Hello, welcome to the about page! NYSCYRA is my personal website and a space to express my hobbies, passions, and thoughts...
I am very shy and live in my own world, and as a result of this, I am intensely passionate about my interests, learning, & creating art.
I retain encyclopedic knowledge about very old & very autistic video games.
My interests include literature, history, Gothic horror, but they can also range to animals, gardening, dressing up, frilly things, & web design.
I normally want everyone to leave me alone but I love my friends a lot.
I've abandoned social media; this website is an extension of myself, however it intentionally exists separately from other identities. I love having my own website for whatever I want & I love being myself <3
The mascot of this website is Digital Witch Mayura, an ukagaka.
She represents nostalgia, aesthetics, and archival. Abandoned software by 2002, she continues to live in my computer, and now in yours.
hobbies
drawing, reading, gaming,
baking,
gardening,
dressing up
animals
wolves,
snow leopards, foxes, corvids, owls, spiders, cats
moe points
messy hair, eyebags, chuuni, Gothic, expressionless
ANIMALS: Zoology, entomology, paleontology.
I have loved and been fascinated by all types of creatures—
animals, insects, and especially dinosaurs— for as long as I can remember.
I’m very fortunate to live relatively close to a
natural history museum.
HORROR: Atmospheric, surrealist, psychological.
I find these themes both comforting and thrilling, but I have no interest in schlocky horror movies.
I love Lovecraftian horror, though I consider it its own category, as it's rarely done better than by Lovecraft himself.
VIDEO GAMES: Emulation, game preservation, archival.
Especially of strange and
near-forgotten media.
Emulation preserves not only the games themselves but also the feelings tied to their era.
I'm always looking for more obscure video games to discover, and there is always more to find. PS2, PS3, the original Xbox, & the Dreamcast.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Other general interests.
Knights, medieval weaponry & armour, Gothic Victorian fashion & architecture,
Alice in Wonderland,
wunderkammern, marginalia, old MMOs, black and white films, taxidermy,
heraldry,
European & Japanese folklore, nostalgia, game development, renaissance faires, paganism,
original characters,
German expressionist cinema, H.R. Giger, world-building,
Fin-de-siècle decadence, forests,
uncanny geomorphology
1. Please introduce yourself.
I've already done that here. My friends would describe me as;
"idiosyncratic girl with passion for mayura"
"kinda unhinged but a very good friend and very talented artist/webdev"
"You’re both extremely mature and insightful while keeping a childlike awe and thirst for knowledge"
"auspicious"
"funny. creative. unhinged. cute."
"occasionally cynical, sensitive person with a curious depth of knowledge in some of the obscure all softly blanketed by a WISH to be with OTHERS in JOY"
2. How long have you been making websites?
Started working on my website four months ago, so four months.
I started fiddling around with HTML around a year ago but I wouldn't say anything that I frankensteined together really resembled a website.
3. And what got you into the hobby?
I don't remember how I found Neocities and Nekoweb, probably off some tumblr post... I've probably been looking at indie websites since 2023.
I didn't think I'd actually get into making my own website, but I joined the Nekoweb server earlier this year and all I really did was lurk and shitpost
until two people convinced me to make a website.
4. What kind of website are you most interested in?
Personal websites from unique and passionate individuals.
5. What's your workflow? Do you plan your websites out thoroughly or do you come up with the design as you go along?
I make a REALLY shitty wireframe mockup in MS Paint with my mouse, then lay down the structure in HTML, and add CSS and graphics as I go.
Or I'll design a page around a few elements I've picked out beforehand.
6. Please link to your biggest inspirations.
virtuagirl, extremely unique and atmospheric, so many cool pages, I feel like this website exists wholly in its own dimension. There's nothing else like it.
eyeorb, one of the first indie websites that I was genuinely really interested in seeing more from.
7. What's your favourite part about making websites?
About the literal, technical process? It takes me a while to really "get into" in something I'm working on, but when it happens, I feel like I'm finally getting somewhere, my mind can't stop racing, it's euphoric.
Figuratively or conceptually, I don't know lol. How eclectic putting a website layout together can be is cool.
8. And the thing you struggle with the most?
Too many things to list... Perfectionism and doubting myself really hinders my workflow, I scrap a lot of pages because they're not good enough to me.
But I think what I struggle with the most is simply imagining how my layout will look finished in my mind... I don't think of myself as a super creative person.
9. Do you keep the same layout on all of your pages? Or do you use different ones?
I want all of my pages to have a different layout.
10. How confident are you with CSS?
I don't really get how to answer this. It's a lot easier than I thought it'd be because from my understanding, it's just looking at documentation and putting it together.
No logic needed, just have to fiddle around until it looks and works right? I might be answering this completely incorrectly.
11. Do you know how to correctly use <dl>?
...I didn't know it existed until now.
12. What is your favourite HTML element?
div inside a div inside a div inside a div.
13. If you're making a new web page from scratch, what is the first thing you do?
Look for inspiration and pick out graphics I want to use.
