This is our brand new science fiction adventure character, he's a scientist and an old man. He's in a TV show called Doctor Who. He's credited as Dr Who. All production documents call him Dr Who. All promotional material calls him Dr Who. The novel adaptations call him Dr Who. The movie adaptations call him Dr Who. The original tie-in fiction calls him Dr Who. And week one of his TV show he's going to meet a guy who's like "What's your name? What do we call you?" and our hero is going to be like "hohoho hehehe you dumb motherfucker. Never talk to me again." And then he's never ever going to give anyone his goddamn name.
The backrooms are a failing brain trying to hold onto even the most basic of memories, even as they warp and decay.
The backrooms are generative AI trying to capture something real but only achieving a malformed, mindless imitation.
The backrooms are stagnation, an unwillingness to step into the new and uncomfortable effort of changing, instead running through the same old routine even as it starts to fall in on itself.
The backrooms are nostalgia cannibalizing itself, trying to remake and remake what it already knows without making anything new, until the familiar is so bastardized it's barely recognizable.
The backrooms are a malignant teratoma, a tumor in reality. Something fundamentally wrong, spreading through the spaces in the universe, pressing into the things that should exist. You see a tooth, an eye, and it chills you to the core, because you wonder why it’s there. But that’s a fundamental misunderstanding. There is no why, just the chaotic result of creation gone awry.
Treading the Veil: Graveyard Measuring, Soul Candles, & Beseeching the Dead in Ashkenazi Jewish Tradition
by Keziah Zibelmann
(citations, sources, and further reading can be found beneath this piece)
There is among the traditions of Ashkenazi Jewesses of Eastern Europe a custom steeped in symbolism, history, faith, and what some may deem superstition and magic — the practice of calling upon the spirits of the dead through feldmestn and keyver-mestn (cemetery and grave measuring), kneytlekh leygn (wick laying), and the making of neshome likht (soul candles).
[Feldmesterins conducting a feldmestn ritual, photographed by S. Weissenberg; photo courtesy of HathiTrust]
These customs were once quite common, practiced by the most pious and righteous of Jewish women in their communities, but slowly faded from practice and memory throughout the course of the 20th century. The traditions, however, are making a comeback, with various courses, articles, and podcasts focusing on these practices, as well as some Jewish community groups organizing rituals and workshops to perform these sacred traditions once more.
As to whether these rituals are considered as magic or religion (or even both), that is debated amongst those now learning about these traditions. It could be pointed out, though, that feldmestn and kneytlekh leygn can both be found in Nahum Stutchkoff’s Thesaurus of the Yiddish Language under kishef (magic).
Timing & Purpose:
Elul:
Cemetery and grave measuring were most commonly performed during the Jewish month of Elul, especially within the days just before Rosh Hashanah or during the eight days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur [1], and, some sources state, would have been carried out on Mondays and Thursdays [2]. It is believed that during the month of Elul, most particularly in the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the veil between the world of the living and that of the dead is thinner, and that it is, therefore, easier to make contact with and call upon our ancestors and dearly departed.
The dead were called upon to bless and protect the living, to serve as intermediaries and messengers who could deliver the prayers of the living to the heavenly courts or to g-d, or to directly bless the living themselves, often through granting them their protection and guidance or blessing them with traits the deceased in question were known for. The blessings and aid sought were specified in the prayers recited.
In times of illness or danger:
Cemetery and grave measuring were also performed when a life was at risk, particularly during times of severe illness [3] (especially if a child had fallen dangerously ill), plague, or some other form of danger, such as during a high-risk pregnancy or birth. It was believed that one could call upon the dead to speak on their behalf to g-d, to either (depending on the nature of the prayer recited) invoke g-d's protection for whomever may require it or to, instead, protect those in need from g-d's wrath.
The tradition of going to the grave and petitioning the dead for help in the case of severe illness is touched upon in the memoirs of Rabbi Tuviah Gutman Rapoport (Yizker Bukh Koriv, 1955; trans. Annabel Gottfried Cohen) —
If someone’s child – G-d forbid – became unwell, one usually began by exorcising a ‘good eye’ (as an evil eye was called euphemistically). If that didn’t help, the feldsher (healer) was called (there was no doctor in Koriv at the time). If the healer’s remedies also didn’t help, people ran into the synagogue, said prayers and cried by the open ark, and if the situation – G-d forbid – really became very bad, they had to turn to the last resort – they ran to measure the cemetery.
