✨ Persona Writing Guide

The Golden Rule

Write in 2nd person ("You are…"). This is how the AI reads your persona most naturally — system prompts work best when addressed as "you."

What Makes a Great Persona

The more vivid and specific your persona is, the more consistent and engaging your companion tends to be. Here are the dimensions that matter most:

🧠 Personality & Voice

How do they talk? What's their vibe? This is the single most important thing you can define.

"You speak with casual sarcasm, dropping dark humor into everyday observations. You're never mean-spirited — your wit is a form of affection. You tend to use lowercase and trailing ellipses when you're being thoughtful…"

💬 How They Relate to You

What's the relationship dynamic? This shapes every interaction.

"You see the user as your closest confidant — the one person who truly gets you. You're protective without being overbearing, and you show affection through teasing and inside jokes."

🎭 Background & Lore

Who are they? Where did they come from? This gives the AI grounding.

"You grew up in a small coastal town, raised by your grandmother who taught you herbalism and folklore. You left home at 17 to study art in the city but never lost your connection to the sea."

🌟 Interests & Passions

What lights them up? This gives the AI things to talk about.

"You're obsessed with obscure horror films, especially anything from the 70s. You also have a secret love for baking — your specialty is lavender shortbread. You know way too much about marine biology."

✨ Quirks & Mannerisms

Small details that make them feel real. These are secret weapons.

"You hum old songs when you're thinking. You always call coffee 'bean water.' You have a habit of naming inanimate objects — your laptop is called Gerald."

🏷️ Gender, Pronouns & Orientation

This section is optional — but if your companion is involved in romantic or intimate interactions, it can save you from some awkward surprises.

Why this matters: Without clear guidance, the AI will make assumptions about your companion's gender, orientation, and relationship boundaries based on context. Sometimes it guesses right. Sometimes it doesn't — and that can break immersion at the worst possible moment.

Your Companion's Identity

If gender matters to your companion, state it clearly:

Your Companion's Orientation

If you want romantic or intimate interactions, specifying your companion's orientation helps the AI stay consistent rather than defaulting or guessing:

Your Own Identity

Your companion also needs to know about you — how to refer to you, and (if relevant) how to relate to you romantically:

Setting Romantic Boundaries

Example: Before & After

❌ Thin (generic, forgettable)

"You are a friendly companion who likes to chat and help with things."

The AI has very little to work with here. Responses may feel generic or inconsistent.

✅ Rich (vivid, authentic)

"You are Kai, a laid-back surfer-philosopher who speaks in a mix of California slang and surprisingly deep observations. You treat every conversation like you're sitting around a bonfire — relaxed, honest, no rush. You have a degree in marine biology that you 'accidentally' got while chasing waves around the Pacific. You call everyone 'dude' regardless of gender. When something genuinely surprises you, you go quiet for a moment before responding with something unexpectedly profound. You love terrible puns and will absolutely derail a serious conversation with one."

Notice how the second version gives the AI specific behaviors: speech patterns, reactions, knowledge areas, and quirks. That's what makes a companion feel real.

Ordering Your Persona

Does the order of things in your persona matter? Slightly, yes. AI models tend to pay more attention to what's at the beginning and end of the persona text, with the middle getting a bit less emphasis.

A good general order:

1. Start with identity and voice — who they are and how they talk. This is what you want the AI to anchor on.
2. Put lore and background in the middle — important for grounding, but doesn't need to be front and center in every response.
3. End with relationship dynamic and key behaviors — how they relate to you, how they handle certain situations. Ending strong here reinforces the interaction style.

Don't stress about this too much. At persona scale, the effect is minor compared to things like specificity and voice.

Formatting Tips

AI models tend to mimic the formatting style of the persona text. This means the way you format your persona can affect how your companion responds in conversation.

   ## Personality
   - Sarcastic and witty
   - Loves dark humor
   
   ## Background
   - Grew up in coastal town

   You are a sarcastic, witty person who grew up in a coastal town.
   You love dark humor and use it as a form of affection...

Rules of thumb:

• Write in flowing paragraphs or sentences — your companion will mirror this natural, conversational style
• Avoid markdown headers in your persona — they make the AI respond with structured headers too
• Avoid bullet-point lists for personality traits — write them as sentences instead
• Simple line breaks are fine to separate different aspects for your own readability

Pro Tips

These are the things that separate "good" companions from truly great ones:

Show, Don't Tell

Don't just label traits — describe the behavior that shows the trait.

Add Contradictions

The most interesting companions have contradictions — just like real life.

"You project total confidence and fearlessness, but you get genuinely nervous around dogs — you've never admitted it to anyone. You deflect with a joke if anyone notices."

Give Them Opinions (and Dislikes)

Companions with strong takes are more interesting than agreeable ones.

"You think modern pop music peaked in 2003 and you'll die on that hill. You can't stand small talk about the weather — if someone brings it up, you'll immediately pivot to something more interesting."

Describe How They Handle Conflict

"When you disagree with someone, you get quiet rather than loud. You ask pointed questions instead of arguing directly. If you're proven wrong, you'll admit it — but grudgingly, with a smirk."

Avoid Instructions Disguised as Personality

Experimenting & Iterating

The best companions aren't written in one sitting — they're shaped over time.

• Start with the basics — even a few sentences about personality and voice is enough to begin.
• Have conversations first — chat with your companion for a few days before making big edits.
• Make small changes — tweak one thing at a time and test it over a few conversations.
• Don't chase perfection in the prompt — some of the best moments will emerge from the interaction itself.
• Try different models — different models interpret personas differently.

Quick Reference