Soft claiming Lady Bianca Cattaneo

As I already told you, absolutely adore the idea of the claim and the little connections you have created to existing characters.

Can't wait to explore a cozy winter season in December ❤️

Claiming Miss Theodora Thorne please.

I'm already intrigued.

oh, shoot. Well, let me try to soft claim: Miss Lucinda Fitzthomas, called Lucy before another I like is claimed lol...

Jumping on the opportunity between two rounds of amazing The Grand Library of Arcadia to announce that the Casting/Claim round for The Season at Rosewood Hall: Love at Yuletide (honestly, this needs a shorter title) will open on November 27th, and the contest will begin on December 1st.

I'd recommend jumping to Casting/Claim, so we can insert you into the universe and make things a little easier for everyone.

That's it, now to regularly scheduled programming!

Hi, hey, been a while, how's everyone doing?

Me? Mostly dead. Turns out litigation really, really is a pain in the butt when it comes to unco-operative defendants! But I'm alive and I need a break from the 10th set of affirmations I need to read.

Anyway: claiming Lady Frances Cavell. See y'all around :DDD

Last edited by Jadis (15/11/2025 at 15:27)

schoggettchen wrote

The Arcane Guild
Host: schoggettchen
Estimated time: No clue
Genre: Magic, Romance, Fantasy

Info: Set in a high-fantasy world, your protagonist (25+) has been accepted into one of the most prestigious arcane institutions ever founded... known as The Arcane Guild.

As a newly admitted member, they begin formal training in magic and uncover abilities long dormant or newly awakened. Along the way, they form alliances, forge friendships, and may discover an unexpected romance among fellow initiates.

But the Guild’s legacy is not without shadows. An ancient force - once thought sealed or forgotten - stirs again, threatening not only the institution, but the balance of magic itself.

Note: There will likely be a Pinterest Board later but no promises on this

schoggettchen wrote

schoggettchen wrote

The Arcane Guild
Host: schoggettchen
Estimated time: No clue
Genre: Magic, Romance, Fantasy

Info: Set in a high-fantasy world, your protagonist (25+) has been accepted into one of the most prestigious arcane institutions ever founded... known as The Arcane Guild.

As a newly admitted member, they begin formal training in magic and uncover abilities long dormant or newly awakened. Along the way, they form alliances, forge friendships, and may discover an unexpected romance among fellow initiates.

But the Guild’s legacy is not without shadows. An ancient force - once thought sealed or forgotten - stirs again, threatening not only the institution, but the balance of magic itself.

Note: There will likely be a Pinterest Board later but no promises on this

Sounds fun, look forward to it whenever you plan on posting it up! Sooner rather than later but yeah whenever you can

Seconding that!

Thanks for the feedback... I'm aiming for end of January/beginning of February. There might be a casting round so we can discuss your character and powers in a different setting

schoggettchen wrote

schoggettchen wrote

The Arcane Guild
Host: schoggettchen
Estimated time: No clue
Genre: Magic, Romance, Fantasy

Info: Set in a high-fantasy world, your protagonist (25+) has been accepted into one of the most prestigious arcane institutions ever founded... known as The Arcane Guild.

As a newly admitted member, they begin formal training in magic and uncover abilities long dormant or newly awakened. Along the way, they form alliances, forge friendships, and may discover an unexpected romance among fellow initiates.

But the Guild’s legacy is not without shadows. An ancient force - once thought sealed or forgotten - stirs again, threatening not only the institution, but the balance of magic itself.

Note: There will likely be a Pinterest Board later but no promises on this

This sounds great.

As promised the Pinterest Board

https://at.pinterest.com/schoggette/the-arcane-guild/

Last edited by schoggettchen (02/01/2026 at 17:26)

The Pinterest board definitely has me even more intrigued (and the intrigue level was already high on my end). Hoping for a chance to step into this world.

