#signed by anonymous

[not-quite-normal]

hi!!!! there been news articles saying that the working conditions of spiderverse were rlly rlly bad to the point of 100 ppl quitting or someting…. sorry to be liek an annoying reporter and b kinda invasive but is this tru D:

the big article that came out, for anyone curious: https://www.vulture.com/2023/06/spider-verse-animation-four-artists-on-making-the-sequel.html

there are some aspects about the article that i don't feel comfortable commenting on, but yes a lot of animators did quit. a lot of it had to do with the issues mentioned in the article, but a lot also left because disney opened a studio in vancouver (where sony imageworks is located) and had to hire an entire crew. i don't blame people for leaving spiderverse to get in on being a part of establishing the disney vancouver studio

i will also say that some of the information going around is incorrect; we did not work 11 hours a day, 7 days a week for over a year. working 7 days a week is illegal, and though some people worked sundays, they were clearly told that they could not work the next saturday if they worked a sunday. we encouraged people to not work ghost hours, and OT was always optional (except for saturday work towards the end, but nobody was punished or anything if they couldn't work a saturday). we also get paid for OT. i was on the movie for over a year but we certainly weren't crunching that whole time. like the article said, we were idle for a long time

it was undeniably a hard movie to work on and with such a large crew, everyone had a wide variety of experiences. the anonymous animators in the article aren't wrong, but i will say that there are people that felt differently, or not as strongly as them. it's a complicated issue that doesn't have a simple solution

i just hope this doesn't tarnish your view of the movie. we worked hard on it and everyone's immense celebration of the animation is making all that hard work very worth it!

[hirayaea]

xavier is just casually saying things like this in the office

tara for sure is squealing somewhere in the background

meanwhile, someone nero mutters, “some of us are single, you know…”

/

xavier doesn’t deny allegations when asked if you’re together

in fact, this man is so sly he fans the flames on purpose, but when you ask him about it he just goes: “hmmm? I told them we’re partners”

/

the next day, a “no flirting” sign is posted in the office

xavier is clueless, “who was flirting?” he asks, as he brings you a cup of iced coffee and mixes the gum syrup in front of you, drinking a bit of it himself before handing it to you

“we should share one coffee cup so there’s less trash”, he says, oblivious that tara is still giggling and the other men in the office want to shake him

/

somehow a sign also ends up at jeremiah’s flower shop

xavier asks where are the signs coming from???

jeremiah shrugs, “I don’t know about the one in your office, but I‘ve had that one for years”

/

source: memoria - fluffy trap

[cripplecharacters]

I have this xenofiction idea set in an alien solar system. One of the intelligent species ideas i had are octopoid-looking but terrestrial creatures that communicate via bioluminescence, and don't vocally communicate but do have hearing.

I started thinking about how blind members of this species would communicate. Does tactile sign language work if you only have identical tentacles and no fingers or toes?

Hi!

My first idea when you mentioned identical limbs was the Lorm alphabet. It's a kind of tactile communication (not really a sign language, more of a signed letter-by-letter transcript) that is virtually unknown outside Central Europe and Georgia (the country) in my experience. It requires a single limb from each person. For the Lorm alphabet, you tap and stroke the person's hand (or foot, I've seen it adapted to a double arm amputee too) and the amount of taps and their position (also line or circular movements) signal specific letters. Here's a video to visualize it from the French DeafBlind association (TLDW: two people using Lorm at great speeds at a conference).

What that means for alien creatures who have identical limbs is that there could be Aliorm alphabet where a specific spot on the tentacle signals a specific letter/syllable/binary code/etc and thus allow them to communicate. So if the aliens have some way to codify their bioluminescence-based language into a written system, they could use that.

Another option is to do another kind of non-oral language. Humans have ones that rely on hearing, seeing, and feeling, but aliens could have ones that are based on smell or taste. Especially if they original one is bioluminescence, I don't think it's too farfetched to imagine they could produce other chemicals that perhaps could be smelled as a form of alien olfactory language.

I'd personally love to see the Lorm alphabet in any sort of media ever, but considering you're writing about aliens, you have a lot of possibilities - there's no one single correct answer unless you find a blind alien to ask.

