#ts2 grunts

[asimplevampire]

so thanks to angelapleasant's take on Buzz in Something Wicked (brilliantly written btw), I've been thinking about how I want to do the Grunts, because I was never satisfied with how I was writing them. If I ever bring back my modern uberhood (I have the canon URL!) or if I want to play them in medieval PV or what have you. and well.

I do like the fanon more than she does, but I also want it to be more. complicated. tastier. a bit less... teenage. and seeing angelapleasant's depiction of Buzz and Tank made it click, the exact dynamic I want.

so in order to make this work we first need to accept a postulate: all the Grunt boys are neurodivergent. yes, all. None of them will ever get a proper diagnosis while they're living under Buzz's roof. But...

Buzz is the kind of middle-aged white guy who yells at everyone if he can't keep to his strict routine, and only eats three foods, and has Strong Opinions about sportsball statistics. He's very invested in Looking Like The Right Kind Of Person-- he's constantly masking, honestly-- and very invested in Being Normal. (Incidentally, this is why Buzz hates PT- not aliens in general, PT and the Smiths. He can't stand that someone so Weird is better at Being Normal than his family.)

Tank takes after his dad, and also has the profound misfortune of Taking Ideas Seriously. When Tank believes in something, he genuinely believes it with his whole chest. This is a rarer quality to have than one might think. It is also a deeply unfortunate quality to have in a place like Strangetown.

Ripp doesn't like routines. Or being told what to do. Or having to focus on anything but the, like, three things he cares about. And none of those things are Normal- he likes art and music and writing terribad romance novels. He's also flamingly bi, and since he's a Romance sim, he's not very good at keeping it under wraps. He started talking about having crushes on boys in kindergarten.

Buck has exactly one interest (pet fashion!), is also an incredibly picky eater, doesn't like loud noises or crowds, and can't tie his shoes or tell time on an analog clock. He talks a lot with family and friends, but completely clams up around strangers.

And so we've got this family dynamic where...

Buzz is harder on Ripp than he is on either of his other children. Buzz desperately wants Ripp to be Normal, for both selfless and selfish reasons. The world's a cruel place to be Not Normal, after all... and it's a cruel place if your kids reflect Weird back on you.

Perhaps a bit too hard. Perhaps pushing into the realm of "asking Ripp to do the unwise or impossible". Perhaps getting worse and more unreasonable the older (and surlier) Ripp gets.

Ripp resents this, ofc, and pushes back. They've got a vicious cycle going where Ripp rebels harder every time the General puts more expectations on him, which makes the General push back harder with more expectations, which makes Ripp rebel...

Tank has been watching this horrible cycle his entire life. And no one bothered to tell him that the expectations Buzz puts on Ripp are not the same expectations that Buzz wants him to live under.

And Tank takes ideas seriously.

So Tank is desperately struggling to live up to this impossible ideal that no one asked or expected of him. He's trying to be the perfect soldier, get perfect grades, be perfect at his job, keep his room perfectly tidy, be Better At Being A Good Normal Person than anyone else in the family, hate the people the General wants him to hate...

If Buzz knew what Tank has internalized, at this point, he'd be horrified. He mostly just wants his kids to do their best... and mayyyybe not publicly embarrass the family.

Buzz is also easier on Buck than either of his other children, because he's the baby and you just kind of ... instinctively want to take care of him. It doesn't hurt that Buck looks more like Lyla than either of the other kids...

So Tank is desperately struggling to live up to an impossible ideal that no one asked him to live up to; Ripp is desperately kicking against the pricks of an impossible ideal that everyone seems to want him to live up to; and Buck is alternating between Getting Forgotten and Getting Spoiled Rotten.

You've got this horrible, horrible family dynamic, that could probably be resolved with, like, three honest conversations and some honest renegotiation around expectations. But all of these men (except maybe Buck?) are incredibly emotionally constipated and Will Not Talk To Each Other without some severe goading from an outside force.

idk, that's just where I'm at at this point, and I don't think I've seen anyone else with this specific headcanon. especially not neurodivergent!Buzz.

[f1shart]

omg happy new year ^^ haha *disappears for an entire month without a word*

i'm sorryy i know i should've said something but i really needed a social media break... like if you look at my previous posts you can see me slowly get more depressed ☠️ but i'm getting therapy! and i caught the flu! that's pretty much all that's new sooo STRANGETOWN

it's not asher f1shart without a bonus... just some guys i drew while i was out NOT tagging everyone i'll die fr

[capricornsims]

No matter how many times Buzz tries to fight him, and curse him out, PT9 will still offer him a hot dog. He knows he’s the winner of this fued because he’s got a wife and kids that love him :) He’s everything Buzz can’t be, and he’s an alien !

Too bad Buzz!

