#art by oguri again!

[maalidoesart]

perfect way to rob a bank

[wrenkos]

I despise Yokomizo. It’s not possible that I don’t.

[awkward-hawthorne]

Who are your kids, Hawthorne?

Oh well… To be honest about that, anon… I have quite a bunch of them actually. I’m really worried about forgetting someone but let’s see…

First one of them all was @awkward-gin who asked if she could call me daddy right after I joined the squad. And together with her naturally came @awkward-akutagawa although he was a bit shy at first. And to be honest, I wasn’t too thrilled at first either. I mean, we did try to kill each other after all… But now that the circumstances changed, I am quite glad to have two such lively children. Although they are very mischievous and often don’t obey and bully their siblings. That is especially Gin’s domain. Akutagawa tends to just stay quiet and bully people out of the family. I’m not sure if @awkward-rashomon counts but I kind of hope not. That thing is a demon after all…

Now if I remember correctly, the next one to come get adopted was @awkward-naomi although she did so in a bit round-about way. She is a very sweet girl and I do so love our shopping trips. Together with her I got @awkward-tanizaki​ but much like Akutagawa, he wasn’t too thrilled at first. They are much calmer than Gin and Akutagawa, although they have their moments. Tanizaki might also soon bring me a son-in-law, @awkwardtetchoo if everything goes well between the two of them.

I was briefly under the impression I also adopted @awkward-q somewhere along the way but apparently, that never happened. Then again, at this point everything may just be a false impression, I cannot be sure of anything after Fyodor’s treatment…

I believe the next one to come was my dear fox son @awkward-oguri who just happens to be the one who keeps drawing me amazing pictures I can use for this blog, including this one. He’s a very sweet and lovable and may I say, also a very handsome young man. He, too, has a boyfriend as of recently so @awkward-kunikida is now kind of my son as well. I like him because he is protective of Ogugu and sane enough to keep him safe during all the chaos always happening.

After Ogugu, I quickly also got @awkward–sigma under my care. The cute owl child really needed some love with the whole hair war thing going on… Sigma is very sweet as well, he cries while watching animated movies which is really adorable too. And above all else, he takes pride in his beautiful hair. Who could blame him? His hair is absolutelly gorgerous after all. And he’s also a very talented artist.

And finally, I recently adopted also @awkward-haruno because she seemed in need of a father. She is deffinitelly my sweetest daughter. She is gentle and kind but I worry for her getting hurt easily. Well, that is why I adopted her though. I want her to feel safe and loved.

Sigma and Ogugu are currently the children who spend the most time with me and their company is absolutelly delightful. I wish everything could stay the way it is now forever or for things to calm down a little bit maybe.

I hope that answers your question, dear anon. If anyone else wants to ask me anything in regards to my children, go on ahead.

Also I still do accept new children up for adoption. After all, all are Lord’s children and I stand in his place in here.

[awkward-hawthorne]

I can assure you you can calmly forget about that because there is no way me and that person could get close.

Choose between two things? Can it be two people? Fitz or papa Nate?

Mr. Fitzgerald refused to see me as a person with feelings and thoughts. Mr Hawthorne sees me as a person with faults and imperfectness and he does everthing to help me to fix them. If I have to choose between two pain I’ll choose the one which comes with healing and leads me towards the light. It’s Mr. Hawthorne. Thank you for your kind question.

[udon-udon]

In another world, the stars will align

[koiblossom5]

ranpo: take me to art museums and make out with me

poe: but they said not to touch the masterpieces

ranpo: well somebody's gotta pin the artwork to the wall

mushitarou, into a walkie-talkie: this is oguri, those idiots are fucking in the east wing again

[applefelmier]

bsd s4: my ramblings thoughts

note: please excuse me if my wording here doesn’t make sense or if i’m not expressing my thoughts well. i just woke up after getting three hours of sleep lol also grammar is not my best friend and manga spoiler warning in this post just in case

i finally processed the fact that we’re actually getting a new season(!!!!) of bsd and now i’m wondering how they’re going to animate all of the scenes in a potential 12-episodes season. since bones is known to also adapt light novels into the anime (more thoughts on that later), there will be no more than ten episodes that will adapt the latest arc that the manga is currently on and based on the visual art that we see, it looks like A LOT will be compacted in such a short season. 

in the visual art that was posted on the bsd twitter account, it looks like the anime will adapt at least up to the “flying casino” mini-arc (apologies...i forgot what the actual arc was called and also, i consider this a “mini-arc” since it’s a  part of the bigger arc (ada vs. hunting dogs) of the story that the anime will focus on). unless if they make this a two-cour anime (like they did before) or extend this season a little longer than what they typically do, it looks like bones will cut quite a few scenes from the manga...which is fine. they’ve done that in the past. i just hope that they execute it well and not omit important scenes that play a pivotal part in a character’s arc or in the overall story. 

also, i’m curious as to where they would end the season. since the current arc is still technically going on with little to no resolution in sight in the manga, the season will potentially end in a cliffhanger or an “open-ended” ending of sorts that’s not a cliffhanger per se, but leaves you wanting more. tbh, i have no clue which scenes would be a good stopping point for the anime. i’m wondering how bones will tackle this. 

as far as my thoughts of the light novel that will be adapted, my money’s on ‘the untold story of the detective agency.’ also, i wouldn’t be surprised if ‘55 minutes’ get adapted, but i think we’re going to get the backstory of how the agency was formed. to me, it makes sense to learn how and why the agency began and how those reasonings/principles conflict with how the agency is currently viewed in the present by the general public. so yeah, ‘untold story’ and ‘55 minutes’ are my predicted light novel adaptations, but watch them adapt ‘stormbringer’ instead lol. i mean...i’ll be excited to see it adapted, but that wouldn’t make sense at all to me. 

all in all, however, i’m happy we’re getting a new season!!! it feels like it’s been ages since the anime last aired and it looks like it may get released next year (i hope), which also marks the 10-year anniversary of the manga! i’m excited to see how they will animate my favorite scenes from this arc, most notably the helicopter scene lol and we’re going to see the clown himself in animated form (gogol) as well as sigma and oguri. just so many new characters! regardless of how this new season will pan out, i’m just looking forward to watching this series again. 

