Becoming hatachi (no, not "farmland"), is a sort of an interesting thing for me. I didn't really have to do much, except survive a chronic disease and make sure I woke up every morning for 7,304 days in a straight row, but at the same time it feels like a monumental achievement: I'm an adult in Japan with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Unfortunately I was never able to participate in a risshi shiki on my fifteenth birthday, although I did stand in front of a group of peers and declare my goals and dreams for the future (as opposed to a genpuku ceremony). I also missed my seijin shiki, being unable to visit a prefectural office on January 13th due to a few key reasons. However, This weekend I did have a wonderful party to celebrate the occasion, dragging Arpy into the fray of merriment for a full afternoon (no Lego building of plumbing fixtures unfortunately), while we played board games with over eight good friends of mine and had nerf fights in the crowded living room with the lights off. Occasionally you heard a groan, but that was only when someone banged their shin on a metal chair. Oh right, I said something about the rights and responsibilities of being an adult.

Having fun is a responsibility now.

I've always been seriously interested in designing games, especially board games. Now that I've turned hatachi I have begun to push myself toward an education that reflects my burning desire to play. It's a long road with many trials and hard DCs, but it's worthwhile I think to pursue a dream I love. Back at Brickcon 2013 some of the BZPower community got to play test a set-based combat game for Bionicle figures I'd been working on. I'm happy to say I'm in the final leg of finishing the post beta product and more info about its release will be popping up in my blog soon enough. I've been working my way slowly into the community at Wizards of The Coast, who have designed such monumental successes as Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, and so much more. Meeting all these people has given me confidence in my dream of becoming a game designer. Who knows, maybe some of my board games will wind up on a toy store shelf in the next five to ten years! (Stay hopeful, right?)

Speaking of board games, I played many during the birthday celebrations. Having eight people in a game of Uno made things unspeakably hilarious. After an hour and a half there was no longer a deck to draw from and a wild draw four sat in as the only card in the discard pile. A game of Masterpiece broke down into furiously competitive bidding war over the painting of ballerinas (worth only $100,000 during that particular game), and my otōto ended up buying a worthless forgery for over $800,000 – I almost died laughing as he handed over his money to the seller and checked the value of his new acquisition. Ironically the forgery was a Picasso.

And then we come to Smart Posterior, a game of trivia where you move your donkey token clockwise around a circular board until you reach the end: the donkey's rear (of course). Along the way you are tested with questions from the decks of Who Am I, Where Am I, What am I, and Hard Posterior. The player to your right reads the specific card you've drawn and your job is to attempt to guess as they read off a list of clues. I surprisingly failed when it came to American pop. culture, but I was cringing and banging my head into the couch when someone couldn't get "rainbow." Of course, I wanted to shout out "PURI!" (a reference to the comic strip I Fart Rainbow by Enfu), but restrained myself until they had failed in their quest. Here's an example of a particularly fantastic What Am I card (read the italicized words out loud in a sultry voice for best effect):

• I am a small item.
  

Take a guess. No, really. Play the game with me.

• I am made of rubber and plastic.
  

Take another guess. Think hygiene or toys?

• I have a ring on one side.
  

Okay, oh wise game designer, what have you been doing after work?

• I have a teat on the other side.
  

Oh really? Your guess is rather fascinating...

• I can be found in a "baby" bag.
  

Guess again!

• I am particularly popular with "babies" when teething.
  

Um, uh... Is this really okay?

• I can be dipped in a sweetener.
  

Yes, yes I bet you can.

• Vin Diesel starred in a 2005 movie with my name.
  

​Oh, oh, oh! Chronicles of... Wait no that's not it...

• Some people call me a Binky.
  

Do I know these "some people?"

• What am I, with the initial P.
  

WOAH NELLY! Take a FINAL GUESS!

Answer?

Pacifier

Pshht, I totally guess Pacifier back at the second clue. Tooootally dude.

So, board games and hilarity on the side, I've found things to be a real blast in becoming hatachi. The only downside of becoming an adult and making your mark on the world? Having a crush on... A lesbian!?

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This concludes today's blogging for Kughii. What about this crush? What secrets of the magical polyhedral die lay in wait for our newly anointed board game designing adult? Tune in next time for answers!