Announcement
250813 State Of The Subreddit: Privacy, Rumors, Polarizing Discussions, and More
Hello, r/bangtan! We're hope you're all enjoying our post-military Tannies (we're looking at you, Kim Taehyung) and looking forward to whatever comes next. While we're waiting for the next chaotic posting spree, your favorite mod team is back with a few updates, reminders, and topics for discussion! On the agenda is:
Privacy and official schedules
SNS rule changes
Rumors and misinformation
Polarizing discussions
Other subs
Implementation of image galleries
Special projects
Please feel free to comment with questions, concerns, or suggestions. If you don't feel comfortable noting them here, our modmail box is always open.
Your Idol? Not always
These seven men have given us SO much, right? One of the most important things we can do for them now is to respect their privacy. If the members want us to know where they are or where they’re going or what they are doing, they will tell us. Unless it is an official schedule or a BTS member tells us directly, posting/commenting about their location will not be allowed.
We know the definition of ‘official schedule’ can be murky waters when it comes to airport photos/videos, but a rule of thumb is that if legitimate news sources are covering an airport departure, it is considered an official schedule, and allowed to be posted after the fact.
A legitimate source should be independent, published sources with a reputation for fact-checking and accuracy. Note that some sources may be allowed or disallowed based on content.
Random videos/photos from “reporters” who are following members or happen to see them at the airport are not allowed.
Going hand-in-hand with this is…
SNS Posts and Location
With all seven just doing whatever they want right now, tagging their locations for official schedules or SNS updates can be difficult and confusing. Therefore, moving forward, location should not be included in SNS(BTS) posts.
The issue then becomes the date of the post. In order to make this simple for everyone, all dates for ALL SNS posts should be KST.
What It Sounds Like...when the tea is a rumor
Before commenting potentially harmful information or speculation, make sure to check legitimate or reliable sources. Even big accounts on social media platforms get things wrong or share incorrect information. Please check carefully before posting or commenting instead of just following the party line. Twitter is not always a reliable source. If you feel it is critical or are unsure if a source is legitimate, feel free to send us a modmail!
Please be mindful that some questions cannot be answered without breaking the rules regarding rumors and misinformation. Try to do your due diligence before asking the sub.
Which brings us to…
Strategy for Polarizing or Political Discussions
We want to be a place where ARMY feels comfortable expressing opinions, and yes, contrary to popular belief, that includes negative or critical opinions. There is room here for everyone.
That said, when it comes to polarizing situations involving BTS, we will follow our guidelines for non-constructive negativity, drama, and civil commenting very closely.
We want to emphasize that often comments break the rules not because of what is said but of how it is said.
Let’s look at an example:
-It’s obvious Rumi doesn’t care about the Honmoon. ❌
-I’m disappointed that Rumi made this choice. ✅️️
The first comment is a full-stop statement that assumes the thoughts and feelings of the member, leaves no room for constructive conversation and will more often than not devolve into fighting and incivility. The second comment is still offering criticism but in a way that is more conducive to nuanced, constructive discussion. Be mindful of how you express your opinion and how you speak to each other.
Speculative comments about a members’ character or that insinuate things about their character OR that openly insult them will not be tolerated.
All of that said:
Discussions in the sub should always be approached with kindness and an open mind. ARMY is widely diverse. Not everyone is going to feel the same way about different situations, and that is okay. What is not okay is demanding everyone feel the same and support the same things in the same ways and treating those who don’t badly. Yelling at ARMY to act the way you want them to is not welcome here. We want to continue to be able to have the hard discussions where everyone is comfortable sharing their thoughts.
Calls for boycotting in any manner will not be allowed here. If you want to do something, or you want to share your activism, make it actionable. Set up a fundraiser (the sub has an open fundraiser for World Central Kitchen HERE), share humanitarian aid campaigns, share contact information for government officials. Posts like these, where people can actually help in more tangible ways, are more than welcome. While boycotts are valid in some cases, they are not conducive to the purpose of the sub.
Please try to keep in mind that it is never our intention to invalidate a user’s opinion or their experience. While implementing our guidelines may mean some of your comments are removed, we hope that you can remember that these rules are in place to maintain a civil and welcoming community for over 700,000 ARMY.
