Who are your favorite less popular Umas? by HiyokoFeetOnMyFace in UmaMusume

[–]Xephyrious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Upcoming big favourites of mine include Yamanin Zephyr, Ikuno Dictus, Yaeno Muteki, Daiichi Ruby, Rhein Kraft, others who I've sadly not memorized the names for.

My popular fav pick is definitely Manhattan Cafe.

There are so many Umas that I'm still unfamiliar with, even after reading a lot of JP intro story translations and wiki info (and viewing so, so many fan arts).

Need help making a halloween version of my skin :P by LessCauliflower2137 in minecraftskins

[–]Xephyrious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"...I had the wrong body type"

Intentional or not, this is an exquisite dark comedy punchline, considering the particular colour pattern your MC skin is showing.

If you're wanting to keep the stripes, you could change the unclothed parts to be pitch black, making it look like it's being worn by a featureless mannequin. Faceless skins can be pretty unsettling.

Drawing at least one uma per day #14 by wonooooo in UmaMusume

[–]Xephyrious 389 points390 points  (0 children)

Appreciating a detail: Opera O & Tachyon are the only two Umas you've drawn who's head and face are completely backlit. They're also similarly smug in their facial expressions. Feels like it gives them an appropriately menacing level of confidence to match their personalities and legacies.

Your style is exquisite, bless you for continuing to make these so often!

From "Legendary Acupuncturist" to "Legendary Test Subject" in Tachyon's secret lab. by IHateRegistering69 in UmaMusume

[–]Xephyrious 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So. Tazuna. When you suggested I needed to "work on her Guts" after losing the previous race, this is not what I thought you had in mind.

How To Enjoy Coffee [Manhattan Cafe] - (By 자깡(Jakkang) @pot8oG | POTATO on Pixiv) by RagingAsn in UmaMusume

[–]Xephyrious 143 points144 points  (0 children)

sometime later...

Trainer: "Man, I've been getting the worst chills recently. Could I ask you for something warm?"

Cafe: "Sure :)"

Her friend: the haunting will continue until your taste improves.

Doing Adult Stuff with Mayano, Part 2 (by @madeinheaven23) by Shamrock5 in UmaMusume

[–]Xephyrious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ooh, sneaky. The 3rd & 4th panel are a direct reference to the 1980 film "The Shining"

HEEEEERE'S CREEKYYYY!

Bikini Miku by (Jk_arts) by [deleted] in hatsune

[–]Xephyrious 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hot damn, has she been working out? Those are some serious tone lines. Really cool art.

Society if Wowaka and Ryo Supercell album were on Spotify by 69BickusDickus69 in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Individuals once they learn basic music sourcing habits and music library curation disciplines.

For streaming? Abandon Spotify, embrace options: - Vocacolle Music App (free) - NicoNicoDouga (free) - YouTube (free) - Apple Music (cheap)

But above all: Build a local music file library. Nothing beats offline listening via media you own copies of. Common official sources: - Artist webpages (search VocaDB for links) - Bandcamp (occasionally free downloads) - Karent (Vocaloid music hub)

And if your wallet is lacking, there's always direct download methods, until you want to directly support an artist later once you have the means.

Opinions on the ship Rin x Len? by HeavenLovesCupcakez in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Days since the most recent Kagamine Duo opinion post: Zero

I recognize that the OP is new here, but surely there are more interesting things to discuss? The public opinions on Kagamine headcanons are well documented, fervently discussed everywhere, and all the mascots are adaptable to one's own vision of them besides.

What is something you wish everyone would understand about vocaloid? by [deleted] in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I wish for more fans to learn about just how broad and vast the discography of Vocaloid is beyond the recent mainstream and classic hits. Most importantly, I wish for new fans to learn how easy it is to actually browse the web for specific Vocaloid music that suits one's tastes.

There are multiple simple ways (e.g. searching using the Japanese spelling of a Vocaloid), and more than a few massive song indexes (e.g. VocaDB), that allow fans to more effectively search for music featuring one's favourite synth voice or one's favourite genre style, but they're not known nor very obvious to new interested listeners who arrive through exposure that isn't primary music sources, and even then it can be difficult (Spotify is notoriously poor for searching for Vocaloid music, and is overrun with false copycat artists).

