sunnydayzes - Tumblr blog

[sunnydayzes]

Dina knew that she probably should have said no. If she showed up to Prom, a prom that she had planned almost every single detail of for the past few weeks, with Cassandra Goth on her arm, people would talk. And yet, when Cassie pulled out that corny sign, and was looking up at her with those beautiful eyes of hers, every resolve in her melted away. Dina used to dream about someone doing something this romantic for her; when she was younger and less jaded at the world that they lived in. And while she had never dreamed that the person asking her would be a girl, let alone Cassandra Goth, it didn't seem to matter. It was everything she could have ever wanted, and she didn't want to let that slip away.

"I can't wait to show up as your date.", Dina whispered in her ear, telling herself she would worry about Malcolm and his fury later.

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It had happened very fast. A whirlwind romance for the ages. There was a voice in the back of Katrina's head that told her that she should be concerned; that all of the flags about this guy were crimson when she should have been looking for emerald. But, she ignored the instinct. That instinct had kept her alone for years, and she was tired of being alone.

She just wanted to be happy, and Don made her happy. Wasn't that enough? She hadn't been happy in a while, and she deserved that.

He took care of her. He was gentle with her. He might have been younger than her, but that didn't matter to her anymore than it did him. She had been a teenager fresh out of high school when she made her first mistake with Vega,. and married for the sake of her girls. This time, the man had chosen her, and that was all she had ever wanted. To be chosen.

It had to work itself out. It just had to.

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Don stopped Nina after school one day and pulled her aside; away from her sister.

"I have a surprise for you.", he told her, and Nina's face lit up at this. She let her mind race with all of the things that it could have possibly been that he wanted to give to her. The fantasies almost seemed endless in those few moments, but she didn't have to wait for long.

"I'm going to ask your Mama to marry me!", he told her, giddy as could be as he pulled out a ring. "It was my mothers. Do you think she will like it? I know it's sudden but I can't stop thinking about it."

Everything started to dim and fade around her as Don tried to explain what he had planned. Dina didn't even really want to hear any of it. He was oblivious to the fact that she was interested in him, and that hurt more than anything else. But, Nina smiled and tried to be enthusiastic about what he was telling her, and that was all she could do. Even if inside she felt like her whole world was falling apart.

"Do you think she'll say yes?", Don asked, showing nervousness as he put the ring back into his pocket, hearing the key turning in the front door that signaled that her mother had also arrived home from work.

"She would be crazy not to.", Nina said, more to herself than to anyone else, as she watched Don embrace her mother and tell her that they had plans for the evening to go out to the same restaurant where they had their first date. It hadn't even been a month yet, and he was already planning to propose. It seemed like a fairytale.

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In the meantime, Nina had been spending a lot of time getting to know Don. It seemed that they could communicate with each other very easily, and they had a lot of deep, meaningful conversations. Nina had never met another person that she could talk to so easily, and one that seemed to understand her as much as Don did. It made her feel understood for once in her life, and that wasn't something that she could say she ever had before.

"You're so easy to talk to.", Nina found herself telling him one evening, not caring how it made her sound. "I've never really had that before."

"Not even with your sister?", Don question incredulously, as if it was the most odd thing that he had ever heard in his life.

"Have you met my sister?" Nina retorted, snorting through her nose as she shook her head. "No, my sister is not the kind of person you can talk to about anything. She likes to make things about her."

Don furrowed his brow before smiling at her, "You can always talk to me.", he said, and Nina believed him. She was glad that she made a friend out of him; even if in her gut she knew that she wanted more.

[sunnydayzes]

Dragon Age: Origins (2009) dev. Bioware

[sunnydayzes]

Although Dina had been concerned that her mother would see what was going on with her and Cassie outside of her bedroom window, Katrina had been too focused on Don to worry about anything. And, despite getting a promotion at work, landing an actual teaching position after months of subbing, she didn't feel the need to concern herself with her daughters at this time. She wanted to focus on her new love with Don and what it could mean for her and the future.

That night, Katrina decided to seduce Don Lothario, and they slept together. It seemed effortless to her, and she loved that she could lose herself almost completely in this man and put all her worries away into the back of her mind. They made love the whole night, and Katrina couldn't remember the last time she was this happy.