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Visual Novel Review - OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos

If you are at all interested in Yuri or visual novels, you will have undoubtedly heard of OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos. The Yuri rom-com was one of Steam’s top 20 February releases, and it hit the trending page on the platform. These accomplishments are incredible, and it is lovely to see both a visual novel and a Yuri game get so much love and recognition. However, whenever a title succeeds and manages to make an impact outside of the Yuri community, it always brings up a few questions. Mainly, does it deserve to be one of the few Yuri titles to obtain “mainstream success” and is it a positive ambassador for the genre, one which can further Yuri’s popularity and pull new consumers into it? These concerns boil down to one question, is it good? Usually, this inquiry is pretty quickly answered, with most elements of a product either being positive or negative. However, OshiRabu delivers more of a challenge. There are some fantastic parts to this game which I applaud and gush over, yet there are also several problems, both major and minor. The dichotomy between OshiRabu’s highs and lows is possibly the strongest I have ever seen in a Yuri title.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is the debut game of SukeraSomero, the new sister brand of the excellent Yuri studio, SukeraSparo. The plot follows Akuru Hayahoshi, an otaku with an obsession with her “husbandos” from gacha games and seriously bad luck. One day she bumps into a cute and bubbly student, Ren Furutachi. After Ren shows off her uncanny good luck to Akuru, a miscommunication sees Ren believing that Akuru confesses to her. For Ren, it is love at first sight, and she persistently negotiates her way into living with the older woman.

The rest of the game flits between comedic moments as Akuru and Ren live together. Examples include the girls shopping for a new bed, since Ren insists on sleeping next to Akuru, and Akuru creating boys’ love doujinshi with her friend Shino. There is, of course, a climax, which will not be spoiled in this review, and three possible endings, depending on two-player choices. An optional 18+ DLC expands on one of the endings and offers several explicit scenes.

There are some enjoyable aspects of this plot. For one, it is light and pleasant, never letting itself settle too much or grow stale. The situations are not hilarious but enjoyable and well suited to the with the characters’ personalities, and establishing several recurring themes and jokes, such as Shino teasing Ren and Ren accusing Akuru of cheating. There is an excessive amount of adorable fluff, which matches well with the overall tone of the game. These delightful moments cater to a variety of interests and fixations, so every reader is likely to find something they like. My personal favorite was a brief imagination sequence where Ren and Akuru have a child together, cute Yuri stories about women raising a kid are one of my weaknesses, and the reason Voltage’s Lovestruck has stolen hundreds of dollars from me.

The writing is also fantastic. The descriptive prose makes me laugh at the poor quality English translations we had a decade ago, and sometimes still unfortunately get. SukeraSomero deserves a great deal of praise for the simultaneous English, Japanese, and Chinese release. It is amazing that everyone got to experience this game together all over the world, without having to wait years for a possible license and translation. English translator Meru is one of the best in the business, and her work shines here. Her adaptation is amazing and fits the games’ modern setting and feel. I personally do not care for the amount of internet culture language included, such as Ren calling Akuru a “thot,” simply because such terminology tends to become dated quickly. However, I will defend the creative choices as accurate to Oguri Aya’s original story.

There is one more major compliment I have to give this game, and it is a big one. OshiRabu is extremely queer. While most Yuri titles exist as lesbian or lesbian adjacent content with little construction of LGBTQ identity, for example naming, displaying meaningful sexual and romantic relationships, or showing any aspect of queer culture, OshiRabu does all of these. I was floored when, early on in the story, Ren confesses to Akuru that she is a “lesbian.” The word lesbian is actually used directly in the visual novel, an unfortunate rarity for the Yuri genre. I even swapped the game into the original Japanese to confirm, and there again was the coming-out moment; the word “lesbian,” in all its glory, was planted right on the screen. This fantastic scene was not a one-off occurrence either.

Throughout OshiRabu, Ren continuously mentioned her homosexuality, which is usually juxtaposed by Akuru pondering her own sexuality, which she defines as an attraction to 2D men and nothing else. Although, her identity obviously changes because you know the women must end up together by the end. Some other excellent scenes feature queer representation. For example, at one point in the game, Akuru goes to a gay bookstore where another woman approaches her. When trying to explain that she is not interested, Akuru almost exclaims, “I’m normal,” a sentiment which she quickly realizes is hurtful and prejudice with some spectacular self-reflected narration. Moments like these offer nuanced and thoughtful presentations of LGBT culture and are the definite highlight of the game.

Sadly, not every aspect of the visual novel is as fantastic as these. In fact, many parts of it range from unfortunate to downright atrocious. First, the characters, while not awful or unlikeable, have some harmful qualities to them. Akuru is distant and introverted, which often leads to her being cold or even rude to Ren, which is never confronted or resolved. On her part, Ren is sadly the stereotypical aggressive lesbian, and frequently invades Akuru’s personal space, a topic which is again never reconciled. It is fine to have a character make problematic choices, but when their actions do not have consequences and conflicts have no resolution, it is a significant issue. The only character I unequivocally enjoyed was Shino, as she spends the whole game humorously teasing the two.

Speaking of conflicts, the final dramatic twist comes about as a result of Ren running away and refusing to communicate with Akuru. It turns out, minor spoilers, that she was testing her, which is a pathetic and ridiculous action which in real life can and should have serious repercussions or even end the partnership. Additionally, the topic of Akuru’s shared affection for Ren and her virtual husbandos, which is an immense source of stress for Ren, is not addressed in the base game, only the DLC. The extra content has its own set of problems too.

It is not uncommon for visual novels to include adult content in a separate patch so they can sell the base game on Steam. However, such adult patches are usually free, and OshiRabu’s is not, instead it sells for $4.99. This price is on top of the $24.99 base game, which means you are shelling out 30 dollars for the complete experience. An experience which, mind you. only clocks in at about 3 hours, hardly what I would call a value. It is an additional shame because the adult content is really well done. All the 18+ scenes, except for maybe the brief first one, showcase a tender loving relationship and skillfully written erotic content, although one or two metaphors did not land very well. However, not every player will want the 18+ content, and OshiRabu essentially forces them to play through it if they are going to see all the base game’s conflicts resolved.

There is also an unfortunate amount of service. While most of OshiRabu’s service is just sweet and cute moments between the characters, there is plenty of exploitative artwork designed to cater to specific players of a more perverted persuasion. Ren is usually the subject of such content, with shots featuring her panties and one extremely revealing cosplay outfit consisting of little more than two strips of cloth. Obviously, some players will enjoy these aspects of the game, but they did not work well for me, especially when I compared such clumsy service with the robust adult content.

