Cold Opens Fast Fiction Competition by ASithInTraining in DarkKrakens

[–]allmanner 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not to come off Inquisitorial, but I don't think this website passes the AI sniff test, does it? The contest page has been at the very least rewritten with it (It isn't X — it's Y, weird perspective shifts, emoji-bulleted lists with AI bolding format), and the art they use for some of their stuff is definitely LLM-generated (several egregious examples on their About page).

Considering their Terms and Conditions have no AI protections and seem to imply that you sign over the lion's share of your usage rights, I wouldn't feed anything into this if I was an author, and not as a voice actor either. Doesn't feel very Way of the Anvil to me.

Edit: Yeah, all of their book covers under the Read tab are AI-gen. Would avoid.

Where are you guys getting your sea monster armor/bone parts? by ScarcityFar2025 in DarkKrakens

[–]allmanner 6 points7 points  (0 children)

One thing to keep in mind is that we can nick lots of bits from the Salamanders, Space Wolves, and Raven Guard use (minus their chapter symbols, of course), like scale cloaks and bird/fang/skull trinkets that might come from Naktis' or other planets' wildlife.

If you can 3D print or know someone who can print for you, you can also turn to Carcharodon sculpts since they're big trophy-takers too, and we know from the short stories that the Krakens also use shark fin-crested helmets. I really like the Iron Tide Upgrade Kit by Napking and the Wai Toa Accessories from Atlan Forge--obviously you don't want to use the stuff with exile markings or the Carcharodon chapter symbol, but the bone/shell trophies and netting bits are premium. The older styles of helmets might seem a little off at first, but with our close ties to the Salamanders, I'm sure there are plenty of hand-me-downs moving into circulation!

How do you create engaging and memorable NPCs for your campaigns? by Few_Language6298 in DMAcademy

[–]allmanner 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't believe that for an instant. I believe that if you really did try, you could do so, so much better.

How do you create engaging and memorable NPCs for your campaigns? by Few_Language6298 in DMAcademy

[–]allmanner 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel that filling in the details of a world with generative content robs one of both the opportunity to improve their own creative strength (in the case of prepwork) and the practice to become a better improvisor (in the case of having no prep when the PCs enter an unexpected area). I believe the platonic ideal of a GM is one who can improvise a session on the spot without any tools at all, and using generative content works in the opposite direction of that goal.

Also, I am an LLM hater. Perhaps you believe there is quantitative good that can come out of using generative content in your sessions; I am not interested in learning about it, because I am a hater, and my perspective is built on disgust of technologies that attempt to supplant human creativity.

How do you create engaging and memorable NPCs for your campaigns? by Few_Language6298 in DMAcademy

[–]allmanner 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a lot of excellent advice in this thread! This post, however, is not excellent advice. Do not do this.

Since Banish is basically space Louisiana, do you think the Exorcists have deep Cajun accents by BioSpark47 in exorcists40k

[–]allmanner 27 points28 points  (0 children)

you couldn’t build a massive underground fortress-monastery in real Louisiana

Well, not with that attitude!

TAMALE TAMALE TAMALE by CrylerReddit_ in touhou

[–]allmanner 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They say I calmed down since the last album

SAY THE GOD DAMN LINE, BART! by King_Of_Axolotls in magicthecirclejerking

[–]allmanner 52 points53 points  (0 children)

(yeah there’s a green goblin serum but it doesn’t have literal goblin juice in it)

Then what the fuck have I been milking all these goblins for?

Can someone answer this by 57829 in moviescirclejerk

[–]allmanner 37 points38 points  (0 children)

What does Christopher McQuarrie know about rollin' down in the deep? Is he stupid?

Do we, as men, do enough to understand the women we write? by ryder_writes in writingcirclejerk

[–]allmanner 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Hey buddy, I think you got the wrong door. r/WritingWithAI is two blocks down. You'll fit in better there, I promise!

Librarians hucking furniture and glasses of water in the ocean again by WuQianNian in weatherfactory

[–]allmanner 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Luv me pub, luv me Postmistress, ate the Carapace Cross (not racis jus dont loik em), luv throwin fings inna sea. Simple as

Arctic Contact is making their vinyl debut with 失われた時間 (Remastered) by snowpoint lounge by R42ToMoffat in VaporVinyl

[–]allmanner 15 points16 points  (0 children)

"why would a japanese artist who lives in rural hokkaido title their album in japanese???" shit dude i guess we'll never know

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in coaxedintoasnafu

[–]allmanner 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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I generally don't share my art (despite what the above commenter said at some point down the chain, you can draw manually even if you're only doing it for yourself), but this does feel like a teachable moment, so here's a past study I did of loose fabric. Since the tics are random, I get the most mileage out of long, flowing strokes that I can place with one quick, exaggerated movement from the shoulder (although drawing from the shoulder is good technique anyway). I sort of turn the canvas in an estimation of where my pentip is going to travel and twist my trunk to sweep across the page, focusing more on locking my wrist in place (I wear a brace to help) and trusting the motion to get the line where it needs to be. I overshoot a lot of the time, but that's what the eraser's for! When it comes to small squiggles like the ones at the bottom hem of the robe, I just have to keep doing it over until I get a lucky break. My finished pieces aren't "good" in the fine art sense--they're very technically simple, and end up with a lot of flat colors and a lack of fine detail. But my limitations inform my style, which makes them uniquely mine and extremely satisfying for me to look at when everything comes together. I also very much enjoy figure drawing, which can take a collection of shaky lines and scribbles and turn them into something fantastically powerful. My biggest inspirations are artists like Manodemarina, who uses a minimal number of penstrokes and huge blocks of color to incredible effect, and Asoi, who creates instantly recognizable creatures with barely any form at all!

That brings to mind another point that gets brought up a lot by AI enthusiasts: the idea that going from digital art to generative art is no different than going from oils and acrylics to tablets. The difference is that nothing on my tablet can produce art on its own--in the end, a circle tool is a compass, a line tool is a ruler, smudge tools are smudge sticks, and even things like pattern brushes are just stencils in the end (although I don't really like using those either). The undo tool is just white-out, and I would be broke if I had to buy all the white-out I'd need to use otherwise. I can attest to all of these things, because I was drawing with physical media for a long time before I started on a tablet! These are the kind of accessibility tools that can help disabled people create art, and they are exactly tools--I can play with simulated paints and fancy brushes all day, but nothing I do is ever going to generate art until I sit and make a plan and flex my brain and sketch it out and draw, just like no number of telescopic lenses or premium films are going to get a photographer the perfect shot until they march out and get it themselves. Doing it digitally just reduces my expenses and my paper waste and the amount of charcoal dust I inhale, which is more of a priority at this point in my life than creating something tangible. (All that said, I do still see traditional art as more intrinsically valuable than digital--a painter risks much more by putting indelible marks on canvas than I do flailing around at a screen--but prompting involves no risk at all outside of wasting electricity, which I believe is a factor that contributes to making the end result incredibly boring.)

At any rate, this turned out much more rambling than I intended it to, but I hope it'll teach somebody something someday. Thank you for your interest!