The Luka shrine is finally online! The layout is turquoise-themed, which felt like the perfect fit for Luka and the Water Palace.

To be honest, I’ve had this design sitting on my hard drive for ages. I made it a long time ago but never got around to coding it. There actually was a version 1 of the shrine online years ago, but I was never really happy with it. Looking back, it just didn’t feel right anymore, so I’m treating this layout as the official launch of the shrine, even though there technically was an earlier version. Oh well. If you’re curious, you can still find the old one in my layout archive.

The layout uses artwork of Luka from the 2018 Secret of Mana remake. As much as I love the original pixel art, I have to admit that I prefer using official artwork when it comes to creating layouts. It simply gives me a bit more freedom with the design. Thankfully, the remake finally gave us some beautiful illustrations to work with… even if it only took, what, almost ten years? 😄

One thing I’ve also changed recently is how I work on my shrines. For a long time, I kept putting projects on hold because I wanted to create huge image galleries before publishing them. Most of the time, that meant the shrines just sat unfinished on my computer. I’ve finally moved away from that mindset. I’d rather publish a complete shrine with a smaller gallery than wait forever trying to make everything perfect. It makes working on these projects much more enjoyable, and it means I can finally share them instead of letting them collect dust.

That was exactly the case with this shrine. The content itself had actually been finished for quite some time. All that was left was adding a handful of sprites and artwork to the gallery and once I finally did that… it was done. Looking back, it feels a little bit silly that something so small kept the entire project from being published for so long.

Btw, I found some really cool stuff on the CodePen website!! Thousands of designs for animated text, CSS effects and other awesome little things LOL.

I’ve recently started working on some of my very, very old shrines again. Projects that I began years ago but somehow never continued or finished (lol like Sailor Mercury). They have been sitting quietly for a long time, waiting to be brought back to life and I finally felt inspired to pick them up again.

The first shrine I’m returning to is my tribute to Luka from Secret of Mana. Since there isn’t a huge amount of information to write about her, this shrine will remain a smaller tribute rather than a very large project. But sometimes a character doesn’t need dozens of pages to show how much they mean… a small shrine can still be a heartfelt way to celebrate them.

After finishing Luka’s shrine, I plan to continue working on my shrine for Selan from Lufia. This is another old project that I started a long time ago and would love to finally give the attention it deserves.

It feels really nice to revisit these forgotten projects and give them a second chance. There’s something special about returning to ideas from years ago and seeing them grow with a fresh perspective. Hopefully, these old shrines will soon find their place on the site again.

Hello everyone!

Today I’m excited to present my brand new layout for Midnight-Cloud*Net! It features Usagi and Mamoru and was created especially for the Our Kingdoms Eternal event (If you haven’t joined Our Kingdoms Eternal yet, you can still sign up, so definitely check it out!).

Honestly, this layout was a bit of a struggle because I wanted to try something completely different this time. I experimented with a new structure and stepped outside of my usual comfort zone, which led to a lot of trial and error along the way. But in the end, I think it turned out quite beautifully, and I’m really happy with the result!

(Although… can somebody please explain to me why the damn custom cursor keeps causing problems in Firefox? WHY. AHHHH.)

At the same time, I’d also like to introduce my brand new Sailor Mercury Shrine! Working on it was an absolute joy from start to finish, and I had so much fun gathering everything together. And of course, a huge thank you to Alita for the motivation and encouragement! I honestly don’t think I would have finished it this quickly without you. <3

P.S. Now I’m seriously thinking about redoing my layout archive as well, because I really don’t like its structure anymore. Apparently I just can’t stop redesigning things once I get started…

I’m currently working on a new layout as part of the Our Kingdoms Eternal event, and I’m trying to get it finished by June 30 for the domain’s birthday aaaaah.

Right now I’m reworking my network page, especially the shrine section, because it feels a bit cluttered and not very well structured yet. I want to give each shrine a bit more space and make it feel less like a simple list of links and more like its own little section or “place” on the page.

I’ve been really inspired by how Mina set up her shrine/network area on her site. It feels much more intentional and organized, almost like every link has its own identity instead of everything blending together. I’d love to get something similar going, with clearer separation between items and a better overall flow.

