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CountVonNumenor

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Posts posted by CountVonNumenor

  1. On 1/10/2023 at 11:44 PM, CountVonNumenor said:

    The second thing I was going to ask about, despite possibly not being a fandom rivalry, but really got my attention as I was writing this, is regards to a Twitter post (confirmed to be fake news - I will cover that in the following days). Apparently, Touhou has been replaced this year from the Comiket introduction booklet by Blue Archive, and that this is the only other time it happened was in 2007 (which again, was confirmed to be false). Does anyone have more context on this issue? I don't really know what is going on, how it ended up like this, and if there are any possible consequences if fandoms start acting up again. From the way that tweet was framed, it implies that Touhou was used for the booklet for a long time, and this year it was for the first time replaced by another series after a decade and a half?

    EPILOGUE: It's been almost a year since the opening post. It looks like Blue Archive has scored again the highest at the Comiket in terms of content creator panels, at over 1700 (compared to the 766 Touhou had). I guess more power to them, especially if they are apparently as liberal with fan-made content as I may have heard. It does not make me want to try out that series, but it's interesting how things evolve.

    On a different note, it's impressive how Touhou can still have hundreds of panels even now, at over 20 years since the series came to be.

  2. Oh shit, it's been a long time since I posted something here. As I am in that part of the year when my hype for Amagami gets back to high charts, I might be doing something for Christmas. I am not sure yet if it will be a more substantial comment part of this thread, or if I will write a new, special thread in which to put things into perspective (like a "Retrospective: Amagami"). That could be easily helped if I am also watching SS+ Plus, just to wrap up things nicely and have the whole series completed...

    image.gif.19f6406532c0e43b961db4c08cc6b43c.gif

  3. Looks like I am back at the Shrine, but not with something I would have liked to talk to as one of the "rare instance of CvN coming back to the Moriya Shrine". However, as I do not think this will be visible anywhere else, I will just do it here:

    I have been using Pinterest for many years now (probably at least since 2019), but in recent times the platform started to have a lot of issues with the filtering of content. I wanted to express my own point of view on the situation on the dedicate subreddit, but surprise, surprise, my thread has been automatically removed the second I clicked "Post". And since no moderator actually answered since my original attempt at trying to contact them, I guess my second best option was to post in a place I am familiar with and perhaps would have helped make the situation a little more visible. Therefore, buckle in, this is going to be an experience of all times... (the original thread can be found here)

     

     

    I am a monster...

    ..at least in the eyes of Pinterest. A bit over a couple week ago, another user was talking about the issue of Pinterest reporting art for being... well, art.

    (second attempt at posting this thread; first time it was automatically removed, and I am still trying to figure out why)

    In the past month, I have started my own collection of art. Paintings that are usually found in museums, art galleries and the sort. But as I was adding new content to the gallery (either saved from other users of the platform or uploaded from Wikipedia), I ended up getting drowned in content violation reports. To be fair, it is partially my fault, as about half the collection represents nude paintings, and Pinterest really has been on the offensive recently against such content. However, if checking out the content guidelines posted by the guys themselves, it says very clearly that "[...] nudity in paintings and sculptures and in science and historical contexts is OK".*

    I did get quite a of reports, but the account is still running. For each violation report I got, I sent an appeal. In about 80-85% of the cases, Pinterest changed the status from "adult content" to safe. At some point, the whole board in itself was put under Limited Distribution, but following an appeal, it became perfectly safe somehow... The closest thing to that kind of content I have put was a painting by Courbet, and that was AFTER the reports started flowing just so I could take a piss on this whole situation.

    And it's not like I was posting outright porn images/videos and/or hentai like other users used to do (speaking of which, why did there use to be so many accounts with seemingly Indian-sounding names that were done solely for that kind of content?). I remember that, among the people who decided to follow my content, one of them was a gateway towards all the content to the kind as he was subscribed to thousands of accounts posting porn. My rule of thumb on Pinterest has been, at least until earlier this year, that "you are always 2-3 accounts away from finding porn".

