The Branch Immortal Dynasty (Complete)

[Deklitch]

The pudding faces united will never be defeated!

Think of the pudding faces! Please, won't someone think of the pudding faces!?!

What a shame that Tanager and Jesse can't get married though.

Love reading your story, Beks.

[Beks]

The pudding faces united will never be defeated!

Think of the pudding faces! Please, won't someone think of the pudding faces!?!

What a shame that Tanager and Jesse can't get married though.

Love reading your story, Beks.

  Thank you, Deklitch. So glad you're enjoying it! I wish Tanager and Jess could get married, too, but as anti-establishment free spirits, I hope they don't mind too much.

[Beks]

62 ~ Dawning Beauty

by Sparrow Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My time as the star of the show was slowly drawing to a close, and I’m not proud to admit that I was firmly in denial. Hence the trampoline jumping in my nightie at 6 in the morning. Growing older is hard for me, okay? As an almost-elder, I’ve got the mind, soul, and body of a twenty-year-old, and I’m not prepared to give any of it up!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

At least I had one day before the dreaded birthday. For once, I was glad not to be the focus of birthday cheers. Instead, all eyes were on Bluebird, my…my granddaughter. Ugh, I feel nauseous just saying that.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I couldn’t help but feel a little glowy, being the person holding the center of attention in my arms.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The sparkles surrounded baby Bluebird and I prayed that she wouldn’t be prettier than me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Well, she became very pretty, but I think she lacked that special “wow” factor that I’ve carried since my birth. I was relieved. Bluebird looked like both her parents - she had Tanager’s red-streaked brown hair that originated with my father, Wesley, and the deep teal eyes that came all the way from my grandfather Arthur. And while I expected Jess’s pudding-faced features to contribute no beauty to this little creature…well. She came out quite cute, didn’t she? Her traits were Couch Potato and Insane, and her favorites were Classical music, Stir Fry, and Spice Brown.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Tanager got right to mothering. She was positively smitten.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And I guess I can’t blame her. Bluebird was almost as cute as I was as a toddler!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And a fast learner, too. Of course, I knew how to walk the runway the moment I came out of the womb - I just pretended to be learning so my relatives wouldn’t feel bad.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird loved playing with that particular toy - the one that looked like the mysterious monster from that Dragon Valley legend. She seemed to have a tendency to lose it, though, even in the midst of playing it.

We all spent that day fawning over the youngest Branch. I went to bed almost forgetting what was coming for me the next day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Fig wouldn’t let me forget. She woke me early and sat on my rumpled duvet with a look in her eye that I couldn’t shy away from. It was like she was saying, You’re getting old today, Sparrow.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I did the only thing I could think of to make myself feel better: I went to the photo booth and tried to immortalize my youthful looks. You know, in a visual sense. I was afraid to think of what I might look like by the end of the day - I had to capture my supple skin and delicate features while I could.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then I did the only other thing I could think of: I went for a run. I considered it one last tour of the town, one last chance for the residents of Hidden Springs to see their queen as a dawning beauty instead of a wrinkled crone.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I passed the town square on my jog. Tanager was holding her first hunger strike - a raucous and noisy event filled with the shouts of ordinary citizens. I shuddered and went on my way.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But not before seeing Tanager break her own fast with the largest ice cream bar I’ve ever seen. Lordy, sometimes, I wonder if that girl is actually related to me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I got home from my run, showered, and took a final look in the mirror. Oh, this body - this face! How I would miss them. I memorized the image as best I could - and then I went down to the kitchen. I figured I had a few moments for a snack - perhaps a salad - before the world’s worst sparkles would hit me. Right?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Wrong. That smile on my face was the farthest thing from genuine, by the way.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Birthday sparkles typically feel sort of warm, maybe a bit pleasantly tingly. Not this time. These sparkles felt like darts piercing my perfect skin. Was I imagining it? Maybe. Did that make it better? Nope.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Oh, do we really have to include these photos? Do you really need to see them? Who do I complain to about this?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My muscles, gone. My luscious dark hair, gone. My toned waist and generous bosom, gone. Everything, gone! And fate had forced me into a knitted cardigan, of all things! I wanted to die on the spot.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Alas, death was not for me. I was able to dye my hair back to its former color and put on some better clothes, but I still had to pose for the worst portrait of my life. Even Goldfinch Branch couldn’t make this face look pleasing!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I slept fitfully that night, but the next day, I felt a little calmer. I did know how to dress, at least, and I could still run a few miles in a pair of heels if I wanted to. Goldfinch finished my portrait and photograph, and Meadowlark completed my ice sculpture. With my requirements complete, I reminded myself that descending into the Underground Palace meant that I would be able to eat ambrosia - which promised to stop my aging, if nothing else.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My ancestors were due for their plates as well, so I joined them there in that cavern (which I expected to smell old-lady-ish, but which was mysteriously perfumey instead).

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I didn’t yet feel ready to sit with them at their table of oldness. Instead, I stood off to one side, in the shadows, where no one could see my wrinkled face very well. There, I took my first taste of ambrosia.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And it tasted…wonderful. It tasted like an endorphin rush, like that post-exercise glow that floods your veins and makes you feel invincible. It tasted like lipstick, like the glossy finish of my favorite gold earrings, like the confidence that comes from smiling into the mirror. It tasted like the thrill of victory at the end of a long game. And it tasted like, one day, the promise that I would be young and beautiful again.


