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choicesficwriterscreations · 7 months

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October 2023 WOTM: peonierose

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @peonierose. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog: peonierose Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Peonie or PR is fine 🥰

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played?

Way back when Choices first launched. My first book was The Freshman Series - book 1. It was so fun to play the books and get super excited for new chapters. I was waiting until midnight for new chapters. It was the first time I’ve played an app where I could make decisions and use diamonds for VIP scenes 😍

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the Choices fandom back in 2021. I really missed Open Heart after book 3 ended (and left me wanting more) So I wanted to see if there were any more stories I could binge, and that’s how I stumbled upon Tumblr 🥰

3- How did you pick your blog name?

It may sound weird but it just came to me. Peonies are my favorite flowers. As soon as I thought peonie I quickly added rose and I was like that sounds so cool and it’s unique which I love 😍 And that’s how peonierose was born.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!

Gosh. This feels like forever ago. When I first came on tumblr I didn’t post or reblog much 😅 (too shy to interact with anyone 🙈)

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

It has been 2 years in August this year since I’ve actively started writing fanfic 🥰 (I still can’t believe I actually made the leap and decided to post any of my stories).

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

You’re really going to make me choose? There are so many good ones 😱

I love to write for two of my favorite books which are Nightbound and Open Heart. Those are the ones I feel most connected to 🥰 Though I’d love to venture out and make edits or social media posts for other choices books too.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

I wrote Robin‘s Tell-All from TNA, and it was the first fic I’ve ever shared. I really wanted to write a story from Robin‘s POV and how all that happened in TNA affected him and all the mistakes he made.

I wanted to showcase his inner struggle.

I remember how nervous I was to post something that I’d written. I thought to myself, will people even like my story? And if they do like it, then what? It was a great rush to see the reblogs, and the love for my first-ever posted fic.

If I could change one thing, it would probably be the moodboard 😅

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

That is a tough question, because to me every fic I‘ve written has a special place in my heart. So every story reflects the feelings I’ve felt while writing my story.

Buuuuut if I had to choose: It would be a tie between By a Landslide (Bryce and Luna), the 3rd chapter of my Nightbound series - Unexpected and Go with the Flow (Luna & Bryce)

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I actually didn’t think I’m a sucker for you, A Pinch of Pink and Blue…This one‘s for you, Cinnamon Sugar and Wildflower, to be as well received as they did.

However, I think Bittersweet Symphony and Losing Game (1 / 4) could use some more love.

Both stories are amazing and I think you’ll love both my pairings. Luna & Bryce and of course Maxine and Adam.

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I am by no means a smut writer 😅 Maybe I’ll get there 😅 But I’d go with a mix between angst and fluff. I think a nice balance between these two would be good.

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Yeah. Tons of times. Take Luna for example. She has anxiety like me, and her appearance, such as her blue-green eyes and dark blonde hair, are like mine. But character wise we’re complete opposites. I wish I’d be more artistic like her 🩷

And Bryce is an Aries like me, and so many things he says or does make me go back, and I’m like, yeah, I would say something like that. Other than that, I’ve learned to give my characters real flaws and make them human, if that makes sense. But it does happen that they end up with character traits that are mine, and then I lean back and realize I’ve given my characters some of my weird and quirky character traits 🤣

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Damn. Umm…I struggle with a lot of things. Finding the right words sometimes because English isn’t my first, not even my second language. I speak six languages, so it's sometimes hard to find the words to describe things.

Showing, not telling that’s another thing I struggle with.

That and if I have to keep a deadline to post something 🤣 Because it takes me forever to post anything I’m not 100% behind and happy with.

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

How much time you’ve got? I have over 30 wips, that want some desperate attention, and I always keep adding new wips, whenever something inspires me to write 😅

I’ve found some new inspo for Somewhere Only We Know 🥰 Apart from that I’d love to take another look at my two AU‘s Amber & my Nightbound series. So we’ll see what wips I can manage to finish 😅

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Sure. I’d love to get an outside opinion of my work and my characters that are so beloved and close to my heart 🩷

I actually tell people that I write fanfic and original work. And I’ve sent some samples their way and they liked it. Which makes me feel more confident in my writing (not saying it’s perfect, there’s always room for improvement, but it’s getting better).

As for which story to start? I’d say start with Only Love for Bryce and Luna. That was my first story of them and I consider it their start.

