#captain Harlock my beloved | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

maxwell-grant · 3 years

Note

If someone were trying to make a new character inspired by pulp heroes, but the new character had to be a teenager, what existing pulps heroes should they look to for inspiration?

I'm not exactly in touch with the yoof so I could be off the mark here, but let's talk about teenager characters for a bit.

Now, I could just tell you to look for characters that appeal to you and use them as a baseline and that's probably the best advice here, but if you want the essay and history lesson: American pulp fiction didn't used to market much to teenagers. Teenagers as a consuming market haven't always been the all-encompassing force they are considered today, and the pulps were largely marketed either towards young boys, or for working class men, mostly the latter. This is part of why teenagers tend to show up in these stories largely as sidekicks, which was something carried over to comic superheroes, and part of why Spider-Man was such a breakout hit, because he was a teenage superhero who was not a sidekick.

The biggest pre-1950s traditional pulp hero I can of who was a teenager would be Jack Harkaway, an 1871 penny dreadful adventurer who would go on to be published overseas, one of those characters who was big enough in his day to inspire imitators a plenty but didn't quite make it past a specific time period. Comic strips had plenty of kid or teenage protagonists who are a bit closer to pulp heroes, like Tintin or Terry Lee, one in particular I'm highlighting above is Ledger Syndicate's Connie Kurridge, arguably the first female adventure hero of American comics. Overseas you can find a couple of prominent examples of teenage adventurers published in what we call the pulp era, the biggest and most influential of which being The Famous Five, but as I stated in answering whether Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys were pulp heroes, these were not published in pulp magazines, instead their direct opposites in glossy and reputable paperbacks.

There are other examples of pulp heroes who were teenagers and not sidekicks, but nearly all of them are very obscure and you will probably not find much material for them. And the thing is, these characters were not made for teenagers. They were made, for the most part, by grown-ups, and for grown-ups, and I can't say any of them ever really grabbed a teenage audience. Usually, it's the 60s as an era that really starts to pander to and include teenagers at the forefront of storytelling, so a good start for you might be to look at what was going on in the 60s-onwards worldwide in the realms of pulp and pulp-inspired works, which probably means you're going to have to look outside of the US.

Another word of advice would be to look up characters that are beloved by teenagers. I don't think "teenager" is a great baseline trait to start building a character, but if that's the number one priority to you, then ideally you should look for a good baseline of what appeals to that demographic, what appealed to you at that age and why. You're probably going to wind up with a lot of anime anti-heroes in your research though, because teenagers are deeply miserable creatures and few things appeal more to them than characters who are miserable but they act cool and badass and edgy about it. Teenagers are forced to live with the miserable reality of being teenagers with little to no upsides, so I think teenage characters could benefit more from being based on the kinds of characters teenagers would ideally want to read about.

So, "cool, badass and tortured character super popular with angsty teenagers", "rooted in and subverting older storytelling traditions for a fresh new audience", and "60s pulp hero". I think Elric is probably as good of a place as any for you to start.

Elric wasn't just popular, he wasn't even just popular with teenagers (boys and girls alike, which is also quite the feat), he was "cool". He was avant-garde, he was the hip new thing on the block. He wasn't Conan or Bond or Batman, and you'd hardly mistake him for a hero. He got the rock albums and fans tattooing him. He was penned by the guy who was openly called the "anti-Tolkien". Elric was Loki before Loki, the edgy anti-hero before them all. The emaciated warrior with white hair and black clothes and a demonic sword who suffered in a cool way, cool in his uncoolness. When I think of pulp heroes who achieved a substantial popularity among teenage audiences, Elric is definitely the first that comes to mind.

Another good example might be Captain Harlock, easily one of the premier Pulp Heroes among manga and anime due to how heavily Leiji Matsumoto incorporates pulp space opera into everything he does. Not only directly influenced by it, Matsumoto even has actual pulp credentials as an illustrator for C.L Moore's Shambleau, Northwest Smith and Jirel of Joiry. The space pirate, while not created in manga and anime, is one of Japan's premier pulp hero archetypes, and Harlock's as good of a baseline to work with as any.

The most popular pulp-inspired works nowadays among teenage or younger audiences are definitely the ones derived from pulp horror, several creators have been getting a lot of mileage these past decades out of plundering and remixing stuff from it. The big ones are Lovecraft and related works like The King in Yellow, but because they soak up all the attention, it also means that people are sleeping on authors like John W. Campbell, William Hope Hogdson, Clark Ashton Smith and Karl Edward Wagner, Nictzin Dyalhis and Olaf Stapledon, and many, many more, which gives you a lot of narrative real estate to work with should you take this direction.

Additionally, one thing that you could consider is that, for a very large portion of the history of pulp fiction, a significant amount of the most popular stories and characters were those that were based on celebrities and real life figures. The biggest of dime novel protagonists was Buffalo Bill, and following him was Nick Carter, a literary equivalent to Eugen Sandow (the Schwarzenegger of his day). Thomas Edison inspired an entire subgenre of dime novel fiction, even Jack the Ripper was a pulp protagonist in Dutch magazines, because sometimes the term "pulp hero" doesn't take the "hero" part much into account.

The precedent for celebrity stories is older than pulp fiction itself, but it was in the dime novels and novelettes and pulps that the idea really found it's footing. The Shadow's exploits took a lot from Gibson's own experiences with Houdini (who himself starred in fictional stories, one famously penned by Lovecraft). Doc Savage was visually modeled after Clark Gable and supposedly inspired on Richard Henry Savage. Eddy Polo, Charlie Chaplin and Tom Mix were the protagonists of several pulps and comic strips across the world, as well as Al Capone (who starred in pulp magazines in Germany and Spain), who fought Nick Carter in a Brazilian story guest-starring Fu Manchu (reportedly based on real figures Sax Rohmer claimed to have met) and Fantomas. Today obviously there are much greater restrictions at play concerning celebrity images, but if dime/pulp magazines were around today, we would have quite possibly seen figures like Keanu Reeves, Tilda Swinton and Lil Nas X either star in their own magazines or be used as models for rising protagonists.

