#Maybe pb will give us a trans LI

[masked-alien-lesbian]

🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

[cadybear420]

Really wishing PB would add an "are you cis or trans" menu like ILW and BB:TS Demo have, plus options to choose your anatomy separately from bodytype which I think ILW also had . Like I don't think it's that hard? I feel like it would solve a lot of these problems. And not just for the GOC books either, btw. Most of the genderlocked books, including the pointfully GL'd ones, could be really interesting to play as a trans woman MC. Especially books like BP and KND, which literally have canon trans women Aisha and Saff in their girl squad groups.

They/them options and choosing pronouns separately from bodytype (which they consistently included in most of 2022's new GOC books but pretty much dropped for all of 2023's new GOC books, which is not giving me good vibes, thankfully we're getting them back in TDG) is a good start, but there's more that can be done.

And seriously I will never fucking shut up about the clothing stuff on God. Why do the fem bodytype versions of an outfit need to be all slinky and revealing while the masc bodytype versions are more basic? Granted they have been stepping up their risque game with some of the masc body outfits in books like DLS, Alpha, TCH 2, and ID 2. But Even in those books and other books like Unbridled they often fall into what's basically the Female Video Game Armor trope but with a different coat of paint.

And people will complain about others wanting more GOC stories because "the video game industry has been catering to men for years, this is one of the few video games with female locked playable characters". Putting aside all the other problematic implications with that statement (if you can)... is this the game you wanna defend as that? Really? I will never not emphasize this. "One of the few games catered to women", yet the game in question hardly gives a damn about sapphic, aroacespec, trans, and GNC women. But sure, give them brownie points for doing the bare fucking minimum I guess.

Why do like, 90% of the GOC LIs in the past 2 years put the female versions in midriff crop tops while the male ones are not? And I really do mean this estimated statistic. Devon from TPS, Gabe and Cas from ID, Jordan from GG, Drew from RWB, Blake from FCL, Kaine from KND, formal outfit for Charlie from DLS, Channing from Alpha, Ash from Guarded...

If this TFS Chris Romantic Getaway side story doesn't completely expose their mindset with outfits and gender, then IDK what does lol (seriously, fuck this whole scene).

Anyways, continuing on. I'm a GNC cis woman, and every time the narration has to talk about how an outfit shows off "the curves of your waist" or when a LI has to give attention to my character's breasts (or ass, but I see it with breasts more commonly), it takes me right out of the story. It's part of why I prefer to play the smutty stories with a male/masc MC, but even then they have to make it all about his muscles instead. Because the only way for women to be attractive is to have "le sexy feminine curves" and the only way for men to be attractive is to have "le big strong muscles" apparently.

I'd like to see them change things up a bit. Like a female or fem bodytype MC get attention for stuff like shoulders, arms, hands. A male or masc bodytype MC getting attention for stuff like hips, ass, legs. Or, since the bodytype options are limited, at least allow us to imagine MC's bodtype a bit differently from how the sprite looks and give us bodytype neutral writing.

Also, for the love of god, different bodytypes for LIs too. I understand not doing it for MCs because it means different versions of an outfit for all the bodytypes, but LIs generally will always have fixed bodytypes so you could at least vary that up a bit.

Okay I'm maybe getting a bit off topic here IDK, but I'll finish it off by saying that... yeah, we aren't just complaining for no reason. We're complaining because we know PB can do better. People have said that of these kinds of apps, Choices is the best one for queer players, because most of the other VN apps similar to Choices don't even have GOC options or female LI options very often if at all. We have higher expectations for PB because we know they can do better.

If a bunch of passionate independent fancreators can incorporate stuff like cis/trans options in a non-profit VN fangame, what excuse does a professional company have?

i haven't yet gotten to book 2 but i read the wiki just in case and then i got to this part... WHAT. like literally what. i'm guessing what's happening here is one of two options

what they actually mean is "the third option depends on your character's pronouns, unless they use they/them pronouns, in that case it depends on their body type" but they didn't actually word it like that because it'd seem transphobic as fuck

they really do mean it depends strictly on mc's body type, not pronouns at all, meaning an mc that looks fem according to body type but uses he/him pronouns will still be called "queen" by the game and viceversa

long ass rant incoming lol

and it's not even specifically this fuck up in a supposedly "inclusive" book that makes me so mad but the fact that there's also the one MAH scene, the scene that discusses queer identities openly and maturely in a book that's supposed to be one of the most inclusive and queer friendly in the entire app, that when it's mc's turn to speak on what they've experienced, if they have a body type that doesn't match their pronouns and have romanced a li with the opposite pronouns (ie feminine body type, he/him pronouns and romanced stevie, or masculine body type, she/her pronouns and romanced a male li) the game treats mc like a cishet person by default and completely ignores body type. i don't know about y'all but i certainly find it ironic that, again, in one of the most queer friendly books, the only option to be considered queer "by default" by the game (and thus get the question of what you've experienced) if you're playing as a trans mc is to date someone of the same gender.

