#but i don't even really care about the translation

[alexanderwales]

The worst thing about creative AI right now is that it produces bad results. The writing is bad, the images are bad, and the video is bad. It's impressive, sometimes, that the technology works as well as it does, but it's still bad.

I think if you sit down and go through a few hundred generations, then tweak and edit and inpaint and think intently, you can sometimes get something worth putting in front of people, if you have the right eye for it. I could definitely edit up an AI-written short story into something worth reading, especially if I was the one who had fed it the prompt and gone through the work of having my own ideas to insert. I think at least part of the output would be the AI's, and I could carve away everything that was nonsense or just bad, leaving only a few turns of phrase or some general boilerplate structure ... and this would take more time and effort than just writing the thing myself.

Most people who use generative AI do not want to do any work, and in fact, have no conception of what work would be required. Most of them are consumers, not producers, and they're used to the modes of content consumption, where you don't look closely at the details. Generative AI, in its current state, just kind of sucks when you're in a "press button, get results" mindset.

The stuff generated by "press button, get results" is the vast, vast majority of AI art that you will see, even accounting for filtering effects. There are a lot of people who have no love of artistry producing artwork via machines that are not good at making artwork, sometimes just for a lark, sometimes with profit in mind, and it's threatening to drown out other stuff in spite of being bad.

This is my thesis: generative AI produces bad results, and this is possibly the worst thing about it. If it were able to produce good results, I think that a lot of people would be less opposed to it. If you could get a short story that was worth reading, or a picture worth looking at, for no additional effort of manipulation or prompt engineering or whatever else, then we would be flooded with good art instead of bad art.

When it comes to art, I care about how it makes me feel, and what it's trying to say, and where the intent is, and what ideas it has. AI is not there. Possibly it will never get there. But sometimes I see a picture that the AI has made, and I do feel something in the sweep of the lines, or the composition, or just the juxtaposition of elements. It's just really really rare, and the product of either chance or really careful work on the part of some human. It's not something that the AI can do reliably, at least at the moment. You can also quibble about intent, because the AI "has none", but I find beauty in nature too, which is not trying to make a statement with its sunsets, and whose intents, if they can be said to exist, are mostly about things that are orthogonal to my perceptions, like the plumage of a sparrow or the curved leaves of a fern. To me, art is art because of the way that it can be read and the emotions that I feel when I look at it. Contentious, I'm sure, but I don't find other definitions all that useful.

But the art that the AI makes is, unless expertly guided, bad. And there's a ton of it, and it's impacting the ability of real artists to make superior work.

I think the future I see, if the AI doesn't get better, is one where we have a bunch of cheap shit that's replaced a lot of good expensive things. I am in favor of cheap things, but I'm not in favor of shit. I would love for translation to be as simple as pressing a button. I would love to have a good painting to go with every chapter I write. But we're in a world where the results mostly suck unless you're willing to put in quite a bit of effort and have some expertise in a field of creative endeavor, and that means we're in a world where the products are bad.

I'm interested to see how the conversation shifts if the results start getting better, because that seems to me like one of the sticking points.

[makiswirl]

can i just say. and this is probably a niche hill to die on. that i am so gobsmacked every time someone vaguely hints at the idea that jotaro doesn't care meaningfully for the other crusaders, usually particularly kakyoin and joseph, when those two actually tend to be the ones he reacts to being hurt the hardest

like he cares for his loved ones!!!! that literally plays into his character motives in every single part he shows up in!!! stop lying to me!!!!!!!

[lunarharp]

if i just told you i love you would this world change

[cerise-on-top]

Hiiii :3 and could you do Kate laswell and könig with a reader who loved cuddles?

Hey there! Sure I can! But I don't write Laswell as very cuddly! But I made König's a bit longer to try and make up for it, hope that's alright!

