fast forward, 2076

ETA: I've since discontinued doing fast-forwards, though I'll leave the notes here in case this idea is useful to someone else.


gameplay notes on fast forwards: These are something I've been doing to help progress my very full neighborhood. Every round, three households are chosen at random to fast forward. Nothing happens, no promotions, no friends made, no money made, no grades improved - they only age their two years. I actually find this somewhat realistic because we all have those kind of years where it seems like we end up exactly where we started, only older.

The Harris Family: Toby and April are 36, Lucy is 8, Sarah is 6, Samuel is 3, pet dog Sheba.

Toby is a state assemblyperson, and still hoping on that promotion. April is a stay-at-home mom. Toby and April still want that mountain honeymoon they never got to have, since the kids have been keeping them pretty busy. Sarah celebrates her 6th birthday, and Samuel celebrates his 3rd.

They really are happier than they appear sometimes, looking tired and drained. Three children under eight, and a dog, is a lot of hard work!

The Phoenix Family: Sophie is 54, Micah is 53.

Sophie and Micah have one of the longest and most passionate marriages in Lakeside Heights. This surprised everyone to start, considering Sophie's romance aspiration, but Micah must have been just what she was looking for. They met in high school, and they haven't been apart since. I guess they keep the flame alive with their fetish for meeting up in photo booths at the mall. Sophie is an executive chef and owns Earthland Catering and Juices in downtown Lakeside Heights, and Micah is a SWAT Team Leader on the police force. They were looking foward to buying a vacation home this year, but *fast forward* I guess never got around to it.

(family ties: remember Sim State University? Micah Phoenix is the son of Jimmy Phoenix and Britney Upsnot, and Sophie (Nova) Phoenix is the daughter of Castor Nova.)

Their twin sons are grown now, Hayden and Jackson. Hayden lives in Bluewater Township with his wife Rhianna and two daughters, Summer and Ryanne. Jackson lives in Lake City with his fiancée Nessa.

The Gothier/Shaw Family: Benjamin and Nina are 59.

Benjamin is Nina's second husband, after her children's father, Toby Shaw, died in a tragic bungee jumping accident (aka, the cards of fate!) when she was still pregnant with her second child. Nina is the second daughter of Checo and Lisa Ramirez, and people around town say that the Ramirez family is cursed. Nina doesn't believe in curses, and ironically she is actually a bestselling author of self-help books of all things. The whole town wonders where she gathers the strength. She won't admit that she's just making it all up. Hey, as long as it helps people, who cares if it's made up?

Nina's older sister Tessa lost her teenage daughter to a tragic car accident when she was only 17, and very mysteriously, when Nina's own daughter turned 17, young Angeli contracted a fatal disease and died as well. Nina's son, Maxwell, lives in Lake City with his wife, Valerie, and their son Angelo, named after his aunt Angeli whom he would never meet. Maxwell and Valerie are currently expecting their second child.

note: The Ramirez family curse is mostly thanks to the random tragic events chosen at the start of every round. You will see this in practice soon, as there are just a few more families left before I start round 2078.