If you attacked someone in such a way that could have resulted in their death, whether it was a premediated attack or an impulsive one, it is still attempted murder because you made an attempt to kill them.
Well, then this question is harder for me to answer, sort of. I have certainly attempted to kill. I just wonder if realizing it later, than in the moment, has a distinction that should be made. I didn't think something like "I am going to kill them" most of the time. All I was doing, in the moment, was eliminating a threat or disturbance. I have had the thought, while in the moment, "I better stop. A part of me really is willing to do this." I don't make idle threats. I consider them warnings to people. And when that warning isn't heeded, I've dealt them consequences. When I've gotten to that point, I have been able to save myself from making a huge mistake. I wasn't so concerned about if I actually killed the person than I was by the fact I was willing to. I am not trying to make an idle boast or sound tough or whatever. In my mind it is just cause and effect. I analyze this portion in me all the time. "Could I kill that person? How would I feel?" I'm content to say I would kill absolutely when necessary. But since growing up, I have been able to make the distinctions.
she didn't say anything, lol. she did something that crossed the line. i had told her roommate (who happened to be a good friend of mine) i wouldn't be coming to their place for a while, as i didn't trust myself around her. after about a week, i stopped by to pick something up and on my way out i bumped into her on the stairs. i think i stopped for a second, and she started to make some smug smartass remark, and i flew down the stairs with her neck in my hand.
i managed to let go, and i remember her acting like nothing had happened, but slinking back out as quickly as she could (whilst trying to feign the 'i'm above all of this' bullshit) as though she didn't live there.
I wonder if this puppet strategy has been or is being employed: Making a persona that everyone dislikes and another that's against that persona. Leading the bandwagon against either persona, depending on what the prevailing sentiment is. The person could direct and conrtol those sentiments by maintaining a facade of detachment.
Oh I've had better scratches than those, it's just that who I'm with right now has short nails that borderline brittle from how she cuts them, as well as a symptom of poor eating habits (I gave advice that should fix that :D). Back when she had a more well rounded diet and forgot to cut her nails often when I was softly introducing her to her tendencies, she'd leave marks that'd take weeks to heal (and I'm a fast healer!).
It didn't help when the choking happened that I was still PTSDing really hard, so my defenses were already warped, that we'd been drinking, so my guard was down, and that I'd been arguing with someone else before she blindsighted me with that. Once she was at my neck, being caught off guard to that degree with that many issues compounding on top of it, the endorphins and adrenaline was just so much that I went into a laughing fit. This had her start doing this weird angry wailing squeal while she tightened her grip and sunk her nails in. She's very emotional.
Once her boyfriend went out of shock over how sudden it was, he pulled her off and started trying to play "blame the victim", which apparently no one else agreed with. Two of them bolted from the place quickly afterward, and another was frozen in place in shock, having to be led out to snap out of it. While they were all gone and all the energy of it wore off, it redirected into some weird variant of paranoia and rage. I took pictures of the damage, and figured I'd never tell her I had in case I ever needed the extra leverage for a future event. She got apologetic the next day, but by then I knew what she was capable of.
Never had to use the photos, but keeping that bridge unburnt did lead to better outcomes in the future. She and I aren't talking anymore (no real loss there), but what I got out of that connection until then more than made up for it. The mind games I employed from then on were pretty fun.