on the safe side, part 6

January, 2084 - Summer Phoenix is 19, Hayden is 34, Ryanne is 13.
Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

warnings: a severe lack of pictures, more difficult conversations, renegade third person past tense narration, the Phoenix family's last story on this blog.

***

The future was full of plans again. After dinner, after talking, after the tears had all dried, you could have counted the plans in a list. Nessa looked forward to going back to work. Jack looked forward to getting her pregnant again, which her doctors told her there was a decent chance would be successful. Hayden and Piper's baby, would it be a boy or a girl? They didn't care as long as it was healthy, of course. And then the night quieted down, Nessa and Jack and Grandma Sophie went home and it was just the four of them -- five if you counted the baby -- what a strange thing to get used to.

on the safe side, part 5

January, 2084 - Summer Phoenix is 19.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

Summer arrives at her dad's house with a sleeping bag under her arm. She owes her sister a sleepover. She has a deck of cards and she'd going to teach Ryanne to play Euchre. They'll do makeovers if she's up for it, though Summer doesn't care much for makeup. It seems like the kind of thing a big sister is supposed to teach. They'll talk about boys and music and maybe their wrecked family, if Ryanne wants to. Summer isn't sure what good talking about it does sometimes. Because they don't talk about it – they talk around it. They talk about everything except what actually matters.

She finds them all in the living room with Ryanne. It wouldn't surprise Summer that Ryanne had caused yet another argument, but it doesn't look like they're talking about Ryanne for once. There's a nervous calm on their faces, the kind of weight that only comes with matters life or death. Aunt Nessa, Summer thinks, dropping her sleeping bag to the floor where it bounces once and rolls to a stop near the wall.

But then Hayden speaks first, and Summer remembers his phone call earlier in the week. She was partly right about the life and death.

on the safe side, part 1

January 10, 2084 - Ryanne Phoenix is 13, Summer is 19, Hayden is 34, Piper Wilson is 29.

Soundtrack: "Because of You," by Kelly Clarkson.

It's boring being grounded. It's the middle of winter, but there's no deep snow on the ground, not that she'd be so childish to go sledding, or skating with her sister the way they used to, the way they'd find some frozen puddle in the field, no matter how small, and get their skates out. Most of the time, the thin ice just cracked under their weight, breaking through to one inch of water and soggy winter grass. It was fun for a minute. Back when they still lived in Bluewater, back when their mom was still alive.

But otherwise, there's nothing to do here in the winter, and Ryanne was bored. So she stopped at the CVS on the way home from the bus stop and she did this. It turned out mostly pink, and a little bit green too. It wasn't a statement. It wasn't a rebellion, or revenge, or hatred for anyone. It was just something to do.

happy new year, 2084!

New Year's Eve, 2084 - Stephanie Day is 24, Justin Kim is 23, Sophie Phoenix is 61.

Soundtrack: "Drown," by Smashing Pumpkins.

Plenty of people are hosting New Year's parties this year, every year, all over the world. Aunt Sophie is hosting the usual party, and Stephanie's parents will be there, but instead Stephanie is here with Justin's parents. Because Justin's mom makes regular platters of food, sausage rolls in biscuits from the grocery store, nothing imported, nothing strange and gourmet like her Aunt Sophie serves. Stephanie is here because Aunt Sophie's house is always too crowded and noisy, because Corbin has a date which left Justin alone. She considered that they could spend New Year's in the quiet of her empty house, but she decided against it. Alone has grown on her, grown into her bones. But not tonight. She knows Justin doesn't like that much quiet.

Stephanie wonders how they're celebrating on base, or if they're even celebrating at all. Out there, tonight is just another date, a point on a calendar that's only significant to us because we make it so. Outside the Earth's spinning clock, a year means nothing. Out there, their ships whiz through the blackness and time is irrelevant except to their little electronic clocks, keeping home time like nostalgia.

one day, on the basketball court...

December 6, 2083 - Corbin Gray is 32. Jack Phoenix is 34.

