A Writer's Haven

It is very discouraging to see how "common" AI use has become. Some of my favorite writers spend months crafting plots, writing drafts and editing only to see the space dominated by people churning out thousands of words in the matter of a few days. If you are also like me, a reader who doesn't write, your duty is to avoid engaging with these works. If you don't give them attention, they will not be able to continue abusing this space in this manner.

and to all the wonderful writers on here, please don't let this disturbing pattern discourage you. keep sharing your magic into the world. your versions of lestappen are what keep our fandom together between long breaks and tough droughts.

tagging some of my favorite writers who put in hard work and strongly discourage AI use, please go show them some love: @xxredwineandambiencexx @ladysomething @fueledbyremembering @sixteenhearts @ferrarisma @fabbyf1 @toppamplemousse @loquarocoeur @adutchlover @chock-and-bates @unlapped @formula-fun @usedtobetam @breathofnyx @gingerf1 @drivestraight @amarynas @mvlionheart @reveushe @verstappentime @hitthatapex

At the time, over a year and a half ago, Lestappen stories were less than half what they are now.

In the meantime, me and others were plagiarized by a "writer" who used a tentative friendship to steal my time, creativity, and The Invitation (co-written with Randomwordsonpaper), as well as the ideas for the camboys fic (the everyone watchin' us verse) and my vampire fic (sink your teeth) (which are two plots I loved, and after that I lost the desire to write the sequels, at least for now). Now, the person who did this (callumsgirl, tadejsgirl, pitlanelover, madameleclerc, and possibly many other names she uses to trick other writers) is now posting stories written in AI. As I mentioned to @33-16, there's so much AI stuff that now we always wonder if a new writer is just good and decent, or if they're AI.

With all this AI stuff, from SEVERAL writers lately, posting any of our stories is difficult, because even for us, being among these people is uncomfortable. It's really sad to see what the F1 fandom has become, and at what cost? Ego? FUCKING HELLLL, writing stories should be an escape zone, our happy bubble, not a cock-measuring contest!!!

The person at the centre of this particular call-out was my co-author at the time that their use of AI was discovered.

You'll notice that my pseud is still attached to works that we did together. I'm confident that there are very little to no amounts of AI within those works. The reason I haven't removed them is because I put so many hours and thousands of words into them. I have a lot of emotions around all of that writing, which I'm still working through many months later.

My ex-co-author's use of generative AI was discovered by a mutual friend of ours (@miss_vivi_reads). She is a wonderful person, and a loyal reader of both F1 and Cycling RPF. She knew something wasn't quite right and did some sleuthing.

My gut was also telling me something was off, too. I spoke to Vivi, as I had the same suspicions regarding not AI, but copy and paste of a different story.

What followed was a week of putting puzzle pieces together, working things out, meeting @adutchlover to compare stories, and finding out that some things were not entirely honest.

The person in question created a new account on AO3, and started posting stories in the F1 fandom that were entirely created by generative AI. They pretended to be a different person, to become friends with F1 authors. They started commenting on their F1 "stories" with their own account to drive up "engagement" — and even those comments are AI.

I have had a lot of emotions to work through about this situation, and I've been lucky that many of my friends have been so supportive.

This isn't the full story - it's a very long, convoluted story, but I'll save that for another time — perhaps.

I'm sharing this so that members of the Cycling RPF fandom who follow me are aware.

If you're going to use generative AI to write fic, keep it to yourself. If you decide to post works, make them your own. Make them through hours of plotting, writing, editing, deleting, second drafts.

My ex-co-author — who has existed on AO3 under usernames including tadejsgirl, callumsgirl, madameleclerc, and most recently pitlanelover — has created a new account to continue publishing AI-generated works.

She has been called out by @adutchlover, @bbygirlverstappen and others for publishing Formula One works generated by artificial intelligence, as well as commenting on her own works using her other accounts and AI to drive up engagement.

Unfortunately, she has now begun to do the same under the username velodreamer within the cycling community. She has published two chapters to date, which are entirely AI-generated, and is pretending to be brand new to this community. She has also written one comment on her own work so far under a guest name.

I would urge any and all cycling friends to be wary, and feel free to ask me questions if you want to.

Don't let this dampen your enthusiasm for the legitimate works within the community — please, give them the recognition they deserve. Just because there is one among us who has chosen to take this path, doesn't mean others have.

