#every time an episode of a show is released. or any time new gaming content comes out. or any time a new book from a series is released

[eliseliedl]

every day i grow more annoyed at fandoms giving so much importance to shipping to the point of ignoring everything else 🙄

[perseidlion]

This is why streaming is dying.

I'm Canadian, and I used to watch Star Trek on Crave. Crave saved us for awhile from the fracturing of the streaming landscape because it stayed as an umbrella service for quite some time. I used to get Star Trek, HBO, WB shows, Starz, Sony stuff...basically Hulu + HBO + Paramount. That was actually worth it because for the same monthy fee I could get House of the Dragon, Star Trek and more.

But that wasn't going to last forever. When Paramount+ launched in Canada, Star Trek got taken off Crave. I'm a huge Star Trek fan but even I couldn't justify a FIFTH streaming service just for Trek.

So I waited until Discovery was finished. And then I binged it and season 4 of Lower Decks. And then I cancelled. I won't get it again until S3 of Strange New Worlds and Season 4 of Lower Decks are finished, then I'll binge and cancel again.

There is literally nothing else on P+ I want to watch. I looked, because if there was something I'd cancel Netflix for a bit. But it's all movies I've seen and don't want to rewatch, shows I already have access to on other streamers, or things I have no interest in.

When the networks were working together to put lots of tasty treats under one streamer, it was absolutely worth it. I'd pay $20 a month for Crave if HBO kept making good shows (instead of cancelling them, RIP Our Flag Means Death) and if P+ had lots of Trek (and...didn't keep cancelling those shows like they did Lower Decks and Discovery.) Between that and Trek that would mean I always had a show releasing on the platform that I wanted to watch.

As long as there isn't a steady diet of things that appeal to me, I WILL keep subscribing, binging, and cancelling. Churn is the reason these networks aren't profitable. But there is literally no incentive for me to NOT do that when the things I want to watch are scattered across 5-6 different streamers, each charging $15+ a month.

In trying to get their slice of the pie, the networks have guaranteed there isn't enough food on their buffet to keep people coming back for more.

It creates a vicious cycle. This fracturing means there's not enough budget to support the flagship shows/franchises. Then, they get cancelled and/or budget reduced. So they take away or vastly reduce the thing I want to watch the most.

PLUS none of the networks are nurturing the cult hits/franchises of the future. Shows that have the potential to be the reason I subscribe are being cut off at the knees after virtually no promotion.

I watch every new show like Dead Boy Detectives knowing there is a very high likelihood that this will be the only season I'll get to watch. So much potential is left on the table. If there were four or more shows like Dead Boy Detectives and Kaos getting ongoing commitments from Netflix I wouldn't even consider cancelling my subscription. Instead, I know that any show that isn't an immediate cultural moment is probably getting the axe, or getting two seasons, max. Especially if it's SF&F. Especially if it's queer.

We live in the world where even the critically-acclaimed and franchise-based House of the Dragon is getting truncated episode runs and reduced support.

Regardless of how you feel about how Game of Thrones ended, that franchise is a cultural juggernaut. House of the Dragon is legitimately good and packed with talent. The rough patches of Season 2 can be easily traced back to reduced budgets/cut episode run at the last minute that forced the production team to scramble and adapt.

Honestly. Is there anyone actually committing to their series other than FX, AMC, and Amazon with Rings of Power? Although RoP can also be considered a sunk cost fallacy since Amazon invested a SHIT TON into the IP and the series, so they need it to work. They also have a wobbly track record supporting other shows. (I will never forgive them for cancelling A Leage of Their Own.)

FX and AMC are the only networks that feel like they're actually supporting their content. And what do you get for that? Shogun, one of the best shows in recent memory. The show absolutely swept awards season (and rightfully so) and is now setting itself up to be a tentpole show in the mold of such classics of the historical fiction genre like Deadwood, The Tudors, and Rome.

Interview With the Vampire, is an AMC show which has a very active and passionate fandom eager for more of it and Anne Rice's Immortal Universe. This is a rare example of a new franchise (albeit based on an existing, well-know IP) is really finding its feet and its audience. The audience for it is not of the size of something like House of the Dragon, but AMC is feeding the audience it does have unapologetically, with queer camp horror full of messy, toxic relationships.

Then there's What We Do in the Shadows, which seems to be ending on its own terms this year. FX is a Disney subsidary which somehow manages to commit to the series it creates, which proves it can still be done.

I do hope that FX and AMC continues to support their weird and wonderful shows, and I hope they keep getting rewarded for it with high ratings and awards so that the rest of the networks will smarten up.

If we hadn't just come out of a golden age of streaming where every network was producing excellent TV, all of this heavy cancellation and fragmentation wouldn't be quite so devastating.

Entertainment seems like it's constantly in a feast or famine churn. Right now, we're careening toward famine, which is full of one-season shows, overextended franchises, flagship shows being cut/restrained and a whole lot of cheap dreck.

It's the reality TV heyday all over again and I hate it.

[amorfista]

I have some news to share ^^

A few days ago I had a revelation while at work.

For over 8 years I've been a big fan of the Dark Souls franchise. The first Dark Souls felt to me like a journey; a full-on immersion into an incredibly complex world, marked by disparity: old royalty, splendor, trust, hope, magic, nostalgia, wonder, gold, light... but also decay, dread, betrayal, horrors, darkness, death, monsters, disease, anguish. This game left a deep print on me that hasn't faded. Ever since I played it, fantasy changed in my eyes. Dark Souls I, II and III became a standard, a reference point. Even when I didn't draw as much as I do now, I aspired to one day pay good tribute to the games that meant so much to me! And, of course, I created fan art, but I always felt like I could have given more.

Now. As you probably know I'm also a big Star Wars fan, specifically TCW fan. And a few months ago I watched The Bad Batch for the first time. This show left a print in a very similar way as Dark Souls had before. It fueled my inspiration significantly, motivated me and, most importantly, helped me form friendships that I'm incredibly grateful for ♥. So... the other day, while I listened to some Dark Souls music at work, I thought...

Why not combine my favorite show with my favorite videogame franchise?

So that's it guys. May I present to you:

-The Bad Batch: Dark Souls AU-

That's it! That's my brilliant idea! XD This is going to be a project, a BIG one. So I would like to briefly (i promise i tried) explain how it will affect my content, under the cut: (I'll also drop some older DS artwork at the bottom!)

TLDR: From now on I will focus on TBB DS AU as my main and basically sole project . Even if you didn't play DS, that's okay! I will make it people-who-didn't-play friendly, to ensure everyone enjoys the journey. However, if this isn't for you, it's okay to unfollow <3 -I would say that, since I came to tumblr this early summer, my "signature" drawings are the TBB beach episode ones. I have WIPs for this project but I've been feeling stuck for far too long, so I am going to put it on hold. In fact, I am going to put on hold virtually everything that I was planning on doing, with a few exceptions. This means that I will rarely draw anything outside this AU.

-I am CLOSING commissions. I found that they put a kind of pressure on me that doesn't feel too good, and, honestly, I'm lucky to say that I do not need the money at the moment. I'm still open to requests, though, so don't hesitate to send anything and I'll draw it if I feel like it :) I'll even try to set up a store at some point!

-The project will consist on three journeys, featuring the 6 members of the Bad Batch, and corresponding with the three Dark Souls games. Each of those journeys will, more or less faithfully, follow the events of EACH season of TBB, adapted of course to the universe of Dark Souls, AKA Dark Medieval Fantasy. This means that, until the third season of TBB is released, I won't make any DSIII-related drawings.

