#BlackMirror

[blue-9ust]

blue x karin 

more blue karin more!!

#blackmirror #blackmirror hated in the nation #hated in the nation #blue x karin #Fanart #medieval au #reverse age au #blue colson #karin parke

[sapphic-lottienat]

okay so since u posted abt blsck mirror b4 can u lmk which episodes are the best cause I aint dealing with a whole ass show of not related things 😞😞

omg hhiiii sure!!

well i havent actually watched all of them but my favourites that ive watched are (in no particular order):

nosedive

hang the dj

the national anthem

joan is awful

i know thats not very many but those are like my favourite favourites <3 sorry if u dont like them, it is a very strange show :)

#blackmirror #ask

[djbondage]

#blackmirror #season 6

[raurquiz]

#happybirthday @MileyCyrus #mileycyrus #actress #singer #hannahmontana #BigFish #thelastsong #bolt #CrisisinSixScenes #SoUndercover #TheNightBefore #AVeryMurrayChristmas #gotgvol2 #blackmirror #MeetMileyCyrus #Breakout #Bangerz #YoungerNow #PlasticHearts #EndlessSummerVacation

#happybirthday #miley cyrus #actress #singer #hannah montana #bolt #guardiansofthegalaxyvol2 #blackmirror #endless summer vacation

[sniperjade]

Brighton - The Party Town

The first week 8:00pm

The first thing that Harry registered was the sea air. It was unexpected. When he looked around, he appeared to be standing on an ordinary British street and it was not until he swivelled round that he saw the dark choppy sea behind him. From where he stood, he could see that in every direction the night life was bustling. People were going in and out of restaurants and bars, laughing, drinking and carrying on.

It seemed utterly normal. Muggle even. Streetlamps ran up and down the streets. He could hear music blaring from a nightclub down the street. If it weren’t for the couple of wands, he could see here and there he’d almost think he wasn’t anywhere even remotely magical.

Looking aimlessly about, Harry wandered which way he should go when a man walked past talking on what appeared to be a mobile phone.

“Malfoy, why the fuck would you be at Club Revenge? I thought we were meeting in Greece. No. I’m almost there. What are you…?”

He started cursing and shoved the phone back into his pocket. 

Malfoy? Malfoy was here. Harry looked the man up and down. He had dark brown hair and a muscular build. Tattoos covered his biceps. They were on stark display as they poked out from underneath the camouflage patterned tank he was wearing. He wore wide-legged cut off pants that looked ridiculous on a man that age. Harry frowned. Everything was slightly wrong here. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, but the feeling still lingered.

He followed as the man powered up the pavement toward the club. The pink sign hanging over the door read “Club Revenge”. It was a non-descript building, the walls surrounding it a discoloured yellow. The only thing setting it apart from the Chinese restaurant next door was the bright pink sign. The burly man talked to the bouncer for only the shortest of moments before pushing inside. Harry looked around at the other patrons milling about smoking. It seemed so normal. He sighed and headed inside.

The bouncer held out an arm as he approached. “First time?”

Harry grimaced. “Is it that obvious?”

The man looked Harry up and down. “Well, this is a party town, and you look like you’re going to work.”

Harry glanced down at his clothes. He was wearing a plain white shirt and a simple pair of slacks. The man had a point.

“Ah.” He licked his lips. “Any suggestions?”

The man rolled his eyes and took out his wand. He made surprisingly quick work of the transfiguration. Harry’s slacks changed to a pair of acid wash jeans, full of frayed holes. Then the next minute his white shirt disappeared, replaced by a faded black T-shirt with “The Ramones” printed on it. His shoes had turned into scuffed black Doc Martens.

“Thanks,” Harry said pulling out the shirt a little. “The Ramones?”

“Yep. ‘s a bloody good band, the Ramones.” He grunted.

“Ah yeah,” Harry agreed trying to remember the last time he’d even heard a song by the Ramones.

The man stepped aside, and Harry walked into the club. It was like walking into a wall of noise and colour. Strobe lights pulsed, making the space flash with blue and pink light. People were dancing and drinking and grinding against each other everywhere he looked. The man with the mobile phone was long gone, disappeared into the throng of people.

The music was tugging on Harry’s memories, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. The tunes were all familiar and the words touched on something in the back of his mind. The people were the same. Strange haircuts and even stranger clothes. He had thought he looked ridiculous outside but now that he was here, he realised that this was the norm.

As he moved through to a bar at the back, he saw two things almost at once. The man he had heard on the phone outside was standing still, his fists clutched at his sides, his face dark. He was staring at the second thing Harry had seen, Draco Malfoy, who was leaning against one wall of the club furiously making out with a small black-haired man.