So I guess one other way you could go on about creating a pulp hero, who's either a teenager or appeals to teenagers, would be the route of taking a look at some celebrities that either are, or appeal to those demographics, because if pulp magazines had stayed around unchanged past the 60s and 80s and whatnot you definitely would have seen the likes of David Bowie, Will Smith and Dwayne Johnson get their own magazines. I don't know much about what celebrities are popular with teenagers these days and I'm not about to start caring now, but you could take a look at some icons you like, or liked when you were younger, and think about what made them appealing to think about as characters, and how you could apply that to something closer to a pulp story.

A word of advice would also be that, if you want to make a character inspired by pulp heroes, if you want to create a convincing modern pulp hero, you might want to look less at the pulp heroes themselves and instead those that they were inspired by or working to defy and stand out when compared to. You take the building blocks and rearrange them in a different way. If you have a specific character you want to design yours in reference to, you can send me an ask or a DM about them and I'll dig into my files to give you a few pointers, and what kind of history or cultural predecessors they have that you could take a look at to make something more genuine.

#replies tag #pulp heroes #pulp fiction #jack harkaway #captain harlock #elric of melnibone #bloodborne #darkest dungeon

100 notes · View notes

little-arcadia · 2 years

Text

It's

tag game time

Thank to @utsuu, fellow Kang worshipper Nickname: Rem (but it feels more like my name than anything else) Star Sign: Aquarius Height: 1m 60cm Time: 12:08 Birthday: 25 January Favorite Bands: Alt-J and 883? The Nationals are on repeat lately. Favorite Solo Artists: Franco Battiato (RIP), Lucio Dalla (RIP), Mika (alive and well, thank you, he is gonna host eurovision for Italy) Favorite Foods: Okonomiyaki Hiroshima Favorite Colors: Pink in a variety of shades. Last Thing I Googled: how to make mocha from rice Last Show I Watched: Episode 2 of that haywire show that is A Korean Odyssey. I think I have lost a dozen of neutrons last night after watching it. Last Movie I Watched: Being the Ricardos (2021) for my Oscar prep. Lucky Number: I don't have one, but I like 25. When Did I Create This Blog: A couple of years ago? more? what is time? Do I Have Any Other Blogs?: my The Devil Judge sideblog and one where I just reblog things that I need to check later. Also, I used to have other blogs with other accounts, but after the porn ban they got suspended (they weren't even NSFW) and I never bothered to check on them Do I Get Asks?: more likely on my TDJ sideblog Why Did I Choose My URL?: Arcadia is Captain Harlock's spaceship, and Little Arcadia is an episode of Trigun. I always liked this link between two of my favourite anime. Also, the name reference to a place and I liked the idea of the blog to be a place where I could relax and shitpost. Blogs You Follow: 640 Dream Trip: I have never seen Japan in Autumn. Instruments: I like double-bass and I played it for like a month or 3. Average Hour Of Sleep: When working I try to have at least a 7 hours sleep.

How Many Blankets Do You Sleep With: 1 if any. I have a warm room.

Your tumblr icon: "the first alien who ever slutted on Earth" cit. from Star Trek First Contact

tagging people I do not usually tag, but still beloved mutuals with refined taste@quacquiapulia @sweartrek @theponyarchive @lourek

#tag game #remma

2 notes · View notes

humanlighthouse · 3 years

Note

in one of your answers about the characters game, you said that one of the reasons why you didn't watch tomb of the sea was the lack of xiaoge in the drama - very legit reason, it was very weird watching all those eps without xiaoge (poor wu xie), So for the same game, I'll ask about: our most beloved zhang qiling! If you still want to play!

Okay, sorry this took so long, but i just have.....so many feelings about XG?? Everytime i thought about answering this ask my brain just conjured up his general character and like. screamed. for a good half hour at a time. So you can imagine how this would delay typing lol

How I feel about this character: as mentioned above, i adore XG with my entire heart?? he is the incarnation of that "character specifically designed to push all your buttons" meme for me. i am currently watching UN (and liveblogging it to poor Sierra) and i have screenshot every single moment he appears on screen i think 😭😅 every incarnation of XG is wonderful, i really love him in the books too, i think they all portray a different facet of him and i love all of them SO MUCH for different reasons. i will always be very soft for HJJ and his blushy smiles at WX (so many smiles!!) and his general Tired Old Man vibe, but XYL is uh. well. is XYL. and his XG feels like he very precisely targets my brain's angst centers, i wanna wrap him in a million fluffy blankets and just let him nap at least SOME of his stress off 😰 (also, XG in every incarnation is just unbelievably hot. again, in different ways, but like. wow. NPSS really came for my brooding twinks loving ass my first crush was Albator/Captain Harlock I was five and never looked back)

All the people I ship romantically with the character: WU XIE! stupid dramatic soulmates of my HEART, my OTP to end all OTPs. Also, Pangzi, because fuck yeah, Iron Threesome! And PZ brings something to the equation that WX just cannot, they balance one another out so well, the triangle dynamic is truly powerful 🙏 And i don't personally ship them, but I am kind of intrigued by the idea of Something existing between XG and Chen Wen Jin? I briefly mentionned this to Sierra during my liveblog, kinda in the same way that WX and A Ning have Something going on, there is a lot of room for character parallels and history between them. Maybe in another universe? idk, but i'm Thinking

My non-romantic OTP for this character: BLACK BLIND i adore their dynamic?? I adore HXZ, period, but he is so....considerate? and caring? with XG? all the moments in the first episodes of UN when XG is beside himself with worry and BB just seamlessly takes over for him or watches over him have made me feel things for their brotp 😭

My unpopular opinion for this character: Do i have one? 🤔 maybe re: Liu Sang, whom i feel embarrasses/annoys him more than anything. XG certainly is grateful, but I don't see them ever being close :/

One thing I wish would happen / had happened to this character in canon: LET HIM REST PLZ SOMEONE LET THAT BOY TAKE A NAP AND MAYBE SOME XANAX BEFORE HE GETS TO HIS THIRTY-SEVENTH STRESS ULCER oh and a hug. just like. a twenty minutes long one, body completely compressed between WX and PZ so love can seep back into his tired old man bones 😭

#i have enough material to yell for three more pages about my best boy but i'm gonna spare yall #xiaoge my love

10 notes · View notes

stevenuniversallyreviews · 4 years

Text

Episode 139: Lars of the Stars

“Bingo Bongo.”

