dahlia

This whole ordeal starts in the summer of 2026 on the main aphmau website, aka Aphmeow.com. As a promotion for their back to school line, this image was uploaded to the website.

Now you might not have clocked this as AI generated immediately, I was skeptical, but you can see where the cracks are showing when you look at the notebook on the right. It looks totally wrong, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.

People rightfully clocked this as an AI generated/assisted image within hours of it's posting, both fans and people who have previously worked with CatFace. I first cocked an ear at this whole controversy because of posts made by a voice actor who used to work with them, and when I dug into it, there was not any confirmation from the official team. In this stage of speculation I also heard a claim that I'm going to put in this post, but I need it to be read with many grains of salt.

There have been allegations made that on a job listing for CatFace studios within the last few years, there was a requirement for applicants to "be comfortable with the use of generative AI in the creative process." I have not seen any screenshots proving this, I have checked their recent LinkedIn listings and not found anything to this effect, and I cannot verify the truth of this claim. I bring it up because its a claim that you will hear thrown around this discussion, and I want it to be treated with a critical eye.

I don't think it's impossible that such a thing was on their job listings, I just cannot find proof that it ever was. Also I think it's important to remember that some companies use products and services that have generative AI features built into them, so comfort with those is necessary if you're going to work with them. It's possible that's what the listing is talking about, or it's possible that higher ups will ask writers to use ChatGPT to improve their workflow. We don't know.

Now let's get back to the thing we have proof of, that promotional picture. This we know was AI generated/assisted because shortly after it was posted, the image was taken off of the website and CatFace posted a statement on their Instagram addressing the controversy.

This statement is... a mess. I don't like it, it gave me a bad feeling the first time I read it, and it's only getting worse the more I sit with it. On the surface this seems... fine, but any additional thinking about it shows some flaws in the arguments proposed by the team who posted it.

The main thing that gets to me is the second paragraph, talking about contract artists and previous incidents. To be frank, CatFace seems like a terrible company to work at as a contract artist. Looking up "catface glassdoor" pulls up numerous reviews left by employees past and present, and discussions about how the reviews left aren't even news to some people. Some controversy about people lying in those reviews, and maybe some of them did, but if enough reviews of your company say the same thing, then it's not judt ex employees with an axe to grind.

A lot of these GlassDoor posts talk about a very toxic work environment, one that is unfortunately common for big channels like this, but is still a problem. A lot of crunch culture, last minute changes to staff and plans, and generally leaving a very bad taste in their employees mouths when it comes to the higher ups of the company. In a culture of crunch, where deadlines are sometimes impossible, artists are pushed to their absolute limit in what they are physically capable of. And if they're a contract worker who's ability to keep getting contract work depends on fulfilling these impossible requirements, they might be pushed so far they take desperate measures.

Like using Generative AI to meet those deadlines. And this is why I take issue with the mention of contract artists and previous incicents in this post. If there is a previous history of contract artists using generative AI to meet production deadlines, that is not necessarily the fault of the individual contract artist, even if this post is trying to make it sound like it is. It's the fault of the company that pushed these artists to their absolute limit so much that this has taken place multiple times.

I've heard mutterings of other antics Jess and Jason have gotten up to with AI on twitter, but I have too much respect for myself to actually log onto that website. So if anyone has any proof of any of that, I'd love to see it. As you may be able to tell though, misinformation spreads fast.

That's why I'm making this post. So that way everyone can see what actual easily compiled evidence there is, and come to their own conclusion about continuing to give their viewership to this company and their products. It's on you to decide if you want to keep supporting these series, and I'm sure you won't be alone if you decide to disown it but take a small handful of your favorite characters and claim them as your own.

Dante - Embarrassed & Calls You Out

“It’s so hot out here!”

Your eyes snap over to Dante as the words leave his lips. You’re about to make a retort about the humidity and whatnot, but you’re blindsided by the sight before you.

In a rush to relieve himself from the heat, you watch as Dante grabs the neckline of his sweater and pulls it over his head. In his rush, however, the boy fails to realise he’s grabbed the edge of his shirt until it’s already been pulled from his body.

You silently stare at the boy as he awkwardly fumbles around with his partially-removed clothes. He’s just managed to separate the collar of his shirt from his sweater when his eyes suddenly dart around and- whoops!

He caught you.

“Hey!” With his arms still pulled through the sleeve of his sweater, Dante attempts to shield his bare torso from your gaze. It doesn’t hide the flushed expression though. “Stop staring at me!”

Nervous laughter bubbles up in your chest as you awkwardly avert your gaze. 

“Don’t laugh at me!” The boy huffs.

