#same goes for OG HSS MC too

[cadybear420]

Why is r/Choices so obsessed with complaining about TRR MC not having a backstory... like that is such a non-issue. It's the king god of non-issues.

like... just come up with your own backstory for your own MC. the writers even said that that was the point. and seriously like... try it. it's fun. sometimes less is more.

[cadybear420]

Yes to all of this, here are my overly long thoughts on these because I love HSS

Sports teams are all just big loveable gentle giants. Friendly beats all over the place (when Brian & Hearst aren't at Berry obvi). Like you're telling me there's just a team full of sporty dudes who have muscle, who are just bright optimists and/or confident and don't fool around, who'd give you a hug if you asked for one even if you didn't know them because you had a bad day? Berry is LUCKYYYUYUYY

Right? One thing I love about HSS is that it subverts a lot of typical high school stereotypes, and one of these is having the jocks be these very muscly guys who are no-nonsense about their sports, but also very welcoming and friendly rather than a bunch of meatheads? I love

And I also love that they're so welcoming and chill about a girl joining the team. Like they just causally suggest MC should join the team regardless of gender, and they treat a f!MC on the team just as normally as they treat a m!MC. Even when Brian gets all embarassed about being beaten by a girl in the running minigame in B1 Ch1, Caleb just nonchalantly shuts him down with "You were beaten fair and square. MC you should try out for the team. If you've got the speed, who cares if you're a guy or a girl".

I just love it so much because while there are some differences in how certain characters treat you, the characters and story don't pathologize, patronize, sensationalize, or tokenize you if you're a female jock MC.

Same goes for a male cheerleader MC. When the cheer squad tries to interest you in joining and MC expresses surprise at them doing so, Mia says "No need to be so gender normative" to a male MC, and male MC responds with "I wasn't saying that because I'm a guy" and then you get the options to say your MC is either new, shy, or is actually perfect for the squad.

The fact that I can see how emotive some characters are. Like Payton! Payton is a prime example. She's rarely ever seen with the 'neutral/serious' sprite ever. she's usually happy go lucky, angry go kicking, sad go sulking, or shocked go fright. I like the fact they used this to their advantage!

Old Choices really was the best for emotive sprites! HSS and ILITW are some of the best examples. Each emotive variation of a character's sprite just has so much character in it. Aiden's sad face that looks like the pleading emoji. Brian's happy face which just screams "arrogant douchebag". Caleb's smiling sprite like you mentioned, which makes him look like an absolute ray of sunshine. Payton's very cheery smiling sprite. Every time I see a different emotion sprite of a character, I feel like it's telling me something about that character!

I will say though, the brown f!MC sprite has the goofiest looking surprised face, but I love it. However the black and brown f!MCs' "neutral" sprites don't look "neutral" at all. But it still stands out.

People who say the older sprites were "uglier" are fooling themselves. New Choices sprites are just so lifeless and same-face. Like they just slap the same lip shapes and eye shapes onto each LI.

The fact that our character can be the biggest douchebag ever, yet still somehow has friends.

Everyone and their grandma has heard me talk about this but the OG HSS MC really is one of the best in my opinion, because they're just such a flexible character. People say they're too perfect (especially in comparison to the HSS:CA MC who is said to be more flawed and realistic) but I'm just like... honey, YOU made them perfect!

One of the things that cemented them as the best for me, is my sixth replay where I spent the entire third book making my MC be a jerk to the Hearst kids. Turns out, doing that gets MC to lose their tryouts spot to Jade/Cameron/Kieran, even if your MC was actually successful at tryouts!

And even outside of that, it's legitimately so fun to make my MC act awful. Like making them have absolutely zero sense of modesty when winning the sports games or homecoming/guest of honor/prom. Or having my MC act like a brat when they fail. One moment I really love is during the Hearst spirit stick heist. If you fail to get the lock open thus leaving Emma to try and do it herself, but then respond to her opening it with "lockpicking isn't that hard", Maria and Michael call you out for acting like lockpicking is easy when your MC barely did shit.