On Saturday, January 22, 2011, a character from the webcomic Homestuck was suddenly killed. On Sunday, the scene continued, and in a string of wordless panels, another beloved character prepared to take revenge for this murder. On Monday, this character was also killed, and the murderer escaped. (I didn’t remember those dates on the top of my head, Homestuck has a very well-maintained archive, but I do at least remember that it was my first weekend back at William and Mary after my junior year’s winter break.)

To this day, that one-two punch remains my go-to example of a nameless phenomenon in serialized storytelling that fascinates me to no end: when reading Homestuck in real time, these deaths are two discrete events that happened days apart, but when reading it literally any time the after full string of updates concluded, both deaths are one big event. The gap between published segments of a serial have a tremendous effect on how the audience takes in a story, but once the story is complete, that effect can’t be felt again by new audiences.

Lars of the Stars aired just over seven months after Lars’s Head, and as someone who watched Steven Universe live since the pilot first dropped, it felt like the momentous return of the Off Colors. An ultra-early preview of the episode piled on the hype for the fanbase (I personally avoided discussion of it, not wanting to spoil myself), and the Breakup Arc made the divide seem even greater. But if you’re watching all the episodes in a row, the gap between Lars’s last appearance and this one is just 66 minutes; for context, that’s shorter than the time between Spinel landing on Earth and leaving it with the Diamonds.

I see Lars of the Stars as a very different episode today than I did when it debuted, and that’s fully because of the release schedule. Because while it remains a fresh, fun new direction after dwelling on the Breakup Arc for a few months and waiting on Lars to come back for even longer, watching it without the hiatus makes it clear that this isn’t just the start of a new chapter. It’s also an epilogue.

The fourteen episodes between Doug Out and Kevin Party pile on so much tension that we need a follow-up that feels like a break, which Lars of the Stars is happy to provide. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate how far our characters have come during that chunk of episodes, and that’s exactly what happens here. Part 1 of the big stretch ends with Steven leaving everyone behind as he goes to space, and now we get an episode about him returning to space but including Connie in the way he should have from the start. Part 2 of the big stretch ends with the Off Colors trapped on Homeworld with little hope in sight, and now we get an episode about their freewheeling lives among the stars. And Part 3 of the big stretch ends with Steven and Connie establishing a new understanding of their relationship, and now we get an episode where they share what they’ve learned with the class.

In our last episode, Connie showed an ability to socialize without Steven. While this makes him worry that she might only be at Kevin’s titular party to have a good time rather than reconnect, the furthest he goes in terms of dark thoughts is that she doesn’t wanna hang out with him anymore. Meanwhile, Lars takes Sadie’s similar ability so socialize without him as a personal insult: his instinct is to assume she’s hanging out with the Cool Kids as an act of revenge, because it turns out people don’t just flip personalities after major life events, and despite some tremendous changes Lars still has work to do. (This is something that happens more and more as the show goes on, it’s almost as if the perpetual need to work on yourself is a major theme of the latter-day series or something.)

Stevonnie’s ability to help Lars out works in any episode, because Stevonnie embodies close relationships and Lars could use some tips on that front. But the fact that their defense of Sadie in this situation is what causes Steven and Connie to fuse in the first place gains new power when this it comes right after watching Kevin Party, because feeling uncertain about a friend/love interest’s new friends is something they just experienced both sides of. And as one last reflection of the kids as individuals, Steven reacts to Lars’s concerns with a thoughtful monologue about his feelings, but only after Connie chews him out for being such a dingus.

It’s lousy to be possessive and self-absorbed, but for all my criticism of Lars in the past, it’s not as if he’s the only teenager to be possessive or self-absorbed in the world (or space). That doesn’t make the behavior great, but it’s more a sign of adolescent insecurity than any deeper failing at this stage of his life; if he doesn’t grow out of it then that’s a whole other story, but his negative impulses are outweighed by his ability to take criticism of those impulses and reexamine his outlook. And as part of a show that teaches big lessons to kids, I love that his poor reaction to Sadie’s happiness is presented not as some angsty relationship hurdle, but as comically pathetic. Matthew Moy has a blast playing a version of the character who’s finally confident, but he hasn’t forgotten how to tap into Lars’s whiny grouch.

Thankfully that confidence defines the rest of the episode (which itself lends power to the stark return to his old personality). I don’t just say “thankfully” because I’m glad he’s got some self-esteem, but because like I just said, Matthew Moy has a blast. This is the goofiest episode we’ve had since The New Crystal Gems, and while I’m sure it’s even better for anime fans out there (Space Pirate Captain Harlock being the clearest influence) it still works for scrubs like me without that reference pool. Which is critical, as I doubt many members of the youth audience are all caught up on their late seventies anime.

Excellent pacing helps the fun hit for maximum impact, pivoting us from Kevin Party to space with a brisk opening scene and reintroducing characters not through exposition (which takes time) but on-screen text (which is faster and also magnificently cheesy; Lamar Abrams practiced this in Restaurant Wars). We use space jargon and references to old adventures to throw us in the middle of Lars’s journey in a quick and believable way, all the while building up the camaraderie between the Off Colors. His miniature breakdown would normally be a third act affair, allowing for its resolution to conclude the story, but instead it’s smack in the middle of the episode and we get a bunch more fun after it: it’s an important part of the story that informs Lars’s final gambit, but it’s not the main set piece.

(And, of course, the music remains as on point as ever: Aivi and Surasshu give the Sun Incinerator a punchy theme that complements those introductions perfectly, and revisit the motif heard in the Love Like You reprise, Holly Blue Agate’s scenes, and the drone attacks from Off Colors during this new foray into space. I don’t think it’s even possible for these two to disappoint.)

Confident Lars is marvel to behold, because it’s the real deal. His insecurities are still there, but rather than patching them up with a superiority complex (which so often is the case when insecure folks go too hard in building themselves up) he doesn’t feel the need to put on a front anymore. He’s cocky, but he loves his crew for who they are and is never as mean to them as he was to Steven, even as a joke. His exaggerated anime poses aren’t just dopey and delightful for the sake of being dopey and delightful, but show a newfound ability to have fun without being crippled by self-consciousness. And his zany schemes, shouted about by Emerald at first but then seen in action, actually work! He comes into his own as a space pirate, and as neat as it is to see him become a baker when he returns to Earth, Lars of the Stars makes a strong case for a life in space.

