#pb distant shores

[teppei-kaneko-deserved-better]

Pb been fucking us nonvip readers over with their vip releases. Which is why imma tell yall to just get the modded version and get all premium choices for free. dont waste your time by watching ads for diamonds anymore babes and have fun 😘❤ its fair game now💅

[raleigh-edward]

When Distant Shores MC disappeared, Edward lost his mind searching the seven seas endlessly, Charlie never fell in love again and Oliver never married, all of them having tragic ends in MC's absence

Blades LIs kind of just got on with their lives yk? But it also makes more sense? They had known each other for a very short while and a common cause had held their group together. Mal was the worst so far 😞

I hope this was done on purpose and has an impact on the future plot.

[where-the-wind-travels]

and if i told y'all this is how elias dresses (or how she did before she got sent into piracy times)...........

she loves (and i really do mean loves) accessories like necklaces, bracelets, and especially body chains.......... hehehehe

[hotchocolatelovesyou]

well great I finished Distant Shores and now I'm fucking crying. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE THAT ALL THOSE SHITTY BOOKS ARE GETTING SEQUELS AND TREQUELS BUT NOT DISTANT SHORES

[gayberry]

oh no i feel like downloading choices again

[gutsfics]

okay Samuel should have been recrutable. from this point in this story there doesn't seem to be any reason for him not to be. out of all the crew that mutinied, only Robert and Octavia are genuinely hostile to the crew of the Revenge, everyone else is (to some degree) friendly, Samuel included

[lover-also-fighter-also]

So let me get this straight...

PB can't do a damn sequel for The Elementalists, Hero, Across the Void and Distant Shores but Alpha gets a sequel???

Hecking ripoff

[choicesfandomappreciation]

Spreading kindness Part 2

@rosepetals1 is such a sweet person who supports others. Glad I met her. She's so kind 🌹I like seeing you in my notifications

@mozartholvdehwk Such a sweet and friendly person who encouraged me to play ItLives3. I like her seeing in my notifications too. Soooo glad you found me 🤓

@thedistantshoresproject who makes a Distant Shores sequel possible. Can't wait to meet Oliver again.

@ nightboundfanfiction who will be hopefully soon delievering a Nightbound sequel project game, so we can return back into the magical worlds and fight the evil. You have no idea how many people I know who are excited even though you don't see it cuz... busy life?

@itlivesproject for starting the fanmade game sequel project trend and delievering the best sequel game which even PB would never have given us. The accessoires, LGBTQ+ content, collecting points, collecting artifacts, relationship options, choices that matter and deeply influence the story and more...

@squid-princess-teach-swallow For beeing friendly, talented editor and recommending me RC along with @ratanslily

@zoeywades-spouse RC is one of the best thing that ever happened. Thanks for recommending it to me, dear Angel Dino stan who likes Kazu too. Just like me 😍

@mariemarieohcontrary I miss you, bestie. And your beautiful and talented art which needs to be showed so we all can admire it. And don't forget to tag me on your Nightbound and Heaven's Secret fics

@mxdanni For always reading my fanfics which means a lot than you can imagine. Thanks <3

@rosepetals1 , @mozartholvdehwk , @thedistantshoresproject , @nightboundfanfiction , @itlivesproject , @squid-princess-teach-swallow, @zoeywades-spouse , @mariemarieohcontrary , @mxdanni

[cadybear420]

Came across a Choices Ask Game thread from 3-4 years ago and I couldn't help myself.

Anyone else who wants to join is welcome!

1.) What book(s) did you think were too overhyped but everyone loved?

7+ months ago I would have quickly said Ride or Die, but after my replay in May, I now like that book. So my next picks would be Crimes of Passion and Immortal Desires. They were good for what they were, but I couldn't quite get into the hype for them. To be fair, I've only played the first book for each of these, but even when they were just on their first books they were pretty hyped. But who knows, I might like them a lot more when I play their sequels.

