Editor’s foreword:
Welcome to ‘Meet The Abunai! Staff’, a column in which you’ll be introduced to our staff members. Staff members, they’re just like people! We’d love for you to get more acquainted with our dear volunteers and to accomplish this, they graciously agreed to be interviewed after I threatened them. I’ve saved the best for last in this final edition of Meet The Abunai! Staff.
Presenting the one, the only, the impeccable, the great, the charming, the dashing, the handsome, and most importantly: our very own chairman. Gather before the almighty Kitsune to praise our father, lord and savior Mark!
Meet Mark
© KJC Photography
Name: Mark
Age: 38
Height: 1m79
Blood type: Passionate
Abunai! Position: Chairman
Tell us a bit about yourself!
It feels like I’ve been with Abunai! forever, but in reality it has been since 2008 (following a year as Gopher / Event Organizer and a year as visitor). Outside of Abunai! I function as team leader of a customer services team and when at home I am usually accompanied by two familiars: a cat named Belle Flonne, and a Limburger named Mary-Ann (Imzel). I have too many games on my Steam account and too little time to play them.
What do you like most about (your position at) Abunai?
What I love most about Abunai! is the duality of the organization itself. On one side you have an organization, which keeps reinventing itself and improving upon itself year after year, not entirely unlike your typical company. And on the other hand Abunai! is a group of friends, having fun and working on (promoting) something they love. The rationalist and planner in me enjoys how this organization has grown in structure and professionalism, and yet the carefree goofball in me loves how we managed to get this far without losing the unique atmosphere which really defines Abunai!.
As chairman I enjoy interacting with my team, encouraging them to go beyond their previous limits, and overcoming challenges together. And in return they have helped me grow as both a professional and as a person as well, for which I am grateful to every person I’ve had the pleasure of working with, either currently or in the past (and probably in the future as well, but that’s kind of hard to tell… )
What’s your favorite Abunai! memory?
As cliché as it might sound, it’s really difficult for me to choose. There have been so many beautiful moments along the ride, making it difficult to single it out to only one. Give me another year to think about that one…
What is your alignment?
Chaotic Neutral.
If you were a magical girl, what style would your outfit be and what would your power be?
Teleportation! Got sushi? I’ll be over in a flash! As for the outfit, I’d assume something practical which offers sufficient protection, so obviously showing a bit of skin. I guess a headpiece is mandatory as well. Which one do you think would suit me best?
Playstation, PC, Xbox, or Nintendo?
I was raised with a PC and Nintendo, and the Playstation (2 and 3) was a nice addition to that. I’ve stuck with the PC and a handheld Nintendo (3DS) though. Oh, and mobile games. Don’t underestimate mobile gaming.
If you were to write a self-insert fic, to which anime/manga/game would you transport yourself to? And with which character would you start a relationship?
The world of Dragon Ball Z, except it would be an alternate reality where instead of fighting each other by… fighting, the various characters combat each other with baking food. My character will be a Namek pastry chef who hooks up with #18. As a result she never hooks up with Krillin, who spends the next few years of his life on a pilgrimage to create the ultimate sushi.
Favorite karaoke song? Please note that you (may) have to sing your answer at the convention 😉
“We’re number one” (Lazy Town) or something from JAM Project.
If you could Cosplay as anyone regardless of your skill(s), who would you Cosplay as?
Megatron (G1 Version).
What are you looking most forward to this Abunai?
Everything! Watching the fruits of our labor and people having a good time, perhaps sneaking in on an event or two if time permits it. And of course looking forward to talking to people I haven’t seen in a while (in some cases exactly a year…). See you at Abunai! J
Anything else you’d like to share?
Yes. Here’s Belle:
