return to the small web
This post originally appeared on my website
I was born shortly after the peak of the dot com bubble, after which point "google" became a verb and "facebook" was no longer something collecting dust in the attic. During this period, it felt as though the noisy construction of the modern Web was occurring in the next city over and not yet in the quiet towns where most of us resided. Recently, following the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us experience (social) media fatigue, and it lulls us back to when the Internet was more peaceful. To a time when most communication happened over email or XMPP, when we "followed" people by subscribing to their RSS feeds, and when a personal homepage was an extension of self.
This nostalgia for a simpler and more personal Internet is a driving factor behind what is known as the "small web" or "indie web." The small web is a loosely defined philosophy which promotes decentralization, user agency, and community. It does not intend to displace the tech giants of today, but instead it empowers people to host their own content and collaborate through alternative platforms. Many concepts and technologies fall under this umbrella: personal blogs, community forums, webrings, federation, etc. The ideology bears an intrinsic link to open-source software; and its echoes are audible in the alternative web protocol Gemini, federated platforms such as Mastodon and Lemmy, public-access UNIX boxes (also referred to as tilde communities), and more.
In this vast digital universe, the small web represents a commitment to authenticity. It encourages us to embrace the beauty of imperfection, celebrate individuality and diversity, and connect authentically. While it's quite possible that I'm just a corny nerd missing his childhood, I do hope to see others getting excited about this concept. At any rate, this little corner of the Internet is mine, and I intend to make something out of it.
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Albumtober Day 11: Changeability of Strange Dream
(Prompt: An album you associate with Spring)
上海アリス幻樂団 - 夢違科学世紀 ~ Changeability of Strange Dream (2004)
I was going to go with Close to the Edge for today's prompt, but I've already used it, so instead I'm going with one of the music CDs from the Touhou Project. If you don't know what Touhou is, it's a video game series that takes place in a closed-off fantasy world in Japan. The music CDs, although entirely instrumental, tell the story (in the liner notes) of two college students in the outside world who investigate paranormal and otherworldy phenomena. Changeability of Strange Dream is the third entry in the series.
A lot of the Touhou games and CDs have a strong seasonal vibe, with the stories, graphics, and even the music all contributing to the association. This album has less strong of an association, but some of the tracks (particularly the more hopeful-sounding ones) do make me picture Spring. "Evening Star" and "Doll Judgement" are a bit more intimidating-sounding, but they're the themes of characters who initially appeared in the game Perfect Cherry Blossom, so maybe I'm associating the characters with the season.
Touhou is a series that I've been a fan of for quite a while, so it's only natural that it would be represented this Albumtober.
Favorite tracks: "上海紅茶館 ~ Chinese Tea", "夜が降りてくる ~ Evening Star", "ヴォヤージュ1969"
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" what'd you think of my joke? " | shizuku to shiho!
COME ON AND SMILE!
no practice, work, or club activities—with both hinomori sisters' afternoons free, shiho had made the reluctant decision to walk home with shizuku.
well, actually, that's not quite accurate. it's more like shiho was halfway down the courtyard when the telltale 'shii-chan!' came tilde-ing in earshot.
shizuku'd already had it in her head that they should go home together once circumstances were known.
as for shiho, she just knew protesting would be pointless—or more recently, she knew there really was no reason to keep her walls up anymore. the pressure on either of their careers was still alive and well, but it wasn't all they had—their friends were there.
and more importantly, they always had each other, right?
shiho mentioned tuning in to one of her sister's idol streams. it was a live practice. it takes a bit for her to remember what joke shizuku made on stream, but when she does...
for her sake, shiho looks away. "you mean that pun in the stream title? i thought it was a typo..."
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less abridged list of interests
last update: 2024-03-27
top/current favs are bolded.
tv: (items in progress are followed by a tilde~)
Abbott Elementary ~
Age of Youth/Hello, My Twenties
Arrested Development
Avengers Social Club
Better Call Saul
Breaking Bad
Community
Couple of Mirrors
Dear Missy ~
Death Note
Death Parade
Derry Girls
Elementary
The Guest (ocn)
Haikyuu!!
