#i watched most of those streams live… like a million years ago..:

[neonkoii]

i’m rewatching the quackity attaway general youtube videos

[maxwellatoms]

Do you think were any kind of specific aspects of the culture, industry, economy, etc that made making cartoons in 90s / 2000s better or worse than trying to make them today?

They're literally different worlds.

As a 22 year old neurodivergent, I was able to pitch show ideas directly to executives. Part of that was because TV Animation wasn't a glamorous profession (quite yet), so the higher-ups were genuinely passionate about the medium. I earned good money for the time and was generally trusted to run my show and tend to the crew. I would periodically be handed portfolios, which I would personally review and pass on to other show runners. For the networks it was always corporate, cutthroat, and ultimately about the money, but as an artist you could still have a voice and make art while being paid a living wage.

The pay for a freelance storyboard in 2005 is almost exactly what it is today, but now you're likely to have less time and be required to do an animatic on top of it. Portfolios are online, and (beyond metrics) you'll probably never know if anyone looks at it or not.

Animation got big. Too big. The executives got "glamorous", then the talent got "glamorous". By then you probably wouldn't get a pitch meeting unless you were a celebrity or knew one willing to be connected to your project. Animation eventually got so big that it popped. And that's where we are now.

Most of the people I know from Kid's TV Animation are currently unemployed. I have been off Jellystone for over a year, and I'm starting to get genuinely worried. Like, "move away to save money" worried. Most of the employed artists I do know are on long-running legacy series, and they're concerned about their futures when/if those series end. Right now is not a fantastic time for "animation as a money-making profession". The "glamorous" part popped years ago.

That being said, there are still opportunities out there. If you're just starting out, apparently there's a planned surge in adult and pre-school animation. It's also a great time (as long as YouTube remains sane) to be crafting your own content. But I think that the time of Big Studio Patronage is over for most of the industry. It's up to the individual artist now more than ever, not only to make but to promote their own content.

Back at the height of Billy & Mandy, we mostly pulled fours and fives in the Neilsen ratings, but we occasionally got a seven. For reference, E.R. consistently got eights. It's difficult to say exactly how many people that actually was due to how those ratings work, but it was a big deal for the time. Millions. Enough people that if I had a dollar for each person that just watched that one episode, I would have been set for life. Now, nobody gets a seven. A four is huge. Back then there were maybe fifteen or twenty channels of programmed content as opposed to the streaming smorgasbord we were all just enjoying (and which now also seems to have popped). Point being, even though I wasn't paid-per-view, I was able to use those views as justification for an eventual raise. In modern times, streaming numbers are seemingly deliberately kept secret. You'll never really know how well your show was doing until it's over. Or maybe never.

In modern times, a million views on YouTube is enough to get you noticed online. It's a lower bar for entry in a way, but you've got to get there all by yourself. Once you're there (hello Hazbin) a network may indeed come and scoop you up. Even if they don't, you can probably make a decent living with numbers like that if you're savvy and willing to take the time.

I feel like I could go on all day, shaking my fist at the sky, gray-ass beard blowing in the wind. Was it better or easier making cartoons in the past? It seemed that way to me, but that was a world I knew. There was no AI to sell you out to, and the media was more of a "Wild West" than it is today. I do think that AI is going to continue to displace artists (and soon others), making it even more difficult to get anyone's eyes on anything at all.

Culturally, we lack the common touchpoints that bonded our society in the 20th Century. I suspect that the media landscape will continue to become more "bubbly" and disjointed unless some powerful force swoops in to mandate a common viewpoint. Those are two very divergent, uniquely tiring futures, each presenting a different challenge for an artist's survival.

Outside of whatever our modern world is, animation was made for a century by photographing drawings. If Émile Cohl could do it in 1908, you can do it now. It's a lot of labor, but maybe that's part of what makes it special.

[sissylittlefeather]

I'm sorry this took me a million years to write @sloppiest-of-jos! Anyway, I hope it lives up to what you were wanting!

Searching for You

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI, kissing, cussing, p in v penetrative sex, unprotected sex, creampie, and touch of angst

Word count: ~2.5k

"Elvis, you have a WIFE and a CHILD. Tell me again how you think this could possibly work out?!" Elvis sits in a chair, watching you pace around the room from behind his silver sunglasses.

"Honey, I've told you and told you. Those are my problems, not yours. I love you. I want you." He stands up and walks over to you, taking your hand gently and rubbing small circles on the back of it with his thumb. You look up at him and almost melt. Then, you yank your hand away and walk across the room.

"No! This has gone on for way too long." Memories of how you met on the set of the Singer special in '68 come screaming back to you. You think about him noticing you, a humble back up dancer for the bordello scene. He had walked straight to you and asked your name, not even bothering to pretend like he didn't like you. You'd seen him with the other girls and couldn't believe he was actually talking to you. But something about you caught his attention and he wasn't letting you get away. He invited you up to his dressing room after filming was finished and it didn't take long at all for you to end up naked on the couch, squirming as he brought you pleasure you had only ever dreamed about.

That was two years ago.

No matter how hard the two of you tried, you couldn't stay away from each other. The space between you was electric and you made ways to be together as often as possible, despite his marital status and your guilt. You fell hard and fast for him and he insisted he felt the same way, but he never entertained the possibility of ending his marriage.

On this particular occasion, you pace the floor half-dressed insisting this will be the last time. You're leaving California, removing yourself from the equation, and he is not pleased. Once you pull on the rest of your clothes, you point your shoe at him and yell.

"I'm done, Elvis. I'm done with being your back up girl to keep you company when your wife is gone. It hurts too much."

"Honey, it's not like that! You're the one I want! If anything, she's the back up girl."

"Then why won't you leave her?"

"I-I I can't."

"Yeah." You stuff your shoes on your feet and head for the door. "Goodbye, Elvis."

This isn't the first time you've had this argument, by far, but what Elvis doesn't know is that this time you're really leaving. You pack up all your things with tears streaming down your cheeks and head for home. The drive is long, but you've hit the end of your capacity for loving Elvis like this. You wonder how long it'll take him to figure out you're gone. Will he even care?

******

Elvis gives you two weeks to get over this most recent fight, sure that all he has to do is call you when Priscilla goes out of town. But when he does, your phone's been cut off. He hangs up and looks at the receiver in confusion. Surely you didn't actually leave.

He gets in his car and drives to your apartment. Maybe you've just changed your number and he needs to appeal to you in person. But when he knocks on your door, a man he doesn't recognize answers. He gets over his initial wave of jealousy and asks about you.

"Uh, I'm looking for y/n?"

"No one here by that name. Wait are you-?"

"Thanks." Elvis turns and walks quickly back to his car before the guy can ask him for anything.

When he gets back to his house, he calls all of his Memphis mafia into the living room and gives them an assignment. They need to find you and he wants it done yesterday. The guys all look at each other in mild panic and then head out to see what they can do while Elvis sits on the couch smoking a cigarillo trying to process his shock. You're really gone. Where on earth did you go?

******

After a week of Elvis wracking his brain and the guys bribing neighbors and friends, Sonny finally has a breakthrough.

"I was able to get ahold of her best friend at work."

"Yeah, and?"

"She went home to Kentucky."

"Home to Kentucky. Where in Kentucky?"

"She didn't know, but she said she knew it wasn't far from Nashville." Elvis rolls his eyes.

"What the hell does that even mean?! There are a lot of places in Kentucky that aren't far from Nashville. How does she define far?" Sonny looks at the ground and shakes his head.

"I don't know, boss. That's all she knew."

"Goddamnit." Elvis kicks the nearest table and Sonny looks at him hard.

"Might be time to give up on this one." Elvis meets his eyes with his eyebrows raised and then shakes his head.

"No. She's... no." He turns and heads for his bedroom. When he comes back with a suitcase, Sonny tries to stop him.

"Where you goin'?"

"Well, I guess I'm going somewhere in Kentucky that's not far from Nashville."

"You're really gonna go after her then?"

"Yes." Elvis gets in his car and starts on the road East towards Kentucky and you.

******

When Elvis finally makes it to Kentucky, he drives from small town to small town looking for you. He has a picture of you that he took one night that he shows to people. He has lots of pictures of you, but this is the only one appropriate for public consumption. He thanks God that he thought to take one with your clothes on one time. Honestly, it's his favorite photo of you because it's so naturally beautiful, your smile gentle and your hair a little messy from lovemaking.

The more he looks for you, the more it becomes apparent how much he loves you. He's been saying it for a while, but the emptiness he experiences at not knowing how to find you makes him know exactly how true it is. He loves you so much that he's driving around Kentucky just to find you again. How did he think he could give you up?

He's starting to lose hope when he comes across a preacher in a small town called Franklin. Exhausted and hopeless, he shows him the picture of you.

"That's y/n!"

"Yes!" Elvis looks up, shocked. "Do you know her?"

"Of course I do. I baptized her, didn't I?" Elvis laughs and hugs the man.

"Is she here? Where can I find her?"

"I haven't seen her in a long time, but if she's in town, she'll be at her parents' house." He gives Elvis the address just as it begins to rain. For the first time in weeks, Elvis is filled with hope and he decides he'll do anything to get you back.

He pulls up in front of the address that the preacher gave him and his heart beats wildly. He's so close to being with you again. The steady rain soaks him to the bone and he knocks on your front door and waits for someone to open it.

You see him through the windows and panic. How the hell did he find you here?! You know you won't be able to resist him if he talks to you, so you run outside and jump in your car, backing out of the driveway quickly.

But he sees you and tries to run to the car.

"Honey, wait! I just wanna talk to ya!" You focus on the road ahead and step on the gas to get away. Elvis runs back to his car and jumps into the driver's seat, starting the engine and throwing it in drive. He tries to catch up to you, but you're driving like a crazy person. The rain is still coming down pretty hard and he starts to worry about you driving like this. As you head out of town, your car spins off the road into a ditch and he realizes he was right to be concerned. Thankfully, because of the spinning, you don't hit the ditch too hard. He parks and jumps out of the car to run to you. You manage to get the door open and stumble out.

That's when you feel strong arms around you. The familiarity of them makes you cry and you shake with sobs as he holds you. He stands there in the soft rain, stroking your hair and whispering to you.

