#or at least check them out

[purplecowbell]

Black Mirror: A Boring Twilight Zone

When I tell people I love The Twilight Zone, both the original series and the reboot, the first thing out of their mouths is, “You should check out Black Mirror.” I suppress a cringe, thank them for their recommendation, and then never follow through. I don’t because I’ve already tried it, and I don’t think it compares.

I understand why people keep comparing Black Mirror to The Twilight Zone; it’s certainly a more contemporary perspective on issues (at least if you ignore the more recent reboots like many people seem to do), but the actual core of the shows, how and why they depict their speculative worlds, are very different. I apologize for using an insulting title to the Black Mirror fans, but for someone who’s looking for The Twilight Zone, it just does not scratch the right itch for me.

In The Twilight Zone, the writers cover a wide variety of topics. They explore mob mentality, our perception of aliens, and “the other.” They explore tragic stories of luck and ignorant selfishness, and praise heroic stories with martyrs and rebels. My favorite types of Twilight Zone episodes are ones in which there’s no strong message, just Rod Sterling shows up at the end with, “Well, wasn’t that crazy?” There was one episode (“A World of His Own”) where a playwright had a god-like ability to create people and destroyed his old wife to make a new one, and when Rod Sterling starts to narrate at the end, the author interrupts to destroy Rod Sterling. But The Twilight Zone also isn’t afraid of covering serious issues, whether cynical or optimistic, individual or societal. The show can jump from an episode about the mentality of witch hunts and colonization (“Will the Real Martian Stand Up?”) to one about the value of education against tyrannies and the importance of heroic public acts (“The Obsolete Man”). This wide range of diversity allows The Twilight Zone to cover an entire spectrum of imagination and the human condition, whether silly or profound. When The Twilight Zone comments on societal ills (which Black Mirror is famous for), it pressures you slightly on what was already there and asks, “Do you really want this to get worse?” Black Mirror, on the other hand, crushes you with the framework of structural problems without relent.

Black Mirror focuses on the problems of technology, and a focus is fine; it allows you to really get into the granular details. But unfortunately (for The Twilight Zone fans) the exploration of technology is through a singular cynical lens. Every single story is, without fail, a dystopia, for both those who “deserve” it and those who don’t. Some people have argued that this consistency makes Black Mirror intrinsically better, but I don’t read or watch anthologies for repetition. The characters are less “characters” and more cogs in the machine that happen to be human-shaped. No story satisfyingly breaks from the horrific status quo, and the show usually depicts a snapshot of people that could be happening an infinite number of times in other places of the world. Many times the story ends on just the note: “And then everything continues.” The only episodes that I felt were deviations from this were “The Waldo Moment,” “Nosedive,” and “USS Callister.” These are the only episodes where either the characters felt like they mattered (The Waldo Moment), where the ending showed some upside to deviation from the system (Nosedive) or a combination of the two (USS Callister). The emotional spectrum of the characters ranges from black, to gray, to brown, to artificial-happy-yellow. For a show set in the 21st century, its characters are sometimes more black and white than the Twilight Zone in the 1960s. But that’s not a sin; you’re not supposed to worry about complex characters in the anthology episode format. The lack of complexity does, however, clash with the episode length. Most episodes last around an hour, frequently longer, and watching the same emotional shades in the same episode over and over again without disruption for an hour is like watching paint dry. The problem here isn’t all of what I listed; these are mostly personal preferences that some may enjoy. The problem is that even with these qualities and differences, Black Mirror is still being recommended to Twilight Zone fans.

Just because a work of media is of the same format (speculative anthology) does not mean it satisfies the same itch. If someone watched The Twilight Zone for the dystopian episodes like “The Obsolete Man,” or “It’s a Good Life,” or warnings of technology like “The Lateness of the Hour,” (which is a hilarious episode to take as a serious critique against technology), then the connection between Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone is natural to them. But The Twilight Zone had more episodes than those three. Ask 100 different Twilight Zone fans which episode stands out the most to them, and you’ll probably get 50 different answers (I’m not going to pretend some episodes aren’t more popular than others). Ask 100 Black Mirror fans which episode stands out the most, and they’ll probably say, “The one where a politician has sex with a pig.” Black Mirror has two tools at its disposal: shock value and contemporary despair. I have no interest in being bludgeoned to death with either of these.

