#(i don't like AI art i need to make it clear i'm making fun of this)

[shoechoe]

why does he look like patrick bateman

[silverlining-ships]

Music comms are CLOSED!! Check out the waitlist here!!

Ok y'know what, screw it. My brain seems to require three-four pieces at one time (genuinely cannot figure out why that is), and with the fact I only have two queued up right now and the game I'm composing for doesn't need any tracks at the moment, I'm getting composer's block again. So we're OPENING my music requests!!

I'm actually stunned at how many people seemed interested in getting a piece of soundtrack music for their f/o. I'm opening it to non-mutuals, and it's totally free! If you're concerned about paying/tipping for work, I'm always happy to receive content for my selfship, but I will not accept any money, and there's no pressure to tip content anyway. Again, this is for fun!

This is how it works:

Fill out this google form with the title of your ship, some songs you like, instruments, etc etc.

You can message on Tumblr or Discord (@/slipperson on Discord) on top of submitting the form too! I'll reach out myself once I get started on your piece.

I'll sketch out a draft, which is exactly like sketching out a basic pose for art - it'll typically only use piano/minor percussion. Sometimes I'll even give a simple concept before I flesh out a draft. I'll send it to you for approval.

If changes are needed, I'll refine the draft and re-update. If not, I'll go on to fleshing out the instrumental - this means adding instruments, changing volume (for example, in my first example, I used a lot of "dynamics"/volume changes to simulate the swelling of instruments). This is like adding the flat colors in a piece of art!

I'll send it to you again - I'll make changes upon your request, but if approved, I'll finally go ahead and mix the final draft. This means putting it through an audio program (audacity if you're curious!) and polishing the sound. This is like rendering the lighting!

After it's done, I'll send it to you for once last listen. Upon approval, I'll post it to Soundcloud, link it on Tumblr, and tag you in the post!

Important bits:

No comship/proship/aged up-or-down/RPF ships. Live action characters are fine as long as it's not the actual person. Familial/platonic ships are totally okay!

If you are a minor/ageless blog, I'm willing to write a piece for familial/platonic content, but not QPR/romantic.

Downtime is 1-2 months after I first open your request. I may finish it sooner, but no later than 2 months. This is because music generally takes awhile--30 seconds of music can take me 4-5 hours to concept! I also tend to work on 3-4 pieces of music at a time.

I will give frequent updates. Don't be afraid to reach out if you're curious on the status!

My work is never cleared to be used commercially or in AI programs. We're a bunch of selfshippers on Tumblr, so I know we all hate AI, but it's worth the mention. I tend to be strict on copywrite - it'll stay under my name, all rights reserved - however, you are free to use your piece wherever you'd like as long as it's not commercial use, used in a monetized campaign/video/form of media, and not used in AI.

I may put these tracks on a streaming service at a later date - not on Spotify, as the service is TERRIBLE with allowing their work to be remixed into AI. Something like Bandcamp or Soundcloud for Artists. If you are uncomfortable with this, please let me know.

Examples:

I will have my queue/completed list on my carrd here.

Thank you so much for your interest!! I'm actually so stunned I got so much love for this, and I'm excited to celebrate your ships with you!

heart border

[vivalgi]

This post is primarily meant for all the doubters, naysayers and people in denial who ganged up against me when I first declared my suspicions that wannabe Malfoy revealed on @candlelightgames' Instagram post might be AI generated.

I will point out some of the most obvious signs of AI usage after the break but first I want to quote Owen Wilson: "Wow!" Usually half the AI image detectors fail to do their job, but never before have I seen such a unanimous decision - all 7 out of 7 online tools that I managed to find are saying that the Project Spellstruck's first character art is most likely AI:

Now, onto the analysis. People are still expecting clearly visible errors from generated images, such as irregular amount of fingers or something going through another object, but AI has come a long way and it's becoming harder to point out obvious signs without focusing hard. It's even able to create a vague resemblance of symmetry and repeating elements. AI generated art isn't often published "straight out of the oven" either. Artists-prompters make the AI do a lot of inpainting and add their own little touch-ups until the images are more or less presentable. A character has 16 fingers? Just mark the problematic area you want to be regenerated, maybe even make a rough sketch over it and then have the program do its job again. Even Bardick's design evolution, CL has demonstrated, looks very similar to the typical AI-assisted workflow I just described:

It's hard to put into words what makes art feel and look AI, but don't worry, doubters, I can also point out some strange elements that strongly hint at this character art being largely made by AI.

Below is the highest quality image I could get, so you can come back to it and zoom in if you want to see the clean version without my scribbles:

The coat's lapels

In the corner of the left lapel there's this triangular piece:

Whatever it's meant to be, it's a single solid object and not nearly as incoherent as what's happening on the opposite side:

The triangular shape seems to be made up of 3 disconnected sticks and the ends of the golden protruding lines that flow into that corner, become intrusions, although they don't line up very well either. Try to explain what the artist was attempting to do here. It's a very clear example of AI making up some fuzzy incoherent details. No need to find any further evidence really, but let's move on.

Occasional double vision effect around the edge of the golden hem, creating parallel running lines (a typical thing I've noticed image generators tend to do):

The pants and belt

That wobbly dotted line is the edge of his pants:

I've also traced the lines of the belt buckle, so you can see exactly how much it makes sense upon closer look. Not a lot, right? Also, the prong melts into the buckle, doesn't even go through the belt's hole and there's more fuzzy scribble around it.

Shadows

The shirt's collar creates shadows to both sides of it:

The lighting source seems to be behind the guy as the corner of the collar is further from the viewer than the shadow it casts:

Some other shadows are suspicious as well but not so obviously bad to confidently demonstrate them.

This is not an attempt to turn anyone against AI, but merely an analysis to show the most obvious signs that this dude was probably more or less generated by AI. If you like this kind of artificial art and are fine with Candlelight or any other studio/artist using it, then I won't stop you from enjoying it. If you have a hard time recognizing AI art then I truly envy you, ignorance is bliss as the saying goes. However, please don't come to proudly demonstrate your ignorance and argue with me or even worse, try to make fun of me because you think I'm wrong in saying that this character art was generated with AI. As I've now proven, it most likely is. It's too early to turn into an overprotective fangirl over a project we still know barely anything about.