-The journeys are adapted to the universe, and thus, will follow the real player journey as faithfully as I can, staying within DS canon and allowing people who have played the games to enjoy my drawings. However,

-THE DRAWINGS WILL BE 100% NON-DS-PLAYER FRIENDLY. I know that my followers are not DS fans but TBB/TCW fans. I am NOT here just to please DS fans. I want TBB fans to enjoy this journey, without having to google meanings or go easter-egg hunt to understand what is happening. I will tell a story and you will only have to enjoy it.

-This is a project for myself. Both DS and TBB mean A LOT to me, and this idea had me vibrating with excitement. I am making this project to PAY TRIBUTE to two things I love. However that does not mean that I will neglect the very people who have motivated me to keep creating. I promise to still deliver my very best with every drawing.

Do not hesitate to unfollow if this isn't for you.

I can understand that some people might follow me only for my wholesome beach episode drawings or for regular, HC TBB content. And that's okay. That's what this announcement is for! To let you know. This community has given me so much and I want to give back. And if you do stay, I can almost 100% assure you that you will enjoy what's to come!! <3 It will be a long but satisfactory journey. I'LL BE POSTING THE FIRST DRAWINGS IN THE UPCOMING DAYS!

OKAY, SORRY FOR THE WALL OF TEXT!!! 😖 Here are some older DS drawings ^^ (jesus I have way more than I thought and these aren't even all of them)

AIGHT. NOW YOU KNOW IT'S SOME SERIOUS SHIT WHEN I SAY I LIKE THESE GAMES.

Anyway. Including a taglist, because I think it would be unfair not to let you guys know about this project in case anyone wants out (or to not be tagged). Send me a DM if that's the case, it's NO PROBLEM!!! I wouldn't want to tag someone who doesn't want this content.

ALSO PLEASE, ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE, TOSS THEM TO ME! And thank you kindly for making it this far <3

@dukeoftheblackstar @justalittletomato @darthmaulshispanichousewife @botherbother-blog @aftergloom @badolmen @ihaventpickedausername @ohboi @stardustbee @nik-barinova @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @gen-has-green-vibes @ejfivercommander @herbalinz-of-yesteryear @eyecandyeoz @noesqape @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @staycalmandhugaclone @callmesunny04 @freesia-writes @ginnymilling @sunshinesdaydream @sev-on-kamino @cloneloverrrrr @moon-wrecked @idontgetanysleep @tech-aficionado @followthepurrgil @renton6echo @queen-jiru @shoe-bag @eyayah123 @eloquentmoon @and-loth-cat @ladyzirkonia @stardusthuntress @bambambunny @morphofan @gt13tbbart @amalthiaph @cameronirat @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @anxiouspineapple99

[agentnico]

Blue Eye Samurai - Season 1 (2023) Review

Don't think I've ever seen so much human genitalia in animated form all in one go. Makes me wonder if the production team had a designated animator of genitals who literally just spent his time drawing penises for the show. If so, I hope it was Jonah Hill as he already proved in Superbad that he is the perfect artist for this subject.

Plot: Driven by a dream of revenge against those who made her an outcast in Edo-period Japan, a young warrior cuts a bloody path toward her destiny.

Netflix consistently hashes out so much content every week, that it is hard to keep up with any of it, as such many great projects get missed and are forever lost in the streamer's endless library void. Luckily Blue Eye Samurai didn't pass my scrolling and evidently has its fan base, as this is one of the quickest examples of the streaming giant announcing a season renewal after release. Yep, Blue Eye Samurai will be getting a second season which is amazing as this is a superb new series that if you haven't yet discovered then you are doing yourself a disservice and should amend that behaviour immediately and go watch it! Still need persuading? Alright, sit yourself down and allow me to gush about Blue Eye Samurai!...

It’s hard to overstate just how stunning Blue Eye Samurai is to look at. The series uses a mix of 2D and 3D animation styles to create landscapes and characters who seem only a few degrees removed from live-action, even as the form allows for combat on a scale that would cost several large fortunes to craft with flesh-and-blood actors. In fact, looking at the behind-the-scenes the team hired an actual martial arts choreographer to support in creating the combat sequences in real life with real people, and then the movements of those fights were transferred to animation and used in the final product. In one episode (seemingly inspired by the 1978 martial arts film Enter the Game of Death where Bruce Lee had to fight his way up to the tower to get to the last floor) the main samurai Mizu must defeat multiple bosses on each level of the season's big bad Fowler’s impregnable fortress home, and each separate battle is a work of art in itself. Honestly, the show just looks like a moving painting, with every frame absolutely jaw-dropping gorgeous. Even without dialogue or characterization, it would be completely engrossing.

Luckily, writers Michael Green and Amber Noizumi are as interested in the people at the center of these crazy fights as they are in the many improbable techniques Mizu uses against her opponents. Mizu is presented throughout as both supernatural and deeply human. She can handle any odds, and come back from every injury that would cripple or kill a normal person. But the series never loses sight of what a life wholly devoted to revenge has cost her, and the ways in which she has turned herself into every bit the monster that her countrymen believe her to be.

It is then also the exploration of how Mizu interacts with the other characters in this world. There's the disabled would-be apprentice Ringo (played warmly by Masi Oka), who has learned to navigate life despite his lumbering size and lack of hands. Mizu has no interest in a sidekick, but Ringo gradually wears her down, as if he’s a peaceful stream flowing against a rock over hundreds of years. There's also Taigen (Darren Barnett), a warrior chasing after Mizu to collect a debt of honour, yet due to this honour he ends up helping her as in his eyes only he has the right to kill her, no one else, so ends up attacking those that attempt to harm her. Brenda Song voices the princess Akemi, who is just as eager to escape the bonds of Edo society as Mizu is, but who uses very different methods to achieve that. We follow her journey through an intimate tour of the area brothels, which is where the aforementioned heaviness of nudity comes in. There is, in fact, a lot of naked flesh on display throughout the season. The series can be just as graphic in depicting sex as it is in violence, yet both avoid feeling gratuitous. And finally, there's Kenneth Branagh as this season's big bad Fowler, a despicable arms dealer who has no sense of morality or empathy and is willing to destroy anything standing in his path. He's a massive presence and seemingly the only one able to hold himself in a fight against Mizu, hence why Branagh's British snark yet heavy tone fits perfectly here.

The whole thing is an incredible, utterly badass example of how animation can be used to create worlds, characters, and adventure every bit as vivid as live-action if not more at times. Even though I would say there are a few areas of pacing issues, which withheld me from binging this season all in one go and instead had me taking regular break intervals throughout, this is still a stellar show and one that you can tell was created by a team of passionate filmmakers and artists. Blue Eye Samurai would never have had the impact it did had it been live-action - using animation as its storytelling medium elevated it to a masterpiece in my opinion. Kudos to everyone involved in such an amazing project and I can’t WAIT to see more!

Overall score: 8/10

[yesyayroleplay]

What is Yes Yay Roleplay?

Hello there friends, foes, and fey! Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Yes Yay Roleplay, the hottest new actual play table top roleplaying game channel. The six of us are all improv actors who met at the same contract doing immersive improv theatre. Naturally, a dnd campaign started up and we quickly realized we had something special. Between a dynamic chemistry with our players, a fresh homebrewed world, and a prolific artist amongst the players, we had the perfect ingredients to start our own dnd show! Inspired by shows such as Critical Role and Dimension 20, we strive to bring the magic we found in our first home game to your screen.

So, we got to work. Pulling all the connections we had, we found an incredibly affordable studio and started making plans. Our friends at Midnight Syndicate even offered to let us use their music for the show. A huge win for us, especially since they wrote the official Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying Soundtrack.