Speaking of Emerald, while I’m sure a lot of folks who hyped themselves up on Lars of the Stars were disappointed that this is all we see of her (especially because emeralds are big-name gemstones in the real world), I think her single appearance makes the episode even more of a hoot. This is not Steven’s story, so we get very little frame of reference for what the Off Colors have been up to: it feels like a crossover episode with a nonexistent spinoff. Having a small glimpse into the greater journey was a great call, because this is just one of many tales from the Sun Incinerator’s sterling crew, and it keeps up the thread of Steven being out of the loop on Lars and Sadie’s lives.

It also lets Jinkx Monsoon ham it up even harder than Moy without getting bogged down by character complexity. This is a ridiculous space adventure, and that tone is heightened by a baddie who doesn’t chew so much as gorge herself on the scenery. I mean, this is still Steven Universe, so even someone as over the top as Emerald gets a tiny arc: Lars seems to be the instigator of their rivalry, and while we side with the Off Colors because they’re the underdogs escaping persecution, Emerald has legitimate reasons to see herself as the wronged party. And Lars’s realization that she would never fire on her own ship doesn’t just work as a conclusion to his story, showing that he learned a lesson from his bitterness towards Sadie, but for Emerald’s, showing that while she wants her revenge she more just wants her stuff back. But this is still an opponent who we only see screaming from a screen, and that’s exactly what this episode needs.

The Off Color Gems stick to the characterization that defined them in their debut, but they’ve all let their guard down in a way that suggests both familiarity with Lars and relief from the unending pressure of a lifetime of hiding on Homeworld. We get a few good jokes from their roles on the ship, but their competence is never undermined. It’s funny that Padparadscha is a technical advisor, considering she only offers insight on events that already happened, but she ends up being able to foresee Emerald’s intent as well, which certainly has its uses. It’s funny that Fluorite is the chief engineer, considering her meandering nature doesn’t mesh with the tight time windows of keeping a speedy starship afloat, but despite her slowness she manages to keep pace. It’s funny that Rhodonite is head of strategic operations, considering her usual strategy is to panic at the most minor setback, but her constant worry about what could go wrong helps balance out Lars’s recklessness. While while the Rutile Twins’ natures aren’t at odds with their role as pilot, they’ve grown out of their quirk more than anyone else on the team: the sisters have branched out from their repetitive dialogue, with each head now expressing separate thoughts on a regular basis. They don’t just summarize each other anymore. They aren’t redundant anymore either.

Steven and Connie are largely around to observe and comment, even after fusing into Stevonnie, until they take over for the final action sequence. And that’s just fine, because it turns out AJ Michalka nails supporting role as well as nails lead: Stevonnie’s blithe “Whuzzat” is the perfect punchline to the Off Colors’ fear of the melodramatic "that,” but nothing tops the sincere adulation of “Wow Lars I missed you.” And because they don’t steal Lars’s spotlight in his big moment, it’s that much more exciting when they take the Star Skipper out for a drive, ending the episode with a brilliant action scene and a cliffhanger that promises further adventure, like any good space serial should. Steven Universe has the occasional incomplete first half of a two-parter, one that works fine in context but not as well on its own. Lars of the Stars does not have this problem, working so well as a genre piece that the lack of a conclusion is the only viable conclusion.

Finally, Lars of the Stars doesn’t just celebrate the end of Act III’s fourteen-episode sweep: this is the last episode from Jesse Zuke, who came out swinging with Chille Tid and maintained an unbelievable batting average over the course of their twenty episodes. There’s only one episode Zuke had a hand in that I’m not huge on, Know Your Fusion, and even that is funny as hell if you’re into that style of meta humor. Alongside Hilary Florido, Zuke gave us two of the show’s greatest instances of characters just hanging out in Beta and Last Stop Out of Beach CIty, and the pair laid and reinforced the foundation for Peridot’s post-villain characterization in Catch and Release, Too Far, Log Date 7 15 2, Barn Mates, Too Short to Ride, the aforementioned Beta, Gem Harvest, and Room for Ruby. But on top of being a master of comedy, Zuke could also do horror (Chille Tid and Are You My Dad) and drama (Beach City Drift, Steven vs. Amethyst, Gemcation), and had a good enough understanding of Steven and Lars to earn solo boarding credit on Stuck Together. I would’ve loved to see what else Zuke might’ve brought to Steven Universe, but that makes their unbelievable consistency that much more of a gift while it lasted. Bingo Bongo, Jesse.

Future Vision!

This is the first time we hear Sadie Killer and the Suspects by name, and it thankfully won’t be the last.

We’re the one, we’re the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR!

It speaks to the range of Steven Universe that teen drama Kevin Party can stand alongside Lars of the Stars in my list of favorites. Granted, my top five also speaks to this range, but it’s nuts that the last two episodes are back-to-back and it not only works but benefits from this viewing order despite their wildly different tones.

Top Twenty-Five

Steven and the Stevens

Hit the Diamond

Mirror Gem

Lion 3: Straight to Video

Alone Together

Last One Out of Beach City

The Return

Jailbreak

The Answer

Mindful Education

Sworn to the Sword

Rose’s Scabbard

Earthlings

Mr. Greg

Coach Steven

Lars of the Stars

Giant Woman

Beach City Drift

Winter Forecast

Bismuth

Back to the Kindergarten

Steven’s Dream

Kevin Party

When It Rains

The Good Lars

Love ‘em

Laser Light Cannon

Bubble Buddies

Tiger Millionaire

Lion 2: The Movie

Rose’s Room

An Indirect Kiss

Ocean Gem

Space Race

Garnet’s Universe

Warp Tour

The Test

Future Vision

On the Run

Maximum Capacity

Marble Madness

Political Power

Full Disclosure

Joy Ride

Keeping It Together

We Need to Talk

Chille Tid

Cry for Help

Keystone Motel

Catch and Release

Back to the Barn

Steven’s Birthday

It Could’ve Been Great

Message Received

Log Date 7 15 2

Same Old World

The New Lars

Monster Reunion

Alone at Sea

Crack the Whip

Beta

Back to the Moon

Kindergarten Kid

Buddy’s Book

Gem Harvest

Three Gems and a Baby

That Will Be All

The New Crystal Gems

Storm in the Room

Room for Ruby

Lion 4: Alternate Ending

Doug Out

Are You My Dad?

