#no notes and no drawing because there's a lot here...

[rincent-van-uggh]

Ahh this is so much what I have been thinking. Even if I agreed with intellectual property in principle, IP law benefits corporations far, far more than small artists (because the law only protects those who can afford to enforce it).

All the notions that AI is cheating because it makes the process of art making too easy are not at all distinct, so far as I can see, from people saying the same things about any new art making technology (digital art, electronic music, people say these things are not real art for the same reasons). I mean, people trying to pass off AI art as if they themselves hand painted it are just idiots telling lies, nothing new. If someone uses AI to generate the background for an drawing they did, and they're honest about it, thats just art. People do the same thing with backgrounds not generated by AI too.

I find a lot of AI criticism comes down to "this tool is being operated and peddaled by idiots" rather than that the tool itself is bad. "People who use AI to study for them get lower grades" well duh, having anything study for you is incoherent, you necessarily have to use your own brain for that. If what they mean by this is that people are using AI to write notes and summaries for them to read, this is also misguided as AI cannot reliably create accurate summaries, if it adds in nonsense, you may not realise and study stuff it entirely made up.

There are also adjacent issues. Like I dont take issue particularly with public data being fed to the machine apart from how empowering AI in our current system means empowering shitty corporations. But sometimes private data may be fed to the machine, corporations are getting increasingly sneaky and invasive, changing ToS to say that they can use any of your stuff, even non-public things to train AI. While AI tends to mix together loads of stuff into its outputs, it is feasible that an AI could be fed private data and spit it out wholesale, and we have no way to prevent this currently. I am glad that i have managed to move entirely off of things like google drive because I don't trust them to uphold privacy at the best of times, but especially not in this context.

My main issue with AI, honestly, is that I find it annoying. It keeps being put in places I dont want it, to solve problems I don't have. I think this is a popular position to hold here on tumblr, where we have several times pushed the website management to allow us to opt out of new trendy features we dont like, such as "best stuff first" and other algorithmic generated features, and "tumblr live". I object to having new technology replace the old stuff, not only because the old stuff is what I am familiar with, but because often times it works, in at least some important ways, better than the new stuff. I don't need AI generated art, I enjoy making art myself. I do not want AI customer service chat bot, it is less effective at addressing my needs than the humans are.

The tool is fine, but almost every time I encouter it, it is being used by idiots to uninteresting ends, and I would like to not have to encounter it if I don't want or need to.

Worst part of popular left wing AI discourse online is that there's absolutely a need for a robust leftist opposition to use of cognitive automation without social dispensation to displaced human workers. The lack of any prior measures to facilitate a transition to having fewer humans in the workplace (UBI, more public control over industrial infrastructure, etc) is a disaster we are sleepwalking into - one that could lock the majority of our society's wealth further into the hands of authoritarian oligarchs who retain control of industry through last century private ownership models, while no longer needing to rely on us to operate their property.

But now we're seemingly not going to have the opposition we so desperately need, because everyone involved in the anti-AI conversation has pretty thoroughly discredited themselves and their movement by harbouring unconstrained reactionary nonsense, blatant falsehoods and woo. Instead of talking about who owns and benefits from cognitive automation, people are:

Demanding impossibilities like uninventing a now readily accessible technology

Trying to ascribe implicit moral value to said technology instead of the who is using it and how

Siding with corporations on copyright law in the name of "defending small artists"

Repeating obvious and embarrassing technical misconceptions and erroneous pop-sci about machine learning in order to justify their preferred philosophy

Invoking neo-spiritual conservative woo about the specialness of the human soul to try to incoherently discredit a machine that can quite obviously perform certain tasks just as well if not better than they can

Misrepresent numbers about energy use and environmental cost in an absurd double standard (all modern infrastructure is reliant on data centers to a similar level of impact, including your favourite fandom social media and online video games!) to build a narrative AI is some sort of malevolent spirit that damages our reality when it is called upon

It's a level of reactionary ignorance that has completely discredited any popular opposition to industrial AI rollout because it falls apart as soon as you dig deeper than a snappy social media post, or a misguided pro-copyright screed from an insecure web artist (who decries a machine laying eyes on their freely posted work while simultaneously charging commission for fan-art of corporate IPs... I'm sure that will absolutely resolve in their favour).