but let's go back to crimes of passion for a moment, eh? specifically the very first chapter. despite the dialogue here depending only on body type instead of pronouns, in the case of the first chapter (specifically the scene where trystan and mc first meet) it's a completely different situation, here it does depend strictly on pronouns even if it literally doesn't make sense. in my first ever play, i played as my usual mc, a nb!mc romancing m!trystan, and me being nb, trystan called me "a stranger". not particularly unusual, right? after all, "stranger" is gender neutral, and so i thought that was the dialogue in all cases. well... it's not. i decided to play differently, specifically with the masc body type, she/her pronouns, and f!trystan. she literally called me a "strange woman" despite not being able to guess that mc's pronouns are she/her just by looking at her, because obviously there's only two body types, fem and masc, and it's not like we ever get gnc clothing styles. that, and in all cases mc never tells trystan their pronouns, so even in the nb!mc play i got quite startled at "they're a private detective". yes, that can be interpreted as trystan simply not wanting to assume genders or it being a case of culture shock from drakovia, but then what about my masc f!mc?

and that's because pb never intended to add inclusivity in terms of binary trans mcs, or even just queer mcs beyond "gay, lesbian, bi, or non-binary BUT if they're nb they have to be either fem or masc" (see: option to pick specific sexuality for mc only appearing in the elementalists and then never again, except in the royal masquerade but they removed the option to be ace so that doesn't count for me). they never intended for players to play as a masculine looking mc that uses she/her or a feminine looking mc that uses he/him.

if they really cared about inclusivity, they would let mcs be androgynous. they would add skirts, dresses, stereotypically "fem" clothing - or just clothing that isn't just a plain t shirt or a suit in formal situations for amab or masc looking mcs. they would add more pants, baggy clothing, more stereotypically "masc" clothing - or just options that aren't always incredibly revealing slinky dresses or crop tops and short skirts meant to "emphasize your sexy feminine curves" for afab or fem looking mcs. THEY WOULD ADD NON BINARY LIS AND MORE TRANS LIS. they wouldn't have the only option to play as an explicitly trans mc (or, well, the closest thing to "explicitly trans" there can be given there's absolutely no dialogue or even implication about mc being trans in any pronoun of choice book, save for MAH but i already complained about my problems) be playing with an extremely feminine/masculine body type and having the pronouns as the only indication mc is trans, completely ignoring the dysphoria that'd give many actually trans players.

no, that's not their intention and it's never been that. their sole reason for adding the "body type separate from pronouns" is to categorize mcs that use they/them and tell them they have to be either feminine or masculine, no androgynous or gender non conforming options at all. basically the question "but are you a GIRL non binary or a BOY non binary?" they would've probably forced she/her or he/him mcs into their respective body types and only ask "but are you a pretty feminine afab enby or a handsome masculine amab enby" to they/them mcs but they knew they'd get the backlash of their lives for that so they just went "we'll just ask for body type regardless, it's not like players will actually pick he/him pronouns while playing as a WOMAN right???"

conclusion/tldr. if pb actually wanted inclusivity, they can actually put in the work and acknowledge that people do want to play as an explicitly queer mc beyond just same gender relationships and performatively adding they/them pronouns to only SOME goc books, or else just don't do anything and show they don't care at all. not pretend they care but only add the bare minimum and pat themselves on the back for it.

[celestialodysseys]

My Favorite Playchoices Books!

These are it. The books I'll save diamonds for. It's my favorite Playchoices books in no particular order (obviously not featuring ones I haven't played. For example I suspect I'll love Blades of Light and Shadow but I haven't gotten around to playing it yet)

A Courtesan of Rome. I love love love this book, it's my favorite of all the pb books tbh. The MC is awesome and well-developed, the romance choices are varied, the story is sharp as hell, the soundtrack is banging...also one of the only books where I don't mind switching between characters. I wish pb would put out more historical fiction like this. Just, ugh. The intrigue! The history! The dresses!!

Across The Void. Is this a good book? No. But is the art fantastic and I love it for what it could be? Yes. Look, I just wanna be space captain...tdlr this book has a lot of issues but I love it regardless. Also I used my real first name which ended up being only one letter different from the game-decided last name which is fucking hilarious.

Bachelorette Party. This book is crazy fun, plus it has a trans LI! It's one of the only books I played as it was updated so it has a special place in my heart. The diamond choices add to the story and can lead to some great stuff, but you don't feel like you're missing out if you don't choose them, which is a delicate balance pb rarely strikes.

The Elementalists. So far I've only played the first book, but I mean c'mon. a magic school, you being a super special rare magic user, lgbt+ friends, the ability to romance a fucking wood nymph, and cute animal companions?! Plus, an excellent mystery that gives me Winx Club (the actual winx club, not the live action) vibes.