However, this exploitative artwork, along with the rest of the game’s art, is phenomenally well crafted. Artist and character designer DSmile creates detailed and colorful illustrations that match the light comedic tone of the game. The adorable and vibrant artwork, drawn in a light watercolor style, makes my heart sing! There are also plenty of CG pieces, over 20, including the DLC, which adds six more. Given the games short length, this means you will see a new CG every ten minutes or so. The UI is also incredibly clean, easy to navigate, and blends well with the aesthetics of the art. My only complaint visually is that the sprites are entirely static. Except for different facial expressions and a few outfit changes, they are always the exact same, standing like flat mannequins against a backdrop. There is no animation or even alternative poses for them.

The voice acting is similarly high quality. Voice actors Nekomura Yuki, Kitaooji Yuki, and Waou Kirika all give fantastic performances in Japanese, and the quality of the recordings is consistently amazing. Even the adult scenes are voiced and showcase the range of talent present. The music is not nearly as good, but it does not intrude either. There are enough tracks to prevent the music from getting too dull, although the central theme and one of the tracks, “Let’s Go Out!” push this boundary a little far. Unfortunately, none of them are too memorable either, and I can guarantee that I will never be touching the BGM tab of the extras menu.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is a highly polished and visually impressive experience. The visual novel contains incredible artwork and is well constructed, showing the promise and talent of SukeraSparo. The stellar, although unfortunately necessary, adult DLC, and inclusion of LGBT themes are superb aspects that could have made playing this game a blast. However, a poorly constructed story, weak characters, and a high price tag compared to the amount of content offered severely detract from the game’s success. If you do not mind excessive service or are interested in lots of cute Yuri moments, pick this one up when it goes on sale.

Ratings: Story – 5 (6 with DLC) Characters – 4 Art – 9 Voice – 10 Music – 5 LGBTQ – 10 Sexual Content – 5 (9 with DLC) Final – 5

The visual novel is available on Steam and MangaGamer

[the-not-witch-time-forgot]

i accidentally deleted the actual ask but my dear friend @gwyndal asked wanted my opinion on oguri

i precede this with: i have not fully read even his introductory chapter at this time and thus my knowledge of the character is based on side material (wan, omakes, etc) so i dont actually know much about him yet?

now for the ask meme in question:

Give me a character and I will answer:

* Why I like them

occult nerd mystery writer, tragically loyal friend, i already love the ranpoe dynamic and im very happy at the prospect of that duo become a trio

* Why I don’t

again im lacking context to have much to dislike

* Favorite episode (scene if movie)

the wan comic where he ranpo and poe go to the zoo, and the omake where he and poe brainstorm a mystery novel together. i just really like the dillante trio (probably misspelled that)

* Favorite season/movie

his chapters should be getting animated whenever we get season three so, we’ll get there

* Favorite line

in general he has alot of good ones when his wild story ideas come up, but for a more normal one him lampshading that diving into another room while being pursued logically should not work to lose pursuers is a funny one

* Favorite outfit

well mayoi and official art havent started showcasing him yet so i havent seen him in anything besides his canon outfit

* OTP

the dillantes

* Brotp

also the dillantes (whether they’re just being friends or its a ship im happy lol)

* Head Canon

this guy seems the type to own a collection of occult books and objects (tarot cards, probably one crystal ball, an ougi board) and says he just thinks they’re neat and doesn’t actually use them.

* Unpopular opinion

??? i dunno i want to see him interact with more characters? that fits more under the next category

* A wish

kinda want to see him scare some character with the ghosts from his ability despite the fact that they’re probably harmless in terms of living people

* An oh-god-please-dont-ever-happen

the rats find him. seriously dont die dude we hardly knew ye.

* 5 words to best describe them

from what ive seen/heard so far? germaphobe, neurotic, tsukkomi, occult, misfortune

those sound more negative than i mean to be

* My nickname for them

uhhh.... sir specter of spectacle?

yeah no i dont have one i typically refer to him as just ‘oguri’

[tokumusume]

tokumusume’s list of best and worst movies and dramas watched in 2019:

There’s a new category this year. Inspired by kpopalypse, welcome the Honorable Mentions! Movies that weren’t exactly bad but also weren’t good. Movies and dramas are qualified to enter if I watched them for the first time this year, not that they were released this year. Click on ‘keep reading’~~

Best Movies:

1.      Parasite

Another masterpiece from the director of Snowpiercer (let’s pretend Okja never existed). A poor family con their way to a rich household. Choi Woo-Shik from The Witch (see below) is the eldest son and mastermind, fabulous as always. Definitely the best movie of this year. For me, movie of the decade.

2.      The Witch Part 1 The Subversion

This movie is amazing, hard to describe without spoilers. A perfect mix of Stranger Things and Hanna. Choi Woo-Shik can come to my house and kick my ass anytime. I can’t wait for part two.

3.      Death Trance

Visually stunning, kinda like Amemiya Keita’s style in early Garo or Mad Max. I wish the movie was longer and the characters were better fleshed out, Ryuen the monk and the little girl had so much potential... The most interesting thing about this movie is how sexualized the main male character is compared to the female ones, and apparently, the swords were designed to look like veiny penises (can’t find a source for this info), and yes, they do look like veiny penises. The final showdown is heavy with sexual energy. Have I already said that Ryuen deserved better? #RyuenRights

4.      Gintama 2: Rules are made to be broken

The barber shop scene is a fucking cinematic masterpiece. I never laughed so much like I did with this movie. The way it doesn’t take itself seriously, the meta jokes, everything is perfect. Even better than the first one.

5.      Kingdom

While I think that some fight scenes were way too long (like the bamboo forest one), the dynamics between Shin and Hyou/Eisei were highly entertaining, at least in my shipper eyes. I like that (SPOILER) the King of the Mountain People is a woman and not once they try to call her Queen. She is a King. Hashimoto Kanna is adorable as a Ten, Kanata Hongo does a great job as Eisei’s psycho brother, Sakaguchi Tak waves his sword around, the usual stuff but with added layers of dirt and sweat.

6.      Bravestorm

A movie I lovingly call “Japanese Pacific Rim”. Full of Kamen Rider stars (Hino Eiji! Misuzawa Haruka! That girl from Heisei Generations, the one with a sword! She has a sword in this as well!) and giant robots (god, I love giant robots!), I waited so much for this movie and it exceeded my expectations. I just wish I could’ve watched in theaters, it had a limited showing in my country.