Then continue with Always & Forever and Go with the Flow.

Those were my first posted stories about Luna & Bryce and I think you’ll like them. It would give you a good understanding of my storytelling and my characters.

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

There are a couple of authors I admire - Chloe Neil, Elise Kova, Nalini Singh, Rachel Caine (R.I.), Rebecca Yarros, and many more. They have influenced and shaped my writing, my fantasy world-building, and, of course building my characters. These authors know how to tell great stories, which makes me admire them so much.

As for fanfic writers who’ve inspired me? I’d love to give a special shoutout to one of my closest friends who’s been my beta reader for almost anything @annieruok She’s an amazing person and writer. Thanks so much for all the times listening to my ramblings about scenes and characters 🩷

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series?

My Nightbound series hands down. That is a story that really deserves to be on the big screen or as a Netflix show. I’m not picky.

I’d love to see Grey, Gretel and Hänsel kick some ass. It’s a unique enough story to garner some attention 🥰 I’ve worked really hard to write it and it took me a year to come up with chapters, character names and so forth.

Also Somewhere Only We Know would be cool to see on the big screen. I’d probably weep from joy if any of my stories were ever developed as a movie or series 🥰🥹

17- Do you write original fiction?

Yes, I actually do. I have several original works in my Google docs. And just recently, I had an idea for another original story (I don’t feel comfortable sharing it yet) 🥰 But let’s just say it’s fun to come up with the characters and world-building and everything in between.

18 - What other hobbies do you have?

Reading books, trying out new recipes in the kitchen. This also reminds me I need to exercise more 🤣

Taking walks & going shopping.

Hanging out with friends and binge watching shows and movies on Disney+ and Netflix. Just trying to enjoy every single moment that every day has to offer 🩷

19 - What’s your favorite emoji?

It’s a toss between these three 🥰😍🩷 (What can I say I love pink 🩷 not just because of the new Barbie movie and the pinkmania 🩷)

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone. For being picked as writer of the month is a huge honor 🥰 Thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to read my stories, reblog them, and leave some unbelievably nice words.

I’m very grateful that you guys took the time to shower me with love. Sometimes, I wonder what I did to deserve some of your nice words and love. I also wanted to give a special shoutout to some of the people who are very dear to me. 🩷

Thank you guys for supporting me. Being there for me - through great and not so great times - I‘ll never be able repay your kindness 🩷 You guys make me strive to be a better version of myself and I couldn’t be more happy to call you my friends 🩷

@annieru0k @cariantha @txem @doriopenheart @mysticalgalaxy @aallotarenunelma @inlocusmads @heavenssexiestangel @socalwriterbee @secretaryunpaid @ofmischiefandmedicine @starrystarrytrouble @the-pale-goddess @takemyopenheart @quixoticdreamer16 @princess-geek @eleanorbloom

#choices fic writers creations #cfwc writer of the month #playchoices #choices the stories you play #writer of the month #peonierose #october 2023 #choices fanfic #playchoices fanfic

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deepdisireslonging · 1 year

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Some Old Favorites

I was reminiscing, looking back through my masterlists, and I wanted to reshare some smutty fics. They didn’t get a lot of love back in the day because I didn’t have many readers yet. Some of you have found them and loved to read them as much as I loved to write them. But I wanted to share them with some of my new friends/followers too. Happy Reading!

DC Comics:

Two Hoods, One Revenge: The reader has nightmares of the day that turned her into a vigilante. Jason helps her keep them at bay; first with soothing words, then with something more hot and heavy.

Hickey Victory: Dick gets his hands on a marshmallow gun… but he forgets about your nerf gun stash. Shenanigans occur.

A Night at the Theater: A mission demands the public appearance of Bruce Wayne and yourself at a theater. The mission is quickly put to rest, which leaves you plenty of time to appreciate your husband during intermission.

A Nightly Affair: Nightwing keeps mistaking your apartment for his and you two grow very close. Very. Close. So close as to put you in danger, unless Nightwing can find you first. [Series Masterlist]

Marvel:

In the Eye of the Beholder: Part 1 | Part 2 : The reader gives an unexpected lap dance. Bucky approves.

All in a Night’s Work: The reader come face to face with the sniper that has been evading them for years. When things don’t go according to plan, Loki distracts them till they can get some much-needed rest.