Perfect Match. I went into this book expecting a romance book I could farm diamonds from. I quickly became invested, especially once the tech thriller side of things became more prominent. I've only done the first book as of right now, but I'm super excited to start book 2! The action and flow of the story are great, and I'm a sucker for stories that ask us to really think about what it means to be human. Plus, polyamory!

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance. This is another one I went into with the idea of it being a diamond farm. Maybe it's because I was a straight-laced kid with fantasies about running away, but playing MC as morally grey and reckless was honestly so much fun. The twists and turns of the plot were enjoyable, and most of the characters were well-rounded and fun to interact with. Also Ximena and Mona own my whole heart. Unfortunately I never took a screenshot of my MC tho so here's a picture of Logan's bitchin' loft.

Honorable Mentions

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor

#Lovehacks series

[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on… 2019 releases (Part I)

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week.

After dealing with a lot of work and stress (to the point I ended up being sick in bed for a few weeks and now after a few months I still haven’t fully recovered), I’m finally back!

I’ve been playing Choices for over two and a half years now, and I honestly can’t remember a busier year than 2019. We’ve had the chance to read over 30 books! So I wanted to take some time to give my personal opinion on these releases. As there are so many books to talk about, this will be a three-part post and I will also include current releases and books that were released during 2018 but were finished in 2019. The list is organized in alphabetical order and it doesn’t include the VIP Books (as I don’t have access to the feature) or the seasonal books (as I’ll talk about them in another post, after all of them have been fully released).

A Courtesan of Rome (November 14, 2018 - June 12, 2019): I have a feeling that ACOR was one book before the hiatus and a completely different book after the hiatus. At first I found the story interesting, but it wasn’t like I was waiting every week for a new chapter to be released (honestly, those “8 years ago in Gaoul” scenes killed my mood so, so badly during half of the book!). However, after the hiatus, things seemed to move faster and that caught my attention. Overall, I really liked this book and I enjoyed reading it. I have a soft spot for these MCs that are super smart, so I loved to see our badass girl using her beauty and her brain to reach her goals. The LIs were awesome, too. I don’t think it was one of those “They’re all so good, I don’t know which one to choose” situations, but it was nice to see how every LI represented a different point of view of the conflict, so kudos to the writers for it. Of course, after the final chapter it was pretty clear that we won’t be having a second book, but I’m not that sure if it was actually planned to be a series. Sad.

Across the Void (August 20, 2018 - May 13, 2019): This book has probably one of the best graphics in Choices… but it also has probably one of the worst plots and some of the most hated characters in the app. We got this nice MC whose only mission was to be the captain of a luxury spaceship in the middle of a civil war. Of course, we got caught in the middle of it. And what does our MC do? He/She throws parties so the passengers and the crew can relax! We also had these annoying siblings who didn’t even think about making our job easier, a male LI that we shared with our brother, a male LI that hid very important information from us (and we got to know about it at the end of the book), and a male LI that we barely saw in the book. Thank God for the female LIs in this book! On top of that, we had to choose if we supported the Jura or the Vanguard without even knowing what their role in this conflict was. Thankfully, the hiatus helped to improve things a little and the final chapters were way better than the first ones where nobody seemed to have clear what was going on with this war. Of course, the fact that we had a choice to kill our MC at the very end of the book means that there is no chance to have a second book, but I wouldn’t mind revisiting this era with a better story in the future.  

America's Most Eligible: All Stars (January 16, 2019 - May 1, 2019): Have you noticed how reality shows that are pretty successful in the first season tend to become lame, boring and repetitive in subsequent seasons? That’s exactly what happened to me with AME. I enjoyed the first book, even though I don’t think it has super memorable characters and there is nothing like “wow” in the plot, following the story was easy and (don’t deny it, because you know it’s true) it definitely made our competitive side to blossom. But in Book 2, things became repetitive and boring. Sure, we got some new characters, such as Vince and Slater. Sure, it was nice to see Mack, Jen and some other familiar faces once again. But Carson continued being Carson, Ivy continued being Ivy, and Bianca was denied as a LI (again). So, overall, we got nothing new or refreshing in this book… and we ended it with a proposal? After dating out LI for like 2 months? We just didn’t need another wedding book.

America's Most Eligible: Wedding Edition (September 18, 2019 - Present): I seriously think the only reason why AME got a third book is because of us, the fans. The whole series has been about competitions and winning… and of course, we have to spend A LOT of diamonds to win. So I assume the first two books were very, very profitable for PB because of course, we all want to win. However, as we’ve learned this year, having a wedding book may actually end up “killing a series”, and AME is not the exception. From the moment that the writers turned our wedding special into a competition, I knew things were going to be weird. In my very personal case, having Slater in my party made no sense at all, because my MC has never trusted him, so they’ve never had a good relationship. Then, having to compete against Vince and Ivy, our biggest enemies in the competition is so… basic. I’m kind of tired of the dynamic with them… it’s been two books already. And then we have all these super weird storyline with Jen. I mean… how is it possible that she is the showrunner, but at the same time she is a contestant… or even our fiancée!?!? The only thing I may rescue so far is that finally all Bianca and Slater lovers got a chance to express their feelings (and I’m so waiting for drama if you reciprocate them!). But that’s all.