I hope this helps!

mod Sasza

[canisalbus]

Idk if you've ever seen it, but I imagine Machete coming to Vasco in his dreams like bambi's mom does to him in bambi 2. Just this beautiful golden field they played in, shining butterflies haloing Machete who isn't sickly, isn't in pain, a healthy beautiful dog but still undeniably himself. Looking at him with so much love and kindness, even though his mortal form is gone, he's been so truly blessed. Gives Vasco the strength to go on.

.

[jube-art]

Can we please see the kids in the newest au??

get them from the cryosleep pods! get them from the pods and into the medical bay right away!

[nobodysuspectsthebutterfly]

Has anyone asked George what's the tax policy of any of the asoiaf kings (and queen)?

You haven't read the books, have you. Does the dwarf's penny mean nothing to you? Bran in ACOK and Manderly's silver? Littlefinger and his embezzlement? Cersei in AFFC and the Iron Bank? Dany in ADWD and the olive trees and the fighting pits? Tywin and his relationship with Aerys, who raised taxes and tariffs despite Tywin's objections, then blamed his Hand when lords and merchants complained and lowered the taxes so that they would praise him? Alton Butterwell and Edwell Celtigar, hugely unpopular masters of coin because of their taxes? King Jaehaerys and his "Lord of Air" Rego Draz? Rhaenyra aka "King Maegor with teats" and Bartimos Celtigar, murdered horribly for his taxes? No, seriously, have you read anything at all?

[teethcake]

Hiii today is Ben Drowned’s day on April 23.

I miss Ben Drowned for sure! I would like to see him in your style again :D

happy birthday to the guy who i thought haunted my phone

[suzukiblu]

Krypton Lives and Kara didn’t sign up for this!!!

“Well, I at least know your guest room isn’t packed full of hundreds of data crystals and spare spaceship parts, so comparatively, yes,” Kal replies, smiling wryly again, then winces slightly and rakes a hand back through his hair again. Earth has clearly done significant damage to his manners. “Ah–I’m sorry, I haven’t introduced you at all, just told you about each other.” He looks back to Lois Kal-El and says something in Earthling, which remains just as flat and strange a language, and also says “Kara Zor-El” in his actual proper accent, which to Kara’s ears just highlights how bland and toneless Earthling sounds by comparison. Then he turns back to her with a formal introductory bow and says, “Most esteemed cousin, I present to you Lois Lane, my system star and sworn partner in all that remains of my life, and the newest member of the House of El.”

[vellichorom]

I love how in one of your drawings of Settings person from Stanley parable, he doesn't have a sign for when he doesn't like what you did. Really reminds me of that scene from adventure time, when Jake had all these signs to talk to Finn with but Finn's signs only had stuff like 'Thanks Jake' or 'I love you Jake'

I love you player,

[allastoredeer]

Know of any Radioapple fics where Lucifer starts out as the jerk/dick in the relationship?

Unfortunately, I don’t have any radioapple fics where Lucifer starts out as the jerk 😔 which is a huge fucking shame.

I did recently go through the Hazbin tag on AO3 and saved a TON of fics that caught my eye, so maybe one of those will have it. I’ll keep you posted 👉👉

Not to self-promote but my radioapple series “Just Kiss Already” kind of starts out with Lucifer being a jerk in the beginning. It’s intermingled with him slowly developing feelings for Alastor and feeling obligated to help him for helping Charlie, but his bitchy side REALLY shows itself in the fourth installment “Chaggie’s Totally Legitimate Dating 101 Crash Course.”

I enjoy Lucifer and Alastor being mean to each other, but part of Lucifer’s character arc is going to focus on his aversion to sinners and how he thinks of them (in light of his growing feels gs to Alastor, a sinner who definitely earned his place in Hell) so he’s still going to have a lot jerky moments.

[labelleizzy]

You have to understand what is happening on a mythic level, okay? What we have here is a relatively rare phenomenon: advance warning of an imposed culture change. It is critical to understand what the people who are going to be in charge believe to be true.

As you read this, remember mighty Achilles had a heel.

