#why? who fuckin knows

[wolvertooth]

putting this on the popular blog so it reaches people.....

ok so. reminder to go to ur local chain grocery store, head to the bulk candy isle, get all the (packaged) clearance halloween candy u want

also check the halloween candy clearance in general, cuz i got found a whole pack of 65 rolls of rockets(smarties if ur american) for like 2.50

ur welcome @ non trick or treaters👍

[rainbow-quartz]

Whenever it’s time to socialize I panic and run away

Then later on I’m like “why don’t I have any friends :(“

[xxplastic-cubexx]

secret wars secret love you will ALWAYS be famous

bonus:

[starreyblueberry]

THIS SOMEHOW TURNED INTO A JIMMYTIMMY FIC THIS WAS SUPPOSE TO JUST BE A RAMBLE.. LOWKEY brainrot over Timmy and Jimmy right now. Ignoring the fact that the specials are some of the best episodes from BOTH of the shows (idk what people say 1 2 and 3 were all peak), the characters Timmy and Jimmy have such potential?? Like two polar opposites who use different forms of creation to express their creativity, yet similar kids who could find solstice within each other, as they both feel left out within their lives due to differences they cant quite fix, but still are able to understand each other. How they both became quick friends who bicker, and actually taught each other how to live, idk I think it's sweet.

Maybe they kept in touch over the years? That they texted till Midnight? That they considered each other their best friends at one point? I mean- it would make sense! With what they both go though, especially if it spans years, them becoming best friends, being able to understand each other like no one else, it makes sense. They would visit each other's dimensions as much as they could. They didn't want to destroy the multiverse, but they also wanted to see each other. Jimmy had a small google calendar that at least once a month, had "Timmy Turner stay over" or "Visit Turner's dimension." Jimmy and Timmy would have sleepovers at each other's place, usually Timmy staying a few days with Jimmy. They would go too amusement parks one day, and space the next. Jimmy became close with the computer programs "Cosmo and Wanda" as well, having conversations with them about his inventions, and giving him actual advice! (Mostly Wanda, Cosmo usually just tried to shoot random things with his wand- but he was sweet in his own way) They even had a prototype called "Poof" appear once in a while. He usually clung onto Timmy and would call him his older brother (he questions the true sentience of these beings). They both had memorized every nook and cranny of each other's houses/cities. They both could pass as residents there with how much knowledge they had of the other dimensions. Hell- all of Timmy's friends knew who Jimmy was and all of Jimmy's friends knew who Timmy was. They even visited each other's schools a few times! They were part of each others lives even if they weren't part of the same reality, Timmy would teach Jimmy how to relax, it was something Jimmy struggled with, especially as he grew up. He was making world-altering inventions daily, but when Timmy was around, sometimes he would just listen to him talk about comics or go on a walk on a different planet. It was peaceful, especially as Timmy would push that he didn't always need to solve everything, and he was allowed to take breaks. Sure Jimmy still overwork himself, but he doesn't feel as guilty when he takes naps anymore. Jimmy taught Timmy that he's never alone and that people do in fact care about him besides his godparents. That while his family sucked, he wasn't fated to just be miserable. He was creative, kind, smart, funny, and people were idiots if they couldn't see that. Timmy won't ever admit to shedding a tear that day, as well as getting a gift for him the next day (A drawing of Gonard and Jimmy, as well as a polaroid attached to it of Timmy and Jimmy on the beach, splashing water on each other.) Timmy gained a bit more hope in the future after that.

Eventually, Jimmy could really see Timmy being his friend forever, and actually had a meaningful bond with him. That he never wants Timmy to leave his side, even if they bicker like a old married couple everyday, even if people tell both of them that their way to destructive together, even if somehow- some enemy of there's wants to make sure they both end up dead, Jimmy wants to find Timmy every step of the way. Timmy would have had the same thoughts if he hadn't known that it was all futile anyway. He would have had the exact same feelings- he does! But he knows that after he's 18, it's over. He knows that the moment the clock strikes 12, he can never step foot in retrovill again, he could never hear the name Jimmy Neutron again outside of blurry memories from his friends. He would forget every adventure, party, sleepover, late-night drives, and multi-dimensional butt-kicking he experienced with Jimmy. Timmy tried to hold it off for so long, he really did. He refused to let Jimmy know anything about this, he didn't want Jimmy trying to solve this, he knew that would be impossible. He didn't want all of his hangouts to just be speculation on how he could stay, he just wanted to spend some time with his best friend. With the person he would have spent the rest of his life with, if it was possible.