One day, on the basketball court, Jack is trying to teach Corbin how to play basketball. There are a lot of things Corbin can do, but he isn't so well versed in these American sports, and all these sporty college kids run circles around him sometimes. Nobody wants to look like a fool on the job. So lucky for Corbin, his newest buddy was once a basketball star in college.

prequel stories #8: reconstructing the founders, part 2

In April of 2006, a group of young college graduates decided to start their brand new lives by settling in a once-quiet little town called Lakeside Heights. Until now, there has been little record of who these people were, apart from a few aged photos and the basic public record of their family tree. This effort is to reconstruct their lives as best we can, through their family who might remember them.

LH stuff: Jolie, Jolie

After almost twenty years of service, Aurora Miguel, of Lakeside Heights, will put her boutique, Jolie, Jolie, up for auction. She cites personal reasons for her decision, though it is known she'll be running for office this fall.

the great 2083 playdate

September 2083 - toddler playdate picspam!

This update is inspired by Emily Miller and Aaron Phoenix. You barely ever get to see them because of their parents' absolute lack of drama, so I figured they deserved a little picspam because they're just so CUTE!

If I were the kind of player that set up kids from the moment they're born, these two would SO be married already, lol!

prequel stories #5: what ever happened to Samantha Bradshaw?

A follow-up on prequel story #4: sorry, I've owed this to you guys for some time now ;)

They didn't call Samantha's mother a diva, they called her "The Diva." She came from old money. She was a proud and classy woman. She was also very busy, with her partial celebrity status, her involvement in charities, small-time politics, and little bit of stage acting. The wholesome exterior was something of an illusion, because she wasn't a wholesome woman in her heart. She wasn't available to her family much. She was a fine woman, but not an affectionate woman, and she didn't raise her daughter to be a particularly soft or affectionate girl.

hey, dad...

June 2083 - Ryanne Phoenix is 12, Hayden is 33.

"Hey, Dad," Ryanne says, stopping her father in the living room. "Summer and Tyler, you wanna know why they were really fighting?" She doesn't wait for him to ask, why? "He had sex with another girl."

"What?" Hayden says. "Who - where did you hear that?"

"Oh..." She stammers a bit as she realizes she can't exactly admit that she had her ear pressed to the window that morning.

2082, we don't need no education

Whoa! Who the heck are all these kids??? Let's see who all is growing up this year.

prequel stories #4: the cutest couples never meant to be

Okay, so some of these ended up being much sadder than I'd anticipated. I should have anticipated it. It's about heartbreak, duh! ;) But some of them are happy as well, since you're not only seeing the endings, but in some cases, the beginnings of the relationships that were meant to work out.

These stories are a little more current, a lot of them taking place just before I started blogging about the neighborhood, and even overlapping with some of the early stories.

The cutest couples never meant to be, countdown style...

prequel stories #3: young loves

So I've gotten kind of carried away with these, lol! Looking back through two years worth of pictures, and I've found so many stories I'd like to tell! Most of those stories will have to wait for another time, but I've come up with three more, for now, and then I promise we'll start round 2082! And I want to start round 2082, because I have some good stuff planned, but I figure we'll get these out of the way first.

The "young loves" theme ended up being really huge, so I've broken it in half, loosely divided between the couples who worked out, and the couples who didn't. So part 2 will be prequel story #4: the cutest couples never meant to be. Which in turn inspired prequel story #5: what ever happened to Samantha Bradshaw?

But first, prequel story #3: young loves :)

Summer's place, continued, part 2

July 2082 (part 2 of 2) - part one here.

*** optional soundtrack, "Not As We," by Alanis Morissette ***

He's been lounging around the house lately deep in thought. You'd think he might be giving up the gaming industry to become a philosopher or something. But he decides this morning, just as she's leaving for work, that he'll finally wake up and come bounding out to the garage to stop her and say, "Hey, Summer, wait up a sec'."

Summer's place, continued, part 1

July 2082 (part 1 of 2) - Micah Phoenix is 59, Sophie is 60, Hayden is 32, Summer is 17, Ryanne is 11. (Tyler Jackson is 18). Last update, November 2079.

