A year ago, talking to an AI companion meant typing into a text box and imagining the rest. Lately the experience has shifted, and SweetDream is one of the clearest examples of where things are heading. The platform at sweetdream.ai now offers video calls with select characters, and that single feature has quietly reframed what people expect from an AI girlfriend.
What stands out, observing how users talk about it, is how naturally the video fits into the rest of the experience. SweetDream lets you design your companion from the ground up, her looks, her voice, her backstory, the little quirks that make her feel specific rather than generic. Then it layers on emotionally intelligent chat, lifelike voice calls, and remarkably good AI-generated photos and videos. A live video call becomes the obvious next step rather than a gimmick bolted on.
It's tempting to lump every AI companion service together, but the gap shows up in details like this. SweetDream treats privacy as non-negotiable and treats the video call as something to be done well, not just advertised. The result reads less like a feature checklist and more like a platform that actually understands what people want from this kind of connection.
This post is a huge PSA for anyone writing X Reader content
You may not think this post applies to you, but it does.
There is a massive issue with inclusivity and assuming the audience. I have seen and personally experienced, time and time again, that me and many others feel as if we have no place in fandom. This specific part of it has to do with the majority of "x reader" content out there. It is all written for a cisgender (mostly heterosexual) white woman audience.
Now, cis white women getting content made for them is OBVIOUSLY not the issue here. People write for their personal interests, and there is nothing wrong with that. We all know this, and we all enjoy a fun story with our favorite characters centering around us.
The main issue here is the mentioned women not tagging their content properly, refusing to tag their content properly, straight up lying in the tags or not tagging things at all.
Trans men, nonbinary people, trans women, gay men, disabled people, fat people, intersex people and many people of color or non-american readers are constantly left out of fandom space and forgotten entirely. I've seen hundreds of complaints about it, and it needs to be spoken about more. While I'm on specifically talking about the fanfiction part of it, it is a VISIBLE issue in every fandom space you could possibly partake in. I don't even need to explain to you the rampant racism and transphobia in the cosplay community.
And the fix is extremely easy! TAG YOUR THINGS PROPERLY. It is the easiest, simplest form of allyship one could do for the community, and it goes miles. However, a lot of you seem to not understand how to, even if your heart is in the right place.
How to tag your fanfiction for the general audience:
- Specify the gender of the reader. This goes MUCH farther than just what pronouns are used. I've read WAY too many fanfics that tell me it is gender neutral, only to be hit with nicknames like "princess", or to be told the intended reader loves dresses and wears a bra.
- In tags or a prior description, mention every nickname used for the reader and every possibly gendered descriptor. It's really not difficult, and doesn't take too long.
- If necessary, mention what style of clothes the reader is specified to wear. And if this applies as well, specify any highlighted personality traits you gave the reader.
- Specify the body of the reader. This also goes much farther than gender. "Afab" and "amab" don't exactly cut it. Many people are triggered by certain words connected to genitals, so specify what words are used for those as well! Also, if you are trying to write a gender neutral body, PLEASE specify whether it is entirely gender neutral or something is implied. Many say it is gender neutral, and then explain how the reader's body self lubricates, or even has a clitoris. Please do better than that.
- For the love of God, do not automatically feminize the "GN afab" reader you wrote without a warning, and PLEASE MENTION if breasts are even spoken of, let alone used for smut reasons. And do NOT refer to someone's body as having "fem" or "male" genitalia. just say vagina or penis, please.
- Specify what body type you had in mind. Many fat or even slightly chubby individuals need to look for fanfiction that specifically caters to them, because "neutral body reader" writers, tend to not make it neutral. If you have any specifics on whatever you have written for the body mentioned, do tag it!
- Specify what sort of skin tone or hair texture is mentioned, if at all. Many POC complain that they read neutral fiction just to find straight hair, pale skin, light eyes, and blushing faces to be mentioned. If any color of the body is mentioned at all, or anything is implied, do say so! This also can go for specific things you may not think about, like how long it takes hair to dry, how easy it is to brush, hairstyles and other things of the sort.
It may seem like a bit of a list, but this is really the LEAST you can do for your community. We are consistently forgotten and ignored anywhere we go, and the simple things like this truly mean a lot.
- If there is an implied location, or anything to imply a place of origin, it's best to be on the safe side and mention that if it feels important.
- Please tag if you put the reader through, or mention a past traumatic event. Casually putting the reader character through things like an abusive ex, abusive parents, bad home or work life, or something like a car accident can be highly triggering. tag your scenes thoroughly! This also applies to putting the reader insert through something like sexist comments, unwanted touching of any kind, and similarly negative situations.
I cannot tell you the amount of times I've turned to fanfiction as an outlet and an escape, as many others have, just to be jumpscared by my favorite characters misgendering me. It's truly a miserable experience knowing no place is actually welcoming to me, or in the very least accommodating for people who aren't like them. This post is NOT meant to shame or send harassment to those who are forgetful, but ignorance is never a good thing to uphold. No one is asking you to write for an audience you don't want to, we just want to KNOW who you are writing for. Assuming an entire space is all one demographic is never, ever a good thing.
If you need help writing for a demographic you don't fully understand, just ask people who are a part of it how they would! Look at how other writers write and tag their content, and listen to anyone if they have necessary critiques. I wish you all happy writing! :]
Reblogs are highly appreciated, as this message needs to be spread as far as possible!
turtles pat each other’s faces when courting each other so just imagine tmnts doing that to their crush
as a side note: red eared sliders sometimes instead gently stroke their intended mates face! leo is 1000% touchy and holds ur cheeks when he kisses you.
michaelangelo probably pats your cheeks to the beat of his favorite song.
donnie, on the other hand, either pokes your face like he’s trying to test the squishiness of your cheeks or drumming his fingers softly over them, especially when he’s boredly waiting for something to load.
raph is gentle and quick, just pat-pat-pat! all over your face, a gentle reminder youre his. he gives you a closed eye smile and turns back to his training.
Not trying to be negative or anything, just something I noticed and wondered if anyone else agrees. But, does anyone else feel like the fanfic community has kinda of faded throughout the years?
I remember when everyone was super active in it and pushing out fic’s like it was their job. But now that personalized AI has come around I feel like people haven’t really been as reliant on fan fiction to get that kind of self insert experience.
Which makes me kinda sad because it completely strips away the community aspect of sharing fan fiction. Also because using AI for this purpose is such an isolating experience and a huge difference between fan fiction and AI roleplay is that fanfics have an END.
Using generative AI for this and being able to go on as long as you want seems like why so many people are becoming addicted to it.
Anyways those are just some of my thoughts, sorry if it was written/formatted poorly I just wanted to go on a bit of a rant. But anyone from either side of this issue let me know your thoughts please!
