#spice of life legacy challenge

[thepanplumbob]

Dean is in the Secret Agent career, but because he has no money and no furniture he had to travel to the island in Brindleton Bay to use a computer. Apparently this is what the S.I.M.S. Intelligence Database looks like.

[windslar]

[frabbits]

as soon as peach returned from mt. komorebi, salem surprised her with a date and a gift :)

[unholywhxms]

Hazel has been reaching milestones every single day! She has gotten more & more grown up as time goes on. Here's a photo Kiyoshi took of her learning how to sit up. Adorable!

[druidberries]

some time passed and not only did moss age up, but petal got a new look! and also realized she has feelings for bernardo...

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petal honey that's not how we hold a cat

[plumskiii]

so.... that happened.

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[simsbyjo]

Karter is looking forward building their family - but Diana has hesitations, deep inside she wanted kids - but she doesn't want her future kids inheriting her vampire traits.

[gaeulssims]

I guess we are getting a lil’ nooboo!! Sims spice below👀

Not them toes swinging tho😭

[laneyssimss]

oops, this is called self sabotaging

[miffyslayer]

we do petty things, then mess up the sheets <3

[thewriteadviceforwriters]

🍖 How to Build a Culture Without Just Inventing Spices and Necklaces

(a worldbuilding roast. with love.)

So. You’re building a fantasy world, and you’ve just invented: → Three types of ceremonial jewelry → A spice that tastes like cinnamon if it were bitter and cursed → A holiday where everyone wears gold and screams at dawn

Cute. But that’s not culture. That’s aesthetics.

And if your worldbuilding is all outfits, dances, and spice blends with vaguely mystical names, your story’s probably going to feel like a cosplay convention held inside a Pinterest board.

Here’s how to fix that—aka: how to build a real, functioning culture that shapes your story, not just its vibes.

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🔗 Culture Is Built on Power, Not Just Style

Ask yourself: → Who’s in charge, and why? → Who has land? Who doesn’t? → What’s considered taboo, sacred, or punishable by death?

Culture is shaped by who gets to make the rules and who gets crushed by them. That’s where things like religion, family structure, class divisions, gender roles, and social expectations actually come from.

Start there. Not at the embroidery.

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2.🪓 Culture Comes From Conflict

Did this society evolve peacefully? Was it colonized? Did it colonize? Was it rebuilt after a war? Is it still in one?

→ What was destroyed and mythologized? → What do the survivors still whisper about? → What do children get taught in school that’s… suspiciously sanitized?

No culture is neutral. Every tradition has a history, and that history should taste like blood, loss, or propaganda.

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3.🧠 Belief Systems > Customs Lists

Sure, rituals and holidays are cool. But what do people believe about: → Death? → Love? → Time? → The natural world? → Justice?

Example: A society that believes time is cyclical vs. one that sees time as linear will approach everything—from prison sentences to grief—completely differently.

You don’t need to invent 80 gods. You need to know what those gods mean to the people who pray to them.

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4.🫀 Culture Controls Behavior (Quietly)

Culture shows up in: → What people apologize for → What insults cut deepest → What people are embarrassed about → What’s praised publicly vs. what’s hidden privately

For instance: → A culture obsessed with stoicism won’t say “I love you.” They’ll say “Have you eaten?” → A culture built on legacy might prioritize ancestor veneration, archival writing, name inheritance.

This stuff? Way more immersive than giving everyone matching earrings.

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5. 🏠 Culture = Daily Life, Not Just Festivals

Sure, your MC might attend a funeral where people paint their faces blue. But what about: → Breakfast routines? → How people greet each other on the street? → Who cooks, and who eats first? → What’s considered “clean” or “proper”? → How is parenting handled? Divorce?

Culture is what happens between plot points. It should shape your character’s assumptions, language, fears, and habits—whether or not a festival is going on.

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6. 💬 Let Your Characters Disagree With Their Own Culture

A culture isn’t a monolith.

Even in deeply traditional societies, people: → Rebel → Question → Break rules → Misinterpret laws → Mock sacred things → Act hypocritically → Weaponize or resist what’s expected

Let your characters wrestle with the culture around them. That’s where realism (and tension) lives.

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7.🧼 Beware the “Pretty = Good” Trap

Worldbuilding gets boring fast when: → The protagonist’s homeland is beautiful and pure → The enemy’s culture is dark and “barbaric” → Every detail just reinforces who the reader should like

You can—and should—challenge the aesthetic hierarchy. → Let ugly things be beloved. → Let beautiful things be corrupt. → Let your MC romanticize their culture and then get disillusioned by it later.

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📍 TL;DR (but like, spicy): → Culture is not food and jewelry. → Culture is power, fear, memory, contradiction. → Stop inventing spices until you know who starved last winter. → Let your world feel lived in, not curated.

The best cultural worldbuilding doesn’t look like a list. It feels like a system. A pressure. A presence your characters can’t escape—even if they try.

Now go. Build something real. (You can add spices later.)

—rin t. // writing advice for worldbuilders with rage and range // thewriteadviceforwriters

Sometimes the problem isn’t your plot. It’s your first 5 pages. Fix it here → 🖤 Free eBook: 5 Opening Pages Mistakes to Stop Making:

🕯️ download the pack & write something cursed:

[thepanplumbob]

Dean told Zeke that even though they hadn't known each other for long, Dean felt a real connection with them. He asked Zeke to be his partner and they agreed enthusiastically

[windslar]

[pixelpurgatory]

i've been working on this legacy challenge on and off for months now and it's finally here! i really made this because i wanted to play something like it. but i thought it'd be fun to share for anyone else who might be interested. if you do play, feel free to tag me. i would love to see your journeys 🥹 there are too many words for a tumblr post, so you'll have to check out the google doc. the general rules as well as a link to the "deck" and dice roller will be under the cut!

Click here for the Tarot Legacy Challenge

G E N E R A L R U L E S :

Start with a single founder in a new save.

Each generation follows the theme of a Major Arcana Tarot card, completing its unique goals and embracing the fate of the tarot card pulled.

Each heir must fulfill their generation’s goals before passing onto the next.

You may draw your Tarot card for the next generation when the first heir is born. You are welcome to choose any of your current heir’s children to be the next generation’s heir.

This challenge will include all packs so feel free to modify to fit your needs when necessary. This was created with Life & Death as the most recent expansion pack. As new packs release, you are more than welcome to modify the rules for the new content.

Play on any lifespan and with any mods or cheats you’d like– whatever makes the challenge more fun for you, have at it. Add any little twists that you’d like to spice up gameplay. If you want to use different traits/aspirations/careers than listed, go for it! Again, whatever you feel fits your playstyle best. Just try your best to stay aligned with the Tarot theme of that generation.

You can play as many or as few generations of this legacy challenge as you’d like. You don’t have to play all 22 generations. I would recommend a minimum of 5 just to make it a “legacy” – but follow your intuition 😌✨🔮

D E C K & D I C E R O L L E R :

A link to the “Deck” :

https://spinthewheel.app/yOOKcsbAUE

Dice Roller (Only necessary for some generations) :

https://g.co/kgs/QkCbwo4

[unholywhxms]

Mr & Mrs Ito

It's been a long wait, but with their family finally complete Kiyoshi & Penelope decided to get married! With their two daughters as flower girls they could not be happier. Rio even got to meet her family & gets on with her aunt & uncle perfectly! (Nanami looks like she got bit by the jealous bug in last pic lol)

[druidberries]

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while on the toilet she realized she's a pretty cheerful gal