Reitisen
Onshi
Time to get this off my chest.
Alright, this thread has been spurred out of both seeing @CountVonNumenor's thread about burnout and also the general state of the Touhou fanbase on other sites, most notably Reddit (which has been going through a ditch), in which most Touhou fans/internet denizens seem to be downright oblivious/blind to changes or downright hostile to those who are protesting changes which keep the site aware of the users and keep it useful to everyone.
To give a synopsis for clarity, I'm going to cover how Touhou fans existed throughout the years and how the internet changed the Fandom from a mostly creative fandom to a sanitized corporate outcome over the years, which inspires no creativity. Some of it will talk about Touhou, some will not, given that this sort of thing can apply to any fandom that exists on corporate-owned websites and not fandom owned. This kind of progression is why I'm giving the outlook a Terribad stamp due to the short attention spans of Touhou fans and the rabid tribalism of people justifying how Reddit is right in their horrible changes which will shoot them right back in the butt.
This is sort of the expansion of the forum thread about attention spans here:
This discussion is for people who have an attention span. (You know who you are
)
Information will be kept into spoiler sections in order to save on scrolling.
This is all based on my own opinions on what has occurred over the years.
1. The Start of the Internet (Touhou Fans Eating Good)
This kind of discussion will talk about the early internet | around the <2000> s
2. The Rotting Starts (Sanitization and blandness starts)
Hmmm, this probably started around the 2008-2020 this is when sites started to go corpo mode and start profiteering off the users.
3. What it is now◝(^⌣^)◜--> ^o^ --> n-n (People capitulate to Greed for instant satsifaction)
The complete change of culture in Touhou | 2020-Present
Time to act as a boomer, even though I was born at the time in which old forums were going out.
4. Burnout Zone (Opinion on why the fandom is at an all time low for creativity)
So how is this going to end up? (Conclusion - Touhou fans and everyone hate everyone else)
What are you looking at?
Alright, this thread has been spurred out of both seeing @CountVonNumenor's thread about burnout and also the general state of the Touhou fanbase on other sites, most notably Reddit (which has been going through a ditch), in which most Touhou fans/internet denizens seem to be downright oblivious/blind to changes or downright hostile to those who are protesting changes which keep the site aware of the users and keep it useful to everyone.
To give a synopsis for clarity, I'm going to cover how Touhou fans existed throughout the years and how the internet changed the Fandom from a mostly creative fandom to a sanitized corporate outcome over the years, which inspires no creativity. Some of it will talk about Touhou, some will not, given that this sort of thing can apply to any fandom that exists on corporate-owned websites and not fandom owned. This kind of progression is why I'm giving the outlook a Terribad stamp due to the short attention spans of Touhou fans and the rabid tribalism of people justifying how Reddit is right in their horrible changes which will shoot them right back in the butt.
This is sort of the expansion of the forum thread about attention spans here:
This discussion is for people who have an attention span. (You know who you are
)Information will be kept into spoiler sections in order to save on scrolling.
This is all based on my own opinions on what has occurred over the years.
1. The Start of the Internet (Touhou Fans Eating Good)
This kind of discussion will talk about the early internet | around the <2000> s
As we all know, Touhou has been something that has propagated a lot due to the fanbase on both hemispheres of the world. Something like the Touhou Project wouldn't have existed past certain games if the fan interaction didn't convince ZUN enough to make another game for the series.
During those times in which the internet has existed, a lot of Touhou fans have stayed on independent sites or sites that seem interesting. I would call the time in which these independent forums and sites have thrived the golden age of the fanbase of Touhou, given the fact that users created an actual community that cared about everyone and provided something organic and interesting in discussion rather than something sanitized like today's social media, in which users are hostile to any form of positivity and anything too violent.
During those times in which the internet has existed, a lot of Touhou fans have stayed on independent sites or sites that seem interesting. I would call the time in which these independent forums and sites have thrived the golden age of the fanbase of Touhou, given the fact that users created an actual community that cared about everyone and provided something organic and interesting in discussion rather than something sanitized like today's social media, in which users are hostile to any form of positivity and anything too violent.
Hmmm, this probably started around the 2008-2020 this is when sites started to go corpo mode and start profiteering off the users.
Oh boy, this probably started when people realized data was an easy thing to monetize and greed started to churn the gears of people who originally had good intentions.
Touhou during these times was kind of starting to become a sort of main stream thing in the west as more of the mainline games started to become more noticed by internet denizens and thus started to become weird. odd? Well, that is with anything with a fanbase that memes it to weirdness in order to gain attention. This mostly came from western fanbases attaching themselves to eastern memes and doing it to death, something that many (including myself) hated about the fanbase that made these characters into flanderized versions of themselves, e.g., Flandre, Meiling, Yuyuko, Yuuka, and Koishi.
This kind of Brainrot was enhanced due to the rise of media sites that figured out how to keep people looking at their site and keep people within their website. Independent sites that kept these Touhou forums online started to die off as more and more people were attracted to social media sites, which could keep them entertained with a deluge of information to jump off of.
