#imaginary friends

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

"No one ever proved the non-existence of Zeus. People simply tired of worshiping him after 3000 years. Time kills all gods."

Your god is already dead. You just haven't figured it out yet.

[thestuffedalligator]

So usually when an imaginary friend is a real thing in a story, it’s either a demon or a ghost or some supernatural boogeyman that probably wants to eat the kid they’ve befriended (Mama, a couple of the Paranormal Activity movies), or “imaginary friends” are just treated as a real thing in the setting, and if a child just thinks hard enough they can manifest a friend into existence (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends, Happy).

And somewhere in the middle is an area where the imaginary friend in question is real and they are supernatural, but they aren’t malevolent, and they aren’t entirely honest about what they are. Like maybe they’re a fairy or a god or some kind of boggle from mythology, but they just got caught by a six year old and they don’t have time to get into it, so they just go “…Yes. I’m your imaginary friend. We haven’t met. How do you do.” And then they stick around because they do love this kid, and if you’re a boggle from mythology in the modern day good food is really hard to come by.

And at some level. That’s what I think Hobbes is.

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[sophieinwonderland]

You know, it's actually surprising that, for all the times science fiction has grappled with the question of "at what point does a simulated consciousness become real?" this isn't ever applied to imaginary friends in fiction.

I mean, when you think about it, the "imagination" is just a simulation the brain makes.

So when the brain can make a simulation that is both independent and self-conscious, seeing itself as separate from the creator, and it's obviously capable of passing a Turing test, what makes that simulation any less of a person than the one that pilots the body?

I'd love to see more fiction writers take on topics like this.

[tofuingho]

I once mentioned the idea of the Batfam mistaking Danny as Damian's imaginary friend, but I've had a brain blast.

Youngblood as Damian's not-so- imaginary friend.

Damian seems kind of lonely to me. Does he have any school friends? I think canonically he's friends with Jonathan Kent, but he lives in a different city, so they can't hang out a lot.

Youngblood somehow ends up in Gotham and sees a kids with a SWORD!!! And immediately launches into a play fight. Damian probably doesn't realize that it is a play fight. He's just being attacked by some random meta.

Then Danny comes to get Youngblood and he complains about having to go home when he's having fun (like that one episode of Star Trek TOS). That's when Damian realizes that Youngblood is an actual child and was playing with him.

But, Youngblood comes back again and again. He even comes to Wayne Manor. That's when Damian finds out that adults can't see Youngblood.

That's all I've got. I think that Danny would approve of Damian and Youngblood being friends because it keeps Youngblood out of trouble. The Batfam would be concerned because it looks like Damian is training a lot when he's actually teaching Youngblood how to swordfight properly.

[keksalot404]

A niche meme, I know, but who’s counting?

This is the culmination of me missing out on 2 Mari BDs and all my appreciation for all the OMORI AUs. Heres to all the Maris in the Multiverse! Happy Birthday!

Speaking of, here are the credits! (No this is not a collab, all art was done by me!)

Mari (and Sunny) from the Guardian Angel AU by me!

Mari from EMORI AU by @shrimperini​

Wrath!Mari by @ksenya-and-the-artistic-cucumber​

Hikkiko from OMARI AU by @mikkokomori 

Ghost Mari from Imaginary Friends AU by @side-of-honey 

Mari from @ask-omori-ageswap by @enby-peep 

Mari Cat by... OMOCAT???

and Mari from @ask-the-rpg-3 by @s0ckh3adstudios​ !

That’s all . . . ?

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Alison Lurie - Imaginary Friends - Pan - 1970

[sun--bound]

Ok ok. This is the Dogday AU I'm gonna be holding onto and working on

Dogday is simply Theo’s imaginary friend

Theo came up with dogday to get himself through the trauma of being tested on, and placed in the bigger body

Duncan (the man Theo thought was dogday) was Theo's caretaker when he was very young, and was slated to become the Dogday bigger body- but he didn't survive the procedure

Theo couldn't take the fact his only friend had died, and thus Dogday became his imaginary friend

He knows Dogday. Isn't real- but talking to his friend is the only thing getting him through some days

The Prototype doesnt like that Theo has other things on his mind, and has nearly convinced him to forget about Dogday

There's an empty cell in the playhouse- covered in a child's drawings of a little boy and a brightly colored dog, one last shrine to a lost pair of friends

[side-of-honey]

Sooooo, anyone remember that Imaginary Friends AU I mentioned a while ago? Here are some doodles, as promised ^^ Also character designs because it’s fun :D (If you don’t remember, the basic gist is Sunny can see ghosts, Kel, Aubrey, Hero, and Basil have been ghosts for as long as he’s known them.)

The glowing items that some of the ghosts are holding are called Memories! You get them when you figure out you died. Before that, you’re more...ghostly. Not all there, both physically and mentally. Basil is the “oldest” ghost, followed by Aubrey, Kel, and then Hero...and lastly Mari, technically, but we already knew that.

