I saw a thread on Inflatality that suggested the whole inflation thing may be dying. At first I thought it was an outsider classifying this fetish as little more than a fad, but then I got to thinking. Bellymanga hasn't posted regularly in months, Critical Volume is starting to become more lax in his work, Vlad Drake hasn't posted at all for longer than I care to count, and Red Chocobo hasn't posted inflation art in forever. Is this just paranoia getting the better of me, or is it just a temporary slump?
Dying?
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 05:01
#1
Dying?
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 05:32
#3
temporary slump,though more people should randomly inflate on the street that way more people would know about it and maybe enjoy it,i donno maybe i am just a crazy inflationist
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 06:01
#4
Inflate123
Critical V has something to deal with in real life. It's a good excuse.
I'm with LV. Every few months the community gets really active, then gets really quiet. You will note that the quiet periods happen around the same time as most schools and colleges get into big testing periods, and the active periods happen when school is out for summer and Christmas. This could well explain everybody who isn't Crit V in your list.
Trust the old farts in the community: This is no fad. Seasons change.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 06:10
#5
I keep hearing that Crit had something major happen..what exactly was it?
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 08:09
#6
mosherballoon
Vertigo wrote:
I keep hearing that Crit had something major happen..what exactly was it?
hey don't wanna sound rude but you shouldn't be asking, it could be a very personal matter, if he wants to share with us what happened fair enough, but you shouldn't be asking him to tell.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 13:34
#7
Archangel_Dread...
Actually, I heard that he was in a car accident, and from what I heard, he has a broken arm and leg from it.
Also, I did a quite a few inflation drawings a few weeks back that I just uploaded to here. So, when one artist slacks off, for whatever reason, some others will pick it up. Though, summer is usually not a good time for this kind of art anyways.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 15:20
#8
darth_clone19
Vlad Drake quit. Its not like he is slacking. He got tired of people I guess lol, not too sure.
I also noticed, but it may be what LV and Iflate say. Just seasons. I do notice there not being too many updates around, but yeah, people are busy with more important things lol. This wont die out cuz it isnt a fad. Fetishes just dont disappear out of one's head.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 18:25
#9
Yah thats what i beleive that this won't die,fetishes don't just die.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 18:35
#10
Nothing to worry about, besied Belly Manga and Rathini have just submitted some new stuff and Johnny did that 10,000 views thing. And I think I've gotten over my writer's block.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 18:43
#11
SvenS
Ahh, grasshopper. Listen to the wisdom of the Inflate123 and of the Luther. Why Sven, he alone has 7 projects in the pipeline. But the RL, it get in the way.
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 21:29
#12
you do know that there are other artists beyond the ones that have achieved the "rock star" status in the fetish that do continue to produce?
They may not be as good, but generalizing that because the big names aren't as active right now doesn't mean it's "dying"
Sun, 05/14/2006 - 21:49
#13
yah i agree with awittyname,it think it will conitue for some time.
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 02:10
#14
WakkaFan
Things like this happen.
I know for me it does. In fact I haven't posted anything on my dA is almost forever because I haven't really had the urge to draw or had the time to just sit down for it.
But I have a new sketchbook so it might start up again. I just have moods where I'll draw like a madman and others where I won't so much as tough a pencil.
I'm guessing I'm not the only one who experiences this so it may answer the question.
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 15:35
#15
darth_clone19
Also, I dont think "dying" is the right word. When we say something dies is because it was just some fad everyone got tired of, and thank god not "everyone" comes here and sees this.
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 17:11
#16
Meh we always have dips, if you check the furry side, since I pokeat both it's currently still having a lalapalooza of new artwork everyday. As for us were having a nice amount as well as I getat least 5 new wg or inflation pieces to look at on DA a day. As for why I stopped uploading although I doubt anyone cares or knew, I lost the will to update not draw. Just can't get it to the scanner even whenI'm proud of it.
Mon, 05/15/2006 - 19:28
#17
Man you should scan those pic Tippsey, I'd like to see.
If anything the current dip in artwork from the major players is due to the community becoming too big for the small number of artists to handle. Back when we were a small community before DA brought us publicity artists and writers loved nothing more than posting a new masterpiece and revelling in the adulation, but now, with so many people, people like CattyN, JohnnySwell and Critical Volume are being swamped with requests, they produce work and people just get at them to do more. They get fed up. I even have a suspicion that some of the mass of people who have joined our community have done so, not because they have a fetish, but because they see is as like a fad.
