Today is the last day to join, so if you want in on it, be sure to read over the rules and PM Shakespearicles!superbike · 4:30pm Nov 6th, 2023
I've been playing with the Bing image creator. (there's some writing updates and more AI art after the jump)
What They Expect to Give is over 12k words so far. I'm super excited about what I'm doing with Sassaflash. I'm also eager to start expanding on Twilight's subplot. So far all the girls have felt like they've truly got their own lives and their own challenges they're struggling with, but not Twi. Part of that was simply because of how much stuff was going on before. There wasn't enough time to get into her life. Now that there's a lull in the action we can slow down and catch up with everyone's favorite egghead.
Honestly, I've been thinking a lot about What They Expect to Give and what kind of story it can be. Is it a romantic teen drama? Yeah. But could it be a magical girl adventure with mobsters? Yes! I kinda wanna go that route, but I wonder what people will think. I almost feel like Rainbow and Fluttershy getting together and copping to their ulterior motives is basically the completion of the first story arc. The next story arc is dealing with their interpersonal problems (with each other, with their families, with school) before they go on to a new arc where they have to deal with the Trog-Els.
I dunno. I realize that any further complication of the story's plot means that it won't end anytime soon. I'd like to end the story, finally. But I want to tell a good story, y'know? The best it can be. But it's been... what? Seven years since I started WTEtG? At some point, I have to ask myself when I wanna just wrap this up and move on. Not that I'm tired of this, far from it! But I DO have original projects that are kinda languishing because of how much energy I put into fanfiction.
I just wish I could get hired to do some live-action Equestria Girls CW adaptation or something.
Anyway, that's mostly it regarding writing. It might be tough getting some progress today because my son has an appointment this afternoon which is usually when I try to write. I've been getting active on Twitter again, in case any of you can stomach getting on that site. I give more frequent writing updates there.
I've been trying to play around with AI art generators. The ones I've had the best success with is the Bing Image Creator and also Gencraft. I've tried Midjourney in the past, but I hated the way I had to submit prompts as a free user. I may try it again soon. My aim is to generate some art for my fanfiction, but I have to keep the prompts simple or things get wacky. Like atm, I can't seem to get multiple subjects in a picture and have it make sense. I DID get some pretty good ones, though!
I think I'll use this one with AJ somewhere. Not sure where exactly. Likely it'll be somewhere in her and Sunset's spinoff fic.
This is the closest I got to what I imagined Rainbow Dash looking like if her dark transformation had completed in the story. I kinda like that she looks like a broken doll, too. I might use that.
This is the one I'm most excited about! It's Sassaflash! Doesn't she look great? I'm going to try and slip it into one of the early chapters, maybe.
Ah, I loved this one with Sunset, though I wanted her to have a darker skin tone. It's for an upcoming scene in What They Hope to Find ch6.
I was trying to generate something cute for a scene in What They Expect to Give ch35. I really like this one with Twilight, but I dunno if I'll use it.
For another upcoming scene in What They Expect to Give ch35. I was trying to generate what A.K. Yearling would look like as a professor. I kinda like how scary she looks here, lol. Again, not sure if I'll actually use this.
If I generate enough art I like, I may share them here. Feel free to use these for whatever you feel like.
That's all from me. Take care everyone. Hope you're all doing well.
This is disappointing.
5753934
The art or... The lack of progress? I'm confused.
5753936
The AI stuff. Are you going to be using it for cover art or anything?
5753938
Aw, sorry it's not your cup of tea! As to your question--Honestly, probably not? I enjoy some of the generated images, but I also have very specific visions for what I'd like my covers to be, and I can't seem to get what I'm aiming for with the AI limitations. So much easier (if more expensive) to commission an actual human artist to bring my ideas to life. The art I'm generating, if it's used for anything, will be used as chapter art.
Can I get your thoughts on what you dislike exactly? I was experimenting with different terms in my prompts. I find Bing Image Creator doesn't seem to work the same as the others.
5753940
I just don't really like AI generated images on principle. They exploit the labor of actual artists without credit or compensation in their algorithms.
Thats the ethical side of it. From an actual quality side they just feel... Soulless. Something pretending to be art, technically they are fine (when they aren't merging limbs or adding digits), but they lack, you know, humanity. The direction and intention that only a Human can put into a piece.
5753970
Understandable! I respect that opinion. That's why I still like to commission artists for stuff. The AI art was just a way to fool around, and then I realized some of it could be used for chapter art. The results it's able to produce are (to me) pretty impressive, but I get it if you just dislike it on principle. Bing specifically uses DALL-E 3 which does a fairly good job generating a variety of styles. You're right, though. Most of what it makes I reject. The images in my post were the best of dozens of attempts.
Hey Nines, about the AI art, I don’t know how I feel about it. On one hand it does look good but knowing it was made by an AI rubs me the wrong way. (Especially since I’m an artist myself)
That being said, I’m opening my mind to it, I don’t think I’d use AI personally myself, but I have tried out an Adobe AI generator. (Encouraged by my teacher)
He said even if we hate it we should try it because we might learn something new. And I did hate it but for me I’m recognizing it as more as a tool to generate ideas.
So if that’s what you intend to mainly use it for that’s a okay with me.
It’s just tough to open up to new things, doesn’t mean I have to like it but it’s still tough :/
5754376
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I can certainly respect that. I am not without some artistic skills, but I've always been frustrated by my inability to draw what I see in my head. That and just how long it takes to make anything. I illustrated this a few months ago, but that took many hours over two weeks. It would've taken longer if I was working full time, so I'm grateful for that. Recently, I started to feel guilty about playing with AI art, so I tried to draw Sunset Shimmer. You know what I did? This! lol. Not even close. That was about an hour of work to scrap there.
My point is that what I enjoy about AI art is how it has made art more accessible to people. Rather than pouring hours into a piece that I'll ultimately be dissatisfied with, I can get something of higher quality that hits much closer to the mark. Now, I realize the counter-argument is to get better at art, but, I think at the point I'm at with my skills you have to be dedicated to getting better. The problem is, my heart is with writing, not visual art, and always has been. I lack the drive to want to get off the plateau I'm on. I have great respect for artists who do, and if I had buckets of cash, I'd hire them to do my art instead. But I don't.
I can totally understand and sympathize with how AI art would rub you the wrong way as an artist. As a writer, it rubs me the wrong way too! The thought of people using AI to generate whole novels sounds really gross to me. Kind of on a lark, I decided to toy around with AI recently to see how it could help with generating ideas for writing. It's shockingly good at bouncing ideas off of. My pride has forbidden me from copying and pasting anything it gives me, but it cut my research time down to a quarter of the time it normally would (which is good because it turns out ch35 for WTETG had quite a bit of research required!) When used correctly, AI can be a great boon.
Anyway, I appreciate your input. Hope you're doing well. 🙂
5754385
What you’re you’re saying here makes sense.
It allows you to get references in a way that helps convey your ideas easier (Pinterest and google can only take you so far I guess lol)
The topic of AI has been a tricky conversation for the past couple of months (and years too). Especially online tbh.
But yeah, the way you’re using it is fine with me, especially if it’s able to cut down research time for you.
Obviously using it for money in any type of way would be a big no no for me.
I’m still iffy about knowing it’s AI and seeing it but it’s not going to ruin my reading experience or anything lol
Also hope you are doing well too : )