simhealing | Grunt Family Bios

If you’re looking for dysfunctional you came to the right place. Toxic masculinity? Welcome to the origin of the word. Controlling parent running the place like a boot camp? You have very concerning tastes. Why are you looking for this? General Buzz was never a good father, but at least before Lyla’s death he was more of a neglectful father than anything. Now he’s had to be more ‘hands on’ the Grunt boys’ only parent is emotionally neglectful and a bully. With Ripp wishing to be ignored rather than deal with their everyday interactions, Buck creeping around on tiptoes to avoid accidentally angering someone, and Tank desperate enough for his father’s approval to do anything, anybody coming out of this childhood well adjusted will be a challenge.

General Buzz Grunt

Personality: Leo, 6/7/10/0/2, Sports Hobby

Aspiration: Popularity

LTW: Become The Law

Degree: Political Science

General Buzz believes in those corny tv advertisements that claim being in his line of work is “belonging”. He also believes in traditional values, violence as a resolution, a well stocked fallout shelter, and moth-man. (Though he thinks he’s an alien spy.) He’s paranoid to the point of parody about an ‘alien menace’ and keeps expecting PT-9 to creep into his room at night with a knife. Most of Strangetown would agree that would be justified but don’t tell him that, he likes to think of himself as the community leader of the town. And, to be fair, it’s incredibly hard to tell someone they’re not the leader when they have a tank and you don’t. He’s almost not aware of how he’s making his boys feel. He thinks he’s setting them up for a successful career in the place that made him happy. That was how he was raised and he turned out alright…. If you consider having your children call you ‘sir’ and calling them maggots while they run an obstacle course meant for people your age ‘alright’.

Tank Grunt

Personality: Capricorn, 6/4/10/0/5, Sports Hobby

Aspiration: Popularity

LTW: Have 20 Best Friends

Tank grew up without attention from his father or any indication of pride, because Buzz wouldn’t know an emotion if it was chewing on his ear. So he’s a little… obsessive about winning Buzz’s approval and therefore becoming ‘worthy’. That’s the only metric he’s ever been given to judge his worth by. This lack of reassurance in his early years has also made him defensive to the point of being on the offensive with other people. As much as Tank longs for friends he’ll never make any whilst all he knows is violence. Maybe before he tries to make friends he should try to treat his brothers better, which in itself would involve unlearning violence and the toxic brand of masculinity Buzz teaches.… Resolving his issues is going to take a while.

Ripp Grunt

Personality: Sagittarius, 1/8/1/7/8, Arts and Crafts Hobby

Aspiration: Romance

LTW: Woohoo 20 Different Sims

While Tank adapts to what Buzz expects, Ripp rebels all the harder. He’ll do anything in his power to avoid being like Buzz. He’s lacking softness in his life and behind the hard exterior of “psshhh whatever man” he puts up he really wants some gentleness and love without expectations. His friends are the closest thing he has to an oasis and probably the only people he lets see past his guarded defense and fear of emotional attachment. His hobby right now is his guitar, even though he can only play it when Buzz is at work or busy. He has vague dreams of getting out of Strangetown forever, maybe moving to a city. But that’s just a pipe dream really, and he’s not sure he could leave Johnny and Ophelia behind or convince them to leave.

Buck Grunt

Personality: Scorpio, 10/3/3/0/10, Science Hobby

Buck feels like he should be happy to be overlooked by Buzz’s stern eye but… it’s hard to feel like nobody in the house cares about you. Ripp tries, but he can’t always be there when Buck needs him. Ever since he followed Ripp to the Smith house one day he’s been finding his solace there with Jill and her perfect loving family that somehow have room in their hearts for as many strays as they find. Sometimes there are cookies, lots of cookies. Nobody else in his family seems to care about fashion or culture either, they embrace the retro aesthetic more than most people in town. Meanwhile Buck is happiest when he’s reading up on the latest trends out of Belladonna. He feels trapped, stifled even, by the limited view of life there is around here. Sand, military… that’s not all there is. When Buck sees the stars in Jill’s magazines he knows that for sure.