#'people made this for themselves not for a viewership that may or may not like it' way

[sege-h]

Alright I've not stopped thinking about this all day because I'm peeved and I guess I have things to say as someone that has been here long enough that they watched the internet go 'OCs are annoying and cringe' for a few years, enough that it scared a bunch of young artists away from ever making OCs without the fear of looking """cringe"""

If you're not someone's friend/it's not an inside joke it's never okay to go 'Kill that [OC]' especially not when you go '[not joking]' at the end of it

That's someone's little guy (gender neutral) that they've made. Something creative they've shared with the world.

Yes you're allowed to find something annoying but like. When you very publicly go 'I think this is annoying' you're telling the someone that made it 'you and this thing that brings you joy are annoying'

You are not critiquing anything by doing this- No one asked you to, and Sonic OCs aren't like a show or a comic anyone can watch and give their negative thoughts on. You're just being a jerk. OCs can be so personal and you never know whose day you might be ruining by basically going 'I hate that you're having fun, I find it and your OC annoying'

Maybe it's a budding artist

Maybe it's someone whose day was already bad

Maybe it's someone whos dealing with insecurity in their work and your words will be the breaking point that makes them quit or makes them too anxious to keep doing something for years to come

Can you tell that last one happened to me once? Lmao

The Sonic OC Tournament was so civil and that's because everyone in that tournament understands what it's like to make an OC and share it with the world. Nobody wants to go 'youre annoying, your OC should get killed in this poll' to someone else, because they understand how rude that is

People are campaigning for that OC to win a general Sonic tournament? GOOD. They're having fun! What do you expect them to do? Go 'hey everyone vote for literally anyone else but my OC, i hate them'????

When you have negative thoughts on someone having fun without hurting anyone, keep them to yourself. Or hell, maybe you have a friend that's also negative, feel free to DM each other over it instead of saying it where the artists can see. Again, the artists of a personal OC, not some piece of media that's free to critique.

I've been in this fandom for a long time. And trust me, if this is you, if you find yourself acting like this. Work on it. Grow into someone better. Because you don't wanna be the person whose impact on someone's time in fandom was 'that one jerk weirdo'

Me and the friends I've grown up along with in this fandom remember all the good times- the time someone did fanart of our OCs unprompted, the times people were nice to us, the times anyones commented so much as a 'hey! I like your fanfic/OCs!' and even though it's been years, we remember the names of the people that made fandom good for us!

But we also remember the jerks. But not their names. They're just a 'hey remember that one time this weirdo said my OC sucks?' or 'hey remember that jerk that kept insisting to critique my art even though no one asked?'

They're nameless, tiny black smudges on our experiences in fandom, people we decided to stay away from going forward. And you don't wanna be that.

I guess all I'm saying is, please learn how to act around people online. We're here to have fun, not put on a show for someone else. We're people, not content machines for you to either show amusement or disdain towards. Someone/something someone made as a fan annoys you? Stay away from it then, and don't kick someone for having fun with the characters they made

[zukosdualdao]

despite my lack of enjoyment for most of the atla post-series comics themselves, i'm very fascinated by the discussions around them because, as with many post-series comics, two of the biggest questions are: are these canon? and does that matter?

it's interesting, too, because i have never seen a single post-series comics continuation that was widely well-received. which is not to say that no one enjoys them - you can find avid supports and avid detractors for just about any property and any storytelling medium you can think of - but that the contention around them is not contained just to atla. (the buffy post-series continuation comics, for example, are pretty controversial as well.)

i think part of it comes down to fan resentment, because as much people say they want more of a certain thing, it's actually often better, at least i think, for a creative project to be self-contained and not try to keep milking the cash cow. and when creators are doing that and not delivering a story fans are happy with, it shows.

but then that also leads to this question, right, of are these post-series comics canon? i think the answer is genuinely more nuanced than some have given thought to. bryke would say yes, as they are the official creators and have been heavily involved in the production of the comics. and anyone who subscribes to the idea that the original creators of a thing hold the final word on the idea of what's canon and what's not would therefore agree also.

but if someone was more inclined to think that once a creator puts their work out into the world, they're sort of giving up the the idea that they have total control as to how people interpret the thing they've created... then it's a lot murkier.

i guess, to be clear, i do not, strictly speaking, see the atla comics as canon. i'm not the type (at least these days, there's a lot of past fandom follow-the-leader-ing i was doing that i now cringe back at, i was sixteen, it's fine) to declare something as 'not canon' if i simply don't like it. i think that's important to acknowledge because sometimes canon is worth criticizing. this is, incidentally, where i (again, these days) find myself uninterested, by and large, in deriding a character for behaving 'ooc', and instead far more interested in contextualizing and analyzing their behavior. after all, if it's in the thing, it’s in the thing.

... except the comics aren't the original thing. they are influenced and backed by the original creators and presumably a lot of people on the original team, but they're an entirely different medium, and presumably not entirely the same team, and they may well have had a very different artistic mission statement or way of brainstorming ideas, etc, etc. (also, to anyone who says the medium does not matter, i implore you to think about how different the show would be with a different musical score! for an instance. and then think about the fact for as big an influence as the music had on the series, the comics inherently cannot translate that.)

which leads me to a rabbit-hole train of thought question there is, i think, no clear answer to, but i will pose it regardless: can something made (at least in part) by the original creators be a 'transformative work'? if you're defining 'transformative' as: "adds "new expression, meaning, or message" to the original work", then i think you could easily argue that the new medium, if nothing else, constitutes a 'new expression.' but then you could also argue that the whole point of the term is to protect creators of transformative works from copyright claims made by the original creators, arguably making that irrelevant.

anyway! even more than the nebulous nature of what a post-canon comic even is, i find fan engagement - or lack thereof - pretty important to the conversation, too. because i think those of us deeply entrenched in fandom spaces tend to forget that casual viewership probably takes up a much larger percentage of most audiences than those in fandom, and that's probably true even years after a show has ended. that being the case, a lot of the audience has probably never even heard of the comics, let alone read them.

there are, naturally, nuances and variables to this, such as the idea that someone who goes back and watches a show from twenty years ago might be more likely to engage in fandom, and the way that 'fandom' has a concept has evolved (as i do think what i'd term 'casual fandom', eg. tweeting about bridgerton but not necessarily consuming or creating fan content is a lot more common now than it was twenty years ago due to social media), as well as the fact that you don't have to be involved in fandom to say, receive the comics as a gift from an uncle who knows you like the franchise.

