#also if you know of any other rpgs that have this special sauce of Personalized Horrors at the da2 level. let me know lmao

[apostaterevolutionary]

So I touched on this a little in my veilguard review, but this is one of the topics I wanted to talk about separately. And it’s that I think I've figured out what really makes an rpg great vs just not bad for me. This is really a preference thing, cause I know there's people who are the exact opposite on this. But for me, it's about the amount of personal involvement the player character has

Like why are you, as the main character, here? Why do we care about the plot that's unfolding? Is it just cause 'well, world needs saving and I'm here', that's not very interesting to me. It's too replaceable - any sufficiently valiant person could do this (even in a chosen one narrative, this is typically true). 'Wrong place, wrong time' can be fun if done right, but it's still eh to me. I like it best when the player character has some tie to the overarching plot. I want it to be personal because that opens up so many more interesting emotions

Dragon age has examples of both of these. Origins, despite the Warden canonically being replaceable, as we know all the origins happened, it's just only one actually survived, does have this personal element imo because it has Ostagar. Different Wardens might see this differently, of course, but you arrive after just barely being saved by Duncan. Everything seems fine until the big moment and then everything goes wrong - you're betrayed, from your pov, Duncan is killed, and you wouldn't survive this third near-death experience in a row were it not for Flemeth's interference. This, in the moment, feels pretty damn personal. No matter who your warden is, Loghain acts as a personal antagonist right up until right before the end, whereas while the blight situation is mostly a 'wrong place, wrong time' situation, that personal element plus the little moments you get that reference the origin events really make it work for me. It could have more, but it has just enough to make it really good imo

Of course, DA2 is so strong on the personal motive front that arguably the personal story is actually the overarching plot and it's just occasionally a wider-impact event creeps into it lmao but that's why it's my favourite game. Inquisition, on the other hand, while yes, you have the mark and are the only one who can close the breaches, that is the only tie you have to events. The inquisitor has no motive beyond 'well, world needs saving'. If the anchor had somehow been transferable, Cassandra quite frankly would've made a more compelling protagonist because of her devotion to the Divine. She had a reason to be there beyond just 'gotta save the world'. The inquisitor doesn't, they’re really just there because they have to be (and that’s also why I think their appearance in veilguard is pretty weak imo, but people with different views of their inquisitor will disagree there)

And I'm not comparing, rather just using an example, but bg3 I think has both options. For me, durge is much more interesting than tav cause, once again, tav is just some guy (gender neutral) who happened to stumble by at the wrong time and oops, brain worm. Even the emperor would've happily discarded them for another if it served his purpose. They're just there because they're convenient. That's not as fun to me as durge, who has an actual personal reason to be involved in this, even if they don't know it at first. It starts out as the same, generic motivation of 'get rid of the brain worm, try to save world if we can' (assuming a relatively "good" playthrough lmao, but for comparison's sake) but it later becomes something that is personal. You have a VERY direct involvement in the plot and it really adds something to it for me. That's the kind of flavour I seek 🤌 🤌 🤌

And veilguard is definitely more on the inquisition side where literally any heroic person could fill in for the protagonist (and tbf, I liked it more than inquisition), when I think what really would’ve brought it over the top for me would’ve been some act 2 Personalized Horror event to happen. Easiest option would be something related to the faction, like maybe one of the recurring NPCs ends up dying in some really hardcore way. It wouldn’t be that hard to implement imo because it could be roughly the same quest, just with tweaks to fit the chosen faction. Giving Rook a personal motivation would’ve really spice things up and give the factions more depth too. If you play as a warden, I think weisshaupt may have that affect (which is why my second run will be a warden lmao), but it would be nice to have something really devastating for the character regardless of faction

(And to be perfectly honest, if we were going to lose a companion anyway, having that happen in the middle of the game might have actually been spicier and really cemented Rook’s conviction while still having the regret prison concept work imo. It would mean missing out on a companion arc, but it’s another option at least)

This would also give an opportunity to really boost the companion relationships. Like the Bad Thing happens and then you get maybe a little scene with the current love interest, or even just some dialogue with each of the companions. Something with them being the ones to comfort Rook for a change. Cause all that remains is devastating, and the bg3 act 2 redemptive durge scene is wonderful, but it’s also the aftermath that’s really tasty. And having some sort of Personalized Horror for Rook would’ve given us an opportunity to have that moment of them being vulnerable, and the companions stepping up to help them. That really would’ve made the team feel good and cemented, like they really were a strong team

And again, I know this is a personal preference thing. I have a friend who struggles whenever a game has any kind of established background at all and thinks that bg3’s tav is the absolute perfect kind of rpg protagonist and I’m sure there’s plenty of people who agree and prefer the fully blank slate. Some people do prefer to just headcanon all of this rather than have it directly in the game. And that’s fine. But for me, that personal involvement and motive is the real special sauce for rpgs and I think that’s why DA2 specifically is the one that made me insane lmao. And I think if veilguard had’ve had that bit of personalized angst, I would’ve put it an entire bracket higher than I did. It would’ve fit really well imo and idk if it was something bioware ever planned for the game, but I, for one, really would’ve loved it

[kilesplaysthings]

Happy Halloween! I hope you guys have a fun and safe spooky day! 