Hannibal
Hikaru no Go (Qi Hun)
How To Get Away With Murder
Hunter x Hunter (1999 and 2011 and all 1999 OVA and movies and 1998 pilot episode)
The I.T. Crowd
Los Espookys ~
Money Heist
Naruto
Parasyte
Psych
Psycho-pass
Psychopath Diary
Snowfall ~
Succession
Taskmaster (uk, nz, mn) ~
Terror in Resonance
The Bear
The Good Place
The Terror
The Untamed/MDZS (live action and animated)
- mydramalist profile
- trakt profile (open to alternatives to trakt)- animeplanet profile
internet personalities/groups:
Angella Dravid
Brick Immortar
Dropout (Game Changer, Um Actually, Dirty Laundry)
Extraction&Ire/Explosions&Fire
Gianmarco Soresi
Julian Clary
Kat Blaque
LBCRphotography
NHRL
NileRed
Practical Engineering
Ray O'Leary
Shanspeare
Technology Connections
Vsauce
Watcher
William Haynes
various gta rp streamers (nopixel and onx)
various comedians found through taskmaster
assorted vessayists (video essayists)
movie/film:
Carrie
Dumplings (2004, short version)
Ex Machina
Raw
Sorry To Bother You
The Truman Show
Thirst
Tonde Saitama
Videodrome
What We Do in the Shadows
Your Name Engraved Herein
- letterboxd profile
music:
Ali Project
Anamanaguchi
Babymetal
Beastie Boys
[email protected]
Chumbawamba
Corrine Bailey Rae
C418
Evanescence
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Honne
Kalafina
Kiyotaka Sugiyama & Omega Tribe
Kloud
Kylie Minogue
Leikeli47
Leslie Cheung
Maxwell
My Chemical Romance
Placebo
Rose Zhang
Sade
Second Hand Rose (cn)
System of a Down
Toby Fox
3OH!3
various edm and dnb
some nopixel songs
- lastfm profile
games:
5D Chess with Multiverse Time Travel
Bloons 6
Cities: Skylines
Hexceed
Minecraft
Osu!
Pokemon (tcg + video games)
Portal (1+2+portal stories: mel+reloaded)
Tomb Raider series
Toontown Rewritten
Wolfenstein series
Zoo Tycoon 2: Ultimate (with every mod)
- backlogged profile (empty)
books/graphic novels: (soon tm)
Concerning the Spiritual In Art by Wassily Kandinsky
Kandinsky Und Ich by Nina Kandinsky ~
Hunter x Hunter (I have read everything past where the anime stops)
No. 6 (book or manga idk)
The Souls of White Folk: African American Writers Theorize Whiteness from Veronica T. Watson
Stories of the Sahara by Sanmao
(tbd) various horror/sci-fi short stories
- looking for a book tracker that's not goodreads/amazon
- manga section of anime planet
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You can’t tell me Ushijimas love affirmation is touch but he hates being touched at random.
THIS BIG GOOF OF A MAN need touch but hates asking for it and hates it as a surprise....
When you had first touched him, it might have been in middle school. You tapped in his shoulder and he jolted just a little, “Sorry, do you have a pencil i can borrow?” He raised a brow at you, “You came to school without a pencil?” You shook your head, “I write with pen but it’s math and i always mess up.... So do you have a pencil?” That was the first of many of your shoulder taps, it went for six months until Ushijima arrived by just setting a pencil on your desk before you walked in.
At the last year you had become really close friends and shared love for volleyball (although you only watched him play). It was around the time he was supposed to get out of practice that you heard a small commotion of boys outside the gym gathering around. No more than three boys who where in your class, surrounding Ushijima, calling him a left handed freak. You thought it was strange, “Hey! Leave him alone five-head!” You chucked your backpack at the boy who verbally attacked your best friend. “Just because he uses his left hand doesn’t mean hes a freak. You’re the freak because i caught you eating your buggers during lunch you fucktard!” The two boys beside the bully began to giggle like school girls, before he stomped away.
You heard a faint laugh coming from ushijima, which was very rare. “What’s a fucktard?” He asked curiously, which made you burst into a fit of laughter. You’ve never heard him swear before either. “I don’t know, it’s just the first thing that popped in my head... Let’s go home, i’m hungry.” That was the first time you held hands with Ushijima. 5:30 pm on a spring afternoon
In highschool you got more touchy. Platonically holding his hand or jumping on his back with the intention of surprising him but Tendo always gave it away with his eyes.
The ushijima fan club hated you. Tried keeping you away from him until their leader faced you one day during lunch. “Can’t you see that he clearly doesn’t want you? Why are you always trying so hard? He hates physical touch and yet here you are smothering your hands all over him! Don’t you get it, he’s never gonna date you and he doesn’t love you.” It was a little surprising to hear those words. “I don’t want to date Ushijima.” You told the girl, she gave you a rude confused look. “He isn’t looking for a relationship, he’s so focused of being the best volleyball player he can be... So why would i want to ruin that for him. If you didn’t know that, than you shouldn’t even be the fan club leader. Wakatoshi-kun is my best friend... i know he loves me. He would have told me otherwise... He’s too blunt to have kept me around for so long. Now if you’ll excuse me, I id like to eat my lunch, with my friends.” Little did you know that a few doors down, hiding away from you, Ushijima and Tendo where on their way to find you.
