Mlergh. I have been dealing with intense insomnia and all over body clenching. The kind where you don't realize how tense you are until suddenly your body relaxes and you're like 'holy crap why am I clenched?' I don't know what to do about it, really. Not sure how to stop, the jaw clenching is the worst cuz it gives me an earache. I am full of whinge because I am just exhausted and achy. Grouse. Any tips for not clenching one's jaw?
Oh, I am so so sorry. 
All of the digital hugs to you and your family.
@thesuntsar said in Calaveras: Adult Fiction Drama MU:
@krmbm legendary hitman turned professor of history
Why does that sound so familiar?
@roz Uhm, technically we're called Xennials. And when I think about how old I am, I wanna cry.
https://www.businessinsider.com/millennials-vs-xennials-biggest-differences-2018-4
When I first started Mushing the norm was very short one to two line poses, or at least it was in the groups I was in. As time passed and block posing became the norm, I started having anxiety about the length and quality of my posing, so I started really paying attention to the poses of people I thought were really good. Over time I started figuring out what it was about their poses that I liked and started incorporating it into my own. I think @Apos nailed it when he says it helps to have a defined archetype to develop unique characteristics for your characters. I usually try to fixate on an aspect of my character that makes her distinct from my others. A singular quality that I can turn into their dominant tone.
All that being said I still worry that all my characters are exactly the same. I know I've had drastically different characters in the past, but there is a certain core element that ties them all together. And I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing, it is what makes it possible for me to relate to them.
I am sending all the good vibes I can. My three kitties are my world, so I totally get it. Fingers crossed for you.
@thenomain said in General Video Game Thread:
@aerianyx said in General Video Game Thread:
So. Are you suuuuuure you want him back in charge?
If he's responsible for the amazing writing teams like DA:O, DA:A, ME, ME2, ME2:Lair of the Shadow Broker, ME3, ME3:Fuckin' The Citadel Fuckin' best DLC of any game ever, then I don't care how big of a douchnozzle he is.
He so wasn't. Not at all. He was an Artist who got an awesome idea that became Mass Effect. He was Executive Producer of the franchise, but he wasn't involved in building the writing teams.
Old BioWare had different teams on different properties, so there was a big difference between the DA and ME teams. Each had their own programmers, QA, Dev and production teams. There was very very little cross pollination between them. My husband started as an Editor on Jade Empire, moved over to writer on Dragon Age: Origins (He wrote Oghren and parts of the Deep Roads, and all the light content quests) then was moved to the Small Games Group, wrote Sonic Chronicles, the Dark Brotherhood, from there went to ME 2 where he wrote pretty much all of Omega and the DLCs for Kasumi and Zaeed.
The ending of ME3 was dismissive and trite, but it was fine. The rest of ME3 was not as fantastic as its predecessors but it was good.
addendum: I think Indoctrination Theory is terrible. To me, Mass Effect is a Space Opera, grande and personal. It's about the same level to me as finding out it was all a dream.
We shall agree to disagree!
@ganymede said in General Video Game Thread:
@thenomain said in General Video Game Thread:
Like DA2, I didn’t feel that ME:A was about anything. It’s story was stronger than DA2’s, but that’s like saying this sheet of paper is stronger than a used toilet wipe.
Andromeda was okay as a video game, but it failed as a Mass Effect game.
"I think you and I are destined to do this forever."
I liked Dragon Age 2 a lot. I liked Andromeda a lot. I liked Mass Effect 3 and its ending just fine. And you know this.
Y'all just snobs.
I'll be over here playing Fallout Shelter.
Here's the thing. I think if you take ME3 as a whole as the goodbye to that series, it is freaking beautiful. As long as you ignore the last twenty minutes and the absolute bullshit Blue, Red or Green palate swap ending. (One of the enduring reasons I have maintained such bile for Casey Hudson. He makes me want to punch him in his Zachary-Quinto-looking face. So, so much.) The whole of ME3 was a beautiful, glorious farewell to those characters. Man, if you've never romanced Thane you have no idea what you're missing. I freaking wept. I bawled like a baby during ME3 and the letters you get from Thane.
I loved that whole game. And even though it's not real, I will forever make the Indoctrination Theory cannon in my head.
Double post!
@sparks
My favorite fan theory was the Indoctrination Theory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZOyeFvnhiI
I worked on the multiplayer parts of ME3, and my husband who did a lot of the writing in ME2 and I would just have epic bitchfests about the whole thing. When I saw this theory I was like 'If there is anyone left in Edmonton with half a brain, they would confirm this so fast.' but... yeah.
@thenomain
Casey Hudson is now the Studio Director at BioWare Edmonton. The man is a giant, unbearable douchebag. Trust me. I worked there. He and Mac Walters* are the ones solely responsible for the craptacular ending of ME3. They literally walked into a room by themselves and came out with that flaming wreck and would not listen to anyone who told them it made no sense.
So. Are you suuuuuure you want him back in charge?
I can tell so many stories about the ins and outs of the drama behind the Mass Effect games.
*ETA: And Preston Watamaniuk, but as my husband says, it was mostly just Casey.
@coin 
Jeff Jeffty Jeff born on the first of Jeff, nineteen Jeffty Jeff...
I have no idea what is happening.
Jeff.
@secretfire There's nothing stopping you from building one set anywhere you like! I don't think setting it in a US city means that someone is OCD. I think it means that it there is something about that city that makes it viable. And as @Ganymede mentioned before, placing it somewhere real makes it a LOT easier than creating something out of nothing.
Austin Texas would make for an awesome setting. UT is situated there, for your college wants, it's a Capitol city with lots of corrupt politicians lurking around (Some that brag about shooting coyotes while on a jog. Sigh.) It has South Congress Bridge which has all of the bats ever that swoop out at sunset for a spectacle. It hosts South by Southwest, the Rot Rally (Republic of Texas Biker Rally) Sixth street, which is one of the most awesome places for live music in the Southwest. Progressive politics (Within the city limits, creeping more and more conservative as you pass through the surrounding suburbs), some of the most gorgeous scenery you'll find in Texas (I know, a stretch, right?), it's super green, has amazing hills and valleys, several large lakes. There is a huge population of hippy folk in South Austin. I mean, the city motto is "Keep Austin Weird".
I am super, super impressed with this concept. It's fascinating! And I'm learning a lot by watching this process. Good work! I am really excited to see the finished product!
I met my husband on the first MU I ever played on. We weren't romantically involved on the game, our characters were never more than friends, but we started chatting, talking about our equally horrific romantic entanglements and transitioned from OOC chatting to phone, to meeting in person when it turned out he lived 40 minutes away. There was a LOT of drama and fallout due to respective online partners and weird 'I'm young and stupid!' games, not between he and I but my gaming group at the time.
It's been 17 years that we've been together, married for 12. He doesn't MU at all anymore, and in fact the fallout and drama that happened after we got together chased him off for good. But he understands that it is something I can't quit, which is nice.