Now as a horror fan, I gotta tell you guys, I find the vampire lore in IkeVam a little weak sauce (ok, actually a LOT) lol But I do tend to like vampires as more of the monstrous villains in fiction too. So! in celebration of today kiles is gonna recommend some vampire flicks for you all that love these bloodsucking monsters. Let me know which ones you like and maybe even recommend ones that I don’t have on here! :D

Let the Right One In/Let Me In: both the original Swedish film and its American remake are very good, but I personally find the OG better in both acting and dark tones. The story is about a boy who is bullied by his peers and feels isolated from everyone, meeting what seems to be a little girl and befriends her. But there is more to this girl than meets the eye. I can’t recall there being a lot of warnings in this, but it does have some gore.

The Lost Boys: I love this movie. It’s so 80s lol But the vampire stuff is really fun. That and not only do you have a young Corey Feldman in a duo of kid vampire hunters, but you get a young Kiefer Sutherland running around with a sort of Glam Metal look going on. The story is about two brothers and their mom who move to a California town that wind up getting involved with a group of rebellious teens who turn out to be vampires.

What We Do in the Shadows: This is probably my favorite vampire movie. I love the faux-documentary of this New Zealand dark comedy, and I love the homage to traditional vampire lore. No more sparkling, no more resistance to daylight. The vampires in this movie are done right, in my opinion. I’m more of a traditionalist when in comes to monsters, you see. I almost wish we could get an ikevam version that was more like this, where MC is the person making the documentary filming the boys lol

Nosferatu: The Classic vampire flick from the Silent Era of film. It’s a German retelling of the story Dracula. Count Orlock’s design is perfectly eerie and creepy, iconic throughout media. If you don’t mind silent film and you haven’t seen this one, check it out!

Dracula: And then, of course, there’s the classic film with Bela Lugosi. His Hungarian accent became the go-to for other vampires in later media. It’s pretty close to the book for the most part. At least, it’s as good as most book adaptations that were made back then were (which wasn’t too good lol)

Fright Night: This is another very 80s movie. The main character is a teenager who is addicted to a tv show about a vampire hunter and how he hunts vampires. Because of this, he starts to become suspicious that his new, odd neighbor may in fact be a vampire. There is also a remake starring Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant that’s.. ok lol

Salem’s Lot: Stephen King’s vampire tale. A man coming back to his childhood town realizes that a vampire is preying on the townsfolk. While this is an older flick that might not be exactly scary there’s some great classic vampire stuff and eerie scenes. Plus it’s Stephen King! 

30 Days of Night: Probably the most horrific vampire movie, where there is nothing redeemable or likable about the vampires whatsoever. The setting of this movie alone makes it terrifying. Set in a northern, remote part of Alaska, an isolated town is beset by ravenous vampires when the town is submerged in complete darkness for one month. Most of the town’s occupants go south for the winter, but those remaining have to fight and use quick thinking to survive. Warning to those who don’t like gore for this one. It’s pretty brutal.

Afflicted: A found footage film about two friends who are backpacking through Europe due to one guy wanting to live life to the fullest before he dies of cancer. Something goes wrong at a party however, and he soon begins to show signs of something... inhuman.

Van Helsing: I know a lot of people don’t think this movie is any good, but I admit I like it as a sort of guilty pleasure. Van Helsing is now a younger vampire hunter that’s sent by the church to help a town in Romania that is beset by Dracula and his brides. It’s got lots of funs stuff like a vampire masquerade ball, a sort of Frankenstein’s monster character, and a fight between a vampire and a werewolf that’s pretty beast :D

Bram Stoker’s Dracula: Though I haven’t seen this yet, the tone, acting, music and cinematography of this movie all look so darkly beautiful. Add a bit of gothic romance, this adaptation of Bram Stoker’s tale is one that I definitely plan to watch soon. 

Thirst: A Korean take on a vampiric story. A priest who wishes to save lives volunteers to be a guinea pig for a vaccine that is being made to cure a virus. But things go awry and he comes back to life as a vampire. Now he has to battle between his thirst and his faith. Haven’t seen this either, but I plan to! Korean films are always a cut above, and if you don’t mind some gore and adult elements, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this.

Others I would recommend: 

Interview with a Vampire, though I don’t really like that movie all that much. You do get a younger Tom Cruise as a vampire though lol plus Kirsten Dunst’s character is surprisingly sympathetic and sad (at least to me!)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night: This one’s unique, being an Iranian take on vampires. It’s a slower indie film, about a mysterious girl who only comes out at night and skateboards around a town. I wasn’t too crazy about this one, but it was interesting!

Shiki: I’ve seen three-ish vampire anime. This, Diabolik Lovers, and Vampire Knight. I didn’t like DL at ALL, and I could barely get through the first few episodes of VK. Shiki is excellent, though, if you can get past the odd character designs. I probably would have liked VK better if the story was focused solely on Zero’s character though. 

