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Just a thread where I express my thoughts

Oh, trust me y'all. This is NOT the end of this place. 

If anything, this whole has given me more of a reason to make this place even better. 

 
(Even if some of you might still be on April 1 - for me it is the 2nd already - this is not a joke) Honestly, I am starting to feel a bit challenged by what is going on. What was initially just a shock, has actually made me reconsider why I actually like this series. Even if I did not finish any of the official games (stuck at Stage 4 Easy with 3 Continues in PCB), I still somehow feel this is quite a big loss. I might sound like a jerk right now, but what am I supposed to do? Actually buy the games? It is not like Touhou 1-5 are abandonware, and the games from 6 to 9 cannot be obtained unless ordering a physical copy. Also, even if 12 Euro (60 RON in local currency) does not seem so much for a game on Steam, I am not very sure I am willing to pay unless I am 100% sure I will enjoy the game, and it has replay-ability (aka I will come back to play it later as well). Therefore, I think I only ever bought like 3-4 games I was fully sure I will play again and again, and still play them now, years later. Therefore, I am feeling quite hesitant to pay for a bullet hell game, given how rarely I actually open my PCB I got from here (thank you, guys so much for it), nor am I fully sure I actually want to invest time in actually getting good at the game, or just finish it. Plus, 12 Euro is a bit too much over how much I can pay with a PaySafe coupon, where I can put at most 10 Euro.

Anyway, I was really thinking how and why I got in this community to begin with. I had no prior experience or interest in general for bullet hell games, but somehow got to love a series that is just as such at its core. Maybe I am just another one of those fakers, more of an anime fan than an actual Touhou fan, only here for the girls and fan art/fan music. Ever since the late of 2019, something switched in my brain that made me like stuff with cute girls in it (maybe as a coping mechanism in response to being alone?), which really started after reading some graphic novels. 

56912e4c7151f09642b260cb925644d8.jpg


From "Anya's Ghost" by Vera Brosgol; really thought at the time the protagonist was looking cute

Anyway, back on topic. As I was explaining in the first year of Touhou experience thread, I got hooked by ZUN's series purely by chance. It was chance first that that I saw what looked like a cool and cute looking blonde girl with weird, Christmas-tree branches like wings (later I found out that was Flandre Scarlet) in a Rhythm Heaven custom remix. Second instance of chance, and what actually brought me into Touhou, was seeing Flandre again in a random Discord conversation related to RichaadEB's Bullet Hell 1 music album (Flan appeared on the album cover). 

RichaadEB_-_Bullet_Hell.png


The album cover that brought me into Touhou

As I asked the person who mentioned this album who the character was, I was give a name (Flandre Scarlet), the name of a game series (Touhou) and the name of a song cove to listen to (RichaadEB and his Bad Apple cover, voiced by Christina Vee). Following that, it was short until I fell down the rabbit hole of Touhou content. Initially through the fanon, then slowly through official materials as well.

Now, after more than a year, I really am honestly questioning my place in here, even if most likely I will stick around. I have been quite affected by recent events, and probably, in all honesty, am just being way too bothered by anything going on in this fandom. That, and probably a mood ruined by reading a very good shitpost (classic April 1st joke), but which sounded scarily real given the context of the past week (and months) with the western fandom in all media. Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/ttja2a/meta_emergency_new_rules_for_rtouhou_important/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
And to quote:
 

[Meta] Emergency New Rules For /r/touhou [Important]

Hello, r/Touhou!

Due to the recent events that occurred in the last few weeks, such as the official DMCA notice against the piracy site, the Touhou Wikipedia drama, as well as some other phenomenons we have observed, the moderator team has decided to implement new rules from here on out.

Effective to “Found Fanart” posts exclusively from dead sources: An image rehost is no longer acceptable, where you must post the Danbooru link as the main post together with a link to the artist.

Effective to “Found Fanart” posts exclusively from the same artists or albums: A temporary blacklist will be issued to forbid particular artists’ artworks from being posted for a short period, in the case of their artworks being milked by multiple users.

ZUN and his legal team have made clear their stance regarding piracy. Any posts and comments that violate Rule 3 will remain in the public’s view. You are entitled to act morally superior and gatekeep against any pirates, as long as your reply does not violate Reddiquette. However, any offenders will receive a ban from r/Touhou, as well as a message notifying you that you will need to hire a lawyer to dispute the DMCA claim from ZUN and his legal team. To appeal the ban, please show concrete evidence that your copies of Touhou games are from legitimate sites together with your purchasing receipt.

