分类： 前线来信·Mail call

前线来信·Mail call, 美舰本·Pacific

[Mail Call] 2017/11/10 – Morgane’s Fireside Chat #9

by Morgane 2017年11月10日

Or what should probably be titled: design process of paper shipgirls. I’ve been pretty busy, so this’ll be split into multiple parts.

One of Sima’s first shipgirl designs came out about a year and a half ago. She happens to be Zao. How did she come about?

Well, what I can tell you is that it’s only partly due to WOWS. Just like how November decided to embark on Pacific because he couldn’t LSC Taihou after 19 tries, Sima was actually kind of interested in designing his own shipgirls. At the time, we had him working on Pacific’s Abyssals. However, one day, the conversation went something like this.

“Morgane~”

“Yes?”

“Can I draw cute girls too? I’m tired of drawing sea monsters~”

“Okay. What’s the plan?”

So, I basically sent Sune off to the archives to look for designs. It turns out that the design had some basis in reality, but the actual source of WOWS came out of a magazine in the 1980s in Japan where the creator explicitly stated that it is based on his personal conjecture. As such, her equipment was actually the easiest part to settle on. We’ll simple take WOWS’ turret layout and her assorted elements.

Now, the harder part is actually solidifying the shipgirl design. Zao’s creation has a purpose. If you think of Pacific’s story as taking form in arcs, she’s actually the centerpiece in what we tentatively called the Penglai Islands storyline. Set sometime after the main (ordinary human) cast has assembled, it’s a short arc dealing mostly with the Sino-Japanese dispute of a magical island that’s suddenly sprung up in the middle of the Eastern China Sea.

As the first character of this particular arc, it’s also meant to introduce China into Pacific’s storyline. Now, given the unique situation that we were in, the storyline was more or less on hold (you can look at the calendar or go check out the news to think about what’s happened. Our printers being shenanigan’d also has something to do with it). However, now that things are looking up, it’s a tale that we’re interested in starting up again.

Thematically, we wanted to make sure we have the option of connecting her to our own Yamato alternative designs. We also wanted to make her sexy. We’ve got two women on the team, and while I’m completely fine with many forms of fanservice (I have 0 problems with handsome half-naked shipmen so why would I have problems with attractive shipgirls?) Sune is infinitely, infinitely more uh… to put it into her words, “Japanese” when it comes to things.

Basically, as she describes it herself, her job is to minimize the amount of clothing our designs end up with or maximize our characters’ sex appeal. I, along with more conservative elements of the team, tends to serve as a direct counterbalance.

That being said, I actually think this is completely fine. First of, if you think about it, shipgirls are basically traveling on water. Until STEC figures out a way to waterproof their clothing, it’s going to get awfully uncomfortable fast if you’re wearing pants. It’s why we have a running joke that shipgirls don’t have pants in Pacific for a different reason (though the trend was broken by New York almost a year later) than that one particular mecha girl show.

You’ll notice too that Zao’s colors are a bit off than what we would normally expect. That’s because Sune pulled out historical colors found in traditional Japanese art. Since Pacific shipgirls are symbolic of a particular nation and culture, it’s natural that we would take cues from what’s out there. Every color you find in Zao’s art (even in the original version, made more pronounced in the revised art which Sima will probably post later) comes from that.

The little knee and arm guards are decorative in nature. Same with the torii-gate inspired gata-like heels. The default shipgirl clothing in Pacific are more or less magical in nature. There is no actual defensive property associated with them beyond the typical shielding a shipgirl gets (though some shipgirls can and will get creative by focusing energy into different parts) and fairy-associated powers that tends to be shipgirl specific.

Put it all together, and she looks kind of ninja-ish, right? Well, that’s what we would go for. WOWS meta on the Chinese servers aside, we want to pick visual elements that make it immediately clear to the reader that this is a ________. Ninja or kimono or hikimayu are all visual elements that should immediately be discernible as something visually “Japanese.”

After all, given what we designed her for initially, it’s what we would want. Now, Zao does indeed earn much more of screen time than what we might expect. But that tends to happen with pretty much every shipgirl we work on.

前线来信·Mail call, 美舰本·Pacific

[Mail Call/Blog?] 2017/11/08 – Generic Controversial Question #1

by Morgane 2017年11月9日

Our site has been experiencing frequent outages in the last couple of days. So, instead of getting posts out regularly, we’ll try to figure out what’s wrong.