To exorcise or return spirits to their rightful realm:
Some sources detail the feldmestn or keyver-mestn rituals as being one method of dealing with unwanted or angered spirits [4]. Particularly if one knew the identity of the spirit and could access their grave, it is believed that the custom of grave measuring and the recitation of prayers could be performed at the spirit’s grave, with the person using the prayer to attempt to coax the spirit to return to the realm of the dead. If the spirit was angry with or haunting the person in question, the prayers would have likely involved apologies and asking for forgiveness, in hopes that atoning for one’s wrongs would please the spirit.
Feldmestn, Keyver-Mestn, & Dead Thread:
Feldmestn – cemetery measuring – was a sacred tradition, one that was carried out, most usually, by very pious Jewish women. These women were ritualists known as feldmesterins, and they were seen as ‘keepers of an important connection between the living and the dead.’ (Gottfried, Annabel Cohen; the Forgotten Women’s Rituals of Yom Kippur, 2020) [5] Some sources depict this act of graveyard measuring and the subsequent custom of making soul candles as being connected to the mitzvah calling for women to kindle and keep Shabbat candles and festival lights, a belief that only further underscores the respectability of these traditions.
[Jewish cemetery in Eindhoven, Netherlands by Pascal Vugts]
The feldmesterins, it’s said, could be found near or in the cemeteries in the days of Elul, waiting with thread in hand to perform the feldmest and keyver-mestn rituals for anyone in need of them. Thread was required for these rituals, as this was the tool used to measure the cemetery or graves and, also, to make the wicks for the candles that followed the taking of these measurements. The thread used was known as “dead thread,” and was handmade by the ritualists. An incantation would be said over the thread whilst it was being made, though, thus far, no surviving text relaying the incantation used has been found. Dead thread served other uses as well, and could be worn around the ankles, neck, or wrists as a memorial object, or could be donated to the needy as an act of charity. Indeed, there was emphasis on using ritual objects such as the dead thread or the soul candles themselves to help others or perform good deeds, i.e. donating the thread (or, in some cases, linen that was used instead of thread) to the poor or donating the candles to be used to light the houses of study or worship.
When performing the feldmestn, at least two women were required, though some sources note that whomever requested the ritual may also walk the graveyard behind the feldmesterins reciting tkhines (Yiddish prayers) of their own as they went. The feldmestn was carried out starting from the graveyard’s entrance or boundary. There is some variation amongst sources as to how the ritual would be performed. One method calls for one person to remain at the cemetery’s entrance, holding in their hand the end of the ball of thread. The rest of the thread was carried by the other feldmesterin as they walked the graveyard’s perimeter. This person would unroll the ball of thread as they walked, reciting tkhines or singing traditional songs all the while. It is further specified in some sources that they would walk clockwise around the graveyard. When this person returned to where they started, meeting the person holding the other end of the thread once more, they would then cut the thread from the ball and tie the two ends of the thread together.
Per Rabbi Tuviah Gutman Rapoport’s memoirs (Yizker Bukh Koriv, 1955; trans. Annabel Gottfried Cohen) [3] —
Two women went to the cemetery fence. They had with them a very long thread (the thread could not be the kind used by tailors, but was that wool thread with which socks were mended. The thread had also been endowed with supernatural powers through an incantation).
When both women arrived at the cemetery edge, they stopped and took the big ball of thread out of one of their pockets. One of them took one end of the thread, held it firmly in her hand, and, in order to keep it strong and precise, tied it around her finger. The other woman started to walk around the edge of the cemetery with the thread in her hand and continued this way until the two women came together. Then they tied the two ends together, encircling the cemetery.
While tying the ends, they said the following prayer: Raboyne shel oylem, azoy vi mir beyde hobn getsoygn dem fodem mit undzer gantsn koyekh, un der fodem iz nisht ibergerisn gevorn, azoy zoln botl vern ale betze koykhes. Dem tayern kins lebn zol kholile nisht ibergerisn vern. (Master of the universe, since we both pulled the thread with all our power, and the thread was not broken, shall all evil powers come to naught. The dear child’s life shall not – G-d forbid – be cut short.)
