#So it's not even that much of a reminder of Christianity imo

[the-busy-ghost]

Petty rant this morning- I can understand that somtimes even the nicest noises can be a nuisance, even painful, and believe me I have become cranky about all sorts of innocuous noises at the wrong time.

That being said, I have heard a surprising number of people complain about bellringers practising, when they moved into a house next to a mediaeval English church

[jillianallen14]

Dear Baby Bats - Goth Band Recommendations

As a middle sibling goth (I’ve been in the subculture for close to 10 years now, so not a baby bat but not an elder goth either), let me turn you on to some bands because we do not gatekeep in this house!! Also, if you want consistently good lesser-known & brand new goth band recs, go follow Awfully Sinister on TikTok and Instagram. He’s a DJ & has great recs. I've found so much music through him because it's really hard to keep up with all the new bands cropping up every year. You want to avoid the goth subreddit because they are extremely gatekeeper-y and argue over labels constantly. It’ll just confuse you, and they are not nice over there.

If you’re very new to the subculture, and you haven’t yet listened to all of Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Christian Death, Cocteau Twins, Clan of Xymox, Joy Division, and Depeche Mode, go do so now. You'll want to know which of them you really enjoy the most because it will help you know which sub-subgenre(s) of goth you want to watch out for, and it'll tell you what to look for to find it. For example, Sisters of Mercy is the gothic rock subgenre, Christian Death is deathrock, Cocteau Twins is ethereal wave, Clan of Xymox is like the original darkwave, Joy Division is classic post-punk, etc.

I’ve bolded some of my absolute must-listen to goth bands, and I've put monthly Spotify listeners for each band so you know which ones deserve WAY more love. And in my pre-list ramblings for each OG band, I've given you some key terms to look up so you can more easily find music that's similar to what you enjoy. Okay, here we go:

If you like Bauhaus:

Bauhaus is a hard one because honestly, nobody really sounds like them, and they aren't really that closely associated with a specific sub-subgenre of goth. They have an extremely unique sound. They’re my favorite band of all time (I even have a tattoo for them, like I am devoted lol), but even I have a difficult time finding other bands that scratch their particular itch for me. These bands I’ve listed are as close as you’re gonna get imo.

Virgin Prunes (80’s band that has absolutely unhinged music in the way Bauhaus has unhinged music; one of my favorites; no one else does it like them and no one else ever will; I would actually give my left foot to see them live); 13.2k monthly listeners (this is actually physically painful to me, how is it this low!!! don't walk, RUN to go listen to them)

Alien Sex Fiend (80’s classic unhinged goth); 77k monthly listeners

Sextile (modern band that has some very Bauhaus-sounding guitar work at times); 147k listeners

The Danse Society (80’s unhinged goth; has similar experimental vibes to Bauhaus imo); 36k listeners

Sex Beat (80’s band); not even really on Spotify

Ritual Howls (modern band; I don’t know why it gives Bauhaus, but it does; one of the few modern bands that scratches that particular itch for me); 45k listeners

The Agnes Circle (modern band; one of my favorites; they have the right Bauhaus-like atmosphere for me); 52k listeners

Traitrs (I can’t explain why they remind me of Bauhaus, but they do; another one of my fave modern bands; they make me want to start levitating and doing the Ian Curtis dance in the same way Bauhaus does lol); 239k listeners

Paralisis Permanente (underrated 80’s; they have a lot in common with Bauhaus’s sound actually, def give them a try!); 54k monthly listeners

If you like Siouxsie and the Banshees:

Siouxsie is another one that's hard to pin down sound-wise because again, they don't really fit into one specific sub-subgenre, so all of these recs are just goth bands with female vocalists who have the same kind of powerful vocals that Siouxsie does.

Second Still (modern band; singer sounds a lot like Siouxsie to me at times); 69k listeners

Skeletal Family (80’s band; has the same “women in punk” vibes that Siouxsie has); 55k listeners

Xmal Deutschland (80’s band; has the same powerful vocals that Siouxsie has; makes you wanna go stupid go crazy the way the Banshees do); 73k listeners

Secret Shame (modern band w/ w woman singer; has the same rage that Siouxsie songs have to me, especially early Siouxsie); 6k listeners (let's get those numbers up, folks!!!)

Rosegarden Funeral Party (modern band w/ a woman vocalist); 57k listeners

Mephisto Walz (90s & 2000s; sounds so much like the Banshees at times); 56k listeners

If you like Depeche Mode:

For Depeche Mode enjoyers (which DM is kind of on the fringes of what’s considered “goth,” but they’re so entrenched in the subculture that I included them anyway), you’re gonna want to delve into modern goth playlists that have a lot of EBM (electronic body music) and modern goth that leans towards synthpop/synthwave. So those are the kinds of playlists you’ll want to search up for similar sounds to DM.

Nuovo Testamento (modern band; combines post-punk and pop elements in a way that’s very similar to Depeche Mode; lots of fun live, and they have a good sound); 25k listeners

Boy Harsher (modern band; relies heavily on synth; feels like it should be playing at every goth club); 558k listeners

ULTRA SUNN (modern band; singer sounds like Dave Gahan); 217k listeners (they just blew up on tiktok recently, which explains why this just skyrocketed since the last time I was on their Spotify page lol; good for them, good for them, they deserve it)

Ministry's first album, which was synthwave/synthpop before they went industrial (this is one of my all-time favorite albums)

French Police (modern band); 252k listeners

Closed Tear (modern band); 152k listeners

Night Sins (modern band); 33k listeners

Panic Priest (modern band; vocals sound decently similar to Dave Gahan & there is a lot of reliance on synth; In All Severity is a gorgeous song); 5k listeners

Fad Gadget (underrated 80’s band; I just feel like if you like DM, you’re also gonna like this band); 58k listeners

If you like The Cure:

You'll be hard-pressed to find a goth band that wasn't influenced by The Cure, so I really can't give you any key terms for what to look up lol. They also changed their sound so frequently that it entirely depends on what era of The Cure's music you're looking to find similar music for.

Vision Video (modern band; combines post-punk and pop elements like The Cure does; one of my fave modern goth bands; they are INCREDIBLE live); 52k listeners (I'm gonna need y'all to get a song or two of theirs to blow up on tiktok expeditiously lol)

Urban Heat (modern band; great live); 36k listeners

The Chameleons (80’s band; very underrated; they are also very good live); 167k listeners

House of Harm (modern band, very new; also very good live; has pop elements); 44k listeners

Deceits (modern band, another very new one); 28k listeners (it's crazy how much this number has grown the past two months because it was in the single thousands not that long ago; everyone say thank you, tiktok)

Drab Majesty (modern band; their instrumentals remind me of The Cure); 172k listeners

Double Echo (modern band; their instrumentals also remind me of The Cure); 15k listeners (let's get these numbers up!!!)

