#Sunspring

[thefireroars]

Moon 0 | Moon 8 MallowClan Moon 9 HeatherClan | Moon 9 MallowClan

[riseofthecommonwoodpile]

Hi Izzy! I remember back in the day you were a big fan of Sunspring and wrote a beautiful piece discussing it and talking about AI art. Do you think any AI art has surpassed Sunspring? Have changes in the development of AI changed your perspective on it at all? Asking bc I love that essay and I’m very curious :) thx

(context for those who don't know, Sunspring is a short film made about 8 years ago that used a relatively early LLM to generate its script, which was then filmed with a real cast and crew. if you want to watch it here it is, it's about 9 minutes, i highly recommend it)

i've thought about Sunspring a lot as AI art has become such a big topic in the past year or so, and I think the pieces i wrote about it i still stand behind, though i got a few things wrong that i'll bring up when i answer the second question.

to answer the first question: i personally haven't see any AI art that has impacted me emotionally nearly as much, but i also kinda dropped off watching new movies (most of the new-to-me movies i watch are found footage horror movies, 70's porno-chic also-rans, and shot on video movies from the 90's), and i would wager that, if i could somehow experience all of the AI art that exists, there'd be something that hit me in the same way again. there's too much of it for that not to be the case, and too many genuinely creative people experimenting with it. that said, what was so beautiful about Sunspring was how imperfect the tech used to create it was. Almost all of the script makes grammatical sense, but the way it flows, the directions sentences go, the phrasing used is so strange that the friction between the failures of the tech to be truly convincing and the actors trying to bridge the gap to make it still work is what was exhilarating and moving. as the models have gotten better and better, as the rough edges smooth off, that tension so often has just faded into a bland beige unflavored oatmeal of average aggregate language. some of the phrases in Sunspring that have stuck with me the most ("I think I could have been my life", "Whatever you want to know about the presence of the story, I’m a little bit of a boy on the floor.", etc.) wouldn't be created by any of the most popular LLMs today. they're too idiosyncratic, the phrasing is too odd, the grammar almost but not quite there. the plot is surreal and associative, the structuring bizarre and dreamlike. the lines Sunspring ends on— "He looks at me, and he throws me out of his eyes. And then he says he’ll go to bed with me."— are some of my favorites in any film, and it's because they are abstract, poetic, like the computer stumbled upon a phrase so evocative that no written-by-committee script would've let it through. he looks at me, and he throws me out of his eyes. this man who is supposed to love me looks at me in a way where his love of me has gone, where i'm barely even seen as me. it's not the kind of sentence most modern LLMs, with their focus on being convincing, are designed to create.

as far as the second question, i think the biggest change in my perspective is how my belief in the technology, both good and bad, has curdled. i bought into the hype that the technology would progress to the point where screenwriting could be turned into an assembly line, and maybe after that the rest of the parts of filmmaking as well. i had hoped it would become a new collaborative process between human and technology, and i feared it would become a way for movie execs to pay people less and eliminate jobs. the first i haven't seen much of, and the second, while certainly the dream of so many boosters of the tech, has largely been a failure (though plenty, plenty of people have still lost their jobs to LLMs despite that, and as a labor issue i still think it is a very important area of focus). i was too caught up in the possibilities that i didn't bother to research who was making the tech, where the money was coming from, what growth in the sector would look like materially, etc. i still believe LLMs can be used creatively, but most likely any interesting art coming from them will emerge out of models custom-molded by artists to have some of those same rough edges i loved in the first place. i think, in terms of mainstream film, any use of AI is in service to the same bland competence the rest of the industry is mired in, a determination to make products for everyone that inevitably become products for no one. i've become a lot more cynical about the trend towards mediocrity in entertainment, and that cynicism is due at least in part to much of what i've seen come out of the AI space. i do not have a knee-jerk hatred of the tech, but it has not at all panned out how i had hoped or dreaded.

[min-get-the-door]

oh yeah now that euthalia's back i should probably post to this blog again. Anyway I'm happy to announce that if you thought Melgalai wasn't homophobic enough for trying to send the Sunspring Scourges to superhell, he MURDERED A UNICORN LAST SESSION-

[cats-of-eden-valley]

Do you have any other wip names for the prides that you didn’t use that I could mayhaps steal? 👀🙏

AKGDJDSS so goldspring was sunspring for awhile but i kinda realized that putting sun in the name would emphasize some connection between GS and hiverne that wasn't really present so i had to decide between leaning into Hiverne related stuff or changing it to something more fitting

i also considered Flamespring but Idk. smth bout that wasn't doing it for me.

and i actually DID find in my notes the other night another name I'd written down for Windveldt, which i considered for their old name: Flame Singers

ultimately scrapped it though because it's not...idk. i think im looking for a somewhat unique naming scheme, and Flame Singers isn't scratching that itch for me

and bogden and coldbank didnt go through any iterations! one and done (though i did consider coming up with other options, never went through with it)

[theallianceclangen]

Moon ??? - 0

...

the small refuge was filled with cats from four different clans, who had never met before, but had something in common, everyone didn't want to talk about what happened.

