I love how everyone pretends not to notice the toaster next to the sink. BARBIE! YOU COULD GET ELECTROCUTED IF THAT FELL IN! GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER GURL!
Several of the London-based animators on "Lux" had also worked on Richard Williams' "The Thief and the Cobbler" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." Several of these talents also contributed their knowledge in some way to my restoration and research, when I spent about ten years off and on editing "the Recobbled Cut" of that (Thief) movie in various forms, and collecting information about its production. There was also, for a time, a Thief blog written by a few of those animators. Good folks.
In "Lux" - Tim Watts, Gary Dunn, Michael Schlingmann, Neil Boyle …
(Not to forget the direction by Framestore's Ian Spendloff, and animation by David Lochhead, Julien Van Wallendael, Carlos De Faria, and Dan Tomlinson, which takes us into 3D.)
Neil Boyle also did a lovely short in 2011 called "The Last Belle" (with Thief layout artist Roy Naisbitt and cinematographer John Leatherbarrow among others), directed the feature "Kensuke's Kingdom" (2023) and worked on "The Animator's Survival Kit" with "Thief and the Cobbler" master animator Richard Williams. (Neil's feature credits include Space Jam, and Sherlock Gnomes, which involved such notables as Gary Dunn, Tim Watts, Uli Meyer, and the always delightful John Stevenson directing.)
Framestore wanted a "Roger Rabbit" type look, and it got that sort of crew. It's worth saying this since they weren't credited for "Lux," and you went out of your way to credit them. Even IMDB doesn't bother with that list. You honor them by doing so, and with your own work that always looks very animated, and continues this legacy in some way. There aren't enough opportunities for animators these days, or what we now call "2D animators."
That genuine skill and spirit cannot and will not be replaced by automation and other such pretenders. It's also tough for independent creators on this nightmare of an internet right now. You are part of that tradition and a very talented and prolific artist. I always enjoy seeing what worlds you'll create next.
waves all this above my head YES. GOOD. THANK YOU.
I couldn't fit all that on a credits page but it's ridiculous how enormously talented the people who worked on that episode were and for them not to get a credit is such a crushing slap to the face- especially for an episode that's supposed to be, in part, a homage to animation! Outrageously poor behaviour on the part of WHO production. I'll never let them live this down (and neither will Lux!)
small update to keep you in the loop: J4A meeting went incredibly well. They completely understand my situation and agree with my aims, and so we'll be working towards achieving those- I am not able to say much more than that but I am still keeping an open policy on my ambitions being about respect, and not about money. Still complete silence from the responsible parties, but with Justice for Artists working with me things are moving in a positive direction (still slept terribly though orz it was one hour at most...)
I still can't say when I'll be able to work on TPoH again, this whole thing has been/is still very traumatizing, but thank you for being so understanding, supportive, and patient. I couldn't ask for better fans.
Just a small statement about The Situation because apparently some people in the SMG4 following have got it into their heads that I'm going to sue Glitch/ZAMination for as much money as I can, which is untrue now and has never been the case. Initially all I wanted was an apology and for them to call off the hatemail. If they had acted by now, that would have been all. Due to their incredibly poor treatment of me, through their continued and complete silence, that has changed.
My sole ambition, now, is to get them to change the design of Mr Puzzle's screen. I would also like them remove the 'drips', and change the angles of the dials if possible.
That's it.
Nothing else. Nothing that would change the rig. Nothing that changes the story. I do not want money, and I do not want to cancel their show.
If Justice for Artists need to ask for an amount of money to cover their expenses, that's their business, but I have never been asking for money. Anyone who has been saying that is lying, and you can check all of my previous statements to correlate the truth of that.
Thank you to everyone who has been sending such kind messages, I promise I really do read them all, even if I can't reply, but while these messages are wonderful (and really. I mean it. just the nicest and most heartfelt things I've ever seen) the sad fact is they don't change my situation. But you can change it. You can help me.
If you know my situation, if you want to help me, please write to Glitch Productions. They are the only people who can, and I believe, might, be able and willing to save me. SMG4 has ignored me, even through a legal letter. I have no hope that they will do otherwise, but Glitch are a different case and I think they just genuinely don't know I exist. I have sent them a message, to no reply, but more messages means more of a chance they will notice. IF you are on twitter please message that way, I closed my account there years ago, and please be polite: I am not asking for hate, even if I've received it.
