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thefudge · 4 years

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any trash songs that are dear to you, dr. fudge? especially that go well with trashy ships hehe

sorry for replying eons later

well, this question has the power to truly Expose™ me on the first day of Christmas, but… here goes nothing

i think ppl expect me to respond with something like “tear you apart” from she wants revenge, which is a great song! but i’m afraid i’m going to have to take you back to the ye olde days and show you what really embarrassing, early ‘00s trash sounded like.

first, a few concessions:

trash by suede and poison by alice cooper are 80s/90s classics of the “you’re bad for me but i can’t help it” dynamic. but they’re too classy for this list. there’s not gonna be any Divine on this list, no 80s late-disco jams, no “west end girls” by pet shop boys, no britney doing “toxic” or “momma i’m in love with a criminal”, no christina aguilera wrestling in the mud while singing about being “dirty”, no baz luhrmann-esque “lady marmalade”. that’s all great. it’s just not this list.

you also won’t find any my chemical romance, panic at the disco, evanescence, papa roach, marilyn manson etc. because they weren’t part of my trash experience. i mean they were there in the background, i was aware of them (and who hasn’t watched edits with “bring me to life”? don’t lie…)… and they’re kind of similar to what i have here, but they weren’t the trash i was particularly attuned to (plus, manson can choke).

some other exclusions: i remember the original p&p edits back in 2005 had all of these “cuz there’s you and me and all other people” songs that were really wonderful, cheesy, shippy songs. but that’s…not this list (although that would make a great list too! remind me to do that one too!)

i once got a message about how “mr. brightside” by the killers would make a great song for a bonkai edit, and…i like the killers just fine, and that’s a great song, but…no. this list ain’t that.

the trash here is not trash on purpose, it’s not tongue-in-cheek, it’s not a “steamy hot mess”, it’s just…really bad and angsty and earnest and totally committed to the “no one understands me (but you)” vibe that a lot of early ‘00s trash ships fostered.

okay…let’s…shame…me…:

1. cold by crossfade - back in the late ‘00s, you couldn’t find an anime AMV that didn’t have this song in the background, ESPECIALLY if your male character was a murderous, brooding (secretly soft) boi who disdained the female sex because “feelings are weakness” or something. it was baaaad, but it’s a nostalgic fave. the whole song is basically about how that arrogant, cold guy who’s shunned you and treated you badly was secretly into you all this time. yeaahhhh. (i remember this song was also popular with m/m ships because you had that classic dynamic where one of the guys was still in denial about his “gay” feelings. god i miss 2006.)

2. vermilion pt. 2 by slipknot - another 2005/2006 era song that capitalizes on the bad guy/good girl trope where she’s too “good” for the brooding antihero, but he can’t help but ruin her. or something. it’s soooo angsty. it has the great, eerie feeling of a doomed romance which was also definitely written by teenagers. i love it.

3. i hate everything about you by three days grace - obviously, you can’t leave out the big dick energy song.

4. anything by nine inch nails’ 2000-2010 period, but especially “fragile” and “we’re in this together now”, because they’re very much trashy power couple aesthetics, but also aaaaangsssst. “fragile” always cracks me up because it’s basically that one direction song about how the girl doesn’t know she’s beautiful, except it’s alternative rock and trent reznor is screaming about how he has to save this beautiful, pure soul from the corruption of the world. (for anyone expecting “closer”, that’s a great song…but i said real, embarrassing trash).

5. vampire heart by HIM - because OF COURSE. 2006 me was LIVING for Vampire Hunter D AMVs. that iconic line “love me like you love the sun” POETRY OKAY. another fave line has to be “you can’t escape the wrath of my heart”….like, whew, what a badass.

6. hate me by blue october - AAAANGST. aaaaaaaaaangst. maybe the apogee of late ‘00s cheesy alternative rock. but probably not. there’s always one that goes harder. this list, unfortunately, is 90% this genre because they really SLAPPED when you put them together with trashy ships okayyyyy there was an innocence and earnestness that the ‘post-9/11 iraq invasion’ atmosphere really captured.

7. let me go by 3 doors down - see, i was wrong, THIS is the apogee. “you love meeeee, but you don’t know who i aaaaaam” belts the lead singer of this oft-forgotten band aaaaand 15-year old me screamed yaaaaaaaaas

8. pieces by sum 41 - WRONG AGAIN. IT’S THIS ONE. the anime AMVs…my god….i can even tell you, beat by beat where the angsty edits happened depending on the breaks in the song.

9. sour girl by stone temple pilots - “bad” boy waxing about how he’s ruined a good girl? check. super Extra lyrics that go “what would you do? what would you do if i followed you?” check. sarah michelle gellar/buffy being a dark goth muse for the tormented bad boy? triple check!!

10. hold me, thrill me, kiss me, kill me by U2 - i meaaaaaaan. it’s in the title. 10-year old me WAS LIVING. this is THE batman song, and if there’s a god, it will be featured in the upcoming robert pattinson movie. ppl wanna say this song is more of the “trash on purpose” variety, but i don’t think so. i think joel schumacher plays this dead straight (and “batman forever”, while being one of the cheesiest movies ever made, takes itself extremely serious).

11. insatiable by darren hayes - finally breaking away from the alt rock scene a bit for this one. ppl who are now trying to make this song “respectable” and classify it as sweet 00s nostalgia are WRONG. everything about this song is convoluted and overly wrought and pitch perfect, even the fact that you would never believe that this waspy blond dude in the music video has anything to do with the actual song.

12. behind blue eyes by limp bizkit - don’t look at meeeee. this is basically a meme song. the band itself turned out to be dumpster fire and fred durst is…blehh. but this song stiiiiiill slaps, i have the courage to say it. the video definitely helps, i mean u got that trashy dynamic of prisoner/guardian @___@ and halle berry @___@. half-naked fred durst kinda ruins it, but it’s still got its charm.

