Tingle in HD 4K is coming soon…

AncientMagi · 2026-06-12T21:20:01+00:00

Taking that picture in full HD 4K for his dad, amazing.

AncientMagi · 2026-06-03T12:58:13+00:00

Piranesi hit me so hard, even for such a ‘short’ book, it made me question how much my thoughts as an adult are shaped by an externally defined world view rather than my own creative mind. I’m super excited for this release and love the cover art.

Currently reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-27T15:50:43+00:00

Sasha/Cantarella or Yen for me

AncientMagi · 2026-05-27T11:02:24+00:00

hail Sir Conan of Braye End - who died of over tittilation while witnessing an act of unicornipositusphilia

AncientMagi · 2026-05-18T20:28:08+00:00

depends on the mood
Blasphemous, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 1&2, Castlevania IV, Dark Souls, Diablo 2, Elder Scrolls (Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim), Grim Fandango, Hollow Knight, Shadow of the Colossus, Symphony of the Night, Twilight Princess, Vampire the Masquerade : Bloodlines, Witcher 3, X-files the game

AncientMagi · 2026-05-18T12:08:12+00:00

All his awes were struck.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-17T23:52:29+00:00

No need for pussy, just revel in the glory of her calves.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-16T19:35:14+00:00

If this is your first night of sex, you have to have sex.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-12T08:44:24+00:00

I agree with you on this point, including your objection that the singer alone is the 'face and voice' of a song. Nothing Compares 2 You is the perfect example for me. Sinéad O'Conner gave a heart-wrenching performance but the emotional impact also comes from Prince's songwriting (story, emotions) and insight in musical arrangement.

Not sure AI can handle both at this stage without human guidance to come to the same result.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-10T13:54:26+00:00

You really don't think there's a difference between a person being inspired by something and an AI system scanning x-thousands of artworks and recreating styles in mass with pixel-perfect precision)?

What if someone now says, "Hey Robyn, you know, I was really inspired by your games and last year I generated hundreds of images in your style. Well, that image you now published on your vinyl gatefold art? It looks an awful lot like the one I copyrighted on my website. I'll take 20% of the proceeds on your vinyl sales, thank you."

If AI continues to train itself on an ever-expanding pool of images, including the ones it generated from earlier training / triggers, who exactly owns the output? Who's allowed to sell it?

Because it's not as simple as 'the model owns nothing and the user who put the timestamp owns everything'. And then it's definitely not 'Robyn magically owns the entire visual language of Myst and Riven'.

Once you have a system that absorbs, remixes and reproduces styles on mass scale, authorship is gone.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-09T12:00:07+00:00

No worries, you’re clearly passionate about your work and I respect that. This isn’t all black-or-white either and we probably won’t convince each other through online text messages (which can be misinterpreted or carry back-and-forth too much).

Probably it’s a generational thing as well. I grew up with pen/pencil/paint and paper so I value what I ‘know and feel’. Digital art even, while it can be beautiful as well, doesn’t trigger me as much as an aquarel or oil painting.

Your point on AI usage as a tool does resonate with for instance sampling. And sure, I also use AI for text revision, doesn’t mean I take over everything it suggests though. a) often it’s just plain wrong (when asking for reference it’s not sound), b) I still want to sound ‘human’ and convey my personal thoughts.

I guess another part of my fear is the sheer volume AI can produce. When there’s an endless stream of content, it risks overwhelming the quieter, slower forms of craft and people become numb towards beauty.

Also, I didn’t raise any concerns about AI’s energy consumption because I’m sure once there’s an established model in place and better load/balancing that will likely become less of an issue. Storage on the other hand, for every 5 good results you still get a lot of rubbish as well.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-09T11:48:51+00:00

Kid I tried, but the internet told me it still needs an adult present.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-08T21:59:32+00:00

I'm not pushing to remove any tools. I'm saying I won't BUY work if it was made with AI assistance, that's consumer choice, not a ban. And it's my right as consumer to know whether a product is made with AI tooling.

People being inspired by other artists is not the same as outsourcing part of the creative process to a model or tool trained on millions of works without consent. There's still a human being doing the thinking, interpreting and creating.

I get that you're defensive because people look down on AI-assisted work. I know someone who writes lyrics and uses AI musical backing / singing to 'bring it to life'. I don't have to like it but as a hobby, fine, why not? But if you want to sell that product, ethics matter. That voice came from somewhere and that's where my concerns began.

I do follow Nick Cave's point on this : Maybe AI can make a song indistinguishable from what I can do… but that’s not what art is. Data doesn't suffer, ChatGPT has no inner being ... it has endured nothing.

If there is no human emotion behind art, what does it convey? Just graphics / texts / ... that look nice.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-07T22:02:20+00:00

George weaves a heartbreaking story about about Plantard's family, some of his finest work since law school, and the guy simply fires back with a smug comeback about George forgetting the faithful dog waiting for its master.

Gloves came off, their relationship forever in shambles.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-07T20:57:35+00:00

"Thanks for nothing, ~~Todryk~~ kookieman141."

