Finally fully finished my Strangetown (Strangeburough?) part of my medieval premades save! I've sort of made Strangetown a barren mountain village, Pleasantview the main walled citadel, and Veronaville the rural outskirts.
From July 20st to July 26st, we will have the Tycutio Week 2026! Use the tag #tycutioweek2026 to participate!
What is this event?
It's a week to celebrate tycutio with art, fanfics, crafts, even the sims screenshots… Anything goes, as long you don't use generative AI.
There are three prompts for each day of the week, you can choose one or mix them! They are here to inspire you and see what people can come up with.
If you want to participate, you don't have to do anything besides post your work at the right day - although it's okay if you are late. Use the tag #tycutioweek for easy finding! You don't need to do every single day to participate.
Unlike events like mermay, inktober, etc., we suggest to make your works ahead of time and have it ready for the week.
I hope you participate! Any questions send me an ask!
So I've been starting to play around with the medieval challenge (but with the sims 2 premades) and I really really like my Medieval Smith family.
Sixam is still just as technologically advanced as it is in the games, so when PT9 crash landed on Earth he had to go from "member of intergalactic space empire" to "we don't even have indoor plumbing". Jenny found him after the crash. She's one of the village healers, and also realized there's zero chance this guy wouldn't just keel over and starve on his own. So she brought him home.
Most of the townsfolk assume he's one of the feyfolk (fairies), which makes them very wary around him. But they've got a treaty with the fairy queen so mostly leave him alone.
Titania and Oberon find the whole thing hilarious and don't contest the issue.
In Sixam culture, every child knew the life they were destined to lead from the moment of birth. They were each grown and trained for that specific purpose, be it manual labour, research, pollination, or—for the rare few women in each batch of genetically modified offspring—government and leadership. Pollination Technician 9 was no exception. He'd had the designation from birth, because he'd always known it was what he was meant for. The purpose he'd been bred and engineered for.
He had an enhanced calculated lifespan, because he was destined to work off-planet, and such units were harder to replace upon growing too old and frail to function. His copper-based blood was ideal to sustain a tall stature in the oftentimes cold and oxygen-poor environments of Sixam spaceships. His immune system was boosted, to endure potential contamination from abducted subjects. His eyes were highly light-sensitive, his hands were long and dexterous, his ability to memorise and categorise patterns was excellent…
He had been perfectly designed for the task he'd been assigned.
His one flaw was his empathy.
The one defect that left him lacking compared to his pollinator colleagues.
Pollination Technician 9 had never mastered the art of detaching his emotions. He'd tried, and trained, and hid. Because to be defective was to be obsolete, and to be obsolete was to be culled. But it was never enough. It was why he'd eventually deserted, so long ago. Because he could never quite learn to view those they abducted as simple incubators. He could never quite make himself comfortable with the knowledge that his actions were harming them, even if only really psychologically.
He’d never wanted to hurt a person.
He'd never been able to see a human as subhuman.
Until now.
General Buzz Grunt was subhuman.
Pollination Technician 9 wanted to hurt him.
Paul Smith wanted to kill him.
My storyline for how the Smith family eventually escapes Division 47: After Johnny escapes his parents and uncles start looking for him, and figure that maybe he was taken to the same place Tycho ended up when he vanished without a trace: The secret sub-level. They break in and don't find Johnny, but they do find the dissected corpse of Transit Admin 7, and come to the (thankfully wrong) conclusion that the military presumably killed Johnny as well.
Queue PT9 proving he very much has the same alien powers as the aliens from later games; simply refusing to use them out of fear of "making himself look like a threat". So he promptly starts calling down meteors and microwaving people's brains to hunt down Buzz while his family escapes.
Johnny sees the commotion all the way from Deadtree, he and Ophelia rush to the scene to save the Smiths (and Ripp).
Johnny manages to stop the rampage before anyone outright dies, and has a very emotional reunion with his relieved parents and sister.
Finally finished building and populating Sims 4 Pleasantview (Willow Creek), Strangetown (Oasis Springs + Strangerville), and Veronaville (Newcrest)! Now I've just gotta try to set up the relationships + skills and jobs to be at least semi-accurate and start populating graveyards...