[stairset]

Aight now that I've slept a bit and am less tired and have had some time to think about it, here is my hopefully coherent enough attempt to get my thoughts across on the Degenerate video, because I'm The Starset Guy and this is like the first major controversy they've ever had and even I have concerns about it and thus feel the need to get my thoughts out there. Cut-off for those who don't wanna scroll past all this cause it ended up being kinda long:

So first off just to get it out of the way: the song itself is great, as is to be expected with Starset. Vocals great, lyrics great, etc. No surprises there. Now to the actually controversial part, the music video. If you even wanna call it a music video, the video title calls it a visualizer instead but whatever. Semantics. Not the point.

So yeah, to start, I'm not exactly a fan of AI "art" for well, all the reasons everyone else has already brought up about it. But as other people have pointed out, in the case of this video there ARE some nuances to its usage that are worth discussing before jumping the gun and canceling the band. So first I'm actually gonna defend it a bit by going over the artistic intention behind it, then also point out the reasonable concerns that people have with it in spite of that intention.

So, I know this band. I know the lore and the narrative and the central themes and all that. The band's story centers around how technology shouldn't be abused by greedy corporate shitheads lest it ruin our society. Literally just a few months ago they released a book where the main antagonist was an AI that gained sentience and tried to enslave humanity. I'm not parasocial enough to pretend that I Know Dustin, but I know what he's about. And he's smart enough that I have to believe he didn't just make a move like this for no reason with no self-awareness. So yeah, I 100% get what the intent is here. As Dustin has said and others have repeated, the AI usage is clearly meant to be "ironic" and satirical, which becomes pretty clear when you actually watch the full video. Essentially it's using AI imagery to make fun of AI images. Real "I used the stones to destroy the stones" moment I guess. Lyrically, the song itself isn't SPECIFICALLY about AI, but it definitely is a big criticism of modern consumerism and commercialism in general, essentially talking about how we feel the need to stuff our faces with corporate-produced shit while our society is slowly falling apart around us. And while AI certainly isn't the sole problem there, it has certainly become a notable aspect of that larger problem, so it makes sense to satirize it to get the larger point across. The visualizer is gross and uncanny to look at on purpose. And it's clearly not trying to trick you into thinking it's NOT AI or anything, not trying to pass as something an actual human made with their own hands. It doesn't want you to be impressed by the visuals, it wants you to be disturbed by them. I compared it to the video for Linkin Park's "Lost" from last year since that was also made with AI visuals and as much as I also love that band and that song I'm still not exactly a fan of that particular choice. But the reason I bring it up is because I do think there's an interesting contrast in how it's being used in these two videos, as with the video for Lost it really did feel like it was using AI just for the sake of using it, riding the current trend, whereas here with Degenerate there's at least an actual reason for it, a reason that one can at least understand even if they don't like or agree with it.

Apparently Dustin's also said that they did pay artists to make the images for the specific purpose of running them through the AI for the video, though didn't really elaborate beyond that. But just based on what we know it does sound like these were consenting artists who knew what they were getting into here and were compensated for it. So it's not like it's a case of just stealing art or trying to replace actual humans to save a few bucks or anything, which is good since that's obviously one of the main concerns with AI in general.

There's also the fact that, as much as I don't like AI shit, the harsh reality is it's not going anywhere anytime soon. Personally if I had a magic button that could indefinitely halt all development on AI stuff until I can be sure that everyone will use it ethically and not abuse it then I would definitely hit that button, but the fact of the matter is that, for better or worse, it's here, it exists, and it will continue to evolve and be used. We can't just un-invent what's already been invented. And I'd argue that specific, limited, one-off uses like this are probably just about the most ethical way to implement it. Though of course I personally would rather this STAY a one-off thing, I absolutely do not want this kind of thing to become like, a regular thing for them. Or a regular thing in general.

But of course this video doesn't exist in a vacuum, there are other nuances here. Because as still more people have pointed out, using AI to make fun of AI is still using it. It's not like the video is in a completely neutral position, just commentating on the situation from afar. Even if it's making fun of AI, the fact that it's using it to do so means it's still feeding that AI, it is now another step forward in the evolution and proliferation of the thing that it's criticizing. One could argue that they maybe could have found a way to poke fun at it without actually using it. There's definitely a certain irony to be discussed in Making Fun Of The Thing By Doing The Thing. Is it being clever and meta? Or is it lacking forethought? Or maybe it's a bit of both. I don't know. Either way it's not exactly the best look, regardless of the intention and thought process behind it. Insert Torment Nexus joke here.

And although I SAID earlier that the satirical intent is pretty clear, it might not be clear to everyone. Even if the video isn't MEANT to set a precedent, it could unintentionally set a precedent anyway by inspiring copycats. Because unfortunately some people are simply too stupid to get obvious satire, especially if they're the ones the satire is aimed at. So it's entirely possible certain people will just see the trippy weird AI visuals and either won't realize or won't care what the the purpose behind them is and will just want to do it themselves because they think it's cool. And then THAT raises the whole question of "how much should you blame the person who made the satire for people being too dumb to get it, especially in cases like this where the satire is incredibly unsubtle and on the nose?" But then that's getting into a whole 'nother topic entirely so I'm not gonna dive into that.

And then of course there's other concerns like how research has shown that AI has a negative effect on the environment. As far as I know THAT particular concern hasn't been addressed so I don't know if they even considered that, but if they didn't then yeah, that's pretty irresponsible and lacking forethought.

There's also just the matter of personal preference, like even if you get that it's satire you might just think that it's not very good satire which is a fair opinion to have. Like personally I just didn't even really enjoy watching the video despite knowing full-well what The Point of it was.

So, in summation, taking all these points into account, I don't think that this particular usage of AI tools is THAT bad. I might even go as far as to say that it's like, fine I guess, at least in isolation. I think many assumed the worst before it came out but I don't think it's worth suddenly denouncing the band or going all "well actually they sucked the whole time and I totally never liked them anyway" or anything like that. Though I'm sure some people will start doing that. I'd say this is a somewhat questionable but not-too-egregious move, that there are legitimate concerns to be had and that I do share those concerns, and as I said I don't want this kind of thing to become the norm for them or for any other band, but I also don't think we should immediately conclude that the band has been Ruined Forever or anything. This kind of thing is a slippery slope, so I guess all we can really do is hope that Dustin doesn't end up falling down it. But that's my take on the whole thing. Maybe I'm being fair and nuanced and unbiased. Or maybe I'm just a hypocrite who's bending over backwards to give my fav the benefit of a doubt. I don't know. All I know is I just wanted to get all this off my chest at once so I can hopefully stop thinking about it and just enjoy the song on its own.