It would be funny how much people are fucking themselves over with all this, except I'm being fucked over to, and as a result am really quite mad about the situation. We need UBI, we need to liberate abundance from corporate greed, what we don't need is viral posts about putting distortion filters on anime fan-art to ward off the evil mechanical eye, pointless boycotts of platforms because they are perceived to have let the evil machines taint them, or petitions to further criminalize the creation of derivative works.

[kifflepiffles]

GUYS HELP MY BROKE ARTIST FRIEND VIA COMMISIONS!!

He's a very good artist and he's also very sexy that should be enough to convince you /silly

Info From him:

Rules:

No hardcore fetish content

No agere/age regression

No age change

Art of young characters is okay but only in family-friendly circumstances.

Art of real people is okay, non-sexualized.

Furry/anthro is okay, non-sexualized.

What I offer and their prices:

Digital art

Bust: colored $2 / rendered $3

Extra characters: colored $0.50 / rendered $1

Full body: colored $5 / rendered $10 / (dynamic +$3)

Extra characters: +$2 per person colored / +$5 per person rendered / (dynamic +$1)

Comics:

4 panels: lineart $15 / colored $20 / rendered $35

Plus every extra panel: lineart +$1 / colored +$2 / rendered +$4

Rendered background fee: $5

Smut fee: $2

Fetish fee: $1

Dead dove fee: $5

EXTRA FACTS:

Colored art is a flat color, whereas rendered art includes shadows, lighting, lineart smoothing, and more.

Examples:

A dynamic full-body render with an extra character and background would cost $24.

A colored bust with three people would be $4.

Comics will take much longer due to the excessive planning and higher effort that go into them.

Payment

How it works:

Because we can’t know exactly how much something is going to cost, we’ll take a starting payment of half the estimated overall payment.

If I believe the cost will come out to be $20, you’ll pay $10 to start, then I’ll finish the project and you can pay the other $10 after.

It operates on a trust system.

You trust me to deliver and make your money worth it; I trust you to pay the rest of the cost.

To ensure I’m not scammed, the final product will be blurred/heavily watermarked before the transaction; you’ll get it clean once you’ve paid fully.

Don’t feel overwhelmed! It sounds like a lot, but I’ll keep updating you the whole time. Plus, these rates are actually pretty cheap compared to other offers lol.

If I can’t get your product to you, you’ll receive a full refund.

Payment methods:

I use Cash App and Paypal.

If need be, I can move to another payment method instead.

My IDs will be sent to you through email; I don’t feel comfortable putting them here.

Finally, my email:

You can reach me at icamechs@gmail.com

From Poster: Please note that I am not Ica! I'm posting this on his behalf! You can still DM me or comment if you have questions but it will go much faster and you will have direct contact if you email him!

Q AND A

Can I just pay the full price to start?

Unless it’s a cheap order, no. I don’t want to estimate something higher or lower than what the full product is worth; then either I would have to refund you some of the money or you would have to pay me more for the extra work.

Why so strict?

I’ve personally seen other creators get scammed, and I’m not trying to go through that myself lol.

What about the fees?

Smut, fetish, and dead dove all require focus to make it effective.

They are stackable! If you have fetish on top of smut, it will come out to be $3 in fees.

However, if you use all three (+$5 for DD) then I’ll discount it to $6 rather than $8.

As for Paypal/Cash App fees, whatever loss caused by fees will be accounted for in the final cost.

Can I leave a tip?

Pretty please <:3 I’ll give you a lil drawing of your choice.

EXTRA EXAMPLES (PLUS 15$ COMIC EXAMPLE):

[justin4me]

ʕ •́؈•̀)

Neil follows him, still too rattled by the idea of the phone to feel any relief. Kevin, this time, tags along, falling into step beside Neil. He is close enough that occasionally their arms brush, and Neil only realises it is an attempt at comforting him when he turns to look at Kevin and Kevin looks away. 

“I’m fine.” Neil says preemptively. 

Kevin shrugs. “ I’m fine too.”

“Neither of you are fine.” Andrew calls over his shoulder.

It startles Kevin so bad that he trips over his own foot and Neil catches him by the elbow as he stumbles. They both stare at Andrew, wide eyed and bewildered.

“Since when do you speak French?” Kevin asks.

