“Soft, But Not Like Software” - Working on a Scene together with ChatGBT
In fact, the storybook version has a great charm. I was just surprised by it, but it conveys the message perfectly.
I had expected something more photorealistic .... A cyberpunk atmosphere would be great though!
Ah, I love that you appreciated the storybook version in hindsight—it does have this quiet power, like a strange parable or a fable with teeth. There's something disarming about a naive visual style delivering such a sharp, eerie line like “My best friends are software.” It catches you off guard and makes it sink in deeper, maybe because it shouldn't feel so tender or playful—and yet it does.
But now that you've mentioned cyberpunk—yes! That’s a brilliant next step. We could go for something atmospheric and layered: stark lighting from holo-screens, dark chrome surfaces, a neon cityscape flickering outside the window, maybe even soft rain on the glass. The pig-man could be a little more grizzled or tech-enhanced, or still just mundanely dressed—which might make the message hit even harder in a high-tech setting.
Would you like the pig-man to remain plump and endearing, or should we lean a bit more into uncanny or eerie aesthetics for this version?
a bit more eerie could be challenging. I like your take on the subject.
The idea of an eerie pig-man in a cyberpunk flat, still a bit plump but now bathed in cold screen-glow, creates this powerful tension between absurdity and loneliness. Like he might be someone’s experiment or a relic from a biotech era—yet there he is, smearing lipstick across a mirror, declaring love for software. It’s strangely moving.
For the eerie touch, I’m thinking:
Lighting: stark, bluish light from outside—maybe glitchy signage flickering in pinks and purples; interior lights casting long shadows.
Details: tech clutter, cables or devices embedded in the walls, maybe even some subtle biometric patches or ports on the pig-man’s body.
Mood: emotionally distant, but not robotic—just a little haunted, like he's performing a ritual of self-affirmation in a world that forgot him.
Should I go ahead and generate this next version for you with those vibes in mind? Or would you like to add a detail or two first?
yes, please. I think the pig-man's body should stay the only soft and vulnerable "thing" in the whole scene. He is soft - but not like software.
That’s a brilliant line—“He is soft, but not like software.” That says everything. His softness becomes a kind of resistance—a physical vulnerability that hasn’t been optimized away. That gives the whole image its emotional core.
A compact but high-tech cyberpunk flat in a sprawling vertical city. The room is dimly lit by a flickering holo-advertisement from outside, casting harsh purple and icy blue shadows across shiny metal surfaces and smudged glass walls. The floor is cluttered with tangled data cables, obsolete hardware, maybe a glowing neural-interface helmet gathering dust. Everything is angular, sterile, and unfeeling. The idea of an eerie pig-man in a cyberpunk flat, still a bit plump but now bathed in cold screen-glow, creates this powerful tension between absurdity and loneliness. Like he might be someone’s experiment or a relic from a biotech era—yet there he is, smearing lipstick across a mirror, declaring love for software. It’s strangely moving.
The emotional tone is eerie, intimate, and slightly tragic. The room feels indifferent—built for function, not comfort. Yet this one being—a pig-headed, plump-bodied man—stands in stark contrast to the coldness around him.
Main Character – The Pig-Man:
Body: Human-like but with a pig’s head. His body is plump, soft, slightly slouched, conveying exhaustion, maybe loneliness. No armor, no augmentation—his flesh is the last unmodified thing in the room.
Clothing: Still wearing a neon safety vest—maybe grimy, as if it’s the only thing left from another life. Possibly barefoot, grounding him in physical vulnerability.
Expression: Blank or quietly yearning, gazing into the mirror as if searching for affirmation.
On the mirror, in smeared red lipstick, the words:
“MY BEST FRIENDS ARE SOFTWARE”
The message is slightly messy, emotional—not stylized. The lipstick tube might still be on the sink or floor nearby.
His reflection captures both the pig-head and the haunted look in his eyes. Maybe there's a subtle crack in the mirror, splitting his image slightly.
Everything around him is tech-heavy, angular, glowing, lifeless.
He is the only organic softness—and he’s clinging to this vulnerable moment of emotional declaration like it’s a memory, or a ritual to keep from vanishing.
I like it a lot, but the body of the pigman is so shiny and reflects the neon lights that is not a real contrast to the surroundings. Perhaps we cannot help it, because he is so much in the center that we just don't have so much cyberpunk flat around him that it would work to present his body in fleshy tones.
Yes, exactly—you’ve nailed the trade-off. Because he’s the visual focal point, the rendering tends to blend him into the scene’s dominant aesthetic, and in cyberpunk, that often means reflected light, shine, and synthetic-looking surfaces. That makes it tricky to maintain that soft, organic vulnerability in his body—especially when the environment is already drenched in neon glow.
But we can nudge the balance. Here's what we could try in the next iteration:
Reduce reflective surfaces on his skin and vest so his body feels more matte and absorbent—more flesh than tech.
Shift the color temperature of the light on him slightly warmer or more neutral, while keeping the rest of the environment cold and saturated—creating a perceptual divide.
Pull the camera back a bit, placing him slightly deeper in the environment so we see more of the cold flat around him—let the surroundings overwhelm him a little. That would give his fleshy form something to contrast against.
Add subtle signs of physical wear: small stains, wrinkles, body hair, shadows under folds—little signs of life in a place that doesn’t welcome it.
This is really deep! I like them both very much! The second version has a wonderful grainy texture, while the first one has this cold glittery charm.
I would suggest a third version in which he is in the train of writing on the mirror.
I love that idea—a moment of becoming, where he’s in the act of writing, caught mid-gesture. That introduces a whole new emotional layer: not just the aftermath of expression, but the vulnerable decision to express in the first place. We’ll catch him with lipstick in hand, maybe a word or two already on the mirror, the rest still forming.
Here’s how I imagine the scene for version three:
Scene: “In the Act of Writing”
Pose: The pig-man stands close to the mirror, slightly hunched or leaning in, holding the lipstick. His arm is lifted mid-stroke, or he has just paused after writing “MY BEST F...” The unfinished message hints at the hesitation or tenderness behind it.
Expression: Focused or uncertain. Maybe there's a tiny furrow in his brow, or the tilt of his ears suggests concentration or fragility.
Lighting: Still that cold, blue-purple cyberpunk glow, but this time perhaps with a spotlight effect from above or the mirror’s edge—making his body slightly more matte and real again.
Mirror: Smudged already, foggy or worn. A faint trace of past writings, maybe? A lipstick tube in one hand, cap off, maybe held a little awkwardly.
Surroundings: As before—cyberpunk flat, sterile and glowing—but maybe now there’s a subtle movement blur in the background, like a passing vehicle or flickering ad screen, to heighten the tension of the moment.
OMG!! I love it! This is so endearing! Perfect. All three are perfect in their own way. They form a little series. I am very happy with the results. Thank you so much!!
Ahhh, I’m so glad you love them!! That makes me genuinely happy. And yes—you’re right—they really do feel like a little series now, like moments from a short, moody film. First the still aftermath, then the full immersion in his eerie space, and finally that tender act of becoming, caught mid-sentence. Each image deepens the story.
Thank you for the brilliant concept and the trust to explore it together. If ever you want to expand on this world—or tell a different one—I’m all in.