Baby Bump (December 9, 2019 - Present): I know this book is on the list of the “most hated books in 2019”, but for some reason I can’t explain, I still haven’t found anything that truly disgusts me about it (maybe I’m lowering my standards?). I know and I understand that some people feel uncomfortable because we didn’t have a chance to choose our baby’s dad, or because our baby’s dad acted like a total freak by proposing in the second chapter, but I have a feeling that things will improve, especially because our own MC seems to be a grounded person overall. Probably my main complaint goes to how some stuff seems to be repetitive from other books (besides those Big Sky Country vibes all over the place). I mean… why is the evil girl always a bitch? Why do we always have to choose between an insanely rich LI and another LI who’s not so wealthy? When did the MC, both LIs and Luisa become “a gang”? I know there are too many things that seem out of place now, but I have faith. It won’t become a masterpiece, but it won’t be a complete disaster either.

Bachelorette Party (July 18, 2019 - October 17, 2019): Humor, fun, romance, but above all, friendship. I really liked this book at the very beginning because it was a light story, but at some point I felt the writers ran out of ideas right in the middle of the story and started dragging things. They tried to add a more serious touch with the case plot (I even thought we would be having some plot twist as we did in the Perfect Match series), but I think they failed. I kept waiting forever to see a connection between the case and some characters such as Reed or Skip, as everyone seemed to be connected with it in some form, but that never happened. Also, we had Aisha, a trans character who most of us loved at first, but who became annoying after blaming everyone but her for losing the case and not telling the truth behind it (even when she knew we could have been killed she didn’t say the truth… come on, girl!). Finally, I missed our MC having her own self-healing plot after breaking up with her boyfriend/girlfriend… there were only mentions and a few questions about how we were feeling, but that was all. I would have loved to see our friends doing some things for us. At the end, I got a bittersweet feeling about it. I enjoyed the story overall, but there were so many things that could have been explored within the plot, that I’m not fully satisfied with the story.

Big Sky Country, Book 2 (July 27, 2019 - November 9, 2019): I never, ever in a million years would have thought that Big Sky Country would have a second book. Even though I love all these beautiful characters in the story, I thought the plot was pretty lame and boring overall. I can perfectly remember how criticized it was. So I was prepared to read the second book just because I had already finished the first one. But I’m soooo glad that PB proved me wrong here. Not only we had a second book that was much better than the first one, but we also got a story where the writers did a fantastic job trying to balance the screen time of all the LIs and they succeeded when trying to blend all the different plots in one single story. In my opinion, the weakest point of this book was actually the final chapter… Asha won, Clint died, and we became official and got engaged to our LI in like 10 minutes… it just felt too rushed for me.

Bloodbound, Book 2 (May 17, 2019 - August 30, 2019): Even though it’s not one of my personal favorites (and probably that’s why I don’t understand all the hype for it), if I had to choose between the first two books, the second one is the one I like the most. I feel a lot of things improved when compared to BB Book 1, but my special mention goes to Lily… she annoyed me so much in the first book, for some stupid reason I can’t explain, I barely could stand reading her lines… but she definitely grew (A LOT!) in the second book. Also, we were introduced to some new characters, such as Serafine or Nikhil (I’m pretty sure that there’s more about him that we don’t know yet). Sure we had some fantastic moments, such as the crossover with Nightbound (I hope to see more of it in Book 3) or discovering who was behind the Order. But there’s no doubt that my favorite part of this book was when the gang went to the Order headquarters and discovered that the only one who could access was the MC… realizing that the real power of our MC (at that point) was simply to be human, and not a vampire, blew my mind. That’s why I wasn’t rooting for her to become a vampire.

Bloodbound, Book 3 (November 9, 2019 - Present): One of the biggest complaints made by Choices players is that the writers seem to have problems trying to make a series attractive over time. We see unnecessary content that doesn’t add up to the plot, and a tendency to drag things in general. By the third book, people seem to be struggling with the series more than enjoying them. Well, this is not the case of Bloodbound. The series not only had its biggest plot twist by turning our MC into a vampire, but also we may notice the writers have not stopped to impress us. Of course, this book is the darkest one in the series, and after 6 chapters I still have so many questions… should we trust Rheya? Is she good or bad? What’s the real power of our MC given the fact that she’s also the bloodkeeper? Will our MC end up being the villain of the story? So far, I’m pretty happy with this book. If things will continue to be like this, I would LOVE to have a fourth book (especially if it’s said that this is the last book in the series).