Sixth Immortal - Sparrow Branch

"Maybe you sparrow enthusiasts can put away your top hats and opera glasses and take it down a notch, okay?" -The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America

Traits: Athletic, Brave, Snob, Dramatic, Ambitious
Supermax Skill: Athletic
Other maxed skills:
Career: Professional Sports
LTW: Super Popular
BlackOps: Muscle Showdown, Stadium Cleanup, Registering the Roster, Bursting with Energy, Brand Image, Adonis in the Making
LTRs: Attractive, Eye Candy, Vacationer
Best Friends: Sandpiper Branch, Tamarack Branch, Lizette Gunderson, Tammie Boyles, Tony Stratton, Giovanni Forrest
Building: Sparrow Stadium
Property: Whole Body Fitness
Immortal at: 74 days (week 42, day 1)


Notes from a watcher who is 75% done with this challenge, what
-- Sparrow’s elder portrait might be my favorite in this whole dynasty so far. She hardly ever shows off her Dramatic trait, but for some reason she decided to put it on full display while posing for the painting.
-- Sparrow wandered away from the table to eat her ambrosia, I assume because of routing issues (it’s always a little chaotic, trying to feed multiple immortals at the same time). I was annoyed at first, but then I realized that she totally WOULD hide in the shadows to hide her wrinkles. Oh, Sparrow. You just won’t stop being you, will you?
-- I have to include this screenshot of Tanager mid-speech at her hunger strike:

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Notice who’s behind her. That’s her boyfriend Jess on the left and Jess's father on the right, mourning Jess’s mother Crissy, who died the night before. I couldn’t help but laugh at Tanager giving this impassioned, heartfelt speech while her boyfriend and unofficial-father-in-law sobbed horribly three feet behind her.

[Beks]

63 ~ Weird Phenomena

by Tanager Branch

As the last toddler of the Branch Immortal Dynasty, Bluebird had a very special duty: to be as cute as possible for as long as possible. And the rest of us had a parallel duty: to dote on her as much as possible. Therefore we scrambled to spend as much time with her as we could, and tried not to think too much about the onward rush of time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

So we doted, and took a million pictures. Of Bluebird with her bottle…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

…and Bluebird with the cat, who was almost as big as she was…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

…of Bluebird learning to walk…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

…of Bluebird smiling at me when I came home from work.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Starling took a particular interest in our little birdie. She may be a truly crazy old lady, but I sensed that she was thinking very seriously about the end of the dynasty. How close it was. Bluebird was the clearest possible proof of that.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was working hard in my career, trying to get promotions as quickly as possible. My full-day shifts didn’t leave very much time for protests or street art, but I was doing important work behind-the-scenes. When I finally became a City Council Member, I just had to do an epic fist pump. I could finally have a say in city happenings! Like, for real!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

That didn’t last long. Two days later I got promoted again, to Local Representative. My outfits were getting steadily stuffier, but my influence was getting bigger!

With these higher levels of government came the need for campaign fundraising. I wanted to hate this part of the job - I felt a little squirmy about asking people for money, just so I could get more promotions. But I needed those promotions to complete my requirements, and to effect more change.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

So I threw my first campaign fundraiser, and I actually enjoyed it a lot! It was a chance to talk to a lot of townspeople at once, make some new friends, and spread some whispers about equal rights for pudding-faces. (These whispers were quite successful, since most of the whisper-ees were, in fact, pudding-faces themselves.)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

On the weekend, I finally had time to catch my breath - and make my seventh masterpiece mural, right on the front porch of the Nest.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I thought this creation was a potent one. And so pretty! Plus, I managed to squeeze a bird in there.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I also took Bluebird to the library to do some reading together. I had a feeling Blue would be spending a lot of time there in the future.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And of course, I marked the spot where we read together. A commemoration of early skilling and the beginning of the end.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Speaking of the end…weird things were starting to happen more and more frequently in our household. Well, Meadowlark does occasionally have spells (heh) where she just really likes turning people into toads…that’s nothing new. But she’d never done it to two different household members in the same day before.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Thank goodness for that Sunlight Charm. If we’re not careful to keep an eye on Meadowlark, she could end things by turning the wrong kind of Sim into a toad - like me, for example.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

A little stage had recently been built at the Nest so that bored immortals could play music to stay occupied. The stage was only there for a day before someone’s long-lost Imaginary Friend used it to celebrate a birthday. We weren’t even sure who she’d once belonged to, or how she’d managed to escape from that person’s inventory.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She aged up, looked down to admire her outfit, and disappeared into the ether. Just another weird phenomenon to add to the list of things to investigate at work (though I doubted I’d find much about rogue Imaginary Friends in the city records).

And so, even though none of us wanted Bluebird to grow up…we were all a bit relieved when her next birthday arrived. The faster things moved, the better, if only for the sake of preventing further weird phenomena.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Starling was the one to take Bluebird out of her crib. She gave her one last snuggle.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was cake time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

For the very first time in the history of the Branch family, all eight of us were in the same room at the same time. Lucky little Blue got a full audience of Branches to watch her age up!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The sparkles danced around her as she twirled…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

…and transformed into a beautiful, much taller child.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

A quick makeover and Bluebird was ready for the next stage of her life: as a Bookworm.

[Beks]

64 ~ I Am Bluebird

by Bluebird Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I am Bluebird Branch. Did you know that already? You’ve been watching, I think. Been watching my whole family for a really long time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I live in a big house in Hidden Springs with seven women. All of them are old, except my mother. They have been telling me since I was tiny that I am extra special because I am the last one, the last one who is going to live forever. I thought it was because I can do magic and ride brooms. But Great-Great-Grandmother Meadowlark told me she can do those things too.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My story is strange because it starts near the end of the whole story, the big story, the story that’s been going on for years and years and years. Some of my grandmothers have been alive for centuries already. They’ve seen so many things that I have never seen.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

But here’s one thing they’ve never seen - my room! I got a special room at the tip top of the Nest that had been locked for two whole generations, waiting for me. I walked in for the first time and I knew that room and I were going to be friends. There was a comfy canopy bed, and a desk with a computer just for me, and tree lamps, and a blue chair, and a shelf full of books on books on books.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I knew that I was going to be a writer, and finish writing my family’s story. So it was good that I had my own computer to type my stories on. The computer’s name was Louis. We said hello, and then I started writing my first book. It was called I Am Bluebird. Because that’s what I am, and it seemed like an okay place to start.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I wrote for a little bit but I kept thinking about that bookshelf over there, mostly because she kept whispering across the room, asking me to look at the books on her shelves. So I looked. The pretty spines were all different colors, all soft and old-feeling when I touched them with my fingertips. On the first shelf I looked at, there was a little blue book, the same color as my room and my dress and my hairband. I turned my head sideways to read the spine. It said Letter to Bluebird.