13. i have to include some linkin’ park songs here at the end and i’m choosing the ones that were trashiest to me and that’s gotta be “one step closer” and “somewhere i belong” because they were always juxtaposed with villain/heroine ships in edits, and i remember fanfic authors would use them in songfics. “in the end” and “numb” are waaaayyy too classy.

additional “kinda too good for this list” rec: the entire Queen of the Damned soundtrack, but especially “slept so long”, “system” and “before i’m dead” and really ALL the songs.

this disaster list could definitely go on (i’m sure u guys can pitch in. and hey, i might be persuaded to do part 2) but imma stop here before i lose my last shred of credibility on this website lol. k byeeeeeee

#replies #trash #trash ethos #music #long ask #trash ships #my two cents

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myassbrokethefall · 5 years

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So I have a problem: I have wanted to watch GLOW for a while, but some of my colleagues though surely good people with good intentions, are also constantly on a war path with our project team and so they really intimidate/irritate me. They are also big GLOW fans. Now I have a bad association attached to it. Can you please try and sell it to me so I have another association?

Ha, I feel you on your dilemma, anon. I’ve definitely been put off of TV shows or other media because someone annoying liked it.

I don’t know that I would have watched GLOW except (a) I like Alison Brie and (b) there was such good word of mouth (fortunately for me, not by annoying people). I have NO interest in wrestling or really any sports. But I found it a DELIGHTFUL series for a few reasons:

1. The setting is basically an excuse to put a bunch of interesting women characters together and see how they can all interact! (It is similar, structurally, to early Orange Is the New Black, which makes sense since Jenji Kohan is or was involved.) They are all “misfits” of some kind, they don’t know how to wrestle (at first), and they are mostly rough around the edges but bond nonetheless.

2. I actually found myself interested in the wrestling!! These actors all worked super hard to get these wrestling moves down, I mean in the making of the show, and the characters ON the show do the same thing. (Wrestling is scripted and the “fighting” is fake but it still takes physical skill to do the moves.) The aspect of people all working really hard together to create something, even if it’s silly and cheesy, was something I really enjoyed, and I did find myself getting into the sports-movie vibe of it, wanting them to nail that move or whatever.

3. It’s a good mix of funny/flippant, and heartfelt. (To be honest it sometimes veers a little sitcom-y for my taste, but OITNB did too. A lot of one-liners. It’s a style.)

4. The characters are all ages, races, and sizes and they are all humans with flaws and problems and good points and bad points. Even the more cartoony-seeming ones (usually) are shaded in a bit over the course of the show. It is really a feast of Strong Female Characters, in the good sense.

5. I feel like it gets the 80s shit (costumes/sets/quality of video/music/sexism and racism see below/etc.) pretty damn accurate. That is really fun from a nostalgia point of view.

6. Alison Brie clearly has a ball doing an over-the-top Russian accent.

Some content warnings if you will:

1. It portrays a LOT of sexism and racism. Both in people’s general, everyday actions/attitudes, and specifically in the VERY stereotypical wrestling characters that the women are assigned. (Like an Indian-American character named Arthie is given the wrestling character Beirut the Mad Bomber. And Tammé, who is black, is given a character called Welfare Queen.) The women more or less go along with it all, because that’s just kind of how it is, and the show certainly doesn’t portray it as fine and dandy (it’s definitely made from a modern perspective, I would say), but at the same time you don’t get (probably anachronistic) cathartic scenes of people being called out and so on the way modern audiences (me included) might kind of crave. This over-the-top racist stuff happens and everyone is just like “what are you gonna do, the people love it!” Of course, the show is based on the actual GLOW series, and on the stereotypical characters that show had. And it takes place in the 80s and like...it’s true that this stuff was just all over the place then. As I said, I think it’s done with thought behind it and isn’t just like a situation of “it was medieval times! Whatever, everyone got raped all the time so we’re just being real, this is science, end of discussion” kind of a thing. But YMMV, and I mention it just to make you aware of that content.

2. There’s a plot that deals with abortion somewhere towards the end of S1, so if that’s not your bag just be aware that’s in there.

3. There is some really terrible rapping in it. (Also based in reality.) Plus a song about how kidnapping is bad that is a real earworm.

Overall, I think it is a great, fun, original (despite being based on a real thing), layered, entertaining as hell show about a bunch of pretty different women coming together to do something both awesome and stupid, and all the ups and downs they face along the way. I definitely recommend the heck out of it. I hope you watch and enjoy!!!

#glow #don't kidnap #kidnapping is wrong to doooo #Anonymous

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g0dblessthefandom · 6 years

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Brittana: Road to Wrestlemania

I actually like wrestling a lot, so this was a no-brainer. Truly and honestly I started writing this before I’d even heard of GLOW.

“And Phoenix coming down off that top rope right into the boot of The Gilded Bombshell, and she goes down hard.”

“Yep, Rachel, it seems like she caught a face full of Bombshell boot, and she was not happy about it.”

“And what’s this? Phoenix is trying again from the top rope. GB comes over to shake her off, but she’s too quick!”

“You snooze you lose, and Bombshell is on the receiving end of a patented Phoenix Burst. And the crowd is going nuts!”

“There’s the ref with the three count… One… Two… Thr- No! Bombshell has rolled out of the pin, and it looks like she’s back on her feet!”

“I have never in my life seen something as this!”

“In my 8 yrs of broadcasting for The World Women’s Wrestling Association, I mean, I’ve gotta agree with you there, Sam, this is a first! One of the most exciting matches I have seen in a long time.”

“And now, Bombshell is going into the ropes, heading for Phoenix, and they collide! Oh the carnage. Neither is moving! They’ve taken quite a blow there.”

“I could hear the connection from here. They came together like two tractor trailers. That was a fantastic crash!”

“The ref is making the count now. If they aren’t up in ten seconds, she’s going to call it as a Double TKO.”

“That’s right, and this will mark the first loss that the Flaming Phoenix has had in all her time wrestling for the Triple W A, and that’s saying something.”

“My god, they’re shaking themselves up! I can’t believe it! Both ladies are slowly climbing to their feet!”

“They are, and they’re on their knees. It’s slow going, and after that collision, I don’t blame them, but they’re both making their move now. I have a feeling, Sam, that whoever gets to their feet first will be the US Champion by the time this match is over.”

“And that’s the question, Rachel. Will it be the Flaming Phoenix, our reigning champion, and the longest serving US Champion in Triple W A history? Or will her rival, the newcomer Gilded Bombshell take the title?”