I just love it because even though you can't outright lose friends, there are significant consequences and the other characters can challenge your MC rather than just blindly agreeing with them just because they're the MC.

The little 'relationship improved' update message at the top. It feels nice knowing you have to guess which dialogue and action is the right choice to romance/Max out friendship, then the choice buttons just having a heart on it.

I usually sometimes prefer having a heart button mark on certain options because I don't like accidentally flirting with a character I don't want to. But come to think about it, you can read some of the flirty behaviors (particularly in Book 1) as more friendly behaviors if you wish. Like maybe my MC just wants to show Aiden some "sexy moves" to teach him how to shake his ass, rather than to flirt with him. Is he

It also helps that the relationship points actually account to certain outcomes too. They determine who asks you to homecoming, and whether or not you'll even get an option to kiss them during your first dance at homecoming. I did one playthrough where I didn't choose any "romantic" or "flirty" options with Aiden at all, and at homecoming it defaulted straight to him and MC continuing to dance rather than giving the "Kiss him/Keep dancing" options that I usually got!

And I love that you can have a slow burn romance with your LI! It's so nice to see that the story acknowledges if you've kissed a LI or not, altering some of the interaction dialogue of book 2 based on that, and acknowledging a slow burn if you wait until you're official.

The fact that the text boxes look so... Warm. Like it's red, it's bulky for sure- but doesn't it look so warm compared to other books with their text boxes? Like cmON now.

It's definitely meant to be based off of the text boxes from the original Prime game, and I just love it because it distinguishes the story with its own style. Like you know the creators cared about making it feel like "High School Story". Even if you haven't yet played the Prime game (I played Choices HSS before coming across the Prime game), it's just such a sleek, distinct style that fits the vibes of the story.

The activities in premium choices. I like how it isn't a horny book since it's an older one (I think), like there's no really really spicy scenes at all. I just like how it doesn't exist. Like you pay to do activities with your LI and there so happens to be a 'kiss' option along the way- not when they try and make you pay for a hookup in other books (ID, for example).

Trust me, I love smut as much as the next person, but I think not having smutty scenes works in favor of the story. Not just because PB is painfully safe and formulaic when it comes to writing smut, but also because it allows a lot more room for interpretation with any NSFW sides to the relationships. (Translation: PB smut writing would try to imply Aiden and MC doing PIV when they or at least my Evie anyways absolutely would never)

Even that aside, I don't feel like PB is the best at integrating the sexual aspect into LI routes? So it kind of helps to drop that aspect entirely and focus more on the more SFW dates and sneaking-away-for-private-moments, which also allows for more variety in the kinds of scenes you get with LIs.

I will say though, that the writing in some scenes can get borderline smutty (PB what the fuck do you mean "You slide your palms down Aiden's back and he shivers and inhales sharply at your touch" "You kiss every inch, leaving no bit of exposed skin untouched" "Aiden squirms in your grasp" "Eventually your lips find your way back up to his mouth") but like... you don't have to read it as inherently spicy.

HSS personal highlights I think of all the time: ↓

Sports teams are all just big loveable gentle giants. Friendly beats all over the place (when Brian & Hearst aren't at Berry obvi).

Like you're telling me there's just a team full of sporty dudes who have muscle, who are just bright optimists and/or confident and don't fool around, who'd give you a hug if you asked for one even if you didn't know them because you had a bad day? Berry is LUCKYYYUYUYY

Caleb's smile. That's it.

The fact that I can see how emotive some characters are. Like Payton! Payton is a prime example. She's rarely ever seen with the 'neutral/serious' sprite ever. she's usually happy go lucky, angry go kicking, sad go sulking, or shocked go fright. I like the fact they used this to their advantage!

The fact that our character can be the biggest douchebag ever, yet still somehow has friends.

The interactive backgrounds, like the ones where it's night and you can see stars literally twinkling. It's nice! (Though some BG's are half-rendered/half-blurry, but that's another time)

The little 'relationship improved' update message at the top. It feels nice knowing you have to guess which dialogue and action is the right choice to romance/Max out friendship, then the choice buttons just having a heart on it.

