Overwhelmed by the barrage of news, it has completely passed me by that a significant anniversary was due just a few days ago. Ever keen to use any opportunity for self-promotion, Guylty can’t resist a post poor in content but big on self-reference: On February 18, 2014 the first RA pocket shrine saw the light of day on my blog. Three years down the road, the anniversary would have been a nice occasion for a little raffle. Well, we are slightly over-saturated with raffle-waffle, so I’ll post-pone that to the next significant anniversary, coming to this blog on March 12, 2017. Stay tuned, though.
Anyway, the RAPS movement started three years ago. When I was updating my shrine gallery last night and glanced over the assembled shrines, I suddenly wondered where the current character break-down is at. 132 shrines – who’s top of the list when it comes to commissions and my own fancy? Last time I analysed the share of the various characters in my oeuvre, I was surprised that Thorin was the most-asked-for RAPS subject. But can you believe it – it is now two-and-a-half years – or almost 100 pocket shrines later. High time for a new, fancy pie chart.
To provide a better overview I have listed the shrines in order of biggest share. You get the share in percentages in the pie chart. The key on the right also lists the number of shrines each chaRActer has achieved.
The Results
#26 Tickled Pink RLRA
No statistic without analysis. Yes, I am a pro. I do this for a living. Every bloody week. Top spot has: RL RA. 😳 Ehm. That is the biggest surprise for *me* in this statistic. You may think that is self-evident. Well, yours truly set out on this shrining journey thinking that it was a somewhat limited project, with the objective of creating one (1) shrine per character. And none for the RL actor who has embodied them. Because that was just too weird. Ehm again.
#87 Thorin King of Hearts
At number 2 – still Thorin. His appeal has not diminished. Not surprising, that one, because TH trilogy is the widest-seen piece of Mr A’s oeuvre, and possibly a role that has brought a significant number of fans into my reach. Porter at number 3 is somewhat surprising to me – a role from years ago. But then again a hero, a *proper* hero, and not without emotion. But higher up the list than darling Guy at 11 shrines???? Curioser and curioser. Dolarhyde only comes up so high on the list because I had vowed to create a shrine per episode. Had I done the same for Daniel Miller, he would be in the top 5.
#10 Ricky Deeming “Raw”
Disappointment of the statistic: Chop and Ricky Deeming, both languishing at one shrine each. Not good enough for worthy sexy characters like them, especially when it turns they are on par with no-nos such as William Chatford *meh* and Lee Preston *boo*. Even John Mulligan got more than that…
The conclusions of the stats:
- There *is* a correlation between the size of the role and the number of shrines made.
- The more recent the role, the more likely I’ll make a shrine.
- Still a number of chaRActers to enshrine – Philip Durant, your man from Frozen, the new bloke in O8, papa Cahalan, Dr White of the snooze film,…
- And some worthy characters really need to be bumped up in the charts – no way can bona-fide hero Proctor be wasted on a mid-field ranking.
Or what do you think? Whose ranking in the fandom’s favour is not worst reflected in the shrine stats? Who needs to be bumped down? Is it really allowed that Mr Thornton and Lucas North are only midfielders? And what about the whole issue with enshrining a living, breathing actor in a little pocket altar? Weird?!!!!???!?
But hey, it’s all entertainment, it’s all frippery and flippancy. And while the lull goes on and we need to balance out the RL catastrophes with sweet little nothings of no consequence, I might do a few more pocket shrine reviews.
Guylty Pleasure 
I loved seeing my #87 King of Hearts featured! Thorin will always be high on my list of favorites. The one I would like to move up the list is Raymond de Merville. RA looks so swoon worthy in armour and mail. Maybe when that film is released we’ll see more screen caps for future RAPS use. Congrats on 3 years and 132 lovely shrines ❤️
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Thorin and love hearts – the contrast is somehow particularly effective.
I agree with you on Raymond. Partly because so far the character has reminded me of Guy, both from what we have heard, and from the images so far. I can’t wait to hear more about its release!
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I am proud to know I was given one of the first ten you made (Standring, of course; plus a Pilgrimage one.) Score! Thank you, and congratulations. I’m still hoping for a new photoshoot like the one with the tuxedos or the one with the tartan shirts. Anything except a repeat of that awful and weird series of photos taken inside The Old Vic; I still don’t know what the heck that photographer was thinking but it was a disaster! 😉
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Yes, you were one of the first recipients. Who else could that Standring have gone to?
A new photoshoot is high up on my list, too. (And I would gladly make a new shrine from such a source.) Mind you, I am not such a big fan of formal wear. I’d like to see him in something NORMAL. Not hipster casual, but something that *real* people wear…
Which OV shoot do you mean? The one in the foyer (purple wallpaper, RA in white shirt and olive biker pants – ugh, the colour choice alone makes me shiver), or the one inside the auditorium, on the red seats. I actually loved the latter.