"You're okay, honey. I've got you. You're okay." After several minutes of this, you pull away from him and yell.

"What are you doing here Elvis?!"

"I needed to see you."

"Why?!" He pushes a piece of rain-soaked hair behind your ear.

"Because I love you, baby." You look up at him, your eyes wide as the rain continues to fall on you both.

"No! I'm not falling into this with you again!"

"Honey, I drove across the country to find you. Is that not enough to prove that I'm serious?!"

"Where's your wife, Elvis?" He groans and pulls his wedding ring off of his finger.

"I don't care." He turns and throws the ring into the patch of trees and you gasp.

"Elvis, that was worth a lot of money!"

"Maybe, but I don't want it anymore. I don't want her anymore. I want you, ya stubborn brat."

"Why?" He rolls his eyes. His patience is wearing thin as the two of you stand in the cold rain together.

"Because I'm so in love with you I can't even think straight when you're not around."

"I don't believe you."

"Y/n! Do you know how many small towns I've been to in Kentucky looking for you?! I love you so much I can't even imagine my life without you." You contemplate what he's saying. This is a long road to travel for casual sex. Maybe he does love you as much as he says he does, but there's still too many complications.

"How, Elvis-?"

"I'm leaving Priscilla." Your heart stops. Is he serious? "I can't live another minute without you. You're all I think about from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. Honey, I will do anything to prove to you that I want you and no one else."

You look up at him, your heart so full of love for him that you feel like it might burst.

"You'd really do that? Leave your wife and the mother of your child. For me?"

"Yes. I should never have married her in the first place."

"Elvis..."

"All my life I've been searching for you. I just didn't know it. I should've waited. But I'm here now and I'm telling you. I love you more than life itself. Let me love you, honey."

And then you utter two syllables that will change your life forever.

"Okay." In the blink of an eye, he wraps himself around you, his mouth pressed to yours in a passionate kiss. He grabs the back of your thighs and lifts you so that your legs are around his waist, his lips never leaving yours. The rain has softened, so he carries you to the hood of his car and sets your bottom down. You've never kissed anyone with such fervor before. It's like you're trying to melt into one another with the way you press yourselves together. You arch your back as he rolls his hips forward into you, his erection pushing against you through his pants. He runs his hands up your thighs and pulls your panties down under your mini skirt. His thumb runs up your slit to the bundle of nerves at the top and he begins to rub circles there. You drop your head backwards and moan loudly. Without another thought, you unzip his pants and pull his cock out, stroking it slowly with your hand. He groans and kisses down your neck, while you pull him to you and run the tip of his dick up and down your entrance. He mutters against your lips.

"You're such a tease, honey."

"Yeah, but you love me."

"God, I really do. So fucking much." He thrusts his hips forward and pushes into you, almost filling you in one motion. You cry out with pleasure when he does and lean back against the car. He pulls out and thrusts forward again, grunting. This time his hips meet yours as his entire cock is inside you. He makes a sound that's somewhere between a whimper and a moan and begins to slide in and out of you, pounding you to the steady rhythm of the rain.

The sensation of him slamming against you is enough to push you over the edge and you tumble headfirst into an intense orgasm, moaning and writhing and pulsing around him.

"Fuck, honey, I love you." You pull him down on top of you and whisper in his ear.

"I love you too." It's the first time you've ever said it back to him. He whimpers and kisses down your neck to your cleavage, never changing his steady pace of pumping into you. You can tell by the way his thrusting becomes more erratic that he's getting close too.

Finally, he slams into you hard and shudders against you, filling you with ropes of cum. It's also the first time he's ever cum inside you: another indicator that he's serious about you.

The rain has slowed to a drizzle as he collapses on top of you, spent and breathing heavily. He slides out of you and stands up, pulling you into a sitting position on the hood of his car.

"Come home with me, honey." He kisses your cheek affectionately and then backs up to look you in the eye, his blues ones seeing straight through to your soul. You couldn't tell him no even if you wanted to.

"I gave up my apartment."

"I want you to live with me." You raise your eyebrows.

"You still have a wife."

"I won't for long. I'll buy us a house. Just please say you'll come home with me." You nod and lean your forehead against his chest.

"I'm yours, Elvis." He tips your chin up to look at him.

"And I'm yours." He kisses your lips tenderly. "Now come on. Let's get out of the rain."

He drives you back to your parents' house, where you both change into dry clothes and settle on the couch together. Surprisingly, he's perfectly comfortable there with your mom and dad. He stays for a few days with you, letting you give him the grand tour of your hometown. Eventually, you head back to California together. Your car is totaled, so he promises to buy you a new one once you get home.

He wastes no time in leaving Priscilla and starting divorce proceedings. In the meantime, he buys the two of you a cozy little love nest and you're perfectly happy there with him.

The Kentucky rain was a baptism of sorts and you both came out of it changed for the better. It's not always smooth sailing, he is Elvis Presley after all, but you're happy more often than not. You never run away again, though you know he'd chase you if you did. And every time it rains, he holds you close and you remember the cold Kentucky rain.

******

The End

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @tacozebra051 @your-nanas-house @deniseinmn @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows @60svintage @littlehoneyposts @epthedream69 @louisejoy86 @rjmartin11 @from-memphis-with-love @deltafalax @atleastpleasetelephone @cinnamoroll-things @burnthheparaphilia @jhoneybees @cattcb @everythingelvispresley @returntopresley

[eugenedebs1920]

Some good news for democracy!!!

My whole life, there was not a single politician who claimed an election was rigged (my first presidential election was Al Gore won the state of Florida but Bush jr dad’s buddies on the Supreme Court decided otherwise but, that’s a story for another day) and ever since, 🤔 hmmm who was it? Oh yea!! It was the failed businessman turned reality tv personality who is a highly unserious immature f*ck and was claiming the 2016 election was going to be rigged until he won. I think we all recall what happened in 2020 with the insurrection and the fraudulent electors… I digress…

This has been a tactic of late. Because millennials, GenZ and whoever are the most open minded, accepting, diverse, generations, with access to knowledge that our parents did not have, we tend to be liberal. We don’t believe that he earth was made in 7 days, some guy lived in the belly of a wail, or that some old man in the sky watched me at all times. We have spirituality, we also have science that answers the questions that were unanswerable a few centuries ago and don’t need mythology to explain sh*t for us… Again. I digress.

Because Republicans can’t win playing by the rules, they either cheat, or change the rules mid stream. Don’t believe me? Check out the save act, look to see how much voter fraud has been found, look at every red state and their restrictive voting laws. Republicans want to make it harder to vote, they want to purge registration lists, they want to throw out votes that aren’t for them, or now, they simply say it was rigged.

Tell me! Your a noncitizen, you have a single vote out of 170 million votes, if you decide to try and cast a vote illegally you get thrown in prison for at least 5 years, over a $100,000 fine and more than likely deported. Are you to risk all that for 1/170,000,000 of the overall vote? I didn’t think so.

The “traditional” ideology of the so called conservatives (although I’m not sure what there conserving because it ain’t the rule of low, it’s not democratic principles, it’s certainly not the environment, it can’t be family values so… might want to change their label) is irrelevant, it’s debunked, a fraud, fake. So to retain power they cheat, they disenfranchise, they restrict voters from their ability to participate in the process of voting.

So this smug prick claiming he was cheated, then trying to nullify the votes of 65,000 North Carolinians, a large chunk being service members overseas, finally having to concede… It’s great!!!

You can’t betray your constituents and get votes from them. You can’t alienate anyone who isn’t white and expect them to vote for you. You can’t make policies that go against the interests of those you represent. You can’t be bad at governing and expect to win.

Most of all. You can’t love your country only when you win.

You change with the times. The times don’t change with you.

[netherfeildren]

Someone's Wife in the Boat of Someone's Husband .Epilogue

Series Masterlist

(Joel Miller x F!Reader)

Rating: Explicit 18+

A/N: Here we find ourselves again at the end of another story, and I just need to say a quick thing to you all who have been so incredibly kind and supportive and lovely to me throughout this. It has always been difficult for me to talk about myself and the things I feel, and a large part of why I began this writing thing was that I’ve felt for a while now that my life was stagnant and myself without growth or change, and I didn’t really know how to fix it, but I knew that I wanted to do something or say something, and writing fan fiction may seem like a frivolous sort of avenue to achieve those things, but what you all have given me, and the warmth and support you all have welcomed me with, cannot be compared to anything else I’ve experienced thus. Quite simply, you all have been so fucking nice to me, and you can’t know what it means to me or how grateful I am for it. So really that’s all I want to say which is a million times thank you, and I appreciate you all so much, and I hope I can continue to write for you for a long time to come. 

Artwork is Cloud Nine by Amy Beager (2021)

Word Count: 1.3K

Read on AO3

.Epilogue

A place belongs forever to whoever claims it hardest, remembers it most obsessively, wrenches it from itself, shapes it, renders it, loves it so radically that he remakes it in his own image.

Joan Didion, The White Album

I had a dream recently: we’re in my grandmother’s house, and I don’t know what it means, but we’re together. You’ll never be able to know my parents, and even though my grandmother passed years ago, you get to meet her here – she was always kind to me, here in this place where only I make the rules. She cooks us a meal, we say grace, and she tells you how happy she is that we've found each other. At night, tucked away into her guest bedroom together, you don’t fit in her little shower, head knocking against the spout because you’re too tall. Too big for this world. We huddle into the little double bed together in the dark afterwards, lace edged pillows scratchy and smelling faintly of moths and roses, and we laugh and press together tightly and whisper into each other’s ears. 

I don't know what it means, but I know we’re together. My mother never told me to be what I wanted, but I did so anyway. I chose to live. Now I am here with you. 

-

“I have something for you,” he says one late summer evening. The two of you are sitting on the back porch, watching Sarah run around with the new puppy he’d brought home for her earlier in the week. The air, warm and muggy, the sound of cicadas sounding like the symphony of summertime. It is a small, velvet lined black box, and when you open it, a spool of thread lies within. 

Faithlessness is escaped like this: “The first time I got married, it was out of necessity, obligation, a wish for something good or right. It seemed like the right step, the right thing to do, but I think you and I– we know what we are to each other. We have always known – even when we could not yet say it. This is a conscious act, us loving one another, an act of will – out of desire or necessity, even, or perhaps – a necessity for each other – but still, we are an act of will together.”

