/webmaster/

about me /and on the nature of the website/

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 video games.

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 completely being myself on here.

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.

I hope to never abandon this place.

hobbies

drawing, reading, gaming, baking, gardening, dressing up

music

alternative rock, breakcore, darkwave, shoegaze, eurobeat

animals

wolves, snow leopards, foxes, corvids, owls, spiders, cats

moe points

messy hair, eyebags, chuuni, Gothic, expressionless

pet

very sweet clingy piebald tabby boy cat with a cute pink nose

languages

english, french, german (A2), japanese (beginner)

instruments

piano, violin, acoustic guitar, want to learn the harp

colors

#000000 #460007 #0f0f3c #6f78d2 #ffcce7

tv trope

aloof dark-haired girl

characters /my favorite characters from various media/

interests /a list and description of my main interests/

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, paganism, German expressionist cinema, H.R. Giger, world-building, Fin-de-siècle decadence, forests, uncanny geomorphology

quizzes /quiz results from around the internet/

← 100 Questions for Webmasters

network /net neighbourhood: buttons, webrings, cliques/

aromatic // Red Spider Lily

friends /links to my friends' websites/

questionnaire /webmaster questions from mouseling.net/

1. Please introduce yourself.

My friends would describe me as;
"kinda unhinged but a very good friend and very talented artist/webdev"
"both extremely mature and insightful while keeping a childlike awe and thirst for knowledge"
"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"
"a complex person, ranging from sweet and pure to boisterous and competitive to super cute and clingy, very passionate about anything that picques her interest, will learn everything about something that interests her"

2. How long have you been making websites?

I started working on this website, my first actual website, in June of 2025. Before that I had played around a little with HTML & CSS but it was really just editing templates and getting familiar with it.

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.

4. What kind of website are you most interested in?

Personal websites from unique and passionate individuals. The type of website I am specifically most interested in are very artistic, surreal, strange, and melancholic, but still cute and dreamlike.

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.

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.

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, but sometimes I'll have simpler pages such as the sitemap and outbound page, because I want them to feel like smaller pages that are still somewhat connected to my website's "world".

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'm ignoring the formal definition here, but in practice CSS feels more like composition than logic.

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?

I wait for inspiration...

14. Do you know JavaScript?

I've picked up a lot of JavaScript by editing scripts to my liking. I'm a very hands-on learner, but I'm not too interested in JavaScript anyway.

15. How about PHP?

I knew nothing about PHP when I first answered this but I started learning it and applying it to my website in early 2026.

16. Does your website have a theme that you stick to?

Apart from having Mayura as my mascot... Gothic, dark, somewhat dreamlike and surreal themes.

17. Are you more focused on content or design?

Design. Ideally my website would be a mix of both.

18. Do you own a domain name? If not, would you ever want to?

I do now! I love it so much, it feels really cool to have your own domain name.

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?

No. No.

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. I'm in love with my new button, it took me forever to create something I like with tiny pixels! Limitation breeds creativity...

22. What do you think of button walls in particular?

I think collecting buttons is 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?

In-browser editors, sometimes VS Code... 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 my web server. 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?

Don't know.

30. Do you keep local backups of your files?

I regularly backup my website.

31. Do you prefer simple or highly visual websites?

The simple vs. visual distinction is mostly false. What actually matters is cohesion and constraint. A highly visual site needs simplicity to stay pleasing, and complexity only fails when it loses hierarchy and becomes cluttered.

32. Do you stick to certain colours? Do you do that on purpose, or is it your subconscious?

Dark colors. Black, red, purple. 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?

Yes, almost all of my friends have websites.

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"?

I try to update at least once every other month, and I'd like to put out a blog post once a month.

37. And the overall design, do you change that much? Why or why not?

I haven't changed my layouts much because I spend a lot of time nitpicking and adjusting little things on each page. The first version of my index is extremely ugly to me, but the average person might not notice much of a difference. I've entertained the idea of creating a new index but I'm too attached to what I have right now... 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?

My website is focused on me and my hobbies, they mustn't be separated...

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 don't want to do anything that I consider an artistic hobby as work. It'd burn me out.

41. Do you communicate with people by email very much?

Yes. I've always liked the idea of having a pen pal. Writing by email is nice because I can sit down and organize my thoughts, and I don't have to reply right away. It's very comfy.

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?

Yes. I listened to Wounded Warsong on repeat while making the homepage. I listen to DJ Sharpnel all the time while working on my website, I think it's influenced my work in some way...

