Cover: https://www.pixiv.net/artworks/103854129
The cover video was shared with me a few days ago, and I feel it makes a lot of sense.
A few days ago, I wanted to talk about something similar, and Kon happened to cover a large part of it, so let's shift to another topic.
Recently, I shared a discussion about whether fan works are based on creators or audiences.
I think both are unimportant.
What matters is communication.
All rights to the work are held by the author, which means the author can create freely according to their own wishes, protecting the theme of communication among like-minded individuals.
Activities are conducted in the form of clubs or personal groups, selling their works at fan conventions, providing the space needed for fan music creators to engage in communication.
Released in the form of albums, it serves as a means of communication among fans and allows fan music creators to receive feedback both spiritually and materially.
https://freshp0325.xyz/posts/20220802
What is fan music? Magical Girl's Ramblings - EP02
In essence, fan culture is about people with similar interests, and communication among like-minded individuals is the theme of fan creation. Many domestic fan enthusiasts and creators have not even noticed this.
Creators write fan fiction, draw fan comics, make fan music, and play fan games, while audiences read fan fiction, watch fan comics, listen to fan music, and play fan games. Isn't it all about communication among audiences, among creators, and between audiences and creators? If we abandon this layer of communication, does the term "fan" still hold any meaning?
Creators are influenced by audience comments; do audiences not get influenced by creators? It is through continuous communication among enthusiasts that fan culture can be established. Without audience feedback, creators' fan works can at most only bring them personal joy. I cannot imagine how arrogant a fan creator must be to isolate themselves from the circle of enthusiasts.
So communication is necessary. Is negative feedback also necessary?
Of course, it is necessary.
Pointing out the negatives is an important part of communication. If everyone only has positive opinions, as soon as a piece comes out, everyone just spams "sounds good" or "so amazing."
Is that meaningful?
Some people might just enjoy the feeling of being wrapped in praise from others, but what is the purpose of your communication then?
I suggest such people find a place to search for videos like "You're really great" to self-hypnotize; it might greatly help your condition.
As for whether creators should accept negative opinions and make improvements, that is up to the creators themselves. As I mentioned before, creators are the sole owners of their works. They can choose to refute or ignore others' opinions, but in doing so, they will gradually lose opportunities for communication among enthusiasts. Of course, people in Japanese original music groups probably no longer need to engage in such communication...
So there is a question that has been bothering me: why are creators and audiences becoming increasingly disconnected?
Later, I realized that a large portion of the audience feels that creators are no longer one of them.
Enthusiasts begin to feel that their relationship with creators is like that of animals on a ranch and their caretakers. They can only survive on the food provided by creators, and creators start to feel elevated, thinking of themselves as gods, creating an unbridgeable chasm between themselves and ordinary enthusiasts.
Is this unhealthy? Perhaps. The current environment pushes people to two extremes. Being in such an online environment, China's vast territory limits opportunities for people from different places to communicate, gradually creating a rift between creators and audiences. If this is not addressed now, the fan culture that many have jokingly referred to as "fan circles" may truly emerge.
This is one of the reasons why I took on the role of deputy manager for the DLC and started preparing for content creation. The cultural gap, if not addressed now, will be irreparable. I hope that through my small efforts, I can help everyone integrate more into this communication among enthusiasts.
I also hope everyone can join in the fan communication and see those with differing opinions as friends rather than enemies. Having different opinions about works is certainly good; if everyone's opinions were the same, there would be no need for communication.
Today, I don't have anything particularly special to write about. I've been a bit tired from writing various other texts lately. Just to slightly shift topics, in recent years, many people have come into contact with fan music culture through games, videos, or simply their favorite music, which is a good thing. I'm just an ordinary enthusiast, but in the past two years, many people have asked me:
"Is xxx a fan creator?"
"Is xxx considered a fan group?"
There is a very simple answer to such questions:
"If you think so, then it is."
There are no clear boundaries in fan creation. Of course, when discussing money and commercial aspects, lawyers and legal professionals have established many rules to protect creations. But in reality, if you engage in activities in a fan-like manner, everyone will treat your work as fan creation.
My favorite example lately is Wavforme and Otographic Music.
Wavforme
Otographic Music
Nhato and Taishi are members of both (the photos remain unchanged). Wavforme operates in a fan-like manner, so everyone naturally considers their releases in Wavforme as fan creations.
Otographic Music does not operate in a fan-like manner, so people naturally do not consider their releases in Otographic Music as fan creations.
If that’s still unclear, let me use a recent popular animated series about a woman turning into a man as an example.
Cat Tofu drew the Eastern Night Sparrow Dining Hall back in the day, and everyone knows it is a fan work.
Later, when he drew "Not Brother Oni-chan," it was initially posted on Pixiv, and everyone thought it was a fan work. Later, when it was serialized by Ichijinsha, would anyone think "Not Brother Oni-chan" is a fan work?
Of course, there is no superiority or inferiority in whether something is a fan work; the key is still the creator's choice of a suitable creation mode based on their own considerations.
So creators need to carefully consider their relationships: are they aiming for communication among enthusiasts while maintaining this form and original intention, or are they planning to move towards commercialization?
Of course, you can choose either or both; it doesn't matter to me.
That said, I haven't watched this week's episode yet; I should go watch it now.
I'm off.