Bluebird? That’s me!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I took the blue book off the bookshelf (whose name was Betsy) and sat in my blue chair to read.

Dear Bluebird,

This is a short book, because it is the first of many. I have a feeling you already know your role in the Branch Immortal Dynasty, but just in case you still aren’t certain - your job is to finish my job. When I was a young man living in this house many years ago, I started telling the story of the Branch family. Mostly I captured the humorous stories, the funny accidents, the silly situations. I was married to your great-grandmother, who is quite a wild thing - as you probably know, seeing as you’ve met her. Sandpiper was always playing with her toys and blowing things up, getting into mischief and making us all laugh. It was a pleasure to write about her, and about everything that happened at the Nest while I was there. But enough about me - this is about you, little one.

You’re a writer, Bluebird. And as the very last Branch immortal, you have an important story to tell. I have collected my books here for you to read - I hope you find inspiration in them, but ultimately, I want you to tell the Branch story in your own way and your own voice. There are so many stories that I missed, or that I didn’t have time to tell before my time was up. You have been given the gift of time. That is, you have a great deal of it - but there is more to it than that. As writers, we have a special ability to bend the rules of time, to make it mold to our ideas and imagination. Use this gift wisely and well.

And now, it is time for you to begin. I hope we get to meet someday - when time is no longer a prison and instead an open ocean. When that happens, you will know.

With love,
Your great-grandfather, Wesley Riverhawk

My great-grandfather! Great-Grandma Sandpiper’s husband! I drew my finger over his signature and felt all warm inside. Then I looked back at Betsy the bookshelf. Yep, those books were written by Wesley Riverhawk - every single one of them. Some of the titles were really funny, like Butt Fires: Everything You Need To Know, and Zombies Come But Way Too Often, and Old Man Lunch, and The Dishwasher That Almost Destroyed The World.

My great-grandfather’s letter to me talked about a lot of things that I didn’t really understand yet, but it made me feel even more excited to become a writer. And maybe a time traveler? If that’s what he meant about the time thing. Maybe I’ll understand that more when I’m older.

I was in the middle of thinking about time travel when I heard the sound of crying from downstairs. Oh, no - something terrible was happening!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It was Tamarack, our old cat. Poor Gran Sparrow - Tamarack was her best friend.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

We all said a sad goodbye to Tamarack, and then he disappeared, like all things do when they die.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It was the first time I had seen anything die. My mother had told me before that I was lucky because I wouldn’t have to see any people I loved die - except probably my dad. I think Mother forgot about the cats, who are really just a special kind of people, I think.

The day after my birthday, I got my first opportunity, which apparently are things that I will have to do six of in order to become immortal. I had to check and make sure that none of my grandmothers had done the beetle scavenger hunt before. Great-Great-Great Grandma Chickadee did the butterfly one when she was a little girl.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I rode my broom all the way up to the tip top of the mountain to find some floating water beetles. They were floating on air instead of water, like slow, tiny birds.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

When I had gotten all my beetles, Great-Great-Great Grandma Chickadee helped me start learning things for school. She talked a lot about numbers and how you can put them together or separate them to make other numbers. I asked her But what if the numbers don’t want to be together? She said that wasn’t the point, so I said, What is the point then? and she said, Our lives are full of numbers, and it’s important to know how to use them. And I said, Does anyone ever wonder what the numbers are feeling? and she said, Numbers don’t have feelings. And I said, I don’t believe you.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Things make more sense in books. And not math books.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Mother became the Mayor of Hidden Springs and got to wear a cool sash. I kind of wished I had gotten to see her as a Podium Polisher. That sounds much more interesting than boring ol’ mayor.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

To celebrate, Mother threw a big party, a fundraiser to get people to vote for her in the next election or whatever. My dad came to the party! And so did a lot of different people I’d never seen before.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Daddy spent a lot of time kissing and hugging Mother, but after a long long time and a lot of yanking on his jacket, he finally said yes, he’d play tag outside with me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

In the middle of the party, two big things happened. Mother started to have her adult birthday even though this wasn’t supposed to be a birthday party. And an old lady on the couch behind her got all sparkly.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The sparkly ghost lady was Lizette Gunderson. The sparkly orange lady was Mother. There are good and bad sparkles in the world. I wonder how often they sparkle together, at the same time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The Grim Reaper came to the house again to take Lizette away. Grim didn’t scare me very much, but the way he made people feel scared me a little bit. Apparently Gran Sparrow was extra close with Lizette. This was the second time in two days that Grim Reaper took away someone Gran Sparrow loved.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Death is strange, and so are birthdays. My birthday was the very next day. Some people in Hidden Springs were dying, and I was still at the start of my life. I couldn’t figure out what to wish for when it was time to blow out my candles. Maybe more time for everybody? Is that what Great-Grandfather Wesley was talking about in his letter?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My whole family plus the maid gathered around to yell in my ear while I aged up. Why do people always have to yell about these things? Why couldn’t they just whisper?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I got all sparkly, too, with the good sparkles. I knew they were good because they didn't hurt.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I always liked wearing my goggles when I was a kid. Probably because I actually needed glasses. My new trait for teenhood was Over-Emotional. I picked out some new blue clothes and put my hair up and got ready to write the next chapter. Which you’ll be reading, reader!

Notes from a happy watcher
-- That first screenshot of Bluebird on her bed makes me laugh, because I’d never noticed how child-age Couch Potatoes nap. They flop dramatically onto the bed and make a satisfied grunty sort of noise. It’s adorable.
-- Bluebird ended up looking a little more pudding-face-y than I expected. She’s definitely not a total pudding-face, but…I was kinda disappointed when she aged up to teen. Then I tried some glasses on her (totally not in the original plans) and suddenly she was cute as a button.
-- I didn’t fit these into the story but I have to include these shots of Tanager “critiquing” a unicorn toy while attending a party across town.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

What’s the verdict, you ask?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Tacky. Tacky as heck.