Vampyr.  This is an RPG actually, but the vampire lore is so dark, bloody and complex. The MC is a doctor that specializes in blood transfusions who comes back to London from WW1 right during the Spanish Flu epidemic. When he’s turned into a vampire by a mysterious sire, he has to find a way to survive while still acting as a doctor and decide if he will kill others or starve.

[battlemaiden13]

another 2 questions for bros from UT, US, HT, UF, SFR, Gastertale, MT, UL, and StoryShift Papyrus - 1. What games, board-games, video games, or card games might these skeletons play? 2. What is their favorite foods, or the foods they eat the most?

13: this turned out to be a bit longer than I thought it’d be, whoops. I’ve included a brief description of the games I figured most people wouldn’t of heard about to so you should be able to understand most of them. 

SansPulling pranks and being a pain aren’t really games you can tell people you enjoy although if they were that’s what he’d say. Instead he tells you his favourite game is questions only. It’s an improvisation game played between two people were they are only allowed to talk in questions. If someone manages to say something that isn’t a question than they’re out and the other person wins the round. He likes this game because he doesn’t necessarily need to stand up to play and there’s no set up. Of course he’s favourite food is obviously ketchup especially if he can have fries with them.

PapyrusWhy stop at a simple game? Being out of the underground Papyrus has discovered the wonders of escape rooms. Not only are they rooms filled with multiple puzzles but most are intended for more than one player making them the perfect bonding opportunity. Escape rooms are by fair his first choice of games if he could pick but he’s basically willing to try any puzzle based game from the digital game portal to just literal puzzles. Of course his favourite food is spaghetti.

RedReally likes RPG video games, his favourite though is the Persona series. They are a mix of RPG, logical thinking, fighting and strategy.  He enjoys other RPG’s to but this series is the one he keeps coming back to over and over again. He particularly enjoys the aesthetic of 5. Red’s favourite food to go along with his mustard is greasy cheeseburgers.

EdgeLikes games of subtle manipulation and control, his favourite of which is the board game series Munchkin. It’s a game where you have to work together in order to move forward but if you help out the others to much they will pull ahead and win the whole game. You have to figure out what alliances to keep and when to break them in order to best benefit yourself. Edge enjoys Lasagna, there are so many different ways to make it that he finds the whole thing very enjoyable.

BlueOne of his favourite games is Double memory! Of course you could also convince him to just play regular memory but double memory is way funnier in his opinion. Double memory is played with two decks of cards laying face down on a table, the joker cards are removed. With two decks you have to match both the number on the card and the suit where as with regular memory you just have to get the number because it’s played with a single deck. If you get a pair on your turn you get to go again, the person with the most matches at the end wins. Blues favourite food is tacos although he isn’t that great at cooking them he likes the different flavours you can get from a single bite from them.

OrangeLikes shooter video games, his favourite of which is borderlands. Not only is it a fast pace shooter but he really enjoys the style in the game and he adores the humour. First time he picked it up he wasn’t expecting it to be funny but it’s got him a few times and he was hooked. Orange has such a big sweet tooth anything to do with desserts he will love, that’s why he drinks honey. If he had to choose one thing though he’d definitely go with donuts.

LordLikes games that let’s him install fear in others usually done with contraptions he’s made himself. One such game he’s created is a game of chicken involving a finger guillotine. Players put their finger in the respective slot and take turns cutting a string. One of these strings will release sharp blade cutting off the players fingers. If you remove your hand you lose although losing a finger might not be the best option for any winner. Lord likes gyro’s and is convinced that they are the superior food.

MuttHe doesn’t really get to play games too often but if he had to pick one it would the card/ board game codenames. The game is played in teams, 12 tiles with different pictures are placed in front of you, the speaker has a card showing the locations of the different agents. The speaker gives the players a number and a word and the players have to try and connect the words to the pictures on the board. The number stated indicates how many agents could be hidden with that word.  The winners are the first team to find all their agents. Mutt likes it because you have to think about what your team or speaker would connect with each word in order to find the agents. Mutt also has a sweet tooth but prefers things a little bit sour. He could eat a ton of sour gummy worms along with the sour cream he always seems to be eating.

AxeHis memory makes it hard to concentrate on most games so it either has to be something he can leave and come back to or something that’s over pretty quickly. He does enjoy backgammon, he knows were his own pieces need to go and he doesn’t really need to concentrate when its the other players turn. He simple needs to role his dice and move his own pieces according to the numbers shown. He finds it easy to pay attention for these short times when it’s his turn and likes the logic and luck behind the game. Also loves ketchup but he will say that his favourite food is fruit. There wasn’t really a chance to get fresh fruit underground so now he really enjoys it.

CrooksLikes classic puzzles. Like puzzles, puzzles, you know the ones with pieces that fit together to show an image. That! The more pieces the better in his opinion and he finds the 3D ones just as fun. Over the years above ground he’s accumulated quite the collection of different puzzles. Like he has a wall in his house with a bookshelf covered in boxes of puzzles.  His favourite food is also spaghetti, he thinks it tastes best if made with rabbit meat or deer.

