Sway: Gwendolyn

[Lethe]

(This lovely button was made by Megan A! Samantha and her donated a bunch. ;_;)

Here's my participation in CZ - Gwendolyn from the video game Odin Sphere, which has recently received a HD "remake"! A good part of the content is already up (about 30-40%), especially introductory content, which I hope will make people check out the game itself. If you've read my preview of the game page that I plugged on the forums a few days ago, know that I've since added one last paragraph to that page that I recommend you to check out, since it contains the reason I decided to buy the game in the first place.

The header might be temporary because I'm not sure whether I'm satisfied with the colour manipulation and the transition, but I can't manage better at the moment...

The essays that I truly want to write and that I've created the shrine for are what follow next, partly by way of story/relationship analysis, partly to talk about themes beyond that. I also anticipate that the Mythology analysis is going to take me forever since there's some material I'm not familiar with yet, and because in a previous shrine of mine, the Mythology page turned out very long and took much more effort than I had expected. (If you happen to be versed Norse mythology, Der Ring des Nibelungen or the Nibelungenlied and know good online resources for any of them, I'd appreciate some links. I haven't started looking yet. I only know some Norse mythology.)

I figured that since both Odin Sphere as well as my shrine have a "book format" to them, it'd be neat to upload things "chapter by chapter" (or act by act), so to speak. That way, the long pages hopefully also feel less intimidating to visitors... =x (Thank you for reading my shrines! /sobs)

Any feedback, including criticism and suggestions, is greatly appreciated, whether it concerns content or presentation!

Edit: The background of the site was missing when I first uploaded this 90 minutes ago, as I recently renamed some files. Please hard refresh the page for updated CSS!

[Robin]

holy shit how does your site look more done than 90% of my completed shrines omg

no but seriously wow. This ain't Construction Zone, this is like Refinement Zone. xD

Really digging the layout and all your font choices/colors/backgrounds/images are on point in your articles that are uploaded thus far. :D

[Megan A]

Reading through your shrines is always such a pleasure. I love how you introduce the game, the character, and other important characters related to Gwendolyn.

I love the layout, and I love how you have the text, images, and quotes formatted in the content. Everything is really easy to read through, and it's also really interesting. I love how you go through the story but also offer your own analysis of what is happening, what certain things mean, and some character motives that may otherwise be missed. The whole shrine is beautifully written, and it feels like I am reading through an actual book. Specifically I really, really liked reading "Moment of Truth." That section was so beautifully written, and I loved every minute of it. I WANT MORE.

I really like the chapter format you're going to release this shrine, and I can't wait for more sections!

[nyxmidnight]

Excuse me while I scream and faint. I am in awe.

[Lethe]

Thank you for your enthusiasm, everyone!! <3

@Robin: Nooooooooo. XD <333 I like planning out all the aspects well in advance, so that ~organization~ is probably what you're picking up on - but the shrine is definitely far from done haha. Thank you!

@Megan A: Thanks so much, little qt! <3 I'm glad that it's easy to read, and thank you for singling out "Moment of Truth" - it's my favourite page on the shrine so far, but also the page I was the most nervous about. <3 YAYYYYYYY.

@nyxmidnight: aaaaaaah /screams too

[Laura]

Ahhhhh I keep meaning to comment on this. I LOVE IT. I don't know what you did but the colours, the image, the text formatting/layout, it's all gorgeous and flows so nicely. I also love that the sections have quotes from poetry to start. I think poetry describes your works quite well, actually, as I always feel like I'm reading poetry when I read your sites.

And of course, the content itself is lovely to read. I love norse mythology and I'm happy to read a bit into the game itself as I've been curious after hearing you guys talk about it in chat time from time. After reading through your shrine, I now really want to play. I loved reading through the dynamic between Gwen, her sister and her father and now I wanna experience it for myself. XD

I also love that you went with the vertical thumbnails for the gallery. I'm sorta tempted to try the same actually... XD

I can't wait to see what else you do for the shrine! <3

[Angie]

I was reading through Sway last night (or this morning rather) because I couldn't sleep. No regrets. Your writing is engaging and flat-out amazing. Like Megan A, I particularly enjoyed reading "Moment of Truth". I was just so into it, LOL. It has me wanting to try Odin Sphere because I'm pretty sure I'd fall in love with Velvet real quick, hahaha. The layout is gorgeous and I love how everything is organized. Them quotes though

I can't wait for you add more to it, Lethe!

[Kate]

LETHE. The second I clicked on that button and saw your design, I was already in love. Then I started to read through the content and I thought to myself, "HOW CAN I POSSIBLY LOVE THIS SHRINE ANYMORE?? LIKE HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE." That introductory phrase right before the welcome message, Lethe; "quietly murdering that wishing heart" just wowow..It really hooks you in to this shrine. *___* I have absolutely zero knowledge of this game, series, and Gwendolyn, but I was so excited to read through this shrine. Plus there is so much content already!! The amount of love and dedication you put in to each and every one of your shrines is absolutely beautiful and amazing. I admire your work so much, even on subjects I know little to nothing about.

Awesome work Lethe, I can't wait to see this shrine complete.

[Lethe]

aaah I'm so touched by all these lovely replies, thank you so much, everyone...! ;_;

@Laura: I'm all asdjlkajdajld about your poetry comment, I'm just ajsdlkajdl. ;_; <3 <3 <3 That means so much to me, thank you! I'm looking forward to the day you'll play the game ehehehe, and to seeing more galleries with vertical thumbnails. <O><O> /got inspired by other people's galleries

@Angelita: I'm amazed to hear someone sought out one of my shrines as lecture for when they can't sleep??? OMGGGGG. /o\ Your enthusiasm makes me so happy, thank you so much for the kind words! <3 <3 Velvet is amazing, and all of Odin Sphere's protagonists make for great shrine subjects!! /hint hint

@Kate: Thank you for your cute comment! And for always checking out my shrines - I'm so glad you like them so much despite not being familiar with the material!

/rolls around @____________@

[Masao]

This is so pretty and nice and everything is

ESPECIALLY YOUR SKILLS TABLES. WOwww

I really like how you set up your pages, and how you used quotes in the beginning, and how the pages are interlaced dialogue and images. I especially enjoyed the format in "Moment of Truth" and I'm looking forward to the depth sections.