elizahiggswrites

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[aiweirdness]

Harry Potter and the Neural Network fan fiction

Or, what happens if you train a neural network on the titles and plot summaries of over 100,000 works of Harry Potter fan fiction.

In the decades since the Harry Potter books were published, fans have written literally hundreds of thousands of Harry Potter stories of their own, and shared them online. Can a neural network join in on the fun?

In a way, everything a recurrent neural network writes is fan fiction. A recurrent neural network looks at an example dataset (such as the complete Sherlock Holmes stories) and teaches itself the patterns and conventions that it sees. So, if it’s given Sherlock Holmes stories, it will become obsessed with Holmes and Watson, and if it’s given knock-knock jokes, it will spend all day telling awful knock-knock jokes of its own.

Thanks to an idea by a couple of readers, some heroic work by @b8horpet in scraping (with permission) hundreds of thousands of Harry Potter fan fiction titles and summaries from AO3, and a flexible new recurrent neural network implementation by Chen Liang, the neural network’s latest obsession is Harry Potter.

The Perfect Party by iamisaac Draco has been left alone, and Ginny confused must learn and who has his best friend. They were breathed by a love that didn’t become his grounds and the flowers begin.

This is a typical example of the neural network’s fan fiction - romantic pairings of two or more Harry Potter characters (called “ships” in fan fiction-speak). In this case, it even has chosen a plausible author: iamisaac is a real and fairly prolific fan fiction author whose works do tend to be of the “romantic” variety. 

The Garden by perverse_idyll for lexigilite Ron and Hermione move after a man party. What did her best things go and has to deal with people she loves? How many imperfect love really belonges them and needs to be a person? Or will they learn and more than the war? Mirror Thing by Queen_Elexhan “Are you there for a relationship? I was a sad future for your love.”  Harry and Ginny find out the meaning is.

Shatters by Kis [archived by TheHexFiles_archivist ] Based on the Spot Are It Falls Into A Heir by NextrangeOnTheThree Draco and Hermione share a whole indescribbening.

Again, “perverse_idyll” and “TheHexFiles_archivist” are fairly active authors. (Hi, if you’re reading! The neural network seems to like your writing, and is writing fan fiction of your fan fiction!) Those familiar with Harry Potter fan fiction will not be surprised to learn that the neural network really likes to generate ships; pretty much every combination of characters is represented (some of the more unusual combinations being “The Snow/Voldemort”, “The Ministry/Draco Malfoy”, and “Voldemort/Random Quidditch Child”).

By turning down the neural network’s creativity setting to near-zero, we arrive at its vision of what the quintessential Harry Potter fan fiction would be like - and we also learn its favorite ship:

Persuading by theladyblack Harry and Draco are still a second chance at the end of the war.  Will they be able to do with the fairy tale of the first time they were a strange stranger to the street of the war and the war is over?

It turns out the neural network is obsessed with Harry/Draco, although in a pinch, Sirius/Remus will also do.

The neural network also seems to really like stories about Professor Snape trying to do rather ordinary things:

New Moon Boys by Dungoonke for Loki_Kukaka Severus Snape comes back to a night’s politics.

In the Reason Is Blinders by LittleRoma Severus has been through his lost remote.

In The Alteri Silence by Forest_of_Holly for roscreens41 Snape receives life after plants to do by work over whether they get into. Just Hell.

A Second Chance by DarkCorgi Snape had a second thing, and that is better than anything for for the rest of his life.

Mirror by orphan_account Severus Snape tries to get a lot of dragons and that was to be more than he didn’t expect to continue. He has always been a bit of an old and a baby to stay the way he’d been the brother at Hogwarts and he keeps the chance of meeting… Deception by FlyingEyes Snape is a British Robes of interesting things and worrys like a little fun and sees the pretty battle for a while.