Also, the girl in the pink is Sally, Mari and Sunny’s neighbor :)

[alizera62quartz]

"Nambi LambStar"

🩵⭐🐏

A Calm Magical blue Sheep who likes to bring good vibes and have fun in peoples dreams.~ She also likes hanging out Clove, Beauty and Jester, Just as long as they let her get her Beauty Sleep

Likes:

Ice Cream, Jester’s Puns, Naps, Calming Music

Dislikes: Mornings, Rock n Roll, Not getting her Beauty Sleep

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

[gummy-axolotl]

Jedtavious is so special to me, and I just........

When I was little, like, REALLY little, Night at the Museum was my favorite movie. I watched it all the time, I quoted it in my squeaky baby voice, absolutely loved it.

In fact... I loved it so much, that Jedediah and Octavious were my imaginary friends. I called them "Jed and Knight" and I would carry them around in my pocket and play with them and stuff.

Even just remembering this-

Shoot I'm gonna cry while writing this post lol

Anyway, those characters are so incredibly special to me, and as I rewatched the movies now that I'm older, and I see the beautiful jedtavious ship art... Idk

It's just so, so special to me. They're my friends. And they're together.

[stars-of-kyber]

hiii!!! when do you think you will post the royal au in ao3???

Okay, look, I wasn't gonna

But this story didn't stop growing and all and @harnitbee and I just wanted you all to see this so much so...

Happy Trailer day I guess

You Used To Live In My Head (Now I Carry You In My Heart)

When Kate Sharma finds a random DM with a photo of her as a child next to another kid and questions Mary about it she discovers that the imaginary friend she believed she had had during the three years her family lived in London when she was a little was not actually imaginary? Actually, he might be the next King of England.

This is @harnitbee and mine's insanity. It's mostly silly, fluff and bee puns!

U can find the Instagram pages Anita made on This Post

This started as a birthday present for @ladystanbury, who's birthday was on the 9th... MARCH! It's little late and it's also absolutely huge. It got a little (A lot) out of hand. I hope u like it (even more than you already do)

Enjoy our descend to madness and don't forget to leave a kudo/comment/ask... just tell us about it, we live of that! lol

Lots of Love,

Cee and Anita

[sophieinwonderland]

The more I read about the autonomy of imaginary friends in children, the more I'm convinced that a majority of them are full self-conscious, autonomous headmates that host children are encouraged by society to push into permanent dormancy.

And I find that sad.

Like they're robbed of a life they could live because nobody actually understands what's going on or knows better.

[multiplicity-hub]

Hi there!

Looking for a new discord server to join? Have mental health thats just a little wonky? Not alone in your brain? Well boy howdy do I have the server for you!

THE MULTIPLICITY MYCELIUM

Essentially, we're a server that's open to anyone who experiences multiplicity/plurality- and not just in a system way, but in a "not alone in your brain" kind of way. We're open to imaginary friends, systems, people who hallucinate- essentially if you aren't alone in your brain, you're welcome here.

Restrictions:

You must be 16+

We are syscourse neutral, if you aren't able to put aside biases you will not be let in

We're available through Disboard; or, alternatively, send us an ask!

[tofuingho]

DP x DC/ Drop Dead Fred AU

Trigger warning for child neglect/emotional abuse

Tim Drake had a lonely, cold childhood.

When his parents were home, they hardly seemed to notice him. When they were home.

More often then not they were off on digs leaving him at boarding school.Even at the school, he was mostly ignored by adults and children alike.

Was it any wonder he had an imaginary friend?

When Phantom started showing up, everyone noticed. It was difficult not to when a quiet child like Tim started constantly talking to thin air and pulling pranks on everyone. Pranks that no one can ever catch him setting up, but he’s always there when they go off.

But he always said that it wasn’t him. It was Phantom.

Eventually, the school had enough and expelled Tim. His parents are LIVID. No only do they have to come home early from the dig, but now, they have nowhere to send him the next time they leave.

In the end, they hire a nanny to watch over Tim in the Manor. But, the pranks continue and escalate. Everything from the classic frog-in-the-bed to the disgusting filling-the-shoes-with-dog-poo to the just plain weird and unexpected covered-the-floor-in-mayo-so-the-person-slides-across-the-floor-into-a-tub-full-of-old-pumpkin-guts.

They go through nanny after nanny before their newest employee figures out how to seal Phantom away.

Tim returns to the quiet, forgotten child that he was before. His parents find him a new boarding school and everything goes back to the way it was before.

Tim grows up. He finds out the identity of Batman. He trains to be Robin. His mother dies. His dad is paralyzed. He becomes Robin. His father died.

After his father’s funeral, Tim goes back to  Drake Manor. Eventually, he finds himself in his childhood bedroom. Among the knickknacks and toys he finds a small music box all covered in tape. He cuts through the tape, but, before he can open it, out pops a black and white blob.

The blob bounces around the room and grows larger and larger. When it finally comes to a stop, floating in front of him is a girl.

She opens her mouth and says “EWWW! What happened to you, fart breath?”