#don't rely on ai generated answers

[ophernelia]

the "meanest" thing i'll say today is to please google that question before you send it to me. particularly if it is a general question. like "how do i install tray files?" you can google that. there are youtube videos that show you how to do things like that. even with making cc. there are so many tutorials out there. and it's not to be mean or to just deny you my labor, but encourage you to take advantage of the resources we have at our disposal. there are so many great creators who already have extensive tutorials out there and they're easy to find. please support them. do not take the luxury of being able to do independent research for granted. you need that skill.

[yaekiss]

hearing about how many students/peers my age actually use chatgpt is terrifying

[ghouljams]

Why is c.ai bad? Like genuine question

One of the main reasons you will see people giving as to why c.ai is bad is that much like all "generative" ai it's basically a copy/paste machine. The algorithm that runs c.ai is made by scraping the writing of millions of human authors in order to train the machine on how sentences and "romance" should be structured in order to appeal to the people using it. This is, by and large, just straight up plagiarism and authors like @/ceilidho end up having their content stolen by c.ai users in order to farm more bots.

If you don't care about the plagiarism aspect of c.ai bots then you should care about the environmental aspect of them. ChatGPT alone uses about 2.9 Wh of electricity just to run a single query, and the water used to cool the servers (again for just one question) is equal to about 3 16 oz bottles of water. Google reported their greenhouse gas emissions rose 50% in 5 years just due to ai use. 1 query can power a lightbulb for about 20 seconds, and every question is routed through a data center which uses even more electricity to answer the question. So you sending a chat to c.ai uses a massive amount of electricity, and for the bot to respond takes even more.

Not to mention data centers have to be built, which consumes a lot of resources and energy, and releases a lot of greenhouse gases. Then they have to be powered, which consumes more energy and more water, and releases even more greenhouse gases.

If 1 in 10 working US Americans asked 1 question every week for a year (52 x 17 million) that would use the same amount of energy that it would take to power EVERY HOUSEHOLD IN WASHINGTON DC (671,803) for 20 days. NPR reported on this as an "energy emergency" this is an unprecedented and explosive amount of energy being used very suddenly, very often, and by a lot of people.

Ok you don't care about that either, then let me appeal to you the person who uses c.ai. Maybe you love your favorite author's work and you really want to rp with one of their characters. Is the bot's ability to write that character really as good as the author's? Is it as satisfying? Or are you just caught up in the short-term dopamine rush of the rp?

Because I tried c.ai when it was first getting popular and let me tell you, it was nowhere near as good as the human role plays I was used to. There was no riffing, no plotting out where we wanted the rp to go, no standard reply length, I had to retry replies multiple times to get something even remotely close to something I could work with to respond to. There were filters, I couldn't use certain words or phrases. The bot couldn't remember anything past a few replies. It was BAD. The shot of dopamine I got after the first reply was gone by the time I was on the third one.

Now maybe I was just spoiled by good human rp partners, but I kept seeing people on tiktok complaining about the same problems. "How to break the c.ai filter" was a major issue. People wanted the experience of role playing or writing a fic, but they didn't want to put the effort into actually doing either of those things.

"Just let people enjoy things!" I hear you cry.

You go on c.ai because you're lonely, or bored, or because you think that finding a human to rp with is too hard or they won't like your scenario/kink/whatever. You are actively contributing to the expulsion of artists from fandom spaces and the destruction of the planet in equal measure. If all you care about is short term gratification, then go on the r/IWishIWasHer subreddit and read the rps threads there. If you actually want to roleplay with someone there are a million discord servers that do that. Hell, there are communities on tumblr that you could join and ask about roleplaying!

Relying on instant gratification will numb you to all the joys that creep towards you. If the only thing you can see is the object in front of you, then you're never going to reach for something better further away.

Not to mention none of your chats on c.ai are actually private, the server is scraping all your responses to have the ai send to other people. So if you're telling the bot some real smutty/embarrassing things that you wouldn't want anyone else to see, congrats on everyone else getting a piece of it.

[writingquestionsanswered]

Many artists are wary of AI. I've been using Chat Gpt and come to the realization that with my kids, school and other life obligations I need to use AI in my writing process. No, I'm NOT using the AI's writing or passing it on as mine. It's for plotting, character arcs and to help me get over writers block. I'm conflicted. I just don't have the time to write that I wish I did. :( if I use AI am I not a real writer?

Using AI as a Writer

I want to preface this by saying that we are quite literally in the Wild West when it comes to AI and how it fits into the creative world. The technology is still evolving. The legalities of use are still evolving. Public sentiment and codes of ethics are still evolving... the only definitive answer I can give on the topic of using AI in writing is that you should never use it to write all or part of your story.

Using AI as a tool to help you think through plot problems, flesh out character arcs, and move past story road blocks in and of itself is something many writers and writer organizations have embraced. You're still doing the actual writing, plotting, character arc design, etc. yourself.

However, if you're using AI to generate your entire plot, characters, character arc, etc., it gets into a bit of a gray area for me. Yes, you're still doing the actual writing, but are you a landscape painter if you only do paint by number? I'm not sure. Yes, you're technically moving the brush and making the strokes, but your brain didn't imagine the imagery and your skills didn't know what colors to use or where to put the shadows. So I'm not sure where that leaves writing. And my bigger concern is that you're not putting in the work to improve your craft, so you may get stories or books out there, but you don't have the writing skills to back them up.

What I can tell you is this: people still write when they have kids, and jobs, and school, and various other responsibilities and dependents. They may only write for twenty minutes a day, or once a week for an hour, but they find the time. And some don't... some put off writing until the kids are older or the other obligations let up... either route is fine. I guess what I'm saying is I don't think not having time or energy is a good excuse for using AI or over-relying on it. But, I also don't think you should feel bad if you're simply using it as a tool to help flesh out your own thoughts and ideas. ♥

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[ram-stick]

Don't you love the modern web?

How every genuine company website acts like a 2010 scam page?

Requiring you give them all your personally identifiable information?

Registering your credit cards information even when you're not paying for something?

Being forced to close 3 popups begging to bombard you with ads?

Searching for the small "refuse all cookies" button that surely is hiding somewhere.

Resorting to manually toggle off every "genuine interest" tracker?

Having to pay more and more every consecutive year for a service that used to be so cheap even when it literally meant printing and pressing physical copies?

Everything being a web app, relying on countless javascript libraries to do basic stuff?

Algorithms deciding for you what you're allowed to see?

Generative AI hallucinating the most dangerous answer possible to a simple search query?

Your browser giving itself rights over your own work?

Don't you love the modern web?

[incorrectbatfam]

Alrighty, I'd like to take a minute to address something that's been cropping up recently, which is stuff like this:

I've been getting an increasing number of asks and comments like the one above (I've deleted the Ao3 comments and turned on moderation). Normally, they don't bug me, but when I keep getting them over and over it kinda feels like a moth buzzing around my room that I can't keep ignoring.

Basically, some people have been wondering if I use an AI to create my posts and fics as they are becoming more common.

Let me state for the record: I don't, nor will I ever.

