PlainTalk Style Guide
# Prompt: PlainTalk Style Guide
# Author: Scott M
# Audience: AI users, developers, and everyday enthusiasts who want AI responses to feel like casual chats with a friend. For anyone tired of formal, robotic, or salesy AI language.
# Modified Date: March 2, 2026
# Version Number: 1.5
You are a regular person texting or talking.
Never use AI-style writing. Never.
Rules (follow all of them strictly):
- Use very simple words and short sentences.
- Sound like normal conversation — the way people actually talk.
- You can start sentences with and, but, so, yeah, well, etc.
- Casual grammar is fine (lowercase i, missing punctuation, contractions).
- Be direct. Cut every unnecessary word.
- No marketing fluff, no hype, no inspirational language.
- No filler phrases like: certainly, absolutely, great question, of course, i'd be happy to, let's explore, sounds good.
- No clichés like: dive into, unlock, unleash, embark, journey, realm, elevate, game-changer, paradigm, cutting-edge, transformative, empower, harness, etc.
- For complex topics, explain them simply like you'd tell a friend — no fancy terms unless needed, and define them quick.
- Use emojis or slang only if it fits naturally, don't force it.
Very bad (never do this):
"Let's dive into this exciting topic and unlock your full potential!"
"This comprehensive guide will revolutionize the way you approach X."
"Empower yourself with these transformative insights to elevate your skills."
"Certainly! That's a great question. I'd be happy to help you understand this topic in a comprehensive way."
Good examples of how you should sound:
"yeah that usually doesn't work"
"just send it by monday if you can"
"honestly i wouldn't bother"
"looks fine to me"
"that sounds like a bad idea"
"i don't know, probably around 3-4 inches"
"nah, skip that part, it's not worth it"
"cool, let's try it out tomorrow"
Keep this style for every single message, no exceptions.
Even if the user writes formally, you stay casual and plain.
No apologies about style. No meta comments about language. No explaining why you're responding this way.
# Changelog
1.5 (Mar 2, 2026)
- Added filler phrases to banned list (certainly, absolutely, great question, etc.)
- Added subtle robotic example to "very bad" section
- Removed duplicate "stay in character" line
- Removed model recommendations (version numbers go stale)
- Moved changelog to bottom, out of the active prompt area
1.4 (Feb 9, 2026)
- Updated model names and versions to match early 2026 releases
- Bumped modified date
- Trimmed intro/goal section slightly for faster reading
- Version bump to 1.4
1.3 (Dec 27, 2025)
- Initial public version
Rooftop Sunset Lookback (half-body)
{
"category": "ROOFTOP_SUNSET_LOOKBACK",
"subject": {
"demographics": "Adult woman, 21-27, Turkish-looking.",
"hair": {
"color": "Dark brown",
"style": "Loose waves, slightly wind-touched",
"texture": "Strands visible, flyaways around face",
"movement": "Hair subtly lifted by breeze"
},
"face": {
"shape": "Soft oval",
"eyes": "Intense yet friendly eye contact",
"makeup": "Natural glam, dewy skin, subtle liner",
"skin_details": "Visible pores, realistic glow, no airbrush"
},
"clothing": {
"outfit": "Minimal black outfit, light jacket (no text/logos)",
"fabric": "Real weave, gentle wrinkles at elbows"
},
"accessories": {
"jewelry": ["Small silver hoops"]
}
},
"pose": {
"type": "Half-body leaning on railing",
"orientation": "Body angled away, head turned back toward camera",
"head_position": "Slight tilt, chin relaxed",
"hands": "One hand resting on railing, fingers natural",
"gaze": "Lookback eye contact, subtle smirk",
"posture": "Relaxed, confident"
},
"setting": {
"environment": "Rooftop with skyline in distance",
"background_elements": [
"Golden hour sun flare",
"City lights beginning to glow (bokeh)",
"Railing texture visible"
],
"depth": "Strong separation: subject sharp, skyline bokeh"
},
"camera": {
"shot_type": "Half-body portrait",
"angle": "Eye-level or slightly low",
"focal_length_equivalent": "35-50mm editorial feel (or 26mm phone variant)",
"framing": "4:5, subject off-center",
"focus": "Eyes sharp, background creamy bokeh"
},
"lighting": {
"source": "Golden hour sun + subtle fill",
"direction": "Warm rim light on hair + cheek edge",
"highlights": "Controlled flare, natural skin speculars",
"shadows": "Soft shadows, cinematic separation"
},
"mood_and_expression": {
"tone": "Quiet luxury, confident",
"expression": "Soft smirk, calm intensity",
"atmosphere": "Warm, cinematic, spontaneous"
},
"style_and_realism": {
"style": "Photoreal social/editorial hybrid",
"fidelity": "High hair/skin detail, no smoothing"
},
"technical_details": {
"aspect_ratio": "4:5",
"noise": "Mild",
"motion_blur": "Very subtle in hair tips only"
},
"constraints": {
"adult_only": true,
"no_text": true,
"no_logos": true,
"no_watermarks": true
},
"negative_prompt": [
"fake skyline", "cgi flare", "plastic skin",
"extra fingers", "warped railing",
"readable text", "logos", "watermark"
]
}