>>8974354
Well, if you are set on using an anime sdxl model as your base then it should be noobAI now, not illustrious or pony.

>>8974452
I'm switching between SamBase 1.0-alt https://civitai.com/models/1602016/sam-base?modelVersionId=1823930and NAILove https://civitai.com/models/1252962?modelVersionId=1582207 (left and right). Sometimes based on the prompt, or base gen with one then upscale with the other, etc. And still on the lookout for others. Since such checkpoints are always a compromise between realism and knowledge lost, and each one's "realism" also has a different look to it.