They didn’t want to talk about the water.

Of fire.

Of the loss.

Of the monsters.

...

the Violetclan leader, Cressstar, looked through the sea of fur before speaking "am I the only leader here?" no one spoke, but that silence answered his question. the leader's sibling, Blightbreeze, stepped forward "so I guess you'll all be part of our clan now!"

"...What?" a cat turned around, indignation written on its face, Sunspring, the golden fur warrior tom of Rosyclan, bared his teeth, almost growling

"If you think we're going to end our clan's legacy just because no one else has nine lives, you're a fool!" another spoke to the left of them, Slatepelt, an elder of Weedclan.

then a great argument began between the four clans, no one seemed to agree with anyone and it seemed that they were about to test their claws on others.

"Enough! You're scaring our kits!" Snapjump, Weedclan's she-cat healer spoke over everyone's voices. This made everyone stop and look at the pile of kits, different bloods, different clans, huddled close to each other, whimpering and crying and a single one in front of them, Ravenkit, an angry expression with tears in his eyes, ready to protect the little ones.

a cat snorted "it seems like they are more adult than us" Scorchfeather, the brown she-cat meowed, his tone was mocking but still sincere...everyone felt embarrassed.

everyone remained silent, thinking about what to do next, a welcoming breeze passed by them, carrying the smells of the past, their hair stood on end and their eyes widened.

above them a spirit hovered, a guide.

...

The cat took them to a cave in the bottom of a mountain, the inside of the cave was filled with crystals with a blue and magical glow. the guide stopped and crouched in front of a larger crystal with four cats in it.

"Weed, Violet, Bird and Rosy"

The cats seemed surprised and struggled to pay respect to their founders.

Violet gave everyone present a judgmental look.

Rosy purred before saying "Rowanbug"

Weed smiled big "Sandsun"

Bird yawned before saying the last name "Pheasantfur"

Sandstar received nine lives and choose Sladepelt as deputy

Rowanstar received nine lives and choose Rustbite as deputy

Pheasantstar received nine lives and choose Eaglelily as deputy

[moonpawscathoard]

Hello

I have the vaguest idea of these characters in a comic format and made this in the span of two days so it looks like it was made in two days haha.

Not my best work, but I like the general vibe.

Anyway, if y'all want me to make more comics just tell me, I love drawing and writing comics, but watch me turn this into an ask blog on accident.

[according-to-shlorp]

For some odd reason, I’d love to see Terry and Korvo watch ‘Sunspring.’

I can only imagine Korvo’s reaction to it, being confused as fuck, and rant about it. While Terry claims he understood the meaning behind the movie and loved it. Though, the ‘meaning and plot’ Terry thinks the movie is about is far off. Because the movie actually doesn’t have much meaning to it.

The Replicants also watch it at a point. I’d think Jesse and Yumyulack would fight over what the movie was truly about and it’s meaning.

[we-rate-warrior-names]

The Clan's resident poly gay medicine cats Reedflower (shadowclan), Toadskip (thunderclan) and Sunspring (skyclan)

Reedflower- A serious and intelligent cat. Reedflower is a very dignified cat- they care a lot about how others perceive them and so take great care to ensure that they are always presentable when they go to gatherings or the Moonstone/pool. Reedflower has always been very bright and excelled through their training, and isn’t afraid to get experimental with their treatments, but they will never administer anything to a patient they think could even be remotely harmful. Despite Reedflower’s general seriousness, they allow themselves to relax and have fun around Toadskip and Sunspring, and will often joke those two have a bad influence on them, 15/10

Toadskip - A relaxed and friendly cat. Toadspring is a cat everyone wants as a friend, they are very laid back and are always welcoming to any cat that approaches them and will happily chat with them regardless of their clan. Toadskip is a very comforting presence for sick or injured cats, they always seem to know exactly what to say and do to help their patients feel at ease, many of their clanmates say that they would make a great parent if they hadn’t become a medicine cat. Toadskip loves nothing more than relaxing with their mates under the moonlight, Toadskip is very cuddly and has been known to doze off purring with both of their mates on either side of them, 14/10