“I’m not laughing at you!” You quip in retort.

“Then what are you laughing at, huh?”

You pause for a moment, the image of Dante’s torso still floating around in your mind. He takes good care of his body, that much is clear, but you don’t think he wants to hear that right now. Instead, you shake your head. “Nothing.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Travis - Embarrassed & Doesn’t Call You Out

You don’t usually find yourself sitting at Dante and Travis’ dining room table, but you’ve learned not to question Aphmau when she sends you to retrieve ‘super-secret-amazon-deliveries’ from Dante. In reality you know she just wants to surprise Aaron with a gift, but you don’t understand why she’s chosen Dante as her dealer.

Either way, you’re stuck waiting as Dante rummages around in the basement.

You bide your time by scrolling one of the several social media apps on your phone, but the sound of stomping feet suddenly catches your attention. 

You’re not scared since you saw Travis’ car in the driveway, but you’re surprised by how quickly he descends the stairs. And, wait, is he running down the stairs with wet feet?

“Dante!” Travis calls as he descends down the stairs. “Dude, I found your-”

Travis stops at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes locked on your figure at the dining table. You, on the other hand, can only notice how the boy is half-soaked and practically naked.

Your eyes flit between the boy’s exposed torso and the towel that’s loosely draped around his waist. “Hey Travis…” You start. Trying, and failing, to look away from Travis, you awkwardly wave at the boy.

It seems like the sound of your voice is enough to make Travis snap out of his momentary trance as he retreats back upstairs.

His footsteps make it halfway up the stairs before approaching the bottom once again. As if hesitating to face you, Travis hesitates.

“Can you tell Dante I found his hair gel?” The boy asks, though he stays hidden from your gaze.

You hum to yourself, partially amused, before replying. “Sure thing.”

Once you give your reply, the boy retreats for good. It’s almost a shame how quickly he fled. You never would’ve been able to guess that Travis had a sleeper build.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Jeffory - Nonchalant & Calls You Out

You haven’t been going to the gym with Jeffory for a long time, but you’ve gone enough to be surprised by his commitment to sweaters. There’s nothing wrong with wearing a sweater while you work out, but at this point you’ve started to grow curious about what lies beneath.

Yes, you know that you could just ask Jeffory to take his sweater off but that would require a level of shamelessness you have yet to acquire. That being said, you’ve come up with a plan.

Just as your companion is finishing his final few sets, you stand off to the side by the mirror wall.

“All done?” You only glance over at Jeffory as you ask him the question.

You can hear your companion quietly grunt as he places his dumbbell back on the shelf. As soon as you know he’s looking, you flex in the mirror and take a photo of yourself.

Jeffory walks over and leaves a respectable amount of space between him and yourself; exactly what you’d expect from him. “Looking good!” Jeffory compliments you so earnestly.

“Thanks… I’m sure you look better, though…” As you meet the boy’s gaze in the mirror, you’re suddenly unsure of yourself. As a matter of fact, whose bright idea was this, anyway? Getting Jeffory to strip by comparing physiques? That’s never going to happen!

A nervous laugh bubbles up in your chest as you reach for your sweater.

As you start to pull your arms through the fabric of your sweater, you suddenly hear the sound of fabric hitting the floor. You’re pretty sure that can only mean one thing!

Your head snaps around to Jeffory but you’re taken by surprise. Not because of his physique, but because, as it turns out, Jeffory doesn’t wear a shirt under his sweater!

“Jeffory!” The boy’s name slips out unceremoniously.

The boy glances back at you with those green eyes of his before smiling. “I’ve recently started cutting.” He replies. “Juding from your reaction, I assume it’s going well?”

With no thought spared to pick your jaw up off the floor, you nod. “Respectfully, it’s going very well.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Garroth - Nonchalant & Doesn’t Call You Out

As the summer heat begins to wear you down, your only saving grace is the thought of cooling off in your neighbour’s pool. The boys have allowed you, as well as the majority of your friends, the liberty of using their pool. All they have to do is send a text first.

You, of course, sent a text as soon as you saw the heat warning pop up on your phone. You’re pretty mindful not to come too often. You may have the OK, but you’re not one to push your luck.

That being said, you didn’t expect to find a floating body face-down in the pool when you arrived.

“Garroth?” You nearly drop your phone as you run to the edge of the pool. “Garroth?! Are you okay?! What are you-”

You’re cut off as the blonde boy suddenly flips his head to look up at you. “Hey! You finally made it!”

“I finally made it?” The relief and irritation slip out at the same time. “Garroth, why were you floating in the pool face down? I thought you were dead!”