45. Do you keep everything you make on one website, or do you have more than one?

I only have one website.

46. On a similar note, do you keep to one topic on your site, or many?

Different topics.

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 throughout browsers, 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. I don't want the recipe to your mom's peach cobbler.

51. What about under-utilised practices, or things you think people should do more?

I'm not sure about under-utilised practices. But people should make silly secret pages just for the fun of it.

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?

I mean, they aren't actively mobile-hostile. The only page I've put effort into making mobile-friendly is my blog, because I like reading the blogs of others on my phone. I also use it to write drafts on my phone, which is really nice btw.

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've come to prefer cliques and listings to webrings, but I still think they're really cool.

60. Do you have any web shrines? What do you like to see in that sort of page?

Oops... I've had a few unfinished shrines for nearly a year now, but I want to complete them before the first anniversary of my website!! I like shrines that have unique layouts that pair well with the subject matter. I want to see passion, rambling, opinions, and anecdotes, rather than just a Wikipedia-style summary of the topic.

61. Are your websites "cliche", in your opinion?

I try to do my own thing: in composition, typography, atmosphere, and personality, but of course I do follow the same design philosophies other indie websites do. I think my website is unique for what it is, but I have found myself wanting more distance away from indie web cliches.

62. What is your ideal website? Are you striving for that, or for something else?

My ideal website is dedicated to expressing myself and my personality, my hobbies and my main interests, and would always be a work in progress... I believe I've accomplished this, all's left is to add more, and write more!

63. Are you an artist? Do you draw or design your own assets?

I draw. I've began creating my own assets for my website, which I love. Though I didn't do so for a while because I felt I'd get sick of looking at my own art.

64. What are your favourite resource sites?

neckdoll.zombie.jp, largely due to the style and aesthetic of the website. I source graphics by searching specifically for what I want or, as of recently, create my own.

65. Is there a habit you just can't get away from no matter how hard you try?

I don't think so. Maybe when I was first getting into the hobby I'd have had habits to complain about, but I feel like they've helped shape my own style.

66. What's your biggest advice for a new webmaster?

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. Broaden your horizons and allow yourself to be inspired by more than just websites, but by other mediums of art and life.

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, but this is the indie web. I'm sure anyone using deprecated HTML is using it for stylistic choices. Might be cool.

69. How about table-based layouts?

I don't know enough about these to answer.

70. Do you subscribe to the ideas of "one-column", "two-column" and "three-column" layouts? Do you use any of these?

I don't see a problem with them, there are only so many ways you can structure a layout. I'm just doing my own thing.

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?

Probably.

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?

Times New Roman and MS UI Gothic

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?

Occasionally.

83. Do you bookmark other people's websites? How would you feel knowing someone else bookmarked yours?

I bookmark websites I want to come back to when I've not yet finished exploring them, but now I have a links page for such websites. 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?

The atmosphere. I didn't know how to answer this question the first time around because I didn't think of my website as something to present to people; rather just a vessel to be myself in, to show off my personality and inner world. I still think in that way, but I've gotten so many comments on my website that it's opened up my mind to other perspectives, which I really love hearing! I love when someone tells me how my website makes them feel, atmosphere is already one of my favorite things. I'm especially happy when someone is impressed by my writing and blog as well, because they're very personal.

85. Are you interested in technology outside of websites? Do you collect?

I love CRT monitors and old cameras. 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, unless you count PHP.

90. Speaking of programs that help you make websites, what do you think of static site generators (SSGs)? Have you ever used one?

Since I learned how to do what I would've accomplished with an SSG through PHP, I no longer need to learn how to use them. I'm not interested.

91. Do you keep a hitcounter? Why or why not?

I have my own unique view counter, though I don't care much about the number. If you've seen my world page, then you know how cool it is..!

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?

I guess so. I'm not an extroverted, typical "cool" person, but I'm told the things I do or am into are cool. A lot of people especially say they thought I was cool in a mysterious way before they got to know me, but I act like a dork with those I'm close with... what does this have to do with web development, anyway?

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 plan to leave my site online as-is for as long as I can, but I hate the idea of other people archiving it. Mostly because I find the first iterations cringe and ugly... I think I'd like my website to stay up after my death.

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 hiraeth.

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.

Writing this after redoing the questionnaire, I left some answers unchanged. I doubt I'll need to redo this again as it's been almost a year since I started having a website and I've learned a lot.