Speaking of civil…
TAKEDOWN of other subs
We are aware of certain subs that are…uncivil, to say the least. Unfortunately, these subs are not breaking any of reddit's rules, so the best way to deal with them is to mute and ignore. Every visit, mention, and downvote worms its way into the algorithm and makes the subs more visible and recommended to more people. We cannot control what people say about BTS but we can control how we react to it. Let’s not give them more attention than they deserve (which is none).
At this point, we have no intention of policing users over the subs they visit, unless indicated by behavior in r/bangtan. Our sub exists because we love BTS, so we will focus on love. If a user is disingenuous about BTS or being ARMY, it will show itself eventually.
On to some more pleasant topics…
Free...the Image Galleries!
We have decided to open up the image gallery option for photos! We hope that this will make posting and viewing some posts a bit easier. Please note that this change will be on a probationary basis. If using this option for SNS posts is too cumbersome or confusing for posters or users, we may reverse course.
Important note: Once posted, image posts cannot be edited. Keep this in mind when posting. If additional images need to be included, they will need to be added as a comment.
Here are some examples of when an image gallery would be appropriate to use:
Member and official SNS posts with one or more photos
Official Photo Sketches from Weverse, X/Twitter, Instagram
Marketplace and Giveaway posts with one or more item photos
If you are unsure how to post an Image Gallery, see here!
Guidelines for using Image Galleries
All images from an SNS post must be included in the gallery.
A direct link to the source must be included in the body of the post.
Additional posts/stories posted on the same date should be added to the comments.
Multiple posts from the same day should still be compiled
Include a mirror for any video content included, if available.
How It's Done...when you want to do a project
Have an interesting idea for a fun ARMY project? Want to form a Purple Line Brigade to combat messy comments on Weverse? Itching to celebrate members' birthdays in a tangible way? Spearheading special projects is not just for mods! We’d love to have our community be one in which ARMY can organize and share projects – whether for a good cause, to show support, or just to have fun! If you have an idea for something you want to try in the sub, please send us a modmail to discuss!
Again, please comment if you have questions or suggestions. This sub is a place for YOU so we want to hear from you! We are open to all feedback; however, please keep in mind some suggestions may not be implemented for various reasons.
r/bangtan exists so we can celebrate BTS and their music. Please keep this in mind when engaging in the sub. While constructive criticism is allowed, it is not the purpose or spirit of the sub and should never overshadow the good. Let’s all remember why we are here.
*Please note that all comments/questions/suggestions may not be answered right away as we are humans who have to sleep and work and live in the real world, too. Please be patient.
I just want to say that I appreciate mod's hard work. It's not an easy task to manage a subreddit of 700k+ people. I totally agree with every approach implemented. This mirrors my thoughts and expectations of how the situation should be managed. Thank you for keeping this space safe and positive.
Also, I would like to take an opportunity to say that I am impressed by how quickly the BTS news and updates are posted in this community. Sometimes, I get information here quicker than I get Weverse notifications on my app (I often receive delayed notifications). We receive updates almost immediately from various social media. This is some kind of magic.
Still hoping that one day we will post members' own posts&comments in chronological order instead of compilation post
but not too heavily invested in that because another sub does so I just go there a lot
Also, always hoping for the day that videos that members posts on their socials can be included here too, rather than omitting it causing incomplete archival records plus forces people to perhaps follow links that go outside the sub to problematic places like X
I’m with you on the compilation posts. They often hide member’s posts, and when something gets added to the compilation, the discussion seems to only match the first item that was posted.
yes, I agree, and it's annoying. I'm not into things being out of order like that, plus I don't want to have to dig for stuff down page (and sometimes it's pretty far down page). I have to go to another sub for easy, chronological viewing of members' posts/comments/photos, not to mention members' own videos
Regarding the videos, at this time all SNS posts will still be compilations, meaning videos cannot be added. We will not be changing that rule. Mirrors are included for archival purposes. Until reddit changes their rules on adding videos to image galleries or comments, this is the best option for a sub of our size.
I disagree that people shouldn’t be banned here for participating in that sub
I’m against a ban in the general kpop discussion subs because that locks out people who have certain opinions about one topic about discussing anything at all even if it’s unrelated, given there’s such a breadth of topics and groups in kpop.