[arizuume]

My brain at 5 am: make a redraw of that Strangetown thumbnail 💀

[budgieflitter]

WELCOME TO PLEASANTOWN

PART 1 part 2!!! this took much more thinking than the previous one but i hope it turned out just as engaging :) i'll likely make another post with more details also big thanks to al-pomegranate-seeds for the ideas you sent me earlier, it really helped! the descriptions are below 🔽

GRUNT = DREAMER Professor Buzz Grunt is a respected researcher in his field, as well as an aspiring history novel author. However, after the unfortunate fire accident and the loss of his wife it became harder to provide proper education to his sons. Can his golden child Tank prove his worth to this demanding dad? Is he really ready to make a commitment to the new Specter heiress for the sake of the family?

SMITH = PLEASANT

Jenny always knew that there will be difficulties with cross-cultural relationships, but between juggling family and career problems, her way too secretive husband is just too much to keep track of. What is he hiding? Will Johnny be able to fit in and reconcile with his little sister? SPECTER = GOTH

When the head of Specter Industries was about to retire and pass the business to her son, he disappeared without a trace. Is there a possibility that this is the doing of someone with eyes set on her fortune? Can Olive really entrust the inheritance to her niece Ophelia?

CURIOUS = BROKE

Economy is tough and passion for science is expensive, so the Curious brothers have to share the living space to get by. After the birth of Tycho things have become especially challenging. While Lazlo is invested in dubious hacking activity, and with Vidcund eager to fund another one of his “secret science projects”, can Pascal cope with his new role as a cosmic parent? And what about the rumor that the Specter heir was last seen scaling the deck of their house?

SINGLES = CALIENTE

Lola and Chloe arrived to Pleasantown to reconnect with their roots, or so they claim. Have they really been missing the fatherly affection, or do they have ulterior, fiscal motives?

LOSTE = LOTHARIO

Kristen doesn’t particularly care for Pleasantown, but she has to admit that people here are quite the attraction. She is committed to her dream of becoming a world famous sports champion. Is her commitment to Erin Beaker just as genuine?

BEAKER = BURB

After graduating from college, Erin moved in with her brother and his wife while she’s trying to adjust to adult life. While Loki is being hospitable, Circe is growing tired of tarot readings and psychic seances. Can Erin’s newfound love help out before Circe turns her into a makeup testing animal?

💬 i hope there is enough drama to make this work hahaha i'm also planning to post a couple of other characters and notable townies swapped separately

[scapesh]

ripp you can't say that

[hyacinth-sims]

sims 2 premades as memes/texts/posts/etc. (-slides u a note during class- do u still think i'm funny y/n edition)

[microscotch]

dudebros 📚

commissioned by @just-ornstein!

[fierce-sims]

*goes insane and dies*

[fr0gd0g]

Their feud makes me giggle

General Buzz towards PT9:

PT9 towards General Buzz:

HE JUST WANTS TO GRILL!!!

But also he can defend himself ‼️ GO PT9 ‼️

[eilyca]

I had this idea going on in my head of the JRO gang finding nervous subject on accident by roaming around the tesla court while the beakers weren't there and accidentally finding Nervous and.... Making a YouTube video about it yeah

this was definitely not an excuse to draw nervous and the sillies together being silly

[simpuke]

Im crying at this video from the bonus dvd, from the little queue icons showing to the whole vibe of the thing. im in love. also Evil Vengeful PT9 confirmed (i cant blame him)

[f1shart]

ahah you thought you could escape me. TRIPLE FULLBODY DEATH BARRAGE.

school is still killing me slowly tho

last time i tankjohnnyposted i was such a hater AND FOR WHAT. i guess i didnt like the whole bully x victim dynamic but i was very blatantly ignoring the similarities they have with tycutio ☠️☠️

anyway god ive become such a tank multishipper since then

dumb effortless minicomic also have some crops from sketches i dont like but thought these parts were cute. not RATthew. i hate him.

[capricornsims]

Jenny has been dating Paul for a few weeks now and is absolutely in love with him. Lyla and Pascal have to sit and listen to her ask him out on dates while they hang out in her bedroom.

She met him at the local pool ,and volunteered to teach him how to be human and how to speak simlish fluently. In this story, his human disguise works, but it’s very uncanny.

( Honestly I wonder what her type is )

[kamiiri]

It was a pleasant surprise when Johnny started bringing his new girlfriend, Ophelia, around. Ripp liked Ophelia a lot, and he immediately welcomed her with open arms. It almost felt like a void had been filled—one that Ripp and Johnny didn't even know had been there until she arrived.

Ripp's favorite thing about Ophelia was her endless creativity. He believed she had an artistic talent not many possessed, and he always asked her to teach him how to draw, just to hear the passion in her explanations. Admittedly, his drawings were never any good, even after paying close attention to her tutorials. Ophelia hung them up on her bedroom walls anyway, but only after she made him autograph them. Just in case they ever made him rich and famous one day, obviously.

[budgieflitter]

it's called a MILITARY STRATEGY... not that i expect you civilians to understand... 🙄

then i wanted to see how he would look like in desert camo... i present to you sad beige tank grunt