Simmish Cultures

I was asked to give a little bit more detail about my simmish cultures and heritages of my simmies. I love learning about different cultures and since the world is full of them, here are a few of the current cultures in my hood. There will be more cultures as I delve deeper into my simmies lives and build the corresponding locales for them to visit as well. Feel free to steal/borrow/use these in your games as well. I hope to start adding downloads of the buildings in the future for those who are interested in recreating the locales in their game.

Inherited Cultures
These are cultures that I inherited from other simmers when their sims moved to my hood.

Sokitumi-Nicole Humphrey was originally from Sokitumi, an island nation that had several goddesses including the famed goddess of love, Goddess Lahubutaniya and the god, Anghj. This simmer did an excellant job of fleshing out Sokitumi from native words such as Melihari (hello), government names (Peaceful Regency) and a beautiful background. To hear this simmer discuss Sokitumi it seemed like a magical society untouched by modern spoils. You can check out Nicole's former blog and Nicole and Lyndon's conversations for more insight on this culture. I created Sokitumi on one the islands of my tropical subhood which uses the Emerald Isles from Amber's Journey. Sokitumi is also the only tropical island where the default Maxis tropical vacation clothing makes sense.

Simborough-Sandy Warwick and Jadhira Shazad arrived in Apple Valley after a Gender Swap with Simborough. Simborough is a FSBS hood and because this simmer is from the UK, that's what I envisioned Simborough as. You should browse through the website and learn more about Simborough's multicultural hood.

Native Cultures
These are cultures that I developed for my simmies based on gameplay options. Most of these are a result of Bon Voyage and not wanting to use the standard vacation hoods that shipped with the game.

Kimikuria: this is my "asian" vacation hood using the Ellis Island from Amber's Journey. It's loosely based on the east asian countries like Japan, China and Korea. Kimikuria is the land of zen gardens, old wise men, and mahjong . The lots are mostly the oriental series downloaded from wolfsim68 at TSR. The lots that I built use the same exterior wallpaper and roof color so that all the lots are uniform in apprearence. Li Yoo is originally from Kimikuria and the Warwick family spent three simyears there on assignment. The name was chosen based on the "asian" sound of it.

Hacienda Bay: this is the hometown of the Herendez family, starting with Alfonzo and Margurita Herendez (Greymount TS1, Apple Valley TS2) who immigrated from the bay. It is loosely based on the caribbean islands like Puerto Rico with it's british colonial style buildings, lush plants and ocean views. Currently this is only one lot in my "tropical" vacation subhood. I am in the process of rebuilding it since my first version will not "place" on the neighborhood thanks to the fact that it's a beach lot. The goal is to make it one complete island as my tropical subhood is the Emerald Isles from Amber's Journey. I don't remember exactly how or why I chose this name since it was during TS1 days (2004).

Tiki Isle: this is the hometown of the Kent family, starting with Toby and Veronika Kent (Greymount TS1, Apple Valley TS2) who immigrated from the isle. The isle is loosely based on the caribbean islands of Cayman Islands and Jamaica. The isle features a rich culture in terms of food, dance and "juice" exports. Currently this lot is in the planning stages and will eventually take up an entire island in my tropical subhood (Emerald Isles from Amber's Journey) as well. This name was chosen based on the shipped Tiki sets with the game.

Ozian: this is the birth place of Elphaba Mendenhall, who was born with a rare skin disorder that made her pigment a bright green. For those familar with the Wizard of Oz and Wicked, then you will recognize Elphaba as the Wicked Witch of the West. This place doesn't exist in the game yet, but I might consider creating this locale for Anthony and Susie to explore.

Thaindia: this is the hometown of Jadhira Shazad and I'm very excited to be starting the building of this island that is loosely based on the south east asian cultures like Thailand, India, Singapore and the Phillipines. Currently it's a single island set as a "asian" vacation subhood. I've included a sneak peek of one of the structures on the island. This name is basically a combination of Thailand and India :P

What I'm Looking For, Part 2, 2006

Lovar, spring, 2006
Krissy Thorn and Bill Carr are seniors, Emma Seavey is a junior, Susie MacAstral and Benjamin Endeavor are sophmores, Lainey Lorde, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are freshmen.

 

Verde watched the curves of Lainey's hips as she confidently strode towards a spot on the beach.
 
"This spot will do," she declared, displaying every bit of her royal training with the fluid motions of her hands.
 
Verde happily nodded and dropped their stuff. "Should we swim or tan first?"
 
Lainey didn't answer him immediately, chosing instead to slowly strip her shorts and shirt off and neatly fold them before placing them in the small bag. She cocked her head considering the question. "Tan, then the ocean water can cool our skin afterwards."

 
"The way you say that, mi amor, drives me crazy." Verde said picking up her hand to press the delicate skin to his lips.

