The Sim Quarter

he/him | this is my handheld sims blog where i post about the sims handhelds

[thesimquarter]

Hello! I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about The sims 2 for the Nintendo ds, hoping you know more than what I do.

The first question is about a randomly generated text you would receive from one of you hotel guests. The text deals with something, probably an object, that sometimes appears "near to...., with a panel/sign....it's red, it flies. What am I talking about?". I apologize in advance, for I am playing this game in Italian, and although I never deleted this message from my phone, I could not find on the internet the original English text, so my translation could be a bit rough! I was wondering if this message actually hints at an event, or if it's just a joke.

The second question is about spamming: what is the purpose of spamming? Given that the computer is an expensive item, that spamming is the only feature allowed, and that it's so easy to get arrested from it, what do I gain from it? Is there some kind of reward by spamming all the people? I am currently working on it to find out, but I thought of asking anyway!

Have a nice day.

Hi!

The line in English is: "Do you know that… there's a thing… it's over by the… well, not always… with the sign… last year… it's red… it flies… what are we talking about?" To my knowledge, it doesn't hint at any events, and it's blocked in with other non-event random call text, so I presume it's just a joke, yeah.

As far as I know, outside of the responses and the chance of being arrested, spamming mail doesn't do anything/there's no rewards towards doing it. You get (non-monetary) rewards from reaching max relationship with a Sim (secrets + concept art), from defeating 25 aliens/goons (new outfits), and collecting license plates (new music).

[painfully-painful-pain]

[thesimquarter]

Hey, how are you?

I miss your hot lore drops!

I have a new fan theory for you to contemplate (if you are interested?)

Given that Jayde+Skid Mark = Ollie Mark

What do you think of Cynthia Braintrust + Busta Cruz = Elia Cruz ? (I’m thinking Splicer Island Lab Baby over a love story)

Hi! I'm doing well, thanks for asking!

Hmmmmmmm, it's not doing anything for me, personally. Cruz is a common Hispanic last name (ignore that Busta Cruz is a blatantly British Punk Man with a Hispanic surname), and Elia doesn't really SEEM like someone who would come from a cross between Busta Cruz & Cynthia Braintrust. If I wanted them to be related to Busta Cruz, maybe cousins would work better? Although, Busta Cruz says he was abandoned by an entire polycule before he was born, sooo, given that, adoptive siblings could work too!

Thinking through Elia Cruz being Cynthia's and Busta's child, though, I can't see Cynthia Braintrust or Busta Cruz having any interest in having a child either together or at all (or, I agree, being interested in each other either). Cynthia has enough on her plate with just the Splicer Island Animals (whom Cynthia is convinced would keep on trying to eat the baby), so I don't think she would pursue a child. Busta Cruz would think having to take care of a child would limit his freedom (although he'd love the opportunity to feel like he's turning a little baby into a little rebel), and I don't believe he can financially support a child. Dr. Mauricio Keyes is Unethical Mad Scientist enough that he could've Lab-Grown-Child-ed a baby for them, but I think it would actively make them both really pissed because they would Not consent to their DNA being used for this kind of experiment, especially if any of Mauricio expected them to be involved in the kid's life. And in order to get the name 'Cruz,' Busta Cruz would have to be legally attached to Elia in some way or another.

Anyways, thanks for asking again! I had fun considering this. :D

[thesimquarter]

Okay, I think I need to point out that Daddy Bigbucks in The Urbz and onward is 100% meant to be abusive. I mean, yeah, the way he treats us (especially in The Sims 2 (GBA)) is despicable, but the important part is that both Luthor and Lily are both written to be victims of his abuse. Luthor has clear emotional issues which manifest in risk-taking behaviors, volatility, being 16 and not acting 16 at all, etc., and Lily Gates... well, Daddy B overworks her and that keeps her isolated from both other people and the world at large. (Jack I. Deal also mentions how Daddy Bigbucks belittled him when he was working for him.) Both Lily and Luthor also have lines that, either explicitly or implicitly, are Very Much stuff they heard from Daddy Bigbucks, so Daddy Bigbucks is actively trying to shape their worldview as well.

[str2ngetown]

20 years of the sims 2 psp

12.07.2005 <3

me celebrating with my eng & jp copies under the cut (yes i bought a cake it’s that important)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIMS 2 PSP!!!!!

[godotswifey]

ava cadavra the sims 2 ds cosplay

(if I post my the sims 2 DS cosplay on tumblr with my occult magic book open while I give my most poignant glares at passer-bys who look at me, maybe someone will come tell me how scary and unapproachable I am.)

