I go by the screenname Sleepvii, prnounced kinda like sleepy. Shorten it out to just Vii though!

I'm an undergrad trying to get through premed, just trying my best. I'm nice once you get to know me but I 'm scared of talking to strangers, especially reaching out. I don't bite but you're gonna have to approach me first, sorry! I actually love talking about stuff I'm passionate about so if you find me out in the wild and we have stuff in common, feel free to drop me a message! :3

likes. arts and crafts writing d&d, other ttrps animals fantasy vaporwave	dislikes. revising history the ocean, deep water big crowds flashing lights rude people sound of scissors
games. pokemon! farm sims: stardew valley, harvest moon / story of seasons, slime rancher animal crossing elder scrolls hades spore sims crpgs: divinity, tyranny, disco elysium animal sims: wolfquest, cattails genshin impact	other media. warrior cats the owl house avatar, tla and tlok percy jackson little witch academia she-ra furry fandom vtubers

I'm not a kid of the old internet but I was close to its grave. I was born in 2001 so my formative years were spent on Neopets and Warrior Cats forums. I played flash games, made blinkies, and watched MS Paint animations on YouTube. I grew up high on the freedom of the internet, the time just before the rise of modern social media. I saw the change before my own eyes and I can honestly say that I hate it.

Social media was never my thing. I asked my mom for a Facebook account just so I could play Pet Society (anybody remember that gem?) and Farmville. I never posted anything unless it was for school and that still holds true today. The thought of exposing my private life to the internet was scary, even back then.

Instead, I would spend my time online behind a screenname, usually just lurking, roleplaying, or looking at art. Niche forums, early 2010s mmos like FeralHeart, and a lot of DeviantArt scrolling. These places were like the precursor to social media but far better in terms of creativity. The goal literally was to be yourself, following be damned. I had unapologetic fun, created for the sake of creating. That energy is impossible to replicate with the likes of Twitter or Instagram. Tumblr would be a good substitute before its crash and burn. (I might return there now that it's calmed down apparently, who knows?)

Growing up meant that the internet was growing up too. Neopets died, FeralHeart died, my favorite roleplay forum died. The death of forums specifically hit hard for me because I hate Discord roleplays with a burning passion. Being stuck in a live room of strangers who can all see you trying to type gives me so much anxiety. At least online chat rooms were kinder on my soul because I could at least make a cute avatar to go with it.

In its place were shiny corporate machines where there was a formula to get popular. Creators had to stop being themselves to get that sweet, sweet ad revenue. (not that I blame anybody for making bank but I just miss the genuine joy of creation, unfiltered by capitalist greed)

I kinda just rolled with it. What could I do? It wasn't like I could bring my hold internet homes back from the grave. The internet was changing and it was innevitable. It was a goodbye to the janky but charming web design to the the sleeker and dare I say soulless modern sites. I got a Twitter purely for the art since the great Tumblr migration happened. I distanced myself from fandom communities. I accepted that I would just continue to reminisce about yesterday.

Then I watched this video and it blew my mind. I am not an internet savant by far. I never explored much outside my interests so when I stumbled upon Neocities I was hooked. It was Neopets petpages, my true great love, but actually real and active and free? Unfiltered creativity at its peak!

This is the energy that I missed. The same energy I try to bring in the rest of my life. It is what I believe the internet was meant to be: no algorithms, no corpo following your every move. Just people being people.

And so here I am. And here I will be.