#it's what we all do on simblr anyways

[deathbypufferfish]

About to watch always sunny while looking through old barbie stuff.

[symerr]

more headmates, you never would've guessed it.

[stillgotme]

𝕴𝖇𝖚 ‡ 𝕲𝖔𝖉𝖉𝖊𝖘𝖘 𝖔𝖋 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍

It's in the blood and this is tradition

She moved with such grace, yet killed with no mercy. One barely had time to take in her beauty before she reaped their souls. After what happened to her, she was going to make sure every man feared her. 

No one ever escaped.

So she earned the name Ibu, the Goddess of Death.

[nexility-sims]

what's something you'd like to see more of on royal simblr?

the timing of this was brilliant, actually, because i had been thinking for several days that i would like to make some sort of entirely uncalled for, roughly edited psa post about What I Think Royal Simblr Needs To Prioritize More :^) anyway, you also touched on this in your own answer, so it’s an echo of that too :^) it's very long, but i had a lot to say about the topic i've chosen. i should also preface by saying that it's not meant as a blanket negative statement or even an objective prescription; it's just based on my own observation and anecdotal experience.

in short, royal simblr needs more cultural diversity !

there are two big reasons why i feel this way: one, the entire premise is suspect because it so easily verges into uncritically reproducing and whitewashing an awful institution; and two, cultural diversity is actually more engaging and interesting than a community that feels monocultural (esp when said culture is a hegemonic colonial product whose dominance is based on plunder, oppression, and destruction of both entire peoples and the planet itself).

personally, i want to be part of a community where folks are 1) actively curious about the wider world and its cultures and 2) comfortable incorporating their own cultures in their stories. it’s true that the bias is perhaps partly because many royalty references in the real world may not have great english sources for a predominantly english-speaking community to use. but, i don’t think that’s a get-out-of-jail-free card. i am absolutely not a person who likes to consciously write myself into my stories, to be clear. that being said, i do ask myself, “what experiences or knowledge do i have that deserve representation?” we write our stories for ourselves but, frankly, i would venture many of us have internalized messages that make us devalue our own backgrounds or doubt others will be interested in content outside of the often white, often western mainstream. in my experience, the royal simblr community places high value on researching and replicating the norms of contemporary western european royalty—particularly the british royal family. the truth is that same care and respect could be put into other histories and perspectives, if the motivation existed to do so.

so, another approach, beyond drawing on your own experiences, is doing the research to respectfully depict or be inspired by a culture that isn't your own. the onus for representation cannot be squarely on the most marginalized of us, even if we'd likely produce the best version of it. if i had chosen to write a story about a fake british royal family, i'd have felt guilty about not writing a story full of brown people from the americas; that representation wouldn't really exist if i wasn't making it for myself. consequently, culture shifts require everyone to do their part, whether as creators, collaborators, or readers. i'd also venture that most of us appreciate when outsiders believe our cultures are valuable and beautiful—when they want to know or experience our clothing, food, and music in ways that are not fetishizing, exploitative, or appropriating. that's part of why tumblr is filled with guides and tutorials to writing characters from all walks of life, from ethnicity to disability to gender; the resources exist, and people want to see them used. it doesn't even have to be your entire story ! individual characters or plot lines can give good representation if you make that a priority.

in my own story, i've blended the two approaches. i think about my own, my family's, and my friends' experiences of indigeneity in what's currently the united states; i've also blended it with my interests in iberian and latin american histories, especially indigenous mexico, among other elements closer to u.s. history. my story isn't a direct replica of any real world place or people, but the culture is based on imagination, research, and feedback. if someone has a critique or feels offended for whatever reason, i want to be humble enough to accept it and make changes. one of the amazing things about this corner of tumblr is that our community loves to help others. learning in public—experimenting, sharing parts of yourself, being creative—is never easy, but it's easier to do when you're part of a community that offers grace and encouragement. my opinion is also that people are more willing to share their expertise and welcome your work if you demonstrate, not just good intentions, but that you've done your homework to the best of your ability.

i want to be clear, too: there's a place for storytelling as conscious critique of the institution, and there are storytellers in this community whose cultures happen to be the ones that are overrepresented. this isn't an indictment of the good stories and good fun people are having. i'm just taking this as an opportunity to offer constructive criticism and give people the encouragement or permission to try something different. why not use your creativity to incorporate other sources of inspiration—or to imagine a different and better world, even?

at the end of the day, everyone can do whatever they want with their hobbies. we can't all be doing social justice on simblr dot com and, frankly, probably shouldn't be ! it is nonetheless true that some of us don't get to enjoy our hobbies uncritically. we can't log onto tumblr and scroll through sims stories and be blissfully unaware of the politics of representation. "royalty" doesn't just connote pretty tiaras and fancy titles for all of us. people who are marginalized in the real world are part of this community. its representation signals to us how welcome we and the stories we have to tell really are.

most or all of us are imagining our countries to be part of the same fictional world. it's just my personal opinion, but i don’t think that world should be mostly fake europe plus specifically the settler colonial parts of fake non-europe. my challenge to everyone would be to think about whether your story could or should meaningfully contribute to a fuller, more realistic representation of the world we've created as a collective within this community.