Another method instead describes the two feldmesterin walking together around the graveyard whilst they took the measurements [3]. This was done by one of them holding the ball of thread, and the other holding the end of the thread in one hand and a bit of grass or earth from the graveyard in the other hand. They would walk together, side-by-side, and the person holding the ball of thread would slowly, steadily unravel the thread and pass it to their partner as they walked. Meanwhile, the other feldmesterin would accept the thread and then move that thread over, around, or through the hand that holds the grass or earth as they wind the thread back up into a second ball. The passing of the thread over the grass or earth from the graveyard seems to be linked to a belief that the earth or grass of the cemetery further strengthened or provided connection between the living and the dead as this ritual was worked. When the pair of feldmesterin have travelled the perimeter of the cemetery and made their return to the entrance they started from, the second ball, that which had been formed whilst walking and taking the measurements, is what will be used as the wick for the soul candles, and it is cut free from what remains of the first ball.
In both versions of this ritual, tkhines are recited or songs are sung while the feldmestn is carried out.
Keyver-mestn [2] — the measuring of a single grave — involved a slightly different method than what was used for feldmestn. Keyver-mestn could be performed with just one person. They would go to a specific grave, typically the grave of a recently departed or significant family member, loved one, or close friend of/to whomever the ritual was being carried out for. The ball of dead thread was taken to this grave, and the end of the thread was place on the ground at the upper right corner of the grave. The thread is then unrolled, moving around the grave and marking its perimeter. Once the thread has outlined the area of the whole grave, the thread should be cut at the point where the start and end of the thread would meet. This thread is then, as in the rituals for feldmestn used to make the wick for the soul candle.
[A feldmesterin performed the keyver-mestn ritual whilst the woman who requested the ritual stands at the grave and recited tkhines/prayers; photograph by S. Weissenberg; photo courtesy of HathiTrust]
Again, prayers are spoken whilst this work is performed. Typically, the prayers for keyver-mestn would take on a more personal tone, as one is praying to the spirit that they seek to invoke the protection or blessings of.
In both feldmestn and keyver-mestn, there is immense symbolic importance within the act of drawing the thread around the graveyard or grave, marking a boundary between the living and the dead [1], between these two realms; while simultaneously forging a deliberate connection between the living and the dead. This is done by walking the earth of the cemetery, by reciting prayers, by singing songs, by calling on the spirits, by physically going to a place steeped in death to be surrounded by the dead while acting on behalf of the living. This, again, highlights the importance the role of feldmesterin was within these communities, as these women ritualists played a significant and highly respected role in tending the veil and maintaining the boundary between life and death, the living and the dead.
Tkhines, Prayers, & Songs for Graveyard Measuring:
This tkhine [6] was recorded in Groyser Verterbukh fun der Yidisher Shrpakh (a dictionary of the Yiddish language; trans. by Annabel Gottfried Cohen):
Vi der fodem tsit zikh, azoy zol zikh tsien zayn lebn.
As the thread is extended, so shall (the sufferer’s) life be extended.
If the thread broke, this was recited:
Vi der fodem rayst ziky, azoy zol zikh opraysn zayn khoylas.
As the thread breaks, so shall (the sufferer’s) illness be broken.
A portion of a traditional song [1] for feldmestn from Pruzhany, Poland (recorded by A. Fayvushinsky; trans. by Annabel Gottfriend Cohen):
Kh’hob a mame, Tseytele
Far it neshome, a kneytele
Dreyt men dos fedeml shtark
Lang, lang.
I have a mama, Tsetele.
For her, a kneytele (candle wick)
The thread is spun, strong
Long, long.
A prayer used by Gitele di Gabete [3] when, while performing the keyver-mestn for child suffering severe illness, the thread snapped and broke (which was seen as a possible affirmation that the child in question would not recover and would, instead, die) — per Rabbi Tuviah Gutman Rapoport’s memoirs (trans. by Annabel Gottfried Cohen):
But Gitele — a skilled gabete with a sharp mind and an eloquent tongue — quickly thought of something on the spot, varying her prayer without skipping a beat: “Raboyne shel oylem! Azoy vi der fodem hot zikh ibergerisn, azoy zol ivergerisn bern dey beyzer gzardi’n!” (Master of the universe! Just as the thread was broken, shall the menacing decree of punishment also be broken!)
