gahooliganspod

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Episode 14: The Gollymopes

So it turns out there's a lot of stuff going on in The Hatchling, huh? We've got cult deconstruction, we've got literary parallels via face scars, we've got some WILD lore about rabbits and the ethics of owl predation, and we have the triumphant return of everyone's FAVORITE character Otulissa! Oh, also at the end we've got a very special treat for you, Tumblr - owl shipping! We're rating them. We're slandering them. We are looking for more - send your faves our way for a future ep!

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Has anyone done this yet

Well now someone has. All hail the Sacred Orb!

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The Ga'Hooligans will be on a bunch of this stream! Stop by, hang out, and give money to a good cause!

And come root for us as we DESTROY the competition in the Newlyhosts Game. PB and CJ miiiight have an unfair advantage in that particular gameshow...

We have one more big Monday announcement for you: the Moongaritaville schedule! Join us this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for three full evenings of fun and fundraising to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, only on moonshot.mov!

You can also find a plaintext version of the schedule that will update throughout the stream at http://moonshotpods.com/schedule!

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EPISODE 13: Oopsy T.U.P.S.Y.

We're back with book 7 of the Ga'Hoole series - The Hatchling. We're gonna meet Nyroc, the most chosen one-coded little owlet you ever did meet. Don't get too close, though, or Nyra will rip your liver out! She's to handle Kludd's death by going full Boy Mom. But we can't decide - is her parenting style better described as gaslighting or indoctrination?

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It's ZERO ESCAPE TIME!!!!! Be there or be ambisinister (yes that's a real word)

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Our annual May charity stream is fast approaching! This Memorial Day weekend, join Moonshot hosts and guests in MOON-GA-RITAVILLE for a three-day, beach themed extravaganza to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

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How do we feel about the ending of The Burning?

CJ and I both made our thoughts pretty clear in our latest episode. (Her: against it, thinks Soren should have struck his brother down himself; Me: softly for it, enjoys that Twilight gave Kludd the least glorious death of any of his foes, feels like there should have been a higher cost to the Band themselves.)

Does anyone else have any hot takes? Lukewarm? Chilly? Cold-fire?

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How's your owl vocabulary? Need a quick refresher on how to talk to puffins? We've got your back!

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But wait - what's that in your RSS feed? Why, it's episode TWELVE of Ga'Hooligans! We're finishing the saga of Kludd, the most baddest, evilest, worst owl who ever lived.

We've got drunken snake warriors, we've got the best song in the entire series, we've got Soren making an Actual Decision - safe to say the CJ was firing on all cylinders this time.

(If you want to read along, we're covering chapters 14-25 of The Burning.)

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Sorry this blog was dormant for a while - we took a break and then SOMEONE forgot to post here when we came back 2 weeks ago with a new episode again! Speaking of, let's catch up on the Northern Kingdoms, ice swords, katabatic winds, and puffin-flockin-in-the-nockin in episode 11! (If you want to read along, we cover chapters 1-13 of The Burning in this one.)

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Aaaand our Tumblr is also back!

We've got some eggcellent observations in our message box, and hoping to dig into them like a couple of foul, pus-eyed, Auntie-esque egg eaters in episode 10.

In the meantime, let Eglantine's decent into fear, anger, hate, and suffering tide you over! Welcome to book 5: The Shattering! It's exactly as brutal as it sounds!

(Listeners should be advised: The Shattering is centered on themes of disassociation, mental health, and gaslighting.)

....

In related-but-other news, please forgive our erratic scheduling. Both PB and CJ started new jobs in the last month. In addition to the new job, CJ is a school librarian; school has now started up again. Naturally, things have been a little hectic (in a good way!). We are hoping, now that we have both have *predictable* schedules, we may *predictably* read children's books and compare them to star wars for fun.

WELCOME BACK OWLETS!

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I think there is a point from episode 1 that's been dropped a little bit over time that's worth digging into more, and that's the influences of religious Judaism on a lot of the societal and religious views in the series.

Notably, ryb bears a resemblance to rebbe/rabbi, with both primarily serving the role of teachers/guides in their communities. Rabbis teach the Torah while rybs seem more secular, although you could argue that tending the Ga'hoole tree and teaching its history/environment/being the protectors of it (and, by extension, the origin of one source of the world's heroism and justice) has a common thread with Judaism as well.

There is also the contrast between St. Aggie's "questions are forbidden" stance versus the Ga'Hoole tree encouraging and celebrating learning. Judaism encourages questions, education, and religous debate in a way few major religions do - rather than just explaining practices as "well it is this way because God/religious text/your spiritual leader says so".

In episode 7, also - while they appear similar to a Christian abbey or other secluded society, the ideals that Simon and the Glauxian Brothers represent are also key features of Judaism: not to proselytize or convert, and to provide tzedakah (ethically obligated charity/aid) for those in need. While Judaism doesn't encourage monastic piety, in light of the other Jewish influences on the story I wanted to point it out nonetheless.

I'm sure there are more instances than just this, but I'd have to re-read/re-listen to catch them. TL;DR a lot of these owls seem Jewish, and I love that.

I absolutely ADORE these connections, and I'd love to quote you as we go into episode 10 -- failing that, I want our followers here to see it! These are the kind of wonderful observations that make *total sense,* but both PB and I lack the background to notice.

I know you've chosen to remain anonymous, but if you're alright being quoted, feel free to reach out to us privately at gahooliganspod@gmail.com!

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AND

WE’RE

BACK!

Episode 7 was CURSED, but it’s here and it’s ready! We’re hoping to get back on track with episode 8 coming at ya at break-neck speed. That is, the speed of Simon’s broken neck. Or Grimbles. Yeah…. Faster than that.

FIND US ON THE MOONSHOT NETWORK!

Our apologies for any minor audio issues; we did our best to clear the background sounds of Miles chomping on blankets, but ultimately decided it was more important to get the episode out that re-record again.

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WELP.

Catastrophic computer failure.

Episode 7 was recorded, edited, and promptly melted on a hard drive that has proven unrecoverable.

Sorry owlets, we will have to re-record. We will make an effort to get episode 7 to you as fast as we can.