Dirty Lips: When Y/N introduces a swear jar to the team, Steve takes it upon himself to fill it all by himself.

To Love the Sea: Y/N is the daughter of a sea-side innkeeper. The area is known for its draw for pirates, but one pirate is feared above all others: Captain Loki. He offers to take her on adventures; is she willing to take the plunge? [Series Masterlist]

Supernatural:

The Pointy End: You are research headquarters at the bunker while Dean, Sam, and occasionally Cas, are on cases. Dean comes home to you after a very long case, with a surprise. (My very first fic!)

Deep in the Archives: Sam takes the reader to a rare books library while they look for a spell book not at the bunker. The reader is focused on the task, but Sam’s roaming hands are a distraction.

Satisfied: An imagine of Castiel using his grace on you.

SPN History Challenge: A Werewolf in Whitechapel: The Winchesters and the reader go to London during the Whitechapel murders, also known as the Jack the Ripper murders, with the theory that the perpetrator is not human. They are correct, but when the killings don’t stop, the team has to retrace their steps and riddle out what stone they left unturned. Written for @kittenofdoomage and @saxxxology-main SPN History Challenge.

Boxer!Dean AU: Consequences: Y/N gets dragged to a boxing match by her friends where she meets Dean “Raisin’ Cain” Winchester, a boxer who is forced to win or lose depending on how much money his bosses want to make in matches. Can their combined effort break the fixed boxing ring? [Series Masterlist] (No smut, but still a favorite)

Wrestling Fics:

Chiffon in the Streets, Lace in the Sheets: The reader and Elias are newly married and ready to enjoy their first night as man and wife, but a few things get in the way first. (WWE)

Dangerous: After defending herself at a bar, Y/N impresses the dark figure sitting in the corner booth. Prince Devitt further impresses her. One thing leads to another, and she welcomes knowing him better. (NJPW)

A Reflection of Us: The reader gets a slight injury in a match. Roman takes his time making sure the reader is safe but very satisfied. (WWE)

Troublemaker: The reader ran off with something belonging to Kenny Omega. He makes sure she pays for it. (NJPW/AEW)

Doubt Comes In: While Rosemary battles Su Yung in the Underworld, Y/N meets and welcomes a new face to TNA. But two battles are raging instead of one. If Y/N is victorious, can she settle the insecurities in Rosemary’s mind? (Answered request) (TNA)

Sister in Arms: Finn can’t seem to shake the effects of his feud with Bray Wyatt, so an old friend comes to help. Then Y/N finds herself battling on two fronts: in the ring and in her mind. [Series Masterlist] (WWE)

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wrestlingarsenal · 9 days

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In the early Aughts, my favorite Tag Team was "America's Most Wanted" -- James Storm and Chris Harris. These two studs were booked nearly every week to suffer some incredible beatings on TNA Wrestling. In 2004, they were involved in a Handicap Match which I wrote about on my old Wrestling Arsenal website 20 years ago today, on April 11, 2004 (and continuing the following week on April 18, 2004).

It seems James Storm had injured his shoulder and couldn't wrestle, so the promoters booked his partner, Chris Harris, against one guy from their rival tag team -- the Naturals. Harris won, so the Evil Promoter forced him to immediately wrestle the other member of the Naturals! THEN THE POOR WHIPPING-BOY WAS FORCED TO WRESTLE BOTH OPPONENTS AT THE SAME TIME in a HANDICAP MATCH! (I's all worked up because I love unfair 2-on-1 tag team beatings.) TNA was notably homo-erotic in those days, and also got good ratings. Hmm, I wonder if those go hand-in-hand?

To revisit and update my old static images describing this sadistic scene, I went and found this episode of TNA Wrestling (which aired as a pay-per-view on 2/25/2004) and created this edited video, focusing on the "Wildcat" in agony. I mashed the two preliminary singles matches together with the Handicap Match to make it seem like one long, glorious, two-against-one torture scene. I must say, Chris Harris looks great selling in his tight blue trunks and tall shiny boots, and his partner is adorable outside the ring worrying about him, looking like a chubby Jordan Catalano.