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Oh, please, don’t make me think again about those darn ugly pants and the stupid mirror and him lying on the sofa with his head at a freaky angle. What the heck was that photographer thinking?! Yuck.
The red seats inside the theater… well, that’s another matter entirely. Ha! ;p
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Phew. Glad to know that we are on the same page with those shoots. It wasn’t so much RA’s look in that OV foyer shoot, but the stupid poses. I’m wondering whose idea they were. If they came from the photographer, then I am puzzled that RA went along with those antics…
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Congrats on your 3rd year! ❤ Just keep going like this!
And my top fave 5 characters (not necessarily in that order) are as the ones in the chart, except minor change: Lucas instead of Francis, of course. 😀
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Cheers – yeah, Lucas should be way further up. Mind you, Lucas is typical spy – so elusive, he even eludes my imagination. I find it very hard to come up with shrines for him.
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Happy Anniversary!
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Many thanks 🙂
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I’m surprised at Ricky Deeming too – he’s pushes all my buttons as that character – the lumberjack shirt while he whacks those batteries with a sledgehammer (almost like chopping wood) is dear to my Canadian heart; the longer dark hair, rides a motorcycle (I have a lovely electric blue motorcycle)….yes, Ricky Dreamy Deeming.
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Ricky was quite the character. The beatnik free-thinking rebel on the inside, the leather-clad alpha on the outside. He attracted some rather interesting fan fiction, too. I think I have to revisit him.
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Your pie chart is as artistic as your shrines. Very colorful. My heart loves Porter, but Proctor and Thorin are also favorites. I can’t think of any role recently that razzed my berries. Although Kenneth in the play, wow. I don’t think there is a really flattering photo of him in that role. Or even at the stage door. I have to console myself with memories.
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Hehe, art direction of the pie chart courtesy of Apple Numbers, with a little bit of tweaking by moi. As for favourite shrine objects – I wouldn’t mind taking Thorin down a peg or two. Guy on top, of course, Porter, Lucas, Proctor. Kenneth – hm, didn’t quite rock my boat, either. Except for that *one* picture from the rehearsals. That was *everything* the fan girl heart needs – half-smile, wavy hair, bare knees, open robe, possibly a bit of chest hair… I think that may deserve a shrine!
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Yes, I agree with Kathy Jones about the pie chart. Very attractive. Makes fangirling appear to be quite…scientific.
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Oh, totally. And deliberately so. Bigging up the claims by making them look like science…
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OMG – I am so sorry, Besotted. I was just replying to your latest comment with a really long comment of my own, and I somehow inadvertantly deleted your comment – and my half-written, extensive reply – with a keyboard shortcut. Shiiiiiit. I really didn’t want that AT ALL. Am so annoyed now… Sorry!!!!!!
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Yes, sad, I agree, that there aren’t more photos from that play. The “official” photos don’t quite do it for that character. They must have been taken in pre-stage rehearsals. In the Act 1 shots he has that horrible wig which they ditched after a few weeks, and in the Act 3 shots, he’s got frumpy pants and a meh cardigan sweater/jumper which never actually appeared on stage that I know of. I can attest that the actual Act 3 pants seen on stage fit very nicely.
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I am wondering whether there was a clear intention behind not providing any “attractive” images of Ken. After all, the characters in this play are not meant to be “nice” – thus they were avoiding to give us beautiful pictures…
PS: The best part of those pants were the little adjustment ties on his hips…
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What an intriguing idea: that they don’t release good pictures when he’s a baddie. But then how do you explain all the great Guy photos? Yessss to those side tabs on the Act 3 pants–and the cross-over-the-top shoes. He was one hot 60 year old. What were we saying? Oh yes, photos and clothes as signal of character. I hope this doesn’t mean that his character in Ocean’s 8 is another self-involved, immature malcontent, because really, did you see that outfit? I must be totally out of touch with trendy fashion, because I thought those $750 sneakers looked like $7.99 specials from Pearl River Mart (https://www.pearlriver.com/collections/kung-fu-shoes-ta-chi-shoes) and sweat pants? Really? Come on, producers. You hire a handsome actor with a beautiful body then dress him like he walked out of a thrift shop? I’ve drifted a bit off topic, haven’t I? Sorrrrry.
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Phew – have been able to restore this comment. (But my response is lost – annoying, but serves me right.) So, I guess what I was saying was this: The idea that you release unattractive pictures of people in order to steer opinion, is as old as the hills I guess. Just look at how Trump is represented in the media right now. I am not saying it is not justified, but the illustrations tend to be of the open-mouthed “derp” kind… True, Guy was always eye-candy in the publicity shots of RH. But then again, the show was entertainment, whereas LLL is more like social criticism and critique – which would possibly and deliberately avoid capitalising on its lead’s attractive looks and instead go for a “warts-and-all” approach?!
