How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Talk with others about anything shrine-related, be it presentation, content or something else.
User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:58 pm
Contact:

How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Fiona »

These are thoughts I've been curious with for the longest time, and my goal for this discussion topic is to gain some new insights, perspectives and inspirations when it comes to making character shrines.

I remembered making a comment in a storytelling class I once took that maybe the characters in stories that we write reflect who we wish to become rather than being a direct reflection of our own personalities or something like that, and I think my instructor was a bit surprised at my comment. So here are my questions for fellow shrine makers:

1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?

2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)

3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?

-------------------------

My answers:

1) Most of the time, the characters I make/plan to make shrines for end up being characters that aren't necessarily my favorite character from a title/series. Though, in the past, I have had instances where I want to make a shrine for a character when I first see artworks of them and not necessarily having "know" them through the work first. I also think that I have a tendency to favor minor characters over major characters. I think one of the reasons for this is because there aren't as much information out there for the minor characters and it just makes me want to find out more about them naturally.

2) I answered this partially in question 1 as well, but another reason I make/plan to make shrines to the characters I did is because I think I would like more people to learn about the characters from different works that I found really interesting and why I found them interesting. I also think I get intimidated when it comes to making a shrine to a character that a lot of people already loved because I'm not sure if I can bring anything new to the table, in some ways, so I generally tend to avoid making shrines to characters that many have already make a shrine for.

3) To be honest, I feel that I haven't made enough different shrines to different characters to draw a conclusion to my own question yet. Thinking about it, I tend to like characters that are different from me in terms of personality yet still relatable but also different from the usual tropes. To some degree, I think the characters that I like are also characters with some personality aspects that I would probably like to possess, such as being witty and charming.

I'm sorry that this is a bit clunky and if these questions/topics have been brought up before.
Last edited by Fiona on Wed Nov 02, 2016 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Spread your wings in the stormy winds..."
dubiousdisc
Administrator
Posts: 2535
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:49 pm
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by dubiousdisc »

I think the last time we had a similar topic was literally five or six years ago, so really, don't worry! (Even if a similar topic had been posted yesterday, also don't worry :D)

They're very good questions, anyway! So:

1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?
They're different, and this is why: as shrines are text-based, there's some characters that just make a better subject matter to write about than others. For some, there is a lot of canon information to put together in an appealing way and I haven't found that way yet; others are more one-note and it's hard to make a good shrine with that. I don't know yet how to make a compelling shrine about some of the characters I adore, so I don't have shrines for them. It's my objective to eventually figure out how to make good shrines for every character I like.

2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)
Usually it goes like this: I'm experiencing some media, and I'm thinking about it out loud with a friend, and after a long conversation I realize that sure I have a lot to say about this subject, so I think, I should write all of this down and make it into a shrine.

3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?
Actually, that thing that you said about wanting to write about characters that we wish to be - I agree with you only in part: some people definitely operate like that, but not everyone! Some people wish for identification and role models. Some other people prefer completely different characters with completely different stories to experience different lives they could not have and have no desire to have - the appeal in that case is to learn about other people, not themselves. I'm definitely of the latter school. In fact, I tend to distance myself from characters that are most like me - because it's not what I want out of fiction: I want to hear about things I don't know at all. This evidently this reflects something too, but other than this - the closest it gets to characters who are completely different being someone I wish to become is when I see and analyze aspects of them that make me realize of the existence and the reason of a viewpoint that I'd not considered before. Thinking about it gives me the ability to better understand someone else, which is definitely something I want to have, so I suppose that's what it does to me.
Aku
Posts: 339
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 5:50 pm

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Aku »

Coming fresh off working on my fanlisting collective (where I wrote about a huge variety of characters I love), this topic was something I thought about a lot! Like, if there were any parallels, why certain characters were easier to write about than others, etc etc. For me, I sort of noticed a theme... so I guess I'll share some of that!
1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?
The heart of all writing I suppose, but I think a big thing for me is conflict, particularly characters that battle a lot of inner demons. (Gintoki, Kanji, even Ranka faces a lot of inner conflict... and I think that trope continues with a lot of my upcomings as well). I lean towards characters that persevere and learn to shine despite all the BS life has thrown at them, which I think is why many of my shrines are for characters who are more central to the story. (Main characters just tend to face more conflict + exhibit more growth/depth than most.) I also clearly have a thing for brothers/brotherly relationships: again, I think I just like the dynamic and how those kind of close relationships can often times expose those inner, individual struggles even more.