The Bolshoi (underrated 80’s band that combines new wave and goth elements in a similar way to The Cure); 114k listeners

The Essence (underrated 80s band that sounds so much like The Cure it’s actually insane, but they’ve got their own sound too; they’re like a perfect blend of all of The Cure’s different sounds); 25k monthly listeners

Miss Teen America (brand new band from NYC! They only have one single out right now, and it’s well worth listening to); 940 monthly listeners (y’all know what to do!!! Let’s get those numbers up, up, up!) link to their single: https://open.spotify.com/album/4nvdZeUVLLrMv3tEziCqm7?si=2WVS7-eYQLGR7Id3wLiKhg

If you like Clan of Xymox:

Most of these bands will be modern ones because Clan of Xymox was honestly way ahead of their time. (They are also amazing live, so go see them before they eventually call it quits!) For playlists that are full of their vibe, you’re gonna want to look up “darkwave” playlists and also some EBM. Clan of Xymox pioneered darkwave, so any darkwave band you listen to is gonna be influenced by their sound in some way or another.

Harsh Symmetry (modern, very new; very heavily relies on synth); 29k listeners

Ssleeping Desiress (modern band; instrumentals similar to Xymox); 55k listeners

Twin Tribes (probably my favorite modern goth band; they are fucking incredible, and I’m dying to see them live); 276k listeners

ACTORS (modern band; heavily relies on synth); 86k listeners

Mareux (modern; heavily relies on synth); 4.8 million listeners (this is wild!!!! everyone say thank you, tiktok)

Sixth June (modern); 23k listeners

Plastique Noir (modern); 40k listeners

Rendez Vous (modern); 160k listeners

Minuit Machine (modern); 97k listeners

If you like Christian Death:

All of these recs will be deathrock recs or goth bands that heavily leaned on punk sounds. So if CD is the OG goth band you’re most fond of, you’re gonna want to delve into deathrock playlists for similar sounds.

Asylum Party (80’s band); not on spotify

45 Grave (80’s band); 47k listeners

Voodoo Church (80’s band; probably my favorite out of this bunch; I actually like them more than Christian Death); 7k listeners (let's get these numbers up immediately!!!!)

Ausgang (80’s band); 2k listeners (WHAT; they deserve so much more, damn)

Corpus Delicti (90’s band; they are very good; they sound the least like Christian Death on this list imo); 26k listeners

13th Chime (80’s band; very underrated); 6k listeners

The Birthday Party (80’s band; very unhinged sound); 54k listeners

UK Decay (you know, I actually don’t know what era they’re from; unhinged sound); 1k listeners (omg)

Super Heroines (underrated 80’s band); 2k listeners (you see what I meant about underrated?)

Specimen (80s band; this one could have just as easily gone under Bauhaus tbh, but the vocals are generally higher pitched than Peter Murphy’s, so I put them under this category); 102k listeners

Sex Gang Children (80’s band; just so unhinged & I love them for it); 27k listeners

Suspiria (90s, I think? I don’t actually know); barely on Spotify but 27k listeners

Theatre of Hate (80s); 7k listeners

Bloody Dead and Sexy (2000s, I think); 44k listeners

If you like Cocteau Twins:

Cocteau Twins’ early sound is usually categorized as “ethereal wave” goth, so those are the playlists you’ll want to look up if you enjoy their early sound. If you like their later sound, you’re gonna want to lean more towards shoegaze for similar vibes.

Dead Can Dance (80’s band; NO one, and I mean NO ONE, was doing it like Dead Can Dance; so fun to dance to in the goth club); 332k listeners

Lycia (90’s band; their music is very transcendent); 20k listeners

Linea Aspera (modern band; gorgeous woman vocals; honestly, their music is just very beautiful); 67k listeners

This Mortal Coil (formed in the 80s; some songs feature Elizabeth Fraser & Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins, but even the ones that don’t still have an ethereal vibe similar to CT; Sixteen Days/Gathering Dust is just like the best song ever); 310k listeners

If you like Joy Division:

All of these bands will be ones that sound very classically post-punk, so those are the playlists to search out; emphasis on "classic" because post-punk is a very broad term that gets applied to a lot of music. I would argue that Joy Division has had the most influence out of all the OG goth bands on the current goth sound/goth renaissance we're going through right now, so there are a LOT of bands out there for you if you’re a JD fan.

Molchat Doma (modern band); 2.5 million listeners (wow lol, they've grown so much over the past two years, it's actually insane; good for them)

Soviet Soviet (modern band); 152k listeners

Fearing (modern band; very good live); 30k listeners

Ploho (modern band); 146k listeners

Pink Turns Blue (criminally underrated 80’s band; they are SO good live); 98k listeners (this is an actual travesty, this band is way too good to not even be in the hundred thousands)

The Sound (another incredibly underrated 80’s band); 119k listeners

This Cold Night (modern; has the deep vocals of Joy Division and the driving bass); 150k listeners

Bleib Modern (modern); has very similar vocals to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, which is a band listed under the Sisters of Mercy section of this post, so if you end up liking this band, you should also listen to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry & vice versa; 36k listeners

Lebanon Hanover (modern; has the existential angst that Joy Division always ignites in me); 936k listeners (this is crazy, holy shit!!!!!! go, Lebanon Hanover, go!! now if only they would tour the damn US)

She Past Away (modern; deep vocals); 226k listeners

Belgrado (modern; woman vocals!); 18k listeners (they deserve better than this!!)

Leonora Post Punk (modern; Mexican goth band w/ Spanish vocals, so support them! They’re amazing! They have those deep vocals you want when you’re looking for a similar sound to Joy Division); 56k listeners

O. Children (modern; has the deep vocals & interesting bass lines that Joy Division was known for; great band); 29k listeners

If you like Sisters of Mercy:

This is one of my least favorite goth subcategories, which is odd because I actually love Sisters. But if you’re looking for a lot of music that sounds like SoM, I’d suggest delving into the 90’s and early 2000’s goth music scene. Search out those playlists.

Rosetta Stone (90’s band); 54k listeners

Miazma (modern); 10k listeners

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (another criminally underrated 80’s band; one of my fave goth bands); 40k listeners (THEY!! DESERVE!! BETTER!!)

Dreamtime (modern); 65 listeners (ouch lol, please go show them some love)

Fields of the Nephilim (80’s, I think; if you’re a metalhead, you’ll probably appreciate this band); 95k listeners

The Merry Thoughts (80s); 19k listeners

The March Violets (underrated 80s; might be a controversial opinion to put them under SoM, but I’m standing by it); 69k listeners

Horror Vacui (modern; it’s kind of a stretch putting them here tbh, but I couldn’t figure out what other category to put them under); 44k listeners

Also, if you want a 1500-song, 105-hour goth playlist that’s constantly growing, here you go. The name of it is a dig at my ex lol: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jCV530pMmOEmDHj4CLNka?si=cEVKiyAwQpaieGiV2pMyqw

[actual-changeling]

ohhh yanno...I think sometimes why I get so uncomfortable with meta and theories with GO (specifically in defense of Aziraphale) is that it really starts to resemble pro Christianity rhetoric...and I totally believe that everyone should feel free to believe/not believe in any sort of religion they choose...but it starts to get real uncomfy real fast when I'm reminded of my own christian family and their condemnations of me and the experiences I went through growing up christian and then realizing I didn't believe in any of it...

and for some people maybe that IS why they so staunchly defend Aziraphale, but for me, it's why his actions made me so mad, and why the firm "aziraphale defenders no matter what" lowkey skeeve me out...like that post you said about knowing Aziraphale in real life...yeahhhh no I'd never be friends with him, and maybe that does make me too biased for Crowley, bc I'm imagining myself in his position, bc I HAVE BEEN in that position, but idk I just can't find it in me to defend angel characters or super pro christian type thinking ones when too much of irl has been negatively affected by those types of people. and yeah fiction is not reality but when the premise of GO is a satirical look on religion idk it's just iffy to be so pro angel/heaven imo (obviously this isn't about those who view it with nuance hahaha)

I know what you mean anon, I definitely feel the same.