Actually, I could maybe still put Ride or Die here if I wanted to. While I did come to like it after my second playthrough, I still wouldn't call it amazing or consider it one of PB's bests like many seem to do.

Distant Shores and Nightbound were both indredibly average to me as well, despite the former being about freaking pirates and time travel and the second one being a supernatural horror-themed story.

Laws of Attraction is also one that was very popular but hard to get into. When I first played Book 1, I couldn't stand how quickly they just went between cases. Luckily this was less of a problem when I replayed Book 1 and then played Book 2, but it was also still hard to follow the lawyer jargon. However, I did enjoy the characters and I loved that MC was a flexible blank slate, which does make it a series I want to like. So I'll probably give this one a second chance at some point.

I'm also tempted to say The Cursed Heart, it's one that gets a lot of love and while I enjoyed it, I didn't think it was amazing. But I'm kind of disqualifying it since not only have I only played Book 1, but also that pre-TCH 2 opinions were mostly divided. I remember lot of people hated Kieran kidnapping MC and that one option in a premium scene that leads to Kieran shoving MC's face into the ground. There are still people who hate that stuff, but the overwhelming majority nowadays seems to enjoy the series, especially with Book 2.

2.) What book(s) do you think deserve more hype?

Across The Void. Don't get me wrong, it has incomplete lore and inconclusive endings, but that's not really the story's fault as I remember hearing it was originally meant to have a book 2. Personally I found the good qualities to far outweigh the bad. It deserved so much better from PB and a hell of a lot more love from the fandom.

I also found Baby Bump really cute. It's not amazing and it has a lot of problems, but I never got why it was often deemed as one of the worst.

And maybe I'm just biased, but I also think the OG HSS trilogy deserves more hype. I guess it's technically one of the more popular and beloved Choices titles, but even then I feel like it doesn't get enough credit. Even though it may seem like a cheesy Disney Channel High School style story, the writing is actually quite polished, balancing out the thrilling high school hijinks with a vibrant cast of compelling and down-to-earth characters and character development. It's enjoyable and worthwhile, both as its own thing and as a companion to its predecessor (AKA the original HSS Prime mobile game).

Not only that, but it's quite rich in choices that actually affect the story/experience. Like, how many people know that you can make your MC a jerk to the Hearst kids in Book 3 and lose your tryouts spot over it even if their actual tryout was good? Or that the story acknowledges a Slow Burn romance if you choose to wait until MC and LI are official to have them kiss? Or that you can have MC completely screw up the Spirit Stick Heist? I've played this trilogy nine times already, I'm currently in my tenth playthrough, and there are probably like 50 more different playthroughs I wanna do for the different route/outcome combinations. The MC is just so flexible and wildcard, and to me that's peak Choices MC.

3.) What was a book series that you think did NOT need a sequel or more than 1 sequel?

The Nanny Affair would have been soooooo much better off as a standalone. I actually really like the ending of TNA 1, where Sam and MC are getting pinged with news headlines about Sam leaving Sofia at his wedding, and they start anticipating all the trouble they're gonna be in. It's actually got a touch of self-awareness to it that you usually don't get in smutty single-LI romance Choices stories.

Books 2 and 3 however just drag everything on, trying so hard to make it seem like Sam and MC have genuine feelings of love for each other, even though their relationship is clearly mostly lust-based. Then again, one of the smut scenes in Book 3 has an option that implies MC is putting a finger into Sam's bootyhole. And even over two years later, it is still the only scene in Choices that more directly depicts a female character anally penetrating a male (or male-coded) character. So maybe the suffering is worth it.

The first book of Surrender was pretty mid on its own, but the ending it got could have worked as a series and book finale. Book 2, however, just... made it all so much worse. Book 2 is the reason why the Surrender series is on my permanent Choices shitlist. As the worst title of the entire app.