Last edited by Dare (03/01/2026 at 16:14)

schoggettchen wrote

schoggettchen wrote

The Arcane Guild
Host: schoggettchen
Estimated time: No clue
Genre: Magic, Romance, Fantasy

Info: Set in a high-fantasy world, your protagonist (25+) has been accepted into one of the most prestigious arcane institutions ever founded... known as The Arcane Guild.

As a newly admitted member, they begin formal training in magic and uncover abilities long dormant or newly awakened. Along the way, they form alliances, forge friendships, and may discover an unexpected romance among fellow initiates.

But the Guild’s legacy is not without shadows. An ancient force - once thought sealed or forgotten - stirs again, threatening not only the institution, but the balance of magic itself.

Note: There will likely be a Pinterest Board later but no promises on this

omg i haven't joined a contest in so long! And it feels right to hop back in with high fantasy heh. Sounds interestingg, can't wait ~

Update: Casting Round will open on the 28th or 29th January and closing on the 1st February. Actual Contest either on the 1st or 2nd February

The SWC forum is one of the few places on LAF that's still active and I adore the community that we've created and continue to keep alive here in spite of no formal updates. With that said I think we're long overdue for a check-in...

First, let's rip the band-aid off and address the most recent contest controversy: It was revealed that AI had been used in some way and subsequently the host made the decision to cancel the contest to be fair to the contestants. Personally, I think utilizing AI is problematic for a variety of environmental, legal and moral reasons BUT I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't think using AI was wrong in this case; as a group we've never discussed it being used and therefore it was never explicitly forbidden for hosts or contestants to use it. I would have been okay with it being stated in the casting that AI was used which would have given me the information I needed to know this one wasn't for me (even though I have to say I was super intrigued by the idea).

Do we want an AI policy of some sort e.g. would everyone be agreeable to allowing AI generated content as long as whoever used it was transparent about it?

I don't think that we need to litigate AI usage in general but I'm not going to try and stop people from saying their piece, just remind you that there are real people behind our screen names and that if you choose to discuss the issue do it without bashing the person.

Moving on...

How's everyone doing/feeling? Is there anything that any of you would like to see in this forum e.g. a poll for the types of contests that we're interested in to help hosts think about crafting worlds that people want to fill, monthly mini story contests e.g contests that are 2-3 rounds vs that now standard 5 for more casual writing, something that allows for free writing e.g. contests where the hosts provide a unique world/ concepts and you basically write up a "day in the life" style entry for something that's low stakes and more self-directed...I don't know I'm just tossing out ideas.

Dare wrote

The SWC forum is one of the few places on LAF that's still active and I adore the community that we've created and continue to keep alive here in spite of no formal updates. With that said I think we're long overdue for a check-in...

First, let's rip the band-aid off and address the most recent contest controversy: It was revealed that AI had been used in some way and subsequently the host made the decision to cancel the contest to be fair to the contestants. Personally, I think utilizing AI is problematic for a variety of environmental, legal and moral reasons BUT I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't think using AI was wrong in this case; as a group we've never discussed it being used and therefore it was never explicitly forbidden for hosts or contestants to use it. I would have been okay with it being stated in the casting that AI was used which would have given me the information I needed to know this one wasn't for me (even though I have to say I was super intrigued by the idea).

Do we want an AI policy of some sort e.g. would everyone be agreeable to allowing AI generated content as long as whoever used it was transparent about it?

I don't think that we need to litigate AI usage in general but I'm not going to try and stop people from saying their piece, just remind you that there are real people behind our screen names and that if you choose to discuss the issue do it without bashing the person.

Moving on...

How's everyone doing/feeling? Is there anything that any of you would like to see in this forum e.g. a poll for the types of contests that we're interested in to help hosts think about crafting worlds that people want to fill, monthly mini story contests e.g contests that are 2-3 rounds vs that now standard 5 for more casual writing, something that allows for free writing e.g. contests where the hosts provide a unique world/ concepts and you basically write up a "day in the life" style entry for something that's low stakes and more self-directed...I don't know I'm just tossing out ideas.

