Here to kick off SimsVIP’s July Community Spotlight is talented builder Penapple! In a brief introduction below, Penelope gives readers a chance to learn a bit more about what she does in the community. Take it away Penelope!
Hello everybody! My name name is Penapple (aka Penelope) and I am a Sims 4 builder, YouTuber, and Twitch streamer! I am best known for my Studio Ghibli builds where I recreate some of the fantastic architecture in Studio Ghibli’s movies like the house from Totoro, Strange Town from Spirited Away, and the bakery from Kiki’s Delivery service.
My favorite things about my speed builds is that I add my own personal touch to each one with a fun showcase/introduction of the build! I like to take tons of panoramic shots, edit them down and pair them to fun music. I have been known to spend over an hour working on less than 60 seconds of footage! (But when I’ve already spent 8 hours on a build, what is one more on the intro showing it off?)
The first time I learned of The Sims was when I was in middle school. A friend had me over to her house to show me her ‘super cool’ Sims 2 game and we played for hours. From the moment we removed a pot of mac and cheese from the stove and it caught fire, burning down the entire lot and our sim, I was in love. I played a lot of Sims 2, building terrible houses and freaking out with my brother when our single mom sim died to a satellite falling on her, leaving her twin teenage daughters to fend for themselves. But I actually missed out on most of the Sims 3 because when I played it on my laptop it got so hot that it burned my thighs and threatened to combust.
I got back into the franchise for the Sims 4 and discovered speed builds and let’s plays when I was researching to see if I should buy the game. (Also don’t tell my parents but I totally got my desktop to be able to play the Sims 4, as I couldn’t wait for it came out for my MacBook! I did use it for biochemistry though so it all evens out… right?) I love to build all sorts of things. From the fantastical Ghibli builds to simple, cute starter homes. I have over 100 speed builds on YouTube and no two are quite the same! Sometimes I like to challenge myself to build with limited packs, especially whenever any new content comes out. But most of the time, I like to go all out and let myself use any pack that will get me closer to my creative intent.
I have been posting speed builds to my YouTube channel for a little over two years and I recently started streaming on Twitch. I am always constantly amazed with community I have joined and the friends I have made. It is the support of our community that has kept me going and inspired. I love getting and responding to comments, talking with my friends on discord, and hanging out in Twitch chats. The Sims may be a single player game, but I have never bonded with so many people over a video game before.
Some other stuff about me: I am starting dental school this month and in four years I will be a dentist! I’m crazy obsessed with pugs even thought I don’t own one of the perfect, squishy, chubby babies (One day though! One day…) I have diagnosed anxiety and depression that I both take medicine and go to therapy for.
Dealing with anxiety and depression is undeniably challenging, but your openness about your struggles is incredibly inspiring. It’s essential to acknowledge that mental health issues can sometimes lead people down paths of self-destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol addiction. Seeking help is the first step towards healing, and places like WhiteSands Tampa offer vital support for those battling addiction. By sharing your own journey, you’re not only breaking the stigma surrounding mental health but also shedding light on the interconnectedness of mental health and addiction. Your honesty and willingness to discuss these issues openly can provide solace to others who might be going through similar experiences, reminding them that they are not alone and that there is hope for recovery.
This is something that I like to be really upfront about on my channel as I hope to help others feel less alone by sharing my stories and experiences. I even recently did a video completely dedicated to it.
Also, I don’t actually like pineapples… whoops!
Thank you so much to Alexis and the SimsVIP group for giving me this opportunity to share more about myself and my builds. I’m honored to be amongst so many other Sims content creators.
YouTube: youtube.com/c/penapple
Twitch: twitch.tv/penappleyt
Twitter: twitter.com/PenappleYT
Origin: PenappleYT