“Viewers who are catching this pay-per-view event might remember earlier this year when the Gilded Bombshell called out Phoenix and challenged her for the fight tonight.”

“That was something, I tell you. I was sitting right here beside the ring, and I almost couldn’t believe it.”

“I’m with you on that one, Sam, I was sure they were going to come to blows right there in the ring.”

“They’re both on their feet! I can’t believe it, but I would say they both rose at almost the exact same time!”

“And now they’re trading shots. Just one punch after another!”

“Honestly, I’m amazed that they’re able to take that after the previous 20 minutes of pure punishment.”

“Bombshell is making her move, bouncing off the rope to try and pull off the C-Note splash!”

“But Phoenix is waiting on her! She’s checked her with a boot in return for the one earlier! Bombshell is down!”

“This is unbelievable! Bombshell is out cold, but Phoenix is sealing the deal as we speak! Here comes the Rising Phoenix! The crowd is going nuts!”

“She’s nailed it! The Rising Phoenix! She did it!”

“And the ref is there! One… Two… Three…! She’s done it! The Flaming Phoenix has taken out Bombshell and secured herself as the US Champion!”

“It’s all over!”

“What the hell was that, Lopez?”

Santana looked up from where she sat in the crowded locker room, towel draped over her shoulders, and barely spared a glance at Sugar.

“What?”

Sugar took another step forward, getting close to Santana’s face. “I mean, you screwed up the spot! We’d worked it out in rehearsals. You didn’t do the Phoenix Burst in rehearsal. You could have taken my head off!”

Santana stood up, and returned the glare, stepping close into Sugar’s personal space. “Okay, so what about that stiff as I came off the rope, huh? That big boot to the face wasn’t in rehearsal. You could have knocked my teeth out!”

With Santana so close, Sugar seemed to lose her nerve, and took a step back. “Well, I dunno. I just thought it was a good idea.”

Santana took another step, closing the distance. “It doesn’t matter what you think is a good idea. What matters is what we practice. That’s the only thing that matters. You mess with the plan, you mess up. What don’t you get about that?”

Sugar took another step back, but her lip had already started to quiver, and everyone standing nearby could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.

“Well, the crowd wasn’t into it. I just thought…” She nearly whispered.

Santana took another step forward, challenging Sugar to finish her thought. “Just thought what?”

Sugar didn’t make an attempt to answer, but looked down at the floor, ashamed. Santana almost spoke up again, but a voice came from behind her.

“That’s enough, Santana, leave her alone.”

Mercedes gently put her hand on Santana’s shoulder, pulling her away from the frightened wrestler.

“Just relax, okay? It was a good clean fight, and nobody got hurt, that’s all that matters.”

Santana spun away from Mercedes hand, and stalked back over to her duffle bag. “No, it’s not okay. We have a rehearsal, we have rules, we know what’s going to happen, because it’s supposed to happen, exactly as we plan. Someone does what they’re not supposed to, and it all goes to shit. That’s how people get hurt. That’s how people get killed.”

Mercedes had no answer for that, and just shook her head. “She’s right though. The crowd was NOT feeling it. And this is the title match.”

“I don’t care if the crowd is feeling it or not-”

“Ladies! Ladies!” A booming voice interrupted. Shannon Beiste, the GM of the Women’s World Wrestling Alliance strode into the locker room, her arms wide.

“Great show tonight, great show! I loved it. Mercedes and Quinn, your tag team rivalry is heating up and I love it! But just great work from everybody.”

Quinn had joined Mercedes where she stood, and they began an elaborate high five.

“Great match to Santana and Sugar, that was epic! I loved every minute of it.” Shannon continued.

Santana didn’t look up from her bag, and Sugar was nowhere to be seen, but Shannon went on, regardless.

“It was just a great show. We don’t have the official numbers yet, but I’m sure they’re great. Anyway,” She walked over to Santana, and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. “I need to talk to my champion for just a second, Santana, come with me.”

Suddenly, it seemed like all the air had been wooshed out of the room. All eyes turn to Santana, who only grimaced slightly.

“Can this wait, Beiste? I wanted a nice, long soak after the match tonight.”

“The soak will be here when you get back. It won’t take but a minute.”

Santana threw the towel in her bag with a huff. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Shannon let Santana lead the way, and peppered her wrestlers with praise as she went out the door. Santana didn’t know what to think. Shannon was ebullient as usual, but Santana could feel the apprehension settling low in her stomach. She had always been the apple of Shannon’s eye. Her steady rise to the top of the WWWA was a testament to that. She tuned out Shannon’s chatter and focused on the photos on the walls. As they walked, the pictures told the story of the WWWA, starting with it’s humble beginnings in the 80’s, when Shannon and a few of her friends started wrestling at State Fairs and in high school gyms. They had faced a lot of doubts being an all female league, and more than once people had gotten the wrong idea about them. But she’d turned it into a multi million dollar business that ran on cable twice a week, and employed a stable of professionals; from the performers like Santana to accountants, producers and even writers. And Santana made no mistake. The WWWA was Shannon’s baby and she’d fight for it. Even if she had to fight those that she cared about.

As they approached the office door, she’d been in so many times before, they stopped, and Santana turned back quickly. Shannon looked at her thoughtfully, as if waiting for a response.

Santana shook herself. “Sorry, my head was in the clouds.”

Shannon only laughed. “That’s part of your problem, Santana. You’ve got no awareness. Look.”

She pointed to a picture hanging on the wall right outside her office door. “This, here, is Kat Sommers. She played face when I was on my turn as Big Bertha back in ‘87. She was a little slip of a thing, but we made it work, you know? She could work the mic like a champ, just like you.”

Santana only nodded, taking a quick glance at the photo.

“The point is-” Shannon paused as she pushed open the office door, and softly guided Santana inside, pointing to a chair as she closed the door behind her. “The point is that being a face is not just a matter of skill on the mic, or skill in the ring. The people have got to like you.”

This caught Santana’s attention and she looked up quickly. “What do you mean? The people like me. I’m the champion, what’s not to like?”

“Ah.” Shannon took a seat at the monster of a table she called a desk. “That’s where the awareness comes in, yeah? You tell me. What did you hear tonight during your fight?”

