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novy2sirius · 4 months ago

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ACTING ASTROLOGY

— your fifth house planets

· your 5th house planets can tell about your acting talent and the type of films you’d do best in. if you want to know what type of characters you’d specifically play best and another acting astrology technique, click below

· types of characters you’d play well

· tw: porn (18+ only), trauma, cults, and gore

₊˚⊹☆┊5H SUN

one of the main themes in your life is putting forth your talent by expressing yourself. you naturally have a talent for entertaining others. you attract lots of attention and can be very famous. acting or entertaining others is likely a huge source of happiness in your life. you would do best in film genres such as drama, comedy, romance, action, and children’s films as well

₊˚⊹☆┊5H MOON

your soul has a natural desire to express itself emotionally and creatively through art. you have a face that makes others easily be able to read your emotions which can make you an amazing actor if you are able to feel all the emotions a character feels and fully immerse yourself into that characters energy and aura. this is also a popular fame placement in general. you would do best in film genres such as melodrama, romance, family, and indie as well

₊˚⊹☆┊5H MERCURY

you naturally have the right mannerisms for acting in such a way that when people watch your films it comes off very realistic as if they’re watching a normal video of someone. this placement can indicate starting out on social media or in short films before making it big in the film industry. often people with this placement always wanted to be the main character or take on as many roles as possible in their school plays. you would do best in film genres such as comedy, reality, and short films

₊˚⊹☆┊5H VENUS

you have a talent for all artistic careers, but this is an especially common placement among actors. you would do best in film genres such as romance, romantic comedy, musical, artistic, lgbtq, and dance films as well

₊˚⊹☆┊5H MARS

you have a talent for putting passion and enthusiasm into your expression when acting. you would especially play aggressive roles better. you would do best in film genres such as action, thrillers, horror, gore, slasher, war, medical, lgbtq, and superhero films

₊˚⊹☆┊5H JUPITER

you have an abundance of acting talent. this is a common placement among those who were in theater growing up. this can indicate gaining lots of popularity from acting and gaining success from it more easily than others as well. you would do best in genres such as adventure, thrillers, athletic, comedy, religion and action

₊˚⊹☆┊5H SATURN

this can indicate your job involves acting since saturn represents work. you may not become successful until later in life when acting with this placement though. sometimes it can also just indicate playing more serious characters though instead of a late start in your acting career. you would do best in genres such as history, historical fiction, biographical, documentaries, indie, and also silent films

₊˚⊹☆┊5H URANUS

this can indicate being in films/shows that are more popular on things like netflix or hulu rather than in theaters. people with this placement have the ability to play really unique roles. you would do best in genres such as sci-fi, thrillers, lgbtq, and pornographic films

₊˚⊹☆┊5H NEPTUNE

people with this placement have a natural talent for lying and deceiving others, so they can be really talented actors. you have the ability to put on a good illusion through your self expression. you would do best in genres such as fantasy, fiction, animation, mystery, spiritual, disappearance, and also musical films

₊˚⊹☆┊5H PLUTO

you have the ability to play really powerful characters. you’re good at transforming yourself into someone you’re not and putting on a good show. you would do best in genres such as crime, mystery, horror, action, superhero, vampire, cult, sexual, and thrillers as well

₊˚⊹☆┊5H NORTH NODE

your life purpose could involve acting and entertaining others. you have a natural talent for expressing yourself creatively in artistic ways and through the arts

₊˚⊹☆┊5H CHIRON

you have a talent for putting your inner wounds that have caused you emotional pain into your acting. the more trauma these people have the better the actors they are. you would do best in films that are more so on the sad side

#acting #actor #astrology #astrology blog #astrology chart #birth chart #astrology community #astro community #5th house planets #5th house #fame astrology

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yurimother · 1 year ago

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The 2023 Yuri Guide - Anime

Your ultimate guide to the best Yuri content with over 200 curated titles from every genre and medium.

Adachi and Shimamura

• School • Slice of Life • Romance • Friends to Lovers • Slow burn

Adachi and Shimamura's days of skipping school offer a new world to explore. But as these delinquents bond, unexpected emotions begin to blossom. Now if they could just admit how they feel…

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub/Dub)

BIRDIE WING -Golf Girls' Story-

• Sports • Comedy • Drama

Eve is an underground golfer who supports poor street orphans with the money she makes from illegal golfing matches. But her life is about to change forever when she meets a young golfer who's just arrived from Japan...

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub)

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

• Action • Fantasy • Isekai • Enemies to Lovers

When Menou, an Executioner of deadly interdimensional “Lost Ones,” encounters a Lost One named Akari who can cheat death, she sets out on a mission to kill the unkillable girl — but her newly stirring feelings might get in the way of her blade.

Streaming on HIDIVE (Sub/Dub)

Flip Flappers

• Fantasy • Action • Magical Girl • Love at First Sight

Cocona’s world is turned upside down with the appearance of Papika. They set off on an adventure in “Pure Illusion.” In the pursuit of the “Shards of Mimi,” obstacles arise, and the shards enable them to transform.

