N e k o s a n

N e k o s a n

Guest

00:52Jump to

I'm doing good, I'm doing good.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

00:56Jump to

Wonderful to hear. Thank you very much for agreeing to do this today.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:00Jump to

Yeah, thanks for you, for the invitation.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:03Jump to

Of course, it's a wonderful, wonderful thing to be able to do events like this and to be able to interview folks who have been... I know there are many individuals within the community who stand out, but you yourself are quite a name and you've been around for probably more than any of us here.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:24Jump to

Maybe?

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:26Jump to

Very possibly, who's to say? But we have a few questions that I'd like to get through, some of which I put together myself, and some of which our audience here at home are wanting to know and are dying to hear from you. So are we all ready to go?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:41Jump to

Yeah, you can start with your questions.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:44Jump to

Wonderful! Then to start off with, I'd like to start at the beginning with things. For all of us, we've had our starting point in VRChat at some point or another. Some of us recently, some of us at the very, very beginning of what started, some in 2017, even some of us before then when it was kind of a beta state. We've all had our reasons for being interested. What would you say is your reason for jumping on VRChats at the very beginning when you did?

N e k o s a n

Guest

02:10Jump to

At the very beginning, well, I was looking for a social game where I could socialize with people, and before that I was playing IMVU. I don't know if you heard about it?

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

02:25Jump to

I've heard the name before, but I'm not too familiar with what it is.

N e k o s a n

Guest

02:29Jump to

So it's basically the same thing as VRChat. You can represent yourself by a 3D avatar that you can customize. I saw that on IMVU, you have the opportunity to create 3D content, which I wanted to do. But on this platform, creating content, I don't know, the process was quite tedious. So I was looking for another similar platform, and that's where I came across VRChat. And this is how I basically started VRChat.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

03:11Jump to

So you were able to find one that worked a little bit better, was a little bit more creator-friendly, I suppose.

N e k o s a n

Guest

03:19Jump to

Yeah, because I wanted to start creating things. I was in 3D schools, and I wanted to create things, create content. I didn't know where to start, and basically VRChat was an interesting platform to create those kinds of contents.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

03:38Jump to

Hey, fantastic. It was a good starting point for it. That is absolutely, absolutely fantastic. And I can see definitely through the creativity of both your stuff and the stuff of all of the people here and VRChat as a whole that this place has definitely ridden that reputation of being a wonderful place for creators. Now, moving on to more Hoppou-specific things. Like I said earlier, you've been in the community for quite some time. We'd like to hear, tell us about the day you had your first run-in with the Hoppou community. What was your first quote-unquote experience?

N e k o s a n

Guest

04:16Jump to

Yeah, so it was in my beginning of VRChat. I was then with one of my first friends I've met in VRChat, and he invited me and told me absolutely I have to see something was going on. He invited me, and I remember it was in the Room of the Rain. At this time, there were a group of people who were chasing someone. At first, I thought it was something spontaneous, like they didn't know each other, and they therefore have a good reason to chase that person. I thought I was witnessing a sort of cyber-bullying or something. I was intrigued, and I came close, and I started to see what was going on. At this time, the target was not very interesting. He wasn't very reactive, so they turned to us, me and my friend. This is all being surrounded by Hoppous, basically. At that time, I didn't know what a Hoppou was, of course. They started to stare at me and my friend. They started to say "poi, poi", everything. I thought it was their real voice, by the way. I understood that something was going on, like something not spontaneous anymore, but something more well-developed, more organized. After a few moments, they started to drop the portal, and I knew that something deeper was going on, like a lore or something. I went to their world, and of course, they wanted me to choose an avatar, which I did. I was surprised. This is how I became a Hoppou for the first time in VRChat. In fact, after that, their leader started to talk, and it was BlazeCreek. For people who don't know, BlazeCreek is the actual owner of the Hoppou Foundation group. Basically, I was one of the first targets of the Hoppou Foundation during their very first Hoppou raids. BlazeCreek was there to make the speech to people, which he did. This is how I've been converted into a Hoppou by BlazeCreek himself.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

07:27Jump to

Well, that's something I did not expect. I didn't realize you were one of the very first targets of our very own foundation. That's very, very cool. The thing is that you weren't even the initial target. You just kind of were happened upon by chance in some regard.

N e k o s a n

Guest

07:48Jump to

Yeah. It was because of my friend who kept inviting me to say, he says, you really need to see what's going on here. It's thanks to my friend that I've been converted this time.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

08:03Jump to

Well, definitely thankful for that. We all have folks I'm sure we are hanging out with in one regard or another, at least a lot of us, that maybe were brought in with us or at the very least were kind of the reason for us being dragged along into this wonderful spot. But I do have a follow-up with that, which it might be a very similar answer, but I want to ask it regardless. What was the first thing that drew you to the Hoppou community? What fired that little spark of intrigue?

N e k o s a n

Guest

08:31Jump to

Well, at first I didn't want to join their Discord because I wasn't too keen about that. I like to join [unclear: on other] Discord groups. So I refused the invite at first, but then a few days later, I stumbled upon them by chance again, and I immediately knew what was going on. So I knew that I have to do. I kept the avatar in my favorite list and I started to join them. And in fact, making a raid, I found it was fun. Like I had fun making raids and I understood why they were keeping doing that several times a week during raid events. So after thinking it over, I finally decided maybe I should join their Discord. And this is how I started to make raids several times per week. And it was, if I remember, it was in 2020. So for at least one year, I've made a ton of raids with them, just doing that, nothing else.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

09:53Jump to

Just raiding day after day after day, huh?