Santana was sure there was a trick in there somewhere, but she played along. She thought for a moment. “Cheers?”

Shannon turned, busying herself with something at her desk. “And that’s it?”

“Ok, a few boos, maybe. I dunno. I was kind of busy making sure that I didn’t get kicked in the face when Sugar went off script.”

“Yeah, Sugar was going off script, but do you know why?”

“Cause she’s an amateur? Cause she can’t pull off a spot without botching it?”

Shannon chuckled, and turned her attention to the large flat screen located off to the side of her desk. She pulled a remote out of a drawer, and turned it on, and Santana recognized herself. It was the fight that she’d had earlier. It was the fight that she’d just finished only an hour or so before.

Shannon hit play and the match started. It was just as grand and amazing as Santana remembered. She strutted out to the stage to her entrance music, looking as proud as she had every right to be. She noticed the fireworks that accompanied her as she made her way down the gangway. She felt a smile coming to her face as she watched; as she remembered how exciting it all was. The roar of the crowd echoed through her, making her bones shake. She was leading the charge. She would be their champion, and the would love her for it.

“I had Art and the folks in the tech department take out all the sound we were pumping into the ring, listen to this.”

Shannon pushed a button on the remote, and the cheers that had been echoing through the ampitheatre on a few moments before were reduced to a dull roar. They weren’t even a third as loud as they’d just been.

Santana frowned. “What did those nerds to to my applause?”

Shannon pressed pause as the camera focused in on Santana’s face. “This isn’t about the computer people, Santana. The crowd… Well, the crowd doesn’t love you like they used to. That’s why Sugar botched the spot.”

“You’re telling me Sugar botched because the audience wasn’t feeling it?” Santana balked.

“You tell me, Santana. And try to pay attention to the crowd this time, not your own mug, okay?”

Shannon picked up the remote again, and advanced quickly through the fight, stopping right before Sugar’s boot to her face. She pressed played, and Santana focused on the sounds from the crowd. As she and Sugar traded blows, the crowd became quiet, but once Sugar started getting the upper hand, they became more raucous, until the whole audience seemed to be in a frenzy. Then, suddenly, as soon as they started, the cheers died down again. Just in time for Santana to land her Phoenix Burst from the top rope.

Santana sat back heavily in her seat. She tried to focus on what she saw, but it hadn’t made sense. She’d done everything right. Every one of her moves have been carried out to perfection. She’d sold every one. There wasn’t a missed cue or a botched move in the bunch. And she was the champion! She’d clawed her way from the bottom, no matter what folks said about her parentage, about her family history. She had gotten this far because she was a good wrestler. She’d gotten this far because she was a solid wrestler. A professional.

“Shannon-”

“Look, Santana, it’s plain and simple. You’re good on the mic, in the ring you’re incredible to watch. We both know that. And you love it as much as you ever did. But you’re too mechanical. They think of you like a robot or something. They don’t like you.”

Santana’s mind moved at a mile a minute, and she stood up to quickly pace Shannon’s office. “Okay, okay, this is something we can deal with. I’ll do more promos. I’ll- I’ll go to more children’s hospitals and stuff. They seem to love that kind of crap, right? I’ll start incorporating more high spots into my routines. There’s the Phoenix Burst, I can add a Phoenix Rising, and maybe a Phoenix Splash! I can do it, I can get them on my side again.”

Santana was almost manic with energy, and Shannon stood, walking around her desk, and setting her hands on Santana’s shoulders.

“Look, calm down. Calm down, Lopez.”

“If they stop liking me, how am I going to keep working A-show? How am I going to stay champion?”

“Calm down, I said.” Shannon lead Santana over to a chair and sat her down. “I’m not worried about it, kid, I’ve got you covered.”

“How?” Santana asked suspiciously.

“Easy. We’re going to give you a turn.”

All of the color went out of Santana’s face until she went an ashy tan. “A turn?”

“Yep.” Shannon replied, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

“You mean, take me from face to heel? You mean, make me a bad guy?”

“Yeah, sure.” Shannon had already crossed back to her side of the desk, and reached into a box sitting on top, pulling out two cigars. “And I’ve got just the face for you. She’s new, but she’s fire, and you’re going to like her. And knowing you, and I do know you Santana, the fireworks are just going to explode between the two of you, trust me.”

Shannon cut both cigars, and handed one to Santana, not bothering to ask before she lit it, and her own. She took a few satisfied puffs off of the cigar, and leaned back in her chair.

“I figure, they don’t love you. Why not go all in? Let’s give them someone to really hate. And with your dad’s legacy and all, it’ll be really good. Quite the angle.”

“B-but-”

“No buts about it. Look, I know you want to keep working face, but I gotta be honest. It’s not working. And it’s either this, or bringing down to B-show, and I know you don’t want that. I’m sorry, Santana, but that’s the way it’s gotta be.”

Shannon took a few more puffs of her cigar, and nodded towards Santana.

“Now, go and enjoy that soak of yours and I’ll introduce you to the new girl later this week. Take a few days off, yeah? You’ve earned it.”

Santana could barely muster a nod before she stood, and staggered out of the office. She was like a zombie roaming the halls, and somehow finding her way back to the dressing room. It was pretty much empty, most of the ladies having already made their way back to the hotel that they were all staying at while they were performing. But as Santana rounded the corner, she saw Mercedes sitting on a bench.

Mercedes heard the noise of Santana’s approach, and stood up, eager to find out the news. “How’d it go? What did she say?”

Santana collapsed on the bench, burying her face in her hands. She mumbled something, but Mercedes couldn’t quite make it out.

“What is it, Santana? You’re scaring me.” She leaned close to Santana, trying to pick out a coherent phrase.

Santana finally sat up, and tried to keep her lip from quivering. “She wants to turn me. She wants me to turn heel.”

Mercedes frowned for a second, then stood back up to her full height, putting her hands on her hips. “Girl, is that all? Beiste makes me go heel twice a year, and then sometimes in Reno for good measure.”

She looked out into the middle distance. “I don’t think they’ll ever forgive me in Reno.”

“That’s not the point!” Santana interrupted. “I’ve always been a face. I started off as a face. I was in amatuer as a face! You don’t just make me the bad guy, out of the blue.”