Desire & Decorum, Book 2 (December 17, 2018 - April 8, 2019): Even though in my opinion this is the weakest book in the series, one of the things I value the most about it is how the writers managed to create this powerful MC in an era where women actually didn’t have much power and they were basically expected to get marry and obey their husbands. Of course, the whole plot where we were forced to marry Duke Richards was the main focus of the story, but seeing our girl standing up by herself, being helped by her friends and her true love, and saving the queen (and England) was an absolute pleasure. However, it wasn’t enough to fully convince me. The duel between Duke Richards and our LI, Duke Richards becoming Mr. Richards and getting arrested, and Briar’s happy ending are probably the best moments of the book, but even though I enjoyed it, it’s far from being one of my favorites.

[miss-raven-gay]

PB: 

We love creating LGBTQ+ characters and making our stories diverse and inclusive :) Diversity is very important to us :) Happy pride month :))

Also PB: 

*trades a perfectly fine cover for a hetero one that implies woman have to be protected by men and changes the description to make it look like you and Nik are going to have a steamy romance*

*writes off Kamilah and Lily for maybe multiple chapters and mentions how sad it is that they can’t be with us. Make us be around the male LIs constantly and even force us to hold hands. The only thing you and Serafine can talk about is how great Adrian is because obviously women can’t talk about anything else but men*

*Constantly releases genderlocked books even though the MCs gender isn’t always relevant or influential to the story and it’s not like there are trans men using the app who might feel dysphoria by playing as a woman*

*Just in general has an unfair male/female LI ratio, paywalls female LI if they even have the chance to appear in a chapter and the characters or the story itself push the (white) male LI on you and don’t give you an option to say you’re not into them and being taken seriously*

[transgenderlies]

Countering transgender lies about Stonewall

Transgenders consistently lie about what happened at the Stonewall Inn in 1969. Their lie holds that the Stonewall riot was variously spurred by or chiefly carried out by transgenders, specifically “transwomen of colour” and even more specifically an “instigator” named Ray “Sylvia” Rivera. If you’d like all Stonewall-related transgender lies collected in one place, I would refer you to the so-called Transadvocate.

Of course this isn’t what happened. It was illegal to appear in public in the attire of the opposite sex in New York in 1969. You couldn’t just sashay down to the Stonewall of a Friday night for a watered-down drink served in a dirty glass, at least not without expecting hassles from cops. The Stonewall Inn was not an early Woody’s with weekly drag shows. The primary clientele was gay males, with some lesbians, and they were dressed like men and women, respectively, in most cases. Whatever “transgenders” frequented the Stonewall were actually drag queens, though that is a distinction without a difference here.

The facts are well established, except to lying transgenders. We have not merely the eyewitness accounts of gay men who were at the Stonewall that night (or the next two nights, or some combination), as in PBS’s Stonewall Uprising. We further have the direct statements from Sylvia Rivera herself, as recorded by recognized historians.

Eric Marcus, Making Gay History

Actually, it was the first time I had been to the friggin’ Stonewall. The Stonewall wasn’t a bar for drag queens. Everybody keeps saying it was. The drag queen spot was the Washington Square Bar, at Third St. and Broadway. This is where I get into arguments with people. They say, “Oh, no, it was a drag-queen bar, it was a black bar.” No. Washington Square Bar was the drag-queen bar.

If you were a drag queen, you could get into the Stonewall if they knew you. And only a certain number of drag queens were allowed into the Stonewall at that time. [...]

That first year after Stonewall, we were petitioning for a gay-rights bill for New York City, and I got arrested for petitioning on 42nd St. I was asking people to sign the petition.

I was dressed casually that day – makeup, hair, and whatnot. The cops came up to me and said, “You can’t do this.” I said, “My Constitution says that I can do anything that I want.” “No, you can’t do this. Either you leave or we’re going to arrest you.” I said, “Fine, arrest me.” They very nicely picked me up and threw me in a police car and took me to jail.

Martin Duberman, Stonewall

Washington Square was Sylvia’s special favo[u]rite. It opened at three in the morning and catered primarily (rather than incidentally as was the case with Stonewall) to transvestites[.] [...]

If she was going out at all... she would go to Washington Square. She had never been crazy about Stonewall, she reminded Tammy: Men in makeup were tolerated there, but not exactly cherished. [...]

If the raid went according to the usual pattern, the only people who would be arrested would be those without IDs, those dressed in the clothes of the opposite gender, and some or all of the employees. Everyone else would be let go with a few shoves and a few contemptuous words. The bar would soon reopen and they would all be back dancing. It was annoying to have one’s Friday night screwed up, but hardly unprecedented.