The fact that the text boxes look so... Warm. Like it's red, it's bulky for sure- but doesn't it look so warm compared to other books with their text boxes? Like cmON now.

The activities in premium choices. I like how it isn't a horny book since it's an older one (I think), like there's no really really spicy scenes at all. I just like how it doesn't exist. Like you pay to do activities with your LI and there so happens to be a 'kiss' option along the way- not when they try and make you pay for a hookup in other books (ID, for example).

I'm glad it wasn't made in this era of PB, I like it that it's wholesome and fun.

Pretty music.

(that's a wrap-)

[cadybear420]

If Choices existed in the Choices universe(s), here's what my MCs' favorite and least favorite titles would be

Tagging: @lover-also-fighter-also

Excluding the MC's own books/series because that would just be a paradox.

Evie Ayana (OG HSS)

Evie is basically my ultimate creator-insert character. So my favorites (It Lives Series, Endless Summer, The Heist: Monaco) would be her favorites, and my least favorites (Surrender, First Comes Love, The Billionaire's Baby, Untameable) would be her least favorites. And for all the same reasons as I have.

Like me, she would love the stories where the MCs are flexible in their character and the Choices actually influence the story, and would adore making her own MCs and building their characters. It's partly motivated by having an intense creative writing passion.

Evie would also greatly enjoy The Phantom Agent; I already do, but she'd like it even more I thnk. She loves her little wlm James Bond adventure.

Alan Parke (OG HSS)

Alan would definitely love the romance and steamy ones. But his all-time favorites would probably be Queen B and Dirty Little Secrets. The MCs and stories are perfect for his mega-diva personality. Granted I haven't played QB yet, but I just know he'd get so immersed in the whole vibes of it. Though he'd also hate that it's genderlocked and would headcanon his MC as a guy.

I think he'd also be a big fan of Hot Couture for the outfits. But of course, would hate that the MC is genderlocked and headcanon it's a guy MC wearing all those outfits.

Not sure what Alan's least favorites would be, but I think he'd definitely dislike First Comes Love and The Billionaire's Baby. In QB, he'd find it fun to be a total bitch because it's a story that actively leans into absurdism and embraces the trashiness. But it's not as fun in FCL or TBB because they take themselves too seriously. Instead he just goes "I can sometimes forgo morals for my own needs, but Jesus I'd never stoop THAT low".

Samara Al Hakim (OG HSS)

Samara would probably like Mother Of The Year because MC is the mom she never got to have. Instead she had to go through a mom who was incompatible with her dad, and then a step-mom who was borderline abusive. So MOTY is very escapist and cathartic for her. For similar reasons, she also finds comfort in any story about MC being a (good) parent, like The Royal Heir and Baby Bump.

In MOTY, she especially adores MC x Thomas, she loves Thomas as a parent figure and wishes her own parents’ relationship had been more like that. At the same time though, Guy Ledford would be very triggering for her.

Samara would despise Surrender even more than Evie does. Evie (like me) would have been sent into a very distressing rant rage from the story, but Samara would take it to physical levels. She would be so furious about how it handles abusive relationships that she'd outright hurl her phone at the wall and have to get both the phone and the wall repaired.

Samara would also get frustrated with The Billionaire’s Baby, the one exception to her love for the parenthood stories. This should be the kind of book she likes, but she can’t stand the MC and LI. But then the baby gets born and it has cute moments and so she melts down into confusion.

Cher Lee (HSS:CA)

Cher would love Hot Couture because she's a fashion geek. Most of the outfits wouldn’t be her taste, but she'd still enjoy the whole thing with designing and modeling for fancy outfits. She would also love all the historical/regency books like Desire and Decorum, The Royal Masquerade, The Unexpected Heiress, and The Duchess Affair because she's a ho for regency stuff too.

I'm not sure what Cher's least fav would be... maybe My Two First Loves? She wants to like it because she knows what it’s like to feel like she has everything figured out except not really, but the story is just a wishy-washy mess to her.