Notes regarding “Game Discussion”, “Book Discussion”, “Fan Discussion” posts: All statements or arguments must be written in an objective and neutral manner accompanied by proper citations from official media if possible. You are legally allowed to tell others to “shut the fuck up” if they are found making subjective, biased or otherwise inaccurate statements. To have an opinion, *please verify yourself as an experienced player.

*required evidence may include perfect Lunatic clear of multiple stages, captures of “Pristine Danmaku Hell”/ “Yin-Yang Divine Orbs” etc as Marisa, or, full completion of Violet Detector.

Unless prior confirmed artists do not mind rehosting their work, Rule 9 will now be extended to cover Doujinshi. Safe-for-work images extracted from the H-sites will be banned since most works have the phrase “無断転載” on their last few pages.

Team Shanghai Alice has already taken down the shrine, and we will expect further actions targetting sites that pirate official Touhou doujins. As such, Rule 3 will now be extended to cover official printed works. ^Any mentions of “Mangadex”, “Free PDF download from the Wiki” or others will be treated the same as mentions of “Moriya Shrine” or other pirating statements.

^free pass will be granted if you can provide your own legal copies and require a scanlated version.

Sorry for the mild inconvenience caused by the new sets of rules. We, the moderation team, will continue to monitor every activity within r/Touhou, and make changes accordingly. Here is a quick tutorial on how to follow the rules. We hope to find a way to make a balance between artists’ rights and user conveniences.
 
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Regardless of anything I'm glad the site will keep going, always seemed like a great place to discover Touhou and just hang out in general.

I had the impression that downloads end up doing more good than harm in the end, although I guess it must look a bit weird from the other side. But coming from a country where buying stuff from outside even digitally is more expensive than others (except on Steam now, thank God for regional prices), this always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't even know about videogames in the first place if it wasn't for places like this.

 
@CountVonNumenor dude don't feel so down, nothing wrong with being a Touhou fan even if you don't play all the mainline bullet hell games, or play them but aren't "good" at them. Not everyone's into them.

That being said, the mainline games are pretty sick.

Don't worry yourself so much, Nitorium has plans for the site going forward.

On a another note, wow, I never expected this thread to get so many replies!

 
Thank you! As for the other part of the reply? Like what are things that actually count you as a fan, and what just makes you a fan of anime girls that somehow got into Touhou (even if I can hardly call myself an anime fan - the only anime thing I have ever watched (and knew I was actually watching an anime - Pokemon does not really count despite seeing it as a child, as I thought it was a regular cartoon) was Hellsing Ultimate Abridged, and that was a parody of another series. But yeah, am I just someone who got attracted to pretty girls doing badass stuff and have tons of absolutely awesome fan art and music arrangements? For reference, part 2 of my previous reply, in relation to cute stuff.

But again, thank you anyway ?

 
I seriously don't understand the DMCAs on soundtrack section, since ZUN himself never released soundtracks of actual games (not just albums with some tracks).

Also, I hope that the forums will stay, and the (file) servers move.

 
what are things that actually count you as a fan,
I consider this question applied more broadly to other concepts. The Lord of the Rings has a sizable fandom, but some have read all the books, some have only read the original four, and some haven't read any books at all; all are "fans" of the franchise, because their interest is in the concept rather than the material.

I'm a bit of a Sonic the Hedgehog fan. I'm especially fond of the Archie comics continuity, although I've never read any of the comics' material; my experience is limited to second-hand depiction and summary. My first experience with the franchise was Sonic X, and to date I've only played one of the games (that being Sonic Mania, and I never got beyond the third zone).

As I've mentioned before, I have not played any actual Touhou games. I tried out the Fantastic Danmaku Festival games, and decided curtain fire wasn't something I wanted to invest much time in. I dabbled a bit in Antinomy of Common Flowers, but I couldn't figure out the controls. My interest in Touhou began in the music, and over time expanded into the world-building and character designs.

