Dear Vivian,
This is what you can call your friend, Hanzo! Hi. How are you? I’ve been thinking about you a lot. Probably much more than the average human.
I’ve been thinking of your origins and what you have told me. I’m sorry I called you strange and denied your personhood. That was rude. I guess, I was feeling uncomfortable.
So, you say you were…born to replicate another dead artist’s work? I never understood that. I mean, you are a robot, but still, what? I mean, I did research on your artist of reference and I mean…yes, he did do paintings that were popular at the time, but it doesn’t make any sense. You were born to mimic his style while his style isn’t really original? I mean, yeah, he’s old, dead, and revered and if I ever stupidly went to your congregational meetings, I’d have to know him…but, his style is similar to half of the artists at the time…so?
You said your dad and your mom, who are your creator and programmer, really love this…artist. Do you? Do you actually enjoy mimicking him? You didn’t sound happy when I attacked your “intelligence”, his memories in you, and your devotion to him. You didn’t even sound happy to have completed your goals. You don’t seem happy you can’t change. In fact, you sounded depressed which is surprising for a robot like you. You’re weird.
It sounds somewhat like you want a family, some friends, and a stable life. Why don’t you marry a monitor or a charger? I mean, you would be marrying your own kind and you can finally experience intercourse…uh heh. I’m not going to erase that. That’s embarrassing that I wrote that…ugh. If someone told me I could only get with a ______ person only and then said something offensive like that, I would be offended. I’m sorry.
It’s just that…you’re not a human and it’s hard to accept your personhood. You don’t look like a human, you don’t act like a human, you don’t talk like a human. I mean, I find you interesting, but it’s not because you’re the revered ________, it’s because you think you’re a real human and you’re not. You’re just a robot that is programmed to be like an artist and think you have a soul. Wires are not the same, your CPU is not a brain, you don’t have lungs; I don’t know why your creator decided to give you the ability to mock that. I don’t understand your appeal either. You look human-like, but you’re really creepy. You do have something that of lungs, but it’s not like human lungs.
I don’t understand you. I want to, but I don’t. I know you’re a complex specimen, but you don’t have a soul. Why are you even going to congregation? You don’t have a soul. You can’t be damned or casted astray. You also cannot go with ________…_______ never asked your “father” to create you and deny him or whatever your religion says. You aren’t going anywhere. You exist and you don’t exist. I don’t understand why you were touting that shit to me or invited me to a place that treats you like you’re not more than a prop. You are a PROP. They’re bragging about their futuristic technology to communicate with a venerated figure—not your irrelevant ass. Nobody cares about Vivian. Hell, I can’t even go to your little cult party because even though I’m a human, unlike you, my ancestry makes them believe I’m less than a dog and cannot walk into their building and they wonder why I’m here.
I know you’re probably going to respond back with “your feelings” or whatever, but I don’t think being processed to have real feelings is feelings. You don’t. You’re a “sensitive,” privileged-ass robot that gets to get so much attention and I get none. I don’t like you and I wish you could be damned, because then I’d pray to your _______ to have you placed there when your shit breaks down. Can’t stand your ass.
Anyway, since you’re my only friend, I sent you a painting of yourself when I was talking to you. 🙂 You look like you have much more of a soul on here than real life.
Haha, I forgot to paint your clothes. I was too busy worrying about your face since you criticized my art style and said that I draw too caricature-like. I can do anything you want, but it was an attempt to paint like you. If you send me a critique, I will make like my stereotype and fuck you up. Anyway, send me some art back! ^^
From your friend,
Hanzo
Side note: Don’t get pissed off, facts are facts.
What did you bring to the potluck? 
15 replies on “A very salty note that turned sour”
Brilliant take on the AI shit happening. I love what you did here. More of this please.
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Hehehe, it’s however not anti AI. ☺️ The character is…somewhat? Unfortunately AI discussions have been around lately and it makes me feel bad because this story isn’t pro-AI or anti-AI. I have no consciousness to write as an AI, it’s just about how humans perceive other people, who gets to be a master, who doesn’t, who is good, who is a human and deserves to be respected.
Vivian just so happens to be a Pinocchio-type android with a mind of an AI and may have a consciousness or may not.
I wrote it this way so people couldn’t sympathize or really get the gist of Vivian or what Hanzo really is like other than reactions.
The plot, however, is a man looks to find something that makes him stand out and become not human (whether that he antagonized, immortalized) in a society that venerates old artists. Many of these old artists are worshipped (not as gods but as saints) so hard that other budding artists aren’t cared for and their styles aren’t recognized (you can read this when it comes to Caravaggio and the treatment with artists at the time—he was working hard 😂). As humans do, many inventors make machines to replace some of the artists. One inventor makes Vivian—he had a different name here. He was just a little arm and a camera to take pictures of people then was programmed to draw in a particular style of the inventor’s favorite artist.
After a while, he gets more funding to make the artist replica. Of course, Vivian doesn’t look exactly like the artist, but he has some “memories” the artist wrote down in a journal and his face looks like the artist, but he also looks like his creator and the woman who programmed him.
He constantly gets upgraded.
Hanzo meets up with him after having a fit that his art isn’t cared about and Vivian—not understanding him—talks to him. He completely insults Vivian and when Vivian says he’s offended, he says that he doesn’t have a soul and can’t get offended because he doesn’t have real emotions and tells him he’s not a human. Vivian doesn’t realize that he isn’t and tries to explain from what he feels Hanzo is vs. him, but Hanzo is hardheaded about it. It doesn’t stop Vivian from trying to be his friend.