I Am My Mom

Stuck Together

The Trial

Off Colors

Lars’s Head

Gemcation

Raising the Barn

Sadie Killer

Like ‘em

Gem Glow

Frybo

Arcade Mania

So Many Birthdays

Lars and the Cool Kids

Onion Trade

Steven the Sword Fighter

Beach Party

Monster Buddies

Keep Beach City Weird

Watermelon Steven

The Message

Open Book

Story for Steven

Shirt Club

Love Letters

Reformed

Rising Tides, Crashing Tides

Onion Friend

Historical Friction

Friend Ship

Nightmare Hospital

Too Far

Barn Mates

Steven Floats

Drop Beat Dad

Too Short to Ride

Restaurant Wars

Kiki’s Pizza Delivery Service

Greg the Babysitter

Gem Hunt

Steven vs. Amethyst

Bubbled

Adventures in Light Distortion

Gem Heist

The Zoo

Rocknaldo

Dewey Wins

Enh

Cheeseburger Backpack

Together Breakfast

Cat Fingers

Serious Steven

Steven’s Lion

Joking Victim

Secret Team

Say Uncle

Super Watermelon Island

Gem Drill

Know Your Fusion

Future Boy Zoltron

Tiger Philanthropist

No Thanks!

6. Horror Club 5. Fusion Cuisine 4. House Guest 3. Onion Gang 2. Sadie’s Song 1. Island Adventure

#lars of the stars #steven universe #su #steven universally #review

34 notes · View notes

kalira · 4 years

Text

Top 7 Comfort Movies

What an especially timely theme for the current time. >.> Thanks @asknotbug!

Space Pirate: Captain Harlock

. . .aka the most uplifting dark movie ever. Also, such a ‘hold my beer’ shipping movie. . . It’s so very pretty, dramatic, and . . . yeah, uplifting. It’s a happy space movie.

You’re My Pet

This is a Korean romantic comedy with . . . such a heck of a fic trope sounding pitch - career woman wants a dog but has no time for one, musician boy needs a roommate/place to stay . . . he agrees to pretend to be her dog when she’s home. It’s actually super funny and cute, and has a couple of original songs which are great - because Jang Geun Suk is an excellent singer.

My Phone Sex Partner

This one is also called, in the US especially, ‘Whatcha Wearin’?’ or sometimes ‘My PS Partner’. >.> Another Korean romantic comedy! I don’t like western romcoms much because my fucking lord the awful tropes in them make me grimace. This one starts with a wrong number phone sex call that becomes anonymous friends who support each other and eventually fall in love. (Even the one moment that would have made me cringe in a western romcom was handled so differently here and I love it.)

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Such a good movie with awesome music and a great arc. . .

LOTR Trilogy

If I can list these as one. XD We’ll say it works. >.> Also I have been wanting to watch them again . . . and I just bought the Hobbit ones also, finally. As soon as I finish my current bingeing anime I am totally going to do that.

Beauty and the Beast (Disney, animated)

One of my favourites growing up and still beloved.

The Mummy

This one is just such fun in all its action movie, incorrect history, mystical magical nonsense, dramatics. I love the personal interactions, the characters, it’s just a great one to be happy to.

These aren’t in any particular order and there are others I go to - and might even more often - but here are some of my feel-good, bad-headspace, need-better movies, for sure!

I shall tag . . . @mad-madam-m, @emilx311, @stupidbadgers, @zacekova, @magnustesla, @fallenidol-453, and seriously, any of you who see it, this is an excellent theme to be chattering about now, so consider yourself tagged by me (if you like)!

#comfort movies #movies #top 7 comfort movies #Kalira's favourite #Captain Harlock #You're My Pet #My Phone Sex Partner #Spirit Stallion of the Cimarron #LOTR #Beauty and the Beast #The Mummy #good feels

18 notes · View notes

harlockauxillia30k-blog · 6 years

Text

The Fall of the Centauri System

It was a miracle they arrived in time.

The imperial fists could not stay, but they left a sizable group of army troops and armor to reinforce the Centauri worlds. Our standing orders were to hold the worlds for as long as possible to delay traitor legions advancing on Terra. Likely, there were some traitor elements in Terra’s system right now, but as recon units, kill teams, strike forces. The main group was still en-route.

Harlock walked down the transport ramp to behold his old home. Almost 800 years of combat service created a lot of space for things to change. House Galm’s central spire spawned multiple smaller support spires, each as grand as House Gloriana’s, as the central one clamoured up to the heavens like the tower of Babel.

Harlock gestured to his men. “The colonel wants you moving out on the double! Our lords watch us now, do not ashame them! Move!”

Captain Spektor approached Harlock and saluted. “Greetings Major. my company is ready to redeploy. What news of our position?”

Harlock sighed. “House Galm is taking all the experienced troops to defend its spire-base. We have section 37. I don’t know how we intend to oppose enemy landings but right now it looks like our role will be purely defensive in nature.

Spektor tabbed a holo map and examined section 37. “Then lets hope we don’t fight against the iron warriors.”

“Or the world eaters” Harlock offered.

“Or the Sons of Horus.” Spektor continued. They both stopped at that, chuckling.

“We haven’t won a significant engagement since we’ve been deployed. Our imperial army units die like dogs en-masse, and only occasionally do we wound a traitor legion enough to be considered tactically relevant. The elite Solar Auxillia perhaps have a chance, sir, but we don’t rate like that. Most of my young men are more terrified of these warriors of chaos than they were when the war broke out.” Spektor said, matter-of-factly.

“Are you saying your giving up, Captain?”

“No. I’m saying we’re going to lose here, and we’ll all likely die.”

Harlock considered that for a moment.

“Then, considering the alternatives, this will be a good death. Surrounded by our comrades on soil that is our own, fighting to defend our people.”

Spektor cut him off. “Don’t remind me of our people. What if the Emperor Children are involved here?”

Harlock frowned. “Captain, you’ve gained enough ranks in this army to know when we are given an order, we do not question, we just obey to the best of our ability.”

Spektor begrudgingly agreed. “Yes, sir. We’ll show you what hard fighting noble Centauri riflemen are made of.”

With resignation to their grim task, the 2nd Centauri marched through its home. Instead of being met like a conquering parade, the common folk seemed terrified, malnourished, and poor. Few if any showed up to watch them.

In time, the column stopped before the thresh-hold of the Galm spire.Upon the steps, a man in a regal purple and gold robe awaited them.

“I am the speaker of House Galm! Welcome, defenders! Officers must follow me to meet with our lordship in the high courts. Soldiers, are to go their assigned positions. Glory to Centauri!”

