on her right. In her left hand she carried a 12-centimeter gun turret similar to Nagatsuki's, but with the added benefit of bearing two barrels rather than one.

As Hatsuharu approached Fubuki, the newer destroyer noticed something rather curious; floating above her teacher's head was a strange piece of machinery, shaped like a flat metal V. Orange lights glowed dimly from the sides, but otherwise it was fairly featureless. Fubuki stared at it all the same, mesmerized as it bobbed up and down and turned this way and that, ever-so-slightly out of synch with her head motions.

"We implore thee, take a photograph. It will offer a longer-term satisfaction."

"Huh?" Fubuki blinked, returning to reality. Hatsuharu was grinning at her with an expression that could only be described as 'cattish', while holding a paper fan to her chin and striking a vaguely sensual pose. "I… I wasn't! I mean, I-" She could feel her face reddening.

"Relax, for it was but a harmless jest. We see thou have noticed Our Radar." The grin never left her face, but her expression grew somewhat softer.

"Oh, is that what it is?" Fubuki said faintly, still fighting to keep her blush down. At least the other destroyer had dropped the pose.

"Quite. We do suppose it can be rather strange for a newcomer, but it is a quirk of Our Design Fairy to push the limits of what constitutes a ship." Fubuki blinked uncomprehendingly, and Hatsuharu lightly smacked herself in the forehead. "Never mind that; for the focus of our discussion today should not be on Our own equipment, but rather thine instead."

Fubuki's rigging, waiting on the dock beside her, seemed to take the middle ground between Nagatsuki and Umikaze's equipment, with a moderately-sized smokestack framed on either side by curved metal exhausts. There was just enough room for a tall tripod mast between that setup and the backpack-like straps. "Let us begin with that. We noticed thine watchful gaze, so We are sure thou art prepared, but allow Us to assist." Hatsuharu lifted the boiler, supporting and keeping it in position while Fubuki looped her arms through. "Next, thine legs. We fasten the straps like this; be certain they are tight enough not to slip." In addition to the main piece, she had a pair of torpedo tube racks, three to each side, that were mounted on her thighs, and a rather boxy yet small handheld turret with her own pair of 12.7-cm guns.

She reached forward, wrapping her fingers around the padded handle… and instantly dropped the turret with a yelp, as a sharp itching sensation spread across her back. It instantly died away, but left her staring at the turret (which has now embedded barrels-first halfway through the wooden dock) as she struggled to calm her racing heart. Was that supposed to happen?

"Ah, Our apologies." Hatsuharu gave a surprisingly sheepish smile. "We forgot to mention the other side-effect of wearing one's rigging; the armoring process. It will feel strange the first time, but after that it's far less noticeable, and thy compatriots said nothing of the matter, so it had slipped Our mind. We are truly sorry."

Fubuki grabbed the turret's handle again, this time waiting with discomfort as the itching sensation rippled outward across her back, coming around to meet in front, and spreading down to the tip of her limbs before disappearing. Only then did Fubuki wrench the turret back out of the dock, it coming free far more easily than she expected.

"In addition to the physical armor of thy rigging, wearing it grants an additional Protection to thine own self, equivalent to the armor thou possessed in thy prior life. Mind thine attitude, however; it does not grant invincibility." After a moment, the teacher relaxed her gaze, and gestured out toward the lake, where Nagatsuki and Umikaze were already steaming away. "Wait with them. We shall be joining thee shortly, and begin practice."

"Hai!" Fubuki nodded resolutely. As Hatsuharu moved on to Asakaze, she pushed off from the dock to follow the other pair of destroyers. The next moment, she felt the world suddenly lurch beneath her, and heard a dull thud as the back of her head rebounded on something.

---

"Are you alright?"

"I think she's waking up. Give her some space."

When Fubuki came to, it was to several concerned faces peering down at her. Her vision blurred and sharpened, fading in and out, but finally the confusing mess of visages coalesced into three; Akashi, Kashima, and Hatsuharu. She could vaguely make out Aoba and Fusou hovering beyond in concern, but she didn't have much time to dwell on that before Akashi held up a peace sign, voice tight with worry. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"T-two?" Fubuki blinked. Wasn't that a bit stereotypical?

"Alright, vision's good, and likely hearing as well. Do you have a headache?"

Now that she thought about it, her head did seem to be throbbing somewhat, not enough to be outright painful, but certainly uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah, a little bit."

"Please let me know if it gets any worse, okay?" Akashi asked. "Otherwise you don't seem to be suffering any immediate symptoms that might point to longer-term effects from the concussion; you should hopefully be fine."

