I wrote my own versions of everything. Partly because I must have skipped over the instruction to fill in the names and pronouns but also because I’m a writer at heart, and I can’t resist a good story.
This was fun!
DGGF1: [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] [name_u]Henry[/name_u] [name_m]Sherman[/name_m]
DGGM1: [name_f]Katherine[/name_f] [name_f]Zelda[/name_f] [name_m]Sherman[/name_m] (goes by [name_f]Katya[/name_f], but [name_u]Arthur[/name_u] calls her [name_u]Kitty[/name_u] or Kitten)
DGGF2: [name_m]Edmund[/name_m] [name_u]George[/name_u] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DGGM2: [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] [name_f]Maya[/name_f] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DM: [name_f]Alice[/name_f] [name_f]Winnie[/name_f] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DP: [name_u]River[/name_u] [name_m]Hank[/name_m] [name_m]Sherman[/name_m]
DD: [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] [name_f]Violet[/name_f] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DS: [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] [name_m]Xavier[/name_m] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DS: [name_m]Casper[/name_m] [name_m]Abraham[/name_m] [name_u]Banks[/name_u]
DS: [name_u]Harley[/name_u] [name_u]Jay[/name_u] [name_u]Winslow[/name_u]
DD: [name_u]Percy[/name_u] [name_f]Vienna[/name_f] [name_m]Osborne[/name_m]
DBFF: [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] [name_u]Hallow[/name_u]
-DBF: [name_u]Sam[/name_u] [name_m]Josiah[/name_m] [name_u]Grey[/name_u]
–DD: [name_f]Zora[/name_f] [name_f]Heloise[/name_f] Grey-Hallow
–DS: [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] Grey-Hallow
Year 0:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 12.
To her surprise, her parents [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] have changed their minds about not wanting more kids. She’s still getting used to the idea a few months later when [name_f]Alice[/name_f] announces that she’s pregnant. Right before Thanksgiving, they welcome [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] [name_m]Xavier[/name_m] [name_u]Banks[/name_u].
Year 1:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 13. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 1.
On [name_u]Christmas[/name_u], [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] gets upset at how many presents [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] receives. It made sense last year because he had just been born, but now she’s angry and worried that her parents care more about [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] than her. It comes out all wrong, and there’s a big fight where she says some nasty things about [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u]. [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] try not to lose their cool, but… well, it’s a mess. As a punishment/chance to cool off, they send [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] to her great-grandparents, [name_u]Henry[/name_u] and [name_f]Katya[/name_f], to help shovel snow, do household chores, etc. She hates it at first, but then she starts to bond with [name_u]Henry[/name_u]. He’s turning 100 that [name_f]Sunday[/name_f], so she calls as many family members as she can think of to come up with a great surprise for him. The rest of the holiday is much happier.
And then [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] goes back to school. She finds out that she’s almost failing [name_m]History[/name_m]. In a whirlwind or stress and panic, she does everything she can not to fail, including asking (okay, begging) for help from her best friend, [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] [name_f]Gwen[/name_f] [name_u]Hallow[/name_u].
Year 2:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 14. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 2.
And [name_f]Alice[/name_f] is pregnant again! [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] has warmed up to the idea of siblings now that [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] interacts with her more; he can’t pronounce her name, so he calls her Zozo in the cutest voice. So she’s excited when they welcome another boy: [name_m]Casper[/name_m] [name_m]Abraham[/name_m] [name_u]Banks[/name_u].
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] goes on her first date! His name is [name_u]Kestrel[/name_u] [name_u]Bailey[/name_u] [name_u]Dawson[/name_u]. They hit it off, and [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] has fun on other dates and even likes holding his hand, but when [name_u]Kestrel[/name_u] asks to be her boyfriend, she realizes she doesn’t want anything serious. It leads to an argument where they stop speaking. Which is awkward… because [name_u]Kestrel[/name_u] already agreed to help babysit while [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] go to a concert. During the tense evening, the combined cuteness of [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] and [name_m]Casper[/name_m] (and Wyatt’s insistence that “Zozo be nice to Ketchup” melts their anger, and they reconcile. They consider themselves date-friends, nothing serious or exclusive but still special.