Even a short message will help. I need numbers, I need voices. My own voice is being drowned out, but you can speak for me as well.
For some points on the plagiarism under the read more (what I collected/organized while building up an email to send):
1) TIMELINE
RGB was created long before, over a decade before Mr. Puzzles first debuted.
(*RGB's first appearance may have been 2011, was a little iffy on that)
2) UNDENIABLY UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE
The number of traits, some uniquely specific to and representative of RGB's design, that are copied in Mr. Puzzles design are too many to be chalked up to 'just a coincidence'
Especially when you look at the designs of all of the other TV head characters out there - I collected as many as I could find (though I'm sure there's more) and none of them come even close to sharing the number of similarities that these two do.
3) TV MODEL AND DESIGN CHOICES
While looking up references for older TVs, I found that for the exact TV they're based on (small retro box TV with knobs in the upper right of the TV and an antenna) most of the references didn't have a vent on the side of them like RGB and Mr. Puzzles do.
I looked up 4 different reference terms, and still had to scroll a while before I found one that matched exactly (above collection just a general sample/example of types of TVs I found). Unless my browsers are wigging out, either the pictures that would come up for these kinds of TVs were different in 2023, or this exact combination of features are just not very common for this style of TV. If that's the case, it may be a bit strange to design a character with those features together.
Here's where that distinction is important: Mr. Puzzles as a character doesn't have much of a reason to go with this design over other styles of similar TVs. But RGB does. The vents on the sides of RGB's head aren't just an aesthetic choice - they're included as a legitimately integral part of the story-line (Negative RGB). The same can be said for a number of other choices Modmad has made, down to individual items of clothing, that show just how much thought and intention and consideration went into every aspect of RGB's design.
Which makes it that much more frustrating to see him get plagiarized in such a careless manner by people who don't even seem to put much care into their own character (common criticism I've read that SMG4 fans have had about Mr. Puzzles and his 'arc').
4) OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE WHO HADN'T HEARD ABOUT THE SITUATION FROM MOD, NOTICED
This has been noted by fans of both series since Mr. Puzzles first came out.
Some people may have found more points than this, but these are what I stumbled upon. Hopefully helps bring a little more context to the situation.
just to update that nobody from any of the relevant parties has got back to me or made any statement. please reblog this version, as @timmyreads has compiled an extremely comprehensive explanation and evidence of the theft; at first I just wanted to be left alone, but it's really not enough. every time I see Mr Puzzle or even read his name I feel physically sick, it's hard for me to type it even now. I feel violated in every way, and I need help. I can't save myself, I have tried every single avenue available. At this point I need to be saved.
For those saying please/just keep making TPoH anyway, it's not that simple: I can't. My mind and heart are broken. The story itself has stopped communicating with me. I cannot make it any more, not if this situation doesn't change, and that loss of the story scares me more than anything else in the world.
Sorry to have to boost this again but I just had to sit and console my mother who was shaking and crying about this when I came down this morning. She is the kindest, more genuine person in the world and I have never seen her cry like that even when my father died. My sadness is increasingly turning into anger and I don't have any way to stop it.
Please keep sharing this post so that people know what is happening and help me to get closure- this isn't just destroying me and my work, it's destroying people I love. I have done everything I can to resolve this peacefully but I cannot let it continue.
Thank you to everyone who has been sending such kind messages, I promise I really do read them all, even if I can't reply, but while these messages are wonderful (and really. I mean it. just the nicest and most heartfelt things I've ever seen) the sad fact is they don't change my situation. But you can change it. You can help me.
If you know my situation, if you want to help me, please write to Glitch Productions. They are the only people who can, and I believe, might, be able and willing to save me. SMG4 has ignored me, even through a legal letter. I have no hope that they will do otherwise, but Glitch are a different case and I think they just genuinely don't know I exist. I have sent them a message, to no reply, but more messages means more of a chance they will notice. IF you are on twitter please message that way, I closed my account there years ago, and please be polite: I am not asking for hate, even if I've received it.
Even a short message will help. I need numbers, I need voices. My own voice is being drowned out, but you can speak for me as well.