Sunspring - An energetic and skilful cat. Sunspring often brims with enthusiasm- they love being a medicine cat and they love being in SkyClan, and this often shows - they will often happily chirp while gathering or organising herbs and they almost always have a positive attitude. Sunspring is an extremely skilled healer, they always seem to have everything under control and are great at improvising when they need to. Sunspring hardly ever seems to take a break, they just feel so energetic and compelled to get on with something - but they will try their best to settle down if Reedflower or Toadskip ask them to, 15/10

[lesbians4benschwartz]

Was watching Sunspring (the AI sci-fi film w/ Thomas Middleditch) last night and

they really did him dirty with this shot ahshdnnfnf

Likes he 5’11” which is not that short but he looks SO SMALL ANDNDNFBJJD

[table-top-horror]

The height difference!

[thefireroars]

Moon 0 | Moon 1 MallowClan Moon 2 HeatherClan | Moon 2 MallowClan

[riseofthecommonwoodpile]

i was writing about AI-assisted filmmaking in 2016. and then in 2017. and then again in 2017. and in those i both had massive praise for its use and results as well as very strong worries about its use by those who own the means of production. i don’t agree with everything i wrote in those pieces anymore (it was 7 or 8 years ago after all, though I still consider Sunspring a masterpiece), but i promise you i’ve been thinking about this subject longer than almost anyone spouting stuff off on tumblr in 2024. doesn’t mean i’m automatically right, but it does mean i’m not just saying bullshit

[wenaturalists]

‘Drinkable book’ has opened an entire field of opportunities for both future innovation and community growth. And more importantly, towards a future where everyone can have safe drinking water.

[artoooooor]

Sunspring | A Sci-Fi Short Film Starring Thomas Middleditch

You should see the boy and shut up.

Nie wiem, co tutaj.

[theallianceclangen]

Allegiances

At each gathering the list will be updated

Weedclan

Leader: Sandstar - a medium furred light brown tom Deputy: Honeybee - a long furred black speckled tom Medicine cat: Snapjump - a short furred dark brown tabico she cat

Warriors : Bitestalk - a short furred pale grey smoke tom Crowtree - a medium furred light brown tom Falcowhisker - a short furred white and brown tom Dahliapatch - a long furred brown tom

Apprentices: Foxpaw - a short furred brown smoke tom Rowankit - a medium furred dark brown bengal she cat

Kits:

Elders: Slatepelt - a short furred grey ticked tabby she cat Darkspeckle - a medium furred dark ginger tom

Violetclan

Leader/King: Cressstar - a medium furred black tabby tom Deputy/princess: Blightbreeze - a short furred black she cat Medicine cat/prince: Merrytail - a long furred dark grey bengal tom Warriors: Sleekstone - a short furred brown rosetted and white she cat Patchfur - a long furred dark grey she cat Alderclaw - a medium furred brown bengal she cat Hillbloom - a medium furred brown bengal she cat Apprentice: Queen: Adderhare - a short furred dark brown smoke tom Kit: Weaselkit - a medium furred grey and white tom Birchkit - a long furred light brown speckled tom Bogkit - a long furred dark ginger tom Brightkit - a medium furred light brown marbled tabby tom Elder: Mousewater - a long furred brown ticked tabby she cat Foxheart - a medium furred dark ginger tom

Birdclan

Leader: Pheasantstar - a long furred light brown tom Deputy: Eaglelily - a medium furred ginger speckled tom Medicine cat: Goldcrestheart - a medium furred dark ginger she cat Warriors: Hummingbirdwhiskers - a medium furred dark grey torbie she cat Vulturepatch - a long furred dark brown tom Falcowhisker - a medium furred dark grey bengal she cat Magpiepuddle - a medium furred dark ginger ticked tabby tom Sandpiperspeck - a long furred dark grey rosetted she cat Nuthatchfreckle - a medium furred dark ginger rosetted tom Blackbirdstep - a medium furred silver marbled tabby she cat Apprentice: Ravenpaw - a medium furred white and black she cat Kit:

Rosyclan

Leader: Rowanstar - a long furred golden tabby tom Deputy: Rustbite - a medium furred dark ginger marbled tabby she cat Medicine cat: Greenwhisker - a medium furred grey bengal tom Warriors: Heavypool - a medium furred dark ginger ticked tabby tom Sunspring - a short furred white and pale ginger tabby tom Sootbeam - a long furred dark grey rosetted she cat Emberdapple - a medium furred dark brown rosetted tom Scorchfeather- a long furred dark brown she cat Elders: Flowerdusk - a long furred grey smoke she cat Brownspirit - a long furred brown bengal tom

[badolmen]

Is this what having a stoke feels like?