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What bought you here? What kept you here?

 
  

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ONLY NICE THINGS
11:07 / 23.10.02
Rex Citi-Zen, elsewhere:

Most of us were brought here by THE INVISIBLES but stayed for THE MAGICK FORUM

I'm not sure who the "us" in that quote is, but I assume it refers to Rex's friends rather than Barbelith. Or am I wrong?

What first bought you to Barbelith, and what kept you here? We've done this one before, but we have new bugs now, so let's come, join, share...

I was brought to Barbelith by Nick, the silver-tongued devil, over coffee in a Camden cafe at midnight. And I stayed because it is the brightest and most interesting collection of people I have encountered on the Internet, and because lots of people I consider my friends hang out here. And because I find the interrelational mechanisms of the bulletin board really interesting - the time lags, the reliance on text, the interplay of PM and post...all ver' intriguing.

And I get to say "wery". And "huggles". Without being beaten or eaten.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
11:17 / 23.10.02
I (as I'm sure I've said before) searched for "The Invisibles" on Google... ended up here, thought everyone seemed interesting. The irony being, I rarely read the Comics forum.

Why stay? It's the best debate AND conversation I've found online- and I've made a bunch of new friends. In both cyber- and meat-space.
 
 
The Natural Way
11:18 / 23.10.02
Well, I think a lot of us were brought here by The Invisibles, but there's so many new posters now...who knows?

I came for the Invisibubbles and stayed for the:

Opportunity to vent my dirtier, festering, unpleasant memes - nasty head garbage that needs dispersing

Outlet for all my obsessions (Barbelith prevents me boring every bastard in the world with unending comics, music, film and Buffy chat)

and...

The mental workout. This place forces me to think and God knows that's a good thing. Work w/out Barbelith? Fuck me...I can feel my brain atrophying already.

Oh, and I quite like you all and Haus will make me piss myself at least once a day.
 
 
woodswalker
11:35 / 23.10.02
A Google search on shamanism led me to the site, I found it interesting enough to bookmark and revisit. I am intrigued by the eclectic nature of the discussions found here...wide ranging. What I enjoy most though is watching the interplay of discussion participants. There seems to be an honest interest here in what others have on the various subjects. I should also mention that, as an observer, I enjoy my occasional smug opinions.
 
 
The Apple-Picker
11:42 / 23.10.02
Bitchie Kittie mentioned it to me a few times, and I came around eventually.

I stayed because I thought I could learn a few things. I was particularly interested in reading the head shop, but I read most of the other fora now, too.
 
 
8===>Q: alyn
11:48 / 23.10.02
I read about Mordant's epilepsy thread on memepool, and followed links here from her blog. I was blown away by the signal-to-noise ratio in general and by the Magick in particular. I think a contributing factor was that I came by during the membership blackout, so had weeks of uncertainty in which to read old threads, fret, and weep silently at my computer desk before I was allowed to post. Little cocktease of a board...
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
11:50 / 23.10.02
If only you knew what it was wearing right now...
 
 
Bear
11:54 / 23.10.02
Ghadis suggested I check out the magick forum on here and I did but I post more in the coversation and the film forums, which is probably for the best considering this mornings effert

Stayed because it was more or less the first message board I'd been to where the members DIDN'T SHOUT AT EACH OTHER and it wasn't full of links for other message board and didn't have awful signature files taking up a page each.
 
 
illmatic
11:54 / 23.10.02
I found this place Googling around for Invisibles. Initially, I'd was attracted by The Magick but I'm actually more keen (just as keen?) on the other fora these days - I tend to just rant on, lecture style, in The Magick and there's more interplay with people elsewhere. It's the range of ideas discussed, seeing all the different personalities interact and argue, the mix between personal info and discussion.
I'd also say it's a pretty warm supportive space, and I'm always amazed that the incidence of trolling/flaming is so low - if you want to see some really mind-numbing arguements, go hang out in Thelemic/Magickal newsgroups.
 
