#that was a struggle lol but they kept trying

[nebrasska-alasska]

Hello Nebraska!! I just want to say that your Sonadow fanfic, The Secret In Your Quills, is one of the best Sonadow fanfics I've ever read in my entire life! The writing is so epic, and I'm so excited for the final chapters!!

I don't know if you are active on Twitter/X, AI has recently become one of the most talked-about and controversial topics there, and I’d like to know your opinion, especially since you are a wonderful writer.

To you, is using AI to improve and/or correct writing and grammar mistakes considered cheating?

Here’s the thing: I have a friend who is currently writing a book. He built the entire foundation, he came up with a good story, characters, the plot, and everything. But there’s a problem: he’s not very skilled in writing and doesn’t know how to write certain parts. He struggles to describe certain scenes, forgets words that could be used, and makes many, like really, many spelling and grammar mistakes. Not only that, but he also tends to drift off from certain contexts, making parts of the story confusing or nonsensical.

Because of that, he asks ChatGPT to help him with his writing. For example, he writes a section of his book and asks the chat to improve that part, like making it longer, more detailed, and most importantly, correcting grammar mistakes and polishing the writing. When ChatGPT finishes generating the revised version, he reads it to see if it matches what he had in mind. If it doesn’t, he tweaks a few things. And when it finally fits what he wants, he adds it to his book.

But this made me think, and the question kept spinning in my head, so I’d really like to know: is AI actually helping him, or not? I don’t have many friends, and the ones I asked didn’t give me any solid opinions about him using ChatGPT to assist with his writing (assist and improve, not come up with ideas or write it for him).

So I decided to bring the question here to you: Is using AI to help or improve your writing considered cheating or unoriginal?

He doesn't have Tumblr, and since I'm sending this to you anonymously, he will never know that it's me LOL, but I'm serious. What is your opinion about this?

Oof, AI is kind of a tricky subject, and I certainly have a lot of thoughts/opinions on it.

Overall, I don't think AI has a place in writing fiction when it comes to the actual process of writing. Creative writing is an art form, a way of sharing something you've created with others, and having something else nonhuman create that art kind of takes away from the whole purpose. What this means is, when I write, I embrace all of it. The good, the bad, the ugly. The highs of exciting, juicy, and emotional scenes, and the lows of the less fun stuff that comes in between. If you cut corners by having AI write parts of it for you, you're not really growing or evolving as a writer because you don't ever challenge yourself (and listen, you don't have to want to improve your craft while writing fanfiction, but at the same time, if you're incapable of writing the whole thing without having AI fill in the gaps, then it's probably time to reevaluate what you're trying to get out of your writing, if it's not completely yours). It might be a harsh opinion, but at the same time, writing is a form of expression, so why wouldn't you want everything you share with the world to be completely yours in your own unique voice? Isn't that kind of the whole point?

But there's nuance. Having AI help with grammar is a feature that has been in writing softwares since the dawn of the dinosaurs. I tend to ignore grammar suggestions more than half the time because they're either incorrect or because I'm intentionally breaking the rules, but it's still nice to have when reviewing/editing chapters. And idk. AI probably has other nice and innocent features I don't know about because I've never used it before out of principle.

I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers. I'm pretty anti-ai, but that's because in a lot of ways, I see it as an insult to art and the creation process that is innate in us as a species. It has its places in society, but the creative world isn't one of them. Truthfully, I count my lucky stars that I completed my English Literature degree before AI was a thing... I would have hated to navigate that through my courses.

[demigod-shenanigans]

-Yeah, I was wondering if it was a thing about strays and Leo just being pulled back to what it was like to not have a home to go back to when he was on the streets. It’s honestly kind of a miracle he doesn’t bring home every single stray he finds (cat or otherwise). The thought of Apollo struggling to cat sit is making me laugh so hard. He tries to hum tunes at Socrates or something to cheer him up and Socrates just hisses at him.

-I also don’t know why this popped into my head but I’m very amused by the thought of a Socrates Festus rivalry. I’m not sure if it’s funnier if it’s mutual dislike (cat hisses at Festus, Festus rotates rows upon rows of sharp teeth at Socrates, Socrates just hisses again completely unbothered) or if Socrates just really dislikes Festus while Festus just wants to be his friend.

