scarletmorning: (Geoffrey is an office dork)
[personal profile] scarletmorning
Womenfolk on ships: Women were allowed to become sailors; Fire Emblem allows women to become soldiers so why should I change that. It's more interesting that way. And yet, most of the sailors are men. Becoming a sailor was just a very shitty job. The work was hard, physically extremely taxing, the pay was (in comparison to all the work) also shitty and the chance that you lose a limb or die due to nasty illnesses was quite high. Women often could do better on land. Men, partly, as well, but for both sexes the family background decided what kind of jobs they could do. For men from a good background becoming a sailor was more a prestige thing; you go to sea for a few years and leave when you're a commander. They raise in the ranks more quickly (after 2 years of serving as a normal soldier they could be promoted). Men from a poor background in contrast mostly choose to become sailors if they found nothing better (or if they really like to go to sea and fight for Great Justice). The job was shitty but it was still a hundred times better than living on the street with no roof over their heads.  Also, they needed to serve for at least 4 years before they could get promoted and even then that may not happen because all the "gentleman sons" have already taken all officer posts. Back to the women; in general the rules are the same for them, but if you have an mysogynistic asshole as a captain, then your only hope is to transfer to another ship if you want to become an officer before your 30th birthday. The pay is the same as well.

On that note; you have to be at least 16 to get hired. Mostly people from poor backgrounds apply at that age, because they finish school in the same year. People from a better background have school until the age of 18 (then they can also go to uni, but it is rare that someone with university degree becomes soldier; there are FAR better jobs for them).

The treatment of women on board mostly depends on the individual they interact with, but the general tone is "we accept you, we don't think you're as capable as we, prove yourself". On good ships there is no (open) hostility, because the captain makes and enforces the rules and besides, the sailors normally have better things to do than molesting/harassing the female sailors. Also, sexual harassment is punishable, but the type of punishment itself is not fixed and always up to the captain. The sleeping arrangements officially are that males and females are separate, which means every group should have its corner. In reality that is not really doable and the only thing they do is avoiding to sleep too close together.

Also, additionally to that I finally know how I can include Aileen in the marine. As you maybe already noticed I let facts about the British Navy and their rules flow into my own rules and system. I will also adopt the situation that sailors that lose a limb during their service get nothing when they resign because of that (no compensation: they would have to beg on the street and stuff). Aileen as the overly compassionate person she is cannot stand that and has created a society that takes care of those invalids for the first months/year and helps them to adjust. She herself acts mostly as a doctor and helps the patients directly, someone else takes care of the paperwork. But she also organizes things and when she follows Hayden into country XYZ she continues her work over there.

Now for something a bit different:

I really need a govenor for the island Hayden arrives on (and lives on, or rather where Aileen then lives). But there is no Magvel character that would fit there, methinks. I would have to work with OCs as well. He needs to be strict; he has the island he rules directly in control. In contrast to other towns and islands, this one is extremely safe (which is extremely relative; they find corpses everyday, but the count is much lower than on other islands). He is powerful on his island. However, the pirates prove to be stubborn and the navy soldiers he has are.... not the best, hence why Hayden comes. The govenor is humorless, a srs bsns person and has to be at least as old, but better older, than Hayden. He is intelligent, though not in the sense of book-smart but "I have life experience and am a bright person" smart. If you know what I mean. Hnnn, I don't think that anyone on Magvel fits the personality (it can still be changed but in general that is the direction I wanna take it)

ALSO, my last point. I definitely have to include a hanging. Probably in the beginning to set the tone. My pirates are criminals and they get hanged without a trial (at least on that island because the govenor says so. If they are caught on a pirates ship, they are pirates, is his stance). That'll be fun.

Fffffffffffffffff, I still have more so another post will come later.
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