I'm obsessed with Minecraft Diaries

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.

i like Garrnet a LOT!!! she is very fun for me to draw hehee.. and this isnt the first time ive drawn her. hehr. youll see why eventually, do not fret.. i love drawing Garroth with curls, so of course i love drawing Garrnet. with BIGGER, LONGER CURLS!!! BECAUSE YES!!!!!! LET HER BE PRETTY AND WILD AND FUZZY AND FREE GRAH!!!

i already like the face shape i gave Garf, so all i had to do was translate those features into something more femme, while still keeping it all very masculine. to sum up a lot of design decisions i made; i think being conventionally unconventional makes some characters i draw more interesting. i need to lean into it more methinks..

some of the design changes between my Garrnet and Garroth will be pretty obvious at first glance. like for instance, Garrnet has a LOT. of GORGEOUS CURLY hair. and Garf has short but still poofy and frizzy hair. Garrnet's eyebrows are still cute and big, but hers have less volume in comparison to Garroth. i just thought it would be a neat way to further differentiate the two!! they both have the same nose shape because i think the bumpy nose is beautiful and no one can take that from me... Garrnet's jaw is also more defined than Garroth's!! this is because she's a lot more muscular in comparison to my interpretation of Garf!! i imagine he gained muscle and fat due to his circumstances, meanwhile Garrnet put more pressure on herself to be physically strong and to avoid a lot of wealthy feminine traits, (if you were a plump woman from ((im pretty sure)) before the 16-1400's, it was a sign of status and how well fed you were. it was a way to flaunt ones wealth in some cities).

Garroth's nose-scar has gotten longer in some of my recent artworks, and starts from the top of his left eyebrow and goes down and along the right side of his nose. in comparison, Garrnet's nose-scar starts under her right eye and slashes up right below her left eye. this is because i imagine they got their scars in entirely differeny ways. Garroth got his accidentally at guard training (Garte refused to lay a hand on him), and Garrnet recieved hers from her mother (genderswapped Garte 🦈), possibly with a jockey whip or some sort of leather strap. while she as the first daughter certainly wasnt expendable by any means, i think "Garte" injuring Garrnet out of frustration after she discovered Vylad/Vanessa's whole existence. oh that conflict and drama would be spicy actually.. fic ideas fic ideas.. ahem, anywizzle, i found this interesting to mention because the circumstances and symbolism behind both Garroth's and Garrnet's scars mean so much to how i would portray both of their characters in any potential MCD related sense. Garroth's is tied to him breaking away from his family and what that means for him as the heir to a lordship and as a runaway. meanwhile Garrnet's is tied to her family turning on her and how she moves forward with her identity because of her experiences. sure hope that detail doesnt make anyone else think too deeply about this... its already too late for me..

im still learning quite a few things about drawing armour!! i didnt want to do anything too posh nor complicated for Garrnet though, so the design overall is very simplified. ive realised over time that i actually enjoy having cartoonishly simple detail. a side affect of me not learning how to colour until a few years ago lol.. i also need to look up the right era and nations for some of my current and future armour designs too. while i personally have no idea the name of the helmet type i have inferred she wears, the neckpiece she has is designed to connect to her helmet. which means Garrnet gets to wear a very long and pointy-nosed helm hehe

overall. i love Garrnet. i love genderswapping characters and Thinking about how that changes and affects them in a similar story and setting... cultural context and everything about it.. ough so delicious.. do not fret my lovelies, you will be getting some genderbent Aphmau and Laurance too.. Adrien and Lauran will become very real.. AND!!! YOU'LL GET YAPPING ABOUT THEM TOO HOPEFULLY VERY LIKELY!! MUAHAHAHA!!

ive missed making posts about my art.. i need to Get my arse into gear and make some more posts too.. too many drafts in my backlog that i keep putting off..