[simmingonthelow]

Get to Know ME?

I tagged myself lol .......cause why not?

What’s your favourite Sims death?

The vampire one....there's a vampire one right? (or this could be a mod, i dunno)

Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Why not both, cause I can't decide so i take both.

Do you cheat your sims weight?

I do! but the crazy part is that I have to cheat the weight up, cause every time I make my sims and leave them as townies or whatever they always end up skinny (lowest on the slider) and i'm real mad because when did I say they could do that? stwwwww...anyways if someone knows how to fix this do tell cause I'm TIRED of that happening.

Do you use move objects?

Yup! don't we all!

Favourite Mod?

extre- *ehem* slice of life modules and anything else that adds autonomy.

First Expansion/Game Pack/Stuff Pack?

(¬‿¬)

Do you pronounce live mode or aLIVE or LiVing?

Living 😞 (which one is it?)

Who’s your favourite sim that you’ve made?

I'm sorry i don't have just one but SHANA Starks🥺🔥 and MACHA Wording 😤😩. My babies, my children, my everything .......and all my other sims but those two are in first first place while the rest are in second first place 🙃.

Have you made a simself?

I have. Its my pfp rn (sporting the hairstyle I seriously want to be in at this moment 😖😔). It hasn't been updated in a while though.

Which is your favourite EA hair colour?

The light blue one ( I say this and I almost never use it)

Favourite EA hair?

I meaaaaannnn i don't really use many, but the ones with the baby hairs cause they all slap!

Favourite life stage?

Infants cause mine are soooo darn cute! Young adults is close second here.

Are you a builder or are you in it for gameplay?

Gameplay cause I can't build 😭.

Are you a CC creator?

Nah but i'd like to be!

Do you have any Simblr friends or a Sim Squad?

Yes (i think?!)! @latte-trait, @shittyysimblr, @void-imp, @neriney, @lilypixels,@liliumsims, @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy, @emzchaos,@seasonalbeauties,@salemssimblr,@coatedinhoney and many other (i'm not too sure about these or the rest cause [so i won't list them 😔] ..........(*/ω＼*) it could all be para-social but if you see this, yes! I'm talking about you too!)

Do you have any sims merch?

no

How has your “Sims Style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I don't really considered the change drastic or anything for the most part. There were some subtle changes as time passed. BUT! My babies ate from the start to the finish, they just didn't all eat the same thing.

Whats your Origin ID?

uuuuuhhhh....shhhhhh its a secret (❁´◡`❁)

Who’s your favourite CC creator?

I'm a lover of cc so I think it be too much to list it all. What I can say is that i'm in love with them all 🥺!

How long have you had simblr?

uhhhhh 3 years? i dunno, i don't really keep track.

How do you edit your pictures?

With gimp

What expansion/ stuff pack is your favourite?

All occults cause i'm a sucker for my monster bbies 😩🥺😤

i’m tagging @crsentfairy, @cinamun, @coatedinhoney, @latte-trait, @shittyysimblr , @void-imp, @neriney, @lilypixels,@liliumsims, @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy, @emzchaos, @seasonalbeauties, @salemssimblr, @coatedinhoney, and any other person that sees this and wants to do it!

[pluto-sims]

Ditzy Dungas - a @jellymoo recolour

coming out of my cage and i've been doing sub-par,,,,anyway yes i am still on Hiatus™ but the uma overalls by the always incredible @jellymoo just scritched my brain, i blinked, and here we are. i'm somewhat sure the lucy and yak clothing brand is mainly uk specific but anyway they do very cool patterned dungarees, boilersuits, trousers and so on and 99% of my wardrobe comes from them, so i just had to do some funky pattern recolours of these utterly gorgeous dungarees. can you tell i'm rusty at writing cc descriptions? truly no idea what im doing anymore lmao

details and download under the cut >:)

Details

Recolour of jellymoo's Uma Overalls - the mesh is included thanks to jellymoo's very generous tou, but i highly suggest you check the originals out because they are SCRUMPTIOUS

37 swatches featuring my patterns from some of my previous sets, some unreleased ones, and then just some personal ones from my art portfolio lmao

accessory overlay to change the colour of the jumper/sweater/top with 61 swatches

BGC, correct colour tags, disabled for random, custom thumbnail and all that jazz!

i? think that's it? i honestly feel so lost doing this again asdfghjkjhgfdsdfghj i've forgotten EVERYTHING but i think i covered it all? fuck if i know anymore tbh. if theres any issues please lmk, if not, hope you enjoy!