Laswell and König with a Cuddly!Reader

Laswell: If you love cuddles then she’s the wrong person to ask for some, sorry. Sometimes she doesn’t mind them, sometimes she absolutely hates being touched. It’s very rare for her to initiate anything more than just a kiss to your cheek or a hand on your back for a short amount of time. Laswell genuinely is not a cuddly person, at all. Sometimes, on a good day, she might oblige if you ask her to. However, even then your cuddle sessions won’t be too long. And if I were you then I wouldn’t force her to cuddle you either, she’ll get snappy if you do. Your relationship is built on mutual trust and respect. You’re violating her boundaries if you force her to cuddle. Sorry, but that’s just how I’ve been writing her.

König: He’s not too fond of cuddles either, but he makes exceptions for his S/O. If you’re his S/O, that’s great! You can ask him for some cuddles and he’ll only very rarely say no to you. It’s usually when he’s busy that he’ll say no, but any other time? He’s free game. Again, you’re the only person he’s somewhat cuddly with. However, unlike Laswell, he sometimes will ask you for some cuddles himself. Sometimes even the big guy needs to hold someone, or even be held. I’ve said it before, but if you’re roughly the same size as him, or even taller than him, then he might hint at wanting to be held from time to time as well. But other than that, he’ll humor you. You can cuddle in any position you want, but he refuses to lie down on top of you. Even when you’re the same size as him, he won’t do it. König is aware he’s a very heavy lad, so he really doesn’t want to crush you. But if you wanna lie on top of him, then you can go right ahead, he really doesn’t mind. In those cases he actually quite likes it when you’re shorter than he is, because in that case you can lie on top of him in your entirety. He’ll wrap his arms around you, sometimes he’ll kiss the top of your head as well. Spooning with him is pretty nice. He’s a strong guy, and a warm one at that as well. Don’t ask him to cuddle you in summer, though, as he gets sweaty fairly easily and doesn’t want to gross you out. Besides, he also doesn’t want to sweat bullets just because you’re clinging to him. But you’re more than welcome to just plop down in his lap during any other season and nuzzle into him. He’ll call you “meine kleine Schmusekatze” or, if you’re being especially clingy, “mein kleines Schmusebärchen”. I think that eventually, when he comes home from an especially rough mission, he actually kind of looks forward to holding you. It’s not that unlikely that you might get hurt because of him, so it’s nice to get to hold you and make sure you’re safe within his arms. Sometimes, while you’re cuddling, he’ll tease you by speaking his dialect. He’s saying no mean things, though. It’s either how cute you are, how you can’t understand him, or just some random things he thought of at the moment. Even if you know German he’ll lay his dialect on extra thick so you can’t actually understand him.

[fallloverfic]

I love singNsong again reminding people in Side Story that Dokja wanted other people to read TWSA (he wrote reviews and comments! It was his first wish), and he only stopped bothering because people harassed him for it. He didn't gate-keep the story. When he's avoiding talking to Sangah about it at the beginning of ORV, it's because he knows what happens when he tells people about the story, not because he's gate-keeping it from her. He notes he's not proud of his hobby (likely because he's been bullied all through his life, including for reading the thing he loves): he finds it embarrassing to talk about, and better respects her studying Spanish in her free time (learning another language is a generally accepted thing in society). He assumes she won't care or will look at him funny (or worse) for when she learns about the novel he's into.

Basically anyone writing "let's gatekeep ORV" posts because of the anime announcement or because they dislike the manhwa or some other weirdness, y'all are the villains in the scenario.

The literal climax of the story is about sharing ORV with as many people as possible. What story were y'all reading?

[carefulfears]

I saw you said you’ve been reading s7 fics the past two days and was wondering if you had any recs? Thank you!

yess babes

now, these are all from kittenscully, but i’ll link some favs

impressions (post-all things hurt/comfort): anything i could share about this one would spoil the build-up, but it has stuck in my brain. i know we all have conflicting opinions on all things, and this story both merges and disregards them all, in favor of a more vulnerable resolution.

sunday (S.O.S.S. fluff): read this one last night and it was cuteee

again, and again, and again (S.O.S.S. porn with feelings): a one-shot nearly 7,000 words and every one meticulous and delicious

halfway and focus (S.O.S.S. porn without plot): i know what y'all want to see!! office sex.

blue mischief (S.O.S.S. fluff and smut): shower sex.

some slightly kinkyyy ones: sub scully, sub mulder (both light). this writer does a very intricate job exploring the ways that dominance doesn't come easily to either of them, and the underlying internal emotional side.

enjoy!