[trismon55555]

TADC Self-Insert/OC Chart: Trismon55555 Edition

I saw this Floating around and wanted to give it a shot. This would all be under the assumption my Self OC would be inserted at the Height and Well Girth Id imagine them to be. Which would be the 2nd Tallest, between Kinger and Jax, But the Widest stance wise. Caine: While the Adventure Drive and AI/Human Barrier is a challenge in itself to get through, I'd probably give the tooth man some slack as it's clear he is at least trying to make those stuck in the digital realm stay at least enjoyable. And he probably sees his guests as genuine buds. I'd prefer that then being trapped with a ring master that despises our mere existence. Plus who don't like the goofy tooth man?

Bubble: I don't think we truly know enough about bubble, outside of them being Caine's right hand Goober patrol. But I personally don't trust the thing. I'm Watchin you, ya lil Air ball.

Pomni: Id probably have some feelings for the Jester, but Id try to keep things as platonic as possible regardless. Pomni, despite the mental tightrope she seems to teeter on, does still seem the most down to earth and stable to me, so Id probably go to her for advice. And also would help her out if need be.

Ragatha: As mentioned by gangle, its hard at times to tell when Ragathas words are genuine or not. She comes off as wanting to be the caring mother figure. But as someone who spent part of their adult life around someone like that, It can get kind of annoying. Especially at times where it feels more condescending than genuinely supportive. That alone isn't enough to hate or fully dislike the poor doll, as it's clear it comes from a place of concern, but I wouldn't be afraid to call out or poke fun at the more down-taking remarks. Wouldn't go as far as Centipedes though.

Jax: I am not a man of senseless violence, but I am a man who does enjoy dishing comeuppance when the window opens. Jax is an ass to no ones surprise. Id imagine if my OC-Sona is as big as I envision them to be when teleported into the circus, then I would essentially become the "Spike" to Jax's "Tom". As in I'd probably lay some sort of smack down on the Bunny boy, but only if Mischief is afoot. I'd rather a peace keeper than another Jax.

Kinger: I do not think Kinger is capable of anything lower than genuine friendship. In both his mental processing, or reception. I would be a bit weary of his mental state, as you never know where a sudden burst expression could land you. But he's a chill dude, would catch bugs for.

Gangle: She might be intimidated by my size, but other than that I don't see why she and I wouldn't be friends. Id support her art and probably help her out during adventures when she'd need it. From the journey itself, or if Jax needs a smack or two from mask breaking. and probably watch her doodle if allowed.

Zooble: I'd Imagine The inverse sort of relationship would happen with Zooble as me to Ragatha. Id honestly probably bombard them with questions about how their body works, do they feel all their limbs, or the last ones that were attached, do you feel your body when your head isn't attached, those kinds and more. I'd probably back off if told to, but it probably leave some distant.

I'm not sure how 1:1 this all is, but it's the best I can think of while sick, and on various cough syrups,

[ninjago-oc-appreciation]

Ninjago Oc Secret Summer 2023!

What is a Secret Summer?

It's basically a Secret Santa but in Summertime instead!

For this event, you'll be secretly assigned someone to draw/write a gift for based around their oc(s)

It's very important that no one knows that you are making them a gift and vice versa, that you don't know who is making you a gift!

Are there any rules?

I didn't specify this last time, and luckily I didn't have to, but absolutely no N/S/F/W or Suggestive art/writing or requests. This is not an 18+ event.

No direct contact with the person you'll be creating for. You can communicate through me, or ask questions through anon on tumblr if you can.

No AI art/writing, gacha edits, face claims, picrews, or bases will be permitted for oc submissions or gifts.

Oc/Canon and OcxOc ships are allowed!

Next gen and self inserts will be permitted but I do ask that no Lloyd x Canon ship next gens be submitted to avoid potential issues between participants.

Not a rule per-say but make sure to put some effort into the gift ^^

How many ocs can be submitted total?

Three ocs can be submitted but only one is required.

What will I need for sign ups?

Refs or art that show a clear, colored depiction of your oc

OR at least two pieces of writing for said oc (does not need to be a whole fic. Could easily just be a quick blurb showing how they're written as a character)

Basic Information/Fun Facts about your character. This can be background information, relationships, likes/dislikes, age and height, personality, etc.

Suggestions or prompts for your gift giver. Stuff to help get their brain going.

Your blog name (not the name you go by but the url name. Like Ninjago-Oc-Appreciation, for example).

What's the General Timeline for this event?

Sign ups and assignments will be rolling out sometime in mid April.

From there, you'll have until late June to finish and post your gift art.

There will be exactly one week designated as a late period at the start of July.

Exact dates tbd.

How do I sign up?

In April, I'll post a google document where you can submit your ocs! There will be one for writing and one for art!

Please reach out to me after signing up in some way. This can be through messages, asks, comments on the post, or through reblogs. Last Secret Santa there was some trouble with the docs, and sometimes folks' submissions wouldn't save or wouldn't even send in properly.

To avoid issues where people aren't able to participate because of a glitch, I need to be able to double check that their form sent in properly.

That should be all! Let me know if you have any questions and suggestions for this event!

Also! Currently I'm using #NinjagoSecretSummer2023 as a tag, but if anyone has a suggestion for other tags I'd be open to them!

[dungeonmalcontent]

So, maybe I'm just a jerk here, but I really don't like seeing all the ai cover art that's been popping up on DMsGuild. It makes me, who actually puts a decent amount of time into my cover art design (yes, even though I reuse the same templates a lot, there's still a lot of work there, I even just finished up a third iteration of my current one) really sad to see. It makes me upset to see a document with a cover that is literally just a terrible permutation of a piece of fan art of a popular character. I have been experimenting with ai art so that I can see what the obvious signs of different programs are and how much people might be spending to get this garbage.

But the knowledge I have now just kind of makes me more sad than upset. I know what it's like to have no money and not be able to afford decent stock art for covers and interior graphics (it's why I taught myself more advanced graphic design), and it sucks to not have resources. Even if those resources are cheap stock art library subscriptions. I know the pain of wanting something colorful and dynamic on your cover but not knowing how to be able to get it, and I can see the temptation to go to some free ai art generator and pop in someone else's art and get a fun house mirror copy that is just different enough to pass as "art."