 
So they tanned,

 
then swam

 
and finally sat on the beach watching the waves flank the setting sun.
 
"My father wants me to get married."
 
"Why do you say that?"
 
"He said that he wants a family member to get engaged. Rojo is barely fourteen and Serendipity hasn't hit puberty yet. Thus that leaves me to fulfill his desire."

 
"What do you think about all of that?" Lainey asked cautiously, keeping her eyes trained on the waves, careful not to betray her feelings. She wanted to get married as well, but was trying to be patient.
 
"I want to get married, but sometimes I wonder if I'm too young." He said getting up.  "S'Ahmisa would say that I need to have a steady job and source of income before I even think about marriage. I just don't think that's the path for me. I sometimes wonder if I'm wasting my time getting a degree."
 
"How can a degree be a waste of time?"
 
Verde shrugged. "I used to have this dream about being a famous general, leading troops into battle and emerging victorious. Now...now I don't know if that's what I truly want. I want a wife, children and a nice little house. I want to spend my days watching clouds and enjoying leisurely activities."

 
"How will you afford a house for a wife and children if you have no job?"
 
"I will collect my inheritance soon and besides, the fort provides on-base housing for families."

 

"So you plan on joining the military full-time?"

 

Verde nodded. "I guess."

 

"You guess? Don't you have a plan, Verde?"

 

Verde shrugged. Life wasn't always about having plans and mapping things out. That wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted to live life day to day, to enjoy making friends and his family. He didn't have a plan to accomplish his dreams, but he knew that he would get it if he simply started to walk in the right direction.
 
"Does it bother you that I don't have a plan?" he asked. There was another woman who despised the fact that he didn't have a plan...or at least didn't have a plan that aligned with her plan for world domination. He would argue that he did have a plan, however it wasn't as long term as most plans.

 
"Verde, I love you, plan or no plan."
 
"I love you, too."
 
---

 
The couple continued to enjoy their short spring break by digging for shells,

 
making out on the beach,

 
pillow fights in their underwear,

looking into each other's eyes,

 
and nights cuddling on the couch.

 
"You do know that I will get my inheritance soon...it's not going to be much, but it will help."
 
Lainey smiled. "Are you still concerned about that?"
 
"I just..."
 
"What?"

 
Verde couldn't bring himself to say it just yet. He wanted to be sure that he was what she was looking for before putting his heart out there.
 
"I love you,"
 
"I love you too."
 
 
---
 
Verde and S'Ahmisa break up;

• Lainey has the want to get engaged to Verde, while Antonio has the want for a relative to get engaged. Verde has the want to juggle ^_^ 

What I'm Looking For, Part 1, 2006

Lovar, spring, 2006

Krissy Thorn and Bill Carr are seniors, Emma Seavey is a junior, Susie MacAstral and Benjamin Endeavor are sophmores, S'Ahmisa Warwick and Verde Herendez are freshmen.

S'Ahmisa hurried down the pathway to the waiting shuttle desperate to get out of the rain. Finally it was spring break and she was taking her much anticipated vacation. She tried not to think about the numerous changes she had to make to her plans. She and Verde had planned the trip their senior year, securing a room and submitting their deposit to the Montalcino vineyard. She sighed. That was when they were still a couple. Of course, going together would be awkward to say the least. Thankfully, Rashid agreed to go with her on her spring break trip. She thought that he would say no especially since she wasn't sure if she wanted to be just friends or something more with him. She had left the Hills on a sour note with Rashid, he didn't even show up to see her off at the airport and she knew that university wasn't that important to him.
 

 
She admited that he intrigued her. He seemed to go through life so carefree without any worries. She loved that feeling when she was with him. As if she were free to do whatever she wanted without worrying about making a mistake or ruining her future career.

 
Other times he annoyed her. Like when he ran straight to the one video game machine that the vineyard had.

 
She wanted to believe that he had ambition and dreams, but that they were different than hers. Sometimes she wondered if he even thought beyond his next video game or high score. With the plans she had in store for her life, she needed a man with ambition and dreams. She knew that if she and Rashid were to get together that they wouldn't last and what was the point of getting into something if you knew it would end in disaster. However, she couldn't deny the faint butterflies in her belly when he smiled at her.
 
Her mom said not to worry about things, just enjoy life. However, even though she loved her mother dearly, her mom was very similar to Rashid. S'Ahmisa giggled, she could see the two of them egging each other on over a spirited video game.
 
Maybe she should just let things go and enjoy life a bit more...or at least enjoy her glass of ale.
 
"I can't believe you talked me into ordering ale at a vineyard."
 
Rashid grinned, "Live a little, take risks, drink ale at a vineyard."
 
S'Ahmisa laughed.
 
"Excuse me, the shuttle is here to take you on the tour of the valley."
 