Everyone has a heroic self, and among the leadermen a coming they are strong and smart and capable; unafraid and fearless, they know better than anyone else how things should be done. The heroic challenge - they have been unjustly prevented from setting things right by a thorny poison wall. Through heroic exertion - generally the use of violence, trickery, and expendable companions - victory is achieved. The wall is severed and the hero prevails. The hero is rewarded with buxom adoration, many children, some degree of material success and the regard of the lesser, non-heroic people.

For thorny poison wall, understand laws, regulation, and the acknowledgement of universal human rights.

Within the myth, the hero in confidently invincible. Outside of the myth, confidence does not guarantee success. This can be quite a shock to the system. It is important to push back. The hero may still kill their opponents, but eventually someone will get him. Even immortals die from time to time; it's the rebirth thing that saves their ass.

Why is it so important to this hero to control fertility is because on a very deep primal level they understand it's their only route to divinity. As much as they value innovative accomplishment - and heroes by definition are surrounded by novelty, they are always the first in a strange land - they cannot through their own efforts ascend to being any greater than they are. Women, specifically via the provision of children, make heroes into better men, at a minimum, and via sufficiently obedient behaviors, into the closest to Godhood as they're going to get.

When you say but that's gender essentialism, let me clarify that that's exactly the point. The existential threat inherent in independent women is the disruption of the heroic path to divinity. They may say it is a mission from God, but in fact, it is a mission to be God.

And how do we defeat would be Gods? We don't believe in them. We certainly don't treat them with the fear and dread they desire. There is no respect or veneration due. That thorny, poison wall will hold. They that hold it may bleed, but the wall will hold. It may get cut but as long as one thorn remains, it will grow back. Regulations and laws are written in blood. They are sacred words in their own way. But they must, like all magic words, be used, guarded, and protected.

You may not live long, with what's coming. But in myth, you live forever. Their way of being a hero is not the only way. And somebody has to save our ass.

If you were waiting on a call, this is it.

(author requests anonymity)

[aroaceleovaldez]

Mark Oshiro confuses me a little bit not going to lie. In the press tour for the first book all they ever talked about was how Nico is their son and Will is fine I guess. Then they said like 2 weeks before TSATS came out that they didn't understand Will's character at all and it's one of the main reasons why Will has so little POV.

Possibly unpopular opinion but I don't think it's a good, encouraging sign when the writer admits to not really caring about the deuteragonist or not even having a sense of how to write them...

Yeah, no. If you have no interest in 1/2 of the POV characters of your book, you REALLY shouldn't be writing it (or at least, not have that be a main character). Especially when the main way TSATS could have been improved is if it was primarily Will-centric instead of Nico-centric. Will basically had next to no established character prior to TSATS! He was practically a blank slate! But all the new stuff we got for Will in TSATS was so clearly disinterested and had no regard for his previously established traits (or the established timeline/canon). Which is annoying because fleshing out Will would have been the PERFECT opportunity to actually incorporate a lot of the topics that Mark Oshiro specializes in as a sensitivity reader, which was the ENTIRE REASON THEY WERE BROUGHT ON AS A CO-AUTHOR!!!!

As TSATS stands, there is no reason for Mark Oshiro specifically to have been the co-author instead of someone else. It's so clearly just a PR move from RR following the huge backlash Rick received due to his response to criticism on how he wrote Piper and Samirah (and Reyna and etc etc). This was immediately following Rick saying he wasn't going to write what would become TSATS because "it [wasn't his] place to." Most of the topics that Mark Oshiro specializes in either weren't relevant at all to TSATS or written very poorly (to downright offensively) in TSATS, so either Mark Oshiro wasn't doing their job or was not able to do their job for some reason, but either way it basically makes the theoretical justification for Mark Oshiro being the co-author/sensitivity reader irrelevant.