The boy gives you a strange look before shaking his head. “I was seeing how long I could hold my breath!” He explains. “I almost made it to a full minute.”

Finally feeling your adrenaline start to subside, you can’t help but laugh. “You’re such a dork.”

“Hey!” Garroth frowns as he swims to the edge of the pool. He stops right beside you. “Is that any way to talk to the person whose pool you’re about to swim in?”

“No, but I…”

The two of you lock eyes for a moment but it doesn’t last long. As Garroth pulls himself out of the pool, your eyes drift down to his exposed chest.

Gosh, you feel like such a pervert as you watch the water roll off of Garroth’s body, but you also can’t seem to pull your eyes away. Even as the boy follows your gaze down to his body, you can’t find the decency to at least pretend you’re not gawking at his body.

Garroth smiles at you, perhaps knowingly, as he walks by. You try to distract yourself by walking over to a lounge chair, but the real distraction comes when you glance back to see Garroth’s back on full display.

It probably wouldn’t hurt to swing by the pool more often.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Laurance - Plays It Up & Calls You Out

“Take that, soccer boy!” You stick your tongue out at the boy. “You owe me push-ups, loser.”

Though Laurance pouts, the coy tone he takes gives his true feelings away. “Hey! I only lost because you distracted me!” He argues on the brink of his own laughter. “How about double or nothing?”

You laugh and shake your head. “That was the double or nothing round. You don’t get two double or nothings.”

“Can’t you let me skip out on the punishment? It’s so hot out here!”

“Not a chance. Pay up.”

Laurance sighs dramatically as he gets down on his knees. Before he gets down on his hands, however, he looks up with that cheeky grin of his. “Not even if I beg?”

“Not even if you cried.”

The boy holds your gaze for a beat longer before uttering “fine.” As soon as he does, the boy gets down on the ground and begins doing his penalty push-ups. About half way though you can visibly see the boy beginning to struggle.

“You don’t have to do them all at once.” You comment, though it seems like he takes your comment as a challenge instead of a suggestion.

“No way…” Laurance utters breathlessly. “...I may have lost, but I’m no loser.”

Just as you’re about to make another retort, Laurance gets up just long enough to pull off his shirt before returning to his push-ups.

Damn, is it just you or is Laurance secretly built? Like, he has a really nicely defined body beneath that shirt of his.

In the middle of all your admiration, you catch the boy’s eyes as he reaches the peak of current rep. On impulse you nearly look away, but the boy, in all his glory, prevents you from turning away by calling your name.

“Don’t you want to make sure I do all my push-ups?” Laurance makes a show of every push-up now; giving a low grunt with every rep before peeking up to catch your gaze. Every time he looks up, you can see that grin of his growing wider.

Since that’s the way he wants to play, you’ll play too. But you’re not gonna go easy on him. Oh no, not a chance. You’re a winner, after all.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Blaze - Plays It Up & Doesn’t Call You Out

You look up at the address of the building and cross-reference the address to the one Blaze sent you. It’s the same alright. You’d think a construction worker would be working outside but the boy is nowhere in sight!

You already tried to call him and no one can tell you where he is. Didn’t he say he’d meet you at the front doors?

Just as you’re lamenting the loss of your thirty minute break, you catch sight of the boy approaching you. He’s a bit far away but Blaze is pretty hard to miss when he’s wearing his high-visibility vest.

You can tell he’s noticed you, too, since his ears begin to perk.

“You really came! Does that mean you bought me lunch?!” The boy practically runs over to you with his tail wagging.

You roll your eyes and attempt to feign annoyance - though perhaps a part of you isn’t feigning. “Yes, I did. You’re welcome.” You hold the bag out for Blaze to take and he takes it graciously.

“Heck yeah! My favourites!” The boy immediately grabs the Powerade you bought and slams back about half the bottle. In drinking so quickly, however, the drink begins to spill down the corner of his lips and down his neck.

“Your drink isn’t going anywhere.” You comment, your eyes unconsciously trailing after the liquid that’s trickled down beneath his vest. “I, on the other hand, am-” 

Your train of thought is abruptly derailed when your eyes catch sight of the boy’s exposed torso beneath his vest. Surely it’s against health and safety to be shirtless while outside, right? I mean, being exposed to the sun is the leading cause of skin cancer! And it would be such a shame if his abs- no! I mean, if your friend got skin cancer!

You look up at Blaze only to see him staring at you. Yet despite being caught, the boy simply hands you his Powerade and opens up his vest.

“It’s so humid outside.” He yawns while stretching his arms above his head. “I’m getting too hot.”