7.      Twelve Suicidal Children

What begins as a murder mystery ends with a twist you won’t see coming. All of the actors are amazing, but special mention to Sugisaki Hana and that guy from that one boy group I forgot the name but can’t be bothered to Google.

8.      Gakkou Gurashi

Four girls and their teacher try to survive the zombie apocalypse trapped inside the school. This one destroyed me for days.

9.      Forest of Love

I’ve watched some Sono Sion movies but nothing prepared me for this. Be aware of extremely gory sequences and sensitive topics. Hinami Kyoko is so amazing as blue-haired, punk girl crush Taeko that I totally didn’t notice she was AkibaBlue in Akibaranger.

10.  The Host

After watching Parasite I decided to go on a Bong Joon Ho binge and watched this horror movie. Not as good as Snowpiercer and Parasite in my opinion but heart-wrenching nevertheless. The little girl is the star of the movie.

11.  The Hungry Lion

A story about the dangers of social media and slut-shaming. I want to punch Mizuishi Atom in the face.

12.  Cromartie High

A little absurd comedy about yakuza-style high school boys (played by middle-aged men lol) forming a club to battle aliens summoned by themselves just because. It made me laugh like a child. A hidden gem.

Honorable Mentions:

1.      River’s Edge

Depressing as fuck. Warning: the cats die. It’s not graphic but it’s traumatizing. Yoshizawa Ryo is a gay boy who sleeps with old men for money. There’s a graphic sex scene (not Yoshizawa, sadly) where my only thought was “That thing is gonna get stuck in there! Use a condom!” Can’t remember much from it except for these three scenes.

2.      The Disastrous Life of Saiki K

Yamazaki Kento has the acting chops of a dead fish but it comes handy for playing a teen with psychic abilities and zero social skills. Hashimoto Kanna is one of the prettiest girls in Japan. Yoshizawa Ryo with white and blueish hair looks more like Sakata Gintoki than Oguri Shun in the Gintama live action. The end is a huge let down but the fun ride is worth it.

3.      Ano ko no, Toriko

Congratulations to Yoshizawa Ryo, he has FIVE movies in my list of favorite movies this year! This is to make up for crowning GIVER as the biggest waste of time of 2018, this list is totally not biased, lol. “Ano ko” could be just another romance movie but the (very) little insight into how the entertainment industry works and not focusing on school life made me love it. Poor Sugino Yosuke being left behind again, when will this boy get the main girl?

4.      Monstrum

It doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it’s pleasant enough to fill a rainy afternoon with a lot of blood and spilled guts. Hyeri of Girl’s Day is the heroine and Choi Woo Shik is the commander she falls in love with.

5.      Weirdo Go

I confess I watched this one just to see Ji Li (aka my snake son Nie Huaisang) dressed as a woman but it was enjoyable and not that problematic.

6.      Real - Kanzen Naru Kubinagaryu no Hi

Directed by the same guy that did “Creepy” and “Before we vanish”, there are lots of twists you won’t see coming. And a dinosaur. A fucking dinosaur.

7.      Tomodachi Game: The Final

The movie loses its focus halfway through then picks up again minutes before ending. Yoshizawa Ryo delivers again as the sadistic Yuuichi, much like his role in Gintama. The plot twists are the star of the movie.

8.     The Living Dead

Sorry Wen Ning. I saw the plot twist coming in the first 30 minutes of the movie, not very smart of the writer. His personality did a 180° turn for worse and I’ll demote the movie to an honorable mention for it. Gao Han is cute though, I would like to see him as a better character.

9.      Backstreet Girls

Some recycled scenes from the drama to situate the viewers, a completely new story for the movie, it is certainly funny and enjoyable, if you can get past the forced gender reassignment surgery background and transphobic jokes (you shouldn’t get past it btw). I like the soundtrack.

Best Dramas:

1.      The Untamed

Do I need to say more?

2.      The Tale of Nokdu

This Korean romance had everything to be a mess but it wasn’t!!! *claps* I don’t hate the main female character and the whole palace politics actually kept me interested until the end. The complete shift of atmosphere mid-season was strange at first but ultimately very welcomed.

3.      The Naked Director

Netflix original Japanese content is amazing. This one is a look at the life of a legendary porn director in the late 80s, I learned a lot about the history of Japanese porn and censorship (yay pixels!) and went looking for his, erm, works. Very graphic, 69/10 don’t recommend watching with people in the house.

4.      Channel wa Sonomama!

I don’t remember it well but it’s about a news station and what is like to be a journalist and it was very interesting and funny.

5.      SCAMS

Forgettable. Sugino Yosuke with black hair cons old people via phone calls.

Worst Movies and Dramas:

1.      The cat in their arms

The cats spend 90% of the movie in human forms, and halfway through it they simply abandon the cats’ plot to show a fucking long montage of a weird guy painting a picture of a nude girl. It’s also super creepy to see a grown-up man acting like a cat, getting belly rubs and eating cat food from a bowl. Yoshizawa needs to choose his roles more wisely.

2.      Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun

A waste of Suda Masaki’s talent. Can Japan stop casting Tsuchiya Tao already?

3.      Samurai Marathon

Almost two hours of dirty men running through a forest. Maybe Japanese History experts will enjoy it, because I certainly didn’t.

4.      Lady Vengeance

While there are legit great moments, I didn’t find this “classic” to be anything special. The animal cruelty was too much for me.

5.      Hot Gimmick

This movie makes Bohemian Rhapsody’s editing look like a work of art. There are more flashing cuts than a T-ARA music video. I have no idea who likes who, who’s banging who, what even are they saying. Too much poetic shit for my like. I wanted to see Shimizu Hiroya naked. I was bamboozled.

6.      The Divine Fury

While some parts were interesting, at the end I still don’t know if the protagonist is possessed by a demon (if yes, then why would he help a priest destroy his friends?) or if he was blessed by God when his father died and talked to him (the glowing hand thing, why and how??). The exorcism parts are really, really scary, or maybe I’m just a chicken, but I had to avert my eyes. The best (only) part is that the protagonists are hot. Hello Woo Do-Hwan, you can sacrifice me to Satan any time…

[joeys-piano]

Things I Learned While Matching Pokemon with BSD Characters

Out of sheer coincidence and forethought, each gifted organization has its own theme so to speak

Versatility is the bread and butter for the Armed Detective Agency because of the peculiar nature of the cases they’re assigned to and due to the opponents they encounter on the field. It’s not uncommon to see these detectives training everyday, honing their skills and learning to adapt at a flick of a wrist.