We filmed our first campaign "Chronicles of Chromaria" in early 2022 and released it a few months later. A 16 episode campaign with a dynamic editing style was an extremely venturous undertaking. We had no small share of issues between missing footage, low mic quality, and a general lack of know-how. Can you believe we thought ONE person would be able to edit the entire thing? But we are quick learners. We reworked our strategy, spread the work load, and began to pump out the episodes every week.

And we did... and more. Every episode came out on time (mostly). But not just the episodes. Music. Art. Guest cameos. We were putting out so much good content that really set us above and beyond the average actual play show.

So what then? We keep going right? But we weren't all working in the same place anymore. We didn't have access to the studio until next year. So we did what any resourceful group of actors would do, we bought some webcams and got to filming.

We filmed a couple of holiday themed campaigns in our living rooms. While we working with less equipment and space, it did let us film with guest stars. Something we hope to continue in the future.

Then we had to start thinking about this year. We had the studio, we had experience, and we had a plan. 8 days in the studio, four campaigns, and 25 episodes in total. That's 20 player characters, and countless NPCs for our artist to draw. Hours of prep for those dm-ing. Thousands of hours editing. And on top of that, we put out an album. Expanded our show from YouTube to Spotify. Opened a merch store. All while running and managing our own social media accounts.

As of right now, we've launched our Star Wars 5e campaign so far and just released episode 3 of our 16 episode arc 'The Rivers of Else'. We're in the thick of editing and promoting. Sometimes it feels like we are yelling into the void, but all it takes is a comment from a friend or a fan sharing the joy the found in the smallest moment in our show that reminds us why we did this in the first place.

We had a dream, one of us asked 'Yes?' and we all said 'Yay!'

So always... always remember to say... Yes Yay!

[moon-swag-tourney]

very late, but aruru submitter again!! it's like, a little hard to explain what all exactly is going on with revue starlight, but i'll try my best! essentially, revue starlight is a multimedia franchise with three main facets!

the basics

revue starlight as a franchise revolves around young girls partaking in underground battles (typically referred to as Revues or Auditions) to try and claim the title of Top Star, which comes with the ability to perform in any one stage and show of her choosing! the participants in a revue perform songs as they battle, which is why a good chunk of the fandom overlaps with other anime music franchises such as love live or bang dream! at the beginning of the series, it primarily features nine students attended seisho music academy (two of which are currently participating in battle-couple-battle at the time of writing!) as they prepare for their annual performance of the play Starlight! the rest of the girls, including aruru, don't come in until later installments (primarily the game, but there's a fair few characters that got their start in the stageplays!

the stageplays/concerts

live action performances done in person by the voice actors of all the characters! most franchises that have stageplays tend to get different actors for the stageplays since not every voice actor is comfortable with stage acting, but revstar actually went the other way around! revue starlight started with its first stageplay, so the (main) girls all started out with stage actors, all of which persisted into their animated roles! revstar was actually the start of a fair few of the actors' start in the voiceover side of the acting business! while none of the stageplays have been officially translated, fan translators have been working hard to make sure that the english side of the fanbase can partake in them as well! i personally lean towards the fansubs done by spicyveggiesub on here, if you're interested! there's also the concerts! most of which are centered around just performing songs that don't originate from the stageplays, but occasionally also feature story segments!

the anime

i find it easiest to describe the anime as the jumping off point for the franchise despite it coming after the first stageplay because a lot of the plotlines for the (main) girls got expanded upon here! officially the first stageplay and the 12 episodes of the anime are both valid starting points, but personally i would say the anime does a better job as a hook than the first stageplay does. would definitely recommend watching both though! but anyway, after the anime there's also the OVA (which is split into three shorts), the recap movie Rondo Rondo Rondo (which i would recommend watching due to having some additional content!), and the sequel movie!

the game

this is where aruru first gets introduced! prior to the game's release the franchise focused on the 9 girls from the main school of the franchise (seisho music academy), but the game introduced three new schools (rinmeikan girls school, frontier school of arts, and siegfeld institute of music) with five members each, all with their own unique stories that intertwine in the main plot! aruru attends frontier school of arts, and in terms of irl marketing is considered the school's "main" character! truthfully speaking, i really wouldn't recommend *actually* playing the game, as its incredibly scummy in terms of powercreep and microtransactions, but i would whole-heartedly recommend reading the stories online!

i can totally understand that having all of that thrown at you at once can sound a bit overwhelming, but i promise it's not nearly as bad as it looks! currently, aruru's appearances are in the game's school story for frontier school of arts, the game's main story (with her biggest role being during the main story's third arc, arcana arcadia!), assorted game event stories, and the starry diamond concert! i will say that i don't particularly recommend jumping straight into the game stories for aruru, as they feature pretty big spoilers for the 12 episode anime and first stageplay, but altogether those only take about six hours to watch! i would get into what i would personally recommend as a watch/read order for all the content outside of the game, but this ask is already crazy long, so i'll leave that for if you're interested in starting!

OOh, alrighty!! And fr don't mind the long ask, honestly I'm able to read and enjoy any length if it's split into some sort of chunks like here lmao

Honestly because the anime is very short compared to other popular series, I'll probably end up finding time to watch it, and I suppose from there I'll try to get into the games for Aruru! I am a sucker for musical-like thing and anime, so it definitely could end up being a fixation lkdsf

I'm not super sure what to say but the info is very appreciated and has been absorbed! It's kinda funny to me that of the series I've been told about so far, two of them had to do with performing arts and I just had no idea

[unprocione]

name : rian!

pronouns :  he/him :)

preference of communication : discord! always discord, i constantly forget tumblr ims exist, and on discord i can remark things as unread, so i don't lose the notification if i can't reply at the time, which helps when i'm burnt out or if my attention span is particularly bad that day.

most active muse :  leon & only leon these days!

experience / how many years :  i've been writing on tumblr since late 2018! it feels like way longer, i started writing on tumblr when red dead redemption 2 was released and i was writing josiah trelawny while the game was actually still under embargo, scrambling to watch every new playthrough episode i could find while the fandom was setting up. i didn't actually play the game myself until it was released on pc in late 2019!

best experience : i had several really good experiences writing atlas/frank fontaine from bioshock in a western cusp-of-the-nineteen-hundreds american heartland verse, going into alot of topics like industrialism at that time, the american labour movement and american union history, strike tactics & the economics of greed. it was inspired alot from a show on the usa network called damnation that got cancelled, i did a ton of historical research and i mostly wrote with red dead redemption ii muses, did alot of worldbuilding with @sharp-teeth-and-wide-grins who is an excellent roleplay partner! i'm working on potentially setting up that verse again but from a different perspective for leon, because i miss it.

rp pet peeves : oh i have alot of opinions but i keep 'em to myself until you give me an opportunity. can't stand people getting cancelled for writing villains as the actual villains they are in canon, or characters generally as more complicated morally, especially when they're referencing content from the actual media and people are losing their minds because they're not the fandom expectation or easy ship material. so many people will have 'mun does not equal muse!!' in their carrds and byfs but will clutch their pearls if you even quote directly from source material, and then harass the fuck out of you, send hate anons, suicide bait, i mean we've all seen it happen or heard about it if it hasn't happened to us directly, definitely so if you're on this site for more than a year, so you know what i mean. i don't like people looking to my writing for moral directives or sifting through all my content to glimpse some kind of agenda, i think that's chronically online behavior. obviously it's different if someone is writing pedophilia or something but i just feel like i shouldn't have to make that disclaimer at all, it feels like common sense but if i don't say something i run the risk of someone messaging me like 'so you support so & so? kill yourself!' y'know.