    Recently, I have not received any new content violation report, so I guess they might have just given up? Or at least gave me a break. At least the attacks on classical art have ceased for now, but I still do understand why would they go after something anyone could see if they went to an art museum/gallery. That EU transparency report sure must have scared the shit out them...

    Spoiler

    image.png?ex=657389e3&is=656114e3&hm=090

    And since still on the topic of content rating, following all those reports, I have a single question: how did "La perle" by William-Adolphe Bouguereau end up being rated safe, while "The night accompanied by the geniuses of study and love" by Pedro Américo remains "adult content", I have no idea...

    (on a similar note to other people that got stupid repots, I also had a few for stuff like a painting depicting the battle of Dybbøl as "graphic violence" - and which Pinterest refuses to put back even now after appeals, and an the image of two tank miniature figurine kits, also blocked for "graphic content" - this time however, they did have at least one neuron left and put it back)

    UPDATE since the original attempt at posting: the period of calm is over. Reports are coming in again, and I am facing more and more the situation of a post having been reinstate after appeal, but getting reported again not long after.

    tl;dr - not even art is safe anymore

     

    With this in mind, I am not very sure what to say about the use of the platform. I am not really going to get out of it due to the sunken cost, and the fact I have worked for 3 years to build a Touhou fanart archive worth of over 26K images at the time of writing this thread. But in case the platform might decide to go more harsh and outright ban me, I am preparing contingency plans: mass download of all images, along with backups of the website through Internet Archive/Wayback Machine. 

    I hope next time I can come back with something more positive.

     

    *Directly quoted from the community guidelines, "Content safety" section

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  4. As time goes on, I am honestly feeling like I am getting closer to ending my deals with Touhou and moving further as I am losing more and more interest for it and what is going on. One of the few things that still keeps me on is the time and intensity of emotions spent for 3 years already. And yet, I am still saving images, and talking about it with people (despite being much more interested in other series right now)...

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  5. On 4/7/2023 at 12:24 AM, CountVonNumenor said:

    Oh hey, I've been familiar with the music creations of Stringstorm since early 2020, when he was still doing the soundtrack for If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device and was hosting Warhammer 40K: Idol Month(s). I think I did mention him though ever since last year, when his first Touhou-themed song, Scarlet Sky, dropped. He is a very welcome addition to the list of Touhou-related fan creators, and seems like the introduction of Touhou songs in his playlist came as he decided to cut on the Warhammer songs (due to some legal issues with the IP owners of the franchise and the treatment of fan-made content). There is at least one more song from him that should come soon, and a few more Touhou-themed ones have been announced for the future. 

    Well, this did not age well.... Due to a series of allegations and a sentence he needs to serve, Stringstorm will  not be up for quite a while. And probably his reputation will be on tatters as well. The story of what happened... is not very nice. Therefore, I am not sure of that song will be coming at any point. An Utsuho song, as well as one about Shinmyoumaru did come out before the accusations, and there was still a project related to PCB. 

    Meanwhile though, there are lots of random one-off animations coming from western creators. Usually short, but still very good and fun. Similarly, I really wonder what Touhou reference will Sr. Pelo's yearly Spooky Month come up with this time around...

  6. Oh god, its becoming ever so clear that I a either completely losing touch with this series, or at the very least suffer from a bit of a burnout. And what better sign of goin through a burnout than the fact that I am barely active on this forum anymore. I think I have mentioned that already as one of the points in the opening post, but now I really do feel like a mere shadow of what I used to be (known for) on this forum, and no longer live up to my reputation...

    I really need to get some time to reply on everything you guys have written here.

    • Like 2
  7. 19 hours ago, nom said:

    not going into this with high expectations tbh, didn't really like the doremy song, but I'll keep an open mind

    I do not even k ow what happened in the Doremy song. To be fair, I have not listened to anything new from this group since the Sekibanki song (Rock'n Rock'n Beat) 

  8. News round-up

    Oh wait, there's nothing really interesting happening in this game. Mostly event reruns and more character alts being shoved into the EoSD (A6) universe (we just got EoSD Youmu and Yuyuko these days...)

