HTML Reform School [v0.23d] [AlexXXX]

[alexxxx000]

Played the update and absolutely loved it, Marky might end up my new favourite.

Spoiler: Marky spoilers

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I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was really though writing it. I'm a sub and flipping that for Marky especially was hard.
A daunting task, since dom players have been demanding this specific moment since I first released the game. So much pressure.
Worth it, since people's feedback has been positive.

I understand. I was wondering if that means exclusively top too? In the current update Alex has a realization that aggression and muscles don't necessarily mean dominant. Maybe Tyler can have the understanding that bottoming doesn't mean submission and it's still possible to be in charge when bottoming. Marky seems to be closeted and he plays dom/top because he's afraid to admit what he wants. Not sure what your plans with Tyler are he since he's more mysterious of a character right now but he seems more comfortable with himself and knows who he is.

I'm wouldn't be heartbroken about not being able to dominate him, dom/sub isn't a massive kink for me, but I would very much love Tyler to have the option to bottom.

On the dominant path, Tyler and MC won't have any sort of sexual relationship. They'll be frenemies of sorts. The end goal of MC as the ultimate bully will end up being taking him down.

In the submissive path, I don't see Tyler ever bottoming. I might change my mind and do a one off scene where that happens if it feels right in the moment, but it's improbable.

What draws you to Tyler so much?

 

[fav22]

What draws you to Tyler so much?

Would love to say it was something profound or something deep about his personality that drew me to him but the truth of it is you made his avatar super hot. I tried switching Emmett & Tyler's avatars around but my stupid brain already associates that face with Tyler.

Edit: Just to add to this, I do like stories where bullies get a taste of their own medicine. So turning the tables on Marky and Tyler has strong appeal.

 

[alexxxx000]

Would love to say it was something profound or something deep about his personality that drew me to him but the truth of it is you made his avatar super hot. I tried switching Emmett & Tyler's avatars around but my stupid brain already associates that face with Tyler.

Edit: Just to add to this, I do like stories where bullies get a taste of their own medicine. So turning the tables on Marky and Tyler has strong appeal.

lol an understandable mood

 

[vision192]

Haven't gotten around to playing it yet, but I'm very happy to see this game get an update! Always love your work dude

 

[NathanMagic]

I really love the dom Marky route, and the sub Marky route. It's kinda interesting seeing how much he actually likes MC in both.

 

[HenryVIII]

I agree, I didn't care much for the dom route before (mostly because I don't like to torment Emmett) but this update was really great, seeing Marky from a different side and all of that.
I know there won't be lovey dovey endings but maybe they can reach some sort of middle ground.

 

[alexxxx000]

I really love the dom Marky route, and the sub Marky route. It's kinda interesting seeing how much he actually likes MC in both.

He does love MC... or more like the idea of MC. It's twisted and toxic, but also kinda sweet if you ignore the red flags

I agree, I didn't care much for the dom route before (mostly because I don't like to torment Emmett) but this update was really great, seeing Marky from a different side and all of that.
I know there won't be lovey dovey endings but maybe they can reach some sort of middle ground.

Well, I don't wanna sell a lie, but I don't see all endings being horrible like death or whatever. If you don't mind the toxic, there might be some happy-adjacent endings. Not like "yay we're happily married", but maybe something more akin to "I'm happy being his bitch boy whom he uses daily for sex and errands and we maybe cuddle sometimes."

You won't have to torture Emmett anymore if you don't want to. It was more like a trial run for dom-MC. He needed to learn with a weakling.
TBH readers don't much like Emmett. His route will probably be shorter compared to the other 4. No sense in focusing on a character people care little about.

 

[theCircle57]

Minor bug. If you have the game inside a file path has /temp/ anywhere on it, it attempts to load some of the game assets from a hardcoded location that I assume alexxxx000 uses for debugging since the path has his name on it.

It's the document.location.href.toLowerCase().includes("/temp/") check in line 645 (v0.23d)

 

[alexxxx000]

Minor bug. If you have the game inside a file path has /temp/ anywhere on it, it attempts to load some of the game assets from a hardcoded location that I assume alexxxx000 uses for debugging since the path has his name on it.

It's the document.location.href.toLowerCase().includes("/temp/") check in line 645 (v0.23d)

Thank you for letting me know.
I'll check to see what's happening.

 

[Oliz82]

Hello.

I don't have enough time to play this game recently but I couldn't not react to that.

TBH readers don't much like Emmett. His route will probably be shorter compared to the other 4. No sense in focusing on a character people care little about.

I just hope he'll have a complete storyline and not something rushed. Just because he isn't liked doesn't mean he should be left behind or thrown in the trash. If you created that character, that means you had something to convey with him. Anyway, that's just my thoughts, sorry. I'm always annoyed when something is cut to please and the author's work has to be destroyed.

Good continuation.

 

[alexxxx000]

Minor bug. If you have the game inside a file path has /temp/ anywhere on it, it attempts to load some of the game assets from a hardcoded location that I assume alexxxx000 uses for debugging since the path has his name on it.

