It’s the end of another year, and it’s also the end of some pretty big pop culture phenomenons. We here at the Collective have rounded up a few of our favorite things from 2019, just because we’re a little nostalgic and maybe not quite ready to move into 2020.

This morning, it was released that internet sensation Grumpy Cat (whose real name was Tardar Sauce) passed away yesterday from complications of a urinary tract infection.

This cat has made us laugh many, many times over the past seven years, and in honor of her memory, I thought I would share a few of our favorite memes from her time as a meme celebrity.

There are several reasons that I blog anonymously. I like the freedom, I like knowing that the Diva and I built our readership without relying on the “click-throughs” of FB friends, but the biggest reason is one I haven’t written about on here. I come from a conservative Christian culture, and it’s the kind of conservative culture which would sooner judge me for my interests in popular culture than make an attempt to understand the importance of why I write what I write, or even why fandom itself is a significant part of our society and history.

Before I continue, it’s necessary for me to say that, while I no longer actively participate in organized religion, I have faith, I have beliefs, and I judge no one for theirs. This blog post is merely the venting of the frustration I feel when I try to build a bridge between my conservative past and my pop culture savvy present.

Via reactiongifs

This past weekend, I overheard a conversation between two family members that unnerved me. Out of respect to my family, I shall not repeat verbatim what was said, but the gist of it was that these two persons were of the opinion that the writers of Hollywood could not possibly be good religious people, because they have made a living from writing.