Streaming on HIDIVE (Sub/Dub)

If My Favorite Pop Idol Made it to the Budokan, I Would Die

• Comedy • Music • Multiple Couples • Love at First Sight

Two years ago, super-fan Eripiyo was hypnotized by Maina Ichii and her pop group ChamJam. Now Eri dreams of seeing her favorite group make it big, to the Budokan arena! Her passionate desire consumes money and time—but no cost is too high. This is fandom!

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub/Dub)

Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san

• School • Slice of Life • Comedy • Multiple Couples

A mutual friend introduces Yachiyo Inugami, a dog-like girl who loves cats, and Suzu Nekoyama, a cat-like girl who loves dogs. The girls find themselves drawn in by their opposite traits and the most outlandish relationship starts to take form in this wild comedy that will have you barking (and meowing?) with laughter.

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub)

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

• Fantasy • Romance • Comedy • Isekai

When noblewoman Euphyllia is unjustly stripped of her title as the kingdom’s next monarch, the buffoonish Princess Anisphia takes it upon herself to right this wrong. Despite being taken for a fool ’cause of her silly antics, Anisphia is a magic genius, and she has a plan to help Euphyllia regain her good name. But little do they know—their encounter will alter the kingdom and the entire world! Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub)

Maria Watches Over Us

• School • Slice of Life • Senpai/Kouhai • Multiple Couples

Students at Lillian Girls’ Academy become “soeurs” to support each other during their time at school. Shy Yumi Fukuzawa never thought she’d attract a soeur like the beautiful Sachiko Ogasawara, but Sachiko has unexpectedly set her sights on Yumi!

Streaming on HIDIVE (sub)

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury

• Sci-Fi • Mecha • Action • School • Drama • Marriage

A.S. (Ad Stella) 122― An era when a multitude of corporations have entered space and built a huge economic system. A lone girl from the remote planet Mercury transfers to the Asticassia School of Technology, run by the Beneritt Group which dominates the mobile suit industry. Her name is Suletta Mercury. With a scarlet light burning in her pure heart, this girl walks step by step through a new world.

Streaming on Crunchyroll (sub/dub)

Otherside Picnic

• Action • Sci-FI • Horror • Slow Burn

Moments from death, Sorawo is saved by the mysterious Toriko in the world of the Otherside. Entranced by its beauty, she discovers that this dimension is inhabited by monsters once thought imaginary. Joining with Toriko in her search for a missing friend, they set out to explore this nightmare realm and maybe make a little money. What they encounter could bring enlightenment—or drive them mad!

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub/Dub)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

• Fantasy • Magical Girl • Horror • Tragedy • Fated Lovers • Multiple Couples

Madoka Kaname is an average 14-year-old girl who loves her family and friends. One fateful day, this all changes when she has a very magical encounter with a strange creature called a Kyubey. Kyubey have the power to grant one wish to chosen girls. However, in exchange, those chosen must become magical girls and use their powers to fight against witches, evil creatures born from darkness and catalysts of despair. Was this encounter by chance or fate? No matter the circumstance, this will surely change her destiny.

Movies Beginnings and Eternal retell this legendary and dark fantasy story with new and retouched animation and voice acting. The sequel film Rebellion follows Homura, unable to let her memories die, the magical girl continues to fight alone in the world that Madoka left behind, dreaming of meeting that nostalgic smiling face one more time...

TV - Streaming on Crunchyroll/Hulu (Sub) Films licensed by Aniplex of America

Revue Starlight

• School • Action • Drama • Weak Yuri

Childhood friends Karen and Hikari promised that they would one day become the next theatrical stars. Years later, the two finally have their chance during a mysterious audition, but they are not the only ones who have trained for this moment.

Streaming on HIDIVE (Sub/Dub)

Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle)

• School • Action • Enemies to Lovers • Multiple Couples • Love at First Sight

Twelve female assassins are sent to a prestigious boarding school to compete against each other in a secret killing game. The winner will be granted anything her heart desires, but only one girl can come out on top. The mission is simple: send fellow student Haru Ichinose to an early grave. The task should be easy for heartless assassin, Toukaku Azuma – but everything changes when she finds herself strangely drawn to her naive target. Her decision to use her lethal skills to keep her new friend alive will raise the stakes of the game and push the girls closer together as the other beauties threaten to tear them apart.

Streaming on Funimation (Sub/dub)

Sakura Trick

• School • Slice of Life • Comedy • Friends to Lovers • Multiple Couples

Best friends Haruka and Yu are about to take their relationship from friendship to something more when they share a kiss! But when one kiss becomes two and three, how will their relationship change?

Streaming on HIDIVE (Sub)

Strawberry Panic

• School • Drama • Romance • Senpai/Kouhai • Multiple Couples • Love at First Sight

Nagisa has just transferred to a prestigious all-girls school that happens to share a campus with two other elite academies for young women. The new surroundings are overwhelming but Nagisa quickly adapts to life in Strawberry Hall with the help of her new friends. However, when Nagisa catches the eye of the mysterious Shizuma, the respected representative of all three schools, both their lives are forever changed. A bond beyond mere friendship develops between the two ladies amidst a chaotic school year full of heated conflicts, petty jealousies, and crossed boundaries.

