plug: Dreaming through the Noise

[nepenthee]

Hello! With some delay (low energy after event end), I'm plugging my new shrine:


Nanako Amachi from The Top Secret

This shrine has been on my wishlist, so to speak, for many, many years, and I am so glad and relieved that I was finally able to make it come true so that it doesn't haunt me any longer. I also don't think that I'd have been able to put together a layout so quickly without a deadline, with all the elements falling together.

Though a character shrine in name, the site is more accurately a re-experiencing and processing of the particular chapter/criminal case. If you aren't familiar with the series, worry not, as no prior knowledge is required. If you check out the shrine and it speaks to you, know that the series itself is among my favourite manga and well worth a read for its delicate portrayal of human complexity and loneliness across various criminal cases.

There are two essays I still need to finish to close my thoughts, but in the meantime, I was able to add various images around the site, with more to follow. The site's incomplete state has had me reluctant to draw attention to it, but in the spirit of this event and shrine challenges in general, here I go. :> It was a real joy to make use of these dedicated months and to race to the finish with everyone. <3

I'd be happy to hear your thoughts, here, in my guestbook or elsewhere!

Comments

[blaubeermars]

Dear Lethe, I wanted to say that I haven't commented on your Shrine yet because I hadn't read the manga. I've started it now, and before I finish, I wanted to go through Refugium again, your old Shrine. Once I've finished the manga, I'll take a closer look at your new Shrine as well.

Right now, I want to say something about the layout. I absolutely love the black and the negative effect on the images. It gives the pages such a special, almost artistic atmosphere. Honestly, your layouts feel like little works of art. Every detail seems carefully placed, and it's clear a lot of thought and love went into them. I definitely want to take the time to comment on the content more fully, but in the meantime, I just wanted to share my first impressions.

As I said, I haven't read the whole manga yet, only the first chapters so far, but even now I can tell how much I'm looking forward to the rest and how inspiring I find your Shrine.

By the way, I try to handle it this way with all of you: if I'm not familiar with the topic, I like to take some time to read up on it first. With video games, of course, this is much more difficult, so I already feel bad if I haven't been able to play a game beforehand and can't say much about it on the Shrine.

[nepenthee]

Dear Christina, Hearing that someone is checking out a work because of a shrine of mine is a great joy and honour to me as a shrine maker, whether it happens before or after reading the actual shrine, so thank you for leaving this kind preliminary comment! I do love about shrines that they have the power to introduce people to something new, in compelling ways that differ from the random review, and beyond a specific, established fandom/audience, so it warms my heart to see you approach the shrines you visit so open-mindedly and earnestly. Thank you also for revisiting Refugium!

I have slowly but steadily been working on adding more images through the busy month of February, and I'm happy to hear that you like the "silly"/bonus negative effect haha! Makes the transparent PNG format worth it.

Incidentally, I was finally able to sit down and finish my reread of the series (I had only made it up to the second volume while working on the shrine), which is the first time I have read it in full since my first encounter with it around 2018 – evenings well-spent thanks to you! I hope you enjoy the series until the end. <3 Do please excuse my late reply.