[bunnybananasims]

Strangetown Hotel, Strangetown - resort build #1

Strangetown Hotel is the oasis and attraction every guest wouldn't want to miss! With its elevated location and surrounding cliffs, the whole of Strangetown kneels at your feet, offering you a breathtaking view of this desert town. Relax and enjoy all the amenities and themed guest rooms this hotel has to offer. Basement is off-limits, though.

-------------------------

Continuing the 20th anniversary celebration of The Sims 2 handheld (GBA/DS) started by @thesimquarter last month, here is my own build of the famous Strangetown Hotel that I promised before! Note that this is not an exact recreation, but my own remake / reimagining of the lot from the Nintendo DS game. This is a fully-functional resort lot for The Sims 3.

This lot is 50x50 and CC-free, but I used a lot of items from EPs, SPs (except Sweet Treats) and TS3 Store. It has 5 floors in total and 1 basement, and the photos will be divided into 5 posts, so stick around! :D

This first batch features the facade and the Main Lobby with elevators and Manager's Suite (originally seen in the DS game), and a buffet restaurant that I added for the guests' use.

Tag me here if you use this lot in your saves, I wanna see this out in the wild :D and just DM me here if you encounter any issues. Thank you so much!

More photos: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

DOWNLOAD

Package file (goes to the Library folder)

[thrillainvanilla]

Sims 2 GBA Tropes

After @thesimquarter put together a list of references, I thought doing a similar post for tropes could be fun. Here's a list of some tropes I've found. Feel free to add anything!

Episodes:

Alien Invasion: Aliens Arrived

Apocalypse Cult/Mystery Cult: [Possibly] Cult of Personalities (cut episode)

Bad Date, Relationship Sabotage, Smells Sexy: A Brand New Scent

Birthday Episode: Misty-Eyed Party (cut episode)

Courtroom Episode: [Possibly] Giuseppi Was Framed (cut episode)

Fan Convention: Looking For Chaz Dastard (cut episode)

Jumping the Shark: Shark Jumping (cut episode)

Mole Men: What Digs Beneath and other episodes where Lord Mole appears

Mummy: There Was This Mummy

Out-of-Genre Experience: Several episodes, such as Shark Jumping (cut episode) or A Very Special Reunion

Power Outage Plot: Blackout!

Reunion Show: A Very Special Reunion

Saving the Orphanage: [Possibly] Rage of the Sasquatch (cut episode)

Saving the World: The Doomed Earth

The Mafia: Buried By the Mob and Triassic Trouble

Tragic Robot: It All Came to an End

Characters:

Alien Among Us: Burple and Emperor Xizzle

Androids Are People, Too: Optimum Alfred

Big Bad, Jaded Washout: Kent Hackett

Brainy Brunette: Kayleigh Wintercrest

Hidden Heart of Gold: Jimmy “the” Neck

Mole Men: Lord Mole

Mummy: Mummy [Horus Menhoset IX]

Reformed Criminal: Giuseppi Mezzoalto (though this could apply more to his character in the Urbz)

Secretly Wealthy: Jebediah S. Jerky

The Mafia: Frankie Fusilli and Jimmy “the” Neck

Plot:

Alien Among Us/Alien Invasion: Aliens appear disguised as townspeople in Aliens Arrived

Forced Transformation: @1 and Tank Grunt are shrunken down in The New Cola

Good Archaeology, Bad Archaeology: Frankie Fusilli and Honest Jackson compete to take control of the dinosaur bones in Triassic Trouble

Incredibly Obvious Bug: The cameras around town, if @1 sides against Daddy Bigbucks in It All Came to an End

Robbing the Dead: Ava asks us to rob the Ziggurat in Triassic Trouble

[thesimquarter]

Okay, so:

Phoebe Twiddle is based on Phoebe Buffay from Friends. We even have a mission that starts off with making fun of Phoebe’s dubious singing ability (a notable trait of the Friends character).

Luthor L. Bigbucks is based on Lex Luthor from Smallville. Although, the character in The Urbz is “pre-canon” to the actual character in Smallville (with Luthor’s reason for being in Strangetown in The Sims 2 (GBA) being based Lex’s (initial) reason for being in Smallville).

Tristan Legend is based on Tristan Ludlow from Legend of the Fall. Although, instead of dead brother/wife/sister-in-law angst, he just has dead girlfriend angst.

Penelope Redd is based off of Dana Scully from The X-Files. Intelligent, cool, red-headed FBI agent. Dare I say more?

The Concierge is also a dead ringer for Ted the Bellhop from Four Rooms. You can just look at the movie poster and know everything you need to know.

Daddy Bigbucks, of course, is meant to be based on Daddy Warbucks from Little Orphan Annie. …At least initially.