GGames aren’t really his thing but he has been known to play Tarot Cards of Fate.  The game is played in 3 rounds using a deck of Tarot cards. The cards are placed face-down on a table and the game is played by flipping them up one by one. Cards are assigned a score equal to their number shown on them i.e. The World being XXI is assigned 21 points. This score is awarded only to one of the players. Cards score also depends on their position when flipped up, if they are facing upwards the player is awarded positive points, if they are reversed they award a negative score. The sole exception to this rule is The Fool which serves as the game’s “Joker”. If The Fool is face up it is an instant-win for the score player, if reversed it is an instant loss regardless of any score. Although G does enjoy drinking Hot Sauce his favourite food is curry, the spicier the better.

GreenHe enjoys doing Sudoku puzzles. It’s something he picked up from his Gaster half and with his Papyrus half already enjoying puzzles there really wasn’t much argument about it. He’s filled in so many of those puzzle books that you’re sure it could fill a library. Green doesn’t really have a favourite food but he will indulge himself with different chocolates every now and then.

RouletteChoice poker is his favourite game. Any gambling he enjoys but he finds choices poker really raises the stakes. It has the same rules with common poker, five of a kind being the strongest hand and high card being the weakest hand. You are allowed to exchange your card only once. (You can exchange one to five cards). This game is also played with the joker and it is considered the strongest card instead of the ace. However, having the strongest hand doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll win, the higher bidder of chips in the betting round is given the choice to select whether the stronger or weaker hand will win that round. This means the bets are usually pretty high which makes for an exciting game. His favourite food is potato cakes alongside tomato sauce, he finds the flavour less sweet than normal ketchup although he’ll drink that two if it’s available.

SniperFavourite game is Duel Clash Poker. The game is played with a special deck, two pairs of players against each other. Each player has eight different cards: numbered card from 1 to 7 and one Joker. The player who plays the stronger card wins. However, if two players use the same card, they will cancel each other and the winner will be the person who played the next highest number. For example, when the chosen cards are two 7s, a 4, and a 2, the person who played 4 is considered the winner. The strongest card in the game is the Joker. Jokers can also cancel each other, though. The pair who manages to win four rounds first wins the game. Snipers favourite food is also pasta but he prefers them with white sauces.

LustAlso likes RPG’s his favourite currently being Skyrim because he has install all the horny mods, the same can be seen on his sims saves. He doesn’t play games to often but if and when he does you better believe his favourite things are the sexual mods that other creators have made for them. Lust favourite food is pizza mainly because he can argue it has veggies on it.

CharmPlays dating sims. Not only does he find them fun but he can use them as a training resource or as a way to test his skills. He doesn’t really have a particular favourite title as he’s basically willing to try any title in the genre and he’s actually pretty good at them. Charms favourite food is actually sushi, he finds it more romantic than pasta for some reason.

PoppyHis favourite game is actually Tetris. The other papyrus personalities don’t tend to enjoy video games but Poppy adores this fast paced puzzle game. A game of skill and quick logical thinking what could be better? You don’t think you’ve ever seen him lose unless he was super distracted. Just like the others have a tendency to though Poppy also really likes pasta. He doesn’t have a specific dish he enjoys more but he always seems to enjoy pasta.

[towaniegaita]

FAQs [Nozakibento, 16th October 2010]

Original post in Japanese

I collected together some of the questions I'm often asked.

 Basic Information

Name: Nozakibento

Date of Birth: 28th April 1986 (Showa 61)

Height: 177.5cm (as of 2018)

Weight: approx. 60kg

Blood Type: A

Home prefecture: Hokkaido. I was born in Sapporo. I also lived in Tokachi and Kushiro.

Current location: Tokyo (I moved there from Hokkaido in the year I turned 30)

Occupation: A 33 year old amateur idol

Hairstyle: I used to wear a wig, but now I mostly go for a messy style

Visual Acuity: Both eyes are around 1.5 without glasses

Characteristics: Nozakibento

Likes and Dislikes

Favourite food: Sliced senmai (boiled tripe), vegetables in general, meat in general (especially meat sashimi), seafood in general (especially octopus and oysters), anything cherry blossom flavoured, anything yuzu flavoured, rice, miso soup, soba, udon, niboshi ramen, yakuzen herbal soup, grated yam, tofu, shiokara, sushi, sashimi, seaweed, mochi, rice flour dumplings, wheat gluten cakes, keihan rice, oyster soy sauce, slow-boiled eggs, Indian curry from Tokachi, ice cream (especially citrus, mint chocolate, watermelon and vanilla flavours), hard gums, mini Ramune candy, agar jelly, almond tofu pudding, oroblanco

Least favourite food: None.

Favourite drinks: Tea in general, kale smoothie, scented but not sweetened sparkling water, vegetable juice, tomato juice, soba water, miso soup, dashi, non-alcoholic beer, ginger ale, black coffee

Favourite alcoholic drinks: Campari-based cocktails (especially Spumoni), Violet Fizz

Favourite animals: Daring crabs, spotted garden eels, owls, sea urchins when they eat cabbage

My type: Someone with a big heart, who isn't rude and doesn't complain all the time. Decisive, speaks logically and is a fast worker

Favourite scents: Bergamot, yuzu, oroblanco, lemongrass, lemon and lime, eucalyptus, vanilla, incense, hinoki cypress, the smell of hot springs, medicinal water, struck matches

Favourite sports: Table tennis, endurance running, non-competitive swimming, walking

Favourite instruments: When I listen to bands, I tend to focus on the drums, bass and keyboard. If I go to see a symphonic orchestral concert or something, I tend to watch the percussionists. I myself can't play any instruments.