[Beks]

65 ~ Wands in the Aviary

by Bluebird Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

After the sparkles faded I looked up and saw my father surrounded by birds. Old birds, silly birds. “Hey there, Father!” I said. “Begone, grandmas!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I could see Father much better now that I had glasses on. I had spent my whole childhood in a shifty blur! He told me about his job at Starling Market, and about his elderly father, my grandfather. He and my grandfather liked to go to the park and play ping pong. I told him about my blue room and my blue books and I saw that his eyes were blue, like mine.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Father had to leave, but he hugged me first, and told me that I could visit him in town anytime, especially if I came without any of the other birds (except Tanager, my mother).

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then I went up to my blue room and stood there alone for a while. I thought about how flowers and stars looked the same, and about how I was never going to die, but Father was.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Father was still here, it turned out. The full moon had risen, and in its greeny glow he had pulled out an upright bass and was playing himself to exhaustion. I think my father might be a little bit crazy, like me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was almost a fully grown bird now, which meant that there were things I needed to do. The most important things were to read and to write. I still had a few dozen of my great-grandfather’s books that Betsy the bookshelf was holding for me and that I hadn’t read yet. I tried to read at least one every day - and on a good day, I could get through several, since they were on the short side. I read stories about my ancestors, some I knew and some I didn’t. In particular, there were a lot of stories about a man named Arthur, who apparently took a really long time to die. How curious!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

After I’d acquired some writing skill points, I went to City Hall, where Mother worked, and registered as a self-employed writer so that some mysterious invisible entity would start paying me real money for my books.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While I was there, Granny Starling, who is approximately 4,000 years older than me, called me to say very excitedly that there was a bird she needed me to find while I was out. “A bird? You mean…a Branch? Is one of our family members out in town?” I asked. “No, a BIRD!” she said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but I got on my broom anyway and followed her directions.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The bird in question was a real bird, and it was all the way at the top of the mountain, near where I’d found the floating beetles as a child. You’ll never believe what it was, reader. You really won’t.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It was a bluebird! Just like me! It had a smear of rusty red on its breast, which…I don’t have…but its wings and back and head were all blue and it was chirping quietly and I got so excited that I squatted right down and beckoned it to alight on my wrist and be my friend.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The bluebird didn’t want to be my friend. I know this because it bit me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“HEY!” I said, and stood up so I would look taller and more in-charge. “Excuse me, bluebird, but I am also Bluebird, and my great-great-great-great-great grandmother said that we are meant to be friends! I’m supposed to capture you and take you home to our aviary where you will live forever and ever! Also, my foot is now stuck in the mountain because of you! You’re a very mean bluebird, and bluebirds aren’t mean, so that doesn’t make any sense! So THERE!”

As I was talking I started to realize, maybe, why the bluebird didn’t want to be my friend. It flew away and disappeared and then I was all alone again.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I flew home on my broom and felt a great sadness swelling like a balloon in my chest. When I got home, I decided to visit the aviary. Cala the Cardinal still lived there, a happy little bird, and maybe I could work on preparing a cage for my own pet bird - if I ever found one who wanted to be my friend.

I said hello to Cala and did a little tidying in one of the empty cages. Then I noticed that the staircase kept going up, and I’d never been to the top floor before.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Up I went, to the very tip top. And what a new, weird world it was!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

There was an attic in the aviary, rimmed with pretty, odd things! There were books and little statues and a dress form and dusty boxes…I just gaped at all the strange objects and wondered why they were there. They must have been accumulated over the years since the start of the dynasty, but some of them didn’t make sense. Nobody in our family was a stylist, for example, so why was there a dress form?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I wandered around gazing at all the things. I felt breathless and excited and so, so curious. I wanted to know what the old things were, and where they came from, and what they meant. Maybe they didn’t mean anything, but maybe some of them did! And as I spun around and around I felt something, like a delicate invisible thread, pulling me to a trunk on one side against the windows. On top of it was a little wooden stand with a gathering of little wooden sticks.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Aha! Wands! Magic wands! At least I knew what these were.

I chose a particularly blue one that was hiding behind the others and tucked it into my pocket. Then I crept down from the aviary, into the main house, and up to the top floor where my room was.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And I started practicing. I had forgotten that I was finally big enough to do real magic. Now, with a blue wand in my hand, the delicate thread I’d felt in the aviary turned into delicate threads of light that I could see with my actual eyes. It felt familiar, but also new, like a story I’d never read but had somehow known all along.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The next day was Sunday. Mother spent the day down at City Hall, holding the first protest she’d held in quite a long time. She said the protest was kind of small. I said, well, City Hall is kind of big.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then she told me my father was there! He comes to all her protests. This time he was wearing a kilt, for some reason, and was really excited about it, for some reason.

It was a new day and I was feeling brave, so I decided to show Great-Great-Grandma Meadowlark that I could do some magic.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“Nooo, Bluebird, please! Don’t use me as your first ever target! I don’t--”
“Relax, Great-Great-Grandma! I’m just going to give you a Good Luck Charm.”
“I can’t possibly relax, child, I’m Neurotic! I don’t do well with--”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“It’s going to work, I promise! The threads feel all bubbly, which means it’s going to work. Ready? Bonn valim von doo--”
*sob* “I can’t even look!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The Good Luck Charm worked, obviously, because I could tell that it was going to.

“Oh, Bluebird! What a miracle!”
“It’s not a miracle, Great-Great-Grandma. I told you, I could feel the bubbles in the magic.”
“It seems the Good Luck has fallen on both of us!”
“I guess so, but also I could feel the bubbles in the magic so I knew it was going to work. Even Fig, who is just outside of this screenshot, knows that I'm a capable witch.”
“Yes, yes, your skill will grow with time, darling. Oh, I’m so relieved--”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Whatever. I know I’m a capable witch. And I also know my feet are pretty cute. That’s what I was looking at while resting in the hot tub. Everyone knows bird feet are adorable.