He takes the spool then, and makes a loop of the thread around your ring finger – then ties a little knot around you. Now you are caught. 

“I thought I always had to stick by my decisions until the end, but change is only natural, it’s the intent behind your decisions, I think, that’s what really counts. We’ve learned much about intent together, haven’t we? And you and I, we have always been us –  from the very first moment. There was a thread that connected us.” And you cannot speak, for there are tears streaming down your face and flooding your throat, battling with your very heart that’s lodged there too, but you nod anyway.

He pulls his hand back and lets the spool unravel, when he uncurls his fingers a diamond ring slides down the thread and onto your waiting hand.

“You and I – we’re connected,” he says. “Every day we become more entwined. And I want us to stay like this for the rest of our lives. Every day more and more. Will you marry me?” And it is not so much a question, but a promise. 

“Yes,” you tell him. Of course you will be his wife. “Of course, I will.” He kisses you. 

-

You wake one lazy Sunday morning, months and months of happiness later, your head anchored over his heart. Warm and soft and surrounded by him, you open your eyes to take in the sight of your hand laying over his heart, the gleam of your engagement ring sparkling in the sun. You stretch your legs and listen to the creak in your knee, and when you shift to turn your face up to him, he’s already looking down at you. 

“My love, it’s almost noon,” he murmurs, presses a kiss to your eyelid.

Your eyes are so heavy, your head drowsy, “‘M so sleepy, dunno why…” You burrow further back into his chest, yawning. 

“No?” he nuzzles the crown of your head, hand creeping around to cup your breast and gently drag his thumb back and forth across your nipple 

“I had a dream we had a baby,” you mumble, voice full of sleep.

“Did you?”

“Yeah,” you say through another yawn.

“Hmm…” He shifts up on his elbow over you, pressing a soft kiss to your shoulder, another over the curve of your ear. You roll into him, hiding your face under his jaw and breathing in his smell, sleep and musk and Joel. “What was it like?” he asks softly, dragging his hand down the length of your spine. “Tell me.”

“It was perfect. She was perfect.”

“She?”

You hum, “Little baby girl…”

He’s quiet for a moment, and then the tolling of the bell: “Your period’s three weeks late, sweet girl,” he whispers into your ear, shares the secret with you, nuzzles into the crook of your neck. His palm sweeps over your belly, and you freeze at his words, thinking back, trying to count days, finally snapping truly awake. 

“What? Why– why didn’t you say anything?”

A deep sound hums in his chest as his hand sneaks over your hip to clutch a handful of your ass, and then to cup between your legs, pressing his growing erection into the apex of your thighs.“Thought you’d want to come to it on your own.” He kisses the tip of your breast over your soft, lace camisole. 

You don’t cry anymore, or, well, at least not as often as you once did. A constant well of tears ready to spill over at any moment. No longer a weeper, in a long line of weepers. There’s just too much happiness for that now. 

But you cry now, at this, you can’t help yourself. The feeling of this, the idea of the two of you coming together to make your own little person, a sibling for Sarah, it’s a call for happiness of the highest order, like nothing else that’s ever come before it. He holds you in his arms, kisses you deep and wet, and as he licks into your mouth, you feel his own tears slide along your cheeks, intertwine with your own.

-

He finds the two of you singing and dancing to Shania Twain in the family room, Sarah’s own special, revised version, one afternoon. Bumping hips, and then clutching hands to spin Sarah away from your body, and then twirl her back in, squeezing her tight in your arms, picking her up to spin around with her yourself as the two of you sing at each other. 

His daughter catches him spying over your shoulder, “Daddy, come dance with us!” and you turn, gracing him with the sight of your gorgeous smile, as he comes over to wrap his arms around the two of you, relieving you of her weight. He anchors a hand to the small of your back to steady you, feeling the small swell of your belly press into his pelvis. Let me let you in on a secret, Shania sings.

“You wanna hear it?” you tease. How to treat a woman right.

“Don’t I know already?”

You sway in his arms and he brings his hand up to cup the back of your head, Sarah’s little palm is on his cheek, tugging at his beard, spin us, Daddy, spin us!

“Yeah, baby, you do. Like no one else.” He kisses you, and the three of you spin together, around and around. You’ll see love is gonna play its part.

Netherfeildren's Masterlist

[especiallythewomenandthechildren]

As If Destiny (part six)🌹

Part Five🌹

PLEASE READ WARNINGS FOR THIS PART! If any section makes you uncomfortable, please take care of yourself and stop reading. The beginning is especially dark so please feel free to skip ahead to the first line break:

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

Warnings: Terminal illness, parent death, death and brutality (it is the hunger games after all) Witnessed death and accidental suicide. Insanity suspected and potrayed. characters may be ooc. I read the book a while ago but don't really remember much of Snows way of thinking (I mean I know its toxic and insane but yk the other things) so I will mostly be basing off the film and my own thoughts. Also I can't spell for the life of me so be prepared for bad spelling and grammar. Enjoy loves!

The flowers just seemed to keep on coming. And coming. And coming.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

Of all of the Capitals wealth, the flowers were only the deep color of blood.

It disgusted you.

But that's what it all looked like to your tear covered eyes. Your vision has been blurry since yesterday morning. Since the cold metal of the golden necklace hit your neck.

Reflecting the cold body of your mother.

The funeral feels as if it going on too slow yet too fast. The fake pledges of sorrow and shows of mourning were suffocating you. But saying goodbye is coming too soon. You've had months to say goodbye and yet you chose to run away, your consciousness hissed at you.

The necklace on your neck felt heavy as you picked up the two dangling rings. Those same rings have always brought a sense of comfort and nostalgia as they were a tell tale sign of your mother. You've seen them a million times but never noticed them.

One was a deep gold with vine engravings covering the entirety of the surface. In the middle was a beautiful light green colored stone that seemed to have endless mirroring panels that shone in the light. On the inside there was a small phrase: "To love, alive and ever lasting. "

The engraved words of commitment seemed to have brought new warm and silent tears streaming across your face. The ring must have been your mother's wedding ring as that was your father's declaration to always love her in his wedding vows.

Of course, you only know this because of the countless nights he stayed up watching her withering form. He kept on re-telling her his vows, remembering every word every time.

She never said a word back.

The other ring seemed far older due to the more dusty look of the gold surface. There were engravings of a family crest, symbolizing the Emberidges. Your mother's maiden name and what used to be one of the longest standing powerful families in all of Panem.

While the family blood lived on in you, the name was sacrificed as you took your father last name, the more recently powerful in comparison: Vaun.

You knew that your mother wasn't an only child but her funeral had no appearance of her siblings. Unlike your fathers dear sister who seemed to be in the act of consoling him in the moment and who has been a crucial pillar of care these past twenty eight hours.

No, any maternal aunts and uncles were butchered in the war. Your uncle Averic was deployed to District 12 and martyred in the dense woods. That day was a dark day for all of the Capital. Not only did the head of House Emberidge fall, leaving no children, but so did the head of House Snow, leaving behind only eight-year-old Coriolanus.

And of all the deaths that day, the one that crushed you the most, the heir of House Vaun. Your dear older brother. He was only fifteen when he reportedly butchered by the rebels. They did not deem him fit for a quick death.

While her brother and nephew fought across the nation, you aunt Fiora was behind in the freezing capital like most. She was the youngest of the siblings, only a mere twenty three years old.

When news came of Alerics death, she couldn't handle the suffocation she felt. And to all of the family's pleas to stay inside, she fled. It had been days of dread and being on the look out when you and sometimes Rhayen went searching for food. The coming day of finding her was a harshly rainy one.

You were once again scouring for something to eat when you had saw Clemensia doing the same. You both had shared a look of understanding in your sunken, tired eyes. Something that should have been beyond the years of two eight year olds.

You scoured for any viable sources of nutrition, jumping over and running around the countless dead bodies. Neither of you look at them too long. The sight horrifying for your young eyes and any in general. Clemensia noticed a few bags of moldy peaches and potatoes. You both nearly ran into the nearby wall in excitement. Splitting it evenly, you bid eachother goodbye and wished thr other to be safe. The streets of the crumbled capital were crawling with vultures and bandits who were more than willing to kill for any food. It could be the peaches and potatoes in your hands.

Or more grimly: your hands.

Those thoughts were intensified when you heared the crush of glass behind you.

Please no.

Please just let me get the food to my family.

You didn't have much of a choice but to run as fast as your little legs could take you. As soon as you picked up speed, so did the clearly heavier and older feer behind you. It was clear that you couldn't outrun them so you had to do what you were always warned of: run into the alleys.

You ran through murky puddles as the rain somehow intensified. The alley twisted and curved leading to who knows where. The feet behind you were not distancing themselves from you, motivating you as you began to naturally slow. You scanned the area for any stairs or holes or anything. Down the street, you found a shaky looking staircase. It was risky, but it was a better option than being someone else's meal.

Bags of food still in hand, you forced your tiny body to march the stairs, even taking two at a time.

As soon as you began stepping on the higher level stairs, the previous wooden step broke off and shattered on the ground on impact. That only made your feet go faster. The scream of the man behind you was heard. The same could be said for the sound of his body hitting the ground.

By the time the roof came into view, you were completely out of breath and collapsed onto the solid surface. You had only grasped your breath when you realized you weren't alone. You looked up to see an extremely dishevelled looking woman. Her hair was all knotted and looked as if it was ripped out in certain parts. She was pacing back and forth mubbiling incoherently.

You weren't sure what to do, absolutely horrified by her presence but you couldn't go down the way you came as the stairs were destroyed.

The roof was completely empty expect for a small unit of machinery. Rushing to hide, you didn't notice a few stones in your path. You fell head first but saved yourself with now scraped hands. However, the thud of your body alerted the frantic woman. She seemed feral to you but as her wild eyes searched you, she was no longer just a maniac.

She was your aunt Fiora.

"Cloria? Oh Cloria you are so young!" Her tear stained eyes ran over your figure and she quickly made her way to you, caressing your cheeks. This was the first instance of the now common occurance of your identity confused with your mother.

"Aunt Fi?" You asked wearily, using the nickname to possibly bring her back to reality. But all did was enrage her.