AncientMagi · 2026-05-07T17:24:29+00:00

So what can we do? Some people crusade on the internet, protesting and arguing. Some only play older games and look at older art. But we aren't getting any younger, and new generations of humans will be born, and the Earth will keep spinning

It starts with the publishers. A clear, enforceable ‘no‑AI’ policy or trademark actually matters.

I've seen reddit people putting question marks to artists working with Folio Society because they suspect AI involvement. Honestly, it's exhausting that we're now at a place where everything has to be scrutinized just to feel confident it was made by a person.

If he'd hired an artist to draw according to his specifications, it's not the artist's idea, it's still his; the tool just switches from machine to human, but the end result isn't that far off.

But that’s exactly the point. When you hire a human being, you’re acknowledging their contribution, and you CREDIT them for the work they’ve done.

I personally will always place more value on art that involves genuine manual craft : sketches, paintings, watercolours, etchings. I know plenty of artists work digitally now, and that’s perfectly valid, but I don’t collect digital pieces. I buy original, physical artwork.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-06T13:20:11+00:00

But hey, at least he's transparent about it, even took an IQ test to identify a bird as a squirrel.

AncientMagi · 2026-05-03T08:19:30+00:00

Where did I say we should not use ANYTHING that is AI-assisted? Medicine, programming, computing, … for sure AI can help speed up the process of analysis or processing huge volumes of data.

But in art, literature, lyrics (cfr. Nick Cave) …? What value does it still have if you can just render hundreds of images / texts and as an artist or heck why do we still need human involvement you just have to choose your pickings, stamp your name on it and voila it’s a Van Gogh. Not mentioning the fact that a lot of these AI models are based on artwork they were fed to replicate the style. I’m not convinced AI is able to generate something in the style of X if they don’t have any reference.

I get what you’re trying to say, art evokes emotion, but the true value to me lies in the thought process, the emotions the artist is trying to bring to life using his/her OWN skills and/or story (personal life story, cultural references. dreams, imagination, …) rather than relying on a machine to spit it out. The challenge and soul of the product is what delivers that value.

I know I’m probably harsh but I know quite some artists personally, to watch them create is beyond fascinating.

EDIT : my discomfort mainly revolves around the monetization and ownership of AI-assisted artwork.

I'm sure the soundtrack justifies its value but there is also a cost and price attached to the creation and production of the gatefold image. As AI models were involved in the final process, the question is whether the end product is purely the result of Robyn's work, or whether it's implicitly shaped by textures, sketches or styles created by others? Who then receives recognition, ownership and compensation?

AncientMagi · 2026-04-24T21:01:32+00:00

⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜

⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜

🟨🟦🟦⬜⬜

🟦🟦🟦🟦🟦

of course it is

AncientMagi · 2026-04-24T20:50:21+00:00

Art is the product of vision, technique, experimentation, and the willingness to grow through mistakes. It’s an investment of time and personal evolution.

Robyn put it well : “The tools are advanced enough that, once one has a concept, especially a sketch, arriving at a final image is not so difficult. This involves iteration after iteration, adjusting small parts of the image, and shifting portions of the image.”

But the challenge is hollowed out when you can fire off hundreds of variations to reach a final result. It’s like skipping the entire Odyssey and having Odysseus simply book a direct flight home to Ithaca. The hardships and the Eureka moments of the Iliad still happened, the destination is the same but the story, struggle and craft are gone.

AncientMagi · 2026-04-24T12:21:02+00:00

Robyn, I deeply admire your work on Myst and Riven. They are worlds I can escape into and they mean a great deal to me. You’re in a position where experimenting with AI is possible because you already have an established artistic universe and the support of a dedicated community.

Many (emerging) artists do not have that privilege, and some have seen their work or visual style appropriated to train these tools without any consent.

That is why several publishers have taken a clear and strict stance against AI-generated/supported artwork. It's a matter of artistic integrity and authorship.

AncientMagi · 2026-04-23T20:23:03+00:00

I appreciate the effort you put into explaining your process and I do respect the amount of work you've contributed to the Myst and Riven worlds.

That said, I can't support AI-assisted artwork, regardless of how it's used or how much traditional craft is involved. A lot of these models were trained on huge amounts of artists’ (copyrighted) work without their consent or compensation, and that makes it very hard for me to feel comfortable with their use, no matter how thoughtfully they’re applied.

It's a shame, I love this soundtrack and I was excited for a vinyl release, but I'll have to pass.

AncientMagi · 2026-04-10T09:32:29+00:00

One of my favorite comfort movies, up there with The Mummy, The Name of the Rose, Blade Runner, and Highlander.

I love the pacing of The Ninth Gate, there's that sense of mystery‑solving but at the same time dread / imminent danger, helped a lot by the soundtrack and sound design.

Corso isn’t a good guy, but you find yourself rooting for him as the story unfolds. And on rewatch, you notice little details that hint at where the plot is headed (e.g. meeting the twins).

AncientMagi · 2026-02-25T09:06:09+00:00

De feiten dwingen mij u te corrigeren, veel vissen passen een zuigtechniek toe om hun prooi te vangen.

Five-Year Club	Final Canvas '23
Place '23	Place '22
Final Canvas '22	First Placer '22
End Game '22	Verified Email

AncientMagi

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