#god bless the internet archive

[predictable1993]

Revolting Cocks' website circa 2007

[thatrobotkid]

while i was looking for posts and gifs for tonight’s post, i stumbled upon this old forum from a “knight rider” fan site from the early 2000s, and they talk about the parody in the robot jones episode

how cool, huh?

forum is from october of 2003, have a look!:

as well as a site post about it too!:

take a trip back to early 2000s internet and have a glance at these cool “artifacts” lol

[creep-dot-commercial]

I have been given another thing to ramble incoherently about.

To balance this out, I must draw something for it, so yeah not happening.

[secondbeatsongs]

If it's not too late for a Spooky Suggestion... Jekyll/Hyde from Arthur?

this ask got buried, but I found it in time for this year! :D

also you are so, so lucky that I was able to find a decent-quality recording of this song

[ichthyorelationships]

ideas: i didn't really think of him being underwater but they deserve to have drama by crying there too so i just think you could say something about the composition being denser than water or w/e. proteins

i'm always like good thing he didn't try to exit asap via swimming in ciao alberto But What If He Did lol. just swim Somewhere else along the coast, maybe panic about [money??] & whether somehow this ruins school for luca, whether he can get in touch w/o it being On Sight b/w him & all marcovaldos, consider just kind of trying out other places, traveling after all...fascinating considering the other povs on the issue like: now there's the paguros to sympathize w/a kid vanishing, luca however in a somewhat more novel position there, giulia's throwback to alberto being a bit perplexing lmao, kind of thinking the best massimo could do is have a prewritten letter for luca to give to alberto If Possible, conveying something like i know you didn't set my livelihood on fire on purpose but even if you did i'd want you to stay. and luca in a position to do all of "maybe give the island fun facts so someone can check if he's there" & "wait & hope alberto can/does get in touch" & "have a lot of feelings"....not even the context of what this drawing is about necessarily, just tacking it on here anyways. ahead of time i went "heh now i Know they're gonna have it get little Real here b/c it's really about alberto wanting the security of feeling he can 'earn' a sustained relationship" then the short cleared & i was lying completely dead on the pavement

[orangechickenpillow]

Who was gonna tell me internet archive has movies

[blueberryspyder]

Just realized Discworld audiobooks are free through the Internet Archive

As some as I’ve finished Dune it’s over for you fuckers

[gaykarcist]

I FINALLY FOUND THE NAME OF A GAME THAT I PLAYED AS A KID AND THAT I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR AGES

[hexmonster]

this is my year of queerness apparently. gets a haircut, looks more gay, kissing women at bars, going to multiple queer raves, having accidentally organised a book club to read Stone Butch Blues as a result of a discussion at a party hosted by a household of lesbian librarians. its good energy thanks 2022

[pyr0peyt]

NUMUKI HAVING ALL THE WINX CLUB FLASH GAMES I PLAYED RELIGIOUSLY AS A KID ARCHIVED... GOD BLESS!!!

[singlethread]

Starting a sailor moon rewatch

[interstate40]

2 episodes into Grange Hill and it's dope as fuck

for a BBC school drama set in a comprehensive, it really is the proto-Waterloo Road and i'm sliving for it as a look into 1970s (as well as the 80s, 90s, and 00s) British youth life.

[writingwithcolor]

Sri Lankan Fairies and Senegalese Goddesses: Mixing Mythology as a Mixed Creator

[Note: this archive ask was submitted before the Masterpost rules took effect in 2023. The ask has been abridged for clarity.]

@reydjarinkenobi asked:

Hi, I’m half Sri Lankan/half white Australian, second gen immigrant though my mum moved when she was a kid. My main character for my story is a mixed demigod/fae. [...] Her bio mum is essentially a Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy and her other bio mum (goddess) is a goddess of my own creation, Nettamaar, who’s name is derived from [...] Wolof words [...]. The community of mages that she presided over is from the South Eastern region of Senegal [...] In the beginning years of European imperialism, the goddess basically protected them through magic and by blessing a set of triplets effectively cutting them off from the outside world for a few centuries [...] I was unable to find a goddess that fit the story I wanted to tell [...] and also couldn’t find much information on the internet for local gods, which is why I have created my own. I know that the gods in Hinduism do sort of fit into [the story] but my Sri Lankan side is Christian and I don’t feel comfortable representing the Hindu gods in the way that I will be this goddess [...]. I wanted to know if any aspect of the community’s history is problematic as well as if I should continue looking further to try and find an African deity that matched my narrative needs? I was also worried that having a mixed main character who’s specifically half black would present problems as I can’t truly understand the black experience. I plan on getting mixed and black sensitivity readers once I finish my drafts [...] I do take jabs at white supremacy and imperialism and I I am planning to reflect my feelings of growing up not immersed in your own culture and feeling overwhelmed with what you don’t know when you get older [...]. I’m sorry for the long ask but I don’t really have anyone to talk to about writing and I’m quite worried about my story coming across as insensitive or problematic because of cultural history that I am not educated enough in.

