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The Reynoso's: Your Friendly Neighborhood Aliens

So I recently became a full member (Yay! ^^), and I wondered what my first story thread should be about. I decided it was time to introduce anyone interested to the first family that I’ve played for multiple generations: The Reynoso's, a loveable mishmash of Aliens and Sims. And possibly Vampires in the future. They don't care where you're from, any Sim is welcome as long as they can live with the family's goals of helping humanity.

It’s not really a Legacy Challenge or anything similar. I do have a particular way of playing them, but I won't bore you with the details. Bottom line: there's a main branch and side branches. For which I've set up a few key notes to decide what to do in certain situations. It's just that these Sims just stole my heart so badly, that I feel the need to document their hijinks. :)

Table of contents:
Introductions
The Reynoso’s: History
Generation 4 - Antony
Post edited by MelanieScribbles on

Comments

  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    edited December 2017
    Introductions

    These will be kept up to date with current story, and the ages and alive-dead statuses of all Sims involved.

    Name: Jaxton Reynoso
    Current status: Deceased
    Current age: N/A
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    Pictured to the left, Jaxton is one of the two founders of the Reynoso family. Jaxton and Malachi couldn’t get married back on Sixam. So they decided to elope to Earth, planning to go back home right after. However, they ended up liking Earth way too much, and decided to stay… and start a family. Their intention has been to help the blue planet from the very start, and the couple ended up starting a Reynoso tradition of choosing careers that support that ideology.

    Jaxton currently manages a branch of a business powerhouse, known for it’s ethical conduct and supporting several reputable charities. A few of the organizations that they commonly donate to are Toys for Elders, Llama International, and The Goth Research Foundation. Jaxton keeps a close eye on the hiring and firing in the company, and makes sure that nobody uses the company’s good intentions for their own gain. He acted as a housefather when the kids were still little, but decided to start a career once they were old enough to go to school on their own.

    In his spare time, he enjoys playing chess and listening to electronica. Him and Malachi met in a Sixam club that played the music, so it holds special meaning to them both. Even in death, Jaxton still has the better dance moves of the two.


    Name: Malachi Reynoso
    Current status: Deceased
    Current age: N/A
    Pictured on the right in the previous screenshot, Malachi is of the two founders of the Reynoso family. Malachi was always viewed as more intimidating than his husband. He grew up in a bad neighborhood back on Sixam, and knows full well how to hold his own in a fight. Him and his friends regularly roamed the neighborhood, making sure other gangs wouldn’t cause trouble for innocent bystanders. After advice from a buddy, he aspired to join the police force. Though he didn’t manage it on his home planet, he now has a reputation on Earth as an amazing detective and now is the chief of the Oasis Springs police force. Though he wasn’t around as much as Jaxton, he still made for a great parent, even against his own expectations of himself.

    Even at his old age, Malachi is surprisingly strong. Someone tried to mug him in a park once… The thug did certainly not expect to be judo-thrown by an old man! Even in death, Malachi won’t hesitate to rush to the defense of both his family, and Earth in the case of a hostile invasion.


    Name: Trisha Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Elder
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    The first child of Jaxton and Malachi, Trisha was the first child to be born from the infamous Reynoso technology that allowed for same-sex couples to have a biological child. From a very young age, it became very clear that she could easily learn new skills. She eventually used this talent to become a highly influential figure in the medical world after marrying technical genius Landen Reynoso. With her knowledge and Landen’s knack for technology, they revolutionized modern medicine.

    After their retirement, they continued to attempt and cure terminal illnesses.


    Name: Landen Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Elder
    Trisha’s husband, pictured on the right, and the first to actually marry into the Reynoso family. Jaxton and Malachi happened to get along well with their neighbors the Talberts, so Trisha and Landen have known each other since childhood. Aliens were nothing new for Landen and his family, since his mother has always worked as a scientist. As he would put it: “There’s a soulmate out there for everyone. Mine just happens to be blue.”

    Landen would grow up to be a leading technological innovator in the business, and was responsible for creating a lot of newer machines that are used in the hospital Trisha used to work at. He also created several phones and matching apps, specifically made to help people with things like deafness, blindness, etc navigate the world easier.



    Name: Regina Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Adult
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    The only child of Trisha and Landen, Regina is half alien, half human. Even though she was not a full alien, she would be more connected to her Sixam roots than previous generations. She would even grow to be the family historian over time… If she wasn’t in space somewhere, that is! She currently holds a stellar career as an astronaut (pun definitely intended), and is the first family member to visit Sixam again. She now travels there on a daily basis, and enjoys growing Sixam plants in her prized garden.
    In her case, everyone more or less expected that she met her husband on Sixam when she introduced Jaxen to her parents. Regina is also the first to give birth to multiple children without technology, now being a mother of three.