Seeing people fall into angel good/demon bad without even noticing is... painful, to say the least. Defending all of Aziraphale's actions because he had "good intentions" or "still has faith" or "was traumatized by heaven" is harmful and unhealthy to say the least, and it 100% looks like pro-Christianity rhetoric at times.

We're supposed to look at Aziraphale and see somehow who yes, has good intentions, but has refused to deal with his trauma and problems and ends up making incredibly bad choices as a result. He is supposed to change, so defending his actions is counter-intuitive to the message Neil and Terry want us to receive.

Aziraphale is that kid who tells you sure, it's fine to no believe in God, but you will go to hell and suffer forever, who tells you everyone just needs to "try harder" and that "poor people have mor opportunities" (I still cannot process that he canonically says and believes that), who tells you that you can be gay, but don't be it in front of the children or any people.

Aziraphale is the guy who refuses to deal with his internalized homophobia and asks his queer friends to go back into the closet because he cannot deal with seeing queer people be happy while he is stuck in self-induced misery.

There are reasons why so many people are uncomfortable with his behaviour and ideologies—and you are supposed to be.

[nezz-cringe-crib]

teru mikami analysis bc i love him

hi i'm just here to rant about how much i love teru mikami's character because he's genuinely such a well written character. this is probably gonna be unorganized and just rambly. i might rewrite it later but for now i just need another reason to procrastinate and focus on my silly emos.

(oh yeah also spoilers if that isn't obvious)

-------------------------------------------------------------

mikami is probably one of the best representations of religious trauma (at least imo and from what i've seen). i haven't read the manga yet and a lot of this might just be me projecting, but either way he's still the top in my books. there's SO many scenes and details about him that remind me so much of myself when i was still heavily involved with christianity (and to be clear, this is my own interpretation, not me tryna shit on any religions. that's a big wompwomp no-no. respect ppl hoes). so here's some random bits about mikami that make me go "OH SHIT ME-CORE ALERT!!!!":

the entire thing with his mom. i know that when he reflects back on his mom's death, he talks about how he's happy the whole thing happened because "she's evil and god killed the evil for me thanks god" but i completely believe the whole thing is just him brainwashing himself. like think about it for a second. his mom just died in the same car crash that involved his main tormentors, and this was also right after he was holding a slight grudge against his mom for defending said tormentors (she obviously didn't do that. she was just trying to help mikami view the world from a more realistic point of view to keep him out of trouble, but when you're that young and that passionate about justice, to him it'll seem like she's defending the same evil he's trying to fight). when you combine these things together, this is just gonna lead to a WHOLE lot of conflicted and lost feelings, and we see that in mikami. he had just been through a rough conversation with his mom, and she died before he could even get a chance to really think about said convo. all he is left with is a mixed feeling of loss, resentment, and fear. however, on the other hand, her death meant that the tormentors she was defending had also died. so to him, it has to mean something, doesn't it? the group of bastards that had been ruining his and others' lives and had finally been rid of. and if this had happened right after his mother had been defending them, it has to be a sign, right? there has to be a reason for all this hurt, right? when mikami is viewing the world through these lenses, it makes sense that'd he'd suddenly want a reason to justify his mom's death, even though it feels unbelievably cruel. so he finds a reason, and he finds that reasoning through god. this is honestly something that i used to do a lot when i was still heavily invested in my church, and i'm sure there are others who have been in the same situation. when the world is unjustifiably cruel, people will make up justification for it. it's a fear tactic that many people fall prey to in religious environments, and if not treated, it can fester into much more toxic environments for the people around them.

^^^ tldr: mikami copes with his mom's death by telling himself "it's okay that my mom died!! she was working for satan and god had to kill her!! thanks god!!" and if that's not the most religious-trauma-core shit out there then idk what is.

ALSO LITERALLY JUST EVERYTHING WITH LIGHT'S DEATH???? YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THAT SHIT HURT MAN. the realization that your god is not the god you thought you had been following used to be some of the scariest shit out there to me and mikami had it thrown right at his face when light died. not only was his god gone, but his god was never a god to begin with. he was just some guy. some pathetic guy who was now bleeding out and screaming on the ground. he had dedicated his life to this thing, and it was never real to begin with. and so he dies with it. because when the god revolving your life is gone, what other life do you really have? mikami was the perfect fucking example of that and i need it to be talked about more fucking please guys he's literally just like me fr i swear.

that's all i can think of right now tbh. if there's any typos in here no there isn't you're wrong nuhuh. anyways i fucking love mikami's character. he might be an antisocial autistic boyloser edgelord but he's MY antisocial autistic boyloser edgelord and i will defend him with my life. that hoe did EVERY wrong thing but your honor he is just a silly guy.

[allgoldenelite]

ok, as a kinda sorta quasi continuation of this, i'm gonna dump some more thoughts i've had lately about kenny, don, and everything.

cw for abusive relationships, toxic behavior, manipulation

first of all, i'm gonna give credit where credit is due: the storyline as it stands rn has had some things added to it which i would never have thought a wrestling story dare add, let alone handle well. some of it is more subtext and some of it is more out there, but so far i have found that the elements i examined and interpreted only ever enhanced my reading of the kenny omega character, so i've personally enjoyed them as enrichment of the text.

don callis is a sociopathic abuser (there's some subtext there that could be read to mean the abuse is also sexual). the first part he's said so himself, and the second part...well, there's enough material there now to write a book about, but i just want to make sure we're all on the same page here. all those times when him (and kenny!) during the collector run made sure to remind the audience that callis has been in kenny's life since he was 6 (or 10; neither of them are consistent with it) years old were sickeningly recontextualized when kenny said in his sitdown with JR that don fed him substances and started drilling him for wrestling by cutting him off from outside interests and friends pretty much as soon as he entered his life. and in don's sitdown with JR, he of course proclaims it was all because the golden sheik and kenny's family had told him to take care of kenny, so he was merely acting out of selflessness and philanthropy.

but what don did was essentially create a deeply, deeply traumatized weapon. it's all there in kenny's vtrs, moves and akas (the cleaner, the best bout machine, terminator dive, calling himself an unstoppable android, saying he wants to be a weapon for njpw). a cold, clinical thing that others decide what to do with, controlled and manipulated by others (well, i say others, but basically it always come back to don callis), and which exists without its own agency. that thread even comes back in his collector run during a segment with christian cage, where christian correctly pins down what's been happening all this time ("i don't know what's weirder, don, the fact that you manipulated a 10 year old kenny omega, or that the adult kenny omega is still letting it happen."). and as abuse and trauma go, kenny was (and in some ways still is) continuing the cycle in how he treats people close and important to him like take, bucks, hangman, and so on.

now, the don abuser backstory is mostly meant to be read when looking at the latter half of kenny's time in njpw and especially his aew career, but imo you could even go as far with the reading as saying that his time in ddt was like an escape from don for kenny, something he did for himself for a change (maybe the first and only time he did something for himself), rather than for don or because he wanted to prove he's the best. and then you look at the way this is all breaking down because of jealousy and feelings of inadequacy and deeply rooted fear, and you go, of course, the poor guy has so built his entire being and sense of self-worth around winning and recognition of superiority that as soon as that doesn't come in a steady stream (or is indeed threatened by different, unknown and scary feelings such as actually wanting to be the no 2, not the no 1) his mental and emotional health just collapses like a house of cards.

