[whiteflame]

blackvelvetrpg, I think you fail to realize that most of those 199 websites were people's really shitty personal webpages, and the commoditization and commercialization of the internet, social media, and networking killed the personal webpage. In terms of volume and number of participants, most individuals who were part of the tf community a decade ago still are, but maintain private channels and connections while the community itself has grown significantly with many new artists and enthusiasts. Furthermore, transformation is branching out in terms of medium. There are more animators, digital sculptors, audio engineers, game designers and photomanipulators now than there ever were. There is far greater creativity in visual art in the transformation genre than ever before. Oddly enough, however, tf literature has diminished significantly. Buzzfeed and other media sites have contributed to a culture of visualization, and the interest in investing time to read lengthy stories is dying off. This is not relegated to tf content, but to the entire literary field, and is a significant cultural problem across the board. That being said, shift.org is quite alive an kicking, and the TSAT archives and mailing lists are still active.

Now access to transformation content is more integrated at the cost of individual dispersal and personalization. Consequently there are more individuals into tf now than ever before, they are better connected, and there is more sharing of intellectual and creative theory. I am in regular contact with all of the 'greats' of the transformation community. I have been part of the tf community for a decade and a half, and I have seen its transformation into an broad and branching subculture that is self-aware and critical. I didn't begin to create artwork until 2 years ago, and, consequently, I renewed interest in photomanipulation and advocated for it such that Transfur now accepts these works. Previously, the medium was disparaged because the subculture had evolved its own tradition and conservativism. I've been in talks with the admins and owners of Transfur suggesting that we expand and curate, create a history that details the cultural metamorphosis of the community and establishes points of departure, creating a resource for new artists and solidifying the identity of the old to inspire cohesion and cooperation.

This doesn't even take into account how transformation art has exploded in Germany and Japan. In Japan, the genre is even titled "Transfur" after the website itself, which was a crossroads for cultural exchange. Nojo, for instance, is a brilliant artist, who is far more prolific than Arania even, and technically more advanced.