    Name: Jaxen Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Adult
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    Regina's husband, he met her on one of her expeditions to Sixam. He instantly noticed her Alien heritage (blue skin is quite hard to miss), and they got to chatting about the differences between Earth and Sixam. The subject went to the history of both planets, and thing went quite quickly after that. Mere months later, she introduced him to her parents. And a few months after that, Landen and Trisha were attending the wedding! The pair had a bet for 50 Simoleons: Trisha didn't believe it would last... Her wallet would end up that exact amount lighter.

    It took Jaxen a while to figure out how to help the family, but it quickly became clear that him and Regina were destined to document the expansive history of the Reynoso's. Without them, the family history wouldn't even be known, and family bonds that exist now may have never been there in the first place. Jaxen also loves writing: he has written many guides to the family philosophy of helping Earthlings, for all ages.


    Name: Antony Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Young Adult
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    The first child of Regina and Jaxen, Antony was the wild child of the gang. Well... For Reynoso standards, that is. Most of his behavior was typical teenage hijinks. He regularly took his mother's rocket ship out for joyrides, sometimes skipped out on his homework... and ended up dating a traitor from the evil rivals to the Reynoso's: The Zerg. Chalub and Antony fell hard for each other, but it would end up getting Chalub disowned and kicked out. Antony discussed this with his parents, and the three agreed to take the teen in. This is still a point of discussion amongst the older Reynoso generations: will this lead to a risk of Zerg spies? There is still some distrust towards Chalub, but Antony firmly believes that his boyfriend is reformed.

    Antony has moved in with Chalub, and they're still getting their new house fully equipped with career-related items. In this situation, it isn't surprising that the big, ring-involving question has not come up with either of them yet. Antony himself is focusing on a career as a Scientist, and Chalub is busy with an astronaut career. For now, Antony takes the time to plan things out: What should the wedding colour scheme be? Chalub has developed a distaste for the Zerg's signature red by now, and it clashes with the Reynoso's shades of purple and bluen anyway... And if they're planning to have kids, should they adopt, or use Reynoso technology to have a biologial child? How many would they going for? For now, it's best for him to take a minute, and look before he leaps at anything.


    Name: Chalub Zerg
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Young Adult
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    Antony's current boyfriend, Chalub never agreed with his family's intentions to take over Earth and lord over the Earthlings. He had the willpower to resist their borderline brainwashing, and secretly went and befriended Sims and Vampires. The Zerg commonly view these as inferior to them, but Chalub grew to like them after learning about their culture. He always viewed Earthlings as his equals. Once his teenage years came about, so came the plan to betray the Zerg someday. That 'someday' came a little bit earlier one fateful night: he was smooching his then-new boyfriend Antony Reynoso, when he was unlucky enough to have his mother, general Litshak, walk in. She disowned him the same day, and kicked him out of her home. Alone on the streets at night, with only the clothes on his back to his name, Chalub knew he had only one place he could go... Antony's house.

    If Regina hadn't been kind enough to take him in, the Reynoso's may have never had key information about the Zerg and their inner workings. This series of events would trigger a full reform in Chalub's case, and opened up several discussions relating to Zerg traitors. Should they be welcomed into the family if the opportunity arises? Should the Reynoso's support Zerg traitors outside of the family? Because Chalub would definitely not be the last, cand they knew it. He has struggled on how to help the Earthlings for a long time, and in the end has decided to become an astronaut and reveal the secrets of space to the world. For now, he anxiously awaits the descision of how the Reynoso's truly feel about him. He feels blessed that he can at least count on his beloved Antony, and that his boyfriend's parents have his back.


    Name: Caleb Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Elder
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    Trisha's half-brother, and one of the founders of the side branches in the Reynoso family. He was an unexpected child after Jaxton ironically got abducted, but was welcomed into the family nonetheless. Malachi lovingly raised him as one of his own, and still refers to him as a son. From his teenage years onwards, it became clear that Caleb had a lot of talent when it came to artistic endeavors. He grew to be highly influential in the art world, and would create a whole new genre of paintings: Sixamism.

    He still enjoys painting in his spare time, but pretty much lets the art movement that he started take its own course. He mainly stays busy with keeping the side branches of the Reynoso family a closely guarded secret. Especially when hiding them from the rival Zergs. Should push come to shove, and a battle between good and evil happen... Then the Reynoso's have him and his family up their sleeve. The side branches are no less exceptional than the main branch, but prefer to operate in less obvious ways. And once the day comes, they will be the Reynoso's secret weapon.