either way, all kenny has known his entire life is wrestling. and the largest swath of that wrestling life has been spent trying to prove he's unbeatable and immortal, while repeatedly having difficulties accepting love and help from others and pushing those closest to him away. and don callis takes credit for all of it.

but here's the thing. in a way, he's right, about taking credit for the winning. of course, from don's twisted perspective, he is right; he spent nearly every waking hour "preparing" kenny for wrestling and pulling strings behind the scenes (seriously, the guy claims to have connections to the european parliament, for crying out loud) to pave his path of destruction through multiple promotions. but the cut runs deeper than that. because ever since don turned on kenny, kenny's been losing, a lot, and commentary and other characters have been picking up on that fact. the fact that, as it seems for right now, without don callis, kenny isn't the winner he so desires to be. he's not just lost singles but random tags or multimans as well, and if he does win, he's getting crucifixed to the ropes and getting his head smashed in with a chair. kenny had the bucks back at his side but that didn't fix it. the elite welcomed hangman back into their midst, but that didn't fix it. ibushi came back to reform the golden elite but that didn't fix it. kenny kept falling down.

so now what?

i don't have an answer. i've seen some discussion lately about kenny's questionable or lackluster performance in this story. as in, not his in-ring kayfabe performance, but the actor's performance. some people say they noticed him having less energy than usual or looking like he's not all there at times, like his head isn't fully in the game, and that translating to how the character is perceived (or not perceived; he's been notably absent from a lot of recent btes, but that could also be due to how little actual story there is on bte these days) and backstage segments when viewers were expecting him to have a comment or a role in response to something that happened in the story).

the thing is...normally i don't really care too much? i'll get angry at this and that in front of the tv and say my peace on it, and then maybe a week later it'll flare back up if the wound's getting picked, but aside from that i don't care about wrestling, and especially not shoot stuff, enough to give a shit. dude could have a million reasons why he's not having the time of his life right now and by no means is he obligated to be in every little thing that happens. he's done enough.

but if you caught him on the street fighter stream he did for crown, it was night and day. it's like he was a different person. which is to say, it leads me to believe that this unmotivated, somewhat muted version of kenny we're seeing on our screens right now is part of the story. that don had his hooks so deep in kenny and yanked them out with such force that all that's left there now is mangled flesh. it reminded me of how kenny reacted when don got attacked by bcc and wasn't available to second him for his match vs jeff cobb: when the news were brought to him he seemed immediately crestfallen and made his entrance looking noticeably intimidated and distracted. like the reliance on don had been so strong and so deeply ingrained for so many years that he legitimately didn't know what to do. no manipulator to pull the trigger.

but still the question remains, what's the cure going to be, if none of the things i listed earlier helped? because at the end of the day this is still a story that involves wrestling, and altho the thought has crossed my mind that maybe this is going to be one of the very very few wrestling stories that do not equate a happy ending with a victory in the ring, i think at least somewhere along the road they will want to show kenny's rejuvenation via a win or two. so, what's it going to take to make that happen, when everything is said and done? i've followed people discussing that one way would be for him to go back to the drawing board specifically in japan (ddt, ibushi, you see where this is going), and of course that'd be very exciting and interesting, but somehow it feels to me like that's not the route they're taking. i'd be happy to be wrong, yet so far there haven't been any signs that i could decipher that that's a possibility in the story, and when kenny said at the wrestledream scrum that his primary focus is on aew in the us, it only reinforced that feeling for me.

this is a slightly different topic, but in addition, there's continued criticism about the confusing or meandering way the story flip-flops between seemingly portraying kenny as all alone and distraught and in need of help and not being any of those things the next week. this one i kinda have to agree with.

i'm not tired of the story in a way that some people are; i think there's still stones left to turn and interesting threads to pull on and characters to explore. but i do think it's been dragged out a little bit too much at times and that it has felt sluggish during some of those stretches, just like how the elite stories did after they came back up until they suddenly pressed the turbo button and kenny was best friends with hangman again. as a result, it has felt meandering, altho i do not agree with the criticism that there isn't anything left to do for both parties in the feud. don said he was going to cut out the elite and that he isn't anywhere near being done with that. it just remains to be seen what kenny's and by extension the elite's motivation in this all will be.

[thefiresofpompeii]

resolution was… watchable. fine. okay. reasonably tolerable tv. chibnall has a real talent for turning even the most exciting potential concepts (an escaped dalek attaching itself to a human and reassembling itself from scratch) into wishy-washy stand-around-a-room-and-talk half-arsed dullness. you couldn’t get me to care for a second about ryan’s deadbeat dad or their out-of-nowhere “reconciliation”. at least if he’d been forced to sacrifice himself at the end and throw himself into the gravity well to get rid of the dalek that would have been satisfying from a narrative standpoint and would have been a point of conflict to drive a wedge between ryan and the doctor, with ryan blaming the doctor for his father’s death and potentially even storming out of the TARDIS in anger only to begrudgingly return much later in the next series out of necessity when disaster strikes, similarly to how martha came back in the middle of s4. i was so sure that he’d end up dying, and if moffat had been writing this he 100% would have, but instead we get chris neoliberal chibnall’s ‘you always have to forgive your parents because they’re family’ bullshit (for what?? what has he ever done for ryan but mistreat him and fuck off when he was at his most vulnerable?)

i liked some of it. the scene where thirteen was taunting the dalek was good ol’ who and reminded me of s1’s dalek, especially with the way it showed just how much death, mass panic, devastation and havoc one singular dalek can wreak. really portrayed it as a formidable enemy again and that was effective. imo thirteen could have been more imposing and commanding in her confrontation (this is always a criticism i have of her and why i’m still adamant that twelve should have regenerated into michelle gomez), maybe jodie’s just incapable of going oncoming storm mode. which is a bit sad, and don’t accuse me of misogyny please, it has nothing to do with her gender

all in all, i miss christmas specials. cultural christianity sucks but if you’re gonna feature the new year actually do something with it other than “ooh the time vortex looks like fireworks”. the tv movie did more with the new year than your new year’s special, chris.