“Well, it’s not really out of the blue, Santana. The crowd hasn’t really been feeling you lately.”

Santana was on her feet in a second, and glaring at Mercedes. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about this? It seems that everybody knows but me.”

“You’ve been hearing about it for the past couple of weeks. Since your, what, eighth title defense. You’ve been on their bad side. I figured you were just soldiering through.”

“Well, I wasn’t, and I didn’t, and I don’t.” Santana snapped, whipping her bag off of the bench, and onto her shoulder. “I’m a Lopez. My father was Javier Luis Gonzalez Lopez, and he was a fucking face. He was a hero. And I’ll be damned if I’ll sit here and let Shannon Beiste make me the villain on this show. I helped build this! My name is all over it. My face is everywhere. Every sick kid wants to see me at the hospital. All of the interviewers ask for my name. I am a hero!”

Mercedes watched Santana for a moment. Her face flush as she stood trying to catch her breath. She gave a small sad smile.

“You may be a hero, Santana, but you’re also an employee. If Shannon says you turn heel, you turn heel, and the show must go on.”

Santana could sleep. She’d been tossing and turning for the past three hours, and as the clocked inched towards daybreak, she finally stood up. She was dreading talking to Beiste tomorrow, she was dreading facing Mercedes after her little temper tantrum, and she was dreading facing a room full of girls who would probably know before the end of the day that she was going to be cannon fodder for some new wrestler. But that wasn’t what made her lose sleep. No, there was something she was dreading even more than all that.

A phone call.

Like clockwork almost every morning since she’d been doing the thing that she loved the most in the world Santana would get a phone call. It was at 10 o’clock AM on the dot, and as she talked, she could imagine him there. He was usually reading the paper, or looking out on his herb garden, sipping coffee stoically. He’d ask her about her match the night before, though they both knew he’s been watching. He’d make a satisfied grunt after every comment and offer a word or two of his own, and he was the one person on the planet that Santana didn’t want to disappoint.

Javier “Bird of Prey” Lopez had been wrestling for 30 years before injury forced him into retirement. And every day, from the moment he stepped into the ring until the moment he left it for the last time was spent as a hero; loved by the fans, feared by his enemies, and idolized by millions. Of course, Santana was his loudest champion, and ever since she was a little girl she remembered watching her father fight. He’d climb up on the top rope and jump off, soaring over the heads of his opponents in magnificent ways. Thinking back on it still gave her shivers.

This is a fun one that combines several of the things that I really like, so that’s cool. Choose this one if you’d like to visualize Santana going heel and putting Brittany in a headlock.

#brittana fanfiction 2018 #brittana #glee fanfiction #santana lopez #brittany s. pierce

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thehubby · 6 years

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The Giftening: Suggestions from The Hubby

Hey there! I’m shamelessly ripping off DocHolligay’s idea to use my Tumblr popularity to suggest some things for the Giftening, should you find yourself unable to choose from the multitude of options. Watch as I even steal her format and links! I hope that all twelve of you will consider! I have spent approximately 10% of the time that Doc has in considering this, but I do have rationales!

Animation: Voting here My Hero Academia: She and I are both big comic nerds, and I for one would be interested to see her take on this world’s “superhero” universe. It’s slightly more male-character driven than the norm for her wheelhouse, but I don’t think that should doom it.

JEM: We bought the DVD sets for this. Two different releases! It’s classic cheesy completely illogical 80s cartoon fun with music videos! And when the time comes and this rightfully wins, make sure you vote for “The Bands Break Up” as the episode.

X-Men Evolution: Speaking on a technical level, this is the best X-Men cartoon ever created. And with her profound love of the dynamics between Rogue, Mystique and Nightcrawler, you must make her cover “Impact”.

Live Action: Voting Here - I expect to be in the minority on my choices here. GLOW: This was an amazing show that carried a lot of the “spirit” of that old 80s wrestling we love and I want to see her gush over these female relationships and stuff.

Xena: Warrior Princess: I hold out tiny hope that somehow that marvel of television drama, “The Ides of March,” will make it in here. The episode that concludes the feud between Xena and Caesar, and Gabrielle being her Gabrielle-est.

Sapphire and Steel: Okay, so my reasoning here is really weak. I just want to see her watch this very old show that she watched as a child (and which freaked the crap out of her with faceless people in an episode) and see how it stands up today in adult Jet’s eyes.

Gaming: Voting here - As you might guess, I have strong feelings here. Rock Band: Playing Guitar Hero/Rock Band games is something we’ve loved doing since the first one came out... Has it really been 12 years? Geez. Anyway, we love this, and the ability for you, the crowd, to put us through the paces with songs of your choosing is amazing. Don’t pass up the opportunity to make us sing Under Pressure together or get our patented Bee Gees sound!

Alan Wake: Everyone likes watching Jet freak out on Outlast, right? Well, Alan Wake is a game she makes me play for her because it freaks her out so much. Something to keep in mind depending on how much torment you’re going for.

Jackbox Party Pack: We’ve only done this once so far, but it was hilarious fun, it has audience participation (in addition to the 8-10 people who can play each game), and we could probably find a way to record the thing.

Night in the Woods: If you’re looking for one of those socialogical “story” games for Jet to sink her teeth into, this is a good option.

Board Gaming with Hubby: What’s that? An excuse to play games with my wife? Why, I don’t mind if I do. Thankfully, we’ve come a long ways since the days of being nearly torn apart by Magic: The Gathering games.

Movies: Voting Here - This is my weakest area of recommendation. I don’t even know a lot of the movies on the full list. Superman (1978): I say this, for all its cheesiness, is the best Superman movie ever made. Jet despises it, and just the mention of that scene where he flies around the earth is enough for her to give me “that look”. Of course I want to see her cover it.

Pacific Rim and Jupiter Ascending: How deep can she go with the often-flimsy plot of Pacific Rim? How will she fare under the frankly bizarre (yet somehow compelling) Jupiter Ascending? I want to find out.

The Room and Twilight: Whoever suggested these is an awful person and I kind of love you. Two terrible movies, without even the benefit of a Rifftrax file? Brutal.