-Glad you enjoyed the concept haha. I’m also still wondering what was up with that chicken chucker Leo built lmfao. Like that’s such a wild throwaway thing for the book to mention and then never bring up again

-Arguably Jason is the one with first aid training so in the choking situation he could maybe help if there wasn’t a doctor around but I’m also very amused at the thought of Leo raising his hand not realizing what the situation is and then improvising the shit out of saving someone’s life (maybe Apollo helps as a thanks for the time Leo went on a quest with him, maybe he finds some sort of mechanical solution, idk). They’re thanking him after and he just casually drops “oh yeah actually my doctor is in engineering LOL”

-I honestly think there’s a pretty good chance Olympia would have ended up counselor regardless of who she’s sharing the cabin with just due to (staying on theme here) “the power of her name” and the legacy of her parents.

-I absolutely adore Isabella just getting along with the Hephaestus kids so well not due to powers or anything (not sure how often the blessing of Hephaestus thing takes effect or how exactly it works, would love to hear more about that) but because she just gets to special interest ramble at people who Get It. I love that for her.

-I have no idea how I didn’t catch the pun name the first time (probably because I read your reply at 1 am ngl) but that is amazing. I don’t even know if it’s funnier assuming their mortal parent named them that and they kept the name post coming out or if they came out as enby then promptly picked the funniest possible name option for themself. Just 10/10 concept. And of course chaos gremlin who won’t take their task seriously trying to “work” with a Competitive Leader is gonna be a mess lmao. There’s also something pretty interesting specifically about Olympia butting heads with a Hermes kid considering her parents’ history with Luke

-Yeah they’ve got a lotttt of birthday and anniversary stuff going on in summer, jeez

-I’m wheezing about Percy being annoyed Olympia is an Ares sign that is hilarious

-There really is something to be said about how much worse the whole idolization issue would be for someone whose parents are affected by it. Like, Olympia knows they’re not these clean perfect pictures, but imagine trying to rant to someone about a minor fight you had with your parents or being annoyed with something they did when everyone sees them as heroes and idols. That disconnect has to be absolutely astronomical. I think Percy would also find it absolutely heartbreaking that his kid is dealing with feeling inadequate when he grew up thinking he always messed everything up and made things difficult for his mom.

Also, genuinely, some of our best writing comes from processing feelings that are familiar and we don’t know where else to put. It’s very therapeutic and helpful and makes for really great stories. I’ve been doing it for ages, and I’m glad you get to do it with Olympia.

-If you’re trying to live up to some perfect image that doesn’t exist, nothing is ever good enough. Even when people outright tell you you’re good enough or you did something right, all that does is just create more pressure and expectations you don’t think you can live up to (it’s something I tap into when writing Jason a lot and also feels very fitting here. No I’m not speaking from experience what are you talking about /sarcasm)

-I feel like the Athena kids would be pissed at any version of the story that doesn’t give Annabeth the respect she deserves. I’m taking full-on “they’re talking smack about our sister again, we’ll crush them so hard at the next Capture The Flag game that they’ll weep”

-I feel like Percy probably gets so annoyed by it that he’ll just straight-up refuse to talk about anything heroic he did and just talk about Annabeth instead when he’s asked about it.

-I adore the name specifically carrying the history of the mortal members of their family too (and I do really hope Leo eventually realizes that her carrying his history of bravery and ultimately getting to be happy despite all the hardship along the way isn’t a bad thing to carry either). I assume the mortal family members thing being important may be related to the [redacted] thing you told me in DMs? I do kinda love Grace as a middle name for Olympia as a nod to both Jason but also Thalia who saved Annabeth and helped raise her for a little while.

