#|integrous watcher|

[sydneighsays]

I have three versions of this. The two finished ones are because I'm indecisive

The other is for obvious reasons

I think I'm just hyper fixating on Jon.. not even TMA as a whole 💀💀

[theflikchic]

Crazy thought: what if we...normalized forgiveness when someone makes a genuinely good apology to you? Like actually forgave even if that person doesn't know? You know, to like, stop letting hate grow in ya? I know, I know, sounds wild but just a suggestion.

[time-wondroustime]

one thing I haven't seen anyone say about watcher yet, but has really disappointed me, is that only three months ago they mentioned in the truth about filming ghost files video that they had to let go of 5 (if I'm remembering the number properly) employees. and when I watched that video I was disappointed that hey hadn't planned the business properly to avoid things like that, but they are primarily creatives, so I figured there would be some business mistakes made along the way. but then hearing they just hired the 2 worth it guys and are reviving an expensive show... I feel like they could've prevented the lay offs better

[i-post-posts]

Whenever there's a semi-popular youtube channel that's been established for at least a decade as a free entertainment company that decides to put their stuff on a streaming service when they're honestly not worth all that

[herearedragons]

normal about Selene and Tekēhu's relationship in this run of Deadfire btw.

she wants to strangle him the second she meets him because of a vision he's not responsible for. he doesn't understand why his mother wouldn't speak to him but will speak to this other daughter of hers. how is she better than him? what does he have to do to gain Ngati's favor like she did? meanwhile Selene has to deal with the fact that the goddess who never cared for her, who wanted her dead, who tried to take everything away from her has deigned to speak to her at her lowest, and what does she have to say?

take care of my boy.

and it's not Tekēhu's fault, he doesn't know, and how the hell does she explain to him everything Ondra has put her through, and how the hell does she convince herself not to hate him. and he's trying so hard to get her to like him. he's asking for her advice. he's going out of his way to defend her in fights because maybe that's how he wins her (and Ngati's) approval. captain. sister. tell me what to do

Selene looking at him thinking why do YOU get her love and Tekēhu looking at her thinking why do YOU get her attention

normal about all of that

[ohitslen]

Watching Stampede with my family made me realize how genuinely insane I have turned thanks to it

Like wow the actual physical EFFORT it took me to not randomly start explaining the composition of a scene, the color choice, the framing, the voice directing and the choreographies of certain scenes, as well as some of the lore behind it I should not explain because spoilers.

No, sorry. I lied on my résumé . I can’t like anything a normal amount. I’ve liked this for less than 4 months and I’m very deep into the trenches. And it will unfortunately become everyone else’s problem as well, because this one will stick around for a long time.

[ipushedthewrongbutton]

…. Heh.

Not a fan, this has been a very entertaining weekend though. I’m glad the fans got the apology they deserved, I still missed them bringing up the fact they excluded a huge part of their audience with this whole shtick but yanno what, that’s nitpicky at best.

Hope they can win y’all’s trust back, mine’s gone and never coming back but then again, I was never on their radar as a casual viewer anyway, so no losses whatsoever.

[animebw]

And what must I do with no Gundam Witch episode this week? Simply suffer and die?

[alien-enjoyer]

the complicated and highly silly worldbuilding/headcanons of mumbo k jumbo:

Seasons 2-8: ‘Human.’ Absolutely not human though. Like this man just doesn’t know he’s a shapeshifter. It’s not like he has a reference for what humans are though? No one on HC is. At least not that he thinks is human? Because there’s no one on hc that’s like him. Clearly shows signs of being a shapeshifter. Clearly shows signs of his shapeshifting abilities being able to affect others temporarily, too. He changes form, or someone else does at his hands? It’s just the Narrative/Story Magic/Builder’s Magic!

Season 8: multiple things happen at once. The most noticeable, the soul stealing thing. He knows but only actually processes afterwards that grian never was human in the first place, a real testament to exactly how crazy his perspective is. Boatem meeting is called, they figure out Mumbo’s a shapeshifter and probably has been the entire time they’ve known him, and then Scar goes, “what about the vampirism?”

Season 8, continued: “What do you mean, ‘what about the vampirism?’” says the other four members of boatem, mumbo loudest of all.

Season… I don’t know. maybe before hermitcraft, even. or somewhere between season 2 and 5. Mumbo is bitten by a vampire. Mumbo is a shapeshifter who is a human at the time, so it looks like nothing changes. It’s kind of an awkward exchange, but they both go about their day like nothing happened. mumbo doesnt figure out that vampire was actually a vampire.

Season 5 sometime: Mumbo is in his base. the Convex are spying on him. Mumbo is quite clearly a vampire but he is still very much under the impression he is human. he’s accidentally shapeshifted into his vampire form, but is clueless. he probably just thinks his base is lagging out his mirror. The Convex know mumbo’s a vampire, and have seen him as such, but he seems human next time he’s seen

And, if we’re feeling extra silly, though this one’s optional (listen. none of this is set in stone.): Post-moonfall, the void. The dormant Watcher abilities gained from the soulsteal awaken, or at least begin to.