In the morning, over breakfast, Katrina asked Don to move in with her. She knew that it was sudden, and that it might upset her children when they discovered what was happening, but she found that she honestly couldn't care less. In two months, the girls would be going away to college. In two months, she could start her new life.

"When are you going to tell them?", Don asked, as they had finished their meal. Katrina shrugged her shoulders and replied "They'll figure it out. I'm not concerned.", she said as she moved to grab hold of the plates and move them to the dishwasher. "They'll be gone in two months. As far as I'm concerned, who I allow to live in my home that neither of them pay rent in is none of their business."

it was time for her to truly enjoy her life, and she was tired of letting her daughters control every decision that she made. They could accept what was happening or they could leave. It was their choice.

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Malcolm laughed, but not a joyful laugh. There was a malicious edge to it; as thought what Dina had said was completely ridiculous.

"Do you think either of us would have ever had a choice in the matter?", He asked as he rose from the picnic bench and began making his way slowly towards her. "My life has been decided for me ever since my elder brother decided that he wanted to abandon his family and fortune to chase his own selfish desires. The minute he rejected the arrangement between Cassie and him all those years ago, I knew it would fall on my shoulders to fill."

Dina had always heard the rumors that there was an elder Landgraab brother that had changed his name and had been disinherited from the family fortune, but she had never known that it was true. She had only thought it was a rumor. And furthermore, to learn that it had been this elder brother that had originally been arranged to marry Cassie, someone who was likely much younger than him at the time, made her sick to her stomach. It was as though the Goth's and the Landgraabs were stuck in medieval times, and it didn't sit right with Dina. Dina might not have believed in love, but to be robbed of ever finding it for herself? Cassie must have been going through hell.

"It's not the 1800s. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past.", Dina said incredulously, crossing her arms as she began to back away from Malcolm. She didn't like how he was approaching her and she was trying her best to keep her backdoor towards her; in case she had to run inside to escape Malcolm's infamous temper.

"Not when you're rich, sweetheart. How do you think the rich stay rich? We don't marry those that have less money than us. We marry to gain more assets. The Goth's control Willow Creek, and we control Oasis Springs. If we were to merge our families together, we would have both towns in our grasp. And my mother will not stop until we have secured our future.", he replied, an almost defeated tone to his voice as his hand reached out to grab hold of her elbow. He pulled her body towards him, securing her in place so that she couldn't escape.

Dina felt her cheeks flushed as his words whispered in her ear. It was true. She had always wanted Malcolm Landgraab, but not for who he was. But, here he was, offering to make an arrangement with her, and she wasn't sure that she could turn him down. She didn't want to make an enemy out of the Landgraabs; especially if she was trying to make a name for herself in this town.

"I have plenty to offer you, Malcolm.". Dina said softly, as his hands began to travel over her body.

"I can see that.", he said, chuckling as he released her, stepping away. "We can discuss this later. Just remember what I said. If you do anything to ruin Cassie's reputation before the engagement is announced, I will ruin you. Understand?"

She nodded her head, feeling her heart beating in her chest as he slunk his way off to the gate without saying a word.

[sunnydayzes]

unbaby-ing his face bit by bit

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everything in this family is happening too fast for me to keep up lol

[sunnydayzes]

Dina didn't really know what was happening. As soon as they had got to the gate, Cassie had kissed her. And it wasn't a soft kiss either. It was like it was planned; like it was something she had thought about doing for a long time.

And the disturbing thing to Dina was that she enjoyed it. She had never really enjoyed kissing. Not with anyone before. It had always felt like a chore. Like something she had to do to keep a boy's attention. It didn't feel that way with Cass. It felt...right. Like it was the missing piece of a puzzle she had been waiting her whole life to figure out, and that was the most unsettling part.

"You should go. Before someone sees you.", Dina said, as she pulled back away from Cassandra, aware that her mother's bedroom was right outside the window and she could see everything on the street.

"Oh. Okay.", Cassie said, defeatedly, rubbing her elbow as she tried to force a smile. "Goodnight, Di. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"You better, or I'll be upset.", Dina said, honestly, feeling the warmth on her face as she watched Cassie stroll back to house that had been remodeled into a condo unit right next door. It felt nice to know that she was close by. Maybe Dina should ask to visit her place. She would like to get to know Cassie better, and really explore whatever it was going on between them.