[lingeringscars]

top 5 yj pairings or top 5 canon characters 👀

top 5 yj pairings is becoming ships because @itchose is evil and made me choose dynamics so see here for that.

shauna/tai. they have an intimacy that will never be recreated by anyone ever. they understand each other better than anyone. betrayals by the other feel personal even if they aren't totally. they love each other, they hate each other, they can't live without each other. they're in love and they are not. they're everything.

mari/akilah. they've been gfs from the start. they went from not really knowing each other to clinging to each other. akilah becoming the most important person to mari, the one she can be the most vulnerable around, the one that she trusts the most. mari letting akilah cheat at choosing cards (and akilah deciding against it) because she's her person.

tai/van. they fascinate me sooo much. a casual hookup turned serious that could never be maintained once they leave the wilderness. the conflict in their views and the way tai shoots her down and van learns to speak up. the love that is this common thread between them even when that happens.

lottie/laura lee. laura lee as the only person to actually talk to lottie and make her feel heard and validated. no one in her life has ever done that, and in the wilderness she's probably overheard people talking about how weird she is acting and how she lost it and she's gone crazy, which isn't great when looking at her dad! but laura lee supported her and trusted her and had this long-lasting forever kind of impact on her.

shauna/nat. who am i if i don't force them to be included. they are real to me. they meet in person for the first time and it reeks of jealousy and love gone bad. i am entirely convinced they had an affair idc. they talk shit about each other. they love each other. shauna is jealous of nat, shauna loves nat, nat loves shauna. they cry over each other. shauna nurses nat back to warmth. nat begs and begs for people to help shauna. the hunter & the butcher. they are everything. i love reminding people that when nat picked the queen card we see shauna's reaction <3 it's not just because of what comes next <3 she's second because she's second to travis in this essay i---- they are real to me <3

bonus: shaunajackie. they compel me. they live in my mind. they're in love with each other. they're part of each other. the only reason they were bumped from this list is because they would never act on any of it. also honorable mentions go to: gen/melissa, jackie/nat, & lottie/nat. i also feel like i need to put travis/nat here because they are so deeply connected and influence each other in everything.

i immediately thought this was top 5 yj canon chars and then realized it could be 5 canon in general so you're getting both dohgs

yj:

mari

nat

tai

van

shauna

bonus: akilah, travis

canon in general:

christian ozera (vampire academy). tiffany told me to read this series and thought i'd attach to other people and then i came away with him and have been with him for 9 years now. he's my number 1 forever, really. snarky, lonely, caring, pushy, loyal love of mine.

bellamy blake (the 100). another long timer. been writing him since the season 2 finale in 2015. i've been with him through the trenches. he is a part of me at this point

layla keating (all american). i added her during or at the end of season 2 or maybe at the end of s1 it's hard to remember now and it was mostly for olivia/layla w/ cj reasons but the more we got of her, the quicker she became an actual and instant fave. her depression arc(s) is one of my favorites of all time, and it's handled really well imo. she's so complex and layered and fascinating, and i will defend and love her forever

spencer hastings (pretty little liars). at this point she is also a part of me. i don't even know if i can list the reasons why she's in my top 5, especially when all the pll girls are so important to me, but this show and char are a piece of me.

daisy johnson (agents of shield). while i think mari is making her way into All Time Favorite Chars territory, i need to go with another that I always come back to (and the one on this list that I Do Not Write). daisy's story is just so important to me. she finds a home, a place, a family, and a people. she finds a purpose. she finds love. despite everything she goes through and went through, she has so much heart. she fights for what she believes in, she hates herself despite being the best person ever, she shines like the sun and kicks ass like no other. she's a hacker with a heart of gold. she's everything to me.

ask me my top 5 anything // always accepting

[bluezey]

So here's something fun to think about. I like Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. I'm also a Christian. I'm sure that's no big thing, I've even found a fan or two that are religious. But let's say I can't talk about the shows on my personal Facebook blog without getting some comments about "the enemy getting into my home" or how I have to cover up the pentagrams on my Alastor standees with electrical tape. I mean I don't like them, but it fits the show, and I guess making them stars doesn't work for my mom 😅

So, why do I like the shows? Well, it's good and funny! Dark humor that I know some would be offended by, especially Christians, but for me, I can look past them being demons and see a funny show with great characters. The designs are great, some even amazing. Helluva Boss is evolving into its own show in the second season, as the first season was more the setup of the premise, but the seasons are still good, especially for an independent production released in YouTube.

And Hazbin Hotel, not only good and funny, but the premise is fascinating! The princess of hell, aka Lucifer's daughter, wanting to save her people by rehabilitating demons so they can get into heaven. This is an interesting concept! Reminds me a lot of iron sharpening iron, or maybe even blind leading the blind. Because, what do demons think is good? What do demons think make a demon rehabilitated? Will heaven accept and work with hell to allow good demons into heaven? It also kinda reminds me of the lost book of the Bible called the Revelation of Peter. It's basically the same thing as the Revelation of John, but with an additional passage where Peter and an angel looked down into hell, and the angel basically said "you know, those sinners aren't trapped in hell, all they got to do is accept Christ and they'll be released into heaven." I find it fascinating and kind of funny that, when deciding between these two books, the people putting together the definitive Bible decided "nah, we don't like people getting a chance to escape eternal punishment, let's go with John's book" 😅

Now there are a few nitpicks that, I'm not gonna say dislike, but more like deal with it. One is realizing that some of the demons and lore of the shows are based on some demonology. So Vivziepop has done her homework, and that respectable and impressive. But, the research is so well researched, I'm a little sus at times about how well she knows her stuff. But, I'm not gonna judge her religious beliefs, so I'll let that slide. The second, and another nitpick, I was excited to see the angels after seeing how amazing the designs of the characters look, only to find that the angels look much like the demons in design. That's a little underwhelming imo, but again, I was personally expecting too much I guess. Also, maybe there's some kind of reasoning or message behind the angels and demons having similar designs. Third, another nitpick, but I think they're starting too soon with the demons fighting back against the exterminations. I mean, I'm excited as hell too, but I feel it's too soon. I want to see them try to rehabilitate demons first. But who knows, maybe the angels didn't take Charlie seriously, and this is their way of showing it. I mean, I'd fight back too. I'm pretty sure when demons double die, there's no double hell, and the demons are just trying to survive day by day in hell. And I feel for them having to live through that, especially cause it's eternal, and they can also die. There's some humanity in these demons, particularly the ones that were humans before, or aren't total evil like Asmodeous or Moxxie.

In fact, I can't help but notice that I do like the least evil characters such as Moxxie and Charlie, then later the more evil but complex characters such as Angel Dust and Alastor. Oh my gosh, I love how nostalgic and awesome Alastor is! And that voice is the best part! Then I find out why he's down in hell, and why he likes being in hell, and I'm like.... why do I still like this guy? Why do I like him more??

Anyway, guess as a Christian, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are like my guilty pleasure shows. Yes I get why some religious people would hate the show, and why I probably shouldn't like the show. But, I do like the show anyhow. Because I can look past the demons and the hellfire, and try and ignore the glyphs and pentagrams 😅 and see some great writing and animation behind it

[andromeda3116]

It's hard to understand why Christmas came to be a big deal even for people who have never stepped foot inside a church without understanding the context. And the context -- which does predate Christianity by thousands of years -- is that December kicks off winter in the Northern Hemisphere. And for most of human history, winter meant a bunch of us were going to freaking die.

We're so detached from that idea today, when the cold means nothing more than mild annoyance and sometimes slippery roads, that it's hard to grasp how recent this was, and that this was the way of things for virtually all of human history. Every year, you headed into winter with just enough stored food and fuel to get by. The old and the sick knew they might not make it through, and an especially harsh winter could mean that no one would feel the sun's warmth ever again. Every year, you watched all of the plants turn brown and shrivel into husks, followed by an unrelenting darkness and cold that threatened to swallow you and everything you love.

And looking back at that, we see an awesome little portrait of exactly how much humans kick ass. Every year, you see, winter arrived with a short day followed by the longest night of the year (aka the winter solstice), and since before recorded history, humans have been celebrating that day with a feast, or festival, or outright debauchery. On that longest night before the frozen mini-apocalypse, in all times and places, you would find light and song and dancing and food. Cattle would be slaughtered (to avoid having to feed all of them through the winter), families would travel to be together, and wine would flow. Precious supplies were dedicated to making decorations and gifts -- frivolous things, good for nothing other than making people happy.

