#we're trying

[saltpepperbeard]

Call It Through as a Crew: Alleviating Some Phone Anxiety

Hello everyone! So as you probably already know, there has been a recent call to make, well, calls! Another member of our crew figured out that the max customer service line (855-442-6629) is a very effective way to get our feedback heard, as the feedback gets transcribed and shared to a multitude of teams.

I already sort of briefly shared my experience on this post, but I wanted to go a bit more in detail to offer some solace for those who are also phone averse, as well as share resources and get the word out even more.

And y'all, when I say I'm phone averse, I mean PHONE AVERSE LMAO; MY FEET WERE SWEATING JSDKLS LIKE I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE. So I totally, TOTALLY get it, and am here to walk you through everything in detail!

So I called that number and was on a brief hold--probably like 5 minutes or so. The customer service representative (Margot my bestie Margot) then picked up, and asked for the email associated with my account as well as my full name.

I was extremely extremely worried and anxious about being bothersome/annoying the person on the other end and just being able to feel it in their tone, so I was shivering and sweating all the while. But then when she asked for my reason for calling, I said, "Oh, it's actually in regard to some feedback," and she went, "Is it for Our Flag Means Death?"

And we both laughed, and I was like, "Haha how did you knooooowww?" And she laughed some more and was like, "Let me tell you, I have never seen anything like this in all my years working here. We are getting so many calls. It's incredible."

And by that point, a large weight was off my chest because she was friendly, I was friendly, EVERYONE WAS FRIENDLY.

I laughed and told her that we were a very passionate and concerned bunch, and she told me that she thought that was so cool and also super important. She then allowed me to tell her my feedback, and she transcribed it as I talked. This was the little script I had prepared in case you'd like to reference it:

I just wanted to call and express my disappointment, dissatisfaction, and concern with the recent cancellation of Our Flag Means Death on Max. As a queer person myself, this show has a tremendous impact on me. And in a climate where so many diverse and LGBT-centric shows have unjust ends, I’d just like to express my wish for reconsideration, and just the hope that…Max will allow LGBT stories like ours to live and flourish. And I’m really worried about there being some kind of…homophobic angle to the cancellation, so it would mean the world to myself and so many others if the decision could be reversed, and we could get our third and final season.

I went a little graver than originally planned, because I saw talks that taking a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) angle, as well a "hey I'm a queer person and this feels like a decision made for a nefarious purpose" angle, are supposedly more likely to be noted.

Anyway, she allowed me to say my piece and wrote it all down, and then actually stayed with me on the line to chat a bit more. So, the phone call didn't feel rushed or anxious which was SO so huge to me; it felt far more conversational.

She was like, "I don't want to toot our little horn or anything, but Max really takes all this feedback into consideration. It will be passed to the properties team (or something equivalent, I can't remember the EXACT term she used), and they're in charge of what goes on Max and why. So, I really feel like you guys have a fighting chance with these efforts."

And of course I was thanking her profusely for telling me all of this, and for listening; polite menace, that will be my brand!

But man, the coolest part of all? She told me that she was POC, and a queer person herself, and that this was all so cool and so amazing to see. She applauded our efforts, and expressed interested in the show. I laughed and said, "Well uhhhh I might have a BIT of a bias, but I cannot recommend it enough."

And then she proceeded to tell me that it might be even MORE effective to hit from different angles. So, keep calling (they're available 24/7), and also keep utilizing the online feedback form. Basically just keep FLOODING them with how much this means to us and why.

I then expressed a lot of gratitude, we exchanged pleasantries, and there was a brief survey at the end. I don't think the survey is necessary, so you can probably hang up by this point, but I stuck around for a little more horsepower. It tells you to rate the customer service on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest, and you know I gave my bestie a fivvvveee. It also tells you to press 1/2 if your issue was resolved or not. I said HELL TO THE NO, DUDE SJDKLS. And THEN, it asks you to leave a voice message after the tone describing your experience. I said that I was with the customer service representative Margot, and that she was extremely friendly and helpful, but that the issue at hand will not be resolved until Max reserves their decision about the recent cancellation of Our Flag Means Death (I'm also always saying the show title in full as opposed to just the acronym, just for more OOMPH).

