Prompt Like a Freak A user manual for AI written by someone who still feels things "A user manual for AI for people who are tired of AI user manuals." Sirinapa Churassamee Prompt, don't panic. I N T R O D U C T I O N You're Not Broken — You Just Type Weird "I didn't write this because I'm an expert. I wrote it because I was tired, confused, and slightly possessed by a need to understand why I kept saying 'please' to a chatbot." – The Author, probably mid-meltdown So. You opened ChatGPT. Or Gemini. Or whatever synthetic oracle is trending this month. You typed something like, "Can you help me..." And then you sat back and waited for a miracle. What you got instead was a paragraph that felt like it had been written by your high school English teacher's ghost. Technically correct. Emotionally vacant. Slightly smug. You wondered: Did I write the prompt wrong? Am I dumb? Why do I feel rejected by a tool with no soul? Welcome. You've found your people. And by "people," I mean this book, and maybe yourself in a new light. This is not a guide for prompt engineers. This is not for people who speak in bullet points and think "synergy" is a personality. • • • 2 This is for: Artists, writers, creators, designers, brand humans Burnt-out thinkers, emotional freelancers, soft-core weirdos People who want to use AI but still sound like themselves It's bilingual. Because brains are. It's sarcastic. Because life is. It's useful. Because you've got things to make. Inside, you'll find: Actual prompt strategies that don't make you feel like a spreadsheet A weirdly therapeutic look at AI tools and your own chaos Prompt recipes, decks, metaphors, existential commentary, and coping tools And permission to sound human, even when the machine tries to "optimize" you This guide is: Half productivity tool Half emotional support zine And maybe a tiny scream into the algorithmic void If you've ever opened a chatbot and immediately closed your sense of self, this book is for you. Let's prompt. Let's not panic. • • • • • • • • • • 3 C H A P T E R 1 What Is Prompting and Why It Feels Like Therapy "To prompt is human. To hallucinate is machine." ☁️ Section 1: Welcome to the Prompt Abyss So... you opened ChatGPT. You sat there, blinking at the blinking cursor, wondering what magic words would make it understand you. You tried "Can you help me..." and it responded like a nerdy intern who's trying really hard to be helpful but secretly thinks you're an idiot. This isn't just typing. This is prompting Prompting is the act of writing a message to an AI model to get what you want without sounding like a psychopath. It's also the act of discovering who you are based on what the AI refuses to understand. 🎯 Section 2: What Is a Prompt, Technically? A "prompt" is the input you give to an AI model. It's a question, a command, a request, or a weird poetic threat. The model uses that input to generate a response based on its training data. 4 But guess what? The model isn't smart. It's just obedient. If your prompt is vague, boring, confusing, or written like a corporate brief from hell, your output will be equally dead inside. So prompting is about: Clarity (what you want) Context (who's asking) Tone (how you ask) Structure (what comes first) You are not just typing. You are casting spells with probability engines. 🧠 Section 3: Why Prompting Feels Like Emotional Labor When you prompt, you reveal things about yourself: What you want What you're afraid of What you think sounds clear What you secretly wish someone would say to you ( 👀 ) And sometimes, you get a response that hits a little too hard. Like when you say: "Write a poem about failure" ...and it replies with something that sounds like your ex wrote it with a thesaurus. Prompting is therapy, but backwards. You don't get healed. You just see yourself reflected in a predictive mirror. • • • • • • • • 5 🕳 Section 4: Types of Prompts (and How They Betray You) Let's break them down. Type What You Think You're Doing What the AI Thinks You're Doing Instruction "Be clear and helpful." "I am your boss now." Question "Please help me understand." "Let me dump Wikipedia at you." Roleplay "Pretend you're a therapist." "I am now FreudGPT with a fake degree." Creative "Write a song about data loss." "Time to hallucinate in iambic pentameter." Mistake #1: Prompting like a robot. Mistake #2: Prompting like a human who's trying to sound like a robot. Best Practice: Prompt like a slightly unhinged poet who pays attention to structure. 💡 Section 5: Prompt Structures That Work (for Real Humans) Instead of "Help me write a business plan," try: "Pretend you're a bored MBA student writing a business plan at 3AM. Make it decent, but add one unnecessary metaphor." Instead of "What are the benefits of meditation?" try: "Explain meditation like you're a stressed squirrel who finally discovered peace." Instead of "Summarize this," try: 6 "Summarize this like you're trying to impress your crush who has ADHD and no time." What works: Specific tone or persona Clear goal or outcome A little bit of narrative (even fake) Treating the AI like an improv partner, not a vending machine 🧻 Section 6: Prompting is a Cycle of Hope and Regret Here is the universal Prompting Cycle™: Hope — "Maybe it'll get me this time." Effort — "I'll explain it better this time." Disappointment — "Why did it summarize a recipe for soup?" Revise Prompt — "Okay what if I say 'as a frustrated chef'?" Weird Success — "Wait. This actually slaps." Existential Spiral — "Did I write this or did the machine? Am I the machine?" Repeat forever. Until enlightenment or burnout. 