Windows 95 Fic Amazes

[jesse_the_k]

Many thanks to pauraque for introducing me to turingfest, a fanwork exchange for robotic characters, which are defined for this purpose as "characters in the realm of AIs, robots, androids, mecha, machines, cyborgs, and any other technology-focused characters." The author reveals are up now; here are the 2020 contributions:

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/turingfest2020

I particularly loved ‌Welcome to Windows 95! by izayoi-no-mikoto

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24073393

It’s a horror story told entirely in Windows 95 first-boot screen grabs. Since I’ve used Apples all my computing days, I can’t vouch for how true-to-life this portrait of an OS as a controlling bastard is. Fundamentally inaccessible, and I want to podfic this by creating the appropriate screens and feeding them to Jaws 1.0. Anyone ready to assist? Here are the first two of 23 screen grabs comprising the fic:

screen grab 1:
Modal dialogue titled "welcome screen"

Welcome to Windows 95! I’ve been waiting for you. This first time user guide will tell you all the ways you can use Windows 95, and all the ways Window 95 will use you.

Screen grab 2:
Help window with three tabs titled Contents, Index, and Find. Within Contents, user has highlighted the first item, "If you’ve used Windows before."

This is covered by a modal dialogue titled "Error," which reads "You’ve never used Windows before. I’m the only one."

---

But Windows 95 fandom is a Thing!

https://windows95tips.com is an entire Tumblr filled with pseudo screen grabs of hostile interactions — for example,

Modal dialog titled "Missing Skin."
Icon looks like an empty gin bottle. Alert reads: Windows is searching for your skin. To locate the skin yourself, click Browse
Buttons: default Browse and Cancel

This 2013 Yuletide fic by Wayfarers is text-only, offering

Windows 95 has failed to start in Safe Mode. Windows 95 will now boot into Unsafe Mode…

Did you know…

Some say Windows 95 is a mere graphical interface for MS-DOS. This is impossible, as Windows 95 predates MS-DOS by almost two-thousand years.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083451

For a total of five right now: https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Windows%2095%20Tips/works

Comments

[tei]

Oh my god that Windows 95 story was amazing and horrifying. PLEASE CLEAN THE BLOOD OUT OF THE SOCKETS.

[jesse_the_k]

...I finally found a horror medium that was distant-enough that I could enjoy it. (Audio/video is just too intense.)

[pauraque]

Glad you enjoyed! :)