Jimmy was working on a surprise gift for Timmy. He was trying to do something creative rather than scientific since that was Timmy's style. He was trying to sew patches onto a pink hoodie, small white stars being embroidered along the sleeve. It looked simple sure, but it was something Jimmy was working on for days! He even set aside his latest project for it, which is saying a lot for Jimmy. They had planned a hangout just 2 days before his birthday, he knew that Timmy always spent his birthday with his computer programs, so an early birthday gift was due! Jimmy could hear the portal booting up from behind him, and he felt a spark of excitement within him. When Timmy stepped out of the portal, Jimmy folded the hoodie in his hands and was ready to hand it to Timmy, he hopped off his chair and walked to Timmy. He noticed the redness in his eyes and his tired demeanor, huh, must have had an adventure with his computer programs the day before. He was going to say Happy Early Birthday and a snarky remark on how he's surprised he reached adulthood. Timmy didn't let Jimmy get one word in before he broke the news though "Jimmy look, please please don't be mad at me I just-" Jimmy could already see the sweat forming on Timmys head, god did Timmy mess up again? dId he fuck up with some sort of extraterrestrial creature and needs his help? for the love of science. "I have something important to tell you." Timmy quietly says. Timmy shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, as he slightly looked down to avoid direct eye contact with Jimmy. "I've wanted to tell you for the past YEAR, and it been so hard to even find the words!" His voice is quickening in pace, he even grabs his hat and starts to fidget with it in his hands. "and I know I fucked up by not telling you sooner I know, but you deserve this explanation for what's about to happen, and I'm just gonna spit it out right here and now-"

Jimmy could see how panicked he was as if he was on a time limit. ... "I'm going to forget you, and retrovill- everything. There's nothing you can do about it either." ...At first, It was denial. Jimmy was so confused, he said he could probably just make a memory machine and bring them back later, all these "dramatics" weren't necessary. I mean, forget the past 8 years? He could practically sense the bullshit coming from that statement, He was already about to start working on it before Timmy refused. He explained how if he kept his memories, the computer programs could "fry up" or whatever. Jimmy just said he could alter them to have better software, but Timmy refused. "Look- I can just upload your memories into my computer and it'll be fine! I already have a bunch of videos of us throughout the years it wouldn't be too hard." He explained very casually, Jimmy quickly glaced over his lab as he said this, his hand following to showcase all the gadgets he could use to easily solve this!

"Jimmy no" Timmy put his hand on his nose, slightly squeezing it. "these programs are beyond whatever science-thingy you can do- its not just science its more complicated-" Jimmy interjected "Science can fix everything Turner, I thought you've known me long enough to know that," He said smugly as he slightly grinned at his comeback. Timmy just glared back, and Jimmy could sense that Timmy didn't want to just bicker around this "Jimmy you can't fix this, this isn't even possible to comprehend to the human mind, even a genius. I can't explain how the memory erasure works but I NEED to forget" Timmy puts his hands in the air as he says this, and his eyes get slightly wide as he continues on "or else there would be consequences that I don't want either of us to face, or my family, my world!" He exclaims with all the emotion he could muster in his voice. "I'm not letting you touch Cosmo or Wanda either." Jimmy quickly realizes with a quick look around the lab and Timmy's clothes that the computer programs weren't even there with Timmy, he must have thought this out, smart bastard.