Reconciliation Requires Research

First off: how close is this world’s history to our own, omitting the magic? If you’re aiming for it to be essentially parallel, I would keep in mind that Senegal was affected by the spread of Islam before the Europeans arrived, and most people there are Muslim, albeit with Wolof and other influences. 

About your Scottish/Sri Lankan fairy character: I’ll point you to this previous post on Magical humanoid worldbuilding, Desi fairies as well as this previous post on Characterization for South Asian-coded characters for some of our commentary on South Asian ‘fae’. Since she is also Scottish, the concept can tie back to the Celtic ideas of the fae.

However, reconciliation of both sides of her background can be tricky. Do you plan on including specific Sri Lankan mythos into her heritage? I would tread carefully with it, if you plan to do so. Not every polytheistic culture will have similar analogues that you can pull from.

To put it plainly, if you’re worried about not knowing enough of the cultural histories, seek out people who have those backgrounds and talk to them about it. Do your research thoroughly: find resources that come from those cultures and read carefully about the mythos that you plan to incorporate. Look for specificity when you reach out to sensitivity readers and try to find sources that go beyond a surface-level analysis of the cultures you’re looking to portray. 

~ Abhaya

I see you are drawing on Gaelic lore for your storytelling. Abhaya has given you good links to discussions we’ve had at WWC and the potential blindspots in assuming, relative to monotheistic religions like Christianity, that all polytheistic and pluralistic lore is similar to Gaelic folklore. Fae are one kind of folklore. There are many others. Consider:

Is it compatible? Are Fae compatible with the Senegalese folklore you are utilizing? 

Is it specific? What ethnic/religious groups in Senegal are you drawing from? 

Is it suitable? Are there more appropriate cultures for the type of lore you wish to create?

Remember, Senegalese is a national designation, not an ethnic one, and certainly not a designation that will inform you with respect to religious traditions. But more importantly:

...Research Requires Reconciliation

My question is why choose Senegal when your own heritage offers so much room for exploration? This isn’t to say I believe a half Sri-Lankan person shouldn’t utilize Senegalese folklore in their coding or vice-versa, but, to put it bluntly, you don’t seem very comfortable with your heritage. Religions can change, but not everything cultural changes when this happens. I think your relationship with your mother’s side’s culture offers valuable insight to how to tackle the above, and I’ll explain why.  

I myself am biracial and bicultural, and I had to know a lot about my own background before I was confident using other cultures in my writing. I had to understand my own identity—what elements from my background I wished to prioritize and what I wished to jettison. Only then was I able to think about how my work would resonate with a person from the relevant background, what to be mindful of, and where my blindspots would interfere. 

I echo Abhaya’s recommendation for much, much more research, but also include my own personal recommendation for greater self-exploration. I strongly believe the better one knows oneself, the better they can create. It is presumptuous for me to assume, but your ask’s phrasing, the outlined plot and its themes all convey a lack of confidence in your mixed identity that may interfere with confidence when researching and world-building. I’m not saying give up on this story, but if anxiety on respectful representation is a large barrier for you at the moment, this story may be a good candidate for a personal project to keep to yourself until you feel more ready.

(See similar asker concerns here: Running Commentary: What is “ok to do” in Mixed-Culture Supernatural Fiction, here: Representing Biracial Black South American Experiences and here: Am I fetishizing my Japanese character?)

- Marika.

Start More Freely with Easy Mode

Question: Why not make a complete high-fantasy universe, with no need of establishing clear real-world parallels in the text? It gives you plenty of leg room to incorporate pluralistic, multicultural mythos + folklore into the same story without excessive sweating about historically accurate worldbuilding.

It's not a *foolproof* method; even subtly coded multicultural fantasy societies like Avatar or the Grishaverse exhibit certain harmful tropes. I also don't know if you are aiming for low vs high fantasy, or the degree of your reliance on real world culture / religion / identity cues.

