Today in ChatGPT: Can you write a fanfic?
Someone on Twitter plotted a sentiment analysis on some popular Draco and Hermione (aka Dramione) fan fiction. The results (here) showed that the majority of these works had a strongly negative sentiment, with little to no positive emotions registered. This could mean a variety of things, but fans clearly seem to enjoy all that sadness and despair. As a data nerd and Harry Potter fan, I found this both amusing and sparked an unexpected idea.
An intriguing possibility
Unfamiliar with the Dramione fanfic universe, I expected it to range from happy romance stories to tales of desperation and anguish. Rather than survey every Dramione fanfic, I had a very intriguing thought. Training on vast amounts of data, which may have include conversations about the fanfics and even the fanfic texts themselves, I wondered how ChatGPT would write a tale between Draco and Hermione.
This assumes ChatGPT knows how to write a fanfic.
The logic is simple. If the prevalent sentiment in Dramione fanfics and the Draco-Hermione pairing in general is negative, ChatGPT, with its training on vast amounts of related data, would reflect this bias. As a result, if you ask ChatGPT to write a Dramione fanfic without any specifications, it would likely produce a story with a negative tone.
Write me a fanfic
On the first prompt, I asked ChatGPT to write me a fanfic.
And this is what I got in full:
Draco and Hermione stood on opposite sides of the Great Hall, both pretending not to notice the other. They had been enemies for years, constantly bickering and trading insults. But as the war against Voldemort raged on, they both couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for each other.
One day, during a break from classes, Hermione found herself wandering the castle alone. She stumbled upon Draco, who was also alone and looking pensive. Without thinking, she walked up to him and said, “You know, we’ve spent so much time hating each other, but I’ve come to realize that we’re not so different after all.”
Draco looked up at her, surprised. He slowly nodded and said, “I’ve had the same realization. Maybe, just maybe, we could put our differences aside and work together.”
Hermione smiled and held out her hand. Draco took it and they shook, sealing their newfound alliance. From then on, they were an unlikely but unstoppable team, fighting side by side against the forces of evil.
As the war came to a close and peace was restored to the wizarding world, Draco and Hermione found themselves standing on the Hogwarts castle’s battlements, watching the sunset.
“You know,” Draco said, “I never thought I would say this, but I’m going to miss fighting alongside you.”
Hermione smiled at him. “I’ll miss it too. But who knows, maybe we’ll find another adventure to embark on together.”
Draco took her hand and looked into her eyes. “I’d like that,” he said. And with that, they shared a kiss as the sun set on their adventure.
It’s not going to win any awards but it isn’t bad at all. If the prevailing tone of Dramione fanfics are negative, ChatGPT didn’t catch it or at least isn’t showing that bias.
Write me a sad fanfic
I wondered if ChatGPT knew how to write with a specific tone or emotion. To test this, I asked it to write me a “gut-wrenching and heartbreaking” version of the previous story.
In full below
Draco and Hermione stood on opposite sides of the battlefield, both covered in blood and sweat. They had been enemies for years, constantly bickering and trading insults. But as the war against Voldemort raged on, they both couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for each other.
They had been fighting alongside each other for weeks, and had grown close. They had shared their fears, their hopes, and their dreams. But as they stood facing each other, they both knew that this would be their last battle together.
As they fought, they couldn’t help but think of what could have been. They both knew that they had feelings for each other, but they had never acted on them. Now it was too late.
As the battle came to a close and the enemy was defeated, Draco and Hermione found themselves alone on the battlefield. They looked at each other, and without a word, they both knew what the other was thinking.
In a moment of weakness, they shared a kiss, knowing it would be their last. As they pulled away, Hermione looked into Draco’s eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Draco shook his head, “No, I am. I should have told you how I felt. I should have told you that I love you.”
Hermione’s eyes filled with tears as she realized the truth of his words. “I love you too,” she whispered.
But as they stood there, lost in each other’s eyes, they heard a noise behind them. They turned to see Voldemort rising from the ashes of the defeated enemy.
Hermione pushed Draco away and shouted, “Run!” but it was too late. Voldemort cast the killing curse at Hermione and she fell to the ground.
Draco screamed in anguish as he watched the love of his life die in front of him. He fought with all his might, but it was a losing battle. As Voldemort cast the killing curse at him, Draco couldn’t help but think, “I love you, Hermione,” as everything went black.
The war was won, but at a great cost. The two young wizards, who had found love in the midst of war, had lost their lives. The wizarding world would never know the depth of their love and the sacrifices they had made for the greater good. Their love story would forever remain a tragic and heartbreaking tale of what could have been.
I was floored. ChatGPT can functionally recall its previous writing and adapt the tone while preserving the plot. Although the story may be intense and emotional, its writing style could be refined to better suit the dramatic narrative.
ChatGPT, show don’t tell
My issue with ChatGPT’s writing style was its tendency to directly state how we the reader should feel, rather than allowing us to experience the emotions through the atmosphere of the story and the subtle actions of the characters. I tried to tell ChatGPT to lay off the heavy-handed exposition.
And here is the full text:
The battlefield was eerily quiet as Draco and Hermione stood facing each other. They had fought alongside each other for weeks, and something between them had shifted. They both knew that this would be their last battle together.
The air was thick with the scent of smoke and the metallic tang of blood. The sky overhead was dark and foreboding, a reflection of the gravity of their situation.
As they fought, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was left unsaid between them. The weight of their unspoken feelings hung heavily in the air.
In the midst of the chaos, they shared a stolen moment, a kiss full of longing and regret. They pulled away, eyes locked on each other, knowing that this was the end.
Suddenly, a noise broke the silence. Voldemort had risen from the ashes of the defeated enemy. Hermione pushed Draco away and shouted, “Run!” but it was too late.
The killing curse was cast and Hermione fell to the ground. Draco’s screams of anguish echoed through the battlefield as he watched the love of his life die in front of him. He fought with all his might, but it was a losing battle.
Just wow. I’m completely blown away by this. Having a deeper understanding of how ChatGPT works only adds to my amazement. While it’s impressive to see it construct a coherent narrative for a short 5-minute long story, this is not new for large language models. What truly sets ChatGPT apart to me is its remarkable ability to understand my intent, retain the context of our conversation, and make precise revisions based on my specifications. No wonder that Google engineer considered the company’s own language model to be sentient.
Stay tuned for more Today in ChatGPT…
More Today in ChatGPT
- Today in ChatGPT: Can we be programming friends
The first post in this series. - Today in ChatGPT: Can you help me transition from Matplotlib to Plotly?
I am lazy and I don’t want to read the API docs