Then, it was anger. They argued till their voice broke, until screaming was all they could do. Jimmy was furious, why wouldn't Timmy tell him. He must have known, all these years, he must have known that everything would shatter and become whatever shit show is happening right now, Jimmy was so sure he could fix this, while Timmy was saying it's not possible, and all Jimmy could do is keep asking why isn't it, while Timmy would just avoid the question. He was thinking of every single invention, every single piece of technology, of scientific knowledge that could help, until Timmy says that its out of Jimmy's hands, and that he knows nothing can be changed. "Why the hell wouldn't you tell me?? I could have solved this by now, I could have, why the fuck wouldn't you have let me" Jimmy puts his hands in the air as he exclaims this Timmy takes a step back "Because I knew you would have a meltdown over this, I knew you would just try and solve this with whatever gizmo you have and then come up empty-handed-" "Since when have I ever come up empty-handed." Jimmy takes a step forward, frustration dripping as he stares Timmy directly in the eyes. Timmy takes a slight pause and just slightly squints his eyes. "You would have if you worked yourself to death" His voice slightly breaks as he says this, his feet feel stuck to the ground. Jimmy can feel his face heat up "You didn't let me try!" He can hear his own echo in the lab at this rate "Cause I wanted to hang out with you! I wanted to actually be with you at the moment, not worried about- this!" Timmy gestures to Jimmy himself as he says this, his voice getting more and more meek. He was practically pleading, with Timmy, begging him to let him at least let him try. He was coming up with different solutions, maybe living in Retrovill instead! Sure he has no idea what that would do to the multiverse, but he could invent something to protect the fabric of it while Timmy stays, or maybe if Timmy would just let him alter his computer programs he can figure out a way to make sure his memory wouldn't overdrive their software, or maybe he could look at da rules himself and check for loopholes- or maybe- "Stop. Please just- just stop." Timmy's voice cracks as he says this, tears shining in his eyes. Jimmy could see his own reflection within them. He could see his own crazed expression, and how it affected Timmy. He focused on every single detail of his face, the heavy eyebags, the dull blue that was usually an aqua, he even noticed a small redness in his cheeks. It hurt, it hurt so much and he didn't. He didn't know what to do, and he hated not knowing what to do. It's a horrible feeling to not know what's going on, or what's happening around you. It feels empty and insulting, like it's a personal attack on who you are, and what you've been working towards your whole life.

It was the first time Jimmy cried in years. Hes not much of a crier, he's more of a scream-into-a-pillow or sulk-quietly type of guy. He doesn't like making a big fuss about his emotions, especially as he got older and was taking more serious projects that could actually impact the people around him. The last time he cried was probably when he was 11- but now it felt uncontrollable. Timmy soon quickly followed suit, tears flowing out as small hicks can be heard out of him. It was one of the worst days of Jimmy's life, no, it was the worst day of his life. How can this be something so out of his control, that he was about to lose his best friend, one of the most important things to him in this entire multiverse and he could do nothing. Jimmy was in a hysterical fit, he pulled his hair a bit as he felt his breathing quicken, he didn't know what to do he just didn't he's stumped. Hes Jimmy Neutron! Boy genius! He has 8 PHDS and multiple Nobel prizes under his belt, he has explored places that the average human can't even fathom, and yet he can't even save- Timmy always knew what to say. He was quick to comfort Jimmy the moment he saw him spiraling. He gently put his hands on Jimmy's hands and lowered them from his head, Jimmy didn't like physical contact, but god if he could glue Timmy's hand to his he would. He looked at Jimmy's eyes and smiled his stupid bucktooth smile. As if that would make everything go away, as if that would erase the fact that he's going to go away forever, Jimmy couldn't help himself from smiling back though. God Timmy was the one about to forget everything and yet he comforts Jimmy? He ridiculed himself in his mind for making Timmy help him, and yet he wanted to hear whatever he had to say so, so badly. Timmy took a deep breath before talking "I've, never been the most articulate," his voice strained, like he's struggling to talk. "but please trust me when I say this. Even if I forget, there's nothing that could erase all the fun we've had together over the years. These memories, just cause they're not in my mind directly, don't erase the fact that they happened!" Timmy states with hope in his tone, he slightly rubs the back of Jimmy's hands with his thumb. "Somewhere, out there, in some form of reality, it showed that we spent all those years together fucking around, and that will always mean everything to me." He looks at Jimmy's eyes when he says that, and grins at him. Jimmy laughed a bit at that sentence, which caused Timmy to smile even more, he didn't stop talking though. "No matter who I meet, no matter where I go, no one can ever top you Neutron, and I promise that. Even if we both forgot somehow, even if the world was destroyed, it wouldn't erase the fact that at one point, we existed together, and everything was ok." After an hour or two, Timmy spent the whole day in his dimension. He said goodbye to Cindy, Sheen, Carl, and even Jimmy's parents. Sheen and Carl cried a bit, they didn't fully understand, but they said they'll miss him, and that they'll read the crimson chin comics Timmy lent them in remembrance. Cindy hugged Timmy for a few minutes, she actually considered Timmy really good company, and she lent Timmy one of her hair ties, even if he never used it, Timmy said hell keep forever. Jimmy's parents were.. hard to say the least. They both liked Timmy, but they didn't get the full grasp of him leaving, so Timmy just said that he was moving abroad to England. They just asked him to visit whenever he can and to keep in touch. It almost made Jimmy cry for a second time that day, which would have been a new record.