but all of this can be true and it can also still be true that a pretty big percentage of people who have watched and even love atla haven't read the comics/have no knowledge or interest in them. and so that gets to the issue of does it matter whether they're canon or not? i've seen some KA shippers, for instance, argue that the comics 'fixed' the issue of aang kissing katara without her consent in teip because there's a comic (iirc) where he asks if he can kiss her, she says not right now, he listens, the end. and to be clear, i'm not trying to demean the creators for including that scene, as i think it's important to model healthy examples of consent for kids. but i also really empathize with the idea that it's sort of too-little-too-late because the original issue was never addressed in-show and, again! many people who did watch the show have never and will never read that comic.

so when i hear the debates back-and-forth of whether they count as canon or not, my head hurts, and i just can't find it in myself to care. who knows, right? maybe the real canon is the friends we made along the way. etc.

what it boils down to for me is this: generally speaking, i don't enjoy the comics and have no need or desire to incorporate them into my understanding of atla's series narrative. there are elements that i can appreciate, and they are largely zuko and the fn royal family backstory details, because, unlike the additive adventure narratives, it primarily serves to deepen and contextualize things we already saw in the show. i know some people see this 'i take what i like and dump out the rest' philosophy as, idk, a cheap cop-out or something. maybe they're right! i just can't find it in myself to care. at the end of the day, i think the big important thing for me is that i am able to define and decide on these things for myself. i think we should get more comfortable doing that in fandom in general, tbh.

[3rddimension]

Answering the other anon’s question about Saige and Damien with what I’ve gathered from the internet…heads up, this is long! Sorry in advance!

First, I need to preface this by saying, this information is provided to satisfy curiosity only. This new community being cultivated seems to keep discussions to themselves and leave the Smosh cast alone, which is awesome. When this stuff first happened, Saige stans and Damien stans took sides and started being toxic and spreading rumors and misinformation. Really don’t want that to happen here. Warning done? Cool!

Saige started working at Smosh at the beginning of 2021. Damien stated in a stream that he quickly developed a crush on her. It’s not clear when they first started dating but by November 2021, they had moved in together and confirmed their relationship. They made regular appearances on each other’s streams (clearly in different rooms of the same residence). They did couple’s costumes in Halloween and in his end of the year post for 2021, Damien called Saige the “love of his life”.

Damien bought Saige concert tickets to a show she wanted to see, they would show snippets of their outings (a picnic, the Ren faire), and they travelled to Italy together.

Professionally, SmoshGames partnered with Twitch in the fall of 2020. Saige had started PixelCircus at the same time but it was just beginning so I think she agreed to be hired by Smosh to help with their Twitch content. I think the streams did modestly. There was some drama about how it was clear SmoshGames was just in it for the money versus “normal” streamers being in it for the community. (I think at the end of the day, any monetized channel is in it for the money but that’s another story.) Speculation also arose around doing things live on Twitch causing issues for the cast and scheduling. Regardless, what happened was SmoshGames ended their Twitch streaming in March 2022. Saige started appearing in less content although she still went with Smosh to Vidcon 2022. I don’t think she was as visible as everyone else though. Matt Raub left Smosh in July 2022. This is speculation but I assume he had something to do with hiring Saige so with him gone and the Twitch gone, I think Smosh decided not to continue with Saige. They also hired Angela, Chanse and Arasha at this time.

Saige didn’t get an official departure notice, but people started to notice she wasn’t in Smosh content. She confirmed only in October 2022 that she no longer worked for Smosh. In the meantime, I think her content creation and viewership with PixelCircus picked up. She was going to more tabletop conventions and whatnot. At one point, she had to quarantine from Damien because she caught something at one of them.

Their exact breakup date is not public. Presuming that Damien is a supportive partner, it’s telling that he liked all her IG posts before September 12, 2022 and nothing after. Again, it’s not confirmation of anything but it’s likely they broke up some time after that. Saige also mentioned in her fall 2022 streams that she was moving. (This is much later but they completely unfollowed each other on social media by May 2023.)

When Saige confirmed to her fans that she left Smosh in October 2022, I assume some of her fans thought something was wrong with Smosh. Saige fed the flames by stating in her discord that while she didn’t say anything that “isn’t lawyer approved”, “everything else is a guess or logical conclusion of an intelligent community”. This wasn’t great but what really stirred things in up was a fan making accusations about Smosh being toxic except for Damien in November of 2022 and Saige LIKING that tweet. At this point, I think the bridges were burned and connections severed.

You can leave a company but you probably shouldn’t support someone calling your ex, your former workplace and his coworkers/friends toxic if you want to maintain any sort of relationship. From that point on, I think they just don’t acknowledge each other. Damien and Saige were both at GenCon this year even and promoted completely separate events.

So, that’s what I know. Mostly pulled from Twitter, some Tumblr and IG sleuthing. Saige and Damien did seem happy so I’m sad they didn’t work it out and this is how the relationships, both personal and professional, ended.

It’s not really clear why Damien and Saige’s personal relationship ended. It might seem like it was because she stopped working at Smosh but we’ll never really know. In my personal judgement, from afar and definitely with incomplete information, it does seem like Saige is a bit immature. Maybe a bit of a narcissist. Around this time too, Damien started to experience some breakthroughs and epiphanies about his neurology and mental health, so that may have helped him realize if he was in any unhealthy situations. (Since he’s neurospicy, kind and socially awkward, I think he was probably easy to take advantage of.)

Anyway, hope this answers the previous anon’s question. At the end of the day, I hope both of them continue to improve their mental health and find happiness. It just won’t be with each other.

Dang. That's a long one! Thanks for all the info anon. Also don't forget that this already happened for quite awhile now and all of them already moved on. I can see both of them already happy with the way their chose and i'm happy for them.

[lover-of-mine]

https://www.tumblr.com/lover-of-mine/757482717284810752/httpswwwtumblrcomlover-of-mine75748057662323

There’s also the Rookie! The show runner did NOT want Chenford to happen, but there was so much fan support for it that he folded. That may have very well been a network decision because of the rating numbers and viewership data.

Plus, while Tim can be petty he also does like Buddie. That was evident in that DM earlier this year and in his interviews. And they tried to purposefully tone Buddie down in the writing and it didn’t work! So I’m not saying Buddie is for sure happening, but….

That's right, I forgot about chenford. But to be fair I only started watching the show after they went canon because I was following them on Tumblr for years but was always like "I don't have it in me to get attached to another ship that's not gonna go canon" because I found them after the Bellarke disaster and had trust issues. And now that I'm thinking about it, the 100 is an example of a showrunner shooting themselves in the foot and ruining their own story. My personal feelings about bellarke and the way Bob and Elisa had said since the show ended that they were told their characters would end up together like in the books aside, the bellarke disaster and the general way they treated the characters in season 7 made a spinoff that was already greenlit be cancelled. They destroyed their own show being petty (to put it in mild terms, there's a lot of horror stories behind the scenes involving poor treatment of the actors that even include having an actress who had just had miscarriage play a scene where her child dies, along with general bigoted behavior), I know I'm an extreme example, but if you asked me in 2019, I would tell you my favorite show was the 100, I did not finish it and I constantly tell people is not worth watching because it loses itself on its own madness. No one wants to be that guy and abc invested a lot on 911 to let something as dumb as a ship war get in the way of getting the most out of it. And they know enough to know that pulling back on the buddie of it all hurts their numbers. Is that proof it's gonna happen? No, but it is a strong argument as to why it might.