For some points on the plagiarism under the read more (what I collected/organized while building up an email to send):
1) TIMELINE
RGB was created long before, over a decade before Mr. Puzzles first debuted.
(*RGB's first appearance may have been 2011, was a little iffy on that)
2) UNDENIABLY UNCANNY RESEMBLANCE
The number of traits, some uniquely specific to and representative of RGB's design, that are copied in Mr. Puzzles design are too many to be chalked up to 'just a coincidence'
Especially when you look at the designs of all of the other TV head characters out there - I collected as many as I could find (though I'm sure there's more) and none of them come even close to sharing the number of similarities that these two do.
3) TV MODEL AND DESIGN CHOICES
While looking up references for older TVs, I found that for the exact TV they're based on (small retro box TV with knobs in the upper right of the TV and an antenna) most of the references didn't have a vent on the side of them like RGB and Mr. Puzzles do.
I looked up 4 different reference terms, and still had to scroll a while before I found one that matched exactly (above collection just a general sample/example of types of TVs I found). Unless my browsers are wigging out, either the pictures that would come up for these kinds of TVs were different in 2023, or this exact combination of features are just not very common for this style of TV. If that's the case, it may be a bit strange to design a character with those features together.
Here's where that distinction is important: Mr. Puzzles as a character doesn't have much of a reason to go with this design over other styles of similar TVs. But RGB does. The vents on the sides of RGB's head aren't just an aesthetic choice - they're included as a legitimately integral part of the story-line (Negative RGB). The same can be said for a number of other choices Modmad has made, down to individual items of clothing, that show just how much thought and intention and consideration went into every aspect of RGB's design.
Which makes it that much more frustrating to see him get plagiarized in such a careless manner by people who don't even seem to put much care into their own character (common criticism I've read that SMG4 fans have had about Mr. Puzzles and his 'arc').
4) OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN THOSE WHO HADN'T HEARD ABOUT THE SITUATION FROM MOD, NOTICED
This has been noted by fans of both series since Mr. Puzzles first came out.
Some people may have found more points than this, but these are what I stumbled upon. Hopefully helps bring a little more context to the situation.
just to update that nobody from any of the relevant parties has got back to me or made any statement. please reblog this version, as @timmyreads has compiled an extremely comprehensive explanation and evidence of the theft; at first I just wanted to be left alone, but it's really not enough. every time I see Mr Puzzle or even read his name I feel physically sick, it's hard for me to type it even now. I feel violated in every way, and I need help. I can't save myself, I have tried every single avenue available. At this point I need to be saved.
For those saying please/just keep making TPoH anyway, it's not that simple: I can't. My mind and heart are broken. The story itself has stopped communicating with me. I cannot make it any more, not if this situation doesn't change, and that loss of the story scares me more than anything else in the world.
TL:DR I do not want to cancel the show, I don't want it to cancel me.
So I have been forced, basically, to make this statement as I am being asked about this character or 'introduced' to it (and the incoming new show) against my desires. I have deleted all previous posts about my encounters with this problem long ago for personal reasons that will be apparent, but people don't know about my situation and do deserve an explanation. I will keep this post short for my own mental health. This is the first time I have disclosed any of this information to the public, and it is hopefully the last. My silence has been a part of my uncomfortable situation, but it's clear the world won't let me try to just ignore it any longer, so it's full disclosure time.
1, Yes. I know about Mr Puzzles and his uncanny resemblance to RGB, my character from the on going comic The Property of Hate, who pre-exists Mr Puzzles by approximately ten years.
I did not, as a consequence, base RGB off Mr Puzzles...
2, I have received very violent and manipulative hate mail from fans of that character over the past few years due to this similarity, many threatening to slander me via cancel culture to discredit my own creations. The worst of these messages almost caused me to commit suicide which close friends can attest to (this period coincided with the death of my father which they used against me to full effect).
Since then the hatemail has been less frequent, but continues, and I am afraid it will pick up again with the advent of this new show.
3, I have contacted the smg4 management about these issues, to no avail. My first email was a request to tell their followers to cease sending me hatemail, which they did not attempt in any way. They have never responded to the large overlaps in terms of RGB's design, and when I finally sent them an email via a lawyer as a last resort (which cost me £4000) they did not respond. Please note that I did not ask for a cease and desist, I only wanted the hatemail to stop, and perhaps for them to alter Mr Puzzle's design very slightly to be a little less like RGB's. I even made this simple suggestion as an example:
Despite going out of my way (against the lawyer's wishes) to phrase the letter in a none-hostile manner, and offer them an alternative, they did not reply to this email at all.