It's the document.location.href.toLowerCase().includes("/temp/") check in line 645 (v0.23d)

Apparently that's a Twine game default whenever you click the "test" button. Even if I manually remove it, Twine shoves it back into the code.
The solution, unfortunately, is for the player to not use "temp" named folders.

Hello.

I don't have enough time to play this game recently but I couldn't not react to that.


I just hope he'll have a complete storyline and not something rushed. Just because he isn't liked doesn't mean he should be left behind or thrown in the trash. If you created that character, that means you had something to convey with him. Anyway, that's just my thoughts, sorry. I'm always annoyed when something is cut to please and the author's work has to be destroyed.

Good continuation.

Hey!
Honestly part of the reason why Emmett doesn't get the same amount of love as other characters is my own fault. I gave Haruki the "best friend / confidant" role that was supposed to go to Emmett. So Emmett is sort of just there as of now.
I have ideas about what to do with him but none are as good as my OG plan that Haruki stole.
I wouldn't just cut the character out since he's especially important if you're a dom or if you're playing the Tyler route as a sub.
That being said, player feedback is also important and I'd rather invest time in characters people like reading.
He'll have a route, it'll just be smaller.

 

[NathanMagic]

I think Emmett works for the Dom MC's unique love interest while in a sub MC route, Tyler is your unique love interest (I use love very loosely here).

I think the reason I like the Marky route the best for both MC's is due to the fact he feels right regardless of the way you go. He also feels like he could have a good ending for both Dom and sub mc's.

Tyler's great, but at the same time I could never see him and MC being anything, if anything he'd probably drop MC in both a dom and sub route, lmao.
I think Emmett should remain connected to Tyler in that sense, as it would make sense that both characters change depending on which route you take. Similarly to Tyler, when MC's on Emmett's route, I think their should be a lack of love, and in that route, MC's dom personality should truly shine (or his depravity, whichever comes first).

Haruki is weird to me, I'm not going to lie. He feels off compared to the other characters. But he works as another optional love interest, though he feels quite disconnected from the story, similarly to Samuel. I think he has a good personality, I just wish he was a bit more connected to the others, even Samuel. I will say, being Dom MC on Haruki's route is great, the movie date scene was amazing.

 

[theCircle57]

The solution, unfortunately, is for the player to not use "temp" named folders.

No problem. Removing the filepath check is, at least, just a very basic edit from a user's perspective. It's also not that much of a big deal in the first place since the game is text-based anyway. Thanks for looking into it.

 

[alexxxx000]

I think Emmett works for the Dom MC's unique love interest while in a sub MC route, Tyler is your unique love interest (I use love very loosely here).

I think the reason I like the Marky route the best for both MC's is due to the fact he feels right regardless of the way you go. He also feels like he could have a good ending for both Dom and sub mc's.

Tyler's great, but at the same time I could never see him and MC being anything, if anything he'd probably drop MC in both a dom and sub route, lmao.
I think Emmett should remain connected to Tyler in that sense, as it would make sense that both characters change depending on which route you take. Similarly to Tyler, when MC's on Emmett's route, I think their should be a lack of love, and in that route, MC's dom personality should truly shine (or his depravity, whichever comes first).

Haruki is weird to me, I'm not going to lie. He feels off compared to the other characters. But he works as another optional love interest, though he feels quite disconnected from the story, similarly to Samuel. I think he has a good personality, I just wish he was a bit more connected to the others, even Samuel. I will say, being Dom MC on Haruki's route is great, the movie date scene was amazing.

I usually call them "lust interests". Works better in this game lol

I honestly don't see a good ending for Marky, maybe a "good enough" ending. The game is toxic and cruel by choice. These are not good people (with the exception of Samuel, who's an angel.)

You're right that MC is crueler with Emmett than he is to Marky or other characters, precisely because he's so pathetic and easy to stomp on. Emmett just doesn't have a very well rounded personality. But I am trying to change that.

Haruki's role in the story (even if you don't romance him) is to help MC, train him, teach him to defend himself. He has a history with Marky and Tyler, but it's not that relevant to his arc. His story is tied to his roommate, Shane. He also works as a confidant to the MC, someone who's on his side.
Samuel is more like a side plot, which I like because it works as breathing room.
I don't think everyone needs to be a part of the Tyler/Marky animosity arc / mystery. Side plots are cool too, and sometimes even more interesting than the "main story" so to speak.

I'm glad you liked the date!

 

[NathanMagic]

I usually call them "lust interests". Works better in this game lol

I honestly don't see a good ending for Marky, maybe a "good enough" ending. The game is toxic and cruel by choice. These are not good people (with the exception of Samuel, who's an angel.)

You're right that MC is crueler with Emmett than he is to Marky or other characters, precisely because he's so pathetic and easy to stomp on. Emmett just doesn't have a very well rounded personality. But I am trying to change that.