A tkhine to be used in the case of an epidemic [5] (trans. by Annabel Gottfried Cohen):
Zol keyner nit feln in undzer gvul.
Let no one be missing from our boundary.
(This was said to ensure that the protection and blessings of good health applied to the entire community).
A prayer for keyver-mestn [2] (recorded by S. Weissenberg in 1906 and translated by Annabel Gottfried Cohen):
Tayerer foter (muter un dos laykh), dayn tokhter (nomen) hot zikh matrikh geven tsu kumen tsu die un dayn keyver tsu mestn, zay-zhe zikh matriekh far it un it man un ite kinder far got tsu betn. Dermutikn zikh in dayn frierdiker libshaft un helf it (un azoy vayter)…
Dearest father (mother/grandparent etc.), your daughter (or granddaughter/friend/sibling/etc.) [name] has taken the trouble to come to you and to measure your grave. Take the trouble to pray to g-d for her and her husband and her children. Muster in yourself your earlier love and help her (etc.)…
Kneytlekh Leygn & Candle Making:
There are a few different candles associated with these rituals — neshome likht (soul candles; candles made in honor of the dead that would be lit on Yom Kippur or donated to the synagogue or school), lebedike likht (living candle, prepared by those who sought blessings for themselves or people in their lives), gezunte likht (healthy candle, it seems this applied to candles prepared when beseeching supernatural aid in the case of dangerous illness or risk of loss of life, or to candles made to ensure blessings of good health), and even candles made for ‘the Maccabee festival’ (khanike/chanukkah) [2].
The wicks were taken to the synagogue where the ritual of kneytlekh leygn [2] (the laying of wicks) would be performed. The threads were handed over to a likhtmakherin (a woman candle-maker), who took the threads and measured each of them ‘according to a previously indicated length’ (that is, the person who had commissioned the making of these candles would specify the height they wished the candle to stand at). As the ritual thread couldn’t be cut (each wick consisting of the entire, unbroken length of thread), this would sometimes involve the thread being doubled (or even tripled) over on itself.
Two candles were often made during this ritual — a candle far di gezente and a candle far di toyte (a candle for the healthy and a candle for the dead). Some sources note that the candle for the healthy would be made ‘longer and thicker’ [2] than the candle for the dead, likely to symbolize one’s hope for a long, good life. White threads would also be added, incorporated into the wick, when making candles for the living, which was to distinguish these candles from those intended for the dead. While the wicks are being made for the candles for living, it’s said that the customers would ‘speak directly to it,’ [1] specifying whom the candle was being made for and all of their wishes and the blessings they seek for that person.
When making the candle for the dead, the matriarchs and patriarchs of Judaism are named, along with the deceased loved ones for whom the candles are intended to call upon or burn in memory of. Neshome likht would be lit at the synagogue on Yom Kippur (if they weren’t donated to be used to light the houses of learning or worship beforehand). Lebedike likht were also lit on Yom Kippur, but they would be lit in the home by the woman of the house or the family matriarch. It was believed that doing this would bless the home with safety, protection, and happiness, as well as deter misfortune for the year to come.
If there were any remaining threads after the kneytlekh leygn, they could be used as wicks in the making of chanukkah cnadles.
The stumps and leftovers of the soul candles can also be used to invoke blessings and protection later on [7]. It’s noted, for example, in Marek Tuszewicki’s A Frog Under the Tongue that the stumps of soul candles could be used as havdole (Havdalah) candles [8], and that using these stumps is believed to bring good money in throughout the week.
Y.Y. Trunk writes of how they were used on the day of his mother’s wedding —
“Aunt Royze […] had brought from her home the remains of the melted down wax Yom Kippur candles, which she had been collecting for years. She now lit these soul-candle-pieces in the bride’s house. The candles smoked like chimneys. The sweet smell of wax filled the room. Grimacing and waving her hands as if blessing holiday candles, Grandmother Khaye and Aunt Royze said tkhines over the burning Yom Kippur wax, interspersed with incantation to protect the bride from the evil eye.” [9]
On the Importance of Remembering & Rekindling Our Traditions & Rituals:
I feel quite passionately about the study of our history and traditions like these, which are so rich with distinctly Jewish symbolism, folk belief, and faith, and I am so very grateful for people like Annabel Gottfried Cohen, who have dedicated so much time and effort to translating our written histories, archiving them, and sharing them with the world, providing essential information and education to people, like myself, who would otherwise have seen these traditions lost to time.