Another thing that happened, which is pretty much my favorite thing ever, is that the neural network apparently encountered some fan fiction stories that were not in English. As a result, it learned to do this from time to time:

The Secretary Of the World  Challenge inspired by GoF and la mating resigns de la mill colors per mereple beruit carteur la pelete el wert rardo completing and herillo intus den una a des rush sentines kelta an transoles… 

Between by Cheyangel13 A series of fivers are unexpectedly depressed and controlled by the bed, with least more from una perfemale erpensa de the maesse akai suidadium dela vida call de la los se terriuus do form en sou dies de fasurard il resisted de for dogs la sementu sein prong colors itu dee adte se sige natard…

The neural network has also learned to employ capital letters:

Les finds love by violet_quill for starstruck1986 Severus Snape wanted him to be more and she likes Draco.  The person he wants an energy to him.  WHALIDE NO GEATIRE SOURR INSPE AHARMANABLISH ALL SOME TO VERY THE RERIDE!!!!!!!

secret Quidditch by snapsleert Collapse and find the second worst and very different. See Gain and Descent motivate surprising death. Unbusing one of the months: should make more bumo.choooshots. HUGULATED

And the neural network occasionally uses content warnings, although it seems to have a rather fuzzy idea about what to warn its readers about:

Better With The Broom Complicate by Margyn_Black Tonks gets more than the best girl of creation. (Rated Maturisle, mark, a violence, contract) (slash] part of themes) ferret.

Art for the Sun a Scary by disillusionist9 A collection of warnings: characters and situations of silence.

Some of the neural network’s stories, though, are just plain weird.

Harry Potter and the Painful Eyes by dark_pook A Birthday drabble about the problems and a woman who shows up a lot less than she checks at Hogwarts in the destiny to the infamous adventure of control of the Art of The Good Boy Kings With Hermione. Harry and the Blue Special Delicious by apolavia_scg An unexpected potions messaged in the world their lives are to find friendship following the day of different pagers. James and Lily come to the summer before the war.

The Perfect Cow by alafaye Severus and Hermione start a horcruxes

Art: Let Draco roll the light of the moon, and means. by Dangelanne What happens after the war. Not drawn to Draco Malfoy jumpers. Originally written in 2008.

Birds of a Saturday by SasuNarufan13 Harry Potter is drunk and discovers he is an alternate universe.

Holly theody by yesIpxdishoftlyGrinli What would be dangerous! Side Voldemort Jones does all lord off the sunshine show.

Lily Evans and the Ravenclaw of a Christmas Surprise by ci Severus angst the truth of a frighten situation for the wink.

Persuasion by Samanthian The Sorting Hat is fighting in one of the houses.

lily’s family by sharkle Harry woke up in searching after a werewolf Sherlock’s picnic. He is furious.

As a bonus, I leave you with some fairly-plausible screennames the neural network invented, which appear not to be taken (yet):

desire_at_the_malfoy SeverelyAshed fishlingthelovely thedarklyblue phantombeers captainingthetrain siriusly_harry DarkVoldember ChildOfAtSperble all_frogs BelladonnaLeek Sneaking_UnicornWitch bluemelooppiesweatled

[elizahiggswrites]

This is the greatest thing I've ever seen

[fanonical]

arthur weasley looks in the mirror of erised

he sees himself. his reflection looks the same, but there is a knowing glint in his eye. he knows, arthur realises. he knows exactly the function of a rubber duck.

[sparkitors]

Six of our all-time favorite artists created straight-up glorious reimaginings of all 7 Harry Potter book covers, and now we never have to do anything even vaguely impressive ever again, because these masterpieces will live on as our legacy long after we’ve gone to that King’s Cross platform in the sky. WE ARE TRULY THE LUCKIEST MUGGLES IN THE WORLD. 

For creating the most beautiful illustrations we’ve ever laid eyeballs on, we award one gabillion Galleons, infinity points to their Hogwarts houses, and a Triwizard trophy (preferably one that ISN’T a portkey leading to Voldemort’s return and Cedric” CHEEKBONES” Diggory’s untimely death) to the legit LEGENDARY @clairee-delunee, @lilabeanz, @roaring-softly, @taryndraws, @littlechmura, and @sasmilledge, and @steffilynnt. 

FOLLOW ALL OF THEM IT WILL BE THE BEST THING YOU EVER DO. 

[sparkitors]

With this spellbinding project, insanely talented artist @littlechmura​ wanted to create a self-contained moment for each of these beloved Harry Potter characters—a single scene that gives a glimpse into their own magical worlds. She’s calling the series “One Breath Each”, and we’re calling it GORGEOUS AF.

[boaillustration]

I want to believe that Harry would also be a great godfather/uncle to Rose. And I can’t imagine these three apart for long.

