What got you started making shrines?

[Crystal]

My parents didn't seem to complain either but I wasn't really allowed to go on the internet whenever I wanted until we switched from dial up.

[Emma]

My parents didn't seem to complain either but I wasn't really allowed to go on the internet whenever I wanted until we switched from dial up.

Oh LOL, dial up. For years, my house was full of people shouting "GET OFF THAT FECKING INTERNET, I NEED TO USE THE PHONE."

[Crystal]

My parents didn't seem to complain either but I wasn't really allowed to go on the internet whenever I wanted until we switched from dial up.

Oh LOL, dial up. For years, my house was full of people shouting "GET OFF THAT FECKING INTERNET, I NEED TO USE THE PHONE."

Ahh, I remember conversations like that around the house (excluding the yelling and swearing, but yeah lol). xD

[Aku]

Oh LOL, dial up. For years, my house was full of people shouting "GET OFF THAT FECKING INTERNET, I NEED TO USE THE PHONE."

LOL THIS. I also remember when I used to ~sneak on the internet~ and my parents would pick up the phone and hear a busy line--and get SO MAD AT ME. They then set up the AOL timer to kick me off at like, 8PM. My parents were internet nazis. :|

Aw, Aku! I'm glad you got into it, too! And I, too, remember the early days when only predators used the internet. XD; My parents used to get so upset at me for spending so much time online but I was like "I am making websites!" It didn't matter because they didn't see the future of the web. Now, same as you, it is my career. ♥

Also kind of giddy to hear you started out making Pokemon shrines. *o*

HAH, we proved them wrong... look at where all those hours inside the house not playing basketball got me!!

And totally, one of these days I'd really like to revisit one of my old fandoms and shrine something--a Pokemon might be cool! X3

[ritabuuk]

Years later, on the ~teen section~ of AOL, I figured out I could open Internet Explorer while connected to dial up and signed up for some free site page and MADE A VEGETA SHRINE ~WHAT NOW MOM~. Little did she know that working on that shrine would spur a whole bunch of other Gundam pilot shrines, which would then evolve into a whole lotta dabbling in sites and HTML and Photoshop, and eventually bring about my career.

Your post was so funny, I had to do a dramatic reading for my roommate. When I got to the part about Gundam pilot shrines she was all, "omg, Gundam pilot shrines! I might have seen those back then!" Were they for Gundam Wing characters by any chance?

As for me, back around 1999 when everyone and their grandmother had a Pokémon shrine, I would browse them for more Pokémony goodness. But a lot of the ones I liked the best didn't update often enough (or ever again) and wished I could make one too, to contribute to the web of good fansites. But I figured making a website was hard and cost money, so I never did. I then attended a special class about Microsoft FrontPage on a Saturday at school (missing an episode of Pokémon!) so that I could help update my school's website, and I learned that this stuff wasn't so hard. I didn't have my own copy of FrontPage, but Mom got me an invaluable tome about HTML4, and one of my friends finally told me something to the effect of, "Dude, you think all these people are paying for their Pikachu fansites?!" and directed me to Geocities. I was then finally able to make my first Pokémon fansite (which as was called Team Rocket's Jail Break).

Now, although fansites are definitely not as prominent on the internet as they once were, they still appeal to me as a way to simultaneously express my love for some of my favorite things, provide information and my personal analysis to fellow fans and newcomers alike, and be creative both in an artistic sense and in a coding sense.

[Aku]

Your post was so funny, I had to do a dramatic reading for my roommate. When I got to the part about Gundam pilot shrines she was all, "omg, Gundam pilot shrines! I might have seen those back then!" Were they for Gundam Wing characters by any chance?

HAHAHA I would've loved to hear that. XD

And yes, actually I had a Duo Maxwell shrine when I was like... 12 or 13 or something. I also had one for Shiro Amada (08th MS Team) and Domon Kasshu (G Gundam). Ahh, so many memories XD;! Everyone and their mom had a Duo shrine though, I'm not sure my 13 year old self did better than any other 13 year old.

[Destinie]

Your post was so funny, I had to do a dramatic reading for my roommate. When I got to the part about Gundam pilot shrines she was all, "omg, Gundam pilot shrines! I might have seen those back then!" Were they for Gundam Wing characters by any chance?

HAHAHA I would've loved to hear that. XD

And yes, actually I had a Duo Maxwell shrine when I was like... 12 or 13 or something. I also had one for Shiro Amada (08th MS Team) and Domon Kasshu (G Gundam). Ahh, so many memories XD;! Everyone and their mom had a Duo shrine though, I'm not sure my 13 year old self did better than any other 13 year old.

I had a friend who made a fansite for Quatre or whatever his name was (I never watched the anime) and she showed me her WIP and I thought he was a girl. xDD; needless to say, I recall a lot of those shrines back in the day, too. :3

[Aku]

I had a friend who made a fansite for Quatre or whatever his name was (I never watched the anime) and she showed me her WIP and I thought he was a girl. xDD; needless to say, I recall a lot of those shrines back in the day, too. :3

Hahaha the Wing boys are pretty feminine in general! On that note, I feel also like a lot of what got earlier shrines built was character claiming. I know a lot of people who would start groups among friends and each shrine a character within a game or series. (Like, a group of Final Fantasy 8 shrines.) In all honestly, I think that method would still work today LOL, but I would be interested in there being a thread between all those shrines other than simply that they're linking to one another.

I MEAN, I KNOW I WANTED TO START A "SHUFFLE ALLIANCE" BUT THERE WERE NO G GUNDAM FANS THAT WOULD DO IT WITH ME.

Well, there still aren't. ಥ_ಥ

[ritabuuk]

My roommate says she probably saw every Gundam Wing fansite back in the day, so let's just say she probably saw your Duo shrine and Destinie's friend's Quatre shrine too. =P

I'd also like to add to the discussion that, although it is not why I started making fansites, it is through fansites that I was able to meet a lot of cool people, and that is probably part of the reason I kept with it. I might be crazy enough to keep working on my fansites even if no one was looking at them, but knowing other people enjoy the content as well, enough to send me a letter along with some input... that is possibly one of the best things about making fansites. =)