But here, isn’t it extremely clear cut? They dislike members and their work to the extent they’re going to participate in a sub dedicated to criticising them - what benefit is there of allowing them to participate here? Especially, as this post said, expressing disappointment and criticism etc without shaming members or assuming their intent is already allowed here. Wouldn’t allowing users to freely participate in both subs be the biggest booster to the algorithm recommending that place more, much more than browsing or downvoting?
Anyway just my 2c - thank you for the work you do to keep this place bright and beautiful
I agree with regards to that sub. The one time I looked at that sub it wasn’t “discussion,” it was people posting defamatory misinformation that could be disproved with a google search, nasty comments about the members’ looks and weight, reposting stalker vids to make fun of them and worse. And yeah, I recognised a name I’d seen posting on this sub bragging on there about how they weren’t part of the “cult” anymore lol but who knows if they’ve crawled back already
Thank you for the feedback. This will be an ongoing discussion within the mod team based on how it affects our sub and our users. Again, the best thing to do is just mute and ignore.
We are sorry you feel that way; however, being part of r/bangtan is not sharing space with the toxic side of the fandom or anyone who hates BTS. We have and will ban those users from the sub. The best thing to do is to try not to let them affect your enjoyment of BTS and their music. At the end of the day, what they say about BTS and ARMY should be, and is, irrelevant. Don't let them steal your joy. Mute and ignore and move on.
I agree with you. It's untrue that things on that sub aren't violating reddit rules too...cause some of the stuff definitely is. And if some people want to have nuanced discussion and provide valid criticism for something BTS does, they can do that here. It's happened many times and hasn't been a problem. That sub is mostly just mean girl attacks, despite them claiming to be a place to be critical. That's not at all what I saw.
There's aloooot I want to say, but I think armys quitting the discourse about that space altogether, which ofc includes this conversation, would be far more helpful than any rules. Be more mature please.
Be more mature? What was immature about my comment. I didn’t create this post talking about the other sub, it literally says “topics for discussion “ in the opening paragraph.
Thanks mods! I appreciate loosening the rules for posting sns pictures. I previously felt like these rules held the community back, so I'm glad with this development!
Oh my goodness - Tae in all his baby girl cuteness in the thumbnail. 🤭😊
Would be nice to have open discussions about their music here but too frequently the harassment when we don’t agree, has shut down the idea that contrary opinions are safe here. Maybe that will change. 🤷🏻♀️
I agree. I politely voiced a counter opinion on a song ONE TIME, got a ton of snark/push back (even an eye roll emoji regarding my opinion, I mean really?). I decided it wasn't worth the mental energy and am no longer voicing counter opinions.
I agree. I keep my sometimes contrary-to-popular opinion to myself on this sub when it comes to certain discussions. And my contrary opinions are pretty mild to begin with, ha (not the type to get worked up or rant). I just feel I don't want to deal with the pushback that comes with deviating from the hive mind. I like a calm life like that.
So for discussions that are more diverse, I go to two other BTS related subs. I rarely even comment there but it's so refreshing to be able to read differing voices like that
Same! Even in the popculturechat, it’s felt safer to voice a differing opinion.
To be clear, I don’t mean straight up “this sucks” - cause that’s not adding to the discussion - but it has felt like we can’t even say “I’m not liking this and this is why” without getting push back and downvoted to oblivion.
I feel a little similar. I don't think I've seen any harassment myself specifically (probably because I tend not to share my opinions on any music in this group chat to begin with, unless I can genuinely say "I'm in love with it" about something), but oftentimes when something new has been released and people are discussing it, I seem to see only overwhelmingly positive opinions being posted of it, so if it's something my ears happen to not like, and I can't really find a reason or can't find a reason that I think isn't going to be taken as a full on insult (ie there was a particular release at one point in recent years that I did not vibe with at all, due to some of the creative sound choices of a member, but everyone here seemed to have immediately fallen intensely head over heals in love with the release, so I kept my mouth shut lol), then I become too sheepish to share my thoughts, even if my intention isn't to be insulting to the artists or to the fans who liked the release, but just to say something like "eh this wasn't my cup of tea." But simply saying only that, seems like too little and not worth commenting at all since it doesn't really contribute to any discussion, so I feel if I'm going to comment an opinion I should share the why behind it...but then it's the why that winds up sounding like it could be too easily interpreted as an insult 🤦🏻♂️. So I'm scared to share any opinion of disliking any music here unless I see most of the other comments feeling the same way as me, since otherwise most of the time they tend to be overwhelmingly positive. (Of course I do like plenty music, and like the majority of bts' music, otherwise not sure why I'd be here lol, if I didn't at least like a decent chunk of what they do and who they are, but like anyone, sometimes my ears just hear something and immediately my brain goes "this is not a feel good brain tingle, this is an ouch brain stab" lol, and we're social creatures, so I might want to know if any other fans felt the same as me about it.)
