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ValKalAstra

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Everything posted by ValKalAstra

  1. ValKalAstra
    Yah, this is a thorny subject for sure. A while back I decided I'd rather ride the wave than be crushed by it and took the time to familiarize myself with AI image generation. This has given me a perspective that I personally consider more healthy for my frame of reference. First I think there's a notable difference between snapshot AI art and deliberate AI art. Let me explain the difference to me: Snapshot AI Art is basically just feeding a prompt to midjourney and getting back a fancy image. You might reroll a few times but that's it. Deliberate AI Art is using something like Stable Diffusion, training LORAs, feeding it a basic prompt, inpainting aspects, adjusting CFG values, clipskip, samplers, controlling poses and lighting with Controlnets, learning additional extensions for specialised purposes - it very quickly gets very elaborate. At that point I felt reminded of a debate I had seen a few times in my life, that of what real art is and isn't and how some new technology will always kill it. I've seen it with image editing, I've seen it with digital cameras. I've seen it with mobile cameras and easy filters (which by the way, machine learned!). It's a scary new technology, there is a lot of FUD floating around about it but at the end of a day it's a tool that will change how we approach media yet again. There's already an interesting cultural change happening now in that the typical midjourney style is rather notable, as is the generic AI Girl Face. If you follow the AI communities closely, you'll see them find even more issues, such as repeating patterns, perspective troubles or shadows that are wrong, clothing lines that make no sense, even buttons that are off. While yes, it's very easy to create something pleasing, people are quickly adapting to it. As are professional artists - there are more and more works generated in a blend between traditional art and generative art together. Ultimately, tastes will change because of this but I've got no doubt that talented people will create much better works than someone just putting in prompts. Then, as for selling things in Second Life - honestly, the only thing I mind about that is the marketplace becoming even less usable as generative spam will drown it out. Perhaps that will light a fire under LLs bum to get that fixed? A girl can dream! As for myself, I'll probably chuckle about people selling their quick AI prompt image but if it looks like actual work went into it - I really don't mind, as the additional work and effort put into it is precisely the human element detractors claim is missing. Right now I also find it easy to tell whether something was just a prompt or actual effort. That might change, sure - but culture changes constantly.
  2. ValKalAstra
    Ooh - those updates sound lovely. The ability to save eye-looks? Yes please! I'm always scared to make changes to them for fear of never quite getting them right again. It's an irrational fear as I know which options to use but this would make me much more likely to experiment with different styles.
  3. ValKalAstra
    So this song gave me a bit of a nerd girl moment. I was halfway through listening to the song premiere when I suddenly sat up straight. Wait a second. RONDRA? THE WAR GODDESS RONDRA? WAIT. IS THIS A DARK EYE FANSONG? WAIT, FINSTERWACHT? OF COURSE! OH MY *SQUEEEE* IT IS!
  4. ValKalAstra
    Gosh this song is just the best collision of things that should not work but somehow do. So, this is a cover song. The original song was a blend of scream metal with scooter hardstyle techno music, set to a backdrop of the worst of the 90s style clichés. Then along comes this cover version, which adds an additional element by turning it into a german folkrock song and it somehow works. It just works. It's so stupid and I love it.
  5. ValKalAstra
    Does the world need more Nina Stickers? For sure! New LayerDiffusion is actually pretty neat. Having near on perfect transparency on generation is a big deal.
  6. ValKalAstra
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/191119559@N02/53560834476/in/dateposted-public/ Technically, that's my avatar and that's how I looked today. The cat. I mean. That counts, right?
  7. ValKalAstra
    Pet Peeve: When daring to point out a bad symbol in someone's tattoo, (all i said was that it was an unfortunate tattoo), gets you dogpiled in hateful instant messages (to clarify, not by the one with the picture) and reprimanded by group moderators to say only nice things or nothing at all. I guess that's one less photography group to participate in.
  8. ValKalAstra
    I mean - that's more or less what happened. Any topic was just one step away from turning into something gender and then things went flying fast.
  9. ValKalAstra
    I don't think we will ever get an off topic section again. Mostly because LindenLab was a lot more lenient about these things not too long ago and what they got as thank you was a lot of angry in-fighting, flamewars, name calling and just an overall political sludgefest. They rigorously shut that down and in the process, shut everything not strictly related to SL down as well. I can say, the Forum has gotten a lot more peaceful since - but it also has gotten a lot more chilling. However to a company, peace and quiet is worth more than ugly mud fights over super charged US politics. They could give us an off topic forum but that would mean inviting all of that back in and needing to moderate things more actively again - yah I don't think that will happen. It's just easier for them to occasionally boop folks if they get too off topic.