fluff, angst, or smut : i like all of these in moderation so long as there's depth to it further than just being fluff, angst, or smut for no cause, you know? if it's not signature to our muses, if it doesn't fit narratively, and is just feel-good content, i just get bored, and having any of this in back to back to back to back threads of just one roleplay genre is like being smothered to death with chocolate cake, i only like a little bit once in a while otherwise i get sick of it, y'know.

plots or memes : plotting 100%, but even though i heavily prefer plotting, i don't often have the energy for it? even if i really like the other muse's portrayal. or, alternatively, i will do all of this plotting in my head, and just like. never act on it, or bring it to my roleplay partner, due to this weird ocd-adjacent anxiety symptom i'm trying to break now that i have meds to help me out, where i make alot of social rules and conditions for myself that just overall completely pens me up and isolates me. i don't know what it's called but i've just always had that and it gets in the way of what i love doing all the time.

long or short replies : i don't have a reliable perception of long or short replies! i'm happy with two paragraphs but i'll reply with like six or eight paragraphs average because once i get over my anxiety there's really nothing else stopping me and i like run-on sentences and exposition and scenery and internal monologues!! and i know it's not always appropriate sometimes too, like if we agree on a shorter thread for less pressure, but i've always had a hard time knowing where to stop with anything, i have no perception of an appropriate point to cut off? i need like. a reverse nanowrimo.

time to write : apparently 11:00 pm - 6 am est, since that's when i'm most productive lately.

are you like your muses : god i hope not. i did choose to write leon as gay though because, i'm gay myself and it was more comfortable for me, even though he's pretty heterosexual in canon, but that's less from me wanting to relate with him on a point, and more because i have had some really uncomfortable and bad experiences shipping with female muses who didn't respect boundaries in the past. whether that's projecting attraction on me as a person instead of my muse, or wanting me to write noncon or torture porn, and finding a way to take it out on me when i said no or tried to let them down easy, and it's one of those things where looking back on the memory of it gives me the same tight-chested feelings as alot of people get when they've been involved in intense drama and callouts and stuff. just can't do it anymore! maybe that'll change someday ^^

tagged by: @blitzkriegers & @omniterror thamk u both for tagging :) tagging: @ubcs, @sinibell, @valour-bound, @mycelae

[lgcmanager]

CRYSTALLIS MISSION 009 ( PART 1 )

SCHEDULE TYPE: N/A RESTRICTIONS: CRYSTALLIS MEMBERS ONLY ( THIS IS PART OF THEIR MISSION FOR Q1 )

in preparation for CRYSTALLIS’ Q1 mission, one of the opportunities that will be given to them is a chance to have their own solo youtube show! the show is supposed to focus around the idol’s image, quirks, and interests. examples of this can be found over here ( #1 / #2 / #3 ) this will be a long-term commitment gig, with this specific gig lasting from Q1-Q2 2024.

details and rules regarding this will be mentioned below:

this will be similar to some of the PERSONAL CHANNELS in that the show will be primarily done solo ( since it is personal ) with an option to have one guest ( must be a CRYSTALLIS member ) every cycle this gig is offered.

because this gig will be lasting between two terms, the writing requirements will be split in half so that other requirements not related to this can be worked on as well. to keep the show for the next cycle, you must write a minimum of 4 SOLOS during the current cycle ( 2 can be done in the first term and another 2 in the second term ). the maximum you can do is 7 SOLOS or 6 SOLOS and 1 THREAD across the two terms if you want to earn the highest number of points possible.

IC wise, there will be 7 episodes filmed but they will be released over a course of 6-8 month period depending on the group’s schedule. there will be a separate creative team in charge of editing and publishing each video, although the editing style will be decided by the idols.

in terms of the content, if the show is accepted, the idol will be expected to pay any of the expenses that might be used. if you are planning on doing some sort of game or challenge with a guest, do note that they will be given the bare minimum.

for episodes with a GUEST in it, content for that will be filmed during a time when both of the idols are free.

as for traveling, the idol can travel to different parts of korea but most of it will be restricted in that it can only be filmed when the idols are free AND in locations where they can travel to and from in less than 3-4 hours ( they will be traveling with their manager if this happens ).

the length of the episodes may vary, but typically each episode should last around 10-25 minutes long with all of the editing.

APPLICATION FORM

you have until JANUARY 13, 2024 11:59PM EST to apply for a personal youtube show for this cycle. submit the following form to the lgcmanager blog to apply:

muse name:

show’s name:

concept: (please describe in a minimum of 50 words the concept of the show. will it be vlogs or videos sitting down in front of the camera? will it be more career oriented, hobby (example: makeup, fashion, food, environment), variety like (going for various challenges, trying out new activities)? in other words, tell us in detail what will make the show unique and at the muse’s image, quirks and/or interests)

[zoreta]

There's a difference though- Drop-Out has a variety of shows and a rotating cast of comedians who regularly appear on those shows. Though some shows definitely get more attention than others (Dimension 20 vs VIP), there isn't a single tentpole show that is the reason people pay for the subscription. There isn't a single comedian who carries the entire network. Drop-Out has ~5 shows actively releasing episodes at any time, putting out a new episode of *something* ~every other week day (not counting supplementary content like making of for game changer, or adventuring party for D20), which they are able to do thanks to just how many comedians they have on call.

You can't say that about Watcher. Ryan and Shane are pretty much it- there are other comedians on Watcher but of their top 50 videos, only 2 don't feature at least one of the pair. Are Ryan and Shane expecting to match that output? Because the well will dry up fast, and the burn out will come faster. They mentioned adding more shows that don't feature them, but- they are going to have a hard time getting those new shows to get the views to make up production costs. People don't come to the Ryan and Shane channel to watch content without Ryan and Shane.

To me, it seems the answer is to cut back the expensive production costs that are likely costing more than they earn in increased viewership. You don't always need to ramp up 'bigger and better production' if the money isn't there.

Watcher, once they read all the comments to their announcement:

[chris-brandify]

The Death of the Remote War: How CTV Gave Power Back to Viewers

Once Upon a Time in the Living Room…

Every family had one—the person who owned the remote. You’d sit through weather updates, sports scores, or infomercials just to maybe catch your show. Those days? Gone.

Welcome to the age of Connected TV (CTV)—where the power has shifted. And no, not to Dad. To you.

What Is CTV? And Why Should You Care?

Connected TV (CTV) includes any internet-enabled device that lets you stream content. It’s your smart TV, your Xbox, your Roku stick—basically, if it lets you binge crime docs or guilty-pleasure reality shows, it’s CTV.

And here’s the kicker: It doesn’t care what time it is.

CTV lets you:

Skip live schedules

Watch across multiple devices

Control your ad experience

Personalize your content journey

Meanwhile, traditional TV still wants you to wait till 8 p.m. to catch your show—and sit through 15 minutes of commercials first.

CTV Gave Viewers What They Always Wanted

Let’s break it down like an episode list:

Episode 1: Control Over Content You decide what to watch, not a network exec in a tower somewhere.

Episode 2: Ad Relevance Thanks to tools like Brandify’s audience planner, CTV ads speak to you, not just at you.

Episode 3: Goodbye Channel Surfing With CTV’s custom menus and intelligent recommendations, every scroll counts.

Episode 4: Screen Freedom Start on the big screen. Finish on your phone in bed. No judgment.