Download: patreon / SimsFileShare (both 100% free to everyone, always)

and if you made it this far lmao uhm. thanks for sticking with me! i still dont see myself returning back to simblr, or even just playing the fckn game, like how i was before but it was really nice to dip my toe back in the pixelated water. i miss everyone and your posts still bring me so much joy!

[cinamun]

I don't have a story post today because of a series of unfortuante events yesterday, but you know what I do have? I have my bullshit, and I'm back on it.

Remember last year during BHM (late January so pre-BHM ig) when I said y'alls favorite maxis match creators were bogus for meshes that break apart on fat booties? Y'all got so mad that you called Hope's body "lumpy and jagged" even though we all know Hope isn't lumpy or jagged anywhere and it turned into anti-Blackness when the conversation shifted into custom bodyshapes and how I will never NOT use a custom bodyshape as long as people like afrosimtricsims make them specifically for Black women's bodies.

This is when I also coined the term "assphobic", no regrets. I even created a lookbook because so many simmers were hitting me up asking where I find clothes to fit these bodyshapes because CLEARLY, I was saying the quiet shit out loud.

Anyway, people got blocked, showed their true colors all to suck up to these really long early access creators or, you know, to prove to simblr that they hate Black women's bodies.

I couldn't let the month pass by without another egregious example:

Adrien-pastel at the top vs. sforz (bottom left) and casteru (bottom right).

What do you see? What do you think? What do you wonder?

[softpine]

I’ve been wanting to try storytelling for awhile but I have no idea how to do things? Or where to start. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I’ve mainly kept my stories and ideas to myself. Do you have any advice on how to start?

i have a bunch of storytelling tips in my advice tag, but the absolute best advice i can give you is to literally just start. try your hardest to let go of your perfectionist tendencies and remind yourself that this is a hobby and a creative/emotional outlet, not a job. the only person you need to cater to is yourself!! it always kills my soul to see someone give up on storytelling because they were too hard on themselves or compared themselves to other people and got discouraged. you have to be willing to be "bad" at something before you can ever become good at it (i have my gripes with calling art bad/good anyway but you know what i mean)

if you're anything like me, you'll probably be frustrated by the limitations of sim stories in the beginning. there were so many ideas i had to abandon because i didn't know how to make poses, objects, tattoos, etc. to make my visions come true. over the years i've learned SO MANY other skills that have helped me with storytelling, but you have to be patient with yourself and learn things one at a time. i have seen people get overwhelmed by trying to learn everything all at once and they think there's something wrong with them for not "getting it", when the truth is that a ton of us on simblr have been practicing for YEARS and are still learning every day (i've been here for six years and there's still so much stuff i'm in awe of people being able to do, because i have no idea how!) it's cheesy to say, but this is an art form like any other; we all start out with limited abilities and we develop more over time (example...)

to wrap this up: i would LOVE to see more new stories on simblr and i hope you'll give it a shot!! i would love to help you start in any way i can. if you need advice, if you need someone to make you some custom cc (within my skill set lol), quick poses, or editing help, etc. i would genuinely love to help you out. i would also love to just talk to you about your story/characters if you need someone to bounce ideas off of!! 💖

if i sound like i'm frothing at the mouth begging you and everyone else to write a sim story, that's because i am jfkjsdsj

[holocene-sims]

simblr gratitude day 💐🤍

a communal love letter to some of the blogs i think are the cat's pajamas, who have put a smile on my face, and who make simblr a kinder and more creative place. i'm so proud that we share this community together and i love everything that you do, no matter what kind of style of sims content you share. stories, lookbooks, gameplay, etc. - i treasure it all! i love y'all and you inspire me to keep having fun with the game! 🌟

an extra shout out to anyone who has ever remotely interacted with my posts at all, especially in the comments. i'm bad at reaching out and talking and all that (but trying to get better about it), so i'm very sorry you haven't heard this as much as you should, but i sincerely appreciate every interaction we've had! it's been a beyond terrible year for me irl, but these interactions, whether brief or extended, are one of the reasons i've been able to drag myself through the mud to make it here to the year's end ❤️

anyway, thank you and much love to:

