What makes a shrine a shrine?

[Aku]

I think we should honestly consider opening Amassment to different possibilities. Another thing to consider is that many people say that they aren't writers. Therefore, writing isn't the best way to express themselves. Why should we ignore those who prefer to express their love through art, music, or graphics, etc.?

Agreed! And honestly, I wouldn't even say that it has to be something other than writing. I think there are perhaps even different approaches to "writing a shrine" that could be considered something new or innovative. But I do think it's up to us as a community to be open-minded, and not dismissive, when someone chooses to "shrine" something in a way that isn't necessarily a collection of analytical essays. Like you've said, writing is not everyone's forte, but that doesn't mean there aren't other creative ways of showing your love, or even analyzing something!

I also don't like how there are those who don't recognize the design/writing talents of people who just build fanlistings. ... The dedication is there, does it matter the content? I think fanlistings are small tributes so I don't discredit those. ... The elitism gap between shrines vs fanlistings bothered me a little, though that's starting to diminish.

As someone who enjoys both fanlistings and shrines, I do think that there is a difference in the intensity of work that goes into a fanlisting vs. a shrine, hence the "elitism gap". (A form of elitism I don't necessarily agree with or practice, but is undeniably there. XD) While I can whip up a fanlisting in a matter of days, I spent half a year writing the content to my Ranka shrine. I also think that in general, most shrine owners see their shrines as ongoing projects, whereas normally once you make a fanlisting, it's simply a matter of maintaining it and perhaps changing layouts/adding codes occasionally. I also think that the difference in a fanlisting is that for the most part, it's a templated website with predetermined sections, whereas shrines are very much about original and personally curated content.

That isn't to say that there aren't people that go above and beyond with their fanlistings, or even that someone who owns a shrine to Goku is better than someone who owns a fanlisting to Goku. You can't compare a level of love based on a site. I just think there is a different approach to creating a shrine than there is to creating a fanlisting, which is why even though a clear dedication and labor of love goes into fanlistings, the lack of more methodical content creation doesn't put it in the same category as a shrine? I don't really like the stigma that some shrine owners give to fanlistings, because I think it's something a lot of people enjoy. I just think they are really two separate entities entirely, therefore there's really not even any reason to compare them.

I'm kinda just rambling here! That being said, I still don't think that writing is the only way we can approach shrining--I am interested in seeing this conversation hopefully stimulate some people to try new directions. X3

[Lethe]

To me, shrines are more condensed than fansites, too, and from the "fansites" (that's what they were called by their creator) I've read in the past, I sometimes had the impression that they'd often only include basic information - an overview that entices the reader to look into the series rather than full coverage and analysis of the series itself, though I know that there have been character shrines like that, too. Most character shrines I see nowadays give a full rundown of the series though.

Dedication and some original content are what make a shrine a shrine for me; merely a copy of information from Wikis or official content won't do. I think it'd be interesting to see blogs dedicated to a narrow subject, though with blogs, you'd usually expect them to add new content over time, rather than presenting most of it from the beginning, as is the case with shrines. So it could be the case that they'd run out of topics to write about for new entries after a certain time, since it's supposed to be on a certain subject only if it's on a similar scale as fansites and shrines... (A Final Fantasy VI blog as opposed to a blog about all Final Fantasy games or RPGs in general.)

This site seems like a nice and somewhat rare approach to me as far as fansites are considered, even if there were no essays at all. I'd consider dedicated galleries as a kind of fansite, too, since it takes time to find high quality images and gather them all in one place. What really stands out are the fact that many screenshots are edited, and the categories "panoramic screenshots", "frame-by-frame" and personal b&w image compilation are extremely interesting to look at because it's personalized. It's what gives a gallery its unique touch.

I've also seen some people make a loooot of icons featuring only one character on livejournal, and if those icons were separate from the general graphics account, for example by making them the focus of a site or by keeping a blog that only posts those icons, I'd regard that as a kind of shrine, too. =O Similar to graphics Tumblr blogs dedicated to one series!