If you think you have enough berries to face against the Port Mafia, think again. Their specialty is status-inducing movesets and fairing no mercy to whomever gets in their way. While poisons may not be their signature move, don’t be fazed by how many characters will attempt to poison you.

To summarize the Guild in one word: balance. Out of all the organizations so far, most of the Guild members have a really good division of both offensive and defensive moves. Due to their proclivity of engaging in tag-battles, this works in their favor.

Intensity is often more synonymous to art rather than brute strength as shown by the Rats/Decay of Angels. While the attacks are fierce, leaving you with fractions of a second to strike back, it’s hard to deny that there isn’t beauty behind the offense.

The Department of Special Abilities, as a subset to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is employed with agents possessing a peculiar affinity for what is and isn’t there. Given their position in the Tripartite Tactic, their title as Guardians of the Day juxtaposes the curses lingering at their footsteps.

Most BSD characters either fall into the type-categories of: Ghost, Dark, or Psychic with secondary-type variances to boot. Dark Pulse and Night Slash were among the most common attacks, where at least one member from each organization knew at least one of these moves. More likely than not, the characters that knew either one of those attacks was previously/currently a member of a dubious organization.

Quite a lot of characters (4) had the hidden ability Moxie, which boosts their attack after knocking out any Pokemon. Very in-character, I’d say.

I love that Akutagawa and Atsushi’s Pokemon abilities complement each other so well. Akutagawa basically lowers Atsushi’s attack stats on sight while Atsushi’s attack stats raise to counteract it because there’s a foe. Now that’s comedy.

The Guild wins for having the most flying-types in their organization. The Port Mafia and ADA are pretty evenly for the type-variances each organization possesses. The Department of Special Abilities is mostly homogeneous on the Pokemon-type they employ. The Rats/Decay of Angels would be the same were it not for Oguri. Oguri’s the wildcard. He’s a Toucannon.

My favorite BSD character and Pokemon match was Kaiji, aka lemon boi, and Amoonguss. If you look at the Pokedex entry for Amoonguss, it’s so...kind of dumb yet funny that I knew it had to be Kaiji. Not only that, Amoonguss can learn Seed Bomb and that’s perfect for our residential bomb fanatic.

You'd think that the fight scenes wouldn't be graphic because everyone is a Pokemon. Nah. If anything, the fight scenes grew a lot more intense. For instance, Psychic is a terrifying move and many a neck have been snapped by it. That was always Dazai's preferred technique when he was in the Mafia. He may've been a torture specialist but on occasion, he enjoyed the sound of silence.

Somehow I translated BSD lore and canon abilities into Pokemon stuff. Not sure how that happened, but it just goes to show how versatile Pokemon AUs are. They're one of the more easier crossover AUs to do because of familiarity and relative abundance with whatever you want to do.

Oddly enough, this project was a lot easier than I anticipated.

[theunlimitedskye]

A REALLY REALLY LONG POST OF MY DUMB BSD FIC IDEAS (I am so sorry)

All y'all can ignore this post this is just me thinking out loud at 3:30 AM  (yes, I prewrote this)   What Bungou Stray Bullshit am I gon be writin: •Hanahaki. I don't even know what fucking ship I'd be writing for with this one, but after getting sucked into a certain ship hell on AO3, I may or nay not have, like, 4 ships in mind, •prrrrrrrrobably like, 7 separate Sakaguri things (ranging from drunken comfort cuddles to Oguri following him to work and stealing pocky to "hey what if Oguri was a kitsune") •Oguri. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand Nathaniel. Ch... Church. Churchy stuff. Yeeeeeah. •AU where Oguri is a shrine Kitsune and Nathaniel goes there for frequent visits and prayers and shit •Twain... Something something Twain. Don't even care what, honestly. One happy shooty boy. •Ango squeaks when he's scared and now I have no choice but to write about it •Daraaaaannnn...????? God I forgot how much I ship this •Oh look;  Oguri and Yokomizo adopted a cat together like the gays they are, and Oguri got rid of it after Yokomizo's death. Nothing to see here, folks, just a bunch of angst. Scroll past this one why don't you. •I GOTTA WORK IN FYODOR INTO ONE OF MY FICS ONE DAY JUST SO I CAN SPECIFICALLY HAVE SOMEONE EITHER CALL HIM FYOOP OR FYODADDY •shit with my own bsd ocs i have like 37 and it is absolute utter hell. i cant stop making bsd ocs. i am suffering. i will not be satisfied until i have 50. someone please kindly snap my neck •"welcome to walmart thanks for bringing your fucking kids" •cold glass of spaghetti-o's on the rocks (this is way more valid than it sounds but I highly implore that you   d o   n o t    a s k) •how fucked up would it be if I wrote a whole bunch of drabbles and ficlets with Nathaniel all inspired by specific Bible verses? Like, no specific ships or plotpoints in mind. The only constant is Nathaniel and whatever verse I choose that day. Work whatever ships fit with it. Great way to force myself into some good 'ol Bible Discussion and Study Meetings, lemme tell you. •You can't spell Procrastinate without Nate. Not only is it a horrible prompt, but it's also true. •"People's brains slide right out of their assholes the instant they start to sin. At least those that are dumb enough to die for their sins without repenting first get their dumbfuck legs boiled off in the firey pits of damnation." -Possible dialog for Nathaniel????? I don't even know where I'd put this but I heard someone say something relatively close to this sentence in a YouTube video and I absolutely lost my fucking shit •this isnt even a fic idea but it involes writing but fuckkkkkkkkkk ask-nathaniel-hawthorne blog that'd be so fucking lit it'd give me a chance to try writing for him and show off my art nd ghhhhhhhhhh it'd literally just be nothing but church jokes and r/dankchristianmmes •OR BETTER YET, ASK-ANGEL-NATE (@mysaldate you know precisely what I'm getting at here wanna make a joint blog) •*chanting and slamming hands off of table* ACCURATELY! WRITTEN! FICLETS! AND! DRABBLES! WRITEN! BASED! ON! FUCKED! UP! AWKWARD! SERVER! CONVERSATIONS!!!! •911 what is your emergency yes help there's a demon in my church and his name is dazai osamu please send someone before I exorcize this bitch •Bad Apple seems like a really good general direction to go here, considering everything else. Ever on and on, I continue circling with nothing but my pain and the paralyzing agony... •this is a callout post to @midwinter-stars and I hope you realize I'm gonna be copypasting both of our RPs into a document and slapping that shit onto AO3 with both our names attached •I had this one really cute DazAtsu-ish RP where Dazai kept trying to drown himself so Atsushi saved him then they ended up frolicking in the park. Sorta. •That one Vocaloid song called Error. I wanna work that in somewhere somehow. •ANGEL WITH A SHOTGUN ANGEL WITH A SHOTGUN ANGEL WITH A SHOTGUN ON MY FUCKING GOD THIS SONG IS UTTER PERFECTION FOR NATE LIKE PICTURE NATE AS CALM AND CLASSY AS EVER BUT HES HOLDING A FUCKING  S H O T G U N AAAAAA I GOTTA ADD THIS IN SOMWHERE I HAVE. TO. WRITE. NATEGUN. •Alternatively - Ginger with a Shotgun. (I DON'T CARE IF THE GUILD'LL EVER TAKE ME BAAAAAAAACK--) •Fitzgegerld is a dumb bitch legend and if I'm not ever gonna find time to draw him I may as well write him at some point • Alternatively, again - that Brandon Rogers video called The CEO but with Fitzgerald. How amazing would that be. Literally just Fitzgerald going through his daily life and I somehow incorporate every line of dialog in there ("Nathaniel I'm walking through a FUCKING FOUNTAIN right now.") •So I saw Unedited Footage of a Bear recently. It was one of those weird, creepy 3 AM commercials on Adult Swim everyone knows about. It really messed with me, to be honest. The website had me tripping balls, and I'm still not certain if I found all the secrets it had to offer. In summary - I'm probably gonna write about Nathaniel having some fucked up hallucinations maybe. •Oguri Mushitarou is a fucking pillow princess send tweet •PoK is really fucked up and I already have like 12 drabbles being written all at once hlep •pLEASE DON'T LET OUR LOOOVE TUUUUURN OOOOUT INTO A TRADGEDY LIKE IT WAs FOR JULIEETTT T  TAKE ME AWAY INTO YOUR AAAARMS IT'S ALL I ASK OF YOOOOu (in summary - Romeo and Cinderella) •Koyou Ozaki - unintentionaly turning straight Canadian chicks with shitty anime tumblr blogs into lesbians since her debut. •I HAVE SO MANY LEMON IDEAS JUST PILING UP YOU GUYS MAY AS WELL START CALLING ME KAJII AT THIS POINT BECAUSE I SWEAR TO GOD ITS NEVER GONNA GET ANY BETTER, ONLY WORSE

[withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus]

Mutual Tag

I was tagged by: @just-another-nerds-little-world Thank you so much, honey ^^

Nickname: none anymore, but a friend occasionally calls me Queeny.

Zodiac: Aries

Height: 1,62m

Age: 24

Time: 22:51

Fave Bands/Artists: It’s a long list so, in case any of you is interested, I am giving you the link to my About page, in which I have already listed all my favorite artists in many art fields, if you scroll down in the Bio & Stuff box: http://withered-rose-unbreakable-lotus.tumblr.com/about

Favorite Songs: I honestly have so many but I will try my best to make a current top 5 from the top of my head. I will try doing it like just-another-nerds-little-world, to put both western and eastern music tastes in.

Top 5 fav Western songs (in no particular order)

Maria - Christina Aguilera

Rumors (Nightcore ver.) - NEFFEX

Lovely (Nightcore ver.) - Billie Eilish feat. Khalid

Fall in Line - Christina Aguilera feat. Demi Lovato

Dinero - Jennifer Lopez feat. Cardi B

Top 5 fav Japanese songs (in no particular order) (i haven’t passed the latest cds I got in my computer, so this is mostly the 5 songs I listen to, the most, lately)

Anthem - DOG inThePWO

Nemesis - Ruiza

Teddy - REIGN

Lin - Lin -the end of corruption world- (final lineup version)

Falling - the Gazette

Song Stuck In My Head: Rumors by Neffex has been constantly playing in my head lately and only if I listen to it once a day it stops XD

Last Movie I Watched: Museum, with Oguri Shun

Last Thing I Googled: Lin -the end of corruption world- because I was looking for whether the title of the song I mentioned above was correct or not. :P

Other Blogs: I have 15 other blogs, most of which are fanblogs I never finished, so they are still locked, but the one for REIGN and the one for the Valentine are open and get updated once a month ^^’.

REIGN fanblog: http://club-reign.tumblr.com

The Valentine fanblog: http://fi-ance-trust-thevalentine.tumblr.com

Do I Get Asks?: I get some occasionally.

Why I Chose My Username: Because I needed sth more representative of myself and my aesthetic so, being a moody person most of the time and having my love for roses grow stronger after becoming a Versailles and D fan, the first part represents my being a person who has lost the will to fight yet finds shelter in the eyes of a man like Kamijo, who calls all his fans, therefore me, too, roses, (which for me is a beautiful flower that I don’t see myself to be, yet this man makes me feel proud to call myself that, even if I never bloom again) and the second part, derives from the symbolism my musical savior and inspiration in life, since I was really really young, Christina Aguilera, had used for her album “Lotus“. It represents the me who, even though I lack the strength to keep fighting to become who I want and having lost my dreams, I still crave to break free from saddness and rise above like a lotus keeps blooming even after receiving lots of rain and bad weather conditions in general and it’s, like Christina says, “the unbreakable flower“ that despite all the hardneships it might face, it will still rise above the mud and bloom beautifully and gracefully. Sorry if I sounded confusing, I am crazy after all and I talk too much :p

Following: If it’s how many I am following then 375.

Average Amount Of Sleep: 8 hours.

Lucky Number: 9

What Am I Wearing: a white tank top and a pair of black track trousers (if that’s the name of athletic trousers, eng isn’t my first language, sowwy)

Dream Job: mainly music video director, but honestly I wish I could work on both image and video direction and editing in the japanese visual kei music industry.

Dream Trip: used to have a lot, but realizing I want too much, I just narrowed it down to the place I want to go the most and that’s Japan, without return, please :p

Favorite Food: I’ve got none anymore, really. I mean, of course I like some stuff and hate others, but I don’t have one that I go crazy about. The only edible thing I call my favorite at this point is chocolate.

Play Any Instruments: No, but I wish I could play the guitar, or the piano, or the violin, or rather, all of them together :P.