I still don't think people should use ai art. It's cheap and doesn't look good as soon as you look for more than five seconds, and it genuinely upsets me to see such low effort content try to pass as anything more than PWYW docs. And this isn't even touching on the ethics behind the development of these programs and how they are used (e.g. using someone else' art as source material).

There's also my grievances for how DMsGuild in particular allows AI art (with or without crediting). But I think that's a pretty clear opinion I don't need to explain any more of.

[mmkin]

Howdily doodily do! (Masterpost)

My writing archive (A03)

Hi, I am StrawberryCatBeans, and I write a variety of things/themes both original and fandom. Some light, some dark, some genfic, some naughty fic, etc etc.

If you enjoy my works, please leave a review, it is an author's lifeblood and lets me know what my readers like so I can produce more of that content for us all to enjoy.

I am a fan of various things, and enjoy discussing fandoms with other fans so you'll see me dabbling in various things, feel free to drop me a line, I don't bite (unless you're into that kind of thing, teehee)

Current fandoms include but are not limited to... Rise of the TMNT, One Piece (both anime and live action), Darkwing Duck (both versions)/Duck Tales (2017), Jackie Chan Adventures, Megaman, Marvel and DC (various) Dune (books and movies), a handful of K- and historical dramas, along with others. I also love to read and my tastes in books are as varied as my tastes in other media. There's a reason why I call myself an eclectic, haha :)

I add trigger/content warnings to what I make when necessary so please don't come bitching at me if you choose to ignore any warnings. Most of my smexy stuff is fairly vanilla but I do venture into some darker territory (variety is the spice of life, after all)

No racism, LGBT+pbobia, ableism, sexism, etc, allowed on this blog (or my other online spaces) I prefer to use the Internet for fun and writing and making friends, not spreading hate and ignorance.

I am friendly to teenagers because regardless of someone's age, they deserve to be treated with respect (and we are/were all teenagers once, right?) but be aware that some of what I produce is 18+/NSFW, any materials are labeled as such, minors please DNI. Please respect that.

Book review blog

I am a voracious reader, (favorite genres are scific and histfic but I will read just about anything) and welcome new friends either here on Tumblr or over at GR. I enjoy book chats!

Feel free to send me an ask here or email me at cultofstrawberry at gmail dot com.

Video game and misc blog I am also a published author under the name M.M. Kin and my books can be found on Amazon and Smashwords (also available at Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, and other book sites)

I also enjoy drawing, you can see various doodles I do here on my Tumblr. I am proud to report that no AI was involved in the creation of any of that art (or my writing, for that matter!)

It feels a little weird for me to be using this disclaimer but it's now March 2024 and I'm seeing some wild stuff in regards to AI and people trying to pass of that shit as their own and all that and I really feel like I need to make myself clear on that.

Since my Anne of Cleves drawing is such a hit, I think I'll pin it here too. :)

[whitedvl]

Yeah I'm gonna update my rules later but if you use anything AI like art or writing on your blog I will not write with you. Ai art is -- well you already know. It's bad. It's hideous. It's gross. But I've been hearing that people are using ai WRITING for replies. While I personally haven't seen it- I want to make it clear.

I don't use it.

You shouldn't use it.

This is LITERALLY a rpc. You are the writer. Whether you write a paragraph. Or a sentence. You are in control of what you do.

Do. Not. Use. AI. I don't care if you make writing mistakes. We're human. It happens. You don't need to be a perfectionist when it comes to writing. You just be yourself. And have fun with it!

[dojae-huh]

Completely agree with your standpoint on the NCT Home app issue.

I personally think that it was harmless, except for the fact that SM is capitalising on fans nonstop but what's new? They'd do anything to promote the Neos, even if making them into controllable avatars.

Maybe they view it as dehumanising since the movement of the graphics seems very unsettling, and with the rising issue of how deepfakes are ruining people's lives could explain the mass fear of the app. But the Neos have agreed to the idea, given if they were briefed and signed a contract before shooting all the angles. So what's the big harm? They consented, just as how other form of fanservice they have done.

Fans should address the "dehumanising" issue from another standpoint - how SM is less focusing on their musical talent and promoting their idol image as products. Nowadays it's all about looks - all these merchandises with their beautiful images being sold and of course fans (and me) will spend some money (for Doyoung's pretty smile). SM and the NCT team needs to reflect on what even started the Neo movement, because now it's getting pretty stale... How the "Neo" brand is presented to the public... It's what made NCT special from other groups, and I really love their uniqueness and bravery to challenge different concepts each time. Hopefully after all this SM mess die down, we'll get NCT 2020 back (one of their best comebacks).

Thanks for reading my 2 cents, love your blog!

I agree, AI imitating art, deep fakes, body shape enhancing and skin smoothing filters are very new phenomenas, people are still sorting out how they feel about it, where is the line, what is ethical and what is not. Because there is no consensus, it attracts attention and provokes thought.

I can't be sure, however, I suspect that Japanese and Koreans saw no problem with the app. They are much more accustomed to virtual reality and virtual idols, the idea of robots looking like humans, etc. Look at how idols often play with face demorphing filters. It is fun, not scary. At least at this stage, when the line moved just a tad, when it is still "just a game".

To make it clear, I agree with the fans who don't like the app. It is better to stop a malpractice at the beginning than fear SM will release your bias avatars in the future for sell. I would prefer to have Naevis kind of avatars, completely made from scratch. Still, is there really a big difference between making a digital likeness of an idol to open its mouth and making a flesh-and-blood idol to open his mouth by showing a funny cartoon as an instruction to action? In the first case it's emotionless pixels, in the second case it's a real person with feelings you have an eye contact with in a situation where you are in a position of power over him for a minute.

There are "class clown' people who will do a lot to get attention, ilicit a laugh and be cheered on. These type of people do aegyo and everything else with ease. And, surelly, there are "dancer"/"show off" type of people who are very in tune with their body and sexuality and are not afraid of being sexy or even provocative at all. It doesn't apply to all idols. Some have to bear through the tasks, psychologically adjust, internalise their feelings because "it's what the fans want, it's what is needed to be done to achieve popularity". However, because "it is the norm", only extreme cases "warrant" concern from fans.

The Neoness... I'm waiting for the new comeback. 127 and NCT2023's run in 2023 will tell if the new SM showrunners remember the roots and the main idea or not.