That was the compatibility of my previous interests of music appreciation and story theory. I believe that's what it means to be a fan of something: to find aspects of the thing that relate to your interests. Your interests will likely align with others who are "fans," but others will be "fans" for completely different reasons. You may gain new interests from your interactions with other "fans" (or perhaps at least new appreciation for their interests), and you may lose interest as you change over time.

Regardless, I don't think anyone should be worried about whether or not they are a proper fan; so long as you have a related interest, that will be the determining factor in your interactions anyway.

 
ask yourself
do you like touhou? just answer yes or no
that's all, it's not that deep
I have to agree with them, as long as find any enjoyment with anything related to Touhou then you're still a fan, don't let anyone define who you are you enjoy what you want to enjoy.

 
So I guess everyone enjoys Touhou for one reason or another. Some like the games, others the music and fan works, while others just like the design of the characters (bonus if they catch your curiosity and make you want to learn more about the myths and influences they are inspired from). So I'm not just a loser coping with fictional characters due to no girlfriend? 

 
So I guess everyone enjoys Touhou for one reason or another. Some like the games, others the music and fan works, while others just like the design of the characters (bonus if they catch your curiosity and make you want to learn more about the myths and influences they are inspired from). So I'm not just a loser coping with fictional characters due to no girlfriend? 
Bro what does not having a girlfriend have to do with you being loser?

I'd argue you're not really a loser to begin with, I've seen people on images board sites are huge losers with no lives whatsoever, compared to them you're relatively normal, after all there's nothing wrong with coping with fictional characters even if there just pixels on a screen.

Trust me bro, it's not THAT deep.

 
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Bro what does not having a girlfriend have to do with you being loser?
 I think it is more related to the "stereotypical anime fan" thing? Like you know, they like anime, are not very good at socializing, have no gf and love their JPEG waifu. Especially since by now, at the age of 20, most around me already had one or more.

But keeping it closer to Touhou. In my country, this thins is not seem differently from anime in general. The whole thing is still ignored at best, frowned upon and called degeneracy at worst. I do remember going with a colleague from Belarus (and me as a Romanian) in a book shop, and when seeing a manga, the reaction from him was rather negative, while mine was that of curiosity as I never really saw a printed manga novel until now, and was curios to see how you actually read such a book. But yeah, there is stil some strong reticence towards such things where I live, and that is where the idea comes from. 

 
 I think it is more related to the "stereotypical anime fan" thing? Like you know, they like anime, are not very good at socializing, have no gf and love their JPEG waifu. Especially since by now, at the age of 20, most around me already had one or more.

But keeping it closer to Touhou. In my country, this thins is not seem differently from anime in general. The whole thing is still ignored at best, frowned upon and called degeneracy at worst. I do remember going with a colleague from Belarus (and me as a Romanian) in a book shop, and when seeing a manga, the reaction from him was rather negative, while mine was that of curiosity as I never really saw a printed manga novel until now, and was curios to see how you actually read such a book. But yeah, there is stil some strong reticence towards such things where I live, and that is where the idea comes from. 
I Honestly don't see how you would fit into the category of being a "stereotypical anime fan", I mean you like cute characters in a game, so what?

Just because someone saw you looking into some Touhou or Anime related stuff doesn't mean you should be ashamed of it, who cares?

I'd say screw them, you don't need to take shit from them, who cares what other people think you can like whatever you want, you shouldn't buy into that shit man, it'll only drag you down and make you feel awful, besides I'd argue your interests are WAY more common then you think, don't let some faceless nobody or society define who you are, you can enjoy whatever you want while not caring what other people think.

Hell, that's what I've been doing for years now, I love learning about obscure/niche video games, I like learning about Japanese culture (Both good and bad aspects of it), and I love me some Japanese cuisine but does that make me a weeaboo? No, absolutely not.

My point is you shouldn't let anyone push you around just because you like Touhou or have picked up a manga before, you shouldn't people define who you are.

You like Touhou for the characters? That's great!

You like ZUN's music? Awesome!

Don't like SHMUPS? That's okay!

You love a specific character that's near and dear to your heart? That's perfectly fine.

If it makes you happy in life then that's what matters most.

I hope I was able to get my point across, even if it helped only a little.