[Puppeteer]

I'm realizing that how I'm making my shrines is pretty much what I expect other shrines to be like. With so many detailed Wiki pages and the like for whole universes and series, I tend to head over to those when I want facts or basic information. Therefore, when I visit a shrine, I spend my time in whatever original content the author is offering, because my primary purpose is to see a new perspective on a subject I already know something about, or maybe learn about things I've missed symbolically.

I have to admit that as an analytical type I find writing to be the core of a shrine, but I do agree with Lethe's point regarding personalized media-based content like graphics. Seeing what an artist does with an image offers their unique perspective on the subject, so that's very much in line with my understanding of a shrine.

Something I'd definitely be interested in seeing would be if "specialized"(?) shrines might come to be; for example, a shrine based purely on quotes from a character or series (a concept that could go a few different directions, too).

[Lethe]

I love quotes! Some series have great quotes (NANA and Fruits Basket come to mind here) that can be enjoyed even without knowing the series, so browsing a compilation of them is always a great pleasure. I think I've seen some of those on Tumblr some time ago.

Oh, on the subject of graphics... It's not uncommon to see lyrics as part of graphics, and I think that'd make an interesting shrine, too - the association of a certain character with certain songs, accompanied by a few lines from the shrine maker or even essays. I rarely see that section as part of a shrine, and though I know there are fan mixes (I think that's what they were called) on LJ, I've never actually read them those. I used to watch AMVs though, and some songs were so well-chosen that whenever I listen to them now, those characters immediately come to mind, making the music all the more touching.

[Eden]

This site seems like a nice and somewhat rare approach to me as far as fansites are considered, even if there were no essays at all. I'd consider dedicated galleries as a kind of fansite, too, since it takes time to find high quality images and gather them all in one place. What really stands out are the fact that many screenshots are edited, and the categories "panoramic screenshots", "frame-by-frame" and personal b&w image compilation are extremely interesting to look at because it's personalized. It's what gives a gallery its unique touch!

I love isshou-ni! One of my favorites! I have my own panoramic screen shots I've done so I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought of this idea!

With so many detailed Wiki pages and the like for whole universes and series, I tend to head over to those when I want facts or basic information. Therefore, when I visit a shrine, I spend my time in whatever original content the author is offering, because my primary purpose is to see a new perspective on a subject I already know something about, or maybe learn about things I've missed symbolically.

Man this... this is why it's difficult for me to produce a shrine/fansite. The only things I can think of for content in a shrine is information and wikis/wikias already have this. I always ask myself what can I bring that's different? I don't analyze characters (I don't understand this honestly--I botched this up in school all the time) and it's frustrating for me to look at things in more than one dimension. I really hate my language skills. XD I hope I can find my niche.

[Puppeteer]

Oh, on the subject of graphics... It's not uncommon to see lyrics as part of graphics, and I think that'd make an interesting shrine, too - the association of a certain character with certain songs, accompanied by a few lines from the shrine maker or even essays. I rarely see that section as part of a shrine, and though I know there are fan mixes (I think that's what they were called) on LJ, I've never actually read them those. I used to watch AMVs though, and some songs were so well-chosen that whenever I listen to them now, those characters immediately come to mind, making the music all the more touching.

You know, I think I had this idea before and it completely escaped me, so thanks for bringing it up! I'd certainly like to see this done as well, because it's really amazing sometimes how well a song can sum up a character. Also, for series that releases character songs, it'd be cool to see the associations between the lyrics and the character that sings it.

Man this... this is why it's difficult for me to produce a shrine/fansite. The only things I can think of for content in a shrine is information and wikis/wikias already have this. I always ask myself what can I bring that's different? I don't analyze characters (I don't understand this honestly--I botched this up in school all the time) and it's frustrating for me to look at things in more than one dimension. I really hate my language skills. XD I hope I can find my niche.

Oh no, I'm sorry if that sounded discouraging--it really wasn't meant to be. That's just personally how I approach these things, but it doesn't make it the only right way. I actually would want to move away from my traditional thinking about shrining, because it's so hard for me not to analyze something, that a new take on the whole process would berefreshing. For example, all of your designs and graphics are spectacular and stylish, so you could focus on that if that's more your forte.

