@solxmn

The Story Behind solxmn.me

solxmn.me started long before the domain itself existed.

The very first version of my website was created on an .is-a.dev subdomain on October 8, 2025. At the time, I was still figuring out how I wanted the site to look and how I wanted to approach web development.

Initially, I used AI to help create a few different templates, then experimented with modifying the ones I liked most. Eventually, though, I stopped relying on templates and started actually learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript myself. I also took inspiration from websites and services like Linktree and other personal websites I came across, while gradually developing my own style.

A few months later, I applied for the GitHub Student Developer Pack. On July 15, 2026, I used it to claim my .me domain through Namecheap for one year. That was the point where the project started feeling much more like a real personal website rather than an experiment.

For the redesign, I took a different approach. Before writing the code, I designed the entire website in Photoshop. I wanted to have a clear idea of the layout and the final concept before I started implementing it. Having the whole design in front of me made it much easier to turn the idea into an actual website.

Once I had the motivation to work on it, I went all in. I spent around four to five hours a day working on the redesign, tweaking details, fixing things that bothered me, and gradually turning the original concept into something I was genuinely proud of.

After the main redesign was finished, I started adding more personal touches and Easter eggs. Those small details became one of my favorite parts of the project because they made the site feel less like a generic portfolio and more like something that actually belonged to me.

Despite using AI during the early stages of the project, I barely used it in the versions that were actually deployed. I only used it once or twice, mainly for debugging and for writing GitHub push descriptions. Most of the final website was built by me, through everything I learned while working on it, obviously taking much inspiration from Toby Fox and Temmie Chang’s works.

This (and probably the final) version is made up of 2 main pages:
A more “professional” index page, which has most of my socials, and some brief introductions, my skills, hobbies and whatnot;
The redesign, the actual CORE ;) of the website, but I’m not going to tell you how to get to it or what’s in it :P, it’s up to you to figure out what else is there.

Looking back, the project has been a really fun experience. It started as a simple personal website, but along the way it became a way for me to learn web development, experiment with design, and build something that I could genuinely call my own.

I don’t think this will be the last project like this, either. Building this site made me want to create more things from scratch, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what I end up making next.