"Fi? FI? How dare you!" Her rage fueled her hand to hit you straight across the cheek. You face felt as if it was burning and tears began forming in your eyes. Your skin felt raw in the place of impact.

But Fiora was off in her own world. Her voice softend but not in realization of her actions. She drifted off into memory and nostalgia.

"Aleric was the one who made it up. Everyone called me that but he made me feel special. He always protected me you know!" Her voice began to crack and the anger came back to fill it. "I'm going to make them suffer. Every last one of them. I will burn their woods to the ground as each of them are tied to a tree for what they did. I swear it! You hear me!" Her impossibly loud declaration was told to the wind as she seemed to have forgotten your presence.

You took your chance to run to the hiding spot you intended. You grabbed the fallen bags and were nearly there when shrieks of insanity hit your ears. You turned to see your aunt clawing at her face while mumbling threats and death wishes.

Blood began pouring and an especially painful scream was heared as she cut her eye. But she didn't stop, the pain only seeming as more encouragement.

You could do nothing but watch the horror show.

You could do nothing as she got closer and closer to the ledge.

You could do nothing as she fell backwards over the edge.

You could do nothing as the sound of her body splattering echoed.

You could do nothing as you heard a group of men with swords ensuring themselves dinner.

Her screams kept on ringing in your ears as they began mixing in with the recent screams of your mother. They sounded so similar.

Is that how I will sound when I am about to die?

Any further thought was cut off by a hand on your arm. You look up to see who it belongs to when a pair of warm brown eyes filled with sympathy meet yours.

"The funeral is over y/n." He says it quietly in the now abandoned graveyard. What goes unsaid is now you have to officially say goodbye.

You look up to him, pleading for just a little more time. But you both know, you have to say goodbye eventually. You take a deep breath and slide your arm into Sejanus's as you walk over to the casket. You didn't know what to say as the words "goodbye" felt too heavy on your tongue.

Your finger brushed the fine wood untill your hand fully stopped on top of where you assumed her heart to be. You were speechless in sorrow and could do nothing but bend over and kiss the top of the casket, near her head. You gave one last look and turned to Sejanus. He gave you an understanding nod.

You both turned as he slide his arm around you for comfort. The walk to your car where a clearly broken Rhayen stood was silent. When you reached the door, Sejanus opened it for you.

"Are you sure you wouldn't feel more comfortable staying with us? Just for a few days?"

You shook your head in response. "I might stay with aunt Aeris with dad. But I don't want to abandon her home too." You said it heavily and he understood.

Sejanus always understood.

He gave you a small nod and weak smile as he gently closed the door. The closer you got to your home, the more gray the sky became.

How fitting.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

The silence of your penthouse was eerie. It seemed to strangle you with the lack of movement. The house felt cold and empty, void of all life. Rhayen had politely retreated to his quarters.

He had basically lost a daughter. There was no way you were going go ask him of any favors or demands. Not like you needed anything. There was plenty of food sent over by ma plinth. It smelled and looked wonderful but you weren't hungry. Your stomach was full with nausea.

You walked into the foyer, lit up by the open windows displaying the gray skies dimming the Capital. The stone was cold beneath your feet as you surveyed the darkly decorated room. It seemed that in that empty moment, every ounce of emotion rushed through your system. All you could remember was crumbling to the floor in anguish. You weren't sure how long you stayed like that, but by the time you had been interrupted with a knock on the door, the windows showed a night sky. You assumed it was Sejanus or his ma checking in on you, so you just quickly wiped your face and blew your nose and not taking a real moment to clean your appearance.

Your feet took hurried steps to the door and opened it to see two tall blondes staring back at you. Tigris and Coriolanus are definitely not your expected guests.

Tirgis took one look at your state and leaned over into your space to give you a comforting and genuine hug. You were slightly suprised but readily returned it. You felt protected in her hug, a feeling you've felt absent of lately.

She pulled back to look into your eyes and check over your face. You nodded in reassurance that you will be fine and shifted focus to her cousin. In his hands were stunning white roses.

"We know how hard today has been for you and we don't wish to stay long. We just wanted to give our sentiment and see if you needed anything." Coriolanus said in a tone of fright that he will make you uncomfortable.

You smiled, something that seemed to surprise you all. "Thank you both truly. Please come in!" You opened the door wider so they could follow you but they shared a look of discomfort.

"Y/N, thank you but we wished to just drop by quickly. We don't want to be a burden. You don't have to treat us with those guest pleasantries." Tigris contrasted.

"You said you wanted to help in any way you could correct?" The pair nod in agreement. "Well I think if I had some company would certainly help me right now. Being on my own doesn't seem to be the best option." You softly confessed. There was a shared look between the two before you grabbed Tigris's hand and dragged her in, Coriolanus following after.

Your three walked into your foyer that opened into your kitchen. You motioned for the two to get comfortable as you took the flowers out of the younger cousins hands. Taking a closer look, you realized that these pearly white flowers looked home grown. You laughed grimly.

"A bouquet of grandma'ams roses."

Tigris looked between the two of you, with a sad expression as she took in your deflated form and Coryo's clouded over eyes.

You turned to find a vase to put them in as the tall boy mumbled. You couldn't really make out what it was but Tigris heard him loud and clear.

"You weren't supposed to get them like this."

He shook his head in defeat as you began watering the precious roses, your back facing him.

You turned back around as you placed the case down in the center of the cabinet island.

"Please tell grandma'am thank you, it means a lot." Tigris smiled back in response with a promise to relay your gratitude. The sound of grumbling stomachs filled the now empty room and you jumped to action.

"Y/N please! Just sit down, we will be out of your hair in no time, please just rest!" Tigris was quick to intervene as you scurried around the kitchen, fixing the two a plate from the plentiful food Ma Plinth cooked up. You refused any sort of opposition and claimed that it would be a waste of such food.

Tigris turned around, expecting support from her younger cousin but was met with nothing but distracted eyes. He knew what you were doing.

If you stood still too long, you would begin thinking. Thinking would lead you to drowning in your sorrow. That's why you took any distraction and threw yourself in it. He knew it wasn't healthy and reality would hit you hard.

But maybe when it does, he will be there to help you back up.

For now, he looks at you with such emotion and rawness in his eyes as he thanked you.

You felt that he was the one who deserved thanks, letting you work out your emotion. Eventually, Tigris realized that she wasn't getting anywhere and surrendered to the delicious meal set in front of her. You placed a small amount of food for yourself to not make them feel awkward. However, much to your relief, your conversation was anything but.

The topics ranged from literature to the most recent capital gossip and everything in between. Who would have thought that on one of the worst days of your life you would be laughing so hard. You may have drowned yourself in guilt if you thought too hard on it but it was impossible with every quip and bicker between the three of you.

It was a few hours in when the sudden thought of Coriolanus's pen hit your mind.

"Oh Coryo, I completely forgot to give you back the pen I stole!"

That made Tigris laugh a bit more. You seemed so concerned for such a small matter. The boy who was supposedly "robbed" try to assure you that no harm was done but you refused.

"I'll be right back! Please feel free to grab anymore food and don't you dare be shy!" You demanded as you walked backwards and turned around when you hit the stairs, rushing up to your room.

The path to your room wasn't very far and as soon as you entered, you saw the shiny white and red pen on your desk. It had been a useful distraction yesterday in the painful drive back to your home infested with death and sorrow. You took a deep breath, pushing away the thoughts and grabbed the pen.

You walked back out in a fast pace until you came to a sudden stop. You stood right infront of the doorway of your mother's old makeshift hospital.

Oh how quick the new becomes the old.

The room looked as if it had never even been touched. No cords, pillows, tissues, or mess anywhere. Clean, tidy, and no trace of a cold, decaying life. You weren't sure how long you stood brooding before the sound of glass shattering shook you out of your haze.

In a panic, you rushed down the stairs to be met with the screams of your enraged father. Rhayen was also there and seemed to try to calm him but he kept pushing the elderly man off of him.

"How dare you both! I know the Snows never had any shame but how dare you walk into my home after such a tragedy! Were my son and wife not enough for you?! What need do you have to take the last good thing in my life?!"

You could hear the rage clearly but the heartbreak in his voice was even more evident.

What broke your heart was the sight of Tigris, clearly holding back tears as she thought over all her actions to see what she did wrong. Your eyes shifted slightly to Coriolanus who no longer held the soft expression he showed around you and his cousin. He had his mask shifted back into place, simply taking the attack from the older man.

"Sir please! I know they meant no harm, they are friends of young y/n!" Rhayen's pleas did nothing more than shift your father's anger towards him.

"Friends? And you knew of this and yet did nothing?! You vowed to protect her and you let her associated with such monste-"

"STOP! They are nothing of the sort and simply came to check in on me! They care for me. Nothing but pure and good care and concern!"

You felt your emotion being held back but such a slim shield you put up to ensure as much authority and confidence in your voice.

Your sudden presence shocked your father as he tried to get you to go back up to your outright refusal. His patience had worn thin.

"Your mother is barely cold and you have brought shame upon her memory!"

You couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They weren't violent as you would have expected but silent and delicate. Your body felt nauseous and faint as if you had just been pounced on. The words cut your already shambled heart and formed little scars of pain.

With a deep breath, you looked past your so called father.

"Thank you Tigris and Coryo." You put and emphasis on the nickname as a message to your father. "I am so sorry, please make it home safely."

They both nodded solemnly and Rhayes began to show them the door before being violently pulled back by the man he was now employed under. Even after everything he said, your father still felt the need to show that the Snows were not even woth a servants time.

Tigris looked straight ahead as she walked past the hate filled man and a quick look at you, which you met with an apologetic smile. Coriolanus, however, met his eyes with no sign of emotion expect defiance. You knew how proud Coryo was of his family's name and it was one of the few possessions of his that he could flaunt.

And to have it so openly dragged was not going to be let down easily. You wondered if he would it against you.

But right before he would have vanished from your viewpoint, he looked back at you with those ever melting deep blue orbs. Even after all he endured, he wanted to check if you were okay.

Any possible communication you could have sent his way was cut off by your father moving in between the sight of you two. The blonde boy got the message and with a soft scoff, made his way out the tension filled apartment.