Fave Song: Answered 10 above, I don’t think there’s any person who can choose only one.

Play Any Sport: No. I hate sports and exercise. :p I used to play tennis once, though.

Hair Color: light brown

Eye Color: brown

Most Iconic Song: There’re lots.

Languages You Speak: Greek, English, basic French and Japanese.

Random Fact: hahaha OMG I don’t know. I hate my life? A random fact about me is that I hate my life XD. And I’ve been wanting to leave my country since I was a baby. (My parents joke about it, but if I did that ever since I started walking, I guess it’s pretty serious)

Describe Yourself As Aesthetics: I am a little confused because my aesthetic is based on my worldview and tastes so I guess: Red, chocolate of every kind, pcs, dancing scenes, music, body positivity, astrology, dark or spooky stuff, palettes of colors, history books, blood, vampires, videogames, horror movies and gore art, fantasy art, art galleries, canvases full of colors, a world map maybe, love is love pics, tears, self hating pics and acts, anger, feminine guys, guys with makeup, metrosexual men, bdsm pics, romantic pics, ahm....there is more, it’s hard to tell.

Tagging: @call-my-master , @abnormalbox, @afangirls play along if you like.

[awkward-hawthorne]

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Sorry? Did you need anything? Surely you wouldn't just send a bunch of hearts?

Well, thank you either way I suppose...

[hayurika]

In Your Arms Tonight - Soji Higashiyama (Main Story) Review.

The main character struggles in both her personal and professional life, as she tries to move on with her life following her divorce.

However, a new work assignment brings a former classmate –Soji Higashiyama– in to her life again and back to dealing with Genji in the most awkward of ways.

As they spend more time together, the main character comes to question whether she can truly be with Soji and not destroy what he has already created for himself.

★ ☆ ✰ Rating: 9/10

The main character is someone who is extremely hardworking and diligent in learning everything she can in order to prove herself worthy and catch up to her peers who have been working on the Design Team longer. She struggles a lot, but also seems to learn something from the experience and takes everything with stride. However, she tends to keep everything she is suffering about to herself and tries to keep moving along because she doesn’t want to be an inconvenience to other people. Yet, it is because of Koichi’s cheating that the main character questions her own value and self-esteem since she doesn’t understand what she did “wrong” so early on in the marriage. It is due to this that she fears falling in love in again and seems to freeze up when she realizes that she is in love with Soji and before that due to the fact the Genji still seems to be in love with her. Due to this, the main character isn’t sure what she wants out of life anymore and tries to focus on work and other activities for awhile. However, the main character is still a romantic at heart, as shown with her choice in movies and how she interacts with Soji. Yet, she seems to have a fear of being left behind, which shows itself when thinking about what had happened between her and Genji back in high school. She is very curious, as shown with how she wants to know more about Soji when meeting him again, though he seems apprehensive about it. She might be confused about her personal feelings for some time, but she doesn’t wish to impose them on anybody and is willing to give up on things, such as not seeing Soji anymore because of the damage she has caused.

Soji Higashiyama is the complete opposite of his famous older brother. Soji is quiet, reserved, and has a tendency of staying in the background, even when its it his work at the center of what is going on. It might be due to being raised by his grandmother, but Soji has a tendency of interacting better with the older people that live around him than someone his age -- some might even call him old-fashioned. Soji might be a great ceramic artist, but he is very humble about his work with the belief that he still has a lot to learn. Soji might be hard to read when it comes to emotions and what he is thinking, but he is actually very passionate about certain subjects and people. Due to their past and personalities, Soji seems to have a somewhat strained relationship with Genji, though he does care in his own way. Soji tends to be very awkward with the main character, though she takes it as she is annoying him. He might be hard to talk to, but there seems to be a calm and serene aura around him. However, like the main character, he tends to hold back when it comes to his true feelings, especially about how he feels about her because he is fully aware of the past she shares with Genji.

The story begins when the main character is told to search for a certain ceramic artist for a project she is managing for the Hotel King, Ginnosuke Oguri. She comes to find out that this ceramic artist is Soji Higashiyama, Genji’s younger brother and a former peer from high school. However, it isn’t easy to get him to work on the project at first, as she tries her hardest by coming to visit whenever she can and learning more about his art. Steadily, she finds Soji opening up more to her and she comes to realize that they are more connected than she originally thought. However, a problem arises when Genji decides to jump back into both their lives and wants to win a certain heart back. Due to that and other incidents, Soji and the main character find themselves questioning whether they can be in each other’s lives and truly be happy.

It is interesting to see the background story that the main character has with Soji and that he has had feelings for her for such a long time, and they still seem to the present even after 10 years. The problems that they seem to have seem to be more around circumstance and timing than anything else. Soji met the main character before Genji and they seem to have a lot more in common, but he never saw her again until it was too late -- she was already his older brother’s girlfriend. The other incident during the latter part of the story is a complete accident, but the main character blames herself and chooses to distance herself as a result. However, Soji and the main character are really sweet together because there doesn’t have to be a lot said between them, but there is also a rather easygoing and calm atmosphere when they are with each other.

Personally, I wish that there had been more of a developed background to their high school story because Soji was in the background when everything happened between the two of them --- maybe a POV side story to his story to better explain his emotions since he is rather hard to read. The main character declares that she is afraid of love and she shows this with her dilemma with Genji, but it isn’t really touched upon with Soji. While, it is good to see that she has been moving on, it would have been nice to see her open up with Soji in a similar fashion.

At the same time, while Genji and the main character do have a past together, it seemed forcefully pushed into the story line and created a weak love triangle where Genji was trying to connect with the main character again and Soji just became a 3rd wheel. However, I do condemn him for realizing that the main character had already moved on and in trying to help both of them come together -- Genji is now in Soji’s place, but he lets 2 of the most important people in his life be happy together, though that entire chapter that he had for himself seemed a little odd even if it provided the proper closure to their relationship. The theme seems to be centered around taking chances because both the main character and Soji hold back on saying what they really want to and it costs them a lot of suffering in the long run until they are able to take the final step and announce what they truly feel.

Soji is a really sweet kid that has gone through a lot and it is good to see that he finally has somebody that is looking out for him, like the main character. This really is a solid story, though it might seem like the story is more about Genji than Soji at times. So consider checking it out!