Hobbies: Gaming, listening to game soundtracks, table tennis, reading, darts, being enveloped in aromas, checking my daily electricity bill using a bill management app

Special skills: Ability to work as a librarian, can sing The Tortoise And The Hare starting from different positions, a little bit of competitive eating (can eat up to about 2kg)

Qualifications: Librarian, teacher's licence (for primary, middle and high schools), certified member of the Sports Boy Scouts (link in Japanese), Kanji Aptitude Test Level 2, driving licence (for manual cars)

Person I most respect: My mother

Favourite subjects: Japanese (especially modern Japanese), contemporary society, ethics, politics and economics

Favourite season: The shade in midsummer

Favourite phrases: 

80% Preparation 20% Performance (dandori hachibu)

The early bird gets the worm (sente hisshou)

Niche business (sukima sangyou)

Information, Communication, Discussion (houkoku renraku soudan)

Easier said than done (iu wa yasuku okonau wa katashi)

Haste makes waste (tanki wa sonki)

Drink if you want, but be swallowed up (sake wa nondemo nomareru na)

The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean (i no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu)

A picture is worth a thousand words (hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu)

Stress-free

Favourite Japanese poem:

'If I live long,

I may look back with yearning for these painful days -

The world that now seems harsh

May then appear sweet and good!'

By Fujiwara no Kiyosuke, translation by Peter McMillan

Favourite place to hang out: Inside a game

Favourite characters: Domo-kun (NHK), Moji-kun (Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan), Zushi Hokki (official mascot of Hokuto city in Hokkaido), Jack Frost (Megami Tensei series), Morgana (Persona 5)

Favourite anime: Eureka Seven

Favourite manga: Love Roma by Toyoda Minoru

I Wonder If I Can Make 100 Friends by Toyoda Minoru

Yoake no Toshokan by Nonou Tao

Other manga I like: Nangoku Shounen Papuwa-kun, PAPUWA, Final Request, Yu☆Yu☆Hakusho, Revelations: Persona, Mind Assassin, Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, Arakawa Under The Bridge, Fushigi Yuugi, Ranma 1/2, Psychometrer EIJI, The Kindaichi Case Files, Rakudai Ninja Rantarou, Soul Hunter etc.

Favourite game: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers

Other games I like: Shin Megami Tensei 1-4, Shin Megami Tensei 4 Final, Shin Megami Tensei if, Persona 1-5, Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha 1 and 2, DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA Avatar Tuner 1 and 2, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 1 and 2,  Little Magic, Jake Hunter: Let Time Pass By, LIVE A LIVE, Final Fantasy 5 and 8, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, Secret of Mana, Trials of Mana, Schoolhouse Horror Story, Banshee's Last Cry, Jungle Wars 2, Ranma 1/2: Hidden Treasure of the Red Cat Gang, Renegade, The New Hot-Blooded Tough Guy: The Eulogy of Kunio and Co., Puyo Puyo, Puyo Puyo 2, Saga Frontier, Monster Farm, Monster Farm 2, KOF98, SAMURAI SPIRITS, vib-ribbon, Clock Tower 2, Clock Tower Ghost Head, Maria: Kimitachi Ga Umareta Wake, Double Cast, Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan, RPG Maker Series, etc. As for social network games, I like Kuroneko no Wiz Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei Revelation, and Ensemble Stars!

What I most want right now: Time

Do I smoke? Never. But I have nothing against those who do. I don't mind if someone smokes next to me.

Things I struggle with: Exercise, exercise, exercise, exercise, English, mental arithmetic, making other people cross.

What I like about myself: Large earlobes

What I don't like about myself: The fact that I easily neglect my work if I lose focus.

Do I like nurses? I like them if they're good at giving injections.

Favourite way of heating things up in a microwave: 2 minutes at 500W

Ideal way to spend a day off: Sleep like I've melted into the bed, do the cleaning and laundry when I wake up, play games like I'm bathing in them, sleep again.

Novels I’m glad to have read and why: There's a lot, so I'll just list what I can remember off the top of my head.

★ Criss Cross - Konton no Maou by Takahata Kyouichirou, published by MediaWorks. This was the very first book that made me interested in reading novels.

★ Natsu no Niwa - The Friends by Yumoto Kazumi, published by Shinchousha. When I felt down, I read this and my heart was cleansed.

★ Rirekisho by Nakamura Kou, published by Kawade Shobou Shinsha. Because it gave me courage.

★ Tsubasa wa Itsu Made Mo by Kawakami Ken'ichi, published by Shuueisha. I simply thought that it was a really good book, and reading it made me want to read more books like it in the future.

★ Tsumetai Kousha no Toki wa Tomaru by Tsujimura Mizuki, published by Kodansha. This was the book that reminded me that I wanted to keep reading novels forever.