In the back of her mind, she knew it was probably a bad idea. After all, Cassie had already told her that her and Malcolm were engaged, and it was a "done deal". The way she talked about it made it sound like an arranged marriage, but who did that in this day and age?

Dina unfortunately felt she was left with more questions than answers, and she knew that her curiosity was going to get the best of her eventually.

She was lost in her thoughts as she made her way towards the backdoor, not wanting her mother, or even worse, her sister, to see her coming in through the front. Once she got to the outside patio, she noticed a figure sitting at the picnic table outside. He was waiting for her, and he didn't look very amused.

"Well, well, well....my suspicions were correct, I see.", the voice said as she approached, a sense of dread creeping up her spine.

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Dina could feel her heart jump into her throat at the change in Cassie's tone, and the change in the conversation all together. This felt...different. She had come out to hang out with her friends but, it was almost starting to feel like she was on a date. Dina couldn't remember the last time she had actually been on a date, but holding Cassie's hands didn't feel like friendship to her and, the more puzzling thing was that it actually felt....right to her.

"Cassie.", Dina said, pulling her hands away from her friend, shifting on the bench as she cleared her throat. "Are you and Malcolm..."

"Malcolm is my friend.", Cassie said, letting out a soft sigh as she pushed her hair back behind her ear. "But, yes....Malcolm is my fiancé. The rumors are true. We're going to be married next month at this old church in Henford-on-Bagley where his parents were married. It's all done. It's been arranged since we were children."

Dina didn't know whether to be happy that she had figured it out, or if she should be sad that Cassie indeed was getting married. She thought she would be upset that she wouldn't have a chance to marry into the Landgraab family, but that wasn't what hurt her. She didn't want to lose Cassie, and that realization hit her hard; taking her breath away as she clutched her chest.

"I know you've got it in your head that you can marry Malcolm and all your problems will go away, but I would give up and move on, Di. Malcolm is not what you think he is and he wouldn't make you happy.", Cassie said, scrunching her fingers together as she stood up. "And at the end of the day, you deserve to be happy. We all do."

Dina felt like all her plans were falling apart, but she didn't know if that was a bad thing. Maybe this was the way things were supposed to turn out. If she couldn't get what she wanted from Malcolm, there had to be someone else out there. There had to be a way.

"Come on. I'll walk you home.", Cassie said, reaching out to offer Dina her hand again. Dina smiled, and took it, lost deep in her own thoughts as she let Cassie lead the way.

She really could follow her forever.

[sunnydayzes]

ok i tried these edit fat morphs and i have some thoughts! they can all be summed up as ARF ARF ARRRRRF RRR RRRR ARGFHH RR RRGG BARK BARK HRRR HRRR BARK BARK

[sunnydayzes]

hi simblr, it's my birthday today! virgo supremacy! I decided to share one of my favorite recolors i've ever made (finally!!!). I sticker-ed up the City Living keyboard and added some other fun swatches. There is a functional version for use with the City Living EP, and a non functional deco version for both the floor and the wall! More info + download below the cut!

DETAILS:

This is a recolor of the keyboard that came with City Living, and the deco mesh separated by @pixlmonster. Unfortunately this means CL is required, I'm sorry! I was hoping the deco versions would work without CL but they do not. Mesh by pixlmonster is included.

There are 19 swatches. The first 6 are the more unique sticker-ed swatches, and some of my personal favorites. Swatches 7-11 are more patterned recolors, and the last 8 swatches are from @pictureamoebae's fluoro-pop collection. Sometimes you just need a neon pink keyboard, y'know?

You can see an unedited in game photo of all swatches right here (part one, part two, part three)

Custom thumbnails for the first swatch.

You can download a merged .package with the functional + deco versions, and they also come separated if you'd prefer to pick and choose.

CREDIT:

Thank you to pixlmonster for the liberated keyboard mesh and pictureamoebae for the fluoro-pop collection palette!