But don't you think it's far easier for this fantasy project to not have the additional burden of historical accuracy in the worldbuilding? Not only because I agree with Mod Marika that perhaps you seem hesitant about the identity aspect, but because your WIP idea can include themes of othering and cultural belonging (and yes, even jabs at supremacist institutions) in an original fantasy universe too. I don't think I would mind if I saw a couple of cultural markers of a Mughal Era India-inspired society without getting a full rundown of their agricultural practices, social conventions and tax systems, lol.

Mod Abhaya has provided a few good resources about what *not* to do when drawing heavily from cultural coding. With that at hand, I don't think your project should be a problem if you simply make it an alternate universe like Etheria (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), Inys (The Priory of the Orange Tree) or Earthsea (the Earthsea series, Ursula K. Le Guin). Mind you, we can trace the analogues to each universe, but there is a lot of freedom to maneuver as you wish when incorporating identities in original fantasy. And of course, multiple sensitivity readers are a must! Wishing you the best for the project.

- Mod Mimi

[achillesangst]

Saw a post that made me actually pace with rage complaining about people donating THEIR OWN MONEY to Ao3 and saying that Ao3 were just hoarding money which. Interesting take. I cannot stress enough to people that running websites COSTS MONEY. Ao3 is not a static entity. Server space COSTS MONEY, and Ao3 has an archive that would put most websites in the ground. The internet traffic it receives ON THE DAILY would crash PLENTY of sites run by PAID PROFESSIONALS. GOD. It is ENTIRELY AD FREE. It almost never goes down, which is ASTOUNDING for a volunteer run site of its size and scope. I cannot stress enough what a gift Ao3 is, and how astounding it is that it survives solely on donations. Do any of you fucking people understand how rare it is to have a completely fan owned website on the modern internet???

Also, shaming people for paying money for services they enjoy is fucking hypocritical. People can very much donate to charities and gofundmes and ALSO pay for extra things for pleasure on the side. I am willing to bet that every single person on the planet has made a self indulgent purchase. You have no idea how people are choosing to spend the rest of their money, and frankly it’s none of your goddamn business.

ALSO op’s final comment was that people should just pay the fic writers. Which. DO NOT FUCKING DO THAT. you can *tip* fanfic writers for being a GENERAL GIFT AND BLESSING IN YOUR LIFE, but paying for fic IS NOT LEGAL. fic dodges breaking the law by being NON PROFIT. this is why fuckers selling bound fanfic are causing massive problems. Learn your history, Jesus CHRIST.

[sunnydaze4501]

I have been blessed by the inspiration gods

and i know i am too lazy to do anything with the idea, so im throwing it out there. Imagine aliens digging through the internet, and finding the remnants of the SCP wiki. What would they think? Would they think that this was an actual archive of real things we've found on our planet?

just imagining the scenario makes me crack up lol

[vylad243]

first, a sincere apology for this MONSTER of a prompt to come — bless my random half-conscious 4am thoughts for sending me down this downward spiral — BUT: we all know how protective/absolutely fucking feral Alastor is over any implied threat towards Vox’s safety: one can only imagine how horrible a fate would befall the poor, foolish folk who have the balls to ACTUALLY try to harm the Radio Demon’s mate.

Like, imagine Vox just going about his normal every day routine, taking precious baby boi Vark on his early morning walkies when he’s suddenly jumped by a group of very brave, very stupid sinners who either 1) want to get to Alastor through Vox and are SEVERELY underestimating the capabilities of the older overlord because he’s (in their minds) a “washed-up has-been fossil playing guard dog for the princess” who’s gotten soft because he’s in love (barf); or b) are hoping to take down an overlord out of sheer hubris, completely forgetting that Vox is literally a living power grid for Pentagram City, if not the entirety of Hell itself. Either way, f in the chat for their courage I guess. Since this attack is premeditated, our hapless captors made through work of trying to clear this specific area — a shortcut through an alley because not even Vox is immune to horror movie logic at times — clear of any cameras or electrical devices that could ensure an easy getaway and blocking off any potential exits they can.

Naturally, Vox — not being some helpless damsel in distress — puts up a damn good fight, at the cost of constant power shortages throughout the next hour or so. Eventually, however, he gets overpowered/taken by surprise and boom! Realm-wide power outage. Now, the gang at the hotel were already wary when the lights began flickering and the internet cut out during breakfast; their fear only intensifies when a sudden blackout strikes and they can hear a VERY pissed wendigo demon barreling down the stairs. Maybe even they find Vark on the hotel doorstep, visibly distressed and even a little injured (only a LITTLE, because I’m not a monster), with a crudely-written ransom note taped to him. Charlie can barely get through the first sentence before Al is out the door — a fifty ft tall, at the very minimum, mass of tentacles and sickly green static illuminating the pitch black streets, uncaring of those foolish enough to end up in his path.