    At least the DanKagu successor has been released, even if I have not heard anything of that game ever since...

     

    End notes

    Just as I realized, I have not updated this thread for over half a year. To be frank, with all the boring bullshit and/or repetitive activities going on in the game, I really did not feel like there was any incentive to keep going. Things got so bad that I even got to the point where I am skipping story and event cutscenes - something I would have thought unacceptable to do just a year prior. I still keep playing the game, but by now it is mostly due to sunken cost fallacy. Meanwhile, I have tried out other games, and I am just 1 step away from completely uninstalling it and saying "Fuck it, I'll just go play Azur Lane instead" (which I already started since May - oh, the irony; going from mocking the game to playing it unironically...).

    Because at least that other one keeps being interesting, and when making the transition from LW, you realize how backwards the Touhou-themed game is (also yes, AL players are rather spoiled and always eating well - from huge cast to events that contain mini-games to a more interesting way of pulling, upgrading and enhancing characters, and an abundance of Live2D animations that are more than just a floating GIF). It may also be a bias on my side, but I would still say that AL is a superior game to LW. But that may also be from being an independent IP, supported by a big company that can pump tons of money into it to make the game as flashy as possible. Surely, it is very silly, stupidly hyper-sexualized game at some points, and with some stuff that you would prefer not to have been in your game, but it is still much more entertaining than whatever is going on right now in LW (even if I still have my love for Touhou as a series and universe). 

    Spoiler

    SPOILER_image.png?ex=651e7cd8&is=651d2b5

    When one of you main community complains is the fact that a Live2D skins is "not L2D enough" and "do not have enough jiggle physics", after your game being considered to be one that has not only set, but also always raised the bar in terms of high quality Live2D animations for their characters, then there is something going on...

     

    I kept making jokes earlier this year that LW earned its 2 million players after 3 years. Meanwhile, AL got 5 million players ON THE JP SERVER ALONE in a matter of weeks after release. So there's that... A game that just came from a non-existent until that moment IP managed to beat a game made under the logo that had 20 years of fame and recognition. Not that it makes the game automatically superior, just an interesting bit of data to put into perspective.

    jean_bart_and_richelieu_azur_lane_drawn_

    Anyway, good luck and see you another time. Peace!

     

    Spoiler

    ulrich_von_hutten_azur_lane_drawn_by_ohi

    800px-Ise.png?ex=651e5ef1&is=651d0d71&hm

    hood_azur_lane_drawn_by_sa_h28085__4a130

    jean_bart_azur_lane_drawn_by_shanghai_ka

    Also screw this, HMS Hood, Ise, Jean Bart and Ulrich von Hutten (not in the order of images) ftw 

    • Like 1
  9. It's been over 24 hours since the results were published, but only now I got the chance to write something on the topic.

    Honestly, this year I am very content with the results. Last year, I remember that at first I was a little disappointed by the EoSD stomp over everything, but it was rather understandable given the symbolism of last year (20 years since the beginning of the Windows game series). But this year, it seems like things did not repeat for PCB (Youmu scored 4th place, and Yuyuko scored 10th). Now, I am quite curious to see what next year will bring... (credit for the tables goes to Maribel Hearn, who translated the results at super-speed just after the official publish)

    image.png?ex=651b0167&is=6519afe7&hm=82c

    Probably one of the most interesting things is the fact our two main characters, Reimu and Marisa, have taken the first two places. I do not when this happened last time, but it must have been quite some time ago. Flan and Koishi are still keeping strong, same with a few more of the SDM cast. 

     

    image.png?ex=651b0167&is=6519afe7&hm=e7a

    I will not say too much about music, because these are results that never change, and probably never will. I think we expect UN Owen, Septette or Hartman to be in the first 5 songs until the heat death of the universe...