[Beks]

66 ~ Fruits & Sea Sludge

by Bluebird Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Writers are very busy, taking the world in and putting it back out onto paper. I had a lot of world to take in and a lot of story to put out. Great-Great Grandmother Meadowlark gave me her old Moodlet Manager, and I began using it so that I didn’t have to sleep as much.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I stayed up all night until the smoky pink sunrise crept over the edges of the mountains. Then I went to bed for a short time before school, to give my mind a rest.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Surprise news! I got a cat! We adopted a kitten and he became mine, my very own familiar.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I named him Papaya, and he was Playful, Quiet, and Clueless. Kind of like me.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Fig accepted Papaya right away and they became friends. I suppose if you’re both named after fruits, that means you’re family.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The very next day, Fig grew into an old cat.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She got all grey, greyer than anyone had ever seen a cat get before. But she was still beautiful and figgy and precious.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

That day was also my prom day. Except apparently it was actually just prom night. I was the only student in Hidden Springs who wore their prom outfit during the day also.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was the last Branch to walk into the school on prom night. The last Branch to be crowned Prom Queen. (I couldn’t wait to take my crown home and put it in my room.) The last Branch to become romantic interests with someone they’d never met before. (Mine was named Frank Nesbitt.) The last Branch to look up into the glittering blue lights and see aliens on their way to earth. (Although no one in my family said that had ever happened before.)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I wasn’t the last Branch to walk out of the school on prom night, though! That lost Imaginary Friend walked right out of the school after I went in. Actually I suppose that does still make me the last.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I loved wearing my prom dress. The frothy, bubbly skirt reminded me of the frothy, bubbly way magic feels when it’s traveling from my mind to my wand and into the world. So I kept my dress on for a while.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I kept it on when I went to buy the bookstore and rename it The Blue Book.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I also kept it on when I went to the library to work on my novel, got inspired by the sound of theatre music from Sandy’s Theatrical Emproium next door, and accidentally stayed way past curfew.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As soon as I realized, I dashed out of there like a flash. “Sorry, officer!” I whisper-yelled as I ran by. “I’ll meet you in the car and we can go back to the Nest.” I put myself in the back of the car and waited rather a long time for the policewoman to realize that I was waiting for her, already ready to go.

It was Great-Great Grandmother Meadowlark who scolded me upon my return.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“Why isn’t my mother the one scolding me for breaking curfew?” I asked.
“Because she’s too busy vandalizing public property!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It had been a very adventurous couple of days. I was inspired to finish my novel, which allowed me to move up to level 3 in my career. Not bad for a girl only halfway through her teen years!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I went to bed as the sun was rising, as was my custom.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I’m supposed to tell you about my family members, too, so here’s a quick update about my mother. She became Vice President, which is the second-highest level of politician in Hidden Springs. She was just one promotion away from becoming Leader of the Free World, which has a rather nice ring to it, don’t you think?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The only other news is that Gran Sparrow was quickly becoming loopy just like the rest of my grandmothers are. Although I thought I overheard someone say the other day that this whole playing-ball-in-her-knickers thing was not entirely new for Gran Sparrow. So maybe that doesn’t count as news.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Also, I attempted my first conversion ritual. I tried it in the dark of night, when I should have been starting a new novel. I took one of the apples I’d conjured and cast a spell to see what would happen.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And it worked! A fishbowl appeared on my desk where the apple had been. And inside…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

…was a beautiful, beautiful sea sludge named Chantel. Can you see her? She’s beautiful. My beautiful new best friend. <3

Notes from a tongue-tied watcher
-- Can you see Chantel the sea sludge? I can’t see Chantel the sea sludge. I don’t know which planty-looking green thing she is. But at least Bluebird knows which planty-looking green thing she is. That’s what’s most important.
-- You may have noticed in some of these screenshots that Bluebird is not particularly…photogenic. She makes some of the dorkiest faces when I’m trying to capture a serious moment. It’s one of many reasons I adore her more and more each time I play her.
-- Like the last few generations before her, Bluebird has expressed romantic interest in both guys and girls. She first became attracted to a girl at school named Ebony Haywood, but at prom, the game paired her up with Frank Nesbitt. Of course, our Blue is a lone hawk and will be until the end of the story.
-- When Bluebird went to prom, I was overwhelmed with a wave of nostalgia. I don’t know what it was - the fading evening light (which in Hidden Springs is always so soft and beautiful), the music floating out of the school, seeing Bluebird in her poofy dress…it suddenly hit me that this really is the last generation, and this dynasty is almost over. It was a very dramatic moment and I may have almost cried but you didn’t hear that from me.

[mpart]

Bluebird is gorgeous, pudding face genetics and all. I love the glasses you gave her! They fit her perfectly.

[peach]

Hi Beks,

I've been reading over your dynasty the last few days and absolutely love it; it is just charming. After over a year of working on something, it must be gratifying to be so close to the finish line. I will be rooting for Bluebird in this final stretch!

And her prom dress was so pretty. I don't blame her for getting as much wear out of it as she could!

[Beks]

Bluebird is gorgeous, pudding face genetics and all. I love the glasses you gave her! They fit her perfectly.

Aww, I'm glad you like her! Yes, the glasses really brought her whole look together. I was so pleased.

Hi Beks,

I've been reading over your dynasty the last few days and absolutely love it; it is just charming. After over a year of working on something, it must be gratifying to be so close to the finish line. I will be rooting for Bluebird in this final stretch!

And her prom dress was so pretty. I don't blame her for getting as much wear out of it as she could!

Thank you so much, peach! This means a lot. It is definitely gratifying to be close to the end, but it's also kind of a struggle. People aren't lying when they say the last generation is a bit of a drag. We're almost there, though!

And I totally agree. If I were a braver person, I too would wear a bubbly blue prom dress out and about on the daily.

[CeresIn]

All catch up! I've been reading for the last few days and I can't believe this story is so close to the end.

I can’t see Chantel the sea sludge, either. 

[Beks]

Just popping in with a general update to say that guess what - I have finished playing the Branch Immortal Dynasty! Well, the challenge part, at least. I've got lots of writing and screenshot-sorting and data-wrangling and general wrapping up to do, but I am intent upon getting this whole story finished and posted here in the very near future.

All catch up! I've been reading for the last few days and I can't believe this story is so close to the end.

I can’t see Chantel the sea sludge, either.

Thank you so very much for reading, CeresIn! And phew, I'm glad I'm not the only one who cannot sea Chantel the sea sludge. I suppose Bluebird is technically the Insane one here.