    Name: Yasmin Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Elder
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    Caleb's wife, and one of the founders of the side branches of the side branches in the Reynoso family. Yasmin is the quintessential brainac: she and Caleb met at a library, she works as a scientist, and she tends to experiment at home here and there. She has mixed a lot of medicines for Trisha back when the doctor still worked at the hospital, and is responsible for bringing many new treatments to the masses. Don't let her quiet and shy demeanor fool you: she is definitely not afraid to use her hidden cybernetic enhancements when a fight with the Zerg happens.

    She regularly updates equipment designs that the Reynoso's would use when the Zerg finally execute their plan to take over Earth, and could produce those items in the blink of an eye. She abhors violence just as much as the rest of the family, but has seen first-hand that their foes can't be reasoned with. "Assuring the safety of Earth outweighs my pacifist ideals", as she would put it.


    Name: Annabella Reynoso
    Current status: Alive
    Current age: Young Adult
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    The only child of Caleb and Yasmin, Annabella was always very conscious of the nature of the Reynoso side branches. Contrary to most of her family, she didn't choose a supporting role for when the Zerg execute their plans. She took on a career as a secret agent, training for when the actual fighting happens while maintaining the facade of a regular alien woman. She plans to be in charge of training future Reynoso's willing to face the Zerg once the day comes, but focuses on maintaining her own martial arts skills for now. Most of her techniques involving using an opponent's strength against them: no matter how much power a Zerg puts in their punch, Annabella could easily have them beat by simply fighting smarter than they do.
    Post edited by MelanieScribbles on
  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    edited December 2017
    History

    All about the older generations from the main branch so far. This post will be updated as the Reynoso's have kids. :)

    The Reynoso family was founded by Jaxton and Malachi, after they eloped to Earth. Their marriage wouldn't be legally acknowledged on their home planet back in their day. The two settled in Oasis Springs, but had the plan to one day return back then. They would eventually come to love Earth so much, that they decided to stay.
    The couple agreed to help the planet and its inhabitants from their arrival onwards, and the family would take this ideology very seriously for generations to come. This would make the Reynoso’s well-loved in Oasis Springs, and would lead to the same attitudes towards them in other places where the family settled. But it would also lead to a zero-tolerance attitude towards criminal activity within the family, and unethical use of otherwise beneficial technology for the humans.

    Through Sixam technology, the founders could have a daughter sharing both their genetics: Trisha. She would go on to marry Landen Talbert and become a doctor, and eventually a chief of medicine causing many beneficial changes in the medical world. Even after her retirement, she still aspires to cure currently incurable diseases, starting with the terminal illnesses amongst those.
    Her and her half-brother Caleb would, together with their parents, firmly ingrain the desire to help Earth move forward into the Reynoso family. Landen would become one of the leading technological innovators of the world, and would go on to program many machines that revolutionized hospitals. These were used many times in Trisha’s research, and were a big factor in her breakthroughs.

    Trisha's half-brother Caleb, an unexpected child from abduction, would go on to be highly influential in the art world. He invented an entirely new genre of paintings: the Sixamism. Shortly after coming of age, he had a bad feeling he couldn’t quite place: what if something happened to the Reynoso heirs?
    He would eventually go on to found the first side branch of the family, which proved quite the advantage once the evil Zerg, the sworn enemies of the Reynoso’s, landed on Earth. He would eventually found the basis for much-needed numbers against the Zerg, and managed to keep its existence from them.

    Their half human, half alien daughter Regina would grow the desire to see her family roots and visit Sixam one day. This manifested in an advanced skill in rocket science, and a promising astronaut career. She was the first Reynoso to revisit Sixam. In her spare time, she documented her family’s history together with her journalist husband, Jaxen.
    They are the reason that this history is known in such detail. Regina would enjoy taking pictures of the family around her, which would carry on to the next generation. She was closer to her alien roots than the generations before her, and would spread important information about their powers and culture to generations to come. She would also organize the first ever Reynoso family reunion.
    Post edited by MelanieScribbles on
  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    edited December 2017
    Generation 4: Antony
    Chapter 1

    Well, now that we know about all the generations so far, let’s start this off with the latest one.

    Antony and Chalub moved into their new home today. It already has an affectionate nickname: The Peacemaker. They hope the house will bring pace in the family when it comes to how to treat Zerg traitors.
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    They'll just get themselves set up in here while everyone else discusses about possible spies and whether to support Zerg traitors outside of the ones in the family. Squabble all you want, guys, they're too busy with a bookcase that they somehow have to get up the stairs to the bedroom.