Do you know that idol pictures evolved from prints of portraits of Japanese kabuki actors? Ans that mostly the actors survived thanks to their patrons not tickets? Koreans imported a lot of J-pop practices in the beginning.

As said as it is, the music doesn't sell on its own. It is well known that even cello players who cover rock bands and modernise classic pieces have to be conventionally attractive to make it big in general public. And, let's be completely brutally honest, many of neos are not that talented to make it on singing/dancing skills alone. Not even Doyoung. Therefore, I just accept the promotional idol part of things. I agree, though, that 127 need to comeback to neoness. Taeyong's hairdo in "Ay-Yo" was a breath of fresh air...

The solos released by SM these past months for other SM artists make me be at ease. The music is good, the albums are nice to look at, there are thought-through concepts. Jaehyun got a nice video for his solo song. It was promoted in a quite way, by the way. Many magazines included it in the top 20 songs of the year lists. Renjun does a lot of covers for YT. Taeyong released several dance videos for his unreleased tracks.

"Killing voice" happened. Karaoke sessions and singing in a cafe live were shot and uploaded to YT. Xiaojun was sent to shows where he sang live. So SM staff does some work in this direction. Not enough, I agree. It will be nice to see neos more often on those programmes that allow to showcase vocal abilities.

[innertragedywerewolf]

Embracing Digital Alchemy: My Trip with Deepswap and PTool

Have you ever wished you could step into someone else's shoes, even if just for a moment? Or maybe you've looked at a photo and thought, "What if my face was swapped with theirs?" It's a quirky, whimsical idea, but thanks to tools like Deepswap and PTool, it's more than just a daydream. I'm here to share my own playful adventures in the world of face swapping and how these nifty tools unlocked a whole new level of creativity for me.

Let me take you back to the first time I tried my hand at face swapping. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I stumbled upon an ad for PTool AI Face Swap online. Intrigued by the prospect of changing my mug into something entirely new, I gave it a shot. The process was simpler than I expected. A few clicks, a choice of photo, and voilà – my face was now attached to my friend's body in a family portrait. We both burst into laughter, and I was instantly hooked.

What's magical about PTool is its accessibility. You don't need to be a tech wizard or an expert in digital editing to use it. The interface is user-friendly, and the instructions are clear. It feels like having a bit of digital magic at your fingertips. But let's not forget Deepswap. While PTool was my first foray into this world, Deepswap took it up a notch. The precision and the natural look it provides are nothing short of impressive. It's like having a professional photo editor right in your browser.

But why swap faces, you might ask? Well, for me, it started as a bit of fun, a way to create memes for my social circle. However, as I explored these tools further, I finded that they could also be a powerful way to express creativity. Art is all about change, and what's more transformative than changing your face with a click? It's an invitation to play, to experiment, and to see the world through someone else's eyes – even if it's just for a laugh.

One of the things I love about both Deepswap and PTool is their versatility. Whether you're looking to create a meme, to impersonate a celebrity for a video project, or even to try out a new look without changing a thing, these tools can help. They're not just about the fun factor, though. I've seen people use them in incredible projects, blending faces to create new characters for stories or to add a unique twist to their photography.

Now, I know what you're thinking. "Isn't this just a bit of a novelty?" It can be. But like many things, it's what you make of it. I've had conversations with friends about identity, about the way we present ourselves to the world, and how swapping faces can be a metaphor for the masks we wear. It's sparked deeper discussions, and for that, I'm grateful.

Of course, it's important to approach tools like Deepswap and PTool with respect for privacy and consent. These are powerful tools, and with power comes responsibility. Always make sure you have the right to use the images you're swapping. It's not just about staying on the right side of the law; it's about respecting the people in those photos and their willingness to be part of your digital experiments.

In conclusion, my trip with Deepswap and PTool has been nothing short of delightful. It's been a blend of laughter, creativity, and self-reflection. Whether you're looking for a fun way to pass the time or a new artistic outlet, I'd encourage you to give face swapping a try. Who knows what doors it might open for you? Have you ever experimenting with these tools? What did you create, and what did you learn from the experience? I'd love to hear your stories and see your swaps!

[lostonesart]

Miraculous Abel

(you'll need an account to read it on AO3 cuz of AI scraping the site.)

but here's the first actual chapter(after 2 chapters of rule setting and setting changes)

CH1: The New Kid

I watch the French countryside roll by as I hold the small, simple wooden box in my lap; a goodbye gift from mom and dad for me moving to Paris with my aunt Riley. In it was a silver ring with a fair-sized clear gem set in it.

“Aunt Riley?” I turn to look at her while she drives.

“Yeah, Little Man?” My aunt asks and her head turns towards me but her eyes never leave the road. She was a few years older than my mom. She was brunette and had hazel eyes. Growing up, I didn't really see her often since she lived so far away. But now I'll be living with her.

"I'm… scared… What if I mess up something simple and look like an idiot in front of everyone? What if they make fun of me?"

"Well…” She pauses for a moment. “Then you'll know who the bad friends are. You remember what me and your mom keep telling you, yeah?" She says as more buildings begin to roll by.

"... 'Those who mind don't matter, those who matter don't mind.'"

“Exactly!” She nudges my shoulder with her elbow, a wide grin on her face. “Say… How’s about after we settle in, we run out and get you some hair dye? You got an awful lot of blond showing.” Ruffling my hair as she spoke about it. I simply nod and go back to watching as we drive deeper into the heart of Paris.

"... Can I go a bright pink this time?"

"Haha-HA! ‘Course, Little Man!" Aunt Riley cheers.

— Agreste Manor

“Natalie, you said the camera I ordered for school arrived, yeah?” The young man asked excitedly as his Father's assistant organized the family's plans for the month.

“Yes, it's right here.” The woman pulled the box from under the desk, setting it aside for the man, and resumed her work. “If you're still thinking about what your first photo should be, might I suggest seeing your mother? I'm sure she'll have an idea for you.” Natalie continued as he was figuring out his new camera.

“Yeah! That's a great idea, Natalie!” Adrien chimed, gently tapping her arm to substitute for a hug before taking his camera upstairs.

-

Quietly, Adrien cracked open the door to his mother's room. He didn't want to wake her if she was asleep just to show her his new camera. He found her sitting in the window nook, watching outside. Inspired, Adrien aimed his camera and snapped a picture.