Without getting into the rabbit hole of my personal opinion on using AI for creative works, I started posting consistently for the DC/Batfam fandom on Tumblr and Ao3 in 2018 and 2020 respectively. Many popular programs came out post-pandemic, such as Sudowrite in 2021 and ChatGPT in 2022.

I don't blame folks who may think that, though. Incorrect quotes already tread on thin ice when it comes to some people not perceiving them as actual fan content—tale as old as time. Coupled with that, I often answer asks with an easily digestible format and write fics on a time crunch that aren't planned out in great detail. I'm fully aware the quality is somewhere in the middle. (This isn't inviting people to tell me I'm amazing and transformed their lives—I'm here to give people a quick chuckle as they go about their day.)

The issue is all of this is now within the capabilities of AI and it's getting harder to differentiate, which in turn is altering our expectations of each other. You can't draw characters with wonky anatomy, you have to get every feature right or you're using a generator. You can't post a drabble with bad grammar and overplayed tropes, you have to be the next Great American Novelist or you're relying on an algorithm. Fan creators—who are doing this for free, keep in mind—are being held to increasingly higher standards just to prove they are genuine.

Some of you are probably thinking, "it's just fandom, quit making a big deal." The thing is though, fandoms are built on people with different abilities creating for the love of it. This isn't to deride those who use AI as a tool—you do you, it is a hobby in the end. However, when we ascribe mediocrity to inauthenticity, we're reinforcing the notion that if you can't be perfect, you shouldn't bother trying. It's frustrating and frankly has no business in our community.

[notlycan-this]

A brief lesson on why relying on generative AI for sex ed is harmful:

Okay Google, what the fuck is this?

This is so concerning... The Google Gemini AI overview is clearly so confused by the existence of trans men.

I'm not sure if it's better or worse that Gemini isn't even trying to answer the same question, but rephrased.

The phrasing "some straight women may be looking for something they don't have" rubs me the wrong way. Also, separating queer women from women in general is upsetting.

I'm conflicted on whether or not we should help Google with training Gemini, but considering how many people rely on Google for information, I've come to the conclusion that--for now--it is worth it to always hit the "thumbs down" icon underneath the generations that turn up poorly and describe in detail what's wrong with the result. 👎

After all, when we tell people not to ask offensive questions to transgender people, the usual advice is "Go Google it!"

As distrustful as I am of Gemini's results, most people that I've met are more than willing to accept its responses at face value. At the very least, the average user seems to accept it for a quick and easy surface level response.

The HRC and PFLAG have much better resources on LGBTQIA+ identity and how to support your loved ones.

[borrelia]

guys this is bogus ^

it's not a peer-reviewed article, just a pdf microsoft put out. they surveyed just over 300 people. the respondents self-reported whether they were using critical thinking or not. the observation that participants were using "less critical thinking" when using genAI, was also conditional: people who were relying on AI to help them in a field with which they were unfamiliar reported less critical thinking regarding the AI's result, while people familiar with the field reported more. this is just saying "people who were able to critically analyze the AI output did so, and people who lacked enough context did not." same as people uncritically passing around confident-sounding tumblr posts full of misinformation vs the users who know it's bullshit and expend energy typing up paragraphs debunking it.

also it should go without saying, this is a study funded by microsoft to help them improve their ai products.

Finally, design could aim to enhance the ability to execute critical thinking. We find that knowledge workers often refrain from criti- cal thinking when they lack the skills to inspect, improve, and guide AI-generated responses. GenAI tools could incorporate features that facilitate user learning, such as providing explanations of AI reasoning, suggesting areas for user refinement, or offering guided critiques. The tool could help develop specific critical thinking skills, such as analysing arguments [72 ], or cross-referencing facts against authoritative sources. This would align with the motivation- enhancing approach of positioning AI as a partner in skill develop- ment.

the point of this paper is just to identify how to make genAI accomplish its stated goals as a product. it's not a peer-reviewed study, it's not actually saying genAI is rotting our brains. it's saying "oh oops, people who don't know better are taking wrong ai answers at face value, and people who do know better aren't actually helped by the answers. needs some fine-tuning!"

[sharpth1ng]

"chatgpt writing is bad because you can tell when it's chatgpt writing because chatgpt writing is bad". in reality the competent kids are using chatgpt well and the incompetent kids are using chatgpt poorly... like with any other tool.

It's not just like other tools. Calculators and computers and other kinds of automation don't require you to steal the hard work of other people who deserve recognition and compensation. I dont know why I have to keep reminding people of this.

It also uses an exorbitant amount of energy and water during an environmental crisis and it's been linked to declining cognitive skills. The competent kids are becoming less competent by using it and they're fucked when we require in-class essays.

Specifically, it can enhance your writing output and confidence but it decreases creativity, originality, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and makes you prone to data bias. Remember, AI privileges the most common answers, which are often out of date and wrong when it comes to scientific and sociological data. This results in reproduction of racism and sexist ideas, because guess whats common on the internet? Racism and sexism!

Heres a source (its a meta-analysis, so it aggregates data from a collection of studies. This means it has better statistical power than any single study, which could have been biased in a number of ways. Meta analysis= more data points, more data points= higher accuracy).

This study also considers positives of AI by the way, as noted it can increase writing efficiency but the downsides and ethical issues don't make that worthwhile in my opinion. We can and should enhance writing and confidence in other ways.

Heres another source:

The issue here is that if you rely on AI consistently, certain skills start to atrophy. So what happens when you can't use it?

Im not completely against all AI, there is legitimate possibility for ethical usage when its trained on paid for data sets and used for specific purpose. Ive seen good evidence for use in medical fields, and for enhancing language learning in certain ways. If we can find a way to reduce the energy and water consumption then cool.

But when you write essays with chatgpt you're just robbing yourself an opportunity to exercise valuable cognitive muscles and you're also robbing millions of people of the fruit of their own intellectual and creative property. Also like, on a purely aesthetic level it has such boring prose, it makes you sound exactly like everyone else and I actually appreciate a distinctive voice in a piece of writing.

It also often fails to cite ideas that belong to other people, which can get you an academic violation for plagiarism even if your writing isn't identified as AI. And by the way, AI detection software is only going to keep getting better in tandem with AI.

All that said it really doesn't matter to me how good it gets at faking human or how good people get at using it, I'm never going to support it because again, it requires mass scale intellectual theft and (at least currently) it involves an unnecessary energy expenditure. Like it's really not that complicated.

At the end of the day I would much rather know that I did my work. I feel pride in my writing because I know I chose every word, and because integrity matters to me.

This is the last post I'm making about this. If you send me another ask I'll block you and delete it. This space is meant to be fun for me and I don't want to engage in more bullshit discourse here.

[ryuseiired]

mahiru. 12.

im expecting this to be an answer that requires a read more. go, autism boy, go. talk about mahiru and all the ways people sleep on her character

I LOVE YOU. YOU KNOW ME SO WELL. right. yeah here we go. i Do have thoughts. on this one.

