Hank

What tense?

Past tense works better for me. It's easier to visualize a story that way... and it's the traditional Western style. Just feels more comfortable.

Mental Illness

My girlfriend suffers from bipolar type II. With medication it's manageable, though she can be difficult to control when she's manic and hard to be around when she's depressed. She tries not to let it get in the way of our relationship. So, all in all, not too bad. On the other hand, my mother has an exhaustion and maladaptation disorder after severe stress that resulted in a total burnout of her nervous system. She has no energy reserves, suffers from heavy hyperacusis and is unable to handle a heavy emotional load. Her life is basically ruined. She was diagnosed 11 years ago and is not expected to ever recover. That's my experience with mental illness, though my mother's disorder might be more neurological than anything.

Airedale's Rebirth

Excellent first post. You seem to have the character of the Earl nailed down perfectly too -- a man trying a little too hard to be a noble, no? Mental indeed. I'll try to post something today.

Games you wished existed/Video Game Ideas

A good steampunk game that isn't a JRPG. Or that awful Resonance of Fate game either. . . need more steampunk games.

@Cynder

I assume you've already played the Bioshock Series, especially Bioshock: Infinite? It's not exactly steampunk per se, but it's very close.

When explaining an action sequence

For me, the best way to learn to write action scenes was reading a lot of novels by a writer called Dan Abnett, specifically his Warhammer 40,000 novels. That man has military sci-fi action down to a science. I'm at work right now and don't have a copy of his novels handy, but off the top of my head, he writes something like this: Sidestepping the downward chop of the Ork's great axe, Gregor's breath caught in his throat at the size of the weapon, and the monster wielding it. The Ork was easily eight foot tall, made entirely out of green, rippling muscle, and the blade of his axe was approximately the size of Gregor's torso. If one of the Ork's strikes connected, Gregor was sure he would be entirely disemboweled. However, he was a trained agent of the Throne, a veteran member of the Ordos Xenos, and (most importantly) significantly faster than the Ork. Kicking up dust as he moved, Gregor ducked beneath the whistling serrated edge of the Ork's axe as the beast swung the weapon sideways. Gregor thrust his powersword forward in an attempt to pierce the Ork's thigh and sever vital tendons; when up against a bigger opponent, always attempt to cripple his movement. The blade connected, but before it could pierce the Ork's tough flesh deep enough to cause significant damage, the Ork roared and backpedaled away. For a creature that large, it moved with alarming speed. Gregor wasn't about to give his opponent time to recover and dashed forward. Anticipating the Ork's next move, Gregor flexed his muscles in preparation. He had dodged the Ork's last strike by ducking and, as expected, the Ork attempted to compensate by swinging his axe low, barely a foot off the ground, trying to sideswipe Gregor's legs into nonexistence. With blistering speed, Gregor vaulted over the pitted, rusted axe blade and slammed into the Ork's chest with his feet while he plunged his powersword into the Ork's chest. Grunting in effort, he reversed his momentum, pulled the blade free and leapt off the Ork's torso with a graceful backflip. Blood spurting from his chest, the Ork moaned and collapsed. That's descriptive enough, no?

Mahz's Dev Journal

Minor note: usertitles do not show up in private message threads.

Totem

At risk of speaking in excess, I would like to remind you, @clark, that the post in the Characters tab should be modified to include Hella Cute's character. For completion's sake. Time for Rook to start snooping.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Goddamn, Mahzkrieg. You really are on fire today. Excellent work!

Memes!

<Snipped quote by York>

@York

Memes!

CRY 'HAVOC' AND LET SLIP THE DUCKS OF WAR

@York