If you’re wondering just how many Americans are watching this way, Statista’s 2024 data on CTV users reports that over 230 million people in the U.S. now stream content via CTV platforms—a staggering shift from traditional cable habits.

The Voice Search Revolution

Wondering what questions people ask their smart speakers?

“Why is streaming better than cable?”

“How do I advertise on CTV?”

“Can I choose who sees my ads?”

For Advertisers: CTV Is Your Dream Platform

CTV isn’t just great for viewers—it’s a goldmine for marketers.

Serve targeted ads by behavior, location, or device

Track performance in real time

Create agile, cross-platform campaigns

Reduce ad waste and boost engagement

Need a campaign blueprint? Try Brandify’s CTV strategy planner to map out your next big move.

Viewer FAQs

Q: Does CTV really have fewer ads? Yes—and they’re often smarter, shorter, and better timed.

Q: Can I stream live content on CTV? Absolutely. Sports, local news, and live events are all on tap.

Q: Are ads skippable? Sometimes. But even when they’re not, they’re less likely to make you reach for your phone in boredom.

Final Episode: The Remote Is in Your Hands

CTV isn’t the future. It’s the right now. And it’s changing the game for both viewers and advertisers.

So next time you pick up the remote (or speak into it), remember: you’ve got the power.

Brands? You better learn how to show up in the new world of TV—or get scrolled past.

Ready to win the screen war? Visit Brandify and build a campaign strategy tailored to the way your audience actually watches.

Get a free targeting plan within the hour for your business here: https://brandify.io/targeting-plan/

Press Release: https://www.prlog.org/13053451

[jininmyspaceship]

BTS’s Jin shines in hilarious new ‘Run Jin’ episode with Mimiminu [Allkpop]

Jin of BTS continues to captivate audiences with his unbeatable charm, as he showcased his quick wit and flawless visuals in the latest episode of his personal content series, "[Run Jin] EP.29: The House of Calm", released on April 8th via BTS’s official YouTube and Weverse channels.

In this special episode, Jin was joined by Mimiminu, a popular Korean YouTuber known for academic and lifestyle content, who had previously expressed a desire to host Jin on his own channel. The duo’s hilarious chemistry and energetic dynamic instantly drew attention, setting the tone for a delightfully chaotic challenge.

The mission? Jin had to keep his heart rate under 100 beats per minute during a series of chaotic stages—fitting for the BTS member famously known for keeping a cool head. The twist? Sabotage awaited at every turn. From sipping drinks laced with sesame oil to chaotic game setups, the show delivered nonstop laughter.

In one highlight, Jin competed in a timed mission to gather cooking tools while dodging interference from muscular “bodyguard” guests. With his signature agility and focus, Jin managed to collect everything he needed to cook up his namesake product—Ottogi Jin Ramen—which he graciously served to Mimiminu.

The preview for next week teased even more excitement, with Kian84 and Ji Yae Eun from Netflix Korea’s ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’ joining Jin once again. Notably, Jin’s playful “Don’t mess with the princess” T-shirt instantly sold out after the preview dropped—cementing his status as a “sold-out king.”

Meanwhile, Jin’s appearance on Kian’s Bizarre B&B is making waves. The show immediately soared to the No. 1 spot on Netflix Korea’s search rankings after its premiere, thanks in part to Jin’s role as the versatile and lovable “MacGyver Jin.” With his bare-faced visuals and natural comedic instincts, Jin has proven once again that he’s a powerhouse entertainer on any screen.

Source: Allkpop

[ear-worthy]

Introducing the All-New ‘The Athletic NBA Daily’ Podcast

Sports radio has a reputation for engaging passionate hometown sports fans, who speak their minds on call-in shows around the nation. On the net positive, sports radio energizes people through fandom, and through dreams of their own accomplishments via the pros excelling at their given sport.

On the net negative, sports is often a placeholder for the disappointments, regrets, failures we suffer in life. We infuse unqualified support for the home team to replace the life that let us down. Blame is placed on the opponents of our team, just as in life, we hide our omissions inside angry catcalls against the other team.

Thankfully, sports reporting in podcasting has found a niche safe from "fan" extremists. There are numerous quality sports podcasts, from basketball to soccer, American football to rugby. 

  Through their sports publication, The Athletic, NYT Audio has announced The Athletic NBA Daily, a fast, entertaining daily recap of the most important games and stories from the world of professional basketball. The show is the successor to “The Athletic NBA Show.” Hosted by Dave DuFour, Zena Keita and Esfandiar Baraheni and with regular appearances by The Athletic’s award-winning NBA reporters, weekday episodes will deliver the latest basketball stories within a swift and digestible 20-25 minute runtime. Each Saturday, Andrew Schlecht and Alex Spears will review the week’s events with a longer, 45-minute “Slam n’ Jam” episode.

Because The Athletic NBA Daily records every night after all league games have concluded, listeners will always have the most up-to-date information and insight ready in time for their morning commutes — including any late-breaking news.

New episodes of The Athletic NBA Daily will be released at 6 a.m. Eastern, from Monday to Saturday. 

In a media world where some podcast networks try to flood the zone with podcasts of dubious or null quality, New York Times Audio does provide compelling content that is exhaustively researched and thoughtfully presented. I recommend all of their shows.

[uupdirector]

HAPPY 7TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE TORMENTED!!

Hard to believe it's been this long since the original video came out in 2017 - a lot has changed in my workflow and creative process, some for the better, and some for the... ehhhh- strugglesome stuff, to say the least. I might not look back onto the original series with as much fondness as I would have back then, given the amount of influence my hyperfixations had on shifting the story in a completely different direction that I wasn't too fond of later on, but had it not been for the passion I had to not only start it, but expand upon it in ways I wouldn't have imagined back then, I wouldn't have learned a ton of skills that would help me improve on projects like it moving forward.

Sometimes thinking big doesn't always mean making something good though, and I recognize that some of the directions I was taking this series was anything but clear cut and focused, but it was the first time I had tried anything like it, and it never works out perfectly the first time anyway... or at all actually, my perfectionism basically stemmed from this series as I tried everything to stray away from what was common and have people step out of their comfort zone. I believe I succeeded on that front, it's just laying out too many projects and failing to keep many of them going where I wasn't too successful lmao.

But as I said, a lot has changed, and with ReFreshed having been in the works since the start of 2024, I've been trying to figure out the right kind of mindset to enjoy working on stuff like this again. While I haven't found anything that clicks on every front, I can safely say that I've reached a point where it's not only easier for me to jump back in when I'm feeling creative or productive, but also allows for me to take care of myself again when needed in between all of that. I can actually look back at what I've been working on with a sense of excitement and satisfaction that I was able to pull it off, and any free time I spend afterwards feels like I deserved it. Games are becoming more fun to play again, I'm realizing the importance in keeping up with actual priorities, I'm finding myself adapting to a new sleep schedule, and through all of that, things are slowly but surely becoming comfortable again. I feel content where I am, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop moving forward.

Anyway - with all that out of the way, it's worth noting (again lol) that the 7th Anniversary gift will be premiering at 1:15PM EST. While I wouldn't get your hopes up or expect any more details on the Pilot Episode (formerly Episode 1*), there is one thing it will unveil; the release window. With the workflow I've been going at, I've made enough progress to say that I'm comfortable sharing when it will be ready, and I'm more confident that this thing will be done in the window I've set for it. Of course, there's always room for delays, so again - don't get your hopes up, I can be unpredictable at times lmao.

*TL;DR - ideas have been piling up and I'm not sure what other direction to take it, so I'm treating it as a Pilot - like the original Tormented, and playing things by ear, that way I don't stress myself too much before it's even started. Just figured I'd point that out.