With Will, it was HUGE fanon back in the day for him to be trans. Trans!Will and photokinesis!Will were basically the two biggest headcanons for him (both largely popularized by Cherryandsisters). We know Rick is aware of this old fanon because he canonized photokinesis!Will. If we had gotten trans!Will, that would have been great! And then made sense why we specifically got a trans co-author! (Instead, if anything, TSATS canonized Will being cis.) If we had gotten Will being latino, that would have been amazing!!!! And also then made sense as to why they chose Mark Oshiro for the job as a latinx author/sensitivity-reader, versus potentially choosing an Italian co-author since Nico being Italian/Venetian was emphasized so much in the book (and done poorly! Yknow what they could have done to fix that? GOTTEN A SENSITIVITY READER FOR IT)! Based on the themes and focuses actually present in the book, it would have been most logical to get a queer, neurodivergent, Italian co-author or sensitivity reader who specializes in those three topics at least. But we didn't! So why was Mark Oshiro chosen instead when they only specialize in one of those topics? PR reasons. It's blatantly entirely PR reasons and no actual thought or care was put into this book (or, likely, TSATS 2 either).

It doesn't help that we're also actively being told that the published version of TSATS was a rough draft. Or that their editor blatantly isn't doing her job. Or that "The Sun And The Star" was the working title that they just kept cause they didn't bother to make an actual title. And that the final version is full of explicitly last-minute scenes that weren't checked over at all (the final Bianca scene, for one). Or the ACTIVELY ADMITTING TO SOURCING IDEAS AND INFORMATION FROM FANS! That last one is kind of important because at this level of publishing that is a HUGE no-no for legal reasons. You can get into a lot of trouble for that and there is a reason why it is Ye Olde Fandom Law to never try to pitch your ideas or headcanons to the source creator(s) and keep fandom separate from the creators. There is a REASON why Rick Riordan is so distant from the community these days and it's for PROTECTION AGAINST LEGAL REPERCUSSION. Mark Oshiro being the exact opposite while also ACTIVELY ACKNOWLEDGING sourcing concepts from fans does not bode well! It has to do with copyright stuff.

It's just. So. Sighhhhhhhh >->o <- me lying on the floor about all of this. It's sad being able to see the glimmer of what could have been at the very least a decent book underneath all this. If anyone involved in the process had actually cared just the tiniest amount.

[cripplecharacters]

How do you teach a deafblind person what the signs in tactile sign language mean? Especially if they were born deafblind and propably don't know, for example, what an object is?

Hi!

DeafBlind kids will learn objects through touching, just like they'll learn tactile sign language. Give a kid a blanket and tell them it’s called “blanket” and they will learn. No kid knows what an object is until someone explains it; DeafBlind kids will just learn mainly by touch.

Please also consider that not every DeafBlind person is 100% deaf and 100% blind (very few are!) so they will likely have some level of residual hearing and/or vision. Also, many DeafBlimd adults were not born both deaf and blind; usually they were born with one or neither and then lost the other sense.

Another tool that may be useful to a DeafBlind person is ProTactile, a form of tactile sign language that uses constant touch feedback to convey reactions, and provides a DeafBlind person information about the layout of a space in addition to what is being said. Here is a link to an introduction to ProTactile for more information.

Mod Rock

[canisalbus]

do their tails wag when they're happy to see each other?

Of course! It'd be such a waste to have dog people with perfectly good tails and not have them reflect their emotions.

The way I see it, tail wagging is a lot like smiling or laughing, it's innate to the species, even babies know how to do it and it's meaning is the same across cultures. When it's genuine it happens instinctually, but if you really need to, you can try to force or supress it. Whether or not it's proper etiquette to wag your tail depends on the situation, it's a normal part of socialization between friends for example, but on formal surroundings you're expected to show modesty and have enough restraint to control your emotions.

[vladdyissues]

Hi! First time asking... sorry if I did or say something inappropriate. Sorry for the anonymous as well.

But I really want to know your opinion on this idea I have, whether it aligns with their personality or if it's even possible.

I was thinking something like, it's the usual where Vlad was beaten by Danny and he became frustrated of all his fails especially the last one where Danny humiliated him, perhaps by manipulating his feelings for Madeline. So he decided to have a payback in the same nature. Planning for several days and night without sleeping he came up with a plan to screw Danny over by possessing Paulina and seduces Danny only to reveal that it was Vlad all along, thoroughly humiliating him.

So he went and donated the newest state of the art air conditioner to Casper High to be put in every class, hall, to mask the boy's ghost sense like it did with Spectra. Of course he also had a contingency plan, he is a genius after all, so he made something that would supres his ghost powers and presence in a form of a collar.

