  I just recently explored the world of MUDs and MUCKs and such. I always knew vaguely what they were but I had never indulged. Primarily because I didn't really have the patience to set up characters or the time (remember lag? They have it in spades). So my friend, who does indulge urlLink Maculate Deviant ( very good blog - go read it - she's taking a blog break right now - but the archives are wonderful) kind of made me decide to give it a go.
Well - it IS very complicated and there is a certain amount of time invested in creating your character and setting yourself up properly. For those of you used to IM chat convenience it is very frustrating. However, all the bitching aside, it is an incredibly immersive environment - especially is you love words. The problem is you can hang out in a text-based cafe all day talking to people who are often something other than human, and your life slips by while you're typing. The bonus is that you meet some people who are some of the best "on the fly" writers in the world - and living in that environment has got to train you to it. So you are honing your descriptive and dialogue skills constantly and evaluating other peoples'.
It really isn't for everyone and it is really worth to talk to someone who has used them. I was lucky enough to have a guide. Now... I'm just trying to decide what kind of furry animal I REALLY want to be. It so remind's me of the John Osborne play "Look Back in Anger"... because Little squirrel, you have such a shiny bushy tail..... urlLink Read more! 