NicoNicoDouga and Dance covers

When did you start using NicoNico? 2007, in the earliest days of the RC version.

What kind of videos do you watch on NicoNico? Anything.

Were you learning how to dance? I've never learnt how to dance.

Why did you start dancing? I wanted to take part in the first large-scale Cirno meeting. (T/N: An event where a whole bunch of people from NND get together to dance to Cirno's Perfect Math Class. Here's the 2009 version.)

What's the average production time for a single video? It varies.

What's been the most fun thing to dance to so far? Ren'ai Hunter

Which of your own dance videos are you most satisfied with? Domo-kun's dance to MERRY GO ROUND

Where you happy to be chosen in the Geiran videos (A series where a gay man ranked dancers on NND)? I was.

Which version is your current Domo-kun?

Hokkaido and Tokyo version: Tiramisu (Original version. Mainly stays at home. On active duty)

Osaka version: Chocolat (Retired)

Fukuoka version: Fondue (Retired)

Tokyo version: Belgium (Retired)

Tokyo version: Demel (Retired)

What kind of expressions do you make and what feelings do you have when dancing as Domo-kun or in the blue full bodysuit? None

What would happen to you if you drank a strange potion? I'd become aggressive.

Aren't you going to wear a wig anymore? I'd like to wear one again some time soon.

Other

Were you in any clubs during middle school? I was in the table tennis club for all 3 years. My high school club is a secret.

Do you have a girlfriend? It'd be annoying to have to update this page if I got a girlfriend or if we broke up so that's also a secret.

What are your dreams and goals? To make the people I love happy. I want to live in a way that I can look back when I die and think that I lived a good life.

What are your habits? Looking at the ingredients and nutrition facts labels on food. Looking at the ingredients labels on shampoo. Moving around unsteadily. Clicking my tongue without any thought behind it.

What are your typical phrases? Okay (ii yo), I see (naruhodo), Why?! (nande dayo), hahahaha, hah hah hah hah, HAHAHAHA

What are your main principles? To always live calmly, and to never miss an opportunity

Does your Roomba have a name? It's called Junpei.

When did you first meet Domo-kun? A friend gave me a Domo-kun plushie for my birthday and the rest is history.

What was it that drew you to Domo-kun? His loveliness.

Where did you get such a large number of plushies from? Some of them I bought, some of them I received. A few of them I got from a crane machine.

What do you want to do right now? Sleep.

What part time jobs have you done in your life? Waiter at a sushi restaurant, library work, private tutoring.

If you have a child in the future, what book would you absolutely want them to read? You Are Umasou by Miyanishi Tatsuya, published by Poplar

Do you have any rivals? No (because no-one will compete in the same ring as me).

What's your image of the ideal human? Someone who can do fundamental things reliably.

What's your motto? Stress-free

What's the reason for your name?

Nozaki → Named after Nozaki Megumi from the idol group CHECKICCO

Bento → My inspiration

 -------------

First published 16th October 2010, updated 1st December 2019

[awesome-ace18-blog]

My Personal Ad

Name: AcePreferred

Titles: Ace (Daddy once we make a connection and if its going places)

Description of Me: 33 UK experineced straight Daddy dom, blue eyes, brown hair, 5'8 med build with a cute smile.I like sailing, swimming, gym, shopping, technology, day trips, picincs.I live in the UK,

I live practically next to a huge mall, with a varied amount of coffee shops, store and a Cinema. I’ve lived in this part of england for 26 years, also a very short ride away 55-hectare Wildlife park which has baboons, wolfs, cheetahs, meerkats, to name but a few.

My favourite NFL (US football) teams are The Seattle Seahawks and The New England Patriots. I used to sail locally and have done competition sailing in the past. I love spending time in the wilderness with awesome caves and climbing adventures to be had, some of my favourite places are right here in the United Kingdom, about an hour from my home town, hidden up in the welsh countryside and valleys,

I guess I love the freedom, exploration and being away from the hum and bustle of busy life.One of my favourite outings is Escape Room, an interactive and intuitive real-life escape game. You are locked in a room with a group of 2 to 6 people, participants have 60 minutes to solve challenging puzzles to escape the room. http://www.theescaperoom.co.uk/

I am a huge theme park coaster enthusiast and some of the best are in America. Playing Lego is so cool, because you don’t have to follow the directions to create amazing things.I play a varied amount of video games; I prefer to play on PC. I have a few different consoles as well,

I like playing RPG’s and FPS type games. I also love board games and can be found at my local comic shop playing games weekly, some of my favourites would be Quartermaster General, Star Realms, Istanbul, GMT/Coin Games,

I also go to four events a year, where we get together at a hotel and have a weekend of gaming.Reading wise, I very much enjoy Sci-fi, Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, A Song of Ice and Fire and other G R R Martin books. My favourite museum would have to be the science museum, there is just so much cool stuff. I also love the transport museum. In terms of theatre, it has to be musicals, most recent and notably, “Sister Act.”Musically, I like Simon and Garfunkel, Dolly Parton, Charlie Puth and various others.

