#strike sign

[ourflagmeansstrike]

Via georgia_oqueef

[notesfromachair]

Intelligence Artificial

The mere phrase artificial intelligence should be a clue that no good will come of fully opening this door.  For what does it mean to be artificially intelligent? Me, doing science If we take the words as they present (which is really all we can do), it means an intelligence that is not real on its own but merely a poor man’s copy of smartness, acumen or whatever you want to call it. It’s at…

[piinfeathers]

just in case anyone missed this in the news or maybe not in the loop, Disney is currently refusing to meet with or acknowledge the newly formed animation production workers union that just voted to join IASTE and become an official part of TAG, the animators and animation artists guild

production workers across all studios are currently voting to be recognized for their hard work and invaluable skill at keeping these productions running, but studios are refusing to meet with them to let them negotiate deals or even exist

as someone who works in animation as a designer i know i wouldn't be able to do my job at all without any of my production workers. they are the incredibly hard working people who oversee pretty much everything in animation. they make sure everything is running on time, that schedules are being followed, they have to know pretty much every single word of the scripts and beats from the storyboards to make sure nothing is missed, and most importantly, they make sure artists are being taken care of and not overworked. they really are the unsung heroes of the animation world

production workers are also by far the most exploited workers in animation currently. they make about a fraction of what artists make for just as much work put in, and currently have no agreement for health coverage or other benefits that artists protected by the union are guaranteed

BUT! there is some good news. right now there's a petition on IATSE's website that has over 80,000 signatures currently addressed to disney leadership to do the right thing and meet with this new union and recognized their vote to form. it still needs roughly 21,000 signatures and only takes a minute to sign! anyone with a zip or postal code can sign, meaning both US and Canadian residents can sign and help this union get the deal it deserves!!

[tranquil-slaughterhouse]

[gifs-of-puppets]

The Jimmy Dean Show (1963-1966)

[megamindfandombookclub]

On BlueSky social, Both Brett Simons (one of Megamind's writers) and @neil-gaiman (cause he's one of my favorites and I love him.) responded to my questions about how things were with the strike finally nearing completion with better pay and protections for the writers.

This is what they said.

How can you help?

Now negotiations are still being made and as of this moment, the contracts are not signed, but you can help them by donating to the causes, and/or spreading the word!

Solidarity friends!

[celestialholz]

Be still made, my beloved crossbow (or 'let's talk about Durge's other other weapon... and maybe a bit about Stillmaker too')

You've read this post, friends. You know it's true, I know it's true. (And it's bloody beautiful by the way, lovely job @darkurgediaries.)

But wait, there's more.

Let's have a quick chat about the Hellfire Engine Crossbow, because if Stillmaker is Durge's blade from Gortash, this is Durge's side-bitch from him... or it was meant to be, anyway. Man never quite got around to piecing it all together.

Okay, let's start with er... I mean look at it. It's white, has a phoenix head on it - a creature that symbolises resurrection, rebirth and immortality, how very Durge, and is also associated with sun gods when Gortash is this easy to turn into a Lathanderan and that guy brings light to each new day - and it's also embossed with Gortash and the Steel Watch's black and gold motif.

And then you take a mechanical look at it and... hang on.

What are you doing here, Lightning Arrow? The Steel Watch don't have Lightning Arrow, but you know who does have Lightning Arrow? Rangers - archery experts, usually - at level nine and up. And who can we consider that's on level nine and is really good at archery?

And who can we consider who might run out of lightning-basic magic in the heat of battle; who is white, and has a theme of rebirth either by rejecting Daddy Bhaal outright or embracing them anew, and knows a sun-coded Radiant guy, and may once have had business in the Foundry?

Well hello The Dark Urge Vanilla Edition, our old spicy friend. There's also the lovely addition of Reposition Malefactor - Lightning Arrow, grab, Stillmaker stab. Classic Baldurian efficiency.

You know what kills me about Gortash's Radiant coding and Durge's Lightning? The first thing you see of lightning is its flash, its brilliance, and the second thing you see is its destruction. The light isn't the part that hurts you, but it's inextricably linked to the thing itself, just as you can't have the destruction without the light. Symbiosis. Gortash could have been thunder-coded, but... no. Thunder isn't destructive, not usually. It doesn't happen at the same time in the storm.

It's not symbiotic... it's not equal.

... Yeah no, I'm fine, not emotional at all. No sir, could not be me. Despite being level nine too, Gortash doesn't have Lightning Arrow. Why would you need lightning, when your beloved has it in their veins, when you've made them a crossbow specifically for it? You just bring the 'light' part, don't you?

Symbiosis. Peace and love on planet Faerûn. Anyway...