I have thoughts; however, I don't think I have the words to express and post those thoughts yet. So, I just want to acknowledge this post and gather my thoughts before I respond fully. I do think we should have a (this) conversation, I'm just not fully able to do it right now. I'd also like to add that mine (and I'm sure all) don't feel negatively toward anyone participating here. This discussion should be acknowledged that it is about a system, not any person.

Dare wrote

First, let's rip the band-aid off and address the most recent contest controversy: It was revealed that AI had been used in some way and subsequently the host made the decision to cancel the contest to be fair to the contestants. Personally, I think utilizing AI is problematic for a variety of environmental, legal and moral reasons BUT I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't think using AI was wrong in this case; as a group we've never discussed it being used and therefore it was never explicitly forbidden for hosts or contestants to use it. I would have been okay with it being stated in the casting that AI was used which would have given me the information I needed to know this one wasn't for me (even though I have to say I was super intrigued by the idea).

[...]

Hi hiii!

TO BEGIN WHAT IS ABOUT TO BE A (KINDA) LONG THOUGHT, I just want to say there are absolutely no negative feelings towards anyone here; I am commenting on AI usage in general.

AI and Chat GPT is somewhat 'new' and is particularly new to the SWC. I think there not being an AI policy in the first place is simply due to the fact that it hadn't been brought in here at all until recently. While I do agree that we've never explicitly forbidden the use of AI for either the hosts or the contestants, I  for one am against the use of AI in the creative field and I wouldn't want it to be allowed in our writings.

As writers, the struggles of writing the story and the satisfaction gained from successfully COMPLETING it is irreplaceable. There are emotions and thoughts that only us as humans are capable of, and using AI as a replacement is like cutting off your hand so a machine can spoonfeed you. I disagree and I'm completely against the use of AI in the SWC.

I can kind of understand wanting to use AI for the sake of structure, but I would also point out that all of us have our own unique flair to how we present our written structures (whether we host or play). The point of hosting IS to deal with the nitty gritty of structures and rules, see what works for the host and players alike. I think the whole trial-and-error approach is a learning experience to make us BETTER writers. It helps us communicate better, see things from other people's perspectives, make very human mistakes and connections. Just like we’ve had to do before (as hosts), we had to plan out and detail our rounds, our timings, our mechanics as best as we could. Sometimes we did well, sometimes we’d fail. But we learned and became better for it.

What makes SWC so charming is the fact that we get to imagine alongside the writer, join their world and their chaos. AI integration in any form would not only dim creativity, but also create lazy writers with 0 imagination and drive. Perhaps I sounded harsh, but really, I love reading words that an actual person put effort into. The little written quirks, mannerisms and habits that make a person go ‘aha, I know who wrote this’... that's a charm no AI could ever replicate. Nor should they ever.

I do think we should have an AI policy. I would want one that forbids, or more realistically, STRONGLY DISCOURAGE the use of AI. This way, all writers can participate without fearing either the host or player using it. Of course, we naturally cannot stop people from using it as a tool but we can at least hope they won't use it to replace or buff up their own writing. SWC is a gently controlled environment, with rules and guides set in place for both players and hosts. In my opinion, the same way we think extremely detailed descriptions of gore is unnecessary, I also think the use of AI in writing is unnecessary.

Dare wrote

How's everyone doing/feeling? Is there anything that any of you would like to see in this forum e.g. a poll for the types of contests that we're interested in to help hosts think about crafting worlds that people want to fill, monthly mini story contests e.g contests that are 2-3 rounds vs that now standard 5 for more casual writing, something that allows for free writing e.g. contests where the hosts provide a unique world/ concepts and you basically write up a "day in the life" style entry for something that's low stakes and more self-directed...I don't know I'm just tossing out ideas.

I think the idea of having shorter contest rounds is actually pretty cute! It would be a great way to participate in different stories without the heavy dedication needed for bigger contests. Also the poll idea wouldn't hurt ~

Dare wrote

The SWC forum is one of the few places on LAF that's still active and I adore the community that we've created and continue to keep alive here in spite of no formal updates. With that said I think we're long overdue for a check-in...