Streaming on Crunchyroll/RetroCrush (Sub)

Sweet Blue Flowers

• School • Romance • Drama • Friends to Lovers

Fumi Manjoume enters Kamakura's accelerated high school - Matsuoka All-Girls High School. While waiting at the Kamakura station on the day of her entrance ceremony, she runs into an old childhood friend whom she had not seen in 10 years: Akira Okudaira. As their friendship is rekindled and they start falling back into the rhythm of friends again, it starts a delicate love story...

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub)

Volicia of Pluto

• Action • Indie • Sci-Fi • Mecha

In 2006, Akiko Hoshigami’s dreams of track-and-field stardom are dashed after a leg injury. She enters high school with her best friend, Ayano Umisoe, and between club activites and meeting new friends, the empty Akio begins to resember her former self. Until one day, Ayano suddenly dissapears.

Streaming on YouTube (Sub)

Yurikuma Arashi

• School • Drama • Sci-Fi • Enemies to Lovers • Multiple Couples

In a world divided between humans and hyper-intelligent, man-eating bears, Kureha attends an all-girls school and holds onto a simple wish—to spend the rest of her life with her classmate and soul mate, Sumika. But after a secret rendezvous ends in tragedy, Kureha vows to never back down on her love and put a bullet in any bear she meets.

Streaming on Funimation (Sub/Dub)

YuruYuri

• School • Slice of Life • Comedy • Multiple Couples

Four students decide to occupy the room of the defunct tea ceremony club, dubbing it the ‘Amusement Club.’ While the Student Council does its best to eliminate this club, their endless energy, happiness, and comedy will keep audiences smiling all season long!

Streaming on Crunchyroll (Sub)

Read More of the 2023 Yuri Guide

⚪ Must See ⚪ Light Novel ⚪ Manga ⚪ Visual Novels ⚪ Webtoons

Official releases help support creators and publishers. YuriMother may make a small commission from sales to help fund future content.

Support YuriMother on Patreon for early access and to read exclusive in-depth articles on Yuri and LGBTQ media.

#lesbian #yuri #girls love #lgbt #gay #lgbtq #gl #queer #anime #manga #sapphic #wlw

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boombox-fuckboy · 1 year ago

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Hey!!! You commented on my post about limetown haha which is why I’m here. You offered to give podcast recs! What are your favorites?? I’m looking for some new ones

I completely forgot I had this ask, excuse the delay. Here's a selection of 30 podcasts I enjoyed from a broad range of genres: hopefully at least one appeals.

Let me know if you're after something more specific.

Arden: (Investigative, Comedy) On the 25th of December, 2007, heiress and young actress Julie Capsom crashed her car into a tree and fled into a nearby forest clearing, leaving a trail that seemingly vanished into thin air, and a dismembered torso in the trunk. A decade later, Bea, the first reporter on the scene, and Brenda, a detective on the case, are hosting a true crime podcast about it, and neither is remotely impressed with what the other has to say. Arden is also a retelling of various Shakespeare plays.

Desperado: (Supernatural, Adventure, Horror Elements) In a modern world of gods and magic, three young people, all under the patronage of death dieties, embark on the same adventure for different reasons: for safety, for revenge, and to kill The Old Man in the Sky. Fantastic banter and killer action sequences.

The Far Meridian: (Magical Realism) An agoraphobic young woman wakes one day to discover her lighthouse home has travelled to somewhere entirely unfamilar. As this continues to happen day after day, she uses the opportunity to search for her missing brother. A really unique and charming piece of fiction.

Gastronaut: (Sci-Fi) Interstellar travel audio blog of a former food critic as he travels to an active warzone to get firsthand experience with unfamilar cuisine. ft. Disgruntled martian nobility, sinister businessmen, explosive mushrooms, forbidden snacks, rogue revolutionary artists, and the consequences of your actions.

Girl in Space: (Sci-Fi) The Girl In Space lives alone on a space station, doing science, making cheese, rewatching Jurassic Park, and tending to the plants, animals, and artificial sun entrusted to her. It's a little lonely, but not a bad life. Would be a shame if someone came along to ruin it.

The Goblet Wire: (Microfiction, Weird Fiction) A surreal microfiction with horror elements, taking the form of phone calls to an audio-based game in which the voice of the mysterious Dictator leads each player through fantastic and horrific world and story.

Hello From The Hallowoods: (Horror, Supernatural) A dramatic entity beyond your comprehension visits your nightmares to tell stories of the people (in varying degrees of human and alive) that inhabit the strange, deadly, and beautiful Hallowoods, as they find meaning and sometimes eachother.

Hi Nay: (Supernatural Horror) A year after moving to Toronto, sound designer Mari finds herself drawn into helping people around the city with various horrific supernatural encounters due to her babaylan (shaman) family background. It quickly becomes apparent that there's something much more sinister and complicated happening in the background.

Inco: (Microfiction, Sci-Fi) A perpetually exausted interstellar information trader and her peppy AI find a mysterious (read: bratty) boy floating in space and are inadventently pulled into a world political intrigue.