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

What's your opinion on parasocial relationships

From: "I don't think we should be able to see fictional characters have sex because they haven't consented"

To: "Blatantly and overtly objectifies -insert celebrity here-"

There seems to be wild swinging from one end to the other 🤔🤔🤔

okay so this is uuuh a Large question and I need to start by saying flat out that "parasocial relationship" is a pretty value neutral term that's only very recently taken on a distinctly negative connotation. the term was invented in the 1950s in response to increasing television viewership in America, to describe the one-sided attachments that viewers formed with fictional characters and media personalities. while Horton and Wolh, who coined the term, did express concerns that some people might be prone to substituting parasocial relationships for real, reciprocal human connections, it wasn't intended to be a condemnation of the practice. parasociality in small amounts is essentially necessary to have any sort of stake in fictional characters or celebrities who can't love us back, and its worth noting that parasocial relationships significantly predate the terminology - humans have felt strongly about rulers who don't know them and characters from myths and stories for centuries. this sort of connection-making is fueled by the same extremely social nature that let us bond with dogs and other domesticated animals.

so the tl;dr there is that my feeling on parasocial relationships is that it largely depends on whether we're talking about, like, people having harmless crushes on attractive and charismatic actors or, like, twitter stans sending each other death threats over musicians who don't know they exist. like most things, it's harmless in moderations and is mostly down to individuals to use their grown-up brains to not make it weird and harmful.

now, onto the example you gave of people objecting to depictions of fictional characters having sex because they can't consent. I don't know that parasociality is the main issue at play here, although as we've noted a degree of it is certainly necessary to care that much about a fictional character in the first place. that particular ideological clusterfuck is a result of several things colliding, I think namely:

a.) an increasingly prevalent and normalized streak of extreme sexual conservatism amongst people who broadly consider themselves progressive. if you've spent much of the last decade online and especially in fandom spaces, you've probably seen this mindset becoming more and more pronounced via a bunch of horse-assed debates about the morality of depicting #problematic things in fiction and fanworks. sincere arguments that sex scenes are bad because made up people who don't exist can't consent to being featured in them is pretty much always where that particular line of thinking was heading.

b.) an absolutely tragic conflation of media consumption with activism and political beliefs. this overlaps heavily with point a (with a lot of assumption that if you're a Good person you must take great pains not only to not consume Bad fiction but also to call it out at every opportunity for being Bad, lest you be accused of having Wrong opinions) and also generates a lot of very stupid takes like treating Captain Marvel as a #girlboss #feminism movie despite being sponsored by the US Air Force and holding creators from historically oppressed identities to impossibly high standards of Good Representation, a thing that doesn't exist and no one agrees on. (read Elaine Castillo's excellent essay collection How to Read Now for way more eloquent thoughts on that.) the point being that people's so-called hot takes about popular media are almost conflated with their politics, whichever way they may lean. this also related to point c, which is"

c.) the internet and its many insufferable algorithms encourage outrage and conflict at every opportunity, so nobody can just say some normal shit like "I don't like seeing sex scenes on tv, it feels uncomfortable :/," because people will start crawling down their throat screaming about how it's actually very sex negative and queerphobic and problematic to dislike watching sex scenes and that the person who posted that is somehow personally oppressing people with sexual trauma who are reclaiming their relationship with their sexuality and were greatly helped by [insert sex scene here]. so you have to pre-empt those replies by acting like you're teeing up a fucking tedtalk and also are ready to throw down in defense of your lukewarm opinion, and that's a lot easier to do if you've figured out how to use language affiliated with social justice to bolster your point.

anyway. that's my opinion on that.

[funishment-time]

If I could rewrite the v3 ending I would scrap the whole "danganronpa is a real game in this universe" thing and instead it would be like: the characters were a bunch of talentless people who worshipped junko, and they implanted false memories and personalities into themselves and put themselves in a killing game. Cus they wanted to make another killing game, and the most despair inducing thing to do would be to do it to themselves. This way we can keep the existential horror of your entire life being made up, and the theme of "what defines truth and lies" while also getting rid of that stupid "you're fictional characters in a show" plot point

i like that idea. honestly, there's a million things they could have done with the plot of V3. i don't hate bits and pieces of it, but my current opinion (it may change) is that this was the most Boring Use of the twist/parts of Tsumugi's "story."

just off the top of my head, i'd rather have seen:

a DR game that doesn't seem like it's about SHSLs (their pregame selves) until halfway thru when it's revealed they're mindwiped SHSLs in hiding

as an addendum to the above, an actual Ultimate Hunt plot

the Gofer Project without any extraneous bits: it could still be an AU, but show us the potential "bad end" of Makoto restarting HPA in DR3. like, a Danganronpa 4 IF, essentially. it would have been about as Stupid but i think there could have been something Interesting to say there as an unofficial "what if"

fuck it, DR in space

Tsumugi's stupid reality show plot is real but the reveal is much earlier and the plot is much more about fighting Nihilism

a plot that takes place in this apparently insane world outside of the Killing Game where you can just project new identities onto people, it's legal to give folks Space COVID, and you can let them die for Entertainment (UDG-like spinoff, or, hell, not a DR game at all - could have been the next MDA/Rain Code)

a spinoff-type game in the world of DR with literally any of these characters' backstories? like? Rantaro, Kirumi, Kokichi, Korekiyo, they're all ripe as little bananas to just slot into HPA-arc post-DR3

if they really want to go the Reality Show route, go full meta with it early. it's not a reveal, it's fully known to the viewer from the start. you're the producer. everything is measured in Ratings and Engagement and Viewership. and you have to weigh that against the fact that these kids are in fact totally dying on you

etc etc

not all at once, of course, since some of these are Mutually Exclusive. but you get what i mean.

overall, my first impression (having just beat it a few days ago) is that the Moving Parts are not necessarily bad. a lot of them are really interesting, in fact! but they put them together in a way that doesn't really do much for me at the moment

[psychicbergara]

Don't you think they expanded too fast too soon and found themselves forced into a corner with no other way out?

Have they overestimated the hype that Travel Season got? Are they relying too much on the show's potential viewership? Because I don't think that's smart. It pains me to say this but the audience is way too attached to Ryan and Shane for that to be the case. I may be wrong, but I don't think I am: people mostly watch for those two. People watch for the silly ghost talk and for the silly puppets. Most of the fans have literally said they would watch Ryan and Shane do their laundry. That's what happens when you've created such a tight image of your friendship which your company is very much dependent on: making shows featuring other people is far from guaranteed success in this case, and as incredible as breaching out is, it's sadly not the reality for me.

