I know I'm late, but I wanted to throw my 2 cents in. From my experience in MUSHing primarily in WoD spaces there typically isn't a lot of representation, but that's usually due to locale. Especially those set in New England and the Pacific Northwest. However, when I see games set in places with large black and other POC populations it always struck me as weird that every NPC was white. It's not a crime nor do I think there's even a hint of anything malicious, but it always looked weirdly, I guess, colorblind. I do have to admit that the majority of my experience with MUSHes are in WoD until relatively recently.

In the non-WoD and rostered games I've tried there's rarely non-white options on rosters or regions. I can't speak for Arx if anyone wants to bring them up as I only poked at the place for a few weeks before dropping off the planet. The more bothersome bit is what I see in fantasy games regardless of the medium. Essentially shoving Arab and Sub-Saharan cultures together, and calling it a day. I guess it bothers me because I don't see it as much for other locales and cultures. An easy example of this, if you don't mind the tangent, are the Redguards in The Elder Scrolls series. I won't lie. I'll take that over black folks not existing in a universe more often than not.

What @HelloProject was talking about is also something I've seen and known quite a bit in role playing when it comes to POC playing white characters. Before my time in MUSHing and in java/iirc I would sometimes get shit for not playing a white character in a predominately white area (seriously, something is up with WoD players and a love of New England), not typing out AAV (even if that's a large part of how I talk ooc), or, my favorite, not understanding why I really don't care for the vast majority historical settings.

In case it does need to be said: I've never felt attacked or like my presence wasn't welcomed on a MUSH due to my skin color or that of my PCs. I'm black, the vast majority of my PCs (I know I have had too many), and the only times anything troubling has ever come up is the typical "why would someone of this ethnicity be here!" or some of the typical exoticism. I also don't fault or think there's anything wrong with white folks wanting to stick to playing white PCs because it's what they're most comfortable with. On the flip side, I don't think there's anything wrong with those that wish to play a POC. I just think that, as HelloProject said, you need to learn to hold that L if someone points out that your portrayal is backwards, fucked up, or just outright ignorant.

Umbrella Academy is amazing. My view is likely biased since I never read the comics.

Umbrella Academy was so good that I fucked my sleep schedule up over it. I'm not 100% sure it was worth it, but, goddamn, I love that show.

Name: The Weird West
Opening ETA: Somewhere around May
Seeking: Storytellers & Admins
Location: Tombstone, Arizona and the surrounding areas
When: May 1881
What: Magic (completely homebrew) + Cowboys
Who: The Hashknife Regulators

Setting: Many men and women attempt to lay claim the nearby mines for wealth, power, and property. This is all thrown in disarray when they find an ancient box. When opened a rush of energy and light floods the mines, and in turn kills the eleven men and women within. This surge of energy unleashed unseen power in the human population and is now dubbed The Harrowing. Many beasts in the world have changed: some for the better, many for the worse. What's worst is this change has established a sense of lawlessness and fear across the known world, and humanity is fighting for survival or relative normalcy once more. A few even whisper of this being the end times.

Themes: Mystery: No one actually knows what happened, or why. Magic and magical animals now permeate the world, and no one flatly knows the cause outside of Tombstone. There are theories bandied about, of course, but no one truth may be right. The worst change of comes in the form of Hexen. Alien creatures hellbent on the death and destruction of humanity, and their frightening immunity to magic.

Themes: The Black Book: The Black Book is the standing repository of all knowledge of The Harrowing, and changes found in the immediate area. It is also a metaphorically living document, and information is almost constantly being added to it. The biggest necessitates for filling out more are research, autopsy, and plain experience with the changes wrought by The Harrowing.

Themes: Circling the Wagons: Even if you're not from Tombstone, you've a vested interest in its protection. Most of the surrounding towns have turned away or murdered anyone with any measure of magical ability, and a lone magician is simply prey for Hexen. However, Tombstone provides sanctuary even if you're only paying lip service to the Regulators.

Themes: The Good: People with magic are propositioned, strong-armed, and forced into the Regulators. The Regulators are a posse and militia of sorts headed by Tombstone's former sheriff Kelly Whitman. The Regulators serve as law enforcement, and double down as the standing defense against Hexen and the changed fera of the world.

Themes: The Bad: There are some people who'd take advantage of The Harrowing, and target innocents either with magic or good, old-fashioned robbery. While the law isn't what it used to be, there are bounties up and requests for returning stolen goods or avenging deaths.

Themes: The Ugly: Hexen are the primary threat to living, let alone peace, and seem to revel in this fact. No one knows their wants, their needs, or what are their true aims. However, one thing is true: they want every human in Tombstone. Hexen are humanoid beings covered in pale white skin, coal-black overlarge bug eyes,

Notes:

• Deadlands & other books/games/movies: I've been asked a few times over by people that have seen a few previews, but this isn't an adaptation of Deadlands or any other settings. I've yet to read such material, but will give it a go down the line.
• The only required book is Chronicles of Darkness, but we will be adapting some of the Mental, Physical, Social, and Fighting Merits from Hurt Locker on a case by case basis.
• XP: XP will be fairly low, but can be passively gained. Everyone starts with 1XP, passively gains XP that goes down over time, and active XP gains (the usual Beat gains) are capped at 1XP per week.

I have few key details that are static. Like how npcs feel and react to things, various environments, and how npc abilities work. Past that I move by the seat of my pants.

Kittens.

@wretched I said what I said. Burn it all down. Set fire to the hive. Et cetera.