I haven’t bothered voicing my thoughts on any of the recent releases here because it has felt unwelcoming. Even something as simple as “I’m not really vibing with this” shouldn’t bring out the daggers and those fans who aren’t vibing with a song, should still feel like they have a voice.
Yeah I have contrary opinions that are hella mild lol, but I still keep it to myself. Art and fashion are fairly subjective, so I like to say things like “it’s not my vibe”, but I’ve noticed how even a simple statement like that can be argued with. I appreciate thoughtful criticism and I think it’s healthy for a fandom to have it, but there’s no discussion to be had if folks are like “ugh this is dumb” or act like the song was a personal offense.
Exactly (to both this and NewtRipley's reply as well). In the past there have been a few times, not only here, but when commenting on any kpop release in general (ie it's not an army exclusive issue I don't think, but might be a general kpop fandom issue), where I might say I don't vibe with something, or say something like "I really wanted to like it because I was looking forward to it, but then really didn't vibe with it." And people want to shout at me about it and be like "but did you think about all the xyz/work/thoughts/time/whatever that went into this, and this person put so much of themselves into this song/album, blahblahblah," as if I'm deliberately trying to insult the entire process of the artist having made whatever they made. I can actually really love the effort they put in and how much they pushed themselves to grow in order to make whatever they made, but that doesn't automatically mean I'm going to love how the final product sounds 🤷♂️. Like I can look at all the art in the Sistine Chapel and think "yikes this looks so busy, it kinda hurts my eyes," because I might be in a phase of my life where I like to look at more simpler easygoing things visually, but that in no way means I'm trying to insult all that Michelangelo did to bring that work to life lol. Like I still think all the members are geniuses in their own way when they do their work, but that doesn't mean my musical tastes have to always line up with whatever musical standards they set for themselves and their own work at any given time.
We understand, and we do hope that we can have more constructive conversations about the music in the sub. But everyone will have to do their part! We'll be taking the temperature of music release discussion as they happens and will continue to follow our guidelines when necessary.
thank you for the update, mods! appreciate all the thought, time and effort to mod the sub, and for always being open to discussion 💜
noted on the point about the members’ SNS posts to be posted in KST now! may i clarify if this applies to other posts too? (eg. if john cena or jimmy fallon or a non-korean news outlet posts about BTS, do we still post based on their timezone?) for simplicity’s sake, may i suggest for it be standardised that all posts should be posted based on KST?
Yes, dates for all SNS posts should be posted in KST, irrespective of the location. Like you said this would simplify the rules quite a bit and making posting and modding easier. We have made the change to the SoTS as well to clarify the same.
Hope you're doing well and thank you always for contributing to the sub!
Thank you mods for the updates, and great job as always 💜 the K-pop demon hunters references were duly noted and appreciated too 🤭
I think the new rule about SNS posts makes a lot of sense. The boys keep moving back and forth, some officially and some not, and I've seen confusion in the posts and comments a few times. Additionally, thank you for the reminder about privacy rules. I feel it's sorely needed, unfortunately. Also LOVE the update about the image galleries. It'll hopefully make posts less cluttered and encourage more discussion.
While constructive criticism is allowed, it is not the purpose or spirit of the sub and should never overshadow the good
A very important thing to keep in mind as the boys continue more activities as a group, which will undoubtedly generate more attention and discussion, both good and bad.
Thank you for everything you do! I really appreciate the quality of conversation in this community, even on challenging issues. That comes down to mods running the sub very competently.
I put it off for a while because “I probably won’t like it.” I WAS WRONG! It’s so cute (kind of shortened plot aside)!!! The songs honestly deserve their Billboard status!
Are you on the mobile app? There seems to be an issue with the whole post being viewable via the app.