[riting]

Inflatable Trio by Lionel Popkin

Alison’ D’Amato on Inflatable Trio

Ten years ago I saw a dance by a pair of Belgian choreographers named Charlotte Vanden Eynde and Kurt Vandendriessche at what was then called Dance Theater Workshop in Manhattan. My memory is hazy on this, but I believe they made it known somehow (or maybe it was just gossip) that they had been romantic partners and were not any more, though she was pregnant with their child. Much of the dance was performed naked, including the part that stuck with me the most, perfectly vivid ten years later. They wrapped their heads in plastic bags and then duct taped them together, dancing a blind duet as they looked to be held fast while pointlessly pulling apart. There was a crazy tarantella playing, the woman’s voice totally unbridled. I remember it lasting for some minutes, and I cried almost the whole way through.

In Lionel Popkin’s Inflatable Trio, performed at the Skirball Cultural Center February 23-25, I was reminded of this moment. Many times in the dance he’s mouth to mouth with either Samantha Mohr or Carolynn Hall, and I can’t tell if they’re blowing or sucking, drawn together or trying to escape. I don’t know what kind of family this is, ensconced in their living room full of yellow plastic furniture. They circle each other, sometimes cuddling, sometimes peacocking, sometimes lost in their own worlds. The trajectory of the piece teeters from hyper-crystallized images (performers staring unblinkingly at you from a few feet away in static portrait, or huddled together under the upended furniture) and movement material in Popkin’s characteristic style: joint-focused and precise, refusing resolution. My favorite moment was Mohr’s tantrum, which consumed the whole stage space in a really believable fury. She came for the furniture, but I wanted her to go further, attacking the rest of the cast and then coming for us, tossing audience members into the air like feeble blow-up sex dolls.

Inflatable Trio didn’t make me cry but it did remind me that Hell is other people. Especially now, living in the real world, when my inner monologue is mostly an ongoing scream, rising in pitch every now and again with fresh bad news. How to be close and be separate at the same time, at a time like this? How to remind yourself that everything is fine, sitting here on the couch, with maybe a nice view and someone you love close by. A kettle whistles and joins your scream and everything is not fine. It’s not fine at all.

Alison D'Amato is a researcher, choreographer, and performer based in Los Angeles and currently teaching theory and practice at USC's Kaufman School of Dance. She recently completed a PhD in UCLA's Department of World Art and Cultures/Dance, where her dissertation focused on contemporary choreographic scores.

Barry Brannum on Inflatable Trio

Articulate, as in I state my entry point. A roaring air pump, its hose a spine whipping furiously. Articulate: to say something, or preparing to. A deep inhale. There's much fuss about breath in the piece, but I feel bone. Articulation, as in joints angled just so. Placing in space. In this wide hall at the Skirball, containment is the task. Set up points and spring between them—inflatable furniture, gendered housewear, movement motifs. Articulation: expressing the geometry of these points. Configurations stack and swivel like vertebrae. Sharp syllables. Ar-tic-u-late. The clack and whir of cleverness at work.

Articulate dance can look like limbs and lines of logic darting from some stable center. There is, though, a subtler knowing. Lionel turns the air pump off, and soon the tube lay still. The lights dim. The furniture starts sparkling. And there's the sound of fireworks popping softly. And Carolyn's gaze scans the arced ceiling. And her head is slowly bowing its way toward her heels. Her spine sways with the weight. She is backing all the way across the floor. Her hands tense and spread, and her ankles grip and recover, but her breathing is calm. All parts help hold one another. When Sam, Lionel, and Carolyn mosey through the space wrapped in each other's arms, or when they gingerly mount the inflatables, weight flickers through their spines. That's when I feel their bodies show up. Articulation: the performance of proof, yes—but also the small dance of finding balance. In holding-up it holds its own, and that can be enough.

Barry Brannum is a dance artist and PhD student in the Department of World Arts and Cultures / Dance at UCLA. His artistic and academic work picks at the seams between everyday and choreographic embodiments of blackness.

Roxanne Steinberg on Inflatable Trio

The week of the Inflatable Trio performance, designer Emanualle Khanh passed away. Her husband, Quasar Khanh, the man who invented inflatable furniture in the 1960s, passed away in 2016. They were my close friends.

The dancers chat with the entering audience. Yellow inflatable furniture is set up. Not futuristic like that from the 60’s, it’s cartoon-like, a 1950s living room. A video plays of the dancers romping in a backyard with same furniture wearing an unlikely combination: argyle sweaters with leopard shorts. Blow-up furniture, inherently inventive, suggests freedom. In this foot-loose spirit the dance begins: big inhale, suspense, we’re in.

Arms flinging, touching, grabbing, leopard housecoat; legs fly with ease from torsos. Popkin’s face is friendly, inviting; his movement is sumptuous. Forehead to forehead tangoing, flopping onto couches, throwing furniture and themselves around, the dancers are playful; bodies are committed contrasting blasé expressions. No bowing to words: undulation of hips, backs, feet - subtleties change the meaning of their movements. Carolyn Hall maneuvers deflating parts, defining space with deadpan humor. Samantha Mohr gazes gently, movement luscious, quintessential beauty. Carolyn carries couch on head. Samantha rolls onto Lionel - a wavelike duet innocently finds a crotch in a face, her body hanging upside down, then uncannily horizontal in space. Multi-sited soundtrack includes reveille, drumline, insects, carnival sounds, a sense of eerie status quo - things of life. Standing riskily on contained breath, they’ve become a rearranging portrait, balancing precariously on deflation, non-permanence. This choreography, our plans… What story doesn’t eventually expire?

Roxanne Steinberg dances to transcend familiar vocabularies and bring about a heightened sense of perception, connectivity and flow of primordial associations. Based at the Electric Lodge in Venice, she has led Body Weather training in Los Angeles since 1988 and has performed worldwide, solo and with her partner Oguri and sister Morleigh Steinberg. She is engaged in Lauren Bon’s art practice at the Metabolic Studio.

Inflatable Trio happened on February 23rd-25th at Skirball Cultural Center as part of the Performance Lab Series.

Lionel Popkin is a choreographer/performer who sees the world as hybridized over homogenized, gloriously confusing instead of needing fusion, and who consistently values bodily experience as the primary way we orient to our world. During the decade from 2004-2013 he made works looking at the cross-cultural conversation between his post-modern training and the imagery and iconography of the Indian subcontinent that surrounded his youth. His recent work has focused on the more intimate familial world, questioning conceptions of home from the point of view of the itinerant, the domesticated and the mobilized.