14. Do you know JavaScript?
No. I've not been interested in learning it either.
15. How about PHP?
I know nothing about PHP.
16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?
Other than using Mayura as a mascot for most of my pages, I think I stick to a pretty cohesive "style" of CSS.
I haven't really thought about it much, so I don't know how to describe it...
17. Are you more focused on content or design?
Design. Ideally my website would be a mix of both but until I finish making my blog page I won't have much content.
18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?
No, one day, but I don't really need one right now.
19. What do you think of nostalgia-focused or "retro" websites?
I don't really care or look at these websites as there are so many that are almost clones of one another, naturally I don't find those interesting...
All I'll say is that some of them do come off as shallow, and it's easy to tell when someone is romanticizing an era they weren't a part of. I don't have a problem with that but it's almost like historical revisionism.
20. Is your HTML valid? Do you even check?
Don't know what this question means by valid HTML. I've never checked, my brain filters out the little errors the Nekoweb editor gives me.
21. What are your opinion on buttons and banners?
I love buttons and banners. Buttons are really cute and the tiny size forces you to be creative, banners can be really unique and aesthetic.
22. What do you think of button walls in particular?
I think collecting buttons are cool yeah. Not much else to say.
23. If you started over again, would you make something similar or completely different?
Similar.
24. Are you envious of other people's websites?
I used to be! But after making my own website and doing exactly what I think I want with it, I think mine is perfect for my own needs. So not really...
25. What text editor do you use?
Nekoweb... editor... in my browser... I use inspect element when editing my CSS.
26. Why do you use that one?
It's just there... I have no reason to use anything else.
27. Do you host your image files on your web server, or on another host?
All my images are hosted on Nekoweb. I like having them all in one place.
28. This might not be relevant to you, but what's your opinion on the Neocities vs. Nekoweb debate?
idgaf
29. How much server space would you estimate your main website takes up?
My website is tiny, 10MB and half of it is an MP3 file.
30. Do you keep local backups of your files?
I regularly backup my website.
31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?
I really can't choose because I love both simple and highly visual websites... To me, the difference between them is negligible because what really matters is cohesion and aesthetics. A
highly visual website still needs some sense of simplicity to stay pleasing; cluttered designs are overwhelming to look at for too long.
Likewise, a simple website needs to be cohesive and thoughtfully put together to feel complete.
32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?
Dark velvety colors. I try to go for something Gothic and moody... but at the end of the day they're just colors I really love...
33. Have you ever thought about quitting? Why?
Nah. I haven't done this for long enough to quit, there's a lot more that I want to do.
34. Do you have many webmaster friends, or is it a solitary hobby?
I've found a few friends through web development. Actually, two of them were still strangers when they convinced me to make a website.
35. Do people in your real life know about your website?
No.
36. Do you update your website very often? How often is "very often"?
Ummm...
37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?
I'm happy with the design of my website so I haven't changed it and don't plan to yet. I'll probably get tired of it one day.
38. Is your website more you-focused, hobby-focused, or outside world-focused?
Me-focused... but my hobbies are a huge part of me so idk...
39. Do you do web design professionally?
No.
40. If not, would you like to? And if you're comfortable answering, what do you do for work?
No, I'm not interested in web design.
41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?
No, but if I have to talk to a stranger I prefer email to instant messaging.
42. Some people reject social media and use websites as a replacement. Do you keep social media outside of your website?
I only use social media to look at funny stuff and artwork. I don't ever meet or talk to people on there.
43. How about instant messengers? Do you use a mainstream one like Discord or Telegram? Or something like Matrix? Do you avoid them?
I use Discord because all my friends are on there.
44. Do you listen to music while you work on websites? If so, what kinds of artists?
Yeah. I listened to Wounded Warsong on repeat while making the homepage. Too many other artists to list. I like alt rock.
45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?
I have another website but it's a secret.
46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?
Many different topics but I guess most of them have to do with internet-adjacent stuff like video games.
47. Do you present your real self, or at least try? Or do you construct a persona on purpose?
I always try to present my real self. I think the only difference is that I'm more serious with how I type on here.
48. Have you ever made a good friend thanks to your website?
Yes, a few. They're my closest friends.
49. Are you happy with the way HTML and CSS currently work?
I HATE the little inconsistencies they drive me INSANE.
50. What are practices that you think people should avoid?
Disabling right-click or inspect element. It's annoying and isn't going to stop someone from stealing your website, they'll figure out a way.
51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?
I don't knowwww there are probably a lot of things I'm doing wrong on my website...
52. Do you use a lot of semantic HTML? Or are you guilty of generic structure?
Generic structure.
53. Do you consider different browsers?
I test my website on other browsers and try to fix inconsistencies.
54. Speaking of, what's your preferred browser? Convince your readers why they should use it.
Brave. I don't care about the differences between other browsers lol.
55. And what OS are you on?
Windows 10.
56. Do you have a strong opinion on that, or do you just happen to use it?
Somewhat.
