For better or for worse (https://x.com/IroncladDev/status/1866185587616596356), htmx has collected a lot of lore, mainly around the twitter account (https://twitter.com/htmx_org).

Here are some explanations.

It’s So Over/We’re So Back (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#it-s-so-over-we-re-so-back) A common set of phrases used by htmx enthusiasts when, for example, @bunjavascript told me to delete my account (https://x.com/bunjavascript/status/1708557665268568412)

htmx CEO (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#htmx-ceo) At one point there was a hostile takeover attempt of the htmx CEO position and, in a desperate poison pill, I declared everyone CEO of htmx.

Turk (https://x.com/gitpush_gitpaid) created https://htmx.ceo (https://htmx.ceo) if you want to register as a CEO.

If someone emails hr@bigsky.software asking if you are CEO of htmx, I will tell them yes.

You can put it on your LinkedIn, because it’s true.

Laser Eye Horse (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#laser-eye-horse) At some point I photoshopped lasers onto a horse mask, as kind of an homage to @horse_js (https://x.com/horse_js).

For some reason it stuck and now it’s the official unofficial (https://swag.htmx.org/products/i-lied-sticker) mascot of htmx.

Spieltrieb (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#spieltrieb) Spieltrieb means “play instinct”, and is a big part of the htmx vibe (https://x.com/search?q=spieltrieb%20from%3Ahtmx_org&src=typed_query).

Pickles (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#pickles) At some point someone (I think @techsavvytravvy (https://x.com/techsavvytravvy)), generated a grug AI image (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1708697536587047142), and there was a pickle smiling in a really bizarre way in it.

So we started riffing on pickles and now there’s a shirt (https://swag.htmx.org/products/htmx-pickle-shirt).

Cry more, drizzle (https://x.com/DrizzleORM/status/1757149983713665238).

XSS (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#xss) In July 2023, when htmx first got popular, there was a moral panic (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683607693246775297) around cross site scripting (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683529221195571200). I may (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683607217499414531) have overcooked (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683649190071791617) my response (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683612179512057856) to it (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1683818711763877892).

Shut Up Warren (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#shut-up-warren) @WarrenInTheBuff (https://x.com/WarrenInTheBuff) is the king of twitter and we regularly fight with him. This often ends in someone saying “shut up warren” (https://x.com/ThePrimeagen/status/1792564215749779515).

You can see the htmx website do this by going to https://htmx.org?suw=true (https://htmx.org?suw=true)

Microsoft Purchase Rumor (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#microsoft-purchase-rumor) In mid-January of 2024 I got really serious with the htmx twitter account and started quote (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1745930477825868044) tweeting things (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1745915394626351315) about microsoft (https://x.com/htmx_org). People started worrying (https://x.com/SusSoftware/status/1746206195461878113). I announced a license change (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1746736273728094323) to get people freaked out about a rug pull.

I then changed htmx to BSD0 (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1746880860723544211)

This is the offer (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1746895016256328079) I got from microsoft (real).

(same thing) (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#same-thing) I believe that this tweet (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1672264927136952322) is the origin of the (same thing) meme

Stronger Together (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#stronger-together) In December 2023, I was trying to get some indonesian twitter users to take a look at htmx, so I created a “Montana & Indonesia, Stronger Together!” (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1734371865156563428) tweet w/an AI image.

This turned into a whole series of tweets (https://x.com/search?q=%22stronger%20together%22%20from%3A%40htmx_org&src=typed_query&f=live).

Hinges (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#hinges) Sometimes I am accused of being “unhinged” but, in fact, I own many hinges (https://x.com/search?q=from%3Ahtmx_org%20hinges&src=typed_query).

• library (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#library) People often call htmx a framework (https://htmx.org/essays/is-htmx-another-javascript-framework/), but it’s a library (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1848751101035827210)

“man” (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#man) A common one word response (https://x.com/search?q=%22man%22%20from%3Ahtmx_org&src=typed_query&f=live) when I don’t feel like arguing with someone.

The Le Marquee d’ (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#the-le-marquee-d-something) In December 2024, I added a marquee tag (https://github.com/bigskysoftware/htmx/commit/2b88d967c19619281228d1bf5398751615bdf462) to the htmx website and started using the honorific (sic) in my twitter title.

htmx sucks (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#htmx-sucks) I wrote an essay called htmx sucks (https://htmx.org/essays/htmx-sucks/) in which I criticize htmx (some valid, some tongue in cheek, most both.) I also released a mug (https://swag.htmx.org/products/htmx-sucks-mug) that I will often link to when people are criticizing htmx.

Jason Knight (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#jason-knight) Jason Knight hates htmx (https://x.com/JasonKn99664124/status/1731555036864381251) and wrote a great post (https://archive.is/rQrl7) about it.

Please don’t harass him, I draw energy (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1756476449693872635) from his posts.

Drop Downs (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#drop-downs) In July 2023, sparked by the accusation that htmx users could not create dropdowns, I did a deep-dive into web drop down technology and uncovered a bombshell (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1684936514885869568)

“htmx is a front end library of peace” (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#htmx-is-a-front-end-library-of-peace) A phrase I will often quote tweet (https://x.com/search?q=htmx%20is%20a%20front%20end%20library%20of%20peace%20from%3A%40htmx_org&src=typed_query&f=live) violent htmx-related imagery with.

The Process ™ (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#the-process-tm) The Process™ (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1697651918858764375) is the mechanism by which people initially hostile to htmx come to be enlightened.

“that’s ridiculous” (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#that-s-ridiculous) In June 2023 (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1807183339222405317), @srasash (https://twitter.com/srasash) accused htmx of being a government op, the first in many such increasingly ridiculous claims. I typically quote-tweet these claims and point out that “that’s ridiculous” (https://x.com/search?q=%22that%27s%20ridiculous%22%20from%3A%40htmx_org&src=typed_query&f=live)

Grug (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#grug) I created http://grugbrain.dev (http://grugbrain.dev).

The htmx/intercooler.js feud (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#the-htmx-intercooler-js-feud) The htmx & intercooler.js (https://x.com/intercoolerjs) twitter accounts often fight with one another. Sometimes its just me switching back and forth (https://x.com/intercoolerjs/status/1859652045399355559), but two other people have access to the intercooler account, so sometimes I have no idea who I am fighting with.

If Nothing Magically Works (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#if-nothing-magically-works) Nothing magically breaks (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1729870461864226829).

/r/webdev (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#r-webdev) I was very unfairly given a lifetime ban (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1719687461385691283) from /r/webdev/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/) for an obviously satirical post (https://old.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/17i0loi/anyone_heard_of_htmx/). Even the term “htmx” is banned (or semi-banned) on that sub, so people now use the htmeggs (https://swag.htmx.org/products/htmeggs-shirt) instead.

“looking into this” (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#looking-into-this) idk (https://x.com/search?q=%22idk%22%20from%3Ahtmx_org&src=typed_query&f=live), I just think it’s funny (https://x.com/search?q=%22looking%20into%20this%22%20from%3Ahtmx_org&src=typed_query)

“Look at this nerd ragin’” (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#look-at-this-nerd-ragin) A common phrase used to mock people (including ourselves) (https://x.com/search?q=%22Look%20at%20this%20nerd%20ragin%27%22%20from%3Ahtmx_org&src=typed_query) with.

Joker/Bane/Skeletor/Thanos, etc. (https://htmx.org/essays/lore/#joker-bane-skeletor-thanos-etc) htmx is a villain (https://x.com/htmx_org/status/1651698199478796292) in the front-end world, I’m good w/that