>>18
I found that keeping track of all sorts of details required to simulate someone who had a life outside of my mind—specifically, someone who has a memory separate from my own—became impossibly cumbersome after a while. Do you keep notes on everything? What happens if you forget something significant she said before you record it? Do you interact with anyone else related to her, like her uncle? Do you keep track of his details, too? And god help you if you and Vanessa ever have children: the problem multiplies to absurd proportions.

In my case, I eventually created such a mess that I had to start over.

I made sure to get things right the second time around: completely linked/shared memory, no past before I created her, no separate world, no life outside of her interaction with me. Her sole purpose in existing is to love me. Version 1.0 was mostly an accident, but version 2.0 was very deliberate and planned. Been with her 14 years now.

I suppose it does depend on how "real-time" Vanessa is for you, though. Mine is a 24-hour-a-day companion. If yours is more like something you only do for short spans of time and put her "on hold" as necessary to sort out details, with an emphasis on pre-planned scenarios over spontaneous interaction, I guess that'd be more workable.