I have an eclectic musical taste. I very much like country. One of my favourite bands is “Gloriana.”I sing a lot of Disney songs as they get stuck in my head when watching Disney films. You never know, I might just break into “A Whole New World”I hope you are hungry! I cook from scratch spaghetti Bolognese with homemade sauces, Sunday Dinner. I bake pies, cakes, deserts, treats and bread. I am a fan of steak-house restaurants with a good grill selection.

Not really a foodie, but I do enjoy a good feast.I’ve travelled both Europe and the US, I do wish to travel the Asian countries, visit Russia and many other places. I don’t have animals, but I do like Huskies and cats.Thanks for spending some quality time with me. I can’t wait to hear from you. Let’s get this DDlg fantasy started. Partner Preferences:About you, My Precious Little:“In you,

I seek a lovely, cute princess, who is always trying her hardest and likes to remind daddy how special he is. Just know that Daddy is proud of you and that Daddy knows how valuable you are and never doubts your ability to grow.”You need to be 18+ with a little age between 3 to 10 years oldI’m looking for a companion, someone with her own life, with a strong personality, yet also able to make the compromises that life sometimes requires. who is able to laugh at herself.

No smokers, please. She is worthy, deserving, grateful, responsible… I’m looking for that one special little who shares my respect for honesty, openness, and the need for communication.You are my little Space champion, enjoying cuddles, relaxing on Daddy’s lap, snuggling up and watching your favourite Disney Movie or your choice of movie or TV show, reading you a nice bedtime story and making sure you are ready for bed and tucked in.

We can play in the garden with bubbles, swim in the pool, take a day trip to the zoo, Where I can teach you about the animals, perhaps will take pictures, eat ice cream and maybe a happy meal. An outing to “Build a Bear” for a nice new stuffy chosen with love. A walk to the park and a play on the swings, slide, perhaps even a day at the beach with some arcade to play on the games machines or even just a nice walk along the river.

You will get spoiled with nice long relaxing coloured and sweet smelling bubble baths while listening to your favourite Disney tunes, with coloured lights to give a relaxing experience. I adore bathing, washing your hair, wrapping you in a nice warm fluffy towel and drying you before dressing you in a pretty fun outfit or pj’s. Perhaps even daddy will help you decide what to wear if you’re stuck.

I do have a few rules which are fairly important and can be customized to my little,-You must eat at least 1 (preferably 2) good/healthy meals a day, and I may ask for pictorial proof-You must send me a message in the mornings when you wake, whenever you go somewhere (So I know you get from A-B safely) and when you go to sleep, if I haven’t put you to bed-Bedtimes are enforced and checked upon

I will allow occasional stay up late for special events-You have to do your chores for sweets and rewardsIt doesn’t matter if you suffer from any form off mental illness, as Daddy is happy to work with you, overcome any challenges and help you become the best damn little you possibly can.

[tumblunni]

Hey! random ask time! Did anyone ever have a fun name for leftovers in your family? Like, yknow, the sort of nebulous undefined stew that you make with whatever ingredients are left over, and just hope on the 50/50 chance it won’t taste awful. My family wasn’t really very.. umm... “close”, to put it lightly. So we didn’t have a fun name for it. I wanna try and find a name cos I thought it could be a good item to include in an rpg of mine, like this is the failure result of a cookery minigame or something! I’ve been playing Rune Factory 4 and I liked how Failed Dishes actually have some use, they cast proportional 50% poison damage so they can be the best way to damage enemies that’re really high leveled. I think the idea of failed dishes being like loot boxes with a small chance of good stuff would be neat! Tiny chance of getting an even better result than if you’d succeeded at cooking!

I dunno why but I always personally called it scrummage/scrimmage, and I legit thought that was the official word for it?? I can’t even remember if I picked it up from my grandma before she died or if I just made it up someday or something. But apparantly the actual definition of the word is ‘a rugby tackle and/or a general fight or quarrel’. Huh! Well i guess i can see where the association came from, at least?? Other cool ones I’ve seen across the internet while searching: stone soup, pocket soup, army soup, garbage plate, [insert day here] surprise, pail ale (the cocktail version), slop, girl scout survival omelette, slumgullion And apparantly Bubble And Squeak started off as one of these, but nowadays its got more of a concrete definition as a national speciality. Its sort of a mashed potato and vegetable pancake I guess? I just know I’ve never tried it, thats how divorced it is from the original context. Now its a thing you only see in expensive tourist restaurants out in the country, and if you actually threw together all the mash after your christmas dinner you probably wouldnt call it that! I think I like ‘musgo’ best! (from ‘everything must go’)

Oh and my personal favourite that I’ve been eating a lot this week is the version where its hash browns and/or mashed potatos with everything thrown on. Less of a soup and more of a lump?? But seriously thats the best way to make minimalist shoddy food that’s not only cheap but actually tastes decent. Especially if you toss a tin of tuna on top! (or any other scrap meat/fish/protein) Also never underestimate the power of sauces! You can make even the pickiest kid eat anything as long as its mashed up enough and has the right sauce. Disguising the taste and texture is key to enduring the most terrible of stews! Sometimes it kinda only works if someone else makes it though, I still cant eat something if I know peas are in it, even if I cant taste them :P

[symbianosgames]

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community. The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

We’ve all heard the question.