The walk to Jimmy's lab was quiet, barely a sound was made between either of them. You could hear the small footsteps they were both taking, walking a bit slower than average. Once Jimmy entered his lab, he could feel the cool breeze of the ac he left on lingering. He saw the portal, and he knew that he had to power it on. That he couldn't just keep Timmy here, but his feet wouldn't take another step. "Thank you." Timmy puts a hand on Jimmy's shoulder as he says that. Jimmy can't even say anything, he has no words could really express any emotion he's feeling right now. He just nods slightly and smiles at him. He knows that's probably the last time they'll ever smile at each other again. Jimmy finds the switch to the portal and boots it up, he sees the green swirl and feels nauseous just looking at it. Usually, the sight would trigger some excitement within Jimmy, but he just feels dread as he sees Timmy walking up to the portal. He really wished he could just freeze time and hang out with Timmy for one more second, but he knows he can't. Jimmy just sighed and was ready to wave goodbye, until he remembered something so important- god how could he forget- that he screamed at the top of his lungs- "TIMMY WAIT!" Right before he left, right before Timmy put his foot into the portal, Jimmy ran to his desk, ransacking it for- YES! Jimmy found the gift he was making Timmy at the corner of his table, with all the new sewing supplies he bought just for this occasion. Once he grabbed it he threw it to Timmy's way. Timmy snatched the hood and slightly gasped when he saw it. Timmy held it with such care, he called it sappy, but he couldn't erase the grin on his face. He tackled hugged Jimmy, and Jimmy barely could keep his footing. Jimmy could feel Timmy grabbing onto the back of his coat, and him relaxing onto his shoulder a bit more. Usually, Jimmy would complain about almost losing balance, and how suffocating hugs feel, but this time he latched onto Timmy as hard as he can. He pushed his head onto his shoulder and refused to be the first one to let go. It was the last hug hed ever receive from him, and he wanted to stay like this for as long as time would let them. Once Timmy let go, he turned around walking to the portal again. Jimmy could feel the tears pricking his eyes again, but he didn't feel as hopeless as this morning. "TIMMY!" Timmy abruptly stopped walking, mere centimeters from being transported into his dimension. "You're still the idiot I've known all these years if you think I'm not going to try and find you in the future." Timmy turns his head to see Jimmy smiling proudly at Timmy. "I don't care if your 30 working a desk job, or a famous comic book writer, or actor, or whatever! I'll go to your dimension myself, and find you. I'll figure out how to get your memory back, and.. if I can't- I'll just be your friend again, I'll do it all over again, and I promise that." Jimmy finishes off with a confident note. Timmy, in all his pessimistic glory, can't help but believe in Jimmy. "Thanks, Boy genius." "No problem, Average kid who no one understands."

[corpusdiem-seizethedead]

Charlie: Angel is smiling, did something happen?

Angel: What? I can’t smile just ‘cause I feel like it?

Husk: Valentino tripped and fell in the parking lot.

[thepringlesofblood]

the vibe im getting from FHJY is that this is the season where they really lean into the high school aspect. that probably sounds bonkers since its called Fantasy High, but like. hear me out.