I ask that Black Mirror fans try to understand their relationship with the genre. Just because The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror are the most popular shows in said genre does not mean they share additional similarities. I also ask that they understand that Black Mirror is not an objective upgrade from The Twilight Zone just because Black Mirror’s differences are more enjoyable for them. I suggest that fans of both shows watch other series to better understand what would actually be relevant to recommend, instead of just suggesting one show to fans of the other. Shows like American Horror Story, The Outer Limits, Solos, and Love Death & Robots might really scratch an itch you didn’t even know you had.

#black mirror #the twilight zone #twilight zone #anthology tv shows #sci fi #science fiction #media criticism #tv show review #Again #sorry to black mirror fans #but please watch other shows #or at least check them out

[vasira96]

once upon a time there was a railroad line

the Fates

Hermes, Persephone

Orpheus and Eurydice

Hades

#check out my cast design #hadestown #vasira arts #long post #been on the road to hell myself making this project but at least it's finale coming together #i know i've posted these portraits already but i wanted them all together #bad posting hours but i crave validation

[canon-gabriel-quotes]

Transcript -

Gabriel : *heavy breathing and grunting* Bastard. 

Useless bucket of bolts. Yeah, you better run!

Load back to your- Ah shit, that was hard. Load back to your little checkpoint.

Yeah, go ahead. Go P rank the other levels. 

Oh… I’m sorry. Can-can-can I? Excuse me, can I help you?

Columbo : Oh, uh, hi there. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.

Uh, I’m looking for somebody. 

Uh, Gabriel is it? Is that you? Is that who I’m lookin for?

Listen, I just gotta say, you did an amazing job uh… Fighting off that uh. 

What’d ya-what’d ya call it?

Uh, you called it a… 

Gabriel : A mere object?

Columbo : That’s right. A mere object. 

Phenomenal work. 

I gotta tell ya. Robots, I don’t trust em myself. 

Ya know, I had-I had this one episode where uh, there was this robot named Rob and uh-

Gabriel : Uh, yes. 

That’s very fascinating, but could you perhaps get on with your introduction? 

Columbo : Uh, certainly. So I’m, uh, I’m lieutenant Columbo. Uh, I’m with the LAPD. Uh, I'm in the homicide department. 

Gabriel : Homicide? You can’t kill a machine. 

Columbo : No no no! Of course not. But um… Well… Ya can certainly love one.

Gabriel : D-d-d-detective I- I don’t- I don’t know what you’re implying there with that statement!

As you can tell I… Despise machines and wouldn’t think about doing so- Loving them, I mean.

Columbo : Yes, of course uh. Absolutely, it’s completely unthinkable. 

Except, well. While I was- while I was over here and I opened this door and uh fourteen- fourteen V1 body pillows fell out. Along with a buncha the plushies. 

Uh, and I just can’t imagine how ya- how ya happened upon something like that by accident.

It’s a little ridiculous! Uh, frankly.

Gabriel : Uh, no no no, listen.  

Detective. I can explain, okay? 

Those belong to- uh! That guy over there! 

*Filth-like scream*

Gabriel : Yeah! A real freak! 

Some kinda pervert. I don’t know why we keep him around.

But uh, I-I have nothing to do with it. 

Columbo : Well, ya see, I would believe- I would believe that, but uh. 

It’s just that- Well we had the boys at the lab run these pillows and we found your cum- We found your DNA all over em, uh.

You’re-You’re under arrest, I’m killing you.

Gabriel : K-hah. Kill me? *laughs*

Oh detective. 

Columbo : Oh. Aw fuck.

Gabriel : I’m afraid you’ve made a grave mistake. 

Because, in fact… What is going to happen instead…

Is actually what I’m gonna- AHHHG MOTHERFUCKER

I’LL FUCKIN KILL YOU

SON OF A BITCH 

AHHG YOU BASTARD

I’LL RIP YOU APART 

PIECE OF SHIT

YOU FUCK

ASSHOLE

BITCH

*Grunting* 

Oh Shit. 

Oh. What have I done? 