[...]

This will be read by tens of thousands of people, and statistically, some of you are in fact traveling to see your grandparents, or parents, or siblings for the very last time. You don't know it's their last Christmas, of course -- if you somehow knew, you'd do it differently. You'd try to stretch out those moments. You wouldn't spend conversations nervously looking for an exit point. You'd spend a little more time digging up old memories and laughing about your shared past. You'd spend less time worrying about the gifts and the budget, and more about how we're spending the precious little time we have left. Once upon a time, nobody needed that reminder that life was short -- the holiday was the reminder.

the best cracked.com article, imo.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

I kind of think the reason why the Book of Life is referred to as 'extreme' sanctions and why they haven't used it yet is because it's intended to be an absolute last resort, due to how badly it may mess up the timeline. Butterfly effect and all that. And they'd be looking at potentially undoing/rewriting 6000+ years of history. Who knows what life would be like for anyone if humans never left Eden. I mean. No death and no suffering, obviously, but no free will or knowledge, either. But it WOULD accomplish the basic plan everyone knows God has laid out- create humans that live eternally in paradise. I'd imagine using the Book of Life is very risky and they can't account for the full extent of the effects, but I don't think that would stop the Metatron from using it as a means to make Aziraphale go along with the Second Coming. If anything, the chaos of that potential timeline might be even more of a motivator for Aziraphale to follow orders in this one.

that's a very good point!!!✨ definitely would fit the bill of 'extreme', but then again - if it is only used in extreme circumstances, as i said here and @aq-uatic reminded me in a separate ask, you'd think that the stopping of armageddon would be worthy of threatening the BOL, and yet it wasnt? or the fall of humanity, or even the fall itself... but somehow, hiding gabriel is bad enough to warrant erasure from existence...?

this does however only take into account how michael is threatening to use it (i.e. the extreme sanctions are not, in fact, officially sanctioned; metatron confirms this in ep6). michael takes the supreme archangel position, and presumably considers this to be adequate authorisation to wield the BOL as a weapon - something we don't see gabriel do in s1.

i would love to know what michael's rationale behind this was; jumping straight to erasure of existence for a fairly insignificant transgression. it might say more about michael's character than 'the true nature' of the BOL, but still find it interesting that for a reasonably cunning character, this threat is so... little thought-out.

and maybe that's just it; that the BOL does exactly what it says on the tin, and it's just michael getting gung-ho on their assumed new power and station. maybe gabriel never intended to ever wield this weapon because of the catastrophic implications it has (though this would bring into question what the point of the BOL is to begin with, if not to be used).

i honestly don't have much of anything to negate this from within the narrative itself, other than crowley saying that it was only a rumour (which i do think has some basis). but from a storytelling perspective, i do think it very odd that this new concept, this huge-ass weapon that heaven seems to have had in its back pocket all along, would be so blatantly explained and handed to the audience in s2. the whole thing, imo, just feels a little off.

biblically speaking, too, i feel that the BOL in the context GO poses is somewhat off too; revelation shows that the book belongs to jesus christ, and (heavily paraphrasing multiple references here but this is my understanding of the christian scripture on BOL) was for humanity to repent and enter the kingdom of heaven, or face erasure and be cast instead into a lake of fire in everlasting punishment.

now, of course, GO does not necessarily follow the word of scripture by the letter; but regardless, the whole notion seems odd in relation to angels. they... are of heaven; would erasing them from the book lose them their existence, or would it cast them out of heaven? by the same logic, does erasing humans from the BOL during the last judgement also mean those humans will cease to exist? the lake of fire is described as being "a second death" (20:14), but is that the same thing?

basically, anon - i don't know. idk if the BOL is what we're led to believe it is, but something in my gut (and by god has it been wrong before) is telling me not to take it as read!!!✨

[nightcat2609]

I just have to get this off my chest lmao: what I wanna say about Owl City's latest album Coco Moon, released on March 24, 2023.

If you see this post and haven't listened to Coco Moon yet, here's the Spotify link. The album's also on Youtube, Youtube Music if you have that, Apple Music and iTunes.

and on Bandcamp, you can also purchase the album there for as low as $1 (name your price basically) and iirc you can also get the studio master versions there.

On February 10, 2023 Adam posted this long but lovely post. It's also on his official Twitter and Instagram pages. I'm gonna quote some lines from this post along the way

First of all, this album has been a revelation. The five or so years of waiting for a new album since 2018 has been truly worth it. Adam didn't dissappoint me as usual and forever may it continue.

"Some songs on “Coco Moon” are metaphorical in a story kind of way. I like to read books because books take me places. When I pick up a book, I leave planet Earth. I wrote a few songs inspired by this." Ah a fellow book lover, I love the way books and stories can take us anytime and anywhere even for just a few moments

"And then some songs on “Coco Moon” are odd. Meaning, some have unusual structures, some don’t make a lot of sense, a few are extremely wordy, others are a little too long." Maybe this is me getting old but I love the long and wordy songs on Coco Moon, Adam truly has a gift with words and storytelling. It'll be a welcome surprise if any Coco Moon songs go viral since online virality these days tends to favor short songs, not that's it's a bad thing. just a sign of the times I guess.

"Creative oddity is beautiful to me so I embraced it." this is the Adam I know and love since I heard Fireflies on the radio back in 2009. And true to these lyrics from "Fiji Water" from his Cinematic album:

"And I'd say "Hey, there is more to me than meets the eye

Let me be who I wanna be"

And I'd say "Hey, I'm an oddity and that's alright

Let me fly and follow my dreams"

"The point is that “Coco Moon” is a very Owl City album. It is quirky. It is odd. It is unapologetically myself. I made an album that is exactly the way it was supposed to be, not an album that popular culture, or algorithms, or analytics, or anyone else on planet Earth told me to make. I wrote me. Average, ordinary, weird me."

Imo nobody in pop music these is doing it quite like Owl City. It makes for more unique and progressive vibes. And as a reminder because of some songs in Coco Moon with a Christian undertone, Adam's Christian faith has been a part of him since day one. At the very least, we should respect that and let him cook.

"CS Lewis said to Tolkien, “If they won’t write the kinds of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves.”" - I feel this on a deep level since at this rate I have to write some the stories I wanna read.

"I started by imagining an album I wanted to listen to. The result is “Coco Moon.” I’m so grateful and honored to be able to share it with you soon."

After finally hearing all of Coco Moon this week, it's been an honor in return to listen to a masterpiece of an album. Adam has come a long way from being a kid in a small town, dreaming about seeing the world, to who he is today, experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. And he's even found the love of his life along the way! I'm so happy for him and Abbey. They deserve everything good in this world. Thank you very much good sir Adam.

Right now I need to listen to the album some more times to pick favorites. I'll update this post when I've made my picks.

[hauntedpearl]

doe. THOUGHTS. on desi amara, u must share <3

okay. so. here's the thing:

i usually shy away from incorporating desi things into the show in my HCs beyond them being some romantic parallels with shayari or whatever and. like. the canonical presence of hinduism in the show (with the exception of the recent hennanatural madness) because i think it would require an overhaul of the show where you have to essentially redo the foundation and go from there. dean and sam being on the fringes of suburban america does make adaptation a little more easier, but, at the end of the day, they are upholding the tenets of racism and are White Men doing White Men Things.