[Beks]

67 ~ Odd Little Habits

by Starling Branch

Heyo, remember me?! Yeah, I’m the founder of this dynasty, and you haven’t heard from me in a while, but that doesn’t mean I’ve ceased to exist! In fact, I have never existed more than I do right now!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

See? I’m still sprightly enough to do jumping jacks to the rhythm of Dark Wave. I had to stop after about five seconds of this, of course, because dynasty rules or whatever, but sometimes you have to push the rules a little bit in order to feel alive.

Anyway, the dynasty, like me, is still alive and well. There are eight of us birds in the Nest now - can you believe that? Here we all are, hundreds of years later, and only two more elder birthdays remain between us and the end!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My daughter Goldfinch has been here for almost as long as I have. She still paints her pretty pictures, most of which get sold for millions of dollars or something. I’ve been worried about Goldie’s sanity before - she likes to pick fights a little more often than is proper for a, well, Proper Sim - but when she’s painting, she seems okay.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

We’ve all got our odd little habits, I guess. Sparrow sleeps in revealing undergarments and coos over Fig the way I used to coo over Twig in my day.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Fig is not immune from the odd little habits thing. She likes to eat snakes like they’re spaghetti or something. Gross!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Sandpiper goes back and forth constantly between arguing with her relatives and playing tag with those same relatives. This confuses and frustrates her relatives. It’s like, do we love our family playtime, or do we all hate each other’s guts? I’m not the one to ask. I just hang out with my plants and occasionally join in with tag, because tag is fun, obviously.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

When we Branches get too feisty, sometimes we go to Starlight Picnic Park and let off some steam with music. Sandpiper, being Immortal #5, recently started up a second family band with herself and her younger descendants.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And Bluebird? Well, Blue is soon to be the main focus of the story, yes. She’s almost a young adult, after all. In many ways, she reminds me of me when I was young--energetic, a little overwhelmed with the concept of dynasty requirements, taken to dancing in the middle of the night when she should be sleeping. That sort of thing.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The entrance of Papaya into her life was a good thing, certainly. Cats always are.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And then Papaya had his first birthday and became a full-grown familiar, in plenty of time to accompany a full-grown witch in her adventures.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

As Bluebird was nearing young adulthood, Tanager was nearing elderhood. She had finished her supermax ages ago, but she still liked to spray paint murals and things all over the Nest. I told her to go crazy, since we’ve all been here for hundreds of years and we might as well have fun with this house while we’ve got it!

I still felt kinda bad about the time I told Bluebird about a bluebird I’d spotted with the Collection Helper, and the bluebird ended up biting Bluebird. But when I spotted another bluebird, I just had to tell Bluebird that she should go and collect the bluebird, because maybe the bluebird would befriend Bluebird! Like, for real this time!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

So Bluebird went out and located the bluebird on the edge of the road near the picnic park.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And this time…ta-da! Bluebird told me after that she was a little more patient with the bluebird this time, and after a few minutes, the bluebird alighted on her arm and agreed to become her friend! Hooray!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird named her bluebird Bluebird. I was like, Um, sweetheart, you’re a writer. I thought that implied creativity? Bluebird was like, Exactly! And I was like, You’re insane. And she was like, So are you. And I was like, Yes. And she was like, So we’re agreed. And I was like, I guess you got me there.

I'm still a little confused.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Tanager got her final promotion at City Hall and became Leader of the Free World, just like she’d always wanted. After years of fighting for legislation about abandoned cars, duplicate maids, rogue Imaginary Friends, and glitchy age bars, she finally had full authority and could do whatever she wanted in Hidden Springs!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

She didn’t seem entirely happy about this, though. When I asked her why the heck she wasn’t dancing a jig at every possible moment, she said, “Well, there’s no more authority for me to challenge. I am the authority! It’s a nightmare!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird’s birthday finally arrived. She had an A in school and had nearly read all the books on her secret bookshelf that I totally knew about.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

So we decided to celebrate with a little bit of a jam. All seven of us older Branches got out our instruments and welcomed Blue home from school with a very loud, very wonderful concert of utter chaos.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was cake time. It was the last exciting age-up of the dynasty, the last trait reveal, the last wardrobe overhaul that wasn’t old-ladyish!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

We could all see the excitement on Blue’s face as she waited for the sparkles.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was sparkle time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was stupid outfit time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was put-out-the-lights time, at least according to Chickadee (who will NOT listen to me when I tell her we are gazillionaires and there is no point in trying to be Frugal anymore). Our last two remaining non-immortals sat on the couch in the dark and imbibed in the same sort of cake that we’d all enjoyed for centuries. How does it still taste good after all this time? Again, I am not the one to ask.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

After her last bite of cake, Blue took a trip to the dresser in the foyer and got set up in her Official Grown-Up Outfits. Man, I produce some darn lovely descendents, don’t I? Blue’s final set of traits: Insane, Couch Potato, Bookworm, Over-Emotional, and Loner. She chose Professional Author as her Lifetime Wish and Last Immortal as her destiny. Oh wait, that’s not a thing. Except it totally is.

[Beks]

68 ~ Total Rebel

by Tanager Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird was a full-grown woman now, and with that came full-blown witchitude. The rest of us were quite amused watching her practice spells on her Neurotic great-great-grandmother.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Poor Meadowlark. Still, her affection for her fellow witch kept her from being too traumatized, we hope.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Graduation day arrived--the last graduation of the whole dynasty. We all piled into our various vehicles and paraded glitchilly up the many steps to City Hall.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird graduated with Highest Honors as Valedictorian. Her classmates voted her Most Likely to Never Leave the House. The end of the ceremony was punctuated by many classic elements of our universe: a glitchy community lot, a creepy lurking townie (he was probably just in the wrong place at the wrong time), and an old lady with stanky armpits on the verge of collapse. (That's my mother, who will be horrified if she ever sees this picture.)