Harlock, Colonel Galente, and three captains of the 2nd Centauri stepped forward.

“Your ‘captains’ are insignificant. Let them organize the rabble!” the speaker declared.

Spektor snorted at this- a mechanical sound, and in a voice that was not his own shouted “Sod off you limey bastard!”

Much of the common soldier got a chuckle out of this as Harlock and the Colonel crossed the threshold into the palatial spire.

“Never actually been inside the Galm spire.” Harlock said, looking around.

“Harlock, this is sensitive ground. Don’t do anything inflammatory.”

The major looked at the colonel. “Of course sir. I doubt we’d have time to seduce any more of their princesses.”

Galente massaged his temple. “Ah... at any rate, lets keep moving.”

As the pair advanced up the spire, they noticed increasingly complex metal statuetes, twisting beams of various minerals, and brighter and brighter colours towards the top of the ballroom. Behind Harlock, there were perhaps three other sets of colonels and majors from other, newer Centauri regiments that Harlock did not recognize.

At last, they reached the top, and stepped into the court chambers, aided by a series of lifts.

Sitting atop a throne of gold and silver, an immense man of absolute corpulence shifted in his seat to regard the newcomers, adorned in regal colours and fine tailoring. All around, the socialites of House Galm stood arranged in various positions, grinning at the new arrivals. Harlock did not bother to look for his long lost beloved; she was dead. Everyone he knew on this planet was dead. It had been 800 years, and this felt as alien as any strange new human culture on the periphery.

“Soldiers of Centauri, you have bled across the stars in my name. I am your overlord, Master Vellam Galm. Welcome to my eternity tower. In here, you will see everything you strive to be. Perhaps, through total devotion to me, you may attain some measure of what you see before you.”

The overlord of Centauri prime extended a hand, pinkish from its pampering, and a filled goblet of wine was promptly deposited therein.

Behind the lot of Imperial forces, one man walked forward, frowning.

“Sir, I’m General Storm, here to supervise your planets defense. Let’s skip formalities and get to the point. We need to redeploy troops- they’ll do no good sitting on castle walls while your cities fall. I propose two task forces-”

“No. You command nothing. I rule here.”

Harlock looked between the two. General Storm was not your run of the mill do-nothing general. A part of his face was deeply scarred- so much you could see the outline of bone, while his left leg and arm had been replaced by cybernetics which the general did not bother to hide,

“I have a bloody mandate, from the high LORDS, and from Rogal Bloody DORN, that this world is to be fortified as I see fit. I’m not asking, I’m telling you- I dont give a singular damn about your god damn dynasty, or right to rule, or any of that garbage. You’re sitting next to bloody Terra! The throne! Your her last line of defense- and I’ll be thrice dead before I see Terra fall because I failed in my duty. Surrender your household and defense troops to me at once. I’ll be sure to post guards to keep you safe.”

Lord Galm grimaced, his face contorting as he did so, and lightly discarded is goblet of wine upon the ground, pushing himself up from his throne with surprising ease.

“I have a primarch I answer to as well.”

Storm stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. “And who the hell is that? Crusade command didn't tell me about anything like that?”

Galm’s voice seemed to change ever so slightly. “Lord Fulgrim, of course.” the overlord said, before stabbing into the general with alarming speed for a man of his girth.

Storm fell to the ground, and the remaining Imperial loyalists brandished their blades and weapons.

“Join me, warriors, or suffer for my pleasure.”

Harlock looked again at many of the lords and ladies. They grinned with unnaturally long smiles. A few of the women at a second glance seemed wholly unnatural, sporting strange horns atop their heads, bizarre disfigured hand-claws, and small devilish tails.

“My eternal master, Fulgrim offers you to join in his crusade against Terra. Long have the high lords and their emperor ruled above us, and long have we yearned to be free. Now, we are, and it is glorious. Submit yourselves, and become more powerful than ever before.”

Harlock, with weapons in hand. trembled.

To his credit, another, old colonel of the guard, pointed his bolt pistol at the morbid figure of the master of house Galm, and fired three shots into its head- perfectly aimed- only for them to bounce off a glowing pink energy field.

“I see. Regrettable. But we can still have our fun.”

In a hair of a second, daemonettes of the court, adorned in their pleasant dresses and frills, threw themselves at the imperials, cackling and screaming with delight.

“FUCK!” Harlock shouted, as they fell upon him. His best parrying and dodges seemed slow by comparison, and he was cut and nicked at by the creatures, who chittered and hummed in an alluring, alien way.

“Ah, Is that Jan Harlock? Excellent, Ladies, spare him for last. I will see him thoroughly defiled before he dies. Feel free to take his hands though, if you must.”

To his left, Colonel Galente fired wildly with his hotshot laspistol, swinging like mad as a daemonette in a lovely white dress ducked and weaved, until his arm was grasped with a claw, snapping the bone and forcing him to drop the gun. Her other hand precisely dislocated his shoulder, while it pinned it to his back. Galente screamed in agony as his arms were twisted around, as the daemonette took him from the fray, and began waltzing about the ballroom, screaming with laughter and pleasure, as the cult of Galm gave appreciative applause.

“Oh ho! Quick, play some music, this is an invigorating display!”

Shortly, some did, as the Imperial party fell one by one. some killed by their dancing partners before taking to the waltz, others screaming in agony as they died slow deaths in the arms of their daemonette partners.

Harlock was doing his best to duel with the daemonette before him, but even compared to inhuman strength and dexterity of an astartes warrior, this thing was like nothing he could imagine. It did not speak, but he could hear feminine voices in the back of his mind. Subtle whispers to submit, to caress, to lust and to hunger.

Harlock aimed his plasma pistol at his colonel, and fired a shot into the mans back, at last killing him, then flung himself towards the door, being struck in the leg for his efforts, but at last at the door to the ballroom. Daemonettes were hot on heels every step of the way, and he dueled and parried with a pair of them as he descended the steps, never landing a hit, always receiving some little cut, or wound for his trouble.

Over a spire mounted laudhailer, he heard: “Where are you running, Master Harlock? Do not leave your dance partners waiting. I thought you fancied Galm girls. Don’t you find these to your liking?”