As soon as the door shut, your father turned his gaze to you. Noticing you were still crying, he softened. But you didn't care. You just shook your head and Rhayen's arms came over your shaking body in comfort. Even in the silence of the penthouse, it was hard to hear your paind and soft voice. But they were sharp enough to cut your father's fury.

"I miss mom.You made me realize just how much I miss her."

You didn't want to see his expression or hear any lecture so you made your way up to your room as fast as you could.

You broke away from Rhayen's embrace, leaving him to be in the uncomfortable presence of your father.

"I did the right thing Rhayen. History was repeating itself!" He tried to justify his actions towards the young heirs of Snow.

Rhayen walked past the disgruntled man to the kitchen where the shattered vase and flowers now lay.

When your father walked into your home looking for his daughter, he was met with two blonde heads who looked far too comfortable for his taste. Then the sight of the pristine white roses came into view and memories flooded his system and rage. He couldn't throw the vase against the marble fast enough.

Rhayen sighed, exhausted as he swept up the victims of anger. "You can't say history is repeating if it isn't the same story. Different story, Tyre."

The man in question wasn't convinced and kept on going, pacing back and forth on the other side of the mess.

"I thought she was with Sejanus. He is a good boy. She is safe with him. Why can't she be satisfied with safe? And his parents love y/n! They always rave about her, especially his mother. It even makes me feel jealous!" That made Rhayen scoff.

Oh Tyre sure was jealous but not of the Plinths.

The glass was nearly all cleaned up now, the long serving man was just taking extra measures as Tyre couldn't seem to stop ranting. He knew the man was struggling with the loss of his wife and taking it out on young y/n was just an unfortunate reaction to it.

"Do you know what Casca told me? The Snows are poor. Dirt poor Rhayen! And that peasant has the audacity to walk in here and act as if he is worth a second of my daughter's time! And did you see the way he looked at me! THE WAY HE LOOKED AT HER- Hey! Throw those out! I don't want to see them for a second longer."

Your father declared his distaste to the flowers Rhayen had brushed off and ensured protection.

"I am sorry sir but they seem to be gifts to miss y/n. And if what you heard was true, such roses as these must have been quite expensive and precious, a luxury the Snows could not afford. Yet, the bouquet was gifted." Rhayen offered and began his trudge up the large stairs.

Tyre Vaun couldn't think of anything that would change the elder man's mind. However, at the top of the stairwell, Rhayen turned with one last message.

"The boy grew up without his father. And I think in this case, it was for the best."

Maybe in the case of the son of Crassus Snow, growing up without the cold father really was for the best.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

You stared up at your textured ceiling as you twirled Coryo's pen in your hand. You stopped thinking a while ago. You just let your mind be taken over the fog as your finger played with the odd texture of the pen. There was clearly something engraved but due to the white surface, you couldn't tell what.

Your little escape of peace from today's activities was interrupted by the knock and subsequent opening of your cream colored door. You turned your head and a relieved sigh was breathed between your lips. Rhayen walked in with one hand behind his back.

He opened the small light near your desk for some light in your dark room but not the overhead ones as to to not burn your eyes. The small action brought a small smile and warmth to your heart.

But that warmth spread all over as you saw what he was hiding behind his back. The beautiful roses of Coriolanus. You looked up at him with a look that you warm even the coldest of men.

He smiled at your joy. "I couldn't save the vase, but I think these are what matter." You take the roses in you hands as you just sat there astonished.

Even though they were flung across the room and smashed, they seemed even more beautiful than before. In the dim dark light, their little rips and dips just added to their radiance.

You were so engrossed with the roses that you didn't notice Rhayen leave your room, closing the door behind him. Getting up, you moved the bouquet to the vase that stood proudly in the middle of your vanity with the other white flowers Coryo picked for you on your walk.

It brought you a great amount of joy that the flowers that joined it were from the same charming boy.

When you walked back to your bed, a small note caught your eye. You unraveled it and a shiny ring fell out. In fear of losing it, you quickly pick it up. Taking a brief look, it was a bright silver with small dazzling blue diamonds surrounding the surface. Your attention is returned to the note.

"This was gifted to your sweet mother when she was your age. You wear her face, her character, and now her rings. It would be an offense to her not to share this last part of her. Don't tell your father but be patient with him. And remember your mother's words: don't change sweet girl."

The letter wasn't signed but you could tell from the slightly messy and angled handwriting it was from Rhayen. He had taught himself to write and you knew he would use the skill whenever he had the chance. And you were most glad that he used it now.

Even though the note and the words within them suprised you slightly. You put the note by the flowers and took the ring in your hands.

Beneath the light, all the details were brought out. The small diamonds were more than there for show. In fact there placement was quite intentional. It seemed that thousands of miniature diamonds were placed to form a beautiful shape, each a bit different than the others on either side.

As you slid the ring in place with the others on your neck, you take a moment to look at yourself in the mirror. On either side, there was a golden ring but in the middle stood out a bright silver.

A ring that dazzled in the light and the dark.

The ring of a thousand snowflakes.

The ring of Snow.

⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry if you got notification that it posted earlier and saw nothing, tumblr was freaking our on me and kept on posting my drafts! I know this was far longer than the last part, thank you for reading. And I am sorry if this was a bit too dark but I think it's important for context later in the story and especially readers struggle with the Hunger Games and morals. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! Much love! ❤️

@notyourwildestdream 🌹@darktrashsoulbear🌹@fantasylovestoryme 🌹@nekee-lilac02 🌹@a-avengerparker 🌹 @queenofshinigamis 🌹@darlingisntit 🌹

[jimin-bangtan]

BangtanTV YouTube highlight: RELEASES

Bangtan Year, BTS Year, BoraYear, Comeback Year... Whatever name you'd like to call 2025, we are now in the year where BTS and fans are to be reunited, so it's time to prepare.

Fans have already begun saving for and making plans for the expected merchandise and concerts to come. Predictions are being discussed about Festa, Lives, and albums.  Goals are being set as to what kind of welcome back charting or even future charting achievements fans might present to BTS.

Today's review or introduction (depending on your positioning) is to help with charting possibilities and goals both now and for the future. It is also to make everyone more aware of the official BTS (BigHit) YouTube channel and the abundant free material they have been posting since the start of their career.

In order to assist in that effort or give information about more ways to help give BTS the credit they deserve, today's highlight is the BangtanTV YouTube tab called "Releases".

Link: https://www.youtube.com/@BTS/releases 

For those who don’t know, BangtanTV is BTS’s official YouTube channel. I have seen some fan groups trying to organize people to stream songs from BTS's catalog.  Some have suggested a focus on official videos on YouTube that are closest to reaching historic marks.  For example, Blood, Sweat, & Tears music video just recently hit the 1 billion viewed mark on BangtanTV channel.  For most charts, the officially posted video is the one that counts. The official video is also a central place for BTS to see what traffic their videos get.

Note: The older video counts get a bit confusing because the videos were not premiered in the same places long ago. Once Hybe Labels page was made, videos were only officially debuted and available on that channel but are now available on Hybe and BangtanTV (BigHit) channel so some counts are not always combined and accurate.  There were past times when official counting was done on other music channels where the official videos used to debut. (Dope has 808 Million official views there!) Either way we now have BangtanTV as a central location of official material but as long as you are looking at an official site where the company themselves posted the material, BTS gets credit for the view. Remember: Viewing the official material counts toward charting on several music charts.

Link

In the Releases folder, you can find another organized collection of BTS’s music, but this collection includes recordings like: songs made for commercial ads (2), special performance remixes (3,4), Japanese versions of songs and entire albums (7,9), music covers BTS did (1), BTS original soundtracks [OSTs] (8), etc. While it is not complete, it provides another location to engage with more of BTS musical productions.

EXAMPLE FOLDERS FROM BANGTANTV "RELEASES" TAB:

Links:   1--2--3 ------------------ 4--5--6 ------------------ 7--8--9

Again, watching and listening to the material here, on BTS’s official channel, not only lets BTS know that fans are using the material they are generously providing, but it also gives them actual credit toward music charts. Watching on other people’s sites does not benefit BTS in as many ways, but certainly it can be a minor free source of promotion and advertising.  Increasing the traffic here on their official channel also improves the algorithm and leads more people to BTS’s content and music, which gives them more official credit. It’s a win-win for everyone.   

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t watch other people’s content. Why not? It’s fun. I’m just encouraging people to also engage with BTS’s official content as well.  Do both.  An idea could be that in between every unofficial content you watch, play one content on the official site too. There are many possibilities.

Anyway, I hope this helps provide you with more awareness and clarity for BTS official content. As BTS comes back and begins generating more music and content, I am only hoping to draw more people to their official sites and provide new or unaware fans information toward available, organized, and often free BTS resources. It helps BTS spread their music and message but also cuts down on misinformation and misrepresentation. These are all positive outcomes.

We’re getting ready for their return - and it’s right around the corner.  Let’s gooooooo!

💜

[grits-galraisedinthesouth]

Meghan Markle Waves Goodbye To Her Rom-Com Dreams

We do? Rom-coms? I mean, yeah, it would be wonderful to have good movies again, of any genre. But with Meghan in charge, imagine the scripts she would commission. “When Harry Met Meghan, the Oppressed and Suicidal Actress.” “How to Lose a Prince in 10 Days.”  “10 Things I Hate About Kate.” “The Meghan Markle Story, Starring Meghan Markle.” 

That last one’s more of a tragicomedy than a rom-com, sorry. But I understand why she wants to make Julia Roberts-style romantic comedies. After all, just a few years ago, she was lurking on Hollywood Boulevard auditioning for her big break when a prince in an Aston Martin cruised by and whisked her away to his palace. She has lived a real-life Cinderella story. Only this one may not have quite the same ending.

Petty Woman: Meghan Markle Waves Goodbye To Her Rom-Com Dreams

BY: PEACHY KEENAN JULY 03, 2023

The latest chapter in the Meghan character arc is about the content she and hapless Harry are trying to pitch to their paymasters in Beverly Hills.

Not all fairy tales have happy endings, and for Princess Meghan the clock just chimed midnight and the spell has been broken. The coach is turning back into a pumpkin as we speak.