Continued on Ao3:

LCDrarry is finally revealed and this was mine! It was a wonderful fest experience and I was so happy to be involved.

#Drarry #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #LCDrarry2023 #BlackMirror #LCDrarry

[dogsinfilms]

Black Mirror S06E03: Beyond the Sea (John Crowley, 2023)

#dog #dogs #film #films #movie #movies #cinema #perro #perros #pelicula #peliculas #película #películas #cine #dogsinfilm #dogsinfilms #blackmirror #beyondthesea #johncrowley

[critical-nana]

ready for a new episode?

Which objects exist in this story?

In this technologically advanced world, a hand scanning device allows people to to update their brain implants effortlessly. With this implant new abilities and enhancement can be unlocked, such as improved memory or heightened creativity. By scanning the hand, it recognizes the user and automatically links with the implant, so the owner can adjust its implant to his likings. However, individuals become slowly dependent on this technology, constantly craving for new updates.

#blackmirror #episode #implant

[laymyhairbeauty]

Riki Black Bamboo Mirror – 36 inches #wallmirror #blackmirror #mirrors Description This bold tribal-inspired accent piece will make an eye-catching artistic statement in any room. The entire unit is over 3 feet tall with an offset over-sized oval mirror. Frame is a mix of bamboo and rattan wood accents. 5.6 pounds. 26.5 x 0.75 x 36 inches tall. Bamboo, rattan, MDF wood, and mirror. #linkinbio ⤴️🔝 https://laymihairessentials.com/product/riki-black-bamboo-mirror-36-inches/ (at United States) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiaMyS0OkUb/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#wallmirror #blackmirror #mirrors #linkinbio

[queermediastudies]

pov: ur queer with extra steps

A Striking Vipers review by Trinh Pham.

“I fucked a polar bear and I still couldn’t get you out of my mind.”

Yeah, that’s pretty intense. It isn’t necessarily the typical ‘I care about you’ or ‘I still love you’ message we commonly hear, but it is a powerful statement.

This was a line said by the character Karl from Black Mirror’s ‘Striking Vipers.’ Black Mirror is a show that tackles the implications of advanced technology and the people who interact with it. In this particular episode, Black Mirror takes a shot at challenging the broad spectrum of queer identities. The public response to ‘Striking Vipers’ was very mixed. Some were upset with the stereotypes and stigmatization that ‘Striking Vipers’ represented on screen, the ‘queerbaiting’, or even the failure to fully represent queer, black bodies. Others argue that the usage of stereotypes does not have to be harmful, that Black Mirror’s ‘Striking Vipers’ utilizes stereotypes to provide an exploration of the correlation between black masculinity and sexuality. This representation opens conversations to these stereotypes surrounding queer (specifically black) men.

‘Striking Vipers’ takes on the story of two estranged, college best friends, Anthony Mackie’s ‘Daniel’ and Yahya Abdul-Mateen’s ‘Karl’, who share a heavy bond over a Mortal Kombat-esque game called Striking Vipers. They reunite at Daniel��s birthday party, where Karl gifts Daniel Striking Vipers X. The game had evolved from a controller, button smashing street fighter into a stimulated, hyper-realistic, virtual reality where the players inhabit their avatars. The players inhabit all sensations of their avatar and can behave freely within game realms. After selecting their avatars, the two enter the world and act on desires that will ultimately change the dynamic of their relationship. Initially, they played the game as it was intended to be played, virtually fighting each other as their chosen avatars. However, their virtual interactions quickly escalated into an erotic entanglement. 

Reminiscent of old times and old habits, the two always select the same avatars as before. Daniel selects a karate master named Lance as his fighter while Karl takes on Roxette, a ninja. Their first fight places them in the typical, back and forth, horizontal view of street fighters. However, it only takes them a few rounds to realize the true potential of their existence in the game. In their final round of the match, they begin to wrestle and roll around, trying to pin one another down. The interaction ends with Roxette (Karl) on top of Lance (Daniel). Roxette leans down to kiss Lance. Lance freaks out, pushes Roxette off of him and the match ends with them shouting “Exit game!”

Let’s go back to the point where they realize they can move freely. A street-fighter-type-game may not be the what most people think of when they think of queer representation in a game. But, “video games offer opportunities for resistance,” (Ruberg & Phillips, 2018) and the ability to be whoever and do whatever, even if it goes against the intended purpose of the game, might be the biggest resistant punch in the face. Rather than fighting, they take this virtual opportunity to explore their sexual identity and desires. 

