Meet the Truffletons

He tries to start with one sweet word and she waves him off. “Trite. Predictable. Don’t waste my time.”

Morghann Patterson

I feel like Liv would tear Merry apart though- Merry likes to be in control, but his bark is much worse than his bite… Liv is Fully Unafraid to use her claws and to ruin your life forever. “You have an image to maintain, and I have mine. Unfortunately for you, mine doesn’t hinge upon humoring your delusions.”

Morghann Patterson

I always love your family trees and am quite excited to see the whole thing all together! Finally having a face and a name (even if it is not necessarily his real one) for Tibbs' father is so... bittersweet, I guess? Like I always love seeing new characters (and ADORE two ton truff, hello) but the whole story of his and Lulu's relationship falling apart and Jean-Luc's spiraling, AND the way it recontextualizes Tibbs' own actions and responses to things (such as, for instance. Liv.) is so. interesting but desperately sad. I'm very happy for Tibbs and Perry in the present day though, and Snickerdoodle is absolutely adorable!

knickknacks

He's genetically predisposed to it, yes. But 2 Ton's heart issues were greatly exacerbated by a hyper-indulgent lifestyle of booze and smoking and rich fatty foods. He wasn't exactly leading the healthiest life, the dude was straight up entering butter eating contests at the county fair. Truff loved life, but he hated doctors, and also moderation, and so he died a premature death. Tibbs keeps fit and stays on top of his health, both for his sake and his family's.

Lopoddity

Since Truff died of heart issues caused by his massive size, and Tibbs inherited the "big pig" gene from him, does that mean Tibbs will develop heart issues later in life too?

MalloryMarz

Oooo! The plot thickens!!

owlcoholik

Jahsjsn pig jizz ack. Snickerdoodle was a failed surrogacy case, the birth mother signed on to carry a child for a couple who then backed out. So birth mom was looking for someone to adopt the now "homeless" unborn baby. Perry and Tibbs never planned on surrogacy, they just got lucky.

Lopoddity

That honestly sounds so stressful, like having a baby is already stress inducing but imagine one you could crush by accident…I have to ask, was the mom a squirrel? Because otherwise I can’t imagine them choosing a squirrel sperm donor…wait actually if they had a surrogate why didn’t they just use Tibb’s uhh pig jizz.

owlcoholik

All I'm thinking about is Liv eventually croaking and Tibbs of course is stoically supportive of Perry as he grieves (assuming he does openly grieve his mother) on the outside, but internally he's in margheritaville (This is totally not me projecting. Not one bit. Not at all..... Okay yeah I'm totally projecting onto Tibbs. My partner's mother is also an Awful person and certain parts of Perry's story and character arc mirrors their life and experiences so closely that it's honestly a little scary and I have a huge soft spot for Perry and Tibbs as a result)

Lammergayier

😭 😭 😭 god perry protecting his hogsband by becoming a scapegoat target for her ire,,,, my heart would absolutely break in tibbs shoes im so glad perry eventually manages to cut the furbag off for good

