Martyn
@martynpedler.com
Writer, academic, brain in a jar. Creative Writing PhD in superhero stories. You can see my stuff at http://martynpedler.com
Quietly annoying Trent Reznor by pronouncing it Nine Inch-Nails instead of Nine-Inch Nails.
November 28, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Quietly annoying Trent Reznor by pronouncing it Nine Inch-Nails instead of Nine-Inch Nails.
Amazing, PKD-coded headline. Or maybe Vonnegut?
Poems Can Trick AI Into Helping You Make a Nuclear Weapon
It turns out all the guardrails in the world won’t protect a chatbot from meter and rhyme.
www.wired.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Amazing, PKD-coded headline. Or maybe Vonnegut?
Marvel should redeem the Punisher by having him decide he won't go after any "street crime" until he's killed all the white collar criminals. Call it Trickle Down.
November 28, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Marvel should redeem the Punisher by having him decide he won't go after any "street crime" until he's killed all the white collar criminals. Call it Trickle Down.
I saw someone recently say "they got off on a technicality" means "the law worked for once" and I've been thinking about it a lot.
November 28, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I saw someone recently say "they got off on a technicality" means "the law worked for once" and I've been thinking about it a lot.
Pete Hesgeth saw Homer Simpson shouting "it means he gets results you stupid chief!" at his TV and based his entire life around it.
November 28, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Pete Hesgeth saw Homer Simpson shouting "it means he gets results you stupid chief!" at his TV and based his entire life around it.
There's a particular term I use for shows that feel like they needed more planning / structure / forethought: "undercooked." DOWN CEMETARY ROAD is undercooked. But what a cast!
November 28, 2025 at 10:35 AM
There's a particular term I use for shows that feel like they needed more planning / structure / forethought: "undercooked." DOWN CEMETARY ROAD is undercooked. But what a cast!
THE ULTIMATES is definitely speaking to the moment.
November 28, 2025 at 7:16 AM
THE ULTIMATES is definitely speaking to the moment.
I'm guilty of this too, but I'm interested in the ethics behind the "something porn" phenomenon. Grief porn, wealth porn, competence porn. What are we really getting at by this comparison?
“Hamnet” Feels Elemental, but Is It Just Highly Effective Grief Porn?
In Chloé Zhao’s film, adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, the death of a child gives rise to the creation of a literary masterpiece.
www.newyorker.com
November 28, 2025 at 4:56 AM
I'm guilty of this too, but I'm interested in the ethics behind the "something porn" phenomenon. Grief porn, wealth porn, competence porn. What are we really getting at by this comparison?
I'd somehow missed that WICKED is based on a book, and that the book is a lot more political and a lot less "the power of friendship!" Worth reading?
November 28, 2025 at 2:22 AM
I'd somehow missed that WICKED is based on a book, and that the book is a lot more political and a lot less "the power of friendship!" Worth reading?
The ghost of Elmore Leonard just raised an eyebrow.
Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino has said The Hunger Games "ripped off" Battle Royale, and expressed surprise that the Japanese writer of the cult classic original didn’t sue The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins. https://bit.ly/44fDUkf
November 28, 2025 at 2:13 AM
The ghost of Elmore Leonard just raised an eyebrow.
The Pope has spoken out against polyamory, which is a little rich considering he's in a relationship with the father, the son, and the holy ghost.
November 27, 2025 at 11:07 PM
The Pope has spoken out against polyamory, which is a little rich considering he's in a relationship with the father, the son, and the holy ghost.
Been thinking a lot about people who always take the 30000 foot view of things and say "both sides are basically the same" whereas, up close? They're actually very different. People just love to feel like they're *above* arguments and ideology.
November 27, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Been thinking a lot about people who always take the 30000 foot view of things and say "both sides are basically the same" whereas, up close? They're actually very different. People just love to feel like they're *above* arguments and ideology.
Reposted by Martyn
Audience culture is the worst it's ever been, I swear to god. People forgot how to act. I'm at the theater, trying to enjoy my show, which I've paid GOOD MONEY for, and these two old assholes are in the balcony heckling the life out of the poor bear onstage. Not letting him finish a single joke.
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Audience culture is the worst it's ever been, I swear to god. People forgot how to act. I'm at the theater, trying to enjoy my show, which I've paid GOOD MONEY for, and these two old assholes are in the balcony heckling the life out of the poor bear onstage. Not letting him finish a single joke.