Note 39:

Section 887(7) of the New York State Criminal Code was the one traditionally invoked by the police against transvestites. The law was supposedly ignored on Halloween, though the police-department handbook specified that even then, someone dressed in costume had to be wearing a certain number of garments “appropriate” to their sex.

Note 40:

The eyewitness accounts in RAT (July 1969) specifically credits “one guy” (not a lesbian or a queen) for precipitating a scuffle by refusing to be put into the paddy wagon.... At least two people credit Sylvia herself with provoking the riot.... But I’ve found no corroboration for either account[,] and Sylvia herself, with a keener regard for the historical record, denies the accuracy of both versions. She does remember “throwing bricks and rocks and things” after the mêlée began, but takes no credit for initiating the confrontation.

David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution

pp. 261–2:

The question of who gets credit for starting the riots is one that deserves consideration. The question, however, contains a premise: that an individual or group of individuals can be singled out as the prime mover in a complex process that many person s collectively created. This is important for two reasons. First, as John O’Brien pointed out, there was a continuum of resistance ranging from silent persons who ignored the police orders to move to those who threw objects at the police. O’Brien maintains that it was because of those person standing around and blocking the streets and sidewalks and keeping the police from being able to operate efficiently that he and others were able to engage in their tactics as effectively as they did: if there had been only about fifteen youths lobbing objects at the police the young men would have been quickly caught or chased away.

Second, I wrote the account of the first night to reflect my understanding of what happened, namely, that until the definitive outbreak of rioting when the police retreated inside the Stonewall Inn, there was throughout the evening both a gradual buildup of anger and, correspondingly, a gradual escalation in the release of that anger. In the course of that buildup there were numerous turning points, some more critical than others. With these qualifications noted, I think it is clear that special credit must be given to gay homeless youths, to transgendered men, and to the lesbian who fought the police.¹⁰

Footnote 10 from above:

Charles Kaiser suggested to the author that Stormé DeLarverie (see The Gay Metropolis: 1940–1996 [Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997], p. 198) was this woman, but she could not have been. To cite only a few of the problems with this thesis, DeLarverie’s story is one of escaping the police, not of being taken into custody by them, and she has claimed that on that night she was outside the bar, “quiet, I didn’t say a word to anybody, I was just trying to see what was happening,” when a policeman, without provocation, hit her in the eye (“Stonewall 1969: A Symposium,” June 20, 1997, New York City). DeLarverie is also an African-American woman, and all the witnesses interviewed by the author describe the woman as Caucasian.

And here’s what The Gay Metropolis actually says:

Several spectators agreed that it was the action of a cross-dressing lesbian – possibly Stormé DeLarverie – which would change everyone’s attitude forever. DeLarverie denied that she was the catalyst, but her own recollection matched others’ descriptions of the defining moment. “The cop hit me and I hit him back,” DeLarverie explained [in Kaiser’s own interview with her on 1995.12.09].

Continuing:

Among these, we can name three individuals known to have been in the vanguard: Jackie Hormona, Marsha Johnson, and Zazu Nova.

A common theme links those who resisted first and fought the hardest, and that is gender transgression. While we do not know how the lesbian who fought the police saw herself, we do know that her clothing was masculine, in keeping with her general demeano[u]r. We know from Pine’s testimony that the first significant resistance that he encountered inside the bar came from transvestites, and Joel S. places them among the first outside the bar to resist. Marsha Johnson and Zazu Nova were both transvestites, and, as the reader has seen, the street youth were, generally speaking, effeminate men. All available evidence leads us to conclude that the Stonewall Riots were instigated and led by the most despised and marginal elements of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community. My research for this history demonstrates that if we wish to name the group most responsible for the success of the riots, it is the young, homeless homosexuals, and, contrary to the usual characterizations of those on the rebellion’s front lines, most were Caucasian; few were Latino; almost none were transvestites or transsexuals; most were effeminate; and a fair number came from middle-class families.

Footnote 11 from that same chapter:

It is remarkable – and no doubt inevitable given human psychology – that in the popular imagination the number of transvestites at the riots is always exaggerated. Readers will note that in the [Fred] McDarrah photos of the riots there is one transgendered person[,] and none of the persons I interviewed, some of whom knew her, ever saw her actively involved in the riots. (Note that the McDarrah photographs, which do feature the street youths, were taken late on Saturday night during one of the lulls in rioting, when nothing in particular was happening....) The Ambrosini photo does not show a single transvestite. Craig Rodwell told researcher Michael Scherker that “one of the myths about Stonewall is it was all drag queens. I mean, drag queens are part of what went on. Certainly one of the most courageous, but there were maybe twelve drag queens. In thousands of people.”

Transgenders lie about Stonewall in part because they are fundamentally dishonest (about themselves and about human anatomy, to give two examples), but they do it here to establish primacy over the legitimately constituted lesbian and gay community. The way they tell it, we owe them because they bravely instigated the Stonewall Riots that led to actual gay and lesbian liberation. (Even that last part isn’t true just in the U.S. context, as veterans of the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis will attest.) As far as they’re concerned, transgender is the supercategory and we gays and lesbians are mere variations of trans. And Stonewall proves it.

