"It's always darkest just before it goes pitch black."
— Unknown
"The 'all is lost' moment!"
— Barry, American Dad!, "A Pinata Named Desire"
"Well, Sarda, you did it.
You built us up, made us into warriors of legend. But now? We're demoralized, de-leveled and defeated. And it was all you."
You built us up, made us into warriors of legend. But now? We're demoralized, de-leveled and defeated. And it was all you."
— Black Mage, 8-Bit Theater
In my hour of need
Ha, you're not there
And though I reached out for you
Wouldn't lend a hand
Through the darkest hour
Grace did not shine on me
It feels so cold, very cold
No one cares for me.
Ha, you're not there
And though I reached out for you
Wouldn't lend a hand
Through the darkest hour
Grace did not shine on me
It feels so cold, very cold
No one cares for me.
— Megadeth, "In My Darkest Hour"
Red Mage: Maybe there's a side we haven't considered yet.
Red Mage: Maybe eternal torment is fun.
Black Mage: That's your alternative?
Red Mage: ...That's all we have left.
Red Mage: Maybe eternal torment is fun.
Black Mage: That's your alternative?
Red Mage: ...That's all we have left.
"We may yet prevail. That's a conceit, but it's a healthy one. I wonder if the Emperor Honorious, watching the Visigoths coming over the seventh hill, truly realised that the Roman Empire was about to fall. This is just another page in history, isn't it? Will this be the end of our civilisation? Turn the page."
—Cap. Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation ("The Best of Both Worlds Pt. 1")
"Have you ever heard of the hour of the wolf? My father told me about it. It's the time between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. You can't sleep, and all you can see is the troubles and the problems and the ways that your life should've gone but didn't. All you can hear is the sound of your own heart. I've been living in the hour of the wolf for seven days, Lyta. Seven days. The wolf and I are now on a first-name basis. In times like this, my father used to take one large glass of vodka before bed. To keep the wolf away, he said. And then he would take three very small drinks of vodka, just in case she had cubs while she was waiting outside. It doesn't work."
— Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5
"These are the times that try men's souls...."
— Thomas Paine, "The American Crisis," written in response to the defeat of the Continental Army at New York.
The Doctor: This is it, Clara, one of those moments.
Clara: What moments?
The Doctor: The darkest day, the blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back — let's see what we're made of, you and I.
Clara: What moments?
The Doctor: The darkest day, the blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back — let's see what we're made of, you and I.
— Doctor Who, "Dark Water"
River Song: Only in darkness are we revealed. [...] Goodness is not goodness that seeks advantage. Good is good in the final hour, in the deepest pit, without hope, without witness, without reward. Virtue is only virtue in extremis.
— Doctor Who, "Extremis"
"We were a hearty crew, but it be... it be over."
—Metalbeard, The LEGO Movie
And he climbed with the lad up the Eiffelberg Tower. "This," cried the Mayor, "is your town's darkest hour!
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red to come to the aid of their country," he said.
"We've GOT to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!"
The time for all Whos who have blood that is red to come to the aid of their country," he said.
"We've GOT to make noises in greater amounts! So, open your mouth, lad! For every voice counts!"
"End of the road, nothing to do, and no hope of things getting better. Sounds like Saturday night at my house."
—Eeyore, Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
"Man, oh man, that Prince John sure made good his threat. And his helpless subjects paid dearly for his humiliation, believe me. Taxes, taxes, taxes...Why, he taxed the heart and soul out of the poor people of Nottingham. If you couldn't pay your taxes, you went to jail. Yep, I'm in here, too. Nottingham was in deep trouble."
—Alan-a-Dale, Robin Hood (1973)
Astrid: It's a mess. You must feel horrible. You've lost everything; your father, your tribe, your best friend...
Hiccup: Thank you for summing that up.
Hiccup: Thank you for summing that up.
Captain America: This is a nightmare.
Black Widow: I've had better nightmares.
Black Widow: I've had better nightmares.
— Captain Marvel (2019), depicting the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War
Why should I care? Why should I resist? Why not just let it all end, here, now, as the Jahar fell into the monstrous black hole?
My life was a disaster. I had failed in so many ways... Failed to save Arbron from being trapped forever in Taxxon morph. Failed to stop the Yeerk called Visser Thirty-Two from stealing the body of my prince, Alloran-Semitur-Corrass. Failed to defeat the surprise attack of the living asteroids. Failed even to protect the two humans I was supposed to take care of. And worst of all, I had failed to deliver the Time Matrix to my people. The Time Matrix: power beyond imagination.
—Animorphs - The Andalite Chronicles
When the smoke cleared, the little steamer had reached the misty horizon, and Carrie was safe. But the Thunder Child had vanished forever, taking with her man's last hope of victory. The leaden sky was lit by green flashes, cylinder following cylinder, and no one and nothing was left now to fight them. The Earth belonged to the Martians.
—The Narrator, Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
My life was over. My career gone to dust. All the skill I'd worked for would go to waste. I was returned to the family cage, nothing more than Grace's Secondary, expected to defer to her, obey her, my only worth the power she could take from me whenever she wished.