[jamiesfootball]

Ramblings about my own fic-

Man I knew I wanted to tackle Colin in the wake of coming out publicly, but I did not expect the way this path has taken me. Because while that is The Thing Going On, it is not the thrust of his story, at least not as far as we get it when filtered through a Roy Kent POV.

Anyways I wrote the Big Talk between him and Roy yesterday, and it’s a lot about self-esteem and where Colin fits into the dynamics of the team, and I’m quite proud of it but I also can’t share details because spoilers and it’s killing me

[dungeonmastersconsortium]

SHANIAC UNTIL THE DAY I DIE BAYBEE

[gaylotusthatexists]

taking a break from secret life to watch mcc but update from me, so far i’ve watched gem, scar, joel and mumbo, and i am absolutely loving it so far oh my god. the twist is so much fun grian u genius.

[colebegins]

“Anyone and everyone is able to afford it.” What a wild thing to say.

We’re Leaving YouTube

[trendynewsnow]

Silence of Election Deniers in the Wake of Trump's Victory

The Silence of Election Deniers Following Trump’s Victory In the weeks leading up to Election Day, election deniers raised alarms across various online platforms about the looming threat of widespread voter fraud that they claimed could compromise the integrity of the election results. However, election officials have consistently stated that such fraud is virtually non-existent in modern…

[hightowered]

and you know i gotta say. the vast majority of the people losing their shit this weekend made it very clear that they do not understand the difference between "artists who want a measure of comfort in their lives" and "the billionaires actually being targeted by phrases like eat the rich." that is such a weird thing to be so proud to announce to the whole entire internet.

it's also extremely weird to behave as though any individual is entitled to an artist's work for free. or that the audience should be the final say in determining what an artist creates. there is a major difference between the betrayal of an artist who produces art and then banks on their social capital to engage in harmful, violent, bigoted behavior (like jk rowling) and the "betrayal" of an artist who decides that they should be or need to be compensated for their work. the latter isn't actually a betrayal at all. it's just a shift.

the thing is that the watcher boys didn't invent capitalism, they didn't invent the streaming model, they didn't invent youtube or patreon. they aren't getting 100% of the money from either. their merch doesn't magically appear as if made by elves while they sleep. their videos don't happen out of nowhere and without incurring bills. they have a business which employs people, and sure, you can say they employ too many people, but do they actually? a bunch of randos on the internet don't actually know that. they don't know these job titles, or how necessary it is to have everyone there. it's pure speculation. the entire company exists within a system they did not invent and are trying to stay afloat in said system while a bunch of assholes on the internet berate them for not acquiescing to their every whim at the expense of their artistic integrity, their ability to compensate their staff fairly, and their ability to keep making art.

and jumping from "i want to continue enjoying this artist's work for free" to "i think people should be fired and the remaining employees should be given greater responsibilities and more tasks to complete" is wild to me. there's nothing leftist in that and so trying to leverage leftist jargon to prove some sort of moral superiority is fucking wild, it's disingenuous, and it's sketchy as hell. you're allowed to be disappointed. you're not magically exempt from being told you're being an asshole if you decide your disappointment entitles you to take part in asshole behavior.

"but we don't want something heavily produced and we don't want these shows" then don't watch! that's it! don't watch! you are not being held hostage and forced to engage with this content. you have the choice not to. throwing a tantrum and launching racist vitriol at steven lim and demanding he step down as CEO shows a level of entitlement and childishness that, frankly, i wish they could have ignored, but they're both kinder & more patient than i am.

anyway congratulations to watcher on their new streaming service and their gorgeous new website, congratulations to the boys on a new step in their careers and on achieving something they've made clear they've wanted for ages, thank you to the boys for all their hard work and for sharing their creativity with us. thank you too for taking such a big and genuinely brave step to no longer be beholden to major corporations and advertisers so you can make the art you want to make. thank you to steven lim for taking so many steps back to keep the company running and for doing your best in a shit economy and while being targeted by this kind of nastiness online. and thank you to the entire team at @wearewatcher for continuing to do amazing work despite being treated like shit by the fan community at large on the internet while you're trying to make a living and create art. you all deserve better than you've been shown of late and i hate that such an exciting moment got overshadowed by so many temper tantrums.

because the whole fucking point, the dream, is getting to make the art that matters to them, without being held back. i'm sorry y'all don't want the heavily produced and high quality shit but your preferences as a member of an audience are not the law by which artists should abide. they are artists and they are free to, and deserve to, make the art they want to make.

[tevanbegins]

The only people thinking that Bucktommy's storyline is ruining the show are the B*ddie fanatics and the homophobic fans who are disappointed that Buck came out as queer. However, the rest of the viewers don't think that way at all. Even if you put aside the BT fandom, the general audiences still enjoy the show. The improved viewership ratings reflect that.