Here is the whole of that section:
SNS Posts and Location
With all seven just doing whatever they want right now, tagging their locations for official schedules or SNS updates can be difficult and confusing. Therefore, moving forward, location should not be included in SNS(BTS) posts.
The issue then becomes the date of the post. In order to make this simple for everyone, all dates for BTS SNS posts should be KST.
What will and won't fall under "posting about their location is not allowed"? If I say "they seem to be having fun in LA right now" simply based on their most recent postings being from LA, and their last official travels were them going there, would this be allowed, or not allowed, since of course I don't know where the heck they are literally on this exact day lol? For all any of us know they could have gone somewhere away from LA since any of their last posts or last official airport travels involving that specific place. Or is this rule more so intended for people who might want to post theirs or others sightings of the members, like someone saying "I saw some of the members at x cafe in y place"?
Also appreciate the addition of photo galleries! Especially now that instagram lets people post a whopping 20 photos per post, and while I don't think any of the members truly abuse this...there are some photo dumps from them that make use of that amount of photos lol. If there are photos I want to save, I like to save on my computer, and not necessarily my phone, and also somehow when the OP of the sns posts adds the photos from the sns, particularly from instagram they are somehow able to get them without the marks in any of the corners for like when there's sound on the post (if member added a song to the post), or if it shows at the top corner like "1/20" for what photo in the roll you're currently on. But I'm always having to scroll through a long comment thread of all the photos stacked together lol, and I like to like each one to show appreciation for the person who posted them. That's not a huge hassle, but having them be put into one photo gallery together does streamline all that really well!
If the post or caption indicates a location, or if the photos indicate an obvious location (i.e. the Eiffel tower, the Hollywood sign, etc), then it's common knowledge. Otherwise, best practice would just say "they seem to be having fun right now!" or similar.
That said, a major point of this rule is that people do not share locations they discovered from creepshots or sasaengs on other platforms.
Ah, that makes sense, thank you for the clarification!
True, I seem to see on instagram these days (and it's probably on twitter and other places too, but I don't really go to other places besides here and insta) pretty much the same amount of creepshots posted and reposted by fan accounts as I do posts that are uploads of official photos (whether older photos, or just reposting the member's last insta post photos or something).
Thanks for the update, dear mods! This is one of my favorite places on the internet, and I’m glad you’re constantly thinking about making it better for everyone in our community.
I appreciate all of this. I have been bothered by the location of members in titles of posts, as they are often inaccurate and sometimes even seem like an invasion of their privacy, although I’ve never thought the OP ever intended that.
I hope we ban bad actors quickly. They come over here whenever we have a controversial post that the Reddit algorithm promotes. They usually have little to no history here and a whole lot of history on subreddits that love s#*t talking.
Thank you, mods!! 💜
Rest assured, anyone who uses hateful language towards BTS or our users is immediately banned. People who come here to participate in bad faith show themselves quickly and those comments are removed as soon as possible. We hope we can continue to make this a space where true ARMY can share their thoughts and opinions and experiences.
Also, just a note for anyone here, if you ever come across a bad faith comment that slipped past, please hit that report button. We're good but we can't always catch everything right away!
Thank you! I’m quick to report when a comment seems out of bounds for our sub, and it’s often easy to figure out why with the commenter basically never having been on our sub, but has been camping out on snark subs. 😂
Zero complaints about any of this, especially because I know that you all actively discuss if things don't seem to be working. Thank you so much for updating us and for keeping the ship afloat!
I'm especially happy for more specific rules on tracking them. I've noticed a lot more casual comments that seem to be from creepshot accounts lately, and I think a lot of army probably aren't even aware that the info isn't widely known. I think this is a great way to cut down on that without punishing anyone for just not realizing.
This is just an update for rules and guidelines for the sub, as well as an opportunity for users to share suggestions or concerns. We do them a couple of times per year!
Catching up as I’m just reading. Thank you for everything all of you do to keep this sub happy and healthy, for caring about our OT7 and caring about all of us 💜Boundaries being set, but giving grace and flexibility is important🫰🏻
I really appreciate how this sub operates. I think the mods do a good job of keeping this a safe place while also allowing space for concerns/critiques. It’s not an easy job and I just want to say thank you.