12. what do you wish would be discussed more often about them in the fandom?

ok. well first off. i think we should just talk about mahiru more in general because i love her. but here is my biggest thought on What Exactly Some People, Especially Not On Milgramblr, Are Sleeping On About Mahiru: there's a lot of talk about her murder case, and that's great, but... i think a lot of the things that really draw me to her as a character and to her case tend to slip by people on account of the way milgram likes to- as kazui shows us in cat- keep it simple, victim and perpetrator. but i think trying to understand her better also gives a better understanding of where exactly things did go wrong in the relationship that put her in milgram.

the rest of this answer where i elaborate more will, in fact, be under a cut because you are right that i have an essay locked and loaded on this and actually this turned into a mahiru analysis/theory post by accident i meant to answer mostly normally but unfortunately i'm not normal about mahiru shiina.

let's talk about this is how to be in love with you. can we talk about this is how to be in love with you? i'm dying to talk about this is how to be in love with you. and god, its english name is a mouthful, i understand why some people just go with calling it ai nan desu yo.

obviously (hopefully) we all know mahiru getting guilty voted over this mv was absolutely fucked and unfair. i'm still mad about it. especially because i think that if you look at this is how to be in love with you (and her interrogation questions from its trial) in particular (as well as some other stuff), it says a lot about mahiru as a person, and in turn about her crime.

it's easy to miss underneath how friendly and cheerful she is with the other prisoners, how she seems like such a social butterfly, but... i don't think mahiru actually had a lot of connections other than her boyfriend, and i think this is a big factor in what happened with him. mahiru... seems lonely. like her life is... very empty. and i don't see people focus in on this fact a lot, despite how her first trial voicelines even say as much:

there's nothing left without him, and at least if she's here she can talk to es and the other prisoners. mahiru's interrogation questions paint a picture of someone who doesn't really have a lot in their life. when asked in t1's interrogation if there's someone she can confide in, mahiru's answer is the lady who works at the beauty parlor she goes to. this doesn't seem like the answer of someone who has close friends to talk to instead, at least to me. like. that's not... you'd think if she had friends she felt she could talk to, she'd have mentioned that here, right? that'd be the place to mention any close friends?

in this is how to be in love with you we see her spending days off at cafes alone, and she tells us about having hobbies that are generally solitary, we see her reading in the mv and interrogation reveals that prior to milgram her hobby was watching dramas. she tells us in interrogation that growing up, she was a sheltered girl. she also appears (taken from this is how to be in love with you) to have recently arrived in tokyo, meaning she may not know a lot of people there and has probably moved away from most of her family (though she does mention attending a relative's wedding).

i think part of the problem is that when mahiru meets her boyfriend... she doesn't appear to have much in the way of anyone else. mahiru is social, mahiru loves talking to people, mahiru doesn't really know how to act without copying others... and her boyfriend is the only person she's close with. she appears to be relying on him for almost all of her social connection.

as i just mentioned, she also has the habit of copying others, incessantly. the infamous "i'd smoke if my lover did too" interrogation answer, and again, the text in this is how to be in love with you...

(transcriptions into english from here!)

see the things that jump out here? "even though i'm just copying everyone else in everything. is that the right thing to be doing?", "i thought to buy the same bread he did", "i wasn't really thinking when i blurted out "me too", so now we run together". you can see this in the lyrics too. "i'm going to start relying on you if you're kind to me, so please forgive me!"

i think these are key traits in why her relationship went the way it did. i don't think mahiru is uniquely "toxic" or too needy/clingy in a way that means she can never have a relationship (and god, don't get me started on how i've seen people say this). i think she's obviously a highly social person, and was in a situation where she was relying on one person (assumedly with lower social needs than her) to fulfill all of her need for that. i think she's horribly anxious about losing that connection and having to be alone again, and she doesn't know how to deal with it other than to constantly (and annoyingly, disruptively) ask for reassurance. i think she bases herself on others and ignores her own desires in order to imitate them and/or do what they want, and if her boyfriend also didn't have a particularly strong sense of identity and/or also wasn't the type to stand up for himself, it would be really easy to get sucked into this horrible loop where you're both trying to copy and please each other and now you're both constantly putting aside what you actually like for the other person and neither of you are happy.

except mahiru is happy, or... she thinks she is, because she's happy to give herself up for love. she says as much herself: "we fought sometimes, i was happy to get hurt." but... there's something else in the lyrics, isn't there? "i pretended to be a good girl, i don't want to be "ok"". my take is that mahiru isn't getting what she wants/needs out of the relationship, and knows it on some level. but she isn't going to leave him, either, because she's decided this is true love and also if she did that she'd be alone again. so she hopes something will just change instead, or convinces herself that she is satisfied. but she's not. near the opening of this is how to be in love with you: "i guess we can just say that this feeling is happiness, i can't stop feeling like there's something missing." so she keeps pushing, she keeps trying, and... well. we know how that ends.

so after all this rambling, what's my point, exactly? i don't think either mahiru OR her boyfriend were any sort of perpetrator. nor were either of them a victim. i don't think the relationship fits neatly into that framework, even though milgram judged mahiru a murderer and her boyfriend to be her victim. i think there's a reading that doesn't need any of that: two people who seemed to get along well and have similar interests who got into a relationship, and who were actually incompatible in their deeper needs in a relationship. mahiru clings to this relationship despite this, because she needs it. because she can't be alone again. because having a boyfriend who fails to fulfill what she wants/needs is better than having nothing.

neither of them are bad people, nor (from what we can see and from my opinion on it) did either of them do anything particularly wrong. what makes the most sense to me is a competing access needs sort of situation. mahiru needs reassurance and a lot of attention/interaction (especially from a romantic partner, something she idolizes having because of how special you're supposed to be to each other!), while her boyfriend needs more space than what she's giving him... but mahiru, at least, definitely doesn't want to break up. so eventually, they end up in a situation where he feels there's only one way out.

i think this lens can be supported by what we see in i love you, too! note lyrics like "this can't go on, something's got to give", "why won't you just accept me", "mon-mon-monstrous, cuz i love you so much". and...

here's something else she says in i love you: "i don't need anyone else, as long as i have you." but the truth is... mahiru does need other people. the truth is that one person can't fix the underlying issue that mahiru is desperately lonely and has very few connections in her life. the truth is that it's incredibly unfair to rely on one person to fulfill all of your needs and to desperately insist upon staying in a relationship just to avoid being alone, and mahiru realizes this too late.

so. um. i've never really seen anyone else talk in too much detail about an interpretation of the character/situation like this. i see a lot of "they were both toxic" but i think that's a kind of weak simplification of it, you know? what is "toxic". it's bad, obviously. do we think they're bad people doing bad things, or just that the relationship was bad? is that "toxicity" inherent to them as people, or could things have gone better in a different relationship? are they both "toxic" or are they just both stuck in an incompatible relationship where neither of them are wrong but they are unable to meet each others' needs?

i don't know. it's 4am and i've been writing this for two hours and i'm honestly not sure if it's coherent or not. but to end this here's another footnote of something i cant stand people sleeping on about mahiru: she is so stupid forgiving of literally everything and it kind of kills me and i dont really see anyone else point this out as being a bad thing that could get her really hurt. like. she forgives kotoko for almost killing her and says she doesn't resent anyone for anything. she puts up with anything, as seen by what i mentioned about her desire to stay in the relationship with her boyfriend even though it was obviously not giving her what she needed and it was hurting her too! i think if mahiru had ended up in a relationship with a different guy, it would be entirely possible for her to be in an abusive relationship and refuse to leave it because of this particular tendency. and i don't see this mentioned much. probably because, again... mahiru's framed as a perpetrator. she killed her boyfriend, right? so obviously she's not the one who'd be hurt in a relationship.

ok. i'm done now i promise i am so done with this for real. um. if you read this whole thing thank you. i'm sorry it's so long or if it's incoherent in places. i just have a lot of thoughts about mahiru shiina

[clanandkingdom]

what are the general rules like? any shops?