@crazykissim @nectar-cellar @queeniecook @dandylion240 @nigmos @stargazer-sims @minty-plumbob @jonquilyst @windermeresimblr @aheathen-conceivably @thebramblewood @simblrpositivity @simmersofia @buglaur @rainymoodlet @glammoose @papiermaker @mangosimoothie @idyllicsimmer @igglemouse @vay2008 @seyvia @happy-lemon @bakersimmer @simulation-machine @enchanting-whim @rebouks @papermint-airplane @birdietrait @citylighten @nihilismtrcit

*and* many, many more 💕 this is by no means an exhaustive list!! if i follow you or have ever interacted with you, know i appreciate you ✨

[madeofcc]

MomBzzz at Edgewave 2024 part 1 : The text !

The MomBzzz will perform on June 17 th !

@aniraklova ♥

[transcript]

INT NIGHT / SAN MYSHUNO

WE ENTER A SMALL APPARTMENT ; THE PLACE SEEMS NEAT BUT FULL OF LIFE AS WELL ; WE NOTICE ALSO A MIX BETWEEN DECO AND FURNITURES, SHOWING THAT A COUPLE IS LEAVING HERE ; WE CAN HERE SOMEONE ON THE PHONE

??? : Yes, auntie Dori is coming soon to see you don't worry love. But you have to promise me to be good with your sister okay ? Ahahaha ! I bet you are ….

??? : Give me back the phone honey, mommy needs to talk … I swear, these kids are killing me sis ! Especially Georgie, he seems super agitated lately

MIDORI : He seems fine Yukari don't worry ! I swear you should really relax sometimes otherwise you'll get burned out !

YUKARI : I know … What about that gig you told me about ? Any news yet ?

MIDORI : No … Still zero answers but I'm pretty sure we won't be selected anyway …

YUKARI : Why do you think so ?! I mean, I'm kinda counting on that gig to get out of the house for one night !

MIDORI : We're not that famous and that good for the Edgewave … I mean, there's usually massive bands there ! Have you seen who's confirmed so far ?! This is insane !

YUKARI : I actually have to check it but … Wait a minute … Georgie leave your sister alone ! Drop that glass right now ! Drop it ! I have to go sis, call you tomorrow !

MIDORI : Ahahaha !!! Byyyye …

MIDORI GETS A TEXT : Hi this is Kari from Edgewave, we're happy to announce that your application has been validated and that you can have your own gig during our festival this year. As you may know, the main bands have already been announced so feel free to choose a free space during the day (after all, we're here to enjoy rock'n'roll all day long). Please reach back to me as soon as possible for further details.

Love, Kari.

MIDORI DROPS HER PHONE AND SCREAMS

HENRY ARRIVES, PANICKED !

HEN : What's happening ?!?

MIDO : Oh my god ! Oh my god ! Oh my god !

HEN : Babe ! What the fuck ?!

MIDO : Guess who's going to the most iconic rock'n'roll festival of simblr this year ?

HEN : No fucking way ?

MIDO : YEAH FUCKING WAY !!!!

HEN : OH MY GOOOOOOD !!!! THIS IS AWESOME BABE !!!

HE TAKES MIDORI IN HIS ARMS

HEN : This is really huge Midori ! Gia is going to be so excited !

MIDO : Totally ! We have to tell her !

HEN : Not after I made love to you sweetheart !

MIDO : It's going to take hours !

HEN : So what ?

MIDO : I'm already thinking about our outfits actually … Karim and Vincent are going to be sooooo happy as well !

HEN : This is huge my love, our band is finally getting somewhere !

MIDO : Let's go far away and beyond then 

[authorspirit]

🐾🐾 Boop! Boop! 🐾🐾

I'd love to know what simmer has got you hooked right now! Please share what you're binge-reading on Simblr!

Share this with other simmers to get some recommendations on who to follow! Let's keep spreading some love! 💚

This list is going to be long. :') SORRY BUT NOT SORRY. And I'm sure I'll be missing people here.

There are a lot of stories I have started reading in the middle of it and intend to catch up the beginning of them. But I can instantly get hooked on so many stories, as long as someone puts "previous | next" buttons, I'm in danger of falling into a story's universe. (I also have the hardest time to follow everyone but I try to.)

@matchalovertrait (OF COURSE YOU) I still need to catch up before I met sassy toddler Dulce. I can't believe she's a preteen now. I do enjoy following people's legacy challenges and I like how I forget that it's one with how you really create your own storylines around the base requirements.

@ice-creamforbreakfast I'm not going to lie, I came for the CC, I stayed for the BACC challenge and I am now following the Romano legacy.