That being said, I think a lot of the characters I've chosen to shrine are pretty different personality-wise (Ranka is definitely not Gintoki, who is definitely not Caesar), but my personal approach to all of them is to discuss the things the struggle with outside whatever kind of exterior they put up to the outside world. Humans are really multi-faceted and I find that really interesting!
2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)
I tend to shrine things when I'm neck-deep in my obsession (which is why to this day it's really hard for me to go back and revamp things, when the "honeymoon phase" has run its course already and we're years into the marriage LOL). A LOT OF THE TIME it's because I have a lot to say about a subject and not a lot of people to say it to. (AKA, small niche fandoms that I don't have a lot of mutual friends in). Shrines end up being a sort of release for me to experience and talk about that subject even if there's no one to rant about it to.
3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?
I do think that to some degree, I relate to the characters that I've shrined in the sense that I think our greatest enemies are often times ourselves, and those characters that triumph over that make me really emotional because I'm like, "GO YOU!!!" hahaha. :swt: But I've also worked on shrines where I was simply just interested in making "an ode to a cool character" within the constraints of a challenge (Caesar's 1P1M is a good example of this, because he is neither my favorite JoJo character nor one who really falls under anything I've said above). Definitely why I think some Amassment events are really worthwhile--you may end up shrining something you wouldn't otherwise! :heart: I'd like to challenge myself more with this.

Kinda makes me interested in ways we can "prompt" writing about certain subjects, or what a more "prompt-based" style of shrining might achieve. I don't think there's anything wrong with approaching a shrine thematically like I obviously am (and I know not everyone does this), but I wonder what I could have written about certain subjects had I thought about it a different way. Nice topic! :yay:
User avatar
Fiona
Posts: 45
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:58 pm
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Fiona »

dubiousdisc wrote: In fact, I tend to distance myself from characters that are most like me - because it's not what I want out of fiction: I want to hear about things I don't know at all. This evidently this reflects something too, but other than this - the closest it gets to characters who are completely different being someone I wish to become is when I see and analyze aspects of them that make me realize of the existence and the reason of a viewpoint that I'd not considered before. Thinking about it gives me the ability to better understand someone else, which is definitely something I want to have, so I suppose that's what it does to me.
I actually forgot what prompted me to make the comment, but I think we were talking about character building in that particular class. Actually, your answer to my last questions reminded me why I bought up my comment from that one time. It relates to how to make your characters believable in writing or something like that, but my question is actually related to shrine-making. lol.

I actually don't believe I'm a good writer. In fact, I wouldn't even call myself a writer at all, but this is interesting to me and I'm just really curious to know/learn more.

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?
Aku wrote: Kinda makes me interested in ways we can "prompt" writing about certain subjects, or what a more "prompt-based" style of shrining might achieve. I don't think there's anything wrong with approaching a shrine thematically like I obviously am (and I know not everyone does this), but I wonder what I could have written about certain subjects had I thought about it a different way. Nice topic! :yay:
Very interesting idea indeed. I think I'm still stuck in an "old-school" way of making shrines before Wiki was a thing. But I'm interested in approaching shrine-making differently for sure.

Thank you for your answers. It's very refreshing to learn how others approach shrine-making since it helps expand my way of thinking. :)
"Spread your wings in the stormy winds..."
Stefi
Administrator
Posts: 275
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 10:55 pm
Location: WEST COAST BEST COAST
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Stefi »

I am definitely one of those people who are almost always attracted to a particular archetype. However, because I know that can find variety of different characters interesting, I actively try not to shrine characters who are similar. I feel as if I have more things to say about a character if I know I haven't written something similar before.

Like most people, I shrine characters because I do certainly have a lot to say about them. But I feel like the real motivation comes from trying to get people to see the character in a different way, or try and get them to empathize with certain aspects about them. I really do get a kick from sharing new and fresh ideas, as well as reading about them from others!

I think I often see little bits of myself in my favorite characters for any number of reasons, or I find them admirable, reasons why probably like them in the first place. Characters who I feel are very close to me are much more difficult to write about because analyzing them often pushes me to be self-reflective about who I am as a person. At the same time, I feel that's precisely makes the content very meaningful not just to visitors, but to myself as well.

This is a great topic, though! I'm glad you brought this up.
Robin
Events Staffer
Posts: 3072
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:15 pm
Location: North Carolina, USA
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Robin »

I've actually been thinking about this question a lot over the last year or so! Great minds think alike!