Since I haven’t actually posted mail calls in a while (I still on average a couple of questions from long to semi-long term readers at day in my inbox…), and today’s the election day’s anniversary, I figure I’ll probably answer some of the more loaded questions that I’ve gotten, just so you know where I stand.

As usual, these questions tend to represent how I think as a person. It does not in any way reflect upon the team’s viewpoints at large. In 2017 we’re still very diverse on every axis – a bit like the actual world of Pacific, heh.

Generally they tend to address some of our more partisan reader’s queries. Since it doesn’t fall under the typical Pacific design notes, it goes under mail call instead.

Why haven’t you made any more 2016-related posts?

I have. Just not here. Don’t think I’ve been sitting still in real life or in the virtual space. The internet offers a degree of anonymity that is tremendously valuable. It allows people to be judged solely on the merits of the argument.

Though, of course, some of our dual-language readers know exactly where to find me. However, that’s beside the point. 😉

Part of this is because there’s not much that needs to be said. I’m a Trump supporter. Still is. If anything I’ve only became more appreciative of how corrupt our government is. That alone is enough to get me banned on some parts of the internet and ostracized or worse at work. The woman card only goes so far as a saving throw, you know.

While politics and the ethical values that lies underneath play a big part in our daily lives, it’s really not quite the central piece of what we’re about. We’re really more on the “do” rather than “preach” side.

Part of this is because I work in a specific way. One year later after the election, I still read the assorted ultra-liberal press for my daily dose of news. The bias is becoming increasingly self-evident, and I believe – given that we are a democracy – that in the end we deserve the country that we get.

So if something as simple as Abe and Trump throwing fish bait can be twisted into an attack piece…

I’ve attached the original footage in gif form. Look at it and decide for yourself if he’s really so dumb as he can’t feed fish.

See. This is how I believe things should be done. You get the evidence for what it is. Obviously there will be biases and perspectives, but so long as you’re aware of the rationale and reasoning behind it, I believe you are more than capable of examining the evidence.

In other words, I am inherently wary of anyone telling you exactly what, when, and how to think. With graduation on the horizon, I don’t need that MD next to my name to tell you that it is far more effective for someone to reach a conclusion on their own based on what evidence is present. After all, we shouldn’t just walk up to a patient and tell them BECAUSE OF MY AUTHORITY you should believe in this diagnosis. Rather, the better way to do things is to explain, in as simple terms as possible, why the diagnosis occurs. Our credentials play a big part of it, sure. It’s what we’ve earned. However, the credentials come with an actual set of skills. To put it another way. I’m a doctor because I learned a set of skills in medical school. If need be, I can prove my credentials in a case of emergency. I am therefore a doctor not because of the letters by themselves, but the letters symbolize a set of things that I am qualified to do.

Here’s the kicker. I think pretty much anyone can do the things we do, so long as they’re willing to put time and effort into it. If even something as complex as medicine can be accomplished, I think the ballpark for journalists (just as an example) is even lower.

Does the journalist report the whole truth? That’s easy to find out. Head to your red and your blue sites and figure out which bits ended up getting omitted. If you can’t see it and decide for yourself (and I’ve also had this asked as a curious question – mostly from our East Asian readers), consider this.

What politics ultimately boils down to is a set of values. Anyone has the ability to formulate those. People just have to be asking themselves a lot of questions. Good ones to ask would be: who is he/she getting paid by? What is his/her personal opinion on a number of simple to measure yardstick issues? Given the culture of each publication, what is the overall atmosphere/tone of the publication? The Federalist is pretty different from say, FOX. CNN is pretty different from say, Bloomberg.

I follow contemporary events and politics because it’s my duty as an American citizen to be in the know. I think it was a great privilege to be able to document the election last year – you’ve got the entire 2016 timeline that Zero’s organized to see how I’ve reached where I am today.

In fact, for what sort of an America I want? You’ve got our circle’s track record that speaks for itself. You’ve got the values embedded in Pacific, which speaks for itself. You’ve got all my commentary over there on WW2, which speaks for itself.

But that’s me. That’s who I am. I’m not asking you to become me. Not asking you to have the same conclusions as me. I’m not going to go out of my way to make any further arguments on behalf of my “side.” I merely seek for my readers to understand what my “side” is.

Therein lies the third part.

I don’t need you to hear my “side” or my arguments from Morgane. The argument itself is sufficient and you can hear that from anyone.

Look at the strength of the argument and the quality of the argument, not the person. The truth speaks for itself. The messenger in this case doesn’t matter.

