Justin S. Harrison

@jseanharrison

Roving Media Critic, bylines @ justinsharrison.journoportfolio.com Profile Pic by Meredith Gran

4.051 Folgt796 Follower454 Posts

Bluesky

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Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· 4d

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· 26d

Drop some VAMPIRES.

Arcueid Brunestud, the vampiric heroine of the visual novel “Tsukihime: -A piece of blue glass moon-,” leaps towards the viewer and prepares to rend them with her claws.

Arcueid is a blond white woman with glowing red eyes. She wears a white sweater, a silver pendant, a blue miniskirt, and black stockings.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· 26d

Might as well seize the moment to recommend folks check out @ryankelly.bsky.social, Jordie Bellaire, and @kierongillen.bsky.social's terrific mini-series THREE from a decade and change back. It's a scathing deconstruction of 300 that succeeds in part by being thrilling itself.

A five-panel page from the comic "Three," drawn by Ryan Kelly, colored by Jordie Bellaire, and written by Kieron Gillen. Terpander, a Helot wearing Spartan armor from the era of Leonidas I, speaks to an unseen band of Spartans.

In the first panel, Terpander gestures towards the Spartans with his spear. He speaks: "You dream of Thermopylae...but we Helots are just as familiar with that day."

In the second panel, a close-up of Terpander's helmeted head, he continues: "Three hundred of you died there...But each had a Helot beside them."

In the third panel, Terpander continues his story, gesturing with his speark. "Their spirits are watching over us. They cry out for debts to be settled. For all those who died for YOUR freedom."

In the fourth panel, a second close-up, Terpander sneers at the Spartans. "You owe them your lives...And that is what we will collect."

In the fifth and final panel, Terpander sets aside his spear and points at the Spartans, issuing a mocking challenge: "So come, any who would dine in Hades...Let those who LIVED there show you the way."

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· 26d

The best film teacher I ever had built a class on The Wild Bunch. Aside from it being a spectacular film, it’s a keystone work in the history of US film and its engagement with violence.

The poster for filmmaker Sam Peckinpah’s seminal 1969 western “The Wild Bunch.”

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jul 13

It's officially summer, so I commissioned @miyo02.bsky.social to draw my favorite vampire, Arcueid Brunestud, in a swimsuit. Here, she's slaying another of my favorite vampires, the 2024 incarnation of Count Orlok. Why is Orlok decked out in @killbykill.bsky.social podcast gear? Why not?

An illustration by the artist Miyo02. It depicts Arcueid Brunestud, the heroine of the visual novel Tsukihime, striking down Count Orlok, the villain of the 2024 film Nosferatu. Arcueid is a blond woman with red eyes. She's wearing a white bikini top, a silver pendant, a blue NATO watch strap, and blue sunglasses. Her nails are painted red and blue in sort of a cosmic pattern. Count Orlok is a grey, almost blue man with a stupendous mustache and raggedy black hair. He wears a t-shirt from the podcast KILL BY KILL, inspired by Nosferatu. The t-shirt reads "MY VITAL JUICES!"

Arcuied is holding Orlok by the throat with her left hand. She is readying her right hand, whose nails are long and claw-like, for an attack. Orlok has been cut in half at the waist, and his left arm has been severed above the elbow. He is beginning to combust in the sunrise, and is furiously attempting to swipe at Arcueid with his remaining hand.

Arcueid is coolly confident. Orlok is enraged. As Arcueid readies the final blow in what seems to have been a one-sided fight, she says "Vae victis." This is Latin, and translates to "Woe to the conquered." It's the battlecry of another famous vampire, Kain. Aside from that, Orlok is a haughty noble who believes himself to be unstoppable and untouchable. Arcueid making it plain that he's been thoroughly trounced is as humiliating to him as the trouncing itself.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jul 10

Arcueid Brunestud.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jun 27

Huh. Better invest in some robes.

The results of a personality quiz, describing the quiz-taker as having politics most similar to Pope Leo XIV.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jun 6

Reply with ☠️ and I'll give you a letter to list your 4 favorite characters! I got L.

Joe Taslim as Li Yong in the much-missed tv series WARRIOR.

Samidare “Lucifer” Asahina from the Satoshi Mizukami comic “Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer.”

Le Chiffre, as played by Mads Mikkelsen in 2006’s Casino Royale.

Lucyna “Lucy” Kushinada, heroine of the anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· May 6

HEALTH put on a stupendous show tonight.

The band HEALTH perform at Emo’s in Austin, Texas. They are surrounded by purple light and smoke.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Apr 26

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Mar 21

Finished @dancharnas.bsky.social’s Dilla Time this morning. It’s my book to beat for 2026. A superb read.

A photographer holds up a copy of Dan Charnas’ book “Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm.”

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Mar 4

Tonight, I hosted Jafar Panahi's superb "It Was Just an Accident" at my favorite place in Austin, the Hyperreal Film Club. I'm proud to say I did a solid job hosting for a big crowd, and did right by a superb film made by one of the medium's greats. That's a win I'll happily take.

Justin Harrison, a man in his 30s, wearing a black t-shirt, a watch with a bund strap, blue jeans, cycling sneakers, an insulin pump and CGm, and a hat advertising the Austin Public Library, introduces a movie at Austin's Hyperreal Film Club.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Feb 19

I’m in the endgame of #trailsbeyondthehorizon, and I continue to dig the game. I have thoughts about this character in particular and how they’re written, but simultaneously I cannot help but see the device they’re brandishing in this screenshot as the world’s edgiest bop it! toy.

A masked figure holds up an ominous, elaborately decorated spherical device.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jan 4

And if I’m the winner, well, I’d love to see your take on one of my favorite characters, Tsukihime’s Arcueid Brunestud.