#project 20 #wrestling arsenal website #wildcat chris harris #cowboy james storm #the naturals #america's most wanted AMW #two against one #double teaming in wrestling #tag team wrestling

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yourqueenb · 7 months

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I'm not going to lie, TBBaby is so far the first book from PB that I feel such loathing for that I can't read a chapter (I've read 2 and will probably watch screenshots of the rest) - even TNA didn't turn me off like that. I think it's because the MC (and the writers) focus so hard on idealizing LI (In my game is man) just by his appearance - not what a rotten person he is. It seems to me that Daphne's behavior (over-controlling, for example) is due to this very reason. You won't tell me that someone who professes affection and kisses a girl he met on the same day with such ease (while in a relationship) hasn't done it before. In marital problems, the fault usually lies on 2 sides, and you can clearly guess that the "crystal" LI also has a lot on his conscience. But no one will ever say that in this kind of stories. What do you think?

‼️‼️‼️ I wholeheartedly agree with you anon. I think I said something vaguely along those lines in one of my posts about it. Like I’m sorry, but I refuse to believe that Cole or Sam or any other copy and pasted LI they use in these types of books is perfect and their wife/fiancée/etc. is just this awful dragon of a woman who they can’t escape. That’s not how logic works. And it’s not good storytelling. The characters lives didn’t start only when the book did. And our MCs can’t determine all the dynamics of their relationships after 2 interactions.

No wonder Daphne called screaming in the first chapter. And no wonder her mother gave Cole the third degree when we got to the mansion. I hate how PB tries to portray these women as crazy and overbearing, even more so because they use our MCs to do it. What those interactions actually show is that the LI most likely has a pattern of behavior that is causing them to react in those ways. As you said, no one in a relationship would behave the way Cole did upon first meeting MC and in that guitar playing scene if they haven’t already done it before. I don’t care how great the attraction is. And the fact that Cole steamrolled Daphne in the decision to make MC their surrogate has so many gross implications. To me it looks like he just wanted to get MC in their house no matter what.

Also, you can’t tell me that he’s trapped in this marriage with Daphne or that he even had to marry her to begin with. Cole is a young, attractive billionaire. I highly doubt it was a struggle to find a desirable woman who wanted to have kids before marrying Daphne, even if there was no Bytech and no fortune yet. Idc what excuse PB tries to come up with. And that was my problem with Sam in TNA. The excuses just don’t hold up when you consider how these people are characterized. Sam was grown, had been married before, and was way beyond financially stable. There was no reason for him to be pissing his pants about telling Mason Sr. he didn’t want to marry Sofia or for him to be worried about leaving a legacy for the twins. It’s lazy plain and simple

#choices tbb #choices the billionaires baby #choices #choices stories you play #playchoices #and before anyone says anything I’m not saying Daphne is trapped either #or that she’s perfect #based on what we know rn she absolutely could leave #and I’m sure she has probably contributed to the breakdown of her and Cole’s marriage #but the problem is that PB will never acknowledge any of Cole’s wrongdoings but they’ll acknowledge all of Daphne’s #bc God forbid we have nuanced characters #and God forbid they acknowledge that cheating is wrong when MC does it besides a slight feeling of guilt every now and then #sorry this got kind of long though #tldr I agree with you anon lol #choices app #choices ask

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zoeywades-spouse · 1 year

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Choices will use the same plot of a small-town girl plucked out of obscurity and shoved into a high-fast and high-paying job that has a forced male LI and an enemy that is almost always a woman who vies for the attention of the male LI and then PB will repeat this five times over

#while the female LI gets little to no screen time #playchoices #choices #choices stories you play #laws of attraction #laws of attraction 2 #the nanny affair #tna #I’m blanking on the names of other books but I know they’re there

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jerzwriter · 2 months

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Now, if y'all don't know my #1, you clearly don't know me! lol

TOBIAS. FREAKING. CARRICK. (OH) Dude- PB - WTF were you thinking? Or not thinking might be more appropriate here. Not only did this ho want to romance him, but the juicy story that would have delivered in Book 3... it was RIGHT THERE ... low hanging fruit... and PB blew it.

Olivia Nevrakis (TRR) - I mean, who doesn't love a sexy, hot redhead who dresses to the nines with at least six switchblades hiding in her couture? Liam, who? Drake, who? Maxwell, Who? And Hana is sweet and all, but I am not that into sweet. Liv, they did us dirty!