Inn Between: (Fantasy) Ever curious about what the D&D characters get up to at the tavern between sessions? A generally lighter-hearted (with some exceptions) with richly-written and always-growing characters. A really interesting format, too: a lot of the adventure appears in the "next time" and "last time" segments which makes it all flow really nicely. Not a tabletop podcast.

Janus Descending: (Sci-Fi, Horror, Tragedy) A xenoarcheologist and a xenopaleontologist are sent to a study a dead city on a distant world. Nobody likes what they find there. A unique format, with one set of logs presented first to last, and the other last to first. I'd recommend listening to the supercut for this one.

The Kingmaker Histories: (Steampunk, Weird Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy Elements) In the Valorian Socialist Republic 1911, on her 25th birthday, tailor's apprentice Colette experienced the worst headache of her life. As a result, she fleed from town with a human artificer and a fae chef - both now smugglers - pursued by an utterly furious flesh-crafter. I'm not sure I'm selling how good this podcast is but it's very good.

Life With Althaar: (Sci-Fi, Comedy) A human repairman moves to a space station on the edge of human territory that is perpetually on the edge of self-destruction, and ends up with a less-than-ideal last-minute roomate. Althaar is polite, friendly, deeply interested in human culture, and eager to be friends. Unfortunately he belongs to a species that sends humans into a visceral panic at a glance.

Lost Terminal: (Sci-Fi, Hopepunk) Seth is a very lonely AI living on a satellite. His crew were left stranded aboard with no hope of return, and it's been longer than he can count since then. The Earth below him has changed dramatically, and with only a few other AI down there to talk to, he's very lonely. But! He has a plan to make some new friends.

Love and Luck: (Romance, Slice-of-Life and Urban Fantasy Elements) Voice messages cataloguing two young men falling in love and opening a queer dry bar together.

Midnight Radio: (Light Supernatural, Romance) Sybil McIntyre, host of the ever-popular 1950's nightly radio hour, begins exchanging letters with an old fan who has reluctantly returned to visit Sybil's beloved town.

Midst: (Weird Fiction, Western, Sci-Fi and Fantasy Elements) The old-western planetoid islet of Midst floats, rotating steadily, in a sea of reality-warping darkness. Down in the town of Stationary Hill, things are in movement, and vistors from the light above are about to bring unanticipated change. ft a monocycle-riding monster-hunter, radio-famous airship paladins, deadly mica, the universe's peppiest cultist, good dogs, and a really strange businessman.

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity, and Mortality: (Weird Fiction, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy and Horror Elements) A friendly AI tour guide leads you on a tour of the Mistholme Museum, explaining the strange and often alternatural story behind each item.

Monstrous Agonies: (Supernatural, Relationship Advice) An interpersonal advice show for supernatural entities and other people living liminally in the modern world.

Night Shift: (Urban Fantasy, Investigative) Set in a modern world with the addition of magic, which manifests in small inherited skills/traits, can warp people in horrific ways, or can be manipulated with the right science (and intense work) to induce superpowers. Sebastian Fenn is a barista at Night Shift Coffee, but since things are slow he's decided to start a podcast to talk about various mysteries, crimes and conspiracies around the city, and of course finds himself deeper in them than he'd intended.

The Pasithea Powder: (Sci-Fi, Thriller Elements? I think?) The last major interplanetary war was full of atrocities, but none more infamous then the creation of Pasithea Powder, a memory altering drug which was used to horrible effect and landed it's entire team of creators in prison. So when decorated war hero Captain Sophie Green sees one of them wandering free, worlds away from his prison, she gets in touch with a very old, estranged friend: one Dr. Jane Gonzalez, who's behind bars for the very same reason.

SCP: Find Us Alive: (Weird Fiction, Supernatural, Horror and Slice-of-Life elements) You don't need to know anything about SCP to enjoy this. A research team gets trapped in an underground research facility when the complex collapses and the building is dragged into a pocket dimension. The tear it was designed to study begins creating tiny copies of itself, generating strange entities the team needs to deal with. And as if that wasn't enough, the entire situation physically resets itself every 30 days. And yet, this is genuinely also an office comedy.

Second Star to the Left: (Sci-Fi) Audio logs of a scout sent to explore and establish early infastructure new world, and the communications with the minder in charge of keeping her alive.

Seen and Not Heard: (Slice-of-Life, Drama) Seen and Not Heard follows Bet, who's still adjusting to life a year after a bout of severe illness, and the resulting hearing loss it caused. It's about the ways we make connection, and food, and art, and different kinds of grief.

The Silt Verses: (Horror) In a modern world where gods are abundant, frequently both commercialised and restricted, two devotees of an outlawed river god go on a pilgrimage.

SINKHOLE: (Sci-Fi, Weird Fiction) Forum posts from a data restoration community in a near future where the human brain is its own computer and one city hosts a massive void.

Starfall: (Fantasy) Seeking to escape her mysterious past and find some purpose, a young swordswoman joins a travelling actor's troupe. This new life is unfamilar and sometimes stressful, but she's taken under the wing of stagehand Fel, who's determined to help her feel welcome as she experiences the figurative and literal magic of the theatre for the first time.

