Zhenshiwa wrote:Name: Kashiwa Fuyutsuki
Sex: Female
Age: 37
Titles: Her Imperial Majesty Kashiwa Oboro Fuyutsuki, Empress of All the Zhenshiwanese Peoples
Nation: The Empire of Zhenshiwa
Appearance:
Bio: Empress Kashiwa Fuyutsuki holds considerable power over the Zhenshiwanese Empire, and is the youngest Empress in the country's history. In addition to running the country, she also serves as the Chief Arbiter within the Imperial Ministry of Justice.
The Empress has made some controversial decisions, the most outlandish of which being the formation of the 'National Council', which reduced much of the powers once held exclusively held by the Empress. She has made it her stated goal to initiate a period of 'Modest Democratization', which has ruffled feathers among political elites, whilst endearing her to the masses. These attempts at bridging the divide between the governors and the governed has lead to some mild problems in that decisions she would previously have been able to make without hesitation now must be deliberated on within the National Council.
A recent push to increase funding the Imperial Ministry of Defense met with resistance as it would have taken funding away from public education, and ultimately only passed after a week of deliberation. This has lead some to speculate that the Empress' well intentioned push for Democracy may, in fact, only bring about more bureaucracy than was previously present. Empress Kashiwa Fuyutsuki is known for her generosity and fair handedness, donating vast sums of her personal fortune to struggling charities or underfunded government projects.
Her latest initiative is to end the near century's long policy of 'Global Separatism', which has seen the shores of the Home Island of Josai patrolled by the Imperial Navy, neither allowing vessels to enter or leave the Island's immediate vicinity. While this policy has helped Zhenshiwa to defend itself from the risk of foreign interference or the spread of dangerous diseases, it has also gradually allowed the Imperial economy to atrophy. The Empress' Global Interaction initiative is aimed at opening the country before this 'atrophy' reaches a point of crisis... Her visit to this wedding is one more step in normalizing the outside world to the Zhenshiwanese populace, and Zhenshiwa to the world.
Theme: While the Empire of Zhenshiwa was originally conceived as an FT nation, it's lore can easily be modified to work within a Fantasy setting... Essentially, if the cultures of Asia and Russia (or their fantasy equivalents) were killed off by a plague and the survivors decided to live on an island somewhere in the Pacific (or the fantasy equivelant there of), ever distrustful of the outside world. Like Japan before Comodore Perry 'paid them a visit'. However, in this case, the Empress is seeking to end the isolation.
Name: Kashiwa Shikinami
Sex: Female
Age: 19
Titles: Heir to the Throne and Future Ruler of All the Zhenshiwanese, among the common folk she is known as the 'Unyielding Maiden'
Nation: The Empire of Zhenshiwa
Appearance:
Bio: As heir to the throne, much of Shikinami's life has been spent preparing for the role of Empress. Unlike her mother, Shikinami views the Empire's future in the form of expansion rather than coexistence. Recently she has also raised concerns by enlisting in the Imperial Zhenshiwanese Navy, which has brought scrutiny from the public. Empress Fuyutsuki has, regardless of scrutiny, stood behind her daughter's decision. The two are incredibly close.
While she has yet to take power, the Crown Princess has made clear several of her positions following her ascent to the throne. Her mother's goal of installing a limited democratic system has lead to some concern that the system could be easily manipulated. As such, Shikinami has stated a desire to introduce stronger punishments for those caught 'betraying the public trust'.
On matters of defense, Shikinami is firmly in the corner of expanding the Imperial Armed Forces to cope with external threats. It is also her stated goal to expand the Empire's influence beyond the reaches of the shores of the Isle of Josai. Her recent brush with pirates on the High Seas has only further entrenched in her mind, as well as the public's, that the outside world is not one that can be peacefully coexisted with for long. Her mother is 'encouraging' her to accompany her to the wedding as a means of showing that the outside world can, in fact, be coexisted with... Whether Shikinami believes that to be the case, however, remains undecided.
Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:12 am