But with all that said - thank you all so much for your support over the years. I'm looking forward to showing you all what I've been cooking up, and I hope you're all just as excited to join me for it! Much love, folks! 💙

[liugeaux]

A Definitive Ranking Of Every Incarnation Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Seven years ago I was so butt-hurt by an Uproxx article that I wrote a response with my own TMNT incarnation ranking. Was I right to do it? Absolutely. Do I regret it? Not at all. I stand by that ranking and where the TMNT property was in 2017. Read it here.

What HAS happened though is multiple versions (incarnations) of our beloved turtles have been rolled out in the past 7 years and I think it's time to re-rank them. This will be similar to the reposts common in this blog, as it will have a lot of old content, but it will be a full-on refresher with a brand-new definitive ranking. Here we go!

17. Saban’s Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation

The Next Mutation is the worst. While technically a hit TV show, TNM is a reimagining of the Turtles in a similar style to the hyper-popular Power Rangers of the time; and created by that same production house. It was too goofy, too Japanese, and pandered to a completely different audience. Any charm or goodwill the original show still had was flushed right down the drain after the launch of The Next Mutation; not to mention the introduction of the cringe-worthy Venus, the fifth Turtle. The Next Mutation is best forgotten, but sadly never will be. 

16. Japanese OVA - Mutant Turtles: Superman Legend

Not included in the original list because I didn't think it was a substantial enough incarnation to include, Superman Legend is a gem if you like weird 90s anime. If you don't, skip it. When I say skip it, I mean it. It doesn't feel like a Ninja Turtles story and while styled after the Fred Wolf TV show, it drips of cheesy anime tropes and is, at times, hard to watch. I include it here as almost a warning against possibly watching it.

15. Konami’s Video Games 

At the time, Konami’s video games seemed awesome. The arcade games and the classic NES games gave children exactly what they wanted, a way to control their favorite turtles and fight the foot. In actuality, the original arcade games were built as quarter-eating button mashers. There was little nuance to the games themselves and the home console releases were either bad (that first NES) or were trying to recreate a game on a platform for which it wasn't designed (TMNT II, Manhattan Project, Turtles in Time, etc.). If you wipe off the thick film of nostalgia, it's easy to see these games really aren’t that good.  

14. Platinum Dunes’ Movie (Series) 

The two Platinum Dunes movies have a style to them, and it's best we leave that style in the 2010s. Everything from the Incredible Hulk looking over-design of the characters, to the disasters of plots, there is very little to like about what Michael Bay’s production company did to our beloved Turtles. The films have some decent action and comedy, but a lot of the creative directions taken leave the heart of the Turtles unrecognizable. Out of the Shadows was better than the first film and did a good job capturing the feel of the original cartoon, but it still committed a lot of the same sins, despite being the "right kind of dumb".  

13. Fred Wolf’s Original 1987 Animated Show

It’s funny how the most popular of all the incarnations is also one of the worst. The original cartoon is a victim of its era. The animation is bad, the plots are silly and sometimes nonsensical, and many episodes are just thinly veiled advertisements for the mega-successful accompanying toy line. Still, there’s a charm to that old show that made it popular for a reason. Presented as the figurehead of late 80s cartoons that it is, it might be a masterpiece. Presented in a vacuum, apart from the craze, that old show can be unwatchable. This incarnation is another victim of nostalgia and is probably best experienced through t-shirts and merchandise, not through actual experience. 

12. Image’s Vol. 3 Comics

Die-hard Turtles fans love to point at Image’s short-lived run of comics after Mirage’s first hiatus as being “Amazing”. “Volume 3″ to which it is referred, was planned as a continuation of Mirage’s colorized Vol. 2. Sadly, it followed many of the tropes of late 90s comic books. It was more violent than its predecessors and even went as far as having two of the TMNT get deformed. Donny becomes a cyborg and Raph’s face gets disfigured. At the time it was a fresh take on the characters and seen as bold and unpredictable. Because of this, it should hold a legit chunk of respect, but in practicality, it wasn’t great. 

11. Batman Vs. TMNT Crossover Comics and Movie

This is, by far, the hardest incarnation to rank. It's not bad, and in most ways it's great. However, taking a generic version of the TMNT and planting them in a story beside The Dark Knight creates an un-winnable situation. Character development must be spread across two universes and cannot be too in-depth, because you can't stray too far from the core essence of either property. Fans love this version of the Turtles and I don't blame them. It boils the 4 brothers down to their core traits and, through solid writing, creates an entertaining romp that plays into both properties' tropes. Where the Batman/TMNT crossover succeeds in entertainment value, it completely fails in compelling story-telling.

10. Archie’s TMNT: Adventures Comics

More comics from the 90s! Archie’s TMNT Adventures was less an Archie production and more a shadow Mirage title that was created mostly in-house under the eyes of Eastman and Laird. Its origin as a spin-off of the TV show made for a unique niche. Many of the stories and characters resonate to this day and If I were listing my favorite TMNT comic artists, Chris Allen would be in my top three. One of the title’s strengths was the secondary characters. Verminator-X, Armaggon, Ninjara, the Mighty Mutanimals, and Cuddly the Cowlick, are all great additions to the greater mythology of the series and many of them have returned in other media. As much fun as these were to read 30 years ago, a distinct lack of character development in the TMNT, and a heavy handed environmental agenda being pushed make these hard to read today. Those Future Turtles are the bomb though…

9. TMNT: Mutant Mayhem

I have thought long and hard about where Seth Rogan's take on the TMNT belongs in the pantheon of turtle stories. From an entertainment standpoint, it's fantastic. The film is incredibly funny and breathes fresh energy into tried and true character archetypes. Does it represent the legacy of TMNT as a franchise? I don't know. We've been promised a lot more of this incarnation, so our questions will likely get answered as series staples like Shredder and The Foot get introduced, but as it stands, Mutant Meyham is a fantastic anomaly ripe for exploration.

8. New Line’s Original Movie Trilogy

America’s love for the original movie trilogy is justified. They captured a moment in American Pop Culture that was unique and somewhat bizarre. On the surface, a lot of the dialog can be cheesy and eye-roll-inducing, but that’s what the 90′s were. Looking back at them, the only one that holds up as a GREAT movie is the first one. The effort put into bringing the comics to life, while dabbling in the silliness of the cartoon, is visible. There’s more emotion in that first movie than most would care to admit. I’m not going to call it a masterpiece or anything, Actually, I am gonna call TMNT 1990 a masterpiece. The second two movies are what keep this incarnation from being higher on the list. The Secret of the Ooze is embarrassing and TMNT III is boring at best. The care that went into the first film just wasn’t there the second and third times around. 

7. “TMNT” Animated Movie

The Turtle’s franchise timeline can be divided into 3 phases; Phase 1: Eastman and Laird, Phase 2: Laird only, and Phase 3: Nickelodeon. The “TMNT” animated movie was released during Phase 2, and because of that, it has Peter Laird’s influence all over it. During his solo time with the Turtles, Laird had very specific ideas about what he wanted to do with the characters and what stories he wanted to be told. Not goofy, not over-the-top, not too dark, and maintaining the series’ comedic overtones, TMNT is a weird movie that feels like a release that fell out of another dimension. Despite its plot being the most non-TMNT-ish story ever told, there is still a handful of scenes that are quite wonderful. The epic fight scene between Leo and Raph at the close of Act 2 is worth the price of admission. TMNT is a beautiful film that has a charm unique unto itself and it’s really a shame a sequel was never made.   