"What happened?" Fubuki asked. "Last thing I remember I was going out to-"

"Yeah, that was about three minutes ago," Kashima interrupted, though not unkindly, and moved aside to let the destroyer see that they were still at the lake; she was lying face-up on the dock. "You fell over backwards, dropped your turret, and hit your head on your smokestack. Are you okay?"

"I guess, yeah." Aside from my injured pride. "I'll be fine, can I keep going?"

Akashi cast her an uncertain glance, but quickly relented. "If you're fine getting up, then yeah. Here, grab my hand."

With the repair ship's assistance, sitting up wasn't too difficult. Standing, however, quickly proved problematic as the world began to spin strangely in the corners of her vision, and the bruise on the back of her head pulsed painfully. She staggered and stumbled before being caught by someone, and Akashi pursed her lips. "Alright, that's not a good sign. Sorry, but I think you're going to have to sit this one out, until we know if the concussion is serious or not. How's your head?"

"It hurts when I move," Fubuki reluctantly admitted, mentally cursing her rebellious body.

"Alright, then it's probably best to get some rest, try and sleep it off. If you still have a headache later… well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Here, I'll take you back up. Kashima, will you be able to keep an eye on things here?"

Shioi approached, holding Fubuki's dripping wet turret out to her shyly, avoiding eye contact. "Thank you," the destroyer muttered as she took it, and Shioi winced before turning away. Clutching the piece of machinery tight in both hands, she barely noticed as Akashi's arm draped over her shoulders, herding her back up the slope toward the camp, too embroiled in her own thoughts. Humiliation over this incident happening on the very first attempt, resentment that it would keep her away from learning for at least a day, possibly longer. The grey, heavy atmosphere suddenly seemed much more befitting of her current mood than before.

"Alright, here we go." With a start, she realized they were in the upstairs hallway already, standing outside her room. "Just try to get some rest, okay?" Akashi gave an encouraging smile, "With any luck, you'll be okay enough tomorrow. Just think of this as a minor setback; everything will be fine in the long run."

Fubuki nodded wordlessly, meandering over to her bed and slumping her way under the covers, only just realizing how exhausted she felt. Her eyelids closed seemingly of their own accord; the last thing she saw was Akashi still in the doorway, watching her with worry.

***

The good news was that Fubuki did indeed feel better the next morning, enough that after a rather overly thorough examination and round of questioning, Akashi concluded that the concussion wouldn't have any long-term impact, and declared her fit to continue practice.

The bad news was that the exact same thing happened again; the moment Fubuki let go of the dock and attempted to set out in her full rigging, she found herself falling backwards. This time she held on tight to the turret, so her head rebounding on the smokestack simply produced a loud crack without any actual pain or damage, (which was discomfiting in its own right) but it was clear there was something wrong.

And so began a quick series of experiments - wearing only her keelshoes, she was able to keep her balance perfectly. Same with just the torpedoes without the turret or backpack, and with the backpack without the torpedoes or turret, and with the turret without the other two items. But in her full regalia, she unbalanced almost instantly every time. She could see the other girls had stopped their own training to watch from a distance, much to her own shame and the displeasure of the teachers.

In the end, she found herself at the pool by the firing range, while Kashima looked on apprehensively. "If we can find out the root of these balance issues we can fix it, but for now it's best if we keep trying up here. The water's smoother, and at the very least it'll be less embarrassing this way."

Fubuki nodded, and once more attempted to step onto the water. The first foot slipped forward a bit, but she was able to hold herself in place. The trouble was with the other foot; the moment she lifted it she began falling over backwards. Keeping a tight grip on her equipment, she endured the increasingly-familiar sensation of the world spinning away from her and ensuing impact, all the more grateful for the Protection the armor granted as her smokestack collided with hard concrete.

After a few more tries with similar results, Kashima was looking like she had to tell Fubuki someone had died, and even the destroyer was just about ready to consider giving up. "I… I don't know what to tell you. I hope Akashi will find some way to fix this, but until then… I don't think anything's going to change, no matter how many times you try."

Fubuki stood there in silence, looking down at the shifting patterns of light cast on the pool's bottom by the once-more sunny sky. "Yeah," she finally begrudgingly admitted. "Yeah, you're probably right. I should just stop wasting your time." With that, she set her turret down on the ground and began unstrapping her torpedo tubes while Kashima looked on helplessly. Once everything was removed and gently set in a row on the concrete, she simply began walking away, half-expecting the training cruiser to ask her to come back. No such thing happened, though, and the destroyer stewed in her roiling misery as her feet carried her down the road to the lake.