Similarly, when i think about desi-fying Amara, i can't really place her in a role that's not aligned with the mythos of the show. which is very much an interpretation of Christianity. like. you can't have her be Hindu, for instance, because our religions are very different. we don't behold Destruction™ with fear, for instance. it's just how it is. like. if you have shakti (power/life) you have shiva (destruction). and they're both revered in equal measure. and Amara is essentially Chuck's Shiva, right? like. she's the yin to his yang etc etc. not that either religion is right or doesn't have its flaws, but the ideas of what's good and evil vary. our relationships with those ideas also vary. so it's like. you can't change one thing in the show without basically knocking this house of cards down.

i have a lot of trouble envisioning her — and a lot of other characters, similarly — as desi because i most of the time think in terms of adaptation rather than indulgence. and like. that's a lot of work and i don't even know if i have the fortitude to redo 15 years worth of story that, despite all its flaws, does tend to have a compelling vein running through it.

that being said, a very vague tendril of an idea that I have (if we do manage to undo and redo this mess) is like:

She Could Be Kali.

I'm not talking Durga — I'm talking Kali. wild haired, dark skinned, wears the skulls of demons around her neck and dances the apocalypse in with a tandav Kali.

(i don't want to think too hard about how it would read because it can and does read as awful if you're not changing who Chuck is. But LET'S ASSUME WE DO CHANGE THAT ALSO. FOR THIS HEADCANON)

anyway. Kali. right.

So the version of her depicted in Supernatural is racist and awful, yes, but also. She's not the Kali that we all grew up learning about.

She's just Durga.

There are interpretations of the religious texts that place Durga and Kali as separate entities, and then there are interpretations that say that Kali is just Durga when she's overcome with rage and bloodlust. Both interpretations lend themselves to paint a picture of Kali that is visceral and horrific and terrifying and beautiful in the way that gods have always been supposed to be.

Kali comes to dance when the world is overrun with evil. She sheds her clothes and her inhibitions with them. She eats the hearts of demons she slays and drinks their blood. She wears their bones as adornment. To evoke her is to evoke the apocalypse because she doesn't stop once she starts. Her tandav is said to be just as — if not more — powerful than Shiva's and would break the world apart if it reaches its crescendo.

^ this is one popular rendition of Kali in tandav. Note how shiva lays in her path so she can step on his chest instead of the ground. This is the only way to protect the world, and to remind her of who she is outside of the hunger that she becomes in this form.

ALL THIS TO SAY: AMARA.

the only possible desi version of her that I see is a Kali left to rage and stew for centuries, locked away in a pocket dimension in an attempt to keep the universe from collapsing. Releasing her would bring destruction of unknowable measure. The only Darkness parallel that makes sense, imo.

Things that could be interesting in this AU if we rearranged all of canon around it also:

Durga can be back in the picture! Like I said, some interpretations place them as separate entities, some as the same. ALSO. they're gods. It could be similar to a Dark Charlie/Good Charlie situation where Durga is aware of this part of her raging and struggling to comprehend that rage and chasing after a destruction that she, as her more calm form, knows that she doesn't want. The ending of this arc could be a beautiful scene too where Kali and Durga embrace and emerge as one combined entity — call her what you will, Shakti, Devi, etc etc

Dean Can Be The Shiva Like For A Second: Here's a way to keep the White Boys involved in the story! The only way to stop Kali (see there was a reason i was telling you stories) is when Shiva steps into her path and de-Hulks her and lets her take it out on him basically. So there. She could have somehow imprinted on Dean. But Dean, as a human, would not survive the sheer power of her being. Still, he would offer. (it's the Soul Bomb Sacrifice Parallel Moment!) And like. Durga who has been denying to help all season will show up in a deus-ex-machina moment and save the day! YAAY!!

COOL AS FUCK WARDROBE HELLO! I'm talking fusion outfits instead of that boring — if beautiful — black gown. also. the accessories omg! SILVER SKULL NECKLACE. ALWAYS A LITTLE PAPIDI BILLA (what's the Hindi word for it i don't remember. the thing you put in your hair and it hands on your forehead). ANKLETS! KAJAL!! OH MAN!!!!!! SHE'D LOOK SO AMAZING!!!!

It's hard to do a Tandav Moment™ but it would look so badass if they did. I think they wouldn't, realistically, so it's a metaphor. or whatever boring shit. But it's like with each step she takes on this world with deliberate intent, something or the other starts to go wrong.

She would also introduce a Very Important And Interesting Aspect into the show because. Despite everything. Kali is not inherently evil. Neither is she considered as such. She is literally *killing demons*. That's what brings her to light. It's like Godstiel, but 100x cooler. So to have them deal with her in a way that's not entirely placing her in a rigid black and white role might be super fun to see.

ALSO. DID I MENTION THE CLOTHES? YES?

ANYWAY.

Of course this headcanon is still very flawed but, again, I'm a little fussy about this shit unfortunately. So this is the best i can do. I'm so sorry this turned out to be a longass post with many tangents but i hope it was fun enough! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK MWAH! 💕

[lol-jackles]

Apologies for the semi long ask..Good Omens 2

I love Neil Gaiman, but did this really need to happen? The whole thing was ok at best. Terry Pratchetts in put is sorely missed.

My red flags for this show

Woke point one.....one woman has a crush on a other woman ( throw in the token LGBTQ charcters)

Woke point 2- a disabled angel? Really? I was raised in a very repressed Catholic environment, we were always told when you fo to heaven you become whole again....how is there a disabled person in heaven?

Side characters were not engaging or interesting....imo of course.

Which brings me to Fell and Crowley....why....why do they need to be a couple? Sure there was always the under current of maybe possibly something more....but they're chemistry together was built on genuine friendship.

I feel like this is Thomas Harris all over again, he kowtowed to the Hannibal Fandom and wrote that horrid fan fic Hannibal Rising....and was roasted for it

Gaiman jumped the shark on this one....I am somewhat dismayed and disappointed with Neil at the moment.

GO3 does not need to see the light of day. Do better Neil, work on Sandman second season. Do I need to remind you of your failure with American Gods....so much potential wasted..

I agree that Good Omen 2 feels very much like a very long filler without an overarching storyline. Now, I like filler episodes, they add meaningful context when the big stuff happens.  Key word "big stuff" as in main storyline aka mytharc, which was largely absent in GO2.

GO2 has the opposite issue plaguing a lot of shows with short seasons of 8 to 12 episodes where every episode is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING because every episode has to drive forward the main plot.  GO2 doesn't really have a plot so each episode felt rudderless and I was impatient for them to get to the point.

In traditional 20+ episode shows, the filler episodes may not move the plot much but it’s so relaxing to watch, like Star Trek "Data Day” where we watch Data spends the day recording logs about his cat and his friend’s wedding. We become a part of his life (and he yours), and people fall in love with the characters, or have better understanding of their motivations and end up sympathizing with them. In Supernatural, MotW episodes are regarded as fillers but we still get answers and progressions to the show's main storylines, and character development occurs regardless whether it's a mytharc or standalone episode, and even their standalone episodes often get referenced or talked about in later episodes. But GO2 is all character driven and very little actual plot.