BoBs don't want Buck to end up with the first ever man he has dated (this only bc said man isn't Eddie); they believe he needs to 'explore' his bisexuality more. The GA, on the other hand, is happy to see that Buck is finally settling into a stable, healthy relationship with a caring partner who respects him and reciprocates his feelings equally. Apart from many queer fans who are celebrating this crucial LGBTQ+ representation, most of the GA probably doesn't even care that Buck is with a man and the queerness of it all. They just like seeing a beloved character finally finding true love, after seasons of stumbling through a series of failed relationships.

Buck and Tommy's love story not only sustained the existing viewership, but boosted it further by drawing in plenty more new viewers to the show. This is apparent through the impressive ratings, and the fact that the show's renewal for season 8 was confirmed not long after 'Buck, Bothered and Bewildered' aired.

Another thing that BoBs don't realise is that the GA also comprises casual watchers and people who might not care about Buck or Eddie at all. The show has an Oscar & Emmy-winning actress among its main cast - Angela Bassett. It also has another beloved veteran actor like Peter Krause. There are people who are watching this show for them. There are people who may be far more invested in Bobby-Athena, Maddie-Chimney, or the Hen-Karen storylines than whatever the hell's going on with Buck or Eddie. Or there may be audiences who appreciate the platonic friendship between Buck-Eddie the same way they like Hen-Chimney or Hen-Athena with zero expectation of it turning romantic.

The only reason why it seems that B*ddie is the most popular thing about 9-1-1 is that their fandom is a loud and hyperactive majority across social media. Other fandom stans and GA/casual viewers may not be as dominant on socials, but they exist in a lot higher numbers than BoBs can ever imagine. BoBs overestimate their clout.

Bucktommies obviously love Tommy Kinard with their whole hearts, adore how good he is with Buck, and so would love for them to be endgame. But BoBs don't realise that even the audiences that are not hugely invested in Tevan as us BTs, are not losing sleep over the fact that Buck is with Tommy and not Eddie. They watch the show for other characters and storylines and all the drama and action. Buck's love life doesn't hamper their enjoyment of the show; they may be neutral to it. Even if not all of them maybe loving Tommy, doesn't mean they hate him either.

Again, the reason why Buck or Eddie's past relationships with their female LIs weren't popular even among the GA the way Madney, Henren, or Bathena are, is not because they wanted Buck and Eddie to end up together. I believe it's because those romantic storylines were half-baked or poorly-written, not making the casual viewer care enough. If Buck ever had a female LI with as much potential as Tommy, or if Eddie could treat a partner decently, those hypothetical ships could become popular too. People enjoy Bucktommy because of how beautiful their love story is overall, not simply because it's a 'queer' love story. Their storyline has the potential to be long-term, and Tommy being well-integrated with the rest of the characters solidifies the possibility of him and Buck going a long way.

What excuse would the BoBs who want Buck to experiment have had if Buck hadn't come out last season and Tommy were a woman? What if that storyline would still show a positive romantic development for Buck where the new female LI put in an equal amount of effort into the relationship, like Tommy has? Yes, a lot of the initial hype around Bucktommy was because it's a queer love story, but even if you replaced Tommy with a female character and made her care about Buck the same way that Tommy does, or have Buck be as smitten with her as he is with Tommy, many audiences would still dig that.

The same-sex aspect of it is just icing on the cake; the cake would still have been delicious if baked well (but the icing is significant for queer fans who crave good representation on TV.) But integrating Buck's bisexuality arc into a thriving relationship with a pre-established character is a welcome development for queer fans and GA alike. The viewership stats prove that Bucktommy is definitely not damaging the show, but contributing to making it more successful if anything.

So the BoBs need to know that all their constant whining, cyberbullying and Tommy/LFJR slander is not going to scare ABC or the showrunner & writing staff into giving them what they want. B*ddie fanatics are too tiny a portion of this gigantic equation (that exists far beyond the confines of social media), and losing them is not going to affect the network or the people making the show.

Even in the unfortunate scenario that Bucktommy doesn't last, most of the GA/casual viewers will still not stop watching the show. We BTs will be heartbroken and cry for a few weeks and then move on, because the show's writers can do what they want and owe us nothing. But we're not going to spend years bullying and threatening them for not making our ship endgame. That's the power of GA and the show will continue for as long as it has the ratings and network support to back it up, regardless of who Buck ends up with.

And for now, the GA is enjoying Buck with Tommy, so luckily things aren't looking too shabby for the BT fandom and the storyline should stay its course unless the writers decide otherwise, which they don't really have a reason to given the largely positive response reflected through the ratings. Even though we can't predict what happens in the future, we'll cherish every small or big Bucktommy win that comes our way until then! BoBs can keep screaming into the void as usual, but things wouldn't change because they think they can make it happen. That's all.

___