In the end Vlad possessed Paulina, Danny was over the moon that Paulina, the most popular girl in school was into him. But as time went by and he noticed that Paulina seemed different, she gave of the air of a spoiled, beauty obsessed rich girl before. But now she seemed thoughful, still a bit haughty but she seemed genuinely interested in Danny's conversation and could catch up with him even when he accidentally said something about his parents experiment.

One time there was a ghost in school he accidentally transformed in front of her, and she didn't even run, scream, or hide. She protected him by leading the others away. And Danny fell for her instantly.

(I just have to add, Vlad's brain at that moment: You fool, why did you run here to transform!? Will this thwart my plans? Don't you know everyone else is also running here? This fool!)

So Danny confessed everything to her, his identity, his family's situation and finally his feelings for her. He knows that he is not worthy of her since she is rich, popular, has a stable family and all he could offer her was himself. Danny had grew to love her.

Vlad too, ever since Danny looked at him with those sparkling puppy dog eyes and the way he and the boy could have a decent conversation without tearing each other's throats out. How whenever he tries to think of Maddie instead his through fell back to Danny. He wanted Danny to fall for him and humiliate the boy, but his plans backfired, he was the one who fell hard for the boy.

Danny was leaning if for a kiss when Vlad couldn't take it anymore and decides to tell the truth. He came out of the girl and showed himself as the unconscious girl fell into Danny's arms. At first Danny was angry that Vlad was possessing Paulina, ruining his confession when Vlad admitted, he was possessing the girl for a long time, the first time she tries to seduce Danny, it was Vlad.

The information was too much and Danny had tears in his eyes. Vlad wanted to comfort the boy but the boy had looked at him with such hatred in his eyes. "You win, Vlad. You got what you wanted so stay away from me." He left while carrying the unconscious Paulina to safety.

Vlad stood there, right hand was reaching for the boy but he placed it back to his side. He regretted his actions. He thought that as long as he explained things Danny wouldn't look at him with that much hatred, he would beat him up in frustration, yell at him but things never worked out in his favor. He should've known that he destroys every relationship he has. He could never make any intimate connection with anyone. It's his curse.

I only though of things until here but I would love to see Vlad and Danny making up. Danny realises how the one he fell for was Vlad, forgives Vlad and probably chase after Vlad who now stubbornly pushes people away after getting hurt (by his own actions)

I know its not much but If you read this or respond to it, thank you!

Not much? NOT MUCH?

Anon, you just sent one of the juciest, most fantastic, well-constructed story ideas I've ever read. It's intriguing. Compelling. Clear motivations, a stellar twist. True to character, because Danny does have a crush on Paulina in canon, and Vlad is known for being so monomaniacal that he fails to consider the consequences of some of his actions. Also he's ruthless, petty, and uses people for his own personal gain. To see that come back and bite him in the ass with the added bonus of opening his eyes to his own past mistakes is just—utterly splendid. And Danny learning the painful lesson that appearances aren't the end-all be-all of a person, that the fantasy of dating a pretty, popular girl is nothing compared to the reality of loving—and being loved by—someone who understands you deeply and truly.

It's all just 😤💪😭😘👌 so good. What you've got here is pretty much the first half or two-thirds of the story, with the climax being Vlad's reveal and Danny storming away. Then that plot rollercoaster plummets down to the abyss where Vlad deals with the repercussions of his charade and only begins to climb once Danny starts to come to terms with his feels. That resolution, when it happens, is going to be so delectably satisfying. I can almost taste it 🤤

[arealtrashact]

Atleast we had a Homelander and Sister Sage moment... I'll take any scene with them as a win

It was a treat seeing brain-dead Sage interacting with a completely baffled Homelander. It's . . . very telling to see how much he relies on her to do the thinking for the both of them despite only having known her for what, a month ? He's so ready to (re)assume his role as a trophy wife. Thank goodness Neuman was there to fill in for Sage during the ten seconds he had to think for himself.

Neuman, Sage and Homelander all on the same page strongly reminds me of another ruthless triumvirate