 
Papess
12:09 / 23.10.02
Haha, I absolutely love it when you are witty and sweet Haus! *kisses*

I came here because Rex kept on mentioning it over the course of four years. When I finally gave up my internet paranoia, I checked it out.

I read the threads, especially the MAgick, and was soooo impressed by the depth and comprehension of the posts. I knew I could learn here and be able to contribute to what was (at that time) a very cohesive community. I thought the tolerence for new or unconventional ideas was highly accepted here, and to a large degree, it still is.

I stay because it is a world unto itself and although it may be going through some growing pains, I believe the "best of the best" is here and everything else pales in the light Barbelith sheds.
 
 
Eloi Tsabaoth
12:11 / 23.10.02
I've always been here. Do you ask the shadow of a tree why it is in the woods?
Oh, you do. Never mind.
 
 
The Strobe
12:14 / 23.10.02
Brought here via lots of links on Rothkoid's blog around 17-18 months ago. In the end, joined and started posting. Read bits of The Invisibles after I got here; mainly enjoyed it in the beginning for relatively high-level (for the net) discussion of the Arts. Took me a while to branch out into Conversation, but now I read pretty much everything on the board from time to time.

What keeps me? The discussion's still there. The community's good, I've met lots of pleasant people and good friends here, and it's somewhere else to go. Seperate from many things. Oh, and it occasionally turns up gems of links
 
 
We're The Great Old Ones Now
12:54 / 23.10.02
Tom was doing this thing.

I came to see. It was a thing. Then it was a big thing. Now it's this major reason why I don't get anything done.

Love Tom. Worship Tom. Ooooooooooohhhhhh, Tom is... The Claw...

But I can honestly say it's not a scary cult or nothing. No, siree.
 
 
w1rebaby
13:14 / 23.10.02
I was invited here along with a few others by the poster currently known as Johnny Awol. I took a look around, left, then came back later on when kittie started really getting into it.

I stay because it reminds me that my brain used to work, and maybe I can get it working like that again. I think my first ever thread was something about "I'm getting stupider".

For the record I have only a passing interest in The Invisibles or magick, though there's an interest of sorts there.
 
 
Cat Chant
13:17 / 23.10.02
What first bought you to Barbelith, and what kept you here?

I am neither bought nor kept, Haus! How dare you!

(hee hee hee! hee hee hee!)

Um... can't remember. Oh, yes I can. There was this whole thing, see, where someone had referred to me on some website, and someone else told me about it, so then I went and obsessively trawled for more references to me on various websites and blogs, and then, in a desperate attempt to distract myself from this unhealthy behaviour, put a "NO STALKING" sign on my computer and started following links to other blogs/sites. Found plasticbag. Hence, found Barbelith. Was pleased to discover a bunch of other people who lived in a fantasy world but, far from being escapists, wanted to (non-)violently impose said fantasy world on the real world for its own good. Also Rosa and Frances Farmer and the then Jackie Susann helped. Oh, and Ganesh said he liked me after my very first post (I think it was my first - it was about the Magic Healing & Revolutionary Powers of slash), which was nice. And then when I got into big fights there were people who backed me up so I didn't just slink away in an unwanted manner. And in some of those big fights the people on the other side were interesting and groovy (hi, Nick). And basically, people have a similar enough conceptual framework/worldview for me to be able to risk some public thinking here, but not so similar that I'm just talking to myself.