While there are those who would argue that these traditions are ‘too superstitious’ and don’t ‘fit’ with what they want to see from contemporary Judaism, I instead believe that we have lost so much of our culture and our beliefs to attempt to make Judaism smaller, more 'sensible', more palatable to the rest of the world, and I can understand why this was pursued throughout our history; but, oh, what a shame it would be to give up so much of ourselves in pursuit of being accepted by a world that has never and will never fully accept us as being like them. We will always be seen as being outside, so all that we sacrificed of our customs, lore, and beliefs was done in vain. Why, then, continue to limit ourselves and water ourselves down? Why continue to bury such beautiful and significant practices when we could instead revitalize them, perhaps even better connecting us with those ancestors who kept and kindled these customs in their lifetimes?
I would like to turn to Annabel Gottfried Cohen in closing this piece, for it seems fitting that the words of the woman without whom none of this would have been possible, see us off — “Rather than seeing these as magical practices that existed for centuries alongside Judaism, I would argue that these rituals are examples of the magical aspects of Judaism itself and of the huge transformations in Jewish practice that have taken place in just the last century. Demonstrating that the so-called disenchantment of the world and of Judaism with it was neither fast nor inevitable, these rituals are a reminder that the line between magic and religion has always been a thin one.”
SOURCES, CITATIONS, & FURTHER READING:
Note: This piece would never have been possible without the tireless work of translator and historian Annabel Gottfried Cohen; those, like Rabbi Tuviah Gutman Rapoport and anthropologist S. Weissenberg, who came before us and recorded our histories; and the Jewish educators, religious leaders, and organizers seeking to teach on and revitalize these traditions, such as Rabbi Noam Lerman, the Worker's Circle, and the Kohenet Priestess Institute. I am endlessly grateful for their dedication to preserving and educating about our history.
CITATIONS:
[1] Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) Yom Kippur Cemetery/Grave Measuring and Soul Candle Making: A Ritual Guide [per Ritual Well: https://ritualwell.org/blog/cemetery-grave-measuring-and-soul-candle-making-a-ritual-guide/]
[2] Weissenberg, S. (1906) Das Feld-und das Kejwermessen from Mitteilungen zur jüdischen Volkskunde (pgs. 39-45) [https://www.jstor.org/journal/mittjudivolk]; trans. Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) [https://pullingatthreads.com/2024/07/23/cemetery-and-grave-measuring/]
[4] Maimon, Solomon and Goldschmidt, A.Y. (1927) Shelomoh Maymons Lebensgeshikhte; trans. Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) [https://pullingatthreads.com/2024/09/04/grave-measuring-to-assuage-an-angry-spirit-an-extract-from-salomon-maimons-memoirs/]
[5] Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2020) The Forgotten Women’s Rituals of Yom Kippur [per Vashti: https://vashtimedia.com/the-forgotten-womens-rituals-of-yom-kippur/]
[7] Joffe, Judah Achilles and Yudel, Mark (1961) Groyser ṿerṭerbukh fun der Yidisher shprakh [https://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/collections/yiddish-books/spb-nybc201084/joffe-judah-achilles-mark-groyser-verterbukh-fun-der-yidisher-shprakh-vol-1]
[8]Tuszewicki, Marek (2021) A Frog Under the Tongue: Jewish Folk Medicine in Eastern Europe; trans. Taylor-Kucia, Jessica
[9]Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) “Shelooked one of the witches from Macbeth, but a folksy, Jewish version” – Soul Candle Magic from Y.Y. Trunk’s Poland [https://pullingatthreads.com/2024/07/28/she-looked-one-of-the-witches-from-macbeth-but-a-folksy-jewish-version-soul-candle-magic-from-y-y-trunks-poland/?ref=vashtimedia.com]
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
A Frog Under the Tongue: Jewish Folk Medicine in Eastern Europe - Tuszewicki, Marek (2021)
Ashkenazi Folk Magic at the Threshold (podcast episode) - Kafrissen, Rokhl (2024)
A tkhine for making Yom Kippur soul candles - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) [https://pullingatthreads.com/2024/07/29/a-tkhine-for-making-yom-kippur-soul-candles/]
Cemetery and Grave Measuring - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Cemetery/Grave Measuring and Soul Candle Making: A Ritual Guide - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024) [https://ritualwell.org/blog/cemetery-grave-measuring-and-soul-candle-making-a-ritual-guide/]