I want to be hopeful. I just think they lost sight of what their fans love about the channel and what they are willing to pay for.

to answer the first half of your question- yes i literally said this lmfao. in many of my posts. i said it should've been a more gradual change. but no i dont think they're forcing themselves into a corner. at least for now. they will probably come up with more solutions so they don't ostracize most of their audience. they definitely see the backlash. so they'll change what they need to because they care about and listen to their audience from past experience (and if im wrong in the future welp yikes we'll talk about it then lolll)

i don't think they're relying on solely travel season for the platform to be successful. they're probably also relying on ghost files, mystery files, etc which mostly includes ryan and shane. and sadly those silly puppets and those silly ghosts cost money. literally, it sucks but it does. so i guess they thought this decision was best-case scenario. which i think was a bit hasty and like ive said before it shouldve been a more gradual move. and also remember worth it was also wildly successful which only had steven, andrew and adam. so it's not like everyone is mainly watching for ryan and shane, and maybe they made the decision based on that idk

look, we don't know what's going through their heads. we don't know what made them to come to this decision- and i think it's kinda one based on the lack of profits they're making and how they need to make a change before the company sinks. i don't think they lost sight of what the people want which is ghost hunting (for the most part) and they're still gonna do that. while we would love to watch ryan and shane do laundry, that's just not the type of content they want to be putting out 😭 they're creatives who want to do creative work. and again that costs money unfortunately. plus they still have the podcast if you wanna watch them talk and hang out. and it's okay if you're not hopeful, it's okay if you wanna tap out, but not everything is lost

[mayasdeluca]

Just seeing comments about D&S not really even acknowledging their last ever scene together makes me think that in some ways the whole cast of S19 did this [the cancelation] to themselves.

If you look at shows that are still going strong like The Rookie, 911, damn even GA... the cast plays a major role in keeping viewership strong through the use of their social media.

Now S19 went hard and strong in the beginning with lives, bts, just overall keeping fans engaged thru their individual socials.

I would say since mid season 6 they all just dropped the ball and there was a major shift.

Yes even with the cancelation no doubt they were all hurt and devastated but I think if they jumped in whole heartedly on their socials like they were in the beginning of the show... maybe just maybe things would have changed.

In some ways this was on them too.

I don’t know if that’s really fair to say for a few reasons. The main one being that clearly ABC had an agenda with the cancellation and nothing they tried to say to justify it made sense so it didn’t matter what the cast may or may not have done, I don’t think it would have made any difference. It’s not like the show was doing badly ratings wise despite the lack of promo from ABC themselves and the cast maybe not promoting as much as they could have been so I don’t think it’s fair to blame them. We all know the real reason they decided to get rid of Station 19 and it’s because they’re ready for RM to take over the network. As soon as 911 moved over it was the beginning of the end for everything else and Station 19 was first to be impacted.

Plus with the way this fandom reacted to certain content and wanting specific things, I don’t blame the cast for not really wanting to bother at a certain point. If someone was missing from a picture or video it became this whole big scandal. And while some want to turn a blind eye and act like the whole cast does get along and are this big happy family it’s pretty obvious some are closer to others and some don’t get along so that’s going to impact BTS too and I think that showed especially in the last season. It was a completely different vibe compared to the beginning and obviously things change and people drift or grow apart and some get closer as time goes on so that’s just the way it is. Still don’t think that has anything to do with the cancellation though.

[dez-wade]

https://www.tumblr.com/dez-wade/733361994079617024/two-green-team-members-arent-dropping-out-though

The fact that you refuse to have an actual conversation about it because you’ve already made up your mind about blaming everything on one group of people tells me everything I need to know too.

Etoiles is also not dropping out because he spent time yesterday with Foolish and Tina playing valo and they talked about everything and how he was feeling. He said that he went out for dinner and had some chill time as well as enjoyed playing with foolish and Tina after to decompress. I know that’s wild because you seem to think that the only innocent parties in this whole thing is the members of any team that’s not the red team because from your previous posts you seem to be holding a lot of the “blame” for the ccs themselves on the red team and how they’ve been playing the event. Foolish is one of the closest people to Etoiles on the server, he literally said that hanging out with him yesterday was like a breath of fresh air. I’m sure the green team members helped him and supported him a lot and he deserves that I’m very glad they did that but to act like the only reason he’d ever even consider coming back is because green team spoke to him is ridiculous.

“It's truly amazing how a bunch of CCs are getting hate but you're more worried about defending the Red Team's fan honor.” Is a crazy sentence when all I’ve seen (RIGHTFULLY SO) after the ccs spoke out is rallying of love and support yet I’ve seen an overwhelming amount of posts here and on Twitter being awful about people just trying to tweet or blog about red team and have fun who have NOTHING to do with the hate being sent but they’re not famous ccs who you support and idolise so you’re right everyone should shut their mouths about people being hated on unless their famous and your a fan of them, my bad!

Complaining about one team having higher viewership is crazy as if that’s in the hands of fans and not the admins who, if it was such an issue, shouldn’t have put the most watched creators on one team? And complaining about lack of fanart is ridiculous. Artists are allowed to draw whatever and who ever they enjoy, unless they’re being commissioned they don’t OWE any fans or any ccs art. If that’s such a big issue for you produce some fanart of the team you like or commission some.

I haven’t seen any Red CC complain about hate because Phil deleted Twitter, Foolish very rarely uses it and the rest may not see it and but there’s been PLENTY of tweets especially in the past 24 hours of people hating on red team and therefor the ccs. NO CC SHOULD BE RECEIVING HATE AT ALL. It’s odd to me that I said “hey maybe people shouldn’t be being hateful towards normal fans trying to enjoy something” and your response was “YEAH BUT ARE THEIR CCS BEING HATED ON” do you want them to be? Would that make you feel better? Would that make this entire situation better in general? Such an odd argument to make.

All I was trying to say was that people can love and rally behind a ccs who speaks about the hate they’re receiving without then turning around and being awful to people who are doing nothing wrong and just enjoying the event. I’m glad Bagi and the others have spoken out and I hope they receive all of the love and support however I also think that you can’t stand on some moral high ground when fans then turn around and shit on other fans and ccs as if that’s not exactly what you’ve been complaining about happening to other people.

Forever, Fit, and Quackity just were talking about Etoiles's receiving hate. Fit trying to explain to Forever, dancing around words saying "Uhh, certain communities, from certain people that got killed". They're all very aware of who it is.

They're not sure if he's coming back. Quackity said they talked to him and hope he does. Forever got extremely disappointed that he went through this. Bagi is going through the same.