“I don’t, but the two of you aren’t subtle and you always talk about the same three things. I know Exy, fine, and bitching” There’s a note in Andrew’s voice that Neil is beginning to identify as somewhere between smug and amused. It’s the Andrew equivalent of being petty, an enjoyment of catching other people off guard. 

Neil can feel that fondness bursting in his chest.

ʕ •́؈•̀)

The words are taken from the fic "Put Me Back In It (Darling, I'd Do It Again) " by @httphimbo, chapter 7.

Gorgeous, gorgeous fic that makes me feel. There were lots of scenes that i wanted to draw, but i decided to choose this one, it's just so wholesome and funny(i love Kevin × Neil friendship here, they are made for this). I'm tired of making "serious" art pieces, i'm just not that kind of person. However i'm not good at drawing funny faces either, so :D

Sad again because Neil doesn't look like Neil here (FHDHDGHDHFHFHDHDHHFHFHF GOD WHY CAN'T I MAKE HIM LOOK FINE😭 HE LOOKS LIKE HE'S TWO SECONDS FROM DEATH HERE IN A BAD WAY) But ig i pictured Kevin pretty well :)

also laughed hard when i drew THIS. BUT NEIL DOESN'T LOOK LIKE NEIL AGAINNN(((

anyways, hope you liked the post! ♡(and i hope that someone reads them too)

[painted-bees]

does each of them have an aspect you find hardest to portray, something you know to be true about them that doesn't find space often enough, things like that?

this is all amazing to read through btw, i've seen a lot of your art and have been meaning to catch up on the actual lore and what's going on (but, you know... life. always happening)

Tess, I just want to depict more in general. But she's what you call a "static" character [does not undergo character development but facilitates the development of other characters around her] and so my brain doesn't really insist on microwaving her nearly as much as it does with thr other two. Even though, in terms of aesthetic theming, she is the most interesting by far haha

For Raf, I microwave him the -most- and there are some really truly ugly aspects of his character that I am very soft on depicting because it is very easy to erode audience trust/empathy for a character like him. Even when I depict his struggles with his mental illness, we're only really see the battles he's able to win or overcome, and not the ones he loses--or is even completely unaware of. [Actually, we ARE seeing one such battle--but it hasn't been identified yet thanks to some unreliable narration hahaha] But I wish I had the balls--or finess--to depict his more unlikeable moments outside of the context of like...an ex or something where he has had time to look back on and reflect upon his behavior. Because he does have...more than his fair share of 'em. But I don't want that to be what he is to the reader.

For Margie, I feel like her struggles and interpersonal relationships play second fiddle to Rafs just because they're a lot more "mundane" and echo a lot of our own lived experiences, so I'm a little less inclined to go into big deep dives abt her because like...it's nothing new to most folks on this website. This website is FULL of people just like Margie. I think that's also why she's so popular on here. But she's got some really deep scars, too, that I'm only just finally starting to unpack properly--after leaving the clearly labled box out for so long wrt her haha So we'll be getting that soon enough.

Also with Margie, I would love to just kinda--show her relationships with her friends and family outside of Raf and Cortes, she actually HAS friends and such that she'll spend weekends and go on outings with!! I just haven't had the interest/motivation to depict any of that [because there are so many OTHER things that are more interesting to me that I'd rather spend the time writing and drawing abt wrt hi-note] haha but I genuinely wish I did.

[classicassiopeia]

EAH AU Designs

Hello!! I feel like it’s been awhile since I posted art on my main page- BUT I’ve recently finished designs for the main trio of my Poptropica Ever After High AU.

For context (because I haven’t talked about it on here): this AU came about because I like putting two of my favorite things from childhood together and making AUs out of them.

So this AU takes place in a dying Poptropica which has only survived (supposedly) by retelling the same stories over and over and over again. As a result, an academy emerged to help the teenage heirs of Poptropica’s villains and heroes (and all characters in-between) follow their destinies.

Mordred functions as our protagonist as the heir to the title of the Binary Bard who refuses to sign the Book of Legends on Legacy Day (a day at the beginning of the school year when the seniors declare to the world that they will follow in the footsteps of their parents). Chaos and shenanigans ensue.

That is a very brief synopsis of the AU, so feel free to ask questions!

Notes on each of the characters and closeups beneath the cut!