AsTheJayFlies

This has all been a ploy by Big Cat

Lopoddity

Oh make no mistake, Perry and Tibbs have had endlesssss talks (sometimes arguments) about the way Liv treats Tibbs. And the way she treats Perry. Liv doesn't make a secret of her contempt for Tibbs, though for the most part she's "kind" enough to express it as cold disregard and casual belittling. Since Perry is used to Liv insulting and berating him openly- and even during his youth being physically abusive-he considers her treatment of Tibbs to be rather restrained and polite (by Liv standards). Tibbs disagrees, obviously. Perry will stick up for him, but Tibbs doesn't get why Liv is even invited around in the first place, if all she does is bring misery to them both. Perry won't cut off this bitter old woman who does nothing but grate on Tibbs whenever she's around, and it pisses Tibbs off. Makes him feel that Perry is constantly choosing Liv- of all people! over him. They argue about this a lot in the beginning- with Perry always getting defensive and avoidant. Liv may be....well, not as nice as Lulu or Mona, but she's the only mom he's got. It's all well and good for Tibbs to be estranged from his own crappy parent, he's got two other moms to lean on. Perry's other parent is dead. Liv is all that's left....and Perry is so desperate to believe there's a nugget of loving mother buried somewhere within her, love that'llfinally be unlocked if he just does X or Y. He needs to believe it. Still, Perry ultimately tires of pretending Liv doesn't treat Tibbs shitty. His solution is for them to never be alone in a room together. Perry resolves to always place himself between them to "serve as mediator", to nip any conflict or hurt feelings in the bud. Problem solved! If Tibbs was pissed before, he's furious now. This is NOT a solution, and furthermore he resents the term "mediator", as it implies Tibbs and Liv are both feuding, as opposed to the truth- Liv heaping on abuse completely unwarranted. Tibbs is hurt and angry, and this is a rocky time for his and Perry's relationship. .....At least until they interact with Liv again, and as promised, Perry places himself between them. And Tibbs realizes what Perry is doing. He's not playing mediator- there's no mediating with Liv- he is distracting Liv's ire away from Tibbs and back towards himself. And it works- Perry has always been Liv's favorite chewtoy, she completely ignores Tibbs. Perry carries on through the cutting remarks and snippiness as though it were normal- because to him, it is. Perry doesn't even consciously realize what he's doing- he's simply that desperate to have both Liv and Tibbs in his life that he doesn't mind suffering for it. This is where Tibbs decides he's not angry at Perry...he's sad for him. He's angry at Liv. He hates Liv. Hates. He does start pushing Perry more firmly to distance himself from Liv- and Perry does, slowly but surely- but he also begrudgingly accepts Perry's wish to keep that miserable old witch in his life. Tibbs can put up with Liv snapping her fingers at him to fetch him a drink if it makes Perry happy. (It doesn't, but he sees how excited Perry always gets in the leadup to visiting Liv, and perhaps-like Perry- he starts hoping that somehow THIS time will be different). Over the years Perry pulls away from his mother more and more, but can never seem to pull the plug entirely. It's only when Snickerdoodle is born, and he imagines Liv screaming at her like she once did to him, digging her claws into his daughter's arm, the way she did with him- that he realizes he can't let the cycle continue. He can't let Snickerdoodle grow up thinking that's normal, grow up desperate to please people who hurt her and make her feel small. So Perry finally closes the door on his mother for good. There's no moment of catharsis, it feels AWFUL, and he cries a lot. But Tibbs is there for him. Tibbs doesn't want to hear Perry's blubbery wet apologies over having not done it sooner. He's only glad Perry was finally brave enough to do it.

Lopoddity

Maaaaybe~

Lopoddity

Snickerdoodle's markings look familiar, is Honey still her surrogate?

vulgarcute

Oogh, yeah. It's something I genuinely am grateful that The Husband and I have similar experiences/beliefs about. Neither of us are close with our families of origin and while neither of us have become fully estranged, it's very comforting to have someone who understands. Tbh for me especially - my parents are beloved community leaders and never abused me overtly, so it's hard to not feel like..."Maybe I'm just being dramatic about things" when people push for reconnecting with ~family~

Scyllarus

I'm just imagining Axel and Topher teaching Snickerdoodle how to be an anarchist now Snickerdoodle just running from her parents and climbing up a tree and yelling ANARCHY and jumping off giving her poor parents a heart attack lol

forthehonor-ofgayskull

You got it! Tibbs resents Jean-Luc because he reminds him of his turbulent past...and even worse, Jean-Luc serves as a spectre of what might’ve become Tibbs' future. It makes Tibbs anxious knowing how easily he could've turned out like his dad, and he redirects these feelings as anger. If Tibbs CHOSE to be better, why can't his father? Tibbs NEEDS to believe his life turned out differently because he made better choices than Jean-Luc, he can't bear the thought that all there is seperating them might just be dumb luck (and a good support system).

