+ Shrine of the Moment
Title: Sterling
URL: http://valiantknife.org/chris/
Character: Chris Lightfellow
Game: Suikoden III
Webmistress: Alex
Around since: 2006?
+ Sterling
Chances are that you've already heard of Alex and have visited one (or more) of her amazing Final Fantasy sites. Chances are also that you haven't visited Sterling, her shrine dedicated to Chris Lightfellow of the Suikoden series, or at least you haven't spent any significant amount of time there. This isn't due to any fault of Alex's -- rather, it's due to the noticeably absent Suikoden community on the internet. Games in the Suikoden series is notoriously hard to find, and even if you can find them, they're quite pricey. Thus, fewer people have played the games than say, the Final Fantasy series, and as a result, there are way fewer shrines (umm, next to none). So those that do exist get very little publicity since they aren't linked as frequently. Hopefully by plugging it in this section, this site will finally get the attention it deserves!
While the layout at Sterling is rather simple, it's also rather fun. Between the lighthearted manga images used of Chris in the header and the flashing bars at the far right and bottom of the layout, there's nothing not to like. Alex is a master when it comes to making crazy color combinations soothing to the eyes, and in the layout, she makes pale green, pale red, and purple look like they're always meant to be together. Even the battle statistics are a work of art in this layout -- I could try to describe them, but do yourself a favor and just go look -- seriously, who ever knew tables could be so much fun?
As for content, this is where Sterling really shines. Alex is well aware of how under-played the Suikoden series is, so she made this shrine accessible to Suikoden fans and newcomers alike. The "Suikoden III" section gives a great overview of the game for those who haven't played, without giving away too much information. Likewise, the "profile" section tells enough about her to gage the reader's interest, but it refrains from spoiling her entire plotline. Sections such as "father" and "sacrifice" strike a deeper chord and give insight to those who have played the game and want to better understand her character. The bottom line is that everything is beautifully and thoughtfully written, and Alex has set the standard for what a good Suikoden site should be!
+ Archive
January 2008: Sterling (Chris: Suiko III)
October 2007: Elegy (Vincent: FFVII)
June 2007: Trust Your Heart (Terra: FFVI)