-The whole Sequel Trilogy plot was all over the place, but Rey choosing the name of a mentor who tried to help her and a woman who was kind to her over the name of the evil ancestor who tried to kill her really isn’t exactly odd?? Like, personally I would have stuck to Rey from Nowhere because the whole “you don’t have to be anyone important to be a hero”-plot is way more intriguing than it all being a messy family drama, but they that’s the story they chose, and ending it on Rey either going back to being Rey from Nowhere (dismissing all the meaningful connections and friends she made along the way) or committing to being Rey Palpatine (which she never wanted to be and he insisted she had no choice on) would not have worked. Rey got to choose who she wanted to be, and chose to live in memory of Luke and Leia over her own familial connections she wanted nothing to do it. Also considering they were always tied to the darkness of who their own father was and what he’s done and trying to shape the galaxy into a better place despite that history? Yeah, it makes sense why that’s the kind of story Rey wants for herself, too.

-Found family is so so important. “There is a place for you, even if it’s not with the people who raised you” is so so important.

-I’ll probably save the details of the Percabeth kids for a separate post since this thread is getting ridiculously long as-is and it might be nice to be able to find this stuff again (I say that like most of the next gen lore didn’t get created by me and Juno yapping at each other in DMs for ages, LMAO) but in broad strokes:

—Coral is the oldest by seven years (she’s also the oldest next gen kid by five years, meaning she was the group baby for a while). She’s a trans girl and picked out the name Coral for herself when she was ten. She’s pretty much a typical legacy, meaning she got some of her parents’ powers (Percy’s talking to horses thing and some degree of control over water plus Annabeth’s strategic abilities), but you can definitely tell she’s not a first generation descendant of Athena or Poseidon.

—Cooper is the middle child, and he’s a bit of a fluke baby. Nobody knows how it happened, but this kid has virtually no powers. He can barely see through the Mist half the time, and his only “powers” are being able to tell if it’s going to rain with a 74% accuracy and being good at maths, but a normal “I’m really good at maths”-amount. He’s half a year older than Sofía.

—Their youngest, Sally May, is three years younger than Cooper and the epitome of Percabeth’s hubris biting them in the ass (“we’re handling two kids just fine, how hard can a third one really be” Very, and choosing May as a middle name probably didn’t help). She’s the youngest of the next gen kids in the main friend group and the most innocent-looking kid you’ve ever seen and also a total nightmare. She’s everything everyone always worried a Percabeth kid would be—Annabeth’s genius intellect and Percy’s powers combined and used exclusively for the purpose of causing elaborate shenanigans. She also causes minor earthquakes sometimes, which is a power Percy is pretty sure he doesn’t even have.

-Man I’m so curious I think I might explode. If you want to yap about it but don’t wanna put it on your blog just yet for spoiler reasons, please feel free to ramble at me in DMs if you want to (no pressure though)

-I actually kind of like it not being as important in Camp Jupiter who your godly parent is (obviously it does to a certain degree to people like Jason whose godly parents are really important, but not to the degree of “if we don’t know who your godly parent is we will just temporarily stuff you in an over-full cabin” like it used to be at CHB, and also we never even learn if Reyna or Frank for example have half-siblings at Camp because it’s just not as important there). I think it’s a neat contrast.

-That being said, yeah, I feel like any kid of the Seven would be a big deal around there. It’s very much the same with the Frazel kids from Sofíaverse (who are twins, funnily enough). I’m also kind of obsessed with the concept of the Fifth Cohort which used to be thought of as the “bad” Cohort where the kids without recommendation letters went (which is why Jason joined it) slowly turning into the Cohort everyone wants to get into because all members of the Seven who have ever been part of the legion, including Percy, were part of that Cohort, which just gives it really great rep.

-The Samuel thing is definitely a bit weird but it also makes sense that Hazel would want to remember him in some way.

-Since the triplets and Isabella all grow up in New Rome, how often does she see them? I guess how close they are would probably largely depend on how much younger they are (whether they’re close enough to still be friends or more like a couple of younger kids that look up to her as this cool older kid that visits sometimes). I’m glad Finley gets along with his cousins well, that’s really sweet :)

-Also yeah same I feel like I do most of my rambles about the kids in replies/convo with you and DMs with Juno and not a lot making actual posts about them hahaha. The good news is if you want to you could always compile the info you shared here into posts about different characters if you wanted to

This song is so Married Valgrace. And ik I’d say that about every single song including the Kahoot Lobby Music but this one is especially the vibe

LMAO you're so real for the Kahoot Lobby Music thing, if I'm fixated on something everything is about that something now. Sorry to the books I'm reading and shows I'm watching you are now all AUs of this one thing I like

Anyway you're so right and you should say it (and also the ending of the song made me sob, oh my god? Evil?)