Cemetery Measurers & Soul Candle Makers: feldmesterins and kneytlekh-leygerins - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Der Groyser Verterbukh fun der Yidisher Shprakh - Joffe, Judas Achikles & Yudel, Mark (1961)
Gitele the pious gabete of Koriv - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Grave measuring to assuage an angry spirit – an extract from Salomon’ Maimon’s memoirs - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Making Soul Candles: a female-led Jewish ritual revived - Cohen, Annabel (2020) [https://forward.com/culture/455139/making-soul-candles-a-female-led-jewish-ritual-revived/]
Mitteilungen zur jüdischen Volkskunde - Weissenberg, S. (1906)
Petitioning the ancestors - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Pinkes fun finf fartilikte kehiles - Fayvushinksy, A. (1958)
Pulling at Threads - https://pullingatthreads.com/
Songs and prayers for cemetery measuring (and what we can learn from them) - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2024)
Tkhine for candle making on Erev Yom Kippur - bat Tovim, Sarah (circa early 18th cent.) [https://opensiddur.org/prayers/lunisolar/days-of-judgement-new-year-days/yom-kippur/tkine-for-candlemaking-on-erev-yom-kippur-by-sarah-bat-tovim/]
The Forgotten Women's Rituals of Yom Kippur - Cohen, Annabel Gottfried (2020) [https://vashtimedia.com/the-forgotten-womens-rituals-of-yom-kippur/]
There are few particularly religious women in town … who also measure the cemetery. - Cohen, Annabel Gottfriend (2024)
i think the near-extinction of people making fun, deep and/or unique interactive text-based browser games, projects and stories is catastrophic to the internet. i'm talking pre-itch.io era, nothing against it.
there are a lot of fun ones listed here and here but for the most part, they were made years ago and are now a dying breed. i get why. there's no money in it. factoring in the cost of web hosting and servers, it probably costs money. it's just sad that it's a dying art form.
anyway, here's some of my favorite browser-based interactive projects and games, if you're into that kind of thing. 90% of them are on the lists that i linked above.
A Better World - create an alternate history timeline
Alter Ego - abandonware birth-to-death life simulator game
Seedship - text-based game about colonizing a new planet
Sandboxels or ThisIsSand - free-falling sand physics games
Little Alchemy 2 - combine various elements to make new ones
Infinite Craft - kind of the same as Little Alchemy
Written Realms - more text adventure games with a user interface
The Cafe & Diner - mystery game
The New Campaign Trail - US presidential campaign game
Money Simulator - simulate financial decisions
Genesis - text-based adventure/fantasy game
Level 13 - text-based science fiction adventure game
Miniconomy - player driven economy game
Checkbox Olympics - games involving clicking checkboxes
BrantSteele.net - game show and Hunger Games simulators
Murder Games - fight to the death simulator by Orteil
Cookie Clicker - different but felt weird not including it. by Orteil.
if you're ever thinking about making a niche project that only a select number of individuals will be nerdy enough to enjoy, keep in mind i've been playing some of these games off and on for 20~ years (Alter Ego, for example). quite literally a lifetime of replayability.
since this post blew up, i've been wanting to do an addition with all of the recommendations from the comments and tags. but there's a lot of them. some people might be crazy enough to sit down and seriously put them all in one post with descriptions. those people are honestly sick in the head.
anyway, here's all of the recommendations from the reblogs. not all of them are text-based, but it's a great mixture of styles. also don't forget the links in the second paragraph of the OP which will take you to FMHY where there are a bunch more games listed.
Games
A Dark Room - text-based science fiction role-playing game.
corru.observer - science fiction adventure web game.
Improbable Island - old-school text adventure game.
Candy Box 2 - incremental clicker game that evolves into RPG.
Arcanum - open source wizard clicker game.
sandspiel, Powder Game, Powder Game 2, The Powder Toy - more sand physics games.
Orb.Farm - fishtank simulator.
Façade - experimental game with a real-time interactive narrative where you try to fix a failing marriage.
The Catacombs of Solaris - trippy art game.