Sancho Paco Panza’s name is clearly taken from Sancho Panza from Don Quixote, but they made him tall and skinny as opposed to the traditional short + fat appearance of the character (definitely an intentional deviation though).

There are also a few characters based on real people (Isaac Rossum is just Will Wright, Hazel Dente’s story is based on Nannie Doss).

There are characters who take obvious inspiration from other characters (ie. Giuseppi Mezzoalto, clearly takes some cues from Fonzie from Happy Days), but I’m not sure how much and how many there are.

So… is anybody aware of any others?

[valiantnightllama]

The premise of the Sims 2 DS was inspired by the sitcom Fawlty Towers.

I've seen rumors that Crime Spree Bob was named after Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons but I'm not sure if that's true.

[thrillainvanilla]

Sancho mentions his old professor was Donald Q. Hotee as well!

I would also say that Penelope is more of a foil to Scully or a combination of Mulder/Scully. She's really gung-ho about all kinds of paranormal activity (Scully only does this for religious things). Makes me wonder if she was nicknamed "Spooky," too!

[thesimquarter]

Yeah! :D

I'd wondered about Penelope because, despite clearly being inspired by her, she didn't quite seem like the Dana Scully archetype. She's more somewhere in between Scully and Mulder. Given the aforementioned Sancho Paco Panza being tall and skinny rather than short and fat, it makes me wonder if both Sancho & Penelope are meant to represent both sides of the character duos they are a part of. I mean, Sancho talks partially in romantic and lofty phrases (ex. "When I get sad or lonely I always think of the advice my mother gave me:...") followed by very grounded resolutions ("...Sancho, don't put that in your mouth.").

Anyways, I was working on a update to this post anyways. Allow me to tack it on...

Okay, there's actually quite a lot of Smallville references. I find it hard to believe that the ending of The Sims Bustin' Out didn't come from a few members of the team watching Smallville episode 02x22 Exodus and thinking "yeah, let's just end our game like that." As the design document I shared here a while ago notes, they had a rather different idea for how to end the game originally.

The player is Superman/Clark Kent, of course. In The Sims Bustin' Out, the player gets quite a few lines referencing Superman ("I was a superhero in a past life."/"I can run faster than a speeding bullet."/etc.). This is why we're an alien who gets sent to Outer Space!

This technically makes Uncle Hayseed a Johnathan Kent expy. Which is funny to me because I also wanted Smallville Johnathan Kent's wife to leave him.

Daddy Bigbucks' face-heel turn in The Urbz was likely inspired by Lionel Luthor from Smallville. As @madraynesims points out, they explicitly tell us that Daddy Bigbucks name is (likely) Luthor L. Bigbucks II (they say his initials are "L.L. Bigbucks" in the main story; they say the Luthor Bigbucks we know is "Luthor L. Bigbucks III" in the game manual). I will note that Daddy's character has a much larger emphasis on money while Lionel's character is all about power. (But also let's be real here: is "I want to destroy all of the nice buildings in Miniopolis and rebuild them Identically but with a ticket booth" as a plan really about profits (just build a ticket booth into them... why remake the entire building?) or is it far more about power?)

I do want to point out that Smallville's Lionel Luthor (who was invented for the show) was based off of how Lex Luthor was written in comics at the time ("John Byrne Era" Lex Luthor AKA "I Killed My Shitty Parents In A Tenement Fire And Used The Insurance Money To Start My Business Empire"), and their Lex Luthor is... not that (he takes some elements from earlier versions of Lex Luthor and had a massive impact on the character going forwards, but he's kinda his own thing). He's very interesting and compelling; he’s one of my guys of all time! It's just: have you ever met a character who's begging to be saved by The Power of Love and Friendship... and is just... never given the opportunity? What if that character was in a Superman show? Yeah. Lex starts off the series terrified of his capacity for evil and with, after a life of ostracization and abuse, a desire to finally be respected for his innate value as a human being rather than for his name/status/money. He was raised by Lionel (THE WORST) in a loveless way to specifically make him evil (and Lex desperately wants Lionel's affection!), and it didn't work. So, if he's that resistant to Lionel's parenting style, what in the world could make him evil? Well, the, uh, writers will get back to you in four-to-five seasons when they figure themselves out of this corner. How fast this show got intolerable after they decided it was time for Lex to Turn Evil says a Lot lmao.

So, yeah.... Daddy's two secret lab plots are likely Smallville references too. This is likely why Luthor is the one who kicks off the time machine plot.

The Splicer Island lab is based off of Jurrasic Park, duh. Using mosquitos in amber to revive animals.

And the Time Machine's appearance is based on, well, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.

The time machine date "3978 A.D." is based on Planet of the Apes.

