#the watcher is better

[terriblepersongreatseamonster]

Just a few of the comments from YouTube that amused me.

#watcher #watcher entertainment #the ghoul boys #ryan and shane #ryan bergara #shane madej #steven lim #youtube comments #hopefully they'll learn and get better #we're all human and all make mistakes but moat of us dont do it on this public of a stage

[greenieflor]

Hey maybe a group of creatives deciding that they want control over their content and don't want to waste time and resources begging for ad revenue is like. A good thing

#lav rambles #watcher #its literally just what dropout did #i understand being upset at having to get another subscription #but did yall watch the video? #this is something theyre excited about #that will allow them to make more and better shows #and youtube just wasnt working for them anymore #like honestly id rather have a couple small subscriptions to companies i love #and want to support #than get their stuff for free with countless ads that hinder their creativity and freedom

[hollowwish]

You guys do realize a lot of watcher fans complaining about the six dollars don't just need to "cancel their disney+ or hulu subscriptions." They're the people who ALREADY can't afford streaming services. It's not that they should be supporting independent creators over big corporations, it's that they literally cannot afford to do either.

#Some people in this tag genuinely do not know how poverty works #Like. 6 dollars is A LOT by american standards right now #And that's not even counting countries with currency worth less #For some watcher fans this is literally '6 dollars towards content or 6 more dollars towards rent to keep my housing #Or food so I don't starve' #ren posting #watcher #watcher entertainment #Edit: there's also people like me who CAN AFFORD IT #But they have better things to put money towards. Like college and therapy and medications and a mortgage #So not every fan who can afford it will because there are simply more important things to pay for. Especially in this economy

[924inlegend]

Shane and Ryan talking about each other’s shows in Making Watcher 🥹

#watcheredit #ryan bergara #shane madej #ghost files #puppet history #Watcher #watcher entertainment #MINE XD #(GDI when is it my turn to find a friend who will change the trajectory of my life for the better the way these two have for each other) #5kplus

[hightowered]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#watcher #watcher entertainment #could this rollout have been handled better? sure! but for the love of god the way y'all have been reaching to demonize them #steven in particular #it's frankly pretty horrifying #like y'all actually behave that way? and are proud to have a record of it?

[madseance]

he seems fine

#puppet history #watcher entertainment #[pet sematary voice] sometimes dead is better

[will41n]

so i was like in a REALLY BAD artblock and started playing around with brushes and colours and tried to figure out the process and made this !!! grian <33

i think im gonna stick to this shading cuz i love how it turned out

#i was also thinking of uploading here a little tutorial on my shading process hmmMMMM #alex draws #hermitcraft #hermitblr #alex but better #grian #grian fanart #watcher grian

[imaybeintoomanyfandoms]

Also idk if anyone’ll see this but if you can financially afford to support watcher streaming but don’t want to, maybe consider putting that money towards Palestinian aid, Palestinian GoFundMes, your local food bank or any local charities! I think that would be a better use for those $6/£5!

#trying to put some good back out into the world! #watcher #palestine #free palestine #charity #gofundme #to anyone feeling bad about anything at the moment I’m sorry and I hope it gets better #I understand why they’ve made the change. but it’s a disappointing change nonetheless

[virfujiwara]

Ghoul boys 👻👻👻

#Watcher Entertainment #Ryan Bergara #Shane Madej #ghoul boys #ghost files #Virfu makes art #sleepless art #could be better but I'd have to restart it and I don't want to #at least I got to try the new brushes I got :3 #bfu #artists on tumblr

[trashworldblog]

also... hot take... but i think expecting to get entertainment for free is actually bad for artists

#ok im leaving now cus this is insane to watch actually #i understand being upset but... as an artist its already insane to rely on advertising rev #youre talking about watcher as if its netflix and its very much is not #if spotify is bad for indie artists i cant help but assume youtube isnt much better #do i know if it will work out? no! i dont work there! #but i will support artists trying their best to make their best work while making a living #because as an artist trying to make a living they inspire me ! and they make good work! and im damn proud of them for making this leap!

[luluxa]

boo!

#ryan bergara #shane madej #watcher #ghost files #better than #buzzfeed unsolved #i was scared and i'm a firm shaniac lol! #also hilarious af

[ghostboyhood]

this has probably been said but i cant believe shane madej, the one who says steal from the rich, is agreeing to put this behind a paywall

#this sucks dude #ive been watching these guys for probably a decade or so now #and theyre doing this #idk man #nobody thinks this is a good idea.. nothing good could come from this #nobody cares about better quality.. #sorry this is js really disappointing to see #watcher #shane madej #ryan bergara #shane and ryan

[wordybee]

Watcher // Mystery Files: The Perplexing Legend of Vermont's Sea Monster

#watcher entertainment #watcher #mystery files #shane madej #ryan bergara #I originally made this into gifs but I think it actually works better as stills #you can really absorb the doofy nature of that champ statue. #to boldly queue

[ipushedthewrongbutton]

i’ve been scratching my head over the whole watcher situation. I’m not a fan myself but got dragged into it cus of the people I follow, i only watched their puppet history series and the buzzfeed unsolved series from way back- honestly, i couldn’t care less if they locked all their stuff behind a paywall. I’m so neutral on this whole thing, i might as well be swiss.

but i’m not neutral? In fact, the whole thing really bothers me and i couldn’t figure out why.

cus i get it, yanno. As a company that thrives on creativity, i understand you’d wanna cut yourself off the mega-capatalist-giant that is youtube to get rid of annoying restrictions, and asking monetary support from your audience so you can really stretch the limit of your creativity. I GET IT.

And it STILL bothers me!

And then I figured it out:

the whole “any future videos they’ll be making will EXCLUSIVELY be available through a streaming service you have to pay a monthly subscription for” comes less across as “please support us monetarily so we can grow as creators”, and comes more across as “if you want to continue being a fan, or even being a part of the audience, you’re gonna have to pay up. You have no choice in the matter. It’s either pay, or you’re not a ‘real’ fan or a ‘real’ part of our audience.”

THAT’S what’s bothering me about it. It feels like they’re gatekeeping who gets to be part of their community with money (that not everyone might have). And knowing where they come from and how they started…. That’s… extremely tone deaf. To put it gently.

#Watcher #i had to get that out #My condolences to the watcher fandom you actually fucking deserve better #This perspective coming from someone who was only really subscribed for puppet history #Like to me and people like me this announcement is really just “your mediocre support isn’t enough” #“We’re gonna make it so you HAVE to watch all our content in order for the price to be worth it” #“Or you don’t get to watch any of it at all” #And like… yeah fine no more watcher it is then nbd #But did you HAVE to push out like THAT?? #Listen I’ll GLADLY pay 6 dollars for every episode of puppet history #The money is clearly on screen and it’s cheaper than going to the cinema so it’s MORE than earned #I am however not paying that same amount monthly for all the watcher content including all the stuff i’m not interested in #Your content ain’t THAT good

[hockles]

One positive thing I will say is that watcher have clearly cultivated an audience of intelligent and hilarious people

The comments are killing me in the best way

#I hope the boys fix this #they fucked up but they can do better #they’re getting some hard truths- I just hope they listen #watcher

[bergoose]

watcher fans understand nuance challenge

#i really think this was extremely blown out of proportion #watcher worded this really badly and should have developed the streamer better and soft launched instead of this hard launch #but in NO WAY did it warrant this gaint backlash bandwagon that people decided to make this over a BUSINESS DECISION #absolutely toxic behavior i'm so upset #watcher tv #watcher entertainment #watcher #ryan bergara #shane madej #steven lim #vee posts