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird settled easily into her routine as a full-time writer. At least, I think she did. We slept on the same floor, and once or twice I heard her complaining loudly at Papaya for waking her up before she was fully rested. She’s a true Couch Potato, that girl.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Speaking of cats, we had an extra roaming around these days. Twig, the very first Branch cat, had become a permanent ghostly fixture on the lot - he came out to haunt one night and never, as of yet, returned to his gravestone in the front yard. As a result, he and Fig became close friends. Twig and Fig! How cute is that?!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird had a deep love for her friend Bluebird the Bluebird, who was safe from cats all the way up in the aviary.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Bluebird spent many hours at the library, too, when she wanted a break from the hubbub at the Nest. (So much for never leaving the house.) The paparazzi usually found her there, but she took it in stride and probably just wrote them into her latest story as antagonists or something.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The day of my elder birthday, there were two things I wanted to do. One was throw a party, and the other was spend a little time with my boyfriend. Ignoring my mother on the way to stare at herself in the mirror, I called up Mr. Jess Jacques first.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then I raced into town on my neon motorbike, which would probably look a bit less cool once I was an old lady.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I met Jess in Subalpine Square, our favorite haunt, which was now impressively covered in artwork by yours truly. Jess had become an old man himself since I’d last seen him, but I discovered very quickly that I didn’t care. I filled him in on everything I’d been up to, then told him I was throwing a big party that night and he was totally invited.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

He just looked so happy as he listened to me jabber on. I couldn’t bear to think that as an elder, his time was limited. So I didn’t think about it. I just kissed him a bunch and then said “See you at the party later!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Party time arrived. I put on my best dress and felt excitement coursing through me like a very splashy river.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Even though Chickadee is the best mixologist in the family, I had the urge to make some drinks myself. It was my party, after all. So what if a few people threw up or flirted with other people’s spouses?

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

The guests arrived, and most of them headed straight for Arthur’s party room. (I never knew Arthur, but I strongly suspect he was an awesome guy, purely for his taste in rooms.) One of our oldest relatives, Osvaldo Haines, shook hands with me. He was an elder by now, at long last, after centuries of being a mysteriously not-old vampire. It turns out he was closer to the end than any of us knew - he would pass away just days after this party. I’m glad we got to see him one last time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Before cake time, I made sure to find my daughter, who was dancing nearby in her very-party-appropriate swimsuit. “It’s almost your turn,” I whispered in her ear. “You’re going to be the focus from now on. Are you ready?”
“I’m ready, Mom. That's why I'm wearing this outfit.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then it was cake time! Our last remaining distant relative, Christy Carlisle, watched over my shoulder as I blew out my candles for the last time.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Well, I wasn’t as cute anymore, but I figured I could rectify that once I got my floppy hairstyle back.

Makeover done, party winding down, I went to find my great-great-great-great-grandmother.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“I’m ready, Starling. I’m ready to see the Anti-Establishment Speakeasy.”
“The what?”
“The Anti-Establishment Speakeasy! You know, the immortal basement or whatever.”
“The Super Secret Cellar of Secrets?”
“Yeah, that.”
“And you call it the…the what?”
“The Anti-Establishment Speakeasy!”
“Wow. That one really flows off the tongue.”
“Well, it’s anti-the-establishment-of-death, right? Anti-Establishment!”
“And it’s a speakeasy because…”
“...because we all go down there and consume secret ingredients that make us immortal!”
“...right. Let’s just get going. You’re sure all your requirements are done?”
“Positive. As an experienced yet subversive politician, I am a pro at getting things done.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My ancestors and I went to the spiral staircase I’d longed to go down for so long. Of course it took forever for us to figure out how to go down some stairs, but that’s par for the course at this point.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I watched in excitement as my grandmas all struggled to form an orderly queue and replicate the correct number of plates of ambrosia. Red tape? Not a problem for me anymore!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then I sat down next to Goldfinch. The ambrosia was practically drifting off the plate towards me, like some sort of edible dream. I couldn’t wait to get into it!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

So I got into it. I shoveled that stuff into my mouth like there was no tomorrow, because if I didn’t, there wouldn’t be.

The taste, and feel, of it flooded through me like a great jolt of caffeine. It tasted like the heady smell of spray paint, the intoxicating glare of sunlight on a mural beneath my feet. It tasted like how yelling at a stuffy old politician feels. It tasted like winning an election because you talked to the people and got to know them for real. It tasted like the roar of a motorcycle. It tasted like only things that aren’t meat can taste.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And just like that, I was immortal. Cross-eyed…but immortal.


Seventh Immortal - Tanager Branch

"I don't know what they're up to, but I don't like it and somebody ought to do something about it." -The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America, on tanagers

Traits: Slob, Excitable, Rebellious, Vegetarian, Avant-Garde, Charismatic (Rebel affiliation)
Supermax Skill: Street Art
Other maxed skills:
Career: Politics
LTW: Street Credible
BlackOps: Commissioned Street Art, Policing the Paper Trail, The Cutest Photo Shoot, Headline Worthy Event, From One Chef To Another, A Party of Large Wigs
LTRs: Rebel Influence, Inappropriate But in a Good Way, The Next Big Thing
Best Friends: Sparrow Branch, Jess Jacques, Hasan Nagle, Ebony Haywood, Fig Branch, Leonard Denney
Building: Outstanding Citizens Warehouse or whatever
Property: Subalpine Square
Immortal at: 74 days (week 47, day 1)

[Beks]

69 ~ Death & Kisses

by Bluebird Branch

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Death visited our house and it was no less terrible than it had been every time before. Papaya knew what was going on first; he started yelling like only a cat named after fruit can when he saw Grim rise up out of the floor in the foyer.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was last to arrive on the scene because I’d been having a late-night snack with my head in the fridge. I charged into the circle of old ladies. “What is it, Papaya?!” I shrieked. “Do you want to play chase with me?!”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Papaya did not want to play. It was Fig. She was an old, grey kitty, and it was time for her to go. Even the ghost of Twig knew that. He hovered next to me and I could feel his essence communicating “Duh, why are you surprised?” towards my essence.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And so we had to say goodbye to dear old Fig, whose unmatched fuzziness gave her a glowy halo even in death. Rest in peace, darling girl. You were even sweeter than real figs are.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