[very-lost-hobbit]

Nothing pisses me off quite like annoying guilt-trippy posts by idiots who cared about Ukraine for exactly five minutes in 2022 and have not thought about Russia's brutal invasion for so much as one second since beyond making posts complaining about the "~overwhelming support~" Ukraine has supposedly recieved compared to other ongoing world events and posts that go "IMAGINE IF THIS WAS HAPPENING IN UKRAINE then you would CARE but because it's BROWN people U WON'T" You are a fake activist you are a pathetic trend chaser & the people you claim to care about deserve better than the likes of you because your moral integrity could fit into a fraction of a fraction of a millimetre

[airenyah]

should i just. study theater- film- und medienwissenschaft

[mygwenchan]

At this point the hate campaign against Build has really become somewhat of a weekly occasion, huh? They always come for him when something good is happening, like the magazine sales that are doing really well, the current donation event and his nice Japan trip. They really need to ruin the mood every time... Well, I can only laugh about these pitiful attempts to destroy his career and his life. It's just narcissist and stalker behavior from his ex, quite pathetic tbh. She and her minions can't even get creative about it. Like come on, at least leak the s** tape or something! lol But nope, it's always just chats that are either fake or should've stayed private or some irrelevant pictures. Nothing new here. Next!

[ilovewillsolace]

the harsh light of the lamps hurt even the closed eyes, but at the same time, invigorating fresh air entered the lungs.

— the bag could have been washed, — Octavian grimaced capriciously, almost on the verge of arrogance.

an unheard—of audacity, considering his hands tied behind his back, and the fact that he was tied to a chair.

— oh, where are my manners, your praetorian Highness? — a tall guy in glasses and a medical gown with golden skin covered with freckles came into his field of vision; white fluorescent light was tangled in blinding puddles in his exuberant mop of the same golden hair — it seems it was the same son of Apollo. — next time we will definitely take a silk bag and satin ribbons for binding for you.

he leaned his lower back against the table in front of the centurion; the threat came from this guy almost in waves, but Octavian was calm and breathing steadily. he carefully watched every movement of this man, trying to anticipate the next step.

— so, — the medic began in a light, cheerful tone, holding a cigarette in his teeth and striking a lighter, making the Roman, who hated the smell of tobacco, wince with disgust, — what would you do with me if we switched places?

the centurion was confused by such a strange question, so he was taken aback for a moment.

but he was able to overcome himself and, frowning, still answered:

— nothing.

— nothing? — his interlocutor raised his eyebrows in amazement, releasing almost a cloud of tart cherry smoke into his face.

Octavian coughed.

— Yes, nothing! — from an overabundance of emotions, his voice involuntarily jumped up, — it's you who are sleeping and see how to try out all the methods of the Gestapo on me, and I don't want to sacrifice a single life!

The son of Apollo grinned caustically, and his glasses gleamed unkindly in the cold white light:

— and I have to believe the man who started the war to destroy my camp? — he poked him with his cigarette and burst out laughing.

— what? — Octavian breathed out incredulously, — have I started?! it was you who shelled my city, spitting on all the deals and truces! — anger, disappointment and resentment overwhelmed him in multi-ton waves, dragging him to the bottom.

the guy stopped at the same second, freezing like a motionless statue:

— what? Have we attacked?

it seems to have really become news to him.

the Roman shifted in his chair, trying to get comfortable, but the tight ropes only cut deeper into his thin body. He exhaled furiously,

— Why do you think I would attack your camp? — The centurion asked quietly.