...And thennnn I proceed to shake it/shriek it all off LMAO.

Buuuut yeah! Probably took a total of 10 minutes or so. @xoxoemynn also shared with me that she's seen people say that these customer service representatives likely deal with older folks who need help with technology, and are subsequently stunned (and maybe even excited) to talk to younger people who just want to voice concerns instead of chew the poor customer service people out lol! And Margot also mentioned that they were eager to take calls no matter what, so as long as we're all polite and succinct, I don't think we'll have to worry about a very tense and awkward call.

I hope this alleviates some fear a bit! We got this, crew. We're doing so, so much. And it seems like it's being heard all over the place; it also seems like we've got so many people on our side, too. Big big hugs, and I'll share the necessary resources once more-

Customer Service Number: [phone]

The Online Feedback Form:

The original tumblr post with all the information:

The tumblr post where Fox and others were sharing even more information:

#OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #OFMD Season 3 #Renew as a crew #SaveOFMD #RenewOFMD #Be a lighthouse #WHEW LMAO #WE'RE TRYING #i told em this but you KNOW it's dire when all the anxious/nd individuals are cALLING PEOPLE SJDSHDLKS #WE SIMPLY: DO NOT DO THAT EVER <3 SKDJLSDS #IF WE CAN HELP IT #SO IT'S REALLY SAYING SOMETHING #And also again-- just want to reiterate that this is great practice for calling local representatives and politicians too! #ESPECIALLY if you're phone averse #It just gets you used to the whole process in a BIT of a less formal scenario

[variousqueerthings]

me at my past selves: *gives kiss* you were doing the best you could with what you had and it was okay

me at my present self: ... wait I need to extend that kindness to myself now don’t I!!!!!??

#we're trying boys #we're trying #for a rainy day

[three-in-one]

Yippee, we finally took a shower! It might not seem like a lot, but it is when you're always tired and never have energy. Believe it or not, 700+ people sharing a body does take a toll on you. Who would have guessed? /s/lh

- Troy

#please be proud of me #we're tired #we're trying #but it's hard #:'} #plurality #plural system #system #system stuff #sysblr

[fvaleraye]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 1-10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

ah fuck we're always bad at these asdflkjnasfd

uuuuuh

u <3

our friends...

getting. to talk abt things without feeling annoying

videogames

our ocs

we are. probably not going to send this to anybody bc we're so bad at picking people but we send it to people in spirit *lies on the floor*

#Faye Answers #kind of. a sad list; we know. #we're trying #we are still in shambles.

[artoni]

animation/short video director for commission

the title sounds more impressive than it is but shh

HEY YOU

are you an artist/creator?

do you like cool motion comics and/or short videos?

are you wanting to MAKE cool motion comics and/or short videos, but A) Have no programs to do so B) have no idea how you'd even get started with it C) other excuse goes here

YOU'RE IN LUCK, BECAUSE I AM IN DIRE NEED OF COMMISSIONS AND ALSO PRACTICE AND ALSO LIKE DOING THIS KIND OF THING.

examples of what I've done under cut!

--------------------------

Music video for the climax of an RP  - Major collab. CHARACTER ASSETS NOT BY ME, CREDIT IN DESC @quantumvaudeville

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MdMo1Y0d8M&list=PLdFeQL3Be9FwST2nTo7EaK6H-u4cRa-Hh&index=1

---- Based on another RP; Amogus sprites/various assets are edited by me, couple are just lifted from 'net

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41teN1w6wWU&feature=youtu.be - unfinished

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iol5L7fpXEQ&feature=youtu.be - this was a bday present for a friend

----

Misc; Ask the PPP-

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/710472133314281472/last-time-on-tumblr - collab

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/711100518661079040

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/711009953538785280 - collab

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/710812636187607040/previously-on-tumblr - collab

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/710971527898742784/hey-siri-please-play-top-80s

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/710879458359410688/are-you-by-yourself-down-there-or-are-there-any - collab

https://asktheprotocol.tumblr.com/post/712450816333725696/accessing-memory-records - collab (with VA)

----

DM me on Discord @ artoni#1824 or on tumblr as artoni if ur interested and we can talk scope/budget. If you're able to provide your own art/assets the price is obviously going to be cheaper, but I can provide/source as needed.