*** notes: Just a warning, this first part is sad, but the second part made me bawl like the sappy dork that I am, so, if you're that way inclined, maybe don't read these in public ;) ***

*** optional soundtrack, "Not As We," by Alanis Morissette ***

The shop has been closed for almost three years. Summer hasn't even stepped foot inside except for once or twice in that time, and she finds herself surprised at how much it still smells like woodchips, and a little bit like dust. The shelves are still stocked with stuffed teddy bears, and a wooden toy firetruck remains on the front counter, right where her mother left it. She doesn't know what she thought would have happened to them in her absence.

And she doesn't know why she expected to magically find the light switches she was never able to find before, because she doesn't. Not at first. It's a lot to take in all at once, and she finds herself stalled here as the last evening light fades from the day. This front store room is a place stopped in time.

not my idea

June 2082 - Chad and Riley Hathe are 30, Liza is 13, Shaun is 4. (Phoenix McCullough is 42, Fiona is 14, Robbie is 11. Hayden Phoenix is 32.) Last update, February 2079.

*** Part gameplay notes on the Bluewater Animal Shelter ***

(quick note, just to set everybody straight, lol: these names get confusing, I would imagine - I have a Phoenix McCullough, friends with Hayden Phoenix, whose brother is Jackson Phoenix, and whose daughter is dating one of the Jackson boys, lol - half of those are Maxis names, so it couldn't be helped. I don't even know how I'm going to narrate this scene, but I'll try, lol ;) In the narration they'll be called by their first names, Chad, Hayden, and Phoenix, though Chad calls Phoenix "McCullough" in dialogue. Anyway...)

Chad is fully enjoying his work as the owner of this cozy little gaming club. The Gamer's Den is ranked 4 now, and he enjoys the company of his favorite regulars. Funds have been running low lately, which might be because his wife's animal shelter is housing SIX animals right now, and those dogs eat a lot!

Another hundred bucks will help, but unfortunately that means cleaning Hayden out. "I'm done, Hayden says. "You guys ran me dry."

"McCullough, aren't you broke too?" Chad says.

"Not that broke," he says.

2081, extras

Before we start the new year, here are some random extras, outtakes, and misfits from the year 2081.

in real life

December 2081 - Berjes and Hailey Monif are 36, Hazel is 12. (Jodie Larson is 26. Mariah Riley is 23. Hayden Phoenix is 32.) Last update, October 2079.

Maybe nobody's really happy, so maybe it doesn't matter that Berjes has screwed everything up really, really bad.

Hailey is throwing around the D-word. She says Aurora's brother is a lawyer, and could have the papers ready as soon as she wants. She's bad-mouthing him to their daughter, and she gloats at it when Hazel echoes her tone in perfection, saying, "Eeew, Dad, you are not from this planet, I swear it! Put some clothes on! Nobody wants to see your hairy back!"

Berjes would like to state that his back hair is perfectly groomed, thank you! And he says, "I see you've been talking to your mother."

national female appreciation month

November 2081 - Jack and Nessa Phoenix are 32, Aaron is three weeks old. Last update, April 2080.

Aaron Phoenix is three weeks old now, and his mommy is absolutely in love! Nessa has to go back to work in a few weeks, and she doesn't know how she'll do it. She can hardly even put little Aaron down for a second! Everybody knows you're not supposed to wake a sleeping baby, but she's been known to pick him up sometimes, just to hold him a little bit more, sneaking her fingers underneath him while he sleeps, carefully, so not to wake him.

But they've already filled out the paperwork, and Jack is going to stay home with Aaron. Nessa has places to go in her career, like executive vice president. She always knew she would be happy to become a mother, but she didn't think she wanted anything to slow her down.

happy birthday to you...

November 2081 - Welcome to Lakeside Heights: Aaron, Emily, Hunter, Flint, and Delilah!

Jack and Nessa Phoenix had a very romantic final date last month, while they waited for their son to make his much awaited appearance. And it's a good thing, because romance is going to be the last thing on their minds for a while!