Braylen Franklin

Braylen Franklin is a sim that was created in Clare's Guy Rainbow Sims Challenge. He was the best friend and huge crush of Samuel Blaze Villareal and Sage Callery-Aiken had a small crush on him when she was young (bray not being interested, just sees her as a friend). Later on in the series we learned that Braylen struggled with internalized homophobia as a result of his family's views and a toxic environment.

## Toddlerhood

Sadly, nothing is known about Braylen's toddlerhood.

## Childhood

    As a child, Braylen became friends with Samuel Blaze. He always went over to Sammy B's house after school. He also went to Sebastian's teenage birthday.

## Teenhood

Sammy B confessed that he had a crush on him but Braylen, being closeted, didn't understand. However, after Sammy B made a flirtatious joke to Braylen and Micah, Braylen seemed to like it and show interest in Sammy B (around this moment he might've realised he likes Sammy a lot more than just as a friend but is not entirely comfortable with his feelings for him). Sage, deciding to try and find love, went on a dating app, which Braylen was also part of and the two went on date. In Stranger Stories episode #2 Braylen went to visit Sammy B, but seemed to be angry with him and was mean to him repeatedly which damaged their relationship. It was noted that Braylen may be lashing out at Sammy B over confusion about his own sexuality and internalized homophobia. *(Internalized homophobia can show up in the form of self-hatred, shame, fear, etc.. for many lgtbq+ community members.)*

## Adulthood

Sammy B and Braylen continued to develop their romance in the following episode, although Braylen still was very hot and cold with Sammy, alternating between flirting with him and then being angry with him and ignoring his messages. Eventually, the two went on a date to the bar in Strangerville where they both got drunk after having a few drinks. Braylen did flirt and slow dance with Sammy B, however, Braylen did not seem entirely comfortable flirting with him in public. Another girl also seemed to be flirting with Bray later there that night. Sammy B, who got very drunk, then took Braylen home where the two slept together for the first time. However, this increased Braylen's confusion about his sexuality and his feelings for Sammy. So he ran away and did not answer Sammy's calls.

A few days later Bray got invited to a party at the stranger stories' house, he seemed very upset and was seen crying infront of the mirror in the living room while Micah was flirting with Sammy. After Sammy B had learned magic spells from his aunt Holly Spicer, he used one spell - a love spell - to make Braylen fall in love with him. However, after days of thinking, Sammy B decided not to do the spell and to "let Braylen go", indicating that Sammy B would finally move on from his many years worth of crush on Braylen and just be friends with him.

Braylen visited Forgotten Hollow in episode 3 of Vampires. Sammy dip kissed him on seeing him. The two then talked in Sammy's bedroom, and Braylen recommended that Sammy should give his hair a break and stop dying it pink.

Braylen got captured by Eve Spicer in episode 5 of Vampires and got turned into one by Arya Ambrogio (under Eve's control). Eve allowed him to visit Sammy in episode 6 of Vampires, and during this meeting, he finally confessed his feelings for Sammy. He also refused Sammy's vampire cure, saying that he felt free and more comfortable with himself as a vampire and wanted to stay in Forgotten Hollow. He asked Sammy to stay in Forgotten Hollow with him, where they could be in a relationship with relatively more privacy.

When Arya was imprisoned by Eve, Braylen visited and she gave him the vial of Nausea potion. He was conflicted between betraying Eve, who had given him a new life and freedom, and betraying his friends. However, because he cares so much about Sammy and his friends, he decided to give Eve the potion. To lower her guard enough for her to drink the potion, he got her drunk on wine and flirted with her to distract her even more. He then helped Sammy subdue the vampires of the mansion.

After the final battle, he was shown to continue enjoying his life as a vampire with other vampires he had bonded with in Forgotten Hollow. Hopefully he'll finally feel free and comfortable to be who he is.

## Trivia

* Braylen was created during the Guy Rainbow Sims challenge.
* Sammy B has a crush on Braylen, but Braylen is confused about how he feels.
* During the challenge, Braylen was made as a young adult, but Clare aged him down to a child so that there were more children in the series for her sims to interact with.
* It was hinted in the *StrangerVille* episodes and episode: *Cats & Dogs #41*, that Braylen is in fact not straight but not comfortable with the idea of being out to the world.
* Braylen and Sammy had extremely drunk WooHoos.
* He is American "*with a soft american accent*" (Cr: Clare on Discord).
* Braylen was crushed on by Sammy for at least 15 years.
* It's unknown what his sexuality is, but he identified himself as straight until Braylen thought Sammy flirted with him in the last episode of the StrangerVille series (StrangerVille #5), when he made a flirtious joke to Micah Granados where both gained a little bit of romance with Sammy B.
* Braylen was almost put under a spell by Sammy to fall in love with him, but Sammy B eventually decided it was a bad idea and decided to move on from Braylen.
* Braylen has the Grilled Cheese aspiration, which cannot be given to Sims in CAS.
* Clare confirmed on the Discord that Braylen was closeted but the door was still open for him and Sammy after Island Living *#10.*
* He's one of our first sims to haveinternalized homophobia *(internalized homophobia is what happens when we take the biases, prejudices, and hatred towards gay folks reinforced by society and turn these biases inward back on ourselves)*
* He got turned into a vampire in episode 5 of the vampire series.
* Braylen and Micah have developed a close relationship off-screen. Clare noticed their friendship bar is full and the game considers them best friends, without her input.