6. Rise of the TMNT

I'm sure putting Rise in the #6 spot can be seen as a bold move, but I stand behind it completely. Rise is possibly the most controversial version of the Turtles to date. Odd, and unnecessary changes to the lore and characters turned a lot of fans off of the project before it even launched. Taking a more comedic and short-attention-spaned approach to TMNT storytelling alienated many viewers, which means Rise lives on its own little island. Fans of Rise, LOVE IT, with good reason. It's hilarious, irreverent, sharp and stunning. By taking enough influence from anime to make the show look great, but not enough to make the show look ridiculous, Rise succeeds at looking better than ALL of its predecessors. Narratively, it takes some time to get to the significant story beats, but considering most TMNT stories aren't interested in telling a long-form story, Rise's approach to slow-drip-plot, is masterful. The Rise movie is a fantastic exclamation point on a series the creators knew was already dead. I almost understand why someone wouldn't like Rise of the TMNT, but it's hard for me to think someone gave it a fair shake and still didn't see the brilliance of its bizarre take on the TMNT.

5. Nickelodeon’s 2012 Animated Show 

After the Viacom acquisition, the impending TMNT cartoon show was an uncomfortable unknown. How closely would it stick to the lore? Would it go off the rails and break the series? Would it be too kiddy for a classic fan to enjoy? All worries were washed away when the show debuted in the Fall of 2012. Featuring the most fully realized version of the 4 turtles to date, Nick’s show was a breath of fresh air. There’s a spark to its dialog and it’s obvious the creators were proud to be working on TMNT. It's hard not to chuckle at least once or twice during every episode and unlike most kid shows, it's easy to care about the over-arching story. The changes made to the base origin and characters can be confusing, but each one has been interesting in its own way. As my good buddy Jeff often says about, it's a beautiful melting pot of everything TMNT. If you haven’t checked it out yet, Nick’s TMNT reboot is more than worth a watch.  

4. IDW’s TMNT Comics

The first real content to come from the post-Nickelodeon buyout was the IDW-licensed comic line. Not only did they immediately start frantically reprinting the old Mirage books, but they also launched a new ongoing title set in its own TMNT continuity. Without a doubt, this run has been the most exciting thing to happen to TMNT comics since…let’s say Mirage’s Vol.1. By taking a brand new origin and mixing old characters with new characters, Eastman and Waltz have found a way to re-tell a lot of TMNT history without telling any of the exact same stories we already know. My only real complaint about the book is that its a little too obvious that Nickelodeon has placed certain story restrictions on them. I.E. The Turtles don’t ever kill anyone, and death as a whole is kept to a minimum. Consequently, the book sometimes lacks the teeth of the original Mirage book.

3. The Last Ronin

After 9 years of a fantastic ongoing TMNT comic, IDW decided to stretch its legs and pull an idea out of the Eastman and Laird idea archive. The Last Ronin, is a stand-alone TMNT tale originally outlined by both co-creators Eastman and Laird. It's dark, violent, somber and bold. TLR is easily the best TMNT comic to hit the market since 1992's City at War, and it deserves the same reverence. Truth be told, outside of the original conception of the series, Peter Laird had little to do with its story. The volume was such a success, a teaser was written into the last book that introduced a new generation of Turtles into the fold. This birthed the Ronin-verse. As silly as that may sound, the transition to a new quartet of Turtles has been healthy and fun. The Last Ronin 2 starts later this year and I have no worries that the new TMNT will be built with respect to the originals. That's a feat in and of itself.

2. 4Kids’ 2003 Animated Show

The 4Kids Animated show was produced during the Peter Laird years and with a few exceptions it’s a love letter to fans of the Mirage comics. Unlike the original show, which took the loose concept of Ninja Turtles and built its own little silly world, the 4Kids show took many of its stories directly from the comics and carried a tone closer to that comic's run. Sure some things had to be changed because it was still a kid’s show, but the entire run feels like it's what Laird wanted to do the first time around, but not having complete control got in the way. The best part is that it has aged remarkably well. Despite all episodes being 4:3 SD, the characters and stories still pop to this day. Which, in the end, is just a reflection of how good the source material is.

1. Mirage’s Original Comic Series 

Of course, #1 had to go to the Mirage run. Sure, a lot of things can be said about how disjointed the entire experience is, and how bad some of the guest contributors were during the height of the TMNT fad in the early 90′s, but at its core, the Mirage run represented so many different things. It was the start of what would become one of the most successful creator-owned franchises in American history. Mirage was built from nothing (hence the name), and ended up taking over the world on the strength of the characters they created. Vol. 1 of the comics was an instrumental piece of content in the indy comic boom of the 80s and was a flagship, “creators have rights” book. The canonical stories from Vols 1, 2 and 4 are the turtles at their most honest and raw. Eastman and more-so Laird weren’t afraid of taking chances and even the stories that didn’t pan-out HAD to be respected. So, what incarnation is the absolute best? It's the Mirage comics, without a doubt, by a wide margin. Say all the good things you can imagine about the other incarnations on this list, but none of them are "Capital I" Important. Sure, they were great, charming and even dabbled in amazing, but Mirage rewrote the rulebook, and that’s something that will never be usurped. 

Cheers!

Addendum: The following incarnations were omitted because they didn’t make a significant contribution to the greater TMNT story.  

All TMNT Manga, The TMNT Comic Strip, The Action Figures (they aren’t being included because they are just an extension of the shows and movies, but they kinda had a life of their own), Coming Out of Our Shells Live Tour, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles, The 4kids Based Dreamwave Comics, Later TMNT Video Games (Konami, Ubisoft, and Activision Published), The many other crossover comic book series out there.

[kdinjenzen]

My final words on Rooster Teeth & just SOME of my experiences there.

I’ve been waiting to say anything directly for a long time on this subject in hopes that something - anything - would change and get better, but it’s obvious that this is just “how it is there.”

So it’s time for me to finally say something about Rooster Teeth.

I joined the company, officially, as a contracted content creator and editor in February 2013. I worked to create a monthly video game news/release series. I produced episodes every month until I was officially hired as a full time content creator/editor in November of 2013.

From February 2013 until November 2013, I went entirely unpaid for all of my contract work. I was never given the payment promised for anything I did. When I was hired full time and I brought that up, I was told that “it’s been so long already, it’s not really a big deal is it?” And then the subject was never brought up again.

Within a few weeks of working at Rooster Teeth I was given a nickname, that nickname was a slur. Every day I came into work I was called “Fggt” - but they could not use that name in content so when anyone was recording I was called “Fugz” instead. For any fans who used that nickname for me for years, that’s what you were calling me. I couldn’t say anything about it, I had reported the use of that nickname for years to HR, and nothing was ever done about it and the videos that use that nickname for me are still up.

When Christmas rolled around my first year, 2013, I was given a “bonus” of about $100. Any money I had at the time was extremely helpful as I had nearly nothing to my name, so I was grateful for it. But a long time member of the company looked at me as I was handed my small bonus and scoffed “Why do YOU get a bonus? You’ve only been here for five minutes.”

In my first years there I would arrive at work around 7am (two hours before everyone else) to begin editing videos and would often have to stay until 9pm to get as much work done as possible. This was actively encouraged so we could have a backlog of content, but I was always given “rush orders” to edit more important videos to go out either the same day or next day. That’s when the crunch began for me and it did not end.

From that point on harassment started, and not just toward me. Any time I brought up mistreatment or that “making fun of people in content only encourages the community to hate us” - I was waved away saying “IT’S JUST A JOKE! Ignore the comments!”

