Do you use imaginary friends?

I like IFs. When I have room in the household and want to make them real I let the children keep them, if not, I just put them in their parents inventory. It can be a bit annoying (especially with toddlers), when I want them to do some skilling, and instead they play non-stop with their dolls, but hey, I can cancel that, right?
The IF as a supernatural status is a bit lame - all they can do, is turn into their doll form, but they have amazing eye and hair colours. Of course, they are all face one, but I don´t even mind that, all that bothers me about face one, is the fact that everyone looks the same. And I can change that, too.

One of my cutes couples ever are these two:



Joe was not Nathan´s IF, but the one of his brother. Joe was made real when he was a child and his traits were ok. I clicked on Nathan´s stressed out moodlet one day, when they were both teenagers, and he decided to give Joe flowers. Joe refused, but Nate was persistent, and they got married later and had a son, who also was an IF. They were one of the sim couples who were always searching each others company, not just to wohoo, but to talk, play, or just sit together.

Of coures, IFs can be creepy, especially, if they glitch out and age up before the child.

I hate those stupid things so much. They're extremely creepy and I always have the weirdest most unsettling issues with them. I try very hard to avoid them. I had them modded out at one point even, I really need to find that mod again (it was one of the mods I couldn't recover from my old laptop, that's the only reason I don't still have it). I actually get angry whenever I get the message "aunt susie has sent sally a special toy" or whatever the heck that message is.

I don't let my toddlers have them. I remember having them a very long time ago but they got really annoying when they would constantly follow my sim into the bathroom. And they keep getting creepier. They stand there just watching with their blank faces *shudder*. :grimace:

I had to get a Mod to remove the chance of getting them randomly while I have another Mod that makes them buyable and deletable so i can still choose to give one to a baby while other children don't end up getting them.That helped for when the family has a baby and dosen't have enough room anything like that in their home.

I've only used them for the purpose of my story (of course). Some pics:

‘OK…’ Rowan takes a deep breath. ‘I’ve got an imaginary friend! It’s a ragdoll. I mean, it’s not really a ragdoll. Well, Granny gave it to me and the other day I just put it down and well, it was real!, Rowan looks expectantly at her. ‘You don’t believe me, do you?’

‘I’m not laughing. You didn’t say I had to believe you! C’mon, I do. Believe you… I’ve got a ragdoll too, maybe it also becomes real if I put it on the ground?’
Taïga and Rowan run off to get their ragdolls and meet up behind the hay bales again.
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/thegreywitches-53-16.jpg?w=1000&h=600

Reverently they put their dolls on the ground.
‘Look! Buddy is already standing! Is he magical?’ Taïga inquires.

‘Wait. Look at Peaches…’

‘Peaches? You call your ragdoll Peaches?’

‘What’s wrong with Peaches? You call yours Buddy and I don’t comment on that!’

https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/thegreywitches-53-17.jpg?w=1000&h=600

The children are so busy glaring at each other that they don’t notice what’s happening to Peaches. Suddenly the ragdoll is standing tall in front of them. Rowan looks triumphantly at her. ‘See? I told you!’

‘Wow.’ Taïga can hardly believe her eyes. Peaches is just as tall as they are, but he, or she, still looks like a ragdoll. ‘It’s uncanny… Does it move? Or talk?’
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/thegreywitches-53-18.jpg?w=1000&h=600

Nobody notices little Buddy changing position…

‘Yeah… He talks. Don’t you Peaches?’
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/thegreywitches-53-19.jpg?w=1000&h=600

But Peaches doesn’t have the time to say anything. Valkyria comes running and barking, and Peaches sets off in a sprint.

‘Wait! Valkyria! Don’t hurt him! Stay put!'
But Valkyria doesn’t obey...
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/thegreywitches-53-20.jpg?w=1000&h=600

@Jillbg I must say..., you really make me reconsider (as do others who are making a plea for them). One of the things I used to not like was the puddingface, but that goes back to the time when we couldn't adjust in game sims yet. I can now. Lovely story!

@AthenaOnyx I must confess I know where you're coming from, Generations has a lot of disappointing features and on top of that it's buggy. Couldn't miss the good things it has to offer though (which for me includes the curfew, I like consequences in this game, parents that care what their kids and teens are up to).

They're annoying but I like them :) I can always disable actions if I want my sim to be doing something else any way. I've only made a few of them real, and then they usually get married.
In my most recent IF to life, the IF is in a relationship with "her" sims sister which I think is sweet

Personally, I hate the imaginary friends. The only time I even remotely like them is when I have one kid, who is child age, because at least they have a friend to play with but once they age up to teenagers they're SO irritating.

However, I did have a positive experience with one not too long ago. I turned him into a real Sim and he was quite handsome, he dated my teenage Sim and they eventually got married.

@JoAnne65 Thanks! :) The ragdolls are kind of ever present ingame when you have toddlers, but I personally love ragdolls, so they don't bother me!
Peaches is used later, when she persuades Rowan to take an elixir that makes him grow up to a teen so he can make her real. They both go on a quest to find wonderpetal, and Taïga helps him make a potion for both ragdolls:

They jump on a northbound train, and sleep through the night in goat smelling hay.

‘We have to find some place to shower!’ Rowan sniffs his armpits.

‘Yes, you reek like a buck!’

‘Thank you… You don’t smell so nice either! And you can’t shower, so if you don’t watch your tongue I’ll just put you in a washing machine!’

Peaches doesn’t have time to answer, as the train slows down and they have to jump off.

https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/thegreywitches-part02-12-35.jpg?w=1000

... They jump onto the slowly moving train, relieved to find the wagon once again empty. Twenty hours later they arrive in Hidden Springs after an uneventful journey. On their way into town, they stop at a gas station and Rowan washes in the bathroom. True to his word, he takes a protesting Peaches to the laundromat.

‘But I’m not waterproof! What if I shrink? And my colors will surely fade!’

‘You’re grey, Peaches. I wouldn’t worry about fading…’

‘That’s cheating! You can’t do this to me!’

But Rowan just chuckles. ‘You stink, and people think it’s me…’

He promptly stuffs Peaches into one of the huge machines, before settling on one of the chairs, closing his eyes.
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/thegreywitches-part02-12-33.jpg?w=1000

Rowan throws the flower into the air and jumps to his feet, pulling Blake up with him. He swings round and round with Blake in his arms.

‘You’re my good luck charm!’

She doesn’t understand, but his merriment is contagious so she laughs nevertheless…

Good luck charm? I’m his good luck charm! Peaches thinks, holding up the flower and if she could smile she probably would have…
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/thegreywitches-part02-12-48.jpg?w=1000

The chapter where Rowan grows up is here.

The potion glows a fiery red, bubbling and nasty looking.

‘It’s time to add the wonder petal.’

‘Here. I’ve got two left. Do you need them both?’ Rowan hands Taïga one of the large, smelling flowers.

Taïga takes it and wonders over its weight. The flower is really heavy…

‘No. One should do.’

‘We need to save one for Buddy!’

‘Don’t worry, Peaches. We’ll take care of Buddy next. Now, can you stop moving around? It’s unnerving!’
https://greywitches.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/thegreywitches-part02-14-33.jpg?w=1000

You'll find more pictures and the whole story here.

@jillbg This proves that with a good story any feature in the game has value and charm, as long as the writer feels it and can get it across. And you certainly can. I have been planning to read your story for a rather long time now because the witch theme appeals to me a lot. Reading English just takes more energy than reading in my own language though, which is why I haven't done that yet. I want to really have time when I do. But it's definitely on my to do list here.

p.s. the dark haired girl reminds me of Shannen Doherty by the way