Toby Venables

Toby Venables

@tobyvenables.bsky.social

Co-creator/co-writer of #BAFTA winning #HisHouse. Fixer of broken things. Sometimes stories. Sometimes shelves. For story/script fixing, go here: https://www.nightmarescenar.io

3.8K followers7K following1.3K posts

Here’s the thing, people who don’t understand art, don’t understand art. The point of it is authenticity and connection, neither of which AI can provide.

ToonHive@toonhive.bsky.social

China’s first AI-generated theatrical film, ‘Sanxingdui: Future Past’, has bombed at their domestic box office, only making $121,000 USD against a budget of $1.5M USD. In contrast, the crudely animated ‘Niu Lai’ made nearly $10M USD against a budget of $200-500 USD.

A spotters guide: - only fascists claim ‘Hitler was actually left wing’ - those who claim empathy is ‘fake’, made up by the left and has no point have never felt it or the moral concern it raises; ie they are psychopaths

Toby Venables reposted

Trump is working extra hard to bring financial benefits to Russia.

Eric Lipton NYT@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: A Russian energy giant has secretly moved to acquire a position in a massive Alaska gas project. Its part of talks between Witkoff/Kushner & Putin. But CEO of US company resigns after learning of Russian money in the project. A wowzer of a story. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

Toby Venables reposted

Replying to @tobyvenables.bsky.social

Panel now confirmed: writer and actor Nathan Bryon, producer/director Rowena Goldman, film development producer Laurie Cook. And me (HIS HOUSE). Also tea and biscuits.

Trump and Musk are Ukraine's enemy. Our enemy. They pose a threat to our lives and all our core values.

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com

Eleven days after Ukraine's Starshield terminals started mysteriously malfunctioning, there is still nobody in Washington who wants to take responsibility, while Trump administration officials continue pointing fingers firmly at SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.

Toby Venables reposted

The utter betrayal of this...

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com

⚡️First tanker with Russian diesel under Trump deal heads to US, Reuters reports. The tanker Agioi Fanendes is delivering the first cargo as part of a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 9 to purchase Russian diesel.

Panel now confirmed: writer and actor Nathan Bryon, producer/director Rowena Goldman, film development producer Laurie Cook. And me (HIS HOUSE). Also tea and biscuits.

Trump is having to do all this because Putin is panicking.

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com

⚡️Update: Zelensky heads to Norway for talks with Trump envoy as US-Ukraine tensions deepen. A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that President Volodymyr Zelensky is already en route to the country.

Watched The Blues Brothers last night, because - well, why not? I was struck by how beautiful it was (in addition to everything else). But also noticed that a few moments were missing. Not big moments, but… This Amazon Prime version is 128 mins. Theatrical version is 133 mins. What is going on here?

Actually, it's far worse even than this. He has more power than most nations and can hold elected governments to ransom - or destroy them. This is no benefactor to humankind. This is a real-life Bond villain.

‘With the new V1 terror weapons victory will be assured.’

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com

⚡️Russia builds massive new launch base for jet-powered attack drones in six weeks, satellite images show. Ukrainian open-source intelligence (OSINT) group Absolutely Reliable Source identified eight launch positions and 32 areas for preparing drones for takeoff.

Toby Venables reposted

Replying to @kateinkharkiv.bsky.social

This renders useless, first and foremost, our interceptor drones. It doesn't limit our ability to attack inside Russia, it limits our ability to stop another apartment building or school full of civilians from being hit. ​Wow, just wow.

Toby Venables reposted

Replying to @adamkinzinger.substack.com

Trump and Musk may have colluded to withold intelligence communications from Ukraine at a crucial moment to their survival. Time will tell. Trump's 'diesel deal' just contributed to the purchase of 1000's of drones to support Putin's slaughter and injury of Ukrainians 🧵... 📷 dobronosov / Instagram

Toby Venables reposted

It's already been said many times that the U.S., under President Donald Trump, was turning its back on Ukraine. But the past few days show something worse than abandonment: Trump is now actively helping Russia win the war.

kyivindependent.comEditorial: Donald Trump is helping Russia win the warIt's already been said many times that the U.S., under President Donald Trump, was turning its back on Ukraine. But the past few days show something worse than abandonment: Trump is now actively help...