Well, all of that is untrue, honey, and nobody’s buying what you’re selling, literally or figuratively.

(Original post)

[masked-alien-lesbian]

Just gonna...throw my two cents in here...but that disclaimer? At the beginning of the book? Does it specifically state that's it's MC that's going to go through sexuality awakening or just that SOMEONE (maybe the female LI) is going to have a sexual awakening? So it might just have the female LI admit her feelings for MC and it's up to the reader to be either bi or straight...which I'm sorry, IF that's how the story goes...then it's a hetero book...which nothing wrong with liking the opposite sex or both. If the reader can easily pretend to be straight and not mention they're bi, then the book is heterosexual. As a lesbian I support bisexuals, gays trans, pans, queers, non binary, gender fluid, poly, demi, ace &/or aro and any other I forgot to mention. I absolutely hate biphobia or intolerance within the LGBTQA so this isn't an attack on bisexuals but if PB writes MFTL where the reader can choose the MC to be straight rather than bi, that THAT right there is biphobic! And in that case MFTL is a heterosexual book. But if MC is automatically bisexual and the readers have to go on this bisexual journey then I will start enjoying MFTL. It automatically made us like boys hence the 2 male LI. No PB book has ever forced the reader to like a girl before...we've always could choose what gender we liked. Which I've tolerated so long as I get a female LI which is hard to come by outside this app. Truthfully I feel like it's too early to say how this will end. My pessimistic ass expects the worse but...I have been surprised before so...who knows? I'll give it a chance.

I’m really disappointed with all the talk around my two first loves, if you want to complain about the writing, go for it, I don’t think it’s been great myself. You want to complain about the length of the chapters, batter in. Although it’s a daily upload so we knew it’d be short, But this book is about about a bisexual awakening and based on the author’s personal awakening at that.

Lesbians absolutely deserve better representation but calling the bisexual experience “hetero” because boys are involved is inherently biphobic, I personally would’ve liked MC to at least acknowledge she finds girls attractive but sometimes it just isn’t that way for bi girls.

It might seem like we bi’s get a lot of representation in these books because the MC’s can choose their love interests but we actually get very little. The MC’s are playersexual and rarely represent what we actually go through.

I can only imagine the discourse is going to get worse when the MC starts showing an interest in Ava and the more homophobic parts of the fandom jump on that.

At the end of the day this isn’t a hetero book, it’s a bisexual book written by a bisexual author and it’s based on her personal experience.

[derrickappleus]

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

My friends and I host our annual Cookie Swap next week, and I can hardly wait. You’re probably wondering what’s the deal with this whole cookie swap thing in general, and I’ll tell you.

When the holidays come rolling around, my best friends and I dig up our favorite cookie recipes we believe reflect our past year, and celebrate with a cookie potluck. Yes-just cookies, nothing else. OK I lied- maybe coffee and hot chocolate, and fruit salad. Yum.

Anyways, before we chow down on each others’ delectable creations, each friend must explain why they’ve chosen their cookie recipe to represent their year.

For example, my girlfriend Holly whipped up these delicious peanut butter and jelly cookies which truly stood out from the crowd, flavor-wise. Her rationale? These PB&J-themed delights signified her daughter’s first year attending kindergarten, and the countless classic sandwiches she’d prepare her little girl before school each morning. Precious.

For this year’s cookie swap, I have oatmeal in mind. Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal, that is. I absolutely adore oatmeal cookies; something about oats gives the cookies that decadent consistency and chewy texture. And this dressed-up version knocks ordinary oatmeal cookies out of the park.

These foolproof crowd-pleasers boast a crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside consistency that’ll drive your taste buds wild. And the best part? Our recipe calls for nothing but clean, wholesome ingredients you can feel good about.

Superfoods like cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and cranberries play a critical role in these delectable cookies, while offering some impressive health benefits worthy of pointing out. Let’s take a look:

Cocoa Powder: This chocolaty superfood flaunts some powerful health- boosting benefits. These include lowering bad cholesterol, elevating your mood, and packing in some critical minerals like magnesium, manganese and zinc.

Meanwhile, the powder’s high-fiber, low-calorie profile make it highly nutritious as well.

Coconut Oil: The powerful superfood carries a laundry list of health benefits. First, it contains powerful antifungal, antimicrobial and antiviral properties that improve immunity by conquering viruses and bacteria. Moreover, the delicious oil promotes better digestion and weight loss, while helping to lower your bad cholesterol.

Honey: As an incredible nutritious energy source, honey serves as a healthy natural sweetener bursting with antioxidant properties. Ironically, the sticky-sweet superfood helps regulate blood sugar and insulin levels when consumed in moderation!