Freshman year, they come at high school from the "John Hughes" "80s teen movie trope" vibe, which is to say different from the real-world experience of high school.

it works great! operating in that frame of reference makes everything flow really well, and hits all the high-school-related-media notes in a very satisfying way while putting its own spin on it and not getting bogged down by the actual slog that is high school in reality.

there's still a lot of more modern inspo, but it stays in the kinda expectation-suspension-tropey area of how 80s movie high school works.

Sophomore year is spring break! I believe in you! They're not at school! They're on an adventure!

They lean into being a teenager and coming-of-age themes a lot (obvs), but the only big reference point to the institution of high school is that it'll be worth 60% of their grade.

A huge point, to be sure, and the exact kind of objectively unfair but somehow not against the rules shit that happens in high school, but not the main driving force of the season.

arthur aguefort also does a bunch of wack shit but it's more fantasy than it is high school although its a lot of both.

they lean into adventuring as a set career path much more, with the school giving money for hirelings and offering a basic incentive for other students to go, so that's a loose connection to the real-world career counseling high schools have, but again, not the main thing.

VERY Important though: we are now very much in the present. The viral shrimp party, livestreaming Kalina, online banking, the epic of Gorgug building a cell tower? this isn't john hughes 80s town anymore, this is now. (at least in Solace).

Junior year

almost everything in the trailer is about academia

we've got the cool doodles-in-the-margins style art and intro

in the interviews and BTS (so far), the cast have talked a lot about what they were like in high school (not the 80s)

and the precedent that The Seven set where the MacGuffin was getting their GED? It's time.

we're getting into what is actually hell about high school - the institution itself. the arbitrary standards that academia in the US holds, and how it leaves behind, punishes, and fails its students in its extremely important role of preparing them for life as an adult.

i could talk about this all day, but personally for me the quote from the trailer that shot me back to my junior year of high school was "You have perfect grades, and it still might not be enough for you to graduate"

riz's arc this season is shaping up to punch me in the academia trauma and personally i can't wait for the catharsis

Brennan has shown time and time again that he Gets and wants to tell stories about the ways in which the US education system affects, hurts, shapes, traumatizes, changes people, and how they survive and recover from it and make their own lives. I for one am so so ready to see that reflected with the bad kids.

[eikichi-supremacy]

If nothing else Koenma is a Kuwabara stan and I'm right there with him o7 (I need to write the kuwameshi fic that goes with this fr)

[bumblydumbly]

Crazy how people buy into the ‘Vander and Vi hero, Silco and Jinx villain’ thing like the writers didnt try so hard to tell you its not even close to being that simple

[howlerbat]

it’s embarrassing how quickly I went from “oh this max jagerman dude straight up sucks” to having a shit eating grin on my face every time he appears in the musical. I was not immune to his vocals in Literal Monster. I was NOT immune to his choreography in DIRTY GIRL

[hajihiko]

Are trans women real women?

As opposed to what. Fictional? A mannequin? Unreal in the sense that it's unreal how bomb she is?

(tags V relevant)

[conspicuous-clown-car]

what a morning,,,

here's a rant about the pressure community

I've been kinda lurking on pressure twitter for the past few weeks while all this shit went down and i just gotta say... jesus fuck.

I practically had a heart attack as soon as i opened my phone when i woke up and saw zeal was trying to sell pressure. Considering how he changed his profile last night to a strictly corporate one and then this? It seemed like a really hasty decision, and something serious was going on with him.

And yknow what, with all the hate being directed at him right now i don't blame him one fucking bit. I'd probably end up doing the same thing if i was in his shoes. Being autistic as well, i would just want to completely distance myself from this overwhelming bullshit. I think that's why he started to distance himself from the community in the first place (which unfortunately is kinda what led to some issues getting overlooked).

The tweet was deleted and pressure isn't for sale anymore thank GOD, but I'm honestly more worried about the actual people behind pressure than the game itself.

I agree that there's issues they need to fix, but its not an entirely black and white situation, and its pretty fucking complicated. With the sheer amount of people in the community its crazy to expect them to handle and manage everything themself, especially since they blew up in popularity in such a short amount of time, how the hell would they know how to deal with this???