On all social media sites, they don't care about quality. It is more about how much you can make and how much time you spend on their site. Unique and creative ideas are starting to be trampled on by algorithms that promote bland and easy-to-consume content. Users of these sites care more about how many fake points they are getting than the community discussion and organic talks between users.
"Why bother making something creative that will possibly not be noticed when I can just post fast-made, crappy-quality stuff and get the same amount of views?"
At the end of 2020, users will be completely ingrained in corporate sites rather than supporting independent sites. Creating a sort of holier-than-thou attitude as these people think they are better off using an easy-to-use website. Tribal group formations are quite common, with people defending these sites to the death while the sites think of their users as money bags and nothing more. A sad state for the internet as a whole and a big win for corporate shills.
Touhou during these times was kind of starting to become a sort of main stream thing in the west as more of the mainline games started to become more noticed by internet denizens and thus started to become weird. odd? Well, that is with anything with a fanbase that memes it to weirdness in order to gain attention. This mostly came from western fanbases attaching themselves to eastern memes and doing it to death, something that many (including myself) hated about the fanbase that made these characters into flanderized versions of themselves, e.g., Flandre, Meiling, Yuyuko, Yuuka, and Koishi.
This kind of Brainrot was enhanced due to the rise of media sites that figured out how to keep people looking at their site and keep people within their website. Independent sites that kept these Touhou forums online started to die off as more and more people were attracted to social media sites, which could keep them entertained with a deluge of information to jump off of.
On all social media sites, they don't care about quality. It is more about how much you can make and how much time you spend on their site. Unique and creative ideas are starting to be trampled on by algorithms that promote bland and easy-to-consume content. Users of these sites care more about how many fake points they are getting than the community discussion and organic talks between users.
"Why bother making something creative that will possibly not be noticed when I can just post fast-made, crappy-quality stuff and get the same amount of views?"
At the end of 2020, users will be completely ingrained in corporate sites rather than supporting independent sites. Creating a sort of holier-than-thou attitude as these people think they are better off using an easy-to-use website. Tribal group formations are quite common, with people defending these sites to the death while the sites think of their users as money bags and nothing more. A sad state for the internet as a whole and a big win for corporate shills.
The complete change of culture in Touhou | 2020-Present
Time to act as a boomer, even though I was born at the time in which old forums were going out.
A lot of people can't even think about going onto forums owned by independent groups, as most grew up on sites like Reddit and Twitter, which are more sanitized than the surface of Mars in terms of content.
"EUGHHH!! OLD UI AND NO SUBWAY SURFER TO KEEP MY ATTENTION!" The reality of things now.
Independent Touhou creators who create interesting fan works are now at an all-time low, as most are burned out by the content grind or are ignored and pushed down by other content that has taken someone ten minutes to make and post, getting more attention.
This entire thread was created due to the crappy nature of these sites, most notably Reddit and their braindead karma slaves who argue about protests against the site, saying, Oh, we can't do this protest because of the information provided" or "our hobbies can't be fulfilled if we restrict; how can we even protest?" This is what we call putting all your eggs in one basket and braindead thinking, as sites like these are a template that proves that it is possible to revive forums in a modern way that supports fandoms instead of corporations.
It should be noted that those who are going against this protest are those who have over 100,000 dead weight points on the site. As a general rule, the more karma points they have, the more of a shill they are for a corporation, and the more humanity is lost. I don't even think they like Touhou given their general apathy toward having a backup in case Reddit falls to public stock cannibalization, which all sites are doing now to sell off.
We all know what happens when a company goes public with stocks. Ironic given the fact that these Redditors laugh at Twitter and Elon while looking away at Reddit's CEO, who is just as bad as Elon in terms of "Freedom of speech" and their own site as a whole.
"EUGHHH!! OLD UI AND NO SUBWAY SURFER TO KEEP MY ATTENTION!" The reality of things now.
Independent Touhou creators who create interesting fan works are now at an all-time low, as most are burned out by the content grind or are ignored and pushed down by other content that has taken someone ten minutes to make and post, getting more attention.
This entire thread was created due to the crappy nature of these sites, most notably Reddit and their braindead karma slaves who argue about protests against the site, saying, Oh, we can't do this protest because of the information provided" or "our hobbies can't be fulfilled if we restrict; how can we even protest?" This is what we call putting all your eggs in one basket and braindead thinking, as sites like these are a template that proves that it is possible to revive forums in a modern way that supports fandoms instead of corporations.
It should be noted that those who are going against this protest are those who have over 100,000 dead weight points on the site. As a general rule, the more karma points they have, the more of a shill they are for a corporation, and the more humanity is lost. I don't even think they like Touhou given their general apathy toward having a backup in case Reddit falls to public stock cannibalization, which all sites are doing now to sell off.
