ship mingle: february is for starstruckers.

[mucked]

Who: Crew of the Starstruck
Broadcast: N/A
Action: Y, aboard the ship
When: All month

[ welcome to february. y'all know the drill. ]

Comments

[shamisens]

[ A war. Kubo's father was a samurai. Most likely he fought in a few wars. He had an army of his own, after all. ]

What were you fighting for?

[mucked]

-- See, that's a funny little question. The war was so big and involved so many people that the reason depends an awful lot on who you ask.

[ though her mood is stabilizing. neither bad nor good. ]

In a very real sense, it was a war against bullies. [ she's always appreciated the way steve phrases it, though she's only read it in erskine's files. ]

[shamisens]

[ Kubo's expression is faintly disbelieving. A war against bullies seems a bit much, but he also knows that he's been given the basic gist. It's not an easy topic to condense and he's not from that world either.

Kubo is not pacifistic either. Not too long ago, he was ready to kill his grandfather. ]

I don't think it's a funny question. War is complicated. If it was easy, then there wouldn't be a war at all.

[mucked]

Well said. [ a soft hum. ] The war I'm describing? They've taken to calling it a world war. It wasn't one nation against another, but many nations against many other nations. The fight spanned continents.

[shamisens]

So . . . everyone was fighting?

[mucked]

Not everyone. But a whole bloody lot of them.

[shamisens]

It must be hard for the people who don't want to be involved.

[mucked]

Yes, well -- so many able bodies were needed for the fighting, Kubo, that they began to conscript them. [ ... ] Are you familiar with conscription?

[shamisens]

Noo?

. . . Should I be?

[mucked]

Heavens, I think not. [ she considers it a good thing that he isn't. ] But it's when a nation forces its citizens to join up in order to fight a war -- because they can't rely on volunteers any longer.

[shamisens]

I don't think anything is going to happen on my world. It's too . . . big. Vast.

[ He pauses because Kubo knows he's not explaining himself well. ]

We have an emperor but I doubt anyone would want to conquer what we have.

[mucked]

[ she's about to say that she hopes it's true, except -- ]

What sort of emperor is he?

[shamisens]

[ Kubo shrugs. He has no idea. ]

We just sort of know he's there. It's a large land, with mysteries and magic. I doubt even he knows the full reach of it.

[mucked]

Sounds challenging on all counts.

[shamisens]

For him, probably. The rest of us just . . . live our normal lives.

[mucked]

And what exists beyond his borders? Anything?

[shamisens]

[ He blinks, ruminating on it. ]

I . . . have no idea.

[mucked]

[ that's troubling, but she tries not to let it show. ]

Must be a very vast land, indeed.

[shamisens]

It's a strange land, with many unusual places. The world is always changing and magic changes with it.

But it's not always like that. People get by without ever seeing magic at all.

[mucked]

Have you?

[ seen magic. ]

[shamisens]

[ Kubo blinks before remembering that Peggy hasn't seen him at work. ]

Uh, yeah. I have magic on my mother's side.

[mucked]

...You make it sound hereditary.

[shamisens]

[ He rubs the back of his neck, reluctant. ]

I think it might be. I don't know any other people with magic except for some people in my family.

[mucked]

Something like that -- goodness, it must feel like a burden. At times.

[ she says it expecting a protest. a deflection. ]

[shamisens]

[ That's a strange thing to say and Kubo's eyebrows cross together. ]

No. Why would it be?