Joshua Rivera
@jmrivera.bsky.social
writer for hire. bylines at Vulture, Slate, The Ringer, and Vanity Fair. movies and tv and games and books and
Pinned
Joshua Rivera
@jmrivera.bsky.social
· Nov 25
Oh I never did an intro post. So:
I’m a writer interested in pop culture and how we make meaning from it. I was entertainment writer at polygon, and before that had stints at EW, GQ, and freelanced everywhere. Stories saved my life and I want to help people understand them, and each other, better.
I’m a writer interested in pop culture and how we make meaning from it. I was entertainment writer at polygon, and before that had stints at EW, GQ, and freelanced everywhere. Stories saved my life and I want to help people understand them, and each other, better.
Dude right??? that middle section just lets it rip
February 3, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Dude right??? that middle section just lets it rip
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
Dads love to make movies about the beautiful transcendence of parenthood. Moms prefer to tell the truth (it stinks)
February 3, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Dads love to make movies about the beautiful transcendence of parenthood. Moms prefer to tell the truth (it stinks)
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
furthermore, fuck Neil Gaiman
In Neil Gaiman’s “I did nothing wrong ever” statement he says there’s been no good journalism about him or his assaults. There has been, of course.
Thing is, he said the same thing in 2018 when @moryan.bsky.social reported on issues behind the scenes on American Gods www.moryan.com/a-burn-it-do...
Thing is, he said the same thing in 2018 when @moryan.bsky.social reported on issues behind the scenes on American Gods www.moryan.com/a-burn-it-do...
A Burn It Down video extravaganza, and thoughts on Neil Gaiman, creative gods, American Gods and rotten pedestals
Hello!
Chicago folks, on Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m., I’ll be in conversation with my friend Steve Darnall at The Book Cellar in Chicago. The occasion is the reissue of Uncle Sam, a brilliant graph...
www.moryan.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:24 AM
furthermore, fuck Neil Gaiman
Can’t get over how weaselly a look it is to just link to a random anon substack. It would’ve been better if he just posted his lousy denial screenshots and left it at that
February 3, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Can’t get over how weaselly a look it is to just link to a random anon substack. It would’ve been better if he just posted his lousy denial screenshots and left it at that
(This is only true of the original series, not the movie or The Return, which are doing something different)
February 2, 2026 at 9:51 PM
(This is only true of the original series, not the movie or The Return, which are doing something different)
What people forget about twin peaks in both praise and criticism of it is that the show is a night soap, and is arguably more interested in that part of its identity than the eerie mystery people hype it for. I think the soapy stuff has a lot to say, but it’s also where the troubling stuff lies
February 2, 2026 at 9:50 PM
What people forget about twin peaks in both praise and criticism of it is that the show is a night soap, and is arguably more interested in that part of its identity than the eerie mystery people hype it for. I think the soapy stuff has a lot to say, but it’s also where the troubling stuff lies
And you know, not because it sucks
February 2, 2026 at 9:45 PM
And you know, not because it sucks
It’s funny (in a dry ironic way) that they eventually pull away from this decision because of offscreen jealousy from another costar that mclachlan was dating (Lara Flynn Boyle, Donna)
February 2, 2026 at 9:44 PM
It’s funny (in a dry ironic way) that they eventually pull away from this decision because of offscreen jealousy from another costar that mclachlan was dating (Lara Flynn Boyle, Donna)
Nice little maneuver the poster makes when they equate the dodgy (everyone regarded it as such at the time! I was there) tortoise podcast with NY Mag’s careful and specific reporting
February 2, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Nice little maneuver the poster makes when they equate the dodgy (everyone regarded it as such at the time! I was there) tortoise podcast with NY Mag’s careful and specific reporting
the substacker claiming to vindicate Neil Gaiman begins their report with a long diatribe against social media invective which is traditionally how all good investigative reporting starts
February 2, 2026 at 9:13 PM
the substacker claiming to vindicate Neil Gaiman begins their report with a long diatribe against social media invective which is traditionally how all good investigative reporting starts
Iirc Sandifer mentions it here, but the shelved by genre podcast on Alan Moore’s swamp thing run does stop to note how much of Sandman is indebted to Swamp Thing in a way that Gaiman hasn’t necessarily dodged, but fans and critics have been happy to ignore over the years
February 2, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Iirc Sandifer mentions it here, but the shelved by genre podcast on Alan Moore’s swamp thing run does stop to note how much of Sandman is indebted to Swamp Thing in a way that Gaiman hasn’t necessarily dodged, but fans and critics have been happy to ignore over the years
a thing I appreciate about the piece is that it largely examines gaiman’s life and work separately and is careful about introducing inflection points in which they conceivably intersect. Sandifer is also frank about the things Gaiman does well, and the things he openly cribbed from others.