— because you're a maniac, a sadist and a fucking psycho? — the guy declared, as if trying to convince himself that such a person is sitting in front of him.

Octavian stared at him in shock, he responded with an attentive, studying look, as if he was looking for any inconsistency with his words in the augur's reaction.

— I see, — he finally managed, feeling his mouth fill with bitterness.

— and what is clear to you? — the interlocutor asked with emphasis.

— a lot of things. but first of all, it is useless for me to say or do anything, it will be easier to execute me.

Apollo's son frowned:

— what makes you think that you will be executed?

Octavian smiled bitterly, trying to blink away unbidden tears:

— Oh, believe me, too many people want me dead, because for them I'm a scapegoat.

— is it not so? — the interrogator smiled caustically.

the Roman bit his lip, coming up with the most effective answer.

— and what would you do if your house was bombed by people who allegedly came to you in peace? — he spat out.

— they don't... — the guy started, but stopped and, frowning, exposed himself to Octavian.

— oh, yes, — he growled, bursting with accumulated feelings all the time, — and then they accused me of shooting at my own house! — the augur's already high-pitched voice has now risen almost to the level of falsetto; he fell silent exhausted, breathing heavily, because of which the ropes began to dig into his chest.

the medic winced, as if he saw something unpleasant, and rubbed the bridge of his nose:

— oh, you're not yourself.

— Oh, come on," Octavian spat out tartly.

He wanted to cry. He wanted to rip open his chest with his own fingers, pull the heart out of it and throw it somewhere against the wall. He wanted to fall through the ice, so that the scalding icy water filled his lungs, dragging him to the bottom forever. He wanted to be anywhere but here. He wanted to feel nothing.

Octavian hated himself more than ever, finally facing the truth and realizing that he would never be understood and accepted. they won't even listen to him. anger boiled up in him again, searing to the very throat.

he looked up at Apollo's son only with his eyes, but not his head:

— and then why are you trying to interrogate an abnormal psycho? will there be any sense from the scum that just wants bloodshed? will you hear from me what you want to hear? or do you just want to humiliate me even more? what is the point of all this, if in reality you don't care about the truth, and you only believe in your own lies? — he was breathing fast, he was shaking.

the Greek's reaction didn't bother him: now he would just be dubbed a psycho again, and then... maybe torture, maybe execution, maybe all together. but Octavian didn't care anymore, he went alone against the whole world and lost, now he just had to wait for his end.

his supervisor let out a ragged breath, as if Octavian had punched him in the face.

— all right, — he said with difficulty, — I'll listen to you.

— don't do me any favors! The Roman immediately jumped up.

— this... this is not a favor, — Apollo's son softened; even his gaze has ceased to be heavy and sharp, — but all this time we have been living with the same picture of the world, and now you tell me that everything was the opposite. It's not so easy to get used to, considering that we're kind of enemies, and I shouldn't believe you.

— oh, yeah, we're just here for a tea party, — Richardson spat out, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

the guy took a deep drag.

— my name is Will, — he ignored his taunt, finally deciding to introduce himself, — Will Solace.

— also say agent zero-zero-seven, — the augur could not resist, but at the same moment he was grabbed by the hair, roughly forcing him to lift his head.

— so, Octavian, — Will began in a steely voice, — I decided to believe you, but believe me, my trust, just like patience, are very fragile things, so I advise you not to fuck them, do you understand everything?

— of course, — Octavian snapped; his hands began to go mercilessly numb.

— are you looking for it? Solace hissed at him.

the Roman apathetically looked away:

— no way.

— wonderful! — Will, in his hypertrophied expression, resembled the heroes of Guy Ritchie's films, except, firstly, Guy Ritchie shot brutal action films, and secondly, they were not the heroes of the film at all now - and both of these facts did not please Octavian at all. — now start.