Who is saying "Red team fans are annoying for sending massive hate to streamers who are almost quitting an event" the same level of what they're going through at all??

I'm not blaming the Red CCs, I'm blaming their communities. They are to blame to the point they complained so much on the first day, that the viewers complained the same and didn't stop despite the Red CCs clearing been having fun and not giving a fuck they were being killed. Quackity was just talking about how the team, the team of developers that created this whole event, were feeling discouraged because they got so much negative feedback in the first hours. Especially because they've been working for months.

Stop shifting the blame. If you're so worked up over this, maybe you're guilty of something?

The reason why I talked about the Red CCs not receiving hate is not that I want that to happen, it's that your argument is that they're "equally" being hated on white they're literally just chilling. If someone is hating them, because sure there is with this situation, it is an worthless percentage unlike the Green Team went through.

Honestly you should be grateful that I'm answering so politely, because it's really tiresome how you keep strawnmanning about the situation when it's shown very clearly what the problem is, and who is receiving hate.

[incarnateirony]

To many these are just seemingly meaningless numbers, but as AEW’s Jim Ross explained on the Grilling JR podcast, these numbers are what attracts significant advertisers:

“That’s why everybody lives and dies on the 18-49 ratings,” Ross said. “A lot of people don’t understand why that number is so important to cultivate and monitor. That’s what the networks sell, their ad sales target 18-49-year-old people. That’s why the 18-49 number is so important for all advertisers.”

It's been like this for 70 years, guys. CW was always the weirdo since the Netflix deal because of the licensing games that are now defunct.

Before we jump into TV ratings, it’s important to know the different ways channels make money. While all these services gain revenue through various means, the main difference is that broadcast networks and cable (TNT, AMC, USA, etc.) profit by selling advertising space during programming while premium cable and streamers rely on subscriptions. All channels use viewer analytics to decide if a TV show is profitable and worth keeping on their schedules, but how the data is gathered and parsed depends on the platform. (...) Adults ages 18-49 are known as the key demographic because advertisers believe they have the most disposable income and least brand loyalty, which may make them more susceptible to advertising.

Even if their top partners and presidents hadn't said 18-49, which they HAVE, anyone that knows anything about the industry AT ALL would goddamn KNOW the second they said they're going to make it a profitable network like its competitors, that they were going to require 18-49. Everything else is bitter fan delusions, self consolation, and pipe dreams. It's rocking back and forth, telling themselves it'll be okay, and that after all their years of untouched privilege protected by Pedowitz's licensing game, that somehow, the world is going to conform to protect them here, too.

And. lmao no. They may COMPROMISE on something like 18-54 to give Walker a renancel but if you think they're gonna fight to keep the audience that literally makes them shit for money, you're nuts. And scaling it 18-54 actually greatly devalues the 18-49 in result, but tries to give a leg up to the past-key-demo viewership and inflate its value in exchange, so it STILL devalues that slot vs an 18-49 performer. People get older, not younger. Those people just get further and further away from demo each year. The idea of stringing Walker out beyond the generosity of a renancel is genuinely funny. They're already stretching to try to include 54. And in 2 years those people will be 56 and the 49 year olds IN demo are gonna be 51. What are they gonna do, keep compromising on their profit to keep Jared Padalecki and his 20 twitter stans happy?

[the-real-zhora-salome]

I hate to see the TROP hate too. I admit I was highly skeptical myself at first, esp after the first promo pictures and I was undecided if I even wanted to watch it but after seeing yet another gifset of Elrond and Durin making heart eyes at each other I caved lol. And I'm so glad I did! Yeah there are things I'm not crazy about but there are far more that are actually perfect. Like Khazad Dum or Númenor which just took my breath away. Or everything to do with Durin, Disa and Elrond. It's probably controversial but I even love the Halbrand-Sauron twist. At first I thought he was another generic looking dude being made into Aragorn 2.0 and then the last ep hit me like a train and I loved it. And he was downright creepy in it so I'd say he definitely fits.

So okay what I actually wanted to ask is do you think the negative reactions could derail the show in any way? I actively try to avoid seeing the hate so I don't know if it's just the butthurt population of twitter/tumblr or the general public too. I've read there are 5 seasons planned and I'm afraid that with all the negativity they could shorten it or god forbid stop after season 2? Please tell me I'm being paranoid.

As always with streaming, it's not easy to get really accurate numbers. The streamers themselves only release numbers like "X amount of people watched the first season" without much more detail.

I have seen numbers from that Nielsen site, though. According to them TROP even beat HOTG in total viewing numbers. Where TROP lacked a bit was attracting a younger viewership. They seemed to lean toward HOTG more. (I don't have any links handy, sorry).

What I mean to say is that TROP didn't do nearly as badly as the haters would want you to believe. It may not have been the overwhelming smash hit that Amazon had hoped for, but it certainly didn't "flop".

So I think as always, there is a very vocal minority on social media that scream and rant, but the general public just quietly watch and enjoy without making much of a fuss about it.

Still, there's not guarantee that we will really get all five planned seasons. It certainly depends on how the next seasons will be received. It probably depends on how the second season will be received, for starters.

It's hard to look into the future. I very much hope that we will get all five sesaons, but we will just have to wait and see.

But, you know, as annoying as it may be because they are clogging up the tags with their negative shit, I hope that the haters will continue to hate-watch. They are only bigging up the shows' numbers this way. Heh.

As for what you said about the show itself:

I liked the first ep, but it was rather laden with exposition. The second ep however had the first scene with Elrond and Durin, and I fell in love with that dwarf (and that friendship) faster than I could say "Elendil!" I had to rewind and watch that scene in the elevator several times because I couldn't believe how they had managed to make me bawl my eyes out in the second effing episode already.

This was the moment that I said "okay, I'm fully on board with this"

I agree that Khazad-Dûm and Númenor are two of the highlights of the show. That's where you see every last penny of the budget on your screen. But I've honestly come to love all the plot lines and characters.

The Sauron-reveal was a wee bit spoiled for me because I had seen so much speculation about it. So when it happened, it wasn't much of a surprise to me anymore. I thought they handled it really well, though. Vickers was very creepy, indeed.

[nickgerlich]

Proud As A Peacock

I love to use metaphors when I teach, because they are powerful word pictures that can often do far more than words themselves. For example, in my Consumer Behavior class, I always start off by telling students they have two suitcases and a backpack with them at all times.

Even if they aren’t going anywhere.

The puzzled looks on their faces give way to nods of understanding fairly quickly once I explain that this baggage is the stuff we tote along inside our heads, knowingly or unknowingly, every time we shop. I suppose you could extend the metaphor and say we take these items with us everywhere we go, even when we’re not shopping, which would be true. I’m more concerned with the buyer behavior, though.