"Yea, let's go, Rashid."
 
"Um, you sure I can't stay here. I'm so close to beating the high score."

 
"Are you serious?"
 
"Naw, boo, I'm just playing." Rashid said smiling. He was glad she had changed out of that knit dress and was showing a bit of skin. If he was smarter, he would have tried to get her in a bikini last summer, but unfortunately he didn't think about it until later.
 
---

 
"Wasn't that more fun than your video game?" S'Ahmisa asked after the tour.
 
Rashid briefly wondered if she wanted the truth before indulging her with an answer. "Yea, of course. You hungry? I'm starving."
 
"I think I'm going to try the mint and pepper glazed steak, what about you?"

 
"The pasta looks good."
 
After they placed their orders, the couple sat in silence.

 

"To a wonderful trip,"
 
"I second that."

 

"Thanks again for coming with me," S'Ahmisa grinned. "I'm glad you didn't mind the seperate rooms."

"No biggie, cutie." Rashid lied. He had been hoping that maybe this would be the time, but the seperate rooms put a halt to his thoughts and actions. Perhaps it was better, he had been having second thoughts about S'Ahmisa, especially after last summer's concert and the way she had dissed him by calling for Elmer. He wondered if she had seen that singer since she had returned to Apple Valley. Sometimes he wondered if things would have been different if he was still with Tyisha. He knew that he wouldn't be on the other side of the simworld with a pretty lady like S'Ahmisa, but he also wouldn't be anywhere with Tyisha since her father kept her on lock down most of the time and besides, her behavior annoyed him sometimes. Rashid sighed, regardless of how his thoughts were concerning S'Ahmisa, he still wanted what most young men his age wanted from an attractive woman and the seperate rooms were not faciliating that.

"Let's toast," S'Ahmisa urged, ordering two glasses of a medicore sparkling nectar.

"What should we toast to?"

"Umm, I have no idea."

"Ok, to having no idea." Rashid said raising his glass.

"And being young and free," S'Ahmisa added.

"This is amazing," she moaned as the food arrived to the table. Rashid couldn't help but smile as he watched her face contort in joyful bliss.

"Here, try mine, cutie."

S'Ahmisa leaned over to taste Rashid's pasta dish. "Oh, it's orgasmic."

Rashid nearly choked.

"E-excuse me?"

"Your pasta. It tastes orgasmic. I love the way the butter melts on my tongue and how it blends with the flavor of the organic herbs."

Rashid tried to control his thought for the remainder of the meal before rushing to his room for a nice, long, cold shower.

---

S'Ahmisa smiled as the man worked out her tense muscles. Last night was almost too much for her to bear. After watching Rashid throughly enjoy his dinner, S'Ahmisa had to retreat to her room for a date with herself. She wondered if the seperate rooms were a little bit too much. Part of her wanted to rip Rashid's clothes off with her teeth in the middle of the vineyard...the other part of her kept her restrained. She had her future to think about.

As she slinked into the hot springs with Rashid and saw how his first year of university was shaping his muscles, she seriously doubted that her proposal to be celibate would last very long. She mentally reminded herself to recall the look on Benjamin's face when he got the call that he was a father, the rumors of Bill's own baby that was given up for adoption and she painfully forced herself to recall the drama and gossip that circulated around the hoods with Rashid's own brush with fatherhood. Children were no where in the picture for her at this time and if she was honest with herself...perhaps not even a relationship.

She still felt ashamed of herself for her actions last summer. She knew that she had hurt Rashid, but that kiss in the library shook her up a little bit. Especially since she was still technically Verde's girlfriend. She tried to push Rashid away, to protect her heart and salvage her relationship with Verde, but she knew even before that day in the library that she and Verde were no longer compatible and wanted different things in life. She knew that the expiration date on thier relationship was nearing it's term and that she was open to possibilities. But was Rashid a possibility? Maybe she should listen to her mother and enjoy her youth.

"What's on your mind, cutie?" Rashid asked watching her face cloud with unspoken thoughts. She always seemed so serious and Rashid could count the number of times that he truly saw her smile. When she smiled that pretty open mouth grin that crinkled her nose and squished her eyes, his heart seemed to skip a beat. He also didn't mind the tiny bikini that hugged her curves. He forced himself to keep his hands locked behind his head in an effort to not lunge at her.

"Just thinking if you should give me a back massage or rub my feet when I beat you at log rolling."

"You mean, if you should rub my feet when I beat you." he laughed.

After successfully handing Rashid his ego on a platter after log rolling

and striking a fear in him with her demonstration of her ax throwing skills

the couple returned to the vineyard tired but happy.

"I think since I had a massage earlier, then you should rub my feet."

"I'm not touching your stinky toes."

"My toes don't stink." She screamed chasing him into the courtyard.