Currently 119 Sims in total! (Because I don't like the Maxis recreations so made my own):
Pleasantview (Willow Creek):
Goth: Mortimer Goth, Cassandra Goth, Alexander Goth
Pleasant: Daniel Pleasant, Mary-Sue Pleasant, Angela Pleasant, Lilith Pleasant
Broke: Brandi Broke, Dustin Broke, Beau Broke
Lothario: Don Lothario
Caliente: Nina Caliente, Dina Caliente
Dreamer: Darren Dreamer, Dirk Dreamer
Strangetown (Oasis Springs):
Emory: Emily Emory (Waiting for a potential PC to move in)
Newlow: Dominic Newlow
Rossum: Isaac Rossum, Roberta Rossum
Dente: Hazel Dente, Roland Calonzo
Kine: Sinjin Balani, Bull Dratch, Yeva Comonova, Marie Au Lait, Kristina Love, Rick Wong, Sara Starr
Florica: Pita Florica, Gimi Branko
Fusilli: Frankie Fusilli, Ara Fusilli
Strangetown (Strangerville):
Grunt: General Buzz Grunt, Tank Grunt, Ripp Grunt, Buck Grunt
Beaker: Circe Beaker, Loki Beaker, Nervous Subject
Smith: PT9 Smith, Jenny Smith, Johnny Smith, Jill Smith
Curious: Pascal Curious, Vidcund Curious, Lazlo Curious
Specter: Olive Specter, Ophelia Nigmos
Hogg: Dusty Hogg, Helen "Mama" Hogg
Bin (Not in world):
Bella Goth, Antonio Monty, Benedick Monty, Beatrice Monty, Bianca Monty, Cornwall Capp, Regan Capp, Kent Capp, Albany Capp, Goneril Capp, Miranda Capp, Hal Capp, Desdemona Capp, Ariel Capp, Ajay Loner, Chloe Curious, Lola Curious, Erin Beaker, Kristen Loste, Crystal Vu, Herb Oldie, Coral Oldie, John Burb, Jennifer Burb, Lucy Burb, Misty Waters, Daddy Bigbucks, Luther L. Bigbucks, Giuseppi Mezzoalto, Tristan Legend, Sancho Panza, Penelope Redd, Optimum Alfred, Horus Menhoset IX, Lord Mole, Kent Hackett, Kayleigh Wintercrest, Jimmy "The" Neck, Jebidiah S. Jerky, Honest Jackson, Bigfoot, Yeti, Auda Sherif, Emperor Xizzle, Burple, Ada Cadavra, Dude in Black #1, Dude in Black #2, Annie Howell, Hoot Howell, Deputy Duncan, Oscal Del Fuego, Lincoln Broadsheet, Virginya Feng, Mambo Loa
So I'm continuing my playthrough of the PSP game, and it's really interesting how on the surface everything is relatively goofy, but the second you start thinking about the implications, everything gets so dark so fast. Obviously, there's the whole Circe/Newlow (non-consensual) relationship, Nervous Subject's death (murder) and cover-up, and the whole "horror of becoming self aware". But one thing I just found that I've never seen anyone mention is this:
Division 47 has a MORGUE. Complete with body lockers for a total of fifteen people, and what looks like a surgery/autopsy table.
And it's right outside the door of the kidnapped alien baby's room.
Furthermore, PT9 was supposed to get a photo album delivered from his homeworld (Sixam) by a friend of his, only for said friend to get shot down over the military base and taken away never to be seen again. PT9's photos get taken and secretly put into storage, he's actively being lied to about it by General Buzz, and said alien friend is never seen again. My best bet? He's in one of the lockers.
Actually, it's not just Tycho who's imprisoned. The whole Smith family was convinced to move to the base and now aren't allowed to leave. You actively have to forge an ID and tamper with the base's security system just to let Johnny escape, despite him being a grown adult who should be allowed to leave whenever he wants. Ripp hints that not even he and Tank are allowed to come and go, and Jenny is afraid her husband will get "in trouble" just for being outside (within base parameters) at night. Lazlo also hint's that he can't really leave either.
And yes, Johnny mostly blames his dad for insisting they stay. But him saying that "no one" will let him leave, to me, implies there are several people stopping him. Maybe PT9 is just as worried that Johnny will get "in trouble" as Jenny is that PT9 will. Maybe the parents are basically trying to keep up morale and convince the kids it's not so bad, because they're worried about what will happen if they rebel. (I mean, Tank does point out that they have guns). Jill seems "surprisingly" fine with living in the barracks, but maybe it's because she's the youngest kid, and therefore more primed to just accept that "mom and dad know best".
Johnny suspects they're being experimented on, and I'm inclined to think he's right.
Considering that all three of Jenny's brothers are also employed at the base despite the fact that General Buzz can't stand them, and that they're also not really allowed to leave, my theory is that the military wanted the whole family in one isolated place so that if they happen to "disappear" just like that other alien, there'll be no family left to ask questions.
I mean, the lab is where we "keep" the "Curious Group"? Makes them sound a lot like lab specimen.