As Harlock progressed down, he began to notice odd behavior from the daemons. They flickered, and seemed irritated or in pain. Eventually, they could follow him no further, and instead beckoned upon their step, exposing their lithe bodies and emitting gentle moans.

The whispers in Harlock’s head screamed to grasp them, but he knew better. Whatever these... things were, they were not human, and they were... bound, somehow, to the upper floors.

Harlock keyed his vox-com, and despite some jamming, got through to imperial lines. It was complete madness; entire regiments had begun suddenly attacking one another. The house guard used its position to fire upon imperial army units on lower sections, and a few emperors children marines had already been spotted. Centauri Prime had fallen long, long ago.

“All units of the 2nd Centauri Rifles, try to get to the promenade! Meet me at the Gloriana-Galm crossing!”

As Harlock shouted this, several Galm house troops arrived with ornate armor, guns, and a strange symbol upon their cuirasses. Harlock stabbed, shot, and weaved his way through the small fire team with ease; for all their equipment, the house troops were inexperienced policemen compared to his years of hard combat.

When he at last arrived at the crossing, a large stone bridge connecting Spire Galm and Spire Gloriana, he saw that he had already lost perhaps a company to the betrayal.

“This is the plan lads. There’s a private shuttle on Spire Gloriana big enough for the lot of us. We go there, get that shuttle, then call for a planet killer from fleet.”

The assembled soldiers looked ready to mutiny. “We cannot descecrate our home!” one shouted. “Call for reinforcement!” sounded another.

Harlock frowned. “Fine, but we’re getting out of here. We must cross this bridge, then go to the hangar. I know the way!”

The major and his men followed. Dienes and Spektor behind him, as he sprinted across the crossing. On the other side, an old woman flanked by noise marines awaited.

“Harlock, it is good that you’ve come home. Surrender now and we will accept you back into our house. That, and you’ll need to have a short ritual for our patron god Slaanesh.”

Harlock was nearly in tears. Her robe suggested she was the matriarch of Gloriana.

“Madam I cannot, and if you do not move I must strike you down.”

“Hm. I doubt that. Guards!”

The two noise marines stepped forward. Cheerfully, one spoke up. “Greetings, Star Rifles. Things shall get loud now.”

It keyed its weapon, and the world screamed out in agony as every vibration of sound ripped at the eardrums. Every fibre of Harlock’s being lurched in pain. He knew he would soon collapse.

“Thats... enough of that you noisy fucking git!” Dienes shouted, managing despite it all to raise his meltagun, and advance.

“Tech-sergeant-” Harlock managed to croak, before dropping to his knees from the sound. Other star riflemen, unable to take the abuse, flung them from the crossing to their deaths hundreds of meters below.

“You DARE interrupt?!” the emperors children astarte declared, upset beyond all measure.

“Yes sir I do.” Dienes replied, as his own ears burst violently with red gore, he hefted his meltagun and fired it, pointblank, into the noise marines helmet, killing it instantly.

“That, I’m afraid, is frankly unacceptable sergeant.” The matriarch of Gloriana said, and with her own laspistol, fired four rounds into Dienes’ chest, killing him.

“DIENES!” Harlock shouted, pushing himself up.

“Men of Centauri! Charge!”

Throwing himself forward despite the other marines best efforts, Harlock and his comrades fired upon the marine and the matriarch. A combination of plasma rounds, las bolts, and a lucky blade hit, brought the marine down laughing, leaving only the shielded matriarch.

“Leave her to me men, get on that shuttle!” Harlock shouted, exchanging blows with her force-baton.

“Afraid not, sir.” Spektor said, stepping up.

“With respect, I was born to kill noble poofs like this. Get the men to the hangar, only you know the way.”

Spektor gave the matriarch a slight bow. “Madam, I’ll be killing you today.”

The Matriarch laughed. “The galaxy will burn in the fires of passion. Come machine-man. Let us dance.”

Harlock and his men fought through the spire of his home. They struck down servitors, turrets, and house guards, but at last, they reached the hangar. Some had died on the way, but the better part of two companies remained, choking the stairs with their massed bodies.

“Follow me men!” Harlock shouted, rushing into the opening hangar doors, the regimental standard following in behind.

Inside the hangar, a full company of Galm house guards stood arrayed, with their guns aimed at Harlock’s forces. Leading them, the same corpulent master of House galm, now in a parody of a military uniform.

“Good day, Harlock! You did not think we monitored your vox call? Thank you for ridding me of Lady Gloriana. Now this spire is mine as well. We cannot, I’m afraid, let you leave though. You were so rude to my ladies.”

“What the HELL were those?!” Harlock shouted, his off hand gesturing for his men to take cover behind the door behind his back.

“The ignorant speak of them as daemons, but they are the angels of my house. Bound to the holy doorway we built for them. It is through one such door my old Fulgrim will come soon, and reward me for gifting him this star system. Our orgies and celebrations will be legendary. One last chance, you could make for a fine daemonhost.”

Harlock grimaced. “I’m going murder your lousy house guard by the bushell. I’m going to get fleet on the horn, and watch your spires burned to ash. I’m going to give a prayer to my lord the emperor for the souls you’ve consumed, but before all of that, I’m going to rip that fat, disgusting, disfigured insult to the human race you call a body, for all your demonspawn scions to see. You sick, depraved bastard.”

The lord of house Galm frowned. “Ki-” it said, before Harlock jumped aside to some crates, screaming “CENTAURI, FIRE!” as he did so.

A dazzling series of shots shot out across the hangar exploded in violence. Harlock crept about, knowing that his target would be happy enough to sit and watch the battle. Carefully, he leaned and aimed his plasma pistol.

“There! Pistol! Protect your lord!” A galm guardsman shouted, and shortly after lances of hot lasfire ripped into Harlock’s crate.

“Feth!”

From behind, Harlock heard Captain Markus shouted, rallying the men. “The Major is pinned! Centauri, we have the numbers. Follow me to undying glory, for Emperor, and Imperium! Charge!”

A stream of black and red uniforms stormed into the hangar. Proud men of the 2nd Centauri advanced, bayonets affixed, into the line of the enemy, firing fully-auto as they advanced. Lasbolts streamed like crimson lightning between the two forces, and a terrible melee was beheld. In the midst of it, the lord of house Galm laughed, quivering about in his uniform. Tendrils emerged from his sack of flesh, and launched out on all sides, strangling Harlocks riflemen. A half dozen men fired point blank at his shield, with no effect, shots and bayonets deflected easily.