As a longtime Royal Family watcher, I admit to feeling shameless glee as I read the recent stories of Meghan and Harry striking out in Hollywood. It’s always fun to watch dire low-stakes predictions come true. Like many of you, I was appalled at the disrespect Meghan showed to her in-laws. Instead of respecting the Queen, Meghan, incredibly, seemed to be trying to compete with the Queen. She thought she was playing a game of “Survivor,” but she was the only one on the island who didn’t know how to make a fire.

A Long Way Down for the Duchess

For those not keeping track, Meghan and her nitwit ginger sidekick have been dropped by Spotify, reportedly losing half of the $50 million promised. She got $25 million for a measly 12 hours of a middling podcast featuring the richest and most famous women in the world complaining about how hard their lives are. Netflix is reportedly about to cut their $100 million deal short. They finished milking them dry of low-hanging tabloid family gossip, and just found out they have no Act 2.

Nothing is working out the way she dreamed it would. Meghan’s imagined billionaire lifestyle is turning into a mirage. Why? Because for some hilarious reason, the creative bigwigs in Hollywood believed Meghan when she promised that her and Harry would be able to provide oodles of monetizable entertainment content.  

I mean, yes, I am quite entertained by the spectacle, but schadenfreude is tough to monetize.

Meghan In Her Flop Era

Meghan’s predicament tells you everything about the people who run Hollywood. Imagine thinking that these two “f*cking grifters,” in the words of the Spotify exec who had to say no to Harry’s harebrained podcast ideas, would be a rich source of high-quality entertainment! 

I can’t help wondering how a D-list golddigger convinced these studio heads that her and the ginger mouth breather would somehow provide $150 million worth of streaming content. It turns out that they’re only good at providing piles of steaming content, if you know what I mean.

I suppose it’s true, as movie producer Jackie Trehorn tells the Dude in “The Big Lebowski,” standards have fallen in entertainment. Since the Sussexes first ditched their careers as legit royalty and started groping for ephemeral Hollywood royalty, my fellow Meghan hobbyists and I have enjoyed a goldmine of unintentional comedy. She’s the Benny Hill of pampered Montecito trophy wives, always running downhill chased by imaginary paparazzi. 

She’s been a source of delight since the early days when she was using a Sharpie to write inspirational messages on bananas to street prostitutes in England. “You are brave.” “You are loved.” Then the cringe-worthy trek through the thousand micro-aggressions she endured at the hands of her sister-in-law Catherine. Did she not realize everyone saw it for what it was: pure jealousy?

But now we come to the era of Meghan Markle, entertainment content creator. The latest chapter in the Meghan character arc is about the content she and hapless Harry are trying to pitch to their paymasters in Beverly Hills. It was clear that her long slide back into C-list obscurity had begun when I read an incredible tidbit in the trades earlier this year. Meghan was talking about her new content ideas she was working on for her “media production company.” See, it’s already funny! 

Meghan gushed to a Variety reporter: “For scripted, we want to think about how we can evolve from that same space and do something fun! It doesn’t always have to be so serious. Like a good rom-com. Don’t we miss them? I miss them so much. I’ve probably watched ‘When Harry Met Sally’ a million times. And all the Julia Roberts rom-coms. We need to see those again.”

We do? Rom-coms? I mean, yeah, it would be wonderful to have good movies again, of any genre. But with Meghan in charge, imagine the scripts she would commission. “When Harry Met Meghan, the Oppressed and Suicidal Actress.” “How to Lose a Prince in 10 Days.”  “10 Things I Hate About Kate.” “The Meghan Markle Story, Starring Meghan Markle.” 

That last one’s more of a tragicomedy than a rom-com, sorry. But I understand why she wants to make Julia Roberts-style romantic comedies. After all, just a few years ago, she was lurking on Hollywood Boulevard auditioning for her big break when a prince in an Aston Martin cruised by and whisked her away to his palace. She has lived a real-life Cinderella story. Only this one may not have quite the same ending.

As Jeremy Zimmer, the CEO of United Talent Agency, one of the largest Hollywood talent agencies dished during Cannes to every reporter within earshot: “It turns out that Meghan Markle wasn’t a great audio talent, or necessarily has some kind of talent. And you know, just because you’re famous doesn’t mean you’re good at something.” 

Ouch. I wonder if Jeremy Zimmer has seen the latest desperate pitch Meghan made to Netflix; a girlboss rom-com called “Bad Manners” starring … Miss Havisham. The show is “a prequel to Charles Dickens’s 1861 novel Great Expectations which will focus on the character Miss Havisham… [the show] aims to shine a feminist light on the spinster, showing her as a ‘strong woman living in a patriarchal society.’”

Who says comedy is dead? Sign me up for this one!

The article ends with the ominous “it is unclear whether the show will get a green light from Netflix.” 

Meghan is learning, finally, the hardest lesson of all: real royalty may be hereditary, but Hollywood royalty has to be earned. Popularity matters. Likeability, in the end, is the only currency that matters if you wear no crown.

Peachy Keenan is a senior contributor to The Federalist and a contributing editor and regular essayist for The American Mind, a publication of The Claremont Institute. She is the author of "Domestic Extremist: A Practical Guide to Winning the Culture War" (coming June 6 from Regnery). She also writes at peachykeenan.substack.com, and you can always find her on Twitter.

[ktckymeatshower]

omg what did dream do im invested as an outsider

it's actually so insane i had to search the timeline of events up bc i wasn't even following all of it. tommyinnit beefs with some guy, dream randomly butts in and calls 15 million people the r slur, goes on live for 3 hours to ostensibly clear his name and does nothing but name drop a bunch of creators and dig his own grave, tubbo reacts, dream reacts to tubbo's reaction, and the creators that got name dropped are responding and clowning on him. this is the abridged version. in the background of dream's streams is his minecraft character jumping around. he admits to being a trump supporter. he admits to lying about his sexuality to profit off of his queer fans (called himself unlabeled for years). someone in the dsmp discord server sent porn of two streamers (who had explicitly said they were uncomfortable with nsfw content of themselves) who were in the smp and dream didn't do anything about it, all while several minors were in the server. ludwig confirms that dream sent him a 5 page essay defending himself with messages from one of ludwig's friends that dream referred to as a whore. all of those messages were about a different woman. this is the most egregious self report i've witnessed in so long. dream posted a youtube response video like an hour ago. none of his friends have come to his defense or even spoken about the situation. i'm not even gonna bother to watch this .... Brother . the best part has been watching all the old fans and creators come out of retirement to get in formation and shit on dream one last time. dozens of ccs have affirmed that dream was extremely manipulative when they regularly interacted with him. mangoball did an identity reveal after all these years and not only are they a beatles fan now but specifically a paul girl. and the world keeps spinning

[winterfelbae]

I stumbled upon a random LP almost 10 years ago. At the time I was deeply depressed and had barely any friends. From there I started watching Minecraft and GTA and fell more and more in love with AH the more I watched. And then I discovered RT as a whole. RT Podcast, Immersion, Million Dollars, but, On the Spot, Free Play and many more projects. Suddenly I had something to watch and comfort me every single week if not day. I watched the RT Podcast live for years, watched every LP as soon as I could so I could have something to laugh about every day. I watched some of these people grow into amazing human beings. If I think about how people like Gavin and Michael were at the beginning to now I get so emotional.

Watching Geoff overcome his alcohol addiction, seing AH members and others building families, grow beyond the company, seeing the love those silly people that you watch have for each other used to and still does make me so happy. I used to have Minecraft & 7 Days to die LPS going in the background all the time because their voices were comforting to me. There literally wasn't a single day where I didn't consume RT's content in some shape or form. And then there was the RH situation. Suddenly everything I watched felt tainted by his influence. Everything that used to comfort me suddenly didn't anymore. And for a while I tried to keep watching AH because other than RH I admire everyone so, so much. But with Geoff taking a backseat, Gavin not appearing as much, Fiona & Jeremy leaving I just lost interest. And with my other favorite shows gone (or changed) like RT Podcast, On the Spot, Free Play etc. I stopped watching RT comepletely.

But with the news of Rooster teeth shutting down I'm suddenly reminded of all the good times that were had. During the times I watched AH I was probably the most creative when it comes to making gifs and such. I watched a random Coup LP yesterday and I laughed my ass of. And then I watched the stream they did earlier today and I cried my fucking eyes out. If you knew me, you would know that I do not cry that often and definitely not over a span of an hour. Seeing people that I admire and respect so much like Barbara, Trevor, Geoff, Jack, Jessica, Kerry, Chris and others tear up talking about how much they all love each other and gonna miss spending every day together really just reminded me why I fell in love with the company. Because in the days before Full Screen and Warner Bros etc. Rooster teeth never really felt like a company to me, it felt like a family. And even if I haven't watched any of the recent stuff they made I still feel so upset for them. And I honestly just wanna say thank you to everyone who ever worked at RT for making so much (mostly) free content for us to consume and love. I wish every single one of you all the the best and hope to be able to support everyone the best I can in the future.

PS. I wanna give a special thanks to everyone behind the scenes who kept all the shows I watched going. Production, Broacast etc.. PPS. While I do admire everyone at the company I wanna especially thank all of the AH members for making me laugh so many fucking times. I also wanna thank all the founders for creating this beautiful company in the first place. I could name so many more people but this post is long enough as it is. Thank you for reading.

[shampaisthinking]

I cannot accept the saying that money cannot buy happiness.

To be honest, it may not be possible to buy all kinds of happiness with money, but in most cases it is possible. The real point is, you have to recognize how money can buy happiness. Suppose, with 1 thousand taka, you can put a smile on the face of a distressed person. But someone who has 50 thousand taka, gets the opportunity to put a smile on the faces of 50 people. Even with just 50-100 taka, you can bring joy to many people. In other words, the more money, the more opportunities there are to benefit people.

The joy of helping a helpless person, the satisfaction of feeding a hungry person, the peace of seeing a smile on the face of a rickshaw puller by giving some tips along with the fare, or the feeling of making a beggar twice as happy by giving him 20 taka instead of 10 taka—all these are possible only with money. Similarly, the prayers received from the heart by covering the medical expenses of a sick relative are also a kind of happiness, which is difficult to achieve without money.

So, learn to buy happiness with money. Because, money used properly can bring happiness not only to you, but also to many around you.