Yes, there are certain things they need to actually address and take responsibility for that they sort of haven't, but attacking them to where it gets to this point isn't the fucking answer.

I wouldn't blame any of the devs if they never touch the game again, the way the community has treated them and has completely blown things out of proportion is insane. I feel like the main issue is the discord server itself but that's just me. From what I've seen its mostly just the community self cannibalizing, attacking each other, sending death threats, and doxxing people over shit that literally doesn't matter at all.

I'm not one to really delve into fandom drama, but this whole issue with certain possessive Sebastian fans and those who took it upon themselves to attack those fans is the stupidest fucking conflict I've ever seen in any fandom. Especially when this stuff reaches the people who work on the games who have nothing to do with it.

I agree that this is something the devs need to talk about head on with full transparency, no matter their feelings on it, because a main problem I've seen with them is lack of community management.

But again, y'all are forgetting the devs are REAL FUCKING PEOPLE, people who are bound to make mistakes, and get overwhelmed, and not know how to deal with suddenly having a giant fanbase. Harassing them and sending death threats is going way too fucking far and wont solve anything, because clearly all its done is made things worse.

Also god forbid they have boundaries and don't want to see certain things in the discord server. I'm not gonna get into the specifics, but as a queer trans person I think some of y'all are reading too much into the things they don't allow, seriously.

Reminder, I'm saying all this as someone who self-ships with Sebastian, and who's not entirely thrilled about him being canonically married. BUT PRIORITIZING A FICTIONAL CHARACTER OVER REAL PEOPLE????? THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YALL???

And to the people I've seen disappointed in zeal's response to all this on twitter, I'm with you, not seeing whats happening in the community doesn't mean these problems don't exist. But think about the shit he's going through, put yourself in his shoes and genuinely try to understand how fucking overwhelming this whole situation is, for him and the rest of the team. Especially after what's happened in the past 24 hours.

Tangent, but am i the only one who's seen a drastic change in the way fandom communities operate in the past few years? Like after lockdown fandom spaces have gotten more and more hostile, and people are just being so fucking mean to each other over the most trivial shit??? Listen I Get being chronically online, because i am, but at a certain point you just gotta log the fuck off and touch some grass, man. christ.

I really hope the devs take a break, they need it. I was excited about the update that was supposed to come out this month but I don't think it will now, and I honestly don't think we deserve it.

TL;DR: Pressure fandom, do better. Speaking from both points of view, no matter the various mistakes the dev team has made, the majority of this is on y'all.

And lastly, I'd honestly rather keep pressure exactly the way it is with no updates and no new stuff ever again than for it to turn into roblox slop like most of the games that are sold off on that platform.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

OH ARTHUR BENNETT.. such a gorgeous and intriguing character. terribly burdened by a GRUESOME set of crimes, his light suffocated by a HEAVY century of GUILT. so tragic, so dark and broody, and yet PAINFULLY awkward in any social setting ever

[autism-swagger]

This part in particular always kills me, because like. It's just straight up not true. Time and time again we see Jackie go out of her way to be nice and make other people happy. The others specifically don't tell her about their plan to freeze Ally out because they know she wouldn't like it. She has the girls line up and say nice things about each other when they fight. She does Misty's makeup and is nice to her even though we know Misty makes her uncomfortable. She repeatedly tries to keep everyone's spirits up in the wilderness. She throws a party for the team, even after months of starving and struggling to survive, even knowing they're going to die, just to make everyone happy.

Despite what Shauna believes, Jackie wasn't self centered and obsessed with herself. That's a fact.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[angelnumber27]

It’s so embarrassing and heartbreaking being in so much pain over losing someone while knowing they don’t give a fuck if you live or die. Your favorite person becoming a stranger is a special kind of hell.

[ipushedthewrongbutton]

Imma do this final vent and then I’ll shut up about it.

This was a dumb move, from every possible perspective.

In the og goodbye video, they really made it sound like they were doing the streaming service because they wanted to go bigger, make cooler videos, really see what they could do and let their creative vision take the lead.

