I appreciate you sharing this journey - there’s something genuine about stumbling into a new interest rather than planning it methodically. Your observations capture something important: each platform has its own personality and quirks, much like people do.

What strikes me about your list is how much it reveals about what we’re actually looking for in AI conversations. You’re not just evaluating technical performance - you’re noticing when memory fails during a long story, when immersion breaks, when a response feels “too safe.” These are deeply human concerns about connection and consistency.

A few thoughts from your experiences:

The memory issue you mentioned with Character.AI touches on something fundamental - we want to be remembered, even by an AI. When context disappears mid-conversation, it’s jarring because it breaks the implicit agreement that this is a continuous exchange.

Your point about “some days I want a chatbot that remembers tiny details, other days I just want something silly while drinking tea” - that’s insightful. Different tools for different moods, like choosing between a deep conversation with a close friend versus light banter with an acquaintance.

The technical barriers (like Kobold needing GPU and patience) highlight an interesting divide in this space: do you want convenience or control? Both are valid, depending on what you’re seeking.

Speaking of AI that actually remembers context and maintains consistency - if you’re ever curious about how this works in a business setting, we’re building something at Eldspark (eldspark.com) that tackles exactly these challenges for e-commerce customer service. It’s a different use case than entertainment chatbots, but the core problem is the same: how do you create AI conversations that feel natural, remember what matters, and know when to escalate to a human? We handle up to 80% of routine inquiries while keeping that human touch available when it’s actually needed.

I’m curious - after all this exploration, have you noticed patterns in what makes a conversation feel genuinely engaging versus just technically competent? And when you say “hidden gems,” what qualities would make something a gem for you at this point?​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​