1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?

For me, I have to like a character a WHOLE LOT to even want to expend the effort to shrine them, so the "liked character" and "shrine-able character" categories are exactly the same for me.

2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)

A character (or group of characters) goes from being merely "likable" to "shrine-able" when it meets one or more of the following criteria:

1. Their importance to the overall story could be easily overlooked or downplayed
(Eighth Doctor, Olaf, Helen Burns, Bing Bong, Evinrude, Dove)

2. There are wonderful and/or intriguing qualities about the character(s) that I want to reveal and explore
(Team Rocket, Elsa, Eighth Doctor, Bing Bong, Dove)

3. There is a strong personal connection between me/my life experiences and the character
(Clefairy, Eighth Doctor, Helen Burns)

3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?

My character shrines often if not always reflect values, beliefs, and qualities that I find most appealing, such as:

Dove
The balance between grace and power
Gentle assertiveness
Being neither too dainty nor too tough

Eighth Doctor
The gained compassion in being broken, esp. for others' sake
Acceptable vulnerability
Unexpected strength

Team Rocket
The balance between idealism and realism
One's strength covering for the other's weakness
So-called "villains" may not actually be villains

Elsa
The necessary struggle of self-expression amid adversity
"Gifted" does not mean "freakish;"
Stepping outside society to find one's true self

Bing Bong
The humility of making a decision for the greater good
Accepting one's own impermanence
Unconditional love

Evinrude
The everyday heroism most will never notice
Doing your best for others because it's right and needed
Humble help

Clefairy
The magic and growth found in either being by oneself or being with others of your kind
Hiding is not always healthy
Creativity and fear cannot coexist

Helen Burns
The teachable moments of everyday life
Taking time to affect others positively
Awareness of your impact on others

Olaf
The ability to find joy in any circumstance
Having goals no one else may believe in except you
Simple faith

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?

I take both approaches, first analyzing how the character responds to the conflict around them and why their personalities might predispose them to this behavior, and then I back off a little and analyze how this reaction fits in with the rest of the story, seeing how this character's decisions affect the greater plot. I believe this helps me create a more well-rounded site with fuller, more thought-out content, because it forces me to think within the character's head and outside it.
~ a dream is a wish your heart makes ~
withinmyworld.org
User avatar
Tara
Freelance Staffer
Posts: 205
Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:28 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Tara »

1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?
There isn't much difference between characters I like and the ones I shrine, but I do tend to stray more towards characters that aren't well liked when it comes to shrining them! I love all of my shrine subjects very much, but I'm more likely to lean towards writing for less popular and more complicated characters. Re: Yukari as not well liked, and Hamuko re: more complex characters. I always do end up going with characters I like a lot, otherwise I wouldn't be motivated! But if encountered with a decision between more than one character, I will go with the less popular and/or more complex characters.

2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)
As mentioned above, it vastly depends on the complexity and popularity of the aforementioned character! If battled between the two, I will go for the character with more complexity! I like writing about subjects that aren't usually covered, and I like delving into a character's complicated history.

3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?
Most of the characters I shrine i can relate to on a personal level, my upcoming and not-so-secret shrine to Ranka Lee is a testament to that. Yukari, and Chie are also characters I relate to! I also see myself looking up to all these characters at the same time though-- some more than others, some less than others. Mitsuru and Polka are characters I really look up to, and shrining those characters was actually a bit of a challenge for me since I'm not used to writing content for characters I more than usually admire. It's a little odd as someone in their late 20's looking up to fictional characters in their teens, but there's something to be said about their development that really makes me look up to them.
I used to practice smiling when i'm feeling sad, y'know.
Destinie
Posts: 3357
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:27 pm
Location: Columbia, MD
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by Destinie »

1) Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?


So my shrines are usually:

1) Male protagonist
2) Some type of creature

I find that these days I end up making more shrines for non-human characters!

2) Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)

Usually it depends on how much I really like that character. Since sites take me so long to write these days I have to be really emotionally invested in that particular character. I used to have plans to do characters I like but now they have to be something I love. This depends on the visual design of the character, how much I relate to that character, my emotional connection with said character.

3) How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?

This is an interesting question and I think could be a whole discussion on its own! I think the one shrine that I have that reflects my personality is Paladin. I think there are elements to Lloyd's character that I relate to or also see in myself, which I think is what really drew me to his character in the first place. He grows through the game and goes from naive idealist but then learns to make some difficult choices to achieve equality for those he loves.