I also feel a very strong need to retaliate now /Ih) so may I suggest I Wanna Grow Old With You as a married Valgrace song?

[utvarpcity]

YYEHEHAHHAAAHAHEH

[sysig]

Growing closer than expected (Patreon)

[hplonesomeart]

Whoops hand slipped here’s some TADC character fanart. Apologies for the severe lack of Pomni in this one idk where she went off to…maybe she got lost on her way to find the exit. The lines are incredibly choppy & rushed, I know, but it was still fun art practice! I don’t draw these guys nearly enough anyways so this is a nice change of pace. Support indie animation :3

[stardustedknuckles]

DIY eye sparkles: just add fairy lights

[asanjou]

mostly i need to do a truckload of hajime studies because ive drawn kenzakis face a hajimillion times now and i feel like ive got a good grip on it but i still struggle with hajime even though he's my most special tienpsy

[evanescentsun]

new wip

[spilling-blood]

It should not be possible to dream about work.

[itspileofgoodthings]

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[orcelito]

It's getting more and more certain that I'm gonna get straight As this semester. For the very first time in my college career. My persuasion class is entirely graded, & I got a 95.88% in it. My data governance class still has the final paper to grade, but we got a 97.33% on the presentation, so the paper probably won't be much lower than that, & my current running grade in that class is a 96.53%, so. We'd have to do Pretty Badly to get that below a 90%, so it's almost a guaranteed A. Then there's my gender communication class, which doesn't have a listing on the homework website (bc my professor in that class is real old-school) BUT I got full points on my final essay exam too, which means the Only thing in that class I got points taken off for was my presentation, which Even Then I still got a pretty good grade. So that one's almost certain to be an A as well.

Which leaves UX design class, which is still missing a grade for the project we turned in back at the start of November 😭😭😭😭😭 but they say they're grading them this week so. Sure, I guess. (Still don't know why they graded the more recent project before that one but Oh Well). Anyways, we've been getting really good grades on all our projects, bc it's a level 100 course and their grading criteria is really easy 😂😂😂. So really good grades on all the projects. Not as good grades on the class participation stuff bc I kept forgetting to do my reflections and the readings, but that's not very many points overall. So unless we do badly on the project that has yet to be graded (unlikely), I'm Proooobably going to get an A in this class too. At worst, a B. But I'm hoping for an A.

It'd just be really cool to have straight As for the first time in college. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll do it all over again next semester too >:]

[tomatoshapedstars]

I love interacting with non-transformers fans because I'll just be identifying them easily and they're like "??? wow you really are not normal about this huh" and I'm over here just "well you need to know which one's which to know what's going on" "nah you're just not normal about this"

[robinsnest2111]

dreamt Randy and Benson were my coworkers at the movie theater!!! 👀

[heyitslapis]

Even when I thought we had boundary of just friends, she confuses me.

I tell myself to ignore it. That it's just a game for her and that she really is just comfortable with me as a friend.

But we all went out Sunday night (you, me & Sam). You asked us again if Sam & I were still "not a thing." We both told you the truth (for like the 10th time): we're not a thing. There's no sort of situationship or anything like that. We're just friends.

**((also I fucked up one of my tags I meant to say that Alice told buddy boy that I threatened to kill *him* again, not that I threatened to kill her. He sounded really serious when he said "i promise v, im leaps and bounds better than anyone shes had before. I would never hurt her." I said "Oh, im sure. Its because thats who you are Ty. Thats what you and I do. We protect people." I'll be so honest yall i was crossfaded as fuck because i was running iff 3 hours sleep & literally no food almost the whole day leading up to our outing. NOT doing that again jfc))**

[rosicheeks]

I hope your days aren't as heavy and dark, I am sending all the positive thoughts your way. You deserve the best, fairy princess. <3

😭

[gentlemanpiraate]

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