N e k o s a n

Guest

09:57Jump to

Yeah, exactly. So I didn't create my own avatar. I was just using a Hoppou avatar that I liked, but that's it. And I was just making raids with them.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

10:10Jump to

Hey, that's cool. And to think that it wasn't the first encounter, but the second one, that is what sparked your interest. That's very, very cool. Kind of following up on that. There's a lot of people that get very excited, jump headfirst into a community, but not many that they can say they've been around long-term, such as you have, as I've mentioned before. There's a difference between what started a passion and what keeps you in something. So let me ask, what's kept you here? What would you say is your drive to continue within the community and whatever aspect you may engage with it?

N e k o s a n

Guest

10:47Jump to

Well, in fact, I'm not really in there no longer for many years now. I've never really been... I started to do my own things on my own side without being really inside communities. Like I say, I've done a ton of raids with the Hoppou Foundation, and more recently with other Hoppou communities, but without really being part of it. But what makes me stay, I would say, in VRChat, it's the people inside those communities. So it's not because of the group or the community they represent. I would say it's not the only thing that makes me stay, because making a raid is fun, of course. But I would say it's more like because it was a weekly event with people I know at that time.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

11:53Jump to

Gotcha. Hey, that's a fantastic answer. I love it. It's not the groups. It's not the aspect of Hoppou itself. It's the people within it that keep you around.

N e k o s a n

Guest

12:02Jump to

Yeah, exactly.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

12:04Jump to

Better answer.

N e k o s a n

Guest

12:06Jump to

So it doesn't matter the group you represent or being part of. For me, it's the people inside. For some groups, for example, the Hoppou Foundation, I knew people for many years now, and I see them almost every day.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

12:30Jump to

I guess, like you said, maybe you've been around for the longest, but who knows? There are plenty of us who have been around, maybe staying quiet, but definitely all the time.

N e k o s a n

Guest

12:39Jump to

I'm not the only one. I'm not one of the oldest members. Maybe today, but back then, there were a lot of Hoppous who were way older than me and who knew much more of the lore than me.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

12:57Jump to

Well, nonetheless, it is wonderful to run into any of them who have been around and can tell us a bit of the history of the Hoppou. Now, following up a little bit on that, and again, if you've already sort of answered this, then by all means, let me know, but some of the folks at home want to know, during your time in the community, you've interacted with your fair share of Hoppous. You don't have to name names, but was there ever a particularly meaningful or memorable moment you've had with any of our members, past or present?

N e k o s a n

Guest

13:28Jump to

I would say I saw communities form and fall apart with some people, and sometimes I have talked with those people about the destiny of our roleplay in VRChat, or even VRChat itself in general, so that we cannot do that roleplay, the Hoppou roleplay, forever, and one day there will be an end. So, of course, talking about that on these moments is quite unsettling, because we don't want to end, but we're still here. So I think talking about that, about the future of what we are going to do, I think it's one of, I mean, memorable moments I have with people, because it was a very deep conversation, being outside of the roleplay of the character. You know, weird talks, I would say.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

14:39Jump to

Hey, if I've learned anything from the Hoppou, it's that sometimes listening to what people have to say, rather than talking to yourself, can be a very, very good thing to do. And like you said, sometimes there will be a point where some of us will hop out, but I like to think that it's the moment that we're living in right here. You said, just like you said, right, that we're here, it will end at some point, in one way or another, but the fact that we're here right now is what matters, huh? We're continuing on for however long we want to be able to engage with it.

N e k o s a n

Guest

15:11Jump to

Yes, I mean, I don't have a plan to end soon, but we have to think about what will be our future.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

15:26Jump to

Absolutely. Hey, very, very good idea [unclear: on it]. We have to recognize that things will end, but that doesn't mean that the present is any less meaningful.

N e k o s a n

Guest

15:35Jump to

Yeah, exactly.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

15:37Jump to

Absolutely fantastic. Well, moving on to a few more of the questions. We talked a little bit about groups and your interactions with them, mainly Foundation, but others. There are quite a few groups that exist within the community as a whole, and like you said, some more active than others. There's been fluctuations within the community in terms of its activity, and I think we'd all be interested to hear, what was the community like when you first joined? Was it bigger or smaller? Were events raised and other activities done differently? What are some of the similarities and differences you can point out?

N e k o s a n

Guest

16:12Jump to

For me, it didn't really change so much. What I do notice, though, is that when some new groups are being created in VRChat, especially Hoppou communities, they are committing the same mistakes as the old groups, sometimes because of the lack of communication. For what happened on Discord, I cannot say because I'm not in Discord anymore. That's the only thing I can notice sometimes on VRChat. If it is bigger or smaller, I would say there were fewer different groups back then, and therefore they were bigger in general. Today, you have the feature of VRChat to create a VRChat group easily. There's a lot of small communities that appear who have sprung up in VRChat, and there's much less of a monopoly than there used to be. That's for sure.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

17:27Jump to

Gotcha. So that group feature really allowed for a boom within, I suppose, many communities, not just the Hoppou communities in general.

N e k o s a n

Guest

17:36Jump to

Yeah, I focus more on Hoppou communities over other communities. I don't really care so much.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

17:44Jump to

Fair enough. Fair enough.

N e k o s a n

Guest

17:45Jump to

I mean, I'm always happy when I see new Hoppou groups in VRChat because creativity in general, I think this is something that you should take care of. When you're on VRChat, you have the possibility to create things. I'm sure when you create groups like that, when you have the sparkle in your eyes to create a group and create something, it's always good. The only thing I would say is, yeah, be aware of what other groups do to not reproduce the same mistakes again and again.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

18:29Jump to

Good advice. Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.