The Tower: (Weird Fiction) A low-key, meditative podcasy about a young woman who decides to climb a seemingly endless tower. Gorgeous sound design.

The Vesta Clinic: (Sci-Fi) New GP Dr. Fae Underwood, with the expert transcription skills of resident AI Sec, writes up patient reports on human and alien patients of The Vesta Clinic, a medical clinic on the edge of human space. Really comfy and creative.

Victoriocity: (Steampunk, Mystery) Set in the steam-powered Victorian city of Even Greater London, an aspiring journalist and a tired detective find themselves working together to solve a strange murder. I say Victorian but as queen Victoria is now an extensive grandiocity of cyborg components following seven only-kind-of-successful assassinations, you may need to adjust expectations a little.

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doesthistvshowpremieretoday · 2 months ago

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November 9, 2024

Arcane (2021):

SEASON 2 PREMIERES TODAY!

GENRES: Adventure, Animation, Fantasy, Action, Science Fiction, Mystery

NETWORK: Netflix

Description: The hunt is on. Amid the stark discord of twin cities Piltover and Zaun, two sisters fight on rival sides of a war between magic technologies and clashing convictions.

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x-c-e-l · 6 months ago

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67. Ibuse's Excellent Adventure

XCEL Chapter 67, "Ibuse's Excellent Adventure," is now out! Read it here!

“Detective, will you at least attempt to explain what on earth’s going on?” Exasperated shouts exploded from behind the door of Head Doctor Iemura of Chiba Emergency and Psychiatric Medical Centre. The man—haughty, stout and balding—slammed both hands onto the desk, jowls flapping. Nagora Ibuse gestured gently with both hands. “Please, remain calm.” “How do you expect me to remain calm? First,…

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ineffable-endearments · 3 months ago

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Movies that are less than 100 minutes long

While I totally get the anxiety about the cutting down of time on GO3, some people might find comfort in considering other stories that have been told in under 100 minutes.

A movie isn't just a smaller slice of media - it's a different storytelling format than a TV series. There are techniques the creative team can use in movies to convey plot information faster than they would in a longer format. There are skillful and unskillful ways to do this, so that's not to say it's foolproof by any means, just that it is totally possible. I don't think anxiety about the cut time is unfounded, but I also don't think it's particularly helpful to assume that it's impossible for it to be accomplished by anyone anywhere at Amazon or the BBC.

Note that the argument here is not that all these movies are actually similar to Good Omens. I'm just saying these are all popular, well-loved stories that pack a lot of entertainment into about an hour and a half.

The Emperor's New Groove, animated family comedy

Perfect Blue, animated horror mystery

A Hard Day's Night, musical comedy about the Beatles

The Babadook, psychological horror

Zombieland, horror comedy

John Wick, action thriller

Punch-Drunk Love, romantic comedy

Men in Black, action sci-fi comedy

Shaolin Soccer, action comedy

Stand By Me, adventure drama

My Neighbor Totoro, animated family fantasy

But I'm a Cheerleader, satirical teen romantic comedy

Rye Lane, romantic comedy

The Man from Earth, sci-fi drama

Bodies Bodies Bodies, horror comedy

Shrek, animated family comedy

Crank, action thriller

The Iron Giant, animated sci-fi drama

#good omens

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schlock-luster-video · 11 months ago

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On February 21, 1982, Heavy Metal debuted in Italy.

Here's some new art inspired by the cult classic!

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jonathanvik · 10 months ago

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Luyten V - Chapter 1

Pain lanced through Rosemary’s legs as she dragged herself through the ruined building. She warily eyed the ceiling, fearing the rickety structure might topple at any second. Half had already collapsed, making her trek to the basement nail-biting.

But Rosemary pushed ahead anyway. After all, dying early would doom humanity forever. She gave her left arm a quick glance and winced. The infection had already spread to her shoulder blade, the thick glowing purple undulations sickening to behold. Rosemary figured she had an hour remaining until the parasitic infection consumed her whole. But that didn’t matter. She’d complete her task well before then.

“Well, shoot.” Rocks had collapsed over the door leading to her destination. Refused to be deterred, metal squealed as Rosemary pushed against it with her infected arm. Sweat dripped down her brow as she forced open the metal door, beaming as she spotted what she hoped would be the home of humanity.

“There you are, girl. You can’t imagine how pleased I am to see you.” She tapped at some keys, grunting in satisfaction as all systems read green. It won’t do to send her creation if it didn’t work.

“Still, doing this will doom me and everything I worked towards for the last twenty-odd years,” she mumbled to herself. This wasn’t a decision she made lightly. Heck, this half-baked scheme might not even work. Or worse, doom all history in a paradoxical tangle. Still, she had little choice. The Altair had ruined her precious planet beyond repair. It’s only a matter of time until they spread their infection across the entire galaxy.

“Macauley better be right about this.” With more taps of the key, everything was ready. She only prayed this would work. They hadn’t exactly tested this yet. Oh, well. Nothing for it, she supposed.

“Hey, kiddo. I’m sure you’re surprised to see me,” Rosemary said in her final message. She couldn’t send the Luyten V without explaining its purpose. “Now listen to me carefully. The Earth’s fate hangs in the balance.”