I hate internet celebritism with a passion you probably won’t believe. I hate the cults of personalities that inevitably springs up, and I hate how – in matters of things pertaining to moral or ethical value – people invoke personal authority or charisma. This personal attitude is actually reflected in how I do things.

Ever wonder why I don’t show my face on the internet? Why I don’t jump onto the e-celebrity “political commentary” bandwagon?

I play a ton of RTS and other grand strategy type games. You don’t think there’s a market for some kinda “gamer gurl” streaming type thing in Asia, which is a big part of our audience, much less the US here?

Why don’t I monetize Pacific and (in our perspective) beg for donations at every turn?

Because I want people to listen to my words, and not listen because I’m another generic pretty face.

Because that’s not how I do things. We, as a whole, believe in hard work and set out to prove it. These are things I work on out of love. We aren’t averse to monetary compensation, but if that’s what we’re after we’d have shuttered down and sold our stuff to the wandering Mobo gaming companies years ago.

Because I’m not after personal fame or internet points. Enterprise-chan is basically a bot that automatically mirrors our site updates. She occasionally tweets random cute stuff but that’s it. I value personal interactions where there could be meaningful interaction.

Because I want people to think for themselves. I still do, even in the current year. *laugh*

Lastly, it’s because of how we run things. I’ve said it before. The way we run things is really more like a really big house party. The site’s our house. The readers are our house guests. The contents you get – articles, art, etc – is our hospitality. Some days it’s a feast. Some days it’s what I scrounge up in the kitchen.

All of it is what we made. The art’s homegrown. The words are coming from straight from the heart. The books are assembly locally (I mean, a lot of the team are Chinese nations) and made with local ingredients.

We’re pretty comfy in terms of how we do things. Sure, the house is undergoing renovations and clean-ups right now, but if we’re happy with what we’re doing, why would we do things differently?

When I feel like I need to make a particularly pertinent point politically, I’ll do so. I’ll do it with personal honesty and rigor. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the ride. 🙂

前线来信·Mail call, 美舰本·Pacific

(Historical Inspirations) Prelude to Guadalcanal

by Morgane 2017年11月5日

Hi! Tautog here. Yes, Morgane’s actually put me in charge of the rest of the site, at least for the weekend while she’s busy taking a break from a lot of overtime at work.

Given it’s November, I thought I’d provide some historical context on how the battles at Guadalcanal took place. See! We talk a lot about how these were some of the most amazing and unusual naval battles during WW2, but I think we should understand just what was going on in the minds of our commanders (and the Japanese).

The general situation at Guadalcanal is not unfavorable.

Nimitz, Oct. 30th, 1942.

Let’s recap a bit about what has happened since. Coral Sea. Midway. Eastern Solomons. Santa Cruz. We’ve had four big carrier battles in a very short amount time, and we were beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. US fighter pilots were getting adept at fighting the Zero in the air. US CV officers were learning how best to control and direct their air groups. Fighter cover is improving. Aerial recon is improving. AA gunners were improving (the new AA guns do help!) and the general situation is doing better.

To put it simply, we’re learning. The Japanese were too, but they were less quick. While we did just lose the Hornet, Japan is stuck consolidating forces at Truk. Furthermore, they were unable to dislodge the marines fighting around Guadalcanal – the Savo Island victory, ironically, removed Japanese focus from their losses there. While official Japanese media was wildly enthusiastic (Santa Cruz was chalked up as “three US carriers and one battleship sunk,” haha) the actual military’s outlook was somewhat mixed despite the Emperor’s encouragement below.

The Combined Fleet is at present striking heavy blows at the enemy Fleet in the South Pacific Ocean. We are deeply gratified. I charge each of you to exert yourselves to the utmost in all things toward this critical turning point in the war.

On one hand, Nagumo and Kusaka estimated that a good number of carriers (Ugaki calculates 4, Nagumo is more conservative and assigned it 3) are sunk. Midway has been avenged! Tokyo has been avenged! (The Japanese were well aware that the Hornet would have made a fine prize) Tennou-heika-banzai!

On the other hand, Japan has once again stretched themselves dangerously thin. Post-war pro-navy anti-army narratives tend to pin the failure on the Imperial Army, who failed three times over the last month to retake Guadalcanal. However, it must be pointed out that the Emperor himself also had significant influence in the campaigns that followed. For instance, within the same dispatch as above, here is a second part.

Regarding the struggle for Guadalcanal. It is a place where a bitter fight is being waged between forces of Japan and the United States. It is an important base for the Imperial Navy and I hope that the island will be recovered by our forces as soon as possible.