It wasn't until she was almost at the bottom that she realized where she was, and that she wasn't in the mood to be seen by anyone right now. Darting to the side of the road and then off of it, she slipped between the densely-packed tree trunks until she was sure she couldn't be seen from the road. Creeping closer to the shore, she finally found a spot that allowed her to look out over most of the lake, yet was fairly certain concealed her from those on it, and took a seat to watch the others train with ill-disguised envy. They skated across the water so effortlessly now, Akitsushima even able to toss her big plane forth into the air without missing a beat of her footwork.

She watched until the sun fell and everyone left, back up to the camp for dinner. Her stomach rumbled, but she didn't move yet, sitting and looking out over the serene lake. Envy had passed, giving way to melancholia, as her mind spun in circles between grasping for possible solutions and overwhelming hopelessness. That too faded in time, leaving her numb and detached. Only then did she rise, stumbling back through the now-dark forest and making her way back up the hill.

Her stomach growled again as she stepped through the front door, and with the common room and dining area deserted, she made her way into the kitchen to root around for refueling.

She was arm-deep in a cupboard when the front door opened and closed again. Acting on impulse, the destroyer ducked behind the counter, pressing herself against the drawers and ignoring the handles digging into her back, hoping the other intruder wouldn't come this way.

"Maybe she went to bed." Akashi mused aloud. The sound of footsteps across carpet, then the creaking of an armchair as the repair ship settled down. All was silent for some time, and Fubuki began half-wondering if she'd missed the repair ship leaving and if she could move again, but then a loud ringing sound filled the room, making her jump in surprise.

"Sir, Ma'am." Akashi said, and Fubuki felt her heart speed up. "Any updates from your end?"

The answering voice, male, was quieter, yet still clearly audible in the deathly silence of the room. "The princess is holding territory. We've managed to find a few new chambers, but going by the charts, we're still nowhere near the island. Admittedly, we've been taking it cautiously, given the lack of expansion… so far, anyway."

Another voice, feminine yet curt, took over here. "And how's your little situation? Any sign of improvement?"

Akashi sighed wearily. "Well, she recovered from her fall yesterday, but it looks like there's something else wrong; she keeps falling over every time she's wearing her rigging in full. I looked at the rigging itself a bit ago, but I don't think the problem is in the design. Besides, cases like Tatsuta and Tenryuu's rigging blatantly disregard gravity, yet they can sail just fine, so…"

"The problem is with the ship herself?" The first voice guessed. Fubuki curled up on herself.

"Well, yes and no. I don't think she's necessarily doing anything wrong, but I suspect it has to do with her history. Fubuki was an experimental new design, and was initially rather top-heavy and kept keeling over. It was fixed in time, and the changes applied to her sisters before they launched, but I suspect that that may be responsible for what we're seeing here, something with the spiritual side of the equation."

"Then is there a way to fix this?"

"I talked to the design fairies. Changing the design too extensively as is would make it no longer be Fubuki's, undermining synch to the point she'd no longer gain Protection, or even be able to float properly… and it wouldn't help fix the base problem anyways. It looks like the only way to resolve these balance issues would be... remodeling."

"But we already have a policy in place for that. Given the expense and danger of such an operation, we can't do that until she's shown exemplary performance in combat," the female voice pointed out.

"Exactly," Akashi sighed again, "and without the remodel, she may be severely hindered - at best. It's a catch-22, unless some other work-around can be found."

"And there's the issue of the camp. In less than a week, all the girls will be sent to their respective naval bases. If she's not ready by them… Much as I hate to say it, we can't keep the place staffed for another two weeks for just one ship." The male voice added.

"So even if she's underprepared, she's going to have to be sent somewhere."

"Or her equipment scrapped and she's sent into civilian life." The female voice said bluntly. Fubuki curled up even tighter. "It may not be ideal, but it can't be worse than throwing her on the front lines and expecting the Abyssals to give her special treatment."

"Maybe we can send her to Maizuru?" Akashi suggested. "It would be the least-demanding environment that would still allow for potential improvement, if we can find some way to work with this."

"Maybe," the female voice said, "But while Maizuru is the least demanding, from what Nishi has told me, the Abyssals are still far from easy to deal with there, and their smaller numbers don't help. I can't take her either. I'm not heartless, but I have to be practical here; with the present situation, I can't afford to take on a ship who can't even sail properly."

Fubuki realized she was crying, cheeks wet with tears. She wanted to just cover her ears and shut out the conversation. A ship who can't even sail properly, the words seemed to echo in her head.