---

“I don’t like the looks of this corridor.” The avatars on Rose’s computer screen said. The animesque girl’s eyes darted from side to side, her animated expression turning pensive.

“Creepy. Maybe you should turn back?” Rose said, tensing with her favorite Vtuber star, Stella Kilonova, as she explored further down the pitch-black corridor. The dilapidated industrial complex sent waves of unease through Rose, its metal rusted into an ugly orange.

Rose hated horror games, never having the nerve to play one herself. She watched as Stella directed her character past some pitch-black window. Rose tensed, fearing something jumping out at any second.

The horror came as expected, bursting from the window in an explosion of glass. The indescribable horror lumbered forward, and Stella screamed. Her avatar, a blue-haired girl with twin starburst hairpins froze, pupils widening in utter terror.

To illustrate her fear, Rose posed a scared emoji with Stella’s face in the chat. Similar reactions zipped through the chat log as the Vtuber’s other viewers dreaded what might happen next.

“No!” Stella’s player character tried fleeing for his life, but the monster moved lightning fast, its jagged claws lashing forward to gut him. Much to Rose’s astonishment, the blow did nothing. The character bounced back several steps, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Huh, what was happening?

In response, Stella broke into a high-pitched giggle, her avatar laughing and clasping her stomach. “Gotcha!”

“Huh?” Rose posted her confusion in the chat.

The monster attacked again with a terrifying single-minded determination. But its efforts to bash Stella’s character proved futile, the video game character receiving no damage.

“Before I started the game, I entered a cheat code that made my character immune to all damage,” Stella said, amused at the monster’s futile attempts to hurt her, and broke into another laughing fit.

“Hilarious,” Rose said, scowling and voicing her annoyance in the chat. Typical. Stella loved playing these unpredictable practical jokes.

“The monsters should never win,” Stella said with absolute confidence. Her chat remained unamused, many claiming she’d ruined the game. They’d been looking forward to her streaming this game. But, ever the entertainer, Stella showed other fun tricks you could do with this game, demonstrating amusing glitches if the player character hit a wall just right. She had an impressive knowledge of the game.

After closing the game, Stella returned to her default star-filled background and answered some questions from her viewers. She answered each super chat donation with her usual humble gratitude. The cute smile of her avatar made everyone’s previous annoyance with her evaporate like smoke.

“Rose!” Her mother said, yelling up the stairs.

“Yeah, Mom?” Rose yelled back.

“I need help with the groceries.”

“Okay, coming.” Rose frowned, but did as instructed. She’d just watch the VOD repeat later.

“Ugh,” Rose grunted as she lifted the bags onto the kitchen counter, panting as she finally relieved the weight.

“Mom, look at this.” Rose’s youngest brother, Dan, said, holding up a collection of sticks he’d glued together. Much to Rose’s dismay, the sticky substance covered him everywhere.

“That’s great, dear.” Their mom paused, her tongue clicking when she spotted her son’s mess. Like her mother and little brother, Rose shared her mother’s raven locks. Only her older sister had inherited chestnut hair. Typical. His perfect always needed to stand out. “Look at you. Clean up before dinner, young man.”

“Must I?” Dan said, pouting.

“Rose, can you wash up your brother?” Her mom asked. “I need to put away groceries and start dinner. Dad will be home soon.”

“What? I was in the middle of something. Make Sophie do it!”

“Sophie’s studying right now.” Her mom replied. “She’s studying for her SAT. Lacerta University doesn’t allow just anyone in.”

“Yeah, yeah. Wouldn’t that be a crime?” Like her Miss Perfect older sister even needed to study!

“Rose.” Her mom’s tone contained a warning.

“Okay. Come, Danny boy, let’s get you washed up.” She led her brother by the hand to the bathroom.

The dinner table was a hive of activity as they prayed and dug in. With her father home for once, her mom wanted a happy, idyllic family get-together. Danny was making a mess as usual, while her father sang Sophie’s praises as she recounted a scholarship she’d gotten for her fantastic grades. No one paid Rose much attention as she picked at her Parmesan-crusted chicken. Rose wished she could eat it in her room, as was her habit, and finish watching Stella’s livestream.

Family dinners are the worst. And her father hadn’t even bothered asking about her week, like he didn’t even remember his middle child existed. Noticing Rose’s pensive expression, her mom elbowed her husband hard in the stomach.

“And how have you been, Rosemary?” Her father asked, finally getting the hint. His gaunt face extended into a facsimile of a smile. Rose had always thought her high cheek bones made him look downright skeletal.

“The usual.”

Undeterred by this bland response, her father pressed the conversation. “Mother tells me you’ve been working on a special project. How’s that going?”

“That? I finished it yesterday.” While not as smart as her perfect older sister, Rose had her talents. She’d worked on it while listening to Stella’s stream. “Got it ticking down to the second.”

Ever since she was little, the mechanical had fascinated Rose. Much to her parents’ exasperation, she’d loved taking apart anything she could get her hands on to learn how it worked. Then she’d reassemble it, making the contraption work better than ever. Her newest project was building a working clock from random scraps she’d collected.