Hearing the shutter, his mother turned to see her son looking proud of himself.

“Hey, mon trésor. I see your camera finally arrived.” she giggled at her son's antics. She opened her arms and reached out for him silently requesting a hug, which he happily gave with a small squeeze. “Are you sure you still want to go to this school? I'm going to miss not having you around all day.” She said with a small pout as he pulled back to look at her.

“Yes, Maman. This school is number one in the arts, even compared to elite private schools.” He says as he double-checks the photo. “Plus, you know how much I've been working for this: convincing Father, getting that scholarship all on my own, building my portfolio…”

He looks at his mother's necklace, a cat-shaped pendant. She'd had it ever since he could remember, there were even pictures of him trying to teeth on it as a baby.

“I know, mon louloute. Don't mind me...” His mother laughs and ruffles his hair. “... You've grown up so quickly, I almost can't believe it's been 20 years already.” She says in a nostalgic voice.

“... You should get some rest, Maman.” Adrien gives her a bittersweet smile as she holds his arm to get up from the nook. Growing up, he knew how fragile his mother's health was and how she'd been getting worse in the last few years.

-

After helping his mother to bed, he retreated to his room to upload his first photo to his computer.

[metalgearsolid3pussy-eater]

honestly i don't even think this is a good comparison, the way that ai creates art and the way a person creates art are so vastly different. it's just that's really the only point of reference we have. a person emulating another artist's style is taking their idea plus their knowledge of a particular art style to create something new. an ai is effectively making a collage of bits and pieces of existing works and blending them together. essentially it takes a prompt and from that prompt goes "okay here's what pixels are most likely to be next to these other pixels given this prompt", that's why you end up with things like too many fingers, the ai doesn't see "a hand" it just sees patterns of pixels that are a finger and goes "ah i think this pattern of pixels[another finger] should go next"

they're fun tools, i like messing around with them but people are already using them to take work from actual artists, it's also really not clear from a legal standpoint whether or not using art for ai training data is really fair use, personally i think you should be getting permission to use someone's work for training data. i know the obvious thing to say in response to that is something like "then do i need permission from an artist to use their art as reference or inspiration for my own work" and honestly my answer is that you are different enough from a machine learning algorithm that the same rules do not and should not apply

sorry for walls of text i'm not good at structuring my thoughts

fuck it, its monday and im going to be a hater, putting the specific person on blast here

this is the saddest kind of attitude i have ever seen, "you dont understand how joy works" jesus fucking christ, are you listening to yourself?

i find the attitude of "you are deriving joy out of this in the wrong way, you have to experience things internally the same way i do" to be such an immediatly recognizably wrong take that i am speechless when i see someone do it so full chested and openly. have a little shame lady

let people have fun!

this is just a nauseating ammount of self aggrandazing, listen, as someone who has been creating art for the last 25 years, as someone who has sweated blood and tears for months to work on a comic or on animation i can tell you this. my hobbie doesnt make me morally superior or better than anyone else, im not an enlighted being above the unwashed masses, i dont have some superpower that makes me so much more cool than every other "whimpy loser".

its so disenheartening, im an artist online and it seems im literally the only artist on the internet who is perfectly fine with AI art, i havent seen a single one other visual artist/illustrator who isnt frothing at the mouth at this technology. surely there has to be others, surely im not the only one.

i hope every AI user has lots and lots of fun with this cool new tool they were given, i hope they get to enjoy it and derive lots of meaning and joy out of it.

[neversleepever]

My secret Santa gave me "art" they "drew" but it's ai art.

I just have to get this off my chest.

So for the past couple of years I've been doing an online secret Santa. I've had a good time both giving and receiving.

This year my secret Santa sent me a few little things I really loved. They also gifted me two pieces of "art" that they "drew". It's blatantly obvious it's ai art.

When you send your gift you notify the system. In your notification you can add shipping information as well as a note for your giftee. The note my secret Santa sent me only referenced their "art" and they specifically said that they "drew". I thought that might be the only thing I would get, which I would have been happy with if it was real art. I would have been happy even if it was real crappy art. Because at least a person put in time and effort. That's love.

Luckily their "art" was not the only thing they gave me. The gifts they did give I really did love. It was a few fun little things and an art book from one of my favorite artists. But trying to pass off ai art as their own just sours things.

Before I show you the "art", I'm going to have to add some context. When you sign up for this secret Santa you have to fill out a profile with things you like. I added a bunch of random things I like. Like how I love cyberpunk (the genre and the video game/ttrpg). I also listed all my pets. Including my 4 tarantulas. Clearly they just put "tarantula + cyberpunk" into an ai.

Cyberpunk is a fantasy genre. You can take a certain amount of artistic liberty. I just can't imagine an artist who can make almost photo realistic art make so many fundamental mistakes

Without further-a-do.

Where to begin? Nothing is symmetrical. Forget 8 legs. I would be happy if the same number of legs were on each side.

Many of the legs don't touch the ground. Probably because many of the legs aren't even full legs. They just stop at the first joint. Legs are going in all directions. The leg in the top right corner of the bottom picture looks like it's going behind the building.

Items in the foreground are blurry but the background is crisp and clear. It looks a little better in the pic I posted but in person it's really obvious.

"Hey there handsome. You happy to see me?"

"Yeah, you should have that looked at"

Where is this even coming from?

I just can't believe they thought they could get away with it. Obviously I know tarantula anatomy very well. You also don't need to be an anatomy expert to know legs need to touch the ground to use them. It's the lying that I hate. If they were honest that it was ai art, I wouldn't be so mad. I hate ai art but I hate people who try to pass off ai art as their own even more.

But also, I put in my profile that I'M AN ARTIST!!!

I did say I was a beginner. But just because my skill level is still beginner doesn't mean I don't know art basics. I've spent my whole life surrounded by art, going to art museums, art shows, art festivals. Looking at art critically. I even have family that works in an art gallery. I've spent my whole life around artists.

I was originally not going to call them out. I've been trying to be a nicer person.

With this secret Santa process, it is considered customary to make a post of what you got and a little thank you note to your Santa. I did make a post thanking them for the other things I got. I did genuinely like the other things I got. But when it came to the "art" I just said it was... Interesting.

I was going to leave it at that until my secret Santa commented on my post. I knew it was them because their username matched the name they signed on the back of the pictures. Because of course they signed the back of the pictures.