Robin Flores (TNA) - OK, I only liked TNA1 (2 caused me pain, so I stopped reading & never opened 3), but I enjoyed 1. It's fun, babes; you want a McDonald's burger every now and then, right? But I digress. The story would have been SO much more fun if Robin had been an LI, and not for nothing. I think he had much more in common with my MC than Sam ever did. I said what I said.

Aurora Emery (OH) - I really thought they were going there... then they didn't. She had the same curmudgeonly attitude that Ethan did at the start, and MC wore her down, the same way she did Ethan (at least in my playthrough). I think they could have worked well, and how could you say no to Aurora in that red dress?

Jackie Varma (OH) - Oh, wait? What? She was an LI you say? Wow, well, based on the four mediocre scenes per book we got... I almost forgot. Jackie should have been given equal billing... because it almost feels like she was not an LI.

Baz Mirani (OH) - I freaking love Baz. Like... love Baz. He is the perfect best friend, and buddy, a little frumpy with a tummy character that is so adorable, caring, and fun that one day he and MC could be playing video games together, look at each other, and just go - "Oh, fuck, yeah... we could do this!"

Harper Emery (OH) - Again. The storyline could have been great. MC falling for Ethan's ex... come on! And I'm sorry, but Harper is a gorgeous, sexy, brilliant, badass woman - what's not to fall for? (Let's not talk about Book 3, Harper, Book 3 is NOT canon.)

Cassidy (WTC) - OK she didn't last too long, but if she would have lasted longer, she would have been a fun LI. I loved her edge, and she would have been a 10 times better option than Sledge. (Look at me, I rhymed! lol)

Horatio Santos (LH) - We could use another quality Latine LI in the Choices galaxy, and I don't know. He reminds me of the guys from Brooklyn that I used to date back in the day. He would have been a good choice.

Xanthe (ACOR) - Because OMG, was she hot as hell.

This was fun! :)

@choicesfandomappreciation

#ChoicesFanworksDay

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colossal-niamh · 4 months

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You know, looking back in the year it’s kinda funny how much good will Wizards of The Coast and Hasbro squandered. Especially since Baldur’s Gate 3 and Honor Among Thieves dropped this year, literally the 2 best jumping on points for DnD I’ve seen since Crit Role started. But to counterbalance any of the hype these 2 pieces of media accumulated there’s the attempt to change the OGL, the multiple times WoTC has been caught using AI art in published books, and the mass layoffs that just happened. If I wasn’t a wrestling fan I’d be surprised by how much this corporation undermines any goodwill it’s built up. Like for those in they know, they’re running TNA 2010 numbers of dropping the ball

#dungeons and dragons #dnd #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 #d&d honor among thieves #wizards of the coast #hasbro

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moodmusicmonday · 11 months

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Whew! This playlist has a little bit of EVERYTHING! You're gonna get hyped to party, lost in your own heart-eyes, and then finally tripped up in your angsty-crying feels. It's pretty amazing, and we are so thankful to our writers for sharing their music inspo! So, go ahead! Check it out! Turn it on while you do your day! And don't forget to check out these fics when they come out! Like, comment and reblog these writers! Mention that you love their music inspo!

Dying to read a fic NOW? You're in luck! We have a newly released fic listed below! Look for the 📖, and click on the link!

We love y'all! We will see y'all in June! 🌞

🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

@ao719

“Dusk Till Dawn” - Zayn ft. Sia; Vancross, Chapter 15: I’ll Be With You (multiple crossover; Liam Rys x f!OC)

“In My Veins” - Andrew Belle; Best Kept Secrets, Chapter 14, Everything Will Change (TRR; Liam Rys x f!OC)

@bebepac

📖 “When You Believe” - Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey; The Life of Riley Book 2, Chapter 8: Garden Party Photo Op [TRR; Liam x Riley]

@cariantha

Back to the Starting Line [OPH; Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Sawyer Brooks)]

”Hard to Say Goodbye” - Ekali, Illenium “Crash” - Usher

@peonierose

Once, Part 4 & 5 [TNA/OH; m!Sam Dalton, m!Robin Flores, Ethan Ramsey]

“Once” - Maren Morris “Long, Long Time” - Linda Ronstadt “Already Gone” - Sleeping at Last “Just Breathe” - Pearl Jam “Blue” - Sigrid

@socalwriterbee

“Dive” - Ed Sheeran; TBD, Part 3 [OPH; Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Tessa Martinez)]