“Black queer youth are often criminalized when they attempt to express themselves,” (Hutchinson, 2017) making it difficult for them to fully experiment and explore their identity. “In African American community, studies have shown that specifically gay men struggle for acceptance,” (Doiron & Marsigliano, 2020) only furthering their reluctance to explore and express themselves. Daniel and Karl are both black men who have different experiences in adulthood. Daniel is a suburban father with a wife, son, and a beautiful yard for his kid to play in. Karl lives in the city with his label and is known to be quite the bachelor. While their first virtual kiss interaction may have ended in confusion and a sense of discomfort, it was only the beginning. Before you know it, they consistently get on the game to have virtual sexual intercourse with one another. One night, Karl hits Daniel with an ‘I love you’ as they are having sex, taking Daniel with absolute shock and frustration. He doesn’t know how to handle the intimacy and it shocks him back into his reality where he cannot be intimate with another man.

At the end of the day, their similarities are as stated: black men who engage in virtual sex while having women in their non-virtual, ‘real’ lives. Except, being in a virtual reality game is the only place that feels ‘real’ to them. A place where they get to keep their sensations, their feelings, where they get to live and act out all their desires without the consequences of a label or definition of their sexual identity, expression, or fluidity is what they need to feel ‘real.’

Fluidity was a special mention and a strong argument for Karl, who as a black man, chooses to play and have sex as Roxette, an Asian woman. He has been using her since the game was on controller and console, but how far do loyalties go with your main avatar when it comes to having sex as them? He could easily choose to play as a man, but he instead sticks to a woman. He even goes as far as describing how it feels to be a woman during sex:

“It’s crazy. I mean, it’s different. Like… the physical feeling of it? It’s more sort of… satisfying. I can’t really explain it. Like one’s a guitar solo, the other’s a whole fucking orchestra.” (32:50).

Playing as a woman allowed Karl to experience the sensations that he was unaware of as a man. It allowed him to explore the fluidity of his sex and gender, something he wasn’t able to do comfortably in his real life. But the consistency of their sexual engagements did more than allowed them to experiment and explore. It heavily represented the linkage between black men and hypersexuality. Sexual socialization is ubiquitous to the human experience, but due to historical oppression and marginalization, “black men continue to be perceived as animalistic, predatory, hypersexual beasts,” (Lipscomb, p. 22). Black men internalize these historical contexts and manifest it into their everyday behavior, minimalizing themselves to sexual beasts. Daniel and Karl both have women in their lives and yet their virtual sex is so captivating, it distracts them from their real lives and partners. They are both quick to dismiss their loyalties in exchange for ‘a fucking orchestra.’

But inevitably, these two men had to confront their actions. After one of their sexual exchanges, Karl says, “Guess that’s us gay now,” to which Danny looks over at him in discomfort and awkwardness. This is the direct result of black men being deprived of the ability to safely explore their sexuality, burying all desires that go against heterosexual norms. To lighten the mood, Karl then says that it’s a joke. Daniel responds with, “it don’t feel like a gay thing.” 

Daniel and Karl reproach the ‘gay’ aspect of their relationship another time. This time, Daniel tells Karl to meet him at an old nightclub they used to frequent. There, the two kiss to figure out whether they are gay or even just attracted to one another. After they kiss, they look at each other with sorrow and agree that they don’t feel anything. Even then, Karl argues that there is something there, that their experience is different in the game. This causes Daniel to get angry. The ‘man box’ that defines many black men are forced upon limitations that “... require them to act hard, emotionless and aggressive in order to avoid being singled out as different.” (Hutchinson, 2017). Not wanting to fall into the same cycle of being caught up in sex while also confused by his sexuality, Daniel breaks out into a violent fit.

I made my initial argument about Black Mirror’s ‘Striking Vipers’ ability to open up conversations through the usage of stereotypes as being a good thing. I made this argument as a bisexual Asian woman, excited to see on screen representation of queer people of color. I made this argument as an enjoyer, as someone who wanted to be happy about a gay story in one of the most popular Netflix originals. But I also have to make an acknowledgement to the issues of this representation. 

'Striking Vipers' ends with Daniel telling his wife about what he and Karl had been doing. She accepts it and allows him to continue doing this, but only on his birthday. In a way, this feeds into the negativity of emotionless black men who participate in casual sex without the intimacy and strings attached. I also want to make note of the fact that their one kiss in the rain is the only intimate the two characters, as black men, had in this episode. All other forms of sexual intimacy were carried out by their avatars who were in a hetero presenting relationship. The reluctance to show sexual intimacy between two black men suggests queer acceptance remains limited, that even if you get representation, it will never be enough.