Jordan Price (HSS Prime)

I can probably see Jordan enjoying Laws of Attraction, especially Book 2. I think she'd also enjoy #LoveHacks, especially Book 2. Not really a surprise that she especially likes the parts of the stories where MC and friends leave the problem-riddled main institution and start up their own new space with the goal of providing better quality and better treatment of others that the main one couldn't.

Her least favorite would probably be Surrender. She'd just get so frustrated how MC stays with Reagan, even after their big break-up in Book 2.

Jo Hunter (ILITW)

Jo would have a love-hate relationship with Endless Summer. The exciting adventure combined with the strong group friendship themes would really speak to her. But the twist reveal at the end of Book 2, and having to choose between the endings, would break her.

Least favorite would probably be Wolf Bride. Bastien skeeves her out too much.

Harper Addison Vance-Fisher (ILB)

Harper would probably enjoy Platinum and Along Came Treble, as they themselves are a guitarist. I can also see both of the High School Story trilogies being a sort of favorite guilty pleasure of hers because of how chill they are, and she likes how sweet the Class Act MC is.

Her least favorite would probably be My Two First Loves. It's just a mess, and as someone who had periods of figuring out they were a demigirl and bi-curious, she'd probably think that the way the story handles its queer themes was very disappointing and half-assed.

Cedric Zhao (ILW)

IDK why, but I feel like the OG High School Story trilogy would be his favorite, and that he also played the original HSS Prime mobile game a bit when he was younger. They're both very escapist for him, and he loves creating multiple characters for both of those.

Not sure what his least favorite would be. Probably The Billionaire's Baby or Untameable, I think he'd be ungodly bored by them.

Dick Ryder (DLS)

Dick would have a love-hate relationship with a lot of the smut books. Love because he loves smut and he enjoys the mlw versions of the dynamics. Hate because the smut scenes are all guy-penetrating-gal which has become a legitimate trigger for him. Though he would like more MCs that aren't pushovers. I'm not fully sure about his favorite, but I think he might quite enjoy Alpha.

Aside from that, I think he'd also enjoy High School Story: Class Act, Red Carpet Diaries, and Guarded, because he himself is big into acting. He was a theatre kid during all of his school years, pursued an acting career after that, and wants to keep that up.

For his least favorite... I feel like he'd be very frustrated with Surrender. He wants to like it because kinky BDSM, but he can't get past MC being defaulted to sub in the first book and the resolution to the second book.

Adelaide Zhou (ROD)

Any book where MC gets to be proactive, a leader, and/or a badass is a favorite. So, OG High School Story trilogy, both of the It Lives books, Endless Summer, The Heist: Monaco, The Phantom Agent, Murder At Homecoming, Crimes Of Passion, Acrosss The Void, among many.

Least favorite would be Surrender, Wolf Bride, Roommates With Benefits, any book where the LI or other characters are incredibly patronizing to the MC.

[cadybear420]

Rating, Replacements, and Additions for LI Wardrobes: Aiden Zhou, OG HSS Book 2

Sort of a spinoff of my Cadybear's MC Wardrobes series, I've decided to do a similar thing for some LI wardrobes. The wardrobes for LIs tend to be very limited compared to that of MCs, so a large portion of this series will be dedicated to making new outfits for LIs in events where MC gets to have a new outfit, or any special events.

First up is the one and only Aiden Zhou!!! I'll be submitting this for @aidenzhouappreciationweek! For the Day 2 Prompt Fashion/Design!

Directory for the other parts will be included in the reblogs after I've completed the posts for all books!

New: Winter Casual

I will never not be mad that the female LIs are the only ones that get new winter casual outfits. Fuck that shit.

Event: Tiger News

Aiden isn't a part of this program, so no new outfit is necessary.

Event: Winter Carnival

Even though Aiden would probably stick to his regular clothes, I like to think he might have ordered a OMB Tigers jacket too. He looks so cozy <3

(Also please ignore that the "S" is faded. There was a printing malfunction.)