[name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] joins an early preK class for 2 year olds, and one of the other kids pushes him down a lot. It happens again when [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] are dropping him off, and [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] calls out for Isolde’s help. [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] runs over and yells at the other kid. It may not have been the best reaction, but it solidifies the bond that she and [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] have. Nobody messes with her kid brother!
Year 3:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 15. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 3. [name_m]Casper[/name_m] is 1.
The family enters a new world by adopting a 13-year-old. His name is [name_u]Harley[/name_u] [name_u]Jay[/name_u] [name_u]Winslow[/name_u]. He plans to keep his last name because it ties him to his mother, who is still alive and loves him but stopped being able to care for him when he was 3 due to mental health and substance abuse. It’s a complex transition for everyone, full of good things, hard things, and in-between things.
And then, it’s mostly full of hard things… because [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] get divorced. It’s extremely hard for [name_f]Isolde[/name_f], who didn’t see it coming because [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] clearly love each other and didn’t seem to fight any more than other parents, but mostly (as usual, and very understandably) she’s angry. She can’t understand how they could do this after having more kids (who are still so small and don’t understand), and not even a full year after adopting someone who has already been shuffled from one home to the next his whole life. She confronts [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] about it, which does lead them to fight more in front of her. They make loving, genuine promises to each of the kids about being there for them and still being a family, just shaped different, but it’s still a huge burden for [name_f]Isolde[/name_f]. Now more than ever, she swears to protect her brothers. All three of them.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] when [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] thinks she can’t handle anything else, her best friend [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] confesses that she’s pregnant. It was an accident, and her parents disapprove so much that [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] is scared she won’t have a home (let alone a way to raise a child at 15). In her signature, fiery way, [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] marches up to Fatima’s house and (loudly and passionately) convinces her parents to support [name_f]Fatima[/name_f]. “If you truly love her,” she tells them, “then show her in a way that feels like love. Don’t break your home or your family. Heal it. Together.” During the pregnancy, and after the baby is born, [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] supports [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] in school just like she did for her once, and helps keep her on track to graduate at the same time as everyone else. [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] names her daughter [name_f]Zora[/name_f] [name_f]Heloise[/name_f], after [name_f]Isolde[/name_f]. Zora’s last name is Grey-Hallow, and her father (Fatima’s boyfriend), [name_u]Sam[/name_u] [name_m]Josiah[/name_m] [name_u]Grey[/name_u], happily agrees to co-parent.
Year 4:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 16. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 4. [name_m]Casper[/name_m] is 2. [name_u]Harley[/name_u] is 14.
Thank goodness, there are no babies or adoptions this year. But after taking her brothers to an animal shelter “just to look”, they all agree that they want a pet. Is it so they can get furry cuddles any time they want? Yes. Is it because they know the importance of a happy home? Also yes. But of course, they have to get their parents’ permission. And with the shared custody situation and tight finances, both [name_f]Alice[/name_f] and [name_u]River[/name_u] say no. Of course.
So, [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] decides to get a job to save up money (hopefully for a pet, but maybe just to help with finances in general). She’s insistent on doing something involving her siblings, and just in time, [name_u]Harley[/name_u] signs up for dance! [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] has been in dance since she was little, so she gets hired quickly as the assistant choreographer.
Year 5:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 17. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 5. [name_m]Casper[/name_m] is 3. [name_u]Harley[/name_u] is 15.
[name_u]River[/name_u], who lives in their own apartment now and has more limited custody, is inspired to adopt another teenager, 16-year-old [name_u]Percy[/name_u] [name_f]Vienna[/name_f] [name_m]Osborne[/name_m], who was kicked out of their home after they came out as gender-fluid. She goes by she/they; [name_u]River[/name_u] goes by he/they, so it’s a running joke that together, they make up the whole set.