Also, cf the main B7 board - which I hasten to add does not reflect the quality of B7 discussion. Enough said, I think.
 
 
illmatic
13:23 / 23.10.02
I'd just add, to leak over from the Sniper thread, (now happily at home in conversation), I think one of the reasons The Magick is such a good forum is because it exists amongst all this other stuff -

(**)
- so we've got a chance to contibute elsewhere, get to know each other, talk about other issues and see how they overlap. Avoid that monomania. I'm glad Barbelith isn't just a magick ghetto - most of the other magick-web spaces I've been on have been largely dominated by groups of Thelemites (it's allllllways the Thelemites!!) screaming at each other.
Also, I was only half-joking when I said I was happy to be refered to as a "special child". Most of the population don't believe in magick, and it's nice to be reminded of this, and see other people's criticisms, without being rained on too much.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
13:57 / 23.10.02
I originally used to post on the old 'Invisibles' mailing list in the days before Barbelith, which I enjoyed immensely not least because you could get intelligent and informed discussion on the various diverse subjects often generically classified as 'magick', without having to deal with peoples tedious and gargantuan ego trips like every other 'magick' related forum I'd checked out. Besides which you could also talk about comics and films and anything tangentially related to Mr Morrison's comic.

Eventually I had to unsubscribe as the volume of posts in my inbox was getting to high for me to wade through, and around the same time I heard that there was this place called The Nexus starting up.

I checked out the Nexus and found a similar set up, but in a message board format which was ideal for my purposes - no more vast downloads of e-mail - I could pick and choose what I wanted to look at. I've been here ever since in one disguise or another and expect to stick around. I've made a lot of friends IRL via barbelith, and I can say without a doubt that it's my favourite place on the web.

I've always found this perception of The Magick as the ghetto forum to be a little skewed, as in my opinion it's one of the best things about Barbelith. I may be way off the mark, but I'm inclined to think that the only people who call it a ghetto are those who aren't particularly interested in that area of discussion, and therefore don't look at it very often.

If this isn't the case, and people are actually interested in the subject areas covered by its remit but scoff at the level of discussion that goes on there, then shake things up a bit. Ask awkward questions, put people on the spot, challenge instances of complacency, and encourage Magick forum regulars to question these strange beliefs they appear to have. This is what the magick forum should be about.

Something that Haus posted in the Head Shop prostitution thread irked me slightly, can't remember the specific quote but it was something along the lines of "this isn't the Magick forum, a higher level of discussion is expected in the Head Shop" (apologies for clumsy paraphrasing - don't have time to get quote).

A higher level of discussion should be expected in The Magick as well. It ought to be the place where the various subjects that are clumsily grouped together as 'magick' receive the same level of critical attention and deconstruction as you get in forums like the Head Shop. One of the hurdles to this is probably that a lot of subjects in this area can be incredibly difficult to talk about at anything more than a superficial level. For instance, there's a lot of stuff related to my practice and experimentation with magick that I just wouldn't want to share with the rest of the world, or would have trouble expressing in terms that would mean anything to other people.

But having said that, I would probably visit Barbelith far less frequently if it wasn't for The Magick forum, as it really does supply something which you can't get anywhere else on the web. I think one of the major reasons for this is that it exists as a sub-forum of a larger community - some of whom don't have any time for magic or magicians - and this impacts on the way communication takes place.

There's less ego and self-aggrandisement, less clique-ness, inter-order politics and bitchiness, which leads to a more relaxed climate open to those who don't know much about the subject, and even those who are actively aggressive towards it. It has been a bit stale of late though - and I think, if anything, this recent 'magick is a ghetto' spat should be taken as a sign that it's time for us to sharpen up our act and set to work discovering new perspectives on magick, and new ways of discussing, thinking, and writing about the subject.
 
 
deja_vroom
14:02 / 23.10.02
Found the board by accident, searching for info on a brazilian surf rock band. Stayed for the cheap laughs and the plethora of information pouring down from the monitor. And for the huggles.
 
 
Saint Keggers
14:07 / 23.10.02
I came here back when it was the bomb and nexus and whatever else it was in the misty beginings of barbtime. It was something to read in between Death Rally lan matches. I dont know why I stay..I keep trying to get out and they keep puliing me right back in again! I like the folks here. Smart, amusing conversation and the occasional witticisms that leave me holding my gut in fear it will explode from laughter.
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
14:35 / 23.10.02
gawd. Thinking about this, I *think* I might I first checked it out years ago after having a very wrecked conversation with a guy at a party who on hearing that I was reading the Invisibles bored me with unending comics, music, film and Buffy chat. Only kidding, sweetheart.

