Tinytalk Episode 013: Women and MUSH

From Shoujo-Ai MUSH, I'd like to offer my appreciation. We're rather proud of what we've managed to create here, and it means a great deal to see others give such a positive recommendation.

Many thanks, Javelin!

Yuriko
Shoujo-Ai MUSH

Intro

Welcome to Tinytalk, a podcast about MUSHes and other text-based virtual worlds. I'm your host, Javelin, and this episode focuses on Women and MUSH.

Audio interview montage

So I wanted to sit down with a group of women mushers and ask them some questions about women and mush. But scheduling a group interview proved impossible, so I spoke individually to three – all of whom happen to be European – and have produced for you this audio montage.

(No transcript available)

Visit to Shoujo-Ai

I haven't done a visit to a MUSH in a while, and I wanted to find one that related to this episode's topic, so I've spent a little time at Shoujo-Ai MUSH. Shoujo-Ai is a genre of anime or manga that tends to feature lesbian relationships. And, not surprisingly, the MUSH is set on an imaginary remote Pacific island, called Yuriba, that serves as a sort of interdimensional meeting place and where the population – including not only humans and humanoids, but also plants and animals -- is exclusively female and gay. The MUSH has a really interesting religious system, and lots of features designed to attract explorers in the geographical sense as well as in the sexual sense, including hidden items, puzzles, and quests, all tied thematically into the milieu.

One of the most notable things about playing at Shoujo-Ai, though, is the impact of an all-female and gynocentric cast of characters. Yes, many – perhaps most – of the players behind the keyboard are likely men. But there are clearly enough players of both genders whose interest in roleplaying relationships between women – not simply a male stereotype of lesbian sex – that you can feel it when you're there. The players, IC and OOC, do snuggle and kiss, but they also talk, in and out of character, about themselves and about each other. The roleplaying here is more expressive than instrumental, and whether you believe that that's typically a feminine quality for biological or sociological reasons, the outcome is very much the same. They're also quite friendly to new players, so if this sounds interesting, check it out.

News and notes

OtherSpace: New Journeys isn't accepting new players anymore. Current and old players, however, are welcome to apply for new characters as the MUSH continues its final story arc before evolving into OtherSpace: Millennium in June 2008. Millennium is scheduled to enter beta testing in January 2008. It's possible to become a beta tester by playing another jointhesaga.com game, Necromundus, and getting a character to Level 50 by Dec. 1, 2007.