     

    image.png?ex=651a90d2&is=65193f52&hm=ed4

    And on a more personal note, things are going not so bad. The characters I have cheered for seemed to either keep their spot or slightly go up, with some exceptions. At least compared to last year, they are performing a little better. ALSO AKYUU WENT UP BY 1 POSITON, AND KOSUZU BY 4? DAMN, THEY BE DOIN' NUMBERS! I am so proud of them. Big OOF though for Hecatia, and especially Raiko. They deserved more...

     

    Anyway, what do you thing about this year's results? Are you satisfied with them? Has any of the characters you have voted for gone upper or lower in the charts? Is there anything you wish could have changed? Tell your thoughts about this edition, and see you until next thread (whenever that may be...) 

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  10. On 8/3/2023 at 12:19 PM, Eulogous said:

    This has always been the oddest rule to me. I'm not entirely sure what to interpret from it. Is it a thing to prevent spoilers? Some of the games need to have a specific ending to explain some things in another game. Are we not allowed to talk about Sanae's UFO ending, where it's revealed that the Moriya Shrine gods helped build Myouren Temple that appears in Ten Desires?

    Coming back to this with a very fresh instance. Well, it looks like the "no game end spoilers" rule is still heavily reinforced. Right now (or rather said a few minutes ago) I saw AspreyFM play Touhou 19 (he's finally doing it), and he keeps hiding the screen or censor it whenever a game ending is shown.

    • Thinking 1
  11. 2 hours ago, Kurzov said:

    Worst game launch in Touhou history

    I have not really caught up with the game news and what is going on. Could you please explain what happened? Outside the fact the game came out and what the character roster looks like, I have absolutely no idea of anything else. I have not played the game either, and probably won't do it given that bullet hell is not really my cup of tea when it comes to video games. So I'm listening, why is this "the worst game launch in Touhou history"

    • Like 2
  12. I would have liked to leave a reply this evening, but it seems like it got late in the night, and what I was going to write would have been rather lengthy. I hope I can get back to is as soon as possible, and actually write what I wanted to say. This whole thread has hit way too close to home, and it reminds me too much of things that either happened or are happening to me right now. That entire feeling of loneliness is way too relatable, and I have also been fighting myself (a feelingly losing battle) against it. 

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  13. I was actually quite wondering... If you're from the West, and want to make Touhou fan ci tent, how are you going to monetise it afterwards? Like for example a comics/manga creator (let's not get though into the semantics of whether a comic book made in manga style, but outside Japan, should be orbit considered a manga). The ZUN rules imply that you can only sell your products at specific events (see the list) that only take place in Japan. How do Western creators do it? Do they just share everything for free on social media? I've always been curious if people like RichaadEB or YaboiMatoi actually earn anything from their fan arrangements, or do they just do it for fun. Or overall, how does the creation and monetisation of Touhou fan-made content work in this part of the world?

    • Like 1
  14. 3 hours ago, yukayay said:

    hello again this is your reminder that a new akatsuki records song is out
    thanks and have a good day

    Thank you @yukayay for continuing to post the new songs. I am afraid I might be going through a burnout phase with this group, as I have not shared, nor even listened to any of their new songs past the Sekibanki one. I do not know what happens to be, but I do not feel very inclined to listen to anything new. I think this might be... already the fourth recent music video in a row I have not listened to? To be fair though, it seems that Akatsuki Records has posted much more content since Christmas, or even just this first half of 2023 than ever before on their official channel.  

    • Like 2
  15. 33 minutes ago, Eulogous said:

    This has always been the oddest rule to me. I'm not entirely sure what to interpret from it. Is it a thing to prevent spoilers? Some of the games need to have a specific ending to explain some things in another game. Are we not allowed to talk about Sanae's UFO ending, where it's revealed that the Moriya Shrine gods helped build Myouren Temple that appears in Ten Desires?

    Does this also mean someone can't write an AU fanwork derived from a Bad Ending?