@tessa-liam

Marabelle, Chapter 5: Lights Out, Beaumont Bash 2 [TRR; Liam Rys x f!OC (Sophie Taylor)]

“Unchained Melody” - the Righteous Brothers “I Gotta Feeling” - Black Eyed Peas

@txemrn

“Pearls” - Samantha Gongol; TBD, a Royal Roulette (TRR; Liam Rys x Riley Brooks-Rys)

“8 Letters” - Why Don’t We; TBD, one-shot [TNA crossover; m!Sam Dalton x f!OC (Caroline Austin); m!LI x f!OC (Caroline Austin)]

🎵🎶🎵🎶🎵🎶

#mood music monday #moodmusicmonday #choices mood music monday #choices mmm #spotify #choices fanfic #choices fanfiction #choices music inspo #music inspo #Spotify

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boneandfur · 6 months

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Dirty Little Secrets... oof. What can I say? Well... they tried. But I'm only three chapters into my diamond mining and I should have named my MC Pickmeisha, come on, an evening gown for a house date?! Really?!

See, I don't play as myself, but often MC makes similar decisions to what I myself would make on my first play through, and a house date is right up there with a coffee date.

Oh well, maybe it gets better. Then again, this is the app that put out TNA.

Book rating: 1/2 star out of 5

#playchoices #choices crit #rant #dirty little secrets choices #dsl choices #choices #choices vip

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cadybear420 · 25 days

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Cadybear's Reviews- A Courtesan of Rome

Welcome to the fifteenth official Cadybear's Reviews post! Ironic that this is the fifteenth. Unfortunately this is about 10 days late for Ides of March this year. Today I'll be talking about A Courtesan of Rome, which I have ranked on the "Platinum Tier" at 9 stars out of a possible 10. My last playthrough of this story was around November-December 2021.

I’m rather fond of this one.

This is one of the few MCs where it makes sense for them to have a lot of pre-set aspects about them, and for the record they did do a fantastic job establishing it via the flashbacks. And even then, they also manage to give us enough player agency by allowing us to choose her motives, methods, and goals. So it’s a very neat and fair balance between pre-set and flexible.

This is also one of the few pointfully genderlocked books– while male courtesans did indeed exist in Ancient Rome, they’d likely have had vastly different experiences to that of female courtesans. Chances are, the male MC version would have so many dialogue changes that it’d basically be an entirely new book. Don’t get me wrong, I’d definitely love to see a male MC version of this story, but I can understand why PB would genderlock it.

Admittedly the story can drag at times, and the “8 years ago in Gaul” flashbacks can be a bit of a trudge (granted they do set up the story well), but it is worth it. My only real problem is that according to some fans who are history experts, this story does stray a lot from historical accuracy. But I guess not every periodical story is gonna be perfectly historically accurate.

That, and also the way they handled Xanthe is just… not good. Other people have explained it better, but basically, in a general sense, Xanthe isn’t much different from MC. Both are courtesans as per being victims of human trafficking, both are forced to rely on seduction to survive and overpower men– but the story villainizes Xanthe, while MC is pushed as heroic and morally grey/complex for the exact same shit. All because… Xanthe is kind of catty towards MC?

I didn’t think much of it in either of my two playthroughs, but I’ve seen other people bring it up and looking back… it’s too major to ignore. It’s hypocritical at best, and has some very troubling (racist) implications at worst. Especially in a book that’s meant to be an empowering periodical womanhood story. So it did end up bringing the book down a tier.

We rightfully bitch about the cheap “straw loser villain woman who exists solely to have exaggeratedly bad behaviors solely to make the MC seem better” and “pitting women against each other just because they want/do the same thing” tropes all the time in Choices stories like TNA, FCL, and TBB; and while I do still rank those books much lower due to having more objective problems overall, the trope is much more unforgivable in this book given the context.

However, while the story does have some pretty major problems, it does also have a lot of good aspects going for it that did make me mostly enjoy it. But who knows, my opinion might change after a replay.

I will also say, it’s really fun to diamond mine this one for OG HSS Book 2. Getting to stab Caesar and then taking down Principal Isa right after. So I do have a bit of a soft spot for the book in that regard.

#choices stories you play #choices #choices game #choices stories we play fandom #choices stories we play #acor #choices acor #a courtesan of rome #choices a courtesan of rome

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