N e k o s a n

Guest

18:35Jump to

Yeah. Yeah, like that. Something like that. Yeah.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

18:40Jump to

Very, very fair. Good advice for any community leader or aspiring community leader to keep an eye on how things are and learn how things were. Now, following up on that a little bit, I'm sure, again, you've seen a decent amount of change. You've talked about how the groups have come and gone as they were. I would like to know, what would you say is one of the more impactful changes you've seen? What was one of the biggest turning points for the community, for better or for worse? It might be when groups were created to get that burst out or it might be something else. I'd like to know what your thoughts are.

N e k o s a n

Guest

19:22Jump to

I think today I see too many rules. I think it's because of the level of maturity of players now. I had the feeling.. I still had the feeling that back then when we made people, it was more trustworthy people. It's maybe just a feeling, but today there's a lot of groups who put a lot of rules, a lot of strict rules inside, like having a minimum age. For some groups, I even see "don't be a dickhead". Of course, all of that makes perfect sense. I agree with that, but it's just the thing that before we don't really have to remind that to people. I had the feeling that today it's because those groups have seen too many problems that they feel compelled to bring it up again and again. It's just a shame. I don't like when there are so many rules. Like I said, there are things that are common sense, but they don't need to be repeated over and over. Putting too much rules.. It's against having rules. You cannot really trust the rules.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

21:00Jump to

I get where you're saying. VRChat by itself is kind of an expression of freedom in that regard and having those rules can stifle it, but like you said, people have seen many, many different things over many different communities. There is also the fact that people could state that perhaps the VRChat's base has changed. A lot of individuals with the introduction of the Quest has made it a lot more accessible. We now have a lot more younger individuals, but who's to say whether or not that is a reason to exclude or restrict on those rules. Like you said, some of it is common sense, but there can be many reasons why that might need to or not need to be stated, but it's an interesting thought.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

21:49Jump to

Now following up on that a little bit, what would you say is an essential component when both growing and maintaining a community? All these different groups that have sprouted up in one way or another, come and gone some long time, some short time. What do you think is the most important parts when maintaining that community?

N e k o s a n

Guest

22:14Jump to

I think for me, you should not forget that we all have one thing in common. It's to make sure that the players have a good time among us. If the goal becomes something else, like for example, do this only that it becomes yet another member of the Discord server without enjoying it even for a second. For me, they are completely wrong and the person who got invited to the Discord no longer has any worth and they will feel even worthless. So I think for us at least, for Hoppou communities, I think the most essential component to make the community in a good shape, I would say, is to make people feel special, like every detail of our roleplay are only made for them. And when they feel that and they feel they are really welcomed into a group, it makes all the difference.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

23:34Jump to

That's a wonderful sentiment. Make sure.. The Hoppou community is all about bringing folks in because we think that they're interesting, that they're good folk, and making sure that we maintain that relationship is a crucial part of it.

N e k o s a n

Guest

23:48Jump to

Yes. Also, I'm sorry if I'm moving so much because I just let people know that in VRChat, I'm never sitting. I'm always up and I never sit in a chair like that. And it's the first time and my full-body tracking is having a good time, I see. So I need to probably break every 10 seconds. I'm sorry for that.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

24:14Jump to

No worries, no worries. Do what you need to. That was very good information in terms of what's important for bringing folks in and what's important for keeping those folks. Now, we talked about the groups a little bit. There have been quite a few in the time that we've been here in the Hoppou community. And you run one yourself, Albino Hoppou Children. What was the moment when you decided to create the group and what were your initial plans for it? Are they the same as they are today or have they shifted in some regard?

N e k o s a n

Guest

24:46Jump to

Well, it's nice that you talk about it because the Albino Hoppou Children is not a group on their own. It's just that I wanted to have a cool banner when the VRChat group and banner features came out. I wanted just to have a cool banner above my head. And because at that time I was creating Albino avatars, I was like, oh, why not making a banner that makes them look they are in a family or something like that. So this is how the [Hoppou Albino Children] came out. But you need to understand, it's not a group that we organize events or even having a Discord community, for example. It's just a concept of representing Hoppou Albino that I love so much. By the way, it's not a group that anyone can join. In fact, I only accept people who are Albino Hoppou or they represent themselves with Albino Hoppou. So I know a lot of people every day ask to join the group, but I refuse most part of them because I want to see the group as a concept of something. So for me, the group must only contain people who are Albino and not other people. And I know I use this group to share my creation. For example, if I do updates on avatar or something like that, I'm aware of that and I think I will move that on another group that the group name is Fan of Strange Place. So I think in the future it will fit more if I put updates on that group and there is no restriction of joining that group. So I think I will put updates on there.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

27:06Jump to

Fantastic to hear. Thank you for letting us know. That'll be fantastic for those of you who are looking at that and are interested in seeing maybe some of Nekosan's updates on avatars. Keep an eye out for the group. Join it and you might be able to see some of the new stuff that comes out. But like you were mentioning a little earlier, Albino. At the time you were making the Albino avatars, right? Now, what sparked the Albino idea? What made that become your trademark?

N e k o s a n

Guest

27:39Jump to

Well, before that, I didn't really have an artistic direction. I was kind of trying to test different combinations of colors on my avatars. And in fact, actually remind me of albinism on humans and animals. It's already super stylish, all white with red eyes. I love that. So I did that by chance when I was testing, when I was trying out different color combinations. And I saw I liked it. So I made the first Kittysan with that color palette. And in fact, the first Kittysan that I made was not an Albino. It was just a regular Kittysan, I would say, with colors. And the Albino Kittysan came after that because I wanted to make a variation, a color variation of the Kittysan avatar. And I made the Albino one. And in fact, it became my main avatar after that, because I thought that using it was, I liked it more than using the other. And in fact, Albino for me, it represents, I think it fits well with the concept of being a Hoppou. Because Albino for me, it represents something unusual. It's because among millions of species, you can have humans or animals. Among millions of them, you have at some point, someone who mutated to have this change, to take on this peculiarity. And it's like a shiny Pokemon, if you want. In fact, on all the species, humans or animals, what makes them more intriguing is that they can be whatever they want. It's not because of the colors that make them different. Oops, I told you my tracking was having a good time here. You know what, I will continue up, because this is what I do most of the time in the chat.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

30:17Jump to

Perfectly fine.