It was Autum at 1:10 pm when Ushijima had slowly come to realize that maybe what he felt for you was more than a friendship.
The day he lost to Karasuno, something had just been off about him. He sat alone with his thoughts. Tendo was no where around and his dorm was empty. A knock came to his done and he sighed, Tendo must have forgotten his keys again. To his surprise red hair didn’t face his eyesight but the white wall of the hall, until he looked down and you peered up at him. “Tendo sent me.” Of course he did. You blushed him aside and made him sit back down on his bed before shoving a goodie bag into his hands. “Eat.” You told him. He thought he was a man of few words. “Have you eaten?” He asked you, opening up the goodie bag. You nodded and sat beside him. He took out the black bowl container and looked inside, “This is-”
“Hayashi rice... I made it from scratch. You mentioned it a few years back while having dinner with my family. I hope it’s still you favorite.”
He rose a brow, a few years back. The last time he ate with your parents was 10 years ago. How did you remember such a small detail? “It is...Thank you.” You smiled at him. “Of course Toshi.” You watched his eyes twinkle when he took the first bite, since the game you knew he was a little off. Your hand rested on his shoulder and replaced it with your head. “Are you okay?” You asked him. He cleared his throat, “I’m alright... What about you?” His question was hesitant, as if he wasn’t about to ask but asked anyways. “I’m alright if you’re alright. But you do know I know you better than you know yourself right?” You tilded your head an examinares his face, “Unclench your jaw-” You had skimmed under his chin, cupping his perfect bone structure, “-and relax... You don’t need to be so tense. You’re not in front of the team right now, you’re in front of me.” Ushijima didn’t understand what you meant, did you believe you weren’t apart of his team? Of course you are. You’re the sole purpose this team has been kept together so perfectly , Shiratowizawas perfect, smart, incredible manager.
“Earth to Toshi? Where’s you’re head at big guy?” You gave him a small smile. He could clearly tell you where worried. “I’m alright y/n, you don’t need to worry about me.” You scoffed, “Bull. I’m always going to worry about you, even if we get old and wrinkly.” Ushijima let out a dry chuckle. “You think we’ll still be in touch by then?” He asked. He could feel your hand tense under his chin as you gave him a smile but this time, the look in your eyes was sad. “I hope so. You’re my best friend, i wouldn’t want it any other way Tosh.” He smiled back at you, “I wouldn’t want it any other way either.”
“Good, now tell me what’s on your mind.”
That night, when Ushijima spilled his emotions to you- You could feel your heart race just a little faster than it usually would and when he walked you back to your dorm and patted your head the way he usually would, you couldn’t look him in the eyes because i’d give away how utterly and endlessly in love you where with your best friend.
When graduation came along, tendo had snapped a picture of you and Wakatoshi together, the way he looked down at you as you looked at the camera with desploma in hand, excited to move in with your life. His hand was on the small of your back, something he got used to doing through the years, while your small hand tried reaching to his hip.
The small touch meant a lot to him. You where the first person in his life to accept his bluntness, to accept him for who he really was and we will forever be greatful for you.
When catching up with the former shiratowizawa team, much to their surprise you and ushijima where still not together, romantically that is, but the two of you lived in the same apartment, together... alone.... with no one to bother you. Semi nudge your waist, “So no progress been made?” He asked in a teasing manner. You wacked him with your table napkin. “Keep it down, no one needs to know.” Semi chuckled, “Trust me Y/n everyone knows but Ushijima.” You looked around at the team, they all nodded and agreed, luckly Tendo had taken Ushijima out for a private talk outside. You rolled your eyes and groaned. “Really? Is it that obvious?” They all nodded as Semi laughed at your dipair.
Once Ushijima and Tendo came back from catching up, the new wing spiker for Adlers could tell that you didn’t make eye contact with him through the whole night and the walk home was probably more awkward than ever before. “Goodnight...” You muttered, removing your shoes at the front door and rushing to your room, leaving Ushijima without a word. He raised a brow and slowly made his way to your room but a small sniffle stopped him from turning the door handle. How long had it been since you’ve been since he’s seen you cry. To be exact it was probably when you where kids... but that memory was fresh in his mind because he never liked the sight of seeing you cry. It made him feel... useless.