V1 : Bro, tell me you didn’t just kill a fucking cop.

Gabriel : The law will be here any second now… 

Machine, flush the drugs.

V1 : No way, bro. Let’s smoke that.

Gabriel : All of it?!?

Hm… One last ride…

Well, alright.

*coughing his lungs out*

V1 : No Gabriel, holding it in doesn’t do anything!

*Gabriel continues to cough his lungs out*

End of transcription

Audio source part 1

Audio source part 2

#ultrakill #gabriel ultrakill #v1 ultrakill #alt title was: columbo interrupted their RP session #gabes reaction to someone getting in between him and v1 (or at least pillows of it) is to rip them to shreds. yeah i mean that checks out!! #the way he says 'Some kinda pervert' is so funny to me i cant stop replaying it #this took me. so long. oh my god. no post tomorrow. im not strong enough. #sanest bit of 2024 #and probably the longest bit ever. holy shit. #also he used the wrong filter for columbo here but here is my totally Canon Explanation #If they are in hell he had to become a husk.. duh.

[robininthewindow]

“Autistic sniper” “autistic engine”’”autistic medic” BIYCH THEYRE ALL AUTISTIC!!!!!

#like bro #how do you expect someone to turn out like them and be neurotypical???? #how do you expect someone to get to be the best of the best of these best without it being their special interest #how????? #they’re all fucking autistic #or some flavor of neurodivergent at least #this isnt a check list of who is and isn’t #this is an exercise to see how well you can write different ways autism can present itself #engineer tf2 #medic tf2 #sniper tf2 #tf2 #headcanons #tf2 headcanons #autis #autistic sniper #team fortess 2

[jackdaw-and-hattrick]

Dying at this idea I just had: People become convinced Danny is the love child of Bruce Wayne (known manwhore) and Harley Quinn, because

-he looks just like a young Bruce, if (somehow) marginally paler, but with Harley’s button nose and big eyes.

-Then there’s his big, Harleyesque personality with Bruce’s faith in humanity and both’s proclivity for taking action against what they see as wrong.

-He’s a gymnastics champion like Harley with real intelligence buried deep under layers of plain silliness, though much more capable sobering up when situationally appropriate.

-Dangerous big animals love them and they have no answers why

-Both Danny and Bruce have BDE (Big Dad Energy)

-(also both Danny and Harley are high key metas but everyone just doesn’t mention that)

Both Harley and Danny do everything in their power to feed the rumors (without saying anything directly, that would be cheating), including Harley egging Bruce on camera while shouting “pay up bitch!” And Danny taking up wearing one of Harley’s jackets.

#danny phantom #dp x dc #batman #bruce wayne #harley quinzel #dc x dp #the bat kids love it (after doing a dna check) #and end up feeding the whole situation right along with them #at least as long as B doesn’t go and ACTUALLY make this kid his son #(this could be extra fun if it turns out Danny actually IS Bruce and Harley’s son #given his parents shaky morals and exceptional science #who’s to say they didn’t attend the same university as both B and Harls #and decided rather than go through the process of pregnancy all over again they just #pick their favorite class mates #maybe for some traits they want to see in their kid #maybe for funsies #and so this random rumor turns out to be 1000% true #just in the worst possible way)

[mangofanarts]

I don't know if someone has named all the cellmates yet but I wanted to try - feel free to correct me if I'm wrong btw! Philza - Quackity

Antoine - Roier

Baghera - Rivers

Felps - Willyrex

Cellbit - Vegetta

Missa - Wilbur

Rubius - Luzu (Arin technically)

Jaiden - Mouse

German - Lenay

Foolish - Mike

Bad - Aypierre

Slime - Elmariana

Bagi - alone

Pac - alone

Tubbo - alone

Etoiles - alone

Kameto - alone

Tina - alone

Niki - alone

Carre - alone

Fit - alone

Here's the list of cellmates without the pictures: Quackity - Philza Antoine - Roier Baghera - Rivers Felps - Willyrex Cellbit - Vegetta Missa - Wilbur Rubius - Luzu (technically Arin) Jaiden - Mouse German - Lenay Foolish - Mike Bad - Aypierre Slime - Elmariana Alone Category: - Bagi - Pac - Tubbo - Etoiles - Kameto - Tina - Niki - Carre - Fit EDIT: (They've apparently moved some people around during the event to be roommates with others - this list is not including them switching people around and is just who was paired originally in cells)