“That’s wonderful. You’ll have to…” Her father paused as his phone buzzed. He quickly dismissed himself to talk in the other room. After a quick apology, her father rushed out the door. There’d been some commotion at work, and his immediate presence was required.

“I’m sure you can show him later when he returns home.” Her mom said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Why bother?” But Rose shrugged it off. “I’m going to my room.” Her sister seemed ready to say something. But she closed her mouth, deciding against it. The door slammed behind her as she reentered her room. Much to her annoyance, Stella had already ended her stream.

Rose flopped on her bed, not interested in doing much anymore. She listened as her makeshift clock ticked and tocked. She’d always loved the sound of old-fashioned clocks. It reminded her of her grandmother’s house, a wonderful jumble of random knick-knacks, many dating back a hundred years or more.

“Should I just go to bed early?” Rose wasn’t interested in socializing. Unlike her perfect, beloved sister, she possessed poor social skills.

Before she could decide, Rose almost toppled off her bed as her entire room shook. “What the heck?” After the rumbling stopped, she regained her bearings.

“What was that?” Rose checked her phone, trying to figure out what had happened. They didn’t live near a fault line, so it couldn’t be an earthquake, could it?

“Are you okay, Rose?” Her mom yelled up to her, concern evident in her voice.

“Fine.” She shouted back. The rumble made her room a total disaster. Rose spent the next few minutes righting everything as she checked the newsfeed.

“Was it a meteor?” It must have been enormous to cause that kind of tremor. The news claimed it’d crashed about four miles away from her house. The news advised that people stay clear of the crash site. Thankfully, it’d only crashed in a nearby field. No one had gotten hurt.

“I have to check this out.” Rose grabbed a jacket, running out before her mom noticed she’d left. At a hurried pace, she dashed towards the distance crash site.

Spectators already filled the street as she approached. Police cars and police tape cordoned off the crash site. Officers waved people away, telling them to return to their homes. She tried peering around the crowd, but her short stature made the effort useless.

“I wonder what they’re hiding.” A familiar voice said.

“Oh, hi Hans,” Rose said, her tone neutral. “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t heard?” Unlike her, her classmate stood tall, almost dwarfing her by a foot. Some called him tall, dark, and handsome, but Rose only considered him a jerk. He was brusque with everyone by nature, especially to her.

“What?”

“Before the meteor crashed, something like an aurora borealis lit up the sky.”

Rose only snorted. “No way. That’s stupid.”

“You think? They’re hiding something. Why are they here, then?” He pointed to some men in black in shades. They looked like government types.

“Okay, you might have a point.” Rose scowled. She hated being wrong. “But what are you saying? That it was a UFO? Now that’s stupid.”

Her classmate didn’t reply, lost in his own thoughts. Annoyed by his rude dismissal, she tried to slip past the crowd to get a better glimpse of the crash site.

But her efforts proved futile, a police officer pushing her away. “Return to your homes. Nothing to see here.” Dejected, Rose did as instructed. She spent the night visiting various social media sites for more information. This mystery fascinated her. It was a bright spot in her usually uninteresting life. Whatever it meant, something interesting had finally happened in her incredibly dull town.

---

“What is this?” Agent Millar said, combing a hand through her blonde hair. “It just crashed, but it’s already cool to the touch?” Whatever it was, it wasn’t anything she’d ever seen on Earth. But it couldn’t be a UFO from space. That’d be crazy! The “meteor” sat in the crater, curled up in a ball, its form vaguely humanoid. Could it be some sort of weird new drone?

“Washington has already sent its best minds to the scene to investigate.” Her partner, Agent Gaddas, replied. He adjusted his shades for the fifteenth time, a habit he displayed when nervous. “We’re seeing about moving it. But I doubt it’d be easy.”

The UFO had to weigh at least 250 tons, standing almost the size of a two-story building. She frowned as something caught her eye.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought I saw a light.” Something on the UFO’s surface had flashed purple. Not from the UFO itself, but from the odd grim covering it.

“What? D-did it just move?” She could have sworn the grim had just undulated.

“We have a problem, I think.” But her partner never finished his words.

The odd ooze leaped from the UFO, plopping to the crater floor. Whatever the substance was, it was alive. Its body became more solid, taking the vague outline of a great cat. A single eye cracked open on its forehead, studying them with alien intelligence. Her partner reached for his weapon. But that’d been a mistake. Sensing his hostile action, the creature lunged with impossible quickness. Gaddas didn’t even get to scream as the monstrosity consumed him, the poor man flailing as the monster’s body absorbed him on contact.

Much to her confusion, the UFO lit up, emitting a sound like an engine starting. But Millar never got a chance to consider what the sound meant before the monstrosity pounced, her body dissolving in seconds.

---

“Did you see the crash last night?” Vera asked, leaning over to talk with Rose over her seat. Since class hadn’t begun yet, students took full advantage to socialize.

“Not much,” Rose said, shaking her head. “When I’d gotten there, the FBI or whatever had cordoned it off already.”

A sly look overtook her friend. Her mouse-like face turning mischievous, She knew something. Vera paused, waiting for her friend to squeeze the information out of her.

“What is it?” Rose said, finally relenting after an awkward few seconds of silence.