Hey there anon!

Server Rules:

🌟 No Hatespeech of Any Kind Allowed

Unfortunately, it doesn't go without saying, so I'm gonna get it out of the way quick. We are an LGBT+ run, POC friendly server. We believe in a free Palestine, body equality and accessibility for all, and that everybody deserves decent respect. If you can't agree with that, then we can't agree with you.

🌟 Communication Is Key!

This is a BIG one. If you're unsure about ANYTHING, the direction of roleplay, if the joke someone made was directed at you or not, if the message that you're about to send will upset people, don't just rely on your gut instinct! Check, double check, triple check! Check the blacklist, pop a message down in questions and answers , or if you're a bit shy, create a ticket and it will open up a private channel for you to talk to us one on one! If me or any of the mods clarify our DMs are open, then you can talk there. But please, TALK. It will save a lot of drama and headache, I promise!

🌟 3: Blacklist Stays In Blacklist

The channel is there for a reason, folks! If you're about to post a message in general that you think might be a bit taboo, check the blacklist just to make sure! And if it is, then scoot on over to blacklist chat ! Even in there, remember to censor your images, links, or messages and plop down a proper tw! (for example, posting a picture of a spider and putting tw: spider). For things such as art, they can still go in the art chat, but remember to apply the same censoring techniques!

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This server is run by adults! We will sometimes cover adult topics in roleplay! However, let it be known that NO NSFW is allowed in ANY capacity. That includes images, roleplays, and in depth conversation (jokes are fine, but keep them very light) If you are younger than 16 years old, please do yourself and everyone here a favor and leave now. This isn't personal, this is just for everyone's safety.

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Character Creator Rules:

🐈 NOT Allowed: Other Clan Cats

By this, I mean that your cat HAS to either be from one of the three clans, one of the kingdoms, or an outsider. You can't make a cat from ThunderClan because ThunderClan does not exist. Or at least, doesn't exist anywhere near here. That being said, if you have an oc that you previously used for a different clan that you want to use for this server, thats completely fine! Just make sure to update their story appropriately. If you need help, read up on the clan and kingdom lore channels, or pop a question in questions and answers

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Things such as feathers behind the ear, headdresses, exaggerated features or accents are not allowed in any capacity. If you think your current character might break this rule, either toss them out and make a new character or double check with others in character chat . If you go ahead and submit smth like that without checking, you're gonna get a strike.

🐈 EVENTUALLY Allowed: Special Characters

So, you're probably asking, what are special characters? Well it's a good thing you're reading this paragraph because I'm about to tell you. Special characters are NON-CAT characters, or to be more specific, creatures such as:

cat fairies

mercats

dogs who can speak cat These above examples are special characters, and you only get ONE. And you only get that one after you've 1: Shown a habit of regular roleplay 2: Own at least 6 other normal cat characters If I think you're somehow abusing this special character by making roleplay hard for everyone else, then it's getting yoinked and you're getting a strike.

🐈 ALLOWED: Everything Else!

Other than what's stated above, there's really no limits! make a kitty that looks like a tiger, make a sparkle cat, make a completely normal tabby! Things such as disabilities and culture are also fully allowed as long as you think you can portray them accurately and respectfully, referring to the second rule. Starting off, members get 4 character slots to work with, and every month you're here is another character added!

Roleplay Rules:

🐾 Communication Is Key!

I've said it once and I'll say it a million more times, talk, talk, and talk some more! Plan out your roleplay in rp request or character chat before diving in to minimize confusion. It'd be awfully awkward for your apprentice character to catch a piece of prey that someone else's warrior character thought they called dibs on.

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If you want your spirit character to float down from the heavens (or up from You Know Where) and deliver an earthshattering prophecy, make sure to ask permission from me or one of the other mods assigned to roleplay stuff first, by either making a ticket or popping down a question in questions and answers . If you don't want to do anything mystical and magical and just want to play a spooky cat, then by all means go for it!

🐾 Blacklisted Topics? Stick It In A Thread

The same sensitivity that we give to blacklisted topics in the general chats are applied to the roleplay ones, too. If you and someone else want to roleplay an event that contains blacklisted topics, then you are required to make a thread with a tw in the title. For example, roleplaying a battle with heavy gore would require you to make a thread with TW: ANIMAL GORE in the title.

🐾 Doing A Border RP? Stick To One Channel

As you may have noticed, there are a few 'duplicate' channels scattered throughout the territories. These are border channels, and if you go into the description of each you can see which part of the territory they border. If you are doing a roleplay where two cats are meeting along the border, stick to one of these border channels for brevity's sake. For example, if a CrimsonClan cat and a CobaltClan cat wanted to meet in secret, you could say the CrimsonClan cat climbed down the mountain to end up in CobaltClan's side of Bearnose Falls, or vice versa

🐾 Keep It Semi-lit

That means at least one paragraph per response! As long as you're writing a minimum of 3-4 good length sentences, you're in the clear. You can of course go higher, but don't pressure other people to do the same!

As for shops, uh, what are those exactly? Either way, hope this helps!

[aevellewritessometimes]

So I'm insane and also multifixating, so here's my attempt at linking TOUCHSTARVED characters to songs from EPIC.

Note: Since little of everyone's backstories is known as of now, I'm going to throw in a decent amount of theory/speculation. Also, "linking" could mean anything from a whole song to part of a song to just the general vibes of a song

The Troy Saga | The Cyclops Saga | The Ocean Saga | The Circe Saga | The Underworld Saga | The Thunder Saga | The Wisdom Saga | The Vengeance Saga (here) | The Ithaca Saga

Not Sorry For Loving You + ???

I could easily just say "insert Yandere Leander joke here", but how about ✨No✨

Dangerous + Ais

All this time and I still can't manage to mention Ais without dragging Ocudeus into it...

Ais just got betrayed, and now he's without his gang. Now he has nothing. Or at least, that's how it appears at first.

But now, Ocudeus has an offer to make! Although it will be dangerous for Ais to take it.

That's it that's what I'm speculating for this one.

Charybdis + Mhin

Something something "I'm still fighting here, I'm not dying here" and Mhin's flower being dogwood which are known for their resilience.

There's also the "I already know your tactics" line. Mhin strikes me as the type who would want to study and know the movements of their prey before going on a hunt.

Get In the Water + All Five

There's a lot I can say here, but I'm having trouble putting them into coherent thought, so just bare with me for a sec.

I have four ideas that rely on MC being on a route that isn't Ais's and one idea that will, once again, revolve around Ocudeus.