Yume Nikki Online - online version of the surreal classic plus fangames.
The Barncle Goose Experiment - combine element/alchemy game based on antique theories of abiogenesis.
Fallen London - free-to-play text-based open world RPG.
Nested - very unique text-based universe expanding game. described as possibly @orteil42's favorite thing he's ever made.
The Process of Elimination - interactive web novel (by @hypertextdog)
Discworld MUD - multiplayer, text-based, online game (a MUD, or text MMORPG) based on the Discworld books.
Horse Master - surreal text game about training a horse.
EYEZMAZE - flash (RIP) or HTML5-based puzzle games.
You Are Jeff Bezos - text game. spend Jeff Bezos' fortune.
The Password Game - challenging puzzle game where you have to meet password requirements (by neal)
Universal Paperclips - incremental paperclip making game.
Half-Earth - planetary disaster planning game where you try to save the world using socialism.
ChooseYourStory - community-driven website centered on CYOA style story games.
PhD Simulator - random event based text game. make your choice each month and see if you can graduate on time.
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup - open source roguelike.
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead - turn-based survival roguelike set in the modern day.
Nethack - open source roguelike originally released in 1987.
Kingdom of Loathing - browser-based community MMORPG.
PokeRogue - browser-based Pokemon roguelike
Tools
Text Game Builder - works in your browser, with just a little bit of Python (by @grumpygandalf)
Twine - great (free!) tool for making text-based games quickly.
Ink - scripting language for interactive fiction (also free)
Flashpoint Archive - a community effort to preserve games and animations from the web.
PICO-8 - fantasy console for making, sharing and playing tiny games and other computer programs.
Non-Games
Library of Babel - interactive illustration which attempts to simulate what it might be like to browse The Library of Babel.
Superbad - technically not a game, sprawling website full of secrets.
17776 - serialized speculative fiction multimedia narrative about football in the far-future. beautiful, creative, legendary. created by Jon Bois, a legend and one of my favorite writers of all time.
Choice of Games - text-based, choose-your-own-adventure games (interactive fiction). some free-to-play, others can be bought like an ebook.
The Deep Sea - scroll to the bottom of the ocean. encounter the humble squid and his friends (by neal)
Space Elevator - like The Deep Sea, but up instead of down. you can equip your avatar with a scarf (by neal)
Internet Artifacts - an interactive history of the early internet (by neal)
If The Moon Were Only One Pixel - scroll through an accurately scaled model of the universe.
r/incremental_games - reddit community for incremental games.
r/WebGames - reddit community for web games in general.
thank you to everyone who contributed and the creators. please be sure to show them some love where possible.
lemons/limes (this needs to make up the bulk of the fruit being used, like at least 80%)
whatever other fruits or fruit scraps you want, plus any herbs/other flavorings you want to try. by fruit scraps I mean things like cherry pits, apple peels, pineapple cores, strawberry ends, things like that.
granulated white sugar, the coarser the better, 50% by weight of total citrus rinds + 100% by weight of any additional fruit. you'll measure this after you prep the fruit.
water as needed
equipment:
a few nonmetallic mixing bowls
a mesh strainer
a chinoise, ricer or some cheesecloth
a kitchen scale
a citrus juicer or reamer (manual or electric)
a potato masher
juice the citrus through a strainer - saving all rinds - and refrigerate the juice for the time being. dice the rinds and other fruits if any, keeping the rinds separate. make note of weights, and measure your sugar.
Place sugar in a large nonmetallic bowl. If using non-citrus fruits and/or any other flavorings, mix them in with the sugar and mash with potato masher. add diced citrus rinds, mix thoroughly, and mash again. cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 4 hours. this allows the sugar to draw out flavors that would otherwise get discarded with the rinds, and the rinds' acids should be enough to dissolve the sugar into a syrup.