“SLAANESH MY MASTER, WILL NOT BE DENIED!” it bellowed in an animalistic roar, continuing its onslaught against Harlock’s men. Soldiers died on all sides in the dozens.

Harlock got up, readied his sword, and stepped into the fray, dispatching every Galm soldier he came across with his vengeful sword.

“GALM! YOU SON OF A BITCH! FACE ME!” Harlock bellowed, standing atop the corpses of a throng of Centauri Star Riflemen.

Lord Galm glanced upon the officer, so small compared to his enormity, and ripped a man it held by its tendrils into pieces.

“There is no escape Harlock. Your drop zone is overrun. There are no reinforcements to be had. Your star rifles will die in this hangar. Your tech adepts were ripped asunder and violated by my Chosen. All is nothing before Slaanesh, my GOD!”

Harlock blinked. Oh no. The landing zone depot. Melissa...

Galm laughed and threw Captain Markus’ disembodied head at the major. “I think you’re running out of command staff, Major!” Galm roared.

Harlock said nothing, dashing amidst the tendrils and slashing and shooting madly.

The tendrils were fast and razor sharp, slicing through the air with unknowable violence. Soldiers that followed Harlock in who did not dodge as he did were knocked back or bifurcated in twain, their organs spilling onto the floor.

Somewhere, a shout. “For the regiment! Shoot that thing! Open fire!”

Las fire started arching out and into the shield from all directions. Harlock ducked and rolled, smashing his blade against its energy field as around him, the last of the Galm guardsmen died, and squads of Riflemen stormed in to stab at the abomination.

One man, Sergeant Hendricks, was disemboweled by a freakish appendage. Another, Private Miles, stabbed his lasgun with such force it passed through the shield and jabbed into Galm’s side, causing a pink-purple sludge to trickle out like bloody ichor, before his shield reactivated and cut off Private Miles’ arms.

A medic, Janthor Mannus, cut at the creatures tendrils with a buzz-saw tool attached to his gauntlet. He sawed three of the tendrils off, before one at last ripped his very face from its skull.

Three marksmen, perched atop the box Harlock had hid behind by the door, now fired incessantly at Galm’s head, with one of their shots even passing through the shield to burn its eye.

Harlock, at last, landed a hit himself; running his blade along the power field at last he felt it give way and depress in. Harlock capitalized and jabbed deep, inflicting a massive flesh wound.

“Emperor guide my blade!” Harlock shouted, stabbing further, aiming for the heart, before he felt the shield begin to return, and pull back.

Lord Galm bled profusely from his wounds, and began speaking in tongues as his body’s ornate dress uniform became soaked in filth and ichor.

“Slaanesh will p-punish you, harlock!”

“Open fire, open fire men!”

Harlocks remaining soldiers opened up a fusillade, emptying magazines of lasgun charge packs, picking up fallen brothers weapons to also empty into lord Galm. At last, eventually, the noble lord let out one final inhuman scream, and collapsed.

Harlock leaned on his sword, nearly exhausted. The vast majority of his forces lay dead fighting the abomination. From the hangar bay door, a stream of Gloriana and Galm house troops arrived, firing madly, killing the three sharpshooters first, due to their proximity to the door.

“Everyone, get to the shuttle!”

Harlock ran as fast as he could, firing his plasma pistol behind him, toward the hangar’s main feature; a large, well built Centauri Drop Ship, finely furnished for a Gloriana getaway, now the loyalists only hope of survival.

By the time he reached the shuttle there were a total of 7 men left alive in his regiment. Two were gunned down steps away from the shuttle ramp, leaving Harlock 5.

“Get in, Come on!”

He saw that none of them knew how to fly the machine, and gritted his teeth. “Cover the ramp, I’ll get us out of here!”

The major fired until his Plasma pistol shut itself down overheating, and left his men to exchange fire.

Running to the controls, they were blissfully simple in the ancient Centauri style. Combined with what he knew from Klicke, he was able to quickly get the engines online and familiarize himself with the dated controls, as well as raise the shuttle ramp.

Wasting no time, Harlock gently guided the ship out of the hangar, ignoring spire-mounted turrets that fired at the ships shields. Harlock sped away, toward the Imperial landing zone in the star port. He had to know if anyone else was still alive.

Hovering over the landing zone, Harlock saw that indeed there was some resistance; a barricaded warehouse was fighting off groups of house guards and even a pair of traitor astartes. Whirring up the shuttle cannons, Harlock fired at the group- inaccurately, to be sure, but close enough to destroy a marine and several of their lesser infantry elements. Between the warehouse and Harlock’s makeshift gunship, the forces of chaos were broken, and fell back.

Desperately, Harlock landed the ship roughly next to the warehouse, and moved to the back. There, he saw a pair of his survivors being tended to, in critical condition. “We’ll be safe soon, lads. You three, follow me.” Harlock said, too busy to mourn the losses of so many of his fellow men.

With the soldiers in tow, Harlock advanced on the warehouse. “Come on, get inside, we’re getting out of here!” Harlock called, and at this, the doors opened, revealing two dozen tech adepts with a few cyborg-skitarii bodyguards and several more servitors, all armed to the teeth with advanced weaponry. Among them, wounded but alive, stood Melissa.

“They slaughtered everyone- I- there were so many...” she began, but Harlock simply pushed her towards the ship. “We’re evacuating! Come on lets move!”

As soon as all were aboard, the shuttle lifted off, capable of breaking the atmosphere of the planet, it careened off into the void, toward a very confused cruiser, the ‘Angelus’

It did not take long to convince the Angelus to begin firing on the Galm spires, as proof of the treachery was everywhere; small warp signatures were forming across the capitol, fires from battles lit up the surface, and Harlock’s unit was not the first to flee the surface. With Storm dead, command fell to Captain Harper, of the Angelus, who opened fire upon the capitol, reducing it to a charnel ruin.

The remainder of imperial forces not yet engaged on the planets, dourly began to evacuate, as elements of the traitor 3rd Legion jumped into high orbit. Klaxons blared, and Imperial ships departed. All that remained of the 2nd Centauri Star Rifles was a handful of men- not enough to form a squad, and Major Harlock.

By the time the Angelus returned to the Sol system, the Siege of Terra would be well underway.

#post #daemonnettes in dresses #the big oof

2 notes · View notes