Then the male voice spoke up. "Maybe I can. The present incident is causing some strain, yes, but with the numbers at Yokosuka… if she does show some sign of improvement, even just a little, I think I can afford to have her here, without sortieing at first, until she's combat ready. Plus, I'm sure she would be better able to find a suitable teacher here than anywhere else; at least some of my girls may know what to do."

The female voice grumbled something about too soft and rub it in why don't you, but louder, she added, "Maybe that's the best way, then. Poor girl; for what it's worth, I hope this works for her."

"Alright, then, it's settled; Fubuki will go to Yokosuka, as long as we know there's some way around this balance issue." Akashi stated. "I'll contact you in a couple of days to let you know how that goes, and so you two and Vice-Admiral Nishi can argue over the other nine." She laughed at this, followed by a loud hanging-up sound.

"Well, I'll let her know tomorrow morning. Must be feeling awful right now, but I'm sure there's some way to fix this.

"There has to be."

***

The late morning saw Fubuki at the pool again, strapping on her rigging with a determined grimace. Kashima once more looked on with a mixture of pity and worry. The water sparkled in the sunlight, ready and inviting. It was time.

This time facing away, Fubuki stepped onto the water, first one foot, and then the oth-

And then she fell backwards again, splashing down spectacularly and quickly beginning to sink. Kashima was there, grabbing her and pulling her up, only for the both of them to go toppling over the other way.

The only upside, Fubuki thought to herself with a mix of resignation and bemusement, was that it was a soft landing this time. Kashima's bright-red blush said the training cruiser wasn't quite as thrilled with this positioning. "P-p-please get off me!"

"Right, sorry." Fubuki apologised as she pulled her dripping self up onto the concrete. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I will be. Um. Are you going to try again?"

"Yes." And she did. Again and again and again.

---

Fubuki slowly trudged into her room, half-heartedly closing the door behind her before slumping against the wall. Standing was too much for her tired and wobbly legs, and so she slid down and curled up until her face was resting comfortably in her knees. "Where did I go wrong?"

It was evening now. She'd spent all morning and half of the afternoon trying to find her balance, but it ended the same way every time, aside from the incident with Kashima's cleavage. By noon the repeated falls had become more annoying and frustrating than anything, and by midafternoon the realization of such had sent her back into depression. Though the conversation between Akashi and the vice-admirals the previous night had boosted her determination to succeed, it was starting to really feel like she would be sent into civilian life rather than to Yokosuka, after all.

She'd gone down to the lake to watch the others train some more, but this time left before they did. And now here she was, folded into a little shipgirl bundle at the foot of her door, just as helpless and lacking answers as before.

Maybe she was approaching this the wrong way.

Maybe she wasn't meant to be a shipgirl.

Maybe she wasn't meant to be on the ocean, or to help fight off the Abyssal menace.

She could learn how to be a civilian. What did they even do? Civilian stuff. Whatever that was. So she should learn that, first of all.

Fubuki slowly rose from her position on the floor, opening her door again and shuffling out into the hallway, and then down the stairs.

Across the hall from the little classroom, there was an equally small library, and this was Fubuki's destination. She'd been in here a few times before; while it mainly contained books on navy doctrine and the world's history since the war ended, she was sure she could find something in the miscellaneous section that may aid her in being the best civilian she could be. No matter how unappealing it sounded.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice someone was already inside the library, until she bumped into them headfirst. "Oh, sorry!" She cried, jumping back and saluting. "I didn't… see you."

The other woman was tall. Admittedly, Fubuki knew she herself was rather short by most standards, but regardless this stranger, two heads more at least, seemed to tower over her. The destroyer took another unconscious step backward as the stranger turned around to face her, but there was no malice in the woman's expression. Confusion, if anything. "Oh, hello. I'm sorry, if I was in your way."

She had long brown hair and golden eyes, and wore a white and red outfit for traditional archery that complimented her slender yet curvy figure quite well. Her expression was open and kind, though there was something about her eyes that Fubuki found slightly off-putting. Regardless, she seemed nice enough, and so the destroyer gave a quick bow. "It's my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going." She looked familiar for some reason, and Fubuki struggled to identify her. She was clearly a shipgirl, but definitely not one of the others she had been summoned with. Then that meant she was one of the teachers… not a Battleship, so… perhaps a Heavy Cruiser or Carrier?

"Well, it would seem we're both to blame, then," the woman chuckled. "Forgive me, but I don't remember your name."