Toby Venables reposted

“Even Stalin’s terror brought factories, dams, and a vision of the future. In this sense, today’s terror is unique in Russian history: its only aim is to perpetuate the state that is executing it,” writes Nina L. Khrushcheva, a professor of international affairs at The New School, in this op-ed.

kyivindependent.comFutureless RussiaOn Sept. 25, a Moscow court sent the political analyst Alexander Kynev to pretrial detention for "large-scale illegal drug production, sale, and trafficking" — a charge that could land him in prison f...

It would seriously stretch credibility for Trump to blame Zelensky for this one - but, of course, he’ll do it anyway.

The Kyiv Independent@kyivindependent.com

⚡️Moscow says scope of Trump's energy truce unclear after launching new attack on Ukraine The comments come hours after Russia launched another deadly aerial attack targeting Ukrainian cities and power plants, in what Zelensky called a show of disregard for the Trump-backed truce.

Toby Venables reposted

Just so you understand the scale of betrayal: first, our "partners" didn't warn Ukraine about the incoming ballistic missiles, so the air raid alert wasn't activated before impact, robbing people of their chance to survive. ​Then, Starlink was restricted to stop working at speeds above 100 mph.

I’m really not sure now which is going to come first, Trump dropping dead because the drugs are no longer enough, or another world leader telling him to fuck off to his face.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Q: You said Russia and Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire, but both sides said they have not agreed to that TRUMP: Well they agreed, you know why? Because I said 'you agree.' That's why.

Toby Venables reposted

A masked man seen on camera stealing trays of mail from the postal truck in Sacramento, CA. There is a 100K reward if you know who he is. #Pinks

Toby Venables reposted

Russia behind Britain's Brexit vote, UK prime minister admits for first time "These things are important now to put clearly on the record and, I believe, help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia," medi...

kyivindependent.comRussia behind Britain's Brexit vote, UK prime minister admits for first time"These things are important now to put clearly on the record and, I believe, help voters in Germany and France understand that some of this politics is instigated via our enemies, namely Russia," media reports Burnham saying.

Toby Venables reposted

Replying to @peterjukes.bsky.social

The Lebedev peerage is the part they never explain. Security services said no, Johnson did it anyway, then blocked the Russia report until after the 2019 election. Same services, same advice, ignored every time.

Toby Venables reposted

Was that the same security services you dumped to visit ‘ex’ KGB colonel Alexander Lebedev and party in Umbria just after the Novichok Salisbury attack? Or the same security services whose advice you defied to put his son Evgeny in the House of Lords? Those security services?

Toby Venables reposted

Here's what they don't tell you about woodpecker tongues: Some of them are barbed (pileated & downy 'peckers) to allow them to spear insects. The barbs are keratinized, so *hard*. Meaning woodpecker *threat displays* can involve poking an interloper with a barbed tongue. (📷: u/ElvisIsNotDjed)

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Toby Venables reposted

“Zelenskyy could’ve stopped this war many times, and he chose not to … he better damn well stop” — Trump is no longer trying to conceal that he’s fully on Putin’s side

It also flat out doesn't work as a deterrent. Does Hegseth really believe these people are regular individuals who can be reasoned with or threatened? If so, he's lost the plot even more than they have. Almost without exception, shooters not only don't fear death, they have actively embraced it.

Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social

Not something a civilised country does. The firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be live-streamed, the Defense Department said. “People need to understand that there’s serious consequences for these types of things,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.

Toby Venables reposted

I’m starting to wonder if they actually know the meaning of the word ‘hoax’. It would explain a lot. Nixon didn’t deny he did what he did. He only denied that it was wrong.

Steve Benen@stevebenen.com

Just over the last few months: - DOJ begins review of whether Nixon was a victim - WH pardon attorney says Watergate was a CIA “hoax” - WH chief of protocol says Nixon was the “target of a Deep State hoax” - Vance celebrates Nixon “renaissance,” dismisses Watergate www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

Toby Venables reposted

Replying to @factpostnews.bsky.social

A grand jury had prepared a draft indictment planning to charge Nixon with bribery, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and obstruction of a criminal investigation. Was that a hoax too?