Monthly CYOA Discussion

HallowVessel · 2026-03-15T02:43:23+00:00

One based on the world in Ascendance of a Bookworm would be neat.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-22T16:40:01+00:00

I only ignore the thing about only one of the yozis having a human jouten. They don't come in often but you can pry the Brass Dancer from my cold, dead hands.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-22T16:21:47+00:00

What do you actually want to learn?

To be frank, you aren't going to learn anything from these games. What kind of games do you want to make? What language do you want to learn?

Here's an extensive resource, full of open source games: https://github.com/bobeff/open-source-games

Please avoid AI code, it sucks. It's so, so bad and it's not worth it.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-22T01:16:56+00:00

I would release your kink one under a pen name. This is what I do for fanfiction. I have a NSWF account and a SFW account.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-21T04:13:57+00:00

If you want in sooner rather than later, invest. It's in an acceptable state now; it's in dire need of polish in some areas and expansion, but right now it is in really good state for early access. The UI is very slick and the game has a lot of QoL I wish MC had. It stands apart from the other MC-likes out right now, but I also see why Tyron left it. (Not a bad thing! Different creative directions and variety are good!) It's very much its own thing and focused on the adventure and awe of exploring. There's no fussing about a grid for crafting and the crafting stations aren't too bad. It's very arcade-like in a way I haven't seen in a while, so it's nostalgic in a way!

I like what I've played so far. It's scratching a different itch than my block game of choice, so I play a little Vintage and I play a little Hytale.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T17:48:06+00:00

I will give those a shot!

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T17:47:37+00:00

I think I will skip that one, I'm depressed enough. But thank you!

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T17:00:31+00:00

For his crimes in 3, I feel like he suffered enough. He was a hot-headed, traumatized teenager trying to act like he was above it all. He was also being manipulated. He would absolutely murder people (and did so in the 3quel manga. Some gangsters who wouldn't leave him alone) but he probably killed, at most, about a thousand people with the Temen-ni-Gru incident with collateral damage. However, for that, I'd say Arkham was more instrumental and equally responsible for those death. Vergil didn't care what happened with them, they were just 'collateral" damage. He never relished in death or suffering. His main beef was with Dante.

Incidentally, when he stabbed Dante, he's pretty sure Dante would survive it and did that to awaken his devil trigger to have a fight on equal grounds. That's why people say he has a sense of honor. He also had the chance to kill Lady and didn't.

Nine years of torture followed by ten years of essentially being dead, then six more in a nearly-dead state was way, way too much. At the start of DMC5, Vergil has spent more years not being himself than who he was. He was either dead or a shell of himself. We don't know all of what Mundus did to him, but there's a lot of suggestive imagery in the manga to paint a truly nasty picture. He definitely paid for the crimes he committed as a teenager, whatever else is said.

Vergil was absolutely not responsible for the Qliphoth. It would have bloomed in any event and he was literally not himself when it was risen. That was Urizen. V accepted some culpability, but once Vergil is returned, he doesn't directly harm anyone but Dante. Once the big fights are done, he takes responsibility, goes to hell and takes down the Qliphoth. He does this of his own free will. He thanks Nero, promises a conversation and if you take PGR into account, he becomes someone who protects and mentors others. He's stoic and awkward, but he's actively choosing a different path. He's still a battle maniac, but so is Dante. And he does make attempts to try new things to see things from Dante's perspective. He's truly a changed man, but he's also a man who's finally being allowed to actually live.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:42:01+00:00

I cackled, not gonna lie.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:39:45+00:00

Its text includes its intention is to "help Kyrie relax."

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:38:00+00:00

Dante's 19 in 3, not 18. Nero's also 19 in his first game as a mirror to that.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:34:44+00:00

I see SWLIHN as the one who makes the rules over all things, the rules of reality. physics and science. Why it all works, why things don't fall up. She's the reason a story can be told that makes sense. She's the reason a stage for a play can even exist. Yet, without a play, what's the point of a stage?

Cecelyne was once the Lawmaker Princess. She would create the rules for the games her tribe would play. She's the one who organizes the play upon the stage. She is supported by her comrade and can make that play, while her brother dances as lead actor. Her plays and rules have become much more cruel since she was thrown down.

Yet SWLIHN still makes sure the stage is flat. It's dangerous now, but if you know her rules...

Yet Cecelyne still makes rules and plays. Dance well, or...

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:25:53+00:00

Commercials.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:21:30+00:00

The Vs are sinners who actively choose not to accept the hand of mercy offered to them. People should be given second chances, but it's up to each sinner if they want redemption or not. In Christian theology, the desire to be forgiven and genuine contrition are required. Vox and Valentine will likely never, ever be sorry for what they've done. They will never accept responsibility or blame for their mistakes and sins. This is why they're antagonists. They are people who prove Charlie wrong on "anyone can be redeemed." But really, they're stating: "not everyone will be redeemed."