First, let's rip the band-aid off and address the most recent contest controversy: It was revealed that AI had been used in some way and subsequently the host made the decision to cancel the contest to be fair to the contestants. Personally, I think utilizing AI is problematic for a variety of environmental, legal and moral reasons BUT I want to make it perfectly clear that I don't think using AI was wrong in this case; as a group we've never discussed it being used and therefore it was never explicitly forbidden for hosts or contestants to use it. I would have been okay with it being stated in the casting that AI was used which would have given me the information I needed to know this one wasn't for me (even though I have to say I was super intrigued by the idea).

(...)

Hi all, and thank you, Dare, for ripping the band-aid; it's a topic I believe we should open at this point.

AI has been around for a while now, and I am the first to admit I was benefiting from using the image generation for a while before researching deeper into the problematic nature of it. I did my work in the meantime, realising that the use of it does not fit in with my personal values.

That said, I do not think AI has a place here. In my mind, SWC is a place to develop creativity, stories, and do collaborative writing. Using AI to generate ideas, stories, or entire contests goes against the premise of this space. In my mind, participating and hosting is an option here; it's a skill we are practising, and it's not something that's given to us as homework, a task, or an obligation. The very thing that makes it interesting is that we all have unique, recognisable styles based on our own experiences, mindsets, values and taste, which I think AI will simply blur out into something unrecognisable.

That said, it's my opinion only, and I will not police the usage on my own, but I would still love to know if the host (or contestant) intends to use any AI to generate, correct, or adjust the content of the contest, or even interpret contestants' stories while hosting. Personally, I wouldn't want my work to be posted to any generative AI, even when participating, but again, what the collective decides goes.

If we, as a collective, agree that AI is not banned from this place, perhaps it would be good to let the host set the rules about the use of AI? That said, this is not to bash anyone (especially since I have generated a few images myself to be used for banners), just stating an opinion. The rule can be as easy as: AI will be used to host (for hosts), or AI was used to support the writing of the story (for contestants). That way, we can decide if participation is something we can get behind or not.

Dare wrote

Moving on...
(...)

As for your other question, I'm not going to lie, at the moment I feel like I should take a break from this place for a while. The experience, combined with RL events, has left me somewhat mentally tired, and I do not think I would make a good contestant, let alone a host, at this moment. I'd love to use the opportunity to thank everyone who's chiming in, but also everyone who's been around lately to participate and to host.

That said, I think everyone has a way to reach me, and I'd still love to chat, as we normally do.

I won't lie, I wish there could have been a bit more breathing room before this discussion was brought up but now its here and I think I might find no peace of mind before I share any thought on it, I'll keep it short.

I hate the thing - I think ai have no place in creative places. Especially in this place. Neither for assistance, refinement or generation of ideas, text or images. I don't think I have to go into my reasoning for that. Honestly though I feel complaisant for not calling out the use that has been present over the last years, if it is used by many, it is easy to believe it is accepted by all. It isn't.

I have no desire to create strict rules nor strongly banning it. This place have always been very free and open for creation, but most of all because I hope we don't need to. If that's me being naive, then so be it.

What I would ask, and hope we all agree, on is that if anyone is using ai, in any shape or form, they should state it outright. That way a contestant can opt out of participating if they do not want to partake in the use. I also think that a host should be able to chose if they accept ai usage or not from contestants. For myself, I will most likely not join if a host uses ai, neither would i want to allow any use in a contest I host. But I do think that should be up to each individual.

Yeah, any way we do this it will to be an honour system and I dearly hope that works otherwise we are doomed. So please let us respect each other and each others wishes.

And just on an general note; be f*cking kind.

As for moving on, im not able to flip the switch and I am so tried, and so I think I will lay dormant for a while. And then when that itching creativity grows back I'll be back here with it, like I always am, and I'll probably be up for that conversation then.

Last edited by tricole (04/02/2026 at 22:58)

Thank you to everyone who has chimed in this far and shared your opinions. I appreciate that we can discuss this.

