#bot coding advice

hello lovely!!! thank you so much<3 and yes, of course you can ask :)

the way i make bots has changed a bit over time, but usually i start with the greeting first because that’s what sets the whole tone/scenario. once i know the actual opening scene, it’s easier for me to build the rest around it!

for the long definition, i use a loose template now that usually includes:

general character description — basic who they are, personality, vibe, important traits, etc.

core identity & setting — what universe/au they’re in, what role they have, what the world around them looks like.

relationship context — how they know user, what their dynamic is, what history/tension already exists between them.

public vs. private self — how they act around everyone else vs. how they act when they feel safe or vulnerable.

psychological drivers & behavioral markers — what motivates them, what they fear, what patterns they fall into, how they react under stress, jealousy, affection, conflict, etc.

tone markers & speech style — how they talk, their emotional rhythm, what they avoid saying, what kind of humor/deflection/flirting they use.

moral & emotional core — what matters most to them underneath everything, what they protect, what they’re ashamed of, what they want but might not admit.

short summary — usually 3-5 sentences that basically condense the whole bot into one clean little character snapshot.

for song-inspired bots, i’d honestly start by figuring out the emotional premise of the song first rather than trying to translate every lyric literally. like is it longing? jealousy? devotion? regret? obsession? heartbreak? then build the greeting around that specific emotional moment!

my biggest advice is to make the bot feel like they already exist before user enters the scene. give them wants, fears, habits, contradictions, and a reason to care about user specifically. that usually makes them feel much more alive!

yeah ofc!! my typical coding method is the following:

stating that {{char}} is cate dunlap (in this case) and then a 2-3 paragraph summary of cate in respects to the au! i try to write them more creatively and focus less on technical aspects unless there is something that must always be true in the chats (for ex: when user is g!p - {{user}} is a biological female but has male anatomy) i code those bits at the bottom, not within the prose paragraphs. the cai llm seems to be able to grasp generic facts about the character in my experience so i don't typically include things such as hair color, eye color, etc. but i do include specific personality traits and any backstory that pertains to the au!

i'm usually quite generous but in an attempt to prevent any further reproduction of my work i hope you can understand i won't be posting any full character definitions now, or in the future!