I was hurt by your behavior,

yet I did not complain, did not shout.

I just moved away silently,

I silently departed from your life.

You may have thought that you had won,

but over time, this silence

will raise questions in your heart.

You may want to avoid it,

but the silence will not stop.

Because true protest does not roar,

it moves forward like a silent stream—

until the door of regret opens.

True love is never unlovable

A person of true love cannot be unlovable even if he is an ex. Maybe the beloved feelings lose their color, maybe the form of the relationship changes, but hatred towards that person does not arise.

Rabindranath Tagore said long ago—

"If you love someone else

If you never come back

Then whatever you want,

May you get it,

As much as I suffer."

That is, if I no longer feel loved, then give love a new form. You find a new loved one like yourself. Still, you will never be unlovable to me.

Earlier, he said something even deeper—

"I will be lost in your separation,

I will live in you,

For long days, long nights, long years and months."

This is the beauty of true love—where even if the person you love is hundreds of miles away, he remains in a corner of your mind forever.

How much time do you have!

60 years? At most 70, maybe 75! If you are very lucky, 80+!

365 days in a year, 86,400 seconds a day! But what are you doing with these seconds?

TikTok, Reels, YouTube, blogs—the seconds are running out while doing all this! One day, you will suddenly see that all your time is gone!

Those who have millions of rupees can afford the luxury of money. But those who have only a handful of money can afford the luxury?

If your life expectancy was a few thousand years, you would afford the luxury of time. But where is the opportunity to waste time on sorrow, suffering, and negativity in such a short time?

What should you do?

Give time to your family.

Read a good book.

Go out to a beautiful place.

Look at the night sky, enjoy the sunrise.

Watch the birds returning home in the evening.

Feel the waves of the river.

Watch the turbulent sea of ​​​​the full moon and new moon.

Spend at least half an hour every day with an innocent child.

Remember the Creator.

Feel the beauty of the world.

Remember one thing— "Don't count the days, make the days count!"

Think about it, if today were the last day of your life, how much good would you have done for your family, God, and yourself?

Let's do something for the sake of God. Maybe we won't succeed today, but it will open the door to success in eternal life!

Shampa...... ✍️

[nickgerlich]

In Concert

Marketers always like to think that their brand is eternal, that it will never die and will forever be recognized and known by future generations.

Yeah. It’s a nice dream if you can get it to come true.

So when I read this morning that the old Napster name had been sold for $207 million to Infinite Reality, my eyes perked up. You have to be of a certain age to know what Napster was, probably born 1992 or earlier.

Napster was founded in 1999 as a music sharing platform. It came at a time when high-speed internet was becoming more readily available, and all desktop and laptop computers had CD-ROM drives. Users would upload songs from their device, which would then be shareable (read: downloadable) among the masses. You could build a significant music collection without spending much at all.

As you might expect, artists and industry alike were not too keen on this. The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) started suing people, from 8-year-old girls to grandmothers, for stealing music, or at least aiding and abetting in that activity. Napster was shut down in 2001. The brand was sold several times in the intervening years, and repositioned as a music streaming service, although it never took off like Spotify and later Apple Music did.

So tell me…how many of you even knew about Napster? Whatever brand equity it had faded long ago into the sunset.

But the new owner has grand plans to relaunch as a virtual 3D space where users can have listening parties and even concert experiences online. You know what? I love this idea, especially at a time when concert ticket prices for top acts have soared into the many hundreds and even thousands of dollars.

The idea is not new, because it was during COVID that virtual concerts became a thing. I remember watching Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Blackberry Smoke on my own big screen, although I did not have the option of interacting with fellow listeners very well. You could post comments to a social media page, and they would show on the side of the screen, but that’s it.

The new offering from Infinite raises the bar considerably because of shared experiences. While it may never be quite the same as actually going to a concert—I love me some live music—it helps solve the problems of high ticket prices, plus the fact that hardly anyone who is good ever comes to Amarillo. Well, except maybe on their washed-up tour when they need a few bucks to supplement Social Security.

And…perhaps most importantly…this cures the problem of those rude people around you disrupting the show, constantly getting up to fetch a beer or visit the water closet, and otherwise making for a sub-optimal concert experience. I hate it when that happens.

The real question is whether the Napster brand still has any equity. Among those in their early-30s and older, Napster was a household word, even if it only existed in its original state for two years.

On the other hand, since this might be a new brand name for many people, it is a lot like starting from scratch. Yes, it typically costs more money to establish a new brand than to leverage an old one—assuming it isn’t tarnished—but now Infinite has the opportunity to reinvent, redefine, and start anew. There is some negative baggage associated with the brand name, simply because of the lawsuits. You don’t have to drill very far down the Google results to stumble into all of those long-archived news reports about poor Grandma getting hauled into court.

More broadly, we must consider whether music fans will consider this a viable alternative to attending concerts. I have become so accustomed to driving to Lubbock, OKC, and DFW for shows that I actually kind of like the inconvenience of it all, because I can roll a concert into a long weekend filled with other activities. No problema.

Infinite has plans to leverage not just live music, but also social applications, merchandise, and shopping. In some regards, it takes the idea of TikTok Lives and runs with it, creating virtual hangouts much like the Clubhouse app did during COVID. They are wildly optimistic.

Since the new Napster brings with it the possibility of asynchronous viewing, it raises questions about how much fun it would be to watch a concert that is not in real time. It’s kind of like watching the DVRd March Madness game you missed last Saturday. There is much to be said for being in the moment.

All that aside, I like this. Although no hint of price tiers was mentioned for concert streaming, as long as it isn’t outrageously expensive, I can see this being successful, as long as there is a constant stream—pun intended—of new content.

But I’m going to have rules in my house. There will be no walking in front of me to grab another beer while the show is going on. And if you do need to visit the water closet, make sure you walk behind me and keep it down. Disruptive concertgoers are a pain no matter where you are viewing.

Dr “I Want A front Row Seat” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[northwestofinsanity]

HI AGAIN!!!

SO sorry for being gone for a hot minute. Life gets so busy and then i just fall asleep 😭

IM A HUGE SUPERTRAMP AND CHEAP TRICK FAN!! Theyre such big comfort bands for me! Also do you have any albums youd recomend to me by the who? Ive been wanting to get into their music more seriously!

Also i am SO glad to hear that you like elo and billy squier! Some tracks id recommend are, rich kid, young girls, learn how to live, all night long, the musics alright, too daze gone... all great tracks you should listen to! also idk if its a lesser known track but also shes a runner if you havent heard that one either! (really all of his debut album is perfect... really ALL the tracks on his first 4 albums are flawless) also just listen to his songs he did for fast times at ridgemont high and st elmos fire! AND AND!!! have you listened to his christmas song?? I'm sure youd recognize it once you hear it but i LOVE christmas is the time to say i love you 🫶

And i DO have my own physical music collection! i have a million records, cassettes, and 8-tracks! records are my favorite to collect! I always go after first pressings or at least as close to the original release year!

Aaand when it comes to holidy prep... I really just like buying presents for my loved ones :-] I love picking out something i know will make them so excited! I also love doing anything that has to do with christmas lights and figuring out what recipes i want to use for christmas dinner 🤩

-⭐

Hi!

Oh, don’t worry -it is A-OK!  I’m in veterinary school, and it’s a very lecture heavy time up until the end of the semester… I actually have a test on Monday with 43 hours worth of lecture content on it from the last two weeks of class (not gonna say what that does to my nerves!), and then I’ve got another lecture heavy week before the final.  And when I’m on break, I go back to my job working 12 hour shifts in the hospital… so there’s quite a few days I can relate with coming home and being *done* XD

Oh my goodness, Supertramp and Cheap Trick… Supertramp got me through so much a couple of years ago when I was at peak hyperfixation with them.  That piano solo on “School” still is just one of the best things in the world!  And Cheap Trick was probably my first true band hyperfixation way back when I was thirteen.  I spent so many nights in the summer between seventh and eighth grade, watching interviews on YouTube, and falling head over heels in love with Tom Petersson.  First of many rock star crushes I have had! (And he’s *so* sweet…)  I’ve become a lot closer with other bands since then, but they have a very special place in my heart for starting it all.

It’s possible I’ve heard that Billy Squier Christmas song, though I’m not placing it off the top of my head.  I’ll be spending a lot of time in this weekend prepping for Monday, so I’ll definitely put him on my streaming radio tomorrow and give those songs a listen!  I like to check out some newer things, or check in with bands I’m not as close with about this far out from finals, anyway, because then I can save some of the effect of my emotional support bands for when I need it most.  Or, occasionally, I go into a hype and find myself with a new emotional support band going into it …and that’s how I fell into my most recent band hype back in the Spring!

The Who are really one of my favorites that slowly sneaked up from being a casual favorite to a true top level one without a bunch of fanfare like my other bands have given me (it also sort of happened while I was still hyped on Supertramp), but there’s an album I revisited around that time that likely had a lot to do with it.  I love Quadrophenia.  It’s one of my definitive comfort albums, and it’s one of those rock-opera concept albums that never really hit the same without being played all the way through, because it’s all supposed to connect (most of the songs work alone, but they’re just better together).  But since it’s a double, it can be hard to find the time to really do that.  So it became an album I would always listen to whenever I was home sick from school or work, and there’s sort of a synthesizer motif that reappears throughout it that has a very soothing effect to me.  I associate it with being comfortable at home and feeling better from that, which makes me like it even more!  I also like almost all the songs on Who’s Next.  Tommy has become a favorite as well.  It also has a similar setup to Quadrophenia, but with Tommy, there’s a lot more songs that just do not work out of context.  It’s probably a more fun album, even though I don’t have that comfort association with it.

Really, a lot of my love for The Who comes from their dynamic and their antics, though… they are hilariously chaotic!  I wouldn’t be surprised actually if Cheap Trick (Rick Nielsen, especially) took inspiration with some of their antics, even though I don’t think there’s too many bands that have been able to top The Who on that front!

All of those holiday prep things are stuff I also enjoy… I also like to do art for some of my family, and I’m really looking forward to when finals are over so I can make some!