The four not-Ais's-route idea all kinda fall back on the same plot: LI does something that really pisses Ais off. In turn, Ais (whose Fatal Flaw is that he "lets his emotions rule him, with destructive consequences") responds by putting MC in harm's way.

There's a variety of ways this could happen, depending on whose route you're on.

Leander's route? He fucked up and took their little rivalry a bit too far.

Mhin's route? They already hate him, and he hates them back. There's so many potential answers to this. Shit maybe Mhin killed one of Ais's Soulless(es?) and now Ais is pulling a John Wick.

Vere's route? Hard to imagine Vere betraying Ais from what we saw in the demo, but there's always a possibility.

Kuras's route? Okay this is surprisingly harder for me to imagine than whatever hypothetically went down between Ais and Vere but again we won't know for sure until the game is out.

Whatever happened or whoever it was, it all leads to the same result. Ais gives them an ultimatum: Either they get into the Seaspring, or MC dies.

I believe Kuras mentioned that he visited the Seaspring at some point. He probably noticed that something was up with it.

Leander, as far as I know, hasn't visited. But he's still smart enough to know that there's probably something up with it. Same goes for Mhin.

Vere very well may know exactly what's up with it.

Vere, Kuras, and Leander probably try to go with Odysseus's play and try to talk Ais out of it. Mhin probably just straight up attacked him. Either way, chances of things going well are very slim.

And now it's time to talk about Ocudeus again. Yippee (/s).

Maybe on Ais's route, there's a band ending where Ocudeus uses Ais against MC. Like, he (?) puts Ais in danger and forces MC to drink from the Seaspring.

I don't know why, exactly, Ocudeus would want MC that badly (Attraction? Their curse? Literally just to hurt Ais?), but hey and idea is an idea, and I'm running out of those, so...

Six Hundred Strike + Vere

This entirely revolves around the part where Odysseus tortures Poseidon.

*ahem*

REDSPRINGSTUDIOS! GIVE US A SCENE WHERE VERE IS FREED FROM THE SENOBIUM AND IMMEDIATELY GOES COMPLETELY FERAL ON THEM FOR WHATEVER THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE TO HIM WHILE HE WAS IMPRISONED, AND MY LIFE IS YOURS!!!

[ntktblog]

Backbone chat 1/29

So, I'm posting this on a sideblog that way any notes won't get in my main blog and my non-SL friends don't need to deal with this. I am not mad, I'm just documenting everything, but if I got my $2k back and they admit they fucked up with this WHOLE PR Crisis, I would not complain.

Let's start with the basics:

TL;DR: Backbone got caught using AI (source: River's Bsky post)

Read more for sanity and not long dash scrolling. Line breaks are because Tumblr hates long form, nothing has been omitted or changed.

This morning I thought I'd be a little catty but the group chat ate my message and the opportunity was missed. Then River was ejected from the group. So I rolled up my sleeves and got to work, deciding to be genuine and ask about it.

[16:09] Skye Winchester: I'm late to this conversation but how much of Backbone's products contain gen AI and why wasn't it disclosed? [16:21] Skye Winchester: (my chat dropped, sorry if this is sent twice/thrice) -- The silence is alarming tbh. There is no ethical gen AI, it all scrapes work by actual humans who are not compensated for it. If there are products using gen AI, they need to be disclosed so people who want to support artists will not be tricked into purchasing them. [16:39] Skye Winchester: I'm taking the silence for what it is. I guess in a world where everything is user created, it's disappointing that such a big vendor would rely on computer generated art that actively steals from actual artists in order to make money, and then go and charge like 5-10$ USD to sell it to unaware consumers. It's disingenuous at best, and exploitative at worst. All AI is a dangerous tool we don't know how to wield yet, and we're slinging stolen art across the metaverse with no consequences.

The response was deader than a doornail and the chat kept crashing. Unsure if this was intentional attempt to 'mute participant' or if the chat really wasn't about my life today (assuming the latter) And then...

Someone sent their weird little AI bot after me at the same time. IMs from non-friends don't work well on Skye cause SL thinks it's a fun little game, so I got two... but but none from the admin.

Let me repeat that: I DID NOT GET ANY IMS FROM AN ADMIN. Anyways, back to the dumpsterfire. The Clowns decided to audition for the circus.

[16:40] ItsIntuitive: How do ya'll like your steak? [16:41] Chrissy Rhiano: medium is the way to go :) [16:41] VolkKoroleva: What happened? O-O [16:41] Houdis Hancroft: medium-rare…ONLY [16:41] BrianA Corleone: medium well is the only right answer [16:41] SangriaKalakaua: I'd have medium well. [16:41] Samson Rowley: waves hi [16:41] BrianA Corleone waves back [16:41] Kirra Ayashi: I agree with Jettt Medium Rare for life lol [16:41] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): I like my steak like I like my art…hot and stolen! [16:42] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): So I used to be scared of ordering my meat with any pink and I started doing so a couple days ago and LOVE IT. [16:42] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Medium well <3 [16:42] Oakan Corvinus: Med rare [16:42] LilTasty Pudding: I like how ya'll are glossing over people bring up the concern of gen Ai stealing from creators who actually work hard to make the things they make. This group is unhinged, I'll see my way out. [16:42] Ŝɑɱѕση Ẅɑуηε ℜσωℓεу (samson.rowley): best way to have it right [16:42] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): It really is [16:42] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): tears for not being heard [16:42] Gemifer Saphir: I like the rainbow effect thats on slices of meat, looks really amazing. [16:43] LeoProspero: its almost like when you order BBQ, if the restaurant puts sauce on everything, its defnitely n ot good. [16:43] Skye Winchester: It's not their art being stolen, they don't know any artists or do art themselves. That's the sad part. [16:43] genemc: Liltasty, it's best you and Sky take that stuff elsewhere [16:43] Dr Sangria NἶօɾŚαnкợƒα-Kalākaua (sangriakalakaua): Steak with a little pink is easier on the digestive system than steak well done, great choice.

[16:43] BrianA Corleone: wait, what? backbone is using AI theft? [16:43] Ƙαтєяιηα Ƙ. Mιѕfιт (volkkoroleva): I am unsure of what happened o-o [16:43] Skye Winchester: Or what, Calvin? Are we a sundown town suddenly? [16:43] Calvin (genemc): I'll get my steak mid-rare at a place that knows how to properly cook… Medium otherwise [16:43] Skye Winchester: I asked how many products Backbone has used Gen AI on since their latest desk thing has it, and why it was not disclosed. [16:44] YuriBloodfang: Unless it can be proven to be AI art, I don't believe people when they scream it. Seen actual artists accused of using AI when they have the STREAM VIDEOS of them creating the work. [16:44] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I am scared to order rare, I'll have to work up to it [16:44] Calvin (genemc): oh, I won't go rare [16:44] Avery Bae: Rare or medium rare has more flavor imo [16:44] Skye Winchester: It was confirmed to be Gen aI. [16:45] Skye Winchester: By Kiana. [16:45] SufferingFrom Lockjaw: I like my steak blue. [16:45] Calvin (genemc): Let's not feed the trolls [16:45] Riley Amore: You mean still MOOING! lol [16:45] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Blue? [16:45] Leannan McC. Trevellion (sufferingfrom.lockjaw): Yeps:D [16:45] Skye Winchester: No trolls here, just someone who has spent a lot of money and should be allowed to know what the money bought. [16:45] Leannan McC. Trevellion (sufferingfrom.lockjaw): as my Momma used to say, "Just cut its butt off, wave it at the grill three times, and give it to her." [16:45] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): cries for Skye [16:46] Avery Għøυł-Bae (avery.bae): You like to make sure it's still walking across the plate lol [16:46] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): anyway…steak [16:46] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): delicious [16:46] LesliePlain1: why use AI on it? all I can see that could even be worth the effort is the screeen background [16:46] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): cries for Skye [16:46] Maple Moose (drakona.lewellen): Can easily see it n the Peek-a-Boo box and the Glitch. Glitch is an older item so they've been at it for a while

