The Party's Over, but I'm Still Dancing...

[cynchick]

I've been pondering something the past few days (though the seeds have been germinating for several months). So how do I put this without sounding whiny...?

Comments

[korinacaffeine]

I can definitely see that the Naruto fandom is declining in popularity. You used to constantly see Naruto art on the front page of dA, but now it's all My Little Pony, Homestuck, and some other miscellaneous smaller fandoms. I think a big reason is that the people who used to be active with Naruto have grown older. For all the people I've seen move into other fandoms (myself, aelibia, thefuzzyhat), I've seen so many more who've just barely been indulging in fandom, if at all (ivyadrena, deglace, randomsomeone). And I can't blame them, really; I haven't had much time or energy for fandom, myself

[cynchick]

I can't really muster the enthusiasm to get into any other fandoms. I haven't played WoW in over a year. I played for 6 years (with a couple hiatus) and then I just lost the interest in logging on for 2-3 hours at a time (and you know if you log on for less than that you cant really get anything done). I would log on, do a couple dailies, putz around for a bit, and then get bored.

I've been active in Naruto fandom for 5 years. Maybe the burnout rate on things of this nature is about 5-6 years. :/

[hieronymousb]

You know, I'm not really certain what's going on with fandom. I've largely relocated from Naruto to KHR -- though I still look at Naruto-related things sometimes for nostalgia's sake -- and KHR has always struck me as being sort of a mini-Naruto in the first place, though maybe that perception stems from the fact that many fic writers I admire appear to have dabbled in both along the way. Or just the ongoing shounen attributes.

But anyway, on the topic of fandom itself in a more generalized sense, it doesn't seem dead to me so much as it seems to have changed forms. I actually am on Tumblr, and I still see people posting fandom opinions, pairing pictures, and so on there all the time, even for pairings, characters, etc. who I wouldn't be inclined to think of as terribly popular. From my perception, it feels as though what's dead, if anything, is fic-writing fandom? Or even communal fandom, in a sense. I used to think nothing of writing 100,000+ word fics in my old fandoms. And I knew a number of people who thought nothing of reading

[cynchick]

I think you might be right about fanfiction dying because people don't have/don't care to spend time on it these days. I definitely think the instant gratification of social networking has diminished many people's attention spans (as well as the ability to have meaningful interpersonal communication...). I haven't moved on to other corners of the web necessarily, but I can also say that my own interest in fandom has dropped considerably. I don't remember the last time I actively looked for anything fandom related. That also means, for me in the middle of writing a huge story I started over a year ago, I look around now and wonder "why am I still doing this?" if no one's going to read it. So I know what you mean about feeling weird - hence the title of this post. Heh.

I guess I'm not so upset that it's coming to an end, as much as disgruntled that it's ending while I'm still in the middle of something I've worked really hard on and don't want to just quit. It's that "where are you going I'm not done yet!" feeling.

An Observer's Observations...

[anonymous]

I hope you don't mind a few observations from an anonymous admirer.. :) I can tell you that I absolutely adore your work, both art and writing. Believe me, I have an English degree and coming across fan fiction that meets the high standards of reading you learn to appreciate in this field is a rare event indeed, but you have done that without fail and I would be terribly sad to see you leave the fandom. That goes for your art as well, I check your journal probably a couple times a week in the hopes that you have updated something

Observations Cont.

[anonymous]

3. As has been said before, canon is REALLY not giving us much to work with anymore. I am a mid/minor character appreciator, with the exception of Kakashi, and I am tired of never knowing anything about them even though Kishimoto gives us some weird or interesting quirk or background tidbit, or suggests how they may be important, and then leaves us hanging, never mentions them again, or shows them only superficially. Even some of the big characters feel overlooked or disappointingly absent because he just seems to be rushing through. The characters, as the story goes on, all just feel like wasted potential. You can only love a character for so long without anything new or interesting to go on, and I feel like alot of people are running out of steam because of this. Not to mention the filler, the repetitive storylines ("New villain!" -- "I hate the guy!" -- "Wait, I understand him...he's just like MEEEE!" -- "You're my friend now, come here comrade!"), out-of-characterness, emotional cop-outs (The resurrection of everyone after Pein's

Re: Observations Cont.

[cynchick]

Thanks for de-lurking in support. :) I'm a terrible lurker myself and usually only comment when I have something specific to say. And it's nice to see someone else who can't look past bad technical writing in fanfiction. All of your points are great and they are all contributing causes. Kind of like you, who came into the fandom a little late, I just wish it wasn't happening when I still want to participate. WoF is only 3/4 finished, so I will be around for several more months at least, and after that I'm sure I'll still be lurking and doing a fanart now and then.

Pretty sure I will do a Genma/Shizune pic, because I've never done them and they're a much under-appreciated (but more canonically plausible) pairing.

[anonymous]

I really agree with you. I'm more of a lurker myself, and mainly on FF, but I think there has been a lot less activity in certain fandoms these days. I write both Bleach & Naruto sporadically and I've noticed with newer stories far less response than previously.
I personally love your stories, and I'm sad to hear that Will of Fire will be the last fanfic! I love your art as well. It's absolutely gorgeous.
I promise to leave a comment on your next chapter of WoF once it's out ;)