Haruki's role in the story (even if you don't romance him) is to help MC, train him, teach him to defend himself. He has a history with Marky and Tyler, but it's not that relevant to his arc. His story is tied to his roommate, Shane. He also works as a confidant to the MC, someone who's on his side.
Samuel is more like a side plot, which I like because it works as breathing room.
I don't think everyone needs to be a part of the Tyler/Marky animosity arc / mystery. Side plots are cool too, and sometimes even more interesting than the "main story" so to speak.

I'm glad you liked the date!

That's fair!

I think Marky could have a pretty good ending, but honestly, it's up to you, LMAO.

Idk, I just saw a soft spot for MC in Marky in both the dom and sub route that I thought would be interesting to explore, so I'm excited to see where you take it.

More so on MC's dom route, the game over you get on sub route if you go a bit too far is uh..... a lot.

Also thanks for explaining Haruki, he makes a lot more sense to me now. Curious to see how Dom MC and Haruki interact in the future.

Also, I'll be honest I wouldn't spend toooooo much time on Emmett's personality. Cause at the end of the day for a lot of people, he's either the person betraying you and becoming your bitch. Or he betrayed you and you became someone else's bitch because of it. I do think there's more depth you could add, but he already has a rough start, so-

 

[alexxxx000]

I think Marky could have a pretty good ending, but honestly, it's up to you, LMAO.

Idk, I just saw a soft spot for MC in Marky in both the dom and sub route that I thought would be interesting to explore, so I'm excited to see where you take it.

I understand wanting romantic-adjacent content with Marky, trust me. There are glimpses of it throughout their story. Marky is abusive, though.

More so on MC's dom route, the game over you get on sub route if you go a bit too far is uh..... a lot.

This was me highlighting the fact that Marky is abusive
And even in the hospital, he continues to blame MC even though MC was 100% a victim.

Anyway, I don't wanna turn you off Marky. He's my favorite. I'm just illuminating that he has a dark side and it's not going away. I think if it did go away, he would become uninteresting. The danger factor is a big part of what makes us like him lol

Also thanks for explaining Haruki, he makes a lot more sense to me now. Curious to see how Dom MC and Haruki interact in the future.

Haruki will fight it a lot. He sees submission as weakness.
We also have to deal with his asshole roommate Shane, who has this hold over him.

Also, I'll be honest I wouldn't spend toooooo much time on Emmett's personality. Cause at the end of the day for a lot of people, he's either the person betraying you and becoming your bitch. Or he betrayed you and you became someone else's bitch because of it. I do think there's more depth you could add, but he already has a rough start, so-

I think people would forgive him quite easily if I managed to make him "not boring". I'm working on it.

 

[fav22]

I think people would forgive him quite easily if I managed to make him "not boring". I'm working on it.

I kinda feel like the biggest problem with Emmett is his look. He's chubby and nerdy looking in a porn game and that's not overly appealing for most. If either Tyler or Marky were fat/nerdy looking but kept the exact same personalities I bet you they wouldn't be nearly as popular. This is coming from a guy whose chubby in real life. You get a few people who are into chubby guys but for the most part it's not really most people's first choice. If this game proves anything it's that personality comes second to looks.

I think if you want Emmett to be more popular you should think of changing his look, if for the story you feel like his look is important than I wouldn't put much effort into trying to fix his character, just make him more of a background character. You're a good writer, I really don't think the writing is the issue.

 

[Longfang]

I think if you want Emmett to be more popular you should think of changing his look, if for the story you feel like his look is important than I wouldn't put much effort into trying to fix his character, just make him more of a background character.

Since we're going by personal taste I heavily disagree, if anything the reason I was into him at first is because he's a chubby nerd which makes him stand out from the other characters.

Even if he's not my favorite now it's not because of his looks, the opposite really since I still like him better than Tyler and Haruki just on those alone, it's because it feels like his story arc peaked at the scene where Tyler tells you to bully him and after that there's not a whole lot to him.

I noticed this especially with his movie date since it was the one I liked the least and ended up feeling more relevant to Marky's story than Emmett's, which is why I think it's kind of funny you're telling the writer to make him more of a background character because I feel like that's the main problem, he's already written like a background character unlike the other guys.

 

[fav22]

Since we're going by personal taste I heavily disagree, if anything the reason I was into him at first is because he's a chubby nerd which makes him stand out from the other characters.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me, would be a boring world if they did. My assumption could very well be wrong, it would be nice if I was, I just don't think it is for the majority of players. It's probably not the only thing going against him too. Many gay guys who play these types of games seem to prefer playing as submissive bottoms which puts Emmett more as competition for them than someone to explore and get to know.

 

[alexxxx000]

I noticed this especially with his movie date since it was the one I liked the least and ended up feeling more relevant to Marky's story than Emmett's, which is why I think it's kind of funny you're telling the writer to make him more of a background character because I feel like that's the main problem, he's already written like a background character unlike the other guys.

god I hope the situation is not that dire