Other: Voting here - Scavenger Hunt: Doc was too humble to pimp for her own suggested add-on to this category, but I’m not letting it get away without being mentioned somewhere. Does this not sound like fun? I would be tagging along as a probable cameraman and offering the same brand of help and (Doc says no help allowed!) ridicule you can find in Yuri Hell’s Kitchen. What’s not to love?

Jet and Hubby go to a spa/bathhouse/whatsen?: This idea sounds intriguing. It would truly be a new experience for the two of us, which all of you would get to share in. Does it make for good tv, as they say? I don’t know, but we can find out together!

Try Not to Laugh Challenge: What sounds more fun than a scenario where the expected end result is uncontrolled laughter”?

#The Giftening 2017

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mrlnsfrt · 5 years

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Jesus. All.

When I preached this message I began with the video below.

When we realize Who Jesus is we won't be able to refrain ourselves from worshipping Him.

We can barely grasp Him as a man, we are even farther from comprehending Him as God.

Christmas season is here and people, at least here in the southern portion of the US, are thinking about the birth of Jesus. Okay, maybe not that many people are thinking about the birth of Jesus, but it is on people’s minds more than any other time of the year. People often picture Jesus either as a baby in the manger or crucified as an adult. Think of all the times you have seen a portrayal of Jesus and roughly estimate the percentage of times Jesus was portrayed either as a Baby in the manger or crucified.

We struggle to grasp Jesus’ existence on earth as one of us, trying to understand Jesus as God is even more challenging.

Worship

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people— saying with a loud voice, “Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.” - Revelation 14:6-7 NKJV (bold mine)

God is worshiped because He is the creator. If God was to be worshiped solely because of Jesus’ earthly ministry only human beings would worship God. But God is worshiped by all creatures, even angels, though Jesus did not die for them, but because God created them all.

Creator

Believing that God is our creator has all kinds of implications. Worship shapes our lives, who we worship shapes our destiny. At the heart of the 10 commandments we have a reminder of creation along with a call, an invitation, a command to keep the Sabbath holy because of what God did as our creator.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. - Exodus 20:8-11 NKJV (bold mine)

I would like to point out a fascinating detail, a link between Revelation 14:7 and Exodus 20:11. These two texts are the only two places in all of Scripture where the words “made,” “heaven,” “earth,” and “sea” are repeated in that same exact order. Many see this as evidence that John, as he wrote Revelation 14, was reminded of the Sabbath and the 4th commandment. Worship is a big deal, who we worship is crucial, and when we worship appears to be a pretty big deal.

Word

But this is a post about Jesus, how does Jesus play into all this talk of worship and creation?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend [or overcome] it. - John 1:1-5 NKJV (bold and brackets mine)

Jesus is God and creation did not take place without Him. You could say that everything in creation that is, is because of Jesus, and without Him nothing could ever be.

Paul puts it this way

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. - Colossians 1:16-17 NKJV (bold mine)

I imagine it as Jesus holding our reality together. I don’t know about you, but this kind of statement, these ideas, they just blow my mind. I need to take a step back and ponder the implications. Jesus is so much bigger than what we tend to think.

Speaking of sizes, consider the words of Psalm 19.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1 NKJV

The study of the heavens should help us better understand the glory and power of God, and how much bigger He is then what we tend to imagine.

I remember hearing, and probably reading as well, about the fights between science and the church during the medieval period. I heard how the church taught geocentrism (the idea that earth is the center of the universe), and how it fought against scientists who discovered that the earth in fact revolved around the sun.

“the Catholic Church considered Galileo's heliocentric theory to be heretical. It placed Copernicus's book on its Index of Restricted Books and tried Galileo before the Inquisition. Galileo was forced to recant the heliocentric theory and was placed under house arrest for the last eight years of his life.” (read more here or you could just google it for more sources on this topic)

Some say the Bible teaches this. I have yet to be convinced. The theory I find more plausible is that the geocentric theory came into the church through philosophy, not theology. Aristotle “proved” that God exists and unofficially became the standard for science until the Renaissance. Aristotle placed the Earth at the center of the universe, and the church never questioned it and embraced it. Some say it was Ptolemy who produced the authoritative text on astronomy and he used a geocentric model. Either way, this model is not tied to any specific Bible texts.

I believe that the church adopted the geocentric views because it made sense in light of their understanding that man was the pinnacle of God’s creation. After all, why else would God choose to be born as a human baby in terrible conditions and die for us if we were not the center of the universe? When you think about it that way, it kinda makes sense.

Jesus became one of us and died for us.

So, we must be very precious to God.

Therefore we must be all that God has.

Putting things into perspective

There is an interesting TEDx talk by Michelle Thaller about Dark Mater that really piqued my interest. She describes how a spiral galaxy, like our Milky Way, is made up of about 1/2 trillion stars, or 500 billion stars. Though the earth revolves around our sun, our sun revolves around the center of the milky way, and it takes 1/4 billion years for our sun to go around once. She also shares how end to end, our is galaxy is 100,000 light-years across.

Not only are we not the center of our solar system, but we are also infinitely small.

But wait, there’s more!

Hubble Ultra Deep Field

This view of nearly 10,000 galaxies is the deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. Called the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, this galaxy-studded view represents a "deep" core sample of the universe, cutting across billions of light-years.

The Ultra Deep Field observations, taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys, represent a narrow, deep view of the cosmos. Peering into the Ultra Deep Field is like looking through an eight-foot-long soda straw.

In ground-based photographs, the patch of sky in which the galaxies reside (just one-tenth the diameter of the full Moon) is largely empty. Located in the constellation Fornax, the region is so empty that only a handful of stars within the Milky Way galaxy can be seen in the image. - http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2004/07/image/a/ 3/19/14

So it turns out that the emptiest piece of the night sky is not so empty. This image required 800 exposures taken over the course of 400 Hubble orbits around Earth. The total amount of exposure time was 11.3 days, taken between Sept. 24, 2003, and Jan. 16, 2004. (Spacetelescope.org)

I guess we have established that we are not the center of the universe. In fact, the more science and technology advance the more evidence there is of the vastness of our universe, the smaller we become, the more amazing God’s grace to care so much about the tiny inhabitants of a speck of dust planet.