I'm working on a site for Godzilla that I hope to finish at some point. I don't think this character reflects my personality per se, but he's a really important character to me. (This sounds really dumb but it's true.) I grew up loving Godzilla movies and had gotten back into it about 6 or 7 years ago, at least. There are some elements of this character and I want to relate to such as the way he can conquer any adversary, even his own death, and his fearlessness.

Link is a character that I am not sure if I relate to or what. I just know that this character has been very dear to me since I was a child. It might be because he represents the bond I had with my siblings, especially my younger brother, who we would watch as he relentlessly beat the Zelda games over and over again. Maybe those were some good moments in my childhood that I want to hold on to by liking this character? On the other hand, Link is an everyman type of character and who doesn't want to be on an epic adventure? I think I am drawn to this incarnation of Link due to the fact that he is childlike and reflects my childhood desires to leave home and escape reality. (much deep, wow, so psychoanalyze)

Other characters I have made sites for I just think they are cool or interesting!

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?

I do! I like to approach the sites from many different angles. In fact, I have been debating on/working on some shrines where the shrine is a narrative written from different point of views. (Not sure if they will ever be online, though!) I write in a more of an outsider tone but I think I definitely try to get inside the mind of the character when writing. I think one good example of this is this essay from my Giovanni shrine in particular!
dubiousdisc
Administrator
Posts: 2535
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2012 5:49 pm
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by dubiousdisc »

Fiona wrote:I actually forgot what prompted me to make the comment, but I think we were talking about character building in that particular class. Actually, your answer to my last questions reminded me why I bought up my comment from that one time. It relates to how to make your characters believable in writing or something like that, but my question is actually related to shrine-making. lol.

I actually don't believe I'm a good writer. In fact, I wouldn't even call myself a writer at all, but this is interesting to me and I'm just really curious to know/learn more.

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?
If you remember more about how that conversation went, I'd like to hear about it, I'm very interested :D

Bonus question answer: While I do both in understanding how the character is like, when I write for a fansite I think my content ends up being more on the outside...not out of choice, now that you're making me think about it - I'd just never considered that I could get closer than I do. Huh! I'll try to challenge myself more in the future. :)
nyxmidnight
Communications Staffer
Posts: 1078
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2012 7:55 pm
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: How do the characters you shrine reflect you?

Post by nyxmidnight »

Have you noticed any sort of patterns when it comes to the type of characters you like vs the type of characters you end up making a shrine for? Are they the same or different?

I tend, like most people, to make shrines for characters I love; however, I have also made shrines or plan to make shrines to characters I didn't love (Chiaki Tachibana, Sakahagi [as part of my Manikins shrine]). The one link that unites all my shrines is interest. As in, do I have something to say about the subject? Do I bring something interesting to the table?

Why do you make a shrine for the characters you end up making a shrine for? (i.e: What affects your decisions to make a shrine for a character?)

I am mainly motivated by two things in fandom, love and spite. Most of my shrines are labours of love. Most of my fanfictions and meta are works of spite. 95% of my shrines and projects are works of love, love for the underdogs, the quiet, the forgotten. My Chiaki Tachibana shrine, however, is a work of spite, because as much as I think Chiaki is hitlerian, I got very pissed that she would have a literal ton of adoring fans, even as a power-hungry despot, had she not committed the crime of having been born with a vagina.

Hell, even my Ryotaro Dojima shrine was partly a work of spite against the fandom depicting him as a raging abusive alcoholic.

How do these characters you make shrines for relate to you personally? How do they reflect you? Do they reflect your personalities to some degree? Are they someone you wish to become?

I don't believe the subjects of my shrines reflect me as much as they reflect the interests of my trivia-and-obscure-knowledge-powered, iconoclast mind.

Bonus Questions: Do you try to step into your character's shoes when you write about them in your shrine or do you take a more objective/omnipresent approach when you talk about them? Why? How do you find one or both approach(es) beneficial or help you with how you write your content?

I tend to use a more omniscient approach, but that's probably because I've been writing for a long time and I've been to grad school. It's a style of writing that's easy for me to fall back to.
Join in the Tale, in the Blight, of Conquest and Lies
Come the Sun, to Tarnish in the Sky
Vow that we shall Tear the Light - Dark seizes the Throne
Lost in thoughts, all alone
Post Reply