Checkpoint 1: Kick-off

[nepenthee]

With slight delay, this DW community is now open!

As mentioned on the event site, the challenge will be accompanied by regular checkpoints where you can share your plans and progress, ask for help and discuss anything regarding site-making. These checkpoints will be posted in approximately biweekly intervals by me, your host, and sometimes by larissa. :)

Some questions to start with: What are you making and why, how long has the shrine been on your wishlist, and where are you starting from?

Feel free to chat about anything, no need to answer any of these questions!

Comments

[velvetdusk]

I love the sound of this — what a brilliant premise for a shrine! The “divine Taskmaster” interpretation genuinely made me smile; there’s something so fitting about turning that kind of recurring, uncanny humor into mythic shape. I’m not deeply familiar with the series beyond the clips I’ve seen, but I can already imagine how fun it’ll be to weave that lore and absurdity together into something atmospheric. I’m really excited to see how it comes to life — it sounds like the perfect spark to rekindle that old-web rhythm again.

[lexicalcrow]

It's so interesting, because you can see the Taskmaster house like a church. The Taskmaster's portraits are everywhere. There's a large enthroned statue of him in the yard. He's always watching you even if he's never there. In s8, the two round windows in the front of the house had eyes in them, the ones from the Taskmaster's portrait for that series, as if the house was the Taskmaster itself keeping an eye on the contestants. Everything is done For Him, as Alex often points out. It's such interesting lore to play around with.

Also, in all the Taskmaster books (and also on social media posts), Alex capitalises all of Greg's pronouns, which I think it's fair to say can be read as either religious or kinky, depending on your viewpoint. It just adds to the divine Taskmaster headcanons, and/or sacred kink, depending on your flavour. Devotion and worship can go both ways, and Alex gives so much material for both, the fucker lol.

I will admit I'm very good at basic 2004 web and graphic design lol, but I'm going to work to improve my coding and design skills, because I have a Vision and I want to be able to make it happen. :D Also looking at some of the shrine examples gave me some srs inspiration and I want to be able to make something more than just a basic-looking site.

[velvetdusk]

This is such a fascinating lens to view the series through — the imagery you describe makes it sound almost ritualistic in its own right. The idea of a “living house” watching from its portrait-eyes and this playful line between reverence and kink… it’s deliciously strange in the best way. It’s such a reminder of how much fun it is to take something familiar and lean into its mythic edges.

And oh, I relate so much — I haven’t really coded or created anything since 2016, so I’ve been brushing up on my skills lately too 😭 That 2004 web energy is so real though; it’s like muscle memory, dusty but still alive under the fingertips. I can’t wait to see what you build — I have a feeling it’ll capture that nostalgia perfectly, but with the spark of someone rediscovering their craft.

[lexicalcrow]

It's such a fascinating show! Because on one level, yeah, it's comedians doing stupid things and making fools of themselves. It's comedy. It's hilarious. But then you add in all the other layers and it gets deep and so so interesting. It is a show that didn't need 'Lore', but the Lore adds so much to how it works, and the relationship between Greg and Alex that plays out over the course of each series.

I mean, there's a portrait of Greg that greets you as soon as you walk in the front door of the house, but he's not looking at you, he's looking off to one side. Indifferent. Imperial. Imposing. For a long time, and I don't know if it's still like this because I haven't noticed it, but they had small portraits of the champions on the wall beside that entrance portrait too. Fascinating show. So much visual language to play with.

That's such a mood lol. I can barely remember how to do CSS, but I can remember basic HTML 4 woooo. XD But yeah I wanna up my game a bit, make it worthy of a Taskmaster shrine. Not too fancy, ofc, but just fancy enough. :D