  10. ValKalAstra
    Second Life is an interesting beast in ways. I like to style myself as a social butterfly, I don't usually struggle meeting people. That's true enough for Second Life too. Meeting someone isn't hard in Second Life but what's curiously difficult for me is to stay connected, to find a common ground. Part of that is probably my nature of being a weirdo and virtual photographer, so I spend large amounts of time with my HUD off, looking at dx drawcalls and cryptic settings but more often than not, something just does not click in a way like I am used to in other virtual worlds. There's something to the fabric of social interactions in Second Life that is different from what I am used to. Am I owed any friendship, hell no. It's just that none of the social trappings I have learned in RL do work for me in SL and as a result, I find myself with next to no contacts in SL. Most of my time is spend alone or with very fleeting interactions. It's not for lack of trying either, I have reached out to various people, tried to engage with their art, talk about mutual passions and I guess folks just lost interest quickly. I'm not bitter or angry about that, it's cool, I am just saying that even outgoing people like me might run into trouble making connections in SL. So with that, I can relate with the feeling of having no friends in SL.
  11. ValKalAstra
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/191119559@N02/53553776021/in/dateposted-public/
  12. ValKalAstra
    Doing some more experiments. For some stubborn reason only my broken mind can fathom, I decided to go the insane route. Make a character lora - then use SD to generate my SL character. Both the pictures are 100% entirely AI and yet could be mistaken for some touched up SL Flickr Shots, I feel. Also heeeellooooooo uncanny valley!
  13. ValKalAstra
    A folkmetal cover of a german Reggaeton song, with a guest appearance by swiss singer Melissa Bonny about... I guess flirting rituals in a "club". Pretty tongue in cheek overall. Also superb make up and outfits. Do want.
  14. ValKalAstra
    Took a bit of a time out from the Forums. Either way, sometimes you just need a hand. https://www.flickr.com/photos/191119559@N02/53504393010/in/dateposted-public/
  15. ValKalAstra
    Alright, so with a bit of time, I decided to do a cheap and cheesy sunday morning study. Mostly to check my own biases but also out of curiosity, I went to a website for drawn images of certain acts and looked up the frequency of these topic related tags. Okay, maybe it's those anime people being anime people (no judgement). Let's do a similar search on a website for videos of real people doing funny things. Had to censor out some things because the forum can be a bit overly triggerhappy on certain terms. Well, that's interesting to me. Obviously this doesn't meet any scientific rigor, I didn't factor in filter bubbles, alternative terms, etc but it does indicate that there might be a gender lopside within the kink - but that lopside might be in a surprising direction. This brings me back to your question here: I do the impolite thing and reply with a question: Why are the women there? I'm serious. Especially in the framing of Second Life where there exists something even more powerful than a safeword: The ancient rites of Alt+F4. Why? In any BDSM interaction, the power lies with the submissive. Hands down. No exception. Any deviation from that isn't BDSM, it's a felony. In your example, the men are dressed, because that is the specific kink and the women are undressed, because that is the specific kink. It's a kink both sides consent in and choose to engage in. Okay you want to argue that it is misogyny in which case I want to point out: Andrea Dworkin that way waits, with her ideas about coercion and I am not sure that's a discourse worth going into. Imagine then a counter example. A male avatar decides to go into a lesbian club and attempts to have heternormative adult interactions there - and then claims misandry when he gets tossed out. Is it? Hell no. It's sexual preference. And I have seen that happen. Many times and I've heard it happen in gay clubs too that women go there on a mission and throw around loaded terms when they get ejected. So, to finally answer your question: If the club is explicitly about CMNF - you'd get tossed out. If the club is about BDSM in general, you'd be welcomed and mind you, you'd be the bloody star of the show (when I found myself more comfy with myself going from a sub to being a domme, I started being overwhelmed with attention from submissive men). If the club is about CFNM, it would be your turf and if someone were to show up with CMNF there, they'd get tossed out too. Just like heteronormative gets thrown out of a homosexual club if they push the envelope. Just like you'd get thrown out of a dance club with a ball dress code, if you show up in lingerie. Just like you'd get thrown out of sailing yacht club, if your ship is a battlecruiser. With lasers and hello kittie stickers. Seriously. It's preference. It's a BDSM interaction with a clear power structure. Remember, the submissive has at all times the power to safeword out of a situation. Yes that includes a situation such as the tagging you mentioned. Ideally, a dominant would veto or manage the tagging (because the dominant talked to and negotiated those limits beforehand. First line of defence). Any kind of tagging in irl is always, **always** bundled with explicit negotiations of safewords. In SL, some forget negotiating terms and safewords - yet even in that case, the ancient rites of Alt+F4 apply.