@gooretrait I really do love following legacy challenges. Also, console player?? It's also a good reminder of all the fun you can get without cc and mods, just very inspiring imagination-wise.

@eurosimmer breaks the fourth wall in her captions and it's hilarious to me. It's also a legacy challenge, but oh boy I forget it everytime.

@pleasanttaleswithkaityb completely changed my way of playing! (and also of sharing content on tumblr) I also have a soft spot for taking townies as a base, because we kind of all know the backstories for them a bit. (I say that and I never played Sims 2, just binge-watched Sims lore videos.) I love how people change their stories.

@ruthplaysthesims Talking about appropriating Sims townies and make them evolve, I LOVE Kaori's story. In TS4 we all know the lore is meh (with it being on supposedly another timeline etc). The Mt. Komorebi storyline is SO interesting, I really have to play in that world someday without ruining them all. And somehow, Ruth made it even more interesting! Like I already wanted to know more about them, now I'm looking for any little bit of detail referencing their childhood or something. Anyway I highly recommend, I love all the new stories she put out as well (Raina 💖)

@kamiiri Back to other Sims lore game, I LOVE Strange! I watched a LP of Sims 2 on PS very recently and somehow found Strange at the same time... The setting, the weaving of all the storylines together, continuing all of them together... I love it. It's also very cinematic I'd say? There's something in those screenshots, I love it.

@holocene-sims One day I saw a notification of them and next thing you know I was trying to read everything about Grant from the start on mobile (but it's hard to read on mobile so I have A LOT to catch up). So now I'm catching up the recent story posts! But as I'm writing this post, I know I have a lot to catch up already.

@cinamun Add it to the list of "I should really read the beginning of it but for now I'll just keep on trying to catch any post they make", Things Fall Apart's universe has really sucked me in and I really like how cinamun interacts with everyone! (I admit I am a lurker but I want to try this lemon pepper wings recipe someday and share them with all the readers.) Reading TFA really gives me the vibes of watching a daily evening TV show with my family: we did not necessarily watch since the beginning, we just one day started watching all together, and now we're eating dinner in front of it every night. (And of course sharing our reactions)

@havenroyals If you like some spice and love messy stuffs, you'll be served. I also really like the Gossip queen edits it's just such an interesting way to add variation to tell stories.

@theroyalsims In the same vein of the Gossip Queen edits, I really like how we follow the story of the royal families with articles about them and not from their direct point of view. (I'm also currently trying to guess who is getting married soon because I know there is a royal wedding soon among those sims.)

OK small pause because we've entered the royal simblrs that I follow. There are a lot, it's how I found the simblr community in the first place. One thing I have to say is that I love all the collabs people do, the way so many stories are interconnected through everyone's sim and I genuinely think it's a lovely community (even if I'm not part of it myself as I'm just a reader).

@sosa-royals is the first royal simblr I came across and read everything. The drama? I LOVED it.

@officalroyalsofpierreland After meeting child Maria Aisha I had to learn more about her family. I was not disappointed.

@funkyllama this inevitably led me to want to learn more about the Ionian Union and I really like the world building in general? Also those last edits? I love it.

@empiredesimparte of course there is the complete Europeansim on my list. I particularly enjoy reading in French sometimes when my mind just wants to rest from reading in English. I also love Hortense and everytime I see a big event in the story I would be like: "oh J'AI LA REF ! It really looks like in real life." (you are very talented at building). And in general, I really recommend the worldbuilding tag? Because I love it?

@anachrosims' @prydainroyals Talking about someone talented at building? Yeah, I still have to catch up from the beginning. But this one should be feasible as it is more recent? (I don't know, you're also a good writer, PLEASE tell me what you can't do.)

@nexility-sims Among stories that are easy to start digging in someone's universe, I would recommend reading 1992. Eventually I'll read the story it's a spin-off of and @/armoricaroyalty's story, but yeah. My list of stories to catch up is already long for now.

@trentonsimblr and @ardeney-sims I'm putting both of them in the same bullet point because I've been wanting to enjoy their stories for a while and only decided to fully commit when Between A Rock and A Hard Place started. Similarly to 1992, it can be enjoyed without having the whole back story but yeah. I'll definitely enjoy reading the back stories of main characters and "side" characters (which you see glimpses of in BRHP).

@thegrimalldis Very similarly to the previous bullet points, I started reading with a "spinoff", the prequel "Maximilian" rather than the main story after seeing the username a lot of times. I have since caught up the main story I believe, but I may have to reread to be sure. I also have to read the story of succession (because it's complete and I like complete stories).

