Documentation

Inspired by Robin’s layout archive and originally part of oubliette.nu itself, what makes up Song Cradle’s heart is the documentation of the creative process specific to each site.

In making-ofs, I would like to call attention to design aspects in visuals and writing not (explicitly) mentioned on the sites themselves, and to evaluate the outcome. What was my vision for the site, what elements did I want to implement or experiment with, what was carried over from previous projects, or will prove to be useful in the future? What coincidences and external influences made an impact, what and who all had to come together to lead to a particular outcome? Fansite-making has, in my experience, rarely been an activity pursued in isolation. From inspiration to the help received from fellow fans, fellow site makers and supportive friends, there is a lot that (potentially) goes into what a visitor finally sees. Precisely because fansites are part of a larger community, I believe we can’t talk enough about our own process and the help we receive from others if we are to keep making beautiful things and evolving together.

In post-mortems, that is to say project retrospects, I would like to record how I was feeling as I was working on a site. What were the circumstances of its creation, what drove me to make it, what did I struggle with, what new skills did I pick up? What despair, what joy did I feel, what did it mean to me to see the project through, and what confidence can I gain by retreading my steps? As the past moves farther away, such details are lost in the passage of time. Most notably, I tend to forget the weight of my own accomplishments. In writing these personal documentations, I want to preserve all the elements precious to me in the creation process, in the hope — no, confidence — that they can be a guiding light for my future self, whatever it is that I shall be tackling next: site, creative project or something else entirely.

Shrines

Listed in reverse order of site creation date. All undated entries were written between 2016 and 2017. Documentation for shrines created before the launch of oubliette.nu in April 2016 (1.–9.) was written all in one go rather than one by one.

1. Refugium — The Top Secret (pilot chapter)
2. In Another Dream — Chikyuu wa Boku ga Mawasu
3. Sway — Gwendolyn
4. Waterbound — Haruka Nanase
5. Baton Pass — Kyoko Honda
6. Setting Sun — Dream Saga
7. Dornenkaefig — Friederike
8. Valkyrie — Rose
9. Jamais Plus — Le Petit Prince Musical
10. Awakening — Claymore
11. In Control — Yuyuka Nekota
12. Strength of Heart — Cephiro
13. Joker's Wild — Liar Game