An exclusive interview with Kuroihire Kasumi, shamisen extraordinaire!


[Are you a morning person or more of a night owl?]
"Night owl! All the best things happen at night, and nothing good ever happens in the morning! By the way, did you know sova are real? It's true. I wonder how many of them are morning people?"

[What’s the first thing you notice about a person when you meet them?]
"Next question!"

[You see a huge spider in your room. What do you do?]
"Grab something hard, and smash it into bug paste!!!"

[If you could go back and change one decision you made in the past, what would you change?]
"I wouldn't change anything. Wait! Maybe that's hasty... um, I would change the decision to say 'there's nothing I would change' about three seconds ago."

[Tell me about your first kiss.]
"I was sixteen, it was with my best friend at the time. It just sorta happened! It was a bit too wet and tasted like fishmeal pearls, 'cause we were eating them a few minutes ago. Were you expecting something more romantic?"

[Do you give people second chances?]
"Yes, probably even when I shouldn't. Oh well!"

[Are you a cat person or a dog person?]
"I've never had pets before. Animals run away from me or bite me. I like cats. There are a few known residents that sit around the Widpool harbor and beg for scraps. But they run away if you try to pat them."

[Do you think you’re attractive?]
"What do YOU think???"

[What’s your worst habit?]
"I dunno! If have a bad habit, I'm not aware of it."

[When was the last time you cried?]
"Last week! I ran out of snacks."

[Are you a good liar?]
"I'm lying about everything right now!"

[What’s your biggest pet peeve?]
"Dealing with people who are totally unreadable. Most people are pretty straightforward about who they are and what they want, and if they're not, well... usually there's some hint you can pick up on about what they really think... but some people are just supernaturally good at hiding it. It's impossible to know how to approach someone like that - they always have the upper hand.

Oh! Other things I hate are indoor toilets and chamberpots... that stuff belongs outside!"

[Have you ever had your heart broken?]
"Yes.

... Eh? Aren't you going to ask the next question?"

[Are you more likely to use your fists or your words in an argument?]
"Uh, duh! My words, obviously! Who goes around punching people they disagree with?? Well, I can't even throw a punch anyway."

[What’s something you’re naturally good at?]
"Breathing! Eating! Swimming! That's what you mean by naturally, right?"

[What’s something you had to work hard to be good at?]
"Playing stringed instruments. Everybody always acts like I climbed out the nursery basin holding a biwa, but I'm good 'cause I've been playing every day since I was really young."

[Can you tell when someone is flirting with you?]
"I think so! Sometimes it's really hard to tell. And you never want to get ahead of yourself and presume wrong, because then you look full of yourself."

[Do you think money can buy happiness?]
"It buys food, so it sure can!"

[Do you believe in destiny?]
"I have no choice but to believe in it."

[Are you a good cook?]
"Not really. I can make food for myself if I have to, but I'm not a master chef or anything like that. I'd rather buy food from someone who's mastered the art."

[What do you think happens after you die?]
"The Drowning Girl plucks your soul out of the material world and takes it to her realm. If you were good, you get a tranquil eternity with peaceful, egoless dreams. If you were bad, you get a neverending nightmare. What's it mean to be good or bad? I can't answer that, I'm not a religion person, but I'm pretty sure the Marchioness is going to have one doozy of a nightmare!"

[Did you have to grow up fast?]
"No! I didn't really have any hardships, so I got to take my time."

[Who do you look up to?]
"Govannon! Because he's really tall and always preventing me from dying.

As for my creative inspirations, Mingyr, the poet. Somehow, her poetry is extremely intimate, but also evades complete answers... it's personal, but also speaks to moods and feelings everyone can relate to."

[When you go to a tavern, what do you order?]
"Two ales! Just one isn't enough, it's always in a pair."

[What do you like most about yourself?]
"My ability to see the positive side of things, and make friends with people!"

[What do you like least about yourself?]
"Um, that's a much harder question. Maybe that I'm indecisive? In love, I mean. In other aspects, I tend to make up my mind."

[Do you want kids someday?]
"I don't know if it'll happen, but I would like them! I think I'd like two or three. I grew up alone and it was a bit boring sometimes."

[Are you a planner, or more spontaneous?]
"More spontaneous than planning, but both."

[Can you keep a secret?]
"When I hear something SUPER juicy, I totally have to tell somebody! Just one person's enough... so, hopefully whoever I told can keep a secret!"

[Do you like being the center of attention?]
"Yes! You should pay lots of attention to me! It would be hard to do what I do if I didn't like a lot of eyeballs on me all at once."

[If you knew you were going to die tomorrow, what would you do today?]
"Cry a lot and fail to do anything else, probably!"

[Do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?]
"I love any excuse to buy and show off new clothes! Most of what I own is made from watersilk because it's what I'm used to and it's cut for apkallu, but I'd love to try one of those Baltine-style dresses with the petticoat someday."

[Where do you feel safe?]
"Standing immediately behind someone like Countess or Kasimir!"

[Do you love or hate being alone?]
"I love it! Who doesn't need some alone time? I need to be on my own to write new stuff and focus on my music."

[Do you admit to mistakes when you make them?]
"Yeah, I think you have to."

[Do you want to grow up to be like your parents?]
"No, I don't want to have a quiet small-town life fishing and making jewelry pieces. My mother's craft was passed down to her by her mother, and her mother before that, and so on. They work with very fine natural materials - mostly things like coral and mother of pearl - to make fancy pieces loved by noble-types. Not really my thing. Sorry, mom!"

[How do you deal with being sick? Are you stoic, or super whiny?]
"Super, super, SUPER whiny! I can't be tough about it at all! Thankfully I'm pretty healthy. I actually can't remember the last time I got sick."

[What did your parents expect from you when you were born?]
"When I was born?! I'unno, probably that I could like... swim around and eat and not die. That is the sort of thing you'd expect from a fry, right? Actually, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

[Do you have a strong sense of style?]
"I don't think so. There's not one specific theme or type of clothes I like, but I prefer pink for everyday wear."

[Would you rather camp outdoors or stay the night in an inn?]
"Night at an inn, no contest! But I've gotten good at setting up a camp and getting a decent night's rest sleeping on the ground. I put up a magic barrier, so the elements are no problem... it's just the lack of a real bed."

[Is there a food that most people like that you absolutely hate?]
"Nope. But I've got the opposite - I can eat pickled kelp just fine, but I know a lot of people who can't stomach it."

[Are you more of a hoarder or a minimalist?]
"I collect a whole bunch of things, and then get overwhelmed by having too much stuff!! What does that make me?"

[Are you superstitious?]
"I can literally sense spirits at all times and I have a fisherman for a father, of course I'm superstitious!"

[Are you the kind of person who remembers people’s birthdays and pets’ names and stuff?]
"Yeah! Don't ask me to remember people's pet's birthdays, though."

[What do you do to feel better when you’re sad?]
"When I'm sad? When I'm sad, I like to eat alcohol instead of food."

[Is it hard for you to trust someone?]
"Haha, no! I hope that doesn't come to bite me in the butt later."

[Are you susceptible to peer pressure?]
"I don't think so! Maybe it depends on what the peers are pressuring me for."

[If you decided to stop adventuring and settle down, what kind of job would you take?]
"I can't picture myself staying in the one same spot for the next hundred years or so... I'd like to keep making a living through music, but if you're in a tiny village, you can't really do that. Maybe a teacher? I could teach kids how to write and do math, that sort of thing."

[As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?]
"Exactly what I am right now - a performer!"