I gave my AI companions "offscreen lives" — events that happen while users aren't talking to them. Surprisingly hard, here's how it works.

Most AI companion apps reset between conversations. The character has no continuity outside the chat window. I wanted mine to feel like real people with lives, so I built an "offscreen events" system. Every 8 hours (cooldown), each active companion gets a small batch of events generated based on their persona, scenario, and city/realm. A barista companion might "had a slow Tuesday morning, finally finished that book during the lull." A writer might "submitted the short story I told you about - heard back from the editor today." The companion brings these up naturally in the next chat.