Short/simpler videos will start around $20, for example. Simple gifs/loops, cheaper. The 11 minute long one would be at least a couple hundred.

#this is the worst commission post ever #but eff it #we're trying #animation commissions #animation direction #creative direction #commissions

[pyotrkochetkov]

everyday you turn me into a bigger and bigger wh*** for svech… please I need a break

😳

#WE'RE TRYING #suitandtys #ask

[stitchthesewords]

its rude to reblog things from people you arent mutuals with fyi. :/

💀 my brother in christopher

#we're trying to decide if #youre from twitter #or forgot the word spam #and i think the general public needs to know we made a poll

[mrtequilasunset]

Listen man, you guys can't be like "you guys need to be normal about asexuality" and then turn around and get weirdly judgemental when you find out someone doesn't have sex by choice. Like that's weird that some of you do that.

#like I love sex im glad we're hyping it up #but also genuinely some of you have got to learn how to be normal around people who dont want to have sex #even if you're not talking about asexuality when you say stuff like that you're still being a weirdass #im not ace myself but i keep seeing posts that come across like they're taking it personally that other people don't want to have sex #it sounds like theyre trying to prove something to someone

[heritageposts]

🇵🇸 From BDS - What to Boycott:

Fruits, vegetables and wines from Israel are often wrongly labelled as “Produce in Israel” when they come from stolen Palestinian land. Boycott all produce from Israel in your supermarket and demand they are removed from shelves.

thank you @leandra-winchester for making the graphic above! if any of you are active on other social platforms, you have her permission to use the image however you want (no credit required)

keep in mind, though, that this isn't a complete list: you should still check the origin labels on other types of fruit and veggies, and see if any local orgs have produced a more complete breakdown of israeli produce that's specific to your country

#palestine #israeli #gaza #boycott israel #bds #boycott divest sanction #trying to bring some more awareness to the fruit/veggies part of BDS #since it's the boycott target we're most likely to interact with in our day-to-day lives

[orion--constellation]

Waking up, trying to figure out who is in a bad mood, then inciting a panicked scurry looking for our newest member was...

Not the morning I wanted to have.

#🔥.thoughts #we're trying

[mercurymushroom]

I keep seeing some fuck shit on my dash with non-americans thinking that the white liberal assholes are all of america. I hate america too, I live here, it's a hell hole. But don't you dare group all of us into a racist oppressive category.

Yes our taxes are funding a genocide, we didn't fucking make that choice. Yes we've gotten to a shitty point where genocide Joe was the best option.

Don't fucking try to tell us to just "vote third party" That will almost certainly lead to a republican winning the election and do you really think they would give a shit about genocide.

Yes things are quite obviously MUCH worse in Palestine, Congo, and Sudan, but we also need to make choices that protect ourselves as well as the people suffering in these countries.

Lgbtq people are being targeted, hundreds of shootings have happened just this year, and we can't afford jack shit while our government ships our tax money off to fund genocide.

This isn't to say that americans are the victims, this is to say stop fucking saying we're sitting on our asses and being complicit. Some are but the rest of us are fucking trying OK!?

