Hello! - ❤︎ ∙ Greetings and Introductions

Hello!

My name is Squall. I've been displeased with the current state of the Internet, in particular its hyper-commodification, social media in general, and the homogenization of web design for a while now, but I'm only just starting to get into the Web Revival movement. I'm so glad to have found a community of other people who like to reflect on the history of the Internet, seek to learn lessons from it, and apply them in order to make the Internet a better, cooler, more interesting place.

My own personal history with the Internet goes back to early 1997. That was when my elementary school first got Internet access and I was first able to go online. My earliest experiences mostly involved downloading freeware and shareware games on my school's Power Macintoshes (some of the 6200 models). Once my mother bought a PC (a Compaq Presario) and we got Internet access at home in late 1999, I started to branch out and explore more of the Internet. I started looking up fan sites for my favorite books and video games, discovered fan fiction, began spending time in chat rooms, and so on. A little later on, I began posting on forums. If I recall correctly, the very first one I signed up for was a forum dedicated to the game Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio, which I joined in the summer of 2001. I joined several other gaming-related forums over the next few years and spent countless hours posting on them and having long conversations with my forum friends on AIM, YIM, MSN Messenger, and IRC in the early/mid-2000s. I feel a great deal of nostalgia for that era, as you can probably tell.

As for my interests, I'm a lifelong gamer! I don't get to play games nearly as much as I used to, but gaming is still a big part of my life. I'm mostly into JRPGs and other story-heavy games, but I also like to play platformers, some first-person shooters, puzzle games, racing games, and the occasional shmup. I enjoy listening to music (all kinds of rock music, VGM, some hip-hop, etc.) and reading (mostly nonfiction), and I've gotten more into anime in recent years, too. I recently binged my way through Dr. Stone and loved it! Currently, I'm watching Outlaw Star. I also enjoy studying history, which I have a degree in, as well as historical linguistics and mythology.

I recently started a site on Neocities dedicated to my interests. It's still under construction, and I haven't decided whether I want to commit to its current design or go with something different, but it can be found here if you'd like to check it out.

Anyway, I'm very excited to be part of this community! I'm looking forward to talking with all of you!