New: Pajamas

Putting this one in Book 2 because hypothetically, if Aiden had a pajamas sprite, the first time we'd see it would be in Ch 5 when MC comes to talk to his parents.

Bonus alternate version:

:)))))))

Event: Maria's Birthday

I can see this being his outfit for casual semi-formal-ish events. We need more of Aiden in a waistcoat.

Event: Breaking into Berry

This is one of the few times where it kind of makes sense that only MC gets a special outfit.

Event: Payton's Winter Formal Party

I mean that one sweater vest outfit could work too, but I did want this one to have a little extra of a casual feel to it. Same goes for the others' semiformal and winter party outfits.

[cadybear420]

My Top 3 Worst Choices LIs (this list is subject to later change or expansion)

🏅Honorable Mentions:

Nick from HFTH: He got on my nerves for the first part of the book, but at least he became more tolerable later.

Everett/Yvette from SB: Copy-paste emotionally closed off LI with copy-paste backstory of being betrayed by a shitty ex. But I didn't completely hate them or find them terrible.

Julian/Julia from SB: I liked them but they clearly just existed to be a "backup" for just in case we don't like Everett/Yvette. You could have removed them from the story and nothing would change.

Will from TCATF: I liked him as a character, but him being into Dom was completely out of nowhere and they clearly only added it in to have a token mlm romance in the trilogy.

Rory from HSS:CA: I liked them well enough, but they felt very lackluster as a character compared to Ajay and Skye, and to OG HSS's LIs. The other LIs in these trilogies all have some form of personal growth arc, but Rory just seemed to fall short of that. There was also really no need for the entirety of Book 1's conflict to revolve around MC's forced crush on Rory.

Logan from ROD: Of all the LIs they could have made the "main LI", why him? Why not Colt? Cause I remember a hell of a lot more about Colt's relevance to the Mercy Park Crew than I do that of Logan's. But to be fair it has been a long time since I last played.

🥉Third Place:

Reagan from Surrender.

Reagan acting predatory to MC, texting her a photo of a riding crop and "Have you been a good girl or do I need to punish you" within 10 minutes after first meeting her sours the story and the character.

That plus the fact that MC suddenly wanting to be a sub is completely out of nowhere (and also hypocritical on behalf of the writers who claim it wouldn't make sense for MC to want to dom right away), making a scene that can be read as Reagan coercing MC into BDSM and being a sub. Which just goes against the whole point of MC's story revolving around escaping a toxic spouse.

🥈Second Place:

Kit from Untameable.

I'm in the unpopular opinion in that I don't find most customizable LIs to be completely devoid of personality. But Kit is the literal textbook definition of "personality devoid customizable LI". The childhood backstory for MC, Kit, and Austin is incredibly weak and I have no idea why MC would be so into Kit.

And the story does a terrible job of trying to convince me that Kit is a player too. There are like two scenes ever where Kit gets swarmed by gals/guys but from what I can tell, Kit doesn't really care much about hooking up with any of them. People call the story wlm-coded but honestly the "high stakes" and "forbidden romance" is just so forced, it doesn't even matter how gender-coded the story is cause it will be nonsensical even if you play as wlm.

🥇First Place:

Bastien from Wolf Bride.

It's not so much for possessiveness and kidnapper behavior and him being all "herp derp MC and I are magically bonded we must do breeding". I mean, don't get me wrong, I fucking hate seeing these kinds of LIs pushed on us so much, but it's kinda what I expected from this kind of book (I mean, look at that cover). So I could just give it an eyeroll and a "Ugh this is such a cliche Twilight/romance YA novel trope", and not dwell on it so much.

But what really made me hate him was accusing Morgan of betraying the pack to help Sayre, despite being witness to Morgan calling out Sayre's abuse of her. And they try to excuse it with "Oh this is just how wolves get when they're both fighting over the same mate" ok sure, Bastien's still an asshole tho. And sure Morgan did shitty stuff too but at least it was addressed and she got a redemption/atonement.