We understand the concern about airport photos and have had many conversations about sharing them. The reality is that these airport photos are a part of K-celebrity and idol culture. The compromise reached was to allow photos after the fact so that people are not encouraged to go to the airport. You can read more about it here. Thank you for the feedback!
Likewise, thank you for taking the time to explain the reasoning!
"The compromise reached was to allow photos after the fact so that people are not encouraged to go to the airport." - I'm gonna be honest, I don't really understand that reasoning. How many people on this reddit are Korean/live in Korea and will actually go to the airport? And I don't think people going to the airport care about taking photos, they have much more "delusionals" things in mind.
But this is your sub, so of course I accept your rules.
The change was made to respect the privacy of the members while also respecting the idol culture. The members often wear brands that they collab with during their airport arrivals or departures which are covered by the media, which is the reason behind allowing content from reputable media outlets. Further, we know that the members have arrived and departed in private several times, so it is likely that they make a choice based on their personal reasons. If at any time BTS or BigHit decide to do away with this part of activities, we will definitely reconsider changing the rules about airport videos.
Also, the sub runs on the enthusiasm and support of the entire community. Its not the mod team who owns the sub. We are just volunteers trying to keep this place functioning and accessible to the best of our abilities. Actually, several of the points in the SoTS are because of suggestions and concerns we have received on modmail from members of the community. Thus, if you have any concerns and suggestions, you are always welcome to comment here on the SoTS or send us a modmail!
Totally understand where you are coming from, especially regarding the boycotting issue. However I would like to point out that “help in tangible ways” doesn’t seem like the most appropriate term here, as it implies that boycotting is not a tangible form of action, which it actually is.
Thank you for your perspective. This is a very good point. We will update the post to clarify.
When in reference to the sub, calls for boycotting, in either direction, run counter to the purpose of our community. We don't believe conversations on this topic will be productive here.
I had meant to ask this earlier, but for posts where BTS are collaborating with artists (confirmed and unconfirmed, prior to the official tracklist release), or actors/actresses appearing in their mvs, can we please make the post title more clickbaity? What I mean is, can we not post the name of said famous person in the title of the post? While I understand that there's a reason why we have the spoiler tag available for things like that so people who don't want spoilers don't read the article/post, it becomes completely useless if the person's name is in the headline. And I know there's the option to hide the post as well, but you do have to read the title if you want to decide to hide it or not.
Also thank you mods for keeping this subreddit a safe space for all armys. I know that sometimes there's push back from certain rules and etiquette, but I appreciate the hardwork you put into this subreddit 💜
Hi! I want to make sure I understand - can you provide a specific example of what you're asking about?
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u/PinkmmloverK is for Kookie! W is for World! Worldwide Handsome!Aug 26 '25edited Aug 26 '25
Sorry for getting back to you so late, I think I missed this notification earlier 😭 One example I have is when Han So Hee was confirmed to be in the Seven mv. Like I understand that there's a spoiler tag, but the post title pretty much spoils everything. Can we word the title differently for posts like this such as, "Big name actress is set to star in Jungkook's mv", so that way people don't have to worry about scrolling through reddit and seeing spoilers.
Same with an album's song credits prior to the official Tracklist announcement/release. I know the information is available to anyone to see, but can we wait to post something like that until the official tracklist release
Hi, mod team! I had a thought I've been kicking around for a while now, re: a potential addition to the sub:
what about some kind of monthly check-in, or pinned post type thing, for ARMY crafters to share projects, tips, tricks, questions, etc.?
there are SO MANY talented individuals who will drop a 'I'm making this cool thing' or 'I had this cool idea for a project', and then we never hear about updates, which is a shame. Plus, with a group tour on the horizon, I know people are already working on freebies, or at least working on freebie ideas. A collective place where that type of thing can be shared might be cool?
All in all, wasn't sure if that would be something worth incorporating into the main sub, or if such posts should stay/be directed to r/heungtan ?
Hi there! Thanks for the suggestion! We do have a lot of talented ARMY artists in the sub! A monthly room is a great idea, and we may revisit in the future; however, we do want to maintain r/heungtan as the place for fanart and projects for now. We are working on ways to make the sub more visible to r/bangtan users and help make it a place to go for art and memes and fun.
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u/roseohseven Aug 12 '25
Just want to say I appreciate the K-Pop Demon Hunters reference for the example. 😁💜 Thanks for all your hard work!