"Oh! Oh, um, I'm Fubuki." Fubuki said. "It's a pleasure to meet you…"

"Akagi." The woman answered, taking on an indecipherable expression. Meanwhile, Fubuki's eyes widened in recognition; this was Akagi, the powerful fleet carrier? She wasn't nearly as… scary… as expected, not that that was a bad thing. "It's nice to meet you, too, Fubuki. I am kind of curious, though…" Here it was, she was going to ask why she hadn't seen her at the lake. Fubuki braced herself for the question… "Why aren't you at dinner with the others? Everyone's eating right now."

Fubuki blinked. "Oh, I… I don't feel hungry," she said, truthfully, only for her stomach to growl a moment later. Nobody asked your opinion, she mentally groused at the rebellious organ. "Besides, what about you?"

Akagi blushed in embarrassment at that. "Well, you see, Akashi doesn't let me eat until everyone else has. I tend to… consume a lot of resources, you could say, so she wants to make sure everyone gets enough first."

"Ah, that makes sense." Fubuki agreed awkwardly. The silence stretched out for several moments, the two avoiding eye contact. "Well, I suppose I should go-"

"Well, I should get out of your-" Akagi said at the same time. The two giggled uncertainly. "So what brings you in here, anyway? Just curious."

The mood suddenly fell as Fubuki remembered her purpose here, and the almost mechanically helpless state of mind she'd been in. "Oh. I… I was going to try to learn how to be a civilian."

"How come?" Akagi asked, furrowing her brow in genuine bewilderment.

"Because I don't think I'll be able to be a shipgirl. I… I don't know if you saw, the other day, but whenever I'm wearing my rigging, I can't stay upright, I keep falling on my back. Akashi thinks it's because I was too top-heavy… before. I can't sail now, let alone fight. I'm useless." She was looking down at her feet now, unable to meet the famous carrier's eyes, afraid what her reaction may be.

Slowly, a pair of arms wrapped around Fubuki's shoulders, pulling her in until the destroyer's head rested against Akagi's muneate. The black leather was cool, the strong-yet-gentle arms were warm, and the embrace was oddly reassuring.

There was a chair in the corner of the room, which the carrier indicated Fubuki take a seat in, while Akagi herself leaned against the windowsill, looking out at the forest. The trees were beginning to turn orange and yellow and red, creating a gorgeous sea of autumn on the rolling hills, only intensified by the fiery glow of the setting sun. Akagi stared out across the scene, silent, and Fubuki began to fear she may have forgotten her presence entirely.

"Everybody… everybody has limitations. Personality traits, physical weaknesses… regrets." Her expression flickered, so briefly that Fubuki wondered if she'd just imagined it, but Akagi pressed on. "Nobody is perfect. We all have something about ourselves that holds us back, and especially so for we spirits of warships. But we are also human. And to be human is to strive against our flaws, our weaknesses, our pasts… to change, to grow, to atone. We all can move past those limitations, if we are determined enough. Some problems can only be faced head-on, some need to be dealt with with a little bit of cleverness, but we cannot give up, and we cannot run away. That's what I believe."

Turning now to Fubuki, she continued. "I think you can be the sailor you want to be… you just need to look at it from a different angle, think about it differently. If the problem is being top-heavy when you stand, perhaps you can change your stance. And I… well, I have my own problems, believe it or not. But I believe you can do this. It may seem hard, but if you do your best, you will succeed."

Time seemed to slow. In that moment, with the fading glow of the sun streaming in through the window to highlight her features, framed by the falling autumn leaves outside, Fubuki looked at Akagi and found her beautiful. She saw wisdom and pain and grace and humor in that golden gaze, and she decided that she didn't want to let down someone so wonderful, and that she couldn't refute that confidence in her. Even if the destroyer felt hopeless now, there was someone who really believed in her, and for now, perhaps that was enough.

"Thank you, I… I will. Thank you for believing in me…" She was standing up, she realized, drawing closer. They were looking at each other, something magical in the moment.

And then both of their stomachs growled. The two stared at each other, attempting to keep a straight face, until all at once the dam broke. They burst into embarrassed laughter, Fubuki almost doubling over with mirth.

"So, do you want to go see if there's anything left to eat?" Akagi asked. "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry."

---

Out in the common room, Akashi watched as the destroyer and the carrier came down the hall and began rooting around in the kitchen, talking and laughing lightly. "Can you tell me what it's like to sortie?"

Silent and unnoticed, the repair ship grinned to herself. You'll do fine.

---

End Of Act 0
An unpredictable variable enters the fray, even as a trap is laid. Fate is still on your side...

 

[ColdGoldLazarus]

Beginning Of Act 1
A Blizzard In Yokosuka
(Or, 'Fubuki And The Quest For Basic Competence')

This Act Is About Improvement.