“I live nearby, right?” Vera said, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. “I saw the lights everyone’s been talking about. I was out walking Mr. Fluffy when it happened.”

“You saw something? Really?” The red-haired boy sitting next to her said, pushing up his glasses with a finger. His name was Georges, he’d been her next door neighbor forever.

“Oh yes! And not a giant rock, either. More like a giant man forged from metal, like a titan from myth. It had battle paint over both eyes. Its face was something fearsome, like a demon!”

“Now I know you’re pulling my leg.” Rose still wasn’t buying the story.

“Cool.” Georges, however, seemed more inclined to believe this fanciful story.

“The light appeared way high in the sky! The figure fell at least fifty feet! It curled up into a ball to protect itself.” Vera said, continuing her tale.

“So, it’s not from space? Wait, are you saying? It’s a giant robot?”

“Exactly!” Vera wanted to elaborate more, but Mr. Lynn cleared his throat to get the class’s attention to start class. He was a balding, middle-aged man with a slight limp in his left leg, a result of a terrible football injury thirty years earlier.

Rose, however, was only half listening to the history lesson. Had a giant robot crashed in their sleepy little town? It sounded hard to credit, though it sparked the imagination. While taking her notes, Rose doodled tiny robots in the margins, each more fanciful than the last.

“Okay, class, read Chapters 3 and 4, and don’t forget the chapter questions at the end. They’re due tomorrow.” He wished to say more, but a sudden, ear-piercing crash interrupted him. It wasn’t like the impact from yesterday. It sounded closer. Had a building just collapsed?

“One moment, class.” Without another word, Mr. Lynn retreated from the classroom. He spoke with another teacher, each reading something on their phones. The entire class was on the edge, their nerves fraying.

“A monster attack?” A student said, his phone out, despite this breaking the rules.

“What? Impossible! Monsters don’t exist!” Another student cried, incredulous. Arguments broke out as everyone declared their own theories, each more outlandish than the last. After twenty minutes passed, their teacher returned, clearing his throat to catch everyone’s attention.

“Class, school is canceled.” While his outward expression remained calm, a fretful look hid behind it. “In a calm, orderly manner, follow Ms. Sagan outside. A school bus will be ready for you.”

This earned confused glances from his students, but his expression brooked no argument. “There’s no time to explain. We’re taking you to somewhere safe. There’s nothing to fear.”

Someone screamed, and everyone turned to what Vera was pointing at through the windows. Her heart caught in Rose’s throat, she froze like a deer caught in a headlight.

The creature was enormous, dwarfing the surrounding buildings. It was a creature from a nightmare, a cross between a feline predator and a ferocious lizard. Spikes ran across its spine, its scales the ugly color of bruised flesh.

“Go, now!” Mr. Lynn said, pushing his students towards the exit.

Rose screamed as the monster turned to face their direction. This was impossible. This had to be a nightmare. With a casual sweep of its tails, it demolished a nearby building. Dear God, she’d passed that store every day without thinking, and now it was gone, history. The monster stomped in their direction, mouth open to gobble them whole.

A deafening howl resonated through the school as the monster cried out in pain. A jagged line ran across its scales, blackened like coal.

“What the heck?” Rose’s breath caught as a red figure appeared from behind a building.

Much to her astonishment, it was the metal creature Vera had described. Its appearance was fearsome. Yet Rose got the distinct impression of a metal sentinel, a guardian here to protect humanity. It wore armor shaped like a knight’s chest plate, its body an orangish red hue. It stood even taller than the monster, strong and proud. The fearsome, proud face was like Vera described, with two horns pointing from its metal skull.

Instead of dealing with the stunned monster, it stomped right towards them at frightening speed. Stupid. Why had she assumed the robot was there to protect them? Rose turned to flee, but a hand reached out and smashed through her classroom’s wall. She collapsed, shaken by the sudden impact.

The metal colossus’s chest opened, revealing an impenetrable black void. A fretful Georges screamed her name, reaching out to grab her hand so they might escape. But tendrils shot out from the metal creature, grabbing Rose in a vice-like grip. Try as she might, they were impossible to escape from.

“Rose!” Georges’ frantic plea was the last thing she heard before darkness consumed her.

----

“What the?” Rose shook her head, confused. Much to her relief, she wasn’t dead. Something soft sat under her. Cushions?

“Where am I?” Everything was pitch dark. Rose flailed around, trying to find a light. Illumination suddenly blinded her as a screen turned on. A woman of early middle years greeted her, her raven-colored hair in a short bob.

“Mom?” No, but something about the face displayed on the computer screen seemed familiar. Wait. Rose’s heart dropped into her stomach. This was her face, older, more battered but clearly her own visage!

“Hey, kiddo. I’m sure you’re surprised to see me.” An eye patch covered one of the dark-haired woman’s eyes. She looked haggard, like she’d suffered through terrible starvation. Yet, her single eye blazed with intensity, a candle that refused to be blown out.

“Now listen to me carefully. The Earth’s fate hangs in the balance.There wasn’t anyone else I’d trust my Luyten V with. Use it to fight, defend the world. Or else, everyone is doomed!”

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