N e k o s a n

Guest

30:18Jump to

I will put my chair. There we go. Ah, much better. I don't want to be an E-boy in front of a mirror or something.

N e k o s a n

Guest

30:36Jump to

So yeah, I like the concept of Albino. That's what makes me kept it, because those Albino are not different than you and me. They just have a different variation of colors. And the fact that some humans, like some Albino people who got rejected from where they live, just because they are different, for me, it represents a conviction that I need to defend. And I do that today through my characters. And for all these reasons, I wanted to keep that and to decide to continue with that artistic direction.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

31:29Jump to

That's absolutely wonderful. I want to apply the idea of the Albino palette in nature and in people, but to kind of a more philosophical standpoint on the matter.

N e k o s a n

Guest

31:41Jump to

Yeah, because all Hoppou are kind of the same, but I wanted to make shiny Pokémon Hoppous, you know. Hoppous, but special. Like the Void Hoppou, I also like them because they have their own lore, their own mysterious side. And being all white like that, with just red eyes, it's also something that is very recognizable by all people. It's very easy to identify that this is an Albino, this is probably a Nekosans lore, and this is kind of easy to identify with those avatars. So it's simple, yet simple, but a Hoppou anyway.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

32:37Jump to

Right. Simple yet effective is the mark of a good trademark.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

32:42Jump to

So I'd say you've done pretty well with it. And you have made quite a few different avatars. I will say, you've made many different ones, and I would like to know, what is your creative process? What would you say it is? Some of your models, such as, I'll say, one of my personal favorites that many of you folks have seen me use, Song of the Night Kittysan, has a wildly distinct appearance from some of your other works.

N e k o s a n

Guest

33:08Jump to

Yeah. Well, yeah, go on.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

33:13Jump to

No, I was just gonna ask, what keeps you creating consistently? And do you just create whenever inspiration strikes? What is the general process?

N e k o s a n

Guest

33:25Jump to

Yeah, I don't really do avatars for the sake of doing avatars. I want to create avatars who have a meaning, who you can identify yourself. So a lot of my characters were or are part of a roleplay, specifically for the avatar, before being public. And then I make them public so people can play with them. So every of my avatars have a meaning for me. They are kinda telling a story, even if it's not easy to understand sometimes. For me, it represents something. So I really don't do avatars just because they are pretty. I mean, maybe I do, but it's not often. Most of the time, I want to create an avatar that represents something for me.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

34:38Jump to

Gotcha. So you have a vision starting out, and then you end up rolling with it, trying to create it to the best of your ability.

N e k o s a n

Guest

34:44Jump to

Yeah. And for Albino Hoppous, of course, it's easier for me today because I already know the artistic direction it will take. I just knew beforehand what would be the colors, what would be the level of details or complexity on the avatar. So it's, of course, easy for me to use that as a template. So when I don't necessarily have the time to create something innovative, I just do an Albino Hoppou. But sometimes when I do have the time, the inspiration, the motivation, I want to do something different. And before making those Albino Hoppous, I was making a lot of different looking avatars. And this is how you probably notice the old avatars I made are much more different than Albino Hoppous. For example, the Fortune Teller or even the Kittysan OS, they have a much more complex layer of complexity, of features, because I was looking at what I can do in VRChat. And when I've become noticed, I would say, and when Albino became my signature, today I create more Albino avatars. But sometimes I like the Hoppou you like. I do something innovative sometimes that is completely different from Albino Hoppous.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

36:43Jump to

Fantastic. So it can come, while you have a base for where you usually create your avatars, they can come from kind of any direction. And you've had a lot of different reasons over the years for modifying or changing your style in one way or another. Interesting. Very, very cool. Well, it is absolutely fantastic to hear about the different avatars you make. And in terms of that, I would like to ask, what was it like creating your first avatar versus the work that you make today? If you look back on it with fond feelings, frustrations, some combination or something else?

N e k o s a n

Guest

37:24Jump to

Yeah, I don't really have a feeling, frustration or things like that. When I look back then, I think it's better today. Because today, like I said, I have a template and I have a workflow where I can work with. But today, yeah, before I was very attached to the process of creation when I had barely graduated from 3D school. So basically, before going to VRChat, I was in a 3D school for four years at some point. And I've learned how to make video games. So I've learned all the parts, modeling, texturing, whatever, every process like lighting, compositing. I've learned all of that because my dream job was to work in the industry, like making video games or movies, things like that. And which I did, because after that, I started to work on French television. I worked on French cartoons for French television. I worked on Arcane, who came out on Netflix. So before going to VRChat, I already knew all the process of making characters for video games. So for me, it was easier. Of course, when I wanted to create things on VRChat, I already knew all the aspects of creating characters. The only thing I would say what was different back then than today is that I didn't know all the workflow, the pipeline of VRChat, like the notation from excellent to very poor, all the things like that. I didn't know at this time. And I made my very first avatar without any plane shapes, without any vice meme. The rig was completely fucked because it didn't fit well with VRChat. So yeah, back then, it was kind of complicated. Even if I did an avatar that was very innovative at that time, that avatar didn't keep, by the way. I removed it now. Today, I know how VRChat works, so it's easier. And I have a ton of templates to create things more efficiently, I would say.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

40:21Jump to

Hey, good to know. So you were already pretty experienced in the regard. It was just learning the specifics of how it adapted to VRChat, huh? Yeah. Fair enough, fair enough. Well, I would like to ask a couple of things. You've made quite a few avatars. Would you say that you have a favorite? And if you do, why? And if not, also why?