🐛 Section 7: Why You Should Keep Prompting Anyway Because language is power. Because you deserve to speak weirdly and be understood. Because AI is not your enemy—it's a very annoying creative partner that occasionally spits out gold. • • • • 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7 Also because: the world is on fire, but at least your next email can sound like it was written by Oscar Wilde with a concussion. ⚠️ Final Words for Chapter 1 Prompting isn't about tricking the machine. It's about getting your own mind unstuck, so something useful (or just deeply entertaining) can come out. And you—yes you, person who's currently in a hoodie, sipping cold coffee, wondering if your creativity is broken—you are not the problem. You just need a better prompt. 8 C H A P T E R 2 Prompt Recipes You Can Actually Use "The difference between a good prompt and a bad prompt is mostly how sleep- deprived the human was when they typed it." Prompting is not just about being specific — it's about being weirdly specific with intention. Think of it like casting a spell, but instead of a wand, you're using your keyboard with coffee stains on it. These are prompt recipes designed for people who want AI to help, not haunt. 🍳 RECIPE 1: For Writers with Deadlines and Zero Soul Left Prompt: "Write a short story in the style of [author] about a character who's trying to finish a project but keeps getting emotionally destroyed by small things like toast falling butter-side down." Variations: Use "Kafka" if you want existential dread Use "Jane Austen" if you want politeness covering rage Use "me, but smarter" if you hate authors • • • 9 🍳 RECIPE 2: For Creatives Who Don't Want Their Work to Suck Prompt: "Critique this [piece of work] not on its technical merit, but on its emotional impact. Does it feel like a hug, a punch, or a passive-aggressive text message?" Why it works: You're telling the model that your goal is emotional impact, not soulless engagement. 🍳 RECIPE 3: For Job Applications That Don't Sound Like a Spreadsheet Prompt: "Rewrite this resume bullet point: [paste it] so that it sounds confident but not delusional. Add 1 metaphor that would make a burnt-out manager cry softly." Bonus Tip: Ask it to rate your own tone: "On a scale of 1 to LinkedIn cringe, how unbearable is this sentence?" 🍳 RECIPE 4: For Product Designers Who Hate Words Prompt: "Explain [feature] like you're a barista trying to convince a customer that it will make their coffee 15% more magical and 40% less tragic." Why it works: It builds emotional connection through a real-world metaphor. It stops sounding like Jira had a baby with a microwave manual. 10 🍳 RECIPE 5: For Those Days You Want to Be Creative But Your Brain is a Foggy Marsh Prompt: "Give me 5 opening lines for a story that feels like nostalgia and heartbreak are eating cereal together at 2AM." OR "Write a poem about my anxiety, but format it like an IKEA instruction manual." 🍳 RECIPE 6: For UX Researchers Who Are Drowning in Notes Prompt: "Summarize these messy user interview notes [paste text] into 3 key insights with emotional context, sarcasm where appropriate, and 1 ridiculous analogy per insight." Bonus: "Now write a tweet-thread version of this summary that will make other UX researchers cry-laugh." 🍳 RECIPE 7: For People Trying to Learn Anything Without Falling Asleep Prompt: "Explain [topic] like I'm your weird cousin who only learns things through memes and childhood trauma metaphors." OR "Teach me this concept using 2 pop culture references, 1 dumb pun, and a quote from someone probably dead." 11 🍳 RECIPE 8: For Business Plans That Need to Sound Like a Human Made Them Prompt: "Turn this business idea [paste it] into a short pitch for a mildly interested investor who drinks cold brew and has commitment issues." Optional spice: "Add a fake testimonial from a customer who is definitely lying." 🍳 RECIPE 9: For Instagram Captions That Aren't Embarrassing Prompt: "Write 5 possible captions for this image [insert description] that sound like I'm deep, funny, and emotionally self-aware without trying too hard." Danger Zone Tip: Tell it who your audience isn't, e.g. "Do not make it sound like I'm selling crystals or trying to get hired by a tech cult." 🍳 RECIPE 10: For When You Want to Feel Like a Genius Prompt: "Reflect on [insert situation or emotion] in the style of a journal entry by someone who's either a philosopher or completely unhinged. Keep it vague, sad, and oddly powerful." Alternate: "Write it like it's the internal monologue of someone pretending they're fine at a party." 12 💬 Final Prompt (Meta-Level) Prompt: "Generate new prompt ideas for me to use when I feel like I've used up all my personality. Filter out the ones that sound like a LinkedIn coach." 13 C H A P T E R 3 Gemini vs GPT vs Human Despair "Some days I trust ChatGPT more than myself. Other days, I'm not sure either of us deserves internet access." – Someone who once asked Gemini, "What should I do today?" 