The so-called ceasefire definitely worked to mostly push Gaza off the front page, so... mission accomplished, I guess.
Israel still committing genocide in Gaza, Amnesty International says
The NGO’s chief says last month’s ceasefire ‘risks creating a dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal’
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
The so-called ceasefire definitely worked to mostly push Gaza off the front page, so... mission accomplished, I guess.
This Christmas, you will be visited by three ghosts. One of them will be the blowjob ghost from GHOSTBUSTERS but the other two? Terrifying.
November 27, 2025 at 8:58 PM
This Christmas, you will be visited by three ghosts. One of them will be the blowjob ghost from GHOSTBUSTERS but the other two? Terrifying.
As always, I'm grateful that Australia doesn't do Thanksgiving. Another family-focused holiday, so close to Christmas? That's just cruel.
November 27, 2025 at 6:45 PM
As always, I'm grateful that Australia doesn't do Thanksgiving. Another family-focused holiday, so close to Christmas? That's just cruel.
Considering the fact it's always been mid at best, I'm oddly fond of STRANGER THINGS and I don't know why. Maybe nostalgia is just a hell of a drug.
November 27, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Considering the fact it's always been mid at best, I'm oddly fond of STRANGER THINGS and I don't know why. Maybe nostalgia is just a hell of a drug.
Getting a lot of Boss Baby vibes from this pullquote...
November 27, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Getting a lot of Boss Baby vibes from this pullquote...
"I don’t mean comics should be illogical or confusing or poorly crafted. They should still be good, of course. I mean they shouldn’t worry about doing insane things out of concern that it might make the comic seem stupid. They should just go for it, no holds barred."
Ten Things I’ve Been Thankful for from the Year in Comics - SKTCHD
We’re changing things up this week. Because it’s a holiday here in America, and because Thanksgiving is followed by Black Friday — which might actually be the busier day, somehow — my Ten Things colum...
sktchd.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:55 AM
"I don’t mean comics should be illogical or confusing or poorly crafted. They should still be good, of course. I mean they shouldn’t worry about doing insane things out of concern that it might make the comic seem stupid. They should just go for it, no holds barred."
A thunkpiece is a thinkpiece that doesn't land.
November 27, 2025 at 4:51 AM
A thunkpiece is a thinkpiece that doesn't land.
"We stand at a precipice where hunger and spectacle are colliding in full view — where the performance of plenty becomes more valued than the provision of sustenance; where food functions more as an image than as nourishment."
Let them eat content: when ordinary staples become signifiers of wealth - Overland literary journal
We stand at a precipice where hunger and spectacle are colliding in full view — where the performance of plenty becomes more valued than the provision of sustenance; where food functions more as an im...
overland.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 4:18 AM
"We stand at a precipice where hunger and spectacle are colliding in full view — where the performance of plenty becomes more valued than the provision of sustenance; where food functions more as an image than as nourishment."
Every movie is a Christmas movie if you watch it with an elf.
November 27, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Every movie is a Christmas movie if you watch it with an elf.
There's a long-standing argument that we need more superhero comics aimed at children again; I think the same probably applies to a lot of beloved cinema franchises. What if STAR WARS was primarily for kids, instead of adults?
November 27, 2025 at 1:10 AM
There's a long-standing argument that we need more superhero comics aimed at children again; I think the same probably applies to a lot of beloved cinema franchises. What if STAR WARS was primarily for kids, instead of adults?
"People perceived by police to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander were 15 times more likely to be searched than white people in 2024, but were less likely to be found with prohibited items."
Lidia Thorpe joins critics of ‘outrageous’ expansion of police search powers in Melbourne as premier defends move
Jacinta Allan says warrantless pat-down powers that last until May 2026 are consistent with Victoria police plan to be more visible
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:57 PM
"People perceived by police to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander were 15 times more likely to be searched than white people in 2024, but were less likely to be found with prohibited items."
Tagline for a horror movie with a disabled protagonist:
"She didn't have the spoons... but she does have the knives."
"She didn't have the spoons... but she does have the knives."
November 26, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Tagline for a horror movie with a disabled protagonist:
"She didn't have the spoons... but she does have the knives."
"She didn't have the spoons... but she does have the knives."