We’re sad to be here, but today is the finale of season three! Aled Thomas and Vivian Asimos respond to your thoughts and comments on the subjects we’ve covered this season. We chat about social blinders, the Flobots, and how wonderful boardgames are.

Still got some thoughts? Email us [email protected], or tweet us @RPC_Pod

Follow Vivian on Twitter, Instagram and Hive @vivianasimos

Follow Aled on Twitter @aledjllthomas

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Just Vivian this week, dropping in to just do a quick thank you for listening and contributing and talking, and to encourage you to take breaks during this period, whether your celebrating Christmas or not! Aled unfortunately has Covid, and is quite ill. If you could send him your get well soon wishes, I’m sure he’d appreciate it! But obviously, his health comes before the pod, but we should be back in two weeks or more with a finale episode!

Send us your questions, comments, concerns and thoughts to [email protected], or tweet us @RPC_Pod

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas

Follow Vivian on twitter, instagram or Hive: @vivianasimos on all

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This week, Vivian Asimos and Aled Thomas talk about the slow downfall of twitter as it happens before our very eyes. We chat about what it means to have freedom of speech, the reality of echo chambers, and how the movement of people online mimics the movement of people in religion.

Got any questions, comments, or concerns? Message us at [email protected] or tweet us @RPC_Pod

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas

Follow Vivian on twitter, instagram and Hive: @vivianasimos and check out her blog IncidentalMythology.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Aled Thomas and Vivian Asimos battle through plumber interruptions to talk about the role of Homelander in Amazon’s The Boys. We talk about the origins of the term ‘cliffhanger ending’, Christian nationalism in the United States, and why Vivian hates long television shows. Apologies for any oddities in this recording… it was a day!

Got any thoughts or comments? Tweet at us @RPC_Pod or email [email protected]

Follow Vivian on Twitter and Instagram @vivianasimos and check out her website IncidentalMythology.com

Follow Aled on Twitter @aledjllthomas

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Vivian Asimos and Aled Thomas talk about Klaus’s cult in season two of the Umbrella Academy on Netflix. We use it as a fun basis to then jump around sociological analyses of new religious movements, including Max Weber’s typology of charisma. We talk about the charisma of political leaders and religious leaders, how charisma changes, and what may have altered in the world between Max Weber’s ideas and our podcast. We also talk about nineties lyrics and the differences - or lack thereof - between structural anthropology and post-structural anthropology.

Give us your thoughts! Tweet us @RPC_Pod or send us an email [email protected]

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas

Follow Vivian on twitter or instagram @vivianasimos or check out her website incidentalmythology.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Aled Thomas and Vivian Asimos round out Spooky Season with Vivian’s favourite autumnal movie/show: Over the Garden Wall. There are spoilers, so if you want to watch it fresh, please do! In this episode, we talk about the nature of purgatory, the aesthetics of nostalgia, and the role of a psychopomp.

At the end of this season, Aled and Vivian will read your thoughts and questions on the last episode of the pod, so get your thoughts to us on twitter @RPC_Pod, or send them over to our email [email protected]

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas

Follow Vivian on twitter and instagram: @vivianasimos

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Aled Thomas and Vivian Asimos chat about the famous musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Once More With Feeling”. We chat about the Christian influence on the ideas of Heaven and Hell in the Buffy verse, and how Spike is one of the best vampires. We also chat about the overall themes of communication, of speaking one’s heart, and it’s impact on the formation and relationship of society and culture, and the ever-present argument between free will and determinism in all of Buffy’s episodes - but most notably in the musical episode. Hopefully you’ll say you’re happy with this episode, once more with feeling.

Check out Vivian’s video essay on Buffy’s episode “Hush” here

Follow Aled on twitter

Follow Vivian on Twitter or Instagram, or her blog Incidental Mythology.

Follow the pod on twitter, or shoot us an email at: [email protected]

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This week, Vivian Asimos and Aled Thomas are joined by pop culture writer and cosplay expert Holly Swinyard. We chat about all things interesting about cosplay, including aspects of costuming vs buying, the connection between fiction and cosplayer identity, and the transformative nature of cosplay.

Follow Holly on instagram: @lilistprince
Check out Holly’s Cosplay books: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/A-Guide-to-Film-and-TV-Cosplay-Hardback/p/19103
Check out the Cosplay Journal: https://thecosplayjournal.com

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas
Follow Vivian on twitter and instagram: @vivianasimos

Questions, comments, critiques? Send ‘em to [email protected] or follow the pod on twitter: @RPC_Pod

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This week, in an episode recorded live from the British Association for the Study of Religion Conference, Vivian Asimos and Aled Thomas are joined by Paul-Francois Tremlett who has a passion for board games. We chat about board game nostalgia, the collective fervour of playing games, and how to teach religion through the power of play.

Check out Paul’s stuff over at his Open University page: https://www.open.ac.uk/people/pt3595
You can also follow Paul on twitter: @paulftremlett

Follow Aled on Twitter: @aledjllthomas
Follow Vivian on twitter and instagram: @vivianasimos

Got questions or comments or critiques? Send ‘em over to [email protected], or follow the pod on twitter @RPC_Pod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Netflix’s new show How to Build a Sex Room attempts to de-stigmatise sex in United States culture through the interior design services being offered to a sex room. In this episode, Vivian Asimos and Aled Thomas talk about How to Build a Sex Room, and it’s Durkheimian use of language of sex as something set aside and special. We talk about religion as sacred vs profane, and where sex fits into this dichotomy. We talk about how United States and United Kingdom culture privatises sex while also, paradigmatically, making sex so inherently part of every part of our everyday experience.

Check out Alison Robertson’s book Play, Pain and Religion here.

Send us an email at [email protected]

Follow Aled on twitter: @aledjllthomas

Follow Vivian on twitter: @vivianasimos

Follow the pod on twitter: @RPC_Pod

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.