Grunt Family

 

Back to Strangetown for a visit to the Grunt Family. There's General Buzz in the background teaching his son Tank a body skill while his younger sons Ripp and Buck play some rock, paper, scissors. 

The Grunt's live at 51 Road to Nowhere. Their house is quite an odd shape, long and thin with a ridiculous tower taking up 4 floors in the back yard.

It's all very utilitarian and basic.

The layout upstairs and down are a total routing nightmare owing to the very narrow stretches of corridor and overuse of walls, in my humble opinion (and from playing this house, many times previously!).

I decided to makeover the house. The Grunt's had 7,224 in the bank when I started. I took down the 4 story garden structure (moving the telescope to the ground) and ended up with an extra 6,220 just from taking that down. Once I'd remodelled inside the house the funds ended up right back at 7,227, almost exactly as they were when I started.

This is the downstairs. I removed walls between the kitchen/dining room and the lounge/downstairs bedroom. I also took out the back door (as we look at the house- now the bathroom) and made the front porch a triple width and 2 deep.

Upstairs I took out the walls around the staircase and 2 bathrooms, adding one in General Buzz's room and one where a single bedroom used to be, I figured the teens Tank and Ripp could share a room.

Outside I just removed quite a lot of the rose bushes and added the larger porch area.

Everyone comes indoors to sit and catch the cooking channel as it's a Sunday when we join the house.

The day passes quickly and the brothers and their dad enjoy a simple meal of sandwiches for supper.

On Monday after school while Tank and Ripp were working their teen jobs Buck met Robert Kim and invited him inside. He got to know General Buzz and Buck quite well over a bowl of soup.

Ripp earns himself a promotion and top of career that day while Tank gets a promotion and can walk straight back to work.

He came home that day as top of the military teen career which made his old dad proud.

Incidently General Buzz wishes to be a Media Magnate. Tank wants to be a General like his dad. Romance Sim Ripp wants to be a Rock God. All career related wishes.

Here is the house at night time.

After their promotions and a good day's wage for the General a chess table and easel are bought and added to different sides of the lounge.

On Tuesday the General once again rides to work in his helicopter.

Tank is the first to get an A+.

Followed by Buck, although close up that report card seems to have a lot of E's or F's. :D

Ripp is a good brother and gets Buck's mood up with a game of red hands.

He then helps his brother with his homework.

When everyone is home General Buzz says he's taking them out....

They go to the local pet store where Buck is gifted a dog. He may not yet have a lifetime wish but his bio says he wishes to be a pet stylist to the stars and what better way to start than by getting his own pet. He chose a German Shephard, who he called 'Shep'. His family all enjoyed making new acquaintances too.

Back at home an outdoor pen and kennel had been erected for Shep.

Ripp didn't have a good enough relationship with his Dad or older brother and so sat for a long time working out his own homework.

The next morning Shep got a real telling off for using the inside as a toilet instead of the outside.

Ripp came home on with an A+, he's now an overachiever.

To celebrate he let Shep in and they sat watching the tv together.

Buck brought a friend home from school where they sat, chatted and skilled until his guest had to go home for her dinner.

General Buzz brought Jessica Picasso home and befriended her, he'd already met and made friends with her husband Matthew yesterday.

ooh, what are these 3 cheering about?

ah yes, it's Buck's big birthday. He rolled Pleasure and wishes to have 50 first dates.

Buck definitely grew up a bit chubby but his Dad soon got him working on the assault course and Buck got really fit, really fast. 

The General is the only one who can get Shep to stay in the bath the whole time!

This dog is obsessed with watching tv. :D

When he's not he can be found playing with some of the local strays.

The Singles came over one day after work/school.

Buck brought his friend Elizabeth Ng home and asked her on a date, which he was rejected for.

General Buzz and his friend Simon King came home to find two of the Singles girls (Chloe and Erin) fighting!

Thankfully a distraction was in hand...

Yes it's Tank's birthday into Adulthood! He is promoted to Elite Forces in the Military.

He had a small cry about not going to college but got over it and enjoyed the rest of the party with his family and neighbours.

The next morning (Thursday) saw Buck and Ripp become best friends.

A poor decision at work saw General Buzz demoted to Astronaut. He also lost 2 mechanical and 2 charisma skills, that was a very poor decision!

Tank brought Jessica Picasso home from work while Gen Buzz bought a fellow Astronaut home.

Ripp has been desperate for a first kiss and asks his friend Kendal on a date which she happily accepts.

Ripp was so keen he went straight in for a kiss....

But oh no! Kendal turned away from him, the love hearts dropped to the floor and he was rejected!

poor Ripp.

General Buzz and Buck are best friends too.

On Friday Tank asked Lola Singles on a date and she accepted his invitation to the 50's diner.

They had a great time, playing, dancing and enjoying a nice dinner.

which ended in a kiss and a dream date.

General Buzz is still working on getting his skills back but managed to make his 5th best friend this week.

As Buck headed for a shift in Law Enforcement Ripp reads the love letter Kendal sent him, perhaps all hope is not yet lost with her.

At 1am as Buck is seen arriving home Ripp is seen sneaking out with his good pal Johnny Smith.

Ripp managed to party the night away unscathed and uncaught and on Saturday  morning decided to head to college.

Here he is where we will find out soon how he got on during his Freshman Year.

As Tank was at work General Buzz and Buck went down to the Park.

They spent the whole day chatting with the locals and playing games.

Back at home Buck decided that the Pleasure aspiration was not for him and chose another...

He's now a Family Sim with another career related LTW- Education Minister!

On Sunday Tank brought Simon King home and got his own promotion to Drill Instructor.

His Dad came out and made best friends with Simon.

As Sunday drew to a close the General sat and did his crossword and reflected on what a good week this had been for him and his boys even if technically he was no longer a General!

Summary- I decided I'd rather let the General be friends with his sons and his wishes certainly steered in that direction.

Tank showed no interest in college whatsoever. He is very into Lola Singles... I wonder if they will get together?

Ripp rolled college wishes on and off and as he was just a day or two from his adult birthday the wish rolled around again and I took it.

Ripp's failed first kiss is something I've never seen... it was so funny when those hearts literally changed colour and dropped to the floor. :D

Buck's first wish was for a first kiss and he showed no interest in the Pleasure aspiration so I decided to change it. He seems happier now and wants to fall in love. 

Shep actually had a job in Security, he got fired his first night after a chance card decision backfired.

He got the job back and is being slowly trained by his Master Buck and is now a Guard Pet.