Claude Becker in O8 – not sure whether he was meant to appear unattractive… While I agree that the shoes are positively hideous, I find the hipster jogging pants even worse. I won’t even mention the sunglasses. But then again, the coat was nice, and the messed-up hair was attractive in a visceral way. Mixed messages? And also not official photos but candids from the set. It’ll be interesting when the first official pictures turn up. If they are all-round gorgeous, then we’ll know that he is playing a good guy 😉
Lastly – you are welcome to go off-topic any time. After all, that is what a blog is for.
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Oh the bed-head hair. Thank you for reminding me. Yes, I agree. THAT looks promising.
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I am genuinely excited for that film.
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I will always love my Pirate Guy, but truth be told, I would LOVE to see more Chop and more Dr Track!!!!!
Even some naughty Lee Preston!
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I’m surprised at myself for ignoring Chop. Ok, I am not that big into long-haired chaps, but still, Chop was a good egg. As is Dr Track, plus, Track is positively young and gorgeous. And a Doctor. (If he could also play the cello, he’d be the stuff of my sleepless nights…)
Lee Preston has been begging for a Speedo shrine. So far I have resisted that challenge…
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Stop resisting! STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!
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OK.
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Good Girl. I get it, right????
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Congratulations. I still love my Dr Track shrine. Yum Yum Yum. Thank you hon. Xx
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Yay, so glad to hear that! I think I need to give Track a bit more track. Yummy doctor.
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It must be synergy – I was just showing off my John Porter goes to Greece shrine today !!
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hehe, some mysterious forces are at play…
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Ricky Deeming definitely warrants another shrine! And I hate to say this but there’s a photo of Lee Preston that just makes me collapse in a puddle… and it’s only upper torso (but with full on smoulder) 😉
Happy anniversary! You’ve made a lot of people very happy in the last three years (is it really that long?!)
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Happy Shrine-aversary! I love your shrines, even more so after Suzy once showed me the ones she had from you. Amazing miniature works of art. 🙂
For me, I especially love John (Thornton, Porter and Proctor) shrines and Harry Kennedy could use a bump. 😉
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Thank you Esther! Three years in, I am still surprised that someone as impatient as myself, can actually make something miniature and not lose her marbles over it 😀.
Harry Kennedy is definitely underrepresented. I think I need to make a smile shrine or something like that…
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That’s a lot of shrines! And all so creative! How long in average does it take you to make one?
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The actual assembling of the shrines probably takes about 2 to 3 hours, that is cutting out the pics and glueing the other bits in. What is particularly time-consuming, is the prep work – searching for images, scaling them down, printing them, finding magnet words to stick into the shrines, deciding on the glitter bits, not to mention coming up with the overall design of it. All in all, it probably takes a whole afternoon to get one done…
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Wow! A labour of love, though, I presume. The results are certainly very appealing to a fangirl’s heart.
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Thanks – that’s what I hope they do 🙂
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Herzlichen Glückwunsch zu diesem besonderen Geburtstag! Das Tortendiagramm ist wirklich ganz herzallerliebst – auch bei ihren Leidenschaften behält Frau stets den Überblick 😉
Ich stimme Esther zu und denke auch, dass Harry Kennedy definitiv noch öfter gewürdigt werden könnte – dieses Schätzchen.
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Dankeschön 🙂 Und ja, man muss auch seine Leidenschaft wissenschaftlich verorten.
Ich sehe schon, Harry ist ganz oben auf der Liste. Mir ein Rätsel, warum ich diesen Süßen nicht öfter “verwurstet” habe…
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Brava! I love that colorful chart. Now how many OOPS have you made? (Other-Ogling Pocket Shrines)…I know of at least one 🙂
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OOPS – hehe. I am thinking hard here, and to my knowledge it is only Mr H who has been the subject of a non-RA shrine… You are in possession of a unique item 😉
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Yay! A worthy subject you chose 🙂
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Totally. It was no hardship creating that shrine. Capt Wentworth… eh… Mr H will always have a special place in my heart. And no least because he has a special place in the heart of an esteemed fellow blogger like you!
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I concur exactly when it comes to Mr. Thornton… ehmm, Mr. A.!
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Congratulations Guylty! I too am shocked at how RLRA is top of the chart. It makes sense Thorin would be a big fav over Sir Guy, but I doubt I will ever like another fantasy character RA portrays as much as that dark ages knight. Unless he plays Batman/Bruce Wayne. Then all bets are off. Love ❤️ love your work grrrrl🦋
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Thank you, Mimi xxx – and yes, that dark knight was the best one ever. Mind you, I am looking forward to seeing Raymond de Merville…
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Your RAPS are artistic and great fun! I enjoy seeing what you’ll create next!
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Thank you Grati – that’s a lovely motivation for myself to go and get some more of them done!
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