If we must consider the application of Lightning Arrow as a helpful aid to the depleted Storm Sorceror, we should probably consider Stillmaker's equivalent.

Hold Person. Hold. Person. Which, yes - very useful bit of utility for our lovely Durge to have, 100% - but then you consider the fifteen separate dimensions of romantic overtones in Durgetash and you just can't help but feel: Hold Person. It's a bloody hug. It's support. He's made it easier for you to slaughter people, which at least used to be your favourite thing to do.

So Gortash has A. made your murdering life much more fun because you can savour the kill and B. made sure you can still kill from a distance if anyone else happens to be around and you're tired.

What a complete fucking simp. 🥺❤

On the subject of Stillmaker in fact, much as the Fabricated Arbalest to the Hellfire Engine, it's rather different to Durge's main dagger, Bloodthirst.

This is pure function. Made to please Papa in the most gruesome way possible, whichever hand you feel like using to wield it.

Whereas Stillmaker... it's got an attached hug. It's got a wavy blade, perfect for the task of slicing and dicing - one that's very difficult to forge, that must have taken time and care.

... Well. Must have taken a mortal time and care. Because lest we forget, it's not the only wavy blade Durge owns.

... Seriously, Larian. How are you going to make both of them wavy. I'm on your ceiling fans.

It's two separate dimensions to Durge's life, in two blades with the same nastiness to them - absolute utility, versus actual care.

This is literally more intricate than the thing presumably given by a god. That's going to tear like a bitch, truly. And it's even got Bhaal's delightful countenance up front and centre. What was that devnote, about convincing the child of a god that they're not a monster? Mm...

Oh, I don't know. It's almost like, for a while anyway, Durge's connection to Gortash was more important than the one to their father. Maybe they wrote something about that very thing, in fact. Imagine. 🥲

I'd like to take this opportunity to also note the very violent and Thunder-mentioning text attached to the Hellfire Engine...

... And the fact it's found in three parts, because y'know, Dead Three.

There's only one minor flaw in this whole thing, really. One teensy little tiny problematic detail.

Sorcerors, unlike Gortash, can't use Heavy Crossbows.

... But, then, they can't use shortswords either.

I'll let you be the judge, shall I?

[rad-roche]

i think most people reading the comics may not have read, or aren't aware of, the fics they're supplementing (which is fine, they're a time commitment and a niche one at that, i'm in this for the pure love of The Posting), but i do like to throw in little easter eggs for the people who follow both. cute little things for consistency. there's a throwaway line in dead woman walking where nick signs a note

and in the comic, if you reaaaaally zoom in...

he does! logo and all

[faragonreblogs]

Only 300 more signatures!

[pinkyjulien]

> "Hey, what's up?"

If you're in need of a good 'runner, he's your man Racc'! 🦝

Been updating my boy's NPV today, finally fixed his goggles and noticed I could slap a mask on it- and eventually spiraled down, making a brand new holocall avatar 🤠 (did I finished his goggles? no hHGFH)

First went with Yellow because DUH but it wasn't matching the game's avatars style 🤏 I like how both turned out tho

[amandaishighlypredictable]

I haven't been able to get out as much as I'd like to the picket lines, TAG solidarity all the way babyyyyy, but if you come across a nerd with this sign it's me!

Did I forget how to spell "plagiarist" initially cause I got so excited by the pun idea? You betcha.

[mushroomnoodles]

heres the normal golbaby designs for melinoe, melopia and relle. not canon to the revived timeline yet, idk if they will be. but theres a reason they look so different from morri (they along with oberon were a). not conceived through a speck of cosmic energy and b). conceived between two entities rather than GOLBetty and a human.

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Petition to replace the Hollywood sign with this:

[rustic-space-fiddle]

After exploring the EPIC fandom a bit, I have decided that I really really love it when something just jogs everyone’s creative brain in a similar way? The way PJATO did, and we just all had this nearly universal idea of what the characters looked like. EPIC seems to have done a similar thing, and we all just collectively decided a some things about the characters and I love that. Before I even saw there was extended lore and was just listening to it little by little on Spotify, I imagined Odysseus with 3 main things: longer (curly) hair, a beard that progresses, and a war-scarred face. Then I come online and see that’s what other people envisioned too! I just love the brain scratch that REALLY GOOD art and literature gives people as a whole. It’s super cool to see something like music/poetry convey such a vivid image in our imaginations. I love it sm.

[gatalentan]

"AI can't write Tariq's raps!"

Quinta Brunson (+ Samantha Hanratty) picketing at Warner Bros for the WGA Strike (May 3, 2023)

WGA Strike: more info | donate

[vivitalks]

more adhd jason grace or die by my sword