[tashaneva]

oh look. it’s my favourite weasley kid (with his brother) (and a dragon)

(on twitter)

[carolsdrawing]

Another episode of the Sirius raises Harry AU. In this episode: Diagon Alley shopping for first year!

Bonus scene:

[maraudermap]

Happy black history month! Have a Hermione in Rons sweater

also available on redbubble!

[crazytom666]

[aeglewrites]

Fic Update: The Girl Under the Mulberry Branch

I finished the epilogue (which is rather short, given how obscenely long it took to write and revise and post). There are potentially some loose ends; I couldn’t address each plot point raised throughout the story because it felt unnatural, trying to fit all that information into a brief closing. I’m fond enough of the epilogue, though. It does what I wanted it to do.

Anyway.

The Girl Under the Mulberry Branch

[riveralwaysknew]

I took my father to see Rogue One today. I’ve wanted to take him for a while. I wanted my Mexican father, with his thick Mexican accent, to experience what it was like to see a hero in a blockbuster film, speak the way he does. And although I wasn’t sure if it was going to resonate with him, I took him anyway. When Diego Luna’s character came on screen and started speaking, my dad nudged me and said, “he has a heavy accent.” I was like, “Yup.” When the film was over and we were walking to the car, he turns to me and says, “did you notice that he had an accent?” And I said, “Yeah dad, just like yours.” Then my dad asked me if the film had made a lot of money. I told him it was the second highest grossing film of 2016 despite it only being out for 18 days in 2016 (since new year just came around). He then asked me if people liked the film, I told him that it had a huge following online and great reviews. He then asked me why Diego Luna hadn’t changed his accent and I told him that Diego has openly talked about keeping his accent and how proud he is of it. And my dad was silent for a while and then he said, “And he was a main character.” And I said, “He was.” And my dad was so happy. As we drove home he started telling me about other Mexican actors that he thinks should be in movies in America. Representation matters.

[the-movemnt-deactivated20170912]

oh damn it just got dusty in here all of a sudden

[bostonpoetryslam]

Some writing doesn’t brush up against sentimentality as often as other writing. But whatever ‘bad’ edge your writing brushes up against, I think it’s important to touch it. You can always pull back from it, but at least you know where it is. It’s like when I was a dancer, we were always encouraged to fall in rehearsal, so that you could know what the tipping point of any given movement was. That way, when you did it on the stage, you could be sure you were taking it to the edge without falling on your face. It sounds like a cliché, but really it’s just physics — if you don’t touch the fulcrum, you’ll never gain a felt sense of it, and your movement will be impoverished for it.

Maggie Nelson, in response to ‘Is it important to risk sentimentality?’ in an interview with Genevieve Hudson for Bookslut  (via a-witches-brew)

[ranranico]

Parvati Patil with her bengal tiger patronus 🐯💥

[elizahiggswrites]

Fic: The Crush [Remus x Tonks]

The mingled sounds of voices and scraping chairs follow me up the stairs. The meeting is only just breaking up, but I'd slipped away as soon as I could, and now I move into the reassuring isolation of my room, close the door behind me, and rest my forehead against the paneled wood. All throughout the meeting I had struggled desperately to resist the smile that's threatening to break across my face, and now I can give in and I'm grinning ear-to-ear, chuckling, laughing aloud with joy. What has this witch done to me, that I'm so far gone?

Continue reading on AO3

[dinosaurjam]

One of the biggest, and possibly the biggest, obstacle to becoming a writer – I’ve said this from a slightly different angle in another answer – is learning to live with the fact that the wonderful story in your head is infinitely better, truer, more moving, more fascinating, more perceptive, than anything you’re going to manage to get down on paper. (And if you ever think otherwise, then you’ve turned into an arrogant self-satisfied prat, and should look for another job or another avocation or another weekend activity.) So you have to learn to live with the fact that you’re never going to write well enough. Of course that’s what keeps you trying – trying as hard as you can – which is a good thing. As I started off saying, writing takes practise.

Robin McKinley, on advice to those who would like to be writers (via dinosaurjam)

[popverse]

The story is always better than your ability to write it.

Robin McKinley (via popverse)

#amwriting

[chuchuboogie]

Hagrid for this week’s Harry Potter Character Design Challenge!  He’s always been one of my favs in the book so I had a lot of fun painting him :)