N e k o s a n

Guest

40:42Jump to

Yeah, of course. I think my favorite avatar would be this one, the Kittysan 2.0, because it represents for me so many things that both represent my identity on VRChat, my icon, if I could say that. It's now the base of all my creations. And I wanted to create this base model from scratch, because the goal was to sell it on both. So I had to do every part from scratch, because before that, I was just using a Hoppou template for Discord servers and things like that. And I've been inspired by the Hoppou. I made everything look the same to match the Hoppou feelings, I would say, the Hoppou spirit. But it changed so many things, because it's also the base of creating my own business. I started my own company now, which is Albino. So making this avatar is, of course, one of my favorites, because it changed so much stuff in my life. But I would say also, I also like Valkyria-23. So it's the Hoppou aircraft with missiles and guns. It's a very unique avatar, because I was playing a lot of aircraft simulation at that time. I was playing a lot of DCS, and I wanted to have an aircraft avatar that is really badass with weapons and all of that. I also did that avatar with Kiro, which is a very famous creator on VRChat, and he helped me. We did that avatar with both of us. And I would say I also like the Fortune Teller Hoppou with all the magic stuff.. [Guest lost connection]

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

43:21Jump to

Hello, hello, hello, everybody. Welcome on back.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

43:29Jump to

Hope yall are all refreshed? Make sure that you got some drinks, used the restroom, and did whatever you needed to do. I appreciate y'all giving us the moment to make sure we could get all nice and rested and sort our stuff as well. But if everybody is amenable to it, I think we can get back into the questions. We talked a little about before we took our break what it was like making some of your avatars before, right? And you've had some decent experience. You have some favorites, and ones that are favorites because, you know, you've done a lot. Like, you were just enjoying flight sims at the time. And other ones that may mean a lot to you in a very grand sense, which is an absolutely wonderful answer. But you've also had a decent history of world creation, what with A Strange Place and a few other tangents. And A Strange Place is a bit of a linchpin in the Hoppou community at this point. The Strays here, I have an instance of it running nearly 24-7. And it's become quite the nexus for the Hoppou and Hoppou communities. May I ask, what was the initial inspiration behind the world?

N e k o s a n

Guest

44:30Jump to

Yeah, at first, this world, A Strange Place, it's not the first name. At first, it was the name of A Strange Place was Nekosans Secret Avatar World. And I wanted to make clear that I wanted to create a world where I can share my avatars. And with a touch of mystery, so people want to click on it. But everything kind of changed when I started to do my own lore, my own roleplay, trying to do something else than the Hoppou Foundation raids. And I wanted this world to become something more than just an avatar world. So what I did is when I first created the feature of the... [full-body tracking issue] When I created the fake choice, when people came in the world [A Strange Place] and they have to choose between those two Hoppou Fennecs, it's a fake choice, by the way, because whatever you took the dark or light side doesn't mean anything. Because I wanted exactly to do that on purpose. Whatever you be, white or dark, doesn't mean anything. We are the same. So that's because it's a fake choice. But it kind of makes the people who are being there, having a sort of a lore or something, maybe they thought it's... maybe they have different parts of the world who show up, things like that. And I also put the feature of the ghost Hoppou. The ghost Hoppou was the little ghost you have... [technical issue] Okay. I have on VRChat. And then when you enter the world, that Hoppou can explain to you what a Hoppou is. And I did that exactly for people who just came across this world, came by and wanted to know what was a Hoppou without necessarily being part of a raid. So everyone could be... everyone could join, basically, and learn what a Hoppou was. When I did that, the world became famous. It became famous a lot more than usual. And a lot of Hoppous, it could be solo Hoppous or even smaller groups, came in this world because it doesn't represent a group in particular. At this time, you have a lot of Hoppou worlds to convert, like convert a place, I would say, that are represented by groups. And when you enter those worlds, it sticks for the aesthetic of the group, or you can have even a logo of the group in those worlds. So it's kind of difficult for people like solo Hoppou or smaller groups, like I said, to use this world to make the Hoppou roleplay by themselves. And so the [sic] Strange Place became famous when people understood that they can use this place to make those solo raids, you know, and use it like they want. They have the complete freedom to use it whenever they want to make those raids by themselves. This is how it became somewhat popular and people started to come here often. I wanted to make a neutral place where people could come and use this place as they want and feel welcome every time, whatever which group you are.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

49:09Jump to

Hey, fantastic. Truly what it's become in a lot of regards is just kind of a nexus point for a lot of folks in the community, not in the community, just Hoppous all in general. Now, in terms of the worlds, I do have to ask, are you happy with it as is? You're going to be keeping it as is? Or do you have plans to continuously update it in some way? Or are you just like, hey, it's good how it is.

N e k o s a n

Guest

49:35Jump to

Yeah, it's good how it is. I didn't have any plan to change it soon. I think on the context of this world, it doesn't need to be changed. It's good as it is. And the idea is always the same. It's a world where you can convert people. The only thing that I will update, of course, is when I put more avatar on this world. But I don't have plan to change it soon. But maybe in the future, I want to implement more lore feature, like strange events that's going on in this world, like secrets or things like that. I want to put more on them, but I will do it maybe in the future.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

50:33Jump to

That would be wonderful to see. And if you keep adding avatars, you might need to add an extra island. You're already starting to fill up on them quite a bit.