They once again brought up that they "sketched" these pictures. That's when I just couldn't take it. I replied thanking them for the gifts and said the art was ai. They haven't responded yet and I don't care if they do.

We are truly in the worst timeline.

[bearpillowmonster]

Horizon Zero Dawn Review

The game that critics have been raving about for years and I just haven't played. I heard a lot of people say "this needs a movie" but they say that about any game that dares to be a little bit cinematic because I personally disagree.

That first part is rough, the story seems so in your face, predictable and bland but I think the problem is that it didn't know how to put in its exposition. I think it naturally builds up as it goes on, getting bigger and broader, it's just those first experiences that can be a slog because you're pretty much learning what style you're going to play in.

I got more or less everything I expected, crafting, a skill tree, various weapons. What I didn't expect though are dialogue options. You can choose normally up to four paths, an intelligent one, a compassionate one, and a straightforward one. You don't have to worry about the stress of trying to reach a specific ending because there's really only one, the only thing that affects it is the amount of people that are in it. So does that make the choices irrelevant? Yes and no because there are different dialogue options and like I said, which means that you can get certain characters to like you more given the option you choose but not in the same way that relationship points work and I definitely felt the draw to do that whenever I came across my first side-quest.

Side-quests are interesting, I love tracking things in games, though it's rare that you actually get the chance to do it and here you have a good amount of opportunities. Is that all though? Far from it. I actually found myself searching for side-quests because the first two were so satisfying. It really only began to show its hand a bit more after those quests. As I mentioned, there are a lot more RPG elements than I first imagined but it starts to send you on scavenger hunts, especially that Dreamwillow one, that one I actually laughed out loud at every time I was turned away. It also starts to gatekeep to where it recommends that you be a certain level which is...odd? I mean at face value it looks like you could rock basically any combat situation that isn't context sensitive. Leveling up gives you abilities but they're more like Deus Ex on that front, where it's just for preference and upgrading, not necessarily strength. The only thing you improve on offense wise basically boils down to having the right materials or units to buy weapons then a matter of finding modifications. Other than that, leveling up seems to just increase your health. It really just depends on the quest too because I'll play one above my level and be fine then play another that's actually under my level and feel stuck.

Now I only played it on normal mode so something like "Ultra Hard" is bound to be more demanding but as far as actual side quest content, I feel like they have potential but just need tweaked, give me more stuff for major characters that affects their standing with me. Rather than having each quest be contained in its own story, have it affect you later in the game, let your actions be shown, give it rewards and consequences. There are some really great side-quests but there are also some crappy ones, it doesn't pass that threshold that most RPGs fall under or anything. However, I did find myself doing side-quests at my own free will and the ones that I didn't like or couldn't do at the time, I just skipped and focused on something else, I felt a lot more freedom with this game, like I didn't feel forced to grind or do a certain number of side-quests or really do anything. It encourages you to explore and play the way you want to play and I respect the heck out of that. Maybe it's different for other players though.

Perhaps my favorite actual side thing was the Cauldrons for those who actually played this, you'll know why. For those who didn't, just know that it's cool and let it be a surprise for when you go to one. You might expect these big set-pieces and bosses like Uncharted or GoW, but it's not really like that. I genuinely think that this is more video-gamey than it lets on which certainly takes up its runtime. One addition to side-quests that I would like to see is one where you don't know it's happening. For example, in this game, you'll come across random hunters who are attacking or being attacked by machines but rather than just going on about your day and them going on about their's, I want to fight off the machine and the person say "You saved my life, my name's Jara, I live in the town nearby and want to repay you." so you go there and there's trouble so it starts up a side-quest. Now don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of instances of people getting attacked actually being a mission but most of the time someone in town will just tell you "I haven't seen this person in a while, can you go check on them for me?" It's the art of subtlety and also just doing a good deed and getting rewarded for it. It's a conscious choice and split decision rather than just another checkmark on your list to complete.

Now I won't bother listing the characters and rating them but there's a certain aspect that has me really enthused So, Aloy is an outcast and a lot of these side missions and scenarios reflect her, you'll see the way she can relate with other characters, making it almost poetic in a subliminal kind of way. Then they add this tribal and futuristic setting to it where Aloy acts as the medium, there are parts of the game where she questions the tribe because they cut themselves off from technology and just don't know any better and we as a viewer know that but having the main character view things in 'our' lens is pretty genius. To top that off, they give her enough personality to be her own character while giving us enough power to influence her so that we ourselves can REFLECT WITH HER. It's not her character that I'm impressed with, it's the layout of the story.

So, how is the main story? It's kind of like the Flood scenario in Halo if I'm being honest. I'm not going to spoil anything but it's passable, like I said, it's not like an Uncharted and it's not like a movie. The visuals just look good at times (I took all the pictures in this review myself and so much more!). I'd call it a futuristic/tribal mix between Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Skyrim but I see elements of a lot of things. (Also since it's post apoctalypic, you find items that we see in modern day, like how they call keys, "chimes"! They think they're windchimes because there are no more cars! I love that!)

It actually does a pretty good job at being an open world considering that there are tons of things to do on your routes as well as collect but it's not so much so that it seems unfeasible, as I said, I found myself doing a good chunk of the side stuff just because it was fun to do and I'm not even close to a completionist for any game. If you mess up, healing plants will still be there. As long as you save, enemy parts will still be there. A place can be cleared out and conquered so that enemies don't come back. The actual towns are peaceful so you can't get mangled by any bots outside of scripted instances.

The graphics are pretty good but I can see some error here and there, nothing necessarily game breaking but the animations and AI are definitely janky at times. It's pretty obvious from the get-go but I'll do my best to specify and give constructive criticism on what I found wrong with certain aspects of the game. Rost is slow, like slower than walking speed but that's not to speak for all NPCs, some run, some you don't need to follow, it was really just him. I've had NPCs who fight but miss every single time on simple enemies (that might not be a bug, that might just be a funny bit that someone decided to add in). Sabretooths have jumped through walls (granted the walls were kinda broken but I'm not sure if those big boys can fit when they can barely find the entrance) I found myself jumping to a ledge or on a rope but not land it and just drop (it really boils down to loosening the hit box for that). Which to add on to that, I would like more places to climb and jump to in general (other than stupid mountains). I felt like there wasn't really enough that I could climb and the places that I could, could've been a bit more obvious that I could, maybe even make it viewable with your focus if you don't want it to be visually outstanding. There's a day and night cycle and while I like that, I found some of the contrast to be annoying because I could be staring a ladder right in the face and not even know it sometimes because it would be so dark. I'm not going to complain too much about it because I didn't turn my brightness up, I just left it at default and I would assume the PS5 version fixes some of those little things.