('Orrible flat in Western Road above a kebab shop? ring any bells?)

Then promptly forgot about it for ages, until stuck in a succession of very boring but very dossy jobs. Googled Invissies, found the Bomb etc

Kept me sane through an awful, awful job where I was on my own all day and so did literally spend hours here...

A big thing that kept/keeps me here was it being the first place i'd been able to have intelligent conversations about gender/performativity/bdsm/sexual and socio-economic stuff since leaving college (thanks here to Disco, Crunchy, Ganesh, Pepsi and Tom). Remember being utterly terrified by the brains bubbling away in the Head shop.

it's still pretty much the only board I visit regularly. I guess I like the House style, whatever that is.

And I've met alot of lovely people I don't think I'd've met any other way, many of whom I'd class as good friends, so I like to hang out and chat to them.

Want to say a big thank you at this point, as realised recently taht at times this has been the only big supportive space I've had when wrestling with stuff around *other people's problems* with my sexuality. I've learnt alot and felt alot of kindness and caring, even from people I've been disagreeing with.

And that's been amazing. thanks people.
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
14:37 / 23.10.02
oh, and from various angles, find the whole 'net community' thing we have here really interesting... the interpersonal dynamics are fascinating at times..
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
14:41 / 23.10.02
Came for the funerals, stayed for the pie.

Simpsons quotes aside, another of the filthy immigrants from The Special Board.

Stayed because there is no where else to go.
 
 
Sax
15:08 / 23.10.02
Yes, I come here often.

No, I won't sleep with you.

Okay, then. Found Barbelith midway through the Invisibles run and had just got a PC with Internet access at home. Signed up but was too in awe of huge intellects to post. Then huge intellects all left and I jumped in. (only kidding, kids).

Why do I stay? I wonder that myself, sometimes. I suppose Barbelith is like Marlboro Lights; I know it's bad for me but I just can't stop.

And there are some really cool people here who talk about things no-one in my real life ever does, apart from some strange people in the local comic shop who I am far too cool to associate with.
 
 
Tryphena Absent
15:30 / 23.10.02
The answer to the first question is so boring that I won't repeat it again.

What keeps me here? I went in to the magick forum and absolutely nowhere did I see the words merry meet. I think that was the first thing. Then I saw a Buffy thread, then I realised that everyone had read loads more books then me and I rarely encounter that in reality. I knew that it was OK to be a big fat geek and I was happy. Then there was this Morrissey addiction floating around that made me smile and I wondered what The Invisibles was and then I was blown away by the romance of it all.
 
 
The Natural Way
15:33 / 23.10.02
Bengali: I'm not my brother. That was my brother.

I'd never do that. Well, maybe....

People have difficulty telling the difference online, too! Is there no end to it!
 
 
Goodness Gracious Meme
15:40 / 23.10.02
sorry babe, was *really* sure that was you. You *were* Dr.Bruce weren't you. (realising that if this was your bro as well, you're going to punch me.)
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
16:31 / 23.10.02
I was there at the beginning of the third age of mankind...

I found it just by periodically returning to The Bomb until noticing that Tom had put a board up. Though I signed up within the first few months I didn't initially have the time to check it regularly, how things change...

I stayed... Well, occasionally it's my natural conservatism and occasional neophobia stopping me from finding something better, most of the time it's the mad rush of ideas and thoughts of some intelligent, crazy people.
 
 
Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero
16:32 / 23.10.02
Grant Morrison said something about Barbelith in the back of vol. 3 #1, that the "cool egghead stoner motherfuckers" would be able to explain the secret of life to me.

So I came and I was amazed. It seemed like most of the people here were not only smarter than myself but also funnier. Their wits were sharper than mine. And that irked me, as I was not used to this in the outside world. I would learn their secrets, and then destroy them all for making me feel inferior...