N e k o s a n

Guest

50:39Jump to

Yeah, I already put another island where I put the cozy place. But maybe one day I will have to make another island. It will grow like that, I guess.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

50:54Jump to

Fair enough, fair enough. Well, in terms of that, there are a lot of people who are very much of a fan of the aesthetic for your world design. I would say those Hoppous at home are curious about your taste in worlds in general. Do you have a favorite world or series of worlds that you like to draw inspiration from or simply enjoy being in?

N e k o s a n

Guest

51:13Jump to

Yeah, there's a lot of them. It's simple. You can go into my profile, check out the playlist, the world playlist. And you have a playlist called Hidden Gems. And in this playlist, I put all the place I really enjoy spending time just to take photos or things like that. Or I think it's like a hidden gem in VRChat. So if you want to check out, you can just go in my profile and check that. And I will update it whenever I found other interesting worlds.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

51:55Jump to

Fantastic. A good answer and a good resource for people who are curious about it to be able to look exactly what they're looking for. Now, I would say in a community full of creators, you've been a creator for quite a while, and we have quite a few in the room with us as well. We all had moments and projects that just didn't quite pan out, either ended up falling by the wayside, or for one reason or another, just didn't work. Do you have any examples of projects like that, that you were excited about, but just never came to be?

N e k o s a n

Guest

52:31Jump to

Yeah, I have a lot of projects that I throw away in the bin. Well, it could be whether by lack of time or inspiration. For example, I wanted to make a 2D Hoppous that works with a drawing sheet where you have to draw every aspect of the avatar, like every angle of the avatar. And then on VRChat, it's like you, but in 2D. And whenever you turn around, you have all the shapes that change by the angle. And it was so hard because I've commissioned two artists, like two drawing artists, who gave up because it was too hard for them. And that project never came out. It's still on my archives, and maybe one day I will be able to make it. I wanted to make that not so long after making the low poly version of Kittysan, like a 2D Kittysan, even more optimized, you know. But it didn't go very well. The only thing that I was able to do is only a plane with a draw of a Kittysan, but that's it. So that, it feels simple, but in fact, drawing all the aspects of the avatar by hand, it's so, so hard. So I gave up that idea. I also had the idea to make a new Kittysan OS, Kittysan OS 2.0, but I gave up the project. I also had the idea to make a bee Hoppou, but I never finished it. I also had the idea to make other Made in Abyss Hoppou that I haven't finished. Maybe I will someday. I had so many projects that I started, but never really finished. Yeah, so many.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

54:42Jump to

That's fair. With any amount of creative process, there's always going to be some things that just never quite make the showroom, so to speak. But with that, I would like to ask, like I said, plenty of creators out here. What advice would you have for them when they might be getting disheartened by slowing progress or failure of projects outright that they've been working on? What would you say to them to keep them going with the creative spark?

N e k o s a n

Guest

55:10Jump to

Well, of course, there will be failures. Of course, there will be hard times that you go through. I think you should not stop. I mean, maybe you should stop when you have to. If sometimes the ideas don't go as planned, don't go and go finished, you don't have to feel guilty to not have finished something because it's not completed at this moment. Maybe because it's a lack of motivation or a lack of inspiration, whatever. But one thing at a time, you know? And when it's the moment, again, to go back on it, it's better to give greater priority to moments that inspire you in those creative process. Yeah, it's better to do things when you can and when it should be done. And you don't have to feel... Yeah, my only advice is don't feel guilty if you don't end up your project. It's like that, you know?

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

56:29Jump to

Good advice, good advice. And while we're on the subject of advice for our wonderful many Hoppou creators out there, I've gotten the question themselves from people who are, we'll say, starting out in terms of their creation. So what words of wisdom would you have to offer to aspiring new creators within the Hoppou community?

N e k o s a n

Guest

56:52Jump to

Oh, words of wisdom, like the truly Nekosan word. I think you don't have to be afraid to test things on creative aspects, I would say. Because art, in fact, is something that evolves with time. It's not something completely complete. You have to test things. And if it doesn't work, then you can throw it to the bin. It's okay. And if it works, then good for you. At least you cannot be guilty to not have the courage to test things. And I see so many people that look like each other. I saw they copy on top of one another. And inspiration is something. But you don't have to be a certified copy of someone else, of someone's works. It's like, I wanted to do Picasso and not abstract art. So a good advice would be, you need to test things. Don't be afraid of testing things. And don't be afraid of criticism of people. And above all, don't become all the same, please.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

58:28Jump to

Fantastic advice. We always have our inspirations and folks that we look up to and want to create just like that, right? But we all have something that's unique to us that we can really bring and create our own style. And I think it's wonderful advice to let people know, hey, let that spark shine rather than trying to mimic whatever creator it is that you are a fan of. Let your own style be yours.

N e k o s a n

Guest

58:55Jump to

Exactly. Find something that represents yourself in VRChat. It's always better to have the courage to test things, even if it doesn't work at first. For example, for me doing all the roleplay with Kittysan, with all the text-to-speech, all the scripts that I'm running in background to be able to do all of this, it took me a while, you know? I tested a lot of different things. I've tested to be a YouTuber, I tested to be a streamer, I tested... It doesn't work for me, but who cares, you know? When I understood that something just in VRChat works out and do whatever I do and I enjoy doing what I want to do, well, it's the most... I think it's the thing that fits me very well.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:00:04Jump to

Fantastic, fantastic advice. And hey, try a little bit of everything. You never know what might end up being in your strong suit, right? Yeah. Absolutely wonderful. Well, while we're trending on a little bit more of a philosophical tone, I'd like to hear your ideas about yourself and the community as a whole. We've all got our own things that keep us going, a passion that drives us, our work, moving it forward, our enjoyments, or little things that help keep us going in the day. What's something that you get passion and enjoyment from, either in this community or outside of it?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:00:42Jump to