#qsmp #im not tagging all of these Im sorry #qsmp prison event #Sorry if I'm missing someone xd!! There's just a lot of people #I've decided to not include them switching around roommates because that would be too many vods for me to go through just to see whose new #cellmate is with who yknow #so this is just the original ones #People have been saying Fit moved in with Tina but when I checked Fit's vod - at the end of it he moved out of Tina's cell to go to another #to call his own so Fit and Tina aren't cellmates anymore and I think trying to keep up with the consistency of whose moved out of who #also would be a lot of work xd #I only know that Etoiles moved into Antoine's cell so they're together at least even at the end of it

[killjoy-prince]

House M.D. but it's when a character says the name of the episode

#house md #prince's talk tag #flashing #repitition #so as i was watching this show i noticed they'd say the episode title in the episode #so i wanted to see how many times they did it #the people on livejournal who made transcripts of the episodes are my saviors and without them this would of been so much harder to do #thank you all for your service and i hope wherever you all are you're having a great day #sometimes they would use a variation of the word like in the episode poison they would say 'poisoned' or 'poisoning' #i did not include those instances #there was an instance in 'merry little christmas' where they do play the song in the show #but since ella fitzgerald was not a character in the show i did not include it #where as in the episode 'joy to the world' the students are singing it in the concert so i did include that #i apologize for the tonal whiplash when you get to that part but it did make me laugh #one of the times kutner says 'locked in' is overshadowed by the POTW's voice over but i assure you he says it and thats why its in there #out of the main characters from the one who said the title the most to least are #House > Foreman > Wilson > Chase > Cuddy > Adams > Cameron and Taub > Kutner > Thirteen and Park #this took a bit to do lolol its probably been done already but i wanted my own #there is a chance im missing some on technicalities but idc. im fine with this #there are two more i wanna do but with a character saying another character's name but ill do that some other time #EDIT: When I was making this video I was unaware that the Pilot episode went by two names: 'Pilot' and 'Everybody Lies' #Basically everywhere I looked the first episode was only referred to by 'Pilot' #which I found weird bc i remember seeing somewhere that the last episode was paired with the first episode in terms of title #but i couldn't find hard proof so I decided to leave it out at the time #well i checked again last night and yea the pilot IS also called Everybody Lies so I updated the video #I also think it goes well with the fact that House does say 'Everybody Dies' in the finale so another reason to fix it #AND he says it without Wilson while he and Wilson say the title of the pilot sooooo yea hehehehehe

[ryssbelle]

Poppy for N2 au, it took me so long to make her design cuz I didn't really know what I wanted to do only because I feel like her design is pretty perfect.

But then I just thought about fun outfits to give her or outfits that I would find comfortable if I was wearing them and it all came together.

Poppy here is pretty much the same as here movie counterpart, as nothing really changes on her end of things other than having more insight on Branch through his brothers, and through Lief. Shes also a bit more understanding a bit earlier on because of it but it doesnt do much to change her own character arc I would say.

Bonus

Part of Poppys design was based off a design I had made for previous rulers of Troll Village/Tree

Namely Queen Protea who I designed as Poppys grandmother

Named after the Protea flower which part of her design is based off :D

In the context of this Au Protea was the one who conceptualized the tunnels while her son, King Peppy, was the one to follow through after her death

#my art #dreamworks trolls #trolls #trolls 3 #trolls au #trolls band together #trolls branch #trolls poppy #trolls oc #trolls oc lief #trolls oc protea #its really hard to mess with poppy at least in the context of this au cuz like i said nothing really changes on her end #whats changed in this au was just stuff on Branchs side of things #Poppy can witness these things but she herself isnt really changed by them #she of course would have more insight on Branchs life through his brothers and the addition of Lief as a character #but idk if that would fully change her approach with him other than what ive displayed #where shed try to relate to branch rather than trying to force him to relate to her #which would then most likely make her more understanding going forward than she was in canon #im still figuring her out #also since im in the tags and nobody really reads this #i feel brave enough to say #that secretly #ive been kind of sort of #posting a fanfic of this au under the name not the only one #on ao3 #and thats where Protea comes from #its not well written in the slightest #but its just for fun and practice so in my mind it doesnt really have to be entirely #but i am having fun with it #so if you see this and check it out please be so very nice to me please

[graciousdragon]

OH MY FUCKING GOD

I JUST WENT TO MY LOCAL HOT TOPIC THAT I'VE BEEN GOING TO FOR LIKE. 5 OR 6 YEARS NOW RIGHT??