I'll be super honest: It's been a year since I first initially started this project and I didn't do a great job recording where I got all of the stickers used. I apologize. Some of them were in game assets already, found via petaluhsims' sticker sheets. Some were found via google/freepik and some came from other places that I'm sure I'm forgetting. I made the parental advisory + seattle grunge stickers on the first swatch myself. Simlish fonts were found via franzillasims' font masterpost. Thanks so much to all of the original sticker/pattern creators, all credit goes to them. I just compiled a bunch of stuff together.

thanks to sam @m0ckest for testing <3

here's an ugly GIF of all the swatches! I tried so hard to make it look better but alas. I have completely forgotten the art of GIF making. I still wanted to include it so y'all could see all of the swatches somewhat easily!

DL:

MERGED: SFS / MF

INDIVIDUAL: SFS / MF

[sunnydayzes]

Potential Plot Points, maybe? 🤔

[sunnydayzes]

"How can you say that?", Cassie asked, as she motioned towards the giant meteorite in front of them. "Where di that come from then?"

"Who knows, but even if it did come from Sixam, " Dina replied, shrugging her shoulders, "I don't think aliens from another planet brought it here. It probably fell from the sky. Like a shooting star."

"You're probably right. The meteor activity around Oasis Springs is crazy! That's why you guys have that science lab here. I want to work there one day. That's why I came here. I'm trying to get an internship.", Cassie confessed, motioning towards the bench near them so that they could sit down.

"An internship? Why would you need to work?", Dina asked incredulously, finding it ridiculous that someone with as much as money as Cassandra Goth would even think about having a job. "If I was you, I would be planning to enjoy life after high school."

Cassie's brows furrowed as she went to push up her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "You guys don't have a lot of money, do you?"

Dina bit her bottom lip as she began to wring her hands. "No.", she said softly, shaking her head. "My mother works as a substitute teacher, and moonlights at a club. Up until recently, I had a job as a barista, and Nina was working as a nanny. We've all had to work to keep up with the house. After Papa left....things ran really tight."

Dina didn't know why she was talking to Cassie about any of this stuff. She had never really even admitted that her family wasn't wealthy. They lived in a big house; they brought clothing that was brand named and expensive. They lived above their means and they wanted that to continue. That was the whole reason Dina wanted to get in good with Malcolm; she wanted to marry rich and not have to worry about money for the rest of her life.

"I'm sorry. Are you...going to college?", Cassie asked, the nervousness in her voice as she asked Dina about her future was apparent to even Dina.

"Yes. I am. I don't know what for, but I have really good grades. I've always pushed myself for that.", she explained, picking at her clothing and avoiding looking at Cassie. "I know that I come off as this dumb blonde that doesn't know anything, but....it's all just an act."

"You don't have to be that way.", Cassie encouraged, reaching over to take her new friend's hand. "And, I think, you could probably do anything you set your mind too. You would be a lot happier if you would just be yourself. I promise you that."

Dina didn't really know what to think about everything Cassie was saying to her, and she also didn't like the way that it made her feel. She knew who she was, and she was content in the role that she had carved out for herself in life.

"It's getting dark. Why don't we head outside? You should be able to see the meteor shower from here!". Cassie said as she pulled her to her feet and drug her towards the front doors and outside.

"I could follow her around for the rest of my life.", Dina thought to herself, quickly pushing the thought to the back of her mind.

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"Oh, well, I thought you would enjoy it as much as I do. Who doesn't like space?", Cassie asked incredulously, as if Dina had said something completely ridiculous.

Dina was beginning to realize that Cassie and her had very different interests, but maybe that was why every conversation with her was so intriguing. She loved her friends, but there was only so many times she could have conversations about the latest fashion trends and the latest gossip magazines before she was bored completely to tears.

"I've never really thought about it.". Dina admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "The stars are pretty to look at, but that's all it is."

Cassie shook her head, reaching out to grab a hold of Dina's hand.

"Well, I'm just going to have to prove you wrong!", she replied with so much enthusiasm as she pulled Dina through the doors to show her around. Dina was pretty sure that she wasn't going to enjoy this, but she was interested to go on a new adventure with Cassie.

[sunnydayzes]

20 YEARS ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIMS 2 September 14, 2004, dev. Maxis