[moonsidesong]

played the fangame danganronpa another with a friend and i didn't really like the ending but i very much enjoyed mekaru bc she's just woman byakuya togami. i'm going to talk a lot in the tags now

[salvadorbonaparte]

I have to translate five poems for my portfolio and I picked Nina Mingya Powles because I really vibe with the way she talks about home and heritage and language but I'm also neither from Aotearoa nor Malaysian-Chinese so there's just a lot of research involved in this translation but I also really just want to get the feeling right.

[acedragontrainer]

I procrastinated figuring out how to use my fancy new sewing machine SO hard i made a quilt design about it, and then started making the quilt, with the sewing machine, so i think i’m procrastinating so hard it’s coming back around into productivity? this is wayyyy too fucking ambitious for my first quilt and i have no idea what the fuck i’m doing but! that will not stop me!

originally the design was much larger and for a queen size, and then i got out a yardstick and realized that’s way too fucking big so i downsized the scale and moved things around and added more buy’cese, i’m not sold on the background color and i’m prob not going to embroider the crusader’s emblem or the vizsla emblem like i had planned bc it stands out too much, but i was thinking of stitching the mythosaur symbol down the vertical sides, but i could also do lines of “bic cuyir te ara” since i’m already gonna be hand stitching so much goddamn mando’a

i’m pretty sure i can program custom embroidery patterns into my fancy machine (which is the whole thing i’m procrastinating about so finishing all the buy’cese will force me to find out) so i want to do the resol’nare in gold, but i don’t think anything with gold filament is gonna be strong enough for that so i may do yellow and embroider a bit in gold filament just to get around that, and then i’m still sorting through what patterns i wanna do across the quilt, i was thinking random concentric squares of lines of text, that way i could do kote darasuum around where cody is and a much bigger one spreading from the taung at the bottom with a version of dha werda verda (still haven’t figured out which one to use), but then i don’t know what to do about the rest of the quilt, and like do i really want to hand stitch everything in mando’a characters (resigned)

so obviously what i’m using here is a mix of different canons with some fanon sprinkled in (sue me, canon mandalor the uniter fucking sucks, basic bitch buy’ce, so i replaced that one with the irl dude’s mandalorian oc of the same title bc quite frankly it’s more meaningful to the fandom and it looks fucking sick), some of them had very little canon material to work with so i tried my best to wing it (tarre vizsla didn’t really have a buy’ce per se so i’m still debating using matte black for that one), some i picked bc they looked cool and not because they’re relevant, some i left out purposefully

i started with the darksaber, because i thought “it’s smaller and just a bunch of straight lines, how hard can it be?” but it turns out needle-point turn on all those stupid tiny corners is, in fact, a new layer of hell i had previously remained oblivious to, but i still did it, and it’s only a little wonky

ok so the quality is shit, but it’ll look real nice when i fucking needle-point turn applique this shit to the top layer and then detail it all in silver when i’ve got all the sandwich together, and i’m real fucking proud of myself for getting the first bucket done, and it even mostly lays flat!

i’ve got this stupid shiny black fabric i’m using for all the visors and it is definitely painful as hell to work with but god does it look nice

[outeremissary]

Fandom reputation: Number one Tristian fan, kingmaker enthusiast with highly interesting thoughts, creator of beautiful little artworks and always so much fun to talk to.

Haha, thank you. Though I think I have been too late on the scene and too antisocial to be number one anything, truly... There are a lot of people out there who have been creating in the fandom much longer than I and have brought really impressive things into being. For reasons that elude me, some even follow me- a great and terrible honor indeed.

I am always happy to hear that the art and the company are fun :) As much as I grow, I know I'm still unskilled in both creative and social spheres, haha. It's high praise from someone as skilled as you. I'm amazed by what you can create and how rapidly you've grown.

[ladsofsorrow24]

reading Look Back be like

[gamebunny-advance]

Huh.

On impulse, I recently posted a bit of my backlog on twitter, and for some reason, they've gotten a lot more attention than anything else I've ever posted.

I'm not really sure why though. I don't think my art has improved that drastically between posts, and arguably my earlier posts came out during a higher peak in the fandom, so I dunno what that's about.