  16. ValKalAstra
    I mean, not to start fires or anything but why judge what two consenting people are doing? Sexuality is endlessly complex and aspects of BDSM even moreso. Maybe to some it's a form of respect, for example the submissive may enjoy seeing their domme in a beautiful gown (or suit, or whatever!), toying with the idea of contrast. To me it's respectful to feel out what a submissive may desire and then work to fulfill those desires as good as I can. Maybe to others it's a form of humiliation, of being made to be seen by strangers like that, while they submit to their domme. In which case it indicates the transfer of power in a visible way that goes beyond a collar or a ring of o or any other symbol. Or it's a completely different reason why they're doing this. If they get enjoyment out of what they're doing and are both consenting (while obviously not breaking laws) why judge? Why the mockery and sneer and attribution of malice and lazy intent? Reminds me of what my gender studies professor used to say. Loose translation of what she said: "We stormed the House of BDSM with such righteous fury and anger, we missed that half of us were already there".
  17. ValKalAstra
    On the upside, the weather has finally caught up with the temperature in my heart. Pet peeve: Getting caught in it without sunglasses because I'm an ascended form of jackass. Tried to squint and use my scarf as eye protection but it might not have been enough. Blegh.
  18. ValKalAstra
    I still remember the times when a request for help was met by the lovely "FAQ-U" - but maybe I just spent too much time on Quakenet back in the day.
  19. ValKalAstra
    Eddy Vortex, look I'm just that strange random gal on the internet, but here goes anyway: What I've seen of you here on this forum, in this limited capacity, tells me that you've already left a positive legacy with many people. Will you leave an epic legacy? Dunno. We've got the entire state of Florida trying stunts like building hamster wheels to cross the ocean and even they don't get a footnote in history, just a funny headline on the side. However, you never know who needed a smile or wholesome laugh that day. Keep being you, keep making people smile and while your legacy might not be written about in history books - it'll be tangible to others. --- And that's enough from me, aight, Nina out!
  20. ValKalAstra
    I love this idea - maybe ideally with a wide variety of styles too, as that is what I connect with maitreya in my head.
  21. ValKalAstra
    Most inconsequential pet peeve: Indecisive "Spam" E-Mails - would you bloody pick a language already, Flickr? Spam in quotation marks because obviously, I could turn it off. I was just amused that it can't decide which of Switzerland's languages it should use and bounces back and forth between them all the time.
  22. ValKalAstra
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/191119559@N02/53357546435/in/dateposted-public/
  23. ValKalAstra
    Zero second bans are a bad solution to a problem that never needed to be one in the first place. So, so many ways to go about it that don't involve a "break and yeet" bandaid that immediately turns people antagonistic. Especially official solutions could and should do so much better. You're telling me LL couldn't implement invisible walls that prevent trespass to begin with? Or a fallback system that places an avatar back at the last safe position they were allowed to be in? Or a system that drops them at the nearest public Rez point so they can get back on track? Maybe actually fix how forced teleports and sim crossings just break core components of SL? Or place the avatars nearby, outside the banline and maybe let them one time re-rez only their vehicle if they were on one within a leeway period. Can still timeout people if they hit the barrier again. There's a near infinite amount of ways this all would become a total non issue, with land owners never having to deal with it and explorers not getting the nuclear castle doctrine blasted into their face over a random moment of lag or jank. Nope. Gotta be break and yeet, so residents can claw into each other.
  24. ValKalAstra
    Peeved about the fact that I finally had to give in and put someone on ignore. It sucks, because sometimes they're helpful and provide incredible insight but even when they do, it's still just so full of attacks, hate and anger against everyone even remotely nearby, it's baffling. Common typo, actually - they meant grift and fee Joking aside, could be they were gifts once and the maker just forgot to edit the keywords, perhaps. I still think 3000 for a shape is - maybe I should get into the shape making business.
  25. ValKalAstra
    I've had some success with an - ugh - flat ass deformer (https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Avatar-Clinic-Ass-Enhancers-Flat-Ass-DEMO/19361119). It needed some overall tweaking of the lower body shape still but it wasn't too round anymore. Oddly enough I also needed to increase my butt size to 30 because anything below just saw it balloon again. Can't take a picture right now but maybe give the demo a try? /edit: As for the dimple discussion, not gonna lie - me as a total blender noob looked at that and went "yup, that's a vertice gone bad while mirror editing, better smooth that out". With how pronounced it is in anything but super flat light, it seems more like an accident than intent.
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