But that’s not all

"More is unknown than is known." -- NASA

Dark Energy

“It turns out that roughly 68% of the universe is dark energy. Dark matter makes up about 27%. The rest - everything on Earth, everything ever observed with all of our instruments, all normal matter - adds up to less than 5% of the universe. Come to think of it, maybe it shouldn't be called "normal" matter at all, since it is such a small fraction of the universe.” (NASA)

Many continue to wrestle with this mystery and there are many theories available, but none have managed to provide a satisfactory answer. One theory is the following:

The first property that Einstein discovered is that it is possible for more space to come into existence. Then one version of Einstein's gravity theory, the version that contains a cosmological constant, makes a second prediction: "empty space" can possess its own energy. Because this energy is a property of space itself, it would not be diluted as space expands. As more space comes into existence, more of this energy-of-space would appear. As a result, this form of energy would cause the universe to expand faster and faster. Unfortunately, no one understands why the cosmological constant should even be there, much less why it would have exactly the right value to cause the observed acceleration of the universe. - NASA (bold mine)

Ultimately, the consensus seems to be that the thing that is needed to decide between dark energy possibilities - a property of space, a new dynamic fluid, or a new theory of gravity - is more data, better data. (NASA)

Mystery

There is an article from Time Magazine that has this to say about Dark Matter

It’s a mystery that has haunted astronomers for nearly 80 years now: what is the mysterious dark matter that outweighs ordinary matter—all of the atoms that make up stars, galaxies and clouds in the cosmos—by a factor of four to one? We know with near-certainty that it’s out there because of its powerful gravity. Galaxies spin so fast that they’d fly apart without the massive cocoon of dark matter that surrounds them, pervades them and holds them together.

-Time

The most recent information I found on Dark Matter and Dark Energy came from Gizmodo

Five-sixths of the universe’s stuff seems to be missing, and we just can’t find it. It’s called “dark matter,” and scientists have gone looking for it with some of the world’s largest, most expensive experiments.

Time and time again, these experiments come up empty handed. Most recently, the scientists at the XENON1T experiment, a literal ton of super-sensitive liquid xenon, didn’t find the signal they were looking for after a nine-month search. Nor has the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland, managed to turn up anything. So, you might wonder, what are we looking for and why? And why are the world’s physicists so deeply divided about what “dark matter” could be?

[…]

But the most significant evidence for dark matter, as University of Chicago physicist Dan Hooper explained at a recent conference, comes from observations of the large-scale structure of the universe itself. It seems to be taking on some sort of gravitational structure for apparently no reason, so something—something thus far undetectable to us—has to be holding it all together. Calculations now imply that there’s around five times more of this dark stuff than regular matter. - Gizmodo (bold mine)

"“Dark matter is a placeholder for a thing we don’t understand yet.”" -- Erik Verlinde (theoretical physicist at the University of Amsterdam)

I recognize that I am not an expert in any branch of Physics, and I am not trying to discuss nuances of the research, I am here simply as someone who finds this fascinating. I am totally biased as I read all this because I am reading this as a Christian with a background in biblical theology. I will bring up one more theory and I’ll share my thoughts on what I take away from all this.

A theory of everything (ToE) or final theory, ultimate theory or master theory refers to the hypothetical presence of a single, all-encompassing, coherent theoretical framework of physics that fully explains and links together all physical aspects of the universe. (Wikipedia [I know Wikipedia is not a reliable primary source but I like the simple way it summarizes this.] for more information you can also check out Steven Weinberg. Dreams of a Final Theory: The Scientist's Search for the Ultimate Laws of Nature. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-78786-6.)

For the sake of brevity I will focus on String Theory, and to keep things simple I’ll share how NOVA puts it.

Far from being a collection of chaotic experimental facts, particle properties in string theory are the manifestation of one and the same physical feature: the resonant patterns of vibration—the music, so to speak—of fundamental loops of string. The same idea applies to the forces of nature as well. Force particles are also associated with particular patterns of string vibration and hence everything, all matter and all forces, is unified under the same rubric of microscopic string oscillations—the "notes" that strings can play.

[…]

The way a string-theory string vibrates may confer the properties of various fundamental particles, just as the way a violin's string vibrates confers the resonant frequencies we recognize as different musical notes. - Brian Greene ( NOVA)

As a pastor, what comes to mind when I read this is the creation account found in Genesis 1, where God speaks and creation takes place.

Think about it, God speaks = sound = vibration

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. - Genesis 1:1 NKJV

Also, since the creation account is found in the form of poetry, I like to imagine God singing as creation takes place.

The Bible tells us that God speaks and creation takes place (Genesis 1). The Bible also tells us that Jesus is the Word (John 1). Science tells us that something is holding all of reality together and we cannot detect what it is with our instruments.

I say there is room for God. I am not suggesting that we stop studying or searching, I just don’t see science as being opposed to God, I see strong possibilities for both to get along. I look at science and I see evidence of God.

Faith

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. - Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

It is fascinating that in any area of study, physics, math, biology, chemistry, there comes a point where things are taken by faith. We know enough and for the remainder we make an educated leap. We are unable to prove everything. I am comfortable with that. I just don’t appreciate it when people make it seem like faith exists solely in the realm of religion and spirituality. In religion, I believe we also ought to study and advance. However, inevitably our studies and research will only take us so far, then we take a leap, but it is not a leap in the dark, it is an educated leap, a leap into the light. I do not believe in, or preach a blind faith, but rather that we all believe things by faith.

The beautiful thing about faith is that it is available to everyone. A child can believe, and a Ph.D. can believe, it is available to both artists and engineers. Salvation is available to everyone because it is by grace through faith. You don’t need to answer every single question, just enough to make the leap. I believe there is plenty to support the Christian faith. We may not be able to explain everything in great detail, but then again, neither can science. There is a beauty to enjoying the journey that must be admired. The journey should continue, we should remain curious and with a teachable spirit, but until certain things can be proven, its okay to take them by faith.

I would like to close with Acts 4. I would highly recommend you read the entire chapter, but allow me to share with you a few verses below.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:8-12 NKJV (bold mine)

Ultimately we believe in Jesus by faith but it is not a blind faith. Jesus is our creator and our savior, science can’t find Him, but there is plenty of room for Him, and by the way, He is coming again.