[whitehartlane]

helloooo 🫶🫶🫶 i hope you’re feeling better, sending you all the warm hugs from here <3333

until recently, the weather here has been hot and humid, befitting for a country with a tropical climate (us locals always say there’s two seasons here: hot and hotter) but as the monsoon season arrives it’s been raining a lot which i love! perfect relief for those who hate the heat (which is probably all five-ish million of us LMAO). i love the wind and some rain and find myself lulled to sleep by the cooling temperatures. rainy days indoor are always great too!

there’s a public holiday next week which i’m looking forward to, to rewind and relax. over here we don’t have a lot of public holidays (only 11 this year if i remember correctly 💀 absolutely criminal) so i’ll take whatever free days i can! i’ll probably catch up on books, get back into giffing and take my own sweet time to get ready in the morning. my family and i are also going to watch spain vs croatia later on so i’m excited for that!

also i’m so curious to know what’s it like in germany (or, more specifically, the region you live in) with all the fans streaming in for euros? it must be quite the atmosphere! - 💙

hellooooo my friend!! 🫶🏾 thank you i’m feeling better, it’s been a busy week so far which has been distracting me! rly happy that it’s been raining a lot, monsoon season was my favourite when i lived in india 🥰 hope you got to enjoy your holiday and catch up on your books!! what are you reading atm? 🫶🏾

and the vibe here’s been lovely! i actually moved to munich almost a year ago now so i’ve obviously got front row tickets to the atmosphere. generally when you’re out and about you see a lot more people in kits of different countries; i was at marienplatz yesterday which is one of the main town squares (and the most famous one) in inner city munich and they’ve got that ‘you got this’ ad everywhere with different german national team players and other players who took part in the ad like jude bellingham and whatnot plus you see so many german flags everywhere! it’s also pride month and the actual pride march (it’s called CSD here) is on saturday so they’ve also put up different lgbt flags which is lovely.

apart from that yeah when games are held in munich you can hear fireworks and people cheering and drunk guys at tube stations hahaha the opening game was held here in munich and i saw so many scots with kilts and bagpipes and chatted to a few, they were all just rly thrilled about being at the euros (and of course they sang ‘we hate england more than you’ to german fans on the train and the tube). my friend lives along the tube lines that lead to the fan zone and arena and she said that on the day the opening game took place she didn’t sleep for hours because there were so many people outside her flat wanting to get on/off the tube 😭 all in all it’s rly nice and it’s also nice chatting to ppl who’ve come here to watch their countries!!

[defensefilms]

Basketball, TV Ratings And The Value Of Numbers-Based Thinking

"From NBA, to television ratings, to social media analytics, how numbers affect decision-making and how to teach this language"

Over the last 4 years or so, while watching any number of NBA games, I have often wondered aloud whether the NBA and basketball as a whole is a better medium though which to teach an appreciation of numbers.

At the heart of this article/post, and the reason for it's writing, is the question of whether the sport of basketball, or sports in general, is more effective at teaching numbers-based decision-making than anything else.

Years ago, the idea of using your phone to place a prop bet, would have seemed liked farfetched nonsense, and yet this is what the combination of time, technology, and the need to share and access information have given us.

The above video is one of the most important, and most informative videos regarding NBA and the culture of analytics and the video above, sheds light on a massive trend that has taken over the NBA since 2015.

Basketball players as young as 14 are talking about what thier field goal make and miss numbers are, and which part of the court their made shots came from, because the sport by it's nature motivates analytical thinking, and that's important.

This is how the flow of information affects decision-making in real time, or affects strategies and decisions in the long term, and it's the type of thinking that definently translates to other fields.

When a creator takes a look at thier social media analytics, a similar kind of process starts to happen.

If a specific kind of content is getting a better response in the form of impressions, likes, engagement or things like that, then the creator is incentiveized to make more of that content.

What we're talking about extends to areas as broad as diverse as sales, marketing, the concept of supply and demand, and also the type of data that has been relied on for decades by the television industry, and in particualr, advertisers that rely on the television industry.

The above image is a kind of mock image I created from printscreens of the free document that the website allows you to download each month, and my favorite number from the month of October, is the near 3 million people that tuned in to SABC 2 to see the Springboks in the 2023 Rubgy World Cup Final.

On a channel that rarely pulls over 1 million viewers, SABC 2 managed to do this 6 times in the span of October and 4 of those was when the Springboks were playing live.

However, the holy grail of sports television advertising in America, is the Nielsen television ratings, and according to my due dillagence upon typing this article, the NFL is still king of the sports hill, taking more spots in the top 10 than any other major sporting event in the USA, and that's been the trend going back several years.

So even with the recent complaints about the quality of Monday and Thursday night games, the NFL maintains it's dominance as a televisual product, with a Bears-Chargers Sunday night game being the most watched in the month of October.

Streaming numbers are the future as far as advertising dollars and people's attention is concerned, and notably Across The Spider-Verse, Grey's Anatomy and Suits, all top the list for the most streamed shows, as can be seen in the image below.

However that's not my favorite thing about Nielsen's ratings.

If you scroll down through their website, you will notice a different category of information near the bottom, where Nielsen's go the extra step of showing who, or rather which companies, are spending the most on advertising and how much they're spending.

Amazon, Walt Disney, Warner Bros, along with pharmaceutical giants like Novo Nordisk, manufacturing juggernauts like Procter & Gamble and food retailers like Pepsico, are all still, very heavily invested in the television industry and it's advertising power.

This is a level of disclosure that is kind of foreign to South African media, and if I had to guess, is likely a result of US regulatory policies, and I'll keep hunting for the South African equivalent of this, but for now, it is safe to assume that similar types of advertisers are doing the same thing in the South African television industry.

The point of this post, is to discuss new and improved ways of communicating information, and importantly how to teach a new type of information language in a country that will be well served finding ways to cut that learning curve.

Just a thought.

[survey--s]

674.

What did you have for dinner tonight?: It's only 11.30am but I think I'll be having pizza/leftover pizza.

If you were given a million dollars, what would you spend it on?: A house with land, a horse (and all the necessities) and a holiday.

Have you ever cried in front of your parents over a boyfriend or girlfriend?: Yeah, as a teenager/young adult.

What does your bedroom smell like right now?: The inside of our house, I guess. The candle I have lit at the moment is called "Cosy Christmas" and is a kind of citrus, cinnamon and clove mixture.

Have you ever shaved off your eyebrow before?: Nope.

Do you want to have a boy or girl whenever you have kids?: I never want kids.

Your pregnant with twins: What do you name them?: Fuck that, lol.

Describe your outfit.: Black leggings, a dark green t-shirt, an oversized grey fleece hoody and grey and cream fleece socks.

What gigabyte is your memory card?: I don't own a memory card.

What brand is your digital camera?: I don't own one of those either, I just use my phone, which is Apple.

When was the last time you hung out with your best friend?: About half an hour ago - he's just gone out to walk the dog.

What is a movie you're waiting to see?: I kind of want to see Wonka but I'm not exactly waiting for it.

Who was the last person to cook something for you?: My mum.

Do you ever sit and think what if about something?: Sometimes, sure.

If so, what is it?: All sorts of things, I guess.

What’s on tv right now?: Wallace & Gromit. I always watch it at Christmas. And yes, I know it's November but we put the tree up yesterday lol.

Do you ever stop and smell the roses?: Yes.

Where do you download music from?: I get all my music from Spotify.

How many channels do you have on your tv?: We don't have live TV, just a bunch of streaming services.

What are you most scared of?: Getting cancer or dementia.

If you were given a chance to bring someone back to life, who would you choose?: I wouldn't want to do that.

Do you talk to any of your ex boyfriend/girlfriend?: Occasionally, yeah.

If so, which one?: Just Jimmi. We normally just share dog videos on TikTok lol.

What is your mom doing right now?: I assume she's at home - probably baking or watching TV.

Are you currently listening to music?: No.

What is the weather like right now?: Cold, grey and rainy.

Do you like new music or older music?: Both.

Do you agree that abortion is wrong?: No. Forcing a woman to give birth and denying her autonomy over her own body is wrong. <--- this!

If you could make a law, what would kind of law would you make?: I don't know if I'd want that kind of responsibility lol.

What was the last video game you played?: CountryStar.

What is currently going on in the room your in right now?: Nothing.

Do you know where your best friend is?: Out walking the dog at the local nature reserve.

Who was the last person to comment you on Facebook?: A girl called Rebecca on a dog-walking group I'm part of.

What is your display picture of on Facebook?: My husband and I on our wedding day.

Do you ever sit and think about the past?: Of course.

If you could relive any moment in time: what would it be?: None of them because I think the reality is often worse than the memory lol.

Are you a talker or a listener?: Both.

What is one food you will not eat?: Eyeballs.

Do you eat anything now that you never used to eat?: Yeah, mushrooms. I hated them as a kid but love them as an adult.

Have you ever kissed the same sex?: Yeah.

When does school start this year?: I haven't been in school for well over a decade.

What genre of music do you refuse to listen to?: There isn't one I "refuse" to listen to.

Do you ever shout for absolutely no reason?: No.

Have you stuck with your new years resolution?: I don’t make new year’s resolutions.

Do you need to lose any weight right now?: Probably, but not enough to actually motivate myself to do it.

What is something you want right now?: A back massage sounds nice.

Do you hate when you see teachers in stores?: No.

What always puts a smile on your face?: My animals.

Where can I find you on a Saturday night?: Normally at home, on the sofa with a takeaway and the animals.

What is the best thing about Sundays?: Not having to get up for work, doing whatever I want without any time pressure or stress. I love Sundays.

What is your music provider (itunes, windows media player): Spotify. Does WMP even exist anymore? lol.

How many songs do you have?: I have about 10k downloaded, I think, but I change what's downloaded on there quite regularly as my phone doesn't have a huge amount of storage.

When was the last time you had a period?: A month ago. I'm due about now.

Why do you think the sky is blue?: The Earth’s atmosphere acts like a prism that refracts light from the sun. And because of the wavelength of blue light, it’s refracted at a lesser/steeper angle, thus being more directed towards Earth. <---let's go with that answer, lol.

If you could change the sky to any color which would you choose?: I love the colour of sunsets, but I don't know I'd want that colour all the time.

Is there anything wrong with you right now?: No.

Do you hate when people stare at you?: It depends why they're staring.

What always makes you angry, no matter what?: People who let their unleashed dogs run up to mine.