An illustration of Tsukihime heroine Arcueid Brunestud by Videajames, in which she’s wearing a blue sweater with an astronaut giving a peace sign in front of the moon, a black-and-white plaid sweater, blue stockings, and black boots.

An illustration of Tsukihime heroine Arcueid Brunestud by Takashi Takeuchi from the 2021 remake -A piece of blue glass moon-, depicting her with a mysterious and ambiguous smile.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Jan 1

I can work with this. Hell, right now, I can use this.

A screenshot of Marian-Webster’s Bluesky account, featuring a New Year’s novelty gif that flashes a selection of words in quick sequence. The skeet requests that followers screenshot the image, explaining that the word they capture will be their word of the year.

Mine is “Based.”

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Dec 17

@xyewii.bsky.social illustrated this for me, and I'm so, so happy with how it turned out.

A commissioned illustration done by Xyewii, depicting Lloyd Bannings and Rixia Mao, two of the protagonists of the video games Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure.

Rixia, a tall woman with a dancer's build and purple hair that she's tied back with a white ribbon, wears a purple sports bra, light blue shorts, and a black compression sleeve. She is pole dancing, gripping the pole with her right hand and her thighs.

Rixia is using her left hand to scoop up her paramour, Lloyd Bannings. Lloyd has short brown hair, is well-built, and wears a white t-shirt that is riding up his body, along with dark purple shorts that have an embroidered image of the adorable cat mascot Mishy about to dunk a basketball, blue and yellow athletic sneakers, and white socks. Lloyd has wrapped his arms around Rixia.

Both Lloyd and Rixia are blushing and grinning, and they're having a grand time.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Dec 12

AAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH.

A screencap from the video game Trails in the Sky: 1st Chapter. Estelle, the game’s heroine, meets up with Joshua, the game’s hero. She is carrying two ice cream cones, and realizes that something is off. She does not know exactly what is off.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Nov 28

Figured I'd get in on the "post something random" meme going around.

Katsumi Liqueur, the protagonist of the manga Silent Möbius.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Sep 20

@anamanaguchi.bsky.social, Be Your Own Pet, and Slowreader put on a hell of a show tonight In Austin. Glad to have been there.

Chiptune rock band Anamanaguchi perform at Emo’s in Austin, Texas on the night of September 19, 2025. At the moment this photo captures, the band’s lighting effects are blue-white and sync to their music.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Sep 17

Like so?

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Aug 13

@miyo02.bsky.social is a terrific artist, and she’s a lot of fun to work with. I’ve been kicking around an elaborate Trails/Death Stranding crossover in my head, and she brought it to incredibly striking life. Hire her to draw things for you!

An illustration by artist Miyo02, depicting Death Stranding 2’s Neil Vana and Trails Through Daybreak’s Agnés Claudel escaping from a boardwalk run by a nostalgia-obsessed vampire who had abducted Agnés as part of a plot to establish a new Calvardian monarchy. Neil is weary, Agnés is scared, and both are determined to get clear of the creep’s realm.

Due to Neil’s presence, the boardwalk has been consumed by a blizzard. It’s lighted welcome sign, which reads “Eternity Pier Boardwalk” and its Ferris wheel, named “Fortuna,” are still visible in the background.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Aug 9

So, y'all should hire @videajames.bsky.social to illustrate things for you. He's a fantastic artist who brought my Death Stranding 2/Trails Through Daybreak crossover idea to spectacular life. This is DS2's Neil Vana facing off with Trails' Olympia of Aurum and her mechanical angel Ishtanti.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's Neil Vana faces off with Trales Through Daybreak's Olympia of Aurum and her mechanical angel Ishtanti. They're fighting outside of the city of Tharbad's famed Hotel Al Jumeirah, which has been caught up in a blizzard due to Neil's presence.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· May 27

She’s had a lot of looks, as befitting a pop star, but hey.

Sheryl Nome, one of the heroines of the anime series Macross Frontier, singing.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Apr 14

Speedy, my tortoise. He passed last year. We were together for over 20 years. I miss him terribly, and I’m so lucky to have been his person.

Speedy, a small brown Russian tortoise, looks up from his food bowl.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Mar 5

@krav0r.bsky.social ilustrated this wonderful take on Tsukihime's Arcueid Brunestud for me. Money well, well spent. : )

Arcueid Brunestud, one of the heroines of Tsukihime: -A piece of blue glass moon-, floats in the night sky. She's swapped out her usual white sweater for a midnight blue sweater that features an astronaut giving a peace sign in front of the full moon. Arcueid waves playfully.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Dec 26

After @shaenon.bsky.social Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers.

Dennis Lehane's novel "Darkness, Take My Hand"–specifically the cover it had for its mid-2000s trade paperback release.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Dec 7

Ok, sure. If you see this, post a magic user:

Ciel, one of the heroines of the acclaimed visual novel (and my favorite piece of media of 2024) Tsukihime: -A piece of blue glass moon-. She’s greeting the protagonist in their school’s tea room, and she’s brought her cartoonishly massive anti-vampire weapon with her.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Dec 1

End of Year Movie Catch-Up: Anora, during its last screening at @austinfilm.bsky.social. Superbly crafted and performed, particularly the gradual shift in tone (but not feel—it says something that one of the flick’s biggest laughs comes late in the heavy last act). Very, very, very good.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Nov 29

End of Year Movie Catch-Up: Cuckoo, on my pal @bchoward.bsky.social’s recommendation. I had a good time with this. Schafer and Stevens are excellent, and the soundtrack’s impeccable.

Justin S. Harrison@jseanharrison· Nov 25

Picked up @truantpixel.com’s ROGUE FLIGHT, and goodness it’s terrific—fast, challenging, and stylish as hell. It might be this year’s EL PASO, ELSWHERE for me.