Lopoddity

Awww I'm just imagining Lulu meeting Liv and going "my child now" in reguards to Perry. It'd be cool to see Perry interacting with some of Lulus siblings but no pressure. Designing that many characters is a lot especially if they're only going to be in one scene. (I have made a ton characters for one scene and gotten attached to them. Terrible idea. Do not recommend.)

forthehonor-ofgayskull

Maybe, if I think of a story role for them. Lulu’s family like Perry. Pigs, being omnivores, don't care nearly as much about cultural norms as predators and prey do. Species doesn't matter to pigs, if you choose to join their herd, then you're kin forever. Perry makes Tibbs happy, he loves to eat, and he's not too prissy to enjoy a good mud wallowin'. He's a winner in the eyes of Lulu’s littermates

Lopoddity

Nah, I'm done designing pigs for now. A Lulu family tree would be MASSIVE, she has 13 siblings and like 30 half-siblings. Part 2 is Mona's family!

Lopoddity

The estrangement from a shitty parent thing is so real. Especially when you have people encouraging reconnecting with them, like Lulu and Perry do with Tibbs. Like their hearts are in the right place, I’m sure, but hearing the “just give him another chance!” Thing always drives me insane because it sows seeds of doubt. Did I make the right decision by cutting this person off? Do my loved ones actually support my choice? It’s stressful.

Shaylin A.

Has Tibbs approached Perry about this after he finally went no-contact with Liv to protect their daughter? Because yeah, it’s good that he’s done it NOW, but I’d be pretty upset if my partner kept making excuses for my mother-in-law calling me slurs.

FloweryFruitFangs

I wonder if Tibbs also resents his father because he reminds him of his own past with abusing substances and committing crimes? Unlike Jean-Luc, Tibbs eventually stopped this harmful behavior and became a “better person” for his family. Why couldn’t his own father do the same thing for young Lulu when she was pregnant with him? Why is he trying to enter his life again when he can’t even manage sobriety or a stable job?

FloweryFruitFangs

I'm assuming part 2 of the family tree is going to be Lulus siblings? But yeah I'd like to know what they think about Perry too.

forthehonor-ofgayskull

Do the rest of Lulu's family know about Perry? And if so, how do they react? Also, are we ever going to see any of Lulu's siblings?

Matthew Marden

I’ve heard that herbivores often to it to supplement parts of their diet (give them a protein boost, or calcium from bones, etc.) so I wonder if there’s a “we can just take manufactured supplements now, we’re not ~savages~” aspect of taboo around it. Tho I can imagine certain herbivores engaging in carnivory out of curiosity as a result of those instincts.

Rumpeltyltskyn

Thanks so much! ❤️ Jean-Luc's coat has gone grey from age, stress, and poor nutrition. In his youth he had soft warm brown fur and looked even more like Tibbs.

Lopoddity

All these pigs! Man your character designs are so good, everyone looks so distinct and memorable. I especially love comparing Lulu and 2TT's leathery/wrinkly faces with Jean-Luc and Tibb's scruffiness. Has Jean-Luc always been gray, or is that all from age and stress? Lulu has been through so much, too ;_; I really like the development of her as a character, because I feel like I don't often see such a thorough exploration of how being too forgiving/enabling can be damaging in its own right. She is a very patient pig to be still on good terms with Jean-Luc... but also girl. Please. Love yourself a little more! I'm glad she draws the line at Liv, haha.

Mastodon

This makes me honestly wonder about like...in actual nature, most things aren't herbivores in the sense that they're only eating plants. Most things we think of as herbivores will happily opportunistically eat meat - like, deer are so happy to eat baby birds that iirc there's an observational study that showed they were a significant cause of mortality for the birds in the area. Which...given the sociopolitical situation in Fuzzbutts, makes it kind of curious with herbivores. Do any of them deal with being from cultures where meat-eating isn't as big a deal? Or cravings for meat? Or whole movements towards "primalism" or something? Or like..."I would never...well, except that one time in college..."

