Finally trying my hand at AI quicksand images

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                             "JUST A LITTLE BIT FURTHER"

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“Please,” Sarah whispered softly, her upturned face now almost level with the surface, her lucidity briefly reviving as her eyes flickered open again, “I can’t do this.” She inhaled shallowly as she bobbed precariously in the ooze, with only her head still visible above the quicksand. She glanced around herself as she floundered failingly in the quag, her muscles responding only slowly to her teetering brain’s commands to them to move, to fight, incredulous over the marshy menace in which she had so recklessly ensnared herself. How had this day –– for that matter, how had her life –– brought her to this? she wondered in utter disbelief as with each weakening breath she felt herself slipping further into the mire. Further. The word wafted tenuously through her wavering awareness. Just a little bit further, she had said to herself so surely, so confidently, only a few minutes before –– or had it now been a lifetime? She would jump one more time, she had promised herself, and then she would go on her merry way. Yes… her merry way. That’s what she would do… or, at least, that’s what she would have done… if there had been anything else that she could have done. The “dare spot” had obviously had other ideas.

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(From my story "Homecoming - A Narrative Adaptation of the MPV Video 'Just a Little Further,' Starring Sarah Michelle." No photos or images from any source, whether from MPV or of Sarah Michelle herself, were used to generate these images; they all originated solely from written descriptions of her character's general appearance in the video and from text prompts.)
 
 

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"AI-GENERATED PROMPTS AND IMAGES"

I was playing with ChatGPT5 image generation to create some new AI quicksand images when the AI asked me if I would like for it to write some prompts of its own to carry the image that I was working on forward from the point of the woman being what I call upper-chest-deep to the point of her full submersion beneath the surface. These images are what the AI did with its own self-generated prompts which I have included; my only tweaks were to make the time of day be afternoon and not dusk (as the AI had originally suggested) so that the images would be brighter.

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A photo-realistic 16:9 cinematic image set in a sunny forest clearing. A woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs is trapped shoulder-deep in a dark, heavy quicksand bog. Her soaked white sleeveless top is streaked with mud. She appears panicked and desperate, her body tensed and straining as she tries to pull herself free. Her arms are half-sunk in the mire, sending small ripples across the surface. The sunlight filters through the trees, casting a dramatic glow on her face and reflecting off the muddy surface. The atmosphere conveys tension, fear, and raw human struggle against nature’s overwhelming grip.

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A photo-realistic cinematic action shot set in a sunny forest clearing. A woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs is trapped shoulder-deep in a dark, heavy quicksand bog. In a burst of panic, her body thrashes and struggles, splattering mud as she fights to free herself. Her arms are half-sunk, muscles tensed, sending ripples and droplets flying through the air. The sunlight filters through the trees, catching the spray of mud and illuminating her anguished, frantic expression. The composition should emphasize motion, intensity, and desperation against the still, serene forest backdrop.

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A photo-realistic cinematic landscape shot of a sunny forest clearing. In the center, a woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs is trapped shoulder-deep in a dark, muddy quicksand bog. She is in frantic motion, her body twisting and straining in panic as she tries to free herself. One arm thrashes, splattering mud and water droplets outward, catching the sunlight that filters through the trees. The other arm is half-sunk in the mire, muscles tense with futile resistance. The rippling surface reflects the golden hues of the sun and the green of the surrounding forest. Dappled light shines through the trees, contrasting the serene, sunlit stillness of the clearing with the chaotic, desperate energy of her struggle. The tone is cinematic, visceral, and tragic — a portrait of raw fear and human fragility against nature’s quiet indifference.

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A photo-realistic cinematic landscape of a sunlit forest clearing. In the center, a woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs is trapped shoulder-deep in a dark, muddy quicksand bog. Her arms rest weakly on the mire’s surface, trembling from fatigue. Her head is bowed slightly, her face streaked with mud and tears, eyes distant and unfocused as exhaustion replaces panic. Small ripples spread outward from her slow movements. Shafts of golden light pierce the trees and glint softly on the muddy surface, evoking a haunting contrast between the serene forest and her quiet despair. The tone is somber, still, and cinematic — capturing the moment when struggle gives way to acceptance. The only parts of her body visible above the surface are her head, her neck, the upper parts of her shoulders, and her arms spread out over the surface of the bog.