Back to the luggage: The first suitcase is filled with sociological artifacts, things like culture, gender roles, norms, expectations, social sanctions, and so forth. Where we live, and where we were raised, shape us in ways we cannot begin to count.

The second suitcase is filled with psychographic constructs, like our personal beliefs, motives, attitudes, and so forth. These are intrinsic, whereas the first suitcase is extrinsic, and these, too, influence our buyer behavior. Are you a “Buy American” kind of person? That is an attitude that predisposes you to buy only American brand name vehicles, even though they may have more foreign content in them than a Toyota Camry made in Kentucky.

Lastly, the backpack contains all of our demographics, the things that are countable. Some of these things are immutable, like race, ethnicity, and our birth sex. Notice I danced around that last one carefully, because gender expression is another thing completely. Some of these factors change over time, such as our household composition (married, divorced, children, etc.) and age. We cannot turn back the hands of time (oooh….another fine metaphor!).

And it is age that is our topic du jour. “Finally,” they say. DrG was a real windbag this morning getting to his point, amirite?

Remember when Peacock streamed an NFL Playoff game a couple of weeks ago? Many folks lost their minds and complained loudly, but when the dust settled, viewership was noteworthy: more than 21 million watched the game on Peacock. But it is in the aftermath that even more important numbers were distilled: The median age of viewers was about 10 years younger than for similar NFL Playoff games.

If the NFL script writers—you know, those people the conspiracy theorists are still contending the whole thing was a charade meant to throw a presidential run—were aiming at a younger demo, they could not have done a better job. And I say “Job well done!” We all know how to reach them now. Forget linear TV. Streaming is the ticket.

Of course, there were other nuggets to be mined as well. There was significantly more out-of-home viewing, meaning that a lot more people watched the game at sports bars. And in terms of demographics, the distribution shifted to the left—meaning younger—significantly. In the 18-34 demo, viewership was up 67%, while in the overall 18-49 group, viewership was up 44%.

And then it turns dark. In the 50 and up group, viewership dropped like the temperature does here after a blue norther passes through. Last year the 50+ demo accounted for 60% of viewers, while this year it was only 46%.

Basically what the analysts discovered is that younger people are more likely to stream their TV, something we have seen play out with all the cord-cutting of the last decade. And older viewers, bless our hearts, are just grumpy traditionalists who don’t like change so much. Present company excluded, of course.

Which brings up an important question: In your quest to reach a younger demo, the folks who have lower numbers in their backpack of existence, do you start ignoring those who have higher numbers? I have had this discussion many times lately with my younger brother (I am 65, and he turns 60 in a couple of months). He is adamantly opposed to streaming, although he is fine with his YouTube TV and regional Bally Sports. He refuses to start shelling out money for Netflix, Max, Peacock, et al. And Amazon Prime’s Thursday night football? Forget about it. That’s a big no there also, because he doesn’t shop there, much less pay $139 a year to go Prime.

To each their own, I guess, but eventually self-imposed marginalization will leave you with very few choices. Furthermore, as much as we Boomers love to brag on ourselves and have enjoyed being societal darlings since 1946, we are slowly fading into the sunset. We’ll all be gone soon enough.

Thus, it looks like the NFL has set its sights on younger demos, the people who have many years ahead of them, and who have happily adopted the new way of consuming media. Sports and news, as I have said before, are about the only vestiges of linear television worth watching, and the streaming giants want in on it. Don’t believe me? In the past two weeks, Netflix has inked a deal with WWE, and the unlikely trio of Disney, Warner Bros, and Fox announced they are forming a super streaming sports app this fall.

I get it. Even though Boomers hold about 53% of the wealth in this country, we’re not spending it like younger folks spend their money. We may travel if we are healthy, but the best of our consuming days are behind us. Yes, we have money, but we’re holding.

I not only get it, but I am good with it. I have seen this phenomenon too many times in my own life, mostly while viewing people older than me simply refusing to change anymore. I realize that change is unsettling for some, and I suppose even I will reach an age at which I say, “I’ve had enough.” I hope that’s the day before I die, though.

As for Peacock and all the streamers rushing to offer sports, I say go for it. There’s no future in getting old, and you have to go where the customers are, baggage and all.

Dr “Take My Money” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[app-oh-sigh-oh-pieces]

Intentionally not responding to the post in question bc I'm aware that a trans person pointing out cis privilege / ignorance is easily twisted into the trans person being combative and needlessly aggressive and that's really not what I mean by this. I have not @'ed, I am not calling out.

I know even by saying "ignorance" or "privilege" people may intentionally misinterpret this as "stupidity" and "entitlement!" The only reason I don't think I'm going to be anon bombed for even saying this on a separate post is that I'm a nobody and like maybe five people are likely to see this post!

But I feel like it speaks to an ignorance, literally, of the trans experience to claim that nonbinary characters exist in a silo entirely independent from nonbinary people. I find the idea of talking about nonbinary characters without addressing real-world transphobia at best naïve. Choosing not to address it is itself a decision! A political one, even, because everything about us is politicized—famously, we can't even go to the bathroom without it being made a big deal!

I don't have the privilege to believe that my experience of nonbinary representation as both an audience and a creator isn't influenced by my real life experience of being nonbinary or vice versa. I make choices in my own creative practice and my media viewership all the damn time based on the way I've been affected by nonbinary people in media, my own insecurities from a transphobic society, the real people that I'm not seeing on the page or the screen. I can't think of a specific time a fictional nonbinary person has influenced my IRL presentation or behavior, but I know a lot of nonbinary people who have that experience.

If someone can't bring themselves to depict nonbinary people with a body like mine because it upsets their sensibilities, then that is trans bodies being politicized and judged acceptable or unacceptable. And it's absolutely worth talking about how depictions of idealized, statistically unusual nonbinary bodies as the primary portrayal of our community is inherently going to bleed over into interactions with real nonbinary people.

[ashishlavania]

Why are People Searching For Movie Apps More Than Gaming Apps?

Among the various categories of apps available, movie and gaming apps have emerged as two of the most sought-after choices for people of all ages.

We will discuss the reasons behind the increasing preference for movie apps like Castle APK over gaming apps, exploring the factors that contribute to their popularity and the trends that influence users' choices.

The Appeal of Movie Apps

Convenience and Accessibility of Streaming Services

One of the primary reasons people gravitate towards movie apps is the convenience they offer.

With the proliferation of streaming services, users can access a vast library of movies and TV shows at their fingertips.

The ability to watch content anytime and anywhere has made movie apps a go-to source of entertainment for individuals looking to unwind after a long day or during their commute.

Wide Variety of Content Available

Movie apps cater to diverse tastes and preferences by offering a wide selection of content across genres, languages, and eras.

From the latest Hollywood blockbusters to classic films from different countries, these apps provide something for everyone. The abundance of options ensures that users never run out of content to explore.