@theroyalthornoliachronicles and if we have to go back in time, I would highly suggest Ali's story! Though I can't wait to see modern Thornolian generations? 👀 Also, I'm a reader from after Ali lost her blog and I would say now is the best time to start reading if you're like me and have a massive TBR pile, since we're at chapter one!

OK I think I had most of my currently followed stories. I'm 100% missing people but I will try to reblog more of people's stories so you all can see what I'm reading at the moment!

Did this post take me two hours because I'm catching up on reading WHILE answering? Yes.

[farfallasims]

Hi Madi! Do you think the simblr community has been a little quiet lately? I feel like it seems like everyone has gotten a little discouraged and there aren't as many posts. I love following you, you're the one who posts most frequently and I'm happy to know that you haven't given up on us 💕

I really want to start posting but I'm afraid of judgment as it's a bit difficult to do they have a different style as everyone uses the same ones cc and presets and among other things. And it always reminds me of something more or less used by someone. Anyway, I feel that simblr is more divided between groups and that there is a lack of unity for everyone to be great one day. I love the simblr community and I love its content. Maybe sending this message here will reach more people in the Simblr community who may be discouraged for some reason, please don't give up, no matter how difficult it is to get likes or recognition, one day we will all have acquaintances and our name. Thank you Madi for encouraging me so much to play The Sims, you're great!

Hi gorgeous!

The community is kinda quiet, I do agree, but it makes sense to me (as someone with a business degree). After Christmas in the business world, money making, all that, a lot of companies experience their worst quarter.

Everyone is drained (mentality & physically their wallet), and they're back to work, school, all that. A lot of YouTubers will also take this time off, usually only January from what I've seen, because it is their least engaging month/quarter. To sum it up, everyone is busy and working, so the community can suffer with some moments of silence.

For the community itself to be quiet it's expected. It will 100% pick back up in the spring/summer, so don't feel discouraged by it. I experience my best activity in the later months of the year, especially the summer when everyone is out of school or on vacation in general, so look at it that way.

It can definitely be discouraging to join the community right now, but don't let that stop you. Sure, we all love engagement, it's why I'm in the position I am today to be able to offer you advice, especially as someone who joined last February. However, I didn't go in worrying or thinking about it. I honestly didn't anticipate nor expect the engagement I got and I am so incredibly grateful for it.

And as for your content, you and so many others need to learn that regardless of aesthetic, we all appreciate the beauty. If you're a beige girly, a maximalist, fully alpha, whatever it might be, it doesn't matter. We as a community accept and appreciate all content, regardless of aesthetic or opinions.

As long as you enjoy what you're making and you're having fun, regardless of the engagement, and are an unproblematic king/queen that's truly what matters.

I hope you have a beautiful day/week and I hope some of this can shed light on the community and give you the boost of confidence to start posting! We all want to see more beautiful content as there is room for you and so many more simmers!

[armoricaroyalty]

reread this essay and I feel like it applies to simblr as well, although I don't know if I can articulate exactly how. there's not a ton of sex or sensuality out there, and a lot of it is curiously sexless. some of this is due to the limits of tumblr's titty algorithm—i know several people have recently had posts nuked b/c of cleavage—but I just feel like there's a general and pervasive prudishness that's floating around on simblr.

on simblr, people have sex when the plot demands it of them (at least on royal simblr, sex scenes are followed immediately by a positive pregnancy test at least 50% of time). sex with anyone but an end-game romantic partner is usually framed as having been a mistake in one way or another, and someone (usually the woman) is punished for it. no one is having sex simply because it's pleasurable, because they wanted to, because they were curious...it's always for something. sex isn't just an ordinary thing that is a part of people's ordinary lives, it has to be something more in order to justify the weird kid-gloves handling of it.

people are of course, all thin and beautiful. the men are inviolably masculine, the women feminine in the extreme. the men are all roided-out beefcakes with visible muscle definition, the women all are slender goddesses with permanent full-face contour thanks to their skin details. we never get to see their perfect bodies, though, because everyone is apparently fucking through their underwear. there's no pleasure, no sensuality, no comfort, no connection, no playfulness, no personality, nothing.

this isn't to say that everybody needs to have explicit sexual content on their blog (tumblr wouldn't let us, anyway) but I just feel like there's something really weird and puritanical and very detached about the way sexuality is often portrayed on simblr. I'm hedging here b/c I can think of plenty of people who do have healthier depictions of sexuality in their stories, people who've created sex scenes that are actually sexy, etc. etc. I've tried to do those things as well, ymmv on whether I've succeeded or not—but I just think it's worth at least acknowledging that this is a trend and asking ourselves why and what can be done differently.

p much all of the reactionary, puritanical stuff on simblr is downstream of larger cultural trends. it's not any one specific person's fault, but I do think that simblr, by virtue of being a smaller community, has the potential to push back against these. within this community, we all have the freedom to define our own views of sex and sexuality and reshape our thinking, and I think more people should.

maybe that should be the goal for 2024. everyone can be beautiful, everyone can be horny.