Growing as an artist is what you do when you Already Have The Money To Do So. You don’t tell your audience “give me money and then I will use to it to make cooler bigger things”. That’s not a streaming service, that’s a kickstarter.

They didn’t have the numbers to pull a streaming service off either. “We think we’re ready for television quality content” no you don’t. Sorry, no you do not. Television quality content means 30-50 crew per project, means at least 4-5 production being worked on at the same time, and at least 4-5 productions being broadcast at the same time. Watcher has maybe 2 series they upload simultaneously and they have 25 employees TOTAL. Not even CLOSE to tv levels of content, who the fuck do you think you are???

Did they really think all 3 million of their subscribers were going to follow them on this? Including kids, whose spending is dependent on their parents? Including the casuals, who only subscribed for the occasional video? Including people for whom $6 dollars on another streaming service just isn’t an option? Why DIDN’T they poll this, was this being a surprise really that important??

AND why would you completely cut off another revenue? Even if YouTube is restrictive, it’s still another source of income. Cutting that off completely is… bold.

Especially since in the apology, they let it slip that no, actually, it’s because Watcher is on the brink of having to close up shop because they’re not making enough money with just the patreon, the merch sales, the ad reads, etc.

So… one of those is a lie. Or at least part of the truth.

But let’s assume they are in financial trouble, then this was still the dumbest they could’ve done.

Welcome to the entertainment industry where we follow 1 giant fucking rule: Kill Your Darlings.

Fellas, pals, amigos, bros, dudes. If your projects spend more than what they make, it’s time to downsize. Not upscale. Cut the shit that’s spending the most money, start concentrating on how you can conserve without having to fire your crew. Put the projects where you have to fly out and buy new stuff all the time on the back burner, you can get back to them once you actually have the money for them. Work with what you already have. You have a MASSIVE studio space, fuckin use it. You HAVE sets, you HAVE props, you HAVE talent and you have ideas. Start workshopping all the crazy and shit ideas you thought weren’t gonna work and start thinking how you could make them work with the lowest possible budget you can have. Your audience is there, they’ll watch whatever you throw at them. Now is the time to go crazy and see what sticks. You HAVE viewership. Collab. CONSTANTLY. Get it the fuck out there that you exist. A lot of people had no idea a patreon existed, mention it ALL THE TIME. To the point that it becomes annoying. Do it!

If your studio is becoming too expensive, get rid of it. Sorry, kill your darlings. Move some shit around in Steven Lim’s tesla garage, put up some green screens, this is where you work now until you can afford a studio in LA again, you dipshits. Editors can work from home, sound designers can work from home, writers and researchers can work from home, meetings can happen in someone’s kitchen or living room.

And finally: be transparent. Be honest to your audience and communicate. “We’re sorry to put Ghost Files on hiatus, however we can no longer justify the cost of traveling to locations.” The majority of your audience will understand and show patience. The part of your audience that matters will wait and enjoy your other wacky shit in the meantime. Hell, they might spontaneously start their own kickstarter because those who can, will want to support you financially, if you’re just hONEST WITH THEM.

As a business, you constantly have to choose between your financial stability and that of your employees, your vision and the future of your company and what you Want to do with it, and your integrity, the trust between you and your audience. (Especially that last one, businesses can’t pretend they don’t have a relationship with their audience, that’s not how business works, guys.)

When you’re in financial straits, one of those has to go. Watcher chose the latter, they should’ve picked the middle. Their grand television quality ideas can fucking wait, if money is a problem.

Look, I’m an artist too. I had a vision too. But it was either my creative vision or being able to afford food and rent. Creativity can wait, creativity will always be there once I can support it. Living comes ALWAYS first. Asking my audience to fund my huge artistic dreams though, with only the promise of something cool, NEVER even crossed my fucking mind. That’s what donations are for, that’s what the patreon is for.

They apologised. And good. But this was a dumb decision from the goddamn start. There were like 500 steps in between and they skipped all of it. And for what? For money? For grand ideas? For greed or for hubris? How many of their original subscribers are actually gonna come back? How much money did they lose with this stunt? If they really are in financial trouble, this MASSIVE risk -which is what it has always been- might just be their downfall. And it’d be 100% their own fucking fault.