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weeee bungee jump

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I DONT WANNA PAY BILLS I WANNA USE MY MONEY FOR FOOD AND LIL GIFTS FOR MYSELF AND MY LOVED ONES

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Recently Andy Biersack of Black Veil Brides defended touring with Ronnie Radke of Falling in Reverse

If you have not read the article, I’ve included the link here: https://loudwire.com/black-veil-brides-andy-biersack-addresses-backlash-touring-falling-in-reverse/

My thoughts:  I understand Andy and Ronnie have been friends for a long time and how Ronnie’s ‘kindness’ feels refreshing to him. However, Andy, this is a really fucking stupid hill to die on.  Frankly, I’m disappointed in Andy. He has stated on multiple occasions that most of the hate his band gets is rooted in misogyny yet he continues to defend a well-known abuser. Andy has shown support lgbtq fans in the past yet he is touring with a notorious transphobe.

Do I think Andy deserves to be canceled over this… No, however, I do believe that this behavior should be called out and that the people who do stop supporting him fully for this are valid.

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*after gossiping* pleasure doing bitchness with you

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how I feel using my autism superpowers to identify local fauna for my family members:

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remember when you were 10 and you would hang out with your friends in order to Look At The Computer together like you went to their house and experienced the information superhighway together. and then leave

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Wow! Look at all those sticks! That’s exactly what I need for my nest and they’re all perfectly sized omg. How lucky they just fell on that big log like that! Just gonna grab these bad boys for the nest and hop on ov-

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skeleton of cave bear in Bears Cave, Romania

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why small kittens are always either the most pathetic or the most evil creature you've ever seen

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FALLOUT (2024 - ) 1.07: The Radio dirs. Frederick E.O. Toye and Clare Kilner

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i always think abt my cousin in greece who's like obsessed with american culture, bc ill say that im going to a barbecue and she'll be like "wow.... a real life american barbecue... will there be red cups?" you bet your ass there'll be red cups. take my hand. have a hot dog. all your dreams can come true here at the real life american barbecue

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kind of hate my stupid caustic pussy for dissolving my underwear over time but it's kind of cool, like, scientifically

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rewatched the update video, read some posts from both people who like and dislike the update, and just finished charlie’s (mo1stcr1tikal) video about watcher. here are my complete thoughts:

Video Execution

i appreciate that they seem to have consulted with a PR person, or at the very least really sat down and thought through their approach with the video.

they didn’t try to boo-hoo themselves.

they used a lot of positive “you language” for the fans (which i very much appreciate as a media and communication person myself)

they took accountability for their mistakes, and actually uttered the word “sorry”. low bar, i know, but many apology videos still somehow slip under the bar.

they very clearly put the focus on ryan and shane in the video. it sucks a bit that they probably felt they had to since much of that was probably due to the negative comments directed at steven, but it WAS a smart move. fans feel most betrayed by the two the majority connect with the most.

it. wasn’t. overproduced. (again, low bar, but it is what it is).

overall thoughts on execution? it was smart. they look uncomfortable, and whether that’s intentional or their true feelings, regardless of why they look so uncomfy, it makes it easier to watch. they don’t look pissed or smug. they look embarrassed. which, in an apology video, is a good thing. sorry to say

The Solution

i think they came up with the best alternative they could after royally fucking up with the majority of their fans.

the patreon solution… mixed feelings. i understand they don’t want to just go forward with one or the other: the patreon or the streamer. however, as ive seen some patrons say, it doesn’t make all that much sense to have both logistically. i think it’s only set up this way because they can’t go back entirely on watcher.tv now. good on them for giving a bit of a fix with the codes being sent to patrons.

i was still lost on how they weren’t “advertiser friendly”, and that’s where charlie’s video came in to affirm my suspicions. go watch his video for more information, but long story short: watcher is a GOLD MINE for advertisers. huge and loyal audience, engaging ads that make the viewer want to watch the ad, and an ever-growing channel.

on the back of the last point: how on earth were they struggling with money to begin with? it simply doesn’t make any sense. they had so many revenue streams & again, DO get sponsors and appear to be incredibly brand-friendly.

trust is still lost with most fans, and that will be hard as hell to regain. the ex-buzzfeed three-guys-on-a-couch model didn’t even work when the try guys were fucked over by their friend and brand trust was lost a little bit. and this loss of brand trust is fully on all three dudes on the couch this time

overall thoughts on the solution? it’s good for what they can do now that they obviously cannot just fully backtrack. that would arguably be a worse idea than the original idea for the streaming service itself. i think this would have worked much better and they would have retained integrity if they had done this from the beginning, and/or had a slow rollout instead of jumpscaring us like that. ghost files is supposed to spook us, not surprise paywalls.

Final Thoughts

a ton of trust was lost. the parasocial relationship that specifically shane and ryan fans had with them, that was the REASON for so much of the loyalty, is fractured, and for many it will never be the same as it was. i understand their fuck up when it came to the announcement was likely just them needing more self-awareness and a professional to guide them through it, but i still question how it got to that point where they felt like their fans would enjoy this to begin with. not to mention, again, how were they not making enough? why not try other options first?

i hope sincerely that watcher truly learns from this. that they remember their business isn’t about money or ambition (in a positive or negative way), but is built on the backs of their fans’ loyalty. without that fan loyalty, buzzfeed unsolved would have been the only thing we knew ryan and shane for. we wouldn’t have followed them to a new channel if we didn’t care about them and their work to certain degree.

it was a good apology video. genuinely. i’m glad they didn’t jump into it with a bandaid solution. i just wish they had the foresight to know their fans well enough to understand that there is NO way this would be well received by the majority. and there’s no going back on that now, obviously. what’s past is past. i hope moving forward that they gain a little self-awareness and that they gain some FAN-awareness. until/unless they start working on television and movies, they have to keep their fans happy. we are the consumer, not the employee, and it feels like they started somehow blurring those lines with the original video they posted. it felt like one of the corporate ‘training’ videos for my job when we start using a new system.

fans are important in online spaces, particularly. we provide free advertising for our favorite bloggers/youtubers/etc., and willingly give up money to support them through various streams (in watcher’s case: patreon, merch, live shows). you cannot exist as a creator online and think that you don’t need to keep your fans happy when it is your source of income. it’s simply how being a successful internet personality works, for better or worse.

good job to the watcher boys on how they went about the apology/fix. i hope things go better from here on out.

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Two things can co exist,

Do I still love Watcher and willing to forgive?

Yes.

Am I petty, and will make jokes about it and be slightly pissed off?

Yes.

All in all it wasn’t a bad apology and I’m glad they listened. Some people may say the bar must be low for me but…it is. I’ve watched dancing and ukulele playing for actual crimes.

Also I think the some of the fandom deserved the scare, y’all said some scary shit like they robbed you at gun point calm down. 😭

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Crazy thought: what if we...normalized forgiveness when someone makes a genuinely good apology to you? Like actually forgave? I know, I know, sounds wild but just a suggestion.