57. Are your websites mobile-friendly?
Barely...
58. What are your thoughts on autoplay?
Intrusive and jarring 99% of the time. Sometimes it's done well.
59. What are your thoughts on webrings? Are you in any?
I think webrings are really cool, I love going through the member lists... I'm in a few.
60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?
I'm working on one right naow. I like shrines that have unique layouts that pair well with the subject matter.
61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?
I follow the same design philosophies a lot of other indie websites do, but I think I've made it unique and personal enough to not be cliche.
62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?
My ideal website would be... dedicated to expressing myself and my personality, my hobbies and my main interests, and would always be a work in progress... I guess.
I want to get there one day.
63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?
I draw. I've never tried drawing my own site assets though. I feel as if I'd get sick of looking at my own art.
64. What are your favourite resource sites?
I'll make a page for that. Eventually. I think.
65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?
Using pure black as a background.
66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?
I'm not sure, I'm still a noob. I guess the only thing I have to say is to refrain from using a template or having a fixed idea of what a layout should look like in your head because it forces you
to only think inside the bounds of what you think HTML/CSS can do.
67. Do you keep all your styling in CSS? Or do you hard-code some?
I move my CSS into an external page when I'm done with it because it looks nicer that way.
68. What do you think of frameset layouts?
I'm not sure I know what this refers to. Using an i-frame for all of your pages?
69. How about table-based layouts?
I actually don't know what those are.
70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?
Sure? I don't see a problem with them.
71. Do you spend longer on the HTML or the CSS?
CSS.
72. Have you ever made a page with no CSS? It's useful for your thoughts.
No.
73. Do you ever find yourself making layouts with nothing to put on them? Or do you only make layouts when the need arises?
The latter.
74. Would you consider yourself a beginner? Or advanced? Somewhere in the middle?
I have no idea. I can only do what I figure I need to do... I couldn't sit down and code a website from scratch right off the dome.
75. Do you have a habit of looking at the source code of websites you visit?
All the time. Even disregarding wanting to know how someone did something, I just like looking at how their HTML is structured for some reason.
76. How did YOU learn how to make websites?
I learned by looking at other people's source code and by looking up documentation whenever I needed to.
77. Do you ever force elements to do things they're not supposed to?
Maybe? I'm not sure but my code is probably really confusing to people who know what they're doing.
78. Thoughts on floating elements?
WHATEVER
79. When you're sizing stuff, what do you use first? Do you use px, em, %, or something else?
px.
80. Do you have a favourite font?
MS UI Gothic and Times New Roman.
81. Would you run a website with another person? How would that work?
Probably not. But this reminds me of a cute website I saw where two people wrote letters to each other.
82. Do you surf the Web to find new personal websites very often?
I look at the recently updated section of Nekoweb and Neocities almost every day out of boredom.
83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?
I bookmark all the websites I like and want to come back to because I know I'm bad at remembering names, and keeping them in one place for when I want to browse them is nice.
I'd be really happy knowing someone bookmarked my website :p
84. What do you want people to be most impressed with when they see your website?
I really don't know... I guess the personality and edginess? I don't know. I like being myself.
85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?
I own a lot of old consoles and other random peripheral devices. My father owns a lot of old electronics, too many to list...
86. How often and for how long are you online?
Too often, and for too long.
87. When it comes to your website, who is your target audience?
Myself.
88. Have you ever been interested in XHTML?
I don't know what that is and I don't really care so no.
89. Do you program in general? Have you ever written a program for use with or on your website, not counting simple JavaScript?
No.
90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?
I've been told to use an SSG for my blog but I really can't be bothered to learn how.
91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?
I display the viewcount Nekoweb gives me on my index, but I genuinely don't care about the number. Just had nothing to put there.
92. Do you frequent forums? Which ones?
No. The last one I was on was Agora Road's Macintosh Cafe, I thought it was cool.
93. Do you write your page content directly into the editor, or do you prepare it elsewhere, like a text document or a Word document?
Directly into the editor.
94. Do you think you appear cool to others? A more accurate answer now: do other people ever say you're cool?
No. Yes.
95. Are you embarrassed of your old work? Have you ever deleted everything out of shame?
I am embarrassed of a lot of my work, I hate rereading the little writing I have on my website, but I keep copies of my old stuff for archival purposes.
96. Would you close down your website if you couldn't update it, or would you leave an archive?
I'd leave it be.
97. Do you reveal a lot about yourself on your website? Or are you more secretive?
I'm open about my personality and disposition, but I hate sharing personal things as I have no reason to.
98. Are you willing to reveal who your best online friend is, and/or if they have a website?
My best friend is hiraezh, there's nothing on his website yet. I am forcing him to make one.
99. And do you optimise the images on your website?
Other than putting them through a lossless png compressor no. I am a stickler for quality.
100. We're out of time! How do you feel after answering 100 questions? ....other than exhausted.
I had to do this over multiple days because I cannot sit still for very long.
