The blog update you didnt know you needed (PLEASE READ!)

This is gonna be an interesting one... Buckle up, cus I have big news! I know this is long, but please read through if you can!

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You may remember a couple months ago when I was polling here (and on instagram, webtoon, etc) about ai art... and, well, i lied back then about just "being curious".  The truth is, I wanted your genuine opinions because I was presented with an opportunity to work with a new webcomic platform company, and was considering it seriously. 

The company is called "Glow" and it's a brand new startup that is creating a new type of webcomic app that allows creators to make interactive updates for their readers to play through (Think... dating sim/choose your own adventure). Things are still very new for them, their team is pretty small, and it may be a long road to their success, but honestly-- I love these guys. I think they have a really great vision, and I think they have a TON of potential. Not to mention, creating a visual novel type game is something that Rowdy and I have talked about doing a LOT some day. So this sorta... falls within the same realm.

My only major roadblock to their offer was the fact that Glow is using ai technology to help their creators with their interactive updates. ... If you've been anywhere BUT under a a rock for the last few years, you probably know that ai art is pretty TABOO in the digital art world. There's a huge morally grey area when it comes to copyright, what makes an "artist" an artist, and artists losing jobs because of ai. Needless to say, I had a LOT of questions and concerns.

Rowdy and I met with the team and had a couple in-depth meetings about their intentions, how they plan to go forward with branding themselves, things that they'd learned and were still learning... etc etc. They explained to us that the ai models they use are made with the creators own artwork, and remains individual to that creator. We talked contracts and legalities... and I mulled it over for about two weeks. I considered the results of my polls a LOT.

The large majority of your votes said that ai was an acceptable "tool" for artists to use, but that it was too controversial right now to fully support (which is absolutely fair). You gave a lot of good feedback (which I REALLY appreciated!) and after a while, I'd pretty much decided that I was going to turn down the offer. I felt a little bit like I was betraying myself as an artist, or... going against my own best interest somehow?

But, then we had one more meeting with Glow. I expressed my concerns/stipulations, and they were willing to meet me where I was at with all of them. Basically-- I told them I wanted the ability to hand-edit any of the ai artwork that is generated from my own artwork before it goes live. This means that: the art I give them is used to create the model > the ai images are produced > I am returning the images to my own hand for authenticity sake. This means the final product ends up being an ai-hybrid rather than JUST ai art. And, to me, that makes it truly more of a "tool" rather than a replacement. 

There's were some other stipulations that we agreed on too; one being that I was going to be 100% transparent with YOU guys here on Patreon. Congratulations! You are now guinea pigs in this whole process! LOL. Nothing that is produced with Glow is going to be promoted on Webtoon/Tapas until I get genuine feedback from YOU patreons. 

So, what will you be giving me feedback on exactly? Well, that's the fun part :) 

We are making "PLAYS" -- the interactive updates where you as the reader will select choices of what a character says/does. You will "play" through the scene from the perspective of one of my characters, and based on your selections, your experience may be different than someone else's. You may even unlock little surprises at the end!

It's been a few weeks since Rowdy and I officially started working on the first "PLAY". We've written a script together, and I recently I have been working with Glow's ai designer to create the Fletch and Judas models. At this point, I REALLY hope you all start getting excited-- Because I am! <3 I'm learning a lot and I'm having more fun than I thought I would, and I think I made the right decision deciding to join their team. This is the kind of opportunity that doesn't come around very often and the deeper I get into it, the happier I am that I decided to take a chance. The first "PLAY" should go live sometime in November, and I'll be counting on you guys to give me honest feedback of your experience. <3 <3 <3 

Now-- some things to note

- These Plays will not interfere with regular TLLT updates or your patreon rewards. Nothing will change as far as my update schedule, and I'm prioritizing the long-term vision of the comic over this side quest lol. 

- I can't guarantee how long I'll be working with Glow, or how many Plays we will create. The contract Rowdy and I signed is up to a year-- but I can back out at any time if things go south or I feel like I can't handle the workload. 

- If you guys have questions or concerns with this endeavor, please don't hesitate to ask! Like I said I'm gonna be very transparent with you. :) 

Are you still reading? LOL. I know this is super long... But this is a big deal for me... So thank you for listening! Now, I'll give you the rest of the blog in a condensed version.

#1 - I've been busy (see above LOL). But I've been feeling good!!! It's great to be motivated.

#2 - I got an unexpected raise at my hospital graveyard job! My department is slightly less underpaid now~ Hooray!

#3 - Rowdy and I made fast friends with a webcomic artist named Lennon-- she is the creator of "Faroff" on Webtoon, and if you haven't read it yet, consider giving it a try! It's really well done! She is also reading TLLT and loves it <3  

#4 - Next month I am going to start the grueling process of formatting TLLT Volume 2!!! My goal will be to have the formatting done by Christmas, so that after new years I can get some quotes from my printer and get the next Kickstarter set up!

#5 - More info to come on the first TLLT "Play" later. I'll make another post when I have a concrete date set for the release, and I'll give you guys all the information on how to access it. :) For now... I will tell you this much-- it takes place in Judas' Mamas house, out on the balcony that night Fletch slept in Judas' bedroom! <3

--- Okay that's enough, I've typed way too much. Hope you are all doing well! Let me know if you have any questions! ----