I GOT SOME MCR STUFF BECAUSE. OF COURSE. IF YOU'VE SEEN MY RECENT POSTING HABITS YOU KNOW. THE BRAINROT IS REAL

I WAS TALKING WITH THE CASHIER ABOUT THEM BECAUSE HE WAS ALSO A FAN AND HE FUCKING SAYS "you wanna know a fun fact? this is the hot topic the lead singer used to work at! :D"

FUCKING WHAT

GERARD WAY USED TO WORK AT MY LOCAL FUCKING HOT TOPIC?!?

AND AFTER I LEFT I LOOKED IT UP TO MAKE SURE HE WASN'T FUCKING WITH ME AND YEAH. HE WAS RIGHT. WHAT THE FUCK

SORRY FOR THE ALL CAPS THIS IS LIKE. WORLD-SHATTERING INFORMATION TO ME AND HE JUST DROPPED THAT SHIT SO CASUALLY WHAT THE HELL BRO. I NEEDED TO SCREAM ABOUT THIS SOMEWHERE

#rys.txt #tw caps #caps #LIKE. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?? #I KNEW THEY WORKED AT A HOT TOPIC WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS THAT ONE #ok. its ok i'm normal now (i'm not) #on another note. why are all hot topic employees like the nicest people on this earth. at least they are at mine #they always greet you when you walk in and ask if you need help and if you don't they leave you alone which is nice #and then when you check out they're always really chill and don't rush you and if you're buying or wearing something they also like they'll #talk about it with you #like. i know you have to be nice to people for a retail/customer service job like that but it always feels really genuine from them #same thing goes for spencer's employees too they're also like that #idk its just really nice for someone like me who's scared shitless of social interaction with strangers. it makes me way less anxious 👍 #anyways. light and love everyone 💖 i'm gonna go recover from learning that information now #my chemical romance #mcr #gerard way

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

okay they seriously outdid themselves with the new SAB weapon set this year. just LOOK at these things!! my hands are going to die a noble death collecting them... but it will be worth it.

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #gw2 SAB #my posts #no seriously LOOK at them!! #i need them all. #honestly i wish i'd had these before i invested in the hardlight ones because these fit Holoscientist Ankka even better #i definitely need at least a few because DAMN. just. man #i felt the same way about the grim machine ones but mannnn #the animations on them are great too tho you obviously can't see that in these since they're just still shots #they're called Golem Buster weapons btw if you want to check them out in the wardrobe! i looked at 'em through the achieves box #(for anyone wondering how these would fit Ankka; in Flourish AU she's an Inquest mesmer who merges holotech with her magic) #(i need to share screens of her design... someday...) #...... i literally just noticed that i specifically picked all the mesmer special weapons HDFHDFGDHDH i DIDN'T EVEN MEAN TO #but honestly it feels very magitech mesmer so i'll accept that

[the-kipsabian]

#kip sabian #aew #all elite wrestling #aewedit #wrestlingedit #wrestling #night gifs #what do you want from me boy? to be grateful for all that? because fuck yeah i am holy shit i am Looking #(im also fairly sure thats what he said its really hard to hear when tony talks over him but yeah checks out to me at least) #my beloved #kip in a box #(rp blogs dont reblog; saving and other personal use with tag credits is fine) #(okay hot update he said 'they wanted a dive so i gave them one' which. close enough #as apparently before this he asked the crowd if they wanted a dive #i completely missed that. my bad. im not going back to edit this tho lmao)

[alamangoes]

you know those old phones/consoles with translucent casings so you could see the circuits and stuff inside? here's robot gfs in sheer barongs 🧡

twitter

[Image Descriptions: Two robot girls facing each other with giddy smiles and heart-shaped eyes. The taller one has her arms draped over her girlfriend's shoulder, while the shorter one has a hand on her girlfriend's hip.