Emphasis on “as soon as possible.” This demand was not at all unreasonable, as the Imperial Army has been bleeding men left and right. Implicitly, a huge amount of pressure was thusly placed on the navy to deliver greater and greater results. This is where the Imperial Navy starts to bleed as well. Japan has not been able to trade aircraft with the Americans very well. One 70 plus plane loss like the Eastern Solomons or Midway battle might be absorbable, but Santa Cruz brought another (some sources count up to 90, others at least 69) staggering loss to Japan’s naval air.

In other words, the writing was on the wall. The USN is starting to learn, as I’ve mentioned up there, and Japan’s losing far too many planes and pilots at this point. Something has to be done, and Japan decided to seize the initiative.

Thus, the better question to ask is why wouldn’t Japan risk a naval assault on US forces after Santa Cruz? There is no way Japan would not try to force a naval action to knock the US navy out of the game. They had to. The army was running out of supplies. The Americans were bringing more and more troops in by the day. GHQ counted on the American carriers being out of action – even if the carriers weren’t sunk, they surely could not stop the Japanese from advancing further. The IJN brought what transports they could spare, and sent a large convoy forward. In total, during the days before the actual battle, sixty-five destroyer loads of troops were dropped on the island.

To catch any American reinforcements off-guard, Yamamoto sent out a a raiding force. This is Hiroaki Abe’s group with two BBs, 1 CL, and 11 DDs. This force had a simple mission. Hit Henderson field. Neutralize it. Let the Imperial Army reinforce Guadalcanal.

Here’s where the plan went awry. Our submarines, twenty-four in all, saw them coming from a (few hundred) mile away.* What’s more, Halsey has already correctly deduced that the Japanese would try this move, and called in Kinkaid’s TF 16. Sure, Enterprise was still under repairs, but the battleships and the DDs on our side should be more than sufficient. After all, our goal is to destroy enemy naval units and interdict Japanese reinforcements.

Meanwhile, we’ve got our own transports on the way. The primary combatants of the 1st naval battle of Guadalcanal actually came from the escorting ships of two transport convoys. The first group, Admiral Scott’s Atlanta and her DD escorts, were escorting attack cargo ships. These, such as the USS Libra, were pretty heavily armed for transports and could provide some fire support if needed. The second group, Admiral Callaghan’s cruisers and destroyers, were escorting transports.

Imagine yourself in Callaghan’s shoes. You know that this was probably one of the most important sites of the entire Pacific War. You know, for a fact, that the Japanese were coming with battleships. On the 10th of November, your superior basically told you to expect a heavy Japanese attack coming your way.

Originally, if things went well, the transports would drop in quietly and leave as soon as possible. That didn’t happen, as the Japanese scouts were very good, forcing Callaghan to immediately unload. Submarine, aircraft, and other intelligence basically confirm the presence of Abe’s task force – the one with the two BB – coming this way. Furthermore, in the same day, carriers were also sighted.

The intent here is clear. The Japanese is going to attack the American transports and try to cut off supplies. If the transports are sunk, it’ll be a major blow to US forces. But the real prize is Henderson airfield, which the Japanese are almost certainly going for – especially with that large task force they’ve sent.

You have a couple of cruisers and a bunch of small ships.

There is literally nothing else. No reinforcements will be coming tonight. Meanwhile, you’re almost certain that they’re coming tonight.

So what do you do?

We’ll block’ em. Hard.

Puts Sanny’s profile quote in vol. 2 (“Yes, I know it’s suicide. But we’ve got to do it!”) in a new context, doesn’t it?

Callaghan was a good man. Quiet. Contemplative. He was well-liked by his crew (they affectionately called him Uncle Dan) and was known to be a capable officer. Almost everyone who knew him comments that his faith plays a big part in his actions and interactions, and he carries himself with a sort of dignity not unlike heroes like Hector or Roland or, you know, any number of personages from ancient epics.

This is not to say that he made no errors. Plenty of errors were made on both ends. Some were avoidable. Others weren’t. But, I think given what we know of him, it’s clear that Callaghan went in with the intent of completing his mission.

Now, close to a hundred years later, I think we can all proudly tell the admiral, mission accomplished.

*Morgane’s editorial comment: Tautog is obviously very pro-submarines. While it is true that submarine scouting provided significant intel, it really is a massive team effort, from our submarines to our airplane scouts to intelligence agents embedded in various Japanese bases to literal eyeballs. 🙂