We all suffered for the rest of the night and then in the morning we decided we couldn’t stand to only have one cat in the house. So we adopted a new kitten from the animal shelter. This is Lilac.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Lilac was Clueless, as evidenced by the fact that her paws very quickly became best friends with the carpet. But Lilac also became best friends with Papaya. So that was good.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Death visited our house a second time later that day, although this death wasn’t important enough for the Grim Reaper to appear. It was Bluebird, my bluebird. I went up into the aviary to feed her and I cried for an hour and I promised I would write a story about her, because that’s what I do.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was sad, and we all were sad, but there wasn’t enough time for me to stay sad. I had work to do. A lot of work. So I went to the library and I worked on my next book. And when I needed a break from sitting, I got up, went to City Hall, and purchased the whole library as my official property. I didn’t have to add much to fully upgrade it - just a couple more desks and computers. I also threw down some cute lamps and called it a day. I always feel a little better in the library, and this helped even more.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Now the dynasty had reached a point where it all depended on me. I was pretty busy writing, of course, but I also took some time to hang out a little bit. My ancestors, all seven of them, were pretty much left to their own devices. Sometimes that meant video game controller devices. I liked to watch my Proper great-great-great-great-grandmother destroy my Childish great-grandmother in a particularly realistic first-person shooter. Not that I’d know. I just have a good imagination.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

There was one time when all of us played music together, like one big eight-bird band. I was starting to learn piano a little bit, because all the other instruments were taken twice-over. Chickadee and Sparrow wrestled a little over who got to play lead guitar. I think Chickadee put on the best show, personally, but either way, it’s hard to beat an old lady rocking out in her pajamas.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Lilac grew up into an adult cat under a full moon.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

My mother, who was now immortal, spent her days working at City Hall and adding more street art to her vast mosaic in the square.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Great-Great-Great-Great Grandmother Goldfinch painted her million-and-fourth painting, and then her million-and-fifth, and on and on forever.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Great-Grandma Sandpiper puttered away in her workshop. She told me she was working on a top-secret project that I could totally figure out if I was smart enough. I was confused by this. She was like, “Haven’t you read all those books on your shelf yet?” and I was like, “How do you know about Betsy?” and she was like, “Betsy?” and I was like, “Yeah, my secret bookshelf,” and she was like, “Oh. I just know these things,” and I was like, “Whatever.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Another non-writing thing I did was work on my witchitude. I was getting pretty good - I even magically upgraded the new computers at the library so that my words (well, the graphics) looked prettier as I typed.

Great-Great Grandmother Meadowlark never seemed to think I was practicing enough, though.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“Look at this, Bluebird. It’s an APPLE. I just produced it out of thin air. With magic!”
“I am trying to write a novel, Great-Great Grandmother Meadowlark.”
“You could do this too if you just practiced!”
“You taught me to conjure an apple the day I became a teenager, Great-Great Grandmother Meadowlark. I have more important tasks to attend to.”
“Magic is important, too, you know.”
“Not as important as developing my antagonist’s fatal flaw.”
“Oh? What’s your antagonist's fatal flaw?”
“Being out of touch with the younger generations.”

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Sometimes my father came around to visit us. I didn’t know my dad very well, which was kind of sad, but I’d been busy ever since I was a little girl. Still, we talked a bit about witchitude, and I told him my birthday was coming up, and he said he’d come to the party.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

And it was party time! All of us hit up the party room and danced our butts off. Look at my mother’s stripey pantsuit!

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

While the party was going on, I snuck off to play piano a little bit. There was already somebody out there - a very pretty somebody. A fairy! She said her name was Christy, and that she was a very distant relative from many generations ago who was still alive because of her fairyness and also some weird age glitch.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

I was watching her talk, watching her blue wings flicker and sparkle in the dusk, and I was so overcome with attraction that I grabbed her and kissed her! It was like a moment from one of my romance novels! Me and a blue-winged fairy, kissing on a quiet music stage, late at night, on my birthday, under a starry sky…

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

“HEY! What was that for?!”
“I…I like you? I mean - oh, fair fairy, how very blue you glow in the--”
“I barely even know you! You can’t just walk up to people and smooch them out of nowhere!”
“But I thought...I..."

And then I remembered that this was real life, not a book I was writing. And I felt terrible. And because I am Over-Emotional and pathetic, I started sobbing.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Christy was quiet for a second, and then she hesitantly came closer and sort of hugged me. “There, there,” she said, her mouth close to my ear. Her voice was so soft and a little bit gravelly. Somehow I sensed, in her voice, that she was indeed a lot older than she looked. And somehow this only made her more fascinating. She went on, “I’m sorry I yelled. You seem like a…a lovely young lady. Maybe we can get to know each other better. We are family, after all. Even if our ages are too far apart to matter much.”

I sniffled, nodded, and pulled away to smile at her. “That would be nice,” I said.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

We headed back toward the party, but got interrupted on the way by a spontaneous grill fire that had broken out on the back lawn. I took the opportunity to practice my ice blasts. I wasn’t concerned - everyone knows fire makes a party great. I learned that from Great-Grandma Sandpiper.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

It didn’t even matter that somebody’s hot dogs were burned, because it was cake time! The party was winding down by this point, and it was mostly just family left. I thought of my dad as I blew out my candles…and also of Christy Carlisle.

 [ You are not allowed to view attachments ]

Then the sparkles took me over, and I was an Adult. An Adult having a Midlife Crisis. Well, if nothing else, it was something to write about, right?


Notes from an invested watcher
-- Nobody has ever captured Bluebird’s interest like her great-aunt-fifteen-times-removed or whatever. Bluebird rolled a wish to kiss Christy almost the moment they met, and when I canceled it initially (“Ew, they’re extremely distant relatives!”), Blue stubbornly rolled it again. After about two seconds’ hesitation, I decided I was okay with this. Christy is, after all, the last remaining relative of the family, and the relation is so remote it’s almost negligible. (She’s the daughter of original townies Ryan Anderson and Ella Carlisle; Ryan was the brother of Kyle, who married Starling.) Obviously Christy was not thrilled by Bluebird’s forwardness at first, but the two of them managed to become friends at the party anyway. You’ll have to wait and see if things develop further.