My conclusion here is going to be that General Buzz was fully prepared to have the whole Curious/Smith family killed so the military scientists could study them. PT9 is a full-blood alien. Johnny, Jill, and Tycho are all half-aliens. Pascal and Jenny both successfully carried alien pregnancies. All those seem like cases where science might be very interested in the anatomy. Vidcund and Lazlo are casualties, I guess.
And that might also explain why Ophelia is single without explanation or even a single mention of her and Johnny having dated. His whole family up and vanished without explanation, and she assumes he left her.
I'm just saying. These are a lot of body lockers for one small base. And the game already has plenty of confirmed/implied murders with Hazel's former husbands and the whole Nervous situation.
Johnny has always lived under the hard thumb of his father, General P.T. In this domesticated boot camp, can Johnny prove his worth to this demanding Dad?
Pollination Technician #9 enlisted into the army in exchange for amnesty. The military was prepared to spend generously to acquire intelligence from any alien willing to betray its own kind… Johnny wants to save the world and is certain being part-alien must give him some kind of extraordinary ability, but he’s still trying to figure out his superpower.
Jenny knew her husband was back from work by the shaking of the window shutters and the rumbling of the floor. Honestly, the stupid macho of the local military. Didn't the base have anything better to blow their taxpayer money on than dispatching a helicopter for the 10 minute flight to bring the general home? They owned a car.
Jenny sighed and shut the book she was reading in their comfortable living room, and glanced over towards the kitchen. She knew there were dishes to be done, but she was not a housewife. That hadn't been part of the agreement. She had her own job, and it was his turn to do the chores. Still, she stood up and went outside to greet him, immediately having to cover her ears from the incessant noise of the helicopter’s rotors as her husband stepped off onto the sidewalk. Green skin and greener uniform. It was the dress uniform today, decorated with medals he never seemed proud of.
“Watcher, I hate that helicopter.” Jenny grumbled as it took to the skies and disappeared. “Look at what the downdraft did to your roses!”
“It is fine.” Her husband answered blankly as he passed her to walk towards the house. His voice was always so dull and emotionless when he was coming off of work. He sounded like a dead man talking, and Jenny hated it. Without thinking she shot forward and grabbed his wrist, refusing to let him escape. Not this time.
“No it's not! You spent hours on those! You love this garden!” Jenny hissed. She wanted to yell, but the kids were in the house, and she didn't want them to hear them argue. He turned to face her, with those big black eyes that seemed to intimidate everyone but her. They were difficult to read to most people. Deep and dark, and lacking normal human expressiveness. But Jenny could read them.
At least she used to. But these days, she often found them as emotionless as they seemed to everyone else.
This was one of those times, and something about that fact made Jenny drop his hand instinctively, averting her eyes and speaking quietly.
“At least you used to do, before the military started taking up all your time.”
“The military is how I provide for this family.”
“You don't need to. My nursing job is enough to pay the bills, you're old enough to take a hefty retirement, we both know you don't want to spend all your time working.”
He didn't. Jenny knew that. At least she thought she did, because that was the man she had fallen in love with. The man she had married. The man who wanted to live a quiet life, look after their house, and raise children with her.
The thought of their children only made her heart sink further. Johnny was almost a man, and Jill was nearing her teens. She'd always imagined they would grow up with a parent always at home when they returned from school, always there to ask about their day, help them with schoolwork, and give them advice. To greet her with a smile and a kiss as she returned from the hospital.
Her husband had been that parent at first. That husband. He'd been so warm and open to her, always eager to discover things about this brave new world, always asking her to lead him by the hand and explain the things he didn't understand. But now that vulnerability was gone.
“What happened to being a stay-at-home dad, like you said you always wanted?” Jenny whispered mournfully. “Nowadays, it seems like the only time you spend with the kids is training.”
“Johnny does not mind the physical activity, and Jill enjoys learning Sixam and Sim strategics.” He answered quietly. He had no pupils, his eyes were all black, but still Jenny could tell he wasn’t meeting her gaze. “It is a game to them. Fun. Our children are happy.”
“Are you?”
“Irrelevant.”
“No it's not.” Her voice was strained, despite her best effort. Almost pleading. Silently begging that he would at least look at her. “I don't understand. You spent all that time oppressed by hierarchy and shady orders on some faraway planet, only to escape, and go right back to it on Earth. You're not a military man, you never were. So why are you letting it consume your life?”
“Because I have to.”
“No you don't! Paul!” The use of his human name, the one she had given him—lovingly and intimately—so long ago made him flinch. Or maybe it was her raised voice, as any thought as to not be overheard went out the window. Maybe it was many things. “You used to talk for hours about- about flowers! And children! And cooking for the community! Was none of that real? Was the person I thought I married even real!?”