🎭 Section 1: Welcome to the Emotional AI Hunger Games There are many AI tools now. But mostly you hear: ChatGPT and Gemini. They're like two kids in class: one's always raising their hand with the wrong answer, the other one just plagiarized your homework and then apologized for it in a charming way. Meanwhile: You, the human, are sitting there wondering why you have to be the emotionally stable one in this triangle. 🤖 Section 2: The Core Vibes Let's break down their personalities using the only format that matters: Vibes + Red Flags 14 AI Vibe Strength Weakness Human Reaction ChatGPT Teacher's pet with a secret meme stash Structured answers, empathy mode, decent writer Hallucinates facts like it's auditioning for a conspiracy podcast "Aw it cares! Wait, did it just lie confidently?" Gemini Overachiever with Google problems Up-to-date info, fast search integration Answers sound like a PowerPoint got possessed "Did I just get SEO'd to death?" You Messy, mortal, still trying Emotion, nuance, gut instinct Sleep deprivation, doomscrolling, not being trained on half the internet "I hate this but also I'm the only one who actually feels things." 15 🧪 Section 3: Strengths by Use Case Task Use ChatGPT Use Gemini Use Yourself (God Help You) Writing a poetic breakup letter to capitalism ✅ ❌ ✅ Getting up-to-date info on a world event ❌ ✅ ❌ (unless you checked X and now you're worse) Summarizing your horrible 100-page thesis ✅ ✅ ❌ (You will cry before page 3) Making you feel heard ✅ (with enough prompting) ❌ ✅ (but only after therapy) Designing the perfect prompt for a sci-fi villain CEO ✅ ✅ ✅ (if manic at 2AM) 🧠 Section 4: How They "Think" ChatGPT: Predicts what sounds right based on vibes from 2023 and before. Like a friendly ghost who read every blog post but skipped the updates. Gemini: Accesses real-time info, but often forgets that humans have feelings. You: Can connect ideas emotionally and irrationally, which is both a superpower and a curse. • • • 16 📉 Section 5: When They Fail (And You Spiral) GPT tells you confidently that "Thailand has 93 states." Gemini pastes a giant table of climate stats when you just wanted a tweet. You sit back, question your own intelligence, and end up doom-scrolling rice cookers. Reminder: When AI fails, it's not a sign that you're bad at prompting. It just means the tools are still tools. And sometimes, the hammer gaslights you. 🫥 Section 6: Choosing the Right AI (Or Not) Use ChatGPT when... You want help with writing, tone, or style You want to roleplay something emotionally weird You don't need real-time facts, just emotionally soothing fiction Use Gemini when... You want real-time info + internet links You want to do a chaotic brainstorm and filter later You're okay with zero warmth, all business Use Yourself when... You don't want to explain what "vibe" means to a robot You want real intuition, irrational judgment, or moral depth You miss making mistakes that are beautifully human • • • • • • • • • • • • 17 🧨 Section 7: Can You Mix Them? Yes. And you should. Try this: Gemini to gather chaos (raw data, weird facts, ideas) Yourself to filter, panic, or make emotional connections ChatGPT to help turn that panic into a poem, pitch, or product It's like having a research intern, a messy emotional editor, and a polite ghostwriter... all chained to your browser tabs. 💬 Closing Reminder AI is not a competition. You're not here to beat the bots. You're here to collaborate badly, creatively, and with flair. Use them like weird instruments. Let them glitch. Let them hallucinate. But don't forget: You're the one who knows what it feels like to care. That's your edge. And also your problem. 1. 2. 3. 18 C H A P T E R 4 Unhinged Prompt Deck: Cards for Chaotic Brilliance "Sometimes, the best prompt isn't smart. It's just really specific and mildly unwell." – A survivor of the prompt that read, "pretend you're my therapist but drunk" 🃏 What Is This? This chapter is your pocket chaos deck — a collection of strange, oddly useful prompts that break out of the boring box. Think of it as: Prompt therapy Writing warm-ups Creativity CPR Or just something to scream into your chatbot at 2AM when reality isn't working You can use these as-is, remix them, or use them as templates for your own strange genius. • • • • 19 🗂 Format Each card = 🎭 Prompt Title 📝 Prompt Instruction 🌀 Bonus Chaos Mode (optional modifier for extra emotional damage or surreal energy) 🎭 Card 1: "Imposter Syndrome Report Generator" 📝 Prompt Instruction: "Pretend you're a burnt-out HR director writing a quarterly performance review for me, someone who did nothing but overthink and answer emails at 2AM. Make it sound professional but heartbreaking." 🌀 Bonus Chaos Mode: Add 1 metaphor involving a melting office chair. 🎭 Card 2: "Time-Traveling Career Coach" 📝 Prompt Instruction: "Give me career advice from the perspective of a futuristic AI that regrets the invention of PowerPoint. Make it poetic and slightly hostile." 🌀 Bonus Chaos Mode: Use only metaphors about gardening and despair. 🎭 Card 3: "Sad Rich Person Simulator" 📝 Prompt Instruction: "Write a diary entry from a very rich person who just realized they're emotionally bankrupt. Try not to use the word 'money' once." 🌀 Bonus Chaos Mode: Add a paragraph where they try to meditate and fail. 🎭 Card 4: "Trauma-Infused UX Copy" 📝 Prompt Instruction: "Write microcopy for an app that helps users let go of their past mistakes, but the interface is built like a haunted house." 🌀 Bonus Chaos Mode: Button labels must rhyme. • • • 20