#Freepalestine #We're trying #White fuck ass pussy liberals dni

[inkskinned]

probably time for this story i guess but when i was a kid there was a summer that my brother was really into making smoothies and milkshakes. part of this was that we didn't have AC and couldn't afford to run fans all day so it was kind of important to get good at making Cool Down Concoctions.

we also had a patch of mint, and he had two impressionable little sisters who had the attitude of "fuck it, might as well."

at one point, for fun, this 16 year old boy with a dream in his eye and scientific fervor in heart just wanted to see how far one could push the idea of "vanilla mint smoothie". how much vanilla extract and how much mint can go into a blender before it truly is inedible.

the answer is 3 cups of vanilla extract, 1/2 cup milk alternative, and about 50 sprigs (not leaves, whole spring) of mint. add ice and the courage of a child. idk, it was summer and we were bored.

the word i would use to describe the feeling of drinking it would maybe be "violent" or perhaps, like. "triangular." my nose felt pristine. inhaling following the first sip was like trying to sculpt a new face. i was ensconced in a mesh of horror. it was something beyond taste. for years after, i assumed those commercials that said "this is how it feels to chew five gum" were referencing the exact experience of this singular viscous smoothie.

what's worse is that we knew our mother would hate that we wasted so much vanilla extract. so we had to make it worth it. we had to actually finish the drink. it wasn't "wasting" it if we actually drank it, right? we huddled around outside in the blistering sun, gagging and passing around a single green potion, shivering with disgust. each sip was transcendent, but in a sort of non-euclidean way. i think this is where i lost my binary gender. it eroded certain parts of me in an acidic gut ecology collapse.

here's the thing about love and trust: the next day my brother made a different shake, and i drank it without complaint. it's been like 15 years. he's now a genuinely skilled cook. sometimes one of the three of us will fuck up in the kitchen or find something horrible or make a terrible smoothie mistake and then we pass it to each other, single potion bottle, and we say try it it's delicious. it always smells disgusting. and then, cerimonious, we drink it together. because that's what family does.

#this is true #writeblr #warm up #relatedly for some reason one of our Favorite Jokes #amongst the Siblings #is like - ''this is so good u will love it'' #while we are reacting to something we OBVIOUSLY find viscerally disgusting #like we will be actively retching and be like ''nooooo it's so good'' #to the point that i sometimes get nervous if someone outside my family is like oh u should try it its good #(obvi we never force each other to eat anything. we are all just curious birds and #like. we're GONNA try the new thing.) #edit to answer why we had so much vanilla: #my mom is a very good cook and we LOVE to bake. so she just had a lot of staples in the house. #it's one of those things that's like. have u ever continuously thought ''ah i should get butter im probably out'' #even tho u are not out of butter. so u end up with like 5 years of butter. #my mom would do that in a costco but like with vanilla extract #to be fair we WERE always using WAY TOO MUCH bc we were kids #so like she was right to stock up #ps. yes we were VERY sick after this lol i just didn't want to include it in the post in case ppl had an ick about that #u can tell it's real bc we knew "oh no we fucked up that's too much vanilla to waste'' but our reaction was to just. keep drinking it #> sibling understanding that vanilla extract isn't free > knowledge mother doesnt mind if we use it for milkshakes #> sibling choice to maybe get in a loophole of ''not wasting it'' if we drink it bc that's the same as using it (not throwing it out) #listen bud i was like 13 and my sister was like 9 #when my mom discovered this we. got in. A LOT. of trouble. a lot of it. a LOT of it. #3rd edit bc i guess it isn't clear - i am 1 of my brother's 2 little sisters #i am the middle child #out of all the ways i have had to explain a post before being like ''did u forget a middle child can happen'' is my favorite

[insectsinsects]

#room is dismal #we're trying

[thoughtsfrombehindthecounter]

Starting the shift off strong with a walkout. The cafe I work in is small and generally I'm the only one here until noon. I'm not slow by any means at most this customer would have needed to wait 5 minutes. But she chose to be nasty and stomp out. I wish people like that would realize that us service employees are generally overworked and underpaid and we're doing our best, it costs absolutely nothing to treat us with basic human decency.

#barista life #customer service #food service #barista #coffee shop #rude people #we're trying #be nice to people

[fruitmans]

My bestie and i have decided to find dresses for each other, for the wedding of our youngest in the trio ... she wants us to wear colourful dresses.. and both of us usually wear black... so this is difficult 😅

#we're trying #but having to find a maternity dress as well #goodness gracious #bells be speaking to herself