noise."Quick updates! · 9:46pm Mar 16th, 2017
The Admiral is coming to Bronycon this August, for the fourth time!
That's right, to celebrate my 40th birthday, I'm headed to Baltimore for one glorious, fun-filled weekend.
Thursday, there's a bar crawl (I think), which I intend to participate in this year. After all, last year it inspired one of my weirder stories, and I wasn't even there when it happened--I only heard about it second hand. This time, though, I'm going.
And then bright and early on Friday morning, I'll be over at the convention center, trying to foist one of my shirts off on MA Larson (seriously, if I'd had one in my hand last year when I passed him on the escalator. . . .). And also at Quills and Sofas, as is my tradition, so all y'all can find me.
After that, plans get a little bit fuzzy, and not just because of the bar crawl (I'm sure that won't help), but I intend to be at most of the writing panels. I got asked if I'd be on one, and said yes, although I don't know if it's been approved yet. So I'll let you know later how that goes.
We're also gonna have a birthday party over at the Hyatt, and everyone is invited. It's going to be BYOB, because I can't afford to provide alcohol to a bunch of writers. 
I'll let you know more specifics when I have them.
I'm gonna be on teamspeak again!
Source (YouTube)
Original Image Link
And you'll be able to hear edicts in my glorious, booming voice.
Since I'm kinda a luddite, I'm not gonna try and explain how you get there and what you need to do. The address is the server address is ts.hartsfire.net; the date is this coming Saturday, and it starts at 5pm EST but I won't be there until sixish (also EST). If you need more details, go to harts fire's blog, here. There are going to be a bunch of other people on as well, so it will probably be a bit chaotic. But it's fun, and you might get to hear an author come up with a new idea, which is always cool.
Secondly, we're having a party with RobCakeran53 and WandererD tonight, 'cause it's both of their birthdays, or close to it. It's an in-person kind of thing. Early details were here; however, due to a paucity of responses, we have altered the deal. If you want in, PM either me or RobCakeran53 for more details, and pray that we do not alter the deal further.
Thirdly, I'm in need of someone who's willing to help pre-read, edit, and possibly brainstorm who is somewhat familiar with I guess you'd say gaming vernacular in a game like Battlefield or Call of Duty. You know, things like 'rekt' and '360-noscope' and that type of thing. For April Fools, I'm feeling like I ought to carry on with the tradition of Derpy Accidentally A Portal Gun. So if you've got any interest in participating in this, uh, thing, give me a shout.
From Harts Fire's blog:
the server address is ts.hartsfire.net
to down load the TS software hear is the link http://www.teamspeak.com/downloads
you do not need to install over wolf that is for gaming.
So, we have to download a program to go to a server.
I thought Discord was the one that was all the rage. I've never heard of this teamspeak program.
Ah yes, good old unicycling Darth Vader with bagpipes.
The really telling part about that scene is that no one even noticed.
DUDE. I'm super pumped to meet you in Baltimore! I'll bring some booze to celebrate your birthday! I love you man, you're the best!
Also tfw when I might actually be available to pop into your ts
4459110 flaming bagpipes*
4459109 TS is oldschool.
Discord is the new hotness.
Teamspeak isn't cloudbased like Discord so you still get some nutters claiming that it's better, safer and all kinds of paranoid things.
4459164
Are you implying that there are bagpipes that don't shoot out fire?
4459110
He's been doing it for years. He's Portland Normal now.
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They'd be a piss-poor battle instrument if they didnae shoot flames, laddie.
Darnit if I'd known about this earlier I might well have tried to make a thing of it!
CURSES
Oh, you know I'm capable of pre-reading that.
Yo, nub, I'm kind of a big deal, like famousse and shiz. Y'know, 1337 like xXLegolasXx. You ain't seen leetspeak like this 'cause I'ma' in ur base, killin' ur mans.
That was harder than I thought it would be. But hey, I can definitely give my opinions on gamer talk, if you need.
j00 know wh3r3 to find m3, n00b.
I would help out with the gamerspeak but all the serious players over here in the destiny community are astonishingly quite literate with very few exeptions due mostly in part to the necessity of team work.
4459109
I dunno much about it, but I'm kinda a Luddite when it comes to this internet thing.
4459110
I think it was only in the director's cut.
4459164
At least you know what I'm actually like. Some of my other readers might be surprised. . . .
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Speaking with nutters, one of my fellow thespians just posted on FB that maybe the world is flat.
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We're doing it again next Saturday, same bat-time, same bat-channel.
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Now all I've gotta do is write it.
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How do you feel about Amethyst Star (Sparkler) with two pistols, possibly an assault rifle, and grenades?
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I do, indeed!
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I figure most people aren't really like the stereotypes, but this is an April Fool's story, so. . .
4472452
Depends on what kind of game you're basing things off of. A good number of first-person shooters allow each person 1 primary weapon (assault rifle, shotgun, sniper rifle, etc.), 1 sidearm (pistol, hand crossbow, etc,), maybe a last-ditch melee weapon (knife), a limited supply of one specific combat accessory (grenades, trip mines, blasting charges, etc.), and maybe a utility item (rocket launcher, med kit, vehicle tools, etc). Yes, a rocket launcher isn't often a primary weapon, because someone with only a rocket launcher is going to have serious problems fighting other players in most cases.
Most games run a variation of this. Planetside does exactly this. Counterstrike did primary/sidearm/melee/utility but didn't have any support stuff (iirc correctly), and I think Battlefield runs similarly. Halo does weapon/weapon/utility I believe, with the two weapon slots for anything you can find, but if you want to pick something up, you have to have an open slot. (If you have an assault rifle and a giant hammer but want to pick up a rocket launcher, then you'll have to drop the rifle or hammer first)
Some games like Team Fortress and Overwatch use the same basic setup, but the character you choose gets specific gear. Like a sniper from Team Fortress Classic got a sniper rifle (which could switch between high-powered single shot and low powered automatic fire), a pistol, and EMP grenades, while Tracer from Overwatch gets two rapid fire pistols and a set of abilities related to maneuverability. Most shooters use some form of similar limitation (I don't think I've ever seen medics with rocket launchers), but not many are as limiting regarding gear as Overwatch is.
4472449 I'm in Chicago! There's Whinny City going on then, convention season is starting
4472445 Yeah but I wasn't able to make it :(
4472703 I forgot all about that, and I live here! I wonder if I should go, I don't really know anybody there.
Well, well.
Another good reason I should attend Bonycon.
I am so hyped and looking forward to seeing you in Baltimore. I've been in the fandom for five years now, and I can't put faces to just about any names. (Which is only fair, because I've got several next-door neighbors I've had for twenty years that I still don't know their names. Yes, I'm a hermit)
I've got my tickets, working on the hotel room, and having an angst fit about driving vs. flying now. Decisions, decisions.
BaltimoreBronycon is far from Southern California...seeeeeecret
It's going to be great to meet you in person! I may even have finished Silver Glow's Journal by then.
Can't wait to see you again you rascally bear! Super excited :)