I think what makes me play VRChat every day, it's the curiosity of people, of the targets I have in VRChat when I do my roleplay. Because I can play this game every day and every time I will meet different people with different interactions and things. And I could be able to do that every day if the curiosity of people haven't showed up. So for all the times that I've been able to provoke that sparkle of curiosity on those players, when they want to know my character or the Hoppou in general, if they ask me if I am an AI or not, that makes me laugh, by the way. But all of that, I do that because every day I've found people who are like, oh my god, what is that? It's creepy but cute at the same time, things like that. The things that we heard almost every day. But yeah, I think that the only reason that would make me stop VRChat is when all the players of VRChat would disappear. That's the only reason.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:02:09Jump to

Very, very fair. And hey, that's a wonderful way to look at it. You can always find interesting interactions here on VRChat, right?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:02:17Jump to

Yes, that's for sure.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:02:21Jump to

Moving on to the community a little bit more focused. What do you think is so appealing about the Hoppou community in general? Do you think that if the Hoppou community were to start today, would it work in the same way? Would it work at all?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:02:38Jump to

Well, I think it's the fact that Hoppous in general in VRChat are seen as fictional characters. A bit mysterious. A character, like I said, who are portrayed by a person with vague intention. When someone sees a Hoppou, they ask themselves if it's an AI or watching over by distance. And most of the time, Hoppous don't speak. They are all mute. So they are even more mysterious. When people have a lot of questions and appeals to their sense of curiosity, it's when I think it makes Hoppous very unique in VRChat. And when you show someone that is untouchable with undetectable feelings, with a team spirit, with mutual aids of everyone, every Hoppou going together in a raid, it kind of gives people want to be part of this little family. When I say family in the roleplay, because all Hoppous are sisters in the roleplay. And it's also a community, like every Hoppous is seen as a creative place. A place where you don't have to express yourself to be understood. Because most of the Hoppous, like I said, they are just mute people. And they feel welcome in those kind of groups because being mysterious is part of the roleplay of Hoppou. It's also a place where you don't need to be judged by the aspect of your roleplay. So I think, yes, I think it's for all these reasons that the Hoppous are mysterious people like that. They are kind of feeling a part of the other VRChat communities. Because most of the times the Hoppous are seen as strange little weird creatures, you know, and not people behind. So that gives a lot of credibility, of course, to our roleplay.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:05:14Jump to

Fantastic, fantastic. Yeah, it is. It's almost like getting a little glimpse of something behind the curtain, right? There's that, like you said, that mystery that draws people in and then seeing what happens behind the curtains really sells it. Now, following up on that, we touched a little bit on it earlier, but some folks out in the audience would like to know a bit more specifically, what do you think sets the Hoppou community apart from the rest of VRChat as a whole?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:05:51Jump to

Again, it's the fact that Hoppou are a legacy story of VRChat. That story came out just a little, not long after VRChat's release on Steam. In fact, today when you talk about Hoppous in general to other people, Hoppous are seen as a legend. A legend that you cannot change anymore, being part of the VRChat story. A lot of people, when they heard that, they have a lot of respect about just being a legend. And so the fact that you can be seen as others, as a legend entity of Hoppous with those avatars that make them really easily recognizable, and the way they interact with other people as well, I think that makes the Hoppou community really a part of being very different than other communities in VRChat.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:07:03Jump to

That's very, very fair. You got quite a bit that sets us apart. There are many different legacies to VRChat. Ugandan Knuckles immediately springs to mind, but Hoppous just have a little bit more [unclear: staying] power in terms of the... because you still see a Ugandan Knuckles every once in awhile but I doubt they are doing anything quite like this.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:07:23Jump to

Yeah. Exactly. Well, in fact, if you go on YouTube, you will see a lot of Hoppou videos that were popular back then in the 2020s, maybe 2019, the same time as the young Ugandan Knuckles. Because making videos on raids or whatever, what was happening in VRChat was kind of popular. And making Hoppou videos today, it doesn't have the same impact as before. So that's changed a lot. The people's minds have changed a lot. Today, the only thing that is popular on YouTube when you watch VRChat is VRChat trolling, things like that. And sadly, Hoppou stories are not very in minds of people when it comes to making videos or something like that. But like you said, it was kind of in the same time as the Ugandan Knuckles. And they just made their own story in the shadow, I would say. And a lot of people also appreciate that when it came out to join a group, to not be too popular or something like that, to be a little hidden.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:08:48Jump to

That's very, very fair. Perhaps that hiddenness has helped in some regard, but I digress. It is wonderful that it has lasted as long as it has. I will say that. And beyond lasting, I feel like it's grown quite a bit. You talked about it earlier in that there are a lot of different other smaller groups that have come up and it's gotten quite large in many regards, with many different groups also starting to collaborate, not only within the community, but also without some on a regular basis. For those who are on the outside, looking in on the Hoppou community, what would you most want them to know and why?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:09:29Jump to

The only things that I want them to know is that we took ourselves not seriously, but we do things seriously. Meaning that we are representing fictional characters and we do not really represent the behavior one should adopt in real life. We are acting there as we are doing, I don't know, a theater or comedians, I don't know. And we do everything we can to create this atmosphere around those characters. It could be every part of the creating process. It could be avatars, could be worlds, or even just roleplay or lore for people who don't really know how to create characters. They can just being a Hoppou and create their own lore that is completely fine with that to create all this atmosphere. So I want to say for the people who discover Hoppou for the first time, I invite you to go in VRChat to watch your surroundings. And if you see a strange individual, like a wild Hoppou that just look at you and stare in your eyes in a corner of the room, just go and talk, have a talk, and you will be surprised to be surrounded by more Hoppou a while after.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:11:01Jump to