[anamoon63]

From this moment on I go into busy mode again, but I didn't want to leave without wishing all my mutuals and all simblrs in general a very Happy New Year 2024 and dedicate some words I have been meaning to say to you but hadn't found the time or the appropriate way to do it.

I'll start by saying to all of you who had a hard time in 2023, those who went through depression, physical and/or mental health problems, family problems, marital problems, work problems, problems with your children, with your partners, with your parents or grandparents. To all those who in some way suffered or were hurt in the year that is ending -and assuming that all of us here, or most of us, are storytellers-, my advice is: don't stop writing, ever. Keep doing it through it all, through the good times as well as the bad; write even if the tears well up in your eyes and fall on the keyboard. Just write!

Writing heals, cures and consoles, because it is what we do and because there is no better way to get out all that we carry inside, be it sad or happy. I went through the long night of depression myself and I can say with all certainty that writing was what pulled me through, and that although it may not seem so, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's never as dark as when it's about to dawn. I suffered from depression since 2006 and for many years; around that time I started a novel that took me 14 years to write. Through all that time, I slowly healed, and by the time I finished, I was free of all the demons that drove me to write that particular story in the first place.

Okay, enough of me, I want to tell my mutuals, that I love what you write/create, and I really enjoy your work, be it stories or gameplay; and not only those who write, but also those who make custom content, mods, those who create any kind of art, those who take beautiful pictures, those who share memes or funny things about their pets. All of you, know that I read you every day and I take you with me everywhere I go, because you are so talented, creative, funny and interesting.

I don't always have the courage to comment on your posts, be it about sims or personal, for different reasons, mainly because of language barriers, because as you know, English is not my native language, and sometimes I don't have my translator at hand to confirm that what I am writing is correct, or if there is a spelling or grammar mistake or a typo in there; also because of my social awkwardness, as I am a rather shy and introverted person; and the fact that I'm an old simmer, cause believe me, compared to many of you I am old, and this makes me afraid of saying something out of place, out of time, or of being politically incorrect. This may sound silly, but I was born and raised in a time where people thought and acted very differently, even in my early years of sims on the internet, everything was way different than it is now. Well, those are the reasons why I don't always comment, but the fact is that I read you, I like what you do, what you write, I'm in love with your characters -who are already part of my sim-universe-; your stories capture my imagination, intrigue me, interest me, amuse me and, above all, teach me, because I've learned a lot from you, talented creatures, in the time I've been reading your work.

Anyway, I got off my chest what I've been wanting to tell you for days now. I also want to thank you for all your likes, comments, questions, messages, and in general for all the love I received from you this year, it's amazing. I never expected so much in just one year, really. So, thank you, both to those who have been following me for a long time, and have stayed with me and my chaotic stories, and to the new followers, Sims 3 and Sims 4, I thank you all.

Well, this was already very long, sorry for the rambling, lol, I wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year, may all your dreams and plans become a beautiful reality in the year that begins, because, believe me, some dreams do come true, I had the joy of confirming it right at the end of this year.

That's all, a big hug and a very, very happy 2024 everyone! 🤗❤️🎇

[nexility-sims]

small update.

i realize i don't owe an explanation for being absent from simblr dot com, but i just wanted to give an update, to whomever it concerns or interests. my grandmother is dying—which is hurtful to say, but it's true—and i am very close with her. we were able to bring her home from the hospital yesterday, which is the last and only thing she's wanted, and i'm helping my uncle with the caregiving until she's no longer with us. it's too early to know what even next week is going to look like, so this is a general notice that i won't be around as much, at least for the foreseeable future. that being said: 1) it's important to have a distraction, so i do want to continue doing some sims stuff, and 2) i have every intention of debuting the long-overdue story spin-off the first week of december. i have enough posts done or done-ish that i feel comfortable queuing them and continuing to work on the rest. it's bittersweet; this was always going to be a story about grief and loss, but i never imagined it would feel so personal once you all finally got to read it. so. i hope it's worth the wait. i like to think i put my heart into all of my storytelling, but that will certainly be true in this case.

anyway. much love and gratitude for the fact that you've continued to stick around and enthusiastically receive whatever random posts i've had to offer. being in this little community is and continues to be an important source of entertainment and joy for me. i'll still be lurking discord, so catch me there in the meantime. ♥️