Catching the slight grin tugging on the boy’s lips, you simply utter a quiet “you already are.”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Vylad - Teases You & Calls You Out

“I told you not to jump across the stream.” Says Vylad as he gently presses his fingers against your already swollen ankle. “Does it hurt?”

Though you don’t immediately reply, you’re pretty sure the wince that slipped out was more than enough for Vylad to understand the current state of your ankle. At least, you’re pretty sure that’s the case. He dove into his bag pretty quickly after touching your ankle.

You watch curiously as Vylad rummages around for something or other. Of all the things he could’ve pulled, you’re surprised to see an instant-cold pack in his hand.

“Oh no…” You groan, not bothering to hide the embarrassment in your tone. “Don’t tell me you anticipated that something like this would happen.”

Vylad shakes his head. “No, I didn’t. I just like being ready for anything.” The boy looks up at you for a moment, his smile soft and warm, before gesturing for you to hold the cool pack against your ankle.

You comply with the boy’s silent request and watch him dig around in his bag. “What’re you looking for now?” You wonder.

“Something to keep the cold-pack against your ankle.” Vylad replies. “It’s only going to get hotter outside. If we’re out here for too long, we might get heat stroke. And considering the current state of your ankle, It’ll probably be better if I just carry you to the car.”

“Would you like me to help you look?” You offer but Vylad shakes his head.

“No, it’s fine.” Despite what he says, the boy searches his bag with nothing to show. You didn’t even know his bag had so many pockets! When the boy eventually gives up, he turns his gaze to you in a way you could only describe as nervous. “You know I would only resort to this because I can’t find the gauze roll, right?”

Before you have a chance to inquire further, Vylad takes his shirt off.

Not to say you assumed to know what Vylad looked like beneath his shirt, but you can’t say you’re surprised. He’s not what you’d call buff, but he’s fit. You didn’t think all his hiking and yoga would provide the boy with a figure that’s, well, easy on the eyes.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Vylad’s voice suddenly cuts through your thoughts and causes your gaze to snap up from his chest. “Oh good. You’re done staring.”

“What?!” You gasp. “I wasn’t staring!”

“Are you sure about that? Or are you too embarrassed to admit it?” Vylad smiles at your ever growing embarrassment. Thankfully, knowing the kind of person he is, Vylad doesn’t force you to sit in your flustered state for too long. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

“Wait, what about my ankle? Aren’t you going to tie the cool-pack to it?”

“I already did. Though, I guess you’d only know that if you weren’t staring at my-”

“Vylad!”

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

Gene - Teases You & Doesn’t Call You Out… Directly…

You lean against the white picket fence of your neighbour and stare down the driveway. You stay there for a little while, staring at the motorcycle laying down in the middle of the pavement. 

You’re 90% sure that’s Gene’s motorcycle, but why isn’t he around to claim it? Or at the very least, why isn’t anyone keeping an eye on it? If you were a lesser person, you would take it and hide it around the side of the house. Just a little scare, you know?

Seeing as no one’s around, you walk up to the vehicle to get a closer look. Just as you kneel down beside it, however, the front door to the house swings open.

On instinct you move to stand up but get distracted by the figure standing in the doorframe.

“Oh, hey.” Gene greets you as he draws near. “You checking out my ride?”

It takes a moment for the words to process in your head. You can’t say it’s your fault though. No, the fault would fall solely onto Gene and the fact that he’s emerged without a shirt on.

You try not to be indecent but you can’t help but notice the grease stains across the boy’s forearms, the towel that hangs across the boy’s shoulders and, oh, the fact that his entire torso is on display for everyone to see.

You blink and try to shake any indecent thoughts from your mind.

“It’s not like this is the first time I’m seeing your… motorcycle…” Your voice waivers as the boy kneels down right beside you. Though you only glance over for a moment, you catch the knowing grin that stretches across the boy’s face.

“You wanna take it for a ride?” Gene speaks a little quieter than before. “We can go right now if you’d like.”

“No thanks. I’m pretty sure neither of us are in proper motorcycle riding attire.” You attempt to play coy and roll your eyes, but that ends with you staring down at the boy’s exposed torso once again.

“Don’t worry.” Gene chuckles before shifting ever so slightly. “I promise I’ll be gentle.”

Feeling the boy’s gaze, you look up and suddenly realise Gene is staring right at you. “Perv.”

The grin on Gene’s face grows wider. “If I’m a pervert, what does that make you?”

“I’m just a girl. Can you blame me?” Knowing your face is already flushed, you give the boy a playful shove. “Besides, why go outside shirtless at all?”

“So I can get pretty girls like you to-”