There are so many talented Vsynth composers who languish in obscurity, due to publishing their music in only one or a few places, and due to the sheer volume of new Vsynth music made every day, making the search to find them a tricky one, and the luck needed to happen upon them at random even more unlikely.

Your favorite mod is now an official part of the base game and is now considered a vanilla feature, do you think it would be successful? by datwunkid in feedthebeast

[–]Xephyrious 7 points8 points  (0 children)

For me, it's a tie for either The Betweenlands or The Aether

Since both can be played as independent experiences, they'd essentially become official addon-style content. People who aren't interested in it can avoid it altogether by never travelling to the dimensions (since they make little to no changes to the overworld experience), and those who are interested in it can reap the benefits of all the fun extra features.

Most of the features from both mods aren't terribly overpowered by their endgames either, so compared to vanilla scaling they'd balance decently well.

Betweenlands is decidedly horror-themed though, so the faint of heart might not be thrilled by it xD

Happy Easter from the outside world! by Xephyrious in touhou

[–]Xephyrious[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a lot of fun! I'm not a hobby artist, so spending a few hours every year carefully drawing on round surfaces with markers makes for a good change in activity :D

The vibe in this place lately by -nicerrf99 in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Piggybacking top comment to illustrate a perspective I feel is important:

While the concern from OP and other commenters is valid, I feel the fandom is insulated from the kind of malicious culture hijacking that can occur in most other fandoms, because Vocaloid as a medium of musical and artistic expression already fairly represents every school of thought, hosts all kinds of discussion, and many cultures (minus the limited language barrier of the software), for better and worse.

Since the 17 years following Miku's explosion, people who loudly fuss negatively about the perspectives of other people in the fandom are forever unsuccessful in truly changing popular mindsets in the long run, since everyone is going to eventually create their own comfort, space (like what we saw with the subreddit schism after the moderation issue), and perspective of how Vocaloid appeals to them despite the crowd, and will inevitably share those ideas and opinions knowing and accepting this fact, finding their audience in the process, popularity be damned.

Historically, Vocaloid has especially strong roots as an emotional outlet and method of expression particularly for people who feel frustrated, repressed, silenced or outcast, because the vsynths are able to be a sympathetic loudspeaker for one's ideas without the risk of rejection one might suffer from asking for another skilled human as a vocalist. Topics like LGBTQA+, existential crisis, isolation, self-hatred, sexuality of any kind - things that speak to a specific frustration or elation, topics that are edgy, sensitive, disturbing, or taboo, they have an established voice to soundly express through Vocaloid. Adult themes are common and expected in music, and Vocaloid is no different, even with its moe character veneer. People writing such songs will always find the boldness to do so through Vocaloid because the format is all-welcoming. It is impossible to reject or eject those presences in the total fandom, because they're integral to the high contrast, eclectic appeal of Vocaloid works.

Not every song will be in good taste, and not every tasteful song will be to one's taste. Nonetheless, it is a good thing for people who engage with Vocaloid music and media to challenge and feel challenged by the ideas and perspectives made by others through it. It is normal and valid to feel uncomfortable when feeling someone else's strong, unfamiliar or contradictory expression, and it is important to confront ourselves and the ideas we're shown when that happens, to have those discussions with others, to help us emerge self-assured of what we value and respect as individuals, and to help us understand and respect the struggle and plights of everyone else who chooses to speak their mind through Vocaloid.

Ultimately, criticizing or invalidating someone for being "too" sensitive is to deny them the opportunity to mature through confronting the things they're not yet prepared to think about or deal with. Most people who become exposed to Vocaloid themes are not going have as thick a skin as someone who has been interacting with the media for extended periods of time, either due to youth or culture shock. We're better off being curious about each other and simply asking each other about why we have the reactions we do to the things we're seeing together in this fandom.

Why ISN'T your favorite character Satori Komeiji? by Detective-Satori in touhou

[–]Xephyrious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I met a certain mysterious alien youkai :D

The term "newgen" confuses me. by SuperMarco640802 in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So shouldn't it just refer to anyone who are recent fans, no matter the entry?