@Seraphim73 I know I sound like a pessimist, but I don't think there is a happy medium. You gotta accept that you can't please both audiences, and will have to cater to one. I may be wrong since I haven't been mushing for long, and there may have been games that have accomplished it.

I hate that I never get to be the haunt in Betrayal at House on the Hill.

I said it privately to a few folks, but since that cat's out of the bag let's just be real. It's fetish bait, and it's old hat at that. Seeing that it might be someone bringing over a concept from Shang et al explains things. It explains a whole hell of a lot. I've been told by two people that he meant no harm in it, and that he would have changed things if asked in a way they prefer (more oldies but goodies). I wanna give people the benefit of the doubt, but that's one of hell of a coincidence to fall into all of that all at once. It ain't impossible, but I'm betting on improbable.

Anyway, the Nubia bit depends on who you ask and their age. Short of young cats it's a thing about beauty or empowerment a lot f the time. Eg, my Nubian queen/king. Also in the name of one of my favorite acts outta NYC with Brand Nubian. Note, the beauty and empowerment thing can be taken to ridiculously stupid levels with NoI, 5%ers, and hoteps. I'm well aware that I don't speak for all black folks, but Nubian ain't much of a word of contention.

Umbrella Academy was so good that I fucked my sleep schedule up over it. I'm not 100% sure it was worth it, but, goddamn, I love that show.

I said it privately to a few folks, but since that cat's out of the bag let's just be real. It's fetish bait, and it's old hat at that. Seeing that it might be someone bringing over a concept from Shang et al explains things. It explains a whole hell of a lot. I've been told by two people that he meant no harm in it, and that he would have changed things if asked in a way they prefer (more oldies but goodies). I wanna give people the benefit of the doubt, but that's one of hell of a coincidence to fall into all of that all at once. It ain't impossible, but I'm betting on improbable.

Anyway, the Nubia bit depends on who you ask and their age. Short of young cats it's a thing about beauty or empowerment a lot f the time. Eg, my Nubian queen/king. Also in the name of one of my favorite acts outta NYC with Brand Nubian. Note, the beauty and empowerment thing can be taken to ridiculously stupid levels with NoI, 5%ers, and hoteps. I'm well aware that I don't speak for all black folks, but Nubian ain't much of a word of contention.

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

“Megatron must be stopped, no matter the cost.”

I know I'm late, but I wanted to throw my 2 cents in. From my experience in MUSHing primarily in WoD spaces there typically isn't a lot of representation, but that's usually due to locale. Especially those set in New England and the Pacific Northwest. However, when I see games set in places with large black and other POC populations it always struck me as weird that every NPC was white. It's not a crime nor do I think there's even a hint of anything malicious, but it always looked weirdly, I guess, colorblind. I do have to admit that the majority of my experience with MUSHes are in WoD until relatively recently.

In the non-WoD and rostered games I've tried there's rarely non-white options on rosters or regions. I can't speak for Arx if anyone wants to bring them up as I only poked at the place for a few weeks before dropping off the planet. The more bothersome bit is what I see in fantasy games regardless of the medium. Essentially shoving Arab and Sub-Saharan cultures together, and calling it a day. I guess it bothers me because I don't see it as much for other locales and cultures. An easy example of this, if you don't mind the tangent, are the Redguards in The Elder Scrolls series. I won't lie. I'll take that over black folks not existing in a universe more often than not.

What @HelloProject was talking about is also something I've seen and known quite a bit in role playing when it comes to POC playing white characters. Before my time in MUSHing and in java/iirc I would sometimes get shit for not playing a white character in a predominately white area (seriously, something is up with WoD players and a love of New England), not typing out AAV (even if that's a large part of how I talk ooc), or, my favorite, not understanding why I really don't care for the vast majority historical settings.

In case it does need to be said: I've never felt attacked or like my presence wasn't welcomed on a MUSH due to my skin color or that of my PCs. I'm black, the vast majority of my PCs (I know I have had too many), and the only times anything troubling has ever come up is the typical "why would someone of this ethnicity be here!" or some of the typical exoticism. I also don't fault or think there's anything wrong with white folks wanting to stick to playing white PCs because it's what they're most comfortable with. On the flip side, I don't think there's anything wrong with those that wish to play a POC. I just think that, as HelloProject said, you need to learn to hold that L if someone points out that your portrayal is backwards, fucked up, or just outright ignorant.

I got pulled back into the League bubble last year (God, help me), and then kinda saddened when I couldn't really branch out again since MOBAs have more or less died except for the top dogs (LoL, DOTA2, Smite, HotS).

I've been introduced a good amount of new artists since the quarantine started, and in large part because friends were bored with nothing to do when stuck at home. I usually listen to rap with a smaller mix of prog and math rock, but I've been introduced to a lot of new acts. My favorites have Seaux Chill, Don Tolliver, and 36 Crazyfists. On top of all that I've fallen in love with the Deftones all over again.

I shaved my head, and the temperature took another heavy dip back down. I hate going outside now, and all I know is regret.

@Tinuviel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Oh hey! I have an actual peeve, that also amounts to a serious case of the First World Problems (is Australia even in the First World anymore?)

No, Spotify. Just because two artists have the same name doesn't mean they're the same artist. Stop it.

That's kinda common, and very fucking annoying.

That, Outer Worlds, and Cyberpunk are the major things I'm looking forward to. I lose hype just by my nature, but those are three I just love oh so much. Except Outer Worlds kinda spurned me with being Epic and Windows Store exclusive. I guess I can and will tolerate the latter.

A different, lovely interpretation of Aria de Mazzo Carattere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xFhULStbkQ

Azorious Senate?