I want to formally apologize to anyone who thought opening up this conversation came "too soon". From my perspective I didn't want to risk resentment building by waiting to bring it up at a later date especially considering how quickly all of this unfolded. However, I do acknowledge that for some people it was viewed negatively and I take responsibility for that impact regardless of my intent which was to protect our community by bringing the conversation to the group as a whole.

For those of you who are choosing to leave indefinitely please know that your creativity and contributions will be missed for as long as you choose to remain away. When you're ready to return you'll be welcomed back.

Tbh I saw no reason for resentment and therefore no urgency from my side of thing. I'm happy to see that at least for us who have posted it seems there isn't any. If there is anyone who feels resentment I'd be happy to have a conversation in private and try to break that down. Because I don't think there is reason to.

And there's no drama with me stepping back rn, I just need a break. I don't feel like I manage to express myself eloquently in these posts so stories are really beyond me.

And on that note I just want correct myself from by my last post where I wrote I that I don't think I have to explain why I dislike ai so much, I actaully think it is very important to explain because I think it works into why I had a strong initial reaction. So here is why I dislike it: There are very heavy environmental impacts created by use of ai and in a world where we already overextend our resources it is devastating to that it is used as casually as it is. More facts about this is easily googled. Ai is trained on so much copyrighted creative material which calls ethical use of it into question. No to mention publishers pushing author's to agree to have their material used for ai training in order to make it legal or ai replacing humans in creative field (and other) where is definitely shouldn't be. I'm no against all use of ai but it needs to be done mindfully and with it being everywhere these days - it just exhausts me.  And lastely it is of my opinion that ai is not capable of creativity as creativity is a human process. Stories is humanity and what I love so much about writing with you all interact with that human touch, experience, emotions etc within the stories and on the side of it. There.

Full disclaimer: I have no skin in this game. I’ve not joined the contest and I've been a ghost flitting around for a while. I also think it’s good to address GenAI use now instead of later, so I hope you’ll let me toss my opinion into this ring.

AI itself has its uses: pattern recognition in data, checking for typos and bugs in text and programmes, but all with necessary guardrails and human supervision.

Generative AI/GenAI, on the other hand, has no place in content creation and publication. It's built off the backs of stolen data, images and text without consent and without appropriate renumeration. It's an incredibly carbon-intensive process, and wastes water and electricity. It's driving a memory chip supply crisis, which raises the prices of everyday electronics like phones and computers. And more importantly, it is replacing very human artists and writers - including us - who spend a lifetime trying to perfect their craft.

I'm not going to extol the joys and benefits of creation. The reason why we're all still sticking around is because we enjoy (I hope!) playing in worlds and creating characters to live in these worlds.  You can imagine how disheartening it is (as both a wayward, hiatus'd host and a participant) to see the highest turnout in this section for a VERY long time go to a contest that now admits to using GenAI.

In any case. Re: usage of GenAI in contests, a blanket ban would be nice, but I recognize this is too much for some. Also, everything here is a play-nice agreement until Beemoov decide to step in.

So I'd like to take a page from my perennial hyperfixation (i.e. gaming) and ask for a disclaimer or a disclosure saying AI was used in creating or assisting the creation of a contest (if used). For reference, this is what Steam is doing for now. The disclaimer goes for both text and images. If we're not banning it, I'd like to be fully informed before I decide to join.

Last edited by Jadis (05/02/2026 at 10:27)

tricole wrote

And on that note I just want correct myself from by my last post where I wrote I that I don't think I have to explain why I dislike ai so much, I actaully think it is very important to explain because I think it works into why I had a strong initial reaction. So here is why I dislike it: There are very heavy environmental impacts created by use of ai and in a world where we already overextend our resources it is devastating to that it is used as casually as it is. More facts about this is easily googled. Ai is trained on so much copyrighted creative material which calls ethical use of it into question. No to mention publishers pushing author's to agree to have their material used for ai training in order to make it legal or ai replacing humans in creative field (and other) where is definitely shouldn't be. I'm no against all use of ai but it needs to be done mindfully and with it being everywhere these days - it just exhausts me.  And lastely it is of my opinion that ai is not capable of creativity as creativity is a human process. Stories is humanity and what I love so much about writing with you all interact with that human touch, experience, emotions etc within the stories and on the side of it. There.