Scyllarus

Jean-Luc knows about his granddaughter and would very much like to meet her, but is smart enough not to try, because his son would gore him. Perry is all for Doodle meeting her grandfather on a supervised visit, while Tibbs is firmly opposed to Snickerdoodle potentially bonding with a man who will only disappoint and hurt her in the end. Also, he feels his father, having abandoned him and Lulu, doesn't get to show up decades later trying to spoil the family Tibbs has worked so hard to build. Jean-Luc can't really argue with that, so for now he's content getting the occasional update or family photo from Lulu (Tibbs HATES that Lulu is on speaking terms with Jean-Luc so, so much). Lune won't be in the tree, as his storyline is being reworked a bit. Still figuring out where I'm gonna go with him and Victoria. "Theo" is in the tree, though he's undergone a lot of changes, in that I made him way more fun to draw and write. He's not a reindeer anymore, I letcha know that for free~

Lopoddity

i just KNOW Lulu is the most doting meemaw. does Jean-Luc know abt her? ever tried to get in touch w his grandaughter? absolute tragedy that Two-Ton never got to meet her. followup! will lune be in this tree? perhaps tied to theo somehow ?

Fae

Yup! They're about the same age and stay mischief buddies for their entire lives

Lopoddity

Are snickerdoodle and axel friends? 🐛

Buttermaster

I'm poetic in the heat of the moment! ;)

Must Love Frogs

Love the looks of adoration on Tibbs’ and especially Perry’s faces

TheTabbyBadger

Another Meadowsweet falls to the Cat Conspiracy 🤔

TheTabbyBadger

Considering my rent? I'd take that deal

Bigsmile

WAHHHH🥺🥺🥺🥺

Strix

Perry, tucking his hawaiian print shirt into his khaki shorts: You don't think I look dorky, do you? Tibbs: *experiencing depths of love previously only known to deep sea shrimp*

Lopoddity

I was inspired by your tree for Piggy Sue! Wish I had your skill for brief, concise descriptions of years of family history 😭

Lopoddity

Yup! Increased odds of accidentally getting sat on or stepped on by bigger critters tho

Lopoddity

This gets a fave from me bc I'm achin' for some bacon

Must Love Frogs

Oof, that Jean-Luc story is rough, but Snickerdoodle evens it out! Adorable lil chaos gremlin!! What are some of the unique difficulties in being a Lil critter? I bet rent and groceries are super cheap for them.

Bigsmile

on another note Tibbs and Perry and both their families are some of like. My favorite story lines you've developed so far. Other than Honey at least LOL. Im super excited to see more of what you've come up with

Strix

Are they gonna be friends in the retirement home 👀

Emily Lemur

That would be hilarious if it happened in real life. Imagine going around and ranking nasty people and fighting them like pokemon

QuietZen

im so obsessed with how dorky Perry is

Strix

What if Liv and Merry's respective toxicity levels are both so powerful that they end up canceling each other out. They have a big nasty blowup fight that tumbles into them smashing freaky old people style. Nastiness and horniness finally spent, they live out the rest of their days taking peaceful strolls on the beach and doing crosswords together and having calm, normal relationships with their children

Lopoddity

I’d rather Liv and Maple kiss tbh- Or maybe Liv and Savannah’s mom but it’s quiet and unrequited

Emily Lemur

At this rate Liv and Merry should just kiss already. They're horribly perfect for each other

Lammergayier

God, it must be so good for Lulu to get with Mona, someone who looks at her and goes ‘I want to take care of you. Let me give you this in return’. I truly do love Fuzzbutts, and it’s been wonderful watching you develop your character design and writing craft for years. I think I followed you originally when I was a baby in high school!

Morghann Patterson

Yes, to an extent. Lulu is terribly enabling and often outright refuses to see the negative in other people. She turned a blind eye to her father's philandering. She doggedly believed in Jean-Luc and Tibbs despite both of them fully insisting they didn't deserve it. She minimized Tibbs' struggles and has always viewed his prison time as undeserved, even though Tibbs was not only stealing/selling car parts but also dealing with local biker gangs, selling stolen guns, and maybe possibly also dabbling in smash-and-grab robbery. She has forgiven her own mother for being absent and unreliable. She empathizes with Perry for wanting to forgive and love his mother. To an extent. She gets it, but she's also met Liv, and feels that Liv does not deserve even an OUNCE of the Perry's forgiveness or love. Liv is cruel and vicious and doesn't even have the good grace to feel bad about it, and to Lulu, that is unforgiveable.