We start to amass. Whenever we get talked to, we signal others, huh? I guess that's fair. No, that's a wonderful thought. As this community grows more and more, and more folks are exposed to it, it is good to keep in mind what kind of image we want to push forward onto other folks. Make sure that we all are, you know, being as respectful as we can with the community and those that we interact with. But thinking about the Hoppou community as a whole, the community, at least in my time here, which I've only been here for about a year, many folks have been here longer, I think at the very least has come quite far in terms of members groups and it's continuously growing as time goes on. If you could have anything realized as our community continues to expand and change, what would your vision for the Hoppou community be?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:11:56Jump to

The only thing I want to focus more will be the lore of Hoppous. For example, with more words, with lore that tells you a story inside. For example, words where you will be in the middle of a story being accompanied by other Hoppou players. I think if I should do something, if I would do things, I think I would create more words to tell the Hoppou lore. Because today the only thing where people are able to know Hoppous is being targeted by a Hoppou themselves or join one of the few words we have in VRChat for Hoppous. At least words where you can experience the story and the lore of Hoppous. I think I would make more words focus on that.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:13:10Jump to

Very, very good answer. So just expounding upon what makes a Hoppou a Hoppou and the history and legacy of it.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:13:18Jump to

I think maybe something else, when I think about that, to put aside all the absurd rules that doesn't have any sense. And also events like when Hoppou groups absolutely want to create events like movie night, karaoke, something like that. Things that other non-Hoppou groups could make. Where's the idea on that? What's the meaning of this? What makes your Hoppou movie night better than another group, another non-Hoppou group? So I think if I would also do things like that, I would make events that only are in the atmospheres of Hoppous. For example, you can create a movie night but in fact it's a fake movie night when you invite people and all the people are being targeted in that theater. That could be interesting as well.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:14:30Jump to

Kind of like an ambush tactic, huh? Interesting. All right.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:14:33Jump to

Yeah, yeah.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:14:36Jump to

Interesting, interesting. Well, those are some absolutely wonderful ideas in terms of what the community could be and some ideas on how to basically flavor the community and stuff, like you said, like any other group could do to try to make it a little bit more our own. And I'm sure there's plenty of folks out there with some ideas brewing in their heads as well. And you've given us a lot of things to think about. But to round things off, I'd like to talk a little bit about the interactions we as Hoppous have. Whether we've been in the community for a few days or many years, we've all observed our fair share of chaos. Members who have been in VRChat for years regard us with sensitive but cautious knowledge of what we are, and newbies oftentimes can be surprised or even comically fearful. What's one of the most interesting interactions you've ever had in your time as a Hoppou?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:15:28Jump to

Well, it's simple. It's people who are curious. It makes all the difference. When, as Hoppou, we do our roleplay, we go into a world, we start to stare at people, or like that. We only focus on people who are very curious against us. If someone is just watching in a mirror, talking about a subject, and they don't even notice us, well, I move on, and I will start to look for another opportunity, I would say. The only thing that makes interaction interesting in VRChat is when someone is being curious. Like, oh, what are these? I want to know more. Oh, can I pet them? Oh, what language are they speaking? Where do you come from? If you're being curious to someone, it makes the person being very valuable. They feel very worthy for you. When you got interested in someone, even if you're not a Hoppou, but if you show the person that you are being curious to them, like where you come from, I don't know, really simple things like that, it makes all the difference. Like, seriously. And every time I play VRChat, I'm looking for those good moments. Yeah.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:17:03Jump to

Curiosity is what's gotten most of us into the community, after all, huh? Fair enough, fair enough. What closing remarks slash pieces of advice do you have for our wonderful Hoppou community here? Any future plans or things you would like to shout out?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:17:23Jump to

I want people to understand that VRChat is not only a place where you can meet weird people. For all those people who watch VRChat as an extra point of view when they watch VRChat on YouTube, but they don't really play VRChat, I want those people to understand that VRChat is not a place or a hideout of weird people or fury or whatever, or people who get trolled or whatever. I'm looking at all of you. It's entirely up to you to give others the impression that they might be wrong, and that this place is also a place of creativity.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:18:10Jump to

Thank you all again very much for coming. And Nekosan, thank you again very much for agreeing to do this and giving us your answers. It was an absolutely wonderful time.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:18:19Jump to

It's something very unusual for me. I don't do that for people. For a lot of people here, it's the first time you hear my voice. If it's the case, then happy birthday for you. But you should know that when I play VRChat, I'm in the shoes of my characters. I am not talking with my real voice. So yeah, it's something a bit unusual for me.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:18:49Jump to

All the more reason that we appreciate it greatly that you're willing to talk with us today. I hope you all have had a fantastic day and gotten some wonderful insights into Hoppous and creation, along with all the different aspects of this community. Again, if you are interested in what Nekosan has to offer, you can check out Albino Hoppou Children, or soon to be A Fan of A Strange Place. Is that correct?

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:19:13Jump to

Yeah, it's already the case. The group already exists. You can find it on my group. I guess it's A Fan of A Strange Place. And I will soon change. When I create a new avatar, the announcements I will make on that group, so everyone can join that group. And yeah.

TheInfiniteDawn

Host

01:19:37Jump to

Absolutely fantastic. We'll be keeping an eye out on what you have to create and all the new updates for your worlds and avatars. But that'll be all for today. Thank you again very much for being an absolutely fantastic audience, and hopefully, I'll see you all around. Maybe we'll have another conversation. But until then, take care, have a fantastic evening, and stay strange, y'all.

N e k o s a n

Guest

01:19:59Jump to

Yeah, stay strange. Good advice.