Yes, I believe in these things.

I believe it is all about Jesus.

I believe we can sum it all up in

Jesus. All.

#Jesus #science #physics #space #stars #Colossians #faith #life #Bible

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aaronmaurer · 6 years

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TV I Liked in 2017

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

It’s been about ten years(!) since I last made TV picks, mostly because around that time my list ended up just being a repeating cycle of LOST, The Office and 30 Rock. But now that prestige TV has blown up with streaming services and providers have embraced the British model of shorter seasons, there’s a lot more quality and diversity out there. Since several conversations with friends this holiday season revolved around what shows they should be watching, I figured I’d throw TV back into the mix. I don’t have Hulu or Amazon Prime (and it’s frankly impossible to stay current with everything anyway), so this list is no definitive ranking of the best programming out there – just my favorites from the year.

10 (tie). Glow: Season 1 (Netflix), Big Little Lies (HBO)

These two very different female-led shows both tackle issues of empowerment and strength in a male-dominated world. Glow is a comedic look at the creation of a basic cable women’s wrestling league in the 80s, while Big Little Lies is a dramatic book adaptation about a group of mothers grappling with elementary school intrigue, which evolves into a timely exploration of domestic abuse. The performances are perfect all around and each series leads to a satisfying conclusion (although I do have to question the precociousness of the kids in Big Little Lies, which seems more like marketing than reality – there’s no way they’d have such idiosyncratically refined musical knowledge at that age, right?)

9. Crashing: Season 1 (HBO)

Pete Holmes’ autobiographical show about becoming a standup comedian after losing his marriage may be a somewhat familiar story at this point, but his guileless persona and goofy humor are a winning combination and reason to watch. As Pete discovers a new form of happiness in the midst of his greatest personal trauma, Crashing is a testament that hope is never truly lost.

8. Mindhunter: Season 1 (Netflix)

An adaptation of a nonfiction book detailing the early days of criminal profiling at the FBI, Mindhunter deals with the darkest aspects of human nature in its quest to understand serial killers. A stellar cast led by Jonathan Groff puts us at the forefront of a new science but not without showing the toll such work takes on the personal lives of those involved. David Fincher, one of my favorite directors, helms several episodes of this series, which echoes of one of his best films, Zodiac.

7. Fargo: Season 3 (FX)

While Season 2 remains the pinnacle of this anthology series inspired by the classic Coen Brothers film, Season 3 was another riveting ride of tension and payoff. Ewan McGregor plays twin brothers at odds with one another and, as always in this universe, a series of petty crimes ends up spiraling out of control until just desserts are served. David Thewlis oozes even more evil here than in Wonder Woman and both Carrie Coon (as the season’s moral center) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (as definitely not that) are tremendous as well.

6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Season 3 (Netflix)

At this point in its run, I think we’re all taking Kimmy Schmidt for granted; I’ve spoken to several people who either started Season 3 and never finished or didn’t even begin it. The show, however, remains one of the best comedies around, continuing the irreverence, wit and absurdity of 30 Rock and featuring a brilliant primary cast comprised of nary a single straight white man. (Females are strong as hell, dammit!) Among this year’s many highlights: Daveed Diggs as Kimmy’s college classmate Perry, Titus recording the horrible novelty song “Boobs In California” and Kimmy applying for her dream job as a Crossing Guard.

5. A Series of Unfortunate Events: Season 1 (Netflix)

Working with author Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler), director Barry Sonnenfeld does a phenomenal job building the unique world of the Baudelaire siblings. I have never read the source material for comparison, but the series’ decision to give each book two episodes to breathe allows everything – the acting, the production design, the dialogue – to really shine. It’s clear that this project is a labor of love for all involved, and I am eagerly awaiting the next set of episodes in March.

4. Stranger Things 2 (Netflix)

The second season of Stranger Things was even more impressive and enthralling than the first, primarily through the expansion of the show’s world with more locations. This allowed for interesting combinations of characters as they embarked on different quests and made everyone’s reunion at the season’s climax even more powerful. No series this year so deftly handled episode-ending cliffhangers (even if streaming meant you could just keep watching if you wanted).

3. Legion: Season 1 (FX)

While the superhero genre has long appealed to me, I am not really an X-Men person: I have an awareness of the roster and have seen most of the movies, but they’ve never been a draw. Thus, I had little interest in Legion, an FX series based on tertiary X-Men characters but separate from the films. I decided to give the premiere a try, based mainly on creator Noah Hawley’s track record with the TV adaptation of Fargo, and I was hooked. Legion really is unlike anything else on TV – boldly experimental and impressionistic. Visually, it’s art: an examination of the comic as pop object, using color, framing and design to build a world out-of-time yet recognizable. Storywise, it delves into superheroic tropes of identity & purpose and good vs evil, but refracts them through the lenses of psychology and psychosis. Plus, with a cast including Dan Stevens, Jemaine Clement and Aubrey Plaza, how could you go wrong?

2. Master Of None: Season 2 (Netflix)

I enjoyed the first season of Aziz Ansari’s examination of modern relationships, but Season 2 blows things wide open, redefining what a TV series can be. From a black & white premiere inspired by classic Italian cinema to the decades-spanning look at life for a queer woman of color that is “Thanksgiving” to “New York, I Love You,” a remarkable episode that pivots away from the central cast to focus on the lives of three members of the service industry, the season is bold, inclusive and affecting. It also still offers hilarious and perceptive observations on modern life, like the depressingly accurate online dating-centered “First Date.” Allora!

1. The Good Place: Seasons 1-2 (NBC)

Here’s the thing: when I first saw ads for NBC’s The Good Place, I wasn’t remotely interested. It was only the behind-the-scenes pedigree (creator Michael Schur was involved with the Office, Parks and Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine) that piqued my curiosity. Turns out, the show is both hilarious and brilliant. I’ve gained an appreciation for the comic genius of Ted Danson I never had before, and the rest of the cast is equally entertaining. 2017 contained the game-changing finale of Season 1 and the format-busting first half of Season 2, either of which would’ve have netted my number 1 slot but taken together left no contest. (Season 1 is streaming on Netflix and you can catch up with Season 2 On-Demand)

#TV #television

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