Lopoddity

Sometimes, in passing. Snickerdoodle is ultimately the reason Perry estranges from Liv. She can mistreat him if she wants, but he won't allow her to mistreat his daughter. Tibbs kinda wishes Perry had this energy back when Liv was calling him a slab of stupid swine, but ehhh better late than never he guesses

Lopoddity

Oooo Perry knows Toffee… the web of connections grows further

Morghann Patterson

Perry: I must CLAW >:3 Snickerdoodle: I must GNAW >:3 Tibbs, looking at their furniture repair bills: *deep sigh* Yes, Tibbs and Perry needed loooots of help raising a little squirrel. Nobody warned them that Snickerdoodle's incisor teeth grow forever unless she wears them down! They didn't know that her frantic urge to bury nuts would lead to her burrowing clear through their hardwood floors. Or that she'd try to hibernate in winter. Or that squirrels eat meat- like, Perry is a carnivore and Tibbs has no qualms about crushing a bacon sandwich, but there's something horrifying about watching their squirrel girl catching and devouring a live cockroach. Perry and Tibbs check out rodent parenting books by the stack from the library, and consider themselves quite lucky to have a kindly old kangaroo mouse neighbor they can turn to whenever Doodle is gnawing through the bars of her crib. Perry is also close friends with Toffee, which puts them in contact with Bob, who knows a thing or two about rodent quirks.

Lopoddity

I want to have the same chaotic bi energy as saint some day

forthehonor-ofgayskull

And since Perry and Tibbs are wildly different species wise from her, do they reach out to any Rodentia families to make sure she has contact with people like her (and also to manage some specific habits because those teeth grow forever I KNOW she starts attacking furniture)

Morghann Patterson

Oh god, another question, if Perry is still in contact with Liv, does she ever see Snickerdoodle?

Morghann Patterson

Nice!! I can see a tatted up sphinx cat, a naked mole rat, and a walrus all rocking some ink. Also in regards to Lulu and Jean Luc and Perry- do you think Lulu sees the way that Perry defends his own mother (after she takes Liv out with the trash) and see some of herself in him?

Morghann Patterson

they're currently kissing with tongue in heaven

Lopoddity

Yup. That's where the Truffleton family got their surname~

Lopoddity

Tattoos are most prevalent with species that have exposed skin. Pigs love their ink!

Lopoddity

Nah, Cupcake's parents are tiny enough to fit in her hands. Snickerdoodle is currently kid-sized, maybe just a hair shorter than Axel. She's not gonna get much bigger than that though. Even as an adult squirrel, Perry will still be able to pick her up without much effort. Newborn Doodle was TEENY though. And bald. Perry and Tibbs had to feed her with an eyedropper!

Lopoddity

This is a bit of a weird question but are there truffle hunting hogs?

MEllegoo

Lulu’s close with all her siblings! But they're all dealing with poverty themselves, and in many cases they too had children to take care of. She couldn't turn to them for money, but they could certainly be counted on to donate clothes or help Lulu clean and cook. Tibbs was teased a lot growing up by his many aunts and uncles and cousins, they of course meant it in a friendly way but Tibbs was a quiet, sensitive kid, so being called a "twig pig" (making fun of him for being scrawny) and the like made him withdrawn and self-conscious. He's closer to them as an adult, when he can dish the friendly jabs back.

Lopoddity

Also completely unrelated but seeing Lulu reminded me that tattoos are fully a thing in this world and that tattooing on bare skin is a thing- especially with pig skin being used as a real world tattoo tester- which animals do you think would have tattooing as the biggest thing, culture wise?

Morghann Patterson

“Hah, wow son you got big, just like your grandpa, huh?” “I’m going to keep running at you until you are dead.” Frankly with the dog fighting angle you had a minute ago, I’d be surprised if there weren’t famous pig/boar fighters with the nature of boar spears needing to have full on guards so the boars don’t work their way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter themselves.