The switch to a new MC and cast felt very arbitrary and unjustified. Not only were the returning characters from OG utilized poorly, but everything about it just did not feel like HSS. No flexibility in your main character or activity, which greatly cheapens the whole "you can be whoever you wanna be" and "you'll always be accepted no matter who you are" themes of the previous iterations; no sense of Berry being "high school but actually good" as it relies purely on trying to showcase average high school experience; so many of the side characters were useless and felt like overly mean-spirited middle schoolers rather than actually stressed and irrational high-schoolers; and the and finale and sendoff to the franchise as a whole was inconclusive dogshit. It was like "HSS" was an afterthought to CA. I'll give this its own analysis one day.

OG HSS did not need HSS:CA as a spinoff. Don't get me wrong, HSS:CA is pretty cute and does bring some interesting situations and characters into the HSS canon. But when you really think about it, it easily could have been its own new title, and it probably would have been better off if it was.

4.)What book(s) did you think needed a sequel/another sequel?

OG HSS Trilogy, the main cast of that one deserved a far better sendoff then the bullshit one that was the HSS:CA finale.

Laws of Attraction. That ending was so inconclusive.

Hero, an obvious one because the story ended right on a cliffhanger.

Across The Void, PB should have stuck to giving this one a second book. Instead we get these super-rushed endings and for what?

5.) What LI(s) do you think are overrated?

I'd maybe put It Lives here, but part of me is also kind of glad PB didn't make the third book because the It Lives Within fanproject is chockablock full of "PB could never"s. Granted their reason for cancelling it in the first place was kinda unjustified but yeah.

I'm not sure really. Maybe Gabe and Cas from ID, but I don't have strong opinions on them. It's moreso that I'm just not as into the hype for them as most.

6.) What LI(s) do you think are underrated?

Ajay Bhandari from HSS:CA, though with him it's moreso overhated than underrated. Didn't Ajay warn MC about Danielle in the earlier chapters? Why would he so easily believe MC was the one who sabotaged OG MC's auditions? Or at the very least, tell Danielle + Team C(U)NTs (Clint, Natalie, Trevor) to fuck off with ostracizing MC. Like they weren't just accusing MC falesly, they started being outright cruel to them.

Ajay is a character who cares so much about the play wanting to go perfect, so much so that he initially banned cellphones from the auditorium during rehearsal because he thought they'd be distracting or disruptive. Surely you'd want to be a hardass on other crew members who are acting like assholes??? I think his behavior during MC's accusation is just OOC, hence why I don't hate him. It's a problem with the writing rather than the character.

7.) Which LI's were most forgettable?

IDK. I think I've forgotten them.

9.) Finally, what book do you think would have been better/more popular if it WASN'T genderlocked? (This goes for both LI's and MCs)

Witness MC could have and should have been GOC. I found the book pretty average-with-issues upon replay, but I personally might have liked it a tad more if it was GOC. We rarely if ever get stories about men getting swept off their feet by protective bodyguard characters! (But sure, muh few female-locked stories).

I certainly would have enjoyed Roommates With Benefits a lot more if the MC could be male. Imagine, the studious goody-two-shoes "good boy" gets awakened to a more party-loving sex-loving side by the University's resident fuckboy/fuckgirl who happens to be his roommate.

Ride or Die was pretty fun as it is, but part of me still feels it would have been somewhat spicier if MC and Logan were both GOC.

With Every Heartbeat also, give me ONE good reason why needed to be genderlocked. Same with BloodBound. Seriously, you could have made the Bloodkeeper thing go to any gender and the story would remain exactly the same.

[lorirwritesfanfic]

Top 10 Choices books

This time, I actually managed to rank my favorite books. But don't expect this to happen again 😅

1. The Crown & The Flame: fierce female MC who's not only a queen but also a warrior, male MC that turns into a dragon, intricate adventure with lots of action, great characters (including LIs, side characters and villains) and didn't even need CG art to make the story compelling. Oh, how I miss PB's early years...