"Stinky feet, stinky feet!" He teased tickling her.

"No, no, stop!" S'Ahmisa said gasping for air and clinging to Rashid.

She's not sure who turned first or how their lips knew where to go, but she was so glad that his hands made their way up her back.

She was even more pleased as they drifted to her waist

as he leaned her back to deepen the kiss.

For a moment, his lips on her neck made her forget that they were in the courtyard of a public vineyard,

but as she felt him move lower, her rational thoughts returned to her.

"Rashid, I can't."

"Boo, we're only kissing."

"I-I know, it's just..."

Rashid sighed and took her hands. "Listen, cutie. I can't continue to do this hot and cold thing ok. You need to make up your mind."

"It's...it's complicated," she tried feebly to explain as she trained her eyes on the setting sun.

She could see him gritting his teeth, causing the vein on the side of his head to pulse with frustration. It was complicated, she convinced herself. Her life was mapped out for her to become mayor, her choices predetermined and each step of her journey would only serve to strengthen her claim to become mayor. Fiona had arranged internships including the one in Simmington Hills and was working on the one in Riverdale this summer. S'Ahmisa knew that she was the chosen successor as spokesim of the hood, even her professors knew it, chosing to phrase things as "when" she was spokesim and mayor, not "if". It was her dream, her destiny even, she knew that she couldn't and wouldn't let that go.

On the other hand, Rashid was the eldest son of a successful mayor, his life was tied up in his hood. The favored son of a prominent family that doted on him. His family would never allow him to leave the hood, especially with his younger brother Marchon wrapped up with his girlfriend in Riverdale and showing no signs of returning. S'Ahmisa knew from living with Mrs. Tomika Cunningham that the woman would never allow her baby to leave. Even Mayor Cunningham was emotional about his sons being in university. She also knew that Rashid didn't want to leave. He enjoyed the recognition and perks of being the son of a mayor and successful lieutenant, both honored founders of the hood.

 "If...if it's so complicated then," Rashid finally spoke. "We should just end this."

"Wha-"

"I'll just get the next plane out, you can enjoy the rest of this vacation alone. Maybe it will help you think."

"Rashid, don't be upset."

"I'm not upset, cutie." Rashid said reaching for her. "However, I can see that you need your space right now. I respect that and I hope you respect that space isn't what I'm looking for right now."
----
S'Ahmisa and Rashid at the Aerial Bionic Concert ; S'Ahmisa's Internship in Simmington Hills; Benjamin is a father; Bill is a father; Rashid's brush with fatherhood;

Starr Grey Administration Building

I've been begging for a lot tour and just realized that I haven't given one of my own recently. Here's a brief lot tour of the Starr Grey Administration Building following it's remodel. The building was originally designed by Wolfsim68 as a bank and was retrofitted to operate as the administration building. The building is named for the first spokessim of the hood-Starr Grey, who was the spokessim for years of Greymount (~2003)

The county council recently alloted a nice chunk of simoleans aside to remodel the administration building. Li Yoo headed the project and offered to give the tour before the building was reopened to the public.

But first she needs to get rid of some pests.

Here's an aerial view of the first floor. There is the gift shop and archives library, conference room and offices for county members Carmela Herendez and Rebecca Wilsonoff. There's an empty office as well.

An aerial of the second floor. County Council President Fiona Kent's office, a small wedding chapel and a auditorium for press conferences. Also a few snacks and the loo.

The Gift Shop sells deposits on vacation trips. The gift shop has posters of different travel locales (in addition to the Bon Voyage posters, I also use posters from MTS2 and I am currently creating similar vacation destinations to match). If a sim purchases a poster, this is thier indication to me that they would like to travel to that location. The cost of the poster serves as thier deposit for the trip.

The Archives Library is a little corner with some books and computers for research. Eventually, Jadhira Shazad would like to see a public library for the hood, but at the moment there isn't a need for it.

The offices contain a desk and chairs for visitors and there's a photo outside the door for easy identification.

Carmela's office is where residents would go for complaints on neighbors and questions about cultural events.

Rebecca's office is for financial situations, loans and tax payments for example.

Upstairs is the county council president's office which has the best view.

Fiona's office is for the remainder or if residents simply want to talk to the top woman.

The Conference Room is for county council meetings or legal proceedings such as adoptions and divorces. Legal proceedings will start to be moved to the law office once I finish remodeling it.

The Auditorium is for press releases and speeches

The Wedding Hall is very simple, just the basics for a low key wedding.

---
I'm not satisfied with the building yet, I want a custom Apple Valley flag and simlish signs for outside. Also, I feel that the wedding hall is too fancy for a simple place to get married. I would like it to look more courthouse like in apprerance. I'm also debating adding a courtroom since I have law offices on another lot.