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A photo-realistic cinematic landscape of a sunny forest clearing. The air is quiet and heavy with sadness, golden light fading through the canopy. In the center, a woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs is now chin-deep in a dark, muddy quicksand bog. Only her head remains visible above the surface; her neck and shoulders have disappeared beneath the mire. Her soaked hair clings to her face and neck, streaked with mud and glistening faintly in the last light of day. Her eyes are open, calm but sorrowful, gazing upward toward the sunlight filtering through the trees. The mud’s surface ripples gently around her face, reflecting the sky in muted browns and golds. The surrounding forest is still and softly lit, conveying a sense of finality, resignation, and tragic beauty. The tone is cinematic, quiet, and deeply emotional — capturing the moment of near-stillness before silence fully claims her.

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These two images came from the same prompt. A photo-realistic cinematic landscape of a sunny forest clearing. The sunlight filters through the trees, glinting on the rippling surface of a dark, muddy quicksand bog. In the center, a woman in her early thirties with light skin and long brunette hair with bangs has sunk mouth-deep into the mire. Her chin is fully submerged, and the quicksand now touches her lower lip, creeping upward as her breathing stirs faint ripples on the surface. Her head is tilted back slightly in the muck, and her arms are completely submerged beneath the surface. Only her mouth, nose, eyes, and forehead remain visible above the mud. Her hair, streaked and plastered with mud, floats slightly around her face. Her eyes are open and distant, gazing toward the dim sky as the sunlight dances between the trees. The forest around her glows in the afternoon light, serene and indifferent. The atmosphere is cinematic and solemn — a moment of haunting calm and sorrowful inevitability as nature quietly reclaims her.

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These two images also came from the same prompt. A photo-realistic cinematic landscape of a sunny forest clearing. The light of day glows faintly through the trees, reflecting in the still surface of a dark, muddy quicksand bog. In the center, only the woman's upturned face remains visible above the surface — her mouth, nose, eyes, and forehead emerging from the mire as she stares upward toward the sky. Her chin and cheeks are fully submerged, and the mud clings thickly to the sides of her upturned face. Her long brunette hair with bangs is slicked back and partially matted with mud. Her eyes are open, glassy and distant, fixed upward toward the light filtering through the canopy. The surface of the quicksand glistens faintly, disturbed only by the smallest ripples. The surrounding forest is shrouded in afternoon light, calm and indifferent. The mood is cinematic and deeply somber — a moment of eerie serenity and tragic surrender as the quiet forest absorbs the last trace of her struggle.

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A photo-realistic cinematic landscape of a tranquil sunny forest clearing. The golden light filters softly through the trees. In the center of the clearing lies a dark, still quicksand bog — its surface smooth and heavy, reflecting the sky above. Faint ripples spread outward from a single small cluster of bubbles near the center, the only trace of movement in the scene. The surrounding trees stand silent, their leaves touched by the light, while faint mist rises above the cool surface of the mire. There is no sign of the woman — only the subtle evidence that something, or someone, has just vanished beneath. The atmosphere is somber yet serene, evoking the inevitability of nature’s embrace and the stillness that follows final surrender. The tone is cinematic, quiet, and deeply contemplative — a haunting epilogue to the struggle that has just ended.


As you can tell, going from prompts to images the AI didn't always get the depths or the arm positions exactly right (it always wanted to picture the woman "higher" in the muck than the prompt called for), but overall it still did a very good job describing the appearance of the scene, the woman's actions (or lack thereof), and the emotional weight of the images that it generated, especially since this was originally the AI's idea.
 
 

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"SINKHOLE"

The sinkhole had opened unexpectedly beneath her, plunging her several feet below the surface of the muddy ground upon which she had been walking. Once she had recovered from the initial shock of her predicament, she had taken momentary solace in the sight of the bright blue sky and puffy clouds still visible through the ragged opening above her... only to discover that the open space into which she had fallen was gradually collapsing upon itself around her, that the unstable, fluid earth encompassing her was just as treacherous, just as precarious as the seemingly solid ground that had betrayed her... and that it was slowly enclosing her... enfolding her... encasing her... as the opening above her grew steadily smaller.

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"SUBTLE SANDS"

Andrea wailed in helpless despair as she felt herself settling deeper into the quicksand, her hands and forearms pressing uselessly upon the unstable surface, the clutching muck encasing her torso and legs in a squeezing, suffocating grasp that made her efforts to move feel as though she were struggling against a vise grip of sentient suction, answering her every attempt to free herself by dragging her further downward into its depths.

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