2. Ride or Die: I expected the worst from a book which MC is a nerdy teen getting involved with illegal car dealers and car races, but PB went there and made me eat my words. The outstanding plot, the amazing LIs and side characters, actual character development for MC and a beautiful open ending. All of that in one single book? Damn, PB ❤️

3. Hero: I'm not of big fan of super heroes stories, but this one has my heart with its interesting LIs and friends to MC, engaging plot and a villain that looks like he stepped out of Spiderman universe to enter Choicesverse.

4. Bloodbound: even though the two last chapters were absolutely traumatizing (and I will NEVER forgive what the writing team did to Jax and Lily), Bloodbound lore is really engaging, has some great action scenes, most likely the best NSFW scenes and wonderful LIs.

5. Perfect Match: I genuinely thought it was just a romance book. I was so wrong! PM has adventure, sci-fi, drama, comedy and gorgeous LIs. I love it!

6. The Heist Monaco: Smart and cunning MC, interesting and gorgeous LIs, awesome adventure/action/comedy plot and great side characters with some of the best group scenes.

7. It Lives Beneath: best horror book PB has ever written with choices that can drastically affect the ending. Plus, Tom is romanceable 😍

8. A Courtesan of Rome: because it's based on Ancient Roman History (and I love History), the storyline has some inconsistencies that bugged me sometimes, but MC is so awesome, and the LIs were so good that it was hard to choose and I nearly forgot Cassius wasn't this sweet, intellectual and idealistic guy the book makes him look like lol.

9. Mother of The Year: another book PB made me eat my words. I love a book with a fierce MC, wonderful LIs and a daughter so adorable and smart that even this millennial terrified of having kids was all heart eyes in the very first chapter;

10. High School Story: did I expect to be so invested in a story about a teenager having cheesy teenager problems during high school? No. But I was so freaking invested on this drama-free teen trilogy I was pissed when I found out the fourth book was actually a new story without my beloved MC and their hilarious dad and the original HSS LIs had very little relevance to the plot (But I forgive the writing team because of Skye ❤️)

Honorable mentions:

- Distant Shores: Pirate book, time travel and a heartbreaking ending. What's not to like?

- Blades of Light and Shadow: I have to admit I like the plot more than its characters, but also like playing with as an orc (even though the storyline didn't do justice to Orc MC on book one)

- Crimes of Passion: even tho I haven't finished playing it, I looooove a good mystery/thriller/horror book, it's great to play as an adult MC who's actually good at what they do and it's the only single LI book I played in which the LI is worth all the hype;

- Guinevere: also haven't finished playing it, but I love a good period book with a good dose of fantasy. Plus, Arthur is the sweetest;

- Desire & Decorum: NGL after book one, there were so many filler scenes on books two and three, but I was* too madly in love with my Ottoman Prince and liked 90% of the characters to give up on the story ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

*"was..." I said, as if Hamid doesn't live in my mind rent free since 2018... 😏

Tagging @choicesfandomappreciation

[raleigh-edward]

Blades of Light and Shadow 1 released around the same time as Distant Shores, replaying Blades 1 and I can't help reminiscing DS.

I remember being crazy over that book and spamming PB with mails as to how they should release a sequel, I now realise how stupid that was but I'm never getting over that book and a certain pirate captain.

Nonetheless I'm glad to see Blades back now and as expected it has revived the fandom too, 'playchoices' tag trended after such a long long time.

I'm yet to read the new chapters as I plan on starting the second part post a reread of part 1 and I hope they do justice to the book.

I'm so glad to see so many old accounts springing into action once again with this release, it's good to see you all!! <3

[where-the-wind-travels]

i want to make more proper mc introductions as i mentioned earlier but i have no idea which one to do first aaaa a h 😭

* if yall have never heard of august it's because i have indeed never once posted about them but i have The Urge to since everyone else is posting about tefe

[hotchocolatelovesyou]

worth it.

[nightprincekieran]

I can't believe distant shores was real and pb ruined it by making it a standalone with a horrific ending @playchoices I would give a kidney for more distant shores and oliver and edward