Fandom Events where you can send in prompts for others to write

Donating during the next team lidt fest to get your ideas written

Telling writers you admire about your ideas

Collaborating with someone whose skills complement your own

It is very discouraging to see how "common" AI use has become. Some of my favorite writers spend months crafting plots, writing drafts and editing only to see the space dominated by people churning out thousands of words in the matter of a few days. If you are also like me, a reader who doesn't write, your duty is to avoid engaging with these works. If you don't give them attention, they will not be able to continue abusing this space in this manner.

and to all the wonderful writers on here, please don't let this disturbing pattern discourage you. keep sharing your magic into the world. your versions of lestappen are what keep our fandom together between long breaks and tough droughts.

tagging some of my favorite writers who put in hard work and strongly discourage AI use, please go show them some love: @xxredwineandambiencexx @ladysomething @fueledbyremembering @sixteenhearts @ferrarisma @fabbyf1 @toppamplemousse @loquarocoeur @adutchlover @chock-and-bates @unlapped @formula-fun @usedtobetam @breathofnyx @gingerf1 @drivestraight @amarynas @mvlionheart @reveushe @verstappentime @hitthatapex

At the time, over a year and a half ago, Lestappen stories were less than half what they are now.

In the meantime, me and others were plagiarized by a "writer" who used a tentative friendship to steal my time, creativity, and The Invitation (co-written with Randomwordsonpaper), as well as the ideas for the camboys fic (the everyone watchin' us verse) and my vampire fic (sink your teeth) (which are two plots I loved, and after that I lost the desire to write the sequels, at least for now). Now, the person who did this (callumsgirl, tadejsgirl, pitlanelover, madameleclerc, and possibly many other names she uses to trick other writers) is now posting stories written in AI. As I mentioned to @33-16, there's so much AI stuff that now we always wonder if a new writer is just good and decent, or if they're AI.

With all this AI stuff, from SEVERAL writers lately, posting any of our stories is difficult, because even for us, being among these people is uncomfortable. It's really sad to see what the F1 fandom has become, and at what cost? Ego? FUCKING HELLLL, writing stories should be an escape zone, our happy bubble, not a cock-measuring contest!!!

The person at the centre of this particular call-out was my co-author at the time that their use of AI was discovered.

You'll notice that my pseud is still attached to works that we did together. I'm confident that there are very little to no amounts of AI within those works. The reason I haven't removed them is because I put so many hours and thousands of words into them. I have a lot of emotions around all of that writing, which I'm still working through many months later.

My ex-co-author's use of generative AI was discovered by a mutual friend of ours (@miss_vivi_reads). She is a wonderful person, and a loyal reader of both F1 and Cycling RPF. She knew something wasn't quite right and did some sleuthing.

My gut was also telling me something was off, too. I spoke to Vivi, as I had the same suspicions regarding not AI, but copy and paste of a different story.

What followed was a week of putting puzzle pieces together, working things out, meeting @adutchlover to compare stories, and finding out that some things were not entirely honest.

The person in question created a new account on AO3, and started posting stories in the F1 fandom that were entirely created by generative AI. They pretended to be a different person, to become friends with F1 authors. They started commenting on their F1 "stories" with their own account to drive up "engagement" — and even those comments are AI.

I have had a lot of emotions to work through about this situation, and I've been lucky that many of my friends have been so supportive.

This isn't the full story - it's a very long, convoluted story, but I'll save that for another time — perhaps.

I'm sharing this so that members of the Cycling RPF fandom who follow me are aware.

If you're going to use generative AI to write fic, keep it to yourself. If you decide to post works, make them your own. Make them through hours of plotting, writing, editing, deleting, second drafts.

Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin, and the world's ending!

Death!

Death!

Death!

Forth Eorlingas!"

Second and final part, in which we explore less definite territory, but also discover that Wally and Norah weren’t actually as ridiculously young for marriage and parenthood as MGB would have us believe!

Part one is here.

You did the chronology for BL basically from memory - but I read the book today and a couple of things clicked.

Jim and Wally are said to have held the land in the ranges for three years - and we know from BOB that they took it up around the time Wally and Norah were married, which we've placed as late spring 1921. BL is therefore late spring 1924.

Bill went missing in the ranges two years ago - when he got trapped under the landslide and met the Walkers - and Davie Meadows is eighteen months old. This puts Norah as being at least three months pregnant during BOB. This theory is borne out by Wally being ridiculously overprotective of her - helping her down from a rock while they're hunting for Bill, even though she could probably get down by herself, etc etc. Stands to reason they knew she was pregnant before the book opened.

This therefore puts Davie's birthdate at May 1923.

In Billabong Gold, two books later, Wally rides home to see Norah when the wattle is in flower, which means it's late winter, so the gold saga spanned nearly a full year (and Davie is nearly three, which means two and a half). BG is therefore late winter/early spring 1925.

I think autumn 1926 is more likely for Tommy and Jim's wedding, given the months it took to bring McGill to trial in SOB.