His hand hovered over the doorknob, contemplating if he should open the door and hold you, or give you some space. Ushijima shoved his hand back into his pocket, he wouldn’t intrude into your privacy like that. But through the night, Ushijima tossed and turned. Why have you been crying? Why didn’t you come in and ask him to give you a hug the way you did back in highschool. He turned one more time before rubbing his eyes and sitting up on the edge, maybe a drink of water could help. He looked at his phone.
2:00 am
He sighed and placed it face down again on his desk before swinging his door open.
The harsh swing of the door scared you as your hand was ready to knock on the wood. He looked down at you and noticed the red discoloration that hid under your eyes while some moonlight shined on you through the window that sat on the end of the hall. Your eyes where wide and shock but your body turned around, and back into your room. Ushijima has never seen you move so quick before. “Y/n.” He called, putting his foot in between the door and the door frame. Even if you moved your fastest, ushijima was always two steps behind ready to catch up. You sighed and looked down at your feet before letting go of the door. “Sorry... you scared me.”
He scared you? That was new.
He looked down at your fingers, which twisted and twirled between each other. “Why are you awake?” You asked him. “I couldn’t sleep.” He answered truthfully. “Oh... yeah- um, me either.”
“Why where you crying?” Ushijima was as blunt as ever, which made you nerveous. “I wasn’t crying, w-who told you I was crying?” You where terrible at lying.
Ushijimas hand cupped your cheek as his thumb carressed so closely to your lower lashes. “You’re eyes are swollen, you’re more is pink... You’re voice is a little groggy... You may know me better than I know myself but i have a few tricks up my sleeve as well.”
“I’m fine Wakatoshi-” To mentally scolded yourself, calling him by his full name was such a dead giveaway. “You only call me Wakatoshi or Ushijima when i’ve done something wrong.... Have i done something wrong?”
You sighed... Maybe tonight would be the night. “No. You haven’t done anything- that, that’s actually the problem.” Ushijima rose a brow. “I don’t quite understand...” Hs stated, of course he didn’t. As much as he was blunt, you had to be blunt back or it would get through that giant head of his. “Toshi- can we do this tomorrow- please.”
“No.”
“I-”
“I’d like to know what you mean, y/n.”
You’re full name... How it sounded so good coming out of his lips instead of others. You sighed and looked down at your feed before fiddling with your fingers.
“idontknowwhenitstartedbutithinkitstartedinhighschoolbutitdoesntreallymatterbecause.... iminlovewithyou.”
Ushijima grabbed cupped your chin and lifted your head, “Look me in the eyes-” you where quick to follow his command, “-and say to me again.” You couldn’t tell of it was the tears brimming in your eyes or a blush slowly crept on Ushijimas cheeks. “Tell me you love me again.” Both hands cupped your face as you have him a light laugh, causing tears to roll down your face. “I’m in love with you...” Ushijima gave you a soft smile when you kissed the palm of his hand. “I am so, endlessly, hopelessly, in love with you.” You repeated looking him in the eyes. “And i wouldn’t have it any other way.”
This is something Ushijima thought he’d never get to experience. Being a hopeless romantic, and for his best friend none the less. You raised yourself on the tips of your toes, wrapping your arms around his neck before pulling him down for a kiss that had been long awaited.
The next morning, when the sun shined through the curtains of your room- you could feel the soft cool breeze that came through the open window you forgot to close. You clenched your hand lightly against soft skin that you could already recognize. Ushijima laid beside you in deep sleep, a white sheet barely covering what kept you so wide awake last night. You snuggled back onto his bare chest and took in his scent, something you had come to not be able to live without.
The way his hands roamed around your body last night was a large progress from the first day you met.
You poked his shoulder, which seemed to be enough to wake him. “Mmm, good morning.” His voice was much deeper than usual, it brought shivers down your spine. “Good morning...” He wrapped his hand around you again and caressed your naked skin as his nose was deep in your hair. “How’d you sleep?” He asked you, his fingers teasing around your waist. “I uh- I slept very well.”
“Tired?” He asked, plating a kiss on the crown of your head before you nodded. “A little...”
“Sore?” You slapped his arm lightly, causing him to let out a laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes...”
“Stop it!” You whined, now hiding under your covers. “You didn’t seem to mind last night sweetheart... I would have slowed down if you did.” You’re blush grew deeper. “You’re so embarrassing.” You whine again, as ushijima pulls the sheet away from your face to pinch your chin with his thumb and pointer finger. He gave you a smile, “Would you want it to me some other way?” You eyes twinkled a little, before muttering, “No... I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
a/n: IM SO FUCKINGNIN LOVE WITH HIMS FUCK FUCK FUCK
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