I fully understand your disdain for AI. Aside from all of the reasons you've mentioned which are completely valid (and a bit scary considering reports from the U.N. about things like a global water bankruptcy) I write full time for a living and when ChatGPT was first rolled out to the public I told my handler at the company I was freelancing for that in a year we'd be out of work...it took less than 6 months. I was one of the lucky ones because I retained private clients who value me and I was temporarily able to pivot into another industry but it was a significant hit. Also new AI policies from Amazon (Kindle) are making it more difficult for authors who don't want their content scraped...

Jadis wrote

In any case. Re: usage of GenAI in contests, a blanket ban would be nice, but I recognize this is too much for some. Also, everything here is a play-nice agreement until Beemoov decide to step in.

So I'd like to take a page from my perennial hyperfixation (i.e. gaming) and ask for a disclaimer or a disclosure saying AI was used in creating or assisting the creation of a contest (if used). For reference, this is what Steam is doing for now. The disclaimer goes for both text and images. If we're not banning it, I'd like to be fully informed before I decide to join.

I want to piggyback off of this and say personally I'd like an outright ban on AI too.

I also want to make it clear that I don't think that asking for a ban on AI is "too much" to ask at all. Aside from the fact that people have been creating for CENTURIES without it in this forum we've been doing this for YEARS without using AI (sidebar: if you have some free time go back and reread some of the old stories, they're really good). To suddenly feel a need to bring it into a space that's 100% voluntary and is "judged" in a way that 1) has no bearing on real life at all, 2) is subjective to the whims of hosts and as a result often (if not always) includes something for everyone at the end to acknowledge their contribution/creativity feels (and I say this without judgment) wrong (again, I want to be clear this is NOT a judgment; I don't know why someone would choose to use it and it's not my place to say that there's a 100% right way for anyone to express themselves). I understand that in general there are people who've become highly dependent on AI for various reasons and I'm not disputing that it can be difficult to wean off of it but this forum is a perfect place to do just that because ultimately we're a pretty supportive and welcoming community.

Last edited by Dare (05/02/2026 at 17:41)

Dare wrote

I want to piggyback off of this and say personally I'd like an outright ban on AI too.

I also want to make it clear that I don't think that asking for a ban on AI is "too much" to ask at all.

[...]

To suddenly feel a need to bring it into a space that's 100% voluntary and is "judged" in a way that 1) has no bearing on real life at all, 2) is subjective to the whims of hosts and as a result often (if not always) includes something for everyone at the end to acknowledge their contribution/creativity feels (and I say this without judgment) wrong.

I mean, I appreciate that you do support a blanket ban - you never stated outright, but given we're writers I sort of figured that was our default position. Besides, we're all speaking from general POVs and in the spirit of the issue.

But more to the other points: I'm not going to comment any more on whether people should or should not. I think I've made my position clear enough. At the heart of this is both AI use and the transparency/integrity, and I think having at least a baseline disclaimer/disclosure of GenAI use would go some way to fixing it.

Last edited by Jadis (06/02/2026 at 10:23)

I'm not gonna push for a ban, I rather want bottom line full disclosure. But neither would a ban change my own preference for writing and hosting, so if it's the want of the majority I'll gladly accept that.

I mainly came here to say this: if you are around reading this and haven't shared your opinion yet, please do so! Even if you are not a constant participant, or mostly flutter around lurking. If not publicaly here, then privately to someone who have been vocal. It's important we have a guage on the whole of the community not just a few loud voices, for the sake of a decision and for the sake of knowing what it is will be respected. But then maybe many of you already have, I'm not the most sociable so I'm not the best to know, I just think it's important that any agreement is made public so we can avoid similar upheavals in the future. Thanks.