It takes less than an hour for Alastor to find the dingy warehouse they took his mate to: these gentleman are not only bold in their stupidity but sloppy as well. Thanks to the blackout, he slips in undetected with his shadows and makes quick work of finding Vox. The overlord in question is more annoyed than anything else, bound in an uncomfortable position with angelic rope and put on mute (his captors’ egos couldn’t handle his viscous verbal roasts after he already fried them up pretty bad), but otherwise unharmed. Of course, this is Alastor we’re talking about: so much as the sight of his lover in pain, with a crack on his screen and his clothes visibly tousled is enough to spark a raging fire in the seething Radio Demon that would put the fear in God in anyone foolish enough to trifle with him.

Speaking of foolish, our intrepid group of attempted kidnappers are too busy trying and failing to restore the internet to try and broadcast their Very Spooky Hostage Negotiations stream (they rehearsed it and everything! Brad brought the costumes and eerie mood lighting!) to notice the horrifyingly wholesome lovers reunion going on literally right behind them. Alastor wastes no time in doing away with the bindings and making sure Vox is as comfortable as can be before teleporting him to a safe location outside; his lover is slightly irritated at the prospect of being left out for now, but is placated for now with kisses and the promise of watching these insufferable fools burn for their transgressions against Hell’s most ferocious power couple. Because of this, Vox waits outside for the next hour and makes a point of NOT restoring the power yet as he listens to his amazing and powerful mate torment the sinners psychology: the sounds of screaming are just all the more beautiful and crisp without the distracting noise of traffic and the nagging electric current constantly running through his veins distracting him from the most simple of pleasures.

Eventually though, by the two-hour mark, he gets bored of playing games on his phone, restores the power, and teleports back inside to tell Alastor to wrap things up because he actually has things to do today and he still hasn’t gotten his morning coffee yet, damnit. Al relents, teleporting the sobbing and trembling group of would-be kidnappers to the shadow realm, immediately showering his mate with kisses, cuddles, protective bites, the whole routine. Vox is slightly embarrassed at the entire ordeal (mostly at his own actions that led to him ending up here in the first place) but the assurances of Alastor that he did nothing wrong and the confirmation of Vark being alright soothes his guilt. He even allows Alastor to carry him out of the building bridal style as the warehouse burns down in a beautiful show of green fire and blue electrical fire around them (he thinks the view is fucking hot, literally in this case)

Naturally, Al and the rest of the hotel staff are on protective watch for almost the entirety of the next month — not because they think Vox is incapable of managing himself just fine, no; they just fear the consequences of what would happen Hell-wide if he were to go missing again. Vox can’t bring himself to be annoyed because he, more than anyone, is aware that Alastor would fistfight Lucifer and the entire order of Hell itself to ensure his safety. Not that he’s complaining anyway: his attention-craving ass is VERY much reveling in the almost 24 hour cuddle sessions and kisses, and Vark very much appreciates Al accompanying them during their morning walks now because he gets double the treats.

And the sugar on the cream comes later on in the week after the incident, when a VERY special, extended broadcast of Alastor’s radio show goes live on air, featuring a VERY special guest star: the media overlord himself, who would like to send a little message to the denizens of Hell that overlords are not to be messed with and are in power for a REASON. Alastor let’s him take the reins like the good, supportive partner he is, of course — any fool who dares to touch HIS mate has earned the cruel fate lined up in store, especially those with less than savory intentions (and sue him if he thinks the sight of his lover reveling in the suffering of those who dare cross him is more beautiful and poetic than the stars and moon and oceans combined)

Despite her usual preaching of going for as little violence as possible, Charlie makes an allowance this one time; in fact, she’s their first caller. After all, these sinners are her family, and woe betold you when you mess with the Princess of Hell’s family. Vaggie is only slightly perturbed by this reaction, but the soft look of pure adoration on her lover’s face as they listen in on the broadcast with the rest of the gang, languidly giving a stretched out Vark in their lap head pats, is worth the future nightmares, she reasons.

I didn't do the whole prompt, but I did my best! I hope you enjoy it, anon ^-^ I also included it in my 'A Month In Rut' series so it's vague enough to keep it spoiler-free of any unreleased chapters!