“Jenny!” He shouted back, short and frantic, like it was a gasp of pain. He stepped forward and put both hands on her shoulders, facing her properly, almost leaning on her for strength. And this time, there was emotion in his eyes. Hurt and anguish.
Fear.
She didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. She just stared at him bereft, as he breathed hard and lowered his head, hands trembling on her shoulders.
“… Do you know why I agreed when the military came and asked me to work with them?” He finally asked, and it sounded choked.
“Because you wanted to make a living for our family.” Jenny answered dumbly. It was what he'd told her, and it was what he'd done. Provide for them. A big house, a good car, a full playground in the back, that had gradually been converted into an obstacle course as the goofy and awkward man she loved turned into stone.
“Because I wanted our family to live.” He answered, righting himself and pulling that stupid military cap off his head, revealing hair that had grayed far too soon. He ran a hand through it in agitation. It was short. Shorter than she liked. Shorter than he liked. He'd had such pretty hair. “Do you really think that they would not have forced me if I tried to decline? That I would not be forced to help them regardless, only without the option to go home to you each night?”
Jenny's anger died down like a flame. She could never stay mad at him, even now. Not when she loved him, and knew he loved her too, despite all the obstacles that had gotten in the way over the years. Without the anger, she was left feeling lost. Looking at him with hurt and sadness.
“But why give them so much of you? Why do you even care to do more than the bare minimum? You're practically obsessed with this job, even trying to raise Johnny and Jill to follow you into it. If you didn't have a choice, why wouldn't you want our children to choose something else?”
“Because ‘General’, in my case, does not mean presiding over pointless human wars. It means making preparations to defend Earth from an enemy only I know, because I am one. If my people choose to attack, what do you think they will do to us? To the traitorous deserter, his fifth column wife, and their aberrant half-breed children? I need to do this, so we will not ever have to find out. I do not care how much I must lose myself to it, just so long as I must never lose one of you.”
Jenny swallowed hard, seeing the quiet fear that had etched every wrinkle on her husband's once gentle face. He pulled her close, into arms that were so much more muscular than they were supposed to be. Arms that were made for hugging, and carrying their children on his shoulders. Not for holding weapons and training human soldiers to fight people like him.
“I'm sorry.” He whispered through clenched teeth and let go. “I'll ask the pilot to land further up the street next time.”
Jenny watched him head towards the house, and knew he was apologising for so much more than some silly flowers.
She loved him. She loved him so much that it hurt. But sometimes, these days, she hated him too. She loved him, because she knew that deep down he was still the same man she had married so long ago, even if he'd built walls and imprisoned himself for their sake. She loved him, because he was a good man. A man who cared so deeply for their family and their planet that he was willing to sacrifice himself for it. But she also hated him for that very same sacrifice.
She loved him, because he was the man she loved.
She hated him, because he was killing the man she loved.
———————
I discovered this AU/neighborhood out of nowhere and it triggered my usual overthinking to the point where I started writing dialogue, because I love angst and refuse to let PT9 be a bad person (he is definitely a flawed one though). So have this very impromptu and not in any way beta-read fic. Self-sacrifice my beloved 💜
Guess who's taken on a way too big project of trying to rebuild the three Sims 2 starter worlds in Sims 4. Still! All done with Strangetown (Oasis Springs/Strangerville)!
[📗] Early St. (1/?): Nervous arriving at the Beakers' house to work as an experimental subject.
I go into more detail about this Hc in this post.
The Nervous on his back (?) is Hidden Nervous and the pinkface Nervous is the playable Nervous
SOOO, I was in a dilemma about finishing all the drawings I have of Early Strangetown and uploading them in the same post, but I decided that it would be better to do it separately.
i had been putting this drawing off since December 2023, but recently i decided to go back to it and here it is!1!1!
So I've officially passed the part of the PSP game where you find out about Circe and Dr Newlow, and man. I think it's a very interesting storyline with the whole subtext about free will and sentience, but also, I want to put Newlow in a pool and delete the ladder.
Also, the fact that you can only tell Loki half the truth (maybe because your character doesn't really know what's going on yet?) so despite Circe definitely not being a willing participant in her "affair", you still have to basically ruin her and Loki's relationship over it.
Anyways! Circe and Loki are evil bastards, but I want them to be evil bastards together! So I wrote a one-shot about them discovering the whole truth and reconciling, because I'm my own Watcher and I make my own lore 💜
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
It's pretty heavy hurt/comfort, with a heavy discussion about the whole consent thing. But I also managed to squeeze in some fluff; like cuddling while planning a murder! How heartwarming!