They are wearing barongs with bell sleeves, sheer enough to show various mechanical body parts and wirings in warm red, orange, and blue. Some of these mimic the shapes of bones or the striations of human muscles. They also wear salakots on their heads, with sheer casing underneath the hats. /end ID]

#artph #filipiniana #barong tagalog #alamangoes #robot girlfriends #at least 1 person in the world out there is checking that tag. hi. hello. can i interest you in them

[zeb-z]

dude I love blood in the bayou so far. most of the group is high on morphine and weed. they smoke 24 packs a day. rand has been easily convinced it’s mind flayers and is just so mentally unstable. rolan is perceiving and comprehending the incomprehensible horrors when he really Should Not Be. kian is straight up jerking it in his hospital bed. It’s the 80’s baby

#the horrors are already beyond comprehension and I’m so afraid for how this will all turn out #but it’s a vibe. it’s fantastic #there is so much fundamentally wrong with all three of them. which checks out theyre dysfunctional men in the 80’s but like it’s so funny #and also tragic #theyre peeping the horrors bro and the horrors peep back. here’s to hoping at least one of them survives #okay I’m tagging as spoilers because I’m on the Patreon episodes now i think that should be alright? #jrwi #jrwi bitb #bitb #bitb spoilers #timothy rand #rolan deep #kian stone #z speaks

[eliastown]

#gay people:) #no one LOOK AT ME i think ab this scene so MUCH #they are HUSBANDS they are PARTNERS they try to kill each other at least once a week and they are in LOVE #looking at it now i think i was subconsciously inspired by evansdoodles a bit so pls check them out they r very cool #gotham #riddlebird #nygmobblepot #edward nygma #oswald cobblepot

[kelocitta]

What a worthless animal

#oc: siggy #first image is babies attempting to figure out their ideal limb count #anyway having a bit of a 'never trust how you feel about your life at 3am' moment but i think the artfight brain plague is beginning to hit #dont worry about me im fine #just feeling a lil bad about maybe not being able to clean up the revenges i would like too and theres sooo many i didnt even get to sketch #and am only at like 50% of how much i 'scored' last year so it makes me feel a lil eh like im not doing as much #but ultimately i did way way more revenges even if it mightve been a mistake LMAO so at least thats something #although i feel bad cause i didnt even revenge some of the coolest ones i got!!! augh!!!!!!!!!! #ah well beetles dont have to deal with these problems we should be more like them #if you read my tag rants sorry about the lore on how my brain works you should check out the wooly chafer beetle

[muffinlance]

Interest Check: Isopuppy Plushies

Anyone interested in buying isopuppy plushies?

Either as a pattern or actual sewn-by-me toys. Because I have crocheted So Many Toys over my children, and I am thinking it's time to go back to sewing for awhile, but I should also stop rampantly making toys without homes to send them to. So. Casual interest check. I am absolutely making one for myself; this just determines if I should go through the effort of making an actual pattern so I can replicate the process.

#interest check #I like making things #then I run out of room for the things #the tragedy of the compulsive crafter #I have made Two Entire Blankets over this newborn and husband is very supportive #but I can see him eyeing our overfull blanket closet #and wondering when we will have so many blankets that he is inevitably smothered in his sleep #I would offer to sell crocheted blankets but they would be So Expensive #if you ever get a crocheted anything from someone #make sure to thank them profusely #because that is hours and hours of love #that is also why this isn't an offer for crocheted isopuppies #I could make a pattern for that easy #but oh boy would it take so much time compared to a sewn version #not looking for a cost prohibitive Seal Jerky here #just an adorable impulse-buyable pupper #I REALLY want to make little bean-filled ones that can curl up into baseball-sized balls for Playing Fetch #and a bigger version with suction cups on the legs so Good Boys can go up walls (or at least windows and bathroom mirrors) #but what I SHOULDN'T do is make a million hilarious versions that are going to collect dust #ADOPT AN ISOPUPPY TODAY #avatar the last airbender #atla #Salvage #Zuko #the amazin