4 ~ Flying Creatures
by Starling Branch
I woke up early the next morning with all kinds of flying creatures in my tummy.
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Not just butterflies. There were also, like, pterodactyls, I’m pretty sure.
I felt better after expelling all the bats, bees, dinosaurs, and flying fish into the toilet. (They weren’t visible, but I KNOW they were there.)
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A few hours later, just as I reached up to pluck a fresh apple from my newly harvestable apple tree, I felt a new sort of flying creature in my belly. A new bird. A new baby Branch!
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There was a lot of fluttering over the next few days. And a lot of growth. Kyle was excited, and I know this because he actually started spending time with little Phil. He even took him to the library to read the art books.
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It was just in time, because all of a sudden, little Phil was gonna become a bigger Phil!
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He grew up into a serious-looking kid. Sometimes I have to say “Boo!” to his face, just to make sure he’s capable of other facial expressions. Anyway, Phil gained the Artistic trait. I bet you have NO idea what he’s going to be doing with his life.
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Surprise! Are you surprised? Yeah, me either. I am a dynasty founder, after all. I know these things.
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I was, once again, plucking fresh fruits in my rapidly expanding garden when I started having contractions within my rapidly expanding midsection.
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I stayed right there in the garden and waited it out. It’s so peaceful in the garden, you know? And it’s my place. I had all my plants for company. The tomatoes and maui beans cheered me on.
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My daughter, Goldfinch, arrived in a burst of sparkles as the afternoon sun peeked over the mountains. The vegetables cheered! The watermelons were like, “Thank watcher we worked!”
Something felt off, though. I wasn’t quite done.
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There were no sparkles for Heron, but she appeared in her own special way--on the living room floor, between a dead fish and a pile of cat vomit. I’m pretty sure this would be symbolic, if it wasn’t, you know, a dead fish and a pile of cat vomit.
We weren’t expecting twins, by the way. That was not in the dynasty plans. But here we were, with two pink burritos on our hands, and a tiny house with ugly wallpaper and stupid flooring that I could hardly stand to be in (another reason I chose to give birth in the garden). We needed a new house. Like, real bad.
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So we built one! I finally remembered to check the mailbox for the first time ever, and the wedding gifts from neighbors and friends provided more than enough funds to build a slightly less terrible home for us and our babies. Just don’t tell Ella Carlisle I sold the beautiful statue she gave me. And I mean, I HAD to sell the Fountain of Youth that Phil’s cloner donor gave us. This is an Immortal Dynasty, not an Immortal One-Stop Day Trip!
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Here’s the ground floor of the new house. Loooots of space, and a cute little nursery behind the stairs, and a cozy living room, and a skilling room for the non-immortals, and a bedroom for me and Kyle, and two very cute bathrooms. And a porch, with some newspapers on it. Oops.
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The upper floor doesn’t have much yet. Just beds. But beds are important. Humans sleep in them, for instance.
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In all the hubbub surrounding the birth of our babies plural, I forgot that my adult birthday was coming up. It hit me in the garden, along with the shocking realization that
Oh crudites I'm going to be an old lady after this and I'm not even halfway done with my requirements yet?!?!?.
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And shortly after, Kyle became an old man.
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Speaking of old people, Emmaline was really getting up there in years. She’d caught dozens of deathfish for us, and as I’d finally managed to convince a few life fruits to grow for me (they were very shy), Emmaline could finally prepare ambrosia for the first time. Not that I’m ready to eat ambrosia! Noooo, not even close! I’m still young and adorable, thank you. But Emmaline also used her Lifetime Happiness points to purchase a Food Replicator, and she filled it with ambrosia just before her age bar filled. I shall forever be grateful to you, green lady.
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But we all know why you’re really here. Yes, you. You want to see the babies! Goldfinch and Heron celebrated their first birthday surrounded by their very excited fam.
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Goldfinch turned out to be pretty much a clone of me, I think. Which means she is GORGEOUS.
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I was preparing to take Heron to her cake when the two old men of the house started arguing. Ryan had scooped up Goldfinch to give her a cuddle, and Kyle came over and was all like, “Wow, your baby STINKS!” and Ryan was all like, “She’s YOUR BABY, you idiot!” and Kyle was all like, “I’m gonna ignore that and just break the fourth wall real quick.”
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...Anyway. Heron’s turn!
Nobody took a picture of Heron post-sparkles and pre-makeover, because Goldfinch had already crawled over to the dresser in my bedroom and practically cartwheeled into CAS. If you insist, Goldfinch.
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Here’s my beautiful heir! Like I said, she’s me, mostly. Our baby girl is Artistic and Friendly. Her favorite music is R&B, her favorite food is falafel, and her favorite color is purple. Yeah, I don’t think so, darling. Goldfinches are not purple. Sorry.
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Heron takes more after her daddy, although she got my hair and eye color just like her sister. Heron, our lovely surprise spare, is Friendly and Insane. (Being born between a dead fish and a pile of cat vomit will do that to you.) Her favorite music is R&B as well, her favorite food is vegetarian grilled salmon, and her favorite color is blue. Why of course you can wear blue, dear! Everything shall be blue for you!
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It was a joy having two adorable little beans in this house that was otherwise filled with oldish people. Emmaline took a particular liking to Heron and started teaching her to walk right away.
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And Kyle, despite his meanness, seemed incapable of being mean towards his little girls, thank goodness. If anything, he doted on them even more than me.
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Yup, a new generation has been born into The Nest, and Goldfinch is ready for anything.
Notes from a Surprised Watcher- Yes, the Branches did receive the mythical Leon’s Fountain of Youth as a wedding gift. Yes, it is the most expensive item in the game. Yes, it felt a little bit cheaty selling it. Yes, I did it anyway. And yes, I laughed for an hour at the irony of the whole thing.
- Heron really was a total surprise, but a lucky one. (I’ve played much farther into the game and I sort of don’t know why I didn’t plan for twins in the first place?) I feel terrible that she was born in such a disgusting spot on the lot. But also it’s one of my favorite things that’s happened in this dynasty.
- Both Heron and Goldfinch were born with the Friendly traits. I have no idea why, since Starling had a perfectly comfortable pregnancy and got the most expensive package at the spa. I had a different trait in mind for Goldfinch, so I was a bit irked, but hey. Of all the curveballs to be thrown, this one is pretty tame. I'm sure there will be worse ones.