Movie Apps as a Source of Entertainment and Relaxation

Movies have long been an escape from the daily grind, offering a window into different worlds and experiences.

Movie apps provide users with an opportunity to immerse themselves in captivating stories, offering moments of relaxation and entertainment.

The Allure of Gaming Apps

The Immersive Experience of Gaming

Gaming apps, on the other hand, appeal to individuals seeking immersive and interactive experiences.

Unlike passive movie watching, gaming allows users to actively participate in virtual worlds, solving challenges and accomplishing missions.

Social Aspects and Multiplayer Features

Gaming apps often incorporate social elements, enabling players to connect and compete with friends or other users worldwide.

The social aspect of gaming fosters a sense of community and adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the gaming experience.

Continuous Updates and New Content

Gaming apps thrive on keeping users engaged with frequent updates, new content, and events.

Developers regularly introduce new levels, challenges, and rewards, ensuring that players always have something fresh to explore.

Factors Contributing to the Popularity of Movie Apps

The Rise of Digital Content Consumption

The shift from traditional media to digital platforms has significantly impacted the entertainment landscape.

Movie apps have capitalized on this trend, offering on-demand access to a vast library of movies and shows, catering to users' changing preferences.

Influence of Social Media and Viral Trends

The influence of social media cannot be underestimated. Movie apps benefit from viral trends and online discussions, with users often recommending and sharing their favorite films and series, creating a ripple effect of interest.

Impact of Movie Streaming Platforms on Traditional Media

The rise of movie streaming platforms has disrupted traditional media channels.

With more people turning to movie apps, traditional TV viewership has declined, and cinema experiences have undergone changes to adapt to the evolving entertainment landscape.

Reasons Behind the Increasing Demand for Gaming Apps

The Gaming Industry's Constant Evolution

The gaming industry has consistently evolved, offering innovative gameplay and cutting-edge graphics.

This evolution has attracted both seasoned gamers and casual players to explore new gaming experiences.

The Rise of Mobile Gaming and Casual Players

The accessibility of gaming apps on smartphones has opened up gaming to a broader audience.

Casual gamers, who may not invest in dedicated gaming consoles, find mobile gaming apps a convenient and enjoyable way to pass the time.

Influence of Esports and Competitive Gaming

The rise of esports and competitive gaming has brought gaming into the mainstream.

The competitive nature of esports events and the growing popularity of gaming tournaments have garnered significant attention, fueling interest in gaming apps.

Perplexity in Movie Apps Usage

Binge-Watching Culture and Its Effects

The binge-watching culture, fueled by the availability of complete seasons on movie apps, has raised concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on mental health and productivity.

The Addictive Nature of Serialized Content

Many movie apps offer serialized content with cliffhangers at the end of each episode, prompting users to keep watching.

This addictive nature of serialized storytelling can lead to prolonged viewing sessions.

Balancing Screen Time and Its Challenges

While movie apps provide excellent entertainment, finding a balance between screen time and other activities can be challenging, especially for children and young adults.

Perplexity in Gaming Apps Usage

In-Game Purchases and Microtransactions

Gaming apps often incorporate in-game purchases and microtransactions to unlock additional content or gain advantages.

This aspect of gaming can create a sense of perplexity for users who want to enjoy the game without spending excessively.

Gaming Addiction and Its Implications

For a small percentage of users, gaming can become an addictive behavior, leading to negative consequences in various aspects of life.

Balancing gaming as a hobby without it becoming an obsession requires mindfulness.

Balancing Gaming with Real-Life Responsibilities

As with any form of entertainment, gaming should be enjoyed in moderation.

It is essential to strike a balance between gaming and real-life responsibilities, such as work, studies, and relationships.

Burstiness in Movie Apps Trends

Release of Highly Anticipated Movies and Series

Certain movie releases generate significant buzz and excitement, leading to a surge in app usage as users rush to watch the latest blockbuster or critically acclaimed film.

Impact of Popular Actors and Directors

The involvement of A-list actors and renowned directors in movies can significantly influence the popularity of movie apps, as fans eagerly seek out their latest works.

Movie App Exclusives and Original Content

To attract and retain users, movie apps often invest in exclusive content and original productions, providing additional incentives for subscribers to remain engaged with the platform.

Burstiness in Gaming Apps Trends

Game Launches and Updates

The launch of highly anticipated games or major updates can create bursts of activity as gaming enthusiasts eagerly jump into the latest experiences.

In-Game Events and Seasonal Content

Developers frequently organize in-game events and introduce seasonal content, prompting users to return to the app for special rewards and limited-time experiences.

Esports Tournaments and Their Influence

The popularity of esports tournaments draws attention to particular games, leading to an influx of players exploring these games during and after the events.

The Role of SEO in App Discoverability

Importance of App Store Optimization

For both movie and gaming apps, app store optimization plays a crucial role in making the app discoverable to potential users.

By utilizing relevant keywords and optimizing app descriptions, developers can improve app visibility.

Using Relevant Keywords for Movie and Gaming Apps

Understanding and incorporating relevant keywords related to movies and gaming can enhance the app's visibility in search results, attracting users interested in specific genres or game types.

Strategies to Enhance App Visibility

Developers can employ various strategies, such as social media marketing, influencer partnerships, and online advertising, to boost app visibility and reach a wider audience.

The Future of Movie and Gaming Apps

Technological Advancements and Their Impact

As technology continues to advance, movie and gaming apps are likely to incorporate new features, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), enhancing the user experience.

The Potential of Virtual Reality in Both Industries

Virtual reality has the potential to revolutionize the way we consume movies and play games. VR technology can transport users into virtual worlds, providing an unparalleled level of immersion.

User Preferences and Upcoming Trends

Staying attuned to user preferences and embracing emerging trends will be crucial for the sustained success of movie and gaming apps in the ever-changing landscape of digital entertainment.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the increasing popularity of movie apps over gaming apps can be attributed to factors such as convenience, content variety, and the allure of serialized storytelling.

However, gaming apps remain highly appealing due to their immersive experiences, social aspects, and continuous updates.

As both industries continue to evolve, it is essential for users to find a balance between their entertainment choices and real-life responsibilities.

[pablo-orihuela]

J.498 - Final Reflection

The Truth Behind The T.V. Show “COPS”

In Vox’s 2019 youtube video titled, The Truth Behind The T.V. Show COPS, audiences learn that the longest running primetime T.V. show is COPS. 

It was a show that followed and filmed real life cops while on the job. The idea came from the creator John Langley sharing a video of a drug bust. It also helped that the show came in the wake of a writer’s strike. With no actors or writers needed to create an episode of COPS, it was the perfect program for the then-new FOX network to carry and drive viewership. The show ran for 30 years.