Now, this one is kind of a gray area: Hiking up mountains. Skyrim, Fallout, and Death Stranding went too far and gave little to no barriers. They had you looking for sweet spots that weren't there in order to cheese your way through an area either on or off a beaten path. But I would compare this to something like GTA where it's not as bad and does have its limits but might need tightened up some more because I can certainly get to places that lead to nowhere.

I've made headshots that don't make contact or damage while using precision. Part of that problem was that they could be high up in a tower (which have spikes sticking out) and I would hit ABOVE the logs, to make a headshot but since it was in that vicinity, it registered that as the spikes' hitbox so it wouldn't cause any damage and just alert the enemy (same if I was in the tower, looking down). Input lag where I hit up button on the D-Pad to regain health and I have to keep pressing it. If I had to guess, you have to meet the requirements of not taking damage, staying still, etc in order for it to actually work but it doesn't really have a reason to do that and it doesn't "tell" you that those are the requirements (as far as I know).

During the final boss, one of the enemies hit me into a rock wall, trapping me inside of it and the boss was already half health so I really didn't want to have to restart (I also didn't know how far back the checkpoint was) so I kept shooting stuff and eventually the boss destroyed the wall, allowing me to get out (timed section, by the way). There have been a few times where a tree or leaf or something is obstructing a cutscene and sometimes there will be a mech in the background screaming over the NPC talking, which I'm sure is due to the cutscenes being real-time which is still pretty impressive. Now are these errors all the time? No, not at all, I'm just pointing out that some times these things happened and that I felt it needed ironed out but I wouldn't call this half baked or an unfinished product or anything, it's nowhere near that level. I get that there are so many NPCs that it's hard to account for them all with facial animations but whenever they're talking, it seems pretty static and sometimes the lips don't line up. There's this one guy who says that he got lost in a sandstorm but he's standing in snow. Again, little nitpicks in an otherwise great game.

Now, I got this game for free as a Playstation promotion but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be great, I played a little bit of that Ratchet & Clank reboot that was offered and I wasn't impressed, I quit after the first few worlds and was glad I didn't buy it at launch, (despite being a classic PS2 R&C fan) but we're not here to review that. I also played Abzu and loved it but it was short so it was definitely worth a play but maybe not 60$ (I actually think it's 20$ at this point though). With this game, it's the whole complete edition with DLC and everything, it has the length, so it really just boils down to "Would I have spent money on it otherwise?"

I think I would've if I knew more about it because I think it just got better and better after that first part of the game. It's marketed a bit differently than what I ended up getting but I found myself pouring hours into this game and loving it for one reason or another. I actually bought Shadow of the Colossus along with it (which is considered a cult classic) but I liked Horizon so much better, definitely worth its full price in my opinion. (So your promotion worked on me Sony, congrats) It has its problems but the potential is there and I feel like a sequel would probably iron out a lot of my troubles with it, so it's definitely a franchise worth investing into.

If you're interested in what I thought of the DLC alone (if you didn't get the Ultimate edition and are wondering if the extra content is worth it) I have a separate post that goes into that here.

[auspicious-voice]

AUSPICIOUS VOICE 2023 Plans

I was supposed to post this earlier, but hey it's better late than never I guess. :D Happy new year!

I wanted to write this post as a means to streamline my goals on what I want to accomplish this year in regards this vocalsynth project. Other than that, 2022 was a huge success as I was able to churn out Maria and Mario's final Japanese voicebanks and get back on the UTAU grind by making covers and such.

As usual, more details will always be under the cut!

The Future of AUSPICIOUS VOICE

AUSPICIOUS VOICE has been one of the few projects I've put a lot of heart and effort into, and it's one I'll still be able to work on for a very long time. Apart from other projects mine, this one is very hobby-centric, and I intend to keep it that way.

However, I'd also like to branch out of vocalsynth-related activities with project and try to transform it into a mini OC project of sorts. Maria and Mario are their own fleshed out characters, and I would like to expand on that beyond fun facts and lore dumps. Maybe I'll tweak their lore towards vocal synths just a bit since they did start out as UTAU voicebanks.

AUSPICIOUS VOICE did start out as a vocalsynth collective between friends in 2014 (under a different name), and after that project fell out, I picked up the pieces and created AUSPICIOUS VOICE with the two surviving UTAUs (Maria and Mario) and continued making voicebanks for them. I'm still glad that some of my friends remember the UTAUs they've made for our old project, so I'm wondering if there could be a renaissance in the future...?

Cover Production

Starting today, I won't be uploading covers on a bi-weekly basis, as I would like to upload whenever I like without the pressure to upload constantly. I still have a backlog of covers to upload, but that aside, I've made it a thing to work on covers at my own pace.

Voicebank Development

Because I've released Maria and Mario's final Japanese voicebanks last year, I can't say that I'll be producing more voicebanks for them anymore, especially when I'm busy these days. I've postponed development on their English voicebanks due to time constraints and a lack of interest.

What about their Diff-SVC models? They're still in private beta, and I haven't done much with them recently. While it's exciting that Maria and Mario have AI models of their own, I can't see myself releasing them to the public at the moment.

Maria and Mario are considered "complete" for now in terms of voicebank development, and with that, I'd like to devote my energy to other things. :D I'll still need to make demonstration videos for their latest Japanese voicebanks and UniCoe voicebanks... (opens up After Effects)

Anniversary Plans

Maria and Mario's 8th anniversary is on April 4, since that's the date when they were first released to the public. I have a cover ready for them at the moment, but not the cover art. I don't plan on doing anything crazy, so a simple celebratory cover will do!

It's a bit jarring that Maria and Mario are turning 8 this year, and I still feel like I'm stuck in 2016...Time flies WAY too fast.

Anything Else?

2022 was a successful year in my books, and I'm hoping that this year will be the same or even better than that. I'd like to be more comfortable with the greater the vocalsynth community and steer clear of any bullshit that happens in it. I've had enough of that destroying my will to work on any vocalsynth projects, and I intend to keep it that way.

Here's to hoping that 2023 will be successful! ✨✨✨