[youredreamingofroo]

~ @simblr-question-of-the-day ~

So I kinda have like... series names and then also just like, names that are treated like story/series names ig... idk I'll just do all of them LMAO

(putting it under the cut cuz ermmm this is long LMAO)

Make the Most of It - Sims 2 Rotation w/ Roo So I actually came up with this name on a whim iirc? I know I wanted to make this series, but I didn't know what to name it, so I just started taking silly little dramatic shots and then while I was doing the "Make the Most of It" (which didnt have MtMoI on it at this point) gif I was like... oh "Make the Most of It" fucks so hard for a title... especially for this series... and yea 🤷‍♂️ Idk or remember if there were other names I was gonna go with

Hiraeth - Roo x Leo Story Arc So originally I just wasn't gonna have a name for these two, or at least, I wanted one but couldnt think of anything, but one night I was DEDICATED to finding a name for this arc, so I started looking up phrases in other languages that either meant longing or loving someone ahdbsjns I had a tab on notepad with all the names I was gonna go for (I was gonna do phrases from Welsh,,, Irish and I think Swedish too?), but ofc i closed it and didnt save it 😒 Anyways, I know the other name I was gonna go for was "Cwtch" which is a Welsh word for "cuddle" or "embrace", and I ALMOST went for that, but then I considered Hiraeth ("deep longing for a person or thing which is absent or lost; yearning; nostalgia; spec. homesickness") and was like ohhh thats so much more fitting- I also chose to go with Welsh because Leo is Welsh and Leo is the reason this is happening.. so it kinda just made sense to make it Welsh. Also haven't talked abt this, but Roo knows about Hiraeth from Leo :)

WE'RE.ALL.SICK - Story with a cast of Three iirc when I thought of this title, I wasn't even planning on making a Story, but then i though of W.A.S and just thought "this would make an INSANE story..." and 🤷‍♂️ now we have W.A.S. Although the whole story was essentially made around this name, There is also meaning behind it, and that is "We're ALL Sick", refers to the people oppressing people who are "different" (chaotic birthmarks on the green guy, weird scarring on the yellow guy and blindness and masc frame on the red/blue gal) and the people who are "different" or as the oppressors call them, "Sick", so it's jabbing at the Oppressors and mocking the name given to the Oppressed :'L

MYGENERATIONALCURSE - Hero's Story I made this on a whim ngl LMAO But I love it because it is accurate to Hero's lore, she has a generational curse dating as far back as ~100 years ago, there was no other name in mind, it was kinda like fate

It's All Wrong - Ithuriel x Nanel Story I know I've never really gone into depth over what the fuck "It's All Wrong" means or refers to, but basically Ithuriel is the "Repository of Sin" and her job requires her to be isolated from other Angels, and is literally not allowed to communicate with other Angels including Nanel unless necessary, and if she WERE to communicate with Nanel/Other Angels outside of when necessary and got found out, she would be executed. Nanel is the highest Angel Messenger, she goes to the Pits of The Damned (Hell) and goes to Purgatory and across Heaven to deliver messages to others, typically an angel wouldnt be allowed to traverse the Pits of The Damned or Purgatory, but she has a job-exception, and this also includes delivering messages to Ithuriel, which is the only time Nanel is allowed to converse with her. So that being said, Nanel and Ithuriel, if you havent caught on, are deathly (literally) in love with each other and were dating prior to Ithuriels Job Assignment, and they continue to secretly date and converse, but the point is that their love is secretive and "all wrong", hence, "It's All Wrong"

AMNESIA - Gameplay/Story of Sharkie Shaw I know literally nobody (besides my irl, Oksana and I think one other person) knows about Sharkie, but basically, the name refers to how Sharkie experienced Amnesia as a Teen and stupidly ran away from home while experiencing Amnesia, so she became Homeless and a shell of a person and had to rebuild herself and her personality and life from the ground up :')

The Wolf (Sheep) - Onia's Story If you remember Onia from the Feelings Post (She was jealousy), basically her whole shebang is that shes a Sheep in Wolf's clothing, and that's what "The Wolf (Sheep)" means :) (also, sheep being in parentheses nods at how she's trying to be a wolf and hides her sheep-like personality if that makes sense LMAO)

There's also Vanella, Kyneva and Phoenix (Vanella from this post, Kyneva - Sadness and Phoenix - Grief from the feelings post), all of which I am planning on giving "story" names, but havent had an idea for them yet :P

if I didn't mention having an alternative name then I PROBABLY didnt have an alternative name that I was gonna go with or I just dont remember <:))