What’s your game about?

After all, that’s why you asked for the meeting in the first place, to be able to answer that question. But if you need to set up a laptop, queue up the dancing bears, or perform any other gyrations before you answer the question, then you already come off as unprepared. Don’t get me wrong, visual aids are important, but only after you have established a mindset where the potential buyer wants to see them. So, ideally, you are answering that question clearly and concisely in one minute or less, and thirty seconds is even better. You cannot get there without practicing with others and refining your message.

Try it right now, and time yourself. How did it sound to you? Pretty good? Now ask yourself the following question, since you are intimately familiar with your game and have likely been working on it for months, how much of your evaluation of your own pitch is biased because you can mentally fill in the gaps in your presentation?

Now go to someone, anyone, who knows nothing about your game and is also not pre-disposed to tell you what you want to hear, and do the same exercise. Typically, you will find that your presentation time will have doubled or tripled, because you have to give them more information to get that look of comprehension on their face. You will also, without them saying a word, recognize gaps or flaws in your presentation that you need to correct. Don’t worry, that is to be expected and part of the whole point of practicing.

Next, before going deeper into any of your follow-on material, ask them to recap to you what they understand about the game so far. This accomplishes two things. First it helps you determine how much of the message you want to convey is getting through. Second, their answers will naturally be even briefer and to the point than your presentation, and those answers will give you great clues about how to further tighten your messaging. You may even stumble upon the perfect one-line response to the question of what your game is about.

Lots of folks in our industry poke fun at the Hollywood method of pitching movie ideas, ala “well it’s like Bambi meets Godzilla.” Even if you haven’t seen the animated clip of that mash up idea, it immediately conjures visuals and sets an expectation in the mind of the listener. Taking that same line of thinking into the game space, how would you describe the original Puzzle Quest, from our client Infinity Plus 2? In 2006, when we began pitching what would eventually become the 2008 Mobile Game of the Year, there was nothing like it on the market. We distilled the essence of the game to this: “Puzzle Quest is a fantasy RPG battler that uses match-3 gameplay as the primary combat mechanic.” Short, to the point, and the listener knows what to expect next even though they have never seen anything like it before because you gave them points of reference to things that are familiar to them. Keep refining and distilling the opening of your pitch until you can reach a similar level of clarity, and this will also give you a consistency of presentation thereafter.

The same approach applies to how you present your company or your services. There are tons of developers and outsource providers in the world, so your opening statement needs to go beyond the simple facts of who you are to answer the unspoken question they really want answered, which is, “why should I pay attention to you?” Describing the special sauce of your company needs brevity as well, but less than distilling a game down to its core. Give yourself a paragraph rather than one to two sentences. Be sure to highlight what sets you apart from your competitors without saying anything negative about them in the process.

If you are struggling to come up with those points, ask yourself the following questions:

What are the highest profile titles your team has worked on?

What is my longest term or highest volume customer relationship?

How did that become a successful repeat business relationship?

How many of my customers come back more than once, and why is that in general?

What kind of references can these partners give me to use in my presentation?

How flexible are we in terms of work hours/overlap with global partners?

How do we typically communicate/provide transparency to our partners?

How does our pricing compare to market expectations for these services?

Why should someone be willing to pay more, or LESS than the norm?

What creativity do you bring to the process?

What awards or critical acclaim have you received?

What success stories can you share later in your presentation? Can you tease them in your opener?

Which do you think is the stronger of the two openers below:

Joe Blow Studios is a game developer based in San Francisco whose mission is to create great games for PC and Console. We make the games that we want to play, so it’s all about fun. We published our first title, Super Fun Guy, in 2011 with Publisher X, but they really didn’t promote it well so it never took off. So we started doing work for hire to keep the doors open and get enough money together to make this demo for Super Fun Guy 2, which is what we want to show you today.

Please understand that this is a real opener pitched to us, but obviously the names and locations were changed for this article. After interviewing this developer further, we learned the following relevant points.

Their fifteen person team was 80% veterans, with an average of over ten years experience working at other firms

The main reason it was four years from their first game to their second publishing attempt was because they were so in demand as code fire-fighters for other people’s projects, and they had almost an 80% repeat business rate once people worked with them the first time.

The first title wasn’t ever really shopped to publishers, it had been placed with a friend of one of the founders, and when that friend left the publisher during development, it lost its internal champion and was relegated to filler status in an otherwise crowded publisher line up.

So here is the opener they should have given.

Joe Blow Studios is an in demand veteran game development studio with an average of 10+ years experience. Our team comes from a console background, having worked on over fifty console games between us, including 6 of the top 20 gaming franchises of all time. Since we were founded in 2010, we have worked as external developers on major releases for EA, 2K, Activision, and Microsoft, primarily on UE4 programing, networked multiplayer and level design and building. 80% of our customers are repeat business customers and the primary reasons they tell us that they keep coming back are our quality and impeccable communication/customer service. We aren’t happy unless they are happy. Today, we would like to show you the game we want to make next, Super Fun Guy.

See the difference? Go find your difference and polish it until it flows smoothly from your lips time after time. Good Hunting!