You wander through the exciting bustle of various tents, shops and stalls, each showing off their wares. Delicious, hot and ready foods; jewelry and toys; performers and more all shouting out their revelry in celebration of Princess Rhoan. But you’re only a digital visitor; such physical goods wouldn’t have much worth to you. Instead, you duck into a cozy little tent where a slightly-older-than-middle-aged shopkeeper is polishing a detailed metal sign that reads “DIGITAL GOODS - FREE TO USE”.
You awkwardly look at the various shelves inside the stall, and then ask if everything is really and truly free. The answer of course is yes: You can save and use any of these graphics with no credit necessary. And why? Because it’s within a virtual world, and a response to one. The most egregious thing about virtual worlds online has always been monetization.
If I had to hazard a guess, about 99% of them have some kind of paid element to them. I get that money is needed to upkeep these digital spaces, but the methods used in those cases are particularly manipulative. Even if this isn’t a real virtual world, I wanted to reject the ways in which they were harmful. I wanted to make things you can take and share and pass on. I remember even as a child, for which monetization systems online were being rapidly normalized, whenever I fantastized about making my own games, I was set on the idea that there would be no memberships, no subscriptions.
Even if my beloved Bella Sara was more playable than most sites without a paid element (at least to my memory- even without any redeemed cards you could care for a default horse named Peter in the stables, as well as a foal assigned to you by the site), it was still there. You needed a premium currency known as “Horseshoes” to buy more things for your cottage and other things on the site. You could gain these by purchasing the cards, or, if I recall correctly, buying directly on the site. I remember covetously asking my parents to buy more- this is the emotional manipulation on which these sites thrive. By inciting jealousy, yearning, and systems of class, online games could make more money by praying on the emotions of the players- though, being a single player game, Bella Sara never quite had the digital classism issue. For a current day example, Star Stable is one of the few still-running horse games and it is particularly egregious about its monetization. Even when paying for the highest tier of membership, the player must have premium currency to purchase new horses- which is the reason I have never played this game, despite it having the level of interactibility and immersion I crave.
This project is about using nostalgia for something constructive, but so is the Web Revival. And throughout my time in this subculture, I’ve been in awe of its sharing culture. Web Revival spaces are filled with sites linking to each other, making things for others to use, sharing resources and graphics, and more. There’s such a strong sense of community and passion when I browse through things like button makers, link pages, or curated sites filled with graphics. It’s beautiful, and a stark contrast to these ideas of “digital commodities” and their arbitrary scarcity. Virtual Worlds were arguably the original ancestor of the failed “metaverse” craze, which would have taken this hypermonetized digital commodity concept to its inevitable, deeply cynical conclusion.
I guess what I’m saying is that this culture of sharing and free knowledge is the antithesis of the hyper-monetized world of online games. We should carry this sharing culture forward in everything we do online! And since sharing among artists is so important, I decided here would be the perfect place to list all my favorite online resources that the web revival community has cultivated. (Do keep in mind that anything that uses an external script may require a Supporter account if your Neocities account was created in 2024.)
https://blinkies.cafe/ - An online creator for blinkies, with oodles of presets and customization.
https://garlic.garden/onionring/ - an easy webring creator.
https://gifcities.org/ - Search the geocities archives for gifs and images. Created by the
Internet Archive!
https://horrorgifs.neocities.org/ - Horror themed gifs. I use this resource a lot!
https://virtualobserver.moe/ayano/comment-widget - A comment box that can be set up easily and customized to your liking.
https://status.cafe/ - Easy status updater
that I love to use!
https://gifypet.neocities.org/ - Customizable interactive virtual pet!
https://kalechips.net/stuff/snippets.php - Code snippets with some helpful CSS and Javascript tutorials. I actually got the code for one of the main functions of Clovenglade from this site.
https://sadgrl.online/webmastery/downloads/tiledbgs - A collection of background tiles.
http://www.mf2fm.com/rv/ - Free HTML effects.
Almost all of these have helped me build my website in some way, and almost all of them are created by fellow hobbyist webmasters. This is the beauty of the unrestrained flow of information and sharing of resources. I also figured that this page would be a good place to host any free horse-themed graphics I make... though it’s still a bit sparse right now.
The shopkeep points you towards a box filled with everything pixelated and glimmering, and shows you some hand-made 88x31 buttons. Perhaps they’d be a nice way to commemorate your favorite horse here in Clovenglade.
Buttons are a perfect example of carrying the torch of nostalgia forward for a constructive present. 88x31 buttons have been a thing since the early days of the ‘net and hold a nostalgic place in the hearts of many, and are a courteous way to link between websites as well as decorating a page. That people have agreed upon this standard and that it has continued to be used decades later goes to show how strong the sense of community is in these spaces.
And, of course, one can't forget page adopts! Similar to buttons, they’re also part of this linking and sharing culture, though with a unique spin, a sort of "personified digital". I'm sort of obsessed with them and coming up with my own personalities and "headcanons" for what amounts to sharable gifs adds a sort of immersion and coziness to my online space that I really enjoy. It kind of inadvertently taps into the same feelings I got from these old online games, in a way.
Perhaps some of the horses that graze in the fields of Clovenglade may be open to greeting visitors on your webpage...? Maybe you've seen them out and about while riding. It seems they may have taken a liking to you...
Also, any of the furniture graphics in the cottage are free to use if needed, no credit necessary. (The original Bazaar page where you could buy goods did have a large focus on furniture for your Cottage if I recall correctly)
I don't think Bella Sara was a cynical creation. It definitely played into the monetized model that similar games had, but I remember it more fondly than those. Based on what I read about the original creator she seemed like she was genuinely passionate about creating a positive thing for young girls. But I suppose that no matter what your intentions are, creating a franchise for profit is always at least a little bit inherently kowtowing to the whims of that profit, which is frustrating thing to think about- if something exists for its bottom line, then it can die for it too, which is why so many virtual worlds were so short-lived. Servers just aren’t worth the cost, no matter how fun or creative your game is.
Carrying on the spirit of immersion of these online spaces, out of love, with our own ideals and hopes, is a reclaimation. Creating a web motivated by sharing and creativity rather than profit is, too, a reclaimation.