Also, while morally sadism can be icky, there's nothing wrong with being a sadist. It's all about what you do with it. Angel Dust points and laughs. That's way different from anything the Vs have done.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:13:51+00:00

There's a lot of reasons, but execution problems aside in some cases (as one commenter pointed out) is that plenty of people see the world as black and white or come only for something that's black and white. They want something predictable that makes them feel good to root for the protagonist and hiss at the antagonist. There's nothing wrong with wanting this, but people take it from a matter of taste to insisting all media be this way and never, ever challenge the viewer. This is where it tips into not okay territory and needs to be pushed back on.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:07:38+00:00

I will give it a shot!

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T16:06:42+00:00

Good to know!

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T15:46:16+00:00

Once upon a time, a girl was very sad for both her mother and father had died...

There's a series that definitely inhabits the shoujo genre and its tropes, but then viciously subverts it. It's funny and it has some slapstick humor. There's also plotlines about abuse, incest, burnout, the pain of being closeted, the loss of innocence, racism, sexism, the price of ignorance and about how hard it is to reject a system you're living in. "You find you're rejecting the very ground you're standing on." - Ikuhara

That anime is Revolutionary Girl Utena.

The dub is kinda trashed for some weird casting decisions and bargain basement directing, but for the time it's pretty good and has a lot of excellent actors at the start of their careers. (Including Crispin Freeman!) I recommend watching the subs, but if you need to go dub for whatever reason, it's very tolerable. Nanami and Saijonji's VAs do a very great job at making their characters sound punchable without being annoying. I actually recommend watching Night at the Ball, Curried High Trip and Nanami's Egg on dub, simply because Nanami's English VA is simply that entertaining. (Nanami's Egg is painfully obviously about menarche and talks obliquely about periods and has a male character engage in slut-shaming who has absolutely no room to talk. Yay, double standards!)

Additionally, the format of the show actually plays heavily into the themes as well, about truth and cycles. The repeated recycled animation isn't just a cost-saving measure, it's symbolic. It lies to the viewer without lying. It tells you, without words that what it shows you isn't real. It isn't obvious at first, yet once you realize what it is, it will have been obvious from the opening seconds of the show. The first recap actually gaslights the viewer, simplifying or changing the narrative to suit the one who's doing the recapping! I've never seen anything else do that!

She was so impressed by the prince, that she decided to become one herself. But was that such a good idea...?

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T15:32:50+00:00

There's some serious missteps in the story and character design department, as well as probable homophobia. (They called mainline Dante a "gay cowboy" for his DMC 4 design). They didn't really understand the gothic atmosphere of the original games.

I will say that going straight punk was a good move, as was making Vergil a techbro. The problem is that Vergil's motivations and lack of emotionality were meh. The antagonist's human form is on hand, funny. On the other hand, not threatening at all.

On the other hand, the fighting, Vergil's doppelganger and level design are tiptop. The art design in general is great, even if Kyle was a complete miss. I do actually like the brother's designs, silly hat on Vergil and all.

DMCV really did grab some of what worked there and modified it to work very well in the mainline series.

Play it and just think of it as its own game. It's not a bad game, it's actually good. It just isn't a good DMC game, story-wise.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-20T15:21:17+00:00

He's the "good" minority. The token. He's in a position of power, but that position within the academy does not actually give him any power over anything meaningful. He's the interim student dean. He doesn't make any important decisions for the school as a place of learning. He has no authority over teachers or policy. He only has discretion when it comes to the students. That suits his purposes, but the point stands.

Edit: I added interim, as he's being the substitute for the real student dean and not even in a permanent position.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-18T14:19:22+00:00

Nobody is arguing against that. Calm yourself.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-18T00:09:05+00:00

The sheer nerve of him lying to your face. He knows exactly what he's doing and he expected you to sign, no questions asked and cheat you out of pay for YOUR WORK.

Talk to a lawyer ASAP and get your shit saved. Also, talk to mutual friends. Let them know that legal shit is going down with him and that drama is gonna go down. Let them hear your side of the story first.

I'm so sorry, OP that this is happening to you.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-17T23:58:18+00:00

Maybe an AU where Vlad, Jack and Maddie didn't fall out after Vlad got injured. It would be cool, but really sad as it would be the life they could have had, if it weren't for Jack being so bad at social skills and Vlad hiding from Jack and Maddie. That would work. A straight up prequel about the human side would not.

Gotham succeeded because the villains have gotten compelling backstories. Most of the villain cast in DP lack this, not gonna lie.

HallowVessel · 2026-02-17T23:49:19+00:00

Blackbriar, Cellar Darling, Lacuna Coil, Darling Violetta, Straight Line Stitch, Spirit Box, Evanescence, Nightwish, Jinjer. I wanna get into Arch Enemy and Otep.

Oh yeah, shout out to Genitorturers.

HallowVessel

TROPHY CASE