Morghann Patterson

Feel like Two-Ton and Saint would have gotten along like a house on FIRE had they ever met. Which is why the universe could not allow it, they'd have been too powerful.

Jewell H

basically tho

Lopoddity

Thank you so much!! :D

Lopoddity

https://www.patreon.com/posts/91744010?utm_campaign=postshare_fan Grand theft auto

AsTheJayFlies

Oh my god how tiny is Snickerdoodle, is she as teeny as Cupcake’s parents? Cuz she would be like a tiny red molecule compared to Tibbs if so

owlcoholik

Matthew Marden

Man I feel so bad for Lulu in all of this. I tend to be the type to believe the best of people and want to help them in anyway I can so I get where she's coming from and the guilt that comes with that when you realize you can't help someone. Do the rest of Lulus siblings know about Tibbs and try to help her out or does Lulu not really know her siblings that well?

forthehonor-ofgayskull

I’m seeing so clearly Jean Luc trying to come in after Truff’s death and be a helping hand, especially once Tibb starts going through his rut, and uh- touches a nerve and nearly gets gored

Morghann Patterson

No worries, Liv isn't dead. :3 Though she and Perry don't talk much nowadays...

Lopoddity

Jean Luc’s story is so realistic it hurts. I’m always so gobsmacked by how well you write your characters!

RagingRiptide

And we have another lost soul to add to the Badass Dad with a Shadow Casting Ballcap Brigade </3

Corinne Stephenson

Uff this was tough to read, I have relatives with addiction problems and that are homeless, the thing is is very realistic and sad for me. One of my uncle was a "free wild spirit" enfasis in wild, he always have a problem with... Respecting people? Like in a way of boundaries and house rules. He was a violent drunk, have many wife's with children, no one of these ladies ask him for money cuz they hate him and he had such good luck with well paid jobs that each one of his families have a house to their name, plus he was always in the streets. We tried, all the family tried so HARD to help him, but... He just didn't want help, his alcohol addition finally kill him, he died alone in a tiny rustic house, like an abandoned dog. I did have sweet memories with him as a little girl but most of my adult ones, he was always so weak, sick and dirty, we even have him in our house with his medical treatment but again he just didn't like it and just left, we didn't realize, we thought he was just having a light walk, he never came back. My dad even if he didn't want to admit it was very hurt, he was his big brother, he tried to be patient, but is just so much a person can stand. Nothing of that was his fault, you can't help the one that doesn't want help. I'm glad that at least this family have each other, and I'm the type that depends of the person, if just IF they want the other person in their life, and nobody has the right to force it. You aren't selfish or mean, it's your boundaries, you are entitled to your feelings.

MiyaTheGoldenFlower

I love the vines around tibbs and perrys relationship line with snickerdoodle! i get the impression its meant to indicate her adoption, a relationship that they *chose* to grow and nourish,,,, also. man. jean-luc,,,, poor guy. still kinda a bastard. i hope for his sake that he recovers and manages to stay sober :(

AsTheJayFlies

The squeal I let out when I got this notification! Jean Luc hit a soft for me. I love me a sad, troubled man in these stories. I noticed Liv is notably absent at the mention of Snickerdoodle… and that has me a lil worried! Lulu was already a favorite- bet her step son was thrilled to be an uncle, too!

Emily Lemur

I imagine a young Saint running into Truff and thinking “him. I want to be him.” And I heard about the red and white flying squirrels and they are so GORGEOUS. Red and white flying squirrels and the Indian giant squirrels are my favorites! Its so cool how squirrels can go from normal coat colors like reds and browns then into Blue and purples 😭

Tibbles Yorkie789

I would kill for both Two Ton Truff and Snickerdoodle. I am also depressed that they never would've been able to meet. I absolutely adore your family trees though AH THEYRE SO GOOD

CJ Strahd

Maaaan ol’ truff looks SO BADASS

three thousand spiders wearing a trenchcoat

AAAAHHHH I LOVE THEM ALL!!!! So cute too see Snickers!

pookaWOODS