I had come so far, even if I'd had to hide my power behind the practice of medicine. I'd cure Grace's colds, now. Shrink the cancer in my father's body. Tend to people who already had the best of everything.
—Witchmark, by C.L. Polk
A grim, bottomless acceptance of our fate finally claims me. Thanos is inevitable. All light is lost. All that is left are tears. And the echoes of dreams shattered.
—Eros, narrating, The Infinity Gauntlet
Stan: Oh, I can't believe this! The kids are gonna die, and it's all my fault! Because I couldn't shake your stupid hand! Ugh, Dad was right about me! I am a screw-up!
Ford: Ah, don't blame yourself. I'm the one who made a deal with Bill in the first place. I fell for all his easy flattery. You would have seen him for the scam artist he is.
Stan: When did things get go messed up between us?
Ford: We used to be just like Dipper and Mabel. The world's about to end and they still work together. How do they do it?
Stan: Easy. They're kids. They don't know any better.
—Gravity Falls, "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls"
Captain Marvel felt as though his muscles were cramped, as well they might be. The Marvelium bonds had held him prisoner for a good while, now. The knowledge that Junior and Mary were his fellow prisoners, and that the other heroes of Earth had tried and failed to rescue them, wasn't contributing to his peace of mind.
All of it, every last bit of it, at the hands of Sivana. His enemies given power beyond his own, and his homeworld threatened with conquest. Or destruction.
But was there a way to escape? Could there, possibly, be a way to manage a break from these bonds, a stilling of the ray above him?
All of it, every last bit of it, at the hands of Sivana. His enemies given power beyond his own, and his homeworld threatened with conquest. Or destruction.
But was there a way to escape? Could there, possibly, be a way to manage a break from these bonds, a stilling of the ray above him?
"Charlie has hit every major military target in Vietnam, and hit 'em hard. In Saigon, the United States Embassy has been overrun by suicide squads. Khe Sahn is standing by to be overrun. We also have reports that a division of N.V.A. has occupied all of the city of Hue south of the Perfume River. In strategic terms, Charlie's cut the country in half... the civilian press are about to wet their pants and we've heard even Cronkite's going to say the war is now unwinnable. In other words, it's a huge shit sandwich, and we're all gonna have to take a bite."
—Lt. Lockhart, Full Metal Jacket
Where are we going
From here
Where do we go
Are we all blinded, by fear
How do we know
How do we know
Where do we go
Where do we go
How do we know
Where do we go
Where are we going
From here
How do we know
Where do we go
Where are we going
From here
Do we let go of all we know
Are we all blinded, by fear
Where do we go when we let go
I feel I'm falling, from here
Don't let me go
Is it the calling
We hear (We hear)
How do (How do)
We know
From here
Where do we go
Are we all blinded, by fear
How do we know
How do we know
Where do we go
Where do we go
How do we know
Where do we go
Where are we going
From here
How do we know
Where do we go
Where are we going
From here
Do we let go of all we know
Are we all blinded, by fear
Where do we go when we let go
I feel I'm falling, from here
Don't let me go
Is it the calling
We hear (We hear)
How do (How do)
We know
— Call of Duty: Black Ops II, "Where Are We Going" by Malukah
2) There was nothing Crowley could do about this.
3) It was going to happen in Tadfield. Or to begin there, at any rate. After that it was going to happen everywhere.
4) Crowley was in Hell's bad books.
5) Aziraphale was - as far as could be estimated - out of the equation.
6) All was black, gloomy and awful. There was no light at the end of the tunnel - or if there was, it was an oncoming train.
7) He might just as well find a nice little restaurant and get completely and utterly pissed out of his mind while he waited for the world to end.
8) And yet...
"So much death. What can men do against such reckless hate?"
— Théoden, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
"Sometimes the only way to rid yourself of despair is to wallow in it until you are sick."
— Maya, Kill Six Billion Demons, Book 6 Page 21
Catherine: In the Everdark. There was... [long pause] ...I lost. They carved me open, Juniper, and all the power and the death and the madness I'd gorged myself on came pouring back out. It was like blinders came off my eyes. And Gods, but I had done so many horrible things. More of them were all I could see ahead, and I was just so fucking tired. So I went down. And I stayed down, waiting to choke on the snow. But I didn't. It took too long, you see. Snow melted enough that I could breathe. And I still wanted to stay down, to sleep, but I just... [laughs mirthlessly] It was a choice. And there was nothing weighing the balance either way. So I ask myself, why not?
Juniper: And then?
Catherine: And then I got up. And I think that's what stayed with me, Juniper. The even balance and the question and the choice I made. And it's gone to shit since, you know. Death and doom and the age falling down on our heads. And every day the same choice is there waiting to be made: Lie down...
Juniper: Or stand up.
Juniper: And then?
Catherine: And then I got up. And I think that's what stayed with me, Juniper. The even balance and the question and the choice I made. And it's gone to shit since, you know. Death and doom and the age falling down on our heads. And every day the same choice is there waiting to be made: Lie down...
Juniper: Or stand up.