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 01:27
#18
like pokemon is dead now,but i have had my slumps when i write periods where i want to write and i don't cause i don't have the time though it may not be reallivant,sorry
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 02:10
#19
I'm actually surprised artists have ideas to write and draw. I mean, content-wise, this fetish ahs been beaten to a pulp. I had some nice ideas, but no skill to draw em by hand >.<
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 03:54
#20
I'm not sure anyone else has mentioned this (I think awittyname did, though), but there ARE other inflation artists that are still posting art and such here and at DA. However, I think the only reason people think the scene is 'dying', as it was so nicely put, is because the artists that everyone obsesses over are either incapacitated, distracted, or fed up with the scene that they just quit, temporarily or permanently, and all of the sudden it's the end of the inflation world.
Look, as long as someone out there is scribbling or writing random inflation stories, the scene, no matter how public or private it is, isn't just going to disappear. There are plenty of people out there living their fantasies in their minds and such, so saying a part of the human psyche is dying is a rather absurd claim.
I'm not promoting myself or any of the other underrated artists and writers out there, but before you make a claim that something is gone for good, look all over. It's there, you're just not seeing it.
~A
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 04:15
#21
Drake
Hmm, you've got a point there though there are definitely a number of new artists that have stepped up to continue things. With me, it's not so much that I just decided to quit, as I just sort of found myself distracted and fell out of it. I've considered coming back a number of times but I've never really been able to find the time. Christ…it’s been like a year and a half hasn’t it? Hmm, maybe someday… Oh, but yes, to my point, I’d hardly say the community’s dying. It ebbs and flows. I remember how many people showed up with the start of Deviantart… Just recently I’ve seen a lot of really talented artists like “Kraban�? or “awittyname�? popping up so I wouldn’t be too worried yet.
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 05:18
#22
Inflate123
darth_clone19 wrote:
Thank god not "everyone" comes here and sees this.
This is a good point. Our community is stable but insular. People tend to trickle in and trickle out. That's better than being a flavor of the month and having that very natural flow upset.
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 05:45
#23
heh, i'm talented...
if not, just a complaining snot with a pencil :P
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 13:35
#24
Vertigo wrote:
Critical Volume is starting to become more lax in his work
No, Critical Volume is recuperating from an extremely serious car accident. Please don't label me as "becoming lax" just because I haven't posted recently. Things are very difficult right now.
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 14:34
#25
Fairia
I understand C.V., someone even noted me about signing a get well card for you.
Anyway, I've put up some inflation related artwork of mine when I don't have any writing or stories going.
Tue, 05/16/2006 - 15:20
#26
darth_clone19
Hey, Drake and crit are here!
Some people are worried, yet now the stories section got a nice update. Im hoping the stories are nice though.
Wed, 05/17/2006 - 02:15
#27
i had an idea for a inflation story maybe i'll post it..
Thu, 05/18/2006 - 05:57
#28
EnsignMinneapolis
I've just been out of ideas and inspiration ATM, and it's probably because the finish of my story is currently stuck in writer's block land.
But yeah, alot of RL seems to have caught the community. Also losing alot of our hang-outs didn't help, like Jessica's Anime Expansion Club. The best damn inflation Yahoo Group around. And it was all clean fun too.
Maybe someone with a server and some empty space should open a futaba-style site in the same vein as 4Chan.
Fri, 05/19/2006 - 01:08
#29
yah i hope someone posts a link if someone creates a new group
Fri, 05/19/2006 - 04:07
#30
EnsignMinneapolis
Thing is, I have tried, unsuccessfully to create yahoo groups with this theme, and with MSN... no.
I don't have server space either available to me. Although if comeone made an inflation chan or I-Chan... That would be nice.
Fri, 05/19/2006 - 05:48
#31
yah it would be
let me know
I won't believe it until Netcraft confirms it...
OK, geek humor aside, I think your concern is a bit misplaced. Perhaps it's just my being an oldtimer and all, but the community goes through periods of increased and decreased activities. I think what's most telling about your observation is that you're speaking in terms of a large number of artists who haven't produced anything new recently rather than speaking in terms of there only being a small number of artists producing material.
To put it another way: regardless of how many artists may be sitting idle right now, there have been more pictures uploaded to this site in the past two weeks than were posted to it during its first two years of operation. So things would have to slow down a bit more before I'd start ringing the death knell for the inflation community.
Twitter | DeviantArt