I am a disabled indie cartoonist; I do not have the money to take further legal action, and in any case I do not want to. I hate conflict, and the emotional toll of sending that email alone was enough to make me miserable and exhausted for months. All I want is to be left alone, and for people to know that RGB was invented first. I cannot afford to do anything to protect myself or make anyone listen legally; this post is the most I can do, and it is the only post I intend to make about it.
that's it. that's the whole situation. please do not message me about the show, or the character, as both are very distressing to me: if you do I will either delete the message, or block you, depending on the angle. I have blocked all related tags, and I will unfollow if I see posts, so I am doing everything I can to take care of myself in a non-aggressive fashion. I have only made this statement so that people understand.
a small example of some of the hatemail (which was preserved only to be sent to the makers as evidence which, again, they did not respond to) below the readmore. read at your own discretion, it is unpleasant.
I think Stone should be allowed to strike Ivo once, as a treat... mainly because I doubt Robotnik's bothered to call, or even let Stone know he's alive.
(I'd like to believe it was because Ivo couldn't think what to say after... You know, everything...)
If ever a time to buy DVDs/Blu-Rays, video games, and other tangible goods: now's the time.
Remember-- by buying the physical copy, they only get your money once. And there's absolutely no shame in buying used copies either-- in fact, I encourage it.
"The future" might be inevitable, but we can decide how we go out.
a worrying amount of people wont give the time of day to a piece of media unless it has characters that they can ship. and like, im not saying shipping is bad or you cant be drawn to a piece of media because of its characters, but also it wouldnt hurt you to think about something outside of shipping and making incorrect quotes
also please stop sending me anon hate because of this post i am not that pressed about it and you shouldnt be either ❤️
Jack Dorsey funded this with his nonprofit AndOtherStuff. The home page for the organization explicitly lists AI as one of its pillars, saying a goal is "making NOSTR the best social protocol for open source AI development and implementation"
A collaborative Nostr funding initiative to develop strategic pillars for the Nostr ecosystem
What is open source AI?
It's a program that publicly shares its code for free online, so that anyone can use it for themselves. This means that anything this AI is trained on could eventually make its way into any business, social media site, etc. That uses this code. Or, if not, it'll have the ability to harvest content as well as this.
Even since the app doesn't allow AI openly on the videos themselves, the app is likely to use our original content to train its AI. You might have seen that some AI have experienced a positive feedback loop of declining quality, training itself on other AI slop until anything it produces is unintelligible.
This is likely an attempt to prevent that in video format
Then, any other company that wants to use the code can use this better trained AI to make it even harder to recognize AI across the board.
You can read about the connection to AndOtherStuff, as well as the developers' reasons for the project here:
Jack Dorsey backs diVine, a Vine reboot that includes Vine's video archive of six-second, looping videos. A new app called diVine will give
TLDR; do not give Jack Dorsey any credit for this, do not download the app, and tell others not to either. It's a nostalgia-bait attempt at fueling another AI model
It's not just to have a "do over" that doesn't involve the original cast, it's to cut them out of the royalties. Literally the entire point is to make sure all the money made by Harry Potter goes to transphobes or people willing to work with transphobes.
If you watch it, you are supporting bigotry, hate, and oppression. That's just objective reality. All for a story that you probably have already seen in movie and book form.
#the last point is especially true since the old cast receives royalties for anything with their likeness on it#meaning the original trio still gets money for every mug with their 14 year old faces on it#if they stop making those and replace them with the new cast which they will the old cast gets cut off completely#which is again exactly what rowling wants because she cannot stand those 'ungrateful brats' as she would likely put it#and as she has last say in anything that gets made in harry potter paraphernalia this might also explain the decrease in faces on products
Those "waiting for the storm to pass"-- it's not. You're always going to be giving money to a monster, even after your "beloved childhood" author dies. She's got it set up where all her money and residuals will go to her hateful organizations and to groups that she's supported.
And "praying for a change of heart" ain't gonna do a damn thing. She's told everyone who she was for years, it's only recently that more people started listening.