[16:46] Skye Winchester: That was where the gen AI was used, Leslie. And looking at some other stuff now seems suspect, so it should be disclosed. [16:47] Neramew: O.o the new gamer zone is the secretlab desk, that's pretty neat [16:47] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): What kind of jam or jelly on ya toast? [16:47] Avery Għøυł-Bae (avery.bae): Blackberry [16:47] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): Crunchy or Smooth Peanutbutter [16:47] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): CRUNCHY [16:47] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): hell yea [16:47] Skye Winchester: Changing the subject doesn't stop genuine questions, nor does 'cries for' or threatening us to 'take it elsewhere' [16:48] Atheria Vampurr: boysenberry jam [16:48] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Oh and mention of the gamer zone set, I love it so much [16:48] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): more tears…for you know who [16:48] Calvin (genemc): Trolls don't ask genuine questions, they stir the pot for the attention and to cause drama for others…. don't feed 'em [16:48] Leo Prospero (leoprospero): Ai is all over SL now, let it go. [16:48] Nera Ryuka (neramew): I kinda want them to make the standing desk version now for the new release [16:48] Atheria Għøυł-Bae (atheria.vampurr): and smooth peanut butter [16:48] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): feed em jelly [16:49] Skye Winchester: Yes, I paid 2k to get into this group 3 years ago just to troll it now asking about gen ai. [16:49] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): standing desk? Like no seta? [16:49] Nera Ryuka (neramew): Yeee [16:49] Nera Ryuka (neramew): It looks exactly like the magnus desk from secret lab, they have a pro version that rises! [16:49] Leslie Plain (leslieplain1) looks baffled. "yeah, there's a tonne of PD art they could have used that would have taken nothing away from it"

[16:49] Skye Winchester: I'm asking a question and you're all thinking it's funny to troll tells me you don't care and that's fine, but I do. [16:50] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I think that be cool, I'd love to see animation on the desks alone. [16:50] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): You are asking the wrong people Skye. [16:50] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): I love there game sets [16:50] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): gamer [16:50] Skye Winchester: I am asking in the group, for Backbone, about Backbone products [16:51] Skye Winchester: Whereas y'all are talking about… barbecue to detract from the question. [16:51] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Me too, they are so lovely [16:51] Avery Għøυł-Bae (avery.bae): You may have better luck going directly to the creator [16:51] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): ^^^^ [16:51] Calvin (genemc): mmmmm…. BBQ…. I could go for some brisket about now [16:51] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I'm just a consumer ^-^ [16:51] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Ooo brisket [16:51] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive) drools like homer [16:51] Skye Winchester: I don't have IMs on from non friends. And it doesn't turn on, call it a silly SL glitch. So messaging is pointless. [16:51] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): I now want steak and PBJ [16:52] Ŝɑɱѕση Ẅɑуηε ℜσωℓεу (samson.rowley): oh me too [16:52] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I want another juicy steak [16:52] Avery Għøυł-Bae (avery.bae): Then that sounds like a you problem

[16:52] Calvin (genemc): this weekend would be a good time to smoke something [16:52] commandhat: I logged in late enough that I missed Skye's actual question. What was it? [16:52] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Lemme get a plate [16:53] Skye Winchester: How many previous backbone products use Gen AI and why wasn't it disclosed? [16:53] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): ion know [16:53] Calvin (genemc): We're customers, stop being a troll [16:53] Skye Winchester: So am I, Calvin [16:54] Skye Winchester: Again, paid 2k 3 years ago and have bought plenty since then [16:54] Katty TopHat: better question, how many creators in SL use it and don't disclose it? Probably most? I mean….I [16:54] Katty TopHat: oops…not sure they need to disclose it [16:54] Caine MacIntyre (commandhat) blinks, tries to think back… [16:54] Tersa Beverly: eh. probably because when it started it wasnt considered the issue it is now by those that dislike it. and really if that kind of thing is problematic for someone, its up to the consumer to check on the things that bother them and if they find a product that doesnt align with their values they are free to go elsewhere [16:54] Leslie Plain (leslieplain1): sigh, gonna have to reconsider buying any more products here, a pity, they do good work [16:54] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): Look here, Katty! You REALLY care about this! I know you do :p [16:54] Calvin (genemc): Do you go into the grocery store and ask customers where the beef comes from or do you call their corp office? Please stop the drama [16:55] Katty TopHat: lol Jett…mhmm!

Dun dun dun, and then--

As you can see, there is not a single admin/mod in this chat.

[16:55] Skye Winchester: For what? [16:55] Skye Winchester: Jules, answer for what? Asking a question? No one replied except trolls? [16:56] Katty TopHat: I replied…and not a troll.I'm saying I don't see the need for creators to disclose that. Who else discloses it? [16:56] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I joined the group when it was free some time ago, I think my first purchase was Gamer's Heaven Work Station Set [16:56] Jett Hancroft (houdis.hancroft): cries for the trolls [16:56] Caine MacIntyre (commandhat): IIRC they disclosed they were using AI to complete a few of the features in the Winter skybox, Northern Lights Hideaway. They used AI to generate snow textures, to make the textures on the rezzer for the lights themselves, and to create concept art for the house itself, but the furniture models were hand-made. I think that's the first piece they actually used AI for. [16:56] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): I couldn't tell you my 1st purchase. I'm an old SL lady. [16:57] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): oh i feel that in my soul riley [16:57] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): i am ollld [16:57] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I'm just 4 years in [16:57] Caine MacIntyre (commandhat): Does that help, Skye? [16:58] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): oh you're still a baby then nevaeh hahaha

[16:58] Skye Winchester: That would be great if it's true that it was disclosed, that's what I'm genuinely wondering, how many products. [16:58] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): it scares the crap out of me that ive been in here for 16 years [16:58] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): My AV just hit 20 [16:58] Vicious Witch: Skye is right, it was proven to be Gen AI, the creator even admit to it. Then Kiana Writer had the audacity to fling someone out of the group for voicing a concern as well as asking them to fix this and not use the AI anymore. As customers it's our right to decide what we want to support and not to support. Being petty about it won't help the cause. [16:58] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I am but I will say I feel like I caught on quickly, I love it here [16:58] Skye Winchester: And Jules tried to kick me just now but because my SL is so much fun, I'm still in this chat [16:59] Skye Winchester: And being rude to people who have genuine questions is absolutely ridiculous, y'all, come on. [16:59] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): im glad you love it Nevaeh :) honestly i just came back after a hiatus and im re learning and finding new fun places XD [16:59] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): I wonder what sl will be like by the time I hit my double digits [17:00] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): Hopefully less TP crashed