We all know what happens when a company goes public with stocks. Ironic given the fact that these Redditors laugh at Twitter and Elon while looking away at Reddit's CEO, who is just as bad as Elon in terms of "Freedom of speech" and their own site as a whole.
Alright, time for my opinion on this topic, as I've spent some time in the fanbase, seen quite a lot of fan work, and had my fair share of burnout as the general fanbase was growing during these years.
In my opinion, I feel like the fanbase isn't exactly going in a direction that allows people to be creative with content, as people seem to ignore independent works that provide a new outlook on Touhou and new stuff other than the main stories. These people also seem to have a problem with works that aren't cutesy or wholesome. Ignoring stories or hating these works, such as Zounose, because they can't handle mature themes or deeper life lessons that are, in my opinion, quite connected to how Gensokyo works as a whole and created something unique compared to other works
For example, Osana Reimu was something created by Joyful and had a general wide acclaim in the Eastern fanbase as something that was held in wide regard in terms of a Touhou fan work that had people paying attention to something not pertaining to the main games. Now it is just seen as another franchise comparable to the much more talked-about KKHTA, which held attention by being outrageous in terms of content and weirdness, which then got turned into meme material as a "oh, hey! Look at this outrageous thing!"
I really liked Osana Reimu and still do to this day, as it is one of the series that I still re-watch or read as a reminder of a good derivative series. Nowadays, nothing like that exists, as most Touhou fan content doesn't touch upon anything too sensitive or creative, leading to me being burned out as much of the Touhou fanbase spews out just art and cutesy things rather than talking about good and innovative stories that have an actual deep impact.
In my opinion, I feel like the fanbase isn't exactly going in a direction that allows people to be creative with content, as people seem to ignore independent works that provide a new outlook on Touhou and new stuff other than the main stories. These people also seem to have a problem with works that aren't cutesy or wholesome. Ignoring stories or hating these works, such as Zounose, because they can't handle mature themes or deeper life lessons that are, in my opinion, quite connected to how Gensokyo works as a whole and created something unique compared to other works
For example, Osana Reimu was something created by Joyful and had a general wide acclaim in the Eastern fanbase as something that was held in wide regard in terms of a Touhou fan work that had people paying attention to something not pertaining to the main games. Now it is just seen as another franchise comparable to the much more talked-about KKHTA, which held attention by being outrageous in terms of content and weirdness, which then got turned into meme material as a "oh, hey! Look at this outrageous thing!"
I really liked Osana Reimu and still do to this day, as it is one of the series that I still re-watch or read as a reminder of a good derivative series. Nowadays, nothing like that exists, as most Touhou fan content doesn't touch upon anything too sensitive or creative, leading to me being burned out as much of the Touhou fanbase spews out just art and cutesy things rather than talking about good and innovative stories that have an actual deep impact.
Well, if you've read everything up to now, you probably know how this is going to go.
So does this have a happy ending? Probably no. I know this is a doomsday statement, but acknowledging problems is the first step to seeing them. People are already apathetic to changes that lead to doom. Loot boxes, microtransactions, live services, buggy games, power-tripping mods, removal of features previously free, and many more can be added due to people not giving a crap about these additions to games. There is a reason why corporations continue to propagate crappy plans; it's because people are already braindead and will seek to protect corporations while ignoring the real problems at hand until the metaphorical "Suwako in a pot of boiling water" gets boiled and people will say, "How can this happen? We're completely blindsided by this!"
The Touhou fanbase isn't an outlier in this; you can apply what I said in this forum with your own Touhou terms and to other game fanbases as a whole who don't care about prolonging the life of their fanbase because they can't think independently from moving on to independent forums.
Corporations aren't your friends, especially huge ones that try to pretend to be communities in order to milk you of your fervent faith for money and servitude while you fight against your compatriots who try to warn you of the danmaku storm coming to wipe your ass and everybody else's.
"Return to independence. Reject brain rot and touch grass."
So does this have a happy ending? Probably no. I know this is a doomsday statement, but acknowledging problems is the first step to seeing them. People are already apathetic to changes that lead to doom. Loot boxes, microtransactions, live services, buggy games, power-tripping mods, removal of features previously free, and many more can be added due to people not giving a crap about these additions to games. There is a reason why corporations continue to propagate crappy plans; it's because people are already braindead and will seek to protect corporations while ignoring the real problems at hand until the metaphorical "Suwako in a pot of boiling water" gets boiled and people will say, "How can this happen? We're completely blindsided by this!"
The Touhou fanbase isn't an outlier in this; you can apply what I said in this forum with your own Touhou terms and to other game fanbases as a whole who don't care about prolonging the life of their fanbase because they can't think independently from moving on to independent forums.
Corporations aren't your friends, especially huge ones that try to pretend to be communities in order to milk you of your fervent faith for money and servitude while you fight against your compatriots who try to warn you of the danmaku storm coming to wipe your ass and everybody else's.
"Return to independence. Reject brain rot and touch grass."
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