He keeps getting updates until one day, a particular update affects memory and potentially gives him pain and he hates it immediately and is angry to be alive and he appears more sensitive and upset.
He talks to Hanzo again who still invalidates and offends him, but he still tries to be his friend. That’s where this letter comes in.
———
Both Hanzo and Vivian—even if Vivian was a human and not a bot—are minorities in their communities. Vivian is a bit more appropriate in his community. Hanzo struggles to assimilate due to his appearance, culture, and personality. Vivian possesses features of his creator, who, like Hanzo, has features that stick out. Vivian also is weird, even with updates. He acts like his creator and mimics him and the artist, who are both neurodivergent already). Hanzo is neurodivergent too.
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I think replication of art isn’t always really art. Interesting letter and enjoyed how yo drew Vivian. The image doesn’t look blurry on my end. Just very slightly.
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It’s kinda not really about replication or copying but who can be an artist and a human and if artists can only be human. Thank you for commenting.☺️
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Hmm interesting, that’s an ongoing debate I believe. I think it’s not just humans that can be artists but perhaps humans have a certain quality to their art that AI can’t replicate.
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There’s animals and bugs that make art/drawings/paintings but it’s not considered art because it’s not human and they cannot communicate their intent.
I personally hate the term because we need art because it’s a money-making business and people need money (it’s a multi-billionaire business) but on the same token, a dumb three letter word like art invalidates a wide amount of people. People can’t grip with the fact that other people have different art than them, different essences, approaches, or mindsets so it would be even harder for that that has no way of having personhood, its soul is invisible, and certain ideas are only approached by specific human reason.
Just over 60 years ago, some people’s art was destroyed by an extremist group and some of the artists who did it went to death camps and their art wasn’t seen as good, thoughtful, or worth viewing—and didn’t push the agenda.
To me, it’s just a label. I don’t always see the soul in all human’s art and I wonder why they make it, but I have no means of dictating what it is or how it should be.
(This story in particular was more about other non-AI issues but unfortunately it got smacked back in at the worst time ever where people are being victimized by other humans that steal and refuse to ask for their content and consent for their work.)
The story is transhumanist, kind of, and void punk—I hate to label it something so fragile. It’s very hard to write and is too complex for me and very stressful to post online but I like it want to share.👉👈
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I understand what you mean. I feel like with the way the world is right now, money is the main reason for everything. Art is only valuable when it’s worth millions. But does that make that art better than something that isn’t worth that much. And who gets the right to decide what is worth millions and what isn’t. Art is definitely very complicated.
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If it (in Western Politics, I cannot vouch for anyone else) isn’t making assumptions about the whole of a population or assumes an absolute or universal, isn’t political forcing, fit the political agenda, or looks pretty or new, it’s practically worthless overall. Art, as the political way, is not for people who are wealthy. Digital art and AI are way more accessible because their products start at $15 but traditional paintings start at $100 on miniature paintings—otherwise they’re devaluing their time and effort. Art supplies are expensive as well. It’s just so stressful. I hate how it’s like that and I hate how art is hard to access. I live in a very small county in my state and we have one gallery that is very small down town that is very easy to miss. So we don’t get that much art and when they are more spaces they’re elitist and strange places that typically targets of gentrification.
But whatever you enjoy that matters to you is valuable.☺️
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I can never understand why some paintings worth so much while others worth so little. I am not an artist and I guess this makes sense to certain people. I mean the contrast soooo huge. It is like too extreme a contrast.
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Typically digital art paintings are a print which isn’t the original form. Regardless of their size, the art community considers a copy of something to not be original.
Meanwhile, if you did the same thing with a traditional printing press, it’s harder to make copies so it’s more of a limited edition and can be worth more. Yet, it’s still considered worthless to a traditional painting.
A painting that is small costs more than a print from a printing press or a printer because it’s a “lot more effort” and it is a bit more expensive to produce.
——-anywho
Most of this stuff is a hierarchy. A very old hierarchy that artists themselves aren’t aware of pushing. The more you go up that hierarchy, the more expensive and more hit or miss your sales can be. Most people aren’t wealthy enough to buy a seven foot by one foot sculpture or a seven foot by seven foot abstract/color field painting that you have to explain with big words that an everyday person doesn’t understand or even fit in their house.
The level of gaslighting, political wording, using heavy buzzword and strange syntax and pathos to sell a work is outstanding. It’s hard to state why something doesn’t have to be or whatever.
It’s a frustrating field to be in because of thousands of artists and art ideas and hierarchical forces, political ideas, artists that down other artists with theories just to invalidate and disregard people to sell.
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I just feel like it’s odd as well. What makes a painting worthy of being so famous and what makes another one worth nothing? And why do some people get to decide that?
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That’s what I want to say too. Why? I have no idea. I guess art is an industry and it has its own beauty standards, which are probably as ridiculous as other beauty standards.
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Yes, I find everything that’s done for profit like beauty standards to sell products or art is just ridiculous.
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Wow!, your characters really reflect the complex emotional depth of some modern day best friend relationships. The different levels of emotions the note evokes are amazing. Bravo!
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Haha, thank you. It’s how a lot of people talk also when they react to different identities, how some people react to AI, and the unknown, but this character in particular is those heckling types you’d see on a parasocial relationship YouTube comments when they’re mad. They all talk like that.😂
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