Now on your other woke point gripes:

Nobody is surprised by this anymore.

It's Gaiman's world and he's playing in his own sandbox. A disabled angel is no more shoulder shrugging than Supernatural taking the Judeo-Christian God and making him a bisexual Demiurge.

Agree, the side characters were just ....there.

Perhaps Gaiman think it's the only way to raise the stakes? Season 3 sounds like a rehash of season 1, especially since Terry is not around help write the story.

To me the Silence of the Lambs is the only media on Hannibal that counts. There's a reason why Jodie Foster refused to participate in sequels and any iterations.

I have not seen American Gods so can't comment. Gaiman fans can correct me if I'm wrong but I think Gaiman was raised a Scientologist? From what little we know of that religion, they have.... different takes of traditional religions.

The last half of The Sandman season was an excruciating slog to get through. The few saving grace was Jed and his alter ego - superhero Sandman. It was worth seeing Sandman's reaction to Jed's Sandman dressed in 70s style costume.

I hope The Sandman's 2nd season resist the temptation of the side characters bloats, a problem that alot of streamed series have, including The Witcher and every WB streamed superhero series.

[enbeemagical]

finally watched Rise of the Guardians and I have a couple thoughts

I love it

I love the character designs

North's voice is perfect

is Tooth autistic

HUMMINGBIRD FAIRIES I LOVE THEM

SANDY he is just perfect in every way

I adore Phil

all that said, there's also (lil bit salty under the cut)

why are there two figures from Christian holidays and other religions' holidays don't seem to exist

look if you had guardians from more religions then you wouldn't have so much loss of belief from there being no Easter eggs or whatever

Elijah would be very good for this imo because you cannot prove or disprove his existence because he's supposed to take one teeny undetectable sip of wine from every house. You can still believe even if he doesn't actually make it there, because there's no expectation he'll leave proof of his visit

they should make Elijah the guardian of freedom

Idk he's the only Jewish figure I can think of who might be comparable to the Guardians with like the.... *vague gestures* invisible existence and being lots of places all at once?? and I don't know enough about other religions' comparable figures plus I'm tired

please add who else should be a guardian if you can think of any. but there should definitely be a few from non-Christian holidays

I just think it is rather annoying that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are such.... Like they act like North and Bunny, Christmas and Easter, are such integral parts of every child's life

they're not

Sandy and Tooth and Jack actually reach more kids than North and Bunny

because not all kids are culturally Christian!

there are more kids who have dreams and lose teeth and like snow than kids who are christian. this is statistics or something

Oh also Pitch reminds me of Ezra Squall from the Nevermoor books. This is interesting. He sounds like Squall too; I can pretty much hear/see him singing "little crowling"

HALLOWEEN THEY SHOULD HAVE A HALLOWEEN GUARDIAN

not Jack Skellington. I love him but he needs to stay in his own movie. also two Jacks would be confusing

Old Witch. Like in the Eleanor Estes book

actually that would be amazing I might go start a fic as soon as I've posted this

Hmm no I can't think of anything else now let's see how much fic I can write before it gets so late that my screen goes blurry

[badgraph1csghost]

Dag yo..... yom kippur almost snuck up on me.

I’m not really what you’d call a “practising Jew” so much, but you know how there’s Christmas/Easter Christians? I’m a Passover/Yom Kippur Jew.

The thing is, I don’t believe that G-d exists at this point. Sure, you might call whatever caused the formation of the universe by that name, but if it did exist at one time, it’s gone now. That’s not the point though.

“Since you don’t believe in G-d, why do you bother with these insane fasting traditions, then?” Because I’m privileged. Out of 364.5 days of eating all the food I want, I have the ability to take 25 hours and say, “I, who have all the food in the world, am not going to eat anything today.” There are literal millions of people, even within the United States, who haven’t got the food security that I have, and I need to remind myself of that. IMO it’s not enough to say, “yeah, people are starving and that’s bad”, while I shove a turkey sandwich into my face. I’m guaranteed to know a tiny shred of what it’s like to not have any food for that 25 hour period of time. It’s not about G-d, it’s not about sin, or atonement, or whatever synagogue-y verbage you want to use, it’s about the injustice of the corporate feudal state, who will make a thousand dollars off a starving trans-girl before they give her a stale crust of bread. Didn’t someone say it would only take $10 Billion to solve world hunger? Didn’t E. Lawn Mollusc say that he would solve world hunger, then turn around and buy Twitter for the same amount? You can’t solve world hunger for any amount, not just because of asshats like Elon, but because hunger is good for the bottom line. “Keep them hungry so they’ll buy again later.”

I still have food security. I have my break-fast meal all lined up, and I’ll be able to eat again the next day. But, for 25 hours, I get to be hungry and imagine what it must be like to go to sleep and wake up hungry for several days.

Anyway. Yom Kippur always sneaks up on me, even when I plan everything and mark calendars. I don’t know why it does this, but it does.

[vegaseatsass]

Shadow full series spoilers below!

I am once again deeply behind on the entire internet and recklessly posting to Tumblr instead of catching up at all, but I recently finished Shadow and need to process it a bit. Dan and Anurak are just such fucking sad characters, I don't think I was remotely prepared with either one of them for THAT level of bleakness. I super mistrusted Anurak from his earliest appearance, and then later when it became obvious he was the one-armed man I started getting really uncomfortable with his presumable monstrosity, but like, the monster in the story is really just Catholicism and authoritarian violence, this wrong-shaped institution that has been forced onto the soil and the violent men who enforce it and institutions like it (institutions such as the state, Dan's dad's version of the nuclear family, etc). All the harm Anurak causes Dan by encouraging him to repress repress repress is not so different from what he himself internalized about his own contaminated "dirtiness", believing he needed to repress his shame and trauma into Christian purity. Like he was still a useless guardian and an actively bad school master, but not "you should just kill yourself" level bad okay???? The idea of Dan being born into a bargain with a forest spirit, the baby promised to a witch, and never escaping that, and living his entire life in self-described pain, and Anurak living the same excruciating way, all the ways he tries to help/nurture just making everything worse, and both of their stories ending in the same hopeless tragedy/"martyrdom", neither one of them ever getting free? AUGH. It hurts a LOT. I would do a forbidden occult ritual to try to bring them back to their bodies too and I'm not in love with either one of them. There is a part of me that wants Dan to find relief with the Shadow as like, the protective and loving parent he's always craved even if it also comes with a side of despair and horror. Lol toxic nurture. I can't believe he fucked it and drew little doodles of them spooning and it haunted him his entire life and this is what I want but it is. The Shadow isn't good for him but can he at least find some peace as its blood sacrifice, maybe???? :(

I did think it was nice Trin clawed his way back, that was a nice twist imo, not something you get to see very often, his character archetype usually stays dead-dead so I felt very "Good for him!" as he smiled his creepy victorious smile. And I will always love and value Bancha the weed man and all he tried to do for those kids. Future Nai/Bancha or Trin/Bancha imho.

Which reminds me, I am now watching He's Coming To Me which is the polar opposite of Shadow in vibes. As sweet and adorable as Thun is I would very much like Nai to be the one to scrape Med off his unvisited tomb and take him home. Timeline-wise he could do that like the YEAR Med dies you know? Not all those decades of waiting. I think that would be very nice for both of them.