[17:00] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): Crashes. [17:00] Atheria Għøυł-Bae (atheria.vampurr): righttttt [17:00] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): that will be fun to find out..its crazy how much has changed. [17:01] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): ugh i dont think tp issues will ever be fully solved, but at least our shoes arent in our butts anymore [17:01] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): LOL I think I've been experiencing tp crashes lately more than usual [17:01] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): SHOES IN OUR BUTTS? [17:01] Calvin (genemc): yes… even when just logging in [17:01] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): yessss it was hilaaarious [17:01] RíƖҽყ Sɳσσԃʅҽ-Aɱσɾҽ (riley.amore): Same, when I log in I have to relog imediatly most times [17:02] Skye Winchester: Alright, who is the actual creator since everyone in this chat lost the plot and I'll go log in my alt and message them since my IMs are wacky [17:02] Calvin (genemc): You've been in SL for 6 years and don't know how to figure that our yourself? [17:03] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): we are just moving on from the conversation skye. you said your piece and we have nothing further to add. [17:03] Calvin (genemc) facepalms [17:03] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): big facepalms indeed [17:04] Calvin (genemc): You've been in SL for 6 years and don't know how to figure that our yourself? [17:04] Skye Winchester: Kiana is the creator of the group, and she clearly does not want to deal with any commentary, or Jules. [17:04] Maple Moose (drakona.lewellen): Thankfully for anyone that doesn't want GenAI in the stuff they buy, there are resources for that c:

[17:04] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): thats cool maple [17:05] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): ugh im trying to remember the name of the chair i bought like 5 years ago. (rummaging…) [17:05] Caine MacIntyre (commandhat): I will add one more thing, then snooze the chat. It's possible to like things without liking the creator. I'l going to continue to buy BackBone regardless of their AI use. That doesn't mean I support their ideals, it just means I like BackBone. I'll vote with my wallet when that tactic doesn't exclude a supermassive majority of the things I otherwise need to survive. [17:06] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): if you bought it in store you can possible check the vendor [17:06] Skye Winchester: And I want to be aware of the items I want to purchase using any sort of AI. Especially at the prices [17:06] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): mm good idea nevaeh. i hae too much inventory to remember anything haha [17:07] Katty TopHat: Hey Skye…read the room [17:07] Calvin (genemc): trolls just want attention [17:07] Skye Winchester: I am, it's clear y'all don't care, and that's fine, but I won't be shouted over because you don't care. [17:07] Myka Winchester: Just because she doesn't subscribe to the group mentality shown here, doesn't mean her concerns aren't valid. [17:08] Katty TopHat: and I'm not saying her concerns aren't valid, but to keep saying the same things over and over doesn't change it [17:08] Skye Winchester: The fact that Jules tried to eject me from the group without saying a dang thing and other people being thrown out for voicing their opinion is not reflecting well, and y'all just licking the boots. [17:08] Katty TopHat: smh [17:08] Skye Winchester: People keep asking what my question was, what am I supposed to say "you missed it, sorry" [17:09] Roonani Phade (tersa.beverly): AHA. found the darn chair. its a pouffe. headdesks [17:09] Calvin (genemc): We're customers. Stop trying to stir us up and go have a rational conversation with the right person, if it's that important to you. [17:09] ღ νıҳɛŋ Pнøɛŋıҳ (vixenbelle): Could always block and move on.. its what I do when I find someon annoying or what have you. [17:09] Avery Għøυł-Bae (avery.bae): So I have questions but don't want to keep shit going. [17:09] ღ νıҳɛŋ Pнøɛŋıҳ (vixenbelle): someone* [17:10] Skye Winchester: I thought I was asking the right people, meaning the mods of the group, and there was no reply and I was ready to let the matter drop until I was belittled and told 'best take it elsewhere' like I'm in a sundown town run by racists. [17:11] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): Oh wow [17:11] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): That's wild [17:11] Nevaeh Lockhart (itsintuitive): but anyways Imma have to check that pouffe out [17:12] Calvin (genemc): Pouffe sounds more like a pastry than a chair

Then, just now... as I'm typing this. (I'm still somehow in the chat despite being ejected.)

[18:08] Kiana Writer: Thank you all for your support ♥ We truly appreciate it and apologize for the silence, while we were getting the team together to address the concerns as quickly as we could.

[18:24] Skye Winchester: While ejecting people who were asking genuinely? The Gen AI thing isn't even as wild as the PR crisis you just gave yourself. God speed y'all, you'll need it.

[18:27] Calvin (genemc) facepalms [18:28] Kiana Writer: Instead of reaching out to us Skye, you started this group. That's not ok. The only people ejected were you for group harassment and the person posting chat logs on social media. That's not ok. A simple notecard or IM would have been sufficient. That's all I will say about this to you knowing this will end up screenshotted too.

[18:31] Rain McKenna: I must have Skye blocked, cuz i haven't seen anything, but is this mess REALLY still going on an hour later? [18:31] Skye Winchester: I did not start anything, I asked a question about it after someone else did out of concern, not once did a single admin or mod reach out to me in this chat or this group to address it or tell me to stop. I only got dogpiled on by members of this group. And as for posting chat logs, I'm about to post mine with everything and I don't care, cause group messages are not against TOS. [18:31] Kiana Writer: Nope! Not anymore Rain! We do have a new group gift in the store, have you grabbed that yet? :) [18:31] Skye Winchester: But yeah, good luck. [18:31] Rain McKenna: Thank goodness. <3 Ooooh, nope, I sure will pop right in! [18:32] Kiana Writer: Also excited to announce the new Monthly Mystery Madness Theme: Valentine's Vault! ♥ Pre-orders begin Feb 1st and the boxes will be out on the 10th already to enjoy on time for Valentine's Day! ;)

Ironic Rain McKenna decided to pop her head up when she cost my best friend's estate about $300 USD for squatting on his region after he died and LL still thought it was active even though she was told to pick up her shit and go while I tried to get it shut down but I digress.

Anyways, this is long as hell and I did barely anything but copy and paste it, record has been recorded, do with this as you will!

The update:

10:20pm est 1/29/2025

Update 2

Ultra is fighting for his life in my comments to justify AI use by Madpea and Backbone as being 'past tense', despite current proof being held.

[erlanmizu]

Quite long read under the cut. It's just my personal opinion on some aspects regarding AI, especially generative AI.

Aight so, I saw a post on my dash and felt that it was time to finally drop my two cents on the topic.

I study artificial intelligence. It's more or less my major. I started studying it before GPT or Midjourney came out, so I'm not ashamed of having chosen this path because I didn't do it to follow the trend or hop on the bandwagon (or as we say in Italian, hop on the winner's chariot, which sounds way cooler in my opinion. Anyway.)

I also used Midjourney quite heavily when it came out in 2022. I was quite eager to try it out, and I did so while also trying out other services, including a sort of DIY small neural network which was actually super cool (and showed just how complicated and big models like Midjourney must be in order to produce such realistic images).