At the same time I’m trying to keep everything in the same soft, dreamy style as the rest of the layout, so it’s a bit of a balancing act between aesthetics and usability. I’m just experimenting with different card styles and hover effects right now to see what feels right.

It’s still very much a work in progress, but I’m slowly getting there step by step.

Guys, GUYS, um, well, as it is, you end up doing other stuff instead of the event, but I’ve translated my shrine to Lisa from the game Soul Blazer for you and given it a bit of a facelift. BUT I just translated the text word for word, though, lol. I hope it’s not too bad; if it is, feel free to suggest any improvements.
Does anyone even know Soul Blazer?

Oh and I got approved for the character Helios from Sailor Moon!

Ugh, I’m so annoyed. I mean, I can’t really use Google Fonts properly anymore because of this ridiculous data protection law in Germany that doesn’t allow it. But now the alternative, fonts.upset.dev, isn’t working properly either, so I switched to Bunny Fonts. BUT Bunny Fonts doesn’t have all the Google Fonts… So I’m currently looking into whether I should just host a lot of fonts myself. So annoying. Ugh.

You guys… I came across an image of the Vortex Queen (I honestly don’t even know if it was from the possible Remake of Ecco the Dolphin or the Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future remake) but that one picture instantly hit me.

The presence.
The alien-goddess design.
The cold, commanding energy.

I love her.

Ever since I first dove into Ecco’s strange, cosmic underwater world, she’s been my ultimate video game villain. No overdramatic monologues. No “I’m evil because…” backstory dumps. Just pure, alien threat. She isn’t just a boss fight. She feels like a force of nature, something never meant for us. That’s exactly why she fascinates me.

That image… I was scrolling innocently, and then: BAM. This one artwork of the Vortex Queen. Again, I don’t even know if it’s from the remake, official promo art, or fan creation (if it’s fan art, thank you whoever made it), but I couldn’t stop staring. The biomechanical aesthetic, that haunting face… I was twelve again, slightly unnerved, completely captivated.

And that’s when I knew. I needed a shrine.

Not a huge one. Not as elaborate as my usual shrines. Just a small, concentrated tribute. A few prints. Some dark, shimmering materials. Maybe a hint of metallic detail. A little portal to an alien ocean abyss. And I love how spontaneous it was. No long planning, just feeling it, making it happen.

A hundred projects at once? Yes. Regret it? Not for a second. I think that’s exactly what I love about creative bursts. Sometimes a project just needs to exist. And the Vortex Queen? She really, truly does. She’s my all-time favorite villain, maybe my defining video game antagonist.

So yeah. My mini Vortex Queen shrine is now a reality.

I’ve decided to switch to a new guestbook script because now it allows me to reply to entries directly. I first saw this feature on Lethe and Aelyn’s sites, and I really liked how it makes the conversation feel more personal and interactive.

I’ll still keep my old guestbook, though, because it contains so many kind and memorable messages that I don’t want to lose. It will stay as a little treasure of memories while the new guestbook makes it easier to chat back and forth.

Also, I’m excited to share that I got approved for Miaka and Tamahome from Fushigi Yûgi!

Hey everyone! 😄 I finally managed to upload a brand-new layout for my Ecco fanlisting! To be honest, I wasn’t loving the old one as much anymore, and this new design just feels so much more like Ecco. 💙

I also added a new menu style, which was honestly a nightmare to code 😅 but I’m super happy with how it turned out. I hope you all enjoy browsing the site with the fresh look.

I’m so excited to finally announce the launch of my Saya Gray fanlisting — it’s officially live after finally getting approved by TFL! 🎉 This one has been a long time coming, and I couldn’t be happier to share it.

I completely fell in love with Saya’s music after a spontaneous concert night with my dear friend Sophia. What started as an unplanned outing turned into one of those unforgettable experiences that sticks with you. Her sound, her presence, and the honesty in her music instantly had me hooked. This fanlisting is just a small way of celebrating that magic.

This launch is also a little homage to that night and to Sophia (who, by the way, should FINALLY update her domain 👀). You know who you are.

Thank you to TFL for the approval, and welcome to everyone who joins <3 I’m so excited to grow this fanlisting and share the love for Saya Gray together.

P.S. Our favorite tracks are “Puddle Of Me” (my personal favorite) and “HBW” (Sophia’s), and I highly recommend giving them a listen if you’re just discovering her music!