This “ignore the comments” mantra was a way to excuse their own behavior. Anyone who was not “important” was constantly made fun of with no way to defend themselves or be part of the content in a way to defend themself even jokingly so. We were silenced at every turn.

Jeremy, Matt, and I tried to make content together as often as we could in those earlier days. And we rarely got the chance to do so. I remember being yelled at for making the Zelda video with Matt after it had already gone up because it was a “waste of time”.

During that time I was put into a position where I ignored my own physical health to focus more on work, which eventually caused me to come down with pneumonia. I spent several days in the hospital with a fever over 112F. When I was released I was back to work only a few days later and with the same work schedule.

Eventually I had enough from the department I was working for at the time and moved departments in hope that I would be better treated elsewhere in the company. I still loved the work I did, I loved some of the people at the company, and I believed that if I put my effort into it I could make things better for everyone.

The department I transferred to promised me a producer job and show running their new podcast while also being tasked to edit videos and sometimes write stories for news channel. I was never given the producer position in that department, I was never allowed even near the podcast unless they were “desperate for a last minute person”, I went entirely uncredited for anything I wrote for them, and I was pushed to edit 3 videos from start to finish every day with little to no turn around time so they could be posted immediately.

My hours in that department were 7am until 11pm.

I was crunching harder than before.

I wasn’t allowed to be in anything.

I had my name removed from everything I worked on.

I was put in an office where I was forgotten about and swept under the rug, people even IN the company forgot I worked there with how sectioned off and pushed aside I was.

In 2016 I came out as trans and many people at the company publicly voiced their support on social media.

Inside the company however, things got worse.

People had no idea how to deal with a trans woman, so I was interacted with even less and only trotted out every so often to show off “We Hire LGBTQIA+ People!”

It was only at this point where the nickname “Fugz” finally stopped being used all the time. Three years of content with that name being used toward me and all that content is still up.

During that time my acting manager began to harass me and lie to the community any time I was “planned to be on camera and couldn’t show up” - many times it was said to the audience watching that I “had already gone home” when I was in the other room crunching to finish my job and the work of my manager.

The harassment continued and I began to spiral into a deep depression, wondering what I could do, I eventually reported it to HR and the “solution” was that they brought in my manager who was harassing me into a Two-On-One meeting where the manager said “oh I’m sorry” and that was it. The way I was treated did not change at all and actively became worse.

I then went to one of the founding fathers of the company to express my concerns, and was told that I was “too nice to work at Rooster Teeth” and that I should “just quit and find somewhere else to work” - I was horrified.

At the moment I couldn’t do anything but feel horrified and powerless. I was an out trans woman in Texas in 2018 and was told “just quit and find work elsewhere in Texas” a state that actively finds ways to keep our rights from us.

Throughout my employment I also struggled to get the company insurance to cover my transition despite Rooster Teeth telling me that “Oh it’s all good” - because of their inaction and lack of help in this matter I amassed horrible amounts of medical debt despite being “completely covered” by them.

I still am recovering from this debt now as Rooster Teeth has been underpaying me for years, my raises were frozen by my manager at the time, and because of that I never received a proper raise even up until I quit earlier this year.

Until the end of 2020 I was paid around $40k per year as a Producer/Director. Far below the industry standard. If not for the help of one person fighting for me to be paid properly, I wouldn’t have gotten bumped up to the pay of the lowest paid person next to me. Which was nearly $70k. I was shocked that I was being underpaid by nearly $30k.

During the 2019 layoffs, I was actually one of the people affected. I was very nearly laid off as well, but was told to either move to LA and work there (at the $40k per year rate which is UNLIVABLE in LA) or be laid off immediately.

I agreed to move to LA, Rooster Teeth said they would be giving me $5k moving costs to pick up my life and move to LA by March of 2020. The money never was given to me and then COVID forced the company into moving to remote, meaning my job was actually saved by COVID happening.

Crunch during the height of COVID was monstrous. Every department was forced to push out more and more content and do more and more work to make up for “losses” - many of us were working 7 days a week and extremely long hours.

I helped run the 2021 Anniversary Stream Event, but in the middle of production I had to undergo life saving surgery and was told I needed AT LEAST two weeks rest before going back to work. The person I was working with to schedule that event took credit for all the work I did up to that point and then BLAMED ME for anything that went wrong with it because “I wasn’t doing my job” while I was recovering for major surgery and was on mandated medical leave.

BRGs (Business Resource Groups) were created at this time to help with representation issues inside the company. I did everything I could to help the other BRGs as well as the Queer BRG I helped lead. By mid 2021 I was told “we’ve done enough for the queer community” - which hurt to hear as I felt like we had barely accomplished anything and were still struggling to have accurate representation on screen as most of our PRIDE stream events featured mostly Cis/Het talent still.

During this time there was a lot of outspokenness for the mistreatment of minority groups inside of Rooster Teeth from former employees, lots of fans asked “Why didn’t you all do anything about it?”, to which I say actual ground level employees did everything they could. But we could only do so much.

At that moment I asked for transparency for how others, not just one or two employees, were treated in the company - myself included - and was essentially told that “the company is going through a lot right now just leave it alone”. How I was being treated and how others were being treated was once again swept under the rug.

I left Rooster Teeth because, despite thinking I could make positive change in the company, they proved that I couldn’t every step of the way. From 2013 until 2022, I did what I could to help my fellow employees, make positive change, and help the industry.

It’s also worth mentioning that for every bit of VO I did before I left Rooster Teeth, I wasn’t actually paid for any of it under the idea that “I was an employee, so I don’t need to be paid for VO.” In that case and the way it was viewed, I was paid less than $30 per hour for each of my VO sessions. Which is well below any industry standard.

But I was ultimately silenced and pushed aside.

This is all really just the surface level, there’s so much more I want to say but honestly it’s all so exhausting at this point and I’ve done everything I can.

I still struggle regularly with the emotional, mental, physical, and financial damage that was done to me over those years.

There are good people still working there, I’m friends with them, and I wish them the best.

TL;DR

Feb 2013 - Nov 2013. Unpaid Contract Work

Fugz = Fggt, reported to HR nothing was done

2013 Christmas "Bonus" $100. Long time members disapproved of said bonus

14hr work days, rush orders for same or next day videos

"Any time I brought up mistreatment or that “making fun of people in content only encourages the community to hate us” - I was waved away saying “IT’S JUST A JOKE! Ignore the comments!”" RT crunch caused pneumonia, no recovery period on return

Crunched harder, physically isolated "people even IN the company forgot I worked"

RT never fulfilled their deals promotion deals

15 hr work days

2016 came out as Trans, Transphobia harassment started

Acting Manager lied to the community and harassed me, HR did nothing and enabled harassment

Founding Fathers knew and did nothing. Said “too nice to work at Rooster Teeth” and "just quit and find somewhere else to work"

RT did not properly support medical insurance coverage

End 2020 Position Producer/Director, paid $40k. Next lowest paid person was $70k.

2019, forced to move to LA or get laid off. RT never paid moving costs. COVID forced remote jobs thus SAVING my job

RT INCREASES crunch during COVID

2021 Anniversary Stream Event. Had LIFE SAVING surgery, majority work stolen by coworker and blamed production failures on me during MEDICAL LEAVE.

BRG created to help with representation issues, mid 2021 RT said "we've done enough for the queer community" PRIDE stream events still mostly Cis/Het talents

Mistreatment of minorities in RT ignored "“the company is going through a lot right now just leave it alone"

Unpaid for VO work during tenure at RT, May Marigold and RWBY Fairy Tales included.

Handful of good people. Bad Company.