The time machine date "November 29th, 1984" is specifically an homage for Paperboy on the Atari... for some reason.

"Chaz Dastard's Intergalactic Space Safari" is coullld be a Star Trek reference, but that would also be pretending like Star Trek is the only space opera that has ever existed ever.

Frankie Fusilli is probably a parody of Al Capone.

Roberta Rossum has a Stepford Wives thing going on. It does stand out to me that the neighborhood is called Paradise Place and the only people there (that isn't us) that Dominic Newlow mind-controls are, well, the wives. (Circe and Hazel).

[urbania-resident]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: The Sims (Video Games), Urbz: Sims in the City Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: n/a Characters: Reader, Darius, Kris Thistle, Ewan Watahmee, Crystal, Polly Nomial, Maximilian Moore, Lincoln Broadsheet, Sue Pirnova, Luthor L. Bigbucks, Misty Waters, Lily Gates, Lottie Cash, Roxanna Moxie, Cannonball Coleman, Pritchard Locksley, Theresa Bullhorn, Bayou Boo, Berkeley Clodd, Crawdad Clem, Detective Dan D. Mann, Dusty Hogg, Ephram Earl, Giuseppi Mezzoalto, Gramma Hattie, Harlan King, Mambo Loa, Olde Salty, Phoebe Twiddle, Busta Cruz, Cynthia Braintrust, Dr. Mauricio Keyes, Futo Maki, Gary Geezer, Jack I. Deal, Sharona Faster, Daddy Bigbucks Additional Tags: nonbinary reader, Video Game Walkthrough Summary:

Behold!

The legendary Miniopolis… Here you’re just an unknown janitor… …fighting for the respect of your fellow Artsies. Your urban adventure begins…

______________________________________________________________

Here it is! The Silly Answers™ Version of the first half of chapter one. I’ll try to get the remainder of it up soon.

[verycommongengar]

oh Ava, you deserve the whole gothic world 💜🖤

It taked an eternity because stuff stuff blah blah but I want to continue my non-canon special dialogues of the sims 2 GBA/DS characters, I hope this counts for the precious anniversary celebration of @thesimquarter forgive me for being super late 😣

[cenozoec-deactivated20251112]

[ Not that kind of fuel! ]

[verycommongengar]

Misty Waters is so underrated

[ofigarofigaro]

Tristan Legend doodle

[thesimquarter]

Okay, so:

Phoebe Twiddle is based on Phoebe Buffay from Friends. We even have a mission that starts off with making fun of Phoebe’s dubious singing ability (a notable trait of the Friends character).

Luthor L. Bigbucks is based on Lex Luthor from Smallville. Although, the character in The Urbz is “pre-canon” to the actual character in Smallville (with Luthor’s reason for being in Strangetown in The Sims 2 (GBA) being based Lex’s (initial) reason for being in Smallville).

Tristan Legend is based on Tristan Ludlow from Legend of the Fall. Although, instead of dead brother/wife/sister-in-law angst, he just has dead girlfriend angst.

Penelope Redd is based off of Dana Scully from The X-Files. Intelligent, cool, red-headed FBI agent. Dare I say more?

The Concierge is also a dead ringer for Ted the Bellhop from Four Rooms. You can just look at the movie poster and know everything you need to know.

Daddy Bigbucks, of course, is meant to be based on Daddy Warbucks from Little Orphan Annie. …At least initially.

Sancho Paco Panza’s name is clearly taken from Sancho Panza from Don Quixote, but they made him tall and skinny as opposed to the traditional short + fat appearance of the character (definitely an intentional deviation though).

There are also a few characters based on real people (Isaac Rossum is just Will Wright, Hazel Dente’s story is based on Nannie Doss).

There are characters who take obvious inspiration from other characters (ie. Giuseppi Mezzoalto, clearly takes some cues from Fonzie from Happy Days), but I’m not sure how much and how many there are.

So… is anybody aware of any others?

[urbania-resident]

So, I’ve been writing up a walkthrough of the Urbz: Sims in the City (DS Version) in the form of a story. I only have up until you protest with Gramma Hattie and unlock Sim Quarter done, but I’m thinking of posting what I have. So now, I have two questions…

Would you be interested in reading? And where would you like to see it posted?

Not interested

Yes, I am interested. / Archive Of Our Own

Yes, I am interested. / Here on Tumblr

Nuance Button

Voting ended onNov 2, 2025

[somedumbfucksblog]

Here is the darius drawing @thesimquarter

I had fun with this one. Struggled with the gold chains because the metallic paint marker turned out to suck major ass, so i tried to compensate with a gold crayon but that also sucked so i said fuck it and left it as is.