    And here’s them proudly posing in front of their not-so-little love nest.
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    And since Chalub can now socialize with any Sim without repercussion… He definitely wants to start wearing Earth clothes. The Zerg armor carries some bad memories for him. Plus, it's surprisingly heavy for how it looks and it's terribly uncomfortable. So on the weekend, Antony took him shopping. A new store had opened on Magnolia Promenade: Sixam Chique, and it claimed to cater especially to Aliens living on Earth.
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    “What about this one, Chal?”
    “Eh, the brown throws me off a little. I’m not sure if I can pull it off.”
    “Can’t know until you try it on.”
    “Fine, but only because it’s you.”
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    “Hmm, a little warm for this time of year, but I like it.”
    “Well, let’s make this your first Earth outfit, then!”
    He was trying to hide his annoyance at the clerk hovering over them since their arrival. But it was to be expected, he guessed. Not everyone had fully realized that he was reformed, after all.

    “Hey Antony, these are pretty nice for a second one.”
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    “Um, why is everyone staring at me like that…?”
    “Because you look awesome.”

    Afterwards, Chalub was happy to be back home. Big crowds aren’t really his thing, especially if a lot of people start paying attention to him all of a sudden.
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    But Sim culture definitely has a lot of perks: armor that you felt every time you moved was pretty much the norm for him in the past, but their clothing was pleasantly light. Yup, a former Zerg could definitely get used to this.
  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    Generation 4: Antony
    Chapter 2

    Meanwhile, in the former home of the Reynoso founders, Trisha and Landen discuss Chalub’s presence in the family. This is the first Zerg traitor the family is dealing with. And he’s dating their grandson, no less! Their daughter Regina may have welcomed him, but the grandparents aren’t really sure if he’s getting their blessing just yet.
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    Landen was hoping to finally be rid of this issue, once and for all. This topic had been on the table for weeks now, and this is definitely not how he imagined retirement.
    “Trisha, darling. I feel that we should welcome him! He has important information on the Zerg’s inner workings. Information we might need should we not be able to foil their plans in its early stages.”
    The frown on his wife’s face indicated that it was still far from over. “Oh Landen, you know I love you…”, Trisha grumbled, “But you’re too much of an optimist sometimes. What if he’s a spy? The Zerg are a wily bunch, and I wouldn’t put it past them to pretend to disown one of their children. Granted, Chalub wearing Earth clothes throws me off a little… Those Sim-haters would probably not allow that unless it was a last resort. But I still have this odd feeling that I can’t quite place. He’s hiding something, and I can tell it’s something important.” Landen shrugged. “It could be plans for great-grandchildren that he’s hiding. Hope we can live to see them learn to walk, though…”
    Trisha couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of tiny, toddling great-grandchildren. She had already enjoyed spoiling Antony rotten when he was little, and was overjoyed when Michaela was born. “I do hope it’s that, Landen… But forgive me for being a little wary about an allegedly former Zerg.”
    Suddenly, the two were struck silent by noises from the family graveyard.

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    “I have had about enough of this. Day after day, the same old song about this Chalub fellow.” Malachi, one of the founders of the Reynoso family, was not happy to be awakened by the discussion. Phasing through the wall, the silence grew even heavier as he floated into the room.
    “If I may interject in your little argument?”
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    The situation took a bit to sink in with both Trisha and Landen. The ghost of Trisha’s dead father, right in his former living room! She was the first to break the silence.
    “Father!?”
    “Pa? It can’t be!”
    Malachi sighed. “It’s really me, Applesauce.” His nickname for her as a child. Trisha knew that it had to be him. “Landen, it’s like you’re trying to catch flies with your mouth open like that.” Landen gulped. Yup, that was definitely Trisha’s scary dad. “All your bellyaching about this Chalub fellow…”, Malachi continued, A guy can’t even catch a wink of eternal rest here!”
    More rumbling came from the graveyard.
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    “Oh plumbob on a stick, now Jaxton is up too! Let’s solve this once and for all. From the Netherworld, I have some digging on this guy. There are things not even the Zerg can cover up, and the police database is definitely not ghost-proof. To keep a long story short: I can assure you that he IS NOT a spy. Trisha, your hunch that he’s hiding something was not wrong. What he IS hiding, is not up to me to tell. He needs to tell everyone that on his own. All I can tell you is that Chalub is not working for general Litshak Zerg. Heck, all his siblings now despise him, and that’s been rough on the kid. Give him some time, he’ll come out of his shell soon enough.”
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    Trisha had an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry, father. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like that. You taught me to do more research than I did. I’ll let Chalub open up to us at his own pace. You can’t choose parents after all, and he happened to get the short end of the stick with his. The kid has been through heck, living with the Zerg founders of all people.” Landen nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that Zerg lady in the morning would traumatize anyone.” A short giggle went through the room. “But we’re sorry for waking you up, pa. Trisha’s right, we should be patient. I'd love to invite him over and give him the good news, but that would be defeating the point.” Trisha nodded. "Well, I'm glad this whole thing is taken care of. I could use some sleep, this issue has kept me up for a few nights." She paused to yawn. "Please don't be too noisy in your haunting, dad." Landen quietly gulped. Alone with the ghost of detective Malachi. This was his first date with Trisha all over again.
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    Hi @MelanieScribbles just letting you know, I'm really enjoy where this story is going so far (it has actually a lot of similarities with mine) which makes it extra awesome and interesting. I also love how you've got the backstory all written out for us, which makes it a richer read. I particularly love Chalub - think he's so cute, and I can certainly see why you like Trisha. My offer to sketch her is still open. :)
  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    @simscognito Glad to hear you like it so far :) I kind of had to write out the backstory for the whole thing to make sense to people who have never heard of them. It's a relief that it actually adds to the ongoing story. Chalub is actually tough to write in some ways, but he's definitely worth the trouble. And he just screenshots so well: I don't know, but every time I pause the game, he's one of the few that I don't have to pose all that often. Most of the non-posed Sims have their eyes closed or something like that when I go to pause everything for the shot. Looking at you, founders! :D