    I have a feeling this rule about "no spoilers" has always been up. Actually, it was one of the first thing I was taught about when I discovered Touhou. And yes, fans seems to be strictly reinforcing this rule as well. even if the game in question may be 20 years or older by now. Most recent such example I have seen was when I was watching AspreyFM play various games in the main series. He was always covering the screen when the ending appeared, and everyone said that if you show the ending, you are basically going to get a copyright strike or treated it like you are going to break an actual rule from the Criminal Code.
     

    37 minutes ago, Eulogous said:

    I am absolutely certain that this rule in particular is followed the most. 100%.

    Oh, most definitely. Our series of interest totally does not have a lot of infamy surrounding it due to the sheer amount of content or the legality of some of that content. Absolutely not, this rule is reinforced by the book by the community (especially the Japanese/East Asian one)... 
     

    39 minutes ago, Eulogous said:

    aec.jpg

    God

     

    Outside the rule about "no ending spoilers", to what degree do people actually respect the official guidelines?

    • Like 1
  16. Recently, I was quite curious to see what are the regulations when it comes to the creation of Touhou fan content. Not long after, I have found the rule list on the Touhou Yomoyama News website, and so I wanted to share them here as a bit of random trivia. I am not sure to what degree are those regulations respected by fan content creators as a whole, but I honestly find them interesting. If there is anything you find interesting, feel free to share your thoughts.

     

    Spoiler

    Guidelines for Touhou Project Fan Creators
    (UPDATE:November 10, 2020)

    In short, you may simply use your common sense if you're an individual or group (as opposed to a legal person) creating Fan Content (stuff you make based on Touhou Project) just for fun. However, your Fan Content has to comply with the following rules:

    Your Fan Content should always have:

    • A clear note that your Fan Content is a fan work based on Touhou Project.


    Your Fan Content should NEVER have:

    • Anything that means to harm Touhou Project's reputation.
    • Anything that infringes upon other intellectual property.
    • Anything that means to mistake your Fan Content as one of the official Touhou Project titles.
    • Anything that is extracted from official Touhou Project games.
    • Ending scenes from official Touhou Project games.
    • Anything that means to advertise personal beliefs beyond the bounds of fiction.
    • Other Touhou Fan Content without the creator's permission.
    • Excessive sexual content that is considered unlawful.
    • Anything that promotes hatred against individuals or groups.
    • Though not relevant to Fan Content, posting or modifying photos of ZUN himself without ZUN's permission is prohibited.


    Distribution
    In general, your Fan Content may only be distributed through platforms where:

    • you can find official Touhou Project contents
    • they are licensed or permitted by ZUN


    Examples (includes but not limited to):

    • Local doujin events in Japan
    • Local doujin shops in Japan
    • Events are explicitly permitted by ZUN
    • Small home business (physical media only)
    • BOOK☆WALKER
    • Touhou Digital Music Distribution
    • Local events with admission fees on an individual scale


    Browser games and mobile games can only be released as free-to-play games. Other forms of monetizations such as in-app advertisement and ad removal as an in-app purchase are allowed. Fan-made video content, including let's play videos, may be uploaded through video-sharing platforms alike. If you have obtained an explicit license from Team Shanghai Alice, please clarify such an association in your Fan Content. You are solely responsible for any troubles caused by your Fan Content. Under no circumstances will Team Shanghai Alice be held responsible for any damages. If you are a legal person creating Fan Content as a business activity, please contact us. Disclaimer The intention of this guideline is to provide fan creators with a brief understanding of dos and don'ts in a lenient manner. We do not answer any questions from individuals or groups regarding these guidelines and Fan Content policy. We may contact you directly if we consider your Fan Content to be a serious violation of our guidelines. We reserve the right to update this guideline without any notices.


    About previous guidelines

    Previous guidelines provided by ZUN are still considered as effective. For details that are not included in this guideline, please consult previous guidelines linked below.

    Special thanks to Mr. Takker for hosting Touhou Project creator guidelines ever since.

    I have decided to use a spoiler just so it would not be too much to scroll, or in case someone just wants to skip to the thoughts sharing part. 

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