[Eden]

Man this... this is why it's difficult for me to produce a shrine/fansite. The only things I can think of for content in a shrine is information and wikis/wikias already have this. I always ask myself what can I bring that's different? I don't analyze characters (I don't understand this honestly--I botched this up in school all the time) and it's frustrating for me to look at things in more than one dimension. I really hate my language skills. XD I hope I can find my niche.

Oh no, I'm sorry if that sounded discouraging--it really wasn't meant to be. That's just personally how I approach these things, but it doesn't make it the only right way. I actually would want to move away from my traditional thinking about shrining, because it's so hard for me not to analyze something, that a new take on the whole process would berefreshing. For example, all of your designs and graphics are spectacular and stylish, so you could focus on that if that's more your forte.

It wasn't discouraging, I was saying that's the only ideas I can think of for shrines. It was one of my main reasons why I never made a shrine since fan wikis and stuff covered all the bases since I don't analyze things. I find analyzing so daunting and energy-draining.

I do focus on my graphics/designs whenever I do something. It's why my fanlistings exist to use such practices. They are great guinea pigs to experiment with! I am still very intimidated with making a shrine so I'm just sitting in my fanlisting bubble. D:

[Shiori]

I must confess that I am guilty of analysing and essays and all that other stuff, but that relates to my education and background. These are my strengths, rather than gorgeous layouts or intricate coding (both of which I suck at). I don't think the areas I'm more comfortable in are "better" than the areas others are comfortable in. I feel that there is no one way to make a shrine and frankly, the shrines that stand out in my mind are the ones that think outside the box and highlight the creator's unique talents.

As Lethe pointed out, Isshou-ni is a wonderful resource that manages to bring something new to the Sailor Moon fandom despite the series being so deeply explored and the fan community so expansive. The galleries might contain pictures that have been seen before, but Rebecca has upped their quality extensively and worked hard to provide only the highest quality images. To me, that shows the same level of care and devotion as an article or essay.

[Eden]

I must confess that I am guilty of analysing and essays and all that other stuff, but that relates to my education and background. These are my strengths, rather than gorgeous layouts or intricate coding (both of which I suck at). I don't think the areas I'm more comfortable in are "better" than the areas others are comfortable in. I feel that there is no one way to make a shrine and frankly, the shrines that stand out in my mind are the ones that think outside the box and highlight the creator's unique talents.

That might be why I don't write often. My background is in Computer Science, not English/Writing, etc. Although I'm a logical and critical thinker, when it comes down to essay writing and analyzing written works, I'm in a whole new ball park. I can read code flawlessly and do whatever I desire with it since I know it well and my dexterity is my strength. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's hard for me to picture something outside the box of essays, analysis, and media for a shrine. I really want to think of something that will play to my own strengths, but so far I haven't thought of anything aside from opening fanlistings, which play to my strength of obnoxious layouts and coding with no content.

Though I am pretty new with shrines... I haven't visited many, so I don't know them completely like most of you here do. I unfortunately, don't know many of the subjects people tend to shrine so I stay away from them. My views on what makes a shrine could be flawed since I never made one and I hardly visit them myself. I guess there's a LOT I need to learn right?

[Varen]

Though I am pretty new with shrines... I haven't visited many, so I don't know them completely like most of you here do. I unfortunately, don't know many of the subjects people tend to shrine so I stay away from them. My views on what makes a shrine could be flawed since I never made one and I hardly visit them myself. I guess there's a LOT I need to learn right?

I don't think that's necessarily so. You have a more outsider view, and thus, you have a better insight as a visitor than a site maker, which I think we all need to have when we make sites. I could ramble all day about a character, and say that the fansite I make is for me, but is that entirely true? I make it public for a reason - for some concept of an audience. Therefore, as you said, you need to think about what can you offer that can make the fansite worthwhile to the reader that isn't accessible in Wikipedia/Tumblr/etc.

I sadly wish I could try innovating ideas with my fansites, but as an English major, I'm a huge sucker for analytical essays, haha. But I think all this discussion really opened my eyes to the struggles of non-English majors who still totally express themselves in just as cool ways.