Harvey:

I like to imagine he has a LOT of sweaters/sweater vests in his closet that he wears regardless of season

His rolled up khakis are a “fashion statement” according to him

His knee-high socks are actually pink! They’re a gift from his mom, Dr. Harriet Hare.

His round glasses are a reference to his goggles as Dr. Hare

Charlotte:

She looks taller than she actually is because of her platform boots

Her leather jacket was a gift from her mom, there’s a black widow patch on the back

Her hairstyle is based of off of Chief Inspector Veuve Noire’s hair (I love her hairstyle)

She always keeps a sketchbook and a drawing utensil on hand (art runs in the family)

Mordred:

Their pointed ears is due to their fae heritage (however, it’s something they’re self-consciously about so they tend to cover it up with glamour)

I like to imagine that they hand-embroidered the constellations onto their vest themself

They have a satchel as a little nod to the fact that they’re the protagonist of this AU (like how the player has a satchel)

Still immensely sleep deprived at 17 (yes, they’re actually the youngest out of these three!)

[sodapopcurtis-dx-asks]

KILLER’S BROTHER

Ding ding!

The DX has finally opened back up, after what seemed like forever. And the first thing Soda finds is disappointment.

“You see what I mean, Steve? Look at this shit.” Soda huffed, taking out the paper and showing it to him.

“Yeah, I'm seein'.” Steve grumbled, scratching his chin and yawning. It was early in the morning, too early to be dealing with this bullshit already.

“I just– I don't understand.” Soda balled up the paper, throwing it into the trash with a bit more force than necessary. “I can't see who sends these messages, so for all I know it could be multiple people out for my brother.” Soda frowned, shaking his head and readjusting his shirt to fidget with something instead of tightening his fist.

“Yeah...” Steve was absent-minded, which bothered Soda slightly, but not enough to yell about it. “I'll keep an eye out, holler out to the other guys too. Let's just hope it don't and up being some huge sha-bang leading to some crazy rumble or somethin'. We've had these streets pretty damn clean.”

Steve stared hard at the paper in the trash. “I'd hate to lose that streak. But I'll do it for Pony, if it means he's in harms way.”

After that, Steve and Soda exchanged a few words before going to their respected corners of the shop to get to work finally. The sign was now flipped to “Now Open.”

Soda, in the meantime, leaves a note.

If you got a fucking problem with me, say it with your chest, not with a pen. Pussy.

[licorishh]

no way she's alive ?? yea those mental health breaks because social media makes people suck are wild huh

[iknowwhereyousnoozeatnight]

L with a cat :3

[moeblob]

Gavin mentally: wait... that doesn't add up........

[horreurscopes]

my guy pretty like a girl & he got fight stories to tell; i see both sides like chanel

[shadowduel]

all i wanna do is untie all your knots, dissolve all your thoughts

[doodlingwren]

"I depend on you..." "Do I or do you?"

My take on the "I depend on you" art trend from Twitter✨ Every now and then I want to draw something with bright colors... and blood

[a-host-of-dancing-daffodils]

And because I recently read the Chocolate Box...Please enjoy one of the only things I feel like the show did right with this particular story...

Poirot looking super dapper in his Belgian police uniform:

The cut of this uniform is very flattering on him, I must say...especially with the way it accentuates his chest, his waist, and his ''''''''seat''''''''

And I love the design on the collar/sleeves. Very fancy/official

also. please look at his very silly official hat

Gotta say. Hugh Fraser may have been the eye candy of this show, but. David Suchet sure knows how to be pretty, too

[jessaerys]

sun visits the moon at spk headquarters and gets so so so sleepy

[songvs]

the empress and death for the rook asks!

Death: What part of Rook do they need to kill to become the best version of themselves? —

Ivy’s obsession with the past in name of nostalgia…. some of their memories of their clan and others are so misconstrued that its not full truths but they cling to it since its all they got 😔

The Empress: What does family mean for Rook? —

All I could think of were words and felt possessed to draw them out with the companions that stood out most for Ivy in terms of character.

Rook Tarot Card Ask!

[chiropteracupola]

He’s red and he’s white and he’s green and he’s grey / My bonny young dragon, come hither away...

Keith Windham and Nuntius, out of Luzula's stunning Flight of the Heron/Temeraire crossover fic 'The Flight of Dragons.'