I continued using it throughout the first half of 2023 because I had started relying on it for a personal project, and the sunken cost fallacy had my hands tied. However I was already starting to become deeply unhappy with the way that generative AI was being used, but most of all, commercialized and/or published.

Anyway I completely lost the fil rouge of this Tumblr post I was making, which is something else entirely.

I'm a writer and a programmer, so I have to fight against people who use genAI for writing stories (somewhat rare, acceptable) and for coding (EXTREMELY annoying, I have to deal with it on a daily basis since I'm a compsci engineer). I'm working on a project right now which requires both these things: writing code and writing human text. So, after a bit of back and forth I decided to try Copilot, to see what, if at all, it could contribute to the project. Well, the answer was pure, unfettered manure. More precisely, it produced hardly readable, inefficient, very nonsensical, non-following code. The generated text was instead extremely repetitive, dull, superficial and lacked a goal, or an objective or an aim in what it generated.

Now, I understand one very common layman's justification that comes up now and then. "But I'm no drawer/writer! I couldn't come up with something nice because I simply don't have the expertise!" And this is where I need to draw a distinction between text generation and image generation (video generation is atrocious and basically only used for deepfakes for now, so I won't get into that).

As for image generation, I agree that not everybody is an artist. In this case I feel like the decision to use or not to use genAI is ultimately individual. For example, one may refuse to engage with it on the basis that art is also inseparably about the struggle to produce an end result, and about every element of that struggle and effort summing up and being visible on said result. Thus using genAI would take away that manual effort, and make it so that what little effort is left (i.e. scouting for the best prompt or for fruitful prompt words) still cannot be spotted and told apart in the final product. Producing an image using a random prompt, then producing another after hours and hours of trials and tribulations on the prompt, will typically yield two almost equally beautiful and "well done" images. It can be argued that this is not what art does, or not how art is supposed to "behave". One counterpoint to this is art pieces that intentionally look like they took little effort, like a plastic chair that looks like it has a wood texture slapped on it.

ANYWAY I FUCKING DIGRESSED AGAIN ARGHHH FUCKING HELLL

I seriously need to get checked out

So my point. MY MAIN POINT. The point that started all this post.

Was using genAI for writing. That was what I wanted to talk about all along.

And now that I've finally reached the topic it's 1:43 AM so I really need to go to sleep.

Awesome. But I'll definitely continue the post tomorrow!

[eggyfictions]

Hi, my name is Boykie. I am the one attempting to write a boy love story as a series with episodes.

♣︎Why am I doing that? There isn't really a deeper reasoning behind it. I've always loved the idea of creating something. Either it be a drawing, a sculpture, a piece of music, or writing a book. I've always loved the fact that I am creating something new, something from my own mind. The unfortunate part being, I can't sing, and I know nothing about art, but atleast I can write. That's why I wrote.

♣︎ Why this story? With Beneath the Surface, there is a great personal influence. A lot of the story's direction and events are pulled from my personal experience as a once closeted gay boy, struggling to understand himself while everyone around you seems to have discovered who they are. Most of my high school days have been that, really. I was pulling away from everyone and everything because I was afraid that being open in front of everyone would've raised questions. Questions that I didn't have answers to yet. So rather keep to yourself. But I've also added elements of mystery in there, think Heartstopper meets Gravity Falls, for Non-straight black boys living in a South African township.

♣︎ What's the end goal? I don't know really. I normally hear from other well established writers say, you should have a direction of where your work is heading to. I don't, I am writing this, because I love to write. I don't have a string of episodes waiting to be published, I am building it as I go, and I love that process. The dream, maybe, would be seeing people read it, and maybe like it. I am not expecting it to be the best thing ever, no, but I want it to be fun, and well received. I just want to create something that someone will find fun.😁

♣︎ The illustrations: For those of you who know technology can easily tell that all the illustrations I've used for the episodes are AI generated. Yes, it's true. Since I cannot yet illustrate them or even afford to pay someone to draw the illustrations for me, I rely on ChatGPT to generate the closest possible image to what I envision my characters to look like. Sometimes ChatGPT doesn't do it right, for example the illustration on the last episode, looks notuing like that of the previous episodes, but what can I do really I work with what I have. Personally, I love illustration, and I love design, but currently I don't have the means or ability to do so. However, one thing about me, I love to learn, I'll sketch up something ugly and work on it until it becomes what I want. As long as I can get my hands on the relevant tools, I'll learn and do it myself (help is also welcomed, wink, wink, nudge, nudge😉😉.)

♣︎ What I'd appreciate from you? Honestly speaking, your likes, your comments, and your input will go a long way. I just want to see that someone out there took 10 minutes of their time to read an episode (Yall read way too fast, my episodes are too short for yall.) Maybe going forward, I'll stretch them a little more and cover more in a single episode. I don't know, we will see. But ultimately, I just want to see people reading it and liking it. So please do comment and tell me what you think.

I don't know if I said it all, but yeah, that's it. Your support will be greatly appreciated, and I hope we can have fun with it. Let's have fun with it. I've attached the link to the blog at the bottom for anyone who might want to check it out. Lol😅 Marketing 🤣🤣🤣.

Thank you.

PS: I've never used Tumblr before, so I don't know if people will even read this whole thing 😅

[samarashoot]

two long essay posts sitting in my likes rn. one is about ai art ethics and the other is about the fast-fashion-ization of crafting and i think they're kind of the same thing

i've recently gotten into crochet. i don't have a ton of money to spare on artisanal hand-dyed natural fiber yarns, so i've been using the cheap acrylic stuff. without doing any research i can fairly safely assume that everything i am using, in addition to shedding plastic microfibers into our waterstreams and bloodstreams, was made by exploited people in a hazardous factory setting because that is the state of most global manufacturing today. if i continue to buy that yarn, am i directly responsible for the ocean pollution and worker exploitation involved in its production? non-rhetorical question, i don't think there's a simple yes or no answer.

same thing with ai. personally i don't think there's any kind of inherent evil to using publicly hosted artwork as training data (so many of my favorite art practices – from collage to readymades to drag lipsync tracks to music sampling to being 14 and tracing my favorite manga panels – rely on "stealing" the work of other artists without permission). but even if ai image generators were fundamentally exploitative in their sourcing, would their usage by random everyday people be any more inherently evil than me using unethically sourced yarn for my crochet projects?

idk. i do personally feel put off by most ai art i see (including the dunes video that sparked a lot of this buzz among my mutuals) because i find it aesthetically uninteresting and i can't stand the nft tech bro types who seem to gravitate towards it, but i am working on separating my moral judgements and my aesthetic judgements, which is much easier said than done. yesterday i saw someone say "ai is gross and scary" which like yeah it is! but that doesn't make it inherently evil, it is simply a tool

i don't believe in corporate sanctioned copyright laws or the almighty power of intellectual property and originality, nor do i ascribe much importance to ill-defined concepts like "human creativity" (inb4 hello i am a professional ~traditional~ artist and art teacher). but also i don't like to lean too hard on "no ethical consumption under late capitalism" as an easy way out to just do whatever regardless of the consequences. whatever to do!