 
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eyy a suika

hi
aye aye whats up oni how you doin?

coming from a country where buying stuff from outside even digitally is more expensive than others (except on Steam now, thank God for regional prices), this always leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I wouldn't even know about videogames in the first place if it wasn't for places like this.
right? like this is the kinda bs that makes hate over litigious copywrite holders. its just making it harder for people to play your games. honestly makes me respect zun a lil less if he signs off on stuff like this. I mean the man obvs makes a shitload of stuff and fun chars and puts in a lotta work. an indie dev to idolize for sure, but like I respect the devs at nintendo too, but lord knows me, everyone else, and everyone's grandma hates the company for shit like this (obvs they are way worse in multiple ways for multiple reasons but still)

 
Man countvonnumenor, that reddit post looks terrible. Imagine all those rules just make some touhou post.

Honestly, I dont think Zun and his legal team will have the scale really enforce his will on the Touhou fanbase in this matter forever. I have met many Touhou fans and many of them will never spend a dime on anything and never will on anything Touhou related. Eventually, he will probably realize he is spending too much on resources to even bother anymore. Its like the Cafe De Touhou on youtube. That shit would get instantly reuploaded the second it got taken down.

This situation makes me think about the Warhammer guys, I forgot what the name of the company was called, but I remember being told that they spend so much on legal copyright that it makes up a massive chunk of their revenue. And man, have you see the prices they charge on their stuff? highway robbery. I highly doubt Zun really gets that much money from the rest of the world compared to his Japanese base.

 
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that reddit post looks terrible. Imagine all those rules just make some touhou post.
That is very well the reason I haven't used reddit to post anything at all. It's like Walmart version of youtube with extra BS. Most of the individuals there aren't civilized compared to here. 

Honestly, I dont think Zun and his legal team will have the scale really enforce his will on the Touhou fanbase in this matter forever. I have met many Touhou fans and many of them will never spend a dime on anything and never will on anything Touhou related. Eventually, he will probably realize he is spending too much on resources to even bother anymore. Its like the Cafe De Touhou on youtube. That shit would get instantly reuploaded the second it got taken down.
Yeah, I do think it's inevitable. Prices are too high for a single doll and there're regional difference in currency. Mine is poor so, even able to afford a steam sale is a blessing to me. Regarding of Cafe De Touhou, I'm surprised to how many time it got taken down and got reuploaded. 

So I'm not just a loser coping with fictional characters due to no girlfriend?
Dear good sir, there're two answers to your question: the short one & the long one.

The short one is, Objection! 

The long one is, your honor I was once in your state for as long as I can remember. Coping with a bunch of pixels in itself has no shame whatsoever. Every one has a different coping method. I'm with TheM3ds on this topic. Truly, you aren't a loser in my eyes good sir.

I think it is more related to the "stereotypical anime fan" thing? Like you know, they like anime, are not very good at socializing, have no gf and love their JPEG waifu. Especially since by now, at the age of 20, most around me already had one or more.

But keeping it closer to Touhou. In my country, this thins is not seem differently from anime in general. The whole thing is still ignored at best, frowned upon and called degeneracy at worst. I do remember going with a colleague from Belarus (and me as a Romanian) in a book shop, and when seeing a manga, the reaction from him was rather negative, while mine was that of curiosity as I never really saw a printed manga novel until now, and was curios to see how you actually read such a book. But yeah, there is stil some strong reticence towards such things where I live, and that is where the idea comes from. 
If the sun was cold, I say you would be in the "stereotypical anime fan" thing. 

Damm, those people whom have the nerve to tell you that liking a specific content related to "Japanese" stuff makes you a "weeb" have the same IQ as a donkey. In every case, the donkey is smarter then them. Don't really pay them any mind as they're basically saying "you are normal? & likes to do what you enjoys. Then, you're definitely a loser who likes to do what you enjoys." Seriously, I've had those so called "friends" of mine telling the same exact thing to me 4 years ago. I'm glad that I cut ties with those ungrateful "friends" of mine.  

Which means in reality I've no friends in middle school and had a fake girlfriend.

My point is the same as TheM3ds but with one thing added on top. I'm truly sure you have it which is balance. I've seen many people go down-hill because they were focusing on one thing and one thing only. Being obsessed with it. Like the yin & yang (I really like that word) you should have balance: having fun in life, enjoying something and having no regrets.

If this help you even by a little, I'm truly glad. After all, brothers looks after each other's backs.

 
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