Despite all its flaws in representation, Black Mirror’s Striking Viper is still an incredible story of two black men using what they’ve got to figure themselves out. Stereotypes will always be harmful, it is only a matter of how you use them.

References

Brooker, C. (2019, June 5). Striking Vipers. Black Mirror. episode.

Doiron, A., & Marsigliano, J. (2020, July 24). Black and gay in america: How A 'subset' of men struggle for acceptance. Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://wydaily.com/news/local/2020/06/26/black-and-gay-in-america-how-a-subset-of-men-struggle-for-acceptance/

Hutchinson, S. (2017, March 6). Moonlight, black boy and teachable moments. Moonlight, Black Boy and Teachable Moments – The Feminist Wire. Retrieved November 3, 2022, from https://www.thefeministwire.com/2017/03/moonlight-black-boy-teachable-moments/

Lipscomb, A. (2019). Sexual healing: How racialized black males use sex to cope with stress ... Retrieved November 4, 2022, from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4134&context=jssw

Ruberg, B., & Phillips, A. (2018, December). Game studies. Game Studies - Special Issue -- Queerness and Video GamesNot Gay as in Happy: Queer Resistance and Video Games (Introduction). Retrieved November 3, 2022, from http://gamestudies.org/1803/articles/phillips_ruberg

#queermediastudies #queer #blackmirror #strikingvipers #queergames #queermoviereview

[dizzydjc]

I'm watching Black Mirror 4x01 "USS Callister". What do you think of it?

#BlackMirror #trakt

[tomorrowedblog]

Black Mirror S6 gets new trailer, releases June 15

A new trailer has been released for the sixth season of Black Mirror, which is set to release June 15, 2023.

Twisted tales that span eras — and terrors — deliver a myriad of surprises in this game-changing anthology series' most unpredictable season yet.

#TV #BlackMirror #News

[sinefilzm]

🎬 Distopik bilim kurgu severlere, bitirdiğiniz her bölümün etkisinden saatlerce çıkamayacağınız ve ne izlediğinizi anlamak için kendinizi duvarlara bakarken bulacağınız bir dizi! Black Mirror. Dizinin inceleme yazısına bio'daki linkten ulaşabilirsiniz. Keyifli okumalar dilerim!! #blackmirror #netflix #netflixturkiye #whitebear #playtest #nosedive https://www.instagram.com/p/CmwsPFqjG7A/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#blackmirror #netflix #netflixturkiye #whitebear #playtest #nosedive

[bidotorg]

See what the Unicorn Scale has to say about the Black Mirror classic: San Junipero!

#RepresentationMatters #BiFunnyValentine #Dystopian #Series #SciFi #Netflix #BlackMirror

[vintage-retrolove]

✨Jon Hamm style through the years✨ #jonhammedit #beirut #therapport #thetag #thetown #irwinmfletcher #confessfletch #topgunmaverick #blackmirror #matt #buddy #masonskiles #godomens #arcangelgabriel (en En algún lugar) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoVsd7vP-qa/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#jonhammedit #beirut #therapport #thetag #thetown #irwinmfletcher #confessfletch #topgunmaverick #blackmirror #matt #buddy #masonskiles #godomens #arcangelgabriel

[raurquiz]

#happybirthday @danielkaluuya #danielkaluuya #actor #wkabi #blackpanther #skins #chatroom #johnnyenglishreborn #suckerpunch #doctorwho #psychoville #thefades #blackmirror #kickass2 #getout #sicario #widows #achristmascarol #judastheblackmesiah #nope @marvelstudios @disneyplusla @hbomaxla https://www.instagram.com/p/CpDh4NjugWK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#happybirthday #danielkaluuya #actor #wkabi #blackpanther #skins #chatroom #johnnyenglishreborn #suckerpunch #doctorwho #psychoville #thefades #blackmirror #kickass2 #getout #sicario #widows #achristmascarol #judastheblackmesiah #nope

[triponautica]

Personal Vortex by @ethan_t_bowen _______ #triponautica #ethan_t_bowen #visionaryart #visionarypainting #visionaryartist #esotericart #mysticart #acidart #psychedelicartwork #psychodelicart #psychedelic_art #transcendental #blackmirror #трипонавтика #trippyartwork #виженариарт #визионерскоеискусство #психодел #психоделикарт (at Ubud, Bali, Indonesia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoK5Lwiolj-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#triponautica #ethan_t_bowen #visionaryart #visionarypainting #visionaryartist #esotericart #mysticart #acidart #psychedelicartwork #psychodelicart #psychedelic_art #transcendental #blackmirror #трипонавтика #trippyartwork #виженариарт #визионерскоеискусство #психодел #психоделикарт