    I'm sending the reference now, sorry for the late message. New Year's really tired me out.

    I've read Friends and Foes up until the latest chapter: I can definitely see the similarities. I think that if Oak were still alive, her and Chalub would've gotten along if they'd happen to meet. I really love the whole monarchy-based politics system, maybe my love for fantasy-genre games has made me a bit of a sucker for those. It's really refreshing to see it set in a modern era, though. It's interesting to see a take on where a first-world absolute monarchy would stand, always nice to see people put thought into how politics affect a story. I'm especially curious to see where Henry and Alex are going. Henry being all shy has to be the most adorable thing ever. Very glad to see Vampires in the story, it's one life state I'll never get tired of playing. Paris is getting real close to beating Caleb Vatore when it comes to my favorite Vampires.
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    @MelanieScribbles aww thank you for your kind response. I'm so glad you're enjoying Friends of Foes. Loved the pics you sent me. Oh yes, I get you with the poses. :D Although, for me, everyone else is alright, it's just Henry and Alex who are little rascals, particularly when they're in the same scene. :D
    Aww I've never thought about it, but yes, Oak and Chalub could get along - she's actually a quarter alien, so might know a thing or two about Alien society in theory.
    As for your screenshots of Chalub, yes he does and I think it's because you allow him to keep his expressions in the scene, if they work. Although, my favourite screenshot is him sitting on the sofa. He looks so adorable in that pose!
  • joyfulsimmerjoyfulsimmer Posts: 50 Member
    Hi! I am really enjoying this story! I ca't wait to read more!
  • MelanieScribblesMelanieScribbles Posts: 161 Member
    @joyfulsimmer
    Thanks, glad to hear you're enjoying it :) I'm currently working on chapter 3, I wish work drama wasn't weighing me down on time this much. I'm already catching up on lost writing hours during the holidays.
    Also: welcome to the forums. ^^ You look like you just became a member, like I did recently.

    @simscognito
    I feel you, one screenshot for chapter 3 took me a total of 3 tries: one because the plumbob bait walked into the shot, one because Antony walked out of the room, and one because Chalub walked out of the room. Sit your butt down on that couch for more than 2 seconds, Antony! :D He should've had the Active trait, I swear. Glad you like Chalub so much. To be honest: I didn't really expect him to get more attention than his boyfriend, but I'm still glad I set him up to reform. :)

    I definitely let them just keep their expressions sometimes. Half the time, I feel that some modded poses look too 'model-ish' for the characters' personalities. As if they're actors on a stage that you're watching, instead of people living their life. I mean: for llama's sake, even poses marked as 'casual' look like they're posing for Instagram. So if the vanilla game has a good screenshot in it if I pause it right, why waste time scrolling through an entire pack for a pose that won't fit properly?
  • simscognitosimscognito Posts: 16,599 Member
    @MelanieScribbles yes, it's hard to get poses that don't try to turn your sims into 'expressionless' models. Sometimes you just want to portray regular people, not posers for fashion magazines. :D That's why I use custom poses sparingly, and I also make my own. Aww, but you must have noticed Chalub is particularly cute? His personality helps with that too, especially the part where he was trying on clothes with his boyfriend. <3
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