Great-grandma [name_f]Katya[/name_f] is turning 100, so once again, [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] calls the whole family to make a big surprise. And even with all of the wild, difficult things that have happened, it’s a joyful event. [name_u]Percy[/name_u] is welcomed by everyone with open arms.
That summer, both [name_u]Harley[/name_u] and [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] go to dance camp (Wyatt joined soon after [name_u]Harley[/name_u] did), and [name_m]Casper[/name_m] goes to live with [name_u]River[/name_u] until school starts. That means it’s just [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] and [name_f]Alice[/name_f] for a couple months. That is, until [name_f]Alice[/name_f] decides to visit her grandparents, [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] and [name_m]Edmund[/name_m], for a week. She trusts [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] to be on her best behavior all alone, which [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] thinks is obvious because she has two part-time jobs (at the dance academy and the local newspaper), and she has to apply for scholarships, so there’s no time for goofing around. But then [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] gets sick, and he’s sent home early (Harley is in a final competition at camp, so they strongly encouraged him to stay). [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] and [name_f]Alice[/name_f] have an hour-long conversation where they both try to convince the other to take care of [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] because [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] will get fired from one or both jobs if she misses a week and she needs the money for college, and it’s a 9 hour drive to [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] and Edmund’s (and [name_u]River[/name_u] took [name_u]Percy[/name_u] and [name_m]Casper[/name_m] to an amusement park out of state). Finally, they agree to meet in the middle so they both only have to drive about 4 hours, and [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] gets to spend time with his other great-grandparents, as long as he wears a mask.
Year 6:
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] is 18. [name_u]Wyatt[/name_u] is 6. [name_m]Casper[/name_m] is 4. [name_u]Harley[/name_u] is 16. [name_u]Percy[/name_u] is 17.
No siblings this year, but it’s still very busy!
It’s Isolde’s senior year, and she’s almost failing [name_f]English[/name_f]. She swears that the teacher has some kind of vendetta against her, but no matter the reason, she can’t let herself get a low grade in the very subject she plans to [name_m]Major[/name_m] in. She sacrifices some of her much-needed funds to hire a tutor. Miraculously, her tutor not only helps her improve in the class but helps her identify that she may have a mental disorder. She gets tested, and sure enough, she has ADHD and autism. Through trial and error, she’s able to get the medical care she needs, and every part of her life improves, not just her grades.
[name_f]Fatima[/name_f] has been thriving, too. She loves being a mom to 3-year-old [name_f]Zora[/name_f], and she and her boyfriend [name_u]Sam[/name_u] have been talking about getting married, or at least renting a place together. Those plans get put on hold, though, when [name_f]Fatima[/name_f] becomes pregnant again. She and [name_u]Sam[/name_u] were being very careful and responsible, so it’s a huge shock, but at least her parents are fully supportive this time. She still graduates on time, and she throws a graduation/baby shower combination party, where [name_f]Isolde[/name_f] donates some of her siblings’ old toys and pitches in as much as she can for baby supplies. The baby is born a few weeks later. His name is [name_m]Vincent[/name_m] [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] Grey-Hallow.
[name_f]Isolde[/name_f] has been through a lot, and she has a lot of dreams for her future: she could be an author, an [name_f]English[/name_f] teacher, a reporter… She’s not sure yet. But what she does know is that it’ll have to wait for now. A big part of that is wanting to save up money for another year or two, but mostly, she wants to be with her siblings. So she becomes a full-time dance choreographer at Wyatt’s and Harley’s dance studio when the previous dance instructor retires. And she promises them–and [name_m]Casper[/name_m] and [name_u]Percy[/name_u] and even [name_f]Zora[/name_f] and Vincent–that she’s got their back. She always has. Always will. No matter where life leads them.