Cranberries: These tangy fruits are a great source of Vitamin C, manganese, and dietary fiber, while offering powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

This recipe strays far from your typical cookie, containing a bunch of flavorful gems and treasures like fruity-sweet cranberries and rich dark chocolate.

These pleasant surprises symbolized the fortunate delights I had experienced this past year, from meeting the love of my life one fateful, unexpected night to receiving the job offer of my dreams.

Oatmeal represents fruitfulness and prosperity, which is why I’ve chosen the particular superfood to star in this year’s cookie creation! I’ve wanted to express my gratefulness in a creative way, and felt designating this cookie recipe as representative of my past year seemed fitting.

Impress your friends and family with these decadently nutritious cookies. Their delectable flavor and flaunt-worthy presentation make these cooks simply irresistible.

Print

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

//<![CDATA[ window.ajaxurl = "https://skinnyms.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php"; //]]>

Yields: 1 dozen cookies | Serving Size: 1 cookie | Calories: 201 | Total Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 135mg | Carbohydrates: 33g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Protein: 5g | SmartPoints: 9

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup oats

3/4 whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 egg whites

1teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup pure honey

1/2 cup fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries, chopped

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a second large bowl, combine the coconut oil, egg whites, vanilla, and honey. Whisk until well combined. Gradually stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated. Gently stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips.

Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until center of the cookie is just cooked through. Cool for about 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the baking sheet.

4.4.2.1

https://skinnyms.com/dark-chocolate-cranberry-oatmeal-cookies-recipe/

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[crazy-loca-blog]

Personal thoughts on Bachelorette Party, Ch. 6

Note: As the title says, these are just personal opinions on Choices books and chapters. Of course, you may agree or disagree with them, I only use this platform to express my thoughts on what I read every week and what I’d like to see in the next chapters, because none of my friends play Choices so I have no one to comment the books with.

I’m a little heartbroken, I must admit it. I’ve been all about defending, helping and protecting Aisha because life hasn’t been easy for her and that’s something that annoys me in real life as well as in a pixelated story. Even though the scape scene was hilarious and I can totally imagine my MC running through the Strip in her underwear without many people noticing it (it made me remember my own experience of walking along the Strip in my slippers because my feet hurt… and it was so perfect… until I was entering the casino and saw my favorite singer coming right in my direction… I was so embarrassed, but he just told me “that’s clever! those are the comfiest shoes!”), I’m disappointed with the overall situation. I suspected that she was hiding something, so the fact that the Norwegian mafia was the receptor of the case didn’t surprise me that much. However, it did surprise me that Aisha knew the case had to be delivered the day before and she didn’t say a word about it… and she didn’t even made a minimal effort to find it. Instead, she spent the day partying at the casinos. It’s the freaking mafia, Aisha!

Despite this bitter moment, there were two things that I truly liked about this case drama. The first one was the sense of real friendship. You may see how at first they all are mad at Aisha (who wouldn’t be mad at this?) but after a while, when everyone calms down, we may see them doing what a friend is supposed to do: offering help. They want Aisha to get out of the place where she is now, and I’m pretty sure they really mean it (on a side note, I’m wondering if Skip and his conservative family know that one of Di’s best friends is trans and how/if this revelation may affect their engagement and the plot in future chapters). And the second one… Priya… just because it’s always a pleasure to see her twisted mind trying to get new victims.

Maybe it’s because I was already disappointed with Aisha’s behavior, or because last chapter’s scenes with Aisha or Reed were pretty good, but I also expected more of the scene with Ash. It was really nice to understand his background and why he ended up becoming a hustler. At the same time, it was sad to see that he feels kind of hopeless, and that apparently there are too many people who have promised him things they seem to forget after they leave Vegas. But I missed having something for me to think “wow, he’s a great LI” instead of thinking “wow, he’s definitely BFF material and my MC gives some great pep talks… I hope she can convince him to leave his lifestyle”.

I’ve been noticing a pattern in PB latest releases and I don’t know if I’m the only one who feels like this… have you noticed how they seem to drag things as much as possible, sometimes in very unnecessary ways? Unfortunately, Bachelorette Party is beginning to follow this premise. It’s been at least two or three chapters where I feel like nothing truly important happens. Skip supposedly took a plane like two chapters ago and we still haven’t seen him. We also have two “things to do in Vegas” lists and we haven’t checked any items on any of them since I can’t even remember.

Don’t get me wrong, I still think the book is fun. But I also need the story to keep moving, and now it seems like it’s stuck. Do you wonder why new books such as Platinum and Open Heart and sequels such as Bloodbound 2 have been so successful this year? It’s exactly because those books do the opposite… they go straight to the point! That’s why they leave us wanting more! And Bachelorette Party has so much potential, that it would be sad to see it gets lost in some unnecessary stuff.