...but then I figured Hell, there aren't many places like this on the web, so I'll just learn their secrets and destroy something else. So I smashed a clock and set a truck on fire and have been here since.

It wasn't the Magick forum that kept me, although it is a beautiful thing and is responsible for much of my education in the occult. All the fora kick ass. All of you, think of how many sweet books you've found because of this place, or kick ass television shows or movies you had never heard of before you came here. Comics too. The crazy views and opinions on current events. Wacked out theories and weird stories. All of this in one place. One stop shopping! Huzzah!
 
 
Baz Auckland
16:34 / 23.10.02
I was looking at the Bomb and all the lovely annotations and links when I thought I would be clever and submit one. Tom emailed me back and suggested I check out the board. And I did. And I was delighted and posted for most of a year until I moved to Alaska...

...then I lost track of the board for ages until it was Feb. and I was moving to London. I thought "Hey! Everyone on Barbelith was from London! I bet I can get a flat!"

...and I've been here since. I stay because I miss my imaginary friends and the fun that was had in London, and for the Conversation.
 
 
Murray Hamhandler
16:47 / 23.10.02
Hung out on the aforementioned Invisibles list for years. Peeked in on the 'Lith from time to time since its inception but always kept a wall between us. Did I feel unworthy? Afraid of its love? Finally full-bore succumbed to its wily charms a little over a year ago. Been omnipresent and yet somehow sidelined ever since.

I stay in part because I am borderline socially dysfunctional in meat space. I work much better here ("This is better? Yikes..."), don't get nervous and self-conscious to the point of distraction when speaking w/those I don't know well. I stay in part because my interests are discussed here, and because I don't know where they're discussed IRL. I stay in part because interesting and intelligent topics that aren't specifically w/in my range of interests are discussed here, and because I don't know where they're discussed IRL. I stay in part because Barbelith is the only "place" in my life where I have not felt significantly out of place and in the way.
 
 
cusm
17:31 / 23.10.02
I'm one of the "us" Rex speaks of. I came for The Bomb, and then one day discovered there was this message board thingy here too, with a magick forum...
 
 
Perfect Tommy
17:38 / 23.10.02
When it was slow at work, I would work on a geeky RPG side project. There was a great bit of dialogue I wanted to quote from the first volume, but since I didn't have my comics with me at my desk, I tried a search engine. The Bomb didn't have the line I needed, but it still got bookmarked immediately. That was when I started reading the Nexus (it was grey at the time, I think... maybe this was around mid-to-late volume 2?)

I stayed--or more accurately, kept returning--because when I swore this place off, I found that I'd write posts in my head. (Angsty whiney adolescent posts that sloughed off with the rest of the last 'suit, I hope.)

I find that, sometimes, I have trouble talking to meat people about certain topics--I have to spend a lot of time refuting dualism first. It's not like everyone here is firmly against dualism, but most of us got the memo, you know?
 
 
Seth
23:36 / 23.10.02
I came because Jack, the 'rat and Hypocritamus were here. My decision to stay was helped by meeting Flyboy (plus one other person who I'm not sure I can name because they've changed their fictionsuit from their real name) at the Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds gig, and enjoying his company muchly. I'm still here because I love a lot of the people, and because I like learning, and because I need something to do while Snapping Turtle watches the soaps. Oh, and because my work hours sometimes destroy my meatspace social life.
 
 
betty woo
14:10 / 24.10.02
I came to Barbelith as part of the "Ray Fawkes Internet Stalking Program". I stuck around to argue with yawn, and still pop by infrequently for a dose of good people and weird ideas.
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
14:14 / 24.10.02
It has just occured to me that by revealing why we came and why we are still here, Haus can cleverly engineer means and reasons for us to leave.

So tell us Haus, why do you want this place all to yourself.

I have seen through your evil plan, BWA HA HA HA
 
  

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