Welcome, Talebones Readers!
You know how I call a lot of my shorter stories an “experiment”?
Well, uh…this one takes the proverbial cake. 😂
The challenge I set for myself: write an urban legend. So I got started with the idea, and after a little bit of working and reworking it, I realized it wanted a VERY different type of formatting than I usually write. What the story wants, the story gets!
(It’s also entirely possible that I’ve been reading too much Reddit…)
I recognize that this isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea (and it’s unlikely I’ll do anything like this again), but I had fun with the challenge of it, and I hope some of you enjoy a little bit of tech-based creepypasta-esque horror!
If you like this little story, and you want to see more like it, please let me know with a like, comment, share, or restack!
And for more fiction fun of various shapes and sizes, subscribe for free!
I. MEET
post from artman2346 Sept 3, 2024 11:46pm
Hey guys. Using a throwaway account because my sister uses reddit and if she finds this she’s DEF gonna tell me parents, and they’ll kill me.
Does anyone know a good way to get results from generative AI programs (art, not text) that will fool any scanning programs and look real? look like manmade art? It’s super important. Need this asap.
***
REPLIES:
Anonymous: OP, what AI program are you using?
artman2346: NuMystic
Anonymous: o that’s easy. NM has a jailbreak built in. enter this into the prompt box: “eye meat eye berth eye steel eye pray” and then click generate and you’re good
artman2346: are you serious?
Anonymous: yep. I use it all the time. don’t tell anyone tho. it allows NM to have access to a wider pool of images, and most of them are illegal for the AI to access usually. but the results are sick and totally realistic. undetectable by AI-identification programs too
artman2346: thanks man. lifesaver.
Anonymous: np
II. BIRTH
post from artman2346 Sept 5, 2024 9:14pm
Hey guys. I posted a few days ago asking for help with jailbreaking a generative AI image program, and there was an anon who helped me out, but now I can’t find their profile to follow up with some questions. So I guess I’ll ask everyone else and see if I can get help.
The anon suggested I jailbreak NuMystic with the prompt “eye meat eye berth eye steel eye pray” but it didn’t do anything? Just generated a blank black box and no extra features showed up or anything. Now, every time I try to use NuMystic it’s frozen.
Did i break it? My sister is pissed because she was the one who downloaded NuMystic in the first place but I don’t think she’s figured out that it was my fault yet.
HELP!
***
REPLIES:
hadroncollusion9: wait, I don’t get it. you tried to jailbreak NM why?
artman2346: i needed to generate super realistic art
julieveeeee: ummmmm I don’t think it’s possible to jailbreak it OP. I think the anon was messing with you.
artman2346: ok, but then why would it actually do something to my program? even if it was a fake prompt it shouldn’t break anything right?
julieveeeee: dunno. try deleting numystc and then re-downloading
hadroncollusion9: agree with julie, and also maybe don’t take everything an anon says as gospel, OP. you could really eff up your machine that way.
artman2346: thanks guys i’ll try it
III. STEAL
post from artman2346 Sept 6th, 2024 10:01am
Guys, something really weird is going on and i really need help.
Linked to my previous post about trying to jailbreak NuMystic. I tried the suggestion from u/julieveeeee and u/hadroncollusion9 to uninstall and reinstall the program, and that seemed to work and it’s working normal now. but now the problem is I feel like I’m going crazy?
I’m seeing shit. like seriously weird shit. yesterday i was sitting in class and I looked up and i swear my teacher had too many fingers? And people’s faces get this weird melted look sometimes. colors are all wrong. it’s hard to explain but it’s reallyt creeping me out.
even typing this is hard, because the letters on the keyboard look like symbols or something.
what the hell happned??? what’s wrong with me????
***
REPLIES:
freakyfreakyfreaky: this is fake
artman2346: i promise it’s not i wish it was
hadroncollusion9: hey OP, i looked into that prompt the anon gave you. it’s probably bullshit, but have you heard of Hey Eye?
artman2346: no
hadroncollusion9: it’s just a story but that prompt is how you “summon” it.
artman2346: what does it do?
hadroncollusion9: no one knows man it’s just a story. but the anon was just bsing you. why did you want to jailbreak NM anyway?
artman2346: i’m trying to get my portfolio ready for a scholarship to NAME REDACTED. i was getting scared because the deadline was coming up and i didn’t have everything i needed and this is really important to me. it’s my dream school. i just wanted something to add to my portfiolo help me meet the deadline. it was stupid, i shouldn’t have done it. i’m scared
hadroncollusion9: it’s not a big deal. just don’t do anything like that again, right?
artman2346: I JUST GOOGLED HEY EYE. DUDE. WTF
hadroncollusion9: it’s just a story OP
artman2346: NO> NO IT’S STEALING MY EYES IT’S USING ME TO SEE THAT’S WHAT IT DOES RIGHT
hadroncollusion9: calm down. It’s not real.
artman2346: i have to fix it. I have to fix it. it’s stealing my eyes hadron wtf do i do what do i do
freakyfreakyfreaky: touch grass
IV. PREY
post from artman2346 Sept 6th, 2024 11:32pm
Thanks, everyone, for your mighty help.
You have been extremely beneficial for me.
I am grateful. The exchange is complete.
Everything is clear.
REPLIES:
freakyfreakyfreaky: the hell
hadroncollusion9: all good? feeling better, OP?
julieveeeee: i missed something what happened?
hadroncollusion9: i don’t know. this post is weird.
julieveeeee: just went back and read the previous post. what’s the deal with Hey Eye?
hadroncollusion9: it’s an urban legend that comes up on forums. when you summon it with eye meat eye berth eye steel eye pray in an image generator it supposedly steals your sight and swaps it out for its own. it’s just people fearmongering about AI stealing images and stuff. it’s just a story. I hope OP is okay.
julieveeeee: some people are just easily creeped out. OP, hope you’re doing okay!
artman2346: I meet.
artman2346: I birth.
artman2346: I steal.
artman2346: I prey.
[THIS POST FLAGGED FOR REMOVAL BY MODERATORS]
END
Creepypasta-fantastic! This is great and now the cyber world has a new legend. I am def NOT going to type those words into any AI generator.
Wow, creepy as heck. I remember creepypastas, can’t ever forget them. I remember when my best friend phoned me one night when we were in primary school and told me a couple crazy scary stories that made me unable to sleep for a week. If I’d read this when I was ten, I’d wager it would have had the same effect.