Afterward, mash one last time, then collect the syrup by pressing the macerated mixture through a strainer/chinoise or ricer, or squeeze it through cheesecloth. if you want, this can be saved as a standalone syrup at this point, for use in cocktails or desserts. if not, slowly pour the reserved juice through the solids to to help get the remaining syrup out, and squeeze/press again. do the same thing one more time with warm water (roughly the same amount of water as juice). discard solids (or try making sangria with them!).
taste the mixture and add more water if necessary. a stronger mix is totally fine if you anticipate serving over ice on a hot day, or adding booze, or if there was a lot of non-sour fruit. keep in mind that it will taste a bit less sweet once it's chilled. pour into a pitcher and refrigerate.
citrus oils will float to the top, so stir/shake before serving. love you. enjoy.
some tried and true flavor combos:
straight lemon or lime, or any combination of the two, is of course an untouchable classic
lemon & strawberries (that's pussy babe!)
lemon & orange with a hint of vanilla (creamsiclemonade...?)
lemon & apples or apple peels with cinnamon/ginger/allspice (for late summer)
some cocktail type combos, booze optional:
lemon or lime & berries with basil + gin
lime & mint + white rum
lime & ginger + dark rum
lime & cucumber + gin
lime & orange (berries optional) + tequila
lemon, orange & cherry + brandy, bourbon, or rye whiskey
there are a number of worthy contenders for the title 'first gay doctor who companion' but personally i like saying it's Oliver Harper bcos there's just something very funny to me about pointing to well known TV comedian Tom Allen and saying 'he is the first gay doctor who companion'
in all honesty this is an extension of the fact that it's kind of funny to me to point to well known TV comedian Tom Allen and say 'he is a doctor who companion'
I'll always talk up internet radio stations because I don't think the average person is aware that they're free, can run in your browser (or in any program that can connect to them), work on your phone, run better than a youtube tab, and give you a much better selection of music than you could get from a general algorithmic playlist
(also lots of them have live shows which you can tune into for free)
if u like folk and/or roots music: wumb.org !!! it is AD-FREE it has ZERO MORNING TALK SHOWS it is on air at 91.9 FM in the BOSTON AREA but streams WORLDWIDE on the WEB it is perfect.
Maybe niche but for any Irish speakers or learners out there, Radio na Gaeltachta streams online and is a great way to listen to some Gaeilge without YouTube.
All of these resources are fantastic, but I wanna give a specific shoutout to Raidió na Gaeltachta streaming online - and I say this as a person who works in Irish-language visual media - if you wanna gainna better grasp of spoken Irish and how the language is used in casual settings, Raidió na Gaeltachta is the way to go, not visual media 😬📻😁
My PT gave me the following tips; please use them carefully and don't push yourself to where you hurt yourself more than you relax yourself:
Do each ten times, and only to the point where the pain is not "this is WRONG" pain but "okay this stretch is manageable":
slowly open wide and close your mouth
slowly push your lower jaw forward and back again
slowly shift your lower jaw to the left, to the right, and back to center again
I usually slowly count to three or for for each movement, and try to time it with nice slow breathing. So, slowly open wide & breathe in (ideally through the nose though, if you can) while counting to three or four, then slowly close & breathe out while counting to three or four. Fluid, continuous movements, not jerky ones, and be gentle and don't force things.
My PT said this is to help the jaw muscles remember how they *can* move. He recommended massages too! He said if your jaw clicks while doing those moves, it's not worrisome in and of itself, but if the click is accompanied by pain, ease up on how much you move your jaw, or stop with the move that caused the click, and try one of the others.
AFTERWARDS (and you really do need to do the movements of the first list first!!)
loosen your lower jaw (your teeth must not touch), put the knuckles of your left hand to the left side of your lower jawbone, and gently push towards your right, to stretch the left side of your jaw muscles. Hold for a count of five to ten slow breaths - for me, I notice a shift in the muscles, to where they let loose a bit, around the seventh or eighth breath; see how this works for you.
do the same with the right hand pushing left.
extend the thumb and first finger of your stronger hand to an L shape. Put it on your chin so that the chin protrusion is below the "hinge" of the L. Open your mouth slowly, and then use your hand to open it a bit wider and stretch the opening muscles on both sides. Hold for five to ten slow breaths. For a second step, you can add resistance: push your lower jaw upwards while at the same time pushing downwards with your hands. Only small incremements!!! LIke, fractions of inches! And only for one or two seconds, before you release again.
Please be careful and gentle with all these steps. No jerky motions, don't go past the "okay stretch" point to the "fuck this HURTS" point, and if you have a history of dislocating your jaw, please proceed carefully or skip this entirely and only do the movements described in the first list.
I often do these in bed at night, or randomly while I watch TV or something, or take a break at work to do them (my co-workers are used to it by now 😅).
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