The show began in Broward, Florida, but it would later spread across the country due to the show’s success. It also helped that the show gave positive PR for law enforcement. The video best shows this when COPS appears in Los Angeles after the Rodney King riots. 

But this pattern grew. Salina, California and Omaha, Nebraska had bad moments. They then invited COPS to come and film in their area. 

FOX would eventually cancel the show, but the COPS formula was mimicked through programs like LIVE P.D.

LIVE P.D. was advertised as a way to build trust through audiences by following law enforcement live. Though it presents itself as transparent, the filmed content still needs to be approved by law enforcement before it airs on T.V.

“False Flag” Hoaxers Claim Mass Shootings Are Staged

A 2018 video from Vice follows the rise of False Flag conspiracists who claim mass shootings never happened. 

The video follows conspiracy theorists “Side Thorn” and “Conspiracy Granny,” who claim that the 2017 mass shooting at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas was a “false flag” — a hoax. The shooting was real and claimed the lives of 26 people inside the church, including the 14-year-old daughter of the church pastor Frank Pomeroy. 

“Side Thorn” and “Conspiracy Granny” have spent some time after the shooting confronting the surviving loved ones of the deceased to see if they can gain evidence of their status as a paid government actor. In one portion of the video, a clip from “Side Thorn’s” Youtube video shows him calling a survivor over the phone to tell them that the event was fake. 

“There is no evidence this person existed,” Side Thorn says in reference to the dead family member. 

People like “C.W. Wade” have come forward to debunk these conspiracy theorists. Wade thinks that these people pose a threat to the surviving victims of the dead loved ones, and thinks that it’s only a matter of time before one of the conspiracy theorists commits an act of violence. 

“C.W. Wade” is not the real name of the “False Flag Debunker'' shown in the video. It is an alias they use to protect themselves from the real harm he feels these conspiracy theorists can bring. 

The video ends with the conspiracy theorists confronting pastor Pomeroy. The police eventually arrest the conspiracy theorists, but not before they threaten to continue to harass teh pastor and the remaining surviving victims. 

Reflection

Visual Journalism will be affected by the internet and social media in the sense that it will need to compete for attention and clicks. 

While it’s true that the internet age has made information more easily accessible than ever before, that very real, objective truth is burying in a sea of conspiracy theories and bad reporting. What remains is a very broad field of information for people to sift through in an effort to find the answers we’re looking for. 

Journalism majors like me can easily find what we’re looking for while separating what’s with or without merit. But what about people who aren’t as media literate? These people may wind up consuming information like that of the conspiracy theorists in the Vice video. They’ll consume content like that and take it at face value, causing more conspiracy theorists to appear. 

It does’;t help that many news outlets hide their information behind a paywall. Though I certainly don’t mind paying the subscription price for my favorite news outlets, I also understand that I’m in the minority. Most people will simply look for outlets that don’t have a paywall. Those are not always trustworthy.

Social media was meant to level the playing field by having paid content still be posted on the site. However, filter bubbles can cause people to still be directed to false information, or at least information that only confirms their biases. 

I think as Journalists/Communications majors, we can help the world become more media literate by being more active with our audiences. Though some news may be behind a paywall, we can create threads on platforms like Twitter, so that we can at least report the basics to our audiences. 

To both paid and unpaid subscribers, we can also make a point to interact with them and answer questions they might have. I’ve noticed that many intentionally harmful outlets build a strong relationship with their audiences by constantly interacting with them. While I don't think we should be spending a large amount of our time on social media, I think there is a benefit to answering questions our audiences have by directly interacting with them as opposed to hiding that answer behind a paywall. 

I also think we can also do our part to make sure we call out and debunk misinformation, especially when it’s gaining traction. 

I think many older journalists misinterpret debunking as causing friction or drama, especially on social media, but I think we can educate people without causing strife. 

[akookminsupporter]

I'm the first anon who asked about the vma! When I said people were saying the awards were rigged because BTS didn't send an acceptance/thank you speech, I didn't mean that they were the ones who bought the award. Many people said that it was rigged, because originally it was supposed to go to the girls and everyone in the industry/award show staff knew it was going to go to them. This is what they/we meant by rigged, because they couldn't have been eligible, yet they got a nom, and a win (=rigged, because possibly paid for) But then it was announced that BTS actually won, and since they always or almost always send acceptance videos but they didn't this time, we assumed that they didn't even knew about the win. Meaning they weren't supposed to win, because the other company bought the award for the girls. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say 😅 I said this in my previous ask too, but I agree with you: since they are on a break as a group I honestly don't see them doing thank you videos, especially not for awards like this (and especially not after the official bighit/bts account barely acknowledged the voting at all). Maybe they show up for year end award shows, but to be honest I don't think they will 😅

I hope you understand what I was trying to say, I wasn't implying that BTS bought the award at all.

Also one more thing: the VMA's viewership was very low this year. BTS didn't attend last year, it was around 900k, BTS didn't attend this year and it was 600k :/ So if they did this to boost their viewership that's highly unprofessional of them. But it's an american award show which is not that high and mighty anymore so what do we expect 🤷‍♀️

About the girls if you let me reflect on them: I don't know them that well, but I do know that their label has pushed their comebacks back a lot. The girls themselves talked a lot about wanting to release new music, and they themselves didn't know when their comeback would come. I think they still want to make music, but I wouldn't blame them if they disbanded after their contract ends next year and did other things that interest them. It's kind of sad that they are a 6 year old group and only have like 30 songs under their name because their label literally didn't lift a finger to give them songs and comebacks.

That's all. I just wanted to clear up what I said with my broken English. Also how did they win group of the year but not best kpop?? Like the category was literally made for them just because americans couldn't stomach the thought of a successful asian group getting nominated in a main category... And they had a huge year last year, and lost 💀 the math isn't adding up.

Hi anon, thanks for coming back.

Ahhhh okay, okay. Personally, I don't know, like I said BTS doesn't always send a thank you video, this time it may be that they just didn't want to. BTS can be unpredictable in that kind of thing honestly.

That one of them tweeted about it is enough and the photo they chose was pretty funny and a bit ironic considering everything that happened a few hours before.

Regardless of the fact that BTS deservedly won, those shows are always rigged one way or the other, undeserving artists win an award and other deserving ones all walk away empty-handed. I don't think BTS will be back next year but who knows, maybe one or more members will do it individually.

About the ratings, I am not surprised, since a few years ago those kinds of shows are getting low ratings, I repeat not for nothing the grandmothers did what they did this year with the presentation of BTS, I guess MTV thought the same thing would happen with this group and their fans.

About BP… I have nothing to say, hopefully, they can do what they really want to do or keep doing what they have been doing between so much time off from group activities.

And the guys didn't win that award because of the sponsors maybe? they can change everything. And well, the other group had to win something important I guess? I don't know.

Again, thanks for coming back, anon!