In the wondrous age of technology, where dreams and imagination converge with AI’s boundless potential, I find myself standing at the precipice of a lifelong aspiration. As a young girl, I was enchanted by the captivating world of manga, yearning to pen my own tales and craft anime games that would enrapture hearts. Yet, the path to artistic creation was riddled with challenges, and I could only wonder if this dream would forever remain beyond my grasp.
However, as time unfolded, the world underwent a revolution of its own — the emergence of AI and open-source tools breathed new life into the realm of artistry. It is renaissance of possibilities, where the fusion of technology and creativity transcended boundaries. In the heart of this technological marvel, I found my calling.
The first step was to embark on my quest to create a visual novel, a medium that allows storytelling to bloom in mesmerizing ways. Armed with determination, I delved into the world of Ren’Py — a powerful tool for crafting interactive narratives. The journey began with the installation of Stable Diffusion’s dependencies on my trusty 💋 Mac M1. Alas, my GPU was not as speedy as I hoped, struggling to cope with the magnitude of samples I envisioned. But the spirit of an artist knows no bounds, and I persisted.
txt2Img Prompt [SD input with M1 (Mac) GPU]:
smiling, close-up, portrait, quirky handsome bearded man with brown hair, wild mane of unkempt hair and intense green intelligent eyes with glasses, dressed in a viking robe and holding a math book
Evolution of “Theo” — Last iterations were done in the cloud, thanks to vast.ai.
Last iteration of “Theo” — Character from Brain vs. Heart (My upcoming Visual Novel)
To infuse life into my characters and their dialogues, I turned to the marvels of AI writer tools (In this case, infamous chatGPT). These ingenious creations became my allies in weaving intricate tales, filling the canvas of my upcoming visual novel with the colors of enchantment. But I did not merely rest on the laurels of AI automation.
My art school teachings intertwined with my AI-inspired expressions, transforming the output into something uniquely my own. This cemented my initial belief that AI is a tool, you need a human to refine the output.
As the canvas of my imagination blossomed, so did my vision for the visual novel. It was more than just a tale; it was an experience — a medium to impart important life lessons, wrapped in the embrace of light-hearted entertainment. The prospect of sharing this creation with the world, of touching hearts and inspiring minds, filled me with an overwhelming sense of joy and purpose.
In a world where some may fear the rise of AI, I chose a different path — a path of enlightenment. My visual novel is becoming not just a product of automation, but a testament to the potential for human-AI collaboration. By embracing these tools, I had unlocked a universe of creative possibilities that once seemed unattainable.
I vowed to make my first iteration freely available to all — a gift to the world, a tale to inspire and delight. With every passing week, I will update and evolve, sharing my learnings, my failures, and my growth with fellow developers and artists around the world through this medium. The aim is not just to create something awe-inspiring but to foster a community of creators embarking on their own AI-empowered journeys.
And so, the adventure has just begun. With each step of my creative process, I will be documenting my journey in a series of posts, detailing the art of crafting this captivating game. It’s an ongoing saga of passion, determination, and collaboration with AI, as I navigate through uncharted territories of artistic expression. Together, we will unveil the magic of this fusion, illuminating the path for others to follow in this magnificent realm of art creation.
In the spirit of Edward Gibbon’s eloquence, I pen my tale — a testament to a dream pursued, a celebration of artistry and technology intertwined. As the arc of my journey unfolds, I beckon others to embrace this magical realm of art creation, to harness the potential of AI tools, and to discover a world where dreams need not fear the embrace of innovation.
In this luminous age, we wield the brushes of AI and the pens of imagination, painting a tapestry of boundless creativity. Together, let us cast aside trepidation and welcome the future, where the dance of technology and art shall guide us to greater heights of wonder and self-discovery.
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