February 2, 2026 at 7:58 PM
a thing I appreciate about the piece is that it largely examines gaiman’s life and work separately and is careful about introducing inflection points in which they conceivably intersect. Sandifer is also frank about the things Gaiman does well, and the things he openly cribbed from others.
an incredibly thorough consideration of Gaiman and Sandman, well worth reading
Hugo eligibility post!
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
“The Cuddled Little Vice,” my book-length essay on the poison legacy of Sandman, is eligible for Best Related Work.
The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)
Previously in The Last War in Albion: Alan Moore wrote Watchmen, which, for complicated reasons involving William S. Burroughs and the weak nuclear force, ended the Cold War and replaced it with a mag...
www.eruditorumpress.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:56 PM
an incredibly thorough consideration of Gaiman and Sandman, well worth reading
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
Bruno Mars, my favorite of the Bruno Scouts
February 2, 2026 at 2:51 AM
Bruno Mars, my favorite of the Bruno Scouts
gonna bring back dabbing but only for sad stuff. 21 dab salute for funerals
February 2, 2026 at 6:31 PM
gonna bring back dabbing but only for sad stuff. 21 dab salute for funerals
Outstanding run, perfect choice to end on. Congratulations to you both!
February 2, 2026 at 6:22 PM
Outstanding run, perfect choice to end on. Congratulations to you both!
Remarkable work here
New Stop Caring article is live.
@aglhrm.bsky.social returns to the site, blessing us with an essay on Dragon Quest VII, gnosticism, and the secularization of game mechanics.
Really riveting read, was an absolute pleasure to read and edit.
@aglhrm.bsky.social returns to the site, blessing us with an essay on Dragon Quest VII, gnosticism, and the secularization of game mechanics.
Really riveting read, was an absolute pleasure to read and edit.
God Won't Forgive You For Following His Will
The secularization of Dragon Quest.
www.stopcar.ing
February 2, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Remarkable work here
I think it’s funny that we have hard data on how most people do not even get close to finishing games they start, even the relatively short ones. and yet we still fret about how long a game is, as if that has anything to do with it. I don’t think we play games to finish them, tbh
February 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
I think it’s funny that we have hard data on how most people do not even get close to finishing games they start, even the relatively short ones. and yet we still fret about how long a game is, as if that has anything to do with it. I don’t think we play games to finish them, tbh
Mostly if I was writing about this my take would be something like “do not be afraid of the long video game”
February 2, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Mostly if I was writing about this my take would be something like “do not be afraid of the long video game”
This is measured and thoughtful and kind of articulates my concerns with this
While Dragon Quest VII Reimagined still encapsulates much of what makes Dragon Quest VII resonant, efforts to streamline the adventure succeed at the expense of player discovery. Our review: https://www.rpgsite.net/review/19437-dragon-quest-vii-reimagined-review
February 2, 2026 at 4:35 PM
This is measured and thoughtful and kind of articulates my concerns with this
Lmaooo man what loser behavior
February 2, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Lmaooo man what loser behavior
was doing research for a project on the right-wing/manosphere overlap and I learned that there are guys who advocate for wearing a Rolex as a tactical bargaining chip in case they get mugged.
like they are literally doing the John Mulaney street smarts moneyclip thing
like they are literally doing the John Mulaney street smarts moneyclip thing
February 2, 2026 at 3:52 PM
was doing research for a project on the right-wing/manosphere overlap and I learned that there are guys who advocate for wearing a Rolex as a tactical bargaining chip in case they get mugged.
like they are literally doing the John Mulaney street smarts moneyclip thing
like they are literally doing the John Mulaney street smarts moneyclip thing
calling for a moratorium on “sickos”, true deviants would show more delight in describing their perversion
February 2, 2026 at 3:35 PM
calling for a moratorium on “sickos”, true deviants would show more delight in describing their perversion