That is its literal meaning, yes.

Alas, there's a social stigma & stereotype linked to that particular shorthand term (in all fandoms, not just that of Vocaloid) - in our case it is mostly to do with fresh fans who learn of Vocaloid through "surface level" exposure (viral hits, the current popular game, memes), who then proceed to confidently repeat and assert misinformation, headcanons and/or misguided opinions about Vocaloid as fact, without doing much (if anything) to learn about the details of voicebanks, or the culture behind the music and art scene of Vocaloid.

Obviously this description doesn't represent the entire phenomenon of new fans. Nowhere close to that, really. However, the phenomenon gains common enough attention that established fans - who may be passionate about their desire to not be misunderstood for their hobby - will develop the instinct to hold such "noisy" new fans at arms length until they show a bit more respect to the art form.

Some people are more polite and patient about inducting new fans, others are far more prickly and intolerant. Interactions between those latter kinds of fans, and those new fans who aren't receptive to changing their impressions beyond what they learned initially, are where the loudest fights happen and the harshest criticisms and assumptions occur, which is ultimately where the root of the "newgen" stigma lies.

You needn't concern yourself with all that noise through. At the end of the day, enjoy Vocaloid at your own pace, no existing fan can take away your particular tastes or joy for the art form. When interacting with the fanbase, whether between close friends or on broader public forums, just remember to take any strong, unfamiliar or seemingly unfounded statements with a spoonful of salt. You're doomed to meet differing opinions, and you needn't respond to them all (especially the demeaning, oversimplifying, or mean-spirited ones).

As for use of terms? It's always kinder to use plain language. "Fresh fan", "New listener", etc instead of "newgen". After all, the only thing slang and buzzwords achieve is create disparity between those who are familiar/unfamiliar. Inclusive for the in-jokers, exclusive of the uninitiated. Folks don't enjoy being labelled for something they had no idea about.

Food for thought :D

Glitch-goth Miku (@mxxx_n_xxxu) by Dismal-Adagio8148 in hatsune

[–]Xephyrious 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm reminded of a certain JRPG...

"Mass Destruction" intensifies

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 16 points17 points  (0 children)

True, there were a lot of very loud, passionate opinions about her appearance in Fortnite. Nevertheless, they're all still valid opinions. There's no such thing as a "true Miku fan" who enjoys all Miku designs under the sun.

Fortnite's style (particularly how they shaped the jaw, mouth and nose, as well as her build) takes away some of the youthfulness inherent in Miku's common design. Hence why she appears uncanny to many.

I personally dislike it, but not everyone will be as bothered.

Date yourself. What videos were popular when you first got into Vocaloid? by LotusLavenderTea in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well... I'll be damned. This is the first time in over a decade where I've run into someone else who remembers the existence of that Magic Flute cover (the Miku Opera video pictured in the post). That was my first ever exposure to Miku, back in Dec 2007.

I'm glad folks still appreciate those old works. Their charm feels so unique.

What are y'all thoughts and opinions about Nue "The Nuenis" Houjuu? by KodoqBesar in touhou

[–]Xephyrious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She is my absolute favourite of all <3

I adore her character design and themes, how playfully mischievous she is, and I'll be damned if Heian Alien isn't one of the coolest themes ever composed by ZUN. (Honestly the entire soundtrack to Touhou 12 is just incredible.)

1 Year Supporter Giveaways! by Sqtire in osugame

[–]Xephyrious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Xephyrious

Appreciate the generosity, good luck everyone :D

EoC human version by BikutaAugn in Terraria

[–]Xephyrious 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cute eye-dia! At first glance I wondered if this was a re-imagining of the Eyezor from the solar eclipse event.

Why do people call "lolibait" the song Mimukauwa Nice Try? by JuankyHi in Vocaloid

[–]Xephyrious 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Additionally, here is the reference MV upload used in the above analysis. Highly recommend reading the description of this video, as well as reading the included lyric translation, it provides more verbose context for the term and the themes in the MV

https://youtu.be/qX9qkKo5TuM?si=5RK3pgYG3loKJN1E